Cream and More Cream

If you’ve been following my blog for the past week you’ve probably read some of my previous posts regarding canned foods and the toxic preservatives that are added to nearly all of them. Here is a real quick recap on a few brands:

Canned Foods Without BPA:

Trader Joe’s: Corn, tomatoes, beans (except baked beans), tuna fish, anchovies, poultry, beef, coconut milk, fruit (except mandarins), and vegetables (except artichoke).

Hunt’s: Tomato products (only their plain tomatoes)

Amy’s: All tomato based soups and canned products (as of March 1st)

Canned Foods With BPA:

Eden Foods: canned tomato products (look for glass jars)

Trader Joe’s: All soups, chilis and stews, mandarin oranges, artichokes (buy ones in their glass jars), sardines, oysters, and organic baked beans.

These brands line their cans with BPA: Annie’s, Bionature, Brad’s, Muir Glen, and Westbrae.

Additional Information:

Whole Foods canned products: 27% do not contain BPA and %73 do- it is not clear which products they are.

Campbell Soups are planning to phase out of BPA lined cans, but a date or time frame was not released (they only said “soon”)

Nature’s One has no BPA-free canned products currently other than their powdered baby milk.

Muir Glen is only just starting to phase out BPA, and only their tomato products.

Buy products in glass jars whenever possible. Even plastic has BPA; #7 is the worst, #1 is the best. All plastic leaches chemical toxins.

I don’t know about you but I can live without canned products. And there are some brands out there that are safe from BPA, so it’s not like I have to give them up entirely. However, there are a few canned products that most people have come to rely pretty heavily on, including myself, and I’ve been wondering how will I continue to cook certain recipes without these canned products?

For example, condensed cream soups. I believe that these only come in the form of a can, yet I use them regularly. And what of cake frosting? True it does not come in an aluminum can, but these are full of additives and chemicals no less, and some of the packaging contains foil-like aluminum. And let’s not forget products that list “natural flavor” in the list of ingredients.

What are our alternatives? Well, as a matter of fact I happen to have some

Cream Soup Mix

This is an easy to make mix that is great to keep on hand. It’s a great substitute for canned cream soup in a recipe.

2 cups nonfat dry milk powder

3/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken bouillon granules

1 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/4 tsp. pepper

*In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Store in an airtight container.

*For a condensed cream soup substitute: Whisk 1/3 cup mix and 1-1/4 cups water in a small saucepan until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Cool. (This will substitute for one regular-sized Campbell’s condensed cream soup can.)

Cream Cheese Frosting

This is a great frosting that goes wonderful on all cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and sweet breads.

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 cups sifted confectioners sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

*In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the powdered sugar. Store in the refrigerator after use.

Make sure you check out Fantabulous Friday this week and see what great      St. Patrick’s Day dessert I made using this frosting recipe!

Meatless Mondays aren’t just a fad.

How many of you eat a whole chicken breast or steak weighing in at an average of 8 to 10 ounces per meal? I know I do. In fact, you probably don’t even realize how much meat you’re consuming per meal, but the suggested amount is only 4 ounces of lean meat. So let’s say you eat a burger for lunch. Unless it’s a small burger from McDonalds {yuck!}, it’s probably going to be between a quarter to half a pound. Then for dinner you prepare a meal that allows for each family member to have a full chicken breast of their own. That’s well over 4 ounces again. It way more meat than our bodies need daily.

For optimum health we need to get away from canned foods (especially those with BPA- but this toxin is found in a lot more things than just cans, it’s also in our plastic, for example); meat, eggs, and dairy products that contain hormones, among other things; breads and cereals that include disgusting ingredients such as L-cysteine.

This is not a complete list by any means, and it doesn’t even cover things like soaps, shampoos, dish washing liquids, etc. All those things can be and are absorbed into the skin (or eaten off of “clean” plates and forks) and are just as toxic, but we’ll have to get to that another day.

So, in order to actually afford eating better we need to be realistic and smarter about it. If we should only be eating 4 ounces of meat at a time then spending more money on grass-fed beef or organic meats is more possible. Plus, who says we have to eat meat at every meal? You can get just as much protein from beans, legumes and eggs.

