With more chicken? Or with other veggies?Quote:
Originally Posted by OakLeaf
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With more chicken? Or with other veggies?Quote:
Originally Posted by OakLeaf
Quinoa!!!!!!
Thanks for the well wishes on my Grandma, unfortunately she will likely be in a nursing home now for the rest of her days. She is turning 94 on the 19th and has been at home until now, living with her oldest daughter. Unfortunately her hips are so arthritic that managing the pain is very hard and she will probably not be able to walk any longer. She also has swallowing issues and has to supplement with a feeding tube. But she is still smart and full of dry humor. Love her.
Great news is after my epic race Saturday I did not follow with a migraine. Still eating HFCS but I have been making soups for lunch instead of tv dinners. It is nice to not have had a headache!
I just joined a CSA for the first time. The farm is still figuring things out themselves, and this is the first time they've offered a program that fits with our schedule.
Holy @#$%, three dollars a day buys a LOT of beautiful local organic vegetables for two people. And since they're already paid for, there's nothing to do but eat them all up!
That's why we've never joined one. It's always too much food. Even the ones that say it's a share for 2 people. We have tons of local farms around here, so I just make it a point to buy all fruits and veggies there from June-October.
I figure we'll share with the neighbors if we're going to be out of town, or really get too much, but for right now anyway I'm really liking the kick in the butt to make vegetables the star of the main dish, rather than beans or grains.
I was in a CSA last summer - I split the share with 3 other single women and it worked out pretty well since none of us really wanted to have whole canteloupes or watermelons and we could easily cut those up. Dividing up 3 peaches or tomatoes was a little more annoying but it still worked out really well. Ours worked out to $7/wk/person.
Sadly, the farm says they won't do it for our area next year unless they have 20 participants, that is full shares. They would deliver the produce to their satellite store about 50 miles from the farm. Honestly, if they are shipping produce to the store anyway... why not include the CSA shares? I doubt that I'll get to participate this summer, and so far my research has not identified any other CSAs closer than 40-50 miles from my house and/or work.
We're very lucky to have a "local food" store near us that sells produce, meat, dairy, and even some local baked goods. It's a great alternative for us because we don't have to buy tons of food, but we still get to support the same local farms who offer CSAs.
Our farmers' market is good (such a change from just a few years ago!), and I prefer to get meat, seafood and dairy ad hoc rather than going for the "omnivore" CSA they put together as a co-op with other local producers and fishers. But in the spirit of the thread, I'm finding that prepaying for vegetables is one way to jump-start a conversion to eating more of them. :) At least for someone like me who just can't stand waste. :p
I do as Becky does, between buying directly from the farm stands, farmer's markets, and the 2 gourmet farm markets that buy from local farmers, I feel OK. I have an acquaintance that bought from a farmer who did a meat CSA. It's kind of close to here, but I would need to buy an extra freezer to do that.
I find it hard to eat lots of veggies. On the eating plan I am doing now, I am eating a lot more of them, but I still have lots of left overs. I feel better, but I am still convincing myself that I like vegetables.
Have you tried roasted ? (high heat- tiny bit of olive oil), many vegetables are WAY better oven roasted......Quote:
Originally Posted by Crankin
Yes, I did a couple of things this way; also pan fried in a little bit of olive oil. Even DH commented on how good they were.
And a more basic return to the original theme of the thread: http://grist.org/sustainable-food/20...-to-buy-again/
That was great!Quote:
Originally Posted by OakLeaf
Thank you for this link! I am another lover of roasted veggies, quite often that is the only way I can tolerate them.Quote:
Originally Posted by OakLeaf
I know me well, and I will never give up bread totally, non-fat dairy nor my steel-cut oats (are they considered processed?), but I would like to drop all other processed foods. They just put so much other cra* in them, and fresh/less processed is so much better for us and tastes so much better... I also think it is less expensive once you find the right sources.
Great Link! I never buy soup (I make great homemade), I never buy hummus (my homemade version rocks) and I rarely buy cereal (mostly because I don't eat much cereal, but also because I love my homemade granola recipe).Quote:
Originally Posted by OakLeaf
But, I *do* buy canned beans purely for convenience sake. I know dried are healthier, and I do have dried beans on hand, but somehow I never remember to actually DO it. :o So, that would be a good resolution to make.
I also use powdered bouillon sometimes. Need to make some stock. I certainly have MOUNTAINS of veggie compost every week that I could be putting to use for stock.
