Here is sour favorite pancake recipe! This is a very "hearty" pancake and definitely not like a box mix. My kids love it.
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I use 3/4 cup whole wheat and 3/4 cup regular)
1/3 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup quick cooking oats
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Small handful of ground flaxseed (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 ripe banana, mashed
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon olive oil
Splash of vanilla
A handful of mini chocolate chips (optional)
I just throw it all in the bowl and stir it up. Cook on the griddle on medium heat. This makes about 16 good-sized pancakes.
My notes: wheat germ is usually in the cereal aisle with the hot cereals and make sure you store it in the freezer. I use Bob's Red Mill for the oats. I never use skim milk, so I don't know how that would turn out. Sometimes I add an extra banana if they are small.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Friday, June 22, 2012
Giveaway Update!
Hey everyone! I just wanted to update you on the water bottle giveaway. I just received an email from Jill, the PR person at Ello Bottle Company. She is waiting on a shipment to come in so that she can ship me the bottles. She said it may be a few weeks from now, but that they were coming. So, hang in there!! The giveaway is still on!
If you would like to enter the giveaway for the glass water bottle, you must comment on THE GIVEAWAY POST (click here).
If you would like to enter the giveaway for the glass water bottle, you must comment on THE GIVEAWAY POST (click here).
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Our Journey to Cleaner Eating Part 3: Things That Were the Easiest For Us to Change
Since I have already named off my "trouble" items, I'll now share the things that have been the easiest for us to change. I have to say that every single one of these changes has resulted in a BETTER tasting food, not something we settled for. I do not even think about our "old versions" and wish for them back.
Butter: There is no way you can justify any kind of butter substitute as being good for you. Real butter is the only way to go. I don't care if it says "olive oil blend" or "Heart Smart" or "made with REAL butter" or what. It's GROSS, people. Use real butter. Like the stick kind. Remember that stuff?? There's no substitute.
Eliminating Soft Drinks and Sugar-Sweetened Drinks: I like sweet drinks. Plain and simple. But these can really wreck healthy eating like no other thing around. They mess with your metabolism by tricking your brain, for one. Your brain is registering calories, but your stomach is not processing food or getting full. It messes with the brain receptors that are in charge of your metabolism. Sweetened drinks are a gigantic source of empty calories. If you sip on sweet tea all day, you would be shocked if you actually totaled up your calories from that drink alone. It's like a steady flow of sugar into your veins all day. We never bought the full-sugar varieties of soft drinks, but we almost always had Diet Coke or Coke Zero around. I would automatically crave one at lunch and that would set me on a bad path for the rest of the day. Since I didn't often finish my drink at lunch, it would hang around throughout the afternoon. By 2:00, I wanted some kind of salty snack, then I would finish the drink and I would want something sweet again. It was a horrible cycle. If I drink water or tea sweetened with Stevia, I do not feel that way at all. No snacking, and no desire to snack. I make my flavored waters with a few drops of stevia, and I feel very satisfied.. Occasionally I'll have a SoBe LifeWater if I am in a hurry. Those drinks do the trick and I don't keep wanting to snack all day. DON'T BE FOOLED, THOUGH. I do still love the stuff. I make a beeline to the fountain drink dispenser many times when we eat out, and I mix myself a cup of chemical goodness that makes all right with the world. I spend several hours in my state of carbonated and caffeinated euphoria, and I enjoy every moment. And I usually want to eat a bunch of crap for the rest of the day. For me, having none at home makes a HUGE difference, but I certainly don't deny myself a yummy soft drink once a week or so.
No-Calorie Sweeteners: Stemming from the diet/sugary drinks - I'll talk about no-cal sweeteners. I went from Splenda to Truvia a few years ago. Just recently, I found out that any Stevia product that was NOT a liquid contained dextrose. Dextrose is a corn product, and that's the main ingredient in powdered or crystallized stevia sweeteners. Corn is the other largest GMO crop in our country and that's a bad thing. When you do your research on Stevia, it can be confusing. I won't get into it on here, but if you want to read about it, click HERE. I personally think it's the best option if you want to use a calorie-free sweetener, at least compared to other choices. People in other cultures have been using it for centuries, and that is the BEST research, in my opinion. The more I learn about foods, the less trust I have in the FDA. Let's just say that it's down to about 0.02% trust at this point, with no chance of looking up, really. So, liquid Stevia is what we use for now. We do still make lightly sweetened tea with regular sugar, but we try to stick with about 1/4 cup per quart, or less. I also like the stevia in my tea, but coffee is where I use it the most.
Milk and Eggs: We started buying non-homogenized milk from a local dairy, and it is SOOOO much better than store-bought milk. It is only pasteurized once and not ultra-pasteurized. Google that if you want more info. Whether that matters or not (another verdict-is-out topic), it's darn good and it's supports local dairy farmers and that is something we should all do. As for eggs, I get them from local people as well. I have a couple of people that I buy them from. Mainly, they are super-fresh (even new eggs at the store are already a couple of weeks old before they even get there) and once again, we should support local farmers.
Bread: I have had no problems finding locally baked bread that does not contain preservatives. Even our Kroger store carries local bread from a small bakery, and they have a nice little slicer over in the Artisan Bread section, so you can slice it right up. I'm still going to try the Artisan Bread thing, though.
