CE-yo

Gary Hirshberg, of Stonyfield, posted a letter today. It's worth reading. I'm not sure what I make of it yet. However, I think the target is not necessarily Stonyfield, Organic Valley, or Whole Foods. Monsanto is still the bad guy. I think the USDA is like most government organizations and it goes back to money. Profit. Business. Politics. Government. None of those mix well with such individual matters as health and nutrition. Your thoughts? Is Stonyfield caving, is this just sweet talk? Did they choose the lesser of evils? Is the government really looking out for our food supply? Exactly where and what "hush money" exists?

The Second Month

SUNDAY: Vegetable Lasagna
MONDAY: Not Dogs with Coleslaw, Baked Beans
TUESDAY: Black Bean Quesadillas
WEDNESDAY: Chard & Mushroom quiche
THURSDAY: Sweet Potatoes with Kale and Ricotta
FRIDAY: Tuscan Chick Pea Soup with Spinach Salad

Saturday Summary

gah, i can't handle it!

can you relate

this is really amazing when you stop and try to figure it out. you'll have to watch it at least twice, though

new interesting look-see

holy frijole guacamole

sure the way i said it had a lot more words and wasnt as funny, but same point

gotta love the cheerwine

and speaking of local...thanks monsanto
(ps: OV's response is here, I think we don't have the whole picture and can't make a judgment on this yet. , and Stonyfield's is here. While you're at it, worth reading this from the center for food safety. So maybe this isn't a summary and should be it's own post, huh? )

chilly puppy

speaking of chilly...what a blustery day

I heart the heart ones

who has time to figure this out?!

and it doesn't end there either!

negative Ghostrider?

25 years ago

further proof turning up the thermostat is bad for your health

ingenious marketing, ingenious timing. I'm seeing people anticipating this all over the place! (PS that's an anthropologie spinoff)

Pot Pie Post

 

Yum (with a minor yuck!)

Sticking forks into raw potatoes is one of my favorite cooking prep tasks. Just something satisfying about the way that feels. Microwave this guy for about 8 minutes.

I cheated and used a bag of frozen lima beans, carrots, corn, and green beans. Plus I chopped up some broccoli, the last WH onion and some red onion. Saute all that, then sprinkle with flour, about 2T.

Meanwhile I was the victim of my own soapbox/pet peeve: deceptive labeling. It happens to even me, who says read the labels until I'm blue in the face! This looks harmless right? Vegetarian!

But nooooo, number 2 ingredient? Monosodium glutamate, aka MSG. lovely. I only discovered this after 1 c. of it had been mixed into my veggies and I tasted, and promptly recoiled in horror at how salty it was! Not much I could do at that point.

Then mash up the potato and stir that into the veggie mix. I added some nutritional yeast for creaminess. I want to start using this instead of cheese in lots of recipes!

Pack all that into a deep dish pie crust (preferably whole wheat but those are hard to find in this town). Top with breadcrumbs and a little more yeast and bake for 30-45 minutes.

As per usual, I finished with about 3-5 minutes on broil. Let it cool about 5 minutes before serving. 

Local 3 Not Local 2

If only tofu and brown rice were local!

Would you have guess exotic sounding bok choy came from Rowan County, NC? And the onion. And, most importantly the carrots.

This is the first time YJDKIY has had a local, fresh picked, organic carrot. SOOOO crispy and delicious. I am not sure I can go back to rubbery bitter grocery store (even the organic ones!) carrots now. They reminded of Winnie the Pooh's Rabbit and his carrot patch. No wonder those carrots get stolen! I digress. 

Also the first time for cooking and serving bok choy! Also crispy and delicious. And those onions...possibly one of the best onion flavors I've ever tasted (maybe we've just missed fresh veggies during this oh so chilly winter).

Once everything was cut up, I mixed them together well, and drizzled with some garlic EVOO, garlic powder, and a dash of soy sauce and set aside to marinate. Smelled SO good, I could have eaten it as a raw salad then and there.

Cube the tofu and saute with a little soy sauce until seared on the outside, but still a little wiggly. 8 minutes?

At the same time, the veggies should be sauteing in a wok. They only take about 5-7 minutes though.

Combine everything over some quick cook brown rice.

Silent Sunday

WhAt'S fOr DinNeR?

Carrots, potatoes, bok choy, and green HOT! onions. So happy to see some veggies back in the Winter Harvest basket this week. These are courtesy of Barbee Farms. Also in the mix, some popcorn and sour dough bread. YUM!


SATURDAY: Mexican party time!
SUNDAY: Vegetable plate: potatoes (WH), steamed cabbage, beets, zucchini boats, sour dough bread (WH)
MONDAY: Stir fried bok choy (WH) with tofu
TUESDAY: Greek pasta salad, baked tilapia
WEDNESDAY: Vegetable Pot Pie (WH carrots, onion)
THURSDAY: Tarragon tuna toasties (WH bread)
FRIDAY: Potato Kale Enchiladas

Saturday Summary

This should do wonders for our budget, since it is only January.

