Semi-Sweet » Misc.

Take Action on BPA

Sarah — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 11:09:06 +0000

In yesterday’s post, I told you about the SSI/BCF study re BPA in food, and about the 60% decrease in the body burden the families realized when they stopped using canned goods. It caught your attention, right? You’re concerned, no?

Think about that - sixty percent! Over a lifetime, that could amount to lot less disease. It’s a no-brainer: get BPA out of canned food, get BPA out of people.

So what are America’s top canned food manufacturers doing to get rid of BPA in their products?

The Breast Cancer Fund wants to find out and push these companies to protect our health. Would you be willing to take a minute to ask Campbell Soup Co., Del Monte Foods and General Mills (maker of Progresso, Cascadian Farm and Muir Glen) what they’re doing to get BPA out of their food packaging and out of our bodies? It’s a fill-in form, so easy and can be very effective.

Let’s band together to reduce all Americans’ BPA levels by going straight to the makers of canned foods and asking them to stop using BPA.

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What’s Up?

Sarah — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 13:00:54 +0000

I’ve been gone from here for a while . . . and some of you have taken notice. “What’s up with you?” come the emails, the questions at school, the texts and phone calls.

It’s all been good, friends. There’s no crisis, no health emergency. My mammo was clear, my cholesterol rocks.

No, it’s this: I’ve been taking some time away to evaluate the blog, my involvement with the blog and what I want to do (or not do) with the blog. I’ve also been committed to my Move Into March challenge and to healthy eating, and I’ve lost the 7 lbs. I gained thanks to my arthritis and my vacation. I have been able, for the first time in 2 years, to exercise standing up. I feel great, I’m enjoying myself. I’ve been reading lots, and prepping very simple, very healthful food.

“So what about RECIPES???” “The well is dry!!!” come other emails . . . I love love love that you all depend on the recipes – that this blog serves you so well! I may try posting once a week or so – try to strike a happy medium for us all, but truthfully, I’m really quite preoccupied with thinking up ways to better integrate my passion for healthy living, my love of food and cooking and face-to-face, real-life connections with people like you.

As Tama Kieves says, “If you feel lost, you’re on your way to the miraculous.” I’ll admit it – I have no idea what’s going on yet. But hang with me, will you? What’s yet to come might be even better than we all could have imagined!

Image: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Happy New Year!

Sarah — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 12:00:10 +0000

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.” (Edith Lovejoy Pierce)

Hope your year is filled with joy and promise, health and happiness, great food and friends!

Sarah

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New Ways With: Peanut Butter

Sarah — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 11:00:26 +0000

If there are no allergies at your house, chances are you’re like us and this stuff’s a staple. We love PB&J, PB&honey and PB atop apple slices. Yawn. Lookin’ for some new mates for a favorite spread? Look no further!

Stir a tablespoonful or so into your hot morning oatmeal
Add 1/3 c. into pancake batter before cooking – using crunchy peanut butter will add texture and flavor
Grill up up a PB&pear sandwich – add a few thin slices of pair and a drizzle of honey to your sammie and grill ’til wam and toasty
Whip up a spicy sauce: combine 1/2 c. creamy PB, 2 T. each of low-sodium soy sauce and brown sugar, the juice from 1 lime, a teaspoon of sriracha and a little hot water to thin . . . brush it on chicken or tofu and grill

More PB inpiration is here. . . a video + recipes by Gail Simmons (Food & Wine Magazine) that’ll make your mouth water and get you into your kitchen, stat!

What’re your favorite ways to use peanut butter?

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New Ways With: Pesto

Sarah — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 11:00:54 +0000

I know that some of your gardens are still over-flowing with basil . . . and if you have a food processor or blender, pesto is so easy to whip up. Make it in big batches, omit the cheese (for now) and throw it in your freezer for a little hit of sunshine come winter. Then go beyond pasta and use your pesto in a new way:

Use as a spread for grilled cheese sandwiches – try some great bread and use provolone cheese
Top a homemade or prepared pizza crust with pesto, cheese, red bell peppers and/or chicken and enjoy a new twist on a quick old favorite
Top a cracker with a schmear of cream cheese (or goat cheese) and a dollop of pesto for a gourmet snack
Spread it under the skin of bone-in, skin-on chicken parts and bake for a moist, savory treat
Add a spoonful to your favorite tomato or roasted red pepper soup
Broil up a fillet of mild white fish (think cod, haddock or tilapia) and serve it with a little pesto smeared over the top
Use as a topping for baked potatoes

What’re your favorite ways to use pesto?

