Christopher Columbus had something to prove, and to do it, he needed to get to India. But he failed. He didn’t get to India. He discovered the American continent and led to several beautiful countries including one of the largest superpowers in human history. On a Friday in September of 1928, someone had accidentally left a Petri dish of Staphylococcus open, and it was moldy. Alexander Fleming made a fortuitous observation about that mold that brought us penicillin. In 1839, Charles Goodyear was trying for years to create a rubber that was durable and could withstand heat and cold after everyone had said rubber would never go anywhere. During experimentation, he accidentally dropped his latest mixture on a hot stove. Weatherproof vulcanized rubber was born and automobiles would never be the same. Later, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company was named after Charles. Sometimes there’s a big continent blocking your direct route from Europe to Asia. Sometimes you forget to clean up. Sometimes you’re clumsy and drop things. But Sometimes mistakes lead to the greatest discoveries of all. Continue reading →

For as long as I can remember, chicken soup was the healer of the body and soul. It’s even been called “Jewish Penicillin.” I never really bought that because I personally think ice cream is just as soul-healing, but you don’t see books written about it. I was wrong. Chicken Soup has been healing sickness almost as long as humans have been boiling water. The earliest record of chicken soup as a remedy for illness was in second century BC when the Chinese included it in their medical literature as a curing soup. Continue reading →

My mom was the cinnamon roll queen. I used to watch, fascinated as she slid a string underneath a long cylinder of dough. She’d cross it over and pull, and there you go, a cinnamon roll! It was magic. What other dessert do you cut with a string? As I grew, I began to appreciate more than the magical preparation process. To put it lightly, Mama’s cinnamon rolls were delicious! We didn’t use einkorn, so this recipe is a little different but every bit as delicious. Continue reading →

“In the Lord’s Prayer, the first petition is for daily bread. No one can worship God or love his neighbor on an empty stomach.” Woodrow Wilson’s quote accentuates the most basic of human behavior – eating. We’re generally not great at compassion, loving, listening, moving, or thinking when we’re hungry. Try skipping a couple meals. You’ll see. That’s why Snickers says “You’re not you when you’re hungry.” Continue reading →

In Kate and Leopold, the 2001 Meg Ryan/Hugh Jackman movie, there is a scene where Leopold is being critical of our modern day excuses for food. He says, “Perhaps one day when you’ve awoken from a pleasant slumber to the scent of a warm brioche smothered in marmalade and fresh creamery butter, you’ll understand that life is not solely comprised of tasks, but tastes.” So when Carole Toulousy-Michel, one of our readers, wanted to share a recipe she developed for Einkorn brioche, I didn’t have any complaints. Although, to be honest, I had never tried the stuff until we tried her recipe.  I wasn’t disappointed!

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For as long as I can remember, my family has eaten chili and cornbread for Halloween dinner. I don’t know how that got started or what this particular food has to do with the scary October holiday, but that’s what we did. I will always associate chili and cornbread with Halloween no matter how old I get or where I go. We would all dress up (never as anything scary) and go to my grandma’s house in town (Our house out in the country was not conducive to trick-or-treating). There would be a big pot of delicious chili, several pans of cornbread, and a “cauldron” of homemade root beer. Continue reading →

Amateur boyfriends buy conversation hearts with another one of those little stuffed bears. Better boyfriends line the walkway with rose petals leading to chocolate and a gift that proves he really knows her. Norwood Thomas flew 10,500 miles to Australia to meet up with his girlfriend from the war whom he hadn’t seen in over 70 years. People do crazy things on February 14^th. Why? Love. Brace yourself for ring and flower ads, clever memes from people celebrating Single Awareness Day, and an influx of love songs (I love you for sentimental reasons…Love was made for me and you…a hunk, a hunk of burning love…etc). Somewhere along the way, St. Valentine’s Day (Which is one of many days celebrating saints in the Catholic church) became the day of love. Continue reading →

As I drove to the gym this morning, peeking out the little hole in the middle of my windshield where the defroster had actually done something, I thought fondly of spring. I shouldn’t long for things I can’t control; it’s probably not healthy, but I do. Many of you may not live in snowy, cold places like I do, but I’m sure you still look forward to everything coming to life in the spring. Since spring is still forever away, I have to find a way to be content with winter for now. Winter holds few charms for me once Christmas has passed, BUT winter food is one of them. If you can’t have spring yet, try this recipe for creamy chicken soup with buttery Einkorn bread sticks to warm and cheer you up. That sounds cheesy, but anyone who doesn’t know that food can do that is on a terrible diet. Continue reading →

Are your New Year’s Resolutions starting to slip?

If you’re anything like me, with January drawing to a close, you may have already lost some momentum for your New Year’s resolutions. We’re here to help you get back on track! I, for one, have the tendency to drop the whole thing if I mess up once. This is especially true when it comes to dieting. Dieting is just brutal. I’ve discovered I have two selves. One self is full of motivation and grit, doesn’t care about taste, and moves full speed ahead to my goals. The other self stubbornly, absolutely, and indisputably does not care. With diets, it’s always a toss up to see which self is going to wake up in the morning. If it’s the I-don’t-care self, the diet bows out gracefully. Good news! This post (and site in general) is not about dieting. It’s about a lifestyle that is healthy and realistic for those of us who don’t live on 20 acres and have nothing to do all day but make food. Continue reading →

When the icy wind slices across the ground, crystallizing the top layer of snow, when every child is in bed hoping Mom will say school is canceled, when even the air inside is so cold that getting out of bed seems an Olympic event, that is the time when a good hot cereal become necessary. For those who don’t live in cold places, lucky you. Even so, sometimes you just need something besides cheerios in the morning.

Yum! We Enjoy Eating Einkorn Berry Cereal For Breakfast.

Hot cereals are popular all over the world, oatmeal being the most common.  Continue reading →

It was the year 1884. This was a year remembered for the first Oxford English Dictionary, the most destructive earthquake the UK has ever seen, and the cornerstone of our own statue of Liberty. This was also the year that lives were changed when a Canadian man named Marcellus Gilmore Edson became the first to patent peanut butter. He came up with the idea as a way for people who couldn’t chew well to get nutrients. Clearly it’s come a long way since then including becoming the MVP of one of my favorite cookies!

Peanut Butter cookies have always been high on my list, but I could never handle the store-bought ones. They were never even a temptation, but it was hard to stop once I got started on my mom’s. Despite my mom’s health consciousness, her peanut-butter cookies couldn’t exactly be called healthy. So, I am excited to be spreading this recipe that has more than fulfilled the need for a healthy and delicious peanut butter cookie. Continue reading →

Can I just tell you how much I love this cake? It’s a lot! Ever since we last made it, I’ve wanted to make it again. I just need a good excuse. I remember a time when, for some reason, my brother was really into making chocolate cake. He had gotten this recipe down for really dense, moist chocolate cake. He made it almost every night for a while, and I do not exaggerate. Well, just a few weeks ago I was thinking how much I missed that and how long it had been since I had a really good chocolate cake. So when we started developing this recipe, I was excited to find a healthy alternative to the rich chocolate cake my brother used to make. And let me tell you, I certainly didn’t feel like I was eating health food.

You’ll notice the richness and moisture of this cake. We adapted the Green Smoothie Girl’s method for adding steamed beets to chocolate cake. Continue reading →