Church Cookies, or Super Breakfast Cookies

So I tried something new this weekend, and it was a hit with the family, so now I get to share it with you!

So often on Sunday mornings we are in a mad rush to get out the door for church, and inevitably some late riser will get in the van and complain that they didn't get enough to eat for breakfast because they ran out of time (because THEY DIDN'T GET UP WHEN I SAID TO). A-hem. It is also very common that one early-riser kid will be filling ziploc bags with cereal to hand out to the late-riser kids on those mornings as well.

Yes, we get quite a few crumbs in our van. It's true.

Well, I heard about the concept of "breakfast cookies" years ago, and found a recipe recently that I wanted to try out. Breakfast cookies are basically just cookies healthy enough that you can eat 'em for breakfast without feeling guilty about it.

And I'm all for yummy food without guilt.

I figured I would make the cookies the night before church, and then I'd be ready for the mad dash out the door, the van snacks, or the after church I'm-starving-what-is-there-to-eat snack. I thought that maybe these would get to be called Church Cookies around our house.

So here's how it goes:

1 cup coconut oil, melted (or you could use melted butter instead)
3/4 cup honey
2 eggs
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-2 tablespoons cinnamon (or more)
half cup of milk, buttermilk, or milk alternative--any of it will work
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups old fashioned or quick oats
1 cup dried cranberries (we like the kind that is sweetened with apple juice), or you could use raisins, other dried fruit, nuts, or even chocolate chips if you want to get crazy about it

In a mixing bowl combine all of the ingredients except for the dried cranberries and the coconut oil. Mix it all up, then mix in the coconut oil* and then add in the dried cranberries.

Scoop heaping tablespoons of the dough onto greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-13 minutes or so. Cool on wire racks. Toss 'em to your kids on the way out the door to church, or let 'em snack on them all day long. Whatever floats your boat.

Makes approx. 3 dozen cookies.

These are not as sweet as typical cookies, so I would recommend that you don't skimp on the dried cranberries or whatever goodie you are adding in. To my sweet tooth, these need that extra burst of fun. More cinnamon could work just fine too. Don't be afraid to play with this recipe. It seems fairly forgiving that way.

*The reason I recommend adding the coconut oil last is because when exposed to the cold ingredients (like the milk) it tends to harden up and not mix in as nicely. So I just kinda sneak up on it by having everything else all mixed and then toss it in the bowl and mix it up real fast so it doesn't have time to give me any trouble.

I tweaked this recipe from one I found at Heavenly Homemakers. She has so many good resources there for healthy eating.

Deal of the Week: SuperMom Vitamins!

I'm so excited about the deal I have for you this week! SuperMom vitamins in the 240 vcap bottle, for 25% off! How awesome is that?!

Feel free to stock up and order as many as you would like, but know that larger quantities may take me a few extra days to ship.

This deal will stay up through Wed., May 25.

Enjoy!

Introducing Deal of the Week!

I am seeing so many awesome deals all over the internet these days, so I decided to join in on the fun. Daily deals aren't really practical for this business, but I think a weekly deal should be quite doable.

So, starting today, I'm aiming to post a new Deal of the Week that will run from Thursday-Wednesday. My plan is to crunch numbers, buy higher quantities, and generally do all I can to offer you deeper discounts than are usually possible. We'll try it for a few weeks and see how it goes. I'd love to get your feedback on how you are liking the deeper discounts, and what products you'd like to see coming up at bigger and better sale prices.

Enjoy!

Healthy Irish Soda Bread

Since today is St. Patrick's Day I decided to try my hand at making some Irish Soda Bread. I tweaked a recipe I found in order to make it healthier. It turned out great and was quick and easy to put together and have ready with our dinner. I will definitely plan to make it again. Here's how it goes:

Healthified Irish Soda Bread

Makes 1 larger loaf or two smaller ones

1 cup honey

4 cups whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon baking powder (without aluminum)

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon sea salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 1/2 cups dark raisins (optional--and you could substitute cranberries, nuts, or other dried fruits quite easily)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a cast iron pan or use a cookie sheet. (or, I used one cast iron pan and one 9 inch round glass cake pan)

In your mixer bowl, combine honey, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Cut in diced bits of butter and mix periodically until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in raisins.

