Healthy and Easy Jam

A staple in our house is Jam! When the girls started eating it all the time we switched from the high fructose corn syrup loaded jelly to the Smuckers Reduced Sugar Spread.. I looked at the label and realize there is still 5 grams of sugar per Tablespoon! Yikes! So my search was on to find a good homemade jam! After trying a couple I have found an amazing recipe!

5 cups berries (I used Organic Mixed Berries)

1 Package "No Sugar Needed" Fruit Pectin (Sure-Jell 1.75 ounces)

3/4 cup water

Place frozen berries into a pot and simmer until they start to break down and defrost. Pour the berries into a blender and pulse until you get your desired consistency. Return the berries to the pot and add the water and pectin. Bring mixture to a boil. Boil for one minute stirring constantly. Skim the foam off the top. Pour into prepared jars. Let cool before adding lids. This jam can be left in refrigerator for about a month or frozen until ready to use.

Pizza Sauce in a Pinch

I promised the girls I would make pizza tonight before I checked to make sure I had all the necessary ingredients. I had no crushed tomatoes to make my pizza sauce! I decided I would work with what I had and this is what I came up with! It was enjoyed by all!

Easy Pizza Sauce

1 can Hunts diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
1-2 tsp Agave Syrup
1/2 cup Pureed carrots
Pinch of onion powder
Pinch of pepper

Blend diced tomatoes in Magic Bullet/blender until the consistency of crushed tomatoes. Put tomato puree into small pot on medium heat. Season to taste with onion powder and pepper. Add Carrot puree. Taste and if too acidic add 1-2 teaspoons of Agave. Cook 5 minutes to blend flavors and smear on your favorite pizza crust,

I loved this sauce because I am not a big fan of tomato paste. The carrot puree really thickened the tomatoes and gave it great texture!

A Spin on Pizza

These are fun little pizza's and so easy to make! The kids will have a blast making them, and there are so many variations the kids will never get bored with it! We make these about once a week at our house!

Whole Wheat Pizza's

Makes 1 Serving

2 Whole Wheat/Multigrain Soft Shell Tortillas (see *side note on bottom

1/2 cup Marinara Sauce (see *side note on bottom)

1/2 cup Fresh Mozzarella cubes

1/4 Cup Meat of your choice (If using Pepperoni try Turkey Pepperoni)

1/4 Cup Veggies of your choice

Place one tortilla on a plate. Spoon and spread sauce until completely covered. Add meat and veggies. Place mozzarella cubes on toppings. Place second tortilla on top and microwave on 50% power until warm and bubbly. Cut in triangles and enjoy!

Change up the ingredients to make these new and special!

*Side Note*

Marinara Sauce

Makes 2 Quarts

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Medium-Large Onion, finely chopped

2 Stalks of Celery, finely chopped

2 Carrots, peeled and finely chopped

1 Cup Spinach Puree

2 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

2- 32oz. Cans Crushed Tomatoes

2-Dried Bay Leaves

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 min. Add the celery, carrots, and salt and pepper. Saute again until the celery and carrots are tender, about 1o min. Add tomatoes, Spinach puree, and bay leaves. Simmer uncovered for about an hour until the sauce thickens. Remove bay leaves.

Whole Wheat Tortillas

Makes 18

3/4 Cup All Purpose Flour

4 Cups Whole Wheat Flour

1/4 Cup Wheat Germ or Flax

1/2 Cup Olive Oil

2 tsp Salt

1 1/2 Cups Boiling Water

In a larget bowl, stir together 3/4 cup all- purpose flour, the whole wheat flour, wheat germ/flax, and salt. Work in the olive oil by hand until the mixture is the texture of oatmeal. Make a well in the center, and pour in the boiling water. Mix with a fork until all of the water is evenly incorporated. You may need to add 1-2 tablespoons more of water to get the dough to come together. Sprinkle with a bit of additional flour, and knead until the dough does not stick to your fingers. The dough should be smooth.

Make balls the size of golf balls, about 2 ounces eat. Place them on a try, and cover with a cloth. Let stand for at least 1 hour.

Heat a large frying pan or griddle to high heat. On a lightly floured surface, roll out a tortilla to your preferred thinness. Fry one at a time. Place on the griddle for 10 seconds, as soon as you see a bubble on the top, flip the tortilla over. Let it cook for about 30 seconds, then flip and cook another 30 seconds. Roll out the next tortilla while you wait for the previous one to cook. Repeat until all of the balls have been cooked. Cover edges of the tortillas after they come off griddle if they seem to be drying out.

You can refrigerate or freeze these tortillas!

My Newest Adventure

Recently, I have been looking into making bread from scratch. We always seem to go through a ton of bread, and at times race to the store in a panic because we don't have any. We always purchase a high quality, no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial colors or flavors, whole grain, with fiber bread. The healthier the bread the more it costs, so I have decided to start making it at home. I am able to control the quality of ingredients, and even add extra layers of nutrition which is a win! Everything I have read says if you are new to baking bread, to start off easy to get the technique and then work up to more complicated recipes. That is exactly what I did today. I made an English Muffin Bread! The recipe came from my Grandmother and it is easy and delicious, here it is!

