Quest for Real Food

Pantry Challenge: Mango Chutney Recipe

2012-03-07T21:28:00.001-05:00

Even though we moved just over two months ago, my pantry already looks like I'm stocking up for Dec. 21, 2012. I'm not, though, so I issued myself a pantry cooking challenge for this month that requires each meal to use something from the pantry (or freezer). I'm also cutting back our grocery budget and only buying the things we need or stocking up if something is really a great deal.

I am a week into this, and the challenge is helping me be a bit more creative resulting in some delicious dinners.

When we first moved here, I stocked up on dried legumes, so when I saw a recipe for Caribbean Black Eyed Peas, I knew I would use that in my Pantry Cooking Challenge! Since we don't have much meat in the freezer other than a few whole chickens, I decided to go vegetarian with this meal. The Black Eyed Peas are cooked in coconut milk, so I wanted to serve them over brown rice and top it all with a Mango Chutney.

Check out the *original link for the Caribbean Black Eyed Peas to go with this Mango Chutney! {*I used dried Black Eyed Peas when making this. I simmered the 1/2 cup peas in 1.5 cups water for 1 hour and 15 minutes prior to cooking them in the coconut milk. This was enough for 2 servings.}

Mango Chutney
Serves 2

1 ripe Mango, chopped
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
Juice from 1/2 lime
1/4 Cilantro Leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon Cumin
1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Cut mango into small bits and chop onion and cilantro. Mix all ingredients together and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours to allow the flavors to fuse together. Serve over Brown Rice and Caribbean Black Eyed Peas.

Vegetarian Quesadillas Supreme

2011-07-21T12:00:00.001-04:00

The original idea for making these scrumptious Quesadillas came from these Cowboy Quesadillas. However we were missing two of the main ingredients--BBQ Sauce, which we have bought all of one time in 5 years of marriage, and chicken--so I just went with this on my own. This is a really simple recipe; it's perfect for those busy weeknights when you need something quick, easy, and delicious.

As a quick disclaimer, I didn't actually measure anything when making these so all measurements are approximations. This is meant to be one of those meals where you can use whatever you have on hand! This made just enough to serve our family of 3, so you may want to up the Filling Ingredients to fit your crowd.

Vegetarian Quesadillas Supreme
Serves 2-4

Ingredients:
1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Small pat of butter
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
1 Roma Tomato, diced
1/2 c. frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/2 c. black beans
1/2 T Taco Seasoning
1 1/2 c. Shredded Cheese
4-8 Flour Tortillas, depending on amount of filling you make (I used 5 tortillas)

Directions:
In a small sautee pan, heat oil and butter over Medium-High heat. Sautee the diced onion until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients and add onion once cooked.

Fill tortillas with filling mixture and cook in large, lightly oiled skillet, over Medium heat until the outsides are golden and the cheese is nice and melted inside.

Serve with your favorite toppings--in our house it's sour cream and hot sauce, or fresh salsa if by some miracle we have it on hand!

Crocked Chicken

2011-06-28T10:45:00.001-04:00

Beginning last fall, I decided to start using more whole chickens. It's pretty easy in these parts to find good, local chickens from a number of farms, and chicken meat and stock are pretty basic to quite a few recipes. Plus it's a lot cheaper {and more versatile} than buying boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Over the winter I typically roasted the chicken in the oven or boiled it and made a stock and/or soup. However, summer calls for some changes.

Enter the crockpot. I have very few crockpot recipes that I actually like {but that's another story for another day}. This one though, is a real winner. It's simple:

One Whole Chicken (3-5ish pounds)
+
1 can diced tomatoes with juices
+
A few spices (paprika, cumin, italian season blend...whatever suits your fancy)
+
3.5-4.5 hours on High in the slow cooker
=
Lots of yummy and juicy chicken to be used for soups, salads, casseroles, sandwiches, or whatever else you want
Oh and some really good "stock" to make rice with {more on this below}.

Seriously. It's that easy. But if you want a few more details, here's my take on directions for this recipe:
I take off most of the chicken skin*, take out the insides if they are there**, set the chicken in the slow cooker {breast side down}, empty a can of diced tomatoes over the top of the chicken, sprinkle on a few seasonings, set the lid on the cooker, and cook it about 4 hours on high. I just watch it after the first 3.5 hours to see when it's fully cooked so it doesn't get dried out.

*I am not one to get all touchy-feely with my meat, so some of the skin stays on. So does the neck. I just try to ignore it and pretend like it's not there!

**I use a plastic bag to reach inside so I can just wrap it around the innards without having to see/touch them much and then dispose of them properly.

Once I know the chicken is cooked through, I remove it to a pie dish {this helps keep the juices from running all over my makeshift counter onto my washing machine below}, and set it aside while I make some rice.

For the rice, I strain all the liquid that remains in the slow cooker {and usually get around 4 cups}, and put it in a pan. I bring it to a boil, add the appropriate amount of rice {2 cups in this case}, and cook as usual. If I want to make extra rice, I just add some water. This works with brown or white rice.

While the rice is cooking, I shred my chicken with a couple of forks. For a five pound chicken, I will usually get around 5 cups of meat. I could probably get more, but I call it quits when I get to the point where I would have to really be dissecting the bird to get the rest of the meat. Some of the meat goes right to our dinner with the rice I've been cooking, and the rest gets divided into 1-ish cup portions to be frozen for later use.

Oh, and that huge pot of rice I just made? What we don't eat that night for dinner gets frozen for use later.

There you have it. A whole, cooked chicken, a dinner, and plenty of left overs for later!

Summer Reading

2011-06-01T12:00:00.000-04:00

Source: flickr.com via Kathleen on Pinterest

I have been doing a fair amount of reading recently and have tried to keep up with reviewing the books on my other blog. My latest review of The Hundred-Foot Journey may be of special interest to you with it's culinary setting, but I also really enjoyed and recommend The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet and a few others.

What have you been reading lately?

Three Bean Salad

2011-05-31T17:30:00.004-04:00

Nov. 4, 2010. That was my last post! I feel like I should just be starting an entirely new blog, but for the sake of time, I'm just going to pick up where I left off and see what happens.

Summer "officially" arrived this past Sunday with all 95 humid degrees of impact. This is for me the most challenging time to keep up with preparing real foods that my entire family enjoys because I live in a very old house with a very old oven and very old window unit air conditioners--none of which make for pleasant cooking conditions. To be honest, I didn't expect to be passing another summer here, but we are, and I am going to make the best of it and the best of my food.

That's where my blog comes back into the picture. Offering good meals to my family is certainly a big motivator to not just swing by the drive-through or pour a bowl of cereal, but being able to share the struggles and successes with others helps as well!

Della is old enough now (almost 2!!) that I think she's ready to be involved in the process of making meals, so that adds a really exciting element for me. Doesn't she look like such a big girl helping me make a Three Bean Salad?!

I found the original recipe here and adapted it to fit with what I had on hand. It was delicious, and we had enough to share with our neighbors who also loved it!

Three Bean Salad
(measurements are approximate)

Ingredients
1.5 cups cooked Garbonzo Beans
1.5 cups cooked Kidney Beans
1.5 cups Green Beans, steamed and chopped to bite-size
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
1/3 cup Feta Cheese*

Dressing
1 Tablespoon Honey
2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Stone Ground Mustard
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions
In a large bowl combine beans, tomato and cheese.
Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl before drizzling over salad.
Toss gently to mix.
This salad is best if made several hours in advance to allow the flavors to mix together.
Serve cold or just below room temperature (be smart with whatever cheese you use!).

*The original recipe calls for Gouda cheese, which I think would definitely provide a superior finish to the salad than Feta, but use what you have on hand if it goes with the other ingredients!

Recipe: Southwest Pot Pie

2010-11-04T15:43:00.000-04:00

When you cook, do you follow recipes? I do. sort of. kind of. I mean, I like to look at them and then figure out what I actually remembered to buy last time I was at the grocery store, and go from there.

One of my new favorite cookbooks, thanks to my friend, Alicia, is the Betty Crocker Easy Everyday Vegetarian cookbook. I'll try to do a review later, but suffice it to say that this one gained immediate entry to the coveted shelf over my sink where only two other cookbooks and a recipe box reside plus a whole lotta junk. The rest of my cookbooks live on the bottom shelf of one of our many book cases in the bed room where they try to hide from the baby who loves to "look" at any book she can get her hands on aka open the book and sit on it.

One of the recipes we have tried multiple times is the Southwest Pot Pie, and I have a little adaption you all are going to thank me for (right?). This is a delicious one-pot meal that makes wonderful leftovers; think Chili and Corn Bread meets Chicken and Dumplings. It takes about an hour to make, but there is usually plenty of time to wash your dishes while you wait for sweet potatoes or corn bread dumplings to cook.

Please remember what I said at the beginning: I kinda, sorta follow recipes, so remember there are many ways to change and adapt this as you please. I have a few ideas, but I'm restraining myself to not give you a hundred. It makes 4-6 servings; make a side salad if you need to those extra two servings.

I have made it with and with out meat, so you can view the meat as an optional ingredient. Also, feel free to sub the can of southwest diced tomatoes for another type (like Fire Roasted or even a jar of salsa--whatever you have on hand). The sweet potatoes can be subbed with 1 butternut squash, and it is just as tasty. This can be one of your go-to meals when you just need a recipe to use with your pantry goods.

Southwest Pot Pie with corn bread dumplings
Serves 4-6

Ingredients
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 onion, chopped
1 pound ground beef
1 can Southwest style diced tomatoes
1/2 c. water
2 small or medium sweet potatoes, cubed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin
1 can, or 1 cup soaked & cooked, beans of choice
1 cup frozen corn kernels

For the corn bread dumplings:
1 1/3 c. corn meal
3/4 c. all purpose flour
3 Tablespoons honey
2-3 Tablespoons butter or coconut oil, melted
1-2 large eggs
1/2 c. milk

Directions
1. In a large skillet or dutch over, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until translucent, approximately 3 minutes. Add ground beef and cook until there is little to no pink left inside.
2. Meanwhile, rinse, peel and cube sweet potatoes (should be bite-sized pieces). Add sweet potatoes, diced tomatoes, water, cinnamon, and cumin to cooked meat and onion. Stir well and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 15-25 minutes, until sweet potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork.
3. While the sweet potatoes cook, mix all ingredients for the corn bread topping. Set aside until potatoes are ready.
4. Stir in beans and frozen corn. Bring mixture back to a simmer.

5. Drop corn bread topping by the spoonful over sweet potatoes and meat mixture. Cover and cook 15 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the corn bread dumplings comes out clean.

6. Serve with grated cheese, a small spoonful of reserved onions, or sour cream.

Perfectly Sweet Strawberry Lemonade from scratch

2010-08-24T22:06:00.000-04:00

I am pretty sure that if there were such a thing as perfect drink, lemonade would be a top contender. I love that it can be made with some many various options: sweet, sour, spiked or straight...whatever suits your fancy. I prefer mine to be not too sweet and not too tart. I'm certainly not a big fan of the enormous amounts of sugar that seem to be in most pre-made lemonades though.

The strawberries in this lemonade help balance out the tartness of the lemons, so you don't need more than 1 cup of sugar for a whole big jug of lemonade. I use organic cane sugar for a number of reasons, but one is that it seems to be a bit sweeter than regular refined sugar, so I feel like I can get away with using a bit less.

Perfectly Sweet Strawberry Lemonade
Makes approx. 10-12 servings

Ingredients
6 Cups of Water
1 cup organic cane sugar
12 large lemons
1 pint strawberries

Directions
Bring 2 cups water to a boil. Turn off heat once boiling point is reached and immediately stir in sugar until it is completely dissolved. Let cool.

Set aside 2 lemons for later. While water is boiling and then cooling, juice 10 of your lemons into a large bowl. Before you cut the lemons in half to be juiced, you can roll them over the cutting board a few times while applying pressure, and this will make them easier to juice. Strain the lemon juice into your serving pitcher and discard the remaining pulp and seeds.

Rinse and hull strawberries. Puree all strawberries in a food processor or blender and add to the lemon juice. Add 4 cups water to the strawberry-lemon mixture and then add the sugar water mixture.

Rinse the remaining lemons well and slice. Add lemon slices to lemonade for garnish as well as extra juice. If you have extra strawberries, slice them up for garnish as well.

Refrigerate until cold or add ice just prior to serving.

2010-08-23T12:00:00.003-04:00

I'm still here. My blog is not dead! The summer heat zapped any desire I had to cook. My hubby and are aren't huge fans of two months of cold dinners, so my time in the kitchen has been minimal while we escaped to buildings that actually had air conditioning. Now that the heat is bearable again I've been busy back in the kitchen!

I've got several treats coming for you this week including a recipe for strawberry lemonade and some of the most amazing chocolate cupcakes I have ever had!

I've missed this blog and your comments. I'm looking forward to catching up!

Hot, Fresh, and Latin

2010-07-05T07:00:00.002-04:00

Suzannah from So Much Shouting, So Much Laughter brings the guest post today. She shares a recipe for Chimchurri which utilizes some of the herbs that abound in many gardens this time of year. If you make this, be sure to visit Suzannah and let her know!

When the garden is yielding cilantro and parsley by the armful, a fantastic (and easy!) thing to make is chimichurri. Chimichurri is a versatile and tangy argentine herb sauce that perks up the simplest of fare. We eat it a lot over grilled meats or with wine, cheese, and hearty bread. Chimichurri can be served in place of a traditional tomato salsa, and i'm sure it would be good on sandwiches. We brought it to a party alongside homemade tortilla chips, and it was a big hit.

Chimichurri is one of those delicious foods that tastes greater than the sum of its parts. it is spicy, but you can always turn down the heat with less garlic or pepper. Even if you aren't growing fresh herbs, it's still inexpensive to prepare and surpasses anything bottled. To me, chimichurri is the quintessential summer sauce.

Chimichurri

1 c packed fresh italian (flat leaf) parsley, chopped
1 c packed fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 c olive oil
1/3 c red wine vinegar (apple cider or white wine vinegar would be fine, too)
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped/mashed
3/4 tsp dried crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp black pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt

Combine ingredients and blend well in your food processor or blender. Serve immediately. It will keep a few days in the fridge but will lose it's initial gorgeous green.

From Standard Canadian Diet to Specific Carbohydrate Diet

2010-07-02T07:00:00.001-04:00

Special Thanks to Kat from SCDKat who gladly agreed to write a guest while I'm taking some time off! I really enjoyed reading this post when Kat originally sent it to me. She talks about her change from the Standard Canadian Diet to the the Selective Carbohydrates Diet, coping with Celiac Disease, and how she deals with eating this way in a world where most people don't. Thanks again, Kat!

