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Surviving Childhood Abuse – My Story

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Surviving Childhood Abuse – My Story

A relative who would often come to our house abused me as a child. It started when I was very little. He would often talk to me one-on-one in a way that made me uncomfortable. I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t even sure why I was uncomfortable and I assumed this was how some adults behave. I now realize that he was grooming me.

Over the span of ages 11 to 14, he assaulted me five times. After that, the person moved away and I never saw him again. I have no idea what happened to him and I do not want to find out. I felt so threatened that he would come back to haunt me again that I never told my mother about it. The first time I formed my experiences into actual spoken words was when I started seeing a therapist in college.

The abuse I experienced wasn’t just in those instances of actual physical and sexual assault. His presence in my life was a constant source of stress and fear that would often render me unable to enjoy my childhood to its fullest. I was manipulated, lied to, and threatened repeatedly. A grown man took advantage of me and made my life hell.

I didn’t know how to define what was happening to me. I never considered that to be a violent act because it’s not like I had any physical markings that would indicate what I went through. No bruises, no cuts, no anything. So it couldn’t have been violence, right?

Violence is: the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or deprivation.

That’s violence as defined by the World Health Organization. This definition was introduced to me and then explained by my trauma therapist. She was the first person who helped me understand that what happened to me was in fact, an act of violence. This made it easier for me to deal with the situation as an adult.

She also suggested that the fact I didn’t see it that way as a child was a coping mechanism. If I had admitted to myself that I was experiencing violence then I would have no choice but to accept defeat. But because my mind was working in survival mode, I would simply dismiss that possibility. I also downplayed it, thinking to myself that other people have it much worse so why should I be the one that gets help. That was also another coping mechanism.

All of that constant stress resulted in suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder as I grew up. I still experience some of its attacks occasionally but it has gotten much better in the past few years. You can see the symptoms of PTSD here.

For me, hypervigilance was the most obvious symptom. Hypervigilance means being constantly on alert, ready to protect yourself and no ability to relax. I was so tense that I began having regular tension headaches. I had trouble falling asleep.

Metabolism

As you might know from my other posts, stress is very closely linked to metabolism. Abuse, stress, PTSD can all lead to damaged metabolism. In turn, this affects your whole body and overall wellbeing.

You don’t need to have experienced abuse to suffer from the negative effects stress has on your body. Being stuck in a job you hate, having no close friends to turn to in need, suddenly losing someone close to you – all of those happenings can be a source of both acute and chronic stress.

Your body deals with stress by producing a steroid hormone called cortisol. Whenever you experience a sudden onset of acute stress, your body will release a strong dose of cortisol to help you get through that. If you are overly stressed on a regular basis, you will get many doses of cortisol one after another. Those doses build up over time and slow down your metabolism as a part of the body’s defense mechanism.

Here is a short list of the most common factors that lead to increased cortisol production:

  • lack of sleep
  • prolonged or too intense physical exercise
  • caffeine
  • severe calorie restriction
  • long commutes
  • trauma and stressful triggers
  • eating disorders
  • pressure from society

I want to talk a bit more about the last point. Having a damaged metabolism is most likely causing you to gain weight. Shedding that weight is almost impossible without addressing the issue that is causing your metabolism to fail. And dealing with PTSD or abuse is not something you can do in one day.

Not fitting in society’s norms about which body types are accepted and which ones aren’t is another source of stress. Do you see how that vicious circle continues? You can’t lose weight because of pressure from society because you can’t lose weight. It happens more often than you think, I promise. And no amount of healthy diets and exercise can change that.

Diet Recovery and Eat For Heat both explain the link between stress and metabolism very well so I recommend you read them to understand the concept further.

How to deal with abuse?

First, we need to accept how commonly it is happening. We cannot avert our eyes from it and only notice it when it happens to us. If you haven’t experienced abuse yourself, you definitely met someone who did. It really is much more common than we like to think. And it happens no matter what your socioeconomic background is, no matter the city you live in, no matter where you went to school. We need to acknowledge that.

And we need to be supportive of the abuse victims. Not dismissing them or telling them how to feel. Understanding and empathy are what helps people overcome their abuse and PTSD.

