How to Store Produce Without Plastic

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How to Store Produce Without Plastic

Thank you!

Yesterday was a great day for this blog and I feel very grateful to all my followers.  In the morning I hit 25,000 tumblr followers, then in the afternoon I was selected as the Blog of the Month by Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.  That is very thrilling and I am so honored.  I admire Jamie and all that he’s done to change the way people think about food, cooking and serving kids healthful school lunches. 

The reason I started this blog was to help others.  I didn’t think I had any magical touch.  I certainly wouldn’t win any parenting and housekeeping awards.  I really just believed that it comes down to cooking at home more than on an occasion, eating together, serving kids foods would eat (adult food not kid food) and just putting those vegetables in front of them— often. 

Yes, I can cook, but I don’t always feel inspired to create amazing and gourmet meals.  Sometimes, I just want to take the shortcuts and throw something together.  But I do believe that even in those times, it is possible to throw together quick, healthful meals.  There are times that my kids don’t eat the most healthy foods, but I just try to keep those times to the minimum.  I want that balance for their attitudes towards food (like, so they won’t gorge on junk when it’s in front of them) and so they can see that even healthy foods taste good!

I attribute a great deal of my own growth in cooking to my husband, a chef, who has taught me much (but unfortunately is working many long hours day and night) and also because I joined a local farm’s CSA/Shared Harvest program.  I was forced to use vegetables I’d pass by in the grocery store because I just didn’t know what to do with them.  I enjoy good food and I want my kids to share in that enjoyment.  It’s a wonderful part of life. 

So, thank you.  Thank you for giving me this platform to share.  Thank you for keeping me going.  Thank you for validating what I am trying to achieve.  I hope I’ve helped you, your kids, or someone you know in eating well.

Me with my main reasons for cooking healthy foods!

But I hate eggplant!

My husband made some yummy beef kalbi (Korean short ribs) that are marinated in all sorts of yumminess including mirin, kiwifruit and 7up (yes, 7up!).  He grilled the beef  along with some gorgeous striped eggplant, and served with brown rice and a plain salad.  My eldest cried out when he saw his plate, “I hate eggplant!” and so I told him to give it one taste which he did then made a disgusted look.  So, I said to just give it to me (it was so delicious).  I reminded him of other times he’s had eggplant and liked it

“No I didn’t” was his reply. My middle son echoed it. Whatever.  

So two nights later I made a summer stew with eggplant, kale, baby potatoes (some from our “garden”— pathetic effort this year), sweet potatoes, chicken, chickpeas, tomatoes, garlic, fresh ginger, onion, Middle Eastern spices and cilantro.  It was so good and we were in a rush to get places so I even packed up my middle son’s in a thermos flask to eat on the road. 

Funny thing is they both devoured the dish and when I mentioned that there was eggplant in it, my middle son denied that it was even there.  I had to physically point it out to him.  He then tasted one piece and said, “Oh, Ok.”

So… sometimes it’s just how you serve it.  Alone, grilled, in a dish with many other items, raw, steamed, baked, with certain spices, etc… It may not be received well one way, but they may actually like it done differently.  

I find with many kids it can be the texture that puts them off with certain vegetables, that’s why raw over cooked or vice versa may be preferred. 

I get the eyes rolling

By now everyone knows I try to feed my kids healthful foods and steer clear of the junk for the most part; but every once in a while I let them have something that I consider junk.  Recently when my eldest had a Coke then the following day he grabbed a Gatorade I said no.  He didn’t like that answer. Now the worst part was that we were at a friends house and I don’t want to insult them by going into the whys and why nots of my decision. They’re giving their kids the Gatorade. My eldest has Asperger’s and so sometimes he needs the full explanation when he’s questioning my answer; no isn’t always enough for him.  I also don’t want to beat a dead horse by talking about artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners, preservatives, and HFCS in front of everyone.  

I know that I get people rolling their eyes at the conversation or them feeling that what’s the big deal in just letting my kids eat/drink it.  I wish I didn’t have to say anything, I understand people just don’t want to learn why certain foods (and drinks) are bad for you… they just want to go on eating whatever they want without any consequences— or I guess knowing what those consequences are. 

But… I will go back to my old analogy of letting kids smoke cigarettes (okay, before you comment I know that second hand smoke affects others so eating unhealthily only affects person involved).  The reasons I think they’re similar are that not that long ago people thought smoking was benign and because smoking doesn’t harm the person right away, it’s a cumulative effect.  Same with eating bad foods— it’s not the initial eating of them but the continuous eating that harms the body.  And the long-term affects of eating junk can turn up earlier in life now and affects the health system that treats them.  Hey, if we had a pill that could treat the heart and lung disease of smokers I’m sure we wouldn’t have warning labels on cigarette packets.  We have the Paula Deens of the world telling everyone to eat garbage and it’s alright if you get diabetes, just take these pills/shots for thousands of dollars to treat it.  No one wants to learn why I feel the food my kids eat is important to their health future.  I am trying to instill that instead of getting sick from bad eating habits prevent illness by eating well and get all the nutrients that you need to be healthy.

I know it’s tough in our society with all the mixed messages from the processed food industry. That’s why it’s hard to not say anything.  I do try not to preach. When my kids really want the soda and candy and cakes and ice creams and other junk foods I need to say no sometimes and unfortunately sometimes I have to explain/re-explain my reason for it.  Maybe if I were a better parent my kids wouldn’t question my decision— they’d just accept my answer.   It also seems that during the summer we’re around so many more places that serve all this junk.  Like the unlimited free soda at the amusement park we went to last week.  It’s not easy.

