Pretty Little Apron

Dana

Pinned It, Did It! Hasselback Potatoes

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I saw these potatoes on Pinterest and immediately showed my husband. Of course they looked delicious, but were they everything Pinterest cracked them up to be? The vote is in…. drumroll please…. YES! They were absolutely awesome for so many delicious reasons!

How I Did It


First, I should say I used red potatoes. I saw a variety of potatoes being used but my husband grocery shops and he picked red potatoes so red potatoes it was!

Second, I used butter instead of olive oil. Sometimes I do toss potatoes in olive oil before baking but I wanted to put slices of butter between the potatoes because it looked cool! I didn’t put butter between every slice, I onlyput 3 really thin pieces in each potato.If you want to do this make sure your butter is cold or it might not work out so well.

Third, I saw a few different spice mixes but I went with good ol’ fashioned kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

Fourth, I baked them in a cast iron skillet and this was the  key to getting this really amazing, crispy bottom that made them some of the best potatoes I’ve had. I wouldn’t even consider making them without the cast iron skillet!

Cutting the Potatoes

To get your slices spread apart like an accordion for a nice, crispy finished product you need to slice ALMOST the whole way through. If you don’t go far enough your potatoes wont spread apart, but if you go too far you’ll slice through the potato. So you see, it is kind of an art that takes practice. My slices weren’t as thin as I could get them, so next time I’ll keep that in mind. I also accidentally sliced through one or two potatoes but it was no big deal, I just stood the slices up next to the others and it was fine. I realized toward the end that if I angled my knife I had a better idea of when to stop cutting. Overall, there were a few imperfections but they were still amazing and will be our new go-to potatoes!

 

 

Flounder Cakes (With Whole Grains and Mushrooms)

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If you saw my Toddler Lunch post today you might have known a Flounder Cake recipe was in the works! Most people think of Crab or Salmon cakes when it comes to a dish like this, but the truth is you can use any type of fish that you like. My husband always buys Flounder but the fish in these is the interchangeable part. This recipe would go with just about any type of fish so you can use what you have on hand.


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I have to admit that making these, or any type of fish based cake, is a process that looks “ugly” until the end when they are cooked. There is something about grinding up fish that is slightly disturbing but having worked in restaurants for years I am used to it. If you are making these and start thinking I’m completely crazy for suggesting this, just wait until they are cooked! I promise they are delicious! This recipe does use my Whole Grain Breadcrumbs, and if you check out that post you will see why I never use store bought breadcrumbs (I’ll give you a hint they contain 59 ingredients!). I serve these cakes a number of ways but they go great on a bed of spinach or with some brown rice and veggies.

Passion Fruit and Lime Tea

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If you have ever been to Starbucks you know they have a really popular Passion Fruit Tea drink. It is also really expensive, and if you get it sweetened it contains refined sugars and preservatives from the syrup. I found these Iced Passion tea bags by Tazo at Target one day, and they are awesome! The tea bags are huge, and when you brew them you end up with 64 oz. of tea to put in your refrigerator. When my husband brought home limes one day a light bulb went off above my head and this recipe was created.


If you are trying to cut sugary drinks, especially for children, this is a great way to get them to try something with natural flavors that isn’t sweetened to death. It is refreshing on a hot summer day, and would be great to freeze in ice pop molds for a treat at the pool. I recommend allowing it to sit overnight to get the full flavor of the lime zest!

Toddler Lunch: Day 15 (How to Get Your Toddler Eating Fish!)

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Todays Lunch: Mushroom and Flounder cakes, apples with almond butter and raisins, raw cashews, and peas.


Fish is one of those foods that toddlers either love or hate. With many health benefits, it is a great food to introduce early in life! My kids have been eating fish since they were babies, so the earlier you introduce, the better! Often times, we think of fish as “adult food” or only feed our children processed fish sticks or shapes. The problem with the processed versions is they have tons of additives that take away from the fish being good for us. The brand Mrs. Paul’s slogan is “100% Whole Fillets” which sounds like a great option. However, here are the ingredients:

Ingredients: Alaska Pollock (Fish, Sodium Tripolyphosphate to Retain Fish Moisture), Bread Crumbs (Wheat Flour, Sugar, Salt, Yeast), Water, Vegetable Oil (Cottonseed and/Or Canola, and/Or Sunflower, and/Or Soybean With Tbhq and Citric Acid As Preservatives), Wheat Flour. Contains 2% Or Less of: Wheat Flour (Enriched With Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Salt, Soybean Oil, Modified Food Starch, Salt, Sugar, Wheat Flour, Extractives of Paprika (Color), Dextrose, Leavening (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Spice contains Fish (Pollock), Wheat. Manufactured On Equipment That Also Processes Other White Fish.

While this ingredient list is one of the better I’ve seen there is one HUGE red flag, Cottonseed Oil. I recently talked about cottonseed oil in my post about Non-Dairy Creamer, and my rule with this ingredient is if I see a company using it I NEVER purchase from them again. Cottonseed oil is highly refined and cheap. It is high in saturated fats and low in monounsaturated fats. Companies claiming they may be using one of the three are almost certainly trying to throw you off by putting a few other oils in there that aren’t as horrible for your health. Cotton crops are also sprayed with high levels of pesticides which could end up in the oil. All the way around, I would NEVER feed my children cottonseed oil!

I also see the letters TBHQ, an abbreviation for Tertiary Butylhydroquinone. Any abbreviated preservative is a red flag because I want to feed my children food, not science experiments! TBHQ is linked to a TON of issues and side effects ranging from nausea or hyper activity in children to damage to our DNA. Sorry, but no thank you on that note Mrs. Paul’s!

I also see soybean oil and modified food starch, both likely sources of GMO’s, which we also stay away from.

