Recipes

Spring Salad

April 2, 2013 by Betty

Spring is in the air! And that means fresh vegetables and fruits, two of our family’s favorites. A great way to kick out the winter and kick start spring is to create a Spring Salad, packed with flavors and a spring fresh punch. I recently saw this version of spring salad over at Ruth Simon’s GraceLaced which incorporated asparagus and strawberries. I couldn’t wait to give it a try. And since then, this easy salad’s been our latest favorite.

organic spring mix
organic baby spinach
fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
trimmed fresh asparagus, steamed until tender but crisp (about 8-10 minutes), then sliced diagonally
red onions, thinly sliced
cucumbers, thinly sliced
crumbled feta cheese
sliced almonds
Raspberry Vinaigrette, Balsamic Vinegar + Oil, Ken’s Lite Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette or my favorite Organic White Balsamic Citrus Basil

Toss altogether. Enjoy!

Filed Under: Recipes, Uncategorized

Double Blueberry Banana Pancakes

March 19, 2013 by Betty

“Mmmm, yummy! Can we have it again tomorrow?” This was the resounding comment that I got from our kids for our Double Blueberry Banana Pancakes. Recently I’ve come across a few different versions of pancake with bananas and eggs. The first recipe I tried asked for one egg per banana. That’s simple enough I thought, but my hubby thought the banana was too overwhelming for him. So together we came up with our own version of banana pancakes. Now everyone’s happy and this is definitely one breakfast that’s kids loved and mom approved! Besides, everybody pitched in to cook breakfast. This is an easy recipe for young children to take part in the cooking process.

Ingredients:

4 ripe bananas

8 eggs

1/3-cup size measuring cup

2/3 cups Trader Joes multigrain pancake mix (our favorite multigrain pancake mix)

Fresh blueberries

Fresh strawberries

½ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

Have one child smash the bananas.
Another child beats the eggs.
In the meantime, someone else can wash the strawberries and blueberries. Then we have all three of our kiddos sliced the strawberries using butter knives (most of the strawberries did not turn out into slices, but that’s okay, we all enjoyed some yummy odd-shaped strawberries).
Preheat griddle to 225 degrees F. (in frying pan over medium heat if you don’t have a griddle)
Now mix together the mashed bananas, eggs, a handful of fresh or frozen blueberries, pancake mix and vanilla extract. The batter will be slightly lumpy.
Using a 1/3-cup scoop, pour batter onto a lightly oiled griddle, (we used coconut oil) and cook pancakes until golden brown, about 6 ½ minutes. Then flip pancakes and again cook this side until golden brown, about 4 ½ minutes. Note that the second side required less time to cook than the first.

Serve hot drizzled with raw honey or maple syrup and even some butter if you prefer; Ours were simply topped with fresh blueberries and strawberries. We gobbled up those pancakes in no time!

Yield: 17 pancakes

For a family of 5, we had 3 pancakes left after breakfast and the kiddos ate it for their afternoon snack.

Bon appetit!

Filed Under: Main Dishes Tagged With: blueberries, blueberry, eggs, healthy breakfast, healthy pancakes, pancakes, strawberries, strawberry

Hidden Pollutants Inside Your Home

February 27, 2013 by Betty

“AHHH…For Real…Are you kidding me?” “I’m shock.” “I can not believe this.” “Is this a propaganda?” These and many other terms were going through my mind as I was researching on the toxins and pollutants in a typical home. Can you believe that? I would never believe that my home is a toxic place. If there’s a safe place, it’s my home. A place where I can relax, feel safe, and raise my kids. I am a stay-at-home-mom and I homeschool my kids, so we spend the majority of our time indoors. Not to mention, we live in Oregon where it rains 9 months out of the year, so that does not help either. I am totally bummed and scared about it!

My Findings:
Researchers suggest that indoor air is five times more polluted than outdoor air. In fact, they also suspect that indoor pollution is partly to blame for the rise in asthma, allergies, headaches and respiratory diseases to name a few.

Toxins are lurking around in even seemingly clean houses. I recently learned that indoor pollution can be caused by the furniture made with pressed wood products which gives off formaldehyde from the gluing process. Then there’s also VOC’s in carpets and paint. The list goes on.

How about the cleaning products and air fresheners that you use in your home? Air fresheners contain high levels of chemicals that can accumulate in your lungs. Cleaning products also give off chemicals that are labeled as carcinogenic air pollutants by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

There is Hope:

After reading about all the toxins, I came across an article by Dr. Mercola that gave me tips on how to improve the air quality in my home. Here are his recommendations:

1. Increase ventilation by opening a few windows every day for 5 to 10 minutes, preferably on opposite sides of the house.

2. Get some houseplants. Even NASA has found that plants markedly improve the air! Click here for the 10 best pollution-busting houseplants.

3. Take your shoes off as soon as you enter the house, and leave them by the door to prevent tracking in of toxic particles.

4. Discourage tobacco smoking in or around your home.

5. Switch to non-toxic cleaning products (such as baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and vinegar) and safer personal care products. Avoid aerosols. Look for VOC-free cleaners. Avoid commercial air fresheners and scented candles, which can degass literally thousands of different chemicals into your breathing space.

