Real World Follow-Up to Food Rules February 3, 2010

I went to the grocery store this week and put Michael Pollan’s Food Rules to work.  Or the ones I could remember, anyway.

First, this Pollan-inspired grocery trip took over an hour, and my list was half the usual size for a week.  I hope that I will get this down soon because I can not spend this much time at the grocery store each week!  I started on the outer periphery with the bakery and meat counter.  I had already asked the butcher twice about organic bone-in chicken breasts, which I can never find.  And do you know, this wonderful lady butcher took my phone number and offered to call me when they came in?  How’s that for awesome customer service…kudos to Publix.  I wish I could pull up her name, but my early Alzheimer’s won’t let me.  Anyway, she had called me so I went to pick some up.  There are so few choices in the organic meats.  With the ground beef, there was only ground chuck and I usually get ground sirloin.  And only Publix Greenwise brand of organic beef and chicken.  Nothing from Georgia, which I’ve noticed Kroger does have.  Oh well, fewer choices made my decisions easier, I guess, kind of like what it’s like in a grocery store in a Communist country.  Hmmm…did I just compare shopping in a small town to a Communist country?  Yikes!

So I made my way around the edge of the store, as Pollan suggests, but had to go down the canned vegetable aisle.  I was supposed to stay on the periphery.  What to do?  I had no choice but to break the rules.  I gritted my teeth, put my head down, pulled myself up by the bootstraps, and went to buy, gasp, canned green beans and juice boxes.  I realized, here, that they only sell Publix brand organic canned veggies.  Okay, again, makes it easier, I guess, seems like a monopoly, but…

On to the dairy, on the back wall of the store.  Got some cheese, some organic eggs (more store brand): the eggs are high, but when you think about it being for two meals and being a replacement for meat, it’s not bad at all.  We eat a lot of eggs.  Had to go down the middle to the rice aisle and break the rules again.  The long grain and wild rice I used to buy came in the microwave bag, that’s cooked in 90 seconds.  I looked at the ingredient list:  WATER; PARBOILED LONG GRAIN RICE; WILD RICE; HYDROLYZED SOY/CORN/WHEAT PROTEIN; CANOLA OIL AND/OR SUNFLOWER OIL†; SUGAR; VEGETABLES (ONION*, PARSLEY*, SPINACH*, CELERY*, TOMATO*, CARROT*); GARLIC POWDER; SALT; AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT; YEAST EXTRACT; SPICES; NATURALFLAVORS; NIACIN; FERRIC ORTHOPHOSPHATE; HYDROLYZED YEAST PROTEIN; ONION POWDER; SMOKE FLAVORING; THIAMINE MONONITRATE; FOLIC ACID. *DRIED.

Then I looked on the package of brown rice and these are the ingredients:  LONG GRAIN PARBOILED BROWN RICE.  So that’s what I went with.  Plus I already had it at home, and saved some money.

Then on to the produce section.  It’s so blah to shop for produce in the winter, right?  I did buy some organic oranges and potatoes that were on sale.  I also bought some organic strawberries from Florida.  They were $6.99.  A lot for strawberries but they were beautiful, must’ve just come in and my mouth watered looking at them.  And my daughter just loves them to death.  So I bought them, out of season.  And they tasted great.  So sue me.

I also looked at ingredient labels on graham crackers, a healthy snack, or so I thought.  Ingredients:  ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), SUGAR, GRAHAM FLOUR (WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT FLOUR), SOYBEAN OIL, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED COTTONSEED OIL, HONEY, LEAVENING (BAKING SODA, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE), SALT, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, SOY LECITHIN-AN EMULSIFIER, CORNSTARCH.
What even is some of that stuff?  Lots of soy crap.  And corn crap.  Hydrogenated.  Artificial.  And I do know what that is and it ain’t good.

Instead, I bought Newman’s Cinnamon Graham ABC Cookies, Ingredients:  Organic Unbleached Flour, Organic Sugar, Organic Palm Fruit Oil, Organic Graham Four, Organic Honey, Cinnamon, Natural Flavor, Salt, Baking Soda

Also the bag had this explanation about Palm Fruit Oil:  

“Organic palm fruit oil:

• Is extracted from the palm’s fruit not the palm’s kernel.
• It is not hydrogenated.
• Contains no trans-fatty acids.
• Is lower in saturated fat than butter and has no cholesterol.
• Can be grown organically in tropical regions.

Of the three tropical oils, Palm Fruit Oil is 50% saturated, while Palm Kernel Oil is 86%, and Coconut Oil is 92%.

We like, too, that palm fruit oil comes from a part of Columbia where its production helps protect the area.”

Plus, Newman’s donates all of its profits to charities and educational causes.  I think they cost about $3.00.  They taste great.  So that one’s a no-brainer for me.

Another rule I used this week was the homemade treat rule.  This weekend, I made homemade cheese fries!  Yum!  Real oven roasted potatoes, real cheddar cheese, and real bacon.  The kids were so excited and loved them.  We had them with burgers.  And we did not feel bad.  We enjoyed it, such a novelty, this guilt-free eating!  That’s been a surprising thing for me, through all of this healthy living.  Now that I eat more healthfully on a day-to-day basis, I truly enjoy my splurges like I never did before, when I just ate whatever.  And I do not ever feel guilty anymore.  Not even during the holidays.  That’s a happy development; a healthier relationship with food, for sure.  Although I did have a hard time leaving the holiday eating behind, I’m back on track now.

Now, if only I could figure out a way to do Real World research on French eating practices…I really do feel that this grog would be so much more enhanced if I were immersed in the culture, or embedded like the reporters do with the troops, but doing Real World Paris food research.  I will work on that!

How do you think the Food Rules hold up in the Real World?  Have you put them into practice?  What works and what doesn’t?

