Arizona Local Pastured Meats and Eggs

Growing up in the midwest, I assumed as a child that all cows ate corn.  After all, grain fed beef made for the tastiest, most tender, and most prized burger at the time.  (It's funny to think of it now.  How would a cow have access to corn, soy, and other domesticated crops in the wild?  Apparently I didn't spend enough time on a farm.)  

As it turns out, cows and other ruminant animals like goats and sheep are meant to eat grass and pasture plants.  They tend to become quite ill eating something they're not biologically designed to digest, and they often require antibiotic treatment for subsequent infection.  Grain feed can damage the liver and can cause them to bloat excessively, something that - if left untreated - can suffocate a cow by placing too much pressure on its heart and lungs.  For more on these practices, check out this interview with Michael Pollan.

Meat and milk from animals who eat what they're supposed to is healthier for us.  This makes sense, but do we usually evaluate what the things that we eat eat?  It's just as important.  Grass fed beef has up to five times as much omega-3 fat and double the amount of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), a potent anti-inflammatory that may have anti-cancer and reproductive health benefits.  What's the takeaway?  Beef is back...but make sure that it doesn't dominate your plate - after all, variety and lots of veggies are still important - and go for grass-fed when you can.  Eggs from pastured hens have similar health, ecological and ethical benefits as grass-fed bovine products.  

What about milk from grass fed cows?  Many companies are now selling pastured milk, and Kerrygold is my personal favorite brand of butter and cheese.  It is even carried at Costco!  Check the specialty cheese section for both products.

I tasked Intern Macy with researching sources of pastured animal products in Arizona.  Many of these farmers sell at local markets or to restaurants.  The more we support ranchers who are using ethical, sustainable animal husbandry techniques, the more the demand for these products will flourish.  You can also find pastured meat and/or eggs at Whole Foods, Sprouts, Trader Joes and many chain grocery stores.

Keep in mind that most conventionally raised (feed lot) cows are grass fed for the first 6 months of life but are then switched to grain to increase their growth rate and fat composition.  Thus, it's imperative to talk to a rancher, if available, and ask if the animals receive anything besides grass, including antibiotics.

As Authority Nutrition states, "Just eat real food that eats real food."

*M*

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Benefits of meat, eggs and milk products from pastured animals:
- Free from antibiotics, hormones and other added products
- Better fat profile
- High in omega-3 fatty acids and CLA
- Healthier for animals
- Beneficial antioxidants, vitamins and minerals
- "Green," earth-friendly, less disruptive to the environment
- Supports local farming and community in general
- Less stress to the animal
- More cardioprotective

Arizona ranches and farms that practice pasture feeding: 

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http://www.doublecheckranch.com/beyond-organic.html

Double Check Ranch is a family ranch featuring all natural grass fed beef on the western side of Lower San Pedro River valley. The diet these cattle consume is purely local pasture on which they roam and graze. They do not use any chemicals on their lands. The only fertilizer that is used is made using legumes and natural compost. Occasionally the cows are supplemented with grass hay and salt. They also do all their own slaughtering in their state-inspected packing house, so you will know everything about them from birth to well, plate! They also sell their products at many local farmers markets; check their website for details.

http://www.jhgrassfed.com/store.php

JH Grass Fed is a local family-owned farm. They provide grass fed and grass finished beef and lamb. Their meats are completely void of hormones, antibiotics, grains, and other feed by-products, just the way we like them! These animals are able to live how they did hundreds of years ago. They are not injected with anything or fed anything that doesn’t come from the ground they walk on. They are located on a farm near Cave Creek, but they are one of the many great vendors at the Scottsdale Farmers Market!

http://www.adamsnaturalmeats.com/

http://www.shop.adamsnaturalmeats.com/

Adams Natural Meats raises a lot of their own bison and beef. The animals that are raised on their farm are all grass fed and grass finished. They do work with other nearby farms and sell beef and bison that is partially grain fed for the customers that like more marbling in their meets. They completely distinguish between the two and you will know exactly what you are getting. Their farm is located in Buckeye, but the great thing is that they are a part of farmers markets close by! In fact, they will even be at the Central Farmers’ Market Saturday September 20^th.

http://chileacres.com/

Chile Acres Farm sells an assortment of items, including natural eggs from 100% pastured chicken.  They sell their eggs by the dozen also including quail and duck eggs. The sell their items at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market every Saturday, Town and Country Market every Wednesday, and Urban Bean Café.

