Pretty Little Apron

pure maple syrup

Creamy Chicken and Dumpling Soup

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This super silky milk based soup will have your family smiling ear to ear on cold winter days. Great for thermoses and leftovers!

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This soup will hit your mouth like BAM! The perfect dreamy, creamy, comforting chicken soup + dumplings. Does it get any more comfort food then this? I think not. 🙂

While the Holiday cheer was wrapping up I was all like *Creamy Chicken and Dumpling Soup must happen now!* Parties are over, gatherings are over, and I don’t have to share with anyone! This soup = Not for sharing! That is, unless your trying to impress your hunky new man (or woman), or trying to prove to your kids that you are indeed the best cook ever and nobody will ever come close to Mama’s home cooking.




Speaking of Mama’s home cooking… I have an 8 year old that is determined to tell me about every single time in his life that he hated my food. Today in the car I heard something along the lines of:

“Remember that time that you made that lasagna with the broccoli and squash and you promised me that you were going to save a corner with no veggies for me, and then you didn’t, and then you actually burnt it and I hated it. Remember that time?”

Of course I remember that time honey, the time I actually tried to get you to eat broccoli and you acted like I was trying to kill you. How could I possibly forget that you don’t understand that cruciferous veggies are loaded with all the good stuff to keep your little body growing the right way? How could I possibly forget that I didn’t make enough béchamel to cover the noodles completely and ONE BITE got a little crispy on top? One….bite….!!!!! Kids, they don’t forget a thing!

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Cooking Tips and Techniques

  • I used chicken breasts for this soup, however you could sub 2 cups of shredded chicken if you’d like.
  • I added 1/2 cup finely chopped kale for some extra nutrients. I added it very last so it didn’t get soggy and gross. I promise, you can’t even tell it is there! Oh Hi Kale! 🙂
  • I adapted this recipe for the dumplings. I used whole wheat white flour, which does yield a courser dumpling. I advise using whole wheat flour MOST of the time, but if your family isn’t used to whole grains you might want to sub 1/2 all purpose. I loved the dumplings, they had a great flavor, and the longer they sat in the broth the better they were!
  • The dumplings will get bigger after you drop them in your pot. Small dumplings = better dumplings because if you make them too big you will end up with a weird center.

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Creamy White Cheddar Baked Corn

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Corn. The glue that holds all Holiday meals together. Don’t think so? Try omitting it sometime, and everyone will just keep wondering “What’s missing here???”


I have to admit, I’ve been a corn lover my whole life. As a child I absolutely despised veggies, but corn…we got along just fine. So obviously, as an adult and a chef, I look for ways to make corn even better then it already is. I’ve found a winner here….ding, ding, ding! 🙂 Corn + cheese = yes! It doesn’t really take a genius to figure that one out though, so let’s just say I took an obvious combination and upped the ante a bit by adding a touch of white wine and a layer of crispy Fontina cheese on top!

And now… I bring to you…more processed food confessions from my childhood. Boy, I hope my parents decided my blog was too  much of a snooze-fest to even read anymore because I’ve been calling them out for all the crap they fed me as a child a lot lately! I’m just going to assume they aren’t reading and proceed to call them out yet again! The cheese whiz, the frozen pretzels, and now the Kid Cuisines (among lots of other crap). I mean, seriously…why? And who? Who goes to the grocery store and thinks processed junk food in plastic containers that you cook in a microwave seem like a good idea? Apparently my parents thought it was quite nifty because let’s just say I ate Kid Cuisines a few times a week for a few years. I’m still alive! But no wonder I was fat and awkward!

In their defense, I really loved those things. I came home from school, watched Nickelodeon, ate my TV-dinner. The life of a 90’s kid! My favorite Kid Cuisine was the tacos (ok, is talking about this crap getting creepy yet?!?!?). I refused to believe the tacos had beans in them (THEY DID) because I thought I hated beans. I also was quite the little chef because I always mixed the corn and cheese sauce and it was the best combo ever. Hence…. this recipe!

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One really important step in this recipe is making sure your frozen corn is defrosted! If it isn’t defrosted it will make the sauce runny when it defrosts in the oven. I made the same mistake one time but quickly fixed it by adding a few tablespoons of flour and baking it for a few more minutes. Flour fixes everything!