Toddlers and Fish

If your toddler has decided they don’t like fish, here are a few things to try:

  • Vary the type of fish you are trying to serve
  • Vary the way you are trying to serve, for instance try cakes
  • Pair with other foods your toddler likes
  • Put into casseroles or other dishes where fish isn’t the main ingredient

How do you get your kids interested in fish?

Garlic and Parmesan Popcorn

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The Popcorn

I’ve discussed previously how dangerous store bought microwave popcorn is. Its infuriating to see food manufacturers using partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats!), GMO corn kernels, fake sugars, fake colors, and unknown ingredients labeled as “natural or artificial flavorings” all in a seemingly “healthy” product. These companies even stoop as low as to market their inferior products as weight loss snacks, using the weight watchers points calculations to lure in dieters wanting to make better choices. Trust me, almost every brand uses trans fats and some form of a genetically modified crop in their products!


It is super easy to make your own with real ingredients, just be sure to get corn kernels that are NON-GMO. The best thing about making your own is flavoring it yourself, to your own taste. No more overpowering fake butter taste, or “light” popcorn that is tasteless! Here is another family favorite of mine, Garlic Parmesan Popcorn.

Toddler Lunch: Day 14 (And why to avoid HFCS in popular ketchup brands)

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For lunch today my toddler got to try something new… Mozzarella Sticks! He said “What is that?” when I put them on the table but soon enough he realized how delicious they were! I used my Whole Grain Mozzarella Stick recipe that I just posted today and they are awesome. I highly recommend trying them! I also served a “baby orange” aka mandarin orange, whole grain pasta with a tad of butter and freshly grated parmesan cheese, sautéed mushrooms, and ketchup for dipping the mozzarella sticks.


The most note-able thing about this meal is the ketchup. I think ketchup is something we are so familiar with that we have never actually stopped to check the ingredient list. Almost ALL ketchup contains High Fructose Corn Syrup, a highly refined and likely genetically modified sweetener that is cheap and abundant. We do stay away from any products that contain HFCS, so standard ketchup is not something we purchase. Our bodies are not capable of processing HFCS the way we do regular sugar and it has been linked to obesity, depression, heart disease, diabetes and many other health issues. Dr. Mark Hyman has been leading the crusade against the use of HFCS in processed foods, and here is a link to his website further explaining the dangers of HFCS. I have linked this before and cannot stress enough how important it is to avoid this ingredient! We do limit ketchup consumption as it is still a processed item, but we buy an organic brand that does not contain HFCS. I hate to use this word because people are sick of hearing it, but it is all about moderation with the ketchup!

Whole Grain Mozzarella Sticks

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Who doesn’t love a good mozzarella stick once in a while? I know I do, and making them at home is simple and easy. You will not miss the fried version after tasting these, and your kids won’t either! This is a great recipe for a party, or just as a snack for your kids. You will need my Whole Grain Breadcrumb Recipe for these, which is simple and easy as well, taking only about 5-10 minutes from start to finish. I did omit the parmesan cheese from the breadcrumbs because I didn’t really think they needed any extra cheese! A batch of the breadcrumbs will give you more than enough to bread a few sticks, and save some in the refrigerator for another meal. Tonight I am making Fish Cakes so I knew whatever I had left would be used up in those. I love a recipe that is versatile and helps me plan future meals.


Roasted Poblano and Cheddar Mac

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My husband brought home a poblano pepper that I didn’t use in chili, so I challenged myself to coming up with a new recipe to use the pepper in. My kids request mac n cheese every time I ask them what they want for dinner, so I combined the two and it turned out to be a great twist on mac n cheese. It was really delicious with just a hint of spice. This side could easily be turned into a main dish by adding some extra veggies and seasoned black beans. If you are tired of the same old mac n cheese, I would highly recommend trying this recipe!


Toddler Lunch: Day 13

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Today for lunch was sweet and spicy chili with whole grain corn bread duckies and cheese butterflies for dipping. My toddler loves chili and often asks me to make this. The shapes made it fun and different for him so he enjoyed that! I served the chili with blueberries and some whole grain pretzel sticks. He finished the blueberries first, and asked for more. As happy as I am that he loves fruit I do try to get him to finish everything before getting more of one particular item. If I didn’t stick to this rule he would probably only eat the fruit everyday!


This morning we also had oatmeal pancakes, a recipe I am working on to share right now. I have been on the hunt for the best pancakes for a while now, and I might have found them! Will be experimenting with the recipe this week so hopefully I will be able to share that soon!

Almond Joy Greek Yogurt

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Store bought yogurts typically contain tons of  added sugar and unnecessary additives.  Most brands have jumped on the Greek Yogurt bandwagon, however a lot of the flavored versions contain GMO’s (modified corn starch), and preservatives (potassium sorbate). I have even seen mono and digycerides (hidden trans fat), natural and artificial flavorings (unknown ingredients), and fake sugars all packed into seemingly harmless Greek Yogurt.


The best thing to do is buy a plain yogurt and flavor it yourself. You will be surprised how much better this tastes then any of the already flavored stuff! If you’ve tried the Pinned It, Did It cookie dough Greek Yogurt and liked it, this one is even better! Almond butter can be expensive but I’m telling you, it is so worth the extra dollar or two. I could eat almond butter out of the jar for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and be happy about it!

I should also mention to choose your chocolate chips wisely. Most chocolate contains soy lecithin as an emulsifier, and most soy is GMO. Here are the chips I use. A few chips go a long way!