It is also vital to seek treatment. People rarely get over abuse on their own and most will require help from a specialist. A specialist will help the victim understand what happened to them and define it. They are like a teacher for learning a new life skill. Be it a therapist, a psychologist, a trauma counselor, or any other person qualified to treat people who experienced abuse. There are specialists in every area, including but not limited to: domestic violence, sexual abuse, childhood abuse, bullying, and many more.

For me, it was much easier to start getting better when I had my own family. I didn’t grow up in a safe environment but I wanted my kids to be able to. For that, I needed to become stronger myself. I want to be the kind of mother who can stand up and support her children in the hardest moments of their lives. So I overcame my abuse for my children.

And just remember one thing: it gets better. You might not believe it now but with the right treatment, you can get your life back.

GAPS-friendly Banana Bread with Walnut Crumble

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GAPS-friendly Banana Bread with Walnut Crumble

In the fall, I usually make desserts full of aromatic spices that warm me up from the inside. Cinnamon is the absolute king then, but I also heavily partake in nutmeg, vanilla, cardamon, star anise, and vanilla. These spices stay with me until the spring comes.

Banana bread with walnut

But in this recipe for banana bread, I focused on the texture rather than the spices. The mushy bananas make for a perfect cream-like consistency and the walnut crumble on top takes this recipe from good to excellent.

I made this banana bread last weekend, as a small celebration of ending my GAPS into diet (I’m currently giving it my second go!). I managed to get through the intro stage with no major digestive problems so I figured it would be all right for me to enjoy some GAPS-legal dessert that won’t cause any setbacks. And I enjoyed each bite tremendously! The banana bread was deliciously fragrant thanks to the coconuts, and it literally melted in my mouth!

I recommend eating this with a glass of raw milk or coconut milk!

Walnut Crumble

Necessary equipment:

  • a large mixing bowl
  • a wooden spoon

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup of almond flour
  • 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts (how to soak and dehydrate nuts, seeds, and beans)
  • 2 T. of expeller-pressed coconut oil OR grass-fed butter (how to make butter)
  • 2 T. of raw honey
  • 1 T. of ground cinnamon
  • a pinch of sea salt

Instructions:

  1. Combine the almond flour with raw honey, chopped walnuts, cinnamon, and sea salt in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Add in melted coconut oil or butter and use a wooden spoon or your fingers to coat all mixture in the fat you chose thoroughly.

GAPS-friendly Banana Bread

Necessary equipment:

  • one baking pan or two smaller pans
  • a small saucepan
  • a wooden spoon
  • a large mixing bowl
  • a whisk
  • an immersion blender OR a food processor

Ingredients:

  • 2 ripe bananas (with spots)
  • 1/2 cup of butter OR coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup of raw honey
  • 6 eggs
  • 3/4 cup of coconut flour
  • 2 t. of vanilla extract
  • 1/2 t. of almond extract
  • 1/2 t. of sea salt
  • 1 cup of chopped walnuts (how to soak and dehydrate nuts, seeds, and beans here)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
  2. Prepare your pan (or two smaller pans) by buttering them up thoroughly.
  3. Heat the butter or coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium heat until it completely melts.
  4. Add honey and stir until combined.
  5. Remove from heat and leave to cool, stirring occasionally.
  6. Whisk the eggs in a large mixing bowl.
  7. Add the salt, vanilla extract, and almond extract to the eggs. Whisk to combine.
  8. Gradually add the butter and honey mixture while whisking. Do in a thin stream so that the eggs won’t cook from the heat.
  9. Add the coconut flour. Use an immersion blender or a food processor to blend the batter together so that there are no clumps left.
  10. Add mashed bananas and use the blender again to fully combine.
  11. Add the chopped walnuts and gently stir them in with a wooden spoon.
  12. Pour the batter into your buttered pan.
  13. Cover the batter with walnut crumble forming an even layer.
  14. Bake for 50 to 65 minutes. The banana bread will be ready when the middle is set (you can check that with a wooden toothpick) and the crumble is lightly browned.
  15. Take out of the oven and let cool before serving.

Enjoy! Also, check out my GAPS-friendly honey sweetened chocolate recipe.

