... and it's making our own yogurt.
So here's my issue. I love yogurt and I love that it's pretty good for you, but when you really stop and read the labels I found that the companies that make the yogurt are adding some not-so-great-for-you ingredients to something that should be pretty healthy.
BF and I have been sampling different varieties trying to find ones we love that don't have all of the added icky ingredients (high fructose corn syrup, Red Dye, etc). We have found some good ones, but the ones we love had a ton of added sugar. I don't feel as bad since it's ACTUAL organic cane sugar, but added sugar isn't that great for you either. I've tried the plain, unsweetened varieties that sound good on paper, or rather sound good on the ingredient list, but they taste AWFUL! Some are super sour I don't know how people eat them and the less sour ones taste a little off... almost like vomity, if that makes sense. Anyway, I'm tired of trying to eat yogurt that I don't love... this whole thing has turned one of my favorite snacks into a snack I'm starting to avoid.
Anyway, so BF is so cute and looked up how to make your own yogurt and it is shockingly simple and that way we can make a big batch of it and put it into little containers to take to work and add our own stuff (fruit, honey, granola) to so we know exactly what goes into it!
I'll definitely document the process to let you know how it turns out!
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Friday, January 20, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
So I've Been Reading A Lot and Thinking...
Mostly a few Michael Pollan books. If you aren't familiar he's written a few little books like "The Omnivore's Dilemma", "In Defense of Food", and "Food Rules".
Let's go back a bit, though, to about 11/2-2 years ago when I decided that I was going to "clean up" how I was eating. I'd tried diets, etc before, but nothing really stuck or worked as well as I thought that it would. When I started out I just wanted to lose weight and feel more healthy. I started going to the gym and originally lost 20-25 lbs by using portion control and BF's knowledge of nutrition and fitness to tailor my eating/fitness routine. Typically it was more heavy in lean proteins and veggies with smaller portions of whole grains instead of white/refined ones. It worked well, but I've found it to be a boring routine with little room for introducing new things.
This past year I also worked on phasing out of home and personal cleansing products that are harmful to the environment and to me. We've replaced the majority of our household cleaning supplies with natural or homemade solutions or have found some great eco-friendly sustainable replacements (LOVING the BioKleen line of products) and have simplified my beauty routine to include only items that I know aren't harmful to my health and are sustainable and ecologically sound. We touched on doing the Nothing New challenge last year and are renewing it in full force for 2012. It only makes sense that I would find more to improve upon in my journey to better myself and that's where Michael Pollan's work comes into play.
Many of my friends and acquaintances have read at the very least "The Omnivore's Dilemma"and it wasn't anything that seemed to pique my interest terribly. I did some research regarding CSA's and I've always felt that eating organic and eating local are the best way to go when you can, but it wasn't a huge focus for a few reasons- partially financially, partially ease, and partially because I hadn't thought enough about the whole issue of food. Well, I had thought about it, just not as in depth as I recently have.
This past summer I started becoming more focused on buying organic and/or locally grown foods stemming from my motivation to eat healthful foods that aren't grown in a way that harms the earth and provides more nutrition for my body and also from sources that support the local economy. BF and I did a pretty good job picking organic and local when possible with our produce. It was this line of thinking that lead me to rethink reading some of Michael Pollan's books, so when I was out and about this past Fall I picked up a copy of his "Food Rules" and began thumbing through. I was enthralled.
What was shocking to me was that he wasn't trying to tell me EXACTLY what to eat and HOW to eat it for each meal to be healthy (most diets seem to be more of prescription saying "eat precisely this in this amount at this time"), he was using tried and true guidelines- the type my grandmother used to keep in mind when preparing meals and purchasing food- to help shape one's thinking about food and how/what to eat. Basically what it all boiled down to for me was that we aren't really eating food, we are eating products that imitate food and cause a myriad of issues when we could avoid almost all of them by just switching back to the actual foods. This lead me to read Michael's other two books which really solidified to me how much we have let companies, industries and the government dictate what we eat, how we eat, with whom we eat, and how much of eat we will eat.
