Working Through It...And a Recipe.

 There has been a LOT of interest regarding my new eating habits. 

I haven't posted anything before now due to the fact that 

I had no idea what I was doing until now.

I still have a lot to learn

but I'm less overwhelmed now and that has allowed me to 

develop a pattern, try out some recipes, and do more research. 

I will go into more detail soon but basically

(doctors orders)

I must eat a largely organic, clean diet 

free of ANY AND ALL high fat foods, fried foods, processed sugar, chocolate, and soda.

I heard my doctor tell me that and my first thought was

WHAT?!

Dude.

Seriously?

You know I live for cupcakes, right? 

And Diet Coke?

And Dr. Pepper?

Ugh.

But here's the deal. 

No one has ever looked me in the eye and flat out told me

"Cassie, you have been sick for a very long time. 

If you do as I say

YOU WILL GET BETTER."

BOOM. 

On board.

There are a list of other foods and supplements and teas that I MUST include in my diet

but the "don't" list seemed really small at first. 

But then we started to read labels. 

Drat. 

Did you know that sugar is in EVERYTHING? 

Or High Fructose Corn Syrup that immediately turns to sugar the moment it hits

your system? 

Things quickly got overwhelming. 

As a woman, we tend to think in "diets".

There was no "diet" that fit this.

But then, I'm not on a "diet".

This is a whole new lifestyle.

So, starting small, I began making a list of foods that I love. 

Now, we are in the process of finding alternatives to those foods.  

The rule is that either I can live without the foods I love, 

or I can purchase an alternative to those foods (which is usually more costly),

or we can find a way to make those foods ourselves.

(By "we" I mean Matt and myself. He's totally on board with this and has embraced 

this new lifestyle as his own as well.)

The first of the foods that I love

LOVE

is bread. 

We went to the store and guess what?

Sugar. 

Sugar sugar sugar.

Oh yeah, and High Fructose Corn Syrup. 

Guh. 

Not wanting to delete this staple from my life, 

I decided to tackle this bad boy myself. 

I've only made one recipe so far but I think we'll stick with it for awhile. 

Basic White Bread Recipe

(Adapted from a recipe I found on about.com)

Here's what you'll need:

6 c flour

1 tbs sugar (SUGAR! Gah! I substitute the sugar with honey.)

2.5 tsp salt

1 envelope active dry yeast

2 c very warm water

2 tbs softened butter

BONUS! We started juicing and we add 1-2 c of pulp from the juicer straight

to the bread mixture.

DOUBLE BONUS! I add 2-3 tbs ground flaxseed.

 Okay, so first up, combine 2 c flour, honey, salt, yeast, and flaxseed.

Beat at a low speed and continue beating while adding the water and butter.

Beat on high for 3 minutes.

Add 1/2 c flour and beat for another 4 minutes.

Add 3 c flour until all combined.

 On a floured surface, knead for about 8 minutes. 

You can add more flour if the dough becomes sticky. 

You'll want an elastic-y consistency.

 Butter a large bowl and place dough inside.

Turn dough over in bowl so the butter gets all over it.

Cover for 1 hour.

 Uncover and punch down.

 Cut dough in 1/2 and cover the 2 halves with your bowl.

Let them stand for 15 minutes.

Roll each out and fit into loaf pans.

 As you can see, I only have 1 loaf pan. 

The other loaf gets stuck in a 9" square pan.

We call that one Ugly Bread.

Okay, now that the dough is in each pan, cover them with towels

and stick in a warmish place for 45 minutes. 

Then pop them in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.

 What comes out is a vitamin packed, dense loaf that is soooo yummy.

So, there you have it. 

I'm not gonna lie. 

It's a pain in the ass to make. 

The first time I made this it took me 4 hours total.

I've been able to get it down to 3.

But I've come to love the preparation. 

It requires my time and energy. 

Exactly what I should be giving myself and my family.

If this sounds appealing to you, 

kick your family out of the house,

turn on some tunes, 

and bake some bread. 

Oh, and grab your favorite magazine or book. 

There is plenty of time to sit and read and enjoy some YOU time too.