Day 24 - Vegenaise & quinoa my new friends

I have blogged about Vegenaise few posts ago and finally got around to buy a jar. I love the taste/use of mayonnaise but can't eat it without getting sick. We cut mayonnaise completely out of our diets years ago, but at times mayonnaise is required for certain things. The jar of Vegenaise was about $3 and equals a regular size of a jar of mayonnaise. It smells similar but tastes a little different. And it has no eggs! Yesterday was the first time I tried it. I mixed salmon with Vegenaise and put it on my Cilantro-Spinach tortilla. Added a little spinach and cheese...and YUM! Today at work I forgot to pack some tortilla but were still able to eat some salmon with melted cheese mixed with Vegenaise and some spinach added for nutrients. It was really good and I was able to enjoy the Vegenaise even more. I highly recommend it to people who have issues with mayonnaise but still need some sort of mayonnaise-supplement.

I am sure if I would serve Vegenaise at a potluck nobody would be able to tell the difference.

Boise's weather is finally catching up with the season! We are enjoying the hot weather and the garden is def. benefiting from all the sunshine. I replanted some plants, but they died because of the extreme weather conditions and also due to my not so skillful replanting. But the kohlrabi, broccoli, zucchini, peas and cilantro are looking real good! We were even able to eat ONE strawberry (well Amelie was the honorable one)...hahaha. Strawberries are not doing too well, but I guess one has to have a lot of plants in order to benefit from them.

Organic quinoa

Tonight our dinner plans were quinoa. The first time I read about it was in Anna Getty's Organic Cook Book. I was intrigued and wanted to know more about it. The weekend we visited Tom's parents, Tom's mom taught me a little about the interesting little plant - which is used as a grain but has nothing to do with a grain. Weeks later, my co-worker Stefanie came to me and asked me out of nowhere if I ever had quinoa and let me taste her deliciously prepared quinoa salad. She even gave me the recipe. (Thank you Stefanie) I finally got some organic quinoa at the Co-op. Luckily Stefanie told me how she prepares hers which saved me a lot of time and headache. I put the quinoa in the rice cooker added some water and ta-daaaa...perfect little side dish done!

Salmon patties with cheese & quinoa

I added some cucumbers, sea-salt, pepper, olive oil, olives, a little lemon juice, black beans, fresh onions and done! (ingredients all organic - besides the sea-salt) We purchased some inexpensive frozen salmon patties. I didn't have many expectations, but those patties barbequed on the grill...wow! Full of flavor, topped with Tillamook (white aged cheese) - you got a real good meal. The quinoa and the salmon complimented each other so well. I am def. going to make this dinner more often.

WISDOM OF THE DAY

What? How do you pronounce quinoa? That's how you pronounce it: KEEN-wah

Though not technically a grain, quinoa can substitute for nearly any grain in cooking. Actually the seed of a leafy plant, quinoa’s relatives include spinach, beets and Swiss chard. Due to its delicate taste and rich amounts of protein, iron, potassium and other vitamins and minerals, it is quite popular. It is also a good source of dietary fiber and is easily digested.

Quinoa is an ancient crop that grows in poor soil, dry climates and even mountain altitudes. It is native to the Andes, but is also grown in South America and the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Although it can grow in arid conditions, it thrives best in well-drained soil. You should be able to find quinoa in health food stores and larger supermarkets.

A quinoa grain is flat and has a pointed oval shape. The grains exist is several colorations, including yellow, red, brown and black. When cooked, quinoa expands to about three or four times its size. It also has a unique texture; the grain itself is smooth and creamy, but the tail of the grain has a crunchy texture. 

-http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-quinoa.htm

Day 23 - Restaurants on my mind..

What if you are tired of cooking and want to feel spoiled and have someone cook for you? Well, you go to a restaurant. But there are not very many healthy/organic ones here in Boise.

I am surprised that there are only so little organic and health conscious restaurants. I am sure it is not easy to maintain an all organic kitchen with the prices and quantity needed to keep the prices low for customers but still..we don't have much to chose from here in Boise. I would love to go on an organic restaurant trip. I am excited to go on a trip anytime but making it like a hobby to test, find and review organic restaurants/cafes. 

Well, I have been looking for some healthy organic restaurants here in Boise, because we already went to two of the restaurants I wanted to check out. Now there is one or two I would like to try.

One is called: Zen Bento - here is an excerpt from their website.

• SALMON: 6 ounce North Atlantic salmon filets.
• AHI: 4 ounces of sushi grade Ahi.
• TOFU: 5 ounces of organic tofu. Need we say more?
• VEGGIES: Broccoli, green and red cabbage, yellow squash, zuchinni and carrots comprise our veggies. Our veggies are hand cut and steamed with no added seasonings, oils, butter or preservatives. Natural.
• RICE: Each Bento has approximately 10 ounces of Japanese steamed rice (also known as “sticky rice” or medium grain rice). We offer both white and brown rice. Of course, the brown rice is known for having more nutritional value due to the added fiber. Calories are the same. The Zen Salad has approximately 4 ounces of rice.