If you’re needing a homemade treat this dreary, rainy, winter day, how about The Best Chocolate Buttercream Icing Ever:  from The Cupcake Doctor-

1 stick softened butter

1/2 c. cocoa powder

3 c. powdered sugar

3-5 T. milk

1 t. vanilla

Mix butter and cocoa in mixer on low speed until combined, 30 seconds.  Add sugar, 3 T. milk and vanilla.  Blend on low 1 minute.  Increase speed to medium and blend for one more minute until light and fluffy.  Add 1-2 T. milk if mixture is too stiff.

Can be good on cupcakes, but really just best on a spoon right out of the bowl.  And we know what each ingredient is, no question!

Stay dry and warm, my green friends!

-Katie

Food Rules! January 24, 2010

Happy January 24th, everyone!  And happy 40th birthday to hubby Scott, who still looks as good as he did in 1995 when I met him!  The years fly, don’t they?  Whew, good thing I’m still only in my 30’s…okay, for only one more beautiful year!

While I have a break between birthday activities and cake eating, I thought I’d blog with you.  Today I have some Food Rules for you.  Yes, I’m breaking it down for you, into a few simple rules so that you will be full, nourished and healthy!  Actually, Michael Pollan has broken it down for us in his new book, Food Rules.  He is the dude that wrote In Defense of Food, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and was featured in Food, Inc.  He’s got this new book out, that is more of the same from the other books, but in a simpler format, a small, sleek paperback, without so much detail.  If you want more info, and it is good info, please go read those other two books.  If you are too busy to read those, then this is the book for you!

I am going to share a few of the rules with you, and then encourage you to go get this book.  These are rules that I think are very useable at the grocery store and in day-to-day life.  The book is divided into 3 sections:  What to eat, what kind of food to eat, and how to eat.   I will give you 3 sample rules from each section.

What to eat:  (eat food)

1)  ”Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.”  If your great-grandmother wasn’t a good cook, Pollan suggests replacing that with someone else’s great-grandmother, preferably someone with a Sicilian or French one.  2)  “Avoid food products that contain more than five ingredients” -the more ingredients, the more processed and the less healthy it is.  3) “Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle.” – think about it, the fresh food is along the walls, whereas the processed foods are all on the middle aisles. 

What kind of food to eat?  (mostly plants)

1) “Eat mostly plants, especially leaves.”  -in countries where people eat a pound or more of fruits and vegetables a day, the cancer rate is half what it is in the US.  2) “Eat animals that have themselves eaten well.”  3) “Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself.”  -make homemade french fries, homemade desserts and enjoy them; chances are, it’s too much trouble to do that every day and you won’t be eating it very often.  Nothing wrong with a treat, as long as it is truly a treat.

How Should I Eat?  (not too much)

1) “Stop eating before you’re full.”  2) “Spend as much time enjoying the meal as it took to prepare it.”  3) “Serve a proper portion and don’t go back for seconds.”  – the French eat butter, pastries, bread, wine, so many things that we deem “unhealthy” in the West, but they are healthier and skinnier than we are… the difference is not so much what they eat but how they eat it.  They rarely snack, eat small portions, and eat food at leisurely meals shared with people.  Our relationship with food is just as important to our health as the nutrients we injest.

All in all, there are 64 rules, all very thought-provoking and helpful.  Many of the rules have short explanations, and some don’t need one.  It’s a great reference guidebook to eating more healthfully, and would be even more enjoyable after reading his other books.  I think I paid a total of $8 at Amazon for it, including the shipping.

Along those lines, here’s a great recipe that is tasty and healthy,  a good standby during this winter weather; yes, it’s another soup but we are digging on some soup right now in the Anderson household.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, adapted from Cooking Light magazine:

2 cups of chopped cooked chicken

1 box of long grain and wild rice, cooked

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

1/3 c. matchstick carrot

1/2 t. thyme

1 t. minced garlic

1 pkg presliced mushroom blend

4 c. chicken broth

salt

pepper

Saute onions, pepper, carrots, garlic, and thyme in 1 T. olive oil, for 3 minutes.  Stir in 1 T. butter and mushrooms; saute 3 min.  Add broth, rice, chicken, salt and pepper to pot; cook until thoroughly heated.  Makes 4 servings.

Enjoy with some good bread.  Everything’s better with some good bread!  And birthday cake!  Better go have my cake and eat it, too!  (Think about that saying…what does that even mean?  I know what it MEANS, but what does it mean?  Please comment!)

Take care of yourselves and each other,

Katie 

“That’s why I can’t say enough times, whatever love you can get and give, whatever happiness you can filtch or provide, every temporary measure of grace — whatever works!”  -Boris Yelnikoff, Whatever Works

Where do you eat? January 15, 2010

Just finished watching “The Hangover” with the hubby.  I feel like I need hand sanitizer after that movie, but it was definitely funny.  How did the writers come up with all that?  Maybe I don’t want to know.  That Office dude, what IS his name, may be the funniest guy on tv.  So in an attempt to cleanse my mind of those pictures at the end of the movie, let’s blog, shall we?

Question:  Where do you like to eat?  Especially south of Atlanta.  I want to know what you have found, something you think is unique to this area.  What is delicious?  What is healthy?  What is eco-friendly?

I have been thinking about how much restaurants have been struggling, and how I hope the good ones will make it.  In my small town, there’s not a huge selection to begin with so I hope my faves are going to be okay.  We have quite a few chains, and we like some of them, but the local places are the ones I enjoy and worry about the most.

So here’s my list of the best local places in the Southern Crescent:

1.  The Hil, Serenbe:  see earlier blog entry; it’s the yummiest food, the place is quite nice but not stuffy nice, and you can tell they care about their food.  There are so many upscale dishes, but the burger is incredible.  Wonder what they do to it?  You can get the pricier items, or you can get a pizza or burger.  There’s something for everyone.  Their chicken pot pie is a specialty.  They use local ingredients, many from the Serenbe farm.  And their Sunday brunch is awesome.

2.  Redneck Gourmet, Downtown Newnan:  I love the Rusty Rooster, the BLT/Avocado sandwich, the homemade french fries, the blue cheese dressing, and the sweet tea.  Really great gourmet food for rednecks.  Just kidding, it’s really great food for non-rednecks, too.  And they recycle, I’ve seen the containers in the back!

