My Kitchen Desk

Sustainable Farming and the Documentary "Fresh"

2012-03-01T07:44:00.001-08:00

I will never forget lying on the ultrasound table with my third child and finding out I would be the mother of three boys! I got tears in my eyes...partially because I had hoped for a daughter, but also because I was anticipating lots of work and a house full of energy and noise in the years to come! I often remind my husband of his first words after we 'saw' that it was a boy. He said, "it'll be okay, honey, we'll just move to a farm where they can run!" Well, we haven't moved to a farm yet...but we do have a bigger backyard now and we love to visit local farms.

I just watched the documentary "Fresh" (www.freshthemovie.com) which is free to watch here, on Dr. Mercola's website until March 3, 2012. The movie's website also has a search function to find a screening near you. It is a great documentary that features farmers, thinkers and business people from across America. I learned that the way industrial agriculture is farming and raising livestock is not only hurting our health by loading our food with chemical pesticides and feeding the animals we consume with grain which is laced with antibiotics. Also, the industrial system is depleting the land of it's natural resources and naturally occuring nutrients and minerals.

One thing that was very encouraging in the movie was to hear from Andrew Kimbrell, the Executive Director for Food Safety. He said that they now have the science to prove "that medium sized organic farming is far more productive than any sized industrial style agriculture". It is simply not true that organic farming is too expensive to feed the world, says Kimbrell. He says the studies and data prove that all the inputs on the modern industrial farm (machinery, pesticides, chemical fertilizers) make it "unsustainable". I loved watching the interviews of the sustainable farmers and learning how they follow traditional methods of rotating the grazing and having the chickens follow the grazing cattle and how it all works together to benefit the entire farm and produce more healthy animals and crops.

Watching this film made me think a lot about my grandparents. My mom grew up on a farm in South Alabama and her mom raised crops, chickens and pigs. I remember sitting with her snapping beans and preparing them for canning or freezing. We had a deep freezer growing up full of my Memaw's home-grown vegetables and pecans that she shelled herself. She had a big pecan tree right in her yard. I remember once when I was probably about 9 or 10, she sent me to her garden to get green onions and I had no idea what to look for! I have great memories from my Memaw's house.

My dad has been very successful at growing tomatoes, okra and peppers in his yard here in Georgia. He even planted me some tomatoes and peppers last summer. It was so much fun for me and the boys to watch them grow. After watching "Fresh" I am more determined than ever to take my kids to the Farmer's Market on Saturdays to pick out our fresh, local produce and to visit farms whenever we have a chance. There is something great about learning where your food comes from and all the work that goes into it. It also really helps us to appreciate the intricacy of what God created in the natural world!

Homemade Farm Cheese or Dry Curd Cottage Cheese (SCD)

2012-02-19T11:58:00.004-08:00

Last summer I spent a month road tripping with my three boys. My husband had to work for most of the month, but he flew to join us for several days in Cape Cod and then drove to TN to meet us in Gatlinburg for the last few days of our trip. I had a blast with my boys. It is so nice that they are older now and we can have conversations, make memories and laugh together. I love taking them to see new places and teaching them to have a spirit of adventure and learning to be curious about the world.

One of our key destinations on our road trip was Cape Cod where we spent time with my husband's parents. They immigrated from Russia about 30 years ago when my husband was six years old. They have taught me many great recipes and I love eating at their house! I love trying new things, which is a very lucky thing since I married into a Russian-Jewish family. Time at their house centers largely around the food we eat together. Each meal is a masterpiece with lots of appetizers & most of them are homemade.

One thing they eat every morning for breakfast is their homemade farm cheese, or 'tvorog'. I finally wrote down the recipe so I can make it myself. They eat it with some yummy granola, seeds or nuts on top, a drizzle of honey, and chunks of fresh fruit mixed in. Sometimes they mix in some creamy yogurt as well. It is so delicious and the perfect summer morning treat. It is also very healthy. The bacteria that forms during the fermentation process is good for the gut. And as a side note, my husband is lactose intolerant but it didn't seem to bother his stomach. According to my Nourishing Traditions book, during the process of letting it sit overnight the lactose is broken down and the casein is largely pre-digested.

FARM CHEESE (and whey)

Combine 1 gallon milk* & 1 quart buttermilk in an oven proof pot. Cover and let sit at room temperature overnight/24 hours.
*whole milk makes the creamiest farm cheese. less than 2% milk will make a crumbly, rubbery end product

The next day uncover it and place it in a 200 degree oven for about an hour and 15 minutes. When it's done it should get dry around the edges and have some cracks around the edges. The middle will still be soft. Let it cool completely.

Place a cheesecloth or a couple layers of paper towels in a strainer.

(My MIL told me that if you don't have "russian cheesecloth" then use a few layers of "american cheesecloth". Apparently the cheesecloth sold in Russian stores is very fine and American cheesecloth is more porous? I have some she gave me of the Russian cheesecloth)

Pour the cooled farm cheese into the cheesecloth in the strainer. At this point the cloudy-clear liquid will drain out of the farm cheese. This is whey. If you want to save the whey, put a larger bowl under the strainer to catch it. For suggestions on how to use the whey, check out this article about lacto-fermentation from the Weston A. Price website.

Now, gather up the sides of the cheesecloth & tie it up somewhere with a bowl sitting underneath for the whey to drip out of it. Leave it hanging there for a few hours for the whey to drain out. (My MIL has a hook screwed into the cabinet by the sink so that she can tie her cheesecloth to this hook. She used to tie it to the cabinet knob) The remaining cheese inside the cloth should be soft with a consistency somewhere in between sour cream and cream cheese. It should be covered and refrigerated.

My father-in-law puts the whey in a glass jar in the fridge and drinks a cup of it every morning. It's supposed to be very good for you. My Nourishing Traditions book says it's good for keeping muscles young, joints limber and is good for digestion.

Thrifty Thursdays: Make your own Chicken Stock

2012-02-16T09:55:00.002-08:00

Making your own chicken stock has many benefits. Saving money on store-bought stock is just the beginning of the story! It is traditionally known as "the Jewish penicillin" for a good reason. It provides a remedy for many illnesses, strengthens the immune system and heals the digestive system, which is the seat of the whole body's immune system.

The book Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon, has much to say about meat and fish stocks on pages 116-126. Our ancestors were much more prone to using the whole animal and used nutritious, homemade stocks as a basis for soups, stews, sauces and more. When properly prepared, stocks contain minerals that are drawn from the bones, cartilage, marrow and vegetables in the stock and these are made available in our bodies. Sally Fallon teaches that adding acidic wine or vinegar while cooking the broth aids in drawing out the minerals such as calcium, magnesium and potassium. I love knowing that my kids will be getting these important minerals in their cup of soup!

I have also learned that the gelatin in a homemade meat broth lends amazing digestive health benefits, so don't get rid of it when it congeals on top of your chilled broth. As I said earlier, the lining of the intestines is where the nervous and immune systems begin. If our intestinal health is compromised, the way we poorly absorb and digest food will lead to all sorts of diseases and disorders and a weakened immune system. Page 124 of Nourishing Traditions quotes Hanna Kroeger from Ageless Remedies from Mother's Kitchen. It says,

"Why is chicken soup superior to all the things we have, even more relaxing than "Tylenol?" It is because chicken soup has a natural ingredient which feeds, repairs and calms the mucous lining in the small intestine. This inner lining is the beginning or ending of the nervous system. It is easily pulled away from the intestine through too many laxatives, too many food additives...and parasites. Chicken soup...heals the nerves, improves digestion, reduces allergies, relaxes and gives strength."

So, if you or a loved one is suffering from any sort of illness, or just tends to have any sort of digestive or inflammatory issues, it seems Homemade Chicken Soup is the way to go! And your stock can be started with either a whole chicken, or the bones of an already devoured rotisserie chicken. The bones are the essential ingredient! So, never throw away those bones. Just stick them in a big pot of water with some veggies, some sea salt and vinegar and simmer away.

Here is how I make a very easy, homemade chicken broth:

1 whole chicken (or the bones of a whole chicken)
1 whole onion, quartered (no need to peel)
2-3 carrots, washed and cut in half (no need to peel)
1 head of garlic, cut in half (no need to peel)
1-2 Tbsp sea salt
1-2 Tbsp vinegar (depending on size of chicken)
3 celery sticks, chopped (I don't use because my husband hates celery!)
parsley and/or bay leaves if you have them

Place all ingredients in a large pot and fill with water just until covered. Bring to a boil and skim off foam if it forms, then reduce heat to simmer. Keep covered and simmer for 6-24 hours. If you would like, save the parsley and add it closer to the end of the cooking time. Sally Fallon says it will "impart additional mineral ions to the broth." It seems like a very long time to simmer, but this process really draws all the rich nutrients out of the bones and imparts a delicious flavor to your broth! When finished, strain the broth through a colander into another pot. Let the remaining chicken and vegetables sit in the colander until cooled enough to handle. Then, pick out the meat (if you used a whole chicken it will be falling off the bones) and use it in chicken soup, in a casserole, chicken salad or chicken burritos. The possibilities are endless!

Storing & Using Broth
When I make a large pot of chicken broth, I typically cannot use the whole thing right away. I let it cool, then put some in a jar in the refrigerator to be used in cooking for the next few days (7 days, tops) and pour the rest into ice cube trays or other containers for freezing. When you freeze broth in an ice cube tray, pop out the frozen cubes into another storage container like a ziploc freezer bag. Then, you have chicken broth to use in recipes, 2 Tbsp at a time! I also like to measure out 4 cup portions and freeze those in a ziploc bag so that I will have them to make a quick soup for lunch. They melt very quickly in a covered pot on the stove. Then, I can just add some chopped veggies and have a delicious, homemade soup ready in twenty minutes! Broth can also be used when sauteing vegetables, meats or added to sauces instead of water.

What is your favorite soup recipe to use chicken broth in?

Seeing Red on Valentine's Day - How to Avoid Red 40

2012-02-07T05:57:00.001-08:00

If you are trying to avoid red dye for your children, Valentine's Day can be dreadful...everything is a shade of red! And it's all so pretty and tempting. Schools offer "candy grams" where you can send a bag of artificially colored and flavored candy to your kids. Oh, and their friends can send them one too! Then, at lunch on Valentine's Day well-meaning parents bring in cookies or cupcakes with red frosting. Red frosting has arguably the highest concentration of red dye per tablespoon than any other food. Then they end the day by bringing home cards from one another that appear to be simply a vehicle for more candy.

The Feingold Association is calling for better research in this article published in their blue book which is free to download on their website.

