It's been six days since I've had any alcohol. I wasn't exactly a hard drinker before -- maybe one or two beers or weak margaritas a week -- but I made a conscious decision to be clean for a month. Just to see how it goes. I've been in the self-challenge kind of mood lately.
I was in the mood for a margarita yesterday because we were talking about going to Pancho Villa to watch the Mexico-Argentina game. We didn't end up going so I wasn't tempted even though we had most of the ingredients at home. I think I'm going to make myself a virgin margarita tonight because what I'm really craving is that combination of salt and lime on a hot day.
I've been having a hard time getting to sleep lately so I'm hoping this sort of cleanse that I'm doing will help things. I'm not taking any Sominex either.
It's interesting to see how I'm holding up in social situations without the liquor lube.
Miscellaneous crap pertaining to the in-between life of an in-between girl called PikaPikaChick.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Real Food Boot Camp: Week 7 - Budget Shopping
Finally she's writing about money, right?
It is possible to eat real food on a budget. I promise. You may just need to adjust your shopping style.
Be A Coupon Ninja
This is the most time-consuming thing you can do, but the deals you can score are amazing. The jist of super couponing is this: store has something on sale, say, 2 widgets for $1. You have two coupons for $0.25 off 1 widget because you bought 2 Sunday papers or printed 2 off the Internet. The store doubles coupons. Thus you end up with 2 widgets for free. I'll wait while you work out the math.
This is how you can get a lot of things for free or extremely cheap. And you don't have to work out all the sales and coupons yourself. Through the magic of the intarwebtubes people have done all the work for you: see A Full Cup, Pocket Your Dollars, and a number of other sites like these. I've got a bunch in my RSS reader for ease of reading.
This all being said, don't be sucked into the trap of free or cheap convenience foods just for the sake of getting them free or cheap. Bad free food is still bad food. Get them and put them in a donation bin if you must. Look for deals on produce (they exist!), pantry staples, and household goods.
Buy In Bulk
I'm sure you've heard this before, but have you ever actually taken a stroll through your store's bulk section? Some stores are better than others and it can be worth it to drive a little farther to the store with the better selection. If you're in Minneapolis, the Rainbow at Lake and Minnehaha has a stunning bulk area.
But the bulk section is scary! There's all these bags and weighing and labels and scoops and oh god nobody is here to hold my hand fffuuuuuuu....
Get over it and stop being such a lazy asshole. Grab a bag, a twist tie or label, and a golf pencil or one of the attached pens. Scoop your stuff into the bag. Write down the PLU, the number code on the bin of whatever you're buying, on the twist tie/label. You don't even need to weigh it because the cashier will do that at checkout.
Better yet: bring your own container so you don't need plastic bags. If you do this, weigh your container first and write the weight down on your label. This is called the tare weight and you may need to remind your cashier about it. Don't forget to write down the PLU too. There's no need to make your cashier's life harder; they get enough shit from bad customers as it is. Seriously, if you talk down to your cashier I will punch you in the face.
Another bulk tip: near the bulk bins you will usually find bulk or bagged spices. Go ahead and compare the price of bagged peppercorns or cayenne with the jars in the spice section. Mmm hmm. Yup.
Farmer's Markets and Farmstands
If you have access to a farmer's market or a farmstand, GO. The food is more often than not local, very often organic, as fresh as it gets, and cheap. I mean, really, really, really cheap. It's sickening to have to pay $1.49 or more for a single avocado at the supermarket when I know I can go to the farmer's market and get a bagful of 5-8 for $2 or less.
In addition to actually meeting and speaking to the actual farmers, you have the benefit of finding produce you never even knew existed. When it's so cheap, why not try something new every week?
Ethnic Markets - Field Trip Time!
I went to United Noodles this weekend and picked up a pound of frozen shelled edamame for $1.49. I usually get 12 oz for $2.59. Lemons and limes can be had at Latino markets for a couple of bucks a bag, as opposed to $1 each at the supermarket. Spices that run $8-10 for a few ounces can be found at Asian and Indian markets for pennies on the dollar. I saw a huge bag of whole cardamom pods at United Noodles for less than $3.
So get on over that xenophobia and go. You won't get any funny looks even if you're not brown or yellow. The clerks are usually more than happy to answer questions and help you find stuff.
Don't pass by the ethnic aisles at the supermarket, either. The Latino section, in particular, can score you cheap cinnamon, whole dried peppers, cayenne, beans, and rice.
Co-ops (really!)
Co-op and budget aren't usually two things that go together. You picture co-ops as places where yuppies driving Priuses and Minis buy expensive organic soap and carrot juice. While this is mostly true (Wedge, what up?), it is possible to find reasonable prices there too. Membership truly has its advantages in the forms of coupons and member-only specials. Co-ops usually have fabulous bulk sections too.
CSAs
The only problem with CSAs is that you have to come up with the money up front. It's a bit painful having to drop like $500 all at once, but if you think about it it actually works out. You're getting local, organic (usually) produce, and a LOT of it. If you freeze what you don't eat right away rather than giving it away or letting it go bad, you can stretch out your CSA goods well into the winter and maybe even beyond.
Gardening
You can garden almost everywhere, even in an apartment. If you get involved in seed swaps or seed giveaways, it's nearly free. If you're in the "I hate tomatoes" crowd and have never eaten one straight off the vine, you may just change your mind. Those mealy bastards at the supermarket have absolutely nothing on a homegrown heirloom tomato still warm from the sun.
Your Homework:
Find and visit an ethnic store or a farmer's market. Buy at least one thing you've never heard of. Research it online when you get home.
It is possible to eat real food on a budget. I promise. You may just need to adjust your shopping style.
Be A Coupon Ninja
This is the most time-consuming thing you can do, but the deals you can score are amazing. The jist of super couponing is this: store has something on sale, say, 2 widgets for $1. You have two coupons for $0.25 off 1 widget because you bought 2 Sunday papers or printed 2 off the Internet. The store doubles coupons. Thus you end up with 2 widgets for free. I'll wait while you work out the math.
This is how you can get a lot of things for free or extremely cheap. And you don't have to work out all the sales and coupons yourself. Through the magic of the intarwebtubes people have done all the work for you: see A Full Cup, Pocket Your Dollars, and a number of other sites like these. I've got a bunch in my RSS reader for ease of reading.
This all being said, don't be sucked into the trap of free or cheap convenience foods just for the sake of getting them free or cheap. Bad free food is still bad food. Get them and put them in a donation bin if you must. Look for deals on produce (they exist!), pantry staples, and household goods.
Buy In Bulk
I'm sure you've heard this before, but have you ever actually taken a stroll through your store's bulk section? Some stores are better than others and it can be worth it to drive a little farther to the store with the better selection. If you're in Minneapolis, the Rainbow at Lake and Minnehaha has a stunning bulk area.
But the bulk section is scary! There's all these bags and weighing and labels and scoops and oh god nobody is here to hold my hand fffuuuuuuu....
Get over it and stop being such a lazy asshole. Grab a bag, a twist tie or label, and a golf pencil or one of the attached pens. Scoop your stuff into the bag. Write down the PLU, the number code on the bin of whatever you're buying, on the twist tie/label. You don't even need to weigh it because the cashier will do that at checkout.
Better yet: bring your own container so you don't need plastic bags. If you do this, weigh your container first and write the weight down on your label. This is called the tare weight and you may need to remind your cashier about it. Don't forget to write down the PLU too. There's no need to make your cashier's life harder; they get enough shit from bad customers as it is. Seriously, if you talk down to your cashier I will punch you in the face.
Another bulk tip: near the bulk bins you will usually find bulk or bagged spices. Go ahead and compare the price of bagged peppercorns or cayenne with the jars in the spice section. Mmm hmm. Yup.
