Confused by all the health information

allvowels · Veteran Member

RE: Confused by all the health information

daisy · Guru

allvowels wrote:

I agree that it can get super overwhelming, especially the more you read.

For example, the sunscreen thing---I have known about the natural vs. chemical sunscreen thing for a while (another suggestion is Mexitan---several of my friends use it.....just google it). However, if you read Dr. Mercola's stuff, he's all about NOT using sunscreen or using it way less than we do.

He has even said on his website that they think sunscreen might CAUSE cancer! Ay yi yi!!

So, anyway, natural is better than chemical, and perhaps really limiting even the natural is even better. But then again, who knows?!?!

Also, the milk thing---if you're going to drink cow's milk, then your best bet is probably organic in glass bottles (even better than paper cartons, right?). But I have read so much now that I personally don't think cow's milk is good for us at all. :whoreallyknows?!

(We buy rice milk, but then I read that it contains arsenic. Grrrreat. I am not a fan of soy. I need to try almond milk. Or else just pump my breastmilk for everyone! haha!!)

I have a question about the Burt's Bees stuff---is it really cheaper? Aren't the containers really small (in other words, they don't last very long?)?

I think it's important to do what we can, like everyone else has said, but I also agree that it's hard to know what to do sometimes. (And I am very far from doing everything all natural---the girls eat a ton of fresh fruit and veggies, but it's not all organic, I still buy some mainstream soaps and stuff, but I will buy the natural stuff too, etc.)

(Kelly, my friends and I talk about this stuff all the time too!)

Oh, I just thought of something else---so no plastic in the microwave, of course. Well, lately I am kind of jumping on the bandwagon of no microwave at all (we still use it occasionally, though). That's just one more thing that just doesn't seem like it could be super healthy.

Next, we're going to move into a yurt (haha!!!)!

burt's containers are the same as everyone else's. like, the facial cleanser i got is the same size as my mario badescu. the body lotions are the same as what i have also, and same with the facial moisturizer.

the micro freaks me out too. i'm not kissing it goodbye, but...ug.

Alicia · Senior Member

What do you use for eczema cream?

Raven gets organic milk because I worry about the hormones.

I use vinegar as my only cleaner. My mom gave me an old book about vinegar and its uses and that was when I made the switch.

No artificial sweeteners like aspartame. Would rather use real sugar even though we are cutting back on that.

I do worry about how my food was raised/grown but not enough to buy organic unless it is cheaper.

daisy · Guru

Alicia wrote:

What do you use for eczema cream?

Raven gets organic milk because I worry about the hormones.

I use vinegar as my only cleaner. My mom gave me an old book about vinegar and its uses and that was when I made the switch.

No artificial sweeteners like aspartame. Would rather use real sugar even though we are cutting back on that.

I do worry about how my food was raised/grown but not enough to buy organic unless it is cheaper.

i use eucerin, as recommended by my pediatrician, though i've read iffy things about it here and there. i feel ok about it though since my doc has OKd it. i do consider using something else (not sure what) but for now, they havent had an eczema outbreak in a while anyway.

kris · Guru

Alicia wrote:

What do you use for eczema cream?

Raven gets organic milk because I worry about the hormones.

I use vinegar as my only cleaner. My mom gave me an old book about vinegar and its uses and that was when I made the switch.

No artificial sweeteners like aspartame. Would rather use real sugar even though we are cutting back on that.

I do worry about how my food was raised/grown but not enough to buy organic unless it is cheaper.

I have heard that the hormones, etc. in milk is what is causing girls to being menstruating and just maturing (boobies, etc.) so much earlier than they used to. Have you heard this?

I really need to think about this stuff! Kate drinks a ton of milk.

daisy · Guru

kris wrote:

Alicia wrote:

What do you use for eczema cream?

Raven gets organic milk because I worry about the hormones.

I use vinegar as my only cleaner. My mom gave me an old book about vinegar and its uses and that was when I made the switch.

