Food Solutions: Fresh Garlic Hummus

     Here's one of my family's favorite recipes! I'm calling this recipe a "food solution" because it's what I give my family when they are sick. The fresh garlic really packs a powerful punch to when we are fighting germs. And it's really incredibly healthy and tasty too! 

     I'm going to give you several ways to make the same recipe. There's the "best" way which takes more time and planning but, in my opinion, will produce the healthiest version of this recipe. However, I'm a mom, so I totally get that there are days where "time" is just not something you have to spare. Your kids are sick and you want something quick that will help it to keep from spreading through the whole family. So I'll give you some quick tips on how to make a faster version that will still get that fresh garlic in your kids, but will be a lot less time to make. 

       Let me give you a quick idea of some of the ingredients in the fully homemade version and why I chose them. First we have Chick Peas. When I have time I use my dried organic chick peas that I first soak overnight in warm water and lemon juice. After that you could use your crock pot to cook them, however I REALLY recommend a pressure cooker. My pressure cooker is an invaluable part of my kitchen and it makes my job so much easier! I can cook up my dried chick peas in under and hour and even if I forget to soak them overnight, which is ideal for removing phytic acid, there is evidence that cooking them in the pressure cooker actually reduces the phytic acid all by itself! 

      The garlic is the real star of the show here, I use 3 cloves of fresh raw garlic in this recipe and I will tell you why. Raw garlic has many healthful properties but the real one we are looking for today is its antibacterial and antiviral properties to fight illness. While my evidence is anecdotal, I can tell you that we have successfully fought many illnesses in our family without having to resort to antibiotics by using fresh raw garlic. My husband and I are both willing to swallow the garlic by the clove when we are sick, but obviously that doesn't work for kids! So this is one of my recipes I have created to help my kids get raw garlic in something they enjoy eating!

     The next important ingredient is lemon juice. Fresh lemon juice is full of vitamin C, which can help your body recover when you are sick. Fresh squeezed lemon juice is the best source of vitamin C. I found this great stainless steel jumbo lemon squeezer  which works great to easily extract ALL of the juice out of the lemon and not have you spend your valuable time fishing lemon seeds out of your recipe!

    The last two ingredients I want to tell you about are cumin and cayenne. Cumin has lots of trace nutrient in it, which are important when your body is fighting illness. Also, cumin aids in digestion, which can be slowed down when you are sick.  

Like all spices, cumin will have the most nutrients when it's fresh. I have found an excellent source for fresh cumin here. Jiva organics cumin comes as a whole seed which helps keep those nutrients locked inside until you grind them yourself (I used a coffee grinder I keep for spices to do this). I also add a little cayenne pepper. I know not everyone likes things hot and spicy, but let me give you a little encouragement to keep this spice in your recipe. Cayenne is an incredible spice, read more about it's amazing benefits here. Even a small pinch of cayenne can make your other ingredients in this recipe more effective, because cayenne helps those nutrients enter your cells more effectively as it gets your blood moving! I use a 1/2 tsp pf cayenne in this recipe, but if you are unused to cayenne or don't like a spicy flavor start with less and try to build up your tolerance. On to the recipe! 

Fresh Garlic Hummus

(note: this makes a LARGE amount of hummus, approximately 3 cups worth! My 4 kids eat this up like it's going out of style, but you could certainly cut the recipe in half if you need to!)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups dried Chick Peas (soaked overnight in water and lemon juice is best)

juice of 1 Lemon

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut into small pieces

2 tsps fresh ground Cumin

1/2 tsp Cayenne (less if you must, but don't leave it out!!)

2 TBS tahini 

1 tsp. unrefined salt

Extra virgin Olive oil

Green onions for garnish

     Place your soaked Chick peas in enough water to cover them in your pressure cooker with a small amount of olive oil (this helps prevent foaming) If you don't have a pressure cooker follow a recipe like this one for your slow cooker. Set cooker on high and cook for 35 minutes, let steam release naturally. Strain chick peas from cooking liquid, but retain the liquid- you'll need it later! Place chick peas, lemon juice, garlic, ground cumin, cayenne,  and tahini in a food processor. Process ingredients on low until well combined. Add cooking liquid slowly through the top spout while still processing on low until desired consistency is reached (we like ours at a "pudding-like" consistency). You can add a small amount of Olive oil at the end to make the mix a little smoother and further help with digestion (fats help you digest grains and legumes) At this point I always taste to see if I need any additional spices. As this hummus sits the flavors will meld and get a little stronger, so don't go crazy adding additional spices, but you may find you need a little more for your personal tastes. 

