I saw that the Law of Attraction for Health posted a recipe for Mango Lassi and I thought I should post mine too!
I used to think lassi was one of those drinks that you needed to pay $5 a cup for at a nice Indian restaurant and that was the only way to get it. Come to find that, like most healthy food, its actually really easy and pretty inexpensive to make at home. And at home I can adjust the recipe to be that much healthier and better.
Showing posts with label kitchen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kitchen. Show all posts
Friday, June 26, 2015
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Recipe: Teething Biscuits
I got this recipe from my grandma, who got it from the Amish cook book. It was great when Critter was teething, then we threw some extra ones in the freezer. Now his teeth are all grown in, but he opened the freezer one day and decided he wanted to eat these "donuts". They are healthy, simple and effective.
I like to make the recipe extra healthy by using rapadura sugar and fresh ground flour. That is also all we have on hand so its easier. These are nice because they are hard enough to be good for teething, and sweet enough to keep their attention.
This recipe makes approximately 12 durable and relatively crumb proof teething biscuits. If you make them too thin, like I did the first time, it makes quite a few more but they still work.
TEETHING COOKIES
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
2-2 1/2 cups sifted flour
Break eggs into a bowl and stir in one direction until creamy. Add sugar and continue stirring in the same direction. Gradually add flour into the mixture and continue stirring until mixture is stiff.
Roll out dough with a rolling pin, between 2 lightly floured sheets of wax paper, to a thickness of 3/4 inch.
Use a drinking glass and a salt shaker to cut out doughnut shaped. Place cookies on a lightly buttered cookie sheet. Let formed cookies stand overnight (10 – 12 hours).
Bake in preheated over at 325 degrees until lightly brown and hard.
I like to make the recipe extra healthy by using rapadura sugar and fresh ground flour. That is also all we have on hand so its easier. These are nice because they are hard enough to be good for teething, and sweet enough to keep their attention.
This recipe makes approximately 12 durable and relatively crumb proof teething biscuits. If you make them too thin, like I did the first time, it makes quite a few more but they still work.
TEETHING COOKIES
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
2-2 1/2 cups sifted flour
Break eggs into a bowl and stir in one direction until creamy. Add sugar and continue stirring in the same direction. Gradually add flour into the mixture and continue stirring until mixture is stiff.
Roll out dough with a rolling pin, between 2 lightly floured sheets of wax paper, to a thickness of 3/4 inch.
Use a drinking glass and a salt shaker to cut out doughnut shaped. Place cookies on a lightly buttered cookie sheet. Let formed cookies stand overnight (10 – 12 hours).
Bake in preheated over at 325 degrees until lightly brown and hard.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
I Brush My Teeth With Mud
Yesterday, I mixed up a batch of toothpaste in my kitchen. Most people's response is one of three things:
1. Why would you do a thing like that? It is much better to trust the chemists that have come up with a careful formula to make sure our teeth our clean and healthy
2. That is intriguing. It sounds frugal, how and why do you do it?
3. I hate commercial toothpaste for many reasons. I want to make my own too!
1. Why would you do a thing like that? It is much better to trust the chemists that have come up with a careful formula to make sure our teeth our clean and healthy
2. That is intriguing. It sounds frugal, how and why do you do it?
3. I hate commercial toothpaste for many reasons. I want to make my own too!
Why I Make Toothpaste
I Have A Toddler
Once upon a time, when Critter was still little, barely starting solid foods and not getting into stuff as much as he does now, he was on the changing table while I prepared his diaper. I wasn't watching carefully for a split second and then I saw him with an open lotion container squeezing it into his mouth happily.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Working With Whole Grains
We hear the importance of eating whole grains, and labels tell us how many different grains and enriched grains they have. Meanwhile, grains are being blamed as one of the causes of obesity and digestive issues. What does it all mean? Besides reading the ingredients on the label, how can we incorporate more healthy grains into our diet?
What Are Grains?