 

The Reasons Why Your Non-Dairy Creamer is Killing You

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One of the first highly refined products I removed from my household was non-dairy creamer. I’m not sure why people love this crap so much. I mean, the name says it all.. non-dairy. So, let me get this straight.. it looks like cream, and we put it in coffee, but it is non-dairy? That should be a huge red flag, but for some reason millions of people are using this stuff everyday. I don’t think I could think up a product worse then this! It rivals Uncrustables, but even Smucker’s isn’t using cottonseed oil and trying to pass it off as a dairy product. Not to mention if you’ve ever had this stuff, IT NEVER GOES BAD! They even put it into little plastic capsules and who knows how long those sit around before anyone consumes them. Even bacteria and mold hate non-dairy creamer.  Let’s look at the ingredients in a flavored Coffee-Mate non-dairy creamer:

 Ingredients: Water, Sugar, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and/or Cottonseed Oil, and Less than 2% of Sodium Caseinate (a Milk Derivative) (Not a Source of Lactose), Natural and Artificial Flavors, Mono- and Diglycerides, Dipotassium Phosphate, Cellulose Gel, Color Added, Cellulose Gum, Carrageenan. Gluten free.

Here is the breakdown of these ingredients:

  • Partially Hydrogenated Soybean/Cottonseed Oil: TRANS FAT alert!! Not only are they using Soybean oil, they are also using Cottonseed oil, one of the most highly refined and worst oils for human consumption. Cottonseed crops are known for the use of high levels of pesticides and this cheap oil has no business in our food supply. If you see any product that labels cottonseed oil as an ingredient put it down and do not purchase from that brand again!! I cannot stress this point enough. In my opinion this is one of the worst ingredients seen in products on grocery shelves today.
  • Natural and Artificial Flavors: This is a huge unknown as they are not required to state what these ingredients actually are. I want to know exactly what I am consuming so I stay far away from both natural and artificial flavorings.
  • Mono- and Diglycerides: An emulsifier and hidden form of trans fat.
  • Color Added: Well yeah I guess when you are trying to make oil look like cream you would add color!
  • Carageenan: Potential carcinogen and very controversial ingredient because it is natural. There are a ton of natural things that are not suitable for consumption, so we do stay away from products that contain this ingredient.

If you are used to drinking coffee and looking for an alternative, you have a few choices. I would strongly recommend not even finishing the bottle in your refrigerator. Your health is more important then the money you spent on the creamer. Just pour it down the drain and give the bottle to your kids to play with in the bathtub. Yes, it is that bad people! Here are your options:

  1. Make your own: Yes, you can make your own creamer and it only takes 5 minutes! I’ve made my own using  half and half.  I will put the recipe at the bottom for my Chocolate/Coconut Creamer. I would suggest using Organic half and half because some regular brands contain mono and diglycerides and carrageenan. diycreamer
  2. Use a natural sweetener like honey or maple syrup with Organic half and half.
  3. Switch to lattes. This is the route I went. I got a Nespresso machine because I already knew I loved Espresso and it saved me the $3-4 I would spend at Starbucks. The machine pays for itself after a few months of use if you are a Starbucks regular!

 

Toddler Lunch: Day 12 (Peanut butter and honey rolls!)

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In spite of calling out Smucker’s I decided to show them how to really make a peanut butter and honey sandwich without the crust! To make these fun peanut butter and honey rolls I simply got a whole grain Ezekiel tortilla, spread peanut butter on half of it, then spread honey over top and used a pizza cutter to make strips. If you want to do this it is super easy, just make sure your tortilla is warm or it could rip.


I always give the same disclaimer when I use peanut butter. Check ingredients! Make sure your peanut butter doesn’t contain partially hydrogenated oils aka trans fats. A good quality peanut butter should not have more then 1 or 2 ingredients. Choosy moms DO NOT choose Jiff!

He also had mandarin oranges, blueberries, carrot sticks, peas, and a mix of raw cashews, raisins, and a few little pieces of chocolate my husband got me for mother’s day. My husband sure does know me because he came home with a few great chocolate bars! I have been on the search for a good quality chocolate that does not contain soy, and he found some! The brand is called Equal Exchange Chocolates. Almost ALL chocolate contains soy lecithin and most of the time the soy is GMO. When I got my GMO scanner app I realized the chocolate chips I had were GMO, so no more of those. Here is a link to the chocolate bars and another great brand of chocolate chips that do not contain soy. Happy Friday everyone!

Why I hate uncrustables (must have a sense of humor to proceed)

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Someone, somewhere is laughing all the way to the bank at the thought of consumers actually purchasing pre-made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. SERIOUSLY people… is it that hard to take two pieces of bread and spread something on them? If you don’t like the crust then hey, here’s a novel idea, cut it off! This is one of those products that make me think Smucker’s must really be trying to kill off the stupid people or something because the ingredients in these things are horrendous. The worst part is they are marketed to kids and unsuspecting parents might think they are a fun idea. THINK AGAIN!


When I went to Smucker’s website to get the ingredient list I was furious. These people must be employing Satan himself because it takes a pretty unethical person to know what are in these things, yet post pictures of kids running in the wind, flying kites, and exploring the world. They even threw in some catchy slogans like “Nothing can stop you when you’ve got this sandwich in your hand” and “Perfect for your unstoppable lifestyle”. Let’s not forget they now have a “Whole Wheat” version too! Good one Smucker’s, good one!

Here are the ingredients in the whole wheat peanut butter and honey variety:

 WHEAT BREAD: UNBLEACHED WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, WATER, WHEAT GLUTEN, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP,  SOYBEAN OIL, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: SALT, DOUGH CONDITIONERS (DISTILLED MONOGLYCERIDES, SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, DATEM, ENZYMES [WITH AMYLASE, LIPASE, ASCORBIC ACID,  CALCIUM PEROXIDE, AZODICARBONAMIDE, WHEAT STARCH]), YEAST. PEANUT BUTTER: PEANUTS, DEXTROSE, SUGAR, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES (PALM AND/OR SOYBEAN OIL), CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: FULLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OILS (SOYBEAN AND/OR COTTONSEED AND/OR RAPESEED), SALT, MOLASSES. HONEY SPREAD: CORN SYRUP, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, WATER, HONEY, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: PECTIN, NATURAL FLAVOR, CITRIC ACID, POTASSIUM SORBATE (PRESERVATIVE), CARAMEL COLOR, CALCIUM CHLORIDE.

