Oh the joys of moving with Swanson Vitamins Saving the Day

I apologize for the sparse posts lately. Long story made short our house is a mess as we quickly and unexpectedly move to a new house 2 blocks away. Oh the joys of moving. Ugh! Thank goodness Swanson Vitamins included some healthy snacks in the sample box they sent me for my review because my cupboards are currently bare.

The first snack was Soyjoy, an all natural baked soy and fruit bar. These are not like your typical fruit or granola bar. I think a good description would be that soyjoys are like fruitcake in a bar, meaning dense yet flavorful. My favorite flavor was blueberry with an ingredient list of raisins, wild blueberries, pineapple, coconut, cranberries and white chocolate chips. Doesn't that sound good? I have to say that these passed the "picky-kid" test in my home. We tried the banana, blueberry and berry flavors. (If you're like me you throw away all candy that is banana flavored but these bars were good enough to eat.) Even better, soyjoy passed the healthy test with no artificial flavors, colors, hydrogenated oils, gluten and 0 g trans fat.

The second snack sent to me was Pumpkin Crunch Clusters. My kids and I love to eat trail mix for our snack because it's the perfect on-the-go snack to take to the park or keep in my purse plus it satisfies hunger. These clusters are edible just plain but we enjoyed them mixed in with our our trail mix. The seed clusters are salty so I doubled up on sweet (raisins, dried mangos). I *heart* healthy snacks!


*Other bloggers can receive products from Swanson to review by contacting blogs@swansonhealth.com

I was not compensated for this post although I did receive product samples to facilitate my review.  Any and all opinions are my own.  

Make Your Cupcake and Eat It Too!

At a young age my daughter showed signs of a food allergy. After numerous tests we think she is most likely lactose intolerant. (Don't get me started on food allergies!) When Swanson Health Products sent me a gluten, dairy & nut free cupcake mix my kids shouted for joy! Not only has Something Good created a food product under stringent procedures that ensure they manufacture safe allergy free products but it's also baker friendly. Baker friendly? What I mean is the kit is simple to put together (just add eggs and water to the batter packet) and the icing mix and sprinkles are included.

My eldest child is getting to an age where I trust her more to bake a dish completely on her own so these cupcakes were her project. Again, it was helpful that the ingredient list was simple. I also liked how the baking instructions are printed on the back of the box in a clear format. Lastly, the best part about this mix is that even though it's gluten, wheat, dairy, tree nut, soya, GMO, peanut, fructose and even trans fat FREE the cupcakes taste delicious! The vanilla is sweet, the cake has a good density and the color is a clean white. I love baking a "white" cake that in the end really does in fact look white. So pretty!

Check out that "Allergy Awareness" list!

The only cupcake issue we struggled with was the moisture content in the frosting. We live in a very humid environment so with most frosting recipes we decrease the liquids. I did the same with this recipe and still had to add extra powdered sugar. The frosting turned out so runny we couldn't keep it in the frosting bag without drips flowing out nor could we get a beautiful scalloped design. All in all, taste trumps appearance in my book and the flavor of these cupcakes was very good.

*Other bloggers can receive products from Swanson to review by contacting blogs@swansonhealth.com

I was not compensated for this post although I did receive product samples to facilitate my review.  Any and all opinions are my own.  

Sauce Winner

The winners of the Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce are #2 (Emily) & #14 (Amber).

I apologize for the slight delay in announcing the winner but when there's a tsunami then all else goes on the back-burner. Thanks to everyone who entered and thank you especially to Country Bob's for the complimentary sauce!

Healthy & Hearty Banana Nut Muffins

I love to feed my family whole-grain, heart healthy food so I jumped at the chance to review a package of wheat bran sent to me by Swanson Health Products. A little background on Swanson: I enjoyed reading the story of the founding of the company. In the late 1950s Leland Swanson, founder of Swanson Health Products, was struggling to play his beloved sport of golf because of arthritis. After some personal research he began taking supplements to increase his health and eventually after a small mail-order beginning Swanson became the company it is today.

