So, I've been avoiding the topics regarding ethical food choices. There were so many other things I could write about... But one of the reasons I started this blog was that I've recently become aware of how important our food choices can be in our communities, our nation, and in our world. Not only do the foods we eat affect our individual health and well being, they also affect the well being of the planet and future generations.
I know, I know. A lot of you are rolling your eyes at this point. I used to do that too. Trust me. But I have read several books, seen a few movies, talked with some farmers, and my views on the matter are very different than they used to be.
Food ethics encompasses a whole host of topics and they are all VERY complicated, and interconnected. Some things included in the topic are organic foods, genetic modification of plants, eating animals (or not), raising food animals humanely, local eating, mass food production, providing food to other "less developed" nations, feeding the poor within our own country, equitable distribution of resources, agriculture in politics, and so many other things...
I'm going to try to work my way through them one at a time. I hope that you will find it enlightening, and I hope to learn a lot. My topic for my next "Ethical Eating" post will be on "Organic Food". I would appreciate any resources you could send my way, on any side of this topic. I'll share all the resources with you and let you know what I've learned.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Week two: Meal plan
After an inventory of leftovers etc. I came up with the following list of dinner meals for the week.
1. Spaghetti & Meatballs - Meatballs are pre-made in the freezer, and I use sauce from a jar, so this is super quick and easy.
2. Cheese Enchilada Stack - This is becoming a staple in our house. I think I make it almost once a week. Everyone likes it, and leftovers pack well for reheating at lunch. I add shredded chicken to the recipe. It's hard to get my kids to eat enough protein, and this is something they will eat. I also make a double or triple batch of the enchilada sauce and freeze it, so this is super quick to prepare in the morning before I leave for work.
3. Apricot Chicken - This will be a new recipe for me. It sounds good though. I'll let you know...
4. Burgers and Beef Brats on the grill - I found a local farm (http://www.farmdirectblackangus.com/ )with grass fed cows that makes good beef brats, so I picked up some brats and ground beef at the farmer's market.
5. Tatertot casserole - This one is just easy to make ahead and ask mom to throw in the oven, so it's ready to eat when we get home from work.
6. Tacos / taco salad - uses up left over tortillas, & sour cream from the enchilada bake. I bought dried pinto beans and will attempt to make my own refried beans this week.
7. Pizza - This will probably be ordered in...
Other stuff to make this week:
1. Shredded chicken and chicken broth from the chicken legs and thighs that were on sale, as ingredients for future meals.
2. Clean out the Pantry Minestrone - This will use up all the extra veggies and give Meg something for breakfast that doesn't come out of a can... I'll freeze it in individual servings and heat them up as needed.
1. Spaghetti & Meatballs - Meatballs are pre-made in the freezer, and I use sauce from a jar, so this is super quick and easy.
2. Cheese Enchilada Stack - This is becoming a staple in our house. I think I make it almost once a week. Everyone likes it, and leftovers pack well for reheating at lunch. I add shredded chicken to the recipe. It's hard to get my kids to eat enough protein, and this is something they will eat. I also make a double or triple batch of the enchilada sauce and freeze it, so this is super quick to prepare in the morning before I leave for work.
3. Apricot Chicken - This will be a new recipe for me. It sounds good though. I'll let you know...
4. Burgers and Beef Brats on the grill - I found a local farm (http://www.farmdirectblackangus.com/ )with grass fed cows that makes good beef brats, so I picked up some brats and ground beef at the farmer's market.
5. Tatertot casserole - This one is just easy to make ahead and ask mom to throw in the oven, so it's ready to eat when we get home from work.
6. Tacos / taco salad - uses up left over tortillas, & sour cream from the enchilada bake. I bought dried pinto beans and will attempt to make my own refried beans this week.
7. Pizza - This will probably be ordered in...
Other stuff to make this week:
1. Shredded chicken and chicken broth from the chicken legs and thighs that were on sale, as ingredients for future meals.
2. Clean out the Pantry Minestrone - This will use up all the extra veggies and give Meg something for breakfast that doesn't come out of a can... I'll freeze it in individual servings and heat them up as needed.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Week 1: Results
Commitment one: Not Wasting Food.
