Veggie Tales

I took so long to write mostly because school is hard and I had a tough semester, but also because in the midst of this my oldest daughter decided to be a vegetarian. Out of the blue. And also a Buddhist.

It's all good, I can roll with just about anything these days. Except being a vegetarian is hard. It's actually kind of a pain in the butt and for someone who thought she was the hippest mom in the room most days that's kind of embarrassing. Ah well, at least I was the only mom in the room most of those days.

My problem was I would cook three or four sides then stare at the empty spot where the meat used to go. I'd ask friends and often complete strangers what I should do. Universally they always suggested eggplant parm. It's very tasty, for sure, but more than tree times and it gets old. Sad that I tried anyway, huh?

Heres what I learned; Make a grain dish, a soup dish, a different kind of salad and fruit at every dinner. You need to remember to also eat a heck of a lot of beans. In fact beans and rice for two meals a day. Don't substitute bread for meat. It will make you way fat. The last thing I learned and the weirdest was that everyone takes vegetarianism very personally.There's nothing like going to class  and giving a presentation in Spanish about it and being accosted in the hallway about it in English afterwards.

"You don't have to be a vegetarian just because your daughter is, you know."
"Yeah, I don't have to do anything but pay taxes and die, pretty much"
"I mean, if your daughter is a Buddhist she is SUPPOSED to understand"
"Yeah, she's ten and she does and I think I got her back on this one. She's not making us get matching tattoos or anything"
"I mean it's a personal choice!"
"So is  deciding to back out of this conversation. I gotta go. My dog has split ends?"
"What?"
"Nothing, I think my mom is calling on my cell"

This was an honest to goodness conversation.

The reality of the situation is it is hard to make sure that everyone gets what they need nutritionally here. It makes for a little extra work. I have to see that my daughter gets plenty of healthy protein and that she eats slightly more.

As a parent it is more than simply supporting her choice, it is making healthy choices for my whole family. It has been good for us I am sure, but I don't look like the shining hero when I mess up yet another unfamiliar dish, or forget whole segments of a meal or run out of food by the middle of the week.

I'm OK with it. I am, because I know making the decisions every day to honor the choices of everyone in the family and to honor life are good, sound ones even if I mess it up sometimes.

So, here is where I ask for your help. Please send good recipes along to me! I will pass them along too!

Eat well and enjoy life!

Moving and Still Eating Well?

OK, it's been like a month since we moved so about time for some new stuff.

It was hard moving and keeping to the plan. I have to admit we ate out more than I would have liked.

So here are some tips about moving and keeping healthy. First I would like to suggest buying a water filter that attaches to your sink. It really saves money on water costs. Since you are moving anyway it's a good time to install one on your new faucet. I also recommend taking a day to prepare several meals you can freeze and move  to the new place so you can just heat them up in a flash while you are busy unpacking.

For added fun during our move our car broke down. I learned a loooooot about buying groceries and transporting them on the bus. It takes two trips to really do it right. Buy three or four of those bags you keep cause they carry a lot more weight than the plastic or paper bags at the store. Shop for frozen foods and produce together and buy your dry and canned goods on another trip. Invest in one of those water bags you can freeze and put it at the bottom of your shopping bag before you go. It will keep your stuff fresh on a summer day while you are waiting in the hot sun.

Cereal, nuts and dried fruits are good buys because they are light weight and give you a lot of nutritional bang for your buck. Other grains such as cous cous and quinoa are good for the same reason. Forget juice for the time being, stick to water and milk. Tea is a good choice because you don't have to buy it pre-made.

This sounds like crazy talk, but maintain a positive attitude in this situation because doing this kind of labor really can take a toll on your moral. While the majority of bus drivers were kind to us, one or two actually intentionally gave us poor directions or told us incorrect drop off points leaving us stranded in the middle of nowhere. I was also stunned at what complete strangers will utter in the presence of little girls. 

 I have to say my kids were super heroes during this time. They pitched in without a single complaint. My eldest worked hard to carry things,  help manage the bus schedules and to keep her little sister entertained and quiet.

Well I hope this helps and was worth the wait! Keep cooking!

The Monster Health Book: A Guide to Eating Healthy, Being Active & Feeling Great for Monsters & Kids!

The Veggie Debate

OK, a big complaint is that produce is so costly that it prevents us all from eating healthy thus paving the way for fast food companies to tempt us with their cheap fattening food.

Here's what I did.  I collected this weeks supermarket flyer's and put together a one day menu using only the items in the flyer.

