October Unprocessed Month!

        A year and a half after the decision to switch the way we eat, we have found ourselves not sticking to the path. We have learned a lot and changed a lot of our eating habits. It is a very rare day to find HFCS in our home. But that doesn't mean we don't eat fast food once in a while and slip up.

        While cruzing the wide web this morning, I came upon this website called Eating Rules (http://www.eatingrules.com/).  Every October they do a pledge to not eat processed food. We attempted to do it last year, but you know how life gets. :) But this morning it was like an aha!! moment! It was the answer I have been looking for these past couple months! What a great way to get back into our lifestyle change.

        So as I sit drinking my coffee this morning, I have started to plan my month. One major change I plan on doing is shopping weekly. Only being aloud to spend a certain amount of money each week will help with making the right food choices and portion control. The next thing I have to do is make up menus. Probably my most dreaded thought of the morning. Why? I dont know. It hurts my brain to wrap around the idea that we will have a week of planned meals. I'm very much the kind of cook to start with a base idea and develop my dish as i am cooking it. Oh Joy! :P

        In the same breath, I have been hoping to start updating my Blog more. I have even gone so far as making up blog lists and trying to remember to write down my recipes. But along with this pledge to not eat processed foods this month, I also want to make a pledge to update this blog every week this month on our progress.

        Back to the Unprocessed month. We have a few weaknesses.... So for at least the beginning of the month, we are allowing creamer, sour cream and probably sliced bread. (the bread will be the best 'cleanest' bread we can find.) I'm still working on my menu for this week but i'm hoping to post it later this week before the First!

        So here it goes! Another beginning to the rest of our lifes! :D And I leave you with a pretty interesting picture i came upon.
Tara

Pepperoni Rolls

Yesterday, for the 3rd or 4th year, I made dinner for a best friends birthday. It started out making her a bean dip that my mom and I had been making for years. In the short 6 years we have been friends that recipe has changed and grew and became a must for holidays and get togethers! This year, I decide to switch it up a little and for-go the dip for Pepperoni Rolls! These are also something I have been working on making my own.

My dad will send me packages in the mail for my birthday or Christmas and they always have a bag of rolls. Sometimes it's a total score, like the spendy bigger rolls filled with Cheese and pepperoni dripping out the side. But other times, it can be a let down. Like cheap dough and a stick of pepperoni. This got my brain working on getting it right every time! I've gone through numerous bread, pizza dough and general dough recipes along with different kinds of cheese and pep. I think I have finally found a winner! And the big secret... I didnt use pepperoni at all! Boom! :) 

I made these ones with Beer Sausage and Smoked Provolone from a local sausage company. And some Creamy havarti I found on sale at the store. The general rule I have found is you need a meat that doesnt have very much grease and a cheese that has a nice melting point. I really do hope you make them! And after you get a hang of the concept, Get Creative and find what works for you!! 

**I actually used a dough recipe from http://www.alexandracooks.com/ It's a great easy recipe! 

     http://www.alexandracooks.com/2012/11/07/my-mothers-peasant-bread-the-best-easiest-bread-you-will-ever-make/

Beer Sausage and Provolone "Pepperoni" Rolls

1 recipe bread dough or pizza dough proofed and ready to use
2 good quality Beer Sausage (from your local sausage company)
1 and 1/2 C cubed Havarti and Provolone 
Butter to grease pan and to spread over the rolls after baking

Preheat your oven to 400 Degrees and grease a baking sheet covered in foil (for easy clean up)

Cube your cheese and dice your sausage into about 1/2 dice/cube mix together so they are distributed evenly. 

Dust your work surface with flour and tear off  a ball of dough. You want its size to be somewhere between a golf ball and a baseball. Roll the dough into a ball and with your thumb make an indent in the center. You don't want to go to deep or else the dough will tear. Fill the indent with your cheese and sausage mixture. Close up the roll by pulling up the sides to the middle and pinching them together. 

Place finished rolls on your greased baking pan and let sit until you have rolled them all out. This recipe should make between 15 and 20 depending on the size you make them. Cover with a towel and let sit for 15 minutes. 

Remove towel and place in preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. They should be golden brown on top and crisp! And VERY HOT! Also, some cheese will leak out the bottom, but hey, that's why we lined our pan with foil! ;) 

Finally, brush the rolls with butter while hot and let them cool before you dive in. I'd say about 20 minutes just to be safe!

Buffalo Chicken Salad

Mmm, Buffalo Chicken Salad. For when regular chicken salad just wont do! 

