You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'food' tag.
I’ve taken a hiatus from blogging, as life got crazy for a bit, but I am back with some useful tips on eating organic on a budget that I have been trying lately. Let me know if you have toyed with any of these, and if so, what works best for you.
- Buy in bulk- grains, beans, grits, nuts, dried fruit, etc. Read more tips re buying bulk here.
- Avoid pre-cut/pre-packaged foods. Total rip off.
- Find an organic brand you like and go to their Web site for coupons. For instance: http://www.organicvalley.coop/coupons/.
- At the farmer’s market, ask the farmers if you can buy the “seconds” for a discount — usually they have stashed some bruised/scuffed/less attractive goods in their trucks or behind the table … but you know the old adage — don’t judge a book by its cover! Poor bruised fruit is just as amazingly delicious and nutritious, and it shouldn’t have to rot when a charmed soul like you is willing to buy it if it might help you scrimp some coins.
- Shop with a list – no impulse buying!!
- Shop on a full stomach – or at least when you’re not ravenous. This really works.
- Choose brands above and below your eye level. SNEAKY aisle stockers.
- Be vigilant your check-out gal or guy doesn’t ring you up erroneously. Seriously, hate to be that guy, but it’s worth it in these dire times.
- COOK – geez it seems as much as I know this to be true, sometimes the ease of buying lunch (and the Java Green Sesame Soy Salad) wins me over. But honestly, it’s worth the time at night or in the morning to prepare lunch. At the very least, bring snacks and fruit that you can have throughout the day, so if you do need to buy lunch, you don’t need something huge.
There’s been a lot of talk about coffee lately. It seemed millions of peoples’ dream came true when the NYT published an article a few weeks ago debunking every myth about the detriment of caffeine and its most common source: coffee (was that story funded by Starbucks, by the way?).
Certainly, this was good news for me, too. I love coffee. Over the years, I have tried and failed countless times to “get off the bean.” I’ve tried tea (Yerba Mate, Chai, Green Tea, the list goes on) decaf, and herbal coffee. Shoot, I even wrote a 2-part magazine article called “But I Can’t … Decaffeinate,” highlighting the dangerous cavalcade of activity (body and brain) set off by a single sip of the potent drug. Initially, my research scared me away from coffee, but I soon found myself back in coffee heaven.
Ultimately, I succumbed to the reality that coffee is good and I want to drink it. Forever. To me, there is nothing like a warm mug of steaming java in my hands. But just like with other daily activities and habits, I’ve learned that coffee-drinking can be done responsibly and I strive to do the best I can.
I’ve really been making an effort to bring homemade coffee to work in a steel mug (fits in the holder on my bike). By opting out of using paper cups and sleeves, I am substantially reducing my impact. (A funny anecdote: In Sevilla, Spain, where I lived for 6 months, there was only one cafe that offered coffee in to-go cups. It was fittingly called “American Coffee.”) By bypassing coffee shops on my way to work (many with lines literally out the door), I save substantially.
Think about it: A pound of coffee makes approximately 32 eight-ounce cups of coffee. A cup of tall coffee at Starbucks costs about $2. If you spend $10 for a pound of coffee and make it at home, you save $54 over buying 32 tall coffees at Starbucks!
There are several keys to making the “greatest greenest cup,” as Care2 Senior Editor Melissa Breyer recently expounded. Foremost, a french press. Did you know Americans spend $400 million annually on electricity for their coffeemakers? Yikes! To use a french press costs virtually nothing (you just need to boil water) and you don’t need to use coffee filters … which usually are bleached. Plus, in terms of taste, french-pressed coffee is really tasty. For directions on how to use a french press, click here. Also, click here for tips on what to do with your grounds when you’re done.
A Care2 reader commented that instead of a french press, she thinks a coffee toddy makes the greenest cup. I have never used a toddy but may perhaps look into it. http://www.toddyproducts.com/
Another key to making “your fix” responsible is using farmer and plant-friendly Fair Trade, organic, or shade grown–coffees. In addition to benefiting farmers, organic and fair-trade varieties, increasingly available in the mainstream marketplace, are healthier for our bodies, as they often are not grown with pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers.