6. Don’t hang dry cleaned clothing in your closet immediately. Hang them outside for a day or two. Better yet, see if there’s an eco-friendly dry cleaner in your city that uses some of the newer dry cleaning technologies, such as liquid CO₂.

7. Vacuum and shampoo/mop carpets, rugs, and floors regularly. Every time a person walks across the floor, a whirlwind of irritants is stirred up.

8. Upgrade your furnace filters. Today, there are more elaborate filters that trap more of the particulates. Have your furnace and air conditioning ductwork and chimney cleaned regularly.

9. Avoid storing paints, adhesives, solvents, and other harsh chemicals in your house or in an attached garage.

10. Avoid using nonstick cookware. I now carry my favorite alternative, ceramic cookware, in my store.

11. Ensure your combustion appliances are properly vented.

12. When building or remodeling, opt for safer and more eco-friendly materials. VOC-free paints are becoming easier to find.

13. Opt for sustainable hardwood flooring instead of carpet. Carpet traps a multitude of particles such as pet dander, heavy metals, and all sorts of allergens. If you choose to install carpet, look for one labeled “VOC-free” to avoid toxic outgassing.

14. Make sure your house has proper drainage and its foundation is sealed properly.

15. The same principles apply to ventilation inside your car—especially if your car is new—and chemicals from plastics, solvents, carpet and audio equipment add to the toxic mix in your car’s cabin. That “new car smell” can contain up to 35 times the health limit for VOCs, “making its enjoyment akin to glue-sniffing,” as this article reports.

By no means is this an all-inclusive article on the toxins and pollutants in your home. I hope this gives you the curiosity to find out more and spur you on to making your home a better place. A place where you can feel and breathe safely.

A Healthy Snack with Honey and Almond Butter

February 6, 2013 by Betty

After coming home from Sunday School one Sunday, my kids told us that John the Baptist ate grasshoppers dipped in raw honey. I then asked them if they would try it if I served up some grasshoppers. I got three different responses. Mei Mei said, “For real?” Buddy answered, “I would try it.” And Chico, being the wisest, shook his head and said no. It was interesting that all three of them had a different answer.

I thought I’ll just stick with something that everyone would enjoy. So in honor of John the Baptist, I offered my kiddos toasted multigrain English muffins smeared with almond butter and raw honey for breakfast. It was so good that they asked for seconds!

How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Psalm 119:103 (NIV)

On a side note, did you know that honey is double the sweetness of sugar? And nutrition wise, honey’s also superior to sugar. We hope you’ll enjoy this healthy little treat!

Note: My raw honey was solid even though I stored it in the cupboard: I warmed it up in a small pot using the lowest heat setting. You can also microwave it for a few seconds.

What are some healthy honey snack ideas do you have? Please share with us in the comments.

Filed Under: Healthy Snacks Tagged With: English muffins, honey, John the Baptist, raw honey

Chinese Pork and Chive Dumpling Recipe

January 30, 2013 by Betty

I love Chinese dumplings. In fact, one of the things that I look forward to whenever I visit San Francisco is devouring some of the yummiest Chinese dumplings. To help us celebrate Chinese New Year, I decided to give it a shot at making my own dumplings. This is called jiaozi in Chinese. This is a real easy recipe and the clan rolled up their sleeves and got involved. They even turned some into playdough, but that’s another story.

We made two batches: one with unbleached white flour and the other with half whole wheat and half white. My kids loved both. For the mixed flour batch, see notes below. Here’s what we did for the white flour ones:

Ingredients: (for the filling)

1/2 pound ground pork
1 cup of chopped Chinese chives (also known as garlic chives or Chinese leeks)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon rice wine
A few dashes of white pepper powder
5 drops of sesame oil

For the skin:

2 cups unbleached white flour
1/2 cups water

Instructions:

Mix the flour with water and knead it for about 20-25 minutes or until the dough gets soft. Separate the dough into two equal portions and roll them into cylinders (about 1 inch in diameter). Cover them with wet towel and set aside.

Prepare the chives by chopping off the root (white part) of the chives. Use only the green part. Chop chives into small sections. Mix the chives with ground pork and add all the seasonings. Chill in fridge for 30 minutes or more.

To prepare the skin, cut the dough into 1/8 to 1/4 in. length. (closer to 1/8 if you prefer thinner skin)On a floured surface, using a rolling pin, flatten the dough until it becomes a round skin about 3 inch in diameter.

Put about 1 Tbsp of filling into the center of the skin and seal it up tightly with your fingers. Seal skin with water if needed.

Heat up a pot of water on high until it boils. Drop the dumplings into the boiling water and bring water back to a boil.

Cover the pot and turn heat to medium for about 5 minutes.

When dumplings are done, scoop them out on a serving plate. Serve hot with Homemade Ponzo Sauce or Orange-Ginger Dipping Sauce or your favorite vinegar-based dipping sauce.

Enjoy!

Notes: For one cup of white and one cup of whole wheat flour, I used 1/2 cup water plus 2 Tbsp more. The rest of the instructions are the same as above. Dumplings could be made ahead for freezing. I freezed a batch on my cookie sheet then stored in ziplock bags once they are frozen. Cooking time is slightly longer for frozen ones.