Homemade Maple Granola

Brad and I used to be big cereal eaters until we learned that it's actually not so good for you.  As an adult I avoided high sugar cereals, choosing boxes that boasted of whole grains and high fibre.  I think pretty well everyone knows that Lucky Charms isn't the best option, but it turns out that even the "healthy" cereals like Vector or Special K, aren't good options either.  Commercial cereals are put through high heat, high pressure processes which strip the grains of most nutritional value they had.  It also destroys the structure of the amino acids which leaves them potentially harmful to our bodies.  Even the fortified cereals are pretty well useless, nutritionally speaking, because the vitamins added are man made.  The body treats many of these odd "vitamins" as toxins and eliminates them as quickly as possible.

Making granola is something that I have been wanting to do for a long time ever since I learned all this.  We've been buying muesli in place of cereal, but I knew it had to be overpriced compared to making it at home.  I always had it in my head that making granola would be some long, complicated process, so I put it off.  Well, I finally did it, and it was so easy!  This recipe has my own alterations from a recipe at Earthbound Farm's website.  You can add or remove any grains, seeds, nuts, and dried fruit as you like.

The Wife Life Maple Granola
-4 1/2 c steel cut oats (not quick cook)
-3/4 c raw sunflower seeds
-1 1/2 c raw almonds (coarsely chop)
-1/4 c flax seeds
-1/4 c hemp seeds
-2 tbsp ground cinnamon
-1 c maple agave syrup
-1/4 c honey
-1/3 c extra virgin olive oil
-1 c raisins

1. Preheat oven to 325 F.
2. Place oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, and cinnamon in a large bowl.  Stir.
3. Add syrup and oil.  Stir until moistened.
5. Spread mixture on a rimmed baking sheet.
6. Bake for about 25 min until begins to brown.  Take out and stir.
7. Bake another 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown and dry.  Take out and stir.
8. Put the baking sheet on a cooling rack.  Add the raisins and stir.  Allow to cool.

We both really like this granola. We eat it just with milk (rice milk) in place of cereal for breakfast.  It's cheaper than buying muesli or granola in the store, and tastes way better than the store bought stuff too.  This size recipe lasted us about a month eating it 5 days a week each.  It's so simple to replace different seeds, nuts, etc to change it up sometimes too.  It would also be good served as a topping on different foods such as yogurt.


Have you made your own granola?  What do you eat for a healthy breakfast?

"Cream" of Broccoli Soup

We are vegetarians, and while I can't see us becoming vegans (at least not any time soon), we do have concerns about where our eggs and dairy products come from.   For this reason, we do our best to get higher quality, local, etc products or avoid certain items all together.  And sometimes it's just fun to try a vegan recipe.  This post is a little bit of both.

Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup (found at Take Part as part of their Meatless Monday recipe collection)

2 bunches broccoli
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
4 c vegetable stock
1 russet potato
salt and  pepper

1. Chop florets and stalk of broccoli.  Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat.  Add chopped onion, and sweat about 10 minutes.
3. Add stock and chopped potato.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, and simmer until soft (about 12 minutes).
4. Stir in chopped broccoli.  Simmer until soft (about 10 minutes).
5. Remove from heat and puree in a blender until smooth.
6. Salt and pepper to taste.  Optionally, drizzle with olive oil, good vinegar, or a squeeze of lemon.

Served with fresh home baked bread.  Yum!

I loved this soup.  To start with, it was so quick and simple to make.  It is definitely up there in my list of favourite soups in regard to flavour as well.  It was also satisfying and filling without being heavy.  It is perfect for dipping with bread.  It was a soup I couldn't get enough of.  As soon as one spoonful was in my mouth, I wanted another one.

I wanted to share this recipe because even though most of you out there are not vegetarians, I think that reducing meat consumption is a viable option for everyone willing.  If for one day a week everyone in the States ate meatless, it would be the environmental equivalent of not driving 91 billion miles.  Or, according to Rodale, if just one day a week every family in the US left out meat and cheese, it would reap the environmental benefits of taking the family car off of the road for five full weeks.

What is your favourite meatless, or even vegan, meal?

Homemade Peanut Butter

We love making our own condiments.  I think it is because I once thought they would be impossible, but now  I am pretty well unwilling to buy most condiments.  Peanut butter is no exception.  After trying (and hating) natural peanut butter, I began to purchased the unsalted, unsweetened kind.  This was an improvement, but it still contained hydrogenated oil.  Making our own peanut butter was an empowering experience.  We didn't have or follow any recipe.  Just play around with the quantities until you get it how you like it.  Here's how ours went.

