Soup Recipes

I hope you're in the mood for soup because here are some more recipes for you to try out.

Lentil Soup Recipe  Don't know what to do with lentils? Here is a great recipe for Lentil Soup on my recipe blog.

Fresh Asparagus Soup   This may not sound like anything you've ever considered making, but give this recipe a shot and taste what you've been missing!

Replacing Unhealthy Food With Better Choices

 It's time to clean out your pantry and refrigerator!  You will be alarmed at how much you may throw out as you go by the list of "5 Ingredients to Avoid" but don't be dismayed! There are many things you can replace with better alternatives, and I have listed a few tips and brands below to save you time and perhaps money.

RICE – Out with the white, in with the brown!  Brown rice has much more flavor if you cook it in chicken or beef broth (depending what meat you serve with it or which ever is your favorite).  Also, most packages’ cooking times are incorrect as it takes nearly an hour to cook fully and absorb all the water.  Trader Joes has a Brown Rice Medley I like (and my kids like!) that is brown rice, barley, and radish seeds, and I cook it in chicken broth.  Most grocery stores carry brown rice.  I like brown Basmati.

PEANUT BUTTER – most are full of trans fat and other garbage.  I recommend the no stir Mara Natha brand, and I stock up when it goes on sale at Fred Meyer. One draw back is it’s hard to spread because it’s refrigerated – I leave a few scoops on my bread to sit a few minutes before spreading.  Fred Meyer also has a fresh peanut butter machine (and almond butter) that’s significantly cheaper and all you do is push the button and fill up a container.  I mostly use it for recipes (cookies, or Thai sauce, etc) though it’s fine on sandwiches if you don’t mind it has no salt and not as smooth a texture (you can easily add salt if you miss it!).  I refrigerate it though it doesn’t say to, and it’s easier to spread because the oils are freshly pressed.  Also, Costco carries Mara Natha Almond butter but not peanut butter.  There are many different nut butters out there and I recommend trying a variety until you find what you like. 

MACARONI AND CHEESE – It’s the fake cheese packets that ruin it more than the refined pasta.  Skip the Kraft and knock-off brands for Annie’s.  She has a regular ‘natural’ line and organic line and whole wheat pasta which goes on sale a lot at Fred Meyer.  The natural line uses some organic ingredients but not all.  Costco carries the regular Annie’s Macaroni though she has many varieties in stores.  It may take a couple times getting used to it if you’re a regular macaroni cooker, but we prefer it to other brands. 

CRACKERS – Kudos to Annie’s again.  She has bunnies in all different flavors (honey, chocolate, chocolate chip, cheddar), whether in a box or individual packets like Costco carries in a variety pack.  Also, I just purchased her latest cracker which is shaped saltine crackers and my kids love them (we overdosed on the bunnies, thanks Costco!).  I am still hunting for a good replacement to Club’s whole grain crackers I can’t replace as many ‘healthy’ ones I’ve tried are like eating chalky dirt.

YOGURT – The best is homemade, though it’s a bit adventurous.  My mom gave out a recipe I will link to this soon for those who want to try it.  For the rest of us, there are a few good store-bought varieties.  I don’t remember them all but will give you my favorite.  Top Food carries the best, it’s Greek Gods Yogurt in a Honey or strawberry flavor, not reduced fat.  They don’t always have it in stock because it’s so good.  Fred Meyer carries a few (Organic Fridge: Nancy’s and Stonyfield, with other yogurt: Mountain High I think), but find the whole milk kind, or ones that don’t say reduced fat.  They are all in the big cartons, not individual.  Top Foods carries some individual servings but they get pretty pricey. You can always go with plain and add your own fruit to sweeten them. 