3.  Fabiano’s, Downtown Newnan:  best pizza in town, also love the pepperoni rolls, spinach salad, and scrumptious yet spicy chili. Very friendly, beer-knowledgeable staff.  Cool, funky vibe.

4.  Grinds and Wines, Peachtree City:  Salmon BLT, Salmon BLT, Salmon BLT- you can get it without the roll and the salmon has blt, plus blue cheese and avocado.  They say they have some kind of fancy restaurant equipment that cooks the salmon to such perfection, I think it is like a panini-type contraption that make the perfect salmon.  I hear the fish tacos are great, too.  Oh and don’t forget the sweet potato fries.

5.  Yumi Asian, Newnan Publix Shopping Ctr:  Please go to this restaurant!  I am most worried about them.  They just recently opened in the same location that previously had another chinese buffet-type restaurant that was sanitation-grade-ily challenged.  I discovered them through a friend and am trying to get the word out!  Thai, Chinese, Japanese, and sushi.  They are big on quality of their ingredients and sushi.  They are out of Atlanta, I think midtown.  Their service is wonderful and the portions are very generous.  Their decor is lovely.  Please try it!

6.  Renaissance Bread and Pizza, Newnan Station:  Just tried this place.  Used to be Blimpie.  Their bread is beautiful, works of art, very tasty.  When I went, they had sourdough, roasted garlic, ciabatta, rolls, a snake baguette, and some sort of bread braid.  They also have pizza and sandwiches.  Not sure what their story is, but the bread makes me happy.

7.  Sprayberry’s BBQ, hwy 29 and Bullsboro Dr.:  Of course you have to mention Sprayberry’s.  I really do love their BBQ and their slaw.  Tender chopped pork, no chunks of fat to pick out, vinergary slaw, oooh my mouth is watering thinking about it, onion rings, sweet tea.  Classic.

8.  Five Guys, Ashley Park:  yeah, it’s a chain, but it’s damn good.  You know it is.

9.  Senoia Coffee Company, downtown Senoia:  I love their laid-back atmosphere, the desserts are good, the sandwiches, but the coffee is yum.  The frozen, high calorie, topped with whipped cream thing…it’s worth it.  Better than Starbucks.

10.  The Half Shell, downtown Newnan and hwy 34:  chili dogs, baby!  The chili rivals the Varsity, for real.  The potato salad may or may not be made there but it’s delicious.  You eat at the counter, wax paper is your plate, simple and great.  They also have oysters, which aren’t my thing, but they are their specialty.

Let’s get out and support these local businesses, and help get them through these tough times!  If you have a favorite, please let me know so I can check it out. 

Gotta go get a snack after writing this blog!  Good night!

Katie

“And I said to my little children, ‘I’m going to work and do everything that I can do to see that you get a good education.  I don’t ever want you to forget that there are millions of God’s children who will not and cannot get a good education, and I don’t want you feeling that you are better than they are.  For you will never be what you ought to be until they are what they ought to be.”  Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., from sermon on Jan. 7, 1968

Leftover stuff from “Food Inc.” Review; Brocolli Cheddar Soup to Warm the Soul January 10, 2010

Happy New Year, all!

I wanted to do a quick post on some leftover stuff that some readers have been commenting on.  The to-do list from the movie Food, Inc. was helpful, but many of us are left asking, “which companies are really eco-friendly, treating employees, animals and consumers with respect?”  I had mentioned in an earlier posting the Newsweek article from November of the Top 500 Green Companies, and have found the link:  http://greenrankings.newsweek.com/.  This list seems to be a good place to start.  I also mentioned that Wal-Mart is actually ranked higher than Whole Foods; who knew?

In Food, Inc., there were a few companies mentioned, like Stonyfield, who were eco-friendly but who were bought out by a big food company.  I decided to research this development, because I do wonder about these BIG organic companies and how they are making it.  I found a VERY interesting article( http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_42/b4005001.htm) about the obstacles a company like Stonyfield faces when trying to feed the masses.  Turns out, many of the obstacles they face are the same as the ones the regular food companies faced, which led to factory farms, which led us to the predicament we are in!  AAAAHHHHH!  Granted, the article is from 2006 and hopefully there have been some encouraging developments since then.  But to top it off, check out this Organic Integrity Report (Jan. 2008) on dairy (http://www.cornucopia.org/dairy_brand_ratings/), which basically says my store-brand organic milk is  barely better than buying regular milk and is produced on a factory farm.  So now I’m really confused and frustrated.  Which leads back to the question, how to feed the masses, in an affordable, efficient way without sacrificing the health of the animals or the people or the environment?  I do buy local, but again, that is not enough to feed my small town, much less the world. 

And another question:  Why are the grocery store apples, during apple season, from Washington, when we grow apples in North GA?  One of the best food experiences I’ve had was eating a freshly picked apple, picked by me, in Ellijay, GA, on a bitterly cold, drizzly day, really too cold to go apple picking but we did anyway.  No one else had ever touched my apple before me.  No one packed it in a box, or brusied it while transporting it to a store.  I washed it off with my water bottle, and crunched into it, a cold, sweet, tart, juicy crunch that made me gobble down to the core.  What a divine treat!  Those are the apples the angels eat in heaven.

So how to put it all together?  That apple was so satifsying, refreshing, and nourishing.  How food should always be.  But I am not going to be driving 2 hours to North Georgia every week during apple season.  And I’m not going to try to make a statement by NOT buying apples at the store.  We love apples at my house!  So many questions, so little time to research!  I will continue to look and learn and report back to you what I find.  And I hope you will do the same.  Please let me know what you know and maybe you will answer my questions!

I leave you with  a recipe from Food Network Magazine for this cold weather:  (hits all of the right notes for me- affordable, tasty, healthy, and usually all of the ingredients are in your cabinet.  And my kids even ate it!  If your kids like brocolli, they will love this.)