Ice Cream: We do not buy store-bought ice cream anymore. For one, I have an awesome ice cream maker (that's the next product review - stay tuned!!). Two, when I have to make my own ice cream, we don't have it very often, and this is a good thing for my waistline. Three, store-bought ice cream contains propylene glycol, which is a form of antifreeze. This is what makes ice cream easier to scoop. The FDA does not require it to be listed on the ingredients list because it's an "industry standard". Did I mention how cool the FDA was and what great decisions they make? If you have ever made homemade ice cream and put it in the freezer, it's hard as a rock when you get it out. This is because it's made with real ingredients and not hidden chemicals (yes, even Breyer's, or it wouldn't be soft). Even still, homemade ANYTHING is always better than store-bought, and if you have an easy way to do it, it's better for your body and tastes amazing!!
Hummus: Digitt decided to become allergic to tahini, because that's just the kind of kid he is (who has ever even HEARD of such a thing??). He loved hummus, though, so I just learned to make my own. Once again, so much better in taste and in ingredients, and no preservatives. And way cheaper.
Pancakes and Muffins: No more boxes. It's so simple to make your own from scratch. If I don't want to make the entire pancake recipe in the morning, I just mix up the dry ingredients the night before and it's super quick and easy. Although I occasionally splurge and make real Cruze Farm Buttermilk pancakes, I usually just make a very healthy, hearty recipe that contains bananas, whole wheat flour, oatmeal, and wheat germ. We throw in some mini chocolate chips, which we all love. These are delicious! My kids also LOVE muffins or breads for breakfast (usually zucchini bread or banana bread). I make these all the time and keep them in the freezer. They like their breads with cream cheese on them - quite tasty!! Oh, and I always throw in some ground flaxseed into any bread I make. Good source of Omega-3s, and they have no clue.
Oatmeal: We usually only have oatmeal in the winter time. I started cooking steel-cut oats in the crock pot overnight. They are so healthy and the kids love it. I let them top theirs with raisins, mini chocolate chips, or a few sprinkles. They think it's really fun. It's just too darn hot in the summer, though.
Granola Bars: Never buying them again. I recently learned to make my own granola in the crock pot (SO easy), and I use it to make the granola bars. Now, there is really no granola bar that would be considered a "health food", per se, at least not if you wanted it to stick together. My granola bars are really considered desserts. They have a good bit of brown sugar, honey, and olive oil in them. Healthy ingredients, but not exactly low in calories and/or sugar. We often mix in dark chocolate and organic shaved coconut. These are probably the best ever!!
Cheese: I only buy full-fat cheese blocks now if I can. I shred them myself with either my food processor or the shredding/slicing attachment on my Kitchen Aid mixer. Bagged shredded cheese contains lots of junk: mold inhibitors/preservatives, wood cellulose, and potato starch to name a few. These are mainly to keep the pieces from sticking together. My one exception is that I love the shredded Mexican cheese that already has the spices in it. YUM!
Peanut Butter: This is one place I really thought I could cut out the refined sugar. I have tried several varieties, and I have found that for me, whatever product I buy MUST have salt in it. The first natural peanut butter we tried was the in-store ground peanut butter from EarthFare. It had no salt, and I just couldn't take it. It was pasty and too flavorless. Next up was Maranatha. It had salt added, and was good, but still not great. Now, watch out on the peanut butters. If palm oil is something you want to avoid (like I said, verdict is out), then do NOT get the no-stir versions. Palm oil is what keeps you from having to stir. Don't be scared of the kind you have to stir. Once you get it all mixed up, you should keep it in the refrigerator. It will not separate again. I still give mine a little stir, but it's stays mixed for the most part. The last one I have tried (and stuck with) was Smucker's Natural. It's by far the cheapest, too, coming in at about half the price of the others. I decided to not worry about going organic with this one because peanuts are grown underground, for one, and they are also in a shell. Pesticides can't really be too prevalent. Secondly, I did call Smuckers because I was curious as to where they sourced their peanuts. She told me that they primarily come from the southern United States as long as they are available. She said they strive to get all of the peanuts from the U.S. if they can, meaning that potentially some could come from other countries. Since I am kinda dense about geography and land types and climates, TriDad reassured me that he didn't think there were good growing conditions for peanuts in China. He also knows I am very gullible. He also knows I like to talk a lot. He sometimes gets tired of my soapboxes. He sometimes just wants to shut me up. Take it for what it's worth.
Popcorn: Microwave popcorn is frightening. Get yourself some popcorn (non-GMO/organic would be nice, but I won't be picky - just stop buying the crap, OK??). Get yourself a popcorn popper. Or just get yourself a pot and put it on the stove. Get yourself some olive oil (and I'm going to try sunflower oil too!) and some salt. Save yourself some moo-lah. Save your body from disgusting chemicals. We have a Stir Crazy popper and I love it. There are also air poppers, but I like a little oil on mine. The air popped corn is a little too blah and dry for me. Sometimes we get a little crazy and put some seasoned salt or Parmesan cheese on it. It's so incredibly easy and it literally takes 5 minutes. You will never go back to the nastiness. Even if you like to snack on some at work, pop it at home and put it in a ziplock bag. People will be jealous. They will also be thankful that you don't make the office reek of either: A) burned popcorn and they will be mad at you or B) delicious chemical nastiness that makes their brains crave said nastiness. ***** I think that I should include a disclaimer here, because I have some close friends reading this blog. I live and die for movie popcorn with the butter that's one molecule away from being plastic. Halfway and all the way. Thankfully (or unfortunately?) I don't make it to the movies very often these days.