Farmer's Markets and Farmstands
If you have access to a farmer's market or a farmstand, GO. The food is more often than not local, very often organic, as fresh as it gets, and cheap. I mean, really, really, really cheap. It's sickening to have to pay $1.49 or more for a single avocado at the supermarket when I know I can go to the farmer's market and get a bagful of 5-8 for $2 or less.
In addition to actually meeting and speaking to the actual farmers, you have the benefit of finding produce you never even knew existed. When it's so cheap, why not try something new every week?
Ethnic Markets - Field Trip Time!
I went to United Noodles this weekend and picked up a pound of frozen shelled edamame for $1.49. I usually get 12 oz for $2.59. Lemons and limes can be had at Latino markets for a couple of bucks a bag, as opposed to $1 each at the supermarket. Spices that run $8-10 for a few ounces can be found at Asian and Indian markets for pennies on the dollar. I saw a huge bag of whole cardamom pods at United Noodles for less than $3.
So get on over that xenophobia and go. You won't get any funny looks even if you're not brown or yellow. The clerks are usually more than happy to answer questions and help you find stuff.
Don't pass by the ethnic aisles at the supermarket, either. The Latino section, in particular, can score you cheap cinnamon, whole dried peppers, cayenne, beans, and rice.
Co-ops (really!)
Co-op and budget aren't usually two things that go together. You picture co-ops as places where yuppies driving Priuses and Minis buy expensive organic soap and carrot juice. While this is mostly true (Wedge, what up?), it is possible to find reasonable prices there too. Membership truly has its advantages in the forms of coupons and member-only specials. Co-ops usually have fabulous bulk sections too.
CSAs
The only problem with CSAs is that you have to come up with the money up front. It's a bit painful having to drop like $500 all at once, but if you think about it it actually works out. You're getting local, organic (usually) produce, and a LOT of it. If you freeze what you don't eat right away rather than giving it away or letting it go bad, you can stretch out your CSA goods well into the winter and maybe even beyond.
Gardening
You can garden almost everywhere, even in an apartment. If you get involved in seed swaps or seed giveaways, it's nearly free. If you're in the "I hate tomatoes" crowd and have never eaten one straight off the vine, you may just change your mind. Those mealy bastards at the supermarket have absolutely nothing on a homegrown heirloom tomato still warm from the sun.
Your Homework:
Find and visit an ethnic store or a farmer's market. Buy at least one thing you've never heard of. Research it online when you get home.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Mama Thursday: Month 14, Week 4 - Miscellania
Lily is almost 15 months old. I'm so glad we're at the age where we can dispense with the age counting in weeks, because I think that's annoying and tiresome. "How old is Jane?" "She's 74 weeks." NO SHE'S FUCKING NOT, SHE'S A YEAR AND A HALF YOU PRETENTIOUS TWAT. When Lily reaches 18 months we'll do away with the month counting as well.
Last weekend we went up north. We visited my grandpa in the vets' home. Lily got to run around with my cousin's kid, who is a couple of months older; and my brother's kid, who is four. They have a variety of toys at the home, and I am unsure of whether they're for visiting children or the residents.
We went to the beach a few weeks ago. Lily got to wear her swimsuit for the first time. Her hair looks red in the sun. Normally she looks blonde. We have no idea where this comes from. Now, in typical toddler fashion, we can't keep this kid out of the water. She sees water, she charges. When we were at my parents' place on the lake last weekend I actually let her charge straight into the cold water on a not-so-warm day so she would hopefully learn that this is not a good idea. I think she got the point. Now she still charges the water, but she's much more careful about barreling straight in.
On a more unpleasant front, she has started pooping in the tub. At first I was like, ha -- she farted! Then I was like, OH GOD GET THE BLEACH. This has happened twice.
She continues to talk away at daycare and do the ol' point-n-grunt at home. But this morning I gave her part of my bagel and I swear she said something that sounded like "thank you."
She has a little dance we call Stompy-Stompy. Be careful, because the cuteness may melt your eyeballs.
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Real Food Boot Camp - Week 6: Where the flavor at
So you may be staring down a pile of beautiful fresh produce and wondering what to do with it besides eat it plain. If you're just coming down off of a diet of high-sodium, high-fat, high-industrial-chemical-flavor food, real food can taste a little bland at first. Not to worry, for it's just your taste buds adjusting. Before I got pregnant I almost completely eliminated extra salt from my diet. Everything tasted like cardboard for a couple of weeks, then gradually came back to life in my mouth. A few weeks later I ate some kind of frozen horror show food (eggrolls or something like that) from my parents' freezer and couldn't believe how ridiculously salty it was.
There are ways to flavor food with real ingredients. There is always the spice cabinet, but don't overlook things like fresh citrus juice (NOT from a bottle, and certainly NOT from concentrate), buttermilk, "fancy" cheeses, fresh herbs, dark leafy greens, dried fruits, nuts, flavored oils and vinegars, olives and pickles, stocks and broths, yogurt, butter, and simple classic sauces.
Here are some ideas to get you going:
Your cooking method can impart flavor too. There is a whole world of grilling and barbecuing out there. Try tossing a few handfuls of wet smoking wood chips on your coals sometime. Oven roasting vegetables brings out an incredible amount of flavor. If in doubt, roast your vegetables. Toss them in oil, add salt and pepper, and put them on a sheet pan in a 375 F oven until they're as toasty as you want them to be, stirring occasionally. Cook vegetables and grains in broth.
How to pair flavors
Where to begin? Here's your homework. Get a paper and pen. Take out all of your dry herbs and spices. Take the caps off. Grab one at random. Grab another one. Put them both together under your nose and inhale. Inhale carefully. It's not my fault if you're sneezing up cayenne for the next day and a half. How does it smell? Do the two things go together? Do they remind you of anything? Does it smell like rotting bison ass? Write your thoughts down.
For example:
"CARDAMOM + CINNAMON = INDIAN FOOD AND COOKIES"
"CARDAMOM + ROSEMARY = MOLDY HOOKER TWAT"
"BASIL + OREGANO = ITALIAN FOOD AND PIZZA"
"NUTMEG + GINGER + ALLSPICE = GINGERBREAD"
"CUMIN + CHILI POWDER + OREGANO = ENCHILADAS"
You'll start finding patterns. You'll quickly discover what you like and what you don't. You may notice that some things smell "warm" and others "cool."
Extra credit: try pairing spices with cheese and giving it a whiff. Herbs and fruit. Fruit and vinegar and herbs.
It may take time, but eventually you'll build a mental (or written) list of what goes with what. And eventually your taste buds will wake up and you'll appreciate the sweet crunch of a fresh peapod, the natural umami of an artichoke, the different flavors and textures of greens, and so on.
A word of caution: not everything you cook needs to have the ingredient list length of your average Indian food recipe. Less can be more. Experiment with two or three flavors at a time. Unless you're actually cooking Indian food.
Edit: read this article about seasoning your food.
There are ways to flavor food with real ingredients. There is always the spice cabinet, but don't overlook things like fresh citrus juice (NOT from a bottle, and certainly NOT from concentrate), buttermilk, "fancy" cheeses, fresh herbs, dark leafy greens, dried fruits, nuts, flavored oils and vinegars, olives and pickles, stocks and broths, yogurt, butter, and simple classic sauces.
Here are some ideas to get you going:
- Broccoli: saute in olive oil and butter with sliced garlic. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over it before serving.
- Couscous: add chopped olives, walnuts, chopped red bell pepper, and chopped dates.
- Green beans: blanch and toss in a vinaigrette made with red wine vinegar, olive oil, fresh parsley, minced garlic, and crushed red pepper.
- Carrots: steam and toss in butter, honey, and tarragon.
- Corn on the cob: go Mexican style and smear it with a small amount mayonnaise. Roll it in crumbled queso fresco, farmer cheese, feta, or grated Parmesan, then sprinkle on chili powder.
- Portobella mushrooms: marinate in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Roast or grill.
