Ayn Rand, proponent of laissez faire capitalism; John Maynard Keynes, advocate for government intervention in business; what do these two have to do with the Golden Rule?

As for Rand, it is an easier explanation for myself.   She was a pure capitalist, in her writings, her beliefs & in her life.   In fact she was, as my mother would say, selfish.  Her super-hero’s John Galt & Howard Roark were interested in their belief, their success, their power.   In summary, Rand wasn’t a proponent of the Golden Rule.

Before I get to Keynesian Theory, it is interesting to me as I write this that I really can’t compare Ayn Rand and John Maynard Keynes for the sake of impact to the Golden Rule.   Rand wrote to the masses and used stories to project her unique and truly groundbreaking insights.  Keynes was an academic, wrote for academics and advised government. His thoughtful and equally powerful insights changed the world too.   John Maynard Keynes became Keynesian Theory.

Keynesian policy is about government acting in the interest of society.   In a true sense and dare I say, utopian view, government is of the people for the people.   But we all know that is the case, power frequently corrupts.    For example, here is my birth-state of Illinois, we are known for the number and frequency of our Governors being convicted and placed in prison.  The issue I have with big government is that the people in power actually did not create anything; they entered the government and became entrenched as part of the overall bureaucracy.   Government starts to become bigger and bigger because it essentially needs to continually feed itself.    That said, government is necessary to reflect the views of the citizens of the local, state and federal institutions.

Rand wrote about the individual and capitalism.   Uncontrolled successful greed creates monopolies that do not benefit society.  Keynesian theory is very susceptible to power seekers that do not create anything.  This is where the Golden Rule enters the picture.   Private business and public government (elected officials and the bureaucrats) would all do very well to remember the Golden Rule.   When people become so selfish that they are only motivated by money and power for themselves, they create an inherent risk that should be unacceptable.

This is why I believe that the backbone of our great country is our people banding together to create small enterprises.   For in a small enterprise, everybody must be concerned about meeting customer expectations.  People engaged in small business know all of their co-workers and customer’s intimately.  The only way to operate a small enterprise is to live the Golden Rule.

There is a middle way between laissez faire business and over-regulation of industry by big government.  It is simply remembering the Golden Rule.

-Charley

I guess I have officially joined the ranks of most middle aged Americans. Maybe I was in denial for a period of time. Maybe it is the fact that the kids are now 5 and 10. Maybe I was trying to will my way through the anguish of fitting it all in. I am a working mother of two with a jam-packed, never ceasing crazy family schedule.  I know literally millions of moms can relate.  It is important to note that I don’t mind to cook when I can find the time.

I am certain I am not alone.  I don’t have enough fingers and toes to count the number of friends and family members who are in the same boat.  I think almost every parent is in the same boat.  And it certainly feels like it is sinking sometimes.  My husband and I want to continue to educate our kids on their diet and the importance of food choices yet are challenged to do this daily.  I can see clearly why convenient, heavily processed foods are so much a part of the American way.

Here is the brain teaser.  How do you cook dinner when you get home from work at 5:30 and soccer practice starts (20 miles away) at 5:30?  Do you begin to prepare dinner at 7:30 when you are home from practice?  (and the other parent is with the other child at t-ball until 7:30) And by the way, you want to get the kids in bed at a decent time so they will be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for school the next day.

Do you succumb to the urge to just grab something?  The answer for us is serial simplicity. You might call it boring. We almost always pass up the grab and go option. It is difficult but a flashback to Food, Inc. usually works to get me through the moment. The serial simplicity is a succession of standard meals that are truly easy to prepare and somewhat well rounded.

Last week, I called on one of our basic favorites, Fettucine Alfredo.

Fettucine Alfredo gets a bad rap because it is rich. But I think everything in moderation is the key. We do not eat cream sauces every night. Maybe 1-2 times a month. To make it a more than just cream, butter and parmesan I added some squash and spinach. So, so easy. So, so good. A nice way to get a serving or two of veggies in as well. This is a dish I will do at 7:30 because it only takes 20 minutes. That is less time than to drive to a restaurant and pick something up. Maybe a tad bit more effort but I certainly feel better about what my family is eating.

Cooking.  I try, that is we try to cook more often than not.  It is not easy, but it is the better way.  I have often read about households that can plan meals a week at a time and even prepare meals ahead and freeze them.  I may tackle that strategy this summer and see if it works for us.  In the meantime, it is serial simplicity for us.

-Allison

One small criteria my new dish had to meet – I wanted to use a crock pot.  I like to do all the work in the morning and feast on the product easily at dinner.  I jumped over the Food Network and went recipe shopping. So easy to search for slow cooker recipes and I found a recipe for Slow Cooker Moroccan Turkey Stew.  I love the simple, recognizable ingredients (making it kid-friendly) and the slight twist on flavor (with the allspice, cumin & cilantro).

I grabbed all the ingredients for the stew on Saturday night and quickly made the medley Sunday morning that I dropped in the pot.  But I knew the stew needed a companion. Pita!

