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Monday, February 15, 2010

Real Food Challenge: Week 2 Wrap-up

Today, I am home sick. Not how I wanted to spend my President's Day. Yes, I'm jealous of my teacher-friends who get the day off when there's a national holiday. But this isn't how I wanted my own day off. (I also discovered this past week that I have a lot of teacher-friends! Most of my facebook friends had time off due to all the snow we've had lately, I wish I had the patience to be a teacher :)

I've got some beef stock going on the stove and it's making me hungry. I think a good, nourishing soup may be in the works for dinner tonight.

Anyway, back to week 2 of Nourished Kitchen's Real Food Challenge.

Day 8: Fats for High Heat
  • Wholesome Fats for High-heat Cooking: Tallow, suet, ghee or clarified butter, coconut oil, palm kernel oil, cocoa butter, Tallow, suet, ghee or clarified butter, coconut oil, palm kernel oil, cocoa butter - check! I have coconut oil and tallow for use in my kitchen. However, I do use regular butter for cooking, not clarified butter. I need to work on that.

Day 9: Fight Against GMOs
Canola, soy, corn and growing number of other crops have been genetically engineered, and, for this reason it's critical to purchase your food from organic sources and avoid processed foods - many of which contain GMO-deriviative ingredients. For more information on this, read the info from Nourished Kitchen.

Day 10: Fats to Eat Raw
  • Fish Oil - I take a fish oil supplement. I tried taking cod liver oil once, but it really made me gag. I will try again soon.
  • Flax Seed Oil - I'm looking for some for salad dressings.
  • Unrefined Olive Oil - check! I love olive oil on a salad or over roasted veggies (after roasting now, not before :)
  • Butter - I love butter. I haven't been eating as much because I haven't been eating bread and that is my favorite way to have it. It's good on veggies too though. I have learned to appreciate broccoli with butter. I need to work on not cooking with it until it's clarified though. I'd like to find a source for grassfed butter, but for now it's just regular butter from the store. One step at a time i guess.
Day 11: Bake Some Sourdough
  • Since I didn't get my started started on time (and unfortunately still haven't), I couldn't bake a true sourdough loaf. I did however make a no-knead bread that at least allows the whole wheat flour to soak all day long. I used regular yeast, but it's a start. I didn't get a starter going yet, but hope to tonight. I definitely don't want to start it and then sneeze in it or something!

Day 12: Finding Real Milk
  • This is another fail on my end. I'm still trying to find a dairy near here that we can get raw milk and cream from. We don't really drink milk by itself, so buying a $6-$8 gallon of organic milk isn't going to happen. I use cream, but haven't been able to find a good organic source. I'm still trying though!

Day 13: Get Your (good) Bacteria
  • Check! I started rehydrating our kefir grains, so I should have some yummy water kefir in about 5 more days. I also want to try some of the fermented condiments from Nourishing Traditions, but I don't know when.

Day 14: Check In
  • I've been following along and doing what I can. I still don't think I have a passing grade, but it's not about passing or failing. It's about learning, and I am learning.

More information on this past week, the upcoming week and others who are taking up the Challenge can be found at the Nourished Kitchen.

2 comments:

  1. You'll find flax seed oil with the refrigerated goods. My grocery has started carrying it and puts it with butter/cheese/yogurt. But get a small bottle because it goes rancid pretty fast.

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  2. It sounds like you're really doing great. I think that no-knead bread is a really good compromise for sourdough. It's not as intensely flavored as sourdough, which appeals to many, but the long soak and slow-rise means that much of the issues surrounding antinutrients are resolved. I'm excited about this week - fermentation and probiotics. My favorite subject!

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