I don't do bread
One of our friends and fellow homeschool dads makes the joke that just because they home school does not mean we make our own bread! Those dots just don't connect. This while we all grab another Oreo cookie as we sit around the table.
But alas, it is a slippery slope. And our household is on a quest to arrive at healthier eating habits. We've done simple things like buy whole wheat pasta, and drink Kefir, use unrefined organic sugar and choose foods with high fiber in mind. I regularly cook beans and we try to provide lots of greens, yellows and orange foods while eradicating as much white as we can. I try not to buy things that have the first ingredient "high fructose corn syrup" or have "enriched" or "refined" on the package.
Not everyone welcomes the lifestyle change. The boys balk at my whole wheat pancakes ... even slathered in (real maple) syrup. We have a long way to go. We still love pizza, tortilla chips and lots of junk food. But we are trying to approach it with a "moderation in all things" attitude.
God has been preparing us toward better nutrition for a long time, even before home schooling. (Awesome how he weaves our plans together) I see that more clearly now that Stan is on a low sodium diet due to his ear troubles. You really can't help but eat healthier when you're counting sodium. Have you ever read sodium content on food labels? Horrendous. Out of control. And restaurants? Forget it.
Okay, I don't really have a point, except it is kind of a fun journey and a challenge. I long for a Whole Foods store in our city. We'll attempt another garden in our little yard this summer. And we'll continue buying from a produce co-op.
Still, I don't do bread. Never have. Things that require rising, using yeast, or involve too many steps just intimidate me (other concepts such as the "rolling boil" also don't connect for me). Stan's the bread maker and he's very good at it.
But I tried a recipe yesterday with some graham flour I had. I even cheated using the bread maker (concluding that those handy ready made bread machine mixes are, by george, laden with salt and refined white stuff). Since we didn't have any vital wheat gluten, I "wisely" concluded that maybe we wouldn't need it! I also forgot the salt and sugar (see how hard I'm trying to be healthy?) Pitiful.
I will try again.
Posted in: on Tuesday, February 27, 2007 at at 4:39 PM
