“What kinds of sweeteners do you use?”   People ask me this food question more than any other.  In a world with so many choices, navigating our way through all the “healthy” sugars out there can cause confusion.

Many products proclaim themselves “natural” or “raw” sweeteners, despite the heavy processing involved in their production.  “Raw” sugar stands as a favorite example; most producers take processed white sugar and add a bit of molasses for color!

I love using organic whole cane sugar (also known as sucanat) for baking and cooking.  Producers take juice from organically-grown sugar cane and simply dehydrate it.  The resulting crystals stay rich in minerals, trace elements, and vitamins, so I can use the deep, rich flavor guilt-free – in moderation, of course!

I’ve learned that whole cane sugar can replace many refined sweeteners we’ve grown accustomed to using. For example, Instead of brown sugar, stir together one cup of whole cane sugar with two tablespoons of real maple syrup until it’s a moist, wholesome substitute. You might also grind whole cane sugar in a coffee grinder until powdery, as a perfect stand-in for powdered white sugar.

If you’re new to unprocessed natural sweeteners, this butterscotch pudding is a perfect recipe to get your feet wet.

Butterscotch Pudding

Adapted from Baking by Dorie Greenspan Serves 6

1/2 cup organic whole cane sugar or sucanat
3 tablespoons water
1 3/4 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup arrowroot
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons organic whole cane sugar or sucanat
3 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 3 pieces
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons whisky
1/2 cup whipped cream
1/4 cup toasted pecans (optional)

Whisk together the whole cane sugar and water in a medium sauce pan. Place pan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Boil for two minutes, while stirring (you may need to lower the temperature a little). Pour 1 1/2 cups milk and all of the cream into the sugar mixture and bring to a boil.  Don’t worry if the mixture curdles.

While the milk mixture is heating, put the arrowroot and salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to blend. Pour arrowroot mixture into a small bowl. Put 3 tablespoons whole cane sugar and egg yolks in the bowl of the processor and blend for one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl then add the arrowroot mixture one tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition. Add the remaining 1/4 cup milk and pulse to blend.

Slowly pour the hot milk mixture into the food processor, with the machine running, then pour everything back into the pan. Whisk without stopping over medium heat until the pudding thickens, about two minutes. If necessary, lower the temperature to avoid boiling.

Pour the pudding back into the food processor and pulse a few times. Add the butter, vanilla, and whiskey and pulse until blended and smooth. Divide the pudding into 6, 1/2-cup ramekins. Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving.

Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of pecans (if desired).

I know that as the year gets going, a healthy breakfast can be one of the first meals to slide. We often reach for something quick and easy (and unhealthy). You can feed yourself and your family on a rushed morning with a few simple steps, and nothing has to come from a box. Breakfast in our house is usually a rotating lists of foods. At 7am when the kids are running around I need quick nutritious foods.

I love a good homemade granola. Honestly, I haven’t found a store-bought cereal I can stand behind. Even the brands that advertise “whole grain” are usually still loaded with sweeteners and preservatives. So I make my own. I can’t tell you how fast it is to throw together some granola that you can use as cereal in the mornings. This granola recipe took me 10 minutes to toss together and 45 minutes of baking. You can make some on the weekend or on a weekday when you have some time and you’ll have cereal ready when you need it during the week.

Good, healthy breakfasts take a little preparation but totally pay off. This chocolate peanut granola is so amazing, you won’t ever want to go back to cocoa cereal. It’s chocolaty, crunchy, sweet, and filling. If you don’t have time to eat it with milk, simply put it in a little bag and take it with you. If you have some left at the end of your week, you could always reward yourself for the healthy breakfasts and sprinkle it over vanilla ice cream!

Chocolate Peanut Granola

This recipe leaves lots of room for creativity. You can substitute the peanuts with almonds, pecans, or walnuts or try adding dried fruits like cherries to change things up a bit.