How To Make Homemade Digestif with Bitters

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How To Make Homemade Digestif with Bitters

Have you ever had an upset stomach after a large meal and took some Pepto Bismol to relieve it? I admit, back in the old days, I would do so too. But did you know that there is a healthier, more natural way to achieve the same effect? I’m talking about digestifs!

Bitters and Soda

Digestifs are drinks that are traditionally served after dinner as a way to calm down one’s stomach and prevent digestive problems. The tradition of serving digestifs originates from Italy. They go in pair with aperitifs – drinks served before dinner to stimulate the stomach and prepare it for the meal. Most digestives are alcoholic drinks.

I prepare my own digestifs at home to aid my digestive health. I drink them after I had dinner that can potentially cause me health issues like a bloated stomach (so typically after I eat out or have dinner at a house of someone who is not so into clean eating as I am). And I sleep like a baby afterward! They are good not only after a heavy meal but also as a way to help your stomach after an evening of drinking alcohol (yes, you can help yourself with more alcohol) or as a way to relax after a stressful day.

Homemade Digestifs

The main ingredients of my homemade digestifs are alcoholic bitters (also homemade, you can read up on some of my recipes in another post). That’s what bitters were actually first used for – as medicine! They are not that popular now although I must say they are starting to become trendy again. Mostly as a way of enhancing the cocktail flavor but still, that’s something.

The best thing about homemade bitters is that you can fully control what they taste like! There are endless possibilities and ingredients you could use. Bitters are a mixture of a basic liquor, like whiskey or vodka, and an infusion of spices, herbs, flowers, peels, or barks. Most common bitters are usually called aromatic bitters, and they include common spices like cinnamon or star anise and infusions of cassia, gentian, and others. There is also a separate group of orange bitters which can be further divided into fresh orange bitters and spicy orange bitters. All of which can be made at home!

A homemade digestif is a combination of a bitter and soda. I usually use my own homemade water kefir (unflavored) or, if I don’t have on hand, regular mineral water.

Necessary equipment:

  • a tall glass
  • a swizzle stick

Ingredients:

Instructions:

  1. Fill your tall glass with ice cubes up to 3/4 of its height.
  2. Pour in the bitter over the ice cubes.
  3. Fill the glass to the top with unflavored water kefir or mineral water.
  4. Stir with a swizzle stick to combine both ingredients.

How to Make Homemade Caramel Sauce

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How to Make Homemade Caramel Sauce

A good caramel sauce is the base of many delicious desserts so it’s worth taking time to learn how to make it properly at home. Store-bought caramel can often be laden with sweet but harmful corn syrup so I feel it’s much safer to make your own, especially since it’s not that difficult at all.

Simply explained, caramel is a mix of cream and honey cooked together. Depending on the temperature you use, you will end up with either syrup or hard candy. In this recipe, we will be heating our mixture to 225 degrees so that it turns into a delicious caramel liquid. But if you use a lower temperature, you will get soft chewy caramel or hard caramel candy. The ingredients are all the same but the end result will differ so try out making different caramel versions!

Caramel sauce can be used in a variety of ways to instantly enhance your sweet treats. It can be drizzled over hot pancakes, waffles, or a cheesecake. I love eating it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or together with some buttery shortbread bar. It also works beautifully as a middle layer in cakes, for example pear cake or coconut cake. You can a pinch of sea salt to make salted caramel.

Another use for caramel? In drinks! My personal favorite is homemade caramel macchiato. I add some caramel syrup to fragrant coffee, cool cream, and steaming milk. The result is the most delicious coffee drink of all time!

I love caramel sauce for its versatility. I keep a batch of it in the fridge very often, especially in the summer.

