Boldly Venturing Into the Unknown (or buying groceries, whatever)

This past Saturday I ventured into our "local" (I.E. a solid 20 minutes away) Whole Foods Market for the first time. It was quite the experience. In fact, I was completely nervous about it. Once I stepped inside, I was at once comforted and uncomfortable for the same reason: There was so much good stuff to see and try! On some aisles, it was almost like shopping in a foreign country. I'm always up for a good adventure--after all, what is the point of life if we're always to stay in our comfort zone?--so I heroically charged ahead and have some observations to share with you all.

A few things I learned:
1. Not everything in a Whole Foods store is organic OR good for you. I kind of knew this going in, but you really have still have to be careful about product labeling as well as calorie & fat content--particularly with vegetarian items. (Can anyone say Amy's Organic burritos? Oh, my: the fat!) Going to the WF store does not simultaneously grant a license to purchase everything you see. It was still my responsibility to be a good consumer.
2. Some things at the WF store are also available at your normal grocery store--for a much better price. I did a lot of scouting while I was there, making notes of their brands and prices to compare to what I might pay at Walmart.
3. Shopping at a WF showed me things I didn't know I needed. I kept seeing things that I didn't realize I'll need to start buying, like organic flour and sugar. (BTW, I read that wheat is among the foods ranked highest by the EPA for pollutant contamination. Can you believe that?) As I made these discoveries, I also made a note for myself to look for and price them at Walmart as well.
3. WF stores have a "store" brand as well...and it is generally much cheaper. My, I learned this lesson quickly!
4. The Whole Foods Store is for cooks. Yes, they have many quick and easy meals too, but probably the most unexpected and best surprise of all was my discovery that the WF store carries many ingredients for recipes that I have not yet found anywhere else, particularly in regards to Asian dishes and spices in general. I now proudly have fish sauce in my cabinet that I plan to use in a Pad Thai recipe I found this week.
5. I'm so excited to try new things! Since I went in with a grocery list (recommended!), I didn't grab very many new items to try, but I did come away with ideas for a few new dishes to add to our menu.

Unexpected perks:
1. Awesome paper bags. At first I felt guilty for using a store's bags (and I probably will go ahead and bring my big canvas tote next time), but these babies are 100% post-consumer recycled and were quite useful later in the week when I took a meal to some friends who have a new-addition (actually TWO new additions--twins!).
2. Whole Foods Market has a deli-style restaurant. This is probably common knowledge to all of you, but I'm REALLY excited to head back sometime for a bite to eat with my honey.
 

My loot, carted away via the tiny little double decker grocery cart (which I found VERY handy when navigating through the crowded aisles).

Best Finds:
1. Locally made honey
2. FISH SAUCE!
3. Baked snap peas - They are crispy like chips, and Laila loves them!
4. Organic yogurt - the only kind I can find at our Walmart is Greek style, which is good but not all the time.

Alas, Disappointment
1. I didn't find a lot of veggies we can eat out-of-hand for snacks. Fruit was abundant, but I wanted some fresh sugar snap peas. :(
2. Pricing. It's expensive. Though we've made the decision that it's worth it to invest in good quality food for our family, it's going to take me a bit to grow accustomed to the higher prices. At the same time, I will continue to look for good options in our local grocery stores, who continue to carry more and more organic items.

In other news, I made my first tofu dish. I used a Pad Thai boxed meal, and added my own tofu. We surprisingly really liked it! Though I do feel like I now have a strange marine animal living in my refrigerator. Did you know you have to cover leftover tofu with water and change it daily? What!! I'm learning so much.

A few recipe recommendations:

• Empanadas - I think these would be good with ANYTHING inside of them, but the key seemed to be using a good salsa. I used corn and black bean, which was delicious. Another idea would be to plan these for the day after a taco bar so you can use up your leftovers. The avacado salad they recommend in the recipe makes a good compliment...but so did fresh guacamole! Just use a pastry blender to mash up the avacadoes; add a splash of lime, a few teaspoons of finely chopped onion, some ground cumin and salt. Pretty tasty!
• Mom's Tuna Mac Casserole - Such a yummy comfort food for this time of year. I made this with organic ingredients (except for the mayo & cream of celery) and some sustainably caught tuna (which I found at Kroger). It was gone within 24 hours! You can add whatever veggies you'd like. We used a truckload of chopped broccoli and it turned out great (measurement approximate).
  INGREDIENTS:
  1 Box Mac & Cheese (Annie's is a good brand)
  1 can tuna
  1/3 cup milk
  1/4 cup mayo or salad dressing
  1 can cream of celery soup - updated 1/26/2011. I'm sorry I left this out initially!
  1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  1 cup shredded cheese (we like cheddar)
  1 tablespoon butter
  1 teaspoon paprika
  2 slices bread, chopped
  DIRECTIONS:
  Preheat oven to 350. Spray 2 quart casserole dish with nonstick spray. Boil macaroni noodles until tender; drain. Mix together all but the last three ingredients (including the cheese packet for the macaroni) and put in prepared dish. In medium bowl, melt butter. Mix in paprika, then add bread and stir to coat. Top casserole with bread and bake for 25 minutes. Enjoy!

Future blog topics that I'm milling about in my mind:

• A toddler (namely, mine) in the midst of a dietary transition
• Food-righteousness
• All Natural vs. Organic foods
• Seemingly unrelated, I've also been thinking a lot today about adoption, especially after I read another article in Christianity Today called "Abba Changes Everything" by Russell D. Moore. This is a topic that's been weighing on our minds for several months now. I hope to add my thoughts about it later.

