I began with a quick run to my local natural food store.  I loaded up on grains and dry beans.  I really want to incorporate more of these into our meals this year. And what better time than the cold winter months than split pea soup and the like?  I even branched out a little and bought mung beans and several new grains I have never tried.  Now I just need to find some new recipes. I started with split pea soup because I had ham bones left from the local, nitrate free, fresh and never frozen ham we had at Christmas. By the way it was so delicious that I am planning on putting an order in for an Easter Ham as well.

Split Pea Soup

1 ham bone, 2 bay leaves, 3-4 garlic cloves, 1 T butter or coconut oil, 1-2 T olive oil, water, salt/pepper to taste

Soak peas in water for 2-4 hours.

Saute garlic, butter and oil together. Add soaked split-peas and approximately 2 quarts of water to the pot.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for an hour.  Add milk and extra ham during last half-hour of cooking. Salt and pepper to taste.

This is a basic recipe, so tweak it to your personal tastes.   I rarely follow a recipe exactly as it is written.

I also made one request on my Christmas Wish List and my sweet hubby indulged me with an Excalibur Dehydrator.  If you have any recipes feel free to add them in the comments.  I have several cups of raw, unpasteurized almonds (I bought them via the Green Smoothie Girl group-buy last November) soaking and tomorrow will be my first experience with my new fan-dangled kitchen gadget!

So blessings and health to all of you as we cultivate the body, mind and spirit connection.

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