Real Food Recipe #1: Cinnamon Vanilla Glazed Popcorn!

I have been doing a lot of research on real food! This just means chemical free and no GMOs. What are GMOs? Well it stands for Genetically Modified Organisms! It means that food has been tampered with in a way that has changed it's DNA. It is something that cannot occur in nature and is actually banned in some countries! I will talk more about GMOs and why they are bad for you in future posts, but today we will be making POPCORN!!

In my search for real foods, that my kids will enjoy, I came across a popcorn recipe from a website I follow called 100 Days of Real Food. Their recipe looked great, but it had nuts and my kids aren't down for that! So I tweaked it a little and this has become one of their favorite treats! This recipe will be great for  holidays, special events, birthday parties, and special movie nights!! 

Here is what you will need:

1/4 cup Popcorn kernels (organic if possible)

2 Tbs real butter (preferably organic from grass fed cows) your call!

2 Tbs organic raw honey (regular honey works, too)

1/2 tsp real vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt plus a pinch for when the popcorn is done

Real ingredients are important when you are making this! The less processed, the better! If you aren't quite ready to make the adjustment or you are still researching it, then use what you have! The point is that you control what goes into your body, so make it count!

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees

2. If you have an air popper, then use it to pop about 4 cups of popcorn, otherwise get 1/4       cup of popcorn kernels and put them in a brown paper bag. Fold the top down 3 times           and place in the microwave. My microwave cooks it in 1:30, but not all microwaves were       created equal. Pop it until you have a couple seconds in between pops! You don't want to     overcook it!

3. In a small saucepan melt your butter and honey. Once melted stir in your vanilla,                   cinnamon, and salt! 

4. Put your popcorn in a large bowl and slowly pour the mixture over your popcorn,                   stirring constantly! Take your time and when the popcorn is covered lay it out on a                 baking sheet. Make sure you have one big enough to lay the popcorn out evenly and in a     single layer. 

5. Put it in the oven and set the timer for 4 minutes. After 4                    minutes stir it up and leave it for 2 more. Stir once more and             leave in for another minute. Cook it until it is lightly browned            and then set it out to cool! 

As it cools it will harden! Serve and enjoy!

This is a sweet treat that is chemical free and makes you feel like you're breaking the rules! You can feel good about giving this to your family and the recipe can be adjusted to make many different flavors! My favorites include: Cinnamon Maple, and Chocolate!! Look for these, and other recipes in upcoming blogs! 

My kids gobble it up so quickly that I haven't been able to test it's shelf life! It is real food so it has a real shelf life! This isn't the cheese that comes on McDonald's hamburgers, or even the hamburger itself, that just gets hard and never rots! Think about what that does to your insides! 

Before I go I would like to encourage you to try clean eating! It will improve your health and eliminate harmful chemicals in your body. It's results are fantastic! I am on a mission to completely clean out my kitchen! It isn't easy, but it is about taking it one meal at a time! Start by cutting out sodas, or switching from processed sugars to raw honey and 100% pure maple syrup. You can do it!!

Thank you for reading and be sure to share this blog and recipe with your friends! Tell me how it turned out and any flavors that you tried!!

Soon we will talk about Coconut water!!