Tree of Life Mothering

Yesssss! I finally cracked the code for whole wheat sourdough bread, made in my breadmachine! I can even replicate the results, as pictured below.

Doesn’t it look nummy? And the smell is so heavenly!!!!!

Over a month ago, I got to attend a class given by Melissa Richardson, coauthor of the following book:

I don’t have time to give a recap of the whole class here, but let’s just say that Melissa gave the best explanation of why whole grains should be soured, soaked, or sprouted before being eaten. It all has to do with phytic acid. She used a great, funny metaphor to explain it. That’s what you get when you have a writer who also is a baker. Melissa said she took a writing class from her coauthor, Caleb Warnock, and she paid him in bread when he started noticing that the treats of baked goods she brought to class were delicious and nutritious! Her bread made with natural yeast was so good for him that he was able to get off his medication for acid reflux that he had been using for over ten years! Amazingly enough, the lady who hosted the class said that her husband, who has been diagnosed with celiac disease by his doctor, can eat the bread that she makes using Melissa’s recipes. 

Ladies, whole grains can be good for you if you prepare them the right way! If you don’t, then you are asking for digestive and other troubles, like tooth decay. All this talk about gluten intolerance and allergies could largely evaporate if we learned how to prepare our grains with fermenting (sourdough, aka natural yeast), soaking, or sprouting. 

See how light and fluffy this bread looks? Yes, it’s whole wheat sourdough bread! This is just what Melissa’s samples looked like in the class. It was so great to see, or have a vision, of what sourdough bread can look like. It doesn’t have to be dense, solid slabs that could be used as bricks or paperweights! I came home and replicated her bread in the picture above. Her bread really did look just like this.

I already had her book but it was worth it go to her class to hear her explanation, which as far as I can tell, is not in the book, and to get a sourdough starter from her! She also had some more info not in her book but on the handout, so I am really glad I listened to the Spirit telling me to go to the class, even though my pride/or I guess it was satan was telling me, “You don’t need to go, you already have the book.”

I had been using a starter since last October but I learned a few things from going to Melissa’s class. Namely, that your starter should show bubbles that you can see in the dough. If your starter is not bubbly, you need to reduce the amount, not use the starter yet, and start over by feeding it again, as she says in her book. You can go to her blog here and read the posts linked in the sidebar, about starter consistency, 3 keys to success, and bubble or double. Seeing bubbles is a key! That is why it’s best to use a glass jar. Here is my starter nice and bubbly:

So I went home and fed my starter using her handout as an instruction. I am so happy to say that I kept the starter alive, or did not kill it, and here it is above, having survived several weeks. I went to her book and used the recipe for bread machine bread. It overflowed way too much! I had to spend some time scraping baked bread on the inside of the machine. I studied her recipe in the book and then I noticed it said “Makes two loaves.” Ahhh, no wonder I had Mt. Vesuvius action going on! But there was no other instruction in the recipe, like “Divide the dough in half.”

So I experimented with the recipe and found that if I cut the amount of natural yeast (aka sourdough start) in half, and kept all the remaining ingredients the same, the recipe worked perfectly. 

So here is my modified recipe that works just right in my machine. Hopefully it will work in yours. Hint: if you don’t have a breadmachine, check your local thrift store. That’s where I got mine, really cheap!

Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread from Breadmachine

Melt 2 T butter, put in the loaf pan

Add 1 3/4 c water

Add 2 T honey

Add 3/4 c sourdough start 

Then add the dry ingredients:

3 1/2 c whole wheat flour

1 1/4 tsp salt

Mix up the ingredients a little with a rubber scraper. Put in your breadmachine and choose the longest setting for whole wheat bread. 

When it’s done, smother with lots of butter and honey while it’s hot and enjoy!

This is such a special weekend…we get to hear from living prophets and apostles bear witness of Jesus Christ and his restored gospel on the earth today! It’s General Conference time for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Here are some resources to help children engage with General Conference.

This page at Sugar Doodle has several packets you can print for nursery age children up through 12 years old.

It also has several other ideas besides packets, like a General Conference station you can make for your children and paper dolls. It also has notetaking ideas for teens and adults.