Cami’s Farm
Cami’s Farm is located in Douglas Arizona and is a family farm of 25 years. They specialize in natural pasture raised chicken eggs. Their hens are raised free of pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics. Cami’s Farm does not have an official website but you can check them out on Facebook. They are one of the venders at the phoenix public market, so you can also check them out and pick up you fresh eggs there!

Enjoy!

Macy

October Pumpkin Series: Pumpkin Chili

Intern Kelsey's second pumpkin post - yum, chili!   I bet this would be awesome with some homemade healthy cornbread...

*M*

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From Kelsey:

This time of the year is my absolute favorite. The weather is cooling down, Halloween is in a few weeks and then it will be my favorite holiday of the year, Thanksgiving. I might be a little more excited for Thanksgiving this year due to my birthday being the day after! I cannot even remember the last time I had my birthday off.  I almost always have an exam, school or work on my birthday so I’m looking forward to relaxing and maybe traveling somewhere this year.

So, if you haven’t been able to tell from my previous post, I am pretty much obsessed with pumpkin. My obsession, however, has only led me to try pastry/dessert pumpkin items such as pies, cookies, puddings, frozen yogurt, etc. When Megan gave me the idea of doing a savory pumpkin item, I was unsure of what I would pick. She was then kind enough to send me some ideas, one of them being this AMAZING pumpkin chili from the blog Wellness Mama. As my mom would say, amazing does not even begin to describe it. The flavors are incredible and the pumpkin aroma instantly fills the house. I tweaked the recipe a little bit, adding some organic great northern beans to it. Adding beans, along with the pumpkin puree, will give you a good amount of fiber, which then means this recipe will keep you full for awhile. The only downside was that I could not eat any of my pumpkin no bake cookies I had made earlier in the day or the pumpkin bread I had also made (will be on blog next week). But it was well worth it!! And yes, I did make three pumpkin items in one day.

Hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as my family and I do! This dish is perfect to make during this wonderful AZ weather we have been experiencing!

Pumpkin Chili

Ingredients:

1 pound organic grass-fed ground beef

2 onions

1 (16 ounce) can of BPA free diced tomatoes (drained)

1 (15/16 ounce) can or jar of tomato sauce

1 (15/16 ounce) can of pureed pumpkin

1 cup organic beef broth

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon Himalayan salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon cinnamon powder

1 avocado

Cheese and sour cream to top

*I also added one can of great northern beans

Instructions:

Assemble Ingredients.

Brown beef in a large pot.

When beef is almost completely cooked, add the onions and cook until soft.

Add the pureed pumpkin, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, stock, beans and spices.

Simmer for 10 minutes until heated through.  

Top with cheese or avocado slices.

Enjoy!

Kelsey

All About Oats Part 2: Old-Fashioned Meatloaf

Meatloaf goes over really well in my house.  My mother-in-law made it often for my husband when he was a kid, so he associates meatloaf with feel-good family memories.  When I look at traditional meatloaf recipes, however, I am not thrilled with the ingredients.  Enter this recipe, (surprisingly) from Paula Deen.  As usual, I have adapted it slightly to include ingredients I prefer.

I like this recipe because everything goes into a bowl, which is then transferred into a pan.  There is no pre-cooking or extra steps, so it only takes a few minutes to assemble.  Plus, you can double the recipe and freeze the raw, prepared meatloaf to pop in the oven after you it has thawed in the fridge weeks (or months) later. Plus, it contains oats, which are not only a good source of soluble fiber but may help improve milk supply for those who are nursing.

