Healthy No Sugar Apple Chips

Wow! It has been an incredibly long time since I have posted to this blog and I am greatly sorry for not posting more regularly, especially with so many great recipes that I have found successful for my family in this long hiatus. I must admit that I have started a second blog related to my other love, teaching art to elementary children. My other blog, Artteacher101.blogspot.com, has kept me very busy this year and made me a slacker at this blog, but my goal this spring is to post regularly on this site (weekly if possible) any new, successful, healthy, recipes that my family enjoys! So, here is one that I have been making for years and my kids love it; Apple Chips! This simple recipe can be stored for up to six months and worked great for the incredibly large apple harvest from my parent's farm.

The very first step is to peel and core the apples. My kids love to eat the shavings like a natural fruit by the foot, less sugar than any you can buy in the store and no pesticides to worry about!

An apple corer works best on firm apples. Apples that are overly ripe and soft will just fall apart in the apple corer. My kids love to help with this step and of course, eat the skins as they work the machine (the original fruit by the foot).

After the apples are cored and skinned, I cut them in half and the apple easily separates into slices.

Once sliced and separated, I place the apples on the dehydrator's shelves in a single layer and sprinkle with cinnamon for extra flavor. No sugar needed! The natural juices of the apple make the apple chips plenty sweet when all complete.

I mostly use a dehydrator to make the chips. It's a hand me down from my mother. To be honest, I don't even know if they make this one anymore. Sometimes, in addition to the dehydrator, I have so many apples that I place the apples in a single layer on a cookie sheet with parchment paper (to prevent the chips from sticking to the cookie sheet) and set the oven to a low temp (250 degrees Fahrenheit) to dry out the slices. This usually takes a couple of hours depending on how juicy the apples. Sometimes using the oven is quicker and more efficient. When using the dehydrator, it can take up to two days almost to dry out the apples.

 

We love this sweet treat without any unnecessary sugar.  Have you and your family ever tried homemade apple chips? Let me know what you think.

Acorn Squash Low Carb Pizza Crust

Did I mention that my husband and kids (me included) love pizza! I am a carb junkie. My addiction includes breads and desserts, so I try to curb my carb cravings and at least try to reduce the amount of flour I consume.

In the last six months we have been ordering produce through Bountiful Baskets, a coop distribution of 50% fruit/50% vegetable baskets, organic produce baskets, artisan bread and sandwich bread every other week. The last week's basket was definitely bountiful and included three small acorn squashes. Instead of using sweet potatoes for a pizza crust (as we have tried in a previous post), the thought occurred to me...why not try squash and see what happens! I am hoping this experiment is a success as the crust is baking in the oven right now.

I must give credit for the inspiration of this recipe to Tina at Carrots N' Cake. I did make some modifications to her original recipe, so see the comments below. You can find my original sweet potato pizza crust recipe by clicking here.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups acorn squash roasted (1 whole small acorn squash, skin and seeds removed)
• 1/2 cup canned coconut milk (pureed in blender with acorn squash)
• 1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp minced fresh garlic
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• dash of cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• Your choice of toppings

Directions:
The first step is to preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.  Next, I prepared the acorn squash for mashing by cutting it in half, placing it on a cookie sheet (cut sides up), drizzling with olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper, and roasting in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until cooked through (about 30 minutes).  After the squash is cooled, I peeled it, scooped the seeds out, cut it into small chunks, and threw in the blender with a half cup coconut milk to puree. To be honest, I did this step one week ago and threw the acorn squash puree in the freezer.

Next, I combined all the ingredients listed above.  The original recipe called for almond flour.  It's not a staple in my pantry, so I replaced with whole wheat pastry flour instead. Those who suffer from gluten allergies could substitute with another kind of flour, such as almond or coconut flour.

The original recipe also called for garlic powder, although normally a pantry staple in my home, I was all out and did not feel like running to the store, so we used the fresh garlic we had on hand instead and grated with a micro-planer.

The original recipe also called for a pizza pan. Thanks to my wonderful MIL, I received one at Christmas. I covered it with olive oil and preheated it in the oven. I spread the dough onto the baking pan until about a 1/2 inch thick and baked for 25-30 minutes until center was firm and edges were lightly browned. Just an advanced warning, the dough will be sticky and goey and may be difficult to spread. I used a spatula to help spread the dough.

