Sometimes it is better from the can…

Posted by random olio

Fall is here. It is raining like we just set foot on Noah’s ark. Not sure when it will stop. So far it has not bothered me too much, as there is so much going on in my life right now, that I do not have time to think about the rain! What the rain has brought though is the leaves changing color and they are beginning to fall to the ground. That also means pumpkin time. I absolutely love the fall, mostly for the colors outside, the crisp air, and the food. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin spice lattes, squash soups, yum, yum, and YUM! I made some pumpkin bread over the weekend and it make me think about food I only have once a year.

Sometimes when we start doing things a certain way, that it becomes a habit. It is ours, and even as much as others try to get us to do things differently, we stick to our ways. What I am speaking of is: CANNED CRANBERRY SAUCE.

I am strange. I like canned cranberries at Thanksgiving. I know, I know, it is weird. It means there is an imprint of a can on the jellied gross looking cranberries. But see, some things just make you feel nostalgic. When I was young I had issues with textures. Yes, for those of you who know me now, you know that I still do. But, I have grown up a bit. I have a much wider range of food interests and I am much more open-minded than I ever have been before. Yet. Yes, there is a yet. I still like canned cranberries. While it is a bit gross, the taste is what I like best. It has a smooth texture, without all these chunky cranberries. Do not get me started on whether it is good for you or not. I could not care less. I just look forward to Thanksgiving that is a month away, so I can have cold canned cranberries, with warm, buttery mashed potatoes, and the rest of that yummy Thanksgiving dinner goodness.

ah yes, canned cranberries…

What random food do you enjoy that might look kind of gross?

I Am A Sucker For…

Posted by random olio

…kid videos. I am still catching up on our episodes of Ellen Degeneres. Ellen often shows videos of kids and I have a few I want to re-share as they made me laugh, smile, and laugh again. The first one is of a little boy that she found on YouTube that would get upset because he couldn’t sing the “explicit” Nicki Minaj song. Ellen showed that video on her show a few weeks ago and asked for the parents of the boy to contact her as she wanted him on the show. The video below is when he is on her show, and shows his original video, and then his interview and he sings live for her. Too cute!

This video is of a kid who will not eat unless the newly popular “Gangnam” song is playing. When his father stops the video, the kid will not eat.

Like I said, I am a sucker for kid videos. Enjoy!

“Designed To Move” – Nike Does It Again

Posted by random olio

Hope you had a good weekend! It is hard to believe it is October 1, 2012. A quick housekeeping note: I have changed the look and feel of my blog. Let me know what you think!

A while back I applied for a job with the “Alliance for a Healthier Generation.” It is connected to the Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association and its purpose is to assist with childhood obesity. Much of the work they do is with kids and schools. While I did not get the job, I continue to watch what they do, and childhood obesity is still a subject that extremely interests me. We need to have more education and understanding about how what we eat and how we move affect our health. Both can be strong contributing factors to childhood obesity.

Which is why I was giddy when I heard about Nike’s “Designed to Move” campaign. For those of you familiar with The Girl Effect, you will know what I mean when I say their campaigns are just one word: badass. You should also check out this ESPN article for more details and background on Designed to Move. Be sure to sign up for email updates and share with others on Facebook. This is an initiative we all need to be behind.

This video, as well as a conversation I had while having dinner with my sister and her boyfriend over the weekend, reminds me of my own childhood sports experiences (or non experiences). I wanted to play basketball in middle school. The only shoes I had at the time were fake “Keds.” Due to regulations with playing on a basketball court, we had to have non-marking basketball shoes to play. However, we could not afford them. Back then, few people had credit cards to put items on when you could not afford your purchase. There was layaway. Which meant we had to wait a long time to actually receive our purchase. We also did not have a car at the time to take me to basketball practice. So I never got to play.

