This year, in addition to my favorite gift to give…a tea mug filled with indulgent loose tea, I’m also going to try something new.  It’s inexpensive, original, and heart-warming – a jar filled with homemade granola.  Who doesn’t love granola??

I went to the local craft store and purchased 12 glass mason jars for $11.99 and filled each one with homemade granola which is so very easy to make and tastes much better than anything you can buy.

Here’s my recipe.  Please excuse the lack of measurements.  I just taste as I go which is the reason why I can’t bake!

I use gluten-free rolled oats, but regular rolled oats are good too.  Just make sure you get the kind you have to cook and not the quick cooking oats.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.  While you wait for it to heat up, mix together some oats and some shredded coconut – I use the unsweetened, unsulfured coconut, but again, use what you like.  You can use a ratio of 50/50 or whatever you think looks good.

On the stove top, melt about a cup of raw, organic, unrefined coconut oil and pour it over the oats and coconut mixture – just enough to wet the ingredients.  Then spread the mixture out onto a baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 5 to 7 minutes.  I keep checking on it because it can burn quickly and you just want a nice golden color to it. After about 5 minutes, I stir it up and put it back in for a few minutes – this gets it nice and evenly browned.

Let it cool and then add what you want.  I usually put in pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, more coconut (the toasted and untoasted coconut together tastes great!), dried cranberries, raisins, sliced almonds and whatever else I have lying around. Then sprinkle the mixture with cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and a little brown sugar.

You can get really creative with the packaging too.  I usually write the ingredients on brown paper – lately I’ve been using my kid’s brown lunch bags.  I cut out a square using my daughters craft scissors that make a wavy edge, write the ingredients and sign it Happy Holidays.   I also use my daughter’s glue sticks to stick the ingredient list on the jar.  It really helps to have a crafty 4 year-old in the house. Tie a ribbon around the top and you’ve got a great looking gift!

Enjoy making your own granola and please share your recipes.

Thanks for reading!

Maybe Just a Small Bite

Photo compliments of USDA Agricultural Research Service, where researchers have selectively bred carrots with pigments that reflect almost all colours of the rainbow.  Photo by Stephen Ausmus.

I was food shopping with my kids today when they asked for something new.  It was a new colorful gummy candy that they wanted for their snack in school.  I said, "Sure, just see what's in it."  My 8 year-old read the ingredients and said, "Nevermind, it had food coloring in it."  My 4 year-old daughter then asked, "Then why is OK that we eat the gummy bunnies at home."  I explained to her that some candy makers use chemicals to color their candy and others use colorful fruits and vegetables to color their candy.  She was fascinated by this concept and right away started naming every color of every fruit and vegetable she could think of. 

When we got home, she rushed over to the gummy bunnies and asked me to read to her what they used to color the candy. "This candy maker uses black carrot juice."  She was amazed.  They both wanted to find a picture of black carrots on the Internet right away.  We found the one above which I thought was worth sharing.

So often I hear parents complain that they can't get their kids to eat healthy and they ask how I get my kids to eat such out-of-the-ordinary foods.  I tell them that I always made sure not to offer them anything I was eating.  And at the very worst, never force kids to eat anything.  (I was 5 years old when I was forced to eat a tomato.  The memory is vivid and not a positive one!)  Instead, I'd ask them if they wanted what I was having and if they said no, I'd prepare it for myself (something interesting like coconut milk brown rice) and I'd prepare for them something bland like a ham sandwich.  I wouldn't offer them any of mine, but I'd be sure to make a big deal about how good it was.  Then, they'd ask,  "Can I try?"  And I'd say, "Well, maybe just a small bite.  I don't have much and this is REALLY good."  Nine times out of ten, they loved it and ended up eating my food instead of theirs. 

I didn't have to do this (manipulate them) for too long.  After a little while, they began to trust that my food tasted good.  I think it's all about trust.  They need to know that if they don't like it, they won't be forced to eat it.  There are so many fruits and vegetables out there that if they don't like one or two, you can always find some that they do like.

If you want to get your kids to try new foods, let them have some control.  Go to the grocery store together and each week have them pick out something new - something they have never had before.  It could be anything from a new brand of chocolate or the horned fruit in the produce isle.  Let them begin to associate food with fun. 

Who knows if these tips will work on your kids.  All I know is that they worked for mine.  Good luck and keep trying.  I'd love to hear some of your ideas too. 

Thanks for reading!

