Daily Food

Hi all! I miss you. I miss posting and I miss having free time to research and photograph food. My days are all running together as I am chasing after my baby.

Do you find that you eat the same food everyday? Or do you mix it up? Do you try to mix it up or do you just get bored eating the same food everyday?

I go through stages with food. There are moments (sometimes lasting for months) that all I want to do is have a certain food. I buy the food regularly and eat it almost daily but for sure weekly. Then for no reason at all I just stop buying it as I forget about it or I guess lose interest. It is fun to once again find those foods years later and remember how in to it I use to be. Sometimes it is a new love affair all over again and sometimes I wonder what the attraction was!

Here are a few new love and some old loves that have come back to me:

1. NEW- I am in love with vanilla yogurt. I have never given it a chance until recently. I am crazy for it and can't believe I haven't given it any screen time until now.
2. OLD-It may be because the weather is feeling more like Fall....I WISH! It was 87 degrees in Santa Monica today. I can dream I am feeling a crisp day and all I want to do is curl up with a book and a glass of milk with some graham crackers.
3.NEW-Freeze-dried fruit. I like peaches and apples.
4. OLD-Squash. I am REALLY into squash. I am sure it is the season but I eat it all week long and almost at every meal now. I went to the market today and bought three new varieties.
5. OLD-My biggest obsession since I last wrote.....BOBA. I have it everyday sometimes 2-3 times a day. I am going to become that bubblegum girl in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" except be a HUGE ball of boba. I love it in green iced tea.


My daily foods right now are: avocados, bananas, milk, limeade, bagels with cream cheese and strawberry jam. I eat more than these things but I honestly eat these items everyday right now. What do you eat everyday?

Good Food For All

My heart is turned home these days. Having a baby does that to you. I find myself wondering where the money will come from to pay for my passion for good food. I love making food but I love the good ingredients that good food requires. I shop the farmer's markets for produce. This helps. We are lucky to live in a place that offers so many markets three times a week.

I recently read this article. This woman goes beyond having a passion for good food on a budget. She really makes every dollar work for her. Now I don't see myself dumpster diving anytime soon but I give her a HUGE amount of credit on making her budget work. It was an inspiring article. It touches on a topic that I wish I could change in this world. The notion that you have to be rich in this country to eat well. I think if you are rich eating well is easier and let's face it you do eat better quality food. You have access and money to do so. We have to remember(we=on a budget) to ignore the marketing that goes into food. Go for organic, go for no hormone meat but ignore the prepared foods and make it yourself. This alone will make your dollar go a long way.

If your money is tight, eating well has to take on a huge priority to make your budget work for your family. I think city dwellers have the worst time as we don't have the land to plant our own vegetables. That said-if your city dwelling offers you the space container gardening can be fruitful.

Any other ideas out there?

Not For Me

These days my life is all about the feed. My husband affectionately calls me lunch wagon as he brings our son over to me for his next feeding. I am awed by the fact that my body can supply all the food and nourishment our son needs. It is truly amazing.

This week as I checked in with some of my foodie reads, I found this article. I don't think I could partake. As much as I am a pro-breast milk mom...

That's a Wrap!

Recently, I have revisited the land of wraps. There is something delicious about this simple sandwich. I like the spinach flavor tortillas. I add vegetables, lunch meat (no nitrates!), salad dressings and cheese. It is fun to experiment. I don't think I have made the same wrap twice. A wrap is just so much more appealing to eat than an everyday plain sandwich!

Happy New Year!

I thought I would give an update. I had my baby! He was born on December 22, 2007 at 1:30 pm. Hence-why there has not been a regular post for so long! He is a beautiful baby boy that we named Evan.

Food for 2008? Each new year I love to research what is being marketed as the food trends for the upcoming year. Here are some of my findings:

Local, fresh, natural, organic. All I can say is THANK GOD would we want it any other way? This has been an ongoing trend for the last few years. But now it is affecting every level and aspect of food, from farmers markets to convenience stores, even fast-food chains.

Probiotics. Have you seen those yogurt commercials about digestion? Geez. This friendly bacteria keeps us healthy is now moving beyond yogurt to a wider range of foods, even chocolate bars. While most aid digestion, one strain targets cold and flu symptoms.

