Baked Apple

Happy 100th post!!!

It's snowing here today, so it got me thinking.  Is there anything better, on a cold day, than hot comfort food?

Here's one of my favorite, simple desserts.  Baked apples.

I modified this recipe:  Bloomin Baked Apples Recipe

It uses store bought caramels, which of course are a no-no in  my house.  So a simple caramel recipe gets poured in the middle instead.  And the rest of the caramel goes in the fridge for ice cream.  :D


Step 1: gather your ingredients.


 I use small apples most of the time, but every now & then, I can find these monsters!





Those are really good.


Cut the apples as described in the recipe, pour some caramel in the middle, and bake.  Yum!!!

For the non-regulars, here is my favorite caramel recipe:  Caramel Sauce

Unfortunately I don't have a picture of the apple after it was baked.  It was too good, that I ate it before realizing I needed the picture!  Ugh...next time, I promise.

Happy eating!
Kathy

Simple crackers!

We love crackers.  They are great for snacking, great for a side to soups, wet salads like chicken salad, anything where you need an extra crunch,  Originally, crackers were one of my "exceptions" as I thought I would never be able to make them myself,  But they ARE so simple to make!

Right now I am sitting here being absolutely lazy, watching the Food Network.  On comes Trisha Yearwood, and what is one of her recipes?  Crackers!  I haven't tried these myself yet, but as the high temps will be around 30 degrees F today...they may end up in my oven sooner than later.  Like in a couple hours.  :D

Trisha's Homemade Herbed Crackers

Home made crackers I have made: simple cheese crackers!

Cheese Crackers

5 ingredients, you cam make them squares like Cheese Its, or if you have small cookie cutters, like a goldfish.  I've made these a few times, and the hardest part of grating the cheese.

Side note:  I haven't tried this recipe, but in the post there are instructions as to how to make little cutters.
Home made goldfish cracker cutters & recipe

So I wish I had a picture to share with you, of those lovely little crackers.  I make them without even thinking, so the camera never comes out.  Maybe I'll just have to make some later today, so I can share a picture with you.  So good!!!

This seems like a perfect day to turn on the oven and make crackers, lots of crackers.  Off to take out a stick of butter to soften...

EDIT: yum!!!  

Happy Eating!
Kathy

It's Cold. It's Freakin' COLD!

Brrr.....that's all I got today. Brrrrrrrrr....

Lucky for me I don't have to go outside until much later, but unlucky for me it'll be dark then, so it'll be colder than it is right now with the sun shining.

Thought I would share my morning snack with you today.  I've decided to take up yoga again, in an effort to  get myself to a better place physically.  Over a year ago I bought a yoga DVD set; came with a book showing you how to do each pose, 2 foam blocks, a strap, and a DVD.  This time last year I went through the introductory part of the DVD that showed you how to do the combination of poses that they use a lot in the DVD. Things got busy, and well, all excuses aside I didn't look at it again until this past Tuesday.  I did the "transitions" part of the DVD, which shows you how they transition from one pose sequence to another.  Went a bit fast but...whatever.  Then I hit PLAY.  Eighteen minutes if way too fast-paced yoga that I gave up after twelve minutes.  It was horrible.  Same sets of moves over and over, and NOT at all for beginners.

I really wish I had tried this DVD more completely last year, when I could've possibly returned it,  Now I'm stuck with it; may try again one day, but in the meantime I know own two foam blocks and a strap.  haha.

Back to the food...after all, that's what this blog was supposed to be about, right?  It's branched off as time has gone on, turning more and more into a lifestyle blog.  And I'm good with that.  I think that's what I want it to be.

Small handful of mixed nuts, a wedge of monterey jack cheese, and a couple of strawberries.  Yum! Perfect combo to give me energy for some yoga.

A friend recommended a series on YouTube...so will play one while eating my snack.  Then hopefully give it a try!

I'd love to hear any recommendations you have!

Happy Eating!
Kathy

Okay, I'm such a terrible blogger!!

