Daily Archive: June 29, 2015

Carrots, Carrots! Orange and Tasty!

Carrots, Carrots! Orange and Tasty!

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Do you like carrots? Do you use them regularly in your recipes, or have them for a midday snack? Maybe you like to chop them finely into salads, or julienne them and use them in your noodle base! Some like to steam them in broth until they are soft, or use them in their bone broth bases. Whatever you use them for, they are full of healthy beta carotene!

Here are some fun facts about carrots that you may find helpful!

*One Cup of raw carrots contains about 52 calories.

*Carrots are orange from beta carotene, and they contain roughly 16,000 IU of it.

*The longest carrot was over 18 feet, and the heaviest over 18.9 pounds!

*Carotenemia occurs when a person ingests too much beta carotene. This can cause a yellow-orange tint to the skin, especially in the palms of the hands, and soles of the feet.

*Carrots are 87% water.

*In 2004, carrots were the 7th most valuable crop in the United States.

*China is the world’s top producer of carrots, followed closely by Russia in second, and the United States in third.

*In 1607, the settlers of Jamestown introduced carrots to the world.

*Hippocrates created a broth recipe for good health consisting of carrots, celery, root parsley, and leeks.

*The Ancient Greeks called the carrot a philtron, which translates to “love charm.” They believed the carrot made both men and women more amorous.

 

 

 

GF4M: The Power is Out! What do we eat?!

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GF4M: The Power is Out! What do we eat?!

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If you’re from anywhere in Fort Wayne, you probably had some effects from the most recent wind storm that seemingly came out of nowhere, and knocked power out to over 30,000 people in the county. A few days later, and finally our power is back on! Bet your non-gluten free buns I jumped on the computer fast as I could! Felt a little lost without her these past few days…but thankful I had my cell phone for internet service!

It’s pretty difficult to eat correctly during power outages, too. Most people who were out of power were frequenting fast food establishments and restaurants that still had power. Unfortunately for us, eating that way just doesn’t prove to be worth it in the end. Not only that, but the kids loved the idea of “indoor camping,” and once we knew the food and tortoise were safe, we could finally relax into enjoying it, too.

So, for our first night we had turkey sandwiches, chips and dip, and vegetables and dip. I also made gluten free tuna tacos, and we had some fruit bits. The second night I got a little craftier, and opted to cook some pizza and fries on the grill for the kids. To my surprise, the pizza turned out perfectly, and I was told the fries were “excellent” too! Pizza and I try to avoid each other at all costs…unless it’s a cauliflower or spinach based crust. I went for salmon on the grill & a sweet potato & GF butter noodles! Delicious!

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Nights like these make me thankful that stove top cooking is easier, and less-stressful! I take lights, garbage disposal systems, and dishwashers for granted. It’s hard enough trying to eat gluten free and clean… even harder when there’s no power!

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Here are a few treats that we’ve made to order in the past few weeks!! Party platters with roll-ups, frozen pies, fresh pies, strawberry bars, and homemade ice cream sandwich cookies! All gluten free, of course!!

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And a garden update! Everything is growing like crazy, and I managed to save the large tomato plant that fell over in the wind storm!