Naturally Sweet

I've been trying to reduce the amount of refined sugar we eat. I cut out devilish HFCS, but the yummy white stuff isn't angelic either. I'm trying to save it for occasional treats like birthday cake or other special desserts.

For more everyday-type baked goods (muffins, quick breads, etc) I replace oil with applesauce and reduce sugar by 1/3 to 1/2. If I'm leaving out brown sugar, a little added molasses maintains that warm sweetness. I sometimes use honey, depending on the recipe.

For breads, I always use honey.

Popsicles, yogurt, and oatmeal are sweetened with fruit purees or juice.


I usually don't sweeten my coffee, but I had an itchy tooth for a sweet cup this morning. I glanced at my sugar bowl, then opted for a drizzle of real maple syrup. Oh My Goodness. It is delightful! Try it!


Here's a list of sweeteners in pure form that I've tried:

Honey- Remember, if you buy local, you get great allergy protection! And for a touch of fun, check out my adorable new-to-me vintage honey pot!


Maple Syrup- The real stuff. Pancake syrup is sketchy. This is one of those things you probably want to buy organic...many brands contain formaldehyde. Gross. Did you know that maple syrup has more calcium than milk? For use in baking, sub 1c maple syrup and 1/4t baking soda for 1c sugar and reduce liquid by 3T for ever cup used.

Fruit Purees- Applesauce is easy, but be adventurous! Purees have the added benefit of moisture, so you can replace oil or egg yolks in baked goods.

Fruit Juice- Juice is sweet on it's own, and concentrate is even sweeter. Many commercial concentrates are stripped of any nutrients, so I recommend making your own by bringing juice to a boil and simmering until reduced to 1/4 the original amount.

Molassas- Made from cane juice and high in calcium, potassium, and iron.

Sorghum Syrup- Sorghum cane juice, boiled down. Even if you don't buy organic, it has a low instance of pesticides because the cane is naturally insect-resistant.

I used to tout agave nectar, but I've been reading some sketchy things. Consumers are led to believe that it is some natural wonder, pressed from the leaves of the agave plant. Apparently, it goes through about the same level of chemical processing as HFCS. I will try to dig up some article links for you. For now, I'm looking for sweeteners whose processing involves no more than boiling.

There are other things out there that I want to try (especially date sugar!). I'll be sure to let you know what my results are.

Two Ingredients, 1 Hour, 5 Meals

One way I've been trying to stretch our dollars is to make the most of the meals I prepare.

- I always make enough to have leftovers for lunch
- If possible, I double the recipe and freeze or freeze smaller portions for quick lunches
- I think of ways to use the ingredients for other meals, like leftover spaghetti for a pasta bake

One of my favorite recipes is one for Roasted Butternut Squash and Sausage. I saw a recipe somewhere that inspired it, but I can't cite it now. It doesn't really matter anyway, I always take a recipe as more of a guideline than something to be strictly followed. Anyhoo, it's super simple:

Ingredients

two big butternut squash (or three smaller ones)
sausage of your choice (i like preservative and nitrate-free organic chicken apple)
one sweet onion*
olive oil*
balsamic vinegar*
herbs (optional)*
pure maple syrup (optional)*
brown rice*

*I'm assuming these ingredients as pantry staples in my "two ingredient" count.

Peel the squash and scoop out seeds. Dice into bite-sized chunks. Cut sausage and onion about the same size. Toss in a baking dish, reserving some squash. Drizzle with olive oil and season with herbs if you choose. I fly by the seat of my pants and make this a bit differently every time. Place the reserved squash in a pan of it's own. Roast both pans on 350 until squash is soft, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare brown rice.

Remove the pan of just squash. Drizzle the Squash and Sausage with balsamic vinegar (and a tad of pure maple syrup if you choose), and return it to the oven, under the broiler, for a few minutes. This will allow the vinegar to reduce a bit an the veggies to caramelize.

Here's what you've got:

1. Dinner- Balsamic and Maple Glazed Squash and Sausage over Rice

2. Baby Food- Puree that plain squash and freeze in ice cube tray. Don't wash the food processor yet...>>>

3. Pasta Sauce- Put leftover squash and onion with all the pan goodness (vinegar, herbs, etc) in your food processor and pulse. Freeze two cups for a delicious sauce to serve over whole-wheat bowties. Keep the rest in the food processor for...>>>

4. Soup-Add a touch of vegetable broth (or water if you don't have it) to the puree and blend until it has a soupy consistency. Serve for lunch or freeze for later.

5. Rice pudding- Spoon leftover rice into ramekins. Microwave 1C Milk until warm. Stir in 1T honey and 1/4t cinnamon. Beat an egg in a separate bowl and temper with a bit of the warm milk, then mix together. Pour custard over rice and bake in a 1" water bath in your already-hot oven for about 45 minutes, or until set.

Viola. All I bought was the squash and sauasage, and look what I have to show for it!

