Healthy Snacks For The Kids (and MOM TOO!)

I am pretty sure most EVERYONE has heard about Nourishing Traditions by now. It is a GREAT book! I need to get me another copy as I have lost mine or loaned it away and have no idea to who or if and when I will ever get it back.

But anyways, we sprout grains and it is SO MUCH FUN! It is SO EASY that even a child could do it. In fact, it is a GREAT thing to get children involved in!! :)

Right now, we usually sprout grains to eat them raw. Sprouting grains release the enzymes (which your body desperately needs and has so little of) as well as make them alkaline-forming (allowing your body to be more neutral than acidic - I could go on and on about this, but the book Alkalize Or Die is a great book - read with prayer as it is not Christian). But since we are in need of the enzymes (which die when the food is cooked), we eat it raw.

And of course with JJ's on going health issues and food allergies, sprouting grains are just one way to help him get the enzymes his body needs as well as create different textures and foods for him to eat. :)

I love to sprout buckwheat. It is a gluten free grain (despite its name) and it not related to corn either (both things which JJ cannot have). It is a VERY mild grain which is great for children with a lot of food allergies. But also is great for picky eaters (because it does not have a strong overwhelming flavor). I LOVE Sprout People and the information they give on their site. You CAN NOT GO WRONG if you use the information on their site (and it is FREE! THANK YOU SPROUT PEOPLE!). :)

So make sure you do NOT have the toasted buckwheat groats or you will never get sprouts (if they are BROWN they are toasted, if they are white and tan and greenish, they are raw)! LOL!! Follow the directions for sprouting, and stop when the groats have TINY little tails. That is when they are sweetest!

We save all the soak/rinse water and pour it in the garden. It is ESPECIALLY good for plants/tress that are in really poor shape. We have a tree in the backyard that was near dead. I began pouring the water on it and VIOLA! That tree is doing GREAT now!

One thing I should mention is that when I do the initial soak of any grain, I always add hydrogen peroxide to the water. I cannot remember where I read to do that, but it basically kills all the bad stuff that can end up on the grain from harvesting/packaging/shipping/sitting on a shelf/etc. When I do this, I get a foamy yucky goo at the top of the water, so I know it is doing SOMETHING! LOL!! :)

Now you can do a BUNCH of HEALTH HEALTHY HEALTHY snacks for the kids. You can rinse and drain (after sprouting) and then dry slightly and eat just like that. YUM! You can also add some salt and nutritional yeast for a cheese popcorn type thing (although this is best done if they are dry). I dry mine in our dehydrator, but you can dry them by leaving them on baking trays in the sun. :) You can also use them in place of oats for a new take (and GF take) on granola. And Buckwheatie Bars are a definite favorite around here! I also found a recipe that looks really good that you can use the buckwheat sprouts as "Buckwheatie Crispies" and have your own cereal bars looks good!

And as I said before, sprouting grains is great to do with the kids! They get so excited to see the little tails. And what a WONDERFUL lesson/habit you are passing onto them! Plus, it is nice to have someone else to remind you, forgetful Momma that I am, to rinse and drain them as often as needed! LOL!!! :)