Archive for Eat Local

Princess gets Jack in the Box for lunch

April 14, 2010 · Filed under Delicious, Eat Local, New Things, Organic · Tagged , , ,

Today’s Food Rule from M. Pollan’s book was #53, breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper.  I modified it slightly to make it a bit more female – breakfast like a queen, lunch like a princess, dinner like a pauper.  I initially thought this rule would be easy to execute – start off with a hearty breakfast and slowly dwindle throughout the day.

I am in LA again this week making MADE sales calls so I am facing the usual business travel food challenges.  In other words, what are the best food choices among the hotels, convenience stores & various on-the-go eateries?

The day started off okay.  Not organic but well rounded. An omelet with peppers, onions & a touch of cheese with a side of pineapple.  A glass of orange juice and a swig or two of skim milk.  Pretty good for the Hilton Garden Inn. Not really regal, but slightly queen-like.

Lunch was a bigger challenge. I was riding along with a distributor sales representative and around lunchtime I offered to buy him lunch in exchange for him dragging me all over town to the various accounts all day.  He looked around and said Jack in the Box. Wow, okay.  I wasn’t expecting that.  I smiled and followed him over to the restaurant. Once we were inside I pored over the menu searching for the best option.  Nothing organic.  I chose the Southwest Chicken Salad with grilled chicken.  It had romaine lettuce, black beans, yellow corn and a grilled chicken breast. It was fine.  Just fine.  Not necessarily princess-like. And certainly not organic.

Dinner was in two parts as we had two dinnertime meetings.  The first one was at West, in the Angeleno Hotel.  Gorgeous view and terrific small plates.  There were three of us and we shared three very small dishes.  Eggplant Parmesan, Kale and White Bean Fritters & Mozzarella Bocconcini.

Read the rest of this entry »

Leave a comment »

I need some pizazz in my food life

March 23, 2010 · Filed under Delicious, Eat Local, New Things, Organic · Tagged ,

I have been going through Michael Pollan’s Food Rules.  Almost at the rate of one a day, for many days.  I decided to do it in this manner to force myself to pause and ponder one rule at a time, to let my awareness build slowly.  No reason to try to cram them all in at once, right?

Sadly, what I have come to realize lately is I am leading a boring food life.  Every once in a while a new item, a new dish, or a new flavor combination comes along but for the most part I, along with my family, eat the same things  I realized this as I toasted my Food for Life Rice Almond bread.

Read the rest of this entry »

Comments (1) »

Urban Gardening in Los Angeles

March 16, 2010 · Filed under Delicious, Eat Local, New Things, Organic · Tagged ,

Below you will find a picture of my very good friend Marc’s garden.  Marc lives in West LA and is in his second year of urban gardening.  Obviously his growing season is much longer than what we have in Chicago, so he should be getting some food as we start to plant out here.  He is growing carrots, tomatoes, chives, lettuce, strawberries and a whole bunch more that I can not recall.

Read the rest of this entry »

Leave a comment »

Eating fresh seems easier in CA

March 5, 2010 · Filed under Delicious, Eat Local, New Things, Organic · Tagged ,

I have been in LA all week on business, hitting the streets spreading the word about MADE, selling a few cases here and there. Usually 4+ nights in a hotel setting equals real food disaster. However, I have to say it is always easier in CA to eat well & simply. The abundance of local agricultural produce in enviable. Seems every town I am in had a farmer’s market coming up this weekend (or one going on all the time) plus all the produce that is available every day not only at Whole Foods but the other supermarkets as well.

Yesterday we were fortunate enough to stop by Monsieur Marcel at the Farmer’s Market next to The Grove. Fantastic light fare. Gorgeous atmosphere.

Baked Brie (I didn’t eat the pastry part (wheat!)). Grilled asparagus.

Read the rest of this entry »

Leave a comment »

Pioneer Woman’s meatball soup kept me going

March 1, 2010 · Filed under Delicious, Eat Local, Organic · Tagged , ,

I have to say I found following all the Food Rules pretty simple last week.  Mainly because I literally could not eat my tooth hurt so badly.  It started last weekend with a dull, throbbing toothache, making it’s way into a dull headache and finally blowing up into a full fledge toothache.  It was the worst one I had ever had – so bad that I was excited when Monday morning came so I could get to the dentist.  Pretty bad.  I found out I had an infection in an old root canal.  They had to open it back up (twice) and clean it out.  Enough about that, the point being that I really did not want to chew.  So I lived for several days on a recipe I got from The Pioneer Woman. Read the rest of this entry »

Leave a comment »

Nanny had her own Food Rules

February 19, 2010 · Filed under Delicious, Eat Local, New Things · Tagged , ,

The last couple of days, the Food Rules from Michael Pollan have focused on eating mostly plants. These have been motivating but not life changing. I know that eating more vegetables is a very good thing. And I eat more and more of them all the time, dragging my family along with me. Last night we had meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans & carrots. As we sat down to eat, I realized I had never cooked a green bean. They were delicious. I shudder to think how many miles they traveled to get to my plate, but I can’t distract myself with that right now. It actually made me look forward to the local green beans in the not-too-distant future.  I am anxious for another growing season.

