Homemade Organic Apple Butter, School Lunches, and a Healthy and Fun Breakfast Idea!!

Good Morning!!

Oh, how I've missed you, and I hope you've missed me, too.  :)

I am finally feeling settled enough in the new house and our new lives to get back to blogging!  I will blog whenever I have the time or feel the urge, so it may be random depending on how crazy my schedule is.  The most important thing though, is that I'm back!  

So, without further ado, here is what my kiddos took for lunch today...

Homemade Potato, Kale & Lentil soup (served warm in a Thermos), organic greens w/my homemade dressing (local cucumbers), and 2 local plums.  

Here is a lunch from one day last week...

Homemade Whole Wheat Mac 'n Cheese, peaches and grapes (both local), & edamame.

During my hiatus I was posting my children's lunches here, on the blog's Facebook page.  Check it out to see some more lunch ideas.  :)

My mother-in-law showed up the other day with a BIG bag full of apples from her organic apple tree.  As soon as she left, I had those babies ready to go!  They are a bit too tart and tough to eat on their own, but they were perfect for Crock Pot Apple Butter!  

Step 1...Core 'em, and toss them in a Crock Pot.  Yes, It's just that simple.  Honest.  I didn't add anything to them.  

Just keep an eye on them...it only took mine a couple of hours on high to cook all the way.

Step 2...Give them a zap in the food processor.  

You can add spices like cinnamon and cloves, but I like it just as it is.

Mine is still in the fridge, but I am planning on freezing some in glass jars.  Just leave a little room on top for the apple butter to expand.  

I've had it on toast the last couple of days, and it's delicious!!!!!

I'm always looking for fun and healthy food ideas for the kids, and I saw this one in a magazine.  I love thinking out of the box (or waffle iron), and this was one I knew my kids would be impressed with.  

This morning, I made the kids Waffle Iron Eggs!

My scrambled eggs are just organic eggs, a bit of local grass-fed milk, and a dash of salt and pepper. 

I heated up the waffle iron and greased it well with some NonGMO sunflower oil, then just spooned the eggs in. 

I let it cook until mostly solid, then gave it a flip (my waffle iron is one of those flippy-do ones).

I guess I should have used larger plates, but I was thinking eggs, not waffles. I wasn't thinking waffle-sized eggs.  Yes, I know that's exactly what I was making, but it was still very early...

Aren't those fun?  My kids loved them!  And, look at that good looking piece of Alvardo St. Sprouted Sourdough w/my homemade apple butter on it...YUM! 

I will leave you with this today, since I've missed you all so very much...

Have a great day! 

Don't Judge This Vending Machine By Its Cover, But By Its Contents & Cheesy Whole Wheat Crackers!

Good Morning!

I have to apologize for my lack of posts lately.  We are preparing to move, and anyone who has ever moved a big household knows just what we are up against.  Sheesh...how exhausting!  So, I apologize, and promise that things will pick up eventually.  Here's this for now...

My husband and I recently went away for our 15th anniversary, and I spotted this in the hotel.  Let's have a look...

So, this is what the vendor considers healthy choices.  I had to get a closer look...

...and when I did, I couldn't spot a single "healthy choice".  Can you?  

What did we pack for snacks so we wouldn't be running for the vending machines?  A pint of local organic blueberries that we picked up at the Farmer's Market that morning, bottled water, and a bag of organic corn chips.  "HEALTHY CHOICES"...how insulting.  

I know that one of the snacks that my kids enjoy is crackers...cheese crackers.  Think Cheese Nips, Goldfish, and Cheez Its.  Needless to say, those are no longer a part of our diet, so I whipped these up for them awhile back...

Easy Cheesy Crackers

This recipe is from Lisa at 100 Days of Real Food, and can be found here.