BF and I decided that one of our commitments this year (and going forward) would be to eat as locally and organically as we can and to focus on purchasing ACTUAL FOOD- no processed foods, nothing containing high fructose corn syrup or preservatives or dyes, no foods with a list of ingredients we cannot pronounce and don't know the origin of, etc. We have switched to butter or olive oil instead of cooking sprays and "heart healthy" spreads (which probably aren't really that healthy), whole organic milk instead of skim organic milk, foods with ingredient labels that are few in ingredients in general (think no more than 6 for the most part), and more seasonal fare instead of whatever we are in the mood for.
The books detail the "whys" of this food attitude/culture adoption much better than I can, but briefly the things I learned and then examined and found myself agreeing with are:
1. We should eat more like other cultures (think Asian diet, French cuisine, Mediterranean)- other cultures have vastly different ideas regarding what REAL food is than Americans do. We tend to treat food as a necessary obligation that shouldn't involve pleasure, real fats and dairy products or social time. Not only do other cultures have a completely different attitude (which I will touch on in a minute) but they eat REAL FOOD- real butter and dairy and none of that non-fat/low-fat stuff, real meats with real animal fat instead of de-skinned white meat, hearty fresh baked breads and finally a nice glass of wine (or the like). Why is it that we seem to have such a huge issue with obesity when other places in the world eat butter and whole mike and pork belly and don't? And guess what! They enjoy doing it.
2. You should know your food chain- I feel like we are getting pretty far removed from our food sources. We go to the store and pick up what we need and we never meet the farmers who grew the produce or ranchers who raised the cattle for our steaks. Not only do I want to know where my food comes from, but I want to make sure that I am putting money into the local economy so that the little guys who are running their farms/ranches/fishing ventures responsibly and sustainably are able to continue to do so. I want to know that my beef was from cows that ate field grasses that their bodies were made to digest and are healthy. I want to eat an apple that was grown in the town next to mine and that wasn't sprayed with harsh chemicals and picked too early. The more you know about your food the more informed decisions you can make regarding them.
3. Our attitude about food- for whatever reason, we Americans have some odd attitudes about foods. Some of those include ideas like we need to eat "Good" foods and not eat "Bad" foods, but what really makes something good or bad? We also tend to be obsessed with nutrition and health, but at the same time we eat much larger portions than most other cultures. And we seem to be the only ones who has to have guidance from the government as to what and how much of a food we should be eating daily. I feel like I need to look at food as what it is- something that tastes excellent and should be fully enjoyed and just happens to nourish my body (a plus, really!) but also sets aside time in my day to be social with my friends and family. I don't need to rush to eat or cram as much food in my mouth as possible; I can just relax and take in the blessings that I have.
4. Industrial Agriculture, Ranching and Unsustainable Practices- I don't even want to open this can of worms, but I will touch on it briefly. We aren't being smart in these areas. We are putting chemicals and toxins into the earth and thus into our food chain. We are depleting resources while we build stock piles of commodities that aren't going to help us. We are processing things that do not need to be processed. It's all just so complicated. And cruel in the case of industrial live stock. Again, I want to know that what I'm eating was grown in an earth-friendly way and is full of actual nutrients and not just corn products and that it was well taken care of.
"Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants," is the way Mr. Pollan summarizes (and simplifies) his thoughts and "rules". I fully agree.
If you haven't read any of his works, I highly recommend them!
Thanks for letting me get it out there!
Let's go back a bit, though, to about 11/2-2 years ago when I decided that I was going to "clean up" how I was eating. I'd tried diets, etc before, but nothing really stuck or worked as well as I thought that it would. When I started out I just wanted to lose weight and feel more healthy. I started going to the gym and originally lost 20-25 lbs by using portion control and BF's knowledge of nutrition and fitness to tailor my eating/fitness routine. Typically it was more heavy in lean proteins and veggies with smaller portions of whole grains instead of white/refined ones. It worked well, but I've found it to be a boring routine with little room for introducing new things.