And those were a few of my favorite things!
**Edited because Part 4 really didn't have much to it, so I'm not going to add it. Stay tuned for a recipes post, though it might take me a few days to get them together! :)
Butter: There is no way you can justify any kind of butter substitute as being good for you. Real butter is the only way to go. I don't care if it says "olive oil blend" or "Heart Smart" or "made with REAL butter" or what. It's GROSS, people. Use real butter. Like the stick kind. Remember that stuff?? There's no substitute.
Eliminating Soft Drinks and Sugar-Sweetened Drinks: I like sweet drinks. Plain and simple. But these can really wreck healthy eating like no other thing around. They mess with your metabolism by tricking your brain, for one. Your brain is registering calories, but your stomach is not processing food or getting full. It messes with the brain receptors that are in charge of your metabolism. Sweetened drinks are a gigantic source of empty calories. If you sip on sweet tea all day, you would be shocked if you actually totaled up your calories from that drink alone. It's like a steady flow of sugar into your veins all day. We never bought the full-sugar varieties of soft drinks, but we almost always had Diet Coke or Coke Zero around. I would automatically crave one at lunch and that would set me on a bad path for the rest of the day. Since I didn't often finish my drink at lunch, it would hang around throughout the afternoon. By 2:00, I wanted some kind of salty snack, then I would finish the drink and I would want something sweet again. It was a horrible cycle. If I drink water or tea sweetened with Stevia, I do not feel that way at all. No snacking, and no desire to snack. I make my flavored waters with a few drops of stevia, and I feel very satisfied.. Occasionally I'll have a SoBe LifeWater if I am in a hurry. Those drinks do the trick and I don't keep wanting to snack all day. DON'T BE FOOLED, THOUGH. I do still love the stuff. I make a beeline to the fountain drink dispenser many times when we eat out, and I mix myself a cup of chemical goodness that makes all right with the world. I spend several hours in my state of carbonated and caffeinated euphoria, and I enjoy every moment. And I usually want to eat a bunch of crap for the rest of the day. For me, having none at home makes a HUGE difference, but I certainly don't deny myself a yummy soft drink once a week or so.
No-Calorie Sweeteners: Stemming from the diet/sugary drinks - I'll talk about no-cal sweeteners. I went from Splenda to Truvia a few years ago. Just recently, I found out that any Stevia product that was NOT a liquid contained dextrose. Dextrose is a corn product, and that's the main ingredient in powdered or crystallized stevia sweeteners. Corn is the other largest GMO crop in our country and that's a bad thing. When you do your research on Stevia, it can be confusing. I won't get into it on here, but if you want to read about it, click HERE. I personally think it's the best option if you want to use a calorie-free sweetener, at least compared to other choices. People in other cultures have been using it for centuries, and that is the BEST research, in my opinion. The more I learn about foods, the less trust I have in the FDA. Let's just say that it's down to about 0.02% trust at this point, with no chance of looking up, really. So, liquid Stevia is what we use for now. We do still make lightly sweetened tea with regular sugar, but we try to stick with about 1/4 cup per quart, or less. I also like the stevia in my tea, but coffee is where I use it the most.
Milk and Eggs: We started buying non-homogenized milk from a local dairy, and it is SOOOO much better than store-bought milk. It is only pasteurized once and not ultra-pasteurized. Google that if you want more info. Whether that matters or not (another verdict-is-out topic), it's darn good and it's supports local dairy farmers and that is something we should all do. As for eggs, I get them from local people as well. I have a couple of people that I buy them from. Mainly, they are super-fresh (even new eggs at the store are already a couple of weeks old before they even get there) and once again, we should support local farmers.
Bread: I have had no problems finding locally baked bread that does not contain preservatives. Even our Kroger store carries local bread from a small bakery, and they have a nice little slicer over in the Artisan Bread section, so you can slice it right up. I'm still going to try the Artisan Bread thing, though.
Ice Cream: We do not buy store-bought ice cream anymore. For one, I have an awesome ice cream maker (that's the next product review - stay tuned!!). Two, when I have to make my own ice cream, we don't have it very often, and this is a good thing for my waistline. Three, store-bought ice cream contains propylene glycol, which is a form of antifreeze. This is what makes ice cream easier to scoop. The FDA does not require it to be listed on the ingredients list because it's an "industry standard". Did I mention how cool the FDA was and what great decisions they make? If you have ever made homemade ice cream and put it in the freezer, it's hard as a rock when you get it out. This is because it's made with real ingredients and not hidden chemicals (yes, even Breyer's, or it wouldn't be soft). Even still, homemade ANYTHING is always better than store-bought, and if you have an easy way to do it, it's better for your body and tastes amazing!!
Hummus: Digitt decided to become allergic to tahini, because that's just the kind of kid he is (who has ever even HEARD of such a thing??). He loved hummus, though, so I just learned to make my own. Once again, so much better in taste and in ingredients, and no preservatives. And way cheaper.
