We had a gelato order today, so I stayed at work longer than planned. I had to go to Walmart to get some frozen strawberries, so I thought I'd get something for lunch there. This was easier said than done.
I generally avoid PHOs in most things and HFCS in things that are supposed to be healthy (like bread, vegetable soups, ketchup) and have been known to gasp loudly whenever I come across a food that contains one of these ingredients, particularly if I wanted to buy it. I considered throwing a tantrum when I realized that ALL of HyVee's french toast sticks contained PHOs. (Did I need french toast sticks? No. Do I LOVE french toast sticks? YES.) Dexter and Keriann don't really like grocery shopping with me anymore.
Recently, I've realized that almost all low-priced canned soups contain HFCS (although I've only really looked at ones that don't contain meat broth). So, I skipped to the frozen foods aisle and found the Healthy Choice section. The meal I picked up had PHOs in it. So did a California Kitchen individual pizza. I'd finally settled on a potato/broccoli/cheese frozen dinner, but then I turned around and saw Green Giant's individual sized "Weight Control" mix. (I'm not super concerned about my weight, I just hoped this would indicate "healthy.") It was only $1.48, so I looked at the ingredients. Sugar snap peas, edamame, black beans, and carrots tossed in butter and salt. I went for it.
I microwaved it and eventually opened the package by pulling on the parts of it that said "pull." (My college degree which includes a reading specialization didn't serve me as I opened the package.) It was delicious! I felt healthy! I got 10 grams of fiber! I got 10 grams of protein! I felt satisfied when it was gone!
At home, I got a $.50 coupon here.
I know that prepared foods aren't the most economical thing in the world, but I was happy to find something that would meet my last-minute food needs more cheaply and healthily than fast food. And I am really tired of peanutbutter sandwiches.
I rounded out my lunch with a Kashi bar (chocolate plus 5 more grams of fiber) and an apple (3-4 grams fiber). I'm really not obsessed with fiber--I just happened to notice that they were key players on the nutrition labels of all the foods in my lunch today. I'd also been thinking about them since Leah and Alicia recently posted about fiber.
Do you have any favorite/healthy/easy/cheap food secrets?
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Yogurt
One of my favorite breakfasts is yogurt and granola. It’s up there with oatmeal with pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon and raisins. Or with fried eggs on toast. It’s simple, but so delicious.
Unfortunately, HFCS has invaded many mainstream brands. Even in brands that don’t use it in vanilla yogurt, it shows up in fruity flavors. Other problems for people with animal cruelty concerns are the source of the milk and that much yogurt contains gelatin. What’s a health-conscious vegetarian girl to do?
One day I wondered, “Could I make yogurt in a crockpot?” I did a google search and found the. best. website. ever. Maybe not ever, but it’s awesosme. It’s got step-by-step yogurt-in-your-crockpot instructions, as well as a ton of gluten-free crockpot recipes.
LR tried making yogurt using the instructions on this website before I did. I bought my milk before she did, but I let it expire in my refrigerator. She inspired me to get serious about trying it.
The awesome thing about this yogurt? I did it wrong, and it still came out as yummy yogurt. Instead of cooking the milk in my crockpot for 2.5 hours on low, I cooked mine on high for 1.5 hours and on low for 2 hours. (I have a problem where I read directions, but not very well.) It came out fine, with only a few bits of milk skin that didn’t stir back into the milk. This is incredibly easy to do. The hardest part for me was to find a time when I’d be home at the key points, since the process takes so long.
I sweetened the batch with honey (lightly whisked it in so the yogurt wouldn’t get too runny) and ate it with granola every day. I will make this again and again. Next time I make it, I’m going to do the math and figure out how much it costs per 6 ounce serving.
The Crock Pot Lady suggested starting out with whole milk until you get the hang of it because lower fat milks may produce runnier yogurt. She suggested adding gelatin to thicken it up. In her post about making jam, she used pectin (plant-based) as a thickener. I plan to experiment to see if this helps runny yogurt.
I haven’t tried making granola yet. Does anyone know if it really ends up being cheaper than buying? Nuts and dried fruit can be expensive, so I’m wary. Also, the other day, Walmart had some Cascadian Farms granola with “$1 off if you buy 2” coupons stuck to them. Also, the banana and date flavors of Sunbelt’s granola cereals are PHO and HFCS free. (These sell for $2.50/box at Walmart and a little more at HyVee). Their other two granola flavors are polluted. I was so mad when I read the nutrition facts, I’m thinking about writing a letter.
Unfortunately, HFCS has invaded many mainstream brands. Even in brands that don’t use it in vanilla yogurt, it shows up in fruity flavors. Other problems for people with animal cruelty concerns are the source of the milk and that much yogurt contains gelatin. What’s a health-conscious vegetarian girl to do?
One day I wondered, “Could I make yogurt in a crockpot?” I did a google search and found the. best. website. ever. Maybe not ever, but it’s awesosme. It’s got step-by-step yogurt-in-your-crockpot instructions, as well as a ton of gluten-free crockpot recipes.
LR tried making yogurt using the instructions on this website before I did. I bought my milk before she did, but I let it expire in my refrigerator. She inspired me to get serious about trying it.
The awesome thing about this yogurt? I did it wrong, and it still came out as yummy yogurt. Instead of cooking the milk in my crockpot for 2.5 hours on low, I cooked mine on high for 1.5 hours and on low for 2 hours. (I have a problem where I read directions, but not very well.) It came out fine, with only a few bits of milk skin that didn’t stir back into the milk. This is incredibly easy to do. The hardest part for me was to find a time when I’d be home at the key points, since the process takes so long.