If such coffees are not available near you, consider purchasing them online.
Do you have any coffee tips to share?
After polishing off the huge cookie I got for free from Java Green as part of my membership to Live Green, a new membership organization providing support to green businesses, I find myself thinking how far our city has come in the three years I’ve lived here.
Whereas in ‘05, examples of “green” D.C. commerce were few and far between, now the “scene” seems almost widespread. Whereas green living used to be exorbitant and elitist, it is, more than ever, accessible and – dare I say – mainstream. Whereas many may have once scoffed at the idea of a green economy, businesses – acknowledging that we are consumers – are feeding the demand with a steady supply of green goods. Small, simple opportunities to “green” our lives and choices abound.
Live Green, launched on June 18 at Local 16, aims to make eco-friendly living in D.C. more affordable, accessible, and easy. For a $13 annual membership, members get discounts at participating businesses, called “Live Green spots.” These include: Organic food, eco-friendly cleaning supplies, green health and wellness products and services and renewable energy. You’ll also get an informative newsletter keeping you up-to-date on green D.C. happenings/news.
Among the participating businesses: Java Green, Derma Hair Care (which, by the way, just introduced a full moon facial, which is … yes … exactly what it sounds like!!!!), Pangea, ZipCar, City Living Source, MOM’s and more!
A very special and amazing green business that is dear to my heart, Flow Yoga Center (also voted Best Yoga Studio by City Paper), is a Live Green spot … members can take any class for $5 and get 7% of a class pass! Watch this video (from NBC 4!) to learn more about how Flow is green. You may also spot someone you know practicing yoga — or saying something silly on the news 
While I certainly frequent green businesses and prefer to put my money toward green products and services, I’m curious to know people’s views on “consuming green” — are green businesses and products just feeding our addiction to stuff and to buying? Or is consumption inevitable and at the core of our being?
Namaste!
Hours after arriving home from a nearby “pick your own” farm, I type with hands dyed a deep rouge — evidence of the 3 pounds of deliciously ripe Blackberries I picked under the sunshine. Mmmmm. I also picked 5 juicy yellow peaches, and took home 2 gorgeous heirloom tomatoes and an ear of sweet corn (already picked). All for … drumroll … $11!
Affordable, fun, wholesome, and delicious — what more could one ask for, really?
Nine of us departed from Mt. Pleasant in two cars mid-day for a painless 23-mile jaunt to Homestead Farm, in Poolesville, MD. Though surrounded by McMansions, the confines of the farm were gorgeous, and the produce delicious. Each year, the farm opens in May with strawberries, goes strong through summer with berries and veggies, offers a wide variety of apples and other autumn produce (and pumpkins!) in fall, and closes with Christmas trees.
Unfortunately, the farm is not certified organic, though this fact certainly didn’t stop us from imbibing sickening quantities of unwashed berries. We also munched on fresh-picked peaches, which probably was not the smartest idea, considering peaches are #1 on the list of the “dirty dozen” fruits and veggies — those that contain the highest pesticide load 
Anyone have a recommendation for a nearby organic farm?
Even with the high price of gas, the experience was extremely affordable. Let’s face it: the berries alone would have cost at least $20 at Whole Foods or a farmers market. For less than $9, I have fresh blackberries for days, and a freezer bag full of frozen ones to use in smoothies for the next few weeks.
But best of all was the experience (and you can’t put a price tag on that). In a society greatly disconnected from its food, picking produce from the source is incredibly satisfying, and a wonderful outing to share with friends, family or a significant other. If you have a car, good company, and a pretty day, I highly recommend finding a place to pick some summer produce before this fruitful season wanes. A truly simple — and delicious — pleasure.
