Food Rules

As Michael Pollan covers in his book, 'Food Rules' (which it does!) "Eating doesn't have to be so complicated"

Eat Food: What even constitutes as food anymore? Think about it, I know when I go to the grocery store, I definitely look at 3 things:

1. Taste

2. Price

3. Components -How many calories, grams of fat, carbs, grams of sugar, vitamins, etc

'Food' today is so crammed full of artificial sweeteners and unnecessary calories, even food coloring! "Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food"...Pollan hits it right on the head. I mean, not knocking it, but Mountain Dew? Nothing that color should ever be consumed...Or what about gummy worms? First off, they're in the shape of a worm, second, what is it other than sugar, corn, artificial coloring and calories?...

When I go to the store, sure, I buy the quick snacks and the makings for easy recipes for when I just want to come home from work and eat. But I do like to treat myself while I am out. I buy more natural foods, not always organic, but fresh. I usually buy frozen, but very much prefer fresh chicken or fish. These are the two main proteins I cook with and then buy the extra ingredients that go into multiple recipes so I can have variety. I find that when the ingredients are fresh, the food tastes better (whether that's all in my head is yet to be determined)...

I try to stay away from canned foods such as vegetables. (Canned Corn is the exception) I mean, if I had the choice between frozen beans and beans in a can, I'd definitely take frozen. During the winter it's so hard to come across cheap fresh produce so you have to take the next best thing. Canned food just doesn't sound appealing: Cut beans that have been preserved in juice and God knows what else for how long, sitting in a metal can on the shelf of a grocery store that has a shelf life of 4 years...

Same thing goes for when I bake...I'm not a fan of using box recipes. Part of the fun of baking is knowing what goes into making the batter, not just adding an egg and some oil to some powdery mix (what's in there anyways?!)...I feel like I get better results when I make everything from scratch. Sure you have a higher chance of messing something up or not getting the same results in a second batch, but that's what baking is all about. I recently made a Coconut Lemon Cake (Lets see you find that in a box!) and was very pleased with the results. I definitely think that when you make a cake from scratch, the cake itself is more moist, more unique, and worth it.

As Christmas grows near, it becomes a time when I start going crazy in the kitchen and Cupcakes are to be made. I can't WAIT to start making my Red Velvet Christmas Cupcakes again and can already picture them in my mind. Give the gift that makes everyone happy, bake something from your heart. When you cook with passion, that's all that counts. (that and taste definitely helps too! Pictures of cupcakes soon to come!