It sounds pretty good. They state they do not use MSG and state on their website: Although the goal was to provide a healthy alternative to the typical fast food routine, Zen Bento did not advertise itself as a "health food establishment", for fear of the negative image it might generate. Rather, Zen Bento opened its doors and offered its product and let the public decide if  they liked it.

There are two locations in the area.

1000 North 10th Street
Boise, ID 83702
(208) 388-8808

42 East State Street,

Eagle, ID

(208) 938-4277

I will check them out and post about it. 

I received a link from Ashley (thank you Ashley) to an interesting article.

http://health.yahoo.net/articles/menshealth/photos/10-dirtiest-foods-youre-eating#0

The title of the article is: 10 Dirtiest Foods You're Eating

I appreciate all feedback, posts, and links/articles people have been providing me with 
for the past weeks. I want to thank everyone who is showing interest and taking the time to read my blog.
THANK YOU!

When it come to our finances and eating organic food, we are doing really well. I went to the doctor yesterday and they checked my blood pressure (it is not an all around check-up just a basic) and I was told that my blood pressure is REALLY good. When I asked what does that mean..and she just said: "Well, let me put it this way - it's a better than good". I am so happy because I know that few years ago, it wasn't so good. I don't know much about it but I want to say that our diet is contributing. I will learn more about my stats once I go to my other doctor for an annual check up, which is beginning of July.  

WISDOM OF THE DAY

I guess reading this now, makes a lot more sense. I must be really sensitive to even a little bit. Now that I have been paying  attention to what I eat I have not got sick for over a month! The Consumers Union, the advocacy group behind Consumer Reports, recently tested 484 raw broiler chickens - the kind that show up in the supermarket coolers - and found that 42 percent were infected by Campylobacter jejuni, and 12 percent by Salmonella enter-ides. Campylobacter jejuni: A bacterium that typically infects the bowels. Now the leading cause of bacterial food poisoning. Campylobacter jejuni is most often spread by contact with raw or or undercooked poultry. A single drop of juice from a contaminated chicken is enough to make someone sick. Disease caused by Campylobacter jejuni is called Campylobacteriosis.

Day 22 - Soups & organic hair/skin products

Yesterday my friend Diana, who is by the way very organic conscious as well, brought her home made organic cabbage soup to work. I ate it at lunch! Wow. I think soup making is a skill and that soup was just right on. Perfectly seasoned, full of vegetables (I can't even tell what was in there, because there was so much) and still organic. I really like the little cherry tomatoes in the soup. Well, that def. encourages me to make more soup. I am excited to try some soup recipes as long as they require easily accessible ingredients. I hate when recipes are asking for things I can't even pronounce. Most of the ingredients that are foreign to me are foreign to our state/area, plus it's for a SOUP!!! not some luxurious three course meal. 

Anyway. I had the Perfect Soups book checked out from my local library and returned it now to look for some other soup books. I love the way the book was setup, step-by-step instructions with photos. I like it that way!

I also have been a little experimental and made organic whole wheat pancakes with spinach, onions and zucchini the other day. I liked it, Amelie ate it and Tom "pretended" liking them. But I thought it was a good idea to eat them as a side dish with our organic chicken drumsticks.

The package of 6 chicken drumstick was about $4.00 compared to buying a 20 pack of non-organic chicken drumstick for $4.00 or less. But the difference is the TASTE! Turns out Tom does not like chicken drumsticks as much as I do, but when we both took our first bite we were amazed how yummy they taste. Tom said, "I never liked the chicken you bought at Winco (but he still ate it), but these are really good". I ate two and the third one smelled funny. The chicken was purchase last week and I believe it should have still be good. When I opened up the package to prepare the chicken it smelled a little funny, but who really likes the raw smell of chicken?

I was not worried or concerned. And I did not get sick or nauseated as I generally do when I ate non-organic chicken. But once I took a bite of the third chicken, there was the smell again. This was the first time that organic food grossed me out a bit. But the most important thing to me is that I don't get sick and that the taste is good - and naturally the quality. Like I mentioned the first two drumsticks were amazing!