Roast plain, unsalted peanuts in the oven

Blend roasted peanuts in blender (or food processor) and add a little oil.

Optionally, add honey to sweeten.

Enjoy.

I want to start this off by saying that I hate natural peanut butter, and our homemade peanut butter is not like natural peanut butter.  Our homemade peanut butter is delicious.  It just tastes like roasted peanuts.  It also has lasted a long time (couple months) without appearing to have gone bad, storing it in the fridge.

I'm not quite sure it worked the way it is really supposed to though.  The oil from the peanuts themselves never separated the way I have seen in natural peanut butters.  Also, our peanut butter is extremely thick and completely un-spreadable.  I mix one portion sized amount with more honey to make it spreadable and sweet as I use it.

Have you made peanut butter?  How did it turn out?

Oven Baked Bread

Brad and I have been baking our own bread for quite some time now.  This is our go-to recipe that we make pretty well week after week.  The recipe has been slightly altered from this one on Summer Harms' blog.  It's so delicious!  We love it.  Especially all the seed-y, grain-y goodness.  It's perfect for sandwiches and stays fresh for so long.  Plus, nothing beats the smell of bread baking in the oven.

 Multigrain Bread

1 1/2 c warm water
2 1/4 tsp yeast
1/4 c honey
2 1/4 c multigrain bread flour
2 c all purpose flour
1/4 c ground oats
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter, very soft

Mix water, yeast, and honey in a large bowl and let sit for 20 minutes.
Combine flours, oats, salt in a med bowl.
Add dry ingredients and melted butter to the large bowl in one or two dumps and use dough hooks on handmixer to mix.
After a few minutes, dough should have pulled away from the sides of the bowl and come together in a large ball around the hook.
Pull dough off, dough should be easy to handle. Slightly sticky is fine.
Put dough in a large oiled bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise for 1 hour.
After first rise, punch down, form into a loaf and place in a greased loaf pan.
Cover and let rise 45 minutes.
Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.
Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

I'd like to play around with the flour mixture a little more.  I was only just told that bread flour is a mixture of white and whole wheat (I had assumed it was all whole white since we bought the multigrain variety).  This recipe uses that plus the additional all purpose flour that is white, which is too much white in my opinion.  I am always worried to use too much whole wheat flour and have it not turn out though.  Any suggestions?

Do you have a bread recipe to share?

"Zoodles" - Zucchini Noodles

While perusing Pinterest I came across this amazing creation: zucchini noodles!  I have now renamed them "zoodles."  Zucchini is my favourite vegetable, and throughout the summer we were eating about one a day.  I always like finding new ways to prepare it.  This was something I had never seen before.  I am sure there plenty of different ways to cook them, and some people I've seen even leave them raw.  This is how we made ours.

Zucchini Noodles

1. Thinly slice zucchini into noodle-like strips.  If you have one, using a mandolin, peeler, or spiralizer might make work faster, but we just used a knife.
2. In a frying pan, lightly sautee with extra virgin olive oil and garlic.
3. Top with pasta sauce of choice.  Ours is a homemade tomato based sauce with chick peas.  Other vegetables, beans, or meat could easily be added.

Bon appetite!

It was so tasty!  We actually sliced up 2 big zucchinis right afterwards and froze them so that we will be able to make this even quicker for future meals.  The zucchini works wonderfully as a pasta substitute which adds more vegetables and eliminates some carbs from the meal (though I know carbs aren't all bad).  It is also a great option for those with gluten intolerance.  We will be eating plenty more of this in the future.

What unconventional vegetable dishes have you tried?

Healthy Homemaking Series: Better Baking

Baby Step 24 - A Better Method for Baking

Challenge: Try a new recipe that incorporates the soaking (2 step) method for quick bread, muffins, etc.

Why: The importance of soaking grains was mentioned briefly in the oats post.  Grains are full of vitamins and minerals and have the potential to be very healthy.  They also contain antinutrients though which can cause serious health problems.  An example of this is phytic acid which when untreated (unsoaked) will block the absorption of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, and zinc into the body.  And that is only one example.

