Week @ A Glance: What I've Got Cooking & What I'm Buying

Yesterday was grocery day for me. We just returned from an amazing week-long vacation to Disney World (my FAVE place on earth) and had nothing to eat in our house. So, I thought it might be helpful to some to show you, my beloved blog audience, how I plan out my grocery trips & what I buy.

How I Start
To plan out my grocery list, I take a quick inventory of my pantry and figure out what necessities are missing and what we already have on stock. I have this fun checklist I use every time I do this. I am a little obsessed with it. I think someone got it for me as a gag but didn't realize that it would become my kitchen sidekick.

My Typical Staple Items:
Oats
Onions & Garlic (they're in the same family, did you know that? So logically, I can't bear to separate them)
Italian Seasoning
Kosher Salt
Jars of pasta sauce
1-2 varieties of frozen veggies
Milk & Eggs (obvious)
Rice (I mix 1/2 brown and 1/2 as a marital compromise)
Salsa
Smart Balance
Limes & Lemons (I season food with these a LOT)
Light Olive Oil (not EVOO because it has a low smoke point - I use this for low temp cooking)
Canola Oil (I use this for baking and sautéing since it has a higher smoke point)


Once I do an inventory of my staple items and decide what I need to stock up on, I move to the second step of my shopping list prep...




Meal Planning
I begin this process in a somewhat unorganized way... I just decide what I'm in the mood for. Sometimes I will have seen something on TV or been inspired in another way to cook something in particular. Regardless of what it is, I try to find a recipe and modify it (if necessary) to make it healthy. Also, I usually see something in produce or in the meats on sale and plan recipes around it. When I buy produce or meat for one recipe, I try to make another dish using the leftovers of that produce to reduce waste. Especially if it's a B1G1 item. So here's my meal plan for this week:

Breakfast
1 box cereal
Yogurt (typically the large tub of fat-free vanilla)
Fruit (whatever is on sale)
Oatmeal
Boiled egg
Bagels & cream cheese (always 1/3rd less fat)

Lunch (M,T,W,Thr,F)
We are so busy that we usually will bring leftovers from dinner OR pack sandwiches & healthy sides. With this in mind, I planned on getting some sandwich making stuff (meat, cheese, lettuce, tomato, a bread) and some sides (fruit cups, fresh fruit, pretzels, peanut butter, fresh veggies, granola bars, etc).

Dinner
This is the fun part! Here are my meals for the week (and links to the recipes)...
Monday ~ Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Meatballs with marinara over whole grain pasta
Tuesday ~ Chicken & Spinach Quesadillas with Refried Beans
Wednesday ~ Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwiches on Whole Grain Rolls, Grilled Corn on the Cob, & vegetarian baked beans **Happy 4th of July!**
Thursday ~ Eggplant & Spinach Curry with Indian-style rice
Friday ~ Out of town (eating out)
Saturday ~ Out of town 
Sunday ~ Grilled Eggplant and Squash Casserole



This Weeks Grocery List:

1 lb. ground turkey
2 (1 lb). packages BSC (my abbreviation for boneless, skinless chicken breast... get used to it, y'all.)
1 package deli turkey breast
2 packages pre-seasoned pork shoulders (B1G1 @ Winn Dixie)
5 ears of corn (it's in season and cheap!!)
1 block mozzarella cheese
1 block sharp cheddar cheese
1 large eggplant
1 bunch cilantro
3 limes
1 bag lemons
2 cans chopped tomatoes
1 can fat-free refried beans
1 package whole grain tortillas
1 package whole grain pita bread
2 packages sabra hummus (B1G1 @ Winn Dixie!)
3 small cans sliced black olives
1 gallon milk
1 box PB corn puffs (I shopped hungry... oops! Splurge item!)
1 carton large eggs
1 bags spinach (B1G1 @ Winn Dixie)
1 Frescheta frozen pizza - Canadian Bacon & Pineapple (we ALL have those nights, people.)
2 packages Dole pear chunks, packed in water (B1G1 @ Winn Dixie)
2 packages sugar-free instant oatmeal (B1G1 @ Winn Dixie)
2 jars of pasta sauce (B1G1 @ Winn Dixie)
2 packages bagels (B1G1 @ Winn Dixie)


As you can see, I really utilize the whole B1G1 thing and it saves me a lot of money! I'll just freeze whatever I'm no going to use for later (like meats, breads, & produce). With my meals I planned, you probably noticed that I planned out recipes that would use up my produce because that's usually the food that gets shoved to the back of the fridge and ends up rotting. Less waste = $$ saved!!


