Recipe Use

thanks to a large amount of pasta that I need to work through before it all expires (mmm, whole wheat gnocchi...), it may be awhile before I go food shopping. So to keep things alive, I'm doing a quasi-open thread.

What I'd like to know is if any of you have tried some of the recipes I've posted? If so, which ones in particular did you try? What was the end result?

Open Thread and Kitchen Update

My dad recently shared with me that according to a New York Times article, it's looking as if people will no longer be able to purchase soda with foodstamps in the near future.

Part of me is ecstatic about this. I gave up soda a year ago and have zero regrets. There's no health benefits to drinking it and that stuff makes me bloat to next tuesday. On the other hand, one of the great things about foodstamps is that it gives you the freedom to eat what you want to. If people want to blow their foodstamp balance on chips and cookies, they can. If they want to spend it on fruits and vegetables, they can do that, too.

Thoughts? That is, if anyone is still out there reading this...

update: I'm fully moved in to my new apartment now, and the gas is getting set up on tuesday! get ready for some recipes, folks!

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!

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?

open thread: canning/preserving food

Earlier today I had a discussion with a coworker about preserving food. This is something that I've been experiencing more often now, since I've been making my own pesto with my basil and am looking to start making pico de gallo and salsa with my cilantro soon. I saw some strawberries on sale for cheap at a local grocery store and am considering making strawberry jam soon.

Is making your own sauces/preserves something that others do frequently? What are your favorite things to jar? How do you preserve them (freezer, refrigerator, etc)?

Foodstamp Regulations

I will be moving at the end of the summer to the east coast for grad school. Part of the moving process (for me, at least) is trying to figure out whether or not I'll still qualify for food stamps and how soon I can apply. I know that several of you who read my blog are from states outside of Wisconsin, and I'd like you to share what the regulations are for your states: what you can/cannot buy, what your monthly income has to be, etc.

How to Eat Healthy on a Tight Budget, According to a Dietician (along with my opinions, of course)

I frequent livestrong.com for recipes and articles on a regular basis. So when I found an article entitled "The Cheapest and Most Nutritious Foods" advertised on their homepage, I had no choice but to read it.

Below are the four foods listed in the article, and whether or not I agree with the arguments.

1. Oats
Yes, they are cheap and versatile. But are they nutritious? If consumed in the form on plain oatmeal prepared with water, yes. But how often is that the case? While there are ways to add extra flavor to your oatmeal while keeping it healthy (dried fruits and nuts are my favorite examples), it is more common for people to pour on the maple syrup and spoon on the brown sugar.

2. Bananas
Bananas are constantly offered at 69 cents per pound at a large grocery store near me, so it's clear that they're cheap. However, I am torn over whether or not I would consider them nutritious. Yes, they offer tons of vitamins. However, those vitamins also come with tons of carbs, which isn't helpful if you're trying to lose weight. At the same time, it does give you a long-lasting boost of energy, making it perfect for the 4:00 pick-me-up. I used to eat a banana with my lunch every day, but stopped buying them because I was getting fed up with them going bad before I could eat them all.

3. Frozen Vegetables
Those of you who have read my blog thoroughly know that this is something I purchase often. The further I get into The Omnivore's Dilemna, the more I realize that I need to be smarter about the kind of frozen vegetables I purchase. In an attempt to consume fewer preservatives, I'm no longer buying green giant just for ones. I recently bought a bag of frozen veggies at pick 'n save with zero preservatives. So basically, I agree with this addition to the list.

4. Sweet Potatoes
I'll say it-I love sweet potatoes. Especially in burritos. And for pasta sauce. Heck, I'll eat one baked with some fresh dill. According to livestrong.com, one medium sweet potato is only 100 calories and packed with vitamins A and C, as well as calcium, iron, and a moderate amount of fiber. They're pretty low in carbs, too. No reason for these babies not to be on the list, as far as I'm concerned.

Here is the link to the article:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/126693-cheapest-nutritious-foods/

so what do you think? do you agree with me/the article? I want to hear your opinions!

Open Thread: Whole Foods

Recently a friend sent me a link to this article:
http://www.postbourgie.com/2010/06/02/skinny-people-shop-at-whole-foods

As someone who frequents Whole Foods, I'd like to point out that this study would have very different results if done in Milwaukee. I'd like to see this study done in multiple cities instead of just Seattle.

I'd like to hear the opinions of everyone else on this article. So go ahead and read it and post your reaction in a comment! I promise I'll read them all and try to respond to everyone, too.