You don't like what??

Most people gasp in astonishment when I say that I don't particularly like peanut butter.  It's not the taste, but the texture. . . . . It's not that I'm un-American, I just don't like the way it sticks to the roof of my mouth.  But, in breaking with 'life as usual' I bought a jar of peanut butter and made these tasty snack bars.

Recipe courtesy of my sister-in-law SamanthaK:)

Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter (I used Smuckers Natural)
1 egg
½ cup honey
2 cups oatmeal oats
½ cup or as much as you would like of berries (dried cranberries, raisins, etc)
½ cup or as much as you would like of nuts (peanuts, sliced walnuts, etc)

Baking:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350*

2. Mix ingredients together in a bowl

3. Compress and mold into 3” x 1” and roughly ½” thick bars onto ungreased cookie sheet

4. Bake for 8 minutes or until brown (10 minutes is too long)
     **(Mine were a little thick - so I actually did bake them for 10 min)
5. Let cool, if bars do not cool all of the way they will fall apart. Once cool they stay together.
6. Makes about 15 bars.
7. Enjoy!

These peanut butter bars are actually quite yummy - they don't stick to the roof of my mouth!  They are sweet enough, too, that I do not even vaguely resent the gingerbread house I made over the weekend with some friends and their kids.  

It's a good thing I don't plan on eating this epic feat of art - it's about the only holiday-ish decoration I have in the house.

Have a fabulous evening!

Be American - Eat Peanut Butter!

Avoid Sugar!

JamiK

Pork Tenderloin with Apple Cider Reduction

I just made one of the most delightful dishes. 
It's amazing what one discovers when new things are attempted.

My sister-in-law HeatherK suggested the recipe for today's adventure

Pork Tenderloin with Apple Cider Reduction

(Courtesy of Aida Mollenkamp)

2 (1-lb) Pork Tenderloins cut in half (crosswise)

*** I substituted pork chops I had in my freezer in an attempt to use what I had on hand

Vegetable Oil

Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1/2 cups Apple Cider
1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1/4 cup Pure Maple Syrup

Directions:

• Arrange an oven rack in the upper 1/3 of oven. Heat oven to 500 degrees F.
• Pat Pork Tenderloins dry with paper towel, brush with oil, and season well with salt and pepper.
• Heat a large frying pan over medium high heat and brown tenderloins on all sides.
•   Place Tenderloins on a baking sheet and place in oven about 15 minutes (10 min for pork chops)    

• Meanwhile, place frying pan over high heat and add cider and vinegar. Stir this until mixture is reduced by about 2/3.
• Reduce heat to medium, stir in maple syrup and remove from heat until pork is cooked.
• Warm sauce over medium-high heat, add pork and any accumulated juices and spoon sauce over meat to completely coat.

• When Pork is warm, remove it to the cutting board and slice thinly.
• Spoon pan sauce over the pork and serve

Total Prep time, cook time and cleanup time for this dish was about an hour. 

I think I have found a recipe worthy of being added to my favorites.  Yum Yum!!

Eat Well - Avoid Sugar!

JamiK

Crock-Pot Lasagna

OK . . . . . this is what I am prepping tonight to cook tomorrow.
My sister in law loves this recipe and has made it several times.


Crock-Pot Lasagna Recipe
(Courtesy of Jessica Seinfeld)
Ingredients

• 1 can (14.4 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic , finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 2 containers (15 ounces each) fresh ricotta
• 2 cups (8 ounces) grated mozzarella
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 12 lasagna noodles (about three-quarters of a 1-pound box)
• 5 ounces (about 6 cups) baby spinach

Directions

• In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, salt, red pepper and black pepper. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella and Parmesan.
• In the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, spread a thin layer of the sauce. Top with 3 of the noodles (breaking to fit as necessary).
• Spread about 1 cup of the sauce over the noodles and layer with 2 cups of the spinach and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese mixture.
• Repeat twice more with the noodles, sauce, spinach and cheese mixture.
• Top with the remaining 3 noodles, sauce and 1 cup mozzarella.
• Cook on low, covered, until the noodles are tender—especially in the center of the lasagna—about 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

Servings: Serves 6

***Update***
I couldn't wait until Friday . . . . . so I just ate dinner really late last night. 
Crock-Pot Lasagna = Awesome

My crock-pot has a four settings:  2 hr, 4 hr, 6 hr, & 8 hr.  I cooked my on the 6 hr setting for 3 1/2 hrs.