Scientists who study the effects of additives on behavior have traditionally studied only the handful of allowed
synthetic food colorings, ignoring the other 12,000 food additives now in use but never tested for
behavioral or neurological effects. Safety studies usually test each additive alone, although we eat lots of
them together, often combined in a single product. A landmark study (Lau 2006), recently found that two
additives commonly used together inhibited developing neurons many times more than they were expected to
do, based on the damage each caused alone. More studies on such common combinations are urgently needed.

This article explains that the only scientific studies that have been conducted about the effect of food dyes have used levels far below what the average American actually ingests in a day. The Nutrition Foundation, a group of food additive and chemical companies, recommends studies use 27 mg/day in studies about ADHD & diet. This article suggests that back in 1977 (when these studies were conducted) the average American was ingesting more like 327 mg/day! I would imagine that number has only grown and, that it doubles or triples for the average child on a holiday!

So, if you want to keep your family away from problem-causing food colors on Valentine's Day here are a few great candy companies who make wonderful, natural candies and chocolates.

Indie Candy is one of our favorites. Owned by a Feingold mom, this Birmingham, Alabama based company offers allergen free chocolates and candies. Their facility is free of the top 8 most common allergens including peanuts, gluten, milk, soy, and eggs. They have many corn-free options also. We love their big lollipops, gummi candies and cotton candy. Their chocolates are delicious as well.

The Squirrel's Nest is also owned by a Feingold family and is located in Delaware. The Natural Candy Store features lots of additive-free candy as well. All of these websites will list their candy as stage one or stage two of Feingold and usually offer specials around holidays.

There are also locally found candies that are natural. Check your Feingold materials for brandnames!

And if you are in the Atlanta area, check out Sarah Kate's Bakery for Feingold approved cupcakes and sweet treats in a variety of delicious flavors. They also offer gluten and dairy free options!

Grilled Pork Loin

2012-01-24T05:10:00.000-08:00

This recipe is ALWAYS a big hit with my family and guests as well. And it is so easy. It pairs perfectly with Pioneer Woman’s Crash Hot Potatoes and a big salad, such as this Greek Salad. The only trick is remembering to marinate your pork at least 3-6 hours ahead of time so it can soak up the flavor and get nice and tender. It is actually best when you marinate overnight. The acid of the lemon juice really tenderizes the pork.

I buy Good Nature pork from BJ’s. Their pork is raised without EVER giving them antibiotics or growth stimulants and feed them a 100% vegetarian diet. You can read more about Good Nature here.

I can’t afford to buy organically raised, pastured meat all the time for my family of five. I know that Good Nature might not be doing everything right, but at least I feel like it’s a better choice, and one I can afford. A boneless pork loin at BJ’s is $2.99/lb. It comes whole and I slice it into steaks for this recipe. Last time I made this, my very picky four year old asked me if I could make this every night!

2 lbs. boneless pork loin, sliced into steaks of medium thickness

¾ cup lemon juice* (or lime)

½ cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, sliced or minced

1 tsp sea salt

3 Tbsp dried oregano

Mix all ingredients except pork to make the marinade. Place pork in a large resealable bag or place it in a large glass baking dish. Pour the marinade over the pork and seal the container. Place it in the refrigerator for 3 hours or overnight. Preheat the grill and grill the pork turning once until done. Meat should reach an internal temperature of 140-160 degrees farenheit on a meat thermometer.

*I keep a bottle of 100% lemon juice in the fridge. Minute Maid makes a good one sold in the freezer section that is just lemon juice, no preservatives. Also, Lakewood Organic does too. It’s easier and more affordable than keeping fresh lemons all the time.

Greek Salad

2012-01-24T05:04:00.000-08:00

This salad is so delicious. It is a great accompaniment for Grilled Pork Loin and is also a perfect salad to take to a potluck because it is filling and pre-dressed, so people don’t have to take time to choose a dressing while getting their food.

1 head romaine lettuce, rinsed, dried and chopped

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1 small can pitted black olives

1 green bell pepper, chopped (stage 2)

2 large tomatoes, chopped (stage 2)

1 cucumber, sliced (stage 2)

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

6 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp dried oregano

1 lemon juiced, or 2 Tbsp lemon juice*

½ tsp garlic powder or 1-2 cloves of garlic minced

½ tsp sea salt or to taste

Pepper to taste

In a large salad bowl, combine the romaine, onion, olives, pepper, tomatoes, cucumber and cheese. Whisk together the oil, lemon juice, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper. The fresh garlic will be more potent and a little spicy (because raw garlic is spicy). Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. If you need to replace stage 2 veggies with stage 1, try diced zucchini and mushrooms.

I keep a bottle of 100% lemon juice in the fridge. Minute Maid makes a good one sold in the freezer section that is just lemon juice, no preservatives. Also, Lakewood Organic does too. It’s easier and more affordable than keeping fresh lemons all the time.

Natural Cleaning Solutions for the Home

2012-01-19T09:31:00.000-08:00

Most cleaners sold in the store are full of toxic chemicals. Anything we breathe or touch enters our body, our bloodstream and eventually makes it's way to our brain. Some people get migraines from breathing these chemicals, some even feel loopy, frustrated or depressed when exposed to these chemicals. And, an array of autoimmune diseases and cancers have been linked to exposure to toxins like these as well. Lighten your family's toxic load by making homemade cleaners from just a few simple ingredients.

If you have more than one bathroom in the house, I suggest making these in double or triple batches and filling one bottle for every sink in the house. If you have one under the kitchen sink and one in each bathroom, how much easier will it be to clean. And you will have to mix up your cleaners less often. I know it feels like an extra chore to mix the cleaners up, but it really doesn't take long and will save you money and a potential headache (or worse health problem) from using the smelly, toxic namebrand cleaners. I have an old printout from Mothers for Clean Air that I can't find online anymore. These recipes have been so helpful to me, so I thought I'd share them.

*Tip: Empty your spray bottles and wash them well so you can reuse them, or buy new, empty ones at the store. The gardening section usually has nice, sturdy ones. Put a label on the bottle so you remember what cleaner it is and include the recipe to make it on the bottle. That way when you need to mix up a new batch you don't have to go searching for the recipe. And, a funnel is super helpful for filling the bottles with your fresh batch of cleaning solution!

All Purpose Cleaner
4 cups warm water
2 tsp borax
4 Tbsp white vinegar
a couple drops of essential oil if you want it to smell nice

Homemade Soft Scrub
1 2/3 cups baking soda
1/2 cup liquid soap (I used a Feingold approved peppermint oil soap)
2 tablespoons vinegar
1/2 cup water
few drops of essential oil if your soap doesn't have it already (lemon is nice)
Mix soda and soap. Add water, then add vinegar and mix with a wire whisk until well blended. Store in a squirt-top bottle and shake before using. Rinse thoroughly to avoid leaving a residue.

Steam Vac Solution
1 gallon warm water
4 drops dish detergent
1/8 cup borax
4 Tbsp white vinegar

Disinfectant
1 gallon warm water + 1/2 cup borax.
If you don't rinse this solution off, it should inhibit mold & mildew from growing.

Floor cleaner
1/2 cup vinegar or 1/4 cup borax in 1 gallon water

Countertop stains: rub with moist baking soda

Metal cleaners & polishes
Brass & Copper - paste of lemon juice & salt
Chrome - wipe with vinegar, rinse with water then dry
Silver - Soak silver about 5 minutes in a quart of warm water containing a tablespoon of baking soda, a tablespoon of salt and a piece of aluminum foil.
Stainless steel - Paste of baking soda and water.

Window & Glass Cleaner
1 quart warm water+1/2-1 cup vinegar

Decal removal
Soak in hot water, use vinegar or coat with peanut butter and let set overnight.

Drain cleaner
Use plunger or drain snake to remove any obstructions. Then pour 1/2 cup baking soda followed by 1/2 cup vinegar. Wait a few minutes and pour in 1 quart of boiling water. Repeat if needed.

Garbage Disposal Smell
Grind lemon rinds in disposal or pour baking soda in disposal.

Mold & Mildew
-Make a concentrated solution of borax & water to clean affected areas.
-Scrub mildew spots with baking soda or borax, sponge with white vinegar.
-Mix 2 parts baking soda to 1 part borax. Sprinkle on surfaces, dampen and allow to sit for a time to absorb odors. Scrub & rinse.

Fabric Softener
-1/4-1/2 cup baking soda in rinse water
-Add 1 cup vinegar or 1/4 cup baking soda during final rinse
-use 1/2 cup borax & half the amount of detergent usually used per load

Laundry bleach
Use 1/2 cup white vinegar in rinse water to brighten dark clothing
Substitute 1/2 cup borax per wash load to whiten whites and brighten colors and to remove spots.

Stain Pretreatment
Make a paste of baking soda and water and spread on stain. Wet with vinegar. Soak in soapy water.

Spray Starch
For regular fabrics, dissolve 2 Tbsp cornstarch in a pint of cold water; store in a spray bottle.

Our favorite baked salmon recipe: Salmon with Cream Sauce

2012-01-12T10:04:00.000-08:00

This is our favorite baked salmon. Even my kids love it!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Bake salmon filet (skin side down if it has skin) for 20 minutes or until fish is opaque.
While salmon is baking prepare sauce. In a small saucepan combine:

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup lemon juice
pinch of salt or Morton's Nature's seasoning salt
pinch of parsley
1/2 cup sour cream
*option to add 2 Tbsp capers if you have them (I usually don't)

Cook the oil and garlic for about a minute, then, add the other ingredients and simmer for 2-4 minutes, or just until heated through.

Serve the salmon with the sauce on top.
If you are anything like my family, double the sauce recipe!

Triple Chocolate Ben 10 Birthday Cake

2012-01-10T08:08:00.000-08:00

My youngest turned 4 this weekend! It has been so much fun celebrating with him. He has been thrilled about every aspect of his birthday. He eats, lives and breathes Ben 10 lately and wanted everyone to dress up like a Ben 10 character for his party. He was Ben and I was Ben's cousin Gwen. His brothers were two different versions of Ben (he looks different at different ages throughout the TV series) and dad was Swampfire, an alien hero. J Blaze was thoroughly happy with his party and wore his new omnitrix watch until I forced him to take it off at bedtime. Sweet little boy!