This past year I also worked on phasing out of home and personal cleansing products that are harmful to the environment and to me. We've replaced the majority of our household cleaning supplies with natural or homemade solutions or have found some great eco-friendly sustainable replacements (LOVING the BioKleen line of products) and have simplified my beauty routine to include only items that I know aren't harmful to my health and are sustainable and ecologically sound. We touched on doing the Nothing New challenge last year and are renewing it in full force for 2012. It only makes sense that I would find more to improve upon in my journey to better myself and that's where Michael Pollan's work comes into play.
Many of my friends and acquaintances have read at the very least "The Omnivore's Dilemma"and it wasn't anything that seemed to pique my interest terribly. I did some research regarding CSA's and I've always felt that eating organic and eating local are the best way to go when you can, but it wasn't a huge focus for a few reasons- partially financially, partially ease, and partially because I hadn't thought enough about the whole issue of food. Well, I had thought about it, just not as in depth as I recently have.
This past summer I started becoming more focused on buying organic and/or locally grown foods stemming from my motivation to eat healthful foods that aren't grown in a way that harms the earth and provides more nutrition for my body and also from sources that support the local economy. BF and I did a pretty good job picking organic and local when possible with our produce. It was this line of thinking that lead me to rethink reading some of Michael Pollan's books, so when I was out and about this past Fall I picked up a copy of his "Food Rules" and began thumbing through. I was enthralled.
What was shocking to me was that he wasn't trying to tell me EXACTLY what to eat and HOW to eat it for each meal to be healthy (most diets seem to be more of prescription saying "eat precisely this in this amount at this time"), he was using tried and true guidelines- the type my grandmother used to keep in mind when preparing meals and purchasing food- to help shape one's thinking about food and how/what to eat. Basically what it all boiled down to for me was that we aren't really eating food, we are eating products that imitate food and cause a myriad of issues when we could avoid almost all of them by just switching back to the actual foods. This lead me to read Michael's other two books which really solidified to me how much we have let companies, industries and the government dictate what we eat, how we eat, with whom we eat, and how much of eat we will eat.
BF and I decided that one of our commitments this year (and going forward) would be to eat as locally and organically as we can and to focus on purchasing ACTUAL FOOD- no processed foods, nothing containing high fructose corn syrup or preservatives or dyes, no foods with a list of ingredients we cannot pronounce and don't know the origin of, etc. We have switched to butter or olive oil instead of cooking sprays and "heart healthy" spreads (which probably aren't really that healthy), whole organic milk instead of skim organic milk, foods with ingredient labels that are few in ingredients in general (think no more than 6 for the most part), and more seasonal fare instead of whatever we are in the mood for.
The books detail the "whys" of this food attitude/culture adoption much better than I can, but briefly the things I learned and then examined and found myself agreeing with are:
1. We should eat more like other cultures (think Asian diet, French cuisine, Mediterranean)- other cultures have vastly different ideas regarding what REAL food is than Americans do. We tend to treat food as a necessary obligation that shouldn't involve pleasure, real fats and dairy products or social time. Not only do other cultures have a completely different attitude (which I will touch on in a minute) but they eat REAL FOOD- real butter and dairy and none of that non-fat/low-fat stuff, real meats with real animal fat instead of de-skinned white meat, hearty fresh baked breads and finally a nice glass of wine (or the like). Why is it that we seem to have such a huge issue with obesity when other places in the world eat butter and whole mike and pork belly and don't? And guess what! They enjoy doing it.
2. You should know your food chain- I feel like we are getting pretty far removed from our food sources. We go to the store and pick up what we need and we never meet the farmers who grew the produce or ranchers who raised the cattle for our steaks. Not only do I want to know where my food comes from, but I want to make sure that I am putting money into the local economy so that the little guys who are running their farms/ranches/fishing ventures responsibly and sustainably are able to continue to do so. I want to know that my beef was from cows that ate field grasses that their bodies were made to digest and are healthy. I want to eat an apple that was grown in the town next to mine and that wasn't sprayed with harsh chemicals and picked too early. The more you know about your food the more informed decisions you can make regarding them.
