RECIPE OF THE WEEK: GRANOLA BARS

My kids LOVE granola bars. And so does my hubby. They are perfect for breakfast, snacks and easy to stick in a purse or bag to take on-the-go. But, try finding one that is all natural that doesn't contain corn. It's difficult. And while they do exist, I decided to try my efforts at making my own. So, I googled and researched and pinned and researched some more to try and find a homemade granola recipe that didn't use corn syrup or corn starch. Why is it SO hard?! But alas, I found one I could tweak and whipped up a batch.

Introducing...

Jae Low's Granola Bars

Utensils/Equipment Needed:

Large 9x13 baking sheet

Large mixing bowl

Small saucepan

Wax or parchment paper

Ingredients:

2.5 cups of whole oats {Mom's Best}

2.5 cups crisped rice cereal {Nature's Path Organic}

1/2 cup ground flax seed, flax meal

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup chocolate chips {O Organics}

1/4 cup dried cranberries, other other dried fruit of choice

1/2 cup pure local honey

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 TBSP brown sugar

2 tsp pure vanilla 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. On a lined baking sheet, place your oats and toast them in the oven for 10-15 minutes, stirring them half way. In your mixing bowl, combine cereal, flax meal, cinnamon and toasted oats. In the saucepan, combine the honey, oil, sugar and vanilla and heat to medium, stirring constantly, until it comes to a boil and gets frothy. Pour the honey mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips and fruit. Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper double the length of the pan {with even amount of extra length on each end}. Lightly coat the lined baking sheet with some canola oil. Spread the granola mixture evenly onto the lined and oiled baking sheet. Pull the extra wax paper from both sides of the pan to cover the bars and press firmly into the pan. Refrigerate until the granola is firm. Remove from pan, uncover wax paper and cut into bars. And enjoy!

* These are corn-free and peanut-free.

TUESDAY TIPS: PLANT A GARDEN

I've only been talking about planting a garden for about a year now. And Spring is here and it was the perfect time to do it last Saturday. So, I did. With the help of a garden-expert friend. I'm so excited!

First, let me say that the entire process completely overwhelmed me. And I am a pretty fearless person. But once I got to the store to purchase the things on my list, I quickly discovered there are way too many choices of products {from pots, to plants, to soil, etc.} for someone like me who has NEVER had a green thumb in their life or attempted to plant even a single flower. Seriously, I was a gardening virgin.

So I enlisted the help of my dear friend Jami, and she graciously went shopping with me to get all the necessary supplies I need to get my garden started.

My plans for spring were to begin with a raised bed, but the Texas weather would not cooperate and kept raining on the weekends I needed to get started. So we started with pots.

Pictured here {before I adorned the pots with plant labels in Sharpie} are one pot of Bush Giant Tomatoes and Sweet 100 Cherry Tomatoes, and another pot of Sweet Banana Peppers, Jalapeno Peppers, Serrano Peppers and Green Bell Peppers.

I know it's not a massive crop, but it's my little garden. And I'm super excited about it.

I encourage you to go grow something. It's the perfect time to plant so go grab a few pots, some organic soil, a few plants and start a garden. If I can do it, I KNOW you can.

MONDAY MOXIE: WHAT IS PINK SLIME?

You may have heard in the news recently {or seen on Food, Inc.} about pink slime, or "lean, finely textured beef" as the meat industry would refer to it. I wanted to investigate exactly what this pink slime was so that I could post about it.

A/P file: Pink Slime

Here is what I have found:

• In the 1990s, in the wake of public health concerns over pathogenic E. coli in beef {that also continues today}, Beef Products Inc. {BPI} founder, Eldon Roth, developed a process to use a puff of ammonia gas to raise the pH and kill any pathogens that may be found in beef trimmings purchased from other meat production houses. 
• The process of making the pink slime involves taking USDA-approved beef trimmings, separating the fat and meat with centrifuges, then squeezing the lean beef through a pencil-sized tube, during which time it is exposed to ammonia gas. The combination of the gas with water in the meat results in a reaction that increases the pH {lowering acidity) and killing any pathogens such as E. Coli.
• It is used in meat supplies across the US, and comprises about 25% of the final meat product that consumers purchase and eat. Yummy! 

In reading several articles about this pink stuff, I found that the meat is sold to not only grocery stores, but restaurants and fast-food chains, as well as SCHOOLS. In fact, in early March of this year, the USDA stated they are set to purchase 7 million lbs. of pink slime for school lunches. Yep, that chicken fried steak or hamburgers your kids are eating at school on their lunch tray... pink slime. Isn't that just delicious?! Yuck.

If you want to know where to buy meat without pink slime, I recently read an article that showed where to buy meat without this nasty filler. Read the article here.

