Praise the Lord! Are you awestruck with the Master Painter’s display of fall colors? Son Paul & lovely wife Stacey, Katie Helkenn, & I visited SW Utah for a Bosch convention. Prior to our meeting, we took advantage of a couple of hours in Zion Nat’l Park, another example of God’s incredible handiwork. Experiencing Zion is likened to a ride through the Grand Canyon, differing spectacular rock formations on every turn. A special note of appreciation to Ruth and her crew along with Gloria who faithfully serviced you in our absence last May! Our Air Force son and family stationed in Italy blessed us with a month long visit this summer. What a blessing to enjoy two grandcherubs, bonding with their five Alaskan cousins! Just doesn’t get any better than that for this Grammy! Now we’re ready to tackle another order cycle. See you in November at pick up time.
Announcements
1 ~ ORDERING INFORMATION ~ The time is upon us to begin our twice yearly coop order cycle. Place your order by WEDNESDAY, October 5th for the early bird savings on consumables. Lord willing, we’ll give the 10%, for cash or check sales and 7% savings for credit card sales this time unless the fuel surcharge or the cost of goods exceeds our best guestimates! Expect a call or email when it all arrives, Lord willing in mid-November. Please pick up your items as soon as possible.
2 ~ CLASSES ~ Let’s do a Pasta Class on Thursday, the 29th at 10 am. On Monday, October 3rd at 11:00 am and again Friday, November 11th at 6:00 pm, we’ll share soaked grain breads and cookies. On Monday, October 17th at 11:00 am, I LOVE PUMPKIN CLASS – Pumpkin Bread Bowl, Soups, and Pumpkin Cookies Class. Monday, November 7th at 11:00 am, Thanksgiving with the Loews – some of my family favorite traditional recipes – Turkey in a Bag, Cream Cheese Pecan Pie, Seafoam Salad, BRK veggies, and multi-grain rolls. Both the October and November classes will feature Whole Grain 101 info, so bring along newbies! Please email or call 745-5639 to reserve a spot. Budding homemakers, spouses, & friends are welcome to join us. $5/ class.
3 ~ Bitter Sweet News ~ God’s richest blessings to Scott & Lalena Leigh who diligently commandeered the Fairbanks area coop. Her phenomenal classes grounded that area with an healthful education in whole grains and beyond. Upon the sale of their house, the Lord is leading them to relocate in Hawaii, joining a mission training program. We reluctantly bid them farewell, but Lalena trained two ladies, Fawn Dixon & Miriam Woody, partnering together to continue excellent classes & service. Fawn handles the retailing while Miriam inspires through her innovative classes. Periodically, refer to their blog for a wealth of information & recipes. If you envy the FBX folks, wanting their recipes, Miriam shared a wealth of Breakfast and Lunch recipes and ideas which are included in this posting. Welcome Aboard, Fawn & Miriam. Also, Susan Baysinger volunteered to coordinate the Nenana area orders. What a grand northern team!
4 ~ Pricing ~ After laboring over my least favorite part of WL, setting the pricing for the next order, all I can say is, I did my best. With shipping & suppliers, it is what it is. Thankfully our overhead is really low. Even with the current prices, I still believe purchasing your bulk foods here is the best investment for your family’s health! ON the equipment side, however, watch for great OCT—DEC deals with OUTSTANDING BLACK FRIDAY SALES. Watch your emails for details.
5 ~ A heart felt appreciation for those who attended our March 26th, Expanding Your Whole Grain Horizons event at Camp Carlquist. What an exciting day! Expect this as an annual event. Next year we’ll make it a two day event. Come either Friday or Saturday. Mark your March calendar to reserve the 23th or 24th. If you missed it or want to review, the DVD set and notebook are available for just $59. If you did not receive your prepaid DVDs yet, they are available now! Thank the Lord!
