PNW Healthy....Post Views...20,768

    On Wednesday last week (10-21) I went to Milwaukee.....um...make that Milwaukie....a town in Oregon.  (When I first moved out here I kept getting confused when folks would talk about going to Milwaukee...I mean, Milwaukie.)  

    Donna, the lady who leads our water aerobics class, has a favorite pumpkin cookie that she buys every year about this time. They are baked by Bob's Red Mill company which is located in Milwaukie.  She invited a few of us to go with her, and that we did. There is the actual mill and also the Red Mill Store.    

  The cookies are a seasonal special and were scheduled to be out that day.  Donna had her approach all planned out.  As soon as we get there she will buy several packages of the cookies, then we have lunch and more shopping.  I was eager to obtain some of these delicacies as well.  

  We arrived there about 11:30 and .......no cookies.   Hmmm.....

With some inquiry we were told that the first batch will be ready at 1 PM.  So lunch was next on the schedule.  We'd have enough time to eat, shop a bit and buy our cookies at 1 PM, fresh out of the oven.    

Nancy, Jo and Donna

 I had half a turkey sandwich and very tasty potato soup with whole grain and black bean chips.  (The tricky part about "healthy and organic" is that most items are made with sea salt which I happen to be allergic to.)  


Browsing the store was educational.  It is full of every kind of "healthy".  
I found a few sea salt free healthy foods to buy.  


Shortly before 1 PM the longed for pumpkin cookies were stocked for selling.. Yay!!  

Bummer.....they are baked with sea salt....

   We had another stop right across the street.   

Dave's Killer Breads.....
This store was much smaller...kind of like going from a mansion to a single room apartment.  But killer, healthy breads he had there...all made with sea salt...

  I did find some cookies.  
Soft ginger and 
DOUBLE CHOCOLATE made with a bit of espresso.  The checkout lady commented that she couldn't eat the chocolate ones....they are too chocolate overloaded.  
They are sitting in my pantry waiting for just the right moment to be consumed....Oh, Ya.....

So...if one buys healthy ingredients, then one should cook those ingredients.  

Monday I checked over the recipe on the back of the black bean and barley soup mix, sorted through the beans,rounded up the vegetarian items, opened the Red Mills bean seasoning packet and started cooking.  The recipe calls for squash (remember, healthy) among other foods.  I figure mushrooms make most everything better and there is a chunk of ham in the freezer.  All that simmered for 90 minutes. 


The result?  A tasty black bean chili with ham and a bit of a squashy flavor.   

Next time?  No squash, no mushrooms (the texture makes me think that a slug fell into the bulky mixture.  Hamburger rather than ham.  The hoped for result?  Black bean chili with hamburger. 

(A word of caution.  When they say to sort through dry beans because they are natural product, be sure to sort through them.  I did and I did find a little rock...Well, rock my world!!)

   What better way to make healthy healthier than to add grated cheese and sour cream?
  

Except to finish off with apple crisp made with all natural ingredients, including a half cup of butter. And real home-whipped whipping cream..and sugar.  Yum!!

   Oh....the roses?  The pink plumbing truck?

You'll have to check back if you really want to know.......



This has been a good 4 "PNW healthy" days in the life of Grandma G. 

"Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.  This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones." (Proverbs 3:7)