Sugar, sugar, sugar!

Okay so I've seen the commercials put out by the corn growers about how high fructose Corn syrup is not really that bad for you and I think its a little like tobacco company advertisements. "here try this popsicle , really its harmless, what could be so bad about a popsicle?" Well let me tell you! You can read for your self the articles and studies that are on the web I will just give you the cliff notes: Fructose consumption may contribute to heart disease, high cholesterol and interferes with your ability to feel full (which leads to over eating.) It is a highly processed product derived from corn starch and is cheaper then sugar and has a longer shelf life which is why companies use it. You could argue that it comes from corn its safe and some of the studies may not prove a direct link to those above mentioned health problems. For me the bottom line is sugar consumption. Did you know that Americans on average consume 150 pounds OR MORE or sugar in a year! Isn't that ALARMING! About 60 pounds is from HFCS because its in everything! jelly, ketchup, salad dressing, breads, cereal. If its convenient it is probablly in it. I know we are addicted to sugar and the more we eat the more we want it so that is why I'm trying to cut back and eliminate the HFCS and along with it the other sugary foods that sneak into our house. We still have desserts and we still drink sodas OCCASIONALLY (They have loads of HFCS) but were getting use to it and in the process we have been eating more "real foods" like fruits, vegtables and making our own muffins and waffles instead of the frozen kind. (I just freeze extras for those mornings when I can't get it all together.) So here is my rant mostly for my brothers sake!

Fruit "roll ups"

I have been on a quest to rid our diet of a few bad for you things. I am starting with one at a time and working my way towards being a real finatic. We started with high fructose corn syrup (if you say it with a sneer your kids think it is really disgusting!) We have lost a few choice things like boxed cereal but so far we haven't suffered too much. With school starting I'm trying to find alternatives and snacks that Sweet girl can take in her lunch and I found a recipe for fruit leather which doesn't sound so good until you realize its really fruit "roll ups." It is so easy!
First you start with applesauce which a good basis for any flavor combination.
Then you puree almost any other fresh ripe fruit (or frozen or canned.)
Combine the two until you have about 2 cups of fruit puree, give or take 1/4 of a cup. You want it to be the consistency of molasses or thick applesauce. Then spread the puree on a cookie sheet. Make sure you either oil the cooking sheet or line it with plastic wrap. Here is the tricky part - mine always gets more dried around the edges but not the middle so you have to experiment with different ways of shaking, tapping and spreading the fruit so it is uniformly thin over the whole sheet. The book says 1/8- 1/4 in thick. Leave a border around the edges to make it easier to peel up. (If you have extra puree just freeze it or make two cookie sheets.)
I put it in the oven on 275 degrees for 30-35 minutes then shut the oven off and leave the tray in there for 8- 10 hours. ( I did it last night before bed and got it out this morning.) Then peel it, I rolled mine on wax paper and store it in the fridge or freezer. It will keep in a cool dark place for 2-4 weeks or room temp. about 1-2 weeks. In the fridge 2 months and freezer 3-4 months.
I made some with applesauce, strawberries and a banana. You can cook the fruit if you want or add lemon juice to help the fruit not change colors. I'm sure there our plenty or recipes on line if you go looking but its really very easy. Be prepared for burnt edges and if you have a lot of kids around it will disappear fast! One cookie sheet doesn't make very much.

Just sharing...

Remember when we had an atari? Then we moved into the big time with a nintendo. I recently was on line and found this game website and got to play tetris for the first time in a long time so I thought I would share the site - very fun way to waste some time. http://icongamez.com/index.php
Okay now it should work. I am new to adding links to my post!

For anyone who is interested in not playing video games but would love to make a very yummy dessert here is a link to one of my favorite new recipes, Chocolate mint bars: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1714574