       This recipe can be served with tortilla chips or crackers. My kids really love it with homemade pita bread, but that's a recipe for another time! If you absolutely don't have time to do the full recipe, you can used canned chick peas, however I personally would not use the liquid included in the can for processing. I would wash them well (removing as much of the BPA as I could) and use a chicken or vegetable broth as my liquid. I have, on occasion when I was really strapped for time, bought store bough hummus and added the raw garlic and extra lemon juice and spices. It won't be as healthful, but real life is full of times when you just can't do the "best" thing, so you do what works! Believe me, I get it! Your family will still get lots of great germs fighters in either modified recipe, so no guilt mamas! 

     I'd love to hear from you if you try this recipe yourself and what you think!! I hope it helps keep you and your family healthier this season!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

I'm a mom, not a doctor, as according to the FDA nothing on this blog is intended to treat, prevent or cure any disease.

David Nicholson Christmas Book Review

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever." -

Isaiah 9:6-7 

     Have you ever thought about what kind of place the world would be if Christ had not come? There's a story that David Nicholson heard years ago by Nan F. Weeks that gave her idea of what one little boy dreamed it would be like if he woke up Christmas morning but Christ had not come to the earth as a baby. If He Had Not Come is the story of a boy named Bobby, and his experience one Christmas season. 

     The book begins with Bobby, who is getting ready to go to bed on Christmas night. He's excited to go to bed so that he can wake up early on Christmas morning, but he reads a verse from the Bible with his Dad first. One part of the verse sticks in his head, "If He had not come..."

     We enjoyed reading this story as a family. The illustrations by Charles Jaskiewicz are incredibly well done. It's a story that makes you really think through the implications of Christianity on modern civilization. Several of the examples of what would not be here if there was no Jesus first struck me as over-reaching a bit, since there are certainly many religions that teach about "good works" through things like hospitals and homeless shelters. 

 "Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.  Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created." ~James 1:16-18

 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." ~2 Corinthians 1:2-4 (emphasis mine)

     Then again, we are God's handiwork, he created us in his image, does not our very compassionate nature come from him, whether we acknowledge it or not? Paul says in the 2 Corinthians verse above that God is the "Father of Compassion", so maybe this idea is not so far from reality as it may have first appeared. 

     In back of the book there are several pages to help you relate the story and the ideas further to your children. There is a list of discussion topics to bring about dialogue between you and your children (or Sunday School, etc). There are also several pages written by David Nicholson's pastor, to help with a discussion of more Biblically-focused nature including a Gospel message as well. The last of the pages gives some ideas to help you point your Christmas celebration towards Christ with some common Christmas traditions interpreted through a Christian understanding of the holiday. 



     This is a beautiful physical hardback book and would make a great present for a friend or as an addition to your advent book list. The list price is $18.95. Age range for this book is for children 6 and up, however my 4 year old enjoyed listening to the story and looking at the illustrations, though she wasn't as active as a participant in the discussion of what the book meant afterwards.   

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Clued in Kids Review

     Are you looking for more fun ways to learn with your kids? Our family had so much fun reviewing two educational treasure hunts from Clued in Kids! We tried out the Soccer Hunt and the Thanksgiving Hunt ($5.99 each), but go to the website and check out ALL the fun treasure hunts they have, there are LOTS! 

     Let me tell you a little more about these treasure hunts, you can read Heather's story here about what inspired her to start this company, also Clued in Kids has created a great little animation to show you what it's all about. Basically you have a group of clues you will print off from the PDF. Each numbered clue will give you a location to hide it in on the bottom. The first clue will be handed to the children. The clues must be figured out using the educational puzzles provided.

