The Mac Daddy

I've been cooped up in my house with a fever virus along with my 4 year old son. Between doses of Tylenol, episodes of Dora and Diego and a lot of snuggles, I managed to catch up on some real news from around the world. One story in particular caught my eye because I thought I had read the small headline wrong. I thought I read "1,690 Calorie Burger", but that couldn't possibly be correct. I mean, that is a TON of calories for a sandwich, almost a daily serving of calories. I adjusted my glasses and reread the headline. It was no joke! Denny's is unveiling a burger that weighs in at 1,690 calories!!

The burger is called the Mac'n Cheese Big Daddy Patty Melt (The Mac Daddy for short). The Mac Daddy consists of two slices of buttered grilled potato bread, a beef burger patty layered with slices of cheese, a scoop of prepared macaroni and cheese pasta, a "Frisco" tomato based sauce and it is topped with another slice of cheese. It is served with a side of french fries. So many things ran through my mind when I read this description. First, who in their right mind would even want to eat this massive pile of crap? It makes me nauseated just looking at it. I cannot imagine how greasy this thing must be. Can you picture the heartburn, upset stomach and gas that is likely to follow ingesting this? I really wonder who created this burger. Who thought meat topped with cheese and pasta would be a tasty combo? I wonder if Denny's has any type of food nutritionist working within the company. Anyone in their right mind would know this is by far one of the unhealthiest "foods" out there; who approved this creation? I can't even call it food because real food doesn't attempt to kill you.

Tonight for dinner I made whole wheat pancakes, scrabbled organic eggs, organic all natural bacon and fresh watermelon slices. Sure the bacon is not the healthiest and one could argue that eggs are not the best option either, but I had a sick kid who requested this and happily ate almost every morsel on his plate. When compared to the Mac Daddy the bacon and eggs pale in comparison, calorie wise. If I added all of my calories up correctly, my dinner was only 395 calories.

I'm really curious who would eat this monstrous burger and why. Anyone care to share? I know I have secret lurkers so share if you dare! ;)

Apple Picking

Last Friday was an absolutely beautiful day. The sky was brilliant blue with not a cloud in sight. The temps were mild and a slight breeze was in the air. It was the kind of day that begs you to be outside having fun. Brennan had a half day of school due to teacher meetings and I get off at noon every day so I decided we would make the most of the gorgeous day. After contemplating a variety of ideas I decided we would go fruit picking at Eckert's in Illinois. I was expecting to go peach picking, but I was thrilled to find out it was opening day for honeycrisp apple season!

Honeycrisp apples are our absolute favorites! Honeycrisps are created by pollinating Macoun and Honeygold apple varieties. The outcome is a sweet, lightly tart, firm apple. We like to eat them in their natural form, but I have also made applesauce, apple pie and apple crisp with them and all of the goodies were tasty.

Bryan decided to surprise us by taking off two hours early. After a quick lunch we loaded up the car and headed over to Belleville. We usually take the river ferry across the Mississippi, head into Grafton and visit the Eckert's in Grafton, but that day we decided to explore the Belleville location. This particular Eckert's is about 20 minutes from downtown St. Louis so it was a nice drive that allowed one tuckered out 4 year old an opportunity to cat nap!

I will never go apple picking on a weekend again; Friday afternoons are the way to go! We walked right up to the tractor and instantly boarded the wagon. Peaches were still available for picking so we gathered boxes and bags and headed out to the orchards. The boys had so much fun riding on the tractor/wagon ride. I'll admit, I had fun, too! The driver was an older man who was so sweet. He drove us out to the apple trees first and we picked two big bags of apples. Alex thought it was so neat that he could eat apples straight off the trees. Brennan was dying to pick peaces so we loaded the tractor again and headed to the peach orchards. These peaches were the biggest peaches I had ever seen! Brennan stashed on in his pocket and decided he would eat it later (he dropped it so many times it bruised all over, though). We loaded up the tractor again and headed back to the country store. As we sat high in the wagon my eyes fell upon the acres and acres of farm land filled with fresh fruits and veggies. Oh how I wish I could live on a farm! Most people are shocked when I say this, but I really wish I could live in the country, growing my food and tending to a few animals. I guess you could say I have changed a bit! It was such a neat time watching the boys explore, pick the fruit, eat it right off the trees, chase grasshoppers and have a good time. I love knowing that we have opportunities to show our boys where their food comes from, who tends to the fruits and veggies, who cares for the farmland, etc. Many times were take our food for granted. It is easy to grab a handful of greens or a bag of apples at the local grocery store and never once think about who planted the seed and tended to them all season long or to think about how did that zucchini get from the farm to the kitchen table.