No artificial sweeteners like aspartame. Would rather use real sugar even though we are cutting back on that.

I do worry about how my food was raised/grown but not enough to buy organic unless it is cheaper.

I have heard that the hormones, etc. in milk is what is causing girls to being menstruating and just maturing (boobies, etc.) so much earlier than they used to. Have you heard this?
I really need to think about this stuff! Kate drinks a ton of milk.

i've heard that too (for years now - i think ther's some validity to it) - and chicken too. those are my two biggies with organic (in terms of what the girls actually eat). earlier menstruation = higher risk of cancer, which could explain why 11 yr olds are now getting breast cancer. who knows, but seems logical??

Supafly · Guru

daisy wrote:

kris wrote:

Alicia wrote:

What do you use for eczema cream?

Raven gets organic milk because I worry about the hormones.

I use vinegar as my only cleaner. My mom gave me an old book about vinegar and its uses and that was when I made the switch.

No artificial sweeteners like aspartame. Would rather use real sugar even though we are cutting back on that.

I do worry about how my food was raised/grown but not enough to buy organic unless it is cheaper.

I have heard that the hormones, etc. in milk is what is causing girls to being menstruating and just maturing (boobies, etc.) so much earlier than they used to. Have you heard this?
I really need to think about this stuff! Kate drinks a ton of milk.

i've heard that too (for years now - i think ther's some validity to it) - and chicken too. those are my two biggies with organic (in terms of what the girls actually eat). earlier menstruation = higher risk of cancer, which could explain why 11 yr olds are now getting breast cancer. who knows, but seems logical??

I have heard these things too (and also because of the hormones that end up in our water supply via BCP).

But there is also some info stating that there is a correlation between fat stores and early onset of menstruation too. It is known that a girl needs to have fat stores at of at least a certain level for normal reproductive function, and that fat produces a hormone called leptin that is linked with puberty.

The things I have read have said girls now are taller and heavier than they were in the past, which correlates to the lower ages of girls getting their periods and such.

Just wanted to point that out because again-no one really knows. Yes, it could be the hormones in our food, our water, etc (and that likely plays a part), but it also could be partially because we as a society are bigger than we used to be-not that a girl has to be obese to menstruate early by any means-but that because of our sedentary lifestyle and poor eating habits (processed everything, tons of sugar, etc) our daughters have more fat on them than we may have had as kids, kwim?

muffy · Guru

re. microwave -

i have not used one in 20 years, and to not miss it at all.

what is it used for that can't be done another way?

to re-heat food i put leftovers in a frying pan with a splash of water to make some steam cover with a lid and gently warm till heated through. (quicker than the ove...)

steaming veggies - pot of water, lid - voila!

warm butter for baking - thinly slice and leave on counter for about 5 minutes - good to go.

but one thing i imagine i am very different about is i dont buy any frozen foods. i have pretty much nothing that is pre-prepared. except occasionally some ice cream, but i make that most of the time myself cause its better :) i will also buy frozen peas cause fresh are hard to find out of season here.

there are SOOOOO many chemicals in pre-prepared foods - imo i agree with jenn (or laura?) who said that food is our biggest chemical hazard.

which is why i am at odds with this couponing craze as i would not buy 95% of the stuff i read being purchased. (even canned soups have so many chemicals in them). i get that you can get those 5 dollar certificates to buy healthy fresh stuff, but from what i read those are being used to offset to buy more artificial packaged stuff most of the time anyways? but if you have to buy a lot of processed stuff to get that, it is a waste to me, though giving to charities is a great idea.

but again we are talking two different concepts here - saving money which ita can be very important which is a different topic than avoiding chemicals in foods.

we eat fresh and organic, and seasonal. and i have a repertoire of fast recipes to whip up a non-processed meal for the kids in around 20 minutes. (and this is where freezing my homemade stuff comes in handy- i think i would rather use a plastic ziploc bag to freeze some homemade soup (i cut the bag off the frozen soup and put the soup in a pot with a lid to reheat - the plastic is not heated) rather than buy canned or powdered soups. also, when i cook pasta or rice i make a bigger quantity as it keeps quite a few days in the fridge and reheats nicely in a covered frying pan with water added or in the sauce of whatever i make to go with it - its faster to get a meal on the table that way.

