Healthy blender waffles/pancakes

These are similar to the blender pancake recipe I shared earlier, but make much better waffles :) Plus, I liked that she gave so many grain options so I can use whatever is on hand.


Amount: 2 (2 1/2-3 waffles) or 4 (4-5 waffles) or 20-24 pancakes

1. Place in blender; blend at highest speed for 3 minutes.
(3/4) 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cups butter,milk, or kefir (or non-dairy alternative)
(1) 2 Tbls olive oil
(1/2) 1 tsp vanilla extract
(2/3) 1 1/2 cups brown rice or uncooked rolled oats (or other grain variations, see below) 2/3 cup grain = 1 cup flour or 1 1/2 cups grain =2 cups flour

The batter should always swirl about a vortex in the blender. If it doesn’t, slowly add more liquid until the hole reappears. This is the secret to light and tender waffles. Batter for pancakes may be thicker, but keep batter relatively thin and keep it churning.

2. Cover blender; let stand at room temperature overnight or 12-24 hours.

3. Pre-heat waffle iron at highest temperature, or griddle on medium high.

4. Just before baking, add and reblend on highest speed for 1 minute:
1 egg, optional additional liquid (if batter needs thinning for vortex or churning)

5. Blend in thoroughly, but briefly (assisted with rubber spatula, if needed):
(1) 2 tsp baking powder
(1/4) 1/2 tsp. baking soda
(1/2) 1 tsp salt, to taste

6. Pour batter onto hot waffle iron, sprayed with olive oil. Bake about 3 1/2 to 4 minutes in waffle iron until crispy.

GRAIN VARIATIONS
brown rice or millet - equal parts of each grain
kamut, spelt, wheat - kamut is a favorite! Combining with kamut and oats is our favorite!
buckwheat - reduce to 1 cup (4 servings). It expands.
barley -hulled, not pearled. Reduce to 1 cup (for 4 servings). It expands
Quinoa - Thoroughly rinse quinoa in strainer the night before 1-2 minutes; let stand in bowl of water overnight; drain and rinse about 1 more minute. This removes bitter flavor. Batter will be very thin. Fill waffle iron almost completely to the edges.
Oats - uncooked rolled oats or oat groats
I use oats in combination with other grains. I use 1/2 cup (in recipe for 4) oats, and 1 cup kamut, or half and half in serving 2.
Other additions - throw in some flax seeds!
http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2007/12/tuesday-recipes-wafflespancakes.html

Easy Home-made Alfredo

I'm trying to make every thing from scratch these days so I was excited to find this easy alfredo recipe:

1 stick butter
1 1/2 pkg. cream cheese
1-2 tsp crushed garlic, to taste
up to 3 c. half and half (I just use my raw milk that has cream in it :)
3 oz parmesan cheese

Make it like a white sauce. Melt butter in saucepan over med/high heat. Add cream cheese, cut in small pieces a little at a time. Add garlic, heat and stir until smooth. Slowly add cream and parmesan cheese, constantly stirring. Cook about five minutes.

http://24hourmenu.blogspot.com/2008/08/karens-alfredo.html

Frozen Banana Treats :)

After reading that frozen bananas taste similar to plain ice cream, I decided to try my own version and was pretty excited about the results :) I slowly melted organic peanut butter, coconut milk, and 2 hershey kisses on the stove. After it cooled a little, I spread it onto the bananas and rolled them in home-made granola. Then I froze them. YUMMY and a lot healthier than ice cream! Here are the original recipes that I found, but you can roll them in whatever sounds good to you :)

Chocolate Covered Bananas

6 ripe bananas
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Peel bananas and cut in half crosswise. Insert a wooden stick into the flat end of each banana half. Lay bananas on a shallow pan (I used a small cookie sheet) and freeze for approximately three hours. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave or over hot water. With a spatula, quickly spread melted chocolate over banana, coating well. Then roll in sprinkles, crushed nuts, or rice cereal. Wrap each banana in foil and store in your freezer.

Breakfast Banana Pops

4 large bananas
2 cups fruit-flavored yogurt, Nutella or peanut butter (For easiest spreading, dilute nut butters with enough vanilla or plain yogurt so it’s the consistency of thick cake batter)
1 cup combination of chopped dried fruit, granola, crushed cereal, crushed cookies or crushed candy

Peel the bananas, cut in half crosswise, and dip them in the yogurt. Roll them in the toppings to coat. Freeze until firm. Serve when firm.

