Fresh (Food) Start ~ Gottatries

What's Schoolin'?

Oldest DD:  Mommy, we need to study Colloids!

Why is she suddenly interested in the colloids from her Chemistry book from which she just stopped taking notes?  Well, it just so happens that the following are in the colloids group:  milk, butter, whipped cream, and marshmallows.  I have homemade marshmallows in my little freezer that's stored in my mom's garage at the moment and our beater (to make whipped cream) is in storage.  "Oh well, I guess we'll just have to have some chocolate milk," is dd's solution.  Hmm.... I happen to have some cacao and rapadura/honey... Who am I to get in the way of Chemistry studies?

What's Cookin'?

Hopefully we will close on our new home this week and I'll have a kitchen again (yeah!!!).  The first thing I plan on doing is soaking some beans and making some bone broth while they soak.  I'll also be digging out my bread recipes and trying to remember which was our favorite recipe. Soaking almonds for homemade almond milk (for dd) will top the list also.  I'm glad she hasn't really taken to the store-bought kind we've been using throughout the summer.

I did a lot of food compromises throughout the summer and here are some steps I'll be taking to get back on track:

No more breakfast cereal.  Although we were getting natural kinds with no food dyes, no fake sugars, no HFCS, etc, etc, it is still highly processed.  This may require some withdrawals but we'll be switching back to eggs, soaked oatmeal, arroz con leche, and other homemade breakfasts.

No more drive-thrus.  This happened as a consequence of driving back and forth so much this summer but we won't be driving like that as much once school starts and we get our belongings out of storage.  I tried to choose "better" drive-thrus but, you know, let's just say they aren't the best choice for our health.  Chick-Fil-A switched to canola oil so I'm bummed about that but their chicken salad sandwiches sure are good and filling :).  I don't feel bad (physically) after eating there like I do with other places or frozen processed foods. Chipotle is the best around but is on the opposite side of town where we would drive and only went there once or twice during the summer drives.  Braums does not use hormones nor "routine" antibiotics in their dairy cows so I (naively) assume that their burgers are the same.

No more processed sandwich meat.  This will also cause some withdrawals (from them for the taste and from me for the ease).  We get some with no nitrites/nitrates but it is still highly processed and who knows if they use that 'industry standard' meat glue (disgusting!!)[Watch this short video!].  By the way, I always (if possible) cook our sandwich meat to steaming when we do make lunch meat sandwiches to kill any listeria or other baddies.  Deli meat is NOT recommended even in the mainstream for pregnant moms unless cooked so I do this as a matter of course.

No more paper plates, plastic forks, spoons, cups!  We'll be setting up our "UNpaper towels" in a handy place in the kitchen.

No more store-bought yogurt for daily use.  Cottage cheese is a tough one though because my attempts failed and organic is sooooo expensive for something I eat almost every day (dopamine precursor is in cottage cheese).  I get Daisy cottage cheese and sour cream because it just has cultured cream but it's not organic.  No hormones but probably antibiotics.  Organics also sometimes have lots of unnecessary ingredients like some organic yogurt I've seen lately and unhealthy food additives.

Revive my dairy kefir grains.  We'll see how they do after only being changed once during the summer and being pushed back in the fridge.  Otherwise, I think I have some in the freezer.

Fermented drinks.  That sounds fun, doesn't it, lol?  Actually, I meant lacto-fermented drinks for me and the dc.  We'll start with fermented lemonade and I'll also make some beet kvass.

My mom will be so glad, I'm sure, to get my little freezer and boxes of staples out of her garage (and study - when I saw that the new Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil I bought in bulk was pure liquid in a plastic container in the 115F+ garage I moved it to the study inside - where it still stayed liquid but not as hot).  She has been such a good sport about our stuff this summer.

These baby steps for a fresh start are part of Kelly's Real Food Wednesday:
http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2011/08/real-food-wednesday-8172011.html

Gottatries

I always tag more than I put in my gottatry lists but here are some recipes I'd like to try asap:

These sweet potato and black bean enchiladas will go right along with the beans I'll be making and I *love* sweet potatoes:
http://www.realfoodallergyfree.com/2011/08/sweet-potato-and-black-bean-enchiladas-with-mole-sauce/

Crunchy Granola (I can never have enough granola or granola bar recipes to try):
http://ruthsrealfood.blogspot.com/2011/08/crunchy-granola-for-hippies-and-others.html

Lacto-fermented dill pickles:
http://www.pennilessparenting.com/2011/08/perfect-dill-pickles-recipe.html

Eggplant Parmesan (smaller eggplants have less seeds; eggs; breadcrumbs)(serve with angel hair pasta and mozzarella)(maybe even just serve plain with the cooked eggplant):
http://www.theadirondackchick.com/2011/08/eggplant-parmesan-traditional.html

