Soy-Free Saturday: Pasta Sauce (Dave, avert your eyes)

Today's soy-free Saturday is about marinara sauce.  I was really surprised awhile ago to find that the brand that I had been using, as well as many other mainstream brands, use soybean oil in their pasta sauce.

Somehow, even though soy is in so very many things, I wasn't expecting that one.

However, I found that the light version of Tomato & Basil Ragu, with no sugar added, does not contain soy oil!  And actually, it has also become one of my favorite tasting sauces as well.  It seems to taste....lighter, somehow.  More fresh?  Anyway, I like it.

I am surrounded by carnivores at my house (case in point, I heard my boys making up songs about steak and mashed potatoes the other day!), so spaghetti sauce without meat would make for a sad group for dinner.  However, we always have a supply of hormone-free beef on hand since we buy it once a year from a local farmer, so I just brown some of that and throw it in, simmer for a bit, and viola! It's done. Just make sure you also use soy-free pasta (I know that Target's brand of whole-wheat pasta uses only flour) to make it a great meal!

However....I have wanted to take this a step further and make my own spaghetti sauce.  Then I'd really know what was in it! Also, I had been wanting to add beans to the meat in the sauce.  They add fiber and protein, so you'd stay full for longer, and they help to stretch the package of beef a bit further.

But if the carnivores found out what I was trying, there might have been a revolt.  So I surreptitiously took a few photos while doing my sneaky business in the kitchen.

I'm not posting this as a recipe, because this was a first-time experiment, and I'm sure there are many seasoned sauce makers out there who could give you better tips than I.

However, I had a lot of fun in the kitchen.

I started out with two frozen bags of blanched tomatoes (from last year's garden!) from the freezer, and set them on the stove to thaw, then simmer.  I added lots of seasonings, like parsley, rosemary, oregano, basil, garlic powder, and onion powder.

Then I started browning my beef, and here's where I really had to move carefully lest I be seen: I opened a can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed them, and added about half of them to the beef to cook and absorb beefy flavor.  I'll probably try a few more next time.

Once it was pretty well cooked (don't worry, I see the pink spots in the picture and I finished cooking it!), they started to blend in a little better.

Then I added the tomato stuff to the beef, and let it simmer for awhile, and I think I added just a little bit of olive oil. Finally, it wasn't really thickening up like I wanted it to, and I didn't have time to let it simmer down anymore, so I just added some cornstarch (dissolved in a little cold water first) to the mixture.  Within about a minute, it was thickened, and ready to serve!

pre-cornstarch

The whole family liked it, and nobody caught the beans.

topped with a 5-cheese Italian blend. 

Success!

Soy-Free Saturdays: The new and improved pesto

Pesto is the second-most used recipe on my site, but I recently realized (much to my chagrin) that the pesto used in the recipe is NOT soy-free.

Nuts.

Not to be deterred, I found a different kind of pesto, and I actually like it better.  And if the rate of consumption is a safe way to measure my family's enjoyment of the dish, it rated pretty high.

Yay!

So, without further ado, here it is*:

I've usually gotten it from Target, but at the writing of this post, I noticed it's actually cheaper to buy it in bulk from Amazon than it was to buy it at the store (assuming, of course, that you actually end up liking it!)

This pesto packet calls for actual parmesan cheese, which I found to be cheapest when bought with the rest of the bagged, shredded cheeses.  It should be noted that some pasta contains soy products, and you would want to check the nutrition label on the box on your own.  Target has their own brand of whole-wheat pasta that only uses one ingredient, wheat, so it would be soy-free.

The final result was my favorite pesto yet!  You can view the original post to get the rest of the details on this dish.

Enjoy!

*Note: Referral link used.
**Disclaimer: These Soy-Free Saturday posts contain only my opinion, and should be used with discretion according to your doctor's assessment of your personal needs.

Soy-Free Saturday: Ranch dressing and dips

We eat a LOT of ranch at our house.  

I really mean a LOT.

