Melt Organic Spreads

 The next time you are at Wegman's, look for Melt Organic Spread. It's a new butter alternative for those seeking something a little lower calorie and fat than butter ( Butter is Clean, but it is relatively high in fat; but it is absolutely preferable to tub margarine. ) Right now, Melt has a very limited distribution. I can only get it at Wegman's in my area, but according to their website, they will be available "soon" through Harris Teeter in the South, and also through Food Town, Ingles, Jensen, Mothers, Nugget,  Price Chopper, Stop & Shop, and Tops. Since Stop & Shop is the "sister store" in the North East of Giant ( which has stores up and down the East Coast ) , I'm pretty confident it will be available soon through Giant Landover / Giant Carlisle / Giant Eagle very soon.

Melt® Organic is a line of luscious, all-natural spreads for butter lovers seeking a healthier alternative. Made from the perfect blend of the healthiest fruit and plant based organic oils featuring Virgin Coconut Oil, Melt spreads sizzle, drizzle, bake and melt just like butter, but with half the saturated fat.

 http://www.meltbutteryspread.com/our-products/rich-creamy-melt%C2%AE/

Rich & Creamy Melt® Organic

• 425mg of Omega 3 ALA’s
• Certified Organic
• 100% non-GMO
• Certified Kosher
• No artificial colors, flavors or preservatives
• Absolutely no hydrogenated oils or partially hydrogenated oils
• Soy Free
• Trans fat Free
• Gluten Free
• Eco-social, fair-trade ingredients
• 50% of the saturated fat and fewer calories than butter
• Package size 13 oz., Serving size 1 Tablespoon

Melt® Organic Ingredients: Organic oil blend (organic virgin coconut oil, organic palm fruit oil, organic canola oil, organic hi-oleic sunflower oil, organic flaxseed oil), water, organic unsalted butter, sea salt, organic butter flavor, non-GMO sunflower lecithin, tocopherols, annatto-turmeric.


Have you tried Melt? What did you think? 

Rice Flour Conversion Chart

Looking to reduce wheat flour in your baking? I found this helpful little chart with wheat flour to rice flour ration spelled out - as well as the additional starch you'll need to add to make up for rice flour's lack of elasticity ( gluten ).

Almond Flour 101 - and a Website Recommend

In the past 2 weeks, I've done a little bit of something I'm not particularly well known for: baking. I've made some homemade breads, some breakfast rolls, and a small batch of cookies - all made with almond flour. Clean and delicious, but I used some recipes specifically written with almond flour. I wondered if I could substitute almond flour in any old recipe that I come across that calls for wheat flour. I wondered what the difference is between wheat flour and almond flour - specifically when it comes to the science of baking.

Not knowing the answer myself ( I'm a recipe follower, not a recipe adventurer... ) , I turned to the trusty Internet. I found a lot of nebulous hand waving, some uncertain postings about trial and error, and in general - not a lot of solid information. Except for one particular blog, Urban Poser.blogspot.com. The woman who writes this blog ( Jenni ) writes about a variety of health subjects - mainly gluten free / Paleo nutrition and yoga - her two main passions. I'm very impressed with her blog - well written, straight forward recipes and information and her gluten free / Paleo recipe collection is excellent. Grain free bagels, muffins, and all kinds of other goodies. ( Please note, not all of her recipes are Clean, but the vast majority of them are right up our alley! )

The post that drew me to her site - her http://urbanposer.blogspot.com/2012/05/baking-101-almond-flour-basics.html post specifically - is good. Really good - and gave me the information I needed.

          Can I Sub Almond Flour Cup For Cup?

This is a biggie: In a few select applications it can be substituted at a 1:1 ratio, but because its weight, fat content and absorption rates are so different from that of wheat and other grain based flours, it does not reliably cross over. For instance, a wheat flour recipe might call for more liquid than what can be reasonably absorbed by almond flour. So if you simply substitute 1 for 1, your finished product will likely be soggy, grainy feeling and “sunken” in. You can, however, adjust the ingredient ratios to account for that and come out with almond flour baked goods that are nearly indistinguishable from the grain based recipes that you know and love. 