Here is a page from the LDS Church’s web site, with mazes for children.

And for the adults, you can play Fantasy General Conference. Maybe this will help you stay awake! I love General Conference, but I have to admit, even though I take notes, sometimes I fall asleep. Some of the speakers just have such gentle, lullably-like voices that I happily drift off to dreamland. I feel such peace at General Conference time! Thank good ness I can download all the talks within days after General Conference and listen over and over.

I got to meet the Food Nanny, aka Liz Edmunds! If I had a bucket list, this would have been on it! Thanks to Diann Jeppson, who invited her to come to this year’s Family Forum that was a few weeks ago in Salt Lake City. She was just as sweet and vivacious in person as she is on the show. We had a lengthy conversation and I even got her business card! Then I went to her presentation and heard more of her story.

Liz has a cookbook all about dinner menus and a show on BYUTV where she inspires parents to commit to fixing dinner and having dinner every night. She told me that after she had written her cookbook, BYUTV came knocking on her door, asking if she would be the star of a reality TV show to teach people how to have family dinner. Watch it here! I learned that Dian Thomas was the “wind beneath her wings” who inspired her as a writing mentor to do her book. Liz said that writing her book was the hardest thing she has ever done, even harder that rearing a family of seven children.

The basic premise of the book is that dinnertime is part of the True Life, La Vita Vera! Liz has three components for La Vita Vera:  the whole family is together for dinner, you plan your menu with theme nights, and you have yummy food! The way to make it easier on mom to have dinner every night is to have a rotating menu. That way you don’t have to think too hard when meal planning and making your grocery shopping list. This is the menu for the theme nights that Liz teaches:

Monday: comfort food

Tuesday: Italian

Wednesday: Fish or meatless or breakfast

Thursday: Mexican

Friday: pizza

Saturday: grill night, with Dad at the barbecue hopefully!

Sunday: traditional food (like roast and potatoes)

You can go here to get some blank menus and shopping lists for your planning.

If you would like some recipes that are more “whole foodsy” then I recommend these three sites:

• The Healthy Home Economist’s recipes here.
• The Holistic Squid’s meal plans here and recipes here.
• Wellness Mama’s recipes here.

As soon as I saw her book in the Chinaberry catalog about 6 years ago, I knew I had to get it! It absolutely attracted me. I couldn’t afford to buy it, and my public library didn’t have it, so I had to borrow it through interlibrary loan. I was pleasantly surprised to find out she is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as indicated by the Family Home Evening chart on the wall in her family photos in the book. OK, I was admittedly a little disappointed that it doesn’t have totally “whole foods” or “real foods” ingredients. It does use white flour and white sugar and vegetable oils. So, if you are into total American comfort (processed)  food, you will love her book.  If you are vegan or into non-processed foods, you probably will want to adjust some of the recipes. If you are not vegan, just use melted butter for the oil in the baking recipes, sucanat for the dessert recipes, and olive oil for the salad dressing. You will still love her book! Vegans will have to adjust even more.

She made her famous baguette recipe right before our eyes.

When I read her book, I totally got inspired to write about how we can use dinner time to nurture our family spiritually as well as physically. So here’s that article, which includes some remarks from LDS Church leaders about family dinner and the sacred act of preparing food, how to talk about the Book of Mormon at the dinner table, and the list of questions Liz has in her book to stimulate conversation. Bon appetit!

Last week was FUN and hectic as well. Stomach aches…visiting in-laws that I see every three years…meeting cousins in a park for their spring break and hearing my sister tell me the plot line for the romance novel she is writing that will make Jane Austen jealous…spring flowers popping up….hoping my kids didn’t notice that we didn’t dye Easter eggs this year…watching The Life of Pi with my husband on a rare movie date…doing an Easter egg hunt with the cousins…finding parking in downtown SLC…being woken up at 3 AM by a sick child…making homemade Easter chocolates that were sooooo good! All in a week’s work of my mother of seven life!

