Slow Food Nation, cont'd

What I took from Slow Food Nation and what I feel Carlo Petrini is portraying:

Food is a network of people, places, products, and knowledge. Think about a dish of pasta...
the tomatoes - Who grew them, what did they use in their soil, when did they pick them, how much gas did it cost them to transport them to the place you bought them?
Or where they canned- what an extensive process canning and preserving is! ?
What about the spaghetti, what did it cost to grow the wheat, make the flour, roll the pasta, package it, and deliver it to the store?
Did the farmer's know what the effects of pesticides could do to the tomatoes?
Did the famer make parmesean cheese from milk of cows fed animal by-products or grass fed cows ?

As a gastronome, you feel a part of that network. You belong to a food network, which goes from the global to the particular. From universal to local, for producers and co-producers. Reactivating the connections between producer and consumer, which often now are so far distant the nodes of the network do not even know they are part of the network, will circulate the network. New nodes of conscious people can expand the network , the network thus sustains itself. A sustainable network focused on human growth instead of economic growth- leading to quality food.

This new quality of food can be obtained via educational strategies of knowledge and of products: so that food is good for the palate and the mind, sustainable for the earth, and fair because every person's dignity is guarenteed

Banana's Foster Stuffed French Toast

OMG!
This was freaking delicious! I have been meaning to make french toast but finally bought bread and bananas yesterday afternoon.. So.... I figured I would make a healthy version of Stuffed French Toast with Banana's Foster inside.... YUMMMMMMMMMY

I took the Better n Eggs (I got this bogo- otherwise I would use two egg whites)and added about a Tb Milk into the bowl, then cinnamon, and Beat with a whisk until super frothy.
Into that, I dunked two pieces of (barely toasted so its stiff) bread
Put it into the pan that was heated on medium heat... I sliced the banana into the pan after the bread needed flipped... Then I flipped the bread and sprinkled everything with a tiny teaspoon of brown sugar (prob 1/2 tsp). When the bread was browned and crispy I set it on the plate, Then flipped the bananas in the pan.. I spread a mix of Cabot Cottage Cheese and TJ Greek 0% Yogurt (I mixed it while the bread was cooking)... Then put the banana slices on top/in between..

On the side I cooked the remainder of the eggs, with the last of some blueberries and a strawberry.

SOOOOOO GOOOD!!!

I love bananas in a frying pan

And I used no oil or spray or butter- just put everythin as is into the nonstick!

Ingredients:
1 tsp cinnamon
2 egg whites or 1/4 cup egg beaters
1 T milk
2 slices slightly toasted bread
banana
dash of brown sugar

Stuffing:
1/3 cup cottage cheese
1/3 cup greek yogurt



Today's To Do List:
Body:
Rest my legs ( but probably will do yoga and some strength)

Mind:
Read Organic Inc
Class- Midterm!!!!!

Soul:
Nikki B ( best friend in college) sent me a "wake up" text-- made me laugh- Who doesnt start the day off well when you laugh as soon as you wake up!?!?!
Call about start date with jacob's program director
Return ties I bought for Jeff for the wedding

Chili and Cornbread

Accomplishment feels spectacular!!! unfortunately, I have had sniffles all day and my head felt "swirly" in class... sigh.. that fishing in the rain on the beach this weekend probably wasnt the best idea ...oh well... I knew I wanted to something "warm" like a stew/soup/chili for dinner....

Lunch:
Flat Out Light Wrap
4 Egg Whites , Hard boiled
Hot Sauce
Mustard
Steamed Asiam Veggies ( corn, red pepper, waterchestnuts, snap pea, edamame)
Banana w organic peanut butter

Pre-Class Snack:



Body:
Strength: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps and Hamstrings
Cardio: 7 mile RUN!!! Plus 10 minutes on the elliptical
mile1 9:00 min

mile2 8:40 min

mile3 8:40 min

mile 4 8:20 min

mile 5 7:53 min

mile 6 7:00 min !!!!

mile 7 7:30
My knees felt fantastic during the run but did start feeling achy later this afternoon while walking to class. I really paced myself and tried hard not to run faster for the first 3 miles ( I hate feeling like I am running slow... so I usually just run fast and get pumped the faster I go)


Mind:
-Found great back up articles for minority health but still not one good one

-Finished reading Slow Food Nation this morning, exam tomorrow and paper for Slow Food Nation due next week.