Comfort in a Mug

~picture downloaded from www.teavana.com

Even if you are not a tea drinker, just the sight of this tea pot must evoke some level of cozy comfort. Whether it's tea, hot cocoa or warm milk, a hot beverage makes everything seem better. 

For the holidays, my favorite gift to give is a big mug filled with expensive tea one normally wouldn't purchase for themselves.  The tea might be expensive, but combine it with a great big mug from the dollar store and a piece of chocolate wrapped in shiny gold foil, and you've got a great gift for under ten dollars. 

A great place to buy fancy loose tea is at www.teavana.com.  I just purchased 4 oz each of Tiramisu Treviso Rooibos, Cocoa Praline Tart Rooibos, and Cacao Mint Black Tea for $50.  This will give me 6 2-ounce portions at $8.33 each.   Add the mug from the dollar store and a piece of chocolate and you're at $10 bucks for an awesome gift!

To portion out the loose tea, cut some squares of cheese cloth, pile the loose tea in the middle of the square, and tie it all up with ribbon that matches the colors on the mug.  You could even tie a cinnamon stick in the middle of the knot. 

These tea filled mugs make great gifts for teachers, bus drivers, neighbors, and co-workers.  Make a few extra to keep around for those last minute gifts.

I hope you found this gift idea useful.  Please feel free to share some of your holiday ideas.

Thanks for reading!

~courtesy of glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com

This is not my picture, nor is this topic my idea.  However, once I visited my favorite blog, I was inspired and had to follow in her footsteps.   On this day of thanks, there will not be any pictures of fabulous food, only a picture of an empty plate to remind us that there are people in this world, this country, and likely your town, that do not have a plate full of food on this Thanksgiving Day or any day.  I am taking this opportunity to appreciate and give thanks for the food on my plate, the warmth in my home, and the smiles on my children's faces.   

Thank you, Gluten-free Girl, for your inspiration, your recipes, and your willingness to share.

http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/

Take some time to drop off a coat or box of food.  Chances are, there is a place right down the road that is willing to accept your donation and bring it to those in need.

~ Happy Thanksgiving ~

Homemade Vegetable Stock...It's not as difficult as you think!

An easy way to add flavor and extra nutrients to your dishes is to use homemade vegetable stock.  It's not as difficult as you may think.  As you chop your vegetables for your weekly meals, save the ends and unused pieces and store them in the freezer.  I save everything from the little corners of the garlic cloves to the ends of the carrots and parsnips.  I even save the tops of the strawberries and ends of the lemons.  While you are chopping, just leave the open bag right there next to the cutting board.  Instead of throwing the ends in the garbage, toss them in the bag and stick them in freezer until the weekend.

Either Saturday or Sunday, take out your bags of frozen ends and dump them into a large stock pot.  Once you've emptied the bag, put the empty bag back into the freezer and use it again next time.  Any herbs that might be wilting can go in the pot too. You can even throw in a bay leaf or two.  Fill the pot with filtered water.  I use filtered water since I don't boil the stock.

Now, use the lowest setting your stove will allow and walk away.  The longer you leave the stock on the stove, the richer and deeper the color and flavor will be.  Just be sure not to boil it.  You can't rush this.  If you boil it, you will lose nutrients and turn the stock cloudy.  I don't exactly know why it gets cloudy so please feel free to post a comment if you know why!  The amount of time you leave it on the stove also depends on the veggies you have in there.  As long as the veggies stay green you can leave the pot on the stove.  Once I notice the greens aren't as vibrant, I know it's done.  Then just strain and keep the liquid in jars in the fridge to use during the week.  I add it to the water (50/50) to flavor the pasta as it cooks.  I use it in place of water when making quinoa.  It will add great flavor to your dishes during the week and it will make your house smell great on the weekends!

A good tip I just read somewhere was, "Don't salt your stock."  I forget which blog I was on, but they made a good point.  Your stock is not your finished product.  Whatever dish you are adding it to will determine the amount of salt to add, if any.   Good luck and have fun.

Thanks for reading!

Fall's Favorite Things

Crunchy red leaves, fairytale pumpkin squash, big bulky scarves, Chai tea, knit blankets and of course, my Crock Pot!

Now that its gets dark so soon, I feel like my time to cook dinner has shortened.  The kids get home from school, play for an hour and then it's dark outside.  I know we have the same number of hours, but it doesn't feel that way especially since we all get tired earlier.