Quick Label Reading
Last thing I thought I should share is my label reading process for quickly judging if a food is worth the purchase. This applies mainly to packaged foods/drinks, cereal, and bread. I don't like to spend forever reading labels but realize it's importance. I won't go into elaborate detail on these, I'll save that for another post. So here are the main things I look for (in order):

1) Serving size & servings per container - this piece of info helps you interpret the whole nutrition label. This label says 1 cup, but there are two in the whole container... so if you are likely to eat the whole thing, interpret the rest of the label x2. Get it?

2) Fat profile (total, saturated, trans, & others) - I go in order of the fats on the label and I follow a simple rule based on the AHA guidelines... 5-3-0. This means:

• Total < 5 grams per serving
• Saturated < 3 grams per serving
• Trans = 0 grams per serving (I do NOT buy things containing trans fats, period.)

3) Calories - I am not a fan of calorie counting, which is why I really don't look too hard at calories. However, I do have some basic guidelines when looking at a label:

• For a snack food, between 100-200 calories.
• For a cereal, between 100-200 calories.
• For a drink, between 0-10 calories.

4) Sodium - This one is important and I follow pretty tight guidelines on it:

• Great = <150 mg per serving
• Good = < 300 mg per serving
• Acceptable = < 450 mg per serving
• A big fat NO = > 500 mg per serving

5) Ingredients List - Looking at this next helps me to decide if I need to look any further at the other content on the label. A good rule of thumb is to look at the first 3-4 ingredients to know if the product is worth the purchase. This is because the ingredients list is in order based on how much of each ingredient is in the product. For example, if I see that the 3rd ingredient is brown sugar I will then look at the sugar in the label to see if it's high or not (it likely is). I try to always make sure that the first 3 ingredients are NOT a form of sugar, high fructose corn syrup, salt, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, or something else that is obviously unhealthy. 

After those 5 things, I will keep reading the label if I'm still not convinced about a product. But chances are that I won't buy it if it doesn't make it past the first two items in my list. As you can see, the sample label above wouldn't make it past #2 (the fats... hence the trans fats and high saturated fat. YUCK.)

Why I Believe in Meal Planning

1) It saves $$$$!

2) Diversity - you'll likely have more meal choices and learn to cook new things.

3) It helps you shop wisely - you won't be prone to buy tons of unhealthy things if you have a plan.

How do you plan your shopping list? Do you have any different methods?Do you read labels? 

Foodie Alert: General Tsao's Kiwano Chicken

Ready for a KILLER recipe? Using a fruit that looks like a torture device?

I bet you have seen a Horned Melon in the grocery store andthought, “What the heck is that?” One weekend, my husband and I were groceryshopping and looking through the produce aisle. As I am meandering through the crowdat Whole Foods, I hear him ask at a distance from behind me, “Can we buy this?”I turn around to see him holding this spiky, radical looking…thing. I wasn’tsure if it was a fruit or vegetable, but I’m always up for trying new things.So, in the cart it went and I started researching.

Then, I came across this video on how to make a version of General Tsao’schicken using this melon. (My apologies for the bada** comment and annoying noises...)

For those that know my husband and I, you alreadyknow of our affinity for anything Asian. This one was a no brainer... had to make it.

However, I found that this could be modified to make ithealthier without compromising taste. Although I baked my chicken instead offrying it, I found a trick to really getting a crunchy coating… and I can’twait to share it! I’d go as far to say that this might be the best recipe I’veever made. So run to the store right now and grab one of these horned melons! 

Grab it gently… they are really spiky, after all.

General Tsao’s Kiwano Chicken (modified)

Number of Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 Horned Melon

1 T. cornstarch 

1/8^th cup of water

2 T fish sauce

1/4^th cup chicken broth

1 inch piece chopped ginger

½ cup agave nectar

1 tsp. peanut oil.

1 Package boneless, skinless chicken breast

1/2 cup fat-free milk

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Rice Noodles

Cilantro (optional)

Sriracha (optional)

Directions:

1.     Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.


2.     To cut open the horned melon, wash the skin and place on a cutting board. Using a chef's knife, cut lengthwise. You will be pretty surprised by the inside of this weird melon...

Next, squeeze out the fruit and seeds into a finestrainer over a small mixing bowl. I recommend using a knife to carve off the spikes before you start squeezing this thing, unless you enjoy pain.