“By Golly, these are some darn good berries.” — Gwen
Zeke got a belly ache
I shared a beet dish at a potluck last weekend, to much acclaim, so thought I’d share my secret to a perfect beet! In addition to being one of the healthiest foods out there (one of the “11 best foods you aren’t eating“, according to the NYT), beets are a strikingly beautiful color — a deep, warm red, that impresses even the beet-weary. When cooking beets, the aroma is equally enticing, as are the taste and texture of a sweet, warm beet. And for all their health benefits (antioxidants, folate, anti-inflammatory, etc.), beets are decently affordable – $1.99/lb. for organic beets at Whole Foods right now. I got 6 good-sized beets for $6.00. Their season runs from June through October, so now is a perfect time to experiment.
I learned the trick of how to make great beets from The New Vegan Cookbook. The method requires: beet(s), aluminum foil and a cookie sheet. To prepare:
1) Cut off beet tops and trim roots. Rinse in cold water. Wrap unpeeled beets in aluminum foil singly.
2) Place on a cookie sheet. Folds of the foil should be pointed up to allow steam to escape.
3) Place on upper rack of oven and bake at 400 degrees F for 1 to 1.5 hours, depending on size. Test by poking with a fork — fork should go in and out easily.
When finished, let the beets cool for at least an hour. When they’re cool, you can pull the skins right off with the foil – you barely even have to get your hands red! I guess the only drawback to this method is the time factor, but it’s unattended time.
I prepared short grain brown rice and added the diced beets to the rice to dye it a gorgeous color. I then tossed this with raspberry vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Voila! Delish.
“Just beeeet it, beeet it” — Mike Jackson
Photo courtesy of Slate
There was an encouraging article in The New York Times this past weekend highlighting Whole Foods’ [uphill] endeavor to reposition itself as an affordable option for shoppers scaling back “on discretionary spending in a troubled economy.” The piece, “Whole Foods Looks for a Fresh Image in Lean Times,” says the “company is offering deeper discounts, adding lower-priced store brands and emphasizing value in its advertising.” Good for me! … And many in my community who shop at Whole Foods.
Personally, I noticed the Whole Foods “fight” this past weekend as I shopped at the DC Whole Foods, on P St. Already, I am ever-conscious of costs at Whole Foods — I absolutely buy the WF brand whenever it is available, buy in bulk (beans, grains, nuts), and opt out of buying the really expensive stuff there — but recently the cost-savings have indeed been displayed more prominently (Read: the time it takes me to compare the prices of each good I buy has decreased markedly). Eye-catching circular price signs reading “$2.99″, “3.99″ and even “$1.99″ dot the shelves, and affordable produce — on local stuff, too! — abounds. The store’s “the real deal” newsletter, which I picked up last week, aims to help shoppers “milk [their] back to school dollar for all it’s worth, go organic but don’t go broke and grill out without getting burned.” And it’s full of coupons and info on cost-saving and budget recipes, etc.
Though some will argue, nonetheless, that Whole Foods is ridiculously overpriced and super high brow, for me, getting fresh, healthy, pesticide- and chemical- free food is a high priority. Even in a struggling economy. Plus, Trader Joe’s is too far and the other, smaller organic markets tend to be just as — if not more — expensive. And let’s be honest, the 17th St. Safeway’s organic produce, with few exceptions, is just seriously foul!!! Safeway’s organic line holds promise, but it’s often not too much of a crazy bargain. Do I sound snobby? As I said, I think with a little bit of rummaging, long shopping experiences and bargain hunting, WF does not have to be Whole Paycheck. This weekend I did a really comprehensive shop that will last me about a week, bought roughly 80% organic, and managed to spend only $50.
What do you all think? Any tips on how to cut the Whole Foods costs? Secrets? Or other places to shop for the goods?
On a semi-related note, I also recently discovered how amazing home-made Bircher Muesli is. I made a big batch this weekend that is going to be my breakfast all week. And it’s SO affordable and easy to make! Learn more.
Recent Comments