weekly food shop

before i get to my normal business of listing what i bought today, I'd like to announce that I will be maintaining this blog after I move. I'd also like to give a special thanks to Beverly-your kind words really mean a lot to me, and it's great to know that this blog is making a difference for at least one person out there.

today, I went food shopping at whole foods and trader joe's.

here's what I bought at Trader Joe's:
2 gala apples
1 cantaloupe
1 red bell pepper
1 cucumber
organic baby carrots
organic bagged baby spinach
lite shredded mozzarella cheese
total: $14.62

this is what I bought at whole foods:
1 piece of ginger
nasoya extra firm tofu
bean sprouts
green onions
red curry paste
8 organic apricots
total: $13.52

stay tuned for some new recipes!

The Future of this Blog

I want to make it clear that I am unsure at this point what will happen with this blog once I move. The move is happening in a little over two weeks, and it is likely that I will not qualify for foodstamps in New Jersey, since I will be working part-time and am applying to substitute teach at a local school district.

the way I see it, there are two options:
1. I can continue to maintain the blog and post recipes and open threads, except I will no longer be purchasing food with an EBT card. I will still be on a tight budget, but I will be purchasing food with money instead of foodstamps.

2. I can retire the blog.

I'd like to take this opportunity to take a poll on what you, the reader, would like to see happen. Please leave a comment with your opinion.

Things I've learned on the Road

I just got back from vacation in the south, during which I learned a few interesting things about myself and my food stamps. this is what I learned:
1. health food stores are your best friend when you travel as much as I do and refuse to pay $10 for a plate of fries at the airport bar.
2. half a pound of couscous, a fruit leather, and a protein bar can become a satisfying meal.
3. no, that wasn't sarcastic.
4. at some point in the last two years, major airlines stopped being courteous enough to give a free in-flight snack.
5. prepare accordingly for this.
6. in Georgia, you can use your food stamps to buy deli products.

there was a health food store/deli near my friend's apartment that we went to on my last day for lunch. while there, I also decided to buy some dried lavender and a few other things that weren't from the deli counter, along with my sandwich and couscous. when I asked the girl at the register if they take ebt, she told me that I can only use it to buy food. imagine how excited i was to learn my tofu sandwich and israeli couscous were covered, too! I told the girl that we have different rules in Wisconsin, and she told me that only a few delis take it. Regardless, I was an excited person.

Cheap Food I Love: Lentils

Lentils are the epitome of cheap, nutritious food. They can be bought in bulk for very little money and can be used in a variety of ways-soups, curry dishes, etc. A friend who studied in India for a semester told me that the reason they're so popular there is because they are cheap and filling, thanks the high amount of fiber they carry. Yes, they are a bit time consuming, but I think it's totally worth it. Soaking them definitely makes a difference in the cooking time.

Cheap Food I Love: Bulgur

Bulgur is a fantastic grain to work with and can be cheap when purchased in bulk (I've found it in the bulk section of whole foods). Though it is commonly used in tabouli recipes, I've used in vegetarian chili to add some texture to it.

Cheap Food I Love: Seedless Grapes

Grapes may not be as versatile as some of the other food I've mentioned in this mini-series, but they are my favorite thing to snack on when I want something sweet. They're great for car trips and are a welcome addition in salads. When it's hot out I love to stick them in the freezer as a summer treat.

Cheap Food I Love: Portobello Mushrooms

Portobello mushrooms can do no wrong in my eyes. I love the tough, meaty texture of them, which makes them perfect for grilling. During a recent camping trip, a fellow veg and I grilled them and ate them on burger buns topped with cheese. They're also a perfect addition to vegetarian chili.

Cheap Food I Love: Garbanzo Beans

There's no reason not to love garbanzo beans. They are cheap, protein-packed, and can be prepared in a variety of ways. Yes, I do cheat and buy them canned instead of dry, but I make a point to buy the low-sodium/no salt added varieties to cut down on the sodium. I also make it a point to rinse the beans before cooking with them.