Use a spoon, spatula, or your hands to mashthe fruit until the jelly and juices are strained leaving the seeds behind.

3.    Make a slurry using 1 T. cornstarch and 1/8^thcup of water. Mix into melon juice with 2 T fish sauce, 1/4^th cupchicken broth, 1 inch piece chopped ginger, ½ cup agave nectar,  and a splash of peanut oil. Mix well.

4.    Cut some boneless chicken breast into cubes. And here comes my trick to getting a crunchy coat on your baked chicken... first, soak the chicken in 1/2 cup fat-free milk for 10 minutes. Next, toss chicken in a separate bowl with 1 cup panko bread crumbs, 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, and 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes. Return the chicken to the milk gently. You may have to add more milk in this step, which is fine. Try to not remove the bread crumb coating when you add the liquid. Toss the chicken a second time in the panko bread crumbs. The trick is the bread the chicken pieces twice. However... this will NOT work well if the bread crumb mixture gets too wet. Make sure that you're careful not to transfer too much milk when you remove the chicken. Once you've got the chicken breaded, place on a pan coated with cooking spray and bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Flip chicken pieces and bake longer if not fully cooked. Set aside.

5.      Cook melon mixture until it starts to bubble all over.Will begin to reduce and become clear. Once it is clear, add chicken andcompletely coat.

6.     Cook about 1/2 package of rice noodles according to directions. No need to add seasonings to this, although you could toss the noodles in 1-2 tsp. peanut oil for a little extra flavor. I found that the sauce from the chicken seasoned the noodles perfectly and provided my tongue a little break from all the spice! 

Make a bed of 1/2 cup of rice noodles in the bowl and place chicken on top with a heaping spoon of sauce. Top with some fresh chopped cilantro and sriracha sauce (if it's not already spicy enough for you). This is very impressive and super easy to make!



The Nutritionals (per serving):
343 calories
43 gm carbohydrate
8 gm fat
30 gm protein



This dish is high in protein, low in saturated fat, and VERY filling! With less than 400 calories per bowl, this is an Asian dish that will not affect your waistline. Make sure you stick to your serving sizes though! So to all my foodie friends, try this out and let me know what you think!

Five Must-Have Nutrition Apps

I love my iPhone.

It was our very first married purchase after our honeymoon 2 short years ago. I'm still rocking the 3G without the addition of Siri or the extra camera in front. Stuck in the stone ages, I know. Regardless, the iPhone opened up a new world of convenience for me and I couldn't imagine going back to a regular old flip phone. Although I admit, I'm waitingggg for our update coming soon so I can get a new one with all new flashy buttons and gadgets. This girl embraces technology.


As someone who works in healthcare, the apps available for smart phones fascinate me.

Now, consumers can find an app for anything they're interested in. And if there's not an app for it, they can access the internet via smartphone and find out information that way. That's really amazing when you think about it... especially when you compare technology now to the old computers that you used in the 1st grade during computer lab time. Remember those??

There are over 500,000 apps that you can buy or get for free in the app store. But don't waste all your gigs of memory downloading every one... I want to share some of my top rated nutrition apps that provide great, reliable information. They are in no particular order of importance because they're all really good!


Best part? All of these apps are 100% FREE. Take a look!

(1)   Locavore

Like to eat local? Not sure what is in season? You'll love this app. Locavore is an app developed to help you local-lovers find local food. Simple. Most people would say that they would love to eat local, but aren't sure what is available to them. Now, you can find what's in season, where to get it, and directions to the market OR farm. Support local farmers and get this app!

The GPS function enables you to find the markets and farms closest to you. In the home page, you can view this neat little list that tells you what is currently in season in your area. If you like to go to farmers markets, you can get a preview into the things you'll be seeing at the market by perusing this list. Pretty useful info, if you ask me!  I use this function to figure out what produce will be the freshest in the grocery store, too.

You can navigate local produce in your area,  get directions to the market or farm, and share with others what you're eating on facebook and twitter. They have their own social network on the app... "I Ate Local." You can upload a picture and tag your location. The app includes local dairy farms, meat, and other products.

(2)   GoodGuide

The GoodGuide app (and website) help consumers to buy products that are healthy, safe, and environmentally-friendly. They review food, clothing, appliances, cars, cell phones, diapers, paper products, shampoo, pet food... and the list goes on! This app won the seal of approval of the Surgeon General Regina Benjamin for it's reliability and ease of use.