Natural no-cal sweeteners. The introduction of erythritol (zero-calorie natural sugar) sweeteners and Coca-Cola's move toward gaining patents and FDA approval for the food use of stevia (up to 300 times sweeter than sugar) put that longtime industry goal within reach. And artificial sweeteners on the "out" list.

Umami. The satisfying but hard-to-describe taste sensation is linked to high levels of glutamate in foods like Parmesan cheese and mushrooms. As more foods are stripped of fat, sodium, sugar, calories - and with that, flavor - chefs are starting to use umami (oo-MA-mee)-rich ingredients to compensate and heighten remaining flavors naturally.

Eco-friendly. From individual foods and packaging to sustainable agriculture, wind- and solar-powered farming, fair-trade foods, it's the wave of the future. And to reinforce that. . . .

Farmers. These new food stars are moving into the high-profile territory ruled by celebrity chefs. Locally, that puts the spotlight on our own Farmer Glenn - Glenn Brendle, owner of Green Meadow Farm in Gap, which supplies produce to area restaurants, including the sweet berries used by chocolatiers John and Kira.

Food on speed dial. Quick cook, quick serve, it's all about convenience and saving time. Placing orders (and paying) by cell phone while en route to pick up food from a take-out, a supermarket or a neighborhood restaurant is about as quick as you can get.

Online groceries. A slow starter, but catching on as delivery service improves. I did this recently. I wasn't that all impressed. They brought to my door 20 boxes of Cheez-Its. Now I didn't order one box let alone 20! I looked at the delivery guy and said, "Are you serious?"

Niche restaurants. Coffee bars spawned chocolaterias. Sushi bars led to seviche bars. There are "restaurants" focused on mac-'n'-cheese, others dedicated to desserts. Restaurant consultants Joseph Baum and Michael Whiteman call then "slivers" in the market. Among the latest entries: shops for Korean frozen yogurt, the tart stuff, not imitation ice cream.

Gastro-pups. Coined by Rozanne Gold, author of Kids Cook 1-2-3, the term refers to the revival of serious kids' cooking. Kids' cooking classes are cropping up across the country, and we're seeing more prepacked kids' foods in stores. On the downside, that includes more beverages like Crayola-colored vitamin waters and bottles reusable as toys.

Bottled-water backlash. Still a huge chunk of the beverage market, bottled water is seen by activists as a major source of environmental overload, however recyclable. Why spend billions bottling and shipping water around the world when it comes free from a tap? It is all about the tap this year. Forget all of the water taste tests!

Yumberries. This subtropical fruit from China, with its cranberry-like taste, is the next hot "superfruit." It's already being teamed with familiar flavors in blended juice drinks.

Caffeine. Eggs are back in the good graces of the food police, and even some fats have their blessing. Now caffeine is being not deleted but added to foods from oatmeal to mints to potato chips.

Gastro-thrills. Talk of pork bellies these days is less about investments and more about menu additions, as less familiar cuts and animal parts, nose to tail, turn up on menus - making it all the more important to know and trust the chef.

Clean labels. Ingredient lists are getting easier to read, more consumer and eco-friendly, less like a chemistry experiment. About a quarter of new food products last year made claims of being additive- and preservative-free.

The bar chef. Gastro-bartenders are making creative, constructed cocktails, using more fresh and health-oriented (including organic) ingredients, from fresh herbs to superfruits, along with combination dessert-cocktails.

Food travel. Tours and trips planned around food experiences, a country's cuisine or cooking lessons - once just for dedicated foodies - are attracting ordinary vacationers.


Quoted Trend source

Fer Food Friday

Don't put all of your eggs into one basket!


***Fer Food Friday is a weekly post sharing an internet photo find or a special shot we recently created. We want you to share too! Please feel free to send in your funny food photos or internet finds!

To Give Thanks

My friend Michelle listed 96 things she was thankful for this year. I wanted to share mine too (These are not in any specific order just how they came to mind). I like to think of this as a celebrate the world around you exercise.