Produce:
Grapes: .98 per pound
Apples: 2.48 per 3 pounds
Nectarines:.98 per pound
Oranges: 1.28 per pound
Corn: 5 ears for 1.00
Red Raspberries: (super duper deal) .99 per 5-6 oz
Green Leaf Lettuce: 1.00 per head
Carrots: 3.00 per 2 pounds
Tomatoes: 1.99 per pound

Staples:
Bread: 3.00 for 2 loaves
Buns: .99 per 8
Cereal: 2.14 per 1 box

Dairy:
Milk: 3.00 per gallon
Cheese: 2.50 per 8 slices(yes, real cheese)
Yogurt: 2.00

Misc.(condiments and stuff): 2.00

Breakfast: Rasberry smoothies and cereal
Lunch: Turkey sandwiches with lettuce , tomatoes and cheese and carrots on the side.
Dinner: Cheeseburgers with corn and salad. Fruit salad for dessert.

Total Price: 20.28

Now, I know what you are thinking. You added all the items in the cart and came up with a higher amount. Well, sure, if you use a gallon of milk for four bowls of cereal and go through two pounds of carrots a day, then that would be a looot more expensive. No, I  divided the items per unit and added the amount of units for the total. This was the total for all items for a family of four.

Now suppose a family of four went to a fast food joint three times a day and ordered off the dollar menu. When you are out, you have to pay for drinks unless you have a water faucet in your car, right? So, three dollars a person for a total of twelve bucks per meal, twelve times three..that's 36 bucks. For crap. Deep fried in crap.

No excuses. As my daughter would say ; "Do the math!"

Angel Food Ministries

Check em out yourself folks, They offer food packages at incredibly low prices. There are no income requirements or restrictions of any kind and they accept food stamps. Chances are there is a host site near where you live.

Shameless plug for a good organization.

They even have a allergy free food package Amanda!

Much love to my friends.

Split in Half-in theory

Vegan with a Vengeance : Over 150 Delicious, Cheap, Animal-Free Recipes That RockThis week I'll be doing something very simple. I filmed a boring home made video demonstrating that the value of soda is the same per equal unit as the value of milk.

 You may ask why I would do such a thing. Well, my friend Chuck sent me a link for an article about  a typical family having trouble with grocery bills. One of the claims the mother made was that soda was cheaper than milk. So I broke it down for you all...stay tuned next week when I debunk the myth of veggies, are they budget busters or is that b.s?

4th of July BBQ

This week in honor of 4th of July I decided to try BBQ.

I was limited because we don't own a grill, but I did decide I could try pulled pork after looking over the menu of a "famous" local BBQ joint. The BBQ place sells the lunch plate for eight bucks and offers two sides, drink on the side.

First thing I'll do is break down how much I spent on ingredients:

boneless pork ribletts-4.95
1 head cabbage-.69
1 bag organic carrots-1.59
1 onion-.25
1 can tomato paste-.79
1pkg buns-2.50
1 can beef broth -.85
1 lb spinach-.79
4 ears corn-.80
1 gallon tea-2.50
misc-2.50

Those are the ingredients for pulled pork sandwiches, corn , spinach, cole slaw and ice tea to drink. Some of the ingredients can be used more than once for a family of four. It takes some and discipline, but you can plan around the extra ingredients. For instance, the hamburger buns will come in handy for mushroom burgers later in the week. The other half of the cabbage is a nice side  with other meals. I only needed about three carrots.And we have never had a whole gallon of tea in one sitting. Good gravy, what that would do to my kidneys. OK ,so figuring a few of the ingredients are used for other meals the price for the whole meal for four people came to....$11.29. Man, there where a lot of left overs! Had the same thing for lunch for four the next day.

Here's how I did it. It's easy to do in the crock pot which is a real time saver. I took the pork and a quarter cup water and cooked it for several hours on high by themselves. Next I mixed the tomato paste,  half a can beef broth, some molasses(about a tablespoon), some brown sugar, eighth of a cup apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper and threw them all in the crock pot. While that was cooking I made cole slaw but finely dicing cabbage, onions and carrots together and adding enough mayo to cover and a splash of vinegar. I threw that into the fridge to chill and then took a chill break myself. When the pork was pull apart tender I turned the crock pot to low and heated up some spinach with a little bit of onion and a left over piece of bacon.  The corn is easy enough, either boil it up or roast it shuck and all for a good half hour in the oven.