That’s when I realized that I don’t have to search out a ton of new recipes (even though I will anyway just because I’m always looking for new recipes) but instead I just have to incorporate healthier ingredients into the recipes I already love Then it came to me- why am I not searching out more vegetarian meals?

And so Meatless Mondays on The Home Heart begins!

Now, I know this isn’t a new idea by any means, in fact it’s all over the blog world. But for us it is new, and not only that but I hope to plan out my future menus with more than just one vegetarian meal a week. I began this project by surveying my Facebook friends with the question, “What’s your favorite meatless meal?”

Here are some of the replies:

1. Vegetarian Moussaka

2. Eggplant Parmesan

3. Spinach Stuffed Manicotti

4. Linguine Frittata with Greens

5. Butternut Squash Risotto

6. Vegetable/Eggplant Lasagna

7. Black Bean Soup

I intend to try these, and any other awesome recipes that come my way, and feature them on Meatless Mondays. If you have a favorite vegetarian recipe that you’d like to share, please feel free to post it here or contact me through The Home Heart on Facebook. There is a link on the upper right side of this blog. I would love to see what great meatless meals you are all eating.

 

The Rating System

If you prepare a meal that no one liked you probably wouldn’t make it again, right? There are standby meals that we’ve made for years that are good, and at one time were favorites, but that gets stagnant fast when relying on the same things over and over again. One of the great things about blogging food is that I get to see what other bloggers are making for dinner, and then try them as well. My boys have really enjoyed eating all these new meals instead of the same old things. We decided we’d have a rating system to determine which of these were “keepers” and which were not. I’ve included any desserts and side dishes as well. Based on a 5 star rating, this is what we’ve come up with.

  Apple Butterscotch Cake

Baked Chimichangas

Butternut Squash Bake

Chicken Alfredo Sandwich

Chicken Rio

Chicken Spaetzle Soup

Chicken Tarragon

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Cinnamon Apple Tart

Chocolate Mousse Napoleons 

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

Luscious Tropical Dream Cake

Meatball Minestrone

Meatball Sub Cups

Potato Skins

Ratatouille

Rice & Beans

Romano-Crusted Chicken

Turkey Salisbury

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Ribbon Dessert

Cilantro Lime Rice

Corn & Wild Rice Muffins

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

Homemade Manicotti

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie

Saucy Joes

Tuscan Herb Salmon

Beef and Cheese Foldovers (These really were good but not fantabulous.)

Lemon Chicken Piccata (Too much lemon but lots of potential.)

Tag, You’re It!

Michael over at Have A Dream tagged me over the weekend. You can check out his great blog using the link and see how he answered the questions given to him. Ready for some fun?

The Rules:
You must post the rules.
Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and create eleven new questions to ask the people you have tagged.
Tag eleven people and link them to your post.
And, let them know you have tagged them.

Here are the answers to the questions I was set by Michael ……

1. What is your favorite pastime and why?

- Reading. It’s calm, solitary, and never lonely.

2. If your life was produced into a movie, who do you think could best act as you?

- That’s a tough one. I can’t think of anyone.

3. Which would you prefer as a pet – a dog or a cat, and why?

- I have one of each. I love my cat because he takes care of himself, but I love my dog because he always wants to be with me.

4. Please describe yourself in six words or less.

- Loyal, foodie, mother, wife, busy, tired

5. Assuming you are given a year’s paid leave, how would you like to spend it?

- Writing

6. If you have to watch a movie, thriller or drama?

- Drama. I’d rather cry than be scared.

7. If you have to engage in one of the two, which would you choose, jog or stroll?

- Stroll, definitely. I can’t jog or run at all.

8. Which would you choose, dream and wish or dream and work?

- Dream and work.

9. Love watching sunrise or sunset, why?

- Sunset. It’s beautiful.

