Welcome to the blog for Colgate University's interdisciplinary course on food. This is the place to keep up with what students in the course are experiencing in their work at Common Thread Community Farm and through their everyday encounters with food.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Food after Colgate

If you've checked your mail anytime this week, I'm sure you've received the Autumn 2013 edition of the Colgate Scene. Though in my formative years I usually wrote off this bulky publication, precariously shoved into my tiny mailbox, recently I've taken to actually reading the articles (instead of placing the zine on the growing stack by the recycling bin). Coincidentally, inside the covers adorned with enticing photos of Colgate's students and campus is an article titled, "Feel Good Food" by Aleta Mayne. I don't know about you, but since taking this class I have a heightened awareness for articles about food, the food industry or other global aspects of food as a commodity. So I paused, read the six-page spread about young Colgate alumni in the food industry and realized what this meant.

Here at Colgate, it can be easy to forget that there are other fields to pursue outside of finance or business. Many are concerned with securing a high-reward job immediately upon graduation. These alumni were no different; many had solidified jobs in areas that aligned with their major. However, most abandoned or took a break from their fast paced jobs to realize another passion--food.

We all know Frava. The bottled, caffeinated beverage sold in mass from the C-Store (especially around exams) that has become iconic on our campus and received almost a cult-like following; and the company behind the colorful bottles that employed countless rising juniors & seniors this past summer. But besides this successful start-up story, the article examined two San Francisco/Bay Area ventures making gourmet popsicles and trendy cream puffs, Pop Nation and Pacific Puff (respectively) as well as a Greek yogurt company, Maia, which boasted 50 billion probiotics per cup or yogurt (50x as many as any leading competitor) and a company, Health Warrior, obsessed with the nutritional and medicinal benefits packaged in the tiny Chia seed. Laslty, closer to home, the article evaluated Hamilton's very own Good Nature Brewing Company, a farm-to-glass approach to making beer started by a 2008 alumna. At the end of the article there was even a link (www.colgate.edu/feelgoodrecipes) where one could find recipes to make foods, which would incorporate these tasty treats. Really, a must read.

So what did I realize? I realized that after college you don't have to end up where you think you should end up--these alumni definitely didn't. And that if your dream is to enter the food industry, it doesn't have to be as a farmer, or conversely as a policy-maker/regulator, you can be making the products that shape the industry and trends of food's consumer markets!

(Seriously, don't get rid of your Scene before reading it)     

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

And Now Back to Butternut Squash..

It's probably obvious, but butternut squash is a personal favorite.  It's delicious and SO versatile, so of course I have to make as many uses of it as I can while it's in season!

Today's feature: Roasted Beets and Butternut Squash


I buy organic butternut squash pre-chopped and peeled from Price Chopper.  Over family weekend, my  mom and I took a tour of the Saturday farmer's market on Hamilton's Village Green.  We picked up a bunch of fresh produce from the Common Thread Farm Stand and my mom had a chance to chat with Asher about the farm I work on every week.  Among the vegetables we selected were fresh beets. Yum! I wasn't quite sure what I would do with them until I put them in my refrigerator section next to my beautiful, pre-cut chunks of butternut squash.

Today, I decided to bring this recipe to life.  Unfortunately I don't have pictures of the process, only the results, but I think that's okay because this recipe speaks for itself.

First, I chopped the tops off and washed the beets.  I peeled the skin off and cut them in to cubes, about 1/2 inch thick.  I then took the butternut squash chunks and chopped them a tiny bit smaller so they would be evenly-sized with the beets--even cuts leads to even cooking!

I sprayed my 9x9 pyrex with a little bit of vegetable spay and then spread both the beets and butternut squash pieces in the dish.  I sliced about 1/4 of an onion and spread the slices over the top.

Finally, I seasoned the vegetables with Garlic Salt, Paprika, Cumin, and Black Pepper, drizzled them with a bit of olive oil, and put it in the oven at 425 degrees F for 25 minutes.