I am now three weeks into blogging about our organic lifestyle/diet, but have wondered about some other things that come with organic lifestyle. In the past I used to buy bulk lotions/oils and shampoo at Co-op and the Dragonfly. Mainly because it was inexpensive and smelled so unique. I used to use almond oil for my skin and it complimented my skin so well. I also used to make my own shower gel at Dragonfly (which is more expensive than store-bought) but I used to be crazy about sandalwood and patchouli. (I know, I know..patchouli is an acquired fragrance)

On Sunday when we did our weekly grocery shopping, I looked at some hair/skin bulk products at Co-op. I purchased organic jo-joba oil and natural shampoo. The shampoo feels weird on my hair, but makes my hair feel soft as soon as it's dry. The oil smells good and keeps my skin smooth all day. I like to apply it to dry areas, like my heels and legs. It's too early to tell if they are any better than regular store-bought products, but they are way cheaper. I am looking for people who switched to organic skin/hair products and would like to see their point/experience. In the past I have tried to make my own skin/hair products from vegetables/herbs and natural products and they generally smelled awful and were hard to store, but they surely are fun to make.

WISDOM OF THE DAY

The question for me is why use organic hair/skin products? Conventional hair products contain petroleum-based polymers, silicones, synthetic chemicals and colorants that can cause scalp irritation, dandruff or even hair loss. Organic hair care products are only made with natural plant ingredients that nourish, balance and moisturize hair without harming your scalp or damaging the environment. I have discovered in my small research that Sodium Lauryl Sulfate are used in a lot of hair and skin products. This inexpensive detergent is commonly used in cosmetic cleansers, hair shampoos, bath and shower gels, bubble baths, etc. - It is probably the most dangerous ingredient used in skin and hair-care products. In the cleaning industry SLS is used in garage floor cleaners, engine degreasers, car-wash soaps, etc. It is very corrosive and readily attacks greasy surfaces. I don't know much about it and know that my hair has been o.k. all my life so I don't know what to think about all organic products, but I will give it a try for few weeks, mainly because it is less expensive than the items I use.

Day 21 - Pesticides...pesticides and did I mention pesticides?

Hello friends of healthy food! Well, earlier when I was doing a little research I came upon this website: What's on my Food? and realized that it is a pretty cool website. I have read about pesticides and the affects and know the vegetables and fruits that contain the most pesticides but this website has a search engine that provides all pesticides found on fruits/vegetables and even lists the name of the pesticides found. I researched the topic pesticides and came across some interestining things:

"Seven of the most toxic chemical compounds know to man are approved for use as pesticides in the production of foods! Who approved them? A multinational organization called The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC)"  - http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/effects-of-pesticides.html

  

Pesticide residue is being measured in MRL and EMRL which stands for Maximum Residue Limits; Extraneous Maximum Residue Limits. According to Los Angeles Times an article on June 13, 2011 states that  "Of  700 apple samples tested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 98% contained pesticides, moving the fruit to the top of the group’s “dirty dozen” list...Fruits and vegetables with the lowest pesticide levels include onions, sweet corn, pineapples, avocados and asparagus." 

So, if you think about it picking five servings of fruits and vegetables from its dirty dozen list would result in consuming an average of 14 different pesticides a day. Nice! Would you like to have some pesticides with your fruit or do you want to have it on the side?

Well, I find it disgusting that apples are one of the fruits suggested by many to promote a lot of health benefits, but yet if it is not an organic apple it is possibly harmful. At this point there is not much of evidence that sounds reliable to me and I will look into it a little more but at this point I am running into articles about a possible connection to ADHD ( attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) and pesticides. 

Organophosphate pesticides are a potential contributor to ADHD in young children. Organophosphates are the basis of many insecticides, herbicides, and nerve gases. But most of the studies uncover only an association, not a direct causal link between pesticide exposure and the developmental condition. There is evidence, however, that the mechanism of the link may be worth studying further: organophosphates are known to cause damage to the nerve connections in the brain — that's how they kill agricultural pests, after all.

Not only are vegetables and fruits facing the problems of pesticides, but also herbs like cilantro/coriander. At least 34 unapproved pesticides showed up on cilantro samples analyzed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as part of the agency's routine testing of a rotating selection of produce. Cilantro was the first fresh herb to be tested in the 20-year-old program.  Washing did not remove the unapproved pesticides found on cilantro samples tested by USDA. The cilantro results have captured the attention of both regulators and industry leaders, who said they would take action in response.


History of pesticides.
Since before 2000 BC, humans have utilized pesticides to protect their crops. The first known pesticide was elemental sulfur dusting used in ancient Sumer about 4,500 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia. By the 15th century, toxic chemicals such as arsenic, mercury and lead were being applied to crops to kill pests. In the 17th century, nicotine sulfate was extracted from tobacco leaves for use as an insecticide. The 19th century saw the introduction of two more natural pesticides, pyrethrum, which is derived from chrysanthemums, and rotenone, which is derived from the roots of tropical vegetables.

WISDOM OF THE DAY

Worldwide, about 3 billion kg of pesticides is applied each year with a purchase price of nearly $40 billion year. In the USA, approximately 500 million kg of more than 600 different pesticide types are applied annually at a cost of $10 billion. Despite the widespread application of pesticides in the United States at recommended dosages, pests (insects, plant pathogens, and weeds) destroy 37% of all potential crops. Insects destroy 13%, plant pathogens 12%, and weeds 12%. In general, each dollar invested in pesticidecontrol returns about $4 in protected crops.