10. Health or wealth?

- Health

11. If you are going on a solo sailing mission, name three things you want best to carry with you.

- GPS, gun, food

Now, here are my eleven questions for my chosen 11 ……

1. If  you could have been born during any other time, when would it be?

2. What are your five favorite CD’s?

3. What Muppet best describes you?

4. What is your favorite genre and medium?

5. If you could be an animal, which would you choose?

6. Who is your celebrity look-alike?

7. Describe yourself in six words or less.

8. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

9. Where is your favorite vacation spot?

10. If you were given a year off with pay, what would you do?

11. If you were on a deserted island, list three essentials you’d want to have with you.

 And now, I would like to tag ……………….

Tinkerbelle @ Laughter is Catching

 4 Little Fergusons

Sumptuous Spoonfuls

The Marathon Mom

The Kitchen Chaotic

Going Dutch

Happiness Stan Lives Here

Frugal Feeding

FitnessPhoenixx

Wartica

Pasta Princess

HAVE A GREAT, BLESSED DAY & HAVE FUN!

10 on 10: March 2012

Have you ever heard of 10 on 10? Many bloggers have been doing this and it has become quite the “thing” to do. I first read about 10 on 10 at another blog and have been intrigued by the idea for many months. Alas, January and February flew by without me being any the wiser that I had missed my opportunity. Then I decided not to wait for that perfect weekday 10. Instead I would grab this months 10th on the Saturday it landed on and post Monday. It worked out much better than I thought because weekdays can be so hurried and busy that I forget to carry my camera around all day (not an easy thing to remember to do.)

BTW, 10 photos and no comments is really hard to do, so I give you 10 collages. Yes, I know it’s cheating. My blog, my rules.

Without further ado, my first ever 10 on 10…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Luscious Tropical Dream Cake

Welcome back to Fantabulous Friday where a fabulous dessert is featured each week. 

This week the recipe came via (and adapted from) the Kraft Food & Family magazine. The original recipe is here but I will post it the way I made it.

Luscious Tropical Dream Cake

1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple, reserve juice

1 pkg. (2 layer size) yellow cake mix (I used a butter cake mix)

1 pkg. (3.4 oz) Jello instant Pudding, Lemon flavor

1 1/2 cups cold milk

1/4 flaked coconut

1. Heat oven to 350*

2. Drain pineapple and reserve juice. Prepare cake batter as directed on box and replace the water with the pineapple juice (should be about 1 cup juice). Add extra water if called for. Pour into greased 15x10x1 -inch pan.

3. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.

4. Beat pudding mix and milk with a whisk 2 minutes. Stir in pineapple. Spread over cake; sprinkle with shredded coconut (can add chopped pecans if desired. I so desired, but apparently didn’t have any pecans even though I know I bought some!)

5. Keep refrigerated.

This was a very moist, light, and yummy cake that was easy to make, and a perfect dessert on a late winter’s evening with the promise of spring just around the corner.

Enjoy! 

The Story of A Canned Pea

In Dr. Ruben’s Book “Everything You Wanted to Know About Food,” I enjoyed his story of The Canned Pea and I wanted to share it with you. The “life of a pea” was studied from the farmer’s field to the American dinner table. After the pea arrives at the factory:

• 30% of the nutrients are lost during the cooking and canning process.
• 25% of the nutrients are lost in the sterilization process.
• 27% of the nutrients float away in discarded fluids.
• 12% of the nutrients are lost while cooking the peas at home.

What you end up with is a “little round, green disaster” that has lost 94% of its nutrients.

Enjoy these recipes using fresh or frozen peas and you can’t go wrong.

Not So Mushy Peas

• 1 packed cup flat leaf parsley
• 1 packed cup fresh mint
• 3 cups freshly shelled peas or frozen and defrosted organic peas, patted dry
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 2 large shallots, finely chopped
• 2 cups chicken stock
• Freshly ground black pepper

Put the parsley and mint in a food processor and pulse to finely chop, then scrape into a bowl and set aside. Return the base to the processor; do not rinse the base. Add the peas and pulse until very finely chopped.

In a medium size saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of EVOO, a turn of the pan, and the remaining butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté for 5 minutes, then add the stock and peas and bring to a bubble over medium-high heat. Cook the fresh peas for about 10 minutes, or about 6-7 minutes if using frozen defrosted peas. When most of the liquid has evaporated, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and stir in the herbs. Remove from the heat.