I highlighted all of the red flags I see in this ingredient list. Here is a run down of the disaster that is an Uncrustable:

  • High fructose corn syrup: Highly processed and refined. HFCS is NOT cane sugar and our bodies do NOT process it the same way. Dr. Mark Hyman explains it the best “When used in moderation it is a major cause of heart disease, obesity, cancer, dementia, liver failure, tooth decay, and more.” No amount of advertising from the Corn Industry will convince me that HFCS is ok for us to consume!
  • Soybean oil: Highly processed and refined “bad fats”
  • Monoglycerides/Mono and diglycerides: Hidden form of partially hydrogenated oils (aka TRANS FATS!) not required to be labeled on the ingredient list or in the nutritional facts panel. I know for sure this is true because they disclose their source is soybean oil
  • DATEM: an emulsifier and another hidden form of TRANS FATS!
  • Azodicarbonamide: Remember the yoga mat material in Subway Breads? Yeah well this is the same ingredient. We asked Subway to remove it, and Smucker’s was probably peeing themselves a little and hoping that would pass before anyone noticed they are using it in products marketed to kids!
  • Fully hydrogenated vegetable oils: TRANS FATS!
  • Corn syrup: Another highly refined ingredient from the corn industry, also likely GMO
  • HFCS listed AGAIN
  • Natural flavor: We have no idea what this is. It could literally be anything
  • Potassium Sorbate (preservative): Can someone please explain why you need a preservative in a frozen product?
  • Caramel color: Potential carcinogen

Did I just count 3 uses of trans fats and 2 uses of HFCS in one product? Sadly, these are the ingredients and I think they speak for themselves. The only thing I can really leave you with is this: If you or someone you know is still using Uncrustables please share this article with them!

 

Ultimate Oven Fries with Sour Cream and Onion Dip

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ovenfries There are a few secrets to the best oven fries. First, use butter! I only used two tablespoons for a whole batch of fries so a little goes a long way. Second, boil potatoes first, then bake. This will give you a really soft center and crunchy outside. Third, SEASON correctly. Potatoes don’t taste like anything so you need to season them nicely if you want them to turn out good. I do use a secret ingredient as well, and it is Bragg’s Sprinkle. It contains 23 seasonings and spices and it can turn anything into a delicious masterpiece in seconds! Here is the link to the seasoning. These fries would also make an awesome side a party topped with cheese and served with the dip in the middle of a tray!

If you don’t have the seasoning you can mix something similar up using a combination of equal parts rosemary, onion salt, garlic powder, thyme, basil, and parsley. Obviously those are only a few of the spices included in the seasoning but I feel those are the major flavors.


Toddler Lunch: Day 11 (and why Hidden Valley would prefer their ingredients stay hidden!)

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toddler11 For lunch today my toddler had mostly leftovers from last night’s dinner. I made my 5 minute flounder recipe last night because my oldest son had a baseball game and it was one of those rush around evenings. I love that my kids are involved with sports but it can put a damper on eating a healthy meal together as a family. I knew I could quickly make the fish and throw in an extra piece for lunch today. When you are continually cooking healthy and unprocessed dinners, it can make other meals easier! I also served oven fries (from last night as well), carrots with homemade sour cream and onion dip, and a trail mix of coconut/chocolate popcorn (recipe coming soon!), almonds, and raisins.

I think the most important part of this meal is the dip. I use this in place of ranch dressing for the kids to dip veggies into. It is a better alternative to bottled ranch dressings because the truth it, most of the ingredients in bottled ranch are not ingredients anyone has sitting in their pantry. Here are the ingredients in Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing:


Soybean Oil, Water, Egg Yolk, Sugar, Salt, Cultured Nonfat Buttermilk, Natural Flavors (S0Y), Spices, Less Than 1% Of: Dried Garlic, Dried Onion, Vinegar, Phosphoric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Modified Food Starch, Monosodium Glutamate, Artificial Flavors, Disodium Phosphate, Sorbic Acid And Calcium Disodium EDTA As Preservatives, Disodium Inosinate And Disodium Guanylate.

If you have never looked at this ingredient list before it is a real eye opener at how much crap they can shove into one bottle. Here are the red flags:

  • First ingredient highly processed and refined soybean oil. Unhealthy, cheap, genetically modified.
  • Monosodium Glutamate: MSG, the chemical that excites your brain cells so much that your  brain tells you that you want more.
  • Artificial flavors: Unknown chemicals.
  • Calcium Disodium EDTA:  Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid are we in chemistry class now? Yeah, didn’t think so. Anything abbreviated on an ingredient list means you should be questioning why you are eating it.

The rest of the ingredients are flavor enhancers and thickeners because well, soybean oil doesn’t taste like anything and isn’t dairy-like. Essentially this is another example of using soybean oil as a main ingredient and then adding a ton of extra stuff to make it seem like something else. I guess Hidden Valley took a page out of the Campbell’s soup book!

 

 

Toddler Lunch: Day 10 (Kale Fail)

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toddlerlunch10 Yes… I attempted the unthinkable… I tried to feed my toddler KALE! I know he loves black beans, cheese, and sour cream so I thought I’d throw some baby kale chopped up underneath and he’d never notice. I suppose I forgot I was dealing with a toddler here!

The real problem might have been that he saw my lunch sitting next to his and decided mine looked better. I was eating the same thing, mine was just already spread out on a pita instead of pitas to dip in the mix. “I want that!” he said when he saw mine. So of course, he got mine and I got his. Mine did have a few bits of kale on it so I succeeded in getting him to try it, however as a “salad” he wasn’t having it! Lesson learned.


