I laid awake in bed the night before I was to embark on my culinary journey, plotting my menu for the coming days. I had a plan. I had the means. I was ready to go.
Eight hours later I drowsily woke to the sound of my son squealing with glee. He would wake each morning around 8am, and entertain himself in his crib until I made my way into his room. I had never been a morning person until he had started this tradition three months earlier.
Slowly, it came over me. I had absolutely no will to move, none the less make my own ricotta. My beautiful son had been kind enough to pass his minor cold on to me. What was a few days of sniffles & barely a cough for him had somehow translated into near death. My sense of taste was gone, I had no appetite, and worst of all, I had no desire to do anything more than what was absolutely necessary to make it through the day.
I took this as a sign from above that I should hold off on any major undertakings. The laundry went unwashed. My floors were littered with dirt and paw prints. Baby bottles were strewn about the house. I had my husband eat leftovers. This went on for three days.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
The Exceptions
If I'm going to be completely honest, I have to divulge the exceptions to my self-imposed rules. Here they are.
Panko - I simply cannot replicate this. Kikkoman's version has the fewest ingredients.
Baking Powder & Baking Soda
Tortillas - In a perfect world, there would only be 3 ingredients; masa harina, water, and lime juice. I can't seem to find anything close to this so far. Maybe I'll break down and make my own?
Miller Lite - It will be a cold day in hell before my husband gives this up. I choose my battles wisely, and this is not one I will be partaking in.
Vodka - It's only fair that if my husband can have his beer, I can have my Belvedere. In moderation - and only mixed with whole juices. Besides, distilling is different then processing, right ;)
Organic Condiments - like tomato paste, horseradish, mustard, ketchup, light soy sauce, and the fabulous Carolina BBQ sauce sold at our farmer's market.
Panko - I simply cannot replicate this. Kikkoman's version has the fewest ingredients.
Baking Powder & Baking Soda
Tortillas - In a perfect world, there would only be 3 ingredients; masa harina, water, and lime juice. I can't seem to find anything close to this so far. Maybe I'll break down and make my own?
Miller Lite - It will be a cold day in hell before my husband gives this up. I choose my battles wisely, and this is not one I will be partaking in.
Vodka - It's only fair that if my husband can have his beer, I can have my Belvedere. In moderation - and only mixed with whole juices. Besides, distilling is different then processing, right ;)
Organic Condiments - like tomato paste, horseradish, mustard, ketchup, light soy sauce, and the fabulous Carolina BBQ sauce sold at our farmer's market.
The Ground Rules
Before I could saddle up & go out into the big, scary world in search of a more pure diet, there had to be ground rules. Fumbling blindly through countless aisles of foods I'd never considered and sorting through bins of produce, wondering if paying an extra $2 per head of lettuce was really worth it for the sake of going organic would never keep my enthusiasm for this new way of living. I spent a few days researching - picking & choosing what I liked from various extreme diets, while trying to keep a level head about it.
By the way, I hate to call what I'm doing a "diet", in the traditional, restricting sense. I wont be depriving myself of anything. If I want a slice of cake, I will make the best cake possible & revel in each moist, sumptuous, and velvety bite. This isn't a low-calorie diet, however I have a feeling that a happy side effect of eating "whole" will be weight loss. I'll be sure to keep you posted.
Back to the ground rules.
Any beef consumed (we're aiming for once a week) will be organic (not to be confused with the term "natural", which is unregulated by the USDA, and essentially meaningless) and grass fed.
Certified organic beef must come from a fully verifiable production system that collects information on the history of every animal in the program, including its breed history, veterinary care, and feed. Further, to be certified as organic, all cattle must meet the following criteria:
Beef will also be grass-fed. While less flavorful, it's leaner. When you hear someone talk about how "flavorful" their beef is, you can take it to the bank that they're talking about marbling, which is, in essence, a high fat content.