Next, we removed the crust from the oven, added toppings, and baked for another 5-7 minutes until the cheese was completely melted. My children's favorite topping of all time, "Epiphany" sausage! It is made by a local church as their annual fundraiser and is held every year on the 2nd Sunday in March. The entire parish works together to butcher 30 hogs and process their own sausage with seasonings and casings making the leanest most flavorful sausage I have ever tasted! This small town of 50 people will fill with 1000 to 1500 people in one day looking for a great meal that only happens one time a year!

UPDATE! The crust is awesome and so much better than the sweet potato pizza crust I posted earlier! My children will agree! THEY EVEN REQUESTED WE MAKE IT AGAIN SOON!

Sweet Potato Pizza Crust

I am a carb junkie. My addiction includes breads and desserts, so to curb my carb cravings and at least try to reduce the amount of flour I consume, I thought what better way than a sweet potato crust pizza. Did I mention that my husband and kids (me included) love pizza! My husband worked in the pizza business for ten years and although, he is not home to try this new experiment, I am hoping to save him a piece and give me his pizza man experienced opinion! I must give credit for the inspiration of this recipe to Tina at Carrots N' Cake. I did make some modifications to her original recipe, so see the comments below.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups mashed sweet potatoes (2-3 medium sized sweet potatoes)
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar because that is what I had on hand, but any kind would work)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp minced fresh garlic
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• dash of cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• Your choice of toppings

Directions:
The first step is to preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.  Next, I prepared sweet potatoes for mashing by peeling and cutting into small chunks and throwing into a sauce pan with water. Let the potatoes boil until soft. Now you're ready for mashing!

 

Drain the sweet potatoes, but reserve a cup of the starchy sweet potato flavored water for mashing.  I used a hand masher, but I suppose you could use a processor as well, just be careful not to over process. I added about a half cup of the water reserve while mashing to help make the potatoes softer. Next, I combined all the ingredients listed above, adding the mashed sweet potatoes last.

The original recipe called for almond flour. It's not a staple in my pantry, so I replaced with whole wheat pastry flour instead. I purchased a 25 lb bag from Azure Standard. That's a lot of flour....What was I thinking? I am not quite sure! Those who suffer from gluten allergies could substitute with another kind of flour.

The original recipe also called for garlic powder, although normally a pantry staple in my home, I was all out and did not feel like running to the store, so we used the fresh garlic we had on hand instead and grated with a grater.

 

 

The original recipe also called for a pizza pan. Alas, something we do not have in our kitchen. Isn't that amazing that we love pizza so much, but do not have a pizza stone or pan in our house?! So, instead, I covered a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray (olive oil). After making this crust, I found it did stick to the pan, so I may use aluminum foil next time. Using a spatula, I spread the dough into the baking pan until about a 1/2 inch thick, and baked for 25-30 minutes until center was firm and edges were lightly browned. 

 

Next, we removed the crust from the oven, added toppings, and baked for another 5-7 minutes until the cheese was completely melted. My kids loved the beef and barbeque pizza, but the asparagus, although still good, was not their favorite.

Easy Slow Cooker Chicken with Garlic and Lemon

This delicious and easy recipe is inspired by the Harcombe Diet cookbook. For any of you who are not familiar with the Harcombe Diet, it's established by the experiences and research of Zoe Harcombe, a nutritionist from the UK.  She is an author, obesity researcher and nutritionist graduated from Cambridge University. This is what I take most from her books and diet research; eat a clean diet by limiting processed foods, sugar, and carbs, exactly what I want my family to experience.

This is one of my favorite recipes from her Harcombe Diet recipe book. I have tweaked it to fit my busy lifestyle, by transferring the cooking process from the oven to the slow cooker. My family enjoys this recipe, too! Another great perk about this recipe; it's simple and so are the ingredients.

Ingredients:
one whole chicken
6-8 cloves garlic
2 whole lemons
salt and black pepper
Olive oil
2 cups chicken stock or vegetable broth

Add two cups of chicken stock to your slow cooker. After removing giblets, stuff 1/2 the garlic cloves and lemons inside the chicken. My bird is from a local producer, Maxwell Colony. I feel the quality of these birds is exceptional! 