The beans I used in this are just a can of black beans, a tablespoon or two of strained tomatoes, and a sprinkle of cumin, chili powder, and adobo seasoning. My whole family loves beans like these and they are very versatile. When someone is hungry I can quickly  put together something that tastes good and is nutritious. They are also super budget friendly!

The pita is the brand Food for Life and does not contain any refined ingredients. These are just as awesome as the rest of the Food for Life products! You can’t get a better grain product!

 

Sweet and Spicy Chili

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If you have seen any of my other posts you may have noticed I do serve sweet potatoes often! My kids love to eat them as fries, and I like to put them into many dishes. The hint of sweetness they provide compliment many other ingredients. I started putting sweet potatoes in my chili after my husband bought a butternut squash that I needed to use before it went bad. It worked so well I moved right on to sweet potatoes and now I rarely make chili without them. This is a staple recipe in my kitchen and I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

I also serve this with whole wheat cornbread, and you can find that recipe here. I followed this recipe but instead of using cream I used milk and it came out perfect.

Also, here is a link to the tomato product I use. We do stay away from canned tomatoes because of the possibility of chemical leaching into the product.

Toddler Lunch: Day 9

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toddlerlunch9 This lunch is a great example of the fact that it doesn’t take a ton of time to feed your children foods that aren’t packaged. I always hear from people how busy they are, and while I understand, I think the more you cook the easier and less time consuming it gets. I made these mini egg and cheese “muffins” this morning and it only took a few minutes to get them ready for the oven. I mixed 3 eggs with two tablespoons of milk, then filled each mini muffin tin with about a tablespoon of sharp cheddar cheese. I poured the egg mixture over the cheese and that was it! Then I baked them for about 20 minutes. With the little effort I put in I have a great lunch for my toddler and snack for my 1st grader for when he gets home from school. I put the frozen pop together yesterday as well as the whole wheat cheese crackers (recipe coming soon). The pop is simply yogurt, cocoa powder, raw honey, and strawberries. Kids love frozen stuff so if  you are struggling with including fruits in your meals this is a good tactic to try to get them to explore new flavors.

I should also mention my son HATES broccoli! It is one of those vegetables that doesn’t even make it to the table before he starts saying how gross it is. I was feeding my 11 month old broccoli today so I steamed some extra and threw it in there. I don’t make a big deal out of issues like this because I have found the less I mention it, the more likely he is to just try it. He used to eat broccoli all the time but  we went a month or two without serving it and when I tried again he was not having it! It was a good reminder to me not to get into a routine of serving the same few things over and over again (we had a very needy baby at the time). I will continue to offer broccoli because if I just write it off as a food he doesn’t like, he will never get the chance to change his mind about it.


Toddler Lunch: Day 8

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We had leftovers of our chicken noodle soup, so I served the soup along with sweet potato fries, mango slices, and fresh popped popcorn. I love eating this soup the next day because as it sits over-night in the refrigerator it develops more flavor! The sweet potatoes in this soup give the broth a nice hint of sweetness and the longer it sits the better it gets.


For the popcorn, I simply put about a 1/2 a cup of organic corn kernels in a brown bag, fold the top over, and pop it for 2 minutes and 30 seconds in the microwave. When it comes out I sprinkle adobo seasoning, a pinch of kosher salt, and a drizzle of olive oil over it and that’s it! No artificial flavors, hydrogenated oils, or chemical laden bags with this popcorn! Here is another popcorn recipe I use for a sweeter version, along with some information on what makes microwave popcorn bags so bad for us.

Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup

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chickensoup8 We invited some of our friends from church over so I decided to make a nice big pot of chicken noodle soup. I love this soup and make it often. I always think I will make extra and we will have a lot leftover to eat throughout the week but somehow it always disappears quickly! One thing I do not use in a soup like this is boxed chicken stock or bullion cubes. Although these products can make a soup taste good, they all contain MSG or some form of it (yeast extract, autolyzed yeast). I have not found a boxed product that does not contain these ingredients. Even stocks that are labeled as containing “No MSG” still contain the yeast extract and autolyzed yeast. I would stay away from these products especially because these companies are being deceitful about what is in their products, which is not the type of company I want to support. Not only is MSG linked to obesity, depression, eye damage, and fatigue, it also over-excites your brain cells and tells you that you want more.

This recipe does take some time to make, but 95% of that time is spent just simmering to create a tasty broth. I can put this on the stove and do a number of things before I go back to the soup for the next step. It is a great soup to make on a weekend when you cleaning the house or playing with the kiddos. I also use half regular potatoes, half sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes give the broth a hint of sweetness that sets this soup apart from any other chicken noodle soup you have had!


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Toddler Lunch: Day 7 (Green Eggs and Fruit)

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toddlerlunch7

You should have been at my house for dinner last night! I found a moussaka recipe on Pinterest and well.. let’s just say after preparing it for an hour or so I hated it! My husband was the only one who actually liked it and generally he does like the flavors that were mixed in the dish (cloves, cinnamon lamb). Needless to say I will NOT be making that recipe again! It was a great reminder that not every recipe works out the way you were hoping, and that is part of cooking. I don’t know any chefs that haven’t cooked a few awful meals! While I followed the directions and cooked everything the right way, the combination of flavors were a bit off.


One Pinterest win I had were these “Green Eggs”. If you are staying away from processed foods mayonnaise should be one of the first things to get rid of. Use it up, and forget it ever existed! I think mayo is one of those condiments we don’t even question but the reality is mayo is mostly just soybean oil. Not to mention nobody really knows how they get it to be the texture that it is so that’s never a good thing either. Here are the ingredients in Helman’s classic mayonnaise:

INGREDIENTS: SOYBEAN OIL, WATER, WHOLE EGGS AND EGG YOLKS, VINEGAR, SALT, SUGAR, LEMON JUICE, CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA (USED TO PROTECT QUALITY), NATURAL FLAVORS. GLUTEN-FREE.

