Aronia Berry Oatmeal Cookies

Aronia berries are a fun ingredient to experiment with. Our Aronia berries are unique in that they are so packed full of nutrients that the brix (sugar content) is actually a lot higher than average and this makes the tannens in the berry not so much at the forfront of the taste. Instead a sweetness starts to come through.

Typically this is a good indication of nutrition in our foods accross the board; nutrition=more flavor.

Then when you bake, or heat the aronia berries their astrengent weakens even more. So we've been baking, like A LOT! So we've developed two yummy recipes for Aronia berry oatmeal cookies. Today we will be sharing our conventional recipe, and keep an eye out for our gluten free aronia berry cookies coming next week.

Ingredients:

• 1 C. All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 TSP Baking Soda
• 1/4 TSP Salt
• 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, softened to room temp
• 1/2 C Brown Sugar
• 1 Large Egg
• 1 TSP Vanilla Extract
• 1 and 1/2 cups Old-Fashioned Oats
• 1 C Dried Aronia Berries

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. 
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar for 1-2 minutes until well combined. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix until fully combined.
3. Slowly mix in the flour mixture and continue mixing until just combined, then mix in the oats and raisins until fully combined, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. 
4. Cover the cookie dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 
5. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside. 
6. Once the dough is chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and scoop out 2 tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough and dropped onto the prepared baking sheets. Make sure to leave a little room between each ball of cookie dough as they will spread a little while they bake. 
7. Bake in separate batches at 350 F. for 10-12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are lightly golden brown and the top is set. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling. 

Notes: 

-Prep time includes 30 minutes of chilling time 

-Cookies may be stored on the counter in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

News for March & April From Sunset Valley Organics

Happy Spring! Is anyone else ready for Spring? We sure are! We've been busy finishing up our pruning on our blueberries. We've gotten a bit of snow and freezing rain so we are looking forward to warmer weather. WE HAVE NEW PRODUCTS! Finally! We have new berry powders up in the shop. Which is why the newsletter was delayed in going out in March. We wanted to be able to announce that you can now purchase: Red Raspberry Powder Blackberry Powder Aronia Berry Powder Black Raspberry Powder Blueberry Powder Our berry powders are a supercharged way of getting your daily fruits into your diet. You can mix our powders into baking, oatmeal, smoothies, milk, ice cream, and more! Like our dried berries there are no additives or preservatives in the powders so we're keeping the product as natural as possible.  *Note: None of our powders dissolve in water* We've also added a new size to our powders. Now you can purchase all of our powder varieties in 2 lbs. quantities for $110.00.   Our normal office hours are: Monday - Friday 10 am to 4 pm PST  Please note: Do not respond to this email, it does not reach us.

 

 

Cold Weather Shipping  Cold Weather Shipping is still going! Since spring is here, if the temperature gets above 75 degrees where you are please call us and we will discuss if it's safe to ground ship berries to you.  For those who are new to this, every year when it’s cold (nation-wide) we are able to send our frozen berries by ground rather than 2 day air, which saves a lot of money! We can only offer this while it’s cold out, usually fall through the early part of spring. You do need to call us if you would the ground shipping though. Our online store is not set up for it. You can call us at 541-752-0460 Monday through Friday 10 am to 4 pm Pacific Standard Time. **PLEASE NOTE: We are not responsible for shipping delays due to weather conditions** We are also going to have a secret Instagram sale some time this month, so be sure to be following us so you don't miss out!

 

 

No-Bake Blueberry Energy Bites

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup creamy almond butter (or cashew butter)
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup Crispy Brown Rice Cereal
• 1/4 cup ground flax seed
• pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons hemp seeds (or chia seeds)
• 1/3 cup dried blueberries

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the almond butter and maple syrup then stir together. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and stir until evenly coated. If the mixture seems to wet, sprinkle in a few more oats. If it seems to dry, add a teaspoon of water at a time until moist it’s enough. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
2. Using a scooper, scoop out roughly 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of the mixture at a time and roll into balls. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

New Products & Energy Bites!

March was crazy busy and stressful for us. But it all paid off, we are so proud to announce we now have new berry powders available in our shop! We now offer a full line of berry powders; Blueberry, Blackberry, Black Raspberry, Red Raspberry, & Aronia Berry!