*I recommend looking for frozen corn that is organic/non-GMO verified! I used sweet corn that I froze this summer, but store bought is perfectly fine as well!

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Apple and Brie Quesadilla

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Dana Carvell (3BoysUnprocessed)
It is Halloween week everyone! That means my household will be flooded with a ton of packaged crap and somehow I have to convince my kids that they should eat real food. Enter Apple Pie and Brie quesadilla to steal the show and lure my kids back to real food! Because who can resist melted brie?

HELLO ooooeeyy-gooooey brie that is melted perfectly atop a bed of maple and cinnamon glazed apples! Yes, I just said maple because not only is this quesadilla delicious, it is naturally sweetened (duh!) and on a whole sprouted grain tortilla. A decadent dessert to feel good about? Say it ain’t so!


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I mentioned the whole wheat tortilla and this is when I get all PSA up in here and talk about nasty ingredients food manufacturers poison people with. Please check the ingredients on your tortillas before you purchase them! If you see any of this crap, look for another brand. I had to search and search for a brand that wasn’t using any of this stuff, and unfortunately these ingredients are pretty standard in packaged tortillas:

  • partially hydrogenated oils (aka trans fats)
  • preservatives
  • artificial dyes
  • sneaky refined grains (even if it is labeled whole wheat)

I use Food for Life brand Ezekiel tortillas found in the frozen foods section. Freezing = no preservatives! Yes, these better products do exist and making one simple swap can make or break something being good for you. Check those ingredients so we aren’t giving our money to companies that just don’t get it yet! 🙂

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Ok, now that my health food freak out is over let’s talk about how good these babies are, because the ice cream struggle is real and sometimes I just want something sweet! This quesadilla made me kind of forget how much I love ice cream, and that says a lot! I’ve been looking for a way to give my sweet tooth a little fix without going totally overboard with a huge ice cream cone or bowl as big as my head. This is exactly what I was looking for because 1) I LOVE CHEESE and 2) the creaminess of the brie eliminates the desire to go totally overboard with sweetening the apples. That’s right, the brie is such a good companion that I only used 1 Tbsp of syrup per quesadilla. Ok, let’s get real here this quesadilla is my new best friend for so many reasons and that’s all!

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Don’t be scared to sprinkle a little cinnamon on the outside and share with friends!

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Cinna-Swirl Sticky Bun Cupcakes

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Dana Carvell (3BoysUnprocessed)

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Yes, I’m still #Betterbaking! And yes, it just got 1,000 times yummier with these Cinn-Swirl Sticky Bun Cupcakes that take two wonderful baked goods and smear them together to create a pretty, decadent, and fall inspired treat like no other IN THE HISTORY of HISTORY!

Now, hold onto your britches because we aren’t stopping there! These cinnamon-y cupcake delights are topped with Cream Cheese Icing that is naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup. Is this real life? A completely pipe-able, smooth, and delicious icing that stays in tact without the use of 10x sugar? My baking life is now complete!

Two things: Yes, this really happened! And yes, I will be using this method to make icing from here on out during our #Betterbaking series. You know, that little thing I created to help people cut processed ingredients like Cool Whip, and Jell-O Pudding Packets out of their lives forever? Cool Whip and it’s trans fats be gone forevs!

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So how is it that I can put maple syrup aka something liquid, into cream cheese and still be able to pipe it onto a cupcake in a smooth and delicious looking way? Tapioca Starch! I know, I know, this sounds like some crazy “health freak” ingredient, but remember that pudding? You know, the one nobody wanted to eat in Elementary School because it was orange and confusing? Yep, that pudding is thickened with the same ingredient so apparently it isn’t so weird and “heath freak” after all. You can find it at almost any grocery store in the organic section or baking section and it works just like cornstarch, minus the whole GMO corn ingredient thing.

Tapioca Starch will dissolve JUST LIKE 10x sugar, and tighten your icing up perfectly so it isn’t dripping down the sides of your cupcakes and making you scream “I hate Pinterest for giving me this horrible idea!” If you aren’t too keen on using a new ingredient, go ahead and look for an organic 10x sugar, or a Non-GMO certified cornstarch to use in place. In my Pumpkin Whoopie Pie Cupcakes, I used an organic 10x sugar so those measurements are over there if you’d like to go that route.