I've done this recipe a couple times, trying out different combinations, but this one is by far my favorite… probably because of all the pretty colors that the beet juice gives to the squash.

If you're not a fan of beets, I've also tried this with asparagus and brussel-sprouts, so all it takes is a little experimentation to please your palate!

I usually mix the veggies with quinoa to make a lovely (and nutrient-rich) salad, but they can also be served solo.

Enjoy!

Monday, October 28, 2013

Kasha Varnishkas


I had recently found kasha at Price Chopper and decided to try to make kasha varnishkas, a traditional Jewish dish that my mother and grandmother often make at home during the holidays. The dish is fairly simple (for the most part just mixing pasta into kasha), nutritious, and most importantly, tasty. I used these ingredients and instructions given to me by my mother:

1 package of bowtie noodles (I used extra wide egg noodles)
1 cup of kasha
1/2 an onion-finely chopped (I used less than this amount, being not a big fan of onions)
1 egg
2 cups of boiling water
2 tablespoons of butter
1 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of cooking oil


Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside
2. In a frying pan heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil and saute onions for about 5 minutes and set aside
3. In a small bowl, beat an egg and then pour the cup of kasha into the bowl. Stir in the kasha until all of it is covered

4. Pour the mixture of kasha and egg into a frying pan on high heat. Stir the kasha in the pan until the kernels have separated (should be only a few minutes)
5. Boil 2 cups of water
6. Pour the water into the pan with the kasha and add 1 teaspoon of salt and the onions












7. Turn the heat down to low heat and cover the pan until all the liquid has been absorbed (10-15 minutes)
8. Mix in the pasta and the 2 tablespoons of butter

9. Eat!


Restaurant Review: Italiano Magnifico

Chesterfield in Utica-Authentic, Inviting, and Delicious 

This past weekend, Colgate University hosted Hillary Clinton as the keynote speaker for family weekend.  With many families coming into Hamilton, the restaurants near and in town can get quite busy.  After touring the Hamilton Farmer's Market and an art exhibit at Colgate, my family and I decided to travel to Utica to get out of the (for once) hectic and populous Hamilton center.  We spent the day exploring shops in the mall of New Hartford, and once dinner time rolled around, we were more than ready for something tasty.  I named a few places that I thought were family-friendly, and we ultimately decided on a favorite that was suggested by my classmate, Jessica Staley who is from Utica.  


Chesterfield Restaurant has been serving quality Italian food to the Utica community since 1988.  Not only is the food delicious, but the service and ambience contribute to the totally inviting atmosphere.  It's clear that everyone who's part of the Chesterfield team takes pride in maintaining the restaurant's great reputation.  Needless to say, my entire family walked away satisfied--with nothing left on out plates! 

We walked into the restaurant without a reservation and the host was very accommodating of our party of six.  We could tell that they were preparing for a busy night, but we were seated within 10 minutes. Our waiter was incredibly friendly.  Immediately after we were seated, he took our drink orders, and brought water for everyone.  He then read off the list of specials for the night and gave us time to contemplate the menu over complimentary bread and home-made potato chips. 

What we ate: 
I can go on for days about how delicious the food was at Chesterfield.  They definitely place an emphasis on quality ingredients and put care into the food they serve.  
First, the chips. Crispy, fresh, fried to perfection and sprinkled with parmesan.  It was a a great contrast to the fresh baked, soft garlic bread, which was also delicious.  

I had a Bleu Mixed Salad. My mom ordered Chicken Melanzane, and her friend had a House Salad with their homemade house vinaigrette.  My younger brother and two sisters ordered Chesterfield's new coal-fired wings, lobster ravioli, and a cheese pizza respectively. Our food arrived--a platter of perfection. We dived in, sampling each other's entrees and discussing the great environment.  What gave the restaurant even more of a family feel is that the owner, went around to almost every table asking if there was anything he could do to make the experience better.  

