Cinnamon

I remember that as a kid I had a hard time saying the word cinnamon.  I also didn't learn how to spell it for years, but that is because I am terrible at spelling!

My old roommate Jennie (that really is how you spell her name, it isn't my terrible spelling:) commented on my last blog post about what she could eat with cinnamon in it.  I thought I would do a blog post with some of my favorite recipes with cinnamon in them.  

• Cinnamon and Sugar-  I have two of the Pampered Chef shakers.  I use one for my cinnamon and sugar mixture and the other one for my powdered sugar.  My husband likes his cinnamon and sugar mixture with a lot more cinnamon than I was used to, but now I like more cinnamon as well.  So my first recipe is to increase the cinnamon and decrease your sugar in your cinnamon and sugar shaker.  I use about 1 part cinnamon to 3 parts sugar (maybe more cinnamon than that).  I put cinnamon and sugar on toast, hot cereal, and a dash on top of my hot chocolate with fresh cream.  We also get out the shaker for crepes.
  
  
• Eat more Indian and Morracan food.  They use a lot of cinnamon in Africa, and India.  Some of my favorite recipes include, Morracan CousCous, and Spiced up Basmatti Rice.  My sister Candee (I bring her up a lot, she must be opinionated :) doesn't think cinnamon belongs in a dish unless it is a sweet dish, but if you can convince your taste buds otherwise, you will be grateful later on.  Most Indian food also has curry in it.  Curry is a blend of spices.  Studies have found that the spices in curry, especially turmeric,  are very good for you.
  

Moroccan Chicken Stew RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
	1 tablespoon oil
	1 small onion, chopped
	2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
	1/2 teaspoon turmeric
	1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
	3 whole cloves
	2 bay leaves
	2 cups chicken broth
	4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 3/4 to 1 pound)
	1 (14.5-ounce) can whole tomatoes with juice
	1 large carrot, sliced
	1 1/2 cups green beans, snapped into smaller pieces
	1 small summer squash, quartered and and cut into large chunks
	1 (15.5-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
	1/2 teaspoon salt
	1/3 cup golden raisins FOR THE COUSCOUS:
	2 cups chicken broth
	1 cup water
	2 cups couscous 1. In a Dutch oven or large (8-quart) pot, heat the oil over medium heat for 1 or 2 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and saute them until the onion is translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in the turmeric, cinnamon, cloves, and bay leaves and cook the mixture for 2 to 3 minutes. (I have also done it all in a crock pot) 2. Add the chicken broth, chicken thighs, and tomatoes and bring the stew to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer the stew with the pot covered for 25 minutes.  3. Stir in the carrots, green beans, squash, chickpeas, and salt. Cook, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and using the edge of the spoon to break the chicken and tomato chunks into smaller pieces.  4. Add the raisins. Turn the heat back up to medium and continue simmering the covered stew until the vegetables are tender (10 or so minutes more). Add more salt, if desired. Ladle the stew into shallow bowls around a mound of couscous. Serves 4 to 6.  5. To make the couscous, combine the broth and water in a saucepan and bring them to a boil. Quickly stir in the couscous. Remove the pan from the heat and let it sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork before serving.  Sultana & Cashew Basmati Pilau I just bought a massive bag of basmati rice from costco that I’ve been dying to try out.  And this was totally experimental, because I made this dish in the rice maker.  Basically, I just followed the rice maker’s guidelines of 2 cups rice and 2.5 cups water: 2 cups basmati rice, rinsed and soaked for a bit, then drained of course 2.5 cups chicken broth 1 cinnamon stick 1 handful of cashews 1 handful of raisins (golden are best, but I just had regular and it was fine) 1 handful of slivered almonds (I chopped up some whole almonds) a couple spoonfuls of garam masala (from the store or make it yourself.. mine had coriander, tumeric, cumin, fenugreek and chillies) some more tumeric a little oil for good measure (I did a couple teaspoons of canola oil.. butter works too) That’s about it. I just threw it all in the rice maker and hit the white rice button, but you could accomplish this by throwing it all in a pot on the stove and cooking it like any old rice dish (although you may want to get fancy and saute the rice and some spices a little in oil or butter first)

• You can always stick with the sweet stuff.  I am going to share with you my all time favorite cookie recipe.  I can't believe I am doing this, but oh well.  They are called cinnamon crackle cookies, and I am sure that with all the sugar and butter found in them, that the health benefits of cinnamon is canceled out.  
  