Your cooking method can impart flavor too. There is a whole world of grilling and barbecuing out there. Try tossing a few handfuls of wet smoking wood chips on your coals sometime. Oven roasting vegetables brings out an incredible amount of flavor. If in doubt, roast your vegetables. Toss them in oil, add salt and pepper, and put them on a sheet pan in a 375 F oven until they're as toasty as you want them to be, stirring occasionally. Cook vegetables and grains in broth.
How to pair flavors
Where to begin? Here's your homework. Get a paper and pen. Take out all of your dry herbs and spices. Take the caps off. Grab one at random. Grab another one. Put them both together under your nose and inhale. Inhale carefully. It's not my fault if you're sneezing up cayenne for the next day and a half. How does it smell? Do the two things go together? Do they remind you of anything? Does it smell like rotting bison ass? Write your thoughts down.
For example:
"CARDAMOM + CINNAMON = INDIAN FOOD AND COOKIES"
"CARDAMOM + ROSEMARY = MOLDY HOOKER TWAT"
"BASIL + OREGANO = ITALIAN FOOD AND PIZZA"
"NUTMEG + GINGER + ALLSPICE = GINGERBREAD"
"CUMIN + CHILI POWDER + OREGANO = ENCHILADAS"
You'll start finding patterns. You'll quickly discover what you like and what you don't. You may notice that some things smell "warm" and others "cool."
Extra credit: try pairing spices with cheese and giving it a whiff. Herbs and fruit. Fruit and vinegar and herbs.
It may take time, but eventually you'll build a mental (or written) list of what goes with what. And eventually your taste buds will wake up and you'll appreciate the sweet crunch of a fresh peapod, the natural umami of an artichoke, the different flavors and textures of greens, and so on.
A word of caution: not everything you cook needs to have the ingredient list length of your average Indian food recipe. Less can be more. Experiment with two or three flavors at a time. Unless you're actually cooking Indian food.
Edit: read this article about seasoning your food.
Week 6 Links: 6.1 - 6.2
Target has bento boxes!
I repeat: Target has bento boxes!
So they're not the fanciest or anything, but they're microwave and dishwasher safe. And they come with silverware which I will no doubt promptly lose. I also got a couple of matching salad containers with built in dressing holder. They were all a little over $3.
I'm excited for today's lunch:
I love you, Target. You magnificent corporation, you.
Look!
So they're not the fanciest or anything, but they're microwave and dishwasher safe. And they come with silverware which I will no doubt promptly lose. I also got a couple of matching salad containers with built in dressing holder. They were all a little over $3.
I'm excited for today's lunch:
Blueberries, leftover tater tots, leftover bratwurst (I've only been mostly vegetarian lately), and caprese-type skewers with provolone instead of mozzarella.
I love you, Target. You magnificent corporation, you.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Real Food Boot Camp: Week 6 - Stepping outside of your culinary comfort zone
"I cook this way because this is what I grew up eating."
I have heard this excuse over and over and over when people try an explain away the box of Hamburger Helper and tub of margarine they just devoured. But guess what: your parents gave you that crap because they were poor and you were a picky asshole kid. Don't worry, all kids are picky assholes. Their taste buds are still developing and are, most of the time, super sensitive to certain flavors (this can actually change in a child from week to week).
Now that you're all growed up it's time to expand your culinary horizons. I grew up eating generic mac and cheese, white rice, and ramen. These days I prefer food with actual flavor. You can too. Note: chow mein is not what I'm talking about here.
Your homework: read up on a cuisine you know nothing about. Find and make one recipe. Remember to go outside of your comfort zone, even if it's just a little bit. Here are some links and suggestions to get you started:
Thai - Pad See Ew
Vietnamese - Black Bean with Eggplant
Korean - Dubu Buchim Yangnyumjang
Indian - Chole
Somali - Zucchini and Cilantro Sabayah
Russian - Baklazhanovaya Ikra
Jamaican - Citrus Curry Rice Salad
Native American - Fry Bread
Peruvian - Papa a la Huancaina
Lebanese - Fattoush
What sounds good to you? Personally I'm itching to try the papa a la Huancaina.
I have heard this excuse over and over and over when people try an explain away the box of Hamburger Helper and tub of margarine they just devoured. But guess what: your parents gave you that crap because they were poor and you were a picky asshole kid. Don't worry, all kids are picky assholes. Their taste buds are still developing and are, most of the time, super sensitive to certain flavors (this can actually change in a child from week to week).
Now that you're all growed up it's time to expand your culinary horizons. I grew up eating generic mac and cheese, white rice, and ramen. These days I prefer food with actual flavor. You can too. Note: chow mein is not what I'm talking about here.
Your homework: read up on a cuisine you know nothing about. Find and make one recipe. Remember to go outside of your comfort zone, even if it's just a little bit. Here are some links and suggestions to get you started:
Thai - Pad See Ew
Vietnamese - Black Bean with Eggplant
Korean - Dubu Buchim Yangnyumjang
Indian - Chole
Somali - Zucchini and Cilantro Sabayah
Russian - Baklazhanovaya Ikra
Jamaican - Citrus Curry Rice Salad
Native American - Fry Bread
Peruvian - Papa a la Huancaina
Lebanese - Fattoush
What sounds good to you? Personally I'm itching to try the papa a la Huancaina.
Week 6 Links: 6.1 - 6.2
Friday, June 18, 2010
Picture Post: Boobies In The Sky
There was severe weather all over greater Minnesota yesterday. There were several spectacular tornadoes and unfortunately three people were killed and there was a great deal of damage done. Our house got a little rain for a few minutes but the clouds were rushing by so fast it didn't last long at all. Before the rain we got to see some rare mammatus clouds. Please bear with me. I get excited over meteorological events.
This was around 5:30.
After the rain rushed past the sunset lit the sky on fire.
Real Food Boot Camp: Week 5 - Eating the Rainbow
This might be a little scary for people who are used to eating prepackaged convenience food, but you all need to hear it: you need to eat colorfully.
Are the things on your plate usually a shade of brown or beige? Maybe a little orange processed cheese in there too? Yeah, I thought so.
I bet you're tired all the time. Overweight. It's hard to get out of bed in the morning. Hard to think clearly.
Your homework: go to the grocery store. Stand in the produce section. Look around you. Look at all the colors. Now pick one of the center aisles of the store. Look at the packaging. Bright colors! Words in starbursts! Eye-catching fonts! Look at the food itself: beige.
You want to eat foods that are ingredients, not foods that contain ingredients.
Are the things on your plate usually a shade of brown or beige? Maybe a little orange processed cheese in there too? Yeah, I thought so.
I bet you're tired all the time. Overweight. It's hard to get out of bed in the morning. Hard to think clearly.
Your homework: go to the grocery store. Stand in the produce section. Look around you. Look at all the colors. Now pick one of the center aisles of the store. Look at the packaging. Bright colors! Words in starbursts! Eye-catching fonts! Look at the food itself: beige.
You want to eat foods that are ingredients, not foods that contain ingredients.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
The State of the Drama and Whinging
I almost deleted this blog out of frustration last night.
Writing the Real Food Boot Camp was an experiment. I have always had a blog for myself and no one else. I never gave a flying fuck whether or not anyone actually read it. I was writing for me so that I can remember things in my life for once since I've been cursed with a broken memory. So writing the RFBC was scary and exciting. I put myself out there and actually reached out to people to try and get them to at least take a look.
A take a look they did. But no one is returning. No added feed subscribers. No return visits. Looking at Google Analytics is difficult and depressing.
So I'm about to say fuck it and move along.
But do I really want to do that? I've had a night to think it over. When I started writing the RFBC I made a conscious decision to ratchet down my usual writing tone. In real life I'm soft-spoken, polite, and reserved. Online I'm raw and angry and coarse and real. I thought that might be a bit much for some people, so I deliberately lost my Internet voice.