When I visited the Helman’s website I saw they were claiming to be using “cage-free” eggs. First of all, I’m sure the “cage-free” they are talking about and the cage-free we are thinking of are two different things. If the first ingredient in their mayo is highly refined and likely GMO soybean oil then they don’t have a quality product to begin with. Instead of making claims about their eggs they should be explaining why they are using soybean oil instead of a healthier oil. That’s just scratching the surface because if there is a preservative in any product that is abbreviated because the name is too long, then you should stay far, far away from it. We need to be eating natural foods, not science experiments. Also, do not be fooled by the words “natural flavors”. These words indicate there is something in this product that isn’t even being labeled. Whether it is natural or not, I want to know what is in my food!

To get back to the “Green Eggs” I simply mashed the yolk of a hard boiled egg with a bit of avocado and sour cream, then sprinkled it with kosher salt and garlic powder. Avocados are naturally creamy and kind of bland so you can season these however you like. While they are a bit different then the common deviled egg, they sure are good! My toddler was reluctant to try these but when he did he seemed to like them. He ended up only eating one but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t serve it again. He also had strawberry and cream cheese “hats”, blueberries, pineapple, green beans, and Ezekiel bread.  For more about choosing the right bread for your family check out my post Are Trans-Fats Hiding in Your Bread?

 

 

 

Toddler Lunch: Day 6 (I can eat a rainbow!)

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toddlerlunch6

In this lunch he had some cheese, walnuts, whole grain pretzels and peanut butter to dip, and a rainbow of fruit including blueberries, avocado, pineapple, mandarin oranges, and strawberries.


I’m not sure who liked this lunch more… my toddler or me! As a mom of 3 boys lunchtime for me is often eating whatever I’m preparing for them and I do love fresh fruits. Grabbing a few strawberries, slices of avocado, mandarin oranges, and  some walnuts and throwing them on top of spinach will be my lunch. When you are feeding your kids whole and natural foods it makes feeding yourself whole and natural foods that much easier. One thing I will never understand is when parents eat fresh foods themselves but feed their kids hotdogs and chicken nuggets. Something about that just doesn’t make sense.

I also FINALLY found some whole grain pretzels that did not contain enriched flours. I’ve been looking for these for a while, so I’m not sure if I was missing them or they are a new product, however UTZ is the brand and all of the ingredients checked out. They do contain a bit of evaporated cane juice but overall they are the best pretzel I have found. Most other brands contain what is labeled as “enriched wheat flour” and when you are eating whole foods there isn’t really a need to enrich grain products because the grains contain natural vitamins and mineral. Our bodies do not process added vitamins and minerals the same way as natural ones so we do stay away from enriched foods.

One other notable thing is that we are choosy when purchasing peanut butter. Most big name brands contain partially hydrogenated oils aka trans fat so that is really something to look out for. Highly processed synthetic fats are just a way for those brands to extend the shelf life of those products and make more money. I can tell you they probably don’t eat their own products though because they know exactly how harmful these synthetic fats are to people. I also choose a peanut  butter that is not sweetened and I add raw honey to it myself. This way you know there are no refined and GMO sugars in your peanut butter. Who knew peanut butter was so complicated!?!?

Here is a great book for babies and toddlers with tons of pictures of fresh foods!

“Ditch the Campbell’s” Fish and Noodle Casserole

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campbells sucks I have a confession… I HATE canned soups! What I hate even more is browsing Pinterest and viewing recipes that are using the slogan “Healthy” only to click the link to find it is actually just another recipe using cans of 98% fat free cans of soup and adding extras. Yes these recipes may be low calorie but they aren’t low sodium or by any means “healthy” due to the fact that your getting a whole lot more then just mushrooms and milk. Here are the ingredients in a can of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup:

WATER, MUSHROOMS, VEGETABLE OIL (CORN, COTTONSEED, CANOLA, AND/OR SOYBEAN), MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, WHEAT FLOUR, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF: SALT, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, SOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, DEHYDRATED CREAM (CREAM [MILK], SOY LECITHIN), YEAST EXTRACT, FLAVORING, DEHYDRATED GARLIC.


What these ingredients tell me is that Campbell’s wants to make their soup out of highly refined soybean oil instead of real cream or milk because it is cheaper for them to produce. Then to make you think you are actually getting cream they add some fillers to thicken it up as well as two forms of MSG and “flavoring” (whatever that means). Obviously this soup can stay on the shelf because there is nothing remotely “healthy” about it.

That was the bad news. But now I have some good news to tell you. You can make a fresh, creamy mushroom sauce in about the same time it would take you to open that can and heat it. It isn’t much more expensive either because other then buying the mushrooms, which run in the $1.78 range, you probably have the other stuff on hand. I know the classic “Campbell’s Tuna Casserole” recipe that everyone is familiar with also includes canned tuna, but since canned tuna contains soy and “chicken broth” we stay away from that as well. The chicken broth is a huge unknown because the ingredients in the broth are not labeled.

mushroomsoup

I know the process of making this is not that picture worthy but these pictures basically spell out the steps. Melt the butter while cooking the mushrooms, add flour until gritty, add milk and stir until it thickens and THAT’S IT! If you have other recipes that include canned soups you can easily switch the ingredients up to copycat the canned version. If you aren’t using mushrooms just melt butter, add flour, add milk. Super easy! As I mentioned I don’t use canned tuna so I baked some wild caught Flounder and topped the pasta with the fish. Alternatively, you could break it up in the mixture (my kids like it that way). I called this a “casserole” even though I didn’t bake mine but you could throw it in the oven for a few minutes if you wanted to and top with some sharp cheddar or homemade bread crumbs. That would be even more delicious!

