Category Archives: Informative

Cutting the Crap {Part Two} Breaking Up

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If this is your first stop here, be sure to check out the introduction to this three-part series on processed foods, “Cutting the Crap”, and Part One.

Welcome to Part Two of the Cutting the Crap series. We’ve covered what processed food means, and why it’s worthwhile to kick the habit. I touched on setting your own personal boundaries as to what’s too processed for you. Today we’ll look into just how to go about this big (or small) shift in habits. The important thing is to take it at your own pace, to choose what’s important to you, and to define your own limits and goals. Ready to end your unhealthy relationship with “edible food-like substances”? Put on your tough pants and take a stand.

When you take a look at what you really eat on a daily basis, it might be overwhelming to think about cutting out all the processed food and making massive lifestyle changes. Don’t be intimidated – like anything, take it one step at a time and go at your own pace. To give you an example, my own eating habits have changed very dramatically – but very slowly – over the last ten years. I first started thinking hard about my food choices as a teenager, and became a vegetarian at 15 (motivated strictly by animal welfare). Later I tried veganism for about a year and a half, and spent several years bouncing back and forth between being a vegetarian, a pescatarian and an omnivore. In college I gained – and then lost – about 15 or 20 pounds. When I lost that weight I started to focus a lot more on health and eating a balanced diet. Throughout my early twenties I’ve learned a lot about nutrition, sustainability, and where our food actually comes from. I started cooking a lot more and leading a healthier lifestyle. These days, I’ve focused a lot more attention on avoiding processed foods, minimizing (not eliminating) my meat consumption, and trying to cut out refined white flours and sugars.

It’s a journey – and it’s funny to think back on eating Spaghettios when I was a 16 year old vegetarian. If I could meet my teenage self, she’d be dismayed that I eat meat now – while 25 year old me would be disgusted at the ramen noodles and teddy grahams she called lunch. Perspective, folks.

Making a drastic change overnight is not only unpleasant, it’s unsustainable. The evolution of what I eat has taken years to reach this point. Taking it all on at once would be ridiculous and nearly guaranteed to fail. In my work in social services, we talk about “meeting people where they are”. I recommend you do the same with your self and your habits. Start where you are now, and set your own pace. Nobody can make these choices or changes for you.

  1. Prioritize. What do you most want to change: giving up fast food, cooking more often, packing your lunch, eating less sodium, eating more fruits and veggies, ending your sweet tooth? One thing at a time; choose what matters.
  2. Take it slow. I used to have an epic sweet tooth. I’d put a good 2 tablespoons of sugar in my coffee every morning. When I decided this had to change, I switched to “raw” sugar. Then I reduced how much I used. Then I tried alternatives like maple syrup and stevia. Now, I don’t sweeten my coffee at all. I would have considered this unthinkable 6 months ago, but it only took a couple of weeks to kick the habit. I don’t miss it one bit, but I also doubt cold-turkey would have worked.
  3. Read the label. Yes, I already said this. I will say it until you hear me. It’s the simplest thing, but it makes all the difference. If you can’t identify it, why would you put it in your mouth?! Do we really need high fructose corn syrup in tomato soup?! If you’re the all-or-nothing type, go through your cabinets and fridge and ditch everything with a scary ingredient list. If that feels too wasteful or extreme, gradually transition and replace those products next time you shop.
  4. Cook. The best way to understand where your food comes from is to make it yourself. No, you don’t have to milk the cow or pick the apples (though it’s fun!), but if you start with simple, whole foods and a cookbook, you can make anything – and I promise it’s a million times better than any frozen meal or drive through window.
  5. Replace. You don’t have to give up sweets (or whatever your vice is). I still love chocolate chip cookies. But I bake them from scratch. I use honey instead of sugar in my muffins. Switch from white pasta to whole wheat. Use more herbs and spices instead of over-salting your food. Make your own sweet potato fries. You get the idea.
  6. DIY. This is a big step, so wait until you’ve tackled your first few priorities. But when you’re ready, there are so many wonderful things you buy off a shelf that you could make yourself. Start with salad dressing. Most bottled varieties are high in sodium, sugar, artificial ingredients and preservatives. Fresh vinaigrette is an easy technique to master and far more delicious, too. When you’re feeling bold, start making vegetable/chicken stock, mayonnaise or even ketchup! Yes, ketchup - once I made my own, I never looked back.
  7. Skip the Shortcut. It’s a sign of the times: “recipes” everywhere on the internet for shortcut solutions like combining pudding mix and cake mix to make… god knows what sugar bomb… I’ve even seen recipes for using a can of Diet Coke to replace the liquids in a boxed cake mix. I’m sorry y’all: that’s just nasty (yeah, my Southern voice came out for that one). Just stop. Baking is one of life’s simple pleasures. It is just as easy, much more fun, and a whole lot tastier if you do it from scratch. Cake is just flour, sugar, eggs, and butter. Why do you need a box of artificial flavors and creepy stuff like powdered eggs? You don’t. When you make these things from scratch, you save money, learn a new skill, and can take pride in your work. (Plus you can be creative, ie: cinnamon and orange zest brownies!) Best of all: you know exactly what’s in it and where it came from.