I sweetened the batch with honey (lightly whisked it in so the yogurt wouldn’t get too runny) and ate it with granola every day. I will make this again and again. Next time I make it, I’m going to do the math and figure out how much it costs per 6 ounce serving.
The Crock Pot Lady suggested starting out with whole milk until you get the hang of it because lower fat milks may produce runnier yogurt. She suggested adding gelatin to thicken it up. In her post about making jam, she used pectin (plant-based) as a thickener. I plan to experiment to see if this helps runny yogurt.
I haven’t tried making granola yet. Does anyone know if it really ends up being cheaper than buying? Nuts and dried fruit can be expensive, so I’m wary. Also, the other day, Walmart had some Cascadian Farms granola with “$1 off if you buy 2” coupons stuck to them. Also, the banana and date flavors of Sunbelt’s granola cereals are PHO and HFCS free. (These sell for $2.50/box at Walmart and a little more at HyVee). Their other two granola flavors are polluted. I was so mad when I read the nutrition facts, I’m thinking about writing a letter.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
I saw this book at Barnes and Noble last month, and, in a moment of profound logic and self-control, decided to check it out at the library. I even remembered to renew it before being fined.
You probably already know that I love food. I love reading about it in stories and watching stories unfold around it in movies. Animal, Vegetable, Mineral: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver with Steven L. Hopp (husband) and Camille Kingsolver (daughter) proved to be the brilliant marriage of a good, food-based, true story with a plethora of thought-provoking information about food and the food industry. Be forewarned—Barbara Kingsolver has been named seventy-fourth on a list of one-hundred people who are destroying America.
The book takes you through Kingsolver’s family’s journey to eat only home- or locally-grown food for one year. They move to their farm in Appalachia one January, start their experiment in March, cultivate an enormous garden, harvest and preserve, and survive through the following Spring true to their challenge. They buy flour from local mills, make their own bread, yogurt, and cheese (I SO want to try this), frequent local farmers markets, and raise their own chickens and turkeys for eggs and meat. Each member of the family gets one item to cheat with on the condition that they could learn a way to obtain it that benefits the grower and the land where it grows. Kingsolver writes, “We hoped to establish that a normal-ish American family could be content on the fruits of our local foodshed.”
Kingsolver scatters humorous details throughout the book that assure the reader that things are absurd enough to be real life. For instance, she plans to make mayonnaise from a recipe she received in her high school French class that instructs one to “whip heartily for two minutes while holding only pleasant thoughts in mind” (33). She also hearkens the person who helps Thanksgiving turkeys (which are bred too stupid to reproduce on their own) reproduce as a job to add to the list of “unsavory jobs” (90) to threaten your children that they’ll be stuck with if they ditch school.
The book had a prominent serious tone at times, discussing the environmental and social issues related to conventional farming. I knew that buying local food is good for the local economy and that many local farmers grow food organically, even if they’re not certified, which is good for the environment. I’d never considered that buying locally grown food is good for the environment because of the fossil fuels that aren’t used to transport them. In one of his mini-essays, which usually appear in each chapter, Hopp tries to explain away the higher cost of local and organic foods, referencing the petroleum subsidies (paid through our taxes) that support the growing, processing, and shipping of industrial grown food. This comes to a total of about $725 per household per year. If we make the decision to buy locally, it seems that we are only paying more: subsidies through our tax dollars, plus higher priced produce. Perhaps if we begin to support local food with our pocket books, we will make enough of an impact to communicate to our legislators that this is not how we want to spend our hard earned dollars.
Kingsolver also had some interesting things to say about vegetarianism. She writes, “I find myself fundamentally allied with a vegetarian position in every way except one: however selectively, I eat meat. I’m unimpressed by arguments that condemn animal harvest while ignoring, wholesale, the animal killing that underwrites vegetal foods. Uncountable deaths by pesticide and habitat removal—the beetles and bunnies that die collaterally for our bread and veggie-burgers—are lives plumb wasted” (222). She points out that vegetarians often cite that an acre that grows crops will feed more people than an acre used to raise animals—that their choice is helping the cause of world hunger—as a reason for abstaining from meat. However, for some families, having a goat to supplement their small farm in an area where farming is difficult allows them to turn food that grows naturally in their area that is inedible to them but edible for their animal into human-edible milk and meat.
These pages didn’t contain any information so compelling that I’ve become a strict locavore (Kingsolver’s term for local-food-only-eater) or to begin eating meat responsibly again, but it did provide surprising new information that I will use as I make my food-buying decisions in the future. I will make it a priority to buy some local food and free-range or grass-finished meat may end up on my husband’s plate every once in a while. But, I’m not quite ready to stop going to the grocery store or to give up bananas altogether.
If you’ve read this book, what did you think? If not, what sources have impacted your food buying choices the most?
You probably already know that I love food. I love reading about it in stories and watching stories unfold around it in movies. Animal, Vegetable, Mineral: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver with Steven L. Hopp (husband) and Camille Kingsolver (daughter) proved to be the brilliant marriage of a good, food-based, true story with a plethora of thought-provoking information about food and the food industry. Be forewarned—Barbara Kingsolver has been named seventy-fourth on a list of one-hundred people who are destroying America.
