No Grain Granola

Last Sunday, my 8 year old presented me with his Mother's Day Mix for breakfast. I think he intended it to be added to cereal, but I think it could be eaten as is, especially if you miss granola but can't have the grains.

No Grain Granola (a.k.a. Mother's Day Mix)

Coarsely ground pecans (he didn't toast them, but toasted would be good)
Raisins or dried cranberries
Cinnamon, to taste
Sugar or another sweetener, to taste

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and add milk.
Enjoy.

Whole Orange Muffins

Today I am featured at Anthony Sepe's blog: From a Dietitian's Perspective.

I shared a recipe I developed all on my own: Whole Orange Muffins. It's a whole wheat muffin with a whole orange, peel and all. That's not the original part, of course, but I didn't just tweak one ingredient and call it my own.

The recipe will be included in A Dietetics Professionals Cookbook, authored by Anthony with a portion of the proceeds going to the children and adults with Cerebral Palsy.

Quick and Easy Salsa

1/3 cup chopped red onion (about 1/4 small onion)
1 clove garlic
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped green peppers
1 tsp balsamic vinegar (or lime juice)
1/2 chipotle chile in adobo sauce (~1 tsp, or more if desired)
1/2 tsp salt
1 14-oz can diced tomato sauce, no salt added

Place all ingredients in food processor and pulse until mixed. Add diced tomatoes and pulse until mixed.

Makes 2 cups.

This salsa is quick and easy to make. A mini processor makes it easier, but the ingredients can be chopped by hand. It makes a mild salsa, so if you want it spicier, add more chipotle (jalapeno works too). What's great is that most ingredients can be chopped in advance, then frozen. Even the cilantro and garlic can be processed together as cilantro pistou and then put in the freezer. I didn't have any lime juice (which could also be frozen into ice cube trays), so I used balsamic vinegar with success. The measurements are approximate, so don't be afraid to adjust it to your tastes. Modified from One minute Salsa from Cook's Illustrated.

Yeah, I know I'm behind here...

Ok, I admit it. I have been very slow to incorporate flax in my cooking. I have learned of its benefits, but I guess I tend to be a slow adopter when there is so much of a buzz around a particular food. Although it may not save the world, it is a food worthy of honor and I have really neglected to incorporate it into my lifestyle. (I know I have friends shaking their heads in disbelief right now.) I suppose there are other healthy eating goals that I have been working towards, so I haven't really given flax much attention. But tonight things changed...

This evening I got together with Christina to finish some stamping projects (some that I started over 3 years ago) and she made a variation of Toll House cookies. She substituted half the flour with whole wheat and half the butter with flaxseed meal (she also does that with other recipes too). I'm hooked. She said the cookies don't spread out like the original recipe, so she has to flatten them out a bit. The cookies had the perfect chewiness to them and the flax added a nutty taste to them. I have been craving some homemade cookies for about a week but I can't find my oatmeal raisin recipe (my binder is a mess!) and I really wasn't in the mood for oatmeal raisin. These really hit the spot. Best of all, I am getting the benefits from the extra fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, not to mention whatever else they haven't discovered yet. I definitely like them better than the original toll house, but that may be just me.

[update] There is a catch: my husband tried them when they were a day old and said it stuck to the roof of his mouth and didn't seem like it was coming off! I still am hooked on these, I just won't make any leftovers. Besides, you can always freeze the "leftover" cookies before baking them and bake the rest later.

As for the stamping, I was able to almost complete some projects. I picked up a pack of envelopes thinking they were a pack of cards, and I forgot another part to finish the other projects. But now that I am well underway, I think I will have them done soon.

My Banana Bread Recipe, part 2 (no butter)

This is an update to the banana bread recipe I posted a few months back. In this version, I took out the butter and replaced it with oil. I also used 4 bananas instead of 3, and remembered to add the cinnamon and nutmeg to the recipe (not in the original recipe). I used only sugar, as I didn't have honey on hand. Also, I actually used 2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour, which is not dense like whole wheat flour, instead of the all-purpose/whole wheat mix. I have kept the recipe as is because those ingredients are easier to find.

My Banana Bread Recipe #2

Serving Size : 12

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar (I prefer brown or raw sugar)
2 eggs
4 bananas, mashed and ripe
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 oF. Grease pan or muffin tins.

In a large bowl, stir together flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In another bowl, mix together oil and sugar until somewhat fluffy; beat in eggs. Stir in banana, milk, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and stir just to combine.