How:  This is the basic premise, though it can be adapted for different recipes.
-flour and grains are soaked overnight in liquid that is acidic (buttermilk, kefir, yogurt, whey, lemon juice)
-mix the flour and liquid well
-put a damp dishtowel over mixture and leave it
-add the rest of ingredients according to recipe and bake
-baking will take longer than usual

Before even starting I was quite frustrated by this challenge.  All the different recipes I looked through seemed pretty complicated and used a lot of ingredients I don't keep in the house regularly.  Once I actually just did it through, I thought it was so cool!

To begin, using a recipe already adapted for soaking is a good idea.  This is the one we tried:
Blender Batter Pancakes by Sue Gregg

1 c yogurt thinned with water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c uncooked oats
1/2 c uncooked brown rice (we used black rice)
1 egg
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Combine first 5 ingredients in blender and blend on highest setting for 3-5 minutes.  Leave at room temperature covered for 12-24 hours.
Right before baking, add egg, and blend for 1-3 minutes.
Sift in remaining 3 ingredients and blend briefly until mixed.
Bake as usual in frying pan/on griddle.

Ours are a funny colour because of the black rice but still tasty!

We loved them!  This will be the only pancake recipe I use from now on, that is how much I love these.  I think it is so cool that they don't have any flour in them, just using the ground up oats and rice instead.  From what I can tell, they're very nutritious too.  You could add all sorts of different grains or seeds as well.  For all the putting off and frustration beforehand, it was very worth it.  I am so glad I learned about this method and this recipe.  (Oh, and it made way more pancakes than that.  The picture is only about half way through.)

Do you do any baking with the soaking method?

PS - I recently discovered No Impact Man, and now I want to read his book. I then just this second discovered that there is a documentary about it all too!  I've got to see it.  Here's the trailer:

Healthy Homemaking Series: Pop and Juice Addict

Baby Step 20 - Kick the Pop or Juice Habit (Only 6 steps left!)

Challenge: Make a plan to get your family off of regularly drinking pop, powdered beverages, and juice.

Why: Pop is full of sugar, caffeine, artificial colours and flavours, and preservatives.  Powdered beverages are similar because they are completely artificial, there is no real juice in them.  Juice on the other hand can be good for you, but it depends on the type and the quantity that you drink.  The problem with juice is that it contains all the natural sugars of the fruit with none of the fibre to slow the body's consumption of the sugar.  One glass of apple juice would have even more (natural) sugar than just one apple, but without being slowed down by the fibre, it will act similarly to white sugar in the body and blood sugar levels will spike.

How: The easiest way to remove anything from your diet is gradually.  Cut intake until you can begin to live without out, and just stop buying it after that.  This can be difficult.  Sugary drinks are more addictive than we think.

Brad and I got rid of any juice and pop or powdered drinks (ice tea and hot chocolate mix) when we did the Lighten Up Your Pantry challenge.  We found that we needed to get rid of it cold turkey because if it was in the house at all, we would drink it all the time.  We do buy juice to have at home on very rare occasions, and Brad will have the odd Coke if we are out to dinner at a restaurant, but overall it has been a huge improvement.  Now we are at the point where we don't miss it or think about it at home.  Along with rice milk, and herbal tea, the beverage of choice at our house is now water, water, water.  As for the hot chocolate mix, my sister blessed us with a homemade batch of hot chocolate mix.  Here it is.

So tasty!

Ingredients:
-cocoa
-sugar
-nutmeg
-skim milk powder

Directions:
Mix 1 1/2 tbsp of hot cocoa mix into 1 cup hot water.  Stir.

What do you drink at home?

PS - I have been noticing that my comments have really been dropping.  I hope I don't sound needy and desperate, but this really makes me wonder if anyone is reading or enjoying my blog as of late.  I spend time publishing content that I like in hopes that you'll like it too, and receiving a comment is the hugest encouragement.  Of course, you don't have to comment on every silly post but you connected with something, have a question, or more information, I would love to hear it!

So, I want to ask you, the readers, if you're out there, what can I do to encourage more comments?  I realize that answering this question will require leaving a comment, but I would so greatly appreciate any and all feedback.  Thanks!

Healthy Homemaking Series: Yogurt

Baby Step 16 - Making Homemade Yogurt

Challenge: Make a batch of homemade yogurt.

Why: Yogurt is packed with pro-biotic goodness, containing millions of beneficial bacteria that promote a good digestive system and keep you healthy.  Organic yogurt with nothing added can get pricey, and thus making it at home is a frugal choice.

