The challenge is over but the journey is just beginning!

I am officially 2 hours away from accomplishing my goal!!!! IT CAN BE DONE!

I am sure in the next few days/weeks I will have deeper thoughts on the entire month long challenge but tonight, looking at this experience makes me realize how easy it will be to continue on this alternative diet. I can see now how intimidating it can be for many people to attempt this. If your diet consists of boxed meals, canned food and frozen prepared dishes it is a hard transition. All I can say is don't let an all on nothing mentality keep you from a healthier you, a healthier family!

I am looking forward to reintroducing some of my favorites. I am getting up early tomorrow to drive to the local Starbucks and get a caramel macchiato! later I will be seeking a croissant, preferably one with almonds! I am happy to say I have found replacements for many of my meal helpers that I feel are good choices. Organic, natural chicken broth, Muir Glen tomato products in cans, and La Fresca pasta's. Items that in the past I would have skipped for a cheaper version. Sadly, a version that would include high levels of sodium, preservatives, and who knows what else. I will continue to seek good quality food that is affordable and take the time to make the snacks I want K to eat.

Keep checking back, I have an entry on cost/budgeting for a healthier diet in the works as well as some more research stuff I have been doing on the topic. But first, I need set my alarm to order a pizza at midnight! J/K (or maybe not)

1 week remains

I am down to my final week on this amazing journey to natural foods and a healthier lifestyle! I expected to do my month and go back to normal. Now, 23 days in I am dreading having the challenge end. I know nothing has to change but I also know myself and am afraid when I have nothing to "prove" to myself it will be easy to let thngs slide back. I do know that whatever I do from July 1st on will be drastically different then what I had known. I have enjoyed the whole grains, and love the snacks i am making K. Stay tuned I feel a day of self discovery and redefinition coming my way!

Company for dinner????

I love to entertain! I mean I really LOVE entertaining people! I have catered weddings, parties, church events (all volunteer, I am NO professional)and get a special thrill when being allowed to serve others through being a hostess. I get excited to set the table, choose the menu, do the grocery shopping and put all the pieces together. I am not always serving gourmet foods, although I do have a passion for that type of cooking, but I feel confident in saying that those who eat in my house are rarely disappointed. All of that to say....OH MY GOODNESS, how do I have company over for dinner on this new diet!?!?!?

Last night I had company (okay it was "only" my sister and her boyfriend) coming over for dinner. I totally panicked! I thought I knew exactly what i was going to make (chicken makhani, http://chicchefs.blogspot.com/) I looked over the recipe everything met my current diet guidlines. I did have to make some tomatoe sauce for the recipe but it was all looking like a go. THEN, I realized we would be on huge time constraints because we were meeting up at church first and then coming back to my place for dinner they had something to do later that evening. There was NO way I wanted to try a new recipe and risk them being late. I started to consider my alternatives to have dinner ready before I left but not be a mess when we got back. It was then that I realized all my old stand by recipes were out, crock pot meals all tended to have canned something or other in them, casseroles were laden with pasta or white starches or cream soups. I decided to go on a limb and try something new.

I threw some peppers, chicken, black beans, and spices in the crock pot in hopes of it turning into some kind of delicious taco filling. I made corn tortillas, and cantaloupe salsa and called it good. The dinner turned out to be pretty tasty. I will definitley work to refine that idea to come up with a recipe to share.

I now have a great challenge ahead of me to create these type of fast meals that can be done in the crock pot or made and saved. I tried to look online and am sure I will find some but, most I saw did not meet me requirements. If you happen to have ideas please share!

Whole wheat blueberry pancakes

We have had these for breakfast twice this week. The first time I followed a recipe, the 2nd I altered it and found it to be much tastier. So here is my revised version of a recipe....

in small bowl combine
1 1/4 c whole wheat flour
1 3/4 tsp baking powder


In medium bowl whisk
1 c. buttermilk
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp agave nectar

stir flour into liquids and whisk until lumps are gone. let rest 5 minutes and adjust milk to desired consistency (whole wheat flour can vary greatly depending on how fine it is ground and how old or dry it is)

pour/ladle batter onto a hot griddle and sprinkle a 3-5 blueberries on top. when bubbles form and start to pop flip pancake over until cooked through.

Enjoy!

