My Newest Obsession... TSM D10 Stainless Steel Dehydrator

After quite the search for a dehydrator, I am one happy camper! I have wanted to try to dehydrate food for a long time now. It is extremely healthy, and part of the raw foods diet. I was hoping to get some new healthy and yet appetizing snacks for my entire family, as part of our New Year's Resolution. According to thehealingjournal.com. "Living foods are uncooked foods. They are easy to digest, rich in vitamins, minerals, and enzymes, and are highly nutritious"(healingjournal.com).

Sure, you could just give your kids fresh fruit, but the truth is that snacks get boring, especially healthy ones. I wanted to give my kids something that they hadn't had before. Plus, with dehydrating, you don't have to worry about the fruit spoiling as quickly as it does (especially when it's organic). That article from healingjournal.com that I referenced above, also discussed this fact.

"If stored properly, dehydrated foods have a longer shelf life than any other preservation methods. When sealed properly and left unopened, dehydrated foods can sit on your shelf for up to 20 years making them excellent for disasters and hard times" (healingjournal.com).

There were quite a few things that I took into consideration while searching for the right dehydrator for my family's needs. I knew I wanted to buy a high quality dehydrator that was ginormous. Once I become less of an amateur, I plan on having a dehydrating week every month in which I can stock up on snacks for my family. That being said, I wanted something big enough to accommodate my lofty ideals. I also wanted something that would look good in my kitchen, since this is a pretty big, small appliance purchase. My kitchen is mostly stainless steel and I wanted my dehydrator to be attractive and match everything else (yes it's quite petty, *shrugs* I'm nothing if not honest).

I like to try to support local businesses if I can (plus I was not that interested in paying shipping on an item that could weigh upwards of 10 pounds). The other benefit to buying locally, is that if there is a problem, the facility is close and it will be easier to take care of. So there you go, size, design, number of trays, and ethical reasoning went into my decision-making process. Also, the fact that I researched forums and narrowed it down to 4 eligible "bachelors" that were reviewed pretty decently:

Nesco FD-61WHC Snackmaster Express All In One Food Dehydrator:
Ok,so this dehydrator was a little on the tiny side in terms of what I need. It was also the cheapest on my list. It comes with 5 trays and you can always purchase more to add onto it. I would rather just buy it all together in the first place, although I am sure that this dehydrator is decent, it just was not for me.

L'Equip Dehydrator:
This dehydrator was a teensy bit bigger, having 6 trays- still not quite big enough for me though!

Excalibur 3900 Deluxe Series 9 Tray Food Dehydrator:
This one seemed really nice, it was large and the design was ok... but it was shipping from California. The shipping... *shudders* Also, this dehydrator had Polycarbonate Trays with Polyscreen inserts. Heating plastic is not healthy for anyone, or the environment. I wanted a stainless stell model, so I kept searching and was glad that I did!

The Sausage Maker (TSM) D10 Stainless Steel Dehydrator:
*Le sigh* Is it so wrong that I am in love with a piece of Stainless steel? This dehydrator is AMAZING. It's the kitchen version of my Mr. Right, and everything that I was looking for! The TSM D10 Stainless Steel Dehydrator has 10 shelves, and it's a digital model.



There is a timer and automatic shut off, as well as an on and off switch. The entire thing is stainless steel, including the brackets and shelves which are dishwasher safe, making clean-up a breeze! It comes with a very informative manual that has the cook times for almost any fruit and vegetable that you could possibly think of. Also, the design of it is phenomenal, it looks really nice in my kitchen, I love the stainless steel (have I said that already? *shrugs*). It has a modern, industrial look to it. The other thing that made me excited about it, was knowing that it is a local business. I was able to order online and pick it up in the store (perfect for me given that my two-year-old is more patient than I am!).



When I had a question about the product, I called and ACTUALLY SPOKE WITH A PERSON almost immediately! I am a huge sucker for a prompt and courteous customer service staff- which "The Sausage Maker" certainly has! If you have never checked out their website home-food-processing.com Go. NOW. They have some really cool kitchen items, I am already eyeing a few of their other products. Their phone number is 1-716-824-5814.