A note on breads: Almond flour is most often best suited to quick breads, cookies and crusts . This is due to it's lack of starch and gluten. If your diet allows for starches and even yeast, you might enjoy experimenting a bit by adding yeast, arrowroot, tapioca and other “non-grain” based starches to your almond flour baked goods

The moral of this paragraph is….unless you’re something of an adventurer and don’t mind some “baking fails”, you might find it best to stick with recipes that are intended for almond flour from a source that you trust (I have listed some great "sources" at the end of this post).

So, the answer is still a bit vague, but definitely points me in the right direction. Almond flour cannot reliably be used in all recipes where wheat flour is called for - but the reason ( because almond flour lacks the gluten or sticky binders some recipes require ) answers my question. Almond flour can be used for recipes like cookies and quick breads or rolls.
 It's not as well suited for recipes like cakes and other baked goods that require yeast with a rising time ( almond flour won't stretch and hold together with that stickiness wheat flour has ). It also doesn't absorb and hold as much liquid as a wheat flour, so that's an important factor to keep in mind when substituting: liquids might need to be tweaked down.

This post also answers a lot of questions about almond flour I had - including which types of almond flour are best, how to best measure almond flour in recipes, and even some recommendations of brands to buy. So much to learn.



Thank You SO much, Urban Poser!

Clean Eating Chocolate - It CAN Be Done

Every once in a while...the human body requires chocolate for good mental health. I'm not talking a king size Hershey bar...but just something that satisfies that place in the brain where chocoholism dwells. Most chocolate products you can buy in the store are loaded with sugars, fats, and really unnecessary ingredients - making satisfying the itch for chocolate hard to scratch.

Until now.

This fabulous, wonderful person on Tumblr has posted a lot of great recipes ( many using protein or casein powders ) and I'm utterly grateful.

The picture at the top? A Clean Eating chocolate & pear pudding. 3 ingredients.

And what is this?? A Clean Eating simulant for Nutella with 5 ingredients. Crazy!

And in case you didn't get the "Hey, go here and bookmark this page for future reference"...

6 ingredient truffles:

Please note - I'm not advocating these items as a daily treat - far from it. But what better than to have a few Clean recipes like these to add to your recipe arsenal? Make the truffles to bring to a holiday gathering - and know you can have a few without fear or guilt. When those moments come where chocolate is more important to your brain than breathing and keeping your heart beating...you'll be prepared.


Tumblr: Fitness Treats - CE Chocolate Recipes

Make Your Own Almond Milk

I found this graphic on Tumblr and it seems really straight forward!

 

Thanks to 10000 Steps on Tumblr. - Not sure if the graphic is original to this site, but that is where I found it!

SOS Mix in place of Cream of X Soup - It Will Save You!

     If you grew up in a time when Mom made dinner by reaching for a can of Cream of Something soup to make a favorite casserole like me, there are times when I actually long for the comfort those nutritional disasters can afford. About a month ago, I heard there was a Clean(ish) recipe to replace whatever Campbell's Cream of Whatever soup can in your favorite recipe with a powdered version. I was intrigued, and set about finding it. Last weekend, I finally did - at the One Good Thing By Jillee  blog. Her blog is a mash of clever things for re purposing, crafts, and DIY.

     Because this contains instant chicken bullion - which by its very nature is essentially salt - this is a recipe to be used sparingly for the conscientious Clean Eater. If you've had a good day salt wise, have this mix in your casserole at night with a clear mind. Had a little more salt than maybe you should have during the day? Be mindful this might be something to have for another day.

     This recipe can also be fiddled with to have it more closely resemble the Cream of X soup you're using it for. Cream of Celery soup? Just add a touch of celery powder or ( easy on the ) celery salt. Cream of Mushroom? Buy dried mushroom and grate them into the mixture just before adding water to the powder.

Soup or Sauce [S.O.S.] Mix

Ingredients
2 cups powdered non-fat dry milk
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup instant chicken bouillon (regular or low sodium)
2 Tbsp dried onion flakes
2 tsp Italian seasoning (optional)

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a recloseable plastic bag, mixing well.
Equal to 9 (10.5 oz) cans of cream soup.

#1 It’s G L U T E N – F R E E! It’s incredibly frustrating how many canned soups have gluten in them!!! It’s also FAT-FREE!