Pancakes and Muffins: No more boxes. It's so simple to make your own from scratch. If I don't want to make the entire pancake recipe in the morning, I just mix up the dry ingredients the night before and it's super quick and easy. Although I occasionally splurge and make real Cruze Farm Buttermilk pancakes, I usually just make a very healthy, hearty recipe that contains bananas, whole wheat flour, oatmeal, and wheat germ. We throw in some mini chocolate chips, which we all love. These are delicious! My kids also LOVE muffins or breads for breakfast (usually zucchini bread or banana bread). I make these all the time and keep them in the freezer. They like their breads with cream cheese on them - quite tasty!! Oh, and I always throw in some ground flaxseed into any bread I make. Good source of Omega-3s, and they have no clue.
Oatmeal: We usually only have oatmeal in the winter time. I started cooking steel-cut oats in the crock pot overnight. They are so healthy and the kids love it. I let them top theirs with raisins, mini chocolate chips, or a few sprinkles. They think it's really fun. It's just too darn hot in the summer, though.
Granola Bars: Never buying them again. I recently learned to make my own granola in the crock pot (SO easy), and I use it to make the granola bars. Now, there is really no granola bar that would be considered a "health food", per se, at least not if you wanted it to stick together. My granola bars are really considered desserts. They have a good bit of brown sugar, honey, and olive oil in them. Healthy ingredients, but not exactly low in calories and/or sugar. We often mix in dark chocolate and organic shaved coconut. These are probably the best ever!!
Cheese: I only buy full-fat cheese blocks now if I can. I shred them myself with either my food processor or the shredding/slicing attachment on my Kitchen Aid mixer. Bagged shredded cheese contains lots of junk: mold inhibitors/preservatives, wood cellulose, and potato starch to name a few. These are mainly to keep the pieces from sticking together. My one exception is that I love the shredded Mexican cheese that already has the spices in it. YUM!
Peanut Butter: This is one place I really thought I could cut out the refined sugar. I have tried several varieties, and I have found that for me, whatever product I buy MUST have salt in it. The first natural peanut butter we tried was the in-store ground peanut butter from EarthFare. It had no salt, and I just couldn't take it. It was pasty and too flavorless. Next up was Maranatha. It had salt added, and was good, but still not great. Now, watch out on the peanut butters. If palm oil is something you want to avoid (like I said, verdict is out), then do NOT get the no-stir versions. Palm oil is what keeps you from having to stir. Don't be scared of the kind you have to stir. Once you get it all mixed up, you should keep it in the refrigerator. It will not separate again. I still give mine a little stir, but it's stays mixed for the most part. The last one I have tried (and stuck with) was Smucker's Natural. It's by far the cheapest, too, coming in at about half the price of the others. I decided to not worry about going organic with this one because peanuts are grown underground, for one, and they are also in a shell. Pesticides can't really be too prevalent. Secondly, I did call Smuckers because I was curious as to where they sourced their peanuts. She told me that they primarily come from the southern United States as long as they are available. She said they strive to get all of the peanuts from the U.S. if they can, meaning that potentially some could come from other countries. Since I am kinda dense about geography and land types and climates, TriDad reassured me that he didn't think there were good growing conditions for peanuts in China. He also knows I am very gullible. He also knows I like to talk a lot. He sometimes gets tired of my soapboxes. He sometimes just wants to shut me up. Take it for what it's worth.
Popcorn: Microwave popcorn is frightening. Get yourself some popcorn (non-GMO/organic would be nice, but I won't be picky - just stop buying the crap, OK??). Get yourself a popcorn popper. Or just get yourself a pot and put it on the stove. Get yourself some olive oil (and I'm going to try sunflower oil too!) and some salt. Save yourself some moo-lah. Save your body from disgusting chemicals. We have a Stir Crazy popper and I love it. There are also air poppers, but I like a little oil on mine. The air popped corn is a little too blah and dry for me. Sometimes we get a little crazy and put some seasoned salt or Parmesan cheese on it. It's so incredibly easy and it literally takes 5 minutes. You will never go back to the nastiness. Even if you like to snack on some at work, pop it at home and put it in a ziplock bag. People will be jealous. They will also be thankful that you don't make the office reek of either: A) burned popcorn and they will be mad at you or B) delicious chemical nastiness that makes their brains crave said nastiness. ***** I think that I should include a disclaimer here, because I have some close friends reading this blog. I live and die for movie popcorn with the butter that's one molecule away from being plastic. Halfway and all the way. Thankfully (or unfortunately?) I don't make it to the movies very often these days.
And those were a few of my favorite things!
**Edited because Part 4 really didn't have much to it, so I'm not going to add it. Stay tuned for a recipes post, though it might take me a few days to get them together! :)
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Our Journey to Cleaner Eating Part 2: Things I Can't Figure Out HOW to Get Rid Of
I'm thinking that the first installment of this little series should have been titled "Processed Foods I'm Not Willing to TRY to Get Rid Of". LOL
Ketchup: we do use Simply Heinz that does not have HFCS
Mayonnaise: it's made with soybean oil, and soybeans are one of the highest GMO crops in our country, so not good. I have seen some recipes around for making your own, but I haven't tried it yet. Maybe it will go on "the list".