Be sure to be following us on Instagram for random sales, and fun photos of what we're up to around the farm!

During the month of April when you purchase any of our powders (4oz or more) you will receive a 2oz sample of another flavor. No coupon needed, this is just something we are doing so our customers can try more of our new products!

We've gotten one common question about our powders which is "How do you use it?" So we thought we would share some of the ways we use our powders. If you receive our newsletter then you saw this months featured recipe of 'No Bake Blueberry Energy Bites' well that was just a jumping point for us. We dived in head first into Energy bites, and the results are really delicious!

Our Base Recipe:

• 1 TBSP Coconut Oil
• 1/3 C Almond Butter (or nut butter of your choice)
• 1/4 C Honey (or maple syrup)
• 1/2 C Old Fashioned Oats
• 2 TBSP Chia Seeds

The Add Ins We Love:

• Raspberry Powder
• Blueberry Powder
• Blackberry Powder
• Aronia Berry Powder
• Black Raspberry Powder
• Coconut Flakes-Unsweetened
• Chopped Almonds

Instructions:
1. Prepare baking sheet with lined parchment, set aside.
2. Melt coconut oil in a large bowl.
3. Stir in the nut butter, honey (or maple syrup) until smooth. Add the oats, chia seeds, and mix ins.
4. Roll into 1 tablespoon balls and place on prepared baking sheet, and place in freezer for up to an hour.
5. Remove from freezer and transfer balls into plastic bag.
6. Store in the fridge for up to one week or the freezer for up to 3 months.

Aronia Berry Coconut Crunch Nutrient Dense Energy Bites: 2 tsp aronia berry powder, 1/4 cup roughly chopped unsalted almonds, 1/4 cup coconut flakes.

Black Raspberry Coconut Nutrient Dense Energy Bites: base recipe + 2 tsp black raspberry powder, 1/4 cup coconut flakes.

Blueberry Crunch Nutrient Dense Energy Bites: base recipe + 2 tsp Blueberry powder, 1/4 cup roughly chopped unsalted almonds. (You can also add in 1/4 cup dried blueberries for even more flavor!)

Raspberry Coconut Nutrient Dense Energy Bites: base recipe + 2 tsp raspberry powder, 1/4 cup coconut flakes.

Fun fact about working with the powders, they don't come off on your hands when forming the balls, so you don't have to worry about your hands getting covered in it! :) 

If you try any other combinations or with other add ins we would love to hear about! Leave us a comment here, on Instagram or on our Facebook page!

Newsletter for November 2015

Happy November! 

Happy November everyone! Wow fall is moving so fast this year! In Oregon where we are, we actually just started to have rain and to feel like it is truly an Oregon Fall. Our blueberries bushes are mostly red now, there is still a bit of green on some of the plants. Did you know different varieties of blueberries turn colors at different times? For us our Duke Blueberry plants turn first, and our Jersey Blueberry plants are the last to fully be red. They also vary in tone of red, Blue Crop Blueberries like to be more of this deep red, and Jersey Blueberries are more orange red.

News From Around the Farm

We have finished putting our blueberry plantings to bed for the fall and winter, and have been working really hard in the raspberries and blackberries tying up the canes and getting the plants ready for next year.

So I know we have been talking about our freeze dried powder, and our freeze drier. Well I sort of have good news. (Just bear with me here guys…) We still have a broken freeze drier, and we are still at that 90% mark. The good news is we have found a company that we can work with to make some blueberry powder for us. We will only have blueberry powder for a while. So it’s better than nothing.  When we have blueberry freeze dried powder available we will be posting on our blog, Facebook, and Twitter. As well as of course having it available in our online store. 

Cold Weather Shipping is Back!

We know a lot of you guys have been waiting for our cold weather shipping to come back. For those of you who are new to our site, every winter we are able to offer better shipping prices on our frozen berries. We are able to do this by shipping by ground rather than by 2-day air, which is standard in our store online. To take advantage of our ground shipping this winter, give us a call at 541-752-0460 (10 am to 4 pm, PST). 

Winter + Holiday Office Hours

Our office hours right now are Monday to Friday 10 am to 4 pm PST.