I hope one thing is getting through to you from all of this: your eating habits are personal; they are yours and no one else’s. You are the only person who can decide what’s right for you. If you’re not ready to give up processed foods, don’t sweat it: the option will always be there. If it takes you 5 years to gradually transition your diet, know that it will be worth it and you are making a change for the better. If your style is cold-turkey, be bold and go for it! The point is: you are in charge of your life and your health. You make the decisions every day about how you treat your body. You get to choose what, how, and when.

Still stuck? Reluctant? Comment on this post and tell us what’s holding you back. What kind of support do you need? Where could you use some advice? Have a success story? Share it to encourage others.

Cutting the Crap {A New Series on Ditching Processed Foods}

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If I told you that you could make one lifestyle change that would improve your health, reduce your carbon footprint, and support your local economy, would you trust me?

First of all, don’t worry: I am not selling anything. I am not asking you to sign a petition. I will never advocate any kind of fad diet.

These days we are inundated with an information overload about health, nutrition, weight loss, disease prevention, etc., often from widely disparate and conflicting sources. The field of nutrition itself is young, as far as the sciences go. It’s incredibly complex and researchers have a long way to go – which is why the tidbits that make it to the general public are so confusing, inconsistent, and frequently contradictory. As if that wasn’t enough, we are drowning in a sea of advertising, public service announcements, USDA “MyPlate” posters, trendy diets (is Paleo the new Atkins or what?), and media messages on every electronic device we own, every billboard we drive past, every wall in the subway on our commute.

It’s hard to know what to believe. Most of the entities spreading these disorienting messages are out to make a buck off your confusion. Sadly, I can’t even say that the government always holds public health as a top priority. (Another topic for another time, but with groups like Monsanto and the Corn Refiners Association in their pockets, the USDA and FDA have a conflict of interest.)

But here it is: I believe that the single most effective choice we can make, with the farthest reaching impact is to simply cut out processed foods. Like many things, this is easier said than done, but the payoff more than justifies the effort. If you could reduce your risk of obesity, diabetes, and cancer; limit your impact on the environment; support small businesses and family farms; and remember what real food tastes like - wouldn’t you? What’s stopping you?

I think I know the answer to this one. We’ve grown up in a society obsessed with convenience, where hitting the drive-though or throwing something frozen in the microwave is called “dinner”. We just can’t be bothered to think about recipes, write down a grocery list and actually cook a meal. We’re “too busy” to cook food from scratch, to sit down for a communal meal with friends or family, or to lazily browse the farmers’ market on a Sunday afternoon. I might be young, but I’ve learned one thing quite well in my 25 years: you have time for that which you make time for. It doesn’t matter what it is: exercising, reading a book, gardening, playing with your kids, walking the dog; it’s not going to happen unless you make it happen. You are the only person who can choose how you spend your time. Sadly, too many of us have allowed our food choices to slip to the bottom of the list.

I am not coming from a place of judgment. Rather, I am coming from a place of learning, growth, and change, and I’d like to invite you to join me. This is no holier-than-thou speech. I visited a friend recently, and made a couple of grocery requests before my arrival. I asked for organic milk and free-range eggs. Unfortunately, she perceived this as snobbery and became defensive, thinking that I was judging her food choices. At the same time, I felt like she was judging my choices and making all sorts of assumptions about the attitude behind my diet. I don’t want to argue with anyone about food. I believe that food should bring people together, not drive a wedge between them. Nobody is perfect, least of all me. I, too, sometimes have a 12 hour day at work, come home exhausted with a headache to a bare pantry, and eat frozen pizza for dinner. It’s okay.

To be fair, I probably spend way more time than the average person thinking about food. My work and leisure both revolve around food; I read articles about nutrition, sustainability and food politics daily; and cookbooks are probably my favorite kind of book. I’ve invested a great deal of my time into learning about food and the impact it has on our bodies, our families, our communities, and our planet. I love to cook, and planning my weekly meals is actually a pleasure to me. But I know it’s not so for everyone, and that most of us would like to simplify. That’s one reason we fall back on easy answers.

