August | 2011 | Raising Jane

Today’s Recipe: Big Carrot

Posted on August 31, 2011 by maryjane

Ghoulies, groovies, I was working in my lab (greenhouse) one night when my eyes beheld an eerie sight.

My monster carrot from her slab (garden trough) began to rise,

and suddenly, to my surprise …

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Ace says:

September 1, 2011 at 4:15 pm

Can’t wait to make this tonight for dinner! (Except I will be substituting sweet potatoes for the regular potatoes) 🙂 I just can’t help myself! I am in love with the sweet potato- orange and sweet and tasty. yum.

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Today’s Recipe: Ooey Gooey Cookies

Posted on August 26, 2011 by megan

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ace says:

August 26, 2011 at 10:22 am

LUCKY US! 🙂 My cohort Alicia and I were the recipients of these delicious little snackaroos in the office yesterday. We could not keep our paws off of them! If you make a cookies only once per year, let this recipe be the one. YUM. Thank you 11-year-old REBECCA!
😀

-ace

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Alicia says:

August 26, 2011 at 10:29 am

These cookies are sooooo good!

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Amy says:

August 26, 2011 at 1:49 pm

Ooh, yum!

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Nancy says:

September 1, 2011 at 4:24 pm

I decided that I really needed some chocolate cookies and proceeded to make these. I discovered that I did NOT have a chocolate cake mix to used the yellow one and added 1/2 C dutch processed chocolate. They are wonderful. So easy! Next week I will try the recipe with a chocolate cake mix.

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Meg says:

September 7, 2011 at 12:50 pm

Nancy, that’s great to hear it worked with yellow cake mix too! Oh, we ate so many of these and I could still eat so many more!

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Horse Picnic

Posted on August 22, 2011 by megan

The first thing we do is go to our greenhouse to harvest horse-size carrots for our horses to eat as part of the picnic feast.

Then we saddle up Paco and LB (Lightning Bolt) and head for the old homestead up on Paradise Ridge.

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jeannie pierce says:

September 6, 2011 at 5:23 am

so wonderful…..what memories these picnics will make for your family!

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- Meg says:
  
  September 7, 2011 at 12:48 pm
  
  Thanks Jeannie!
  
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Today’s Recipe: Chocolate-Covered-Blueberry Cookies

Posted on August 19, 2011 by megan

Hold onto your hats, girls—have I got a doozy for you:

Blueberries are good for you, right?

I KNOW—you’re bowled over! Scientists have discovered that blueberries are healthy. So those of you not eating blueberries because you thought they were unhealthy can…

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Dr. Molly Welsh says:

August 21, 2011 at 7:33 am

Oh yum! as if one needed an excuse to eat those lovely “blue gems”

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Amy says:

August 22, 2011 at 3:10 pm

Those cookies look delicious! They are going in my “to make” folder right now!

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Sadie says:

November 9, 2011 at 10:18 pm

These cookies are now on my list!!

Thanks for all the great ideas 🙂

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days like this

Posted on August 15, 2011 by stellajane

Ever have one of these days?

Arline Nash says:

August 16, 2011 at 6:20 am

ADORABLE! Someone help the girl!!!

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sunshine says:

August 16, 2011 at 7:29 am

Oh yes! I was raised in Milwaukee and “bubblers” were on many street corners and parks. I remember being lifted up by my dad to reach the cool bubbling water. How wonderful to not have to carry a water bottle.

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Katy~TheCountryBlossom says:

August 18, 2011 at 3:14 am

Oh my….yes indeed….such sweet photos!

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Today’s Recipe: Homemade Breakfast Cereal

Posted on August 12, 2011 by maryjane

Cereal is the go-to breakfast in American homes, and it’s easy to see why. Besides being ultra convenient, that perky cereal crunch can wake up the senses in a hurry. But before you reach for a box tomorrow morning, consider three facts that may change the way you start your day.

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Amy says:

August 12, 2011 at 5:50 pm

Ooh! I can’t wait to try this! It looks delicious!

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Rebecca says:

August 12, 2011 at 6:24 pm

This looks great! Love the photos too.

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Tracy says:

August 15, 2011 at 7:35 am

I have been raising my grandaughter since the day she turned 6 months old. She will be 3 years old in November. She doesn’t like to eat and is super picky about what she will eat. The only cereal she will eat is Cheerios and Corn Flakes. She has just reached 25 lbs. She is underweight and only wants warm milk in her sippy cup! I would give anything for her to eat your homemade cereal. Not going to happen. She will not touch a vegetable,macaroni & cheese, spaghetti,hotdogs, nothing most kids like to eat. She will eat fried chicken, french fries, pancakes, toast, bacon, sometimes an egg, and only Sponge Bob and Dora Chicken noodle soup with crackers. Thats it! Does anyone have any suggestions as to getting vegetables into her diet. I have tried putting vegetables on her plate and she will sit there crying and pushing her plate practically off the table. I am exhausted with this whole thing and don’t know what to do.