Yes, I admit it. I am a terrible blogger.  I just can't seem to find the time to keep up with all the things I want to do each day.  Having two teen boys, two part-time jobs doesn't help either.  So I'm sorry!  I'm going to try to better this summer.

So before Easter I was on a hunt for "clean' Easter candy.  Have you ever been to this online store?

http://www.naturalcandystore.com/

Lots of great choices!!! And not an artificial color in the whole place!  Their prices are a bit high, but you are paying for a premium product, so to me it's worth it.  Especially when it's just for a holiday. Jelly beans, chocolate eggs, it's all there.  Not every product is completely clean, but ALL are better choices than what we can buy in the store.

Happy shopping!
Kathy

Final Product Review - Clean Candy #5

Here we are...the last of the 5 candy bars Unreal 5.

Product info can be found here:  Unreal 5 which can be compared to a Milky Way.

Open it up, take a nice sniff...so far so good!  Looks very similar.  I am not a Milky Way fan, so let's start with that.  Totally a Snickers girl, love me some peanuts.  So this taste test will be a little unfair since I don't usually eat this type of candy.

First bite...good, not great.  Again, I am predisposed to not like this type of candy bar, but am trying to look past that.  Not sure if it's the relation of nougat to caramel, but there is too much nougat for me.  It almost tastes like a vitamin company candy bar I used to eat when I was younger.  A family friend sold the vitamin products so my mom would buy them for me.  Can't for the life of me remember the name of the company, but getting that familiar taste in my mouth.  I wonder if those were first beginnings of cleaner candy?

So anyway, would I eat it again? Yes. Would I chose it if there was another choice? No.

Here is my final ranking of Unreal candy choices:

5...Unreal 5 (this one)
4...Unreal 41 (plain m&ms) - cause of the aftertaste
3...Unreal 77 (peanut butter cups) - cause there needs to be a little bit more peanut butter inside
2...Unreal 54 (peanut m&ms) - only 2nd cause there needs to be more in the bag
1........Unreal 8 (snickers) cause I am a Snickers girl!!

I would not hesitate to buy any of them again!  The thought of being able to eat candy without all the yucky stuff inside makes me so happy.  Going to head over to CVS this weekend and buy 1 more of each for my kids to taste test...and see what THEY think!  They will jump for joy when they find out they can have candy again :)

Happy snacking!  Kathy

Product Review - Clean Candy #4

My boys & I took advantage of a beautiful day and went for a walk to our nearby CVS. Guess what they had...Unreal candy!!! So excited because now I can taste the other two that Staples did not carry.

First of all, CVS was more expensive.  Staples charges $.90 per candy bar, and CVs charges $1.19.  They were on sale 2 for $2.00, so that made the choice to buy the two types I had not tried yet all the easier.  But at $1 each they are still a bit more expensive.  On the positive side, I probably spent the difference in gas. So I can reason it out that I can pay a bit more when taking a walk.

So which one to try today...

we're going with Unreal 54.  Product information here: Unreal 54 aka peanut M&Ms.

If you remember, I liked the plain M&Ms but the coatings kindof left an aftertaste.  Let's see how these do!

Colors are the same as the Unreal 41.

These are tasty, nice ratio of peanut to chocolate, coating has a crunch to it.  I still get a bit of the natural flavoring aftertaste but no where near as strong, the taste of the peanut offsets it nicely.

Only problem...there needs to be more in the package.  Cause I want more!  Will definitely be buying these again. :)

Happy snacking!  Kathy

Book Review - Chocolate Pudding Mix

Checked this book out of the library this week: Make-A-Mix by Karine Eliason & Nevada Haward & Madeline Westover.

It is partially "mix" recipes and partially recipes to make with your mixes.  Since I am still looking for acceptable replacements for some of my family's favorite foods, like tacos and pudding, this book seemed to give me some choices worth trying.

Over the next few weeks I am going to try to make some of the "mixes" and see what happens!

