Salmon Burgers

I try to feed my family fish at least once a week.  My girls readily eat all types of fish.  My husband, on the other hand, prefers white fish over salmon.  I love salmon!  So I had to come up with way to serve salmon that would please everyone.  Salmon Burgers do that!

Adding bread crumbs and seasoning to the salmon creates a milder taste.  Add a homemade hamburger bun and this will win over just about anyone!

Why eat fish once a week?  Well salmon is a great source for DHA, the omega-3 fatty acid that is essential for brain development.  One 4-ounce serving of salmon can provide up to 2,400 mg of omega-3's.

I always buy wild-caught salmon.  Why?  Environmental groups such as Seafood Watch and the Environmental Defense Fund have put nearly all farmed salmon on their 'avoid list'.  Salmon farmers use crowded pens where salmon are easily infected with lice and may be treated with antibiotics to avoid disease.  Alaska has even banned salmon farms to prevent the spread of disease from farmed to wild salmon.

2 salmon fillets, remove skin (and bones if needed) and cube
1 egg
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 tsp dried Oregano
1/4 tsp dried Basil
salt and pepper, to taste
2 TBS fresh lemon juice, divided
4 homemade hamburger buns
spray olive oil
2 TBS plain Greek yogurt (may sub plain coconut milk yogurt)
1 pinch dried basil
Fresh arugula, spinach, or romaine lettuce (as a garnish)


Place salmon cubes, egg, bread crumbs, seasonings, and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice into a food processor.  Pulse until just combined.  Stir by hand until well mixed.  Divide mixture into 4 salmon patties.

Heat large skillet over medium heat.  Spray with olive oil.  Cook salmon patties for 4 minutes per side.  Should be nicely browned and cooked through.

Place open buns under broiler for 1-2 minutes to toast.

In a small bowl mix together Greek yogurt, 1 TBS lemon juice, and dried basil.

Place warm salmon patties on toasted buns.  Top with yogurt mixture and fresh arugula or spinach.

Makes 4-5 patties.  Enjoy!

Why I Avoid Artificial Food Dyes

Artificial food coloring was something that I initially knew very little about.  Yes, I had seen the color plus the number symbol listed on the back of a cereal box but never thought much about it.

Several years ago I was at a play date organized by a local Mommies group.  One of the moms was eliminating artificial food dye from her son's diet in hopes to eliminate some of his symptoms of attention deficit and hyperactivity.  After that initial conversation I found that artificial food dye kept 'popping' up in my news feed or in other conversations with moms.

About a year later I noticed that my daughter, then age 3, would have huge tantrums after having sugary, dye-laden snacks.  I did not make the connection immediately, but eventually through trial and error, I learned that she did not tolerate food dye in large amounts.  I then began to eliminate all artificial food coloring in our diet at home.

What does the FDA have to say about artificial food dye?  In 2011 the agency concluded that exposure to food with artificial food colors and preservative may be associated with adverse behaviors in susceptible children.  Especially those children with ADHD.  The agency took no regulatory action.  In fact, even though the FDA requires the dyes to be listed on the label, the amounts are not required.

What about other countries?  Since 2010, the European Union has required food manufacturers to place a warning label on all products with artificial food dyes declaring that they "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children".  What did food companies do in response? They changed their ingredients to eliminate artificial food dyes in order to avoid the negative label.


You may wonder how much exposure you or your child has to artificial food dyes.  The latest research out of Purdue University found that one cup of General Mills' Trix cereal contained 36.4 milligrams of artificial food dyes (yellow 6, blue 1, and red 40).  Fruit Cheerios has 31 milligrams per cup.  Kraft Macaroni & Cheese has 17.6 milligrams per 1 cup serving. Children's cereals, fruit snacks, and even white marshmallows all contain artificial food dyes.


