Dear People of California...

Dear People of California,

My name is Laura, and I live in Iowa. Have you ever been to Iowa? If not, let me paint a picture: the sky is blue and there are miles and miles and miles (and miles) of fields of corn and soy. It is pretty, really. To get the greens in the spring and golds at harvest you would need every crayola in the box.

"I'd rather spend my time in the kitchen than in a hospital room."

photo credit

This has become my standard, go-to answer when people shake their heads at how much time I dedicate to seeking out quality ingredients and cooking from scratch. Initially, I was referring to Stealthy Dad's mini-stroke last year, when we needed to switch to a reduced-sodium diet with lots of fiber and "good" fats to help bring down his blood pressure. Since then I have learned so much more about how our food affects our health.

Non-GMO Baking Powder and Cornstarch at our local grocery store!

I was bummed.

Just after buying a new can of baking powder last month, I read that it was on a list of things that are generally genetically modified (GMO) due to corn starch. I decided to finish up the can of "conventional" baking powder and replace it with a non-GMO version purchased online somewhere. You know how a can lasts for-e-ver? With all the extra baking last week, I used up our baking powder before I remembered to buy its non-GMO replacement. Was I to do without until I found some online, or just suck it up and buy baking powder one last time at the grocery store?

Reading labels of everything on the shelf, I found THIS at the grocery store. Rumford, a subsidiary of Clabber Girl. Right there, in bold letters, the product boasts that its cornstarch is non-GMO. It is not organic, but at least it is non-GMO and available locally. I'll take it!

(Apparently they have a reduced sodium version and non-GMO corn starch out there, too.)

One Fine Burger

One Fine Burger

On Sunday, we had the best burgers in town. I have to brag because some work went into them. It took months to get grassfed beef from the grocery store, and the oven fries were cut from specially-ordered organic potatoes. The home-made buns were still warm from the oven.

My point is that it is possible to eat a reduced sodium diet that is delicious. It is also possible to eat "real" food while keeping a tame budget. (We spend less per week than the USDA's thifty plan.)  The main factor is time. It can take time to source out quality ingredients, and often that means preparing ahead for a bulk purchase. It takes time to cook your own food instead of ripping open a package of frozen convenience.

Time well spent.

People like to say they cannot afford better quality foods or don't have time. A more honest thing to say would be that putting the time into meals is not a priority, since almost anything can be prepped ahead.  I remember the days when we would come home after a long day and commute, three hours before bedtime, and were in no condition to fire up the oven. Cooking and freezing ahead would have solved that problem.

I am in no position to tell people what to do with their time and money. I do know that the less we spend on processed foods the better we feel. I'd rather hang out in the kitchen than at the hospital any day.



www.Stealthymom.com

Sugar Crash.

Today I had a shocking reminder of what happens when I eat too much sugar. We could be talking about baklava or Skittles but this afternoon it was Twix. Twix should never be confused for chocolate. It is a super-sweet cookie topped with caramel, encased in a sweet "chocolatey" shell. "Chocolately", not chocolate. 

I Dedicate my Kitchen...

Driving through Southwest Iowa, for miles and miles you will see fields of corn and soybeans. Markers indicate what is planted in each row: seeds from Dekalb, Pioneer, Cargill.... Pristine and green,  the plants are genetically engineered to withstand an onslaught of chemicals like Roundup. You might even see a billboard ad for Monsanto, the company responsible for Roundup, the Roundup-Ready gene, and Agent Orange. To anyone who is concerned about chemical pesticides, genetically modified food or biodiversity, the scene is chilling.

American Gothic, a painting by Grant Wood

Please do not blame the family farmer. If you hang around for a while, you might learn that Cargill  owns the local elevator and does not buy organic crops. Why grow organic corn or soybeans, if there is no one to sell them to?

One potato, two potato... fifty pounds of organic potatoes!

  Russett Potatoes (photo credit)

Potatoes are members of the infamous Dirty Dozen, the fruits and vegetables that are the most contaminated with pesticide residue.  I had no idea until recently just how serious the issue was. A 2008 USDA study found 37 different pesticide residues on potatoes. Since potatoes are a root crop, excess pesticides in the soil are absorbed right into the flesh; peeling will not remove the contamination. Buying organic potatoes is the safest plan of action for feeding our children (next to growing our own.)  Buying organic food also rewards producers who choose more sustainable methods. It is a win-win for the environment and for our family's health!

Our local grocery store does not carry much organic produce, but will gladly order what they can if we will take a whole case. The store is part of a major chain of employee-owned stores, so anything that is available to big-city-folks can make its way to Southwest Iowa on the next delivery truck.

This afternoon I loaded up the kids and we picked up our special order of organic potatoes: fifty pounds of beautiful russets. These taters, despite the California brand, were imported from British Columbia. To meet import specs they had to be scrubbed free of all soil. Pre-scrubbed, organic, and for the same price as national brand chemically-treated potatoes! Who wouldn't choose these?

It is a good thing that potatoes are so versatile. Baked, mashed, soup, perogies, fries... I have found a recipe link-up devoted to spuds, over at Life as Mom's blog, and it was timely.


www.stealthymom.com

"What Does It DO To You?"

photo credit

Scattered, maybe even a bit disoriented. It was hard to focus my mind, and there was a hard-to-explain urge to yell and run and bang my head on the wall. People shouted at me but their voices would sometimes blur into a general noise.

It is never too early....

The Cadet helped bake bread this afternoon. He watches his three-year-old brother pouring, stirring, and kneading and wants to try, too! (Are processed-food snacks this much fun?)







(This photo was shared with many others at Friday Food Flicks!)