Crispy Banana Pops

2 medium bananas
1/4 cup crisp rice cereal
1/4 cup miniature chocolate chips
2 tablespoons finely chopped peanuts
1 tablespoon light corn syrup

Cut bananas in half and insert a wooden popsicle stick into the cut end of each half. Freeze until firm (about ten minutes). Combine cereal, chocolate chips and peanuts in a shallow bowl, mix well. Uncover frozen bananas and brush with corn syrup. Roll bananas in cereal mixture to cat. Loosely wrap each coated banana with plastic wrap. Store in freezer for about ten minutes or until serving time. Serve frozen.

This post is part of Kelly's SUYL desserts!

Sweet Chicken Tacos

Oh, we loved these! Its such a yummy sauce and this chicken would be great (and gluten free!) served over quinoa or rice, or just on a hamburger bun as well as on tacos :)

3 tbsp. Butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. dried mustard
1 c. Ketchup
2 tbsp. White wine Vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar instead)
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 c. Brown Sugar (I used about 3/4 cup maple syrup instead)
about 2 lbs chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

Melt butter on medium low heat. Add onions and saute. Mix all ingredients (except chicken) until sugar is melted. Then add chicken and let simmer until juices are absorbed in chicken.

Serve with:

Flour Tortilla's
Shredded Lettuce
Diced Tomatoes
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour Cream and Guacamole
Enjoy!

found at: http://24hourmenu.blogspot.com/2008/07/sweet-chicken-tacos_20.html

Macaroni Grill Chicken Cannelloni

I love Macaroni Grill, but we hardly ever go there because my hubby doesn't really care for it. So I was pretty excited to find this recipe online! If my baby doesn't come this week, I'll try it and let you know if its as good as the restaurant! I would imagine that it would freeze pretty well, too.


Cannelloni Filling
8 ounces chicken breast (about 2), cooked thoroughly
1 ounce fresh spinach, chopped
1 ounce sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
16 ounces ricotta cheese
3 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon table-ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
12 lasagna pasta sheets, approximate size of 5 x 6 inches

Cannelloni Sauce
16 ounces Asiago cream sauce, or your favorite Alfredo sauce
16 ounces Macaroni Grill tomato sauce, or your favorite
tomato-based pasta sauce
3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions: Once the chicken breast has been cooked thoroughly, allow it to cool to an internal temperature of 45 degrees F.

Dice the cooled chicken breast into 1/2-inch pieces and place into a large mixing bowl. Add spinach, tomatoes, ricotta, mozzarella, pepper and salt, and mix thoroughly.

Arrange precooked pasta sheets on a cutting board and place two or three rounded tablespoons of filling mixture down the center of each pasta sheet and carefully roll pasta around filling in a cigar fashion. Place the rolled cannelloni, side by side, into an ovenproof shallow baking dish. Place Asiago sauce (or Alfredo sauce) and tomato sauce in bowl and mix until well incorporated. Pour sauce over cannelloni covering completely. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over top of sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 20 minutes.

Remove foil and continue to bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until an internal temperature of 165 degrees F is reached. Remove from oven and serve family style or on individual plates garnished with fresh diced tomatoes, and basil or Italian parsley.

Vollmer Farm Poppyseed Salad Dressing

We joined Vollmer Farm's CSA this summer to get some organic, fresh veggies and fruit. I was so excited when they gave us a bottle of their dressing AND the recipe for it! So here it is. I love it! My version does solidify in the fridge so I usually just make enough to last a few days :)

Ingredients:
1 cup olive oil (I used my basic oil blend :)
1/4 cup sugar (I used organic maple syrup instead)
1/2 t. dry mustard
1/4 t. black pepper
1/2 apple cider vinegar
1 t. salt
1/2 t. garlic powder
3/4 T poppy seeds

Directions: Mix all ingredients and shake vigorously. Enjoy!

Basic oil blend for salad dressings

I've been wanting to make my own salad dressing since we eat salads often and are utterly addicted to Ranch or Poppyseed dressings. So I was excited to find this basic oil blend that is super healthy and I can use it in any dressing recipe I find that I like. The basic proportion is to use 2/3 of this mixture to 1/3 of a type of vinegar (my favorite is apple cider vinegar :) I found this blend in THIS book.

