Food Lush

My Favorite Yogurt: Wallaby Organic Greek

by Elissa

Greek yogurt is all over the place these days, and my family eats a lot of this stuff. It's creamy, delicious, and high in protein, and I find that it does keep me full a lot longer than regular yogurt. The problem is that it's expensive. I understand why: it's more concentrated, it takes a lot more milk to make a cup of Greek yogurt than a cup of regular yogurt. Still, I'm always looking for ways to take a little bit of the sting out of our weekly grocery bill. Anyways, my favorite way to enjoy Greek yogurt without breaking the bank is below:

 

{photo credit: wallaby.com}

Wallaby Organic Greek Yogurt has just about everything I'm looking for: it tastes great, it comes in a 16-ounce tub, it's organic, it's lowfat (creamier than nonfat but a little less decadent than full fat), and all it contains is strained yogurt (check out this NPR story about how some Greek yogurt brands use thickeners and milk powder to create a thicker product). The best part? At my Whole Foods it's only $3.69 for 16 oz. (last week it was on sale for $3). That's significantly cheaper than all the other organic Greek yogurts (Oikos goes for $5 for 16 oz.), and is comparable to the prices for non-organic Greek yogurt.

The milk comes from farms in Sonoma and Marin counties in California. While that's not exactly local for me, I loved the write-ups on their website about the farms they work with.

Here it is with a drizzle of honey--delicious! Anyways, if you like Greek yogurt keep an eye out for the Wallaby stuff. I am definitely a satisfied customer.

Philippine Dried Coconut

By Jessica

I know coconut is one of those polarizing food items: people either love it or hate it, not much room for in between. I am a coconut lover, always have been, even the fresh coconut that my brother and I broke open with a hammer and a screwdriver and ended up smashed to smithereens. 

That's not to say that all coconut you purchase is created equal, or at least not created equally for consumption straight up as a snack. I'm sure you've all had the sweetened shredded coconut from the bag at the grocery store, it takes forever to chew it up and is so sugary that it tastes mostly of sugar and less of coconut. The other end of that spectrum is the unsweetened shreds which, depending on the brand, can be so dry you may as well eat sawdust instead.

The other day I found this:

Philippine Dried Young Coconut at my local Costco (of course) and had to try it. This is the same brand that makes my favorite dried mango and I was curious if this coconut product would be the same and it is. It's not crazy sweet, the chunks are large and slightly chewy so you avoid that sawdust feeling and the coconut flavor is very present (as it should be). I think they would be fantastic dipped in some dark chocolate, like a Mounds bar, for a dessert.

My bag was cheaper at Costco than what it's selling for via the above link to Amazon, so I'd definitely see if you can find it locally first. 

(Photo from Amazon)

Restaurant Spotlight: Beggars Pizza

by Tara

Last week my family flew to the Chicago suburbs to see family. My primary goals in Chicago (besides seeing family and having a good time): meet up with online friends, see the Bean, and eat famous pizza. I accomplished all three!

The famous pizza our family members swear by is Beggars, which has been around for several decades and touts THICK toppings. 

We ate it twice in six days. (It was really good.) The second time I remembered to take pictures.

This is deep dish pepperoni.

One piece was like two servings of a casserole. It was so filling. And so good.

What's your favorite famous food?

(Pictures by my shaky hand with my phone.)

Twitter Question: Vegetarian Main Dishes

By Jessica

Recently, fellow Lush writer Elsha asked for assistance replacing meat-heavy main dishes with more vegetarian offerings, on twitter:

"I would love a @foodlush post about what vegetarian/vegan main dishes you guys make! I rely a lot on meat."

The first thing I did in response to that request is send her a link to this post I did for Kristie (former Lush writer) as a round-up of easy to prepare main dishes during a busy time, for her, at work.

Some other vegetarian main dishes I love:

Jonna's grilled eggplant

Grilled stuffed avocado

Vegetarian chili dogs

Rachel Ray's eggplant stacks

Vegan enchiladas from Oh She Glows

Massaman Curry

Veggie naan pizza

Vegetable pot pie

Tortilla and black bean pie from Pink Parsley

And something else I've been eating lately as a quick main dish, I fry up an over easy egg and put it over the top of some veggies I've pan roasted in a cast iron skillet mixed with my favorite brown rice and quinoa blend. It sounds weird, but it's really so good. 

