Farmer's Market Visit

On Saturday, my wife and I visited the local farmer's market.  My wife is currently working in Northern CA on a new project  for work and they have 3 farmer's markets each week in the city were she works.  At this time of year, there are many varieties of vegetables still available. My Flickr slideshow shows some of the wonderful displays by local farmers.

Flickr Slideshow

We purchased some potatoes and carrots to make a stew next weekend. We also purchased a couple different types of squash, eggplant and fresh kale.  Our final item we took home was fresh honey from a local farm.  We are looking forward to making some great dishes with the items we bought this week and plan to make a trip again next Saturday to see what great items are available.

Busy Life = Back to old habits

The last couple weeks have been very busy. I had one class end and another begin which meant a final exam in addition to midterms for my other classes.  My wife also started a new project at work and has been getting home late. This means take out most nights during the week and very little real food. While some take out is better than others, overall it all contains many extra ingredients and calories.

As life calms down a little we are planning to start November refocused on cooking more and adding more real food options to out regular diet.  This means creating a weekly menu of meals for dinner each weekend followed by a trip for fresh vegetables and fruit at the farmer's market as well as food shopping on Sunday to get the remainder of the items needed including meat and fish. I know once we get in the routine it will get easier and will not only be healthier but also save us money on our food budget.  Next weekend when we go the farmer's market I will take pictures of some of the many vegetables available in the fall.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Using a Feed Reader

For the last 7 days, I have been following 4 Cooking feeds using Feedly.  In this time, found many more advantages than disadvantages

Advantages

• One location for the updates on all your feeds. Feedly also maintains which feeds have unread items. This eliminates the need to access multiple websites to check for new content and read new posts. 
• Lists all sites available for you to follow. There were many sites on the list that I had not previous heard of and may not have found on my own.
• Add and remove content as your interests change.
• Easy on the go access to the feeds you follow.

Disadvantages

• Premium membership is required for some features including quicker updates to small blogs
• Need to regularly access to keep up with feeds.

Simple Dinner Idea - Farmer's Market Stir Fry

Today's post is a quick and easy real food recipe. It requires a minimal number of ingredients and is finished in under 30 minutes. We have this for dinner a few times each month and try to use vegetables that we purchased at the farmer's market

Farmer's Market Stir Fry
Teriyaki Sauce
    ¼ cup soy sauce
    ¾ cup water
    1 tbsp peeled & grated ginger
    2 tbsp honey
Stir Fry
    4 servings of brown rice
    2 tbsp oil
    2 cups of fresh chopped vegetables
    1 lb of your choice of Meat or Seafood

1. Cook the brown rice according to package directions. 
2. To make the sauce combine the four ingredients (soy sauce, water, ginger & honey) in a small pot over high heat. Bring to a boil and then keep on a low simmer while you prepare the stir fry. 
3. In a wok or sauté pan heat the oil over medium heat then add meat. 
4. Once the meat is cooked through remove it and set aside. Then add the vegetables to the pan. 
5. Once the vegetables are cooked, add the meat and sauce to the pan. Cook for 2 minutes 
6. Serve over the cooked rice

Mise en place - Why bother?

I attended culinary school for 6 months right after high school and learned the importance Mise en place. Below id the posting from Wikipedia explaining this concept. Mise en place - (pronounced meez en plas) is a French phrase which means "putting in place", as in set up. It is used in professional kitchens to refer to organizing and arranging the ingredients (e.g., cuts of meat, relishes, sauces, par-cooked items, spices, freshly chopped vegetables, and other components) that a cook will require for the menu items that he or she expects to prepare during his/her shift.[1] The practice is also effective in home kitchens. Recipes are reviewed to check for necessary ingredients and equipment. Ingredients are measured out, washed, chopped, and placed in individual bowls. Equipment, such as spatulas and blenders, are prepared for use, and ovens are preheated. Preparing the mise en place ahead of time allows the chef to cook without having to stop and assemble items, which is desirable in recipes with time constraints. While this concept is difficult to implement in my current apartment where my kitchen is only about 100 sq feet, it is critical when eating a real food diet to be prepared. You will need to prepare a weekly menu and shop for all the fresh ingredients each week. On Sunday, I will plan out my menu for next week and then create a shopping list of the items I will need. Once this is complete, I will update the blog with some of the recipes I plan to make next week. Till then...

Real Food does still exist

The definition of real food is food that nature gives us, plants, roots, fruits, nuts, seeds, meats, eggs, milk and those made from it. Fake foods are those foods that human beings create trying to imitate the natural food. Out of convenience, America has become a nation of processed food - this has caused many health issues today including obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol.... I have seen many people recently choosing to return to a real food diet and I am interested in trying this in my household. As I try new quick and healthy recipes, I will post about the experience. I am sure it will not be easy as processed food is so convenient but I am hoping by the end of the semester, it will be a new lifestyle for my family.