Easy as Pie

Infant Formula Rant

2009-02-25T11:10:00.002-07:00

Just the other day my little boy turned a year and a half so today we went up to our health clinic in town to get his shots. Now the office is filled with all sorts of awesome toys, the kind kids really learn from, and I love going there because my little boy gets a chance to play with all the new things for a little while before we go home. But not only that, the office has all sorts of interesting facts spread out on the walls about baby's teeth, growth charts, pregnancy facts and what caught my attention today, a sheet about breast milk compared to formula. When I say sheet, I mean a 6-7 foot tall "sheet" comparing the two. Now the only thing it was comparing was what was in breast milk and formula, nutrient-wise. I am not exaggerating in any way when I say the list for breast milk was taller than I am, which is only about 5'2", but at size 14 or 16 font, it was a very long list. The formula list was about as long as my forearm and was filled with things I recognized, like palm and coconut oil and safflower oil, instead of the naturally labeled fats named in the breast milk list such as omega 3's like DHA. And when I looked for calcium on the formula list, I couldn't even find it because it was under the name calcium chloride, which is actually a salt, and I quote directly from Wikipedia "It has several common applications such as brine for refrigeration plants, ice and dust control on roads, and in concrete." Now, while it is veiwed as a safe food additive, who wants to be putting this into their newborn baby's body? Even if it wasn't made from chlorine which we all know is a poison, it's still a salt, which is hard on a new baby's kidneys, which everyone needs to filter out toxins from the body. No wonder there are allergies and cancers more now than ever. We would all be better off if we just took an interest in what we were putting in our bodies and the bodies of our children. Now I by no means even scratched the surface of how much better breast milk is for baby and mom, but if the subject affects you, please research it. There are literally hundreds of other reasons to choose breast milk.

A website that shows a comparison of the two can be found at askdrsears.com or here.

Also, I do understand that for some women it is impossible to breastfeed and I can't even imagine how horrible I would feel in that situation. But when there are no other options formula is all you can do, but if you have the option, please give breastfeeding a chance, and stick with it, it's a lot better for your baby, and for you(and in my opinion a lot easier and more convenient :P)

Creamy Garlic Herb Rotini

2009-02-17T17:26:00.003-07:00

I realize the picture is visually boring, but trust me, this tastes really good, it can be vegetarian/vegan, and it's super fast to make.

Ingredients:
1 500g package of rotini pasta(I guess it doesn't have to be rotini.. it just holds in the sauce better that way but use a different kind if you must)
1 Tbsp veggie oil
3/4 cup sallots finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups mushrooms sliced
1 545g package medium tofu(The package of tofu I got was a bit smaller, it doesn't matter as long as its close)
1 1/2 cups veggie stock(sub chicken stock if that's all you have)
1/2 cup fresh basil chopped

Cook the pasta till al dente.

While its cooking, saute your shallots and garlic over medium heat for one minute, then throw in your chopped mushrooms and saute for another minute. Puree your tofu and stock in a blender till smooth, then pour into your mushrooms, and stir in the chopped basil. Cook till hot through, then add your pasta and toss well. :) Simple, easy, yummy.

Thick Soft Fruit Leather

2009-02-15T11:24:00.008-07:00

First off I have to say that I'm greatly impressed with my little point and shoot camera as it has a manual focus on it which I just discovered. Doesn't work the greatest but at least my photo is clear. This recipe here is from Lottie and Doof which you can find here. I have to say I was really disappointed in my jellys. They weren't very jelly like, in fact. They turn out kind of like really condensed apple sauce. While they were hard enough to cut, they were still really squishy. I dont' know why but I expected them to be.. well... Jelly like! Lol. Anyways, there are a number of things that could have gone wrong including the types of apples I used, time I cooked the batch with sugar, etc etc... But I made two batches, both different and the one I did my way turned out better in my opinion. If you'd like the original recipe(which is in the picture above), click the link above. For my method.. read on.

I started with about 2 pounds of apples. I had two different kinds, Macintosh and Sunrise. Like Lottie and Doof I washed quarted and cored all the apples, threw them in pot with enough water to cover the bottom of the pan, so about a 1/2 cup. I also added a squirt of lemon juice because the Mac's like to turn brown really quickly. Then I cooked them till they were completely soft. At this point I took my immersion blender and blended the whole mixture, peels and all, till it was all blended and only a few small chunks of peel remained. I should mention here that I made sure to get all the core out when I cored them otherwise you'll have gross bits in your jellys, although.. I wouldn't name my apple surprise "jellys" either.

