Posts by Kerry Weisser
Oatmeal Lactation Bars
Researching how to improve a mommy’s milk supply has been interesting. There are many great websites out there that have done extensive research and I found so much good information. I liked the blog called Very Well, with articles written by Donna Murray, RN, BSN and reviewed by a board certified physician. Remember to always consult your doctor and/or lactation consultant before taking any herbal supplements.
Here is another recipe that Bekah and I tried. (We adapted the recipe from a blog called Mary Makes Good.) It tastes a bit like a yummy oatmeal muffin in a bar form. Although the recipe calls for chocolate chips, we both decided it would be extra tasty if you added a cup of raisins. Check out yesterday’s post for great information on Brewer’s Yeast and other herbs that can stimulate milk production for nursing moms.
Oatmeal Lactation Bars
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
- 4 tablespoons water
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup almond flour/meal
- 1/4 cup hemp hearts (hulled)
- 4 tablespoons brewer’s yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup raisins
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Combine the flax seeds and water in a small bowl and set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugars together. Beat until fluffy.
- Add the soaked flax seeds, eggs, molasses, and vanilla and mix until well blended.
- Whisk together the whole wheat flour, almond flour, hemp hearts, brewer’s yeast, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.
- Add the dry ingredients in two parts while mixing continuously on a slow speed. Mix until just combined.
- Add the oats, chocolate chips
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Lactation Cookies
Bekah was doing some research for improving breast milk supply and found some awesome recipes for Lactation Cookies. We decided to try a few and wanted to share two of our favorite ones with you. This first recipe has been adapted from one we found on a blog called Simplistically Living. There are many recipes out there and the common ingredient in the cookie recipes we looked at was brewer’s yeast. You cannot substitute the brewer’s yeast for anything else. (We bought ours at Sprouts.) This is a prime ingredient for this recipe and is one of the recommended ingredients that increases your milk supply so make sure to include it.
Brewer’s yeast is used to make beer, and people have taken it as a dietary supplement for many years. Brewer’s yeast is made from a fungus, and it is highly nutritious. It contains iron, protein, and B vitamins, as well as chromium, selenium and other trace minerals. Brewer’s yeast is also believed to be a galactogogue, used by nursing mothers to help make more breast milk. A galactagogue (pronounced gah-lak´tah-gog) is an action, herb, food, or medication that can jump start your production of breast milk or increase the amount of breast milk that you make. The word itself is a combination of the Greek terms “galact-” meaning milk, and “-ogogue” meaning leading to or promoting. (A galactagogue is also called a galactogogue, lactagogue or a lactogenic.) Some of the foods used as galactagogues include oatmeal, barley, green leafy vegetables, garlic, brewer’s yeast, and brown rice. When added to a healthy well-balance diet, these milk making foods are believed to promote a healthy amount of breast milk.
If you are interested in reading about other herbs that have been researched and shown to help …
Read MoreBest Homemade Homegrown Marinara Sauce and Easy Chicken Parmigiana (Parmesan)
Tomatoes, Tomatoes….what a blessing to have so many tomatoes. I planted a variety of heirloom seeds and I have the BEST crop of tomatoes I have every experienced. Yesterday I tried making a batch of Marinara sauce with my Italian style Marinara heirloom tomatoes. The result was the BEST tasting sauce ever! Thanks to my Italian cooking classes in Florence during my college years…I think I was able to recreate a sauce like the one I learned to make in the kitchen of the Villa Salviatino.
Marinara Sauce Ingredients
4 pounds ripe tomatoes
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
5 cloves of garlic mashed
1 medium bunch basil
1-2 sprigs thyme
1 Tablespoon fresh oregano
2 Tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon sea salt
1-2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Cut up all the tomatoes into small pieces. Set aside. Heat the oil in a heavy pot that has a well insulated bottom so as to prevent the sauce from sticking and burning as it simmers and thickens. Add the garlic to the pot and sauté on medium low until cooked, stirring constantly so it does not brown. 
Add the tomatoes and all the juice to the pot. Place the bunches of herbs into the pot. Do not worry about the stems. You can pull the stems out after the sauce has simmered and thickened. I pulled half of the basil leaves off the stems because I like blending them into the sauce. Raise heat and bring to a simmer. Turn to low and cover for 30 minutes. Uncover and add the salt, pepper, sugar, red pepper flakes and balsamic vinegar. Stir and return to a low simmer and cook for another 30-60 minutes, stirring often. 