On the subject of cows, we come to dairy products. This is where it got a little sticky for me. In a traditional whole foods diet, you wouldn't eat anything processed. 99% of milk you can buy is pasteurized & homogenized. I don't consider this a bad thing. Pasteurization has saved countless souls from dying of horrible diseases. I'm not about to turn my nose up at such a scientific achievement, only to get my ass kicked by typhoid.
Homoginization is another can of worms. The process breaks down large fat particles in milk, so that the finished product doesn't separate. It isn't necessary, per se... but do you really want to drink milk that has a layer of fat billowing at the surface? I didn't think so.
Clearly, I cannot replicate this process in my humble kitchen. I'm not exactly in the position (nor do I have any desire) to buy Bessie & keep her in the back yard. As long as the milk and cream are organic, I'll allow it.
Organic sour cream & artisanal cheeses are also given the green light. If I can buy from local creameries & farms, all the better.
Poultry must be organic (I'm already getting sick of the word & this is only my third entry) and free range. The thought of thousands of chickens squashed together, never given the freedom to walk outside, and pumped full of hormones that make them produce more eggs than what their bodies would naturally, is enough to make my stomach turn.
We've never really eaten much pig. The smell of bacon has always nauseated me (I actually made my husband cook it outside on the grill when I was pregnant), we both despise ham, and I roast a pork loin maybe once a month. I have yet to really research this, and so I'll wait to share my opinion until I'm more thoroughly informed on the topic.
Seafood will be wild-caught. Remember the chicken visual? Apply this to hundreds of thousands of fish, tightly packed in man-made pools, unable to swim freely. This is a recipe for disease & parasites. The answer? Pump the fish full of antibiotics and the water full of pesticides.
There is one enormous con to eating wild-caught fish, and I'm still not sure if I'm making the right decision on this. Overharvesting has greatly depleated our oceans of fish (namely Atlantic Salmon - always go for Alaskan instead!). While it appears that farm-raised fish are the lesser of the two evils, environmentally speaking, I think we're going to stick with the wild caught. There's a wonderful article here on this topic.
Hot dogs, sausage, and any other processed meat (meat in tube form, meat that comes in loaves at the deli counter, meat that comes in nugget form, or any other unnatural shape) will not be touched. The last time I checked, there is no animal that has a muscle in the shape of a perfect square, or circle, or oval... Think about it.
If I want a turkey sandwich, I will go out, buy a whole turkey (or just a turkey breast), roast it, and slice it. I could go buy some ominously slimy Hillshire Farms turkey in a reusable plastic container... but in my opinion, the only time a turkey should be wet is if it's standing in a field during a rain storm; Not when it's injected with a saline solution, sealed in a plastic bag, & stuffed in more plastic for human consumption.
I want to stop here for a moment. I know I've been advocating for organic thus far. I wont be doing this for everything. Animals are quite often injected with hormones in order to produce more meat, which are then digested by us when we eat them. While the jury is still out on the long term effects of all this, I can't imagine the outcome being very positive. Individually we need to decide what's worth it, and what isn't. I'm not out to influence anyone, or talk anyone into spending the bulk of their paycheck on organic food - it IS more expensive, and that's something to take into account as well.
Fruits & Vegetables
I will buy seasonal. I will buy local. I will buy from the farmer's market. I will buy frozen (as long as there are no additional ingredients or preservatives). I will not buy anything canned (with the exception of organic tomatoes, when they aren't in season). I will buy organic when possible, and not freak out if I can't.
Complex Carbohydrates
Brown rice, wheat germ, whole wheat flour (and occasionally unbleached AP for baking), barley, corn meal, steel cut oats, whole wheat pasta, dried beans & lentils, and quinoa will be allowed. Eventually I will try my hand at making my own pasta and bread, but for now I will focus on the changes I've already put in place.
Nuts & Seeds
As long as they come in their purest form (the only ingredient should be the nut or seed itself) I welcome them all into my kitchen.
Condiments, Sauces, etc...
Now this is where the purists would come beat me to death with their burlap sacks of whole grain. While I consder myself an intermediate cook, I want to be realistic. Do I have the time to make my own fruit preserves? Probably not. Will I ever feel the urge to bottle my own ketchup? Not really. Am I going to make my own mustard? No chance.