#2 It’s H O M E M A D E with 4 simple ingredients that you can PRONOUNCE! (I bet you even have them somewhere in your kitchen right now.)

#3 It’s S I M P L E. (Took me about 3 minutes to mix up a batch)

#4 It’s C H E A P! Each mix contains the equivalent of 9 cans of cream soup! And all you are adding to it is WATER!

 To substitute for 1 can of cream soup

 Combine 1/3 cup of dry mix with 1 1/4 cups of cold water. Whisk until well blended.Cook and stir on stove top or in microwave until thickened. Add thickened mixture to casseroles as you would a can of soup.



Thanks to One Good Thing By Jillee for both the recipe and the picture!

http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/03/soup-or-sauce-sos-mix.html

DIY Almond Butter

Almond butter rocks - I mean, seriously...it is delicious stuff. I've tried Justin's Maple Flavored Almond Butter and love it to bits. I've also tried Archer Farm's ( Target brand ) almond butter and loved that, too. But almond butter is incredibly calorie dense. At about 100 calories per tablespoon, a little more than a scoop of almond butter will have you staring at the scale with a scowl on your face.

Imagine my surprise when I heard about DIY almond butter. I was skeptical, I was dubious - but I had to try it.
I went to the grocery store and bought a small bag of almond meal ( it wasn't really easy to find, but ultimately found it at a store that has a large organic / natural selection ), and brought it home to meet the almond milk in my fridge.

The results were delightful! The mock almond butter is about 45 calories a tablespoon compared to the real thing, which is 100 calories. NICE!




DIY Almond Butter

Ingredients
1/2 cup almond meal

1/4 cup almond milk
sweetener to taste, optional


Directions
Mix almond milk and almond meal until combined. If the mixture seems too thin, toss it in the microwave for 30 seconds until thick. You can also add less liquid and/or throw the mixture into the refrigerator until thickened. Add sweetener ( stevia, preferably ) to taste as desired.

The recipe begs to be fiddled with, too. Cinnamon? Sure! Maple syrup? Can do! ( just be aware you're going to jack the calories up with the sugar... ) Cardamom? I bet it would be delicious.





Thanks so much, Food Fiasco.com

More Clean Salad Dressing Recipes!

    

4 Fruits To Avoid During Winter

You can't always buy 100 percent local, but you can avoid the foods that come from very far away, or that clearly aren't in season in this region of the planet. Here is a list of some faraway foods you might want to avoid this winter. The closer you are to the area of harvest, the fresher and cheaper the produce.

Blueberries

Blueberries are a sweet summer treat.  Blueberry production basically goes from south — starting in Florida in late March or early April — to north, ending in Oregon, Washington, Michigan and then Canada in late September or early October. Then South America becomes the main source and the little berries double in price (they're highly perishable).
Instead of topping your cereal with blueberries during the fall and winter, try having some citrus on the side. Grapefruit and oranges are winter fruits.


 Grapes

Americans used to only eat California grapes, but there weren't any to be found during cold winter months. The Chilean industry kicked in in the 1970s to solve that problem, and consumption more than doubled. Depending on where you live, if you're chomping on grapes from April to mid-May they're Mexican grapes; from late May until early November, the fruit is likely from California; and from December through April they come from Chile and sometimes South Africa.
Like little bursts of flavor? Try pomegranates, which are in season in fall and early winter and come from California, on their own or as a topping for yogurt and ice cream. Unlike grapes, you'll need a utensil.

Peaches

in late April and May, you'll find peaches from Georgia and California (the California season extends through September). Later in the season, peaches might come from Washington, Michigan, South Carolina, or New Jersey. But from November through the spring, peaches hail from all over the globe, including Argentina and Thailand. Pears, on the other hand, are a fall fruit and come mostly from California, Washington, and Oregon.

Asparagus

California and Washington are top stateside producers of asparagus. But before we see the fruits of the states' harvest, asparagus arrives from Mexico. Come colder months, most asparagus comes from Peru, according to USDA data. Stick to asparagus in the summer months!

For some green, try kale, a winter veggie that's chock-full of nutrients.

