Food Lush

Healthiest Packaged Foods

By Jennie

There are a lot of diets flying around my internet circle these days. Paleo, Whole30, gluten-free, vegetarian (hey, that's me!), etc. I give any lifestyle choice that makes you feel better than you did before a thumbs up, but I also know that for me--personally--it's impossible to make the healthiest choices 100% of the time. 

Every now and then (or sometimes downright OFTEN, depending on when you're asking), I haven't planned ahead, I have nothing pre-made in my office fridge or in my bag, and I just NEED food. Going hungry is never a good option for me because it just leads to overeating, so I'd rather opt for a packaged snack than nothing at all when my stomach is growling.

This is why I was thrilled to find the article 125 Best Packaged Foods for Women in this month's Women's Health. Food in a bag, box, package might not be as good for you as fresh, whole foods--no argument--but sometimes your only option is a packaged option. 

Better to know what's the best packaged snack around than to just blindly guess, right? Here are a few from the list I agreed with!

Top to bottom, left to right: Haagan Dazs Blackberry Cabarnet, Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce, Amy's Light & Lean Black Bean & Cheese Enchilada, V8 Spicy Hot Low-Sodium Vegetable Juice, Kettle Brand Sweet Onion Potato Chips, Annie's Naturals Goddess Dressing, Morningstar Farms Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuits, So Delicious Dairy Free Hazelnut "Creamer," Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Medley Roasted Garlic

So, do tell, what are some of your favorite healthier versions of packaged foods? Do you agree with the list or not?

End of Season Sale Shopping

By A'Dell

Since summer seems to last forever here in Texas, summery kitchen items are something I don't mind having a lot of. Shopping August sales always seems to net fun things I can use NOW and again next year. Tops on my list this year?

Summer Pops Dishtowel, $1.95

Less than two bucks! So cute!

(Editor note: This item no longer shows on their website, sorry! But you can see their other cute dishtowels here.)

Lemonade Spoon, $1.95

This is kind of silly but I like it. (A set of four would also tuck into a stocking pretty nicely for someone who enjoys sweet tea.)

Set of 4 Acrylic Tumblers, $6

Good for kids in the house, good for adults in the yard.

Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker, Soft Serve Mix-it-in, $79 

Okay, this is no steal but it IS $125 regular price, it's very summery, and holy wow how much FUN would this be?! I kind of want to buy it for my three-year-old as a birthday present.

 (Photos from: Crate & Barrel, Sur la Table, Macy's)

Review: Seeds of Change Korma Simmer Sauce

By Jessica

Coming back from Amsterdam, last week, we had our choice of three meals on the plane (sadly not in first class on this leg) a grilled chicken dish, a beef lasagna or "vegetarian". When the flight attendant listed them out to everyone before she got to me, I never once heard her explain what the "vegetarian" dish actually was, but since that was my only viable option, I just figured I was in for some kind of vegetable medley and maybe some pasta.

She slid the tray onto the tray table for the seat next to me (hooray for having the entire row!) and I barely glanced at it, wanting to get back to my movie (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, EXCELLENT, fyi) when I noticed the words lentil and tikka on the lid. Could it be that the mysterious "vegetarian" option was actually about to be Indian Food?!

Yes! It was and it was actually good! My husband snapped his head around as soon as I removed the lid to my dish, because he could smell the cumin and mustard seeds. I couldn't have been more excited to eat an airline meal, plus can you believe that timing? Indian while watching a movie set in India? I felt like I was at an Alamo Drafthouse event (a little bit, let's not exaggerate here, Jess).

Ever since having that little taste of curry, I am mad craving it all the time now but I'm also crazy lagged from the whirlwind trip and can't seem to get my body clock to agree that it's back on this continent and time zone. To make matters simple? I grabbed a jar of Seeds of Change Organic Korma Simmer Sauce and whipped up some veggie korma at home. 

This sauce does contain heavy cream so not exactly good on my whole "giving up dairy" front but sometimes you just need a little splurge. It's rich and delicately spiced, not overly spicy or pungent but enough. I didn't find the coconut overwhelming either (even though I love coconut and am fine when it's strong) so those of you afraid of that, you should be fine. The flavors are really well balanced. It's super simple to use and can compliment items from fish to meats to veggies, it's nice to have one sauce that will work with how I eat as well as how the boys eat.

I definitely will keep this in my pantry for times when I don't want to/don't have the time to make it from scratch at home.  

