week 4: baked rigatoni with fire roasted tomatoes

For Week 4 of my New Year's Cooking Challenge I decided to make dinner for my boyfriend, Erik. He's a hardcore meat eater so I decided to appease him (although just between you and me, I'm planning on slowly but surely introducing vegetarian meals into his diet) with a baked pasta dish with ground beef. I didn't make too many variations besides using rigatoni instead of ziti pasta, so I'll just link to the recipe I used from BettyCrocker.com. We both loved it and would recommend it as an easy change from the same old noodles and sauce.

cooking challenge week 3: whole wheat and millet banana bread

The third recipe of my New Year's Cooking Challenge was inspired my good friend Angela Hurley, a fellow lover of all things food and nutrition. She brought some whole wheat banana muffins to share at our bi-weekly small group for our church group, St. Paul's Outreach, and it was love on first bite. On top of the normal yummy-ness you can expect from banana muffins, these had an extra surprise: they were crunchy! I know you're wondering why you would want something crunchy in your muffins, but trust me, you do. The crunch in Angela's muffins came from the addition of millet, a nutrient-rich little grain/seed that is the main staple in the diets of many of the world's citizens (my roommate Joe subsisted on them for two months while studying in Senegal). The recipe Ang sent me (by Joy the Baker) was actually for bread, so that's what I decided to make. I made two loaves, one with chocolate chips (for Joe, who insists that no baked good is complete without chocolate) and one without. They turned out flawlessly, super-moist and with the perfect amount of sweetness. I highly recommend you try this recipe!

Whole Wheat and Millet Banana Bread
by Joy the Baker


Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs (I used a flaxseed substitute, 4 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 12 Tbsp water)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 4 medium bananas, mashed
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup raw millet, rinsed


Instructions
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour two 8×4 inch loaf pans and set aside (I actually needed slightly larger pans).

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together butter, oil, sugars, and eggs.  Beat until thoroughly incorporated.  Whisk in the vanilla, buttermilk, and mashed bananas.  Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.  Stir in millet.  Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients.  Carefully pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients.  Use a spatula to fold the batter together.

4. Divide the batter between the two prepared baking pans.  Bake for about 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.  Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.  Banana bread will last, well wrapped at room temperature, for up to five days.

cooking challenge week 2: sweet potato and lentil curry

Sweet potatoes, lentils, and curry. Seems like a recipe for success, yes? My second adventure in cooking new things was mostly a success, but there were a few mishaps again. Oh well, you can't learn if you don't make a few mistakes, right? Although in this case I'm not exactly sure what went wrong, so maybe that doesn't actually apply here...

For my second week I decided to cook Sweet Potato and Lentil Curry, based on a recipe I found on Food.com. I made a few modifications, which I designate in parentheses with the original recipe below. 

Sweet Potato and Lentil Curry

Ingredients

- 2 Tbsp medium curry paste (I used powder but mixed it with some oil)

- 3/4 cup red lentil (I used brown lentils)

- 2 bay leaves (I omitted) 

- 1 onion finely chopped

- 1 pound sweet potatoes, cubed

- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated (I just used ground ginger)

- 2.5 cups chicken stock, made with stock cubes

- 4 cups cooked brown rice

- 1/4 cup coriander leaves ( I substituted about a tsp of thyme)

- salt and black pepper, to taste 

Preparation 

1. Heat a medium saucepan and add the curry paste. Cook, while stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the lentils, bay leaves, onion, and sweet potato, ginger and chicken stock. Bring to the boil and reduce the heat to low. Cook until the sweet potato is cooked. Season with salt and black pepper.

2. Place the cooked rice on 4 serving plates, spoon over the curry and scatter with coriander leaves.

---

Overall I really enjoyed this dish, but there were a few glitches that kept it from being perfect. The recipe didn't specify whether the lentils should be pre-cooked or not, so I just added them dry. Despite my hopes that it wouldn't be too much of a problem, the sweet potatoes got done way before the lentils did. Afterwards, though, I think I might know why. The directions says to heat to boiling than reduce to low. Well, I forgot the low part. Nonetheless, though, I'm not sure how the lentils could be cooked to completion without overcooking the sweet potatoes. Another issue was a lack of flavor. It was fine, but I think I should have done more to substitute for the coriander, possibly by (a) either actually buying coriander or (b) using more thyme. Despite these mistakes, this is a great, easy-to-make dish. I highly recommend it! 

cooking challenge week 1: squash and flax soup

Not the prettiest picture, I know. Honestly, it just wasn't the prettiest soup. 

