Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

[6packofun]

It was extremely frustrating to watch, BUT I also think that Jamie (or the people running this *show*) lost some opportunities to make it less of a competition or a me vs. them scenario and ask some good questions! "You agreed for me to come here and help you--what is the first thing you think needs changing?" "If you're embarrassed or angry about the label given to your town, what needs to happen to CHANGE it?" I think the show was set up to be confrontational, though, so I hope they move past that quickly and get to EDUCATION.

 

My MIL is from Huntington--yes, obese!--and she was mad that someone was going to make them look stupid. But they're doing themselves no favors with their whiny, stubborn, unteachable attitudes. THAT is the issue. They are used to living and eating one way and screw anyone who is going to make them feel bad for being West Virginians. Or fat, irresponsible parents. LOL

 

(*Disclaimer: No, not all West Virginians are like this! LOL)

[astrid]

:D But I get the impression that it's not hard to find a day they are serving pizza!

 

Sometimes twice per day!! :001_huh:

 

astrid

[elegantlion]

Confession, we had pizza today. It was fresh made one from _______(unnamed "mart"). Ds made us read through the vast list of ingredients before cooking. :lol: We don't have pizza that often, probably not theirs anymore either.

[astrid]

:iagree::iagree:

 

astrid

[LauraGB]

Confession, we had pizza today.

 

I had pizza for breakfast today. :blush: But it was homemade last night, and I only ate it this morning because I beat the kids to it. :tongue_smilie:

 

We all really liked this show. I really could have done without the tears, though. Definitely see it being a choreographed reality show sort of thing. But I enjoyed it, and the intent, none the less. Looking forward to the next installment on Friday.

[jenL]

We watched. Although I knew it was bad, I was horrified by the list of ingredients on the processed crap that Jamie pulled out of the school freezer. Those "potato pearls" or whatever they are just made me want to hurl. And pizza for breakfast???!!! Every day???!!! That pepto-pink "milk" turned my stomach as well.

 

I'm really disappointed at the attitudes in the town, and felt the DJ should have really been more open-minded about the whole thing. I think the pastor has the potential to be a great ally, and hope that he goes to bat for Jamie. The lunch ladies give me a cramp, as does the principal. I feel for the mom who was willing to make a change in her family's eating habits. That whole pile of processed crap on the table was eye-opening.

 

All in all, I admire Jamie greatly for attempting this. Unfortunately, I think the USDA needs to change the school lunch guidelines in order to have any real, lasting effect on the eating habits of children. Parents need to stop taking the easy, quick way out and giving in to kids' demands for garbage.

 

To sum, I'm sickened that OUR tax dollars are being used to poison children.

 

astrid

 

:iagree: especially the bolded part. School lunches are a travesty. I'll definitely be watching this show further.

[elegantlion]

I had pizza for breakfast today. :blush:

 

:lol::lol::lol: Was this before or after you watched the show?

[LauraGB]

:lol::lol::lol: Was this before or after you watched the show?

 

Before. :D

 

BUT, my pizza is very nutritous. I think. Protein (you know, with all the cheese), evidently 2 servings of carbs/starch, lots of veggies...:lol:

[elegantlion]

Before. :D

 

BUT, my pizza is very nutritous. I think. Protein, evidently 2 servings of carbs/starch, lots of veggies...:lol:

 

The USDA will be so proud. :D

[Guest Dulcimeramy]

I'm watching right now. (I keep having to pause it to get my blood pressure back down....)

 

Y'know, this all may be totally staged for effect, but the sad fact is that I've heard those same disgusting attitudes right here in Central Indiana.

 

I've had my vegetables mocked.

 

Mothers have handed their children balogna and oreos while sneering at my child's roast chicken and green beans. "He'll never eat that!" (Hello. He is eating it, and asking for more.)

 

Until this stupid, self-absorbed, death-wishing attitude goes away, nothing will improve. What is this way of thinking that says, "I'd rather my child have diabetes from the cr*p I feed him than to listen to you tell me about nutrition and cooking, because I'm a free American."

