Real Food Baby Steps

December 10, 2011 by Aliesha

We’ve been slowing changing our shopping, cooking, and eating habits to be more healthy. We are trying to eat more real (not processed) foods, so that involves a little more footwork when it comes to both shopping and preparation.

I really believe that it is worth it for our family’s health! While it does take more time to prepare real foods from scratch, everything tastes so much better and I am willing to devote that time to my family. I really do feel better when I am eating real foods!

Real foods seem more expensive at the onset, but I am realizing that as I cut out more convenience foods (frozen meals, canned soups, etc.) and junk foods (ice cream, chips, etc.), I can still afford to stay within my grocery budget (which is $50/week, by the way).

making turkey stock after Thanksgiving

Here are a few of the ways we have recently shifted to more real foods:

-switched from white rice to brown rice (not a huge deal, except brown rice takes longer to cook)
-switched from store-bought whole wheat bread to homemade bread made with freshly ground wheat flour
-in the process* of switching out all of our white flour with freshly ground whole wheat flour
-in the process* of switching from regular pasta to whole wheat pasta (there is a cost difference, but we’re making it work)
-in the process* of switching from flour tortillas to whole wheat tortillas (they actually taste better, but they also cost more)
-I switched from coffee to tea in the mornings when I just want something warm to drink 🙂
-switched from sugar to honey in my tea (if I sweeten it at all)
-switched Tad from sugar in his coffee to organic evaporated cane juice (still not the best, but better!)
-switched from oatmeal sweetened with brown sugar to oatmeal lightly sweetened (if at all) with honey or pure maple syrup
-switched from pancake syrup to pure maple syrup (yes, expensive – but we eat less of it and it’s a treat)
-in the process* of switching to all-natural sweeteners for everything (sucanat, honey, and pure maple syrup instead of white or brown sugar)
-switched from highly processed hot chocolate mix to homemade hot chocolate
-switched from table salt to sea salt
*by “in the process” I mean we are still eating the rest of what was already in our pantry so no food goes to waste

whole wheat waffles

Things we were already doing:

-drinking water at all meals
-reading ingredient labels when we shopped
-rarely eating fast food
-drinking whole milk most of the time
-using butter (never margarine)
-buying blocks of cheese and grating it ourselves
-eating oatmeal made with just oats (instead of those little packets)
-making most foods from scratch (spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, pizza crust, mashed potatoes, hummus, cornbread, waffles, macaroni and cheese, etc.)
-making our own spice blends (taco seasoning, chili seasoning, meat rubs, etc.)
-rarely eating chips (with the exception of our favorite organic blue corn tortilla chips)
-only eating lunchmeat (on the rare occasion we do buy it) without nitrates
-eating fresh or frozen vegetables instead of canned
-avoiding high fructose corn syrup
-avoiding soy as much as possible
-using olive oil most of the time
-not drinking soda
-making popcorn in a brown paper bag in the microwave instead of buying microwave popcorn
-making our own chicken stock
-buying wild caught fish (Alaskan salmon is our favorite)

salmon cakes (Jamie Oliver’s recipe)

Things I would like to still do:

-adapt our favorite dessert recipes to use natural sweeteners and whole wheat flour
-soak and cook my own beans (I currently use canned – rinsed, of course)
-buy more local produce
-buy more local farm eggs
-buy local farm-raised chicken and beef (this will require saving up some money!)
-experiment with different grains (barley, spelt, millet, etc.)
-make my own salad dressings (trying this this week!)
-completely cut out canola oil
-use more coconut oil (and also try sesame oil)
-switch to organic popcorn
-make homemade applesauce (it’s not hard – I just haven’t done it yet!)
-make my own peanut/almond butter (apparently you can do make in a food processor)

We’re definitely not perfect in our eating habits by any means, and we certainly do not aim to be legalistic. Nothing about the way we eat is earning us “more favor” with God or gives us any license to act like we are superior to anyone else around us. We have just personally been led to make some of these choices for our family, and we understand that the way we do things may not be how everyone else does them!

What baby steps are you taking in your family towards more healthy eating?

