Multitasking

As a working mother, I am always on the lookout for multi-tasking shortcuts.  Sometimes it helps me and sometimes it backfires. This week it backfired and it was messy.

Reading from Christine Valters at Abbey of the Arts, where I recently took a Monk in the World e-course, I have enjoyed browsing her site for articles and more information on how to live contemplatively in the world. 

In the midst of day to day responsibilities, she suggests being as fully present as you can to the task at hand.  When you're in work-mode be fully mindful to it as you engage it.  Do only one thing at a time.  Multitasking only serves to increase anxiety.

If my task is helping my daughter with eighth grade pre-algebra homework - that is what I do.  Being fully present with her.  When I am driving, I must be fully present. (The PeWee Valley policemen hold me accountable on this one).  On Sunday evenings when I begin to mentally prepare for my week, I must bring my thoughts to that moment and task, releasng concern over what might not be completed.

As I consider these things, where can I be fully present with everyone I meet this week?

How did they find out?

5@5

 ...a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe.

Guilty food pleasures: they're so wrong, yet oh-so right. From neon-hued mac 'n' cheese to cheeseburger-flavored tortilla chips, seems everybody has one or five ... even say, an editor-in-chief of a major food magazine.

5 Foods I Am (Only Somewhat) Ashamed to Say I Love

by James Oseland

1. Dr. Pepper
"Every time I take a sip of this stuff (I try to limit my annual consumption to no more than three cans), I am reminded of a line I heard someone say on Mary Hartman - the 1970s Norman Lear-produced soap opera satire - when I was about 13 years old: 'Drink it; it’s delicious nectar of the gods.' With its round-noted, cherry-esque flavors, it is exactly that, and more. Forget all the newfangled 'artisanal,' small-batch lemongrass-and-lavender sodas that are popping up like rabbits these days; Dr. Pepper is the most brilliant soft drink out there. Period."



2. BBQ Potato Chips

"All varieties. All the time. From Kettle Chips to Wise to Ruffles, BBQ-flavored potato chips kick ---. They are salty and sweet and smoky and crisp and crunchy, and they come in the most gorgeous, sunset-y hues known to man. Is there anything more you could want from a food? (And they’re even better when washed down with a salt-counterbalancing swig of straight-from-the-can Dr. Pepper - which, in effect, kills two of my long-standing trash-food obsessions with one stone. Oh, rapture without end!)"



3. McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish Sandwiches

"I’m sorry, I know it is the height of foodie irresponsibility even to admit to setting foot inside the Evil Death Star that is McDonald’s, but the mega-chain’s Filet-O-Fish sandwiches are perfection on a bun. (The editor-in-chief of Saveur likes McDonald’s? Call the President!) From the crisp wedge of battered, fried fish to the dainty dab of tartar sauce, they are a miracle of food science. I remember that the first thing I wanted to eat upon returning the States after spending ten months in a South Indian village sleeping on a mat and eating a strict vegetarian diet was a Filet-O-Fish sammy. They are that important to me."



4. Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bars

"Okay, okay, there are some really sophisticated chocolates available nowadays. And, yes, many of those chocolates are produced using cacao farmed under some seemingly great, free-trade conditions. But when I need a chocolate fix, there is nothing more satisfying than a Hershey's Bar. Its velvety mouth-feel and subtle, caramel-like sweetness connect to my pleasure sensors (and to happy childhood memories) in an immediate, primal way."



5. Swiss Miss Creamy Vanilla Pudding Cups

"Admitting to loving this 'food' as much as I do kind of freaks me out. Pudding cups, in all forms, are pretty reprehensible foods, filled with all sorts of incredibly nasty synthetic things. But, God, do they taste good, especially the vanilla variety from Swiss Miss. Its smooth, buttery goodness makes me instantly forget all the bad things I’ve ever said about factory food."


Are You Favorites On This List?

5 Day Food Challenge - Day #5

It has taken me several days to determine exactly how I would conclude my blog series concerning Northeast's 5 Day Food Challenge. I've determined quite a lot about myself while eating 'beans & rice,' some of which I'm not too particularly proud of.