      Once they figure out the puzzle it will lead them to the next clue. If the clue tells you to hide it somewhere that doesn't exist in your house (for instance one of the Thanksgiving clues was to be hidden in the scarves- which we don't have this far south!)  then you can come up with an activity for the kids to do to earn that clue (jumping jacks, skip counting by 2's, etc)

     We did was the soccer hunt first. Most clues have a soccer theme to them, such as finding a hidden household item in a soccer picture, or figuring out which soccer word completes a word puzzle. I admit there were several here I had no clue how to answer, but there's an answer key to look up anything that you may need help with. Most areas they ask you to place the clues in, will be common in every home, such as "hide this clue in the forks" or "hide the clue in a child's bed". 

     We did the Thanksgiving hunt second. This would be a great one to try in the upcoming weeks. None of the clue answers would require you to be already decorated for the Thanksgiving Holiday, however the clues had a definite fall or Thanksgiving theme to them. 

     At the end of each hunt they ask you to leave a "treasure" in the final hiding spot for your children to find. It can be anything you want to use such as stickers, candy, or even use the hunt at a party and have the gifts be the treasure! We have a reward system in our home where the children earn a marble for good behavior, helping out with a difficult chore, for a special kindness, etc. Once they collect 10 marbles they recieve $1. We used these marbles as our "treasure" and each child earned 2 as their treasure. 

     The age range for these treasure hunts is 4 and up according to the website. My 4 year old did participate, however, if she had been doing the hunt all by herself a lot of the clues would have been too hard for her. In fact, several of the math problems needed to figure out a clue were beyond my 8-year-old's math ability and we had to solve them together. So be prepared to be involved in the hunt as a parent if your children are younger. All of my children really enjoyed doing both hunts and immediately asked if we could purchase more when we were finished.

     Set up for the hunts will take less than 15 min. I would recommend checking your printer ink before doing these, I had one color that was running low and several of the clues were difficult to see because of that. 

     If you would like to try a scavenger hunt for free, sign up for Clued in Kids newsletter to receive the Homework scavenger hunt PDF free! 

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New Liberty Videos Review

     I was recently given the opportunity to review a movie produced by New Liberty Videos. Out of the 6 videos, I chose to review "A Nation Adrift" because American History is one of my favorite subjects, and happens to be what we are studying for our homeschooling history curriculum this year. This physical DVD retails for $19.95.

         New Liberty Videos is owned by husband and wife, Brian and Marilyn Barkley. Brian Barkley started producing movies 40 years ago with a resume that includes working at Universal Studios in Hollywood. While producing a documentary in the San Quentin prison that he became a Christian. He then began using his producing skills to create faith-based movies.

       I wasn't sure when I received this video whether I would be able to share it with my children (ages 8 and under). They are considered for a general audience, however you are asked to use your own judgment for your family's viewing. For my own family, my husband and I watched it together first, and then decided that there were some subjects, especially in the second half of the movie that were too grown-up for our children at the age they are. However, it was still helpful for my own knowledge of American history as their History teacher! 

 

     A Nation Adrift is 93 minutes long and gives a timeline of America's history, beginning with the first explorers and why they chose to travel here and on through the years up until the present (the movie was produced in 2004). It presents history in a way that wouldn't necessarily have been as easy in ages past, linking what has happened in our history with how we got where we are today. It includes many quotes from both modern and historical figures showing their opinion on subjects maybe you haven't considered before.

     I really enjoyed the video and so did my husband. I think on an individual basis we all know how our experiences, in conjunction with our beliefs, have shaped us into who we have become and why we make the decisions that we do. However, have you ever considered what decisions in our nations history have caused us to develop certain laws and government practices. If we can see where we started, what we've become and the differences in a successful America compared to one that is failing in many ways perhaps we can better understand what is needed to become a great nation again. 

     This video has a decidedly Christian perspective on the history of our country, and while I do believe it would be important for anyone to watch, it would appeal most to Christians in it's content. It's focus throughout the movie is God's sovereignty during decisions that effected our nation, and how we as Christian citizens can help to turn the focus of our nation back to Jesus Christ during this time of our nation being Adrift.

     New Liberty videos have many other selections to choose from. You can read the other crew members opinions of the following videos by clicking on the green "Click Here to Read More Reviews!" picture at the bottom of this page.