Unfortunately, as our society has become more fast-paced, consumerist and convenience-driven, our grocery bills have changed to reflect this: shoppers now spend nearly 23% of their grocery money on processed foods - almost double compared to 30 years ago. In 1982, we allocated only 11.6% to such foods, reserving the majority of our budget for real food: fruits, vegetables, grains, meats. Even if you consider yourself a healthy eater, and even if you take time to cook, it’s worth a look into your pantry and a good hard think about what you’re putting into your body. Many processed foods are dressed up as “healthy”, and many items we drop into our grocery cart without a second thought.

A little experiment: pull a selection of foods out of your pantry or refrigerator: salad dressing, cereal, canned soup, etc. Read the label. If you take any advice about food from anyone, take this above all else: Read the Label!! Chances are, what one might consider a simple product, such as chicken broth, has a 17-item ingredient list with many unidentifiable or unpronounceable words. How much of the food in your kitchen can you identify as a whole food, or take a good guess at its origins?

Let’s slow down for a moment. What is processed food? Why does it matter? Why, and more importantly, how should I try to reduce how much I eat it?

Join me on a 3-part series, “Cutting the Crap” about breaking up our bad relationship with processed food.  In Part One, we’ll explore just what “processed” means, its acceptable limits, and why it’s worth eliminating.  Part Two will take us down the path of just how to kick the habit, with a simplified, step-by-step process suited even for beginners. Finally, in Part Three, we’ll get to the tasty part: proving real food is worth the effort by whipping up a delicious recipe from scratch to replace a processed standby.

Bring your fork.

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Avocado, Walnuts + Goat Cheese

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Sometimes you just need a little bit of inspiration. (Especially on a rainy Monday when you’ve been up since 5:30am and just dripped balsamic on your white Banana Republic top right after doing the laundry.)

Let’s be real: that’s why we love blogs. Or one good reason, anyway. My latest love is Joy the Baker. Yes, I’m a little late to the game on that one. Of course I’d heard of her, but I think I might have avoided her blog because baking is an indulgence by which I try not to get too inspired (yeah I said it). All that butter and sugar is fantastic, but it’s a dangerous hobby.

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Have you discovered Joy yet? It turns out she makes a lot of delicious food (and other fun things) besides just cupcakes. I highly recommend it, especially if you’re needing a little spark in the kitchen, or simply some sunshine in your day. She’s so… joyful. It’s true. And if you’re a fellow blogger, she even wrote a nifty post on 10 blog ideas to get you going.

Even though Joy and I apparently share a reading list (see #3: The Happiness Project was my weekend impulse buy, An Everlasting Meal is on the top of my non-fiction to-read list, and I like Thought Catalog way too much for my own good), said post is not what inspired this salad. Nope: THIS salad inspired this salad!

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In fact, once I made that spinach-feta-orange-avocado magical salad, I not only ate it for 4 days straight and savored every bite like it was the last piece of chocolate – I also immediately insisted that everyone I know stop what they’re doing and make it. Right. Now. It is fantastically fresh and unexpected and just the change of pace you need to get you back into loving salad. Indeed, I have not stopped eating spinach for a single day since then. For a baker, I’d say Joy’s a pretty good influence!

Which brings me to this salad. Sure, I’ve had a spinach-strawberry salad with balsamic vinaigrette, and you probably have, too. When they’re super fresh (especially with local ingredients), it’s a highlight of spring. But Joy’s combination of leafy spinach, buttery avocado, salty cheese, juicy fruit and crunchy nuts? It was unforgettable. So I made a fusion… I fused? I married the two lovely concepts together into something a little bit different than your average Monday night salad. This salad is happy. It’s quick and easy (as salad should be). It even incorporates not one, but four power foods*! Get your daily dose of sunshine, antioxidants, protein and all that good stuff in one bowl.

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What’s got you inspired lately? I am currently big on lemons, bike rides in the sun, gratitude and waking up excessively early to work out (ok, not so big on that yet, but I’m trying to like it!). If you could use some inspiration, might I suggest:
Smitten Kitchen
Tiny Buddha
Pinterest
Andrea Gibson
Going outside with a book or a bike or both!

OK, Recipe Time.

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Strawberry-Spinach Salad with Avocado, Walnuts & Goat Cheese

(This makes one salad – obviously you can/should multiply and share!)