Being a vegetarian, I couldn't sample everything but everything I was able to taste at our table definitely gets a thumbs up.  My salad was prepared with fresh, crisp lettuce and the balsamic reduction was absolute perfection.  My only qualm is that it was a bit heavy on the basil oil--an easy fix.  The lobster ravioli was a delicious blend of seafood and ricotta on the inside, and the lobster sauce could not have been better.  In addition, I can't say that I've been to an American-Italian restaurant where I've found pizza that makes me feel as if I'm back on the southern coast of Italy--a simple combination of crisp crust, light tomato sauce, and fresh mozzarella cheese.  Perfecto!

I definitely recommend the travel to Utica to experience this gem of a restaurant.  It's a quaint, cozy environment with a family-feel and delicious food--and owners who really care about quality! Next time I'd like to make it in time for the lunch menu because there are definitely more vegetarian options. Definitely call ahead for a reservation because they get a lot of business!  

Open
Monday-Thusday: 4-10pm
Friday-Saturday: 11:30am-11pm
Sunday: 4-9pm
Lunch: Tuesday-Saturday: 11:30am-2:30pm

http://www.chesterfield1713.com/ordereze/default.aspx

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Another one of those....

My friend mentioned another one of those animal abuse documentaries that I had never heard of before. Most people have watched Food Inc, and have read lots about animal rights and how the animals are abused . The documentary Earthlings, narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, came out in 2005 by a company by the name of Nation Earth. This documentary was their first feature film release. The film itself has been said to be the perfect animal rights documentary by organizations around the world.

The writer/producer/director Shaun Monson was interested in the process of neutering many different animals and his experience in 1999 affected him so much that he decided to investigate further and from this investigation came out the documentary Earthlings.

The footage of this film was shot at animal shelters, pet stores, puppy mills, factory farms, slaughterhouses, the leather and fur trades, sporting events, circuses and research labs. Shaun Monson definitely covered it all or at least almost all. I personally have not seen the film just yet because, to be honest, I'm a bit scared of the images I will see. Just from watching the trailer, I can tell it's a very truthful and moving film that I'm sure will make everyone more aware about animal rights that are being violated.

I'm attaching the trailer for those who would like to know more. The complete film can be found on youtube if any are interested but please remember viewer discretion is advised.



This second video is a bit more graphic...



http://earthlings.com/?page_id=10




Friday, October 25, 2013

potato week

Potatoes were a common topic in Food this week.  On Monday Professor Nancy Ries visited class to help us discuss her article, "Potato Ontology: Surviving Postsocialism in Russia" (Cultural Anthropology 2009).  Professor Ries is an anthropologist at Colgate who studies culture and language in contemporary Russia.  Her article helped us think and talk about the role of food as part of our sense of personal and national identity---for Russians, the potato is a key part of what makes themselves and their nation Russian.  Many Russian families, both rich and poor, grow their own potatoes on small plots and store them in buckets in their homes for the winter.

Potatoes are also a key fall crop being harvested at Common Thread right now, and I had a chance to get out to the farm and work with the Friday crew harvesting potatoes this morning.  Farmer Asher used the tractor to dig up a row at a time, then we went through and collected the potatoes by hand.  We harvested a few different varieties of yellow and red potatoes, and got pretty dirty.  Here are a few pictures from the potato crew:




Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Mmmmm Anchovies

In a recent NY Times video, Melissa Clark explains how to eat anchovies in other ways than in a caesar salad.

http://www.nytimes.com/video/dining/100000002404048/anchovies.html

If the video doesn't decide to work, here is a picture of the little guys:

And now for a description: I have personally never eaten one other than in a salad, but honestly I think they've gotten kind of a bad rap. In the video, Melissa demonstrates how she prefers her favorite midnight snack/ breakfast/ lunch which is on a piece of cold toasted bread with a nice thick layer of unsalted better (since the anchovies provide tons of salt) with three or four little anchovies on top.

Above, a depiction of the anchovy in the popular children's cartoon, Spongebob Squarepants


Melissa also talks about the various ways in which anchovies can be stored, like in salt or in tins of olive oil. One of the last things Melissa talks about is how sustainable of a fish anchovies are, so eat up!

