10-Day REAL Food Challenge

Our 10-Day REAL Food Challenge.


Starting February 1st we're taking a pledge to pull out every kind of processed food item from our diet to focus on whole foods, lots of fruits and vegetables, local sustainable dairy products, eggs and meats, and---of course---no added sugar.

We pretty much already follow these type of eating habits, but thought it might be time for us to look a little deeper into our pantries. I had heard of challenges like this one before, but when I ran across the mention in last month’s Eating Well, I knew if another family of four could do it, then we could too. This family chose 100 days verses our simple 10 days, but in all honesty it’s not the length of time we do it, but more importantly, the awareness of what and how we eat.

To look at a list of ingredients and notice just how sugar can sneak in anywhere, from brown sugar to white, it’s in just about everything. And what about the laundry list of chemicals and preservatives found in store bought bread? Another reason why I’ve been trying to perfect my bread making skills! We aren’t ones to have too many of these items in our house anyway, we tend to chose not to buy a lot of processed foods. Except for a few boxes of cereal, crackers, and protein bars, there usually aren’t too many of these in our house. I have stocked up on honey and maple syrup as our choice of sweetener. Cooking with these sweeteners is lots of fun and adds a great new flavor to your recipes as you can tell from some upcoming recipes I’ll share.

So, I’ve been asked “why”? Well, why not? Why not challenge ourselves to see if we can go without supporting the ConAgra’s, Kraft’s and other big name companies of the world or remove ourselves from crazy sugar obsession of America? Plus there is something about proving that you can do it that makes it worth the effort.

During these 10 days I’ll share with you our menu and helpful recipes. We would love it if you join us!

Almond Cocoa No Bakes

With our upcoming 10-Day REAL Food Challenge starting in a week or so, I have had my thinking cap on for ways to make a few sweet treats without using sugar. We have agreed to only use honey and 100% maple syrup as our sweeteners. We aren't a sugar consuming family but when it comes to baking, I typically use either cane sugar, turbinado sugar or brown sugar in most of my recipes. And I hadn't really thought about chocolate either, but every kind has sugar but bittersweet and cocoa powder. Oh dear! Have I ever admitted my obsession with chocolate? Yes, it's pretty bad. It can be baked in cookies, served up in a sauce, broken up in pieces, whatever way as long as it's dark and smooth. Ah! But no worries, I have found a yummy fix. And this treat actually is more on the healthy side!

Almond Cocoa No Bakes

1 stick of unsalted butter
1 oz. bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup almond butter
1 tsp almond extract
2 cups old fashion rolled oats
1/4 cup chopped nuts (I used almonds and pecans)

In a small saucepan melt butter and bittersweet chocolate. When mixture is shiny remove from heat and stir in cocoa powder, honey extract and almond butter. Add the oats and chopped nuts. When mixture is cool enough to touch, scoop a tablespoon of mixture and roll into a ball and place on parchment paper. Place in refrigerator to harden. Keep in sealed container for up to 3 days -- (Ha! They were gone long before that in our house.)

Easy Appetizer: Olive Walnut Tapenade



I love to entertain! Every aspect of it brings me joy and excitement. There is a bit of nervousness and anticipation when extending the invitation---whether by email, phone call or fancy paper invitations. Just knowing that when I extend the invitation to share in food and drink it will bring love, friendship and memories, everything I need to survive!

One of my earliest memories of entertaining was when I invited my husband, or at that time boyfriend, over for dinner. This was THE first time I had ever cooked for him, much less cooked anything really fancy. I flipped through a ton of cookbooks---it's crazy to think that this was before the Internet---looking for the perfect "date night" dinner. I chose Spinach Stuffed Manicotti and it turned out perfect! It took courage, planning and lots of patience but I made it a success. Haha, or at least that's what he said. It could have been our young love that made up for the real taste.

Do you like to entertain? Does it get you to finally clean your house or to use your favorite dishes? Do you plan everything out or fly by the seat of your pants? Would you rather cook it all yourself or have it catered?

Here is one of my favorite appetizers! It's a crowd pleaser that's simple to make and doesn't use many ingredients. It's also full of healthy fats with the olives and walnuts. You can serve it with a rustic bread (I used small slices of my Whole Wheat Bread) or spread it on crackers or celery. Or you could eat it like our youngest gal---straight from the bowl!

Olive Walnut Tapenade

1 cup olives, pitted (I use a mix of Kalamata and Green. I love to shop from the Olive Bar at Whole Foods and Fresh Market)
1/2 cup walnuts
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 cup artichoke hearts
1 tsp water
Add all ingredients to your blender or small food processor and pulse until mixture is chopped. You don't want to puree this, just chop until there are no large pieces. Place in the refrigerator for about 15 to 20 minutes to let flavors soak together. Can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in a sealed dish.

All in One Dough Recipe: Weisenburger Mill Flour





I think I've mentioned my dream of opening up a bakery on here, right? Well, I've perfected my scones, muffins, and cookies, but I still needed to work on my bread. I have had this recipe laying around for a long time, given to me by this fabulous chef friend of mine in Portland. I should have listened to Mike when he promised that this was the BEST recipe he'd used for his breads.



So, yesterday morning, after the sun started shining through the snowy clouds, I remembered the recipe and decided to give it a try. I started out using some Weisenberger Mill Whole Wheat Blend flour, a cute little mill located in Midway, Kentucky. This recipe is so basic that you could make it into whatever you'd like. Bread, cinnamon rolls, pizza dough, flat bread, or rolls. And another thing about this dough is how versatile it is---you could also make multiple items from this recipe. I made two loaves of bread and a small batch of cinnamon rolls. We plan on using this bread for our REAL Food Challenge we are taking on for the two weeks in February. More to come about this challenge in an upcoming post.









Simple Whole Wheat Bread

2 tbsp active dry yeast

2 tbsp Turbinado sugar (I used honey)

4 cups warm water

8 cups whole wheat flour

1 tbsp sea salt

1 tbsp olive oil

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in 4 cups of warm water and let sit for about 10 minutes or until foamy. In a large bowl, or stand-up mixer bowl, sift together flour, salt and any extras you want to add. When the yeast has proofed, add to flour. Mix together and knead the dough on a lightly floured surface. Or, if using a stand-up mixer, use dough hook and allow machine to knead that dough for about 5 minutes. The more you knead the dough the lighter the bread will be.



Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and let rise for about an hour or until doubled in size. When raised, punch the dough down and flatten it out and form into your desired shapes. Lightly spray pans and heat oven to 350 degrees. Let dough rest for about 10 minutes while oven is preheating. Bake for 30 minutes, or until browned and crusty. If baking loaves, try spraying with oil or water to add a crusty texture.

Ideas for added ingredients:

Whole flaxseeds

Ground flaxseeds

Sunflower seeds

Crushed garlic

Fresh rosemary

Extra honey

Maple syrup



Warning: once you make this and see how easy it is- you may never go back to buying store bought bread!!