November Unraveled

via Pinterest

So about this whole October Unprocessed thing....it seemed like a good idea at the time.  And honestly, it went really well for a while and I learned a ton just from the shopping experiences alone.  You wouldn't believe some of the processed ingredients that go into the foods we eat everyday.  But, it was way more challenging than I expected, even living alone and only having one person to cook and shop for.  It was almost harder because the quick things still always seem more reasonable when you're on your own. Additionally since I'm always on the go I have to be that much more diligent about having healthy alternatives around so I'm not just grabbing the first snack I see.

Even though I definitely struggled through the month of October, and didn't follow every rule as it should be, there are several things that I've picked up on that I think will continue even though I was a little unraveled in November.

1. Whole Wheat Pasta - I used to hate this pasta, I thought it was grainy and had to cook way longer and just didn't taste the same.  There definitely is a different taste to it but I've found actually the best brand as far as comparability to regular pasta is Hy-Vee's whole wheat pastas! They are quite good.  I really enjoyed using whole wheat spaghetti in my favorite baked spaghetti recipe.  It made it seem that much more hearty and filling. 
2. Healthy snacking - while an occasional cookie or scotcheroo from the cafe at work may find it's way to my desk, I have gotten a lot better about healthy snacking, especially unprocessed things like carrots, apples, hummus, etc. 
3. Grocery shopping - As I said before, this was so eye-opening. I've found some new products that i love and will continue to seek out, and I've learned that when you're eating all of these fresh things, you really can't go two weeks without going to the grocery store.  You have to maintain a balanced pantry and be willing to stop by the store for what fresh ingredients you might need.  

All in all it was a good experience, even if I didn't follow it as closely as I had intended.  I hope my friends who tried it had a pleasant experience with it and have learned a thing or two they can put into daily practice. 

via Pinterest

Supermarket Sweep

Image via Google

I couldn't resist using that title.  Did anyone else watch that game show growing up? I remember taking it in when I was home sick from school (and probably supposed to be sleeping) and pretending to race around our hometown grocery store looking for specific items for my mom's cart.

That's kind of how it felt yesterday when I went to the grocery store for my first unprocessed grocery buying experience.  Not that I was in a hurry (and good thing, it took me forever!) but that I found myself carefully inspecting anything that came in a box or container to make sure it indeed qualified as unprocessed.

How can you be sure it's unprocessed?  Some things are easy - fruits, veggies - obviously unprocessed. So does that mean everything that is packaged is processed? Well Andrew over at Eating Rules, who created October Unprocessed, uses the kitchen test for these items.  If a reasonable person (like yourself) could reasonably create the product in their own home given they had the ingredients, then yes, it passes and is considered unprocessed.  A good rule of thumb is - if you can't pronounce it, it shouldn't be going in your body.

I started my trip at Trader Joe's to get a few things that I knew they had that Hy-Vee wouldn't have.  For instance, Trader Joe's homemade 100% Whole Wheat Tortillas.  Made fresh and from what I've heard, are delicious! I'm going to try to use them in my favorite Sour Cream White Chicken Enchilada recipe.  Speaking of which - sour cream.  Soooo processed - but delicious. Argh. BUT never fear because TJ's again doesn't let us down and has a Simply Sour Cream product that doesn't have any artificial flavors, ingredients, or stabilizers.  Just sour cream.  Of course, one could argue that sour cream HAS to be pasteurized so therefore is processed, but we're not aiming for perfection here friends, the name of the game is awareness. Side note: I did pick up one "cheat item" at Trader Joe's - Cookie Butter.  Yum.  But definitely processed. It is however somewhat more natural than most store bought peanut butters by looking at the ingredients (potential bias). What can I say, we all have our vices - at least it's not ice cream (more on that later)?! I picked up a few other things at TJ's including some yummy pumpkin spice coffee without artificial flavors and got out of there only spending around $24.00.

My next stop was Hy-Vee.  I love Hy-Vee  I do, I really really do.  Add to that the Fuel Saver card and life is good.  But I digress. At Hy-Vee I purchased all of my produce which proved to be the fastest and easiest part of the errand.  Lots of fruit for breakfast and snacks and veggies which I made into the Southwestern Chopped Salad that I mentioned in an earlier post (review to come - it's for lunch today!). Once that was done my focus was on snacks, and trying to take two of my favorite recipes and turn them into unprocessed recipes.  I did a lot of reading, and most of the time I was pleasantly surprised by how natural some things are.  I struggled though when it came to finding the green chiles for my Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas. Who knew one little tiny can could be so complicated!  But pretty much every can contained a little thing called calcium chloride (here used as a preservative - also used to melt ice on roadways...not kidding). So after examining EVERY can of green chiles that Hy-Vee had to offer I finally just picked one that didn't have any other weird preservatives in it and chalked it up to it being a very teeny sacrifice.  It also contains citric acid, but as others on this challenge have pointed out to me, you CAN actually by that powdered for canning and whatnot so technically it passes the kitchen test.  Fair enough.