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Junk Food Addiction?

As a child and teenager I definitely had an issue, perhaps maybe even an addiction, with junk food. When I look back on my after school snacks I cringe thinking about the sugars and carbs I chose to load my body with. My pallet craved the fattiest, processed foods out there; it’s a miracle I managed to escape a diabetes diagnosis. For instance, in my later years of elementary school (and earlier years of middle school) I would consume a package of Bagel Bites, a cup of Ramen Noodles, and either a coke or a root beer to wash it all down after a long day at school. Today, I cannot fathom eating this way on a daily basis. Looking at a box of Bagel Bites, one can find that there are 190 calories per serving. Not so bad, right? Wrong. “Per serving” unfortunately only accounts for four bagel bites, and there are twelve that come in each tray. Therefore, every time I microwaved and devoured one tray, I was eating 570 calories, and that was just part of my snack. In addition, there are two trays per box, meaning one box of bagel bites is a staggering 1,140 calories. Wow. Aside from the calories, one box has 18gof sugar, 2,040mg of sodium and 27g of fat.

Cup of noodles make bagel bites look like a walk in the park. One small cup has 296 calories, and an astonishing 1,434mg of sodium- that’s 60 percent sodium. The product also has 14.1g of fat, and that’s just in one serving. To top off my after school snack calories, I was getting a nice 140 calories from a can of coke. So basically, my after school snacks accounted for over half of my caloric intake for the day (going off of eating 2,000 calories/day).

Even today, at my wise old age of 21, I still find myself attracted to the likes of ramen noodles and bagel bites. Whenever I eat them, I can never just have one. This could either be a question of poor will power (my initial thought), or the product of an actual addiction (as I claimed earlier). A health article published by CNN says the latter, making me an innocent victim of processed foods! According the article, a study concluded that “the same area of the brain that lights up on scans when people use drugs, also shows increased activity when study participants consume, or even look at, high fat, high sugar foods like ice cream or bacon” (CNN 2013).  The article continues to inform that fatty foods may trigger the brain to want more, just as drugs signal the brain to want more. In this specific study, experimenters used rats and Oreo's to illuminate the addictive effects of junk foods.  



http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2013/10/16/oreos-as-addictive-as-cocaine-in-lab-rat-study/

A Great Fall Recipe

It was great being home from fall break (aside from having to have my four wisdom teeth removed).  I really enjoyed seeing my family and having a break from life at Colgate, which can be very overwhelming during mid-terms. Since I got home a day early, I had got to spend some time in my own kitchen!

My mom had told me that she had bought butternut squash from the market a few days prior to my arrival and hadn't had time to cook it yet.  Luckily I was able to step in with a great recipe I'd been really excited to try out; Butternut Squash Risotto!


The flavor was delicious, and being able to enjoy butternut squash again made me really happy that my favorite season has come around once again.  Although, it was a bit unfortunate that my rice came out a little undercooked.  Next time I have to account for substituting brown rice for risotto rice since it takes a bit longer to cook.  


The Recipe:

1 Butternut Squash
1/2 Vidalia Onion
4 1/2 cups Vegetable Broth (or chicken broth...if you're into that)
2 cups Brown Rice
1 cup Parmesan Cheese
Olive  or Vegetable Oil (I used avocado oil)
2 1/2 tbsp Butter
Cayenne Pepper
Garlic Powder
Salt 
Pepper
Turmeric Powder

Directions:
To prepare the butternut squash, first peel it and slice it into 1/2 inch cubes.  On the stovetop, add vegetable oil and heat sauté pan.  Add in butternut squash, seasoning with garlic powder, cayenne pepper, turmeric powder, salt, and pepper.  Add 1/2 tbsp of butter and cook the squash on medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 10-12 minutes or until tender.  Remove from pan and set aside.
  
