Congratulations to Tracy! You are the winner of the bread baking book! Please e-mail me with winner in the subject line and I will get that to you. my e-mail is kookykeck(at)yahoo.com.
Search This Blog
For the foodie in all of us
Monday, May 20, 2013
Sunday, May 19, 2013
an unexpected source of sugar being dumped into our kids
We are eating so much sugar in our society. It is absurd. It has been estimated that in the United States we are eating half a pound of sugar per person per day!!!!!!
Although it sounds so over the top, is not totally surprising. Sugar in it's many forms is found in the majority of our foods. Processed foods are fueling our need and dependency on sugar. Processed foods have become so over sweetened. It is scary. Many blame the problems on soft drinks,Thus they tried to ban large sodas in New York. We all know that candy and sugared cearals are loaded with sugar, but there are plenty of other foods that supply our children with staggering amounts of sugar that we may not be thinking about.
Just a few examples, pasta sauce, many pasta sauces are loaded with sugar, ketchup and peanut butter are two others that our children are eating that can be stuffed full of sugar. There is one food in particular that I want to address today. This food in some cases has more added sugar than soda, and our kids (and maybe we as adults) are slurping it down in huge amounts. This food is being marketed to us and our children as something truly healthy. have you guessed it yet? Are you ready for this? It is ...... Yogurt. Look and see for yourself, check out the labels next time you are at the grocery store.
I hate commercial yogurt from the store. We hardly buy it anymore. These yogurts are so full of sugar, dyes, emulsifiers, flavorings etc. There is not really any goodness left when you look at the the fact that some of them do not have any live or active cultures in them. Live active cultures is what makes yogurt so good for you.
Yogurt itself is a great food when made properly. Take good quality milk, inoculate it with good friendly bacteria (active cultures) let it grow in a warm place for a while and you have something wonderful. Top it with some fresh fruit YUM! There is something wonderful about a good fresh yogurt. It has been eaten for centuries. It has contributed to good gut health. It is something that can be truly healthy.
How different is this "good" yogurt from the commercial yogurt you buy in the store? Many store bought yogurts starts with milk that has been homogenized, pasteurized and processed until there is no goodness left in the milk, they pump it full of sugar, corn syrup dyes, preservatives, emulsifiers, flavorings, starches, and artificial sugars. They may, or may not put any live yogurt cultures in it.They may put a bit of real fruit in it, but mostly it is fruit flavorings and such. It is a far different food with a far different effect on the body than real live cultured yogurt. This is not to say that there are no good brands of yogurt out there, and that every brand is bad. There are some brands that we buy. We are just more careful about which ones we choose nowadays.
Choose a good wholesome yogurt product. Read labels. Do not buy it if you do not understand the ingredients in it. Avoid the kinds that are targeted to children,(the ones with cartoon characters on the outside) they are some of the worst. There are some decent brands of yogurt out there. I do buy some of those better brands on occasion. But just for fun, or if you are unsure about the quality of the yogurt you are buying make your own. An added bonus of making your own is the money you can save. It is really cost effective to make your own yogurt as good quality yogurt can be a bit pricey.
Early on I wrote a post about making yogurt at home. It is really not all that hard, it does take a little planning. Eating real food does take a bit more planning than just open up a package. It requires label reading and a bit of change but is so worth the efforts. For those of you stuck on the Greek yogurt bandwagon, make yogurt and then strain the excess liquid and whey out of the yogurt through a couple layers of cheesecloth set in a strainer over a bowl. This method will thicken it up nicely and give you the same results as a greek style yogurt. Strain it a bit longer and you have something that resembles and can be interchanged with cream cheese.
Try making yogurt and see what happens.
Here is the link to my post about making yogurt.
making yogurt
As an added note.
Yogurt is one of the dairy foods that is on the agengda to have artificial sweeteners added without labeling. They are working on a proposal to change the labeling of dairy products. The producers are becoming smart to the fact that we as consumers are looking at labels. Consumers are craving the sweet stuff, but trying to cut back. It is amazing to me that they are pumping our food full of sweet stuff and hiding it under all kinds of names. For dairy producers to be able to add sweetners and not have to label it; expecially when it is an artifical sweetner, that is not right. This is yet another reason to make your own yogurt and take control of what you and your family eats.