(Photo from: Amazon)

Leftovers: Perfect Hashbrown Potatoes

by Maura

As bad as it sounds, I am guilty of throwing away a bunch of leftovers each week that, despite best intentions, did not get eaten or repurposed. I hate doing it and try to incorporate any leftovers into lunches or meals during the week. Sometimes, though, those sad broccoli florets or cold, flaccid string beans do not look appetizing to eat. (Especially when I use the word flaccid to describe them. Ew.)

Potatoes are rarely left over in our house, but a few weeks ago I roasted a couple of pounds of baby red bliss potatoes. There were way too many for us to eat that night and they did not look appetizing to reheat as-is. I decided to chop them up to make hashbrowns along side of omelets for Brinner (breakfast-for-dinner). I had halved them when I roasted them, and cut each leftover half into quarters. Each baby potato was now eight pieces. I didn't measure, but there were probably 3-4 cups of potatoes.

To cook them, I chopped up a whole small onion and pulled out my jar of minced garlic. I drizzled a bit of homemade rosemary olive oil in a nonstick pan and added about a tablespoon of butter. The oil allows the potatoes to cook at a high heat and the butter adds delicious flavor. I sauteed the onion and about one and a half teaspoons of garlic until fragrant and added the potatoes. I cooked the potatoes, generously seasoned with salt and pepper, on medium/medium-high until they got crispy. It seemed like a lot of onion at first, but the pieces cooked down quickly. Towards the end, I sprinkled the potatoes with parmesan cheese.

The potatoes were perfect! Nice and crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. It was the perfect combination of textures and flavors. Served along side the ugliest omelet in the world, they were a perfect and side dish for Brinner.

(photo credit: me)

Make Your Own Croutons, Trust Me

By Jessica

Have you ever made your own croutons? It seems like a relatively small portion of your salad to worry about but honestly, a homemade crouton is so easy and SO GOOD that it's worth it to take a few moments and throw some together. Plus you could also use them for a panzanella salad or to top soups.

Now, because I am extra fancy (ha!) I made mine from homemade bread but you can make them from whatever you have on hand. If your bread isn't stale, just set it out on the counter to dry out a bit before you get started. 

You'll need

• 3TB butter or 2TB of Earth Balance and 1TB of olive oil (for Vegan)
• 3 cloves of garlic grated
• Pinch of parsley
• Pinch of oregano
• Pinch of thyme
• Pinch of basil
• Cracked black pepper
• Pinch of salt
• 4-6 slices of bread depending on thickness
• Couple of shakes of onion powder

Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper

Cube your bread and set aside in a large mixing bowl.

In a medium saucepan melt your butter (or earth balance and oil) together with all of your herbs making sure everything is evenly combined.

Let cool slightly before mixing into the bread cubes. When pouring your butter mixture over the bread, I find it's best to do this in stages and stir it through, this helps the bread get evenly coated without anything getting overly soggy.

Once all the bread is coated, spread it out in a single layer on your parchment covered baking sheet and pop it into the oven for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes you want to give it a good stir and then pop it back in for another 15 minutes or until it comes out nicely browned and crispy

Notice in between the cubes there are little tiny crumb bits? These make for excellent herbed bread crumbs and bonus, they are already toasted! 

All White?

By Jessica

In my kitchen currently I have the most ridiculous mish mash of plates, bowls, mugs (especially mugs, I own WORLDS of mugs) and cups. So many of the plates were super pretty when I bought them but now are super chipped and aren't even full sets anymore. Some of the bowls were my husbands and probably harken back to his college dorm, which means they are also chipped and are in some colors that I never would've purchased. 

I'm thinking I want to rid myself of all of them and just go with all white. 

I'm sure that's way too boring but I'm in this "all clutter must go" phase, so I don't really care if what I'm left with is boring as long as it's also peaceful and less crazy making.

I'm thinking these

from World Market which come in sets of 12 and are procelain. They also come with those nifty racks which would make schlepping them around (if ever I needed to) easy. 

{Photo credit: World Market}

Dinner in a Pinch: Rao's Vodka Sauce and Cut 'N Clean Kale

by Caitlin

Weeknight dinners are hard, aren't they? There's always a push-pull struggle with how much time they take, whether they're planned in advance, what's on hand, what might need to be picked up from the store. I love a meal that can be thrown together with what you have in the pantry, and with the help of Rao's, I have an easy and delicious way of doing just that. 