You can use the barcode scanner while shopping to scan a product and look at it's rating. You can set your own criteria for a product as well and there will be an alert if that product does not meet your personal criteria. My favorite feature is the alternative selections... if you scan or search a product that has a low rating, it will list out similar products with much higher ratings. It takes all the guess work out of shopping! My only complaint with this app... it is a little difficult to really dig into the rating on the mobile version of their app. The website is much more extensive.

If a product has a low rating, you can see exactly why. It might not always be that a product is both "healthy" and "responsible" in terms of their business operations. A word about the reliability of this little app... so far, I haven't found any indicators that GoodGuide contains unfair bias or conducts it's research using sketchy resources. They use information that comes directly from the company.

However, if a company will not disclose their information it will negatively affect their rating. I see this as a flaw in their rating system, but I suspect that more companies will desire to have a good rating and will become more transparent. Maybe a lack of transparency reveals that there are some shady things going on... hmmmm...

(3)   Healthy Grocery Recommendations 

This is probably my *favorite* app of the five. Probably because Registered Dietitians helped to design it.

This app is like having your own personal RD in your pocket. It works a lot like the GodGuide app, except it focuses primarily on the health and nutritional quality of the product. You set up an account with your age/gender and can select additional filters for general health, fitness, weight loss, disease management, and food allergies to take into account.


You can customize the app by choosing different things that are most important to you, like specific vitamins or foods that are low in cholesterol or preservatives. You can scan the barcode of packaged foods to see instantly if that food meets your specific criteria.



Each food has a rating out of 100 points. Click on the rating for a detailed description of their findings. There's an alternative selection component too, so you can instantly find a similar product with a higher nutritional rating. Pretty awesome and easy.

My favorite part about this app is the Nutrition and Ingredients tab. You will find that they have highlighted the things you need in green and the things to look out for in yellow. I love this because it teaches you how to read a label!

And if you are often stumped when you look at a label... trust me, you're one of MANY!

I have realized that so many people just do not know how to read a label. They would love to learn but manufacturers are often so tricky... there are a million different ways to sneak sugar into a product without making it obvious. This app helps you to better understand labels, and help you to choose foods that fit your dietary needs. If I had to give any of these apps a gold star, it would be this one!

(4)   Whole Foods Recipes 

The Whole Foods Recipes app is AMAZING. I use it at least once or twice every week when I'm planning out what to cook. This app contains a large database of unique and tasty recipes. You don't have to get your ingredients from WF... let's be honest, I can't really afford that. But this app really does it for me. Take a look...








First thing I love about it? The custom search function based on your dietary needs. They even label each recipe if it is "Gluten-free" or "Low-sodium" or "Low-fat" or "Vegan," etc. For those who have a gluten allergy, it's often really hard to find a good resource for recipes that's quick. And you Vegans out there are often wondering what new thing you can cook to diversify your all veggie meals. Meet your new best friend.






If I needed to convince you further of the awesomeness of this app... then let me blow your mind real quick. My favorite part about this app is the "On-hand" search engine. Let's say you cooked tacos two nights ago and now you have a whole bunch of cilantro that's going to go bad if you don't use it. And you have some other random odds & ends... what are you going to cook? Just type in what you have in this app and it will suggest recipes based on those ingredients. It. Is. Just. Too. Good. Say buh-bye to the rotten produce sitting in the bottom of your fridge.

(5)   Calorie Counter & Diet Tracker by MyFitnessPal


For those of you who are trying to lose weight or maintain, the app from MyFitnessPal is for you. Many of you have probably already seen this website or used it. You can create a free account, customize your health goals, and you will receive an estimated calorie requirement. Then you can keep a daily record of everything you eat and your physical activity. ***The estimated calorie requirement may or may not be accurate to your needs. If you are really interested in learning your daily calorie needs, please contact an RD! We know how to accurately measure this.***


As you record the foods you eat, the app will tell you how many more calories, protein, carbs, and fat you need. You can add your daily physical activity to see how much you're burning in the day. The app is synch'ed to the website, and you can download and print reports from there. This is an excellent tool to help you lose weight. I always tell my weight loss clients that keeping a food record is one of the best methods of accountability in losing or maintaining weight. If you are completely honest when you record, you will notice eating habits or patterns to work on to help you reach your goals. For those type A list-making people out there, this app is a fun way to keep track of your eating habits. My only complaint: it takes time. More time than many are willing to give, and most will stop doing it after a week. However... hear me out, if you are trying to lose weight, it is critical that you learn to keep a food journal! It helps a lot!






