Fruit Snacks & Other Notes

Well, life has gotten pretty hectic since I am now a mommy as of last month! BUT, before my little guy got here I was able to try out the fruit snacks recipe.

What I ended up using was about 9 gelatin packets and an entire can of frozen juice concentrate (I measured it out to see how many packets I would need if I used that similar recipe on the other site, oh and Apple-Raspberry was the flavor I used).

Review: They were just OK to me. My husband thought they were pretty good fresh too. We packed them in baggies and were going to eat them throughout the week but by about day 4, they were already going kind of... weird. We ended up throwing them out because they just weren't tasting good anymore.

Next time:

I re-looked at the websites I posted for guides as I was typing this trying to remember how many packets I used and I noticed on one that she said it was more like a firm jello-jiggler and that is really how ours turned out too. They weren't like a fruit snack like I was expecting so I'm also going to try a few things different next time around. I think something that may help this is adding some dreaded corn syrup or extra sugar unfortunately because it will be more syrup-y and will probably yield a more fruit snack like consistency in the final product. I suspect that is why commercial fruit snacks have it added to begin with. I also noticed on that same site that she gave an additional suggestion to maybe try pectin instead to achieve a more fruit snack like texture. I may have to get some of that and try another batch with a mixture of gelatin, pectin and maybe a small addition of some corn syrup or sugar. I also am thinking I will try the zucchini fruit snack idea but with juice instead of kool-aid.

Now, on another note. I have been researching how I can make food that is dairy free. Some friends and family might know that when I went to SUU I started thinking I was getting some kind of stomach virus because I kept having consistent stomach aches. Later that week in my nutrition class we happened to talk about lactose intolerance. Because of that class I figured out what the cause of my stomach problems were. I was mildly lactose intolerant. At the time, cheeses and ice cream didn't seem to give me trouble, but drinking plain milk definitely did. Now it is to the point where cheese and ice cream almost always give me stomach aches so I try to avoid dairy as best I can now, but I still can't resist certain recipes that contain cheeses or cream sauces, and I still love yogurt too. Now that I am nursing my son, I am thinking he may have some dairy sensitivity as well based on some crankiness he has and I have been on the look out for some dairy substitutes and how to cook dairy free. A lot of the alternatives are way healthier anyway so once we have used our dairy products up I am going to try out some of these healthier alternative recipes and see what recipes of my own I can come up with. So, in the coming months you can expect to see some healthy alternative recipes for some of my favorite dairy dishes like stroganoff, alfredo, and mac & cheese.

Hello again!

Wow, I haven't been MIA have I. :) Almost 2 years!

My recent joining of Pinterest and the upcoming baby boy arriving has kicked my behind into healthy cooking mode again! I have the desire to try new recipes and mix it up with healthier ingredients, etc. I just keep pinning things that look great and I am trying new recipes at least 2 or 3 times a week.

The current recipe I'm going to hopefully try within the next week (well, before we run out of fruit snacks) is for homemade fruit snacks. I love fruit snacks and so do kids, but I also know the kind you get in the grocery store are not the healthiest or cost effective either.

I found several links here, here, and here on pinterest to making your own and I have a few ideas of how to make them better already for when I try it out. I agree with the lady on the first link that the kool-aid recipes just don't seem like they'd be any healthier, especially with added sugar, even if it's soaked into baked zucchini bites. However, the lady in the first post also said hers didn't taste that great either. So I'm thinking I'm going to combine a few of the techniques and try something else out and I'll let you all know how it goes.

My thoughts on modifying the recipes -

-instead of the fruit juice that is ready made, I'm going to try using the frozen juice concentrate (in 100% juice forms). It'll pack more flavor into a little bit of liquid.

-I also like the 2nd link's idea of using actual fruit in the fruit snacks as well. I'm thinking if I got some dried fruit and ground it up in the food processor, kind of like a fruit pesto, that that would add some extra fiber, flavor and good vitamins.

-It also looks like the key is going to be using a high ratio of gelatin to liquid.

Once I try it all out I'll post the recipe I come up with!

Breakfast!

If you are one of those who doesn't eat breakfast... listen up! (And even if you're not.. you can too.) I'm going to talk a little bit about why breakfast is so important in a healthy lifestyle and balanced diet.

How do our bodies produce energy?
From the food we eat of course! We convert food energy into ATP energy (Adenosine Triphosphate to be exact) and our cells use this energy to perform the tasks to keep us going. A simplified version of the main way we do this is through several cycles. The carbs we eat are converted into simple sugars. Glucose is then transformed through a series of chemical reactions and processes, until we end up with molecules of ATP.