Here is a link to a petition against this
tell the FDA to reject the proposal of unlabeled apartamine in dairy
Although it sounds so over the top, is not totally surprising. Sugar in it's many forms is found in the majority of our foods. Processed foods are fueling our need and dependency on sugar. Processed foods have become so over sweetened. It is scary. Many blame the problems on soft drinks,Thus they tried to ban large sodas in New York. We all know that candy and sugared cearals are loaded with sugar, but there are plenty of other foods that supply our children with staggering amounts of sugar that we may not be thinking about.
Just a few examples, pasta sauce, many pasta sauces are loaded with sugar, ketchup and peanut butter are two others that our children are eating that can be stuffed full of sugar. There is one food in particular that I want to address today. This food in some cases has more added sugar than soda, and our kids (and maybe we as adults) are slurping it down in huge amounts. This food is being marketed to us and our children as something truly healthy. have you guessed it yet? Are you ready for this? It is ...... Yogurt. Look and see for yourself, check out the labels next time you are at the grocery store.
I hate commercial yogurt from the store. We hardly buy it anymore. These yogurts are so full of sugar, dyes, emulsifiers, flavorings etc. There is not really any goodness left when you look at the the fact that some of them do not have any live or active cultures in them. Live active cultures is what makes yogurt so good for you.
Yogurt itself is a great food when made properly. Take good quality milk, inoculate it with good friendly bacteria (active cultures) let it grow in a warm place for a while and you have something wonderful. Top it with some fresh fruit YUM! There is something wonderful about a good fresh yogurt. It has been eaten for centuries. It has contributed to good gut health. It is something that can be truly healthy.
How different is this "good" yogurt from the commercial yogurt you buy in the store? Many store bought yogurts starts with milk that has been homogenized, pasteurized and processed until there is no goodness left in the milk, they pump it full of sugar, corn syrup dyes, preservatives, emulsifiers, flavorings, starches, and artificial sugars. They may, or may not put any live yogurt cultures in it.They may put a bit of real fruit in it, but mostly it is fruit flavorings and such. It is a far different food with a far different effect on the body than real live cultured yogurt. This is not to say that there are no good brands of yogurt out there, and that every brand is bad. There are some brands that we buy. We are just more careful about which ones we choose nowadays.
Choose a good wholesome yogurt product. Read labels. Do not buy it if you do not understand the ingredients in it. Avoid the kinds that are targeted to children,(the ones with cartoon characters on the outside) they are some of the worst. There are some decent brands of yogurt out there. I do buy some of those better brands on occasion. But just for fun, or if you are unsure about the quality of the yogurt you are buying make your own. An added bonus of making your own is the money you can save. It is really cost effective to make your own yogurt as good quality yogurt can be a bit pricey.
Early on I wrote a post about making yogurt at home. It is really not all that hard, it does take a little planning. Eating real food does take a bit more planning than just open up a package. It requires label reading and a bit of change but is so worth the efforts. For those of you stuck on the Greek yogurt bandwagon, make yogurt and then strain the excess liquid and whey out of the yogurt through a couple layers of cheesecloth set in a strainer over a bowl. This method will thicken it up nicely and give you the same results as a greek style yogurt. Strain it a bit longer and you have something that resembles and can be interchanged with cream cheese.
Try making yogurt and see what happens.
Here is the link to my post about making yogurt.
making yogurt
As an added note.
Yogurt is one of the dairy foods that is on the agengda to have artificial sweeteners added without labeling. They are working on a proposal to change the labeling of dairy products. The producers are becoming smart to the fact that we as consumers are looking at labels. Consumers are craving the sweet stuff, but trying to cut back. It is amazing to me that they are pumping our food full of sweet stuff and hiding it under all kinds of names. For dairy producers to be able to add sweetners and not have to label it; expecially when it is an artifical sweetner, that is not right. This is yet another reason to make your own yogurt and take control of what you and your family eats.