Panera-Inspired, Almost-Famous Brocolli-Cheddar Soup (Food Network Magazine, Jan/Feb 2010)

Melt 6 T. butter in soup pot over medium heat.  Add 1 chopped onion and cook 5 minutes.  Whisk in 1/4 c. flour and cook until golden, 3-4 minutes, then whisk in 2 c. half and half until smooth.  Add 3 c. low sodium chicken broth, 2 bay leaves, 3/4 t. nutmeg, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to medium low and cook until thickened, 20 minutes.

Add 4 c. brocolli florets and 1 large diced carrot to soup and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes (note:  I used the fresh carrot and then after 15 minutes, put in a bag of frozen brocolli florets instead of the fresh, for the last 5 minutes.)  Discard bay leaves.  Puree the soup in batches in blender until smooth (note:  I wonder if you used frozen chopped brocolli, if you would have to puree?)  Return to the pot, or puree soup in pot with immersion blender.

Add 2 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese to the soup and whisk over medium heat until melted.  Add water if soup is too thick.  Garnish with cheese.

They also recommend putting it in a bread bowl; for bread bowl instructions along with full recipe, visit http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/almost-famous-broccoli-cheddar-soup-recipe/index.html

Stay warm, my groggers!  This soup, hot tea, red wine, and my Snuggie (yes, it’s a UGA snuggie, no less-do not mock the snuggie until you try it in 13 degree weather!!) are getting me BARELY through.   This winter has reinforced the fact that I would never survive living in wintry states!  I am a winter wimp!

Til next time!

Katie

Blue Christmas…White Christmas… This Year, Why Not Green? December 24, 2009

Let’s call this my Christmas Eve Eve blog, which I’m sure will be bleary-eyed and manic from non-stop Christmas preparations.  Every year I say I’m going to simplify things, and every year I am still dog-tired from the to-do list.  I am constantly trying to simplify life, and I can’t figure out if it’s just not possible, or if it’s just not possible for ME.  I know you other women and mothers out there are in survival mode, and if you work outside the home, you must really be tired.  Ladies, you make the Holidays Happen and your family and friends love you for it.  And don’t feel bad if you feel the need to have a post-holiday massage; you’ve earned it! 

I do have some holiday tips, which I guess you can use for next year since tomorrow is already Christmas Eve!  Who has time to blog during the holidays?!  Some of these tips I’ve used, and many of these I would’ve liked to use, but out of fear of being called a hypocrite, I must readily admit that it has been hard to stay the green and healthy course during the holidays.  I haven’t run since Thanksgiving, I’ve gone through the Chick-Fil-A drive-thru more times than I’d like to admit these past 3 weeks, because who has time to cook when you’re trying to get everything done, and the holiday stress even drove me to a (gasp!) late-night plate of nachos with Doritos, cheddar, and Tabasco…it is not on my healthy list but I promise it will cure what ails you.  So yes, I slip, too, and well, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.  Onward and upward…  

My Tips for an Eco-Friendly Holiday, um, 2010: 

First of all, if you are looking for eco-friendly gifts for a good price, try TJ Maxx and Marshall’s.  They have a good selection here, anyway.  And they especially have a great organic food section.  Second, you can buy recyclable wrapping paper at Target; the ink is waterbased which makes it recyclable.  Or you can use reusable gift bags.  Think about all of that trash you accumulate on Christmas; wouldn’t it be nice to cut down?  We also found recycled golf balls for gifts at Target, as well as organic wine for less than $10.  And yes, I am aware that I have a borderline unhealthy relationship with Target.  My husband would say it is not borderline.  

Two of my favorite things at Christmastime are Christmas cards and cooking/baking.  I know cards are not very eco-friendly, but I love sending and receiving them.  It’s so nice to get something in the mail besides bills and junk.  And I love those year-in-review letters; what’s with the bad rap they get?  Keep writing them!  I love to hear what you are doing.  There are plenty of cards printed on recycled paper to use, and I just think it’s worth the environmental cost.  I’ve also been baking up a storm, which is unusual for me; I’m not really much of a baker.  This year, I’ve been trying to use organic and all natural ingredients; perhaps that somehow will miraculously cancel out the calories from the multiple pounds of butter I’ve used.  

There is a farm down the road, Country Gardens, and I’ve bought their eggs and we’re having their grass-fed steak for Christmas dinner.  Tonight, I made chocolate baklava from Cooking Light, with nutella and phyllo dough; how can that possibly be in Cooking Light?  It is really tasty but as I was making it, I remembered the only other time I’ve cooked with phyllo dough and how I vowed I would never bake with it again.  This time I learned that you really do have to keep a damp towel over it like the directions say (that’s why I’m not a good baker, I’m a terrible directions-follower) and it will work out great.  

Really Random Moment: 

Don’t you just love Kevin from Top Chef?  He seems to be such a cool guy and I would love to eat anything that he cooked.  His restaurant is in Atlanta, and I am dying to try it. 

More Recipes:

If you are looking for some good veg recipes, check out this website of an organic farm in Fayetteville:  www.twodovesfarm.com.  I still haven’t gotten over there, but come spring, I plan to check it out.  Delicata Squash Bake, Zucchini Fritters, Balsamic Glazed Beets, and more!  The website is a great learning tool about organics, too.

 Thanks for bearing with me during this Green Holiday blog.  I’m heading to bed and will put you out of your misery.  I would love to hear about your best green holiday tips, as well, so please comment if you feel the urge.

Best holiday wishes to you and yours!  

~Katie

 I leave you with a little “Christmas Vacation” fun…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEZWtohobaE

God is Great, Wine is Good, and Flying in Thunderstorms is Crazy December 4, 2009

Hello groggers, hope you all had lovely Thanksgiving feasts.  Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, with its food-centrism and thankful-heart vibe.  I am still recovering!

My topic today is green funerals.  A bit morbid perhaps, but interesting nonetheless.  

