Cultured Fruit Leathers

When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it.  And of course, whenever I see I recipe, I like to figure out how to make it easier and more simplified, without loosing flavor.

I wanted to make the recipe, very similar to how I make Penelope's smoothies so she would be more likely to like them. So I omitted the salt, spices and sweetener.  My recipe is simply fruit and whey. 


I thawed mangoes, blueberries and raspberries for several hours and then dumped them in my blender.  I am not sure if my blender doesn't work well, or it is just a piece of shit, in general, but I have to thaw my fruit till they are basically mush, before it will blend it up.

Then I added some whey.  To learn how to make whey, check out this post.  It is really, really easy and you also get cream cheese when you do it!  

I used three tablespoons of whey, no real reason, just felt like it needed three instead of two.

Then I blended it up well to spread the whey through out the entire batch and put the fruit puree in another mason jar.

I put a lid on it, and put it on my counter to ferment for three days.  


Now, are you wondering why in the hell would I want to add whey and ferment it before making the fruit leather?  You can certainly leave this part out if you want.  But if you do this step, it really kicks it up a notch, in how healthy the snack is.  

Your body needs raw enzymes and good bacteria to make your digestive system work properly. And your digestive system is one of the foundations for good health.


So anywhere and anyway I can, I like to eat raw and fermented foods.

Then I spooned the mixture into my dehydrator.  Mine came with flat silicon trays, but if you don't have one, you can use wax paper to keep it from falling through the holes.

Then I turned my dehydrator on and heated it for 24 hours. I put it at a 115 degree temp, if you go much higher than that you will kill the beneficial bacteria/enzymes.

I checked it a couple of times to make sure I didn't over cook it.  Right at about 24 hours it looked like this and I felt like it was done.

Then I sliced it up and peeled it off.  And me and Penelope had a very tasty snack on the porch!

The first link below is the dehydrator I have, the Nesco Food Dehydrator.  When I was researching which one to buy, everything I read online raved about the Excalibur Dehydrator, but it was too expensive.  I am thrilled with my $50 Nesco one.  It is compact and works just fine.

By Best Kids Health Blog

Sprout Tutorial and Giveaway!!

Sprouting is one the simplest things you can do to add fresh, raw, nutrient dense greens into your diet.

BUT, do not sprout Alfalfa!  Which of course is the main seed that all sprouting kits come with.  Apparently, Alfalfa sprouts are mildly toxic and inhibit the immune system. 


I mostly sprout lentils but I also like to sprout fenugreek.  I have found that if I eat fenugreek sprouts I get in a boost in milk supply, much more of a boost than if I take fenugreek in a pill form.

I eat the sprouts as a little side to my meal, I like to eat crunchy things with my meals like bread and crackers, because I don't really like soft things in my mouth (I know that sounds dirty but I am serious!) so if I have sprouts with my meal, I tend to eat less bread or crackers with whatever I am eating.

So all you need to do, to have fresh sprouts (after you enter our giveaway!) is to soak the seeds in about two inches of water in a large class jar overnight.

Then rinse them out twice a day.  After I rinse mine, I lean my jar upside down on the counter to make sure all the liquid gets out, so mold doesn't start to form.  And wait for the magic!  You can eat them whenever you want.  Some people like longer sprouts, and others like them just as they have sprouted with no tail.

Here some lentils two days in.

And these are four days in.

So do you want add sprouts to your diet?
Then you will want the awesome Sprout Garden Kit! Here is how to enter:

MANDATORY ENTRY: Any new comment, on any post!

I will pick our favorite comment, whether it is witty and funny, or sweet and thoughtful, controversial or introspective, whatever strikes us as particularly awesome.

Good luck everyone! Giveaway will run until 5.11.11! I will use random generator to pick a winner and will email the winner and announce it here on the blog. The winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be announced.


DISCLAIMER: I was not paid for this post. If you are interested in having me do a review and giveaway for your business or product, or about our advertising pricing, send me an email at mamaandbabylove at gmail dot com.