Pictures of food

The Perky Pessimist's Philosophy of Food

Here is my philosophy on food:Food should be food. (Simple, I know, but hear me out). The food that we eat should be food in a state that at least closely resembles it's natural state. When I buy food, I aim for purchasing ingredients rather than packaged things. The bulk of the food that we eat ought to be things like fruits, vegetables, meats/fish, cheeses, grains. And I mean that exclusively, as in whole fruits and vegetables (the more colorful the better!) rather than juices or sweetened canned fruit. Fresh meat rather than canned or processed into lunch meats (like bologna or salami), sausage, or hot dogs. Whole grain breads, rice, pasta. Cheese that has a name rather than a brand.

I want to actually know what the ingredients are in the food that I am eating and serving to other people. Does this mean that I buy exclusively organic? No. I don't. I try to do so when it is a good economical choice and often when I am buying packaged foods. For example, today I purchased whole wheat organic sandwich bread. It was on sale for about the same price as the regular stuff. I bought 2 and put one in the freezer. I almost always buy organic yogurt for my kids. But I don't buy organic milk, for 2 reasons: 1. my husband doesn't like how it tastes, 2. It costs approximately $4 more per gallon than the regular kind. For my family, that means at least $300-500 per year more in grocery bills just to make that switch. Yikes.

What does this philosophy look like in real life? It means that when I want to buy a "bar," I opt for Larabars that have 3-6 ingredients (all of which I have heard of and know exactly what they are) over Powerbars (which have over 30 ingredients, many of which I haven't a clue how they are made or what they are made of). It means that when I get home from the grocery store, a large majority of the things that I bought go into my refrigerator or into my fruit bowl rather than into my pantry. It means that I have to go grocery shopping a LOT. Because REAL food doesn't keep for an extremely long period of time. It means that when I think "what should I eat before I work out?", the answer I come up with is an apple with peanut butter. And when I think "what will I bring for the kids to snack on at the zoo?" the answer is grapes and crackers (usually wheat ones).

So as not to let you think that I am perfect in my food choices, let me clear it up for you. I am NOT. I really like my food philosophy. And I try to use it as much as I can and have using it be the rule rather than the exceptions. But there are, of course, exceptions. I make my husband brownies. And sometimes rice crispie treats. There is even a very large box of Lucky Charms in my pantry right now (not for the kids, for my hubby). I bought candy for a movie today with my friends. My somewhat picky 1 year old will eat veggies if I puree them and put them into his Kraft Mac N Cheese (I also add chunks of ham and frozen peas).

You may not agree with me on any of this. And certainly I think that everyone has the right to make thier own food choices, the choices that work for them and their lives. So please, feel free to comment. I love comments! But I do respect your freedom to think/do other than I do.

(Note: since originally posting this on my other blog in August, I have read "In Defense of Food" and it was GREAT!)

My favorite pasta salad

All amounts are subject to taste.

Cooled cooked penne pasta
Crumbled bacon
Diced tomatoes
Diced english cucumber (peel on)
Mayo
Sour Cream
Ranch powder
S&P
Shredded Cheddar
Grated Parm

Optional Ingredients:
Frozen Peas and carrots
Frozen artichoke hearts (chopped)
Cooked Chicken

ZucCarSquaBanOat Bread

New RECIPE!

I adapted this from another recipe that I found online for zucchini oat bread. (the changes to mine are: bananas and extra baking soda instead of eggs, different veggies instead of all zuchini, honey instead of white sugar, and whole wheat flour instead of all purpose). I think those are enough changes to call it "my recipe" now. I think if I were to try it again, I may use raw sugar instead of brown, or maybe even all honey. Hmmm....

1 banana
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup honey
1 cup finely shredded zucchini (about 1 med)
1 cup finely shredded yellow squash
1 cup finely shredded carrots
1/3 cup melted butter
1/3 cup sour cream
3 tsp baking soda
1 and 1/2 cups oat flour
1 and 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
dash of cinnamon

add all ingredients, in order, to stand mixer, mixing gently after honey, sour cream, and cinnamon.

spray 2 loaf pans with cooking spray

bake 350 for 45-60 min (done when toothpick comes out clean)

Corey calls this one "Mexican Shepherd's Pie"

Boil halved baby red potatoes (or really any kind you want)
Brown Chorizo Sausage with quartered button mushrooms
Put sausage and mushrooms into small baking dish
top with 8-16 cubed oz of melting mexican cheese (I like pepperjack, but you can go less spicy if you want)

Bake at 350 until bubbly and golden on edges (like 10-15 min)

Serve on slightly squished potatoes

Or - Put slightly squished cooked potatoes on bottom of baking dish, cover with sausage mixture and cheese and bake all together.

Very Tasty

Daphne's Spicy Pineapple Pico

2 Jalepeno Peppers, finely chopped, seeds, ribs and all
2 Serrano Peppers, also finely chopped, seeds, ribs and all
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 medium yellow onion finely diced
3 cups diced tomatoes
1/4-1/2 cup finely copped cilantro (I just use most of one bunch of tops)
1 can crushed pineapple, drained1/4 cup reserved pineapple juice from above
salt and pepper

PS #1-This recipe can also be made without the pineapple, just do an extra cup or so of tomatoes and use OJ instead of pineapple juice

PS #2 - This recipe can also be cut in half if you want less of it (but really, who would want less?)