I am feeling morbid for 2 reasons:  1) I attended a relative’s funeral this past week, and 2) I had a near death experience on a stormy plane trip home.  It got me thinking…what are the environmental implications of a traditional burial?  Cremation, embalming, ornate casket vs. pine box, religious beliefs, emotions of the surviving family members; death and funerals are a tough thing to talk about.  We certainly don’t want to think about it, I don’t even want to make plans for it because if I don’t make plans, it’ll never happen.  Ha!  

I went online and found many links to information on green funerals.  The National Funeral Directors Association has a nice Q&A on their website.  Here is their explanation of a green funeral: 

“A green funeral incorporates environmentally-friendly options in order to meet the needs of a family requesting a green service. A green funeral may include any or all of the following: a small gathering in a natural setting, use of only recycled paper products, locally-grown organic flowers, carpooling, organic food, no embalming or embalming with formaldehyde-free products, the use of sustainable biodegradable clothing, shroud or casket, and natural or green burial.”  -www.nfda.org 

This would be your last and most lasting way to contribute to your planet, your last Environmental Hurrah.  I like the idea, but I’m so used to traditional funerals, it might be hard to change.  Much of what we do is to provide comfort to the dead person’s surviving family and friends.  That is important to consider, too.  And I think we all want to go out with dignity, if at all possible, and a biodegradeable cardboard casket doesn’t seem very dignified.  I think it would basically seem like a cardboard box, and while eco friendly, is it how I want  to see my loved ones in their final moments?  Maybe a better compromise would be a bamboo casket.  Simple but attractive.  But then again, what does it matter, really?  It’s going to be buried in the ground!  Never to be seen again.  I don’t know, what do you think? 

As I think about it, I realize the question for me often is “how green can you go?”  There are different shades of green; I have moved down the spectrum to the darker shades but I still am probably in the middle.  I do try to challenge myself to the greener end.  

As I mentioned earlier, I am quite certain that I was close to the end on the bumpy flight home from up North.  I am also quite certain that I was probably the only one to feel that way.  In fact, my husband told me that relatively speaking, the bumps were really “not that bad.”  I am what you might call a “white knuckler”, and have what you might call “panic attacks” on airplanes from time to time.  The panic attacks have been known to include “sweaty palms”, “negative thoughts”, “elevated heart rate”, “embarrassing need to cry” and “getting right with God.”   For the past few years, though, I had been doing quite well, with attacks mild to none, and no medication.  With children to distract me, my husband to explain every noise and minor detail of the flight, and reading material, I had been fine.  Apparently, I have only been on smooth flights for the past few years.  

Never again will I fly without medication.  The plane bumped up and down, side to side, perhaps did a couple of flips.  I felt the panic rising, awaiting certain disaster.  The glass of wine came none too early, I put on headphones to listen to Everybody Loves Raymond on the plane TV, and started writing.  I couldn’t even drink the wine without spilling, it was so bumpy (I was very motivated, though, and could now participate in the Olympic Bumpy Plane Ride/ Wine Drinking event.)  With my son deep into a book and clueless that his mother was a wreck, I started writing to try to focus my thoughts away from crashing planes.  I titled it, “These Things I Know To Be True”, rather bizarre but that’s what came to mind.  Here is an excerpt: 

“1.  I will never fly again without medication.  2.  Panic is not an option when you have children.  3.  God is great, beer is good, people are crazy.  (thanks, Billy Currington.)  4.  My Happy Place is a massage room in the Savannah Day Spa.  5.  Does Everybody Really Love Raymond?  6.  I don’t really care if gay people get married.  7. I am glad I’m not Tiger Woods or married to Tiger Woods.” 

I actually had 38 things I knew to be true.  It turned out to be a fantastic writing exercise.  I didn’t think, I just wrote madly, focusing my thoughts, and found a surprising clarity.  So, creative writing teachers, take your class somewhere, give them a glass of wine, make them face death on a plane ride through some thunderstorms, and you might get something interesting. 

I was so glad to be on the ground.  And now I’m so glad that I am home and writing about green funerals rather than being a guest of honor at one.  Here are some other green funeral links I found to be interesting: 

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/go-green/funerals/funerals-tips.html 

http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2004-02-03-green-funerals_x.htm 

http://www.greenburialcouncil.org/ 

Hope I gave you some food for thought today!  Leave me a comment and let me know what you think about a green funeral.

Take care,

Katie

Happy Green Thanksgiving! November 19, 2009

Good morning, all.  I am coming off of one of the best weekends I’ve had in a long time.  We celebrated my mother’s 60th birthday with a family beach weekend.  My dad rented us a wonderful beach-front house.  My sister-in-law Martha and I took her to the spa for a massage and nails, and had lunch at a ladies’ lunch kind of place.  I’ve since decided that my biggest job search motivator is now to fund my yearning for a monthly massage.  Forget bills and debt reduction:  I’ve now got a massage addiction to feed!  If only I could figure out a way to get my health insurance to cover them; surely a massage is cheaper and better for you than Xanax.

Later, we watched football and my brother Matt, Martha, Scott and I cooked a tailgate feast in her honor.  Martha had come up with this brilliant idea months ago, to cook her dinner based on her life:  things she liked as a child, things she likes now, things that represent places she has lived.  Don’t you love it?  So the family got together and came up with ”This Is Your Life in Food.”  She loved it and it was so much fun to do.  We did an updated version of her 2 childhood favorites:  a peanut butter sandwich via peanut butter bread pudding, and an updated Krystal hamburger via organic beef sliders.  We had food to represent Mexican food, a family favorite growing up;  sweet and spicy pecans and peach salsa to represent GA; sweet tea vodka and shrimp to represent SC;  a beautiful roasted beet salad and NC bbq gourmet’ed up as a pork tenderloin slider with NC wine.  We ended the feast with my grandmother’s gorgeous and delicious caramel cake, Mom’s birthday request.  We had a ball doing it, and full bellies afterwards.  Happy 60th, Mom!

For the PB Bread Pudding recipe, visit http://southernfood.about.com/od/breadpuddingrecipes/r/bl61020a.htm?r=et.