• I jumped into this challenge with previous fasting experience under my belt and felt like this diet didn't seem like a real BIG test of my will power. I self-righteously approached it with the attitude of "I can do this."
• I soon discovered that eating the same food -day after day- made me grouchy, discontent, short-tempered, and miserable. Go figure! Really, I think it was the monotony that almost drove me crazy. Food cravings are a trait I inherited from my father. I can eat something 24/7 for two weeks and love it. Then I'll wake up the next morning and a new food compulsion has overtaken my self-control.
• I'm still amazed that my girls didn't complain constantly. They were resilient troopers who ate what I served without grumbling. Each morning they would grab their Ethiopian measure and return in the afternoon...very hungry and ready for dinner. We've noticed too that leftovers are a thing of the past when portion size is reduced. Nothing was wasted in our household this week.
• Not surprisingly, dinner conversations were enhanced with meaningful discussions on such topics as: entitlements, starvation vs. hunger, and contentment.
• From my very first day, I realized I would need accountability from a friend in order to be successful in eating 'beans & rice' everyday. I definitely couldn't have done it by myself. I don't have the willpower. (A special thanks goes out to my friend, Karen who emailed me regularly to keep me in check!)
• My defining moment of the week comes from a friend of our family, Ronnie Cordrey. He shared his Food Challenge thoughts with these poignant words, "I was starving for what I wanted." That was my PUNCH in the gut.

When the entire week had finally come to a close, I was looking directly into the face of my own selfishness (that's scary)! My narcissitic interest in choosing foods I wanted filled me with disgust. I saw my own self-regard for hording foods I enjoyed. And finally, the PUNCH- the overwhelming desire to take no prisoners when it came to GETTING THE FOOD I WANTED each day. It was a sad but true reality check for me. I had not even tolerated one thought of continuing my diet of 'beans & rice' in solidarity with the Ethiopians. I wanted it to end and even plotted with my daughters to order pizza at 12:01am on Friday night.

Our family has returned to our ordinary routine of eating, but not without the residue of those less fortunate still floating through out minds.

5 Day Food Challenge - Day #4

Hanging on...

Almost done...

5 Day Food Challenge Day #3

Day #3,

We are into our third day of our Food Challenge and already "sin" has entered our camp.

Last night at dinner, Murphy mentioned that he had attended a day-long conference in Southern Indiana. Unable to stop and eat his 'beans & rice,' several of those also on the Food Challenge decided that Qudoba would be a fitting substitution.

You can imagine what the girls and I thought of his impromptu diversion from our diet. "THAT's NOT FAIR!" Quickly the judgemental accusations began to fly about not "REALLY" being dedicated to our cause and an entire laundry list of other things.

Later, while taking Madeline to bball practice, she mentioned that another family in our challenge had decided to altar the 5 Day Food Challenge plan too. Instead of eating 'beans & rice' everyday, they were substituting 'small portions' of their regular meals. Their justification was they were eating less and still benefiting from their sacrifice.

She and I discussed how quickly we race to place judgements upon others for their actions. Without thinking, we judge them according to 'our rules.' At the same time, we are unaware that seeds of bitterness and discontent are being planted deep within our very souls. We had a GREAT conversation which trickled into a family discussion regarding those who follow the rules and those who make rules for themselves.

All in the day of a Food Challenged Family....

5 Day Food Challenge Day #2

Day #2...

My family and I continue in our 5 Day Food Challenge of 'eating like Ethiopians.' It has made each of us stop and consider why we eat, how often, and are we truly thankful for all that God gives us?

Madeline told us she caught herself dreaming of eating a grilled cheese sandwich at W.W. Cousins when this is all over. She has bball practice each day and I know this is hard on her, but she resolves to stay on our diet. She mentions the great conversations she's had about the reasons behind her commitment. Good for her!

Tessa's friends at work are amazed that she's bypassing her usual enormous plate of food after her shift. She also has mentioned the mental struggle she's having not to cheat, but is holding true to her promise.

Clara Taylor is struggling. She's a snacker who likes to graze most of the day. Her choices of beans and rice have been -okay-. She is dreaming about fresh fruit, cranberry juice, and chocolate cereal in the morning.

When out running errands for lunch today, at one stop I could smell the McD's food smells drifting into my air-space. I stopped in my path and absorbed the luscious scent. I had a conversation with myself that sounded like this...

"Boy, I'm hungry. I think I smell french fries, a tall Dr. Pepper, and a double hamburger...hold the pickle."

"Hey, stop thinking about food. You're consumed with what you CAN'T have to eat."

"But I'm hungry."

"You only have three more days and then you can eat ANYTHING you want."

Pondering to myself..."I have the money to buy anything I want to eat. I'm just like all those people who are waiting in the drive-thru. I could buy myself lunch."

"Wouldn't it be awful to be hungry and smell that wonderful food smell right now and not be able to buy myself lunch? Or worse, not know when my next meal will be?"

"Yes, and that's why we're eating beans and rice..."

5 Day Food Challenge - Day #1

As an act of solidarity with those who live in the bottom econonic half of the world, I have accepted the 5 Day Food Challenge from Northeast Christian Church leadership to reduce my food intake for the next five days.

So, our entire family-which includes three teenage girls have signed on for the following menu this week:

• Plain oatmeal or cream of wheat (the Beldings are substituting grits-we're Southerners!)
• A tortilla, rice and beans
• Rice w/ bits of fish or chicken and a vegetable
• Tap water

It didn’t hit me until this morning that I would need to ‘fix’ something for my entire family to eat BEFORE I left for work. So, at 6:30 am I’m cooking black beans, basmati rice, and grits. Weird smells to have floating throughout the house at such an early time of the day.