A lot of the inspiration for this post came from Modern Alternative Mama and 100 Days of Real Food.

Guide to Taking Meals to Others

September 29, 2011 by Aliesha

This post was previously published at Vignettes, where Kristin invited me to be a guest-poster back in the summer. I thought I’d republish it here in case any of you missed it!

If you’ve ever had someone prepare food for you when you were sick, you know what a blessing the “ministry of food” can be! I love being able to bless people in need with meals, whether they are (or one of their family members is) sick, grieving, moving, or welcoming a new baby.

I thought I’d share with you today some tips for successfully bringing meals to others!

1) Ask them

This might seem kind of unnecessary, but it is important to talk with the family first and find out if a meal would be a blessing. Ninety-nine percent of the time they’ll say yes, but this also gives you a chance to find out if they have any food preferences (i.e., vegetarian), intolerances, or allergies and what day/time they would appreciate the meal.

2) Keep it simple
It is better to take a bagged salad, store-bought bread, and a simple main dish than to completely stress yourself out over making something elaborate. I find that it is easiest if I just double what I’m making so that I can feed my family and theirs with one swoop! Plan a menu that you can complete part of a day ahead or at least the morning of so you are not as rushed at dinner time.

3) Stick with what you know
Don’t try out a recipe you have never tried before. You’ll just be wondering if it turned out okay, and be horrified if you find out later that it did not. The only exception to this rule is if you 1) know your way around the kitchen really well, 2) have a backup plan, and 3) are able to taste the dish before sending it over. I recently tried a new recipe (fried rice) when taking a meal to some friends, but I had white rice for backup and I tried it before I packaged up their portion!

4) Avoid polarizing foods
In addition to avoiding foods that the family is allergic to, try to stay away from making main dishes that include polarizing (love ’em or hate ’em) foods, such as seafood, mushrooms, etc. Consider packaging salad toppings such as tomatoes and dressings separately so that the recipient can use them (or not) according to their preferences.

5) Package wisely
Disposable containers are VERY much appreciated when you are delivering a meal. That way, the family does not have to worry about washing and returning your dishes. I find great disposable pans with lids at the Dollar Tree (usually two or three for $1). Consider including some disposable plates and napkins too, especially if the family is moving (their dishes may already be packed!). Make sure you also package things well for transport in the car. You don’t want sloppy Joes all over the baseboard of your car! I like to wrap things in a big towel to keep them warm, then put them inside a cardboard box to prevent spills.

6) Give yourself a window
Maybe this tip is just helpful to me. 🙂 Don’t promise that you’ll arrive at 5:00 sharp… instead say you’ll be there between 5:00 and 5:15. Shoot for 5:00, but if you’re running a teeny bit behind schedule, you’ll still be there within the window you gave them.

7) Don’t forget dessert
Even if it’s just store-bought ice cream or pound cake, try to include a little something sweet for the end of the meal (unless of course you know for sure they would not appreciate it).

8) Give a little extra
I like to include little extras sometimes, like a pretty menu or decorative labels for the food. Flowers from your garden would be lovely to include if appropriate for the occasion. A hand-written note to the individual or family would mean so much, and a small gift for an older child would be a blessing to a new mom! I love to include homemade bread when possible. Another fun thing to do is take a few breakfast items for them to enjoy the next day!

9) Enlist a crew
If you are the meal coordinator, put the phone away and instead click over to Take Them a Meal, a website which simplifies coordinating meals. I recently used this site and it only took me 5 minutes to set up a schedule and post the details to facebook. Everyone can then just sign up directly on the site, avoiding the need for you to spend time on the phone or try to avoid duplicate meals!

Meal Ideas
Finally, here are just a few meal ideas to tuck away for the next time you are taking someone a meal:
-spaghetti
-lasagna
-favorite casseroles
-soup
-takeout from their favorite restaurant
-pulled pork/beef sandwiches
-chicken pot pie

I hope these tips have been helpful to you and enable you to bless others through cooking for them in their time of need!

For more ideas on the topic of ministry meals, visit my hospitality Pinterest board!