His birthday cake request was for a chocolate cake with chocolate chips and chocolate frosting. I must say he made a great choice! It was delicious! I used Kathryn's coconut flour chocolate cupcake recipe from her wonderful blog, ChaCha's Gluten Free Kitchen. I make these chocolate cupcakes all the time and love them! I doubled the recipe and made four 9-inch round cake layers with it. I sprinkled chocolate chips on each layer and sort of mixed them in lightly before baking. I greased the pans and put parchment in the bottom of them and the layers came out very easily. I made my favorite Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting. It is very simple: melt 1 stick of butter, add 2/3 cup cocoa powder and alternately add 3-4 cups powdered sugar and 3-5 Tbsp milk (I used coconut milk) until creamy. Layer the frosting between each of the 4 cake layers and enjoy! I served it with my homemade coconut milk ice cream.

For those interested, the cake represents the Omnitrix, Ben 10's watch. It was very easy to make and the green center is colored naturally with chlorophyl. We handed out glow bracelets at the door and played an alien shooting game that I got at Party City. Then, we melted an alien that had been frozen overnight in water in a plastic tub. I dumped the block of ice in the empty water table in the backyard and filled pots of warm water. The kids lined up and took turns dumping cups of warm water on the alien until it was freed. Thanks to this blog post for the idea. Then, they just played in the backyard. I have learned over the years of birthday parties with three boys, that simple is almost always more fun!

And lastly, thanks to my mom, sister and my girlfriends who make throwing kids' birthday parties so much more manageable! They are always there to help serve the cake, scoop the ice cream, clean my kitchen and everything in between!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

2012-01-06T06:47:00.000-08:00

I have been hesitant to try making these again. Sometime last year I tried a recipe that didn't go over well with the kids. They didn't stick together well enough and were not enough like the store bought bars that they love. Store bought granola bars are such a treat for me because they're such an easy snack to send to school or take on the road for errands. The kids are always excited about them because, let's face it, they're kind of like having a cookie for a snack! Well, I decided to give it another try because I found my favorite brand of natural chocolate chips in mini-size! I found them at World Market along with Glee Gum and several European versions of candy which is made with natural vanilla and no artificial colors. That is because artificial colors and flavors are regulated by the European governments. So, Mars and Nestle make a natural version of all their candies for Europe and Canada and continue to sell Americans the cheaper versions made with petroleum in them.

Back to the granola bars. I made a couple of tweaks this time. The mini chocolate chips are key. Also, I switched to using the quick cooking oats instead of whole rolled oats. If you want to use whole rolled oats, you can pulse them in your food processor a few times until they are broken down and smaller. I found that this helps the bars stick together and be more compact, which makes them more like the store-bought version and less messy for on-the-go eating. My main motivation in making these is to save money. My kids will blow through a $2.50 box of 6 bars in two days. Now I can make them for a fraction of the cost.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

4 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup all-purpose flour (I used gluten free flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup butter (softened) or coconut oil (melted, but not hot)
1 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 cups mini chocolate chips (or raisins/nuts if you prefer)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, flour, baking soda, vanilla, butter or coconut oil, honey and brown sugar.
Stir in the 2 cups assorted mini chocolate chips (or raisins/nuts if using).
Mix well (using hands if necessary) until a sticky ball forms.
Press evenly into prepared pan. Pack it down well so the bars will be flat on top.

Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until the entire top is golden brown. Let cool completely before cutting into bars. Wrap individually and enjoy!

Caramel Popcorn Snack Mix

2011-12-22T13:10:00.000-08:00

This is a great crowd pleaser as a munchie at a party and is also perfect for a holiday gift for co-workers, neighbors and friends.

It's also easy. I made a batch this morning in a grand total of 10-15 minutes. You can add in some peanuts and pecans for a real treat, but my kids don't like them, so I usually leave the nuts out.

6 cups popped popcorn
3 cups Crispix cereal
2 cups Cheerio-like cereal
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter cubed
1/4 cup simple sugar syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp baking soda
*optional 1 cup pecan halves &
1 cup dry roasted peanuts

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees & grease a large, metal roasting pan.
2. Pop the popcorn. Easiest & cheapest way to pop healthy popcorn: brown paper lunchbag! I've found that every microwave is different, but in mine, I add 1/4 cup plain popcorn kernels to the bag, fold down the top of the bag with two small folds. Place it in the microwave and cook it for 1 minute, 50 seconds. It almost perfectly pops with very few leftover kernels. And, this also makes a perfect amount (about 6 cups) for this recipe!
3. Mix together the popcorn, nuts if using, Crispix & Cheerio-like cereal on the greased roasting pan.
4. On stovetop, combine the brown sugar, sugar syrup & butter and bring to a boil. Boil until temperature on a candy thermometer reaches 250 degrees.
5. Remove from heat, add vanilla & baking soda. Immediately pour over popcorn mixture and toss around to coat.
6. Cook in 250 degree oven for an hour (45 minutes works too!). Stir it a couple of times while baking.

Danielle's Meat & Spinach Casserole

2011-12-21T12:46:00.000-08:00

My campus minister's wife, Danielle Sweeney, used to make this casserole for us on Thursday nights. Many college students would descend upon her house during the freezing Vermont winters and this was a very satisfying dinner for all! She was also famous for having a chocolate layer cake under her glass cake stand in the kitchen and she always put chocolate chips in the batter so it was incredibly decadent and delicious!This is my favorite recipe to make for families who have just had a baby because it's very comforting!

2 lbs ground turkey or beef
1 1/2 tsp your favorite seasoning salt
1 tsp ground pepper
32 oz marinara sauce
8 oz elbow or rotini macaroni
3 10 oz pkgs chopped frozen spinach (thawed & drained)
2 c. sour cream
1 c. parmesan or romano cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brown the meat in a skillet. Add salt, pepper & marinara sauce. Cook pasta until slightly under cooked. Rinse and drain, add to meat mixture. In a 9x13 pan, layer the meat mixture, a layer of spinach, a layer of sour cream, then sprinkle with cheese. Repeat the layering process. Bake at 350 degrees until brown & bubbly (usually about 30 minutes). Pairs perfectly with a big salad! My secret to getting my kids to love it is that I used fresh spinach, pulsed it in the food processor and added it to the meat to cook. That way they never knew it was there!

*for Feingolders, this is stage two and you would need to make a stage one sauce to sub for the marinara to make it stage one...like an un-tomato sauce.

Homemade Devil Dogs - Gluten Free

2011-12-21T05:11:00.000-08:00

2 cups all-purpose gluten free flour
1 tsp guar or xanthan gum (unless your all purpose flour already includes this)
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
6 Tbsp butter, melted
1 recipe vanilla buttercream frosting

Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl and whisk them together. Add buttermilk, egg and melted butter. Stir, just until blended.

Prepare a large resealable (ziploc) bag by snipping off about an inch of one corner of the bag. Spoon batter into the prepared bag. Pipe logs of batter onto your parchment paper. I made mini sandwiches and mine were about 3x1 inch logs before baking. Bake until firm to the touch, about 9-12 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely.

Pipe the frosting on the bottom of one cookie and place the bottom of another cookie on top. Voila! Devil Dog. If you don't have a piping bag, just snip the corner off another ziploc bag and fill with frosting to complete this step.

Healthy Treat - Homemade Hot Fudge Brownie "Larabar"

2011-11-07T11:24:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my friend, Renee, for reccomending this recipe. And thanks to Chocolate Covered Katie for posting it on her blog! Just click here for the recipe straight from her blog.

I made these thinking they would be an okay diet food. You know, the ones you eat because that's all you can eat and it's good for you. Oh my, I was very surprised! These are delicious!! And they are grain free, no added sugar (only what's naturally in the dates) and still taste like a dessert!

My three year old can't get enough of them. He proudly announced to the little girl we were carpooling with on the way to preschool this morning that he has a special chocolate bar in his lunchbox and "it has no sugah in it". I guess he heard me telling my husband that. Ha!

So, after you blend together the nuts, dates, vanilla, salt and cocoa powder you come upon the challenge of how to shape the crumbly mixture into bars. I pulled out my mini candy bar mold I bought last Halloween to make homemade candy bars.

[That was before I found out that Aldi brand mini candy bars have real vanilla!] It was super easy to press the mixture in the candy bar mold and the little bars popped right out, perfectly shaped. This will be key for getting my older boys to try them. If it looks too messy and homemade they are very suspicious!

If you make them or another of her flavors, let me know how you like them!

Buffalo Hot Wings and Chili Stackos for a Crowd

2011-10-02T13:38:00.000-07:00

It's football season and the temperature is dropping! Check out my friend April's new blog called The Game Changer. She is going to help all us women keep up with football and learn how to follow it - at least enough to talk to our husbands about it. That way we don't become football widows in the fall, but we enjoy the season too! Thanks, April!

Here are some of my favorite recipes for this season that are perfect for tailgating and football parties! And yes they are a little better for you than the traditional store-bought wings and chili from a can.

My boys are all crazy about Buffalo Hot Wings. It is the most requested item when I give them a choice. And I never knew how easy it was to make them at home instead of buying the frozen bag o' wings that have an ingredients list a whole paragraph long and are often breaded. These homemade hot wings involve 3 simple ingredients and are baked, not fried. Sometimes I buy frozen wings that are already separated, but lately I've been buying the fresh (not frozen) wings that still are intact. It is a little more work, but I like not having to thaw them before cooking. If the wings haven't been separated, you'll need a pair of kitchen scissors or a sharp knife and a cutting board. You have to cut each wing in two places, at each joint. Discard the tip (skinny part) and throw the other two wing parts on the greased baking sheet.

Buffalo Hot Wings

Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick spray
Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees
Separate wings at the joints (if not yet separated) and spread them in an even layer on the baking sheet
Sprinkle with salt and pepper (I use Morton's Nature's Seasons seasoning blend)
Bake at 450 degrees for 35 minutes.
While the wings cook, melt 2 Tbsp butter in the microwave.
Add 3 Tbsp TexasPete Hot Sauce & whisk with the melted butter.
When wings are fully cooked, add them to a large bowl and pour the hot sauce/butter mixture over them.
If the bowl has a cover, close it tightly and shake to coat. If no lid is available, just stir well to coat.

Serve with blue cheese dressing (or dairy free ranch dressing) and carrot sticks or your veggies of choice.

Easy Chili and How to Make Stack-os for a Crowd

Chili is one of our favorite weekend meals too. My kids like it better if I use crushed tomatoes instead of the whole or diced that I used to use. Also, I mash the beans slightly before adding them so the kids can't find distinguishable chunks. They now love it!

We have a strong tradition in my side of the family called Stack-os. It all began circa 1982 at the Knoxville World's Fair. I was 5 years old and was there with my parents and our best friends, the Garretts. Apparently, someone at the fair was selling little bags of fritos with a scoop of chili in the bag and served with shredded cheese and toppings. People were walking around with "Stackos" in a bag with a fork at the Fair. We still serve Stackos whenever we meet the Garretts and our other 'Bama friends in the Smoky Mountains every year and I serve them often at my house for Bonfire or Football Parties.

