Coupon trap

Oh, joy! I always look forward to the tons of ads and coupons in junk Tuesday mail. I've touched on the subject before, but it may be helpful to re-address it.

Don't be fooled by the glossy, colorful ads, and the endless coupons claiming to save you money. Ladies and gentleman, those sleek ads and coupons are marketing at it's finest. 

It's a trap, a set-up. No matter how they spin it: Buy one get one free. Two for three. Save .50 with card and coupon.  These boxed packaged so-called food items have very little when it comes to nutrients and are filled with not-so-good stuff. So, while these items may seem like a convenient, value they are not. 

Think about it: If it's been boxed and/or packaged it was likely made in a factory, traveled on a conveyor belt, and then shipped hundreds of miles to the store. If it's been boxed and/or packaged it's full of additives, preservatives, fillers, and other stuff to extend it's shelf life. If it's been boxed and/or packaged it's so-called food. It’s all convenient. It’s all nicely packaged. It’s all wrong.

Beware. The bigger the company (Nabisco, Frito-Lay, Coke, Pepsi, Quaker, etc.) the more suspect you should be of their products. These food giants have more advertising money than your local farmer and so they use it to entice you to buy their so-called boxed packaged food.

Reminder: Real food does not boast any claims. Real food: Fresh vegetables, fruit, grains, lean protein, nuts, and seeds may be on sale, but it's very unlikely that you will find coupons for these items. Real food speaks loud and clear for itself. Real food resides in the perimeter of the grocery store or better yet your garden, local CSA, or Farmers Market.

So, before you eagerly clip those coupons to save, please think twice.

Previous related posts:

Grocery Shopping No-Nos

Hey you there's no food in your grocery cart!

Fresh and far away

Crap

Outside the Box

Back to Basics

There are so many theories on what to eat, what not to eat. So many diets -- I won't even go there. If you ever have been to my cooking classes or presentations you've heard me say it many of times.  I believe, at the end of the day, we are over-thinking food. We've made eating and preparing food way too complicated.

So, I've called for a return to the basics. Simple food made without a lot of fuss, but instead with love. Peasant dishes are great examples of using the bare essentials to create simple, delicious meals. Many peasant recipes have lived on to be a part of today's cuisines. One of my favorites is the Italian soup -- Pasta e Fagioli.

There I was in the kitchen, yesterday, creating a very basic garden salad. Relishing in just how simple it was to make. No kidding, it took me all of two minutes from start to finish to make this beautiful salad. I used romaine lettuce, cucumbers, mushrooms, and roma tomatoes. I chopped the romaine lettuce, sliced the cucumbers leaving the peel on(since they were organic), and sliced the tomatoes and mushrooms. I put all the ingredients in the colander and rinsed it really well. Bam! Just like that. Just that simple. No bagged lettuce, no bagged produce. I topped my salad with sunflower seeds and a Balsamic Vinaigrette (no doubt, made from scratch).

Creating meals using real food, whole food doesn't have to be complicated with basic essentials on hand -- you can create and whip up meals in a cinch. Some very basics I suggest everyone have on stock.

Pantry: Kosher or Sea salt, a pepper mill, garlic, olive oil, vinegars, grains, beans, stocks (make your own and then freeze), tomatoes (jar or can them yourself).

Fresh produce:  Lemons and limes (no bottles!), romaine lettuce or spinach for salads, bell peppers, carrots, celery, and onions.  Be careful some items should be bought only organic. Check out the Dirty Dozen list.

Food snob

I've been thinking...I'm a food snob. Yup, I said it. A while ago, I wrote a blog post, "Grocery Shopping No-Nos" in which I was not ready to admit to my snobbish ways, but as time has progressed my snobbishness has increased.  The way I see it, there is nothing wrong with me turning my nose up to packaged, highly caloric, so-called processed food. 

I've decided to take a stand. I say no to the crap that dominates the aisles of the supermarket. I stay clear of food that is advertised and put together in fancy little packages with a long list of ingredients mostly preservatives, and sugars. For goodness sake, I do not let strangers prepare my food. I prepare and eat fresh, whole food that you can picture growing in it's natural state (Thanks, for that one Michael Pollan).

I'm willing to pay the price for my health and well-being up front. I make my health and food a priority. I take the extra-time I need to shop and prepare food. Real food. I really don't see any other way. So from this day forward, I proudly declare myself as a food snob. Heck, I'm even contemplating starting a food snob movement: A bunch of health crazed folks purchasing, growing, preparing, and eating fresh, whole food.  Hmm...stay tuned.

"Food Rules: An Eater's Manual"

Love, love, love this little treasure. I devoured the entire book in about an hour. I swear, this guy took all my thoughts and summed them up perfectly. Ha, ha. Seriously, this little book totally makes the complicated subject of what we should eat -- so simple.

A few of my favorite rules from the book:

Rule 1: "Eat Food..."
Rule 20: "It's not food if it arrived through the car window."
Rule 60: "Treat treats as treats." I know, I've said this before.
Rule 63: "Cook." Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah

I've been sharing some of my favorites with my cooking classes between preparation. Makes for great food conversation and a little bit of laughter too. Thanks, Mr. Pollan for your simple yet very effective take on food.

I say EVERYONE should own a copy.