So, my first project was "apple chips." I made what I thought was enough for a few weeks (two bins full) and they were gobbled up in two or three days!

I started out with organic red delicious apples, cleaned them up, cored them and sliced them into 6 mm slices (per the manual). Since I know apples will brown easily, I dipped them into some juice so that the citric acid would help distract mother nature for a bit (I mean come on, she has more pressing things to concern herself with!) After slicing and dipping, I laid the slices out on the shelves and set the timer for 15 hours at 135 degrees.

The next morning when we woke up, we had a yummy addition to breakfast (and basically every meal throughout the day). I added them into organic yogurt with some flaxseed cereal, it was a delicious breakfast! My daughter loved it too! "Appo Chips," as she has dubbed them, were a success! ;)













She couldn't get enough of them!


My second project was "Banana Chips." My toddler was really excited about these! The kid would live off of bananas alone if we would let her. I used organic bananas. All you have to do is peel the banana (duh.) and then cut them into 3 mm slices. We let them dehydrate for 10 hours at 135 degrees. Once more in the morning there was a yummy addition to cereal, yogurt or as a stand alone snack!









These were her favorite!


I have decided that every week or so I will be posting a new idea or recipe that I have tried out on my dehydrator, so stay tuned for more yumminess!

"Let Them Eat Cake"... er... cupcakes!

I know this is a health food blog, but since we are just days away from Valentine’s Day I thought I would kick it off with something sweet. One of the hardest things for me to deal with after shunning gluten is not being able to have cake on my birthday. Pathetic, I know, but hey I’m only human. I have noticed that in the past two years alone the gluten free aisle at Wegman's has grown exponentially but there is always an ingredient or two in their gluten free cake mixes that I can't have *claps hands and squeals in an annoying sing-song voice* Until now-ow..." Ha ha my husband has no excuses this year; I am fully expecting a cake!



I am utterly amazed by the awesomeness that is Cherrybrook Kitchen (even their name is awesome!). From the quality of their products right down to the adorable packaging (yes I am that fickle at times...). Their cake mix is free of gluten, wheat, dairy, egg and nut. As I stood in the grocery store staring at the ingredient list to make sure I wasn't misreading it, I wondered what the HECK do they actually use when they are so limited on ingredients?!

I figured that I would save you the trouble of standing in the middle of the grocery store drawing attention to yourself while grinning like you are holding a golden ticket. The ingredient list is: white rice flour, evaporated cane juice, potato starch, granulated brown sugar, tapioca starch, natural vanilla flavor, leavening (non alluminated baking powder, sodium aluminum phosphate), calcium lactate (no dairy derivatives), xantham gum, sea salt, calcium carbonate, citric acid and guar gum. You have to add margarine (I used butter don’t use plastic food, people!) and water to the cake mix. If you are sensitive to all dairy products, there are plenty of vegan butter substitutes out there (let me know if you need help finding one :). I almost started jumping up and down like a two year old in the aisle because I could eat all of those things! People without food allergies just don't understand that finding a substitute that you can eat that tastes good is like winning the lottery.

Right next to the cake mix on the shelf, was frosting mix. Oh, how I have missed frosting. As most gluten allergy vets can attest to companies manage to stick gluten anywhere and everywhere as a filler (even in the glue for envelopes!). Given this fact, I have not bought much pre-packaged anything in the past couple of years. I have to admit though; I do so miss the carefree days when I could open up a container of frosting and grab a spoon. Yes it's disgusting, but don't be so quick to judge- you know you've done it at least once ;)

As you can see, the Cherrybrook Kitchen Vanilla Frosting mix comes in an equally adorable box and is also wheat, gluten, dairy, egg, and nut free. The ingredients are: confectionary sugar (contains cornstarch), all natural vanilla flavor and sea salt. You have to add butter and rice milk (or any type of milk you prefer) to the mix. Believe me the butter makes the frosting ;)