 

I know they don't want Jamie to tell them, because they don't even want me to silently show them through example only. I've never preached about nutrition. I just do what I do and feed my own kids, and it seems to royally tick people off sometimes. Not everyone, of course, but just try to go to a church potluck in Indiana with a paella instead of KFC and see what happens to you. Although that experience wasn't as bad as the time I took hummus bi tahini in whole wheat pitas to a church potluck in KY.

 

WTH kind of country is this. How did we lose the skill of cooking for our families. I know there are many reasons, but I don't understand why people don't want to turn it around now.

[Jaxon]

A few years ago I watched the UK version of this campaign -- Jamie's School Dinners. To briefly sum it up, Jamie was successful in producing healthy menus that met the budget, and he was successful in getting the kids to eat it. However the real food required more time for the dinner ladies to prepare, more equipment to prepare it, and the extra money needed for all this was not available. At the conclusion of the series, Jamie was filmed getting a "pledge" from Tony Blair for more money, but it is unclear to me whether this was actually put into effect.

 

I would expect the show in the US to follow the same general course. Of course it's better to serve healthy vegetables, but it will cost more, and will the political will to pay for it be there?

[Hedgehogs4]

it became our school today. see the blog post for today...

http://accidentalhomeschooler.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2010-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-05%3A00&updated-max=2011-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=9

[Spy Car]

 

WTH kind of country is this. How did we lose the skill of cooking for our families. I know there are many reasons, but I don't understand why people don't want to turn it around now.

 

Good question!

 

Bill (you bring the Hummus, I'll bring the Baba Ghannouj :D )

[Guest Dulcimeramy]

A few years ago I watched the UK version of this campaign -- Jamie's School Dinners. To briefly sum it up, Jamie was successful in producing healthy menus that met the budget, and he was successful in getting the kids to eat it. However the real food required more time for the dinner ladies to prepare, more equipment to prepare it, and the extra money needed for all this was not available. At the conclusion of the series, Jamie was filmed getting a "pledge" from Tony Blair for more money, but it is unclear to me whether this was actually put into effect.

 

I would expect the show in the US to follow the same general course. Of course it's better to serve healthy vegetables, but it will cost more, and will the political will to pay for it be there?

 

It is all so complicated. In central Indiana, land that used to be for vegetables is now used for corn. (See "King Corn") If we stopped using HFCS and corn filler in everything under the sun, from cardboard to soup, we could use that land for spinach and tomatoes again.

 

The public, and the government, would have to be sold on the truth that America has the land to grow proper food for its people, and it would be cheaper to do that than to pay for the health care costs of diseased Americans.

 

I sure don't have any easy answers. Home-feeding children is becoming like home-schooling them. In other words, I can feed my children properly because I have knowledge of nutrition, and I am willing and able to spend the time cooking for them. I also know how to do it in the worst economy, on my camp equipment if necessary.

 

But what of it? Hooray for my children, but I can't assume that others have my abilities OR my resources (knowledge, time, some grocery money, decent stores, a stove).

 

I can drive 15 minutes deeper into my city and find neighborhoods where the convenience store is the only place to buy food. And by "food" I mean lunch meat and twinkies. They don't sell fresh foods there, or whole foods of any kind. In another neighborhood, the people are poor but there is a Farmer's Market that will sell to rich folks (who can drive there). They will sell you strawberry popcorn, artisan cheese and bread, the metaphorical arugula...but the people in the neighborhood can't afford that food.

 

This never should have happened. We should not have let go of these skills, because they are too hard to get back on a national level.

[Guest Dulcimeramy]

Good question!

 

Bill (you bring the Hummus, I'll bring the Baba Ghannouj :D )

 

I missed this response. I was in the kitchen looking for something to eat.

 

:lurk5:

[astrid]

WTH kind of country is this. How did we lose the skill of cooking for our families. I know there are many reasons, but I don't understand why people don't want to turn it around now.