        On our journey to whole foods, I realized Rome couldn't be built in a day.  As much as I would love to cut out everything that has an ingredient label, I know that I wouldn't have made it this far if I went extreme so fast. I spend a lot of time online researching and learning as much as I can about the food we believe to be good for us so when shopping day does come around I know what the really ugly products are and how to avoid them. I haven't learned how to make my own Mayo but I know when I buy it, there are certain ingredients to look for. You would be amazed how many of the big "trusted quality" brands are really the worst for us all.  

       For the sauce in this chicken salad, I used Mayonnaise, FRANK'S® REDHOT® and the yoke of some hard-boiled eggs. That's it! After you see how easy it really is, why would you want to buy pre-made ever again??! I also used Chicken Thighs because they tend to be more tender and not as dry. feel free to use breasts, or even a rotisserie chicken! (just as long as its fully cooked chicken! :D


Buffalo Sauce

• 1/3 cup FRANK'S® REDHOT®
• 1 cup Mayonnaise 
• 4 Hard Boiled egg yokes 

        All you have to do here is add to a bowl and stir until the yokes have broken down into little chunks.
        (Note* measurements are not set in stone. Some might like it spicier and some milder. play around with the quantities until you have found the right spice for you! :D) 


 Chicken Salad

• 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs, cooked and diced or shredded. 
• 2 ribs of celery, diced
• 1 Bell Pepper, diced
• 1 Apple, peeled and diced
• 4 green onions cut on the diagonal
• 5 hard boiled eggs chopped with 4 yokes removed for the sauce. 
• Salt and pepper to season after mixed. 

       Prep all your ingredients and combined in a medium salad bowl and stir to get everything mixed up.Add your sauce and mix thoroughly! We want sauce on every piece of everything! Mmm, Buffalo Chicken Salad! Sprinkle in some salt and pepper and season to taste. Refrigerate for an hour before serving to let the full flavor develop!  

       As with everything thing I make, if you don't have a specific ingredient I used, feel free to substitute. Nothing in this life is set in stone so why should the way we make salad be different?!

It's a Lifestyle Change, not a Diet.

        It has been a little more than 5 months since we decided to change our eating habits and I can't imagine it any other way. So much has been brought to my attention about the food we eat. From how it is grown, where it is grown or if it is even grown to begin with. I am still learning my way and at times find it a struggle to adapt to a whole new idea of eating. Reading labels, looking out for the organic choice, telling myself I can drop some extra cash on local, better cuts of meat... the list goes on! 

      My whole attitude about food has changed. I have been trying new recipes and new foods I find so that eating doesn't just turn into that boring same 7 dinners a week. I get bored of the same recipe quickly and find myself improving upon a former idea.  

        I wanted to start this blog as a reminder to myself that the small struggles are worth it in the end. I would like to document my journey so that 6 months from now if things start to get rocky, I can look back and remember what it is all about. I also want to share information I find and all that fun stuff too! 

With that said, I am going to end with a recipe for Bacon and Onion Meatballs I have been making! It's simple, easy to make and very flavorful! I will have to post a picture at a later date seeing as my last batch got eaten before a picture was even a thought! ;) 

Bacon and Onion Meatballs

 

1 Lb ground beef, more on the leaner side                                                     

3 Slices Thick cut bacon, chopped into small pieces 

2 smaller Garlic cloves, minced and mashed

1/4 C finely chopped onion

2 tsp each fresh chopped Rosemary and Oregano

( or 1 tsp each dried) 

1 pinch of salt 

1 Egg White 

 

1/4 C Rice vinegar to de-glaze pan

Pre-heat a larger frying pan or cast iron skillet to a medium heat.

First thing I do is place the bacon in the freezer so it can firm up for 10 minutes to make chopping easier! While that's doing its thing, start chopping up your garlic, onion and herbs. Place them in a mixing bowl along with the ground beef, a pinch of salt and 1 egg white. The bacon should be ready to chop. I cut it length wise 2 times and then make a really small dice! Add to the bowl. 

Now is the fun part! There really is no substitution for mixing up meatballs so go ahead and mix everything up with your hands until well combined without over mixing. 

I use an Ice Cream scoop to help keep the balls the same when shaping. As long as they are all about the same size, they should cook evenly.  Roll mixture into balls and place in pre-heated pan leaving enough space between balls so they have room to cook. 

Fry for 5-7 minutes, you should be able to see the meat cooked about half way up from the bottom. Flip over and continue cooking for 5 minutes. At this point, you can flip it on its sides to get it more browned. Otherwise, they are done. Remove from pan to plate and keep covered. Fry the rest of the meat balls the same way.

When your second batch is done, add all meatballs back to pan and pour in 1/4 cup Rice Vinegar ( to get all the yummy pieces that are left on the bottom of the pan.) This will bubble up, move the meatballs around the pan to get a nice coating on them! Remove from pan and serve! 

These are delicious on their own, but steamed rice or mashed potatoes would be wonderful also! Let your imagine run loose!