Easy Homemade Chili
(double, triple or quadruple based on how many you are serving)
1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 large onion, chopped (or 4 Tbsp dried chopped onion)
2 cloves garlic, crushed (or 1/4 tsp garlic powder)
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin*
1 tsp dried oregano*
1 tsp cocoa powder*
1 can (16 oz) diced tomatoes undrained (or crushed for no chunks)
1 can (16 oz) your favorite beans undrained (I like kidney, pinto or black)
*for a quicker option, omit these 3 ingredients and double the chili powder to 2 Tbsp

Brown the meat, add chopped onions and spices. Add tomatoes and beans and heat to boiling. Cover and simmer about an hour or serve immediately if you need to!
Add water if you want a thinner consistency or if reheating chili the next day.

Garnishes for Stackos include:
Rice
Fritos
Shredded cheese
Sour Cream
Hot Sauce
Chopped fresh tomatoes
Chopped lettuce
Olives

This is perfect for a large potluck style gathering. Just assign an item or two to each guest to bring and you provide the chili. Instant Stacko Party!

Homemade Beef Jerky from Deliciously Organic

2011-08-03T07:59:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in the last post, I made donuts with the boys yesterday. I had also been planning to make beef jerky. They have recently discovered they love beef jerky. I will sometimes buy them Wellshire Farms Turkey Jerky sticks, but they are way too expensive! When I saw this recipe from Carrie Vitt at Deliciously Organic I knew I had to try it.

So, while the yeast dough for the donuts was rising yesterday I sliced the beef & the boys made the marinade. I marinated it overnight and cooked it first thing this morning. It has to marinate for 6-8 hours and cook at 200 degrees for 4 hours, so plan accordingly. But, it is a really affordable alternative to buying natural jerky and will be a good, high-protien snack for the kids to take to school. My boys do much better staying on task at school when they have a steady stream of protien throughout the day.

Here is a picture of our jerky cooking in the oven.

Glazed Donuts

2011-08-03T07:42:00.000-07:00

Well, it's the last two weeks before school starts and I am enjoying some great time at home with the kids. We made these delicious glazed donuts yesterday and sprinkled them with Let's Do Organic sprinkles. The glaze was very, very good. I added some cocoa powder to half of it, so some were chocolate glazed. And the holes I put in a brown paper bag with some powdered sugar while still hot and shook them so they were coated. Then, I put some glaze in a plastic bottle with a nozzle and squirted the glaze inside some of the donut holes. I decided to make them extra special since I don't let the kids get donuts out ever, so they deserved an extra shot of frosting in their homemade donut holes! Ha! I have a nifty donut cutter that I got at a kitchen outlet store in TN. That made them super easy to make too. And I got to teach the kids about what yeast is & how it works. Thanks, Paula Deen!

Here is a not-so-pretty pic of our donuts.

Homemade Frozen Yogurt

2011-07-08T12:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, so Pinkberry is delicious! We love it. And, last time I checked the ingredients in their yogurts are pretty natural, except I wish they didn't use dextrose (corn sweetener) in it. They also offer fruit, nuts & natural "organic" gummi bears for toppings. Another plus for Pinkberry. However, taking a family of 5 out for frozen yogurt at Pinkberry is very expensive!! So, I decided to figure out how to make it myself.

It is incredibly easy!

Mix together:
1 large container of yogurt
(I used a 32 oz container of Dannon natural plain yogurt which is only $2.99 regularly)
1 cup (I used a little less) of white sugar or your sweetener of choice
1 tsp vanilla

Some say you should put this mixture back in the fridge for a few hours. I didn't. I just mixed it really well so that the sugar wasn't grainy & put it right in my ice cream maker. I turned it on & voila! About 30 minutes later I had frozen yogurt! I also did a large container of O Soy & Co. soy yogurt this way & it turned out equally yummy. (husband is lactose intolerant). If you haven't been to Pinkberry you should know that this frozen yogurt is tart & tastes more like yogurt than ice cream. But, if you or the kids don't like the tartness that much, just mix in some chocolate syrup, pureed fruit or other such sweet mix-in & it will cover most of the tartness. I like mine with strawberry puree & chocolate chips!

Pinkberry for my family would run us about $20 or more.
I can do it homemade for $2.99!

Deals this week

2011-06-20T05:35:00.000-07:00

So, I've started getting the Sunday paper and making a list for each local store and what is on sale where. I know this is baby stuff in the couponing world, but I have just been a loyal Publix customer for the past couple years and only would buy what was on sale there...basically ignoring the other stores. But, I'm enjoying the game of finding the cheapest of everything now. I only pay attention to things my family would eat, so I will not list any other deals that may be out there. And this is just my personal list of what I need this week. I am pretty stocked on staple items from previous sales.

Aldi
strawberries $1.29/lb
cantaloupe $.99 each
plums, nectarines & peaches $.35/each
and I've recently discovered these two things my family loves
at Aldi to satisfy their sweet tooth without me having to turn the oven on:
homestyle chocolate chip cookies $1.99
assorted mini candy bars with real vanilla flavoring! $1.99

Kroger
pineapple $2.50
asparagus $2.49
Silverbrite Salmon $4.99/lb
Hebrew National dogs B1G1
Lays chips $1.99

Ingles
So Delicious coconut milk B1G1
Vans frozen organic waffles 2/$5
Springer Mountain Farms organic chicken breasts 24 oz/$6.48 ($4.32/lb)

Publix (only good through Wed 6/22)
Kozy Shack puddings B1G1
Breyers ice cream B1G1
and so happy that Publix now carries bags of Yummy Earth gummi worms up near the registers. Go Publix!

Homemade Pop Tarts, Cheesy Crackers & Graham Crackers

2011-06-14T18:29:00.000-07:00

I have these three things on my list to make for the kids when I have time. This week is VBS so it won't be this week!

These pop tarts from Smitten Kitchen look delicious & pretty easy (especially if you have a food processor to mix the dough in!). Just a note, nutella has fake vanilla, so if you want a chocolate filling, just melt some chocolate chips in the microwave. I have seen some new chocolate hazelnut spread in the organic section of Kroger that has real vanilla (and is very expensive!).

Lisa from 100 Days of Real Food blog has a really easy cheesy cracker recipe that I want to try. You can cut out little shapes (like fish) if you feel like it, or just make circles!

And, finally, in the comments to that cheesy cracker post I found a recipe for graham crackers that I'm going to have to try. I'm hoping it's easy & will save me some money on buying graham crackers for making s'mores at our backyard bonfires! If you want that graham cracker recipe, just scroll down in the cheesy crackers post to the comments and not far down you'll see it. It was posted by someone named Sheri.

Homemade Smoked Salmon

2011-05-20T10:23:00.000-07:00

I know that smoked salmon is an acquired taste. I definitely didn't grow up with it, but I married into a Russian-Jewish family and learned to love it! My husband was born in Moscow and immigrated to Boston when he was six years old. His parents, Ed and Tanya, are excellent cooks and have taught me how to make some delicious Russian dishes like Stuffed Cabbage, Stuffed Peppers, Tschi Soup (Cabbage soup) and Salad Olivier. These are all some of my husband's favorite dishes. Ed and Tanya are known for figuring out how to make everything on their own. They are very frugal and would tell you that it tastes better when they make it anyway - and they are right!

When we visit them on Cape Cod, there are a few things our family really looks forward to eating. One of them is smoked salmon. Of course, they make it themselves. My middle son, Camden, especially loves it and when I make baked salmon he always asks me if it's "old" or not. That is his interesting interpretation of what smoked salmon is?

I scored some salmon at BJ's this week and it was too much for one dinner, so I called my father-in-law to find out how to make it "old". I was excited to surprise Cam. It was so easy and we had it for breakfast this morning. Camden was indeed very excited. He even asked if he could take it for snack to school, but I already had yogurt packed:)

Homemade Lox a.k.a. Smoked Salmon without a smoker

Cut your raw salmon into pieces about the size of a personal dinner portion
Mix the following in a bowl or bag:
3 parts salt
2 parts sugar
Put the salmon pieces in a shallow pan or dish
Coat them with a thick coating of the above salt/sugar mixture, flip & coat the other side
Cover the pan with aluminum foil
Place in fridge for 2-3 days
Flip the salmon every morning and night
After 2-3 days, take out the salmon pieces. Slice one piece into thin slices, wrap & refrigerate. Wrap the other pieces in plastic wrap & aluminum foil & place in the freezer. Thaw as needed.

Ed, my FIL told me they don't usually rinse theirs when it is ready. My husband said it was too salty for him, so I gave ours a quick rinse. Ed also said they let theirs "cure" at room temperature for 1-2 days. I got food safety certified this year for my bakery by taking an 8 hour course on food borne illness, so I had a hard time leaving it at room temp. I just put mine in the fridge so I wouldn't worry about it.

It was DELICIOUS! We enjoyed it this morning on some buttered toast.

*Money saving tip: Ed said they have also done the same recipe with Steel Head Trout, which is cheaper than Salmon & also a nice red/pink fish. I will try this next time.

Berry Smoothie

2011-05-17T05:27:00.000-07:00

I had a free frozen drink on my Panera Rewards Card last week & got my son a berry smoothie with it. I read the ingredients on the berry syrup they use & it was natural enough. Just berries & sugar mostly. Then, I watched how she made it so I could copy it at home. I'm glad I did because that was a really good smoothie!

I buy these big bags of organic mixed berries frozen from BJs. They have strawberries, blackberries, raspberries & blueberries. So, I thawed them and pureed them in my food processor, then strained them through a fine mesh strainer. You really have to take a couple minutes for this. Use a spatula & push it around. The goal is to get the berry puree into a bowl beneath & capture most of the seeds in your strainer. I've used this berry mix to make the kids smoothies before & they were a little crunchy because of all the seeds. That was not their favorite.

Now I have a tall jar of mixed berry puree in the fridge.
Here is my copycat version of a Panera Berry Smoothie...

Add to blender-
1 cup ice
2 ice cream scoops of your favorite vanilla yogurt
(they use Stonyfield Farms at Panera, I saw her scoop it)
maybe 1/4 cup of berry puree (I just poured a little in until it looked right)

Blend until it is smooth & creamy. Taste it & add sugar if you think it needs it.

Baking - Muffins & Snack Bars

2011-02-20T18:24:00.000-08:00

The boys are off school this week & when they're home all the time they seem to eat more! I decided to make some homemade (a.k.a. cheaper) snacks for them to curb their hunger.