 

Next, in the same pan used to prepare the squash (we want the flavor of the squash and all those spices), saute onions until slightly translucent. Add the rice and butter and stir to slightly toast the rice.  Add in vegetable broth to just cover the rice.  

Allow rice to simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed, stirring occasionally.  Add in more broth to cover the rice and let simmer, again stirring occasionally. 



Continue adding broth until the rice is just slightly undercooked, then with the last addition of broth, add in the sautéed butternut squash that was set aside earlier.  Simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rise.  Stir in Parmesan until it has melted and presto! Butternut Squash Risotto!


This was a really fun dinner to prepare, especially since I usually buy my organic butternut squash pre-peeled and chopped so I had never skinned one myself before.  I even made my own vegetable broth from scratch!

Enjoy!

What is good about Peanut Butter?

I've always asked why people have such strong opinions about the healthiness of peanut butter. I decided to look into this a bit more because peanut butter is a food that I find very tasty and I eat it every once and awhile.

Many people argue that peanut butter contains too much saturated fat that can lead to cardiovascular problems later on in life. This is partly true because if we eat a lot, and I mean a lot, of peanut butter then our arteries would begin to clog leading to many cardiovascular diseases. But in moderation, some saturated fat is not bad for our body as long as we don't over do it. Dr. Walter C. Willet explains in the Harvard Heart Letter, that a typical 2-tablespoon serving of peanut butter is a perfect amount where the saturated fat will do no harm to our bodies but the problem occurs if more than a 2-tablespoon serving is taken in. The amount of saturated fat that peanut butter contains is about the same that Olive oil contains. Many people don't argue that olive oil is good for our bodies, yet they do about peanut butter. Both these "foods" have about the same amount of saturated fat but people have very different opinions about them. Should we be doing this?

We must look at the other ingredients and benefits that peanut butter has before assuming that the saturated fat is what makes it qualify as an "unhealthy food". Peanut Butter gives us fiber, vitamins, and some minerals including potassium. The unsalted peanut butter is proven to be healthier than regular peanut butter because of the potassium-to-sodium ratio. Because of the potassium-to-sodium ratio, unsalted peanut butter is less likely to cause cardiovascular diseases or at least to put us on the track of having cardiovascular problems when we are older.

So before we automatically organize food in healthy vs. unhealthy categories we must first consider how much we are eating and the other benefits it may have!



Ingredients of regular peanut butter
(3.5g saturated fat, serving size 2 tablespoons)



Ingredients of Olive oil
(2g saturated fat, serving size 1 tablespoon)




http://www.instructables.com/id/Gourmet-Olive-Oil-Ice-Cream-Without-An-Ice-Cream-M/
http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/Is-peanut-butter-healthy
http://dessertswithbenefits.com/homemade-peanut-butter/

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Apple Fad

I'm a huge fan of apples; they're crisp and always refreshing, the perfect snack. Personally, my favorite variety is the Gala apple. I've eaten them since I was a kid and I've never had one fail me. On the other hand, my least favorite is the Red Delicious. Regardless of personal favorites though, there are endless varieties to choose from to suit you. Just this year I was walking through the supermarket and saw the largest apple I have ever seen. I actually had to laugh it seemed so ridiculous. My friends seemed unfazed by the apple however, and promptly told me it was a Honeycrisp apple. I was assured that this variety held all of the best traits of other apples--crunch, texture, flavor, etc. So I bought one. It lived up to it's reputation, but I still had to wonder about this apple's background so I did some research. 

Size comparison:
http://blog.recipeforfitness.com/2011/11/size-matters.html

The Honeycrisp apple was created in 1960 from a cross between a Macoun and a Honeygold at the University of Minnesota as a part of their apple breeding program; the first seedling was planted at the University of Minnesota Horticultural Research Center in 1962. It was developed to be a winter-hardy cultivar with a good fruit quality. The Honeycrisp was released to mass markets in 1991 and has become a prized commodity since. The apples were aptly named Honeycrisp, since they were described as sweet as honey and "explosively crisp". Honeycrisps have been known to grow in both warm and cooler climates across the United States (including California, Minnesota, Washington and many New England states). Additionally, attempts are being made to cultivate them in other countries in Europe as well as New Zealand and Australia. Lastly, Honeycrisps maintain their sweet flavor even when cooked, so their uses cover a wide range from eating raw to baking.

