Dr. Weston A. Price: 11 points

In his World-wide research of PreIndustrialized HEALTHY communities, he found that the peoples had common traits despite the variety and differences in their diets and geography.

1. Extraordinarily high FAT SOLUBLE VITAMINS AND FATS complexes -- meat sources usually organs -- Fermented Cod Liver Oil 2/3 to 1/3 Butter oil and/or Fermented Skate Liver Oil 
2. Bone broth and/or RAW dairy -- GRASS-fed and/or wild -- mineral rich and some fats for absorption. 
3. All Seeds (grains, beans) sprouted, fermented, sourdough  (dormant seeds have phytic acid that holds the minerals trapped and undesirable ratios and potential available minerals until the germ ination conditions to release them along with nutrients, enzymes, etc (phytic acid also grabs onto the minerals from your body.))
4. Seafoods and seaweeds, mostly seaweed. Iodine among 92+ trace minerals and chlorophyll. More "seaweed" algea varieties than "landweeds" -- not to be underestimated. (And salt)
5. Raw foods of all groups, typically about 80% raw to 20% cooked. Not just plants. (Raw yolks have nutrient range and enzymes. Raw whites however have anti-enzymes)
6. Fermented of all of the above. Foods are eaten in season and fermented as living/preserved/raw until next seasons, increased nutrients, enzymes, organisms. 
7. Emphasis that all foods, including dairy (butter, milk, cheese, hard cheese,....) are in season.

I believe these might have been in the original eleven:

1. High enzyme rich. Dehydrated also maintains majority of nutrients and enzymes. 
2. Whole food = WHOLE animal, all parts bones, skin, organs, etc 
3. Huge amount of the plant foods (despite current popular belief, Price did not originally find huge ratios of animal products.
4. Calories almost entirely from FATS. Up to around 80% and mostly from animal sources. 

? These were findings of Price were in "the letter" and are in the site below but doesnt seem like the original list....

1. No processed, industrialized,... no stripped, refined sugars, syrups, flours, chemicals.
2. Preconception diet - minimum of 3 months before conception. 

https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/abcs-of-nutrition/principles-of-healthy-diets-2/

Good, Better, Best?: Targeting the BEST (links still to be added)

In my efforts to balance "good, better, best" with a budget, availability (which is actually usually based on effort one is willing to exert = pray for strength to do your part in improving health) and practical time use, I am constantly having to make choices.

I believe that all of the foods we use here are great foods! And the possible edible nourishing creations are endless. YUM! :)

However, I have drafted a list; based on my own opinion, drawn from what I have learned of certain whole foods and their applications in our bodies as well as their value and potency in what we have available to us.

If we implement these SUPER foods in our daily meals,
regardless as to any other changes we make,
then we will have a higher quality and amount of benefit
to balance the percentage that is less ideal...
Am I making sense?

Below is my list of SUPER Whole Foods.
Using this, I have created a label called "SUPER Foods". The recipes with this label are more super than not because they contain a higher ratio of these particular foods than of foods that are not the.... superest... in that recipe! :)

THE "SUPER FOODS" LIST!:

(links are to where the cheapest source I know of--- A local farmer or coop/store may have a better price in your area - such as all grass-fed beef cuts/bones.)

• Fermented cod liver or skate liver oil
• Raw butter oil
• "Blend" (those two combined)
• Butter 1,2, OR (if you are off dairy) clarified butter or ghee
  
• Coconut oil (I use flavor/scentless expeller pressed) and/or Palm Shortening
• Broth made from Bones (or grass fed raw milk in season)
  
• Organs -- grass fed
• Grass-fed, in the pasture, animal fats (and gelatin) with any meats
  
• Eggs from soy-free, GMO-free, free ranging, omnivorous healthy birds
  
• Sauerkraut - naturally fermented (and other naturally fermented foods)
  
• Seaweed such as Kelp, (selected because they add no noticed taste by the most discerning seafood haters.) and wild seafood in general. oh, The bounty of the sea!
  
• Bok Choy, Kale, Collards, Dandelion Greens (any easily found greens!, but these are Calcium superstars and low in Oxalic Acid see chart in book)
• Chia (Soaked with lots of water)
• Amaranth, Buckwheat (better if sprouted or soaked)
• Sprouted and/or soaked whole grains and legumes (so many beans!), whichever ones work for you.
• A variety of every color of fruit, vegetable, herb,... of every plant you can grow in your garden or entice yourself to eat. Eat your rainbow. Try Heirloom, or even older! Our modern world has shared its variety and bounty as it has grown so small.
  
