"Cleaning" the Kitchen (part 1, follow-up)

I’m letting the little guy sleep in this morning and while I wait for him to wake, I thought I would give you all a quick follow-up from my post on spices yesterday.  Sometimes it’s easier for someone to give suggestions and that is what I’m going to do in this post.  I’ll tell you what we use for our spices and you can use this information to guide you in your quest to “clean” up your kitchen.

SALT:  We do not use typical iodized salt because  “Commonly purchased iodized salts, available at super markets or sitting on the table of your favorite restaurant, have synthetic chemicals added to them. These chemicals include everything from manufactured forms of sodium solo-co-aluminate, iodide, sodium bicarbonate, fluoride, anti-caking agents, toxic amounts of potassium iodide and aluminium derivatives. It may come as a shock, but most table salt is not only unhealthy, but can sometimes be toxic.

The natural forms of important iodine is lost when we manufacture salt. Without this natural iodine, the thyroid is severely harmed, leading to growth and metabolism issues. Because of this, the chemical-based salt industry began to add synthetic forms of iodine to their products.

Other salts add things such as processed white sugar and toxic MSG (mono-sodium-glutamate). And what about the color of table salt? Salt found in the natural world is not usually white. Table salt has been colored white with bleach. And where does this salt come from? Much of it is the actual flaky residue from oil digging. That is correct. Crude oil extract is one way we produce table salt” (Global Healing Center).  We use REAL SALT I buy this at our local grocery store and Whole Foods has it in bulk.  Check it out online at http://realsalt.com/

Here is a picture for those of you who are taking my word for it and need a visual.

TACO SEASONING: We use a recipe I found online for taco seasoning.  Easy and delicious

INGREDIENTS
1 Tbsp	chili powder
1 tsp	smoked paprika
1 tsp	cumin
1/4 tsp	cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp	oregano
1/2 tsp	salt
1/2 tsp (15 cranks)	fresh black pepper
1/2 tsp	corn starch (optional)

All-Natural Spice Blends/Brands

Frank’s Finest LLC – I have never seen these in stores, you may need to order online.

The Spice Hunter – These can be found at various grocery stores, we use a variety of these spices.

Morton & Bassett San Francisco - These can also be found at various grocery stores.

Mrs. Dash – I’m only talking about some of their “Seasoning Blends”, not the marinades or seasoning packets.  Be careful when choosing a Mrs. Dash product because some of them indicate they have “Natural Flavor”, modified food starch, sugar, vegetable oil (GMO and highly processed), etc. 

Stay away from: Hamburger Grilling Blend, Italian Medley Seasoning Blend,

Lemon Pepper Seasoning Blend, Onion & Herb Seasoning Blend, Steak Grilling Blend, Tomato Basil Garlic Seasoning Blend

Wellness Mama is a blog I follow on Facebook.  She has a post titled “14 Homemade Spice Blends”.  Here you will find recipes for Taco Seasoning, Curry Powder, Italian Seasoning, Rajin’ Cajun Seasoning, Ranch Dressing Mix, Lemon Pepper Seasoning, Seasoned Salt, Fajita Seasoning, French Onion Soup Mix, Chili Seasoning, Herbs de Provence, Caribbean Jerk, Chinese 5 Spice, and Pumpkin Pie seasoning.  She buys her ingredients from Mountain Rose Herbs.  Mountain Rose Herbs is a great place to buy herbs and spices in bulk, plus great customer service. 

I suggest you spend some time and money rebuilding your spice rack with more natural, healthy ingredients.  Once you have the staples on hand, you can easily whip up any mixture without added chemicals.  Plus, it is fun to experiment with flavors and adapt your mixes to fit your palate. 

I hope this helps!

Take care,

Cyndi