Our office will be closed for Thanksgiving: November 26, 2015 and November 27, 2015.

Our office will also be closed from December 21, 2015 to January 4, 2016. 

Website Changes on The Horizon

We are going to be making changes to our website, so if you see something wonky, or weird. Please have patience as we will be improving and changing it over the next few months. Our goal is that in 2016 we will have a brand new site, that is educational, and user friendly.

Savings for this month:

We don’t have any coupons this month but there are a couple of different ways for you to save.

1.     We still have an ad in the Pet Press magazine, to use it just bring it in when you visit us at our farm. (There is no code, not valid for online & phone purchases)

2.     We are starting to send out Holiday flyers in orders, so if you buy from us you can receive a coupon that way.

3.     We have gift boxes that make great gifts for this time of year. They also make for a great sampler if you want to try any of our products. Click here to see our gift box section in our online store.

Social Butterflies!

We now have an active Instagram account. You can follow us@SVOrganics . On our Instagram you can see more details about anything that is happening around the farm. Check out our Pinterest board this month! We are adding to our Healthy Thanksgiving board and we are also always adding to our Blueberry, Raspberry, and Blackberry Inspired boards, as well as Harmonious Berry Blends. 

Our Blog theme is follows along the lines of healthy thanksgiving but focused on being  diabetic friendly, every weekend you can find healthy alternative for goodies and treats for this Thanksgiving.

Healthy Thanksgiving: Carrot-Mushroom Stuffing, Diabetic Friendly!

It can be hard during the holidays to cook for everyone, especially those with diatry restrictions, however keeping healthy during the holidays is important, and if you can make it through the holidays healthy then that is an achievement within itself!

Carrot-Mushroom Stuffing
Ingredients:

• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 6 Cups freshly sliced shilltake & button mushrooms
• 1/4 Cup sliced green onions
• 1 TBSP reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 TSP snipped fresh oregano, crushed
• 1 1/2 rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/4 TSP pepper
• 6 Cups dry whole grain bread cubes*
• 3 Cups coarsely shredded carrots (6 medium)
• 1 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes or just until tender, stirring occasionally. Add green onions for the last 1 minute of cooking. Remove from heat. Stir in soy sauce, oregano, rosemary, and pepper.
2.  In a very large bowl, combine mushroom mixture, bread cubes, and carrots. Drizzle with enough of the broth to moisten.
3.  Place stuffing in an ungreased 2- to 2 1/2-quart au gratin or baking dish. Bake, covered, for 45 to 55 minutes or until heated through. (Or to use to stuff a 10- to 12-pound turkey, prepare as above, except use 3/4 to 1 cup broth instead of 1 to 1 1/4 cups broth. Spoon lightly into turkey neck and body cavities; do not pack. Internal temperature of stuffing should register 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.) Makes 12 (3/4-cup) servings.

Additional Notes:

• Make-ahead directions: Prepare as directed through step 2. Place in a 2- to 2 1/2-quart au gratin or baking dish. Cover and chill up to 24 hours. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Bake casserole, covered, for 60 to 70 minutes or until heated through. (For safety reasons, do not make stuffing ahead if planning to use for stuffing a turkey.)
• 
  

• *To dry whole grain bread: Cut enough slices of whole grain bread into 1/2-inch cubes to equal 8 cups (10 to 12 slices). Spread out in a shallow baking pan. Bake, uncovered, in 300 degrees oven about 15 minutes or until dry and crisp, stirring twice. Cool. You should have about 6 cups dried bread cubes.

Happy Healthy Thanksgiving: Home Made Bagles

Who can say no to a bagel? I know no one around here can! So we were super excited when we found a recipe that was gluten free + vegan friendly! We have also given it our own twist! 

Homemade 

Blueberry Bagels 

(Gluten Free + Vegan Friendly) 

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups gluten free all purpose white blend
1 3/4 cups milk of choice or water
2 1/2 tsp yeast or 1 packet 
1/2 cup dried blueberries
3 tsp guar gum
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp salt (+ extra for top)
1 tbsp sugar

Instructions:
1. Heat liquid to 100 degrees F. Add yeast and sugar, then mix and allow to sit for 5 minutes. 
2. In a separate bowl mix flour, gum, dried blueberries, and salt.