Easy Cheesy Crackers

SERVES: MAKES 2 DOZEN

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 5 tablespoons cold butter, cut into tablespoon size chunks
• 4 oz. or 1 ½ cups grated cheddar cheese…the sharper the cheese the cheesier the crackers
  (Yep, that’s it…only 3 simple ingredients!)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine all three ingredients in a food processor and blend. The mixture will eventually turn into one big ball chasing itself around the bowl. Be patient because it can take a few minutes.
3. Roll the ball into a log about 1 ½” in diameter. At this point you could refrigerate the dough until later.
4. With a sharp knife slice ¼” thick pieces off the log (pictured above) and place each one flat on an ungreased baking sheet. Try to rotate which side you are cutting down on because the top of the log does start to flatten a little. It is like your very own homemade slice and bake!
5. If you want your crackers to look a little fancy (as pictured above) take a fork and gently mash down the top of each one before baking.
6. Bake for 8 – 14 minutes or until golden brown. The thicker the crackers the longer it will take.
   These crackers can be stored in the freezer so double the recipe and save some for later!

3 ingredients!!!  How simple is that?!?

Here are my rolls of cracker dough.  I stuck them in the fridge until  I was ready to slice them up, and again in between batches.  And, here is what they looked like sliced and pressed with a fork.

The finished product...aren't they beautiful?  My kids loved these, so I am sure to make them again !

Have  a great day!

Veggie Loaded Fried Rice & Sending Real Food for a Week Long Summer Camp

Good Morning!

I have a few things for you today.

First, I mentioned on my Facebook page recently that I made fried rice for lunch.  Well, my kids gobbled that stuff right up! So, here is the recipe.

I had some rice left over from dinner the night before, so this seemed like a no-brainer.  

Fried Rice

2 c cooked organic brown rice (I used short grain) 

veggies (you can use any combination of fresh or frozen. I used 1/4 c frozen peas, 1/3 c frozen organic corn, 3 fresh organic mushrooms, 1/2 a chopped onion, 1/2 an organic yellow squash cut into strips, 1 small diced organic carrot, & 1/2 chopped organic bok choy)

2 T nonGMO oil

2 eggs

salt & pepper to taste

1/4 t ground ginger

2 t sesame oil

1/2 T sesame seeds

2 cloves garlic, chopped

Add the cooking oil, veggies (toughest veggies first, like the fresh carrot, that need the most cooking time.  Then add the others depending on how long they need to cook.  I added the carrot first, then a few minutes later added the rest, saving the peas for last.), and garlic in a large skillet or wok. Cook until veggies reach the degree of crispiness/softness that you like.  I like my veggies with a bit of crunch, so my cooking time is shorter.

Push the veggies to one side of the skillet, then crack the eggs into the empty side of the pan, giving them a bit of a scramble and then breaking the larger pieces up.  Once all of the egg is cooked, give it all a stir to blend together.  

Add the sesame seeds, rice, ginger, and sesame oil.  Stir, and cook for 5 minutes.  Season to taste with salt & pepper.

I serve this as a light lunch with fresh or frozen fruit, or organic yogurt parfaits. 

I've also shared on the Facebook page that my oldest daughter recently went to summer camp for a week.  This is the same camp that she went to earlier this year, but that was as a volunteer for a couple of days, this was as a very busy camper for a week.  Quite a food challenge, that!  Being that our compromise tends to be bringing breakfasts, lunches, & snacks, but eating their dinners, that could be quite a lot of food, not to mention money.  After getting a few very helpful suggestions, here is what we decided on...

Breakfasts

Refrigerator oats are definitely our go-to meal for this.  This winning combination tastes like strawberries and cream, and a little goes a very long way.

Now, I don't always put the same things in these babies, but use what I've got on hand.  To see a more detailed explanation of a variation that I have used in the past, check this post out.  These jars are simply organic steel cut oats, organic rolled oats, chia seeds, raw honey, Hartzler's Whole Milk, and frozen organic strawberries.  You only see 3 jars, because that is all I sent.  I don't like to leave these in the fridge for more than 3 days, so I sent her with some other foods/snacks that she could make breakfast out of.

Lunch

Pizza!  I can't take credit for this idea, since it was someone else who gave it to me, but I thought it was brilliant!  I already had a Great Harvest Whole Wheat pizza dough in the freezer, so after thawing I divided that into 3.  I rolled out the 3 personal pizza size crusts, and baked them.  I shredded up some fresh mozzarella cheese, and whipped up a quick raw pizza sauce.  What's in the sauce?  Using my Ninja chopper, I blended together 1 clove of garlic, 1 1/2 fresh local tomatoes, 1/2 a small onion, a dash of salt, 1/2 tsp organic Italian Seasoning, and 1 Tbsp fresh basil.  I poured it into a glass jar, and packed it up.

