Love it when I discover something new!

Reasors now offers Borden milk without artificial hormones. So here comes the taste test... Braum's is still my fave. The good thing here is that if I'm in Reasors I can buy milk there and not go allllll the way to Braum's. You know when I've just had enough or its the end of the day I just don't feel like driving alllll the way to Braum's even if I tell myself I could rock out to the Black Eyed Peas or call my sis, just not gonna do it.
Reasors Borden milk $3.55

I love saving trees!

I love trees!
They are beautiful in the Winter covered in snow. I love to see the colors change in the Fall, I never experienced that before until we moved to Oklahoma. I enjoy seeing a bird rest on a branch during the Spring. I love to see a tree sway in the hot Summer. Trees are a reusable resource.It is important to recycle the paper we use. Besides recycling paper and cardboard, I decided to make other changes in my daily life to reduce my use.

What do trees do for us?

Trees are our breathing partners. You may not live in a forest, but you need trees in order to live. People and animals depend on trees and plants for oxygen. As you breathe in, your body uses oxygen. As you breathe out, it gives off carbon dioxide. Trees do just the opposite. They take in carbon dioxide and then release oxygen (which also helps clean the air). Trees also help cool the Earth. Trees give off moisture. More moisture in the air means more rain and all living things need water. Trees cool the air by shading and through water evaporation. They act like huge pumps to cycle water up from the soil back into the air. The 200,000 leaves on a healthy 100 foot tree can take 11,000 gallons of water from the soil and breathe it into the air in a single growing season. Did you know 5,000 things are made from trees? For instance baseball bats, shoe polish and even toothpaste from the tree extracts.


Besides recycling paper I try to reduce my use. Here are a few ways I use less paper. Some ways were easy changes some were hard.

1. After I clean out my purse, I recycle the paper that seem to overflow my bag. Of course keeping in mind how you dispose of it if it has private info on it.

2. I do make my long grocery list on paper because it is easier for me to read it but I recycle it when I am done. When it comes to small grocery stops I like to "write" them down on my cell phone.

3. Instead of writing my Monkey's teacher a note I email her.

4. If I need to write the Boss a note... I text him.

5. I do not wrap presents. I prefer to use gift bags because most often people will reuse them.

6. Several companies offer online billing. Some banks offer online banking.

7. I do send family and friends birthday and Christmas cards but they are made of recycled paper.

8. The hardest change has been giving up paper plates and cups. It is more eco friendly to wash dishes then to toss paper goods into the landfill. It has been over two years now since I don't use them and it has gotten easier. I now have fab ceramic plates and pretty plastic plates.

9. I have reduced the use of dinner napkins. It was so easy to use napkins to pick up any lil spills or crumbs. I was so quick to reach into the napkin holder to do these lil clean up jobs. I now keep them inside a drawer, it makes them less accessible. Instead of napkins I now use rags to clean. I keep several in the kitchen and have them available for clean ups. At meal times I only give one napkin per family member. I do not put a stack of napkins on the table. I believe having the napkins hidden is key. I am impressed with my sister, Yrazema aka Chema. She uses cloth napkins at mealtimes. This is very ecofriendly and frugal.

10. I have also reduced the use of paper towells. No matter how practical paper towells are I have replaced with kitchen towells and rags. I use rags to do all my house cleaning including dusting and restrooms. I feel more comfortable if I have specific rags use to clean the bathrooms and I wash them separately from other laundry. The papertowell roll no longer sits on the kitchen counter, it's kept inside the pantry. My sister, Chema, no longer uses paper towells and relies solely on rags.

11. I pass up on flyers or brochures. Instead I make note of the info on my cell phone. You know what's even quicker of making a note of it, I love to take pictures. I know that has been one of my most genius ideas yet! haha

Reducing the use of paper will extend the life of trees.


That's all I can think of how I reduce my use of paper. I'm sure I will think of more as I'm falling asleep.



The Truth
The oldest tree is a Great Basin Bristlecone Pine 4,844 years old located in the Southwest mountains in the US.