3. In large bowl combine liquid and oil. Gradually mix in all the flour mixture by hand to avoid big lumps. Mix until all incorporated and smooth.

4. Use a large cookie scoop or spray a ½ cup to scoop the dough. With wet hands form dough into a ball and use a finger to poke a hole in the center. Gently shape into bagel form by expanding the hole. Place on a individual piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

5. Spray tops with oil, cover with plastic and allow to rise in a warm place for about 20 minutes. (Don't allow to double in size or else it will lose its shape and fall apart in the bath.)

6. Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Gently drop a max of 2 bagels in the water and boiled each side for only 30 seconds each side. Remove individual parchment paper pieces and place back on baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt.

7. Bake at 450 degrees F for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown.

Useful Info:

Be careful moving bagels to and from the water. The extra sheet of parchment paper makes it easier to move and comes off easily after boiling. The water should be a rapid boil and only let them sit for a short while on each side or else they will absorb too much water and become soggy. If you can, allow your oven to preheat at least 20 minutes prior to baking. These freeze extremely well and can be used for sandwich bread.

Original Recipe from Petite Allergy Treats

Healthy Halloween: Vegan Candy Corn

Vegan Candy Corn
Ingredients:

1/4 cup golden syrup (look for Lyle’s brand)

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp melted coconut oil

1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar

1 cup gluten-free flour or tapioca flour + more for mixing

Food coloring*

Parchment paper

Directions: 

1. Take the golden syrup, vanilla, and melted coconut oil and combined using a whisk in a bowl. Then add in powdered sugar and mix until totally combined. Next add in small amounts of flower until it all blends together. 

2. Lay out parchment paper and spread the dough on to it, and knead. Add more flour into it until it becomes clay like. Once it is clay like divide the dough into three equal sections. 

3. Now add the food coloring*. You will need yellow and red, or if you have orange you can use that. If you don't just create the desired shade of orange. To mix the food coloring into the dough, just kneed it until the color is evenly distributed. Once you have achieved the desired colors, wrap the dough in parchment paper and stick in the freezer for about 10 minutes. 

4. Remove from freezer and place on parchment paper. Roll each ball out into ropes and arrange in order of yellow, orange, white. (The dough might become very soft, if this happens just throw back in to the freezer and let it harden back up.)

5. Use a knife and cut the dough into candy corn shapes. 

Storage: Keep in refrigerator or freezer until ready to serve. 

*If your feeling daring, try making different combos of colors and creating your own unique candy corn! 

Adventures in Seattle at IFBC Part 2

On Friday evening we went out in search of dinner, and we found our way to M.O.D Pizza. It's this awesome pizza place, near the convention center in Seattle, WA. I decided to get what they were calling their Seasonal Pizza Salad. It's crust with cheese, in theirs it was asiago, and the salad part was romaine, black olives, diced tomatoes, tossed in ranch dressing. It was so delicious that I just had to create my own version when I got home. 

Caesar Salad Pizza
Ingredients:
Krusteaz Flatbread Mix (Italian Herb)
1/2 Cup Aged Cheddar Cheese
1/8 Cup Chipotle Cheddar Cheese 
Hearts of Romain
8 oz of grilled Chicken, chopped
Black Olives, chopped
1/2 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
Favorite Caesar Dressing







Directions: 
1. I used Krusteaz Flatbread Mix (Italian herb), and followed the directions on the box. This was given to us at IFBC, and oh my goodness it's good. It's also super simple to make, took me maybe five minutes (+10 mins for the dough to rise). 
2.Before putting the flatbread in the oven I added cheese to the crust, we like a lot of cheese, but using however much to your hearts content is best. 
3. While the crust is baking, mix up all the salad ingredients, and toss with Caesar dressing. 
5. Grill chicken till cooked, I used a foreman grill, and then chopped the chicken into bit sized pieces. 
4. When the crust comes out, cut with a pizza cutter, then add the salad and chicken on top, and enjoy! 

Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Bars, Kid Friendly!

Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Bars

Prep Time: 10 Mins  Cook Time:  25 Mins  Total Time: 35 Mins
These Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Bars are soft, moist and full of good-for-you and tasty ingredients. They come together in a cinch in one bowl and make the perfect on-the-go breakfast or snack.



Ingredients:

Wet Ingredients

• 1¼ cups mashed banana (4 bananas)
• ½ cup brown cane sugar*
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients

• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1½ cups oats (or scant 1½ cups oat flour)
• 1 cup almond flour/meal

Mix-Ins

• ½ cup + 2 tbsp chocolate chips
• ½ cups oats
• 1/2 cup dried SVO blueberries

Directions: 

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375F or 180F. Grease a square baking pan with coconut oil or non stick spray.
2. Blend the oats until a fine flour forms (using a blender or an immersion blender).
3. Add the banana to a large mixing bowl. Blend or mash the banana. Add the rest of the wet ingredients to the large bowl. Whisk them together until they are fluffy and fully combined.
4. Whisk and add the seeds, baking powder and sea salt, one by one, to the wet ingredients in the large bowl. Fold in the oat flour and almond meal until a thick and fully combined batter is formed.
5. Fold in the oats and chocolate chips (1/2 cup) to the batter until the oats and chocolate chips are evenly dispersed.
6. Pour the batter into the pan. Smooth out the top with the back of a spoon and sprinkle the extra 2 tbsp of chocolate chips on top. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until the bars begin to golden and a toothpick inserted in the bars comes out almost clear. Leave the bars to cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
7. Cut and store the cooled bars in a sealed container in the freezer for a couple of weeks or in a sealed container for up to 4 days in the fridge. Enjoy!

NOTES

* Substitute brown cane sugar with light brown sugar (Note: this recipe will no longer be refined sugar free)
* Ensure that all your products are certified gluten-free if necessary (oats, baking powder, almond meal)
* Ensure that all your chocolate chips are certified vegan if necessary

Bonus:

We found a great article about why you should ditch the conventional baby food.

5 Reasons to Ditch Store Bought Baby Food.

Reason #1: Organic homemade baby food makes kids smarter.  Ok, ok I can’t guarantee your child will be smarter if he eats organic baby food but homemade organic baby food has a higher nutrient content so it can’t hurt, right?  Studies show that organic produce has higher levels of vitamin C and antioxidants than conventional produce.  Scientists guess this could be due to conventional farming practices that encourage quick, high yields.  Growing extra large tomatoes at the speed of light (as a random example) saturates produce with sugar and water which may decrease nutrient content.  What about organic baby food in a jar?  I’m afraid the news isn’t great.  The process used to prepare organic baby food for grocery store shelf life includes heating the food at high temperatures to kill bacteria.  Unfortunately, the high heat also kills many vitamins and nutrients as well.

Reason # 2: Organic homemade baby food won’t increase a child’s risk of cancer.Why?  Because organic food is free of pesticides, the chemicals that put infants more at risk for cancer, nervous system toxicity, reproductive and hormonal disorders.  Maybe it’s common knowledge that conventional produce is grown with farming methods that use pesticides and insecticides while organic farming practices do not use these substances.  But here are a few (lesser known) reasons I’m convinced organic produce is worth the higher price point (for infants and children in particular):

• Two popular organophosphorus (OP) pesticides used on conventional produce, malathion and chlorpyrifos, interfere with nerve function and can cause behavioral disturbances.

• The Environmental Working Group, non-profit environmental research group in Washington DC, points out that the brain of a newborn child develops quickly and is particularly sensitive to toxic substances.  Because of their susceptibility to developmental toxicity, infants exposed to the chemicals found in conventional baby food are more at risk for cancer, nervous system toxicity, reproductive and hormonal disorders.

• According the Environmental Defense Fund, a non -profit environmental group committed to solving environmental problems reports that more than 1 million children ages 1 to 5 consume a minimum of 15 pesticides a day from conventional fruits and vegetables.  Of these 1 million plus children, at least 600,000 eat amounts of OP pesticides from fruits and vegetables that the federal government deems unsafe!

• The National Academy of Sciences conducted a five-year study and concluded in 1993 that government standards for pesticides in food do not account for the special vulnerability of infants.

