Re-Usable Produce Bags!

I haven't written in a while because February turned into a busy month.  I was doing a bit of this....

From Puerto Rico Feb 2012

and got to witness this...

From Puerto Rico Feb 2012

When I returned to colder weather, I spent my time indoors working on sewing projects.  One of which was suggested to me by my dear friend Crystal.  She "pinned" this great idea for reusable produce bags at Daisy Janie.  So cute, RIGHT?

I don't know about you, but since I'm eating more fruit and veggies, I'm accumulating a lot more of those darn plastic veggie bags.  We have been using them to scoop poop, but I'm not sure that we should be using them at all.  These produce bags were EASY to make!

Here, you will see that I used some cute fabric to make just a few...

From White Girl Gone Green

I was afraid of what the cashier would say about the extra step they'd have to take (peeking inside to get the number).  I was pleasantly surprised at how she reacted.  She thought it was a great idea!  It was a great conversation starter.  I was able to talk about the small changes I'm making in my life to live cleaner and greener!

I felt like a proud mama walking out of the commissary with my produce bags filled up!

From White Girl Gone Green

What do you think?  Could you see yourself using these?  If you don't have a sewing machine, I would be happy to make a few for you!

Hitting the Sauce

I love pasta sauce.  Marinara. Tomato Sauce. Gravy. Whatever you want to call it, I want to share the love.

In my last post I talked about pizza night.  Part of pizza night usually includes a jar of my favorite marinara sauce by Newman's Own.  Recently, someone pointed out to me that jarred sauces from the grocery store have a lot more sugar than if you make your own.  The problem is that companies use tomatoes that are not yet ripe and add sugar to simulate ripeness.  The best solution to this sugar problem is to make your own!

Making your own sauce is a very good way to eat cleaner, fresher food.  It almost eliminates the processed part of your meal.  It's EASY to do!  (Trust me, I'm not Italian, but feel adopted into their traditions because of all the Italians I'm surrounded by.)

I know you are picturing Nona Rinicacchiocola stirring a simmering pot for hours.  But I say it doesn't have to be that way!  Here's a quick tomato sauce recipe that will take you 15 minutes!!!

Ingredients:

From White Girl Gone Green

1. Saute 1/2 onion and 3 cloves garlic in a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil. (5 min)
2. Once onions are translucent, add 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste.  Let them cook together. (2 min)
3. Add 15oz can tomato sauce*, 1Tbsp Dried Italian Seasoning, Crushed Red Pepper to taste (optional, but adds a nice little kick). Simmer. (7 min)

(*I usually prefer crushed tomatoes, but it's really your preference. Use whatever you have in the pantry.)

That's it!  It's so delicious!  I use this sauce for pizza and pasta.  Will you try it?  Let me know how you like it!  The longer is simmers, the better it tastes.

Great Grains!!

A new friend recently enlightened me about grain, specifically flour, and now I'm on my way to changing one more thing in my life which will help me eat cleaner!

Up until now, I thought that flour was a nutrition-less substance which was only good for making delicious baked goods and thickening sauces.  For a few years now, I've been using 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 white flour.  I thought I was doing a good thing, but I've learned that I could be doing better!

Let me drop some knowledge:

Wheat grains are made up of three parts:

Bran:  the outer layer where all the roughage that helps move unwanted poisons and toxins through your system is found. The bran also contains numerous vitamins, minerals, and proteins.
Germ:  the "health center of the grain", overflowing with vitamins B and E, as well as unsaturated fat and protein
Endosperm: the starchy white center

So, in its purest form, whole grains contains lots of things that are good for you.  However, when grain is milled into flour, if it's not refrigerated the oils from the bran and germ go rancid.  Because of this, the flour we buy in the store is made without the bran and germ, just the endosperm...which has no really nutritional value.  When you see "enriched" wheat on a package, usually that means some of the vitamins have been replaced (obviously this is not done naturally) but not the fiber or protein.

So, bread can be "good for you" she says??


I do say!  If you mill your own wheat you can make flour that still contains all the nutrients it was meant to have! O glorious day! The nutritious possibilities are endless... cakes and cookies with vitamins and minerals....pancakes that don't taste like cardboard, and contain nutrients that don't make you feel guilty.  (Dear reader, I haven't forgotten about the sugar content of these items, I just want to celebrate the small victories...)

Pizza Pie

Last night for dinner I made our usual pizza.  My homemade pizza has been a tradition for us the last two years.  It started because I am a pizza snob a.k.a. New Yorker and couldn't stand eating Dominos or Anthonys (military people, you know what I'm talking about).  I tried a recipe for pizza dough and it was delicious!  Last night, I made the same recipe, using fresh milled flour. Enter snazzy mixer....

From White Girl Gone Green

That beautiful machine was a Christmas present from my mom.  It is the best gift I ever received!  (Sorry, Chris, the diamond earrings were nice, but they can't knead dough for me.)

The pizza was amazing and so was the feeling that I was getting added vitamins, fiber, etc, and less (almost no) grease!  Stay tuned for my next post in which I make pasta sauce!! mmmm....

Source:http://www.homesteadharvest.com/article8.html

Glorious Gazpacho

A while back I made a gazpacho that turned out really good.

Some time back in July I vowed not to turn on the oven EVER.  It was okay to cook on the stove top, but did not bake, broil, or baste a single thing which might add to the furnace that was our apartment.  For a visual demonstration, please refer to Dog Days of Summer.

But I digress....

Back to gazpacho!  It was one of those so-hot-your-bones-are-sweating days in Korea.  I had a gazpacho recipe I found in a great article, aptly named "No Cook Summer Meals."  The colors were so pretty, I had to photograph them.  (Note: I wish I had one of those fancy cameras that takes professional photos that look like you know what you're doing, but really all you are doing is pointing and clicking....)  Here are a few photos to make you crave this amazing cold soup, and make me wish it was summer again.

They are not exactly organic veggies, but beggars couldn't be choosy in the Commissary.

From White Girl Gone Green

All you do is chop, then puree, all of the veggies, then add cilantro.  My kitchen was a mess, but I like the "cooked in" look.

From White Girl Gone Green

There you have it!  Negra Modela is optional, but highly recommended.

From White Girl Gone Green

In conclusion:
Gazpacho is healthy, easy, and environmentally friendly (no stove, releasing energy, just a quick blend). If you like V8, you'll like Gazpacho.

P.S. I love to say Gazpacho.  And if you make it, you will love to say it too.  It sounds very impressive.