For the BBQ sliders, visit http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/03/earlyshow/contributors/bobbyflay/main3326565.shtml.

I would give you my grandmother’s caramel cake recipe, but then I’d have to kill you. 

Green Thanksgiving Tips:

This being the week before the holiday, I thought I’d pass on some green Thanksgiving tips.  I just discovered a “Planet Green” channel on DirecTV, I think it’s 286.  There were some good looking shows on there, and I watched some “Emeril Green” and it had some great tips.  I’ll report back on “Living with Ed”, the Ed Begley show and a show with Bob Woodruff that looked good.  They have a nice website too, with the following green Thanksgiving/holiday tips:

1.  Send Evites or invitations printed on recycled paper.

2.  Shop farmers’ markets for local, in-season produce.

3.  Decorate with organic flowers, or bouquets made from your yard (adding rosemary or lavendar makes for a lovely arrangement.)

4.  Remember to recycle any trash or compost leftovers.

*for more tips, visit http://planetgreen.discovery.com/go-green/thanksgiving-day/thanksgiving-day-tips.html

Green Thanksgiving Decor:

Check out this cute idea for making holiday placemats out of your recycling bin; watch the video, it’s short!  I found it here:

http://www.mnn.com/family/education-activities/blogs/diy-stylish-holiday-place-mats

Healthy Houseplants List:

I found a great article on healthy houseplants.  Over the years, I have killed more houseplants than I care to admit.  The poor plants at the nursery see me coming and instead of a 30something mom, they see the Grim Reaper!  I HAVE done well with the pothos plant; thankfully, there is at least one houseplant that doesn’t need to compete with the humans, dog, and turtles for my attention.  Of course we all know that houseplants are good for the air, but this article talks about a recent study by the UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA (go Dawgs!  Woof Woof Woof!) and lists specific houseplants that are especially good air purifiers:  English ivy, Areca Palm, Gerbera daisy, Peace lily, and green spider plant.  I also just noticed there is a link there on the left to an article about a sex change operation on a papaya…I gotta check that out!   http://www.mnn.com/the-home/gardening-landscaping/stories/can-houseplants-save-your-life

Alright groggers, I am out of here.  It’s too beautiful of a day to sit in here with my computer any longer!  I will take next week off, but will be back the next week.  Oh, one other tip for Thanksgiving:  remember to give thanks.  I know I will.

Thanks to you all, for reading my grog!

Katie

“I got a roof over my head, the woman/man I love laying in my bed, and it’s alright, alright, I got shoes under my feet, forever in her/his eyes staring back at me, and it’s alright, alright, and I’ve got all I need, and it’s alright by me.  It’s alright by me, yeah, yeah, when I lay down at night, I thank the Lord above, for giving me everything I ever could dream of…”  Alright by Darius Rucker

Food, Inc. Reviewed November 10, 2009

It’s been a big week for this Green Mama.  First, I was featured on Southern Living’s website as their Mama Blogger of the Week!  (see link on the sidebar)  So very exciting and a big thanks to all readers who commented on the site, and kept me from looking like the Loser Mama Blogger of the Week!  Also, I officially finished my first Race!  Woo hoo!  I actually ran a real race, a 5K, did not collapse, somehow won 3^rd place in my age group (still pretty sure there were only 3 women in my age group in the race), and had NO breathing issues.  This was a big deal for me after the asthma mess over the past few months.  I just felt so healthy running that race and finishing it, and having my kids there to see me, and my husband there to cheer me on.  I might get addicted now.  It was such a rush.  Kudos to Martha C. for winning 1^st place in the 60 and up women’s division!  You are an inspiration for all ages!

 This entry I’m about to write is a bit more daunting than the usual green blogs (grogs?) I’ve written.   I just finished watching Food, Inc. and I’ve now got to put it into words.  And as my 4-year-old would say, I did not make a good choice for dinner tonight:  microwave popcorn and Whoppers.  Only I would have a crappy dinner the night I was watching a healthy food movie and writing a healthy food blog.     

I knew, though, in the movie store when I held the box in my hand, that it would change me to some degree.  I even put it back on the shelf for a few minutes, asking myself, do I want to do this?  What about that great little Jennifer Aniston flick?  But I went back and got it because I felt like it was time.  And because I know that I can’t keep being ignorantly bliss, no matter how much I would like to.  None of us really can.  Sometimes you bury your head in the sand because you just can’t take anymore.  I have days like that, too.  But this scary food stuff is out there, whether you want it to be there or not.  If today is one of those days that you just can’t take any more, then stop reading.  I totally understand.  But when you’re having a better day, come back and read, or go get the movie yourself.  I think you’ll be glad you did. 

One thing that I appreciated about this movie is that they actually provide a To-Do List at the end.  Don’t you hate it when you read or watch stuff and they tell you all of this bad stuff and then they don’t even tell you what you can do about it?  After I give you the rundown, I will definitely provide you with their To-Do List so you won’t feel completely demoralized. 

They start out by saying how our industrialized food system has changed dramatically for the worse over the past 50 years.  The fast food “Drive-In’s” brought the factory system into the kitchen, where each worker did one job over and over again.  The labor was cheap and easily replaceable.  The three most important ideals for food became uniformity, conformity and cheapness.  Today, McDonald’s is the largest purchaser of beef, potatoes, chicken, lettuce, and even apples.  Their demand is for big suppliers, which has led to 4 large corporations controlling 85% of the market. 

They show how chickens today are twice the size of chickens from the 1950’s, and because of a preference for white meat, they now have Pamela Anderson breasts.  The movie makers interviewed a Tyson chicken farmer, whose chickens never see the light of day.  He was going to let the cameras into the chicken houses, until Tyson stopped him.  Tyson did not comment in this film, so the average consumer like me won’t know their perspective.  Carole, a Perdue farmer, was so beaten down by the situation that she elected to show her houses, knowing that Perdue wouldn’t be happy.  Her houses did have open windows, but her chickens were so large, they couldn’t carry their own weight.  Not that they could go anywhere anyway; there were so many chickens on top of one another, there was nowhere to go even if they could move.  These farmers are in so much debt to the big corporations, that they have virtually no say in their own businesses.  The companies make production demands to make more money, regardless of the consequences to the farmer, the illegal immigrant workers, or the chickens.  Not surprisingly, Carole’s contract with Perdue was terminated not long after she participated in this film.  The movie showed that the average farmer borrows $500,000 to set up a chicken farm, and earns an average of $18,000 in a year. 