I had never made pita bread at home before.  Seems like it falls into that category of foods that I really never even think about making.  One of those items you just always purchase. However, I grabbed my handy King Arthur Flour cook book and found a great recipe for pita bread. It was the easiest bread I have ever made.   I didn’t get to taste it since it contained wheat, but by the amount that got consumed it is safe to say it tasted good.

These are the times I love to bake.  It really is magical to me the way those simple ingredients come together and form a gorgeous piece of bread.  I wouldn’t have thought pita bread would be so interesting but I have to say it will now be on the rotation in our house. Easy, versatile and delicious.

-Allison

Ok, here is my translation. Let’s suppose there is a guy names Fred. Fred has a bunch of apples that are turning brown. He figures that at some point these apples will spoil, so he wraps them up in nice boxes. He approaches a store to sell these apples. The store then sells the apple boxes across town. Now down the street, there is a bookie. The bookie takes all kind of bets. One kind of bet that people can make is if apples will stay good or go bad before customers open the box. Fred approaches the bookie, takes a huge bet that the apples will go bad (he got good odds). They do go bad and he makes money not only on the original apple boxes but makes a whole bunch more on his bet. Our financial markets must be regulated and simplified so that credible investments are understood. If innovation is the engine of our economy, financing is the lubricant. To insure that the engine works, the lubricant must be sound. When you buy a box of apples, you should have the assurance that they are good to eat.

-Charley

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.

The plates really were small which was exactly what we needed to get us by until the later dinner meeting.  We glanced out the window at the beautiful ocean view and then hopped back on the 405.

The final meal of the day was PF Changs, again nothing organic.  I chose a delicious drink, Plum Collins and Buddha’s Feast (basically tofu stir fried with broccoli, sugar snap peas, onions & carrots)

Another day, another challenge to try to come close to maintaining any of the Food Rules.  I ate more greens than other things but certainly consumed quite a few processed items that came from thousands of miles away.  I accept that fact and move on quickly to the next food choice.  I just make the best choice I can at the time, always dependent on the options laid out before me. I enjoy the challenge and the food!

-Allison

It made me stop and smile.  I couldn’t help but think that even without my Food Rules at my fingertips, my approach to food has certainly changed.

It is a long and complicated journey but I know that the welcome sign to Springfield (Beer and Fried Foods) couldn’t be further from my personal food mantra.  In short, my current food mantra is be aware, maintain balance and enjoy. Simple, right?  I try to think about where the food I am eating came from (is it good, clean & fair), am I eating too much of one thing (too much protein, not enough veggies?) and am I taking time to savor and enjoy it.  Don’t misinterpret.  I eat fried foods, I eat treats, I indulge.  My diet isn’t always the perfect diet.  But is there a perfect diet?  I believe it is different for everyone.

I will be back to learning from the Food Rules once I hit home later this week, but in the meantime I’ll just listen to my own words of wisdom.  They are hard enough to follow at times – why does a McDonald’s french fry sound so delicious every once in a while?

-Allison

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.

Ever since I found this bread I have been eating toast every morning!  I guess I didn’t realize how much I missed it when I found out about my wheat allergy.  Regardless, every morning is too much.

I had the same realization as I made buns for the week.  I found a great King Arthur Beautiful Burger Bun recipe last year and have been using it for months to make hot dog and hamburger buns.  I have made it so much I know it by heart.  A sign of consistency, yes.  A sign of lack of adventure, possibly.

I have to mix it up a bit more. I feel good about the foods we are eating – mostly local & organic – but I don’t feel good about the variety.  Once the Food Rules are over, I am tackling flavor, variety and adventure in our consumption.  I just have to figure out where to start.

-Allison

Marc and I had a great day visiting with some old friends from Nestle (we both worked there for many years) and reminiscing.  The next day, he and I went out in Los Angeles, visited some stores that are currently stocking MADE and then made a couple of cold calls.  It was fun.

Marc is looking into creating a business where he can do relationship marketing for private schools to help them with fundraising.  He has a school in West LA very interested already, so if you are interested in this type of service, let me know.

Until next time.

-Charley

Of course, the Food Rules are not a diet or a weight loss plan but rather a food philosophy.  An approach to living.  I certainly don’t always make super real food choices but I know I do more so than I did even just a month ago.  It’s been interesting how my continuing quest for wheat-free goodies has coincided with my look at the Food Rules.  So many “free” foods are free because they use some sort of interesting ingredient/additive to make the item taste normal.  Because of this I have had a little bit of trouble finding good wheat-free food choices.  But I have made a great discovery.

We recently picked up this wheat-free/gluten-free Food For Life Rice Almond Bread at Mama Jean’s.  I am so happy to have found a bread that I can enjoy again.  It has a very subtle nutty flavor from the almond, very subtle.  It makes a great sandwich and is delicious toast.  It has found a place in our pantry (actually the fridge, it has to be refrigerated).

-Allison

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.

And then the seasonal veggies. So simple, but absolutely tasty and so fresh.

I am already yearning for summer, but feasting on these goodies makes me even more anxious for the Missouri produce that will be coming around in the not too distant future.

-Allison