What I've learned:
Unless there is going to be some sort of mystery ingredient casserole at the end of the week, utilizing all of the food we've purchased is going to take creativity. Here's what I've done with some of the extra ingredients and leftovers...
MEAL: Sloppy joes and homemade coleslaw.
EXTRA INGREDIENTS: 2 Cups of shredded cabbage.
NEW USE FOR INGREDIENTS: The cabbage is frozen in a labeled baggie for addition to vegetable soup later. I plan to make "Clean-Out-The-Pantry-Minestrone" in the crockpot, from my current favorite website: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/01/clean-out-pantry-minnestrone-soup.html
LEFTOVERS: Sloppy joes and coleslaw. Both items went to work and/or camp with various family members for lunch the next day.
MEAL: Brats and Hamburgers and corn on the grill.
EXTRA INGREDIENTS: Sliced tomatoes, sliced onions and lettuce used for hamburger garnish. One cob of roasted corn.
NEW USE FOR INGREDIENTS: Lettuce, tomatoes and onions ended up in a salad for lunch the next day. Roasted corn was cut off the cob and frozen for addition to the "Clean-Out-The-Pantry-Minestrone" mentioned above.
Food Wasted:
Strawberries. This one makes me angry. I bought a container of strawberries on Thursday and most of them had rotten spots by Saturday. After cutting out the bad spots, I ended up throwing about 1/3 of the container in the compost.
Restaurant Leftovers: This one was not my fault. My husband got some food at a restaurant at lunch, brought the leftovers home and didn't eat them like he thought he would... Maybe some more gentle reminders are in order.
Commitment Two: Preparing in the evening.
So far so good. I have discovered one new strategy for leftovers that can be taken for lunches. Before we leave the dinner table, I ask who wants which the leftovers for lunch the next day. Then I get the individual serving containers and portion it out before I even leave the table. Then we have a good amount of the lunches packed before we even leave the dinner table.
Commitment Three: Make Soup Twice a Month
No soup yet, but lots of ingredients. Chicken legs and thighs were on sale, so I stocked up. I need to prep them (remove skin) and re-package them into smaller portions, so that I can cook them and use the bones for stock... "Clean out the Pantry Minestrone" is on the schedule for this week, though.
So far so good!
What I've learned:
Unless there is going to be some sort of mystery ingredient casserole at the end of the week, utilizing all of the food we've purchased is going to take creativity. Here's what I've done with some of the extra ingredients and leftovers...
MEAL: Sloppy joes and homemade coleslaw.
EXTRA INGREDIENTS: 2 Cups of shredded cabbage.
NEW USE FOR INGREDIENTS: The cabbage is frozen in a labeled baggie for addition to vegetable soup later. I plan to make "Clean-Out-The-Pantry-Minestrone" in the crockpot, from my current favorite website: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/01/clean-out-pantry-minnestrone-soup.html
LEFTOVERS: Sloppy joes and coleslaw. Both items went to work and/or camp with various family members for lunch the next day.
MEAL: Brats and Hamburgers and corn on the grill.
EXTRA INGREDIENTS: Sliced tomatoes, sliced onions and lettuce used for hamburger garnish. One cob of roasted corn.
NEW USE FOR INGREDIENTS: Lettuce, tomatoes and onions ended up in a salad for lunch the next day. Roasted corn was cut off the cob and frozen for addition to the "Clean-Out-The-Pantry-Minestrone" mentioned above.
Food Wasted:
Strawberries. This one makes me angry. I bought a container of strawberries on Thursday and most of them had rotten spots by Saturday. After cutting out the bad spots, I ended up throwing about 1/3 of the container in the compost.
Restaurant Leftovers: This one was not my fault. My husband got some food at a restaurant at lunch, brought the leftovers home and didn't eat them like he thought he would... Maybe some more gentle reminders are in order.
Commitment Two: Preparing in the evening.
So far so good. I have discovered one new strategy for leftovers that can be taken for lunches. Before we leave the dinner table, I ask who wants which the leftovers for lunch the next day. Then I get the individual serving containers and portion it out before I even leave the table. Then we have a good amount of the lunches packed before we even leave the dinner table.
