Make Your Own Baking Powder

So, we ran out of baking powder and I promised myself I would not buy more until I made the trip to a particular Walmart that carries Rumford Aluminum-Free Baking Powder.  Some people prefer not to use baking powder with aluminum because they believe it gives food a vaguely metallic taste, and because of speculations on the connection between aluminum intake and diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.  I just don't want it in there because, as far as I know, I don't need aluminum to function (i.e., copper). 

I needed more baking powder before I was going to make that trip out to that store so I looked it up and guess what?!  Yep, you can easily make an aluminum-free baking powder at home with items I have in my pantry.  There are suggested ratios on the Internet but they all contain cream of tartar (which I have on hand for making play dough) and baking soda.  That's all you need if you plan to use it right away.  If you want some in the pantry, and I do, then most add corn starch or arrowroot powder.

Homemade Baking Powder

Happy baking!

Waste Not, Want Not - Freezing Ginger

I like ginger and it has great benefits so I am so bummed when it rots in my fridge.  In the past I tried to buy just what I needed but small pieces can be hard to peel and grate without injury.  Large pieces just end up rotting in my fridge as I forget about them. 

I read it somewhere on the web and now buy a good chunk of ginger, peel it, and toss the unused portion in my freezer.  Then I just take it out and grate it frozen and although my fingers feel the bite of the cold, it grates like a dream!  Easier than when raw.  You can use it in your recipe immediately.  Then I just toss the rest back in the freezer until I need it again.  Hope this saves you a bit of money and frustration some day.

I also use up ginger by slicing it thin and simmering it in filtered water.  Fish out the slices and pour it into a pitcher to stay cool in the fridge.  It's a nice way to enjoy water and you get the anti-inflammatory benefits of ginger.

Waste Not, Want Not - Broccoli Stems

When you buy fresh broccoli don't toss the tough stems. They are still loaded in vitamin C and K as well as other nutrients.

I just do a haphazard job of cutting off the fibrous layer and then run the stalks through my food processor's grater and make broccoli slaw.  Great in well, um, slaw, and tacos, and wraps.  Tonight I threw it in this awesome Asian Slaw with Ginger Peanut Dressing.  You could also try it in Raw "Pad Thai" which was delicious.

Another option is chop it into small cubes and freeze them to be thrown into a soup later.  I haven't done this yet but will someday.

How Do You Get Your Kids to Eat That?

A mom I very much admire asked me this question recently.  She had been looking at this blog and asked, "How do you get your kids to eat all that stuff?"  This is my reply.  It is a combination of things:

1. Start them super young on real food.  We started with our kids super young.  They often help us cook the meal.  Any kid can dump the ingredients into a bowl or stir.  It's unlikely any kid will need a tourniquet for using a butter knife to slice bananas. 

We provide them with several opportunities to try a given food but we may present it in a variety of ways. We act excited about our food and talk about what we like about a given dish or how a given ingredient benefits our body. We model eating healthy foods and talk about how we feel good and have energy.

2. The kids' only option is to eat what we are eating.  We have a rule that you must at least try it.  We are not above bribing. They are NOT excused from the table as soon as they try it.  They can sit with the family and chat while we eat our meals.  If they are hungry we leave out the meal for a while and suggest that they can eat more if they want.  About two hours before meal time, we cut off our kids from snacks.  They can have water.

3. We try our best to provide healthy snacks (namely fruits) so they don't get too accustomed to sugary, carb-loaded, chemical-loaded "food-like" snacks.  If they eat these regularly their bodies are going to demand the garbage rather than the nutrition they deserve.  That's my belief from personal experience.

Healthy snack might be:

Fruit
Granola bars - watch out for sugar
Cheese sticks
Homemade trail mix (nuts, seeds, dried fruit)
Roasted Edamame or Chickpeas
Apple Nachos
Kale Chips
Seriously Healthy Ice Cream


4. Give it a "fancy" or "magical" name.  If you are excited to drink "Lucky Leprechaun Juice" (green smoothie), they will be too. Other examples: Mashed "Florets" for mashed cauliflower, "The Easter Bunny's Favorite muffin/pancake/oatmeal" for anything with carrots mixed in, "Monster Guts Sandwiches" for tuna salad sandwiches with tons of finely chopped veggies in them.  Find what works for your kid.

5. Most importantly, we practice nutritional stealth!  We are sneaky so our kids are getting veggies and nutrients packed into almost every bite.  Here's some ideas:

I put veggies in a ton of stuff. 