muffy · Guru

laura - i have read a few times that the reason girls get their periods earlier is because of all the chemically modified meat products - especially chicken which is injected with female hormones to make the breasts plumper and it is the chemicals in those chickens that has an impact to early puberty for young girls these days.

if you google it there are lots of articles out there, this is just one of the first esamples that came up:

http://www.alkalizeforhealth.net/earlymenarchy.htm

food has been my primary focus for many years now - i am betting that is the best way to keep my children healthy.

daisy · Guru

Supafly wrote:

daisy wrote:

kris wrote:

Alicia wrote:

What do you use for eczema cream?

Raven gets organic milk because I worry about the hormones.

I use vinegar as my only cleaner. My mom gave me an old book about vinegar and its uses and that was when I made the switch.

No artificial sweeteners like aspartame. Would rather use real sugar even though we are cutting back on that.

I do worry about how my food was raised/grown but not enough to buy organic unless it is cheaper.

I have heard that the hormones, etc. in milk is what is causing girls to being menstruating and just maturing (boobies, etc.) so much earlier than they used to. Have you heard this?
I really need to think about this stuff! Kate drinks a ton of milk.

i've heard that too (for years now - i think ther's some validity to it) - and chicken too. those are my two biggies with organic (in terms of what the girls actually eat). earlier menstruation = higher risk of cancer, which could explain why 11 yr olds are now getting breast cancer. who knows, but seems logical??

I have heard these things too (and also because of the hormones that end up in our water supply via BCP).
But there is also some info stating that there is a correlation between fat stores and early onset of menstruation too. It is known that a girl needs to have fat stores at of at least a certain level for normal reproductive function, and that fat produces a hormone called leptin that is linked with puberty.
The things I have read have said girls now are taller and heavier than they were in the past, which correlates to the lower ages of girls getting their periods and such.
Just wanted to point that out because again-no one really knows. Yes, it could be the hormones in our food, our water, etc (and that likely plays a part), but it also could be partially because we as a society are bigger than we used to be-not that a girl has to be obese to menstruate early by any means-but that because of our sedentary lifestyle and poor eating habits (processed everything, tons of sugar, etc) our daughters have more fat on them than we may have had as kids, kwim?

i agree, and think it all goes hand in hand. nearly impossible to tweeze it all apart.

daisy · Guru

muffy wrote:

re. microwave -

i have not used one in 20 years, and to not miss it at all.

what is it used for that can't be done another way?

to re-heat food i put leftovers in a frying pan with a splash of water to make some steam cover with a lid and gently warm till heated through. (quicker than the ove...)

steaming veggies - pot of water, lid - voila!

warm butter for baking - thinly slice and leave on counter for about 5 minutes - good to go.

but one thing i imagine i am very different about is i dont buy any frozen foods. i have pretty much nothing that is pre-prepared. except occasionally some ice cream, but i make that most of the time myself cause its better :) i will also buy frozen peas cause fresh are hard to find out of season here.

there are SOOOOO many chemicals in pre-prepared foods - imo i agree with jenn (or laura?) who said that food is our biggest chemical hazard.

which is why i am at odds with this couponing craze as i would not buy 95% of the stuff i read being purchased. (even canned soups have so many chemicals in them). i get that you can get those 5 dollar certificates to buy healthy fresh stuff, but from what i read those are being used to offset to buy more artificial packaged stuff most of the time anyways? but if you have to buy a lot of processed stuff to get that, it is a waste to me, though giving to charities is a great idea.

but again we are talking two different concepts here - saving money which ita can be very important which is a different topic than avoiding chemicals in foods.

