So, I have a new obsession… kale chips! I just made my first batch ever (using this recipe) with some leftover kale (which I used in chicken soup… caught a cold over Christmas break), and both Julian and I were shocked at how delicious they are. It isn’t often you find something that good for you that also tastes amazing. Of course, most of the health factor is taken out when you coat something in olive oil & salt and bake it at a high temp… but it’s better than potato chips! I think I’m going to have to make these for our New Year’s Eve party.
Also, I haven’t updated since finals or Christmas vacation, but both went great & I will update more soon!
Happy December, everyone! Let the guilt-free Christmas music-listening, holiday decorating, sequin-wearing, and shopping officially begin. Only two and a half more weeks of school and then we will be off to NY and Virginia to celebrate the holiday right. But as I’m sure is the case for many of us, I have a looooot to get done between now & then (finals, for one), so I know you’ll forgive my silence on the blog. I have the entire month of January off of school so who knows, maybe I’ll be posting more. Though I will definitely enjoy the mental rest as I have a full 17 credits ahead of me in February. Wow.
P.S. A little tip from me to you… these Oreo fudge brownies (unfortunately) taste as good as they look. Good luck resisting!!
Fresh white corn, carrots, green beans, potatoes, summer squash, red onion, lettuce, nectarines, black plums, peaches, and lavender.
Just an example of what we got in this week’s box from AHO. All organic, all local. All harvested just a couple days ago, and more delicious than anything I’ve ever bought in a grocery store. Sometimes living in an agriculture-friendly state like California is really, really great. And did I mention all this cost a mere $21.80? That’s for a small bin. Large bin is $36.80. Every week the contents change, for example, last week we got the most incredible honeydew. If you live in a place that offers a CSA like this, you are a fool if you don’t take advantage!
Sorry, no pictures of this week’s booty, but trust me, it looks fantastic (with the exception of the cosmetically-challenged peaches – what are ya gonna do?)…
It’s funny where the rabbit hole of internet surfing can take you sometimes. I sat down at the computer to read reviews about The Artist’s Way, a book given to me by a dear friend, and wound up signing up for a weekly delivery service that provides organic produce from small local family farms. How did that happen?
It all started because I saw I had this article by John Robbins (one of my fave authorities on humane and inhumane food manufacturing) open in a tab and thought “better read that now or I’ll never get around to it.” The article begins with some good news about the egg industry – the USDA recently proclaimed that eggs actually contain way more Vitamin D than previously thought, making them even better for you (hooray!) As wonderful as that is, Robbins does what he does best and quickly shifts the focus to how these delicious and good-for-you eggs are actually produced – more often than not, in deplorable conditions that even the strongest of stomachs wouldn’t be able to handle. I nodded smugly in agreeance, recalling the fact that I personally go out of my way only to buy eggs that have that little green & white organic logo and say “free range” – even if it means making a special trip to Trader Joe’s. I mean, it’s the right thing to do, and I love animals.
But Robbins goes on to push the fact that “organic” and “free-range” labels actually mean diddly squat when it comes to humane practices in the egg industry (and probably the rest, too). So I decided to double check my facts and see how the eggs in my fridge measured up using the “Organic Egg Scorecard” created by the Cornucopia Institute. The scorecard ranks egg manufacturers and farms based on the best organic practices and the most ethical regard for the hens, doling out points for things like roaming space, access to the outdoors, and whether or not the farm clips beaks (a painful procedure that prevents hens from pecking each other to death out of sheer insanity from being lodged in a space so tight they can’t even raise a wing). The very best farmers get a cheeky “Five Egg” score.
One of the Five Egg farmers, Christian, with a fluff ball dog
Well, I’ll be honest with you. My eggs weren’t even on the list. But several other brands I’ve bought were (Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, O Organics, Land O’Lakes, and several other seemingly trustworthy household names), and to my supreme disappointment, every single one of them ranked only ONE EGG. What this means is that the eggs are produced on industrial-scale operations that grant no meaningful outdoor access. But it’s probably worse than that! Because unfortunately, many of these private-label One Egg manufacturers refused to participate in the Cornucopia Institute’s project – quite an interesting move considering the organic food market is one that requires quite a bit of brand transparency in order to gain customer trust and loyalty. I mean, whatcha hiding, friends? Better to know than not know, in my eyes.
I was pretty disgusted by what I found, so what did I do? I Googled a couple of the Five Egg farms that were in California and found that although none are available in a common grocery store, eggs from Alexandre Family EcoDairy Farms are available as an add-on in a weekly organic produce delivery service called Abundant Harvest Organics. At first I was intimidated by something like that – isn’t that only for super hippie people who live in Venice and work at co-ops on the weekends (when they’re not standing outside of Whole Foods with a clipboard)? But I read a bit more and was really intrigued, so I signed up.
