August 2010

August 1, 2010 in 2010 by Joyce Bunderson

August: In this Issue

Special Days and Monthly Celebrations

Dr. Grandma really enjoys celebrations and special days; so each month she shares a few ideas that she thinks are interesting.

Recipe Contest Winners

And the winner is …. June 30, 2010 was the deadline for the recipe contest. Dr. Grandma wants to thank everyone who participated with their yummy recipes. The winners and their recipes are included below.

Good Health Can Be Yummy

Dr. Grandma’s blog – the Foodland Chronicles – has recipes and thoughts on making great tasting food that builds healthy bodies. Links to last month’s Foodland Chronicles are provided.

Special Days and Monthly Celebrations

August is for relaxing: vacationing; camping; and striving to stay cool while enjoying the waning hot summer days. Certainly there is always time for friends and family; but most of all August is for getting our minds and hearts around ‘back to school time.’ Some of us don’t even have children in the home, but we’re lamenting the coming season of concentrated work – and the end of warm, relaxing summer breezes.

August is made for lounge chairs; backyards; barbecues and Dutch ovens; and the water’s edge — be it ocean shore, river, lake, or a little stream. If you need a holiday, the following four may give you a good reason to relax.

  • Simplify Your Life Week – August 1st to 7th
    August is a great time to daydream – daydream about ways to make your life a bit easier. So if you’re not asleep in that lounge chair by the stream, let your mind wander through your routine – maybe you’ll discover something that can be done more simply.
  • National Clown Week – August 2nd to 8th
    Grandparents, parents, kids of all ages, could have a fun and relaxing time goofing around as clowns. Maybe someone in the family wants to do a little web surfing to learn about clowns. If you need to feed the clowns don’t forget: popcorn (whole grain); Dr. Grandma’s Muffins (perfect clown food); a fun, colorful tray of a variety of fruits; and broccoli (trees to kids), carrots, and so on – clowns enjoy eating healthily!
  • National Relaxation Day – August 15th
    An entire day dedicated to relaxing – curled up in a lawn chair, with a book and a nearby babbling brook – for a whole day. Maybe we should call it ‘Dream on Day.’ ☺
  • Sandcastle and Sculpture Day – August 15th
    If you’re not an architect or sculptor, maybe you can get some great ideas from these pictures of sandcastles. Fun in the Sun!

August is Back to School Month – You’ll probably be busy purchasing clothing, notebooks, calculators, pens, and pencils, but take a few minutes to scan the cupboards. How about making a goal to send the family out of the house with a healthy start this school year? In the spirit of trying to stay realistic — you know how the mornings can ‘fly’ and are gone before we realize it — consider the following option decided upon by an incredibly busy family. The mother, a high school teacher, herself, makes Dr. Grandma’s muffins the night before; they’re ready after a few seconds in the microwave and still have the ‘just made taste.’ The mother told me that she feels good about starting the family off with 100% whole wheat, with fruits and nuts. It has really decreased her anxiety and stress. She serves a delicious healthy breakfast without adding to the ‘time crunch.’

August Is for Remembering and Reconnecting Like all months, August is for enjoying Family and Friends; the following seven holidays may give you an idea of someone to remember:

  • Girlfriend’s Day – August 1st
    Maybe relaxing and girlfriends can go together.
  • Best Friends Day – August 15th
    Best friends can be boyfriends, or your spouse, but girlfriends could enjoy two days in August for getting together.
  • Sister’s Day – August 2nd
    Sisters are perfect people for best friends or girlfriends – that’s three days in August for getting together – hopefully relaxing together.
  • World Wide Web Day – August 1st
    The web or Internet is a great way to get together, when your girlfriend, best friend, or sister doesn’t live nearby. It’s fun to share a recipe, a picture or a note, without even a penny for
    postage. ☺
  • Senior Citizen’s Day – August 21st
    At our house, we have senior citizen’s day every day. ☺
  • Kiss and Make Up Day – August 25th
    I’m not crazy about this one. Does that mean that if you’ve said a cross word you have to wait for an entire year to ‘kiss and make up’ if the cross word didn’t happen on August 24th? Or is it really just an excuse to give an extra kiss?
  • Purple Heart Day – August 7th
    I included this one in the Family and Friends section because my dad earned two purple hearts during World War II – two stays in Walter Reed Hospital. Maybe your dad or granddad, or grandma got a purple heart; you could ask them to tell your children about it.

August is for Eating Something Delicious and Nourishing:

  • Sweet Corn Day – August 1st
    If you’re striving to add more whole grains to your menu, fresh sweet summer corn is perfect. If you had told me a few years ago that I would be enjoying corn without salt or butter – I would have said ‘No way!’ But I guess that my taste buds just woke up and decided that I like the flavor of fresh corn – that is, fresh corn right after steaming or grilling – nothing more. Love it!

  • Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Night – August 8th
    My list of zucchini recipes continues to grow. If you decide to ‘share your abundant harvest’ with a neighbor on August 8th, don’t forget to save some for Donna Kelly’s Recipe Contest Winning, ‘Wholegrain Confetti Zucchini Cakes’ with fruits and nuts. It has really decreased her anxiety and stress. She serves a delicious healthy breakfast without adding to the ‘time crunch.’