BBQ Sauce: The one that I have found that does not contain HFCS is Bulls-Eye.
Cream Cheese: My kids eat a lot of cream cheese. I'm on the lookout for one with no preservatives. I usually buy the 1/3 less fat version, and based on the ingredient list on the back, I'm thinking the full fat version may not contain the preservatives.
Jumping off on a slight tangent for a moment: Full-fat stuff doesn't scare me. In fact, I like it better. It makes us all feel more satisfied, we can use less of it (cost effective - woot!), and I think that it's healthier because it contains less ingredients. It's what things are supposed to be made of, not all of the chemical-laden or altered substances that are added to fat free and low fat stuff to fill the void of what is really supposed to be there. In the early 1990s (or whenever it was) when the whole "fat-free" phase came along, processed food production went into overdrive. Remember Snackwells?? The cookies that were supposed to be fat-free and oh-so-good?? Yeah, well, I ate about a box of those puffy marshmallow chocolate cake ones very few days in the college dorm. Let me tell you, I didn't fare well. Oh, but then they started realizing that all of these fat-free things were loaded with fake sugars, calories, and chemicals as fillers. Sadly, at that point, people had already changed their brain chemistry and had become addicted to these chemicals and these fake sugars. In my own, *rather insignificant and not supported by anything at all* research, I thought back and found that the process food industry took their first major growth around the widespread availability of the microwave. All of the sudden, TV dinners, "Lean" Cuisines (don't even get me started on those), Hot Pockets, microwave popcorn, and all sorts of disgusting stuff hit the store shelves and was a miracle to the mothers who had formerly slaved over preparing food for their families. This was GREAT!!! So easy!!! And unfortunately, no knowledge or even a hint of what lied ahead.
Round two of the processed food growth spurt was, as I mentioned above, the fat-free phase. This really took disgusting food to a new level. Nobody had ANY clue of what manufacturers were using to create this "foodstuff". Sadly, again, our brains didn't know what to do with these chemicals and fake foods. Once again, they became addicting and people's bodies couldn't stop wanting this stuff.
The fat-free phase made people scared to death of fat, especially saturated fat. I'm just going to throw out my own opinion on this, and I am speaking as someone who has genetically high cholesterol. Saturated fat is not the enemy. Processed foods and carbs are the enemy. My cholesterol has held steady or gone down (NO meds) since we changed to non-homogenized milk (next post), real butter, and not the leanest meats, since the super lean have less flavor. A dear friend of mine was diagnosed with a pretty serious heart condition in her late 40s. She has since dropped several pounds. I asked her what she was doing, and she told me that her cardiologist said that the best thing to do was to quit the processed foods and refined carbs. She switched to real butter and better cuts of meat (hello, saturated fat!!), but cut out the processed foods and the "white stuff", i.e. bad carbs. Don't be scared of the real stuff, people.
Now, back to it.
Lunch Meat: I don't even have a clue what to do about this, so I don't even think about it. Too much stress. I tried the nitrate/nitrite-free version once and it was gross. My kids are still fans of hot dogs, too, but I try to limit them to once a week, and NO mechanically separated meat. Google if you want to be disgusted for the rest of your life. Consider yourself warned. Trust me, you will never knowingly purchase it again. Should I post a link?? Ooooh - I think I will! Just so I can tempt you and stop you from putting your money into that industry! OK, this is the quickest one I can find, and I think it might reference McDonalds. I don't think they use MS meat in their nuggets anymore, but many manufacturers do use it. I think it has to be listed on the ingredients list if they do use it, so just look there. I have seen it as the first ingredient on certain hot dogs and certain chicken nuggets. Just check and make sure you are not buying this stuff. If you are feeling like living on the wild side today, just click HERE.
Chips: I try to pick things with the fewest ingredients, so they would not be considered "too" processed, I don't guess. Butter Snap pretzels and other pretzels are a staple, as well as Stacey's Pita Chips. Veggie Straws are big favorites as well. I will occasionally buy the Archer Farms baked varieties. All in all, we limit these anyway and they aren't a horrible thing considering. We just try to pick the ones with the fewest ingredients.
So, those are my things that I struggle with finding a good replacement for, either something that tastes decent or gets the job done. If anyone has a suggestion for a good replacement for one these foods, please share it in the comments section!!
And stay tuned for Part 3: Things That Have Been the EASIEST to Change!
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Our Journey to Cleaner Eating Part One: Processed Foods I Can't Seem to Get Rid Of
I am on a mission to have a clean-eating home. Just recently, I have been a part of several discussions among friends who are trying to do the same thing, so I thought I would share our journey with you. It has taken me a couple of years, but over that time, I have replaced a LOT of things that we used to keep on our pantry and refrigerator shelves. I have been so surprised at how much shelf space I have in my pantry now. Gone are the thousand bags of 100 calorie snacks, cracker boxes, cookies, boxed dinners, and junky treats. I don't think we could ever eat clean 100% of the time. It's just not convenient all the time and I don't mind having bad stuff. It's no secret, bad stuff is soooo GOOD sometimes. But, I am trying to make the food in our home as natural, preservative-free, and homemade as I possibly can. We will never stop our weekly trips to Salsaritas, Froyoz, and the like, and we will always hit our favorite restaurants without hesitation. I'm not cooking all the time. It just ain't gonna happen. I am just making a goal to pick the best things I can for our pantry and refrigerator, and also to cook as much as I can. I'm realistic, though, and I have no desire to give up some of life's conveniences. There are some things, though, that I have just not been able to replace or stop using.