My favorite ways to cook with garbanzo beans include (but are not limited to):
1. hummus
2. in pasta
3. roasted in the oven
4. in salads

hummus is super-easy to make. you just need a can of garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, a couple of garlic cloves, your spices of choice, and a blender/food processor and you're in business! there's a million different ways you can use hummus, too.

for those of you who watch Top Chef DC, I was ecstatic to see the pasta dish that was described as "hummus undone." Sometimes I will take leftover garbanzo beans and toss them in olive oil with garlic, fresh spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes over pasta.

roasted chickpeas is great as a snack. it's easy to make, too: preheat your oven for 400 degrees, grease a baking sheet, spread the chickpeas out evenly on the sheet, bake for 30 minutes (check frequently), then toss with your seasoning of choice. I like to use sea salt, black pepper, and chili powder.

If you like to get a little more adventurous with chickpeas, homemade falafel is always fun to make! I like to bake mine instead of frying it to make it a little healthier.

an upcoming mini-series

Unfortunately, I was unable to secure guest bloggers to take my place while I'm on vacation. However, I recently became aware of the fact that blogger allows you to write posts for future dates that they post for you.

Bearing this in mind, I will be writing a mini-series for the next few days called, "cheap food I love." It will feature a variety of food, including different ways to prepare them and why they are nutritious.

My Cooking Environment

For those of you who think that I must have a full-sized kitchen to do the kind of cooking I do on a regular basis, I am writing this to put that rumor to rest.

The truth is, I live in a studio apartment with a galley kitchen. My oven is so small that I cannot fit my springform pan in it. My fridge is about 3/4 size of a regular fridge, so the freezer is constantly filled to the max. I have one cabinet to devote to food...the rest is overtaken by dishes and appliances.

The kicker: I only have one countertop. That's right...one countertop. how do I deal with this? by using my entire apartment when I cook. I put cooling racks on my coffee table. sit on the floor while putting cookie dough on baking sheets, etc. and yes, I knock things down and break shit on occasion. it is usually followed by me cursing out of frustration. It's not pretty.

Recipe: Spinach, Red Lentil, and Bean Curry

I found this recipe when I was searching allrecipes for new ways to use my giant bag of red lentils in my pantry. I was sold on this recipe by the title alone. With a few alterations, this recipe was delicious!

ingredients:
1 cup red lentils
1/4 cup tomato puree
1/2 (8 ounce) container plain yogurt
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon ground dried turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger root, grated
4 cups loosely packed fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
4 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped
1 (15.5 ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

directions:
1. Rinse lentils and place in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Drain.
2. In a bowl, stir together tomato puree and yogurt. Season with garam masala, turmeric, cumin, and chili powder. Stir until creamy.
3. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic and ginger. Stir in spinach; cook until dark green and wilted. Gradually stir in yogurt mixture. Then mix in tomatoes and cilantro.
4. Stir lentils and garbanzo beans into mixture until well combined. Heat through, about 5 minutes.

serves 4

recipe: pesto pita pocket

(try saying the title three times fast)


I don't know how I came up with this concoction, but it's definitely one that I'll make again. It's simple, easy to make, and uses veggies that I keep around my kitchen on a regular basis.

ingredients:
1/2 pita bread
1 tbsp roasted red pepper pesto (see earlier post for recipe)
1/2 cup baby spinach
1 slice provolone cheese
1 slice tomato

directions:
pop pita pocket open and spread pesto along each side. split the provolone slice in half and place one half on each side of pocket. stuff with spinach and tomato.