 

I place the bird in the slow cooker upside down so the juices can penetrate the breast meat. To add more flavor to the meat, I drizzle olive oil on top of the skin and in between the skin and meat.as well as half of the garlic cloves. 

 

Season with salt and pepper. Cook on low heat all day (8-9 hours) or on high heat for 5-6 hours until the bird is cooked thoroughly. I usually serve with vegetables. This particular meal I served with steamed organic carrots from Azure Standard.

My take on chicken, beef, or vegetable Stock and broth, if you can't understand the ingredient list, don't buy it. I like buying most organic brands because when I read the ingredient list, I can understand every ingredient. When I look at a brand like Swanson's, I find autolyzed yeast extract. What is that? Well, after further research, it turns out to be monosodium Glutamate (MSG). MSG is a form of concentrated salt. Because the kind of MSG we find at the store is processed, it can cause many adverse reactions, including skin rashes, itching, hives, nausea, vomiting, migraine headaches, asthma, heart irregularities, depression and even seizures. Since MSG has gained a bad rap because of its ability to cause headaches and migraines, the food market changes MSG's name. Other names used to disguise MSG include autolyzed yeast, yeast extract, maltodextrin, hydrolyzed protein, sodium caseinate, mono-potassium glutamate, and textured protein. (www.naturalnews.com)


I once thought that Rachel Ray's broth was safe to use and maybe even healthy for me, until I read about MSG and its other names and forms. Why would food companies choose to use these ingredients? Because MSG can enhance the flavor of low quality foods and reduce production costs. Natural flavoring such as "natural chicken flavoring" is another ingredient I try to avoid. What is that exactly? The Sweet Beet wrote a great article about this same topic and I found it very enlightening. If you have time, hop over to read it.

Carrot Cake (sweetened with crushed pineapple and juice)

Dear David's birthday, his first, and I wanted to make something special and healthy. I found this recipe on Cooks.com, but the original recipe called for 6 tablespoons of sugar. I wanted something totally sugar free for my baby and only sweetened with fruit juice concentrate, so I just cut the sugar and added more crushed pineapple and unsweetened pineapple juice concentrate. The recipe turned out great and even my mother was asking for the recipe and my father-in-law enjoyed it, too!

Ingredients:

1 c. all-purpose flour 

3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. olive oil 

2 eggs
1/4 c. unsweetened pineapple juice concentrate
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. shredded carrots
1/2 c. raisins
3/4 c. crushed unsweetened pineapple, drained

Very first step, preheat the oven to 350°F and grease and flour two 8x8x2 inch pans. Next, I grated the carrots using this old outdated archaic food processor. It looks like its from the 60's, because it is from the 60's. A hand me down from my mother that I will not let go. It's dependable and efficient. They don't make 'em like this one anymore!

After that, I tossed the dry ingredients in one bowl. In a second bowl, I stirred the oil, eggs, juice and vanilla.

Stir the liquid into dry ingredients until smooth. 

 

Add the carrots, raisins and pineapple. 

Scrape the batter into prepared pans and bake 35-40 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack for about one hour or if you are like me, till you have time to come back and frost, which may be the next day.

The finishing touch, frost with Cream Cheese Frosting. See recipe below. I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine did!

Cream Cheese Frosting

For Carrot Cake or Applesauce Cake.

1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
5 tbsp. unsweetened pineapple juice concentrate
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. finely grated orange zest

Beat all ingredients together until smooth.

Bacon, Celery Salad with Tomatoes; The New BLT!

It was one of those days where I was too lazy to go to the store and buy lettuce for a BLT, but noticed that I had plenty of celery in my fridge. Maybe lazy is not so much the word, but my hands were full with my two youngest at home and one with bronchitis. No way I was going to the store with these two in pursuit.

"Hmmmm, could I substitute celery for lettuce in my BLT?", I wondered to myself.

I think I should experiment and see if this can happen. The bacon was already under the broiler.  The toast in the toaster. What do I have to loose? I needed to decide soon or find something else for my Sunday afternoon lunch because my stomach was growling and so was the stomach of my three year old.

I made the leap and gave it a try, and let me tell you, I am so glad I did. It was wonderful and even my three old enjoyed it and asked for seconds!

