Pear Cranberry Salad

This is a wonderful salad to serve with your Christmas dinner.  Prepare the underlined recipes from your "Scratch" cookbook and then add to the Pear Cranberry Salad.


pear cranberry salad

Delectable Flourless Chocolate Cake

This is a super rich chocolate cake that is best served with organic vanilla bean ice cream and fresh berries!


Delectable Flourless Chocolate Cake

Italian Dressing

Here is a new seasoning mix for Italian Dressing.  Mix up the herbs and spices and store in an airtight container for later use.  Make delicious creamy Italian Dressing or use it as a rub for fish or chicken before grilling!


Italian Dressing -

Creamy Potato Soup

New recipe that hits the spot on a cold winter evening!  If you have a high power blender like the Blendtec blender see the note at the bottom of the recipe for a super quick meal!


Creamy Potato Soup

Nourishing the Body Machine

Nourishing the Body Machine

By: Tammie Duggar
Inspired by a trip to the grocery store and an article titled
“Food and Temper” By: Julien Offray De Lamettrie

Can you imagine a trip to the grocery store? Of course you can. It’s not that hard to remember the last time you visited the grocery store, now is it? I would like to share the story of a particular trip for me that turned out to be anything less than ordinary. This trip actually changed the way I look food. Let me tell you the story. . .

I was on my way home from work late one night when I remembered that the cupboards were bare and the refrigerator was empty. It was essential that I make a stop before returning home, a stop to the grocery store. If I didn’t stop when morning came and the hungry tummies woke up there wouldn’t be anything to nourish them.

I was tired, and it was late but as I drove I made a mental list of all the basics I needed to purchase. After parking the car I took out a piece of paper to jot dot down the mental list I had made: eggs, bread, apples, carrots, yogurt. . . and the list went on.

Upon entering the store and just as I began the methodic trek down the aisles, I heard in the distance a very distressed child. There was screaming in the store. Immediately these words popped into my mind, “Oh, that poor mom.” Along with, “Wow, I’m glad my kids are at home right now.” Let me ask you this though, have you ever been the mom with the screaming child? I have too!

As I continued through the store checking off the items on my list, I realized that the entire time I had been shopping the child had continued to cry, to scream, and to echo her distress throughout the store. Just then, the inevitable happened, as I turned down the aisle I came face to face with a very flustered mom and tear-stained sobbing child. I was shocked to see the following scene; an overflowing cart being pushed by an exhausted mom dragging her upset child by the arm behind her. As I steered around them to finish up my shopping, more thoughts ran through my mind: “Oh, that poor mom,” and “What a sad little girl.”

Finally, my shopping was finished and I headed for the checkout line. It was late enough now that only one line was open. As I approached the line I heard the now familiar wail of the worn out child. As I entered the line I noticed that the toddler was now on the floor performing an elaborate tantrum while her oblivious mom was searching through her giant binder of coupons to make sure she saved some extra pennies.

Now, just for a moment indulge me as I explain to you what I did as I waited for this mother to compile all of her coupons, keeping in mind that this is happening as the toddler still had a fit on the floor.

I began noticing the items in the shopping cart. Packages, bottles, boxes and cans. . . then I heard “buy one get one free” “save 55 cents” “Free with purchase” then my mind made a powerful connection to the child on the floor and the items in the cart.

Without a doubt I believe, just as eighteenth century French physician Julien Offray De Lamettrie, that “the human body is a machine that winds up its own springs. . .Without proper food the soul languishes, raves, and dies with faintness.”

As I looked at the cart again I realized that it had no signs of life. There was nothing in that cart that was living, therefore there was nothing in that cart for that little body on the floor to wind up its springs. I came to the conclusion that there was a purpose for the distress that I had been hearing since the moment I entered the store that night. The child could not voice it, and did not realize it, but her subconscious knew. Even with a cart loaded to the point of over flowing, so full that she couldn’t even sit in the little seat. She knew deep down in her little body that she was hungry and the things in that cart were not going to satisfy that hunger. She was going home with food that would not nourish or sustain her body machine.