Risotto with Peas

 

•  1½ cups arborio rice
• 1 qt chicken stock
• ½ cup white wine
• 1 medium shallot or ½ small onion, chopped (about ½ cup)
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley
• Kosher salt, to taste

1. Heat the stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan, then lower the heat so that the stock just stays hot.

2. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the oil and 1 Tbsp of the butter over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the chopped shallot or onion. Sauté for 2-3 minutes or until it is slightly translucent.

 3. Add the rice to the pot and stir it briskly with a wooden spoon so that the grains are coated with the oil and melted butter. Sauté for another minute or so, until there is a slightly nutty aroma. But don’t let the rice turn brown.

 

 4. Add the wine and cook while stirring, until the liquid is fully absorbed.

 

 5. Add a ladle of hot chicken stock to the rice and stir until the liquid is fully absorbed. When the rice appears almost dry, add another ladle of stock and repeat the process.

Note: It’s important to stir constantly, especially while the hot stock gets absorbed, to prevent scorching, and add the next ladle as soon as the rice is almost dry.

 6. Continue adding ladles of hot stock and stirring the rice while the liquid is absorbed. As it cooks, you’ll see that the rice will take on a creamy consistency as it begins to release its natural starches.

 

 7. Continue adding stock, a ladle at a time, for 20-30 minutes or until the grains are tender but still firm to the bite, without being crunchy. If you run out of stock and the risotto still isn’t done, you can finish the cooking using hot water. Just add the water as you did with the stock, a ladle at a time, stirring while it’s absorbed.

 

 8. Stir in the peas,  the remaining 2 Tbsp butter, the parmesan cheese and the parsley, and season to taste with Kosher salt.

 

 9. Risotto turns glutinous if held for too long, you should serve it right away. A properly cooked risotto should form a soft, creamy mound on a dinner plate. It shouldn’t run across the plate, nor should it be stiff or gluey.

 

If you missed my first post today Eat Frozen, Not Canned click the title to link back. 

Eat Frozen, Not Canned

It’s been on my mind for some time now about canned foods. There was a time about 8 years ago when I only purchased white-lined canned products. I’ve long since gotten out of that habit, more for price and convenience than anything else. Then when I recently posted Do You Know What You’re Eating? it got me thinking again about canned items. It’s not just the canned mushrooms that are at risk, it’s all canned foods. There is something called BPA in your canned foods and it’s not good. In fact, if you once thought that white-lined cans were the way to go, you’re in for an education- just as I was.

Trader Joe's canned beans = Free from BPA

What is BPA?

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an industrial chemical used to make polycarbonate plastic resins, epoxy resins, and other products.

How is BPA used?

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical building block that is used primarily to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. Polycarbonate plastic is a lightweight, high-performance plastic that possesses a unique balance of toughness, optical clarity, high heat resistance, and excellent electrical resistance. Because of these attributes, polycarbonate is used in a wide variety of common products including digital media (e.g., CDs, DVDs), electrical and electronic equipment, automobiles, sports safety equipment, reusable food and drink containers , and many other products.

BPA is also used in the production of epoxy resins. Epoxy resins have many uses including engineering applications such as electrical laminates for printed circuit boards, composites, paints and adhesives, as well as in a variety of protective coatings. Cured epoxy resins are inert materials used as protective liners in metal cans to maintain the quality of canned foods and beverages, and have achieved wide acceptance for use as protective coatings because of their exceptional combination of toughness, adhesion, formability, and chemical resistance.

 Follow this link for a list of canned foods, both those with and without BSA.  There are also lots of resource websites and research information available.

*** I must give my personal opinion here that in order to be truly healthy – moving away from all canned foods is best. While I applaud that companies are beginning to replace the BPA in their can lining. Whatever they have replaced the BPA with is untested on humans longterm.  A recent study found that virtually ALL plastics release hormone disruptors at some level {looks like I need to toss my plastic food storage containers and get glass ones.} Look for glass jars or can your own. Remember also that often times frozen is even better than fresh. If you are not able to participate in a veggie co-op or buy from local farmers, than frozen is the way to go, especially over canned.

Look for post #2 today: The Story of A Canned Pea.