But, here's your safe list of grocers/stores that do not sell it at all:

• A&P {New York and New Jersey}
• Whole Foods {in 39 states, as well as Canada and the UK}
• Costco {in 40 states, as well as 7 other countries}
• Publix {Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina}
• H-E-B {Texas}
• Waldbaum's {Long Island, New York}
• Price Chopper{Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Vermont}

Oh, and if you can pack your child's lunch instead of having them go through the lunch line, I would highly recommend that, too.

Happy Shopping!

RECIPE OF THE WEEK: CHOCONANA MUFFINS

Oh my heavens... these are delish! I pinned a recipe the other day on Pinterest that I wanted to try. First, let me say I completely tweaked it and made it my own. Having not tried the "real" version as it was pinned, I can't say for certain, but I would bet that mine are better. :)

The recipe calls for a doughnut pan to make donuts, but since I do not own a donut pan, I decided to make mine into muffins {or cupcakes as we like to call them in my house}. Plus, I changed the recipe to be corn-free, more organic and added some ingredients that I thought would make it really tasty. And boy, did I conjure up something quite tasty! Indeed.

My original plan was to make these for my kids' breakfasts for the week. I don't know about you, but I struggle to get a healthy breakfast down my kids' throats during the morning rush of getting ready for school. Let me go ahead and admit that I am NOT the mom who wakes up at 5 am to do her daily morning devotional, with her cup of coffee and her quiet time, exercises at 5:30 am, in the shower by 6 am, gets ready, making breakfast at 7 am, and getting all her kids ready for school with a June Cleaver smile on her face. I wish that was me. But, it's not.

My mornings start at 6:45 am, after I have hit snooze about 10 times, jump out of bed, run into the shower, rush out of the shower at 6:55 am, wake the kids with a quick switch of the light and a "Wake Up, Kids!", head into my room to get ready, while I'm interrupted a million times with "Mom, where are my shoes," "Mom, {she} won't get out of my way," "Mom, can you sign this paper for me," "Mom, {he} threw my toothbrush in the toilet," "Mom, where is my underwear," "Mom, can you fix my hair," "Mom, what's the weather like? Can I wear my tank top," or "Mom, I forgot to tell you that I need a million dollars for a school activity. And it's due today." All those questions I field as I not only get myself ready, but all three of the kids, and somehow try to get them some sort of breakfast such as a piece of toast, some granola, or if we have time, a bowl of cereal or yogurt. And then it's out the door, in a rush usually, at 7:35 am. Anyone else have those kind of mornings?

So, my plan has been to begin making breakfasts on the weekends that are quick and easy for me and the kids to eat in the mornings before school. One less stress I have to deal with. Can I get an "Amen"?

So, I took an existing recipe and made it my own. Again, it turned out perfectly.

Jae Low's ChocoNana Muffins

Utensils/Equipment Needed:

(2) large mixing bowls

(1) 12-ct muffin pans

(1) 6-ct muffin pans

(18) muffin cups

wire rack for cooling

Ingredients: 

(2) cups spelt flour {or organic whole wheat}

(1) tsp baking soda

(1) tsp cinnamon

(1) tsp nutmeg

(3/4) tsp salt

(1/2) cup Greek yogurt {plain or vanilla}

 (1.5) tsp pure vanilla extract

(1/2) cup + (1) TBSP pure agave nectar

(1.5) TBSP lemon juice

(4) large bananas, mashed {should make 2 cups, tightly packed}

(1/2) bag of dark chocolate chips

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine all the dry ingredients, and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients and mix {by hand} into dry. Line your muffin pans with muffin cups {I used a sports theme since we are gearing up for soccer season}. Cook 30-35 minutes. This particular recipe only yields 18 muffins. Feel free to adjust it to make 24 or double it to make 36, which I will probably have to do next time since these didn't last longer than 2 days in my house.

MONDAY MOXIE: GROSS FOODS

A dear friend sent me an article today that I just had to post about. You may read the full article here, but I have summarized it for you.

I have already written several posts about the disgusting aspects of processed foods and what certain ingredients really are. Every time I learn something new it validates my reasoning for going all natural and organic. I sure hope my posts inspire you too!

The article is about the 5 grossest foods and why. So let me summarize:

#5: GRAINS: Many packaged breads and baked goods contain L-cysteine—a non-essential amino acid made from dissolved {often Chinese} human hair or duck feathers. Oh, yummy!
Why is L-cysteine bad? First, vegans, as well as Muslims, would be in violation of eating such products containing this due to religious and ethical beliefs. And I would beg to argue that it may be a form of cannibalism honestly to eat human hair. Plus, eew! Who wants to eat hair, even if it's not from a human? I'm pretty sure people sue companies and restaurants for finding that in foods, yet our food is actually made with it? EEK!
Tip: Eat unprocessed whole grains like oats and brown rice, and make your own baked goods whenever possible. I just made some delicious banana-choco-cinnamon muffins you can start with. Come back on Wednesday for the recipe! :)

#4: SHRIMP: Apparently overseas shrimp could be tainted with chemicals used to clean filthy shrimp-farm pens and often full of antibiotics, mouse and rat hair, and pieces of insects. How tasty?! I love me some mouse hair and insects. Disgusting!
Why is overseas shrimp bad? Unfortunately, only about 2% of all imported seafood is inspected.
Tip: If you're going to eat shrimp, choose domestic instead. The mice and rats will thank you!

