Nourishing Treasures

Science Facts Sundays: Maximizing Iron Absorbency, Part 4: Baked Bread

Posted on October 28, 2012 by Lea Harris, Certified Herbalist & Certified Health Coach

Welcome to Science Facts Sundays.

These are some notes I took when reading Iron Rich Foods: Unlock the Iron in Your Food and Fight Iron Deficiency by Amanda Rose, PH.D.

My daughter knows why we don’t drink milk with an iron-rich meal. She can tell you, “calcium inhibits iron absorption!”

I don’t see the point of eating foods and not being able to absorb them and utilize all their benefits. What a shame to waste the iron in our foods when we eat them with dairy products. Simply knowing to separate the foods for ultimate utilization can be helpful for combating low iron levels.

You may find this geeky - so be forewarned! If fermentation doesn’t appeal to you, check back in a few weeks and I’ll have moved on to something else that you may be interested in.

This week we learn when the enzymes that bread down phytic acid are most active, how sourdough bread can reduce phytic acid (and by how much, the good news and the bad news about white flour, how quick breads are like desserts, and the benefits of sprouting… Continue reading →

Getting to Know Shannon and Jeff from Cooking God’s Way, Part 3: Fermenting Foods + win their airlock system!

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Lea Harris, Certified Herbalist & Certified Health Coach

This week is the final part of three interview sessions with Shannon (and Jeff) Pearce from Cooking God’s Way.

Last week, in Part 2, we discussed real food and Shannon shared several of her delicious recipe with us. If you missed that post, you can go read it here.

This week we talk about one of my favorite subjects - fermenting foods. And at the end of the article you can enter to win one of Cooking God’s Way’s Airlock Systems! Continue reading →

Sourdough Starter in 12 hours

Posted on September 21, 2012 by Lea Harris, Certified Herbalist & Certified Health Coach

I know - it’s unbelievable!

Everywhere you read, it takes days to make sourdough. Well I suppose if you follow directions, that may be true.

For me, recipes are guidelines. I tell my family, “If you like it, make sure you take seconds, because it may not ever come out like this again.”

I much prefer sourdough to regular bread since it has been soaked and is easier on the gut. Sometimes I don’t prepare enough ahead to have it ready in time, so we don’t eat sourdough as often as I’d like.

So I am thrilled to have stumbled on making quick sourdough starter. Continue reading →

Sourdough A-Z - and the winner is…

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Lea Harris, Certified Herbalist & Certified Health Coach

Not surprised this was a popular giveaway - many people feel intimidated by sourdough. I explained my hesitations in Sourdough Shy?.

I’ve made bread, cake, pretzels, crackers, and so much more, and my confidence is growing. Thank you, Sourdough A to Z!

And the winner is… Continue reading →

Scrumptious Sourdough Bread, Rolls, Cake - and a giveaway…

Posted on June 3, 2012 by Lea Harris, Certified Herbalist & Certified Health Coach

I told you in my Sourdough Shy? post I would be giving away a copy of Sourdough A to Z from GNOWFGLINS. Without it, I still would be intimidated by sourdough.

I must say the Sourdough eCourse was absolutely essential to my feeling of confidence. To be able to view Wardeh walking through each step…well it just put my mind at ease.

Check out what I’ve made… Continue reading →

Sourdough Shy? Not any more! Empower yourself…

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Lea Harris, Certified Herbalist & Certified Health Coach

First let me share with you one of my personal flaws: I hate trying new things like recipes or cooking concepts. I feel I am going to fail since I’ve never attempted it before (whatever “it” is), and I don’t want to waste ingredients if it doesn’t come out right. It takes so much mental preparation before I can actually take that first step for anything new.

I’ve been wanting to make sourdough anything for months now (okay, years, really). If only we lived in traditional times where grandmothers and mothers taught kids and grandkids how to make things. But in these modern times, it’s surprising if a mom can even cook, right?

So…I made a starter, and started right away put it in the fridge for a day few weeks. I took it out and it sat on the counter for a day few days. I was just dragging out the process, as you can see, because I was afraid it wouldn’t work.

Finally, last week I made sourdough biscuits for the first time. I was super nervous they wouldn’t come out right, but they weren’t bad at all, and were actually flaky. My kids even liked them.

But I still felt uneasy, not sure if I could attempt anything else. And honestly, I wasn’t even sure I could make them again and have them come out the same way…

And then I had the opportunity to take the Sourdough eCourse by GNOWFGLINS.