I am not going to lie and say my journey to eating a whole foods diet was easy, it was an uphill journey and still is.

It takes time, patience, organization but most of all an open mind.  An open mind to try new things, ingredients you can barely pronounce let alone pay money for, cook and serve to your family.  Take Quinoa for example, it sounds weird (pronounced Keenwa) but with some creativity and experimenting with new recipes this little nutty grain could easily replace plain rice in your favourite family dishes….except for you mom, I know you hate the stuff.

Start with one small change and work from there.  I started with spelt flour and continue to use this in the majority of my baked goods and breads.  Spelt easily replaces white flour in most recipes without too much change in flavor and texture.  The next time you bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies, try substituting one cup of spelt in place of white and from there go wild and work yourself up to a half.  Contrary to what my Dad thinks you are not going hippy by eating spelt and quinoa….and so what if you were, you will be one healthy hippy.

Baby steps are key to incorporating alternative ingredients into your diet but with small minuscule changes the transition will be seamless without an uprising from your family members

Here is some information on spelt flour…by far an easy first step in a whole foods diet.

Now that I am starting to settle into a routine with 3 kids, I am hoping to get back into a routine of eating more wholesome food.  I used to cook with alternative grains, beans and legumes but in the past months found myself neglecting to include them in our menus.  Granted it does take a little more prep work than simply opening a can but with a little pre-planning beans will be making a welcome come back in our meal repetoire.

I recently made a trip to my favorite bulk food store armed with my mom and two $3 off coupons.  I divided my order in two and got $6 off a total of $25.  I stocked up on my ol’ stand by pinto beans, spelt flour, whole grain flour but went out of my comfort zone and purchased black beans.  I m anxious to try a few new mexican recipes of which I plan to use my homemade yogurt or strained keift in place of commercial sour cream.

If you are a bean newbie and would like some ideas on this protein packed gem check some of these out.

Stephanie’s baby steps series on beans (Still working on her Say No! to Kraft Dinner, I confess I am guilty of dishing out this one now and then)

Black Bean quessidillas

refried beans

You may want to space out your bean meals until one gets accustomed to their effects….can’t say I didn’t warn you.

What a mess and this is just the island area.  I should have turned around to give you the money shot of the large counter area directly behind me….scary!

I knew it was time to do some baking when I was resorting to handfuls of carob chips for my late night cravings.  yup, it was time to put some of those pantry items to good use and whip up some goodies.

After doing chores on Saturday morning, I quickly got to work making two kinds of cookies and a batch of muffins.  I still had a substantial stash of pumpkin puree from last fall so I thawed a large container to make these pumpkin carob chip muffins and pumpkin carob chip cookies.  I especially love the pumpkin carob cookies because there is no oil or butter, the pumpkin and apple butter is all that is needed to make them moist and soft.  I immediately stashed half in a double bagged Ziploc destined for the freezer for lunches and quick snacks.

Recipes:

Pumpkin muffins ( I used carob chips instead of butterscotch with half spelt and half white flour)

Pumpkin cookies ( I use my canned apple butter instead of oil and omit the cinnamon)

Oatmeal cookies

1 ¼ c flour

1 t baking powder

1 C margarine

¼ sugar

¾ c b. sugar

1 package vanilla pudding

2 eggs

3 ¼ c oats

Combine butter sugars and pudding. Beat until smooth and add eggs flour soda powder and oats. Bake 375 for 10-12 min.

Please visit 11th heaven Homemakers haven for more ideas

**post update** it is Sunday evening and there is less than half left, better schedule another bake day.