The $25 Food Project: Day 5

I’m attempting to feed my 6-foot, 205-pound fiancé for one week for $25. This is our story.I suddenly understand why Ma fed me PB&J sandwiches from kindergarten clear through junior high. Because Day 5, my friends? Was brought to you by peanut butter. We cleared the 2600 minimum by more than 200 calories, thanks to six tablespoons of Jif Extra Crunchy spread among various dishes. (Er, plus an enormous brunch - picture to the right.) The Husband-Elect loves him some peanut butter, especially on banana bread, so he didn’t mind one bit. He does mind the lack of grazing. “I feel good,” he says, “but I miss the simple pleasures of snacks and random...

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Posted in: Cooking,Frugality

CHG Best of February 2010

Another month, another fabulous round of posts and comments from readers. February is the greatest, and not just because of the Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day, the Olympics, and Pa’s birthday. It’s the greatest because y’all make it that way. I’m mentally sending warm fuzzies as a thank you gift.FEBURARY RECIPESBaked Loaded Potato SkinsCremini Mushrooms, Roasted Red Peppers, and Feta on Ciabatta BreadGingersnap OatmealKasha with Root Vegetables and DillKetchupOatmeal with Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil, and ScallionsSardine Avocado Open-Face SandwichesSeitan Carolina Barbecue BitesSouthwestern ChickenFEBRUARY ARTICLESThis month, we tackled CHG’s core mission with Food Money Matters: Why Healthy Eating Doesn’t Have to Be Expensive.Then we spread the love with Eat Cheap and Healthy – How to Help Others?Leigh...

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Posted in: Links

The $25 Food Project: Day 4

I’m attempting to feed my 6-foot, 205-pound fiancé for one week for $25. This is our story.We’re more than halfway through our experiment, and things are mostly pretty swell. Admittedly, I’m developing a little agita. The planning and math are fairly intense, and I’m kicking myself for not including protein in my calculations. Maybe I’ll remember next year, when I try to feed the Chicago Bears for eight weeks on 80% of a May 2007 Euro.On the bright side, this is only due to the blog element. I think the non-obsessive layperson would have a much easier time, as you wouldn’t be calculating the price of 3/4 of a pineapple ring. But enough whining!...

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Posted in: Cooking,Frugality

The $25 Food Project: Day 3

I’m attempting to feed my 6-foot, 205-pound fiancé for one week for $25. This is our story.Day 3 is almost over, and Snowmageddon 2010 proved to be excellent for slow cooking a pork shoulder. It ultimately yielded about 26 ounces of meat, meaning we have more than enough leftovers to get us through the week. This is excellent, as is the garlicky fragrance wafting through the apartment. Honestly, I think most people buy crockpots for the free deodorizing.Husband-Elect is feeling “a little peckish, but not weary or whatever.” I see his point. While the $25 project is working well so far, it doesn’t leave a lot of room for grazing. When this is all over, I’m going to sit him in front of the fridge with the door open and let him pick to his heart’s content.Also, there will be beer. MARK MY WORDS,...

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Posted in: Cooking,Frugality

On learning to worry

By R. Scott Benson, M.D.Mardi Gras is a big celebration in my town and after the parades and the parties everyone picks up the idea of Lent and sacrifice. The best one I heard was a friend who decided to give up worrying for Lent. A good choice.Psychiatrists have long recognized the toxic effects of excessive worry but too often pick up the mantra – “don’t worry”. Good advice, but usually it’s not enough. Research in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for obsessive compulsive disorder sent me in a different direction. Engage your worries! Give them the attention they demand! With a little discipline. I instruct my patients – 1. Make a list of...

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Posted in: anxiety,OCD,R Scott Benson MD,worry

Top 10 Links of the Week: 2/19/10 – 2/25/10

Brooklyn is in the smack middle of Snowpocalypse ’10, and I sound like Kathleen Turner if she swallowed Stevie Nicks. (If someone knows a good sinus extraction method, call me at 1-800-BAD-FACE.) But neither sleet, nor snow, nor the infection of a thousand cranial cavities can stop us from bringing you … the links!1) Serious Eats: Do Drinks and Food Taste Better When They’re More Expensive?Good question! If you pay more for a meal, do you like it better because you need to feel you’re getting your money’s worth? Most SE commenters say no, but a recent wine experiment proves otherwise.2) Huffington Post: The Week of Eating InIn conjunction with Cathy Erway (of Not Eating Out in New York fame), HuffPo is sponsoring a weeklong challenge to eat at home for every single meal. There are a bunch...

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Posted in: Links

The $25 Food Project: Day 2

I’m attempting to feed my 6-foot, 205-pound fiancé for one week for $25. This is our story.Okay. That’s more like it, baby. There’s a loaf of Banana Bread in the oven, and by the time Husband-Elect is done with it, we’ll end the day with some excellent numbers. Despite a sinus issue that’s threatening to take over my soul, Day #2 was a bit easier than Day #1. I think I got it into my head that I’m not cooking for myself, which helps. Also helping: pasta. It's cheap, it's tasty, and if I could, I'd live in a house made of penne. You know how we roll here.With his customary eloquence and panache, Husband-Elect notes, “I feel great. I’m [expletive...

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Posted in: Cooking,Frugality

Veggie Might: Olive Oil - Buying, Storing, and Using it, Demystified

Penned by the effervescent Leigh, Veggie Might is a weekly Thursday column about the wide world of Vegetarianism.As with wine buying, olive oil shopping can be overwhelming if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Until about a year ago, I would buy overpriced olive oil because I thought that’s what real cooks did. I would agonize at the market for hours, staring at the beautiful labels, reading about “cold pressed” and “first cold pressed” and “extra virgin” and “unrefined” and “estate bottled” oils until I didn’t know I still had eyes. Then I started reading cookbooks. Turns out, even the best chefs buy mid-priced oil for everyday cooking,...