Thursday, September 12, 2013
My Not So Extreme Hippie Prepper Ways
My family lives in a small basement apartment. We don't have room (or a desire) for a TV because the drum set, piano and computer desk take up most of the living room space. So why would I even consider having an extra three month supply of food encroaching into our living space? What possessed me to fill five gallon buckets and stash them in every conceivable place I can?
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Recipe: Gluten Steaks
As I look for interesting recipes with whole food ingredients, I often come across recipes that go with a certain diet. While I don't follow any of those diets, I have enjoyed many meals that were paleo, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and other variations. This week we tried a dish that is usually vegan (but I did a non-vegan version). It was a great find, really easy to make and tasted a lot better than I expected.
While I am not a vegetarian, a lot of our meals are. The trick is to try and get enough of the nutrients that we miss by not eating meat at every meal. But there are a lot of things I don't miss when we aren't eating meat:
Once upon a time, I decided I wanted to make homemade bread on a regular basis. After deciding I was really committed and could do this, I decided to save by buying things in bulk for a great deal at Azure Standard. So I got a few 5 gallon buckets and gamma lids. It was exciting to feel like I was really getting on top of my food storage goals. It was a great feeling as I brought in those big bags of beans, oats, rice, wheat and vital wheat gluten. While there was a lot of cost up front, I knew I was saving a ton of money in the long run. If we will eat it before it goes bad, why not buy lots at a time?
Apparently my math skills are somewhat lacking. 50 lbs of vital wheat gluten is about two 5-gallon buckets. That isn't a problem, except I use less than 1/4 cup every time I make bread. So now we are eating all our oats, beans and using up the wheat. Meanwhilst, we are barely making a dent in the vital wheat gluten (by the way, if anyone ever wants some, come on over, I have plenty!). I realized that I probably have a few life time supplies if all I ever use it for is bread.
Thankfully, on the site I bought from, there are often recipes accompanying the product description. So as weird as it sounded, I decided to give it a try. Since it is packed with protein (that's what gluten is) and iron, it was worth a shot. Besides, it still only used 1 cup of flour, so it was a lot cheaper than some of my other cooking experiments.
The verdict: It was good and filling. pThe texture reminded me of dumplings, but chewier. It was soft enough that my toddler devoured it without needing to break it in pieces. In the future we will experiment with frying, baking, breading and other common meat methods since the part that got slightly burnt to the bottom of the pan tasted best.
3/4 cup water
beef broth (you could use another type)
1. mix flour and water together. Break or slice into pieces
2. Put slices in broth, cover, and boil for an hour
3. Prepare and serve as desired (we just put ours on a plate with a side of caramelized carrots)
Be aware that the "steaks" expand A LOT. I thought I had plenty of room in the pan I was using, but they filled it (but weren't stuck together). I separated it into 2 pans and they expanded to fill both of them. I think they just fill whatever space they are in and shrink down after they are done (they still end up bigger than they started though).
If the broth all boils away and the dough is stuck to the bottom, just add a little water and it comes right off.
That is all there is to it! Sure is easy and a lot less messy than preparing real meat!
Have you ever tried gluten steaks? Do you have any ideas or suggestions to enhance the basic recipe?
Why I Like Vegetarian Meals
- I find the texture of raw meat rather icky
- There are a lot more health hazards in raw meat and it takes a bit of work to make sure it is cooked properly (especially with a helpful toddler around).
- Meat is usually more expensive than alternatives
- I often have to wonder where my meat came from and what went into it before and after it died, especially if it is on the cheaper side
- Since I still have a lot to learn when it comes to cooking, I occasionally have a bit of guilt when I make a meal and think "An animal gave it's life so it could become that?"
A High Protein Food
This meal is not gluten-free. In fact, it is about as far as you can get from a gluten free meal (I manage to take a food that is naturally gluten free and substitute it for one that isn't). The main ingredient is vital wheat gluten.