So I decided to make my own rules. I'll allow it if it doesn't have:
partially hydrogenated oils
artificial colors or flavors
preservatives, stabilizers, or fillers
refined sugar
high fructose corn syrup (Sorry, corn refiners of America)
anything more than what I think should be in it
Simply put, I will strive to buy ingredients in their purest form, whether it's a dozen eggs or soy sauce.
By the way, I hate to call what I'm doing a "diet", in the traditional, restricting sense. I wont be depriving myself of anything. If I want a slice of cake, I will make the best cake possible & revel in each moist, sumptuous, and velvety bite. This isn't a low-calorie diet, however I have a feeling that a happy side effect of eating "whole" will be weight loss. I'll be sure to keep you posted.
Back to the ground rules.
Any beef consumed (we're aiming for once a week) will be organic (not to be confused with the term "natural", which is unregulated by the USDA, and essentially meaningless) and grass fed.
Certified organic beef must come from a fully verifiable production system that collects information on the history of every animal in the program, including its breed history, veterinary care, and feed. Further, to be certified as organic, all cattle must meet the following criteria:
- Born and raised on certified organic pasture
- Never receive antibiotics
- Never receive growth-promoting hormones
- Are fed only certified organic grains and grasses
- Must have unrestricted outdoor access
Beef will also be grass-fed. While less flavorful, it's leaner. When you hear someone talk about how "flavorful" their beef is, you can take it to the bank that they're talking about marbling, which is, in essence, a high fat content.
On the subject of cows, we come to dairy products. This is where it got a little sticky for me. In a traditional whole foods diet, you wouldn't eat anything processed. 99% of milk you can buy is pasteurized & homogenized. I don't consider this a bad thing. Pasteurization has saved countless souls from dying of horrible diseases. I'm not about to turn my nose up at such a scientific achievement, only to get my ass kicked by typhoid.
Homoginization is another can of worms. The process breaks down large fat particles in milk, so that the finished product doesn't separate. It isn't necessary, per se... but do you really want to drink milk that has a layer of fat billowing at the surface? I didn't think so.
Clearly, I cannot replicate this process in my humble kitchen. I'm not exactly in the position (nor do I have any desire) to buy Bessie & keep her in the back yard. As long as the milk and cream are organic, I'll allow it.
Organic sour cream & artisanal cheeses are also given the green light. If I can buy from local creameries & farms, all the better.
Poultry must be organic (I'm already getting sick of the word & this is only my third entry) and free range. The thought of thousands of chickens squashed together, never given the freedom to walk outside, and pumped full of hormones that make them produce more eggs than what their bodies would naturally, is enough to make my stomach turn.
We've never really eaten much pig. The smell of bacon has always nauseated me (I actually made my husband cook it outside on the grill when I was pregnant), we both despise ham, and I roast a pork loin maybe once a month. I have yet to really research this, and so I'll wait to share my opinion until I'm more thoroughly informed on the topic.
Seafood will be wild-caught. Remember the chicken visual? Apply this to hundreds of thousands of fish, tightly packed in man-made pools, unable to swim freely. This is a recipe for disease & parasites. The answer? Pump the fish full of antibiotics and the water full of pesticides.
There is one enormous con to eating wild-caught fish, and I'm still not sure if I'm making the right decision on this. Overharvesting has greatly depleated our oceans of fish (namely Atlantic Salmon - always go for Alaskan instead!). While it appears that farm-raised fish are the lesser of the two evils, environmentally speaking, I think we're going to stick with the wild caught. There's a wonderful article here on this topic.
Hot dogs, sausage, and any other processed meat (meat in tube form, meat that comes in loaves at the deli counter, meat that comes in nugget form, or any other unnatural shape) will not be touched. The last time I checked, there is no animal that has a muscle in the shape of a perfect square, or circle, or oval... Think about it.