• Onions and garlic have to be included as their own. I think every continent's people have utilized them to make their food edible since the beginning, and when I try to count up their wonderful properties, then they are simply one of my favorite foods.
  

All plant foods are, of course, more beneficial if grown free of chemical 'additives' such as pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, fertilizers, etc. This is made possible, in large part, if they are grown in a soil/compost rich in nutrients and biodynamic benefits. (See Dirt, the Movie for an introduction to soil and entertaining portrayals; Botany of Desire:plant selection. both are on Netflix)
When plants are fed richly in an environment that does not kill either the amazing microorganisms or the visible little critters around and especially in the soil, then these plants are fed by intricate and galactic alterations that are overwhelmingly abundant and largely still unexplored. This kind of husbandry makes for a strong, complex plant internally that gives it a strong resistant to previously destructive pests and plagues AND give us the amazing taste and nutritiously beneficial experience that we all wish for. (think of GGr'pa's home grown tomatoes or the best strawberry or apple you ever had, lettuce that actually tasted GOOD, potent herbs, and good quality essential oils) One term for this is High Brix.

Healthy animal products should be consumed by us only when they are eating 100% growing pasture or wild forage (wild seafood,...).

For the SUPER, SUPER example; A healthy cow eats grass, but during the winter may have to eat cut/stored hays. So the ideal products are those obtained once the cow has once again returned to eating grass for more than a week. These meats and organs are significant in their CLA, K2 and other notable Fat oriented nutrients as well as beautiful characteristics demonstrating other nutrients such as a delicious bright yellow butter (with a lower melting point) or splendidly flavored meat flesh. Naturally, the organs would be more desirable as well.
Spring butter has been considered sacred by the nearly by-gone Mountain Swiss people for centuries because of it's being so exceeding and particularly beneficial.

Pasta Noodles

See link for a Gluten-free version made with buckwheat.

I've made these with wheat before, and they tasted like the whole wheat "homemade" pasta at the Brick Oven I used to work at in Provo. However, they weren't as big a hit at my house as it was/is there. They used to really line up at that Pasta Bar!

We prefer Kamut as the grain in our noodles. Kamut, an 'ancient' grain, is much more like a durum (pasta) wheat than regular red or white wheat = It makes a great textured noodle that is very similar to the commercial pasta that we are all used to. Also, even when the wet dough is left to sit ("soaked" to neutralize sprout inhibitors) over night it doesn't get as sour as the 'regular' wheat does. I have yet to try adding rye, but I want to put a handful of rye in the flour to give a boost to the neutralization process.

Here's the recipe I use as of now, altered, but originally from the Nourished Gourmet blog.

• 3-3 1/2 cups Kamut flour
• 1 cup of warm water
• 1-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, less if included any rye flour
• Flour for the counter
• Palm shortening or Coconut oil for bowl

After allowing the moist dough to sit for 8-24 hours, prep your counter top for as much space as you can for room to roll out the dough. I prefer to moisten the counter and spread a thin layer of flour across it, the moistened counter and white flour combine and adhere to make a floured surface that works better than anything else I've tried rolling on. Keep extra flour handy to add as you go and more as the floured surfaced does wear off and needs to be kept dry.

Start with small portions to roll out as the goal here is to roll the dough as absolutely as thin as possible. Thin makes fat noodles when cooked so it is great that Kamut has an amazing elasticity to it to be able to roll it out super thin. I roll until it starts getting holes it is so paper thin - sometimes stopping to pick up the well floured 'disc' to support gravity in some additional thinning stretches. The rolling is really the only time consuming part of this whole recipe, so, really roll speedily and actively ....and only go as far as your family's taste prefer. When it is rolled out, cut the beautiful dough into your pieces - Nourished Gourmet has some great photos of large and long - with a knife, pastry cutter, or pizza cutter.

They can be dropped in boiling water immediately or allowed to dry out. I think they taste better if they are left to dry out even just a little bit first.

If possible, drying them in the sun or perhaps in a dehydrator is far more effective way of drying them. Some people do cool air drying on racks. If you are able to get them dry enough then they can last for quite some time in storage (too wet and they mold).