I also recently heard a brief, but interesting report on NPR about not only Honeycrisps, but also some older more unique apple varieties and their varying tastes. Read the transcript here: http://m.npr.org/story/6358718. 

I know it's silly, but these apples really are the best. I would highly recommend trying one, you might just abandon your current favorite...   

Sources:
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/components/5877_01.html   
http://www.bctree.com/products/view/apples

Thursday, October 17, 2013

"We Feed the World"



Erwin Wagenhofer's documentary We Feed the World imbues watchers with powerful central messages: that modern perspectives on food availability, standards, and production are unsustainable, particularly for vulnerable populations. Therefore, cultural and social change are necessary to properly produce and distribute food for the global population. Unfortunately, the most vulnerable populations are the poverty-stricken, local populations that are already struggling to survive.

In many regions, farms need to produce about six times the yield to enjoy the same standards as farms from the previous generation. Close to a billion of the nearly seven billion people on Earth are starving today, even though the food we are currently producing could feed twelve billion people. Every day in Vienna, the amount of unsold bread sent back to be disposed of is enough to feed Austria's second largest city, Graz. Four-fifths of the wheat eaten in Switzerland is imported form India, despite the fact that two hundred millions Indians are starving. Even more shocking, road salt used for de-icing costs more per volume than the wheat farmers are producing.

In Almeria, the world's capital of winter vegetables in Spain, the average European consumes ten kilos of greenhouse vegetables each year. Leading world powers (the European Union and the United States) provide their farmers with enormous subsidies for the production and export of their products, almost a billion dollars a day. The result is the dumping and destruction of agriculture in Southern Europe, where not much more than peasant farming exists. Furthermore, European produce can be bought in African countries for a third of the price of local produce, and the heartier farmers find that they have no choice but to make the trek to Europe and hope to find work, often unavoidably under inhumane conditions.

Around 350,000 hectares of agricultural land, above all in Latin America, are dedicated to the cultivation of soybeans to feed Austria's livestock while one quarter of the local population starves. Europe imports ninety percent of its soy for livestock feed, and Amazonian forests continue to be cleared for planting soy, even though the soil must be artificially filled with the proper nutrients to grow soy.



The film can be found on reserve (on a four hour time) at Case-Geyer Library.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

The hidden cost of cheap food

Most people reading this post are familiar with the feeling of pulling out of the drive through at McDonalds or Dunkin' Donuts feeling good about the amount of money remaining in your wallet. With gimmicks like the dollar menu and the happy meal, fast-food chains are able to globally keep there prices artificially low at the checkout counter by externalizing the majority of their costs and imposing them on U.S. tax payers. So although you only pay $4 for a big mac, the 10 largest fast-food companies cost tax payers $3.8 billion each year in public assistance for their employees (1), not to mention the estimated $414 billion in externalized costs such as environmental damage and health care for Americans suffering from heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and numerous other health problems accelerated by American's over-consumption of fast food products (2).  While the latter figure requires much more explanation, the $3.8 billion in public assistance is almost irrefutable.

Some of you may remember the nationwide strikes in August of this year, when thousands of fast-food workers posted up outside of popular fast-food stores such as McDonald's, Burger King, and Jimmy Johns demanding a "living wage" of $15 per hour, up from their current salary of $9 per hour and the right to organize a union without retaliation. (3) How would an increase in fast-food worker pay decrease the tax burden on the rest of Americans you might ask? Well, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and public benefit programs, "52 percent of fast-food cooks, cashiers, and other front-line staff relied on at least one form of public assistance such as Medicaid, food stamps, and the Earned Income Tax Credit program between 2007 and 2011."(1) If fast-food industry, generating an estimated $200 billion in sales each year were to pay their workers more, it is more than likely that the number of people requiring assistance from government programs would drop dramatically and the cost would shift from american's pockets to the fast-food employers.