This is my favorite, easy muffin recipe posted by another Feingold mom on her blog (http://www.gotpetroleum.blogspot.com/). It is super easy & versatile. I have made it with regular or gluten free flour, with egg or egg replacer and with rice or cow's milk or just plain water in it's place if I'm out of milk. They have always come out great! Thanks, Dana, for the great recipe! Tonight I made them with mashed bananas instead of pumpkin, used my favorite GF flour blend & half rice milk, half water. The beauty is that you can use 1-2 cups of whatever fruit you have on hand - pureed/mashed canned pears, applesauce, bananas, pumpkin... I also made them mini sized tonight so they will last longer...I hope!

I also made these Fruit & Grain Bars for snacks. This is a really easy one too! I made a whole pan with wheat flour & coconut oil & a half pan with gluten free flour & oats & coconut oil. (I was out of butter tonight after making lots of frosting for my neice's birthday this weekend!)

Easy Fruit & Grain Bars (think Nutrigrain without petroleum)

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1.5 cups rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter (softened or melted)
about 1 cup-ish of preserves or jelly

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the first 5 ingredients. Press half of them in a prepared 9x13 baking dish. Spread your favorite preserves in a thin layer on top. Crumble the rest of the mixture on top & mash down to form an even layer. Bake for about 20 minutes. Let cool completely & cut into bars.

To make them GFCF, use 2 cups of your favorite GF flour, GF oats & CF butter sub (I used coconut oil). Tonight I used pear preserves on half the pan & raspberry on the other half. I sprinkled some chopped pecans on a little portion for myself! If you don't have any preserves that your family can eat, I have boiled actual fruit in water until it is very soft & pureed it with some sugar, then spread it on for the middle layer before. It worked!

Mango Chicken Curry and Robin's Vegetarian Curry

2010-08-16T10:36:00.000-07:00

I love Indian Food! I often make Mango Chicken Curry at home and serve it with a bunch of sauteed vegetables on the side instead of rice to make it low carb. My friend, Robin, made this delicious vegetarian curry which she brought to our family group potluck yesterday. I loved it too. So, this is a homemade indian food post with both recipes! Here is a link to Robin's Vegetarian Curry: http://giddyrobin.blogspot.com/2010/08/vegetarian-curry.html

Here is my mango, chicken curry recipe. You can easily sub in pineapples for the mangos. I find it easier to use the pre-cut frozen mangos and don't think they're more expensive than buying a fresh mango. Mangos are not my favorite fruit to peel and chop. I get a frozen bag of them at Trader Joes.

Mango Chicken Curry
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 medium sweet red pepper, sliced thin
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into thin strips
1 Tbsp curry powder
2 tsp minced fresh gingerroot
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (if you like the heat - I usually just add it to my plate)
1 cup chopped, peeled mango
3/4 cup coconut milk
2 Tbsp tomato paste

Saute onion and pepper in vegetable oil until tender. Add chicken, spices & salt and saute until chicken is cooked through. Add coconut milk and tomato paste and stir until combined. Let this come to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for a few minutes or however long you need for your rice to be ready! At the very end add your mango or pineapple chunks and serve with rice or veggies.

Hints:
*One can of coconut milk is about 1.5 cups, so I double the recipe except for the chicken and add some veggies to fill it out, or just have extra sauce for your rice to soak up (also a great option!). I've added squash, tomatoes, mushrooms, more peppers.
*A tip about tomato paste is that it's really nice if you can get the paste in a tube instead in a can. That way you can use just 2-4 Tbsp and put the cap on and store it in the fridge.

Hello Summer! a.k.a. "What are We Going to Do Today, Mom?"

2010-05-28T19:25:00.000-07:00

Here is a list I've been compiling for a few years of things we enjoy doing....me and the boys that is. My oldest has always been very eager to go, go, go and kept me on my toes for the first 5 years of his life. He challenged me to be creative and resourceful and find lots of things to do! I'm sure you probably have your own great ideas to add to the list. Leave your ideas as comments so we can all benefit from them! This is a picture of Kyler building with mini marshmallows and toothpicks.

Things to do at home:

[I keep an arts & crafts supply stash in the laundry room next to the kitchen complete with a basket full of scrap paper, coloring books, etc and a plastic drawer caddy full of stickers, stamps, stencils and other various artsy junk I collect for free or cheap along the way. One trick for younger kids & art on paper is to tape their paper to the table with masking tape. That way they don't get frustrated with the paper constantly moving and falling to the ground while they work.]

1. Make a birdfeeder – you can use an old, stale bagel or a pinecone. Slather it with peanut butter or coconut oil. Then, roll it in something birds like to eat. It could be cheap birdseed, sunflower seeds, nuts, etc. Then, tie a piece of yarn around the bagel/pinecone and hang it from a tree branch. Voila! [I get bags of cheap birdseed at Big Lots]

2. Make potato stamps – cut a potato in half. Pick out a couple cookie cutter designs and push them into the cut end of the potato. Cut around the potato to expose the shape of the cookie cutter. Use this to dip in the paint or pudding and let ‘em have at it. *Tip – I always tape down the corners of a large piece of craft paper on the table with masking tape. This keeps the paper from sliding and therefore keeps the kids from painting the table.

3. Make teddy bear wagons – have them pick out their favorite teddy bear (or other stuffed animal). You find an empty diaper box (or other such box a little bigger than a shoe box). Remove the flaps on top. Cover the sides with construction paper. Poke two holes in one side of the box near the top and thread some yarn through them. This will be the handle to pull the wagon with. Let your child decorate the wagon with dots to glue on, with markers or with curly ribbon. Let them come up with a name for it too. That is always fun!

4. Tissue paper flower pictures. Use some of your crumpled gift tissue paper. Tear off little pieces and twist them in your fingers. Let the kids put lots of glue on the craft paper and then let them stick the twisted tissue paper on the glue to make the blooms.

5. Fingerpaint with pudding. Self-explanatory. But, let me encourage you to use some natural pudding. There are brands of boxed pudding that don’t use food coloring or artificial flavoring in their pudding mix.

6. Each of my kids has their own sketch book. They can draw in it anytime they want. Kyler is 7 and has filled cover to cover at least 3, maybe 4 sketch books. I love to look back at his work.

7. Build a fort with the pillows. Sometimes my kids build a “zoo” in the living room. They use the pillows to make areas for each type of animal and either put their toy animals in the zoo or become animals themselves.

8. Cook with the kids. My kids have loved to help me cook since they were toddlers. I have a stepstool in the kitchen. They love to just pour the dry ingredients into the bowl and then stir it SLOWLY (must be emphasized to little boys). They especially love licking the spoon and eating the fresh-baked goodies. At holidays, do this with the kids and let them help you put them into pretty bags to give your friends.

9. Active indoor games: Throw the soft object (wad of paper, small pillow) into the bucket. See who can make the shot from furthest away. Make an obstacle course with household objects. Play “name that animal” – similar to charades, but the kids get to leave the room one at a time and come back in as an animal for all to guess.

Outdoor Adventures

1. Bubbles or chalk in the driveway. Don't forget to outline their body and let them decorate their outline.

2. Find a great, grassy hill and teach them to roll down it.

3. Nature Hunt – draw several natural objects on a piece of paper (for example – a rock, a leaf, a stick, a pinecone, a pine needle). Give it to your kids and their friends and tell them to find each object. Maybe have a prize!

4. Take their riding toys to a cool park with sidewalks or trails. Go riding. Make sure to bring water and snacks.

5. Pack a picnic and go anywhere! Even taking lunch to the backyard is more exciting than the usual kitchen table.

6. Check out a new park you’ve never been to.

7. Play mini golf. If you think your kid is too young, you may be surprised. I usually ask to not pay for the younger ones, but ask if they can have a stick so they feel included. They just run around and hit the ball and have no idea what the goal is, but they think it's super cool.

8. Leaf rubbings – collect leaves in the yard, or from a nature walk. On a hard surface, lay out the leaves and put some paper on top of them. Peel the paper off of some crayons and rub them horizontally across the paper to get the markings of the leaves.

9. Paint rocks – pretty simple, really.

10. Find a local farm. Usually they have farm animals for the kids to look at and feed for free. Sometimes they have pick-your-own berries or apples or a hayride. My boys used to love going to Parlee Farm and picking berries...eat one, pick one, eat one pick one...

11. Check out your local mall and see if they have a kid’s club. Ours had a great one where kids got cheap meals, BOGO cookies, periodic activities. When I was pregnant, this was a nice break for me to walk around in the air conditioning and have lunch that I didn't have to make.

12. Visit the library and get their children’s schedule. They often have great storytimes or other activities for FREE. And if your kid is not one that will "sit" through a story, never fear because the sweet librarians seem to expect this and library storytimes are wonderfully full of songs with movements and wandering children. I used to be afraid to go because I thought my kid would be the only one who couldn't sit for a half hour.

13. Visit a Children’s Museum. I always google the name of the museum and the words coupon or discount to see if there is an online coupon out there. Often there is! For example, the Atlanta Children's Museum has Target free Tuesday (free admission) starting in the afternoon of the second Tuesday of each month.

14. Lookout for outdoor kid’s concerts or free activities. East Cobb Park in Marietta offers a free outdoor concert with Jay Memory every Wednesday from 4-7pm. We often take a picnic (or pick up Papa Johns) and go have dinner at the park.

15. Let them do ART...outside of course! My oldest is especially inclined to art projects. He is always entertained by a drawing pad or better yet a set of paints. The younger set is easily entertained on the back porch with homemade chocolate pudding and a big, white sheet of thick paper to finger paint on. The most excellent thing about outdoor art is that it (and the kid) can be cleaned up with the hose!

16. Find a free public water park. We used to go to one in Dracut, MA that was a lot of fun. I haven't found an official one in Georgia, although I have heard rumors of one. However, we have been to Centennial Olympic Park downtown and were surprised to find out that you CAN play in the sprinkler display there. It was so much fun.

Generations of Mothers

2010-05-07T07:08:00.000-07:00

My mother is an amazing woman. I am so blessed to have been raised by her, and to still be best friends with her. She shaped my character, molded my heart and taught me how to be a woman and a mother. I don’t take it for granted how lucky I am that she is still so involved in my life and in my children’s lives. I love every second of it! She is truly a godly woman, full of the Proverbs 31 attributes and more.