Ooo yeah, watermelon ice cream!  I don't have an ice cream maker but I wonder how this would do just frozen in little popsicle molds or cups; or maybe in a big bowl and stir every hour or so until frozen?  I tried giving them 'fresco de sandia' once and it didn't go over very well.  Then many years later I got some from a stand at the open-air market in San Antonio and they only tasted it.  How can you not love fresco de sandia???  This may work, though:
http://recipestonourish.blogspot.com/2011/08/creamy-watermelon-ice-cream.html

Roasted Eggplant (eggplant, salt, olive oil, garlic cloves)(can be frozen for a fast side dish - can it get any better than that?):
http://www.traditional-foods.com/recipes/oven-roasted-eggplant/

Kohlrabi Fritters:
http://amomonamission.wordpress.com/2011/08/15/kohlrabi-fritters/

Monkey French Toast (this should help ease the pain from leaving behind breakfast cereals!):
http://angelfoodskitchen.blogspot.com/2011/08/celebrity-cook-along-rachael-raymonkey.html

No-Tomato Sauce (uses carrots, beets, seasonings)(video):
http://realfoodforager.com/2011/07/videorecipe-the-no-tomato-sauce-scdgaps/

Black Bean and Cream Cheese burritios:
http://debbidoesdinnerhealthy.blogspot.com/2011/08/black-bean-cream-cheese-burritos.html

Single serving quick peanut butter cake.  This may be worth trying - in the oven though:
http://www.extremepersonalmeasures.com/2011/08/one-minute-peanut-butter-cake.html

Lemon curd.  A must-try!  (3 eggs, lemon zest, sugar, butter):
http://creativekitchenadventures.com/2011/08/02/lemon-curd-perfect-summertime-treat/

Zucchini Boats (zukes, cream cheese, mozzarella, parmesan):
http://www.greenbeangardens.com/zucchini-boats/

Kefir Cream Cheese:
http://www.stacymakescents.com/kefir-cream-cheese

Banana Crunch Muffins:
http://pattietierney.blogspot.com/2011/08/banana-crunch-muffins.html

Grain-Free Skillet Lasagna (uses summer squash for noodles!!):
http://nourishedandnurtured.blogspot.com/2011/08/grain-free-skillet-lasagna.html

I have been mulling this over for a while.  I was even joking recently with my cousin on the phone about having to scoop your soup out of the pot around the fish head as children:
http://thepurposedheart.com/homemade-fish-stock/

Vegetable Frittata:
http://premeditatedleftovers.com/vegetable-frittata/

Another version of fudgesicles using avocado without cooking (just blend ingredients):
http://recipestonourish.blogspot.com/2011/07/homemade-fudgesicles.html#comment-form

Vidalia Salsa:
http://www.tendergrassfedmeat.com/2011/08/02/raw-vidalia-salsa-provides-balance-for-grassfed-meat/

How to freeze fresh corn:
http://www.halleethehomemaker.com/2011/08/freezing-fresh-corn/

How to freeze herbs:
http://wholenewmom.com/recipes/the-easiest-way-to-preserve-herbs/

Almond Date Bar (like a LARA bar)(with video):
http://realfoodforager.com/2011/07/videorecipe-almond-date-energy-bar-scdgaps/

Cheese Scallion Muffins:
http://debbidoesdinnerhealthy.blogspot.com/2011/08/cheese-scallion-muffins.html

Chewy Cinnamon Almond Cookies (gluten free)(can be used for ice cream sandwiches)(would normally have all ingredients on hand as well - 2-1/2 C almond flour):
http://nourishedandnurtured.blogspot.com/2011/07/chewy-cinnamon-almond-cookies-gluten.html

Fermented bread and butter pickles:
http://nourishedandnurtured.blogspot.com/2011/08/fermented-bread-and-butter-pickles-gaps.html

Petite Lasagnas (uses wonton wrappers)(make in muffin tins)(make sure to have 1-1/2 C ricotta or cottage? and 1-1/2 mozarella or swiss? plus tomato sauce and cooked ground meat):
http://sensibleshoppers.blogspot.com/2011/07/petite-lasagnas.html

Breakfast ideas:
http://realfoodlittlerock.blogspot.com/2011/08/back-to-school-breakfast.html

Lunch ideas:
http://realfoodlittlerock.blogspot.com/2011/08/back-to-school-lunches.html

Roasted Pesto Tomatoes (basil (pesto), oil, tomatoes, salt):
http://www.artfoodlifeblog.com/2011/08/roasted-pesto-tomatoes/

Blueberry Muffins (gluten and sugar free) (2 C almond meal):
http://momsforsafefood.net/2011/08/02/gluten-sugar-free-blueberry-muffins/

What's Gardenin'?

This was on RFW for tomato blight/garden fungal problems:
http://shanonhilton.blogspot.com/2011/08/fighting-blight-fermented-recipe.html