Politics at the dinner table

I’ve gained about five pounds since the beginning of the year. I can’t blame our new grocery budget for all of it, but we are eating a lot more non-perishable foods and more starches like potatoes and pastas. I’ve noticed when I browse the grocery ads each week how much of the food on sale is highly processed. It is unfortunate that the cost of food is inversely related to its potential to nourish, but it’s not an accident. An article in the New York Times written by The Omnivore’s Dilemma author Michael Pollan explores the history of the farm bill, a piece of legislation that affects not only the United States’ food supply but the food economies of much of the rest of the world as well. The farm bill is from a time when being poor also meant going hungry, and while hunger certainly still exists, being poor is now also associated with obesity.

Adam Drewnowski, the researcher cited in Pollan’s article, has been forward-thinking enough to publish at least some of his articles in open-access journals like The Journal of Nutrition. In “Food choices and diet costs: an economic analysis” (co-authored with Nicole Darmon) the authors point out that while there is some evidence that the higher cost of a healthier diet is “perceived rather than real”, the “current structure of food prices is such that sweet and high-fat foods provide dietary energy at the lowest cost”. When the lower cost foods are also more convenient and taste good it’s no wonder we’re getting fatter.

I’m lucky that I’m not particularly fond of “grill flavor” and that I like (and have time) to cook. I’m lucky I’m just on a budget rather than flat-out poor with children to feed. I do think we can eat well on $75 a week, but I find it fascinating (and important) to consider the politics and business decisions that influence my weekly trip to the grocery store.

Getting my garden started

A few years ago I checked a book out from the library called McGee & Stuckey’s Bountiful Container (find this book in a library). Most books about container gardening focus on flowers and foliage, but this book was all about growing edibles–from apples to zucchini–in containers, no matter how small your space. Included in the vast amount of helpful information in this book is the soil depth needed for each particular plant–I was surprised to learn that many plants need only six inches of soil, and some need even less. I assumed growing vegetables in containers would require many cubic feet of soil and big containers; both expensive items when you’re starting a garden from scratch. I returned the book without planting anything except the idea that container gardening might be easier than I thought.

Regular gardening always seemed a little out of reach; all the information about pH, soil amendments, transplants, fertilizer, etc. is overwhelming. Container gardening, on the other hand, is a little more straightforward. Dirt (or potting soil, to be more accurate) is purchased with the right balance of organic materials, etc. already in the bag. Containers can be easily covered if the temperature is taking a plunge, and the small scale of the garden means pests are usually easy to spot and remove.

I went back to the library & was happy to find Bountiful Container again; this year I didn’t just read about container gardens, I finally took the plunge. So far I’ve planted radishes, mesclun, bok choy and swiss chard, fava beans and peas–all plants that are supposed to survive cool weather. When it warms up (June? Maybe?) I’m hoping to add tomatoes, squashes, and edible flowers to the lineup. Even though I’ve seen ice in my containers some mornings, my intrepid little radishes and lettuces are already growing. I’m so excited!

Here’s what twelve days of Central Oregon weather will do….

Menu & Grocery List 4/14-4/20

We still have lots of food leftover from last week; even with lots of food options Jeff didn’t feel like eating much (except ice cream, go figure.) That means this week’s theme is “use up the stuff in the fridge before it rots!”

Chicken soup with homemade noodles: no recipe for this one, just a chicken I pulled from the freezer and any thing else in the fridge that sounds good

Potato-parmesan pancakes with creamed spinach: I’m probably going to use a more traditional creamed spinach recipe, but I though this sounded like a tasty combination and a good way to use up the abundance of potatoes and spinach we have suddenly.

Roasted chicken with potatoes, lemon, and asparagus: this is a recipe out of the April Everyday Food magazine.

Lebanese Stuffed Zucchini: I still have some ground beef we need to use and thought this sounded like a good way to use it.

Bean burritos: yet another pantry meal–the only thing we don’t have already is sour cream.

Grocery List

Costco:
coffee
1/2 & 1/2
eggs
bread

Thriftway:
romas
oranges
lemons (2)
chicken (whole, cut-up)
orange juice
sour cream

Safeway:
pears
zucchini
english cucumber

Anywhere:
chocolate syrup (still haven’t finished the ice cream!)
bananas
parmesan cheese
yogurt
cottage cheese
canned tomatoes
onions
ramen

Pantry: asparagus, lettuce, herbs & spices, carrots, lettuce, celery, potatoes, spinach, tortillas, refried beans, salsa, queso fresco, cheddar, ground beef, rice, garlic, chicken broth, milk

Mush mouth

When I claimed we’d be eating lots of green vegetables this week I somehow forgot Jeff was scheduled to have his wisdom teeth removed on Friday. Now he can’t eat any food he has to chew, he can’t smoke, and he’s in pain. I figured since I can’t do much about the pain and I’m pretty happy about the smoking it was in everyone’s best interest that I at least try to keep him well fed.