Cinnamon Crackle Cookies from Taste of Homes

1/2 C butter
½ C shortening (I use butter)
1 C sugar
½ C packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla extract
½ t almond extract
2 ½ C all-purpose flour
1 Tbs ground cinnamon
2 t baking soda
2 t cream of tartar
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
2 t grated orange peel
1 t grated lemon peel
½ t salt
additional sugar

In a mixing bowl, cream butter, shortening and sugars.
Add the egg and extracts; mix well. Combine the next eight
ingredients; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Shape
into 1” balls; roll in sugar. Place 2 in. apart on un-greased
baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-14 minutes or until
lightly browned. Yield: about 6 dozen. These cookies freeze
well. (I only cook about 8 minutes because I like them softer)

• Anytime a recipe calls for cinnamon, add a little bit more.  As long as it isn't too much, I doubt you will notice.  
  

Hope this helps you out Jennie.  

Pumpkin Pancakes

Someone on facebook (thanks Corinne) gave me the idea of pumpkin pancakes.  I had made pumpkin chocolate chip bread, and I had left over canned pumpkin.  With one jar of pumpkin I made

• 2 loafs pumpkin chocolate chip bread
• baby food with pumpkin, applesauce and a dash of cinnamon
• baby food with pumpkin, plain yogurt and a dash of pumpkin pie spice
• pumpkin pancakes

I used a recipe from allrecipes.com.  It turned out really well.  I used 1/2 whole wheat, but I think next time I would just do all whole wheat.  

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1/2 whole wheat)
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons vinegar

The thing I love about making pancakes is that you just throw all the ingredients together and mix it up.  You don't need a mixer, and you really don't need to have any order to putting the ingredients in (I am sure some people would disagree:)

I was talking to my sister-in-law Katy yesterday, and I was telling her about the pumpkin applesauce baby food with a dash of cinnamon.  I mentioned that I did the cinnamon because it is so good for you.  She didn't know this, so I thought this blog post would be the perfect time to talk about the benefits of cinnamon.

Did you know?

• Cinnamon has some effects of how your body regulates blood sugar?  Several studies have shown improved insulin sensitivity and blood glucose control with as little as 1/2 teaspoon a day. Both test tube and animal studies have shown that compounds in cinnamon not only stimulate insulin receptors, but also inhibit an enzyme that inactivates them, thus significantly increasing cells’ ability to use glucose. It is great for diabetics, and for those of us that don't want to get diabetes.
• Cinnamon has also been shown to have positive effects on cholesterol.  One study had 60 people with type 2 diabetes take 1, 3, or 6 grams of cinnamon in pill form daily, an amount roughly equivalent to one quarter of a teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.After 40 days, all 3 amounts of cinnamon reduced fasting blood glucose by 18 to 29%, triglycerides by 23 to 30%, LDL cholesterol by 7 to 27%, and total cholesterol by 12 to 26%.
• Cinnamon has some anti-bacterial effects preventing food spoilage.
• In one fun (but unpublished) study, researchers found that sniffing cinnamon resulted in improved brain function -– subjects did better on memory and attention tasks when taking whiffs of cinnamon as opposed to other odors or no odor.  So maybe baking while your kids do homework would help.
  
• Cinnamon also has anti-fungal effects and can be beneficial in treating a yeast infection or thrush.  (I am not sure how true this one is, but I read it a couple times)
• Cinnamon has magnesium, fiber, calcium, and iron in it.  
• Cinnamon seems to have some anti-inflammatory effects as well.  In a study at Copenhagen University, patients given half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder combined with one tablespoon of honey every morning before breakfast had significant relief in arthritis pain after one week and could walk without pain within one month.
• People have traditionally used cinnamon for digestive problems, although I didn't find any studies to support this.  