But seriously, how perfect is that icing? 🙂

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Now, let’s talk cake because I love me some cinnamon cupcakes to remind me that it is indeed fall and I do need more cinnamon in my life like right now! I took a basic vanilla cupcake recipe and divided the batter in half so I could add LOTS of cinnamon and a hint of molasses and vanilla to the batter to make the swirl. Got it? Don’t worry, everything you need to know is in the recipe. If you aren’t really feeling the extra time to make the swirl, just go ahead and add the extra stuff to the batter. My swirl wasn’t quite as swirly as I would have liked it to be, but I still ended up with a double colored cupcake that was pretty. A girl can’t have everything I suppose.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way I’m going to share some MORE cute-ness in the form of a really cute baby that just happens to be of my making. Usually I don’t share pictures of my kids, but this was just TOO cute not to share. Not only that, my 3 year old asked me if he could have the “pretty cupcake.” See, my boys are coming around! 🙂

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And then there was this:

 

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#BetterBaking Whole Wheat PB & Apple Muffins

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So this week has been kind of ground-breaking here at 3Boys because I rolled out my #betterbaking series and explained what I’m doing here, which is challenging people to think about the products and ingredients they are using when they bake. Ahhhemmm… dump cakes!


What inspired this? PINTEREST! There is nothing I hate more then clicking on a recipe that says “healthy” only to look at the ingredients and see Cool Whip, boxed cake mixes, and other food-like ingredients on the recipe. Can someone please explain what is healthy about that? What really irks me about this is there are actually people dieting, and trying to live healthy lifestyles who might not realize these ingredients are nothing more then a bunch of trans fats aka partially hydrogenated oils. Hydrogenated oils do not equal healthy! You know, like the equal sign with a slash through it that we used in Algebra!?! Yeah… not equal to healthy!

And we aren’t stopping at Cool Whip and cake mixes folks! I’m also challenging people to consider using whole wheat flours and natural sugars/organic sugars instead of refined stuff. Yes, ANY baked item can easily be transformed into whole wheat with little to no effort. I promise, it’s not what you are thinking either. I’ve given dozens of people my whole wheat products and none of them even questioned it, which means they totally were diggin’ it and didn’t even know. My mom even told me she had no idea my cupcake was whole wheat, and would never have been able to tell the difference (she was eating my Pumpkin Whoopie Pie Cupcakes).

And seriously, how cute are these?!?!?! Lovin’ these so much because guess what? They are:

  • whole wheat
  • sweetened naturally (maple syrup/bananas)
  • contain no eggs (bananas substituted for moisture and structure)
  • contain 1/2 cup of oats for a little extra iron

Say what? Muffins this cute can actually be this healthy? Come now… to the #betterbaking dark side. We have candy here… I mean… totally cute whole wheat muffins. You know, ugly cupcakes? Yes, muffins are ugly cupcakes. I know, I know, muffins need lovin’ too. That’s why I put an apple slice and peanut butter on top. 🙂

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Now, since we are talking about #betterbaking, I’m also going to call out JIFF because they too like to throw some partially hydrogenated oils all up in yo’ peanut butter. Really JIFF? Do choosy moms really like you, or are you just trying to lie to people?

I’m going with you’re just liars. So what I’m really saying is don’t use JIFF or any other brand that chooses to put dangerous fats in their products. There are tons of brands out there that use just 1 or 2 ingredients, and I highly suggest choosing these brands instead of the latter. I know, I know, I just got all “healthy freak” on you, but it is so true and I always give a PSA with peanut butter posts because THE LAST thing I want to do is advise anyone to use hydrogenated oils. I’m only “healthy freak” because I care. 🙂

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“Sprinkled with cinnamon and drizzled with maple syrup” has a nice ring to it, right? I totally thought so too. 🙂 So that line just became the official Moto of these lovely muffins.

If you want MORE #betterbaking recipes here are a few others to check out! I’ll be tackling more Cool Whip madness next week so tune in and we can hate on Kraft a little more. 🙂

Whole Wheat Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

Pumpkin Whoopie Pie Cupcakes

Fudgy Triple Chocolate Cupcakes

Whole Wheat Banana Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

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Pumpkin Spice Granola Clusters

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Pumpkin. Spice. Granola. Clusters.


