So, I made a smoothie this morning that was pretty good, here's the recipe so I can remember it:
1 1/2 oz organic power greens (a blend of kale, spinach and chard I got at CostCo)
1 scoop Sunwarrior vanilla brown rice protein powder (about 1 oz?)
8 oz frozen blueberries
6 oz frozen strawberries
1 1/2 cups rice milk (I just put in enough to go to the top of the greens)
Put in Vitamix in order listed. Set timer for 15 minutes to let berries thaw a little. Blend on smoothie setting using tamper to smoosh everything down in so it gets mixed up. Pour out smoothie into cup(s) and clean out Vitamix. Drink smoothie! :)
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Thursday, January 6, 2011
I thought I'd post again...
...to see if anyone's paying attention. No? OK, just wondering.
Don't have anything to say really. Maybe once I start cooking again I will. First I have to get over the "I can't go to sleep before midnight" thing. My body clock totally reset itself over Christmas vacation. I'll be glad when it resets back to getting up at 5:30 am again.
Which means I should at least TRY going to bed now. G'Night All!
Don't have anything to say really. Maybe once I start cooking again I will. First I have to get over the "I can't go to sleep before midnight" thing. My body clock totally reset itself over Christmas vacation. I'll be glad when it resets back to getting up at 5:30 am again.
Which means I should at least TRY going to bed now. G'Night All!
Saturday, August 8, 2009
OAMC and No Electricity
Wow, I haven't posted here in a long time, have I?
It seemed like Sheri was the only person who read this blog and now she can have gluten again (as far as I know) and summer hit and so I've let it go.
Now I'm seriously thinking of getting into Once A Month Cooking. For me it might end up being once a week cooking. I don't think I'm that committed yet. Or that energetic. I really need to start eating better and so does my family. Most days when dinner rolls around I'm too tired and unmotivated to cook and so is David.
I've been looking at recipezaar for OAMC recipes. I was very excited to find out that the shopping list option is available with the free membership. I think I'm going to do 3-4 beef recipes one week, then 3-4 chicken recipes the next. I'll have to let you know how it goes. If I like (or don't like) any of the recipes, I'll review them here.
Also, our electricity went out Thursday night at about 8 pm - a lovely way to end our 21st Anniversary! David and I did have a good day other than that, though. The kids said it went off and on several times while we were gone during the day. Once it went out after we got home it stayed off until about 4:00 pm on Friday. Luckily it wasn't a hot day, I was more concerned about all the food in our fridge and freezer. They were both pretty full.
My very nice boss Joe let us use his generator, so our food didn't spoil. That made me happy. It also got me thinking. We should probably have food storage - or at least a good portion of it - that won't spoil if the electricity goes out. And what about cooking? Our stove is electric, so we couldn't use it. We did have lots of flashlights, but no non-electric radio. I guess we have some preparedness things to work on.
Ironic that I started thinking about doing freezer meals now, isn't it?
It seemed like Sheri was the only person who read this blog and now she can have gluten again (as far as I know) and summer hit and so I've let it go.
Now I'm seriously thinking of getting into Once A Month Cooking. For me it might end up being once a week cooking. I don't think I'm that committed yet. Or that energetic. I really need to start eating better and so does my family. Most days when dinner rolls around I'm too tired and unmotivated to cook and so is David.
I've been looking at recipezaar for OAMC recipes. I was very excited to find out that the shopping list option is available with the free membership. I think I'm going to do 3-4 beef recipes one week, then 3-4 chicken recipes the next. I'll have to let you know how it goes. If I like (or don't like) any of the recipes, I'll review them here.
Also, our electricity went out Thursday night at about 8 pm - a lovely way to end our 21st Anniversary! David and I did have a good day other than that, though. The kids said it went off and on several times while we were gone during the day. Once it went out after we got home it stayed off until about 4:00 pm on Friday. Luckily it wasn't a hot day, I was more concerned about all the food in our fridge and freezer. They were both pretty full.
