Random stuff | My Foodie Call | Page 6

Category: Random stuff
- Back in First Grade: A Healthy Holiday Treat.
  
  Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Dec 20th
  
  So I went back to Laurel Hill. Remember when we did the Pumpkin Smoothie Challenge? Well, back for another hands on treat. This one might look familiar from a couple of weeks ago. Remember the Avocado Chocolate Pudding?
  
  Avocado Chocolate Pudding. Chocolate is the perfect place for avocado to hide.
  
  Went to Laurel Hill and used the same recipe except to give it a holiday twist we crushed peppermints as an optional topping for the Avocado Chocolate Pudding.
  
  Same technique that I used for my Healthy Holiday Ice Cream Sandwiches.
  
  Peppermints in the processor.
  
  Crush ’em. Easy.
  
  Back to Laurel Hill…I made the “health lesson” for this visit on avocados. Good fats. Bad Fats. Easy. You know that green scares the kids :).
  
  The original recipe calls for 2 avocados. 19 kids means quite a few avocados.
  
  I first had them do our sweet topping.
  
  All of the kids lined up and got a turn adding mints to the food processor. I especially like the Trader Joe’s mints because there is no gross red dye in them. Score.
  
  We cut, we measured, we scooped. We added a little of this and we added a little of that…
  
  Tripling our recipe got us 22 cute little pudding cups.
  
  Time to test our treats.
  
  A little unsure….
  
  He will like this. That I can say with certainty. And I know this because he is the My Foodie Call at-home judge.
  
  I think the peppermint candy topping helped seal the deal.
  
  As mentioned above, I began the lesson by explaining about good fats and bad fats.
  
  By the end?
  
  Happy to say that 100% of the kids could pronounce the word “Mono-unsaturated”.
  
  Mission accomplished.
  
  ***Taking a blogging break and going on a My Foodie Call hiatus to enjoy the kids during the holiday break. See you in 2014!***
  
  Posted in Random stuff | Tagged avocado, chocolate, kids, school
- What we did for teacher gifts this year.
  
  Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Dec 17th
  
  A break from cooking. Had an idea.
  
  Cute pot, right? No, we didn’t make the pot. Just the pineapple flower on top.
  
  Mr. Foodie Call got one of those Edible Arrangements a couple of months ago from the women at work for Boss Day, Manager Day, whatever it was… Edible Arrangements. Those insane fruit bouquets that you can eat? Well, Mr. Foodie Call got one. The family devoured it. Very cool gift.
  
  We actually have never really gotten one of those as a gift or have even bought one. They always seemed so expensive.
  
  When Mr. Foodie Call’s fruit arrangement was kicked, I started to dissect it to see how they put it together and what it entailed. It really did not look hard. And it wasn’t. A couple of kabob sticks, some foam, fancy cut fruit…not too bad. Long story short: The kids decided they wanted in on this fruit cutting thing and the Fruit-Teacher-Pot idea was born.
  
  Ours is a toned down Edible Arrangement with one change. Instead of a throw away pot, I decided to use a really cool mixed media stone pot to set it in. That way the teachers could have an actual gift to keep. These pots are my new obsession.
  
  These are the mini pots. They are available in mini, small, medium, large, and extra-large. I’m hooked!
  
  The kids and I made 8 fruit arrangements, all with these mini pots.
  
  My oldest has 5 teachers. These would have taken FOREVER had we gone with a larger size.
  
  The arrangements varied quite a bit based on the fruit cuts and how sick of making them the kids were. 🙂
  
  Here are a couple more pictures of the mixed media pots.
  
  Awesomeness.
  
  So, so cute.
  
  If you have any questions about purchasing these pots, please email the owner of Nests & More Creations:
  
  rachellebartholomew@yahoo.com
  
  Don’t you want to be a teacher so that we can make you one of these? Ha.
  
  Below is an example of a completed gift. This pot had a sand dollar instead of the medallion.
  
  For my youngest’s teacher. Love 6-year-old handwriting.
  
  Posted in Random stuff | Tagged fruit, kids, school
- Small changes…Why I always use grapeseed and coconut oil in my recipes.
  
  Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Dec 13th
  
  You might have noticed that pretty much all of my cooked recipes use either grapeseed oil or coconut oil. Why??
  
  So many oils, what to do…
  
  Although there are some pretty great oils out there, I use these two oils in my kitchen specifically for cooking because they have a high smoke point.
  
  What is a smoke point??
  
  Basically its the point at which the oil starts to break down its fatty acid chains.
  
  And starts to smoke…
  
  and the nutritional benefits are null and void….Might as well go grab some fries. 🙂
  
  and the taste goes kaput.
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_point
  
  FYI…A couple of smoke point temperatures.
  