I do have to admit that I used regular pasta instead of whole wheat. . . . We'll try it with the whole wheat pasta next time.  This will probably entail a longer cook time.

Giving Up Greed - The Challenge

So the Holidays have begun. For most of us this means big meals, lots of sweets, and very little energy to care that it might not be that healthy. Because most of my family lives without or with very little sugar, I nearly made it through Thanksgiving without a hitch. We did,  however, have a run in with some 'real' chocolate chip cookies. I ate two of them.

Because I do my best to avoid sugar, I don't particularly worry about putting on holiday weight, but it might be something that you are worried about. In an effort to bulk up my recipe catalog and provide some helpful information to folks trying to give up the white stuff I have asked all my GREED-free friends and relatives for recipes. I will be trying a new recipe every other day for the next 3 weeks (ish) and posting them along with random commentary / observations for your reading enjoyment. I hope you will play along with me and see what you can do to give up the inGREEDient between now and Christmas.

Since I am still back home in Indiana for the next couple of days, MomK will be starting us off tomorrow with her amazing chicken noodle soup.  This has been one of my favorites since childhood.  It always tastes wonderful, there are always leftovers, and it is one of the most perfect 'cold weather' recipes one could find. (Post Thanksgiving, this can easily become Turkey Noodle Soup)


Ingredients:
1 whole or half chicken
3 - 4 large carrots, washed, sliced
3 - 4 celery stalks, washed, sliced
Optional veggies - frozen corn & green beans
1 large onion, cut in quarters or eighths
2 cloves of Garlic - minced
1 bag 'Reames' frozen Egg noodles
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp Parsley

Directions:
Boil chicken until cooked through
Remove chicken from broth, let cool, and pick the meat off the bones.
Add carrots, celery, onion, corn, green beans (or any veggies you wish) & garlic and resume boil.  Add 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, and 2 Tbsp parsley.
Add Reames noodles and continue boiling until noodles are cooked. 
Add Chicken

Eat well - but avoid sugar
JamiK

Garlic is Good

I have the unfortunate habit of getting into food ruts. If I like it . . . . I make it over and over again until I realize that I'm growing bored. Thanks to all my friends who responded to the request for recipes! I'll be sharing many of them with you over the next few weeks. Right now my house smells like garlic - and I love it.

At the suggestion of my friend Joscelynn, I made the most delicious chicken for dinner.

40 Cloves and a Chicken

(courtesy of Alton Brown)

1 whole chicken (broiler/fryer) cut into 8 pieces

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp Olive Oil

10 sprigs fresh thyme

40 peeled cloves of Garlic

Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 350° F

Season the chicken with salt & pepper

Toss with 2 Tbsp olive oil and brown on both sides in a frying pay on high heat.

Place into a baking dish with oil, thyme & garlic

Cover and bake for 1 1/2 hrs

The chicken is delicious. What made it perfect was the garlic toast that accompanied it.

I toasted two slices of whole grain bread, smeared it with the garlic that had cooked with the chicken, and then sprinkled it with a bit of Parmesan.

Jos - you are a genius.

Don't get bored with your food

Avoid Sugar.

JamiK

A Clean Conscience

How many times in my life have I experienced food guilt? There are probably not enough fingers and toes in the state of Iowa to count.

When I was a teenager, I was a dedicated dancer at my ballet school. I danced as a student for eight to ten hours per week, taught pre-ballet and fundamentals classes for eight to ten hours per week, and during performance seasons, I rehearsed for eight to ten hours per week. Despite this, I constantly struggled to manage my weight, developed allergies, and fought strep throat on a regular basis. I told myself that it was just my body type, I had a sluggish thyroid, I wasn't meant to be a ballerina. . . . . . . but I knew, deep down that I was lying to myself.