Day 20 - Father's day, all organic cookery and shopping

Happy Father's day to all the great dads who make a difference! Especially my schatzi Tom, who is a wonderful and caring daddy to our daughter Amelie. To make a special day for him I decided to cook all day and give him a break from cooking. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner with a bonus of organic chocolate chip cookies.

 Breakfast was organic scrambled egg sandwich. I am not a good cook and can never make eggs really good. I think organic food makes me a good cook. The eggs were fluffy and super good, I put hummus on the bread and decorated it with organic green onions.

For lunch Amelie requested a peanut butter sandwich with apples. I thought that I should try our new bulk wheat organic pancake/waffle mix. I still had organic chocolate chips left over from the cookies I gave up making. I mixed the pancake mix with organic milk and put some of the chocolate chips in it. Super easy fast lunch that satisfied the entire family. As Amelie requested I cut up some apples for all of us (organic apples) and put natural peanut butter we buy in bulk at Winco. Everyone enjoyed it and finished their plates with no complaining. (Who would refuse this lunch anyway??)

Dinner was a little bit more challenging. We had organic ground beef left, which was in the fridge for a while and needed immediate attention. I decided to make some Frikadellen (which is very similar to hamburger patties). Chopped up an onion, put in some organic oats, bread crumbs (non-organic), a little organic ketchup and mustard (non-organic) and mixed it together. I am always worried that the patties will fall apart and they generally do. Some say it requires eggs to keep it from falling apart and some state that eggs are not necessary. So, I did it without the eggs. I pressed them really really good together and handled them with care and no sudden moves in the pan. I fried them with olive oil, the only thing we use to prepare food in the pan. Well, they actually started falling apart but they made it all in one piece on to the plate.

We purchased only 1/2 lb of organic ground beef for about $3 and I got two patties for each of us and one for Amelie. In the past we purchased 1 lbs of non-organic ground beef, now we just have to buy a little less in order to keep the same price. I made two side dishes, organic Tabouli with fresh cucumbers and organic zucchini with organic garlic. Yum! Amelie generally does not eat zucchini and refused this time as well, but she at the patties and even asked from some Tabouli. For dessert and mainly as a reward for Amelie, I made us an organic vanilla yogurt with organic blueberries.The yogurt was purchased at Walmart - a big pot of organic vanilla yogurt. I crushed the blueberries in the yogurt, but Amelie ate everything except the "yucky stuff" a.k.a. organic blueberries...hahaha...

I noticed that I can cook a lot more and better from bulk. I really enjoy cooking, as long as I am not hungry. Once I am hungry I have to eat something little first in order to enjoy the process of cooking. Now that we have been shopping a lot more controlled and with purpose we established a little routine and are trying out a lot of organic bulk grains, pasta, flour and anything that looks appealing in the bulk section. I am desperately looking for glass jars or actually any containers with lids to put my bulk stuff in. If you have any let me know!! I already started three and am still working on some more. Here is the first look at my bulk pantry.

My bulk containers

I use chalk paint for them. Tape them off with masking tape and spray them. Once they are dry you can use chalk to label them. The benefit is that once you change your bulk you can change the label easily. 

First cookies that turned out!

My secret - cookie mix

 I made chocolate chip cookies for Tom.  Yes, I did! But I made them from a box! I am meeting with a friend this coming weekend, who is a great baker and she will teach me how to bake cookies. (organic whole wheat cookies) Until then I am o.k. with a cookie mix. I used a familiar one, which is Dr. Oetker, it is a German company that produces baking powder, cake mixes, yogurts, frozen pizza and pudding. The cookies were soo yummy. I added natural peanut butter to the second batch and Tom and I like those much better. The package was just about $3.00 - unbeatable price. It's hard to find good inexpensive cookies, organic so for now this is the solution.

Sunday is our day to plan for the upcoming week. And after we made plans and figured out lunches/dinners we went grocery shopping. First we went to Co-op and purchased just about what we purchased last week with $5.00 more than last time (mainly because I am trying organic shampoo and lotion from bulk). This time we did not go to Winco and decided to try Walmart. 

We purchased mainly organic items at Walmart. Winco & Walmart serve as an additonal store for things we either can't effort at Co-op, are overpriced or simply not available at Co-op. We spend about the same at Walmart as we spent last week at Winco. In summary we spent $5.00  more at each store this time, which equals $100.00 total for groceries for this week. I hope we can keep the bill down in the future and still continue saving money despite eating/buying organic food.