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- Heather says:
  
  August 15, 2011 at 7:40 pm
  
  Sounds crazy but start a small veggie garden. Have her help you. Cherry tomatoes are great as you can get a lot and use them in different things. Also bell peppers. I know it is really late in the year, but maybe some lettuce – tell her it is sponge bob seaweed. Just an idea. I know that my daughter really got into eating veggies after we started gardening. Good Luck!
  
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  - Debbie Kirk says:
    
    August 17, 2011 at 8:53 pm
    
    Will she eat meat loaf? You can grind carrots and squash and mix into the meat. Or how about making square ground chicken patties with ground vegetables in them and telling her they are sponge bob cakes. Maybe find sponge bob paper plates at the party store to serve them on.
    
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  - Maria says:
    
    August 18, 2011 at 6:13 am
    
    Have you tried smoothies? If she’ll drink a smoothie you can hide some veggies in there, especially if it’s already got fruit in it. The last issue of Mary Jane’s Farm had some good recipes. You could even sneak some pasteurized egg product in for some extra protein.
    
    I want to give you some words of encouragement. I was EXACTLY the same way as a child and I turned out tall and strong and healthy. Honest! My mom made me milkshakes (smoothies hadn’t been invented yet) and that helped to get the calories in. I know it’s hard not to worry, but the less you make mealtime into a battlefield, the better.
    
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- Debbie Kirk says:
  
  August 17, 2011 at 8:54 pm
  
  Will she eat meat loaf? You can grind carrots and squash and mix into the meat. Or how about making square ground chicken patties with ground vegetables in them and telling her they are sponge bob cakes. Maybe find sponge bob paper plates at the party store to serve them on
  
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- Katrina says:
  
  August 18, 2011 at 7:25 am
  
  We have a rule that you don’t have to eat all of something but you do have to try it. So our girls may not want to eat an entire serving of broccoli, but they will take their required one bite 🙂 Sometimes one bite is all it takes to get them going and they will clean up what they didn’t think they wanted. My girls are 4 and 2. The four year old eats better because she has had to follow the rules longer, but our two year old is coming around. Be patient, persistent and positive and pretty soon it won’t be such a big deal!
  
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- susan says:
  
  August 18, 2011 at 12:38 pm
  
  There are a couple cookbooks by Jessica Seinfeld (Jerry’s wife) – One is called Deceptively Delicious
  and the other Double Delicious. I have Double Delicious- It tell you how to make purees out of fresh vegies and freeze them to incorporate into recipes when you need them. The recipes are excellent
  and the kids don’t even know there are vegies in them.
  
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- kell says:
  
  August 22, 2011 at 11:07 am
  
  i was going to suggest the smoothie thing too…..u can slip an egg in there for protein. cooked zucchini and other squash are things u can add without changing the flavor of the smoothie. you can also add tomato which i do sometimes. too bad about the spaghetti because i usually put zucchini, carrot and other veggies in there. add fruit to the pancakes or do a fruit compote instead of syrup. also, would she eat veggies such as asparagus and sweet potatoes if u fried them tempura style? veggie “fries”? i mean it sounds like she likes fried foods (uh oh) so maybe u could fry up some veggies. could u do veggies in a scramble since she will eat eggs? if u havent already done so u had probably better get some childrens multi vitamins since she isnt getting much nutrition. tell her they are candy. i wish u luck.
  
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Laurie says:

August 15, 2011 at 10:03 am

This looks tasty, I’m definitely going to try it. My son has been dealing with some wheat allergy issues (behavioral) and we have switched to Rice Chex for his cereal choices. Obviously, he won’t be eating this, but I might.

Don’t underestimate how much it costs to make those boxes of cereal – the price of “grains” (corn, specifically) have SOARED in the last few years, and the amount of processing it takes to get that ear of corn into cereal form is fairly significant. Not to mention the marketing budget, the gas it takes to get them to your store, etc… food production is ridiculously expensive and highly competitive.

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Alisa says:

August 15, 2011 at 10:13 am

Tracy, You are the mom in this situation. She is 3 years old and doesn’t do the shopping. Nor does she even do the meal prep. You do. You control what she has access to. Notice I didn’t say that you have control over what she eats. She can choose to eat or not to eat and for some kids that is a power they have in a seemingly powerless world.