Necessary equipment:

  • a saucepan
  • a wooden spoon
  • a candy thermometer
  • a shallow glass bowl OR a pie plate
  • a glass jar or any other container with a lid for storing

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of heavy cream
  • 1 cup of honey
  • 1 t. of sea salt

Instructions:

  1. Fill your shallow bowl halfway with cold water and ice. This will be your ice water bath that you’ll use later. Set aside for now.
  2. Heat the heavy cream with salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Do so until you can see bubbles forming around the edges of the saucepan.
  3. Add the honey. Keep stirring until the mixture fully combines and becomes smooth.
  4. Turn the heat up to a boil.
  5. Attach the candy thermometer to the side of the saucepan. The tip should be submerged in the mixture but not so deep that it touches the bottom of the pan.
  6. Lower the heat to medium again and keep the mixture simmering steadily.
  7. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes.
  8. Once it reaches 225 degrees, turn off the heat.
  9. Carefully put the hot saucepan in the ice water bath. Continue stirring while the caramel sauce cools and thickens to a nice consistency.
  10. Your caramel sauce is now ready! Transfer to a glass jar and keep in the fridge for later use.

A guide to treating croup with Mullein

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Croup is a common respiratory infection that fortunately isn’t that dangerous but it tends to scare the crap out of parents due to how badly it sounds. Croup affects children more than adults because their air pipes and other respiratory organs are smaller than ours and more prone to face complications from swelling. It causes a horrible cough that keeps you up at night and doesn’t allow for any rest. We just had a case of croup make its way through our immediate family which is what inspired me to write this post.

Most croup cases aren’t serious enough to warrant a visit to the hospital and symptoms can be relatively easily treated at home. But I understand very well how the loud cough can be distressing to hear for a parent and if you are genuinely worried then do take your child to the doctor so that you can relieve your anxiety. If I notice my child is having serious breathing difficulty or his condition worsens suddenly, I will also not hesitate and have a medical professional check him out. But otherwise, I am sticking with homemade treatments.

So how exactly do you treat croup at home? Here are my four top remedies, in the order of use frequency.

  1. Mullein infusions: Mullein is a herb that is very helpful in treating croup. I prepare my mullein infusions with some raw honey and freshly squeezed lemon.
  2. Mist humidifier: a humidifier that releases warm mist is a life-saver at night when your child is suffering from a bad coughing fit. The warm mist is soothing for the dry throat and helps the airways unclog.
  3. Cold air: this one is a bit counterintuitive but I swear that when it works, it works very well. If my son has a coughing attack that won’t stop no matter what, I will take him outside to breathe in the crisp fresh air for about 15 minutes. Sometimes the improvement can be heard immediately.
  4. Elderberry: Elderberry syrup is full of minerals and vitamins that help your body fight off diseases like common colds and croup. The amount of vitamin C and antioxidants by itself is enough to make it worth drinking elderberry syrup every day during flu season.

In this post, I want to focus on the first item from the list above: mullein.

Mullein leaves have long been used as a treatment for respiratory ailments, croup included. Mullein aids in relieving congestions by breaking down the mucus and soothing the inflamed throat (source).

To take advantage of mullein’s beneficial properties, you need to first make mullein-infused water. You do that by steeping the leaves in boiling water. That way, the properties of the herbs will be carried by the water as well. Take the solid leaves out and you will have mullein-infused water. From that water, you can then make mullein tea and other infusions. You can even put in a steamer and breathe it in directly which might help with severe congestions.

Now, you should know that mullein leaves can be a bit bitter. The longer you leave them in, the more bitter your mullein-infused water will be. But also, the longer the steeping time, the more mullein benefits will be transported to the water.

The absolute shortest duration is 5 minutes but I would definitely leave the leaves in for longer. Anywhere beyond 30 minutes will result in a rather bitter-tasting infusion. To get the most benefits, the leaves should be steeped for up to 4 hours.

To counter the bitter taste, I use raw honey. The infusion tastes much better then and even children won’t complain about drinking it. Not to mention that raw honey has plenty of immune system boosting properties on its own (source).

Another method of utilizing mullein is turning the infusion into an oil. That oil can be then applied to help with ear infections(source).

Necessary equipment:

  • a tea kettle
  • a tea infuser OR a French press

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup of mullein leaves
  • 5 cups of boiling water
  • a spoonful of raw honey
  • optional: a slice of lemon

Instructions:

  1. Put the mullein leaves into your tea infuser or French press.
  2. Pour the boiling water over the leaves.
  3. Leave to steep for at least 30 minutes or more (I usually go for about 2 hours).
  4. Remove the leaves so that you are left with only the mullein-infused water.
  5. Sweeten the infusion with honey and put the lemon slice in.
  6. Warm it up again before serving.