I hate myself for this.
I feel hollow and empty when I write this way. It's not who I am and not how I want to be. I need a pressure valve to release the steam of life and my blog has always been that.
So I'll probably rewrite the RFBC posts. I consider what's up now to be a very terrible first draft; more of a long brainstorm session than anything else. And if there's interest via the poll, I'll keep going. If not, I may keep going and I may not.
I need to step back and remember why I started doing this in the first place. I have always had this deep, burning desire to save the world. To make some kind of difference. I get involved in letter writing campaigns and petitions and protests and whatnot not because I believe it will really make any kind of mark on our local, national, and global governments (need dumptrucks full of money to do that), but because it makes me feel like I'm at least trying. If I were to stop then I'd be just another mindless, apathetic American zombie like the majority of people in this country. I can't give up hope.
By the way, and here's my little conspiracy theory, they use television to control you and you let them.
Anyway, the RFBC was my chance to make a dent in society -- however small that particular society may be. I've tried to be a leader in real life and I'm terrible at it. I just can't make people take me seriously in the real world so I have to ooze pathetically into cyberspace and give that a shot. Hasn't worked out well yet but I'm still hopeful.
Blah blah blah, anyway, whatever.
Writing the Real Food Boot Camp was an experiment. I have always had a blog for myself and no one else. I never gave a flying fuck whether or not anyone actually read it. I was writing for me so that I can remember things in my life for once since I've been cursed with a broken memory. So writing the RFBC was scary and exciting. I put myself out there and actually reached out to people to try and get them to at least take a look.
A take a look they did. But no one is returning. No added feed subscribers. No return visits. Looking at Google Analytics is difficult and depressing.
So I'm about to say fuck it and move along.
But do I really want to do that? I've had a night to think it over. When I started writing the RFBC I made a conscious decision to ratchet down my usual writing tone. In real life I'm soft-spoken, polite, and reserved. Online I'm raw and angry and coarse and real. I thought that might be a bit much for some people, so I deliberately lost my Internet voice.
I hate myself for this.
I feel hollow and empty when I write this way. It's not who I am and not how I want to be. I need a pressure valve to release the steam of life and my blog has always been that.
So I'll probably rewrite the RFBC posts. I consider what's up now to be a very terrible first draft; more of a long brainstorm session than anything else. And if there's interest via the poll, I'll keep going. If not, I may keep going and I may not.
I need to step back and remember why I started doing this in the first place. I have always had this deep, burning desire to save the world. To make some kind of difference. I get involved in letter writing campaigns and petitions and protests and whatnot not because I believe it will really make any kind of mark on our local, national, and global governments (need dumptrucks full of money to do that), but because it makes me feel like I'm at least trying. If I were to stop then I'd be just another mindless, apathetic American zombie like the majority of people in this country. I can't give up hope.
By the way, and here's my little conspiracy theory, they use television to control you and you let them.
Anyway, the RFBC was my chance to make a dent in society -- however small that particular society may be. I've tried to be a leader in real life and I'm terrible at it. I just can't make people take me seriously in the real world so I have to ooze pathetically into cyberspace and give that a shot. Hasn't worked out well yet but I'm still hopeful.
Blah blah blah, anyway, whatever.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Real Food Boot Camp: Week 5 - No Sweat Big Batch Cooking
Soup: cheap, filling, usually healthy, usually fast. Soup can be made in large amounts to feed a lot of people or to be stretched out over time.
Canned soup: salty, mushy, tasteless.
Homemade soup can be seasoned just to your own taste. It can be made with leftovers and the stuff in your fridge that's about to go bad. It can be frozen. You can add more stuff to it throughout the week so you're never eating the same soup twice from a big batch.
Soup is easy. Saute some aromatics (the mirepoix or trinity in your freezer is perfect for this), add broth or stock, add your filler ingredients, and season. Simmer for a few minutes. Done. See? Easy. Add a salad and some bread and you have a filling, nourishing meal.
This is by no means complete, but here's a simple place to start if you want to come up with your own quick soup. Choose something from each column, heat, and serve.
Your homework: if you have a can of soup in your pantry, turn it around and read the ingredients list and nutrition facts. Now put it in that bag of crap in your basement. Plan one night this week where you will make soup.
Canned soup: salty, mushy, tasteless.
Homemade soup can be seasoned just to your own taste. It can be made with leftovers and the stuff in your fridge that's about to go bad. It can be frozen. You can add more stuff to it throughout the week so you're never eating the same soup twice from a big batch.
Soup is easy. Saute some aromatics (the mirepoix or trinity in your freezer is perfect for this), add broth or stock, add your filler ingredients, and season. Simmer for a few minutes. Done. See? Easy. Add a salad and some bread and you have a filling, nourishing meal.
This is by no means complete, but here's a simple place to start if you want to come up with your own quick soup. Choose something from each column, heat, and serve.
| Liquid | Protein | Carb | Veggies | ||||||||||
| Chicken broth | cooked chicken | cooked rice | frozen mixed vegetables | ||||||||||
| Turkey broth | cooked turkey | cooked pasta | diced tomato | ||||||||||
| Beef broth | cooked pork | tortellini | cubed potato | ||||||||||
| Fish stock | cooked steak | quinoa | diced squash | ||||||||||
| Tomato juice/V8 | fish | barley | green beans | ||||||||||
| Vegetable stock | shrimp | peas | |||||||||||
| beans | spinach | ||||||||||||
| cooked ground beef | shredded cabbage | ||||||||||||
| tofu | diced onion | ||||||||||||
| seitan |
Your homework: if you have a can of soup in your pantry, turn it around and read the ingredients list and nutrition facts. Now put it in that bag of crap in your basement. Plan one night this week where you will make soup.
Monday, June 14, 2010
I just can't abide
Husband and I have been struggling with what to do about an invitation we received from a family member. Luckily said event takes place this Friday when we already have plans for our anniversary so we could gracefully decline.
This particular pair of family members belong to a nondenominational Christian church. Sounds harmless enough, until you start really looking at it. It's a church that is designed for "singles, college students and young couples." It's bad enough that it's basically a Bible-literalist church ("It was uniquely, verbally, and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit and was written without error in the original manuscript"), but this really got me:
So this invitation was for us to attend a church service at this vile and loathsome place, during which these people's children will be "dedicated."
Right. So they extended the invitation to the two people who they know for a fact are not interested in religion and who have had numerous tearful and angry discussions and arguments about it. (We just don't bring the subject up anymore.) That's fine -- the invite went out in a big batch to everyone in the family. But Husband and I had to figure out what to do about it. Make up an excuse? Be straightforward? At first I was resigned to just sucking it up and going for the sake of family. But the more I thought about it the worse that idea became. Nobody should ever be guilted into going to religious service. As Husband says, unless someone's getting married or buried, he doesn't want to set foot in a church.
Today Husband told them to not include us in invites pertaining to this church. I'm so relieved. But at the same time I'm very, very sad for these two little girls. Everyone has the right to raise their family how they see fit, so we just have to deal with the fact that these kids are going to be growing up thinking they're inferior and subservient to men. Oh, not to mention the homophobia (I've been told to my face that I'm not as good of a person as these people because I'm not Christian and bisexual). It breaks my heart.
This particular pair of family members belong to a nondenominational Christian church. Sounds harmless enough, until you start really looking at it. It's a church that is designed for "singles, college students and young couples." It's bad enough that it's basically a Bible-literalist church ("It was uniquely, verbally, and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit and was written without error in the original manuscript"), but this really got me:
We believe that God designed men and women to be different. The husband and wife have differing but complementary roles in the family. The husband is the head of the household, loving and leading his wife, as Christ as his example. The wife is to support and respect her husband. (Emphasis mine.)They reference Ephesians 5:21-6:4
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. (Emphasis mine.)This makes me ill. There it is in black and white -- the crudest form of sexism wrapped in religion.
