Ease the stress of grocery shopping during the holidays

(ARA) – Hectic schedules often make meal-related decisions a chore. And planning for a bigger family meal over the holidays just adds to the stress. Affordable and simpler shopping routines could help you start savoring family meal time again.

Regardless of whether you’re planning a holiday feast, a birthday celebration, or just day-to-day meals throughout the year, it’s easier and more cost effective if you go into grocery shopping prepared.

Consider these tips from national grocery retailer Save-A-Lot before your next shopping trip:

Create a weekly meal planner
Many grocery shoppers make the mistake of only planning for a big special meal when they can cut time and cost by planning for several. Think about what you and your family members typically consume each day. If there is a particular food item or meal idea that your whole family enjoys, make sure to stock up when it is on sale. Ask each family member to pick a meal for dinner.

Decide ahead of time how your family might want to use leftover meat or veggies from the meal, and buy extra ingredients to create new meals. For example, be sure to stock up on bread, mayonnaise, mustard and lettuce in advance if you plan to cook a turkey or ham for a holiday meal or Sunday dinner.

Keep track of ingredients to replenish
You’ve got everything laid out to make chocolate chip cookies, but you forgot to buy the baking soda – nothing is more frustrating than having to make a return trip to a store.

Keep track of ingredients you frequently use in your cooking. Then, as soon as you use up an item, immediately add it to your ongoing grocery list. By the end of the week, not only will your shopping list be complete, but also you won’t be stuck in the store trying to remember what is or is not in your cupboard. You also won’t be tempted to buy something you don’t need.

When cooking, be sure to use measuring utensils so you don’t use more ingredients than necessary – which can be costly to your family’s waistline and budget.

Visit grocery store websites for tools and deals
Grocery retailers frequently offer tips and tools for meal planning, as well as exclusive online bargains. Check to see if your store is offering discounts in exchange for signing up for their shopping clubs year round. For example, Save-A-Lot offers a $5 coupon for signing up for its Smart Shopper Club.

Take advantage of store brands
Many grocery stores offer their own exclusive brands of foods and everyday items, and frequently these items are of equivalent quality as more expensive national brand names. By using store brands, you can save a little money on your grocery bill and splurge on something special, such as a celebratory dessert. Store brands are great for helping to keep your weekly grocery costs down.

Simplify shopping trip
A popular strategy for many shoppers is to shop at several retailers throughout the week for bargains. While this approach may add up to a couple of cents saved on a receipt, it is quickly gobbled up in fuel costs as well as time. Instead, save both time and money by limiting shopping trips to one day a week or add a stop to the grocery store on the commute to or from work.

With these few simple tips, you’ll not only save money at the grocery store, but you’ll have more time to enjoy cooking and celebrating with those you love.

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Seafood is the new 'fast food'

(NC)—Did you know a serving of Pad Thai from a Canadian food court restaurant chain can have as many as 1,400 calories in a single serving? That’s70 per cent of your recommended calorie intake according to the 2,000 calorie/day diet as outlined by Canada’s Food Guide.

Compare that to a tuna Pad Thai dish at 310 calories. By making a few variations to the ingredient list, like incorporating flavoured tuna into the mix, you can have a tasty, easy-to-make, low-calorie and high protein meal.

Challenging Canadians to take a good, hard look at their fast food habits, Clover Leaf Seafoods is launching a new campaign that pits every day, high-calorie take-out against its own “fast food” recipes for old-time favourites like pizza, tacos, Pad Thai, shawarma, burritos and even the classic burger with bacon and cheese.

“You can lose up to 7.5 pounds in the course of a year if you eliminate just 500 calories from your weekly diet,” said celebrity chef Michael P. Clive, who partnered with Clover Leaf to develop the new recipes. “And this is easily done by swapping a single, high-calorie fast food meal with a low-calorie and high protein version.”

As delicious as they are nutritious, the recipes also include healthy side dish and beverage alternatives like fruits and vegetables instead of French fries and onion rings, and citrus-flavoured water instead of sugar-heavy pop.

“Much of the fast food out there is short on nutrition and usually high in fat, calories, and sodium—and it’s often served in very large portions,” said Clive, who also worked with Clover Leaf to develop the popular Take 5 recipes. “Beyond basic calorie counting, our fast food recipes offer a healthy balance of protein, essential nutrients and vitamins that let you leave the dinner table feeling satisfied and more likely to keep pounds off.”