Remove herb stems from sauce. Let sauce …
Shredded Barbecue Chicken in a Crockpot
Ever had one of those busy weeks….a busy month…..tons of fun things planned and a big gang of family and friends coming for dinner during a “hot spell”? This BBQ shredded chicken recipe is made in the crockpot…so no hot kitchen, no messing with the BBQ outside (although I absolutely love bbq chicken-this is a close second). You can serve it up on toasted ciabatta rolls with melted cheese, a side of succotash and a side salad or mound a big pile of this delicious shredded chicken on top of a bed of lettuce, add some chopped cucumbers, fresh tomatoes and a spoonful of succotash for a delicious summer salad.
Ingredients
8 large chicken breasts (skinless and boneless)
2 cups catsup (check labels so you have a no high fructose corn syrup brand)
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup light soy sauce (I used Bragg’s liquid aminos)
4 large garlic cloves crushed
2 teaspoon worchestershire sauce
2-3 Tablespoons fresh ginger root grated
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
8 ciabatta rolls
sliced cheese
lettuce
cucumbers
tomatoes
Succotash
Place the chicken breasts in a 5 or 6 quart Crockpot. Mix all remaining ingredients in a medium bowl and stir until well blended. Pour sauce over chicken. Cover crockpot and turn onto LOW for 8 hours. At hour 6 or 7 when the chicken is thoroughly cooked take chicken breasts out of crockpot and place in a large bowl and shred with two forks until meat is in small bite sized shreds. Place chicken back into crockpot so it absorbs more sauce and let it cook for the remaining few hours. Cook up a batch of succotash or make a big bowl of coleslaw. When ready for dinner slice open your ciabatta rolls and toast with cheese on one …
Read MoreAcai Bowls
Fourth of July is a fantastic time to gather with family and friends. We had a wonderful celebration yesterday with a parade and swimming and lots of delicious food. If you are craving a sweet and refreshing afternoon treat but do not want to spoil your dinner….make these delicious and nutritious Acai Bowls. We whipped up a batch after a long afternoon swim and everyone just loved them.
Ingredients
2 Sambazon Acai frozen packets (from Costco)
1 ripe banana (easiest if you have frozen it before hand)
½ cup water
2 scoops (¼ cup) vanilla protein powder
½-1 cup frozen berries
granola
bananas
fresh blueberries or sliced strawberries
flaked coconut
Allow the frozen Acai to thaw just a bit or run the frozen packets under warm water for a minute. In a Vitamix or powerful blender combine Sambazon Acai, frozen banana, water, 2 scoops (¼ cup) vanilla protein powder and frozen mixed berries.
When smooth and well blended and very thick, spoon into bowls. Top with granola, sliced bananas, berries and coconut.
ENJOY!!!!!
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4th of July Crafts and More…..
I love 4th of July! I love seeing the American flag waving, being reminded of the amazing freedom we have, and seeing the red, white and blue worn proudly! There are such fun crafts to decorate for your 4th of July celebration or to make apart of your day! I am sharing with you some of my favorite 4th of July crafts from fellow blog friends! Since food can be art, I have added some delicious 4th of July food ideas to make your treat SPARKLE! Check them out below…
1. Handprint Flag or Footprint Flag
2. Free Printables Compilation put together by The Dating Divas!
4. Red, White, and Blue Mason Jars
6. 4th of July Rice Krispie Treats from Lil’ Luna
7. Red, White, and Blueberries
10. Check out some of our Growing Weisser Crafts…
Use these Memorial Day crafts and Snacks for your 4th of July Celebration!
Red, White & Blue Felt Garland to make your 4th of July decor complete!
Take this fun Christmas decor post and use it with 4th of July Fabric to make a Fabric Garland!
Hope your 4th of July is full of fun, great food, and creative crafts! And, don’t forget what it’s all about…
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!
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Read MoreBerry Cobbler-Best Red, White and Blue Fourth of July Dessert
This is my absolute FAVORITE summer dessert is this berry cobbler that I make each summer with berries that I have picked in Brentwood. this summer, I missed the berry picking days because we had a wonderful family gathering for a wedding. So this summer I will use the organic berry blend from Costco. So take my word for it……..For a delicious and nutritious summer dessert try making an olalliebery/blueberry cobbler. We will be having a wonderful afternoon barbecue with family and friends to celebrate the 4th of July. I enjoy these times of fellowship, the beautiful weather and some competitive corn hole games. We will eat delicious bbq turkey burgers, chicken apple sausages, orzo salad, and a green salad with watermelon and feta cheese and I will make this cobbler recipe for our dessert. I baked it in a 9 x 13 pan and when it was cool, I will decorate it like an American flag with blueberries for the stars and sliced strawberries for the stripes. 
Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
Fruit filling
8 cups olallieberries fresh or frozen (mine were fresh picked out in Brentwood and then frozen)
2 cups Maine blueberries (I used frozen)
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
3 Tablespoons flour
2-3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoon nutmeg
⅛ cup butter (¼ of a cube) cut into small pieces
Topping
2 cups oats
1 cup flour
½ cup wheat germ
¾ cups brown sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup (1 stick) cold butter
½ cup coconut oil
In a large bowl, combine the thawed berries with ¼ cup each brown sugar and white sugar. Add the 3 Tablespoons flour, fresh lemon juice and nutmeg. stir gently until combined. Pour into a 9 x 13 pan sprayed with …
Read MoreBe The Person…..
Wondering how I would fit writing a blog post into this already very BUSY day…..I quickly glanced at my Facebook to see if a friend’s granddaughter had been born yet and saw on her wall this incredibly inspiring quote from one of my favorite authors…….Jennie Allen.
Here are Jennie’s words that prompted this beautiful artwork that she posted. “I hear from so many of you that you wish you had deeper relationships or more encouragement in your life or people who made you love Jesus more. Guess what team– we are it! We need to be the good friends, the mentors, the dream releasers, the cheerleaders! (Thanks @embersherman for the art.) Who has been that for you? Now it’s your turn. Ask someone to coffee and go be the person you wish was sitting across from you.”
Today I had the privilege of attending two events with incredible women. The first was a summer bible study with about 20 women in my community that want to share time together and grow in their walk of faith. Some of these women are long time friends and some of them are new friends. All of these gals are women I would trust with my heart, women who are wise and would be willing to listen to my story and be a faithful and true kind of friend. The second event was a gathering of friends who have known each other for over 20 years. We have celebrated major life events together-having babies, raising children, attending graduations, planning weddings and welcoming grand babies. We have cried together and felt compassion for one another during times of stress, loss and hard life circumstances. We have walked together through conflict and sorrow. We have protected one another, served together, worked on projects together and …
Read MoreZucchini Stuffed Quinoa Boats
Summer is here and if you have planted a vegetable garden you may be harvesting the first crop of zucchini, peppers and tomatoes. 
Here is a delicious way to serve zucchini. These stuffed zucchini quinoa boats can be your side dish with turkey burgers or chicken on the grill or you can eat them as your main dish because they are packed with protein and veggies.
Ingredients
6 medium zucchini (3 large zucchini forgotten in the garden for a few days)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic smashed
1 onion finely diced
1 yellow or orange bell pepper finely diced
2 roma tomatoes or 1 large tomato chopped
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 sprigs of fresh thyme chopped fine (2 teaspoons dried thyme)
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
4 basil leaves chopped
3 cups cooked quinoa (I used red quinoa)
½ cup grated parmesan
½ cup grated mozzarella
¼ cup pine nuts
Wash and cut the zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out the center portion of each half zucchini and dice up what you have scooped out.
Saute garlic and onions in olive oil. Add peppers, tomatoes and chopped zucchini and stir until all vegetables are soft. Add thyme, salt, pepper, chopped spinach and basil and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and add cooked quinoa and parmesan cheese and stir until blended.
Fill zucchini boats full of the quinoa mixture and sprinkle pine nuts on top. 
Bake in 375 degree oven for 30-45 minutes depending on the size of your zucchini. Sprinkle grated or sliced mozzarella cheese on top and bake for 5 minutes more until cheese is melted. Serve and enjoy!!!
Joy, Contentment, Happiness-a Mindset Change
Joy, contentment and happiness are three words that get all mixed up in our culture today. In a book I am reading, written by Shelia Wray Gregoire she defines the three words…… “Joy is an emotion that looks upward, contentment is an emotion that looks inward and happiness is an emotion that looks outward. Joy says, ‘How great is our God!’ Contentment says, ‘It is well with my soul.’ And happiness says ‘What a wonderful _______________I have!’ (You fill in the blank…….life, job, husband, wife, friend-something tangible and outside of oneself.) C.S. Lewis writes “Joy is like experiencing a flash of heaven, almost a ‘stab’ where the clouds are rolled back for a split second and your heart expands and you feel God. It’s momentous, and it’s big. Happiness, on the other hand, is small and rooted in circumstances here on earth.” The apostle Paul writes about contentment in the book of Philippians, “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.” Phil. 4:11-13
Joy and contentment are my goals in my life and in my relationships with others. Happiness is dependent on my outward circumstances and is influenced by how I react or respond to the ever changing situations or people around me. If I focus on my happiness and if my purpose is to ensure that my emotional well being is paramount, I will stay true to my feelings but I won’t be true …
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