Does your milk have artificial hormones?

I buy milk that is rBGH free. rBGH is
recombinant bovine growth hormone also known as a artificial growth hormone. This is given to cows so they will produce more milk. Some believe it has been linked to early puberty and several kinds of cancer. rBGH free milk can be bought at Braum's, Walmart and organic brands at Reasor's. My fave is sold by Braum's. It has a flavor I like to describe as clean. For a long time I bought our ice cream at Braum's just assuming it was rBGH free. Sigh, I was wrong that's what I get for assuming. Their ice cream, sherbert and yogurt have it so I've been hunting for one we all like. I think we have settled on Breyer's Dreamy Creamy. I still prefer Braum's so I have emailed them asking them to make it rBGH free, take out the trans fats AND HFCS. I like to email companies to request changes because I believe our voices do make a difference.

Wal mart offers this rBGH free milk in store brand and brand names.
Cost at Braum's $3.29 estimated
Wal-mart estimated at a lil over $3
Reasors has organic milk starting at $6

Pantry

Chicken Broth

Oh yes, even some broths have trans fat in them. I like the one sold at Aldi for a great price. It is low in sodium, has no msg and most important of all NO JUNK! Yay!






Grits

Oh we love our Grits in this house! We love it with a dash of salt and butter with a side of eggs. Grits is coarsely grounded corn. It is sold in a canister or convenient packets but of course the canister is the most cost effective.

Hot Chocolate

Who doesn't like a hot chocolate on a cold day? I sure do! I make hot chocolate with cocoa. I follow the recipe on the canister, it's all goodness!

Pancakes

Hmmm, pancakes are popular on those lazy Saturday mornings for my Boss and Monkey. We like the blueberry pancakes by Krusteaz. They are fluffy and flavorful. We did not find a regular pancake box we like so I make buttermilk pancakes from scratch. Yes, they are as good as they sound. Fluffy and sweet!

• Best Buttermilk Pancakes
adapted from The Joy of Cooking

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

2. Melt the butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl on high power for 30 seconds.
Stir in the buttermilk, eggs and extract until smooth.

3. Pour the buttermilk mixture over the dry ingredients and stir just until the flour is incorporated.

4. Pour 1/4 cup scoops of batter onto a greased, heated griddle set over medium heat. Flip the pancakes when bubbles start to appear on top, after about 3 minutes. Cook the other side until golden brown.

Pancake Syrup
We had to say good bye so sad to our beloved pancake syrup. In my search for a great syrup I discovered it was going to be a maple syrup but I just couldn't pay that much for a syrup at a grocery store. Then I had the bright idea why not buy a syrup I already loved, Cracker Barrel syrup! It cost $7 for a bottle... it is high dollar but very good tasting. When we have breakfast at Cracker Barrel I shamelessly gather up our extra bottles of syrup to extend the life of my high dollar bottle of syrup. ;) We also love to have our pancakes with low fat cottage cheese. Growing up the Boss ate his pancakes with cottage cheese. I didn't believe how in the world would that taste good. Well, finally one day I did try it and it was OH, so delicious! Now when I plan to make pancakes there must be cottage cheese in the fridge, too!

It took us a long time to find a loaf of bread we all liked. We finally found our winner, Potato Bread by Oroweat. It's thinly sliced and soft. It is not dense nor heavy like so many other loaves we tried. Panera sells great bread loaves but it just took too much time to stop there for a loaf of bread and I found myself walking out with a high calorie drink which is not a good thing for me. One day I aspire to make my own bread.

Brown Gravy

I don't use brown gravy often, but it is a must have when I make salisbury steak. I like the mushroom gravy by McCormick.

Chocolate Milk

My monkey loves chocolate milk! We like Nesquik because it is lower in sugar then other brands and tastes great. This can also be used for hot chocolate. Nesquik gets a thumbs up by my Boss and Monkey.

