Tag Archives: Cooking

Val’s Farm-ous Lasagna

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When I think about my hours spent in the kitchen on the farm, my first instinct is to grab my lasagna pan. Whenever we work cattle, have a crew out to help or need to work together on a project, I know that I can never go wrong with the cheesy, meaty greatness that is my “Farm-ous Lasagna.”

So here it is…AND I have a crew to feed it to today!

This is what we’re doing:

This is corn that has been chopped and will be used this winter to feed our cattle. We have a crew of 7 here today to help us get our feed ready!

This is corn that has been chopped and will be used this winter to feed our cattle. We have a crew of 7 here today to help us get our feed ready!

And I’ll be sure to explain it more later.

But for now, here’s the recipe:

Val’s Farm-ous Lasagna

Ingredients:

  • ground beef, browned (I use 1 1/2 pounds of meat, but not everyone likes their lasagna THAT meaty, use your discretion.)
  • 1 can pasta sauce
  • 4 cups shredded cheese of your choosing (I prefer the pizza mix, because it melts so yummy!)
  • 1 22 oz. container cottage cheese (I use low-fat…which is almost laughable because of the amount of cheese in my lasagna, but I didn’t ask your opinion, now did I? 🙂 )
  • lasagna noodles, about 12, depending on your pan size, cooked al dente’ and drained/rinsed

1) Add pasta sauce and browned hamburger together in a skillet. I make sure it’s all warmed together before layering my lasagna.

This is how I start my lasagna, with a layer of sauce.

This is how I start my lasagna, with a layer of sauce.

2) Layer your lasagna: I always start with a base of sauce/burger mixture at the bottom, then a layer of noodles, then a layer of sauce again, cottage cheese and shredded cheese. Continue layering, ending with shredded cheese that covers the whole pan. (I use one package of cheese in the layering, and one package just for the topping…I like cheese.) Like this:

3) Bake at 350* for about 30 minutes, or until you notice the sauce in the lasagna starts boiling.

Can we say, "YUM!"

Can we say, “YUM!”

4) Enjoy! And perhaps consider hitting the gym for a little extra time tonight. The beauty of this recipe? If possible, it tastes even better as leftovers. Unfortunately, it’s been a year or two since my boys left us any leftovers!

* I am participating in Indiana’s Family of Farmers Table Talk Series and received a gift in exchange for my participation.

Table Talk Contributor

German Knephla Soup with made-from-scratch broth

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Let me tell you, I’ve always been amazed at people that can make meals from scratch. Somehow, the thought of just throwing stuff together and hoping that it turns out has always terrified me…but that’s not so much the case any longer.

You see, I have four boys – and aside from one on a very special diet – they will eat anything. And lots of anything. Lots and LOTS of anything.

Scooter and his older/younger brothers. He's the one in the football gear.

Scooter and his older/younger brothers. He’s the one in the football gear.

Yesterday I started what was to be supper last night, but Boss Man surprised me by having put something in the oven for supper already. So I saved it for today (which actually made it healthier).

This post is actually two recipes in one, so be sure you read all the way to the end, you don’t want to miss it!

Soup base

  • 1 soup bone (in this case, I used a whole half-smoked turkey, you can use a beef bone, ham bone, chicken, etc – leave the trim meat on it…whatever type of base you want to make)
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • celery salt, approx. 1 tsp. (you can also just use 3-4 stalks of celery)
  • couple shakes of pepper (I apparently have inherited my Grandmother’s gift of measurement)
  • 3 bay leaves

Put all together into a stock pot or kettle with water. I filled my kettle about 2/3 full of water. It depends on how strong you want your broth, how much you’re going to need for the final recipe, etc. Turn the temp up to medium and bring it to a boil. Keep it boiling for 30-45 minutes. The longer it cooks, the more flavor you’ll draw out. As the meat starts to fall off, you’ll know when it’s about done.

Getting ready to make my broth.

Getting ready to make my broth.

When the broth is to your flavor desire, take out the bone and discard. I always leave the meat in for my soup. (It usually doesn’t have much flavor left, but adds to the texture.)

Notice how most of the meat has fallen off? I picked a little more off as I was pulling out the bones.

Notice how most of the meat has fallen off? I picked a little more off as I was pulling out the bones.

Warning – chicken will cook faster than a beef or ham bone. You’ll want to be sure to get all the bones out! (Lesson learned the hard way.)