A recent survey by Technomic, a leading consulting and research firm serving the food industry, discovered that the fast food industry accounts for $25 billion, or about 60 per cent, of all restaurant sales in Canada. The survey also found that North American burger consumption has grown considerably since 2009, with nearly half of consumers reporting indulging in a burger at least once a week compared with 38 per cent two years ago.

At www.cloverleaf.ca, some of the tantalizing“fast food” recipes include: Spicy Tuna Pad Thai, Personal Naan Pizza, Chili Thai Tacos, Original Shawarma, Hooked on Tuna Burrito, and the Captain Burger with Bacon and Cheese. You can find them all at www.cloverleaf.ca.

www.newscanada.com

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How to turn your house into the finest steakhouse

(ARA) – With autumn approaching, appetites will soon be craving those big, hearty flavors that warm the soul. Imagine a fireside table topped with a succulent steak and a robust red wine. Think you need to make a reservation at the swankiest steakhouse in town? Think again. With a little effort, it’s easy to recreate a savory steakhouse experience at home.

A number of cattle ranchers are selling premium cuts of meat directly to consumers. Of course, sourcing the meat is only half the battle; the other half is selecting a wine that can hold its own up against a rich, flavorful meal. For the perfect pairing, look to the American West.

“The success of a steak dinner starts with the cut and quality of the beef, but ultimately rests with the preparation,” says Kristin Thornton of The Double R Ranch Co. “We take great pains to hand select and age our cuts of beef, so we also provide our customers with detailed cooking instructions to ensure a great dining experience.”

While there are many ways to prepare a steak, Thornton suggests using The Double R Ranch’s “steakhouse style” for a mouthwatering result. An ideal method for thicker cuts, the steakhouse style involves a quick sear in a cast iron skillet to trap the juices, followed by an oven finish to achieve the desired doneness. Not only does this method give home cooks the perfect steak, but it provides some additional time and space to finish up any side dishes.

The steakhouse method also provides ample time to open a bottle of red wine and let it breathe, and Thornton thinks you can’t go wrong with a big red from California. “Cabernet Sauvignon is a natural complement to a decadent ribeye or tenderloin,” says Michael Martini, Master winemaker at the longstanding Louis M. Martini(R) Winery in California’s Napa Valley. “Its full body stands up to the richness of the cut, and the simplicity of a quality steak provides a remarkable canvas for illustrating the wine’s complexities.”

California Cabernet Sauvignon is relatively easy to find in stores, and many wineries also ship direct to consumers. “The steakhouse experience doesn’t need to have a luxury price tag,” notes Martini, “and just the right Cabernet Sauvignon can cost less than $20 per bottle.”

The Louis M. Martini 2009 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon retails for around $18 and blends fruit from several prestigious vineyards. The result is a well-balanced, multilayered wine with aromas and tastes of red cherry, black cherry, blackberry and fresh sage. An underlying Dry Creek dustiness and subtle herbal notes are complemented by additional layers of chocolate and vanilla, which make for a decidedly complex and food-friendly wine. It can also be used as a terrific sauce for your steak. Here’s how:

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce
1 cup Louis M. Martini Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together barbecue sauce, wine, salt and pepper and pour into a saucepot. On the stovetop, bring the mixture to a boil until it thickens. Serve on the side as a dipping sauce.

With the main attractions selected, it’s time to prepare some simple sides like baked potatoes and steamed veggies to accompany the meal. Then, break out the fine linens and china, light the fire or a few candles, and your steakhouse transformation is complete.

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California’s Prop 2, also known as the Standards for Confining Farm Animals Act, recently passed with over 60 percent of the vote.

The Act, which mandates an increase of confinement space for veal calves, breeding pigs and egg-laying hens, goes into effect Jan. 1, 2015. Only then will these farm animals have the right to turn around, lie down, stand up and fully extend their limbs.

While this Act may raise the cost of eggs, pork and veal, at least those who partake will be able to do so in good conscience, knowing that unnecessary suffering was not on the menu.

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A while ago, in an effort to eat locally, my husband and I joined Farm Fresh To You, and we have since looked forward to each delivery with excited anticipation. Not only does it cut down on what we have to buy at the Co-Op, but also it supports local farmers and environmentally-friendly farming practices, both of which I am happy to help.

Eating local is a trend that is slowly sweeping the nation, and it’s a good one to jump in and join, if you haven’t already. Things like the recent tomato/jalapeno contamination could have been avoided (or at least contained more quickly) by eating locally.

Whether local to you means within your state, within 100 miles, or within your city, by reducing the distance between where produce grows and your plate, you’ll be helping support sustainable food systems.

