Crispy Brown Rice Cereal

Are you looking for a cereal that uses whole grains, is gluten free, and low in sugar?  Here is one of my favorites.  Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice cereal is my family's answer to the classic crisp rice cereal.  Just look at the ingredients for yourself - it's awesome.  Processed free doesn't mean you can't find good packaged ingredients in the store.  This company has got my stamp of approval!

Healthy Store-Bought Dressing

 

I like a homemade salad dressing, but let's be serious - who always has time for that?!  Or all the ingredient on hand.  Let me tell you about my go-to salad dressing.  This is my favorite because I can pronounce every ingredient and they are foods I would put in my body anyway.  It's Bragg's brand healthy vinaigrette.  I put this on every kind of salad I make.  It pairs really well with savory or sweet salads and the best part is I didn't have to make it from scratch.  This makes having a big salad everyday super easy.  Here's what's in it: organic apple cider vinegar, organic extra virgin olive oil, purified water, organic honey, organic garlic, liquid aminos, organic onion, organic black pepper and natural xanthan gum. 

 

 

I have been up and down the salad dressing section of my local grocery stores and never found a good alternative that is processed free.  Well, look no further.  Here are three other kinds that boast an ingredient list just as good as the healthy vinaigrette.  Now you can get berry, Hawaiian, and ginger sesame dressings without having to make them yourself all the time.  This also gets bonus points for being available in almost every grocery store, just look in the health food section.  Talk about clean and easy!

Fruit and Nut Bar

This is my new favorite grab and go item.  It's Kit's Organic fruit and nut bar by Clif.  The chocolate almond coconut flavor and the fact that there is no refined sugar is what gets me!  Every item is organic and just listen to the ingredient line up: dates, unsweetened chocolate, coconut, coconut oil and sea salt.  That's it!  I love that it's easy to throw in my purse and walk out the door, and better yet, my kids really like them and think they are getting a real treat.  Give these a try - they might just be a new favorite of yours too.

 

Peanut Butter Bumpers Cereal

 

We buy pretty healthy low or no sugar cereals at our house most of the time, but when the kids want a "treat" cereal, this is the one we buy.  It's called Peanut Butter Bumpers by Mothers brand and I think it tastes most like Peanut Butter Captain Crunch.  Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not trying to pass this off as the most healthy cereal, but it doesn't have refined sugar or wheat flour in it and boasts ingredients that I have at least heard of.  Here is the whole ingredient list: corn flour, unsulphured molasses, natural peanut butter (ground peanuts, salt), oat flour, rice flour, honey, salt, and vitamin E.  Better, right?  So, it does have sugar, but all natural sweeteners that your body can more easily recognize and digest.  I have found this at most health food stores, but even some local grocery stores carry it too.  I've even found it at my local Target store!  If your local grocery store has a health food section, you may also find it there too.  Try swapping this for one of your other sugary-treat type cereals.  You may just like it better!

The Best Baking Powder

If you look closely at the label on this baking powder, you will notice it says aluminum free.  Once I ran out of my old brand, I started purchasing only aluminium free for a couple of reasons.  One is for taste.  If you've ever experienced any of your baked goods tasting a little "tinny," this was the reason why.  So, the simple fix is to switch baking powders.  The other reason I chose to bake with this instead is that there are some possible health risks due to over consumption of aluminum (ex. greater risk for Alzheimer's) and I would rather just cut out as much aluminum as I can, where I can.  If you can't find this, you can make your own, just do this in small batches.

Aluminum-Free Baking Powder
1 Tbsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp. cream of tartar
1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch (organic)

Mix together and store in an air-tight container.  Moisture will reduce it's effectiveness.  

Clean Vanilla Extract

Did you know that most vanilla extracts on the market have sugar in them!  I didn't until I started going processed free and now read EVERY label of the food I buy.  Why wasn't I reading more labels before?  It just goes to show you that on the whole we have no idea what we are putting in our bodies until we increase our awareness.  Because of this, I now look for pure vanilla extract that has NO sugar added.  I also try to get organic whenever possible too.  This is a brand that I like and can buy locally, but there are other brands out there with no sugar added as well.  In addition to cutting out sugar, I think pure vanilla makes your recipes taste better anyway.  It's a win-win.  Next time you run out of vanilla and need to buy more, purchase a better quality product and cut out the hidden sugar!

More Snack Ideas

 

I've recently talked with some friends about what they wanted to see on my blog.  Almost everyone has asked for more quick, easy, on-the-go type snacks for themselves and more importantly their kids. I totally understand the need for something you can throw in your purse or diaper bag when you are flying out the door - this seems to be a common scenario at our house too.  Here are a few more ideas in addition to my previous snack post. 