The funniest part about this blog post is that the recipe doesn't even have cinnamon in it!  So I guess, throw some in for good measure!

I bought the big thing of cinnamon that is in the picture for $3.00 at Costco!  What a great deal.  Next time you are at Costco, be sure to pick some up.  

Final note.  So sorry I haven't blogged for so long.  I moved about 3 weeks ago and was just trying to settle into the new house. 

A Twist on Fruit

I am not a huge fan of high-fructose corn syrup, so I usually do not buy fruit snacks. It is not just the high-fructose corn syrup, but also the taste. They taste like wax. The only nutrient they provide is vitamin C, and that is in only certain brands. I have been buying the fruit leathers that are just made from fruit. My kids like the fruit leathers, but they don't LOVE them.

I joined Amazon Prime (one fee and you get free 2 day shipping on anything you buy from Amazon) recently and came across Clif Kid Organic Twisted Fruit Real Fruit Rope. They got really good reviews from other Moms, so much so that I was convinced to buy them. I love them! They taste really good and they taste real, not waxy. The first ingredient is Organic Apple Puree which gives you 1 gram of fiber per serving. The rest of the ingredients is pretty much Juice Concentrate of one kind or another.

If I had to compare this to something else nutritionally, I would compare it to juice. It is sweet and sugary, but at least it comes from fruit. Each fruit rope has a serving of fruit in it. Juice is also consided a serving of fruit. I have told my kids they can have 2 a day, but I think I have eaten as much as them.

I am definitely buying these again so that they can go into my kids lunch boxes.

If you are wondering about Amazon Prime, you can click here to find out more information. I really do love it. It is a dream come true to not have to bring 5 kids into a store. Just yesterday I had Amanda pick out birthday presents for some birthdays she has this weekend. I did it while the babies were asleep, and I know that they will be here tomorrow. You can also click here to see what I said about it on my sister-in-laws kids blog.

F A T

Fat is a funny thing. Some fats are good for you, others are bad, but they all have the same amount of calories. My sister Candee called the other day to ask if it mattered what kind of olive oil she bought. I realized that I needed to do a blog post on this, because it DOES matter what kind you buy. Here is the low-down on Olive Oil.

Olive oil has the most monounsaturated fat out of all the different types of fat. Monounsaturated fat helps increase good cholesterol and decreased the bad (LDL) cholesterol. The FDA approved a statement about olive oils health benefits stating : "Eating 2 TBSP of olive oil a day may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to the monounsaturated fat in olive oil. To achieve this possible benefit, olive oil is to replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day."

This quote probably comes from the study that found that when people with high cholesterol levels removed the saturated fat from their diets and replaced it with olive oil, their total cholesterol levels dropped an average of 13.4%, and their LDL cholesterol levels dropped by 18%.

Olive oil also has oleic acid which has antioxidants such as vitamin E. It is these properties that are thought to contribute to the health benefits of olive oil. Olive oil also has been found to have anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombotic (prevents blood clots), antihypertensive (decreases blood pressure) as well as vasodilator (makes your blood vessels open up) effects. helps prevent the oxidation of LDL (bad cholesterol). Only oxidized LDL stick to the arterial wall causing build up.

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil is best. As Rachel Ray says, E.V.O.O. The reason it is best is because of the way it is processed. EVOO is oil that is pressed out of the olive. Extra-Virgin has to have a certain acidity, color, and taste in order to be defined as EVOO. If olive oil is just pure olive oil or just olive oil, it has oil in it that has been refined. Refined means that the oil has been chemically treated to neutralize strong tastes (because it is considered defective) and neutralize the acid content. Extra Virgin olive oil and Virgin Olive Oil cannot have any refined oil in them.

You want the Extra Virgin because it is the most pure and least process; therefore, Extra Virgin Olive oil contains more polyphenols, leading to a healthier heart and lower "bad" cholesterol.