3. Our attitude about food- for whatever reason, we Americans have some odd attitudes about foods. Some of those include ideas like we need to eat "Good" foods and not eat "Bad" foods, but what really makes something good or bad? We also tend to be obsessed with nutrition and health, but at the same time we eat much larger portions than most other cultures. And we seem to be the only ones who has to have guidance from the government as to what and how much of a food we should be eating daily. I feel like I need to look at food as what it is- something that tastes excellent and should be fully enjoyed and just happens to nourish my body (a plus, really!) but also sets aside time in my day to be social with my friends and family. I don't need to rush to eat or cram as much food in my mouth as possible; I can just relax and take in the blessings that I have.
4. Industrial Agriculture, Ranching and Unsustainable Practices- I don't even want to open this can of worms, but I will touch on it briefly. We aren't being smart in these areas. We are putting chemicals and toxins into the earth and thus into our food chain. We are depleting resources while we build stock piles of commodities that aren't going to help us. We are processing things that do not need to be processed. It's all just so complicated. And cruel in the case of industrial live stock. Again, I want to know that what I'm eating was grown in an earth-friendly way and is full of actual nutrients and not just corn products and that it was well taken care of.
"Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants," is the way Mr. Pollan summarizes (and simplifies) his thoughts and "rules". I fully agree.
If you haven't read any of his works, I highly recommend them!
Thanks for letting me get it out there!
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
What Happens in Vegas...
...happens because of the Food Network.
I'm in sunny Vegas this week for work! Yay, I get to see some summer weather this year, although it's not in Oregon. This week has been pretty packed with meetings so far, but last night we split up into groups by work territory and went to dinner. My group picked Tao, to my delight, for dinner. I had first heard about Tao on the Food Network show, "Best Thing I Ever Ate...". That particular episode featured the Chilean Sea Bass over asparagus from Tao and ever since I've wanted to go. Lucky for me my work peers wanted to go as well.
It was a pretty interesting night because Tao also has an adjoining nightclub so the mix of people there was kind of funny. We were seated and instead of ordering separate dishes, we decided to do a family style 3 course meal. It. Was. Fabulous. Everything we ate I absolutely loved. It was also SPENDY. I will not tell you how much it cost for a group of 7 to eat dinner, but it was almost my 2 week paycheck.
 |
| Giant Buddha in the center of the restuarant |
Since it was a group dinner we decided to have the dinner served family style in 3 courses instead of everyone ordering separate dishes. The first course was a Kobe beef tartar, a Tuna tartar, and a chicken potsticker. I was hesitant to try to Kobe beef since it is RAW MEAT, however I was pleasantly surprised and truly enjoyed it. The flavor was akin to a very rare steak instead of the bloody-iron taste I exptected. The potstickers and the tuna were excellent as well.
The second course was a sushi and sashimi course. They brought Kobe beef and avocado rolls, and Surf and Turf roll with Kobe beef and assorted fish, and then a shrimp roll with fish. All were fabulous and I would have been happy to eat more of the same for the main course.
The main course was immense. I wasn't expecting that much food and was already pretty full when it came. We were served thinly sliced marinated Kobe beef (I think it was just seared) with shitake mushrooms, pork fried rice, Kung Pao chicken, Thai chicken, Chinese sausage fried rice and Chilean Sea Bass over asparagus. I was in absolute heaven. That Chilean sea bass was like butter. No joke. Every single dish was amazing.
I pulled the waiter aside at one point and let him know that we were also celebrating the promotion of my NEW BOSS, Ryan, and I wanted to have a little something special sent to him at the end of our meal. The wait staff blew me away and brought Ryan a chocolate pudding parfait and a huge tray of special desserts for the table to share, free of charge. There was a giant fortune cookie filled with vanilla and chocolate mousse, coconut ice cream and a fortune for each person at the table, little milk/dark/white chocolate Buddhas, chocolate ganache filled "spring rolls" with citrus dipping sauce and a few other little cookie and chocolate items that I couldn't identify.
I would definitely go back, but I think I can only afford the Chilean Sea Bass and one other item... but totally worth it.
 |
| Mini chocolate Buddha... too cute! |
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Easy Awesome Meal
Last week I was wracking my brain for dinner ideas. It seems like BF and I eat the same things over and over again, just in a different order each week. Not that we eat badly, it's all really good food but our classic dishes were getting a bit stale.