Here is a link to a petition against this
tell the FDA to reject the proposal of unlabeled apartamine in dairy
And to finish the celebration
As the last part of our one year celebration I am giving away......
"A step of faith"
An audio book by Richard Paul Evans
From his website
To enter this giveaway, Leave a comment below. On Wednesday May 22nd winner will be chosen from the comments.
For additional entries you can like us on facebook and /or twitter and leave a separate comment telling us that you have done so.
Be sure to come back and see who the winner is.
"A step of faith"
An audio book by Richard Paul Evans
From his website
A Step Of Faith
“We must all walk in faith, for to live without is to live frozen in circumstance. Even if the faith, or dreams of our past have been shattered, as they often are, we must gather up the shards and dream again– for achieving dreams is not a single act of will, but, like the felling of a tree, a process of small, steady blows. It is the short footfalls of a great walk.”
To enter this giveaway, Leave a comment below. On Wednesday May 22nd winner will be chosen from the comments.
For additional entries you can like us on facebook and /or twitter and leave a separate comment telling us that you have done so.
Be sure to come back and see who the winner is.
Friday, May 17, 2013
And the winner is.......
The winner of the kitchen harvest book is. Comment # 3
Carolyn you are the winner! please E-mail me kookykeck(at)yahoo(dot)com to claim your prize.
Please include prize winner in the subject line. Thank you to all who entered.
Carolyn you are the winner! please E-mail me kookykeck(at)yahoo(dot)com to claim your prize.
Please include prize winner in the subject line. Thank you to all who entered.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
ONE YEAR AGO TODAY I FIRST WROTE AT LIFE LESS HURRIED
To help celebrate I am hosting yet another giveaway. Todays giveaway is.....
"The art of baking with natural yeast" written by Caleb Warnock and Melissa Richardson.
This book is a wonderful thing. It explains how you can make fabulous breads at home without the added expense of comercial yeasts. It guides you through the process of growing and caring for a natural yeast start.
I obtained a yeast start last summer. It was a bit of a disaster in the begining. The book was just coming out and I did not have a copy. You can read about my adventures with natural yeast. We also developed a recipe on our own for waffles using natural yeast. It has been really fun to experiment with this natural yeast. My husband and children love it. We make waffles or pancakes every Sunday as part of our family tradition. I also make bread twice a week. I enjoy working with the stuff and I love that I never have to buy expensive yeast again.
Thank you Melissa Richardson for donating a copy of your book.
Check out her blog for more great info about this wonderful stuff. the bread geek
Now on to the good stuff
ENTER TO WIN YOUR OWN COPY OF "THE ART OF BAKING WITH NATURAL YEAST"
TO ENTER: LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW. one of the comments will be chosen at random to be the winner. The winner will be announced right here at life less hurried on Monday May 20th. so be sure to come back on Monday to check out if you are the winner
for additional enteries like us on facebook and/or twitter and leave a seperate comment below. If you are already following us, simply leave a seperate comment telling us that you are following.
To help celebrate I am hosting yet another giveaway. Todays giveaway is.....
"The art of baking with natural yeast" written by Caleb Warnock and Melissa Richardson.
This book is a wonderful thing. It explains how you can make fabulous breads at home without the added expense of comercial yeasts. It guides you through the process of growing and caring for a natural yeast start.
I obtained a yeast start last summer. It was a bit of a disaster in the begining. The book was just coming out and I did not have a copy. You can read about my adventures with natural yeast. We also developed a recipe on our own for waffles using natural yeast. It has been really fun to experiment with this natural yeast. My husband and children love it. We make waffles or pancakes every Sunday as part of our family tradition. I also make bread twice a week. I enjoy working with the stuff and I love that I never have to buy expensive yeast again.
Thank you Melissa Richardson for donating a copy of your book.
