Productive Days & Recipe

What do you consider a productive day?

Getting errands done?
Grocery shopping?
Cleaning a few rooms?

For me, productive days fall into categories (and probably for you, too), such as, Homeschooling,
Writing, Editing, Shopping, or Baking or Cooking, to name a few.  Today I had a productive Kitchen day. (Don't you just love a productive kitchen day?)

For me, it looked like this: I got the kids started on their respective homeschooling lessons, made fermented oatmeal, started a batch of yogurt, picked up our week's supply of raw milk and cage-free eggs from a local farm, AND I started a fermented granola recipe (which takes 24 hours to ferment so you can't finish it all at once) and made my first-ever loaf of Paleo bread. (I'm really proud of that bread! It's sitting on my counter cooling right now and smells great.)

Here. I took a picture for the curious. :)  It didn't rise as high as the picture on the recipe looked. I used a different bread pan, which I suppose could account for that.

 It came out more as a quick bread style loaf, rather than sandwich style, so I'll keep trying new recipes until I get one that works for sandwiches. BUT I just tasted a slice and it's really good! (recipe below)

I also finished up my May recipes for the month, and have almost finished the accompanying shopping lists. When I get a month's worth of recipes in place, that means I have a plan and I don't have to worry about last-minute "what's for dinner" panic moments.  I also feel that I've accomplished something worthwhile.

My youngest is done with school for the day and my high schooler is almost there, so I'm just about ready to take an iced drink outside to the deck to enjoy this beautiful spring sunshine before starting dinner.

How about you? Did you get any good gardening done today? Or baking? Writing?
Tell me what makes you feel like you've accomplished something worthwhile by leaving a comment and you'll be entered into the current drawing for ENGLISH COUNTRY HOUSE MURDERS, book on the right.
("More Tea, Vicar?" is unfortunately no longer available--I'm substituting it with another English and/or Jane Austen themed CD. Details to follow. Sorry for the change!) But the book and a similar CD will be awarded to one commenter by the 15th of the month.) So leave your comment today!  

:     And here's the Paleo Bread recipe I followed, originally from Elana's Pantry. (Click the link and you'll see her bread looks much more like a sandwich bread than mine. I'll have to look into getting that "Magic Line Loaf Pan," that she used.) Anyway, the bread has no flour, no sugar (a small amount of honey) and practically no carbs at all. I wouldn't go crazy eating half a loaf, however, since it does have a lot of nutrient-dense nut flours and healthy fats. Enjoy!

Paleo Bread

1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour (available on Amazon.com)

2 Tablespoons coconut flour

1/2 cup golden flaxseed meal

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

5 eggs

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 Tablespoon honey

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1. Place almond flour, coconut  flour, flax, salt and baking soda in a food processor. (I just whisked my ingredients. This could be another reason my bread turned out differently. When I saw that it only called for "pulsing," I figured I could get the same results without the processor. Apparently, I was wrong!)

2. Pulse ingredients together.

3. Pulse in eggs, oil, honey and vinegar

4. Pour batter into a greased 7.5" x 3.5 " Magic Line Loaf Pan

5. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

6. Cool and serve. 

Happy Baking! And don't forget to leave a comment to enter the drawing. When you comment on more than one post, you get more than one entry. (One entry per comment)

Thank you and Good luck!

Something Extra: Coffee-Banana Breakfast Shake

(This is where the "practically usable" of my blog heading comes in!)

Being an author doesn't mean I've abandoned my kitchen. I made such a scrumptious breakfast today that I have to share it with you:
Before I give the recipe, let me suggest a few tips you can put into practice so that whipping up healthy shakes like this are a snap.

Tips:

1. Never discard a banana. When they start to brown more than you like, peel them, cut roughly into large chunks and freeze in a sandwich or freezer bag. These are perfect for shakes.

2. Got extra coffee in the pot? Don't dump it. Let it cool a bit, take an ice cube tray and fill it with coffee instead of water. Freeze. Empty coffee ice cubes into a plastic bag. Keep it near your frozen banana chunks.

3. Have a good protein powder mix on hand. I get mine from Dr. Mercola. They're pricey but the quality is assured and they come in various flavors. For today's shake I used the Banana Whey Protein Powder, but any flavor of your choice would work.

4. A good blender or food processor should be on your counter.

With these tips in place, it takes only a minute to whip up a wonderful summer breakfast that is healthy and filling. Note: To some people, coffee isn't healthy. I love the stuff and drink about three cups a day. Use your discretion. Note #2: To others, bananas are too carb-filled. Use sparingly. End of notes. :)

Coffee-Banana Breakfast Shake

6 to 12 coffee ice cubes
1 small frozen banana
1-2 scoops protein powder
1 cup coconut milk (or milk of your choice.)
A couple of dashes of 1/2 and 1/2 (optional. I like my shakes rich.)
Cinnamon powder to dust the top

Place coffee cubes in blender or processor and crush. Add the frozen banana, coconut milk and protein powder. Use CHOP or CRUSH setting for the banana, and then switch to STIR. Your drink should come out all thick and frothy. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon powder.
Enjoy!

If you use 12 coffee ice cubes you could split this into two servings. Otherwise, have a tall glass ready!