So this invitation was for us to attend a church service at this vile and loathsome place, during which these people's children will be "dedicated."
Right. So they extended the invitation to the two people who they know for a fact are not interested in religion and who have had numerous tearful and angry discussions and arguments about it. (We just don't bring the subject up anymore.) That's fine -- the invite went out in a big batch to everyone in the family. But Husband and I had to figure out what to do about it. Make up an excuse? Be straightforward? At first I was resigned to just sucking it up and going for the sake of family. But the more I thought about it the worse that idea became. Nobody should ever be guilted into going to religious service. As Husband says, unless someone's getting married or buried, he doesn't want to set foot in a church.
Today Husband told them to not include us in invites pertaining to this church. I'm so relieved. But at the same time I'm very, very sad for these two little girls. Everyone has the right to raise their family how they see fit, so we just have to deal with the fact that these kids are going to be growing up thinking they're inferior and subservient to men. Oh, not to mention the homophobia (I've been told to my face that I'm not as good of a person as these people because I'm not Christian and bisexual). It breaks my heart.
Real Food Boot Camp - Week 5: Finding Recipes
Ruts. We all get stuck in them. Those dog-eared recipe cards and cookbooks in your kitchen can provide comfort... and boredom. Time to expand your recipe collection.
Whether you store your recipes in an index card box, three-ring binder, shoved inside a cookbook, or on your computer, get it out now. Is your system working for you? How do you use it? If you don't have space on your counter for an overstuffed binder, how can you improve on your system? Can you easily add new recipes? Really take some time to examine your method.
My method evolved over many years. I started off with 3x5 index cards in a box (meticulously copied from my mom's collection) simply because that's how my mom did it. And how my grandma does it. Then I started adding recipes and I found that 4x6 cards worked a lot better, so I upgraded to a three-ring binder. I collected recipes from magazines and newspapers and shoved them into the slots thinking I'd sit down and copy everything down onto real cards one day. Of course that never happened. So I started keeping my recipes in text files in a folder on my computer. That worked well for a while until I ultimately uploaded them all to Google Docs. Now I can get at all my recipes all the time from any computer. I recently started adding photos to the recipes.
Time for some homework. Find three new recipes to make this week and make your own meal plan. It's easy enough to find recipes online, but you can find them in newspapers and magazines, TV shows, and cookbooks at the library. The library is a fantastic place to break out of a cooking rut!
Add your new recipes to your collection. Now you can really evaluate your system. Is there an easier way to do this?
I'd really love to see your meal plans. Send a link my way!
Whether you store your recipes in an index card box, three-ring binder, shoved inside a cookbook, or on your computer, get it out now. Is your system working for you? How do you use it? If you don't have space on your counter for an overstuffed binder, how can you improve on your system? Can you easily add new recipes? Really take some time to examine your method.
My method evolved over many years. I started off with 3x5 index cards in a box (meticulously copied from my mom's collection) simply because that's how my mom did it. And how my grandma does it. Then I started adding recipes and I found that 4x6 cards worked a lot better, so I upgraded to a three-ring binder. I collected recipes from magazines and newspapers and shoved them into the slots thinking I'd sit down and copy everything down onto real cards one day. Of course that never happened. So I started keeping my recipes in text files in a folder on my computer. That worked well for a while until I ultimately uploaded them all to Google Docs. Now I can get at all my recipes all the time from any computer. I recently started adding photos to the recipes.
Time for some homework. Find three new recipes to make this week and make your own meal plan. It's easy enough to find recipes online, but you can find them in newspapers and magazines, TV shows, and cookbooks at the library. The library is a fantastic place to break out of a cooking rut!
Add your new recipes to your collection. Now you can really evaluate your system. Is there an easier way to do this?
I'd really love to see your meal plans. Send a link my way!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Real Food Boot Camp: Week 4 - Menu Planning
You know it and I know it: menu planning prevents convenience food. It's hard not to order pizza when you don't have any fresh food in the house. If you take some time once a week/fortnight/month to plan your meals and have a shopping list ready to go, you'll really have no excuse besides laziness to open that can of Chef Boyardee.
As you have probably gathered from the weekly master files, my particular approach to meal planning is pretty nerdy. I use a spreadsheet so I can easily sort my shopping list by day, type, ingredient, or whatever. Back before we got our groceries delivered I would sort by type so it would make it easier and faster to find everything in the store. I hate grocery stores, so if I could shave a few minutes off here and there by not bouncing from aisle to aisle, I did. You sure don't have to use my spreadsheet, or any sort of prefabricated meal planning tool at all. A pen and a piece of paper work just fine for some people. If you do want to try out some other meal planners, there are a ton of them if you know where to look.
For the sake of example, let me tell you how I do it. I use Google Docs to store all my recipes. As I come across new and interesting recipes throughout the day, they get added immediately. I try to keep everything labeled according to cuisine and some meal types like soups, salads, sandwiches, and sides. I'm not so good at keeping up with that, but I've got about 85% of my recipes categorized that way. Here's an example recipe. You'll notice at the bottom of the recipe there is a spreadsheet that corresponds with my meal plan's shopping list tab. So all I have to do is copy and paste that part. I add these inline spreadsheets as I use recipes so the next time I use them it saves me a ton of work.
Here's an example of a meal plan we used in May. It was the week of the Kentucky Derby, hence the terribly unhealthy meal on Saturday. It was delicious. Anyway, if you scroll over you'll see that the last tab is called "usuals." We eat homemade pizza and spaghetti a lot in our house. They're our go-to lazy meals. They're prepped and ready to be copied and pasted into the shopping list tab. I encourage you to come up with your own "usuals." If you've got a few of these in your back pocket and implement a weekly "usuals" night, that's one less meal you have to plan. It's a huge load off my mind knowing that Thursday or Friday is usually spaghetti night. We used to have enchilada night too, but that made us fat.
If you look at the "Month" tab (whoops, I guess I didn't update this one for May) you can see how I can take the sting out of a month's worth of meals. If I have an outline of what I'm going to plan, I can look in Google Docs for a salad recipe one night, something Korean the next, and then a soup, all I have to do is fill in a couple blanks.
This all makes sense to my mind and I'm sure it's on the top end of control-freakiness. So take whatever parts of this that are useful to you and come up with your own solution.
And if all else fails, copy someone else.
As a last note on this subject, if you're trying to watch your weight, take the time to plan your snacks too.
As you have probably gathered from the weekly master files, my particular approach to meal planning is pretty nerdy. I use a spreadsheet so I can easily sort my shopping list by day, type, ingredient, or whatever. Back before we got our groceries delivered I would sort by type so it would make it easier and faster to find everything in the store. I hate grocery stores, so if I could shave a few minutes off here and there by not bouncing from aisle to aisle, I did. You sure don't have to use my spreadsheet, or any sort of prefabricated meal planning tool at all. A pen and a piece of paper work just fine for some people. If you do want to try out some other meal planners, there are a ton of them if you know where to look.
For the sake of example, let me tell you how I do it. I use Google Docs to store all my recipes. As I come across new and interesting recipes throughout the day, they get added immediately. I try to keep everything labeled according to cuisine and some meal types like soups, salads, sandwiches, and sides. I'm not so good at keeping up with that, but I've got about 85% of my recipes categorized that way. Here's an example recipe. You'll notice at the bottom of the recipe there is a spreadsheet that corresponds with my meal plan's shopping list tab. So all I have to do is copy and paste that part. I add these inline spreadsheets as I use recipes so the next time I use them it saves me a ton of work.