SCD (Standard CANADIAN Diet)
I grew up on a pretty average Canadian diet. We didn't eat too much junk food and usually ate at home, but there were lots of Nutella sandwiches and Liptons soup. By the end of high school I started having digestive problems. The specialist I saw was quick to diagnose me with Irritable Bowel Syndrome and send me on my way with a pamphlet that just said to eat more wheat bran. I was led away from 'real food' by doctors and websites for IBS preaching high fiber, refined grains, soy in place of dairy, and low meat consumption. Initially my symptoms got a bit better, probably because I started cutting out junk food.
I always had an interest in cooking but didn't really start cooking from scratch until I was in university. I remember watching Chef At Home with my mom and we were amazed at what he made with just a few simple ingredients. We started cooking more but I was still following the low-fat, dairy-free, soy and wheat filled diet. I started dating my boyfriend Hong who is Chinese and has a wonderful mother Min who cooks everything. She was very understanding and cooked lots of tofu, fish, and chicken dishes that I always ate with rice. Eventually though, I noticed my symptoms getting out of control again and I started seeing a Naturopath.
Celiac Disease and the Real SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet)
I had read about Celiac disease but had been told by doctors that I probably didn't have it so I never tried going gluten-free. The naturopath told me she thought I should try it anyway so I did. I felt better pretty quickly so I decided to try out different gluten-free grains thinking I'd need to get used to it if I was to be gluten-free forever. Again, my symptoms started getting worse. Between searching online and my naturopath giving me advice, I ended up on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. No grains, potatoes, sugars or starches. It was recommended to eat plenty of fat, eggs, meat, homemade yogurt, cheese and butter. All of a sudden in just a few weeks I was on a completely opposite diet. This diet was originally developed for people with Celiac disease, and I would later discover that's what I had.
My family and boyfriend were quite supportive of all the dietary chagnes I made. I tried to back up my reasons for not eating certain things and would say I would just be trying it out to see if it helped. When I gave up all the carbs though, they were a bit skeptical. At first anytime I complained of being sick or having no energy, all I heard from those around me was that I wasn't eating enough carbs. Maybe I should try eating some potatoes or rice. I was stubborn though, very stubborn and never gave in. I did get too defensive at times, but no one ever really fought with me about it. It was hard at first convincing Hong's family that someone with digestive problems would give up rice (especially congee, rice porridge). I had to constantly remind people of what I coudln't eat for probably at least a few months. I also had to remind people I could eat meat. Somehow in all of this everyone assumed I was just vegetarian (never was!). Again, I just remained stubborn and tried to keep my cool. If I didn't make a big deal of it, no one seemed to notice how 'extreme' the diet I was on really was. It also helped that my naturopath was on board. "Well my naturopath said no rice or potatoes..."
SCD and Real Food
Once I got on the SCDiet I knew it was my answer. My pain and bloating had vanished and stomach upsets were less severe. But, I was aware that other health problems lingered, with fatigue being the main one. I somehow stumbled across Weston A Price Foundation and Cheeseslave. I was intrigued and amazed. Suddenly I was seeing food in a completely different way. No longer was I thinking of what food I should be avoiding, but what I could eat that would help me heal. Broth, liver, eggs, seafood, higher fat milk and cream were all foods allowed on SCDiet and suggested by WAPF for good health. I had already started getting pastured meats and organic milk, but started being more diligent about it. I ate more and more fats until finally my energy seemed to be coming up. I ate more than 2 eggs somedays and didn't worry about portion sizes or ratios. When I finally started forcing myself to eat beef liver, my energy went up and stayed up. I was finally feeling healthy. And I think I convinced everyone that I could stay on this diet long term. It's been a while now that no one has said "well you aren't eating enough carbs".
Family
Now living with Hong while on this diet, we both eat most of the same food but it took a while to get to this point. He does eat rice and oatmeal, and will eat out at restaurants with friends. As time passes his diet follows more closely what I eat, and he has put less emphasis on grains and sugary food. I never forced him to change his diet and never changed anything for him too quickly. For dinner and lunch he would always eat the meals I prepared and have rice with it. This meant I just cooked dinner for 4 people, and we would have enough for dinner one night and lunch the next day. I very slowly changed his breakfast which was the worst meal he was having. He used to eat dry cereal with skim milk. I first got him on whole fat organic milk. Then I started making pastured eggs in the mornings so he would have an egg and cereal. Then I started making him try kefir and yogurt in place of milk with his cereal. He eventually loved the kefir and now gets upset when we run out! Finally I got him eating freshly cooked oatmeal, pastured eggs, and organic kefir. He then gave up drinking milk and eating dry cereal for good. He eats soaked & dehydrated nuts or yogurt and berries as a snack.
For a lot of people when transitioning to a strict diet such as SCD, or even just giving up processed food, it can be hard to 'convert' family. In my case, I focused on myself first since I was sick and needed to get well before helping others. Throughout the time I was getting better, my family saw that it was helping and would often talk with me about which foods were really healthy and the importance of preparing meals from scratch. I never forced my diet on anyone, but everyone around me has learned from it. I realize now looking back on the last 2 1/2 years, there really is no rush unless someone is suffering from noticeable health problems. Hong has made the most changes, seen some improvements in his health and it didn't take much convincing after a while. I find that when you eat 90% of your meals prepared from scratch, using fresh organic ingredients, there really is such a difference in flavor. Once you get a taste for good home cooked food, there's no turning back.

Still here!

2010-07-01T22:58:00.000-04:00

What a total whirl wind of a week it has been! Between planning a big meeting at work, helping my hubby prep to officiate his brother's wedding, packing for a vacation did you know that one child will more than double the amount you take with you? It's true., and actually going on said vacation, crazy is an understatement.

Thankfully I have a little help, and you all get to benefit! I'm taking a few extra days off from the blog to get a few things back in order, and I've got several guest bloggers lined up for your reading pleasure! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend--and for those of you celebrating the 4th of July or Canada Day, enjoy the celebrations!

Product Review: Munchkin Fresh Food Feeder

2010-06-26T21:01:00.000-04:00

Have you all seen these Munchkin Fresh Food Feeders? I would like to personally thank whoever invented this...some harried parent must have figured that if they could give their child a frozen mango in such a way that choking would not be a worry, and mess would be minimal, their life would be much easier. They were right.

A friend of mine told me about the feeders, and at first I was skeptical. However she usually recommends good things, and her son is only a month older than Adeline, so I thought I would give it a try.

Adeline loves this. I cut up fresh fruits like mango, peaches, and pears, freeze the chunks, and then put the frozen fruit into one of the feeders. Adeline can hold onto the little ring at the end, and enjoy some real fruit without me worrying about whether or not she is going to choke on it. I think it works best with juicy fruits like that, as opposed to apples or even those teething biscuits, because she can suck the juice out through the mesh.

I thought the cleaning might be a little difficult with the mesh, but it really isn't. I just flip it inside out to get out what is left of the fruit (which is very little) when Adeline is done, and then wash with warm soapy water and let it air dry.

I will also admit that this is a great distraction! There are times when I need Adeline to sit in her high chair so I can sweep or vacuum, and if I give her one of these, she lets me do what I need to without complaint.

You can buy these in most stores (I have seen them at the grocery store and at Target) or on Amazon.com

You're welcome!

I am in no way affiliated with the company that makes these. This is a product that I purchased and reviewed on my own...they could care less who I am! I am an Amazon affiliate (which means if you buy one of these from Amazon through the link I provided I get a very small portion of the sale, but does not affect my review of the product!)

Why Local? Wednesday: Book Review, Bringing It to the Table

2010-06-23T07:07:00.001-04:00

Late last year I walked into our local book store to see a stack of Wendell Berry's newest book, Bringing it to the Table: On Farming and Food, and a few others being laid out for display. I noticed they had all been signed and asked whether he had signed them at the store. "Yes, just left five minutes ago," was the reply given by the clerk. I wish he had said it had been three weeks ago! How could I have missed that one?! In my disappointment I picked up a signed copy of Bringing It to the Table and went home.

I first heard about Wendell Berry through a TV spotlight of him reading some of his works about post-9/11 America on Kentucky Educational Television. I was instantly drawn to how intelligent this man is--how articulate he is, bringing beauty to the complex and mundane alike. I read a few essays from his books, Another Turn of the Crank, and Sex, Economy, Freedom & Community: Eight Essays. I also read one of his novels, Hannah Coulter, and a few poems.

As I began reading Bringing It to the Table, I realized that this wasn't your average agricultural conspiracy theory book. Mr. Berry instantly drew me in with talk of what communities had been like in the first half of the last century--prior to the onslaught of heavy machinery and other advances in agriculture. He discusses a cultural shift from agricultural and pastoral language to mechanic language of units and machines.

The first of three sections is full of essays pouring forth wisdom about what is wrong with large-scale, mechanized agriculture in a way that does not make the reader (or at least me) want to go "fight the Man", but instead makes me yearn for the simpler ways of local economies and communities and of real family farms abounding in life and diversity.

The second section offers several "case studies" of different farms and how they truly function and thrive without the large-scale assembly lines or even petrol-powered vehicles for that matter!

Excerpts from Mr. Berry's other works that have to do with food finish off the book and give the reader a taste of his imagination.

Bringing It to the Table gives the reader a fresh sense what good can be done with local, diversified, family farms in a way that goes far beyond the latest trends (some of the essays were written in the 1970s!). This is a great book for those who are just beginning their journey in local, sustainable foods but also for those who are much farther down that path.

Please join the conversation with your own Why Local? Wednesday post! Be sure to add the button below by copying and pasting the link code to your post then leave a link in the comments section here directly to your post (not just your blog's homepage).

Louisville restaurant review: North End Cafe

2010-06-21T09:33:00.000-04:00

One of the local restaurants Brandon and I return to time and again is North End Cafe in the Clifton district of Louisville. With an emphasis on local and seasonal foods, this is not your average run-of-the-mill cafe. North End sources much of its produce, eggs, and meat locally, and they even have their own garden just outside of town! I have consistently been met with a friendly staff, and the restaurant is always clean.

They have a great outdoor seating area which makes us feel better about having an energetic baby with us. She's usually really well behaved as long as she has been fed and we keep a steady supply of cheerios coming her way!

During our visit last week, I ordered the grilled vegetable sandwich, and Brandon had the ribeye sandwich. My sandwich was a rich blend of sweet potatoes, caramelized onions, roasted red peppers, mixed greens, goat cheese, aioli, and dijon mustard on wheat bread. Dijon and goatcheese are two of my favorite ingredients in sandwiches when I am eating out, and this one did not disappoint!

Our meal came out to $17-something, and we both left very satisfied. North End is an easy favorite for both locals and visitors.

Louisville Restaurant Spotlight: Bistro 301

2010-06-16T17:00:00.002-04:00

Louisville is a city well-stocked with culinary pleasures of all kinds. The choices downtown are a mix of well-known chain restaurants and local treasures such as Bistro 301. One of the great things about working near this area is having a reason to try a new place during lunch breaks.

Yesterday was one of those fair days in June void of the smothering heat and humidity that will come soon enough with July and August. Alicia and I took advantage of this and walked down to Bistro 301 for lunch. I actually never had the chance to look over the lunch menu, because as soon as our waitress told us what the lunch specials were, our minds were made up.

For Alicia, the marinated tomato and artichoke salad was an easy choice. I was tempted but I am rarely able to order the same thing as the person next to me.

Being from California, the idea of Ahi Tuna tacos with a chipotle aioli sauce immediately struck a chord I could not resist. I will admit that the tacos didn't quite live up to my expectations, but the meal was still good, and I have to give the chef props for making delicious the beans and rice isn't that usually a boring side note?!

At around $12.00 per person for a lunch, I think the food is a step above some of the other restaurants I have visited in this area, and the quality seems to be in keeping with the price. According to the website, Bistro 301 tries to source some local ingredients.

I was pleasantly satisfied with my meal but felt the temptations of a siesta wooing me, so I stopped for a latte at Java Brewing Company. Thank you my Java friends for making this not only delicious but also beautiful!

Why Local? Wednesday: Join a local buying club

2010-06-16T00:01:00.001-04:00

Walking down the steps into the church basement, I wasn't really sure what to expect. In my mind, people who joined local buying clubs were people very different from me. I won't get into the stereotypes for fear of ~~offending anyone~~ showing you all how ridiculous I can be, but suffice it to say that I was both wrong and right.

I had been considering joining the buying club for several years, but it wasn't until my friend Jes assured me that I would not be out of place and that I would indeed be glad I signed up.

We joined a little over a month ago, and we are beginning to see some of the benefits of the being members.

How it works

Each member/family signs a contract and opens an account. Most members keep a certain amount of money in their account so that the club has funds to draw from when making purchases for the group.
The buying club leaders take charge of ordering the "in-stock items" such as small cuts of meat and seafood, eggs, dairy, dried beans, nuts, fruits, spices, and grains, canned tomatoes and paste, several oils and vinegars, some cooking utensils, resources books, cleaning supplies, and several other miscellanious items.
Each club member has access to a list of quite a few companies that sell everything from organic foods and local produce to grain mills and cast iron skillets.
Because all orders are placed together the group is able to buy items at or just above wholesale prices.
The buying club leaders visit local farms and act as a bridge between the local farmers, butchers, cheese makers, etc. and the buying club members. Members are also encouraged to visit certain people we contract with so they can have those connections as well.

Some of the benefits my family has already seen

We now have greater access to local and/or sustainably grown foods
We apreciate the price difference and may even reach our $100/week goal this month!
I have been encouraged to think "outside the grocery store box" about buying food. For example, rather than reaching for a can of black beans for our taco salad I now have a stash of dried beans on hand that I can cook for taco salad and then for one other meal.
The buying club leaders and other members are a great resource as we continue in our journey toward eating more real foods.
The club offers a way for more people to support local farmers and economies through prioritizing local foods without restricting the offerings to only local availability.

The buying club really is set up so many different people can find it accessible. Those who are following fairly strict diets can make it work for them as well as those who are looking for a little more flexibility but still want real foods.

Have you checked in your area to see if there are local buying clubs or cooperatives? Do you participate in one?

Please join the conversation with your own Why Local? Wednesday post!  Be sure to add the button below by copying and pasting the link code to your post leave a link in the comments section here directly to your post (not just your blog's homepage). 

It's your turn to add your own Why Local? Wednesday post!

2010-06-15T17:00:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow is Wednesday, and you know what that means!
Grab the button and include your own "Why Local? Wednesday" post. This can be anything from your own story of buying local foods to a local restaurant feature, a recipe, or some other tidbit from your region or one you have visited!
My "Why Local? Wednesday post will go on at Midnight tonight. Once you have written your post, come on over and leave a comment with a link to your post--not just your homepage--so we can all read what you wrote.
I am looking forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Balsamic Vinegraitte the French way

2010-06-14T22:22:00.001-04:00

When I was living in France, the first family I lived with made the most delicious foods. My host dad would make a spaghetti sauce that simmered on the stove for hours, taunting me until dinner time finally arrived. My host mom (Sylvie) could make salad every night and it never grew old. Of course there was also the other French staples that made every meal delicious, but the one that I was able to bring home with me was my Sylvie's salad dressing.

Sylvie began by mashing a clove of garlic at the bottom of the salad bowl and then poured two spoonfuls of balsamic vinegar and five spoonfuls of olive oil. She added some whole grain mustard, and sometimes a little salt & pepper, mixed it all together, and then built her salad over the dressing. Once the salad was ready, she would give it a good toss, and I could not get enough!

I like to make my own version of Sylvie's balsamic, and now that summer is here in full force with heat, humidity, and thunderstorms, we will be enjoying a lot more of. Here's what I do for a salad to feed 2-4 (depending on how much dressing you like...I like extra to soak up with my bread, so I say it's for 2 :)

In a small jar or bowl, combine:
2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 teaspoon whole grain dijon mustard
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
A pinch of salt & pepper
Shake it or stir it all together and pour it over your salad.