Yes… fall has arrived. It is now time to re-create every recipe I’ve ever made to fit somewhere into the cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg craze I’m about to embark on. 😉

Two things today:

1. How creepy are people at the grocery store with backpacks? Is it just me or does a man wandering around the isles, but not actually picking anything up, scream

“I’m about to blow the roof off this place any second.”

I mean really, if you want to scare a large crowd of stay at home moms and old people then wander around with a backpack and no cart. Likely everyone will scatter and look for the nearest Exit sign, then you don’t have to fight the crowd. Being creepy might have some perks, but I wouldn’t know because I’m about a -10 on the creepiness scale.

Upon seeing the creepy backpack guy I really just wanted to say

“Man, I just have to know. What’s in the bag? A machine gun? A bomb? A butcher knife? Ohhh.. it’s just your work clothes. Right, exactly what I had in mind. Thanks for clearing that one up. Now if you could kindly grab a cart and not corner me near the checkout that would be fantastic.”  And that was all she wrote. 😉

2. I found a really awesome yogurt. Maple Hill Creamery Vanilla Creamline Yogurt. It is beyond my wildest yogurt dreams and so, I kindly took a picture of it so you could love on it too. Usually I purchase plain yogurt, but this vanilla cup intrigued me because it said Creamline. Plus it was about 50 cents cheaper then the other organic yogurts so I gave it a go. Boy, was it good!

Why is it so good, you ask? Here is my humble old opinion on yogurt, so fasten your seatbelts folks! Most low fat yogurts take away the fat, but add a ton of refined sugars. What is the point of that exactly? You got me! I have no clue why Americans think full fat dairy is the devil, but I’m here to be the low fat yogurt voice of reason. Just eat the real thing, it is so much better, and doesn’t require 26 grams of sugar to make it taste good. In fact, this yogurt only has about 4 grams of added sugar and it is creamy, tangy, and delicious without being overly sweet. Top it with the Pumpkin Spice Granola Clusters and you have yourself one of the most enjoyable breakfasts in the world!

*This is NOT a sponsored post. I just love this stuff! In fact, here it is in all of it’s cute tree on the cup glory!

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I’m about to get all “health foodie mom” on everyone so please, if you are over that phase in your life or just don’t care skip to the recipe!

We don’t buy boxed cereals at the grocery store, and if we do we buy the organic/better ones that are pretty much just a treat for the kids. I know, I know, some of you may be thinking what the what!?!?! But it is true. The fact is most cereals are just candy coated, GMO junk food. Most boxed cereals even contain BHT, which is banned in most of the world (Hello FDA where are you?) They are no way to start your day… like ever! Yes, they might be fortified but if you are eating right in the first place you don’t need fortified junk food. With the organic/better cereals that aren’t fortified I’ve noticed they contain a whole lot of nothing so that is why I give them to my kids as a treat, not necessarily a breakfast. If you are trying to cut the crap out of your life, then here are my breakfast suggestions:

  • Homemade granola (because a lot of the grocery store granolas have a ton of unnecessary, added ingredients.
  • Eggs
  • Oatmeal (1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup milk, cinnamon, 1 tsp pure maple syrup, blueberries=the best oatmeal ever!!)
  • Ezekiel muffins/bread with butter
  • Fruit/Yogurt
  • Whole wheat pancakes, waffles
  • Pumpkin Spice Granola Clusters and yogurt 😉

So there you go. A whole bunch of reasons not to eat a bowl-o-crap and a few suggestions of what to eat instead. Phew, I’m glad I got that off my chest! Ok, I promise I’m done and here is the recipe. Just an FYI, this recipe contains 2 egg whites. That means it will be crunchy, plus pack a bit of protein. Perfection I tell ya!

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100 Days of Real Food Cookbook Review

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I’ve been a huge fan of Lisa Leake of 100 Days of Real Food for quite some time. Lisa’s blog was actually the first real blog that I followed, so I am honored to be reviewing her book today!


First, I’m going to have to bring out the warm fuzzies for a minute because like I said, Lisa is awesome! Not only is she super classy (because she doesn’t even bat an eye at the drama people bring to her peanut butter posts), she is what I would call a Real Food Pioneer. Before Lisa, I’m not sure that people were really throwing around the term “Real Food” as much as they are today. That speaks volumes about how much she has accomplished through her blog, and is super inspiring.