Carbs are Good For You!

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Carbs are Good For You!

If you ask an average person how to lose weight, there is a high probability that will say something like this: “eat fewer carbs.” Could it really be so simple?

I’m sorry to disappoint you but no, that statement is simply not true. Nutrition is not all black and white, as much as we would like it to be. Carbs, just like fats and protein, are all part of a healthy human diet. Eating less of any of the three is simply being irresponsible because by going too far, our bodies might even reach that point when they stop functioning as they should.

Actually, if you want to improve your metabolism, it is recommended that you eat carbs, sugar, and starches. These foods raise the body temperature and in turn, stimulate the metabolism. You can easily test this on yourself! Just take note of how many carbs you eat and check your temperature each morning as you wake up on the following day. You will probably see that your body responds positively. For more on that topic, I suggest you read the ebook Eat for Heat.

But isn’t that just inflammation?

Have you ever eaten a good full-of-carbs dinner and felt your body warm up right after? I’m sure you have. This is the result of eating foods with warming properties. You feel relaxed and cozy and ready for a good night of regenerating sleep. But there is some misconception about this warmth that I would like to debunk now.

Some people seem to think that the hot rush you feel after eating a good meal is inflammation and that their body is hypersensitive to the food it just received. This is rarely the case. By thinking there is inflammation in our digestive system, we feel unnecessary stress. That stress is making us believe the food we had just eaten is not good for us. That’s how we have been conditioned by hearing all the time that grains and starches are the root of all evil. That kind of stress is chronic stress and it can have long-lasting damage to our well-being.

What helped me was trying to separate in my mind all that I have heard from society about carbs from how I felt after eating them. I found that when I tried to relax and simply gave in to my body’s responses, I felt less stressed out and more at ease with myself and my food. So how does your body feel about carbs? Listen to your body only and not the people around you. Don’t cut carbs out of your life if you don’t need to do it.

Most food sensitivities (not celiac disease-level sensitivities) can be resolved by healing your gut and improving metabolism. That’s what Eat for Heat is for.

Basal temperatures

So like I said, if you take your basal temperature every morning, you should see a correlation between the amount of starches and grains you eat and the temperature of your body. But just a side note, food is not the only factor affecting your basal temperature. If you’re a woman then you will also probably observe a small rise in temperature when you are ovulating. That’s completely natural. I recommend reading Taking Charge of Your Fertility to find out more about how your cycles work.

By eating more carbs on a regular basis, your basal temperature should reach steady levels of around 98.6 degrees. Some people can even reach 99 degrees. You will feel more energized in the morning and you won’t get cold hands and feet so easily. Eating a bigger lunch and a smaller dinner will also give you more energy in the afternoon while everyone around gets sleepier and sleepier!

Dietary misconceptions

The world of nutrition is based on what dietary sciences tell us about food and how our bodies need it to function. That same science tells us that there are three macronutrients: protein, fat, and carbohydrates (please tell me that no one is trying to argue with that just yet). So how can one of these three basic macronutrients possibly be harmful to our bodies? I find it absolutely bonkers that someone might actually believe that.

I always say it’s all about the quality of what you need. There are better and worse carbohydrates but they are all still carbohydrates. To maintain a healthy diet, you should generally choose whole grains over refined grains, such as white rice or white flour. But you absolutely should not avoid grains at all. Same with starch. Eat oven-baked potato fries over fast food fries that were made in a deep fryer. Don’t let anyone tell you that the wonderful gifts nature is providing us with are not meant to be eaten.

Remember to choose organic foods that haven’t been processed in big factories. Go local and eat clean. That’s usually all you need to be and feel healthy!

Low carb = evil?

That’s another blanket statement that is way too general. No one can say that high carb is absolutely the right solution because everyone’s bodies are different. All I wanted to say in this post is that you should be eating what your body wants you to eat, not what the society wants you to eat.

Going low carb is still a viable option for some. If you feel great while doing low carb then great, keep at it. But don’t force yourself to think that you should be feeling great because you’re eating fewer carbs.