If you’re making soup that day, just add your other ingredients and enjoy! If your soup-making day is a little ways off, place the broth in the fridge and let it cool. If you let it cool first, all the fat will harden at the top, making it easy to skim off.

If you’re soup seems to be lacking a little something, you can easily play with it, by adding a little extra chicken bouillon, beef bouillon, etc.

Now, on to the good part:

Knephla Soup

Knephla soup is simply a dough-based soup. Super easy to make, especially with the broth above.

Ingredients:

  • 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tsp. salt (to your taste)
  • package frozen veggies (again, to your taste)
  • 3 chicken breasts, browned and chopped

To make knephla dough, simply add the flour, egg and water and mix until a dough ball forms. You know the dough is done, when it doesn’t stick to the side of your mixer. If the dough is dry (flaky in the bowl), add a touch of water…if it’s wet (sticky mess), add a touch of flour. When adding to the dough, do so in small amounts. It doesn’t take much to get it to just the right consistency.

To the broth above, add in the vegetables (you could also use fresh carrots, celery, potatoes, whatever you’d like…I just happen to have a bag of frozen handy) and the chicken. (I cheated this time and used some chopped ham that we had leftover. The smoked turkey tastes a lot like ham, so it was an easy add in. With the salty ham, I skipped salt in the broth, so that it wasn’t too salty in the end.)

Bring the broth with all your goodies in it to a boil.

To make the actual knephla, tear off a chunk of dough and roll it into a strip. Think about half the width of a paper towel roll. Take your kitchen scissors (or your kids’ scissors…washed) and cut small pieces off the strip, directly into the broth. They may sink right away (unless you have a ton of stuff in your kettle, like veggies, meat, etc.), but they’ll float when the dough has cooked through (about 2-3 minutes). Keep cutting and rolling and cutting and rolling, until all the dough is in your pot.

Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy!

German Knephla Soup - No matter how you spell it, it all ends up the same...GONE!

German Knephla Soup – No matter how you spell it, it all ends up the same…GONE!

 

School Lunch and Obesity: Part 2

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Over the weekend I shared my thoughts on the school lunch issue. For those that may not know what I’m referring to, the USDA has put into place guidelines that school must follow in order to qualify for funding through the free and reduced-price meals program. Those guidelines include:

So, where is my problem? My first response was an emotional one. I don’t believe some of the guidelines are fair and they definitely don’t take into consideration the different needs and requirements for different students. We don’t expect our children to all learn the same, so why do we expect them to eat the same?

First of all, let’s look at the meat/meat alternative issue. I have yet to meet anyone that has ever dealt with nutrition/weight loss issues that has not learned the importance of protein in your diet. According to dietary guidelines and a discussion with a dietician, my 105-pound, 5′ 1″ 8-year-old needs about 58 grams of protein per day. To clarify, “From the ages of 4 to 6, he needs 0.5 g per lb., decreasing to 0.45 g per pound between 7 and 14 years of age. Depending on his weight and daily calorie intake during these years, he may need to consume between 7 and 15 percent of his total calories as protein.” Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/519852-what-percentage-of-protein-do-children-need-each-day/#ixzz26vHPnKoF

He will receive roughly 14 grams through the school. (There are approximately 7 grams of protein per ounce of meat, and the school lunch will serve 1.5-2 oz.) That’s a lot to make up in the course of his meals at home.

And that’s not the only catch with protein. Animal protein and plant-based protein are two different things. For the essential amino acids, animal protein is a “complete” protein, meaning that it provides all that you need. Plant-based protein is “incomplete”, needing two to make one complete protein. It’s not a difference in how the body breaks it down, just how it’s used. If you aren’t using animal proteins, you just need more to get your essential amino acids. (Sound complicated? It is. Which is why I can’t even begin to understand why we would try to make this a one-size-fits-all type of diet. Our bodies don’t work that way.)

Let’s look at the calorie requirements. According to Mayo Clinic (and we work closely with a team of dietitians from Mayo through George’s disorder), children Scooter’s age require 1,200 to 2,000 calories per day, depending on growth and activity level. I would guess that would be plenty sufficient for EJ, since he’s 5 and on the smaller side of the scale. But it won’t touch Scooter’s needs. Not even close.