Now I’m going to fan-girl out a little because Lisa SIGNED my book. *insert teenage-girl-pitched scream here* Yes, I’m officially cool! Ok I’m not but please don’t burst my bubble while I’m fan-girling (and don’t get a restraining order either) 😉

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So what makes Lisa’s book so awesome you ask? Everything! The book is broken up into two parts so I’m going to discuss my thoughts on both parts because… well I like to pretend like I’m organized sometimes. Just go with it. I promise I know what I’m doing, I’m a food blogger with a signed booked. That means I’ve got it together, right? Right.

Part One: The Plan

Although I love the recipes in Lisa’s cookbook, I find Part One to be the MOST important part of this book. Lisa goes through everything from how to read ingredient labels, to understanding the sugar content of packaged foods, to going through ingredient lists from popular products. The stuff she packed into part one is so valuable because it is a great tool for helping other people understand where you are coming from if you’d like to start changing the way you look at food. The information is also a great tool for beginners. One of the biggest questions I get is “Where do I Start” and Lisa’s cookbook goes over ALL of that. It even includes a 14 Week Mini-Pledge for those on the fence about Real Food in their life, and a tracking chart for progress. Lisa also talks about portion sizes, how to shop at Farmer’s Markets, and all of the tricky labeling companies use to confuse people about the ingredients in packaged foods. If you can think of a Real Food question, Lisa probably covers it in Part One.

I can’t tell you how many times I would have loved to have a “handbook” to show people what is actually in processed foods and why the ingredients aren’t what I want my family to consume. When people you know just don’t get it, this book is the perfect solution. Here are a few other highlights from Part One:

  • Identifying Artificial Sweeteners
  • Why Low-Fat Products are Not Real Food
  • How to Find “Real” Eggs
  • More Tips on Reading Labels
  • And MUCH, MUCH, more!

Even for someone like myself who is a food blogger already living an unprocessed life, I learned a lot from Part One and was reminded just how awesome it is to be eating real food. Believe me, when I looked at the pages that contained the ingredients in all the processed foods that a lot of people are still consuming on a daily basis, I was reminded of why I choose a Real Food, Unprocessed life.

Part Two: The Recipes

What I love most about the recipes in Lisa’s book is that they are all relatable to the everyday family. This isn’t the GOOP, or a super fancy and out of your league lifestyle book. It is a down to earth approach to making meals that your family will love. There wasn’t one recipe that I looked at and thought “What the heck is that ingredient?” There were a ton of recipes that I thought my kids would just gobble up (especially the Macaroni Casserole), and every recipe was accompanied by a beautiful picture. I mean seriously, there isn’t anything NOT to like about these recipes because… well… just take a look at a few of the recipes I will be adding to my Real Food Bucket list:

  • The Best Pulled Pork in the Slow Cooker
  • Veggie Pancakes
  • Teriyaki Flank Steak Salad
  • Cinnamon Apple Chips
  • Southwest Chicken Wraps

I have already tried one of the recipes, which far exceeded my expectations. The recipe I went straight to was the Cinnamon-Raisin Quick Bread, which was pictured in one of the lunchbox idea pictures. Lisa spreads cream cheese in the middle of the bread and serves it as a sandwich, which goes perfectly with the bread. She also suggests using it to make French Toast which I might just have to try tomorrow morning!

I should admit, this recipe calls for applesauce and I have NEVER tried baking with applesauce. Boy, I must have missed the “Knowers That Applesauce Makes the Best Quick Bread” club because the bread was so light, fluffy, and texture-ific. I made the bread in both a loaf pan and muffin tins and of course I took pictures of the muffins because their tops were bangin’. You know how I feel about those muffin tops! Overall, I loved the recipe and am sending a muffin in my son’s lunchbox tomorrow. My husband also highly recommends the muffins slathered with sunflower butter (had to throw that in there just incase the peanut butter haters are upon us). 😉 😉 But really, he did slather it with sunflower butter immediately and proceeded to eat half of the loaf.

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Of course you can also throw some raisins around and put two liners on your muffins. I did, and it was really fun. Not to mention, it made for a great picture to show off those muffin tops!