6 ~ Check out our 6 MONTH GROCERY LIST as a great resource for planning your fall order. It provides a well rounded variety of consumables. I estimated the ingredients necessary to sustain a family of 5 or 6 – 5 loaves of bread/week, 1/2 gallon of milk/day, grains for hot cereal, dried fruit and nuts for variety, coconut oil for all fats, agave syrup instead of honey, and a bag of 11 bean soup mix. Of course, the 7 or 10% savings on consumables applies by placing the order by October 5th. For consumable orders with a final total of $1500 or more, choose 2 free bags of beans from the back side of the order form, as a thank you from us. (Yes, you can also order beans as part of the consumable order. I just didn’t have room for everything on the front side of the order form.) Feel free to devise your own order. These were just my suggestions of what I order for ourselves. The items with an * should be used up and NOT stored longer than 24 months. Please don’t stash your grains for future use. EAT them daily. Grains are economical and will keep you healthy in the long run. Pray and ask the Lord for wisdom to prepare for your family’s future needs. The back side is a suggested list of equipment for the beginner. By placing a $1000 equipment/book order, take home a family size BRK Pressure Cooker set for just $199. We can also divide the equipment into 4 monthly payments (N-D-J-F) to make it easier on the budget. Either CC or postdated checks work for me. The outlying depots accept checks or PayPal. We are willing to work with you!
7 ~ Come check out ~ The First Annual Anchorage Health & Wellness Expo Balanced Living in all Things, Anchorage’s first trade show dedicated entirely to the Health & Wellness industry.
WHEN: October 14 and 15, 2011; Show Hours: Friday-11:00am-7:00pm, Saturday-10:00am-6:00pm
WHERE:The Dena’ina Convention Center-600 West 7th Avenue-Anchorage, Alaska
WHY: Learn all about Your Family, Your Children and Your Pet’s Health
Then the following weekend at the Menard Sports Center just past SBS in Wasilla, is the First Annual Valley Health & Wellness Expo, Saturday, October 22nd from 10 am to 6 pm. This expo extends to Sunday, but we’ll only have a table on Saturday.
We are quite excited for an opportunity to share Real Whole Foods in Anchorage & the Valley. Not certain what else is offered, but we plan on serving up a bunch of samples and meeting some new customers. Stop by our booth.
8 ~ I am very excited announce this fabulous opportunity for young ladies and parents. I highly recommend this event. You will not find a better value for $10 which includes meals and snacks. Please attend!!!
A Bright Lights Radiant Purity Video Conference is coming to Eagle River, Alaska, October 14-15, 2011. Taught by Sarah Mally and the Bright Lights staff, this video conference is designed to encourage young ladies 12-22+ to be strong for the Lord in their youth and shine radiantly as bright lights for Him! Parents are encouraged to attend and will have their own workshops and discussion groups.
Topics:
• Waiting for God’s Best
• Living for God’s Purposes
• Giving Your Heart to Your Parents
• Avoiding the Dangers of the World’s Thinking
• How to Delight in Jesus, Our Heavenly Prince
• Using Your Years of Singleness for God
• What the Lord Says About Modesty
• How to Guard Your Heart When You Have a Crush
• Being Wise in Internet Usage
A young lady who is pure shines with a radiant brightness in this world of darkness. How can a young lady stay physically and emotionally pure as she waits for God’s best in marriage? How can parents protect and guide? Creatively presented through stories and testimonies, practical instruction, skits, and real-life examples, this conference gives Biblical answers to everyday questions and deep life struggles. The material is discreet and appropriate for twelve year olds, yet relevant to all ages. Includes testimonies from young ladies who serve as Bright Lights staff, chalk drawings, and harp music.
Dates are Friday, October 14 with check in at 5:30PM and sessions beginning at 6:00PM and Saturday, October 15 from 9:00 AM – 9 PM.
Location is Eagle River Grace Church by Chugiak High School – 17850 Birchtree Street, Mile 1.8 South Birchwood Loop, Eagle River, Alaska.
SPACE IS LIMITED – PLEASE REGISTER BY OCTOBER 1.
Cost: $10 per girl / $10 per parent.
All registration is done online. Contact Radiant Purity if you have questions.
Urgent Prayer Request
I have a prayer request. There’s a lady I’ve known forever. She’s very sick. On top of that, she’s being abused by those to whom she has given everything. Lies about her abound, and seem to come from all sides. Just breaks my heart. Seems there’s nothing I can do alone. But maybe, if we join in and lift her up together we can heal her. She’s well over 200 years old, but way too young to die. Her name is *America*. Let us all pray for a true Revival in Our Country. 