The Daily Green

Homemade Clean Eating Crackers

When I discovered a recipe for Clean Eating crackers over at the Prevention.com blog, I laughed at how easy it would be to make my own. No preservatives. No odd ingredients I don't recognize. Something simple, crunchy, and Clean as a hummus delivery system.

Clean Eating Crackers

Ingredients:

2 cups organic whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup warm water
1/3 cup olive oil (plus more for the pan)

Directions:


1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees
2. Put the flour, salt, warm water, and olive oil in a bowl, and stir until all the flour is absorbed (less than a minute). It kind of feels more like dough than batter.
3. Take a baking tray and slather it with more olive oil.
4. Put the dough on the tray and use a rolling pin to smooth it out to cover the whole bottom.
5. Take a knife and cut the dough into squares, rectangles…whatever!
6. Sprinkle the top with a bit more salt
7. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden. The crackers will harden up more after they cool.

As the original recipe contends, this is an excellent blank canvas on which to create.
Add Herbs and Spices. Sesame seeds. Flavored Infused Olive Oils.

If you devoted an hour of your weekend to making something like this and storing it for the coming week, you'd have a healthy, crunchy snack for those times when the munchies hit with a vengeance. Take a few minutes during your Clean Eating prep day 1 or 2 times a month to making a Clean eating swap out like this one, and you'll never look at the cracker aisle longingly again.

Ocean Spray Sparkling Beverages

Juices are a "hit or miss" Clean items. You have to be careful; so many these days have added High Fructose Corn Syrup ( HFCS ) or have such a low amount of actual juice in them, you are not getting the nutritive value for the amount of natural sugar you are consuming. 

I was pleased to find Ocean Spray has recently come out with a line of sparkling flavored waters - flavored with real fruit juice. No added sugar, chemicals, or preservatives. It's the little bubbly drink I think I've been missing since soda and I broke up. 

From Ocean Spray:

Made with 70 percent real fruit juice and no added sugar, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives, Sparkling Juice Drinks blend the fruit juice from fresh cranberries, sweet blueberries and juicy pomegranates with a splash of crisp, clean sparkling water for added effervescent refreshment. 

Offering just 90 calories per serving, one can is a good source of vitamin C and equals a full serving of fruit. Juice lovers looking for an alternative with fewer calories can enjoy Diet Ocean Spray® Sparkling Juice Drinks with just 10 little calories per serving. Like the original, diet varieties are also made with real fruit juice, are a good source of vitamin C, and contain no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.

Ingredients: Grape and Cranberry juice from concentrate, sparkling water, fumaric and ascorbic acids, and "Natural flavor" 
Note: fumaric acid is a naturally occurring ingredient that keeps the "fizziness" in sparkling water. Ascorbic acid is Vitamin C. 
Another note: Stayed tuned about "natural flavor" - I did some research on the topic, and will post about it later in the week. 


For the regular, non diet version of Ocean Spray Sparkling drinks, they have about 22 grams of sugar           ( fructose ) per can. While these are naturally occurring sugars - you will want to keep this in mind, and perhaps only consume a can or 2 a week at the most. 

I like finding products that will help me reach my Clean Eating goal. In the case of Ocean Spray Sparkling waters, it will be an occasional treat to indulge my Inner Soda Monster

Clean Eating & Ezekiel 4:9 Products

Ezekiel 4:9., "Take also unto thee Wheat, and Barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and Spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make bread of it..."

Many of the commercial breads available simply aren't good for someone who follows Clean Eating. Look at the back of any loaf of bread at the store and more than likely you are going to see an ingredient list a mile long with all kinds of sugars, sodiums, and chemicals. Very few are made today without high fructose corn syrup, and high levels of sodium and preservatives to help extend shelf life.

If you wander away from the bread aisle and into the frozen food section, you are going to find a different type of bread product: Ezekiel 4:9.

Their breads are kept in the frozen section because they are made without the heavy handed preservatives commercial breads are made with today in order to maintain freshness for extended periods of time. Ezekiel 4:9 breads are best stored in the fridge at home to keep them fresh. 