Basic oil blend for salad dressing
I cup of coconut oil, gently melted
1 cup of expeller-expressed or cold-pressed sesame oil
1 cup of extra-virgin olive oil

Mix all ingredients together in a glass jar, cover tightly, and store at room temperature

Yummy, healthy home-made cereal

After reading several books and articles about how processed cereal really isn't good for you at all, (click HERE and HERE for an example) I've tried to cook other things for my family for breakfast. Giving up cereal has been really hard for me, because I absolutely love it. I would eat it for several meals a day in college just because it was so yummy and quick :) So I was super excited to find a very healthy recipe for home-made cereal that my toddler, hubby, and I all enjoy! Its from THIS book. Its very crunchy and I prefer to let it sit in the milk for a couple of minutes before eating it. I also love eating it with raisins and bananas :)

Ingredients:
6 cups freshly ground whole wheat or spelt flour
3 cups whole milk, preferably unpasteurized
1 cup water
1/4 cup whey, buttermilk, yogurt, or keifer
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup melted coconut oil or butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. pure organic maple syrup

Directions:
I a large bowl, mix flour with milk, water, and whey, cover and leave at room temp. overnight. In the morning add the remaining ingredients and more water, if needed, to make a pourable batter. Preheat oven to 350. Prepare two 9x13 baking pans with coconut oil and pour half the batter into each. Bake for 35-45 min, until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and lower temp. to 200. Allow cereal to cool and then crumble up onto baking sheets. Bake until completely dry and hard, about an hour (I found that it took several hours to get as crunchy as I wanted it :) To get a uniform size, process briefly in batches in a food processor. Store in airtight containers at room temp.

Cranberry Orange Dip (in a little crockpot)

I love the combo of cranberry and orange and this is pretty healthy, too, since it doesn't have refined sugar in it :) You can reduce the amount of orange zest if you think its too tangy, but I love it! I found it on this website

Ingredients:

--8 oz cream cheese
--2/3 cup shredded swiss cheese
--2 T apple juice
--1/2 tsp orange zest
--1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries

The Directions.

Plug in your Little Dipper to get it started warming up. Shove the block of cream cheese down into it. You may need to squish it in with a spoon. I promise it will fit. Shred the swiss, and add it. Grate the orange and add the zest. Add the apple juice. Cover and let it cook for 45 minutes to an hour. When the cream and swiss cheese have fully melted, stir in the dried cranberries.

Serve with your favorite crackers or apple slices.

Smoky Bacon Wraps

These are not the least bit healthy (ha, ha) but are always a hit at parties, especially with the fellows :) And they are easy!

Ingredients:
1 pound sliced bacon
1 pkg. miniature smoked sausage links
1 cup brown sugar (maple syrup works as well :)

Directions: Cut each bacon strip in half widthwise. Wrap one piece of bacon around each sausage. Place in a foil-lined 15x10x1 inch baking pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar (or maple syrup). Bake, uncovered, @ 400 for 30-40 minutes til bacon is crisp and sausage is heated through.

This post is a part of KK's SUYL breakfasts!

Grandma Connie's Orange Blossom Sticks

Grandma Connie used to make these whenever we would come to visit and I would just about eat them all in one day! They are the perfect sweet and crunchy treat :)

Ingredients:
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 small orange rind, grated
1 loaf extra thin sliced Pepperidge Farm white bread

Directions:
Cream butter and sugar together; add orange rind. Cut bread in thirds and spread mixture on bread. Bake at 225 for 1 hour.

Donna's Pineapple cheese ball

I love this!

Ingredients:
2 pkg. cream cheese, softened
big can crushed pineapple, drained
1 Tbs minced onion
sprinkles of seasoned salt
crushed nuts

Directions: Mix first 4 ingredients; roll in crushed nuts

Katie's Yummy Haystacks

Another candy that I can never resist :)
Recipe from Katie Gay
Ingredients:
1 bag butterscotch chips
1 Tbs. peanut butter
1 large can chow mein noodles

Directions: Melt butterscotch chips in crockpot; add peanut butter. Add chow mein noodles and coat thoroughly. Drop into heaps onto wax paper with two spoons. Allow to cool and then enjoy!

Crockpot peanut clusters

Oh, yeah, I'm addicted to these!

Ingredients:

3 (16-ounce) jars lightly salted roasted peanuts (lightly salted is important!)
2 (8-ounce) boxes German Baker's Chocolate
1 (8-ounce) box Unsweetened Baker's Chocolate
1 (24-ounce) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla

(any other add-ins you might like: tiny marshmallows, coconut, etc)


The Directions.

