Friday, July 1, 2011

Whole Food for Kids!

Whole foods can be so easy and simple that even kids can make them! The pictures in this article are of my son making Alfredo Sauce from scratch! In every picture where you see hands, they belong to my 11 y/o son. This recipe has become his trademark. He does a fabulous job. Even he says it is so much better than the jarred sauce we used to buy - and we didn't buy the cheap stuff, either.

We have adapted this recipe from one showcased on "Down Home with the Neelys" on Food Network. 

Alfredo Sauce

2 TBSP Butter (from pasture-raised cows would be best)

1 TSP Minced Garlic (I personally like a bit more)

1 TBSP All Purpose Flour (I would not use whole wheat flour here, as it has     such a strong flavor on it's own, but any neutral flavored flour, as long as it is not self rising, should work here. I use Spelt.)

1 Cup Heavy Cream (we get our cream off of the real, whole, raw milk we drink)

1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese (grated/shredded)

Salt and Pepper to taste


Mise en Place:



1.  Melt Butter in a skillet.



2.  Add chopped garlic.



3.  Stir/sautee for a minute or so. DO NOT brown the butter or garlic. You just want to "wake up" the flavor of the garlic.



4.  Add Flour.



5.  Whisk in pan until smooth.



6.  Add Cream.



7.  Whisk until warm/hot, Not boiling.



8.  Add Cheese.



9.  Keep whisking until cheese has melted completely.

10.  Add Salt and Pepper to taste.

(OK, time for a confession... I didn't get a picture of the final product. We gobbled it up too quickly. I'll try to remember to get one next time we make this Alfredo Sauce!)

Use anywhere you would use Alfredo Sauce. I love it over chicken or as the sauce on a "white pizza." If you like pasta, this will work with about 1/3 - 1/2 lb of Angel Hair pasta.  


This post is linked up at Traditional Tuesdays and Real Food Wednesdays

Whole Foods vs Empty Carbs

Well, my son is out of town visiting his father, so I have a chance, sans kid, to get back to real food.

We recently moved residences. Add to that a divorce and stuff that was even worse to me emotionally. It all happened within a single month. With my fibromyalgia and the emotional turmoil, I ended up really tired a lot. I did exactly what I knew I shouldn't. We ate a lot of "quick and easy" foods. We ate a lot of sandwiches and pastas. I have even started making bread at home (well, it's better than the store bought stuff, right?). Carbs are bad for me. It seems I have insulin resistance and adrenal fatigue. Guess what those carbs do to me? They spike my insulin, which later crashes, leaving me hungrier. This article explains a bit of why that happens. I'm no scientist, so it helped me to read it and to understand. For some reason, "whole food" carbs like green beans, corn, and even baked potatoes don't seem to bother me as much. Of course I eat them with lots of real butter, not margarine, and sea salt. That might help in the assimilation of nutrients. Butter is a "wonder food!" Butter contains what Dr. Weston A. Price called "Activator X" and is an incredible catalyst that helps the body absorb and utilize minerals. Unadulterated sea salt is full of an amazing array of essential nutrients which white, processed table salt lacks, like calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, iodine, manganese, copper and zinc.

Well, several nights ago, I braised some chicken thighs, added a couple of vegetables on the side and was full long before my plate was empty. Processed Carbs make me hungry. Real food doesn't. I feel sated without eating tons of food. It's great. I always thought it was cheaper to eat junk. Maybe it is in the short term, but not in the long term. I end up eating more, craving more, eating more, craving more and it affects my health in a very negative way. I'd be willing to bet it affects your health in a negative way.