So I feel like the crock pot gives me extra time.  At around lunch time, I throw some ingredients into the crockpot and forget about it. (OK, so I follow a recipe - it sounds much better though when I say I just "throw in" the ingredients!) Then at dinner time, all I have to do is make a side of pasta or a veggie and set the table.   

I like to make cream based soups because I find them so much cozier and filling, but I don't like using actual cream.  Instead, I boil a whole cauliflower (minus the green part) until it's soft.  Then, drain it and throw it in the blender or food processor with a little skim milk or Earth Balance buttery spread.  I know it sounds weird, but what you get is rich cream that doesn't taste like cauliflower. 

I first got this idea from the South Beach Diet Book's mashed "potatoes" that was actually boiled and mashed cauliflower.  I add this rich cream to the soup and no one knows the difference.  I add it at the end though, right before I serve it.  I don't know why, but I feel like it might retain more nutrients if I don't let it sit in the crock pot for hours.  I know this doesn't make sense since I just boiled it to death! 

Yesterday, I made New England Clam Chowder with cauliflower instead of cream and everyone loved it - no one knew!  It tastes great and it's an easy way to slip in some extra nutrients like vitamin K and C, fiber, potassium, boran, phosphorus, and B vitamins. 

Please feel free to share some of your favorite Fall things and healthy tips.  Thanks for reading!

The Coconut Oil Miracle...Really?

I was standing in line at the health food store a few years ago when a book caught my eye.  It was titled, "The Coconut Oil Miracle" by Bruce Fife, C.N., N.D.   It caught my eye because I thought, “What in the world could be so miraculous about coconut oil?"  I picked it up, read a page in line and bought it.  As it turned out, I finished the book in a few days – it was amazing to read about how this oil could heal the body.

One of the most interesting facts about this oil is what it’s made of.  If you look at the nutrition facts, you’ll see that it is a saturated fat.  We have always been taught that saturated fats are bad.  Turns out that there are all different sorts of saturated fats, but if you were generalize them, you could put them into three categories:  Short chain fatty acids, medium-chains, and long chains. 

Coconut oil is made up of mostly medium chain fatty acids which do not get stored by the body as fat.  Medium chain fatty acids get converted directly into energy.  This is why if I absolutely must fry something, I always use coconut oil – just make sure you don’t burn it.  If your oil starts to smoke (and this is good advice for any oil) throw it away and start over.  If you use oil that has smoked, you are basically drowning your food in a toxic soup made up of free radicals.

I also use the same coconut oil I fry with to moisturize my body – 100 percent pure, unrefined coconut oil.  If you don’t like the taste and smell of coconuts, then buy the refined coconut oil which has been stripped of the smell and taste, but all the health benefits remain.  In the jar, this oil is useless and consists of the usual triglycerides found in all other oils.  However, once applied to the body, it is broken down into monoglycerides and becomes a powerful antimicrobial that is quite destructive to bad bacteria, but isn’t harmful to the beneficial bacteria in our bodies.  For example, the hand sanitizers that we all use are mostly made up of alcohol.  The alcohol kills everything on our hands including the beneficial bacteria leaving our hands without our natural defenses.  Using coconut oil instead, boosts the good bacteria on your skin and kills the bad, all while acting as a great moisturizer! 

If you google the health effects of coconut oil, you’ll read about HIV patients using coconut oil instead of medication to keep their viral load down or eliminate it all together.  Apparently, the lauric acid in coconut oil breaks through the once impenetrable protective shell of the HIV virus and destroys it.

I use it, my kids use it, and everyone I know gets a copy of the book and a jar of coconut oil for their birthday.  In an attempt to peak your interest, I have posted some of the viruses and bacteria, noted in the book below, that are killed by the lauric acid found in coconut oil – and not in crazy amounts. Along with a healthy lifestyle, replacing your current cooking oil and adding it to recipes, along with using it on your skin, may be all it takes to see the health effects.

VIRUSES                                           BACTERIA

HIV                                                     Listeria Monocytogenes

Measles                                              Helicobacter Pyloria                                   

Herpes                                               Chlamydia Pneumoniae                            

Sarcoma                                             Staphylococcus Aureus

Syncytial                                            Streptococcus Agalactiae

Human Lymphotropic                    Groups A, B, F, and G Streptococci

Vesicular stomatitis                         Gram-positive organisms  

Visna                                                  Gram-negative organisms

Cytomegalovirus

Epestein Barr

Influenza

Leukemia

Pneumonovirus

Hepatitis C  

For more information, you can visit the author's website at http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/

Thanks for reading!