It didn’t start out too fun, as I was really nauseous (and no, I am not pregnant!) for the Friday and Saturday the week before. It lessened on Sunday but then came back on Monday. It was this strange sickness that made me lose my appetite for food and my passion for life. I didn’t even want to move as I felt so weak and queasy. I sincerely wondered if I would ever want to cook food for my family EVER AGAIN and eat with vengeance like I usually do.

I was thinking I might be fixing dinner and playing hostess for my brother in law and sister in law from North Carolina who would be coming to visit us in the middle of their spring skiing trip with their little boy. I wondered what in the world I could prepare for them. The only thing that sounded good was hamburgers. We went for years without eating ground beef, but since I have been turned on to Nourishing Traditions I have been slowly accepting the wholesomeness of ground beef. The more I thought about having a juicy hamburger with tasty condiments, the happier I got!

Well, it turned out they only stayed until 4 PM so we didn’t have dinner together but my 11 year old son decided to fix the hamburgers on Friday for a “barbecue.” He plugged the electric griddle into the outlet on the patio and mentored his little 8 year old brother, who needed to pass off a cooking requirement for Cub Scouts, on how to cook hamburger patties. They were so eager to have a barbecue! They set everything up outside for a picnic. It was sooo nice to have a night off fixing dinner, totally unplanned! This 11 year old boy can be such a go-getter. He happily sighed after eating his burger, “I am so happy!” OK, if I had known making hamburgers can make boys so happy, I would have started putting them on the menu a long time ago.

By Tuesday night, I had recovered from my illness with some essential oils. My daughter got sick Saturday night after being gone all day to her job at the Lion House. I met her at the Conference Center for the Young Women meeting, rather late because of my hair appointment that was at 3. The best place I could find to park was up at the Capitol so we had fun hiking to the hill.

In the middle of the night, early Sunday she woke me up saying she felt so sick. I woke up from my comatose state and said in my raspy, dehydrated voice, “Get the essential oil off my dresser and put 2 to 3 drops on your tongue!” Then I promptly fell back to sleep. Next thing I knew, I could hear noises in the bathroom that indicated the drops had worked. They will help your body do whatever it needs to do to get better, whether it’s vomiting, such as her case was, or settling the stomach down. The next day she was feeling MUCH better and got to wear a new dress, the black and white one pictured above, that she got as a new hand-me-down from her aunt for Easter Sunday. I had made some homemade Easter chocolate with some new molds. I couldn’t get them out easily of the molds so I totally mangled them as I pried them out. She added her artistic touch and put them back into Easter bunny shapes. I am so going to miss her when she goes away to college!

This video is from one of my absolute favorite General Conference talks, that of Elder Neil L. Andersen, from October 2011. I love how one of the little boys gets so excited after his mom kisses him, and that it also shows a biracial couple.

Finally, I am putting up the recipes from our March cooking class of Naturally Healthy Easter and Birthday treats.

You can get the Naturally Healthy Birthday and Easter Treats here.

It includes the recipe for the lemon cake pictured above, which uses almond flour. Look for the Luscious Lemon Almond Flour cake in the recipe handout that is clickable above. It was so yummy!

We are making homemade Easter chocolates today, and I got the recipe here. They are scrumptious and real food with 4 simple ingredients: cocoa, honey, vanilla, and cocoa butter. Delish!

http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&isUI=1

I am still basking in the glow of last week’s Roots Tech conference. I wasn’t able to go but I did watch some of the sessions and you can too! Watch some of the archived sessions here. Family history research is for everyone, and it’s fun! Elder Scott says you can “eliminate the influence of the adversary” by doing it. I think it’s because when you do it, angels of those you do the work for surround you and shield you with protective light so that satan can’t influence your thoughts with his satanic spin.

This is my son, Valor, second from left, and his teammates after winning the Freedom Bowl in 2009. This bowl, plus my son’s LEMI project classes, is what gave him a solid foundation of knowledge about the Constitution. I am so grateful for Scott Swain and Diann Jeppson for initiating these bowls!