English Muffin Bread

Makes 2 Loaves

1 Cup Milk (scalded)

2 tbsp. Sugar

1 tsp. Salt

3 tbsp. Butter

1 Cup Lukewarm Water

1 pkg. Active Dry Yeast

5-6 Cups Flour

Cornmeal for dusting

Start off by scalding the milk. I used a saucepan, turned my stove on medium high and stirred continuously until bubbles formed around the edges and it looked frothy. Remove from heat and stir in the butter, salt and sugar. Let that sit until it is lukewarm (100-110 degrees). Once the milk mixture is lukewarm get the water lukewarm (100-110 degrees) and put into mixer. Sprinkle the yeast and stir until completely dissolved in the water. Add the milk mixture to the water and combine.

Add 3 cups of flour and start the mixer. Mix until completely smooth. The dough will still be sticky. Now slowly start adding flour little by little and mixing until dough can be formed into ball, and its manageable. Grease a bowl and place dough ball into the bowl. Cover with a towel or two and put in a warm place for 1 hour to rise. The dough should double in size.

With your fist, punch a hole in the center of the dough, and pull dough from sides into the hole you punched. Next, roll out onto a floured surface. Get your two loaf pans and grease them. Roll the dough with a rolling pin until it is an inch longer than your pan. Fold the left and right side of dough into center, pressing firmly. Now pull ends in to fit the size of loaf pan, and pinch seams together. Roll in cornmeal and place in loaf pan. Cover with a towel and place in a warm place. Let rise another hour.

When dough has about doubled in size again place in a 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes. Bread will be done when its brown on top and when you knock on the sides or bottom it sounds hallow.

Breakfast Foods Continued....

Since I wrote the last blog on Waffles, I thought I would share a couple more breakfast recipes we make frequently in our house!

Sweet Potato French Toast

4 Organic Eggs

3 Splashes of Vanilla Almond Milk (sorry I never measure, also you can use regular milk)

2 Tsp Cinnamon

1 Tsp. Nutmeg

2 TBSP Wheat Germ

1/2 Cup Sweet Potato Puree

Bread (I save all the end pieces of our loaves of bread- just place them in the freezer until your ready to make a batch- Great way to use up those end crusts no one wants to eat!)

Whisk all the ingredients together until combined. Preheat skillet. Dip bread into mixture and cook until done! I make large batches of these and pop them in the freezer. So simple to just pop one into the toaster frozen, and they come out just like they were just made!

Acorn Squash Waffles

2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour

2 tbsp Sugar

1 tbsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp Salt

1 Organic Egg

2 Organic Egg Whites

4 tbsp Canola Oil

1/4 cup Acorn Squash

1 1/2-2 Cups Milk - we use vanilla almond milk

1 tsp Vanilla - if you didn't use vanilla milk

Steps:

Place the flour, sugar and baking powder in a medium bowl and whisk with a wire whisk to combine well. Add the eggs, butter, oil, acorn squash puree and 1-1/2 cups of the milk; beat with the whisk just until smooth. Add more milk as needed to thin the batter to a pouring consistency, make sure to keep it thick. Pour into preheated waffle iron and cook until crisp. I also make a double/triple batch of these and put them in the freezer. Put frozen into the toaster and they come out just like they were freshly made!

There's More to Waffles!!

That BIG appliance called the Waffle Iron that takes up all that space can be used for more than just waffles!! Ok, so I cant take credit for this one but either way its a fabulous idea!! I was watching Rachael Ray the other day and she was showing how to make Brownie Waffles. What a way to change up plain brownies and make them exciting! If you are feeling ambitious make your own brownie mix from scratch. It is super simple!!

Homemade Brownie Mix Recipe (courtesy of Bon Apetit)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup vegetable oil

4 whites, beaten to blend

2 teaspoons vanilla

Steps:

Combine first five ingredients in large bowl. Add oil, egg whites, and vanilla and blend.

Brownie Waffles

1 Box Fudge Brownie Mix OR Make the Homemade Mix!!

2 TBSP Wheat Germ (my addition to bump up nutrition)

Waffle Iron

Steps:

Preheat waffle iron. Make brownie mix as directed on package. Grease the waffle iron and drop brownie mix in just as you would if you were making waffles.. Let them cook until done. They will be crisp and yummy! Top with berries and homemade whipped cream or nuts and caramel sauce!!

Here are a couple more ideas of things you can make in your waffle iron to do a twist on everyday food!

~Muffins (Applesauce/Blueberry/Pumpkin)

~Banana Bread Waffles

~PB&J Waffles- Remove crust from bread- make the PB&J sandwich as normal- Stick in waffle iron until warm and gooey!