For the first week of my 2012 cooking challenge I decided to combine two of my favorite things in the world: squash and soup. While I adore squash and eat it every chance I get, I am ashamed to say that I have never actually cooked with squash myself. I found the recipe for Squash and Flax Soup while leafing through a fantastic cookbook my grandma gave me: The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook by Tosca Reno (see bottom of post for more info). I liked this recipe because it combined the normal soup staples (onions, garlic, carrots) with some not-so-standard ingredients (sprouts, flax seed, sunflower seeds). It seemed like a good balance between old and new. And super healthy, of course. Shopping for the ingredients and cooking this soup was a blast and affirmed that this is a great New Year's resolution. Unfortunately, however, the final result was not so pleasant. Not because it was a bad recipe, but because of a (embarassing) flaw in my judgement. So I bought a package of sprouts that, when I eyeballed it, looked to be just a little more than a cup. And since I didn't want any of the sprouts to go to waste, I just dumped them all in. After tasting my soup, however, I seriously regretted this decision. I grabbed the container and a measuring cup and realized that I had probably put around 2 cups of sprouts in. And I could taste it.  The soup tasted very, well, sprouty! It tasted green when I wanted to taste the orange of the squash and the carrots! It's not horrible, but unfortunately I'm not looking forward to eating it again for dinner tonight. Moral of the story: improvisation with a new recipe should be undertaken only because you think something will taste better, not just because you want to get rid of something. Because you might end up ruining your whole dish, which is a much bigger waste.

If after this story you still are interested in making this soup, I've included the original recipe below, with my modifications in parentheses. I would err on the low side with the sprouts; maybe just a half a cup would add a nice hint of green to your soup without completely overpowering it, like my 2 or so cups did. : (

Squash and Flax Soup

All the ingredients, minus the squash, which was already in the oven. 

Ingredients

- 2 Tbsp flax seed, soaked (I use 2 Tbsp flax seed meal, which didn't need to be soaked) 

- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, soaked (I used dehulled kernels instead of the whole seed)  

- 1.5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 

- 2 cloves garlic, passed through a garlic press 

- 2 ribs celery, trimmed and chopped (I don't like celery, so instead increased the number of carrots) 

Scooping out the seeds
(which I saved and
am about to roast). 

-2 large carrots, peeled and chopped (I used 5 carrots to account for the missing celery) 

-1 medium butternut squash, cooked 

- 4 cups low sodium vegetable stock or water (I used water) 

-1 cup sprouts, use your favorite (I used daikon radish sprouts and put in way too much...don't do that)  

- 2 Tbsp organic apple cider vinegar (I used red wine vinegar) 

- 1 tsp dried crumbled basil 

- 1 tsp dried crumbled oregano   

- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Sauteeing the veggies. 

Preparation 
1. Soak the flax seed in one bowl of water and the sunflower seed in another bowl of water for 1 hour.
2. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Saute onions, garlic, celery and carrot until onions become soft.
3. Scoop flesh out of cooked squash into a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add cooked onion, celery, garlic, and carrot. Add 4 cups liquid and set over medium heat. Bring to a gentle boil. Puree these ingredients right in the pan with a hand blend. Blend until smooth. Remove from heat. Add all remaining ingredients including the soaked seeds, puree until smooth. Add sea salt and freshground black pepper. If the soup is still too thick add some water and puree again. Serve immediately.

Don't heat over high heat, as doing so would destroy the vauable and volatile nutrients in the flax and sunflower seeds. If you reheat it, do so over a gentle, slow heat. Serves 8. 


Source: The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook by Tosca Reno

detoxing the right way

Photo by Michelle Shefveland

As the holidays end and the new year begins, the popularity of "detox diets" increases dramatically. The idea of cleansing our GI tracts, clearing out all the junk and eliminating toxins, is certainly very appealing. Most detox diets promise energy rejuvenation, glowing skin, and weight loss. Who wouldn't want those things? I absolutely believe that good food and exercise play an important role in these things; just look at the name of my blog! But the key word here is "food." Detoxing usually tells you to eat only one thing or nothing at all! It only takes a little common sense to see the flaw in this logic; your body needs carbs, fats, protein, vitamins and minerals to survive and thrive. Depriving it of its means of fuel, functioning, and healing is far from the recipe for health.

That being said, I'm far from against the concept of "detoxing." Taking a period of time to be extra-intentional about what you're putting into your body is a great idea! The right way to "detox," then, is two-fold: eat only whole, unprocessed foods and drink lots of water and green tea. I found a great article that outlines a more detailed detox plan by Women's Health contributor Keri Glassman for you to follow that takes both of these into account. Good luck!