-Reading Organic, Inc after posting!
-Class today was about Unnatural Causes of death and Socioeconomic status ( income and education level combined essentially) being the strongest predictor of health & longevity
-Suduko!

Soul:

I <3>



Came up with a game plan with Jacob's "team" for therapy... I am pysched to help out 2 hours + during the mornings... I think I was getting stressed with the idea of weekends/evenings his mom wanted because it was too hard for me to fit it all in- but in the mornings I can fit in two hours and will be HAPPY to have some more money flow!


Cooked healthy chili and Momma Mo's cornbread "puddin" Laural- style...

My Dinner Bowl: w/ TJ nonfat greek plain

Into the crock pot I put:
1 can organic chili beans

1 can rotel chunky tomatoes and green chiles

1 16 oz can tomato sauce

However much of Hot Sauce ( I like about 2 tablespoons, Jeff likes 5)

In the pan I threw 1/4 chopped onion with 2 cloves of garlic, added ground meat ( I used 93% lean but i like ground turkey and for more people I use the next fat level because its not very much different ( an extra 20-30 cal/serving) until brown... added a tablespoon of chili seasoning and to taste : cumin and chili powder

Then I put the pan mixture into my crock pot, stir and cooked on low for 4+ hours.

I did something new this time though- I cooked and added organic red lentils! They came out like a green mush and I pretty sure I did something wrong- but I threw in three servings of them into the crock pot after everything else ...



So then for the easiest most delicious cornbread pudding ever...
Here is Momma Mo's Southern Recipe

2 boxes Jiffy Corn Mix

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 cup butter

1 can cream corn

1 can fresh kernel corn

...Add it all together mix well, Bake at 350 for 40 minutes

Here is what I did today:

Ingredients:
( I use this 4 inch high, 10 inch round corningware b/c it fits into my toaster oven)
1.5 cup yellow self rising cornmeal

1 cup whole grain organic flour

1 tsp salt

1 Tb Smart Balance 50/50

2 eggs or egg beater substitute

1/2 cup Nonfat SourCream

1/2 cup Plain Nonfat 0% Greek Yogurt

1 can cream corn

1 can whole kernel corn


Melt tablespoon butter into the pie dish/casserole dish, roll it around to coat. I added the egg beaters, sour cream, yogurt and mixed. Then added both cans of corn. In a separate bowl I mixed the dry ingredients, then added the dry to the wet. Mixed it all and baked for 45 minutes at 350. I mixed the center halfway through baking.

Here I come Organic, Inc.

Slow Food Nation

Thoughts as I am finishing Carlo Petrini's Slow Food Nation:


Regarding CSA's
"City-dwellers want fresh, seasonal products at a good (fair) price and want to be able to know the person who grows them; the farmers need to have a guarentee of a fair price, not to be at the mercy of fluctations in the market and want the fruits of their production to be appreciated with "gastronomic" sensibility and not confused, diluted, or eliminated by the distribution and market systems. Price is agreed, city dwellers pay in advance for the whole year's produce and in exchange the farmers agree to deliver fruit, vegetables, meats, and cheese to the homes every week. It is the ideal solution, it is "co-production". The problem is, relocation of production needs to occur where there is the consumption. Food is a network of co-production, where knowledge must be shared and methods are sustainable" Carlo Petrini, SFN

This was discussing Community Supported Agriculture's (CSA's) as a solution to increasing sustainability, thus increasing "clean" food, and sharing food that is "good" ( good to the palate and good to the mind") to consumers.
I agree with so much of this book, yet feel like ... "So what now?" ... what else can we do since I tried joining a CSA and all of them had waiting lists? So I go to a Farmer's Market that is about a mile from where I live- What do I do when I buy fruit from the Farmer's Market and bring it home to find it is rotten ? What do I do at the Farmer's Market when the only fruit available right now is apples because that is what is in season? Sure, consumers should eat more seasonably, but USDA and Dietary Guidelines suggest 3-5 servings of fruits daily, they suggest variety- I am supposed to eat 3 apples a day until the next seasonal fruit is available?