I must apologize

I do apologize for a rather boring week on the blog! I was feeling a bit ill and just didn't have the energy to post! I do have a few new recipes to post from the past week and will work ongetting those out to you in the next few days.

Hello

hey you readers....just wanted to say thanks for stopping by and checking out my blog! If you have any advice, comments, or recipes to shar please feel free to leave me a note! I would love to have an open format to allow others that have done similar things or would like to but not sure where to start offer opinions on my ramblings!

Thank you so much for taking the time to take a peek! I hope you found something amusing, insightful, or delicious to try in your home!

Staci

Seek and you shall find

While at the grocery store lately I have been paying more attention to labels. I know at this point if a food has to come with a label then it is most likely not allowed on my diet. I have looked at a few things to start doing research for my life after this strict month is over. I want to establish what is acceptable and what my "rule" is for buying or consuming processed foods.

As of now I have heard of a few different ideas on how to live with a diet of natural foods. Each of these varying ideas seem to have their own guidelines such as only 3 ingredients are able to be listed on processed food to consider it "whole", or only foods with ingredients I can read, or (possible my favorite) the only processed foods allowed are those that are made in such a way that I could explain to an 8 yr old how to make it. I don't know yet where my final line will be drawn in the sand but it is of interest to me to start trying to define it.

Any way, back to the grocery store....I have discovered that some "processed" foods actually are very pure and will totally be allowed on my diet. Here are a few I have found that makes me excited to eat them again....
Simply Orange juice (or grapefruit)
Cucina Fresca refridgerated pastas
Challenge butter (as well as many other brands)
chicken of the sea tuna packets
Muir Glen canned tomato products (most maybe not all)
Peanut butter - a few different brands
coconut milk
chicken broth (mostly the organic ones)

I think knowing I can add some of these items back into my diet and still be able to avoid the chemicals and additives found in most processed foods is a huge relief! I am dying to make Thai red curry with tofu but, it does not meet my current rules so I will wait another 15 days!

Almost made it......

Well, I am pleased to report that although my weekend away did not fit perfectly with my goal it was not an utter failure! I packed a fresh loaf of bread, some of the yogurt I have mixed up with fruit and honey for K, muffins, chicken (intended for the bbq) and some fruit.
As it turned out Friday night we went to a very small restaurant off the beaten trail that literally had 5 options for dinner. I chose eggplant parmesan because it was the only thing on the menu that I thought would be made from fresh ingredients. Sat. we had a totally acceptable breakfast and then we got to the bbq. Before I had even set my stuff down k was running out to meet her grandparents and see other family members. She was offered food before I knew what to say and I quietly decided to concede our bbq plans. It wasn't as awful as it could have been and for the most part I think we both stuck pretty closly to our plan minus perhaps the mayo in potato salad. By the end of the night I felt comfortable with being a little relaxed on the plan, fed K a totally acceptable dinner and indulged in a carry out bake at home pizza with my family.
Although, I did let some of this go over the weekend it really made me more committed to a lifestyle change and not just a monthly change. Even when faced with foods I knew were processed and not good for my body I was able to walk away. I enjoyed enough to not feel like an outsider, or deprived but not so much that I had to start from square one detoxing my body again.

Honey whole wheat pizza crust

Ingredients
2 1/4 tsp dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
3.In a large bowl combine flour, wheat germ and salt. Make a well in the middle and add honey and yeast mixture. Stir well to combine. Cover and set in a warm place to rise for a few minutes.
4.Roll dough on a floured pizza pan and poke a few holes in it with a fork.
5.Bake in preheated oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until desired crispiness is achieved.

Recipe from allrecipes.com



I topped our dough with some garlic infused olive oil, sliced fresh tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, and a little fresh grated parmesan. Then when it came out of oven I added fresh chopped basil on top. IT was DE LISH!!!!!

Oat applesauce muffins

Here is another of my new favorite recipes....

Combine 1 cup rolled oats with 1 cup buttermilk (or plain yogurt) and let sit at room temp for 2 hours

In larger bowl mix 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 c. brown sugar, 1/4 c. flax seed and 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Add oat/milk mixture 1/2 c. applesauce, 1 egg and 1/2 tsp vanilla.

lightly grease muffin pan and fill with batter. (I also have added a few blueberries at this point to each muffin cup)

Bake at 375degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.