 Anthem for a Nation


 Mysteries of the Dead Sea Scrolls

 Teaching Origins Objectively

 The Forbidden Book

 Warriors of Honor

Some of Our Favorite Lego Activities

     Do you have someone at home who just can't get enough Legos? Me too! Here are some of our favorite Lego activites from around the web! (You know, other than just playing endlessly with them) Many of them have an educational spin on them, because that's just how we homeschool mom's roll...

     All of these ideas (and more) are Pinned over on our Lego Projects board on Pinterest, which is a great way to keep track of them all (and future ideas we find online!)





Our first Lego idea that we loved was Lego Ice Exploration from Dayna over at Lemon Lime Adventures. 



 The basic idea is to freeze a mini fig in ice and then have your child figure out how to remove them. A few tweeks we added to our own excavation project. We didn't let the ice fully freeze. My daughter who wanted to try this is only 4 years old. I was sure she would have a hard time waiting, or chopping away at the ice, so we only let the ice half freeze- the added benefit being it only took about an hour in the freezer before it was ready! I also had my daughter use actual Lego tools to remove the mini-fig from the ice. 

That's a mini plastic axe she's using =)

She also used some rock salt we had and learned about how salt can melt ice faster. This was a great sensory activity. She even enjoyed playing with the ice well after the Mini-Fig had escaped. Dayna also has a great idea for Lego Calm Down Jars that you should really go check out as well! 



Our second activity was a Color your own Mini-Fig free printable from Mary at Homegrown Learners. We love coloring in this house, especially something open ended like this that gives the kids the opportunity to branch out and make it unique! 

Which, of course for many boys leads to Mini-figs holding axes and flame-throwers ;)

Our next project was a Lego Marble Run from Octavia and Vickey.com This became a bigger project for us since we didn't have a large Lego board, so we had to puzzle one together from our various small boards.



We also had no marbles so ours was a small Styrofoam ball run, which doesn't have the same ring to it but was equally as fun! This is such a great idea and really forced my big boys to be creative and think through the next step before each new path could be completed.



     It also was a great lesson in patience as several of our original ideas didn't work out so we had to disassemble and try again! 

The final idea we tried out was the Lego Catapult from Science Sparks.com This was another excellent idea for making the Legos more educational! 



     The first catapult was functional, but not strong enough to be pulled back without falling to pieces. So we had to talk about reinforcing and how we could make the whole thing stronger. 

     We enjoyed finding some new Lego ideas and I hope you did as well! We have some more Lego ideas in the works including my son's idea for making up some Lego comics! Be sure to like us on our Social Media to be the first to know when new posts are up! (Right hand top of the page has all our links)

Pumpkin Carob Cookies

Some of the links in this article are "affiliate links" , which means if you click on one and purchase something I receive a small compensation, Thank you! This is disclosed on the top of every blog post in accordance with the FTC regulations for bloggers.

       I like recipes that do more than just taste good! Especially with children, who can be picky, it's so important to find ways to incorporate healthy foods into their diet everyday! 

     

     This particular recipe is inspired by keeping their little tummies healthy. The star ingredients Pumpkin and Carob and both excellent sources of fiber. In addition, pumpkin is high in vitamin A and has vitamin C, calcium and iron as well- all excellent when you are sick or to keep you healthy. Carob is even higher in fiber than pumpkin and also has iron, calcium and several trace minerals. It is also considered a "pre-biotic" which, in the simplest terms, means in feeds the good flora in our guts. (click that link if you would like a more detailed explanation). 

     Carob is particularly useful in cases of diarrhea. Lets not get too technical about it since this is meant to be a recipe post, but we all know that this is a common problem in children particularly and can cause serious concerns if not stopped quickly. In my experience, carob is one of the FASTEST and easiest ways to quell an over-excited stomach. 

Some of the other ingredients such as coconut oil, oatmeal and flax seed are all helpful in building up an upset gut and providing key nutrients for the body. I do not include conventional sugar in this recipe, even the less refined variety, because if you are fighting illness it's best to avoid sugar. The pictures have a light sprinkling of demerara sugar on top for better picture quality, but that could be skipped unless you are quite sure your children won't eat this without some extra sweetness, in which case I say add a little sugar, it will still have lots of healthful properties even with a little sugar- but try them without it first! You may be surprised how much you like these!