Growing up with my mom, I felt an amazing sense of security. She loved us deeply with words and in action. One of the things I love most about my mom is that she always has striven to be available to us – and still does. She was so reliable growing up – we always knew we could count on her to be there for us when we needed her (even when we didn’t know we needed her!). She was always home and available when we got home from school and I have such great memories of sitting around talking to her in the afternoon. She made time to take us shopping even when it was miserable to shop with a teenage girl – oh the drama! She made time to drive us back and forth to friends’ houses. She made time to make us a great family dinner everyday. She made time to make every special thing that happened during the year extra special. She still uses the birthday banners for every family birthday. She is an amazing gift giver. She always finds the perfect gifts for every occasion and is so thoughtful. She just has an amazing gift for making others feel loved.

Now that I am a mom, I appreciate her more. Being available to my kids is not easy. There are so many distractions in life. I always think about my mom’s example and want my kids to be able to feel that way about me one day – that I was available to them, that they could rely on me. My mom also made time to serve others, to make our friends feel loved, to be a great friend to others. She is an amazing keeper of her home. She has always kept her home immaculate, which made it so pleasant for us to be at home. She is also such a great shopper and saver. I am forever grateful for my mom’s example as a wife, mother and woman of God. I love you, mom!

Moms leave powerful legacies. I also have two wonderful grandmothers who have influenced me indirectly through my parents. Grandma Ruby is my mom’s mom. We affectionately called her Memaw. Grandma Ruby always lived in the same house where she raised my mom. She was such a hard worker. She grew crops and took care of the land long after her husband passed on. I love hearing stories about things she used to cook, make and how frugal she was. She had hands that showed how hard she worked. I know she passed on that character of hard work, thriftiness and prudence to my mom. My favorite memories of Memaw are of waking up at her house as a child and smelling the delicious hot breakfast she was making for us. Of course, she was always up first and already working! I also remember helping her cook. I now love to cook and treasure those memories of being in her kitchen with her and being sent to her garden to try to find vegetables. I remember being sent to find green onions and I tried so hard, but couldn’t figure out which ones they were! I remember one summer she helped us make a garden in our yard. I wish she was still here and could help me learn to garden in my yard.

Grandma Susie is my dad’s mom. I think about Grandma Susie often these days since I ended up with three little boys. Grandma Susie had 6 little boys!! My dad is the youngest. He tells me hilarious stories about all the trouble he and his brothers caused and my heart goes out to my grandmother. He tells me about how she had to throw rocks at the boys upon occasion to get them in line. Oh, how I can relate! Those six boys loved their mom so so much! They still fight over who grandma loved most and talk about her like she was an angel. That is so precious to me and I hope my boys love me that much when they are grown. My dad also tells stories about how poor they were and yet how Grandma Susie shared everything they had with neighbor kids who had less. She never turned a needy child away and always took care of others in need – even though she was raising 6 boys on her own. I know she passed on this character of loving and caring for anyone in need and especially for children to my dad. He is carrying on her legacy and has passed on that heart for serving others to me. I hope I can pass it on to my children as well by my example.

Happy Mother’s Day to my Mother and my Grandmothers.

Homemade Ranch Seasoning and Salad Dressing

2010-04-22T05:17:00.000-07:00

Ranch Dressing is a staple in our house. It is good for many things, not the least of which is getting the kids to enjoy their raw veggies more! It is good for salads, of course, but also can be a dip, used in baking great meals and is wonderful on roasted potatoes. I've recently discovered that the dry seasoning mix is a great thing to use in cooking as well. I had a big, empty spice shaker and put the dry mix in it. The recipe makes over 40 Tbsp and you only need 1 Tbsp to make a bottle of salad dressing. I shake that ranch seasoning on veggies to roast, on chicken or pork before grilling and even added it recently to a container of sour cream for a quick & easy party dip. An easy meal is to coat chicken breasts in ranch dressing and roll them in bread crumbs for "Chicken Ranch".

Ranch Seasoning & Dressing

Mix together:

2 cups Dry minced parsley flakes
1/2 cup Dry minced onion
2 tablespoons Dry dill weed
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp Onion powder
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp Garlic powder

You can blend above ingredients in food processor until powdered or just mix in a bowl and use as is - it's not absolutely necessary to blend in food processor. Put into container with tight-fitting lid. Store dry mix at room temperature for 1 year.

To Make Salad Dressing:

1 tablespoon dry seasoning mix

1 cup Mayonnaise

1 cup buttermilk or sour cream [or Follow Your Heart Soy Sour Cream]

Combine mix, mayonnaise and milk or sour cream and stir with a whisk. Add xanthan gum to thicken to your desired consistency. Store in the refrigerator.

Nearly Instant Homemade Ice Cream - no ice cream maker needed!

2010-04-19T07:14:00.000-07:00

A Feingold friend shared this link with me and it sounds like such an easy, quick way to make some homemade ice cream. I have an ice cream maker and love my homemade coconut milk ice cream. But, this is made using a blender or food processor and fresh fruit, using less refined sugar than my recipe. I am going to try it using a can of coconut milk and maybe I'll try it with rice milk too.

http://blog.cookingwithtraderjoes.com/2009/08/18/nearly-instant-homemade-ice-cream.aspx

Tostadas (a.k.a. Mexican Pizzas) and Homemade Refried Beans

2010-04-16T18:32:00.000-07:00

These Tostadas are pretty easy to make, makes for a gluten free meal, and can be easily served dairy free too. First you need either a Feingold approved can of refried beans or to make your own.

Refried Beans
In a pot, saute 1/2 cup onion in 2 Tbsp olive oil until translucent. Add 1 clove garlic, chopped, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp cumin (or more to your taste). Add a can of beans (I've used black or pinto or even white) with the juice. Mix together with onions and spice. Puree this mixture in blender/food processor -OR- puree with a handheld immersion blender (which is what I did tonight). This way you can get it all mashed and pureed together in the same pot you cooked in!

Tostadas

Corn tortillas
canola or olive oil
2 boneless chicken breasts (enough for my family of 5)
a lime or lime juice
1/2 tsp cumin
salt
shredded cheese (if you want)
refried beans
toppings: salsa, guacamole, shredded lettuce

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken breasts on a pan with sides (juice will accumulate). Season with salt and pepper. Cook chicken breasts in oven. If frozen, cook 45 minutes, if thawed, 30 minutes. Once the chicken is done, remove from oven and shred it using two forks. It was actually pretty easy to shred when it was fresh from the oven. The chicken was nice and soft. Place the shredded chicken in a bowl and season with the juice of 1 lime (about 2 Tbsp), 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp cumin and toss to coat the chicken.

Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp canola oil in a skillet and place the corn tortillas, one at a time, in the hot oil. Let them cook just until crisp and slightly browned on one side, flip with tongs and cook until crisp on the other side. [Note: they can burn if you put them in the skillet and go help a kid in the other room and forget about them for very long.] They only need a couple minutes on each side. Don't undercook them - they should get crispy like a hard taco shell. But, don't burn them either:) Remove from the pan to a baking sheet and sprinkle each tortilla with salt.

Put a heaping spoonful of your refried beans on each tortilla and spread it evenly. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Place in the oven under the broiler to melt the cheese.

Place a heaping spoonful of shredded chicken on top of the tostada and serve with optional garnishes of sour cream, salsa, guacamole, or whatever you like.

I have just recently decided that I was up for making my own salsa. I love salsa. We eat a lot of it as a family (mostly me probably). I think I was afraid that I'd have to cut up all those tomatoes from scratch. Well, have no fear...you can use canned tomatoes AND a food processor or blender! I was very relieved! Now, I have to make more every 2-3 days. But, it's easy!
Here is The Pioneer Woman's salsa recipe that I adapted my salsa recipe from. She uses Rotel, but it is not Feingold approved and I don't know what exactly the "spice" is in the ingredients list. So, I opted to just use plain, canned diced tomatoes instead. And, I sometimes add a small can of diced green chiles if I have them. It works just fine.

Homemade Guacamole

2010-04-15T16:38:00.000-07:00

Yummmm! I love guacamole! One year Michael won an awards trip at work to the Mayan Riviera in Mexico. It was a wonderful place. But, one of the things I loved the most about that trip was sitting by the pool and having access to endless chips and guacamole and a cold drink. Sometimes I try to pretend I'm there for a few minutes when I make this. Then, someone yells for me and it's back to reality.

Homemade Guacamole

2 ripe advocados mashed (they're ripe when they are slightly soft when you squeeze on them)
2 medium tomatoes diced (you can leave them out for stage 1)
1 medium onion chopped -OR- 1/2 tsp onion powder
1 clove garlic finely chopped -OR- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp lime or lemon juice -OR-1 freshly squeezed lime or lemon
1/2 tsp salt

Slice avocados down the middle and pull them apart. Remove the seed and scoop out the inside with a spoon. Mix remaining ingredients. Cover and chill to combine the flavors...or eat right away if you can't wait!

Notice in the ingredients list that I give options for using fresh ingredients -OR- their equivalent. It's faster to use the powdered onion and garlic and it really doesn't make a huge difference in my opinion. You can also add chopped jalapeno chiles if you like it spicy (remember those would be stage 2 FG).

Kid Friendly Homemade: Chicken Fingers, Mac & Cheese & Oven Baked Fries

2010-04-12T07:53:00.000-07:00

Most American kids love their chicken nuggets, mac & cheese and french fries. These homemade versions are quick and easy and much more healthy than fast food. Give them a try and see how easy it can be to make homemade versions of your kids' favorite boxed or processed foods. My kids will eat on this pan of mac & cheese all week long and I send it in a thermos for lunch. If you have extra chicken breasts, make lots of chicken fingers, flash freeze them and keep them in a ziploc in the freezer for a busy day. Read my note at the end about how to flash freeze your chicken fingers.

Macaroni & Cheese

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (7 ounces)

¼ cup butter

¼ cup flour

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

¼ tsp ground dry mustard (optional)

2 cups milk

2 cups shredded or cubed sharp cheddar cheese (8 oz)

Heat oven to 350. Cook macaroni as directed on package, drain. While macaroni is cooking, melt butter in large saucepan over low heat. Sitr in flour, salt, pepper & mustard. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in cheese. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted. Gently stir cooked macaroni into cheese (I do this in the baking dish I’m using). Bake uncovered 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

*healthy twist: use whole wheat pasta (you can use rotini or any shape is fine) or gluten free pasta.They will never know!

Homemade chicken nuggets & fries

two options - first is gluten free using crushed potato chips, second uses flour for breading

Crunchy Chicken Strips

Cut up chicken breasts into strips

Melt butter in baking dish (or use canola oil)

Crush some potato chips (or use bread crumbs)

Dip chicken strips in melted butter/oil, then roll in crushed chips/bread crumbs

Bake at 400 for about 20-30 minutes or until golden (might need to flip them halfway through
Breaded Chicken Strips

Cut chicken breast into strips and place in buttermilk (or any milk – even rice milk works) for 10 minutes to soak.