What food and fitness apps do you use? I'm interested to hear! This is in no way an exhaustive list of ALL the great apps out there... after all, there are literally 500,000 of them. Later in the month, I will be posting the five must-have fitness apps so look out for it!

Latest News: Kashi Cereals Contain GMO's

For those who have not heard, Kashi is currently under the microscope after recent information has surfaced showing that 100% of the soy used in their products is Genetically Modified and contains pesticides. This news came as a big shock to avid supporters of the company as a leader in the production of “natural” whole grain cereals and products. The information first became public after a report by the Cornucopia Institute indicated through their testing that, “Kashi® products contain hexane-extracted soy protein. The “hexane bath” that the soybeans are immersed in consists of more than 50% n-hexane, which is a known neurotoxin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

This is a big uh-oh for Kashi. I’ve spoken with many fans of the brand that now state that Kashi has lost their business for good. The brand’s facebook page is blowing up with criticisms from frustrated consumers. As an RD, I am always intrigued to read these kind of comments because it allows me to see what consumers believe about certain nutritional topics. The subject of Genetically Modified foods (GM’s) is very hot and controversial. You will even find varied opinions amongst Dietitians. I personally base my opinions off research, not a particular group or organization. Why? Because people are biased. Research is not.

In this post, I want to talk about a few things. I will be as unbiased as possible and end the post with my personal opinion on the matter. Since it’s my opinion, you can take it or leave it… my goal is to help YOU decide and to raise some questions.

What is a GM food?

Genetic Modification is the process of direct manipulation of genetic materials of organic cells. Its application covers all industries that include organic cells such as agriculture, medical, and the environment. Genetic Modification of foods began in the early 1980’s with the creation of a antibiotic resistant tobacco plant and then the creation of genetically engineered cotton. It wasn’t until the mid 1980’s when Mosanto, a US biotech company, created GM soybeans that were resistant to the popular herbicide Roundup. It should be noted that Mosanto, the forerunner of genetic modification of foods, is the manufacturer of Roundup herbicides. These soybeans became known as “Roundup Ready.” Because these crops are resistant to herbicide, they can be sprayed at any point in production. Manufacturers love GM’s because…

1)    Lower production costs

2)    Increased product yield

3)    No evidence of harmful side effects in humans (see below)

Are they safe?

Research is conflicting. Currently, there isn’t enough evidence to support a “yes or no” answer. The fact of the matter is that GM foods have not been around long enough for there to be detectable long-term effects noted. The best I can do is to summarize what is known so far, and it’s not much…

Some studies say:

-       YES – In 2001, the Journal of Nematology released a statement that, “genetically modified products are quite safe for human and feed animal consumption.” In fact, most studies say yes simply because there isn’t enough evidence to say no.

-       NO – Biochemists John Fagan and Joe Cummins of Cornell University state that the move toward GM foods is, "very risky because those genes have never been part of the human food supply before, and we don't know if they are allergic or toxic....They should test them as rigorously as they test a new drug. They aren't doing that.”

-       MAYBE – According to the World Health Organization (WHO), not all GM foods are alike and should be assessed on a case-by-case basis. The WHO states that GM foods on the market have passed health risk assessments and are not likely to be harmful.

Public Opinion and Policy

One thing that is certain is that there are varying opinions of GM foods worldwide. The European stance is that GM’s are considered a "novel food." These foods were originally banned but were reintroduced into the market along with a law requiring all GMO soy to be labeled. The US puts pressure on this law to lift the labeling requirement, but they hold firm to the requirement of soybean segregation.

In the US, GM foods are considered to be no different from non-GMO foods, which is why there is no law stating that manufacturers must label GMO foods. The US contends that scientific tests have generally not shown harmful side effects in the production and consumption of Roundup Ready soybeans. In the US, about 80% of conventional processed foods contain GMO’s. Some argue that this percentage is likely much higher

So, what’s all this about soy??

This little ingredient is what all the fuss is about with Kashi brand products, and in many ways is a focal point for the discussion of GMO’s. Why? Because soybeans were the first food to be genetically modified in the 1980’s (remember our history lesson?)…

Why soy? Think about it, soy is the world’s foremost provider of oil and protein. It is used widely in animal feed, food fillers, flours, and specialty food items. Soy is in high demand worldwide. The US, Brazil, and Argentina are the top exporters of soy in the world. With such a great demand for soy, manufacturers needed a way to increase the yield or soy in a short amount of time. This is where the idea of GM was birthed.