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New Feature @ Semi-Sweet

Sarah — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 11:00:33 +0000

Hey Friends!

Did you notice anything new around here? I got inspired by a recent reader comment and finally got off my duff to add a “print this” option to each post . . . it’s not pretty enough for me, but it’s functional. You can now print a copy of any post you like without all that annoying sidebar junk taking up space and wasting your paper.

Keep those comments coming, and if you know of a WordPress plugin for printing that’ll allow me the flexibility to place the icon wherever I want it, please clue me in!

Cheers,

Sarah

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A Note About The Divine Caroline Voting

Sarah — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:10:41 +0000

So my SIL clued me in last night that in order to vote for Semi-Sweet on the Divine Caroline site, you need to register. So it’s more than “2 secs” to vote. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize this. But! Registration is free, and the good karma with which you’ll be endowed for doing it is limitless . . . .

Here’s the link if you have a minute or two? I would SO appreciate it!

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Taste Test: Kettle Brand Baked Chips

Sarah — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 11:00:46 +0000

Whole Foods recently had a special on their small (4 and 5 oz.) bags of Kettle Brand chips, and I’ve seen that Kettle has started making baked chips and was curious to try them. Our absolute, to-die-for favorite flavor of these is “salt & fresh ground pepper,” aptly described on the bag as the “yin yang of spice.” They are thicker than your average Lay’s chip, and are super crunchy and satisfying. The salt & pepper chips are tangy from the salt and have a little bite from the pepper – hard to describe, easy to love.

So, if I could have all this satisfaction and enjoy better nutritionals, I’d be psyched. Well, I hate to report, the baked version is not great.

First off, the nutrition low-down. The baked chips are far better – each serving (28 g) has 120 calories, 3 g of total fat, 120 mg of sodium, 21 g of carbs, and a whopping 430 mg of potassium. The same serving size of the fried chips has 150 calories, 9 g total fat, 180 mg of sodium, 16 g carbs and 420 mg of potassium. So unlike some “light” products, these do offer a nutritional benefit.

But the taste, well, just doesn’t match up. The baked chips aren’t “krinkle cut,” which isn’t a problem – they’re nevertheless satisfyingly crunchy. But the salt & black pepper can’t seem to consistently adhere to the chips due to the lack o’ grease or something. I did expect these to be overall less flavorful due to being baked, not fried, but it’d be great if they could get the flavorings to better stick to the chip. So what you end up with is 4 oz. of baked potato chips without any salt, even. Isn’t saltiness the point of chips?

Are they better than Baked Lay’s? Definitely. These taste like real food – to me, the Baked Lay’s taste of a laboratory. And when you do happen upon a chip with the seasonings on it, it is tasty, despite the lack of fat.

So instead of spening your hard-earned cash on these, I vote for splurging once in a while on the regular, full-on version - if you’re like me and don’t eat chips very often, you might as well go whole-hog and just enjoy the real thing. Just try not to eat the entire bag in one sitting, OK?

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Check Me Out!?

Sarah — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:36:32 +0000

I am Larabar’s “fan of the day” today!

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Mark Bittman Is “In Residence” On Chowhound This Week!

Sarah — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:04:50 +0000

Forgive me, people, I keep forgetting to send out an alert on this!

Mark Bittman will be in residence on Chowhound’s Home Cooking board for the week starting Monday, August 3, responding to questions about cooking and his new book, Kitchen Express, which focuses on quick, easy, flexible recipes. FYI, Kitchen Express looks great, and they have it at Costco right now . . . had to talk myself out of buying it last week (do you realize how many cookbooks I have? I have a problem.).

For those of you unfamiliar with him, Mark Bittman is known for his no-nonsense style and his simple, approachable recipes. In addition to his award-winning cookbooks How to Cook Everything and How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, he also writes “The Minimalist” column and the blog “Bitten” for the New York Times.

Here’s the link to the thread. Enjoy!

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