1) Pasta: I thought for two minutes one time about making my own pasta, but then I realized that I have a life and that this might put me over the edge. I talked to some friends who had made their own and they felt that, while you could do it and be successful, it was very time consuming and it was hard to get it consistent every time. I was also going to have to shell out a good amount of dough (no pun intended - LOL) for some tools that would make it easier, so it wasn't going to even be close to cost effective. We don't eat much pasta, and I do buy whole wheat for most things, so I don't feel like we're at a huge loss on this one.
2) Bagel Thins: This is by far a key element in my favorite breakfast. At least 3 or 4 times a week, I eat a whole wheat bagel thin, Kroger-brand crunchy Nutella, and slice a banana on top. Oh my word. It is the best breakfast on Earth. While there is inherently nothing wrong with a whole wheat bagel, it's still a processed food and it's chock full of preservatives. We have moved to preservative free, homemade bread, and yes, I could just have toast with my nutella and banana, and I should, so maybe that's my next step. I am an EXTREME creature of habit, and I know this breakfast keeps me full and 100% satisfied until noon, so I hate changing it. I want to start doing the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, so maybe I can find a good replacement that way. Any suggestions on that, by the way?
3) Nutella: Or, really, the Kroger brand crunchy hazelnut spread, because that is my all time favorite. While it's not horribly processed, it's not the most healthy spread out there. Of course it's loaded with sugar, for one. It's also made with modified palm oil, and the verdict is still out on that one. It gets a bad rap because it's a saturated fat, but I don't fear saturated fats at all (hello, I heart my real butter). It has become the replacement fat in lots of items that used to contain trans-fats. It's cheap and stays almost solid at room temperature, but it gets mixed reviews depending on where you look. There are no sources that really call it "great". Many just say it's OK. There's no freakin' way I'm giving this stuff up, though, so I put it in the category of "If I Get Rid of the Rest of the Crap Food, I Can Justify This One"
4) Margarita Mix: This is not up for discussion at the moment.
5) Sugar-Free Syrup: Real maple syrup is clearly the best choice, but I literally cannot handle the sugar rush it causes. I feel like I have just had my head slammed up against a wall about 2 hours after I have eaten it. My body and that amount of sugar just don't get along. I like every bite of my pancakes to have a nice coating of syrup. I really wish I could wean myself down to just a drizzle, but that's going to take awhile. So, to save myself (and my family) from me becoming postal, and also to save myself about 1000 calories, I have to stick with the sugar-free for now. I do make healthy, hearty pancakes (except when I splurge and make real Cruze Farm buttermilk pancakes) so at least I am not getting the junk from the box mix.
6) Cereal: I basically don't eat cereal anymore, but TriDad eats it EVERY day for breakfast. He's kinda on his own, but I feel like it's my job to feed my kids the healthiest food I can feed them, and they do like cereal. Frosted Mini Wheats is probably the worst one we typically buy because it's so loaded with sugar. I do try to limit them to once or twice a week. Special K with Red Berries and Honey Bunches of Oats are the other big favorites. Not horrible, but still processed and they have a lot of ingredients. I did start making my own crock-pot granola, and Sporticus loves it a lot. He will eat two bowls with raisins. Digitt isn't the biggest cereal fan, but he will eat it from time to time.
7) Salad Dressings: I do only buy refrigerated dressings now, and I try to get the ones with fewest ingredients. There's no reason I shouldn't make my own, but I just love the variety and convenience of the ones at the store. It's on my list to change, I just need to come up with some good recipes that we all like.
I am sure there are more that aren't coming to mind right now, but these are the biggies at our house. Stay tuned for Part Two: Things I Can't Figure Out HOW to Get Rid Of.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Recipe Review: Zucchini Oven Chips from Pinterest
I'm sure many of you are Pinterest lovers like me, especially when it comes to recipes. I also love to cook and to try new things, so I thought I might include my thoughts and experiences on some of the things I have made. This was one of the more "popular" recipes popping up on my Pinterest page a couple of weeks ago, so I am sure you may have seen it. I'm guessing that a lot of people are like me and they pin, pin, pin but don't really do that many of them. I am trying to chip away at my pin stash and make a few things here and there.
I'm not gonna lie. I just pinned about 16 things when I went to fetch the link for this recipe.
THIS is the recipe for the zucchini oven chips that I made. Since the zucchini is coming in by the truckload, and my kids like it, I'm trying some different things. My grandmother's zucchini bread recipe is making my house smell quite yummy at the moment, as a matter of fact.
Thoughts on the recipe: Very easy. I liked the fact that you dipped the slices in milk instead of egg. I think the egg gets so messy and clumpy, but the milk is just fine. I'm kinda bummed that bread crumbs are full of a bunch of nasty crap ingredients. I mean, they're bread crumbs, for pete's sake! Why taint them with so much garbage? I looked in the organic section and found nothing, so I just stuck with the nasty (yet tasty) kind. I know. You are saying "YOU are don't make your OWN bread crumbs??? What on Earth is wrong with you??" I won't keep you disappointed for long. I'm going to try it next time, thank you very much.