96. Homemade pumpkin pie the day after Thanksgiving straight out of the fridge. (God I love it cold!)
95. Experiencing my first Hawaiian Lu'au
94. My weekly dinner of cheese tortellini with olive oil, fresh cracked pepper and parmesan cheese.
93. Living in California and the incredible source of foods we have here...
92. Working in an environment that I love.
91. Spending only two days in the hospital and then bedrest for only one week when we thought it might be 6-8 weeks.
90. Being pregnant! My new healthy, little friend who is kicking me all the time and reminding me my quiet times are soon to come to an end!
89. Pinkberry. Yes I still love it.
88. Laughs with my sister on the telephone. God-she is funny.
87. The nights of neighborhood walks to and from Houston's for a favorite meal.
86. My new kitchen arrangement.
85. The way Steven sings when he cleans.
84. Seeing a whale for the first time.
83. My mom's diagnosis. No chemo required!
82. A year would not be complete without Table 36. Especially this one...since there were "3" and "3".
81. My copies of Russian recipes from Anna.
80. Eating small foods in Neena's kicthen.
79. Weightless swimming with a prego belly.
78. Southern Cal weather.
77. The $200 cabinet that was the perfect size and the perfect look.
76. Orange juice.
75. Cold milk.
74. Vanilla ice cream with wheat germ.
73. The perfect pen and perfect pad of paper.
72. Seeing old friends and feeling like it had not been 10 years since I had seen them last.
71. Prenatal yoga and Jamba Juice with my friend Brandie.
70. My I-phone!
69. Surfas grilled cheese "to-go" box.
68. Shaved chocolate.
67. The farmer's market(s).
66. Drinking Gin and Juice with close friends in South Central....(BLUE gin and juice)!
65. Selling and giving away old stuff.
64. Funny food photos.
63. Reggie's deliveries of chocolate chip cookies.
62. Quiet Saturdays.
61. Lemonade. I cannot get enough of the stuff.
60. Eating tangerines by the bagful with my Father.
59. Finding the perfect highchair.
58. Gordy.
57. Neighborhood restaurants to walk to...
56. Mixed nuts but especially the almonds.
55. Finding my friend Mike again.
54. 13 years of marriage.
53. Cinnamon rolls.
52. My IM friends.
51. Healthy friends and family.
50. A full fridge. Nothing left on the shopping list!
49. My dinner at Greek Town in Chicago.
48. Flowers. Especially tuilps and peonies.
47. My laptop.
46. Cornbread.
45. Going to the beach.
44. Refinding favorite songs.
43. Passing on a "to-go" restaurant list to some friends that are going to Portland, Oregon for the first time.
42. The first hot chocolate with marshmellows of the season.
41. French Market lunch food delivery for a busy work day.
40. Finally buying the perfect coffee grinder!
39. Neighbors.
38. Laying by the pool and watching the Hawaiian clouds pass over my head.
37. Shoo's corner and all of her memories.
36. Friday night club dinners although few and far between...
35. Black boots with pointed tips.
34. Port.
33. My HUGE stainless steel bowl.
32. Putting up xmas lights early!
31. The find of the perfect hot fudge sundae and the perfect date to eat it.
30. The nightly ritual of hands on the tummy and our gasps of "wow" and "what is he doing in there?"
29. New cookbooks and ideas.
28. Knowledge.
27. Looking back at the last year of photos. Time goes so fast.
26. Fer Food.
25. Going to the movies on the scooter.
24. Balloons.
23. Kind words from strangers.
22. The ability to travel.
21. Cupcakes.
20. Quesadillas with chicken, cilantro and fresh salsa.
19. Sunsets.
18. Laughter.
17. Our new screen door.
16. People that actually use turn lanes and signal.
15. A little black cat named Jasper.
14. The ocean.
13. The perfect blue-grey paint color for the bedroom.
12. Bananas. They are the perfect food.
11. Making "pretty" meat trays with Duong.
10. Baby hiccups.
9. Getting gift packages in the mail!
8. Antique photos that make you want to know the people in them or atleast make up a story about them.
7. Color.
6. Big buttons on clothing.
5. Freedom.
4. Diversity.
3. Family visits and card games.
2. Carrots and Hummus
1. Quietly cooking at home for two.