That's it! No-fuss salad dressing minus the extra preservatives! You can make this without the mustard as well, but the nice thing with including it is that it acts as an emulsifier, holding the oil and vinegar together.

Farm fresh eggs and a giveaway link

2010-06-13T21:33:00.000-04:00

Aren't these eggs beautiful?! I love that some are blue. I picked these up at the market on Saturday, which was really a blast. We have friends who sell at the Saturday Market, so Adeline and I enjoyed some time catching up with them and a few other folks who showed up.

This week's Food and Faith Challenge is all about local farms and the experience of one blogger who grew up on a local farm. The two challenges this week are to grow something at your house or buy something at the market. I opted for the market, thank you very much. Side note: Have I told you yet what a FAIL it has been when I try to grow things here? I think I could do it, but that means consistency which is hard to come by these days. Plus my one little tomato plant--which only gave me one tomato last year, looks so puny next to my neighbor's full-on garden on the other side of the chain link fence. It is the Market for me this year, but next year I have bigger plans!

As I was saying...check out the Food and Faith Challenge this week to read Krista's story and enter for a chance to win a set of cloth napkins made by me. So fun, I know! another side note: Did you notice that the eggs and napkins match? I promise I didn't plan that!

We enjoyed some of the eggs from the carton this morning along with some onions, tomatoes, and bison sausage. It's my hubby's birthday I love you! so we had to have something extra special this morning. Blue eggs are definitely special.

How to cut an avocado

2010-06-11T16:00:00.006-04:00

While there may be more than one way to peel a potato, I am going to show you my favorite way to slice an avocado. Now before you go and think I'm insulting your intelligence, please know that this comes after a friend confessed that she bought her very first avocado just last week. So in her honor, and for all of you avocado newbies, here goes.

Actually, wait. Before you go slicing into that avo, make sure it's good and ripe. There are few things more disgusting than an unripe avocado. If your avo is rock hard, it's not ripe. I have seen loads of stickers that say "ripe" on avocados at the store lately. Most of them are rock hard. Don't trust a sticker!! If it feels like mashed potatoes with a little skin on it, it's probably too ripe. When you pick up an avocado, you want to squeeze it. If it gives a little and feels slightly soft, then go ahead and grab that knife! careful though, no cutting of thy fingers! If it's soft and you're not ready to use it that very day, stick it in the fridge and you'll get a few more days out of it. Leave it on the counter and it will be mushy by morning. (don't stick it in the fridge until it's ripe or it never will get ripe.)

Ok, so your avo is good and soft but not squishy so lets cut it in half allowing your knife to move around that big ol' pit in the middle. Isn't this a gorgeous avocado?!

If you're making guacamole or something where your avo is going to get mushed, just scoop all that goodness out with a spoon. If you need it sliced or cubed for sandwiches or salad, do it before scooping the goodness out. I like to use a butter knife for this part so that if the blade goes through the skin, it's not my skin that's getting cut! It's much easier to cut before scooping and doesn't make much of a mess!

Once you've cut your cubes or slices, scoop them out. To get the pit out, I like to use a spoon or my butter knife to wiggle it out. Sometimes I have to tap it a few times to say, "hello" and to loosen it out of its cozy place.

Avocados turn brown fairly quickly once they are exposed to air. You can squeeze a little lime or lemon juice on it to keep it green. If you're only using half of the avocado, either eat the other half or store it in an airtight container in the fridge for no more than 24 hours (it will look less than appetizing after that point).

What's your favorite way to eat an avocado? Mine is with a spoon...straight out of the skin. Yum!

Why Local? Wednesday: When Local Gets Old

2010-06-10T08:00:00.003-04:00

I know it's Thursday now, but there were some scheduling issues that I didn't catch until today! If you had a post to link this week, please feel free to do so as usual!

While talking to a friend earlier in the week about eating local foods, she made the comment that she is really thankful that we live in a global context where we are not bound to only eat local foods. As great as the local foods movement is, I have to agree with my friend. I am thankful for foods like avocados, mangoes, walnuts, and salmon--none of which can be sourced locally in Louisville, Kentucky!

I have become increasingly aware of the principles that drive me to buy local foods and how some can be applied globally. I think the Fair Trade movement is a great way to promote justice and knowing where your money goes when you are not buying local foods.

This week's Food and Faith Challenge at the Local Cook focuses on what the Fair Trade mark means. One thing I appreciate is knowing that when I buy something that is labeled as Fair Trade, I am supporting "local" farmers who are trying to make a living without the use of harmful pesticides, Genetically Modified crops, or even forced child labor. I recently found a bag of Fairly Traded sugar at Costco and snatched that up--I wanted to let them know that there is a market for such products!

Check out the Food and Faith Challenge to get other ideas of where to buy Fairly Traded items--with and without the official logo!

I'm curious to know how or if this comes up in your shopping routine. Until recently, I didn't even think twice about adding Apples from New Zealand or Bell Peppers from Holland to my cart. If something is Fairly Traded or Organic does the origin matter? Do the Fair Trade or Organic labels have any sway in whether or not you purchase something or does it seem like another marketing scheme to you?

Please join the conversation with your own Why Local? Wednesday post!  Be sure to add the button below by copying and pasting the link code to your post leave a link in the comments section here directly to your post (not just your blog's homepage).

Recipe: Easy Coconut Curry

2010-06-07T18:00:00.003-04:00

While living in California, there was a Thai restaurant that had the best coconut curry. I have yet to find anywhere here that matches it, and few have come close but nothing is as good as the one in CA. Unfortunately I don't have their recipe, but think this one is pretty darn good in its own right. You can make this with or without the meat and experiment with the veggies you put in.

Just a few notes to keep the ingredient section clean and simple:
1. I don't buy Lite coconut milk. Real coconut milk is very good for you, and the fats in it are natural, so I tend to skip the low-fat versions.
2. Sambal Oelek is a spicy Chinese garlic sauce. Use more or less depending on your spice preferences. My recipe makes it medium hot. If you don't have any, you can use 1 clove of Garlic, crushed and chopped, plus red pepper flakes. I use this is a lot of dishes though, and I highly recommend getting some to have on hand. (it is available in most grocery stores and has a rooster on the bottle)
3. If you don't have sesame oil you can use more coconut oil. Olive oil also works if you have neither.
4. If you use darker chicken meat such as thighs, do not remove it from the pan in step 6.
5. Finally, although the recipe says it serves two, you don't need to double everything to get it to serve 4. Just add more chicken and veggies. There is enough sauce to be used for four servings.

Easy Coconut Curry
Serves 2

Ingredients

1 13 oz. can unsweetened coconut milk
2 Tablespoons Curry Paste
1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek
1 pound garden peas
2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
1/2 pound Chicken Breasts
1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger
2 teaspoons Chinese Five Spice powder

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the coconut milk, curry paste, and Sambal Oelek. Set aside.
Prepare your veggies and set aside
Cut the raw chicken into bite-sized chunks.
Heat oils in a large pan or wok over Medium High heat.
Add the chicken, ginger, and Five Spice powder, and cook until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.
Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
Add vegetables to the pan and toss in oils. Cover with coconut milk mixture and bring to a simmer.
Once the coconut milk is simmering, return the chicken to the pan and let simmer 5-10 minutes.
Serve over rice and garnish with Thai Basil or Cilantro.

Please feel free to distribute this recipe non-commercially but give credit to QuestForRealFood.com

Make your own baby food

2010-06-07T10:25:00.000-04:00

Have you though about making your own baby food? Do you or did you make yours?

Last week I posted a review of the Petit Appetit Cookbook, the book I have been using to help me make Adeline's food the last few months. Beyond the book, there are several other items I found essential to making my own baby food. Each person has their own method, and this is what has worked for me.

The Supplies

Steel pot and steamer basket
These are items I already had on hand. Make sure you have a pot that is big enough to fit the whole basket, a decent amount of fruit or veggies, and still secure the lid on it.

Food Processor
This is one item I would change if I could. I did have a food processor that was probably made before I was born so I didn't think going out and buying a nice, big, fancy one was such a good idea I also didn't want something only meant for baby food. Instead I asked for a small, $40, very basic model, and that is what I got (thank you, Nana!). However, knowing now what I didn't know then, I would have gone ahead and saved for the big, fancy, expensive one--or at least one that was a little bigger and better quality than what I currently have. I have to add quite a bit of water to get my processor to work. It's more like using a blender than a processor.

Spatula
Yup, I bought a mini spatula after I started making baby food. It really is the perfect size for scraping the sides of my mini food processor.

Storage
Baby Cubes 2 oz. containers. I love these storage cups. Each one measures 2-ounce servings, which is the perfect amount for Baby. They each have their own lid, so when you are going out, you can slip one in the diaper bag and have it ready to go when Baby gets hungry just be sure to double check the lid!.

Feeding
Non-plastic dishes, utensils, and bibs. If I forget to defrost Adeline's food ahead of time, I like to heat it in one of our ramekins (rather than a plastic "baby" dish). We just use some feeding spoons my mom gave us at a baby shower, and have a whole stack of bibs and cloth napkins handy for all the messes that come with feeding a baby!

Book Review: Petit Appetite

2010-06-04T18:00:00.013-04:00

When I was beginning to think about feeding Adeline foods beyond breast milk or formula, I started to do some research online about how to know what to feed her and when. I knew that I wanted our choice to not buy many prepackaged foods to extend to her, but there seemed to be so many guidelines that even include holding off on healthy foods like strawberries and honey that I wanted to make sure I didn't miss any of those. The internet offers plenty of resources, but I felt like I really wanted something tangible, you know, like a real life book I could hold and flip through pages, underline and make notes in...that sort of thing.

I settled on the Petit Appetit cookbook by Lisa Barnes because it seemed to be a manageable size while still including plenty of information about what foods are appropriate for each stage, how to select, store, and prepare various foods, and how to feed my daughter beyond the months of purees and smashed bananas. I also like the title and cover; I'm not gonna lie; I'm slightly biased toward French.

The Petit Appetit Cookbook comes out of Lisa's experience feeding her son, teaching other parents how to cook for their children, and interviewing expert dietitians, nutritionists, and others. Barnes realizes that each child is different, and the book rightly reflects that reality.

The first half of the book sets the stage for the recipes in the second half. By helping the reader understand how to most effectively use the book, Barnes shows that making your baby's food does not have to be time consuming or expensive. For example, I can puree 1 pound of carrots and make 8 individual 2-oz. servings. This takes me a total of 20 (easy) minutes, and I usually do 2 pounds. So for 20 minutes of steaming and pureeing, I can make 16 dinners for Adeline. I think I pay $2.00/pound of organic carrots, so that's 16 "jars" of carrots for $4.00. Not bad!

The recipe section is divided according to age and development stage. The book begins with 4-6 months and goes up to 2-3 year olds. Barnes also discusses how to incorporate baby's meal into the family's meal time.

One aspect of the book I like, beyond the various stages of eating, is the ability to quickly scan through and see which foods are vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, egg free, sugar free, or do not require any cooking. The layout is really intuitive, and finding the information I am looking for at each stage is very easy.

I also appreciate Barnes' ability to make it so easy to make my own baby food. Adeline has been eating "solids" for 4 months now and we have yet to buy a jar of food. I don't say that to pat myself on the back but to show that making your own baby food really can be easy!

If you are interested in making your own baby food, stay tuned because next week I will include the items I have found to be most useful for making Adeline's food!

Disclaimer: I am an Amazon Affiliate, which means that if you click one of these links and end up buying the book, I get a (very small) portion of your purchase which supports my blog habit!. This does not influence which books I post; I will only recommend something I really like.

Recipe: Ten Minute Salmon

2010-06-03T18:00:00.012-04:00

The thought of cooking fish used to intimidate me big time. How do you know when it is finished? What if it is still raw? What if it tastes, you know, like fish? Even worse, will my house smell like fish??

The problem is I am the daughter of a fisherman. I like fish. So I had to figure something out. I tried a few recipes for salmon, but this one is my go-to recipe. Salmon is now an easy meal. It is one of those go-tos when I need something quick and delicious with little fuss.

First start with "fresh" salmon fillets. These were purchased frozen and thawed in the refrigerator. Be sure to take off the wrapping your frozen salmon is sealed in and loosely cover your dish while it thaws.

Get out a generously sized saute pan. Add about 2 Tablespoons olive oil plus a pat of butter and set it over medium heat.

Sprinkle some salt and pepper on your salmon.

Once the butter is melted and the oil is nice and hot, add the salmon. Cook for 3-4 minutes and then flip it over and cook the other side for 3-4 minutes. If it is cooked all the way through, it will be opaque rather than pink in the middle.

Serve. I like to serve mine with lemon, tartar sauce pictured here with a cajun tartar sauce or lemon-dill sauce. Just keep it easy.

That's it. Really, it's that easy!

Recipe link

2010-06-02T19:00:00.001-04:00

I thought I had done this a while ago, but I forgot to actually publish the page! There is now a page on the side bar you can go to to access the recipes I have posted so far. I have two more recipes coming...I just need to get the pictures up!

What are some of your favorite summer recipes?

Why Local? Wednesday: Getting Out of a Rut

2010-06-02T00:01:00.013-04:00

I was scrolling through some of my old posts looking for ideas to help me my friend get out of the cooking rut I told you about. Didn't I just write five tips for making time for healthy foods?

Sometimes though the problem isn't always time, is it? No, for me there are plenty of other reasons and excuses I don't prepare healthy foods--such as my own desire to be doing something else, not having someone to share the food with when I'm eating alone, or even being the only one who wants the home-cooked option. This is fine once in a while, but I make habits much more easily than I break them.

This is where local foods come in to play. For me, there is so much commitment and enjoyment with local foods, that it makes it much more difficult for me to able to justify not using it with the possibility of the food going to waste than when I picked up the item at the grocery store and can easily go back and get more.

With local foods, I tend to be much more conscious of the limited resources available for getting the food, the limited time foods are available when they are purchased seasonally, and the work that has gone into getting that food into my home.

I find that I am throwing out less local food at the end of the week than even the same grocery-purchased foods. I am also more able to view my cooking time as creative time when it involves using seasonal and local foods. It's hard not to think creatively when you have purple carrots!

Kim responded to my last post reminding me of that, "I always feel satisfied once the meal is complete and on the table when I have cooked it myself rather than resorting to the quicker, less healthy alternatives." Well said, Kim!

What are some ways you get out of the rut when you just don't fee like cooking?

Please join the conversation with your own Why Local? Wednesday post! Be sure to add the button below to your post leave a link in the comments directly to your post (not just your blog's homepage).

Happy Wednesday, friends!

2010-06-01T11:21:00.001-04:00

Is blog slacking a real thing? I guess so, and I'm sorry to have proven it!

My question for you all: What do you do when life is...well life, and BUSY, and you still want to eat well but hate the thought of all that chopping, and all those dishes, and ...? I'm asking for a "friend" ;)

We have had a decent weekend but it began and ended with a sick baby. We did get to go swimming, get some delicious, purple carrots from the market, and spend lots of time sleeping in and enjoying the extra day off.

Remember that tomorrow is Why Local? Wednesday...feel free to join with your own Why Local? Post! I think I fixed the issues I was having with the button, but if you try it and there are problems, please let me know with a quick email to kelly[at]questforrealfood[dot]com!

