Monthly Archives: April 2011

Apr 28The Art of Understanding Meat Labels

After my recent post about tasting beef for the first time in a quarter of a century, several people asked about the jargon in the grocery store. What does it all mean? Can we trust the signs and labels that we see? Or are they merely euphemisms and good marketing? Whole Foods Market would lead you to believe that their meat is all produced in a sustainable and humane way. They even have this warm and fuzzy video showing how much they care... But what do the terms really mean? Are some...

Apr 25No Time for Breakfast? Try these Birdseed Muffin...

No Time for Breakfast? Try these Birdseed Muffins

"Mom, did you put bird seed in these muffins?" was the comment I got from my daughter mid-bite. She quickly told me how good they are and then proceeded to say that millet was delicious and it was no wonder the birds outside drained our feeders so fast! I have been a fan of Heidi Swanson for awhile. Her talent in the kitchen and with a camera is indisputable and is clearly apparent in her new book, Super Natural Every Day. I could hardly believe that it arrived the day after I ordered it on...

Apr 22Virtual Picnic for the Planet: Happy Earth Day (...

Virtual Picnic for the Planet: Happy Earth Day (& Kale Chips)

Some people think about the Earth every day. But the rest of us need reminders every now and again. And that's where Earth Day comes in. It's like one of those Hallmark holidays like Valentine's day - something that is part of our culture and gets a lot of attention. But hey - that's okay. We should be thinking about how we impact this place we call home. To celebrate, I am part of a Virtual Picnic for the planet. Of course, my picnic food of choice is Kale Chips. You have heard me...

Apr 20Are you drinking sugar?

In my recent post, people were very surprised to see how much sugar is in their favorite yogurt. But the good news is that there are some awesome alternatives that put you in control of your sweeteners. What about your favorite drinks, though? I measured out the sugar contained within each of these bottles, just to give you a visual of what you might be consuming...without even realizing it. I mean, what's wrong with drinking 100% orange juice? It's not like they are adding any sugar to...

Apr 18What do Processed Foods and Cosmetics have in co...

What do Processed Foods and Cosmetics have in common?

After researching the safety of sunscreens last year, I realized that many of our cosmetics are loaded with chemicals that might be making us sick. It's ironic that I hadn't paid much attention to the contents of my shampoo bottle in the past, given that I am always reading the ingredients on the foods that I feed my family. But there's a connection, of course! Most people don't even realize that their personal care products contain toxic chemicals (and even if they did read the labels, the...

Apr 15Can I Afford to Buy Organic?

Let's face it. The economy stinks right now. We are cutting items left and right from our family's budget. Most of the time, I don't miss things like cable tv (except for shows like Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution - thank goodness for Hulu!). The point is, we have to prioritize what is important to us. While cable television is something we can do without, I am not willing to cut organic food from our grocery budget. In my opinion, there are some very long term costs that come from...

Apr 13Dyeing Eggs Naturally

Every spring, our kids ask if they can dye some hard boiled eggs for the holidays. We celebrate Passover instead of Easter - but we don't see this activity as a religious one - merely a seasonal (edible!) activity that we can do together. For the past two years, instead of purchasing kits full of artificial chemicals, we opted to go the natural route. By using natural ingredients that we already had on hand, we could keep a handle on our budget and the eggs would remain edible, even if...

Apr 11Why I Tasted Beef For The First Time in 25 Years...

When I was a child, I went to the summer camp offered by our local animal shelter. I loved it. Most of it, anyway. We got to play with kittens, romp with puppies, and be taken for walks by the over-eager shelter dogs. But the teaching styles were a bit unconventional, back then. The education director thought she could teach us to be kind to animals by scaring the wits out of us. We were shown videos of laboratory testing on animals and milk-fed calves confined to cages so small they...

Apr 8DooF-A-Palooza: Bay Area Family Food Festival

Experience DooF-a-Palooza! on Sunday, May 22, 2011, from 10AM-5PM, a free, play-with-your-food festival for children of all ages, at beautiful Jack London Square. Like the wildly successful prior two festivals held at Google Headquarters, DooF-a-Palooza, a food-backwards, table-to-source, food educational experience includes contests, live animals, rides, games, entertainment and fun hands-on activities with growers, chefs, foodies, and cookbook authors all filmed and streamed live online. Discover...

Apr 6Look! There’s Yogurt In My Sugar

I think that most people just assume that yogurt is a healthy food. I used to. That is, until I learned that every 4 grams of sugar added to foods equals 1 teaspoon of sugar. Yep - you read that right. Go check out the yogurt in your fridge. If it has 24 grams of added sugar, there are 6 teaspoons of sugar in that baby! Of course, milk naturally contains lactose, a milk sugar, that contributes to the overall carbohydrates in yogurts. But the nutrition label on most yogurts...