Detox the natural way for extreme results

(P.S. A detox is also a great time to try some new recipes! See my New Year's Resolution cooking challenge for some more inspiration!)

2012: the year you (and i) learned to cook

Hello, friends! It's been a long time since I've posted, but that's about to change, as one of my New Year's resolutions is to start blogging again. And, as University of Maryland psychiatrists say, one of the keys to being successful past January 5th is to "share your goals with friends," as they hold you accountable. So I figured the best motivation would be to share this goal with all my readers! But then I went a step further and thought, why not make a resolution that ALL of us can share and hold each other accountable to! Hence was born the inspiration for my second resolution and hopefully one you will adopt as well:

It is my goal to learn how to cook this year. Sure, I can already "cook" in the sense that I can follow most recipes, make a few tweaks if need be, and make something tasty as a result. But I still don't feel like I can say that I truly know how to cook. Why? Because I always cook the same things. I stick to what I know works, what I can do, what I know will taste good because I've already made it. My pantry and fridge have held the same things in them all semester: beans, rice, pasta, pasta sauce, olive oil, soy milk, salsa, tortilla chips, cheese, bread, frozen pizza, butter, flour, sugar, an occasional package of ground beef or chicken, and the typical herbs and spices. I can eat well and pretty healthfully with different combinations of these ingredients, of course. But I also have an ARSENAL of cookbooks and a passion for trying new foods, both of which have been neglected over the busy fall semester. And my guess is that many of you feel similarly. So here's my plan: let's "learn to cook" together! Let's try new things, share stories and recipes, and encourage each other to make time for thinking more about our food than just the number of minutes it takes to microwave it or the vitamins and minerals it can provide. Trying new recipes is a great way to learn about (and appreciate) other cultures, improve the variety and quality of your diet, and spend time with family and friends (or have some fun alone-time if that's what you need).

Now, being the goal-making nerd that I am, want to make sure we do this right. Therefore I went ahead and made myself a "SMART" (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely) goal to help me make sure I stick to this resolution. So here goes:

2012 Cooking Goal: I will try a new recipe, with at at least one new ingredient, once every week, from January 1 until the end of spring semester (January 1 - May 15). I will then share my recipe on my blog. This should amount to 20 new recipes (and blog posts)! 

But here's the thing: this will be WAY more fun if you join in! I'd love for you to share your own cooking resolutions here and then, as I post my recipes each week, for you to share your recipes and cooking stories as well. The social aspects of cooking and eating can be just as important as the nutrients in the food, so let's share our experiences with each other here!

Now if you need a little more motivation than just improving your cooking skills and trying new things, here are a few more reasons to make "learning to cook" one of your New Year's resolutions:

1. Save money: Cooking at home costs less than eating out!
2. Save time: Make big batches and use the leftovers throughout the week.
3. Be healthier: Cooking from scratch is way healthier than relying on preservative-packed frozen or canned meals and ingredients. And trying new things adds more variety to your diet, ensuring that you're getting all the vitamins and minerals you need!
4. De-stress: Many people find cooking a great way to de-stress. Put on some soothing music and put all of your stress into beating those eggs!

If you're on board, comment here! Your goal doesn't have to look anything like mine. For example, you might be more interested in "spicing up" your standard recipes rather than finding new ones, or maybe your goal is to cook and eat more meals with family and friends. Another variation you might find fun is cooking a recipe from a different ethnic cuisine each week. Whatever your cooking goal is, share it below!

buon giorno, firenze!

Course 2 of our 4-course lunch today: Pasta alla Bolognese.

I am ending my second day here in Florence, Italy, and feel like I am living in a fairy tale. I am with a group of 24 other students on a May seminar called “Sustainable Food Systems of Italy.” Yep, I’m pretty sure this trip was made for me. Food, sustainability, and Italy. Three of my passions all in one! I am going to try to blog daily while I am here, minus the weekends when I’m traveling away from Firenze (that’s “Florence” in Italian). But forgive me if I don’t, I want to do everything I possibly can when I’m here, which should mean minimal time on the internet!

Quick recap of what I’ve done so far:

Days 1-2: Crossing the Ocean

1.      I left Minneapolis for Atlanta at 11:30 AM on Tuesday, May 17. Thanks for driving me to the airport, Dad!

2.       After a short layover in Atlanta, we took off on our 9-hour flight to Rome. I did not sleep one minute on the plane. I did, however, watch three movies. This was my first international flight, so I was a bit overly excited about the awesome perk of having my own personal movie screen (In case you’re curious, I watched Country Star, Convicted, and The Tourist. All quality.)

