Thoughts on Eating Meat Sparingly

I love meat. There isn't really a meat I don't love.

A lot of things have changed in the last few months though.

note: for the last few months we generally eat meat only on weekends, and even then sparingly.

This week reminded me of how much I love being meat free. We ate A LOT of meat this weekend, and our conclusion was that as much as we love the taste, it just isn't worth it.

Here are our reasons:

1. money- i know everyone thinks fresh fruits and veggies are pricey but if you shop right they are way cheaper than meat
2. environment- there are significant environmental concerns with the amount of cattle we graze, etc. Don't get me wrong, I think cows are meant to be made into beef, but just maybe not to the extent that we have.
3. health- I feel a million times better after eating a fish/veggie meal the I do when i eat a meat meal. I don't get heart burn, don't feel too full, have more energy, less lethargy- it's a good thing.

So I was thinking, does anyone else have meat-free nights? And if you don't would you think about trying it one night a week- for me? Just as an experiment, and let me know what you think.

All About WHEAT GERM

Wheat Germ is the smallest part of the wheat kernel and is the reproductive part of the kernal. That is why it is called a germ- short for germination. It has more nutrients/ounce than any other grain or vegetable.

In one cup of wheat germ you can get:

144% of your thiamin
34% of your riboflavin
39% of your niacin
75% of your B6
81 % of your folate
26% of your Pantothenic Acid
61% of your fiber
75% of your maganese
130 % of your selenium
29% of your potassium
40% of your iron and more!

It is very unlikely you would eat a cup of it a day, but definitly makes you think more about incoperating it into your diet.

Some good ways to get it into your diet:

1. some cereals
2. my homemade granola bars
3. whole grain breads

For more information:
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-wheat-germ.htm
http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5743/2

Inside my Freezer

I love my freezer because not only does it keep food from spoiling but it gives me free time. It gives me more money too.

What I have in my freezer and why:

1. chocolate chips- because we live in AZ and they melt when left out
2. corn and spinach- so I always have vegetables on hand to throw into anything
3. frozen berries (costco sized bag)- cheaper, always in season and helps make any number of desserts in a pinch
4. cookie dough- right now I have extra florentine dough leftover from last time I made them, makes for an easy dessert, and less dessert at one time
5. Brownies, individually wrapped- so that I hopefully eat them more sparingly then if I left them in the pan on the counter
6. bones- pork bones etc., whatever I have from butchering meat(you know like a pork chop that you bought bone on but didn't need the bone) I use pork bones to flavor tomato sauce and chicken bones for chicken stock
7. Tomato sauce and vegetable stock- I make both of these in really large batches and freeze them in small containers so I only make them every month or two. So easy, delicious and unbelievably economical(esp if you buy the #10 cans of tomatoes at costco)
8.Leftover soup ready to reheat at any time
9. tamales and ravioli when I am lucky, those usually dont last long though, too good to let sit in the freezer
10. blocks of cheddar cheese- i buy the "cheddar loaf" at costco and cut it, saran wrap in and put it in a plastic bag all together to keep out the freeze, so much cheaper!
11. ice cream and a frozen pizza, because I can't always do homemade, there are just those days....

What kind of goodies do you store in your freezer?