Everything Else You Need to Know About The 100 Days of Real Food Cookbook (From 100 Days of Real Food)

  • No white flour or any refined grains are used
  • No sugar or any refined (or artificial) sweeteners are used
  • No recipes call for packaged foods containing more than 5 ingredients
  • Familiar and easy-to-find ingredients are used (you probably already have most of them on hand!)
  • 71 recipes are (or can easily be) Gluten-Free
  • 79 recipes are (or can easily be) Vegetarian
  • 49 recipes are (or can easily be) Dairy-Free
  • 42 recipes are Freezer Friendly (my secret weapon when it comes to packing wholesome school lunches!)
  • A beautiful color photo is included with each and every recipe
  • 70% new recipes – not previously published on the blog

 

If you are not familiar with who Lisa Leake is, this video describes her family’s journey and gives you a look into their life. Her book is also ON SALE NOW in stores and on Amazon.com. I’ve attached a link for your linking pleasure. Be sure to get one for yourself and gift one to a friend in need of some Real Food inspiration!

Thank you so much Lisa for inspiring all of us to change the way we think about the food we are eating, and a big congrats on your book dreams coming true! Make sure you check out the recipe for Lisa’s Cinnamon-Raisin Quick Bread as well!


Whole Wheat Banana Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

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I’ve been gawking… foodgawking that is! One thing I’ve really been gawking are all of those cutesy desserts covered in sprinkles galore. I’ve always loved sprinkles because they are cute, colorful, and well, they can make ugly things look pretty. However, once I grew up and realized what sprinkles actually were we kind of had a falling out. How could they have been lying to me this whole time? Pretending to be cute when in reality they are chemical bombs covered in artificial colorings! We’ve been broken up for quite some time now, and every time I see a sprinkle my heart sinks a little more. Until now!


I have no idea why it took me so long to realize that there ARE naturally dyed sprinkles out there, and they were right in front of my sprinkle-less little eyes this whole time. I’ve passed by them time and time again, never looking twice at their vegetable dyed awesomeness. One day when my kids weren’t screaming for Annie’s crackers (yes I do fall victim to those stupid bunnies sometimes too) I had a moment of clarity in the grocery store for the first time in over 7 years. All of a sudden there they were… the sprinkles I have been longing for all this time, so I scooped them up for $1.99 and was on my merry way home to think of reasons to use them.

Naturally I thought I’d be using the sprinkles for cupcakes but when I made these banana muffins I thought they needed a bit of a sprinkle face lift. My husband said “Don’t waste sprinkles on muffins” but seriously, he’s no food stylist so I started sprinkling, and how cute are these!?!? Muffins are no longer the “ugly cupcake” or the “stepchild of cupcakes” or the “duff” (totally not explaining that one if your not familiar with that term 😉 ), but they are now holding their own on the cuteness scale. These muffins are worthy of being a healthy classroom treat, or the lunchbox item all the kids are secretly longing for. We’ve re-invented muffins here people and I’m  loving these!

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What I love most about these muffins is they aren’t just cute muffins… they are healthy muffins! I don’t play the “whole wheat” game that is actually half whole wheat and half refined flour. What is the point of that again? Not only are these muffins whole wheat, they are also naturally sweetened which is almost always my goal when baking. On top of that they have a rich and creamy center with just enough cream cheese to make you feel like your eating something dreamy and decadent. Even better then all of that, they are so easy to make. Simply mix wet, mix dry, and combine just until mixed and bake.

Muffin Tip: I always fill my muffins to the top of the liner because nobody likes a muffin without tops!

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*If you are looking for naturally dyed sprinkles here are the ones I used. It is a bulk pack but if you love sprinkles as much as I do it might be worth it!