From their website:

Ezekiel 4:9® Organic Sprouted Whole Grain Products are:

• Flourless,
• Organic,
• Complete Protein,
• and Sprouted Whole Grain

We discovered when these six grains and legumes are sprouted and combined, an amazing thing happens. A complete protein is created that closely parallels the protein found in milk and eggs. In fact, the protein quality is so high, that it is 84.3% as efficient as the highest recognized source of protein, containing all 9 essential amino acids. There are 18 amino acids present in this unique bread – from all vegetable sources – naturally balanced in nature.


Their product line is mainly bread, but they also make tortillas, pocket ( pita ) bread, pasta, buns, and even breakdfast cereals - all wheat free and Clean.

Here are the ingredients in the English muffins - a little wordy, but you'll notice - all recognizable ingredients.

 

 INGREDIENTS: Organic Sprouted Whole Wheat, Filtered Water , Organic Malted Barley, Organic Pumpkin Seeds, Organic Sunflower Seeds, Organic Unhulled Sesame Seeds, Organic Unprocessed Wheat Bran, Organic Sprouted Whole Spelt, Organic Sprouted Whole Kernel Corn, Organic Sprouted Whole Soybeans, Sprouted Whole Chia Seeds, Organic Sprouted Whole Barley, Organic Sprouted Whole Millet, Organic Sprouted Whole Rye, Organic Sprouted Whole Brown Rice, Variety 5-Grain & Seed Blend: (Organic Sprouted Whole Flax Seed, Organic Sprouted Whole Sorghum, Organic Whole Quinoa, Organic Sprouted Whole Teff, Organic Sprouted Whole Amaranth), Organic Wheat Gluten, Fresh Yeast, Sea Salt.


Now be forewarned - you need to remove the thought and mental image of Wonder Bread from your vocabulary when you first try Ezekiel 4:9 bread. It is actual bread. Heavy, dense. Bread - as it has been made for thousands of years. It is NOT the light fluffy thin stuff, and it is a paradigm shift getting used to it. However, I'm confident that after a few loaves of this stuff in the house, you will never think of buying those $1.00 loaves of generic store white bread again.

Homemade Banana Chips

I've been on a tear lately - loving banana chips but irritated because 99% of the banana chips offered for sale in the US are actually processed in the Philippines, and most brands have added sugar and cook the chips in coconut oil. While this makes for a really crispy chip; it really negates ( in my mind ) some of the healthier characteristics I'd like my banana chips to have. Coconut oil has its place. My banana chips isn't one of them.

This method produces a much crispier chip than putting them on the dehydrator - I've tried!

 Homemade Banana Chips

Makes about 60 chips
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 3 hours

INGREDIENTS
2 bananas, peeled
Lemon juice, squeezed into a shallow bowl
Cooking spray

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 200°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Cut bananas into 1/4” slices. Dip them in lemon juice, then place on a prepared baking sheet.
3. Bake, turning over once, until golden brown and crispy, about 3 hours.

Tip: For a savory treat, sprinkle the banana slices with sea salt before baking. Try some sprinkled with cinnamon. Or sweeten them with a drizzle of honey after the bake.

Thank you, Home Made Simple!

Smart Balance Peanut Butter

As an avid couponer, my eyes were immediately drawn a few weekends ago to my coupon insert that offered a .75 off 1 jar of Smart Balance Peanut Butter. As Triple coupon  events are fairly common in my area, I know that my little .75 off coupon is actually $2.25 off a jar of peanut butter at those times...and I immediately set about to gather as many of these coupons as I could get my hands on. However, before I stocked up - I wanted my son ( the main peanut butter consumer in our house ) to try it. So I went out with a single coupon, and bought a jar of Smart Balance peanut butter.

The ingredient list caught my eye: peanuts: evaporated cane juice, natural oil blend ( palm fruit and flaxseed oils ) , salt, molasses

Huh. Not too bad! Nothing hydrogenated, and the sugars are natural, not processed like granulated sugar.

Calories? 190. Sugar? 3 g, Fat? 16g. All identical to the other peanut butters on the market - including multiple organic versions.  Also, because of the addition of flaxseed, this peanut butter provides 320mg if Omega-3 oil per serving - a very good thing!

When I opened the jar, there was a fine oil sheen on the top - very common for natural, less processed peanut butters. It was fairly easily stirred. I tried a swipe - and it was good. I made a peanut butter sandwich for my son and handed it to him without comment. He ate it and enjoyed the taste.