If you don’t shop at a Co-Op, try it. We joined our local Co-Op after I was diagnosed with cancer so we could find pesticide-free produce. Sure, sometimes it’s a bummer not to find apples in the aisles year round, but there are plenty of in-season goodies I’ve discovered, too. Plus, there are stickers on bin stating where the produce “grew up”, so I know which farms I’m supporting and where my foods got their start.

Even if you only shop for produce at your local Co-Op every once in a while, every little bit helps. Plus, the produce is tasty and vibrant, which makes it all the better to eat!

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Late summer is the perfect time to enjoy the bevvy of blueberries in stores.

Wild blueberries are typically found back east from Maine to North Carolina and into Florida, and the blueberry cousin, huckleberries, are taking center stage on the West Coast.

Whether you bake with them, cook them down into jams, or simply pop them in your mouth straight from the bush, blueberries are a delicious, nutritious treat a la Mother Nature. (I like mine straight from the bush, sprinkled over this.)

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It’s that time of year again where I live. Time for the California State Fair. And as if the heat and the crowds aren’t enough to turn a stomach, there’s also the ability to get pretty much anything deep fried. Including frog legs.

At Chicken Charlie’s food stands, fair-goers have their choice of deep-fried items for sale, including White Castle hamburgers, Twinkies, Oreos, Pop Tarts, Spam, frog legs, cheese ravioli, avocado, onion strings, zucchini, artichokes and mushrooms.

Just what the world needs–more fried food.

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When you consider the fact that half an avocado contains 4.9G fiber, 354MG potassium, 15.3MCG vitamin K, 59MCG folate, 1.5G protein and 10.7G (good) fat, what’s not to like?

Creamy, buttery avocados get their taste and texture from good fats, those monounsaturated fats that help lower cholesterol.

Whether it’s the base for guacamole, or diced in a salad or omelet, or even eaten plain, the avocado is the perfect serving of wholesome goodness. And if you cut one in half to eat, it even features its own portable, eco-friendly bowl.

Here are two tried and true recipes I rely on to make yummy avocados even better:

Black Bean Avocado Salad

Greens, Avocado and Fennel Salad

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What better way to combine two passions (environmentalism and chocolate) than through companies that make delicious chocolate treats that don’t impact the environment?

First up, Endangered Species, which donates 10 percent of net profits to wildlife habitat conservation projects. Their Supreme Dark Chocolate bar has 72 percent cocoa content in 3 oz., and is gluten free and vegan, and made with all-natural, shade-grown, ethically traded supreme dark chocolate. The label features chimpanzee artwork from Judi Rideout and is printed on recycled paper (see above photo). The chocolate is ethically or fair traded, guaranteeing the workers fair wages and humane working conditions. This product is also certified Kosher by Orthodox Union. On the inside of the label you can learn about the plight of the chimpanzee as well as additional information on Endangered Species Chocolate.

Green & Black’s, which was the first chocolate bar awarded with the British Fairtrade Mark in 1994, is another company that makes eco-friendly chocolate treats. I’m a caramel freak, so I’m partial to their Caramel bar, which blends classic caramel and cocoa-rich milk chocolate and add a pinch or two of sea salt to cut through the sweetness. It’s deliciously decadent and available in 3.5oz bars.

I buy both brands at my local Co-Op.

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There’s been a lot of talk about gluten lately, and I know that reducing gluten intake is one of the goals in this book, but with all the talk, I still don’t understand what the big gluten deal is.

I know that those afflicted with celiac disease have gluten intolerance, but what does that mean exactly?

The short answer is that gluten is a protein contained in the grains wheat, barley, rye, and oats, and is often used in breads and other baked goods.

For people with gluten intolerance, a reaction occurs by the immune system of individuals in possession of certain genes that recognize gluten as foreign and toxic.

Typical symptoms of gluten intolerance include abdominal bloating or pain, diarrhea, constipation, gaseousness, or nausea with or without vomiting. 

Typically, testing for gluten sensitivity and celiac sprue is done via blood tests. The defining difference between gluten sensitivity and celiac sprue is that while gluten sensitivity implies that a person’s immune system is intolerant of gluten in the diet and is forming antibodies or displaying some other evidence of an inflammatory reaction, only when these reactions cause small intestinal damage visible on a biopsy is the condition elevated to celiac sprue, celiac disease, or gluten sensitive enteropathy status.

I’m not a big gluten consumer to begin with, but I guess once I get through my cleanse I will know for sure if gluten is my friend or foe. 

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