FYI ~ I have substituted brown rice flour for the wheat flour and had it turn out great as well!

ENJOY!

This recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

A weekend dilema

I am going out of town for the weekend and starting to feel the pressure. How do I maintain my commitment to this journey and be a polite guest? I am trying to be prepared by packing snacks that I have made for K and intend to bring some fruit and veggies as well. The obstacles I am not sure how to avoid are the meals that are planned for restaurants and the unexpected snacks/treats that will be offered to K.

I am struggling with the balance of how to instill this experiement in K while at the same time not forcing her to be an outsider among her peers. I am really loving the change and believe it will relax a bit after my month long experiement but not be over. If I didn't intend to keep going I would probably not worry so much about keeping k away from the temptations and just let her enjoy. This is certainly a battle I will have to choose how to fight.

so, what is the point????

Since I have started ont his little journey of changing our diet to include no processed foods (as defined by earlier post) I have gotten many questions. Some of the questions have come in the honest how and why are you doing this form while others in the you are absolutely nuts and ridiculous form. So, here you have it....

My ultimate goal is to provide a healthier lifestyle to my daughter. She deserves to know what good food is and how to not only make it but choose it out of a line up of options. She has a few health issues that I believe could be helped by eliminating crap from her diet and I want to give her EVERY advantage I can. The more research I do on diet and nutrition and the affect it has on our overall health the more I am committed to making changes.

I attended an end of year party for a kindegarten class today. At this picnic/party I saw a class of 5/6 year olds gorging themselves on the "best" the parents could offer. Hotdogs on white buns, chicken salad sandwiches (which I never actually saw a kid take a bite of) doritos, sun chips, pirates booty, pretzels, fruit snacks, and sugary drink boxes in a variety of brands and flavors. Oh, and of course there was dessert, cake with more icing on top then I believe cake on bottom, oreos, choc chip cookies, and lollipops. Now, to be fair there was also a table that had strawberries, watermelon, and grapes.The fruit however, was set an a different table and I only saw 2 kids eat ANY of it.

What bothers me most is that our children are growing up with the notion that this is normal and good for them. We are giving them the message that vegetables (which there were none of) and fruit are secondary to the highly processed chips and hot dogs. I am not saying that all of it is bad. I am not even saying I will never eat these things or feed them to K. What I am saying though is that meals like this are the norm and then we wonder why our kids health is getting worse and childhood obesity is on the rise. I don't want to get on a soapbox (at least not tonight) but it is realziations like this that are driving me to make drastic changes.

The other question I keep getting is why I am making things from scratch that I can easily buy such as chicken broth, granola bars, and fruit leather. This is really just a personal choice. I know the way I work and that for me to be successful at change it needs to be drastic. Again here, my goal is not to boycott all processed foods forever. I will be the first to admit that once my initial 30 days of strict change is over I will gladly go back to buying items that allow me more time with K. But, if I want to make permanent change in my household I need to strip down to the basics and thoughtfully add back the foods I want in our diet as oppossed to cutting out a few things here or there and never fully getting it out of my system.

As for the sarcastic lot of you, my friends, harassing me about grinding my own flour, or making butter, or making my own yogurt.... I am not super woman!!!! I know I could make it all and go even further down this road of nothing processed but, I do have a life and some things just aren't happening for me, yet. I realize that although I am attempting no processed foods for a month I certainly can not avoid it all. But, trust me, if I had the equipment, and time to do it myself I would be doing so.

I am not against packaged food! I think we as a society are starting to demand more options and love that I can walk into Starbucks now and get dried fruit for K that only has 1 ingredient 9the fruit! My problem with processed foods come with all the additives in so much of it. The preservatives, the added sodium, dyes, and nitrates. Things that quite frankly I don't want in my body. I know I will eat hot dogs again. I look forward to a cheetoh, and an ice cream sandwich. Most of all I look forward to gaining the experience and wisdom to hopefully keep these things in check and continue to have them as well thought out and intended parts of my diet and NOT the filler I grab because I didn't think enough ahead to have soemthing healthier offered to K.

I also want to say that I am not here to judge anyone's diet! I am blessed to know so many people that share my commitment to healthy food for their familes and i thank you for inspiring me. Thank you for showing me that this type of change is possible and that not all kids are being raised on junk food!