Commitment Three: Make Soup Twice a Month
No soup yet, but lots of ingredients. Chicken legs and thighs were on sale, so I stocked up. I need to prep them (remove skin) and re-package them into smaller portions, so that I can cook them and use the bones for stock... "Clean out the Pantry Minestrone" is on the schedule for this week, though.
So far so good!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Breakfast - The most important and dreaded meal of the day
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Everyone knows it. Then why, in the name of all that is good, is breakfast such a difficult meal for us? Seriously. I HATE breakfast time. It is currently one of the most stressful, difficult things I deal with on a daily basis. Why, you ask? I think there are several contributing factors.
1. I am always in a rush in the morning.
It seems like no matter what time I get up, I never have enough time to get everything done. Shower, get dressed, exercise, pack lunches, wake up the kids, get everyone fed, dressed, teeth brushed and ready to go, brief grandma on the day's activities, get dinner prepped for the evening, and somehow get out the door early enough so that I'm not late for work. Typically this results in a little yelling, a lot of coaxing, something forgotten, and Mama not taking time for her own breakfast. Which is bad, because as previously stated: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
2. One child wakes up too early, and the other hates getting out of bed.
Quincy will wake up and come downstairs as early as I will let him. He just doesn't want to miss out on one moment of activity in the house. We have had to establish a "wake up time" for him. This is similar to a reverse bed time. He is not allowed to come downstairs in the morning before 6:30 and if Mama and Baba are still sleeping (like on the weekends), he can not wake us up until 7AM. (unless of course it is an emergency or something). Luckily, he can now read a digital clock. Before 6:30 AM is really the only alone time I have, and I've come to learn that I need that time to keep my sanity.
Meg, on the other hand, requires some serious transition time between sleep and waking. It doesn't seem to matter what her bedtime is. She almost never wants to get out of bed in the morning, and is typically grumpy until after I leave for work. We have the same routine every morning, and almost every morning it is a struggle to get her ready for the day.
3. What is typically considered breakfast food does not work for my family.
As this may be difficult to understand, I will elaborate. I have two children adopted from China. My daughter was adopted when she was 10 years old. So her food preferences are different than most American children. In addition, she has Type 1 diabetes. So she needs a certain amount of carbohydrates at each meal, but not too many. She should also ideally have some protein and fat in every meal. And it is absolutely VITAL that she eat breakfast.
It's been nearly a year and a half since she has entered our family, and we have not been able to find ANY American "breakfast food" that she will eat. Cereal? Only if she's forced to. Which is fine. It's not really that great for her anyway. Oatmeal? Never. Toast? Bagels? Bread? Pancakes? Waffles? Don't even think about trying to get her to eat bread products. She just doesn't like them. Eggs? Every once in a great while, if they're scrambled hard and maybe have some mushrooms in them. But mostly, no. Yogurt? Yuck. Smoothies? Maybe, but only if they don't actually have anything nutiritious in them... So what are we left with? I'll tell you what. A mama with a headache.
So how can I fix this mess and not start the day off with stress, a headache and a bad mood?
1. As much as possible, I am going to try to prepare things for the next day the evening before. I say "try" because I have attempted to do this in the past, without much success. I just don't have much motivation in the evening. But I will try again. Hopefully this will give me time to eat my own breakfast in the morning, too.
2. I have officially given up on breakfast foods. If you think about it, it's absurd that only some foods are okay for breakfast. Food is food. That's what I say. And with that in mind, Meg and I have settled on a breakfast compromise. Soup. Yep. Soup. It's the only thing we've been able to agree upon for breakfast. It's easy and quick to heat up in the morning, and has appropriate nutrition for her. And she will eat it. That's really the most important thing. Unfortunately, I've been feeding her a lot of canned soup, lately. That's not so good. Typically too much sodium, not enough protein. That has to change. I need to start making soup. Making soup also supports my first commitment (not to waste food) because soups are a great way to use up some of those left over veggies.
So, the breakfast chaos has spawned two more commitments.
Commitment 2: I will prepare for the next day in the evening.
Commitment 3: I will make at least two batches of homemade soup per month.
