The Potted Pan

The first berries of the season are in and I couldn't help but make a yummy strawberry shortcake. Since my little ladies have been suffering from allergies and are not doing I gave this recipe a whirl and added a grain free biscuit to boot. 

note: The recipe calls for almond flour and all I had on hand was almond meal and it still came out great. Almond meal is a little more course and has been ground with the skins on and blanched flour is finer texture and has had the skins removed before being ground. Using almond meal resulted in a darker biscuit and a nuttier flavor.

Strawberry Shortcake: grain free, dairy free, unrefined sugar free

Shortcake Biscuits 2½ cups blanched almond flour ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon sea salt ¼  coconut oil, melted 1 tablespoon pure honey or pure maple syrup 2 large eggs ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Topping 1 pound fresh ripe strawberries (or thawed frozen berries) 1 tablespoon honey or pure Maple Syrup

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 

2. For the Biscuits: In a small bowl, combine almond flour, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together coconut oil and honey until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla, whisking together until well combined. Using a spoon, stir the dry mixture into the wet mixture until thoroughly combined. Place dough in fridge to cool about 10 minutes. 

 3. For the Strawberry Topping: Slice the strawberries and toss with honey. If using, prepare the whipped coconut cream. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

 4. Once biscuit dough is chilled, scoop a large spoonful of batter into your hands and roll into a ball about the size of an apricot; repeat until you have made six. Place the dough balls on the parchment-lined baking sheet and gently flatten using the palm of your hand. 

 5. Bake about 15 minutes, until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. 6. Split the warm biscuits in half and top with a couple of heaping spoonfuls of strawberry topping and a dollop of whipped coconut cream, if desired. A delightful treat for breakfast or dessert!

Coconut whip Cream

Ingredients:

  2 cans (13.5-ounce) pure coconut milk, refrigerated overnight                              1-2 tsp honey or pure maple syrup 

Insturctions:

Place a large mixing bowl in the freezer to thoroughly chill 20-30 min

Remove the cold coconut cream from the 2 cans of coconut milk and place into the chilled mixing bowl. You only want the solid cream the liquid can be saved for smoothies 

Do you brush your teeth? Cool, me too! On average we change our toothbrush about 4 times a year meaning that the U.S. alone is throwing away over a billion toothbrushes annually. Majority of toothbrushes are made of non-biodegradable materials as well as contain harmful BPA. So lets think about the fact that your freaking baby toothbrush is still hanging out in a landfill, or ocean somewhere, and it will be hanging around much longer than you. So what do we do...? Buy compostable bamboo toothbrushes! There are a few different brands out there, but the only one I’ve tried so far is “Brush with Bamboo” and so far so good. I definitely thought going from a traditional brush to a hippy compostable one would be lackluster but I have really enjoyed it so far. Check them out and get yourself one!

Can you tell which one out of the bunch is pasture raised? Duh the beautiful orange ones! They lonely yellow guy is an organic free range egg. 

So Im kind of obsessed with pasture raised eggs and I pay a stupid amount for them. Here is why...

1. They taste better! Its kind of like in the late 90's when you went from VHS to DVD and you were like "it not that much better" and now when you randomly see VHS footage you're like "how the F did I ever watch that s#@t" that's what it's like going from eating pasture raised to conventional or even Organic for that matter.

2. They are better for you! The darker the color the more nutrients they have here are the stats on the added benefits of pasture raised compared to conventional eggs.

• 1/3 less cholesterol

• 1/4 less saturated fat

• 2/3 more vitamin A

• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids

• 3 times more vitamin E

• 7 times more beta carotene

http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/eggs-zl0z0703zswa.aspx

3. Buying pasture eggs supports farmers who are treating the land and animals right. Vote with your dollar buy the food you want to see on store shelves. I know it sounds crazy shelling out $6-$8 a dozen! When I first started buying pasture eggs I would buy a dozen of organic and a dozen of pasture raised to save money,I was doing the best I could with the budget I had. But once you go pasture raised you don't go back! I just got so excited seeing and tasting those orange yolks that I had to have them all the time. 

Where to get them:

-I get my eggs from a lovely little farm store up the road called Our Table. If you live in or around Sherwood go check them out they are amazing and some day I will talk them into letting me work there! http://www.ourtable.us/

- Craigslist: Just search "pasture raised eggs" in your local area and see who pops up. Great way of getting eggs and meeting the crazy back woods folks who are providing delicious whole foods. 

- Albertsons: Im super excited that Albertsons recently started selling Vital Farms pasture raised eggs. They are delicious and a great price. http://vitalfarms.com/

-Health food stores like New Seasons or Whole foods usually have a few to choose from.

-And last but not least FRIENDS! If you're lucky enough like me to have precious friends who drop off beautiful eggs on your door step when you're knee deep in disgusting sick kids then use them. Throw them a few bucks and eat their eggs, community style! Shout out to my girl Jill...look at those yolks #eggporn This girl Jill is making dreams come true at her new Family farm in Yamhill Oregon go meet her and her adorable family and buy their food! https://sites.google.com/site/skiptomylourooandcrew/

So from all my research it sounds like bone broth is the magical rainbow-leaping unicorn of the dietary world and can do no wrong. If you are into looking, feeling, and sleeping great then you may be into sippin' on this primal beverage. Not only is it easy to make, and super economical, it is known to help heal your body from the inside out out while improving a wide variety of ailments from joints and skin to food allergies and gut issues. If you'd like to research further here are a few interesting articles that explain the healing properties of bone broth and how to make it.

http://www.integratednaturalmedicine.com/bone-broth/

Here is a little treat for your face, Its a super easy to make oil based serum. It's a perfect eye treatment but the great thing is it's not too rich to slather on your entire face or any boo boo that needs a little extra love. All the ingredients are easy to get at your local health food store so whip it up and throw it it on your face day or night.

The magic of nature...

Rose hip oil: improves fine lines and wrinkles, helps reduce and improve scars, reduces redness, restores elasticity and protects skin against sun, daily pollutants that stress the skin,and is a natural acne treatment.

Jojoba oil: great moisturizer filled with fatty acids, antioxidants, and vitamin E.

Almond oil: speeds up skin regeneration, improves dark circles, packed full of vitamin A, B, and E which nourish and moisturize your skin on a deeper level without clogging pores.

Beeswax: when beeswax is blended with face lotions or serums it creates a barrier that protects the skin from irritants while allowing your skin to breath. 

Homemade eye treatment

3 tsp. jojoba oil

3 tsp. almond oil

3 tsp. rosehip oil

1.5 tsp beeswax 

I might never have found my way to Polyface Farm if Joel Salatin hadn't refused to FedEx me one of his chickens.