Tonight, right before bed, I am going to make some homemade applesauce with some of our apples from Eckert's. Tomorrow morning when the boys wake up they can enjoy some warm cinnamon applesauce with their breakfast. The following recipe is SOOOOO easy, it tastes great and the smell is heavenly (imagine autumn bursting from your walls).

Ingredients:


Apples (I usually use 6-8 big apples, it all depends on how much you want to make)
1/2 cup water
Ground cinnamon (to your liking)
*1/4 cup real sugar (if desired; could also use Truvia, Stevia, etc.)

Slice apples, place into crock pot. Add water, cinnamon, and optional sugar. Turn pot on low and in a matter of hours enjoy your applesauce. I leave the skin on the apples because there is a lot of fiber and nutrients in the skins, however you can peel this off if desired. I like my applesauce warm, but it is also very good cold.

Recipe: Pasta Con Broccoli

I absolutely love pasta and this particular recipe is so easy and so tasty. My boys devour this pasta dish and Brennan usually asks for seconds. I have attempted to make a few tweaks here and there in order to add to the nutritional content. The following recipe is based on four servings. I serve this dish with salad, garlic bread and fruit so we usually have a very small amount of leftovers (about enough for one leftover lunch). Enjoy!

Ingredients:
8 ounces of large whole wheat pasta shells (original recipe calls for regular white flour noodles)
2 cups of fat free half & half (original recipe calls for full fat half & half)
4 tablespoons of butter
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
1 small can of all natural tomato sauce (original recipe calls for 4 tablespoons of sauce)
1 cup of broccoli
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

*Original recipe calls for 2/3 cup of sliced mushroom, but we do not care for mushrooms so I do not add them.

Directions:
1. In a large cooking pot, bring water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until about half-way done. Drain the pasta and return to the pot.

2. Add cream, butter, garlic, tomato sauce, broccoli, salt & pepper. Bring to a hard boil.

3. When noodles are fully cooked and sauce has thickened, add in the mushrooms. Stir to combine.

4. Remove the pasta from the heat, add the Parmesan cheese and toss.

5. Enjoy!

I have made this with fresh broccoli as well as a bag of steamed broccoli. The men in the house prefer the bagged broccoli because they like softer, well done veggies. I prefer the fresh broccoli, but as long as they are chowing down on that green stuff I'll eat whatever! I buy florets rather than chopped broccoli, but that is just my preference. I also prefer the real block of parm cheese as compared to the dried variety that comes in the green shaker can. I usually buy a small triangle of Parmesan cheese, shred it, use some in this recipe and save the rest for either lasagna or whole wheat pizza pockets.

Things That Make You Go Hmmmmm

Every time I log onto my computer I am taken to the Yahoo main page where news stories run across the middle of the page. The stories are usually highlights of current events, Hollywood gossip and politics, but sometimes they throw in fun, random articles. The other day when I logged on an article about food popped up so I decided to read it. It was interesting and a bit scary to read.

Did you know…….