1 1/2 c. baby spinach
1/4 avocado, sliced
3 strawberries, sliced
1/4 c. walnuts, toasted
1/4 c. goat cheese, crumbled
sea salt + freshly cracked pepper

Balsamic Vinaigrette: Please make your own. It’s two ingredients. When you buy it bottled, it is expensive, processed and chock full of sugar and sodium and scary chemical preservatives. Watch this: put 2 parts olive oil + 1 part balsamic in a small jar. Close the lid tightly. Now shake. Ta-da: you just made vinaigrette! Of course you can adjust proportions if you like it tangier or milder.
(Hint: this is a simple formula for almost any vinaigrette. Try it with dijon mustard, lemon and honey. Or cider vinegar and maple syrup. Make it garlicky or citrusy or spicy. The jar is your oyster. Or something.)

Do I need to give you directions for salad? You know what to do.

*If you’re anything like me and you geek out about nutrition, you should buy Power Foods. It’s currently my favorite cookbook. Fun facts: spinach could protect you from Alzheimer’s, arthritis, diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. Berries are full of antioxidants, flavonoids, vitamin C, and fiber. Avocados, as you likely know, are the “good fat” and also increase your “good cholesterol” (HDL) and lower the “bad” (LDL). And those walnuts contain your omega-3 fatty acids, which your body can’t produce, and are good for your brain. A new study just released indicates sugar damages cognitive function, but that omega-3′s can curb that damage. So eat your nuts and skip the cookie.

Struggling on Day 4

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Y’all, hunger sucks. A lot. I’m having a hard time articulating all my thoughts on this challenge because my brain doesn’t have enough calories to function on that high of a level. I promise when it’s all over and I’m nourished again, I will write a more eloquent reflection.

In the meantime, hunger is affecting me in the following ways:

  •  I’ve lost about 3 pounds in the first 3 days. Might sound like a miracle diet, but I don’t recommend it. (FYI, healthy weight loss is one pound per week, and I was already a healthy weight.) It does not feel good.
  • My stomach feels empty all the time, except maybe the first half hour to an hour after each meal/snack.
  • I am physically weak, cold and exhausted all day long. I fall asleep hungry. I wake up hungry. My stomach growls all day. My energy is basically spent by early afternoon and I spend the rest of the day trudging through. I feel woozy, light-headed and just want to sleep all the time – but falling asleep on an empty stomach is pretty difficult.
  • Everything looks tasty and tempting, including things I don’t normally go for (I’ve been tempted to chug milk from the carton, nosh on lettuce while prepping at work, and shove handfuls of chips into my mouth). I’ve stayed strong (some might say “stubborn”) but it’s getting harder and harder to hold out.
  • I completely and fully understand why people living with minimal food security go for calorie-dense foods. I planned a week of healthy food to keep my nutrients balanced (whole grains, lean protein, vegetables, fruit) but if I had chosen more calorie-laden food I wouldn’t be so hungry. As a result, I am craving everything from chocolate cake to cheeseburgers (which are rare indulgences or even temptations for me).
  • I’m thirsty all the time, too. We take for granted how much of our hydration comes from food. Also, water is not as filling as I’d counted on.
  • No part of my day goes untouched by hunger: I am struggling to focus at work, I do not have an ounce of energy to work out (which I sincerely miss), I have very little patience or emotional resilience, I am grouchy and edgy and uncomfortable all the time. I cannot stop thinking about food. I cannot devote as much time, energy, or thought to my daily conversations, chores, and tasks.

It’s taking every ounce of willpower I have left to keep going with this challenge. It’s been tempting since Day One to throw in the towel, and I am rushing headfirst toward the finish line tomorrow night (and drooling over what I’ll eat).

But I resolved to do this because the cause is too important: 1.4 Billion people live like this every day – and for them, there is no end in sight. Tomorrow, when we all break our 5 days of hunger, they will continue to struggle to suvive. They will go to bed hungry yet again, they will have to choose between shelter and life-saving medication, they will walk miles to seek clean drinking water. We cannot forget why we are Living Below the Line: to change the way we look at extreme poverty, to share solidarity with our struggling brothers and sisters, to raise crucial money for the heroes who save lives and strive for change.

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Day Two: Challenges and Relfections

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Living Below the Line is no joke. This stuff is tough. I have seen heartbreaking poverty and hunger with my own eyes, and I have spent much of my life trying to contribute to the fight against it. But none of my volunteer trips, professional experiences, or college courses could prepare me for this week. This is as personal as it gets: the choice to be hungry for five days.

Of course, it’s still a choice. I chose to put down my privilege (just one of many privileges, actually) for just a few days. I can’t know what hunger really feels like. But I can try to walk in someone else’s shoes for a moment and I think we can all learn a lot. Live Below the Line has already raised over $71,500 in the U.S. alone – and even more in the U.K., Australia and New Zealand. Could you spare a few dollars to help a child in need?