Why I am {finally} on Twitter

2010-05-29T08:39:00.002-04:00

{image source}

I came across an article yesterday on the Handmade Marketer called Why I'm Not Following You on Twitter. That's a good one! I can think of reasons I don't follow anyone on Twitter, chief among them that I just don't need another distraction. I still don't.

After reading the article, I think something finally "clicked" that this doesn't have to be another distraction but could actually be useful! So, I signed up and now have my very own account @MsKellyIrene!

Do you have a Twitter account?

I feel weird asking you to follow me, but isn't that the whole reason I signed up?? Like the article says, I won't just spam you with what I had for dinner or when I am finally going to bed. So here goes.

Will you follow me?

pretty please :)

This information has been cross posted on Irene Design and Quest for Real Food.

Genetically Engineered Alfalfa and YOU

2010-05-27T18:00:00.040-04:00

So last week I went there. You know, the whole "taboo" topic of religion. This week I'm going there again, but this time with politics. Don't worry; it won't be scary!

Did you see Food, Inc.? Do you remember the part where they talked about the consequences of genetically engineered soy beans? Well, now the USDA is working to deregulate the use of Monsanto's Genetically Engineered (GE) Alfalfa Seeds.

If you haven't seen Food Inc. or received emails recently from places like True Food or Organic Valley, you may be wondering what the big deal is. Read on; I will get to that shortly.

Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, and Representative Peter DeFazio of Oregon, have introduced a letter to the Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, asking that he not allow the deregulation of GE Alfalfa seeds. Now they are trying to get the support of other Senators and Representatives through their signature on the letter. That's where you come in. Do your congressmen and congresswomen know that you care about this? If not, they may not have a great incentive to sign on this. I talked with my sister about this (she's a political science major) and asked her if it really makes a difference to write in to your representatives. She said YES. While the representative may not read your individual letter, the stance you take will be brought to his/her attention. When such a letter is received in the congressional office, it is counted as representing 10,000 people. So if you write in asking your congress(wo)man to sing on to this letter, your request will be considered the request of 10,00! (or so my poli-sci sister says :)

So why should you care?

(All info taken from the letter written to Secretary Vilsack and this National Organic Coalition GE Background Document)

Environmental

GE seeds contaminate other fields. This has already happened with soy beans and rice, and it happened during the two years that the GE alfalfa seed were in use. Fields as far as 1.5 miles from the original field were contaminated, and bees can cross-polinate at greater distance! Conventional and organic fields are both affected by contamination see Econmic impact below.
The seeds are engineered to be "Roundup Ready" (resistant to Roundup, a commonly used pesticide/herbicide). The problem is that it not only encourages the use of this pesticide (when many Alfalfa producers don't use it regularly), but it has also causes Roundup resistant weeds to grow. These weeds require more potent chemicals to be used to kill them.

Economic

Organic farmers will see a heavy economic impact through field contamination. The USDA Organic label means that there are no GE products used, and that includes dairy cow feed. Alfalfa is one of the main sources of feed for dairy cows, so cows that are fed contaminated alfalfa cannot produce "organic" milk. The organic dairy industry saw $1.4 billion in sales in 2008 alone. The estimated impact on organic dairy producers from the deregulation of GE alfalfa seeds is $225 million annually.
Many countries have banned or placed very tight trade restrictions on exports of genetically engineered products. This includes some of the main importers of alfalfa such as Japan, Korea, and Saudi Arabia. This could amount to an annual loss of $197 million for alfalfa producers.

There are many other reasons to care, but I told you this would not be a scary post (in the sense of politics...). I'm happy to discuss this with you or point you to more resources if you're interested. Just email me at kelly[at]questforrealfood[dot]com or leave me a comment with a way I can get back to you.

Is it all coming together for you now? I would encourage you to read the letter to Secretary Vilsack and if you agree with it, ask your congress(wo)man to sign. Make a phone call, write an email, or send a letter to your representatives. This not only has the effect of getting more support behind this letter, but it also lets them know that, we do care about this and other matters of this nature.

Why Local? Wednesday: Community Garden

2010-05-26T08:05:00.000-04:00

Within a few miles of my house many community gardens are filling in the gaps between downtown building lots, next to church parking areas, adjacent to a nursing home's lawn, and in the space where neighbors once had fences. These are not large endeavors in terms of land use; most take up square feet rather than acres. These are large endeavors in terms of the way they bring people together. {image source}

My first community garden experience was actually at a school I used to work at. They had a garden space and each class took care of their own plots. We even ate the foods grown from the garden!

My other "first" experience was two years ago when my good friend took me to one at the end of the summer harvest season. The group of folks who had been working over the last few months to make a difference in the food they eat and in the way they lived were gathering to celebrate the season and the harvest. We ate a sampling of the many foods they had managed to grow in that church's side space including fresh figs off the tree. oh my. I'm still dreaming two years on.

{image source} The concept of the community garden seems to be coming back strong these days. It's no wonder when you think of all the benefits! Among the benefits listed by the American Community Garden Association (ACGA) are beautifying neighborhoods, stimulating social interaction, reducing crime rates, conserving resources and creating income opportunities for economic development.

To me, the best benefit is in the name itself: community. The community gardens I have seen give people who may differ in race, ethnicity, religion, and social class an opportunity to unite around a common goal. Although the garden was kept on church property, the people working there were about as different as can be. The garden brought them together to form a community of individuals setting their differences aside for the good of the others.

Brandon and I are at a point in life where keeping our own garden, or being heavily involved in another, is just not possible given our schedules. However I hope that it is something that is in our future! I hope that is something our daughter can grow up with. I love to see all of the gardens popping up around the city and would like to be involved in one myself. {image source}

How about you? Do you know of community gardens in your area? Are you involved in one? If you want to learn more, check out the ACGA website for a list of resources including finding gardens in your area.

Remember that you can join the Why Local? Wednesday post series now too! Grab the button below and put it in your blog post, then I am having problems with the button code, so just leave a link in your post for now :) come back here and leave a comment with a link to your actual post, not just your blog's main page, so we can all read your Why Local? Wednesday post.

About making Chicken Tettrazini for Twelve

2010-05-24T21:54:00.000-04:00

Let it be known that I now have a new understanding of why canned foods are also known as convenience foods. Seriously. Who thought of this? Chicken broth--in a box. Cream of mushroom soup--in a can. Cheese--already grated. My hat goes off to you.

Last week, while sitting at my desk, I signed up to take meals to two different families. On the same day. These brilliant ideas come when I am sitting at my desk and only when I am sitting at my desk. So today was the day. What do you make for a family of six, a family of four, and your own family? Frozen pizza? Carry-out? Delivery?

No. None of these would do. I decided I wanted chicken. And noodles. And some kind of creamy sauce. Chicken Tettrazini, if you will. I also decided I was going to make it all. From scratch.

I would boil the chicken to get chicken broth. I would make my very own cream of mushroom soup (with the chicken broth I had already boiled). I would even grate my own cheese. How hard can it be?

Well when you live in a 100+ year old house with two fairly lousy window unit air conditioners and it is 300+ degrees and humid outside, it is really not that easy. But I did it!

I boiled a chicken from our CSA to get the meat and the broth. I made my own mushroom soup with real mushrooms. Let it also be known that I hate mushrooms in my mouth but I realize they provide a delicious flavor that cannot be substituted. I cut them into big chunks so I could pull them out when it came time to eat. I even adapted the recipe enough that I feel comfortable sharing it with you later this week in case you ever get the urge to make Chicken Tettrazini for Twelve.

It was a lot of work--hot work in my hot kitchen. But when I got home from dropping off the other meals, I finally got to taste the fruit of my labor. Note to self: Next time you make a meal for others, whether you are trying a new recipe or not, you should definitely taste it before you take it to their house. Ahem, back to writing. I served up our plates, we gave thanks, and we proceeded to eat. And oh. my. gosh. did we eat. It was magnificent. Well, as magnificent as Chicken and Noodle Casserole Chicken Tettrazini for Twelve can be.

Let it be known that I also now know why making something from scratch really and truly is that much better. It was so satisfying to know that all of those tastes were ones that came about through the hours I spent in that hot, humid kitchen. Thank you, God, for giving us taste buds and so many wonderful flavors to combine for our enjoyment! And thanks for the friends who give us reasons to cook!

The best part is that now I know that my options aren't just whether to buy the "name brand" soup or the store brand. I can make my if I want to! I am sure there will still be times when I use the canned soups, but it is good to not think that is the only option. And yes, I did think that until very recently.

Later this week or next I will share with you the recipe, in case you are feeling slightly insane or just have the desire to make your own Chicken Tetrazzini for 12.

If you want a little more "fun" reading, check out my Five Things Quiz answers on the Irene Design blog. You just might learn something new about me. I would love to read your answers if you do it!

Recipe: Coconut and Red Curry Lentil Soup

2010-05-21T12:00:00.000-04:00

I love the idea of lentils because they are so healthy and very inexpensive. However, I tend to shy away from lentils because the few times I have cooked them, they have either been quite bland or taken a lot of work to make not so bland.

Earlier this week I had no clue what I was going to make for dinner, and honestly we didn't have a lot on hand. We did have lentils though, so I decided it was time to give them another chance.

One of my go-to websites for healthy and delicious recipes is 101Cookbooks. I hit the lentils section and the very first post was for a Coconut and Red Curry Soup. That doesn't sound boring at all! I didn't have everything on hand, so I made a few revisions. The weather was still cloudy and cool, so I figured this was my last chance for a while to enjoy a good pot of soup.

Be sure to check out the original recipe. Heidi provides international measurements and includes split peas, carrots, and cilantro--none of which I had on hand. Here is my adaptation.

Coconut and Red Curry Lentil Soup

1 cup black lentils
1 cup red (?) lentils
7 cups water
2 +1 teaspoon tablespoons minced ginger, divided
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 tablespoons coconut oil (or butter)
3 medium spring onions, thinly sliced, divided (these are the small ones you buy at the farmers market)
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup organic, no-salt-added tomato paste
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt
goat cheese (skip this if you want a vegan meal)
cooked brown rice, for serving

If you're making brown rice, go ahead and start it first. The soup and rice will finish close to the same time. Also, most of the directions are from the original recipe.

Rinse the lentils well and place them in a large stock pot with the water. Cover and bring the lentils & water to a boil. Reduce the heat to low--just enough to let it simmer--and add 1 tablespoon of ginger. Let simmer about 25 minutes, until the lentils are soft.

In the meantime, in a small dry skillet or saucepan over low heat, toast the curry powder until it is quite fragrant. Be careful though, you don't want to burn the curry powder, just toast it. Set aside.

Place the coconut oil in a pan over medium heat, add half of the onions, the remaining ginger, and raisins. Saute for two minutes stirring constantly, then add the tomato paste and saute for another minute or two more.

Add the toasted curry powder to the tomato paste mixture, mix well, and then add this to the simmering soup along with the coconut milk and salt. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or so. The texture should thicken up, but you can play around with the consistency if you like by adding more water, a bit at a time, if you like.

Serve the soup over the brown rice. Sprinkle with some goat cheese and onions.

Serves 6.

This made for and absolutely delicious and fairly easy meal. Brandon liked it and didn't even ask where the bread was I think that is a good thing. You can play around with some of the ingredients like I did, and just use what you have on hand. I bet that greek yogurt would be good on top. Enjoy!

Food and Faith Challenge: The Bible and Food

2010-05-20T17:00:00.034-04:00

I have been thinking about this post all week because it is something that is very near and dear to my heart, yet it is also something that I know can be controversial. When I started this blog, I knew I wanted it to reach out to as many people as possible, which is why it is not a "Christian" blog in the sense of being written for those who consider themselves Christians. It is however "Christian" in the sense that it is written by one.

So with that said, I hope that those of you who do not believe the Bible is an authority for your life will read this post none the less with at least some interest to know how it has played a (big) part of shaping my views on food and eating.

This week's Food and Faith Challenge was good for me to read--not just to bolster what I already think about this subject, but even to challenge it. In the Food and Faith Challenge, one of the questions for reflection is "What would your own guidelines for eating with justice and joy look like?" This is a question I have been exploring this year, and I think the Bible has a lot to say on the matter.

One thing to understand about the Bible, and about how it informs my decisions about things like somehow combining eating and justice, is that there often is not a particular verse that says, "Kelly, you can only eat foods that have been grown locally, don't come in a powder form or a freezer bag, are fairly traded, and low in sodium and saturated fats. Oh, and NO McDonald's or frozen pizzas!" In some ways that would make things a whole lot easier!

The Bible is not meant to be read as a list of rules, of "do's and do not's", but is a collection of books that tells a story about a God who created a beautiful, perfectly-functioning earth and humans who were also perfect and had an unfettered access to this God. However, for several reasons, the humans chose to live the way they thought was best rather than the way this Creator God had said was best, and the consequences were enormous. Humans no longer had this unfettered relationship with God, and they were no longer living in a perfectly-functioning world. They suddenly had to deal with things like tragic deaths, jealousy, betrayal, injustice, and a whole host of other ills that are recorded in this story. Thankfully it doesn't end with people suffering the consequences of living in the way they thought was best. This same Creator God made a way for people to come back into a relationship with him through the life and death of a man named Jesus, and God is now working to make the earth once again beautiful and perfectly-functioning.

So what does that have to do with the question? Everything. It is in the context of that story that I find my answer.

{image source; sold on etsy} You and I live in the part of the story where God has made it possible for us to have a relationship with him--one in which we are called sons and daughters wow! and can find personal peace and joy--through believing what the Bible says about Jesus. However, we also live in the part of the story that some people refer to as the already and not yet. God is already working to eradicate such atrocities like children working as slaves in sugar cane fields or cattle living waist high in their own feces. But this has not yet fully come to pass. And this is not something where we--humans--sit back and passively wait to see what happens. Instead we are called to have an active role in the realization of this re-newed creation.

So back to justice and eating. Because I now have a relationship with God, one in which I am even considered a daughter, I want to be a part of the renewal of creation that my Father is working on. I want to be a part of bringing about justice and joy--not just for myself but for the earth and all its inhabitants as well. {image source; sold on etsy}

Getting back to the practical question..."What does this look like?" For me, my family, this is what it looks like.

We try to buy foods that are produced locally. This way we know where the food comes from, who is growing it, and how it is grown. This helps clear some of the clutter of buying something that has been grown, processed, packaged, transported, and sold through the hands of many unknown people. It also helps to emphasize the relational aspect of life through buying our foods.
We try to buy organic foods. We do so because organic foods are typically grown with less of a harmful impact on the earth, and they are also going to be less likely to introduce toxins to our bodies, thus hindering our effectiveness in life.
We try to buy sustainable foods. Not all of our food is organic. But we want to know that the way it is grown is not depleting the land, animal or human resources involved.
We try to buy fairly traded foods. This is one I find the most difficult due to lack of availability in most stores and really fuels #1. I do not want my food money to be supporting injustice through slave labor or human trafficking--both of which are very real problems in our global food system. I also want to know that my money is going to those who are actually growing the food and that they are able to support their families (another reason for #3).
We try to buy meat and eggs from animals that have been treated as living beings. I'm not going to get on another soap box today but I just want to say that "having dominion" over the earth requires a great deal of compassion, love, care, and empathy that is lacking from the modern mentality of feedlot "agriculture".