Make sure to use grass-fed beef, which can be found at your local farmer's market and many health food and grocery stores.  Grass-fed beef, as opposed to corn/grain-fed beef, contains 3 times higher omega-3 fatty acids and is a great source of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which is anti-inflammatory, cancer preventive, and may help with fertility.  When the animal eats what is meant to eat, the meat from the animal is much healthier.  You really are what you eat.

When choosing ketchup, check the label.  Many "mainstream" ketchup brands contain high fructose corn syrup, which increases your risk for fatty liver disease, heart disease, and overall inflammation based on the way it is metabolized by the liver.  I usually pick up organic ketchup from Trader Joe's, but even some mainstream brands are starting to switch back to plain ol' sugar instead of HFCS.  I think companies are starting to listen.  If you want to get really adventurous and make your own ketchup, check out this recipe.

To avoid BPA, a potential carcinogen, buy canned foods from manufacturers who avoid using BPA in their can liners.  Muir Glen, Eden Organics, and Amy's, all found at Whole Foods, Sprouts, and other health food stores, are BPA free.  Check out this interesting blog post regarding BPA in your favorite brands.

Ingredients: 
 

1 lb ground grass-fed beef
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1   egg, lightly beaten
8 ounces canned diced tomatoes (without juice) - I used Muir Glen Fire Roasted
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats - I used old fashioned oats

Topping:
 
1/3 cup HFCS-free ketchup
2 tablespoons raw honey (can use less or sprinkle stevia)
1 tablespoon prepared mustard

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Mix all meat loaf ingredients well and place in a baking dish.  (Note: I doubled the recipe in these photos.)

Shape into a loaf or use a loaf pan. 

Mix ingredients for topping and spread on loaf. Bake for 1 hour.  Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, and cut into slices.

This is what you get, especially if you fail to cut your onions into small pieces...

I served this awesome meatloaf with roasted Brussel sprouts, gluten-free bread (Pamela's GF bread mix), and a strawberry spinach salad with goat cheese and walnuts.  I even got fancy and lit some candles...not a usual occurrence with a 3-month old at home!  However, small touches like these help make the meal more of an enjoyable "event" than just a time to refuel.  When you enjoy your food, you're more likely to eat just enough of it - not more than your body actually needs.

Enjoy!

*M*

Pinterest Crockpot Pizza Casserole - Healthified

I have been seeing this pin float around Pinterest for a few weeks now, and I wanted to give it a try.  It's made with pretty basic ingredients that were easy to make healthier, and since I just threw everything in the crockpot and let it cook on its own, there was minimal prep.  The end result was so great.  Greg and I absolutely loved it, and we have tons of leftovers.  Below is the recipe I created, adapted from the original.  I omitted the pepperoni (you really don't need it) and used organic ingredients.  I also swapped out whole wheat pasta for the white pasta in the recipe.  Next time I'll try quinoa or brown rice pasta to mix it up.  When it comes to the cheese, use the real deal (even raw if that's your thing) and enjoy every last satisfying bite - no fat-free cheese around here!

When it comes to purchasing pasta or marinara sauce, make sure to check the label and ingredient list.  These kitchen staples tend to be made with hidden ingredients that you might not want to eat (or give to your family).  I look for three things:

1. Organic - conventional tomatoes are heavily sprayed with pesticides.

2. No high fructose corn syrup - many sauces are sweetened with the HFCS instead of sugar.  Look for sauces that have no sugar added, but if they do, make sure they're sweetened with sugar.  You won't be able to tell the added sugar content from the label, since it includes the sugar inherent in the ingredients (cooked tomatoes, onions, etc.) as well.  If the sugar is high up on the ingredient list (top 3-4 ingredients), you know your sauce is made with a decent amount of the sweet stuff.