Taco Seasoning

My fave Taco Seasoning is by Wal mart. It has the same zesty flavor as the other brand I had been using for so long.

Oatmeal

I like any of the store brand 100% instant oats. I LOVE oatmeal! So satisfying in the morning! This is how the three of us like it:

Hot Oatmeal

1 Cup of Instant Oatmeal

1 Cup of milk

1 tsp vanilla

splenda to taste

Combine all ingredients and cook in microwave for 90 seconds or follow the directions on the package. If it dries out, you can add water to make it thinner. I like to top it with blueberries, bananas or raisins. Your fave nuts taste great, too!

Oil

My fave cooking oil is extra virgin olive oil. I really like the flavor it adds to my cooking. It is the most natural then the other varieties available. It is high in antioxidants and vitamin E. It is a great alternative to the traditional cooking oil, vegetable oil.

There are different varieties of olive oil. Here is a brief explanation from http://www.healthydaily.com/

Extra virgin - considered the best, least processed, comprising the oil from the first pressing of the olives.
Virgin - from the second pressing.
Pure - undergoes some processing, such as filtering and refining.
Extra light - undergoes considerable processing and only retains a very mild olive flavour.

best priced at Aldi or Sam's Club

Next post: You may be using toxic plastic to store your food...
More food options coming, too!

More Choices for your Pantry

Pasta

I love pasta! I believe if I'm going to eat healthy I have to like what I am eating. If I don't like what I am eating, it will not be a lifelong change. I had to find a pasta I could still cook my amazing spaghetti and lasagna with. The winner for me was Ronzoni Smarttaste. It has 3x times the fiber and as much calcium as a 8 oz. glass of milk. It tastes great and it is not grainy nor does it feel thick. Over the last few years they have come out most of the commonly used pastas.

Found at Walmart and Reasors

estimated price $1.50

Cereal


I prefer yogurt instead of milk with my morning cereal or I'll have the milk on the side and my cereal dry. I think my monkey got this from me, he likes his cereal with a side of milk too. But hey as long as it goes in thats the important thing. I like to start the morning with a high fiber cereal to get things moving along ;). My monkey likes Honey Nut Cheerios or Kashi Heart to Heart. They are both high in fiber and low in sugar, what a great combo! Kashi has multiple cereals that are great. Aldi has a great low cost selection of cereals without trans fats or HFCS.



Granola


I love granola and it's a must have in your fave yogurt. Granola by Bearnaked is so good. It is sold at Reasor's for $6. I needed a granola at a lower cost so I started to making my own. I consider myself a frugalista, always looking for a bargain. Throughout these changes I needed to be careful with the grocery cost. So there are some things that I make myself. Once you've had something homemade you won't go back to store bought, granola is a perfect example. It's great as a snack or in yogurt.

Recipe from http://www.sparkpeople.com/




4 cups rolled oats(I used instant)
1/2 cup chopped or slivered almonds (I perfer whole) Best priced at Sam's Club or Wal-Mart
1/4 cup Splenda brown sugar blend
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup %100 apple juice
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5 tbsp honey
2 tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F

Mix together oats, nuts, salt & cinnamon together in a bowl

In a different bowl mix apple juice, oil, honey & vanilla together...then drizzle the liquid over the dry ingredients in the other bowl, mix with hands or spoon to ensure all dry mix is properly coated with liquid mixture.

Layer mix on a cookie sheet, keep layer under 1 inch in thickness (you may need to do this in 2 batches or in two cookie sheets side by side)

Bake 30-45 minutes making sure to stir the mixture every 5-7 minutes or else it will BURN! The mixture should have a nice crunch to it and be a medium to dark golden brown in color.

Add dried fruit and bake an extra 5 minutes, remove from oven and let it cool completely.

Store in fridge or freezer in sealed container, will keep for 2-3 weeks in fridge/freezer.

