Too Much Sugar

I've been on a detox for over two weeks now and the process has taught me a few things. First of all, I'm on the detox because my liver had  excessive toxins probably due to allergic reactions to foods I was eating. I found out about a year ago I was allergic to yeast. I thought it was bogus because I've gone my whole life eating breads and never having any sort of reaction until a few years ago. But sure enough, as soon as I stopped eating yeast, my reaction went away. I had really itchy eyes with patches of eczema.  Soon though I noticed it was coming back. I started paying closer attention to labels of foods to make sure I wasn't getting yeast without realizing it. Sure enough, I found that almost EVERY single pre-packaged food and most seasonings have yeast. Chips have yeast, nut blends have yeast, crackers have yeast, soups have yeast, broths have yeast, the list goes on and on. 

So, I started making my own foods from scratch for the most part. This means fresh ingredients, no more fast fix. I realize to most people this might seem really overwhelming but truly what I found was that it was not that much more work if I plan well and make things in multiple batches. I avoid foods like chips (although I love the blue corn and flax tortilla chips by Archer Farms at Target, they are my snack weakness with a little homemade hummus or salsa!), snacks, and store bought seasonings. It is really hard to avoid yeast while eating out so I rarely do. If I do I try to order the most "whole" foods on the menu like grilled salmon, salads or items without breading and sauces. 

This all made me start to consider foods more seriously. How many of us are eating things all day long and not even realizing it?  Sugar is in everything. Yeast is in everything. MSG is in almost everything. Processed foods contain so many additives that we are barely eating "real" foods anymore. So many kids have issues with sugar and yet we have food industries that are literally pumping us full of the stuff from our breakfast cereal to the ketchup served with dinner. 

The detox is a week of "fasting" with eating only green veggies and shakes. This was a very hard week. I was always hungry, tired and felt a little "weak". It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought though. Truthfully, I mostly always feel tired and fatigued. Some days I even felt I had more energy than before the detox. I really was hungry all of the time though, and that is with eating a ton of veggies. This week I get to start eating real foods again, with loads of restrictions. I am eating no dairy (eggs, milk, cheeses), no wheat, no processed foods, no sugars, no caffeine. When I had my first breakfast after the fast it was so yummy but I could hardly believe it was. I don't think I've eaten oatmeal without a big spoon full of sugar since I was a baby! I had a serving of oatmeal with about a teaspoon of almond butter and a sliced banana. It was so sweet, perfectly so, and delicious. Granted, I was starving...but I'm telling you it was really tasty. 

Then, later on I had an apple for a snack and it tasted like the best apple I'd ever had. So sweet and perfect. It got me thinking, my taste buds have just been conditioned to the sweets. I wonder if this will keep up since I am still off of sugar for about 3 more weeks. I'll have to keep you posted but I am thinking that I might have really changed the way I think about food here. Foods in pure forms are so good and they get ruined by processing. How much healthier would we all be if we ate fewer foods from a box and started eating fresh, whole, clean foods instead. 

By the way, do you know how hard it is to find a cereal with no added sugars? Really hard. I found one worth noting. Natures Path Millet Oats. It is sweetened with pear and apple juices and made with millet and oat flour. It is really very good and I recommend it to anyone who is avoiding wheat and sugars.

Pumpkin Scones With Pumpkin Butter Icing

There is nothing I enjoy more than a seasonal treat like a Pumpkin Scone. Every year when Starbucks starts carrying their seasonal fair I get a little giddy. But honestly, their scones aren't nearly as good as this homemade version. So bake a batch, bring them into the office or "Boo" a neighbor. Bring them to a housewarming or flash freeze them before baking for a baked fresh (with no effort) treat for breakfast.

Pumpkin Scones with Pumpkin Butter Icing

For The Scones:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 Tbs. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2  tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 6 Tbs. cold butter, cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 3 Tbs. milk, cream or half and half (I used 2 Tbs. milk and 1 Tbs. cream)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla

For The Icing:

• 1 cup 10x powdered sugar
• 2 Tbs. pumpkin butter
• 1 Tbs. milk

Preheat oven to 425. Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Add the butter and press with a fork or use mixer until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. In a seperate bowl combine the wet ingredients and add them to the dry. Fold in until mixture is forming a ball. Place dough onto a floured surface and roll just till mixture is about 2 inches. Cut into halves, halves again and halves again. Place on cookie sheet and brush with cream or milk. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. 

Combine the sugar, milk and pumpkin butter in small bowl. Stir until combined and smooth. Allow the scones to cool most of the way then drizzle the icing over the tops. Serve with a spiced latte or one of your favorite fall blend teas. 

It's A Social Parade! Blog Hop With Me.