I don't buy any of those 5 foods anymore, either!
I would also add mayo and salad dressings to that list as well. Homemade mayo is so incredibly simple and so much better for you! Ditto for homemade salad dressings...
I don't eat mayo. I've never liked it. But I totally agree about the homemade salad dressings. So simple to make from scratch! And much much tastier. Store bought always tastes so artificial to me, and the textures are off.Quote:
Originally Posted by GLC1968
Yeah - I generally don't eat mayo either, but it's pretty useful in some salad dressings, some dips and in tuna salad.Quote:
Originally Posted by Susan Otcenas
For those that really like it, I've heard that the homemade (which is easy and super neat to do) tastes MUCH better. I can't say for certain since I've never willingly just tasted mayo! :p
Sometimes I'll cook up a great big batch of beans plain, then portion them out and freeze them. Nearly as convenient as canned, without the expense or the BPA (although, Eden brand are BPA-free).Quote:
Originally Posted by Susan Otcenas
And I usually have powdered or cubed stock on hand for those occasions when I'm out of homemade stock. But it doesn't get used often.
Thanks for the link!
I'd second the addition of mayo and salad dressing to the list-- they are so easy to make and so much better fresh and home-made.
My list also includes bread. Homemade is cheaper, tastier, and without any unpronounceable ingredients.
Do they freeze well? I've never tried that.Quote:
Originally Posted by OakLeaf
They freeze fine. Best if they're cooked on the firm side of done, like you would for a salad.
I'm getting inspired by this thread. Made my own pasta sauce tonight for the first time. Couldn't believe how easy it was and how few ingredients I needed. I'll never buy jarred again.
Ya! Just sautee onions, garlic, and toss in the tomatoes. I often toss in cashews and spinach, too. For a "cheesy" sort of sauce I add nutritional yeast and a bit of oat milk or soy milk (or whatever nut milk is around). (I am vegan, too.) Sometimes I run it through the food processor but if I don't want to do so many dishes I just have it over pasta or quinoa as is.Quote:
Originally Posted by VeganBikeChick
Martha Rose Shulman is doing work-ready portable lunches this week.
OK, Inspired by you, I cooked up a BIG pot of kidney beans this weekend. They came out great. I kept about 4 cups to use right away. Put the rest in 2 cup containers and stuck 'em in the freezer.Quote:
Originally Posted by OakLeaf
Thanks for the motivation!
Susan
Getting some great ideas ladies, thanks! Right now I am still at phase one, giving up artificial sweeteners and phasing out HFCS. So far three weeks in and no headaches at all! I have not taken Excedrin, only took Ibuprofen after my 85 mile race.
Things to help with making from scratch.
chicken stock: I buy whole chicken and cut it up. I freeze up the chicken pieces in groups then freeze all the bones together. When I have bones from four chicken, I make stock. No Salt no seasoning. simmer for about 4 hours then cool the stock by putting the pot into the sink and fill the sink with cold water. Place the cooled stock still in the pot in a fridge. I let the oil congeal then scoop out the oil. scoop or pour the stock into ice cube trays and freeze. This way you have small portions of frozen stock. No need to go buy stock. Use however many cubes of frozen stock to meet your need.
Pizza: got the idea from bobboli. We make enough pizza dough for 10 to 12 pizza. roll out, spoon out pizza sauce, some cheese on it, bake. When cooled we bag them up and freeze. When we want quick pizza, take the frozen pizza out, add our toppings, add more cheese if you want then bake. 20 minutes tops.
egg noodle for chicken noodle soup. I make enough egg noodle for about 4 batches of soup. Only takes one egg, pinch of salt, some flour bit of water. Make noodle freeze in three or four bags. when we want soup, we just use one of the frozen bag of egg noodle.
hmm should go back to making my own salad dressing. Citrus dressing.
Occasionally we bake extra potato. The extra one is used within few days for stuffed potato. Saves time for baking raw potato. It's just matter of heating.
We use pressure cooker to cook beans. Lot faster. Pinto beans cook within half an hour. Chick peas within one hour. stew 1 hour.
We also make hamburger patty in bulk then freeze them into groups of 4, separating the patty with wax paper. Burgers are quick and easy.
no need bread
few of the time savers.
I'm curious - where do you all find the freezer space for all of this pre-cooked homemade stuff?