3.       We landed in Roma at 8:15 AM local time (1:15 AM Central-Standard time). Hopped on a coach bus and drove through the beautiful countryside for the four-hour trip to Firenze.

4.       Got to Florence a little after 1 PM, met two of the staff people from the ACCENT Center, our study abroad program facilitator, and hopped in taxis to head to our apartments.

5.       My roommates (Megan, Jaime, and Molly) and I live in a lovely apartment at 4 Via Guicciardini, which is only a block away from the River Arno and the Ponte Vecchio. The Ponte Vecchio  (which directly translates to “old bridge”) is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Firenze. It was built in 1345 and is unique in that it is lined with shops on both sides, most whichsell jewelry or art.

6.       After settling in, the four of us ventured out for dinner, wandering until we decided on OK Bar, a little coffee/gelato/pastry/lunch/dinner place. We ordered a liter of vino bianco (white wine) to share and I chose spaghetti alla pomarola (spaghetti with tomato sauce). I thought I should start my Italian gastronomic tour with one of the foundations of Italian cooking. And it was wonderful. We then bought gelato at Perche No (Why Not?); I had coffee crunch and pistachio. Delicioso!

7.       On our evening excursion we crossed paths with the cast of Jersey Shore (they’re filming in Firenze) no less than three times. I’ve never watched the show, but members of our program were talking about it all the way across the ocean, so we had to stop and gawk.

8.       Having not slept for 37 hours (minus an hour or two on the bus to Firenze), I completely crashed as soon as we got home.

My first glass of red wine in Italia. Bravissimo!

Day 3: Exploring Florence

We started our day by meeting our group at the Duomo (the main cathedral in Florence; gigantic and gorgeous) and then walking to the ACCENT Center for our orientation. I had envisioned a plain white office-like space, but no: our classrooms are in a Renaissance building, complete with portraits of the original family members. During a break from our orientation I had my first Italian cappuccino and panino (made with fresh mozzarella and tomatoes). After we went on a walking tour that went through all the practicals of living in Florence, like buying groceries and using the train, we went out for a lunch with our entire group, a four-course meal that was covered in our program. Except for the bicchiere di vino casa (glass of house wine) that many of us chose to accompany our meal. We had the following four traditional courses:

Antipasti = Appetizer. We were served thin slices of salami embedded with fennel. And pane (bread) of course.

Primi = Pasta. Bolognese.

Contorni = Meat/Main Course. A funky chicken and potato dish in a rich cream/potato sauce. This was a lot richer than traditional Tuscan contorni, which is usually just lightly seasoned meat with a side of vegetables. And much too much meat after having a meat-rich primi. But still fantastico, of course.

Dolci = Dessert. We had panna cotta with raspberry jam. 

Lunch was over two hours long, and so much food! If you know me you know how strongly averse I am to waste, but I could not finish even half of the cotorni. Before we left, though, our waiter took us downstairs into what was the Firenze Amphitheater over 2000 years ago. So cool. After our very long lunch, we went to the apartment, where I again crashed. Later we went back to the train station (Santa Maria Novella) to purchase our tickets to Roma, buy a few groceries, and get our daily gelato (caffe and vanilla this time). Winding down now, getting ready for class tomorrow morning (olive oil tasting and a guest speaker from Slow Food) and our trip to Roma. Buona notte, amici!

Fun Fact: I’m drinking juice box of vino bianco right now. Oh, Italia.

very pinteresting.

Screen shot of my "things i want to cook" pinboard. Pinterest.com.

I've always been bookmark-happy; I keep a couple-dozen folders in my "Favorites" tab and am continually adding new things to read, do, and see to these folders. There's just one problem: I almost never actually return to those bookmarks. It's as if the fact that they have been filed away means I no longer have to remember them. I don't need to tell you how that completely defeats the purpose of bookmarking in the first place.
But thanks to an incredibly innovative new website called Pinterest, my poor bookmarks no longer need to be shoved into a dark corner of my hard drive. Pinterest is the 21st-century version of the fetish of clipping out pictures from magazine and pinning them onto a corkboard. Except instead of being limited to magazine pictures, Pinterest lets you pin any image from the entire Internet. And rather than having only a finite amount of corkboard, your Pinterest pinboards can be of any size and you can make as many boards with as many themes as your heart desires. I am absolutely addicted.

One of the coolest uses I've discovered for Pinterest is the ability to create a visual "to cook" list. My "things i want to cook" pinboard is currently made up of 175 beautiful photos of delectable concoctions that I plan on trying to recreate this summer when I move into my first apartment. The beauty of this board is that, to retrieve a recipe for a dish all I have to do is click on the picture and I am immediately transported to the original site where the photo was pinned from.

