Archive for November, 2008

This is simply amazing!

Life in California in the 70′s was about healthy living. My friends and I would go to the local food co-op to acquire all the “healthy” foodstuffs then get together and parcel out our goods. And unlike today with all the convenience of ready food items we made every thing from scratch. Thinking “green” was a way of life thirty years ago.

Our kids? Never saw Fruit Loops or anything that we thought would “poison” their bodies. Little did I know that it would not last. No need to go into how Flintstone vitamins tasted so good that….well one vitamin that tasted like candy wasn’t going to be enough!  My daughter decided to eat half a bottle in one sitting, and made herself violently ill.

Then McDonald’s introduced the Happy Meal. Can you actually believe we have had Happy Meals since 1979? The first Happy Meal only cost a $1.00 and contained either a McDoodler stencil, a puzzle book, a McWrist wallet, an ID bracelet or McDonald Land character erasers.  No matter how hard I tried, after one sampling of this junk my kids were demanding it non-stop.

Eventually I had to strike a balance between my ultra-healthy ways and a more balanced, kid-friendly lifestyle.  I let them eat some junk, as long as we were eating health foods the majority of the time.

After my kids grew and left home I reverted back to my “granola” heritage and went back to making soups from scratch, swilling fresh juice and herbals teas, and choosing only whole grains and unprocessed foods.

In my late forties I moved to Belgium where fast food and pre-packaged meals were not part of the normal lifestyle.  I started cooking much more and experimenting with even more whole foods recipes.

One recipe that has stood the test the time are the Oatmeal
Pancakes from the whole foods bible Laurel’s Kitchen. Even my friends who are not obsessed with healthy eating love them. (The secret is in soaking the oats for five minutes before cooking)

Enjoy!!!

Oatmeal Pancakes

1 1/8 cups milk
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt

• Combine the milk and rolled oats in a bowl and them stand at least 5 minutes.
• Add the oil and beaten eggs, mixing well. Stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
• Bake on a hot, lightly oiled griddle, using 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. Turn them when the top is bubbly and the edges are slightly dry.
• Serve with fresh, organic honey or real maple syrup!
• Makes 10 t0 12 four-inch pancakes.