So picture it, Valentine’s evening. I am hopefully and confidently ready to prepare a dinner of love for the family. On special occasions, I love trying new recipes and cooking techniques. I like to “get fancy” and pretend that I am a full-on trained chef.
Read more4 Tips to bring flavor to your Healthy FOOD
Raise your hand if you think healthy food is dry, boring, and flavorless! I had my hand raise really high in the sky when I first began to look at the food I was eating. I know that those boxes of low-fat cookies were just about as bland as bland could be. Can I get an AMEN? But to honest, my plate liked processed foods and that meant salt. Lots of it. I thought flavor meant a salt bomb. This is simply not true. Here are a few tips to get a flavor bomb over a salt bomb!
Skip the Water: If you ever wonder why a sauce, soup or dish is so amazing? Well the credit is likely BUTTER or Broth! I love me some water but in cooking it is only good for boiling! Whenever the recipe or calls for water to be added, whether that is rice or sauces, use broth/stock instead. It is a super easy trick and of course you can easily have boxed broth on had. This only adds a few calories but the pay back is well worth the extra effort.
Season from the bottom up: I love the quote from the movie Shrek. The one when Shrek is talking about ogres having LAYERS. Enter Donkey’s humor in with “you know what else has layers, parfaits have layers, I love parfaits” Think of this technique as learning to create layers!! So many of us fall for the add your spices to the top of you meal. Ya know sprinkle and give a boost. Nope, no top down here. Add your spice at the sauté level. The time of the dishes where you are cooking the fat, onions, garlic, etc. Add part of your seasoning here but saving some to add later. Layering of flavor is KEY! Example: Lets go simple. Soup. Chicken Noodle Soup. Where to do the seasonings for best punch. When you are sauté the onions, garlic, celery, peppers in the butter add whatever blend you desire. At least a 1 tsp or more depending on the size of soup you will use a total of 2 tsp. Adding the chicken whether cooked or cooking. Add more seasoning. 1/2 tsp and a couple of pinches of salt on top of the chicken. Next layer is after the soup is cooked and close to done. Yes the sprinkle on the top. 3 Layers of flavor! You can use this technique for many dishes!.
Use FULL Fat: Yes I know yikes right. BUT, fat brings flavor and 9 times out of ten. Low fat means High Sugar. The really culprit in poor health is sugar!! This is one of the reason we crave so many sweets. We are eating it in some many places that is changes are taste buds. I love giving the example of bottled salad dressing. Just check out the label and be shocked to see major sugar. When you begin to make your dressing you can control the sugar use healthy fats and up the flavor!
Salt, yes you need it: This is a chemistry lesson of sorts. You must have some salt in order to draw out the flavor of what ever spice you are using. It is the chemical equation of cooking. Needing Fat, Salt and Acid! The three work together and man oh man. Flavor Town! Do you need a crazy large about. Nope! In fact most of time you should even taste the salt but the spices and foods you have eating. Personally I use a pink Himalayan or Sea Salt.
Healthy foods can be filled with amazing flavor. Through some trial/error and investigating I found these 4 simple tips to bring BIG flavor to your real food meals.
It’s your culinary Parfait!! Now, what tip will you take a try? Or better yet, maybe you already use? I would love to hear from you and see your fun food flavors!!
When prayers are answered
A little over a month ago I lost my mom to a very aggressive stage 4 colon cancer. She was only diagnosed this May and I have been fully immersed in her care. Normally this blog is all about food and keeping it real. But part of keeping is real is sharing the really hard times of life and I am in the thick of it now. I hope this journey can bring comfort or understanding to someone else who is experiencing tremendous loss. I am no expert and I am fresh in the grief state, but I feel the need to share. I will still be keeping it real on the food front too. But for now, here is a bit of what is on my heart.
We have all heard the phrase be careful what you wish for. I am adapting a bit to be careful what you pray for.
From the first time of my mom’s diagnosis, I prayed two things. One that if she was to be healed from this crappy as cancer that it be obvious and without a doubt that she continues with treatments and it was doing its job. I remember the days of working in oncology where people had to make a really hard decision based on semi ok results. Having to weight the side effects of treatment with quality of life. I prayed that God would make it abundantly clear the path to take. Oh, boy did he ever, careful what you wish for.
The second prayer was she would never linger and suffer in her death journey. Again, in my nursing days, I witness that extreme suffering of patients and family to watch their loved one slow death. My Mom also had this wish, she watched her precious sister suffer tremendously in her death and my mom wanted no part of that. Of all things, she wanted to things to progress quickly and peacefully. Be careful what you wish for…
It’s not that I would have wanted her death to be any different, honestly, everything we prayed for came true. Wishes of her heart became the reality. But I did not realize was how damn hard it would STILL be. Even with answered prayers, it was painful. I was completely unprepared.