The requirements for increased vegetable choices, lower sodium intake, etc. Yay! I’m all for those types of changes. Let’s offer our children more, expand their palates, show them how great a well-balanced meal can be! Yes, yes and yes! I will be one of the biggest supporters of these types of changes…but the rest, well, the rest leaves me hungry for more information. And leaves my children just plain hungry.

There are a few comments that were left that I would like to respond to here. The first is the remark that I have the option to pack a lunch for my child, if I feel that the school lunch is inadequate in any way. And although that is true, I shouldn’t have to resort to those types of measures daily, just so that my child is fed enough to make it through the day.

But let’s say that I DID pack my son’s lunch each day. How does that make things better for the child that doesn’t have a parent at home to pack a lunch, or the funds to purchase an extra serving. Shouldn’t we be protecting those that cannot protect themselves? Isn’t that the purpose of living in this country that we call home? Should I just sit back and let things take its course because I’m fortunate enough to be able to provide whatever meal my children request at school? Is that the right attitude?

Second of all, a comment was made about children needing to pick up the proper eating habits at a young age, so those habits can continue on into adulthood. And I agree 100%. Expand our children’s minds, give them more options, require that fruits/vegetables and other foods are consumed before offering seconds. I’m all for any/all of those types of changes. Serve my child beets, different types of greens, oranges, etc. Please!

I grew up in a house where food was not always plentiful. There wasn’t an open-cupboard policy and we sometimes relied on other means to put food on the table, whether it be hunting and butchering our own, garden staples, foodstamps or commodities. My mother canned all sorts of things, including sausage and chicken. We would butcher as many as 500 chickens in the fall, partly to fill our pantry and partly to sell to others. (It’s part of the reason that I still, to this day, cannot handle raw chicken. Seriously.)

My children do not know what it’s like to not have the option of more food. And I think that it helps in the long run. They do not stuff themselves because they don’t know when the next good meal will be. They know that when they are hungry they can eat, and so they eat a reasonable amount and they eat sensibly. But I know they are the exception, not the rule.

Are there improvements I can make when it comes to meals and choices for my children? Certainly. And I’m working on them regularly. Yet having my children come home hungry enough that they are willing to grab whatever is nearest and stuff themselves with it? Well, that doesn’t seem like the right lesson to teach. I’m just grateful that I’m here to intervene.

But what about those that aren’t so fortunate?

If you check out my first blog post in this series, the bottom has links from people that have weighed in on this issue. It’s important, not just for our children, but for their futures as well. Any other comments/questions? I will continue to write about/address these issues as we work through these changes as a family. I’d love to hear your take.

Hunk of Meat Monday – Cheesy Chicken Hashbrowns

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I had part of a bag of hashbrowns leftover this weekend, so I decided to throw some stuff together and it turned out to be such a big hit, that I thought I would share it with you!

Cheesy Chicken Hashbrowns

Ingredients:

  • package of frozen hashbrowns
  • shredded chicken (I used the Schwan’s Philly Style Chicken, but you could even use the fajita meat, leftover chicken, etc.)
  • shredded cheese
  • butter

Simply start the hashbrowns the way you normally would.

Start off with a little bit of butter in the bottom of a skillet. After it’s melted, throw your hasbrowns in and cook as you normally would.

Split the pan in two, and cook (heat-through) your chicken on one side.

When the hashbrowns are just about done, flip them over, so they take up only half the pan. Throw your chicken in on the empty half and let it cook (or reheat, whatever it may be).

When chicken is cooked-through, combine the two.

When the chicken is heated through, combine the two halves together and cook until done. (Crispy, not-so-crispy…whatever your preference for hashbrowns.)

Top with cheese. Why? Because there is nothing that isn’t better with cheese…well, except maybe ice cream…maybe.

Top with cheese. Serve, enjoy! Super simple, but oh, so good! You could also add in onions, peppers, mushrooms, etc.

Super simple meal, easy way to use leftovers!

 

Hunk of Meat Monday – Spare Ribs

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I was thinking all weekend about something that I could make for a Monday lunch for Boss Man. I don’t normally make him lunch (he has 2 fridges, 2 freezers, a pizza oven and a microwave in the shop…there are times where I don’t see him for days), but since it rained most of the weekend, I thought I would surprise him with a little surprise…spare ribs, slightly barbecued.