In doing my research, I found out that the US doesn't label its olive oil by the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC), like most European nations, but from what I read, our labeling is accurate enough that you will want to only buy the EVOO since it has the most good stuff in it and it is not processed with chemicals.

One last note before ending. Olive oil isn't the best oil for cooking things at high temperatures. Heating olive oil at a high temperature, some say as low as 300 degrees, starts to break down some of the polyphenols in the olive oil reducing the health benefits. So when enjoying your olive oil, it is best to enjoy it in a salad dressing, as a bread dip, or drizzle some in an already cooked food like over your cooked veggies.

You can buy good olive oil at Costco for a great price.

To sum it up, you want to buy extra-virgin olive oil because it has the most ployphenols and antioxidants, and therefore has the most health benefit for your body. Extra-virgin olive oil is also a pure oil that has NOT been refined (chemically processed). It isn't just the mono--unsaturated fat that makes olive oil so good for you, it is the other stuff in it too!

Click here, or here, for more information on olive oil.

Little Pizza Man!

It is so hard to think of what to feed your kids for lunch.. . .especially in the summer time when they are all home. Today we had pizza. Sounds hard, but it is sooo easy.

1. Take a flour or corn tortilla and spread about 1 T. jarred spaghetti sauce on the bottom.
   
2. Put some type of shredded cheese on top. We used the Kirkland brand shredded Mexican cheese. My friend Cristy introduced me to this, and I have had a bag in my fridge ever since then. (Note: not the same bag.)
3. Add olives to make a cute face. I used the ends of the olives for the nose, and a slice of red bell pepper for the mouth. Use what you have on hand.
4. Bake on 350 degrees for about 5 minutes.
   

Serve with the rest of the olives from the can, and some kind of fruit. My girls ate the whole can of olives! Don't worry, olives are good for them. Olives have lots of monounsaturated fats in them. Olive oil reduces the bad cholesterol (LDL) and increases the good cholesterol (HDL). It also has anti-inflammatory effects. One study found that 1/4 C of olive oil a day helped reduce your risk of cancer.

Here are some other combination to try when making little pizzas.

• Whole wheat English muffin, mozzarella cheese, spaghetti sauce. Add fresh broccoli for hair on top of your little guy.
• Corn tortilla, salsa, and cheese. If your kids like spicy, add jarred jalapeno peppers for the eyes and nose.
• Whole wheat bread, spaghetti sauce, and mozzarella cheese. If you have leftover spaghetti noodles, make this his curly hair on top.

Don't forget to use your pizza cutter to cut the mini pizza in quarters. This makes it really easy to pick up.

Snack Drawer

I have been married for 11 years and have moved 9 times, so being in this house for 2 years made me want to reorganize. One thing I have always wanted is a snack drawer for the kids to have readily available snacks that are healthy. I have had a snack shelve for the last 2 years, but the pantry is over crowded, and it is hard for my 4 year old to reach. So last night I found a new home for my cook books and I make a snack drawer.

I wanted to share some snack tips and some of my favorite healthy snacks.

1. Have healthy snacks somewhere that the kids can help themselves.
   
2. Don't forget the fruit. Have a fruit basket or bowl that is in sight so that the kids will see that first when they are looking around for something to eat.
3. Have a special water bottle in the fridge that your kids can access at all times. This cuts back on dishes and helps kids drink lots of water. Sometime all they really need is a drink.
4. If you have some unhealthy snacks as a treat (ie, I have some candy for movie night), keep it in a grocery bag and up high so that they are not even tempted by it.
   
5. Have a rule about snacking close to dinner time. Ours is that if it is past 5pm, but dinner is not ready, you can eat a fruit or a vegetable. That way if they do fill up, it is on healthy things. Also, since fruits and veggies are low calorie, they will likely be ready for dinner when it is ready.

Our favorite snack drawer items

• Almonds- raw
• Raisins (only 1 kid eats these)
• Gold fish
• Apple sauce- no sugar added. I do get the ones sweetened with apple juice sometimes. Just no high-fructose corn syrup.