Before we can ask God to bless America, we need Him to forgive America and Save America. II Chr 7:14 is still in THE BOOK. “If MY people, which are called by MY name, will humble themselves, and pray, and seek MY face and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin, and heal their land.” Selah
What’s New &/or Revived
1 ~ Debuts and changes on the order form ~ Want to try the Natural White Flour? How about 5# for $8. In the same box as the whole almonds, look for slivered raw almonds, ready for a batch of granola or broccoli salad. New size for cayenne 1# instead of 1/2 #. Because pecans were so expensive, now you can get 2# & use them sparingly. How about an alternative to cornstarch? Try a 1# package of arrowroot powder as a thickener.
2 ~ Ever wanted to make just 1 loaf of bread? Wish granted! New this fall, a Slicer Shredder Dough Hook!
3 ~ Frustrated by the necessity of stopping to scrape the Bosch Bowl? Problem solved! Meet the Bosch Bowl Scraper, designed to clean the bowl while you mix!
4 ~ Disappointed by heavy cakes & muffins? Welcome Batter Whisks! Designed specifically for lighter batters. Also welcome the Flour Sifter! Attaches to the Bosch bowl to create your own ‘white flour,’ by separating out some of the bran & germ. Don’t toss it, just add it to the next batch of bread!
5 ~ Nutrimill addition – The Flour Bagger enables you to mill right into a heavy duty zip lock bag. Mill for a friend. Mill up a flour mixture & store in the freezer. Love the germ free zip bag!
6 ~ For video clips, lots of info, warranty manuals, trouble shooting, recipes, and a wealth of equipment, go to the L’Equip website. Another Fabulously Inspiring site ~ see Cooking with Lacey.
Soaked Grains – Why & How
By Gay Ward
Why should you make soaked grain flour? This is best answered by Sally Fallon in her book, Nourishing Traditions (pg. 25). “We recommend the use of a variety of whole grains but with an important caveat. Phosphorous in the bran of grains is tied up in a substance called phytic acid. It combines with iron, calcium, magnesium, copper and zinc in the intestinal tract, blocking their absorption. Whole grains also contain enzyme inhibitors that can interfere with digestion. Traditional societies usually soak or ferment their grains before eating them, processes that neutralize phytates and enzyme inhibitory and in effect, predigest grains so that all their nutrients are more available. Soaking overnight can accomplish this important predigestion process in our own kitchens.”
Many people who are sensitive to grains will tolerate them well when they are prepared in this manner. This process also enhances the flavor and texture of everything you bake! Amazing results! This fabulous bread remains deliciously soft for several days.
The process of soaking grain is simple; the hard part is to master thinking ahead to future meals. This process takes 12-24 hours to soak and another 8-12 hours to dry, so plan ahead. I put my grains on to soak at bedtime, then put soaked grain into the dehydrator the next evening. This way my grains are ready to mill the next morning, and I don’t have to listen to the dehydrator running during the day. Try not to make too much flour ahead of time, as the wheat germ in whole grains will go rancid quickly. Keep flour in freezer and use within 11 days, this applies to all whole grain flour, even if you decide not to soak. Anything that is made with the flour should be used within 2-3 days unless kept in the refrigerator.
To soak grain you will need the following material and equipment:
- Grains
- Nutrimill
- Colander
- Whey from GOOD plain yogurt or apple cider vinegar
- Good quality water
- Adjustable temp Dehydrator
To make soaked grain flour:
- Place grain in bowl or gallon jar. Allow swelling room.
- Add whey or vinegar or fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon per 2 C of grain
- Cover grain with water, plus 1/2 or more extra. Stir & cover with lid. Let stand at room temperature for 12-24 hours; check water level.
- Rinse grains in a colander. Spread evenly on dehydrator trays.
- Set temperature at 115 or below to retain enzymes. After 8-12 hours check for crispy grains, by crunching on a counter with back of spoon.
- Store in a jar for a month or less or mill for baked goods.
There are many benefits to using soaked grain flour, like increasing vitamins C, B2, B5, B6 and carotene in our diets. It is my hope that you will find the nutritional benefits, & enhanced flavor of your baked goods a reasonable payoff for the time it takes to prepare. If you have any questions or suggestions, contact me at (907) 822-5939.