Pinterest.com

No matter how mouth-watering a recipe may seem, it is too easy to forget about it once it becomes one of many links in a bookmark folder hidden from view. Actually being able to see the rich colors and textures of the final product of this recipe, however, makes it almost impossible NOT to add the ingredients to your next grocery list. So if you want to get inspired, join Pinterest! But be warned: you will become an addict. Do with this information what you must.

P.S. Pinterest is still in Beta mode so requires a personal invitation from a current member. If you'd like to join Pinterest, just leave a comment or shoot me an email and I'll send you an invite!

flax: ancient superfood.

Photo Credit: Michelle Shefveland

Nutrition legislation is a relatively new phenomenon; the U.S. Department of Agriculture wasn't established until 1862, the Food and Drugs Act wasn't passed until 1906, the first food standards weren't passed until 1939, and the National School Lunch Program wasn't instituted until 1946 (Fooducate.com). Oh wait, that's if you don't count King Charlemagne, ruler of the Franks and the Romans from 768-814. That's right, Charlemagne (as advised by Hippocrates) believed that flax seed was so essential to health that he passed laws requiring his subjects to consume a mandated amount each year. While we don't encourage every ancient health practice (I think bloodletting has been abandoned by most physicians), current research strongly backs up this 1200 year old law.

Both ground flax seeds and their oil are used for their health benefits; flax's biggest claim to fame is its high content of omega-3 fatty acids, but this tiny seed is also packed with soluble fiber and lignans (lignans are a type of insoluble fiber that are also antioxidants).  Adding flax to muffins, breads, cookies, and even smoothies and soups is a super-easy way to boost nutrition. One of my newest favorite whole wheat treats to bake are Pumpkin Flax Muffins, which I adapted from a recipe at NaturalHealthyConcepts.com. They make a great breakfast-on-the-go or afternoon snack. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Flax Muffins
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup white flour
- 1/2 cup flax seed meal
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 1/4 cup pureed pumpkin
- 3/4 cup plain yogurt
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions
1. Combine first nine ingredients in a medium bowl, and make a well in the center.
2. Combine next six ingredients, add to flour mixture, and stir until just moist.
3. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray and spoon in batter.
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Makes between 18 and 24 muffins.

baked oatmeal bliss.

photo credit: michelle shefveland

I am an oatmeal addict, but had never tried baked oatmeal until I attended a retreat at the Oak Forest Center in Frederic, Wisconsin, where they served us raspberry baked oatmeal for breakfast. I think I had three servings. And if I hadn't needed to share it with the other seventy people in attendance, I definitely wouldn't have stopped at three.

So what exactly is "baked" oatmeal? Well, traditional oatmeal is "porridge-style," which is made by combining water or milk with dry oats and cooking it either in the microwave or on the stove. Baked oatmeal, on the other hand, is made in the oven and usually in family-size quantities. The consistency, while always variable based on the amount of liquid and baking time, is usually drier and less, well, porridge-y than porridge oatmeal. It is a more elegant dish, lending itself to special occasions like Sunday brunch in a way that porridge oatmeal would be out-of-place. And there are hundreds of ways to spice it up (literally); throw in your favorite spices, nuts, fruits, jam, or whatever you happen to have on hand to make it your own.

While at my parents' home for Thanksgiving I did just that,  tweaking a recipe that combined my favorite things: pumpkins, walnuts, apples, and cranberries. It was like dessert, but as wholesome as it was delicious! The recipe I used was from My Kitchen Addiction, which I adapted by omitting the wheat germ (just because I didn't have any at the time; wheat germ is a great way to add nutrients and flavor) and increasing the pumpkin. My family devoured it. Home again for Christmas, I will surely be trying another twist on baked oatmeal from the recipes below. Let me know if you do too!

baked oatmeal recipes
Pumpkin Cranberry Apple Baked Oatmeal from My Kitchen Addiction
Chocolate Raspberry Almond Baked Oatmeal from The Ungourmet
Amish Baked Oatmeal from Food.com
Banana Baked Oatmeal from Kath Eats Real Food
Applesauce Raisin Baked Oatmeal  from MyRecipes

easy ways to cook like a chef in your own kitchen

 As a future dietitian, I belong to the American Dietetic Association. This "Tip of the Day" popped up on my Facebook news feed, and I had to share it with you! Very simple ways to turn your ho-hum dinner into something you might savor at a nice restaurant. And into a healthier meal as well, of course. :-)

