Know your ingredients answer #8

Thank You Brand Creamy French Onion Dip

Know Your Ingredients #8

Skim milk, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, onion, cellulose gel, citiric acid, salt, sugar, mono- and diglycerides, hydrolyzed vegetablte protein, Romano cheese, sodium hexmetaphosphate, monosodium glutamate, cellulose gum, xanthan gum, natural and artificial flavoring, garlic, celery

Makers Diet: Eat your vegetables

Have you eaten any vegetables today? What about yesterday? Did you get at least 3 servings EACH day??

According to an ABC News report, “Overall, about a third of American adults ate at least two servings of vegetables daily during 2009, and about a fourth consumed at least three servings of vegetables daily.”



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Vegetables contain antioxidants and compounds that you cannot get anywhere else. You will find phytochemicals and biophotons. People with higher intakes of vegetables have lower risks of stroke, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s. They have higher scores on cognitive tests and higher antioxidants.



Dr. Mercola has a great chart of recommended vegetables.

His general rule is: the greener the better. He recommends at least 1/3 of the food you eat should be raw. Buy organic, locally-grown seasonable vegetables if possible. Carefully wash all conventional vegetables (non-organic), and remove peels and cores.



Wordless Words

Product Review: Kiss my face bubble bath

In an effort to replace products with preservatives and toxins, our kids products were some of the first I looked at.  One of the things we enjoy using the most is bubble bath.  Most of the bubble baths I had bought were 5-7 on the EWG's Skin Deep database.  My goal is to get all of our products to less than 3 in one year's time.  I came across Kiss My Face's bubble bath and I love it!  It is called Orange U Smart, and it smells soooo good.  Here is what Kiss My Face has to say:

Obsessively Natural Kids Bubble Wash
No parabens


No artificial colors

No fragrances

pH balanced

100% biodegradable
 
Ingredients: Aqua, Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis), Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Extract, Arctium Lappa (Burdock) Root Extract, Urtica Dioica Nettle Extract, Disodium Coco-Glucoside Sulfosuccinate, Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba (Guar Gum), Decyl Glucoside, Xanthan Gum, Natural Blend or Essential Oils, Capric Acid, Glycerin, Panthenol, Potassium Sorbate, Glycine
 
Efficiency:  9--The kids love it.  I love the smell, and the kids come out squeaky clean!!  Big bubbles that last for a while!
Cost:  7--Usually this runs about $8 a bottle.  While that sounds like a very expensive bubble bath, the same bottle has lasted us for months.  It really only takes a small squirt to get a whole bathtub full of bubbles.  I think the cost is justified.
Green factor: 9--This is where the cosmetic database becomes very useful!  I don't know if capric acid is good or bad, but EWG ranks it as a 1.  Overall the product gets a 2.  However, the do not specifiy what essential oils they use.
Overall:  8.5--This is a great product.  I feel safe putting it on my children.  I am very sensitive to fragrances and this smells so good.  I love taking a bath with it, and it lasts a very long time.  The cost balances out because of the other changes we have made...baking soda/vinegar for our hair, no more hairspray, etc.

Homemade ginger snap cookies

These cookies are fantastic and Kai LOVED making them with me. He got to dip the balls in the sugar and put them on the cookie sheet. I think a few of the balls of dough never made it onto the cookie sheet.


• 3/4 cup coconut oil, solid state

• 3/4 – 1 cup sucanat/rapadura

• 1 egg

• 1/4 cup blackstrap molasses

• 2 cups whole wheat flour, sprouted is preferred (or replace 1 cup with unbleached white flour for a higher rise)

• 2 teaspoons baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 tablespoon ground ginger

Directions

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1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.

2. In a large bowl, cream the coconut oil and sucanat/rapadura.

3. Add the egg, and whisk until incorporated and somewhat light and fluffy. Pour in the molasses.

4. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon. Add to the liquid mixture and stir until combined.

5. Scoop by tablespoon into small 1 inch balls. Dip each ball into additional sucanat/rapadura if desired.

6. Place on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until cookies have spread and tops have cracked.

Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.


Oh, and DEFINITELY dip them in the sucanat or brown sugar!!!

Know your ingredients #7 answer

Miracle Whip

Ewwwwwwwww.  This is not one of my favorite condiments, but especially not after reading those ingredients.