Cultured Uncrustables

In the height of our processed-food days, I latched onto Uncrustables. Like any busy mother, I gravitated to the convenience of a sealed, crustless sandwich. I paid no heed to the ingredients.

BREAD: ENRICHED UNBLEACHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), WATER, UNBLEACHED WHOLEWHEAT FLOUR, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: SALT, WHEAT GLUTEN, DOUGH CONDITIONERS (DISTILLED MONOGLYCERIDES, SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, DATEM, ENZYMES [WITH AMYLASE, LIPASE, ASCORBIC ACID, CALCIUM PEROXIDE, AZODICARBONAMIDE, WHEAT STARCH]), YEAST. PEANUT BUTTER: PEANUTS, DEXTROSE, SUGAR, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES (PALM AND/OR SOYBEAN OIL), CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: FULLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OILS (SOYBEAN AND/OR COTTONSEED AND/OR RAPESEED), SALT, MOLASSES.GRAPE JELLY: GRAPE JUICE, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CORN SYRUP, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: PECTIN, CITRIC ACID, POTASSIUM SORBATE (PRESERVATIVE).

Recently I tried an Uncrustables replacement, with great success. I doubt my kids would have liked this in our first year away from processed foods, but after several years on our new venture, they embraced it eagerly.

Always trying to incorporate cultured foods into my kids' meals, I used my fermented fruit leather. Instead of drying the mixture, I kept it as a spreadable "jelly."

My bread consisted of sprouted almonds and jungle peanuts, but could easily utilize other seed/nut combinations.

Bread

• 2 cups sprouted nut/seed meal
• 4 eggs
• 3 tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 tsp. raw apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. baking soda

Optional: honey, unrefined sugar, stevia. Ghee/butter can be substituted for coconut oil.

Bake at 300 degrees for 45-60 minutes.


Fermented Fruit Chutney

• 2 cups puréed fruit combination. Pictured above: raspberries, strawberries, and cranberries.
• 2 tbsp. whey or other starter such as kombucha or water kefir
• 1 tsp. salt

Stir whey into puréed fruit. Place in capped mason jar and allow to sit at room temperature for 3-5 days.

Allow bread to cool. Slice and add "jelly." Package and freeze. I use parchment paper bags.

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Healthy Snack Alternatives

We want our families to consume healthier foods and avoid the highly processed, sugary, genetically modified foods, but how do we do it?

Preparing natural, homemade on-the-go food is surprisingly easy and fun. Here are four healthy snack options, perfect for school and traveling!

1. Energy Bar. This snack does not require a dehydrator, but does require a food processor. Ingredients include almonds and/or seeds, along with dried fruit.

I call my recipe "The Andy Bar" after my college nickname. You can easily adapt this recipe and choose your own brand name. Be creative and have fun labeling!

View the Andy Bar recipe

The next three snacks require the use of a dehydrator or makeshift dehydrator. Snacks that are dehydrated at temperatures below 116 remain raw. Raw foods maintain their enzymes and therefore are healthier foods.

Your oven makes an excellent dehydrator. Set the oven at its lowest temperature. (This will probably be somewhere around 170 degrees.) Prop open the oven door to help lower the drying temperature. Place a fan in front of the oven to keep the air flowing and avoid condensation.

2. Fruit Leather. Virtually any fruit and any fruit combination will work. This is one of the simplest snacks to make, provided you have a food processor and an oven or dehydrator. I ferment the fruit to lower the sugar content, and my kids still love it! Feel free to be creative with additions like cinnamon, ginger, and other natural ingredients.

View the Fruit Leather recipe

3. Dried Fruit. Apples, bananas, and mangoes lend themselves well to this process. Simply slice and dehydrate using your oven or dehydrator. You can maintain the color of the fruit by dipping first in lemon juice. Or you can slice and sprinkle with cinnamon and dehydrate.

View the Dried Fruit recipe

4. Chips. The Snack Food Association says that potato chips are America's number one snack. According to the trade group, tortilla chips rank as number two. There's no doubt we like salt and we like crunch. However, our love for convenience as well as the crunch may come with a price. When carbohydrate-rich foods like potatoes are cooked at high temperatures—as is the case with all potato chips—a chemical by-product is produced called acrylamide. The World Health Organization acknowledges that acrylamide is a carcinogen. (See their information note titled Acrylamide in Food is a Potential Health Hazard to learn more.)

The alternative? Potatoes can be safely dehydrated to preserve their nutrition and avoid acrylamides. Sweet potatoes can also be dehydrated and salted. However, for the most crunch and the least starch, try kale chips! Kale chips can be as simple as mixing oil and salt with freshly washed kale, or you can add flavor and nutrition by incorporating other greens, vegetables, or spices.

View the Spicy Kale Chips recipe

It's not easy to forsake the convenience of on-the-go snacks, but with a little creative energy you may find yourself enjoying familiar foods in a whole new way!

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School Lunches

What will my kids pack for lunch? This was my most daunting question as we approached the start of the new school year. With our specific GAPS diet, a daily hot lunch seemed overwhelming. (See this previous post for more information on the GAPS diet.)

To my surprise, our system has worked! The kids look forward to their lunch and their friends say it smells delicious.

Each lunch is hot and consists of beef, chicken, or salmon, along with vegetables. I purchased stainless steel thermoses from Life Without Plastic. I fill each thermos with boiling water and let heat for a minimum of 15 minutes before filling.

Favorite meals include chicken and pepper stir-fry, salmon stir-fry, and beef "burritos," substituting lettuce for the tortilla.

Snacks consist of kale chips, beef jerky, or dried apple slices, all made in our dehydrator. I pack them in Ziploc bags lined with parchment paper. Here is the kale chip recipe:

Blend in food processor or high-powered blender:

• 1 red pepper
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 onion
• Beet greens, carrot greens, or any greens of choice (a couple of handfuls)
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper

Add a small amount of water if needed to make a nice "paste" or "sauce."

Rinse approximately 8 cups of fresh kale. Gently tear off kale from stems and place in large bowl. Pour oil of choice (see below) into bowl and toss until kale leaves are coated. Add salt to taste (I use approx. 1 tablespoon). Mix. Add "paste" and mix with hands. If using a dehydrator, place kale on trays and dehydrate at 110 degrees for 4-12 hours. This can also be done in an oven at 200 degrees for 2 hours.

Suggested oils:

• Olive oil (olive oil must be heated at less than 250 degrees to avoid toxicity)
• Expeller-pressed coconut oil (no coconut flavor)
• Avocado oil

Store kale chips in glass jars until ready to pack.

I also keep several treats (ginger flaxseed crackers, energy bars, dehydrated strawberries) at school for the kids to have as an alternative when birthday treats are passed.

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Toxic Talk Alert! On Tuesday, September 20, I will be talking about all-natural personal care on the Chris Fabry Live! broadcast on Moody Radio. Tune in live at 2:00 p.m. Central time or listen via stream or podcast by clicking here.

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