We live on the very spot my grandparents did, we renovated their house a few years back. I can’t help but reflect on my grandmother, Nanny to me, and the way she cooked in the very kitchen I cook in every day. Nanny had her own food rules, I guess. Really we all do. She made a lot of delicious dishes and boy did she have an adoring audience. My brother, sister and I were eager consumers of all Nanny whipped up. Fluffy scrambled eggs, 10 story tall Belgian waffles, homemade breads – things I have tried time and again to recreate to her standard. She also made quirky dishes.  Jell-O with bananas and peaches, Jell-O cakes topped with Dream Whip, Watergate Cake. I loved them all. When I think back on the warmth and love associated with every dish she made I feel the emotional connection to food.   Read the rest of this entry »

Comments (2) »

Great trip to LA

February 4, 2010 · Filed under Eat Local, New Things, Tenaya · Tagged ,

Tuesday Frank and I visited with Haralambos Beverage Company in City of Industry, CA. About a month ago we agreed that Tenaya and HBC both wanted to work together so we sat down in beautiful SoCal and figured out when our joint sales meetings would be, promotional details, account targeting, etc.  It is very exciting for me to meet with them (Frank has done it already a few times).  HBC is the leading DSD in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Because I lived out in Valencia, CA for many years I am really excited for friends to be able to see the MADE product on-shelf.  So to all of you – soon, very soon.  We will be back out in late February and early March to work along with the HBC folks to make it all happen.

-Charley

Comments (1) »

Shopping made difficult, Pollan’s Food Rule #12

February 3, 2010 · Filed under Delicious, Eat Local, New Things, Organic · Tagged , , ,

Food Rule #12, in Michael Pollan’s new book:  Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle.

I am all messed up on my days and rules.  Rule #12 was technically yesterday’s rule but I couldn’t get to the store last night due to a crazy busy work day, school district volunteer meeting, soccer practice and a Slow Food planning meeting.  I just couldn’t garner the motivation to stop by the store at 9 pm.  I knew we could make it another day.

So today is rule #12 & #13 (eat only foods that will eventually rot).  The eating foods that will eventually rot was easy.  Again, another rule to keep me away from processed foods.  The more processed a food, the longer it can sit on a shelf.  Fresher foods will go bad.

I started the day with my egg and veggie scramble, half a banana and orange juice.  All destined to rot.  Lunch was a delicious little dish from Mama Jean’s deli.

Parmesan millet with tuna.  It was so clean and satisfying.  Perfect.  And again, all destined to rot.  Might take millet a while, but I think it would eventually go bad.

Dinner was an exciting combo of leftover gluten-free spaghetti with Alfredo and a small tossed salad.  I passed rule 13 with flying colors.

But back to rule 12.  The weekly grocery shopping is one of my favorite things to do, honestly.  I enjoy the act of going to the store and choosing things for our family.  I always wish I planned better once I get there (I have a cohesive list 50% of the time), but I enjoy it nonetheless.  I was anxious to go to the store with rule 12 emblazoned in my mind.

The weekly shopping always takes me to at least 2 stores, sometimes 3.  Mama Jean’s, Walmart and/or Price Cutter.  This is in addition to the bi-weekly milk and meat pick up that I do with a local farmer.  This week Mama Jean’s and Walmart were the chosen destinations (mainly because we needed light bulbs and I knew Walmart would have a good price).  Shopping the perimeter means avoiding the longer shelf-life, more processed foods.

Read the rest of this entry »

Leave a comment »

Two days, two Food Rules

February 1, 2010 · Filed under Eat Local, New Things, Organic · Tagged , , ,

Saturday and Sunday were filled with snow and lots of yummy goodness.  I was trying to make sure and follow 2 of Michael Pollan’s Food Rules:  avoid foods that are pretending to be something they are not as well avoid foods you see advertised on television.  I wasn’t too terribly concerned about either one of these rules.  I couldn’t think of many foods I want to eat that are pretending to be something they aren’t. And I I couldn’t think of many things that I want to eat that are advertised on television.  I usually see commercials for chain restaurants and Pop-Tarts.  Literally those are the things that pop into my mind when I think about food being advertised.

Saturday started with waffles.  I made the basic buttermilk recipe for the family (straightforward, real ingredients) and decided to try a new wheat-free recipe for myself.  Quinoa Cocoa Waffles from the Kitchen Therapy blog.  Looked good, sounded great.  I have tried a quinoa waffle recipe before and it was okay, but not spectacular. This looked more promising.

All the waffles were topped with organic pure maple syrup. The Cocoa Quinoa were a bit dense for my liking, but a definite improvement from the plain quinoa I had tried previously PLUS I know they passed all the rules.

After  a morning of sledding, we came in for lunch.  Homemade buns with organic hot dogs.

My husband and I laughed at this one.  For some reason hot dogs seem like they are pretending to be something they are not, but they aren’t. They are just hot dogs. I think it is because hot dogs have a bad rap in my mind.  We have been buying these Applegate Farms Organic Hot Dogs and love the flavor.

Now I am sure hot dogs are advertised on television, but not these hot dogs.  Not yet.

Read the rest of this entry »

Leave a comment »

3rd grade pronunciation test

January 28, 2010 · Filed under Delicious, Eat Local · Tagged , ,

Today’s rule  from Michael Pollan’s Food Rules book was avoid food products containing ingredients that a third-grader cannot pronounce.

Sounds easy but I knew it would be a challenge because I hit the road today on a work trip.  I knew I would be eating all of my meals out.  I could make the best choices possible, but still not know every ingredient I was consuming.

I started the day early with a drive ahead of me so I ate a FAGE yogurt for breakfast. Light, clean.

I was in Kansas City for lunch and had delicious barbeque at Jack Stack’s.  Not sure of all the ingredients but I think a third-grader could pronounce Jack Stack, Burnt Ends Lunch & Cheesy Corn.  What about Onion Rings?  Absolutely easy to a third-grader. Can I count it as a pass for the rule? Maybe borderline, but the barbeque was truly top-notch.

Don’t worry, I shared.

Read the rest of this entry »

Comments (2) »

« Previous entries
Next Page »
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.