Use a large crockpot. This makes about 150 peanut clusters. Spray the inside of your crock with cooking spray, and place the unwrapped baking chocolate, and bars of German chocolate in the bottom. Add all the peanuts. Pour in the chocolate chips, and add vanilla. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours. While the chocolate is melting, lay out a bunch of parchment paper on your counter top or kitchen table. When time has elapsed, stir well, add in any other yummy ingredients that you thought of, and remove from heat. Use a small ice-cream scoop to plop out bite-sized piles onto the parchment paper.

Let cool before eating---this takes a long time---hours. It is best to leave them overnight so you don't pick at them :)

These are addictive. The chocolate flavor is quite rich, and tastes dark. If you aren't a fan of dark chocolate, use milk chocolate chips! The salt flavor from the nuts is subtle, but is there, and it makes your tongue itch for more.

Found at: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/12/crockpot-peanut-clusters.html

Cinnamon Fudge

As I am always looking for different/unusual desserts to take to parties and covered dishes, I was excited to find this kind of fudge from Recipe Girl that I had never seen before :)

Cinnamon Fudge

Wonderful!

3 cups granulated sugar ¾ cup butter 2/3 cup evaporated milk 10 ounces cinnamon chips 7 ounces marshmallow creme 2 tsp vanilla extract

1 Line a 9x13-inch pan with foil; coat with cooking spray. 2 In a heavy bottom 3 quart sauce pan, combine sugar, butter and milk. Bring to a rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. 3 Boil for 5 minutes, stirring all the time- if using a candy thermometer- let it get up to at least 234 degrees. Remove from heat and stir in the cinnamon chips until melted. Add marshmallow creme and vanilla; beat until blended. 4 Carefully pour mixture into the prepared dish. Let cool to room temperature; gently lift out of the pan and place on a cutting board. Cut into squares.

Yield: About 32 pieces

Gigi's Chocolate Fudge

My grandmother made pounds and pounds of this yummy fudge so that we could all take some home after the holidays :)


Ingredients:
4 ½ cups of sugar
1 can evaporated milk
½ lb butter
1 ½ of large Hershey’s Milk Chocolate candy bar
1 bag of Nestles semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 large jar marshmallow cream
2 cups of nuts
2 tbs vanilla flavoring

Directions: Cook sugar, butter, and milk until it comes to a boil. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients. Pour into buttered dish. Chill and cut into pieces.

Gigi's Peanut Butter Fudge

This was my other favorite fudge that my grandmother made every year!

Ingredients:
½ cup butter/ marg.
5 cups sugar
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
1 (18 oz) jar creamy peanut butter
1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow cream

Directions: Butter sides and bottom of a large Dutch oven, leaving excess butter n pan. Add sugar and evaporated milk, stirring well. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture reaches soft ball stage or a candy thermometer registers 234. Remove from heat; add peanut butter and marshmallow cream, beating with a wooden spoon until blended. Pour into a buttered 13x9x2 inch baking pan or dish; cool before cutting.

Sweet potato Pancakes (without flour)

My sweet toddler is going through another picky eating phase. Normally, mashed sweet potatoes are among her favorite foods, but this week she would have none of it! So I tied this and she loved them!

Ingredients:
mashed sweet potatoes
an egg
Butter or coconut oil

Directions: Melt butter or coconut oil in frying pan. Add egg to mashed sweet potatoes, stir, and drop by spoonfuls in frying pan. Fry just like a pancake :) They are kinda mushy in the middle, but she loved them anyways. You can serve with some organic maple syrup, but my toddler ate them fine without it :)

Gigi's Peanut Butter Rolls!

Since its getting close to Christmas, I thought I should post some of my grandmother's awesome candy recipes. This was my favorite growing up :)

Ingredients:

2 lbs. Confectionary sugar

3 Tbs. butter, softened

14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk

1 Tbs. vanilla flavoring

Small can of peanut butter

Extra confectionary sugar for rolling out dough

Directions: In a large, bowl, mix together sugar, butter, condensed milk, and flavoring. (Mixture will be very thick and needs to be worked with hands.) Roll out on board sprinkled with confectionary sugar. Spread peanut butter on and roll up like a jelly roll. Freeze for an hour and then slice. Keep chilled in fridge until ready to serve.

Easy Twice Baked Potatoes

I used to make these for my brother and his friends in college and they were always a hit. Now, my husband is always requesting them!