Soup...she loves a good soup, and it's so easy to reheat in these glass jars.  I had some homemade Potato Kale soup in my freezer, so I just thawed it and filled up these jars.  

Trader Joe's Handmade Whole Wheat tortillas (6), fresh ground dark chocolate peanut butter, homemade organic hummus (used an old container), and cut up veggies (carrot & cucumber).  She was able to make herself either veggie wraps for lunch, or peanut butter wraps for quick high energy snacks.  She could also use the wraps for breakfast.

Fruit & Snacks

The fruit that I sent could be used with meals or for a snack.  I suggested she use some banana on a peanut butter wrap for a breakfast.

Pumpkin Seeds, pretzels, 5 Ginger Snap Lara Bars (also could be used for a breakfast with some fruit), 2 Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate bars, and a bag of organic corn chips and organic blue corn tortilla chips.  I also sent in a couple organic lollipops, but they aren't pictured.

Drinks

 I sent her with a jar of organic lemonade, bottles of spring water, a glass jar of filtered water (not pictured), and a jar of green tea concentrate (that I brewed on my own).  She only needed to add the concentrate to water to make quite a few drinks out of it.

And that's how we did it!  How did it go?  Well, she said I sent way too much food!  It sure didn't seems like it to me, but she was so busy so much of the time, that she didn't sit around all day eating like I imagined. ;)  How did others react?  Pretty cool about the whole thing.  In fact, she even had enough food to share.  It was a smashing success!

Have a great day! 

Whole Wheat Waffles & Summer Time Fun!

Good morning! 

Summer has been keeping me so busy, and it seems like I hardly have to post updates. I do post to the Facebook wall, though, and the plug-in on the side seems to be a little outdated. So, be sure to click on it anyways just to check.  

https://www.facebook.com/WaterLemonKale

I'm on here now, so let's get to it! 

We have been busy little bees lately! Here are some pics from a recent trip to the river. On this trip, the kids got to see crayfish (or craw dads) & a baby water snake. 

I had never been to this particular park before, so I was uncertain if there was a parking area down below by the river.  You see, we were WAY up top, and this river was WAY down low.  There was a sign, however, that said "Dead End 750 ft".  So, I parked up top.  Sure enough, there was a parking area down below...stupid sign.  This would also explain why the Parks & Rec guy looked at me like I was insane when I started walking my 4 children down that hill.  I would like to propose a signage change..."Parking Area in 750 ft" seems like a good option.

I would like share with you one of my family's favorite recipes...Whole Wheat Waffles.  These are quick and easy, and very versatile.  I use a Belgian waffle maker, one that flips to evenly distribute the batter.  I am in love with it...and the best part?  I got it for $10 on Black Friday, a few years ago!  Ten bucks!  

I do things just a bit differently for this recipe, though, than the original.  I'm sure you've noticed that I do that a lot.  Recipes, for me, often serve as inspiration, motivation, and guidelines.  I rarely follow it to the letter.  ;)  Well, in this one, I use about 3/4 cup plain organic yogurt in place of 3/4 c of the milk.  Why?  I think it makes my waffles crispier on the outside, but it has more to do with economic reasons.  See, I can get plain organic yogurt in my general area, but I can't get my milk without making at least a 40 minute drive.  I often use yogurt in the place of milk or buttermilk.  Here, the waffles are topped with butter, organic banana slices, and pure maple syrup...YUM!

Here is the recipe, from Lisa over at 100 Days of Real Food.

 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large eggs
• 1 ¾ cups milk (I have used everything from skim milk to thick buttermilk…so whatever you have on hand should work)
• ¼ cup oil (I used coconut oil)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ½ cups whole-wheat flour (I used King Arthur’s organic white whole-wheat flour)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• Warmed 100% pure maple syrup for serving
• Fresh fruit for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat your waffle iron.
2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, honey, cinnamon, and baking soda until well combined.
3. Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk together just until the large lumps disappear.
4. When the waffle iron is hot, dab it with a little butter and then ladle some batter onto the center of the iron. Follow the instructions that came with your waffle maker to know how long it should be cooked (mine takes about 3 – 4 minutes each).
5. Keep waffles warm until you finish cooking all of them. Top with pure maple syrup and fruit. Enjoy!