Whew. This was a difficult post for me to write, but one that also really gets me fired up. I have been wanting to post this for a while, and the Food and Faith Challenge post was the perfect reason to do so!
Please know that this is of course a work in progress, a personal journey. We are farther down this path than we were a year ago but we also continue moving in the direction we are called to walk.

Why Local? Wednesday: Cake Flour on Market

2010-05-19T00:01:00.001-04:00

I love to bake, but there have been several times recently when baking was not an option. like when I made cookies and cupcakes for the same party and it all ended up in the trash can! For whatever reason, there was no way that baking a cake or something nice was going to work out, so I called one of my favorite local bakeries, Cake Flour on Market.

Cake Flour uses many local and organic ingredients and seeks to "offer quality, natural alternatives to processed 'fake' food so people can experience the difference." quote and logo from Cake Flour's website

I would say they are doing a darn good job! I have had their chocolate ganache torte (first photo), chocolate and blueberry cheesecakes (third photo) and several other cookies and cupcakes including some kind of bourbon cupcake around Derby time. Everything has been de-li-cious.

One thing I appreciate about the company is that they seem to be pretty realistic. Their flour may not be sourced directly from Louisville, but they still use organic, unbleached and unbrominated flours. Their eggs are local, but their sugar isn't (it is organic, though). It is those kinds of things that I--someone who craves balance--really value. Trying to find "local sugar" is probably impossible here in Kentucky that is just a guess! but there are lots of farmers who sell their eggs locally. They don't try to sell you on the whole "local scene" thing in ways that aren't really true. Get what I mean?

While buying cakes and other treats from Cake Flour or your own local bakery really is a wonderful alternative to the 'fake' stuff, it isn't always a cheap one but local bakeries don't get their grain subsidized either!...that's another post! Sometimes it really is worth it to spring for the good stuff. I figure that I am paying not just for the time and lack of stress of baking my own cake while also trying to clean my house, feed my baby, and keep my sanity, but I am also paying for quality ingredients and the art of a fine chocolate torte, not to mention the enjoyment of celebrating a friend's hard work, a new baby or whatever else is going on in life. I am also supporting a local business and voting for real ingredients with my dollars. Well worth it.

Remember that you can join the Why Local? Wednesday post series now too! Grab the button below and put it in your blog post, then come back here and leave a comment with a link to your actual post, not just your blog's main page, so we can all read your Why Local? Wednesday post.

Why Local? Wednesday link-up

2010-05-18T17:00:00.004-04:00

I have enjoyed writing the Why Local? Wednesday posts as this is a topic I am in the middle of studying on my own and figuring out how it does and does not work for my family. I know many of you are on similar journeys with eating local foods, and I want to hear from you! If you want to join with me this week and write your own Why Local? Wednesday post, copy the html code below the image at the bottom of this post and paste it into your post. The button should then show up on your blog post.

So you want to join in the fun but aren't quite sure if you should? Well, of course you should!
You don't have to have a blog specifically about food. This is a topic that can fit with many different kinds of blogs, so make it fit yours.
You don't even have to directly answer the question, "Why Local?". You can tell your own local journey, write about a local festival or regional food specialities, highlight a local restaurant you like, or give a recipe using local ingredients. You can also write about the benefits of eating locally. For more ideas, feel free to look through my other posts.

If you do join in this week, come back and leave a comment on my post (which is already up due to user-error!) so we can all read along!

I hope you will join...I am looking forward to reading your Why Local? Wednesday posts!

I am still here!

2010-05-13T20:13:00.000-04:00

Hi friends

Sorry about the lack of "Why Local? Wednesday" posting yesterday. It was one of those days when I had about 1 hour of "free" time and the choice was blog posting or spending time with Adeline. Adeline won.

You may have noticed I am making changes once again to the design of the blog. You can read all about on my other blog, Irene Design.

I am also tossing around the idea of having a "Why Local?" link exchange. This is such a great topic, and I know many of you--whether your blog is food related or not--have plenty of things to say on the topic. Would you be interested??

Food & Faith Challenge: Time

2010-05-11T17:30:00.021-04:00

Do you notice that people tend to like those who are most like them? OK, not always, I mean sometimes opposites really do attract, but in general when we first meet someone, we look for what we have in common.

That is how I often feel when I visit a new blog. One blog I recently visited that I instantly connected with is The Local Cook. And lucky for me, The Local Cook is running an interactive series called the Food and Faith Challenge. I've been reading the posts for the last few weeks and decided it is past time for me to join.

Let me first confess for the record that I am not currently reading the book that goes along with this: Simply in Season. However I do want to use this opportunity to dialogue with others about eating seasonal and local foods. I hope you'll join by reading the original blog posts for each week (which I will link to for you) and by leaving you own comments...or even writing your own blog post and joining the challenge!

TIME

{image source} Not the news magazine but the sort that is counted in seconds, minutes, and hours. Also the subject of this week's Food and Faith Challenge (read the original post here; it is worth the few extra minutes! Mine is not a repeat of this one but some additional thoughts. Go, what are you waiting for?! But do come back.)

I feel like a grandmother when I use this phrase but here goes... "If I had a nickle for every time I ..."

For every time I said "I just don't have time for that."

How often do you say it? Me, every day. Multiple times each day even. I don't have time to clean the bathroom, wash the dishes, cook a meal, put away my clothes, or even wash my clothes for goodness sake! Just kidding. I do wash them. But really, when I want to do something, I will find time for it.

So how do I find (or make) time to prepare real, healthy foods?

1. Plan. My planning is taking a different shape now than it did when I shopped exclusively at the grocery store, but I try to make a list of what I plan to make during the week so that I am not trying to figure it out at the last minute. I will write an entire post on this later with some resources to help.

2. Prep ahead. Because I have at least a vague idea of what I am going to make throughout the week, I can do some of my prep ahead of time. Whether it is soaking beans, chopping veggies, or cooking meat, I try to do as much of this as I can over the weekend so that when I get home from work during the week I have less to do.

3. Consolidate steps. Like prepping ahead, this is a big time saver for me and also relies on planning. For example, if i plan to make spaghetti and tacos in the same week I will cook all of my ground beef or bison at the same time. Because I am just cooking for two, I can cook one pound and split it in half to season accordingly. If I am only going to need 1/2 pound during the week, I still cook a full pound and freeze what is left over to be used another week.

4. Have some easy recipes on hand. I love to make stir fry, tacos, or grilled veggies because I can use a lot of the veggies from the market in a quick, easy, and delicious meal.

5. Have a back up plan. aka Don't beat yourself up. You know, like frozen pizza. I should totally get a slap on the wrist for this. I think that in moderation these things are OK. There are days when I just do not have time to cook a real dinner, and despite my best efforts, all those plans I made failed to include a baked spaghetti or something else made by me that could be pulled from my freezer to save on cooking time.

These are all small steps that help me feel like I don't have to say "I don't have time" to cook a meal. However, I really think that a lot of making time for real food has to do with my mindset. When I remember that cooking and eating are about nutrition, creativity, and community, then taking the extra time to make my own food seems a lot less burdensome than it does when I forget these values. {image source}

For me, cooking is also a spiritual discipline of sorts. (I hope Richard Foster would agree.) It is a time of ritual, meditation, reflection, and gratitude. Since this post is already really long, maybe I will save this for another post as well.

What about you? Did you read the original post about Time? Do you have any tips to share on how to keep preparing real foods from becoming burdensome in regards to your use of time? Or are you overwhelmed with the thought of cooking your own foods? I would love to hear from you about this!

Getting your family on board

2010-05-10T08:37:00.000-04:00

One question I have seen come up again and again from women (or men) who are trying to help their families get on board with making changes to the foods they eat is, "How can I get my husband/wife/kids/partner/friend/parents/roommate on board?"

Far too often, I see answers such as, "Just quit buying junk food, and he won't have a choice." or, "You are the one buying the groceries and cooking the meals, so why should he be able to command what you buy or make?". This is not my answer because really, I do not want to be the food tyrant in my home. {image source}

{image source} I really think it is important to keep in mind that the other people in your home, those you share your food with, should have a say in what you are eating. I think I have realized recently that I tend to act like the "expert" on the subject of food in our home, and that probably isn't such a great idea. Making my husband feel inferior on this will not accomplish anything. However giving him a voice in the conversation helps me appreciate things from his view and also helps him be part of the process.

If your kids are reluctant to try new foods, find age-appropriate ways to get your family involved with the entire process. Whether it is shopping, researching the best way to pick, store and prepare foods, cooking, or other forms of exploration, get your kids involved! I have a whole list of ideas for this, but that will be another post. For me, this means that I try to keep my husband up to date with the research I am doing. He may not want to sit down and read all the blog posts, websites, or books I am reading, but he is willing to listen to me ramble about all of it and what I think about it. This also keeps me from having certain expectations about what we will and won't eat while he is totally in the dark about that. {image source}

Don't force it. My daughter is only 8 months old, but if she does not like a food, I don't force her to eat it though I will persist in asking her to try new foods. I really want eating to be an enjoyable experience for her. When I fed her sweet potatoes, she made some very dramatic coughing noises to let me know she did not appreciate them. I let her just have her grains and tried again for a few days. She still persisted with the overly-dramatic coughing, so I let it go. That was last month, and I am going to try again this month, but if she doesn't like them, I won't force her. Same goes for my husband. On Sunday night I tried cooking the green leaves from our radishes, and I let him know that if he didn't like them, I wouldn't be offended if he didn't eat them. He was willing to try it, and I totally appreciated that. By the way, neither of us like the radish greens. oh well!

{image source} Be willing to compromise. Just after I posted my final reflections on Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, I was asked to go get McDonald's for dinner. Seriously?! Yes. And I went. I can tell you that it was not my first (or 10th) choice for dinner, but I ask my husband to eat a lot of foods he might not be excited about, and to have a double standard on that would not be fair. I just ordered a salad with no meat (and fries of course; they really do taste good!), and I enjoyed my dinner (with only one comment about praying I would not get e coli. I am sure he could have done without that.) I also try to buy him specific items he asks for at the grocery store.

Remember that change happens slowly and give your family and friends the time they need to process those changes. Help them in the ways they best respond to and be willing to hear them when they disagree.

Finally, I want to say that if you are the one who does the shopping and cooking, then of course it is ok for you to make decisions about what you are buying and feeding your family--I just don't suggest that you do it in an "all or nothing, my way or the highway" manner. When I go grocery shopping, I am constantly making decisions about which apples, bananas, squash, cereal, or milk to buy--all without making twenty different phone calls home to be sure it ok that I get "this, not that". I am the one who decides to bring in the reusable bags or ask for paper once in a while when we need that. I am the one who decides whether the milk will be organic or if I am going to hold off on buying eggs until I can make it to the farmers market.

These are some tips that I have found work for me, and I would love hear to hear what works for you.

Why Local? Wednesday: Food Deserts

2010-05-05T22:26:00.001-04:00

A food desert is not a farm overtaken by cacti. Typically a food desert refers to an area that lacks access to healthy food,--be that physical, financial, or educational access.

[image source] Physically, in these areas real, healthy foods are hard to come by. When urban sprawl began to really take effect, most supermarkets moved to the suburbs with the folks headed that direction. Fast food and convenience stores replaced the supermarket.

Many of the food desert areas tend to be economically poor, so if healthy foods are available they cannot be afforded. If you saw Food, Inc. you probably remember the scene with the family who was able to purchase a meal at McDonalds for far less than than buying the equivalent ingredients at the grocery store.

Education also plays a role in this. (and this does not mean that people who live in food desert areas are not educated or are somehow mentally inferiorf.) On NPR today, Michelle Norris finished a two-part series on American and soda in which she interviewed a community activist, Nura Green. Ms. Green recently asked some children in her community if they had eaten a healthy breakfast that morning. One boy raised his hand and proudly said he had "pineapple soda" for breakfast. What he did not know, and what Ms. Green told him, is that the only thing "pineapple" in the soda was the name.

That is what I mean when I say that there is a mental or educational barrier to accessing healthy foods. If you don't know that ingesting pineapple soda, or any other "junk/convenience" food, on a regular basis is detrimental to your health and well being, then there will be very little incentive to cross the other two barriers of physical and financial availability.

[image source] Thankfully, many people are working hard to change this. In Louisville there is an organization called New Roots that is seeking to "meet the needs of urban communities by improving access to fresh food." They do this through partnering with local farmers and providing CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shares at affordable prices and bringing fresh foods to the supermarkets. Kentucky's Community Farm Alliance (CFA) is working hard to meet this need not only in connection with New Roots, but with many others as well. CFA has brought farmers markets to the areas of town considered food deserts and lobbies state government to bring about changes and get the financial backing to make these changes. There is also a Stone Soup Community Kitchen that brings community members together one night a month to cook fresh foods that have been donated by local farms. Individuals are also taking matters into their own hands by starting their own gardens or community gardens to help meet some of the needs.

[image source] Food deserts should not exist. This is another manifestation of poverty that can not and should not be ignored. I am thankful to live in a city with so many people turning their attention to this issue (I only highlighted a few). I don't want to turn a blind eye either. When I think about our upcoming mayoral and senate races, this is an issue I want to keep in mind with my vote. I also want to continue to support local farmers who are in turn supporting this community rather than abandoning it.

Update: I have added this post to the Real Food Wednesday posts. Check out some other great blog posts that have to do with various "real food" themes!

Reflections on Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

2010-05-04T17:00:00.025-04:00

Have you been watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution? It is not often that I get excited about something on the television other than a Laker's game!, but this show is a definite exception. Yes it is entertainment, and yes it is similar to many of the other "Reality TV" shows very predictable, but this is one show that highlights a really important issue and makes it accessible to average folks like you and I.

If you have not seen the show, you can catch up on ABC.com or Hulu.com. You may not be surprised by the problems or the solutions, (then again, you might be); either way it is still worth a watch if you have a little time. If you want a little motivation for watching the show, check out this clip. Seriously, it makes me want to cook up a little stir fry every time I see it. Brill-i-ant!

Now that the show or season...I'm not really sure is over, here are some of my final thoughts. You can read my initial thoughts on the Food Revolution here.

A major dilemma that is especially highlighted in the first and last episodes is that processed foods are cheap. Did you see Food, Inc.? That movie talks about this as well. When schools are practically given loads of processed "food", they would be considered (by most) to be fools to pay money for real, fresh foods. They would be accused of mismanagement of finance, and I am sure there would be loads of other consequences as well. When you or I go to the grocery store, and a bag or box of "frozen dinner" costs a fraction of the price (and requires a fraction of the time to prepare), it is sometimes difficult to justify spending your money on the fresher, healthier, and sometimes more time-consuming foods.

This betrays a fundamental mistaken mindset though that cheap=good or fast=good.

Throughout the episodes, Jamie constantly sought the help of the community. Whether he was trying to get individuals like Alice or Rod on board, or speaking to a family or entire school, he knew that a change in the way we eat cannot occur only at an individual level. Communities--whether that be schools, families, churches, or cities--have to choose to change together. There really is power in numbers.