I'm hoping that a Triples event comes along that coincides with this peanut butter being on sale! It will be a good peanut butter to stockpile - a healthier version of the other, more "kid friendly" ( read: sugary craptacular fat laden yuck ) peanut butters I'd personally prefer to move away from.

Cleaned Up Chicken Paprikash

When my friend North asked me to post a recipe for his “Soups, Stews, and Chilis” recipe series, I thought about it for a bit, and then gave him this recipe from my family. . The recipe is a favorite of mine; I find the creaminess of the paprika sauce comforting and warming. I knew he’d enjoy making it as much as I enjoyed passing it along.

While not terrible on the relative Clean Eating scale – there are some tweaks that can be made to make this an overall healthier dish. Specifically, ensuring all ingredients are organic, low or no sodium added, and substituting Greek yogurt ( I’d actually use 2% milk fat yogurt instead of 0% that I normally recommend! ) for the sour cream that gives this dish the creamy sauce I swoon over.

Cleaned Up Chicken Paprikash

3lbs organic whole chicken leg and thigh, on the bone

6 tablespoons olive oil 

1 cup onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2-3 tablespoons organic no sodium added tomato paste

2+ tablespoons paprika ( sweet or hot - your choice )

1 cup organic low sodium chicken stock ( not broth- there is a difference! )

1 good dollop of Greek 2% milk fat yogurt

Salt and pepper

1, Roughly remove the skin from the chicken legs. You don't want to clean all the fat, or all of the skin from the chicken, Its important to leave a bit behind for flavor.

2. Heat the olive oil together in a heavy, deep frying pan. Add the chicken parts and brown both sides them over a medium heat.

3. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside. Add chopped onion and garlic to the pan and saute until translucent ( about 6+ minutes on medium heat )

4. Tip the pan so that the oil flows to one side and using a large spoon, remove 2/3 of the oil from the pan and discard. Add the tomato paste and paprika to the onions and garlic in the pan, and mix thoroughly.
5. Add the chicken stock to the pan and incorporate into the tomato paste mixture. Add the chicken pieces back to the pan and simmer covered for about 30+ minutes ( covered ) until meat is cooked. Ladle some sauce onto the chicken so the sauce is on the chicken.



6. Once the chicken is cooked,  remove from the pan and let cool for 10+ minutes. While chicken is cooling, turn the heat to medium-low and allow remaining sauce to reduce on the stove gently. Stir frequently.

7.  While the sauce reduces and the chicken is cool, flake the chicken apart with either your fingers or 2 forks and put into a bowl. Add a good dollop of Greek yogurt to the pan. And if you like Greek yogurt, add a little more. Add the flaked chicken pieces back into the Greek yogurt and tomato sauce and heat the chicken back up.

Serve over rice, or noodles.

Product Review: Justin's Honey Peanut Butter

 

After I tried Justin's maple almond nut butter,  I started looking for this brand in the grocery store. I found it at my local Safeway, and was pleased they had several varieties - including a version of my son's favorite cocoa-hazelnut spread ( AKA Nutella ). I found small squeeze packs of single serve peanut and nut butters, too - including an organic honey peanut butter. 

I'm a little bit "pro peanut butter" - I like it a lot. But other than not being organic, I found no reason to stop using the Skippy in my pantry. Ingredients are exactly the same as in the organic versions, and the salt and fat content is almost identical. 

However, this Justin's peanut butter is delicious. It is less creamy than other commercial peanut butters - it is reminding you that hey - it is made from peanuts, after all. But it has a deep peanut taste, a smooth mouth feel with a nice "stick to the roof of your mouth" texture, and is not overloaded with salt. It has the same calories, sugar, and fat content as Skippy, but without the hydrogenated oils and 1/2 of the salt content of Skippy.

Once again - I'm sold on Justin's. A quality product, a Clean alternative. 

Now, if I could only find coupons for it...

Buh bye, Skippy!

Why This Butter IS Better

Part of the whole concept of Clean Eating is questioning the "Well, I've always bought that" or "I've eaten this for years" mentality, and actually looking, researching, and questioning what you put into your body on a regular basis. Is what you are consuming have as few ingredients as possible? As simple as possible? As unprocessed as possible?