 

You know, we were having this very same conversation while watching it last night. My mom (76) lives with us, so we've got three generations in our home. My mom always cooked from scratch and did NOT buy processed crap. We ate three nutritious meals a day. I"m not saying we didn't have ice cream now and then, but it was definitely "roast chicken and green beans" as opposed to Hamburger Helper and Hot Pockets. (though I don't think the latter existed then!) And that's exactly how I feed my dh and dd.

 

Anyway, we were watching those lunch ladies, all of whom were over 40, and couldn't believe that they were raised on crap. They are of the generation where their moms cooked, and they ate actual food. That saying "If you walk into a grocery store and pick something off the shelf, put it back if your grandmother wouldn't recognize it" springs to mind. Somewhere, back in their personal histories and experiences, these lunch women MUST know better.

 

I find their "you're not gonna tell ME I can't kill myself and my kids!" attitude is appalling. Yes, I know they're "just following orders." I know they need the jobs in order to feed THEIR families. I just can't find the logic in their stubborn belief that what they're feeding the kids is good for them.

 

I"m sure these very same women wouldn't contribute to Planned Parenthood. Yet they're positively, gleefully righteous feeding what literally amounts to poison to 450 children every day.

[Joker]

You know, we were having this very same conversation while watching it last night. My mom (76) lives with us, so we've got three generations in our home. My mom always cooked from scratch and did NOT buy processed crap. We ate three nutritious meals a day. I"m not saying we didn't have ice cream now and then, but it was definitely "roast chicken and green beans" as opposed to Hamburger Helper and Hot Pockets. (though I don't think the latter existed then!) And that's exactly how I feed my dh and dd.

 

Anyway, we were watching those lunch ladies, all of whom were over 40, and couldn't believe that they were raised on crap. They are of the generation where their moms cooked, and they ate actual food. That saying "If you walk into a grocery store and pick something off the shelf, put it back if your grandmother wouldn't recognize it" springs to mind. Somewhere, back in their personal histories and experiences, these lunch women MUST know better.

 

I find their "you're not gonna tell ME I can't kill myself and my kids!" attitude is appalling. Yes, I know they're "just following orders." I know they need the jobs in order to feed THEIR families. I just can't find the logic in their stubborn belief that what they're feeding the kids is good for them.

 

I"m sure these very same women wouldn't contribute to Planned Parenthood. Yet they're positively, gleefully righteous feeding what literally amounts to poison to 450 children every day.

:iagree:The part I bolded made me smile. I spent most of my childhood with my best friend - my grandmother. She taught me to enjoy a variety of foods and to enjoy cooking them. I can't imagine feeding my family the "food" they were feeding those kids. It seems most have taken the easy way when it comes to food and have forgotten what's most important.

[jg_puppy]

How did we lose the skill of cooking for our families. I know there are many reasons, but I don't understand why people don't want to turn it around now.

 

Well I come from a family that lost the skill of cooking. My grandmother cooked everything from scratch. My mom and dad could cook, but chose to go with convenience over real cooking most of the time. Hamburger Helper was cooking. My mom likes vegetables, but rarely at fresh vegetables. (mostly canned) My brother and I were never made us eat vegetables because "it wasn't worth the fight".

 

Now as a mom myself I find that I am doing a lot of the same things my mom did because it is easy. I don't like it, and I want to change. It is hard to do when I don't have a clue how to change. I need to find recipes that my family will eat, but we are all very picky eaters. I really wish someone could walk me through this step by step.

 

Jan

[Spy Car]

I really wish someone could walk me through this step by step.

 

Jan

 

Start with good healthful food, and don't do too much to it.

 

Bill

[LauraGB]

Start with good healthful food, and don't do too much to it.

 

Bill

 

Truer words were never spoken. :)

[jg_puppy]

Start with good healthful food, and don't do too much to it.

 

Bill

 

:D

 

Jan

[6packofun]

But I will say something in defense of pizza for breakfast. It is great if it is made well. A nice whole grain crust with some olive oil spread on, then fresh spinach, scrambled eggs, chopped onions, peppers, celery and maybe some ham if you want the meat. Top all of that with some low fat mozzarella. Yummy.