How does this relate to breakfast?
Well when our body makes ATP, we either use it or store it as a chemical called glycogen in either our liver or our muscles. (eventually these glycogen stores would convert to fat if we don't use them... but normally we do use them as long as we're not consuming too many calories) It is optimal to use the glycogen stores from our muscle if we needed to use any because it is right there ready to use and more efficient. The process to reconvert the glycogen in our liver back to ATP is hard on the liver and requires extra energy and extra water.

Think about the last time you ate by the time you wake up. If you don't eat anything after dinner before you go to bed (most people), this could be as much as 12 or more hours without consuming any food by the time you wake up. The glycogen stores in your body's muscles will be depleated most likely, and your body's cells still need energy. This leaves your cells no choice but to ask the liver for it's glycogen stores. Let's say you continue about your day with these depleated glycogen stores and pulling it out from the liver. You eventually eat, but since there are no stores, you use that energy more rapidly and less is stored.
If you are exercising or doing tasks throughout the day, you don't have those glycogen stores ready to use when you are not eating since you used them in the morning instead, so you have a better chance of becoming sore, groggy, irritable and can also become dehydrated quicker.

By eating breakfast in the morning, you prevent starving your muscles of glycogen and give your body the fuel it needs to maintain itself throughout the day. It gives you a jump start to think more clearly, and tends to motivate better eating habits throughout the day as well.

Some ideas if...:
You don't "have time" for breakfast?
Grab something quick before you leave the house and eat it in the car. Wake up 5 minutes earlier and drink some orange juice or milk with some toast. Make up a little bag of cereal or chex mix and eat that on your way out the door. There are many solutions if you think ahead.

You don't like breakfast foods?
Eat something else then. Doesn't matter what it is, your body still will appreciate the fuel.

You don't feel like eating in the morning?
This is because you have trained your body to not eat in the morning. You can change that by slowly changing your habits. Eat a little bit in the morning at first, and then gradually increase it to where you can eat more.

You are "on a diet" and don't want the "extra calories"?
People who eat breakfast actually then to have healthier weights on average than those who don't. Why? You tend to eat smaller meals later on throughout the day, you tend to have better mental capacity throughout the day and therefore are better able to make good food choices rather than a rapid decision based of of hunger. It also helps boost your metabolism in the long run helping you maintain a healthy weight or lose weight if that is your goal.


Hopefully if you don't eat breakfast, you see that it is important to start changing that habit around or finding a way to improve or eat a little bit more earlier in your day so you can feel the best you can. And if you already do, keep it up! :-)


A breakfast tip of mine:
Instead of buying packages of frozen waffles or pancakes, buy a box of your favorite just add water pancake mix. Mix that up, make as many pancakes as you think you might want handy, or make it all at once if you have a large enough freezer. Allow them to cool, and then place in a zip bag in the freezer. (Be sure to write the date on the bag in case you can't remember later). You can heat them up in the microwave or in the toaster and they make great quick breakfasts for pancake lovers without the fuss of mixing up pancakes right then and it's cheaper than the frozen boxes. You can add peanutbutter or fruit for a little more holding value to the meal if you'd like too.

Nutrition Misinformation

So many things are touted and so many claims are made in regards to health and nutrition these days and it can be hard to figure out what sound nutrition advice really consists of. Just like every other subject out there, nutrition "claims" are thrown around and often turn up to be misleading. In doing a homework assignment for my Nutrition Related to Sports and Fitness class I came across an excellent article that dealt with this very subject. I thought I'd pass along an exceprt from it describing 10 "red flags" that the information or health claims you are getting are not coming from a reliable source. (the rest of the article focuses on mainly how dieticians and health experts can show people the truth about nutrition when they've been mislead to believe other things, so it's probably not that interesting to you all, but to give credit the link is at the bottom of the page)

Ten flags that you might not be getting the whole truth:
1. Recommendations promise a quick fix.
2. They claim dire warnings of danger from a single product or regimen.
3. Claims sound too good to be true.
4. Simplistic conclusions drawn from a "complex scientific study". (be sure to look at the studies they are claiming to be complex and scientific...)
5. Recommendations based on one single study.
6. Dramatic statements that are refuted by reputable scientific organizations or go against common nutritional knowledge.
7. Lists of “good” and “bad” foods, or "good" and "bad" categorization of food groups.
8. Recommendations made to help sell a product.
9. Recommendations based on studies published without being reviewed by experts or scientists (it's your job to check and see who is claiming what, and what their motives may be).
10. Recommendations from studies that ignore individual or group differences. (stating individual results may vary...)