In my cubical this morning, my mind has wondered numerous times into "SNACK-LAND." I've inadvertantly thought to myself, "What can I eat? Why am I so hungry?" And then the realization hits me "remember those who are hungry."

Later, as I'm leaving the building for lunch, I run to my car and to rip open my small container of rice and black beans. I want to gorge myself, but instead I pause...thankfulness and gratitude tumble from my lips to God. As I look for a spoon in the glove-compartment, I laugh to myself that it wouldn't matter whether I found one or not. I'd shamelessly eat with my fingers.

As I walk through Target, my mind wonders to food aisles for getting something salty for snacking later and again I'm caught in the awareness that I've chosen hunger.

Hunger to remember... not to take food or my next meal for granted.

I'll keep you posted....

Portion sizes around the world are much smaller than a typical American meal. One cup or eight ounces is a generous protion. Meat is a luzury with the average African male consuming about 2 ounces a day--the size of a small chicken nugget. Fresh fruit is rare, available only if locally gornw and in season. (NECC website)

CRAVE

Do you crave chocolate?

Pickles?

Starbucks mocha latte?

Something salty?

"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt."

Charles M. Schulz

Many people find it nearly impossible to overcome their cravings for sweets. From dark chocolate and whipped cream in a can to something salty or a combination of both. The sheer pleasure of eating sugar-laden treats and desserts can be very difficult to ignore, especially for those who have a sweet tooth.

Cravings for sweets often start in the earliest days of childhood, when candy and other sugary treats were regularly available. Pre-sweetened breakfast cereals, ice cream treats, birthday cakes and puddings are a memorable part of a child's diet. It has been a never ending battle to watch the intake of all the sugary items thrust upon my girls, even from an early age. All of then love sweets, but one especially consider's anything chocolate to be 'divine'.

What is your favorite sweet treat?

The Art of Dipping

Since I'm a salty snacker, I have almost perfected the art of dipping. Give me a chip (tostada, pita, corn, or potato) and I can beat anybody at dipping. There's an art to the skill required in fine dipping. Here are a few of my favorites:




...with roasted red pepper hummus and fresh crunchy veggies!






...with sour cream and chive dip!

















...with fresh cilantro "HOT" salsa!





WHEW! I'm hungry...gotta go dip!

250,000

The number of restaurant locations you can access at goodfoodnearyou.com a free Web and mobile service that lets you search for restaurants based on the nutritional value of their food.

Punch in a ZIP code to get the skinny on local dining spots, or scroll through dishes offered at popular chains and sort by calories, carbs, or fat. A healthier you is just a click away.

Source: Real Simple Magazine

THEN and NOW

The price of a gallon of milk...



1958 $1.01

2009 $3.39

How much do you pay for a gallon of milk?

Friday's Query

Which supermarket habit are you trying to kick?

• Helping myself to too many grapes in the produce aisle?
  

• Stuffing an unwanted item in the magazine racket at checkout?

• Abusing food sample privileges?

• Trying to sneak expired coupons through the checkout?

• Ignoring stores requests for using recyclable bags?
  

Hoarding??

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal." Matthew 6:19

According to Joshua Greenberg, 62% of us hoard sale items at the supermarket. I can believe that because I've watched Goodwill employee's wheel a 'new' donations cart out and witnessed the pushing and shoving that takes place.

Have you ever considered why we hoard? Chipmunks are famous for hoarding, but why do I hoard stuff? Webster defines hoarding as a supply of stored or hidden items for future use; a cache. Somewhere in my brain I see reservoir's of STUFF accumulating without purpose...that's hoarding to me!

UOCHD is a website dedicated to understanding our need to hoard. Listen to how they describe it.

"Hoarding is often a specific symptom of OCD which results in people keeping large amounts of items that to the outside world are considered excessive or worthless/useless...Many elderly people deal with hoarding and may have had a life-time of accumulating stuff that gradually got worse as they got older...For those who hoard, it creates a vicious circle in which they almost literally become trapped."

In the meantime, Greenberg suggests three ways to guard against hoarding...

1. Buy what you need. Stores use tricks to lure you into buying more than you need...beware!
2. Watch out for 'end of the aisle' sales. There's a reason why premium-brand products on sale get such prime real estate: to lure you into buying a brand you'd normally think is too expensive. Remember to compare preimium brand prices with low cost items.
3. Be wary of perishaable-goods sales. While it can be a good idea to stock up on perishable items such as chicken, produce and cheese, make sure your supply & demand will make it a good buy AND make sure you have enough freezer/refrig space for the sale item.
   