  • The Date to Create – August 8th
    This is another day, set aside to use your creative juices to make something yummy and healthy. If you fall asleep on that lounge next to the babbling brook or the sound of the lulling waves don’t fret, you can just try one of the recipe contest winners below.

  • National Waffle Day – August 24th
  • Waffle Week – August 31 to September 6th
    If one day (August 24th) is just not enough, how about a week — August 31st – September 6th? I’ll put up a new topping recipe for waffles during August. The waffles will be made with Dr. Grandma’s 100% Organic Whole Wheat Pancake and Waffle Mix, of course, because they need to be Yummy and Healthy.

Recipe contest winners

Grand Prize Winner – Donna Kelly

Donna Kelly wins the Grand Prize for her Wholegrain Confetti Zucchini Cakes. This is by far the most creative recipe that we’ve received during both of our recipe contests. A savory delight!

Donna Kelly - Recipe Contest Winner and the Blendtec

Congratulations and thanks to Donna Kelly for a creative and great recipe!

Wholegrain Confetti Zucchini Cakes
Makes 16 cakes; Total time 20 minutes

Ingredients

4 10-inch long zucchinis (about 4 cups grated)
Canola oil for frying
1 cup diced yellow onions
1 red bell pepper, diced (about 1 cup diced)
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, diced (about 1 cup diced)
1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 large egg
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons cumin
1 cup Dr. Grandma’s Pancake and Waffle Mix

Directions

Grate zucchinis on the large holes of a box grater onto a large thin cotton kitchen towel. Gather towel up around zucchini and squeeze out as much water as you can with your hands.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add about 1 tablespoon of canola oil. Sauté onions and peppers with salt and pepper until softened; stirring frequently for about 3 minutes. Add in garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Whisk together in a mixing bowl the eggs, Tabasco sauce, vinegar and cumin until well blended. Stir in pancake mix. Stir in zucchini and sautéed vegetable mixture.

Wipe out skillet with a paper towel and then add enough oil to thinly coat bottom of pan. Heat to medium heat. Drop batter into pan in 1/4 cup mounds and then flatten mounds with the bottom of the measuring cup, forming cakes about 1/2 inch thick. Cook over medium low heat in a covered skillet for about 5 minutes per side, or until lightly browned on both sides and cooked through.

Drizzle with a favorite savory sauce. (I used Greek yogurt mixed with Frank’s Red Hot Sauce and cumin.)

Donna Kelly's Wholegrain Confetti Zucchini Cakes

Second Place – Merry Graham

Merry Graham won Second Place with her Spiced Avocado-Orange Pecan Muffins. Merry’s recipe shows a creative way to add the moisture, monounsaturated fats and a huge load of nutrients to a snack, dessert or breakfast item.

Spiced Avocado-Orange Pecan Muffins

Ingredients

2 whole eggs or ½ cup egg substitute
1 cup mashed avocado
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
12.5 oz. packet of Dr. Grandma’s Whole Wheat Muffins Your Way (with accompanying extra virgin olive oil packet).
½ cup toasted pecans, chopped
12 pecan halves for the top

Directions

Heat oven to 400º F. Coat muffin pans with vegetable spray.

In a large mixing bowl, mix eggs, avocado, orange extract, orange
zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, water, and olive oil packet from Dr.
Grandma’s Whole Wheat Muffins
package.

Add muffin mix and chopped pecans, and stir just until moist.

Spoon batter into muffin tin. Place a pecan on top of each muffin.

Bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the muffin; about 14 to 18 minutes.

Remove from muffin tin to wire rack immediately, before cooling.

Makes 12 muffins.

Merry Graham’s Spiced Avocado-Orange Pecan Muffins


 
Third Place – Shiloh Kinne

Shiloh Kinne’s Chocolate Plum Molasses Crinkle Cookies are a delight!

Ingredients

1/2 cup Doctor Grandma’s mild extra virgin olive oil
1 cup sugar or Dr. Grandma’s zero-calorie all-natural Delight sweetener
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses
1 teaspoon orange extract
2 tablespoon fresh squeezed orange juice
1/2 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
2 cups Dr. Grandma’s organic hard red spring wheat flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dried plums, chopped (or apricots, cherries, or dates)
1/4 cup ground almonds

Directions

Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, oil, sugar or sweetener, egg, molasses, extract, orange juice, and orange zest with an electric mixer until creamy.

Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, spices and salt, in another large bowl until well mixed. Stir in dried plums. Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients one cup at a time; mix well.

Roll the dough into 24 (1-inch) balls. Roll balls in ground almonds.

Place balls 1-inch apart on prepared baking sheet. Bake cookies for 8 minutes or until they crackle on top and still very soft inside. Do not over bake. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Make Ahead Tip: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Shiloh Kinne’s Chocolate Plum Molasses Crinkle Cookies


 

Good Health Can Be Yummy™

Recipes and thoughts on making great tasting food that builds healthy bodies.
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