In Search of Guest Bloggers

I know this is last minute, but with the sudden boom in subscribers to this blog, I am putting out another call for guest bloggers.

here is the deal: I am going on vacation for five days starting this friday and ending the following wednesday. I would like to have guest bloggers contribute posts for those five days. If you are interested, please email me at glasssa@earlham.edu with the subject "guest blogger"

Recipe: Pasta with Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

(picture to come soon)

I don't know what it is, but lately I've been eating a lot of spinach. At least I won't have an iron deficiency any time soon:) In my continued quest to work through all the grains in my pantry, I've moved on to pasta this week (I finished off my quinoa and basmati rice already). This recipe looked too good not to try, anyway!

ingredients:
1 cup vegetable broth
12 dehydrated sun-dried tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) package uncooked pasta
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bunch fresh spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

directions:
1. In a small saucepan, bring the broth to a boil. Remove from heat. Place the sun-dried tomatoes in the broth 15 minutes, or until softened. Drain, reserving broth, and coarsely chop.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place penne pasta in the pot, cook 9 to 12 minutes, until al dente, and drain.
3. Place the pine nuts in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir until lightly toasted.
4. Heat the olive oil and red pepper flakes in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the garlic 1 minute, until tender. Mix in the spinach, and cook until almost wilted. Pour in the reserved broth, and stir in the chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Continue cooking 2 minutes, or until heated through.
5. In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta with the spinach and tomato mixture and pine nuts. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

This recipe was good, though not what I originally expected before reading the directions. I assumed it would be a cold pasta dish. That being said, the end result was a pleasant suprise!

weekly food shop

I did most of this week's food shopping at whole foods. I did buy a few things at metro market, too.

whole foods:
1 can garbanzo beans
1 tomato
1 bag of baby spinach
4 apricots
guiltless gourmet tortilla chips
1 piece ginger root

total: $11.47

metro market:
1 cantaloupe
1 box of success boi-in-bag brown rice
total: $4.85

Notice

I'm going on an overnight camping trip, so there will be no update today. Business will be back to normal on Saturday!

Defining Healthy

Everyone has a different definition of healthy. This can be influenced by a variety of factors-what your family fed you as a child, how much exposure you have to the media, the type of food you have access to in your local grocery store, etc.

Yes, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But it concerns me when an adult twice my age tells me that he considers an oatmeal raisin cookie to be healthy and actually mean it. Yes, oats are good for you, and so are raisins. These cookies look relatively healthy on the surface. But factor in all the butter and sugar that goes into those cookies, too. Still looking healthy? It's common knowledge that these ingredients will be found in your average cookie, so it shouldn't be a surprise that they are not all that healthy after all.

What concerns me the most about this matter is what the adults in charge of providing nutritious meals to children in our country consider to be healthy. I'm talking about the adults who are in charge of making school lunch menus, those that are in charge of teaching children about nutrition, etc. If they can't define healthy eating habits, then what will happen to our youth?

My definition of healthy is food that is minimally processed and provides beneficial nutrients. I consider a healthy meal one that contains whole grains and at least one serving of fruit and one serving of vegetables. This helps me get my daily value of vitamins, along with plenty of fiber and protein. I've also found that I'm consuming less sodium and refined sugar, because I am avoiding processed foods as often as possible.

Potluck Recipe: Sesame Tahini Cookies

(picture to come soon)
My mission to finish off my jar of tahini was a success, thanks to these cookies! we are having a retreat on friday and were all assigned a type of food to bring by region. Luckily for me, my region was assigned desserts.

The cool thing about these cookies is that they are flourless, too! I've never tried a flourless recipe before, but the dense texture really works for it.

ingredients:
1 cup tahini, stirred well
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sesame seeds

directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat tahini, sugar, egg, baking soda and salt together to combine well. Roll tablespoons of dough into balls. Dampen your hands with water to prevent sticking. Place balls 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten slightly by making cross-hatches on top with the tines of a fork. Sprinkle tops with sesame seeds. Bake cookies until golden on bottom but still soft in the center, about 12 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 5 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool completely.

yields 2 dozen cookies

Open Thread: What's for Lunch?

When you were in school (or if you still are), did you buy your lunch in the cafeteria or bring your own? Did your parents pack it for you, or did you make your own lunch?

For those of us no longer in school, do you normally eat your lunch at a local restaurant and/or get takeout, or do you bring something from home?