Since I am still missing desserts, I decided to start with their chocolate pudding "mix."  The copyright notice in the front of the book say I am allowed to post their recipe; even though I am linking back to their book & I got it for free from the library, I will just post my opinions.  Don't want to do anything I am not supposed to!!

So I measured out the dry ingredients of my cleanest unsweetened cocoa powder, granulated sugar, cornstarch and salt and mixed it all up:

And then proceeded to actually make the chocolate pudding.  You add milk to a cup of the mix & cook in a pot, stirring just like you would a package mix.  You are supposed to stir in butter & vanilla at the end; since I need to eat low fat, and I couldn't see why I would need butter anyway, I left it out.  I let it sit on the stove while I took pictures, and that film that I love formed on top, just like the box mix.  Take a look:

It's cooling as I type...but sure smells like chocolate pudding.  One thing I can say is that it makes more than the 6 cups of mix. I have a 6c storage bowl that it would not fit in.   But once I used 1c of the mix, it fits nicely.  If you do the math on the dry ingredients, it's a bit over 6 cups.  But once you whisk them together and add in the extra air, it will not fit.  Go for a bigger bowl if not using any right away.

So extra mix is stored, the family's portions in bowls, covered & put in fridge for dessert tonite...and mine is just about cool enough to try. :)

Here goes: it's good!! The taste is slightly different...maybe not as sweet?  Would the butter have made a difference? Hmmmmm...I use fat free dairy milk but it is still thick, creamy...it's good. Will definitely make again AND will be looking through the book to see what other pudding recipes these ladies have included.

Yummy!! Happy eating! Kathy

Product Review - Clean Candy #3

Here we go...I have been waiting all weekend for this!!

Unreal 8. Product info: Unreal 8 Comparable to a Snickers bar.

Here we go...opening the wrapper....smells chocolatey...almost like a Snickers.

First bite...BETTER than a Snickers. More peanuty...the proportion of peanuts to chocolate to nougat...I like this better.  AND it's filling enough that I am not craving another when I am done, like I was with the peanut butter cups.  Well, maybe the peanut butter cups were just that good...doesn't matter. :)

My next mission...to find the other ones my Staples did not carry.

The website says I can find them at Staples, CVS, Target & BJs...in  my area.

If you go to the Unreal website, and click on "GET UNREAL" you can put in your zip code and find the closest stores to you.  GET UNREAL

Happy snacking!!  Kathy

Product Review - Clean Candy #2

Ready for the second test? I am!!

Today I am trying the Unreal41...similar to an M&M.

Product info here:  Unreal41

When I open the package, I can't help but feel the excitement of M&Ms...the colors are not as bright, but that's okay, cause they are made with natural colors, not artificial.  The ingredients say they are colored with: beetroot juice, turmeric root extract, purple cabbage juice.  There are 6 different colors in the bag.  The yellow and the orange are light enough colors that I can see the chocolate through them.

My first bite, it tastes like something I have had before, but I can't tell you what it is.  Reminds me of an Easter candy from long ago...but not sure which one.  Going to bug me until I figure it out!!

Slight after taste to these...whether I mix the colors or not, but it is more pronounced when I mix the colors.

They are yummy, and I wouldn't say no if offered them.  I do want to try the peanut version of them though.

Off to enjoy the rest...and one more to try tomorrow!!! I may have to wait until Monday, though.  My kids will be around and want me to share. :)

Happy snacking!!! Kathy

Breakfast in a mug today

This is going to be a two post day, I think.  Want to get both this yummy breakfast and my product review in.

So this morning I opened the fridge and took out my steel cut oats that were waiting for me.  I make 4 servings at once, then when it's gone, make more.  I took one look at it, covered it back up and put it away. Not in the mood.  Three hours later all I had eaten was my coffee (ha) so I figured since it was now snack time I better get some food in me.  Plus, my acid reflux does not like it when I have coffee on an empty stomach, so I will be paying for this decision soon!!