  Smoke point: 420 degrees
  
  I use grapeseed oil quite a bit for stir frying, and baking. It rocks because it is always liquid and can blend seamlessly into recipes.
  
  Smoke Point: 420 degrees
  
  Coconut oil is great too. We all know that. Problem is that coconut oil is sometimes hard when it is at cooler temperatures. Or it might be too liquid-y when you want it semi-solid. You sometimes have to do a tiny bit of prep to work with it. Sometimes.
  
  That said, coconut oil is still pretty dang good though…And you can slather your body in it too and feel like you are on tropical island instead if your nasty kitchen.
  
  Smoke Point: 375 degrees
  
  Olive oil, yes its great, but only for use in dressings or as a dipping oil for breads. If you must cook with it, use it at the tail end of your cooking.
  
  Make sense???
  
  Posted in Random stuff, Small changes
- Make friends with…Tofu.
  
  Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Dec 5th
  If you have been following my blog for a while, you know that I use tofu A LOT. Yes, I am well aware that tofu is the punchline to EVERY vegetarian joke, but I think its mockery is unfair.
  
  Tofu is extremely versatile and extremely healthy.
  
  And as I have mentioned in the past, if you do not like tofu it is because it wasn’t prepared right.
  
  Tofu 101:
  
  Let’s talk about the different kinds of tofu, shall we??
  
  First off, you can use pretty much any kind of tofu in a recipe that might call for tofu. Tofus are somewhat interchangeable, HOWEVER the results will be a bit different. Texture, creaminess. I am okay with this because I have been eating tofu for years, but to the tofu newbie? Stick with what the recipe says. If it says silken tofu, use silken tofu! You do not want to have a bad tofu experience then never touch the stuff again, right?
  
  The Two Kinds of Tofu
  1. Silken or Soft tofu is what you want in smoothies, puddings, salad dressings. SOFT STUFF!
  Can be found refridgerated or also in the world foods section of your supermarket.
  
  Check out the picture. A smoothie on it. SOFT STUFF. CREAMY STUFF.
  
  Can also be found in with Asian goods. Doesn’t need to be refridgerated. Nice to have an option for road trips. Because we all bring tofu on road trips. Ha!
  
  Extra Firm or Firm Tofu is for you meat eaters that are using your tofu in place of chicken in your stir fry. This tofu hold up better than silken because it has less moisture.
  
  Check out the picture on this package. Kabobs. You can’t do that with silken tofu, surely it would crumble before you even finish putting it on the stick.
  
  Extra Firm Tofu also holds up its texture well even after being pressed. You do press your tofu, right??
  
  Why press your tofu????
  
  Newbies out there, listen up:
  
  If you press your tofu, it helps remove any excess moisture (from that tub of liquid it was just sitting in).
  
  If you press your tofu, it helps to improve texture (for all of you “tofu is too slimy” people out there).
  
  If you press your tofu it allows sauces and marinades to be reabsorbed (making your meal super awesome and swoon worthy).
  
  How do you press tofu?
  
  Easy.
  1. Grab a dinner plate.
  2. Put two paper towels down.
  3. Put your tofu block on the paper towels.
  4. Put two more paper towels on top.
  5. Add a pan or something heavy on top of the tofu/paper towel tower thing you’ve got going on.
  6. Walk away for 30+ minutes.
  7. Voila. Pressed tofu.
  Tofu rocks.
  Posted in Make friends with... | Tagged tofu
- Small Changes…Leave your minced garlic alone.
  
  Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Nov 22nd
  
  So here is the deal.
  
  We all know that garlic is good for us, right?
  
  Garlic is a super star helper for our immune system, keeps our heart healthy, and is anti-inflammatory…yada yada yada.
  
  Do you know why though?
  
  It’s the allicin in the garlic that is your golden ticket to its amazing health properties.
  
  But do you know that allicin is only available to us after the garlic has been chopped, minced, crushed?
  
  However many people will chop their garlic, toss it in the pan with their oil, and go to town on their stir-fry. No lag time.
  
  So where’s the problem in this?
  
  Allicin, the good stuff in garlic, is the most available to you after your minced garlic has been sitting for 10 or so minutes…
  
  If you do not leave your garlic alone, the allicin will never be produced.
  
  Another reason to mince and walk away?
  
  When you do decide to cook them vegetables with your garlic, the allicin that is produced will be more stable and resistant to the heat from cooking. That way the health properties are not destroyed.
  
  So chop, mince and crush your garlic all you want….
  
  But then go fold some laundry, will ya?
  
  Remember no cooking until its been chopped for 10+ minutes!
  
  Posted in Small changes
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