1. The food our grandparents ate is not the same food we eat today, nutrition-wise? The food we consume today contains fewer nutrients than food produced 40 years ago. Researchers looked at over 40 different foods and discovered the following decreases in nutritional content:

·        Protein 6%

·        Calcium 16%

·        Iron 15%

·        Riboflavin 38%

·        Vitamin C 20%

2. Cow’s milk contains hormones that may cause cancer. In the 70’s, a typical cow produced 10,000 pounds of milk annually; today a cow produces about 20,000 pounds annually. Cows sure didn’t change, but their feed did. Cows are typically fed an added hormone of rBGH or rBST (recombinant bovine somatotropin). rBST has been linked to cancers such as breast, colon and prostate.

3. Conventional produce can contain as much as nine different types of pesticide. The Environmental Working Group lists peaches as the worst fruit, due in part to its thin, delicate skin. Apples, celery, blueberries, strawberries and spinach are also high on the EWG’s list of pesticide laden produce.

4. Over the course of the past 40 years, the number of daily calories available to Americans has increased by 500 calories. That is about 52 extra pounds of fat per person per year! We can thank easier access to fast foods and processed foods for this.

5. Even the composition of a chicken has been altered in the past 40 years. When we compare a chicken in 2011 to a chicken from the 1970’s we see 266% more fat and 33% less protein. This is due to modern farming practices such as cramped housing environments and unnatural diets.

6. Eating a nutritious diet costs 10 times more than eating junk food. Researchers have calculated the cost discrepancy between healthy food and junk foods and found that 2,000 calories of junk food rings up at a measly $3.52 a day. For 2,000 calories of nutritious foods, the researchers plunked down $36. What worse it that out of every dollar consumers spend, only 19 cents goes toward the food. The other 81 cents goes toward marketing, packaging and manufacturing.

These statistics really make me question the foods I buy and prepare for my family. Last week I stopped by Aldi’s to buy some flowers and noticed how cheap the fresh produce was priced so I bought plums, nectarines, cherries, apples, bananas and grapes. All of that produce, the flowers, a box of graham crackers cost under $16. What a great deal, right?! Then I read this and I questioned what I had just fed my family. Nobody should ever have to question their food! Where did food go wrong? 

Recipe: Sweet Potato Muffins

I love muffins, cakes, cookies, you name it. Usually these goodies are not too healthy, but I have found a great recipe for whole wheat sweet potato muffins. I think they are pretty darn healthy so I feel good feeding these to my family. The boys love these muffins! They are a hit in our house. Best of all? They smell incredible as they bake. It is sorta like autumn in a cup!

• Muffin Mix:
• 1 sweet potato
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup honey
• 1 (6 ounce) container vanilla yogurt
•  
• Topping:
• 1/2 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup almonds (I omit almonds due to allergies)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F. Grease muffin cups, or line with paper muffin liners; set aside. Prick sweet potato several times with a fork and place onto a baking sheet.
2. Bake the sweet potato in the preheated oven until easily pierced with a fork. When the potato is cool enough to handle, peel and mash.
3. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
4. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Stir in the applesauce, eggs, vanilla, honey, yogurt, and mashed sweet potato, just until all ingredients are moistened. Spoon batter evenly into prepared muffin cups.
5. Blend together the oatmeal, brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle topping over unbaked muffins.
6. Bake muffins in the preheated oven until golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, 12 to 15 minutes. 

Recipe: Zucchini Sliders

In May, after a long day of teaching, running Brennan to batting practice and visiting Bryan's gravely ill grandmother in the hospital, I realized I needed to fed my family dinner. It was late and there was still a lot to do before bedtime so we decided to stop by Ruby Tuesdays for a quick bite to eat. Our "safe restaurants" are limited due to Brennan's food allergies, but Ruby Tuesdays is simply wonderful with meeting his needs. If you are  in the St. Charles area and have dietary concerns, the Ruby Tuesdays on Mid Rivers Drive is a good option.

Usually when we go out to eat my choices are limited (although I could technically eat anything on the menu, unlike my sweet boy). I usually order a baked potato, salad, steamed veggies or a wrap minus the meat. As my eyes scanned the menu I noticed they had zucchini mini cakes. I happily ordered my dinner, excited that I had a new option.