This very raving and languishing was taking place in front of my eyes, there on the floor at the grocery store, all at the price of saving $60 in coupons! What a price to pay for savings! What if instead the mother did as Lamettrie suggests:

Give but good nourishment to the body, pour into its tubes vigorous juices, then the soul generous of these, arms itself with courage. What a vast power there is in repast. . .But as we are cheerful, or brave; all depends on the manner of winding up our machine.

This trip to the grocery store has been the spring board for my desire to share my recipes with others. Cooking from scratch is not difficult. It is only a change in mind set. I can purchase the raw ingredients to create a meal that can also be found pre-made in the freezer section of the grocery store, in a cardboard box or in an aluminum can. The difference is the raw ingredients are whole and living foods that have the essential building blocks to nurture and grow my children. I realized that night at the grocery store that this mom hadn’t done anything to purposefully harm her child. Perhaps she just didn’t know that there is a better way. I believe that children are growing up in our country with full bellies but without the essential nutrients that their bodies and brains need to grow and thrive.

Nutrition is a choice. Nutrition has a price. What will your choice be and what is the cost?

Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

GF Pumpkin Bread

Nourishing Healthy Halloween Traditions

"What do you do with all that candy that comes into your home?"

This is a question that I was recently asked and here is the solution that we have found works best for our family.

Trick-or-Treating is a tradition that is loved by children everywhere! What could be better than dressing up as your favorite super hero, cartoon character, or princess and having your neighbors give you candy?

We have chosen not to deprive our children of this night of over indulgence but to give them some restrictions. These restrictions come with a reward and they don't feel restricted. Let me explain:

After our trek around the neighborhood we sit down at the kitchen table and dump out the loot. At this point I set a timer for 20 minutes. Our children have 20 minutes to eat as much of the candy as possible. (Much of this time is used to sort and make decissions about what they want to eat). When the timer rings everyone stops eating and all the candy is placed in the center of the table. Our children then go to bed knowing that the GREAT PUMPKIN, you know the illusive character that Charlie Brown hopes to meet on Halloween night, will come and collect the candy and leave something in its place. This special gift from the GREAT PUMPKIN is for everyone to share, something you can do together as a family, because the candy was collected into one giant pile.

These are things that the GREAT PUMPKIN has left at our house before:

A giant pack of playdough
A new DVD
A set of Legos
Some new books
Puzzles
A board game

The "GREAT PUMPKIN" sorts through the candy saving some of the best peices for future rewards, and then throws the rest in the garbage. Some of you might be thinking that that would be such a waste, and that my neighbors spent good money on that candy. As I throw the candy away I say thanks to my neighbors for helping my children have a fun Halloween night, and that's the end!

The candy that I save goes into a box that I use as rewards for completing special assignments, accomplishing a goal, or for a picnic treat.

New Recipe: Tomatillo Ranch Dressing

One of my family's favorite recipes in SCRATCH is Tostados (pg. 179) They are so yummy. We usually serve this meal to invited guests. It always pleases any crowd! My husband teaches a two day workshop titled: The 7 Pillars of Wellness, one of those pillars is Nutrition. During the workshop I prepare and serve lunch to the participants. Tostados is always one of the meals because people just love the flavors. Recently at one of these workshops a participant enjoyed the meal so much he bought a copy of SCRATCH just because the recipe for Tostados was in it!

I created this recipe for Tomatillo Ranch to serve with Tostados. ENJOY!


Tomatillo Ranch

Sweet Chili Sauce Recipe

Sometimes when preparing a dish with an Asian flare the recipe calls for sauces that you can find at the grocery store prepared and bottled for your convenience. I have found that most of these prepared sauces are loaded with unwanted chemicals, sugars and preservatives.

I have already adapted several recipes for sauces and seasonings that you can find in that section of SCRATCH. Recently I was making my recipe for Thai Curry Chicken (pg. 178), that calls for Sweet Chili Sauce. What is Sweet Chili Sauce? It's one of those prepared and bottled for your convenience items that you can find in the Asian section of the grocery store. I used to buy the prepared sauce. Not any more! I have research the ingredients and created a recipe for Sweet Chili Sauce from SCRATCH. Download this recipe and add it to your "Seasonings, Sauces, and Salsa" section in your cookbook.