1. I am always in a rush in the morning.
It seems like no matter what time I get up, I never have enough time to get everything done. Shower, get dressed, exercise, pack lunches, wake up the kids, get everyone fed, dressed, teeth brushed and ready to go, brief grandma on the day's activities, get dinner prepped for the evening, and somehow get out the door early enough so that I'm not late for work. Typically this results in a little yelling, a lot of coaxing, something forgotten, and Mama not taking time for her own breakfast. Which is bad, because as previously stated: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
2. One child wakes up too early, and the other hates getting out of bed.
Quincy will wake up and come downstairs as early as I will let him. He just doesn't want to miss out on one moment of activity in the house. We have had to establish a "wake up time" for him. This is similar to a reverse bed time. He is not allowed to come downstairs in the morning before 6:30 and if Mama and Baba are still sleeping (like on the weekends), he can not wake us up until 7AM. (unless of course it is an emergency or something). Luckily, he can now read a digital clock. Before 6:30 AM is really the only alone time I have, and I've come to learn that I need that time to keep my sanity.
Meg, on the other hand, requires some serious transition time between sleep and waking. It doesn't seem to matter what her bedtime is. She almost never wants to get out of bed in the morning, and is typically grumpy until after I leave for work. We have the same routine every morning, and almost every morning it is a struggle to get her ready for the day.
3. What is typically considered breakfast food does not work for my family.
As this may be difficult to understand, I will elaborate. I have two children adopted from China. My daughter was adopted when she was 10 years old. So her food preferences are different than most American children. In addition, she has Type 1 diabetes. So she needs a certain amount of carbohydrates at each meal, but not too many. She should also ideally have some protein and fat in every meal. And it is absolutely VITAL that she eat breakfast.
It's been nearly a year and a half since she has entered our family, and we have not been able to find ANY American "breakfast food" that she will eat. Cereal? Only if she's forced to. Which is fine. It's not really that great for her anyway. Oatmeal? Never. Toast? Bagels? Bread? Pancakes? Waffles? Don't even think about trying to get her to eat bread products. She just doesn't like them. Eggs? Every once in a great while, if they're scrambled hard and maybe have some mushrooms in them. But mostly, no. Yogurt? Yuck. Smoothies? Maybe, but only if they don't actually have anything nutiritious in them... So what are we left with? I'll tell you what. A mama with a headache.
So how can I fix this mess and not start the day off with stress, a headache and a bad mood?
1. As much as possible, I am going to try to prepare things for the next day the evening before. I say "try" because I have attempted to do this in the past, without much success. I just don't have much motivation in the evening. But I will try again. Hopefully this will give me time to eat my own breakfast in the morning, too.
2. I have officially given up on breakfast foods. If you think about it, it's absurd that only some foods are okay for breakfast. Food is food. That's what I say. And with that in mind, Meg and I have settled on a breakfast compromise. Soup. Yep. Soup. It's the only thing we've been able to agree upon for breakfast. It's easy and quick to heat up in the morning, and has appropriate nutrition for her. And she will eat it. That's really the most important thing. Unfortunately, I've been feeding her a lot of canned soup, lately. That's not so good. Typically too much sodium, not enough protein. That has to change. I need to start making soup. Making soup also supports my first commitment (not to waste food) because soups are a great way to use up some of those left over veggies.
So, the breakfast chaos has spawned two more commitments.
Commitment 2: I will prepare for the next day in the evening.
Commitment 3: I will make at least two batches of homemade soup per month.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Waste Not, Want Not
I read a statistic that Americans waste as much as 40% the food we purchase. Then I did a seach online, and the amount of food waste in the US is estimated by various sources from 12% to 40%. I suspect the answer is somewhere in the middle and varies greatly from person to person. However, what matters to me right now, is what my family wastes. How much money are we throwing in the composter, down the garbage disposal or in the trash?
So Quincy and I cleaned out the fridge, freezer, and cupboards... The composter, garbage disposal and trash got gourmet meals. Quincy had a great time "feeding" the garbage disposal and making a mess. I guess at least our garden will benefit from some of it, but I would prefer that we had benefited in a more direct way...
What did we waste? The primary culprits were:
Commitment one: I will utilize the food I buy. I will make an effort not to buy more perishible food than my family will eat this week, and utlilize everything I buy.
