Bob Evans & bust!

Bob Evans vs. The Marigold Kitchen


1.99 Kid's breakfast at Bob Evans: Toasty French Toast with choice of bacon or sausage
This came with 1 pc. of French toast, cut into triangles, a monkey dish of whipped butter (4% butter) a pc. of turkey sausage (we requested this over the pork sausage or bacon) and maple syrup (Mrs. Butterworths I think)






1.95 Kid's breakfast at the Marigold Kitchen in Madison, WI: Mini french toast, fresh berries - This came with 1 pc. of french toast made from home made bread and organic eggs and milk, with a handful of raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, a monkey dish of orange almond butter, and REAL maple syrup.

Hmmm... which one do I choose? Why is Bob Evans at every rest stop between Ohio and Wisconsin, but places like the Marigold Kitchen are few and far between- and usually in big cities? If a city like Madison can support a 1.95 quality organic breakfast, why can't a small town road stop in Indiana do the same?

My husband and I thought that Bob Evans was cheaper because it was fast food- and we're shocked to find we were faced with a wonderful breakfast at a local cafe for 4 cents less, a day later!

Not so "happy" meal....

The Fast Food Swap-

McDonalds.... The Happy Meal... it does make my kids happy- because it has a toy. In reality, I'm not sure they really love the food. We do it every once in awhile- on a road trip, during an insanely busy week or weekend. For the most part, though, we have created our own version of "fast food" for those nights when you just can't imagine cooking something.

We have a few standard things we keep in the freezer- Cascadian Farms Spud Puppies (otherwise known as tater-tots), sweet potato fries, Boca burgers of various flavors, Boca chicken patties, and Ian's (or Applegate Farms) chicken strips or fish fingers. We throw all these things into the oven and add what we have in the fridge, condiments, pickles, cucumber, peppers, lettuce, avocado, etc.. If you have hummous or pesto in the fridge- I highly recommend these on a burger! Sometimes I'll steam some green beans or broccoli in the microwave- for 3 minutes. We top it off with a fruit smoothie- frozen mango, berries, and yogurt is about all you'll need to keep around. Throw them in the blender and you're all set to go with a shake!

This tradition has kept our kids from craving the very salty, greasy fast food options in restaurants. It has also kept down our costs of eating out, and our waistlines smaller! I have not done a full nutritional analysis or calorie break down... but surely our concoction is better overall for your health. Everything is baked, not fried. You control the salt and condiments. Add in some fresh vegies and fruit and yogurt- yum!

PS- Most of the toys end up in the garage sale anyway, right?

We all scream for REAL ice cream!

I know- we all love a visit to DQ in the summer. Who doesn't have a favorite treat from childhood- mine was a vanilla cone, dipped in butterscotch and rolled in that crunchy topping. My husband was a fan of the Peanut Buster Parfait. I still, every once in awhile, love the idea of going there. I think it is more of the ritual of the summer ice cream visit- sitting outside and eating a cool treat, rather than -Wow I love this stuff. I think this, because every time we go- its just OK. My kids get the Buster Bars or Orange Star type things... and rarely finish them. Someone ends up with some color on their face that doesn't clean off easily or an upset tummy.

We've been talking this week about going for ice cream on Sunday after a mother's day softball game. Everyone thought of DQ to begin with- but I think we may try another option. We have a lot of great local ice cream shops. Many of them use local ingredients and even organic ones. My favorite place has a Salted Butter Caramel flavor.... made with local caramels! They have outdoor seating to boot!!

Try your local ice cream shop this summer- you may find some new favorite summer time treats and rituals!

Stretch the definition of fruit...

The latest trend in snacks, treats and lunch additions amongst the kid crowd where we live, is fruit roll-ups that have words and images printed on them. You can even order custom-printed ones. Yikes! The colors are scary and the flavors even scarier. How many chemicals can one little body take?

My first problem is calling it a FRUIT roll-up. There is actually not much fruit in it. It is mostly corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup and artificial flavors and colors- sound familiar? They may be the same main ingredients in Aunt Jemima! Secondly, they really shouldn't be a replacement for fruit- as they are sometimes used by parents. A fruit roll-up does not a serving of fruit make. It is basically equivalent to a piece of candy and should be treated as such- a special treat.

If you are looking for something quick, on the go, for the lunchbox- that could be a fruit replacement, why not swap it out for something that actually does contain a serving of real fruit? Nothing artificial and no added sugar. Stretch Island makes fruit leathers, fruit flats and fruit rolls. My kids LOVE them- beg me for them- can't get enough of them. We do limit these, for dental reasons- any sticky substance whether corn syrup or real fruit has sugar in it and can be harder to brush out of the teeth. Trader Joes also has some great all-fruit leathers for a better price- but not as popular with my kids. Granted these real fruit snacks are more expensive than a box of General Mills fruit roll-ups, but really- you get what you pay for. Real fruit- or candy disguised as fruit?

The choice seems pretty clear.....

Is it real, or is it Skippy?

Ok- peanut butter. Hot button topic lately. Many of my daughter's friends have food allergies- so I have to be real careful here. School even has a "nut free" table in the lunchroom- absolutely no nuts allowed in the classroom. This impacts some families greatly- as peanut butter is a staple food for many picky eaters.... My kids- not so much. One hates it, the other could live without it.

