I was in the kitchen, greasing a large glass pan with butter, thinking to myself, "Hmm, a little too much butter. That can't be good for us." You know what I was getting ready to put in the pan? Fudge. Yep, fudge. And for a few fleeting seconds, I was worried about the teaspoon of butter that will keep it from sticking to the pan. Never mind the half cup of butter, or ridiculous quantities of sugar, that were already mixed into the fudge. Sometimes my thoughts just don't make any sense. Makes them more amusing I suppose.
On that note... sugar is not good for us. I know it. But I keep eating it. Why do I do that? I'm going to share a recipe with you. Whatever you do, don't make it! Don't eat fudge; it is very bad for you! Go eat some vegetables instead.
Million Dollar Fudge
Combine and bring to a boil:
4 1/2 cups sugar
1 12 oz can of evaporated milk
1 pinch of salt
Boil for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add:
1 7 oz jar of marshmallow creme
1 8 oz bar Hershey milk chocolate (I used two 4 oz bars)
1 12 oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup of butter
2 cups of nuts, if desired (chopped almonds are good)
Stir until everything is completely melted and mixed together. Spread mixture in a greased pan (9x13 inch works well). Cool the fudge in the refrigerator.
There you go. But don't make this recipe, and certainly don't eat it or feed it to anyone you love. If you do make this fudge, please be sure to watch how much butter you use while greasing the pan. I wouldn't want you to make it any less healthy, you know.
On a more serious note, at the beginning of 2012 I will begin my second annual "No Sugar January." Hopefully it will extend into February as well. Care to join me? It is a great post-holiday detox.
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Friday, December 2, 2011
Highs and lows
Today's high: Celebrating my husband's birthday with him. I realized that this is the 9th birthday I've been blessed to spend with him. Joel's a great guy! Plus, it gave the kids and I a wonderful excuse to bake brownies. Dinner involved homemade lasagna, Caesar salad, garlic bread, and fruit. Yum! I look forward to eating the leftovers.
Today's low: My son was throwing Legos, and the Lego bin, at my daughter's head. I picked him up and took him to his room. He bit my arm hard and then repeatedly yelled at the top of his lungs, "You are not my mommy anymore!" and "No one is ever nice to me!" He got to spend an hour of quiet time in his room and came out with a much better attitude. While eating the lasagna at dinner, he leaned over, hugged my arm and said "Now you are my mommy again!"
Today's low: My son was throwing Legos, and the Lego bin, at my daughter's head. I picked him up and took him to his room. He bit my arm hard and then repeatedly yelled at the top of his lungs, "You are not my mommy anymore!" and "No one is ever nice to me!" He got to spend an hour of quiet time in his room and came out with a much better attitude. While eating the lasagna at dinner, he leaned over, hugged my arm and said "Now you are my mommy again!"
Saturday, November 12, 2011
"Healthy" Brownies
I made these brownies today. They were super good and about as healthy as brownies can get. It has been a rainy day, perfect for staying inside, playing board games with the kids, baking and eating warm, gooey brownies.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Going gluten-free
I've been feeling really lousy the past 6 weeks or so. Depressed, anxious, almost constant headaches and migraines. Not good. This is not uncommon for me. Challenging times. In the past, I've considered trying a gluten-free diet to see if it helped at all. But change takes more motivation than I typically have when I am feeling so poorly.
My lovely mother-in-law encouraged me to see what happens if I avoid gluten for a while. Just the motivation I've been needing! To top it off, she ordered a bunch of gluten-free products for me from this company. Have I ever mentioned that I have the most loving and thoughtful mother-in-law ever? Well I do!
My shipment of gluten-free products arrived yesterday. The kids and I made some cookies from one of the mixes today. I was curious how they would turn out. I almost always bake from scratch. Plus most gluten-free flour I've tasted is not great. But these? Yum! After a healthy and gluten-free dinner, I baked a dozen of the cookies. My husband, daughter, and son each had two cookies. I had two cookies, too. Interestingly, all twelve cookies are gone... and I am hoping that your math skills are worse than mine.
My lovely mother-in-law encouraged me to see what happens if I avoid gluten for a while. Just the motivation I've been needing! To top it off, she ordered a bunch of gluten-free products for me from this company. Have I ever mentioned that I have the most loving and thoughtful mother-in-law ever? Well I do!
My shipment of gluten-free products arrived yesterday. The kids and I made some cookies from one of the mixes today. I was curious how they would turn out. I almost always bake from scratch. Plus most gluten-free flour I've tasted is not great. But these? Yum! After a healthy and gluten-free dinner, I baked a dozen of the cookies. My husband, daughter, and son each had two cookies. I had two cookies, too. Interestingly, all twelve cookies are gone... and I am hoping that your math skills are worse than mine.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Bits of life
Anna lost her first tooth this week! The tooth fairy came to visit and left money and a letter. Anna's tooth fell out while she was brushing her teeth, getting ready to go have pictures taken at a portrait studio. So fun that her 6 year old picture session happened to be that day.
A hawk had been circling around our yard, hungrily watching our chickens. It even landed on their coop and stared at them for a while one day. For their protection, the chickens have been restricted from their normal free-range days. Yesterday, I felt bad for them and let them out with hopes that the hawk had given up on a chicken dinner. I went back outside to check on the feathered ladies and could only find 3 of them. "Cheepy, where are you?!" I looked all over; searched all the usual hiding spots. No Cheepy. Finally, I looked closely in the nesting boxes. There she was! Later, the kids and I went out to inspect her progress and found 4 eggs. We hadn't been expecting any eggs yet since the chickens are just 4 1/2 months old. Today she laid another egg.