What is my take?  I vote with my dollar.  I refuse to buy cereals or snacks that contain artificial food dyes.  Do my children still get exposed to artificial food dye? Unfortunately, the answer to that is still 'Yes'.  About once a month they get an Icee or soft serve as a special treat.  Or they are given candy or a treat at a birthday party or special occasion.  Of course they still get to go trick-or-treating on Halloween.   I have found that I cannot completely eliminate artificial food dyes.  What I do instead is educate my children.  I tell them why they cannot have the 'Scooby Doo' fruit snacks from the grocery store.  I tell them that certain food contain 'bad colors' and that we try hard not to eat bad colors. 

Brown Sugar and Spice Baked Chicken

I buy my chicken from a local butcher in Louisville (Kingsleys). They carry Amish organic chicken and often have coupons. Most of the time the coupon is for bone-in chicken breasts, $1.00 off per pound if buying more than 10 lbs.  I have the butcher split the chicken breasts and skin at least half of them.  I have the butcher package them 2 breasts per package and then wrapped in white freezer paper.  I buy my 10 lbs and freeze all but what I will use over the next 5-6 days.  I then have organic chicken breasts, at a discount and in my freezer waiting for me for a full month.

Bone-in chicken breasts bake best with the skin on as the skin traps in the moisture.  However, I do not like the skin on my chicken.  So I have worked to find recipes that retain the chicken's moisture without the skin.  This recipe does that!  The brown sugar balances with the spices nicely for great flavor yet mild enough for even my girls sensitive tongues.

2 large bone-in chicken breasts (skin on or skinless)
2 TBS brown sugar
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Spray oven safe rimmed baking dish with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, mix together sugar and all seasonings.  Coat chicken breasts thoroughly with the sugar/spice rub.  I get my hands dirty and rub the seasoning in.  Placed on a rimmed baking dish.  I like to have the seasoning soak in the the chicken for several hours before baking.  However, we have had it both ways and it is good.

Bake for 45-55 minutes.  At the 45 minute mark check the temperature of the chicken with a meat thermometer.  Will register at 160 degrees when done.  Chicken is moistest when not overcooked.

Best served with roasted sweet potatoes and cauliflower.

Whole Wheat Pancakes {Dairy and Soy free}

Who said pancakes are only for breakfast?  Not my family!  

Pancakes are a mainstay quick meal at our house.  Often we make them for Sunday morning breakfast and serve with bacon and fresh fruit.  For my husband, they are a super quick weeknight meal when he is in charge of dinner.  My girls LOVE pancakes for dinner!

I like that this recipe uses whole wheat flour.  I make my own non-dairy "buttermilk" by combining apple cider vinegar with either plain almond milk or full-fat coconut milk.  Both taste great!  (Just avoid using the vanilla flavored almond milk.)

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 TBS brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 beaten egg
1 cup buttermilk (see below)
2 TBS sunflower oil


***Non-dairy Buttermilk-  Put 1 TBS of apple cider vinegar into a glass measuring cup.  Add in plain almond milk or full fat coconut milk until reaching the 1 cup measurement mark.  Let sit for 5 minutes.

Mix together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl or Kitchen Aid stand mixer.  Combine egg, buttermilk, and oil in a separate bowl.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.  Add wet mixture to dry mixture all at once.  Stir until just moistened, batter may be lumpy.  Thin with additional non-dairy milk if needed.

Heat griddle to medium heat.  Pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto hot griddle.  Cook for about 2 minutes.  Flip pancakes when bubbles begin to surface and the edges are dry.  Cook on second side for an additional 2 minutes or until done.

Serve warm with real maple syrup, crock-pot apple butter, of homemade strawberry jam (recipes to come!)

Recipe makes about 8-10 pancakes.  I ALWAYS double to the recipe!!!!!




Freezer tip-  Freeze extra pancakes between layers of wax paper in a ziploc freezer bag.  Pop in toaster for a quick breakfast during the work week.