Rhubarb, Mint, and Vanilla Bean Mini Pies

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rhubarbpies4 (1 of 1) If you are a sweet-tart fan you will love this Rhubarb, Mint, and Vanilla Bean Pie recipe! Rhubarb is a really interesting vegetable (yes it is a veggie), as it has a tart flavor. It isn’t something you can really cook up without the use of sugar but that doesn’t mean you can’t take a natural approach to sweetening it like I did for this recipe. Rhubarb is super duper easy to work with and requires just a minute or two of prep time before putting it into the pot to boil down. I decided to steep some mint leaves into the rhubarb because my husband threw them into the bag the rhubarb was in and they smelled so amazing. Fresh mint is one of my favorite smells, however it isn’t overwhelming in this recipe. The tartness of the rhubarb is overpowering so if you aren’t really a mint fan you can easily omit the mint. rhubarbpies7 (1 of 1) I scored the vanilla beans at the grocery store a few weeks ago for $1.50 a piece! If you know anything about vanilla beans, you know they are really expensive. Usually one vanilla bean is anywhere from $6-8 so when I saw those babies sitting there for that price I had to snag a few. I probably would have bought the whole box if I thought I could have used them all! Vanilla beans are also really easy to work with. After you do it one time, you’ll be a pro! All you have to do is take a paring knife and slice the bean in half lengthwise. You will have two long beans pods with all the little beans (like the black dots in vanilla bean ice cream). At a 45 degree angle scrape the beans from the pod. If you are making something that you can throw the shell of the pod into after you have scraped the beans, you can do that as well. I always try to throw the shell in just incase I missed any of the flavorful little beans ! rhubarbpies3 (1 of 1) These mini pies feature my whole wheat pie crust that I use for pretty much any recipe that requires a crust. Making your own pie crust is so easy it almost makes me mad that the grocery store sells crusts that are loaded with dangerous and unnecessary ingredients. Pillsbury sells refrigerated pie crusts in tubes, and let me tell you the ingredient list is scary to say the least! Their crusts contain partially hydrogenated fats (trans fats!), BHT and BHA (banned in other countries), other preservatives, and even artificial food dyes. Companies love to take advantage of the laziness of American’s and this is a prime example. I made this crust in literally 2 minutes using a food processor, and if you don’t have a processor it takes about 5. I’ll spend 2 minutes to make my own instead of consuming dangerous crap any day! To shape your mini pies all you have to do is roll out your pie dough, take something you have that is a large circle (lid of a yogurt container, a cup, etc.), and cut a circle. Fill each pie with about 1 1/2 Tbsp of filling and fold over. Use your finger to press around the edges to seal the pie and that’s it! You’ll want to let your dough firm up in the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes before you score it (cut the lines on the top).

Whole Wheat Pie Dough

Ingredients

  • 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 1/2 sticks unsalted cold butter (or 3/4 cup)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 5-8 Tbsp cold water

Instructions

  1. Put flour, salt, and cold butter chunks in food processor or Ninja. Pulse a few times to “cut in” butter. If you do not have a processor simply cut butter into chunks, add to flour, and break up into pea sized pieces.
  2. Slowly add in cold water a tablespoon at a time until dough comes together.


Whole Spelt, Lemon, and Ricotta Pancakes

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I can’t even explain how excited I am to announce… I have finally purchased a REAL camera! Please bear with me through the process of figuring out how to use it. I have never even operated a professional camera so this is a learning experience for me all around. I can honestly say this is the first picture I have ever taken with a real camera and while it isn’t perfect, it is much better then the iPad photos I have been using! I’m really excited to continue growing my photography and feedback is much appreciated. 🙂

On to the pancakes… my husband actually had a dream that someone from his past was baby-wearing and making lemon ricotta pancakes at the same time. Seriously, I couldn’t make this up if I tried! Sunday morning I woke up refreshed because somehow I managed to sleep 12 hours after a really long day. It was glorious! Making up for lost sleep usually equates to a big breakfast here, and he mentioned the dream pancakes so I looked around the web but couldn’t find a whole grain version. I found this recipe on Cooking Classy and adapted it to a whole grain version using whole wheat pastry flour and whole spelt. I also made them a second time with whole wheat pastry flour and oat flour, and I have to say I liked the spelt better! I made a few other revisions to their recipe and they turned out fabulous! They are super light, fluffy, and have just a touch of lemon.

*I cook these in a cast iron skillet with about a tablespoon of melted ghee. The key to the perfect pancakes in cast iron is heating it correctly. Put the ghee or butter in your skillet when you begin mixing your ingredients. Keep it on low and let it get nice and warm. I turn it up to just under medium when I begin cooking the pancakes. Low and slow is the way to go! If your skillet is seasoned nicely you should not have to add any more ghee to your pan after the first tablespoon.

 

Whole Grain Banana Bread

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We had some bananas get brown really quick, so it was banana bread time! I adapted an old banana bread recipe to make it with whole, natural ingredients and it turned out fantastic! Quick breads are just that… quick! It takes only a few minutes to put together and it is delicious. This bread it great for lunchboxes or after school snacks.