I remember school lunch being a rare treat for me in elementary and middle school. My parents and I would go through the menu every month and decide when I would buy lunch and when I would pack my own. I stopped buying school lunch altogether in high school for two reasons: a) I became a vegetarian during my freshman year, and the only options I had were bagels and fries, and b) I once found a roach walking across the cafeteria floor while waiting for fencing practice to start (yes, our team practiced in the cafeteria. you'd think the state champion fencing team would be shown a little more respect).

As a quasi-adult who works full time, I always bring my lunch with my to work. What I actually eat varies, but I always make sure that it includes at least one serving of fruit, one serving of vegetables, and whole grains.

For example, here's what I ate for today's lunch:
a spicy tofu wrap (spinach, baby carrots, and marinated tofu topped with hot sauce and homemade baba ghanouj wrapped in a multigrain tortilla)
Jane's fat free lightly salted popcorn
2 apricots
Annie's bunny fruit snacks

So I'd like to know what you all ate for lunch today!

Recipe: Baba Ghanouj

In my continuing quest to finish off the food in my kitchen, I am trying to make the most of the large jar of tahini sitting in my fridge. I finished off my black bean hummus over the weekend and was going to make some more, but then decided to try something different when I went to whole foods to buy some beans. I ended up buying an eggplant and making baba ghanouj, instead.

ingredients:
1 large eggplant, cut in half lengthwise
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1.5 tbsp olive oil

directions:
preheat oven to 350 degrees. pierce skin of eggplant all over with a fork and place eggplant cut-side down on a baking sheet lined with foil and bake in oven for 20 minutes.
once the eggplant has cooled off, scoop the inside of it into a blender and discard skin. add the tahini, lemon juice, and sesame seeds to blender and puree until smooth. add olive oil and continue to puree until well blended.

yields 1.5 cups

Recipe: Yellow Curried Tofu with Veggies

This was more of an experiment than anything else. I bought a relatively large container of yellow curry paste during my trip to Jungle Jim's and decided it was time to put it to use. There were directions on the back for a typical curry dish, but I altered it to make it vegetarian friendly and cut it down so it only made two servings instead of five. Below is the ingredients and directions for my version of the recipe.

ingredients:
4 tsp yellow curry paste
1/2 tbsp peanut oil
9 tbsp coconut milk, divided
3 tbsp water
2/5 block extra-firm tofu, drained
2 cups broccoli florets
1.5 cups sugar snap peas

directions:
in a wok or large frying pan, stir-fry yellow curry paste, peanut oil, and 6 tbsp coconut milk. add tofu, water, and remaining 3 tbsp coconut milk and bring to a low boil. add broccoli and sugar snap peas, continuing to stir-fry until the vegetables have softened.

I ate this over brown rice, though in hindsight I should have considered using my soba noodles, instead.

weekly food shop

I didn't need a whole lot this week, so I did all my shopping at Whole Foods for this week, mainly because I needed to pick up vegan marshmallows for a camping trip.

here's what I bought:
4 apricots
365 brand organic extra firm tofu
vegan marshmallows
red seedless grapes
light coconut milk

total: $14.31

open thread: why are we hiding nutrients?

Most of the TV watching I do takes place while I'm cooking dinner and waking up in the morning, so I don't pay a whole lot of attention. Lately I've been catching more and more commercials for drinks that "hide" servings of fruits and vegetables.

Personally, I think the idea of disguising servings of fruits and vegetables is completely backwards, especially when it comes to kids. If anything, we need to teach children the importance of eating fruits and vegetables that are purchased fresh and cooked in a way that keeps their nutrients intact (i.e. steaming and grilling instead of frying and boiling).

I'd like to hear everyone else's opinions on this matter!