Doe anyone else think this is weird?

I don't see why it's so bad. Of course, I also had that cut.

But, what if she doesn't want to have kids?

yes please

seriously, this is the response we're going to teach?

who is going to try this and let me know? the nutritional content looks deceptively healthy

oh fox news, what would we do without you?

this blog has gotten really funny lately...quack

she should totally sue the mall

way to start the panic early

Did you miss it? mark your calendar for next year

Press

YJDKIY used to scoff at unneeded kitchen appliances like griddles and panini presses. However, as I've been making sandwiches a full meal lately, this is the second time I've wished for a panini press! Doh.

This version used some 9-grain whole wheat bread, fresh torn spinach, mozza, sliced up artichoke hearts and a mix of leftover pizza sauce with a cube of thawed pesto.

But the secret yummy ingredient was fake n baked egplant parmeseans! These guys were really sliced up eggoplant rounds, lightly slathered with EVOO and coated in....wheat germ! Baked for about 20-25 minutes on 425.

I could have eaten them all right there.

Combine everything together and pan fry like a grilled cheese until browned and melted. TIP: Low heat and a lid are your friends. High heat is the devil.

Grains, veggies, protein...how could that not be considered a whole meal? (PS: Those are salad size plates for reference, this is not a big sammie.)

Just like Chilis?

Ok, maybe not! But these (organic) chicken fajitas were delish!

Possibly because of these peppers I made a special trip to Aldi for! Red, Yellow and Orange peppers were 2.99 total and I got 3 green peppers for 1.99. If you've ever paid 3.99 for a pepper at Harris Teeter, you hear me on that one, no?

 

Lime juice, EVOO, garlic, cumin marinade for the chicken strips. Plus a um, well, dash, of Mrs. Dash's Fiesta Lime no sodium seasoning (note: WHY does that have rice concentrate in it?).

Plus some onion.

It's rare that chicken gets cooked in this kitchen, and when it does, this is the poor pitiful doggy stare YJDKIY is subjected to, every single time:

Please can I have just one taste?

Sauted in a little lime juice and Mrs. D's.

 

Such a messy cook!

Served together on warmed tortillas with mashed avocado and salsa. Take that Chilis and your 1250 mg. of sodium.

Pizza from Start to Finish

Goldies

YJDKIY hasn't done a fashion post in quite a while! Enter the Golden Globe Red Carpet (which I did not watch at all).

Despite how pretty Catherin Zeta-Jones is, I don't love this Emerald City dress. The cut and style is gorgeous, but the color, especially with the red carpet is an unmerry Christmas. D+

This color and cut is doing nothing for Tina Fey. D

Meh, Eva Longorian doesn't look bad, but the bottom half of her dress looks like Shamoo's tail. C+

Even though I don't like this shade of pink with red, at least her flower matches the red carpet and it is appropriate for Natalie Portman and her um, maternal state? A-

Ms. Grumpy Pants Johansson doesn't look very happy to be weird this dress. Again, it isn't bad, but it isn't doing anything for her either. C-

No one will be gossiping on Leighton Meister's dress. It's the same color as everyone else

's, plus it is a bad cut. D

This is fun and yet doesn't work for Kyra. C-

At first I balked, and then I loved it. How could you not? It's the perfect shade of pink and the perfect material. Lea should be full of Glee! A

I thought Heidi Klum was supposed to be a pro? Total, total miss, mainly because of perfect she normally looks! D

Nicole Kidman got it right for once. Perfectly average! B

Another pink? This one is just wrong on Julianne Moore. The cut, the color, the combination, everything. D-

Anne Hataway is usually a star on the red carpet, but I think she might have taken 'Golden' too seriously. D

And once again, possibly up for worst dressed, January Jones. SUCH massive potential and she always fails and flails. Please, please hire a stylist, or fire the one you have. F

This has to be the 18th pink dress right? Same verse...don't really like the color or the cut on curvy Sofia. C

Did Jennifer Love Hewitt buy this as wedding dress and have no wedding? Why would you wear white? Why would you make your hips look that big when they supposedly arent? D-

There are a lot of red things in this picture, but Christina Hendrix somehow pulls it off. This would be perfect if her hair wasn't wrestling with her dress on the right. A-

I don't know who this is, maybe that girl on Dexter? But I love this dress even if it is too big and not appropriate particularly.

Le sigh, Amy...you can do better, I know you can, but it's ok I forgive you. C

I think she needs to make friends with Scarlett. They have the same look, same bad dress (and worse hair here!). What happened?! D-

Well, at least Carrie Underwood knows what works for her. B+