Having a muffin craving after seeing a donut commercial on tv is not a good thing normally.  But it IS a good thing when you follow someone like Nana Clare, cause she has come up with some of the most yummy alternatives.  So off to her site I went, and am now enjoying a super yummy cinnamon muffin.

Her recipe is here: Cinnamon Muffin in a Mug

I had to make a few adjustments, cause well ya know, it's Friday and there is not much left in the house.

In place of the walnuts (which I shouldn't eat anyway cause of the fat) I used 1T coconut (yes, fat) & 1T craisins. Cause I LOVE cinnamon & craisins together.

In place of the flax, I used a T of white whole wheat flour.

I don't use quick oats but keep old-fashioned on hand for cookies, so used that.

And 2 egg whites (plus a TINY bit of yolk to help blend) instead of the whole egg.

YUMMINESS!!!!!

One of the things I like about these mug muffins (or muggins as Nana Clare calls them) is that I can pre-mix the dry ingredients, put them in a small container.  I can pre-mix the liquid ingredients, and put them in a small container.  Then I can throw them in my lunch box for a healthy, freshly basked afternoon snack at work. !!!!!

Enjoy...I would have taken a picture but it's gone already.  Kathy

And go check out the chocolate cake in a mug I made the other day...

Product Review - Clean Candy #1

Yeah, I know, CLEAN candy?

I recently read in a magazine about a new line of candy called "Unreal."  Since it is flu season I am not spending much time out and about; but while in Staples yesterday (buying black printer ink so my son could finish printing out his homework,) I noticed that they had a display with three different Unreal products.  I was in a snacking mood, so said why not? And bought one of each. At $.90 each, I thought that was pretty fair, based on the candy bar prices at the local pharmacy.

I am a big fan of chocolate, candy, &...well sweets in general.  While I enjoy the occasional peanut butter cup I prefer NOT to make my own.  Dipping a bar of dark chocolate in my organic natural peanut butter sometimes does the trick, but when I am sitting in the movie theater, smelling the popcorn, listening to the crunch around me, yes I do want something.  I am conditioned, I know that. But I also want something.  These products may be the answer!

First, a little background on Unreal.

http://getunreal.com/

According to their website, the idea came from a 13 yr old and his dad and an argument over Halloween candy.  Unreal products contain no:
  * artificials
  * hydrogenaters
  * corn syrups
  * preservatives
  * GMOs

They are by no means a health food, but if you need that peanut butter cup fix, which would you choose?  The ones with or without the above?  I can't wait to see how each one tastes.  The cashier at Staples gave me her opinion.  I can't wait to formulate my own.

The website lists five different products, but my Staples only had three in their display, so we are going to start there.  Over the next three days (I'd love to eat them all at once but I am trying to be good) I will review what I think of these "clean" candy bars.

Today, we start with:  

Unreal77 - Peanut Butter Cups Unjunked

Here is the product information:  Peanut Butter Cups

There are 2 cups in the package, and they do not have a paper wrapper like the popular brand does.  The first thing I notice is that they are thinner than the "other kind."  So, not as much peanut butter filling.  The ratio of peanut butter to chocolate is important, so let's see.

The chocolate is firm, the top of the peanut butter cup does not push in when you touch it without some force.  More than necessary for the other kind. First bite is tasty, and quickly the first cup is gone.  No funny after taste or anything.  I like the consistency of the peanut butter filling better than the other brand, and can say I like it over all.  I do wish there was a third one in the pack. The serving size is smaller than the other brand, so maybe that is why I am left wanting for more.  Or maybe I just like them that much. :)

I rate this "unjunked" candy very much.  As a once in awhile treat - I will MOST CERTAINLY buy this one again.  Will it be a daily treat? Alas, no, my gallbladder would not appreciate the fat. But I will be buying this again as a cleaner alternative to those luscious peanut buttery treats!

I can't wait for tomorrow to try the next one!  Happy snacking, Kathy

P.S. The cashier at Staples liked them too. She thought they tasted better than the other brand.

