I've written a few posts in the past about food. They are typically scatterbrained, as I have a lot of opinions on food and it's one of my favorite topics. So I thought I'd break it down and make it easier on myself, and maybe my few readers.
My goal, which has been failing miserably this summer, is to go to the store twice a month (when Jim is in training mode, I end up going a lot for milk and coming home with more than just milk...). The big trip at the first and a "replenish" trip halfway through. I do this because as a minimalist, I don't like to buy "stuff", but food... well, food is easily where my money goes every month. This makes grocery day a big deal. It takes me a while to shop and it's not anywhere close to over when I get home.
I have a passion for healthy, eco-friendly, fair trade and local food. I love the feeling of an energetic afternoon after a perfectly portioned lunch, or feeling "light" after a big meal because it was made for energy. I also love coming home from the grocery store and knowing I don't have trash to put in my body or a lot of trash for the garbage can.
My favorite way to eat this way is to make a lot of stuff from scratch. So, on grocery day, I come home, unload and instead of shoving everything in the fridge right away, I start making some of our kitchen staples.
I thought I would introduce nutrition on this blog with a list of quick and easy made-at-home stuff I do almost every month.
1. Almond milk. Soak almonds over night, drain. Blend with water-- For every 1 Cup almond, use 4 Cups water. Blend with only half of the water at first, seems to make it more milky. Strain with cheese cloth or strainer. Add a bit of vanilla extract if you'd like. If you want, save the almond meal leftover.
2. Vegetable Broth. So, I prep the veggies I buy for easy access. I cut up celery, carrots, onions and peppers so they are easy for recipes and snacks. I put all of the bits I would normally toss in a pot. I fill that pot with water, add a bit of basil and boil while I do the rest of my prepping. Drain. Pour into ice cube trays. Freeze. I pop out a few (which are 3 Tbsp sizes, FYI) for meals later. And my house smells amazing.
3. Tomato sauces. Easiest thing ever. I don't use measurements anymore with this so I can't give you specifics. Put I chop up tomatoes and stick them in a sauce pan with a bit of oil and herbs until mushy. Then I blend to the consistency I want. For typical tomato paste, I add a bit of basil and thyme. For pizza, I add basil and red pepper flakes. For a more Mexican flavor, I add onion, cumin and chilli powder.
4.Chocolate Sauce. 1/3 C pitted dates, soaked. 1/2 C milk of choice. 3 Tbsp to 1/4 C cocoa powder. A little bit of vanilla. Blend dates, milk and vanilla until smooth. Add to sauce pan, heat until thickened, add cocoa powder. Delicious. Especially in the almond milk listed above.
5. Granola. There are tons of recipes online and mine is different every month. I do, however, sometimes use some of the almond meal from the almond milk. But, I throw a pile of dry ingredients (seeds, nuts, rolled oats, etc.) in with some wet ones (mainly honey and maple syrup) and bake it.
6. Peanut Butter. Again, I do this so often I don't measure anymore. A pile of peanuts with a bit of peanut oil, blended to the consistency you want. If the peanuts are "fresh", it takes less oil. I use honey roasted when I can, because it tastes better.
There are many more things I make at home but these are the essentials, made right away when I walk in the door after a morning of grocery shopping. I recommend trying any of them with your own flare, because they take a lot less time than you would think and taste so much better than the stuff you can buy.
No comments:
Post a Comment