• Farmers on conventional farms have been shown to have a higher rate of cancer and there are also suggestions that pesticides may be linked to Parkinson’s disease and Lou Gehrig’s disease.

• The Environmental Working Group and the National Academy of Sciences support infants receiving more protection from pesticides in food and water.

What is particularly disturbing about conventional baby food and infants is the fact that infant’s bodies are smaller and they metabolize food more quickly than adults.  Marion Nestle, author of What to Eat and recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the James Beard Foundation, recommends choosing organic food options because small children are “exposed to proportionately greater amounts of chemicals that act as neurotoxins, endocrine disrupters, and carcinogens.”  Because of their size, these chemicals will cause more harm in children than in adults.

There is good news, however.  Because children are able to metabolize food at a quicker rate, they are also able to eliminate pesticides and insecticides from their system at a faster rate when organic food is introduced to their diets.   A study done at the University of Washington monitored the diets of 23 elementary school children to research the effect of organic diets.  Researchers replaced conventional diets with organic diets over a 15-day period.  The amount of OP pesticides in the children’s urine dropped almost immediately when organic diets were introduced and then rose again when the conventional diets resumed.

What’s in a jar of conventional baby food?

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) analyzed conventional baby food samples from leading manufacturers to find out how many pesticides infants eat.  EWG found 16 different pesticides in the 8 baby food items they tested.  Of those 16 pesticides, “three are probably human carcinogens, five are possible human carcinogens, eight are neurotoxins, five are endocrine disruptors, and five are categorized as oral toxicity 1 chemicals, the most toxic designation.”  Fruit samples contained more pesticides than vegetable samples- with pears, peaches and applesauce leading the pack.

Reason #3: Our babies aren’t lab rats.  Really, they aren’t! So why would we feed them conventional food containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs)?  I’d prefer science experiments containing non-food genes and bits of pieces of insect and human genetics stay out of my baby’s food thank you very much.  The United States is one of the only countries that does not require conventional food makers to identify GMOs in food (WHY?!).  Homemade organic baby food does not contain GMOs.  Enough said.

Reason #4: Babies get used to mom’s cooking.  Trust me, it’s an acquired taste. Children’s eating habits and opinions about nutrition form early and stay with them for life so early exposure to a wide variety of healthy food is key.  A child’s palate is forming in the womb, so what mama ate while pregnant will influence his food preferences as well.  The more you expose your baby to your style of cooking early, the better chance your toddler or preschooler will continue to eat mom’s cooking.

Reason #5: Mama knows if her kid starts stealing cars later in life it won’t be because she jacked him up on chemicals and preservatives. Whew, you can rest easy.

Interested in some of our favorite baby food recipes?  Both my kids loved these between the ages of 6-18months (ish)

Click here to see the original article. 

Women's Health Recipe: Mediterranean Shrimp Tacos with Garlic Yogurt Sacuce

Mediterranean Shrimp Tacos

Prep time:  4 mins

Cook time:  10 mins

Total time:  14 mins

Serves: 8

 

Mediterranean Shrimp Tacos with Garlic Yogurt Sauce. Shrimp tacos with a Mediterranean flair; pita bread, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives and feta cheese.

Ingredients

Sauce

• 1 cup yogurt
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4-5 large fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
• salt and pepper to taste

Tacos

• 4 whole pita breads, halved (use gluten-free for dietary restrictions)
• 8-ounces fresh or frozen (thawed) shrimp, deveined and peeled
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¾ cup cup jarred artichoke hearts (water or oil-packed), chopped
• ¾ cup kalamata olives, halved
• ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

1. Combine yogurt, garlic, basil, salt and pepper in small bowl to make sauce.
2. Preheat oven to 350º F. Place pita halves on baking sheet or directly on oven rack. Heat 7-10 minutes, until warm.
3. Meanwhile, evenly sprinkle shrimp with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Mix to coat. Heat large pan or skillet over medium heat. Heat olive oil and add shrimp. Cook 5-7 minutes, rotating half way, until shrimp is cooked and opaque white. Remove and discard tails.
4. Open warmed pita halves and evenly fill with cooked shrimp, artichoke hearts, olives, and feta. Top with garlic yogurt sauce. Makes 8 halves.