Last week, I reached towards the tub of Country Crock margarine I buy for my guys to consume on their toast and such, and I paused.

What is margarine?

From the Wiki:

Modern margarines can be made from any of a wide variety of animal or vegetable fats, mixed with skim milk, salt, and emulsifiers. Like butter, margarine is about 80% fat, 20% water and solids, flavored, colored, and fortified with vitamin A, and sometimes D, to match butter's nutritional contribution to the human diet. The oil is pressed from seeds, purified, hydrogenated, and then fortified and colored, either with a synthetic carotene or annatto. The water phase is usually reconstituted, or skim milk, that is cultured with lactic acid bacteria to produce a stronger flavor. Emulsifiers such as lecithin help disperse the water phase evenly throughout the oil, and salt and preservatives are also commonly added. This oil and water emulsion is then heated, blended, and cooled. The softer tub margarines are made with less hydrogenated, more liquid, oils than block margarines.

Clear as mud, huh?

Essentially, margarine is oil that is processed so that when it become chilled, it solidifies into a solid form. Flavoring, coloring, salt, and preservatives are added before solidification.

Butter is cream and salt, shaken until the fat globules in the milk break down and join up to form a solid mass. You can make butter at home easily by putting a few cups of cream in a jar with a tablespoon of salt, and shaking the jar ( sealed, of course! ) for 5+ minutes until a solid mass appears in the cream. 

Ok, it is pretty clear - margarine isn't Clean.  But we have been warned for years about butter. Should we or shouldn't we? Traditional butter is high in saturated fats, which is not healthy for your heart. But nobody is going to sit down and eat a stick of butter - we're talking small amounts, a few times a week. Maybe on your whole grain noodles, or melted over your green beans.

Try looking for one of the new "hybrid" butter products, like Land O Lakes Spreadable butter with canola oil. The calories, fat, and sodium are almost identical to margarine.

But how many ingredients?

Again- question what you think you know. Don't assume you know the answer. Research. Ask around. Investigate. Compare.

Small tweaks to your diet can yield big results. Replacing a "staple" like margarine that has 15 ingredients       ( mostly chemicals! ) with a heart healthier version with 3 ingredients is a tick in the "win" column. 

I bought the Land O Lakes spreadable butter instead of the Country Crock that day last week.  The boys didn't blink at the change. I know they are eating a more wholesome, Clean product. I feel good knowing I've made one more switch in my household to steer us towards a more Clean diet.

Clean Eating Swap Outs : Granola Bars

   

Premade granola bars are loaded with unnecessary ingredients: fillers, stabilizers sugars, and preservatives. They are one of those foods that masquerades as a healthy snack to feed your kids - but in reality, are an Unclean nightmare!

Check out the ingredient list for Quaker Peanut Butter and Chocolate granola bars:

Granola, crisp rice, corn syrup, inulin, invert sugar, peanut butter (peanuts, sugar, palm oil, salt), semisweet chocolate chunks, rolled oats, milled flaxseed, sugar, glycerin, peanut flavored chips (sugar, palm kernel and palm oil, partially defatted peanut flour, lactose, whey powder, dextrose, corn syrup solids, soy lecithin, salt, artificial flavor), bran strands (wheat bran, oat hull fiber, evaporated cane juice, oat bran, malted barley extract, sea salt, sodium bicarbonate, color), sunflower oil, hydrogenated palm kernel and palm oils, water, rolled whole wheat, brown sugar, cocoa, natural and artificial flavors, soybean oils, whole wheat flour, buttermilk, salt, molasses, soy lecithin, milk-fat, sodium bicarbonate, sorbitan monostearate, caramel color, polysorbate 60, BHT, skim milk powder.


 Holy Mackarel! Look at all the sugar and sugar sources!!!