My very nice boss Joe let us use his generator, so our food didn't spoil. That made me happy. It also got me thinking. We should probably have food storage - or at least a good portion of it - that won't spoil if the electricity goes out. And what about cooking? Our stove is electric, so we couldn't use it. We did have lots of flashlights, but no non-electric radio. I guess we have some preparedness things to work on.
Ironic that I started thinking about doing freezer meals now, isn't it?
Friday, May 15, 2009
Review: Lundberg Rice Chips
I don't know if these technically are a food storage item, because they take up alot of space and are kind of expensive, but here goes, anyway.
Harmon's has Lundberg Rice Chips on sale this week: 6 ounce bags 2/$4. Which is still pretty pricey for chips, but not gluten free, organic chips. According to the bag they are wheat free and gluten free. They are available in 5 flavors: Sea Salt, Pico de Gallo, Sesame & Seaweed, Fiesta Lime and Honey Dijon.
The Harmon's David went to only sells Santa Fe Barbecue and Sesame & Seaweed, so he bought 1 bag of each. I bought the Lundberg Honey Dijon Chips from Whole Foods a while back when they were on sale, so I'll review those, too.
Here's what we thought:
Sesame & Seaweed:
When I first saw the bag, I thought, "Eew, gross, why would David buy that flavor?" Actually, I couldn't even really taste the seaweed. They were just kind of salty and mild. You could taste the sesame a little bit, but not much. They taste a lot like regular tortilla chips, only better! Jarom was scared of them and would not try any. David, Amber and Cameron all liked them. Cameron said he could eat a whole bag of them by himself!
Santa Fe Barbecue: David and Amber liked these even better than the Seaweed kind. They were much more flavorful, a little spicy, but not spicy hot. David had to give them to Cameron so he wouldn't eat the whole bag by himself. After Amber tasted them, she said she was going to finish off the bag. She would have if I'd let her.
Honey Dijon: I love honey mustard anything and these were no exception. I think I actually did eat the whole bag of them all by myself. Talk about addictive!
So far, they haven't made me ill, even though they do have some masa corn flour in them. The corn is organic, so that's good. I won't eat GMO corn anymore! It makes me sick - literally. Unfortunately almost all of the corn grown in the US is GMO now.
As far as chips go, they're somewhat healthy. A 1 ounce serving has:
140 calories, 7 grams of fat, 90-110 mg sodium (depending on the flavor), less than 1 gram of fiber and 2 grams of protein. Plus they're organic. Hmmm...I just noticed the Seaweed kind has whey in it...
So here's my conclusion: I'm going to ask David not to buy these any more because I like them too much! OK, well maybe he can buy them on occasion when they're on sale.
P.S. I haven't made anything out of amaranth yet, so I decided to post this instead. I'm going to work on the amaranth this next week. Or maybe I'll have ma soeur Sheri review gluten free baking mixes.
UPDATE 05-19-09: OK, so the chips did make me sick after all. This makes me sad because they are gluten free and very tasty. Oh, well. Maybe people who don't have issues with corn and garlic will be ok with them. No one else in my family got sick from eating them. I think I'm gonna stick with Sesmark Brown Rice Crackers. Maybe I'll even learn to make my own, if I ever get that much energy.
Harmon's has Lundberg Rice Chips on sale this week: 6 ounce bags 2/$4. Which is still pretty pricey for chips, but not gluten free, organic chips. According to the bag they are wheat free and gluten free. They are available in 5 flavors: Sea Salt, Pico de Gallo, Sesame & Seaweed, Fiesta Lime and Honey Dijon.
The Harmon's David went to only sells Santa Fe Barbecue and Sesame & Seaweed, so he bought 1 bag of each. I bought the Lundberg Honey Dijon Chips from Whole Foods a while back when they were on sale, so I'll review those, too.