Then they move on to corn and soy.  They said that either corn or soy is in 90% of processed food products in the grocery store.  Because corn is subsidized, they try to grow as much as possible and sell it cheaper than production costs.  The farmers feed the cows corn, although they are actually wired to eat grass.  But corn is cheaper than grass, and fattens them up.  Their corn diet also has created the E. coli problem.  The cows stand around in ankle-deep feces and still have manure on their hides at the slaughterhouse, which gets into the food supply.  The runoff from these farms puts E. coli in crops, which is how it got into products like spinach.  The regulatory agencies that are supposed to protect us are run by people affiliated with the big corporations.  And here we are, one big country-sized dysfunctional food system, with the chickens, cows, and humans getting fatter.      

According to Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, all they had to do was feed the cattle grass and most of the E. coli problem would be fixed.  Instead, they decided to cleanse the meat in ammonia.  Someone actually thought that was a fantastic idea.  I’m sure it’s cheaper to do that.  The ammonia guy surely got a promotion.  They showed the ammonia-washed beef, which did not even look like meat, or any food product for that matter.  Yikes!  They mention how powerful the beef industry is and how they sued Oprah…remember that?  They will sue you if you disparage their product.  Let me take a moment to mention that if you are reading this and you are a beef industry exec, please do not get  your panties in a wad…this blog is only read by a small handful of readers, many of whom are faithful carnivores!  Oprah won that suit, by the way, only a mere $1 million dollars later.  So, um, maybe there’s no time like the present to say how I do love a good Five Guys!  (nervous laughter…) 

They discussed how ridiculous it is that unhealthy food is cheaper than healthy food.  I have wondered why that is for many years.  The movie says that the cheap food is the subsidized food, which is how it is cheaper, but we are paying in more ways than dollar bills.  It is awful that chips are cheaper than carrots.  How many of us, right now, have to make that difficult choice:  a whole fast food meal, or a bag of broccoli?  Winter clothes for the kids, or organic foods?  Tough choices for tight budgets. 

Now, the big companies are buying up profitable organic brands.  Will the organics’ integrity remain intact?  Time will tell.  And I’d never be so idealistic to think that these companies have had a moral awakening; the Wal Mart execs in the movie state plain as day that their decision to sell organics was customer driven.  So you see, it does matter what you buy.  You make a statement every time you go to the grocery store and the companies do notice what makes them money.  The average consumer feels powerless but they are not.  It is good for Wal Mart to sell organic products, even if you hate Wal Mart and don’t shop there.  

I believe Wal Mart was the only corporation who had representatives in the film, which I think was a very good move.  Tyson, Perdue, Monsanto (soybean company), and Smithfield were all dragged across the coals, but none of them had a comment.  Why?  Why not defend yourself to some degree?  That bothers me.  The movie asks if they will eventually end up the way of the tobacco companies.    

“But, Katie, What Can I Do,  Now That You’ve Gotten Me Completely Depressed and I’m Drinking Whiskey Straight From The Bottle?” 

Put the bottle away, and focus your energies on Food, Inc.’s To-Do List:

1. Buy from companies who treat workers, animals and the environment with respect.
2. Choose foods in season.
3. Buy organic.
4. Know what’s in your food, i.e. read labels.
5. Buy local, and shop farmer’s markets.
6. Plant a garden (even a small one.)

For more information, visit www.takepart.com/foodinc.

I welcome all comments, challenges, and perspectives on these topics.  You can help this blog become so much richer by adding your 2 cents!

Thanks for reading my grog!  Take care of yourselves and each other.

Katie

Money Can’t Buy Me Love or Creativity November 2, 2009

I believe I mentioned I’m on a budget, right?  We’re down to one income and we’re tightening things up a bit.  Just as many, many other Americans are doing right now; I know we are not alone.  I got to thinking about how sometimes a tight budget, while constraining in many ways, can also help your creativity blossom.  I have had to get super creative lately and thought I would share a few of my recession-inspired ideas.  I would love to hear from you guys, too, on what you’re doing to combat the supposedly-ended-but-where-are-the-jobs-recession.   

I confess, these ideas are not really new, and I’m thinking our grandparents probably already had these, and more,  ideas.  My grandmother will probably read this and think, “been there, done that,” but that’s okay.  Necessity is the mother of invention, and while I feel fortunate to have avoided the Depression by being born in the 70’s (the disco and bell bottoms were a better cross to bear than a Depression, for sure), I now see the relevance of those old school ideas firsthand. 

The main thing I’ve been doing is creating meals from whatever is in the house, rather than going to the store every 3 days because I’m in the mood for something in particular for dinner.  I know, lame, right?  Our pantry used to get so stuffed with random foods, because I didn’t take inventory before shopping.  It is a true creative challenge to look in the pantry and make a meal that you didn’t specifically shop for.  First of all, I have a new favorite go-to meal:  an egg scramble.  I’m not a skilled omelet maker, so I do a scramble instead.  You can take any leftover veggies, throw them in with some beaten eggs and you’ve got a tasty dinner.  I like to sauté onions and peppers, scramble the eggs until they are just setting, throw in some greens, cooked bacon/leftover deli meat, some cheese- it’s so good.  This is a meal I will always have in the rotation, no matter what the economic environment might be. 

Next, go veg more often to keep your budget in line.  Don’t forget, it’s also good for your health.  Make a homemade alfredo sauce, just butter, flour, skim milk, salt/pepper, and parmesan cheese.  Throw in cooked pasta, some greens, leftover zucchini, or broccoli, mushrooms would be good, sprinkle some nuts over the top, and you’re good to go.  It’s very satisfying and filling.  The dairy is your protein, plus the nuts.  You won’t be hungry later. 