~Grilled Cheese

~Cream Cheese Sandwich- Remove Crust from bread, spread cream cheese- add diced up pieces of fruit (we love Strawberry cream cheese with pieces of strawberry) place in waffle iron until crispy.

~Sweet Potato Sandwich-Puree cooked sweet potato- mix with Organic Yogurt- Spread on bread with crusts removed-Place in Waffle Iron

The list could go on experiment with different things!! This is a great one for the kids to be involved with. Let them pick out the ingredients & make their sandwiches!

Mini Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Cups

I had some time this morning to try a recipe that has been staring at me for about two weeks. My children refuse to eat the crust of the bread, and I can't stand to throw it away.. so it goes into a Ziploc Freezer bag until I can find something to make with it. Well, today I decided to make Mini Egg Muffins. The kids really enjoyed them, and I was able to "Sneak" a few things in without them knowing! Plus they love that they fit in their hands and they don't overwhelm them on their plate. Also, you can make a batch of these up and pop them into your freezer, then all you do is pull one out and pop in the toaster oven, or microwave if your really short on time!

Mini Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Cups

Makes 6 Egg Cups

6 Organic Omega 3 enriched Eggs

1/4 Cup milk

1/2 of your favorite Sausage (All Natural Pork sausage is what I used)

2 Cups bread crusts/cubed bread

Shredded cheese of choice to sprinkle on top

Salt and Pepper for seasoning

2 TBSP Wheat Germ or Flax Seed

Cook sausage according to directions until done. Whisk the eggs, milk, wheat germ or flax, salt and pepper in a bowl. Pour into a wet measuring cup. Spray your muffin tin with Organic Pam, or rub a little oil in cups. Cut up bread pieces small and put them at the bottom of the cups. Sprinkle with the cooked sausage. Press the filling down a little. Pour egg mixture over the bread and sausage and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in a 35o degree oven for approximately 25 min or until the egg has set and is slightly browned. Let cool 5 minutes before removing from pan!

I love that you can mix these up with different ingredients so there can be some variety. Add ham, bacon, veggies, & different cheeses! You could even add a vegetable puree into the egg mixture and the kids would never know it. Next time I may try it with homemade hash browns.. remember NO processed packaged foods. Buy a baking potato and use your boxed grater!!

New Years Resolutions

I want to start off by saying that I am horrible at New Years Resolutions, I always start the year with a bang, and by mid April I forget what half of them were.. Well, this year I hope to change that! I have a couple things this year that I am going to make a point of accomplishing.

My first resolution is to rid my home of processed food. Almost ALL of us have processed food in our home. It's easy to buy, quick to prepare, and our kids LOVE it, so why not have it on hand..? Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, Velveeta, Instant Potatoes, Frozen Chicken Nuggets, and Eggo Waffles just to name a few. I have been experimenting with different recipe "fake outs" that use whole foods but taste similar if not better than the boxed stuff. These recipes also allow you to make more food for less money. I've also found that some of the recipes allow you to make a large volume and then freeze. I will post some recipes in the days to come that I have made, the kids have loved, and are pretty simple to make!

The second resolution is to remove more harmful chemicals from my home. This last year I changed over the chemicals I use on a daily basis to a Natural Green Cleaner. I truly believe we feel better, I am not worried about the side effects of using my "Green" cleaners, and again they are more cost effective. I have another list of products I still use with harmful chemicals that I hope I can change to a greener safer option this year. I will share my recipes for the cleaners I not only use, but ones I hope to add to my list this year in a separate post so that anyone interested can make notes.

Of course I have a handful of other resolutions I would like to accomplish like... Lose weight, take more time for myself, and purchase all special occasion cards ex. Birthday & Anniversary; that way I always have to perfect card in my card box, and the special person receives it ON TIME!! We will see if this year I can accomplish all of these things!

Recent Additions to my Kitchen

I have been shopping Amazon recently for two reasons. First, it is much easier than attempting to take two kids shopping anywhere that doesn't offer a "free kids cookie." Second, I have found that most of the items on Amazon are cheaper then I can find in the stores! The two new additions are Popsicle Molds, and 101 Cookie Cutters! Both are MUST HAVES in my opinion.

The kids are always asking for "treats" and I always hesitate to give them sugar filled fake food. I have found a really yummy recipe for popsicles and the kids LOVE them!

Strawberry Banana Smoothie Pops!

1 1/2 Cups Frozen Strawberries & Bananas

1/2 Cup Stonyfield Vanilla Yogurt

1 tsp. Organic Agave (healthier than Honey and does not spike blood sugar)

1/4 Cup Acorn Squash (or any puree you think would be good)

Water (If necessary for movement)

~Blend the ingredients together until smooth, pour into popsicle molds and place in freezer for at least 4 hours! These can be made with any fruit of choice, the options are endless!

Here It Goes...

I have decided to venture into the world of blogging! The inspiration for my blog is to document being a busy mom of two beautiful kids and how to incorporate a healthy lifestyle! I will be posting healthy fun recipes, fun crafts, organic/natural living ideas, and of course things that are happening with our family!