In a small bowl, beat eggs. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the egg, pour the rest of it in with the dry ingredients. Add buttermilk and mix for about a minute. Dough will be sticky.

Place your dough in the skillet or split into two skillets or into two blobs on a cookie sheet. Brush dough with reserved egg.

Bake 30-40 minutes until golden brown and tester comes out clean. You can serve it warm or cold, with butter or some nice all-fruit jam, or even maple syrup. It is gently sweet and quite filling. It was a big hit with my family. Enjoy! :)

Blueberry Baked Oatmeal--YUMMY!

I have never been a fan of oatmeal. I don't do mushy grains of any sort. No grits. No rice pudding. (shudder) No oatmeal. No rice made with milk. (ew!) I just. don't. BUT, my boys like oatmeal and so does my husband, so I do make it for them for breakfast and snacks sometimes.

Well, I'm always on the lookout for good recipes that are healthy, filling, and budget-friendly, and today I tweaked one (from a friend who has a blog that many of you would enjoy. Click here to visit her.) and it turned out really great! It's a baked oatmeal, which I did not expect to like...but I love it! Probably because it's more like cake. :)

Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

* 3 c oats--quick or old fashioned, doesn't matter
* 2 T cinnamon--or more :)
* 2 t. baking powder
* 1 t. sea salt
* ½ c. organic maple syrup
* ½ c. honey
* 1 ½ c.buttermilk, or if you're doing this on the fly, just use milk with a splash of lemon juice or vinegar in it and let it sit for a few minutes to get nice and curdle-ish. You could make this with a milk alternative as well. (rice milk, almond milk, etc.) I don't know if the alternative milks would curdle, but I'm guessing that it really isn't going to matter if it doesn't.
* 2 eggs
* ¼ c. coconut oil (or butter), melted
* 2 t. vanilla
* 1½ c. frozen blueberries

Mix up everything except for the berries. Let it sit for about 5 minutes. Fold in the berries. Then pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes until it has a cake-like texture and it lightly browned. Nice to eat warm or cold. You could add butter and more maple syrup to it if you wanted to. For us, it was sweet and yummy just as it was.

*Options: You could add more or different fruits to it. Fresh, frozen, or dried apples, banana, raisins, cranberries, etc. would be awesome. Also, chopped nuts would be good too! Very easy to do, you could definitely mix it up the night before and bake in the morning.

BIG hit at our house. Even from the girl who used to not like oatmeal. I like this!

Weight Loss Question

I got a good question in my inbox today:

Hello,
I, like many moms, would really like to have a healthier lifestyle, but get overwhelmed to think about getting started. I have appreciated the practical baby-step approach you take in your book. I am not all the way through the book yet, but am already anxious to do some shopping for some items to get us started!

One question I do have for you; I read about drinking while eating. Recently I decided to lose about 10 lbs, and one thing I did to help is to drink a large glass of water before/during eating, which filled me up to make it easier to eat less. I am afraid I won't feel full if I stop this. When do you suggest to drink? How long should I wait after eating to drink? What are some tips to eat less without drinking the water while eating?

I would appreciate a reply when you have a minute. Thank you so much,

Kelli

Hi Kelli!
Great question. For best digestion, you should not drink while eating. When the digestive juices are diluted it makes your food take a lot longer to digest, and then the rotting food is sitting in your system, making gas, cramps, etc. Not good!

I would suggest that you eat a salad at the start of your meal. Don't use fattening and chemical-filled dressings like Ranch or whatever. Use low-calorie, natural dressings such as the ones I recommend in my Super Salads book. The calories in a salad are super, super low, even if you eat a ton of it, and it is so beneficial for your health and digestion. Eat as much of a salad as you can for starters, then follow up with whatever else is for dinner, eating only to the point that you are satisfied. Most people find that they need far less cooked food, and in many cases your salad will have filled you up and satisfied you.

If you decide to give it a try, let me know how it works for you. :)

~Erica

Ways to Use Sweet Leaf Stevia

We’re getting lots of new customer buying stevia here, so I thought I’d share some ideas on why I love it and how to use it.

