Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Homemade Butter

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Homemade...that word is like music to my ears.  Homemade Butter?  An orchestra!  And no, I didn't churn until my arms felt like they were going to fall off, I simply pressed a button!  Really!  I had my doubts, but it really was as easy as they say.

During my visit with Dr. Willard, we spoke briefly about making our own foods and he mentioned to me that the first time he made butter, he actually felt upset - that no one had ever shown him how easy it was!  I have felt like that over many things in the past few years.  It has become so easy for us to buy something in a jar, box, can, etc., that making home made staples has become a lost art.  The fact is, when we make our own foods at home, we know exactly what ingredients go into it.  And I have to say, the most important ingredient, which you won't find in many grocery store products: LOVE!  There is love in this butter, let me tell you!  I loved making it and we are loving eating it!

OK, it really is super easy.  There are a few simple steps.  Firstly, if you can buy fresh cream, do it.  I bought 39% organic cream.  No farm close by, but have it on my list of things to do to find somewhere to buy fresh cream so it could go straight from the farm into my kitchen.

homemade butter

500 ml heavy cream or whipping cream 

  1. Pour cream in food processor.
  2. Turn on high and go make coffee.   Come back 10 minutes later.
  3. Turn off food processor and you will find that the solid and liquid have separated.
  4. Pour out the liquid (this is buttermilk and can be used for other recipes)
  5. Run butter under cold running water and press out all remaining buttermilk from the butter, until the water runs clear.  (Your butter won't spoil as fast if you are thorough with this step).
  6. Alternatively to step 5, you can fill a large bowl with ice cold water and press the butter.  Drain and repeat until the water remains clear.
  7. And there you have it!  You can add salt to it at this point if you like your butter salted.  Place in a jar and refrigerate.  This will last anywhere from 2-4 weeks in the refrigerator.  
  8. I made two batches and froze one batch.  I thawed it and the texture was completely unchanged, so make lots and freeze!

There are other ways to make butter, which I haven't tried yet.  You can get the same results by using an electric mixer and a bowl instead of the food processor.  You can also simply shake the cream in a jar until it separates (tip: put a marble in for quicker results).

A great idea for kids is to do the jar/marble trick using baby food jars.  I'm thinking of buying a couple of baby food jars just for this reason!  I have no babies, but have a couple boys that could use some  exercise to make up for all the butter they've been eating ;)  If you work for it, you've earned it!  Will definitely post on it when we try.

Finishing Day#7 of the Wild Rose Herbal D-Tox today.  I have to say that the first few days were pretty rough.  My body must've required a lot of detoxing.  I was extremely tired with mental fogginess and headaches.  Today seems to have been better, most of the fog has lifted, so hopefully on the upswing from here!

I'll keep you posted on the D-Tox and for now, thank you for reading and happy butter-making!

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Green Egg Scramble

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Wild Rose Herbal D-Tox day #1... This breakfast came together so quickly, having a warm, delicious breakfast is only a few minutes away.

Soya sauce and eggs - a flavour combination I've loved since my mom first made it many moons ago.  If you haven't tried this yet, you will be pleasantly surprised.

During the twelve days of detoxing, some days are tougher than others.  What I find works for me is keeping it simple but also delicious.  If my food is boring, I won't stick with it, but I also don't want to spend all my time slaving away for each meal.  The good news is, it doesn't always have to be a planned recipe.  Combine ingredients you already have in stock.   Any veggies you have will work in this recipe: peppers, zucchini, onions...  The trick up my sleeve on this one is the Bragg's liquid soy seasoning, which gives eggs a new twist!  (Bragg's tastes very similar to soya sauce, but unlike soya sauce, it is allowed on the D-Tox)

green egg scramble

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 yellow pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
2 large handfuls chopped spinach
2 eggs, beaten
Bragg's soy seasoning

  1. Heat frying pan to medium.
  2. Melt butter and fry pepper for about 3 minutes.
  3. Add garlic and cook for another couple minutes, until the garlic just starts to get some colour.
  4. Add spinach and cook until wilted, stirring often.
  5. Add eggs and a good squirt of Bragg's.  
  6. Stir until eggs are cooked through.
  7. Enjoy!


Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Meeting Dr. Terry Willard

Print Friendly and PDF Today was one of those "I'll probably never forget this day"!  I met Dr. Terry Willard.  Not only did I meet him, I went for a consultation at the Wild Rose Clinic, here in Calgary, AB.

Dr. Willard's name is most likely familiar to many of the readers of this blog as he is a Clinical Herbalist, founder and director of the Wild Rose College of Natural Healing in Calgary, AB and has formulated thousands of products.  One of them, the reason why most of you end up on this blog, the Wild Rose Herbal D-Tox.

The first time I did the Wild Rose Herbal D-Tox was about 10 years ago. Since then I've done so many internet searches on the product, recipes, and have read Dr. Willard's blog countless times.  Yes, from beginning to end!  So when he walked in, I was sharing the same room with a celebrity!  I was nervous and excited.

His products have meant so much to me over the years and have helped me tremendously.  I got to tell him about this blog and the fact that the Wild Rose Herbal D-Tox is the #1 search that brings readers here.  He was curious and asked for my blog address.  He even checked it out before I left the office and said he really liked it.  SERIOUSLY!!!!  That made my day, my week and my month!  I smiled the whole ride home! :D

The reason I went to see Dr. Willard is that I haven't been feeling well lately.  Body pains, fatigue, mental fogginess, I think a lot of people can relate to that nowadays.  This has been going on for about 6 months, with some breaks here and there where I feel better.  Taking care of a family, working full-time, trying to do extras like volunteering at school, helping out friends and family, and cooking whole, nutritious food are all the reason I live, the things I love to do, (well except for working full-time, I could skip that one :), but they are much more difficult to do and enjoy when I'm not feeling well.

My consultation with Dr. Willard was amazing.  He practices iridology and I had no idea you could get so much information from looking into someone's eyes.  He described me better than I could've described myself!  I left there with a few supplements and a feeling of empowerment you just don't get when you leave the doctor's office with a laboratory test form in your hands.

No. 1 on my prescription sheet: Wild Rose Herbal D-Tox.  There are other things such as digestive enzymes, medicinal mushrooms, fish oil and lots of water (I had no idea I was dehydrated!).  So, if you are as lucky as I am to live in Calgary, AB or close by, go see Dr. Willard for a consultation if you're not feeling well.  I'm only beginning the course of treatment tomorrow, but I already know it's going to help me.  This is much more up my alley than what any medical doctor can offer.  I'll keep you posted on my progress with this treatment, but for now, I will start the Wild Rose Herbal D-Tox tomorrow.  If I come up with any new recipes that work, I will definitely post for all you d-toxers out there.