So sorry, I’m just trying to help; don’t mean to be a nuisance.   Maybe if you took the effort to learn just a little on it you wouldn’t roll your eyes, but you’d be right there with me, fighting the fight. 

I get the eyes rolling

By now everyone knows I try to feed my kids healthful foods and steer clear of the junk for the most part; but every once in a while I let them have something that I consider junk.  Recently when my eldest had a Coke then the following day he grabbed a Gatorade I said no.  He didn’t like that answer. Now the worst part was that we were at a friends house and I don’t want to insult them by going into the whys and why nots of my decision. They’re giving their kids the Gatorade. My eldest has Asperger’s and so sometimes he needs the full explanation when he’s questioning my answer; no isn’t always enough for him.  I also don’t want to beat a dead horse by talking about artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners, preservatives, and HFCS in front of everyone.  

I know that I get people rolling their eyes at the conversation or them feeling that what’s the big deal in just letting my kids eat/drink it.  I wish I didn’t have to say anything, I understand people just don’t want to learn why certain foods (and drinks) are bad for you… they just want to go on eating whatever they want without any consequences— or I guess knowing what those consequences are. 

But… I will go back to my old analogy of letting kids smoke cigarettes (okay, before you comment I know that second hand smoke affects others so eating unhealthily only affects person involved).  The reasons I think they’re similar are that not that long ago people thought smoking was benign and because smoking doesn’t harm the person right away, it’s a cumulative effect.  Same with eating bad foods— it’s not the initial eating of them but the continuous eating that harms the body.  And the long-term affects of eating junk can turn up earlier in life now and affects the health system that treats them.  Hey, if we had a pill that could treat the heart and lung disease of smokers I’m sure we wouldn’t have warning labels on cigarette packets.  We have the Paula Deens of the world telling everyone to eat garbage and it’s alright if you get diabetes, just take these pills/shots for thousands of dollars to treat it.  No one wants to learn why I feel the food my kids eat is important to their health future.  I am trying to instill that instead of getting sick from bad eating habits prevent illness by eating well and get all the nutrients that you need to be healthy.

I know it’s tough in our society with all the mixed messages from the processed food industry. That’s why it’s hard to not say anything.  I do try not to preach. When my kids really want the soda and candy and cakes and ice creams and other junk foods I need to say no sometimes and unfortunately sometimes I have to explain/re-explain my reason for it.  Maybe if I were a better parent my kids wouldn’t question my decision— they’d just accept my answer.   It also seems that during the summer we’re around so many more places that serve all this junk.  Like the unlimited free soda at the amusement park we went to last week.  It’s not easy.

So sorry, I’m just trying to help; don’t mean to be a nuisance.   Maybe if you took the effort to learn just a little on it you wouldn’t roll your eyes, but you’d be right there with me, fighting the fight. 

Sorry to see them go

This is different from many of my normal posts. This is an homage to a friend with similar interests and whose kids really eat healthy foods too. She and her family moved across country.

Amy cooks a mean meal. And my kids and I were lucky enough to enjoy many… but not anymore. Or at least not for some time to come.

She and I didn’t hit it off right away- well we did but it was in an as acquaintances sort of way, until a few years back when our friendship really blossomed. Now it’s much deeper than when we met over 10 years ago. Wow, 10 years- how time has flown!

We met through my friend, Jane, who worked in comedy club in NYC— Amy’s husband is a comedian. Jane is from NZ and Jane was friends with him and found out that Amy and Andrew just happened to live around the corner from us in CT.

Her eldest son is 2 weeks younger then my eldest. Her middle son is 8 1/2 months older than my middle son and my youngest is 4 1/2 months younger than her daughter. Her birthday is 4 days after mine. Her husband’s birthday is 4 days before my husband’s. Our eldest sons even walked their first steps on the same day; the day of her son’s first birthday party.

She doesn’t roll her eyes when I get up on my soapbox. Actually she’s quite likely to join me up there.

She keeps her house tidy and gets rid of the clutter that I’m constantly battling. When she sets her mind to something, it’s done. She’s a constant source of inspiration.

Amy makes friends easily. Sometimes, to people I’d never give a second glance to. I admire that. She’s a beautiful person. We’ve laughed together so many times.

She’ll call me up and say I’m coming over with dinner. Or Come on over— what have you got in the fridge, so we can make dinner together? I make cocktails and one seemed to be ours (chili mango margarita). Spur of the moment get togethers were common.

Our kids love each other.

Our dogs love each other.

Our husbands love each other.

They’ve moved before. Even left for California before. But this time is different. This time they’ve moved to where we can’t just drive over in 25 minutes or less. They left for the other coast. They left a hole behind.

When we had a freak snow storm in October they let us move into their house for days and when our electricity returned we didn’t rush home but ate dinner together and regretted leaving so we got together just a couple of days later. And during that time our towns cancelled/delayed Halloween so she had us all get dressed up in costumes and trick or treat around her house— the kids went to the 2 diff back doors, the garage door, the front door where the 4 adults were stationed to hand out candy.

When her kids come over I don’t have to worry about what they’ll eat or not eat. They eat like mine; almost everything. Amy can cook great food and we are often giving each other ideas for meals. We would cook together most times we hung out at each other’s homes. Her kids really eat this too!

It’s a loss for our whole family and I feel it more because it’s not just me. I feel it especially for my eldest son who doesn’t make friends as easily as my other sons. Her son signed Harry’s birthday card: “From your best, best, best, best, best friend in the world!”

I know we’ll get to visit and they’ll visit, but it’s just not the same.

I’ve said goodbye so many times over the years. But it’s usually me who’s leaving. I’ve usually got something to look forward to— instead of this emptiness in our lives.

I will miss her, them, us… together.