Ingredients:
4 stalks of celery, washed and diced into small bite size pieces
1/3 pint of grape tomatoes
2 thin slices of onion, diced
4 TBSP Real Mayonnaise
A dash of salt, pepper, and basil

 Did I mention that I didn't have large tomatoes...only grape tomatoes in the fridge?!

 

All the vegetables diced and ready for the mayo, salt, pepper, and basil.

 

Ready for the toast and bacon!

 

This was delicious and something I will do again, especially when I am lacking the appropriate ingredients for the same old BLT. My new BLT, the BCsT; Bacon, Celery salad with Tomatoes!

Homemade Flour Tortillas

It seems like forever since I posted a recipe to this blog and only yesterday when I was holding my youngest newborn son, just a tiny babe...Now, he is no longer a tiny babe, but a strong growing boy almost one year old. This realization just increases my desire to find healthy unprocessed meals for my family to consume. Tonight's experiment, homemade flour tortillas!

I have always wanted to try these, but was afraid it would be difficult or take too much time, but in reality, it was so easy, a few simple ingredients and a few easy steps. My inspiration for this recipe was a blog called Tasty Kitchen. I am so grateful for the detailed steps and all the pictures that made this so easy for a visual learner like myself. I see myself using this recipe often! Next time, I think I will try whole wheat flower and see how it tastes.

Ingredients

• 3 cups Organic, Unbleached Flour
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoons Baking Powder
• ⅓ cups Olive Oil
• 1 cup Hot Water

 

Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder with a whisk. Add the olive oil and mix with your fingers until all the oil is incorporated and the mixture looks like fine crumbs. Add 1 cup of hot water and mix until a ball is formed. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for about 30 minutes or let it rest over night to have it prepared in advanced.

 

Divide the dough into 12 balls and roll out one at a time on a floured surface.  Notice I only have eight in the bowl...I remembered to take a picture after I already started rolling out the dough.

 

 

Brush off excess flour. Cook on a hot, ungreased griddle over medium-high heat. Turn the tortilla when brown blisters form on the first side and you notice air bubbles forming. Stack the tortillas and serve warm.

  

I think we have a winner with this recipe! My daughter is all smiles as she enjoys a supper of slow cooker pork fajitas with lettuce, cheese, and black bean and corn salsa. My school aged children will be enjoying these tortillas for school lunch as a quesadilla with extra cheese and pork from today's slow cooker meal.

Whole Wheat Sugar Free Apple Cake

I love the fall weather and especially the crispness and sweetness of the apples. I recently purchased 20 lbs of organic Fuji apples from Azure Standard, a provider of quality bulk and natural foods. I think half is already gone. My favorite clean eating recipe for apples is apple cake and my kids love it, too! What I love most about this recipe is no sugar is needed. The apples' own sweetness makes this recipe a delightful dessert.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 stick (8tbsps) unsalted butter, softened and cooled
• ½ cup apple sauce unsweetened
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup and 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3-4 large apples, cored, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray an 8- to 9-inch pan with olive oil.  Using an electric mixer or hand whisk, mix the butter, apple sauce, eggs, and vanilla until well combined.

Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Add them to the moist mixture. Mix again until the batter is smooth. Fold in the apple cubes.

 Pour the batter in the prepared pan. Bake until the cake is set and slightly browned, about 35 minutes. Serve with homemade ice cream or store bought works just as well.

Corns, Beans and Rice

I still have many boxes of brown rice to eat and still have a few recipes up my sleeve to try. Here is one more I pulled out of my pocket by mixing ingredients I have on hand. My husband so enjoyed this dish that he ate it as his main meal rather than a side dish as originally intended.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup frozen sweet corn kernels cooked
• 3 cups cooked brown rice
• 2 cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 green or red pepper diced

Dressing:

• 3-4 TBSP olive oil
• Juice of 1 lime or 2 TBSP bottled lime juice
• 1 TBSP ground cumin
• 1 TBSP  ground garlic
• 1 TBSP onion powder
• 3 TBSP cilantro
• kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, cumin, garlic, onion powder, and salt/pepper. In a large bowl, mix the rice, corn, peppers and beans. Fold in the dressings with the rice and vegetables.