 

That stuff at the school called pizza even looked disgusting.

 

I was thinking the same thing--IF it were actually a breakfast pizza and not just the same junk given the name "breakfast pizza"! LOL I was expecting to see eggs on a decent crust, even a biscuit type crust, when Jamie first started griping about it...nope. :tongue_smilie:

[JoyfulMama]

Anyway, we were watching those lunch ladies, all of whom were over 40, and couldn't believe that they were raised on crap. They are of the generation where their moms cooked, and they ate actual food. That saying "If you walk into a grocery store and pick something off the shelf, put it back if your grandmother wouldn't recognize it" springs to mind. Somewhere, back in their personal histories and experiences, these lunch women MUST know better.

 

I'm not quite 40. My mom's mom was a very poor cook, which is why she married my grandfather, an army cook. ;) When it came to cooking, any shortcut that was available was VERY appealing to her. A favorite sandwich of hers (and her kids) was condensed milk poured on bread. My mom and aunt and uncle all enjoy cooking, as they learned from my grandfather. Yet all worked and had children. When my mom wasn't working outside the home, she was volunteering about the same amount of hours somewhere. She felt pressured to be "productive" outside of cooking and cleaning and raising kids. Meals were thrown together, with casseroles being something you could throw together in the fridge and pop in the oven when need be. The trend was toward fast meal prep, and it's continued. We were one of the first ones in our neighborhood to get a microwave, as it would be such a "time-saver". Cooking and preparing food was made to be a poor use of one's time. Every one of those cafeteria workers would be younger than my mom, and my mom would have the same thinking as them if I hadn't been pushing her since I was 15.

 

I think there is a major push towards whole foods, local foods, less processed foods. But I don't think we will reverse it any faster than we got here.

 

Oh, and my one brother doesn't see anything wrong with eating pizza for breakfast, and lunch, and dinner. It's his staple food, even if he doesn't eat three meals a day. He thinks ham and pineapple toppings are the best, and offer him complete nutrition in a portable slice! :lol:The only vegetables he eats are corn and tomatoes, and they aren't real vegetables.

[Parrothead]

 

Mothers have handed their children balogna and oreos while sneering at my child's roast chicken and green beans. "He'll never eat that!" (Hello. He is eating it, and asking for more.)

There are a couple of reasons their kids won't eat that. 1. They have never been exposed to it. 2. Their parents don't expect them to eat it.

 

I'd have been eating your hummus in the pitas with you. I don't like paella, but I'd have been all over the hummus. So would my dd. But she has been exposed to it with the words, "This is good. You ought to try it." attached to the exposure.

 

WTH kind of country is this. How did we lose the skill of cooking for our families. I know there are many reasons, but I don't understand why people don't want to turn it around now.

The generation before me (my parents are in their 60's) had a lot to do with it. Especially the women that were on the front lines for equal rights, equal pay, etc. I'll always be thankful for what they did for the women that came after. Because of them I was able to be a firefighter for 13 years. But things suffered while they were working.

 

We became a nation of latch-key kids and convenience foods. And in many ways we still are. So very many women in the workforce do not have the time or energy to do more than bake some chicken, open an can of green beans and open a package of rolls for dinner. I can honestly say if I wasn't a SAHM my family would not have fresh bread cooling on the counter right now.

 

And the experts can't get things right. One of dh's arguments about to keep eating so much beef is, "Well, that is what they said about eggs. Now look - eggs are good for us again." Oy!

[Guest Dulcimeramy]

Well I come from a family that lost the skill of cooking. My grandmother cooked everything from scratch. My mom and dad could cook, but chose to go with convenience over real cooking most of the time. Hamburger Helper was cooking. My mom likes vegetables, but rarely at fresh vegetables. (mostly canned) My brother and I were never made us eat vegetables because "it wasn't worth the fight".