*For some time, I refused to try this, too much time & energy, I reasoned. Then Gay challenged me to try it. Now, I won’t turn back. My gallon jars contain grains all ready to be milled. One of bread, one of all purpose grains (= parts spelt, brown rice & barley), & another for breakfast grains (7 grain & oat groats). Just try it once & taste for yourself the difference in flavor & texture. FABULOUS! (ML)
Northern Hi-Lites
From Miriam & Fawn in Fairbanks, Alaska
Streamlining Your Kitchen and Meal Making
1. Start by organizing the fridge and freezer. Create a space for everything; this may seem a little OCD, but really does make things run smoother.
2. Make a simple week or month long menu and stick it to the fridge or inside a cupboard door. Include breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and
dessert. Get the whole family involved. Put some cookbooks on the table and have them pick one thing that sounds good. Also make a side list of any extra ideas they come up with so that can go on the next menu. It works well to also list side dishes.
3. Look ahead at your menu and think of what the repeat ingredients are. Cook these all at the same time, putting away the extra for later on in the week. If you are needing potatoes for breakfast burritos and also a cheesy potato casserole, dice and cook them at the same time. Dice, sauté, divide into 5 baggies, and freeze: 5 
onions, loads of garlic, and 5-6 peppers. Make ahead the bases for chili, spaghetti, pizza sauce and freeze. Having a place in the freezer for these items will also make life simpler.
4. Think about the flavors your family prefers and make sure those things are stocked in the freezer and cupboard. Also come up with some fast/easy meals for crunch time. Make sure you have those ingredients stocked. Our family’s fast food is grilled cheese, nachos, or egg sandwiches so I always try to have these items. When you make bread, make up a rectangle pizza. Roll it like a cinnamon roll & slice. Freeze for another quick meal.
5. Wash and chop veggies when you get home and bag them in single serve baggies, so kids can grab their own for lunches or snacks.
6. Make a large batch of granola bars, caramel corn, trail mix, muffins, cookies, granola, etc. and bag them individually.
Recipe Tips & Abbreviations
- In recipes, ECJ = evaporated cane juice sugar
- EVCO = extra virgin coconut oil used interchangeably w/OCO
- OCO = organic coconut oil
- All purpose flour = equal parts of spelt, brown rice & barley milled together
- Brown sugar = ECJ sugar mixed with molasses 1 C w/ about 1T, in Bosch w/ wire whips!
Streamlining Breakfast
- Basic Pancake/waffle Mix – store in freezer
- Granola – use for cereal or to make trail mix or in granola bars
- Sourdough English Muffins – make ahead for egg/sausage sandwiches
- Quiche with Brown Rice Crust / Mini Quiche,-make ahead & freeze
- Breakfast Burritos
- Basic Muffin Mix
- Oatmeal Bar – top with choc chips, dried fruit, nuts, cinnamon – let them choose
- Rice Pudding or Baked Oatmeal
Streamlining Lunch
Hot Pockets or Pita Pockets or Stuffed Bread
- Use biscuit or pie crust
- Ham & Cheese
- Steak, peppers, onions
- Meatballs
- Chicken & veggies
- BBQ meat & roasted veggies
- Chicken taco
- Cristos (turkey, cheese & maple syrup)
- Crab BLT
- Jalapeño spinach & parmesan
- Pizza toppings
- Classic subs
- Ranch chicken
- Garden veggies
- Runzas (hamburger, cabbage, & onion)
- Hamburger fixings
Hint: to shred chicken, cook boneless-skinless chicken in the BRK for 10 minutes with your favorite sauce. Put in Bosch bowl w/ wire whips & run for 2 minutes .
Biscuit Dough for Hot Pockets or Regular Biscuits
Please share your suggestions & experiences with these practical ideas!
What People Say about Wholy Living
Before I get sucked into the whirlwind that is our week, I wanted to take a few minutes. and share how our family’s journey to good health is going. When we came to visit you for our mini-bread class, I didn’t anticipate that so many changes would take place in such a short period of time- But God is good, and we see His Hand in all our endeavors!