The way Abundant Harvest works is like this: you sign up for a VERY affordable weekly box of produce from a variety of local farmers (around $20 for a small box) – everything from oranges to potatoes to thyme (whatever’s in season, of course) – set your delivery location (the closest one to us is in Santa Monica), and once a week, you go pick up your box at the scheduled delivery time. Before hand, you can check out which fruits & veggies will be included in that week’s box and add whatever ‘extras’ you want – coffee beans, eggs, nuts, even whole chickens, and they charge your credit card once a week. You can even “cancel” your subscription for the weeks you know you’ll be out of town or won’t need a box. I like that feature.
The best part about this service is that I know we’ll be getting fresh, organic food that hasn’t even been out of the ground for more than a day or so. Try finding that at your grocery store. Plus, we’re supporting local family farms instead of the big box manufacturing overlords. I’m super excited to pick up our first box of produce next Tuesday afternoon. One thing is for sure – this is absolutely one of those times I’m extremely grateful to be living in California.
Unfortunately, local means that this is of course a Central- and Southern California-only service, but I’m sure there are plenty of similar organizations out there doing the same thing.
And that’s my story for today. What did we learn? Something I quite frankly have already been told many times – that you can’t trust food products simply because they say “organic”, you’ve got to put in the research these days. A few minutes on a cloudy Tuesday afternoon should do the trick.
Happy Thanksgiving, dear readers! Yum yum yum! I hope your day is filled with more food than your eyes, stomach, and dining room table can handle. I hope your turkey-coma-nap is the best of your life. I hope you’re with family, friends, loved ones and other people who make you feel completely comfortable and giddy. I hope nothing gets burnt. I hope there are no awkward family moments. I hope whatever team you are rooting for wins.
As for myself, I’ve got coffee to drink, a parade to watch, a turkey brining, and an entire meal to make for our first married Thanksgiving – something I’m extremely thankful for. Yay!
I try not to be that girl who shares EVERY single video/piece of work my husband does, but he’s just so daggum talented that I can’t help it. It’s like he married into a built-in publicity department. This latest video of his might be one of my favorites – ok, is definitely one of my favorites! He’s had the idea for this foreverrrr so it is really cool to see it come to light. And funny story – he was actually planning on publishing a different video but ran into a roadblock, so he put this entire video together in about 4 days – including filming, editing, voiceovers, and even merch (after you watch the video, go get yourself some free Pre-Blessed Food stickers and a Pre-Blessed Food t-shirt!)
This weekend was even more exciting than I had originally planned, because among other things, I got a new camera. For the past several months and years, the only camera I’ve had access to is that of my iPhone, Blackberry or Macbook. When Julian came into the picture, he brought along a very expensive and very fancy camera, but one that I not only didn’t know how to use, but that I would probably drop and/or break. It made for very few opportunities to fully document trips, parties, and life in general.
“life in general”
But that all changed on Saturday when we decided to just bite the bullet and get a camera! After much research, husband settled on one model that seemed to be better than the rest in the point-and-shoot category – the Sony CyberShot DSC-TX5. It’s touchscreen, has a sweet (and wide) lense, is drop proof (awesome) and even WATERPROOF up to 10 ft. We’ll be putting that to the test next time we are on vacation, for sure. It was kind of a splurge, but everyone needs a camera, and this is one that we’ll have for years to come.
Here are some of the shots from my first day with the camera. As I’ve said before, I kind of suck at taking photographs, so if you see something good on here, chances are Julian took it, not me.
On another note, I’ve decided it should be illegal for me to work on Mondays. It is not only hazardous to my own health, but detrimental to the sanity of others. Thank you & goodnight.
The team at Johnny Cupcakes always seems to be up to something cool. Their latest venture, a cupcake cannon, is awesome. Apparently the Phanton HD Gold camera they used to film it goes for about $120,000 – sorry Julian, but you won’t be getting that anytime soon.
Check out the video of the slow-motion cupcake-launching action below. I’d like to catch one of these in my mouth, but maybe not with a 120 psi cannon!
Oh, and just so you know, Johnny Cupcakes is a brand of tee shirts. This just goes to show you how powerful viral advertising can be – you don’t see a single one of his products in the video!
Oh how I love Annie Leonard and her educational video series The Story of Stuff. I just now caught this installment she did about the story behind bottled water. If you’re concerned about the future of our planet, your own health, your bank account, or your future grandkids, you may want to watch this video. It’s not long and it’s very easy to digest, so you have no excuses (especially if you’re reading this blog right now instead of working).
There! You’ve now been educated. So what are you gonna do?
My guess is that most of us who see this will still continue to buy bottled water out of convenience. I’m certainly aware of the horrible consequences of this behavior, yet I have one sitting on my desk at work as we speak. Yes, I’m guilty too, not at all preaching. But I’m eager to make a change, and I hope you will too. After all, the choices we make today will affect what kind of world our grandkids live in. So let’s suck it up and make some positive changes for their sake.