Okay, for school projects:  send your kids to your recycling bin.  Don’t go out to the craft store and spend your whole paycheck.  You can make them be more creative, and it’s amazing what they will come up with!   I think the teachers appreciate the creativity and hard work involved.  And, it’s good for the environment, which they can mention in their presentation.  

This same idea goes for holiday decorating.  For Halloween, we made ghosts out of white garbage bags and hung them in the trees.  The kids had a ball, and they looked great!  For this idea, I must give credit to Scott, who is both my husband and my McGyver.  Believe me, we will be doing something similar for Christmas.  I’m no Martha Stewart, but I love to decorate for the kids, so this is a way to still be festive and not break the bank.   

How about you guys?  Any other good suggestions?  You do get extra credit if you’re idea is budget savvy AND green!     

I’d also like to give a shout-out to a hometown restaurant, the Redneck Gourmet, in Newnan, GA.  When I was there over the weekend, I noticed that they have a recycling bin in their kitchen.  Way to go, Redneck proprietors!  Your commitment to the environment makes your food taste even better to me now!  Of course, it was really good before that, too.  So go there, Bloglanders!  Downtown on the square!  

Last but not least, real quick, wanted to say a belated Happy 41^st Birthday to my cousin, Michael D.!  He threw a top-notch party, with DJ’s and sponsors, at a HGTV-esque, roof-top party locale with a view of Atlanta’s skyline.  It was quite a thrill for this suburbanite to attend such a hip soiree.  Check out the link to his charity to buy an “edutainer”, or school made out of a shipping container, for children in South Africa.  Sounds very cool and can’t wait to hear their progress. 

Take care, all! 

~Katie

 “You gotta know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away, know when to run.  You never count your money, when you’re sittin’ at the table.  There’ll be time enough for countin’, when the dealin’s done. “  Kenny Rogers, The Gambler

 “I don’t care too much for money, money can’t buy me love.”  ~The Beatles, Can’t Buy Me Love

 “If I were a rich man, Yeh bu dibba dibba dibba dibba dibba dibba dum, all day long I’d biddy biddy bum, if I were a wealthy man.  I wouldn’t have to work hard, Yeh bu dibba dibba dibba dibba dibba dibba dum, if I were a biddy biddy rich, Yidle diddle didle didle man.”  ~Tevye, If I Were A Rich Man

My Rainy Day, Go Back to Bed Blog October 27, 2009

So, one of the perks of being unemployed is, when it’s a cold, rainy day, you CAN get back in the bed.    And that’s what I did, after taking the kids to school.  I felt guilty, but it was a guilty pleasure.  How many days did I wish I could do that, on the way to work on a rainy day? Was it my American-ness that made me get up, after a short hour, asking “why did you waste that time when you could have been productive?  Look at this house,  there are dishes in the sink, you need to finish painting that bathroom, laundry is overflowing, go find a job, oh and don’t forget that blog you’ve been neglecting!”    I’ve got to learn to enjoy it more.  So here it is,  my rainy day, go back to bed blog…

Veg Garden Update: 

Not so sure my spot is a good idea.  After much thought and discussion, I have decided that my garden spot is not a good one.  It is in kind of a random spot, and will tear up the yard in a place that will look strange.  It is one of the few sunny locations in my back yard, but I don’t even think it has enough sun.  I’m considering using some attractive containers in my front yard flowerbeds, where we get the most sun.  My planters by the garage do so well, I even had vinca come back from last year, I did not do a THING, not even water, and they have done better than anything in my yard! 

Health Update: 

Had a physical earlier this month, and my cholesterol was FINE, so much better than I expected.  I think my healthier eating has really helped.  So I am grateful for that…health is your wealth. 

Anyone need a tennis or race buddy?  I have gotten back to running, after my crappy asthma spring/summer, and am doing some goal setting.  I know that I need to run a race, to stay motivated.  I still have quite a competitive spirit, left over from my high school basketball days, and would love to one day care about my running times; however, right now, I’ll be happy if I finish the thing!  Running has been a great stress reliever for me.   Running and tennis are relatively cheap ways to exercise, and get you outdoors.   

Speaking of, have you noticed the push lately for vitamin D?  That’s the stuff you get from the sun when you’re outside.  Babies who are born in wintertime, like my son, often have a deficiency of vitamin D.  He had to have supplements when he was a baby.  That was the first I’d heard of it, but apparently, lots of people are having problems with their vitamin D levels- proof that we all need to spend more time outdoors!!  Kids are inside a school building most of the day.  Adults go to work and might not get out in the sun all day; we certainly don’t get vitamin D from the florescent lighting!  Makes more sense to go outdoors, instead of having to pop a pill.  There is something to that old school “sun bath.”  Small doses of sunlight ARE good for you.  Don’t you think work places should have recess?  And schools should allow more than 15 minutes for recess, which is what my children get.  That is ridiculous.  Surely they can spare thirty minutes to give them time to run off some steam and get out in the sunshine and fresh air. 

Another thing I’ve found is Fit TV.  It’s on Direct TV.  I’ve DVR’d several shows, so I always have a variety of exercises to choose from.  I’ve belly-danced, yoga’ed, and pilate’d, and there are more I want to try.  When it is raining, or I don’t want to run, I can put Fit TV on, and it’s really fun and free.  If you don’t count the Direct TV bill.   The belly dancing, by the way, was HILARIOUS, but not sure how much of a workout it really was.   

40^th Birthday suggestions? 

Scott and I will be turning 40 in the next 16 months…so I’m trying to think of a good idea for us to do together to celebrate.  I really want to have a limo involved; I am about to be 40 and have never ridden in a limo! 

I must go now and practice what I preach; Fit TV calls.  Not sure what I feel like doing today; wish there was a Zumba show, I’ve heard that’s fun.  I hope you are well and finding some good ways to stay healthy where you live. 

Take care!

Katie