You'll have to wait for those, though, as my aforementioned toddler is now rousing from her nap. :)

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think, either by commenting here or just checking one of the boxes below.

Snow Day Fare & Other Thoughts

  

Behold, it has snowed in the South!



L is still getting the hang of self-portraits.



 



 

On this quiet, snow blanketed day, I decided that some good comfort food would be appropriate. For lunch, I made red beans and rice with cornbread, all from scratch. The more I cook, the more I find that I enjoy it. It's like Amy Adams' character said in Julie and Julia: After a hard day, it's wonderful to be able to come home and prepare something amazing just by following simple directions. No matter how out of control things have felt during the day, I am (generally) in complete control of what comes out of the oven and off the burners...and then there's the added bonus of feeding my family good, nutritious food.



I also took advantage of the wintry day to begin reading one of the four giant (cook)books on vegetarianism that I checked out from the public library: Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison. I've only read the introduction and skimmed through some of the recipes, but I really like what I've found so far--and not just about vegetarianism. Her ideals on eating are really refreshing. She talks about the dinner table being a natural place of fellowship "where family members and friends are most likely to find out what's going on in one another's lives" and concludes that "Something always happens at the table." It's so true! I'm grateful for the practice that Mike and I make of sitting AT the table for dinner each night. Once I get into Madison's actual recipes, I'll let you know my full opinion on her work. :)

 

I know I have felt better physically since we have been eating more conscientiously and drinking plenty of water. It's pretty difficult to make at least 50% of our diet raw veggies--especially at this time of year--but I think we're doing okay. I can definitely see how someone could overdose on carrots (shout-out to Tammy, lol). 

 

In the meantime, check out a few Other Recipe Recommendations, made with ingredients that are in season this time of year:

• Butternut Squash Lasagna - It took FOREVER to chop up the butternut squash. If you're short on time, you can find it already chopped in your produce department (which I didn't know...until AFTERwards). Otherwise, it doesn't take much time to put the rest of the ingredients together. This recipe makes enough for two 8x8 pans (or one 9x11, I'd imagine). I made one 8x8 and froze the other for later. It was PLENTY for our little family.
• Honey-Roasted Root Vegetables - SO simple, SO good. This marks the first time I EVER bought parsnips!
• Citrus Salad with Honey & Mint - Like the recipe above, it can't get any simpler. I even skipped the mint.

 

Also--I wanted to mention that this blog is not intended to always be about food; it's simply what is most on my mind right now since we are in the middle of a dietary transition, so to speak. But be ready to shift gears at a moment's notice...or with no notice at all! :)



2084, a Year to Die

I know, what a morose title for a blog entry--but stick with me, I have a point. I think. 



For the past several years, my Mom and Dad have been going through their own journey of health/wellness (Aren't they cute? High school sweethearts). They are both pretty young (not even 50 yet!) and in good physical condition, but they seem to have come to realization that remaining in good condition over the next 50 years is going to take some serious conscientiousness on their part. They have done a lot of thinking and researching and are making some really wise choices about their diet and activities. I'm proud of them! Our family has unavoidably been quite influenced by their journey, and we've decided we are ready to begin making some changes--particularly in the way we eat.



Now, a disclaimer: I am not a crazy health freak. I have never actually shopped at a Whole Foods Market (though I do plan on visiting one in the next week or so) and I don't buy organic, with the exception of meat and milk. The intention of this blog is not to take a stand or challenge anyone--though if you feel challenged, I do absolutely encourage you to start digging for information as we have--rather, the intention of this blog is for my own personal exploration to discover what is best for me and my family. The views expressed here are fledgling at best; we have a lot to learn!

We've made a few very hesitant decisions so far:

1. We will eat meatless meals with simple ingredients. We haven't really defined a time period for this, but I'm thinking 2011 would be a good start. I'm really hesitant with the term vegetarian. I don't really know what it means, and it has honestly had a negative connotation in my mind for so long that I'm wary of it. Just being truthful.

2. We will make sure that 51% of each of our meals is composed of fresh, raw veggies. We're also going to try to stick with seasonal fruits and veggies when possible. This may prove to be difficult!

3. We will buy organic when possible. One of my hang-ups about buying organic so far has been the price difference--which honestly still makes me cringe--but we feel like it's a good investment for the health of our family.

4. We will drink more water each day.

 1 January 2011, lunch--carrots; apple slices; edamame; Red Onion, Potato, and Goat Cheese Pizza. The Goat Cheese Pizza only rated 3 out of 5 stars on the Cooking Light website, but we LOVED it! I made the crust super thin and used 1.5 cups of mozzarella and 4 oz of goat cheese, then sprinkled parsley flakes on top. Yum!

Michael shows Laila how to eat edamame. She loved squishing the soybeans out of the pod, but when we told her she had to actually eat the beans, she pronounced them "shucky."

You might be wondering: How did such a sweet, innocent, omnivorous family turn down THIS path?? I could go on again about reasons; instead, I'll invite you to begin reading where we started: Christianity Today's "A Feast Fit for a King" and related article "The Grim Realities of Factory Farms."  

We don't really know where this is going to lead us just yet, and we know for certain we don't have all the answers, but we're excited about the path ahead. It all boils down to the fact that we are tired of being sick and tired. We want to live long, healthy lives.

In the year 2084, I will be 100 years old. Not such a bad time to die.