This is especially important when you think about the brick wall he hit in the final episode. Even if every person in Huntington wanted to change the school food system for good, that absolutely can not happen if real, fresh foods are not available. I can resolve to stick to the "outer aisles" at the grocery store or only buy local foods, but without that availability my resolution is void. You and I are dependent on others, and the more people who want to make changes, the more money there will be funneled in that direction. It is pretty obvious that money speaks, and if money is being funneled into a market of real, fresh foods, then more companies like grocery stores, food producers, and even the USDA, will pay attention. Yes, I know the USDA is not really a company, but the point remains.

Finally, I appreciate that the show ended with a call to action. Sitting on your couch (or your computer chair), eating carrots and hummus, and spending the day writing blog posts this is not my life we are talking about here! will quickly hit its limit. Whether you are inclined to restock your own kitchen, learn to cook, sign the Food Revolution Petition, write a letter to an elected official, call your school's principle or head of food programs, or go volunteer at the school kitchen, something needs to be done.

What about you? Have you seen the show? What did you think?

i did not make this image; i think ABC did.

P.S. Does anyone remember this?

The Naked Chef on Amazon

This is why I started watching the Food Network. Yep, it's true, and not inappropriate at all because the naked was the food, not the chef.

Finally the Farmers Market

2010-05-01T23:20:00.000-04:00

Adeline and I braved the rain this morning to head out the the farmers market. It was our first trip for 2010! There were quite a few other people who considered the bounty to be had at market worth getting out in the rain, and we found more than enough to make the trip worth while.

We picked up all kinds of goodies like lettuce, onions, asparagus, radishes, cheese, goats milk soap, and bread! We almost picked up a Derby Pie, but I decided that I really do not need more excuses to eat sugar. The reality is that when there are treats at the house, I am the one who eats them. Brandon has a select few that he likes, but if there is chocolate involved, it doesn't last long with me around!

One thing I was thinking about after I left is how to go about asking farmers what their policy is regarding pesticides and chemical fertilizers. I know that there are times when those things need to be used, but I don't want to buy food that has been treated with regular use of chemicals. I also don't want to offend the farmer who has been with the crops every day.

I don't want to come across as the "know it all" who read a few books and thinks now I know all there is to know about farming. I also want to know as much as I can about the foods I am eating (which is why I love buying from my friends who farm whenever possible; they just are not harvesting yet.) Any tips on how to approach that without seeming trite would be great!

When we got home I couldn't remember the best way to store asparagus. I pulled out my one of my favorite cookbooks, The Joy of Cooking, to find the answer. I love the short descriptions it provides of different foods including many veggies. The descriptions tell what the food is, how it is typically prepared, how to pick the best or most fresh, and how to store.

I also looked up radishes and read about how to prepare the leaves as well as the actual bulb. Usually when I buy radishes at the grocery, they don't come with the leaves so I never thought to eat them. But this way I get two foods in one (in a sense) since I can use them both in different ways. I am planning to use the leaves tomorrow night and will let you know how they turn out!

Are your markets open yet? I would love to know what kind of goodies you are getting in your area now.

The post where I should be...

2010-04-29T17:00:00.003-04:00

...telling you about my delicious "fried quinoa".

...showing off lovely pictures.

...sharing a new recipe.

Instead I will say fried quinoa was a bad idea. That's right folks; at one point I thought it might be a good idea.

I had some chopped veggies left over from our salad Tuesday night and shredded chicken from soup Monday night. I didn't have time to cook brown rice, I was not in the mood for white rice, so I thought I would make "fried rice" with Quinoa. not good. Let me repeat: NOT a good idea.

The first batch ended up in the trash because I started mixing everything in with the egg before the egg was really cooked. We would have had quinoa coated with partially-cooked eggs. bleh!

The second batch I omitted the egg and just added soy sauce. Everything cooked through, but the taste was gag-worthy. I wouldn't even let Brandon try it before I dumped it.

With all of my cooked quinoa ruined, my pre-cut veggies in the trash, and half of what was left of my boiled chicken useless, I pulled a pizza out of the freezer. You can't go wrong with frozen pizza.

Unless you are looking for strike three. And I nearly got it! After a foul of nearly-serving soft-crusted pizza, I stuck it back in the over, sliced and all, to at least get it semi-crunchy and edible.

Thankfully Brandon is not one to complain, especially when he knows how frustrated I am over throwing not one but TWO meals in the trash. He ate and even said "Thank you" and later gave me a back rub. I know; I am a lucky lady!

So for now, I continue our addiction to frozen pizza. Maybe I need to institute a "NO-Frozen-Pizza-Blog-Challenge." We will see.

Tonight I am going to forgo the cooking altogether and enjoy a meal prepared by a good friend who happens to be one of the best cooks I know. (She's Italian; need I say more?)

What is your back up-plan when your meal is not edible?

Clean Fifteen and Dirty Dozen: 2010 edition just released

2010-04-28T17:00:00.001-04:00

Have you heard of the Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen list?

When I first began to "get serious" about purchasing more organic foods, this was a resource I relied heavily on. I was not ready to buy everything organic (I still don't, for the record), but I knew that some foods were probably worse than others in terms of pesticide contamination. I did not have time to research each food individually though.

Enter the Environmental Work Group (EWG). They have a shoppers guide to the 15 least-contaminated fruits and veggies as well as the 12 most-contaminated. I just received an email from EWG that the 2010 version has been released!

There is also a three minute video that answers a few questions like "Why have such a list?", "Will following these guidlelines make a difference?", and "What is the best way to use this?" Head over to the EWG's website and download your own copy of the list and watch the video.

Of course this does not mean that the "clean 15" should never be purchased as organics, but if organic is not an option for whatever reason, these are the ones to cause you least amount of worry! You may want to reconsider buying non-organic versions of the ones on the "dirty dozen" list though as they tend to carry the largest amount of pesticides with them to your body.

I would love to hear if there were any foods that surprised you one way or the other.

I will say that I was surprised by potatoes. I guess I assumed that foods grown underground are somehow less susceptible to pesticide absorption than those grown above ground, but when I stop and think for a minute that doesn't really make sense! Those plants still have to absorb nutrients and water, so that does not automatically cut out absorption of pesticides!

Why Local? Wednesday: Derby Edition

2010-04-28T08:03:00.000-04:00

I have told you this before but I am a Californian transplanted in Kentucky. And I love living here! Before moving to Kentucky though, the Kentucky Derby was to me a bit of an anomaly in the sporting world. Truth be told I do not remember even hearing about it until some time late in high school when I was actually living in South Carolina.

That is all a thing of the past. I now live in "Derby City" and this is my 4th Derby season living here! I now know that the Derby is much more than a two-minute horse race, or even two days of racing.

In Louisville, the Derby is really a big deal. We begin the festivals two weeks early with the nation's largest "pyrotechnics display" (aka amazing fireworks show). It is 28 minutes of what most other shows would consider the "grand finale"! Throughout the next two weeks there are concerts, festivals, galas, hot air balloon races, and steamboat races. As Derby closes in it becomes common place to see small jets you know, the private jets for the rich and famous flying in to the airport, and traffic begins to get a bit heavier around this part of the week. By Friday the city will pretty much be closed down with the exception of Derby-related activities.

Derby is also a time when Kentuckians show off their culinary specialities. Mint Juleps abound, Derby Pies are assembled, Hot Browns are devoured, and Benedictine Sandwiches fill bellies. Bourbon is a staple in Kentucky so besides Mint Juleps and Derby Pies, the festivals usually include bourbon balls and samplings of the many high quality regional bourbons. (There is actually an entire Bourbon Festival in September but that is another post)

Of course along with Derby fare comes Derby style. Ladies wear big hats, jockeys don their racing silks, and the men dress up to match their ladies.

Whether it is an event that is known world wide or a well-kept local secret, regional festivals include regional fare. What is a festival you look forward to and what foods are associated with it?

Planning meals for off weeks

2010-04-24T08:47:00.000-04:00

I am not going to make a habit of posting my menus because they are really not that exciting. However, this last week was a bit challenging and I think it is worth making note of. Here is what I had planned and what happened in reality.

Monday:
Chuck Roast from the farm with lots of veggies (recipe to come!)
Couscous
~~Strawberry Shortcake~~
Burritos/Soft Tacos with whole wheat tortillas, beef from the farm, lots of veggies
Vanilla ice cream with fresh strawberries and blackberries and chocolate "syrup"
(BONUS TIP: we melted some chocolate chips in the microwave and poured it over the ice cream. When you do this, you get the hard shell chocolate for a lot less money than the stuff in the bottle!)

Tuesday:
~~Left-overs~~ (will someone please come up with a more glamorous word for that so I don't feel I need to add a caveat when I tell my hubby what we are having?!)
Salad with veggies I had already chopped Monday
Garlic bread
Apples and Strawberries with a ~~creamy caramel~~ Cream Cheese & Vanilla Yogurt dipping sauce to share with the friends

Wednesday:
~~Chicken and roasted carrots~~
Frozen Pizza (I know, I had been doing sooo well! We ended up being out late and not eating dinner until 8:30 and at least we didn't eat out!)
~~something with fruit since we'll have plenty and some chocolate thrown in the mix I'm sure~~

Thursday:
Hummus with veggies,
~~goat cheese spread/dip (recipe also to come),~~
possibly a wheat berry salad,
I'm still thinking of what kind of sweet treat we will have (I'm not providing dinner, just snacks!)
Guacamole (I loooove avocados!)
Pita Chips and Sesame Chips for dipping
Apple Slice & Strawberries with the cream cheese/yogurt dipping sauce

Friday:
~~Salad with all the goodies left from the week~~
Stir fry with the chicken I did not cook but defrosted Wed. and all those veggies left from Thursday night

I am also loving vanilla yogurt with fresh blackberries for snacks this week! Yum!

So you can see that I had to have a lot of flexibility with having so much going on during the week (dinner guests Monday, snack for community group Tuesday, hosted book club Thursday, and all of our usual dinners, lunches, and what not throughout the week for the family). I think we did pretty well, and it was fun to have the additional challenge of trying to use up food for more than one meal if needed, keep it healthy, and try to use mainly seasonal and organic foods. We did not stay on budget, but when you have something extra going on (or three something extras!) sometimes the budget has to be flexible as well!

This weekend we will be using up all of the veggie sticks that did not get eaten Thursday night (we had so much good food!) and will be heading to the farmers market Saturday to stock up for next week. (It's supposed to be raining so hopefully the market is still open.) I think a few more markets are opening tomorrow (if you're in Louisville see the "Find Louisville Markets" button on my sidebard for a full list of when the markets open.)

Speaking of the weekend, what are your plans? I will be working on a blog post I told you about a while ago and have not finished (I interviewed a friend who grinds her own grains), catching up on some relaxation and sewing, and spending time with my hubby and baby.

giveaway reminder!

2010-04-22T10:15:00.001-04:00

Today is the last day to enter the giveaway for a set of four cloth table napkins. Be sure to head over to my design blog for details. This is my way to say Thank You for reading my blog and to help one of my readers in an effort to celebrate Earth Day "every day".

Why Local? Wednesday: Creativity

2010-04-21T08:00:00.003-04:00

Purchasing local foods means that certain foods are only available at very specific times during the year. For example, Strawberries, Asparagus, and Kale are beginning to be seen abundantly at farmers markets across the U.S. now. Tomatoes, Butternut Squash and Watermelons are not.

This seasonal variety is a great way to get out of a cooking rut. Rather than steaming carrots for the umpteenth time, why not try some sauteed greens with canelli beans and garlic or artichokes braised with garlic and thyme? This week I have 2.5 pounds of Aspargus to cook and plan to make some roasted asparagus as well as Spring vegetable and quinoa pilaf.

Purchasing local, seasonal foods gives you a chance to experiment with new tastes, textures and colors. If you live with someone that is not so adventurous, get them involved in choosing, learning about, and even preparing the new foods.

Last year I got some root vegetables that I had never seen before but the farmer I purchased them from was able to suggest ways to cook them. I was pregnant then, and the pregnancy hormones have wiped out a majority of my memory so now I don't remember what they were or how I cooked them, but I remember being impressed with myself for being able to cook something I knew next to nothing about!

Epicurious.com has an interactive map that shows you what is in season and gives you ideas for each ingredient. It's not fool proof right now it says nothing is in season in Kentucky, but it might be a good place to start to get recipe ideas or even find out what a specific fruit or vegetable is.

I am also going to be planning next week's menu around whatever I pick up at the market on Saturday. This will be somewhat challenging for me as I like to know what I am making before I buy. However without knowing what will be available until I get to the market, I have to be willing to step out of the comfort zone a little!

Do you have any Spring recipes or tips for making the most of seasonal produce? Have you tried anything new recently because it was in season or not used something because it is out of season? I would love to hear from you about how you get creative with seasonal produce!

Updated: I fixed several formatting issues and added this week's Why Local? Wednesday blog to the Real Food Wednesday blog list...take a few minutes to see what others have posted over there!

Monday menu and a giveaway announcement

2010-04-19T08:00:00.005-04:00

Hi again, friends!

My weekend was packed full of family, food (my dad cooked omelets and grilled steaks for us even though he was the one visiting us!), fireworks, and good times by all. you thought I would say fun, didn't you? I never made it to the farmers market but it is already on the calendar for this coming Saturday, and I am so ready to go!

I spent a lot longer than I normally do planning meals for the coming week, but I have quite a bit going on that I don't normally get to do. We have friends coming for dinner tomorrow night, we will be celebrating another friend's new job Tuesday and I plan to have some sort of "healthy" dessert, and it is my turn to host book club on Thursday! since we read Bringing it to the Table: On Farming and Food, I better have something good to go with the farming/food/earth day theme.

I am really looking forward to all of this, but the menu planning has proved challenging. I'm not used to so much at once! In an effort to use as much as I have on hand, or use ingredients twice during the week, here is what the plan is:

Monday:
Chuck Roast from the farm with lots of veggies (recipe to come!)
Couscous
Strawberry Shortcake

Tuesday:
Left-overs (will someone please come up with a more glamorous word for that so I don't feel I need to add a caveat when I tell my hubby what we are having?!)
Apples and Strawberries with a creamy caramel dipping sauce to share with the friends

Wednesday:
Chicken and roasted carrots
something with fruit since we'll have plenty and some chocolate thrown in the mix I'm sure

Thursday:
Hummus,
goat cheese spread/dip (recipe also to come),
possibly a wheat berry salad,
I'm still thinking of what kind of sweet treat we will have (I'm not providing dinner, just snacks!)

Friday:
Salad with all the goodies left from the week

So far that's is the plan. It's always held with an open hand though (I have not even made it to the grocery store, let alone the stove at this point!)

Finally, I have one more exciting bit of news for you. I am hosting a giveaway on my other blog, Irene Design, as a way to say THANK YOU to you, my blog readers, as well as to celebrate Earth Day coming up this week. Head over and check it out. Be sure to get your name in for a chance to win a set of cloth napkins!

Recipe Source: 101 Cookbooks

2010-04-16T08:00:00.005-04:00

I have a busy weekend ahead with family coming into town and the beginning of Derby celebrations (yay!) To hold you over though, I want to introduce you to one of my absolute favorite places to get some cooking inspiration: 101 Cookbooks. Heidi, the blog author, photographer, and recipe writer extraordinaire, posts all kinds of delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes.

