Keeping it Real

When it comes to choosing foods, I try to keep it real.


Yes, I try to eat real, whole, mostly natural foods. But I also like to be real with myself about what I want to eat. If I crave something, I will usually eat it.  I figure that my body knows what it needs, and that it finds ways to tell me.

YUM . . .
(Sorry, vegetarians--it's just how I feel.)

Every Friday after work, I, along with some of my nearest and dearest colleagues, head out for happy hour at a nearby bar.  Almost every Friday, I eat some buffalo wings.  And here's how I feel about buffalo wings:


I love 'em.


Now, these words come from a girl who was a vegetarian for most of high school and college, who obsessed over fat grams as a teenager, and who has eliminated fried foods from her diet on more than one occasion.  My first taste of wings came at age 22.


But the thing about buffalo wings is . . . they're really good.  And so, I eat them.  


This is what I mean by keeping it real--eating what you want or need, at the time you want or need it.   


I didn't feel like cooking last night, so I made myself a hodge podge of yummy things from my fridge, and I loved every bite.  It happened to be no-cook and easy to put together, but mostly, it was exactly what I needed last night's dinner to be.

The Perfect Dinner (for Monday, August 30, 2010, at least)
carrot and celery sticks, Whole Foods lemon hummus, La Quercia prosciutto*,
tomato and crunchy sprout salad, and a few leftover olives and Tuscan beans

Keep it real,
Francie


P.S. Next up:  Adventures in polenta!


*P.P.S. La Quercia prosciutto is crafted with love in Iowa (yes, Iowa).  You can read about this very cool company here.  

Real Eats

Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food, and many other treatises on food, wrote:

"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

I'm a big fan of this simple statement, which brings me to tonight's topic: Real Eats.

This might mean:

1.  Foods that are prepared in a form that is close to their natural state, or

2.  You are being real with yourself when you choose what to eat.

Real Eats
(also known as whole foods, high-quality foods, and <fill in your own phrase here>)

This summer, I joined a CSA.  For those of you who don't know, being part of a CSA (community supported agriculture) means that you buy a share in a farm, and you then get a share of the farm's crops.  So every Thursday, I head to a darling little garden in Harlem, say hi to my CSA friends, and load up my reusable bags with the bounty of the week.  I love this because I eat more veggies now, and because it encourages me to experiment with produce that I don't know much about.

Case in point:  okra.

Fresh okra from my CSA, Project Harmony

Like any southerner, I love my okra--and I'm not afraid to say that I like it fried.  But, fried or not, I've never made it myself.  In the interest of expanding my kitchen repertoire, I set out to try something new. After getting many ideas from friends, and remembering a recent article I read on the growing popularity of pickling, I resolved to make my first pickles--okra pickles, to be exact.  I won't know how they turned out for another two weeks, but I do know that I appreciated the simple list of ingredients (water, vinegar, pickling salt (also new to me), a bit of dill, garlic, and serrano peppers).  Below are some pictures from the pickling experience . . . 

Getting the jars ready.  I reused some jars I already had, which a real pickler might not do.  
We'll see how well that works.
After the garlic and serrano peppers, I sprinkled in some dill.

Packing the Pickles

Pouring the boiled vinegar, water, and pickling salt over the okra.
This was right before I poured boiling water on my hand--you saw that coming, didn't you?

This picture was taken right before I discovered that I could put the jar in the sink instead of holding it in my hand.  You learn something new every day.

Bye little okra pickles!  Taste you in two weeks!

It's so easy to buy pickles in a jar--and as every Webb knows, I do love pickles in a jar--but it's also easy to pickle your own real, whole foods, right in your own home.

There is much more to be said about real food, but I'm calling it a night.  Next up: keeping it real with food, and how I feel about buffalo wings.

I'd love to hear what "real food" means to you, so don't be afraid to respond, in all your spare time.

And speaking of spare time . . . 

Check out this article from the New York Times, a great read about the changing priorities of American eaters.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magazine/28nutritionism.t.htm

Love from NYC,

Francie

P.S.  I'm going to get better at blogging, and at taking food pictures.  I swear.  I'll stick with it if you'll stick with me.

P.S. Did you know that Michael Pollan's sister is Tracy Pollan, wife of Michael J. Fox?  It's true.  Wikipedia says so. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Pollan

It's time.

A beautiful sunset with friends at Kimo's in Lahaina, Maui

I have a mission.

I'd like to eat the most delicious food I possibly can, while keeping it:

1. Real
2. Cheap, and
3. Healthy.

I'm in the middle of a food revolution--and with all the literature and conversation about food out there, maybe all of us are.

I thought I'd share it with you, whoever you may be, in hopes that we can learn even more, and grow as food lovers, together.

Buen provecho!

Francie