Some of my own circumstances are certainly making this extra challenging. Yesterday, between sleep deprivation and hunger, I was a zombie by 2:00pm. Today and tomorrow both I will have to work late, meaning I’ll need extra energy and will have to wait a long time for dinner. Maybe hardest of all: my entire job revolves around food: picking up donations, planning meals, cooking for 100, and teaching kids how to make healthy snacks. There are no distractions – heck, even the people I follow on Twitter are mostly foodies tweeting about food! I can’t ignore it.

Reflections from my first two days Below the Line:

  • There is nothing like lack to inspire gratitude.
  • Thank God for hot sauce. I love you, Sriracha.
  • Hunger touches every part of your day and your life. I am exhausted, grumpy, woozy and struggling to focus.
  • I planned much better for what I would eat this week than what I wouldn’t eat. As a result, I’m trying to figure out how to avoid wasting some good food I can’t have. Also, even the things that will last until next week are horrible, taunting temptations (biscotti, manchego, fig-walnut jam from Stonewall Kitchen!). Torture.
  • Rationing out food is stressful and a little tough on my dignity. Can I afford to eat an extra 1/4 cup of rice because I have an 11 hour workday, or will I be too hungry later in the week?
  • There is a direct inverse relationship between how much I’ve had to eat and my level of patience.
  • There is no way I’m making it to the gym this week :( Hopefully my  tiny meals will make up for all the indulging I did over the weekend.
  • Will I want something heavy and indulgent when I complete the challenge, or something green and nourishing? Can’t tell yet: maybe both. Right now I’m thinking pizza, salad, and wine. I should not be thinking about this yet.
  • When you’re hungry, everything tastes better. Much better. (Until it doesn’t – someday this week I’m going to get really tired of rice & beans.)
  • I miss beer.

The good thing is, I have little choice but to focus on why I’m taking part in Live Below the Line: the people for whom I am advocating, the fantastic work which I am raising money to support, the 1.4 Billion who live like this every day. Will you take a stand against extreme poverty? Will you stand with me and for the people whose voices go unheard? Please give to my campaign for UNICEF – I’ve already raised $160. Only $140 to go!

Live Below the Line: Day One

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Today I am running on fumes. A confluence of bad timing means that I started my first day of Live Below the Line by driving to the airport at 4:30 this morning, and thanks to my very busy (wonderful, well-worth-it) weekend, I didn’t have time to make much food for today. Having eaten a hard boiled egg and half a banana so far today, I have virtually no energy and my stomach is growling at me as I write. It’s got something to say…

But let’s backtrack. My grocery shopping went pretty well, but I’ll have to see how it gets me through the week. I subtracted a dollar to account for cooking oil & spices, so I had to budget only $6.50 for a week’s worth of groceries. This was no easy task. I ended up with:
– 1 pound of brown rice, $1.15
– 6 eggs, $2.19
– 1 can of black beans, $0.67
– 10 oz. frozen spinach, $1.09
– 5 bananas, $0.95
– 1 small onion, $0.41

for a grand total of $6.46. I’m planning to sautee onions and spinach to mix into rice and beans. But for today, I had no time, so I brought a hard-boiled egg, a banana and a bowl of plain brown rice (with a little butter, garlic powder, and rosemary) to work. I’m even strategizing what time I eat: having my egg around 9, half a banana around 11, trying to hold out until 1 for my rice, and then finishing my banana around 3 or 4.  Based on my calculations, dividing up my groceries for the week, this amounts to $0.78, leaving me $0.72 for dinner. It’s going to be a tough day.

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I’ll report back later with my relfections on day one. Are you participating in Live Below the Line? How is your first day going?

While you’re here, would you consider making a donation – of any amount – to my Live Below the Line campaign for UNICEF? Because my supporters were so generous last week, I reached my initial goal of $150 a full five days ahead of the challenge! So I doubled my goal to $300.

Every dollar supports UNICEF’s life saving work to bring food, medical attention, education, and more to the world’s neediest children.

5 Day Countdown, $150 in the Bag

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Isn’t generosity one of the best traits? Live Below the Line is still 5 whole days away and I’ve already reached my original fundraising goal of $150 for UNICEF! Of course this means I had to raise my goal, so I’ve doubled it. Will you help me raise $300 to help children living in extreme poverty?

    Even if you can’t afford to give financially, I’m certain you can afford to take the challenge – in fact it would save you a LOT of money on your next grocery bill! Whatever money you save you can donate to the charity of your choice. There’s still plenty of time to sign up.

