Healthy Minds and Bodies Recap - Food labeling

This month’s meeting was one of our best. Although our numbers were few, I thought the topic was very compelling and enjoyable.

Granted, I chose the topic and led the discussion so I’m more than a bit biased.

The Treats

I have to take a minute here and apologize publicly for the treats. I was really excited to demo my favorite new snack, but Mackenzie started to get fussy at the end of the meeting so the demo was hasty and I just had everyone try one from a batch I had made previously. After everyone left and I had fed Mackenzie, I tasted one of the treats I had fed my unsuspecting friends.

Dry, very dry.

I had inadvertently handed out the results of a failed batch made while I was still tweaking the recipe. Ugh. Ladies - if you want to give them another try, just knock on my door.

Click here for my post on how to make these Balls of Yum.

(I’m still trying to decide on a good name for them. I prefer Balls of Yum to “date nut balls” because really, date nut balls sound gross. Even though these ARE date nut balls and they are delicious. Any ideas? )

The Discussion

The goal of the meeting was to learn more about food labeling and regulations so that we can become more educated consumers and make better choices at the grocery store.

Basically, when you see things on packages like “Wholesome” or “Lightly salted” or “Good source of Vitamin C”… what (if anything) do those things mean? And what about the Nutritional Facts on the back? Which numbers are important?

First, my best advice: Buy whole plant foods. Grapes don’t need compelling claims on their label and there’s no need to check their ingredient list. Ditto for carrots, apples, parsnips, etc. They are “no-brainers” labeling-wise and also health-wise.

If you do decide to brave the grocery store outside the produce section, here are 5 things to keep in mind. I pulled heavily from a presentation at the Healthy Lifestyle Expo 2007 by Jeff Novick MS, RD, LV/N . He was a really entertaining presenter and knew his stuff. If anyone wants to borrow the DVD, just holler!

Yummy Easy Healthy Treats

When I was in the hospital after delivering Mackenzie, the food was beyond gross. I survived on fresh fruit that Scott brought me from home, and these yummy treats called “Date Nut Pop ‘ems” that a co-worker sent me in a care package.

I got hooked.

The beautiful thing about them is they have no added sugar or oil and yet they are sweet and filling. The ugly thing about them is they cost $15.95 + shipping for a 1 lb container online. That is an addiction I just couldn’t justify. I should note that I also suffered during pregnancy from (among other things) a fierce addiction to Larabars. They are nearly $2 a bar.

Something had to be done.

So, I took a closer look at the ingredients lists. Dates, various kinds of nuts and seeds, and various kinds of spices. Hmmm…

Scott found a 2 lb tub of dried dates at Costco for $6.49. Almonds and walnuts are $3.50-$4.50 a lb at Costco. Raw sunflower seeds at Trader Joes? Just $1.49 a lb.

And so an idea was born and I am proud to say… I’ve perfected a yummy snack full of only healthy things for about 1/4 of the cost! (And my sweet husband insists mine taste better).

I’ve found in my experimenting that the “recipe” is very forgiving. It would probably accommodate different kinds of nuts and seeds just fine, and the texture is a personal preference. Scott likes his a bit more coarse and less date-y than I like mine. But here is a great starting point:

1 c. almonds
1 c. walnuts
1/2 c. raw shelled sunflower seeds
10 dried medjool dates, pitted

Put the nuts and seeds in a food processor and let it go 30-60 seconds depending on the texture you’d like. Scott likes 30 seconds, but 60 seconds will make it smoother and easier to shape into balls.

30 seconds still has nut chunks:

60 seconds leaves it smoother, almost like a nut butter:

Add the dates and cinnamon. 1 tsp for “plain” treats and 1 1/2 TBS for cinnamon-y treats. You can also add 1 TBS of cocoa powder at this point for a REALLY decadent treat. Those are too rich for Scott but oh-so-delicious and a perfect chocolate fix for me.

Food process for another 10-20 seconds or so, until everything is well-incorporated.

It should start sticking together some:

Then wash your hands and make balls! I have a one-handed technique that works well for me, but the idea is just to smoosh and shape and how you handle the smooshing is up to you.

Ta-da! ~30 date nut balls that are perfect for a quick snack.

Interestingly enough, two of my other favorite snacks made their way into the photo. Fresh pineapple and sweet peppers from Costco. Yum!

I make two batches of the date nut pop ‘ems and store them in a tupperware in the fridge.

Food Chemistry

I have a degree in Chemistry so I am a fan of experimentation.

My post about whole wheat bread is quite popular in the google searches. It appears more people than myself are on the quest for the perfect loaf.

I decided I was pretty much obligated to do a little bit of experimenting to see how necessary the “extras” in the recipe are (the dough conditioner and wheat gluten).

So… today? I made a loaf without added gluten to see what would happen.

I wasn’t super picky with the measurements (I don’t have a food scale so I just used measuring cups like I normally do). The loaf without the added gluten was predictably shorter and heavier.

I actually made two loaves with added gluten, and one didn’t have the same beautiful top, but it did have a nice high rise.

In keeping with good scientific practices ( ) I thought it best I show a photo of that loaf as well:

So there you have it. Don’t add extra gluten to your bread if you don’t mind it a bit dense. Do add gluten if you like a lighter bread with a better structure. I buy my gluten here.

As unscientific as this “experiment” was, I have to say that the definitive perfect loaf of bread is even less quantifiable than this little test would imply. In short, you have to TASTE it. And everyone’s idea of the perfect loaf is different. So if you live in Columbus (and I know you)… and you’d like to give the recipe a taste-test before deciding whether to invest in a bread machine/gluten/ etc. … leave me a comment and I’ll make you a loaf so you can see if it’s something you like. How’s that for incentive to leave a comment?

Of course, if you’re a determined lurker, you can shoot me an email instead and I’ll still make you a loaf. But only because I love making bread for people and NOT because I support your refusal to comment.

Prepare to be amazed

You probably know by now that I work for the best photo-sharing site there is: SmugMug. Full-disclosure: I am as biased as they come because my brother and my dad started the company out of my parents’ house.

What you may not know is that we host an online photography forum, Digital Grin, where lots of AMAZING photographers swap tips and plan shoot-outs. This past year we sponsored a $25,000 photography contest that ran the whole year with photo contests every two weeks, semifinals, and finals.

We just announced a winner and the gallery of photos from the final will take your breath away. Check it out.

Click on the photo on the right to make it the center of attention, then you can arrow through all the photos.

Not bad, eh? Here are the semifinal entries and the photos that won photographers a spot in the semis (note the themes for these).

Some of my favorites?
Pride of workmanship
Make a move
The children’s fountain
Carefree and living it
Unfair
Against all odds

Interested in more cool photos? Check out the Found on SmugMug blog. My brother posts stuff like these snowflakes and these photos from the Solomon Islands.