Here's an example of a meal plan we used in May. It was the week of the Kentucky Derby, hence the terribly unhealthy meal on Saturday. It was delicious. Anyway, if you scroll over you'll see that the last tab is called "usuals." We eat homemade pizza and spaghetti a lot in our house. They're our go-to lazy meals. They're prepped and ready to be copied and pasted into the shopping list tab. I encourage you to come up with your own "usuals." If you've got a few of these in your back pocket and implement a weekly "usuals" night, that's one less meal you have to plan. It's a huge load off my mind knowing that Thursday or Friday is usually spaghetti night. We used to have enchilada night too, but that made us fat.
If you look at the "Month" tab (whoops, I guess I didn't update this one for May) you can see how I can take the sting out of a month's worth of meals. If I have an outline of what I'm going to plan, I can look in Google Docs for a salad recipe one night, something Korean the next, and then a soup, all I have to do is fill in a couple blanks.
This all makes sense to my mind and I'm sure it's on the top end of control-freakiness. So take whatever parts of this that are useful to you and come up with your own solution.
And if all else fails, copy someone else.
As a last note on this subject, if you're trying to watch your weight, take the time to plan your snacks too.
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Real Food Boot Camp: Week 4 - Pantry Staples
My husband has declared me a genius on more than one occasion where I went into the kitchen without a plan, raided the cupboards, and came up with a full meal. It isn't rocket science and everyone can do it. Even you. It does require a decently stocked pantry. A meal requires four layers:
The Base Layer
This doesn't have to be the literal, physical base layer, but I have to tell you that when I'm pressed for time and ideas it's really easy to start with rice or couscous and put something on top of that. Good things to have on hand are rice (short grain, long grain, and brown), couscous, barley, quinoa, bulger, wild rice, and potatoes. And let's not forget about pasta. It's nice to have a variety of short and long types on hand.
Pantry Proteins
Beans, lentils, and quinoa are full of protein. TVP or TSP granules or nuggets are good vegetarian proteins if you want to go that route, but they're fairly processed. Shelf-stable silken tofu lasts a while and is extremely versatile. Canned meats and seafood are always an option. Dried mushrooms (hit up an Asian grocery for the motherlode) and sea veggies (nori/laver, konbu, agar) are nice to have. Oh, you didn't know that nori was high in protein? Now you do. And don't underestimate the role nuts and seeds can play in savory main dishes.
Flavor
The pantry is where your flavor lives! There is a galaxy's worth of oils, vinegars, and condiments out there. And of course, there's your spice rack. You can keep dried chiles, fruit, and vegetables on hand nearly indefinitely. Garlic and onion are on this layer too. Stocks and broths are lifesavers and pack in a ton of flavor when you pair them with grains.
Once you've got these three layers covered, it's easy to fill in the blanks with fresh or frozen fruits and veggies. So, say you're craving Mexican. Takeout is just a phone call away, but... you decide to check your kitchen first. You grab some long grain rice, a can of black beans, garlic, onion, and chicken broth. Scanning your spices you remember the cumin and chili powder have that "Mexican-ish" flavor you're craving. Moving to the fridge you get some frozen corn and cheese. And what's that in the back of the freezer? Some leftover shredded rotisserie chicken? In about 20 minutes you've got a simple meal of beans, corn, and chicken over rice. You can fill in the rest with simple frozen veggies or a salad. No takeout required. It may not be haute cuisine, but at least it's real.
Canned Vegetables
Let's talk about canned veggies for a moment. They're cheap. Available. They keep for years on the shelf. But I don't recommend them. In college I had a couple of roommates who worked at a vegetable canning facility... and let's just say that if I ever use a canned vegetable (a couple of times a year, maybe) I pay quite a lot of money to buy the best brands on the shelf. Um, yikes. That's not even going into the sodium levels, the viscous mystery fluid they're swimming in, and the BPA plastic that lines the cans.
But Tomatoes Are A Vegetable Too, Right?
Well, no, technically they're a fruit. But canned tomatoes are great to have around. If you buy a decent brand, there is very little chance of... foreign material... getting into the cans. I personally try to only buy whole peeled canned tomatoes because they use the best fruit for that. That's not to say that I never use canned chopped tomatoes. It all depends on how pressed for time I am. You might consider canning your own tomatoes too. It takes a little time and effort, but anyone with some jars and a big pot and accomplish this.
Homework
Pull out one more convenience food from your pantry and put it in that box in your basement. Yes, even that box of Rice-A-Roni you're keeping for your late-night beer munchies. Now take a look at your spice collection. How old is that ground nutmeg, really? Did you know that mostspices herbs start to break down and lose their flavor after 6 months? So that jar of crushed basil you've had since the first Bush administration? You might want to toss that. But don't toss everything you own yet. Make a list of spices herbs you want to replace and slowly, over time, replace them one or two at a time. If you want to be extra nerdy you can write the date you bought your herbs and spices on the container with a sharpie or a piece of tape.
I don't know anyone who can afford to replace their spices every six months, but there does come a time when you should probably say enough is enough. I'm going to throw away a jar of rosemary I've had since my first apartment in 2000. Your turn!
Once you start cooking with fresh (read: recent)spices herbs you will really notice a difference.
(Thanks to Missy for pointing out that there is a difference between herbs and spices.)
- A base (grains, starches)
- A protein
- Flavor (as simple or as complicated as you'd like)
- Fill in with veggies
The Base Layer
This doesn't have to be the literal, physical base layer, but I have to tell you that when I'm pressed for time and ideas it's really easy to start with rice or couscous and put something on top of that. Good things to have on hand are rice (short grain, long grain, and brown), couscous, barley, quinoa, bulger, wild rice, and potatoes. And let's not forget about pasta. It's nice to have a variety of short and long types on hand.
Pantry Proteins
Beans, lentils, and quinoa are full of protein. TVP or TSP granules or nuggets are good vegetarian proteins if you want to go that route, but they're fairly processed. Shelf-stable silken tofu lasts a while and is extremely versatile. Canned meats and seafood are always an option. Dried mushrooms (hit up an Asian grocery for the motherlode) and sea veggies (nori/laver, konbu, agar) are nice to have. Oh, you didn't know that nori was high in protein? Now you do. And don't underestimate the role nuts and seeds can play in savory main dishes.
Flavor
The pantry is where your flavor lives! There is a galaxy's worth of oils, vinegars, and condiments out there. And of course, there's your spice rack. You can keep dried chiles, fruit, and vegetables on hand nearly indefinitely. Garlic and onion are on this layer too. Stocks and broths are lifesavers and pack in a ton of flavor when you pair them with grains.
Once you've got these three layers covered, it's easy to fill in the blanks with fresh or frozen fruits and veggies. So, say you're craving Mexican. Takeout is just a phone call away, but... you decide to check your kitchen first. You grab some long grain rice, a can of black beans, garlic, onion, and chicken broth. Scanning your spices you remember the cumin and chili powder have that "Mexican-ish" flavor you're craving. Moving to the fridge you get some frozen corn and cheese. And what's that in the back of the freezer? Some leftover shredded rotisserie chicken? In about 20 minutes you've got a simple meal of beans, corn, and chicken over rice. You can fill in the rest with simple frozen veggies or a salad. No takeout required. It may not be haute cuisine, but at least it's real.
Canned Vegetables
Let's talk about canned veggies for a moment. They're cheap. Available. They keep for years on the shelf. But I don't recommend them. In college I had a couple of roommates who worked at a vegetable canning facility... and let's just say that if I ever use a canned vegetable (a couple of times a year, maybe) I pay quite a lot of money to buy the best brands on the shelf. Um, yikes. That's not even going into the sodium levels, the viscous mystery fluid they're swimming in, and the BPA plastic that lines the cans.
But Tomatoes Are A Vegetable Too, Right?
Well, no, technically they're a fruit. But canned tomatoes are great to have around. If you buy a decent brand, there is very little chance of... foreign material... getting into the cans. I personally try to only buy whole peeled canned tomatoes because they use the best fruit for that. That's not to say that I never use canned chopped tomatoes. It all depends on how pressed for time I am. You might consider canning your own tomatoes too. It takes a little time and effort, but anyone with some jars and a big pot and accomplish this.