Ingredients:

6 – 8 baking potatoes

I jar or mix or Alfredo sauce

2 tsp. Garlic powder

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

cooked crisp bacon to sprinkle on top :)

Directions: Bake potatoes til soft, either in microwave or in oven. Allow potatoes to cool slightly. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the Alfredo sauce, garlic powder, and mozzarella cheese. Cut potatoes in half, lengthwise. Scoop out the pulp, leaving a thin shell. Mash the pulp and add to sauce mixture; mix well. Spoon mixture into potato shells. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Microwave on high or place in oven to bake until cheese is melted.

This post is a part of Kelly's SUYL side dishes

Using soaked grain in normal recipes....

...it just doesn't seem to work well. Any recipe that calls for soaked grain turns out beautifully, but any normal recipe turns out the wrong consistency. Generally, its too dense. But using soaked flour is so much better for ya! I've been pretty bummed that I can't make my favorite breads and cakes and cookies the healthy way, so I was really excited to find this tutorial on Nourishing Gourmet on how to sprout grain and then dehydrate it so it can be ground up and used in all my favorite recipes. Plus, it seems pretty easy. Just thought I'd share :)

Healthy Blender Pancakes

My friend Beth gave me this recipe for easy pancakes in the morning and Mark, Karis, and I all love them. They are especially great for people who want to use healthy grain but don't have a grain mill, because you soak the whole grains overnight and then a handy blender does all the work :) My toddler eats these for breakfast with some butter and organic maple syrup, and we also use leftovers for little cheese or almond butter sandwiches!

Ingredients:
1 cup grain (I'd recommend kamut, spelt, prairie gold, or even better, a combo of those :)
1 cup warm water
2 Tbs. whey, lemon juice, or vinegar
1/2 cup buttermilk or fresh cream or milk
1 egg
2 Tbs. oil
1 Tbs. honey
pinch of salt (sea salt is best)
1 Tbs.baking powder

The night before you are going to make them, put 1 c. grain in a bowl with 1 c. warm water and a little bit of whey, lemon juice or vinegar. I use whey that I make from our kefir. Put is somewhere warm overnight. The next morning, pour that into the blender with either 1/2 c. buttermilk or cream or even milk. Bblend on high for three minutes. Then add 1 egg, 2 T oil, 1 T honey and a pinch of salt. Blend for another minute. Then add 1 T baking powder and pulse the blender 3 times.

Healthy Hint: Natural Sweeteners

I subscribe to the Nourishing Gourmet blog and I love it because I know that everything posted there is going to be 100% healthy! I was so excited to see that she had done a post on natural sweeteners and how to substitute in recipes because that is something that I have been trying to figure out! If you are interested, please check out her article HERE. I'm going to post a shortened version of it, but the whole article is well worth reading because the comments are informative as well:)

Types of Healthy, Natural Sweeteners (but of course, not to be eaten in gluttonous amounts :)

Maple Syrup

Real, pure maple syrup is not just for pancakes! I have used it in a variety of desserts with great results. Grade A is sweeter and less robust than Grade B, which has a stronger mapley taste. It sweetens apple pies and ice cream very well, and makes wonderful maple sweetened cakes as well. Just makes sure that you buy organic maple syrup because unorganic is processed with formaldehyde, which is toxic.

(For a pancake syrup, we mix half honey and half maple syrup to stretch it out more, since honey is significantly cheaper. This half and half mixture is also sweeter, which those just going off of sugary fake maple syrup like. )

Maple Sugar
This mapley granulated sugar is one of my favorites. It's not as strong as unrefined cane sugar, and so adds a lighter touch to many desserts. It can be used in place of white sugar (though like all natural sweeteners it will have a stronger taste). The only disadvantage is that maple sugar is one of the most expensive ones to by, so I use it sparingly.

Molasses

Molasses is a by product of white sugar. It has a very dark, robust flavor, and contains the minerals and vitamins from the sugar cane. Since it has a fairly high iron content, it has often been recommended for those with low iron. It makes wonderful gingerbread cakes and cookies.

Sorghum
It's similar to molasses in flavor, though not as strong. While molasses is a by product, sorghum is a "whole food" product made from sorghum grain. You should also know that there are different types of sorghum. That first jar I was given was very light in color and flavor, while the second jar I bought recently is so dark is looks like molasses. The dark type works great in place of molasses (I prefer it to molasses because it has a sweeter flavor). The lighter type, however, I find to be much more versatile. I have found it a wonderful substitute for corn syrup in many recipes (including caramel popcorn), and even made a traditional pecan pie with it (which I loved, though my family was a little unsure of it).

Rapadura or Sucanat

This unrefined, whole, cane sugar is robust in flavor and full of all of it's natural minerals. It can be used in a one to one ratio with white sugar, though it will have a more molasses taste. We have used it in a myriad of desserts and find it very versatile.

