Gosh, this is making me hungry. To make matters worse, this past weekend I volunteered at my church’s Burger Bash fundraiser. This event runs monthly from spring through fall and sells over 3,000 burgers at each event! That’s no misprint, 3,000+! The amazing smell is overwhelming as six grills cook 70 burgers at a time with IC’s closely guarded onion recipe. The temptation was so strong I chose to leave after I helped get the event set up. I ran home like a crazed addict in fear of a meat relapse!

I ran to my kitchen praying for some meatless meal to appear before me, no such luck. This is where most of America goes wrong. My time was short, isn’t everyone’s, and I could have buckled to some easily microwaved crap or snacked on some chips or ran to the drive through. Luckily I have broken that trend in my life long ago and you can do it too! The following meal was prepared in less than 15 minutes and devoured in even less time. Admittedly, at a first glance, I thought that maybe I was cooking more than I had time for, but in the end I realized, like I usually do, that all-in-all I did the right thing for my mouth, body, mind and spirit. Here’s the skinny of it…

Onions are a good start to almost any dish. Price, taste, nutrition; it has all those and adds great body to a meal! I started them with a little olive oil and then drizzled a bit of honey and a splash or two of balsamic vinegar to caramelize them. Don’t be frightened of the word ‘caramelized’, it’s tossed around a lot on food shows and by chefs all the time. It’s just using some kind of sugar to brown something and add a little flavor. In this case, I used honey as my sugar. Next up, Salmon Burgers…

Yes, from a box! I couldn’t believe it either. Guess where I got ‘em at? You bet, ALDI! (Love that place!!) Ingredients? Wild caught salmon, spices, that’s it! I am as surprised about this find as you are, trust me. The portion is smaller than the box displays, so I have two at a time. There’s four in a box for $3.99. I tossed them in the skillet with the onions and added some broccoli…

Lastly I peeled a sliced a cucumber and spread it on my plate with just some salt and pepper for a quick cuke salad. I sure can’t wait until the garden yields some fresh cucumbers!! On to the plate…

Now, this is a lunch! Seriously all prepared just under 20 minutes. You would spend the same amount of time heading to the drive through and filling your belly with fake, plastic McCrap and not have had even a fraction of the quality this meal delivers. You can do this, I assure you. If you don’t think you can, email me, I’ll stop by some day and teach you!

Hurry up and eat well,

FV

On a trip to GameStop to let my oldest spend some of his B-day gift cards I realized that I needed to get some grocery necessities and time wasn’t on my side. Luckily, there is a WalMart every 2.3 miles now and the one closest to the video game store was literally right next door. So, violent alien destroying video game in hand, I led my boys into the belly of the beast. The air carried a stench of recently digested small, privately owned businesses. The greeter said hello with a facial expression that said “hello, I could care less whether you made it out of here alive or dead”. Does Walmart really think that a greeter is even close to knowing the owner of a business by name and making the shopping experience personal, what a joke!

On to my point. One of the items I needed was cereal. I don’t purchase the sugar laden sweet cereals and it’s always an adventure trying to negotiate which cereal I can get my three boys to agree to buying. We looked over the usual top choices, Cheerios, Raisin Bran and Corn Flakes. I haven’t quite convinced the boys that Mueslix or Cream of Wheat are the way to go. (baby steps)

Then my oldest asked about frosted mini wheats. I considered the sugar-to-redeemable-value ratio and it’s slim. But, my sons more often than not abide by my vigilance in food and generally go along with most of my food adventures with out much fight. So, I bent on the sugar issue grabbed the box of Kellog’s Frosted Mini Wheats. Then I noticed the price…almost $4!! Seriously? I was about to toss the whole idea out when I then noticed the box of Great Value Frosted Mini Wheats on the same shelf, the WalMart store brand. This variety was just under $2, much better. So, I decided to compare ingredients first. I figured that WalMart, being the demon that they are, would have it’s cheaper store brand full of HFCS and harmful preservatives.

Wasn’t I surprised? The WalMart brand had actual sugar whereas the Kellogg’s brand used High Fructose Corn Syrup!

The rest of the ingredients were basically the same. It dawned on me that the Nationally advertised brand spends hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars on advertising and flashy packaging and there’s probably little money left over for anything decent in the ingredient list. So, what’s the solution for Kellogs, cheaper ingredients like HFCS that are being proven to have direct detrimental effects on our health. Oh, the sacrifice that is made to afford prime-time advertising!

Now the WalMart brand does not advertise and the box is just a little less plain than the generic black and white boxes of the past. So, they can afford to use actual sugar. In fact I tried to google a picture of the Walmart brand and couldn’t even find that on line anywhere. Kudos to WalMart. This shows that what you get from the more recognized producers is not always the best for you. I implore you, as always, READ YOUR LABELS!!