In my experience, low carb diets feel great for about 6 months. I accidentally went too low carb when I was doing the GAPS diet (you can read about my experience in my post about eating carbs on GAPS). Long story short: I became exhausted very quickly and had very little energy left to function.

But you might be different. You are the only one who can judge that accurately.

I know now that GAPS helped me recover from years of trying to do those restrictive diets. By reintroducing them all slowly one by one, I allowed my gut to heal and gave it a fighting chance to digest them properly. And my basal temperatures increased significantly, giving me more energy during the day.

Anti-Diet Challenge

What I do urge you to try, however, is the Anti-Diet Challenge. I’ll give you a quick overview of the rules so that you can see whether it’s something you’re interested in.

  1. Take your temperature every morning.
  2. Be intuitive about the foods you eat and choose only those that sound good to you.
  3. Drink only when you are genuinely thirsty.
  4. Embrace sugar and salt (don’t cause your body unnecessary stress by fearing natural substances!).
  5. Follow the general menu below for a few days and observe how you feel:
    • Breakfast: starchy and dry, without much liquid.
    • Lunch: a large meal full of protein with fruit as dessert.
    • Dinner: vegetable-based with plenty of liquids (soups and chowders are best!).
  6. Break the general menu and see if you can observe any improvements.
  7. Listen to your body.
  8. Get enough sleep.
  9. Take a nap to recover if you are tired.
  10. Work out if you have pent-up energy.

Cheddar Chives Crackers

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I sometimes get a hankering for some commercial snacks and sweets I used to eat when I was little. It’s rare but it does happen from time to time. But because I am perfectly happy with my whole foods diet, I am not about to compromise that by stuffing myself with processed fats and sugars. That’s when I make my own homemade version of what I remember from my childhood.

In this case, I made cheese crackers. Savory crackers like these are just what I need when I want to have a light snack before dinner. I also use them as a side menu when I pack school lunches for my kids. And I get additional satisfaction because I know they are healthy and made solely with true foods that bring me plenty of nourishment.

The grass-fed cheddar cheese gives the crackers its easily recognizable flavor and the chives balance it out. Slightly crunchy sunflower seeds and sesame seeds (soaked and dehydrated beforehand) provide a nice crispy texture. And just a little bit of fresh garlic makes the crackers aroma spread throughout the kitchen as you make these.

And if you haven’t read my post on soaking and dehydrating seeds yet, I recommend you do it now. Sure, you could make this recipe with raw seeds, but the crackers will be easier to digest if you soak them because the enzyme inhibitors will become neutralized.

Necessary equipment:

  • a food processor
  • parchment paper
  • a rolling pin
  • a pizza cutter
  • a jelly roll pan
  • a spatula

Ingredients:

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Put the sunflower seeds, garlic clove, and sea salt in a food processor. Pulse for a few minutes until the mixture looks moist.
  3. Add in the sesame seeds and keep pulsing for about one more minute so that all ingredients combine well.
  4. Add in the shredded cheddar cheese and pulse again for a couple of minutes. The shreds should not be visible anymore.
  5. Add in the chives and pulse just once or twice. Be careful not to pulse too much or your dough will turn green. You want the chives to become little specks of green in your crackers.
  6. Add about 1/4 cup of filtered water and pulse until a nice-looking dough forms. Add more water if necessary.
  7. Put the dough between two pieces of parchment paper and roll it to your desired thickness. I usually do it until it’s about 1/8 of an inch thick.
  8. Pull off the top parchment piece and cut the dough into cracker-sized pieces with a pizza cutter.
  9. Bake the crackers for about 15 minutes until they turn slightly brown and crisp.
  10. Take crackers off the parchment sheet immediately so that they will stop cooking. Use a spatula to help you transfer them onto a cool tray.
  11. Leave to fully cool.
  12. Store at room temperature in an open zip bag. If they are stored in an airtight container, they will their crispness.

For another great recipe, try my Kauranäkkileipä- Rustic Gluten-Free Oat Crackers.