Luckily, feeding someone who has just had oral surgery is a pretty common topic on Chowhound so I found some good suggestions beyond just ice cream (not that there’s anything wrong with ice cream!)

Last night all he wanted was Thai food…a tough order for someone who can’t have any food with chunks! I ended up heating up some red curry paste, some chicken broth, and some fish sauce, and a can of coconut milk. A full-fat can of coconut milk has about 750 calories, so this was actually a really good choice for someone who hadn’t eaten for 24 hours. The rest of the week we’ll try some of the following non-chunky foods:

Some kind of pea soup (not split pea)–this seemed like the closest thing to liquid salad

Scrambled eggs & cheese–I might try to puree some cooked asparagus too

Pintos & cheese, guacamole, sour cream, and salsa (if it’s not too chunky….)

Mashed potatoes and hamburger gravy with sauteed spinach

I get to add in things like toast, corn chips, and salad for myself, while Jeff gets to supplement the menu with lots of smoothies, milkshakes, pudding, and yogurt and applesauce as well as ramen, hummus, and creamy peanut butter (not mixed together, of course). I even bought the squishiest loaf of cheap white bread I could find.

A few weeks ago I used an old Kitchen Kaboodle gift certificate (thanks Aunt K. & Uncle D.) to buy an immersion blender. Boy am I glad I did–I’m tempted to try whizzing up everything and I even have a good excuse!

Eating my way through Baltimore (part two)

I never did get my crabcake. I was hoping to go to Faidley’s in the Lexington Market and was actually there on Thursday morning, but 10 am seemed a little early for fried seafood. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to go back until Sunday and the market was all locked up. On my walk back though, I passed the Dutch Pot Caribbean Cafe. It smelled so good I nearly forgot about my crabcake woes; I ended up with jerk chicken, rice & “peas”, fried plantains, a coco beef pattie, and a really good ginger beer. Way too much food, but really good. I was sorry I didn’t shake a little of the “scotch bonnet hot sauce” on my food before I carried it away, but other than that (and having to leave half my leftovers in the hotel refrigerator!) I have no complaints.

Even though it looks like I probably went to enough restaurants to keep me well fed for my five days in Baltimore, I didn’t eat every meal in a restaurant. I always like to pick up a few groceries like fruits and vegetables, whole grain bread, and dark-roast coffee, for the times I don’t feel like a big restaurant meal. Luckily the “SuperFresh” grocery store was not far from my hotel. This was a fun, tiny grocery store that seemed to live up to its name.

There was also the ubiquitous conference luncheon; although it was nothing I would ever have ordered in a restaurant, I was surprised at the edibility of the meal we were served. In particular I was impressed that anyone could cook broccoli for 3000 without reducing it to an unappetizing mush. Unfortunately the conference organizers seemed to have forgotten the many vegetarian librarians out there. I heard later there was a vegetarian option available, but this wasn’t at all clear at our table and several folks ended up basically eating cake for lunch.

I’m always excited to try new foods when I travel and this trip was no exception. I came home with a few extra pounds as a souvenir, so next week’s menu will take full advantage of all the new spring greens arriving in the grocery stores.

Eating my way through Baltimore (part one)

I haven’t managed to get a crabcake yet (well, ok, I think there was something that was supposed to be a crabcake on a buffet line Friday, but that doesn’t count). Other than that, I’ve eaten pretty well so far.

Our hotel, the Marriott Residence Inn Inner Harbor has an impressive free breakfast, but this morning I was in a hurry to get to an 8am session and didn’t have time to make my toast. This gave me a great excuse to pick up a vanilla kreme doughnut at Dunkin Doughnuts. I’m sure I could get one of these at home, but for me this is an East Coast guilty pleasure and I plan to keep it that way.

Even with my long list of restaurants to try I’ve managed to eat at the same place twice. The Afghan Kabob restaurant is close to the convention center, inexpensive, and good. I tried a lamb special on Thursday, then ate an entire kofta gyro today. If you ever find yourself at the Baltimore convention center this is definitely worth a stop.

Last night some fellow librarians were adventurous enough to walk to the Fells Point neighborhood with me to try an Eastern European restaurant, Ze Mean Bean. I had a “slavic sampler plate” that included pierogies, halumki (cabbage roll), a latke, and kielbasa. Since this food was designed to be consumed with a beer nearby,I also tried a beer from a Baltimore brewery. The beer was good, but the label was even better.

I don’t think I’ll find my pit beef on this trip, but I still have a few meals left, plus a long list of places to try next time….