Here's what we thought:
Sesame & Seaweed:
When I first saw the bag, I thought, "Eew, gross, why would David buy that flavor?" Actually, I couldn't even really taste the seaweed. They were just kind of salty and mild. You could taste the sesame a little bit, but not much. They taste a lot like regular tortilla chips, only better! Jarom was scared of them and would not try any. David, Amber and Cameron all liked them. Cameron said he could eat a whole bag of them by himself!
Santa Fe Barbecue: David and Amber liked these even better than the Seaweed kind. They were much more flavorful, a little spicy, but not spicy hot. David had to give them to Cameron so he wouldn't eat the whole bag by himself. After Amber tasted them, she said she was going to finish off the bag. She would have if I'd let her.
Honey Dijon: I love honey mustard anything and these were no exception. I think I actually did eat the whole bag of them all by myself. Talk about addictive!
So far, they haven't made me ill, even though they do have some masa corn flour in them. The corn is organic, so that's good. I won't eat GMO corn anymore! It makes me sick - literally. Unfortunately almost all of the corn grown in the US is GMO now.
As far as chips go, they're somewhat healthy. A 1 ounce serving has:
140 calories, 7 grams of fat, 90-110 mg sodium (depending on the flavor), less than 1 gram of fiber and 2 grams of protein. Plus they're organic. Hmmm...I just noticed the Seaweed kind has whey in it...
So here's my conclusion: I'm going to ask David not to buy these any more because I like them too much! OK, well maybe he can buy them on occasion when they're on sale.
P.S. I haven't made anything out of amaranth yet, so I decided to post this instead. I'm going to work on the amaranth this next week. Or maybe I'll have ma soeur Sheri review gluten free baking mixes.
UPDATE 05-19-09: OK, so the chips did make me sick after all. This makes me sad because they are gluten free and very tasty. Oh, well. Maybe people who don't have issues with corn and garlic will be ok with them. No one else in my family got sick from eating them. I think I'm gonna stick with Sesmark Brown Rice Crackers. Maybe I'll even learn to make my own, if I ever get that much energy.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Interesting Grain Info: Amaranth
I don't know if anyone has checked out the web site links on the right side of my blog, but I thought I would point out the AAOOB Foods web site. It has really interesting facts about grains, beans and so forth. Their home page has very loverly music that plays when you link to it. Woo Hoo! I usually mute the sound on my computer or click to another page on the website when I get tired of listening to it. Here's the link to their page about grains. (Sorry, no music on this page...)
I thought I would do a short synopsis of all the grains, but there's so much info on that web-site, I'm going to have to do one grain at a time. Here's the first one:
Amaranth
Interesting facts:
- Gluten free (yay!)
- Amaranth seeds are tan and about the size of poppy seeds.
- Mostly sold at health food stores.
- Grown for millennia by the Aztecs, Mayans and Incans who thought it had magical powers.
- More nutritious than wheat: much higher in protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals.
- Cook before eating, cannot be digested well raw by humans or animals.
Uses:
- Amaranth flour makes good breads. 100% amaranth flour can be used in breads that don’t need to rise like muffins, pancakes, biscuits or crackers. It does not work well in yeast breads unless xanthan gum or some other binder is used.
- Cooked cereal can be made by boiling whole amaranth seeds.
- Popped like popcorn it adds crunchiness to granola, soup, salad or bread.
- Amaranth flour makes a good thickener for gravies and sauces.
- Sprouted amaranth can be eaten in salads.
Storage:
- Short Term Storage: Once container is opened, best stored in the refrigerator due to high levels of poly-unsaturated fats.
- Long Term Storage: Store in an air-tight container with an oxygen absorber to extend shelf-life. Amaranth has a hard outer shell, so it should store better than buckwheat or quinoa.
Finding out this information kind of excited me. I found out yesterday that my Grandpa Pratt (who died before I was born) was renowned for his buttermilk biscuits. Who knew? Maybe I'll have to break out my old 4-H biscuit recipe and try amaranth flour in it. If it works out I'll post it on my blog. If it doesn't, well, pretend like I never said anything about it, ok?