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Posted in: Buying Food,Veggie Might

Mung Bean Sprouts

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Posted in: Mung beans

The $25 Food Project: Day 1

It’s Day 1 of the $25 Food Project! I’m excited! Husband-Elect’s excited! This is gonna be a good time! However…Already I’m about $0.40 off. Yikes. This isn’t insurmountable, but I don’t like starting behind the curve. Fun fact: if I was feeding myself (with a 2020 calorie requirement) instead of Husband-Elect, I’d be right on target.So here’s what happened. I made a few major tactical errors right off the bat. Well, it was actually just one mistake made several times, like so: Instead of buying a bag or two of dried beans, I figured I could use canned beans from my stash. (Er ... pantry.) They’re not expensive in the grand scheme of things,...

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Posted in: Cooking,Frugality

The $25 Food Project: One Man, Seven Days, 21 Meals

This is the Husband-Elect. (With Han Solo’s head.)Over the next week, every single meal he consumes will come from our kitchen. If all goes well, it will cost under $25, total.He is six-feet-tall, 205 pounds, and in his mid-30s. According to WebMD and a few other sites, he requires around 2600 calories each day. According to the USDA, it’s a little over 3000. I’m going to shoot for somewhere in the middle.I’m doing this for two reasons:I’m used to feeding myself, and it ain’t no thang. But being a stunning, brilliant, muscular dude, Husband-Elect’s needs are very different. Once we have a better idea of what he requires in a given week, it’ll...

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Posted in: Buying Food,Cooking,Frugality,Organization

Sesame Crackers

Ingredients 1 1/2 cup Whole wheat flour 2 Tbls applesauce 2 Tbls Sesame seeds (be creative add what you like!)1/8 tsp Salt Dash of your favourite seasonings1/2 cup Cottage cheeseMix all ingredients except cottage cheese !-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;}@font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985...

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Posted in: Crackers

Banana Crackers

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Posted in: Crackers

Organic

Yesterday I visited Oak Manor Farms http://www.oakmanorfarms.com/default.php .  I bought organic flour and organic beans at very reasonable prices.  Prices are cheaper if you visit the farm than ordering online.  I think this just may be one of my favourite places to shop for my organic grains! If you want to read why organic is the better way to go I have put a link to a recent Natural News Article.http://www.naturalnews.com/028007_food_shortage_costs.h...

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Posted in: Blog

Ask the Internet: Three Food Choices - a Hypothetical Question

This week, it’s a hypothetical question that came up during a lovely, bacon-soaked Valentine’s brunch. Q: You can only eat three dishes for the rest of your life. They’re dishes, not single foods; this means you can choose bananas, but you can also opt for Spaghetti Bolognese. You must consider proper nutrition. Side dishes are not allowed. Which three do you choose?A: This took both of us (me and Husband-Elect) a surprisingly long time to answer. If we were just choosing our favorite foods, it would have been easy, but the nutritional aspect is such a killer. After much discussion, we finally came up with:Husband-Elect: vegetarian burrito, bean...

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Posted in: Ask the Internet

Southwestern Chicken: a Foil Dinner Recipe

Today on Serious Eats: Banana Nut Oatmeal and French Toast Oatmeal. Both easy, both tasty, both make we want to eat right now. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I camped. A lot. I was a Girl Scout, see. And when I wasn’t pushing Thin Mints on the unsuspecting elderly, I was deep in the woods, playing Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board and doing everything I could to avoid roaming packs of Daddy Longlegs.I was also eating, as freakishly tall 13-year-olds are wont to do. Back then, my troop’s campsite meals were limited to sandwiches and granola bars, along with the occasional S’more-a-thon.However, as we got older, we also got smarter,...

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Posted in: Mains,Meat and Fish

A Happy Heart may be a Healthier Heart

By Felicia K. Wong, M.D.Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. The month of February, “American Heart Month”, is dedicated to raising awareness about heart disease and increasing knowledge about prevention. In this post, I will discuss the connection between mental health and heart disease. Depression is a risk factor for heart diseaseMany studies have shown that negative emotions such as depression, anger and stress are risk factors for heart disease. The February 2006 issue of the Harvard Mental Health Letter notes that, “the recurrence of cardiovascular events is more closely linked to depression than to high cholesterol,...

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Posted in: depression,Felicia Wong MD,happiness,heart health

Kanker Leher Rahim

Hampir semua kanker leher rahim disebabkan oleh infeksi human papiloma virus ( HPV ).Infeksi human papiloma virus adalah sesuatu yang sangat mudah terjadi.Diperkirakan tiga per empat dari jumlah orang yang pernah melakukan hubungan seks,laki - laki maupun perempuan,mengalaminya.Tidak jauh berbeda dengan flu,kebanyakan infeksi HPV dapat sembuh sendiri,sehingga penderita tidak pernah menyadarinya.Hanya sebagian kecil infeksi HPV yang menjadi infeksi menahun,kemudian berkembang menjadi kanker.Bintil - bintil di kulit yang bentuknya menggelembung seperti bunga kol merupakan salah satu jejak serangan human papiloma virus.Virus human papiloma jenisnya...

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Posted in: Disease,Female Reproduction,Kanker,Reproductions,Reproduksi,Sex dan wanita

Homemade Bread

So this morning I asked Kaitie if I could make a special treat for her and her friends for a party she is going to today. And she asks if I can make a loaf of bread for her to take!!! Not brownies, cookies, or cinnamon buns...BREAD! I guess I shouldn't complain :)  So I made her bread!  I used a cookie cutter for the heart shape for fun!  I hope they enjoy ...

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Posted in: bread,Yeast

Naan Bread

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Posted in: bread,Yeast