SarahBerneche's Profile

I'm partial to Slater's books myself, but the Chez Panisse books are also fantastic. If possible, try borrowing them from your local library first and use them to see which ones you prefer.

I live in Toronto and my rent, including utilities and Internet, is under 30%. However, I had to really hunt for my current place and live with two other people (+1 for the next 1.5 months.) While I dreaded giving up my former beautiful 1-bedroom apartment, I've never regretted my decision to live below my means. I was able to quit my second part-time job (!) -- a huge deal for me -- and now have more savings and more money to spend on experiences and travel.

I agree with the previous comments in that this question does not belong on this site. However, as a student of holistic nutrition, I'll offer some guidance based on my personal experience and knowledge.

A few things to note:

1. Muscle does not weigh more than fat. A pound of feathers and a pound of bricks both weigh a pound. Muscle is denser than fat, which explains why you can gain muscle but lose inches from your body.

2. You mention that you've been limiting your fat intake. Don't do this. You need enough fat to properly assimilate essential vitamins -- vitamins that help you to metabolize fats and carbohydrates. This seems counter-intuitive, but it's true. You need fat to burn fat. So-called "good" fats (monounsaturated) are often recommended (think nuts, avocado, extra virgin olive oil), but I say saturated fats have their place in moderate amounts. Coconut oil is a (medium-chain) GREAT saturated fat. In fact, some recent studies have shown that it actually metabolizes like a carbohydrate, keeping you full AND giving you a lot of energy. Egg yolks from free-range hens are fantastically nourishing. (Wild, sustainably caught) Salmon is wonderful.

3. It sounds like you're eating far too few calories and overexercising. As previously stated, you've put your body into starvation mode. Exercise on a regular basis, eat sensibly, and relax. Stressing about it will not help you to lose weight. In fact, stress will keep weight on.

4. The calories in/calories out model is not a complete story. Google "calories in/calories out theory debunked" to see the number of articles written about this. It would be really valuable to know the kinds of calories you're consuming. Processed, low-fat "diet" foods do not qualify as quality calories. If you're looking to lose weight, many women, particularly as they get older, benefit from a lower carbohydrate, higher protein diet with a moderate fat intake.

Keep a food journal and track how many carbohydrate servings (particularly grains, potatoes, corn) you're getting per day. I personally believe most of our carbohydrates should come from vegetables (sweet potatoes, squash) with some from whole grain sources -- actual whole grain sources, like oats, buckwheat groats, brown rice, wild rice -- rather than exclusively from items "made from" whole grain sources.

5. Try not to focus so much on calories. I know it's tricky because it's what we've been taught to believe, but it's so much more important to focus on eating real food in appropriate portion sizes than it is to count calories.

When I hit the gym before work, I make a green smoothie -- spinach, unsweetened non-dairy milk, banana, maybe a few berries, ground flax seed, ice cubes, and chia seed. Afterwards I'll have some cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, oatmeal, or hardboiled eggs. If I'm going after work I typically have a snack around 3pm (raw vegetables and hummus) and eat a small dinner around 7pm. I have the snack at 3pm because otherwise I'm ravenous when I leave the gym and more apt to overeat when I get home.

I say see how it goes and determine what's right for you.

Just watch that you re-heat the jar slowly. I've had jars crack on me before when they get too hot too quickly.

As for the bacteria issue, yes, it exists. In canning, contents need to reach a certain acidity level to be considered shelf stable. Grains aren't shelf stable once they're no longer dry.

I've been blanching or roasting and freezing local vegetables now (peppers $.66/lb, broccoli 2/$1.50, etc.) and freezing fresh fruit. More money upfront, but your bill in the winter will be a lot lower and you'll have so much prepped food at your disposal.

I love chickpea piccatta. So good! I love the chickpea parmesan idea -- I'll have to try it.

I think all of the suggestions here are fabulous.

A few of my friends and I get together for bi-weekly, potluck-style dinner parties. We haven't run into problems yet. The host usually puts on the main and everyone else contibutes dessert, salad/appetizer, or wine. We always have plenty of food and wine to go around.

I made this and it was delicious. Maybe a little dry, but tasty nonetheless. I gave some to someone else, who adored it.

I make most sauces (tomato, BBQ, peanut), most baked goods (I'm gluten-free; sometimes I'll purchase from a local bakery), salad dressings, pie fillings, icing, granola, and beans from scratch. I've never purchased prepared polenta because it's easy to make. I want to try making yogurt this year. I suppose I make and/or enjoy making most things from scratch, but no, it isn't for everyone, and yes, it is very time consuming. It's easier for me as a single person to prepare my own foods from scratch...though at the same time you can just double batch it (like granola). I find a lot of home cooking is more about planning and time than energy or resources, about making the hours count. If you start getting too busy (I work a full-time job, a part-time job, and volunteer), planning becomes a lot harder to do.