we eat fresh and organic, and seasonal. and i have a repertoire of fast recipes to whip up a non-processed meal for the kids in around 20 minutes. (and this is where freezing my homemade stuff comes in handy- i think i would rather use a plastic ziploc bag to freeze some homemade soup (i cut the bag off the frozen soup and put the soup in a pot with a lid to reheat - the plastic is not heated) rather than buy canned or powdered soups. also, when i cook pasta or rice i make a bigger quantity as it keeps quite a few days in the fridge and reheats nicely in a covered frying pan with water added or in the sauce of whatever i make to go with it - its faster to get a meal on the table that way.

thanks for this. i bet i dont REALLY need a micro either. we dont eat frozen food, and if i give them frozen nuggets here and there, i cook them in the toaster oven anyway. i never do veggies in the micro - i use it for reheating purposes only, and that can easily be done stovetop - youre totally right. ya know what, i'm going to try it. seriously i probably use the micro a total of 30 seconds a day. i was going to pick up a new, smaller micro anyway and eliminate this big old white thing i have - the age of it alone makes me nervous - i wanted one to put on top of the fridge and i figured i'd automatically use it less if it was up there (we dont have a ton of space in here at all). i think i'll replace it anyway, just in case i need it, and just really try to reheat stovetop. thanks muffs.

i agree on the canned stuff. i'm moving to jarred whole tomatoes for sauce and packaged beans v. canned (i'm the one who eats those) - but otherwise, we dont use much canned. my kids dont like soup. if they did, i'd be making it based on sodium alone.

Supafly · Guru

muffy wrote:

laura - i have read a few times that the reason girls get their periods earlier is because of all the chemically modified meat products - especially chicken which is injected with female hormones to make the breasts plumper and it is the chemicals in those chickens that has an impact to early puberty for young girls these days.

if you google it there are lots of articles out there, this is just one of the first esamples that came up:

http://www.alkalizeforhealth.net/earlymenarchy.htm

food has been my primary focus for many years now - i am betting that is the best way to keep my children healthy.

Megan, I am not saying that hormones in meat are not a part of this-but I really don't think it is the ONLY part. I truly don't believe that at all-about this or most any other food related health issue.

But again, I am not saying that this isn't a big contributor. And ITTTTTTTTTTTA about food being the best way to keep your family healthy, and that is why I am focused on that as well-though I can't see us without a microwave!!

CoffeeQueen · Guru

muffy wrote:

re. microwave -

i have not used one in 20 years, and to not miss it at all.

what is it used for that can't be done another way?

to re-heat food i put leftovers in a frying pan with a splash of water to make some steam cover with a lid and gently warm till heated through. (quicker than the ove...)

steaming veggies - pot of water, lid - voila!

warm butter for baking - thinly slice and leave on counter for about 5 minutes - good to go.

but one thing i imagine i am very different about is i dont buy any frozen foods. i have pretty much nothing that is pre-prepared. except occasionally some ice cream, but i make that most of the time myself cause its better :) i will also buy frozen peas cause fresh are hard to find out of season here.

there are SOOOOO many chemicals in pre-prepared foods - imo i agree with jenn (or laura?) who said that food is our biggest chemical hazard.

which is why i am at odds with this couponing craze as i would not buy 95% of the stuff i read being purchased. (even canned soups have so many chemicals in them). i get that you can get those 5 dollar certificates to buy healthy fresh stuff, but from what i read those are being used to offset to buy more artificial packaged stuff most of the time anyways? but if you have to buy a lot of processed stuff to get that, it is a waste to me, though giving to charities is a great idea.

but again we are talking two different concepts here - saving money which ita can be very important which is a different topic than avoiding chemicals in foods.

we eat fresh and organic, and seasonal. and i have a repertoire of fast recipes to whip up a non-processed meal for the kids in around 20 minutes. (and this is where freezing my homemade stuff comes in handy- i think i would rather use a plastic ziploc bag to freeze some homemade soup (i cut the bag off the frozen soup and put the soup in a pot with a lid to reheat - the plastic is not heated) rather than buy canned or powdered soups. also, when i cook pasta or rice i make a bigger quantity as it keeps quite a few days in the fridge and reheats nicely in a covered frying pan with water added or in the sauce of whatever i make to go with it - its faster to get a meal on the table that way.