Culinary Ideas that Work at Home from the American Dietetic Association 

1. Poach fish, poultry or meat in flavorful broth, rather than cooking them in oil. Poach fruit in juice, rather than cooking in sugary syrup.
2. Intensify flavors with high-heat cooking, such as pan-searing, grilling or broiling to brown meat and seal in juices.
3. Add fuller flavors with more whole grains, including brown rice, amaranth and quinoa as well as wild rice.
4. Serve bean purees or olive tapenade instead of butter or margarine as table condiments.
5. Add nuts like hazelnuts, almonds and pecans to recipes. Just a few nuts pack big flavor and nutrition.
6. Use big, bold flavor ingredients in small amounts, such as feta cheese, pomegranate seeds, chipotle pepper or cilantro.



Photo Credit: Mike McCune (get the recipe for these grilled peaches here too!)

easy veggie stir-fry

After my sister's grad party we had lots of fresh veggies left over (as in pounds of broccoli and baby carrots), so one night we decided to whip up a quick stir-fry for dinner. Super fast, super healthy, and SUPER yummy. Here's all it takes:
1. Get some organic brown rice cooking (1/2 cup dry per serving) on the stove. It takes about 30-40 minutes, but as long as you plan ahead the time isn't a problem. A lot of people actually cook up big batches of brown rice at a time and refrigerate for use throughout the week. Major time saver.
2. Microwave as many vegetables as you'd like in about half an inch of water. Make sure the container you're using is covered; it should take about 5 minutes, or until the veggies are soft.
3. Heat up about a half a tablespoon of olive oil and your favorite teriyaki sauce (to taste; we used about 1/4 cup for two or three cups of veggies) in a wok or large skillet.
4. Add cooked veggies, stirring as all the flavors simmer together.
5. Slice up some almonds and throw those in there too.
6. Eat and enjoy!

Photo Credit: avlxyz
(Somehow we lost the pictures we took of the stirfry, so I had to use one from Flickr's Creative Commons. Will take a photo next time I make this, though!)

green goal monday: say no to junk

While the age of technology has certainly caused more damage to our environment than good, it has also provided us with some opportunities to decrease our impact on the earth in a positive way. One advantage of technology (namely, the Internet) is the elimination of the need for paper in many situations where your computer can complete the task.

Green Goal No.3: Say "No" to Junk

Ideas from The Green Book, by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M. Kostigen

1. Call to stop phone book delivery to your house: If you're one of the many people turning to Dex.com rather than sifting through your giant Dex phone book for the pizza place's number, then please opt-out to have them no longer come to your house. Phone books take a huge toll on trees and landfills. According to The Green Book (see left), "phone books make up almost ten percent of waste at dump sites." Ouch. Check to see which books you currently receive, then find their number below and call to opt-out. You can also fill out this online form to stop receiving the Yellow Pages and White Pages.
AT&T/YellowPages:
1.800.792.265
Dex:
1.877.243.8339 
Yellow Book:
1.800.373.3280 or 1.800.373.2324
And once you've done that, make sure you recycle any existing phone books you aren't using.

2. Switch to paperless  bills and statements: It's usually as easy as one click of your mouse. Choose to check your credit card and bank statements as well as your bills online instead of through the mail. That paper really adds up. 

3. Get off junk-mailing lists: This one makes you, your mailman/woman, and Mother Earth all much happier. Here are two websites that can put your name on the "Do Not Mail" lists for many companies and will significantly reduce the junk mail you receive. 

Mail Preference Service

Opt-Out Prescreen

Source: HuffingtonPost.com
Photo Credit: Alan Levine

green goal monday: conscious cooking

One of my favorite things about this quest towards sustainable eating is getting to experiment with new recipes, from grilled zucchini to black bean brownies. Making your own food is less taxing on the earth, there's no question there. Staying at home for breakfast, lunch, or dinner eliminates the gas you'd need to drive to a restaurant, ensures that you can save your leftovers for later and compost any scraps, allows you to choose sustainably-grown ingredients, and means you can use reusable dishes, cutlery, and napkins rather than the disposable kinds that end up in landfills. And the list goes on.

But cooking and baking at home isn't a free pass for not being conscious of the waste that you do create in the process. Ovens, stoves, dishwashers, and microwaves all use energy and supplies like paper towels and napkins still get thrown in the trash, just like at a restaurant. Being aware of these impacts can be just as important to a meal as the actual ingredients. So my Green Goal for this week is to become a more conscious cook. Here are the two simple actions I am going to begin making into habits today. I encourage you to try them out as well!