 WISDOM OF THE DAY

I would like to use an excerpt for today's Wisdom of the Day, from one of my favorite organic books "Anna Getty's Easy Green Organic - by Anna Getty" "In 2007 there were 21 major episodes in the USA involving beef products contaminated by E.coli, up from just 6 episodes in 2005. Several factors are thought to explain the dramatic increase: Perhaps a more virulent strain of the bacterium has emerged. Maybe the heat wave in the summer of 2007 increased the stress level of the cows. Or bacteria is getting into the distillers' grain which is fed to cows. Organic beef cattle are finished on pasture and grass-based forage instead of corn, which reduces stress on the animal and the frequency of E.coli"

Day 19 - Homemade soup

Today I tried making a homemade soup - Spiced Carrot and Orange Soup. I made it from this book. The instructions are easy and the soup was super yummy. I will be posting photos of the soup soon. It was actually so good that I decided to make this soup this week again. It is pretty inexpensive. Here is what you need: ( the recipe will be available in the recipe section.)

1 1/2 lbs carrots

1 onion

2 oranges

2 tbsp butter

1 1/2 tsp coriander/cilantro

salt & pepper

Chicken/vegetable stock

light cream

Preparations for the soup

All of the ingredients I used are organic and not too expensive. We got carrots for $1.99, onion for about $1, oranges for $0.90, vegetable stock $2.40, light cream $0.80. Equals just about $7 for the entire family (and plus another toddler I was watching that day). I think this is pretty good. We had some bread with it and were satisfied.

The final product - yummy soup

I am playing catch up with my blog, I somehow got busy with life and wasn't able to post. I am now writing everything from memory and can't remember what else we did on Saturday. Therefore this one will be short and from now on I will try to keep posting everyday.

 WISDOM OF THE DAY

 Not only do organic carrots taste sweet and even a little juicy the main reason our family will stay away from non-organic carrots is that according to the USDA Pesticide Data Program carrots in the US can contain up to 26 Pesticide Residues Found by the USDA Pesticide Data Program . You can check out the link here.

Carrots that are not organic may contain pesticides such as: Linuron (herbicide that kills weeds without harming vegetables), Trifluralin (Trifluralin is a commonly used pre-emergence herbicide. With about 14 million pounds used in the United States in 2001), Pyraclostrobin (Pyraclostrobin is an agricultural pesticide product used to kill fungi) and many others. The website also contains interesting health effects - not sure if that is reliable but an interesting fact, which I will have to research a little more. To me a good reason to adhere to an organic diet, not to fond of pesticides for dessert. :)

Day 18 - Sangri-La Tearoom and Drive-in Theater

Finally it's the weekend. Today we decided to start the weekend with eating out. One of the restaurants/cafes we wanted to try was Sangri-La Tearoom. Once we got there we were greeted by the nice staff and sat at one of the quaint tables in the yellow-green-orange painted room. Tom ran into a friend who was just picking up food for the band CAKE!!! Cake eats at Shangri-La!! How great to hear that a band was ordering food at the same place we were eating, I surely wished that they would have decided to dine in instead of having the girl who works at the venue, pick up their food. I don't believe that Shangri-La is all organic but it is vegetarian and healthy. Therefore the prices are decent and affordable for us. They have many good things on their menu just like: Pita sandwich, Hummus, Tabouli, Baba Ganouj, soups, Southwestern Wraps and many more. Shangri-La is famous for their good teas.

 We ordered a pot of Morrocan Mint Tea for only about $4, which came with tiny cups. We had to let it soak for at least three minutes indicated by the hourglass the staff provided us with.

Mint Moroccan Green Tea

It was really refreshing and minty. It became a little bitter after about an half hour but it was still drinkable. The tea was kept warm with a tea candle. This was really nice because we both were really hungry and the tea kept us sane while we were waiting for our dinner.

I ordered the Pita Sandwich (Dubliner Cheese, Hummus, spring greens, avocado, red pepper, cucumber and veganaise  on Pita bread). And Tom ordered a Southwestern Wrap (Black beans, corn, goat cheese, spring greens, tomato, cucumbers, mango-chile salsa on chile-tomato tortilla). It was so so good. We are still not used to small portions because we inhaled it just before the server could bring our glasses of water. 

We were still hungry and ordered Baba Ganouj with pita bread. I never had Baba Ganouj before and was intrigued. Baba Ganouj is a Lebanese dish of aubergine (eggplant) mashed and mixed with Virgin Olive Oil and various seasonings. It tasted like hummus. Tea, both meals, plus Baba Ganouj cost us $28 without tip. It's a little bit more than we wanted to spend, due to the somewhat small portions but super quality food. We enjoyed it a lot and are going to return one day. I think they even serve beer, would be nice if they have some quality wine, then you could hang out there and enjoy an evening drinking wine, with tea as an appetizer. Right after dinner we went to our favorite wine store, because they have wine tasting on Fridays. Even though the organic wine we purchased at the Co-op store was absolutely great, we will drink non-organic wine and get an organic wine once in a while. Wine is the only thing we are not going to change.