Nostalgia for Breakfast

by Maura

When I was growing up, breakfast at my grandparents' was raisin bread with peanut butter. Grandmom always had a loaf of Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Swirl bread, which she'd toast and smear with peanut butter that became slightly melty and gooey from the heat of the bread. I'd happily munch along with a cup of tea in "my mug," a clear globe mug she got for free from a National Geographic catalog. 

{image credit: discusscooking.com}

Now that I'm older, and a little more health conscious, I buy the 100% whole wheat cinnamon swirl bread. In researching for this post, I also learned that they make pumpkin and cranberry varieties! I'm so excited to try them!

Do you have any nostalgic breakfast foods? 

Slow cooker applesauce

by Katie

Applesauce is not very difficult to make, but it can be a little hands on- the peeling, the chopping, the stirring at the stove. My parents gave us dozens and dozens of apples from their backyard tree, and I knew I wanted to make applesauce, but didn't particularly want to spend the afternoon standing at the stove. Could it be done in a slow cooker instead, I wondered?

It can, and it is so easy I can't imagine ever doing it the old way again.

Slow cooker applesauce

8-12 apples (I used 12, but you could certainly use less,) cored, peeled, and roughly chopped.
Juice of one half lemon (or a whole lemon, if your apples are very sweet)
1-2 cinnamon sticks (or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon)
a scant 1/4 cup sugar (optional)
1/4-1/2 cup water

Put all the ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours. Your house will smell like heaven. Remove the cinnamon sticks and mash the applesauce with a potato masher or run it through a blender, food mill, or food processor. Enjoy!

(Note: if you have a food mill or a very strong blender, like a Vitamix, you can even skip the peeling step. The food mill will separate out the peels and leave you with a chunky sauce, or the Vitamix will blend the peels right in and give you a velvety smooth sauce. Both are super tasty.)

(Picture from: canningbasics.com)

Grocery List App

by Tara

I am a meal-planning person. If I don't plan my family's meals, then plan my grocery list according to the ingredients we need, then add the random things we need above that (dog food, deodorant, goldfish crackers, almond milk), we wind up throwing out a LOT of food, and it's really frustrating. I have always had a list-making system, and for years I've organized my lists according to the aisles at my store(s) of choice. I used to write out my list of needed items, then make a new list going by aisle and crossing out the old list, so I knew I got everything. Minimum 2 pieces of paper. Then I did it on the computer, and printed it out. But I would often lose or forget the list and then be SOL at the store.

For years now I've used the Grocery IQ app. The coolest thing about this app is (in my limited opinion) is the fact that I can add things from the Internet as well as from my phone. So if I'm thinking about something we need I can add it from my phone, but when I meal plan on my laptop Sunday evenings I can make my list of recipes and groceries on my computer and then add the items to my Grocery IQ list and it will update the list on my phone.

Screen shot from the computer.

Screen shot from my phone's app.

Grocery IQ lets you organize your aisles in your store, and make several lists at once with drop-downs. I can add things I need at Target, the butcher shop, and the produce I buy at a separate grocery store, all in one go, without worrying about several paper lists or wasting paper. You can scan items to store and budget, download electronic coupons, and favorite items you regularly buy. Plus, BONUS, the app is free. SCORE!

What's your favorite way to make grocery lists?

Beans for Breakfast

By Jessica

I'm a big fan of breakfast foods. Any time, day or night, I'm down for a big plate of pretty much any (non-meat) breakfast food you can name. I honestly don't discriminate between pastries or heartier stick-to-your-ribs fair, all kinds are welcome and consumed with equal happiness. However, had you ever asked me if I thought that beans were for breakfast? I would've told you no. Now, I knew somewhere back in the recesses of my mind that a British Fry Up included beans but not living in the UK, I never experienced it for myself and I never really thought that much about actually having beans for breakfast. 