Fruit Leather - strawberry-rhubarb

So here is another recipe we are enjoying! It is called fruit leather but seems more like fruit roll ups to me!

2 stalks rhubarb (appx. 1 1/2 c)
3 c. strawberries - tops removed cut in quarters
2 Tb agave nectar (more or less depending on taste)
lemon juice

in medium saucepan combine fruit and add 1/2 c. water. simmer 10-15min or until fruit is soft. mash by hand or puree in blender/processor/immersion blender and add sweetner and lemon juice a little at a time to get desired balance of sweet/tangy for your family.

Line a bar pan with plastic wrap and pour fruit puree on top.

Bake at 150 degrees (or as low as your oven goes) until fruit is no longer tacky (6-12 hrs depending on humity in your house) Rotating pan occasionally if you think of it.

When fruit is not sticky/tacky take out of oven and let cool, then roll the entire sheet up with the plastic. Cut strips as needed and peel off plastic. Enjoy!!1

I will also note that if it gets overcooked the fruit is more of a crackle candy and not pliable to roll, but still tasty. and of course....I DID learn that the hard way!

Weekend success! Days 5 & 6

This weekend had the potential to throw us off track! We left the house Sat. morning with the intention of heading to our local Farmers market and back home. What happened was an adventure of garage saling, time with friends and night away from home. We never made it to the market, and spent a good chunk of time running around thinking of how to get lunch/dinner into K and myself without going against my goal.

Turns out I managed to do just fine! Our biggest cheat was a bag of dried mangos for K while enjoying a late afternoon coffee stop (and yes, I would have REALLY liked to have a carmel macchiato). Well, that and the hard candy the gal at the nail salon kept offering to K! I could only tell her no so many times while it was literally placed under her nose. Then K went to play at my sisters house through dinner while I headed out to a pro soccer game (my first). Although I didn't expect anyone else caring for K to adhere to my new crazy diet restictions I feel confident that her dinner was still of a much higher nutritional content then most! I myself stopped by home for dinner and kept to my plan while at the game!

Sunday was a lot easier! I am finding the biggest challenge to a diet such as this is not the times at home, and prepared meals or snacks but the spontaneous outings! Even going out can be done under the "plan" if thought is put into it. For example, at church today walking in K wanted her cookie or doughnut but knowing that would be available to her I planned ahead to bring her a fresh hot muffin. Not quite the same, but, her body will thank me for it right!?! maybe???

Phew we made it! Day 4

This was a hard day! We went out for coffee with a friend, had to run errands at work including 3 grocery stores, a fast food restaurant and all the while I was hungry! I planned ahead and bought K and I muffins to the coffee shop, ordered her milk (as opposed to her regular order of Hot choclate) and myself a drip coffee with a touch of cream. I felt pretty good about the start of the day and was proud that I didn't fall into old habits and grab a pastry.

Then, it was off to work and grocery shopping. The first 2 stores were not too bad, I had known I would be looking at food I didn't want to touch and gave myself a prep talk (dorky I know) about why I was avoiding it and the health benefits of sticking to my goal. My down fall game when I had to go to the Whole Foods. K and I typically get lunch there and it was certainly lunch time. Although we ate some granola bars and fruit before going in the smell of the delicious food almost got to me. I think the hardest part was knowing that if I was going to cheat this was the safest place to do so. The food is generally quite healthy, and they cook it fresh in the store (or at least make it seem as they do). Instead, I bought more rolled oats, some brown rice flour and agave syrup. I figure what the heck, let's see how far I can take this and try some of the "NEW" healthy options out there.

Finally, I picked up my charge at school and on her way to her ballet class she wanted Wendy's. YIKES!!! hungry, tired, blah kinda day and a french fry or burger sounded fabulous! K chimes in from back seat asking for some chicken nuggets too. For a moment I thought i was doomed. I took a deep breath (of oil induced air) and ordered the requested snack for the charge and drove up to the window. When the food was handed to me, I grabbed the container of grapes still in my purse and handed them back to K! She sqealed with delight and said, "ahhhh mom thanks! You are the best! i love grapes" then, handed the other lady her fried snack, and smiled knowing I was helping my daughter learn he value of wholesome food.