Fast-food chain representatives contend that the majority of their workers are teenagers who rely on their parents and other outside sources for financial support, however a recent study found the median age of fast-food employees to be 28. An article posted on Aljzeera's website entitled Unhappy meal: Fast-food workers want unions, like their elders tells the story of Jonathan Lamb, a 24-year-old Detroit native raising a 9-month-old baby with his girlfriend in a small one-bedroom apartment. Both Jonathan and his girlfriend work at Checkers Drive-in earning a $7.50 hourly wage. Although they rely on food stamps for groceries, they still must rely on family for help with covering the cost of diapers and other necessities for their baby. Many fast-food workers have tried to increase their income by taking second or third jobs, however the irregularity of hours from week to week makes it impossible in many cases to coordinate weekly schedules between two workplaces.

As delicious and cheap as fast-food products may be, the industry is increases the poverty line, tax burden, health problems, and environmental impact of americans. It is in every sensible americans best interest to decrease support for these fast-food chains, even if it means cutting back from three to just one visit to a fast-food restaurant each week.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

At home skin-care

For those of you who cook at home, I'm sure you are familiar with the phenomenon of buying lots of fresh produce and other food, and then failing to use it all before it goes bad. For those of you who are still on the meal plan, have you ever spent more than you would like to on skin-care products? To find the solution to both of these problems, look no further than your kitchen. There are millions of skin-care recipes consisting of ingredients that can be found in your refrigerator (or pantry). Although some recipes include ingredients that are expensive or hard to come by, others consist of one or two very common-place foods that you most likely currently have in your kitchen. Here are just a few foods that can be used for at home skin-care.

1) Tomatoes/ Tomato pulp

The acidity in tomatoes helps skin dry up acne. Not only this, but inside of the tomato are vitamins (A,C and K) and lycopene, which can be found in many acne healing medications. For a simple take on the tomato for clear skin, slice one open and simply place it on the problematic areas of your face. You can also grind or mash up the tomato into a pulp consistency and apply like a facial mask, repeating the process regularly and you'll see the difference. 

2) Honey and Cinnamon


 Honey is an unprocessed antibacterial agent that kills bacteria and eliminates acne. Cinnamon has beneficial properties from essential oils in cinnamon bark, allowing it to be an anti-clotting and anti-inflammatory agent to the skin. Combine the two and create a face mask to aide your skin in repairing damage.

3) Potatoes

One potato can provide 70% of vitamin C (which boosts collagen production in the body and helps prevent and heal damage from the sun, stress and environment) and vitamin B (for healthy DNA production and skin cell regeneration). Plus, potatoes contain niacin for skin-lightening due to hyper-pigmentation from acne or other skin conditions. Shredded, raw potato will not only act as an acne remedy, but help remove hyper-pigmentation, bright the skin and prevent wrinkles.

4) Lemon Juice

We all know that lemons are high in acidity. Not only does this allow pimples to dry out, but it also kills acne bacteria. Lemon is known to provide a calming effect to the skin and the vitamin C content maintains healthy and glowing skin. For direct application to the skin, take a cotton ball and squeeze fresh lemon juice on it and apply it to problem areas. 

5) Garlic

Allicin, sulphur, zinc and calcium properties are all found in garlic and act as antibiotic and antifungals, helping to clean the skin. To use garlic, crush cloves, mix with water and apply to the skin. 




6) Cucumber

Hydration! Cucumbers are 95% water, they remove dead skin cells and clean pores. They can be used as a face wash as they moisturize and remove extra oil. Grind cucumbers and mix with water for application to the face. 