First: Why I recommend Sweet Leaf Brand over all the others. Clickety click!

Ways to use it:

*Soda alternative: Add your favorite SweetLeaf flavor to low sodium club soda or seltzer water for an instantly flavored and sweetened beverage with fizz! Root Beer, Grape, Valencia Orange, and Vanilla Creme are some of the favorites for this. (Here's my most successful way to make root beer!)

*Flavored water: Why pay over a dollar for a bottled of flavored water that has chemical sweeteners in it when you can make your own for pennies PLUS enjoy a better, healthier alternative? You just need about one drop of stevia per 2 ounces of water!

*Jazz up your pancake or waffle batter or French toast mixture by adding Vanilla Creme, English Toffee, or Cinnamon flavors to the mix. Easy and delicious!

*Chocolate milk without the chocolate? Just use Chocolate or Chocolate Raspberry stevia to your milk for a yummy, healthy flavor boost!

*Make flavored ice cubes!

*Stevia is perfect for sweetening coffee or tea. My husband’s favorites for coffee are Vanilla Creme, English Toffee, Hazelnut, and Chocolate. The most popular flavors for tea are Peppermint, Cinnamon, Vanilla Creme, English Toffee, and Apricot Nectar. Yum!

*Use Stevia flavors in plain yogurt or cottage cheese. Kids love it! The Berry flavor is a nice addition to these.

*Stevia works great as an addition to whipped toppings, icing, or frosting.

See all of our stevia products here.

Day 2 of The 12 Days of Christmas!

Brrr! It's mighty cold here! Last night my husband and I took the kids to visit a friend in the hospital and then went to see the Southern Lights. This is an extensive Christmas light display that you see as you drive through the beautiful Kentucky Horse Park, which hosted this year's World Equestrian Games! In addition to the lights, there is also a petting zoo, camel rides, model train exhibits, and even some little mini train rides around the park (that we did while our teeth chattered!). Although it was cold, there were no lines for anything, which made it worth it! :)

Today is Day 2 of my 12 Days of Christmas and I have an offer that you are going to LOVE! BIG SALE on Supermom Vitamins! Regularly priced at $37 for the 180 tabs, and $33 for the 240 vcaps, right now you can get them for $29.99 for the 180 tabs or $27.99 for the vcaps!! Click through here to make sure you are at the right spot for the sale price. It is not on the usual Supermom vitamin page.

This sale price will be in effect through today, and into Friday until whatever time I get around to switching it off and turning on a different deal! (don't you love the small business dynamics?!) You are welcome to use this special offer to stock up, although it is possible that we will have a huge response and I may have to get more product in before I can fill your order. I'll let you know if that happens. :)

12 Days of Christmas: Day 1

Are you getting into the Christmas spirit? We sure are! The falling snow today certainly helps. :)

I decided to offer a 12 Days of Christmas promotion. Each day from Dec. 1-12 I'll have something fun to offer for my customers, in addition to the already GREAT prices that are going on for our end-of-year sale.

Today: Shipping discount!

Regular shipping has been reduced to just $4.95, and orders of $100 or more will receive *FREE* shipping! This special will continue through Dec. 12. :)

**Don't miss our great prices on the Mashoonga Sabers and the Funline Slackline. These are perfect Christmas gifts that your family will love!

Here's what I've been up to while pulling an all-nighter....

Weird things happen when you're up til 3:30am.

(which I am)

I've been meaning to get the store sale up and running for a week now, and tonite I decided to pull a super late night and get it done.

Sometimes when you stay up super late your judgment gets a little goofy. I set several sale prices, and then decided to throw caution to the wind and lower them even more! I think you will like that and hope that I set up sales in the middle of the night more often. :)

Here's a list of just some of the good deals I've got for you:

Almost ALL of your favorite vitamins, minerals, and remedies are on sale!

All Sweet Leaf Stevia 2 ounce bottles just $10.99!

Miessence deodorants just $6.99!

Miessence toothpastes down to $7.99

Rejuvenessence Facial Serum normally sells for $37.95, marked down to $16.99!

Depsyl (to help control blood sugar) just $23.95

The remaining stock of Belly Huggers is on final clearance at just $4.99!

