Raspberry Muffins

4 cups whole white wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup mashed banana
1 cup crushed pineapple with juice
1/3 cup honey or other whole food sweetener
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs or flax eggs
2 cups milk (any kind: cashew, rice, soy, raw)
Pint raspberries, fresh or frozen

Mix flour, soda, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, blend the banana, pineapple, honey, lemon juice, vanilla, eggs, and milk. Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir until just mixed. Stir in the raspberries. Bake in muffins tins at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes.

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Cashew Cream and Skim Milk

We have been using cashew milk for the past couple of months and I really like it, so I thought I would pass the idea along. This recipe here is good if you have a sweet tooth and plan on drinking it, but as I use it to pour on hot cereals or to bake with, I simplified it even further. I soak a cup of cashews for 4-6 hours, blend in a blender it with 5 cups of water for abut 3 minutes till smooth (a Vitamix would need a much shorter time, of course). Pour some of it to fill a quart jar and label it Cashew Cream. Then I add another 2 cups of water to the remaining and blend again, briefly to mix it in. I pour that into another quart jar, maybe add a little water to fill, and label it Cashew Skim Milk. I use the "cream" for my hot cereals or to make dressings or desert toppings and the "skim" to bake with. It separates in the fridge, so I just shake it up slightly before using each time. I don't know why, but the cashew milk makes the yummiest biscuits in the world. My 9 year old is now famous for them!

Cashew Cream and Skim Milk
2 cups cashews, soaked 4-6 hours
5 cups water
2 cups water
Blend cashews and 5 cups water for 3 minutes, set aside one quart, add 2 cups water, blend again. Fill  second batch with additional water to make another quart.

The Power of Positive Parenting

My favorite parenting approach, besides the Book of Mormon, is available free online! It is The Power of Positive Parenting by Glenn Latham. His book, Christlike Parenting, describes the underlying principles through a gospel perspective. Both books are fabulous. American Mothers, Inc. of Utah has used these materials for years. When I was a brand new mom, I met with friends every month and studied these materials, and later as part of the Utah and Alaska state boards. I still feel like they are the best materials available to parents looking for a behavioral description of a spiritual process.

It is awesome that the information is online. I met Latham's wife years ago, inviting me into her home as she offered her husband's books to our chapter of poor college student wives at a discounted rate. He had passed away a few years before, but she was carrying on his work that she felt so strongly and was such a partner in. The book is still for sale here and on amazon. Really, everyone should have this book in their home!