So Quincy and I cleaned out the fridge, freezer, and cupboards... The composter, garbage disposal and trash got gourmet meals. Quincy had a great time "feeding" the garbage disposal and making a mess. I guess at least our garden will benefit from some of it, but I would prefer that we had benefited in a more direct way...
What did we waste? The primary culprits were:
- Leftovers. Those little containers get lost in the back of the fridge never to see the light of day again. Some were from homemade meals and some were from restaurant meals that we thought we would reheat at home and never did.
- Partially used containers of ingredients. These can be decieving, especially the ones in containers you can't see through. For example, after using part of a container of sour cream when we have enchiladas one night, the other half tends to get forgotten and eventually thrown out.
- Fruits and veggies that have gone bad. I always have the best intentions when I shop. We are going to eat LOTS of fruit and veggies. Somehow we never eat ALL of them before they turn.
- Mystery things in the freezer. I have no idea how long some of that stuff had been there, but I'm sure it was a LONG time.
Commitment one: I will utilize the food I buy. I will make an effort not to buy more perishible food than my family will eat this week, and utlilize everything I buy.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
SO WHAT IS THIS BLOG ABOUT ANYWAY?
Food.
I've had a love / hate relationship with food my whole life. I love to eat. I hate to cook. I love to have delicious healthy meals. I hate to spend time planning and preparing them. I love foods that aren't good for me. I don't have a lot of experience cooking healthy food, so when I attempt to cook, I waste a lot of money, time and energy. And the end results vary. Greatly.
This blog is part of a commitment to improve my relationship with food. I'm doing it for myself, for my family, and for the earth. I want to improve our health. I want to decrease the stress, guilt, and negativity that currently surrounds my food consumption. I want to teach my children healthy eating habits, so they can live long, healthy lives. I want to make food decisions with forethought rather than as an afterthought. I want to learn more about all aspects of food consumption; nutritional, ethical, financial, environmental, and political.
This blog is a way for me to organize my thoughts, maintain focus on my goals and share what I'm learning with others. I am no expert. I am not a nutritionist. I am not a chef. (I'm not even a good cook.) I am not a political activist, and I am not trying to convice anyone to agree with me in any way. I am just a mother with two kids, a tight budget, and a desire to make more informed food decisions.
Please keep in mind this is a learning process. I hope to improve by making baby steps in the right direction. I am not going to be perfect. I am just trying to improve my decisions and habits over time as best I can. I have many obstacles including: time constraints, financial limitations, family concerns, emotional baggage and my own ignorance.
I hope for lots of feedback, discussion and ideas. I encourage people to comment whether or not you agree with me. I am always looking to educate myself and look at things from other perspectives.
Thanks for reading my first blog post!
I've had a love / hate relationship with food my whole life. I love to eat. I hate to cook. I love to have delicious healthy meals. I hate to spend time planning and preparing them. I love foods that aren't good for me. I don't have a lot of experience cooking healthy food, so when I attempt to cook, I waste a lot of money, time and energy. And the end results vary. Greatly.
This blog is part of a commitment to improve my relationship with food. I'm doing it for myself, for my family, and for the earth. I want to improve our health. I want to decrease the stress, guilt, and negativity that currently surrounds my food consumption. I want to teach my children healthy eating habits, so they can live long, healthy lives. I want to make food decisions with forethought rather than as an afterthought. I want to learn more about all aspects of food consumption; nutritional, ethical, financial, environmental, and political.
This blog is a way for me to organize my thoughts, maintain focus on my goals and share what I'm learning with others. I am no expert. I am not a nutritionist. I am not a chef. (I'm not even a good cook.) I am not a political activist, and I am not trying to convice anyone to agree with me in any way. I am just a mother with two kids, a tight budget, and a desire to make more informed food decisions.
Please keep in mind this is a learning process. I hope to improve by making baby steps in the right direction. I am not going to be perfect. I am just trying to improve my decisions and habits over time as best I can. I have many obstacles including: time constraints, financial limitations, family concerns, emotional baggage and my own ignorance.
I hope for lots of feedback, discussion and ideas. I encourage people to comment whether or not you agree with me. I am always looking to educate myself and look at things from other perspectives.
Thanks for reading my first blog post!
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