Megan, I agree too and I think that is why I am having a hard time using coupons. I buy mostly fresh. I do freeze my meat though.

Would you be interested in posting some of the quick,fresh kids meals. I struggle with after work and racing against the clock to get the meal on the table. The veggie part I do not have much of a problem with. It does not take long at all the steam them. It is coming up with a whole meal plan that is quick and healthy.

daisy · Guru

CoffeeQueen wrote:

muffy wrote:

re. microwave -

i have not used one in 20 years, and to not miss it at all.

what is it used for that can't be done another way?

to re-heat food i put leftovers in a frying pan with a splash of water to make some steam cover with a lid and gently warm till heated through. (quicker than the ove...)

steaming veggies - pot of water, lid - voila!

warm butter for baking - thinly slice and leave on counter for about 5 minutes - good to go.

but one thing i imagine i am very different about is i dont buy any frozen foods. i have pretty much nothing that is pre-prepared. except occasionally some ice cream, but i make that most of the time myself cause its better :) i will also buy frozen peas cause fresh are hard to find out of season here.

there are SOOOOO many chemicals in pre-prepared foods - imo i agree with jenn (or laura?) who said that food is our biggest chemical hazard.

which is why i am at odds with this couponing craze as i would not buy 95% of the stuff i read being purchased. (even canned soups have so many chemicals in them). i get that you can get those 5 dollar certificates to buy healthy fresh stuff, but from what i read those are being used to offset to buy more artificial packaged stuff most of the time anyways? but if you have to buy a lot of processed stuff to get that, it is a waste to me, though giving to charities is a great idea.

but again we are talking two different concepts here - saving money which ita can be very important which is a different topic than avoiding chemicals in foods.

we eat fresh and organic, and seasonal. and i have a repertoire of fast recipes to whip up a non-processed meal for the kids in around 20 minutes. (and this is where freezing my homemade stuff comes in handy- i think i would rather use a plastic ziploc bag to freeze some homemade soup (i cut the bag off the frozen soup and put the soup in a pot with a lid to reheat - the plastic is not heated) rather than buy canned or powdered soups. also, when i cook pasta or rice i make a bigger quantity as it keeps quite a few days in the fridge and reheats nicely in a covered frying pan with water added or in the sauce of whatever i make to go with it - its faster to get a meal on the table that way.

Megan, I agree too and I think that is why I am having a hard time using coupons. I buy mostly fresh. I do freeze my meat though.
Would you be interested in posting some of the quick,fresh kids meals. I struggle with after work and racing against the clock to get the meal on the table. The veggie part I do not have much of a problem with. It does not take long at all the steam them. It is coming up with a whole meal plan that is quick and healthy.

i do the same. i buy for the week, freeze the meats. i definitely cant get to the store everyday with cara in tow.

muffy · Guru

Melissa - i am at my inlaws for the weekend, but when i am back and the kids are in school monday i will post some recipes/ideas of what i cook for the kids. i can tell you the secret is quick and usually something that can be re-heated or kept warm cause dinner time is a 3 ring circus with all 3 kids extra curricular activities - especially tims basketball he almost never comes home before 7:30 pm so whatever i cook i usually serve multiple times over 2-3 hours in the evening, argh!

kris · Guru

CoffeeQueen wrote:

muffy wrote:

re. microwave -

i have not used one in 20 years, and to not miss it at all.

what is it used for that can't be done another way?

to re-heat food i put leftovers in a frying pan with a splash of water to make some steam cover with a lid and gently warm till heated through. (quicker than the ove...)

steaming veggies - pot of water, lid - voila!

warm butter for baking - thinly slice and leave on counter for about 5 minutes - good to go.