7) Olive Oil

For scarring treatment, use olive oil. Although you may cringe at the thought of olive oil helping with any aspect of acne, when you have acne, it may cause the skin to lose its expansion properties. The oil helps rejuvenate your skin and bring it back from its damaged and dry texture that acne brought on. Apply a salt and olive oil mixture on the skin and rinse with warm water. 



disclaimer: All of these descriptions can be found on this website and are not my own work. I will not take credit for writing these descriptions, however I will take credit for passing along some helpful tips for affordable at home skin-care. Enjoy!



Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin-Cookies?

So I had a lot of leftover overripe bananas and wanted to use them up in some way. I wanted to make a healthier version of chocolate chip cookies, but with more of a banana taste, and I found a recipe for banana chocolate chip cookies. I've been wanting to experiment with substituting fatty ingredients like oil/butter with pureed bananas or applesauce, so this was my opportunity to try it. What resulted after I 'healthied' things up were not really cookies by texture per se, and more like cake, but delicious nonetheless! And I didn't have cupcake liners so I couldn't make muffins which is why I stuck with cookies even after I realized they weren't really cookies...But here is the recipe:

-1 and 1/3 cups all purpose flour
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp salt
-6 tbsp white sugar
-6 tbsp light brown sugar
-1 egg white (beaten)
-1 tsp vanilla
-3 very ripe bananas
-3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking soda.
2. In a large bowl, place peeled bananas and mash them until they are in an almost puree form (or you can put them in a blender I guess). Add in the egg white, brown and white sugar, and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
3. Add the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until combined throughly. Then fold in the chocolate chips. *Note: the mixture will appear runny which is what made me think these would be better suited as muffins.*

4. Place in whatever vessel you prefer (I chose cookie sheets).
5. Bake at 375 F for ~10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Enjoy!!

Looking into E. Coli... and not liking what I see.


After reviewing a portion of the documentary Food Inc. during our last session, I became increasing interested in contaminated food, specifically in chain restaurants. I was touched by the story that founded the film, that of the death of an innocent two year old boy after ingesting a hamburger at the infamous Jack in the Box burger chain. The boy went from being completely healthy, to dying of an E. coli infection just twelve days later. About nine years ago my youngest sister was infected with the same bacteria, and was also just two years old. Fortunately, my sister received treatment in time and beat the infection after staying in the hospital for a couple of weeks. Like the child featured in the film, my sister was exposed to contaminated meat; watching the film resurrected my recognition of the terrible dangers of contaminated meat, a recognition that has faded since my sister’s E. coli scare. I decided to conduct a little research on good old Jack in the Box, and uncovered some disturbing information that will certainly make me forgo fast food restaurants and instead pack sandwiches on my next road trip.

An article from the New York Times explored and traced an E. coli outbreak that took place in 2009. The article opens with a terrifying statement “A deadly outbreak of E. coli has been traced to a large producer of ground beef that stopped testing its ingredients years ago under pressure from beef suppliers” (Moss 2009). The article continues to explain that the beef company owned by AFA Foods was the supplied beef that killed two people and sickened over 500 others, ultimately forcing them to recall around 500,000 pounds of meat (Moss 2009). More concerning, the article reveals that the United States Department of Agriculture does not require meat companies to test their products for E. coli (Moss 2009). This company supplied meat to Trader Joes, who immediately cut ties with the provider after the outbreak- what a relief. Unfortunately, Jack in the Box continues their relationship with AFA Foods.

The article provides an explanation for the existence of E. coli stating “…ground beef are more susceptible to contamination because the pathogen thrives in cattle feces that can get smeared on the surfaces of whole cut meat” (Moss 2009). This disturbing fact has inevitably changed my view of the hamburger…. Gross!


Additionally, I researched the deadly E. coli outbreak of Jack in the Box in 1992- I will literally never eat at this place. In the outbreak, two people died, and 400 others were terrible ill including seven children on kidney dialysis (NY Times 1993). Learning of the history of Jack in the Box made me almost angry; how can such a company remain in business today? The child in the documentary Food Inc. died in 2001, almost ten years after the chain’s first public outbreak. It’s frustrating that such an organization can continue conducting dangerous and almost careless behavior.