McMonia

Year ago, the FDA decided that it was okay to add "meat filler" to ground beef. Problem is, the filler, made from various parts of cow, was often infected with salmonella and other bacteria. A brilliant scientist (or team of them) came up with a way to "sanitize" this filler. Ammonia. Yep, the patty on your McCheeseburger contains ammonia. So does much of the ground beef you find at the grocery store. Disgusting, no? Even more infuriating. What is going on with our country that this is deemed an acceptable food? The more I read, the more turned off I got. So much so, that I have given up ground beef. It's not really a leap for me; I'm not much of a red meat eater. If I must have it for some reason, I'll order it from the local farm in my CSA.

Here's a link to the US patent for the device that treats meat with ammonia. A quick G00gle search will tell you everything you want to know.

Just another reason that I'm making a huge effort to use only "clean" ingredients when I cook.

Farmers' Co-Op

I finally joined a local Farmer's Co-Op. I've been wanting to join for over a year, but didn't pull the trigger. I got an email last week offering $5 off the annual membership fee...it seemed like a sign. I'm really excited about it for several reasons.

1. The Goods

• Locally grown organic produce
• Eggs from happy chickens (until I get my own!)
• Honey, jams and more
• Locally raised, grass-fed meat
• Artisan breads and cheeses

2. All of the above delivered to a central location for pick up

3. "The Farmers' Pick"

• This is a pre-selected assortment of produce, based on current crops. It costs less than picking and choosing your own produce, but perhaps my favorite thing about it is that I don't pick. I'm excited about the prospect of a box of mystery fruits and veggies. I can't wait to see what I get and plan recipes accordingly. I think it will make all of us more adventurous in our eating. We've paid for the whole box, so I'll find ways to serve every healthy morsel!

The Farmers' Pick this week includes Lettuces, Florida Citrus, Swiss Chard, Sweet Potatoes, Snap Peas, Avocados, and Popcorn! I have three days to plan my menu before I pick up my box of goodies on Tuesday...Fun!

Better Than Jell-O

Marlee is currently sick with croup, and doesn't seem to want to eat anything that's not cold and smooth. Jell-O seems like an obvious choice in times like these, but I was a bit put off by the ingredients list:

INGREDIENTS:
Sugar, gelatin, adipic acid (for tartness), contains less than 2% of natural and artificial flavor, disodium phosphate and sodium citrate (control acidity), fumaric acid (for tartness), yellow 6, red 40, BHA (preservative).


I decided to attempt my own version. Here is my ingredients list:

1 package kosher/vegan gelatin
3 cups Vruit brand juice
[Apple Juice, Orange Juice, Peach Juice, Carrot Juice, Cucumber Juice, Celery Juice, and Spinach Juice (Water, Juice Concentrates); Natural Flavors, Vitamin C, Beta Caroten]
1 cup water
frozen (or fresh) organic blueberries

Mix juice and water (I only did this to cut sugar content). Pour one cup juice in a large bowl and sprinkle gelatin on top. Let sit while you bring remaining juice to a boil. Pour the hot juice over the cold juice and gelatin and stir, about 3 minutes. Pour into a 13x9 pan and add blueberries. Chill until set, about 3 hours. Cut into squares or with cookie cutters.

Want a comparison?

Jell-O /My Version

Sugar 19g /12g
Protein 0 /1g
Potassium 0 /175mg
Vitamin A 0 /100%
Vitamin C 0 /100%
Iron 0 /2%
Calcium 0 /2%

Delicious!

(I'll post pictures tonight!)

I Made Yogurt!

I've been dying to try the recipe for yogurt on Crockpot365. Yesterday, I got the chance...It turned out great! I've decided that using the Crockpot was actually kind of silly, and more a a gimmick for this blogger. It could have been done just as easily in a pot. You only use the pot to heat the milk. Here's how I would do it:

Heat 8 cups (1/2 gallon) of whole milk on the stove until it boils, then let cool. Milk should be warm, but not hot (like you could stick a finger in it and not burn yourself). Heck, I imagine you could do this in a microwave. Scoop up two cups of the warm milk and put into a bowl. Wisk in 1/2 cup live active culture yogurt. This is your starter. The next time you make yogurt, you can use some of your first homemade batch as a starter. Pour the mixture back into the pot of milk and wisk it all together. Put the pot in a warm place (I used my oven, not turned on) and let sit for 8 hours. You've got yogurt! This comes out the same consistency as store-bought organic whole yogurt, but thinner than brands like Yoplait.

I'm sure I don't need to tell you the benefits of making your own yogurt. First, the cost savings. Homemade yogurt boasts a 25 cent/ounce cost savings over the store-bought stuff...that's real! Then there's the lack of plastic tub. Finally, a healthy alternative that you can dress up and flavor as you wish.

I flavored mine by adding 2T vanilla and 1/4 cup agave nectar to the whole batch. Then I separated into smaller batches and flavored with fruit purees. Finally, I poured individual portions into baby food jars (scored these on Freecycle) for ulimate convenience.