She died so quick. I have regrets of not looking her straight in the eyes to tell her how much I love her, how she was a wonderful mom. My mom and I did not leave things unsaid. We talked very openly and honestly, but this came so hard and fast. I thought I had more time.
I thought I had more time. Don’t get me wrong, when we found out that the tumors were growing through the chemo treatments, I knew she was not going to live long. But I certainly did not think she would pass within that week. It was a shock and a trauma that I did not expect. Somehow, I thought that peace would mean no pain. That she did not suffer either would I. That the knowledge of her in the glorious presence of God would make it all the sorrow go away. This is not the case. Grief is grief. It has to be felt and walked through. No matter how a loved one leaves us, it is traumatic. I am here grieving and God is weeping right alongside me. So, I am left with the fact that I no longer have an earthly mother. It is slowly becoming my reality. Nothing in my life will be the same. Well actually there is one thing. My savior, he is never wavering and always a consent in my life. Hebrews 13:8 For this I am thankful.
RX Bars, worth it? An honest review!
Product Review Time
This is going to be short and sweet but I know that many of you are looking for my thoughts on the taste of the newer RX bars. So when I am looking at this type of "bar" I am checking out several things! One is the ingredients. Where is the sugar coming from, added or whole foods? Are there words I can not pronounce? Is there more than 6-7 ingredients? Second is the taste/texture. Is it styrofoam or too soft? The third is flavor. This is a huge one for me, it must be tasty with layers of flavor. One other caveat, "bars" are not a standard in my diet. It is something that I use when traveling or if I am in a pinch on the go. These are still heavy on the sugar content (natural) but still sugar. So just because something is a whole food does not mean you should have it on a daily bases. Now on to the review.
As an overall review. The ingredients are Good! Two thumbs UP! Minimal, real food ingredients and NO added sugars. I think they taste pretty good, but a few things I did not love. One is the texture. They were a bit too chewy and lack the hearty bite I so enjoy with any type of bar.The flavor, that was independent of each bar! I tasted 3 of the chocolate versions, mostly because I am a lover of chocolate. Here is what I think of each.
Peanut Butter Chocolate:
I was dearly hoping to enjoy this, I love chocolate and peanut butter so very much. I was a bit disappointed. It lacked the PB flavor and it was a little bitter. It also had a particular chewy/stickiness more so than the others! If I had nothing else to choose from I would eat it. It is not awful but I will say I enjoy the Lara Bar version better.
Coconut Chocolate:
This is my favorite of the 3. It had more crunch from the almonds and an over all better texture. Still on the chewy side but better. The flavor of the chocolate was much more pleasing and just love the hint of coconut! This is one I would buy again in a heart beat!
Chocolate Chip:
This was my second favorite and I loved the vanilla flavor. It really gave it some resemblance to a cookie. One thing to note, there are no chips in this bar. Unlike Lara Bars which have some chocolatey chips in some of their product.
Overall
I would say I give it a 7 out of ten. Mostly because of the texture. Will I purchase again? I might, especially if my choices are limited. I will likely still use my Peanut Butter Lara bar too. I just love the flavor. I am thrilled that we are seeing more and more options in the "bar" department! But remember to keep these on the occasional list my friends!
Blessing from my Kitchen to yours
It's All About the Veggies, 4 steps to getting more green in your diet
My love of veggies is defiantly a newer found love. As a reformed junk food, junkie and processed food lover. My idea of a vegetable was a can of corn or an occasional salad with the standard fair covered in ultra-processed ranch. The idea of eating rainbow swiss chard in sautéed bacon for breakfast was nothing I have ever thought of or was exposed to. So to say I had no understanding what real vegetables were is an understatement. I get it, change is hard but doable. I am still learning and challenging myself to try new green stuff. So I know if I can do it you can do it
Read more6 Hidden Sources of Sugar in your pantry right now!
Many of you might just read this title and think, why on earth does it matter? Is sugar really all that bad? My answer might just surprise you, NO. But wait, I must explain. I have a food philosophy that lays heavily on moderation. We have been given 5 beautiful taste buds for a reason and sweet is one of them. So why write this article? Well, as much as I believe in moderation I also believe that I get to choose when and how I have my sugar intake. PERIOD. If I chose to have a grande turtle mocha then I will, knowing that I am consuming an insane amount of sugar. The word hidden is a perfect in describing what is happening in our food industry. Sugar is cheap and addictive so a perfect fit. Below I have 6 common "healthy" food options that contain large amounts of sugar. Read and take inventory of what you have in your pantry and some easy swap you can make today.