Chocolate Buttermilk Waffles + a recipe for Blackberry Sauce

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Chocolate Buttermilk Waffles + a recipe for Blackberry Sauce

That’s it, I found my perfect waffle recipe. I tried it for the first time this morning and I absolutely fell in love with it. I am writing this post while still in awe of how delicious they turned out to be.

These waffles were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, just like proper waffles should be. The grass-fed butter gave them that creamy consistency I just love. I added some organic maple syrup for the sweetness. And then, in a stroke of creativity, I reached for my homemade blackberry sauce. The GAPS-approved chocolate chips I had in the cupboard did their part too!

These waffles are not only delicious but they are made with real food. I swear I will not buy milk from a grocery store ever again. What is even the point of doing that when we could be drinking healthy local milk while supporting small farms?

The blackberry sauce is the absolute killer here, though. The slightly sour berries sweetened with honey and vanilla make for a wonderful addition to many sweet meals, not only waffles. And if you combine it with some amaretto then your sauce will be on another level altogether.

This kind of breakfast is perfect for those days when we just want to spoil ourselves and savor some delicious real food. Take a breath and enjoy your breakfast. It will set the tone for the rest of the day and you will leave the dining table while feeling energized and ready for action!

A side note about maple syrup

I haven’t written down my thoughts about maple syrup yet so this post seems a good place to do it.

Do you know that there are two types of maple syrup, grade A and grade B? It’s counterintuitive but grade B maple syrup is actually better for us because it contains more minerals and vitamins. Grade B maple syrup is collected later in the season and is characterized by a darker and deeper color.

And another thing to remember is the difference between conventional maple syrup and organic maple syrup. I’m sure you can by now tell which one I want you to buy. Yup, the organic one.

Maple syrup farms only have a short window of opportunity in a year to tap the trees and make them release the coveted maple syrup. This window is only about six weeks long. After that, the holes in the trees close up for the season. So some farms have begun using formaldehyde pellets to keep the holes open for longer. It works and they can get more maple syrup this way but that formaldehyde gradually dissolves and ends up in the bottle together with the maple syrup.

Organic maple syrup farms are heavily regulated and forbidden from using formaldehyde in their maple trees. That’s why I believe it is worth it to support those smaller farms that do not produce their maple syrup with disregard for consumers’ health.

The bottom line is: buy organic grade B maple syrup!

And now the recipe(s)! First I’ll teach you how I make my own blackberry sauce and then we’ll move on to the waffles.

Homemade blackberry sauce

Necessary equipment:

  • a medium saucepan
  • a potato masher
  • a wooden spoon
  • a glass bowl
  • a strainer
  • a rubber scraper

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. of blackberries (fresh or frozen)
  • ¼ cup of raw honey
  • 1 t. of vanilla extract
  • 1 t. of amaretto liqueur OR almond extract if you want your sauce to be alcohol-free

Instructions:

  1. Put the berries in the saucepan and use a potato masher to mash them into smaller pieces and release the juice.
  2. Add the honey and bring the saucepan to a boil.
  3. Simmer the contents of the saucepan uncovered for about 20 minutes.
  4. Add the vanilla extract and amaretto. Use a wooden spoon to stir until combined.
  5. Place a strainer over a glass bowl and pour the mixture into it. Press it with a rubber scraper so that all the liquid comes out. Once done, you can discard the seeds and other solids that were caught in the strainer.
  6. Your sauce is ready! Pour into another container, like a small glass jar, and keep in the fridge.

Chocolate buttermilk waffles

Necessary equipment:

  • a measuring cup
  • a large mixing bowl
  • a dish towel or something else to cover the bowl
  • a whisk OR a hand mixer
  • a rubber scraper
  • a waffle iron
  • a pastry brush
  • a ladle

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of buttermilk (how to make buttermilk here)
  • 2 ½ cups of whole grain flour (hot to make sprouted flour here)
  • 2 eggs, yolks and whites separated
  • 4 T. of grass-fed butter, melted and cooled (how to make butter here)
  • 2 T. of whole cane sugar
  • 1 ½ t. of baking soda
  • 1 t. of vanilla extract
  • ½ t. of sea salt
  • 1 cup of chocolate chips (how to make chocolate chips here)
  • additional butter to brush the waffle iron with