Number of Servings: 12

Calories 232.4
Total Fat 4.5 g
Saturated Fat 0.6 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.5 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 319.9 mg
Potassium 219.4 mg
Total Carbohydrate 43.2 g
Dietary Fiber 4.1 g
Sugars 14.9 g
Protein 5.2 g


Rice


Although unprepared rice does not have trans fats nor HFCS, I've switched from using long grain rice to brown rice.
Why brown rice over long grain rice?
Brown rice has more fatty acids, fiber, minerals and vitamins then white rice. Brown rice is also a whole grain. Did you know that long grain rice is brown rice that has been polished? During the polishing stage almost all of the nutrients are removed. The white rice is then "enriched" with vitamins that are not the same as the brown rice once had. To get maxium nutrients use brown rice that is NOT instant.
At first I went straight to using brown rice but I could not get use to the texture so I went to wild rice for a little while then eased into brown rice. In my opinion of brown rice is that it's chewy and has a mild nutty flavor. I do like the flavor now, it just took some getting use to. I follow the directions on the package to cook it. I substitute all natural, low sodium chicken broth instead of water for a flavor boost. I also like to stir in 1 tbsp of minced garlic, healthy sauteed mushrooms and/or scallions.



The Truth
Trans fat labeling on food packages has been mandatory since 2006.

Different Choices For Our Pantry

When you are eating you're new choices please keep something in mind, some will taste and feel different. Just keep in mind if you like the flavor you will get accustomed to the texture. Well, I did and I hope you do too.




PEANUT BUTTER
No kidding but after all this time I just found my fave PB this last week. I was getting frustrated because I wasn't liking any that were sold. I was starting to think I had to make my own. Finally, I found one by Smart Balance. It is creamy and flavorful. If eaten alone on bread it does need to be sweeter but some honey or jelly can fix that. Yeah! I found a PB! PB is very essential in my life so I am very happy right about now.

CRACKERS
My Monkey's fave snack are crackers. He and I loved Ritz crackers. I did not find a cracker that was as heavenly buttery delicious as a Ritz. Yes, I remember it fondly. I tried Reasor's store brand, Wal- mart store brand and Aldi, none were a match soooo we just eliminated the Ritz cracker. I still buy it for my Monkey to share with his class at snack time. Oh, you should see him he is jumping for joy! We also like saltine crackers. The Boss and I like Cheez-it, the reduce fat version. I think they have a nice cheddar bite to them. I tried many other crackers on the market and I just didn't like the flavor or the texture. It's important to check the market every 6 months because what's on the shelf changes.

CHIPS

I LOVE pita chips. I tried several brands, my fave is Stacy's found at Wal-mart $2.50. Stacy's pita chip are my pick because the chip is strong enough to dip, great texture and yummy crunch. I came across some pita chips that were salty, broke easily and over baked, booo! I like Pretzel sticks. I find mine at a great price $1.19 at Aldi. Great taste and crunch. I also like the round yellow corn tortilla chips from Aldi sold for $1.19.

POPCORN
There is microwaveable popcorn that are good but I did not find one I loved. My sister told me how to make your own.
Make your own microwaveable popcorn. Put 1/4 cup of kernels in a brown lunch paper bag, fold the top, place standing up in the microwave, my micro will pop it in 90 seconds yours may vary. You may like it plain, I love it tossed with spray butter. This is at a great price. For $1.25 you can get many servings of popcorn, makes it even better.

Reading Food Labels

During my first few times to the grocery store I was slow to read the food labels. You will notice ingredients are listed in small font jammed together or the natural ingredients will be in bold but the fake stuff will be smaller. Take your time reading the label. You will get faster, I promise! You will notice some foods on the front say No Trans Fats or 0% Trans Fats, BEWARE some of these foods still have Trans Fats. On some of these labels you will read the following "Less than 2% per serving" which means each serving has less than 2% of Trans Fat. This is still unhealthy for us so stay away from these item also.





What terms are you looking for?


Trans Fat AKA

Partially hydrogenated soybean oil sometime you will see palm oil instead of soybean oil, this is also junk.

monoglycerides and diglycerides

High Fructose Corn Syrup