But if you look at your average bottle of ranch, it will likely contain soybean oil as a first, or possibly second, ingredient.  Occasionally it will list it as a possible ingredient, which is just frustrating.  When that happens, it just means that they are using the cheapest kind of oil they can get, so it could be any one (or a blend) of the oils listed.   Honestly, is it really that hard to make separate labels?

But I digress.

When I say that we eat ranch, I primarily mean that my kids eat a lot of ranch.  They eat it on chicken nuggets (yes, I occasionally feed my kids pre-made chicken nuggets. I know, I know.....I'm not proud of myself either), use it as dip for carrots, they like it as a dip for pretzels or whole-wheat crackers, on salads (ha! My kids eat salads.  That balances out the chicken nuggets, right??), or anything else that is vegetable related.  

So really, my problem became two-fold.  I wanted to find soy-free ranch dressing, but I also wanted to provide a healthy alternative to ranch for the kids as well, because let's be honest - soy-free or not, ranch isn't exactly a health food.

I found Annie's organic ranch, which is soy-free ranch at Target (also sold other places).  It's so good!  And my kids love the flavor.  

No soy-oil at all!

Now on to the next problem to solve:  a healthier alternative to the massive amounts of ranch my kids like to eat. I started buying Fage Plain Greek Yogurt, and ranch seasoning.  Whal-laa! Healthy ranch dip.

Note: It's SO much cheaper to buy the ranch seasoning in bulk!  Sam's Club has it that way, or you may be able to find it other places as well.  Much cheaper than the packets!  And yes, I know that's a lot of cinnamon. 

Now, to be clear, this ranch seasoning does have a little soy in it.  It says on the label that it has 1% or less of a few things, including "natural flavorings," and at the bottom says it contains soy.  So, I'm guessing the natural flavoring is soy.  However, this was a place where I had to choose what kind of balance to strike.

I'm not allergic to soy, it's something I'm working to eliminate out of my life for health reasons, and reduce in the live of my family.  So, I can give them ranch that has a lot of fat, a lot of calories, but not very many nutrients all the time,  or I can find something with very little soy, but a lot of nutrients. 

Greek yogurt has a lot of protein in it, and the Fage brand is made from the milk of cows that have not been treated with growth hormones.  So when the ranch dip we make is made primarily of that, plus a little bit of ranch seasoning that contains less than 1% of a soy flavoring, I think we've reached a compromise I can feel good about.

I know there are a lot of blogs about going completely all-natural, if-I-didn't-see-it-grow-I'm-not-eating-it, but honestly, that's just not where we are right now.  Maybe we will be someday, but for right now, we are trying to make healthy choices, but stick to ones that can work for our family.  

So if you're allergic to soy, stay away from the seasoning and just get Annie's.  Really, it's pretty delicious.  But if your kids are like mine and like ranch on everything, this might be a good alternative, and it will still be much, much lower in soy!

**Disclaimer: These Soy-Free Saturday posts contain only my opinion, and should be used with discretion according to your doctor's assessment of your personal needs.  

Soy-Free Saturdays: Sunday edition -Chicken Marinade!

Oh my word, things have been crazy at the Schoney household this past weekend.  Specifically, in the backyard.  I can promise you I had no idea how ridiculously long a simple little raised garden could take when making it with a retaining wall and 17lb blocks.  And we're not even finished yet.

My arms hurt.

My back hurts.

The dog drove me crazy.

The kids kind of did too some of the time.

But all that could really be a separate post.

So, please forgive my tardiness, but here is your soy-free idea - and it's just in time for grilling weather!  One of my favorite easy grilling ideas (I can't even call it a recipe, it was too easy!) was to dump a bottle of Italian dressing in with chicken as a marinade.  I loved it.  So did the hubs.  But go ahead, try and find a bottle of pre-made Italian dressing without soy oil as a main ingredient.  I bet you can't (but if you can, and it's not crazy-expensive, can you please tell me??).

Then one weekend I was home at my parent's house, and my mom pulled out the trusty cruet bottle of Italian dressing that she always makes (the cruet bottle even comes with the multi-pack of the seasoning!) and it hit me.  What a simple idea.  If I make the dressing, even from a mix, I can control the kind of oil that goes in it.  And there aren't any soy products in the "all natural" Good Seasons Italian dressing mixes.

