Food & Nutrition

  • Food & Nutrition, Saving Money

    Grocery Haul: January 2019

    Grand Total: $80.77

    Quite honestly, with finals, grading and vacation, my grocery shopping got all out of wack.  I did a lot of eating out, snacking, making multiple random trips to the grocery story but not coming out with anything I could turn into a meal etc…… Somehow, I managed to make it to Winter Break.  Now that it’s January, and the only commitment I have is to study for my qualifying exam (46 days away), I can make grocery shopping and meal prep more of a priority.  No new resolutions, I’m just trying to get back to being consistent.  To do that and to maximize my time, my thought process before hitting the store was to plan for meals that would be quick no brainers (pasta, stuffed peppers, turkey burgers, etc) and snacks of course so that I could focus my energies on reading.

    As much as I love TJ, I want to use this grocery haul as a reminder of something never to buy again, Winter Wake Up Tea.

    I drink a lot of tea.  It keeps me company and calms my nerves while studying, so I was excited to try this new flavor based on the description. It’s said to be “a spicy Black tea blend with cinnamon and ginger”–seemingly all good things.  TJ already has some great flavors that I love like Harvest spice, ginger pear, mango black tea, so I had no reason to doubt that this would be any different.  This taste like dishwater.  I’m sure it could be doctored up with a lot of milk, sweetener, etc, but ain’t no body got time for that. It was only about three dollars, so I’m not out of too much money, but I’m disappointed.  In short, Winter Wake Up should go back to bed.

    Here’s my first meal prep of the year!  I made the bbq chicken wings in the air fryer, and they came out pretty good!  As sides I made green beans and quinoa pesto.

    How are you all doing in the new year?  Have you gone grocery shopping yet? Any new food related commitments that you’re making to yourself?

  • Food & Nutrition, The Academy

    I tried it: Açaí Bowls

    I’m leaving for fieldwork in approximately 5 months.  I’m EXTREMELY grateful (and still genuinely surprised, blessed, mystified, etc) to have received the very first dissertation grant that I applied for typos and all.  No matter how many people try to tell me that my nervousness is just excitement in disguise, I beg to differ.  I’m going to miss NYC, the people, the ease of transportation, the non-stop entertainment, and I’m not only talking about the kind that you have to buy a ticket for.  I finally feel like I’ve made a home for myself here, and now I have to leave.

    I’m sure this will make me sound extremely privileged, ethnocentric, [insert any pejorative term anthropology strives to work against] but I’m really concerned about what I’m going to eat.  My field-site is not a food paradise, paradise in many ways, but definitely not when it comes to food.  I know that people live there just fine, but I’d being lying if I said I wasn’t already planning how I could set up a system for my friends to drop off protein powder and almonds when they come to visit me.

    With that said, in an attempt to make the most of my time in the city, I’ve created a food bucket list to avail myself of all the abundant food options that the city has to offer.  Studying for comps is lonely, boring and a side of boring, so finding ways to turn the mundane into something exciting is my current strategy.

    Up first was an açaí bowl.  I know I’m late to the game, but it’s always been on my list of things to try.

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    The good: It tasted really good.  I ordered the ‘Tropical Blunder’, which consisted of granola, mango, kiwi coconut and of course açaí .  It was thicker than I thought it’d be.

    The bad: This is essentially a smoothy in a bowl, served with a spoon instead of a straw. I knew this going in, but somehow I thought it’d be different. I felt some kind of way about paying nearly $10.  I know that açaí is supposed to be healthy for you but–this purchase hurt my heart a little.

    The verdict: I’m glad I tried it and that I can check it off the list, but I won’t be missing this.

    Have you all had açaí bowls before?  Did you have a better experience? Were my expectations too high? Let me know.

  • Food & Nutrition, Nutrition, Saving Money

    Grocery Haul: October 2018

    Grand Total: $101.63

    Happy fall!  This month I’m really trying to be intentional about eating more, hence why my TJ’s bill keeps creeping higher and higher (FYI I don’t just shop at TJ’s–I’ll explain my strategy in a later post).  My desire to eat more isn’t just about preparing for winter hibernation.  Because of my under eating, I often wake up at 3 and 4 in the morning because my body is craving food.  Needless to say, this messes me up for the rest of the day even if I do  fall back asleep.  If I can manage to get this under control, I’m looking forward to sleeping more, and I also think it’ll be interesting to see how my body responds to getting more food on a regular basis.