This recipe features whole spelt flour, whole wheat pastry flour, mascobado sugar, maple syrup, and salted butter. I love using salted butter in recipes like this for a little touch of saltiness  to go with the sweet bananas.

Red Palm Superfood Cookies

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Yes, you read the title right… Superfood cookies! If you’ve been following along you know I have 3 boys. I like to make treats for them every once in a while because I don’t want them to feel like we are “weird” or “different” then other kids we know, and who doesn’t love cookies? My husband had been making these oat, walnut, and maple cookies and I decided to take them to the next level by using red palm oil. If you haven’t heard of this stuff yet it is incredible!

Health Benefits


Organic virgin red palm oil is the king of all oils. It is better then olive oil, coconut oil, and all the other oils that have great health effects on us. My husband actually just picked it up at the store one day, not even knowing what it was, so I Googled it and found this article from Dr. Oz describing how amazing it is! Here is an overview of the health benefits:

  • Rich in tocotrienol which is cancer fighting
  • Fights heart disease and high cholesterol by aiding in the removal of plaque buildup in arteries
  • Helps maintain proper blood pressure
  • Antioxidant rich- aids in preventing osteoporosis, asthma, cataracts, macular degeneration, arthritis, and liver disease
  • Slows down premature again by protecting the skin from UV rays from the sun
  • Protects against Alzheimer’s by improving blood flow to brain cells and stopping the damage of brain cells from occuring

I don’t know about you, but sign me up for the Red Palm Oil train right now!

The Cookies

Not only will you get all the health benefits from the Red Palm Oil, the rest of the ingredients are whole, natural, and also packed with nutrition! These cookies contain oat flour and rolled oats as well as all natural sugar so your body will not experience the “crash” that comes with refined flours and sugars. The best part, they taste AMAZING! I think sometimes people think of health food as cardboard-like but its 2014 and things have drastically changed!

The Oil

The most important thing is to choose the right oil. Do not get any type of refined version, as refining processes ruin the health benefits of oils. I’d highly recommend Nutivia brand Organic Red Palm Oil. It is relatively inexpensive and can be found in the “organic” section of grocery stores. If you are looking among the highly refined oils and can’t find it, look in another section. Here is a link to the oil on Amazon if you can’t find it locally.

Kid Friendly Frozen Carrot Cake Pops

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There are 12 days of school left…. 12! There will soon be mad chaos in my household 24/7. We will be spending a ton of time outside and at the pool so I’m trying to come up with fun snack ideas for the kids that are quick. I’m also on a Ninja Masterprep kick because it is new so frozen pops seemed like an obvious option when I was thinking of ideas.


To be fair, this idea wasn’t all of my own. I did see a Pin floating around a while ago but noticed it contained some refined ingredients and moved on. After my “Apple Pie” Squooshi yesterday I realized cinnamon in smoothies tastes really good. I saw the carrots in the refrigerator and thought I’d give the carrot cake smoothie idea a whirl. When I tried it I was kind of amazed that I just made a carrot taste so good! The real test though, was having a tiny tester try it. There is a bit of “grit” from the carrot so I was concerned he would be turned off by that. To my surprise he ate all of his and asked for his brother’s!

Here is a link to the molds if you are interested, we use ours regularly and have been very happy with them.

 

Maple Dijon Grilled Salmon

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I like to keep things simple with Salmon because it is so good on it’s own. I use a cast iron stove-top grill for this recipe and it is perfect because the best part of this salmon are the flavorful drippings underneath the salmon! When I remove the salmon I scrape the goodness from the grill and put it right on-top of the fish. It makes this recipe that much better!


If you have never cooked with a cast iron griddle/grill before it does take some trial and error with temperatures. I’ve found the best thing to do is start very low, allow your grill to heat and if you need more heat turn it up little by little. Salmon is very delicate and the last thing you want to do is burn your fish to your grill in the first 2 minutes! Take it easy and you will have perfect result !

If you are on the market for cast iron cookware I highly recommend the brand Lodge. They have some really nice pieces that will last a life-time if you take care of them. Before doing anything with cast iron read up on how to take care of it. I’ve learned the hard way what to do/not to do with cast iron and replacing pieces is such a waste! Here is a link to the grill I use (I love it).

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!

 

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.