Homemade Wednesday
My mother asked me the other day if I believe feeding my son healthy food would really make him healthier. I found this to be an odd question. “Clearly” I said, “that is why it is called healthy food.” She kind of gave me an annoyed side look and went about her business.
She thinks on the opposite spectrum of some of my favorite bloggers. AKA Lisa Leake and her real food. I know my mom’s pantry is stuffed with store bought cookies, m&m’s, and treats and it always has been. Her home is my diet sabotage. I know she thinks I am obsessive about exercise and food and I know she’d probably laugh her head off at 100 Days of Real Food. It is not that my mother doesn’t eat any healthy food, she just eats what she feels like. If she wants a banana she eats one, if she wants a Chips Ahoy, she has one. That is her normal. Easy, basic, and to the point.
Me, on the other hand, I am obsessed with 100 Days of Real Food and completely respect Lisa and look up to her and her foodie efforts. If I could do it I would mimic her food lifestyle completely but I am still my mother’s child. Therefore, I try to take both views and smush them together in to a modified “more real” “less processed” “non-deprivation” moderation lifestyle for me and my family.
But do I want to cut back on sugar and junk? Yes. Do I want to cut back on high fructose corn syrup other processed ingredients and “flavors?” Definitely. Do I still want to enjoy a gooey ooey freakishly delicious dessert? Absolutely. That’s why one day I saw Lisa talk about the book the “Homemade Pantry” and clearly I ordered it and I loved what I saw.
This book is for me, it is me. Homemade, less-processed goodness. I say less processed since recipes include sugar and sugar is P-R-O-C-E-S-S-E-D. But I like dessert, I do and there are definitely better ways to have it then buy it in a bag of cookies that lasts for over a year! Real food doesn’t last that long. So today I decided to make chocolate sandwich cookies.
Recipe Modified from The Homemade Pantry:
Cookie
1 1/2 cups of whole wheat white flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
14 tbs unsalted butter
3 tbs whole milk
1 tsp vanilla
Filling
1 cup of butter
3 cups of powered sugar
1 tbs vanilla
1 tbs milk
1. Put all the dry cookie ingredients into the food processor and pulse until they are all mixed.
2. Add in butter, milk, and vanilla and process until a well blended ball of dough
3. Wrap the batter into a 2 inch log in wax paper. Put inside of a paper towel roll to create shape and put into refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
4. Create frosting into the mixer and then refrigerate
5. Take cookies out of the fridge and cut into very thin slices from 1/8 to 1/4 inch. Place one inch apart and cook for 6 minutes then rotate pan and cook for another 6 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Let cool on metal rack.
6. Fill and enjoy!
(These stay good in the freezer for up to 3 months)
At the end of the day it is hard to say anyone is completely right or completely wrong. You have to do what you think is best for you and your family.
What is your view on food and treats?
Only my husband would prefer the icky neon queso to the delish whole foods prepared one. Not sure how I’m going to convince him to do the 10 days real food challenge. Eeek!
Whole wheat banana bread!
In my quest to eat healthier I started to look at the food I am eating and how much of it is processed. Even if it is deemed healthy, I guess it is plausible that it isn’t really considered “real food” at all. So in an effort of change, I made a healthy snack for my lunch and for Cooper’s after daycare snack, whole wheat banana bread…from scratch.
The recipe is from http://www.100daysofrealfood.com: (sorry for the decimals but i can’t figure out how to make decent looking fractions #mathteacherproblems)
Ingredients:
2.25 cups of whole wheat flour
.75 tsp baking soda
.25 tsp salt
3 ripe, mashed bananas
.25 cup of plain yogurt
.25 cup of honey
2 eggs
.333 cup of oil
1 tsp of vanilla
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease pan
whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt
in a seperate bowl whisk the rest of the ingredients together
fold the banana mixture into the flour mixture, until blended
pour batter into prepared pan
baked loaf for 40-50 minutes or until it comes clean with a toothpick
