Favorite Ingredients

I am sharing with you some of my favorite ingredients and products--these are staples in my kitchen and sometimes just the product or ingredient itself gives me inspiration to make something great! In sharing these, I hope that they too can spark an idea in you, or simply introduce you to some new ingredients that you can begin working with! These are healthy choices and most can act as a substitute for a less healthy and more processed ingredient that a recipe may call for. Try these and substitute some of my favorite products and ingredients in your daily dining!

Yoplait Yogurt:

Yogurt is a healthy, sweet, and flavorful ingredient that is not only a great treat enjoyed on its own, but also a great ingredient for baking! Who knew!? I use Yoplait yogurt in my Blueberry Yogurt Bark and in my Strawberry No-Flour Muffins. The yogurt acts as a great binder in baking without using eggs, butter, flour, heavy cream, and other higher calories and higher fat ingredients. Since the yogurt is packed with flavor and is sweet on its own, you usually don't need to add a lot of additional sugar or sugar substitute when baking with it.

Old Fashioned Oats:

I am not kidding when I said that the ingredients in this section were staples in my kitchen--I have a 10 lb bag of Old Fashioned Oats that I bought at Costco! I'm no hoarder, but I have 10 pounds of this stuff on hand because I go through it so, so fast! Oatmeal is a super food to me--I eat it practically every morning for breakfast accompanied with bluberries, sliced almonds, and brown sugar, but I also LOVE cooking and baking with it. I love it in my Strawberry No-Flour Muffins, and believe it or not, it is an ingredient necessary in my Vegetarian Black Bean Burgers.

   There are endless health benefits to eating rolled oats, and they are one of the cheapest healthful foods you can purchase at the grocery store. Old Fashioned Oats are low in calories and actually stop hunger cravings. Seems kinda crazy, I know! But 1/3 cup of rolled oats (which is the portion size I eat for breakfast) is only 100 calories and it stays in your gut longer than cereal for instance, and will leave you feeling fuller and bode off hunger cravings. Oatmeal also contains high levels of protein, fiber, which are two things that may Americans lack in their diets. Need more Fiber!
   In addition, these oats are on the short list of gluten free items. Put oats in a food processor and chop until they are blended down to a fine powder and you can substitute them for flour in any recipe and it becomes gluten-free friendly! Moreover, old fashioned oats stabilize blood sugar and can actually reduce the risk of diabetes. High fiber and complex carbs slow down the conversion to simple sugars and high levels of magnesium nourish the body's proper use of glucose and insulin secretion. These are just a few benefits, studies have shown that oats can reduce the body's risk for heart disease due to its antioxidants and also can enhance immune response! This stuff is awesome!



Flatout Flat Breads:




Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage: