CHOCOLATE BANANA ICE CREAM SANDWICH:

Here is a kid-friendly, no bake, RAW recipe!

Mix in bowl:
¼ cup Cacoa
¼ cup Grade B Maple Syrup
2 TBSP Coconut Oil
Dash of Celtic Sea Salt.

Slice 2 bananas into circle-shaped pieces

Place Organic Peanut Butter or choice of nut butter on ½

Top with remainder of banana slices

Dip Bananas into Chocolate mixture OR
Place bananas into a 9x12 Glass Pyrex Dish and drizzle on top .

Place in Freezer for 1/2 hour

ENJOY!

Fall Veggies--Gorge on Gourds!

I cant help but want to eat squash and sweet potatoes this time of year! They are divine!

The nutritional value is through the roof!
Check out Squash:
http://www.wholeliving.com/134734/power-foods-butternut-squash

Check out Sweet Potato:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=64

And don't forget Pumpkin:
http://urbanext.illinois.edu/pumpkins/nutrition.cfm

And don't toss those seeds!
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=82

I am playing around with some recipes (yet to be completed). Here are Sweet Potatoes peeled/diced up with Coconut Oil, Celtic Sea Salt and Cinnamon and baked in the oven. SIMPLE and SO TASTY!

And then we have Squash! YUM! YUM! YUM! Endless recipe possibilities! 

Here I sliced the squash in half. I removed the seeds, rubbed coconut oil on interior flesh and placed face down on a greased (Coconut Oil) Pyrex dish and baked in the oven. 
I let cool then topped with Celtic Sea Salt, Cinnamon, Butter and Raw Honey! Seriously, tasted like desert!

I followed this super easy recipe from Elana's Pantry:
http://www.elanaspantry.com/how-to-roast-butternut-squash/

CONFESSION: We were doing "taste testing" on the squash.  Calei, her BFF, and I stood in the kitchen, right here and ATE the squash off the counter! HA! Never made it to the table! DELISH!

I ENCOURAGE you to go out NOW, while this is in season and COOK up some Gourds! 

AND don't forget, LIKE "Real Food Gal" on Facebook! Be part of an amazing on-line social community now! 

Wishing you Peace, Health and Happiness!
xo
Jeni Clark~

Cauliflower

I LOVE Cauliflower! You can do so much with it! I even use it in a pizza crust recipe! Here are 2 Recipes that I make often!

CURRY CAULIFLOWER

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees
1 head of Cauliflower broken into small chunks
Place in glass Pyrex baking dish or Corning Wear
Liberally Coat with Olive Oil 
Add:
1 tsp Curry Powder (Or more if you like!)
1 tsp Celtic Sea Salt
Dash of Pepper

Cover with Aluminum Foil 
Cook for 45 Minutes until tender

Serve warm 

CAULIFLOWER MASHED POTATOES

Using 1 head of Cauliflower, break up into small chunks and steam Cauliflower until Soft
Drain
Add Steamed Cauliflower back to pan and add:
4 TBSP of Organic or Raw Butter
1/2 tsp Celtic Sea Salt
Mash

Optional:
1 tsp of Curry Powder
OR
4 cloves of Garlic diced

ENJOY!

Wishing you peace, health and happiness
xo
Jeni Clark
Real Food Gal

Digestive Wellness Almond Flour (Including Contest to WIN Flour!)

Pretty much anyone who follows my posts knows I ONLY use Digestive Wellness Almond Flour.

Not to mention, they are an outstanding company! Did I say outstanding!? Yes!

Esther, at Digestive Wellness, has been with me every step of the way answering any questions I might have about their products.

After trying many nut flours on the market, this is the ONLY place I buy my nut flours. This is also the ONLY place I buy my cocoa butter from. Their organic vanilla smells divine and tastes amazing! I support this company 100% (and NO I don't work for them! )

Here is your chance to WIN a FREE 1 pound bag of the ONLY Almond Flour I will use. 

Here is how you can win:

1. Simply share this post on your Facebook wall.
2. Leave a comment below telling me WHY you would love to win this bag of Digestive Wellness Almond Flour.

I will draw ONE lucky winner on Monday Sept 23, 2013. Must be a U.S. resident. GOOD LUCK! This flour is the BEST!

Check out: Digestive Wellness website here!

Wishing you peace, health and happiness!

xo

Jeni Clark

Real Food Gal :)

Chocolate and Tropical Strawberry Vegan Shakeology: "Where have you been all my life!"

Are you STILL eating SAD (Standard American Diet)?
Are you transitioning off SAD and on to a Real Food Diet but not 100% there?
Do you have a cabinet FULL of supplements?
Are you on the "go" and need a FAST nutrient dense meal, to "go"?

I ALWAYS tell people, "PUT YOURSELF ON THE "LIST"!" This is one of the easiest ways!

I want to introduce you to VEGAN Shakeology! Chocolate and Tropical Strawberry!

YES! Real Food Gal APPROVES this meal replacement shake!  WHY!? Because of the ingredients! Never ever have I seen anything like it!

As you ALL know, I am all about the "ingredients"!  MOST meal replacement shakes are LOADED with sugar, inadequate protein sources, GMO's, and JUNK!

Vegan Chocolate Shakeology and Tropical Strawberry is LOADED with nutrition. 
Super food/fruit/herbs, probiotics, digestive enzymes, protein, fiber, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, phyto-nutrients, anti-oxidants etc... etc.. etc... 

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THESE INGREDIENTS!  Need I say more!?

I was making Super Fruit Smoothies anyhow each day. LOTS of ingredients and yes, very expensive. This was a MUCH better solution for me!  Tropical Strawberry tastes JUST like the smoothies I was making but with WAY more nutrition!

CLICK HERE to ORDER 
 VEGAN SHAKEOLOGY 
Then click on the GREEN "Order Now" button on the right hand side of screen: 

This Tony Horton video does the BEST to sum it up and explains WHY I am choosing to drink Shakeology VERSUS buying all these super fruit/herbs/foods and endless supplements which add up to a LOT of $$.  

Shakeology is only about $4 a day! You will be spending that or MORE on a meal anyway, so, why not make sure you are getting a "Super Nutrient Meal"!  For some, this will be the healthiest meal they will have all day!

This is a super funny, yet true and very entertaining video that sums it up!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwgaeGBvm4c

I drink it post workout as my "breakfast".  It is very filling, satisfying and GREAT tasting!  AND it is WAY more cost effective then buying breakfast from a toxic fast food joint or claim-to-be-healthy-smoothie place or popping a bunch of expensive supplements! You are spending that money anyway! AND...No need for a zillion supplements cluttering your cabinets!

CLICK HERE to ORDER 
 VEGAN SHAKEOLOGY 
Then click on the GREEN "Order Now" button on the right hand side of screen: 

This diagram below is a little outdated, BUT you get the point!

CLICK HERE to ORDER 
 VEGAN SHAKEOLOGY 
Then click on the GREEN "Order Now" button on the right hand side of screen: 

Uncle Phats Farm, Joliet IL

This post is for my local peeps (sorry out-of-towners), but please read on as it is very important to consume ORGANIC produce!  It is IDEAL if you can get it locally!

I met Matt and his mom at the New Lenox Farmer's Market last weekend. One word: LOVED THEM!
They had a beautiful display of all sorts of Organic Produce! And talk about NICE, educated people!

Not to mention, cost! See pic below: $10 bucks! YES! That's it! LOCAL ORGANIC PRODUCE! And let me tell you, the taste, absolutely amazing! I make salsa every week. I could TASTE the difference in the tomatoes! And yes, that is corn. Something I refuse to buy due to GMO's. But after talking with Matt, I did it, I BOUGHT ORGANIC CORN! First time we have eaten corn in YEARS! LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!

If you follow Real Food Gal, I don't need to post "why"we need to consume Organic vs conventional or let alone GMO produce, BUT I do feel compelled to support people like Matt and his mom, who are doing the RIGHT THING and growing the way nature intended us to EAT these items! Pesticide and GMO free! 

Matt welcomed me to visit his farm anytime. 

To contact him please check them out on facebook for more information: 

https://www.facebook.com/UnclePhatsFarm/info

"Uncle Phats Farm is a local organic fruit and vegetable grower. We are located in the 

south west Chicago suburbs in Joliet, IL. Growing Organic fruits and veggies is our 

passion, and we truly put every ounce of heart and soul that we have into it."

1707 Laraway Road

Joliet IL 60433

815-560-1869

Wishing you peace, health and happiness,

xo

Jeni Clark~

JUICING

Juicing... ahhh... YUMMY!

Do you juice?
I DO! About 1-2 times a week.

But please, don't laugh at the old juicer! Okay, go ahead... a new one is on the top of my "wish-list" and will be ordered soon!  I believe a juicer is essential to have in your kitchen.

The peep's at Food Matters have a great Juicer Buying Guide:
http://foodmatters.tv/juicer-buying-guide

There are many PRO's to juicing...
http://nutriprojuicer.com/articles/top-10-reasons-to-juice

Mike Adams, from Natural News, does a great job listing the top ten reasons to do a juice cleanse:
http://www.naturalnews.com/038371_juice_cleanse_max_gerson_health.html

Overall, you get a power packed drink, loaded with nutrition, and the nutrients get absorbed quickly.  Juicing aides digestion and has a zillion medicinal properties. Yes, a zillion! And don't forget the enzymes: enzymes are essential for the chemical reactions that take place in the body.

There are MANY recipes out there.  I really don't think you can go wrong.  Carrots, apples, oranges, pineapple, lemon etc.. all "mask' the strong flavors of the "greens".  

In my juice pictured above I added:

2 stalks of celery
2 cups of greens
a chunk of cucumber
2 green apples
5 carrots
a few mandarin oranges
3 chunks of pineapple 
1 lemon

This fed 3 of us. 

Is all juice created equal? 
NO WAY!

Now, people ask about "store bought" juice. Here is a great little article on "why" not all juice is created equal and why it is important to consume freshly juiced, "juice". 

http://diaryofanutritionist.com/2010/03/16/how-healthy-is-that-juice-juice-and-pasteurization/

"When juice is pasteurized, it is heated to a high temperature for a short period of time. Pasteurization destroys bacteria, molds, and unwanted micro-organisms, that might be lurking in the juice. Pasteurization also prolongs shelf-life, making it a much more cost-efficient product.   But what happens to those lovely raw vitamins, minerals and enzymes?

Gone baby.  All gone.

If heating something can destroy the bad, you better believe that it is going to destroy the good too. What does that leave us with then?  Perhaps a minisculeamount of nutrients, but only because most juice manufactures acknowledge this travesty, and attempt to “fortify” their juice with “vitamins”." 

Happy Juicing everyone!

Wishing you peace, health and happiness,

xo

Jeni Clark

And the WINNER IS.....

JENNI RICE!

******CONGRATS!!!! ******

Today's blog post is dedicated to all those who participated in the Real Food Gal Private Facebook Page contest. (and yes, I did pick the name out of a hat!)

RFG followers were asked how they felt eating Real Food in order to win 25 RFG recipes!

The responses: OUTSTANDING!

Here is how RFG followers FEEL eating Real Food:

Healthy, Invigorated, Normal, Rejuvenated, Longevity, Balanced, Responsible, Good, Alive, Free, Blessed, Clean, Happy, Wholesome, Strong, Energized, Detoxed, Real, Fan-tab-u-lous!, Healing, Better, Energetic, and FABULOUS!

Whoo Weee... this could be words for a motivational poster!

I thank ALL of you RFG FB followers for participating and for your INSPIRING words!

If you are not part of this private group, and would like me to add you, please contact me at: realfoodgal@gmail.com OR find me on Facebook: Jeni Clark

COMING IN SEPTEMBER!

New contest!

You will be able to try and win 1 lb. of my FAVORITE Almond Flour from Digestive Wellness! Stay tuned!

Wishing you peace, health and happiness,

xo

Jeni Clark

Super Fruit Smoothie

On days that are busy, but you want nutrient dense foods, I whip up a smoothie! With smoothies, there really is no measuring. So, below, is approximate measurements. You really can't go wrong!

First, I use these mixes:

I put about a scoop (1 TBSP) of each
I use Almond Milk (Homemade) or Coconut Milk as my "base"
(About 8-16 ounces depending on how much "smoothie" you want)
I use about 1-2 cups of Organic Frozen Mixed Berries
I use a handful of Spinach or Kale (remove stems) or both!
For more sweetness you can add a banana or honey

Mix well. Key!

Then I will serve in a fun glass :) The left overs get frozen into popsicle molds OR small glass Pyrex containers. This is one of our "convenience foods". Grab out of freezer and GO!  This is also our "ice cream".
Talk about HEALTHY! You can eat this every day and feel amazing!

Wishing you peace, health and happiness!

xo
Jeni Clark

Guacamole

This is one of the best go-to recipes for multiple purposes! You can use it as a side, as a topping, as an appetizer or a meal! I make Guacamole once a week! Super nutrient dense food!

In a bowl add:

1/4 small organic onion chopped

2 ripe organic avacados pitted and smashed

2 Organic Roma Tomatoes diced or 1 cup of cherry tomatoes diced

4 organic garlic cloves diced

Juice of 1 lime

Splash of Apple Cider Vinegar (1/4 tsp)

Cilantro (use as much as desired)

1-2 Organic Jalapeno cored and diced

½ tsp Celtic Sea Salt

Mix all ingredients together and chill.

You can also place all ingredients in a food processor for a creamy guacamole.

Optional: ¼ tsp Paprika

Also, you can make a guacamole veggie wraps by topping romaine lettuce with guacamole and add cucumber.

Nut Butter Cups

I decided to google the ingredients of a REAL Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and HOLY COW YUCK!!!!!

Milk Chocolate (Milk Chocolate contains Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Chocolate, Nonfat Milk, Milk Fat, Lactose, and Soya Lecithin and PGPR (as Emulsifiers), Peanuts, Sugar, Dextrose, Salt, and TBHQ and Citric Acid (to Preserve Freshness)

Honestly, HOW IS THIS EVEN ALLOWED! And to think of ALL the people who eat this stuff! And all the kids! Its overwhelming.

If you are unsure, just begin to google some of these ingredients. You will be amazed and probably NEVER eat another Reese's Peanut Butter Cup again!

Here is a MUCH better option!

Nut Layer:

1 cup of Organic Crunchy or Creamy Peanut Butter or Raw Almond Butter

2 TBSP Honey

1 tsp Vanilla

¼ cup Coconut Oil

1 tsp vanilla (optional)

Chocolate Layer:

1 Cup of Organic Dark Chocolate Chips

3 TBSP butter

1 tsp Vanilla

1.     Place Nut Butter, Coconut Oil and Honey in bowl and combine by mixing with a spoon until smooth.

2.     Drop by spoonful into mini muffin tins (24) filling tin ½ way

3.     Place mini muffin tin in freezer

4.     In a small sauce pan, on LOW, melt Chocolate Chips, Butter and Vanilla, stirring constantly

5.     Once melted, take mini muffin pan out of freezer and top with chocolate mixture.

6.     Freeze for 1-2 hours.

7.     Pop out with a dull butter knife.

TIPS:  These are REAL so they WILL melt! Eat directly from Freezer or Fridge. Store in Fridge.

Options for chocolate layer:

1 cup cacoa

½ cup coconut oil

¼ tsp of salt

2-4 TBSP honey/few drops of stevia/combo

1 tsp vanilla

OR

1 cup coconut oil

¼ cup cacoa powder

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

4 TBSP honey/few drops of stevia combo

1 cup Almond Flour

 Melt Chocolate

ENJOY! These are AMAZING!

Nut Butter Chicken Sauce

Make chicken anyway you prefer (grilled, baked, breaded etc…)

In a glass bowel mix the following:

1 cup crunchy peanut butter or almond butter

The juice of 1 lemon (squeezed in bowl)

2 TBSP of Grapeseed oil or Sesame Oil

1 tsp grated Ginger

3 cloves of garlic minced

1 TBSP Braggs Amino Acids

1 TBSP tamari

5 drops of stevia

2 tsp raw honey

TIPS:  Top chicken with sauce and sesame seeds.  Use this sauce in salad as a dressing. Use this sauce as a base for coleslaw while adding shaved carrots and other veggies.   

Chocolate Birthday Cake and Chocolate Frosting

2 cups Digestive Wellness Almond Flour

½ tsp celtic sea salt

½ tsp baking soda

¼ cup Cocoa Powder

¼-1/2  cup water

2 eggs

1 TBSP vanilla

4 TBSP butter (melted) or grapeseed oil

¼ cup honey OR 10 drops of Liquid Organic Stevia

1.       Preheat oven at 350 degrees      
2.       Combine all wet ingredients and mix well. 
3.     Combine all dry ingredients and mix well
4.     Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes.
5.     Remove from oven and let cool

Variations:

You can add ¼ cup of shredded coconut to the batter as well as coconut oil versus butter.

You can add ½ cup of Walnuts to the batter. 

This recipe makes 8 cupcakes.  

You can double this recipe and bake in 2, 9 inch cake pans, greased liberally with grapeseed oil or coconut oil.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until a tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool.  Frost.

DO NOT over-bake. Cake will be dry.

Top with Chocolate Frosting Recipe!

Chocolate Frosting

1 cup of dark organic chocolate chips

½ cup butter

1 TBSP vanilla

Pinch of Celtic Sea Salt

In sauce pan over med low heat, melt chocolate and butter until smooth stirring often. 

Add vanilla and salt

Place in freezer for 20-30 minutes (keep checking until mixture is slightly hard)

Remove from freezer and whip using a hand held mixer until fluffy.  The chocolate will turn from dark brown to light brown when it’s done.

Frost anything J

Store in glass Pyex for up to 3 days or in freezer.

Easy Grain Free Chicken Nuggets

1 pound of boneless skinless organic chicken breast cut up in 1-2” chunks

Preheat oven at 400 degrees

Scramble one egg

Mix with 1/4 cup Olive oil

On a plate add the following:

1 cup almond flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp pepper

¼ cup date sugar or coconut palm sugar (optional but VERY good!)

Mix well

Dip chicken in egg/olive oil mixture and then dip into breading coating the chicken pieces well.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes on a prepared baking sheet

Melt butter/salt and use as a dipping sauce

JELLO! From "Wellness Mama"

Many of you know I have been using Great Lakes Gelatin in just about anything I can! The nutritional value is outstanding!

Marshmallows=SUCCESS!
Now, I was determined to make Jello. My first batch was a tad runny. It was yummy, but runny :( I used freshly juiced oranges and frozen pineapple.  I think it flopped  because I added frozen pineapple. I am hearing from others this is a no-no.
So, try again...
This time I decided to try Organic Black Cherry Juice (yes, from the store, sigh...) and no fruit.
AND...
SUCCESS!
Tastes JUST. LIKE. JELLO!

I will experiment with other freshly juiced fruit in the future. I wanted to get it right and I did!

I followed the recipe from "Wellness Mama" except I did add about 5 drops of liquid Stevia to my jello. Perfection!

Here is the recipe:

http://wellnessmama.com/3803/how-to-make-healthy-jello/

If you have not signed up for Wellness Mama, do so now! Love it!

Wishing you health and happiness!
xo

Jeni Clark~

Another Hit from "Elana's Pantry" CHERRY VANILLA POWER BARS

So simple, so delicious!  I used Stevia and Vanilla as a modification to the original recipe.

http://www.elanaspantry.com/cherry-vanilla-power-bars/

Primal Pit Paste

We are talking deodorant today!  Nope, not food, but with ingredients like this, its pretty close!

Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Shea Butter, Non-Aluminum Baking Soda, Organic Arrowroot Powder, Organic Essential Oils.

What is this? Primal Pit Paste! NO more toxic deodorant for me!

See this article to learn more about the dangers of deodorant:
http://www.naturalnews.com/033364_deodorants_chemical_ingredients.html

An example of toxicity:
http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/product/129682/Degree_Women's_Antiperspirant_%26_Deodorant,_Ultra_Clear,_Pure_Petal_(2008_formulation)/

AND if that is not enough:
http://consciousbuyers.livejournal.com/5627.html

You can find info on the toxicity of deodorant all over the place!

BUT there IS a solution! Primal Pit Paste works! I tried the Thyme and Lemongrass Stick (they were out of Lavender at the time) and LOVE it. Day #1 I did feel a little like stinky lemon.  I read that this can be due to an initial detox.  BUT by day #2 NO STINK! Even in heat!  I have tried MANY "natural" ways of keeping the stink away and they just didn't work.

http://www.primalpitpaste.com/

AND NO, I do NOT work for the company.  Just feel strongly to post something that is a solution to a very toxic problem!

Let me know if you decide to buy it AND please comment on this post to let us know how you like it!

Wishing you happiness and health!
xo

Jeni Clark~

Tacos

Soak 1-2 cups of black beans the night before with a tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar

1 pound of organic grass fed ground beef

½ onion diced

3 cloves of garlic diced

¼ tsp oregano

¼ tsp paprika

½ tsp chili powder

½ tsp red pepper

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp Celtic Sea Salt

½ can organic tomato sauce

¼ cup water (optional)

1.     Prepare beans. Cook for 1-1 ½ hours until tender

2.     Sauté garlic and onion (put to the side)

3.     Brown ground beef

4.     Add garlic, onion, spices, beans and optional water

Bring to boil

Simmer for 15 minutes

Quinoa Salad

This recipe was inspired by eating Quinoa salad at Whole Foods. It is incredibly tasty! It is also super simple to make!

Properly prepare Quinoa by soaking quinoa in a tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar overnight.

Rinse well before cooking.

Cook 1 cup of Quinoa in 2 cups of water until done.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Cooked Quinoa
1 Red Pepper diced
1/2 Dried Cranberry
3 Green Onions diced (or ¼ cup of onions diced)
1 bunch of Cilantro (use as much as you would like)
Juice from one lemon
1/2 tsp Coriander
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Paprika
1 ½ tsp Celtic Sea Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper

Place cooked Quinoa in a bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Mix Well.
Serve

This can be eaten hot or cold. It’s delicious either way!
Serve with Chicken.

I ate it up so fast I forgot to take a picture! It's VERY pretty. And well, based off of NO PICTURE, its VERY delicious!

Wishing you Health and Happiness
xo
Jeni Clark~

Thoughts from the Real Food Gal: CONSCIOUS EATING and GRATITUDE

I no longer take food for granted.  “Real Food”, that is.

I can’t say I felt like this while I was on SAD (Standard American Diet), while frequenting fast food joints, or eating frozen microwaved dinners where my “food” (or lack of) was delivered pretty much instantly.

I had NO consciousness of what I was eating.  None what-so-ever.  No consciousness of what exactly I was putting into my body, day in, day out.  Never once flipped over a package and read a label. Even if I did, I would have had no clue what those ingredients were.  No consciousness eating that “healthy” chicken and pasta TV dinner that was FILLED with toxins that my body could not digest nor process.  These toxins accumulate over time causing a boat load of illnesses and “symptoms” that tend to be treated with the latest “pill”.

I just did not know.

Today, I am different.  Today, I consciously think about what goes in and ON my body.  I listen to what my body needs day to day.  I am more in tune with myself than ever before. 

Following that, comes DEEP gratitude for Real Food.  Deep, like I never experienced before.  I DO NOT waste ANY food, ever, like I routinely did in the past.  All my food is greatly appreciated.  With processed food, I never knew that feeling.

There is a different energy eating plastic wrapped processed fruit snacks compared to a handful of raw Goji berries and properly prepared raw nuts.  It’s day and night.

Did you consciously eat today?

What did you consciously eat?

Every little bit counts!

Please share your Real Food thoughts and experiences!

Wishing you HEALTH and HAPPINESS!
xo

Jeni Clark

MARSHMALLOWS!

FINALLY got around to posting this and OH BOY am I EXCITED!!!!! These are DELISH! I followed recipe to a "T' but did double it.

This recipe comes from "The Nourishing Gourmet". EXCELLENT resource BTW!

http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2011/08/fluffy-honey-sweetened-homemade-marshmallows.html

I do not have a candy thermometer so I just set the timer for 8 minutes. I also do not have a stationary blender, so yes, I stood there for 12 minutes, again using the timer and hand-mixed these babies up! TOTALLY WORTH IT!

Again, I am always amazed how SIMPLE it is to cook REAL FOOD! REAL EASY!

Here is an example of the ingredients in STORE BOUGHT marshmallows that people eat (taken from http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_ingredients_in_marshmallows):

"What are the ingredients in marshmallows?

Answer:

Ingredients In Marshmallows:
Commercially-manufactured marshmallows can include the following, ingredients, (these are listed on the label of a store-bought brand): corn syrup, sugar, modified corn starch, dextrose, water, gelatin, tetrasodium pyrophosphate (a thickener or emulsifier), artificial flavor, and blue 1(coloring additives will vary between brands and styles). "

YUCK!

In REAL Marshmallows:

REAL Gelatin, water, raw honey, celtic sea salt, vanilla. 

SEE!? 

SO ENJOY!