The Scary Direction The Health of our Children Is going in

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drugs-01 I’m sure you have heard… obesity is an epidemic. We have all heard that phrase at one time or another because it is pretty common knowledge that Americans are overweight.  We have seen the commercials about “getting active” and watched Michelle Obama frolic on the White House lawn with a group of kids. We have watched the NFL “Play 60” campaign spots of athletes and kids playing football together. I would call this the very glamorous side of the obesity epidemic because the kids I know aren’t doing Yoga with Michelle or playing football with Peyton. They are regular kids in middle class families who have practically been force fed highly processed food since the day they were born. Their little bodies have been pumped with genetically modified soy, high fructose corn syrup, MSG, trans fat, refined sugar and flour all disguised as food.  Their parents haven’t even noticed what they are actually eating. Why? Because they don’t read ingredient labels.

Here are some very alarming facts about obesity in America from the American Heart Association’s website that every parent should know:

  • Around 23.9 million children in America are overweight or obese
  • 1 in 3 children or teens are overweight or obese, a rate that has tripled in the past 30 years
  • Obesity in children is causing health problems previously unseen in children including high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and elevated blood cholesterol levels
  • Being overweight at a young age is linked to earlier death rates in adulthood
  • Overweight children are likely to have low self-esteem, negative body image issues, and depression
  • The current generation of children is the first in two centuries expected to NOT outlive their parents… yes it is being predicted our children will NOT outlive us
  • In our own lifetime 1 in 3 Americans will have type 2 diabetes
  • Obesity will soon surpass smoking as the #1 killer of Americans

I look at these facts and know that I want more for my children. You can classify me as “weird” and even tell me how great your health is even though you have been eating highly processed foods for your entire life. You can reminisce about all the crappy food you ate as a child, but the fact is food has drastically changed since the 1990’s. When we were kids HFCS wasn’t in nearly all drinks marketed to children and sugar beets weren’t genetically modified. So yes, things have changed! Nothing will convince me that consuming these foods is good for anyone.

I discussed the glamorization of the “getting active” campaigns that have been making headlines lately, and while I think these are a step in the right direction, they are missing the biggest issue. Michelle Obama is exercising in one commercial and talking about being “healthy” at Subway in another. There is NOTHING healthy about Subway. Yes, it is low calorie but when you replace calories with chemicals and synthetic ingredients you do not have a product that our bodies are capable of processing. These foods might not look like they are hurting our children now but smokers don’t drop dead within minutes of their first puff either.

So what should these public figures be promoting if they were doing this the right way? Part of the underlying issue in the obesity epidemic are the ingredients that are being put into processed foods (yes exercise and screen time are factors as well). Reading ingredients and defining what they are would help parents make educated decisions about what ingredients they are actually feeding their children. If you asked a group of parents to identify the ingredient MSG in a product they probably couldn’t do it. Why? Simply because the ingredient list doesn’t spell out MSG it is read as Monosodium Glutamate. However, you my not realize that the ingredients yeast extract and autolyzed yeast are also MSG. These are sources of the chemical that excite our brain cells so much that we crave the product. Of course companies are putting these ingredients in foods, its a sure fire way to keep you coming back and giving them money. The foods that contain ingredients like this are filled with sodium, highly processed grains, added sugars and NO NUTRIENTS! Yet we are still feeding them to our children and not questioning why we have chosen these options over fresh, natural foods. I don’t know any parent who would allow their child to swallow a pill that contained unknown ingredients, but a large majority of parents allow their children to swallow unknown ingredients in foods everyday.

I didn’t create this blog to use scare tactics however these statistics are very scary. They are the reflection of a society who has been trained to read fat content and calories instead of reading ingredients. They are the reflection of a generation who were pushed into consuming fake sugars and synthetic fats instead of using self control and moderation. Companies can’t sell more products if they promote moderation so instead they replace REAL ingredients with FAKE ingredients so they can call themselves “healthy” and “low-fat”. They are counting on consumers to march into the supermarket like little ants and buy their products without questioning how these ingredients are affecting their children’s bodies. The only one who can change what your child’s health looks like in 10 or 20 years is you. The government isn’t making necessary changes, and while they are trying a little bit with the new nutritional content panels they are still missing the biggest and most important factor…. the ingredient list.

If you have begun to think about the food your family is consuming I have written up a list of the Top 10 Ingredients to Start Avoiding Immediately. Cutting processed foods is a journey about education and realization. There are so many factors that contribute to the food supply in America and it can be very confusing to weed out bad food and replace it with good.  Eliminating these ingredients is a great place to start!

 

 

 

Toddler Lunch: Day 5

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toddlerlunch5 Today is a pretty easy lunch but it is a great example of how to switch refined ingredients for whole ingredients. I used a whole grain Kumat pasta and a good quality jarred sauce (same as I used for the eggplant rollups), and sautéed some mushrooms. In just a few minutes I had a healthy and nutritional lunch for my 2 year old. The difference between the Kumat pasta and refined pasta is that the nutrients in the Kumat are naturally occurring and therefore more easily digested and used in our bodies. We pretty much stay away from any enriched products because if you are eating the right foods to begin with there is no need to extra enrichment. Here is the nutrient panel on the pasta. The brand is Eden organic and I found this pasta in the specialty foods section of my local grocery store. We do use a lot of their products!

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I also had the frozen yogurt and fruit pop already prepared so all I had to do was take it out of the refrigerator. Freezing these pops is an awesome way to quickly throw in extra nutrition on a day I am busy or have exhausted other options. My 2 year old loves these! Here is a link to the pop molds.

