Monday Munchies (on Wednesday)- Ezekiel Bread

I originally intended to post this Monday. However, I had a laboring mom which prevented my posting anything. The good news is, she and her baby are doing great. She was the picture of relaxation. I think the benefits of HypnoBirthing are really shown off with first time parents. (Even the midwife was impressed.)

The bad news, was that I was so exhausted that I pretty much accomplished nothing Monday or Tuesday. When it comes to sleep, I am a 10 hour a night type of person. After arriving home from the hospital around 7 am, I forced myself to stay up so as not to completely throw off my sleep cycle. I pretty much moved through the day like a zombie. I hung in there until around 7:30 pm, when I completely crashed and didn't wake up until Tuesday at 9 am. Although I slept for all that time, I still felt exhausted. I think being a doula takes it out of you both physically and mentally. It always takes me a few days to recover. Brian took over on the kids and gave me some time to come back to reality. He can be such a sweetie.

O.K. anyway, the purpose of this Monday Munchie is to share information about a bread I had never heard of until last week. The bread was first mentioned in the bible in Ezekiel 4:9. He was told to take unto him wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt, and put them into one vessle and make bread. Apparently this is what he lived on in the wilderness. So, after having read about various health gurus eating it. I decided to give it a try. I have found this bread at natural grocery stores for anywhere from $4-$8 per loaf, so it's definitely worth making it if you can. I was going to post a picture of my lovely bread, but unfortunately I got distracted and forgot.

My whole family really liked the bread. I found the recipe under Ezekiel Bread at All Recipes. Here's the link: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Ezekiel-Bread-I/Detail.aspx

Be prepared to grind alot. It calls for flour from kidney beans, spelt, millett, great northern beans, barley, pinto beans, and wheat. This bread is pretty sweet. It requires a full cup of honey. Although my family loves sweet bread, I prefer a more savory variety.

I think next week when I make the bread, I'll substitute Agave nectar for the honey. That way it won't be quite so sweet, and it will have a lower glycemic index. For those of you who have never heard of Agave nectar, it's nectar from a plant. It looks similar to honey, and while it is sweet, it's not quite as sweet. It has avery low glycemic index, so you don't get the blood sugar spike that you would with regular sugar or honey. A few months ago I could only find it at health food stores, but I noticed last week that City Market (Smiths) has started carrying it. Here's a picture so you know what you're looking for:

Anyway, with all of the ingredients combined, this bread makes a complete protein. I have stored mine in the fridge, and I'm just having a slice at breakfast with a little spectrum spread.

I have also read about about Essene bread. It's basically the same ingredients as Ezekiel bread, only you sprout the grains before grinding them. Since I have had bad luck sprouting wheat, I am a little leary of putting in the effort. I'd love to know if anyone has made it successfully though!