Know Your Ingredients....Sugars

So..we all like sugar. For many of us, naturally sweet foods such as fruits somehow are not sweet enough. It s possible that super sweetened processed foods have become the "norm" for our spoikled taste buds. Here may be a reason why. Be a food detective and scan the list of ingredients on packaged food.....anything from cold cereals to ketchup to bottled salad dressings. It may surprise you to see that besides sugar, brown sugar and corn syrup, many of the listed ingredients end in "ose". Anything ending with the suffix "ose" is a sugar. There is sucrose (table sugar), maltose, dextrose, lactose (milk sugar), glucose, fructose (fruit sugar) and galactose. There is also molasses, dried beet juice (a disingenuous attempt to disguise white sugar made sugar beets), dried cane juice (another disingenuous attempt to disguise cane sugar). It is possible that over 50% of the ingredients in many packaged foods are sugars. You may also find that 'modified corn starch' and high fructose corn syrup' is in just about everything...really. Modified corn starch is not exactly a sugar but is metabolized somewhat similarly. I want to know why I need so much sugar and corn syrup in my ketchup!!!!

Love Those Two-fors!!!!

Love Those Two-fors!!!
I love my grocer’s specials and coupons. You can easily save 25% and more on your monthly grocery bill by taking advantage of two-for-ones, buying staples in bulk and using coupons. Realistically, most manufacturers’ coupons are for toiletries and junk food. A better find are your local grocers ‘deals of the week’ on dairy, meat, vegetables and staples. Many grocers now offer items labeled organic, although these are less often ‘on sale’ (as opposed to ‘for sale’). Spend 5 minutes at the beginning of the week checking out the advertisements in your local newspaper. Find where the specials are, then plan your menu for the week accordingly. Be a little smart about ‘the math’ as ‘sale items’ are not always a good deal. Make a list or circle the items on your flyer; this helps you to stick to your budget when you are in the store. It’s a smart idea not to grocery shop when you or your kids are hungry. Sometimes a trip to more than one store is an advantage, but this may not be feasible if the transportation costs outstrip your savings. If your finances and space allow, take advantage of the specials of the week and purchase a bit more to freeze or store in your pantry. Remember the lemons? I bought those at the end of the summer 5/$1.00. Two are still in my freezer waiting to be enjoyed.

TIP: Defrost lemons whole in the micro wave (careful they get really hot!) or on your countertop in a small dish. Use the juice in place of bottled…it’s much better tasting. One lemon has approx 2 Tbsp juice. The zest or peel is easiest to grate frozen and is delicious in baked goods.

Love Your Freezer

I love that I live in an age where I can freeze stuff....all kinds of stuff. Did you know that you can freeze lemons? (and then have fresh lemon juice or zest in winter....in Wisconsin..... without paying exorbitant prices!?!) Yep, I freeze lemons, extra chopped onions, all kinds of herbs, vegetable peelings for vegetable stock, ham bones, bread, cookies (!) as well as the more usual things that normal people freeze....like meats that go on sale, vegetables and an occasional pizza. Judicious use of your freezer is unbelievably convenient. You can take advantage of sale items and freeze some for later use, thus saving cash and your time. You can make extra black or pinto beans for chili, an extra pot of soup, an extra lasagne (if you are making one, why not two?) or a sauce base like a curry or a creole to freeze now and pull out later for a fast dinner. If you have a garden, you can preserve home grown vegetables (you know if chemicals have been put on it and how fresh it was when you froze it). There ARE a few items that do not freeze well....noodles being one but for the most part, anything you freeze can be an ingredient to a cooked dish. You may want to keep an inventory of sorts so you don't find interesting food-like substances in bags lurking in the far recesses of your freezer. I still find an occasional surprise, but......... I love my freezer!!!!!

Cooking as a Craft

Learn to Cook, we should. It's that simple. It is important for us to learn this basic craft for our health and for our pocketbook. I have recently been thinking about the lost art of craftsmanship in so much of our current hurry-up, throw away society.. Many of us think about woodworkers, silversmiths or artists as craftspeople, but there is craft involved in anything you attempt to do well, including cooking. Most importantly, there is a great deal of personal satisfaction in the process of becoming good at something. Notice how I said process. Cooking is a craft, and can be an art. The amount of time that you spend teaching yourself how to make basic foods becomes an adventure and improves your cooking craftiness. If you don't know where to start, get a book on basic cooking from your library and read the recipes. Reading recipes teaches that certain cooking techniques and processes can be lumped together. It helps you organize your thoughts and understand the processes involved in cooking. This is the craft. If you don't like to read, ask a friend who cooks to show you how to make a white sauce, boil noodles or saute vegetables. Anything you cook that does not come out of a box or a package can improve your health and improves your process; your personal cooking craft. Who knows, your cooking may even turn into your art!

Marty

Learn to Make a Chicken

My family situation has changed dramatically in the last five years as children have moved out and are fending for themselves. When my oldest son moved to Los Angeles,he figured he could survive on Ramen noodles (yech!) on the cheap. Yes, they were cheap, but certainly not healthy and a steady diet was becoming monotonous. A room mate decided she was going to help him out by teaching him to make a chicken. Bless Miranda! Even at age 21, she had the right idea. So here are some thoughts on chicken making. If you roast a chicken, you have a very nice dinner and leftovers. Leftovers turn into a variety of meals such as chicken in a white sauce, chicken casserole, chicken tostadas, Caesar salad with chicken etc. For a 6-7 pound chicken, 1-2 meals for 4 are possible from the leftovers. AND...don't forget about the rest of the chicken. Homemade chicken stock from the carcass is a thousand percent better tasting than from a can. Making a stock is not rocket science. You add water to cover the bones in a large pot with a stalk of celery, a chunked carrot and a half onion. Bring it to a simmer and let it go for an hour or two. Strain out all the bones and vegetables and what you have left is chicken stock; a very healthy, homemade delicious base for soups. You can even freeze the stock, (or the carcass for that matter) for another time. So, from Miranda's chicken, we have a fancy weekend meal, two 'leftover' meals and a big pot of soup! Certainly better than Ramen noodles and probably less expensive.

Marty

Rule # 1

It's true, if you ENJOY your food, you are satisfied with less and it is easier to maintain a healthy weight. Have you noticed how much better a meal or a snack tastes when you take the time to eat it? Slow down......sit down at a table...with a plate....and a napkin. It becomes an event in time and allows you a chance to appreciate the food you eat. Although I do not always follow my own very good advice, I am always reminded of the importance of sitting down to eat when I visit my parents. Even though they do not eat very much anymore at age 83, they sit down together for each meal at their kitchen table. I am fortunate to have such healthy role models!

Marty