From left to right: Blueberry, Peach, Cherry, Raspberry....Yummy!

This recipe makes so much that I also made frozen yogurt and yogurt popsicles.

Things I Buy Organic and Why: Part One

The "Dirty Dozen" Fruits and Vegetables

The U.S. Department of Agriculture found that even after washing, some fruits and vegetables consistently carry much higher levels of pesticide residue than others. Based on an analysis of more than 100,000 U.S. government pesticide test results, researchers at the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a research and advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C., have developed the “dirty dozen” fruits and vegetables, below, that they say you should always buy organic, if possible, because their conventionally grown counterparts tend to be laden with pesticides. They cost about 50 percent more — but are well worth the money.

• Apples
• Cherries
• Grapes (imported)
  
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Raspberries
• Strawberries
• Bell peppers (I've seen these for as much as three times cost! You can bet they'll be in my garden for this very reason.)
  
• Celery
• Potatoes
• Spinach

Buying organic doesn't make much of a difference with fruits and veggies whose skins we don't eat.

• Bananas
• Kiwi
• Mangos
• Papaya
• Pineapples
• Avocado
• Corn
• Onions
• Peas

Here are some other veggies that don't consistently contain a high amount of pesticides:

• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Asparagus

So there you have it. No need to break the bank. Just pick and choose where you go organic.

What IS on my Grocery List?

Thanks, Jana, for bringing attention to this question. It reminded me that the point of my blog isn't to boast my accomplishments but to help others on the path to living healthier and greener :)

Grocery shopping has been tough for me. I stay at home with our one year old, and Michael works from home...that means three meals a day (and snacks!) for three people. That's a lot of cooking! For obvious reasons, I was tempted by "convenience foods." I've remedied that situation by planning and preparing ahead as much as possible. My freezer is my sous chef (at least until I get the energy star deep freezer I'm pining for).

• It's filled with pre-measured quantities of chopped vegetables, purees, broths and wine. For easy freezing, use these tools: An ice cube tray (1 cube = approx. 2Tbs), a muffin tin (each "muffin" = 1/2 cup) and/or mini muffin tin (1/4 cup). Freeze, pop 'em out, store in freezer bags (which you wash and reuse...right?)
  
• I also cook once for two meals...Last night's beef stew recipe was doubled, then half of it frozen.
  
• Another favorite shortcut: Prepare batter for muffins, quick breads, etc. Pour into loaf pan or muffin cups and freeze. When frozen, wrap unbaked bread and store unbaked muffins in freezer bags. When you want a batch, drop them back in the proper pan and bake.
• A similar trick works for casseroles, etc. line the dish you'll use to bake with foil, leaving plenty of excess. Pour in your leftovers (like my stew) or assemble your casserole. Wrap your excess foil over the top and freeze. When your dinner is frozen, remove your "brick." Now your dish/pan is free for use. Just unwrap your brick and drop it back in when you're ready to resurrect it.

To answer your question and prove it CAN be done, here's this week's menu (Monday-Friday) :

(note: I am currently obsessed with tweaking the recipes in the Deceptively Delicious cookbook)

Breakfasts:

1. Scrambled eggs with "hidden" cauliflower, toast, fruit
2. Oatmeal flavored with your choice of fruit puree
3. Pumkin french toast, fruit
4. Oatmeal again
5. Green (read: spinach puree) Eggs, toast, fruit

Lunches:

1. Sanwiches, Veggie chips (had these already), fruit
2. Vegetarian Rice Balls
3. Meatball Soup
4. Homemad Mac N Cheese with butternut squash puree
5. Chili

Dinners:

1. Spaghetti and Salad
2. Beef Stew over Brown Rice
3. Turkey Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Asparagus
4. Black Bean Burgers, Corn, Salad
5. Chicken Quesadillas

Snacks:
Carrot Applesauce muffins
Zucchini Bread
Fresh Fruit and Cheese
Whole Wheat Crackers with Almond Butter
Plain yogurt flavored with fruit puree

You can do it! It takes some getting used to, and I still fall off the wagon, but I don't feel bad about the occaisional Chick-Fil-A when I know I feed my family well 99% of the time!

TV Commercials Promoting HFCS

Have you seen these?

HFCS Ad 1
HFCS Ad 2

I especially like the corn logo at the end. They might as well say, "It's corn. It counts as a vegetable serving."

According to these commercials, HFCS is "fine in moderation." Many things in life are fine in moderation. Problem is, there is nothing moderate about American consumption of HFCS. It's in nearly every commercial product we buy...even a loaf of bread. Go ahead, check your labels. Then look up the dangers of HFCS. I planned to list them, but frankly, I don't have enough time in my day. Folks, HFCS is bad for you. No question about it. Educate yourself, don't let TV do it for you.

A couple closing tidbits.

1. Watch this while you're at it, just for fun.
2. How do you pack a popsicle on a picnic?