Fat and Crafty.com

This is what I wanted to do last weekend. I went grocery shopping bought a ton of groceries and came out of it way way ahead.

Not only did I come out of shopping with enough for 14 dinners, but I have enough for an additional 7-10 dinners on top of that. I’m making beef and barley soup for tomorrow nights dinner, I’ve made 2 dinners with of cabbage rolls, I’ve made a meals worth of meatloaf, seperated 2 more meals worth of stew meat, some for stew, some for chili. I also bought 3 dual packs of "EZ-Dinners" These are no brainer dinners that most anyone in my family could drop into the oven for dinner.  (I’ll elaborate more on these, and more on my decision to use these later.

One of the nice things about the grocery store I shop at is the variety. Particularly in the fruits and veggies. Today they had 2 new ones that I’ve never seen before. I neglected to get the name of the first, but it apperntly was a nut that looked like a little black set of bull horns.

And then there was this.

Do you know what that is ?

It’s a Dragonfruit. also known as a Pitaya

I didnt come home with one, as we have a kiwi allergy in the house and we’re hesitant to try new tropical fruits. Its very interesting looking isnt it?

Central Market also had a pork lobby show today that we were pleased to take advantage of. A lobby show means they take an item and feature it. They have a good price on it and they offer samples. With the meat shows they cut the meat for you and package it however you wish. With the pork lobby show I got 2 10lb pork loins and came away with 24 packages or so of the following:

• Stir Fry
• Chops
• Thick cut chops with filling spaces
• 3 roasts
• 1 butterflied roast
• Stew meat.

The first is cooking tonight, a butterflied roast stuffed with bread stuffing, served with cranberries, mixed rice and wild greens. Divine.

Lastly this is what your blogger looks like when she’s grocery shopping.  Antother post later when I can give you pictures of the food from this week.

Starbucks breakfast. This is always a gauntlet to run through.
I sat there  latte, whole fat low fat no fat . Food, pumpkin muffin, sandwhich, or yogurt. which is the best option. Its not easy

I’ll have a double tall fat free pumpkin latte with whipped cream and a pump….

I’m trying to watch my waist line. Hoping to see it shrink and not increase any further of course. One of the big dilemma’s I have is that  I dont like using fake food or over proccessed foods.  When it comes to cheeses its fairly easy. Low Fat Cheeses are just made with skim milk.  But other products like mayonaise and sour cream are more bother some.  And  fat free versions are even worse. Not only do fat free versions taste badly but they arent made of anything natural at  all.

Look at these ingredients for fat free hand and half

"Ingredients: Nonfat milk, milk*, corn syrup solids,
artificial color**, sugar, dipotassium phosphate, sodium citrate, mono
and diglycerides*, carageenan, natural and artifical flavors, vitamin A
palmitate.

So first you reduce the amounts that you use. Less mayonaise, less cream , less sour cream etc. But there is the quality of life issue You cant cut them out completely,  but cant afford them on your waistline. Or can you cut them completely. Perhaps its just being aware of what you are eating.  While I wouldnt suggest substituting yogurt for everything creamy and white it  does help in some instances.

What are your suggestions for cutting the fat?

And I didnt order the pumpkin muffin. I went with the 300 calorie  4 fat gram yogurt parfait. heavy on the sugar carbs, but of the treat gauntlet it was the best options

According to the Wikipedia

"The purpose and benefits of potlucks include fun, socialising, good
food, and building a healthy community. Many feel that some of the most
honest and meaningful communication can occur over a dinner table."

Well tonight my office is having a potluck for those of us who work late. See as we get closer to the beginning of the school year we get busier at the office. In order to accomodate the extra work, we all put in extra hours.  This can be dull and boring, so in order to spice it up, my office adds food. Last year we did a Lasanga feed that worked very well.

Tonight it’s a chili party.

Two kinds of Chili, one with meat one without.
Sour Cream, Cornbread, Cheese, Onions, Dessert and Beverages as well

What more do you need?

Well to be honest. I needed Chili inspiration. Tomatoes are rare at my house these days, and  I don’t usually make meat Chili if I’m making Chili it’s usually The Black Bean Mushroom Chili from Eating Well. But at the meating I drew the meat straw. And I had no tomatoes in the house.  So this is what I did:

Deb’s 2 Bean Sausage Chili:

Soak in boiling water
1 c black beans
1 c pink beans.

Simmer till soft.

Saute 1 lb sausage in pan till about cooked.
Add 1/2 chopped onion.
4 chopped carrots.
3 stalks celery

Add 2 jars of Green Mountain Gringo Salsa
Add Cooked Beans.
Add spicing of chili powder, cumin, orgeano, and cayenne

Simmer in pot till just about done. Sample all along the way to check spicing.

Chill over night to let flavors meld and mellow.
I’ll tell you what the office thought of it in the morning.

This is the weather I’ve been hoping for, and this was the food I’ve been waiting for.  Chicken Pot Pie.

It’s not a quick recipe. It’s something I never make unless I’ve got sometime on a sunday afternoon. It starts with cooking chicken, chopping veggies, making sauce, then making the topping, finally baking it all together. It makes a full 9×13 pans worth, more then enough fod dinner, with a friend or two. Or enough for the family with leftovers to boot.

Here is what tonights recipe looked like.
-Poach a lbs worth of Chicken thighs

-Chop 1 onion
-Chop 3 stalks celery
-Chop 4 carrots
-Chop 6 potatoes.

Saute veggies till half cooked. Remove to the side.

