I just made Mustard in the MICROWAVE!

Don't worry it does makes more

 then that!

• 1/2 cup water
• 8 tablespoons dry ground mustard

  
  

  
  

  
  

• 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons light brown sugar (optional)
• 1 tsp. arrowroot powder (optional, or replace with white flour, used as a thickener)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• Pinch of garlic powder
• Pinch of paprika
 

 

 

Stove top method:

Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan.  Whisk to combine. Heat until boiling.  Simmer on low for 10 minutes string  frequently. Once  sauce has reduced to the thickness you would like it remove from heat.  Pour into bottle or jar . Can be  stored   in fridge for up to a month.

 For a more mellow mustard, allow to sit for a few days to become less hot.

            
To microwave: 
 In a bowl whisk to combine. Place into the microwave and heat on high for 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and puree with a stick blender for 1 minute. Pour into a glass jar or container and allow to cool uncovered. Once cool, cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Making Almond milk

With all that is said about processed food and additives I have been trying to cut back and eating real food. Even things like almond milk have questionable ingredients. The additive carrageenan; a seaweed-derived texturizer is been known to cause stomach problems . So I thought how hard is it to make almond milk? Plus Care2 had a piece about making non-dairy milks.

The simplest way to explain is 1 part almond 2 parts water.
No more wasting almond milk cause I didn't use it up in 7 days..... now I can make as much or as little as I want.  If I need a cup of almond milk I can use 1/2 cup of almonds and 1 cup water. Plus you can store the extra almonds in the freezer and use the ground almond as almond meal (flour)



1 part organic almonds
2 parts water

Soak the almonds in the water (cover about 1 inch above them) over night or for up to 2 days.

Drain  the almonds from the water and rinse.
Put almonds and the 2 parts water in a blender.

Pulse to start to chop them up. Then blend for 2 minutes.  It will look like milk

Strain with cheese cloth the almond meal.  Press the remaining milk.out of the cheese cloth.

You can add sweetener and or vanilla  if you want.
Refrigerate. This fresh almond milk only last for 2 days but you can make as much and as little as you want. You can always have your almonds soaking for the next batch!!

Honey Oat Quick Bread

So I have been doing manly gluten free meals lately and do quite well... But once in a while I crave pizza so something like that.  I have been to picnics and had a burger on a bun things like that.  So I was thinking after hearing the news about the fact that I might not have power after tonight and might be days before it gets turned on... I need things I can eat without power.  So I thought I break down and maybe make some bread. When I made the pizza crust without yeast I wasn't that bloated so maybe it's the yeast that is getting me all bloated. Ok the truth is my yeast went out of date and I threw it away a week ago... I already ran my errands for the day and really don't want to drive in the rain again (plus I think everyone is stocking up on stuff and bottled water) I found this recipe and thought I try it:

Honey Oat Quick Bread

ingredients:

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons old-fashioned rolled oats, or quick-cooking (not instant) oats, divided
2 1/3 cups white whole-wheat flour (or use half white, half whole-wheat flour)
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
8 ounces (scant 1 cup) plain yogurt
1 large egg
1/4 cup  oil
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup milk

directions:

Position rack in middle of oven; preheat to 375°F. Generously coat a 9-by-5-inch (or similar size) loaf pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon oats in the pan. Tip the pan back and forth to coat the sides and bottom with oats.

Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Using a fork, beat the remaining 1 cup oats, yogurt, egg, oil and honey in a medium bowl until well blended. Stir in milk. Gently stir the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture just until thoroughly incorporated but don't overmix or the bread will be tough. Scrape the batter into the pan, spreading evenly to the edges. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon oats over the top.

Bake the loaf until well browned on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. (It’s normal for the top to crack.) Let stand in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a table knife around and under the loaf to loosen it and turn it out onto the rack. Let cool until barely warm, about 45 minutes.

from Eating Well

It's so much like a biscuit I thought why not try it.  It's in the oven right now..... I did use Greek yogurt I hope that isn't going to mess it up...

Healthy switch

Pinerest pin  took me to Better Homes and Garden Easy Healthy Recipe Substitutions .  Where I found some healthy switch for healthier eating.

Marshmallow Creme, Not butter.
Use in something sweet recipe cause the marshmallow cream will make it sweet. Marshmallow creme has no fat or cholesterol unlike butter.

But for dark colored foods like brown bread or brownies use baby prunes.

For sour cream sub equal parts low-fat yogurt and low-fat cottage cheese.  Or as I have done before I sub half of the sour cream with the cottage cheese.   Ok I was just a little short of the sour cream.. best for dips.  Blend the cottage cheese before using.  Or use low-fat yogurt for sauces or baked goods.  I use greek yogurt for sour cream on my potatoes!!

Evaporated skim milk instead of heavy cream. You lose fat and calories but keep the smoothness. Best for custards or desserts.  Wonder if it will work for soups??  Alfredo sauce... 

Ketchup

Growing up my grandmother used to make her own ketchup and being a spoiled brat I didn't like until my pre-teens when she ran out of the bottled kind. It had a bite to it so as kids we called it "hot" ketchup. My aunt made it for awhile but she is busy taking care of Ted. so I found a couple recipes on line and kinda mixed the spices around to my liking.

6 ounce can tomato paste
1/4 to 1/3 cup tap water (depending on desired consistency)
2 tablespoons vinegar
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
pinch nutmeg
pinch allspice
pinch cayenne pepper
1/4 cup brown sugar or maple syrup

In a medium bowl combine all of the ingredients with a wire whisk. Blend well. Scrape the mixture into a pint-sized, re-sealable container. Or empty ketchup  bottle that has been cleaned out!  Chill overnight, to blend the flavors. Use wherever ketchup is desired. Keeps for months in the refrigerator.

