Clean Eating Part 2

Last night I decided to try something new in my kitchen….Ground Buffalo.

After reading more into The Eat-Clean Diet, I realized that I do a pretty good job with selecting food that are “clean”. There are a few foods that I want to substitute with. This was one of the easier food swaps that I made. I had seen ground buffalo at Whole Foods but always passed it by for its neighbor beef. After reading the health benefits of buffalo, I decided that this will be a reoccurring product in my kitchen.

What are the health benefits of Ground Buffalo (aka Bison) you may ask?

Benefits of Buffalo Meat when compared to Beef:

• Buffalo has 70% to 90% less fat (depending upon the cut of the meat.)
• Buffalo has an average if 50% less cholesterol than beef.
• Buffalo is 30% higher in protein and has less calories than beef.
• Our Buffalo has no growth-inducing hormones or steroids.
• Buffalo Meat has No known human allergens.
• Buffalo Meat is Higher in Iron than beef – (great for Women).
• There are no Problems with E-Coli in Buffalo Meat

So for my first Buffalo Meat adventure I decided to be lame and just do burgers. I was rushed on time and wanted to have a great tasting meal that the whole family could enjoy.

I decided to use simple spices to season the burgers. I really wanted to taste the meat. I used my favorite spices from Purcell Mountain Farms: Organic Onion and garlic with a little fresh ground salt and pepper.

I mixed everything together and formed my patties.

I cheated with the grill. The weather was less than perfect yesterday so I decided to get the Forman Out. It is a great substitute for these types of situations.

While the burgers were “grilling” I made a Build Your Own Burger Bar. The nights specialty item was Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce. If you have never tried this sauce you are missing out. It is all natural and adds a nice tang to your burger.

Buffalo Madness! If the screen was scratch and sniff you would be in burger bliss!

My BYOB…Lettuce, Tomato, Sauce, Pickles, Arnold’s Sandwich Thin, Alexia Potatoes, and Broccoli.

I loved the taste of the Buffalo. I was expecting a gaming flavor but it was a mild tasting ground beef. It was extremely flavorful and I loved what I paired with it. I will definitely use it again. I am thinking of all the possibilities

I was feeling like a sparkling beverage to accompany this fantastic meal. I was lucky enough to get some POM Blogger love.

I mixed my POM with Whole Foods Mint Sparkling Mineral Water. YUM!

Anyone in NYC want to send me some coffee POM love? They don’t have it yet in CT!!!!!

I am loving my new foodie find adventures since being banned from certain items that were making my body crazy (aka Soy!!). Stay tuned for another clean eating recipe tonight….Island Spice Chicken!

A New Breakfast Recipe!

It has been one of those days, a rushed scene of madness with the feeling of nothing being accomplished. I actually did get some things done off my to-do list. What made my morning is my new found oatmeal creation featuring, Cream Hill Estates Oats.

I have been in the market for a good quality rolled oat that is in its purest form. There are only a few companies who actually sell a product like this. Cream Hill Estates is one of the best. Cream Hill Estates is a Montreal-based company that produces and distributes pure rolled oats, oat flour and whole oat kernels (groats). They offer a purity guarantee on the products the sell and they are kosher. As they state, “We offer a purity guarantee that our oats are uncontaminated with wheat, barley, rye, triticale, kamut, spelt and other grains that are closely related to wheat.” How can you go wrong?

I decided to use the rolled oats in a new recipe that I found while investigating The Clean Eating Diet by Tosca Reno.  I am always looking for more clean eating recipes and this book gave me a bunch of new ideas that will be featured here in the near future. Here is a great breakfast one that is simple and delish!

Clean Eating Porridge

Courtesy of  The Clean Eating Diet by Tosca Reno

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup each rolled oats, oat bran, rye flakes (I could not find these), barley flakes, and ground flaxseed. (Whole Foods Bulk Bins is where I found most of these items)
• 2 cups of water
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp each cinnamon and nutmeg
• 1/4 cup silvered almonds
• 1 medium apple (I used a banana)

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Cover and place over moderate heat. When mixture comes to a rolling boil, reduce heat to low and continue to simmer for another 20 minutes, stirring continuously. When porridge is smooth and cooked through, remove from heat and serve.

I found that this made enough for three servings. I was able to package each serving for a quick morning grab and go.

A serving of Clean Eating Oats!

This recipe is amazing. I was so fulfilled after eating the oats that I did not need my morning snack. I could definitely taste the difference in using high quality products, especially the oats. There are many places you can buy the oats online if they do not sell them at a local store. If you would like more information on Cream Hill Estates visit there website for more valuable information.

A rainy day post…Catching up on Product Reviews

 

Weekend blogging is very hard for this busy mom since the weather has been gorgeous in New England. Now that I have a rainy Sunday I am going to play catch up. I actually have the house to myself this morning because the girls have their first race of 2009. I wish I could be there to cheer them on but I have a baby shower in Massachusetts today for my cousin. So my husband left armed with the camera to capture every moment.

Since the weather has been nicer, and by that I mean in the 50’s and 60’s and without snow. the girls love “summer time” treats. One of the things they love is slushes or ice cold drinks. In this economy we are trying to save money in any way we can. I found a great product that can make great slush drinks without having to go to the local corner store. It is called Slush-It and here are the details.

A Slush-It Chamber. The girls love the snowman!

How does Slush-It! work? (Courtesy of Slush-It)

Slush-It! takes advantage of a unique natural phenomenon called supercooling.  The Cool Capsule controls the cooling rate of the beverage to allow supercooling to occur predictably and the Slush-It! Labels are printed with a special ink that changes color so you know when the optimum supercooling temperature has been reached.  For more detailed information about how Slush-It! works click here.

Here is The Seals Slush-It Adventure recap:

Here is the the Vitamin water after being in the chamber. We allowed it to do its magic for about 4 hours. I think I accidently erased the pics of the actually chamber.

  Daijia pouring her slush out. She was so excited.

A top view of the slushy vitamin water.

Daijia taking a sip. She said it was better than any slush she has had.

We really enjoy this product. We have used it with soda as well. It makes great root beer floats. The only problem now is that we have two chamber and four family members. I am ordering more now as we speak so each person can do their own unique slush.

Some other great facts about this product:

Slush-It! Has Several Unique Features & Benefits:

• Special reusable temperature sensitive stickers eliminate guesswork by changing color to indicate exactly when beverage is ready!
• Special reusable "Cool Capsule" controls cooling and prevents premature ice formation in beverage
• Ice crystals form within the beverage itself upon opening so there is no watering down like regular ice!
• Does not have to be stored in your freezer between uses!
• Does not required you to crank or stir anything, saving all the hassle & preventing your drink from going flat!
• Works with most cans and bottles up to 24 oz. (small Cool Capsule fits most beverages up to 12 oz. except glass bottles)

If you are interested in this great product be sure to visit the Slush-It store as they are having a great sale. You can get yourself a chamber for as low as $5.99 for the small or $7.99 for the large until April 30th. 

I will have more weekend catch up later on today as I have to get to the baby shower.

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