Blueberry Syrup

It's Pancake Day again! Today we had our basic pancakes, but I whipped up a delicious blueberry syrup to go with them since my hubby loves blueberries.

Blueberry Syrup

2 1/2 cups fresh or individually frozen organic blueberries
1/4 cup evaporated cane juice
1/2 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. lemon juice

Combine blueberries, sugar and 1/4 cup orange juice in a saucepan. Warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Blend cornstarch into remaining orange juice, making sure to dissolve any lumps. Bring sauce to a boil and add cornstarch mixture. Cook sauce at a low boil for 1 minute stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Cool for 10 minutes.

Homemade Fun Dough

My daughter and I made some of this great dough today. It's homemade play dough with common kitchen ingredients. Enjoy :)

1 cup flour
1/2 salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 Tbsp. oil
1 cup water
Food coloring
Cinnamon extract (optional)

Mix flour, salt, and cream of tartar in sauce pan. Add oil, water and cinnamon extract and mix. If you are making only one color, add in the food coloring. If you want to make multiple colors you can also separate the cooled dough and knead in the food coloring later. Cook over low to medium heat stirring constantly until mixture becomes dough like. Cool and knead until smooth. Store in an airtight container.

Reusable Water Bottles

I have converted my family to Sigg aluminum bottles and we LOVE them. Sigg bottles are lightweight, great looking, and great for the environment. Currently Americans add over 30 million plastic water bottles to our nation's landfills – everyday! I know since converting to the reusable bottles my family has noticed a difference in the number of bottles in our recycling bin! When making eco-friendly choices remember the 3Rs - reduce, reuse, recycle. The first two are really the most important - although it is great to recycle items, recycling takes energy, also plastic doesn’t recycle 100% like glass or metal does so it is best to eliminate as much plastic use as possible. At first the Sigg bottles seem expensive at $20 a bottle, but think how often you buy bottled water at over $1 a bottle - it adds up quick. Now before heading out we fill up our reusable bottle at home and fill it up throughout the day at restaurants, business water coolers, etc. Check out Sigg bottles at www.mysigg.com

Pink Pancakes

Today was of course - Pancake Day. My daughter just returned from a week long vacation with the grandparents so we celebrated a belated Valentine's Day with pink heart pancakes. I used our basic pancake recipe and added pink food coloring to the liquid mixture before adding it to the dry ingredients. I used our heart pancake molds to shape the hearts. Served with fresh strawberries- this was a fantastic welcome home/Valentine's breakfast. :)

Pumpkin Pie Pancakes

Today is Sunday - Pancake Day and we had my daughter's favorite - Pumpkin Pie Pancakes.

Pumpkin Pie Pancakes

1 1/2 cups organic unbleached flour
3 Tbsp. evaporated cane juice
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 1/4 cup soy milk
1/3 cup canned pumpkin
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. In a food processor, combine soy milk, pumpkin, and oil and process until blended. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix. Ladle 3 Tbsp. of batter onto a griddle preheated to 350, cook until batter bubbles and pancakes begin to brown around edges. Flip and cook 2 minutes more. Enjoy :)

Produce Stickers

With all the scary news about pesticides and genetically modified food on supermarket shelves, how can you be sure you are buying what's safest for your family? It's simple - check the stickers on the fruit & veggies you buy. The product code stickers found on produce help cashiers determine the price for your produce, but they are even more beneficial for you as a shopper if you understand what they mean.

Four-digit number - conventionally grown.
Five-digit number beginning with 9 - organic.
Five-digit number beginning with 8 - genetically modified.

Be a smart shopper - check those stickers!! :)

Whole Wheat & Yogurt Pancakes

Since it's Sunday - it's Pancake Day! Today's pancakes are whole wheat and are a great base for add-ins, today we added fresh blueberries to them.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
Pinch of sea salt
6 oz. vanilla soy yogurt
1 1/2 cups water
2 Tbsp. Canola oil

Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Add yogurt, water, and oil and mix completely. Pour 2 Tbsp. of batter onto griddle preheated to 350, cook until batter bubbles and pancakes begin to brown around edges. Flip and cook 2 minutes more. **** If you want to add fresh fruit or nuts to them, sprinkle it on after you pour the batter on the griddle, this way you can customize your pancakes for each person.

Market Basket

I got this great market basket a few months back and I LOVE it. It's perfect for a quick trip into the store, the farmers market, library - you name it. It folds flat for easy storage, but is very sturdy. I gave several away as Christmas presents and they were a hit. I loaded them up with goodies for friends and family - a great reusuable way to wrap up a gift :)