• grated carrots, zucchini, kale, spinach in baked goods. 
• canned pumpkin in pumpkin "pie" oatmeal, smoothies, and pancakes and in pasta sauce.  
• finely shredded spinach, celery, grated carrot, finely chopped green onions, grated radish, in tuna, chicken, or egg salad sandwiches and then top with lettuce, arugula, spinach, tomato, etc.
• finely shredded spinach, chard, or kale in scrambled eggs along with other more traditional veggies like mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, etc.
• spinach, kale, chard, romaine, mint in "green" smoothies.  Our green smoothies have fruit in them to balance out the "green" taste.  I call them "lucky leprechaun" smoothies and the kids think it is very special.
• bean purees in baked goods and some smoothies.
• finely or coarsely chopped veggies and herbs can be added to create your own signature spaghetti sauce and no crappy sugar or corn syrup will be in there. Our sauce is almost more "other" veggies than tomato sauce.  Use mushrooms, zucchini, carrot, onion, peppers, finely shredded kale or spinach, eggplant, fresh or dried basil, oregano, marjoram, parsley, rosemary, thyme, etc.
• lots of herbs in homemade dressings
• finely chopped veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green onion, etc.) and herbs (rosemary, parsley, sage, etc.) in mashed potatoes
• pureed squash in sauces like butternut mac and cheese
• pureed sweet potatoes in baked goods or oatmeal

I basically try to very finely chop or puree veggies and herbs and put them into something the kids like and that they can't pick the veggies out of easily-oatmeal, pancakes, mashed potatoes, chili, baked beans, soup, scrambled eggs, quesadillas, smoothies, sauces, muffins, turkey burgers or meatloaf--you get the idea. 

These muffins are loaded with kale and carrots.  Loaded!

This way I know they are getting the nutrition they need from veggies (and fruit) and getting numerous opportunities to get used to their tastes.

I can also say, "You liked it in whatever dish they liked, so tell me what you think about it in this dish(where it plays a more recognizable or substantial part)."

I also add nutrition with a variety of beans, nuts, seeds (ground and whole), and spices.  Nuts and beans can be added to baked goods, salads, and pastas.  Seeds are great in oatmeal, granola, salads, and on veggie sides.  Spices are a great way to pack in flavor and they have their own benefits: ginger (anti-inflammatory), cinnamon (helps process sugar slower), etc. 

I sweeten with the least processed sugar we can afford.  But I am trying to use other sweeteners in place of demerara and raw sugar, when it is needed.  I use fruit (fresh and dried), molasses (high in manganese, copper, iron, calcium, potassium and magnesium), agave syrup/nectar, honey (local and unfiltered, may help fight airborne allergies), and real maple syrup.  I also find I get away with a lot less sweetener than is usually called for in traditional recipes.

Recipes that you can practice nutritional stealth with are:

Apple and Kale Spice Muffins
Carrot Cake Oatmeal
Fresh Corn Pancakes
Heather's Vegetarian Chili
Egg Casserole - put whatever veggies you want in this
Chocolate Chip Blondies

Hope this helps you find new ways to introduce increased nutrition to your children and have fun while doing it.  Some of the things we do may not be for your family.  You will find what works best for you.  We are not perfect at all the ideas listed above but we have become rather consistent and found that this approach has worked for us.

Waste Not, Want Not -- Orange Zest

Orange peels aren't orange, they are gold!  That peels is loaded with amazing oil that will bring many of your recipes to the next level.  Don't throw it in the trash or compost!  Use it!

We do our best to zest our oranges and lemons before peeling or squeezing these fruits.  We love our microplane for this purpose.  It zests easily and beautifully.  It also grates ginger, garlic, and whole nutmeg like a dream.

The zest does not seem to keep well in the fridge - maybe 2 days.  We use a little air tight container to put the zest in the FREEZER.  You can put it in your recipes straight from the freezer. 

What to do with that zest?  Here are some recipes that use it.  Enjoy!

Bircher Muesli with Prunes

Citrus Broccoli Stir-Fry with Brown Sauce

Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes

Orange Rosemary Focaccia

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Dark Chocolate Bark with Pistachios and Dried Cranberries

Cashew Orange Spread

Waste Not, Want Not --Vegetable Stock

Make your own vegetable stock from all the veggie tidbits you usually dump.  I keep a freezer bag labeled Veg. Stock in the freezer and whenever I finish prepping veggies for a meal I take the unloved parts and toss them in the freezer bag until it's full.  I make sure the tidbits are well washed and in decent shape beforehand.  You can use mushroom stems, carrot peels and stem ends, leafy tops of celery, onion skins, garlic skins, woody asparagus ends, herb stems, wilted lettuce or greens, coarse stalks from kale and chard, and so on. 

When the bag is full I separate the once unloved goods into three large pots and fill them with filtered water.  Bring it to a boil and let it simmer for 20 minutes without stirring.  Once it has cooled, we strain it in a colander and then a fine mesh sieve.  Then we bag 4 cups in quart freezer bags and lie them flat in the freezer or use our pressure canner and put them in our pantry. 

It's free vegetable stock, people, and we use it nearly every time a recipe calls for chicken stock.  Yeah us!