Now that the apples are all blended(you can use a blender, I just love my immersion blender to bits) add the juice of one lemon, turn it to medium low heat and let it simmer. Its going to need to simmer for at least an hour, probably an hour and half . Near the begining you don't need to stir as much as there is a lot of liquid, but later on you'll need to stir very frequently so the bottom doesn't stick to the pan and burn. It should get so thick that you can scrape it all into a pile in the bottom of the pan and it will stick up like a mountain without spreading out. You can always test a little bit on a plate in the freezer to see if its gelled enough. If it has, you need to put it in a small container. Lottie and Doof suggest a 8x8 pan for 3 lbs of apples with 1 1/5 cups of sugar added, so use your judgement. You can always use more apples and use an 8x8 pan... Or what I did was put the mixture in one corner of my 8x8 pan and only spread it out half way. The mixture was so thick that you could form it however you wanted. Either way you should put parchment paper inside the pan/container and oil it with canola oil, then put the apple into the pan and spread it out flat. Leave over night. The next day flip it out of the pan and leave with the bottom side up. Leave out till dry, which might mean overnight again. Then cut into small chunks.

Now I have to warn you, my version is not like Jelly either, but its a lot firmer, almost like Fruit leather but thicker, softer and not chewy. Also, depending on how sweet your apples are, it will probably be a little tart. I used very sweet apples, and it's sweet but a little tart from the lemon juice. And these are a much darker red than the ones above as the apple peel is still in them which also keeps all the nutrients from the peel in the "candy". Also it's only got the natural sugars from the apples, no added processed sugar to make you feel bad about eating them. Enjoy if you're feeling risky enough to try them :)

The Yogomatic

2009-02-13T10:17:00.018-07:00

How tacky is that. I can't get over it, it's so horribly 80's. And yes I'm sure it is from the 80's. But don't let that fool you, it actually works really well. Again, homemade tastes so much better. This isn't really a recipe, more of a method, but anyways...

I usually take about half a cup of milk, warm it up(saucepan is best. I don't even want to think about what a microwave does to milk. Eww). When it's hot(don't quite let it boil), I stir in half a packet of gelatin(which equals half a Tbsp - I should also mention here that cornstarch or arrowroot powder work well too if gelatin grosses you out. I don't blame you XD). Make sure its all dissolved and pour it in my Yogomatic(actually there's a container that goes inside ^ that has a lid and everything. You just take the whole thing out and stick it in the fridge) then I fill it to the top with fresh milk, whatever you have. And then I dump a couple spoonfuls of plain yogurt from the store, unless of course I saved some from the last time I made yogurt(anything with active live cultures will work). Mix it all about, plug the Yogomatic in and leave it over night. In the morning(whenever I get to it. It's not really a big rush, I usually leave it at least 12 hours) put the yogurt in the fridge. If you test it for consistency right away it will be runny from the warmth. Let it sit in the fridge at least a couple hours before you start worrying that its uber runny. Then stir in what you want for flavorings. I warm up honey till it's super runny and then mix it in with a little vanilla. Agave syrup or maple syrup would work awesome too. Sometimes I just leave it plain and then drizzle agave syrup over top with frozen fruit. Yummm. It really takes no time at all, you can control how much if any sugar you put in, you don't get any weird unrecognizable ingredients and you can control how fresh it is(the longer you let it sit in the fridge the more sour it gets - as long as it isn't blue and fuzzy it hasn't gone bad).

Note: You can leave out the gelatin/cornstarch/other thickening agent, you don't need it but it is rather runny when you don't put any in. Also, all the Yogomatic does is keep it at an even temperature. You can do this even in a thermos, just make sure it retains it's heat well. Also I'm sure there is a method to make soy yogurt at home out there that's very similar. But I don't know all the specifics so I wont get into it.

Warning: Milk Required

2009-02-12T11:48:00.011-07:00

Low fat cow milk, goat milk, soy milk, I don't care. But you definitely need it for these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip muffins.

Set your over to 350 degrees F, and grease your muffin tin well as they like to stick.

Mix in a bowl 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, 1 tsp baking soda(Hah, as I read my scribbled down recipe I realize that the last ones I made I put baking powder in instead. Honestly, I don't notice much of a difference though. But you should use baking soda just to be correct :P), 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp of each, ground ginger, cloves and nutmeg(heap all the spices. Even double them if you want them spicy) and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix it all up. Then in another bowl cream 1/2 cup of softened butter with 1 cup of sugar, then add 2 large eggs(I always use the free range eggs, they are so much better) and then a tsp of vanilla. Make sure to mix it well at this point. Then add half your flour, mix well, then add 3/4 cup pumpkin puree and mix again, and then add the rest of your flour. Then with a wooden spoon mix in 3/4 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips. Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups in your tin and then bake for 20-22 minutes or till a toothpick comes out clean. Then pour yourself a tall glass of whatever milk you prefer and sit down to a warm muffin :)

Homemade is always better

2009-02-11T17:42:00.010-07:00

What a time for me to try my hand at blogging. Recently my computer's been on the fritz so it hasn't been easy to get anything done. But here I am finally. And with that, my first recipe. Unfortunately, I only took two pictures and the better of the two had the hand of a small child grabbing the loaf. But anyways, here's the uneaten half...

