Monday, August 30, 2010

Mini Muffin Pizzas!

So I found this recipe on Weelicious for Pizza Muffins that you make in a mini muffin pan--so cute! I had to try it out! I used the site's recipe for Whole Wee-Eat Pizza Dough and using organic ingredients, mixed up a batch!

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

1 Package Dry Yeast
1 1/3 Cups Lukewarm Water
2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 Tbsp Olive Oil, plus extra for greasing bowl and brushing on pizza crusts
1 Tbsp Honey
1 1/2 Tsp Salt

1. Combine yeast and water in a bowl and allow to stand until foamy, about 5 minutes (Make sure to check the expiration date on the yeast. If it doesn’t foam, your yeast may be old and you will need to buy fresh yeast).
2. Stir the flour and salt in a bowl or a bowl of a standing mixer (using a dough hook attachment).
3. Add the olive oil and honey to the yeast mixture and stir to combine.
4. Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients mix on low for 3 minutes or until smooth and elastic (you could also combine the liquid with the flours in a bowl and knead the dough on a clean surface for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic). You want the dough to be smooth and bounce back when you press it.
5. Transfer ball to an oiled bowl and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled.















Then I used this recipe off the same site:

Pizza Muffins

1 Lb Package Pizza Dough (white or Whole Wee-Eat Pizza Dough)
1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
1/2 Cup Pizza Sauce
Olive Oil

1. Bring dough to room temperature and preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Roll out the dough to a thin 18 x 12 rectangle and cut into squares about 3 x 3 inches.
3. Grease mini muffin cups and place one square in each cup, making sure that the corners of the dough are sticking out.
4. Brush edges of dough with olive oil.
5. Par-bake dough for 8 minutes and take tins out of oven.
6. Pour 1 tsp of sauce in each cup and evenly distribute the cheese between the cups (you can add toppings now as well).
7. Bake for an additional 5 minutes.
8. Cool and serve.



The recipe says it makes 16-18 mini muffins however I ended up with 24 and enough dough left for a mini pizza! I did mess up and accidentally prepared the pizza without prebaking the crust so I baked it at 400 for 10 minutes and then 450 for 5 minutes. They came out good but I'd recommend following the directions and brushing them with olive oil (and maybe some pressed garlic?) and prebaking! Here are some photos of the process:
























My kids liked them! So, yes, they were a hit! I was going to freeze some of the leftovers and reheat them in the toaster oven and pop them in my daughter's stainless steel Thermos to pack in her lunch!

Enjoy!

=o)
Jen

Organic Fair Trade Cocoa

I found this yummy hot cocoa mix at Trader Joe's and mixed some up today! And...besides being organic and delicious, it is Fair Trade Certified! Just thought I would share this great find!
You can click on the images to see them larger!















Enjoy!

=o)
Jen

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Who says Organic dessert has to be complicated?!

It's funny because I think that the idea of "Organic" conjures up all kinds of different ideas in different people. My family isn't walking around eating twigs or any other crazy stuff. We are eating healthier which means in some ways it is more about what we are NOT eating! We are not eating pesticides and chemicals or genetically modified organisms (GMOs). We are eating food that is more pure like it is supposed to be. Just about ANYTHING you normally eat, you can find an organic version of. (Of course, I prefer to make food from scratch whenever possible, but that's not always feasible.) One of the reasons I LOVE shopping at a store like Earth Fare is that they literally have everything there in organic form!

Here is the quick and easy dessert we had tonight--Organic Ice Cream in Organic Ice Cream Cones! Who knew Organic Ice Cream Cones existed--not me!





















We even stumbled upon organic seaweed while there today for making your own sushi--how cool!
Earth Fare also sells these wonderful organic cookies that are similar to Oreos but organic! I think it would be terrific to use these for a pie crust or just eat with a cold glass of milk! As you can see, we've already dug in!

I guess the point I am making is that eating organic and eating healthier doesn't mean you have to give up everything that you love--you just have to search a little to find the healthier version of it. Cookies are cookies in any form and of course should be eaten in moderation, but I feel a little better about giving my kids cookies that I know do not have pesticides, GMOs, High Fructose Corn Syrup, or Hydrogenated Oils and Trans Fat in them.

Oh, and while we are talking about desserts and ice cream, if you'd prefer to make your own, here is a delicious ice cream recipe for your ice cream maker that I got out of a Cuisinart Recipe Booklet for the Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker that we own. It is YUMMY! Again, this recipe is TOTALLY doable with all organic ingredients! If you'd like to lighten it up a little, you may substitute lower fat creams and milk for heavy creams and whole milk that the recipe calls for.

Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream

1 pint fresh ripe strawberries, stemmed & sliced
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup sugar, divided
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


In a small bowl, combine the strawberries with the lemon juice and 1/3 cup of the sugar. Stir gently and allow the strawberries to macerate in the juices for 2 hours.
In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer or whisk to combine the milk and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream plus any accumulated juices from the strawberries and the vanilla.
Pour into ice cream maker and mix until thickened, about 25-30 minutes (in the model that I own).
Add the sliced strawberries during the last 5 minutes of freezing. The ice cream will have a pale pink appearance due to the strawberries.

Enjoy!
=o)
Jen

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Flax Chocolate Chip Cookies (gluten-free)!

I wanted to bake some cookies today--I have been so enjoying cooking lately! I thought making chocolate chip cookies sounded yummy and have heard of baking with flax seed. Today I found this great recipe for Flax Chocolate Chip Cookies on a web site called Ellie's Whole Grains. I didn't have the 2 cups of chocolate chips it asked for, but instead used about 1 1/2 cups, and they still came out great! Also, instead of using flour, I used Arrowhead Mills Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Mix.
I took pictures of some of the organic ingredients that I used. I really like using the Fair Trade-Organic Wholesome Sweeteners brand of Sugar (and Agave as was in a previous post). Click on this link to learn more about what Fair Trade Certified means. I also have some Organic Brown Sugar that I purchased at Trader Joe's, and some Spectrum Organic Ground Flaxseed which I purchased at Earth Fare. I try to use flaxseed whenever I can, including sprinkling it on salads! I've even sprinkled some on grilled cheese sandwiches before the cheese melts, and the kids never even knew it was there! So needless to say, I was thrilled to be adding 1/2 cup of it to this recipe! Another tip--they say it is best to store flaxseed in an opaque container/bag and to store it in the refrigerator.



















Anyway, here is the recipe I used! It says it makes 5 dozen. I used a 1 Tablespoon scoop (like the recipe calls for) and ended up with 45 cookies.

Classic Chocolate Chip Flaxseed Cookies Recipe

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Cream together:
1/2 c butter (1 stick)
3/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c granulated sugar

Add to the creamed mixture:
2 eggs
1 ½ t vanilla

Mix in another bowl:
1 and 1/4 c flour (I substitued gluten-free baking mix)
1/2 c flaxseed
1 t baking powder
1/2 t soda
1 t salt

Blend together the dry and wet ingredients and add 2 c of your favorite kind of Chocolate Chips.

Optional: add grated coconut and/or nuts.

Beat together butter, sugar and brown sugar. Mix in eggs and vanilla until creamed.
In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt -be sure that there are no lumps of baking powder or soda! Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and chocolate chips. Mix until well blended.
Using a tablespoon, scoop batter separated ~2 inches apart on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown around edges depending on your oven! Cool on the pan for about 3 mins and then scoop off onto plate to finish cooling. Store in a airtight container. Makes about 5 dozen cookies (depending on the size you make them! :)





Enjoy! We did!

=o)
Jen

Warning: Eat This, You'll Get Fat & Sick

I just read this really interesting article that I was sent a link to by the Organic Consumers Association titled the same as the title of this blog post. Wow--what an amazing point they drive home. We worry about what IS on a label, but how about the dangerous "ingredients" that are not listed??? There is no way I can paraphrase what they said and get the point across as well, so I am just going to copy and paste their article here.

Warning: Eat This, You'll Get Fat & Sick
By Alexis Baden-Mayer
Organic Consumers Association, Aug 26, 2010
Straight to the Source

It takes a food chemist to translate the eight-syllable words commonly found on ingredients lists into plain English, but many of the most dangerous substances found in food today are additives, contaminants, or packaging and processing aids that don't get listed on the label. Here are a few hidden dangers that should be revealed to consumers:

Acrylamide - a chemical linked to cancer that forms in starchy food cooked at high temperatures, such as French fries and potato chips


Bisphenol A - a chemical linked to hormone disruption and heart disease that leaches from the lining of canned foods


E. coli O157:H7 - the "hamburger disease," the leading cause of acute kidney failure in U.S. children, is an intestinal pathogen transmitted from factory-farmed, corn-fed cows to humans when fecal matter gets in food


Colibacillosis - a bacterial disease that infects chickens imprisoned in filthy, overcrowded, intensive confinement factory farms