Makes about 10 cups Adapted from Food Network

1/4 cup cacao powder  (or cocoa powder)
4 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup sunflower seeds
3/4 cup white sesame seeds
2/3 cup coconut oil, melted
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup organic whole cane sugar or sucanat
2 cups raw peanuts
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Preheat oven to 300°F and adjust rack to middle position. Mix everything together very well in a large mixing bowl. Spread the mixture evenly on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake for 45 minutes, turning over half-way through baking. Cool completely before serving. Crumble and store in an airtight container.

The one question I get most often is “How can I buy organic on a budget?”  Instead of giving a quick answer, I’ve started opening the pantry to show how.

1. Instead of buying boxes of fruit snacks, baked fruit/oat bars, processed and sugar-laden granola bars, chips, and pretzels for snacks – start snacking on fruits, vegetables, nuts, and cheese.  I walked around the kitchen and showed her the real food she already had for snacks, making the “snack foods” unnecessary for her family.  This cuts down on costs and it is also much more nutritious.

Organic “Apple Bar”   —            $0.92 Organic Apple    —                     $0.59

2. Don’t buy bottles and bottles of salad dressing – make your own.

Organic salad dressing bottle  —   $7.92 8 oz olive oil and vinegar    —       $5.30

3. Instead of little snack-size yogurts (that are usually filled with sugar) buy large 32 oz. containers of plain yogurt and sweeten it with honey, maple syrup, or berries.

Organic snack yogurt  —           $0.75 32 oz. plain + honey     —         $0.42

4. Instead of boxed drinks – just drink water.  Your kids don’t need juice boxes.  Buy a few water bottles, and fill them up with water throughout the day.

Organic juice box   —              $0.82 Water         —                             free

5. Don’t buy boxes and boxes of popsicles in the summer – make your own.  Popsicle molds are a one-time buy and you can fill them with all sorts of nutritious juices, yogurts, and fruit.  Get creative! Let your kids create their own flavors.  They’ll enjoy the responsibility of making their own, too.  Here’s the popsicle mold   I just bought.

Organic popsicle — $0.94 Homemade organic Popsicle       $0.16

6. Yes, I know kids and adults alike love the famous “chicken nugget” so instead of buying factory-made nuggets, you can make your own at home.  It’s easiest to make a large batch, cook them, and put them in the freezer.  This way, when it’s been a long day, you can turn on your oven, throw in a few nuggets, toss a salad, and you’ve got dinner! Eliminating “chicken nuggets” from your diet  —     priceless

Have you given much thought to the kind of salt you use? Salt may seem like an insignificant topic, but if you want to take steps toward a less-processed diet, it’s something to think about. Basic table salt is first processed at high temperatures, removing vital minerals from the salt, then it’s iodized, bleached, and mixed with anti-caking agents (examples include: ferrocyanide, yellow prussiate of soda, tricalcium phosphate, alumine-calcium silicate, sodium aluminosilicate). Iodine is an vital mineral that supports thyroid function, body metabolism and reproductive tissue health, just to name a few. The Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) is set at 150-1,100 mcg a day. But the amount of iodine in a moderate serving of iodized salt is 1,520 so it is easy to exceed the daily limit using even a modest amount of salt.

On the other hand, a quality, gently-processed, sea salt can offer a myriad of beneficial characteristics. A few brands I’ve found that fits the bill are Celtic Sea Salt, Real Salt,  . It’s hand-harvested off the coast of France, dried at a low temperature and contains no additives, bleaching agents or anti-caking agents. Celtic Sea Salt provides over 80 trace minerals, helps balance electrolyte levels, and helps balance alkaline/acid levels.

I prefer cooking with Celtic Sea Salt not only for its health benefits, but also because of its flavor. The grains bring a subtle saltiness and compliment foods better than any other salt I’ve tried. Salt makes a great example of the entire theme of this blog. I think you’ll find the flavor better than table salt and your research will make you thankful for the health benefits of the change.