Anyone else have thoughts?

If this subject interests you, aside from buying Slow Food Nation, there is a new television stationg "Planet Green" and Bill Nye (the science guy) has a new series called "Stuff Happens" - the premier episode was about breakfast-

It was eye-opening and very easy to understand ( it was in "lay-terms" ) for the U.S population to become aware of how bad our food products can be for ourself and the environment and what small changes we can make to help. http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tv/stuff-happens/show-info-stuff-happen.html

Also, Oprah had a show ( It popped on while I read this book last week!) about the importance of not stressing animals we use to produce food- cage-free, cage regulation sizes. Lisa Ling had gone out to exlore the matter.. http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/20081008_tows_animals

Sunday- Monday ..Longing for Veggies ...Longing for Fruit!

Sunday Breakfast... eggs, biscuit, bacon, 1% milk
( the difference with this and "the infamous breakfast sandwich" at Jeff's Nana's is this biscuit was made from scratch ( vs. at the lake: a trans-fat full, pre-packaged eco-unfriendly biscuit twice its size), Momma mo drains the bacon and the grease before making scrambled eggs with 1% milk ( instead of scrambled eggs w/ heavy cream inside a pan full of bacon grease)
Those differences add up! I just wish I had some fruit and whole grains! Jeff fishing on the beach

Sunday on the drive home I had Kashi crackers and dried cranberries ( wasn't all that hungry since we woke up late, did some fishing, then sat in the car for three hours.. ) so dinner time I was really craving veggies (and fruit)..

Sunday dinner: Broccoli, Carrots ( fresh), frozen bell pepper mix, Uncle Ben's Wild, Whole Grain Vegetable Pilaf Rice ( it had carrots, corn, red pepper ), Turkey Hot Sausage ( Jennie-O)...
We added a half can of cream of chicken soup ( low sodium, fat free).. with half a can of water, then added the rice and veggies after the sausage was cooked mostly- let it simmer in the pan for about 20 minutes...


Monday Breakfast:
Quaker Simple Harvest hot cereal ( yum! almond, flax seed, oats)
Smear of Organic Peanut Butter
Fruit: strawberries, blueberries, mango
Coffee

( I had thought we would have fruit at one of the rentals we were planning on staying at but we did not- and on top of that -we stayed up so late with everyone that we woke up late enough that breakfast was really lunch, then it was time for dinner..so I sort of missed out on "meals" but I had snacks like the crackers and cranberries and a south beach living bar etc. if I got hungry)

Monday To Do list:
finish slow food nation

read 1st chapter of organic inc

read chapters for class tonight

exercise!

groceries ( milk, bread, eggs yogurt..)

Class 4:30-7..
Jacob's house 7-8:15

Happy Monday all!

Saturday Part 2

Brit and I in the elevator.. come on we had to get in and take a ride!
Wonderful friends of ours - Stacy and her hubby Chuck had a baby one year ago ( it was their first weekend away from her ! they only called 5 times in 48 hours)
Salad Table.... The greens were mixed in the orange pots... How cute!

That was what was left- I had a 3 oz portion of turkey, 4 oz fresh seared ahi tuna, beet salad ( the green stuff at the bottom right corner).. all over mixed greens with some blue cheese crumbles and roasted red peppper)... the potato sunday on the left and that is not my beer .. Over the course of the entire evening ( 6:00 pm- 2:30 am) I had a glass of pinot grigio, a glass of merlot, and a glass and a half of champagne... ( the last glass got spilled when someone bumped into me)

Potato Sundae up close ( too close and blurry)- chives and bacon crumbles on top with a smidge of herbed cream cheese
Hooray! "you're married! I love you, I love you too... you look amazing lets get a picture"
Andrea and Jeff

Saturday Part 1

Momma Mo made breakfast..bacon, two eggs ( I gave the yolks to Jeff ) and an english muffin ( I had only a sip of OJ- not a fan of it - and coffee) View from their back deck
Jeff getting ready to fish with his younger bro Me Fishing in the rain, 55 degrees, windy- the water however was SO WARM!
View down the beach
Willy the snake
Vows... He goes " I will" to the the officiant.. then looked at her and goes "I will"...