Baba Ganouj

Pita Sandwich

Southwestern Wrap

After that we headed to the Drive-in Theater and I wanted to make some snacks, but since we both felt full from the dinner at Shangri-La, so all we packed it some water, Chilli-Lime Almonds and the rest of the organic chocolate we had. During the movie I felt a little nauseous, a familiar feeling I know from the past. I haven't felt nauseous for over a month and am thinking that the organic diet is doing me good. I believe that the Almonds we brought along were just filled with things that my body is not used to anymore. I am going to research the ingredients and learn more about all the foreign ingredients. 

WISDOM OF THE DAY

What is Vegenaise? I personally can't eat mayonnaise, because I always get sick. I am not allergic to it or the eggs but nevertheless I always have to vomit 6-7 hours later. So, I only eat mayonnaise in very tiny portions and only if I have to. Yesterday on my Pita Sandwich was something called Vegenaise. I wanted to know more and here is what I have found: 

Vegenaise®, pronounced either Vegan-naise or with a soft g sound like vegetable, is a vegan spread similar in taste to mayonnaise. Mayonnaise requires eggs, so the company Follow Your Heart® created a new name for this mayonnaise substitute. With four different types available, Vegenaise® isn’t just for vegans. Folks allergic to eggs or or who want to cut their cholesterol intake slightly may also enjoy it. Follow Your Heart® is the company that produces the product, and it’s also the name of a vegan restaurant in Los Angeles which opened in 1971. The restaurant is located at the back of the Follow Your Heart® store.

Day 17 - Cherry Festival and Walmart

Yesterday we drove to Emmett, a town about 45 min. from Boise, to go to the Cherry Festival. I envisioned the festival with a LOT of cherries, cherry pie eating contests, farm-like fun for kids and maybe a petting zoo for kids. When we got there it looked promising, a lot of rides, booths, great smell of food and a center stage. But where are the cherries???

We finally found a stand with cherries with outrages prizes. A regular plastic cup 12 oz (maybe a size bigger) $3.50 and a 16 or maybe 20 oz plastic cup $4.50!! That is ridiculous, especially because you get a good sized bag of ORGANIC cherries at the Co-op for about the same amount. And here is the craziest thing - those cherries were not even local. I wondered before we left Boise if it wasn't too early for cherries because I remember in Germany the cherry time is late July. And as one merchant stated, when Tom asked if they were local - the local cherries are still green. None of the pies were made with local cherries. What's the purpose of having a cherry festival? 

The festival was ok, and we mainly did it for Amelie and she enjoyed hugging the frog mascots and being around bunch of people, the food decisions were challenging. I didn't know that it was like a fair with bunch of fried food. The foods we wanted like an Elk burger and the Indian taco booth both didn't accept debit cards only cash (my bad!) - so we decided on a huge Turkey leg. We thought that was the healthiest and least disgusting thing to eat. We were so wrong!

Our little carnivore

Our little carnivore

We started eating it, mainly because we were starving. But just about in the middle of it, we both looked at each and said.."That's pretty gross". And it was sort of gross...after 30 min. eating it I had an unusual taste in my mouth - mix of blood and grease. Don't think we don't eat meat - we love meat - but we love GOOD meat. It will be a challenge to find good things to eat once you get used to a certain quality. We tried to sit down at a very charming cafe right around the corner of the festival but it was closed. So, we decided to make this our last visit to the Emmett Cherry Festival. 

Amelie making art at the cafe

 

                                                                           

       After we left Emmett we stopped at Walmart, because it was on our way and we wanted to check out their organic assortment. I have to give Walmart a lot more credit now. I always wondered why stores wouldn't have a little tiny separate section for organic food, for example at the end of the aisle. Walmart has it that way. And they have way more organic items I thought they would have.  The most amazing thing is that it's super cheap. You can get organic eggs for only $2.45!! That's a dollar less than the ones we are buying at Co-op - who knows if they are good, but it's worth a try. They have inexpensive snacks, organic juices, organic chocolate and everything for a REALLY reasonable price. I have not seen any organic foods so inexpensive anywhere else. They even have organic milk! I was close to tears...hahaha..ok what that means is that we are adding a third store for our grocery needs. We will continue buying vegetables & fruits at Co-op, eggs at Walmart, bread at Winco, and snacks,  yogurts and cereal at Winco or Walmart. I am so excited to save money and still continue our organic diet. Yesterday we purchased a super yummy organic yogurt at Walmart for only $2.00 (that equals only $0.50 per yogurt). I used to boycott Walmart for their terrible customer service, but I changed my mind and will go and buy the organic products and use the self-checkout to avoid any frustrating experience with their customer service.  

