@Stonyfield Greek Is a Win (and an inexact smoothie recipe) #meatlessmonday

I try to only buy Organic dairy products for my family, which can get pretty pricey so when Stonyfield offered me the chance to sample their new flavors of Greek yogurt I jumped at the chance…even though I’m not generally a fan of anything with 0% fat.

In the last year or two, Greek yogurt has gotten pretty trendy–with almost every yogurt company trying their hand at making this thicker, creamier yogurt.  I don’t know of any other company that makes a fully Organic product free of GMOs.  But would the taste stand up?

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I figured that I’d get to try a container or two…but, as you can see, the folks at Stonyfield wanted to make sure that I could really get my taste on! I got to sample the new flavors: Cafe Latte and Black Cherry, in addition to already established flavors of  Blueberry, Super Fruits and Strawberry.

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A peek Into My Kitchen: Seedy Granola #nutfree #allergyfriendly #breakfast

I love granola, but, as the mom of a kid with nut allergies, most packaged brands are off-limits.  This is an easy recipe which, even if your household is allergy-free, is a much cheaper, healthier option than most of what you can find in your supermarket’s cereal aisle.

Note: Some people who are allergic to tree nuts also cannot have coconut, in this case you can easily substitute canola or other mild vegetable oil.  Likewise, any seeds which pose an allergy risk can also be omitted. If you are cooking for someone with a severe allergy, check packages to make sure that the oats, seeds and dried fruit you have purchased have not been packaged on a line with nuts.

Seedy Granola

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A peek Into My Kitchen: My Mom’s Baked Spaghetti (mostly)

After posting the picture on Instagram and Facebook, I’ve owed the recipe to a number of people for quite a while. Somehow creating a casserole out of your spaghetti and sauce turns it into a much more exciting and satisfying dinner than just boiling noodles…not much additional work, trust me!

Baked Spaghetti

INGREDIENTS

1 lb box spaghetti, linguini or cappellini

2 bunches fresh raw spinach, washed well and chopped coarsely (optional)

2-3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 stick unsalted butter

I 16 oz jar of your favorite sauce (homemade could work too, but I promised little work!)

½ cup cornflake crumbs

DIRECTIONS

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Help Improve the Global Food System Using the GROW Method #wfd2012

The statistics are shocking:

•    Our planet produces enough food for everyone, yet 1 in every 7 people still go to bed hungry.

•    1/3 of the food produced for our plates ends up lost or wasted between farm and fork.

•    One lb of ground beef for your family uses more than 28,000 cups of water to produce—enough to overflow 20 bathtubs!

It’s so simple to help.

Use less meat. Buy produce in season.  Try not to waste.

You’ll probably even save yourself some hard earned cash–and who can argue with that?

Check out some Grow Method recipes on Pinterest or on Facebook .

Join the World Food Day Conversation!

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A peek Into My Kitchen: Green Tea Pound Cake

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Yes it is slightly green.  No it hasn’t spoiled. It’s green tea, silly 🙂 Don’t you think that Starbucks, Oren’s or even the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf should be serving slices of this along with their coffees and teas?

Green Tea Pound Cake

1 3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 sticks butter

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup Matcha Green Tea latte powder, divided

4 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Spray a 9x5x3 loaf pan with nonstick baking spray.

3. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt

4. Cream butter, sugar and 1/4  cup of the green tea powder until fluffy.

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A peek Into My Kitchen:Favorite Banana Bread

Years ago, I was wandering around the cookbook section of one bookstore or another and I came across a book called Comfort Foods by Rita M. Harris . Some of the recipes are totally useless to me (you know when you are silly enough to buy a cookbook for a favorite recipe or two?) but one stands out in particular. With a couple of changes, the recipe for Banana Cake is the absolute best that I have ever come across. Bake it in a large pyrex, or two small ones, and it’s banana bread. Bake it in two round cake pans and frost it, and it’s good enough to be a cake.

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