When the BBQ was cooked through I pulled it apart with a fork,  and mixed it well with the sauce. I served the sandwiches Memphis style which apparently means putting the cole slaw on the whole messy sandwich. I'm thinking I shoud name this sandwich the "kitchen sink sandwich because you should eat it over the sink with your sleeves rolled  up! The sides and drink you know about, not that exciting, but another success I think. I tried this time to give more information and I hope it helps.

Happy healthy cooking all! Have a wonderful 4th!

Just a bit about me...

Food, Inc.

I am a 42 year old home maker, full time student, and mother of two.

Just like you I don't have a lot of time on my hands. In between classes, chores, girl scout meetings, and homework I have to squeeze in time to make a few meals for the family. Since I have a two year old I have an extra selective eater in the house. I am fortunate to have a nine year old who is excited to try new things. She asked me to teach her to cook this summer which dovetails very neatly with this little project.

I also imagine that my budget is similar to most folks. That is, it is tight as a drum. We don't have money for "extras" like health care or mortgage payments.

I am always amused by well meaning budget advice that involves cutting things that haven't existed in this house since long before the recession. Cut out going to the movies? No problem! Did that like five years ago. Cancel cable, presto! It's gone as of.....2007. We have a cell phone month-to-month so we don't pay for long distance. We have the cheapest Internet plan out there. Anybody who knows us knows we aren't stashing jewels or fur coats in the mattresses. We live simply and cheaply.

Having deficits of money and health care are excellent reasons to be very careful about what we eat. Eating healthy saves on medical bills and it saves on grocery bills. That is the hope anyway. Tune in and see for yourself....

Spaghetti Dinner

Great Depression Cooking with Clara (season 1)

OK, my first meal comparison:

I cooked a pound of spaghetti noodles, topped with a gourmet sauce on sale for $2.50 and Parmesan cheese. Oddly, the thing that drove the price up was the four ounces of organic beef. The thing is, the take home message from one of those inspiring documentaries was ; Don't eat meat unless you like the taste of poop. Really the way meat is processed and handled can not be described on a pg blog.

On the side I warmed a loaf of plain french bread and gave it a roasted pepper and garlic spread made from scratch. I also served salad with vinaigrette dressing and sweet tea to drink. There was no high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweetener in any of the bottled products. The dressing did contain soy bean oil, but, baby steps.

The only ingredients listed in the sauce were tomatoes, olive oil, salt, garlic, onions, mushrooms and wine. The sweet tea contained tea, water, and pure cane sugar.

My total cost for the food and drinks was $11.05

I compared with a national Italian chain known for cheap food and big portions. For a similar meal minus the bread the total cost for spaghetti, salad and drinks was $33.88 for a family of four. They might throw in free bread sticks, but don't count on it.

So far, success! You can see from the picture there was plenty to eat. And before you ask, yes there was a fourth plate, but the babys food doesnt look as pretty on her plain plastic plate. I even had left overs that will be perfect reheated for dinner before school tomorrow.

My husbands only comment when I asked him if he could taste a difference was :

"I can't taste poop or corn, but otherwise exactly the same!" That's what I get for asking him I guess!

If you would like to know the brands I used please reply with e-mail and I will happily pass on my information!

Thanks and keep reading!

First blog about food

Alice in Wonderland

My intention with this blog is to find out how plausible it is to eat more cheaply at home than from fast food establishments. After seeing some fairly frightening documentaries about food, how it is made and what it is made into I decided to make some lifestyle changes. My main contention with all of these documentaries was the idea that eating at micketywhatwhats was cheaper than buying fresh food bought at the store and prepared at home.

To be honest, the documentaries weren't my only motivation. At 42 I have become decidedly plump. I definitely am a fan of fast food. I understand that it is fattening, I know its bad for my heart and I am vowing to systematically cut it out of my diet. I am not giving any chicken scratch excuses that I am fat because the fast food industry has duped me into believing their food is good for me. We all know deep down at the bottom of our fat clogged hearts this isn't true. There are a lot of things in my life I can't control. I can't control, death, taxes, or the price of gas. One of the only things I can reliably control is what I put into my own mouth.

So, now what? Now I will make periodic posts listing pictures and price breakdowns of various meals cooked in my own home. I intend to price compare with dollar menus and full price menu's of popular fast food joints. I make no claims about the calorie count or nutrition of my meals.

I am certain I will be eating healthier, but I also realize the futility of trying to eat 100 percent organic, nutritious home cooked meals. To start with I am well aware I am still up against genetic engineering, bio science, pesticides. I will make every effort to choose organic locally produced food whenever I can. And I sincerly hope that I can find and prove that no one need be a slave to fast food for the price.