Batter Up!!

Ever since New Jersey diner owner Bill Smith whipped up a Guy Fieri pancake on an episode of Diners, Driver-ins and Dives, customers have been asking him for pancake miracles-mermaids, dinosaurs, their kids' faces...

Using a batter-filled squeeze bottle, Smith drew the outline of each face and let the lines cook slightly, then filled in the gaps with more batter. The outlines cooked longer, so they were darker than the rest of the pancake.

Try his technique at home (start off easy, with a smiley face), or see the original artist at work when Mustache Bill's opens for the season on March 13 (Broadway at 8th Street, Barnegat Light, NJ).

Snacks??

Are you a salty snacker? Chex mix, potato chips, pop corn, and Fritos....

or

Are you a sweet snacker? Snickers, Little Debbie's, and Oreo's...

Friday's Query

#1 thing you love about cooking is...
what?

All About Cupcakes...

Cupcakes!!

The word alone brings a smile to my girls.

The cupcake evolved in the United States in the 19th century, and it was revolutionary because of the amount of time it saved in the kitchen. There was a shift from weighing out ingredients when baking to measuring out ingredients.

There are two theories on where the name 'cupcake' originated: one, the cakes were originally cooked in cups and two, the ingredients used to make the cupcakes were measured out by the cup.

Today, there are bakeries dedicated exclusively to making only cupcakes. Here are a few I've heard about:

MagPies in Knoxville, TN. They specialized in "...all butter, all the time, all real, all fresh and every day. That's our process. At Magpies, cake is what we do..." Take a quick peek at their menu and if you're close to Knoxville stop in and sample something sweet.




Holy Cow, Cupcakes! is located in Carmel, IN. Describing their business as a 'Cupcakery,' Holy Cow Cupcakes! makes deliveries all over Indianapolis. They believe a cupcake made without love isn't a cupcake at all.


Here are several questions from their FAQ's fact board.

• Can I send cupcakes as a gift? Of Course...and will be the coolest gift giver ever! You can also purpose with cupcakes, say I am sorry, or celebrate any occasion!

• Do I need to have a special occasion to order cupcakes? NO WAY! Any day is made more special with a delivery of cupcakes!

• Do you deliver? YES! Email me with the delivery location and I will let you know the price!

So the next time you're looking for something trendy, glamorous, and currently the "Big Hit" at parties and weddings all over the world, check out a Cupcakery near you!!

A Golden Sponge Cake with Creamy Filling

In 1933, the Twinkie was born. The Twinkie was invented by a bakery manager James Dewar in Schiller Park, Illinois, making thrifty use of pans that were used for shortcake production only during the strawberry season. Twinkies originally contained a banana cream filling, but this was replaced with a vanilla cream filling during a banana shortage during World War II.

I just can't do it.
How can they sit on a store shelf for 30 years and never deteriorate?
My mother made sure I never partook of this 'junk food' treat.
I just can't bring my virgin 'twinkie' lips to indulge. Why? (see small print below)
Have you?
Have you had them deep fried? Banana cream filled?


Preparation of a deep fried Twinkie: Although variations exist in the form, the deep-fried Twinkie is usually prepared with a fish batter, typically consisting of flour, egg and vinegar. Prior to dipping, a wooden or plastic stick is often inserted through one end (to allow the consumer to hold it), and the Twinkie is then frozen overnight to prevent melting while being deep fried. After coating, conventional cooking oil is typically used, although beef suet or tallow is sometimes used to give a "meaty" flavor.

A Fortifying Food

Drink Tea...

Research suggest that L-theanine, found in black, green, oolong, and pekoe teas, may enhance the disease-fighting capabilities of the immune system's T cells, allowing them to defend better against invading bacteria.

Drink two to four cups of tea per day for a potent brew of amino acids and antioxidants. In addition, tea's dietary phenols also inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria in the gut.

I was a snob today.
I was having breakfast out with a friend at Panera. I ordered a bagel and paused a moment debating if I should drink hot tea or something cold.

I don't usually order tea outside my own kitchen because I like it fixed a certain way. I like the water hot, the tea black, a little milk, and in a tea cup (not paper). Most of the time it comes with tepid water and a Lipton tea bag.

I decided on hot tea.

The cashier points me in the direction of a tall silver air carafe and I wince. Ugh...tepid water. A thought whizzes through my mind about contentment and 'don't sweat the small stuff' and I reluctantly make my tea selection. Hmm...I'm surprised by lot's of good choices. I eagerly chose English Breakfast Blend and set my tray down to fill my cup. A thought faintly returns of the cashier's suggestion to obtain a sleeve for my cup and instantly I realize why. The air carafe is distilling piping hot water and I grin with satisfaction.

This tea snob has found her tea hideaway and I'm so happy!