I tend to gravitate towards things like canned beans because I absolutely do not have freezer space for anything that is shelf-stable. We keep in the freezer chicken carcasses for stock and/or stock, random bits of meat for sausage, high-oil grains that are likely to go rancid, and a few bread products that we can't eat before they go stale. And butter, because it freezes well and is way cheaper at Costco. After that, I am completely out of freezer space. Do those of you who make lots of stuff ahead like pizzas have separate deep freezers? Or do you prioritize food over having an ice-maker?
Yes I do have a deep freezer. It's made by Arctic Air model CF15 I think. It's good size. I keep my whole wheat, organic brown rice, bulk herbs, pizza crust, nuts such as almond, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, meat and stock,
Very Important: Do put dates on the items you put in the freezer so you know how old it is.
I've been wanting to get a (smallish) deep freezer, for putting up goodies from the garden primarily. But the problem is where to put it? The most obvious spot is where the litter boxes are, and I dread the cats' reaction to having their bathroom moved. Stupid, I know...
Was talking to my brother last night, and he proudly told me that in the week since he's stopped consuming HFCS, he's lost 4 lbs. Well, duh. But I'm glad to see another person moving away from processed foods. It won't cure his increasing baldness, but I bet he won't care about that so much when he's at a better weight!
Nearly two months in, still no migraine! I gave up all artificial low-calorie sweeteners, haven't touched one since 12/31. I am very low on HFCS and down to caffeine only once every other day or so. I usually I try to have a real sugar Coke if I want one. I just have to kill my sweet tooth which is hard since my cubicle neighbor always has chocolate and candy!
But the chronic bad headaches are gone and that is a blessing. I only have been suffering with allergy headaches but those are far less severe than what I was getting. After I give up HFCS for good I am going to focus on a more natural diet but with spring race season in full force it is hard to do too much at once. Still eating Lean Cuisine and the like for lunch but removing the diet sodas has made a world of difference. I would like to invest in a small deep freezer to make food ahead of time, on the wish list it goes. :)
Yay, Amanda! I'm sure you'll find a way with race season. Just don't overthink it and stick to your plan.
:)
Amanda, why don't you just make yourself a good old fashioned turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread for lunch? Or any other non-processed meat? Make it the night before, stick a piece of fruit in the bag, and you're done. Or make a big salad full of veggies/beans on the weekend and use it for lunches, adding in other stuff?
I notice you drink soda for caffeine. Have you ever tried tea or coffee? One cup a day wouldn't hurt you, for sure. Even a teeny amount of real sugar in it would be better than the fake stuff.
My close friend and riding buddy drinks tons of diet soda and is crazy about using fake sugar; won't touch the real stuff. The rest of her diet is pretty good. I want to tell her to quit the diet soda, but I am afraid she will not take it well.
I feel like I must be lucky that I think most non-sugar sweeteners taste really, really nasty (that includes artificial ones like aspertame and "natural" ones like stevia and agave - yuck), so I've never developed any habit of using them.... I'm not really much of a soda person, but when I do feel like one I prefer real sugar over anything else - it really does taste better IMHO. I get my caffeine fix with tea and would rather have it unsweetened 99% of the time, though a little honey in chai brings out the spices.
Processed foods are foods that have been altered from their natural state, but processed foods are not as bad as we think.You need to avoid some ingrediants in processed foods such as
>>>> Artificial Colors
>>>> Artificial Flavorings
>>>> Artificial Sweeteners
>>>> Benzoate Preservatives
>>>> Brominated Vegetable Oil
>>>> High Fructose Corn Syrup
>>>> Monosodium Glutamate
and Olestra.
Nice post dear. I am completely agreed with you. We should avoid this kind of food because these food cause lot of health problems and make our body unhealthy. I would like to thank you for sharing such a useful information.
Why not get rid of it altogether? Once I started reading labels, I found it was pretty darn easy to avoid. If nothing else, I'll take the sugar sweetened alternative. I don't think I have anything in teh house any more with HCFS in it, except maybe a bag of chocolate chips in the cupboard. I even found HFCS free fudge sauce online and ordered a few jars. Also, I have written many of teh main stream companies now making HFCS free products . Hunts is a good example: they make a HFCS free ketchup now.Quote:
I am very low on HFCS
I never thought that I would be full processed food free, but I am now (as well as grain and legume free). I feel so much better focusing on whole foods and knowing exactly what is in the food I eat. Energy levels are much better and I just FEEL better. For me it works. Cooking is fun again and after almost 2 months I don't see my going back :)