12 Tips for Reducing Food Waste

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We’re all guilty of it. Apples go soft before we can finish them, our takeout leftovers start to smell in their styrofoam clamshells, or we make way too much chili and simply get sick of eating it. Remorsefully, we toss it in the trash and promise ourselves we’ll do better next time. But, like many a New Year’s Resolution, this is easier said than done, and even harder to stick to.

The evidence speaks for itself: according to the EPA, 34 million tons of food – around 40% of total production – goes to waste every year. Not globally – in the U.S. alone. In other terms, we are throwing $43 billion a year in the garbage. In the landfills, your cash food is producing methane that has disastrous effects on the environment. Not to mention, one in six Americans is struggling with hunger, while much of the food thrown out is still perfectly edible.

While a majority of food waste is generated by retail stores and restaurants, you can take action in your own kitchen – and beyond it – to cut down on this enormous problem.

  1. Plan it out.
    There are a lot of reasons to plan your meals each week. In addition to saving time and money, taking the stress out of cooking, and  preventing unhealthy impulse buys, it will go a long way in reducing wasted food. If you make a plan, make a list, and stick to it, you’re much less likely to end up with something you don’t get around to until it’s too late.
  2. Love leftovers.
    While this is obvious to most of us, especially those with busy schedules, a lot of people simply don’t get it. And while some foods are really meant to be eaten the moment they’re prepared (ie: scones, risotto), most foods last several days in the fridge and some taste even better with time. This is an easy lunch solution, or a quick heat-up dinner when you come home from a long day. Don’t throw it out unless it starts to go bad.
  3. Make friends with your freezer.
    This is especially pertinent when you simply have too much of something. Some recipes don’t halve well, and others you just have to make in large batches. When that happens and you know it most likely won’t all be eaten, freeze half of it. This is also great for things like brownies that you shouldn’t eat an entire batch of anyway!
  4. Double up.
    Oftentimes a recipe will call for a quantity that cannot be easily purchased – for example, a single carrot or a 1/4 cup of buttermilk. When you know you’re going to end up with extra, make a conscious effort to choose another recipe that incorporates that ingredient. Again, this is where planning is very beneficial. For example, if you’re making buttermilk pancakes, go ahead and whip up some buttermilk salad dressing while you’re at it.
  5. Master the art of homemade stock.
    I can’t encourage you on this one strongly enough. It tastes much better than canned broth. It’s free. It’s easy. You can choose whatever flavors you like best. It’s much healthier (the sodium on most packaged stock is around 25% of your RDA). It will make superior soup.
    Wait, it’s free? Yep. All you have to do is keep a gallon-size plastic bag (or tupperware) in your freezer. Every time you peel carrots, trim celery, stem mushrooms, or find your herbs on their last leg, simply tuck the trimmings in the freezer. When the bag is full, put all the contents in boiling water, season to taste and simmer for about an hour. Or, if you cook chicken, make a stock from the bones.

    Property of Jules Clancy, TheStoneSoup.com

    Property of Jules Clancy, TheStoneSoup.com

  6. Go whole.
    Stock brings me to my next point: don’t fall for the convenience trap. Pre-sliced produce is an utter waste of money, and tends to go bad far more quickly. Fruits and vegetables have natural defense mechanisms and their skins protect them from contaminants and keep them fresher, longer. Furthermore, you can count on their production having been wasteful: all those scraps get thrown out. When it comes to animals, the demand for particular cuts of meat creates a production process that is inherently wasteful. While you can’t bring home a whole cow, you can diversify the types of beef you’re eating. You can bring home a whole chicken, which is an inexpensive way to feed at least four people and promptly make a delicious stock that will fill your kitchen with out-of-this-world aromas.
  7. Share.
    Invite friends over for dinner and encourage them to take home some leftovers. Offer an extra plate of food to your roommate or neighbor. Heck, let your furry friends lick your plate (as long as it’s pet-safe food).
  8. Restaurant rules.
    Once again, sharing is an excellent choice when you go out for a meal. Most restaurant meals come in excessive portions. If you split a dish with your dinner date, you both save money, don’t overeat, and prevent food waste. If you’re not sharing, order a smaller dish (appetizers or salads), and box up your leftovers whenever possible.
  9. Compost.
    Start a compost heap in your yard, or a bin if you live in the city. Look into community composting if you don’t have room in your own home.
  10. Donate.
    While soup kitchens and food banks have strict policies about what they can and cannot accept, there are many things you can donate. The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act protects food donors from liability. Look up food salvage organizations in your city and contribute to the fight against hunger.
  11. Go gleaning.
    Gleaning is a win-win-win.  Farmers benefit because they often can’t harvest everything or can’t sell imperfect items, and they can get a tax deduction for donating. Most gleaning initiatives provide food for the hungry, making an impact on food insecurity. And, overall food waste is slashed by the volunteers who make it happen. Look up a gleaning organization in your area – it’s good fun for a good cause.
  12. Dumpster dive.
    Now, I didn’t tell you to do this, so if the cops ask you, don’t point at me. Dumpster diving is in a legal grey area, and lots of businesses are downright possessive about their garbage. It’s also not for everyone. But don’t dismiss it right away, even if the idea makes you squirm. The fact is, restaurants and grocery stores are required by law to throw out foods based on dates – not based on the food having spoiled. This means tons and tons of perfectly edible food is thrown in the trash. A lot of it is salvageable. Many times the good stuff is packaged so it doesn’t get contaminated. When I was in college, there was even a bakery that put day-old bread in a separate plastic bin for people to pick up. Oh, and not just food. Lots of other cool stuff gets thrown away, too! So if you’re brave, read some tips, take a friend, and make an adventure of it.