The book takes you through Kingsolver’s family’s journey to eat only home- or locally-grown food for one year. They move to their farm in Appalachia one January, start their experiment in March, cultivate an enormous garden, harvest and preserve, and survive through the following Spring true to their challenge. They buy flour from local mills, make their own bread, yogurt, and cheese (I SO want to try this), frequent local farmers markets, and raise their own chickens and turkeys for eggs and meat. Each member of the family gets one item to cheat with on the condition that they could learn a way to obtain it that benefits the grower and the land where it grows. Kingsolver writes, “We hoped to establish that a normal-ish American family could be content on the fruits of our local foodshed.”
Kingsolver scatters humorous details throughout the book that assure the reader that things are absurd enough to be real life. For instance, she plans to make mayonnaise from a recipe she received in her high school French class that instructs one to “whip heartily for two minutes while holding only pleasant thoughts in mind” (33). She also hearkens the person who helps Thanksgiving turkeys (which are bred too stupid to reproduce on their own) reproduce as a job to add to the list of “unsavory jobs” (90) to threaten your children that they’ll be stuck with if they ditch school.
The book had a prominent serious tone at times, discussing the environmental and social issues related to conventional farming. I knew that buying local food is good for the local economy and that many local farmers grow food organically, even if they’re not certified, which is good for the environment. I’d never considered that buying locally grown food is good for the environment because of the fossil fuels that aren’t used to transport them. In one of his mini-essays, which usually appear in each chapter, Hopp tries to explain away the higher cost of local and organic foods, referencing the petroleum subsidies (paid through our taxes) that support the growing, processing, and shipping of industrial grown food. This comes to a total of about $725 per household per year. If we make the decision to buy locally, it seems that we are only paying more: subsidies through our tax dollars, plus higher priced produce. Perhaps if we begin to support local food with our pocket books, we will make enough of an impact to communicate to our legislators that this is not how we want to spend our hard earned dollars.
Kingsolver also had some interesting things to say about vegetarianism. She writes, “I find myself fundamentally allied with a vegetarian position in every way except one: however selectively, I eat meat. I’m unimpressed by arguments that condemn animal harvest while ignoring, wholesale, the animal killing that underwrites vegetal foods. Uncountable deaths by pesticide and habitat removal—the beetles and bunnies that die collaterally for our bread and veggie-burgers—are lives plumb wasted” (222). She points out that vegetarians often cite that an acre that grows crops will feed more people than an acre used to raise animals—that their choice is helping the cause of world hunger—as a reason for abstaining from meat. However, for some families, having a goat to supplement their small farm in an area where farming is difficult allows them to turn food that grows naturally in their area that is inedible to them but edible for their animal into human-edible milk and meat.
These pages didn’t contain any information so compelling that I’ve become a strict locavore (Kingsolver’s term for local-food-only-eater) or to begin eating meat responsibly again, but it did provide surprising new information that I will use as I make my food-buying decisions in the future. I will make it a priority to buy some local food and free-range or grass-finished meat may end up on my husband’s plate every once in a while. But, I’m not quite ready to stop going to the grocery store or to give up bananas altogether.
If you’ve read this book, what did you think? If not, what sources have impacted your food buying choices the most?
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Frustration
I shopped at ALDI once after we first got married. I'd never been there before and didn't know any of the rules. Dexter and I walked around, picked out a few things (because where were the carts?!--on the side of the building I didn't see from where I parked) and then the lady at the checkout was rude to us when I touched the cart she'd put our stuff into. It was a really uncomfortable experience, and I was more than willing to sacrifice the few pennies I'd save by shopping there to show them that I wouldn't put up with that attitude.
Today, I decided to conquer my pride and try again. I came, armed with a quarter, figured out how to get my cart, and got inside. Just inside the door, I found a great deal on V8 Splash, then on spices, and was looking forward to buying some beautiful yellow bananas for $.45/lb. I was a little disappointed by the rest of the selection because it seemed like about everything I picked up was PHO-filled. And the bananas were neither beautiful nor yellow, but I put them in my cart because I assumed that the inside was still banana-y. I headed for the registers and got in line behind 9 other people at the one register they had open. Finally, someone else came out to help the poor lone woman at the open register. My items were rung up and I was just about to celebrate a triumphant trip. I swiped my Discover card, and was dismayed when it asked for my PIN. The cashier (who was at least polite this time) cancelled my order and I went over to the side to dig through my purse for my debit card, a little flustered and irritated. I couldn't find it and realized that I hadn't put it back in my purse after getting cash (which I did not have with me either) earlier in the day. I walked out of the store, frustrated and disappointed that my maturity in overcoming my ALDIsdain was not more rewarded.
So, I feel like being done with ALDI for another couple of years--or just telling myself that I don't have to try again even then. Are you a faithful ALDI shopper? Were your first attempts their as irritating as mine? And, most importantly, do you think you find great enough deals to make the trip to ALDI worthwhile?