Homework
Pull out one more convenience food from your pantry and put it in that box in your basement. Yes, even that box of Rice-A-Roni you're keeping for your late-night beer munchies. Now take a look at your spice collection. How old is that ground nutmeg, really? Did you know that most
I don't know anyone who can afford to replace their spices every six months, but there does come a time when you should probably say enough is enough. I'm going to throw away a jar of rosemary I've had since my first apartment in 2000. Your turn!
Once you start cooking with fresh (read: recent)
(Thanks to Missy for pointing out that there is a difference between herbs and spices.)
Monday, June 07, 2010
If I had more time
...I would ditch this default Blogger template and actually put a real custom site together. It'll happen someday... just not today.
Real Food Boot Camp: Week 4 - Freezer Staples
I hope everyone had a good Memorial Day weekend and a short work week. This week we're going to talk about freezer and pantry staples, then delve into meal planning.
Freezer Staples
Have you ever heard the word "mirepoix" (pronounced "meer-pwah")? It's the flavor basis of a ton of food. It's 2 parts onion, 1 part celery, and 1 part carrot. You can do endless things with mirepoix. Chop it up in large pieces and put it in with a roast. Add it to stocks and broths for soups. Saute it and add to rice with some herbs for a quick side dish. Deglaze a pan with wine after panfrying meat and add mirepoix to make a sauce. Mirepoix is the foundation upon which to build flavor. And it's freezable. It's nice to have a bag of prepared medium-diced mirepoix handy to throw in a quick dinner. It's homemade convenience food.
Similar to mirepoix is the Cajun trinity in which the carrot is replaced with green bell pepper. This is so good when put into scrambled eggs in the morning and wrapped in a tortilla with cheese.
We already talked about beans last week. You can buy a pound of dried beans for around one (US) dollar or less and get the equivalent of four cans of cooked beans out of it. Considering some canned beans can be upwards of $3 a pop it's a pretty good return on investment. Beans are easy, but most of them need to be soaked overnight or boiled and soaked for an hour before you can get to the real cooking. If you can remember to soak your beans before you go to bed you can simply drain the soak water and throw them in the crock pot with fresh water in the morning. Or soak several pots of beans overnight, then drain, refill, and cook them all at the same time on the stove the next day. If you portion them out 2 cups at a time into quart-sized freezer bags and freeze them flat you'll be in bean heaven for weeks or months. It's so easy to pull out a bag, defrost it quickly under running water or in the microwave, and toss it on a salad. Or in a burrito. Or a stir-fry. Or bean dip.
Ice cube trays are one of the most versatile pantry tools you can have in your arsenal. Freeze cubes of leftover stock, broth, wine (leftover wine, LOL), chopped fresh herbs (barely covered in water), egg whites, and tomato paste. When they're frozen, pop them into bags. If you measure chopped herbs into two tablespoons per cube and tomato paste into 1 tablespoon per cube you're ready for nearly any recipe that calls for these ingredients. And isn't that better than using a couple of sprigs of parsley or a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste and letting the rest go to waste?
Speaking of broth, you can make your own easily by keeping a broth scrap bag in the freezer. Veggie ends and peels that you would normally discard go into the bag. This includes onion and garlic skins, zuacchini peels, carrot ends, tomato seeds, vegetables about to turn bad that you're not going to use, and fresh herbs that aren't going to get used. This all makes a great veggie broth. If you use chicken broth a lot, put chicken bones and scrap meat and fat into the bag. Or use beef bones, pork bones, turkey carcasses from Thanksgiving, or seafood bones and shells. Once the bag is full, put it all into a big pot of water and simmer 1-4 hours (or longer!), skimming off the foam periodically. Or put it in a crockpot on low for about 10 hours. Cool, then transfer to bags or containers (I like 2-cup portions) and freeze.
The meal plan and master file for this week is forthcoming.
The master list is here. The meal plan is below. I included a meat recipe for you omnivores because it would be almost criminal to mention mirepoix and not pair it with meat.
Freezer Staples
Have you ever heard the word "mirepoix" (pronounced "meer-pwah")? It's the flavor basis of a ton of food. It's 2 parts onion, 1 part celery, and 1 part carrot. You can do endless things with mirepoix. Chop it up in large pieces and put it in with a roast. Add it to stocks and broths for soups. Saute it and add to rice with some herbs for a quick side dish. Deglaze a pan with wine after panfrying meat and add mirepoix to make a sauce. Mirepoix is the foundation upon which to build flavor. And it's freezable. It's nice to have a bag of prepared medium-diced mirepoix handy to throw in a quick dinner. It's homemade convenience food.
Similar to mirepoix is the Cajun trinity in which the carrot is replaced with green bell pepper. This is so good when put into scrambled eggs in the morning and wrapped in a tortilla with cheese.
We already talked about beans last week. You can buy a pound of dried beans for around one (US) dollar or less and get the equivalent of four cans of cooked beans out of it. Considering some canned beans can be upwards of $3 a pop it's a pretty good return on investment. Beans are easy, but most of them need to be soaked overnight or boiled and soaked for an hour before you can get to the real cooking. If you can remember to soak your beans before you go to bed you can simply drain the soak water and throw them in the crock pot with fresh water in the morning. Or soak several pots of beans overnight, then drain, refill, and cook them all at the same time on the stove the next day. If you portion them out 2 cups at a time into quart-sized freezer bags and freeze them flat you'll be in bean heaven for weeks or months. It's so easy to pull out a bag, defrost it quickly under running water or in the microwave, and toss it on a salad. Or in a burrito. Or a stir-fry. Or bean dip.
Ice cube trays are one of the most versatile pantry tools you can have in your arsenal. Freeze cubes of leftover stock, broth, wine (leftover wine, LOL), chopped fresh herbs (barely covered in water), egg whites, and tomato paste. When they're frozen, pop them into bags. If you measure chopped herbs into two tablespoons per cube and tomato paste into 1 tablespoon per cube you're ready for nearly any recipe that calls for these ingredients. And isn't that better than using a couple of sprigs of parsley or a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste and letting the rest go to waste?
Speaking of broth, you can make your own easily by keeping a broth scrap bag in the freezer. Veggie ends and peels that you would normally discard go into the bag. This includes onion and garlic skins, zuacchini peels, carrot ends, tomato seeds, vegetables about to turn bad that you're not going to use, and fresh herbs that aren't going to get used. This all makes a great veggie broth. If you use chicken broth a lot, put chicken bones and scrap meat and fat into the bag. Or use beef bones, pork bones, turkey carcasses from Thanksgiving, or seafood bones and shells. Once the bag is full, put it all into a big pot of water and simmer 1-4 hours (or longer!), skimming off the foam periodically. Or put it in a crockpot on low for about 10 hours. Cool, then transfer to bags or containers (I like 2-cup portions) and freeze.
The master list is here. The meal plan is below. I included a meat recipe for you omnivores because it would be almost criminal to mention mirepoix and not pair it with meat.
- Vegetarian Black Bean Chili
- Cajun Macaroni
- Roast Chicken
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Mama Thursday: Month 14, Week 1 - Worries
Oh, toddlerhood.
Lily is fully into the super demanding, tantrum-throwing phase. She's still not using any of her words around me or Husband, so she's all pointing and grunting all day long when she's not babbling. She gets super worn out at daycare so by the time we get her during the week pretty much all we see is a cranky baby. I love weekends so much.
We took her to the beach last weekend and she got to wear her new swimsuit for the first time. She played in the water with her new bucket and shovel and stared at some other kids as she is wont to do. She's now afraid of the sunscreen bottle because she always, without fail, manages to rub some of it into her eyes. I'm really careful not to get any on her eyelids or hands, but she will go ahead and rub her eyes with her arms and set off a vicious cycle of stinging and screaming. So we have to find a tear free baby sunscreen. There doesn't appear to be any EWG-friendly tear free versions out there so I guess I'm just going to have to suck it up and get some Coppertone or something. So all this sunscreen nonsense and the fact that this child absolutely refuses to wear a hat on her head is giving Mama an ulcer. Lily's so fair-skinned that I just can't stop worrying about her.