If I want a turkey sandwich, I will go out, buy a whole turkey (or just a turkey breast), roast it, and slice it. I could go buy some ominously slimy Hillshire Farms turkey in a reusable plastic container... but in my opinion, the only time a turkey should be wet is if it's standing in a field during a rain storm; Not when it's injected with a saline solution, sealed in a plastic bag, & stuffed in more plastic for human consumption.
I want to stop here for a moment. I know I've been advocating for organic thus far. I wont be doing this for everything. Animals are quite often injected with hormones in order to produce more meat, which are then digested by us when we eat them. While the jury is still out on the long term effects of all this, I can't imagine the outcome being very positive. Individually we need to decide what's worth it, and what isn't. I'm not out to influence anyone, or talk anyone into spending the bulk of their paycheck on organic food - it IS more expensive, and that's something to take into account as well.
Fruits & Vegetables
I will buy seasonal. I will buy local. I will buy from the farmer's market. I will buy frozen (as long as there are no additional ingredients or preservatives). I will not buy anything canned (with the exception of organic tomatoes, when they aren't in season). I will buy organic when possible, and not freak out if I can't.
Complex Carbohydrates
Brown rice, wheat germ, whole wheat flour (and occasionally unbleached AP for baking), barley, corn meal, steel cut oats, whole wheat pasta, dried beans & lentils, and quinoa will be allowed. Eventually I will try my hand at making my own pasta and bread, but for now I will focus on the changes I've already put in place.
Nuts & Seeds
As long as they come in their purest form (the only ingredient should be the nut or seed itself) I welcome them all into my kitchen.
Condiments, Sauces, etc...
Now this is where the purists would come beat me to death with their burlap sacks of whole grain. While I consder myself an intermediate cook, I want to be realistic. Do I have the time to make my own fruit preserves? Probably not. Will I ever feel the urge to bottle my own ketchup? Not really. Am I going to make my own mustard? No chance.
So I decided to make my own rules. I'll allow it if it doesn't have:
partially hydrogenated oils
artificial colors or flavors
preservatives, stabilizers, or fillers
refined sugar
high fructose corn syrup (Sorry, corn refiners of America)
anything more than what I think should be in it
Simply put, I will strive to buy ingredients in their purest form, whether it's a dozen eggs or soy sauce.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
The Start, part 2
When I first explained to my adoring, yet culinarily challenged husband that I wanted to shift our family on to a "whole foods diet", he just stared at me blankly. He thought I was going to go all vegan on his ass, ban his first love (Miller Lite), and expect him to eat quinoa and flax seed at every meal. After a few minutes of gentle nudging & promises that it really wont be that different, he agreed. It's not like he ever cooked, anyway.
Since my refrigerator had so conveniently been purged the week before, I only had to go through the pantry to weed out the remaining offenders.
At first it really wasn't as bad as I had expected. A few boxes of cake mix, several cans of cream of mushroom soup, three jars of peanut butter, a can of enchillada sauce & 2 boxes of stuffing. I was practically home-free. Then a container of Italian-style breadcrumbs caught my eye... and just for the hell of it, I took a peek at the ingredients. There were 37 ingredients in these breadcrumbs, half of which I had never even heard of. After that, I went through everything.
What I was left with was organic canned tomatoes, my collection of vinegars & oils, spices, dried herbs, capers, tea, whole wheat flour, brown rice, and a box of panko. I also kept the raw honey I bought at the local farmer's market, organic agave nectar, and raw sugar.
My counter was piled high with convenient, delicious, and chemical laden boxes, cans, and jars of saturated fat, sodium, and cheap refined sugar. As I bagged the groceries to take to a food bank, a twinge of guilt came over me. I was essentially handing off boxed garbage to needy people.
Since my refrigerator had so conveniently been purged the week before, I only had to go through the pantry to weed out the remaining offenders.
