December 2011

Sunday Snippets: January 1, 2012

Sunday Snippets: January 1, 2012 post image

Welcome to Sunday Snippets. This is a weekly feature that allows you to take a quick peek at posts that I loved from my FAT TUESDAY carnival this past week. I'll also summarize some posts from my blog from the past week. If you missed some or didn't have time to read the whole post this "snippet" will give you the gist of it.

8 Actions to Starting the New Year With Real Food post image

It's easy to make a New Year's Resolution and feel good about it. It's a lot harder to actually follow through with that resolve and translate it into action. When changing eating habits there is a learning curve that has to be addressed. It takes some effort to change patterns of behavior around eating food, buying food and preparing food. You have to get over the hurdle of habit and think about doing things a new way. I can assure you that we all have faced those hurdles. I can say that once you get over it, it becomes much easier. But you have to make the effort to execute your plan!

Top 10 Posts of 2011 At Real Food Forager

Top 10 Posts of 2011 At Real Food Forager post image

Looking back on 2011 reveals an amazing year for me. In February of 2011 I released Real Food Forager and haven't come up for air since. I spend a lot of time researching and developing the content and issues I want cover at Real Food Forager and I hope to clearly communicate these topics to you, my valued readers. I'm planning some fun celebrations for my upcoming anniversary in February 2012, but for now, here are some of the most popular posts and recipes from this past year.

Food Safety News just presented their annual Naughty and Nice List. Indeed, some of the Naughty nominees should get far worse than a lump of coal in their stocking, and the nice ones should get much more than a pat on the back. While I agree with some of the nominations I take issue with several.

Fat Tuesday: December 27, 2011

It's that time of the week when real foodies come together for a food festival! Fat Tuesday is the official start of Mardi Gras and here at Real Food Forager we are having our own Fat Tuesday Forager Festival! Every Tuesday come join in this Real Food Free For All!

Recipe: GF DF Coconut Bread French Toast

Here is a great breakfast comfort food for those lazy mornings over vacation week. Originating in Europe, a 5th century Latin recipe calls it Aliter Dulcia (just another sweet dish). A 14th century German recipe calls it Arme Ritter. All over the world people make French Toast (trust me on this Wikipedia has a listing a mile long). In France and other French speaking countries it is called Pain Perdu meaning lost bread. Apparently it was a way to use or "reclaim" stale bread. Whatever it is called, it may be adapted to whatever bread you have on hand and you can make it grain-free as well as dairy-free.

Sunday Snippets: December 25, 2011

Welcome to Sunday Snippets. This is a weekly feature that allows you to take a quick peek at posts that I loved from my FAT TUESDAY carnival this past week. I'll also summarize some posts from my blog from the past week. If you missed some or didn't have time to read the whole post this "snippet" will give you the gist of it.

Salt and the Innate Wisdom of Babies

In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers found that 6 month old infants who had previously been introduced to starchy table foods had a greater preference for the salty taste than did infants not eating these foods. The study was conducted at the Monell Center (Advancing Discovery in Taste and Smell) in Philadelphia. Scientists there are at the forefront of discovery, investigating the senses of taste and smell in order to answer critical questions about health, behavior and the environment. That being said, I wonder about their conclusions.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is ubiquitous in our environment. It is used to make polycarbonate plastic found in many toys, cooking utensils, and food packaging materials such as plastic containers and the lining of metal cans. It is also found in the paper used for credit card receipts that most of us touch on a daily basis. Since infants are rapidly developing and weigh so little, the effects of their exposure to BPA is much more critical than adults.

Recipe: Mock Cocoa Fudge (SCD/GAPS)

If you are on the SCD or GAPS diets you know you cannot have chocolate. Cocoa powder is also questionable (it is not allowed on SCD) because it has some starches in it. The solution is cocoa butter -- pure food grade cocoa ( cacao) butter may be used to impart the mild taste of chocolate. If you have not had fudge for a while because you are on one of these diets (also appropriate for Primal and Paleo diets), this Cocoa Fudge Drops recipe will really satisfy and rank high on the "treat" scale.

Fat Tuesday: December 20, 2011

It's that time of the week when real foodies come together for a food festival! Fat Tuesday is the official start of Mardi Gras and here at Real Food Forager we are having our own Fat Tuesday Forager Festival! Every Tuesday come join in this Real Food Free For All!

Recipe: Not Potato Latkes (SCD/GAPS)

What's Hanukkah without latkes? A big disappointment if you are on the SCD or the GAPS diet and are not eating any starches like potatoes. In celebration of the "miracle" of finding enough oil to last for 8 nights, Hanukkah traditionally features foods cooked in oil. Fear not! This recipe will amaze you with how much like "real" latkes these taste. There is one simple ingredient that creates this delicious treat!

Sunday Snippets: December 18, 2011

Welcome to Sunday Snippets. This is a weekly feature that allows you to take a quick peek at posts that I loved from my FAT TUESDAY carnival this past week. I'll also summarize some posts from my blog from the past week. If you missed some or didn't have time to read the whole post this "snippet" will give you the gist of it.

Recipe: Grain-Free Holiday Roll Out Cookies (SCD/GAPS) post image

Now that I'm an expert at grain-free roll out cookies I can whip some up at the drop of a hat. With Hanukkah and Christmas right around the corner I thought I would rustle up some candy canes, Christmas trees, stars of David and some snowflakes. The batter is one you know and love, Bella's Muerbe Teig -- the same that I used for my amazing linzer cookies. This butter dough is adapted for people who are grain-free, dairy-free and on the SCD and GAPS diets as well. This dough is easy to make and may be stored in the freezer until you are ready to bake the cookies. That's what I did and it was really nice to have the dough all ready!

Introducing the Raw Milk Institute

The Raw Milk Institute, RAWMI for short, is an organization born out of a need to advocate for raw milk. Their mission is to expand raw milk access by working with farmers, consumers and regulators, and by providing legislative oversight. The time is ripe for such an organization, as savvy consumers are appreciating the health benefits of clean, fresh, grassfed raw milk and the demand for such a nutrient dense food is rising. There is a raw milk revolution going on and the time is now.