One thing the recipe recommended was using an oven-safe baking rack. I did not have this, and I noticed some of the people who commented on the recipe did not have it either, so I took their advice. For my first batch, I coated my broiler pan (top part only) with olive oil and tried baking them on there. They did not get super-crispy and they still stuck on the pan, but they were really good. The next night, I tried crumpling up a piece of aluminum foil and then spreading it back out on my cookie sheet. This was not horrible, and it actually might have worked quite well, had I remembered to spray it with olive oil. Still not super-crispy, but Sporticus was sending them into his mouth as fast as cookies go, and Digitt....well, he's another story.
Which brings me to my little spiel on getting kids to eat their veggies. Sport has always eaten me out of house and home. I am already considering boarding school since I think it may be cheaper than feeding him as a teenager (just kidding). Sport likes everything in it's original form. No casseroles for him. He's my child who is extremely literal about everything, and his eating is no exception. If we are having sweet potatoes, it has to look like a sweet potato. Green beans have to look like green beans. Green bean casserole? No way. He eats basically every cooked veggie I place before him. Sweet potatoes, asparagus, zucchini, and broccoli are his most favorite. He's not too keen on raw stuff, though after a few years of working on it, we have progressed to raw carrots. Digitt is another story. He has been a hater of all green veggies since his baby food days. He was also a hater of all baby food, but that's neither here nor there. Nothing green was passing this kid's uvula. Period. When he moved to table food at about 9-10 months, he would vaguely touch broccoli, but that was IT. You read in all the parenting magazines, etc. that you should expose a child to a food 10 times before expecting them to warm up to it. That's crap. It's at least TWO years, trust me. I'm a persistent little gal, and I was hellbent to have veggie eaters at my house. TriDad and I love veggies, and they were getting served no matter what. It has been a long road, but we started with one green bean (gagged on and spat out), then he would let me feed them to him one by one, and now, two years later, he's eating about 10 on his own with no prompting. Peas (LeSeuer only 'cause he's kinda high-class with the peas) get shoveled in without discussion, and his most recent development is zucchini. He still only eats it one way, though, which is cut into long fingers and sauteed. He wasn't too keen on the chips, but we'll get there. They were quite tasty and we'll be making them again. Asparagus has a loooonnnng way to go.
Try this recipe for sure. Zucchini is everywhere right now and you should have no trouble finding some fresh and local. Try a farmer's market or even a neighbor. I may even be giving some away - it's another giveaway, folks! LOL I may be making enough zucchini bread to feed my kids breakfast all winter long.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Well, friends...there's going to be a GIVEAWAY!!!!!
On a whim yesterday, after making my first blog post, I got a wild hair and decided to send a link of my post to the Ello Bottle Company. I found the contact info for the PR/Marketing Department and thought, "Hey, why not?" I mentioned to them that it would be super cool if they had something like a promotional item or something that I could give away on the blog.
Let me just say that I was shocked to see a very prompt reply in my inbox this morning. I wasn't expecting much, because really, it was a little blog post from a new blog. BUT, get this! Are you sitting down? She's sending me bottles to give away!!
THIS is the post you must respond to in order to be entered into the drawing for the bottles! I don't know how many they will send, but the email implied that it would be more than one. I will draw out as many names as bottles I receive.
Another cool tidbit was that she mentioned sending me new stuff as it comes out!! Now, I'm not keeping my fingers crossed on that one, and I certainly don't expect that, but wouldn't that be awesome?? She said there is already a new cap being designed to eliminated worries about chipping the spout area, and I am certainly looking forward to that, free or not!
So, comment away, and when the bottles show up, we'll just have ourselves a little giveaway!!!
Let me just say that I was shocked to see a very prompt reply in my inbox this morning. I wasn't expecting much, because really, it was a little blog post from a new blog. BUT, get this! Are you sitting down? She's sending me bottles to give away!!
THIS is the post you must respond to in order to be entered into the drawing for the bottles! I don't know how many they will send, but the email implied that it would be more than one. I will draw out as many names as bottles I receive.
Another cool tidbit was that she mentioned sending me new stuff as it comes out!! Now, I'm not keeping my fingers crossed on that one, and I certainly don't expect that, but wouldn't that be awesome?? She said there is already a new cap being designed to eliminated worries about chipping the spout area, and I am certainly looking forward to that, free or not!
So, comment away, and when the bottles show up, we'll just have ourselves a little giveaway!!!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Product Review: My New H2O Sidekick
This is not the review I was going to kick things off with, but I thought I would go with a more positive review for my first post. We'll get to that other one later.
So, I have a new little sidekick. It's my Ello glass water bottle with the nifty silicone sleeve that I got at Target. I have been coveting glass water bottles for awhile now, but have just not been able to hand over $20+ for one at Earthfare or on Amazon. For those who know me personally, you know I always have some kind of soapbox I'm on, and one of them is my new distaste for plastic. I've always loved drinking out of actual glasses vs. plastic cups. Since I am on a mission to slowly get rid of potentially unhealthy things in our home, and since plastic is one of those things, I am notching away at some of it here and there. I just replaced the kids' chipping melamine divided dishes with some cool stainless stuff. Next up is the half-cooked Rubbermaid. But, I digress.