Sweet Chili Sauce

New Nourishing Families Class Series

Check out the Classes tab at the top of the page to see what is available!

New Recipe: Tropical Fajita Salad

Tropical Fajita Salad

Addition for your SCRATCH cookbook

Pantry basics -

5 Secrets for Nourishing Harmony

Every Sunday we meet together as a family to discuss the up coming schedule for the week as well as any other issues that may need to be discussed as an entire family.  As parents we use this time to talk about expectations for the week or to address discipline issues, reaffirm family standards or create new family standards.

At times this meeting can cause feelings that are far from harmonious.  This week we had a very harmonious outcome and I wanted to take a few minutes to share what we did different.   I think that we learned the "5 Secrets to Success" for a more peaceful atmosphere at our family meetings.


Secret of Success #1- Happy Tummies Make Listening Ears 
Before the meeting began I popped some popcorn,  the children started gathering around because they heard the popper and wondered why mom was making popcorn.  I just told them it was for our family meeting.

Secrets of Success #2- There's a Time and Place to Be In Charge
Usually we have all four children sit on the large sofa and mom and dad take the small sofa so that we can face them and be "In Charge".  This time we had everyone sit on either sofa and mom and dad sat in between them.  Because in this meeting we didn't have any serious content to discuss it was appropriate for us to sit with our children. 


Secrets of Success #3- Get Their Attention
Before the meeting started Dad asked two engaging questions. . ."Who's happy to be here?   Who's glad to be part of our family?"  Wow, it was amazing to see their faces change, they were actually ready to accept the content of our meeting.

Secrets of Success #4- Everybody Feels Loved
Before we went through any of the content for our meeting Dad asked everyone to get a partner.  Then he had each of us take 30 seconds to tell our partner what we loved about them, then we switched and the other partner got a turn.  Dad then asked if anyone would like to share what they said about their partner.  Everyone Shared, because everyone loved hearing about themselves!  After this exercise Mom passed out the popcorn- that was the reward for sharing our feelings of love!

Secrets of Success #5- Earn the Right
Dad took a few minutes to explain his role in the family as well as the role of Mom.  He told the children how much we loved each of them and why we as parents think that it is important to meet together each week and make sure our family is staying true to the course that we have set and chosen to follow.  After that the children had an extremely open attitude to the things that we discussed.

My Cookbook

When you think of something “classic” what comes to mind? Do you think of Mozart or Beethoven? What about classic literature like Les Miserables, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, or Where the Red Fern Grows? These things are considered classics because they are timeless; they motivate and change you, they inspire and touch you every time you experience them. However, a classic just isn’t the same if it’s “watered down”. When a classic book is abridged, it’s changed and something is lost.

To me food is a classic; a timeless element of life. Food is one of our most basic needs. It sustains life. I often wonder why so many people live on “watered down”, abridged, changed or even adulterated food? Take a trip down your local grocery store isle and you’ll quickly see that what we eat is often far from it’s original source. Around our house we like to joke that most people don’t eat real food but rather “edible food-like substances”.

My purpose in sharing the recipes in this book is to help you reconnect with real food – to fall in love with the process of the meal time preparation and to recapture something special that our culture has lost. I’ll show you how to cook “from scratch” and not from a bottle, box, or package.

Don’t be intimidated! This book will teach you that cooking from scratch is simple, economical, healthful and fantastically delicious!

On June 1, 2010 I will be sending my cookbook proof to the publisher for printing. I am so excited to be able to share this with you! If you are interested in getting a copy of my book, there are two options for you. You can purchase an advanced copy and I will include a special gift or you can wait until they come back from the publisher. Just click on the "Add to Cart" Paypal button on the right to place your order.

Education. Inspiration. Celebration

Wow! I finally arrived in cyber world. I have fought this for so long. I couldn't understand how people could spend time blogging about their life, when I could hardly find time to sit down. Well, here I am. . . Now What?!?

I have a passion for nourishing my family, and that usually means feeding them good healthy food. But, what I realized is that there is more to nourishing a family then just healthy food. We need to love, learn, work and play together in order to grow a nourished family.

I am dedicating this blog to the things I know, I learn, and I experience that help nourish my family.

I invite you to learn, experience and grow with me!