 

My friend Ashley reminded me about Lara bars recently.  I love all their flavors and so do my kids.  They are all natural with fruit and nuts - no flour, sugar, or additives.  There are a few that do add chocolate chips, which has the tiniest amount of sugar, but I still think these are overall an okay choice because it's so minimal. 

 

One of my favorite places to shop has got to be Costco.  I can buy all kinds of great things there and snack items are no exception.  I buy these freeze dried fruit pouches in a huge box with lots of variety, like apples, bananas, strawberries, mangoes, pears, and cinnamon apples.  They have no added sugar and are easy to throw in lunch boxes or in your bag for a snack.  I also like to take some of these and cut them up to add to homemade granola - yum!

 

Another great Costco find are these all natural fruit leathers.  Talk about portable, they come individually wrapped and are so thin they can fit in any bag no matter how full.  Again, they are all fruit with no added refined sugar - can't beat that for kid pleasing and guilt free. 

 

My local Trader Joe's has these little cuties all portioned and prepackaged which makes them perfect for on-the-go.  I love nuts and all their health benefits.  My kids really enjoy these cashews and the almond variety too.  If you don't have a Trader Joe's, no problem - just buy raw nuts and portion them out into individual snack sized bags that are ready to grab anytime.  You could even do this with a nut medley too.  So good!

 

I really haven't wanted my kids to feel deprived and have to say to people "I'm not allowed to have that."  I want them to feel like regular kids, just more well informed, and as they get older I hope they will make the best food choices on their own.  However, not feeling different comes with finding good swaps for classic kids snacks, hence the juice box.  My kids flip for a juice box - really I don't see the incredible appeal, but for a special outing, I let them take a juice box with them.  I like these two brands in particular because they have no added sugar - a must if you are going to even buy juice boxes in the first place.  Another thing I like about them is they are super small and my kids already know that once they are finished, they can have either water or milk after that. 

I hope this helps to add a few more ideas to stock your pantry when you don't have a lot of time and also don't want to opt for something overly processed. 

Better Broth

Many recipes call for chicken broth.  I really like to make my own and have it on hand in the freezer.  I pour it into ice cube trays that hold 2 Tbsp. each and then it is really easy to convert it for recipes, for example 2 cubes equals 1/4 cup.  But, if I run out and need chicken broth and don't have time to make my own, I really like this Imagine brand chicken broth.  They have stocks and broths that are regular or low sodium and made with organic ingredients.  It also boast that it's preservative free, has no MSG, not artificial ingredients and is cooked with meat from free range chickens.  Not bad for a packaged item.  This is my choice if I don't have homemade broth to cook with.  Give it a try.

Lunch Meat

I've been on the search for a better kind of lunch meat.  Now, I have to admit, my very favorite in terms of being processed free is Applegate Farms brand, but they are a little hard to find and kind of pricey.  My second choice is this Hormel Natural Choice.  I can find it in the regular grocery store and it boasts that it has no nitrates or nitrites, no artificial ingredients, no MSG, no preservatives, the meat is raised without added hormones, and it's gluten free.  That is a whole lot better than most brands on the market.  If you can find and afford Applegate Farms then do it.  Otherwise, this is not a bad alternative.  

Green Machine Smoothie

This is a drink that I use for convenience when I don't have the time or ingredients to make a green smoothie.  What's great is that you can buy it in most grocery stores, although I get mine at Costco because it's bigger and costs less, and it's wonderful because it has no added sugar.  You can't say that for a lot of juices on the market.  Plus, if you read the ingredients, this is all you'll find: apples, bananas, kiwis,  mangoes, pineapple spirulina, chlorella, broccoli, spinach, blue green algae, odorless garlic, barley grass, wheat grass, ginger, and parsley.  I'm sure it's mostly fruit and a real "green" smoothie has mostly greens with some fruit, but it's way better than most alternatives.

You might be wondering how it tastes since it is green.  It tastes great!  When I drink it, I can pick out the pineapple most of all.  My kids don't love the color, so I started giving them this in a cup that has a lid and a hole to insert a straw.  If they can't see it, they absolutely devour it.  In fact, my two year old will ask for more and more refills unless I limit it to just one.  Give it a try.  You might be surprised at how good it is.

Cocoa Nibs as Sprinkles

I have a new favorite "sprinkle" topping for chocolate or ice cream desserts - unsweetened cocoa nibs!  I recently had this at a natural foods restaurant and fell in love with them.  They look great and add an amazing crunch for texture. 

I found mine in the health food store in the bulk section.  They have a chocolate undertone with kind of a nut like quality.  Keep in mind that they are not sweet, but they go very well with a sweet dessert.  I'm showing them in these pictures with my clean vanilla ice cream (recipe here) and my chocolate chunk walnut zucchini muffins (recipe here.)  Let me just say, this was awesome!  And I didn't feel guilty about anything on my plate.  Looks really elegant, right?  Try these, I think you'll like them too.