Funline Slacklines are reduced to just $75.99. Your family will have so much fun with it!

Mashoonga Sabers: You can choose to Buy 1 set, get the 2nd set at 50% off!

FREE books are back! Choose one for every $25 of products you purchase. Great for getting a freebie for yourself or to use as a gift for a friend.

There are even more sale items, and you can see them all here. We have new toothpaste at a great price, and most Miessence products are on sale.

Just a few additional pieces of information for you:

Quantities are limited, and it is possible that I will not be getting any more of these products in stock until January. I have to take inventory at the end of the year and get taxed based on what is sitting on the shelves, so rather than pay money to the government for what didn't sell, I'm passing on great savings to you and giving you the benefit of stocking up. :) Ideally, my shelves should be as close to bare as possible on Dec. 31. Go ahead and order what you'd like to get, and if I am unable to fill it, I'll let you know ASAP.

Some of these items are not going to be replaced. I have a limited amount of space for inventory, and I like to use it for products that sell fast. Everything I offer in the store is a product I think is great, but sometimes, for whatever reason, they are slow to sell. When that happens, I sell out and don't look back. All of that to say, if you want something on this list, get it now, because I may not have it available later. (Stevia products are staying around, and the vitamins are safe, but many of the rest of the items are being considered for discontinuation.)

Last day to place an order before Christmas is December 15. Priority Mail should still come through for your deliveries in time for Christmas at that point. I will be taking some time off to spend Christmas with my family, and I may or may not have one last hurrah sale before the end of the year.

Don't miss the great gift-giving goodies like handmade soap and all-natural lip balms!

We still have almonds available, and a small amount of walnuts. After that, we're probably gonna call it quits on the nut orders for this year.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My eyes are blurry and my brain is moosh. 4:15am. Let the savings begin!

I could use a long winter's nap,

Erica

Erica Johns

Supermom's Health and Wellness

Supermom News: More Nuts, and some new products!

Hey friends!

We're Going Nuts!

I am so pleased and how quickly our first raw almond order was filled. The second order should be here next week! Because of how quickly the orders are turning around, I am going to go ahead and continue to offer almonds for at least another week or two. So, if you were thinking about getting almonds, you still have time!

Even better, I have also been able to get some raw cashew pieces and raw walnut pieces! I will have the initial order here next week, and will be able to order more after that if there is enough interest. For the cashews and walnuts you can order as little as 5 pounds!

New Toothpaste!

I know that many of you are just as cautious about fluoride as I am. My family has really enjoyed using the Miessence brand toothpastes, and I appreciate the organic ingredients. However, I know that for most of us, we like a good bargain price, don't we? Well, I have now got some new toothpaste in stock with a price you will love! This peppermint toothpaste is free of sugars, has no fluoride, no propylene glycol, and no sulfates that are in virtually every commercial toothpaste. The Oral Select toothpaste tastes good and is sweetened with cavity-preventing xylitol. It is a whitening, plaque-preventing, tartar-control formula. Best of all, it is on an introductory special right now at less than $3 per tube! I have a limited quantity of this, and depending on how it sells this month, I may or may not be able to get more. So, if you want some, this is your chance. Clickety-click!

PMS and other pesky issues relieved!

I am really pleased to be able to offer you a new product: Vitex with Dong Quai. Whether you're having trouble getting pregnant, suffer from PMS, or are entering menopause, Vitex can make life easier for you. Also called chaste berry, Vitex is known for its ability to nourish and support the female endocrine system as it regulates estrogen and progesterone levels.

I decided to try Vitex because I was experiencing overwhelming PMS symptoms and extra heavy menstruation. I was amazed at how much relief I had in the very first month of using it! Highly recommended.

You can still take advantage of this GREAT deal!

Are you already shopping for Christmas? I've got a great early-bird deal that is pretty awesome! When you buy a Funline Slackline I'll send you a set of Mashoonga! Sabers for FREE! (*very limited quantities*)

The slackline has been my family's greatest discover for this year. We have had hours of fun and entertainment using it outdoors. We even got my husband's parents to try it! (His 71 year old Dad did pretty well!) It has been really cool to see how each of us has improved on it, especially since it seemed so difficult when we first started.