Spoon batter into pan and bake 25-30 minutes (less time if making muffins) or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove pan to wire racks. Cool 5 minutes before removing from pan; finish cooling on rack. Serve warm or cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature. This freezes well.


Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 198 Calories; 6g Fat (26.6% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 33g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 36mg Cholesterol; 205mg Sodium.
Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1/2Fruit; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

My Banana Bread Recipe

Actually, it is the recipe I use to make banana bread :-) I modified it from a Jumbo Banana Nut Muffin recipe in either Mostly Muffins or More muffins, by Barbara Albright and Leslie Weiner. I have used this recipe several times in birthday cakes.

I took out some butter, put in some oil, cut back on sugar, added honey. I also omitted the nuts. I love nuts in muffins and such, but because I am so cheap I sprinkle them on top with some brown or raw sugar, then I bake them. I also do this so if someone doesn't like nuts, it is easily picked off. I may have made this without butter or sugar before, but this is what I have written down. I will try to do it that way sometime soon and I'll let you know how it turned out.
[update: 2/27/08 - I have posted a no butter (oil only) version]

Anyway, here's the recipe:


My Banana Bread Recipe
Serving Size : 12

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/8 cup canola oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 cup honey
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups bananas -- mashed and ripe (about 3 bananas)
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 oF. Grease pan or muffin tins.
In a large bowl, stir together flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, cream butter, oil, sugar and honey until somewhat fluffy; beat in eggs. Stir in banana, milk, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and stir just to combine.
Spoon batter into pan and bake 25-30 minutes (less if making muffins) or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Remove pan to wire racks. Cool 5 minutes before removing from pan; finish cooling on rack. Serve warm or cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 193 Calories; 8g Fat (34.0%calories from fat); 4g Protein; 29g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 46mgCholesterol; 244mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1/2Fruit; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

Another "healthy" criteria to add to the confusion...

It drives me crazy when companies define something as healthy because usually the products they are advertising as such don't really contribute much to overall health.

If it weren't for blogs like Parke Wilde's US Food Policy, I would have totally missed Kellogg's announcement to limit advertising to children for their products that don't meet a certain nutrition criteria. In one post, Parke talks about Kellogg changing the serving size for Trix cereals so that it can be advertized.

A related post about the froot loops cereal straws showed how this product also meets the "healthy" criteria set by Kelloggs. Some good points were brought out in the comments section:

Kati from Preschool Rock said:
"This shows how implementing a policy based on nutrients alone to define 'healthy' is the wrong approach. It looks like this product fits the criteria Kelloggs set to allow advertising to kids - "no more than 200 calories, no trans fat, no more than 2 grams of saturated fat, no more than 230 milligrams of sodium and no more than 12 grams of sugar." (...) Is this food healthy? It's almost 40% table sugar. I don't think we're teaching children a thing about healthy eating because the product contains 'only' 3 teaspoons of sugar."

On the other hand, Lisa stated that the food is not labelled as healthy, she considers it a treat and that she allows her kids to have one straw a day, which adds up to only one teaspoon of sugar. I wonder how that compares to a glass of chocolate milk, for example...

Anyway, my point is that all foods can fit into a healthy lifestyle, but I wouldn't go by industry's definition of healthy. Consider where the food fits into your lifestyle and make your decision from there.

Cupcakes

We love doing cupcakes, especially for first birthdays. It's cute, simple, and just the right size for the birthday child. There is no need for a knife, and plates are optional. Cupcakes also work well for class parties, as some schools and daycares apparently require cupcakes. Best of all, there are so many possibilities with cupcakes. Here are some of the ones we have done:

Baloon Cupcakes (from Family Fun)

Froggy Cupcakes (also from Family Fun, with modifications)


Ladybug cupcakes (my own idea), using mini oreos, chocolate chips, red icing and licorice twizzlers.


If you'd like, you can dress up the ladybugs like this. I didn't feel like piping black icing, so I kept it simple.

I don't have a picture of this idea, but I found some mini cars for a dollar and put them on cupcakes, along with some checkered flags made of toothpicks. Very easy.

If you still want the look of a real cake, try the pull-apart cakes. These are cupcakes lined up together and "joined" with a thick layer of icing, which in turn is decorated. An example is this pull-apart turtle cake from the Betty Crocker website. I've also seen pull apart cakes at my local grocery store.

Want more ideas? An internet search will pull up plenty of cupcake ideas. Here is a list of some of the links I like:

• Betty Crocker
• Family Fun
• Hop Skip Jump
• Coolest Birthday Cakes (do a search for cupcakes)

On a side note, the computer cupcake image up top came from Family Fun's website, but I wasn't able to find any directions on their site.

