The Great Adventure: An unexpected purchase

Shortly after my thoughts on transforming our home environment, a friend was telling me how she was "milling" her own flour.  Honestly, the first thing that came to mind was her turning a crank of a mill as the grain was mashed into flour, outside in the backyard and I thought, "How in the world does she have time to do that? and "What a silly thing to do when you can buy flour at the store."  Whole grain flour had not been introduced to me up till this point and here she was, making her big debut and I shut her down.  I did not know the benefits of whole grain yet but I was semi-interested in the whole "milling" process. 

As the weeks went on, I thought more about how neat this was...I could make my own flour (and it was alot cheaper too!)  So I priced out the good ole' Nutrimill from a good friend locally who sells them.  God's timing is always so perfect and unfortunately this was not the time to buy the mill :(  So I waited patiently and wondered when the day would come.  I waited longer and still no extra money for the mill.

Christmas was just around the corner and I thought just maybe, someone "might" get me the mill.  Christmas came and went....no mill :(  (I know, I know.....bear with me....most people want big glorious things and here I am wishing for a flour mill....its just me.....I never thought in a million years that I would ever dream of getting a flour mill :)  Then, very graciously, one of our family members allowed me to return some gifts and use the money toward the mill !!!!!!! I picked it up in January 2007.  It was glorious and now I could forever use whole grain, non-processed, no bleach, free from chemical flour from my very own kitchen.

I love the mill.....how much do I love my mill?  I have not used flour from the store in this home since January 2007....cheaper and much more healthy.  I use the flour from our mill for everything.....cinnamon rolls (actually rising right now as we speak for Easter tomorrow), waffles, pizza, bread, muffins, cookies (yum)....you can substitute the whole grain flour for flour in any of your favorite recipes.

Whole grains have shown to be better for you than white flour.  I have had two pregnancies now since switching over to whole grain everything (except the occassional white bread at restaurants and fast food) and they were both amazing.  I really think that switching to whole grains helped my body get the extra nourishment it wasn't getting from store bought bread (basically dead food...nutritionally I mean) to nourishing and nutrient dense whole grains. ( I have lots of recipes I will share but they will come later on)

I was excited to provide good food for my family and I felt better about what I served them.  I learned how to plan better (with 4 kids you have too!) and it has in turn made me more disciplined.  The kids love to mill the flour too and Little Bub knows exactly how to work the machine....its precious.

This was quite an adventure for me but that was still about 3 years ago, so the story goes on, but I have not yet scratched the top.  What was in store for me down the road I would have never forseen even if I could see into the future :)  Stay tuned............