Ummm...wow.

I am craving something chocolate today. Like need it bad.  But I don't want a lot, just enough to settle the craving without over indulging.

I remembered seeing some pins for "cake in a cup" - single serve cake portions, made in a coffee mug in the microwave.

So off to search Pinterest I go!

Well...I found this yummy place called "Nana Clare's Kitchen."  How can you not stop at a site with "Nana" in the name.  It's got to be good, right???  Nana Clare has a series of posts about single servings.  And this masterpiece is one of them.

Chocolate Cake in a Cup. OMG. Sooo good!!! Made with your own choice of clean ingredients, I substituted 2 egg whites for the whole egg, as egg yolk is really bothering my gallbladder right now, but otherwise made as directed.

So good!! Nana Clare's Chocolate Cake

Thank you Nana Clare, and I can't wait to try the next one.  Kathy

Disappointments

Disappointments stink, don't they? Especially when you THINK you are doing the right thing.

We have an apple orchard not too far from us. They have lots of seasonal fruits & vegetables they grow on their farm, and each year they are offering more and more organic produce.  Their prices are reasonable.  Last year they opened a winery made from a lot of their fruits.  They offer various raw honeys, home made apple cider, pies, and assorted baked goods. 

Like apple cider donuts.  When you walk up to the store barn, the smell from the bakery barn is incredible.  You can see the steam rising from the bags when they walk out with a tray-full on a cool Fall day.  When you bite into a freshly baked donut, you feel like you are in heaven.  You know they are making them on site, throughout the day, and they are all gone by closing.  Guaranteed.  So you kind of expect a certain level of "cleanness" in the donut, right?  If there is someone in the bakery barn mixing and baking, most likely they are not adding spoonfuls of preservatives, chemicals, etc.  That's what the big bakeries do. 

On my way home yesterday, I looked at the bag the donuts came in.  Honestly, they don't usually make it the full car ride home.  They are lined up in small quantities at the registers, so it's the last thing you grab when you go to pay. So we get to the car, all grab a donut and start eating.  Then a second gets consumed on the ride home, with the bag going in the garbage can before even getting into the house.  This time I decided to read the bag. 

BIG MISTAKE.  I will not be eating these donuts anymore. Here are the ingredients:

Enriched, malted wheat flour (malted with malt barley; flour enriched with niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid,) apple cider, sugar, soybean oil, soy flour, non-fat milk, gelatinized wheat starch, sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda, dried egg yolks, salt, dried sweet dairy whey, lecithin, dextrose, vegetable emulsifiers (mono & diglycerides with BHT and citric acid to protect flavor,) toasted ground wheat, natural and artificial flavor, xanthan gum.  Cooked in: partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (soybean, cottonseed,) TBHQ and citric acid added to protect flavor, di-methyl polysiloxone.

What the heck?  What happened to flour, eggs, baking soda and apple cider??  

So disappointed.  Kathy

Potato Chips

I love making my own potato chips. I love that I can choose the best potato (we've grown some in our yard too) and I can choose the oil I feel the most comfortable using.  I even control the salt.  But what I don't love is the smell in my house afterwards.

I use a REALLY old deep fryer.  REALLY old.  Like older than me.  When my mom passed 13 years ago, I kept the stuff I didn't already have one of, like a deep fryer and a stand mixer.  As they break, I buy a new one.  The deep fryer is going strong, many many years later. 

Not sure if it is my deep fryer or all of them, since I have never had a new one, but when I use it my whole house smells like oil.  It hangs around for a day or so too.  I usually close all the doors so the smell stays confined to my lower level of the house (sigh) but some how I still manage to get the smell every where.

When I can company coming, that is the last thing I want my house to smell like.  Oil. So when entertaining for the college football bowls, you gotta have potato chips.  I did not want my house to smell before my guests arrived, so I went in search of the cleanest potato chips I could find.  What do you think??

Not bad in a pinch, when you need to serve a lot of people?? I'd love to hear if anyone has found other choices.