    My new-ish item of interest at Trader Joe’s are these vegetable spring rolls….One box includes five pieces and they came up to $3.99.  They are filled with edamame, kale, cabbage and mushrooms.

    This is my second time buying these spring rolls, and there’s a reason–they’re pretty darn good. The first time around, I  baked them following the instructions on the box.  The second time, I used my roommate’s air fryer, which gave them a really nice crunch in only about 7 minutes.  I prefer the airfryer because it’s quicker and more fun to use; however, since I meal prep’ed with these and therefore put them in the refrigerator rather than eating them immediately after I cooked them as it’s suggested, the crunch pretty much just went away.  I know that this isn’t ideal and that the texture is less than desirable, but, even with the slight sogginess, I’m still here for it.

    My lunch this week.  In addition to spring rolls, I made stir fry with TJ pre-chopped vegetables, marinated tofu over brown rice. I also sautéed kale.

    Am I the only one that is willing to make small taste-based concessions for the peace of mind of knowing that your food is taken care of for the entire work week?  Meal prepping for me is more about saving time and money rather than eating perfect meals.  I’m willing to eat a semi-soggy spring roll or two.

    Onwards and upwards.  We’re already half-way through the semester!

  • Food & Nutrition, Saving Money

    When good decisions go bland

    More and more I find myself dissecting the nutrition facts on the back of foods before I purchase them.  I’m becoming that person; however, it’s sort of a necessity because ensuring that I get enough protein in my diet is a daily struggle.  This is on top of the fact that there’s often hidden sugars and other ingredients that manufacturers  slip into their foods unbeknownst to the customer thereby turning a seemingly healthy food into a hazard. So what do you do when you read something on the label that you don’t want to?

    Image result for chobani greek plain yogurt
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    True story: The grocery store up the street had a 4-pack of Chobani yogurt on sale for $2.99!  Yes…..that’s not a typo.  Because there are few things that make me happier than a good sale, I ran to the dairy aisle because usually a single cup costs about $1.53 (and I also just spend time taking in the free A/C). While I surely have vegan aspirations, buying yogurt is a relatively easy and quick way that to get protein in, so when it’s on sale, I definitely try to stock up. When it came time to decide which flavors to buy, I’m not sure why I thought Chobani would be any different, but all of the fruit in the bottom varieties had anywhere between 13 and 15 grams of sugar per serving whereas the plain unflavored only had 4.  Good for my body but bad for my taste buds.

    According to a Business Insider article, there are other major yogurt brands that have almost double of what Chobani has.  La Yogurt (original, lowfat, cheescake flavor) and Brown Cow (chocolate flavor) for example both have 28 grams of sugar, which is almost like eating a Double Chocolate Brownie from Starbucks just to put things in perspective.  Essentially, most yogurts should be classified as a desert.

    I reluctantly bought two pack of plain greek yogurt knowing that it just wasn’t going to taste good.

    So now I’m stuck with all of this yogurt that I know is better for me but that I’m actually not all that excited about eating.  I find plain greek yogurt to be bitter and pretty unappetizing.  Was it worth it?  Do I really have the time, energy and interest  to try to make my yogurt appetizing?  So far, I just add any combination of cinnamon, honey and or raisins to try to sweeten things up a bit, but I honestly feel like it’s just extra work.  Why can’t yogurt be tasty and healthy?  Am I asking for too much here?

    Other instances where good choices go bland are mostly when I skip on the condiments.  BBQ sauce is another favorite of mine, but it’s loaded with sugar.   I love the idea of butter with everything, oatmeal, eggs, toast, etc, but I usually refrain because I simply know better.

    The challenge here then is to find alternatives that satisfy my tastebuds but aren’t self defeating.  So for now, I’m using raisins, honey (trying not to o.d.) and cinnamon to improve the taste.  I can also incorporate it into my smoothies, and overnight oats which is ideal for plan yogurt rather than flavored.  It’s honestly, not so bad; it just takes a little effort.

    Have you recently made a decision to go bland?  How’s it going for you?  Any life hacks to make bland taste better?