Another exciting thing is that I found this amaranth flour blend on another blog. I'm excited to try it! I wonder which will work better, the straight amaranth flour or the blend?
One last thing, here's a link to all the amaranth recipes on recipezaar. Just in case you want to be adventerous and try one!
I thought I would do a short synopsis of all the grains, but there's so much info on that web-site, I'm going to have to do one grain at a time. Here's the first one:
Amaranth
Interesting facts:
- Gluten free (yay!)
- Amaranth seeds are tan and about the size of poppy seeds.
- Mostly sold at health food stores.
- Grown for millennia by the Aztecs, Mayans and Incans who thought it had magical powers.
- More nutritious than wheat: much higher in protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals.
- Cook before eating, cannot be digested well raw by humans or animals.
Uses:
- Amaranth flour makes good breads. 100% amaranth flour can be used in breads that don’t need to rise like muffins, pancakes, biscuits or crackers. It does not work well in yeast breads unless xanthan gum or some other binder is used.
- Cooked cereal can be made by boiling whole amaranth seeds.
- Popped like popcorn it adds crunchiness to granola, soup, salad or bread.
- Amaranth flour makes a good thickener for gravies and sauces.
- Sprouted amaranth can be eaten in salads.
Storage:
- Short Term Storage: Once container is opened, best stored in the refrigerator due to high levels of poly-unsaturated fats.
- Long Term Storage: Store in an air-tight container with an oxygen absorber to extend shelf-life. Amaranth has a hard outer shell, so it should store better than buckwheat or quinoa.
Finding out this information kind of excited me. I found out yesterday that my Grandpa Pratt (who died before I was born) was renowned for his buttermilk biscuits. Who knew? Maybe I'll have to break out my old 4-H biscuit recipe and try amaranth flour in it. If it works out I'll post it on my blog. If it doesn't, well, pretend like I never said anything about it, ok?
Another exciting thing is that I found this amaranth flour blend on another blog. I'm excited to try it! I wonder which will work better, the straight amaranth flour or the blend?
One last thing, here's a link to all the amaranth recipes on recipezaar. Just in case you want to be adventerous and try one!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Gluten Free Pasta Reviews
My sister is trying to convert to a gluten-free diet and asked me which type of gluten free pasta I like the best. I thought I would review the 3 brands I have tried.
Tinkyada® - By far the best. Tastes good enough that my family will eat it - and they are picky when it comes to "my" food. It can stand a bit of over-cooking. It says not to, but I have and it's never hurt it. I buy the kind that has rice bran in it. I figure it’s healthier. I’ve tried the spaghetti, the angel hair pasta and the rotelle. I also bought some lasagna, which my family ate by mistake. DH added stuff to the lasagna I couldn’t eat. I was not too happy about that! I also bought some macaroni that I swear my family ate without me knowing about it. I certainly can’t find it!
De Boles® - I tried the “Rice Spaghetti Style Pasta.” It tastes ok, but when I overcooked it a little bit, the pasta fell apart. I tend to overcook pasta, because I don’t like chewy pasta. I have digestive issues, so undercooked is *not* good for me!
Mrs. Leeper’s® - I tried the spaghetti. Overcooking did not seem to hurt it, but I did not like the taste and texture of it. In fact, I disliked it so much I avoided eating spaghetti for about a month. This was the only brand I had at the time and I told myself I had to finish eating it before I could buy more pasta.
SOME NOTES ABOUT GLUTEN FREE PASTA:
- Gluten free pasta needs to cook longer than regular pasta. The De Boles® package says 5-7 minutes, but that’s not nearly long enough. That may be why it fell apart when I cooked it. Cooking it the suggested time left it almost “raw.” Tinkyada® suggests cooking their pasta anywhere from 13-18 minutes (depending on the type) which seems about right. I don’t have the Mrs. Leeper’s® package anymore, but it seems they suggested a longer cooking time as well.