Happy snacking!! Kathy

The 12 Treats of Christmas - 9th

"On the ninth day of Christmas, the treat lovingly baked by me...
 
a savory Chex Mix!"


Not every treat has to be sweet, does it? A treat can be savory too!  A tradition in my home was to make Chex Mix on the holidays.  Now a days that is not so special, since you can buy it already done for you in a bag.  But...we all know that those bags are not clean.  There are so many varieties of Chex Mix too.  The more stuff you put in it, the less clean it gets.

One of the BEST things about making Chex Mix is that you can make it as clean as you want by choosing what you put in it.  YOU choose whether the pretzels are clean or not. YOU choose the peanuts, and most importantly, YOU choose which cereal goes in.

The recipe card left to me basically puts in a box each of Corn, Rice and Wheat Chex.  It adds a bag of pretzels, a box of plain Cheerios, and a box of Cheeze-Its. For that much dry, it says 2 sticks of melted butter mixed with 2 tablespoons of worchestire sauce, some garlic and onion powders to taste, and some seasoned salt.

I looked up what is in seasoned salt and there is a lot! But it is easy to make, according to this recipe: Seasoned Salt

In an effort to stay true to my mom's recipe, here is mine:

This is pre-baked. Busy evening coming up, and I know I won't have time to get a picture when it comes out of the oven.  250 degrees, about an hour or so, stirring every 15-20 minutes.

Here is a link to the Official Chex Mix site:  Original Chex Mix Recipe

You'll notice it's not the same as mine.  Quite honestly, if you look at the recipe ingredients, this is not original. The bagel chips give it away. There were NO pre-packaged bagel chips in the 1970s when my mom made this recipe. But you see the spices are the same as mine. At the top of the page, you'll see where you can scroll thru other Chex Mix ideas.

Happy Eating!! Kathy

Clean Eating & Sugar

One of the hardest decisions for me to make in in efforts to eat clean was to decide what "sugar" to use.  Unless you are chewing on the sugar cane plant directly, EVERY sweetener has been "processed" in some way shape or form.  So how can ANY of them truly be "clean?" 

Currently in my house we have the following:

White sugar: too processed for general use. But I do keep a bag on hand for guests to use in their coffee or tea, or for those times that it is important/required (but there are VERY few of those times.) 

Turbinado "sugar in the raw:" what I currently use for baking.  I love the molasses flavor to gives to cookies, pies, everything.

Liquid blue agave: I use this to sweeten my own coffees and teas, as well as adding to my morning steel cut oats when a bit of sweetness is required.

Stevia: cause I read somewhere that it is one of the better choices in eating clean.  I have yet to try it...

Local Raw Honey: Raw is the key word here, and it should be a bit cloudy.  Clear, golden colored honey has been processed a bit too much.  Local is key too, as it has been made by bees from flowers that are in your area; studies have shown that it helps with pollen allergies!

I am curious as to what YOU use to sweeten your foods!  Please comment back!! 

Kathy

Clean Snacking

One of the first things that happened to me when we switched from processed snacks to clean snacks was I lost 11 pounds. 11!!  Not all at once, but it slowly came off over a period of about 3 months.  I noticed that I was snacking a lot less, and I think the salt & preservatives from the processed foods were making me retain some water.

I think clean eating should be a diet all of it's own!  In order to snack, you have to make the snack. There is no more mindless handfuls or chips, or crackers, or cookies.  If you want it, you need to make it!  If I am in the mood for some potato chips, I have to get out the deep fryer, get out the mandolin, scrub the potatoes, heat up the oil, slice the potatoes, cook the potatoes, then wait for them to cool.  It sounds like a lot of work, but truthfully it is not. But how badly do I want those potato chips? I must really want them to go through the work to have them.

11 pounds!!! But then I plateaued and that was it.  But 11 pounds!!  I find that since we started eating clean, ALL of us snack less.

And that's good, right?  Kathy