These zucchini cakes were awesome! Shredded zucchini, red bell pepper, feta cheese....YUM! They were served on a slider bun with lettuce, tomato and a pickle (I opted to not add the mayo) and the sides were a salad and fries. I was stuffed and happy. I decided that I had to find a copy cat recipe to make at home and so my search started. I finally found a recipe and gave it a go tonight.

My kids refused to eat these sliders because they saw what went into them! The sight of red pepper and zucchini about sent them into a tailspin so I can officially say these are probably not kid-friendly unless you have a big veggie lover in your house. Bryan loved them and I thought they were OK; not Ruby's level, but I will most certainly make these again with substitutions here and there. The recipe I found called for parmesan cheese and I am not a big fan of it. I think it tastes and smells like vomit. I will use feta next time just like the Ruby version. I will also omit the salt because I thought the other spices were strong enough for my liking. Here is a modified version, a version I will make next time.

• 3 cups (2 medium) zucchini, coarsely grated
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (I will omit this)
• 1 cup plain bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I will use feta)
• 1 egg
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning (or substitute below)
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise or plain yogurt
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I didn't use this as I didn't have any on hand)

Old Bay Substitute

• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp onion powder
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp dried leaf oregano
• 1/8 tsp dried thyme

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray baking sheet with canola oil. (I lined my sheet with foil and spritzed the foil with oil, much easier clean up!)
• Grate zucchini on the large holes of a box grater.
• Squeeze grated zucchini in a clean kitchen towel. Zucchini should be fairly dry, and you should have about 2 cups after removing it from the towel.
• Place zucchini and remaining ingredients in a bowl; mix well.
• Form into 12 patties (approximate 2-inch diameter), and place on prepared baking sheets.
• Bake for 10 minutes. Then turn each cake over and bake for another 8 minutes.

I wish I knew where I found this recipe so I could give credit, but I just saved it onto my computer the night I stumbled upon it. Thank you to the original owner of this recipe! I ate my zucchini slider with lettuce and tomato and a small amount of ranch dressing. Bryan added a small amount of cheese on top and just ate it plain. They are a good alternative to a traditional meat slider. In addition to the zucchini sliders we had steamed spinach, baked potatoes and a fruit salad. It was a healthy, easy, filling dinner. The boys were content with everything other than the sliders and I was OK with letting them just eat potatoes, veggies and fruit.

Happy eating!

Simple Thoughts

A few good quotes/thoughts on vegetarianism............(taken from various sites on the Internet)

“Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.” -Albert Einstein




"The only foods that contain immune-strengthening and cancer-fighting nutrients are plant 
foods." - Mike Anderson




“I did not become a vegetarian for my health, I did it for the health of the chickens.” -Isaac Bashevis Singer




“Would you kill your pet dog or cat to eat it? How about an animal you're not emotionally attached to? Is the thought of slaughtering a cow or chicken or pig with your own hands too much to handle? Instead, would hiring a hit-man to do the job give you enough distance from the emotional discomfort? What animal did you put a contract out on for your supper last night? Did you at least make sure that none went to waste and to take a moment to be grateful for its sacrifice?" -Anonymous


“I decided I needed to be consistent in my prolife stance so 13 years ago I became a vegetarian.” -David O’Steen, national director of Right to Life




“A man can live and be healthy without killing animals for food; therefore, if he eats meat, he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite. And to act so is immoral.” -Leo Tolstoy




“In fact, if one person is unkind to an animal it is considered to be cruelty, but where a lot of people are unkind to animals, especially in the name of commerce, the cruelty is condoned and, once large sums of money are at stake, will be defended to the last by otherwise intelligent people.” -Ruth Harrison, author




“If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.” -Paul McCartney




“If you visit the killing floor of a slaughterhouse, it will brand your soul for life.” -Howard Lyman 

Of course these are what I believe to be "good quotes" as I am a proud vegetarian. If you are a meat eater, please read these with an open mind ;)