So, with all the money WalMart is saving on advertising and packaging, there sould be plenty of funds to continue to clear away unsightly trees and wild life and build more beautiful cement boxes. (did you think I’d let ‘em off scot-free?)

Last suggestion, but the un-frosted mini wheats and drizzle with honey!

Buzz,

FV

On Facebook, I posted a picture of a recent breakfast of mine…

Old Man Food or Trendy??

In my recent abstinence from meat, I have been exploring other sources of protein. I love peanut butter always, so this is no big adventure, but it’s topped with prunes and over a slice of sunflower seed bread; no sugar, no preservatives, no worries. I jokingly asked if this combination made me look healthy, hip and trendy or old and irregular. Here were some of my favorite comments…

~”I’d suggest trying it with lekvar instead, (mostly because I’m imagining a peanut butter covered prune rolling off the toast onto your shirt and/or pants)”

~”Ummm Eeeewww lol”

~”Sounds like a trip to the “john” is in your future soon. lol”

~”I had a chocolate donut for breakfast!! yeah!”

~”Personally, I’ve been on a banana, fluffer-nutter sandwich kick! Never ate them until a few weeks back… on lite whole wheat bread of course and with reduced fat pb.”

~”If you’re eating the prunes for flavor, then you are trendy. If you are seeking regularity, then you are old.”

For whatever it’s worth, I think this is a breakfast of champions! Wheaties can’t hold a candle to the minerals, vitamins and fiber in this trendy-hip-old-man delight! It really just tastes like peanut butter and jelly and not to pick too much on Wheaties, but they do have a lot of added sugar and other non-wheat ingredients. Someone (me) once said that Wheaties are to wheat, what panties are to pants, a flimsy version of the whole original. Think about it. (Easy General Mills, I do enjoy Wheaties from time to time)

At any rate, to show you all that I have not completely relegated myself to retirement-friendly food, here is my breakfast this morning, my own south-west bagel breakfast sandwich. (lol, sounds like I am now an old man trying to be trendy, hip and healthy)  We’ll start with a plain bagel and two eggs.

Farm Eggs. No HFCS or Hydrogonated Oils in Bagel!

Cream cheese is like spreadable heaven. Spread in moderation, please. Salsa is the perfect condiment, as far as I’m concerned.

Cream Cheese...Salsa

Eggs, little bit of butter, salt, pepper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Break the yolks, top with garlic and southwest spices (Aldi has that!)

 

Hot side hot, cold side cold. Does anyone remember the McDLT? (click for the commercial, it features Jason Alexander, aka George Costanza form Seinfeld, very funny!) It was a sandwich from the time that McCrap sold actual food and not preserved plastic.

Add an orange and you have the start to a great day! Now, if it would only stop snowing in April.

What’s your favorite breakfast that isn’t dried flakes floating in infant bovine sustenance?

Mooo,

FV

Ok, it’s no secret that I can’t stand WalMart. I can’t stand that it exists, I can’t stand that it detroys small town America, I can’t stand that I occasionally end up shopping there. <sigh>

WalMart has eaten up all of the local stores near me; hardware stores, small grocery stores, small delis, shoe stores and clothing stores have all fallen prey to the boxy beast. Drive to any WalMart and then find the nearest “main street” and it will most likely be devoid of any everyday stores.

You’ll be likely to find specialty stores like antique and/or art boutiques or an occasional coffee shop. My local main street also has a bank and a liquor store, how convenient. What choice does one have when one store is managing to monopolize every market? Well, at least they are leaders in employee benefits and fairness,,,oh, wait, they suck at that too.

A recent article has displayed the Chief of the evil empire, William Simon, saying that they “got it wrong”. I read through the piece hoping to find admissions of too big for the britches and such. No luck. No “sorry for destroying your town and the livelihood of scores of your citizens and relegating your downtown district to overpriced trinkets and closed store fronts”. (wouldn’t that have been neat?) Instead Mr. Simon is lamenting over some smaller store chains beating the retail behemoth at it’s own game. In other words, he didn’t care about crushing small enterprises until they started to gain some of his business.

Unfortunately, in the big picture, there are just smaller stores offering Chinese made products at lower prices. Gone are the days of mom ‘n pop stores. The few that remain are hanging on by a thread.

What’s the solution? Well, I officially offer an arm wrestling match to William Simon. If I win, the construction of the WalMart just a mile or two from my house must be halted immediately and the remaining monies must be dumped into my local Main Street. Past that, I am at a loss. Any suggestions?