Here is what I would suggest: Make her homemade chicken alphabet soup. Make the broth with lots of veggies but only give her the broth and pasta. (Once she is accepting that, you can introduce one vegetable at a time or blend the veggies into the soup.) Give her 3 minutes to start eating, if she refuses, take the bowl away and put her down from the table. If she tries to throw her food, take it away immediately and put her down. No drama. When she is calm again, try again. If that doesn’t work, wait until her next meal time. Do not give her milk between meals. She might be filling up on milk throughout the day and not hungry at dinner time and therefore can afford to be picky. Substitute sweet potato fries for the store bought french fries. Switch her saltines to whole grain crackers. Put fruit in her pancakes, and start adding whole grains. My point is to make your home made food look more like her processed food and start introducing fruits and vegetables contained within her favorites. If she is hungry, she will eat. Maybe not the first new meal you try on her, but eventually she will. Replace her warm milk with warm water. She will drink it if she is thirsty.

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Julie says:

August 15, 2011 at 11:33 am

Any suggestions for what to substitue for almond flour? I just don’t do any kind of nuts….

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- Gabe says:
  
  August 15, 2011 at 2:16 pm
  
  Any flour would do. You might want to try rice flour.
  
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- Cristal says:
  
  September 9, 2016 at 7:18 am
  
  My son is tree nut allergic so I was wandring too.
  
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Joyce Roberts says:

August 16, 2011 at 10:20 am

I love the positive comments and help that the Farm girl sisters give! Alisa has such great ideas to help with trying to get Tracy’s Grand daughter back to eating healthy. My youngest daughter, now 22 years old was a very basic eater when young and we always had to convince her to try new food opportunities. She is now a Professional Chef with two Chef degrees…..she is the one to now get us to try all kinds of healthy dishes! Keep trying!

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Katy~TheCountryBlossom says:

August 18, 2011 at 3:15 am

My sister has made this and just loves it for her and her family! Thanks for sharing it!!!

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Yummy Nasturtiums

Posted on August 9, 2011 by stellajane

These yummy nasturtiums I started all by myself from seeds that I planted in a small yogurt cup.

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Jonni Lynch says:

August 25, 2011 at 7:15 am

I looooove how Nasturtiums look, and these pictures are so pretty! I only wish I eating Nasturtiums was better for me–I found out the hard way that I was allergic to them at my birthday luncheon a few years ago. We ate at the Flagg Fork Herb Farm Cafe in Lexington, Kentucky and I ordered the salad special of the day which came with gorgeous edible nasturtiums, grown in-house. After eating my salad, I noticed that my mouth got really “cold” and my tongue and lips started to go numb. I didn’t say much, but not being able to taste or really eat my food was evident to my mom. Needless to say, I’m allergic and spent the rest of my birthday outing at the ER!

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Today’s Recipe: Gluten-free Breadsticks

Posted on August 2, 2011 by megan

Happy Gluten-Free Day!

Well, around here, at least. Today I’m giving you a recipe for the most gluten-tastic snack I can think of—breadsticks—except you get to eat them anxiety-free.

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Crystal says:

August 12, 2011 at 10:38 pm

Thank you so much for all of the websites. My son has Celiacs and we are always looking for new recipes. Especially learning how to make all of the store bought goodies friendly for him. We will have to try these breadsticks soon.

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Vickie says:

August 18, 2011 at 8:38 am

I just discovered your blog – and love the variety of articles! I’ve already forwarded the gluten-free links to several friends who are Celiacs. I also love the drawings! Now I have an fascinating site to peruse while waiting for my next Mary Jane’s Farm magazine!
~Lavender Lady

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Mary Jane Gates says:

August 18, 2011 at 9:47 pm

Thanks for the gluten free info. I have celiac and am very greatful for the recipes!!!

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Ashley says:

January 7, 2013 at 7:00 am

Hi, I was wondering if you knew any alternative to your budget mix? By the way, I just subscribed to your magazine and I can’t wait for it to come!

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- Lisa Reynoso says:
  
  October 17, 2013 at 2:40 pm
  
  I never buy GF flour mixes–or mixes of any kind! I am a penny pincher to a point, so I make my own mix. It’s not the cheapest out there, but the results are superb:
  
  2 cups almond flour
  1 cup sorghum
  1/2 cup garbanzo or fava bean flour
  1/2 cup millet flour
  1 cup tapioca flour (or half each tapioca and potato starch)
  
  For this recipe, I also add 2 tsp of xanthum gum (or guar gum–guar is cheaper, but I didn’t know that and still have xanthum gum to use up).
  
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Lisa Reynoso says:

October 17, 2013 at 2:42 pm

Wow! I am very impressed! Unleavened, yet with a lovely texture. Quick to make. So tasty, even without the Parmesan. I used my own GF flour blend (see my last comment above), and they turned out perfect, twice. I also substituted applesauce for the oil, since we recently went oil free and feel so much better this way. I am really loving these sticks! Thank you so much for making this recipe available!

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