Once upon a time, I decided I wanted to make homemade bread on a regular basis. After deciding I was really committed and could do this, I decided to save by buying things in bulk for a great deal at Azure Standard. So I got a few 5 gallon buckets and gamma lids. It was exciting to feel like I was really getting on top of my food storage goals. It was a great feeling as I brought in those big bags of beans, oats, rice, wheat and vital wheat gluten. While there was a lot of cost up front, I knew I was saving a ton of money in the long run. If we will eat it before it goes bad, why not buy lots at a time?
Apparently my math skills are somewhat lacking. 50 lbs of vital wheat gluten is about two 5-gallon buckets. That isn't a problem, except I use less than 1/4 cup every time I make bread. So now we are eating all our oats, beans and using up the wheat. Meanwhilst, we are barely making a dent in the vital wheat gluten (by the way, if anyone ever wants some, come on over, I have plenty!). I realized that I probably have a few life time supplies if all I ever use it for is bread.
Thankfully, on the site I bought from, there are often recipes accompanying the product description. So as weird as it sounded, I decided to give it a try. Since it is packed with protein (that's what gluten is) and iron, it was worth a shot. Besides, it still only used 1 cup of flour, so it was a lot cheaper than some of my other cooking experiments.
The verdict: It was good and filling. pThe texture reminded me of dumplings, but chewier. It was soft enough that my toddler devoured it without needing to break it in pieces. In the future we will experiment with frying, baking, breading and other common meat methods since the part that got slightly burnt to the bottom of the pan tasted best.
Basic Gluten Steak (adapted from Azure standard)
1 cup vital wheat gluten (gluten flour)3/4 cup water
beef broth (you could use another type)
1. mix flour and water together. Break or slice into pieces
2. Put slices in broth, cover, and boil for an hour
3. Prepare and serve as desired (we just put ours on a plate with a side of caramelized carrots)
Be aware that the "steaks" expand A LOT. I thought I had plenty of room in the pan I was using, but they filled it (but weren't stuck together). I separated it into 2 pans and they expanded to fill both of them. I think they just fill whatever space they are in and shrink down after they are done (they still end up bigger than they started though).
If the broth all boils away and the dough is stuck to the bottom, just add a little water and it comes right off.
That is all there is to it! Sure is easy and a lot less messy than preparing real meat!
Have you ever tried gluten steaks? Do you have any ideas or suggestions to enhance the basic recipe?
Monday, June 3, 2013
The Trouble With Food Labels
Labels simplify things. If I know a person is a jock, preppy, geeky, band nerd, orchestra dork, or in the drama club, I don't need to get to know them because I already know exactly what they are like. Right? If I've already learned what Mormons, Catholics, Buddhists, Muslims, and followers of Jedi-ism believe and how the respond to certain situations, I have no need to ask them about religion or clarify my understanding because I already know everything about them. Right? If I know how many children are in your family, how old you are, or what shape your nose is or any number of other things, I can automatically assume everything else about you. Right? What about a label or title you earned? If you are a teacher, a doctor, a lawyer, a PhD, high school or college graduate, registered nurse, violist, drummer, or some other label you worked hard to obtain? Surely it is safe for me to assume I know all about you then, right?
Wrong.
Now that I have managed to offend everyone who will read this, I want to explain why I feel food labels are just as ridiculous and insufficient as labeling people.
Going down the isle of the supermarket, I can find lots of food labeled "fat-free", "sugar-free", "gluten-free", "sodium-free","calorie-free" and many other variations. I'm not saying that all of these foods are bad (I've seen many of them on bananas), but the labels are misleading. Clearly, it is more desirable for food to be free of fat, sugar, salt, gluten, calories and other things otherwise they wouldn't advertise that, right? Wrong.
All of these things have a purpose, and if used properly, are usually good for you. I hope my water is free of all of these things, but not my dinner! I care more about what is in my food than what isn't in it. If there isn't any sugar in my cookies, what artificial sweetner was put there instead? What else did you remove when you stripped my milk of it's fat and goodness?