but one thing i imagine i am very different about is i dont buy any frozen foods. i have pretty much nothing that is pre-prepared. except occasionally some ice cream, but i make that most of the time myself cause its better :) i will also buy frozen peas cause fresh are hard to find out of season here.

there are SOOOOO many chemicals in pre-prepared foods - imo i agree with jenn (or laura?) who said that food is our biggest chemical hazard.

which is why i am at odds with this couponing craze as i would not buy 95% of the stuff i read being purchased. (even canned soups have so many chemicals in them). i get that you can get those 5 dollar certificates to buy healthy fresh stuff, but from what i read those are being used to offset to buy more artificial packaged stuff most of the time anyways? but if you have to buy a lot of processed stuff to get that, it is a waste to me, though giving to charities is a great idea.

but again we are talking two different concepts here - saving money which ita can be very important which is a different topic than avoiding chemicals in foods.

we eat fresh and organic, and seasonal. and i have a repertoire of fast recipes to whip up a non-processed meal for the kids in around 20 minutes. (and this is where freezing my homemade stuff comes in handy- i think i would rather use a plastic ziploc bag to freeze some homemade soup (i cut the bag off the frozen soup and put the soup in a pot with a lid to reheat - the plastic is not heated) rather than buy canned or powdered soups. also, when i cook pasta or rice i make a bigger quantity as it keeps quite a few days in the fridge and reheats nicely in a covered frying pan with water added or in the sauce of whatever i make to go with it - its faster to get a meal on the table that way.

Megan, I agree too and I think that is why I am having a hard time using coupons. I buy mostly fresh. I do freeze my meat though.
Would you be interested in posting some of the quick,fresh kids meals. I struggle with after work and racing against the clock to get the meal on the table. The veggie part I do not have much of a problem with. It does not take long at all the steam them. It is coming up with a whole meal plan that is quick and healthy.

what I have started doing is cooking a meat and then steaming frozen veggies and almost every night I serve raw carrots and celery sticks and cottage cheese and I will put out a bowl of sliced strawberries or grapes. So far no one is tired of the celery or carrots and I feel good seeming them putting away fresh veggies.

I'm REALLY trying to get away from potatoes and bread - I'm huge into carbs and have zero problem serving up a carb bonanza!!!

Supafly · Guru

CoffeeQueen wrote:

muffy wrote:

re. microwave -

i have not used one in 20 years, and to not miss it at all.

what is it used for that can't be done another way?

to re-heat food i put leftovers in a frying pan with a splash of water to make some steam cover with a lid and gently warm till heated through. (quicker than the ove...)

steaming veggies - pot of water, lid - voila!

warm butter for baking - thinly slice and leave on counter for about 5 minutes - good to go.

but one thing i imagine i am very different about is i dont buy any frozen foods. i have pretty much nothing that is pre-prepared. except occasionally some ice cream, but i make that most of the time myself cause its better :) i will also buy frozen peas cause fresh are hard to find out of season here.

there are SOOOOO many chemicals in pre-prepared foods - imo i agree with jenn (or laura?) who said that food is our biggest chemical hazard.

which is why i am at odds with this couponing craze as i would not buy 95% of the stuff i read being purchased. (even canned soups have so many chemicals in them). i get that you can get those 5 dollar certificates to buy healthy fresh stuff, but from what i read those are being used to offset to buy more artificial packaged stuff most of the time anyways? but if you have to buy a lot of processed stuff to get that, it is a waste to me, though giving to charities is a great idea.

but again we are talking two different concepts here - saving money which ita can be very important which is a different topic than avoiding chemicals in foods.

we eat fresh and organic, and seasonal. and i have a repertoire of fast recipes to whip up a non-processed meal for the kids in around 20 minutes. (and this is where freezing my homemade stuff comes in handy- i think i would rather use a plastic ziploc bag to freeze some homemade soup (i cut the bag off the frozen soup and put the soup in a pot with a lid to reheat - the plastic is not heated) rather than buy canned or powdered soups. also, when i cook pasta or rice i make a bigger quantity as it keeps quite a few days in the fridge and reheats nicely in a covered frying pan with water added or in the sauce of whatever i make to go with it - its faster to get a meal on the table that way.