 

Now as a mom myself I find that I am doing a lot of the same things my mom did because it is easy. I don't like it, and I want to change. It is hard to do when I don't have a clue how to change. I need to find recipes that my family will eat, but we are all very picky eaters. I really wish someone could walk me through this step by step.

 

Jan

 

Jan, at the bottom of this sob story, in bold, you'll find a link to a site where they do walk you through it step by step. Feel free to skip the sob story, I just was moved to share it by what you said. When you said, "I don't like it and I want to change," that made me cry. And it made me remember when I had to change and didn't like it.

 

Sob story:

 

I had to change my cooking 100% when my family was diagnosed with celiac disease four years ago. (Five out of six of us have it!)

 

(It was hard to post this. I kept getting choked up, spending too much time remembering what it had felt like to be an accomplished cook with a vast menu of traditional family recipes at my fingertips....just to lose it all overnight when none of those dishes (except beef stew) translated to a gluten-free diet. That knowledge, culture, comfort, skill and ease in my own kitchen....gone. I actually wept over not being able to cook Grandma Shafer's chicken and noodles ever again. I still get upset about that sometimes.)

 

I had to start all over as a cook and it was very hard. The only thing I knew to do was to feed the children whole foods, with as much variety as possible.

 

I made sure to give them natural, healthy proteins, carbohydrates, vegetables and fruits, nuts and seeds, and beans every single day. The food was very plain, and all from scratch because I couldn't figure out gluten-free labeling on packaged foods. Some of our meals were extremely boring. But the boys were healthy and fed!

 

It has taken me four years to learn healthy gluten-free cooking. I read lots of cookbooks and websites. I learned to seek out the whole-foods crowd and the vegans, because both groups like real food. None of their recipes begin with, "Open a can of cream of ______ soup." I learned that you can trust almost any recipe that begins, "Heat a skillet and add two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, then some onions and raw garlic."

 

I'm just telling you this because I know it is so hard to make this a priority in a society that preaches the opposite. Oh, everybody gives lip service to "healthy foods" but when you look around you don't see very many people consistently and carefully feeding their children without all the junk.

 

Now for the only practical thing I have to say:

 

My younger sister did not learn to cook at home. She is now married with three children, and determined to cook properly for her family. She uses

www.savingdinner.com

 

because she can specify what types of recipes she needs, what ingredients she needs to avoid, etc. and receive menus, shopping lists, and everything. I've seen how she feeds her family, and it is good, wholesome, home-cooked food. I'm really proud of my sister for doing this.

 

I've never signed up and I don't know one single more thing about it, but I notice on the website that their newsletter and sample menu are free. It seems as if this business exists to help you learn how to cook for your family without stressing yourself out.

 

 

Edited March 23, 2010 by Dulcimeramy

[Jen in PA]

Start with good healthful food, and don't do too much to it.

 

Bill

 

:iagree: I try to buy single ingredient foods. Apples. Lettuce. Milk. Eggs. Olive oil. If something requires a list of ingredients, I want it to be things I can spell, or at least pronounce. I do buy some less-than-virtuous foods, but I make sure they are the exception. My mother made dinner every night, but it's amazing to me now when I look back and realize how often that "homemade" meal relied on a can of soup or a packet of some sort.

[angela in ohio]

Well I come from a family that lost the skill of cooking. My grandmother cooked everything from scratch. My mom and dad could cook, but chose to go with convenience over real cooking most of the time. Hamburger Helper was cooking. My mom likes vegetables, but rarely at fresh vegetables. (mostly canned) My brother and I were never made us eat vegetables because "it wasn't worth the fight".

 

Now as a mom myself I find that I am doing a lot of the same things my mom did because it is easy. I don't like it, and I want to change. It is hard to do when I don't have a clue how to change. I need to find recipes that my family will eat, but we are all very picky eaters. I really wish someone could walk me through this step by step.