Muscovado
Wilderness Family Naturals has a wonderful muscovado sugar which is a whole cane sugar (not refined at all!), which is processed with, get this, fresh coconut milk! This moist sugar is wonderful. This, ladies and gentlemen, is what brown sugar is really supposed to be like, and be used in place of your refined brown sugar. I highly recommend it.

Stevia

Stevia is a green herb that is very sweet. The Japanese have used it for about thirty years as a no calorie sweetener. The ground herb by itself is very green, so it is usually refined to a white powder, with it's sweetness concentrated. If made incorrectly it can have a bitter after taste. Because I prefer to use whole food sweeteners, I try to buy the extract made from the whole leaf (the NOW brand has one I like). It can also have an herby after taste, so it is best used in small amounts. I find a few drops work well to sweeten salad dressing, and of course, I love lemonade sweetened with it. My only caution with stevia is to use it in moderation, especially if you are using an concentrated form. The leaves were traditionally used to chew on, but they weren't consuming baskets full of it! It is only in more recent years that we have started to use it in mass.

Agave Syrup

Agave syrup is an interesting sweetener. It reminds me a bit like corn syrup.It has high fructose levels, so some feel that it is a good sweetener for diabetes. I personally found, during a time when my health wasn't doing very well, that it didn't raise my blood sugar like other sugars do. However, you should eat your agave sweetened dessert on an empty stomach, because otherwise it will lose it's low blood sugar effects (that's a bit strange, isn't it!). It's also receiving a lot of fire for the fact that it is highly processed and some believe, not any better than corn syrup. (Read Cheese Slave's post about it here). Different brands are manufactured differently however (for example, Ultimate Super Food's Agave syrup is significantly different than anything I have ever gotten in the store), so keep that in mind. I stopped using agave syrup several months back, and have since learned of a new low glycemic sweetener (coconut sugar!), but I encourage you to make your own judgment call on this one.

Coconut/Palm Sugar
coconut sugar and palm sugar are used interchangeably, made either from the coconut flower or certain palm flowers. If you get one that is made with the coconut flower it is actually a low glycemic sweetener (33-35 on the glycemic scale)! Depending on how they made it, it can have a more robust, caramel like flavor, or if you are able to find it in it's moist form (usually found in a jar, looking a bit like raw honey), it will have a lighter taste. This is a newer sugar to me, but I am really enjoying it. I like it in everything from my tea to my cookies, to my chocolate ice cream!

Honey
This sweet substance can have different flavors depending on where the bees were getting their pollen, making honey have so many shades of flavor. It is the first sweetener that many people turn to when taking white sugar out of their diet as it is easy to find and very sweet. I recommend raw honey because it still has many healing properties to it when kept raw. To read more about raw honey's healing properties, check out this search on Dr. Mercola's site. Since I have been able to find a good price on raw honey, I even use it in cooking to avoid highly processed honey (which is heated way higher than if you were simply cooking with it). This really is a heavenly sweetener.

Brown Rice Syrup: She didn't write about it, but one of her commenters did and since I've heard it to be a good option, I thought I'd mention it:

Brown Rice Syrup is a sweetener derived by culturing cooked rice with enzymes (usually from dried barley sprouts) to break down the starches, then straining off the liquid and cooking it until the desired consistency is reached. Brown Rice Syrup is a nutritive sweetener that is about half as sweet as sugar. Brown rice syrup is a tasty alternative for those who watch their sugar intake. Bake with it, pour it over ice cream or pancakes, or stir it into your morning coffee. Brown rice sugar is rich in natural maltose, which supplies a more prolonged source of energy than most concentrated sweeteners. It is a polysaccharide, a complex sugar, which, due to the structure of complex carbohydrates, releases slowly into the bloodstream, breaking down slowly and not altering blood chemistry. Brown rice sugar provides fuel for the body rather than causing an imbalance in blood sugar levels. It can replace corn syrup in most recipes calling for it

Substituting Natural Sweeteners for Refined Sweeteners

White sugar: Equal amounts of rapadura, coconut/palm sugar (in granulated form), maple sugar. Or use 3/4 cup of honey in place of 1 cup of white sugar. With many recipes you can use maple syrup as well, you just may need to adjust wet ingredients.

Brown Sugar: Muscovado sugar, or Rapadura/Sucanat

Corn syrup: Sorghum, Honey, Maple Syrup, Agave Syrup, Brown Rice Syrup

Grandma Connie's Peanut Butter Pie

This was always my favorite dessert at my Grandma's house growing up. Simple, but rich. Great to make ahead of time.