                                                 
                    Here you can see two of the things we purchased at Walmart last night. Cinnamon Apple Chips - baked apples all organic for about $2.48 and an organic peanut & sea salt chocolate bar. It's so good and it was only $2.46. The dangerous thing about organic food, particularly snacks is that they are so good that you might eat it all in few minutes.

This Friday Tom and I are going on a date to the drive-in theater and I am already planning on healthy/organic snacks for the night. Because we are going to see a double feature we will need some snacks and coffee for a quaint date at the drive-in theater. The coffee we will probably get at Starbucks, since Starbucks is committed to provide milk with no hormones. I generally drink a Cafe Latte..it has nothing but coffee and milk. And as for the snacks...we will see..

WISDOM OF THE DAY

"Wal-Mart says it wants to democratize organic food, making products affordable for those who are reluctant to pay premiums of 20 percent to 30 percent. At a recent conference, its chief marketing officer, John Fleming, said the company intended to sell organic products for just 10 percent more than their conventional equivalents. Food industry analysts say that with its 2,000 supercenters and lower prices, Wal-Mart could soon be the nation's largest seller of organic products, surpassing Whole Foods. Already, it is the biggest seller of organic milk. While organic food is still just 2.4 percent of the overall food industry, it has been growing at least 15 percent a year for the last 10 years."  - New York Times - May 12, 2006

Day 16 - New views on poultry

My last post stated that I wrote an email to Al Fresco all natural sausages. (If you don't know what I am referring to please read Day 15 - Price differences and hot dogs)

Here is the email I sent to Al Fresco and their reply:

I have recently purchased and tried your sun-dried tomato sausages. They are really good. When I tried locating the ingredients and origins of the chicken used for your sausages I was not able to find any detailed information. Our family is very health conscious and we generally eat only organic/free range chicken. It states that the chicken is natural. My questions are:

What exactly does natural mean? Are the chicken without growth hormones? Are the chickens used for your sausages free range? I assume if they would be you would have a USDA label/organic on your package. So, what is the origin and treatment of the chickens?

Thank you for taking time for reading and responding to my inquiry.

Dominique

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Dominique -

Thanks for your email, recent purchases, and wonderful comments!  Here are a few things to assist you in your questions:

·         What does "all natural" mean?

al fresco meets all requirements for the USDA “all natural” definition and holds our products to an even higher nutritional standard to ensure we are delivering a product that is not only delicious, but healthy.

"All natural", as defined by the USDA is a product that is made without chemicals, food additives or refined ingredients and is minimally processed. There are no artificial colors, flavorings, preservatives, additives, fillers or by-products in these products.  These products have been processed with non-synthetic or non-chemical methods.

·         We are not Organic, nor are the chickens “free range.”

·         As to Hormone Free, the government does not allow the use of hormones in chickens so we feel that it is false marketing – you will notice that whenever that claim “no hormones administered” is made on a poultry label, there is an asterisk, which leads to the claim:” the government does not allow hormones in poultry”.

·         Lastly, we purchase our chicken meat from USDA plants inside the U.S.  All of these plants have animal welfare programs in house.

Hope this helps!

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First I laughed about the Hormone Free statement, then I researched it. And by golly they are RIGHT! Here is an excerpt from USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) - which is a glossary of meat and poultry labeling terms. FSIS is the agency responsible for ensuring the truthfulness and accuracy in labeling of meat and poultry products.

"NO HORMONES (pork or poultry):
Hormones are not allowed in raising hogs or poultry. Therefore, the claim "no hormones added" cannot be used on the labels of pork or poultry unless it is followed by a statement that says "Federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones." 

 I feel dumbfounded and absolutely unsure of what to believe anymore. I feel I have to start my research again and get to the bottom of things. The excerpt on hormones and poultry is pretty straight forward, therefore I am not going to dispute that, but what about the things I have read and seen? Were they all outdated were they all false statements or did I just misunderstand?
I read somewhere that the NO HORMONES law has been in place for more than 60 years now.
Do you understand why I am writing this blog now?
Isn't the healthy organic way complicated? I am glad I started this blog to share our experience and knowledge with everyone. I will do a better research, but this is a proof that everything is a "trial and error" approach.

I remember reading that hormones are being used on chickens. I saw a feeding tag. And what about the chickens in the Food Inc. don't they have all sorts of medications to prevent bacteria - didn't they show that the growth of chicken has changed from 70 to 47? I am going to find out more and shed a little light on this. It is definitely confusing and I think this might be a little shady...more to come

To answer the organic bakery. I don't believe there is a truly organic bakery in town. One that has a majority of organic bread (using organic flour) is the Zeppole Bakery & Cafe. I am proud to say that I have a permanent exhibit at the Zeppole Bakery on Parkcenter Blvd. Charles Alpert the owner of the bakery offered me a spot and I had the wall ever since last September for my world travel exhibit. So, another reason to enjoy their bread. I never really cared about bread/pastries when adhering to a low carb diet, therefore I never knew that Zeppole Bakery has a brand called:

  breads that are made with Certified Organic flours!