As with anything, homemade is better. Tasting and for you. This loaf is a whole wheat sourdough loaf. And yes it does take a while to make, but once you've got it going it really doesn't take much time at all. But don't expect a loaf for a week if your just starting now.

First off, in a medium bowl or sealable container mix 2 cups of regular all purpose flour one cup warm water(around 110 degrees, but not too much hotter) and 1/4 tsp active dry yeast. As with making bread the water shouldn't be too warm or it will kill the yeast. Now cover it and let stand till tripled. Anywhere from 8 -12 hours. Then stick it in the fridge for 3 days. After those three days, add 1/2 cup of water or milk(before you even touch the mixture, that way its easier to stir) stir till smooth and dump in 1/2 cup of flour. Then put it back in the fridge for 3 more days. At which point it should look something like this:

Sorry my little point and shoot doesn't really do it justice. I can't afford anything better :P In any case, at this point this is your starter. It should be bubbly and sticky. Unless you don't feed it, you can continue with this making loaf after loaf after loaf. Because... You now take half and put it in a large bowl. To the starter you add 3/4 cup water or milk and 1/4 cup flour and put it back in the fridge. You can store the starter for up to a week without feeding it, in which case you need to add more water/milk or flour. Also, you need to wait at least 2 days before making another loaf from the same starter.

Now on with the loaf! Into the large bowl where you put half of the starter, add 3/4 cup water and still till smooth, then with a spoon stir in 1-1/2 cups of the same all purpose flour. Then cover and let it rise overnight. Anywhere from 12-24 hours. Then stir in 1/4 cup of water and 1 3/4 cups of whole wheat flour(or whatever you choose. You could just use all purpose flour, or you could even try rye.) Here I also add in about a tablespoon of gluten just to make it rise more, but you really don't have to if you knead it plenty and let it rise. But 2 tsp of salt is necessary. Mix as well as possible before turning it out and kneading it on a floured surface for about ten minutes. Put it in a greased bowl and turn it over so the top gets greased as well. Sometimes this doesnt work as well for me, so I usually give it a small spray of non stick cooking spray, then I cover the bowl and put it in the oven with a bowl of hot water under it. Let it rise 2 hours(maybe slightly less if your using just all purpose flour just watch to see that its doubled). Then knead again just to get the air out. Cover it with a towel and let it sit for ten minutes to let it rest. Then form it. What I do is press it down till its about 1/2" thick and in somewhat of a circle, then you fold over about 2" press down firmly, and repeat till it's shaped like a log. I dust my pan with cornmeal, put the loaf seam side down and cover it with a towel again, in the oven with a bowl of hot water under it. Leave it there for at least and hour and a half. Then I take it out, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (I usually use a slightly lower temperature as I have non stick baking trays. Which I do not recommend. At all. Never buy them), brush the loaf with and egg whisked with a Tbsp of water and put a few slashes in the top. I bake it for about 40 minutes(tap the loaf at 35 if your baking at 425 degrees to see if it sounds hollow. That means its done), and I leave the bowl of water in the oven for about half the cooking time or else the crust is really hard to bite into.

Yes there is a lot to this recipe. But once you have the starter made and in the fridge, it only takes one day of letting it sit, and then maybe half an hour of work dispersed in the time it takes to rise. I thought it would be way too much work for what you get out of it, but I was wrong, this is well worth the effort, and the wait.

New Beginings

2009-02-03T12:53:00.003-07:00

Welcome to my blog. I've been thinking about this for a long time (not just because it takes me forever to choose a name for anything). Speaking of names, I decided on Easy as Pie, because of how much I like the saying(not to mention its impossible to find a name that's not already taken). Because honestly, you can't possibly think pie is that easy to make, unless you've had quite a bit of experience.

On that note.. I'm a 20 year old mom of a year and a half old boy, wife to a carb maniac, veggie hating man and daughter to two South Beachers. Since living on my own I've decided to look into healthier ways of eating. I try to combine what I know about the South Beach Diet and Low GI eating(as both do work if you have the willpower) with what I'm learning about whole foods as opposed to artificial or processed foods. As I'm still fairly new at cooking for myself and my family I'm still learning a lot and I'm hoping along the way I can find people to help me eat healthier, and then in turn I can help someone else out.

Other than that, I guess I'm not so good at introductions, so I'll leave it at that and get posting more important things :D

Edit: I forgot to mention. Deep down I'm a techie. It almost embarrassed to be using a blogger layout. I've been working on a layout of my own for a while, but if you're a mom you know how much time I can really devote to that. But eventually it'll get here.