Oh, anyone know what the title of this post means in English? Leave a comment!

我错过了好时光。

FV

Packed in, just like they say!

As I continue my abstinence from non-fish-meat during this Lenten season I have decided to re-examine one of the super-foods.

Sardines.

These little fish are more than just an inspiration for a popular saying. They are a powerhouse of nutrition. In fact, some very important nutrients are packed in these fish like sardines in a can! What, how could I resist?

First, I’ll tell you what they are…truth is nobody knows, they just grow headless and tail-less in these little rectangle cans all through the sea.

Ok, ok, that’s not exactly the truth.

They are several types of small, oily fish related to herrings, family Clupeidae. Sardines were named after the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, where they once lived in abundance.

Yeah, I know, they don't even look that tasty alive.

I can’t say enough about these little guys. They are just full of so much our bodies need B12, Selenium, Vitamin D, Omega 3, Phosphorous, Calcium, Vitamin B3, Protein and much more! Problem is, they’re kind of gross. Yep, I’ll admit it. They smell fishy, they look fishy and minus the heads, tails and guts, everything else is there, ready to eat. That means bones, and spine are still in there. All edible, but still in there. See, sardines are canned in many different ways. At the cannery, the fish are washed, their heads are removed, and the fish are cooked, either by deep-frying or by steam-cooking, after which they are dried. They are then packed in either olive, sunflower or soybean oil, water, or in a tomato, chilli or mustard sauce. I prefer the ones in water or olive oil. During the cooking and canning process the bones left in the fish become very brittle and just a tad crunchy, but barely noticeable. I’m not making them sound very appetizing, am I? They really are tasty and no more fishy than a can of tuna and the texture is the same. biggest difference is that they are practically whole fish.

The trick to enjoying them is creativity, as is with many foods. You may say that you are not creative enough to enjoy an apple, let alone a sardine, but that’s what I am here for, vigilance in food!

I started with a little butter and some garlic, salt and pepper.

They smell better already!

Then I added a few tablespoons of frozen peas…

Now looking better too!

Then, another super-food, the incredible, edible…

EGG!

Let’s not split hairs about the egg. I gave up meat for lent. Eggs are not meat. Yes, they grow into meat, but are not, in fact meat. Is a caterpillar a butterfly? Philosophy later, Phood now! haha!

Voilà!

I finished it with some hot sauce and it was just delightful, for my mouth, body, mind and wallet! All tolled, only about $2.00 worth of product involved, very economical.

Any foods that gross you out that I could take a crack at with a recipe of my own? Let me know!

Stay tuna-ed,

FV

Nope, it’s fish season. Cod beware! If you live under water and are delicious, find the nearest rock or patch of weeds and hole up! It’s not just Catholics that are after you, it’s EVERYBODY. Local church fish fries have spilled their banks and become huge money makers for fire halls, American Legions, Mooses, Elks, charitable organizations and everyone else with a deep fryer and a fish bun! The menus have also expanded, many events offering shrimp, crab, pizza and baked goods. Much to my dismay McDonald’s is the largest purveyor of fish sandwiches on the Earth! (ugh, I’ll choose my battles for now)

With all this feeding frenzy I will take an opportunity to plug my own Church’s Fish Fry. I know that not all of you will be able to take advantage of it, but I hope that those within the area will come down and take part.

I am also asking a special favor. A local radio station is taking submissions for local fish fries that they may come and broadcast from. My church has a unique fish fry whereas we have our event during lunch hours, most are during dinner hours. We are hitting around the 800 mark for sandwiches each week and looking to do even more! We also offer free delivery to local businesses! Lastly, what other fish fry employs the help of yours truly, the Food Vigilante?!?!

So, here is the link to go and vote in my church for the broadcast possibility. Y108FM Monty and Zeke Fish Fry Broadcast

The Church is Immaculate Conception in Irwin at 308 2nd Street. The phone number is 724-864-7788 for pick up or delivery orders. Fish Fry goes from 11am to 2pm every friday during Lent.

All the fish is fresh and hand breaded and you can also get it baked. Haluski and Mac ‘n Cheese are available. Look for yourselves!

Fried

FV recommended, Baked!

Fish me, I’m Catholic,

FV

I was cleaning out my kitchen cabinets last night and came across some interesting things. I must tell you that these cabinets have not always been mine and in the depths were some things that I don’t use at all at this time, but have in the past. We’ll call it BV, before Vigilance!

So, go out to your local store and pick up these for a great recipe…

De-fatted Soy Flour, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Salt (Hey, I recognize that!), Artificial AND Natural Flavor, Water (also sounds familiar), Sugar (of course), Red 40 And Other Color Added, Hydrolyzed Corn-Soy and Wheat Proteins, Calcium Oxide.