Pay them a visit and while you're there take a look at my exhibit.

Zeppole Bakery & Café — 983 E. Parkcenter Blvd. (at the corner of Apple and Parkcenter Streets)
Monday – Saturday 6 am to 6 pm (Friday until 7) and Sunday 8 am to 4 pm
Zeppole Downtown — 217 N. 8^th St. (between Bannock and Idaho Streets)
Monday – Friday 6:30 am to 8 pm, Saturday 8 am to 8 pm, and closed Sunday

Day 15 - Price differences and hot dogs

Last night when headed back home from the gym, Tom called and asked me to pick up some hot dog buns for our natural hot dogs. Well, I figured I was close to Albertsons and thought they might have some healthy alternatives/organic food. Well, I headed straight to the bread isle and found the bread we just started buying at Winco. It's actually a pretty interesting bread - well the story behind it. I saw Dave's Killer Bread first at Co-op but it was too expensive for me to consider buying it. And then I saw it at Winco for a lot less, and put it instantly in our cart. Our family looooooves this bread. What intrigued me was the odd name - Dave's Killer Bread and the strange picture on the package, namely a long hair guy playing a guitar.

So, I stopped by at Albertsons to pick up some buns or bread and found Dave's Killer Bread on the shelf for $5.84!!!!! WHAT?? The bread at Winco costs $3.80 and a little bit more at Co-op but not more than $5. I am surprised that there can be such staggering price differences for the same bread. I hope that Winco will keep the bread in their assortment. Not only for the price and taste...also for the purpose that Dave has. He has a great mission and a great story. I was just kidding to Tom last night "That Dave guy looks like a guy from jail....hahaha" Tom looks on the label and quotes: "...a former drug dealer, Dave spent more than 15 years in prison." Ha! Now that he is out he is involved in many community projects and supports great institutions. A pretty inspiring story. Check out the website if you are interested. 

 http://www.daveskillerbread.com/

During my hot dog bun search I stumbled upon two things that kept my mind busy. First one, when I want to buy non-organic bread (which will def. be the case one of these days if there is no non-organic available) I will need to know what ingredients in bread are not good for you. I guess I could compare Dave's bread with a regular label and learn from that, but some ingredients just don't sound familiar. My next project is to understand bread ingredients. I will share my experience and knowledge with you in one of my future posts. It surely is misleading to read the package "100% whole wheat", "gluten free", "no msg", "natural"....and then you turn it around and look on the label and baaam...high fructose syrup and some foreign ingredients...and as everyone knows price does not  always mean a better quality (even though organic can be more expensive). Second thought I had...Do we have some organic bakeries here in Boise? I know of Great Harvest Company, a great bakery with bread that melts in your mouth. But I don't know if they are strictly organic. I have to research that or open  a bakery myself. Hahahaha...baking bread and cookies...as you probably read about my hideous baking skills in previous posts - that will probably not happen. I will keep you posted on that topic as well.

Now, let's talk about hot dogs. Yesterday we ate Al Fresco all natural sausages. I didn't read the label for some reason and assumed they were vegetarian when I purchased them, because it stated Sun-dried tomato sausages. Here are the ingredients and the information on the package:

SKINLESS CHICKEN MEAT,WATER,SEASONING(SALT,TURBINADO SUGAR, SPICES,TOMATO POWDER,DEHYDRATED ONION & GARLIC,PAPRIKA,BASIL,NATURAL FLAVOR),DICED TOMATOES,SUNDRIED TOMATOES(UNSULFURED).IN A NATURAL PORK CASING. 

* All al fresco sausages are made with lean, skinless chicken meat.
* No artificial ingredients, MSG, nitrates, preservatives, or nitrites.
* Flavorful, juicy, and fully cooked—just heat, serve, and enjoy.
* Gluten Free

It doesn't really go much into detail therefore I went on their website and emailed them personally to ask about the origin of their chickens and if any growth hormones are used. I am assuming since nothing about that is mentioned on their package, we probably ate some chicken with growth hormones. I am curious to see what their email states. 

WISDOM OF THE DAY

In the past I purchased some kosher hot dogs assuming they might be healthier due to the strict adherence to Kosher Law. I have learned that kosher and organic have almost nothing to do with one another. Kosher refers to food that conforms to Jewish dietary laws. Many kosher rules apply to meat. Certain animals, such as pigs and some types of seafood, are never eaten under kosher law. Other animals, including chickens and cows, must be slaughtered and processed in a certain way in order to be considered kosher. Organic meat comes from animals that are raised without artificial hormones or antibiotics and fed food that has been grown without chemical pesticides or fertilizers. A chicken can be kosher but not organic and vice versa.