Green Goal No.2: Conscious Cooking

Ideas from The Green Book, by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M. Kostigen

1. Reduce oven and stove time: Don't worry about preheating items that will be cooking for more than an hour in the oven. And if you're making baked goods, limit preheating time to ten minutes. Then, towards the end of your cooking time (this applies to both ovens and stovetops), turn off the heat several minutes before the food is finished cooking; there should be plenty of heat left to finish things off (I've baked a whole pan of cookies after turning off the oven!). This is not only gentler on the environment but on your energy bill as well.

2. Choose reusable towels and napkins: Use cloth napkins instead of paper, and you'll save landfill space as well as money over the long run. Find some handmade napkins on Etsy and support starving artists while you're at it. As far as towels go, use paper only when absolutely necessary. Get in the habit of asking yourself, before you grab a paper towel, if a cloth towel couldn't do the job just as well. 

Photo Credit: Steven Depolo

maximum value.

So my boyfriend, Erik, and I have this inside joke about getting "maximum value" out of everything (Ok, fine, it's not really a joke. We're really that big of nerds). One common example of this is buying the largest coffee drink size and saving half of it for later (sometimes there's only a 75 cent difference between the small and large sizes!). This poor-college-student mentality has spilled over from just financial concerns into other areas of our lives as well, such as (no surprise) nutrition and health. This is no new idea, of course; our bodies are programmed to crave calorie-dense foods so we stock up on as many calories as possible in preparation for famine. Nowadays, however, many of us never face such a time and those genes end up up hurting us much more than helping.

Another term being thrown around lately is "nutrient density," which refers to the amount of vitamins, minerals, and fiber you get for your calories. This is a much more relevant concept in a world where obesity rates are sharply increasing. But nutrient density is still not what I'm getting at. When I'm thinking about getting "maximum value" out of my meals, I'm talking about helping my body absorb as many of the nutrients in the food as possible. Many people don't realize that just because a box of Total cereal says it provides you with 100 percent of your daily needs of 12 vitamins and minerals, that doesn't mean your body is able to take up all of those nutrients. Many of them pass right on through. For example, Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble, which means they need to be eaten with fat in order to be absorbed and used by your body. Makes you think twice about pouring fat-free milk into your cereal, doesn't it?

You don't need to be a dietitian to have a basic  understanding of how to eat to maximize the value of your meals (aka absorb as many vitamins and minerals as possible). Make these few simple tricks a part of your daily routine, and your body will thank you:

1. Eat at least a little fat with every meal and snack. Go ahead and use full-fat ranch or guacamole for your veggies, enjoy your baked potatoes with some real butter, cook with olive oil, and feel good about eating your strawberries with cream. Same goes if you take a multi-vitamin; take it with a meal or a fatty snack like cheese or nuts.

2. Add liberal amounts of fresh garlic and onions to your rice and bean dishes. It is believed that the sulfur compounds that make garlic and onions so pungent also aid in the absorption of dietary zinc (here's a recent study abstract if you're interested). This is especially nifty information for vegetarians, who can have trouble getting enough of this important mineral. While some plant-based foods are rich in zinc (especially whole grains and legumes), the body has a harder time extracting zinc from plants than from animal food sources. Enlist the help of these cousins from the Allium genus to help prevent zinc deficiency (as if you really needed an excuse to add a couple extra cloves of garlic or one more onion than that recipe called for...)

3. Combine calcium and Vitamin D. This is a tricky one, since Vitamin D is not easily found in foods. But it's also very important, as your body needs Vitamin D to absorb calcium. One quick way to solve this is to buy dairy or soy products fortified with Vitamin D.  The few foods that are naturally rich in Vitamin D include sardines, tuna, and salmon (aka fatty fish). Pure cod liver oil is also a great source.

4. Eat something citrus-y with iron-rich foods. Vitamin C goes a long way in aiding iron absorption. So get adventurous and make orange sauce for your next beef and rice dish and add chopped strawberries to your spinach salad. Use the Vitamin Wheel widget below to find other high-C foods.

Photo Credit: WordRidden

black bean brownies.

You read that right: black bean brownies. I didn't believe it either, but when my sister Rachel's boyfriend Jake told me about them, I had to try them for myself. Jake told us his recipe was on NoMeatAthlete.com, so Rachel looked it up and whipped up a batch without hesitation. And the verdict? SO GOOD! They definitely had a different taste then normal brownies, but it definitely wasn't a taste of black beans. It was just a richer chocolate, I think. And they were so moist! The black beans replace the butter and the eggs, so I thought they'd be dry, but I couldn't have been more wrong. I will definitely be adding these to my short list of favorite things to bake.