Stretching a Chicken to Last Eight+ Meals

September 20, 2011 by Aliesha

I gave myself a little cooking challenge over the weekend. I like to push myself in my culinary abilities (see my culinary bucket list here) and learn how to do new things. This was also as a result of a panic moment when I realized I had nothing planned for dinner (um, at 4:45pm).

Tad went and bought a rotisserie chicken (which was a little pricey at our Food Lion – $8). I promptly announced that I was going to stretch the chicken to last for six meals! Tad couldn’t believe me at first, but as the weekend went on and I kept producing more meals from this one little bird, I think he became slightly impressed.

Here’s how I stretched one rotisserie chicken into eight+ meals.

Meal #1 – Chicken & Biscuits with Gravy and Roasted Carrots
Sorry, no picture of this meal. It was extremely simple and nothing to blog about! ha! Just make some biscuits, top with chicken, pour on some gravy, and serve roasted carrots on the side.
This served the two of us and Vera.

That night I picked all the meat off the bones of the chicken, shredded it, and stored it in the fridge. The next morning, I made stock using the chicken carcass (I hate that word).

Meal #2 – Chicken Tortilla Soup
This is another easy recipe.
I used half of my chicken stock to make this and saved the rest for meal #5. I added a can of fire roasted tomatoes, some frozen corn, half a jalepeno pepper (leave out if you don’t like it too spicy), cumin, ground black pepper, cilantro, and the juice of half a lime. I garnished the soup with a dollup of sour cream (actually Greek yogurt), toasted tortilla strips, and more cilantro and served it with chips on the side.
This recipe served the two of us plus gave us two leftover servings as well.

Meal #3 – Chicken & Garlic Pizza
Again, super easy (are you sensing a theme?). I made a pizza crust, added sauce (can of tomato paste plus a can of water plus Italian seasonings and parmesan cheese), and topped it with mozzarella cheese, chicken, chopped fresh garlic, and thinly sliced red onions. Yummy!
This recipe served the two of us plus Vera, plus it gave us one leftover serving.

Meal #4 – Hummus, Chicken, & Spinach Wraps
We were out over lunch for this meal, so I made these wraps before we left.
Spread hummus on a tortilla, then top with spinach, chicken, red onion, and shredded cheese. Roll up and enjoy!
This served both me and Tad for lunch.

Meal #5 – Chicken Soup with Bulgar and Orzo
I made my mom’s standard chicken noodle soup recipe, but instead of adding rice or noodles, I added about 1/2 cup of bulgar and 1/4 cup of orzo.
This served the three of us generously, plus provided two or three leftover servings.

Meal #6 – Caprese Chicken Pasta Salad
This was one of the meals I was most excited about. I made a caprese salad (fresh basil plus fresh tomatoes, chopped, plus marinated mozzarella balls) and added it to cooked whole wheat pasta and our trusty cooked, shredded chicken. (The marinated mozzarella balls were from the antipasta bar.) It was so delicious and was light but filling at the same time!
This served me & Tad.

At this point I could have stopped, since I had successfully made the original six meals I promised to make. I really made more meals than that if you counted the leftovers! But I still had more chicken so I kept going!

Meal #7 – Black Bean Southwestern Salad
I tossed some of the chicken with a little bit of taco seasoning and heated it up. I topped a bed of red leaf lettuce with black beans, corn, chicken, green onions, and homemade salsa. This was a great lunch!
Served two, plus some extra stuff for Vera (beans, etc.).

Meal #8 – Chicken Pot Pie
I used THE LAST of the chicken to make a chicken pot pie. I made the easy version, using pre-made pie crusts and canned mixed veggies. It turned out great!
This recipe served me, Tad, and Vera, plus provided us with leftovers for another whole meal!

The end! I ended up using my $8 rotisserie chicken to make eight different recipes, which (including leftovers) actually was 23 servings (not counting Vera’s)! I know I could have saved more money by cooking the chicken myself (I saw roasters for about $4 at Aldi today), so maybe I’ll do that next time. But this was so convenient and easy and still ended up being quite cost efficient!