True, it's no long as simple as dumping the bottle into a plastic bag with chicken, but it really doesn't take that much more effort to dump a packet, some vinegar, and some olive oil into the bag with chicken either.  So, I still get my favorite marinade, without all the soy.  And I think it tastes even better than it did before.

Note: When using it as a marinade, I typically  use way less oil, and just add more water if I need extra liquid.  It works great!

It's also a favorite dressing for salads, although still not used as often as my other naturally soy-free dressing, which is plain red wine vinegar.  It's often paired with olive oil when used as a dressing, but I almost always skip the oil, and still like it just as well.

Happy Grilling Season everyone!  I'm definitely putting this on the menu for this week.

*Note: referral link used.  You can also search for them on your own. 

**Disclaimer: These Soy-Free Saturday posts contain only my opinion, and should be used with discretion according to your doctor's assessment of your personal needs.  

Soy-Free Saturdays: Crackers!

I like crackers.  So do my family.  In fact, I think the boys could snack all day long if I let them. However, upon inspection, I found that most of the regular crackers we had been eating were made with soy oils.  

Nuts.

I kept looking, though, and found that Annie's Bunnies* are not made with soy oils at all, plus most of the varieties are made with whole wheat too!  

Score.

They have some kind of party blend or something that contains soy, and I think there might be one of their varieties that does contain soy (maybe the pizza kind?  I think we only got it once), but the kind we most often buy - white cheddar, cheddar, honey-graham, and whole-wheat, are absolutely delicious, and soy-free. 

They do have a warning on the label that states it's made on equipement shared with soy, but since I'm not allergic to soy, but rather am avoiding ingredients and soy nutrients, then I'm fine with that (perhaps I'll learn differently later, but I feel like those kind of warnings are slapped on everything for liability reasons these days!)

And, as a side note, I do think they're a relatively healthy snack cracker, but not only are they healthy, they go over well with my kids.  Isaac used to ask for goldfish crackers all the time, but since we discovered the bunnies, I haven't gotten a single request for them.  He still asks for bologna a lot, but maybe I'll someday discover a really great lunch meat that makes him forget all about it.  I like to dream...

Side note:  In the post linked above, I stated that the next time we got it would probably be in 2012....and I just got him some this past week.  He's happy as a clam once again! 

I'm now way off topic.  

Anyway, I'm certain you can find these elsewhere, but I buy these from Target, and you can also buy Annie's Bunnies* from Amazon. 

Happy snacking!

*Note: referral link used.  You can also search for them on your own. 

**Disclaimer: These Soy-Free Saturday posts contain only my opinion, and should be used with discretion according to your doctor's assessment of your personal needs.  

Soy-Free Saturday: Bread

I looked everywhere for soy-free, whole-wheat bread.  Well, almost everywhere.  Ok.  I looked in a lot of places.  And I didn't see a lot of options.  Soy oil was used in everything!

Happily, I usually make most of our bread, and that's been not only a big money-saver, but it's then very easy to make sure it's soy-free!

It's a pretty easy recipe (at least it usually is), and you can check it out here.

However, let's be perfectly honest: I do not always have time, nor energy, to make bread.  I often do, and I enjoy it, but I still wanted to have a store-bought option for those times.

Finally, I managed to find whole-wheat bread at Trader Joe's.  Unfortunately, it's $2.99/loaf.  And though we do still sometimes buy it for the sake of convenience, I prefer the price, and frankly the taste, of the home-made stuff.  I have figured that it costs about 40 cents a loaf to make it at home, which can be motivating.

For anyone looking for easy bread recipes, you can also check out MoneySavingMom.com's butterhorn rolls.  They are easy, delicious, and my favorite part - they can be made ahead of time and frozen for later.

Note: I changed a few things from her recipe - I used only whole-wheat flour and added a few tablespoons of vital wheat gluten (see my bread recipe for more on that ingredient), and the next time I make them I think I will try to make at least 10 rolls per circle, if not more - the rolls turned out really, really big!  