Doesn’t it all sound delicious so far?? I’ll break this down for you before I tell you what it is, any guesses?

1)  De-fatted Soy Flour is pretty much what it sounds like. The soy bean is to oily when ground for flour so most of the fat is removed before processing. It could, and is in some cases, ground whole which is called full-fat soy flour, but the process requires a different more expensive processing procedure and equipment. So, it’s cheaper to remove the fat and process it the same way and on the same machine as other grains. It’s the fat removal process that troubles me. I can’t seem to find whether it is a mechanical process or chemical, this could make all the difference.

2) Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil.  I won’t beat a dead horse here. In taste and initial digestion the body can tell no difference from regular oil. Yet on a cellular level the body simply can’t process hydrogenated oils so it just gets stored in our cells and sits there weighing our cells down and causing them inability to do their particular jobs. So, it clogs up our whole system. Doesn’t that sound healthy. This is why margarine and other oil based products are NO good for us. The body can get it out of our system, but it takes about 18 months of NOT consuming ANY hydrogenated products. Whoops, dead horse beat, sorry.

3) Salt, Water, Sugar, Artificial and Natural Flavors. I won’t gripe about all these, even the artificial flavors. Even they are made up of natural chemicals. Problem is if you are eating something that requires artificial flavor, chances are it to cover up whatever toxic junk is in the “food” to begin with.

4) Red 40 or Allura Red AC. Sigh. Companies were given the chance to “voluntarily” stop the use of Red 40 as a food coloring, but many still use it. It’s toxic and proven to cause and/or increase hyperactivity in children. Answers a lot of questions for a lot of parents.

5) Hydrolyzed Proteins. Used as a flavor enhancer and although reports show that these proteins are safe for consumption, the process to create them involves boiling soy, corn or wheat at a very high temperature in hydrochloric acid then neutralizing them with sodium hydroxide. Too much chemistry for me. This process does occur naturally in our own stomach, I think it should stay there.

6) Calcium Oxide. I googled this compound and I can’t for the life of me figure out what it’s doing in food. Here’s what it said…

It is...”Calcium oxide (CaO), commonly known as quicklime or burnt lime, is a widely used chemical compound. It is a white, caustic and alkaline crystalline solid at room temperature.”

It has been used as a weapon…”Historian and philosopher David Hume of Godscroft, in his history of England, recounts that early in the reign of Henry III, the English Navy destroyed an invading French fleet by blinding the enemy fleet with quicklime.”

It’s just not good for us…”Because of vigorous reaction of quicklime with water, quicklime causes severe irritation when inhaled or placed in contact with moist skin or eyes. Inhalation may cause coughing, sneezing, labored breathing. It may then evolve into burns with perforation of the nasal septum, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Although quicklime is not considered a fire hazard, its reaction with water can release enough heat to ignite combustible materials.”

Have you figured out what this toxic, caustic, weapon of death is?

Hidden Weapon of Mass Destruction!

At least their “CRUNCHY“,

FV

I have given many ideas in the past about affordable, nutritious meals. I have decided to challenge myself even further. My kids and I often visit the local dollar store for school and/or drawing supplies. Now, I can almost hear an audible shudder coming from you as you read this…dollar store….food…..NOOOO! Calm down. If this were brain surgery, you’d need a brain surgeon. This is food, you have the Food Vigilante! I admit this is not an easy task. There’s a reason that the food in the dollar store is there. It’s mostly crap. But for all of us who have ever struggled even a moment with finances, you can even leave the dollar store with a meal and feel good about your family eating it! Here we go…

Mission: Chicken Fajita wraps.

First order of business is the chicken. No, it’s not in the dollar store. I did, however have some in my freezer from Aldi. (The best four aisles of value and quality anywhere!!) I buy chicken 5 chicken breast for around 7$. Each breast is very big (10-12 oz.) and I plan to use only one to feed 5 people! So that’s $1.40 cents so far. The chicken will be cut up into thin strips and sauteed in a bit of olive oil, also from Aldi. With oil, seasoning (salt and pepper would do, but I happened to have a little chili powder in the closet, so I added it.) With the amout of oil and spices used, I will generously say the chicken cost is $1.50.

Next the wraps…

Authentic, huh!

This was a surprise find. An employee said that they get them in all the time. Basic ingredients, natural preservatives, salt, etc. Finding these is what inspired the meal idea. Price, $1.00.

Next we needed cheese, rice and salsa…

Just Cheese, whipped.

