I realised I don't drink anything except soft drink! The diet stuff of course I don't want the "unhealthy" stuff - WTF?? There we all go again demonising sugar as the bad guy - but have you looked at the rest of the ingredients on the label? We may think we know what sugar does but perhaps it only does that when combined with the rest of the additives?
I swear I went through withdrawls! I even did a stupid little protest where I just didn't drink anything for a day - idiot. So I got forced to drink water again and the occasional cordial (which I will make myself when this one runs out). I thought I hated water, apparently it was more along the lines of 'why would I drink water when I have soft drink I have paid for?' - therein lies the problem.
Stop buying it and you won't feel guilty for wasting it!
Funny though since I got rid of soft drink I enjoy it more, as a treat when I go out - go figure.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
The pantry from heaven
I am a nut when it comes to home magazines, I am like the hoarder lady with newspapers from the 50s (I think I can tear out what I want when I get the chance)
Anyhoo I saw the most *perfect* pantry!! All neatly lined up storage jars and tupperware filled with all sorts of food - then I wondered why my pantry doesn't look like this...
Then I started thinking about pantrys in general, is it just me or have they gotten bigger over the years?
I seems that with highly processed foods that last forever, we need somewhere to put them!
Have we become obsessed with choice? Why do we need 8 different cereals when we have even more choices than that for breakfast anyway? Eggs, toast, baked beans and 8 different cereals - and if you are one of those familys who buys more than this, your pantry must be huge!!!
I studied the items in this 'perfect pantry', not a processed food in sight! There was no glass jar filled with poptarts or packets of recipe bases. It was flour, sugar, beans, muesli, spices - catch my drift?
Look in your own pantry and imagine what it would look like if you took out all the processed foods...
pretty empty huh?
Anyhoo I saw the most *perfect* pantry!! All neatly lined up storage jars and tupperware filled with all sorts of food - then I wondered why my pantry doesn't look like this...
I seems that with highly processed foods that last forever, we need somewhere to put them!
Have we become obsessed with choice? Why do we need 8 different cereals when we have even more choices than that for breakfast anyway? Eggs, toast, baked beans and 8 different cereals - and if you are one of those familys who buys more than this, your pantry must be huge!!!
I studied the items in this 'perfect pantry', not a processed food in sight! There was no glass jar filled with poptarts or packets of recipe bases. It was flour, sugar, beans, muesli, spices - catch my drift?
Look in your own pantry and imagine what it would look like if you took out all the processed foods...
pretty empty huh?
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Have we forgotten the science of cooking?
I tried to make my first batch of mayonnaise today, hmm not so good. I took the recipe from masterchef because it uses a whole egg rather than the egg yolk because I was using the food processer to make it. (I have heard you can't hand whisk mayonnaise with a whole egg and dito on the egg yolk for food processer)
All the elements came together perfectly the thickness was exactly what I wanted - but, on tasting it had a 'wrongness' about the flavour, then I noticed the vegetable oil was 2 months past its used by and decided that was the problem.
Batch 2: with no vegetable oil I decided to try the recipe with olive oil like EVERY modern recipe says. I can't help thinking I have heard somewhere (probably from a wrinkly) that one should never use olive oil because the flavours are all wrong!
I made it anyway, again it had that 'wrongness' so this is the point I thought "I have no idea how to fix this" this I where I think I realised this generation has forgotten the science of cooking. Older generations would have a solution depending on the flavour - they would add a pinch of sugar or decide the mayonnaise needs more mustard. I have noooo idea so I added a pinch of sugar, yeah not sure if it helped but it didn't hurt. Then a bit more mustard - same result, think it may be a little better. The problem is I could be doing the right thing just in the wrong amount OR I am way off base, who knows.
In the end it was *ok* so I put it in my little sterilised jar and in the fridge.
I had some on a sandwich for lunch and it did the job - but not perfect
I am going to put the recipe under 'condiment recipes' please try it for yourself and see if ANYONE can fix it!?! Better yet grab a wrinkly without Alzheimer's and get them to give you the perfect 'food processer' mayonnaise recipe.
:leave any hints under comments section of recipes
All the elements came together perfectly the thickness was exactly what I wanted - but, on tasting it had a 'wrongness' about the flavour, then I noticed the vegetable oil was 2 months past its used by and decided that was the problem.
Batch 2: with no vegetable oil I decided to try the recipe with olive oil like EVERY modern recipe says. I can't help thinking I have heard somewhere (probably from a wrinkly) that one should never use olive oil because the flavours are all wrong!
I made it anyway, again it had that 'wrongness' so this is the point I thought "I have no idea how to fix this" this I where I think I realised this generation has forgotten the science of cooking. Older generations would have a solution depending on the flavour - they would add a pinch of sugar or decide the mayonnaise needs more mustard. I have noooo idea so I added a pinch of sugar, yeah not sure if it helped but it didn't hurt. Then a bit more mustard - same result, think it may be a little better. The problem is I could be doing the right thing just in the wrong amount OR I am way off base, who knows.
In the end it was *ok* so I put it in my little sterilised jar and in the fridge.
I had some on a sandwich for lunch and it did the job - but not perfect
I am going to put the recipe under 'condiment recipes' please try it for yourself and see if ANYONE can fix it!?! Better yet grab a wrinkly without Alzheimer's and get them to give you the perfect 'food processer' mayonnaise recipe.
:leave any hints under comments section of recipes
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
"Real" Camping with extras
So went camping at Mt Crawford, I mean "real" camping...