Which leads me to my next worry. Lily has been doing some repetitive motions lately that is causing some concern to my paranoid eye. She'll have a marker in one hand and the cap in the other. She'll put the marker and the cap together, then take them apart, and set the marker down. Then immediately pick the marker back up, put the cap on, take it off, set it down. Over and over. If I take the marker or cap away she'll absolutely freak out. She did the same kind of pick up, use, set down, pick up thing with a spoon yesterday.
I have OCD. I may joke about it sometimes, and my family may joke about it, but when the symptoms are bad it's completely not funny at all. So I'm a little hypersensitive about Lily maybe inheriting it. But I'm told that these repetitive motions are completely normal for a 14-month-old kid so I'm going to try not to worry about it and just bring it up with her doctor the next time we go in. I'm not worried about autism because she doesn't have any other symptoms.
One thing that's frustrating about Lily not being able or not being willing to use her words is that she'll get mad that we don't know what she wants and start hitting. Argh, I have a hitter. I've been gently taking her hand and saying, "we don't hit." What's more distressing is that sometimes when I take her hand she'll bend down and put her mouth on my hand like she's going to bite. She hasn't yet. It's like she catches herself and self-corrects. I can't help but flinch anyway. I'm sure that's not sending the right message either.
Lily is fully into the super demanding, tantrum-throwing phase. She's still not using any of her words around me or Husband, so she's all pointing and grunting all day long when she's not babbling. She gets super worn out at daycare so by the time we get her during the week pretty much all we see is a cranky baby. I love weekends so much.
We took her to the beach last weekend and she got to wear her new swimsuit for the first time. She played in the water with her new bucket and shovel and stared at some other kids as she is wont to do. She's now afraid of the sunscreen bottle because she always, without fail, manages to rub some of it into her eyes. I'm really careful not to get any on her eyelids or hands, but she will go ahead and rub her eyes with her arms and set off a vicious cycle of stinging and screaming. So we have to find a tear free baby sunscreen. There doesn't appear to be any EWG-friendly tear free versions out there so I guess I'm just going to have to suck it up and get some Coppertone or something. So all this sunscreen nonsense and the fact that this child absolutely refuses to wear a hat on her head is giving Mama an ulcer. Lily's so fair-skinned that I just can't stop worrying about her.
Which leads me to my next worry. Lily has been doing some repetitive motions lately that is causing some concern to my paranoid eye. She'll have a marker in one hand and the cap in the other. She'll put the marker and the cap together, then take them apart, and set the marker down. Then immediately pick the marker back up, put the cap on, take it off, set it down. Over and over. If I take the marker or cap away she'll absolutely freak out. She did the same kind of pick up, use, set down, pick up thing with a spoon yesterday.
I have OCD. I may joke about it sometimes, and my family may joke about it, but when the symptoms are bad it's completely not funny at all. So I'm a little hypersensitive about Lily maybe inheriting it. But I'm told that these repetitive motions are completely normal for a 14-month-old kid so I'm going to try not to worry about it and just bring it up with her doctor the next time we go in. I'm not worried about autism because she doesn't have any other symptoms.
One thing that's frustrating about Lily not being able or not being willing to use her words is that she'll get mad that we don't know what she wants and start hitting. Argh, I have a hitter. I've been gently taking her hand and saying, "we don't hit." What's more distressing is that sometimes when I take her hand she'll bend down and put her mouth on my hand like she's going to bite. She hasn't yet. It's like she catches herself and self-corrects. I can't help but flinch anyway. I'm sure that's not sending the right message either.
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Let's try this again
So I'm going to roller derby practice tonight. Hopefully. If I can find parking. Again.
I never got to run days 2 and 3 of week 5 of the C25K last week. I had a busy week and a weekend that slipped away and a big bout of laziness on top of it all. On the other hand, I've been riding my bike to work. I cheated Friday afternoon and this morning and only biked the mile to and from the train station rather than the full 4 miles one way between work and home. Hey -- four miles is a long way to go when you've got two hours of derby boot camp ahead of you.
Excuses, excuses.
This Saturday we went to the Memory Lanes Block Party and caught a couple of bands. Then we rolled. Shomer Shabbos! Lily was amused by all of the above.
Yesterday we picked up a bunch of plants from the fabulous Angela, who has a beautiful home and a lovely family, not to mention an awesome blog. Most of them got into the ground and into containers. The landscape and garden are really coming together now. I'm going to have to pick up some tomato plants from somewhere this year because the cats knocked over my seedling tray twice this year and the two that survived aren't looking too happy in the ground right now. My peas have blossomed despite the hot weather and are starting to climb the twine trellis I made for them. I built a tee-pee trellis thing for cucumber and beans this year and both have sprouted. My loofah (!) has sprouted too. It looks like one of my squash plants survived the cat attack and has thrown up some new leaves. I made a couple of seed tapes alternating carrots and radishes and those got in the ground this weekend too. I've never grown either of those things so we'll see how that goes. I've still got a few seeds to plant and hopefully it's not too late to do that.
I consider having a garden at all this year a huge accomplishment when we've got a toddler to chase after.
Speaking of the toddler, I had a moment last night where I was like, "Holy fuck, we have a child!" I couldn't even believe it. I crept into her room and watched her sleep for a while. I put my hand on her back and felt her soft breathing. And it still hardly felt real to me. We have this beautiful little girl. We made her. She's thriving and learning so many things that we can't even comprehend every single day. We've raised her for a whole year. I mean, who let us have a child? Holy fuck. I love her so fucking much.
I never got to run days 2 and 3 of week 5 of the C25K last week. I had a busy week and a weekend that slipped away and a big bout of laziness on top of it all. On the other hand, I've been riding my bike to work. I cheated Friday afternoon and this morning and only biked the mile to and from the train station rather than the full 4 miles one way between work and home. Hey -- four miles is a long way to go when you've got two hours of derby boot camp ahead of you.
Excuses, excuses.
This Saturday we went to the Memory Lanes Block Party and caught a couple of bands. Then we rolled. Shomer Shabbos! Lily was amused by all of the above.
Yesterday we picked up a bunch of plants from the fabulous Angela, who has a beautiful home and a lovely family, not to mention an awesome blog. Most of them got into the ground and into containers. The landscape and garden are really coming together now. I'm going to have to pick up some tomato plants from somewhere this year because the cats knocked over my seedling tray twice this year and the two that survived aren't looking too happy in the ground right now. My peas have blossomed despite the hot weather and are starting to climb the twine trellis I made for them. I built a tee-pee trellis thing for cucumber and beans this year and both have sprouted. My loofah (!) has sprouted too. It looks like one of my squash plants survived the cat attack and has thrown up some new leaves. I made a couple of seed tapes alternating carrots and radishes and those got in the ground this weekend too. I've never grown either of those things so we'll see how that goes. I've still got a few seeds to plant and hopefully it's not too late to do that.
I consider having a garden at all this year a huge accomplishment when we've got a toddler to chase after.
Speaking of the toddler, I had a moment last night where I was like, "Holy fuck, we have a child!" I couldn't even believe it. I crept into her room and watched her sleep for a while. I put my hand on her back and felt her soft breathing. And it still hardly felt real to me. We have this beautiful little girl. We made her. She's thriving and learning so many things that we can't even comprehend every single day. We've raised her for a whole year. I mean, who let us have a child? Holy fuck. I love her so fucking much.
Real Food Boot Camp: Week Off
Since it's a short week and it's already Tuesday I'm going to pick back up with week 4 next week. Have a great week!
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