So, if you are trying to reduce or eliminate soy, and especially soy oils from your diet, make sure you check the labels of your bread!  And try being even more adventurous and making your own - if I can do it, anyone can!

**Disclaimer: These Soy-Free Saturday posts contain only my opinion, and should be used with discretion according to your doctor's assessment of your personal needs.  

Soy-free Saturday: Cooking oil

One of the easiest switches you can make in the effort to reduce or eliminate soy from your diet is to watch the oils that you cook with.  One place in particular that I found soy in my kitchen was in the spray oil that you use to spray pans with before baking or cooking.

At first, I started checking all the brands, and found that the major ones, as well as the store-name ones, all had soy.  Then, I realized there are different kinds of oil within the different brands, but even the "olive oil" sprays used part soy oil.  

 

Misto Gourmet Oil Sprayer *

*Referral link

During my search, I received a Misto as a gift, after hearing about it in a comment from a reader.  I have used it now for quite awhile, and absolutely love it.  

You fill it with your own oil (I use light organic olive oil), and it makes the oil last so much longer, especially when I use it in recipes where I used to drizzle something lightly with olive oil.   I get a more even coat, it tastes better, and I use a lot less oil, therefore also eliminating extra fat and calories as well!  Score.  

And now, instead of spending several dollars on a new bottle of spray from the store,  I use about 1/4 cup of olive oil in my Misto, which, when bought from Costco, is probably less than 50 cents, and lasts just as long.  I've even used it in baking and liked the results!

I am happy to say that this has been an easy swap that has actually ended up saving me money!  

*Note: this post contains my referral link. You can also search for it on your own at amazon.com.

**Disclaimer: These Soy-Free Saturday posts contain only my opinion, and should be used with discretion according to your doctor's assessment of your personal needs.  

Soy-Free Saturdays: First post!

For the most part, this blog has become about adoption (which I LOVE). But there are still health factors that are different in my life because of cancer, and if my research can help anyone else at all, I'd like to share what I've found.

To that end, welcome to the first post in the new series I'm going to be writing: Soy-Free Saturdays! Mostly, I'll be sharing where I've found some of my favorite, hard-to-find soy-free products.  I'll also share some of my opinions about soy, and why I not only avoid it for myself, but also try to feed as little of it as possible to my family.

As a disclaimer, my oncologist told me to stay away from soy, with the exception of soy lecithin.  So, while I always welcome opinions, I want to be upfront and say that I do not expect my opinion to change from what my oncologist has told me to do.

To add to the disclaimer, I am not a doctor, and not qualified to give medical advice.  As such, these posts contain only my opinion, and information in them should be used with discretion, and as they fit with what your doctor tells you for your own health needs (There.  I think that covers all the fine print requirements.).

I know that whether or not to use soy can be a hot topic, but I simply want to share my opinions, and even more, the products I've already found that are soy-free (except for the soy lecithin).

Soy is in so much of our food, that for anyone who is attempting to start eliminating or lessening the soy in their diet, it can be extremely overwhelming to do it all at once.  I tried to do it, and spent a lot of time hungry, or just eating fruit, so I backed off and started eliminating soy little by little.  I am still working at eliminating it completely, but have made huge strides in finding most of my favorite foods in a soy-free version.

So, here is my first product:

Tortillas!

Believe it or not, I spent a LONG time trying to find tortillas.  I even tried making them at home.  I've heard it's possible to make them at home, but I cannot begin to tell you how much time, flour, and other ingredients were completely wasted in my inedible attempts at home-made tortillas (ugh).

I even tried corn tortillas.  They are not the same.

I'd checked the Target brand before, but I'd only checked Market Pantry, and one day, I decided to reach up to the top shelf and check the Archer Farms brand, fully expecting to be once again disappointed, and my to my delight, found they were soy-free!

I do try to stay with foods that have a shorter list of recognizable ingredients, but for now, I'm really happy to have soy-free, whole-wheat tortillas.

Do you have any favorite soy-free foods, or foods that you'd like to find a soy-free version?  If I have found a source, I'll share it in a post, and if I haven't, maybe I can find one!