Save Some Green by Saving Your Greens

Dear Sisters,

I realize that I may be a little late catching this wave, but I'm glad I finally caught it nonetheless. We try to drink green smoothies with every meal. Because, seriously, YUM. And because in my opinion, there is no better way to get so much nutrition so easily.

My only complaint about making green smoothies is the cost. When available, I try to buy local at the farmer's market or use from our own garden, but there is a large part of the year here in Wisconsin when that is not possible. (Maybe I should look into winter greenhouse gardening...hmmm...) In an effort to cut down on the cost (especially the cost of greens), I try to buy most of our ingredients at a big warehouse store. I can buy organic in large quantities for much less than at the grocery store around the corner. Yes, yes, I know...buy local, support your neighborhood grocery store, yadda yadda yadda. I know. And I try to do just that. However, there are times when the item or items I am purchasing are so much cheaper that it justifies the long drive to the warehouse store. The downside to buying at such a locale is the sheer bulk of the purchase. We are only a family of four, two of which are quite small in stature. How do I keep the greens from going bad before I get a chance to use them?


Say hello to one of my favorite kitchen appliances: The FoodSaver. I'm so in love with this thing that it has a permanent home on the counter top in my butler's pantry. I can think of at least a million reasons why every home should have a FoodSaver (especially at the low price at which one can now purchase it), but the latest reason I love it is the Wide-Mouth Jar Sealer. Yep, for a little over eight bucks, you too can own this beautiful  little accessory.


All of those wide-mouth canning jars we all have piled up in our basement can now be put to good use besides canning. The jar sealer goes over the top of the sealing lid on the jar and sucks the air out while sealing the lid. I then use a screw on ring, even though it isn't necessary. It can't be used for canning, but it can be used to keep things fresh. I use it for nuts, specialty flours, raisins, bulk spices...the possibilities are endless.

But my new favorite use is for preserving greens.

I pre-wash my greens and pack them in jars, seal and refrigerate. Each day, we use one or two jars of greens. You would be amazed how much longer they stay fresh. I also use this method to prepare salads for Rit's lunches. She just grabs a jar and goes. It cuts down on waste from plastic bags and better preserves the food. The jars and the sealer lids can be washed and reused.
\
Now run out and buy one! You won't regret it.

Love, Kate

Healthy Eating -- SAD food revolution

Kate,
I have a website I want to share with you. This site has given me encouragement and some healthified recipes that work for children. I enjoyed reading about Tammie's journey. You'll have to see what you think!

I have really liked learning more about healthy eating alternatives. I have a long way to go, but have found that I have come a long way as well. I would still like to do something with you (and others) called "food revolution" in which we make changes from the SAD (Standard American Diet) to whole foods. We watched Food, Inc. last week and found it disturbing. The production of our food has evolved over the years and we find the details very unsettling. If you do want to make changes, that movie may assist!! It was an eye-opener to both of us.

Let's do some brain storming and invite others to comment on the changes they want to make and then let's get started! It shouldn't take long to put a plan in place and start some new healthier habits before summer.

How's the Coke coming? I do think that the best way to get ride of it is to throw it away!! Keep me posted.

Amy

The Food Revolution Update

Dear Amy,

So, the food revolution. I’m not known far and wide for my remarkable self-control, so I’m sure you’re dying for an update. If not in a supportive manner, then at least for a good laugh. The plan was to begin Tuesday with trying to eat better—more whole foods, fewer processed foods, fresh when possible and no sugar. The plan was to forgo caffeine as well, however there has been a development on that front.

Tuesday morning arrived and I found that I still had a case and a half of Diet Coke sitting in the basement. A CASE AND A HALF. That won’t work. It just won’t. For those of us who struggle with self control, who OCCASSIONALLY may give in to our vices, we cannot be confronted on a daily basis by the object of our affection. It taunts us. It calls to us. It sends us sweet, frilly love letters bordered in lace and covered with heart stickers. Are you beginning to see my dilemma?

Sugar. More of the same. I thought I was going to have to inhale all of the boys’ Easter candy on Monday in preparation for the great sugar-free zone commencing on Tuesday. i was doing it for them…for the family…for the greater good…taking one for the team (or dozens, as the case may be). But I didn’t. I repeat, I DID NOT EAT THE BOYS’ EASTER CANDY…tempted though I was. I hid it instead. I put some in the freezer and some in the back of the cupboard. They really didn’t get a lot of candy to begin with, but still. It is theirs and they can have it later…in a few months, I guess. Or never. I’ll most likely forget about it until I pull the frost-laden Ziploc bag from the freezer when I clean it out in four years. Oh well.

But I digress. We did commence with the sugar-free zone on Tuesday, except for one small hiccup Tuesday night. We did polish off the mock éclair dessert I made for after Easter dinner. One piece for me and one for Rit. But that’s all. It’s been sugar-free the rest of the week. I have to say that I’m surprised that it hasn’t been harder. Today is the first day I find my eyes darting around searching for some sweet sustenance. But so far, so good. I’ve been biking and walking/running on the treadmill this week as well. Now that the weather is a little nicer, I’ll start going outside. YEAH!

As for the caffeine, as soon as the rest of the Diet Coke in my basement has been gleefully savored, caffeine will also be a thing of the past. That will be painful…very, very painful. And I still maintain that I will probably die from my sheer want of it…and headaches. Ugh, the headaches.

We will eventually start adding sugar back into our diet. After all, I do truly believe that moderation is key. But both Rit and I feel that we have to break ourselves of the overwhelming desire for sugar before we feel good about consuming it again. The caffeine is a different story. After this point, I really don’t want to will not keep caffeine in the house. I may still allow myself to drink Diet Coke when we go out to eat, etc., but not at home. And not on a regular basis. It just isn’t good for me.

Food will no longer hold power. It will be for sustenance and enjoyment. Period. LONG LIVE THE REVOLUTION!

Have a great weekend!

love, Kate