Freedom Bowl

Saturday, April 13^th, 2013, 2:30-5:00pm

Team Check-in 2:15-2:30pm

Trinity United Methodist Church

4290 W. 5415 S., Kearns

Cost: $20 per participant

Registration Postmark Deadline: April 4th, 2013

The Freedom Bowl is an exciting way for youth ages 12-18 to learn more about our Constitution and Revolutionary War History.  Teams of four compete by answering questions about the U.S. Constitution and the Founding Era of the United States.  Much like knowledge bowls, Freedom Bowls are a fun and interesting way for students to showcase their knowledge and love of country.  

This is my daughter Virtue and son Valor who won first place a few years ago on the same team. Valor looks real excited. I guess after winning so many times, he’s getting bored of it!

For prizes this year the eight first place winners will receive a scholarship to the 2014 TJEd Youth Forum.  In addition, all participants of the Freedom Bowl will receive a $20 discount to attend the 2013 American Youth Leadership Institute Simulations Week. Freedom Bowl manuals with all competition questions and answers may be purchased by emailing nkaiserman@gmail.com or online at rootsoffreedom.com. For more information on the 2013 Freedom Bowl, please go to www.ayli.org. Registrations must be postmarked by April 4th, 2013, so register quickly! We hope you decide to join us for this exciting event!

Here’s my third child, Honor, second from left, following along in his siblings’ shoes, winning at the Freedom Bowl.

Did you know that family history is not just for old people? Did you know that family history is FUN?

Did you know that family history is totally doable, even for a mom with little kids? Did you know that the blessings of family history and temple work are HUGE? They are not to be missed! Family history work will help you have clothes for your children, peace of mind, more joyful relationships in your family, fewer whisperings of the adversary, and happiness.

A fascinating and encouraging story by a busy young mother of how she fit in family history work amidst all of her demands appeared in the August 2006 Ensign, pages 34 to 38. It’s by Kim Sorenson. See http://lds.org/ensign/2006/08/blessings-for-my-ancestors-blessings-…. Read it! It’s really good. I loved her descriptions of the blessings that flowed from doing this work. Because of her sacrifices to do family history research, she was blessed with HUGE blessings. Her family’s health was better, her appliances and cars broke less often, and she was able to attract clothes her son needed for his scout trip at a garage sale for a really cheap price. It was her story that  inspired me as a mom with young children to start doing family history work. I encourage every young mom to read it. It will take away your excuses!

Family history is even becoming hip and cool with shows like Who Do You Think You Are?

Lots of bloggers are getting into family history. Here is a list of bloggers involved with the upcoming Roots Tech 2013 conference this weekend at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah.

A few years ago I found out that I am descended from Roger Williams, the man who founded Rhode Island. I learned he suffered many hard things to fight for freedom of conscience, even fleeing to and living in the wilderness in the winter because he was going to be arrested in his New England town. Here is a simple story about him that greatly inspired me to do hard things. I sometimes think, “If great-grandpa Roger can survive a winter in the wilderness in New England, I can certainly do such and such…”

It is so fun to discover these stories about my roots! What stories are waiting for you to discover about yours? Here is a place on my web site here where you can learn more about getting started with family history research.

And great news…the LDS Church is sponsoring Roots Tech 2013, a huge conference this weekend about the merging of technology and family history. You can even watch some sessions from home, for free! The following is what I copied and pasted from the Church’s web site.

Several opportunities are available to learn more about family history in conjunction with the RootsTech family history and technology conference on March 21–23, 2013, in Salt Lake City, Utah. For more information about RootsTech 2013 or to register for the conference, go to thewww.rootstech.org.

Not Able to Attend RootsTech in Person?

The following “Best of RootsTech” sessions will be streamed live online all three days of the RootsTech conference atwww.rootstech.org.

(photo credit: http://sydlieberman.com.)

