We purged all the processed food with five ingredients or more and any of the "outs" on our Fresh Mouth list.
What were we left with in our cabinet and fridge? A sampling of flour, sugar, canned veggies, pumpkin puree, spices, whole wheat pasta, milk, eggs, yogurt, juice, and some dried lentils. All the non-perishable, unopened stuff - organic peanut butter cereal, refried beans and flavored oatmeal included - were boxed up. Patrick had to verify the ingredient list on Panda Puffs twice before parting with them. We'll save them in the event of a nuclear apocalypse, and we get banished to the basement. And Dirk had to kiss the ketchup with high fructose corn syrup goodbye.
Then we hit Kroger. What was most stunning was how off limits everything was. The periphery of the store with the fresh fruits, veggies, meat and dairy was easy to shop, but when we ventured to the inner aisles for snack food - pretzels, applesauce, popcorn, organic chocolate chips - there was very little to eat. Bread has an obscene number of ingredients and so does juice. The hardest staples of our diet to find were canned tomato sauce and pita bread. Too many additives and preservatives. So we're making pita bread tonight. One of the biggest impacts of this experiment is going to be how much time I spend in the kitchen ...
What were we left with in our cabinet and fridge? A sampling of flour, sugar, canned veggies, pumpkin puree, spices, whole wheat pasta, milk, eggs, yogurt, juice, and some dried lentils. All the non-perishable, unopened stuff - organic peanut butter cereal, refried beans and flavored oatmeal included - were boxed up. Patrick had to verify the ingredient list on Panda Puffs twice before parting with them. We'll save them in the event of a nuclear apocalypse, and we get banished to the basement. And Dirk had to kiss the ketchup with high fructose corn syrup goodbye.
Then we hit Kroger. What was most stunning was how off limits everything was. The periphery of the store with the fresh fruits, veggies, meat and dairy was easy to shop, but when we ventured to the inner aisles for snack food - pretzels, applesauce, popcorn, organic chocolate chips - there was very little to eat. Bread has an obscene number of ingredients and so does juice. The hardest staples of our diet to find were canned tomato sauce and pita bread. Too many additives and preservatives. So we're making pita bread tonight. One of the biggest impacts of this experiment is going to be how much time I spend in the kitchen ...
We had to make a second stop at the local natural food store - Ellwood Thompsons - to find the tomato sauce, bulk nuts, natural bread (there weren't any with 5 or less, so I have to make bread, too), kid toothpaste without dyes in it and the secret fish oil. All told we spent $207.36 which is about $50 more per week than usual. We've planned out our meals for the week including stuffed chicken with spinach and mushrooms, homemade pizza, roast chicken, homemade chicken soup from the leftovers and fruit, nuts and dairy. We hope to make it through the week without shopping again. Is this elitist? Can everyone afford this? Pollan says if we can swing the extra $100 or more that we now find ourselves shelling out for wireless Internet, broadband and digital cable, then we can afford to spend more on good food. Easy to say when Cheez-its are half the cost of organic lettuce.
We kick Fresh Mouth off tomorrow morning. Tonight, as a swan song to ersatz food, we're binging on a good old American meal of hamburgers on processed rolls, frozen fries with soybean oil and leftover ice cream with "natural tara gum." Wish us luck.
Nugget o' the Day: "You need coupons for fruit,
Mommy." - Patrick
4 comments:
You will spend more time in the kithchen, but it is 100% worth it. Every Sunday I get a game plan together for the week and prep as much as possible. I will bake a couple of squashes for easy sides or snacks, and I bake several apples until they are very soft to use in place of jelly on my almond butter sandwhiches. Planning is key.
"Pollan says if we can swing the extra $100 or more that we now find ourselves shelling out for wireless Internet, broadband and digital cable, then we can afford to spend more on good food. Easy to say when Cheez-its are half the cost of organic lettuce."
I think Pollan's point is that people are spending money they used to spend on food on other stuff...your cable, internet, etc. Did he actually say you could afford the extra $50 if you were already spending $100? I thought the point was you should set your priorities...if you want to afford good food maybe you need to scale back in other areas.
Jason
I shared your blog with some of my friends and one of them suggested this sauce recipe:
Best Basic Red Sauce:
Emeril Lagasse
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions (1 medium yellow onion)
1 teaspoon minced garlic (2 cloves garlic)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes
2 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups water
1 teaspoon sugar
Heat the olive oil in a 5-quart pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, salt, basil, oregano and black pepper, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes. Place the tomatoes in a large bowl and squeeze to break into small pieces. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, and sugar to the pot with the onions, and stir well. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally with a long-handled wooden spoon.
Remove from the heat, and use as needed. You can store this sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months.
Jason - I don't think Pollan's point is that you could afford more if you were already spending $100 on wirless, cable, etc. I think he is emphasizing choice. I meant that if you're shelling out for the other stuff, it's easy to scrimp on the food end - Cheez-its over the veg. Food seems to get comprimised first.
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