So a word of caution to those of you looking for nutritional information anywhere you can. It's good to be informed, but be careful where you look and don't believe everything you read or every claim you come across. Put your brain to work and think if it makes sense. If several of those red flags are raised, it's a good indicator to look elsewhere to find your information. It is easy for people to look for those "easy" and "quick fix" solutions to their nutritional woes, but usually there is no other reasonable answer than "just do it". We all know essentially what our bodies need to thrive, and use that knowledge to empower your decision making when reading those articles or hearing about fads in nutrition and you can make good judgments about them.

Yeah, you will lose weight if all you eat is cabbage soup, or cut out a certain nutrient all together (fats, carbs, protein) but that is because you are depriving your body nutritionally and essentially starving yourself of essential vitamins, minerals, and calories it needs to function and maintain health. If you can't continue a diet, weight loss or weight management regime for life, chances are, even if it helps you lose weight at the time, that it is probably not going to carry on forever and will back fire in the long run. That is how yo-yo dieting and yo-yo weights happen. Be careful where you look and always use common sense.

link to article "Food and Nutrition Misinformation" (for full text, simply click on the .pdf link on the page) http://www.eatright.org/About/Content.aspx?id=8383

Microwaves?

We actually had a week using microwave cooking in my Culinary Arts class! Weird huh. But, I learned a lot. Did you know you can make a cake in the microwave? It's pretty good too. haha.
The myths about microwaves harming you or causing cancer... is just that. A myth. The benefits to cooking in the microwave include - lower energy costs, and saving time! It also is a good method for moist heat.

Fettuccine Alfredo... microwave style!
16 oz fettuccine noodles
2 C parmesan Cheese
3/4 C butter, cut into quaters
1 C cream

Boil the noodles according to package directions on the stovetop. Drain.
In a large glass bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Cook for 3-4 minutes in the microwave stirring twice during cooking. Stir in drained noodles and toss well. Season with pepper to your liking.


(I'm going to add one of the cake recipes later... but I've got to get going to my first class :-)

Legume Recipes (continued)

Side or main dish recipes with legumes

Bean Souffle
(very good, and I don't even like lima beans.)
2 C low fat cheddar cheese, grated
2 T butter
2 T parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 C cooked baby lima beans, drained
6 eggs, separated
2/3 C milk
Preheat oven to 350 F. Wrap a 2 inch high strip of double aluminum foil above and around the top edge of a 5 C souffle dish (such as a circular casserole dish) Secure it with tape or a string. Grease the dish and foil with butter and sprinkle parmesan or bread crumbs. Set aside. In a food processor puree beans and milk until smooth. In a saucepan, combine pureed beans, cheese, salt and cayenne. Cook and stir over medium heat until cheese is melted. Remove from heat. Beat in egg yolks one at a time. in large bowl with an electric mixer, beat egg whites just until glossy and stiff peaks form (check rouxbe's cooking lesson on eggs if you want help visually with what it's supposed to look like). Mix 1/4 of the beaten egg whites into the bean and cheese mixture. Then add to the remaining whites and fold in gently. Pour into souffle baking dish. Bake about 35-45 minutes until the top is golden brown and a knife comes out clean. Serve at once. About 6 servings.

Tex Mex Impossible Pie
1 onion, chopped
1 T olive oil
1 C frozen corn, thawed and drained
15 oz can black beans, rinsed & drained
1/2 C shredded jack cheese
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/2 C baking mix (bisquick)
1/2 C milk
1/2 C salsa
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 400 F and grease a 9" pie pan. In heavy skillet, cook onion in olive oil until tender. Place onion in greased pie pan with the corn, beans, cheese and jalapenos. In medium bowl combine remaining ingredients, stirring until blended. Pour into the pie pan and bake for 35-40 minutes until pie is slightly puffed, golden brown, and firm. Can serve with sour cream, avocados and/or salsa. Serves 4-6.

Muffins
2 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed.
1/3 C milk
1 C sugar
1/4 C margarine, softened
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 C white flour
1/2 C wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
3/4 C pecans, chopped
(this is the recipe used in class, with 1 C blueberries as well. They were good, just sank to the bottom so it didn't really do much for them in my opinion, but you could try. We thought these would taste really good with bananas or pumpkin instead, or just with more blueberries (it called for 1 C). and with adding nuts into the batter as well)

Preheat oven to 375 F. Puree beans and milk in food processor until smooth. Mix sugar and margarin in large bowl, beat in eggs and vanilla. Add bean mixture. Blend well. Add in flours, baking soda, salt, and spices. Gently mix in blueberries (if using them). Spoon mixture into paper lined cupcake or muffin tins. Sprinkle pecans on top. Bake until toothpicks come out clean, approx 20 -25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes in pans, then remove and cool longer if desired. Serve plain or with butter.