Spicy Tofu Veggie Wrap

In my continued effort to use the food I already have in my kitchen, I came up with this wrap for lunch. If you choose to make this on your own and follow my exact recipe, be sure to keep a glass of water nearby as you eat this, because calling it spicy is an understatement.

ingredients:
1 8-inch wrap
1 tbsp black bean hummus (recipe featured in an earlier post)
1/2 cup baby spinach
2 baby carrots, sliced thinly
1/2 serving baked tofu
1/2 tsp hot sauce

directions:
spread the hummus evenly on the wrap. top with baby spinach and sliced carrots.
cut baked tofu into strips, then place in wrap. top with hot sauce, then fold and enjoy!

my brands of choice for this recipe:
wrap-tumaro's low in carb reduced fat multi grain tortilla
baked tofu-Soy Deli's baked tofu. This comes in several flavors, and I chose the savory flavor for this. The 5-spiced flavor would work, too.
hot sauce- I bought a bottle of Original Juan's Pain is Good Louisiana Style Hot Sauce at Jungle Jim's, which is what I used. Really, any hot sauce with some flavor would work, though.

Are We Really What We Eat?

The more I read of The Omnivore's Dilemna, the more I think about what I eat. To give you all an idea of what I eat on a typical day, here is a log of everything I ate today:

Breakfast
a bowl of kashi puffs cereal with fat-free half and half
coffee
truvia

Lunch
Veggie Wrap with Tofu (details to come in tomorrow's post)
2 Apricots
Annie's fruit snacks
rice cake with grape jelly (pre-workout snack)

Dinner
red lentils (see earlier posts for recipe)
brown rice
cantaloupe

As I reflected on what I ate today, I realized that the only thing I ate that wouldn't qualify as vegan was the fat-free half and half that I put in my cereal. Despite the fact that my diet is borderline vegan, I don't think I would ever be able to make the commitment to becoming a full-time vegan. I'm not saying that it's a bad idea to go vegan (in fact, I have a lot of respect for those of you who have that willpower). It's just that I like having the option to use dairy products when I need/want to.

I feel like the main reason my diet has evolved to become borderline vegan is because I am making a greater effort to eat more whole foods. I am making a greater effort to avoid processed foods, especially those that contain HFCS and hydrogenated oils. In the process of doing so, I have turned to the produce section of my grocery store.

My new mantra for food is this:
Buy more produce, especially that which is in season and/or grown locally. Avoid HFCS and hydrogenated oils when possible, but don't starve yourself in the process.

The fact of the matter is, not only is produce better when it's in season and/or local, but it's cheaper.

Here is my problem with processed foods: our bodies aren't meant to break down the chemicals used in those foods. One could argue that we've evolved to digest preservatives, dyes, and HFCS, but is that actually a good thing? I often feel better when I eat whole foods: I have more energy and feel healthier.

today's lunch: whole wheat sweet potato gnocchi

i was not as ambitious as i hoped to be when i returned last night from my hoosier weekend, so i didn't make it to the grocery store. i didn't think this would be an issue until I opened my fridge to make my lunch this morning. I stared at the empty fridge for about 30 seconds, then quickly put a plan in action, aka put a pot of water on the stovetop to boil. I boiled 3/4 cup of the gnocchi from Jungle Jim's, then tossed it with 1 Tbsp of my homemade basil pesto, 1 tbsp of grated parmigiano reggiano cheese, and a couple of sundried tomatoes.

This turned out to be a great combination! The pesto is a little on the garlicky side, so the added cheese helps to sweeten it, while the tartness of the sundried tomatoes adds a little punch to it.

Open Thread/Opion Piece: Healthy Eating on the Road

A recent guest blogger on Mrs. Q's Fed Up With School Lunch blog (you can find the link on my blog roll) discussed the lack of nutrition in convenience store food. This is far from news to me. I remember the feeling of disgust towards the junk food stocked at the local 24 hour convenience store near my college's campus, especially after I returned from a semester abroad in France. European convenience stores always feature fresh fruits and vegetables. I still look back fondly on a family trip to Italy, during which we stopped a rest stop while driving from Venice to Florence (worst idea ever. Never drive in that country unless you are native to the area or learned how to drive in Chicago). I was starving, so you could imagine how enthralled I was to see a full salad bar that even offered fresh fruit.