When I found this water bottle at Target, I was very excited, and I was even happier when I found that it was only $10! I plunked it right into my cart. As soon as I got home, I washed it and filled it right up. It's psychological, I know, but the water was so yummy. Now, I will say that after the water sat for awhile, it most certainly tasted better than water that had been residing in something plastic. No chemically taste. BTW, if you don't think your drinks get chemically after sitting in plastic, try glass. You will know what I mean. Plus, it just looks cool. And I like it. And it makes me feel happy. So, THERE. ;)
The silicone sleeve makes it easy to grip and I like the cap on this one better than the ones I had seen at Earthfare. This cap has a loop on it, and it also creates a really nice water-tight seal. I have thrown it into my pool bag where it proceeded to be upside down for an hour or so, and it did not leak a single drop. While I have not dropped it yet, I feel pretty confident that the silicone sleeve will protect it. The glass is pretty darn thick. The one thing that I could see happening is a chip around the drinking area since it is not protected, but so far, so good.
I'm big on "psychological" and I'm also trying to cut out my sugar sweetened/artificially sweetened beverages, so I like to think that this water bottle is making me drink more water. Whatever works, I guess. I've come up with some pretty tasty water "concoctions" that have made my water consumption even easier. Since I accidentally came home with a spearmint plant instead of flat-leaf parsley like the tray said, I decided to make the best of it. Three or four lemon wedges and a sprig of the mint (crushed a little) was really refreshing. I tend to like things sweet, so I put about 5 drops of liquid stevia in it and it was great. My real favorite is this: 1-2 tablespoons of straight cranberry juice (not sweetened, dark as blood, sour as all-get-out, $8 a bottle, cranberry juice), about 4 lime wedges squeezed, and 5-6 drops of stevia, and enough water to fill the 20 oz. bottle. Now that's a tasty summer concoction. It sorta reminds me of my vodka and cranberry cocktails. And I can drink it all day. And I can drive my kids around. So, THERE. :)
If you are so inclined, grab one of these at Target. I love!
So, I have a new little sidekick. It's my Ello glass water bottle with the nifty silicone sleeve that I got at Target. I have been coveting glass water bottles for awhile now, but have just not been able to hand over $20+ for one at Earthfare or on Amazon. For those who know me personally, you know I always have some kind of soapbox I'm on, and one of them is my new distaste for plastic. I've always loved drinking out of actual glasses vs. plastic cups. Since I am on a mission to slowly get rid of potentially unhealthy things in our home, and since plastic is one of those things, I am notching away at some of it here and there. I just replaced the kids' chipping melamine divided dishes with some cool stainless stuff. Next up is the half-cooked Rubbermaid. But, I digress.
When I found this water bottle at Target, I was very excited, and I was even happier when I found that it was only $10! I plunked it right into my cart. As soon as I got home, I washed it and filled it right up. It's psychological, I know, but the water was so yummy. Now, I will say that after the water sat for awhile, it most certainly tasted better than water that had been residing in something plastic. No chemically taste. BTW, if you don't think your drinks get chemically after sitting in plastic, try glass. You will know what I mean. Plus, it just looks cool. And I like it. And it makes me feel happy. So, THERE. ;)
The silicone sleeve makes it easy to grip and I like the cap on this one better than the ones I had seen at Earthfare. This cap has a loop on it, and it also creates a really nice water-tight seal. I have thrown it into my pool bag where it proceeded to be upside down for an hour or so, and it did not leak a single drop. While I have not dropped it yet, I feel pretty confident that the silicone sleeve will protect it. The glass is pretty darn thick. The one thing that I could see happening is a chip around the drinking area since it is not protected, but so far, so good.
I'm big on "psychological" and I'm also trying to cut out my sugar sweetened/artificially sweetened beverages, so I like to think that this water bottle is making me drink more water. Whatever works, I guess. I've come up with some pretty tasty water "concoctions" that have made my water consumption even easier. Since I accidentally came home with a spearmint plant instead of flat-leaf parsley like the tray said, I decided to make the best of it. Three or four lemon wedges and a sprig of the mint (crushed a little) was really refreshing. I tend to like things sweet, so I put about 5 drops of liquid stevia in it and it was great. My real favorite is this: 1-2 tablespoons of straight cranberry juice (not sweetened, dark as blood, sour as all-get-out, $8 a bottle, cranberry juice), about 4 lime wedges squeezed, and 5-6 drops of stevia, and enough water to fill the 20 oz. bottle. Now that's a tasty summer concoction. It sorta reminds me of my vodka and cranberry cocktails. And I can drink it all day. And I can drive my kids around. So, THERE. :)
If you are so inclined, grab one of these at Target. I love!
Well, after many suggestions from my friends, I am attempting to start a blog. I've sort of always wanted to do it, but just haven't really thought I would have anything to really post about. Several people have mentioned me blogging about recipes and my opinions on products and other stuff (since I clearly have MANY - products AND opinions LOL), so I figured, why not? Who knows how well I will keep up with it. Maybe one day companies will send me stuff for free and I can tell the world what I think about it! I'm not known to be shy in that area. I already know what my first review will be about, so stay tuned! :)
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