if1hadwords's Profile

It's very important to me that we buy and eat meat that has been humanely and responsibly raised. I almost went vegetarian when I learned the horrors and filth of CAFO meat, but when I realized I could satisfy my ethical concerns and still have the nutrients and culinary experience meat offers, we switched (pretty much cold turkey) to local and grassfed. We are part of a meat CSA now, and get most of the rest from a local co-op. And yes, it's more expensive, and yes, we eat less meat to make up for it. But it's very important to us that it be good meat raised by decent farmers. And it tastes a million times better too!

Not a bad idea! I usually line a colander with cheesecloth and set it in a big bowl, then dump the stockpot contents over that. One step draining. This would be easier for sure, if you weren't planning to strain it again.

I love the German mulled wine idea - I'll have to go out and get some cheap wine (OK, that's what we get anyways) just for this!

It's an interesting idea...but I'm with cbreynolds...I'm trying to get less chemical crap in my food, not more. :( Plus, I don't think soap can remove pesticides.

I try to buy organically grown produce for the most part, but local is just as important to me. Food loses so much of its nutrient profile within a short time of being picked, so that suspiciously perfect Certified Organic Kale from Brazil is probably doing less for you than the slightly imperfect bunch at the local co-op.

(If your greens have wilted a bit, trim the stems and put them in a glass of water, just like flowers - they'll usually perk up right away.)

Real, quality food will cost more, and I don't think there's a way around that. It's a matter of priorities for most (not all, but most). We don't buy beverages, snacks, premade foods of any kinds...to have room in our budget for grass-fed meats, local eggs, and organically grown produce. You can be creative, sure (like buying things on Amazon with your card points)...but you have to make food a priority. Oh, and you have to cook from scratch too!

I think it should say instead that corn doesn't count as a veggie. it's a grain. a super sugary one at that.

I never followed the USDA's silly pyramid and this isn't all that much better. Like someone else said, they shouldn't be in the business of telling people what to eat while still giving out subsidies and generally taking sides with big ag in every discussion.

But anyone who thinks we should be eating that much grains/breads is seriously deluded! It shouldn't be the bottom of the pyramid, and shouldn't be 1/4 of your plate. That is all SUGAR in your body. No reason to have grains at every meal (whole or not), and lots of reasons not to.

My pork shoulders usually go in the crockpot (at least during the summer so as not to heat the house). I don't spice it because I like to use the meat for different things. We might have BBQ pork with pinto beans, then a soy/teriyaki pork salad, then fried pork with eggs. (I really like to stretch the meat as far as it'll go.) So I just put it in the pot with a cup or so of water, and cook it all day. Just did it this weekend actually. YUM!

I used to make kefir...I got some grains from a friend. It is a truly fascinating process! Unfortunately I neglected my darling little grains too long and they died, but I enjoyed using the kefir in smoothies. It was always too tart to eat plain (mine was never runny like a beverage, more like regular yogurt). And I have no idea how it would become fizzy unless you bottled it tightly and let it continue to ferment. I've never tried the store stuff.

I make ranch dip and dressing at home. I don't buy $3 scallions (don't like them) and I just use dried herbs that I already have sitting around. I usually do half yogurt and half sour cream. It doesn't have to be as expensive as the example!

I haven't bought dressing in months because this is an easy-peasy DO! There's so much variety you can create yourself and it's so easy. Not to mention avoiding all the preservative, corn syrup and manufactured oils in the store stuff. yuk.

I backed off of eating meat about a year and a half ago due to ethical concerns, but didn't think my body would suffer. I did, and struggled with a way to maintain my own nutrition while not compromising on ethical and environmental grounds. We discovered that locally raised, grass-fed meat can be very ethically raised. I do not have an ethical concern for eating meat per se, especially since my body needs it so acutely -- so we have joined a meat CSA that offers different meats from several local farmers. I have heard that when pasture-based farms are operated efficiently, they actually improve the quality of the air and soil. Not to mention be much healthier eatin'. We don't eat meat with every meal to be sure -- I am pretty frugal and pastured meat is pricey -- but I haven't bought that miserable, drugged, hormone-laden, corn fed CAFO nightmare meat in nearly two years!