 

Meatless Monday Eggplant Rollups

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eggplant10 Eggplant is an awesome substitution for pasta because you can season it however you like and give your meal 10 times the flavor.  It also contains a lot of naturally occurring vitamins and minerals (vitamins C, K, and B6, phosphorus, copper, thiamin, niacin, magnesium, and pantothenic acid), as opposed to the enriched nutrients in refined grain pastas. Our bodies do not process enriched nutrients as easily as we process natural nutrients so it is always better to rely on natural sources of these nutrients. If you have never tried substituting eggplant for pasta and are thinking it might not be appealing, I can assure you it is very similar to the texture of pasta when it is sliced thin and cooked. My husband was quite surprised how much he liked these even better then traditional pasta the first time I made them. These rollups are similar to manicotti as they have ricotta cheese inside them and a red sauce on top. If you like these you can experiment with eggplant in other ways such as using it as layers in lasagna. In my opinion eggplant is highly under-rated!

eggplantrollup2


I did use a store bought red sauce for this recipe. Here are a few things to keep in mind when choosing a store bought pasta sauce:

  • Look for one with little to no added sugars (I have found a sauce with no added sugars)
  • If you see soybean oil in it, put it down and don’t purchase that brand again!
  • Check the sodium content…. companies are notorious for putting massive amounts of unnecessary salt in their tomato sauces. The one I used had around 300 mg per 1/2 cup which is in the middle of the spectrum. I have seen some sauces have as much as 700 mg per 1/2 cup! Yikes!

Fun Fact: Eggplant is actually a FRUIT!

eggplantrolluptutorial

 

 

 

Stuffed Pepper Skillet

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peppers6 Making an entire meal in one pan has one huge benefit…. less dishes! Any dinner with easy clean up is on the top of my “to make” list and this Stuffed Pepper Skillet did not disappoint. My father-in-law picked up some beautiful peppers for us at the Gratz auction and when I was thinking about what to make for dinner stuffed peppers seemed like the obvious choice. The last time I made stuffed peppers I noticed that both my husband and I didn’t finish our entire pepper because there is too much bulk at the bottom with no stuffing. I hate to see food go to waste so I decided this time around I’d go the skillet meal route.  I can confidently say we will be sticking to the skillet version because it was so much more delicious! In this recipe I do use a strained tomato product in a glass jar. I am very untrusting of canned foods with the whole leaching aspect,  so when I found these tomatoes at the grocery store I was happy to have an alternative to canned. They also do not contain any added salt which I appreciate because then I can control the sodium content of my meals. Here is a link to the tomatoes. I also bake off two bone in chicken breasts at the beginning of each week to use in meals and in place of lunchmeat for my 1st grader’s lunch. For this reason I did not include cooking the chicken in the directions, however I simply season them with salt, pepper, and olive oil and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour. When they cool I pull the meat from the bones and store in the refrigerator until I need the chicken. It is so simple and saves me time throughout the week. If you want to use boneless chicken breasts, you can cut them into small chunks and sauté with the diced peppers and garlic. Alternatively, a half pound of ground beef or a can of black beans would be great in this recipe as well. stuffed pepper skillet

Toddler Lunch: Day 4

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toddlerlunch4 For lunch today we have some homemade whole grain chicken nuggets. Instead of traditional fries I went with sweet potato fries, which are so simple to make! Here is how I cut them, then I toss them in olive oil and cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees until they are soft. My kids love these!

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To see the recipe for the chicken nuggets click here.

 

 

Pinned it, did it! Cookie Dough Greek Yogurt

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cookieyogurt I saw this on Pinterest at 10:30 last night and decided to give it a try since I had all the ingredients on hand. Chocolate chips do have added sugars and soy in them so I eat them very moderately. The great thing is just a few chocolate chips make this awesome! I’m on the search for a good quality chocolate chip that doesn’t contain soy lecithin. If anyone knows of a brand let me know!

When I tasted this yogurt I was super surprised how good it was! I ate it last night for a snack and this morning for breakfast, and packed it in my son’s school lunch, obsessed much?? Here is the recipe… I dare you to not eat this for every meal for the next few days!


*Just to note, make sure you are using a good quality peanut butter that does not contain partially hydrogenated oils, or trans fats. Most big name brands do contain this ingredient so steer clear of those products. Just for the record, choosy moms DO NOT choose Jiff!

Whole Wheat Pancake Donuts

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donuts2 These little donuts are so fun! I’m constantly thinking of ways to make unprocessed food fun for my kids and this recipe was a hit all around. They are great for breakfast, lunchboxes, or dinner. To make these you will need a mini-donut baking pan. Here is a link to the one I use.

For this recipe I also used a whole wheat pastry flour which allows for a whole wheat product that is not dense. I do use this product often in recipes like this one and other baked goods. Its a great alternative to bleached and enriched white flour without the processing the white flour goes through. This flour is a staple in my pantry! If you don’t have whole wheat pastry flour on hand, you could experiment with using a regular whole wheat flour. I have experimented with a few different flours in pancake mixes and I can’t say I prefer one over another. Here is a link to the flour if your having a hard time finding it in your local grocery store.


I should also note that I did pre-sweeten these with pure maple syrup. It is important to use pure maple syrup over a highly refined syrup because most of the time the other ones are pure high fructose corn syrup and caramel coloring! Never a good way to start the day for any child. I pre-sweetened to avoid the “syrup fight” as I like to call it. You see, my oldest son likes to put all of his syrup on one or two bites and then continually asks for more and more until the “syrup fight” happens when I have to cut him off. Then I’m “really mean” as he likes to say. I’ll admit I’m a tad bit skimpy with the syrup because refined or not, sugar is still sugar and we should all be conscious to not over-consume in the name of being “healthier.” It is just easier to put the syrup in the mix and avoid any issues! I went light on the syrup and the donuts were only slightly sweetened, but my kids didn’t complain or even ask for more. You can adjust this according to what you like.