I really hope you enjoy these waffles...my kids ask for them all the time!  I have even made these banana waffles by mashing a couple of bananas into the batter.  When I do that, I leave out the honey.

I will leave you with this image, from a silly kid that I know!

Have a great day!

Strawberry Picking on the Farm

Good Morning!

The kids have only been out of school for 2 weeks, but it seems like summer is flying by.  I feel like I need to grab hold of every moment that I can, and with a rare rainless Saturday, we did just that! 

Strawberry picking on the farm...  :)

I had been waiting patiently (ok...not so much) for our local berries to ripen, and the PYO (pick your own) fields finally opened on Saturday morning.  Fields typically open early, and picking will go until a certain time, or picked out.  Picked out?  On the first day?  It's been known to happen!  So, you get up bright and early & make your family a hearty breakfast (so they don't eat more berries than they pick...we had organic eggs, fresh fruit, & homemade whole wheat waffles), find some clothes and shoes that you don't mind messing up (especially if it has rained recently), slap on some sunscreen and maybe a hat, and hit the road.  You may or may not want to bring your own buckets or baskets.  Some places require this, and others charge a nominal fee for containers.  

Rows and rows of strawberries!  

They should have weighed the baby!  In this one, he's covered in strawberry juice.  :)

Aren't our berries beautiful?

After picking, we spent a little time at the farm.  They always have a few animals around, as well as a small market.  I swear, every year we are tempted to buy a puppy. Not kidding. In fact, this year my oldest daughter swore to take better care of our dog and to prove to us how responsible she can be...in the hopes of getting a puppy.  My husband and I expect this to last no more than a couple of weeks.  ;)

There were adorable goats & an emu.  We just knew this emu looked like a questionable character!

With it's beady red eyes...

and long neck...I would have gotten you a better close-up, but I was using my iPhone.  In other words...I wasn't getting that close for long.  This emu actually stuck it's head out and grabbed my daughter's jacket, trying to pull her over to the enclosure.  She screamed, and we all laughed.  Don't worry, she doesn't need therapy.  :)

The kids loved the goats, and I'm pretty sure the goats loved the kids!

What sweet faces!

"Come back!  We're vegetarians!"  Yes, I could be heard shouting that.  :)

To find a local PYO farm near you, check out this site!  

Happy Picking!  

:)

Everything That I Buy, Broken Down Into List Form...Just For You!

Good morning!

Today I'm going to let you in on my grocery shopping practices...how I shop, where I shop, the brands I buy, and why.  

We're just an average family. There are 6 of us (2 adults, and 4 children, ages 13, 7, 6, & nearly 2), and we live on nearly one income.  I say nearly, because I work one day a week for 8 hours, making $10/hr, while my husband works a full time job for a good wage...good, not great.  We own 2 vehicles (one is nicer than the other, but both need repairs).  That was just to give you an idea that we are not wealthy, not by any means.  In fact, there are times where we are barely scraping by. 

That said, this is my shopping list, broken down into categories.  These are not the occasional items that I buy, but the items that I always keep in the house.  If I'm out, I buy more the next time I'm at the store.  I do light shopping on Wednesdays, with the bulk of my shopping being on Saturdays.  I shop around, mainly at Heinen's, the farmer's market, Trader Joe's, & Whole Foods.  I know where to find the best prices.  So, without further ado...

(I apologize for the formatting...it's driving me crazy!)

Buying in bulk allows me to purchase better quality items in only the quantity that I need.  It also allows me to eliminate waste from the packaging.  I save every glass jar that I get, & reuse small brown bags, plastic containers, & honey bears from previous bulk purchases.  Keeping my bulk items in glass jars keeps them fresher, longer.  I take the jars to the store with me and fill them there.  It allows me to put them right on the shelf when I get home.  Stop by customer service for the tare weight of your containers & jars.  They will mark the tare on top so that the cashier knows. :)  Easy peasy! 

I purchase these items at the farmer's market, because I know I can get the best deals on these items from the vendors there.  Selection varies, but these are the items that I can get nearly every week.  If there are other goodies at great prices, then I'll grab those, too!  (Examples...6 lbs organic apples $3, organic cucumbers 4/$2, 8 lbs organic strawberries $7, potatoes 10 lbs $2, organic lemons 3 (large)/$2, organic avocados 4/$1. organic pears $1.99/lb.)