Who knows where the idea came from, but while I was working away at my desk a thought poppped into my head, "Fish tacos". My second thought was, "I have never made fish tacos and I also don't want to fry anything or use heavy, expensive ingredients that I have to buy".
I put the idea away and assumed I'd figure something out for dinner later. When I got home I rummaged through the refrigerator and cabinets to see what we had on hand and I ended up coming up with a pretty easy recipe for fresh fish tacos.
Here are the ingredients you will need for everything I made:
2-4 cod fillets (frozen or fresh are fine, or substitute a white fish you like)
lemon- large
lime- large
cilantro- chopped
spring onion or red onion
yellow sweet onion
red bell pepper (or any other color
green bell pepper
2 roma tomato
cumin
crushed or minced garlic
sea salt
pepper
avocado
light or fat free sour cream
mayo
red pepper powder or chile powder
1 can of pinto or black beans
tortillas (we use whole wheat)
shredded cheese- optional
Here is how to prepare:
Combine the juice of 1/2 a lemon and 1/2 a lime, 1-2 teaspoons of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh cilantro and 1 tablespoon of finely chopped spring or red onion (both work well). Pour over your cod filets and let marinate for about 30 minutes.
After marinating, strain fish from marinade and sprinkle lightly with cumin (I like to use a lot since I like that warm heat).
Cook your filets over medium heat in a non-stick saute pan. I usually add a little of the marinade solids to the pan as well so the fish cook in more of the flavor- just use a teaspoon to scoop out some of the garlic and cilantro and add that to the pan.
While your fish cook, cook your canned beans (pinto are my favorites, but BF love black beans) on medium low in a small sauce pan.
I make two toppings for this dish, a homemade pico and a tangy avocado cream dressing.
I start with the pico; you can use a food processor, but I just chop mine up by hand. Chop 1/4 of a yellow onion, 1/4 of a green bell pepper, 1/4 of a red bell pepper, 2 roma tomatoes and 1-2 tablespoon of fresh chopped cilantro. I mix it all up and then let it sit while I prepare the rest of the meal so that the flavors meld but are still fresh.
Then I mix up a tangy avocado dressing. Scoop out 1 large avocado and put into a blender or food processor. Add juice from the remainder of your lemon and remainder of your lime. Add about 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, a pinch of pepper, a tiny sprinkling of red pepper powder or chile powder, 1 dollop (maybe about 2 teaspoons) of mayo and 4 or so ounces of non fat or light sour cream. Blend well until you have a creamy, fluffy light green mixture.
Once the fish and beans are done, you are ready to go! Just build your taco however you like.
Besides the avocado dressing and the pico, I add a tiny sprinkling of shredded skim cheese.
I don't think it takes me more than 25 minutes to make the dish since I usually defrost and marinate the fish earlier in the day. You can also substitute the fish with chicken breast as the same spices and marinade works well with both!
Who knows where the idea came from, but while I was working away at my desk a thought poppped into my head, "Fish tacos". My second thought was, "I have never made fish tacos and I also don't want to fry anything or use heavy, expensive ingredients that I have to buy".
I put the idea away and assumed I'd figure something out for dinner later. When I got home I rummaged through the refrigerator and cabinets to see what we had on hand and I ended up coming up with a pretty easy recipe for fresh fish tacos.
Here are the ingredients you will need for everything I made:
2-4 cod fillets (frozen or fresh are fine, or substitute a white fish you like)
lemon- large
lime- large
cilantro- chopped
spring onion or red onion
yellow sweet onion
red bell pepper (or any other color
green bell pepper
2 roma tomato
cumin
crushed or minced garlic
sea salt
pepper
avocado
light or fat free sour cream
mayo
red pepper powder or chile powder
1 can of pinto or black beans
tortillas (we use whole wheat)
shredded cheese- optional
Here is how to prepare:
Combine the juice of 1/2 a lemon and 1/2 a lime, 1-2 teaspoons of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh cilantro and 1 tablespoon of finely chopped spring or red onion (both work well). Pour over your cod filets and let marinate for about 30 minutes.
After marinating, strain fish from marinade and sprinkle lightly with cumin (I like to use a lot since I like that warm heat).
