At least it's organic!

So you go to the grocery store and start your shopping.  What do you pick up?  Do you get fresh produce or grab organic packaged foods?  It is so easy to look around us think about the time it takes to make food from scratch and just pick up the organic convenience food.  I used to think, "it's organic so it's good for me."  Not necessarily.  Just because the ice cream says organic does not mean it is good for me and that I can eat the whole carton.  Most packaged foods are processed even if they are organic.  Read the ingredient list, can you pronounce all the ingredients listed?  If not, put it down.  If I can't pronounce it, it doesn't need to be in my body.

Try cooking from scratch.  When you know what is going into you food you can feel better about the food that you eat.  Last night I made whole wheat hamburger buns from scratch.  I have done this in the past and they were always really dry, but last night I read something in a recipe that I never thought about.  The recipe said that once the dough starts to come together in a ball, STOP!  Let it rest because the whole wheat flour will soak up more liquid and if you continue you could end up adding too much flour and they will turn out dry.  Makes sense and they were amazing!  Best hamburger bun I have had in a while, the hamburger needed a little work but at least the bun was good.

Changing the way I look at food is hard.  I have learned that creating a menu plan for all meals is very important.  Normally I create a menu for dinner and then look in the fridge with no ideas of what to make for lunch.  I scavenge to find something clean to eat and often don't eat enough and am hungry shortly after eating.  So this week I plan to create a meal plan for all three meals.  I hope to have it done and posted in the next few days.  I will do my best to include a shopping list and recipes also.  For now here is the recipe for the whole wheat buns I made last night.

Honey Whole Wheat Buns (found on http://www.theprairiehomestead.com)

1 Cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup honey
1 egg
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp yeast or 1 packet
2 to 3.5 cups whole wheat flour

I used a kitchen aid mixer with the hook attachment to make my dough.  If this is not available to you just use a bowl and knead with your hands.

Combine the milk, honey, and butter in a small saucepan.  On low heat it until slightly warm (I ended up just putting it in the microwave for 30 seconds).  Put yeast into mixing bowl,while stirring, slowly add the milk mixture to the yeast.  Begin adding the flour, take your time and knead as you add the flour.  Once a ball starts to form stop and let the dough rest for 2-3 min.  After this time add a little more flour if needed.  You want the dough to be slightly sticky.  Continue kneading for 6-7 minutes adding flour if needed.  Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place for 60 minutes.   Divide the dough into 8-12 portions, depending on the size you want.  Roll them into a ball, place on a cookie sheet, cover, and let rest for another 30 minutes.  Bake for 12-18 minutes at 375 degrees.

Let me know how your buns turned out and follow me to get more tips and recipes.   Leave comments on recipes you want me to try or questions you have.  If I don't know an answer I will find the answer!

If you want healthy meals but don't have the time to grocery stop check out plated.com or blueapron.com they will do the prep work you do the cooking!