Today, I decided to conquer my pride and try again. I came, armed with a quarter, figured out how to get my cart, and got inside. Just inside the door, I found a great deal on V8 Splash, then on spices, and was looking forward to buying some beautiful yellow bananas for $.45/lb. I was a little disappointed by the rest of the selection because it seemed like about everything I picked up was PHO-filled. And the bananas were neither beautiful nor yellow, but I put them in my cart because I assumed that the inside was still banana-y. I headed for the registers and got in line behind 9 other people at the one register they had open. Finally, someone else came out to help the poor lone woman at the open register. My items were rung up and I was just about to celebrate a triumphant trip. I swiped my Discover card, and was dismayed when it asked for my PIN. The cashier (who was at least polite this time) cancelled my order and I went over to the side to dig through my purse for my debit card, a little flustered and irritated. I couldn't find it and realized that I hadn't put it back in my purse after getting cash (which I did not have with me either) earlier in the day. I walked out of the store, frustrated and disappointed that my maturity in overcoming my ALDIsdain was not more rewarded.
So, I feel like being done with ALDI for another couple of years--or just telling myself that I don't have to try again even then. Are you a faithful ALDI shopper? Were your first attempts their as irritating as mine? And, most importantly, do you think you find great enough deals to make the trip to ALDI worthwhile?
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Tight Budgeting
We've been living on a tight budget ever since we got married, trying to keep our student loans to a minimum. I thought I was living in the proverbial real world while we were in school, but I realize now that the financial real world doesn't really begin until you've been contacted (before you have a real job) by the collectors and informed how much your monthly payments will be and when they're due. And at this point, nobody wants to give you a loan just because you live in a college town. (Not that I'm thinking, "Debt is so cool. I want some more.")
So, I've been contemplating different ideas to help us stay in our budget. Here's what I have so far.
1. Eat leftovers, even if it wasn't a good meal the first time and you want to forget you made it. Just eat it. It won't kill you. Eat it now before there is mold.
2. Look at grocery store ads before planning weekly meals. Then, check your pantry and fridge and ask yourself questions in the following pattern: Do you already have 8 cans of black beans that you bought for $.49/can? Do you need 8 more? Do you already have carrots in your crisper? Do you need to use them up before they get all bendy and creepy? Should you just make carrots instead of buying the fancy sale vegetable?
3. Work a lot at a job where you get paid. I plan to start doing this eventually. I'll let you know what it does to the books.
4. Rent movies from the library. Take them back on time. (This applies to books too.)
5. Don't pay your iWireless bill late, unless you have $7.50 extra. Even if you have $7.50 extra, don't give it to them. Pay off loans or buy some chocolate.
6. Don't go to places where things are sold. Particularly, don't go to places with big "clearance" signs, because you will get sucked in. If you do have to go to one of these selling stations, decide what you need before you go in. Do not look around at the other fare for sell. Get in and get out. You do not need that roasting pan on "after-Thanksgiving" clearance. You don't eat meat OR host Thanksgiving. You do not need those ugly throw pillows so you can spend more money on fabric to re-cover them, particularly when you already have a sufficient number of throw pillows. (Opinions about sufficiency may vary. I generally think I need more when I find a clearance throw pillow for less than $10.)
7. Don't buy alcohol.
8. Don't wait till the end of the month/pay period to see how much money you've spent. It's not a game where you try to match the number goal. It's money and you will be out of it if you're not careful, young lady.
9. Balance your check book. (Another option is to talk to your kids sternly about balancing their checkbooks, because they will assume you're doing this because it's something you do. You should try to avoid them seeing you catching up on balancing your check book for October when it is May.)
10. Live in a place where you don't like a lot of restaurants, because then you're not as sad when you make the "big girl" choice to stay at home. If possible, like to cook and have a dishwasher.
11. Don't pay $3/week for the newspaper because you want $2 in coupons that you will probably forget to use.
12. Budget a little money for doing fun things. Otherwise, you won't get to hang out with your friends, and then you might get sad and then shop online.
What are your best money-saving tips?
So, I've been contemplating different ideas to help us stay in our budget. Here's what I have so far.
1. Eat leftovers, even if it wasn't a good meal the first time and you want to forget you made it. Just eat it. It won't kill you. Eat it now before there is mold.
2. Look at grocery store ads before planning weekly meals. Then, check your pantry and fridge and ask yourself questions in the following pattern: Do you already have 8 cans of black beans that you bought for $.49/can? Do you need 8 more? Do you already have carrots in your crisper? Do you need to use them up before they get all bendy and creepy? Should you just make carrots instead of buying the fancy sale vegetable?
3. Work a lot at a job where you get paid. I plan to start doing this eventually. I'll let you know what it does to the books.
4. Rent movies from the library. Take them back on time. (This applies to books too.)
5. Don't pay your iWireless bill late, unless you have $7.50 extra. Even if you have $7.50 extra, don't give it to them. Pay off loans or buy some chocolate.
6. Don't go to places where things are sold. Particularly, don't go to places with big "clearance" signs, because you will get sucked in. If you do have to go to one of these selling stations, decide what you need before you go in. Do not look around at the other fare for sell. Get in and get out. You do not need that roasting pan on "after-Thanksgiving" clearance. You don't eat meat OR host Thanksgiving. You do not need those ugly throw pillows so you can spend more money on fabric to re-cover them, particularly when you already have a sufficient number of throw pillows. (Opinions about sufficiency may vary. I generally think I need more when I find a clearance throw pillow for less than $10.)
7. Don't buy alcohol.
8. Don't wait till the end of the month/pay period to see how much money you've spent. It's not a game where you try to match the number goal. It's money and you will be out of it if you're not careful, young lady.
9. Balance your check book. (Another option is to talk to your kids sternly about balancing their checkbooks, because they will assume you're doing this because it's something you do. You should try to avoid them seeing you catching up on balancing your check book for October when it is May.)