#3: SALAD DRESSING: Let's not forget that almost every single stinkin' salad dressing I have found contains high fructose corn syrup. But that's not even the reason this article states that it is gross. In order to make the dressing look whiter, big food corporations often add the chemical titanium dioxide—commonly found in paints and sunscreens—to processed foods like salad dressing, coffee creamers, and canned icing. Because remember, we eat with both our mouths AND our eyes. And apparently if ain't white, we won't eat it? Who made this rule? Ridiculous. I embrace all colors. I am not prejudice.
Why is titanium dioxide bad? Titanium dioxide is a component of the metallic element titanium, a mined substance that's sometimes contaminated with toxic lead. Lead poisoning, anyone? Oh, and let's not even mention the fact that it is super unhealthy.
Tip: Try using an olive oil- or vinegar-based salad topper instead. It's much healthier, less gross, may even improve your waistline a bit. Bonus!

#2: JELLY BEANS: My friends who have kids with dye allergies are already probably aware, but jelly beans, like many candies, are just a cute little sugar bean made up of food dye. The flavors don't come from fruit. Nor do the colors. Although, I'm sure you already knew that.
Why are dyes bad? Colors like orange and purple food dyes have been shown to impair brain function, and other dyes have been linked to ADHD and behavioral problems in kids, as well as brain-cell toxicity. Ask anyone who has a kid with a food dye allergy or sensitivity, they will tell you that food dyes are of the devil. Literally!

#1: MUSHROOMS: And more specifically, canned mushrooms. This one is the most gross for several reasons.  Did you know that the FDA legally allows 19 maggots—tiny, rice-shaped fly larvae that feast on rotting foods—and 74 mites in every 3.5-ounce can of mushrooms? Ummm.... yeah. 
Why are maggots and mites bad? Really?! Do I really need to answer this question. No. But I will address the whole canned foods in general and say that canned foods are nasty. Most are lined with BPA, a plastic chemical that causes unnatural hormonal changes linked to heart attacks, obesity, and certain cancers.
Tip: Opt for fresh mushrooms instead, or any veggie or fruit for that matter. Farm-fresh veggies are better tasting, better looking and just plain better. Period.


So now that I have told you about the 5 grossest foods, what are you going to do? I hope this will open your eyes a bit more to what you are REALLY putting in your mouth.

How long will I continue to hear people say, "I just don't want to know. I like not really knowing." I hope sooner rather than later.

THURSDAYS TIP: GO HANS OR GO HOME

Let me introduce you to my new little friend:

The other day {Tuesday to be exact} I decided to up my ante and increase my kettlebell weight. I've been feeling like I needed to do this for a couple of weeks now. When I started doing the kettlebell workout back in September, I started with a 10 lb and after 8 weeks, I looked like this:

 And while I was pleased with my results, I knew I could improve. And so I started the series again this past January and moved up to a 12 lb. After 6 weeks, I now look like this: 

And yet I still want to improve, and I know I can. I really want rock-hard abs. Really bad. And while I am not focused on looking like any particular person {I truly believe in being the best ME I can be}, it wouldn't hurt to have some kick-butt six-pack abs. And gosh darnit, I am going to get them. 

I can't tell you how good I feel these days. From going corn-free to working out, I can tell a huge difference in the way I physically feel. I have more energy than I ever have before. And this was the first February in over 10 years that I didn't get sick. Which I attribute to my improved healthy lifestyle. There is much to say about a good, wholesome, natural diet and exercise that truly does your body good. 

I don't post this to brag. But to inspire. I hope to spread the word of healthy, organic and all-natural, corn-free eating, and healthy, doable daily exercise. 

I only workout 25-30 minutes a day. That's it. I don't spend hours at the gym. I don't take supplements or muscle builders. Or amino fuel. I just do my kettlebell exercises each evening. And eat corn-free.

It's really not hard to live a corn-free active lifestyle and see improvements. If I can do it, I KNOW you can. 

So back to Hans, my new little friend. My 15-lbs of steel that is kicking my butt. Hans. He lives up to his name. And I'll post the results he gets me after I complete my last 2 weeks of this workout challenge. Wish me luck! 

*ps. In the 10/30/11 pic... that pic was taken early in the morning, post-workout. Don't judge my lack of makeup or my hair. I was tired and sweaty. 

*pss. In the 2/26/12 pic... that pic with my camera phone and the flash didn't fully work. Don't judge the yellowy color. I really don't have jaundice.