Now, I am not perfect, we all know that right! So, I will admit, I got home from work and promptly pulled out some ground turkey ( and yes, if I had ground beef in the freezer it would have come out instead) to make burgers tomorrow. The buns will be baked fresh in the morning and the "fries" will also be baked.

Granola Bar recipe

I won't bore you all with recipes that I don't find great but this one I think is pretty darn good! It is certainly nothing like the store bought granola in terms of sweetness and additives but I love the versatility it offers!

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In large mixing bowl combine
4 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c. softened butter
1/2 c. honey
1/3 c brown sugar -packed
1/2 c applesauce
1/4 c flax seed

for variety add your own favorites

optional... coconut, choc chips, nuts, dried fruit, marshmellow pieces, seeds or whatever you desire.

Press mixture into a lightly buttered jelly roll pan and bake 15 minutes or until golden brown. I reccomend pressing mixture down at least one time during baking to keep it from crumbling.

Cool on wire rack in pan 10 min. then cut into bars. cool completely in pan before removing.

I got the original recipe off of www.allrecipes.com but then changed a it to meet my NO processed food criteria.

I would love to hear suggestions from anyone that tries this recipe or has another.

10 worst foods in your fridge....

I thought this was an interesting list and thought I would share. According to webmd the worst 10 things for you in the fridge are....
1. mayo
2.soda/ sweet drinks
3. alcohol
4. processed lunch meant
5. hot dogs and sausages
6. whole milk products
7. gourmet ice cream
8. creamy salad dressings
9. stick butter or margarine
10. frozen french fries

How many do you have???? currently I can say I only have butter! Now, 7 days ago, I would have added hot dogs, fries and 2 beers to the list, but all in all not too bad!

for more info check the article out at
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/worst-foods-in-your-fridge

Day 2

Today was so much better than yesterday! We managed to make it through the day with only 1 cheat! about a tablespoon of ranch dressing to go with K's carrots since all the other kids were dipping it right beside her. All in all I don't feel too badly about it!

I finally got prepared tonight as well. My house smells so good and hearty right now! I (with the help of little munchkin) made granola bars, chicken and brown rice soup, whole wheat bread, and oat applesauce muffins all from scratch using ingredients in the purest fom i could get. Yes, that means I made my own applesauce, chicken broth and No, I didn't grind my own wheat flour.

So far so good! Now that I don't have to try to cut out foods without being prepped to replace them I think success will come fairly easily!

Day 1

The great journey begins! Today I awoke to start my new healthier diet sans processed foods. Although the day was not as free of processed foods as i had hoped it was not a total bust. I managed to live a day without any type of flavored coffee. I enjoyed (to my pleasant surprise) a delicious cup (or 3) of plain black coffee. I feel proud of the snacks I fed the kids and myself that strictly adhered to my new goals.

The downside was my frugal self. I planned meals today that could be made from fresh ingredients only to open the fridge this morning and see 2 containers of leftovers. LEFTOVERS! ME! My fate was sealed! I love leftovers! the sad part was that the contents of the containers both contained some kind of processed side dish. Having either in my house is rare on normal days but, this weekend, I admit I was trying to indulge in the foods I would not be consuming and didn't want to waste. They turned into lunch rather than going in the trash.

Although, the night ended on a good note. K ate her dinner and was begging for dessert. I asked what it is she wanted so badly only to hear " ummmmmm, watermelon, and blueberries, and grapes, maybe a cucumber and a peach." LOVE THAT! of course i crushed her little toddler spirit by only allowing her to eat a few pieces of watermelon.

I am armed with great ingredients and many recipes to try! First up, muffins and chewy granola bars!

Revelations at the grocery store!!

Great news! BUTTER is officially back on my diet!!!!!!! Did you know, that most (not all) good quality butter has exactly 2 ingredients! Milk and salt, that is it, no preservatives, no enhancers nothing!!!! HOWEVER, the whipping cream i was prepared to buy in order to make my own "fresh un-processed" butter has things in it I can not even pronounce!?!?!

I also discovered that there are many other flour and grain options that are as pure as whole wheat flour. Unlike all purpose flour that has a few additives it seems that brown rice flour, has only 1 ingredient just 1!!! AMAZING! This is so exciting to me and unleashes my passion to create divine food from new ingredients! This challenge may turn out to be more fun then work!