Some of my favorites:
Warm and Nutty Cinnamon Quinoa for breakfast, of course. yum!
Golden Crusted Brussel Sprouts Yes, Brussel Sprouts. I have been known to eat only this for dinner. many times.
Vegetarian Split Pea Soup easy, delicious, and no ham bone required.
Banana Chip Cookies oh and they have chocolate too.

See you Monday!

My answer to premade cookie dough

2010-04-15T07:00:00.000-04:00

Premade cookie dough is a brilliant idea. Who doesn't love the convenience of popping a few cookie bits on a tray and into the oven only to get warm cookies 10 minutes later?

Unfortunately aside from the convenience, I have to say there is not much to love. I don't think they taste that great (especially compared to real cookies) and the amount of junk I am ingesting makes me feel sick shortly after eating these.

Thus I had to come up with an alternative. These are not as convenient as premade dough on the front end (really what is easier that lifting from the frig and plopping the package in your cart?). However the little extra effort will pay off very quickly. I am sorry to say that I do not have the original recipe saved any more. I did find it online, made a few minor adjusments (including doubling everything and cutting down the amount of sugar a bit), and am now sharing it with you. If I come across the original source, I will update this post.

I use as many organic ingredients in this as possible. I may just be imagining things, but I think organic sugar is slightly sweeter than conventional sugar, thus I have used very little compared with other recipes I have seen.

What I do is make at least one batch and cook half and freeze half. If you form the dough into walnut-sized balls and freeze on a plate or tray, you can then transfer the frozen dough balls into a freezer container and will have "premade cookie dough" ready to go next time you need cookies. You can also have some warm out of the oven to enjoy that day you make the dough!

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Makes approximately 24 cookies

Ingredients

2/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup cane sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups oats
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F
Beat butter and sugars together. Scrape the sides of your bowl.
Add eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides of your bowl after each one.
Add vanilla.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Add dry mixture to wet mixture until just combined.
Stir in oats and chocolate chips.
Form the dough into walnut-sized balls and bake 10-12 minutes or freeze. For me 10 minutes is perfect for fresh dough and 12 minutes for frozen dough...no need to thaw!
Remove the cookies from the oven as soon as they look baked through. Cookies will continue to cook a few minutes after you pull them out, so you don't want to leave them in too long. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet 5 minutes and then transfer warm cookies to a cooling rack. If you do not wait the 5 minutes, your cookies will most likely fall apart while transferring.

Enjoy!

Louisville Markets

2010-04-14T17:33:00.002-04:00

In response to this week's "Why Local? Wednesday" post, one of my friends wrote to ask, "Which two markets are open now?" For those of you in Louisville, I have added a button to the sidebar of the blog with a link to the schedule for many of the local markets here in town.

Be sure to come back tomorrow for my answer to "break and bake" cookies!

Why Local? Wednesday: Where does your dollar go?

2010-04-14T12:00:00.003-04:00

Something I try to think about when I am buying something is “Where is this money going?” Whether it is food, clothes, fuel, or office supplies, I want to be conscious of what my dollars are supporting—in effect what I am supporting. Clearly, I do not have unlimited hours to research this, but that does not mean I don't think about it.
Image source

Have you ever wondered how much of each dollar you spend at the grocery store goes to the people who actually grow the food? The answer is not a simple one since each food is different, but the reality is that farmers get a very small percentage of what we pay for the food. There are many reasons for this, but most involve “middle men” along the way: food processors and packagers, transportation, and the store selling the goods to name a few.

A study conducted last year showed even though food prices have increased, the percent a farmer gets of what we pay has decreased (1). In 1950, most farmers were given about 40% of every dollar spent on food. According to the National Farmers Union, today that number is more like 20% (2). For many farmers, it is as low as 5% (1,3).

Is that shocking to you? It is to me!

On the other hand, when I buy directly from a farmer through my CSA or the farmer’s market, the farmer takes 100% of the dollars I give him. Yes, s/he has to divide that $1.00 up to pay for farming costs, but so does the farmer who only gets $0.05.

This leaves me with the question, Where do I want my money to go? Do I want it to go to paying for fuel, packaging, marketing, etc., or to paying for good quality farming and truly fresh foods? I am not ready to quit the supermarket all together, but it definitely adds another dimension to the choice of where I want to buy my food.

image source

Two of our local markets are already open, and I this was just the reminder I needed to be motivated to kick off my weekend grocery trip with a stop at the market.

If you need help finding local markets near you, try doing an internet search for “Farmers Market [your city name]”. You can also take a look at this post which offers other ideas for finding local markets.

Resources

1. http://www.dailyyonder.com/who-gets-your-grocery-dollar/2009/09/18/2354

2. http://nfu.org/issues/agriculture-programs/resources/farmers-share

3. http://envirovore.com/content/view/198/1/

Tracking expenses: receipt keeper

2010-04-13T17:00:00.001-04:00

One of my goals for this year is to cut my grocery bill to $100 each week. Given the fluctuating state of groceries in our house, I figure that if each month my average is $100/week, I'm on target. The problem is I am really bad keeping track of what I spend.

I stash my receipts in three separate places to remember only one of those "special spots" at the end of the month, I spend cash and use my bank card, so going to my bank register isn't that accurate, and I am in no way organized or disciplined enough to actually sit down and record my spending as soon as I get home from the store although it's a great idea!.

The thing is, I need to know how much I have spent in order to know whether or not I am meeting my goal and what I can do to change things because realistically, I know I am not meeting my goal.

I decided to keep one of the zipper pouches that I still have not listed! for my Etsy shop to use to store my receipts.

It's pretty and functional, and just the right size for receipts. I can also find it quickly, and when I go to stash my receipts next week, I can remember where I put the others because they are all right there in the little pouch. It's not fancy and require nothing more than shoving the receipt inside for reference at the end of the month. I am an incredibly low-maintenance organizer!

So, How am I doing for April?

Two weeks ago, I spent close to $130. This week I have spent $66. Looks like I may be headed in the right direction now that I'm actually keeping track. The end of the month will tell though.

How do you keep track of what you spend on groceries?

Recipe: Whole Wheat Banana Nut Bread

2010-04-12T08:55:00.001-04:00

Some time last year I posted a facebook status that said something to the extent of "For the love of pregnancy cravings, please send your best whole wheat, low sugar, banana bread recipe...stat!" I got two responses, neither of which were much better than the recipe I had that called for 2 cups of sugar--in one loaf! I had other recipes as well, but they were too dry, or not enough bananas, or heavy as lead, and all the revisions and combinations I came up with did little to help the situation.

I don't have pregnancy cravings any more, but I still love banana bread. Enter this whole wheat banana bread recipe from EricaLea at the Tasty Kitchen. This recipe only calls for 3/4 cup of sugar. My blood sugar levels thank you, Erica. I made a few changes and will post my adaptation below.

Let me first say, I'm not a great recipe follower. I inevitably add my own touch somewhere along the way, which adds to the fun for me. I also bake with a pen in hand to record my modifications or suggestions. However I think that this is a great way to cook as you can get lots of really good ideas from other people and then make them fit exactly what you need.

As far as recipes go, The Banana Bread Recipe was very easy to follow; I did not even have to get out my mixer! Start with toasting your nuts and melting your butter, and you'll be good to go with the rest. The bread made my entire house smell delicious (although my husband had a different word to describe the smell!) The end product was wonderful: tasty, dense, moist, and low sugar. It was so good that Brandon even liked it--and he is a tough banana bread critic!

This is a nice basic recipe that could easily have more items added. Check out the original recipe here and my first adaption below.

Whole Wheat Banana Nut Bread
Makes one loaf

Ingredients

3/4 cup walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 whole bananas, mashed well (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
2 large eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

Heat oven to 275F and toast your nuts 10-15 minutes
Melt buttern in a micro-wave safe bowl. Set aside to cool while mixing other ingredients.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine mashed bananas, yogurt, butter, and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients and the nuts to the wet mixture. Mix until just combined; batter will be lumpy. (if you mix the flour too long it makes the bread kind of tough.)
Turn the oven to 350F and grease & flour a 9"x5" bread pan.
Pour the batter into the bread pan and bake 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.
Let bread sit 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Enjoy!

Here are some suggested modifications (I have not actually tried these but think they would be good. Please feel free to add your own or let me know how these turn out!)

Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 -- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Add 1/2 cup dried banana chips
Add 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Substitute 1/2 cup wheat germ for 1/2 cup of the whole wheat flour
Increase the yogurt to 1/3 or 1/2 cup if anyone tries this, please let us know whether it makes the bread too moist.
Add 1/3 cup honey again, I would love to know what the outcome of this is if you get to try it before I do!

Please feel free to distribute this recipe non-commercially and give credit to QuestForRealFood.com

Saturday morning check in

2010-04-10T09:47:00.001-04:00

Hi Friends! It's already been a great Saturday morning. I stayed up until 2am talking to my older sister who lives thousands of miles away (actually I am the one who moved, so I live thousands from her...). I woke up early and stumbled to my crying baby who was ready to eat at 7:15 as always. I love those early morning snuggles! I've also done a little partying with the Ultimate Blog Party 2010 (getting to read loads of new blogs). I will give you a highlight of that later.

For now, I am off to pick up our meat CSA order for the month. We have some good stuff coming including steaks for next weekend when my dad and step-mom visit. Also I am pretty sure the Farmer's Market opens in a week or two. I am so ready to get some truly fresh produce!

Finally I have some goodies coming your way this week! I will be posting "My Answer to Break and Bake Cookies" (hint: it involves whole wheat and chocolate). I'm also heading to a friend's house today to get to know more about her efforts to eat well, including grinding her own grains!

Until then, enjoy your weekend, and be sure to check out the Blog Party (if you don't blog and it sounds silly to you, well...it is. But it's also pretty fun! I have run across some really incredible blogs on all sorts of subjects! You do not have to be a blogger to get in on the fun; we all need readers too!)

xo,
Kelly

Blog Party Post: Meet Kelly at Quest for Real Food

2010-04-09T12:00:00.003-04:00

Welcome!

At the beginning of 2010, I decided to seize the potential of a new year by changing the way my family eats, and I am chronicling this change here at the Quest for Real Food.

These changes will incorporate local foods and foods that are sustainable for our personal health as well as that of the environment.

These changes will also have to fit into another goal of mine: to spend less than $100 a week on our groceries. To some that may seem to be a lot of money, but for me that is a manageable goal. We have been spending upwards of that amount, and I want to bring it down to a lower number while remaining committed to eating real foods.

I will soon be joined by my friend, Megan, who is on a similar path. She has the most incredible skills with saving money and sticking to a budget!

I started my first series called Why Local? Wednesday and am working on another series of Tips and Tricks.

I am also working on getting some interviews and guest posts and maybe (possibly?) a few giveways!

A bit more about me personally...

I grew up in the mountains of Northern California and on the beaches of South Carolina. I lived for a year in France, fulfilling a childhood dream. I graduated from college five years later (only four years in school!) with a degree in Cross-Cultural Studies. My husband and I were married four years ago and we now have a beautiful seven-month-old baby girl named Adeline. We are lucky enough to call Louisville, KY home for the time being.

I currently work for a biotech company in the field of cancer research (see, I'm using my degree...!) and also run a small hobby/business called Irene Design.

In my "free" time, I love to spend time with my family and friends (does that really need to be said? Of course I enjoy that!), read (check out my current reading list), sew (Irene Design), blog, cook, and I am slowly learning photography and blog design (not so much on this blog yet, mainly on the ID blog. We are talking newly-learned as in I-just-learned-this-week new).

Now it's your turn! Whether you came across this post from the Blog Party or by some other means, I would love to know about you! Please leave a comment or two below.

How did you find me?
Do you have a blog? Feel free to link to yours in the comments and leave a little description if you would like!
What are the first few words that come to your mind when you think of food?

Finally, for your enjoyment, I'm linking back to a picture tutorial of how to make your own chocolate covered pretzels! Enjoy!

A few thoughts from Jamie Oliver

2010-04-08T10:13:00.003-04:00

SO I know I'm a little behind the times on this, but I just found out about Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. I have only seen the first episode, so I'm going to hold off on my full opinion for the time being. I do have one quote I want to share with you though. At the end of the first episode, there is this emotional scene where Jamie has a moment of vulnerability and as he is talking he says:

We're all confused about how brilliant we are, how technically advanced we are, and that is fighting with what once made our countries great, that is family and community, being together and something as honestly as simple as putting a few ingredients together and sitting the family [...] around that table and breaking bread.

He is so right. For so long so many of us have bought into the lie that making a meal has to be complicated, that it is something you need the help of a personal chef for. If you can't afford a chef, you can most likely afford fast food, or a pre-cooked, frozen dinner. Please bear with me (remember, I buy frozen pizza too!) and know that I'm not saying do not ever do this.

What I am saying is that we need to remember that meals can be simple. You can cook a meal. You can bring a few ingredients together to nourish yourself, your family and your friends. Your family and friends will appreciate the effort--whether great or small--of your hands to provide this for them. It need only be a the combination of "a few ingredients and sitting the family around the table."

What is it that keeps you from this or encourages you in your efforts?

Why Local? Wednesdays: Relationships

2010-04-07T21:58:00.005-04:00

These are the hands that grow my food.

Getting to know the folks who grow your food is like getting to know an artist whose paintings or sculptures adorn your home.

We were blessed with a great weekend out in the mountains, a weekend full of laughter, new and old friends, bluegrass music, and locally-grown and sustainably-produced food. Even better we were able to celebrate the marriage of two very good friends who also happen to be the farmers that provide our meat, eggs, and some of our veggies. We met so many interesting people (including other farmers, medical students, environmental and social justice advocates, and the ladies who wrote and photographed a book chronicling the life of holocaust survivors in Kentucky).

When you go to the farmer's markets or pick up your CSA orders this spring, I encourage you to take a few minutes each time to get to know the people who have spent much time and effort in raising real, quality food for the nourishment of you and your family. If you're buying at a grocery store that sources local foods, find out who the farmers are see if you can find out any information.

Often when we sit down for dinner, Brandon will ask, "Is this from Adam's farm?" I love that we can enjoy our food and think specifically of the person who helped grow it. We can also give thanks for that person and seek specific blessings for them because we know them by name!

If you are comfortable (and interested) see if you can take a trip out to the farm to see for yourself how the process works. We have been out to our friend's farm twice now and are hoping to go back again soon. I have seen the land plowed with horses and helped mix the compost. Brandon and I were able to help get the water--fresh from a real spring--that would be used in the biodynamic growing of fruits and vegetables.

The farmers are real people, growing real food, who probably love conversation and relationships just as much as we do! Take advantage of that and nourish not only your body with food but your soul with good friendship.

Another reminder of why trans fats are not your friend!

2010-04-07T14:29:00.004-04:00

MSNBC posted an article today stating that "Trans fats can be particularly deadly for women". I doubt that the "deadliness" of trans-fats is a shocker to you, but I would recommend clicking the link and reading the article (it's short!).

Some of the highlights include additional reasons to watch the oils you ingest (such as the impact of palm oil consumption on the earth) and the most common place trans fats are found (you can read the article to find out!).

Ladies, and gents! please remember that what you eat not only affects your tastebuds but your entire body and even the quality--and quantity--of life!