Pumpkin Carob Cookies

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup coconut oil, softened (if you prefer you can just use 1/2 cup coconut oil and eliminate the butter or vice versa)

1 cup coconut sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup whole wheat flour (sprouted if you have it)

1/2 cup unbleached white flour (you can eliminate this an just add whole wheat if you would prefer, this will give it a little more familiar texture to those use to store-bought cookies)

1/3 cup carob powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp unrefined salt

1/2 cup old-fashion rolled oats

1/4 cup ground flaxmeal

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1/4 cup demerara sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Combine butter, coconut oil and coconut sugar in a bowl whip together to combine.
• Add egg, vanilla, flax meal, salt and pumpkin puree, stir well.
• In a separate bowl, combine both flours, carob powder, oatmeal and baking powder. Stir to combine well.
• Add dry ingredients to your wet ingredient and mix to form a stiff cookie dough (add walnuts if you choose here)
• Scoop out on a parchment lined cookie sheet, flatten each cookie with a fork. (Sprinkle with Demera sugar if desired)
• Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

    All four of my kids really enjoyed these cookies. In fact, my youngest son enjoyed them so much that he had a melt down when I said he couldn't come back for thirds!  I hope you'll try it with your children too and let me know the results! 

I am a blogger, NOT a medical professional . Nothing written on this blog is meant to be considered medical advice. Not meant to treat, cure or prevent any disease as according to the FDA regulations.

Apologia Educational Ministries iWitness Review

     Why do you believe what you believe? What evidence do you have that it's true? These are important questions in our family and I was so excited to have the opportunity to read this series of Christian apologetics books from Apologia Educational Ministries, written and designed by Doug Powell (MA Christian Apologetics, Biola) . The three books in the series are iWitness Biblical Archaeology, New Testament iWitness, and Old Testament iWitness. Each book costs $14.

     

     These iWitness books are written in a quick-read or "coffee table" book format that gives you the option to read a long section, or just a short one, and still learn something new. The pages are filled with colorful and interesting pictures that relate to the text, such as pictures of the caves in Qumran near the  discussion about the Dead Sea Scrolls. These books are intended to be read by ages 11 and up, however our oldest son is not quite 9 and we enjoyed reading them allowed together during our evening devotions as a family.



In the first book, Biblical Archaeology, Doug Powell talks about the stories of the Bible, such as the Flood and the Exodus and gives several historical finds that coincide with each story. We learned many interesting stories that I hadn't known before. I've always enjoyed ancient Egyptian History and so the part of the book which discussed which Pharaoh could have been in power during the time of Moses was fascinating to me. My spine tingled as I read of excavations at Jericho that showed that the outer city wall had fallen against an inner retaining wall (was that the distant sounds of trumpets I heard?) 

In Old Testament iWitness, Powell discusses the books of the Old Testament, how were they chosen, how long have they been considered together to form a book, and is there evidence outside of the Bible for the historical events they describe. We found it interesting to learn some of the many ways that the scribes used to make sure they copied the text accurately such as making a grid, counting the words, and throwing out the copy if one inaccuracy was found. Again there are many fascinating pictures on each page that go along with the writing, and give you a little insight as to where or who they are talking about.

     In New Testament iWitness, Powell discusses how the books of the New Testament were chosen, why others were rejected and what evidence we have of these books being the ones used by the early church. He also gives a brief history of the early church fathers, what books they specifically mention as being inspired by God. There is a section discussing some of the books that were not chosen to be included and why, some being outright heretical and others merely acceptable for worship, but not considered meant for the universal church.

 

     We found these books to be extremely interesting. All of the children (other than the baby) wanted to be standing next to the reader to see the pictures. The pictures inspired great discussion about the subjects. Our children were technically "too young" for these books, however we found the writing to be understandable by at least our older two boys (ages 6 and 8) with just the occasional word that needed further explanation.  In my opinion, these books are great for children and adults alike, even if you had no children in your home but were interested in Biblical History from a Christian worldview, you would enjoy these books. If you, or your child, have a difficult time with books with lots pictures (think "scrapbook" feel) or varying text fonts, including many with a "handwritten" fonts, then this book may not be for you. We were pleased with the engaging fonts and scrapbook-like picture/text format. We found a lot of information that we didn't know and certainly these books would be a great starter to inspired further study into the subject of Christian Apologetics.

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