Statistically, the use of GM soy is rising dramatically more than any other GM food. This chart from the CDC based off data obtained by USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) shows that use of GM soy has increased by nearly 85% since 1996. 

Approximately 58.6% of the world’s soybean crop in 2007 was genetically modified. That’s more than any other crop to date.

So, what’s the appeal? The chart below will show you. This is from a study that observed the cost comparison in the production of GMO versus non-GMO soy harvesting. So you will see on the left the normal steps in production and the costs on the right:

Table 1. Average cost and return comparison per acre for GMO and non-GMO soybeans in Iowa (1998).

Cost	GMO	Non-GMO
Tillage and planting	$11.59	$13.06
Seed	$26.42	$18.89
Total weed management	$24.91	$33.65
Total cost, excluding land and labor	$115.11	$124.11
Return to land, labor, and management*	$144.50	$145.75
Return to management**	$(11.63)	$(15.83)

*Uses a price of $5.27 per bushel.

It’s easy to see right away that it is more expensive to the farmer to harvest non-GMO soy. This was in 1998, so it is likely that the costs have increased much more. However, soy isn’t the only crop that manufacturers are genetically modifying…

8 Commonly GM Crops (as of December 2011):

• Alfalfa (first planting 2011)
• Canola (approx. 90% of U.S. crop)
• Corn (approx. 88% of U.S. crop in 2011)
• Cotton (approx. 90% of U.S. crop in 2011)
• Papaya (most of Hawaiian crop; approximately 988 acres)
• Soy (approx. 94% of U.S. crop in 2011)
• Sugar Beets (approx. 95% of U.S. crop in 2010)
• Zucchini and Yellow Summer Squash (approx. 25,000 acres)

Up & Coming GM Crops:

• Beta vulgaris (e.g., chard, table beets)
• Brassica napa (e.g., rutabaga, Siberian kale)
• Brassica rapa (e.g., bok choy, mizuna, Chinese cabbage, turnip, rapini, tatsoi)
• Curcubita (acorn squash, delicata squash, patty pan)
• Flax
• Rice

Common Ingredients Derived from GMO Risk Crops
Amino Acids, Aspartame, Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Ascorbate, Vitamin C, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Ethanol, Flavorings (“natural” and “artificial”), High-Fructose Corn Syrup, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (made from soy), Lactic Acid, Maltodextrins, Molasses, Monosodium Glutamate, Sucrose, Textured Vegetable Protein (made from soy), Xanthan Gum, Vitamins (may contain soy or wheat), Yeast Products.

Kashi’s Big Boo-boo

Kashi, owned by Kellogg, is one of the largest and most successful cereal brands in the nation raking in $12 billion yearly. When you pick up a box, you will notice several claims: “all-natural…nothing artificial… wholesome…nutritious.” I’ll come back to these in a minute, so keep these claims in your mind.

David DeSouza, general manager of Kashi, states that the company wants to reserve it’s negative impact by committing long-term to reducing and eliminating GMO usage in their products. Their goal is to have all their Kashi Go-lean cereals and granola bars to be certified non-GMO by 2014 and to have policies and procedures in place to make sure no future products will contain GMO’s or less than 70% organic ingredients by 2015. This means that there will still be some products made by Kashi containing GMO’s, but no new products will after 2015. This is quite a statement when there are less than 10% of farmers than produce non-GMO soy in the US, the primary producer of soy worldwide. For a company that makes $16 billion per year, this is a potential financial risk for the sake of impacting the widespread use of GM foods.

For the sake of knowledge, I think it’s appropriate to list some of the other popular “natural” brands with similar use of GMO’s. It will surprise you, so get ready for this…

Barbara’s Bakery

Back to Nature

Odwalla

Near East (probable, not confirmed)

Nature Valley Granola Bars (probable, not confirmed)

Boca (unless labeled as certified organic)

Gardenburger

Morningstar Farms (unless labeled as certified organic)

And more…

How can you avoid GMO’s?

My answer is this: you can’t fully avoid them. However, you can be certain that Certified Organic foods will not contain GMO’s. According to the USDA guidelines, a food can be Certified Organic if it contains greater than 70% organic ingredients and no GMO’s. Most consumers desire to elminiate GMO’s from their diet and eat more organic, but are discouraged at the higher cost of organic foods. My suggestion is to make note of the staple foods you buy frequently and make those items organic. If you can afford to buy everything oprganic, then fantastic… but for most of us, that’s not feasible. *** Make sure you always look for the certified organic seal (see my blog on organic foods for more info).