I do not want the same outcome for my children. I want them to play soccer if they want to play soccer. I want to be able to have whatever opportunities are available, if they are interested. I want them to move, be active and challenged, and eat healthy. Every child should have the opportunities available to them to play ball, eat healthy, and be educated on their choices!

“Forks Over Knives”

Posted by random olio

It is imperative that you watch the documentary: “Forks Over Knives.” We saw it Tuesday night, and I cannot tell you loud enough that you have to watch it. It is a fascinating take on our health, food, obesity. So the first quote that hit home at the very beginning was this one:

“We pay more for health care per person than any industrialized country in the world, yet we are sicker than ever.”

Wow. That says a lot doesn’t it? We spend so much money on our health, when really we should be spending our money on buying good fruits and vegetables. Throwing away the sugar, cookies, pop-tarts, etc. My rule of thumb is to try to eat as much of my food that is alive. Fruit is alive. Vegetables are alive. They are grown through the sun. They were not made with chemicals in a lab. They were not created with artificial flavors. Anything created from fake sugars, flavors, and preservatives were never alive. Something that was alive transfers that energy to you. You want to eat that real energy. Alive = real energy = your energy.

I found this quote fascinating:

“Let food be thy medicine.” Hippocrates

Hippocrates said this. Wow. Hippocrates was born in 460 BC and died in 370 BC. He was definitely well before his time. We should start listening to him now. Food that is alive is the best way to care for the body. Which leads me to my next fascinating quote from this documentary:

“The doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition.” Thomas Edison

Edison was born in 1847 and died in 1937. It sounds like we still have not seen the future. It is starting though. More individuals are finding that whole foods, vegetables, and fruits are the best way to take care of the body. Yet, we are still treating most ailments with drugs. Why? Because it is easier. It is maybe the easiest thing. Pop a pill or eat spinach? Pop a pill or have a salad? Pop a pill and have a cookie? It seems easiest to just pop a pill. What is harder is to change our habits and make eating healthy food a priority in our life. Whole foods fill our stomachs and we do not eat as much. Eating foods that do not contain natural fibers mean that our stomachs do not fill up as full, and we eat more, gain weight, and the result = unhappiness. It is a continuous process from day-to-day. Two more interesting quotes:

“He that takes medicine and neglects diet, wastes the time of his doctor.” – Ancient Chinese Proverb

“One-quarter of what you eat keeps you alive. The other three-quarters keeps your doctor alive. -Ancient Egyptian Proverb

All such great ideas. Go out and watch this documentary. It might change the way you view food and your doctor visits. It might change your life.

Charcuterie: Mmm and Nom Nom

Posted by random olio

A few of my co-workers and I were talking about the rise of the term “charcuterie” in restaurants and food carts. Charcuterie: the art of making sausages and other cured, smoked, and preserved meats. I am seeing quite a list of newer places in Portland that have the main focus of charcuterie, bread, and cheese. To name a few: Olympic Provisions, Chop Butchery, Portland Meat Collective, and a new food cart called: Cheese & Crack.

Chris and I have been exploring the world of charcuterie for a while. But, before I tell you about that, can I just tell you for a second that I never announced we were having charcuterie, because I never knew cured and smoked meats with our cheese and crackers was charcuterie! Nor did I not have the slightest idea how to pronounce it. We even had fun (during the work conversation I mentioned above) trying to pronounce it correctly. Maybe I will just call it cheese & crack. Now that I can remember!

last night’s charcuterie with cheese

We often on the weekend relax around plates of different types of cheeses, crackers, charcuterie, and fruit and enjoy the multitude of flavors. What I love about it is that a little actually goes a long way. It is the strong and different flavors that make this meal so amazingly enticing. For me it is also the best of both worlds – salty and sweet. A sliced pear, on top of a slice of smoked gouda on a salty cracker. Mmm and Nom Nom. A perfect way to end a day of exercise, adventures, sun, and play. It is how we often end a full day.

What about you? Do you dabble in charcuterie?