I’ve been wanting to make some tree-nut free and peanut-free cookies with SunButter for quite some time now, and I finally got around to doing it! My version tastes like trail mix. Except instead of hiking around I’m sitting here on my butt typing this. I’ve actually never tried a SunButter cookie before. I usually make peanut butter cookies. But with the fact that pretty much every school has gone peanut free and I didn’t like my last batch of almond butter cookies, I decided to try something different (for me). You know how when you eat sunflower seeds, you kinda taste them near the back of your tongue on both sides? The seed butter has the same effect on me so by eating the cookies, I do get that lingering sunflower flavor on the back sides of my tongue. I’m a pretty sensitive taster, so maybe it’s just me? Regardless, I like eating sunflower seeds and really like these cookies!
I added oats to bulk up the cookie and make it a little hearty. The coconut flakes give it little nuttniess. Coconut can be considered a tree-nut, but most people with tree-nut allergies are not allergic to coconut. If you are, just omit it. To read more about tree nut allergies, check this out. The pumpkin seeds give the cookies a great crunch along with extra nutrients, and the hemp seeds give it a nice kick of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. The raisins add some extra sweetness and chewyness. All in all, I love the texture of the cookie- a little crunchy on the outside but soft on the inside! [click to continue…]
I got the amazing opportunity to to to Arizona to learn about eggs. Seriously. The good people at the American Egg Board and The Good Egg Project (via Foodbuzz) brought us to Phoenix where we learned about eggs and toured Hickman Family Farms. Since that was the place chosen to host our tour; I figured they were the “model” place that hosted tours all the time for those curious about egg production. Come to find out, that’s not the case! Hickman’s have given a few press tours, but they are not in the business of giving tours at all. Ooooohhhh, that made it even more fun! The first thing that hit me (other than the smell of course) was how CLEAN everything was. I couldn’t speak for all egg facilities, but this one, most definitely. The outside fence goes on for miles for biosecurity – you let people in that aren’t authorized and they could contaminate everything. No bird owners allowed! Luckily, none of the bloggers attending that day were bird owners so we were all allowed in. First thing once you walk in the door is stepping on the chlorinated tablet mat, in an attempt to sterilize your dirty shoes. Not a bad idea for home either with babies dropping their pacifiers on the floor and popping it right back in their mouths! Then, you must wear a hairnet and a robe thing to cover up your clothes. I was afraid if I sneezed that I’d get thrown out.
Of course, the most interesting part was the hens. In this case, there were a bajillion white hens. White hens = white eggs, brown hens = brown eggs. Same nutritional profile, only difference is the brown eggs tend to be a little harder to crack. So, there are six hens to a cage (I think? The United Egg Producers animal welfare program says one hen every 67+ inches ) and the cage is slightly tilted towards the front so when they lay their egg, it will slowly fall into the line where the eggs are then whisked away to be cleaned and packaged. Underneath the cages are long conveyor belts where the excrement goes and gets cleaned out once per day. The poo doesn’t touch the hens below, don’t worry! At the front of the cage is the feed, and the back is the water, which means within the pecking order of the hens, the alpha female can’t competely dominate the weaker ones because at some point the alpha will need to visit the opposite end of the cage for either a drink or a bite to eat. Also, the beaks are trimmed (still plenty of beak left…again, not to worry!) so that the alpha hens don’t tear apart the weaker ones. Really, the alpha hens will go after the weaker ones and there are casualties, but that’s more prominent when the hens are freely roaming and more difficult to do with a trimmed beak. Luckily, the hens were on their best behavior when we were there and we didn’t see any hens down at all.
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