10. Live in a place where you don't like a lot of restaurants, because then you're not as sad when you make the "big girl" choice to stay at home. If possible, like to cook and have a dishwasher.
11. Don't pay $3/week for the newspaper because you want $2 in coupons that you will probably forget to use.
12. Budget a little money for doing fun things. Otherwise, you won't get to hang out with your friends, and then you might get sad and then shop online.
What are your best money-saving tips?
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Why I Like Food
For some reason, I've always had an emotional connection to food. I'm sentimental about eating fried bread with tomatoes or sugar on Christmas and always make sure we get to my grandma's house in time to eat that meal. I'm sentimental about Oreos because my mom bought Dexter and I a giant box of Oreos packaged in tubes when we first got married, so we spent several evenings splitting a tube of Oreos and watching Ace of Cakes on Food Network. I'm sentimental about Creme de Menthe cake because that's what my dad had for his birthday a lot when I was a kid and I thought the greenish coolwhip looked really cool.
But I'm not just emotional about food I've experienced or eaten. My favorite books and movies have food related parts that become the focal point of my memories about the story. Now, it seems like my favorite books are cookbooks.
In Bread and Jam for Frances, after Frances begins to weary of eating bread and jam at every meal, she asks her friend Albert what he had in his lunch. "'I have a cream cheese-cucumber-and-tomato sandwich,' said Albert. 'And a boiled egg and salt shaker. And a thermos of milk. And a bunch of grapes. And a tangerine and a cup custard.'" At the end of the book, Frances shows off her lunch fare to Albert, "'I have tomato soup,' Frances said. 'And a lobster-salad sandwich. I have celery, carrot sticks, and black olives. And plums, and cherries, and vanilla pudding.'" There is no way I would have eaten tomatoes, custard, lobster, or plums as a child. But I always had a sense of excitement as I imagined Frances unpacking her lunchpail with so many different things inside. Maybe I was learning the moral of the story that Albert iterated, "I think it's nice that there are all different kinds of lunches and breakfasts and dinners and snacks."
Fast forward a few years to The Boxcar Children. My favorite parts of the book are when Henry thins the vegetable garden at the doctor's house and takes the tiny vegetables home so Jessie can make a stew, when they collect blueberries and have them with milk, and when they pick cherries at the doctor's house. (I also like the part when Henry organizes the doctor's garage, but that appeals to my OCD side, not my hungry side.)
In Little Women, one of the parts I remember most is when the sisters are astounded by a feast on Christmas morning despite slim rations because of the war, and their decision to take it to the poor family that lives nearby. And how Mr. Laurence sees what they did for the neighbors and sends over another feast. (Reminds me of Matt. 19:29).
In the movie The Shop Around the Corner, the shopkeeper who has just found out about his wife's unfaithfulness invites the hungry, poor messenger boy, who has moved to the city to earn money to send back to his family, to dinner. I cry at this part every single time.
And in Desk Set, it is over lunch on the roof with tough roast beef sandwiches that Mr. Sumner finds out how complex and brilliant Bunny's mind is.
I'm not sure why I like these parts of these stories, but I do. If I ever become a famous, amazing writer, I've decided I'll be a food writer.
But I'm not just emotional about food I've experienced or eaten. My favorite books and movies have food related parts that become the focal point of my memories about the story. Now, it seems like my favorite books are cookbooks.
In Bread and Jam for Frances, after Frances begins to weary of eating bread and jam at every meal, she asks her friend Albert what he had in his lunch. "'I have a cream cheese-cucumber-and-tomato sandwich,' said Albert. 'And a boiled egg and salt shaker. And a thermos of milk. And a bunch of grapes. And a tangerine and a cup custard.'" At the end of the book, Frances shows off her lunch fare to Albert, "'I have tomato soup,' Frances said. 'And a lobster-salad sandwich. I have celery, carrot sticks, and black olives. And plums, and cherries, and vanilla pudding.'" There is no way I would have eaten tomatoes, custard, lobster, or plums as a child. But I always had a sense of excitement as I imagined Frances unpacking her lunchpail with so many different things inside. Maybe I was learning the moral of the story that Albert iterated, "I think it's nice that there are all different kinds of lunches and breakfasts and dinners and snacks."
Fast forward a few years to The Boxcar Children. My favorite parts of the book are when Henry thins the vegetable garden at the doctor's house and takes the tiny vegetables home so Jessie can make a stew, when they collect blueberries and have them with milk, and when they pick cherries at the doctor's house. (I also like the part when Henry organizes the doctor's garage, but that appeals to my OCD side, not my hungry side.)
In Little Women, one of the parts I remember most is when the sisters are astounded by a feast on Christmas morning despite slim rations because of the war, and their decision to take it to the poor family that lives nearby. And how Mr. Laurence sees what they did for the neighbors and sends over another feast. (Reminds me of Matt. 19:29).
In the movie The Shop Around the Corner, the shopkeeper who has just found out about his wife's unfaithfulness invites the hungry, poor messenger boy, who has moved to the city to earn money to send back to his family, to dinner. I cry at this part every single time.
And in Desk Set, it is over lunch on the roof with tough roast beef sandwiches that Mr. Sumner finds out how complex and brilliant Bunny's mind is.
I'm not sure why I like these parts of these stories, but I do. If I ever become a famous, amazing writer, I've decided I'll be a food writer.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Are you a turnip eater?
