Documentary View - Food Fight

My weekly documentary recommendation is Food Fight.  This came out in 2008.  Our diet lifestyle has changed dramatically over the last 50 year.  This movie will make you think about making organic choices.

Easy Dye Free Easter Treat Recipes

Easter is tomorrow and my kids are anticipating dyeing Easter eggs later today, going on an Easter egg hunt to find eggs and special Easter baskets on Sunday.  Later feasting on Easter dinner and the special treats made that are safe for my kids to eat.  These are things that are made without unnecessary added artificial food dyes.  Nothing is worse than a nice celebration to turn into one that is full of aggression, impulsiveness, uncharacteristic behaviors, rage, and all of it followed by low self esteem with a really negative crash.  Hyped up kids is one thing but watching your child dissolve into this picture is completely another.  Thank goodness we realized what was hurting our kids a couple years ago and can now control it by watching what we eat and avoiding petroleum laced fake food.  It has changed our lives. 
I want to share a few easy recipes that we will be enjoying Easter Sunday. 

Easy
Organic Carrot Cake Recipe from Healthy Cake Recipes

1 1/2 cups organic sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs (or egg replacer)

2 cups organic flour

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

3 cups organic shredded carrots (about 5 carrots)

1 cup chopped organic walnuts

Mix the sugar and oil. Add the eggs and beat for about a minute. Add everything except the carrots and walnuts and continue mixing. Last, add the veggies and nuts. Bake in a greased baking pan at the temperature of 350 F for about 50 minutes.

You can ice this cake if you wish, but it stands alone well or with a glass of cold or slightly warmed milk. (You can even get organic milk!)

Easier
Candy Nests reposted from Mother Nature Network

1 9-ounce bag of organic chocolate chips, Sunspire Fair Trade Organic and Trader Joes also has their own brand.

1 cup (or more or less, depending on your love of coconut) organic coconut

Organic jelly beans, check your local health food stores, Whole Foods or Trader Joes 

Directions:

1. Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler on the stove (or put them in a heatproof measuring cup, and set that in a saucepan filled with some water). Or you can microwave them for a minute or two.

2. Add the coconut to taste, and stir together with the chocolate.

3. Take a cookie sheet and cover it with parchment paper. Using a spoon, put a dollop of chocolate-coconut mixture on the parchment.

4. Add three jelly beans in the middle and press them down … like eggs in a nest.

Put in the fridge until they are “set.

Easiest

Seedless Frozen Grapes

Take the grapes off their vines, rinse, place in a bowl and place in the freezer for a few hours.  They will last and last and you can take a few out to snack on anytime.  SO yummy!

What is your easiest natural dye free treat recipe?

Avoid Monsanto and Shop Organic Markets

Farmer Markets are starting to open around our neighborhoods and week after week the bounty will grow!   I love heading out to the local farmers market and strolling down the open air streets.  There are more and more booths each week as the season ramps up.  You can check out localharvest for information about farmer markets in your area.  While you're at it, look into CSA's.  This is community supported agriculture.  By joining a CSA, you will be supporting your local farmers and organic properties.

Do you know the name Monsanto?  Who or what are they?  Monsanto is the world's largest supplier of herbicides, bioengineered seeds, and hormones called bovine growth hormone (rBGH) to increase milk production.  Its primary product is Roundup and it is believed among many that their goal is global dominance of the food supply.  We need to raise awareness of the dangers of this kind of reach.

I will go into more detail about Monsanto and genetically modified foods, (GMO's) in future posts and welcome your comments.    Remember, if the food you are buying is NOT certified organic, there is great probability that it has been genetically modified.