Category Archives: Foodie Fridays

Foodie Fridays: Vegan burgers – You’re Eating Them Wrong

by in Foodie Fridays

What do you see when I say (write) the word “burger” ?? Probably a slab of beef encased in buns with some lettuce/cheese/onions/ketchup/etc. Essentially a traditional burger, right?

What about a vegan or veggie burger? Do you still see the same thing? Does this burger still have buns, lettuce, ketchup, etc?

I’m hear to tell you that you’ve been eating those vegan/veggie burgers wrong. They aren’t like meat patties. They are best eaten without all the burger accessories. They can be crumbled and placed atop a salad or with rice. They are like a patty stir fry. I think the best way to eat these bad boys is plain or as a ‘side’ with your meal.

Foodie Fridays: Why Rice Milk is my go-to milk substitute

by in Foodie Fridays and tagged

 

Milk goes with….

Cereal
Cookies
just to drink it
baking/cooking
stir fry cream thickener

Does almond milk, soy milk, hemp milk, etc go with these foods/in these instances?

Not in my opinion.

Here is my personal milk acceptance list for taste/appropriateness pairing


Type of Milk
Plain
Cereal
Dipping Cookies
Baking/Cooking
Traditional (cow’s) milk
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Goat/Sheep Milk
Yucky
Ew
Gross
In small quantities
Rice Milk
Yes
Yes
Maybe
Yes
Soy Milk
In the mood
No
No
Yes
Almond Milk
Sometimes
No
No
Yes
Coconut Milk
Not really
With certain types
No
Yes

Rice milk is the bomb!

Here is Costco’s link to their lovely organic unsweetened rice milk:

http://www2.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?prodid=11906374&whse=BD_767&topnav=bdoff&cat=77990&hierPath=7445*&lang=en-US

Foodie Fridays: What is it like to live without sugar?

by in Foodie Fridays, Rachel Barnard and tagged | 1 Comment
 
Check out my project blog: rachelbarnardwithoutsugar.blogspot.com
 
What does it mean to eat without consuming sugar? Eating without sugar is all about making better choices, not necessarily eliminating sugar entirely. I feel that in these three short weeks I have learned quite a bit about the lifestyle and the choices you make trying to eat no sugar entirely. The American lifestyle is not at all conducive to sugar free living. Nearly all prepared foods contain sugar to some degree. The implications are deep. Good luck eating out. All you get to eat are raw foods. How many restaurants serve raw foods? Almost none, unless it’s a salad. And if you happen to just want one of those raw foods salads, you can’t have any salad dressing. Na ah. Almost all of the commercially available restaurant chosen dressings contain sugar. For taste, right?
 
So restaurants are out. So are common snack foods. Candy. Energy bars. Drinks. Etc. Sugar. Sugar. And Sugar.
 
Eating without sugar forces you to eat better. To cook your own food and stay away from the junk and the candy. What a wonderful trade off!
 
But still…
 
I don’t think I can give up ice cream. And I like eating out now and then. I already make better choices. Not that pie, but the baked chicken. Do you know what I mean?
 
It is all about our choices. What we choose day to day that makes up our lifestyle and dietary choices. Fad diets don’t work, so waiting to eat the cheesecake and candy until next week isn’t going to help you. You have to constantly be on top of your cravings. I think it’s okay to eat the occasional sugared treat but not every day or throughout the day. Sugar is a metabolism inhibitor.
 
What I’ve gotten out of this experience is: Everything in moderation. Medicine is not except from checking the ingredients (inactive ingredients) label. Check everything on that label! Costco has embraced alternative foods and has some great choices for prepared foods made healthier.
 
After drastically (not that I was eating so much sugar before but there is a difference) reducing my sugar intake I have noticed that other foods can be sweet. Milk is sweet to me. Bread (without sugar) is sweet to me. Fruits can be substituted as a dessert because they are so sweet and delicious.
 
Happy 24th birthday to me. I’m off to eat a gourmet locally crafted cake from My Cakes in Snoqualmie. I’ll let you know how it tastes.
 

Let me tell you it was delicious!

Foodie Fridays: Rachel Barnard Without Sugar Blog

by in Foodie Fridays, Local Eats and tagged

I started a new challenge and a new blog to document the challenge. Until my birthday I will eat nothing with processed sugars. You can read about it here:

http://rachelbarnardwithoutsugar.blogspot.com/

Find out what the parameters of the challenge are, how difficult I think it will be, the challenges I face along the way, and healthy alternative substitutes for foods rich with processed sugars. 

Foodie Fridays: Raw Milk

by in Foodie Fridays, Local Eats
Front Street Market

Here is a wonderful product available at your local Front Street Market in Issaquah. Why raw milk? Raw milk, though it has dangers associated, is beneficial in that it is still full of nutrients. When you buy homogenized milk from the store, it has been bleached and stripped of all its nutrients and then they are added back in afterwards. This kills any potential harmful substances but also any good substances in the milk. If you are into milk, I would suggest an alternative to the regular grocery store milk. Don’t just go with the cheap milk, go with organic, or local, or raw. For one it is better for you and two it tastes better! However, raw milk is straight from the cow, therefore full of fat and I would not suggest consuming it in large quantities. Like any product that comes from a cow anyways, I would recommend buying a quality product, like this Raw Jersey Milk.

Foodie Fridays: 21 Life Hacks Food Style

by in Foodie Fridays
Found this gem in my facebook feed today:


I have not tried all of them and some made my raise my eyebrows in disbelief….

I take issue with a few, such as:


4. Use a sharp knife (CAREFULLY) to pit an avocado.

     If the avocado is not ripe enough this will not work (SAFELY) because the pit will cling desperately to the meat of the avocado, making it near impossible to separate the two parts. 

5. Slice avocadoes right in the skin to make neat cubes.

     If the avocado is too ripe then when you swipe with the spoon to dig out the cubes, they will mush together. 

9. Hold cherry tomatoes between two plastic lids to slice them all at once.
     These tomatoes looked fairly smooshed to me. 

13. Coat your cheese grater with nonstick spray for delightfully clean, easy shredding.

     You ever try cleaning a pan that was coated in butter? It’s super greasy! Hot water and      plenty of soap sometimes works to get out the grease.

19. Pit cherries with a paper clip.

     Is this sanitary?

Foodie Fridays: Eggs and Toast

by in Foodie Fridays and tagged
One of the Simple Joys in Life:
 

 

Scrambled eggs:
 
eggs
tomatoes
broccoli
onions
 
Toast:
 
cream cheese
pastrami
 
 
 
 
When I think of “breakfast” I think of heart-killing calorie/cholesterol loaded foods that are slathered in grease and butter. They are both hard on the stomach and hard on your digestion. Here is a slight alternative breakfast of champions. The scrambled eggs are crafted with plenty of vegetables and only a dab of oil. The toast is homemade and you could leave off the spread because it was so fresh, even though in this instance I chose to add it. The pastrami is an elegant touch but not necessary (for vegetarian’s sake). Wolf down with a cup of tea and you will be golden for the rest of the day.