I didn't grow up eating a wide variety of vegetables. Potatoes, corn, green beans, and raw carrots were the staples. I learned to love broccoli, to my mother's chagrin, at my grandma's house, and am currently making strides with tomatoes.
Every once in a while, I'll remember a vegetable mentioned in a book I read as a child or have seen at the grocery store, and realize that I've never eaten it and possibly have never talked to a real live person who regularly eats that vegetable. (I recommend reading The Pea Patch Jig by Thacher Hurd in order to instill vegetable curiosity in your children.)
I don't know where my imaginary connection to turnips is coming from. I'm wondering if Rabbit grew turnips in his garden in Winnie the Pooh. Or maybe Frances refused to eat them in Bread and Jam for Frances. Did Molly eat turnips on the first page of an American Girls book that I've never read? Either way, I've had turnips and parsnips on the brain and decided to buy a bag of turnips for experimentation.
My first turnip attempt was roasting. I love other vegetables roasted and thought it would be a sure fire way to get myself to love turnips. That was a flop. My first mistake: roasting them alongside potatoes. Roasted potatoes are just too simple, comforting, and delicious to allow other vegetables to shine at all. My second mistake: roasting turnips in the first place. They turned out mushy and bitter.
I almost gave up hope but didn't want to throw away my four remaining turnips. I threw one into Sarah's potato soup and it was completely masked by the soup's creamy delightfulness.
I'm about to try my wildcard turnip recipe, which I found at allrecipes.com. If you go to the HC house church, on Sunday, along with a delicious chana masala and a tantalizing chicken Indian dish, you'll be experiencing Kashmiri-Style Kidney Beans with Turnips. Brace your taste buds, folks. This is going to be interesting.
While I've been doing all this experimenting, I've started to wonder if eating turnips is even important. Maybe it's one of those vegetables that tricks you in to thinking you need to eat it because it's a vegetable, when really it has little nutritional value. What I've found out is that turnips have fiber and Vitamin C. Turnip greens, which had been removed from my turnips, contain large amounts of Vitamin A and lutein, which can prevent cataracts and cardiovascular disease.
I don't know that turnips will become a staple on our household menu, but I'm glad to have experienced turnip week. I'm still curious, however, if and how other people eat their turnips.
Every once in a while, I'll remember a vegetable mentioned in a book I read as a child or have seen at the grocery store, and realize that I've never eaten it and possibly have never talked to a real live person who regularly eats that vegetable. (I recommend reading The Pea Patch Jig by Thacher Hurd in order to instill vegetable curiosity in your children.)
I don't know where my imaginary connection to turnips is coming from. I'm wondering if Rabbit grew turnips in his garden in Winnie the Pooh. Or maybe Frances refused to eat them in Bread and Jam for Frances. Did Molly eat turnips on the first page of an American Girls book that I've never read? Either way, I've had turnips and parsnips on the brain and decided to buy a bag of turnips for experimentation.
My first turnip attempt was roasting. I love other vegetables roasted and thought it would be a sure fire way to get myself to love turnips. That was a flop. My first mistake: roasting them alongside potatoes. Roasted potatoes are just too simple, comforting, and delicious to allow other vegetables to shine at all. My second mistake: roasting turnips in the first place. They turned out mushy and bitter.
I almost gave up hope but didn't want to throw away my four remaining turnips. I threw one into Sarah's potato soup and it was completely masked by the soup's creamy delightfulness.
I'm about to try my wildcard turnip recipe, which I found at allrecipes.com. If you go to the HC house church, on Sunday, along with a delicious chana masala and a tantalizing chicken Indian dish, you'll be experiencing Kashmiri-Style Kidney Beans with Turnips. Brace your taste buds, folks. This is going to be interesting.
While I've been doing all this experimenting, I've started to wonder if eating turnips is even important. Maybe it's one of those vegetables that tricks you in to thinking you need to eat it because it's a vegetable, when really it has little nutritional value. What I've found out is that turnips have fiber and Vitamin C. Turnip greens, which had been removed from my turnips, contain large amounts of Vitamin A and lutein, which can prevent cataracts and cardiovascular disease.
I don't know that turnips will become a staple on our household menu, but I'm glad to have experienced turnip week. I'm still curious, however, if and how other people eat their turnips.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Vegetarian Thanksgiving
I am one of four vegetarians (all ranging in degrees of commitment and strictness) who will be at my family's Thanksgiving celebration this year. I want to bring a vegetarian main-dish that can also be a side for the meat eaters. I've looked at a few websites but haven't found anything too fantastic. Any suggestions?
Monday, October 13, 2008
Starving
Between now and my last post, I've realized that I have an addiction-like issue with food. I eat it when I'm bored, when I'm sad, and even after I decide not to eat it because I'm not hungry (and then I realize I'm eating it when I'm putting it in my mouth or when I feel yucky because I'm too full). When I'm at student teaching and I'm bored, I start thinking about when the next recess or special class will be and what I'm going to eat then. My choices for those times are usually healthy, so thinking about my banana or carrots isn't that bad. But I just get uncomfortable when I realize how much time and energy my thoughts about eating are eating up.
At school, my thoughts seem to be, "Will I have time to eat? What if I don't get to eat enough? What if...gasp...I get really hungry?!" I'd been thinking about fasting a day or skipping a meal to help myself get over my irrational dread of hunger. I don't know why I have this fear because I've never had a serious lack of food at any time in my life.