Instructions:

  1. Combine flour and buttermilk in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Cover the bowl with a towel and leave to soak overnight in a warm place. At least 12 hours should pass.
  3. The next day, add sugar, baking soda, salt, egg yolks, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth.
  4. In a separate bowl beat the egg whites with a whisk or a hand mixer until you can see soft peaks forming.
  5. Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter.
  6. Add the chocolate chips and stir them in gently.
  7. Preheat the waffle iron and brush with melted butter.
  8. Pour one ladle of the batter into the iron and cook. For me, it takes about 4 minutes but this will depend on how powerful your waffle iron is and how well it has been preheated.
  9. Serve the waffles with toppings of your choice (butter, fruit, yogurt, maple syrup, whipped cream, nuts, anything is good!).

Enjoy your new favorite breakfast waffles! I will be enjoying mine with some organic grade B maple syrup and my homemade blackberry sauce!

Homemade Strawberry Jam made for Freezing

Girl Cooks World
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Homemade Strawberry Jam made for Freezing

Did you also eat plenty of homemade strawberry jam as a child? We sure did at our home. My mom didn’t have much time to cook homemade food but once or twice a year she would spend the whole day making strawberry jam from fresh strawberries. She would then transfer it all into glass jars and freeze it. This way, we had a large supply of strawberry jam at almost all times!

Stawberry Jam

Normally, you would preserve jam in jars by boiling the jar and making sure the lid seals properly. But I can see why my mom preferred the freezing method. It’s much simpler and you don’t need to worry about the kind of lid you’re using. If you have a big freezer in your garage or the basement then I see no reason to hassle with sealing the jars at room temperature. That’s how I do it!

I buy a lot of strawberries when they are in season. And even though I do love strawberries with almost anything, I save some of them for my jam-making sessions. It’s the cheapest method of enjoying good organic strawberries even in winter!

Strawberry Jam

The jam my mom used to make had a very simple recipe. It was just fresh strawberries, sugar, and a package of universal pectin. And it didn’t need anything else because the strawberries were perfect on their own! I loved eating it slathered on a slice of warm toast. So nostalgic!

Strawberry Jams

I tried making my version of that jam using a healthier sweetener. My first choice was whole cane sugar, the one I use in most of my baking projects. It tasted okay but I could tell that there was something off. It didn’t resemble the jam I remember from my childhood.

So, I tried another, perhaps more natural sweetener – honey. And it turned out that honey works perfectly here! It blends better with the flavor of the strawberries without overpowering it. I honestly think it tastes just the same as the one made with processed white sugar from my mom’s recipe.

The proportions in the recipe make about 6-quart jars of delicious jam. Feel free to double or half it if you want to. I usually freeze all of the jars immediately except for one. That one will be enjoyed by me and my family the following evening!

Necessary equipment:

  • a large mixing bowl
  • a potato masher OR a food processor
  • a medium mixing bowl
  • a rubber scraper
  • a large pot OR a French oven
  • a wooden spoon
  • a canning funnel
  • a ladle
  • glass jars with lids for storage

Ingredients:

  • 5 to 6 quarts of strawberries
  • 3 cups of raw honey
  • 1 box of universal pectin

Instructions:

  1. Mash your strawberries in a large mixing bowl with a potato masher until they reach jam-like consistency. You can also put them in a food processor to make the job easier.
  2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the honey with pectin powder. Stir them together well so that there aren’t any pectin powder clumps left. It will give your jam a nice texture.
  3. Prepare the calcium water found in the pectin box.
  4. Put the mashed strawberries in a large pot and pour in calcium water. Heat over medium heat and bring to a boil.
  5. Add in the honey and pectin mixture, stirring to combine. Keep stirring and bring to a boil again on medium high heat.
  6. After your jam comes to a boil, cook for two more minutes.
  7. Remove from heat.
  8. Scoop the jam into your glass jars using a ladle or a canning funnel (I recommend the canning funnel because it’s far less messy!).
  9. Put the jars of jam in the freezer and enjoy your homemade jam throughout the following months!

Enjoy! And if you have leftover strawberries, try my strawberry cheesecake ice cream.

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