Advertising for the Niche
There are some people who are horribly allergic to gluten, peanuts or some other common food product. They should certainly check labels carefully to make sure they aren't getting food contanimated with allergens.
Then there are a lot of people that have decided gluten is the root of all evil without being quite sure of what it is. All they know is that it is found in lots of food and is slowly poisoning them and should be avoided at all costs.
I've seen bananas, water, and more labeled as gluten free. So I had better make sure to buy the gluten free brands right? Or maybe I should find out what gluten is. It is a protien found in wheat and some other grains. So I'm most likely to run into it in baked goods. Even then, if I'm not allergic, it may be worth investigating some alternative methods of preparing grains if I feel I have an insensitivity to it-sprouting or soaking the grains and avoiding commercial yeasts are good starting points.
Scare Tactics
If something contains 20% more or less of an ingredient than another variety of the same product, you don't need to think that the original had a dangerously high (or low) level and this version is so much safer. Soy sauce is a great example. They all have tons of salt, and most are not made in the traditional fermentation method, not to mention there are reasons to be suspicious about soy beans....
What about aluminum free baking soda? We don't want to be using the type with aluminum in it, best to buy the one labeled aluminum free. Right? Well, while it is true we want to avoid ingesting aluminum, there aren't any varieties that include aluminum, baking powder is the one you need to watch out for. The baking soda marketers realized people could get confused and stuck a label on it to scare you away from the other brands.
Wrong.
Now that I have managed to offend everyone who will read this, I want to explain why I feel food labels are just as ridiculous and insufficient as labeling people.
 |
| The label on my crock-pot : "Madame Carla's Psychic Sauce 'Just a drop gives you teh power to see deep into the future. And tastes great on chicken!'" |
Labels Can Be Misleading
Freedom is Slavery (for other references to 1984, go here and here)Going down the isle of the supermarket, I can find lots of food labeled "fat-free", "sugar-free", "gluten-free", "sodium-free","calorie-free" and many other variations. I'm not saying that all of these foods are bad (I've seen many of them on bananas), but the labels are misleading. Clearly, it is more desirable for food to be free of fat, sugar, salt, gluten, calories and other things otherwise they wouldn't advertise that, right? Wrong.
All of these things have a purpose, and if used properly, are usually good for you. I hope my water is free of all of these things, but not my dinner! I care more about what is in my food than what isn't in it. If there isn't any sugar in my cookies, what artificial sweetner was put there instead? What else did you remove when you stripped my milk of it's fat and goodness?
Advertising for the Niche
There are some people who are horribly allergic to gluten, peanuts or some other common food product. They should certainly check labels carefully to make sure they aren't getting food contanimated with allergens.
Then there are a lot of people that have decided gluten is the root of all evil without being quite sure of what it is. All they know is that it is found in lots of food and is slowly poisoning them and should be avoided at all costs.
I've seen bananas, water, and more labeled as gluten free. So I had better make sure to buy the gluten free brands right? Or maybe I should find out what gluten is. It is a protien found in wheat and some other grains. So I'm most likely to run into it in baked goods. Even then, if I'm not allergic, it may be worth investigating some alternative methods of preparing grains if I feel I have an insensitivity to it-sprouting or soaking the grains and avoiding commercial yeasts are good starting points.
Scare Tactics
If something contains 20% more or less of an ingredient than another variety of the same product, you don't need to think that the original had a dangerously high (or low) level and this version is so much safer. Soy sauce is a great example. They all have tons of salt, and most are not made in the traditional fermentation method, not to mention there are reasons to be suspicious about soy beans....
What about aluminum free baking soda? We don't want to be using the type with aluminum in it, best to buy the one labeled aluminum free. Right? Well, while it is true we want to avoid ingesting aluminum, there aren't any varieties that include aluminum, baking powder is the one you need to watch out for. The baking soda marketers realized people could get confused and stuck a label on it to scare you away from the other brands.
 |
| Label on my microwave: "BETTER not eat this, we warned you" |
False Sense Of Security
It may be up for debate whether calories, fat, sugar, and salt are good or bad, but what about things that are definitely bad for you? No one wants to be eating chemicals, hormones, antibiotics or pesticides in their food. So to be safe you should only buy organic or natural, right?