God must have agreed with me and knew that I wouldn't follow through on the fasting front, because I left my lunch at home today. I couldn't think of any fast food places nearby and didn't want to eat school lunch because it had meat in it, so I decided to take it as my opportunity to experience and survive hunger.
Luckily, I had a bowl of yummy home-made oatmeal with soy milk and pumpkin puree in it for breakfast, so when 10:00 rolled around and my students were at recess, I could tell myself I didn't need a snack, even if one was available. I even resisted the Nilla Wafers my students had as a snack because of their PHOs. I was so proud of myself.
Lunchtime came and I was hungry. I bought a chocolate milk from the cafeteria to tide me over and drank plenty of water throughout the morning. We left for a field trip at 12:30 and I still felt hungry but not sick or crabby, which is how I usually feel when the word "need" can start to come into play with food. It wasn't until about 2:00 that I began to feel really really hungry, get a headache, and have crankiness creep in.
I'm glad I have the Holy Spirit, because I don't know how I would have otherwise dealt so patiently and nicely with sitting by "the naughty kid" on the half-hour bus ride back from our field trip (which involved smelling an unpleasant smelling nut he'd acquired on the trick, lots of rock paper scissors, and saying "Sit down! Sit down on your bottom. Turn around. Leave Riley alone," more times than I can count) or reading Spot books on the floor to ten arguing first graders while both my legs fell asleep. Instead, I was even able to be pleasant to my husband, who usually experiences the brunt of my hunger-induced moodiness, which probably increased his sympathy for me and made him happy to warm me up a plate of squash/butter/milk/cheese noodle leftovers.
So, I've learned that when I get really hungry, I get awful headaches and my whole body aches and the aching lasts for a really really long time. However, almost anything can induce this type of headache for me, so hunger is by no means the only enemy. I think I'll take my lunch to work tomorrow, but I feel like I've at least conquered part of my mental battle.
At school, my thoughts seem to be, "Will I have time to eat? What if I don't get to eat enough? What if...gasp...I get really hungry?!" I'd been thinking about fasting a day or skipping a meal to help myself get over my irrational dread of hunger. I don't know why I have this fear because I've never had a serious lack of food at any time in my life.
God must have agreed with me and knew that I wouldn't follow through on the fasting front, because I left my lunch at home today. I couldn't think of any fast food places nearby and didn't want to eat school lunch because it had meat in it, so I decided to take it as my opportunity to experience and survive hunger.
Luckily, I had a bowl of yummy home-made oatmeal with soy milk and pumpkin puree in it for breakfast, so when 10:00 rolled around and my students were at recess, I could tell myself I didn't need a snack, even if one was available. I even resisted the Nilla Wafers my students had as a snack because of their PHOs. I was so proud of myself.
Lunchtime came and I was hungry. I bought a chocolate milk from the cafeteria to tide me over and drank plenty of water throughout the morning. We left for a field trip at 12:30 and I still felt hungry but not sick or crabby, which is how I usually feel when the word "need" can start to come into play with food. It wasn't until about 2:00 that I began to feel really really hungry, get a headache, and have crankiness creep in.
I'm glad I have the Holy Spirit, because I don't know how I would have otherwise dealt so patiently and nicely with sitting by "the naughty kid" on the half-hour bus ride back from our field trip (which involved smelling an unpleasant smelling nut he'd acquired on the trick, lots of rock paper scissors, and saying "Sit down! Sit down on your bottom. Turn around. Leave Riley alone," more times than I can count) or reading Spot books on the floor to ten arguing first graders while both my legs fell asleep. Instead, I was even able to be pleasant to my husband, who usually experiences the brunt of my hunger-induced moodiness, which probably increased his sympathy for me and made him happy to warm me up a plate of squash/butter/milk/cheese noodle leftovers.
So, I've learned that when I get really hungry, I get awful headaches and my whole body aches and the aching lasts for a really really long time. However, almost anything can induce this type of headache for me, so hunger is by no means the only enemy. I think I'll take my lunch to work tomorrow, but I feel like I've at least conquered part of my mental battle.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Weighty Thoughts
My mom has always told me that I would stay thin without effort until I had a baby or turned 30, whichever came first, because this is what happens to women in my family.
I never gained the "freshman fifteen." However, over the past two years, between the ages of 21 and 23, I've been working on the "marital fifteen." At the beginning of the summer when we stopped eating meat, I was thinking that my new diet chosen for ethical reasons would probably slow down or stop my gain. This theory, along with my mom's theory about my future weight gain, proved to be wrong. There have been some pros--I can wear more clothes from the women's section, which is helpful when one wants to look like a grown up. There have also been some cons--I have some jeans I really love which are now difficult to put on and give me some lovely muffin tops.
I've been contemplating why I've been gaining weight and have come up with some new explanations.
I never gained the "freshman fifteen." However, over the past two years, between the ages of 21 and 23, I've been working on the "marital fifteen." At the beginning of the summer when we stopped eating meat, I was thinking that my new diet chosen for ethical reasons would probably slow down or stop my gain. This theory, along with my mom's theory about my future weight gain, proved to be wrong. There have been some pros--I can wear more clothes from the women's section, which is helpful when one wants to look like a grown up. There have also been some cons--I have some jeans I really love which are now difficult to put on and give me some lovely muffin tops.
I've been contemplating why I've been gaining weight and have come up with some new explanations.