In preparation for my drive to Indiana, I stocked up on healthy snacks. I went to a local health store and bought a sesame cookie, a luna snack cookie, and shelled pistachios. The morning before I left, I ran to a grocery store and bought a bag of red grapes. This was more than enough to last the 7 hour drive, and I didn't even eat the cookies.

To prepare for the drive back to Wisconisn, I bought a bag of dried kiwis and a bag of pumpkin seeds at Jungle Jim's. When I stopped at Meijer's to fill up my gas tank before leaving this morning, I was shocked by what I saw inside the convenience store: fresh apples and bananas! And they were ripe, too! I bought a banana for the road, which came out to a mere quarter. It definitely came in handy when I was stuck in traffic outside of Gary.

I'd like to know what you all bring on road trips. Do you ever give in and buy snacks at convenience stores, or do you always pre-pack your road trip munchies?

Happy Fourth!

Happy Fourth of July, everyone!

Unfortunately, my friends are without a grill, so we are having the closest thing we can to a cookout by boiling corn and hot dogs/tofu dogs.

For those of you who are lucky enough to have access to a grill, what are you having for your cookout today?

A Field Trip Fit for a Foodie

This weekend I am visiting my alma mater, which is located in Indiana, just on the border of Ohio. Those of us who were lucky enough to have cars while attending college took advantage of this by taking day trips to various locations in Ohio, including Dayton, Columbus, and Oxford. If you were anything like me, though, you lived for the rare trips to Jungle Jim's, a large international supermarket located by Hamilton.

There's no words to describe the feeling you get when you walk inside Jungle Jim's for the first time. Depending on how old you are, it's likely that your first stop will be their liquor department. To say that it is well-stocked would be an understatement. They have wine, beer, and hard liquor from everywhere. And I mean everywhere. I picked up a bottle of red bicyclette rose wine, which is from the pays d'oc region of france. I wanted to get a bottle of funky llama shiraz, which is from argentina, but they were out of the shiraz. My bottle of French wine was only $6.

Their grocery section is also mind-blowingly well-stocked. They have an incredible selection of hot sauces, some of which are kept under lock and key. I easily spent 20 minutes trying to decide on coffee beans (I ended up getting a bag of Jamaican coffee and a bag of Kona blend coffee).

But here's the best thing about this store: if you look around, the prices are very reasonable. I bought an eight ounce resealable container of yellow curry for $2 and a large packet of thai fruit flavored agar (vegan jello...I'm not vegan, but I don't eat gelatin) for under a dollar. I also bought a jar of sun-dried tomatoes, a bottle of Louisiana hot sauce, a large container of whole wheat sweet potato gnocchi, a bar of venezuelan chocolate, a small box of salted margarita caramels, a package of dried kiwis, and a decent sized bag of pumpkin seeds. My total came out to something around $40.

Notice

Just to let you all know, I will be heading to Indiana for Independance Day weekend, so my posts will be backlogged. Don't worry, I haven't abandoned this blog!

Have a happy and safe holiday, everybody!

Reinventing the Personal Pizza

Last night I went to a bikram yoga class for the first time. I was told not to eat anything 2 hours before the class, which would have been ok if the class wasn't from 7:30-9:00pm. Needless to say, I was starving when I got home.

Here's the thing, though: when I opened my fridge, I realized I had nothing leftover that I could heat up easily. I don't know what caused the next few actions, but the next thing I knew, I had created my own personal pizza from scratch.

using whole wheat pita bread as the base, I smothered a Tbsp of my homemade roasted red pepper pesto on top as the sauce. My cheeses of choice this time were reduced sodium mozzarella cheese and parmigiano reggiano, topped with fresh basil, yellow bell pepper, and zucchini. I then popped it in the oven at 400 degrees for 12 minutes, and voila! homemade pizza.