Connie’s Peanut Butter Pie Recipe from Connie Carr, Roanoke, VA

Ingredients:

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 8oz pkg. Cream cheese

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbs melted butter

1 8oz container frozen cool whip

1 graham cracker crust

Directions:

Mix peanut butter, sugar, cream cheese, vanilla, and butter until creamy. Fold in cool whip. Pour into crust. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.

This post is part of Kelly's SUYL desserts!

Healthy Hint: Why I love quinoa!

I've mentioned quinoa several times in my recipes because my family loves it so much and it is super duper good for you. It was first recommended to me when I was still breastfeeding but my milk supply diminished because I got pregnant again. When I researched it and found out how good it is for us, we quickly incorporated it into as many meals as possible! Plus, my husband and baby LOVE it! Quinoa is close to one of the most complete foods in nature because it contains amino acids, enzymes, vitamins and minerals, fiber, antioxidants, and phytonutrients.

What is it? Qiunoa looks like a grain, but is actually a seed. It reminds me a lot of the texture of cous-cous. We substitute it in any recipe that calls for rice or noodles because its so much better for you.

Some of the nutrients in quinoa include:

• Rich in calcium
• It's high in iron, phosphorous, vitamin E and several B vitamins.
• Although the fat content is higher than most grains, clocking in at 6-7%, the protein in Quinoa is unparalleled in the plant kingdom and a strong contender to members of the animal kingdom as well. It's content ranges from 12-18%. Quinoa rivals the protein content of meat and because it contains abundant levels of all the 8 amino acids our bodies need in an almost perfect balance, Quinoa can be termed a "complete protein".
• Quinoa is wheat and gluten free and makes a wonderful alternative to people suffering from Celiac disease or wheat allergies.

* Complete protein. Quinoa contains all 9 essential amino acids that are required by the body as building blocks for muscles.
* Magnesium helps relax your muscles and blood vessels and effects blood pressure. Quinoa contains high levels of this vital nutrient.
* Fiber. Quinoa is a wonderful way to ensure that you consume valuable fiber that eases elimination and tones your colon.
* Manganese and copper. Quinoa is a good source of these minerals that act as antioxidants in your body to get rid of dangerous cancer and disease-causing substances.

How to make it: I make quinoa exactly the same way I make oatmeal -- I soak 1 cup of quinoa from 7-24 hours in a jar with1 cup warm water and 2 Tbs. buttermilk, yogurt, or whey. Right before cooking, I rinse off the quinoa in a strainer. This is important because the quinoa has a slightly bitter taste unless you rinse it off first. When I'm ready to cook, I boil another cup of water in my pot on the stove, turn down the temp to low, pour the rinsed off quinoa in the pot and let it soak up the water for about 5-7 min. So easy!

Our favorite uses:
** My toddler LOVES it for breakfast with a little milk, butter/coconut oil, and organic maple syrup -- just put whatever add-ins you would put on your oatmeal.
**A quick snack with a little butter and cheese mixed in (kinda like a healthy version of mac a cheese :)
**I add it to whatever leftovers we have with a little sour cream and cheese for an easy lunch for my toddler
** Fried quinoa -- I mix an egg in it and fry it in coconut oil or butter; serve with a little bit of organic maple syrup
** Any recipe that calls for rice, noodles, oatmeal, etc. Here are some of our favorite recipes to use quinoa with: mango crockpot chicken, stir-fry, Tortilla Soup, meatballs, Crockpot Italian Chicken, Hawaain Chicken Pile-up, Cranberry Chicken, etc.

Where to get quinoa: The best option is to buy in bulk at a food co-op. You can also get it inthe bulk section at Whole Foods, Earth Fare, and other natural food stores. I've seen quinoa flour and flakes in the organic section at grocery stores.

For more info on quinoa, click HERE and HERE and HERE

Lynne's Delicious Cranberry Salad

Mark's Mom made this for Thanksgiving, and no one could get enough of it! Its really like a dessert, but super yummy on turkey!

Ingredients:
1 can of whole berry cranberry sauce
1 tall can crushed pineapple, juice reserved
2 small boxes raspberry jello
1 cup hot water
1 cup cool water, including pineapple juice
1 cup finely chopped apples

Directions: Dissolve jello in hot water. Add cold water with pineapple juice and let set til thickened. Add crushed pineapple, cranberry sauce, and diced apples. Let set til thickened.