Now on to the ingredient of wheat bran. Bran is the "hard outer layer of grain and is often produced as a by-product of milling in the production of refined grains. Bran is particularly rich in dietary fiber and essential fatty acids and contains significant quantities of starch, protein, vitamins and dietary minerals." (Wikipedia) Basically, wheat bran is the good stuff that is often left out of milled flour. I wanted to bake something special yet kid-friendly for breakfast with the wheat bran. I found a Banana-Bran-Nut Muffin recipe on Bob's Red Mill site but I was concerned that the bread would be unappealingly dense. That's when I pulled out the package of Bob's Red Mill aluminum free baking soda also sent to me by Swansons. I didn't know what that meant but from a little internet research I found out that some companies chemically produce baking soda whereas Bob's Red Mill is mined naturally with water in northwestern Colorado. Why is this important? Although no definitive correlation has been shown regarding health problems (Alzheimer patients have high aluminum content in their brains) aluminum can also be the source of a slight tin flavor in your baked goods.

The Verdict:  With an ingredient list of wheat bran and wheat flour I was doubtful these muffins would be moist let alone enjoyable to my children. The result was two of my kids ate 3 muffins each in one sitting! The muffins are very moist and flavorful. I did add a dusting of granulated sugar to the tops of the muffins for the benefit of my young children. (The noticeably sugary-topped muffins were the first to be eaten.) I am anxious to continue baking with the aluminum free baking soda to see if I can taste a definitive difference. Still, it had to be good baking soda to create a plump muffin when you're baking with such heavy grains.

Banana-Bran-Nut Muffins

Recipe source: Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods

1 1/4 cups wheat bran
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoons salt
3 Tablespoons brown sugar, packed
3/4 cups chopped walnuts
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups plain lowfat yogurt
1 large overripe banana

Preheat oven to 400°F. Insert paper liners in muffin tins, set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the bran, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, and walnuts and stir until well mixed.

Measure the oil and yogurt into the blender (or processor) and add the banana, broken up. Blend at medium speed until uniform, then pour over the dry ingredients. Stir gently until all is wet. Spoon the batter into the foil liners and bake for about 20 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins.

*Other bloggers can receive products from Swanson to review by contacting blogs@swansonhealth.com

I was not compensated for this post although I did receive product samples to facilitate my review.  Any and all opinions are my own.  

National Pancake Week

Recently I received a package of King Arthur Flour's white whole wheat flour to review over on Moana Saves. Since the package was only 5 pounds I left it on my counter for weeks while I debated the different recipes to try with the prized amount of flour.  One night as I was planning to cook my typical dinner standby (breakfast for dinner!) I decided to use a portion of the precious flour (yes, it's that good and can not be wasted!) in King Arthur Flour's whole grain pancake recipe. I reviewed the flour over on Moana Saves but I just want to say that this recipe includes whole wheat flour AND oats yet it was still such a light and flavorful pancake. Mmm-mmm!

Homemade Whole-Grain Pancake Mix

Recipe courtesy of King Arthur Flour with my addition noted in red below

• 4 cups King Arthur white whole wheat flour
• 1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 3 1/2 cups old-fashioned or rolled oats
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 cup vegetable oil

(*My notes: When cooking my pancakes I used 2 cups of the dry ingredient mix, doubling the pancake instructions below. My sole variation was adding 3-4 small over-ripe bananas, throughly mashed, to the wet ingredients prior to combining wet and dry to make the pancake batter.)

To make the mix:

1) Grind the oats in a food processor until they're chopped fine, but not a powder.

2) Put the flour, oats, and all other dry ingredients into a mixer with a paddle. Mix on slow speed, and drizzle the vegetable oil into the bowl slowly while the mixer is running.

3) Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature, or indefinitely in the refrigerator or freezer.

To make pancakes:

1) Whisk together 1 cup of mix, 1 cup of buttermilk (you can use soured milk, but buttermilk gives noticeably superior results; a combination of half plain yogurt and half milk also will do), and 1 large egg. Don't worry if it seems thin at first: the oats will soak up the milk, and the mix will thicken a bit as it stands. Let the batter stand for at least 20 minutes before cooking.

2) Heat a lightly greased griddle to 350°F (if you've got a griddle with a temperature setting; if not, medium-hot will do).