My Quest for truly Sugar Free Jam

I have been on the search for a truly sugar free homemade recipe for jam or jelly, I would say, for many years now. I know that grocers sell sugar free jam sweetened with fruit juice in the store without any artificial sweeteners, but the price is really not economical for my family, especially considering the amount of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches we eat in our household. Many times (because we are out of jelly and I just can't see myself spending $3 on a teeny tiny jar of jam) we eat only peanut butter sandwiches, natural peanut butter without the sugar.

I thought I hit the jackpot one day when I found a canning recipe on Pinterest that only required three ingredients; strawberries, water, and 1 box of SURE-JELL (For Less or No Sugar Needed Recipes) Premium Fruit Pectin. I have never used fruit pectin before (I am only a beginner canner) and upon further research (after I already paid for the pectin and brought it home) discovered that one of the very first ingredients is dextrose, an artificial sweetener! Well, there goes that idea. So in my quest for a truly sugar free jam, I found a second recipe that looked promising, but again the ingredient list included honey, which is a natural sugar, but something I was looking to avoid. My mother recently discovered a list of food items that she is truly sensitive to and honey and any sugars (artificial or natural) are on that list. I wanted to create something that she could enjoy on her gluten free sugar free yeast free piece of bread. So I eventually stumbled across a freezer jam recipe from Thrifty Veggie Mama. BINGO! Exactly what I was looking for!

You know me...I am not one to follow a recipe exactly, so this is the recipe I created using Thrifty Veggies Mama's recipe as inspiration. This first recipe was incredibly sweet using the juice concentrate alone, so my second batch, I modified and used fruit juice instead. Something else I realized after my first batch, make sure to chop the strawberries into tiny pieces to make the jam more spreadable. If the strawberry pieces are too large, it will not spread easily onto your bread. Also, very important, when a recipe says stir constantly, do it! I, of course, walked away from the stove and almost ended with a burnt gloppy mess of fruit syrup.

First Attempt at this recipe...
 
Ingredients:
1 can frozen berry blend 100% juice concentrate
5 TBSP cornstarch
2 TBSP lemon juice
3 cups fresh chopped strawberries

Dear daughter helping with the chopping.

In a blender, I combined the first 3 ingredients. Then, poured into a saucepan and brought to a boil. Make sure to stir constantly until thick and clear. Next, I folded in 3 cups fresh chopped strawberries. Finally, I added the jam to 5 1/2 pint jars or several plastic containers and placed in the freezer. I did save one jar and placed it in the refrigerator to enjoy with our next meal. The jam can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Second Attempt at this recipe, I doubled the ingredients and used fruit juice rather than concentrate...

Ingredients:
3 cups 100% fruit juice from concentrate (this time I used Apple Kiwi Strawberry, I ran out of the berry blend)
10 TBSP cornstarch
4 TBSP lemon juice
6 cups fresh chopped strawberries

In a blender, I combined the first 3 ingredients. Then, poured into a saucepan and brought to a boil. Stir constantly until thick and clear. Fold in 3 cups fresh chopped strawberries. Add to jars or plastic containers and place in the freezer or store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Notice the jam made with fruit juice is lighter in color. The doubled batch yielded 8 1/2 pints and 2 small plastic containers.

The jam was great on our roast beef sandwich.

 

Coconut Rice Pudding

Remember in my previous post, I have many boxes of brown rice to go through and what a blessing to find a dessert that uses brown rice. I love rice pudding but never have used brown rice to make it. I remember this dessert as a school girl enjoying it as a side with my school lunch. The inspiration for this recipe was found at TV Food Network with some modifications of course. I cut the sugar to 2 TBSP from 1/2 cup, cut the liquid measurements in half, and added more rice than the recipe required. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as our family did!

Ingredients:
1 (13 1/2-ounce) can coconut milk (unsweetened)
1 3/4 cups milk
2 1/2 cup brown rice
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
2 TBSP sugar

Put the coconut milk, milk, rice, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat so the liquid simmers very gently. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender but chewy and absorbs most of the liquid, about 1/2 hour.

Remove the pudding from the heat, transfer to a bowl, and cool in the refrigerator, about 1 hour.

To serve, top with a banana or whipped topping.

Other topping suggestions from TV Food Network: Diced fresh pineapple with toasted coconut and finely grated lime zest, berries or peaches sweetned with honey or 2/3 cup dried blueberries steeped in 1/2 cup boiling water.