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

This one is a winner already and I’ve only made it twice so far! I will post the original recipe and then follow-up with my changes and add-ons

4 large Chicken breasts, boneless and skinless

2 sleeves Ritz crackers

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/2 Cup milk

3 cup cheddar cheese, grated

1 tsp. dried parsley

FOR SAUCE:

1 (14 oz) can cream of chicken soup

2 Tbsp. sour cream

2 Tbsp. butter

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut each chicken breast into 2 or 3 large chunks

2. In small food processor grind up Ritz crackers.

3. Pour the milk, cheese, and cracker crumbs into 3 separate small pans. Toss the 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp.pepper into the cracker crumbs and stir the mixture around to combine.

4.Dip each piece of chicken into the milk, then the cheese, and finally the cracker crumbs.

5. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray and lay the chicken inside the pan in a single layer, and sprinkle the dried parsley over the chicken.

7. Cover the pan with foil and bake at 400* for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, or until the edges of the chicken are golden brown and crispy.

8. In a small saucepan, combine soup, butter, and sour cream until blended well and heated through. Serve over chicken.

TIME: 15 minutes prep + 45 minutes baking

YIELD: 5-7 Servings

WHAT I DID:

The first time I prepared this dish I followed the directions to a T (I know, shocking) and it turned out really well. The whole family enjoyed it and ate every bite. I was surprised that a sauce made from sour cream, cream of chicken soup, and butter could taste so good. I chose to ignore the fat content. This time I changed things up just slightly because I wanted to see if I could improve it- and I have to say, why yes, yes I did

1. First off, I realized that 2 sleeves of Ritz crackers was too much and wasteful so this time I easily got by with only 1 sleeve.

2. I used what shredded cheddar I had but I also used a mexican parmesan (It’s similar to feta in texture but way more crumbly and fine – like a wet italian parmesan) Any cheese of strong flavor would do the trick here.

3. Instead of regular milk I used buttermilk. I love the way it coats and breading always seem to stick better when I use it. (BTW did you know that meat gets super tender and fall-off-the-bone fabulous when marinated in buttermilk? Marinate a pork chop (I know, can’t believe I’m advocating pork…) for 3 days and then pan saute it in butter and cream and watch it fall off the bone. Wow! Works for chicken, too, of course.)

4. In the sauce I added 1/8 cup of the mexican parmesan.

4. Parsley goes into the cheese sauce as well. Very yummy.

So, that’s it. I served this with a brown and wild rice mixture, roasted brussles sprouts for me and the hubby, and green beans for the boys. It’s a can’t miss meal that you’re whole family will enjoy!

 

Shredded Buffalo Chicken

This was super easy and yummy to make. We used the shredded buffalo chicken as the filler in my homemade flour tortillas, along with lettuce and ranch dressing. I love a good buffalo wing, and this recipe gives me all the heat and flavor of that without getting my hands all messy!

If you already have cooked chicken, dice it up or shred it and add buffalo sauce and ranch dressing to it for a quick meal. If you are starting from scratch, the recipe is as follows:

2 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs (I used a whole small chicken)

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup buffalo wing sauce (from 12-oz jar)

3/4 cup ranch dressing (I make my own using buttermilk, mayo, and Hidden Valley mix = no Titanium Dioxide)

8 homemade flour tortillas (read here why I won’t buy tortillas anymore)

3 cups shredded lettuce

1. In 1 1/2 qt. slow cooker, place chicken; sprinkle with salt.

2. Cover (with 4 cups water and lid); cook 6 to 7 hours on low.

3. With slotted spoon, remove chicken from slow cooker and place on cutting board; discard liquid. In clean slow cooker mix together buffalo sauce and 1/4 cup of the ranch. (If you’ve used a whole chicken then separate the meat and shred, using two forks. Discard the bones, skin, broth, etc. or place into a stock pot to cook down and make a stock.)

4. To serve, spread each tortilla with 1 tbsp remaining ranch dressing; top each with about 1/2 cup chicken mixture and about 1/3 lettuce. Roll up tortilla and eat

*Stay tuned for an awesome buffalo chicken dip recipe for leftovers! (Coming soon ;p)