Campylobacter - the most common cause of neuromuscular paralysis in the United States, is a bacterial food poison that contaminates a majority of store-bought chicken


Salmonella - a food borne illness that kills more Americans than any other, is directly related to CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations) and to contaminated feed containing blood, slaughterhouse waste, and manure


Mercury - a toxin that can harm an unborn baby or young child's developing nervous system, is found in nearly all fish and shellfish, especially Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel and Tilefish


Trans-fat - hydrogenated vegetable oils that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, the cause of 1 of every 2.9 deaths
Ingredients produced through the use of cloning, genetic engineering or nanotechnology


Ingredients that contain the residues of pesticides, including organophosphates, which are linked to neurological disorders like ADHD

Packaging aids like 2-methylnaphthalene which triggered the Kellogg's cereal recall

Solvents like hexane, a neurotoxin that is a by-product of gasoline refining used to process soy-based ingredients and cooking oils

Crazy stuff, huh? It really makes you think...

=o)
Jen

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Chicken Nuggets--the good, the bad, and the ugly

My kids love chicken nuggets. They used to love eating McDonald's. Alexa would get a hamburger and Carter would get chicken nuggets. Once I saw Food Inc. and started reading Michael Pollan's book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, well, that changed me and my kids' diet. I read this interesting passage from his book that I copied from a web site online:

But perhaps the most alarming ingredient in a Chicken McNugget is tertiary butylhydroquinone, or TBHQ, an antioxidant derived from petroleum that is either sprayed directly on the nugget or the inside of the box it comes in to "help preserve freshness." According to A Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives, TBHQ is a form of butane (i.e. lighter fluid) the FDA allows processors to use sparingly in our food: It can comprise no more than 0.02 percent of the oil in a nugget. Which is probably just as well, considering that ingesting a single gram of TBHQ can cause "nausea, vomiting, ringing in the ears, delirium, a sense of suffocation, and collapse." Ingesting five grams of TBHQ can kill.

I get that you would need to consume a large amount of McNuggets to obtain the lethal dose, but still...yuck! How can you have knowledge of this information and still give these to your child? This is one of many strange ingredients that appear in a "chicken" nugget that actually contains 38 ingredients and is made up of 56% corn! I found this interesting article that goes into further depth.

But the facts are the facts. Kids like chicken nuggets. I don't always have the time to make them from scratch, and they are not always as good when I do. We found these at our grocery store, Harris Teeter, and they are quite popular in this house!

Coleman has chicken nuggets and chicken strips available (among other products) and they are humanely raised and sustainably farmed.


Enjoy!

=o)
Jen

Double Chocolate Whole Wheat Waffles!



I love when I have an excuse to whip out my heart shaped waffle maker! This morning I decided to find a waffle recipe online that I could use while slipping in my organic ingredients! I originally was looking for a cinnamon waffle recipe, but my daughter begged me to put in chocolate chips, so I thought again and searched for a chocolate chip whole wheat waffle recipe. I stumbled upon this recipe on Kitchen Butterfly!





100% wholewheat chocolate waffles

1 1/2 cups (200g) wholewheat flour
a good pinch of salt
1/2 cup (50g) unsweetened cocoa powder or melted chocolate
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups (400g) milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or cinnamon/ground ginger)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (or melted butter)
1/4 cup (25g) yogurt

Makes 8 – 10 waffles, measuring ~15cm (6 inches) across

Sift the flour, salt, cocoa, and baking powder into a bowl.

Make a well in the center and add the eggs, milk, vanilla, oil and yogurt and mix well with a ballon whisk until blended and the batter is smooth.

Because you’re using wholegrain flour, you’ll need to let the batter ‘rest’ for about 10 minutes. This allows the grains to absorb the liquids, resulting in softer, fluffier waffles. A bit like giving steaks a rest after cooking!

7-8 minutes into the batter resting, grease the waffle iron or electric waffle maker (follow manufacturer’s instructions if using for the first time).

When the mix is well rested, stir once more to combine then using a large ladle spoon, pour in batter, just enough to fill the hot waffle iron, then close. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the waffles are ready. They should peel away from the top/bottom of the iron when done.

Now you can use this exact same mix to make chocolate pancakes, but add an extra 1/2 cup of milk to thin the batter.