There’s a new app called True Foods that is like a pocket guide for GMO and non-GMO foods. It allows you to search for brands that do not contain GMO’s. This can come in handy if you’re looking through your pantry trying to figure out which foods may be suspect.

Now for MY opinion on GM foods:

I’ve saved it until last for a reason… I want for YOU to decide what you think! Many have asked me how I feel about Kashi’s plight. Here’s what I say: I commend Kashi for stepping up as a huge company and declaring it’s war on GMO’s. In a suffering economy that pumps out over 95% of it’s soy from GM sources, they are limiting their supply and potentially putting themselves at financial risk. I do not think that Kashi will suffer from this publicity or this move to non-GMO soy, instead I believe they could potentially become a leader in the production of non-GMO foods. They messed up…true. They even stretched the truth through their “natural” and “nothing articifical” claims. However, I think they’re making the right steps. Let this be a lesson to consumers! JUST BECAUSE THE LABEL SAYS “NATURAL” DOES NOT MEAN IT IS ORGANIC! In fact, there is no standard definition for manufactuers of the claim “natural.” So if I were a company, I could define that term however I wanted.

This is a long blog and I applaud you if you’ve read this far. My take home point: if you want to avoid GMO’s, buy organic. Period. And do your research!! There are plenty of credible resources out there. Check out my references, they’re all trustworthy. However, please do NOT do your research on sites that end in .com or .net. Most of those sites are run by any ol’ Joe who may or may not know squat about the subject.

Do I personally avoid GMO’s?

Not always. Not avidly. But all the recent commotion is causing me to think twice about my purchases. I do love to buy organic when it is feasible with out budget. I believe that tampering with the very DNA of a food is complex… it’s not as easy as flipping a light switch that only performs one task. God designed DNA to be am,azingly complex and far from our understanding. I don’t believe we will ever conquer it’s mysteries. With that said, I believe that tampering with one part of the DNA of food affects something else in return. It deposits something. And I am convinced that we will begin to understand that in a few decades. Until then… I’ll be buying as much organic as I can.

What are your thoughts?

References

http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange2/current/workspace/sect008/s8g5/history.htm

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/apr/24/kashi-under-fire-gmo-ingredients/?page=1#article

http://www1.american.edu/TED/SOYBEAN.HTM

http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/biotech/20questions/en/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2620507/

http://www.nongmoproject.org/learn-more/what-is-gmo/

http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/icm/1999/10-11-1999/gmosoybeans.html

http://www.gmo-compass.org/eng/agri_biotechnology/gmo_planting/194.docu.html

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/biotechcrops/

http://www.springerlink.com/content/l0r44p1068m212x9/

Quick & Easy: Ratatouille with Roasted Red Pepper Quinoa

There have been some awesome things coming out my kitchen lately. I've got a LOT of updating to do on the blog to catch you up on some new amazing recipes I've found. This post is the first of a series of posts I'll be doing every once and a while called "Quick & Easy." These posts are going to highlight some of the dishes I make during the week when I'm having those I-really-don't-wanna-cook-anything nights, but don't want to eat fast food or a frozen pizza. Because let's be honest... we ALL have those nights.

This dish I'm about to describe is perfect for several reasons...

1) It's EASY - all it requires is that you know how to use a knife and for you to plan ahead 3-4 hours before your meal.

2) It's COLORFUL - there is a gorgeous variety of fresh veggies in this vegetarian dish.

3) It's really FILLING - just because this dish is meatless doesn't mean it won't leave you feeling stuffed! Veggies can be just as hearty as meat. Trust me, I was a vegetarian for 5 years and wouldn't have lasted if I couldn't discover ways to make all vegetable meals filling!

4) It's loaded with VITAMINS - the more colorful your plate, the more vitamins! This dish is full of good things. I'll go into it in depth later in this post.

Crockpot Ratatouille with Roasted Red Pepper Quinoa

Isn't it so colorful?! This dish was particularly easy for me since I already had most of the ingredients. And I love using my crockpot during the week. There's just something wonderful about being able to leave the kitchen and know that your food is still cooking. I'm all about making things easy. So here's how I did it...