Mix in another bowl 1 cup of flour, salt, pepper. Drizzle some of the milk in the flour and mix with a fork to get some clumps going. Roll chicken in the flour mixture and place in a skillet with hot canola oil. Fry a few minutes on each side until browned and cooked through. You can make these in bulk and freeze them for later. Lay them out on a cookie sheet, place in freezer for 20-30 minutes or until frozen, then dump them in a Ziploc bag to store in your freezer for a busy day.

Super Easy Oven-Baked Fries
If you prefer fries instead of mac & cheese: Just cut up some washed potatoes (peeled or unpeeled), toss with olive oil & salt and bake at 425 for about 20 minutes (works great with sweet potatoes too).

*To flash freeze chicken nuggets: Cook the nuggets/fingers as directed above but shorten the cooking time by 5 minutes. Let them cool, then place them (still on a baking sheet or other platter with space in between them) in the freezer. Leave them for 1-3 hours or until completely frozen, then store them in an airtight bag or plastic container in the freezer for 1-3 months. When ready to reheat a few at a time, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the chicken for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and sizzling, but not overcooked.

Mango Pina Colada Smoothies - dairy free!

2010-04-01T19:01:00.000-07:00

1 fresh mango peeled and cubed -OR- 1 to 1.5 cups frozen mango chunks
1 1/4 cups ice cubes
2 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 cups pineapple juice
1/2 cup rice milk
1 can coconut milk

Place all ingredients in the blender and process until smooth.

I adapted this from a recipe on allrecipes.com and we loved it. You may taste it and decide you want to add a little more sugar, or you could add honey.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

2010-04-01T18:54:00.000-07:00

This was a delicious dinner. I believe this dish is usually tinted red when you buy it at a restaurant. I am thinking it's probably not a natural red. This version is not red, so you may be surprised at how it looks, but it tastes like it's straight from your favorite chinese restaurant. Also, the chicken is not breaded which makes it even more healthy. Yum! I served it with brown rice and broccoli and mango pina colada smoothies (it was family night and I wanted to make it special).

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced into bite sized pieces
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
3/4 cup sliced red & green bell peppers (leave out for stage one FG)
1/2-3/4 cup sliced onions (according to how much your family likes them)
1 cup carrot strips (just strip the carrot with the peeler)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced (I used 2)
1 Tbsp cornstarch (or arrowroot or potato starch)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 cups diced pineapple (I used fresh b/c it was on sale, but you can use canned in juice)
1 cup pineapple juice (my fresh pineapple wasn't packed in juice, but I always have pineapple juice because we drink it. If you use canned pineapple, just use the juice from the can)
1 Tbsp white vinegar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger

1. Brown chicken in oil in a skillet. Add bell pepper, onion, garlic & carrot strips and stir fry for 2 minutes.

2. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce and cornstarch. Once it is combined, add to skillet.

3. Add pineapple chunks, juice, vinegar, brown sugar and ginger. Heat and stir until well combined and boiling.

4. Serve it up!

Egg Hunt Cupcakes

2010-04-01T18:18:00.000-07:00

These are the cupcakes I'm sending to school with my son tomorrow. They are having an egg hunt in the morning. They turned out so cute! Thanks to the other mom in his class who gave me the idea - she's bringing cupcakes with green coconut & hidden jelly beans on top. This is my natural version. I could have tinted coconut green with the chlorophyl too, but my son would not have eaten the coconut. I made the cupcakes from a Feingold approved chocolate cake mix (yes, a box!). And the frosting is basic buttercream frosting. Only, instead of the typical 2 Tbsp of milk, I used 1 Tbsp liquid chlorophyl and 1 T milk. The jelly beans are all natural, of course.

Green Buttercream Frosting

1/3 cup room temperature butter (I use soy margarine for my milk intolerant son)
3 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp liquid chlorophyl
1 Tbsp milk (I used rice milk)
2 tsp vanilla extract

Cream butter and sugar, then gradually add vanilla, then chlorophyl & milk until frosting is the right consistency. (You may not need all the liquid)

Eating Well on a Budget

2010-03-28T10:44:00.000-07:00

It can be more expensive to make healthy food choices. It can take more time to serve “slow food” instead of “fast food” which is often packaged for convenience. I don’t have a lot of extra money or time, so I have learned several tips and tricks for eating well on a family-friendly budget and schedule.

• Know your stuff – certain fruits and veggies soak up the pesticides more than others. If you can only buy some things organic, look here to see which ones it’s most important to buy organic. Quick tip: get your apples organic, they are second on the list of all produce with the heaviest pesticide load!

• Join a CSA and you can get weekly shares of organic, local produce at a fair price. You can look for one in your area and also look for local grass fed beef suppliers at http://www.localharvest.org/. Of course, you can also go to a farmer's market in your area to get fresh produce. Usually there are some organic farmers there.

• If you live near a Trader Joe’s, they carry some organic produce at more reasonable prices. Know what a good price is for organic produce and don't buy it unless you find it at that price. Many times, frozen organic produce is cheaper.

• It’s hard to find candy without artificial junk in it. Whenever I see something ‘clean’ at a good price I stock up. Hard candy will keep a long time and chocolates can be frozen. Check out my recipe box for yummy homemade candy recipes that will cost a fraction of the store-bought stuff. I often will make candy for holidays instead of buying the expensive stuff.

• Get a food processor. It will save you money if you plan to eat healthy in the long run because ‘made from scratch’ is usually healthier and a food processor makes scratch-cooking much, much easier!

• Healthy food is rarely affordable when it is individually packaged. It saves a lot of money to make your own or buy it in a bigger package and ‘package it down’ yourself. For example, apple or pear sauce will cost a lot more in those cute little cups than it does in a big jar. Buy the big jar of sauce (or a can of pears packed in pear juice and puree them in your processor) and divide it into a bunch of 3 oz cups yourself.

• Buy a good quality thermos for each family member. Get stainless steel, not aluminum or plastic because those materials may leach into the drink. I got mine recently for $12.99 each. Now I can fill them at anytime with water, lemonade or juice. No more juice boxes (except for special occasions).

• Cook and puree a bunch of organic fruits/veggies for your baby or toddler. Freeze them in ice cube trays, pop them out and keep them in a bag in the freezer. At each meal, take out a couple of blocks of food and thaw. Each block is about 1 oz.

• Organic dairy products are expensive. If your kids love yogurt, buy the largest container available (will be best value) even if it’s plain flavored. Then, sweeten it with vanilla simple syrup, honey or pureed fruit. Divide it into 1 oz containers for school lunches or individual servings. YUM!

• When you see a good deal on cheese (I look for $4/lb or less) STOCK UP. You can freeze blocks of cheese and you’ll be eating cheese for a good price for a long time. I also shred this cheese in my food processor. It tastes much better than the pre-shredded type and you're not eating the preservatives that are often in the pre-shredded cheese.

• Get a breadmaker. If buying healthy bread is breaking your bank, try making your own. I had no idea how easy a breadmaker was! Often you can tell friends and family you’re looking for one and find one to borrow that has been sitting in someone’s garage for a long time (thanks, Marti!). How easy is it? Dump in wet ingredients, dump in the dry ones and push the start button!! It mixes, kneads it, rises it and cooks it! Wow! I make gluten free bread this way too and pizza dough.

• Let them drink water! When money is very short I let the kids have one cup of juice per day, one cup of milk per day and the rest water. I always offer water first. We fill a jug from a filter on our kitchen sink and keep it in the fridge at all times. Somehow, cold water tastes a lot better.

• Plan 3 meals a day and snacks. You can be flexible, but if you plan them for the week or month, you’ll know you have enough and won’t shop haphazardly.

• Stock up on sale items that you buy regularly anyway. Publix is great at having Buy One Get One (BOGO) deals. Whenever my regular brand of mayo, peanut butter, butter, oatmeal, chips, pasta, juice (I buy it in cans, so it’s shelf stable) is BOGO I really stock up. I try to get enough so it lasts until the product is BOGO again. That way I always get those staples half price. It kills me to buy those things at full price. Even better is when you have a coupon for a BOGO item – and you can use as many coupons as you are buying items. Recently, I got my favorite organic break n bake cookies on a BOGO sale and had 6 coupons for $1 off 2. That was a GREAT DEAL! I got them for half price and .50 extra off each package! Check out Zombie Mommy's blog for moneysaving ideas too - she's the guru and has links to other money saving sites too!

• Unless I hit a big sale, I try not to buy many store bought cookies. It’s cheaper to make them at home. You can make cookie batter, scoop it on wax paper-lined cookie sheet and pop it in your freezer. Once frozen, dump the frozen lumps of dough in a Ziploc bag and you have homemade ‘break n bake” cookies ready to thaw and bake when you need them fresh.

• Make lunch, don’t buy it out! This saves so much money. Try making a wrap for you or hubby to take to work. It is versatile and portable. You can put something different in it everyday. It can be a grilled chicken & ranch wrap one day and a chicken burrito the next. Take leftovers, make a cold pasta salad with last night’s dinner. Get creative or you will likely burn out on taking your lunch. Everyone needs some variety!

• Make breakfast at home for you or hubby to take to work. See my recipe box for an easy Egg McMuffin Sandwich to go. A breakfast burrito with scrambled eggs, cheese and salsa is good too. For variety, try baked oatmeal. It can be made once for the week and cut into slices to take in the car as needed. Banana bread made from your old bananas is a great, quick breakfast-on-the-go too.

• Real Maple Syrup is a budget buster and the artificial maple flavoring is made from petroleum! If your kids like waffles with peanut butter for breakfast as much as mine, you might want to try making some simple syrup and keeping it in the maple syrup bottle. Mine love it!

• Try making your own chocolate syrup for ice cream, salad dressing, salsa etc. These things can be made in big batches, can save you money and will most certainly be healthier for you!

• And lastly, learn to make your own broths for cooking. The powdered broth is not usually very good for you. It probably has hidden corn syrup and MSG (they have many, many names). The store-bought organic broths are pricey. So, whenever I cook a whole chicken, I save the bones and make some homemade broth (it's really easy). I let it cool, then pour it into ice cube trays and freeze it. Then, I pop out the cubes of broth and keep them in a ziploc bag in the freezer. So, when I'm cooking and need some broth to add to the recipe I either thaw it and add it or just plop the cubes in the skillet and let them melt right there. It really works great.

Natural Easter Peeps!

2010-03-25T16:16:00.000-07:00

This is very exciting! Last Easter I made homemade chocolate eggs and bunnies. I added chocolate crisp cereal to it to make them crunchy. But, this year I decided to branch out and try peeps. You know, the crazy, bright colored marshmallow things?!

