Richard Louv Post

Imagine a World

Last Child in the Woods and The Nature Principle are wonderful books.  I highly recommend them.  I especially like reading them outside, when I can.  Grab a moment today, take a step outside (regardless of the weather), and take a deep, long, cleansing breath.  Let it out slowly.  If it's sunny, be thankful for the warmth of its rays.  If it's raining/snowing, be thankful that the ground is being prepared for new life this spring.

Enjoy the rest of your week...

Nearly Wordless Wednesday

Company for breakfast

Project FeederWatch

Restoring Peace - link

RESTORING PEACE: Six Ways Nature in Our Lives Can Reduce the Violence in Our World

Bread

I rarely buy a loaf of bread anymore.  Homemade bread is so quick (esp. with a bread machine) and easy, plus it's cheaper and healthier than store bought bread.  I really don't see the point in buying it if I don't have to.  Also, I know exactly what is going into it - have you read a bread ingredient list lately?  Yikes!  Even the bakery loaves at the grocery store have ingredients that aren't necessary for bread.  Now, admittedly, we do still buy English Muffins and buns because I haven't put time into figuring those out.  I just try to watch my ingredient lists and not buy them too often.

Every time my dad comes to visit, he asks me to make a loaf of bread for him to take home.  Then, last week, a friend came over for lunch and asked for the recipe.  So, I figured I would share it here as well.  I hope you enjoy it.  I do use the bread machine, but only for the dough cycle, as I don't like the shape of the loaf my bread machine makes and I don't see that as reason enough to spend money on a new one.  Besides, I really like the way the loaf bakes in my stoneware pan.

Bread

Put ingredients in bread machine pan in order listed:

1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp salt  (can be less, I think I'm down to about 1/2 tsp)
2 cups whole wheat flour (I use King Arthur)
1 cup bread flour (again, I use King Arthur)
1/2 cup rolled oats (not quick)
2 tsp yeast

1.  Run sweet dough cycle on bread machine.
2.  When cycle is done, remove dough roll it into a cylinder the length of your loaf pan (I just do this with my hands, above the loaf pan).
3.  Place in loaf pan and let rise 20-30 minutes (until you like the height/shape).
4.  Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.
5.  Let cool for about 10 minutes, then remove from pan and let cook completely on a cooling rack.

The Connection between Food and Nature

This is an excellent article about how our diets effect the environment.  It's written by a group of college students who follow a whole-foods, plant-based diet.  They share their experiences and what they are learning.

Beyond the Health Benefits of a Plant-Strong Diet – Part 1: The Environment

Video of the Week - Forks Over Knives

Forks Over Knives

Website

Video (free to watch on Hulu)

Types of Cookware

Today we're going to cover types of cookware.

Stainless Steel

Advantages
Relatively inexpensive
Durable
Scratch resistent
Keeps shiny look for a long time, easy to shine with Stainless Steel cleaner
Doesn't react with foods
Doesn't warp

Disadvantages
generally not a good conductor of heat, unless it's multi-ply

Non-stick

Advantages
Easy to cook with and clean
Healthier to cook with – need less oil, butter to keep foods from sticking to cookware
Good nonstick cookware will have several layers of nonstick coating. Decent pots and pans have at least three layers, and the best will have up to seven. This will ensure a smoother surface and longer lasting pans. More inexpensive ones, the coating is sprayed on. Higher quality ones will have it baked on.

Disadvantages
Can be easy to scratch, don't use metal utensils
Not-dishwasher safe
Shouldn't be used on high heat, us medium-high heat at the most, preferably medium

Multi-Ply

Multi-ply cookware combines several materials into one piece of cookware. For example, a stainless steel or non-stick pot/pan will have a copper or aluminum core. This combination of advantages make multi-ply cookware user-friendly and versatile.

Ceramic

Advantages
Inexpensive
Lighter weight
Easy to clean
Non-stick without the teflon

Disadvantages
Not as high quality as other options

Cast Iron 

Advantages 
Excellent at retaining and distributing heat
Durability
good for deep frying
also good for dishes requiring long cooking periods
Relatively inexpensive

Disadvantages 
Heavy
require effort to maintain
Seasoning process

Aluminum

Advantages 
Excellent at distributing heat

Disadvantages 
Reacts to acidic food
Scratches and Dents easily

Copper 

Advantages
Best Conductor of heat among cookware metals
Distributes heat evenly
Holds heat well to keep food warm

Disadvantages
Expensive
Heavy
Dents and tarnishes easily, requires regular polishing
Foods left in contact with uncoated copper become discolored, usually not harmful