Recipe Review: Spicy Chicken Peanut Noodles

2010-04-05T12:32:00.008-04:00

I live for challenge and creativity. It often works well for those coming to our house for dinner because that need for challenge translates into testing out novel recipes. Did you know some people get paid for that?! I pay with good food.

It's always a bit risky--especially when your dinner guests are folks you have never met. The pressure to prove yourself as a cook and as a decent human being mounts exponentially. Thankfully there are great resources like the Tasty Kitchen (a la Pioneer Woman) to provide plenty of inspiration and guidance for creative souls like mine!

When Brandon told me he had invited one of his classmates (Wes) and his wife (Beth) for dinner, I was thrilled. I would get to meet new people and cook! Because I would be working the day they were coming over, I had to pick something that would not be too high maintenance but still be delicious and nutritious.

After scanning my saved recipes on my Reader, I chose the Spicy Peanut Chicken Noodles. It looked like it would have lots of flavor, texture and veggies! I was not dissapointed; the ingredients list is miles long, but the disclaimer on the recipe provides a little relief (don't be too intimidated; with a little forethought you can chop cilantro for two steps at once or measure out your soy sauce for both sections at the same time to save a few extra steps along the way).

Here is where I think the recipe diverted from reality a little though: the prep time is much closer to 20 or 30 minutes (listed at 10 minutes), and with the peanuts and peanut butter, the use of peanut oil is a little repetitive if not unneccessary (especially if you do not have it on hand).
I used coconut oil and olive oil when cooking, and if you are unsure of how spicy you want this to be, I would cut down the chili sauce to 1 or 2 teaspoons (I like my food spicy, but not everyone does!)

Everyone enjoyed this dish, and I like that I did not have to make veggies on the side. This is one that I would be willing to make again, but I would probably do it as a make-ahead dish by cutting up all the pieces in advance to save a little time. That would also give the chicken time to marinate. Come to think of it, I bet this could be adapted into a delicious vegeterian dish... The serving sizes are pretty accurate, so if you want left-overs (and I bet this would be great as a left-over), plan to make extra!

My favorite part about the dish? The limes. Seriously. The lime juice enhances all of the other flavors and adds a perfect zest to compliment the spice. I suggested adorning each plate with a lime slice and a few cilantro leaves.

For dessert I got a little help from the fine folks at Cake Flour but that is for another post.

By the way, this was also a great conversation starter. I quickly found that Beth and I had plenty of common ground over the Pioneer Woman, blogging (she has a blog too!), cooking, and much more!

Rolling Out Changes

2010-04-01T17:00:00.003-04:00

image source

We now have a dot com!
You can find the Quest for Real Food at www.questforrealfood.com !

You can also email me now at kelly{at}questforrealfood{dot}com

If you are reading this feed in your Google Reader or other RSS feeder, come on over and see some the other changes! We now have more than one page, the side bar is looking a little less cluttered, and if you are not yet subscribing you can do so by "following" with Google Connect or by using your favorite RSS Feeder! (there is a link on the sidebar)

Why Local? Wednesday: My Journey

2010-03-30T17:30:00.002-04:00

Why Local? Wednesday is a series I have been thinking of long before I even started this blog. I am so excited to finally be able to get some of my own experiences and tips I have picked up along the way "out there". To kick off this series, I want to share my own journey with buying local foods. Please note this is a story, so there aren't any photos. I will make it up to you next time!

First, though, I need to provide a little disclaimer. Some therapeutic confessions, if you will
1. I still shop at Kroger. Not for everything, but for many things.
2. My family eats frozen pizza at least once a week.
3. My gardening record is current 0 for 3 and this year I am not even going to try.

There. I said it. I feel so much better. If you have not turned running in horror, then I am glad you are still with me.

Many of my younger memories invovle picking almonds off a tree in our yard, digging up muddy carrots to enjoy for dinner later that evening or disposing of tomato worms with my dad and sisters. I was fortunate to grow up with a sampling of truly local foods fresh from our garden.

Fast forward 12 more years and my 24 year old self was found moving from the northern point of California's Central Valley (where much of the nation's domestic produce is grown) to Louisville, Kentucky (which might as well have been the Mojave Desert in my mind). I went from riding my bicycle to college classes and stopping at a roadside strawberry stand for my breakfast to shopping at Walmart's "Neighborhood Market".

Let me just say this nearly sent me into shock. The produce still came from California (and Mexico, and New Zealand, and ...), but it was not the same.

Several months after our move to Louisville, I met a friend who had spent a year working a farm in southern Kentucky and another year traveling the world and working on farms. She opened my eyes to the wealth of foods grown right here in Kentucky soil. This is not the Mojave, people! This food is delivered by farmers in pick-up trucks, not by ocean liners, planes, or trains. oh my!

My friend also introduced me to the guy she bought her veggies from. He is now the same farmer we buy our produce, meat, and soon eggs from. AND they are getting married this weekend!

I also spent my first two years here working for a private school that was undergoing its own local food journey. Along with fellow staff, students, and parents, I learned a great deal about the benefits of organics and local meats, and even got to take home some of those garden-fresh veggies during the summer while the kiddos were away. Yum!

Throughout this time, my husband patiently listened to my meandering thoughts about food, our grocery bills, and why I couldn't have conventional apples ever again. He also went through these mind-set changes, and after a year or so I even heard him defending our choice to purchase organic produce and local bison to several family members. I was thrilled! These changes were really sinking in!

Fast forward another year or so, and I was pregnant with our first child. I had already been making many changes in my eating, but now I had someone else, someone much more vulnerable, to walk this path with. Many of the choices I had labored so hard over were now just a way of life, but I really wanted to do more. We shopped at the farmer's market as much as possible, and I really tried to keep fresh fruits and veggies on hand, and when I craved taco salad, I made sure to use as many local ingredients as possible.

Now that little bean is my 7-month old daughter who loves to eat smashed up bananas and pureed carrots. I am so excited for the harvest to begin and the farmer's markets to open back up next month!

Though I no longer hunt my own tomato bugs or pull my own carrots, I want to support those who do. I love that I have seen the horses plow the land where veggies will soon start to spring up and be brought to market. I am thrilled to be attending the wedding of one of my best friends and "our farmer" we both get our veggies from. The journey towards eating locally-grown foods has been, and I think will continue to be, one of learning, growing, and changing as well as deeply rewarding.

What about you? I would love to read your experiences with local foods, whether foods you grow or foods you buy.

If you want some resources to find your own local foods, see this post.

So you want to buy local

2010-03-30T12:00:00.001-04:00

You know that buying local foods is a great option, but finding those foods has proven a little challenging. Here are a few* resources to use to get you started!

Local Harvest is an online database of Farmer's Markets, Co-ops, CSA's, Local Food Stores, Restaurants, and even online stores.

Eat Well Guide is another online database. When I typed in my zip code, I found 1 Education Center, 4 Restaurants, 2 Online shops, 1 Orchard, 14 Stores, 9 Farmers, 19 Farmer's Markets, and 2 organizations.

Eat Wild has a directory of grass-fed and grass-finished food sources.

Contact your local Chamber of Commerce. I would suggest calling and asking for available resources for local foods.

*Readers: This list is not exhaustive but is meant to give you a good place to start. The websites I have linked to are in no way affiliated with the Quest for Real Food and do not provide exhaustive lists of food sources. If you have other suggestions to add, please feel free to chime in via the comments, and I will try to get those added!

Chocolate Covered Pretzels: A How-To in Pictures

2010-03-26T17:00:00.000-04:00

Eli Elephant cake

2010-03-17T10:59:00.008-04:00

Did you read my last post about the calamity the resulted from me trying to bake a dessert for my friend's baby shower? You know, the one with no photos because I didn't want to photograph a lump of unused sugar cookie dough in my freezer or cupcakes in the trash can...

To make up for it, I'm giving you this

And this

Seriously. Is this not the cutest cake you have ever seen? (or is it "the most cute"?) Star from Stellar Sweets here in Louisville came to the rescue and made this gorgeous and absolutely delicious cake to help us celebrate the upcoming adoption!

In the end, I would say it was a good thing the cookies and cupcakes did not turn out so well. I don't think they would have been nearly as adorable as this, or as tasty. I am wishing I had not sent home so many of the left-overs!

Leaving this to the professionals

2010-03-12T12:03:00.003-05:00

Remember the saying, "you can't do all things well"? (That is how it goes, right?) Well, I often try to do "all" things, but they do not always turn out so great. This week lent me the perfect reminder of that!

For a friend's baby shower coming up this weekend, I thought I would make some sweet little sugar cookies covered in fondant icing rather than a cake. You know the kind I'm referring to, right? They are super cute! Not the ones I made. It took me 20 minutes to make 4 cookies. Four! (and that was just getting them rolled, cut, and on the baking sheet.) I don't have enough time to make 40 at that rate! Even the two books I had checked out from the library could not help me with this.

I scrapped the cookie idea and decided to make cupcakes. Those are easy, right? When I was in the grocery store to get some cake mix, I decided I would rather make the cake part myself. I quickly pulled out my iPhone and searched for a good cake recipe. I found one, purchased the missing ingredients, and went home happy. That did not last. I had purchased unsweet chocolate so I had to add extra sugar. Unfortunately the extra sugar was not enough, the flour was too heavy, the coconut oil was too thick, or something else was entirely wrong because my cupcakes were heavy as rocks and tasted about as good.

Here's the other part I didn't tell you about yet. One of the co-hosts of the baby shower was scheduled to come over Thursday to help me decorate. I had already called her with the cookie ordeal, and now I had to call her with the cupcake fiasco as well. And I made one more call, to Star at StellarSweets who kindly helped me order a cake which I am set to pick up tomorrow morning.

Ugh. (can you see me plopping into the recliner with a heavy sigh?) I now have cupcakes in the trash (they were that bad), a huge chunk of frozen cookie dough in the freezer (I'm determined to use it at some point), and two bags of powdered sugar, a can of meringue powder, frosting coloring, and piping tips all waiting to be returned because for the time being I am resigning to the fact that celebratory desserts are not my forte and are better left to the professionals.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars, Part 1

2010-03-03T09:03:00.006-05:00

Last year I swore off pre-packaged cookie dough. Too many refined ingredients. That was of course until I went to a friend's house for dinner, and dessert was served. We had chocolate chip cheesecake bars.

Let that sink in: chocolate chip cheesecake bars.

These are nothing short of amazing, and Saturday I found myself at the grocery store purchasing two of the main ingredients (prepackaged cookie dough and cream cheese). I already had the other two: eggs and sugar.

Don't these already sound delicious?!

I made the bars--for a friend who just had a baby, of course--but half of them found their way into my refrigerator. My husband said they were too sweet, and I had to use a great deal of restraint to not finish his remaining half of a bar after polishing my plate in 30 seconds flat.

Yesterday I got to thinking that like my baked spaghetti (which was inspired by the Kraft boxed sphaghetti), I could re-make these with my favorite Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip recipe. And less sugar.

I will let you know how it goes (I'm hoping my husband will finish off his own plate this time!)

Over-used Recipe: Baked Spaghetti

2010-02-19T09:24:00.011-05:00

After my daughter was born I was blessed to not have to cook for nearly a month. Between family being in town and friends taking care of the days without family, we were well-fed with very little effort on our part. One of my favorite meals was baked spaghetti, which apparently is very popular in this neck of the woods (we received it three times!)

My favorite one was actually made with a box of Kraft brand spaghetti as the base, and after looking at the ingredients I decided to try to make my own non-boxed version.

This is a go-to meal when I need something I can prepare ahead of time or when I am taking a meal to a friend who needs one. It's so easy to double the recipe and have two batches. This freezes well and can be pulled out and stuffed in the oven when needed. When I make it ahead, I just stick it in the frig for up to 3 days (freezer if it will be longer than 3 days). I add about 5 minutes to the bake time if this is the case.

I've been working on this recipe and continue to tweak a few things here and there but here's the basics. I like to make it really basic and then serve veggies on the side, but you could easily add cooked meat or veggies to the mix as you wish.

Ingredients

8 oz. dried whole wheat spaghetti

Sauce
1 small can basil & oregano tomato sauce
1 small can no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 small can no-salt added tomato sauce
1 small can basil and oregano tomato sauce
3 Tablespoon powdered Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Directions

Cook pasta according the package directions so it will be al-dente.
While your pasta cooks, combine all ingredients for the sauce in a medium sized bowl (it needs to be big enough to add the pasta later).
Prep an 8"x8" square baking dish by rubbing a little olive oil on the bottom and around the edges.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
When the pasta is al-dente, drain it and add the drained pasta to the sauce mixture. Give it a good stir to coat all of the pasta then place it all in the baking dish. Top with grated cheese*.
Bake pasta uncovered for 20 minutes or cover it and place it in the refrigerator or freezer for later use.

*If you are freezing this dish for later, hold off on the cheese topping. Add that just before baking!

To serve I simply cut mine with a spatula and serve with broccoli, green beans, asparagus, or whatever other vegetable I happen to have on hand. I also love to stick some garlic bread in the oven with the pasta while it cooks. One of my favorites is Alexia Foods brand Garlic Bread.

I lost my ammo

2010-02-16T13:50:00.003-05:00

One of the best tips I have learned for eating well and staying within your budget is to plan. Check the sales, clip your coupons, make your menu and write your grocery list. Then stick to your guns. But what if your guns come unloaded?

I typically write out my menu and grocery list on Sunday and then do my shopping Monday. Monday tends to be a big cooking night and the rest of the week hinges on what happens Monday. So what happens when the unexpected comes up and you don't make it to the grocery store? It can be frustrating and discouraging to make all of your plans and then find out just a few hours later that you have to re-work all those plans and may not meet the goals you had in mind.

This was the scene that unfolded at our house this week. Sunday I made all of my meal plans--even lunch and the dinners I would be eating sans hubby. Then it snowed on Monday. In fact it snowed 5 inches and I was unable to go to the grocery store until that evening when I should have already been home and half way through cooking! What I was left with was an unrealistic list of groceries and goals and no clear way to fix things.

We ended up eating at Chick-fil-A for dinner, and I fell prey to buying a big box of Orange Chicken at Costco. Neither of these were on the list of meals or groceries for the week, and quite honestly both fall below the mark I had set for health goals this week.

I'll admit that I am frustrated with this but am also trying to take it in stride. Really, I am thankful for the fact that we have so many options and so much food readily available to us. I'm just not quite sure what to do with a box of chicken I don't really want to eat!

So here is my before and after list:
BEFORE
Monday: Roasted Chicken, Broccoli, Garlic Bread
Tuesday: Baked Spaghetti, Carrots and Garlic Bread
Wednesday: Chuck Roast with Veggies and Couscous
Thursday, Friday: Left overs
Saturday: Chinese Chicken (homemade, not the stuff I bought at Costco)
Sunday: Pizza
Lunches will be sandwiches and left overs

AFTER:
Tuesday: Spaghetti, Broccoli, Garlic Bread
Wednesday: Chuck Roast with Veggies and Couscous
Thursday: Egg Salad sandwiches or Grilled Cheese
Friday: Left-overs
Saturday: Orange Chicken(yep, from Costco) mixed with carrots, Rice
Sunday: Pizza
Lunches: I bought a deli sandwich for lunch today but will have left-overs tomorrow. By Thursday I should have time to make my lunch in advance again!

It's really not that different but it definitely requires some flexibility on my part which is not always easy!