These are the items that I usually buy at the store.  Perhaps the quality at the store is better, or sometimes it isn't available at the market.  Sometimes the price is the same, so I choose to buy them in the store.  

I've not found a local source for eggs that are cage free & fed an organic diet.  I buy cheese that is locally made (about 35 miles from my house).  The cheese is made by the Amish, from milk from a co-op of Amish dairy farmers.  The cows are grass-fed, & antibiotic and hormone free.  We use very little butter, so I've not made the switch to organic or Hartzler's brand butter, yet.  The milk I buy is also local, grass-fed, and antibiotic & hormone free, but produced a couple of hours away.  It is in glass bottles, which I return for a deposit.  

I purchase ground beef from a local winery, that also raises their own cattle.  It is also about 35 miles from home.

I realize now that I forgot to include organic/nonGMO tortilla chips on this list of items.  I buy them every week, without fail.  :) 

There are other items that I will purchase occasionally for treats.  Right now, for example, I have all natural Whole Foods brand marshmallows & Mi-Del Graham crackers to make s'mores with. I made these the other night for the kids, in the oven.  Each graham square had 1/2 a marshmallow and a small piece of organic dark chocolate, topped with another graham square.  They got 1 each, 2 days ago, and haven't asked for them since.  :)

You may be thinking that there are a lot of things missing...there aren't.  The items above allow me to make a variety of meals for my family, and the items that I choose to make, rather than buy.  I'm able to make whole wheat tortillas and corn tortillas.  I'm able to make flatbreads and falafel patties.  It's everything that I need to make berry sauce, hummus, and my homemade dressing.  And on and on...

What do we snack on?  Kale chips, organic popcorn, nonGMO tortilla chips, fresh fruits and veggies, dates, & yogurt.  I will occasionally buy veggie chips or organic corn chips from Trader Joe's.

What do we have for dessert, or that little something sweet?  Dates are great, and we make sorbet or ice cream out of our frozen fruit.  The frozen fruit on its own is also a sweet treat!  I will occasionally make a treat, like the Apple Tart that I posted just last week.  

What do we drink?  Filtered water, organic tea, and green drink (there's a whole post on this!).

Condiments?  Not really.  We sometimes have organic ketchup, but use my homemade dressing and homemade organic hummus on sandwiches.

    If you have any other questions, feel free to ask! 

:)

Have a great day!

  

Baked Apple Fritters, in honor of National Donut Day

Good Morning!

The weather has been gloomy the last couple of days, and the kids are happily playing (or out at camp), so you get extra blog updates...YIPPEE!  

So, I posted today on Facebook that it's National Donut Day. If you read my post, then you'll know that I'm not such a great donut maker. Ok, so I only tried that one time, & it was before our lifestyle change, but once may have been enough for me. Being National Donut Day (How about National Whole Food Day? Huh? Do we have a day? Get back to me if it turns out that we do!), I thought it would be nice to try to, well, celebrate. Alright, you got me. I'm very low on granola & milk. The kids had organic eggs for dinner last night, & they had organic steel cut oats for breakfast yesterday. I needed something else to make them for breakfast, and this seemed like a great reason. Excuse? Inspiration? Yeah...let's go with inspiration. 

So, I did a search for a healthier apple fritter recipe. They keep those in the donut cases, so I figured it was close enough! I came up with one for Baked Apple Fritters at Food For the Soul. Being on my phone, I'm unable to link to it. I changed it up, of course. Here is the recipe for my tweaked version of Baked Apple Fritters:

Makes about 24

Preheat oven to 350

1 1/3 c whole wheat flour

2/3 c unbleached white flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 scant tsp sea salt

1/4 to 1/2 tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice

4 tsp nonGMO canola oil

2 medium apples, diced

3/4 c unsweetened applesauce

1/2 c plain yogurt

1/4 c whole milk

1/2 c raw honey

Cane sugar

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl (both flours, baking powder, cinnamon, & salt). Add apples. 

In another bowl, blend wet ingredients (yogurt, milk, & honey).

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the yogurt blend. Mix gently. 

On a lightly greased baking sheet, drop about 1/4 cup batter in mounds. 

Sprinkle tops with cane sugar, & bake for 12-14 minutes.  Enjoy!