So there we have it. What ideas do you have for preventing and reducing food waste?

*2/13/12 update: I just stumbled across a great website with some additional information about food waste, hunger, and prevention.
I know I’ve been slacking: tasty recipe coming soon, I promise!

Playing Politics Against the Poor

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For the most part, Bumble & Vine is not going to be a very political blog. Except for important food policy discussions, I won’t generally be making political statements here. But there are some things I cannot ignore, and because I am an advocate for food justice and for the people who suffer from food insecurity, I believe it’s my duty to stand up and say something when the people and values I fight for are attacked.

While I can’t say that I am altogether shocked by Newt Gingrich’s campaign ploy, I am outraged. Do I expect better from Republicans, during an election year at that? Frankly, no. But I cannot condone the wildly inaccurate and hate-tinged statements he’s been using about food stamps recipients in an attempt to secure the votes of small-minded people.

In case you haven’t heard, Gingrich has repeatedly called President Obama the “food stamp president”, further claiming that “more people have been put on food stamps by Barack Obama than any president in American history”. Much of the media attention around this ludicrous statement has pointed out that the claim is technically inaccurate, both because food stamp participation started rising while Bush was still in office, and because the president doesn’t put anyone on food stamps. That’s not how it works.

There has also been a great deal of speculation about how pointedly racist Gingrich’s remarks were, linking the first Black president with “welfare” and playing off the stereotypes many people hold about race, poverty and government assistance. While many Gingrich supporters deny any racial element to the remarks, Gingrich himself  has said that if he had an opportunity to speak in front of the NAACP, he would tell African Americans that they “should demand paychecks and not be satisfied with food stamps”. I’m sorry, Mr. Gingrich, but who the hell are you to tell anyone, much less a minority group that you are not a part of, what they “should” do? Furthermore, roughly 70% of food stamps recipients are white.

But I feel that there’s a lot more beneath the surface of Gingrich’s remarks and the standing ovation he received from a South Carolina audience. While it might appear that he’s just playing the standard political game and smearing his opponent, I don’t think this actually has anything to do with President Obama. What’s happening here, in my humble opinion, is the fostering and fueling of an all-too-pervasive attitude of resentment and disdain for the lower classes. Gingrich and his supporters are subtly assailing the poor, not the president.

We all know that the recession and the unemployment rate are the primary factors in SNAP participation hitting an all-time high. People are hungry because the economy is screwed, not because Obama wants to give hand-outs to the poor or minorities. But it’s not just the current state of the American economy – tempting as it might be, we cannot blame the economy for everything. I think we need to take a good, hard look at why programs like SNAP and WIC exist in the first place. People who participate in federal nutrition programs do so because of a very real plight: food insecurity. One in six Americans struggle to put food on the table. The very fact that we need federal nutrition programs in the first place is a symptom of the systemic inequality on which our economy is built. The fact that SNAP participation rates have risen dramatically in the last several years is testament to the growing wealth gap.

During my time as a case manager, I worked directly with hundreds of people suffering from poverty and hunger. Fortunately, a vast majority of them already had food stamps, and I was able to help many others apply for benefits. I hope to launch a SNAP outreach component of my current organization that will help more people access the food dollars they desperately need. While SNAP participation may have reached a record high, 3 out of 10 eligible citizens still don’t receive food stamps. I can tell you one thing based on my experience working directly with the people who rely on federal assistance: nobody wants to be dependent. Everyone I’ve met would rather earn a paycheck than depend on government support. But when your choices are limited to going hungry or asking for help, it’s time to ask for help.