Real granola bars are a simple mix of oatmeal, peanut butter, granola, nuts, and ( if you like ) chocolate chips. While a premade bar is hands down more convenient to grab & go...if you like granola bars or would like to include a healthy one as your mid morning / early afternoon "mini meal", try your hand at this no bake version which couldn't be easier. The ingredients are easily adaptable, and you can change or add ingredients as you like.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw oatmeal
• 2 cups granola or trail mix ( check ingredient list to ensure it is clean!!! )
• 1/2 cup ground walnuts or almonds
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips ( organic if possible )
• 2 cups natural unsalted peanut butter (chunky type)

Steps:

• Oil a 9x11 baking sheet.
• Place all dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix to combine.
• Add the wet ingredients and form into a firm paste. You may need to add more peanut butter or honey if the mixture is too dry.
• Press the mixture into the oiled container.
• Cover the pressed mixture with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
• Cut into 36 bars and serve.
• Store extras in an airtight container or wrap individually in plastic and store in the refrigerator.

More Visual Aids for the Clean Eater

Garlic
1st Choice (Natural State): Garlic
2nd Choice (Somewhat Processed): Jarred minced garlic
Limit (Highly Processed): Bottled garlic marinade
Shopping Tip: Minced fresh garlic is cheaper and more flavorful than jarred.

 
Chicken
1st Choice (Natural State): Fresh chicken breasts
2nd Choice (Somewhat Processed): Deli sliced chicken
Limit (Highly Processed): Chicken nuggets
Shopping Tip: Chicken nuggets contain very little real chicken.

Yogurt 1st Choice (Natural State): Plain yogurt ) Greek yogurt is best for high protein content )
2nd Choice (Somewhat Processed): Flavored yogurt ( fruit additives can be high in sugar )
Limit (Highly Processed): Flavored yogurt drink
Shopping Tip: Buy plain yogurt and flavor it at home with honey or fresh fruit.

Bread1st Choice (Natural State): Whole grain bread
2nd Choice (Somewhat Processed): Wheat bread
Limit (Highly Processed): Fortified white bread
Shopping Tip: If a whole grain isn't the first ingredient, you're missing out on nutrients

Rice1st Choice (Natural State): Brown rice
2nd Choice (Somewhat Processed): White rice
Limit (Highly Processed): Flavored instant rice
Shopping Tip: Brown rice, unlike white, hasn't had its fiber-rich layers of bran and germ removed.

Soy 1st Choice (Natural State): Fresh edamame (whole soybeans)
2nd Choice (Somewhat Processed): Tofu
Limit (Highly Processed): Frozen veggie burgers (containing soy ingredients)
Shopping Tip: Frozen veggie burgers are vegetarian-friendly but are highly processed.




Thanks again, Prevention.com.

Visual Aid for the Clean Eater

1. Apples

1st Choice (Natural State): Apple
2nd Choice (Somewhat Processed): Applesauce
Limit (Highly Processed): Apple toaster pastry
Shopping Tip: While applesauce is a healthy choice, it has fewer nutrients than a whole apple - and generally added preservatives

2. Oranges

1st Choice (Natural State): Orange
2nd Choice (Somewhat Processed): 100% orange juice
Limit (Highly Processed): Orange drink
Shopping Tip: Many fruit drinks contain high fructose corn syrup and little real juice.

3. Strawberries

1st Choice (Natural State): Fresh strawberries
2nd Choice (Somewhat Processed): Strawberry preserves ( a lot of sugars! )
Limit (Highly Processed): Strawberry gelatin dessert
Shopping Tip: Gelatin desserts usually contain artificial strawberry flavor, not real fruit.

4. Peaches

1st Choice (Natural State): Peach
2nd Choice (Somewhat Processed): Canned peaches in 100% juice
Limit (Highly Processed): Canned peaches in heavy syrup
Shopping Tip: Fruit canned in heavy syrup has more sugar and calories than fresh fruit.

5. Turkey

1st Choice (Natural State): Whole turkey
2nd Choice (Somewhat Processed): Deli turkey
Limit (Highly Processed): Store-bought turkey meatballs
Shopping Tip: If you buy turkey and other meats at the deli counter, ask for brands free of fillers and nitrates.

6. Beef

1st Choice (Natural State): Grass-fed beef
2nd Choice (Somewhat Processed): Grain-fed beef
Limit (Highly Processed): Frozen beef patties
Shopping Tip: Grass-fed meat is higher in nutrients and lower in fat than grain-fed beef.



Thanks, Prevention.com