Read the nutritional information very carefully.
The title says it all…..
Every time I turn around there is new information (that is sometimes old information) about our eating as it relates to our health. Back in the “old” days, there was good nutrition and sound eating habits. I am talking now about my childhood days. That was a time when my mother and grandmother used to cook from “scratch” and not rely on boxed mixes and commercially prepared foods that are bought in the grocery store. Even my mother fell prey to the advertising and marketing so that soon her recipes contained more “Betty Crocker” than it did “Mother”.
Not all that recently I turned away from nearly all the pre-packaged foods. I rarely shop the middle of the grocery store – only for a few necessities I cannot make myself or buy at a farmers’ market. Even at that, as I shop, I am carefully watching the nutritional information on the label and taking everything I read with that proverbial grain of salt. I am fortunate that 6 months out of the year, the farmers’ market is directly outside my front door. I have a pea-patch that is quite large for an urban setting in which I grow tomatoes, gypsy peppers, onions, herbs such as pineapple sage, mountain magic basil, rosemary, chives and more. I have access to cantaloupe, peaches, apples, grapes (concord and green), pears, and more at the market. I also discovered OMG! vinegars and oils. I highly recommend these. This summer I have spent more on oils and vinegars with OMG! than I did in the rest of the market. And it is worth every dime! (Just tell them Carlanne sent you – and no, at least right now, I am not an affiliate and that this not an affiliate link.)
The other thing I have been doing is being more experiential. I am making up my own recipes and adding whatever is in the kitchen, the way I remember my mother and grandmother cooking. Ok, there are a few flops here and there….but for the most part, my husband is more than happy to be my guinea pig. When I share the leftover food with neighbors, they are very pleased to try my recipes.
I also tend to “share” our food. It is hard to cook for two. Inevitably I wind up with leftovers. Since I like to cook fresh every night, the leftovers are not what I like to serve at dinner. I used to send them with my husband to work but his waistline is requiring a little more care these days. So I have begun “sharing” leftovers with single person neighbors who seem to appreciate not having to cook for one and who enjoy my experiments. I am not a fan of throwing out perfectly good food just because the neighborhood I live in has a food waste compost bin.
In the next few weeks I shall be sharing recipes for BBQ Sauce, Cole Slaw dressing, squash casserole, Mediterranean-style chicken dish, shrimp stir-fry and more as I really make it up as I go along. I look forward to comments, especially if you try my recipes and like them or if you find a way to make any one of them better, share that as well.