I love the simplicity of these green beans blanched and tossed with brown butter. Who can pass that up? And I recently read in the Wise Traditions Journal it’s better to eat your vegetables with a good organic butter because the butterfat enables the carotenes in the vegetables to convert to vitamin A. Toss them with some sea salt, and pumpkin seeds and you’ve got a delicious side dish.

Green Beans with Brown Butter and Pepitas

Serves 4-6

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound green beans, cleaned and trimmed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds (I coat mine in a little coconut oil and roast them at 400ºF until golden brown)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Melt butter in a large saute pan over medium-low heat until brown and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes, swirling the pan occasionally. Add green beans and toss in the butter until there are spotty brown marks on the beans, about 3-4 minutes . Make a well in the center of the pan and add the garlic. Stir garlic in the center of the pan until fragrant, about 30 seconds and then stir into beans. Remove from heat, toss pumpkin seeds into the beans, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

I like to keep things simple for lunch. I could give you ornate recipes but really, who has the time? My goal is to help you move away from boxed, processed foods and towards wholesome real food – so you know exactly what you’re feeding your family. Because mornings can be hectic, I strive to keep the fridge and pantry stocked with the necessary foods so we can throw together healthy lunches in just a matter of minutes. Since I like to keep things simple, I have a list of foods to buy instead a list of recipes.

Sliced organic meats (if you can’t find organic try to find meats without preservatives. Especially nitrates) A variety of cheese: raw cheddar, Monterrey Jack, and mozzarella Cucumbers Carrots Homemade Ranch, for dipping Fruits, of all kinds Homemade hummus Yogurt Granola Nuts – pecans, almonds, cashews Frozen berries Whole wheat tortillas Whole wheat bread (I prefer sprouted wheat or sourdough) Organic corn chips Olive oil potato chips   Organic fruit leather   Hard-boiled eggs Canned tuna Homemade Beef Jerky

Often, I sit my kids down and have them tell me what they would like in their lunches. Their tastes change, so I always want to have healthy foods they enjoy for lunch. My kids  make their own lunches (they are 8 and 9 years-old). We started this as soon as they began school and it’s worked like a charm. They decide what they’re going to eat with only one rule: they must pack at least one vegetable in their lunch every day. I wake them up 15 minutes early and after they’re dressed, they make their lunches while I get breakfast ready. It works for our family and helps the kids learn a little responsibility. Since they pack their own food, they rarely return home with uneaten items.

Another topic I can’t stress enough is the importance of drinking water. I see to many kids packing boxed juices loaded with sugars, corn syrup, and preservatives. Even the ones that say “pure juice” have been heated so there isn’t much nutrition left in them. Kids need water. At the beginning of the year, buy a water bottle for each child (I prefer stainless steel) and have them fill it with water each day. You’ll save hundreds of dollars over the course of the year and your children will benefit from a much more healthy habit.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

I soak and then dehydrate all of my nuts because nuts contain enzyme inhibitors that make it difficult for the body to digest. Soaking the nuts in salt water overnight releases the enzyme inhibitors. The nuts are then dehydrated at a low temperature to keep all of the nutrients intact. The recipe for dehydrated nuts can be found here. Slightly adapted from Nourishing Traditions

Makes 24 cookies

1 1/2 cups dehydrated peanuts
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup arrowroot
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup organic whole cane sugar or sucanat
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup raspberry preserves

Preheat oven to 300°F and adjust rack to middle position. Line a large baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper. Place peanuts in the bowl of a food processor and process to a fine meal. Add coconut oil, arrowroot, salt, whole cane sugar, and vanilla. Process until dough comes together. If the dough is a little dry, add a tablespoon or so of water until the dough comes together. Form the dough into walnut-sized balls, place on baking sheet, and flatten just a bit with the back of a spoon to make an indentation on the top of the cookie. Fill each indentation with about 1/2 tablespoon per cookie. Bake for 20 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool completely.