HAPPY ST PATRICK’S DAY! We have a corned beef and cabbage dinner cooking in the crockpot. Yea… not really a healthy food (except the veggies). These days we only do corned beef for the “holiday”. Years ago I used to go out the next day to buy a few more on sale, since they keep for a long time.
Historical tidbit (from https://www.aamp.com/history-of-corned-beef/) - "While the newly immigrated Irish were used to eating salt pork back home, its nearest counterpart, bacon, was too expensive in the U.S. Looking for an alternative, many Irish immigrants turned to the Jewish butchers in their neighborhoods. There, they found kosher corned beef, which was not only cheaper than salt pork at the time, but had the same salty savoriness that made it the perfect substitution. Resourceful immigrants began cooking their cabbage with corned beef instead of pork, and the Irish-Jewish-American fusion dish became associated with Irish culture—and therefore St. Patrick’s Day—in America."
Admittedly I’ve not been exercising much in our snowy weather. Based on my weekly email from MyNetDiary, I was at least I was able to “keep even” on calories - screenshot below. (Mostly I track food for nutritional analysis, but the weekly summary emails start out with calorie info)
We usually rinse our prewashed lettuce because is is my husband’s strong preference. He does not like kale, so I have been lazy about rinsing my prewashed kale for single serving lunch. But perhaps I’ll start doing so and also give kale-message a try.
What is the suggested method for Kale Message? Per google search, I tried adding a bit of olive oil then messaging with fingers. The result was ok (though really not much better than just dicing small), but I was not a fan of oily hands.
One thing I can agree about regardless of method is to discard the big tough stems. (One article suggested using them as dog treats. We don’t have a dog, so I could not test that tip.) They may or may not be healthy, but they certainly are not enjoyable.
I only use oil for kale massage if the oil is going to be part of the dressing (like lemon and olive oil) or I’m roasting it. Otherwise I just use my hands and rinsed kale
I think most people reading this thread already eat enough fiber, but many Americans don’t. Here’s an article suggested to me today on my computer (probably based on my food/health research browsing history).
Have you tried the international food section? I saw some on the shelf the other day that were labeled as pepitas rather than pumpkin seeds. Also, convenience stores tend to have them shelled in small packages.
Thanks for the hints. I see Walmart (our ToGo grocery source during Covid) has pumpkin seeds, just currently Out of Stock.
When we start into farmers market season again, I’ll ask about local sources. (I’m not opposed to non-local and even international foods. But one of my goals. along with healthier eating, is to over time add more “green”/local foods to our kitchen. That supports area farmers and minimizes shipping/carbon-footprint. Also may grow some of my own veggies for same reason.)
We’ve had bounty from our garden for weeks now (mid-Atlantic). We’ve had bok choy, romaine, broccoli, spinach and arugula. Dh put the patio pots we use for summer herbs in our shed without pulling the old plants. Somehow, despite a cold winter and being in a dark shed all winter, the plants, unintentionally, overwintered. He was shocked to see new growth when he pulled them out a couple weeks ago. Cilantro, mint, oregano, dill and thyme. Kinda crazy! I used some of the cilantro the other day when making some guacamole.
We had an interesting church/community Zoom call regarding Netflix “Kiss the Ground” movie (also mentioned in movie thread last week). The invited guest were from an innovative local farm doing exciting things for soil improvement and regenerative farming.
I may order some of their beef online ($8/pound) because it fits my personal goal of sourcing beef that is less harmful to the environment than traditional methods (feed lots, with feed grown with a lot of pesticides etc). Yes, I know the goal could be accomplished with eating no beef (or no meat at all). I admire those who choose that lifestyle, but so far I prefer investigating this option. And of course like many Americans, we’ll continue minimizing our beef consumption.
I finally used up my tofu, bought on a whim a few weeks ago. It was pretty good, even though I accidentally used more chili powder than recipe. I think it could also be tasty with shrimp instead.
My husband, not a fan of tofu, came into the kitchen and said - “I thought we were having leftover pork loin”. I said -“YOU can have leftovrs. I want to try this”. So I will get a lunch meal out of this too.
That looks delicious. I actually had a spicy Korean vegetarian soft tofu soup with an egg today for lunch at work, which I purchased from the local Korean restaurant. One of my favorite meals.
BTW, I finally found those pumpkin seeds, I just wish I could find them ground already, not whole.
I have not yet sought out pumpkin seeds but will soon when I start going back into stores again. I do like chia seeds - those were available at WalmartToGo (and one quick in-person visit at local health food store last fall).
Chia Seed Storage Tip: I keep chia seeds in the fridge. The bag they came in is stashed in back of bottom shelf. On the door I keep a more handy amount in an old spice jar with screw top lid. A rubber band holds a teaspoon on the jar (I do food tracking, measure it out - usually 3 tsp in my avocado toast).