As many times happens, we began our voyage because of a spark of interest shown by my girls in participating in a ‘baking’ class this school year. As I started researching classes, I remembered you being at the IDEA fair last year. Lo and behold, I dug up a flyer you had handed out and that I had set aside because it looked interesting! The rest is now becoming a terrific part of our history:-)
We have been truly blessed by Wholy Living (and you!). As soon as we came home with all of our goodies (the deluxe kitchen package & a truck load of grains and goodies), Johnny & Tori built me a new set of basement shelves to store all the grain. From there we inventoried our (4) freezers, (2) refrigerators, and pantry. We reorganized our kitchen storage and set out to begin baking classes. In the first couple of days we baked 11 loaves of bread, blessed our neighbor with a few loaves and put the rest in the freezer. We then started thinking about how we could go from bread to changing our entire eating habits incorporating whole grains and fresh produce. After many, many hours researching whole grains and healthy living we started to put together a monthly menu that would save us time and utilize what we have at home.
As we continued to eat whole grains, we discovered that Johnny was having a difficult time digesting them. About the same time you suggested soaking the grains (and introduced me to Kiefer) I began to utilize the Sue Gregg High School curriculum. Through trial and error, I’ve discovered the method that best suits our family’s needs with regard to soaking grains in a mixture of Kiefer/water overnight, then dehydrating the grains. I now have gallon jars of pre-soaked grains of every variety. As soon as I start running low, I begin the soaking process again.
We have also embraced the Sue Gregg method. We have planned ahead for breakfast by pre-soaking grains for hot cereal, or putting a mixture in the blender for pancakes/waffles. It’s wonderful to go to bed not worried about running around in the morning prior to school.
Of all the healthy benefits we are finding, I think the best one is the closeness of our family. Even though we home school and get to spend more time together than families that do not, our schedule of activities usually means that we are out somewhere each day- usually until dinner time. Now though, instead of a frantic pace, we’ve brought back ‘family’ as breakfast and dinner is prepared in advance so that we hardly ever eat out anymore. I love that we get to slow down, cook together and enjoy time talking about anything at all.
We are looking forward to many more enjoyable family moments – and all because I saved a flyer that you handed out a year ago. As Johnny and I tell folks, you never know what fruit a seed will bring forth….Thanks for being the seed that brought a new way of health into our family.
Michelle
Wholy Thoughts
John & I met Thanksgiving Day 1974 at Grace Baptist church in Anchorage. Pastor Zerbe always held a Thanksgiving morning service. I visited Grace for the first time, the Sunday prior & was quite excited to hear this man preach again. Serving many years as a bush pilot in Liberia West Africa, he was full of colorful stories and Godly wisdom. In his eighties now, he is still one of my favorite speakers! After 36 years of marriage, we love him & are grateful for his ministry. Last Christmas Pastor shared these thoughts in his annual letter.
Yesterday I went to a shipping center to send two parcels. There, displayed on a wall, were the attempts of would-be kindergarten artists, who had crayoned Christmas greetings on Christmas patterns, their little hands typically coloring beyond the lines set for them. Seeing that display reminded me of a very similar scene I saw about 25 years ago in a restaurant up Deep Creek, about 9 miles east of Townsend MO. The children there had used their imaginations to draw their own pictures and colored them. One creative boy had drawn a manger and captioned it “A WAY IN A MANGER.” In that upper right corner, he had printed “Willie.” While Willie had written the carol title the way he heard it, he inadvertently highlighted the purpose of the birth of Christ. In a manger God provided:
A WAY to appreciate the greatest attraction this universe has ever seen. We enjoy all the lights and decorations of the season. Thousands flock to see the lights turned on at the gigantic tree at Rockefeller Center. But all the lights in the world pale in comparison to “THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.”
A WAY to heal our broken hearts. When sorrow strikes, Jesus is the Great Physician.
A WAY to access the ‘THRONE OF GRACE.’ Jesus is THE ONLY advocate to the Father…For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. I Timothy 2:3-6
A WAY to walk by faith in facing our daily challenges. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1
The uncertain times of this moment remind us that having trusted Him for our personal salvation, we are in good hands. After all, Jesus declared, I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE, NO MAN COMETH UNTO THE FATHER, BUT BY ME. John 14:6
I trust that this will find you rejoicing in THE reason for THE season.
Wholy Yours,
Margaret