I also decided to top my cupcakes off with gluten free sprinkles (YESSS!!!)The brand is "Lets Do Sprinkelz" and their sprinkles are gluten free and vegan. The ingredients are: Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Corn Malt Syrup, Water and Natural colors* ("our natural colors are extracts of seeds, vegetables or fruits"). This was a big deal to me because I do not buy anything with food coloring in it for my kids. I took a nutrition class a couple of semesters ago and learned about the horrible things that food coloring can do to your body. *shudder* It's enough to be the topic of a post in and of itself. I might post the link to a few websites about it if anyone is interested. So back to the sprinkles here they are:



Last but not least, I decided to be a good little earth mama and use environmentally friendly cupcake paper liners. The brand is "If You Care." They are made from biodegradable and recycled paper free of toxins; they contain no chlorine and are unbleached.



Since a picture is worth a thousand words here is my photo essay of yumminess:





No hating on the frosting job, people. It's not my strong point ;)



TA DAAA! Now the final test... the toughest judge I know... my two-year old.



Hey Mikey, she likes it!!!

The surest sign that you have struck gold with a recipe? When your toddler screams like you just ripped the head off of her precious ee-ee (stuffed monkey) once the cupcake is gone and she is told that she cannot have another one.



In time, she got over it ;)

I would say that the cupcake venture was successful. The frosting was super creamy (much better after the cupcakes had been refrigerated, plus that way it's not as messy when the kids eat it). Also I have a close friend who is not gluten sensitive and doesn’t live in my house therefore she doesn't have to eat my strange concoctions if she doesn't want to. She loved the cupcakes and said "they taste like gourmet cupcakes."

Give them a try and let me know what you think. Most Wegmans and Feel Rite grocers carry it. If there isn't one of those store near you check out Cherrybrook's website www.cherrybrookkitchen.com or call them at 1-866-I-LUV-CBK. Their customer service department is beyond friendly. I called with a question and actually had a PERSON pick up instead of a recording. I don't know about you but that is reason enough for me to buy this product again -let alone the sugary goodness! They also have pancake, cookie and brownie mixes. Check out their website.

I am now on the hunt for a dehydrator...as soon as I find one and get my hands on it I will be posting about my endeavors with it (unless I burn my house down as my husband so lovingly jests... no cupcakes for him!) Until next time Happy Valentine's Day, eat healthy and have fun doing it!

My Body Was NOT a Happy Camper...

Pretty little picture isn't it? Who would have known that such an innocent looking plant could have been the cause of my own personal hell for months? Before I get into that mess, let me start at the beginning. I am a stay at home mom to my 2 year-old daughter and 9 year-old step-daughter. I would like to say that I have always eaten healthy but then I would be lying.

After I gave birth to my daughter I was diagnosed with a slew of food sensitivities, namely gluten intolerance. As I walked out of the doctor’s office that day clutching a few measly pamphlets with the overwhelming details of my new diet, I made a decision. I was going to embark on a quest for healthy living for my entire family, utilizing only natural products and organic, whole foods. Hey, if my taste buds were being issued the death sentence then my husband and kids were going down with me!

Surprisingly the new foods I made didn’t kill anyone, they were actually yummy! There are many choices for people with special dietary needs. Half the time my family didn’t even know that I had replaced an old favorite with something healthier that we could all have (well, except for the asparagus soup incident…we will never speak of it again). I do have to say knowing that I am doing everything I can to put the right food in my husband and our children’s bellies makes me happy.

I started this blog out of my desire to share what I have learned this far along my journey. People can’t believe that my entire family eats organic and that I make most of our food from scratch because of what it entails and the effect it should have on your wallet (notice I say should not does!). I am here to climb up on my little soapbox and prove that it does not have to he an exorbitant expensive or a time-consuming affair. Let me help you cut corners and have fun with your kids while giving them the best gift you can… a healthy start in life!