Let me tell you that I have never successfully made ribs. I mean, they usually taste good, but never look quite right, never taste quite like I hope and I either douse them in too much sauce or they get all greasy. Not today. Today I conquered my fear of ribs! (I can hear the theme to “Rocky,” can’t you?)

And I’m sharing my secrets with you…lucky you.

Spare Ribs

Ingredients:

  • Package of ribs
  • Rib seasoning (I used Pampered Chef’s Smoky Barbecue Rub, but you can use any type of seasoning that pleases you, bought or home-mixed…I just have no luck with finding my own combination…yet.)
  • Oil (I used Wildtree’s Natural Butter Flavored Grapeseed Oil. If you aren’t familiar with Wildtree and their grapeseed oil, you need to find a distributor…now. It’s amazing stuff. Really. Truly.)
  • Barbecue sauce (I just used an original flavored store-brand sauce…and not a whole lot of it. We all have our faves, just pick whatever is yours.)

That’s it. Again, for me, the big thing is getting ribs to look like ribs. And I found the secret…but let me walk you through it.

First, start with a nice package of ribs:

Now, that's a hunk of meat that I could love!

Rub them down with a bit of oil. I have a spray pump at home that I can fill with whatever liquid of my choosing and turn it into an aerosol-of-sorts (minus the aerosol)…I use this with my oil and LOVE making my own oil spray! 🙂

Coat with seasoning. I don’t use a ton of it, but that’s to our taste. Coat to your hearts content.

Those ribs are ready for an oven!

Place ribs on a shallow pan and broil in the oven for about 10 minutes on each side, or until browned nicely.

When done, remove ribs from the pan and place directly on the rack. Yes, it’s crazy. Yes, it’s a bit uncouth. But it really made a difference. (And place the pan under the ribs to catch drippings…we don’t want to start any fires!)

Place directly on rack...don't flinch, I promise it won't hurt!

Bake at 250* for about 2 1/2-3 hours. In the last half-hour, brush on a light coating on one side for 15 minutes, then flip and do the other. (You can do this earlier and keep repeating, as your taste demands. I’m truly a northern gal, complete with pretty tame tastebuds.)

I teamed it up with butter-fried potatoes and fresh steamed-asparagus from the garden. Yes, it’s April and we have asparagus ready to go in North Dakota. Crazy spring.

Here, check it out:

Go ahead, it's OK to drool...I promise.

Scrum-diddly-umptious!

Oh, and don’t forget about my giveaway! You’ll definitely want to enter today! Winner tomorrow! 🙂

Monday madness – Giveaway!

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It’s been a long, long time since I’ve sent off a package to a lucky blog reader, so I’m going to correct that problem today. By the end of today (midnight) I will pick a winner of this amazing bracelet from Premier Designs:

Talk about beautiful!

It’s a beautiful adjustable belt-buckle/rhinestone bracelet, and is stretchy, so I can truly fit anyone and everyone. I already have one, but snagged up this one specifically for you guys (and with Mother’s Day right around the corner, it would make a great gift!)

Just leave me a comment and you’ll be entered. Simple as that. I’ll announce the random winner tomorrow morning.

And don’t forget, help me out by spreading the word about my latest project…and if you have something you would like some help on, just give me a shout and we’ll work something out.

Oh, and stay tuned…it’s a double-post Monday. I’m working on a Hunk of Meat Monday recipe that will knock your socks off! (Well, it’s working on mine anyway!) Here’s a clue:

A yummy slab of pork for my Monday munchies! 🙂 Can't wait to share the rest of this with you!

Hunk of Meat Monday – Chicken, Pork, Deer

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It’s been awhile since I’ve had a recipe for Hunk of Meat Monday, but this weekend I tried something that was so out-of-this-world, that I HAD to share it.

It combined chicken, pork and deer (although, the recipe called for dried beef, I only had dried venison on hand). And it was de-lish!

Chicken Breast with Dried Beef

Ingredients

  • 8 chicken breasts, boned, skinned and cut in half (or just get boneless, skinless ones! 🙂 )
  • 1 pkg. dried beef, pulled apart (I used dried venison)
  • 8 slices of bacon (or more, can’t go wrong with bacon…ever)
  • 1 pint sour cream
  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup (I confess, I used cream of chicken)

Venison, chicken breasts and bacon...how can you go wrong?

