Buckwheat pancake mix

How about a new post? It's only been about 45 days, give or take. It's like a ghost town around here. You must have thought I fell off the roof putting up Christmas lights. Well, not to worry. I'm an acrophobic, so that's about the last thing that would happen. I was just, well, occupied with many other things.

But now I'm back with another (not another! you say) pancake recipe. But, this is not a recipe, but a product, and a good one. 

Syrup is Dickinson's as available at Cracker Barrel. It has real fruit in it. Yum.

I am constantly on a quest to make our everyday foods a little healthier. I often, however, meet with familial resistance. You, too? My husband, especially, balks at any healthy addition to some foods we eat pretty often, pancakes and waffles. If I so much as add a grain of oatmeal, he detects the texture difference and moans and groans up a storm. I saw this mix at our grocery store recently and decided to purchase it, even if it was only for myself. I decided to make them for the whole family first, just to give it the ol' litmus test. And lo and behold, they loved them! Not a moan or a groan amongst them. My youngest son even ate up the frozen remnants all week long.

Buckwheat flour is a main ingredient, though there is all-purpose flour, and rye flour in them as well. Contrary to its name, buckwheat is actually not wheat. It is the seed of a fruit, similar to rhubarb. It can be ground and used similar to wheat, however. And because it's not wheat, when we eat it we are getting less wheat in our diet, a good thing in my book. Besides not being wheat, buckwheat is also known to lower cholesterol, and blood sugar, as well as provide many other health benefits.

Though I have not tried buckwheat pancakes from scratch, there are many recipes out there -- this one from Simply Recipes looks like a good one (reliable source) as it can be wheat-free or not as needed.

I wish that New Hope Mills had a wheat-free buckwheat mix, because the old-fashioned buckwheat mix is so good, but until then, or until I make them from scratch, this will definitely do. I am grateful my grocer has the mix (they don't always keep specific brands in stock, however -- it's hit or miss) for $3.50 a bag. (Amazon carries it as well, but is more costly than it is at New Hope Mills website). I like purchasing from a company that makes its products in the States, but uses locally grown grains, and some non-GMO grains as well. As you know, I am not usually a "from a mix" kind of cook, so these have to be pretty darned good. All I add is water and an egg for a batch of pancakes. There is a recipe for waffles as well.

I was not paid by any company to recommend the products I have written about today. These are just my opinions.

on the go treat

When I was completely off wheat, I had a hard time when hunger struck between meals. What to eat, what to eat? It seems like a ridiculous thing in a house stocked with food. No one goes hungry here, but all of my usual snacks, a piece of toast with peanut butter, a couple crackers and cheese, they were off limits. I don't know about you, but when I go on a "diet," I become very focused on food and the more I thought about food, the hungrier I got.

 I don't normally look at "protein bars" at the grocery store. In fact, soy bars are off limits for me and my family. I don't think we need any more soy than we already get in the small amount of processed food we eat (it's in everything!). But one day at the health food store, I stopped and looked at a couple brands and really investigated the ingredients. I thought it would be nice to have something in my purse that I can munch on between meals, because my meals have gotten a lot lighter lately. Something like a granola bar, which I love, but with no extra sugar or grains.

These Larabars caught my eye, partly because of the yummy flavor varieties, but mostly because of the ingredients. No soy, no milk, no wheat. Most of them are dates, nuts and another fruit or nut. They are so delicious, now I have to stop myself from making a meal of them. But a Larabar and a smoothie is a meal and can hold me for most of the afternoon. My favorite is PB&J, but cherries are a no-no fruit for me, so I am trying some other flavors. Blueberry Muffin (I can eat blueberries without trouble) is also fantastic -- dates, almonds, blueberries, blueberry juice, and a little lemon juice and vanilla.

If you like to have a snack in your purse, or even in the cookie jar, I highly recommend this product. I am not one to go for stuff like this, but if I like it, I know some of you will, too. Maybe you already do!



* I was not rewarded in anyway for this blog post and the people at Larabar have no idea who I am!

Get.Some.Now.

I bought a box of these oh-so-yummy treats and they went so fast I had barely a nibble. But it was a delicious nibble and now I must.get.more.