While this sounds good, it isn't always the answer.
A quick look at the list of substances allowed and prohibited for certified organic food makes it clear that there are synthetic as well as natural substances. Having talked to farmers, it is obvious that there are many non-organic options that are healthier and safer than the organic variety.
But, organic food sells. People are worried about what they eat, so they trust that if they buy organic they are eating healthier. Meanwhilst, the food companies are doing their best to produce what sells. If that means abiding by a long list of stipulations, and filling out lots of paperwork, so be it.
Big companies can afford that sort of stuff. In a corrupt system, wealthy businesses can often afford to change the rules too. Did you know that a USDA certified version of Round Up is in the making? Did you know that Monsanto, a large producer of GMO foods owns Round Up?
The labels "organic", "natural", "certified theraputic grade", and many others don't mean anything. They can be put on anything, or could be a term and certification that was made up by the company to make it sound good. That doesn't mean products with these labels are necessarily bad, just that they may not always be as good as you think.
The label "USDA Certified Organic" does mean something. It means that the farm had to do a lot of paperwork and follow some rules to get a fancy label on their food. It can't be genetically modified (although GMO could have slipped in accidentally), but it can have certain pesticides, fertilizers and other chemicals on it.
A quick look at the list of substances allowed and prohibited for certified organic food makes it clear that there are synthetic as well as natural substances. Having talked to farmers, it is obvious that there are many non-organic options that are healthier and safer than the organic variety.
But, organic food sells. People are worried about what they eat, so they trust that if they buy organic they are eating healthier. Meanwhilst, the food companies are doing their best to produce what sells. If that means abiding by a long list of stipulations, and filling out lots of paperwork, so be it.
Big companies can afford that sort of stuff. In a corrupt system, wealthy businesses can often afford to change the rules too. Did you know that a USDA certified version of Round Up is in the making? Did you know that Monsanto, a large producer of GMO foods owns Round Up?
The labels "organic", "natural", "certified theraputic grade", and many others don't mean anything. They can be put on anything, or could be a term and certification that was made up by the company to make it sound good. That doesn't mean products with these labels are necessarily bad, just that they may not always be as good as you think.
The label "USDA Certified Organic" does mean something. It means that the farm had to do a lot of paperwork and follow some rules to get a fancy label on their food. It can't be genetically modified (although GMO could have slipped in accidentally), but it can have certain pesticides, fertilizers and other chemicals on it.
Leaving Things Unsaid
I think that many companies know exactly what we want to hear and what we have been told to beware of. That is why baby products are labeled as BPA free, when they just replaced the BPA with another chemical that may be worse. Milk is labeled as not containing certain hormones, but what about others?
Just because a product doesn't contain one or two harmful things, doesn't mean it is safe. When buying from a big business, how do I know that some soap didn't slip into the milk container because the lid wasn't on before the workers started cleaning up at the dairy? The FDA seems to focus their efforts and testing in areas that are not always the most beneficial for you and I.
If You Want Something Done Right...
The more I learn about food and other products, the less I trust the system, and the more I lean on what I know I can trust.
- I can trust my Heavenly Father. I pray to be able to take care of my family the very best I can. I pray for guidance in my decisions and to be able to discern truth and error.
- I can trust myself. If I grow my own food, I know exactly what went into it and what didn't go into it. If I can it myself, I know what is in it and what isn't. I don't gain anything by lying to myself.
- I can trust my family and investigate sources to judge them by their ethics rather than their certification.
- In the end, some things matter more than others. I would rather spend my money in local businesses and other things I believe in than a big business. I would rather spend my time enjoying my family than worrying about every little detail of our food.
