Who Doesn't Like Options?

When I was a kid, I loved going to Sizzler's. The salad bar was an awe inspiring thing to my young palate. Sure, it was mostly vegetables, but there were so many choices. And who doesn't like having options? We decided to employ this tactic on our kids at home. Normally, salad for dinner was met with much protest. First of all, it was cold. And according to my kids, dinner should be warm. Secondly, it was just vegetables. Vegetables, they informed me, do not fill your belly adequately. And, most importantly, it tasted yucky. But, what would happen if we laid out all the ingredients in separate bowls and let them make their own salad? What if we presented it as a "dinner factory" where they constructed their dinner piece meal? Could we make it delicious by simply keeping everything separate?

The quick answer: Yes. Absolutely. The kids are happy because they get to make their own meal. I am happy because they are eating fresh, crunchy vegetables. It takes no time to throw together and even less time to clean up. And, it turns out it works on grown ups too. I love it!!

And One Dip to Rule Them All

I love fresh veggies, but I need something to dip them in. I have a hard time choking them down "dry." Salads need dressing and carrots need Ranch. It's just a fact. Luckily for me, hummus is both clean and delicious. And really, really easy to make.

I will tell you what I did, but I'm sure it's totally wrong. Please don't judge me. Consider these the desperate actions of a hungry woman. It was a hummus emergency!!

Step 1: Gather the ingredients
2 cans garbanzo beans (I know, I know. I said no cans, but these are soooo clean. The ingredients are organic garbanzo beans, water and seaweed. And they are in BPA free cans. I consider these pretty dang unprocessed)
Juice from 1 lime (more if you like)
1 tbsp sunflower butter (it called for Tahini, but Natty has a slight sesame seed sensitivity, so we used this instead. And yes, it came out of a jar. But the only ingredient was sunflower seed. Cut me some slack, people!)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
garlic to taste
water (as needed for consistency)



Step 2: Puree it all together

Step 3: Eat!

In Search of the Perfect Fry

It seems like french fries should be super easy to make at home, right? That's what I thought. Cut potatoes. Fry potatoes. Salt potatoes. Easy enough. But every time I've tried, all I've gotten is a plate of greasy, mushy potato sticks. Even my kids wouldn't eat them.

That is, until I discovered this article. Now my french fries are pretty dang close to perfect every time. Cooked all the way through with just the right crunch. There is a lot of deep doctrine in the article, but the thing that has truly saved me is the parboil. Not just any parboil though. A lime water parboil. For some super science-y reason involving the starches in potatoes, the slightly acidic parboiling helps cook the potato through without any mush. It's pretty much witch craft. Delicious, salty, indulgent witch craft. Read the article and then give it a try. You'll thank me.

Red Robin (Yummmm)

Today the kids and I were craving restaurant food for lunch, so I set out to recreate the Guacamole Burger from Red Robin. Maybe it's because the overall flavor in my diet has been turned down about five notches since going clean, but what we created tasted so incredibly good that the kids immediately requested it again for dinner.

Ingredients:
1 tomato (seeded and diced)
2 avocados (diced)
1 red onion (cut 1/2 into rings and dice the other 1/2)
1 lime
hamburger
lettuce
salt/pepper

First off, take your onion rings and let them grill up while you assemble your guac.

For the guacamole, combine the avocado, tomato & 1/2 diced onion. Add the juice from your lime. Salt and pepper to taste.

Form patties with your hamburger and season (we used kosher salt, pepper and Italian seasoning). Grill.

Now assemble the deliciousness. Plop your patty, grilled onions and a healthy glob of guacamole onto your lettuce and wrap.

That's it! You'll have lunch ready to go in less time than I can say, "Welcome to Red Robin! How many in your party?"

We're Going Nuts Over Here!!!

So it's day three of our unprocessed journey and we are all still alive. I've found the meals to be easier to convert than the snacks. And it's the snacks I'm really missing. Dr. Beth suggested nuts as a between-meals-go-to food. Would you believe that almost every roasted nut is cooked in "peanut and/or safflower oil." Man, I hate that "and/or." Which one is it? And or or? Peanut oil will leave me curled up in a ball with a killer migraine, but safflower oil will create a yummy treat. I guess I could eat my cashews raw, but that's just boring. Might as well chew on yet another carrot stick. Let's be honest, we're all eating our almonds for their salty, satisfying roast. What's a sensitive gal like me to do? Well, make my own, of course.