I found that we also prefer noodles that are a bit smaller/narrower, but the big ones are yummy too. For the days that I make small noodles I just do a huge grid of strips. -- It really helped to discover that a previously acquired and, until now, unused quilting tool worked awesome with the pizza cutter. - check out the awesome looking tools that exist for such projects!
I always think that if I wasn't always trying to just get this all done super fast, or if my boys could restrain themselves from eating all of them, we would make cute bowtie shapes by just pinching the rectangles!

By the way - She also has a buckwheat soba noodle recipe! (gluten free)

Homemade Cookie Crust

I created a Replacement for (thick) graham cracker crust!!:
(First attempt - it was yummy! - I also had a few Tbls of arrowroot powder, but I did not include that here as it appears to be unnecessary)

1 1/3 C (sprouted) whole grain flour (I imagine nuts would be good too as this is similiar to the curd crust)

1 1/3 C shredded unsweetened coconut

2/3 C brown sugar, sucanat, rapadura, (honey?)

2/3 C butter, room temp

bit of salt

don't add sugar/sweetener if coconut is sweetened.

Mix, thoroughly and mash into bottom and sides of pan.

I then baked/broiled (super hot + top heat) mine for about four minutes until it started to fluff up and just barely start to show spots of turning golden brown. This could be done while the oven is preheating.

Pour filling in and bake as filling recipe requires.

(I did put a cookie sheet of water on the rack below the pan to help insure the bottom did not burn,
but I was being careful since this was an experiment but I didn't want my whole cheesecake ruined.
-- I have a convection fan in my conventional oven)

The cheesecake recipe follows and the two together is fantastically yummy; great textures too!

Basic Rich Crackers

These are the basic crackers I make on a pretty regular basis for our family. They are made with four simple ingredients: butter, yogurt, flour, and salt. You combine, cover and soak overnight, then roll them out in the morning, cut and bake them. Simple as that, and you get all the benefit of whole foods, properly prepared.

To start with, freshly ground flour that has been soaked to rid it of phytic acid is very healthy. Not to mention the vitamin K2 from the butter if it is grass-fed, and the probiotics found in good quality whole milk yogurt. Even the salt is beneficial if you choose a high quality salt full of trace minerals, such as Celtic sea salt.

I like to use Kerrygold Irish Butter from Trader Joe's because it is the best price I have found. I also get my yogurt from Trader Joe's, or I make my own from whole raw milk. I haven't tried it yet, but since I have milk kefir around, I wonder if I could use that in place of the yogurt in this recipe.

They are delicious with raw cheese and organ meat sausage (like Braunschweiger, yum!). But enjoyed all by themselves they are still lovely. They are very similar to Cheez-its I think.

Basic Rich Crackers

1 cup plain, whole milk yogurt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3 1/2 cups freshly ground whole grain flour (I have used spelt and whole red winter wheat, both with good success)
2 teaspoons sea salt

1. Cream yogurt and butter together. Add flour and salt and stir to combine.
2. Cover with a towel and a plate, find a warm place to soak 12-24 hours (or overnight).
3. After the soaking period, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
4. At this point you can add any herbs, cheeses, or spices to your dough you might like to try. I have only attempted cracked pepper and parmesan cheese, but it was delicious! The possibilities are endless, but the crackers are truly delicious all on their own. Don't feel you need this step, it is optional.
5. Use white flour, sprouted flour, or arrowroot powder (because each of these options have no phytic acid) to roll your dough out very thin. Use a pastry or pizza cutter to cut dough into small squares or rectangles.
6. Place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. You can put the crackers fairly close to each other, they do not spread. You can prick with a fork, but I have not seen much of a need for it.
7. Bake 8-12 minutes, checking every minute or so after 8 minutes have gone by to make sure they do not overbrown. You know the crackers are done when they are slightly brown on the edges and the middles of the crackers look drier.
8. Remove from baking sheet to cooling racks immediately, but be gentle so they do not break. Enjoy!

"Tollhouse" Chocolate Chip Cookies - My way

The same!,
except
upgrade the ingredients to a healthier version:

• whole grain sprouted flour (soak, no more tails than a tiny nub (pH) or they'll be fluffy, dehydrate, then grind)
• sucanat/rapadura (reduce by a 1/3 C)
• palm shortening

AND

• Add 1-2 Tbl water to make up for the whole grain (too much will make them spread and get grainy).
• I like a little molasses, but it's just a preference.
• Chilling the dough is a definite plus especially until the next day (but let it sit so you don't break/bend you spoon)
• I always seperate out some dough so that at least mine are chocolate free - I've got my amino acids so I don't even feel the addictive draw!