Mind, Body, Food...A Quest for Pantry Perfection and a Homemade Ketchup Recipe!

Hey all! I am seriously dragging my feet when it

comes to posting these Healthy Happy Hour Post Updates {sorry!}.

It is so much to take in…
overhauling your entire way of thinking and eating

{because that’s the plan we are on here!}
is overwhelming, and quite frankly

I am in a BIG ‘OLE January blah mood!

I have done an overhaul before but I was 23ish and single…

that was easy-peasy, now I am doing it for 4!

OK, that was my excuse
{which I am not supposed to make any more…so sue me!}.
Now for some quick housekeeping…

Lisa Leonard Illuminate Necklace Giveaway goes on until 2/1/2010.
Click HERE to enter!

As a follow up for the Friday Follow up…
If for some reason I missed the re-follow,
please leave me a comment and let me know…
I do not want to be a slacker.

Now on to the info {drum roll please}…
If you are new or need a refresher on
the Healthy Happy Hour Posts…

The Beginning

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

There is evil lurking in my cupboards…and frig…and freezer. Yes, I am talking about all those ingredients I cannot pronounce…which ultimately means I shouldn’t be eating them. Now, I won’t lie…I have not made a complete sweep of it all. Most of it wasn’t too bad to begin with, but it is not perfect by any means. I am certainly not the picture of “pantry perfection.” This is a journey for me and for my family to get back on track. There is still evil hiding in there, but going forward I am more conscious of it. I will admit I did get a little lazy...but wholly cow! And, you know what is really scary...the evil was in places I never expected!

CASE #1…I was the BIGGEST FAN of these great little frozen minced garlic squares {store to not be named}. Seriously, I thought they were the best invention EVER! I had them stockpiled…Then when I was cooking for the healthy happy hour, I looked at the ingredients…S-U-P-R-I-S-E…it wasn’t just garlic. There were three ingredients in my garlic – NOT necessary. It must have been a sign because that was actually my last package of the garlic…this garlic is no longer welcome in my house.  I have been buying whole heads of garlic and mincing them myself and guess what…it tastes better anyway!

CASE #2…Hubby loves chicken soup. We were having a go-around about the chicken stock….the free range organic broth didn’t have the junk but the sodium {which he needs to watch} was 3 times as much. The free range reduced sodium chicken broth has some junk (MSG), but a fraction of the sodium…what is a wife to do? Solution…I cook a whole chicken at least once a week…and make my own broth! I throw the carcass {yeah, I love that word!} into a big pot, some water, some veggies, and we just boil it for a couple of hours. It is better for us, tastes better and it is like 2 for 1. I seriously, not in one trillion years would have ever thought I would do this…but it is not hard and costs less.

Fresh, frozen, or canned?: I know there are arguments for and against canned and frozen foods. I will always choose fresh if it is available, but I still, and probably always will accept frozen and canned {or better yet jarred} food into my house provided they are organic or at least not full of junk. I am not getting into the argument here over canned foods – if you don’t like it pick something else - I know some cans have BPA. You can reference my “go to” source on this one…click HERE and visit the discussion board or search for "canned food."

Now let’s chat about costs: Based on my current grocery shopping and the swaps I am making, I believe it will all be a wash…although it may not seem like it now. Case in point the double duty chicken/broth. I have priced a few things…

• Organic butter at the grocery store it is $7.00 at Whole Foods, $4.99 (I think it was a special). I do not always buy the organic butter but I do buy the “no rbst” butter at $2.99/lb. - I can get butter at the grocery store for $2.50/lb. most of the time – so there is a little price difference.
• I am buying bulk (and I do not mean Costco bulk)…brown rice flour, quinoa, granola, oatmeal, etc. can all be purchased in bulk…you don’t pay for the packaging (which is “green” too) and you save some cash.
• The frozen food and the canned food for the most part was pretty comparable.
• The one thing that is killing me is the meat….I have yet to buy an organic whole chicken…I hear they say one you go organic chicken you never go back…but that needs to be a lot of bang for my buck.
• I go to the Farmer’s Market for produce and try to make a good list of what I really need. I also go without the kids if possible…so without kettle korn, snow cones, and a gourmet cupcake…the cost is pretty good. Now I am also fortunate to live in a place known as “The Salad Bowl of the World,” so I won’t lie…that helps! I can also drive to a local organic farm, Earthbound Farms, and shop. 
• Shoot me an email if you want to chat about this more!

So after all of that…what the heck am I talking about? 

As I go about cleaning our pantry...

• I am removing items that are full of chemicals, MSG, and plain old crap.
• I will quit buying "backup/just in case" boxes of macaroni and cheese and nasty soups {I swear, I will}.
• I will be resourceful, using what is on hand, what is in season, and what is affordably priced.
• I will make what I can…yes, I even made my own ketchup! (see recipe below)
• A little preparation goes a long way…I make my own tortilla chips…and the kids help. It is not that hard to cut some tortillas like a pizza {did I just say pizza?} and toss them around in some sea salt or other quality seasoning {works for pitas too}.

HOMEMADE KETCHUP
My buddy Kelli at Sustaining Creativity in a Busy Mom’s World posted this recipe awhile back and I was soooo intrigued...have you read the back of a ketchup bottle..ick! So, I finally did it! I made ketchup! I did make a goof on my shopping trip for a couple of the spices, so my recipe varied a little. Go visit Kelli’s post to see the original, but here is mine. By the way everyone liked it…but next time I am cutting back on the crushed red pepper for the little ones.

Ingredients
4 whole cloves  
1 bay leaf

1 stick cinnamon
1⁄4 tsp. celery seeds
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1⁄4 tsp. whole allspice
2 lbs. tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt
1⁄2 cup white vinegar
1-2 Tablespoons Molasses (for sweetness and thickness)
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic - can be less…I {heart} garlic!

Directions

• Wrap cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon, celery seeds, crushed red pepper, and allspice in a layer of cheesecloth; tie into a bundle and put into a 4-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat along with tomatoes, salt, vinegar, molasses, and onion.
• Smash and add the garlic to the pot.
• Cook, stirring, until onions are very soft, 40-60 minutes…watch it.
• Remove spice bundle
• Purée sauce in a food processor until smooth. I made sure it was really smooth!
• Transfer ketchup to a glass jar. Set aside; let cool.
• Cover with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.MAKES 2 1⁄2 CUPS(The original recipe calls for this, but I did not do these last steps) Strain sauce through a mesh strainer into a qt. saucepan over medium heat; Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 30 minutes; Add more salt, sugar, or vinegar, if you like. This recipe was altered from a recipe first published in Saveur in Issue #117
  

Ultimately it is about what works for each person/family
at a particular time and is cost effective or efficient.
Even a few changes here and there can greatly impact your health.
So, are you still here?
Do you think I am crazy?
Sound like too much work?
What are you doing to improve your health or your families health?

Happy Eating!
Holly

{Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, nutritionist, or health professional. I am a mom on a journey and these are my steps and my opinions. I have no serious health issues so I am free to do what I feel is right. Consult a doctor if you need help...aka…don’t sue me!}