Well, it didn't call for chocolate chips so I thought, why not just throw some in the mix! (The chocolate chips I have are from Trader Joe's.) I also had all of the other ingredients on hand, all in organic form--yay! Who knew that you could buy organic cocoa powder or vanilla, huh? I had no trouble finding these at Earth Fare. There is something about knowing that the ingredients you are using are pesticide-free and the best choice for your family you can buy, even if sometimes that means you spend a little more for them.

Anyway, the waffles were a hit! I made SO many of them, which is great because I can just separate them with wax paper and pop them in the freezer so I have a fun easy breakfast on hand especially now that school is starting tomorrow! (I can't believe my little girl will be starting first grade!!!)

Well, I just wanted to share. Like I said, the only real difference I made, other than using organic ingredients, was to add maybe 1/2 a cup or so of chocolate chips.

Enjoy!

=o)
Jen

Monday, August 23, 2010

Apple Banana Muffins! Yum!

So although I didn't have a lot of energy to put toward dinner tonight, I did want to whip up a dessert! I found this really fun web site, Weelicious, that is full of great and simple kid-friendly recipes. I had all the ingredients to make Apple Banana Muffins, so I gave it a go!
Instead of using all purpose flour, I decided to use Arrowhead Mills gluten-free all purpose baking mix (73% organic). All of the ingredients I used were organic except for the baking powder and baking soda--not sure if there is an organic version of these or not? The recipe calls for Agave as the sweetener which is supposed to be healthier than sugar and have a lower glycemic index. I purchased the Agave at Costco, and it was relatively inexpensive. This is the first time I was able to bake with it!

Anyway, the recipe says it makes 24-28 mini muffins, however I ended up making 48 mini muffins and still had a little batter left!

They were delicious and a super big hit!
Oh, and before I forget--here is the recipe!

Apple Banana Muffins

1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Cinnamon
3 Tbsp Vegetable or Canola Oil
1/2 Cup Agave OR Honey
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Milk
2 Bananas, mashed
1 Medium Apple, peeled and grated (Gala, Pink Lady, Fuji or Golden Delicious are good choices)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine the first 6 ingredients in a bowl and mix.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients together.
4. Slowly add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
5. Grease a muffin tin or line it with muffin cups and fill each cup 3/4 full with the batter.
6. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Serve.


Enjoy!
=o)
Jen

Trader Joe's ORGANIC Pizza!

Tonight I was really tired and running low on dinner ideas, so....luckily I had one of these stashed in my freezer for nights like tonight!













My kids love pizza, and I feel better about giving this pizza to them because I know it is a healthier alternative.

=o)

Jen

Popcorn! A Healthy Snack!

So today I had my friend's daughter over for the day with my kids, and we decided to have a "sleepover" which basically means that we lay blankets, sleeping bags, and pillows on the ground and watch a movie! They wanted to snack on Popcorn while watching Barbie Thumbelina. So...I whipped out some popcorn kernels and some canola oil and got to work. OMG--how EASY is it to make your own healthy popcorn?!?!

Here's all you need for basic popcorn:


I added about 1/4 of oil to the bottom of a skillet and threw one kernel in and covered it with a lid with the stove on medium-high. Once that kernel pops (it will take a few minutes so be patient!), slowly add enough kernels to cover the bottom of the skillet. (Beware that popcorn grows 30-45 times the starting size after being popped!!! So if you add too much, be prepared for the lid to be pushed off by the force of the popping!) Shake the skillet a little while popping, and voila--you now have a fresh batch of popcorn minus any funky additives!




For the kids, I melted a little bit of organic stick butter and poured it on top of the popcorn and sprinkled a tiny bit of salt over it. They loved it! In fact, I have a picture of them eating it while watching the movie!


Enjoy!
=o)
Jen

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Factory Farming? CAFOs? What are they?

Like I've said before, there is SO much I just did not know until recently. If you would have asked me what CAFO stood for 6 months ago, I would have been truly clueless. A CAFO is a Concentrated (or Confined) Animal Feeding Operation. It is basically a factory for animals where they are treated as a product not as a living creature. I understand that when you eat meat you are accepting the fact that an animal gave it's life for you, but that does not mean the conditions that they live under during their time on this Earth should be deplorable and inhumane.
When you go grocery shopping, the images portrayed everywhere are of farms and grassy pastures, when in reality, the majority of these animals that you are purchasing for consumption have never lived this way.
I found this great article (see link below) on sustainabletable.org that I thought explained the concept of a CAFO/Factory Farming better than I ever could have.

Factory Farming

Enjoy!
=o)
Jen

Several reasons to eat Organic Meat!