BREAD – Who doesn’t love how soft white bread it, and how sweet it can taste?!  This is a hard one to give up.  But you need to.  Try different varieties to see what you like.  There isn’t a perfect replacement for this one as most brands have a healthy bread that still doesn’t have everything right.  The two biggest problems are the carb count and trans fat, besides the obvious flour ingredient.  Choose something that’s either whole wheat or better yet whole or multi grain, doesn’t have trans fat or canola oil, and has a low carb count.  Remember, each gram of fiber cancels out a gram of carbs, and usually it’s only one slice of bread that is the serving size.  A replacement we use but is still not the perfect choice (as it has a small amount of soybean oil) is OroWeat’s Sandwich Thins.  They have a few varieties but I recommend the multi grain or the White Whole grain.  We’ve used them for sandwiches, toast, and even hamburger buns (that’s what they’re next to at the grocery store), though for hamburgers your patties need to be thinner since the bread is thin.  They have a very low carb count and are becoming very popular.  Costco carries the Whole Wheat variety I believe, though Fred Meyer and Top Foods have good sales on them so I stock up and freeze them for later.  I also like Thomas Bagels - they have little mini whole wheat or cinnamon raisin that are pretty good, and I like the organic cream cheese (in the organic fridge) that goes on sale occasionally.

SALAD DRESSING – Most are not good for you so it’s best to make your own.  Eventually I will post some recipes here.  I just came across a great brand at Top Food in the refrigerator produce section called Bolt House Farms.  They have a variety of fresh dressings (I’ve tried both the Raspberry and Mango and they are delish!  They have around 8 flavors I will eventually try). But be careful because fresh dressings do not have a long shelf life, so use it up fast.  I find I don’t even use as much as the serving size recommends, so even less carbs there!  (For either of those two flavors I toss it with salad greens, fresh berries, and chopped pecans.  Even my super picky 5 year old who doesn’t eat salad tried it and wanted more!) 

BEEF BROTH or CHICKEN BROTH – It’s best to make your own, or else buy organic, and read the ingredients to see if they use actual vegetables or just powders.  I used to use Swanson but it has MSG and powdered seasoning.  Organic broths go on sale a lot at Fred Meyer, though unfortunately I think they still have canola oil.  Costco carries the big boxes of them I use for soup.

MEAT – More to come on this subject… Grass fed beef is hard to find, even if you find organic.  PCC and Whole Foods are your best sources as Freddies and Top Food do not carry them.  Costco carries organic ground beef for the best price of $4.33 a lb (comes in a 3 lbs pack for $12.99) and organic chicken breasts for either $4.99 or $5.49, I can't remember, which is a great deal since it’s hard to find it under $7.00.  When shopping for bacon, make sure it says “nitrate free,” which also can be found at PCC and Whole Foods. 

SALSA – Emerald Valley has the closest to homemade taste and we LOVE it.  It goes on a sale a lot and has a short shelf life since it’s fresh.  They have the best hummus too – I never liked hummus until I tried their original flavor and it tastes like bean dip (which they also have) and even my baby likes to eat it!  They are found in the organic refrigerator section at Fred Meyer.  I prefer Mild salsa, but they have medium and hot, and Costco carries a big tub of Medium (it’s like medium plus to me – too hot!).  Freddies also carries a fresh Pico De Gallo I believe it’s called, on an end cap in the produce section (not organic) and that stuff is DIVINE.  It makes the taco salad!

DAIRY AND EGGS - More to come here as well.  I prefer Organic Horizon Whole Milk (it has a red carton and is almost always on sale) and Chino Valley Ranchers organic brown free range eggs, which is also on sale frequently, for less than $4.00. 

Good luck as you experiment with different brands and get used to reading labels.  It's best to leave the kids at home as you get your feet wet during your adventurous shopping experience.  I rarely venture outside of the right side of Freddies between the organic produce and refrigerator section.  I hope you stick to that area too!

Most Controversial Food Additive in History

YOU MEAN THE FDA ALLOWS US TO CONSUME A BIOCHEMICAL WARFARE AGENT?!
The old NutraSweet and currently named Aspartame are now updating their tainted name to something more healthy sounding, "Amino Sweet," in hopes to deceive the consumer.
Here is a great link at one of the current changes in marketing sugar alternatives.  This just solidifies why is it so important to stick to the basics of the food mother earth provides us.  It is amazing what a little power can do that impacts everyone (since we all eat) and we are so unaware of how damaging it is!  There is a lot of deception in the food world (and/or FDA) as our health is not necessarily their top priority.  Please take a look and see also near the bottom where he talks more about good sugar and bad sugar. 

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/02/old-monsanto-food-toxin-disguised-under-new-name.aspx