Thursday, March 21

8:30 Keynote—Dennis Brimhall, Syd Lieberman, Josh Taylor (editor’s note: who are these people? Elder Dennis Brimhall is a General Authority of the LDS Church and the CEO of familysearch.org. Syd Lieberman is a Jewish storyteller. He has some free recordings of his stories over at his web site here. I really like the stories about the year 1776, called Summer of Treason. We listened to these in the car around Independence Day and loved it! Josh Taylor is the founder of findmypast.com)

11:00 The Future of Genealogy—Thomas MacEntee and panel

1:45 Tell it Again (Story@Home)—Kim Weitkamp

3:00 The Genealogists Gadget Bag—Jill Ball and panel

4:15 Finding the Obscure and Elusive: Geographic Information on the Web —James Tanner

Friday, March 22

8:30 Keynote—Jyl Pattee and Tim Sullivan

9:45 Researching Ancestors Online—Laura Prescott

11:00 FamilySearch Family Tree—Ron Tanner

1:45 Google Search… and Beyond —Dave Barney

3:00 From Paper Piles to Digital Files—Valerie Elkins

Saturday, March 23

8:30 Keynote—David Pogue and Gilad Japhet

9:45 Using Technology to Solve Research Problems—Karen Clifford

11:00 Digital Storytelling: More than Bullet Points—Denise Olson

These are just 13 of more than 250 classes available at the conference.

Two training sessions specifically for family history consultants will be streamed live atlds.org/familyhistorycallings.

Saturday, March 23
12:40 Hearts, then Charts
1:45 Secrets of Success

Attend Free RootsTech Sessions for Members and Leaders

The Church’s Family History Department is offering several free sessions and activities specifically for Church members and youth on Saturday, March 23, in conjunction with the RootsTech Conference.

Free training sessions for members with family history-related callings such as family history consultants as well as other priesthood and auxiliary leaders will be available.

Three General Authorities will join with Family History Department staff to teach sessions. Elder Allen F. Packer of the Seventy will give an address at a 9:45 a.m. devotional on Saturday, March 23, followed by addresses from Elder Paul E. Koelliker and Elder Bradley D. Foster of the Seventy on the role of family history in the work of salvation. Attendees will also get a sneak peek at new features on FamilySearch.org.

Register for the free training at www.rootstech.org/FHcallings (separate registration is required for both the free training and the RootsTech Conference).

Free Classes and Activities for Youth and Youth Leaders

On Saturday, March 23, youth ages 11–18 are invited to participate in a number of classes and activities at the Salt Palace Convention Center, including a Geneaology Merit Badge and Personal Progress Booth, a class by popular EFY speaker Ryan Sharp, and a youth panel discussion.

David L. Beck, Young Men general president, will speak to youth leaders about how family history work can bless the lives of youth. That evening, Sister Elaine S. Dalton, Young Women general president, will be the speaker at a special devotional for youth at 6:00 p.m. in the Salt Palace Convention Center, Hall 2. See www.rootstech.org/youth for more details and to register.

And if you can make it in person, come the free storytellers’ conference with Syd LIeberman. I really want to go to this!

Story@Home Presents: An Evening of Storytelling

Friday, March 22, 6:00-9:00 p.m.

Cost: FREE

There’s nothing like sitting back to listen to a well told story. Join us at the Conference Center Theater for an entertaining evening with our featured storytellers as they tell some of their favorite stories. Your sure to delight in the uniqueness of each storyteller while celebrating in the commonalities we all share.

6:00 PM Pre-show with Clive Romney
6:30 PM Storytelling Concert featuring: Ginger Parkinson, Jan Smith, Syd Lieberman, and Kim Weitkamp, with Emcee Teresa Clark.

No registration is needed for this event. Seating will be on a first come, first seated bases. We recommend you arrive early as this venue only seats 150 folks.

Last week in my Primary class we learned about the three witnesses to the Book of Mormon. As I told this story to my cute Primary children, I felt such a peaceful, sweet feeling about this event. I first read the Book of Mormon when I was 12 years old and then I asked God for a witness that it is true. Through the power of Holy Ghost, as it says in Moroni 10:4-5, I got a witness that it is a book of God. I know the Book of Mormon really came as a translation of ancient metal plates written by people of old, inspired by God. I love this little video clip by Brother Truman Madsen about the witnesses. They never did deny their testimony that they saw the Angel Moroni holding the plates, and that they heard the voice of God from heaven bearing witness of these plates.