April Fool’s Day

A few years ago, we made these “cupcakes” for dinner to have some April Fool’s Fun. My kids asked about these yesterday. Although not included on my menu plan, we are going to juggle things around so we can make these cupcakes — gluten free this time — to keep up with tradition.

Basically, these cupcakes are simply meatloaf “cakes” with mashed potatoes for frosting. They are actually quite yummy. Here’s the recipe from Family Fun magazine, just substitute gluten-free bread crumbs and you’ll be good to go. Or use your own meatloaf recipe, any would taste fine. For a yummy, healthier meatloaf recipe, check out this one at Gluten Free Girl.

*Just a note — it has recently come to my attention that food coloring is NOT good for you! We try to avoid it as much as possible. I have seen coloring derived from natural/food sources at the health food stores, if you are looking for a more healthy alternative.

Interesting Article on Soaking Grains

Claire from an email list I’m on for Traditional Foods Recipes recently sent this link on Soaking Grains.  From the book Rebuild from Depression, the excerpt discusses the how and why of soaking various grains to reduce phytic acid and improve mineral absorption.  Interesting stuff!

Healthy Cookies

By now you have heard the rage over Omega 3 Fatty acids, right? And surely you have heard how good is it for you to consume whole grains and nuts? How about the merit of upping your protein and lowering your sugar intake? Well, guess what? This Healthy Cookie recipe does all of the above for you!

These cookies may be expensive the first time around, as some of these ingredients you may not have on hand. The flax oil is a good supplement to add to your diet, and both the flax and walnut oil can be used to make delicious salad dressings. Leo Galland in Superimmunity for Kids suggests both of these oils as good ways to add Omega 3 fatty acids to your diet.

This recipe was originally from The Trans Fat Solution and has been modified to our personal taste. We get lots of complements on these cookies :)

Healthy Cookies

½ cup butter at room temperature

2 tablespoons flax oil

2 tablespoons walnut oil

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

Stevia, equivalent to ½ cup sugar (1/2 teaspoon of liquid Stevia extract)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ cup oat bran (if you don’t have oat bran on hand, just take 1 cup oatmeal and stick it in blender or food processor for a minute)

2 cups whole wheat flour (we do freshly ground)

1 ½ teaspoons sea salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup soy protein powder (You can leave it out!)

2 cups choc chips (when I make this really yummy I do 1 cup semi-sweet choc chips and 1 cup milk choc chips)

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350.

Using electric mixer, beat butter until it is light and fluffy. Add sugars and oil and beat for 30 sec (I usually just cream butter and sugar together). Add eggs and vanilla and beat to mix. Add oats, flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and protein powder and mix until just combined. Stir in choc chips and walnuts.

Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, remove to wire rack to cool.

Salad with a Spoon

My sister-in-law, Jannie, bought me the most endearing book this past Christmas. Called MaryJane’s Ideabook-Cookbook-Lifebook (for the farmgirl in all of us), it’s sort of a cross between Real Simple, Martha Stewart, Homemakers-R-Us, and Future Farmers of America. In other words, I love it!

One of Mary Jane’s ideas is to eat salad with a spoon. Here’s why:

Learn to eat salad with a spoon. Quit fussing with gourmet salads, the kind you chase around your plate. Simply retool and rethink this wondrous food. Toss your salad forks into permanent hibernation. The secret to the plentiful partaking of salad greens is “the salad spoon”… as in soup spoon. Buy or grow strong, vitamin-packed greens like kale, parsley, tat soi, napa cabbage, beet greens, spinach, basil, chard, sorrel, dark lettuces, dandelion greens, and Good King Henry along with lettuce, carrots, sunchokes, broccoli, squash, etc. Put all of it on a cutting board and start chopping. Dress with olive or flax oil and balsamic vinegar. For breakfast, add a hard-boiled egg or apple chunks or raisins. If it’s dinnertime, add some bits of cooked potatoes or rice or lentils. You’ll quadruple the amount of greens you eat once you start eating salad with a spoon.

Click Here for five other ways to “feel like a farmgirl.”