How: I have been so looking forward to this challenge!  Here is how to make yogurt at home.

1 L of milk
1 tbsp plain yogurt (must be plain - no sweeteners, thickeners, or anything)

1. Pour the milk into a large pot over medium heat.  Bring to a boil (slowly).
2. Remove from heat and allow to cool until it is lukewarm.
3. Put yogurt starter into a jar and add a bit of the warm milk.  Mix until it is dissolved then pour back into the pot and mix well.
4. Ladle out milk mixture into as many jars as necessary.
5. Turn on oven light.  Put the jars full of milk inside the stove covered with a dishcloth.  Leave them in the oven for 6-8 hours. (If you do this in the evening, you can leave them overnight.)
6. Put yogurt into the fridge to cool off, and then its ready to be eaten.
Recipe and procedure from Healthy Homemaking by Stephanie Langford.

 Fail.

I don't know what happed, but something is not right about this yogurt.  The one jar is snot consistency (I apologize for that imagery) and the other is as thin as milk.  They also taste awful.  If anyone has any insight as to what I did wrong, I would love to hear it.

Have you made homemade yogurt?

Healthy Homemaking Series: Oats

Baby Step 15 - Cooking Oats (and Other Grains)

Challenge: Learn to properly prepare whole grains using the soaking method.

Why: Oatmeal is cheap and wholesome, full of protein, fibre, vitamins, and minerals.  Soaking is important for without it the phytates present in dry grains can lead to mineral loss, allergies, and irritation of the intestinal tract.

How: This challenge made me cringe.  I hate oatmeal.  I can scarf down the instant packets, but real oatmeal?  Sick.  Apparently there is a right and a wrong way to do it, so I am hoping this new method will make it tastier.

1. In the evening put oats and the appropriate amount of water into a pot. (For rolled oats the ratio is 1-1 1/2 cups of water to 1 cup of oats.)
2. Add 1 tbsp of acidic liquid - yogurt, kefir, buttermilk, whey, apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice
3. In the morning, turn on the stove and cook the oats according to the type.  They will require less cooking time after being soaked.
4. For rolled oats bring to just boiling, then turn down to low to simmer with the lid on for 5 minutes.
Method from Healthy Homemaking by Stephanie Langford.

Ta da!

I am sad to say, I still hate it.  I tried it first with cinnamon and honey (as pictured above), but it didn't taste any better.  Brad then added jam to it which made it tolerable but certainly not something I would choose to eat.  Other than my two bites, Brad ate it, (Husbands are good for that.) and even he didn't particularly like it either. Unfortunately, oatmeal is not something I can see myself making in the future.

Do you know how to make oatmeal tasty?

PS -
On Wednesday Brad and I are taking a trip from our home in BC, over to Sask, and then back again with a stop in northern Alberta.  For my next two blog posts, I will not be doing any baby steps since I will not be at home.  They will instead be product reviews, which I hope you still check out!

Healthy Homemaking Series: Homemade Condiments

Baby Step 12 - Homemade Condiments

Challenge: Make any condiment homemade.

Why: There are so many unnecessary ingredients in store bought condiments including sugar, preservatives, MSG, colouring, white vinegar (stripped of nutrients) and lots of table salt.  Homemade equivalents can be quick, simple, and wholesome.

How: I have been wanting to make my own ketchup for a while now.  This gave me the push I needed to seek out a suitable recipe, and just do it.  I found this recipe on the Epicurious website.  It was the most basic, simple one I came across.

• 1 (28-oz) can whole tomatoes in purée (I just used a can of crushed tomatoes)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Chop onion and cook it in the oil for about 8 minutes (until soft) over medium heat.  Add the remaining ingredients (blend tomatoes first if you use whole ones) and stir over low-medium heat.  Allow to simmer for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Pour half at a time into a blender and blend until smooth.

Pour into suitable containers and keep in the fridge.  Chill for at least 2 hours before using the first time.

I love the flavour!  It has a rich tomato taste with a bit of a kick from the onion and vinegar.  It doesn't taste like Heinz, so don't expect that.  It is so much better.  I read some reviews and noticed some people were cutting down the sugar and apple cider vinegar while added garlic or other spices.  Next time I will experiment with those alterations as well.  Cheap, tasty, healthy.  What else could I ask for?