The ingredients for traditional peeps goes something like this: Sugar, corn syrup, gelatin, preservatives, yellow dye and carnauba wax eyes. Also, now there are bright pink ones and who knows what else!

Here is a basic marshallow recipe - no corn syrup involved!

Homemade Marshmallow Peeps

2 tablespoons boxed unflavored gelatin (2 packets)
8 tablespoons cold water
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup cold water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Grease your molds. I used some aluminum molds and some silicone. You need enough to put one whole recipe in molds at once as soon as it's whipped. I greased mine with approved cooking spray, but you could easily just rub some oil in the molds with a paper towel. Set molds aside once they're greased and ready to go.

2. In a small bowl, soak gelatin and 8 tablespoons of cold water. Set aside.

3. Combine granulated sugar and 1/2 cup of water in a large heavy saucepan.

4. Cook and stir over medium heat until dissolved. Add gelatin and bring to a boil.

5. Remove from heat. Pour into a large bowl and let stand until partially cool.

6. Add salt and vanilla extract. Beat with an electric mixer until soft and double in volume. You have to beat it for quite a few minutes and this is where a stand mixer really comes in handy. Set it on high and let it go for 5 minutes or maybe more...until it's white and double in volume.

7. Pour marshmallow creme into molds. Actually, it's more like scooping it with a big spoon carefully into each mold.

8. While the marshmallow sets (will take about 20 minutes or more), prepare the dusting sugar. I used India Tree decorating sugar. I had blue and pink. I cleaned my coffee grinder out really well and put some of the decorating sugar in it (it's granules are too big) and ground it finer. Then I put it in a bowl and added some regular white sugar to make it go further. Also, I made one bowl with regular white sugar, added a few sprinkles of turmeric and then a couple drops of chlorophyl. This became a nice yellow! And I used a few all natural jelly beans on a couple of peeps for eyes, but they were really too big.

9. Marshmallows should be easy to remove from molds if they were greased well. Then, dip them in the prepared decorating sugar and place on a wax paper lined tray. Do you see how I made a couple of them tie-dyed? I thought they were cute.

10. Don't eat too many! Save some for the kids!

Spring Cleaning with safer cleaners

2010-03-22T07:49:00.000-07:00

This past week I got around to some cleaning projects. I found a great list of natural, safer cleaners that you can make from simple ingredients you probably have at home on a website by Mothers for Clean Air. The only thing I had to buy was Borax, which is a naturally occurring mineral. It is sold at my Wal-mart as 20 Mule Team Borax and was very inexpensive. So, I made the recipe for "all purpose cleaner" from this list (mixed warm water with a tsp vinegar and a half tsp of borax) in a bowl and used it to clean marks on the walls and clean the baseboards. Now I can put this mixture in an empty spray bottle to clean countertops, etc.

I then made this wonderful natural version of soft scrub to clean my bathrooms. I have always hated cleaning the bathroom because the chemicals in the store-bought cleaners hurt my head and smelled awful. Or they didn't work well. So, here is a recipe I adapted from my Feingold friend, Patti's recipe. I washed out an old soft scrub squirt bottle really well with warm water and funneled the mixture into the bottle after mixing it up in a bowl first. Also, since it doesn't include a disinfectant in it, you might want to spray vinegar on bathroom surfaces to disinfect them.

Homemade Soft Scrub for your Bathroom

1 2/3 cups baking soda

1/2 cup liquid soap (I used a Feingold approved peppermint oil soap)

2 tablespoons vinegar

1/2 cup water

Mix soda and soap. Add water, then add vinegar and mix with a wire whisk until well blended. Store in a squirt-top bottle and shake before using. Rinse thoroughly to avoid leaving a residue.

This cleaner smelled SO GOOD because of the peppermint oil in the soap. I enjoyed cleaning with it! And, without using gloves, my hands felt softer after cleaning!

Russian Kotlety (ground turkey or beef cutlets)

2010-03-07T18:36:00.000-08:00

This is my pickiest child's favorite dinner. It is my russian mother-in-law's recipe. Measurements are very approximate and you can get creative with adding whatever veggies you have on hand. Great way to get the spinach in a picky kid!

Mix together:

1 lb. ground turkey/beef/chicken

1/2 cup milk (I use rice milk)

1/2 cup bread crumbs (or you can soak 1-2 pieces bread/rolls in the milk, then squeeze them and crumble them - for GF, just use GF bread or just add a little GF flour!)

1/2 cup or more of chopped spinach &/or grated carrots/other veggie of your choice

chopped onion or onion powder

1 egg or egg sub

Shape this mixture into palm-shaped patties and dredge the patties in flour (I've used corn meal too). Then, fry them in approved vegetable oil. They're really good with a side of potatoes and some cole slaw (my kids won't eat the cole slaw).

Coconut Milk Ice Cream in the ice cream maker

2010-03-07T18:20:00.000-08:00

This is a staple in our house. 3 out of the 5 of us are cow's milk intolerant and the store-bought non-dairy ice cream is pricey! This recipe makes about one whole gallon and it is creamy and delicious. It has a slight coconut taste, but it is not overpowering. I usually just make plain vanilla flavored, but once I did use a natural mint flavoring instead and added chocolate chips. Mint chocolate chip is my hubby's favorite, so he was very happy with this:)

Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Mix together 5 cups coconut milk (I use 3 cans), 2 cups other milk (I use original rice milk), 2 cups sugar & 2 tsp vanilla extract. Mix together and refrigerate overnight. Use this mixture and follow your ice cream maker's instructions. In mine, I pour the mixture into the well and then layer ice & rock salt around the outside. Plug it in and leave it until it stops about 45 minutes later. (my dad got me an ice cream maker for $10 on clearance at walmart one time - thanks dad!).

Variations: for chocolate chip, add in chips after mixing in ice cream maker. For mint, substitute approved mint flavoring for vanilla.

Note: I tried using all So Delicious coconut milk from the carton and it was too thin. The canned coconut milk is thicker and gives the ice cream a better consistency. It doesn't taste too much like coconut. You could also mix in frozen fruit or crushed oreo-like cookies at this point I guess, but I've never tried it.

Caesar Salad - Oh Yum!

2010-02-21T07:12:00.000-08:00

This is our new favorite. Camden takes it to school for lunch twice a week. Thanks to Jen Arnold for passing along her recipe. I make the dressing in bulk so I usually have some on hand. It's also a great salad to take to a party because most people like it and you can premix it and it's easy to serve on the buffet line.

Caesar Salad

1. Wash and tear up 1-3 heads of Romaine Lettuce. (try to use organic since lettuce soaks up those pesticides!)
2. Grate your own parmesan cheese. It's so much yummier and avoids the artificial preservatives often used in the pre-grated stuff. This is where the food processor comes in very, very handy!
3. In a mixing bowl, combine with a whisk:

3 cloves minced garlic (I often grate it on my handheld cheese grater)
¾ cup mayo
3 T Parmesan cheese
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce (stage 2 FG)
½ tsp Dijon mustard
1 T lemon juice (try to use fresh squeezed or 100% lemon juice, nothing added)
Salt & pepper

4. Put a dollop of dressing on your romaine and mix, keep adding dressing until it looks right to you. Sprinkle in some more parmesan cheese.

Grilled Chicken for Lunch

2010-02-15T11:37:00.000-08:00

Today is Monday. The day of the week where all moms start thinking - what am I going to feed them this week?! This morning I grilled 3 pounds of chicken breast for the week. Below is the recipe for my favorite marinade for grilled chicken that I plan to use in salad. It is super easy, very flavorful and works great in your typical lunch salad. We love it with feta and either a balsamic vinagrette or goddess dressing. The kids like it too, but not in a salad. They take it in their lunch in chunks and I make it a "lunchable" lunch by adding chunks of cheese, pear slices, pretzels, hummus & chips...basically finger foods. I use Harvestland Chicken Breasts because they are antibiotic and hormone free and are only $3.33/lb at BJ's. They're sold frozen and individually wrapped in plastic, so they're easy to thaw quickly. I just fill the sink with hot water and throw them in there. They thaw out in about 30 minutes or less.

Garlic & Thyme Grilled Chicken

3 lbs chicken breasts
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar (or plain white vinegar for stage 1 FG)
1 Tbsp dried thyme
6 cloves minced garlic (I like to grate the garlic on my handheld grater - it's easier than chopping)
salt & pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients (except chicken) in a shallow, glass baking dish. I usually cut my chicken breasts in half if they are large. Add chicken and toss to coat. Leave chicken in marinade as long as you want. I sometimes grill it almost immediately and it still retains the flavor very well. Grill and enjoy!

Feeding our Families: Real Food for Real Kids

2009-09-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

Oh, where do I start? First, a confession: When my firstborn was a toddler, you might have found him standing by the back door watching the squirrels while eating directly out of the Cap’n Crunch cereal box. That is where I came from. I didn’t see the point of organic and believed in the ultimate goodness of the food manufacturers – “if they’re selling it in our grocery stores, it must be fine for us to eat, right?!” Unfortunately, I was sorely mistaken! If you need more convincing check out the new movie, "Food, Inc" or the book by Robin O'Brien "The Unhealthy Truth".

My journey into understanding the importance of food started when my youngest was born. He basically screamed for 2 months non-stop. He had a red rash all over his neck and face. He wanted to nurse constantly and in between would just scream. I knew something was wrong. One day at the Coffee Park, my wonderful friend, Chele, suggested that maybe I should try cutting out milk products from my diet…perhaps it was bugging him. I was desperate for relief and immediately read up on milk intolerance in babies and eliminated cow’s milk and soy from my diet. Joshy miraculously stopped screaming and his skin cleared up. Hallelujah! Any tiny infraction would send him into screaming fits of pain for a day.

A few months later, while researching natural treatments for ADHD for my oldest son, I found the Feingold Association and the negative effect that artificial ingredients has on most children, but especially those with ADHD. I now see clearly that what is sold in our grocery stores is often FAR from what nature intended. I am now a picky shopper and we do not eat artificial colors, flavors or preservatives (made from petroleum or crude oil) and I buy as much organic as I can afford. I believe that I am protecting my family from cancer-causing junk as well as helping their brains work more efficiently. There is always more I could do to make healthy choices, but there are only so many hours in a day and so many pennies in the pocketbook:)

So, moms, this is our place to share all our little secrets about how we provide healthy, delicious food for our family. It's easy to get stuck in a rut...so come here and get inspired with a few new recipes and maybe some new ideas for how to shop and cook well. Post your ideas as comments below. Thanks!