1) Yogurt
Of all the "healthy" snacks this is one of the most deceptive. Marketed to kids in fun tubes, adults as full of probiotics, full of calcium. But the one thing they leave out is the sugar factor. Most of the leading brands of yogurt contain 12-15 grams of sugar. Say what??? Considering that the average recommended amount of daily sugar is 25 g for women and kids around 15-20 gram. So if you eat one container of yogurt you will have half of the daily allowance of sugar. In just one small 150 calorie package! So is there a better yogurt choice, YES. Go for full-fat, plain. Simple yes, but you will avoid added sugars. I choose to add fruit and bit of honey to make a nutritious filling snack. My favorite national brand. I found a wonderful local creamy here in Iowa, check out this national registry to find a local source near you.
2) Granola Bars
Whether you call them, granola bars, energy bars or protein bars they are all pretty much the same. Glorified candy bars, that contain anywhere from 6-14 grams of sugar! It was one that truly thought this was a healthy option for my kids. It was quick, had oats and sometimes even raisins. In easy convenient packaging. A winner for many moms on the go. But what if you could find a better real food option so you could control the ingredients. Like everything moderation is key. We do have these treats in our house, but they are just that, treats. I save them for traveling, super busy nights on the go and a sweet snack. They are not a staple in our diet. Moderation. I have three go to's for when we do have our treats. One is homemade. Protein bites. The recipe is simple, freezable and kid approved. Second is Larabars. Most contain only dates and a few added ingredients, like peanut butter, chocolate chips, and fruits. They are in every store and a great choice for a grab and go. We do also have Kind Bars on occasion. They are still sugar heavy but have good simple ingredients.
3) Oatmeal packets
Breakfast is one of the easiest places to have a sugar heavy meal and not really see it. Pre-made packets of oatmeal have shocking amounts of sugar. In a standard Quaker oats maple & brown sugar packet you will get 12 grams of sugar!! Even the cinnamon and spice has 11 grams. This is crazy and to be honest, it is not even a filling meal. So what are your options for easy and quality oatmeal. Check out two options, Overnight soaked oats & Refrigator Oats. Both are filling with healthy fats, natural sugars, and whole grains. Best part you make the night before and it takes minutes to pull together in am. It is a win/win!
4) Dressings
Of all the places to find sugar, it is hard to believe this is one of them. However, it is one of the easiest to make yourself. 2 teaspoons of Newmans Honey Mustard dressing has 5 grams of sugar. and who uses only 2 teaspoons of salad dressing? Not this girl. The wonderful news is you can make your own in just minutes. Check out my video on these easy steps to make homemade dressing.
5) Bottled Sauces
Just like it's close cousin dressings, sauces are loaded with many nasty processed ingredients with sugar leading the pack! Everything from Ketchup with 4 grams in 1 tbsp, Teriyaki Sauce 20 grams in 1/2 cup and Barbeque 6 grams in 1 tbsp!! I am shocked even as I type!! So there are a few ketchup brands with a bit less sugar, Sir Kingston is a great brand. But in general making ketchup, a treat and not a staple would be a step in the right direction. Teriyaki is an easy fix with making your own! Here is my go-to recipe that I use for all things, grilling, stir-fry, pan noodles. I even found a great Hoisin sauce as well. So BBQ, that is a bit of a tricky one. As most all BBQ sauces have quite a bit of sugar to give it that sweet, spicy sticky goodness. So when we do indulge I make sure it is quality ingredients and has the whole foods in the sauce. Here are some bottle sauces. Here are some homemade sauces as well. Just keep in mind that this too is a treat type of condiment.
6) Beverages
This might also seem like an obvious observation, but I am putting the pedal to the metal. No more head in the sand about the amount of sugar we are taking in through our beverages. Everything from our Starbucks Lattes, fruit smoothies, flavored waters, juices boxes and of course soda pop. Don't forget that sugar-free, fake sugars, do just as much damage. Average coffee drinks have around 40g of sugar!! That is well over your daily allowance in one little drink. Restaurant smoothies can have anywhere from 40-65 grams. Those Gatorades, man, 21 grams in 12 oz! Plus don't think the no sugar option is cool. Nope, it is filled with surlactose, which is a nasty artificial sweetener. But there is great news. There are better options to choose from. Let's start with your coffee swap. If you still want to enjoy a latte style coffee, try a Breve. It is a full-fat milk with only 1 gram of sugar. It is creamy and delicious. Or better yet make your own at home with a bulletproof coffee. Smoothies, make your own!! You will still have sugar from the fruit but it will have no added syrups. Here are some easy recipes to make your own. Then the sports drinks, unless your child is running a marathon or extreme training for long periods there is no need for electrolyte supplements. If you are worried then make your own so you can control the sugar. Here some recipes from a fellow wellness lover. As for our family we pretty stick with good old water and food to replace nutrients after exercise and sports.
Take these tips to your pantry and place in your mind. This is not information to shame or punish, but to empower and educate! My mission to share knowledge with my followers to help improve their health and wellness in simple practical ways.
Be sure to check out my Real Food Diaries below and my new Cook Book!