Arik has been saying, "God knows everything. But I know almost everything!" I can't convince him that there really is an awful lot he doesn't know. "My brain is special. It is never wrong." He keeps telling me this, and it is quite obvious that he believes it. Hmm... we could be in trouble with this kid.
Tonight I made spaghetti sauce with homegrown tomatoes and zucchini. Yum! I would be particularly impressed if I had also grown the onion, garlic, and herbs. Maybe next year. I've started making all our bread, thanks to the help of my bread machine. I absolutely love knowing exactly what ingredients are going into the food we eat. I'm wondering what frequently store-purchased product I'll make at home next.
Planning for the rapidly approaching school year is in process. The list of subjects I want to teach the kids is long. Can I fit it all in? I keep having to remind myself that I don't have to do it all this year. I'm thinking we will start with the basics and add in one extra subject each week until our schedule feels right. The kids are especially excited about science and history.
Anna kept begging for more school today. "Mom, can we have school today?" We started with Bible, then did reading, then math. "Mom, can we do more school? I'm ready to have school every day again." History lessons and projects followed this statement. We went outside. "Mom, can we do more school?" "Yes, but only if you go in and pick up the toys first." "Arik, hurry, lets pick up the toys so we can have more school time!" They went inside and cleaned up. We had a science lesson. "Mom, what else can we learn?" So, there you have it. Like so many people say, homeschooled kids are weird. But I'll take this kind of weird any day.
A hawk had been circling around our yard, hungrily watching our chickens. It even landed on their coop and stared at them for a while one day. For their protection, the chickens have been restricted from their normal free-range days. Yesterday, I felt bad for them and let them out with hopes that the hawk had given up on a chicken dinner. I went back outside to check on the feathered ladies and could only find 3 of them. "Cheepy, where are you?!" I looked all over; searched all the usual hiding spots. No Cheepy. Finally, I looked closely in the nesting boxes. There she was! Later, the kids and I went out to inspect her progress and found 4 eggs. We hadn't been expecting any eggs yet since the chickens are just 4 1/2 months old. Today she laid another egg.
Arik has been saying, "God knows everything. But I know almost everything!" I can't convince him that there really is an awful lot he doesn't know. "My brain is special. It is never wrong." He keeps telling me this, and it is quite obvious that he believes it. Hmm... we could be in trouble with this kid.
Tonight I made spaghetti sauce with homegrown tomatoes and zucchini. Yum! I would be particularly impressed if I had also grown the onion, garlic, and herbs. Maybe next year. I've started making all our bread, thanks to the help of my bread machine. I absolutely love knowing exactly what ingredients are going into the food we eat. I'm wondering what frequently store-purchased product I'll make at home next.
Planning for the rapidly approaching school year is in process. The list of subjects I want to teach the kids is long. Can I fit it all in? I keep having to remind myself that I don't have to do it all this year. I'm thinking we will start with the basics and add in one extra subject each week until our schedule feels right. The kids are especially excited about science and history.
Anna kept begging for more school today. "Mom, can we have school today?" We started with Bible, then did reading, then math. "Mom, can we do more school? I'm ready to have school every day again." History lessons and projects followed this statement. We went outside. "Mom, can we do more school?" "Yes, but only if you go in and pick up the toys first." "Arik, hurry, lets pick up the toys so we can have more school time!" They went inside and cleaned up. We had a science lesson. "Mom, what else can we learn?" So, there you have it. Like so many people say, homeschooled kids are weird. But I'll take this kind of weird any day.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Pancakes
I grew up eating pancakes and waffles made from a mix, the sort where you just add water or just add milk and eggs. For a long time, that is what I used in my own home. That is, until I read the ingredients list on the mixes and also started thinking about how simple, affordable, and how much healthier it would be to make my own. For a while I made pancakes using a basic recipe from The Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. Then I started to experiment and find ways to make that much healthier for my family. I have adjusted the recipe quite a bit and found a combination of ingredients that tastes great!
Shauna's Pancake Recipe
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or use 1 cup and omit the white flour)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup ground flax seed
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Mix these dry ingredients together.
1 cup milk
1 beaten egg
1/4 cup of applesauce (no sugar added)
Mix these wet ingredients together, then combine and stir the wet and dry mixtures.
Heat a frying pan over medium heat and melt a tiny bit of butter in it. Drop spoonfuls of batter onto the hot pan, turn them when you begin to see the first tiny bubbles of air coming up and/or edges look slightly dry.
And that is it! Sometimes I add a mashed banana and/or blueberries to them. They are sweet and flavorful enough from the whole wheat flour, flax seed, and applesauce (and other fruit) that I eat mine without adding any syrup, etc. Leftovers are good if you warm them up in the oven or toaster oven.
There is a fun book written and illustrated by Eric Carle that would be perfect reading material if you make and/or eat these pancakes with your kids. The book is titled "Pancakes, Pancakes!"
Shauna's Pancake Recipe
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or use 1 cup and omit the white flour)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup ground flax seed
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Mix these dry ingredients together.
1 cup milk
1 beaten egg
1/4 cup of applesauce (no sugar added)
Mix these wet ingredients together, then combine and stir the wet and dry mixtures.
Heat a frying pan over medium heat and melt a tiny bit of butter in it. Drop spoonfuls of batter onto the hot pan, turn them when you begin to see the first tiny bubbles of air coming up and/or edges look slightly dry.
And that is it! Sometimes I add a mashed banana and/or blueberries to them. They are sweet and flavorful enough from the whole wheat flour, flax seed, and applesauce (and other fruit) that I eat mine without adding any syrup, etc. Leftovers are good if you warm them up in the oven or toaster oven.
There is a fun book written and illustrated by Eric Carle that would be perfect reading material if you make and/or eat these pancakes with your kids. The book is titled "Pancakes, Pancakes!"
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