Not only is this a healthier recipe but its less expensive as well. Especially if you're buying organic butter and eggs. A can of generic black beans runs between 75 and 90 cents and a can of generic organic beans should be less than $1.50. Definitely a steal. Get the recipe here: Mocha Hazelnut Black Bean Brownies.

Photo Credit: Michelle Shefveland, CottageArts.net

green goal monday: glass over plastic

If I've learned anything since I've started striving to live sustainably, it's that you have to appreciate the baby steps in order to stay sane. While big picture stuff is important, worrying about the magnitude of our wastefulness and disregard for the earth makes it hard to feel that your everyday actions can make a difference. But they can. Why? Because the fact is you that are not the only person trying to make a difference; millions are, and those millions are inspiring millions more to make baby steps that together add up to leaps and bounds.

I've decided that, in my effort to live as sustainably as possible, I'm going to make one baby step each week. That might seem slow, but by the end of a year I'll hopefully be doing 52 things in a more earth-conscious way than I was at the start of the year. And hopefully, through this blog, I'll inspire others to make these changes as well. My plan is to post my "green goal" for the week every Monday. Feel free to comment if you have any tips or insights!

Green Goal No.1: Glass Over Plastic

Idea from 1001 Ways to Save the Earth, by Joanna Yarrow

Buy food, beverages, and household products in glass containers over plastic whenever the opportunity. Why? Glass can be recycled into glass again, whereas plastic loses its integrity each time it's recycled, becoming weaker and weaker until it inevitably has to be thrown into a landfill. Glass is also free of harmful toxins found in plastics, such as BPA, which are harmful to your health. So this baby step's a double whammy; buy glass for your the earth's health as well as your own!

You can also up-cycle your glass bottles, jars, etc for useful things around the house. Some things I've done recently (with the help of my creative sister, of course): Decorated a glass tea bottle into a change jar, a cream soda bottle into a flower vase, and a few bottle caps into magnets. This is also a great money-saving tip as well: why buy it when you can make it yourself? Get some more ideas from these sites:

Uses for Recycled Glass Jars

New Uses for Old Glass Bottles

10 Charming Uses for Empty Glass Bottles

Amazing Bottle Art: How to Recycle Glass Bottles

Photo Credit: (UB) Sean R

article of the week, 7/24/10

What: "Lawsuit over Deceptive Vitaminwater Claims to Proceed"

Who:  Center for Science in the Public Interest

When: July 23, 2010

Why: While I don't agree with the FDA on all of its practices, I am pleased to see them "cracking down" on the food industry when it comes to deceptive health claims and other questionable labeling. This news report from CSPI announces that the FDA has received the go-ahead to continue on in their mission to reduce foods with misleading health claims; its target right now: Vitaminwater, a bottled beverage by Coca-Cola. I like this report in particular because it refers back to past court rulings to give you a better understanding of the recent history of this issue.
Read it here: www.cspinet.org
Learn more: Read about the FDA's current standards for health claims about food at fooducate.com.
Speak out: How do you feel about health claims on food packaging? Do you think that its manipulative and misleading or that companies have a right to promote their product as they choose? Share your thoughts by commenting below.


Photo Credit: Robert S. Donovan

give your favorite food a green makeover!

Eating sustainably doesn't mean you have to give up your favorite sinful sweets or savory snacks. Usually just a few ingredient adjustments can make your comfort food comforting for your conscience as well your tummy. While modifying your favorite recipes may require some extra effort at first, you'll quickly get the hang of it. To help you get started, though, I'm inviting you to send me a recipe you'd like to give a green makeover. Post a comment that includes the recipe or a link to the recipe, and I'll post back with a new, more earth-friendly version. Don't be shy!

Photo Credit: rore

great deal: local d'lish in minneapolis

If you're a Minnesota resident there's a great online deal today for Local D'Lish, a local and organic foods grocery store found in the Warehouse District of Minneapolis. Almost all of their products are made in Minnesota or the Midwest; Ann and Yuilin Yang, the owners, like to think of it as a "farmers market in retail format," which is great for Minnesota winters when outdoor farmers markets seem like a distant dream.

So what's the deal? A website called Crowd Cut is offering a $20 certificate to Local D'Lish for only $10. So basically you're getting $10 worth of free locally-produced groceries. The deal only lasts until midnight though, so if you're interested, don't wait!

Check out the deal here!
Learn more about Local D'Lish.
Join Local D'Lish's Facebook page.

Photo Credit: Andy Rob