The Mashoonga! Sabers are used on a daily basis around our house. They were also a big hit at one of our birthday parties here in the summer. Kids and adults seem to be drawn to the whacking power of the Mashoonga! :) Loads of fun, so keep these in mind for Christmas gifts for kids of all ages.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope you have enjoyed getting up to speed on what's new at Supermom's. I am busily planning some fun things to share with all of you in the coming months. If you have not already joined us on Facebook, you should! :)

Enjoy what's left of fall! Winter's on the way! :)

~Erica

Christmas Sales and Specials

For any of you that have been receiving my newsletters or have been doing business with me, you know that I don't do the hard sell. The Christmas buying season is no different. It holds no appeal to me to bombard you with one pushy sales letter after another, offering bigger and better discounts each week, making you feel upset that you missed out on a better deal by buying early. As a customer and consumer, I really hate stuff like that, and as a business owner, it's just not how I do things, even if I could possibly make more money by being obnoxious. No thanks. Not worth it. :) I value my relationship with all of you too much to act like that.

What I do want to do for the rest of this year is offer you good deals as I am able to, to provide fast and friendly service, and to be fair and treat each of you as I would want to be treated.

There isn't a huge profit margin with most of what we sell, so our sales may not be as flashy as some, but they are honest and we can offer them while also being able to stay in business. :)

If there is a product you wish you could buy from Supermom's Health and Wellness, or an item that you are hoping to see on sale, please share your ideas in the comments section. I'll see what I can do to make your Christmas wishes come true. :)

Chocolate Almonds

2 cups raw almonds
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
2 Tbsp. honey or agave nectar
1 Tbsp. raw chocolate powder (or nonalkalized unsweetened cocoa powder)
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Soak your raw almonds in water overnight, then drain and allow them to air dry (an hour or two). Make sure coconut oil (warm it in hot water if necessary) is liquid, and mix all remaining ingredients well. Stir in nuts. Spread evenly on dehydrator tray and dry until no longer wet/sticky, about 14-18 hours, below 116 degrees. Enjoy!

I use and recommend the Excalibur dehydrator:

Teriyaki Almonds

This is my family's favorite raw almond snack. It is surprisingly delicious and addictive! Last year my mom didn't order any raw almonds because she didn't think she would use them. Then she came to my house for Christmas and got hooked on Teriyaki Almonds! This year.....she's buying 30 pounds of almonds! (Yes, this recipe is *that* good!)

10 cups raw almonds, soaked and dehydrated at 105 degrees (or less) approx. 12 hours
½ cup chopped dates, soaked and drained
½ cup Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
1/2 cup nama shoyu (or if you don't have this, just use Bragg's instead)
2 Tbsp. raw agave nectar (or honey, if you prefer)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cayenne or red pepper flakes

Blend all ingredients except almonds in your food processor, blender, vita-mix, BlendTec, or whatever you've got, on high until smooth. Pour into a very large bowl, add almonds and stir well. Let mixture sit for an hour to allow nuts to absorb liquid, and then stir again. Spread nuts on teflex sheets in dehydrator. Dry at 105 degrees for about 16 hours. Place nuts on mesh sheets and dry again until crunchy (about 10 hours).

Yes, it takes a few days in the planning and process, but it is extremely easy and worth it!

I recommend the Excalibur dehydrator. I love mine!


Special thanks to Green Smoothie girl who gave me this recipe.

Candied Raw Almonds

6 cups raw almonds, soaked and dehydrated at 105 degrees (or less) approx. 12 hours
2/3 cup chopped dates, soaked and drained
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp. sea salt
optional: ½ tsp. butter or rum flavoring
Blend all ingredients except almonds in your food processor, vita-mix, or blender until smooth. Pour in bowl, and stir nuts in, stirring to coat. Let nuts sit for 20 mins. to absorb liquid, and stir again. Spread nuts on teflex sheets in dehydrator. Dry at 105 degrees for about 16 hours. Place nuts on mesh sheets and dry again until crunchy (about 10 hours).

Variations: You could also use soaked pecans or other nuts or combinations of nuts!

I use the Excalibur dehydrator. It is the best!


Special thanks to Green Smoothie Girl for this recipe!