Roasting your own almonds/cashews/nut of your choice is really quick and simple. I can't believe I didn't whip some up on day one!

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

While that's warming up, gather a couple cups of nuts, a few tablespoons of oil and whatever seasonings you desire. I used 1 cup of cashews, 1 tbsp of olive oil, and a generous dusting of kosher salt.


Pour all your ingredients into a container with a lid, or a zip lock bag and toss. I used my trusty old white rubbermaid bowl & lid. It's ugly as sin, but it's the right size for mixing and I love it. Shake it up until your nuts are evenly coated.

Spread your nuts out in a single layer on a cooking sheet. Place in oven for 5-10 minutes. Check every few minutes and shake them around once or twice for good measure.

Remove when they are starting to brown and smell like delicious toasty nuts. You don't want to over cook, because they'll continue to toast even after you remove them from the oven.Extreme Makeover: Cashew Edition. Raw cashew (left) & roasted cashew (right)

So, say you're like me and you've got a sweet tooth clamoring for attention. How 'bout some honey roasted nuts, then?

Keep your oven preheated to 350 degrees. Gather another cup of nuts, 1 tbsp. pure maple syrup, a couple tbsp of honey (how much is up to you. Do you want them slightly sweetened or covered in a sticky, gooey mess? I went with the latter) and a little salt. Mix them up the same way as the roasted nuts above. Spread them out in a single layer on your cookie sheet. Roast for 5-10 minutes, checking every few minutes and shaking once or twice. Remove once they start to brown.

Voila! Snack time!!!

How We Got Here

This is my family. I am a stay at home mom with one son and two daughters (they are ten, six and one year old). My husband works from home, doing all manner of computer generated magic. We love food. We use food for everything--celebrations, consolations, victories, defeats, relaxation, stimulation...that is, until recently.

This is my daughter. Last November, she got really, really sick. She was constantly fatigued, had headaches and digestive issues, and horrible eczema. The eczema was the worst. It covered her arms and legs and chunks of her torso. It also snaked around her right eyelid, causing her eye to swell shut from time to time. She would scratch at it so fiercely in her sleep that her sheets would be crusted with blood in the morning. We took her to see a few different doctors and each sent us away with the same instructions: "Take [insert allergy medication of the dr's choice] once a day (usually Clariten or Zyrtec), and apply [insert steroid cream of choice] as needed. Otherwise, just be patient and hope she grows out of it. There's really nothing we can do for her." Well, the allergy meds did nothing but exaggerate her fatigue, and while the steroid creams would calm a flare up, they also thinned her skin, leaving it papery thin and brittle. We were frustrated. We didn't want to treat her symptoms. We wanted to make her better. But how?

Enter Dr. Beth Falanga. Out of shear desperation, we turned to alternative medicine. Dr. Beth was amazing. She sat with Natty (our daughter) for a whole hour, talking about her symptoms, habits, dreams, fears and favorite cartoons. After which she spit out a sentence that would forever change this foodie's life: "We need to do some blood work, but I think she has food sensitivities."

Ack! What?!? Food is making her sick? My mind was reeling. As much as we loved food, we also loved being healthy. We ate lots of whole grains, dairy, a decent amount of produce. It's not like she was living off a steady diet of twinkies and ho-hos. Alas, the blood tests came back and confirmed Dr. Beth's hunch. Natty had food sensitivities, emphasis on the "-ies." In order to clear up all her symptoms, we needed to cut out dairy, eggs, wheat, corn, soy, rice, sugar, barley, citrus, coconut and peanuts. Her diet, in essence, needed to be nearly-everything-free.

And that's how we got here. We tried reading labels, but there is just so much hidden in even the most banal, harmless food. What exactly is "natural flavoring" or "caramel coloring?" Is it wheat, corn, soy, rice or peanut based? And, just for the record, corn is in everything. Whether it's listed as corn, dextrose, baking powder or vinegar---it's still corn. So, for the sake of our sanity and health, we have decided to go completely, 100% unprocessed. In the words of Jack Lalanne, "if man made it, don't eat it." No bags, jars or cans for us. What does that mean exactly? Well, I don't know yet. But, you're welcomed to come with me on my 30 day journey into the world of completely homemade meals. Who knows, maybe we will find something yummy!!