Labels can be deceptive on lots of levels. For me, that means I won't believe something is good for me or not just because of the labels. It also means I will be hesitant to spend lots of extra money on organic food. I want to eat healthy, and I will go out of my way to do it, but some things are worth spending lots of time and money on, and some just aren't.
What do you look for when you are buying food? Where do you draw the line?
Friday, May 10, 2013
What Does It Mean To "Eat Healthy"?
When I married my husband, I knew that he tended to eat healthier than me. I accepted the transition and realized this would be a good opportunity to kick some of my unhealthy habits. I was sad at the thought of giving up my fluffy white bread and I was thrilled that he considered frozen burritos to be a standard lunch food. When it wasn't just me depending on the food I made, it was a lot easier to make better meals. But it wasn't until I got pregnant that I really started wondering what was healthy and what wasn't.
It didn't take long to discover that there were lots of different opinions. One source would emphasize the importance of avoiding all fats and say you should stay away from fatty foods like avocados at all cost. Another source listed avocados as one of the top 5 foods to eat while you are pregnant. With so many different, and sometimes contradictory ideas and theorys out there, how could I know what was really true and best for me and my family?
It didn't take long to discover that there were lots of different opinions. One source would emphasize the importance of avoiding all fats and say you should stay away from fatty foods like avocados at all cost. Another source listed avocados as one of the top 5 foods to eat while you are pregnant. With so many different, and sometimes contradictory ideas and theorys out there, how could I know what was really true and best for me and my family?
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Forty Pounds of Chicken? No Problem!
Monday, March 11, 2013
A Good Recipe Vs. Good Science
Back in the day before restaurants and ready made meals, most children would learn to make bread by watching their parents. I did learn from making bread with my mom, but I didn't pay as close attention as I should have. When I finally got around to making my own bread, my mom was in Guam and I got to learn a lot of things through trial and error!
Bread is really quite simple: flour, water, and yeast. You can add in other things, and probably should, but I found that understanding how and why things work was far more helpful than all the great recipes that I could never quite recreate. I actually don't use a recipe so much now, I just know what to look for. Here are some things I have learned that I hope can help you in your bread baking!
Bread is really quite simple: flour, water, and yeast. You can add in other things, and probably should, but I found that understanding how and why things work was far more helpful than all the great recipes that I could never quite recreate. I actually don't use a recipe so much now, I just know what to look for. Here are some things I have learned that I hope can help you in your bread baking!
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
How I Avoid Going To The Store
The snow has been falling heavily today. Even if I could trust the snow plows to do their job and provide me a clear path, the thought of bundling up myself and baby to walk outside to the car (after unburying it) is far from appealing. Besides, the baby is taking a nap, and there are a lot of things I would rather do than interrupt a nap to drive through the snow so I can spend money buying stuff for dinner (like write a blog post). Today is one of those days that I am really glad we have figured out how to minimize our store trips.
Of course we still have those last minute store runs from time to time, but I have found that a little preparation and planning goes a long way. My husband works hard so that I can be a full time stay at home mom and homemaker. My job description includes a lot of things, as well as one of those ambiguous "details and responsibilities may change unexpectedly and without notice, so be prepared for anything and everything" disclaimers.
One of the nice things about my job is that I am my own boss, so I get to choose what I do and how I spend my time. Since our income decreased when I stopped working to start being a mommy, I decided that part of my responsibility would be trying to find ways that our family can live frugally. I've found lots of ways to do that, and I want to share some of them with you.
Of course we still have those last minute store runs from time to time, but I have found that a little preparation and planning goes a long way. My husband works hard so that I can be a full time stay at home mom and homemaker. My job description includes a lot of things, as well as one of those ambiguous "details and responsibilities may change unexpectedly and without notice, so be prepared for anything and everything" disclaimers.
One of the nice things about my job is that I am my own boss, so I get to choose what I do and how I spend my time. Since our income decreased when I stopped working to start being a mommy, I decided that part of my responsibility would be trying to find ways that our family can live frugally. I've found lots of ways to do that, and I want to share some of them with you.
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