- Gluten-free pasta releases a lot more starch than regular pasta. Make sure to cook it with plenty of water. By following the directions on the package, you should be fine. I usually rinse the pasta under cold water then put it back in the pan on low to re-heat it a bit. You can at a little fresh water back in with the pasta so it won't burn, then drain it again just before eating. Gluten free pasta doesn’t seem to hold the heat as well as regular pasta. Or maybe it’s because I usually cook it in such small batches. I’m not sure.
- Once it’s been cooked, it can be used like regular pasta – same sauces, recipes and so on. I haven’t tried adding it to soup, but it would probably work ok. I’ll have to try that next to see if I’d add it to soup “raw” or cooked.
NOTE: No, I'm not being paid to review any of this pasta. Maybe I should be, huh?
UPDATE (05-03-09): I bought some Tinkyada fettucini and cooked it for the longest recommended cooking time (15 minutes). It turned out a titch rubbery. With that in mind, I would suggest cooking gluten free pasta the minimum suggested time, trying it, and if it's not done, cook it a few minutes longer. Maybe it's just the fettucini that does that?
Tinkyada® - By far the best. Tastes good enough that my family will eat it - and they are picky when it comes to "my" food. It can stand a bit of over-cooking. It says not to, but I have and it's never hurt it. I buy the kind that has rice bran in it. I figure it’s healthier. I’ve tried the spaghetti, the angel hair pasta and the rotelle. I also bought some lasagna, which my family ate by mistake. DH added stuff to the lasagna I couldn’t eat. I was not too happy about that! I also bought some macaroni that I swear my family ate without me knowing about it. I certainly can’t find it!
De Boles® - I tried the “Rice Spaghetti Style Pasta.” It tastes ok, but when I overcooked it a little bit, the pasta fell apart. I tend to overcook pasta, because I don’t like chewy pasta. I have digestive issues, so undercooked is *not* good for me!
Mrs. Leeper’s® - I tried the spaghetti. Overcooking did not seem to hurt it, but I did not like the taste and texture of it. In fact, I disliked it so much I avoided eating spaghetti for about a month. This was the only brand I had at the time and I told myself I had to finish eating it before I could buy more pasta.
SOME NOTES ABOUT GLUTEN FREE PASTA:
- Gluten free pasta needs to cook longer than regular pasta. The De Boles® package says 5-7 minutes, but that’s not nearly long enough. That may be why it fell apart when I cooked it. Cooking it the suggested time left it almost “raw.” Tinkyada® suggests cooking their pasta anywhere from 13-18 minutes (depending on the type) which seems about right. I don’t have the Mrs. Leeper’s® package anymore, but it seems they suggested a longer cooking time as well.
- Gluten-free pasta releases a lot more starch than regular pasta. Make sure to cook it with plenty of water. By following the directions on the package, you should be fine. I usually rinse the pasta under cold water then put it back in the pan on low to re-heat it a bit. You can at a little fresh water back in with the pasta so it won't burn, then drain it again just before eating. Gluten free pasta doesn’t seem to hold the heat as well as regular pasta. Or maybe it’s because I usually cook it in such small batches. I’m not sure.
- Once it’s been cooked, it can be used like regular pasta – same sauces, recipes and so on. I haven’t tried adding it to soup, but it would probably work ok. I’ll have to try that next to see if I’d add it to soup “raw” or cooked.
NOTE: No, I'm not being paid to review any of this pasta. Maybe I should be, huh?
UPDATE (05-03-09): I bought some Tinkyada fettucini and cooked it for the longest recommended cooking time (15 minutes). It turned out a titch rubbery. With that in mind, I would suggest cooking gluten free pasta the minimum suggested time, trying it, and if it's not done, cook it a few minutes longer. Maybe it's just the fettucini that does that?
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