Buy a reusable stainless steel water bottle now. Or maybe you like aluminum. Or even, BPA-free plastic (this is what I have). Where you get it and what kind you get doesn’t matter, but what does matter is this: REMEMBER TO TAKE IT WITH YOU. Everywhere you go!
By the way, I found a pretty entertaining site recently: www.pluckfastic.org
Well, I am afraid I haven’t been as “update-y” as I intended to be re: my gluten-free journey. I’m now 11 days into my 14 day anti-gluten trial and I have to say, the results so far are quite wonderful.
Changes I’ve noticed:
1. More energy. Overall, I’ve had a lot more energy than I am used to. This means I’ve been more productive and less ready to take a nap the second I get home from work in the evenings.
2. Better mood. I’m still a girl, which means the occasional mood swing is still in effect, but in general I have felt much more happy and personable. I’m pretty friendly as it is, but all-around I feel more pleasant.
3. Clear-headed. In a way, it kind of feels like the fog in my brain cleared out. This could be due to the increased amount of fruit and vegetables I’ve been eating, but it’s worth noting regardless.
4. Less sugar cravings. I’m still in love with chocolate covered caramels (which thank GOD are gluten-free), but I have been wanting much less sugar than before. I’ve also noticed that I am less prone to snacking on junk in between meals.
5. Different sleeping patterns. This is a weird one. I’ve noticed myself staying up later and waking up earlier with more ease. Monday morning, I was up bright and early at 6:30am, UNHEARD of for me. These past two days, however, it’s been difficult to wake up, but I think it’s because I’m fighting off a swollen gland and my body tends to ask for more sleep when that happens. I’ve read about some people having more restful sleep and less vivid dreams when giving up gluten, but my dreams are just as crazy as ever. I’ve always been an intense dreamer.
6. Much less tummy aches! Oh my gosh, totally a big one for me. Digesting food is soo much easier than it was two weeks ago. I no longer feel like I have a rock in my stomach after eating a meal (that was for Julian. “Meal. MEAL.” I hate that word.) and I don’t feel so bloated. That alone is worth giving up pasta and bread.
At first, I wasn’t quite sure what I could eat, but was happy to discover that rice and potatoes were still on the menu. I have been careful to learn which ingredients are safe and read labels on all food I buy and prepare (no wheat, barley, oat, malt, etc), and got over my embarrassment of asking waiters at restaurants about gluten-free options. There have been a couple melancholy moments when realizing I can’t eat things like chicken fingers, waffles or crumb cake, but all in all, living without wheat hasn’t been that hard. Then again, I have been living alone and cooking for myself during this time, so that could be a big part of it. I am dreading the moment I have to eat at someone else’s house and can’t eat whatever it is they’re serving. How do you tackle THAT?
- I need to find more gluten-free snacks. It took me months after going vegetarian in 2006 to find “safe” snacks and meals that I didn’t have to think about in-depth. I’ve been eating a lot of fruit, nuts and vegetables if I need sustenance in between mealtimes, but I’d like to find more gluten-free options. I did find some great websites that listed common snack(and junk) foods that are gluten-free.
- I’m proud of myself for trying new things. I’ve never had quinoa before, but last night I made this AMAZING dish with quinoa, chicken broth, chicken, peppers, onions and garlic. It was SO delicious and get this – I found the recipe on the back of the box of Trader Joe’s quinoa. Did you know that it is basically a perfect food? It has all NINE essential amino acids. I also bought gluten-free pasta and crackers from Whole Foods but have yet to try them.
- I totally failed at the apple cider vinegar daily dosage. I haven’t even opened the bottle. I’m honestly scared because I imagine it tastes like bile. One of these days I’ll work up the courage.
- There are a ton of amazing gluten-free desserts. This has been one area where finding gluten-free options is not hard at all. Earlier this week, we celebrated my girlfriend Tracy’s birthday at The Little Next Door. French food = EXTREMELY HARD TO RESIST. Thankfully they had not one, not two or three but FOUR different desserts for me to choose from. I had the most incredible chocolate custard with caramel, almond and fig topping. Can you tell I like chocolate and caramel? Just FYI, creme brulee is also gluten-free. And flourless chocolate cake, of course.
So, will I keep it up?
I’m definitely going to finish out my two week trial. After that, I’m not really sure. I am definitely loving the way I feel, but I’m not sure if I’ll last forever. I’m not sold that I have a full-on wheat allergy, but I do think that it irritates my insides more than the average bear. I might extend the trial by a week or two and then eat a little gluten to see what it feels like after going through a detox. That will be the real indicator.
Wonderful, you found my blog! I'm Sarah, a writer, runner, RVT student, believer, lover of pretty things (and cats.) I'm also a newlywed, which I'm finding quite enjoyable. To learn more about me, just click here. I hope my blog brings you a little bit (or a lotta bit) of happiness today.
