What is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)?
Only the most evil ingredient next to trans fat to enter our food and so many of them. Manufacturers are always finding cheaper ways to produce foods unfortunately it’s usually to the detriment of our health. HFCS is no different. “High-fructose corn syrup is produced by milling corn to produce corn starch, then processing that starch to yield corn syrup, which is almost entirely glucose, and then adding enzymes that change some of the glucose into fructose.”
So what foods have HFCS?
Many of our everyday food that we eat and give our children have HFCS in it, from breads, cereals, condiments, to yogurts and so much more. Because it’s used to save money, you’ll find HFCS in generic brands more.
List:
- Breads, the one I get that doesn’t have HFCS is Orro Wheat brand.
- Rolls, I get the Hawaiian Rolls to avoid HFCS (and they are so good!)
- Yogurts, including Yoplait however Dannon does not.
- Relish, could not find a brand that didn’t have it in there.
- Ketchup, yep gotta spend the extra money on Simply Heinz.
- Croutons, Texas Toast ones do not but better yet, make them yourself!
- Sodas, of course.
- Granola Bars, Nature’s Valley plain and PB do not.
- Cereal, almost all of Kelloggs
- Capri Sun
- Prepackaged sides like rice, pasta, stuffing
- Candy bars, cookies, cake mixes, ice cream
- Jams and jellies
- Cough syrups
- Crackers
- Salad dressings, BBQ sauce
- And so much more
This is one of the ingredients that led me to start making more from scratch and canning. It’s healthier and saves money.
Sources: http://www.accidentalhedonist.com/index.php/2005/06/09/foods_and_products_containing_high_fruct
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-fructose_corn_syrup
I’ve been experimenting with beans in my pressure cooker and through some trial and error I have made wonderful pinto beans with various meat. I first made some with peppered bacon and the latest I created included ham.
First, I soak the beans overnight. Then, using a hot mason jar, add beans to a little over half way. Then this is where you can mix it up. In the pic below, it includes ham, onion, garlic, jalapeños and black pepper and I do not add salt. When I go to use the beans that’s when I add salt. Once you have your raw ingredients in, fill up the rest of the jar with boiling water leaving 1″ head space. I’ve also tried it with peppered bacon as well as vegetarian and so far the bacon is the house favorite.
Pressure can for 75 minutes at 11 pounds.
Raw ingredients loaded into the jar:
After being pressure canned:
We had these on Christmas Eve as a little snack and they were tasty!
Take a pizza dough and roll it out, then cut it into 10-12 squares depending how big the dough is and how much you are going to fill it. Once cut up, add your favorite toppings but no marinara sauce! That will be used on the side for dipping. I didn’t have much in the house, so this was pretty simple – pepperoni, cheese and onion with some seasonings, but you can really use anything.
Once you have your insides on the dough, fold the corners over and tuck in. In a sprayed, round pan, lay the folded side down. Once you have them all in place, sprinkle some Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese on the top and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
I had a bunch of leftover veggies from our Bountiful Basket one week, including these gorgeous rainbow carrots. I got some stew beef at the market and put that in the crock pot with some flour and made sure the meat was lightly coated in flour. I cooked the meat a bit then added in broccoli, rainbow carrots, white potatoes, chunks of corn on the cob, onion, celery, garlic, kosher salt, black pepper and two cans of beef broth. I then just let it cook all day long in the slow cooker. You may have to add more liquid throughout the day, I just use water at that point. The meat fell apart in the stew it was so tender. I was able to store the leftovers for another quick, easy meal.
This past weekend, I made this again and used up the veggies from my basket which included brussel sprouts and fresh green beans. My kids and husband had no clue they were eating brussel sprouts, loved it!
My realtor had told me about a produce co-op she participated in by our house. I had been meaning to check it out but got busy with coaching soccer season #3. One of my player’s parents was telling me about their experience with it as well and so I decided to make sure I tried it. Two weeks later I had tried it for the first time and I fell in love. I have now been a faithful, weekly participant of Bountiful Baskets for over a year and I still love it.
Bountiful Baskets is a completely volunteer run co-op that offers “baskets” of produce for only $15. Every Monday at noon, I eagerly log onto BB and order my basket to pick up the following Saturday. Each week different items are in the Bountiful Basket, they base the basket contents on what is in season, high quality, good value, and local. It’s generally 6 fruit items & 6 vegetable items. While normally there are traditional fruit and veggies we have all heard of, we often get something unique from fennel to rainbow carrots to persimmons.
Each week they also have varying “add-ons.” If you purchase a basket you can also purchase add-ons which vary in price. Last week, I picked up 12 pounds of RAW, local Arizona honey that I paid $37.50 for. That’s a smokin’ deal! During the summer months, they often do boxes of berries and I tend to take advantage of those to make jam or freeze for smoothies. Other add-ons include tortillas, granola, beans, fruit packs, olive oil, tomatoes, holiday packs, etc.
This co-op has led our family to a cheaper and healthier eating lifestyle and has opened me up for new recipes and methods. I have recently started to can and I absolutely love it!
I have a bunch of pics that I have taken of the various baskets I have gotten, here are just a few …
All of this for $15 …
Granny Smith Apples add-on, this made for a lot of applesauce.