I'm picky about my shelf-stable, pre-fab pasta sauces. It's hard to find one that doesn't have high-fructose corn syrup or a bunch of artificial ingredients. Harder still to find one with basic, whole ingredients that actually tastes good. But never fear, Rao's to the rescue. 

 

Photo from raos.com. 

This sauce is creamy, dreamy, and tastes like it should have far more than 80 calories a serving.

There's always a box of pasta in my pantry, but those of you living without gluten may also be glad to know that it's equally delicious over polenta (I also like it over quinoa). And for my vegan friends, Rao's other variations without cheese (such as marinara, or tomato and basil) are also delicious.

There's almost always a green vegetable in my fridge, but my favorite, bar none, is a tub of trimed, chopped, pre-washed organic kale from Cut 'n Clean.

Picture from kelli-abrahamian.blogspot.com.

Sautee some garlic, throw in your ready-to-go greens, squeeze a lemon over it (ala this post):

Then toss your pasta in the Rao's, and you've got yourself a cheap, tasty, healthy weeknight meal. 

Voilà!

What's your favorite weeknight meal in a pinch?

Eating Healthy on the Cheap

By Ariel

This is no way an original idea, but a friend of mine posted this to facebook about a week back:

So this is random, but I was thinking if you did a food blog, you should blog about meals that are both healthy and super cheap. All I read on health forums is how people complain that it costs a ton to eat nutritious food.

Anywho, it's been awhile since I've done a bare-bones grocery list and meal plan, so let me share what I came up with. This list is completely inclusive and basically assumes you have absolutely no food, spices, or condiments at your disposal except for salt and pepper. My friend who sparked this post also has something against cooking with flavor spices, so I'm pretending my spice cabinet doesn't exist. I'm also working under the assumption that you have a crock pot and basic pots/pans/baking sheet. I generally meal plan for two, so take that into consideration. For simplicity's sake, I've rounded up all the prices I've paid over the last month or so (I went recipt diving!).

The List:
One whole chicken (frozen, as they're cheaper than fresh. I can usually find them BOGO at my local grocery store) - $10
Bag of regular sized carrots - $3
Bag of celery - $2
Bag of yellow onions - $3
Bag of potatos (5 lb. bag) - $4
Loaf of Italian Bread - $2
1 lb. ground turkey - $4
Garlic (three heads) - $1
Italian seasoning - $1
Dozen Eggs - $2
Bottle of light ranch dressing - $2
Block of Parmesan Cheese - $5
Cooking Oil - $4
Salmon (frozen, four pack) - $6
Plain tomato sauce (one can) - $1
Bag of fresh baby spinach - $2
Bow Tie pasta - $2
Head of lettuce - $1
Tomatos (three pack) - $1
Plain yogurt (32 oz. tub) - $2
Bag of apples - $3
Bananas - $2
Cucumbers (three pack) - $2
Turkey bacon - $3
Loaf wheat bread - $3
Light mayo - $3

With this list you can make:
Chicken dinner with mashed potatos - Throw the whole chicken (after removing the neck/gizards and whatnot) into a crockpot and cover about 3/4 with water. add in a stalk of chopped celery, a couple chopped carrots, about a head of chopped garlic, a chopped onion or two, and italian seasoning. Cook on low for 8 hours. Zap the potatos for about 4 minute sin the microwave when you get home and top those with a little ranch and parmesan.

Pasta with turkey meatballs, salad, and garlic bread - Cut your pound of ground turkey in half, reserve the other half for turkey burgers.  Mix the 1/2 lb. of ground turkey with a couple pieces of minced garlic, half a chopped onion, an egg, and italian seasoning.  Grease a baking sheet and cook the meatballs at about 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until cooked the whole way through.  pour the plain pasta sauce in a saucepan on the stove, mix in some more minced garlic and italian seasoning until it's tasty.  Pour this over about half of the bow tie pasta, reserving the rest of the pasta for another meal.  Take a few sliced of the frech bread, rub a little oil on both sides and sprinkle with a couple minced pieces of garlic and parmesan, bake for about ten minutes until golden.  Peel a couple carrots and toss with onion, lettuce, some fresh spinach, tomato and parmesan and serve with the ranch dressing.