3. Soy oil - I try avoiding highly inflammatory (and usually genetically modified) soy oil as much as possible, but it seems to be in everything.  Many marinara sauces are made without any oils, so they can be a good bet (especially if you use olive oil in the recipe).  Otherwise, try to pick one with olive oil only.

I recently found "Organic Marinara Sauce" from Trader Joe's in a clear glass jar with a yellow label and used it in this recipe.  It is sweetened with a bit of sugar and doesn't contain any oil.  There is enough fat in the rest of the recipe that it wasn't missed.

Healthified Crockpot Pizza Casserole

Ingredients:

16 ounces whole wheat spiral pasta, uncooked (but rinsed)
1 lb. organic grass-fed ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 organic green bell peppers
32 ounces pasta sauce (see above)
1 cup water
1 cup organic shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions:

In a skillet over medium heat, cook ground beef, onion, bell pepper, and garlic until cooked through. 

Rinse pasta and place it in the crockpot with the ground meat mixture.  Stir to combine.  

Pour pasta sauce and 1 cup water over noodle mix.  Top with shredded mozzarella.

Place on the crockpot and cook on low for 5-6 hours.  Look what I got to come home to!

I made this the night before, placed the crockpot in the fridge, and then set it on the heating element at lunch today to cook for about 6 hours.  It was divine and so nice to come home to!  Served with a big green salad or some hearty roasted vegetables for a well-rounded and fall-friendly dinner.

 Enjoy!

*M*

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Fall is here!  Well, not exactly, but now that it's September we can start burning our pumpkin spice candles and making more cool-weather recipes.  After suffering through a summer (and morning sickness) filled with 100+ degrees heat with sporadic humidity, I welcome the change with open arms. 

I made this delicious pot roast recipe adapted from Crepes of Wrath a few weeks ago and am starting to crave it again!  It is a great option for a Sunday night meal, especially since it cooks throughout the day and quickly fills your house with a delicious, comforting smell.  I recommend that you use your extra time saved by not slaving away in the kitchen by catching up on Breaking Bad.  Or Dexter.  Or True Blood...but that's just my opinion.

I like this recipe because it is made with real, minimally processed ingredients.  It contains canned tomato paste, but unlike a lot of other slow cooker pot roast recipes, it is made of the real deal (read: no onion soup mix here!).

One recommendation: only make this recipe if you can keep the temperature on low for 8-10 hours.  If you cook it too hot, it may make the beef less tender.

I use organic ingredients when it matters - animal-based products, dairy, and produce that is more likely to be pesticide-laden when grown conventionally, such as tomatoes.

Ingredients:

3-4 lb. (organic, grass-fed) boneless chuck roast
32 oz. organic low sodium beef broth or stock
1 6-oz can organic tomato paste
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 T. honey
2 tsp. smoked (or regular) paprika
3 tsp. allspice
2-3 large sprigs rosemary
3 medium sized carrots, coarsely chopped
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1-2 lb. potatoes, diced (~3 medium potatoes)
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Spray your crock pot with Pam/cooking spray, rub with butter, or line with a crock pot liner.  Pour the beef stock/broth, tomato paste, vinegar and honey into the crock pot.  Stir in the paprika, allspice, salt and pepper. 

Toss in half the vegetables and place your chuck roast on top of everything.

Toss the rest of the vegetables and stir everything together as best you can, ensuring that the beef is mostly submerged in broth.  Top with rosemary.

Set the crock pot on low and cover.  Let cook for 8-10 hours on low.  If you can, check it every so often and give it a stir, although this is not necessary if you are not home.  Look, yummy!

When ready, move the roast to a cutting board and slice to serve.  Serve with vegetables and broth.  I placed it atop brown rice noodles and served with a fresh green salad.

Veggies, whole grains, sustainable meat and lots of flavor - plus, it's easy!

Enjoy!