Well my friends, after four days at a B&B in Wales, I love beans for breakfast, specifically these beans for breakfast

They are SO GOOD! Not overly sweet and a great way to get protein in your diet first thing in the morning. My local grocery store carries them in the international aisle (sadly not in a fridge pack or the cool little snap pots) so I'll be picking them up for weekend breakfasting or brinners.

(Photo from: Heinz Uk)

Tuscan Soup

by Elsha

Our family eats a lot of soup, and here in Colorado the fall weather is cooling off into perfect soup-eating weather. This one, from The Taste Of Home Cookbook (which, by the way, is a GREAT cookbook) is one of our favorites.

Tuscan Soup:

1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cans (14 1/2 oz each) chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup water
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 can (15 oz) white kidney beans or great northern beans, rinsed and drained
2/3 cup small spiral pasta
3 cups thinly sliced spinach or escarole

In a large saucepan saute onion in oil until onion is tender. Add broth, water, salt, pepper, and bring to a boil. Add beans and pasta; return to boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer 15 minutes or until pasta and vegetables are tender. Add spinach, cook just until wilted. 

Some notes: technically the recipe calls for chicken broth, but I've made it with vegetable broth and it is still delicious, it may just need some extra salt. Also, we always add more carrot and spinach than it calls for. And often more pasta. (I have a problem following soup recipes exactly, it would appear.) 

Anyway, this soup is wonderful. It's light but filling; it's quick and easy to make, and it's excellent served with fresh french bread. Made by someone else of course, since I don't make bread.

Laptop Lunches and Some School Lunch Ideas

By Tara C.

I have been using Laptop Lunches for packing my three kids' school lunches for the last couple years and I've been pretty happy with them.

(image from: Laptop Lunches)

A Laptop Lunch is a plastic bento system that is lead, BPA, phthalates and PVC free. It's not shown in the image above, but one of the containers has a lid so that liquids, like applesauce or yogurt, won't leak into the rest of the lunch. I like the fact that I don't need any plastic baggies or disposable containers. And since I feel obligated to fill every container, I think my kids end up getting a little more variety, too. My only complaint about the ones we bought a few years ago is that the containers are pretty small and shallow. If you squeeze a whole sandwich into the main compartment, it's hard to get the outer box to close. But, it looks like the newer models have addressed this. The size is different and there's now a larger compartment available.

My system is to hand wash the containers every night, pack the lunches, then stack them in the fridge until the next morning. Packing lunches in the morning just doesn't work for me. I usually run the containers through the dishwasher over the weekend. My kids drink water with their lunch, so I don't pack a separate drink. They use the water botles that they keep in the pocket of their backpacks.

As Julie mentioned recently, packing lunches that your child will actually eat can be a challenge. My kids are also at three different schools this year, each of which has different rules about the foods allowed. My third grader's school does not allow nuts. My toddler's preschool has a strict policy against sending potential choking hazards. This means no hotdogs, popcorn, raw carrots, or whole nuts, and grapes and cherry tomatoes must be quartered. Keeping track of who will eat what AND who is allowed to eat what kind of gives me a headache. As a result, it's really easy to get into a rut and send the same foods every day.

These lunches are pretty typical for us. Maybe not exciting, but typical.

Turkey rolled up with toothpicks, applesauce, orange, (plain) pasta (photo from: me)

PB&J sandwich, more oranges, mixed berries, pretzels (photo: me)

Other lunch ideas include:

• Mac&cheese
• Mini-bagel pizzas
• Quesadillas
• Waffle "sandwiches" made with toaster waffles and filled with cream cheese or   peanut butter and jelly
• Bean and cheese burritos
• Waffled sandwiches
• Crackers with squares of cheese and lunchmeat
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Edamame

I need to remember that dinner leftovers can be a good option, too.

The Laptop Lunches website is a great resource for new lunch ideas. Their 365 lunch ideas are organized by season, which is a nice feature. You can also subscribe to receive a weekly menu.

I think all my picky eaters would like this lunch:

Crackers, yogurt, blueberries, granola (photo from: Laptop Lunches)