Hearty Bean & Macaroni Stew
(we didn't make this but it sounds good!)
1 C coarsely chopped tomato (or canned might work too)
3/4 uncooked macaroni shells
1/4 C chopped onion (about 1 small one)
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 C chopped green pepper
1 3/4 C hot water
2 tsp chicken bouillion granule
16 oz can kidney beans, drained
1/2 of a 15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained
Mix all ingredients in a 2 quart saucepan. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 15 minutes, continuing to stir occasionally until pasta is tender. (Says serves 4) (I think some shredded chicken might be pretty good in this too, but it still sounds good without it too and would be cheaper)

Legume Recipes (continued)

Desserts using Beans!

Pinto Bean Fudge (YES fudge. It was soooo good)
1 C cooked pinto beans, drained & mashed well (can use canned)
1/4 C milk
1 T vanilla
3/4 C melted butter
6 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 lbs powdered sugar.
Nuts (optional)

Stir beans and milk together in a large bowl. Add enough milk so mixture looks like mashed potatoes. Stir in vanilla. Melt chocolate and butter and stir into bean mixture. Gradually stir in powdered sugar. Knead mixtuer with hands to get it well blended. Spread in lightly buttered/greased 8x8 baking dih or form into molds or pieces. Chill 1 - 2 hours.

Coconut Walnut Chickpea Pie (SOO delicious!)
2 C cooked chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1/4 C margarine/butter
4 eggs
2 C dark brown sugar
1 C coconut milk or cream
1 T vanilla
1 1/2 C coarsely chopped walnuts
1 1/2 C flaked coconut
1 9 inch deep dish pie crust, uncooked (can be storebought)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Puree the chickpeas in a food processor. Add the margarine/butter. Add the eggs one at a time, processing until mixture is smooth and creamy. Transfer the chickpea mixture into a mixing bowl. Add the dark brown sugar and coconut milk. Beat until well blended. Stir in walnuts and coconut. Pour into piecrust and bake in preheated oven for 60-70 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. Serve warm, optional with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. (we had it plain and it was still delicious.)

Smoothies
makes enough to serve about 4 people I would guess
(I made this in class, and I followed the recipe we had, but I'm changing it a bit on here to make it what I think would taste even better.)
15 oz can navy beans or another white bean
1 to 1 1/2 C orange juice or other juice you have at home (add one at first and then see if it needs or you want more)
2 1/2 C frozen strawberries (slightly thawed)
1 C frozen blueberries or raspberries (slightly thawed)
3 T honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon (start with that, and taste to see if you want to add another 1/4 or 1/2 tsp.)
pinch nutmeg
1 1/2 C plain vanilla yogurt (can add more if you want)
Process all of the ingredients in a blender until smooth. If you like to add ice cubes, add them after this and blend until smooth. (I personally like my smoothies without the ice cubes added)
I think this is a great drink to TRY and add different thigns that YOU think would make it better. I'd never guess to put beans in a smoothie, but it's actually pretty good if you have a good flavor in the smoothie already you don't even notice. I think this would be a good thing to AVOID telling who your making it for that there are beans in it to see if they like it. Since my class knew there were beans in it, I think some people just were determined to not like it because of that. I have a realllllllllly picky class though.

Spice Cake
1 C white flour
1 C whole wheat flour
(or two of one kind)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 C cannellini beans (about one 15 oz can)
3/4 C apple juice
3/4 C honey
2 T veg. oil
(we all thought this cake would be especially good with nuts, and perhaps lessening some wet ingredients and adding pumpkin)

Glaze:
1 T margarine
3 T maple syrup
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 F. In bowl, combine flours, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, and baking powder. Puree the cannellini beans in a blender with apple juice, honey, and vegetable oil. Pour the bean mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until well blended. Pour batter into a pre-sprayed/greased 8 inch pan. Bake on middle rack for approximately 45 minutes.
Combine glaze ingredients. Poke holes in the cake with a toothpick and pour glaze on top. Serve warm.
(I think this cake would go well with a cream cheese frosting, but I did like it the way it was too.)