Santa will be popping down chimney’s across the world tomorrow night, greeted by plates, and plates…and plates of cookies. Want to give Santa something a little healthier this year to help battle the bulge? We’ve put together a list of a few of our healthier cookies to help keep Santa healthy and happy this Christmas eve. Enjoy… (more…)
I’ve seen quite a few homemade Pop Tart recipes on the internet. They look delicious and fun, but for me they were still made with white flour, and well – I wanted to find a way to bring them even further Out of the Box. These homemade Pop Tarts are chock full of whole grain wheat, flax meal, and fresh fruit – Making them a win in both taste and nutrition. (more…)
School is officially out for summer, and berry picking is in full swing. With deep red strawberries, plump blueberries and vibrant blackberries already decorating U-pick farms and backyards across the country – it’s clear it’s summer and it’s berry season! (more…)
At a cooking class up in Sonoma, California a few weeks ago, I learned how to make a Pâte à Choux from chef and culinary instructor, Christa Resing-Colardo. As she taught us how to create this versatile dough used for a number of pastries such as profiteroles, churros, eclairs, beignets and Gougères, my mind immediately began to churn. Kids love anything “mini” and if enriched with whole grain flours, this dough could become the packaging for lunch box sandwiches, snacks, mini treats…the possibilities were endless. (more…)
I’ve got to tell you, over the last few weeks my kitchen has smelled heavenly! My boys and I have churned out lots of wholesome and delicious goodies, had many lovely conversations around the kitchen table about the benefits of whole grains, fruits & veggies, and enjoyed each others company over tall glasses of milk and warm treats straight from the oven. (more…)
and their 612 page cookbook not much! I am really excited about our Giveaway and post this week. America’s oldest flour company, King Arthur Flour, and I have teamed up this week to offer you a new healthy chocolate cake recipe and the chance to win a prize package of King Arthur Flour products including their fantastic cookbook. (more…)
As I was planning Out of the Box Food’s Holiday Cookie Month, I was reminded of a recipe I developed last year which makes a deliciously crunchy, heart healthy lemon cookie. These cookies bake up crisp and delicate and are made with olive oil instead of butter which means that in addition to being easier on the waistline, they’re Vegan friendly too. Plus, if you eat Gluten Free, the Whole Wheat Pastry Flour can be evenly substituted with Gluten-Free Baking Flour for a wheat-free treat. Oh, and did I mention they’re quick and easy? (more…)
It’s summer! Across the country, state and county fairs are offering loads of delicious processed foods on sticks. Foods that kids love (and I hate to admit, some of us adults too). Today as my boys and I strolled through the brightly colored booths at the Ventura County Fair, we inhaled the decadence of fried fair treats, creating memories of summer. These are the memories we will eventually go back to on cold November afternoons, encouraging us to take out a box of frozen corn dogs in order to recapture the experience. Hey, why not? Frozen corn dogs are easy, inexpensive, delicious, and some brands are even made with healthy turkey dogs, right? But it’s what lies within the box, underneath the list of thirty seven, no thirty eight ingredients that should snap us back from our sweet memories of summer and encourage us to look for food outside of the box.
Cookies are such an easy treat. They can be packed in a lunch box, stuffed in a mouth or held in even the tiniest of hands. But why fill those little hands and mouths with hydrogenated oil and high fructose corn syrup when you can bake an easy, fresh, and delicious treat which, by the way, tastes even better warm with a tall glass of milk!
Packaged cookies are a convenience that I’d guess most (if not all) of us have purchased at one time or another. They must be a viable money maker based on the number of brands and varieties that fill nearly an entire supermarket aisle. Yet, when I compared the ingredients on packaged cookies to those we can make fresh…well, there is no comparison. (more…)
Granola bars stir up quite the controversy at our house. My kids want to bring them to school for snack, but a nut-free school means no granola bars with nuts of any sort. That rules out a lot of the granola bars on the market. Then when we look at what’s left and examine what ingredients are actually in the remaining granola bars things really start to get interesting. Let’s just say we’re left with…well, not much. (more…)