Here is an interesting compilation of articles (see link at the end of this post) that discuss the result of the industrialization of our meat products--not a happy ending.
The relationship between E. Coli and grain fed cows is something that I, even AFTER having a daughter that was infected with this bacteria, and my husband, who has worked in the Food Safety industry for over 15 years, were unaware of! The relationship between a ruminant's diet (which affects the pH of their stomachs) and the bacteria in their gut that thrive there can be extremely dangerous. Not until I watched Food Inc. did I learn (and research more) about the correlation between feeding cows corn, a grain that they are not designed to digest, and the deadly bacteria, E. Coli. There are many reasons for this change of diet and thus the industrialization of the meat industry--mainly, quantity over quality and MONEY become the main issues. If you would like more information about all of this, I suggest you read The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. He provides a lot of incredible and unbelievable information about our "food chain". You will definitely walk away thinking about things you've never thought about before.
















Please check out the articles below. Whether you agree or not, it is still very interesting and I feel like there is a lot of validity to be found here.
This also helps to explain my passion for all of this. Since watching Food Inc., I have not eaten ANY meat that has not been organic and in the case of beef, grassfed. It is personal to me as the emergence of E. Coli, a bacterial infection that most likely was derived from cattle, has affected and infected my family. The inhumane treatment of feedlot animals is something I find truly disgusting and unsanitary. I could go on and on, but I'll save that for another post! ;o)

http://www.eatwild.com/foodsafety.html

=o)
Jen

What exactly does certified Organic mean?

I am sure a lot of people see this symbol and wonder what exact does certified Organic mean?
Well, I found this article that explains it fairly well on Organic.org. Check it out!

Certified Organic Label Guide

They also have a Just For Kids section!

=o)
Jen

Happy Belated Birthday Cake!

So David's birthday was on August 12th, but we were out in California at the time. We agreed to "officially" celebrate when we got back. The kids and I painted him some pictures for him and make a YUMMY organic cake from a Dr. Oetker's cake mix and frosting mix. I prefer to make things from scratch but when you don't have a lot of time, there ARE convenient, quick, easy-to-make organic options!

I have to say, it was quite YUMMY! I purchased these mixes at Earth Fare. LOVE this store!
Dr. Oetker has a lot of organic products that I'm assuming you can buy at your local health food store or even on the Dr. Oetker web site.

I also wanted to add that all the ingredients needed to make this cake and frosting were also organic: milk, oil, eggs, and butter. =o)

Enjoy!

=o)
Jen

Here are some pictures of the "process" and the products we used:












Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides

If you are new to shopping organic/pesticide-free for produce (or even if you're not!), then this free printable, "throw-in-your-purse-able" guide to the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 is for you!
Click on the link below to open the pdf. file.
There are also a few brief paragraphs on:
Why Should You Care About Pesticides?
What's the Difference?
Will Washing and Peeling Help?
How Was This Guide Developed?

This is a TERRIFIC resource! Check it out!

http://static.foodnews.org/pdf/EWG-shoppers-guide.pdf


=o)
Jen

Saturday, August 21, 2010

The Times They Are a-Changin'

There is so much I want to say, so much I want to share about this "food journey" we have been travelling along, that I just don't know where to begin.
I found this quote yesterday and thought it was so fitting:


Come mothers and fathers throughout the land,
And don't criticize what you can't understand...

~Bob Dylan

This is an excerpt from the song "The Times They Are a-Changin'". It really got me thinking. People are so quick to criticize and condemn you for the changes you make in your life even, in this case, when it is a positive one. Until you have walked in my shoes and watched your child struggle for her life, it is probably difficult to understand the helplessless and pain that it's possible to feel... I am not asking anyone to change their lives, but just want to share my journey and experiences in hopes that maybe I have some knowledge that others are unaware of and would appreciate knowing. There is SO much I just didn't know. Watching Food Inc. was definitely the catalyst to this change in our eating habits. Watching Barbara Kowalcyk on Food Inc. (who my husband had the pleasure of meeting the day Food Inc. aired on PBS) share her devastating experience of losing her 2.5 year old son to E. Coli and HUS was just so sad--the same diseases my daughter had at age 3 that we are so lucky she survived... So I guess all I am asking and hoping is that people have an open mind to change--change can be good! And knowledge can be good. Ignorance, unfortunately, is not bliss.

So with that said...I am ready to begin sharing recipes and tips and all that I have learned and am learning and if you have something to teach me, I am ready to listen with an open mind!

Thanks for stopping by!
Comments are welcome!

=o)
Jen