I do have a warning though... the clean up is intensive! And wear an apron!

Have you made any condiments at home?

Healthy Homemaking Series: Cooking Brown Rice

Baby Step 3: Cooking Brown Rice

Challenge: Learn to make perfect brown rice.

Why: Brown rice is better than white because it...
             -has more nutrients
             -has more fibre
             -keeps blood sugar more stablized
             -is an unprocessed, whole food

How: I already know that I hate brown rice.  I have written about it previously, and you can check out some other still healthy alternatives I've used here - black rice and here - quinoa.  Since this was the challenge though, I knew I had to tough it out and do it.  Stephanie suggested trying basmati brown rice for those who don't like the chewy texture and nutty taste of brown rice, so that's what I did!

Add rice and water (or broth) to a large pot at a 1:2 ratio.

Place on high heat until water comes to a boil.  Put on the lid and turn to medium-low heat.  Allow to simmer for approx 45 minutes.  Ta da!

My finished meal, Curried Cod, Lentils and Rice.  I'll post the recipe at the end of the post for anyone interested.

I really enjoyed it!  I wouldn't love to eat it on its own, but when mixed into a one-dish meal like I made, it was tasty.  Stephanie also writes that the more a person eats brown rice, the more it will grow on them.  I hope that happens quickly and am happy to have found another healthy rice option.

Do you eat brown rice?  What type do you like?

Recipe:

Curried Cod, Lentils and Rice (1 serving)

4 1/2 oz  cod
2 tsp       extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp       chopped garlic

1/2 tsp    curry powder

1 tsp       ginger root

1 tsp       lemon juice

1 cup      raw spinach
1/4 cup   lentils
1/4 cup   cooked brown rice

Pan fry cod in olive oil on medium-high heat with garlic, curry powder, and ginger breaking up cod into pieces.  Add lemon juice, lentils, and cooked rice.  Stir in chopped spinach and leave on heat until spinach is wilted.  Serve and enjoy!

Better Peanut Butter Cookies

Along with other more natural food items I have been converting to, one of those was peanut butter.  All natural peanut butter is 100% peanuts, nothing added.  I brought it home and opened it.  It looked a little different, but I proceeded to try to spread it on my celery sticks anyways.  I took one bite and... yuck!  I can't stand the stuff.  I didn't know what I was going to do with the brand new, hardly used tub of all natural peanut butter.  Luckily for me, a coworker only eats all natural peanut butter and had an excellent recipe for healthy-ish peanut butter cookies.  Here's how it goes.

Healthy-ish Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 c butter                                    1 egg (free range for bonus points)
1/2 c sugar                                     1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 c brown sugar                          1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c natural peanut butter
3/4 c whole wheat flour

Cream together butter and sugars.

Add egg, vanilla and peanut butter and stir.

Mix in dry ingredients.

Drop onto cookie sheet in spoonfuls, and bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes.

Enjoy!

Holy moly, these are good!  I served them at a get together last night, and I had compliments on them from others too.  The best part is that you can't even tell that they're made with all natural peanut butter or whole wheat flour (so you can trick kids or husbands too).  They just taste like delicious peanut butter cookies.  Now I have a use for all that natural peanut butter, and I don't feel so guilty eating all these cookies.  I recommend this recipe to anyone.

*Note:
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Superhero Foods

This is a two for one entry!  We tried 2 new, healthy foods for dinner recently: cod and quinoa.

I know fish is the healthier option over beef and other land animal meats, but I have never been a seafood lover. Since being with Brad though, I have been more willing to broaden my horizons.  Cod is a fish I would recommend to those who don't really like fish as the taste is not too strong.  Nutritionally speaking, it is commendable as well.  Cod is a low calorie, low fat source of complete protein.  Research shows that it also provides significant heart health improvements.

Quinoa, on the other hand, was a food I was excited to try.  As I've mentioned before, I love white rice, but I know it's not food for me.  I hoped that this would provide a healthy alternative.  Quinoa is being labeled a super food.  Quinoa is one of the rare plant foods that is a complete protein, and a great source of it, also containing all 8 of the amino acids.  As well, it is an excellent source of calcium and iron.  These facts have made it popular especially with vegetarians and vegans.  It also a complex carbohydrate that keeps you fuller longer and is even gluten-free.  I could go on and on about the health benefits I have read about, but I will stop here and show you how it went.