Healthy Crackers for Toddlers (and adults :)

I've decided to go ahead and share some of my soaked grain super healthy recipes with you because I have several friends who now grind their own grain for baking. If you don't, I don't know if these recipes will turn out quite the same.

I am always trying to find healthy snack options for Karis that don't have to be refrigerated for when we are running errands. She absolutely loves any store bought cracker or cereal, but they are expensive and really not that great for her. So I was excited to make these crackers because I feel like she can eat as much as she wants since they are so good for her. They are filled with the "healthy" fats she needs like coconut oil and real butter, as well as the whole grains that are soaked and therefore easy to digest. And the best part: she and I both love them! Daddy only likes the ones that are really thin and crispy; I should have made them a little more flat :) I made them plain this time, but am probably going to try some with a little bit of honey and some with cheese just so I can have different flavors. I basically just used the yogurt dough recipe from Nourishing Traditions Cookbook and then flattened the dough, pricked it with a fork, and baked at 400. But here are the directions all spelled out in case yo don't have the cookbook:

The night before cream in a large bowl:

1 cup of plain whole yogurt or a very creamy buttermilk)
1 cup of butter, softened ( I used 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup coconut oil)

Mix in:

3 1/2 cups of freshly ground grain
2 teaspoons of salt

Cover and leave in a warm place for 12 to 24 hours (this is the "soaking" part). Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using white flour to dust your surface and dough, roll your dough out thin. Cut into strips and then cut into squares.

Place your squares on an ungreased cookie sheet and prick with a fork. Bake for about 8 minutes and check, keep checking every two minutes until done. They should be browning slightly on the edges, when done. Take off of sheet and place on a cooling rack and enjoy!

**I didn't make them quite flat enough, so I baked for more like 11 minutes.

Mango Crockpot Chicken

This is definitely a new favorite recipe! It is easy, delicious and cheap, so it is forevermore a regular on our menu! We all loved it over quinoa with a little sour cream, and a little shredded cheese.

Mango Crockpot Chicken

Spray your crockpot (any kind of cooking spray)
Fill with whole chicken (boneless) breasts
Cover with ½ container of Costco’s Mango Salsa (any salsa works, but this particular kind is the best!)
Cook on LOW all day long – do not stir

It’s time to eat!! Shred the chicken with two forks (do not drain off any juices), salt lightly, and your chicken is ready to go!

--serve with your choice of additions: shredded lettuce, cheese, cut up onions, olives, tomatoes and cilantro, sour cream, etc – on tortillas.

http://www.reluctantentertainer.com/2008/01/crockpot-kids-mango-chicken.html

Gigi's Corn Pudding

No holiday meal would be complete without my grandmother's corn pudding. This is sweet enough to be a dessert, but we eat it as a side :)

Ingredients:
2 cans creamed corn
5 slightly beaten eggs
5 Tbs. flour
4 Tbs. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups milk

Directions: Mix corn, flour, salt, and sugar together. Add eggs, milk, butter. P:our into a greased baking dish. Bake at 350 for 1 hour til inserted knife comes out clean.

Mom's Acorn Squash with Sweet Cranberry Sauce

This is a family tradition and happens to be the only way that I like acorn squash :)

Ingredients:

Several small acorn squash

1 cup cranberry sauce

¼ cup pineapple juice

½ cup brown sugar

3 Tbs. butter

2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions: Cut squash in half, place face down in dish with a little bit of water. Microwave on high for about 15 minutes or bake ½ hour at 375. Put rest of ingredients in small pot on stove and cook 20-30 min over low heat. Pour sauce over squash halves before serving.

Gigi's Stuffed Zucchini

Another favorite from my grandmother and I daresay that even if you don't like zucchini normally, you will like this recipe :)

Ingredients:

1 ½ lb. Zucchini (med. Size)

½ cup soft bread crumbs

2 oz. grated American or cheddar cheese

¼ cup minced onion

2 T. minced parsley

1 ¼ t. salt

1/8 t. pepper

2 eggs, beaten

2 T. butter

¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions: Clean zucchini, cut off ends, don’t pare. Cook until tender in 1 inch of boiling water with 1 tsp. salt in covered kettle (5-7 min.) Remove insides with a spoon. Mash and combine with bread crumbs and next 6 ingredients. Spoon mixture lightly into zucchini shell. Dot with butter and top with shredded cheese. Put shells in pan and bake at 350 for about 30 min.

This post is a part of Kelly's SUYL side dishes!