*M*

Pasture-raised Turkey

I hope you had a delicious and family- or friend-filled Thanksgiving! This year, our turkey was the most delicious I had ever eaten, and I am confident it is because the turkey was raised exactly as it should be - free-range, on a pasture, and organically. It was delivered on our doorstep a few days before Thanksgiving from Rockhouse Cattle Company, and we all agreed that it was top notch.

See, when animals eat what they're meant to eat (as in only grass for cows), their muscle and fat makeup is much different. Grass-fed beef is much higher in conjugated linoleic acid and omega-3 fatty acids, both of which have been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects. Furthermore, these ranching practices are much more humane, as the animals are not penned into small spaces.

We cooked this baby seasoned with sea salt, rubbed with organic butter, and stuffed with carrots and celery. Instead of cooking it in a plastic bag (ick!), we left it uncovered and basted regularly until it had an internal temperature of 185 and was golden brown on the outside - per instructions from my mother-in-law Chris.

Of course, I completely forgot to take photos of the turkey before we carved it, but here are a few shots post-knife.




*M*

Spaghetti Squash, Ricotta and Meatball Bake

Fall is the season of squash, and I'm always looking for an excuse to cook with it. Spaghetti squash is especially fun because it has a pasta-like texture and offers a healthy - and gluten-free - substitution that's nutrient-packed and tasty. It is also great for kids because it has a fun yet mild consistency that will help boost their vegetable quota for the day.

This recipe was inspired by a post from Big Girl Small Kitchen sent to me by my best friend. I expanded upon it by adding homemade grass-fed beef meatballs and sauteed mushrooms, and I modified the process. You can also use turkey meatballs or add a vegetarian protein source using canellini beans. My husband really liked it and said that he didn't miss the pasta!

In honor of Halloween and this year's nutrition-inspired costume, here's a shot of me as "grass-fed beef":

By the way, to make the meatballs I use a recipe I made up myself:

3 lb grassfed beef (I get mine at the North Scottsdale Farmers Market)

Homemade breadcrumbs (sprinkle olive oil over Ezekiel or other whole grain or gluten-free bread and add garlic powder; toast in a toaster oven until dark and pulse in a food processor to make crumbs)

1 organic egg

1/2 cup raw parmesan shavings

Garlic powder

1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped

Sea salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients and roll into 1-inch balls. Bake on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. This recipe made about 50 meatballs, and I froze most of them for a future recipe.

Spaghetti Squash, Ricotta and Meatball Bake

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash (4-5 lb)

2 teaspoons olive oil

12 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1 cup organic marinara sauce, divided

3/4 cup ricotta cheese, divided

Grass-fed beef meatballs (12-15)

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Rinse the squash and cut in half length-wise.

Use an ice cream scooper to remove and discard the seeds.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place on a baking sheet, flesh-side down.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until the skins have darkened on the edges.

While the squash is baking, heat olive oil in a pan and add garlic. Sautee the mushrooms until cooked through.

When the squash has finished baking, remove from the oven and let cool for 15-20 minutes. (Seriously, how pretty and delicious does this look?! I wanted to eat it plain, right then and there.)

Use a fork to scrape the flesh into a bowl.

Set into a strainer to remove some of the liquid.

Using a clean paper towel, squeeze the squash to remove as much liquid as you can. Nobody wants a soggy meal.

Place the squash in a mixing bowl and add 1/2 cups marinara sauce and 1/2 cup ricotta. (This is where you can play with spices too, such as oregano, additional garlic, or even a little rosemary.)

Pour the mixture into a 9x9 baking dish. Layer with meatballs, and then top with mushrooms and the other half of the marinara sauce.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and small dabs of ricotta.

Bake for 35-40 minutes at 375, or until the top is browned.

Enjoy with some roasted vegetables or a crisp green salad and a nice glass of cabernet! This recipe made about 6 servings.

Enjoy!

*M*