No electricity and a long drop for a toilet! It was awesome fun and we'll be doing it again!!
So I went camping with family and family friends. The couple's names were Allan and Ray. This is very interesting because it seems since I've started taking this new path of Organic and whole foods, information seems to fall into my lap.
This couple, I found out, are Organic eaters and are growing Bio-dynamic vegies in their garden. "What's Bio-dynamic, exactly?" I ask.
The way I understand it is, the vegies are grown with compost preparations, only a few times a year. The vegies also have an inground worm farm! I had a fantastic chat with Ray mainly and has made me really consider a type of worm farm or compost bin.
No electricity and a long drop for a toilet! It was awesome fun and we'll be doing it again!!
So I went camping with family and family friends. The couple's names were Allan and Ray. This is very interesting because it seems since I've started taking this new path of Organic and whole foods, information seems to fall into my lap.
This couple, I found out, are Organic eaters and are growing Bio-dynamic vegies in their garden. "What's Bio-dynamic, exactly?" I ask.
The way I understand it is, the vegies are grown with compost preparations, only a few times a year. The vegies also have an inground worm farm! I had a fantastic chat with Ray mainly and has made me really consider a type of worm farm or compost bin.
The purge
ewww not that kind of purge!
I have been wondering how I am going to get rid of the 'edible food like substances' from my pantry and fridge and decided to cook with them, one by one.
So it began with a lasagne which I used up the last of my instant cheese sauce. While stirring the mix I thought I might take a look at the label - *face palm*!
The only ingredient that WASN'T in the cheese sauce was CHEESE! The closest it came was 'cheese flavoured powder' - is that cheese?
I'm going to go with...no.
Something I have come to notice while looking for my next pantry victim is all the 'once only' use stuff I have in there. I came to realise that a lot of the recipes I cook from need a 'tablespoon of this' generally from a large jar - what the hell are we supposed to do with the rest of the jar?!
Talk about a waste of money - and food! Those jars are a couple of dollars each - so what am I teaching my family about cooking? "Take what you need, don't worry about the price, throw the rest away"
urgh! I never thought of my pantry or cooking in this way, I think I realise now this type of cooking should only be reserved for special occasions or special guests.
I am starting to see the bigger picture.
I have been wondering how I am going to get rid of the 'edible food like substances' from my pantry and fridge and decided to cook with them, one by one.
So it began with a lasagne which I used up the last of my instant cheese sauce. While stirring the mix I thought I might take a look at the label - *face palm*!
The only ingredient that WASN'T in the cheese sauce was CHEESE! The closest it came was 'cheese flavoured powder' - is that cheese?
I'm going to go with...no.
Something I have come to notice while looking for my next pantry victim is all the 'once only' use stuff I have in there. I came to realise that a lot of the recipes I cook from need a 'tablespoon of this' generally from a large jar - what the hell are we supposed to do with the rest of the jar?!
Talk about a waste of money - and food! Those jars are a couple of dollars each - so what am I teaching my family about cooking? "Take what you need, don't worry about the price, throw the rest away"
urgh! I never thought of my pantry or cooking in this way, I think I realise now this type of cooking should only be reserved for special occasions or special guests.
I am starting to see the bigger picture.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Cleopatra is not not the only one who loves milk!
I have been drinking lactose free milk for years - anytime I try the full stuff I have shocking cramps and get full of gas. So I heard a lot of people have been able to drink A2 milk because of the high levels of A2 beta casein milk protein - while this product is not organic, you must understand this is not what we are trying to do.
We are just trying to eat the types of foods and quality of foods that would have been available to our grandparents.
So I gave it a try and not the 'unleaded' skim version - the full cream stuff!
I was totally concerned for my guts and the greenhouse gas emissions which may have resulted from the full cream experience...this was not the case
Not even a gurgle! A rumble? NOPE
That was my cereal experiment - all seems good.
The *real* test would be if I could drink a glass of the stuff on an empty stomach.
Day 2 - 1 glass of milk + no breakfast (till a bit later) = again! no problem.
To say I am shocked is an understatement. I have now gone a bit milk crazy - and finished the 2 litres very quickly.
I decide to try the Organic stuff and purchase B D Farm Paris Creek organic and biodynamic full cream milk - no worries.
I am now concerned as to what is in our 'normal' supermarket milk which makes me feel so bad?!?
I guess I will never know, but from now on I am a full cream milk drinker!!
I am like an addict now, I can't wait for my next glass...
We are just trying to eat the types of foods and quality of foods that would have been available to our grandparents.
So I gave it a try and not the 'unleaded' skim version - the full cream stuff!
I was totally concerned for my guts and the greenhouse gas emissions which may have resulted from the full cream experience...this was not the case
Not even a gurgle! A rumble? NOPE
That was my cereal experiment - all seems good.
The *real* test would be if I could drink a glass of the stuff on an empty stomach.
Day 2 - 1 glass of milk + no breakfast (till a bit later) = again! no problem.
To say I am shocked is an understatement. I have now gone a bit milk crazy - and finished the 2 litres very quickly.
I decide to try the Organic stuff and purchase B D Farm Paris Creek organic and biodynamic full cream milk - no worries.
I am now concerned as to what is in our 'normal' supermarket milk which makes me feel so bad?!?
I guess I will never know, but from now on I am a full cream milk drinker!!
I am like an addict now, I can't wait for my next glass...
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