Quinoa is prepared the same way as rice with a 2:1 ratio for water to grain.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 15 minutes.

 Cod is baking in the toaster oven, an energy saving alternative to the oven when preparing meals for only 2 people.

Bon appetit!

The meal was delicious.  I would say one of the best tasting and most grown up meals that Brad and I have prepared since getting married.  I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the cod.  I would certainly have it again.  I am especially excited to look for new ways to use quinoa in our meals.  You might get to hear about it again!

PS - Happy Mother's Day to all the moms reading!

May Contain Nuts - Roasted Peanuts

As I've said before, Brad and I are always looking for healthier snacks as alternatives to chips and such.  This weekend we were having his family over and wondering what would be an easy, healthy (and inexpensive) snack to serve.  We came up with roasted peanuts.  Here's how it went.

Start with unsalted, blanched peanuts.  We got ours in bulk.

Pour in about 2-3 tbsp melted margarine (butter or even oil I'm sure would work as well).

Salt and pepper to your liking.

I chopped some dried rosemary and added that also.

Spread evenly on a baking sheet, and bake at 375° F.  I had quite a lot and left them in for about 15 minutes.  Just check them frequently to make sure they're not burning, and take them out when they've browned nicely.

Ta da!  This is about half the batch.

These peanuts tasted great and made the house smell amazing.  They appeared to be a hit at our get together, especially with the men.  The best part is that you could do this same basic process with almost any type of nut and endless variations of seasonings could be used.  Enjoy experimenting, and of course, be aware of any nut allergies before you serve these at a gathering.

Forbidden Food - Black Rice

Brad and I have made a big effort to change our eating habits, especially in regard to the consumption of refined foods.  We've made the switch to whole grain, seed-filled breads, whole wheat pasta, high fibre cereals, but the one thing I cannot stand is brown rice.  In an attempt to compromise, I tried a mixture of white and black rice.

I cooked it the same way I would with white rice.

As it comes to a boil, the water actually turns to an opaque purple.

Fun Fact: Black rice is also known as "forbidden rice" because originally in China only the emperor was permitted to eat it. 

I liked the taste a lot, and the texture was good.  I even enjoyed the novelty of eating purple coloured rice.  Once I knew it was something I would make again, I looked into it's nutritional information.  Turns out black rice has a comparable amount of fibre to brown rice.  What I found most interesting though is that it contains more antioxidants than the same quantity of blueberries.  Now my only problem is that I was given the black rice mixture, and I have yet to find it in a grocery store.  Does anyone know where I can buy black rice?

Chip Off the Ol' Block - Homemade Potato Chips

Brad and I are always looking for healthier snack alternatives.  Last night's movie night at a friend's house provided us with the perfect opportunity to try out homemade baked potato chips.

After washing, thinly slice potatoes.

Add a little oil.

Sprinkle with seasoning.  I used seasoned salt.

Mix.

Cover cookie sheet with tin foil, and spray with oil.  Place potato slices.  Bake at 425°F for about 30 minutes.

Allow to sit in open air for 15 minutes for maximum crispiness.

The chips tasted good and we did enjoy them, but overall we didn't think it was worth the time and effort.  It took 5 potatoes to cover 2 cookie sheets, and it still didn't seem like very many chips.  As a warning if you plan on making these, we put our chips in a Rubbermaid container for transport, and by the time we got to our friend's house, they had gone soft, which was very unfortunate.  I think the open air is key to keeping them crispy.  So if you've got some extra potatoes and free time, this could be something to try out.

Don't be a Meathead - Tofu Stir Fry

Though I've never had any moral or heath concerns regarding the consumption of meat, I rarely prepare it in my meals.  I just generally don't enjoy the flavour, texture, etc of meat.  For this reason, and since I'm going on this health kick, Brad and I decided to embark upon the wonderful world of tofu.  Here's how it went.

I actually really enjoyed it!  I had expected it to taste like nothing, as everyone says, and thus not notice it, but I genuinely preferred the tofu over pork, chicken, or beef.  The lessons we learned along the way were to make sure the tofu cubes were very small, and also to use oil when frying.  We weren't going to, just to cut out some fat, but we really wanted the crispiness.  It turned out great!


 Bonus:

While we were out doing our grocery shopping today, I also picked up bamboo knitting needles, soy wool yarn and an introduction to knitting book which I got all on a smokin' deal.  I'm excited to learn!