Other snacks that are not in the snack drawer

• Cheese sticks
• Slices of cheddar cheese
• Yogurt
• Bananas
• Pears
• Peaches
• Grapes
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Carrot sticks
• Cold Cereal with or without milk
  

We have other snacks too, but these are the ones my kids like that are healthy and that they can get by themselves! I am really into that since having twins :)

I have done other blog posts on the snack ideas that you can click on.

SODIUM NITRATE

Growing up, I loved eating cold hot dogs out of the fridge. It was a great snack. Sodium Nitrites are found in most processed meats. Picture yourself at the grocery store buying hot dogs. Now look at all the lunch meats and sausages all around the hot dogs . . . all of it has Sodium Nitrate. Sodium Nitrite is what is formed when you ingest sodium nitrates. Sodium Nitrite is a known carcinogen (causes cancer). You have to eat vitamin C to negate the nitrites. So you would have to have a slice of tomato on your sandwich. Sodium nitrite is what is formed as the sodium nitrite is oxidized (exposed to oxygen). Keep in mind as I talk about "meats" that I am referring to processed meat. NOT chicken, steak, pork chops, and those fresh meats. Examples of meats that have nitrites in them ARE bacon, lunch meat, sausage, hot dogs, and jerky.

Sodium nitrite is a food additive that prevents the growth of the bacteria that causes botulism. Potassium nitrate is used for the same purpose. It is good that our meats don't give us botulism, but nitrates are toxic in high amounts. They die the sodium nitrite bright pink so that it doesn't get mixed up as anything else since it is toxic in high amounts. This is why so much of the meats with nitrates in it are kinda pink (think hot dogs).

Some concerns come up when it comes to these additives. Back in 2006, a study was done that linked lung disease to eating cured meats. It found that people who ate cured meats regularly had a 71% higher chance of developing lung disease than those who never ate cured meats. Though not proven, nitrites are what people want to blame this on.

If you read my recent post on breakfast burritos, you remember me saying that processed meat consumption gave you a 67% higher rate of pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is the 5th leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States. On a stage for stage basis, cancer of the pancreas is met with the shortest median survival time out of all cancer types, most often less than 1 year. Pancreatic cancer is not something you want to get!

What are some other alternatives to never eating another cold cut sandwich and summertime hot dog?

1. They do have nitrate free meats. Hormel has nitrate free ham. See my Breakfast Burritos Post. They also have buffalo hot dogs that are made from grass-fed bison, so they are loaded with omega3's. You can get them at northstarbision.com. Applegate farms has organic nitrate free meat. You can buy this at Whole Foods. Boar's Head is a brand of lunch meats that you usually get at the deli counter at the grocery store. Their turkey and chicken products are nitrate free, but their ham is not. I love their turkey and chicken . .. sooo good!
2. Just get out of the habit of eating these foods. Most are high in fat and salt.
3. Vegetarian is always an option, but I am often left with a tasteless taste in my mouth when I have tried this option. Morningstar does make some tasty morning vegetarian sausage, and when I was pregnant with the twins, I couldn't get enough of their vegetarian corn dogs. You can find morning star products in the freezer section of your grocery store.
4. For kids, try cheese sandwich without the meat. Have hamburgers instead of hot dogs when you do a BBQ.
5. Nuts instead of jerky. Both are high in protein and help feel you up.
6. Make bacon and sausage for breakfast a special treat. We always have sausage for Christmas morning, and when it is your birthday, you can pick what ever as well. (we are having doughnuts in August for my son's birthday breakfast).

To sum up, here are the top reasons not to feed your family lunch meats and hot dogs with nitrates.

• Because they contain sodium nitrites which converts into sodium nitrites, known carcinogens.

• Most lunch meat and hot dogs are mechanically separated meats. "Mechanically separated meats" means the meat was removed from the bones by machine. These meats can have a gritty quality due to small bone particles.

• Most lunch meats and hot dogs contain high levels of salt. This can cause high blood pressure.

• Hot dogs are very high in fat. You know this isn't good.