Line the bottom of a 9X13 pan with dried beef. Roll 1/2 slice bacon around each half of chicken breast and place it on top of the beef. Mix together the sour cream and cream of mushroom soup and spoon over the chicken. Bake at 275* for 3 1/2 hours, uncovered. Can be assembled a day ahead of time and refrigerated. Serves 8.

Oh, and I served it with baked potatoes, so we weren’t in a complete meat coma.

And it was so very, very yummy!

So very, very yummy!

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Kneopfla Hotdish (Knepfla) – German Cooking

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I thought I’d kick off this winter-storm weekend with a nice tasty, warm traditional meal.

And bonus points for it being super easy! (Especially with a Kitchenaid! I’m in LOVE!)

Knepfla Hotdish

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 c. flour
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 c. water
  • sausage, ham or meat of your choosing
  • 1/2 pint cream
  • 1 tsp. chicken bouillon

Mix flour, salt, egg and water, until dough ball forms. Cut dough into a kettle of boiling water (I use a kitchen scissors). Boil until done (they will float), about 5-10 minutes. Rinse under cold water.

Yummy, scrumptious deliciousness.

Prepare meat in a skillet (fry the sausage, heat the ham, brown the burger, etc.). Combine 1/2 pint of cream, 1 tsp. chicken bouillon and pepper in a small bowl. Add knepfla to meat and pour cream mixture over the top. Heat through.

It’s yummy, it’s great and it doesn’t take a lot of time.

ENJOY!

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Introducing cheese buttons – a German tradition

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Connie – pay attention, this one’s for you. Got it?

Earlier this summer, I finally wrote down my grandmother’s recipe for German Dumplings. I entered the recipe into an Iron Chef Challenge sponsored by King Arthur’s Flour…and somehow pulled away with a win! (I’ll be posting a recipe tomorrow, in a battle of the iron chef all-stars kinda thing. Stay tuned.)

It was requested that I work on a recipe for Grandma’s cheese buttons, and here it is. Well, kind of. If you want to go through the work of making your own dough, go ahead and use my recipe on the dumplings post. But I’m all for ease, and speed, and still tasting authentic. And oddly enough, my “new” way of doing this works just fine. Even my dad didn’t notice the difference!

So here it is, German Cheese Buttons, updated for 2011:

Ingredients:

  • Wonton or egg roll wrappers (egg roll wrappers can be cut into 4, wonton wrappers are just the right size)
  • Cottage cheese
  • Butter
  • Salt/pepper to taste
  • Meat of choice, I prefer fry sausage…but ham, pork or seasoned burger would work just fine…or go without

Place a kettle of water on the stove and heat it over medium to a boil. While water is heating, take your cottage cheese and place it in a bowl; season with salt and pepper to your liking. Take wonton wrapper and place a small spoonful in the middle of the wrapper. wet around the edges and fold the wonton in half, making a triangle with all the edges sealed. (It’s important that the edges seal, so that your cottage cheese doesn’t leak out.)

Yummy cottage cheese in middle, preparing to fold it in half! Notice the outside edges are wet...use water to seal!

Cheese button folded in half, press around edges to make sure it seals!

Make as many cheese buttons as you think you need…add 10 more. Trust me. They’re that good.

In a frying pan, melt half a stick of butter or medium heat. Place cheese buttons in the pot of boiling water, four or so at a time. Let them boil for 3-4 minutes. They should float when they’re done. Using a slotted spoon, take the cheese buttons out of the water, letting most of the water drain off. Place them directly into the frying pan. Continue until all cheese buttons are in the frying pan. Be sure to flip occasionally, to keep from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Warning: some of the cheese buttons may rupture in the water, some may stick and rupture in the pan. It will not affect the tastiness of the dish, just might tarnish the presentation a bit. One taste and all thoughts of what the plate looks like will fly out the window. Again, trust me.

Water boiling, cheese buttons floating. They are ready!

Use a slotted spoon to drain off excess water...then...

Fry them in butter!

Once all cheese buttons are in the pan, add your sliced sausage, meat, etc. Serve when meat is heated through.

I try to find ways to incorporate as many food groups into one pan as possible. I make these meat chunks large, so that I can pick them out for George's diet.

One thing you may want to add in if you’re really wanting to be authentically German, is bread crumbs. Fry them up in the butter, along with the cheese buttons. You won’t be disappointed. But do me a favor, don’t tell your doctor I told you to do that, ‘k?