Fruit Smoothie {Dairy and Soy Free}

Wiggles LOVES to make smoothies!  Together, we make then several times a week.  As she has gotten older I have let her do more and more of the steps on her own.  I start by getting out all the ingredients and the blender.  I add the juice and coconut milk.  Wiggles does the rest by herself.  She know to blend in the spinach before adding the fruit.  Together we pick the fruits we plan to use.  I will ask her to add 4 strawberries, 5 mangoes, and 6 pineapples.  We are working on math skills and she doesn't even know it!  Wiggles favorite part is pushing the button to start the blender.

1 cup organic, 100% apple juice (no added sugar)

1 handful organic spinach

1/4 cup coconut milk (optional, adds in a healthy fat)

1 ripe banana

1 to 1-1/2 cups of organic frozen fruit (strawberries, mango, pineapple, raspberries)

Blend together apple juice, spinach, and coconut milk until spinach pieces are very small.

Then add in banana and frozen fruit.  Blend well.  Check consistency.  May add additional frozen fruit and/or apple juice as needed.

Serve cold with a straw.

Tip #1-  Freeze over-ripe bananas (peel first) for smoothies.

Tip #2- Frozen organic fruit is often cheaper than fresh depending on the season.  Check the freezer department of your favorite grocery store often and buy when on sale to stock up.

How to Buy Grass Fed Beef

The best way to ensure that you are eating grass-fed beef is to buy it from a local farmer.  Many websites recommend visiting your local farmer's market.  That is a great suggestion but have you seen the prices???  I could never justify spending that much money on beef.  I would become a vegan first!  Well maybe not but I would definitely eat less beef.  Many grocery stores now offer grass-fed beef as well but again the price is prohibitive.  Regular ground beef is somewhat affordable but forget buying a roast or steak.

A better solution is to invest in a small chest freezer and buy the beef from a local farmer in bulk.  My chest freezer is only 4.0 cubic foot and was purchased at Sam's Club for just over $130.

I found my farmer by going to the website Eat Wild.  From their website-  Eatwild's Directory of Farms lists more that 1,300 pasture-based farms with a comprehensive source for grass-fed meat and dairy products.  Farmers are listed by state.  Scroll through and find a farmer (or two) near you.  From there you can view their website or e-mail them directly.

I was able to send an e-mail directly to my farmer to learn more about his product and the availability.  I put down a small deposit and then waited.  Cows are butchered several times a year.  I was able to choose from a quarter, half of half, or side of beef.  I chose a quarter of beef (well actually I split a half of half with a friend) as we eat beef only 1-2 times per week.  The more that you buy the cheaper it is so get as many friends together as possible to divide up that cow.

The farmer put me in contact with the butcher to determine what cuts of meat I wanted.  I have to admit, this was very intimidating!  I was honest with the woman on the phone and admitted that I had never done this before.  She was extremely helpful and took me through the process step-by-step.  She asked me questions about what steaks I did and did not want, how thick those steaks should be cut, did I want stew meat, ground chuck, etc.  For example, I chose to get strip steak and filet mignon instead of a large T-bone steak. I picked the thinnest thickness for my steaks knowing that I want the steak to be a part of my overall meal not my entire meal.

What did I get with my quarter of a cow?  I lot!!!!  I have several roasts- chuck roast, rump roast, and round roast.  Several types of steak- top loin, filet mignon, rib-eyes, and sirloin steak.  Plus stew meat and ground chuck.  And a LOT OF GROUND BEEF.  I always end up having more ground beef than I really need.

I have ordered three years in a row from the same farmer and have loved the product each time.

Blueberry Season

My family loves to visit U-pick farms in Southern Indiana!  Bryant's Blueberries is probably our favorite.  Sign-up to receive their e-mail to know when the picking times are as they are only open 1-2 times per week during most of June and early July.

Blueberries are an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, and other antioxidants.  They also contain iron, trace minerals, and one cup contains 1 gram of protein.

We pick as many blueberries as we can each season.  We eat them, bake with them, and freeze them.

Storage tips-  

• Do not wash before storing or freezing.
• Regridgerate as soon as possible after picking.
• Freeze in 1-2 cup portions in plastic freezer bags for future use
• Rinse frozen berries in cool water before use.