Megan, I agree too and I think that is why I am having a hard time using coupons. I buy mostly fresh. I do freeze my meat though.
Would you be interested in posting some of the quick,fresh kids meals. I struggle with after work and racing against the clock to get the meal on the table. The veggie part I do not have much of a problem with. It does not take long at all the steam them. It is coming up with a whole meal plan that is quick and healthy.

Melissa, I agree with you as well. I do well on my grocery bills (by my own standards), but will likely never be at the same level as some of the others because we just don't buy that stuff too much. I could probably make use of some things if I ordered coupons but as far as what comes in the Sunday paper, there isn't always much of interest to me.

Anyway, do you marinate meats before you freeze them? I do that a lot-make a marinade and then portion off the meats in the marinade and freeze them. Then I thaw them (overnight or just starting that morning, depending on what it is), toss them on the grill or our grill pan and they are done in no time. My girls are not much into plain meat-but they love things that are marinated.

Another thing I do is use chicken tenders, bread them, then saute them in olive oil. They are done supa quick because they are so small, and they are a great sub for chicken nuggets that my girls actually like. You could also use canola or whatever oil you use if they don't like olive. My girls love those. And if you have the breading/coating (I usually make my own breadcrumbs, but you can use whatever you like) ready just in a bag or covered dish, you can just get the tenders out of the fridge, bread them and saute right away-there really isn't any prep work.

We don't do potatoes often because they don't like baked, and I don't use instant, so most of the time we do noodles or rice on the side, along with a veggie (broccoli and green beans are the faves-both of mine are anti carrot for some reason), and both of those can be prepared alongside the meat and be ready fast. My fave way to do rice (though we usually just steam it) is to use kind of a risotto technique with regular jasmine rice-I saute the rice in olive oil, add a bit of garlic, then add chicken broth instead of water, cover and cook it until the rice is tender. It is very yum, and a little bit of oil goes a long way with it. I've been making that since college-even my picky roommates would eat it!

Anyway, I know you didn't ask me, and I am not sure what exactly you are looking for in terms of meals, but those are a few of the quick things we tend to do often.

-- Edited by Supafly on Saturday 12th of December 2009 08:01:07 PM

daisy · Guru

Supafly wrote:

CoffeeQueen wrote:

muffy wrote:

re. microwave -

i have not used one in 20 years, and to not miss it at all.

what is it used for that can't be done another way?

to re-heat food i put leftovers in a frying pan with a splash of water to make some steam cover with a lid and gently warm till heated through. (quicker than the ove...)

steaming veggies - pot of water, lid - voila!

warm butter for baking - thinly slice and leave on counter for about 5 minutes - good to go.

but one thing i imagine i am very different about is i dont buy any frozen foods. i have pretty much nothing that is pre-prepared. except occasionally some ice cream, but i make that most of the time myself cause its better :) i will also buy frozen peas cause fresh are hard to find out of season here.

there are SOOOOO many chemicals in pre-prepared foods - imo i agree with jenn (or laura?) who said that food is our biggest chemical hazard.

which is why i am at odds with this couponing craze as i would not buy 95% of the stuff i read being purchased. (even canned soups have so many chemicals in them). i get that you can get those 5 dollar certificates to buy healthy fresh stuff, but from what i read those are being used to offset to buy more artificial packaged stuff most of the time anyways? but if you have to buy a lot of processed stuff to get that, it is a waste to me, though giving to charities is a great idea.

but again we are talking two different concepts here - saving money which ita can be very important which is a different topic than avoiding chemicals in foods.

we eat fresh and organic, and seasonal. and i have a repertoire of fast recipes to whip up a non-processed meal for the kids in around 20 minutes. (and this is where freezing my homemade stuff comes in handy- i think i would rather use a plastic ziploc bag to freeze some homemade soup (i cut the bag off the frozen soup and put the soup in a pot with a lid to reheat - the plastic is not heated) rather than buy canned or powdered soups. also, when i cook pasta or rice i make a bigger quantity as it keeps quite a few days in the fridge and reheats nicely in a covered frying pan with water added or in the sauce of whatever i make to go with it - its faster to get a meal on the table that way.