Sea Salt

 

Here is another quick and easy swap that we have made to be more processed free.  Our family has switched to using sea salt (fine crystals if I can find them) because regular salt is highly refined.  Table salt is made in such a way that the magnesium and other trace minerals are destroyed, as well as the natural iodine.  That has to be added back in as well as other stabilizers and bleaching agents.  Natural sea salt is dried by the sun which helps it to retain the natural iodine and minerals.  It usually has a bit of a stronger flavor than that of table salt, so you can use less of it.  It is also very alkalizing to the body since it hasn't been exposed to the high heat of refinement, so it helps in balancing an acidic body chemistry. 

I want to add that there is some controversy over the benefits, but I find that I still believe that reducing the amount of over processing food is beneficial to one's health and so I don't mind buying this instead of table salt.  There are some really tasty pink and black salts that have an incredible natural flavor that are worth buying.  I'm not too particular to a certain brand, but I like having the fine crystals so that they can dissolve more quickly when using them in recipes.  The course type can also make for a beautiful garnish on food (like homemade chocolates,) so have that on hand as well.

All Natural Peanut Butter

Here is probably the easiest swap you can make when going processed free - choose a better peanut butter!  I promise a natural PB will still be satisfying and you won't miss the added chemicals or sugar.  Plus, you can find this in the regular grocery store - no need to go out of your way.  My kids have never mentioned noticing a difference when I give this to them in sandwiches, as a side for dipping apples or celery, or even just as a straight spoonful.  How's that for not feeling deprived?  I am not particular about the brand.  You just have to read the ingredients and there should really only be two - peanuts and salt.  Absolutely no sugar!  Most of these peanut butters you have to stir once you open then store in the refrigerator, but I find that they don't really separate after that.  Try this out for sure because anywhere you can cut sugar is worth your good health. 

Sucanat

I have mentioned in some recipes that I use sucanat in place of refined white sugar.  I thought I should explain what it is and how to use it.  Sucanat stands for sugar cane natural - it is organic whole cane sugar.  Yes, it's sugar, but it is not processed the same way white sugar is.  This kind of sugar is dehydrated at low heat and contains the molasses still in the original cane juice.  The molasses is where many of the nutrients from the original cane juice are found, and what your body needs to properly digest sugar.  This is why it is brown.  You may wonder if brown sugar that has molasses added to make it that way is just as healthy as whole cane sugar, and it's not.  They add such a small amount of molasses that has been heated to kill most of the nutrients anyway that it is definitely not the same! 

You can find packages of sucanat in some health food stores or in their bulk food sections.  You can also buy it online, but make sure it is called sucanat, rapadura or organic whole cane sugar.  Use it cup for cup in your recipes that call for sugar.  The only noticeable difference is the color.  It may make some recipes look just slightly different if they are a light color, but for most, it won't matter.

This brings me to another point, there are several terms on the market that might make you think you are buying something healthy or the same as sucanat when they are really not.  Beware of "evaporated cane juice/sugar" or sugar in the raw.  These are almost identical to refined white sugar and NOT what you want to put in your body if you are trying to be processed free.

Misto Cooking Sprayers

Here is one of my new favorite finds - the Misto!  While trying to go processed free, I have found that not only some products that I used in the past made cooking faster, but easier too.  This was the case for cooking sprays.  Even if I chose to use the olive oil spray (which is not healthy when consumed at high heat anyway,) the added chemicals used to propel it were not what I wanted in my body.  I knew that some pump products existed where you use your regular oil, but I had never come across them in a store.  Then my mom found these while shopping at Costco and knew we needed them.

They came two in a package which was perfect because I wanted one for olive oil and one for coconut oil.  And they are so easy to use. 

Here is what you do: pour your oil in the bottle and fill it to the top of the window, screw the cap back on, and use the lid to pump air into the chamber.  Now you can create a nice even spray without all the chemicals, and better yet, you still have a cooking spray that is fast and easy.  How great is that?  You will have to pump it a few times between uses, but I don't think that is a bad trade off. 

Now here is the only special instruction needed regarding the coconut oil.  Since this kind of oil is solid at room temperature, it does need to be heated to pour it in the bottle and spray it, so I heated it to do just that which was fine while I was using it - it stayed liquid long enough.  Once it got put back on the shelf for a while it turned solid inside the Misto again.  I found that if I just ran warm water over the filled bottle for about three minutes it became liquid again and I could use it as I did before.  I also figured out I could put the bottle in a bowl of warm water and by the time I was ready to use it, it was liquid again.

So let's here it for the Misto!  Go get one, you'll feel so great getting rid of your store bought sprays and feeding your family only what you intended. 