Come Blog Hopin' with me on Friday and meet some new bloggers!
<3 Sarah

Check out this weeks deals at Publix!

http://www.southernsavers.com/2010/10/publix-weekly-ad-1020-1026-1021-1027/

Take a look at southernsavers for some great deals at Publix this week. I will be on a detox (boo) and will not be doing much cooking all week but there are some great deals for stocking up on trick or treat candy, oatmeal and school snacks for the kids.

Pumpkin Sausage Pasta

This recipe is one of my all time favorite fall recipes. It is earthy and warms you to the core. Shop the BOGO sales for great deals on pasta and parmesan cheese. I want to try this with mushrooms as a vegetarian dish as well.

Pumpkin Sausage Pasta - Printer Friendly Version

Serves 6-8
1 pound pasta, cooked (I used Buitellini linguine because it was BOGO)
1 15 oz can pumpkin (not pie filling, regular pureed pumpkin or you can roast and puree your own)
1 lb. turkey sausage (I used Jenny-O because they were on sale and I had coupons making it $2.99 a pound)
1 drizzle around the pan of EVOO
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup of cream, half and half or fat free half and half
salt and pepper to taste
chives or fresh chopped herb of your choice.
shaved parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package. Drain and set aside.  With a large saute pan, do a drizzle of EVOO around the pan and heat over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until tender about 5 minutes. Add sausage and cook (you may have to remove sausage from casing) until browned. Add can of pumpkin puree and stir well. Add cream and salt and pepper to taste, stir until combined and warmed through. Add pasta to sauce and serve with a sprinkle of fresh chopped chives and shaved parmesan cheese.

Cost break down:

2 boxes Buitellini fresh linguine $1.09 ( $2.19 each with BOGO and two .55 cent q's)

1 can pureed pumpkin $1.59 (Publix brand)

Parmesan Cheese $2.25 (Digiorno Parmesan was BOGO @ $4.49 each)

1 pound sausage $2.99 (Jenny-O was on sale for 3.99 and I had $1 off q)

Cream, had on hand

Chives, from my garden

Total cost to make this dish:  $7.92

Oven Baked Fish "Sticks"

I really don't enjoy frozen fish sticks. Besides the fact that frozen fishsticks are not yummy, they are also processed and are higher in bad fats and also contain preservatives and additives. Ever since I saw Jamie Oliver talk about how chicken nuggets are made (blender of skin, fat, odds and ends, resulting in gross pink stuff - see video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKSoiDtdi9s) I haven't wanted to eat any sort of nugget or fish stick or anything that isn't fresh cuts of meat. So, I ran across this recipe from kalynskitchen that uses fresh fish like Tilapia for a breaded and oven baked fish stick. I know my son who is the world's pickiest eater actually likes fish sticks, so I thought I would give this a go. This is my version of this family friendly dinner using a yeast free alternative to breadcrumbs. You could also substitute with ground Chex or a Gluten Free cereal for a Gluten Free version.

Oven Baked Fish Sticks (Yeast Free)
adapted from kalynskitchen

1 # fresh tilapia
2 cups Publix Greenwise Flax Flakes
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 tsp. Old Bay Spice
1/2 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning.
1/2 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
1 egg
1 Tbs. mayo (I used garlic herb mayo because I had some from BOGO's to use up)
splash of water
Pam Cooking Spray

In your food processor or mini prep add cereal, almonds and seasonings and process until about the consistency of panko breadcrumbs. In small bowl whisk egg, mayo and splash of water. Cut fresh tilapia into strips and dredge the strips into the egg mixture, and then the breadcrumb mixture. Place on well greased cookie sheet (I grease the pan with Pam ). Bake at 400 degrees about 6-7 minutes, then flip and bake for an additional 6-7 minutes or until fish is flakey. Serve with steamed rice with broccoli and cauliflower along with tarter sauce or ketchup.

Pumpkin Bread French Toast (yeast free recipe)

I have been on a yeast free diet for about a year and a half now. While I still enjoy many types of food sometimes I really miss bread. Especially french toast. I made a mean french toast with lots of cinnamon....
So, I decided to try making a version of French Toast with Pumpkin bread to see how it would turn out. I'm glad I thought of it because I actually like it even better than regular french toast!

Here is how I did it:
I used a recipe for Pumpkin Bread from The Foster's Market Cookbook: Favorite Recipes for Morning, Noon, and Night  and baked one loaf of bread as well as muffins and doughnuts (see previous post for more on that). One recipe makes a lot so if you just want one loaf, half the recipe. Make sure you wait a day or so to let the bread breath.

Pumpkin Bread French Toast

Printer Friendly Recipe

1 loaf pumpkin bread. sliced.

2 eggs

1/2 c lowfat milk (could use almond milk)

1/4 blueberry juice (could use apple)

1 1/2 tbs. pumpkin butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

Whisk mixture until well mixed. Dip slices of pumpkin bread in batter and brown in a large saute pan for about 3 minutes per side. Place in a baking dish in a single layer and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy with real maple syrup, or warm pumpkin butter.