3) Drop the batter onto it in 1/4-cupfuls (a jumbo cookie scoop works well here) to make a 4" diameter pancake. If you have English muffin rings, use them; they make a perfectly round, evenly thick pancake.

4) When the edges look dry and bubbles come to the surface without breaking (after about 2 minutes, if your griddle is the correct temperature), turn the pancake over to finish cooking on the second side, which will take about 2 minutes.

5) Serve pancakes immediately, or stack and hold in a warm oven.

Yield: a batch using one cup of the mix will make about eight 4" pancakes.

Note: If you don't have buttermilk in the house, try the yogurt and milk combination first; if you happen to have buttermilk powder, try this: In place of the buttermilk, add 1/4 cup buttermilk powder to 1 cup of dry mix, then stir in 1 cup water and 1 large egg. The results won't be as magnificent as using liquid buttermilk, but you'll still have very tasty pancakes.

Variation: Add 1 tablespoon orange juice to the dry mix along with the buttermilk. We've found that the acidity and sweetness of the orange juice helps mellow the tannic taste some people perceive in whole wheat flour; while the pancakes won't have any orange flavor, they may taste slightly milder to you, if you're not a fan of whole wheat flour (but still want to get more whole grains into your diet).

BBQ Fun with Country Bob's

Have I ever told you how much I love hamburgers? Without a doubt my dish of choice is a hamburger. Whether it's PW's Blue Cheese & Bacon Burgers or Cheese-Stuffed Southwest Turkey Burgers from Perry's Plate or even a plain ol' grilled beef burger with ketchup and mustard...I love them ALL!

Recently Country Bob's sent me some of their all-purpose sauce to try along with a pamphlet that included some of their favorite recipes. As I scanned the pamphlet my heart skipped a beat when I read: "Honolulu Bob Burgers". What better recipe of choice to try with Country Bob's than a Hawai'ian style burger with fresh pineapple! Below is the recipe along with a few alterations of my own.

Honolulu Bob Burgers
Recipe originally found at Country Bob's, altered by me @ The Dish List

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup bread crumbs
• County Bob's All Purpose Sauce
• 1 small pineapple, sliced to desired thickness (can substitute with well-drained canned pineapple slices)
• sliced Cheddar cheese
• 1 small purple onion, thinly sliced
• 1 Tablespoon butter

Place the ground beef in a large bowl and add the desired seasonings to taste.  Shape a handful of the ground beef mixture into a patty and repeat with the remaining beef. In a separate pan, melt the butter and add the purple onions. Cook over medium heat until the onions begin to brown and caramelize. Remove from heat and set aside.

Grill the patties over hot coals until cooked on one side. Turn the patties over, spread with the desired amount of Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce and top with a pineapple slice. Grill for several minutes or until cooked through. At the last minute add the cheese slice on top of the pineapple and grill until melted. Place the patty on a bun and top with the caramelized onions. You may add more Country Bob's sauce if desired.

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I enjoyed the flavor of Country Bob's All-Purpose Sauce served on my BBQ hamburger. The savory yet sweet sauce has a slight kick to it, enough to make your mouth water for more. To purchase your own bottle of sauce you can purchase ONLINE or find the nearest store location HERE.

The kind people at Country Bob's have generously offered to send TWO Dish List readers their very own bottles of Country Bob's All-Purpose Sauce. To enter just leave a comment answering this question: Who grills the food in your house, the man or the woman?

To earn an additional entry, do one (or all) of the following and leave a separate comment for each thing you do:

1. Follow Country Bob's on Twitter.
2. Like Country Bob's on Facebook.
3. Like The Dish List Facebook page.
4. Follow The Dish List on Twitter.

Only one person per email/household/IPaddress can enter this giveaway.  He/she must be 18+ years old and reside in the U.S.  This giveaway ends on 3/10/11 HST (Hawaii Standard Time).  One winner will be chosen randomly via Random.org.  I will notify the winner via email and he/she must respond to claim the prize within 48 hours or I will draw another winner.

I was not compensated for this giveaway although I did receive samples of products to facilitate the original review.  Any and all opinions here are mine.