Crockpot Ratatouille with Roasted Red Pepper Quinoa

(modified from aubergines.org)

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant, peeled and cut into small chunks

1 cup red onion, chopped

3 tomatoes, chopped, fresh

1/2 green bell pepper, cut into small chunks

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into small chunks

1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut into small chunks

3 medium zucchini, sliced and halved

3 Tablespoons light olive oil

3 Tablespoons dried basil

5 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1 can tomato paste (6 ounces)

1 handful green olives, drained and chopped

1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

Directions:

Prepare all vegetables according to directions in the ingredients. This is literally the most time consuming part of the whole recipe. Pretty easy! Place the eggplant chunks into a colander in the sink and allow them to sit and drain excess moisture while you prepare everything else. Are you ready for the best part? Put all ingredients into your crockpot, expect for the tomato paste, green olives, and fresh basil. Mix well and cover. Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 7 hours. That's IT! In the meantime, go read a book, take a walk, do something else because your meal is cooking itself. Can you tell that I absolutely LOVE my crockpot?

About 15 minutes before you sit down to eat, prepare the qunioa. To save time, I chose a brand that has a seasoning packet in it. While it does add to the sodium content, it contains about 400 mg per serving. This is about as high as I would go in one serving, so I felt comfortable with it. Nutritionally, it is packed with fiber (4 gm per serving), protein (8 gm per serving), and this brand has a good bit of Vitamin C and A. So here is the brand I used:

Prepare the quinoa according to the package directions. It takes about 15-17 minutes to cook. Once you've finished this, you can finish up your Ratatouille by adding the tomato paste, olives, and fresh basil to the crockpot. Now, you're ready to eat and only had to do about 30 minutes of prep overall! Put a bed of quinoa on your plate or in a bowl and top with the Ratatouille. 

Here's the finished product! It made a ton of leftovers and reheated very well the next day for my lunch. I am all about leftovers!!

As you can see, this dish has earned my husband's seal of approval. 

Nutritional Side Note

I mentioned that this dish is packed with good things and wanted to tell you a little bit more about the elements that make this dish so good for you... specifically for your eyes, immunity, and long-term health. The tomatoes and tomato paste are loaded with Vitamin C and Lycopene (which helps to aid good eyesight and has cancer fighting capabilities). The bell peppers are loaded with Vitamin C and A, which are known for their antioxidant functions. Vitamin A is also directly involved in promoting eye health, specifically the retina. The eggplant is low calories, a great source of fiber, and contains some folate (good for women who are of child bearing age). The zucchini is high in Vitamin C, Manganese, and Molybdenum. Manganese is a mineral that is very involved in the metabolism of carbs and fats,  helps the body absorb calcium and regulate blood sugar, and helps the brain to function properly. Some studies say that Manganese can help ward off osteoporosis and arthritis, as well as improve PMS symptoms and help diabetics control their blood sugar. You can also find this mineral in nuts and whole grains. Molybdenum is involved in complex reactions that assist metabolism and use of energy by the body. It is described as an essential trace element... in other words, it's really important and you need it to survive in small amounts. In fact, it is rare that a person would become deficient in this element. So no need to go grab supplements! 

On that subject, it is easy to meet all your daily needs for vitamins and minerals for optimum health if your diet is full of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and dairy. My quick soap box on supplements is this: your goal should be to get all your vitamins from fresh foods instead of using a supplement to replace these foods in your diet. Unless you have a medical condition requiring you to increase your intake of certain vitamins or have a condition limiting your absorption of certain vitamins/minerals, you most likely do not need to take a supplement. However, if you have certain food aversions (you don't like vegetables, don't consume dairy, vegetarian/vegan diet, etc.) then you may need a supplement. 

Final Thoughts

There are plenty of manufacturers that would love to convince you that you need their new, shiny supplement that will cure cancer, ward off heart disease, increase memory and energy, save the world, and bring about world peace. I want to encourage you to be skeptical of all claims made by supplements. This includes claims made on TV shows by popular MD's (don't get me started on this one... I could go on and on), websites, and claims on the bottle itself. Here is my tip for how to find credible resources... when you are looking up information, look for websites that end in .org or .edu or .gov instead of .com or .net. I never use information from sites that are not backed by research. This dish that I featured on this post is so full of goodness... plenty of vitamins, minerals, low in calories, high in fiber, and it's so filling and satisfying! When I eat a meal like this, it makes me feel like I'm making every bite count. Like with anything in life, you can take the easy way or put a little effort in and find out that it was worth it in the end. It's so tempting to just grab fast food when I'm tired and don't want to cook... and sometime, I do. But I'm always more satisfied when I know that I'm eating foods that are energizing my body with the nutrients it needs. To me, that beats out a supplement any day. 

References:

http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/manganese-000314.htm

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/molybdenum/