Cook your filets over medium heat in a non-stick saute pan. I usually add a little of the marinade solids to the pan as well so the fish cook in more of the flavor- just use a teaspoon to scoop out some of the garlic and cilantro and add that to the pan.
 |
| The juice wasn't added, it's just what's coming out of the fish from marinating |
While your fish cook, cook your canned beans (pinto are my favorites, but BF love black beans) on medium low in a small sauce pan.
I make two toppings for this dish, a homemade pico and a tangy avocado cream dressing.
I start with the pico; you can use a food processor, but I just chop mine up by hand. Chop 1/4 of a yellow onion, 1/4 of a green bell pepper, 1/4 of a red bell pepper, 2 roma tomatoes and 1-2 tablespoon of fresh chopped cilantro. I mix it all up and then let it sit while I prepare the rest of the meal so that the flavors meld but are still fresh.
 |
| My homemade Pico |
Then I mix up a tangy avocado dressing. Scoop out 1 large avocado and put into a blender or food processor. Add juice from the remainder of your lemon and remainder of your lime. Add about 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, a pinch of pepper, a tiny sprinkling of red pepper powder or chile powder, 1 dollop (maybe about 2 teaspoons) of mayo and 4 or so ounces of non fat or light sour cream. Blend well until you have a creamy, fluffy light green mixture.
Once the fish and beans are done, you are ready to go! Just build your taco however you like.
Besides the avocado dressing and the pico, I add a tiny sprinkling of shredded skim cheese.
I don't think it takes me more than 25 minutes to make the dish since I usually defrost and marinate the fish earlier in the day. You can also substitute the fish with chicken breast as the same spices and marinade works well with both!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
The Best Things In Life Are Free
Boy Howdy, is that true.
Last night, BF and I went to dinner at PF Chang's because I won a $25 gift card at work, and then someone gave me a $50 gift card as a thank you so we had $75 to spend at PF Chang's... so how could we not? It was awesome. I had the Almond-Cashew Chicken and BF had the Spicy Chicken, but because we weren't paying for it we also got the Fried Wontons and Spring Rolls for appetizers. Dinner out is so much better when it's free.
After dinner we headed to Sellwood to hit up Staccato Gelato because BF had tokens (like mini gift cards) and so we ate gelato for dessert for free as well. I had espresso gelato and pistachio gelato and BF had Black and White gelato and some sort of berry gelato. Fruit... who needs it in desserts?
So we had an awesome, entirely FREE night out.
I'm going to be somewhat bored this weekend because BF is going kayaking for a class. He leaves tomorrow and doesn't come back until Sunday night. Can you believe you get college credit for kayaking for 3 days and looking at pretty nature stuff? That's insane. I'm just jealous. Whatever.
But while BF is gone, I will be hunting down a kilt for him. This is not a joke. I need to find him a kilt pronto so that he will wear it to the Oregon Brew Fest in a week. If you know where to get one in Portland let me know! I'm doing my interwebs search today.
Last night, BF and I went to dinner at PF Chang's because I won a $25 gift card at work, and then someone gave me a $50 gift card as a thank you so we had $75 to spend at PF Chang's... so how could we not? It was awesome. I had the Almond-Cashew Chicken and BF had the Spicy Chicken, but because we weren't paying for it we also got the Fried Wontons and Spring Rolls for appetizers. Dinner out is so much better when it's free.
After dinner we headed to Sellwood to hit up Staccato Gelato because BF had tokens (like mini gift cards) and so we ate gelato for dessert for free as well. I had espresso gelato and pistachio gelato and BF had Black and White gelato and some sort of berry gelato. Fruit... who needs it in desserts?
So we had an awesome, entirely FREE night out.
I'm going to be somewhat bored this weekend because BF is going kayaking for a class. He leaves tomorrow and doesn't come back until Sunday night. Can you believe you get college credit for kayaking for 3 days and looking at pretty nature stuff? That's insane. I'm just jealous. Whatever.
But while BF is gone, I will be hunting down a kilt for him. This is not a joke. I need to find him a kilt pronto so that he will wear it to the Oregon Brew Fest in a week. If you know where to get one in Portland let me know! I'm doing my interwebs search today.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)