 

Jan

 

This is my history, too. I found a book a few years ago called Refined to Real Foods, and it does walk you through step-by-step how to start making changes. I highly recommend it!! Also, cookbooks like Martha Stewart's Cooking School and How to Cook without a Book have taught me actual skills instead of just recipes. Also, googling for instructional videos online whenever I see a skill I don't know has been helpful.

 

Also, I found a good way to start was to take the recipes we already ate and learn how to make the prepackaged components of them myself. So for tacos, I learned to make seasoning from spices instead of a packet, tortillas from scratch, and lettuce from a head instead of bagged. For casserole, I figured out how to make the filling with homemade cream soup and the topping with flour, egg, etc., instead of Bisquick.

Edited March 23, 2010 by angela in ohio

[bookfiend]

Well, I didn't have time to read eight pages of posts, so my apologies if this is duplicate information. However, for those who want to watch the show, you can view it over the internet on hulu.com.

[jg_puppy]

This is my history, too. I found a book a few years ago called Refined to Real Foods, and it does walk you through step-by-step how to start making changes. I highly recommend it!! Also, cookbooks like Martha Stewart's Cooking School and How to Cook without a Book have taught me actual skills instead of just recipes. Also, googling for instructional videos online whenever I see a skill I don't know has been helpful.

 

 

Thank you. I will check out Saving Dinners that a previous poster mentioned and the books that you have mentioned.

 

Jan

[CalicoKat]

inspired me to change our mostly healthy lunches. We don't eat total yuck. But things could be improved.

 

I was inspired to chang our lunch menu to salads. Yesterday a build-your-own salad bar. Today broccoli salad.

 

There are enough recipes on Jaime Oliver's site to do a Juli & Julia. :D

[Anne Rittenhouse]

Surely we don't want to take advice from a bloke who comes from the country that gives us deep fried Mars bars, fish and chips, and Yorkshire pudding. Honestly, I think Jamie should stay home. It's like watching the pot call the kettle black.

[dirty ethel rackham]

Surely we don't want to take advice from a bloke who comes from the country that gives us deep fried Mars bars, fish and chips, and Yorkshire pudding. Honestly, I think Jamie should stay home. It's like watching the pot call the kettle black.

 

Huh? Why should he go home? It is not like he is promoting these foods - quite the opposite. He is fighting this battle in his own country and fighting it here. This is like we shouldn't listen to any chefs here because our country helped create the mess and is exporting the unhealthy lifestyle worldwide. Who should we listen to?

[Supertechmom]

Sob story:

 

I had to change my cooking 100% when my family was diagnosed with celiac disease four years ago. (Five out of six of us have it!)

 

(It was hard to post this. I kept getting choked up, spending too much time remembering what it had felt like to be an accomplished cook with a vast menu of traditional family recipes at my fingertips....just to lose it all overnight when none of those dishes (except beef stew) translated to a gluten-free diet. That knowledge, culture, comfort, skill and ease in my own kitchen....gone. I actually wept over not being able to cook Grandma Shafer's chicken and noodles ever again. I still get upset about that sometimes.)

 

I had to start all over as a cook and it was very hard. The only thing I knew to do was to feed the children whole foods, with as much variety as possible.

 

I made sure to give them natural, healthy proteins, carbohydrates, vegetables and fruits, nuts and seeds, and beans every single day. The food was very plain, and all from scratch because I couldn't figure out gluten-free labeling on packaged foods. Some of our meals were extremely boring. But the boys were healthy and fed!

 

It has taken me four years to learn healthy gluten-free cooking. I read lots of cookbooks and websites. I learned to seek out the whole-foods crowd and the vegans, because both groups like real food. None of their recipes begin with, "Open a can of cream of ______ soup." I learned that you can trust almost any recipe that begins, "Heat a skillet and add two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, then some onions and raw garlic."