Megan, I agree too and I think that is why I am having a hard time using coupons. I buy mostly fresh. I do freeze my meat though.
Would you be interested in posting some of the quick,fresh kids meals. I struggle with after work and racing against the clock to get the meal on the table. The veggie part I do not have much of a problem with. It does not take long at all the steam them. It is coming up with a whole meal plan that is quick and healthy.

Melissa, I agree with you as well. I do well on my grocery bills (by my own standards), but will likely never be at the same level as some of the others because we just don't buy that stuff too much. I could probably make use of some things if I ordered coupons but as far as what comes in the Sunday paper, there isn't always much of interest to me.
Anyway, do you marinate meats before you freeze them? I do that a lot-make a marinade and then portion off the meats in the marinade and freeze them. Then I thaw them (overnight or just starting that morning, depending on what it is), toss them on the grill or our grill pan and they are done in no time. My girls are not much into plain meat-but they love things that are marinated.
Another thing I do is use chicken tenders, bread them, then saute them in olive oil. They are done supa quick because they are so small, and they are a great sub for chicken nuggets that my girls actually like. You could also use canola or whatever oil you use if they don't like olive. My girls love those. And if you have the breading/coating (I usually make my own breadcrumbs, but you can use whatever you like) ready just in a bag or covered dish, you can just get the tenders out of the fridge, bread them and saute right away-there really isn't any prep work.
We don't do potatoes often because they don't like baked, and I don't use instant, so most of the time we do noodles or rice on the side, along with a veggie (broccoli and green beans are the faves-both of mine are anti carrot for some reason), and both of those can be prepared alongside the meat and be ready fast. My fave way to do rice (though we usually just steam it) is to use kind of a risotto technique with regular jasmine rice-I saute the rice in olive oil, add a bit of garlic, then add chicken broth instead of water, cover and cook it until the rice is tender. It is very yum, and a little bit of oil goes a long way with it. I've been making that since college-even my picky roommates would eat it!
Anyway, I know you didn't ask me, and I am not sure what exactly you are looking for in terms of meals, but those are a few of the quick things we tend to do often.

-- Edited by Supafly on Saturday 12th of December 2009 08:01:07 PM

these are great ideas laura - sounds like we might have some similar tastes. i never thought to freeze the meat post-marinating...good idea. (that's a classic example of how i'm not kitchen savvy - this LITERALLY wouldnt have occurred to me in a million years -- do you just marinate and then wrap it in glad wrap?)

i love jasmine rice. love. my kids dont eat rice unfortunately. i usually steam sushi rice if i want some, but i'd love to get back into other kinds of rices.

i wish my kids liked breaded chicken - annoying taht they dont bc it really is such an easy meal.

Supafly · Guru

daisy wrote:

these are great ideas laura - sounds like we might have some similar tastes. i never thought to freeze the meat post-marinating...good idea. (that's a classic example of how i'm not kitchen savvy - this LITERALLY wouldnt have occurred to me in a million years -- do you just marinate and then wrap it in glad wrap?)
i love jasmine rice. love. my kids dont eat rice unfortunately. i usually steam sushi rice if i want some, but i'd love to get back into other kinds of rices.
i wish my kids liked breaded chicken - annoying taht they dont bc it really is such an easy meal.

I usually put them in a ziploc and pour the marinade in, then freeze. It works out very well and saves a step, kwim? Just remember to clearly label whatever packaging you use so you know what kind of meat and what kind of marinade because they all look pretty much the same when they are frozen!

My kids don't LOVE rice, but they will eat it-and ITA-I love jasmine rice!!!