At first it really wasn't as bad as I had expected. A few boxes of cake mix, several cans of cream of mushroom soup, three jars of peanut butter, a can of enchillada sauce & 2 boxes of stuffing. I was practically home-free. Then a container of Italian-style breadcrumbs caught my eye... and just for the hell of it, I took a peek at the ingredients. There were 37 ingredients in these breadcrumbs, half of which I had never even heard of. After that, I went through everything.
What I was left with was organic canned tomatoes, my collection of vinegars & oils, spices, dried herbs, capers, tea, whole wheat flour, brown rice, and a box of panko. I also kept the raw honey I bought at the local farmer's market, organic agave nectar, and raw sugar.
My counter was piled high with convenient, delicious, and chemical laden boxes, cans, and jars of saturated fat, sodium, and cheap refined sugar. As I bagged the groceries to take to a food bank, a twinge of guilt came over me. I was essentially handing off boxed garbage to needy people.
The Start
A funny thing happened over Columbus Day weekend. My husband had taken our 6 month old son to visit family out of state, graciously giving me my first weekend off since before the little one was born. I was elated, excited, and most of all, I was ready to relax. A close friend was driving in from Raleigh to spend the weekend with me, and I was cleaning the house that Saturday morning before she arrived. That's when I heard it.
Silence.
The house was completely quiet. Too quiet. The dogs were asleep on my husband's side of the bed, it was cool enough outside so I didn't need the air conditioner, but even still, something was missing. I walked through the house, trying to find what was wrong. When I made it to the kitchen, it hit me. The constant hum of the refrigerator was gone. It's something so small & constant that you don't even notice it, until it isn't there.
With trepedation I carefully opened the freezer, only to find, in horror, that a puddle of water & various juices from once-frozen meat had collected at the bottom of the door. The pink, murky water glided on to my foot. I had just gone food shopping at the Commissary the day before.
Ninety percent of the food was ruined, and it took my incompetent rental manager a day and a half to return my dozens of calls to her "emergency cell phone". My ever-patient & supportive friend was kind enough to help me take inventory of what was lost, so I could relay it to our insurance agent. (Thankfully USAA's renter's insurance covers such obnoxious situations.) I spat out the name of each item as I threw it in the trash, while my friend diligently wrote it down. Slowly, my irritation turned to embarassment.
Sure, there was produce. And yes, I had skim milk & lean protein in there. Unfortunately those items were only peppered in between bags full of processed "lime-flavored" frozen chicken and my husband's infinite supply of frozen dinners that he took to work. There were half-used cans of Betty Crocker frosting, salad dressings with at least 30 ingredients, and "diet food" with enough aspartame to grow a melon-sized tumor in a lab rat.
It was ugly - and something had to be done about it.
Silence.
The house was completely quiet. Too quiet. The dogs were asleep on my husband's side of the bed, it was cool enough outside so I didn't need the air conditioner, but even still, something was missing. I walked through the house, trying to find what was wrong. When I made it to the kitchen, it hit me. The constant hum of the refrigerator was gone. It's something so small & constant that you don't even notice it, until it isn't there.
With trepedation I carefully opened the freezer, only to find, in horror, that a puddle of water & various juices from once-frozen meat had collected at the bottom of the door. The pink, murky water glided on to my foot. I had just gone food shopping at the Commissary the day before.
Ninety percent of the food was ruined, and it took my incompetent rental manager a day and a half to return my dozens of calls to her "emergency cell phone". My ever-patient & supportive friend was kind enough to help me take inventory of what was lost, so I could relay it to our insurance agent. (Thankfully USAA's renter's insurance covers such obnoxious situations.) I spat out the name of each item as I threw it in the trash, while my friend diligently wrote it down. Slowly, my irritation turned to embarassment.
Sure, there was produce. And yes, I had skim milk & lean protein in there. Unfortunately those items were only peppered in between bags full of processed "lime-flavored" frozen chicken and my husband's infinite supply of frozen dinners that he took to work. There were half-used cans of Betty Crocker frosting, salad dressings with at least 30 ingredients, and "diet food" with enough aspartame to grow a melon-sized tumor in a lab rat.
It was ugly - and something had to be done about it.
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