Check out her blog for more great info about this wonderful stuff. the bread geek
Now on to the good stuff
ENTER TO WIN YOUR OWN COPY OF "THE ART OF BAKING WITH NATURAL YEAST"
TO ENTER: LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW. one of the comments will be chosen at random to be the winner. The winner will be announced right here at life less hurried on Monday May 20th. so be sure to come back on Monday to check out if you are the winner
for additional enteries like us on facebook and/or twitter and leave a seperate comment below. If you are already following us, simply leave a seperate comment telling us that you are following.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Celebrating a year at Life less hurried
Kitchen harvest by Susan Berry.
I have had a chance to look at this book. It is all about growing good food in a little space. I love the idea of a container garden, and making use of the space we have.
To enter: simply leave a comment below. The winner will be chosen at random and will be announced right here on Friday May 17th. good luck everyone.
For additional entries please like me on facebook and/or twitter and leave a separate comment letting me know. If you are already a a follower just let me know below. links can be found on the sidebar ↔
Monday, May 13, 2013
A stroll down memory lane
On May 17th, 2012 I first published here on Life less hurried. It has been a fun year. Who knew that within a year I would have such success. I first began writing in the blogesphere not knowing if anyone (besides a few good friends) were reading my writing. The occasional comment would come along making me very glad for kind words. There are days when I ask myself "Am I doing any good?" Then the answer comes. If it only inspire one person to live a better life. It is worth it.
Now let's take a look back at the path we have walked this last year, and the fun we have had doing it.
One of the first big hits was the pizza dough, Then came our enchilada recipe
In the summer I wrote a post encouraging families to unplug, It is advice that I have taken seriously lately.
I also wrote about making yogurt, and dehydrating cantaloupe (which was not really all that good). The post that took off and was the first one pinned was the easy cinnamon roll recipe.
In Late July I got a start for a natural sweet yeast. I developed a recipe for waffles which are truly great.
In the fall I wrote two posts about being yourself and not letting the stress of measuring up to others get the best of you. Be your own kind of Supermom and Dandelions. In October and November I wrote a three part series on Taming the sugar beast I also began writing about the great grains
I wrote about the Christmas gifts I made for the family. Little did I know that the recipes for handmade salami and homemade mustard would be so well received It still amazes me now. These are my most popular posts.
This spring I wrote a wonderful post about living well by serving others. I also I wrote a post about getting stronger in mind, body, and spirit. One of my most recent posts is about my favorite Christian workout songs
It has been an amazing year. I love having and online journal of some of the great and fun things we have done. Looking back has been a real joy. I am looking forward to another great year here at life less hurried.
If you are a fairly new reader, I hope that you will sit back, relax and enjoy your time here. I hope you will read some of the older posts and get inspired to live the "good life"
Now let's take a look back at the path we have walked this last year, and the fun we have had doing it.
One of the first big hits was the pizza dough, Then came our enchilada recipe
In the summer I wrote a post encouraging families to unplug, It is advice that I have taken seriously lately.
I also wrote about making yogurt, and dehydrating cantaloupe (which was not really all that good). The post that took off and was the first one pinned was the easy cinnamon roll recipe.
In Late July I got a start for a natural sweet yeast. I developed a recipe for waffles which are truly great.
In the fall I wrote two posts about being yourself and not letting the stress of measuring up to others get the best of you. Be your own kind of Supermom and Dandelions. In October and November I wrote a three part series on Taming the sugar beast I also began writing about the great grains
I wrote about the Christmas gifts I made for the family. Little did I know that the recipes for handmade salami and homemade mustard would be so well received It still amazes me now. These are my most popular posts.
This spring I wrote a wonderful post about living well by serving others. I also I wrote a post about getting stronger in mind, body, and spirit. One of my most recent posts is about my favorite Christian workout songs
It has been an amazing year. I love having and online journal of some of the great and fun things we have done. Looking back has been a real joy. I am looking forward to another great year here at life less hurried.
If you are a fairly new reader, I hope that you will sit back, relax and enjoy your time here. I hope you will read some of the older posts and get inspired to live the "good life"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)