Turkey burgers and parmesan potatos - Make up some simple turkey burgers with onion and parmesan.  Serve over wheat bread with mayo and parmesan potatos

Baked salmon with oven fries - Rub a little oil on the salmon and sprinkle with pepper and garlic, bake until fish flakes.  Toss thinly-sliced potatos with oil, salt, and pepper and bake until crispy.

Chicken soup with crusty bread - Make some chicken stock, add in some of that leftover baked chicken, carrots, celery, onion, some pasta, spinach, and top with some more of that parmesan if you're feeling feisty.

Chicken and turkey bacon panini sandwhich with baked potato - Basically make a grilled cheese sandwich with parmesan cheese, leftover chicken, bacon, spinach, and tomato.

Salad topped with broiled salmon and oven fries

Chicken salad (made with 1/2 yogurt, 1/2 mayo) over lettuce - Finally use up the rest of that chicken and mix with a small amount of yogurt, a hard boiled egg, celery, salt, pepper, and onion.  Serve on wheat bread or lettuce.

A few other meals:
Salad with hard boiled egg and topped with parmesan
Scrambled eggs and home fries
Omlettes with onion and spinach and a side of yogurt and fruit
BLT's on wheat bread with turkey bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo
In-season fruits make the best snacks, along with carrots and celery with ranch to dip.

For about $5 a person a day, you're pretty much set for a week with this list. I rounded up on everything so really this list checks in under $5 a day. The thing about eating healthy on a budget is that it is time consuming.  I have the luxury right now to dedicating a Sunday to prepping meals for the week, I don't have any kids and my cat is pretty low maintnance. That said, eating well is important and there's a lot of time saving tricks out there (like freezing your chicken stock for furture use!) I know I too-often choose convieniance over a healthier choice, and that has become a major goal this year. Less McDonalds! More carrots!

What are your favorite home-cooked meals to make on a shoe-string budget?

Wine in a Box?

By Leslie

When most people hear "boxed wine"  they probably think of things like old-school tupperware parties and the frugality of college life.  

Lately though, I've been seeing an increase in the variety of boxed wine at some local stores that usually shelve quality products.  When asked about the taste, most of the expert employees tell me that wine stored this way is actually one of the preferred methods since it keeps the air out and reduces the oxidation that occurs with bottled wine.  (Check out this "wine coat" that keeps an entire bag of wine in a carrying case!  That's for the serious boxed wine lover.)  

{Photo credit www.trendir.com}  

This interesting article from the New York Times also points out that it's nice to be able to grab just one glass, or a splash of wine for a dinner recipe, rather than having to open a bottle.  The price is right too.  

At $18 a box, this one that I picked up over the weekend holds the equivalent of 4 bottles of wine.  That's less than $5 a bottle.  It's cute too.  I'm a boxed wine fan!  I would not be ashamed to show up at a party with this guy in tow.  

What do you think about boxed wine?  Not afraid?  Or not giving in?

Quick, Cheap, Chinese food at home: Trader Joe's Orange Chicken

by Caitlin

I loved reading all of your comments on last week's post! I find it so interesting to hear what other people's "normal" is (whether we're discussing Chinese food or more esoteric topics). I'm also glad to have so many of you DC folks chime in on the wretched Chinese around here. It's nice to know we're not alone.

Since we're already talking about Chinese, I'll go ahead and let you in on a little secret. If you've been around here much, you probably know I'm not a huge fan of processed food, don't eat much of it, and try to only/mostly eat meat when I know where it comes from. That said, I love a Five Guys Burger, amongst other things. Other things like Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange Chicken.

It tastes shockingly like actual Chinese food, and at about $5 a bag, it's cheap. Bake or fry the chicken, heat the sauce it comes with, toss together, serve with steamed broccoli and rice. My husband and I usually have a bag of this in the freezer, along with some TJ's frozen broc, and there's always rice in the cupboard. It's a great, cheap Friday night indulgence that doesn't break the bank.

For all of you out there who lament not having a Trader Joe's near you, then I offer both my apologies and an opening to make a joke about how I think a "great Friday night indulgence" includes a frozen, pre-fab meal and my ass planted firmly on my couch.

(I also heard that Costco offers a similar version, though I can't speak from experience. You're lucky I told you that after you mocked my hard partying Friday night ways.)

Have you tried Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange Chicken? Or do you have another favorite Friday night treat, from Trader Joe's or elsewhere?

Photos from suburban-spoon.blogspot.com