- My ridiculously sedentary lifestyle
- Emotional eating (which includes eating out of boredom or because it sounds fun)
- I really like cooking and really hate wasting
- Stress from school (emotional eating trigger)
- A husband who really likes eating
- Having fun activities/dates revolve around eating
- A newfound love for cheese
- A love for the deliciously sweet and sparkling taste of cola
My solutions:
- Exercise sometimes
- Only eat when I'm hungry
- Cook fewer desserts and more healthy meals
- Find new ways to deal with school stress (exercising, reading)
- Finding non-eating-related hobbies
- Chill out on the cheese--find other protein sources
- Save pop for a more rare "dessert" option
- Avoid high fructose corn syrup
My questions for you: Any unhealthy areas that trip you up that I should look for in my life? And, what are your favorite ways to exercise in the winter that don't involve gym memberships or treadmills (and like equipment) at home?
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Why I Love My New Bread Maker
Or, The Things I Accomlished While Simultaneously Baking Bread
1. Washed two sinks full of dishes
2. Reorganized the pictures and magnets on my fridge
3. Helped Dexter with Spanish
4. Did two loads of laundry
5. Cleaned the bathroom
The Things I Did Not Do While/After Baking Bread
1. Get flour all over my clothes/in my hair
2. Spread flour all over my kitchen
3. Break the folding leaf on my kitchen table while kneading
4. Wonder if I was letting too much flour get into the dough while kneading
5. Eat bread with high fructose corn syrup or other chemicals in it
Things I Am Unsure About
1. How can a machine do that?
2. How does the salt keep away from the yeast enough to rise?
3. Is my bread supposed to rise a little more than this?
4. Where can I find good recipe for this size of bread maker? (1 lb loaves--a little on the small side I think)
5. How do I get the kneading blade out of the pan?
1. Washed two sinks full of dishes
2. Reorganized the pictures and magnets on my fridge
3. Helped Dexter with Spanish
4. Did two loads of laundry
5. Cleaned the bathroom
The Things I Did Not Do While/After Baking Bread
1. Get flour all over my clothes/in my hair
2. Spread flour all over my kitchen
3. Break the folding leaf on my kitchen table while kneading
4. Wonder if I was letting too much flour get into the dough while kneading
5. Eat bread with high fructose corn syrup or other chemicals in it
Things I Am Unsure About
1. How can a machine do that?
2. How does the salt keep away from the yeast enough to rise?
3. Is my bread supposed to rise a little more than this?
4. Where can I find good recipe for this size of bread maker? (1 lb loaves--a little on the small side I think)
5. How do I get the kneading blade out of the pan?
Friday, May 23, 2008
When in Portland
On our trip to Portland in May, in addition to seeing two friends get married (they were sisters with weddings four days apart), Dexter and I ate at two great restaraunts. During the trip, I also read In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto, which I became interested in when I read about it on Alicia M.'s blog. So, while eating at these restaurants, my definition of food was in the process of changing and I was feeling very idealistic. I've been thinking lately that both would be successful in Iowa City.First, we ate at Hopworks Urban Brewery. It's in half of a yellow building on Powell Street, not far from the Hawthorne shopping district. (Hawthorne Street is basically a mini Iowa City, lined with coffee shops, independently owned stores, and homeless people.) The other half of the building is under construction and if you park on that side, you'll be in a tiny one way parking lot with no outlet. We were finally guided into the correct parking lot by cardboard signs with lettering in black paint that were propped up in various places outside the restaurant. The restaurant was much cleaner and more professional on the inside than on the outside. The menu was completely organic from the wheat in the pizza crusts to the hops in the beer. They had lots of vegetarian options, which was great since we were in the beginnings of our vegetarian experiment. Dexter ate a portabello burger and he is now in love with them. I had a calzone which was gigantic as well as mighty tasty, although I felt it had more artichoke hearts than necessary. Our entrees were so good that we wanted to get dessert, but were both too stuffed from the big portions. Next time I go there, I am definitely getting the apple crisp. Dexter got a sampler of the beers, all organic and brewed in the basement of the restaurant, and one was made with espresso, which we though was cool. Each booth had a little compartment in the wall with ketchup, salt, and pepper. I associate the decor with construction because it was wood/metal/yellow, but also because the other half of the building was being constructed upon. It was a little bit pricey, but you can order whole pizzas, and organic foods are more expensive at the grocery store so it makes sense that they'd be more expensive at a restaurant.
Enter
We also ate at Vita Cafe, a tiny and very progressive restaurant that served mostly vegetarian/vegan fare. It was really crowded, but I thought they had a good system of having you write your own name down on the waiting list if they didn't have a table open where you could seat yourself. We happened to go on a Wednesday night--the one night where they have a few discounted entre options and cheap beer and cocktails. I ate Thai noodles for $5 and Dexter ate "fish" (tofu) and chips. The Thai noodles could have had quite a bit more flavor, but were good. Dexter ordered some Hopworks beer (on tap) and I had a raspberry cosmo. When the girl finished making my drink, she drank the leftovers. She later knocked Dexter's beer off the table which made me wonder how many leftovers she'd been drinking. Lots of alternative lifestyle adds on the community bulletin board. However, there was a real sincerity about the green-ness of the place. Bikes crowded the sidewalk in front, everything was printed on recycled paper, they had cardboard rather than styrofoam to-go boxes. It was a little depressing though, since it seemed like being green and leading an alternative/tolerant/whatever lifestyle were the things the people there put their hope in. But, I don't make a very good postmodern.
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