 

 

 

Could have written that post word for word just about. Talk about an eye opener. I had no idea I had "lost" my cooking skills until I had to cook without premade stuff. WOW! And most people thought I was a great cook because I cooked all the holiday dinners because my in-laws thought blue box of mac and cheese was a holiday treat!!!! Now they think I am just about a god because I can any day of the week make my own bread, pasta, and dinners without ever opening a box or plastic bag. :lol:

[The Governess]

It has taken me four years to learn healthy gluten-free cooking. I read lots of cookbooks and websites. I learned to seek out the whole-foods crowd and the vegans, because both groups like real food.

 

I know this is off topic but I am curious. I am also gluten free and am having a hard time combining whole foods cooking with gluten-free cooking. I've been making most of my breads, muffins, etc. from mixes because cooking gluten-free from scratch seems so complicated and I just can't wrap my head around it (and it never turns out right). I would love if you could share your favorite resources - cookbooks, websites, etc.!

[Mejane]

Kids will eat what's given them if that's all that is made available. After all, when's the last time you saw a six-year-old pull his car into the local Shop-a-lot and whip out his credit card to buy junk-food?

 

I tire of hearing parents (and lunch ladies) say, "They just won't eat that!" Sure they will, if they're hungry enough. Then they'll get used to it. Then they might even (gasp!) grow to like it.

[Tina]

If someone knows how I could watch this online, I'd be much obliged.

 

Here you go!

http://abc.go.com/shows/jamie-olivers-food-revolution

[cjzimmer1]

By any chance does anyone know if there is a transcript of the show available? I've been reading through this thread and was very interested in seeing the program, I tried watching it but I had to turn it off before the intro was even done because the language is not something I want in my house or having my kids exposed to.

[jonesloonybin]

You could watch it with headphones. I would imagine the language is the same on the transcript.

[SproutMamaK]

Well, I didn't have time to read eight pages of posts, so my apologies if this is duplicate information. However, for those who want to watch the show, you can view it over the internet on hulu.com.

 

Hulu doesn't work outside of the United States, and there's nothing except promos up on youtube. Does anyone have any sites from which I might be able to view this internationally?

[LibraryLover]

Start with good healthful food, and don't do too much to it.

 

Bill

 

Exactly. It really is that simple. Although I have a bone to pick with the pizza thing. Pizza can be an extremely healthy food. People confuse real grain, real veggies, & a small amount of real cheese with garbage. Dominoes etc is is faux pizza that is being passed off as food in the same way McDonald's etc spasses off serving 'meat'.

 

I am on vacation, and I am astounded at the number of small children walking around the pools, parks etc with huge bottles of soda. My kid think she's having a treat because she bought orange juice (She drinks water as a rule. And it was all juice and not a 'drink'. She ordered a green smoothie at the Whole Foods smoothie bar as well). She ordered hard bild eggs at EPCOT this week. (yes, they sell hardboiled eggs). Kids will eat that which is familiar to them, and making healthy foods familiar is a step in the right direction.

Edited March 23, 2010 by LibraryLover

[cillakat]

I know this is off topic but I am curious. I am also gluten free and am having a hard time combining whole foods cooking with gluten-free cooking. I've been making most of my breads, muffins, etc. from mixes because cooking gluten-free from scratch seems so complicated and I just can't wrap my head around it (and it never turns out right). I would love if you could share your favorite resources - cookbooks, websites, etc.!

 

 

It's not really hard:) Just think of whole foods as

fruits

vegetables

meats

nuts

 

Skip the grains ftmp except rice, quinoa, millet and wild rice as side dishes.

 

Don't eat bread based meals.

 

GF 'goodies' like chocolate chip cookies, brownies, bars and cakes are *just* as good as their gluten containing counterparts....just follow your normal recipes and sub GF flour mix - 1 part starch to 3 parts gf flour...my flour mix is equal parts 2 parts millet flour, 1 part brown or white rice flour. Add a tsp of xanthan gum with the dry ingred...or better yet, *blend* it in with the wet ingred.

 

Skip breads imo....

 

Tinkyada and Trader Joe's GF pasta are indistinguishable from gluten pasta.

 

K

[SweetPea]

Just thought some may be interested.