My guess is they will be a seasonal item, so get yours quickly.

Tea with Jam, Jam and Bread

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The other day at the grocery store I spotted some new jars of jam on the shelves. They were stacked on an end cap near the produce department and I guess the plan was that they would catch a customer's eye, because they did. All those rich purple and red jars and the irresistible gingham plaid caps. They were shorter though, and stouter, and they looked more...special. I grabbed a jar of blueberry, because blueberry is my favorite. The label said "Northwoods Blueberry Preserves" -- how could any one resist?

I opened the jar later that night (late dessert) with a fresh, new pack of Ritz crackers. Mmmm. Little, baby blueberry pies. And then the next morning, I ate it on toast -- homemade challah, no less. Sublime. Could this be a new food group for me? It could, indeed. The label says it has only blueberries, sugar, pectin and citric acid -- that's, like, real food.

The next time I am at the store, I will probably pick up several more jars. After all, cherry is my second favorite, and then who can turn down Pacific Mountain Strawberry or Northwest Triple Berry? The product is Smucker's Orchard's Finest. It was under $3 a jar at my discount grocer. And it's worth every penny.





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Wild Berry Tea

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For health reasons I've been trying to cut back on the amount of coffee I drink. There are two problems: I drink a lot of coffee; and most other beverages are on my forbidden list as well -- tea, milk, anything with citrus or chocolate, and soda. Those two issues make it very hard to cut back.

I decided that I just can't go cold turkey. So, I've been drinking one cup of coffee in the morning, lots of water, and an occasional cup of tea. I spotted a new tea at Giant Eagle when I was looking for something with berries in it. Berries are on the o.k. list -- in fact they are on the good list -- so I figured the little bit of black tea in this tea mix would be partially negated by the berries (probably not true in actuality, but I can wish).

I am very surprised by how much I like this tea. I'm not usually one to enjoy flavored hot teas, especially fruity ones, but this tea is so good. It's not the slightest bit bitter, and the fruits make it naturally sweet. My mom recently received a gift of premium tea and an infuser from Teavona, a gourmet tea shop, and while it was very good, I think this tea from Lipton is just as good.

I was surprised by the technology of this tea's bag. It is shaped like a pyramid and the material is more like fabric than the standard tea bag paper. Very cool.

There are several flavors besides the Bavarian Berry, so I look forward to trying them all. The cost was a little high at Giant Eagle -- $3.50, but I saw it at my discount grocer for $2.50 a box.

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It's Peach Time!

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It's back. Only in July. UDF peach ice cream. Oh yyyuuummm. It's one of my favorite things!


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Had a Buster Bar Lately?

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Or a Dilly Bar? Or a chocolate ice cream cone with sprinkles?

On our way home from running to the post office today, I popped into the DQ drive-thru and treated the kids to a day-before-school-starts-back ice cream. I can't remember the last time I went to the Dairy Queen, but I can tell you that right now there are four kids in the backyard, who haven't been able to agree on anything for three days, agreeing that their ice cream treat is the best thing that happened all day.

C'mon mom.





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Product Review -- Peach Ice Cream

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I'm not back in the saddle yet (or should I say kitchen), but I am back to eating again, and I have eaten my share of ice cream this week. My mother, being the angel she has been this week, brought my family several half gallons of ice cream from UDF the other day. She knew that the peach ice cream would make me feel loved and I can tell you it has. This ice cream is one of the best I've had in a long time, and I've had my share of premium ice cream, and even my own homemade. She bought the traditional UDF Classic Peach, not the Homemade Brand, and the website says the cost is $3.99. I'll be sending Doug out for more when I finish it off.

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Product Review -- It Looks Better Than It Tastes

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I had some errands to run today, and in an effort to get out the door at the time I wanted, I told the kids that they could have a treat from Wendy's while we were out (bribery will get you everywhere).

One kid chose the root beer float (which I've had before and have to say it is pretty good, even if it's not real ice cream -- it is real Barq's), and the other chose the regular chocolate Frosty. Being a sucker for anything strawberry, I fell for the real strawberry milkshake (real being their word, not mine). While it was decent (and I wouldn't turn down a free one) it was not nearly as good as it looks. It looks like a real strawberry milkshake, and even has teensy bits of strawberries in it to fool you. But, there was a slight hint of something not quite real in the strawberry flavor.