Things you need to know:

  1. German cooking is not low-fat, low-carb or anything else a health professional would claim as “good for you.”
  2. German cooking tastes wonderful. And my grandma was 89 when she passed away. I can live with that.
  3. You may need to add more butter as you’re cooking, to “keep it from sticking.” At least, that’s what I tell myself. I’m sure it’s true.
  4. Do NOT boil your cheese buttons for too long. They will rupture. And then the dough will get gooey. It still tastes fine, just not appealing to the eye. And the textures a little oozy. Consider yourself warned.

Good luck, have fun…and enjoy your meal. And stay tuned tomorrow. I get crazy with a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread.

I’m linking to the Gooseberry Patch Christmas Favorites Round Up today…this was truly one of my holiday favorites that Grandma would make!
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Watching out for #BSLabels

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So, what’s a #BSLabel? Well, it’s one of those things that make a REAL great marketing plan…but don’t have much fact behind it. Or maybe it’s something so elementary that it isn’t needed on a label.

Like boneless bananas.

Or perhaps gluten-free fruit.

You will find these labels everywhere. And unsuspecting consumers fall for them. A lot.

Today I’m going to shed some light on one I found in my own grocery store. And it’s pretty comical…in a what-won’t-you-say-to-try-to-make-a-buck sort of way.

Check it out:

Here are two different cereal’s. One is a “natural” cereal, made with renewable energy and packaged in a box that’s recyclable! (Let’s just take this one step at a time, don’t jump ahead of me now!)

Well, maybe Mom's Best isn't really her best effort. But great marketing!

The other is a store-brand version of the same cereal (even same shapes!):

Just a plain-old sugar-sweetened regular cereal.

Let’s start off with one of it’s number one claims. (For comparison’s sake, we’ll call them Mom’s and Treasures.) Mom’s has NO high fructose corn syrup. Treasure lists HFCS on its label. But wait a minute…upon further inspection Mom’s has evaporated milled sugar, dextrose AND regular corn syrup.

So what’s the difference between HFCS and regular corn syrup? Well, basically just one chemical process. Where regular corn syrup is concentrated, making the sugar content higher, necessitating less syrup for the same amount of sweetness. That’s about it in a nutshell. (It’s way more complicated and scientific than that, but you get the picture, right? If not, Google it.)

Well, let’s take a further look at the nutritional breakdowns. That’s where I become a little surprised.

Compare the two labels...it's a little shocking to read the difference.

Here’s the breakdown:

Cereal type                  Mom’s                               Treasure

Vitamin A                        0%                                   10%

Vitamin C                         0%                                   10%

Calcium                           10%                                   10%

Iron                                     4%                                   50%

Vitamin D                          0%                                   10%

Thiamin                              8%                                    25%

Riboflavin                          2%                                    25%

Niacin                                  0%                                    25%

Vitamin B6                         0%                                    25%

Folate (Folic Acid)          2%                                    50%

Vitamin B12                       0%                                    25%

Zinc                                        2%                                    25%

So “Mom’s Best” might not actually be the “best.” But let’s move on. Hmmm…serving size the same? Check. Well, then the other information, like calorie count and stuff must be way off, right? Wrong.

According to the packaging, Mom’s has 120 calories, which includes 10 calories from fat. The same goes for Treasure. What about total fat? Same. Cholesterol? Same. Sodium? Same. Potassium? Same. Total carbohydrates? Oops. We have a difference here. Mom’s has 24 grams…and Treasure has a whopping 25 grams. Protein? Same.

Hmmm…well, the packaging. That makes a difference, right? Mom’s advertises that the carton is made from 100% recycled paperboard, with a minimum of 35% post-consumer content. That must blow Treasure out of the water, right? Wrong again. Treasure has the exact same label. Mom’s does say that the carton, “Can be recycled when it’s empty. Dig in!” Well, guess what? So can Treasure.

Guess what?!? They can BOTH be recycled!

So what’s the problem? People are free to market as they choose, right? And I completely agree. But it’s also our responsibility, as consumers, to sort through the garbage and figure out which labels have true value and meaning, and which ones are #BSLabels. And don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with choosing either one of these cereals…if you know why you’re choosing them.

If you don’t think there’s a difference, I have some boneless bananas to sell you.

Want to read more? Check out this post on peanut butter by The Farmer’s Life.