Here's the thing- if you do have a child or family member that can't live without peanut butter (yours truly) then you might want to think about your choices a little more deeply and widely. First of all- Skippy is not really a nut butter in my opinion. It is not worth the calories going in. It is almost like a frosting or dessert topping. Give Skippy a pass. I was lucky to grow up with a peanut butter called "Real". This was the brand name. There was also a time in our lives when my Dad made homemade peanut butter. His take was- look, its just peanuts and salt, why can't I whip it up in my food processor. So he did!

The choices are abundunt. You could choose a mainstream, simpler ingredient list brand like Parkers Farm. Our coop makes their own with sea salt. If you don't have allergies to nut butters, you might even consider ones beyond peanut butter. Almond butter is great tasting and actually very good for you. Cashew butter, macadamia butter, hazelnut butter, pecan butter, sunbutter (made from sunflower seeds), etc. Some of these are more expensive- but I find I use less of the nut butter when its not peanut butter. They are very flavorful and pack a bigger punch. Typically, the ingredient list will be, "said nut, and salt" - that is all it needs to be.

Lets look at the ingredient list for Skippy:

Skippy Natural- Roasted Peanuts, Sugar, Palm Oil, Salt (the research on palm oil is indecisive- read what the WHO says about Palm Oil)

Skippy- Roasted Peanuts, Sugar, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils (Cottonseed, Soybean and Rapeseed) to Prevent Separation, Salt

Powerade or chemical-pow!

What do you want your t-ball or soccer child drinking on the field this week? Powerade? How about a swap for something like, OH- say, water? An apple? A banana? If you feel the need for a colorful drink that will pack the water and vitamins into one handy bottle- consider an alternative like Vitamin Water. Be sure to check the serving size on the bottle. Some bottles constitute more than one serving.


Glaceau Vitamin Water- ingredients: vapor distilled/deionized water, crystalline fructose, citric acid, vegetable juice (color), natural flavor, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamin E acetate, magnesium lactate (elecrolyte), calcium lactate (electrolyte), zinc picolinate, monopotassium phosphate (electrolyte), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine hydrochloride (B6), cyanocobalamine (B12)

Powerade- ingredients:
water, high fructose corn syrupmaltodextrin (glucose polymers), citric acid, salt, potassium citrate, modified food starch, potassium phosphate, natural flavors, glycerol ester of wood rosin, guar gum, niacinamide (B3), coconut oil, brominated vegetable oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride (B6), Cyanocobalamin (B12).


How do they get the blue color? Yikes! Glaceau's colors come from vegetable juices-

Check out this related article-

http://www.healthkey.com/family/sns-health-kids-and-sports-drinks,0,4686859.story

Aunt Je "no" "no" - say hello to Trader Joes!

Recently, while at a friend's... I was searching the refrigerator for maple syrup. I asked my friend- "Where is the maple syrup?" She steered me to the cupboard. I had been using real maple syrup for years, so it never occurred to me to check the cupboard! Why buy Aunt Jemima (or some other high fructose syrup brand) when somewhere like Trader Joes has such great options. For $13.99, I get 25 oz of Grade B, 100 % pure maple syrup from Quebec. Aunt Jemima, on the other hand....12 oz. for $6 at Walgreens.com. Not much of a price difference! Plus, Aunt Jemima is just the following: Corn Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Water, Cellulose Gum, Caramel Color, Salt, sodium Benzoate and Sorbic Acid, Artificial and Natural Flavors, Sodium Hexametaphosphate.

Hmmmm... the answer is pretty clear!

If you live in maple syrup producing states- you can often buy local syrup from farms, or at small markets. We can buy it at our local arboretum, the nature center, local farms and even various neighbors who have clusters of maple trees in their yards! Who knew?

An alternate to jars of tomato sauce!

Almost as easy as heating up a jar of sauce- and lower in sodium, preservatives and chock full of of vitamins and minerals! * (adapted from Giada de Laurentis- Giada at Home- Food Network)

Get local tomatoes & basil if you can!

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes (any color)
1 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup black olives (pitted)
1/2 cup cornmeal or breadcrumbs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese- grated
1 pound WW penne rigate pasta (with the ridges)
olive oil

In a small baking dish- I tossed the tomatoes (chopped in half), the olives (also chopped), and some salt, freshly ground pepper and olive oil. I put the cornmeal over the top and drizzled it with olive oil. I baked this at 350 for about 30 minutes- until bubbly and browned. I cooked the pasta and tossed it with the parmesan and some olive oil, salt and pepper. Then I tossed everything together with ribbons of the basil. If you are a garlic lover- I think adding some freshly chopped garlic to the tomato mixture would be great!

My kids and a friend ate this right up! The all started by saying - "I don't like tomatoes" - which always strikes me as funny when they gobble up jars of tomato sauce and ketchup handily! They followed our family rule of "Try something new everyday" and they seemed to really like it.
My husband and I loved it. Fresh tasting, easy, and flavorful. Something different from the jar of sauce night at our house!

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