When I got home and found out I had wasted 11 grams of fat on it, I was even more disappointed.

At least the whipped cream (from a can) tasted real.

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Product Review -- Breakfast Cereal

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I know what you're thinking -- breakfast cereal? Yes, and as far as breakfast cereal, on the outside, this cereal is really not much different from others. Same names, same flavors -- marshmallow cereal, honey nut cereal, toasty-O cereal, shredded wheat -- same stuff everybody else has.

This cereal is different, however, because it is natural. Have you read an ingredients label on a box of cereal lately? Sheesh. There's hardly anything natural in them anymore. And my new enemy -- high fructose corn syrup -- is every where. Even cornflakes have high fructose corn syrup in them these days. That stuff (high fructose corn syrup -- HFCS) is just not good for you. Besides causing weight gain and other blood fat/sugar issues, it bloats up your intestines and causes digestion problems (and reflux in some people who have that tendency).

After Francis was diagnosed with reflux I started noticed how much high fructose corn syrup is in processed foods. Really, it's in almost everything. In order to eat it in moderation you'd have to cut way back. So, breakfast cereals with HFCS were banished from our pantry.

Mom's Best Naturals has no HFCS, and even uses natural ingredients for coloring (blueberry, pumpkin and carrot concentrates color their marshmallows).

The best thing about it, though, is that my kids love it, even though it is the only cereal I have bought for months. They never get tired of it -- my 18 yo even told me he can't get enough. My only complaint is that I can't buy it by the case!

If you are at all green-minded you'll love the company, too.

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German Tea

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A girlfriend gave me two boxes of tea from this company yesterday. Really yummy stuff. What she gave me came from Germany, but they have an US website and two US stores.

I've already brewed two pots of vanilla tea, and could get addicted to it really quickly. She also gave me a box of Earl Grey. Most of their tea comes loose, which I prefer, but the boxes she gave me are called MasterBags, and they brew a two-cup pot. I love brewing a pot of tea. It's really all in the process, as the process is partly what makes the tea so relaxing. I think pulling out these big bags, with the German instructions on it makes it more fun, too.

At these prices, I guess I'll go easy on it, but I might have to put in an order. They have many locations in Germany. I wish I could just get on a plane and make a trip myself. How fun would that be to sit in an old German "dorf" and sip a cup of tea?

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For Your Snacking Pleasure

I'm short on time this week, but wanted to post a note about this pleasurable treat. St. Nick brought us a bag of the Kettle style (he's a swell guy isn't he?). Isn't wasn't too pricey -- I think about $3.50 a bag (o.k. it was a treat), and really, really good (I don't use two "reallys" for nothin' ya know). The bag actually suggested that you could eat it for breakfast with milk on top and it was just good enough that I might try, if there was any left at breakfast.

If you can get it at your market, grab some for the Season. Or give it as a gift -- you'll be well-liked, I promise.



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Reynolds Wrap Release Non-Stick Foil

This stuff works so well that even Scotch tape doesn't stick to it. What do you think? Think it causes cancer? (I am suspicious of anything that works too well.) Reynolds FAQs doesn't answer that particular question.

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Nips

Where have these been all my life? I can't believe I've just recently experienced their yumminess. If you have never tasted these lovelies, I will tell you that they start out hard, but soon turn into a chewy, creamy candy, with a white creamy center. Mocha and Dulce de Leche are tied for the top spot. But, I have not yet tried Coffee or Butter Rum. I think I'll have to experience some more before I decide on a winner.

NOTE: In the litigious world we live in, I cannot believe that the manufacturer of Nips does not have a disclaimer stating they cannot be held liable for damaged dental work (Read: do not chew!).

Stewart's Soda

My husband and children have informed me that these Stewart's Key Lime Sodas are "the bomb." I picked up some four-packs for the Fourth. They were a real treat and everyone enjoyed the product as much as they enjoyed having a cold beverage in a real glass bottle. Doug even said he would enjoy one of these just as much as a cold beer. That's saying something. I didn't try the Key Lime, but I do have a favorite -- the Orange 'n' Cream.