Or can it like my grandmother used to. Leave a 1/8 headspace. Sorry I don't know how to can but know that much!

Natural Food Coloring?

With the holidays ahead I am thinking about baking somethings and thought about sugar cookies. Truth is at work I was comment that my cookies would taste better because they don't have any chemicals in the mix. So then I think wait the frosting is made with artificial coloring....

So I went to find on line if I could find natural food coloring.... ummm wait I have my hours cut and I am being told not to get over 35 hours or I will be in big trouble... They are expensive...

New search! To make natural dyes.  I was thinking no not the easter egg dyes... but it pretty close to that to color frosting.

Raspberries, cranberries or strawberries - red or pink
Beet juice - red
blueberries or blackberries - reddish purple
grape juice- lavender
puree spinach- green
Avocado - green
turmeric or saffron -yellow
cabbage leaves water add baking soda - blue

My plate

When I was going to school, we had to learn the 4 basic food groups. Protein, dairy, grains and cereal, and last but not least fruits and vegetables. We were thought that we need to eat from each food group each day to be big and strong.... Even the dinosaurs ate well, way back then... Ok really the dinosaurs were long gone before that but not according to the girls... lol

Then there was the Great Pyramid the girl had to learn.  You know the one where the closer to the top you got the less of that item you should eat... The girl understood that very easily.  It's the pyramid with the stripes well lets just say we all sign a big sign of relieve  that none of us where in school and had to worry if we understood the diagram or not!!
Why not go to  www.ChooseMyPlate.gov for information, tools, “how-to” materials about healthy eating

So yea this diagram can be understood by the littler ones  in  school.  It can easily understood by many.... but really it is worth 2 million...... that reported the amount that it took to develop and promote the my plate icon. wow.... and we blame the president for the  deficit.

But where we wrong in the "olden" days? Was my grandparents wrong with eating eggs almost everyday for breakfast and milk with every meal mindset?  That the fact was most things where made from scratch and not over fortified with added vitamins.  The animals where not pumped up with hormones.  Oh yea that the main item wasn't the meat.  You  usually had a few side dishes,  you ate everyone of them and that the meat was not the largest part of the plate..........     Maybe our grandparents did have this right....

Fast food and Moods

Watching the news tonight I hear that there was some researchers that found fast food makes people cranky and depressed. They had a senior medical adviser presenting the story.........
Our brains need nutrients and when they  don't get it, we get cranky.  Oh yea you don't have to tell  a mom about that.  You can overhear a mom saying Oh someones hungry!  to a cranky little one. (that or is it nap time??)  That's what wrong with the society today, we need to eat healthier.  




But there is research  from the University of Toronto study shows that people became impatient simply considering fast food. I really have a problem with the label fast food for yes it is fast food but not all of it is bad for you, you can get some healthy choices at fast food places. Plus you can make some food fast in the microwave and if it is fresh;  it's not bad for you either.  I used to work at a fast food place and yes people can get very impatient...... that and lose all sense of time.  If they have wait in line for 3 minutes it turns into 20 minutes when they scream at you for 5 because they had to stand in line... Can I take your order now please??............

Also they found if they shown a logo or a menu from a fancy restaurant, people used better manners. Wow just the logo or menu.  When they saw the logo of fast food places they became impatient


Maybe that is the answer to our school crisis.  With Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution; Mrs. Q blog Fed up with Lunch, and Farm to School Network all working on making it the norm to have fresh foods at our schools.  Need more proof... I found this site. A School in Wisconsin changed it food program and found it's  violence, drug problems, drop outs and expulsions changed to 0... Zero... and this is the school for behavior problems, they even had a cop there.  They had a problem with hand guns inside the school and all this from fresh healthy food.  That is  Central Alternative High School

We also know that many food colorings and syntactic sugar  are being blamed for behavioral problems like ADD and hyperactivity.


Why is this even being questioned. That our student need healthier food... that there is a connection to food and learning........... So why is the government talking about cutting the food stamp program and dragging their feet on the  Child Nutrition Women, Infants, and Children Reauthorization Act (CNRA).  


Many eastern countries use fresh food in the lunch program and even teach our children about the food they are having for lunch.  I has so shocked when I watched Food Revolution and saw that most of the kids didn't know what vegetable was what.. Time to go back in time and start cooking food for the students and giving them the best advantage to  secede.

Agua Fresca

Translated as "fresh water". Sometimes known as Aguas de Frutas translated= "fruit waters". Fruit water without the plastic bottle, preservatives and dyes of the bottled. Traditionally the water are made by mashing fruit then adding water and sweetener.

For honey use a small amount of hot water to help mix the honey into the drink.
If you use a blender don't all all the water in recipe just enough to make it drinkable.
Never add ice this is dilute the fruit flavors. Place in the refrigerator until cold. Use cold ingredients.....

Strawberry Agua Fresca 

* 3 cups hulled and quartered strawberries
* 1/4 cup sugar (more or less depending on sweetness of the berries)
* 2 cups cold water
* 1/4 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice



Watermelon  Agua Fresca
1 1/2 cups watermelon, diced (no rind)
5 cups cold water
1/4 cup sugar

Blend for a minute or two until the seeds break up . Let the  seeds fall to the bottom and should stay in the bottom when you pour.  You could use a strainer if you like to make sure the seeds don't get added to the drink..

  Melon Agua


1 ripe cantaloupe or honey dew peeled, seeded and diced
2 qts cold water
1/2 cup sugar