[Mrs Mungo]

Maybe we should start our own mini-food-revolution? Like, change one thing each day? Post recipes and meals?

[The Governess]

It's not really hard:) Just think of whole foods as

fruits

vegetables

meats

nuts

 

Skip the grains ftmp except rice, quinoa, millet and wild rice as side dishes.

 

Don't eat bread based meals.

 

GF 'goodies' like chocolate chip cookies, brownies, bars and cakes are *just* as good as their gluten containing counterparts....just follow your normal recipes and sub GF flour mix - 1 part starch to 3 parts gf flour...my flour mix is equal parts 2 parts millet flour, 1 part brown or white rice flour. Add a tsp of xanthan gum with the dry ingred...or better yet, *blend* it in with the wet ingred.

 

Skip breads imo....

 

Tinkyada and Trader Joe's GF pasta are indistinguishable from gluten pasta.

 

K

 

Thanks! I will try that GF flour mix, I believe I have all of those ingredients. Right now I find it pretty easy to do non-grain-based dishes but then I come across a great-sounding whole-grain bread, pancake, cookie, or quickbread recipe and I am just dying to try making something from scratch with fresh-milled grains....but knowing what and how to substitute to be able to use GF sources with regular recipes is quite the learning process. So I'll try your flour mix and go from there!

[Crissy]

Surely we don't want to take advice from a bloke who comes from the country that gives us deep fried Mars bars, fish and chips, and Yorkshire pudding. Honestly, I think Jamie should stay home. It's like watching the pot call the kettle black.

 

Oh, I disagree completely. Jamie is no more responsible for the disastrous recipes that come from his native country than we are for the advent of the Big Mac.

 

His food/cooking style has always been about simple, fresh, healthy food. He and chefs like him are excellent examples for children who are exposed to little other than cafeteria food in their schools and fast food or highly processed food at home.

[Crissy]

Maybe we should start our own mini-food-revolution? Like, change one thing each day? Post recipes and meals?

 

I like this idea.

My change today had to do with soda in my house. My older son is the only one who drinks it, and only at a rate of 1 a day. Still, I decided to skip it when I shopped today.

When he came home from school he asked if there was any cola. When I told him I didn't buy any this week he just poured himself a glass of water. :thumbup:

[Mrs Mungo]

I like this idea.

My change today had to do with soda in my house. My older son is the only one who drinks it, and only at a rate of 1 a day. Still, I decided to skip it when I shopped today.

When he came home from school he asked if there was any cola. When I told him I didn't buy any this week he just poured himself a glass of water. :thumbup:

 

STARTING WITH SODA?!?!?! OHHHHH NOOOOO!!!!!

 

:willy_nilly::willy_nilly::willy_nilly:

 

My kids don't drink soda. It's me. I'm such an addict. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

[Crissy]

STARTING WITH SODA?!?!?! OHHHHH NOOOOO!!!!!

 

:willy_nilly::willy_nilly::willy_nilly:

 

My kids don't drink soda. It's me. I'm such an addict. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

 

:D

 

Let me try that again. I started with my son's bad habits instead of my own.

 

 

:lol:

[Mrs Mungo]

:D

 

Let me try that again. I started with my son's bad habits instead of my own.

 

 

:lol:

 

Oh, whew, you scared me. :lol:

[Spy Car]

So I volunteered at my son's school today.

 

I knew how appalling the "school lunches" were (from previous visits) but I purposefully spied on the lunches of the children whose parents had packed them lunch. While the home-packed meals were an improvement over the "school lunches" in most cases, they were still completely unacceptable by my standards. Junk, junk and more junk.

 

And, this is a school in a community that draws from the rich (on the low-end) and the uber-rich. As in one of the very wealthiest neighborhoods in Los Angeles.

 

Terrible, inexcusably bad lunches. Parent packed, or school "made" (the word "make" being used very loosely, as I don't think they "make" food any more than flight attendants "make" food).

 

What is the problem? I do not understand how people feed their children garbage.

 

It's not just W. Virginia.

 

Bill