Chop 1/2 of another onion and add it to the saute pan with butter.  Once translucent add 1/4 c of flour. Stir, then add 3 cups water and 2 tsp chicken base. Cook until beginning to thicken. Add Veggies back in. Cook 5 minutes.
Add chicken, and 1 cup milk. Cook 3 minutes
Add sage and taste for salt. (chicken base is a little salty)

Pour into 9×13 pan. Prepare "Lid" Place lid on Pot pie and cook in a 350 degree oven till lid is cooked.

Without the lid, all you have is innards like this.

Making the lid means you have to go around the house and check with each individual.

What do you want today? What choices are there?
-Biscuits
-Cheddar Garlic Biscuits
-Mashed Potatoes
-Scalloped Potatoes and so on.

My pot pie book actually promises a "Yorkshire pudding "lid for a steak and ale pie. Can’t wait to try it.

Todays lid was biscuit, rolled. See:

Which baked up crunchy brown, like our final picture on top shows.

A delightful dinner for a September Sunday Night.
                                                

I like barbecuing. I like cooking low and slow over the coals, but recently I’ve been taking a few short cuts. The one that has improved my barbecuing the most this summer has been smoke bombs.

These kind of smoke bombs.

These are small cans filled with wood that you place on the fire after you have pulled the paper lable off. Good for up to an hour of smoke they provide the most concentrated smoke flavor. No soaking of woods, no making weird foil packets. Pust place on the fire and voila.
So far I’ve used all four flavors, Hickory, Alder, Apple and Mesquite. Thats in the order of how we liked them.  Aron’s not a fan of mesquite, and when i used it I think I over powered the meat. I’ve used the alder and hickory on chicken when I’ve made the  pulled chicken from cooking light.

I was starting the grill for tonights smoked pork tenderloin I recieved the best compliment to my cooking.
Miss thing, in her 13 year old wisdom came into the kitchen and said "Why’s it smell like barbecue?" "Because I’m barbecuing pork. "
"Yum! I like it when you barbecue."

Thats a real compliment.

Want to try my "smoke bombs"? They sell them in Central Market in Shoreline Washington. or at Seafoodeducators.com

Food pcitures coming soon. I’ve finally been able to a quire a decent camera so I’m now happily taking pictures  of everything i eat and everything I cook. Very shortly I’ll be adding them to the site.

It’s fall now, its beginning to cool off and I’m beginning to think of heaty soups and stews. I’m thinking of slow roasted chicken and hearty roast pork. I want to learn to make souffles and to explore the foods of Spain and Morocco. I want to make fresh pasta that is undeniably good. I’m thinking of winter foods too, holiday dinners, delightful cookies. Perhaps this year is the year I’ll make a fruit cake.

What are your favorite fall foods?

I found the following articles from the Seattle PI interesting and had to share.

Trader Joe’s a laid back success

Amazon Selling Groceries : I actually have commentary on this one. Look for a future post

Organics are on the rise.

New Lessons on Buying Organic

PFI  is a desitation grocery store in the Ineternational District. Anyone want to go with me?

Nutritionist want knowledge in your cart
(and semi related, Bastyr lets you go shopping with a Nutritionist in your cart)

I stopped by Whole Foods again yesterday, the second time in two weeks as I try to pick up the Cliff bar cycling jersey I won at the Bull Moose Festival.

Wandering through the store i noticed two things, one was that I didnt want anything. Secondly whole foods is working on rectifying the image that they are “too expensive”

Lets cover the latter first. Whole Foods is expensive. Touring through yesterday I marveled at a “Family Pack” of  Steaks that cost $30. How many were in this Family pack? 3. That doesnt even cover my family. If we relied on $30 meat for every meal, Oh heck if we relied on $15 meat for every meal  we’d be over $450 a month on the meat budget alone.  Now of course you don’t eat meat at every meal. So even if it was 20 days of meat, thats still $300.
I do my full grocery shopping on $400 a month.

  This article from the Seattle Times appeared in July. They compared all the local grocery stores and came up with the fact that shopping at Whole Foods in the Seattle area will cost you an additional $4,000 a year. I’m wasnt surprised. However walking through Whole Foods yesterday I was amused  to see displayed the “4 for $15 guides” and ” Two meals from 1!” Basically whole foods propoganda helping you  spend less on your groceries. Opening the 4 for $15 guide revelaed simple menus with fresh ingrediants and nearly everything called for the Whole Foods Brand. IE “Whole Foods Ranch ” meats, “Whole Foods Creamery” Dairy products and so on. 

Of course you know that there is no Whole Foods Ranch right? It’s just private labeling  other meats as their own. While I didnt go back and compare the prices between products, I must say I’d be surprised if the Whole Foods Ranch  meat is any cheaper. 

Now the former. The amazing thing is that Whole Foods has always been one of those places that tempts me. The meats look good, the veggies are fresh and clean and look tasty, the Salad bar is cold and interesting, The hot bar is multicultural and can fill any craving. The bulk area contains every bean, grain, and dried fruit known to man. Yet yesterday I walked out of there with $10 of produce.  Two weeks ago I walked out empty handed.

Is it the cost? Am I just not as impressed? Yesterday I looked over the hot and cold bar, thinking that lunch sounded good. But for $7.49 a lb I couldn’t dip into the pans of goodness. $7.49 buys me a full lunch at Mr Gyros, my favorite greek restaruant. $7.49 would have bought over 3 lbs of heirloom tomatoes at Whole Foods.

I shop regularly at Central Market in Shoreline. The bulk section rivals Whole Foods and provides everything I need. The meat counter is smaller, and has less “prepped and ready to go foods” But they’ve got ok pricing, and they are always willing to help me when I’m feeling cost concious. (My Meat is usually from Costco, but Central supplies things like sausages and bacon)

Perhaps in my life, Whole Foods has jumped the shark.