You see, just a block away from the ballet school was the candy store - a daily stop on my way to class, or after rehearsal, or between dancing and teaching. Gummy bears, fruit slices, strawberry Cokes, and chocolate milkshakes were my particular weaknesses. They also made a killer grilled cheese sandwich - processed cheese product on white bread. Guilt, guilt, guilt. These things do not make up the diet of champions; or prima ballerinas for that matter.

In college, it was doughnuts, iced sugary coffee drinks and the vending machine. Guilt, guilt, guilt. Post college, it was fruity drinks and lemon drops, coffee loaded with sugar and flavored creamer, and lots of soda. Guilt, guilt, guilt, and more guilt.

What gets me the most about my guilt years, is that there was no ignorance involved. It's not as if I didn't know everything I ate was loaded with sugar. It's not as if I was under the impression that these 'foods' were healthy and/or good for me. I just wanted to pretend that eating and drinking the white death was OK, and that there must be something else that was to blame for my deteriorating health and constant weight gain.

Well, it's taken me nearly 20 years to get from one end of a sugar addiction to the other. I won't pretend for a minute that I'm 'cured'. I still crave sweets. . . . but I no longer lie to myself and say that it's not the sugar that affects my health and weight. I don't find myself looking around to see who is watching when I eat. My conscience is clean - the food guilt is gone.

My new favorite night of the week is Tuesday night - I watch my favorite TV shows, and enjoy homemade chocolate ice cream sans guilt.

JamiK's Chocolate Ice Cream
(adapted from MomK's ice cream recipe which I found too icy and not enough creamy)
Blend:
1 quart half & half
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup of local honey
2 heaping tablespoons of cocoa

Pour it into an ice cream maker and churn away. Every machine is different. . . . . about 40 minutes gets me soft serve quality ice cream. I usually put it in the freezer for another half hour to make it a bit more frozen. Enjoy!

Keep your conscience clean,
Avoid Sugar!

JamiK

Common Sense Vs. 'The Idiot'

Yes. . . . . that would be me - The Idiot.

Let me explain . . . . no, there is too much. Let me sum up. My mother and my chiropractor have the same irritating habit of always being right. I could present you with a cornucopia of examples, but for the sake of brevity, I shall stick to the two that are currently relevant to my healthy lifestyle.

Example 1: MomK tells me I should give up sugar if I want to achieve the weight loss I've been wishing for since I was 16. Do I follow that advice? Well . . . not for a year and a half after she starts telling me. Even in the face of her amazing success with the GREED-free lifestyle I think that somehow it just 'isn't for me'. Now. . . . as I look back at my own success (not just with weight loss but with the Total Health Makeover I experienced as a result of choosing to live GREED-free) I realize that I should probably just throw in the towel and follow her lead regardless of whether or not I think she's crazy. She's pretty much always right.

Example 2: DrK knows that I detest exercise. But, as it is his responsibility to look out for my health, he frequently tells me that the condition of my hip and back would improve much more quickly if I would just walk (And the man doesn't give up . . . . he's been telling me for four years now). No need to run, climb stairs, or lift weights, just walk. Do I listen? Well . . . . no . . . . not until I started dog sitting a couple of months ago.

Honey is my new room mate. She is a 9-year old shepherd mix that walks me around the neighborhood several times per day. It took me about 3 days to get used to walking; my shins and calves were not thrilled with me at the outset of this change to my daily routine. However, by the end of week one, I realized that the usual aches and pains that I notice were all but gone!

Six weeks into walking the dog, I went to see DrK for my usual Thursday adjustment, and the thermal scan revealed NOTHING wrong my spine, and therefore NO need for an adjustment. I don't usually have a good grip on slang or pop-cultural vernacular, but I believe the present-day term for this sort of occasion would be 'WOOT WOOT!'.

Soooo . . . . . This week's advice is: Don't ignore common sense!

Healthy living is not rocket science. Have you ever noticed that every day in this country brings us another report or study on health, nutrition, weight loss, exercise, or medicine? Despite all the 'knowledge' we are developing; as a society, we are growing fatter, weaker, and sicker and we lean more and more towards dependence on drugs and surgery just to stay functional? There is something wrong with this situation.

Don’t ignore common sense!
Avoid Sugar.

JamiK