Tomato Soup

 

 

I love having a delicious bowl of tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich on a cold day.  The sandwich is an easy item to make processed free - use Ezekiel bread and non-processed cheese toasted in a pan with organic butter or coconut oil.  As for the tomato soup, you could make that from scratch, but who has the time for that, especially with little kids tugging on your shirt that they are hungry now!  In the past, I used condensed cream of tomato soup from a can, but if you read the list of ingredients you will find you can't even pronounce most of them.  This said to me that I needed a much healthier alternative, and I found one.  The company Imagine makes a tomato soup that you shake, pour, and heat with organic ingredients and nothing artificial.  My family loves it and it's even easier to make than the canned soup.  Plus, anything you don't use, you close the lid and put in the refrigerator for another time.  Super easy!  Now we can have this favorite anytime we want and I always feel good about it.  I can even find this in the regular grocery store in the "health food" section.  Give it a try, I don't think you'll go back to the cans again!

Smarter Snacks

Fast and easy snack options can be difficult with children, especially when you have to throw something in your bag for them quickly while on the go.  Doing this with processed free food can be a bit more of a challenge which is why I thought I would share some of my favorite items and products that make this fast and easy for me.

Of course, fresh fruit is probably the best option.  Particularly items like apples and bananas that don't have to be cut up when in a hurry.  The only problem I have had is that occasionally I forget that I threw them in my bag, and a few days later they have made a mess - oops!  I have also found fruit cups that do not add any sugar or preservatives, like unsweetened applesauce and Mandarin oranges.  You can buy this kind at health food stores, but I am starting to see some of that at the regular grocery store too. 

Oh the beloved fruit snacks!  I knew I needed to find acceptable replacements for these highly processed items to keep my kids happy.  And they are so darn handy to throw in a diaper bag!  Here are two of my favorites that I have deemed worthy: Trader Joe's unsweetened dried fruit bars (no added sugar) and Annie's Organic Orchard Strawberry Fruit Bites (no added sugar, colors or preservatives).  Annie's makes other kinds, but this is the only one with the ingredient label that I like.   

Here are a few more crowd pleasers when it comes to my kids, that are also fast for me.  Ak-mak crackers are a great alternative to traditional crackers loaded with trans fats.  These are whole wheat with a sprinkle of sesame seeds on them.  I thought my kids my balk at the sesame seeds, but they love them, and so do I.  And what kid doesn't like string cheese?  I just switched to buying organic - it was that simple.  You may be wondering what's in the bowl.  It's unsweetened puffed wheat.  I know this doesn't sound like something kids would like, but mine love it!  I pour some in a sandwich bag for each of them, and they happily eat this while sitting quietly when we're out.  They also like it in a bowl as a snack at home.  Easy!!  I also have found more natural graham crackers that I like, because the regular kind are also loaded with trans fats.  I just didn't have any on hand when I took this picture.  

And last, but not least, a treat that keeps the kids happy and quiet while out - "candy."  I used to carry dum-dums suckers, but of course they are artificial and full of sugar.  Here is the perfect swap - Xyla Lollipos!  They are sugar free because they use the sweetener xylitol. Xylitol is known as a "sugar alcohol" (even though it is neither) and is considered natural because our bodies actually produces it on it's own.  It also occurs naturally in the fibers of many fruits and vegetables.  It's low in calories and low-glycemic because it's not fully absorbed into the blood steam.  Plus, it does not contribute to tooth decay, in fact, it actually prevents it!  So, in my mind this is a great alternative.  I would caution, that too much xylitol can cause digestive upset, so use these sparingly.  And they are expensive, so that will also cut down your desire to gobble these up to quickly or give them out too often.  Never the less, a great alternative!

Coconut Sugar (Palm Sugar)

This has become one of my favorite sweeteners!  I can grab it and add it quickly to anything that needs a quick sprinkle of "sugar."  It's organic, raw, and low glycemic, so it's perfect for using in recipes!  It is brown in color and has a slightly brown sugar kind of taste.  This is one of my favorite brands, but you can find others or buy it in the bulk section of major health food stores.  It has become an absolute staple at our house!

My Favorite Bread

This is my favorite bread to buy at the store.  Being processed free, you might think I would have to make all my bread from scratch - not true!  This Ezekiel bread is whole grain, organic, and flourless because the grains are sprouted, not ground.  Plus, it has more nutrition and no preservative chemicals.  You can buy it at health food stores in the refrigerator or freezer section, but I even found it at my local grocery store in their natural foods corner!  It does cost a little more and for best shelf life, it's recommended to keep it in the refrigerator, but it is well worth those small changes for all the health benefits. Use it for anything you would traditionally use bread for: sandwiches, toast, french toast, bread crumbs, homemade croutons, etc.

It's hands down one of my favorite products and a total time saver as a mom!