In the end I spent about $75 at Hy-Vee and walked away with at least a couple weeks of meals and snacks for a grand total of $100.  Not bad. I did learn however that it is hard to buy in advance since you are using so many fresh ingredients! Hence why the chopped salad was prepared immediately!

So there you have it, my first unprocessed grocery experience. I know some of you may be asking - but how is it going otherwise? I have to say - not too shabby!  I've managed to stay on track, even with going out for lunch with a coworker once and having to carefully pick what I would order.  I'm ecstatic to have pumpkin spice coffee that is unprocessed (I've been substituting my favorite Stash Double Bergamot Earl Grey Tea for the last two days). And I've been feeling really good! I don't have the sugar highs and lows that I had before when I would snack on candy or grab a cookie after lunch, which is awesome. The only tough times have been walking through the lobby at work and smelling the cookies baking at the cafe and hearing my friends talk about eating ice cream.  Oh how I miss ice cream.  I do want to do some investigating and see if there are any unprocessed type ice creams out there.  But at least for October I'm going to leave well enough alone and try and kick that habit. Not that I am going to try and never eat ice cream again - because we all know that without ice cream there would be darkness and chaos. And we just can't have that.

Image via Pinterest/Etsy

Happies of the Week (because I forgot these the other day): 

FaceTime with my new nephew (with some help from his mom & dad)

Honeycrisp apples (with or without cookie butter)

More energy = more productivity at work and home

You are the Cheese to my Gnocchi....

Um, what?  Yes I know, doesn't quite have the same ring as Juno's "You are the Cheese to my Macaroni" but let me tell you, it is quite possibly one of the best things I have ever made and definitely one of the best that I have eaten!

I introduce to you Gnocchi Mac & Cheese!

I first discovered this recipe on Pinterest (LOVE Pinterest!) and then followed the links back to the Noble Pig which is the food blog of Noble Pig Vineyard and Winery.  It has some amazing recipes and I will definitely be visiting this site again!!  

This recipe was actually super easy!  I didn't make my own homemade gnocchi (someday!) but it was still amazing with the store bought kind.  I also omitted the basil because I didn't have any on hand but I'm sure it would add a little extra color.  When I took it out of the oven I could hardly wait to bite into the golden, gooey amazingness  - and let me tell you - I was NOT disappointed!  It was seriously good. I ate this as a meal in itself but I think it would make a great side too!  I had it on a cold and blustery day here in Lincoln and with a yummy Chardonnay that I hope to review soon.  

Here's the recipe! Enjoy and let me know if you try it out!!  

Noble Pig Gnocchi Mac & Cheese (originally from Cuisine at Home)

1 pound purchased or homemade gnocchi

2 Tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons garlic, finely chopped

1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

3/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese

1/4 cup shredded fontina cheese

Salt and white pepper to taste

1/3 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano

Basil leaves for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 375^o F.  Prepare gnocchi according to package directions.  Drain and place gnocchi in a single-layer in a 1-1/2 quart shallow baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Whisk in flour until it thickens and bubbles, then whisk in milk and Dijon.  Continue to whisk mixture and cook until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes. 

Combine Gruyere and fontina, then add by the handful to milk mixture, stirring until melted before adding the next handful.  Once all cheese is melted, season sauce with salt and pepper.  

Pour sauce over gnocchi and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano over top.  Bake gnocchi until they puff and cheese is golden and bubbly, about 25 minutes.  let gnocchi rest for 5 minutes before serving.  

100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know

While my mom was in town this weekend I decided to try out some of the recipes from my new cookbook.  While at Barnes & Noble the other day, I picked up a copy of 100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know.  It was put together by the editors of Glamour magazine using recipes gathered over the years for busy women who want to cook healthily and cook well, but may not have the time or the budget to do just that.  

Tonight my mom and I tried out several recipes, including the following:

Style on a Budget White Sangria (Forgive the Tupperware!)

No-Fail Kale Salad (No joke, that is the center of the Purple Kale that I used for decoration)

Bikini Season Baked Salmon 

Gingery Green Beans

Get Over Him Berry Parfait

As you can see, a lot of the dishes have cute names.  The cookbook is famous for including a recipe for Engagement Chicken which is supposedly responsible for 70+ engagements!  Now I will probably not be utilizing that recipe any time soon - but there are tons of great recipes inside as well as some cute stories from Engagement Chicken success stories.

Throughout this week I hope to share with you the recipes for the above dishes.  I was really excited with how well it all turned out and how quickly it came together as well.