As time permits, I will post the other cakes that I have done: Noah's Ark, racetrack, race car, and train.

Grāpples

What happens when you infuse an apple with concord grape flavor? You get a grāpple. According to their website, a grāpple (pronounced grape-l) is THE hot new promising product to fight the "childhood obesity war":

"With childhood obesity increasing at alarming rates, Grāpple® brand apples could go a long way to improving the eating habits of children and introducing them to more produce. "

Is it just me, or is there something wrong about this statement? I admit, I'm not good at logic and critical thinking, but this doesn't make any sense. What is it that a grāpple will do that an apple or grape can't or hasn't done already? Where is the connection? I don't think it will go far at all to improving kids' eating habits. It will, however, quickly put a hole in your pocket at a whopping $1.25 per apple! Furthermore, I think more damage can be done to the child when we start obsessing over their weight and appearance.

Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't eat one. If you want to eat a grape flavored apple, then fine, eat it. If you don't mind spending $1.25 for an apple, then why not? Just don't do it to save your child's life.

If anything, it has added to another existing problem, and that is of food allergies. This past February's issue of the International Archives of Allergy and Immunology, addressed two case studies of allergic reactions to the fruit.

So here's my take on the grāpple:

I don't get it.
I won't get it.

Attack of the Killer Donuts!

This past weekend, our family stopped by a Krispy Kreme Donut store. It was the first time we had been to one in several years, and it was the first time any of our kids had been.

Anyway, I thought my boys (ages 4 and 2) would have fun watching the donuts being made, so while daddy was waiting in line, I took the boys to the window to see the donut machine. I set up some chairs so that they could see out the window. We got there just in time to see a new batch coming up. Suddenly, my 2 year old started to panic and wanted me to hold him. Sure enough, he was afraid of the army of donuts headed toward him! Later on, however, he fearlessly conquered the donut he was given and wanted to conquer some more!

So, you may be wondering why I ever set foot in a donut shop to begin with. Well, for starters, I actually like donuts. I don’t think it will kill me because I really don’t eat them frequently, besides, my overall diet is a better picture of what will keep me healthy, not one (0r two) donuts every now and then. But before you all go running to your local donut shop because your “nutritionist friend” eats donuts, I’ve included the nutritional facts for one glazed donut, courtesy of dietfacts.com. Given this information, I think I am going to avoid them even more.

Well, the amount of trans-fats is equivalent to one teaspoon. Picture drinking a teaspoon of that cod liver oil grandma forced you to take, but this time it is not for your health! If you add the rest of the fat in, that’s 3 teaspoons.
Maybe we should follow my toddler’s example and be afraid… very, very afraid.

[Donut picture from krispykreme.com]

Oh, Welch.

I made an attempt to buy some healthy on-the-go snacks for the first leg of a 2000 mile (~3220 km) road trip. Usually, I don't buy the little prepackaged bags, but I was short on time and felt that it would be easier to manage and control the portions as well. I picked up a pack of Welch's Tropical Sensations dried fruit to satisfy the eventual sweet tooth. Although dried fruit certainly has its drawbacks, it's portable and an alternative to the misleadingly called "fruit" snacks (which is another topic in itself). On the package, it says, "bursting with sweet natural goodness." Well, after I tried it, I took a closer look at the ingredients and realized that what it's bursting with is sugar! It turns out that sugar has been added to the naturally sweetened fruit (and these naturally occuring sugars are already concentrated in the drying process). In the end, one 0.9 oz (25.5g) pouch has 21g of sugar, equivalent to 5 1/4 teaspoons.

In an attempt to differentiate the added sugars from the natural sugars, I went to www.nutsonline.com and calculated the average amount of sugars in their natural pineapple, natural papaya, and organic mango. If these three were chopped up and put into 25g packages (with an equal amount of fruit distributed), the sugar content would be ~10g. Picture a handful of dried fruit with almost 3 teaspoons (2.75 if you want to be exact) of sugar on top. Not my idea of a delicious & nutritious snack.

To make matters worse, I compared this with their "fruit" snack nutrition data. The same size package has 10 fewer calories and 12g of sugar. This means the sugar they put in the "fruit" snack is almost the same amound they added to their dried fruit. The fake stuff also has vitamins A, C & E added to it. Needless to say, Tropical Sensations is not worthy of replacing the fake fruit snacks.

So, Welch's Tropical Sensations is the first to be inducted into my Hall of SHAME. Shame on Welch's for their nutritional disservice and shame on ME for not reading the label before I bought it.