The bottom line is this: freedom from hunger is a fundamental human right. Nourishment is our very most basic, most vital human need. If you remember studying Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in your college psych class, you’ll have a grasp on this, too: one cannot begin to address larger goals (ie: employment, housing) on an empty stomach. Those who oppose supporting social welfare expenses to help people meet their most basic survival needs like to say things like “go get a job”, much like Gingrich did when he said people should demand paychecks instead of food stamps. To those people, I’d like to say “wake up and smell the unemployment rate” and also “get your head out of your ass”. Putting food on the table always comes first – ask anyone who couldn’t afford to eat dinner last night. What I’m getting at is this: people cannot begin to turn their lives around, secure the education or job they need, or find stable housing until they have the most basic sense of security: a full belly.

Politics are shallow. Politicians will always be politicians; they will always twist the facts, fuel the fire, and say anything to hurt their opponent or gain a vote. But I believe they should keep their nasty word wars to themselves and leave the public out of it. Mr. Gingrich, it is not your place to insult struggling American families. What’s even more alarming to me is how many people applaud such bullying statements; it reflects an abhorrent and ignorant attitude that is unfortunately widely held. I can only hope that a majority of Americans will choose to be bigger people and refuse to reward such conniving, dirty politicians with their votes.

I hope you’ll take a moment to check out this incredibly informative, interactive hunger map posted by Feeding America, the national food bank network. The image below is property of Feeding America. Make sure to click the link so you can zoom in to your state or city for more detailed data.

An Introduction

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Welcome to Bumble & Vine! If you’re new here, I hope you’ll take a look at my About page to familiarize yourself with the site.

Food is my life. That might sound a bit dramatic, but it’s true. I’m not your average, trendy “omg I love kale!” kind of foodie. Well, yes, I do love kale – have you had kale chips? Irresistible. But it’s much more than that for me.

I have two great passions in life, actually. In addition to food, I’m committed to social justice. At 25, I have over a decade of volunteer work and activism under my belt, and I’m now fully absorbed in the non-profit sector, paycheck be damned. But when it came to my career, I long believed these passions to be mutually exclusive. I brushed off my indulgent desire to enroll in culinary school “for fun”, because I long ago dedicated myself to forging a career in social justice and poverty relief. But I struggled to find my niche even there. I switched my major my senior year, from social work to global studies, because I decided I wanted to do international relief work. After college, I ironically made a return to social work, taking an Americorps position as a case manager, at a great Washington, DC organization called Bread for the City. Certainly, that year of service was life-changing for me, but not in the way you might think. I quickly realized I was decidedly not cut out for social work – at least, not the type I was engaged in there.

But, as the name suggests, Bread for the City did indeed start off as a food pantry. Today, in addition to feeding 5,000 households a month, they provide medical care, legal services, case management, and a brand new advocacy department. The amazing people I was privileged to work alongside at BFC included a nutritionist, the great folks in the food pantry, and the extra cool advocacy leaders. As I delved into the non-profit world, worked directly with the poor, and met inspiring local activists, I started to learn about the concept of “Food Justice”. This was the ultimate game-changer; the epiphany that I could in fact merge my two greatest passions into one cohesive career. I spent hours upon hours educating myself about what food justice means, and realized this was what I was meant to do with my life.

Only about a year later, I am living that dream. Sometimes I can’t believe my luck. Today, I work for an amazing organization called The Campus Kitchens Project. It’s the national arm of DC Central Kitchen, which I fell in love with when I first moved to Washington. In short, I work to salvage food that would otherwise go to waste, share cooking skills with talented student leaders, and provide healthy meals and nutrition education to children and youth in Boston.

I am not just my career, of course. Despite the fact that my entire work week revolves around food, it’s still my obsession at home. I am that person who reads cookbooks and food magazines like some people read the NY Times Best Sellers list. In fact, my collection is getting a little bit out of control. I can spend hours (and ungodly sums of money) in stores like Sur La Table, Crate & Barrel and Williams Sonoma. I am content to spend an hour or more making dinner on a Tuesday and relish my weekends as an opportunity to take on bigger “projects” like the apple cheddar scones I made this morning. I absolutely love learning to cook things from scratch that I’ve spent my whole life buying off a shelf. There is nothing like the satisfaction of making homemade ketchup, pie crust or chicken stock from scratch. But nothing gives me the pleasure that I get from cooking a meal with love for friends or family. I’ve always felt like this is what I have to offer, and doing it just right really brings me joy and a sense of pride.

This blog will include everything from recipes to food news to opinionated posts about food politics. I hope you’ll engage in conversations with me and other readers about what’s going on with food today. Share your thoughts, opinions, recipes and advice. And don’t forget to share this site with your friends!