Ok, this product had guar gum added amongst some spices and peppers. Guar gum is very common natural ingredient these days an is a thickener like corn starch, but more potent. It stands to reason that this company most likely waters down the cheese and adds guar gum to thicken, thus reducing the cost. No, this is not, by any means a whole food product, but not full of hydrogenated oils or sugars and for the task at hand, a good find. Price, $1.00.

The San Francisco Treat!

Look at that box trying to steal my idea! Rice-a-roni is simply dried pasta and rice with a seasoning packet. It is in the packet that the product goes bad. The spice pouch that is to be added to the cooked rice and pasta is full of hidden horribleness! Preservatives, bad oils, the absolute end of processing a whole chicken. Tastes like chicken but made up of beaks and well, you know. Use your own spice combo, get creative or fall back on the old standbys, butter, salt and pepper! Price $1.00

Salsa is hard to screw up. The acids in tomatoes and peppers act as a natural preservative. Rarely do you find artificial or any other added ingredients. This one was no different, tomatoes, onions, peppers, spices, vinegar. Price, $1.00

This next item I am struggling with. Ranch Dressing.

Caution.

I am not against ranch on the whole. With all natural ingredients I think you can make a pretty darn good Ranch dressing. It will never be a health food, but in moderation, like butter, it has it’s good qualities. This product did have canola oil which is made from rapeseed. The name rapeseed oil is unattractive for obvious reasons. The more you know, the worse it gets. Rapeseed is poisonous. The oil extracted is treated and processed so that there is an acceptable amount of erucic acid and the toxin glucosinolates. It was origially mass produced in Canada…Canadian-Low-Acid-Oil….shortened to “Canola”. The double edged sword with this oil is that high levels of these toxins are toxic, but apparently low levels have been proven to be anti-cancer agents in animals and humans. This is all supposed to be OK with all of us because it’s cheap. I am completely on the fence. Alas, for this challenge I went with Riverton Valley’s Ranch Dressing. Price $1.00.

So, with products in hand, I sauteed the chicken in oil and spices, I prepared the rice according to the box sans the spice pouch, I spread cheese on the tortillas, added chicken, rice, salsa and a dab of ranch, and I fed five people for $7.50 in under 30 minutes. The recipe made 8 chicken fajita wraps. (don’t worry, I didn’t break my Lenten resolution and eat the chicken. I wrapped mine up for leftovers and had pasta and sardines instead, don’t say yuck, it was delicious!) Keep in mind that I also have leftover ranch, rice, salsa and a couple of wraps after all was said and done. This will cut the cost of future meals even further!

There!

Yes, I forgot to take a picture of the finished product.

Tell me about your favorite, low cost, convenient, nutritious meal!!

Eat well,

FV

At any rate, we hosted yet another successful at-home birthday party and put on some ritz as well! My budding teen invited five of his friends over for a birthday party and the Food Vigilante was hoping to give this group of mini-teens a glimpse of true culinary excellence, or at least something interesting enough to eat to drag them away from the video game system for around 15 minutes! My son is a seafood lover, the party was on a Friday, most of our neighborhood is Catholic, so a seafood fest was a good fit.

Yes, I had a back-up plan for any land lubbers. Yes, I checked with the parents of the attendees about seafood allergies. Yes, I put too much effort into a meal for 6 teenage boys.

Here are some pics of the festivities…

Buffalo Shrimp!

Tomato Garlic Mussels!

Lobster Tail! Barely got this shot they were shovin' the food down so fast! Ugh, teenage boys, lol.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake!

Cerimonious Blowing of Candles.

Last, but not least, all of the gracious teenagers showing me adoration and gratitude for a feast fit for kings!

Ok, so they cared more about the Sony Playstation3, silly teenagers!

Love them while they will still hug you in public, love them more when they won’t, for they will again.

One down, two to go,

FV

Now, on to my guilt (then second most important thing to Catholics, HAHA) I gave up or have chosen to abstain from 4 things during Lent. 1)Any meat besides seafood. 2)All added and/or processed sugars. In anything!! 3)Alcohol. 4)Eating after 8PM. Ok, I know, these seem more health orientated than religious, but imagine the amount of prayer you would need to live with these guidelines for 40 days! It’s only been almost three weeks and the smell of meatloaf weakens my knees.

What this has forced me to do is be much more creative to maintain my nutrition levels (mainly concerning protein intake) and my interest in each meal. Luckily there are seemingly endless variations of foods that live in the water and I don’t have any seafood allergies! It’s breakfast that has been a bit challenging. There’s no unsweetened, fish based cereal that I could eat without proper alcohol consumption, but that’s out too. So, honey is ok because it is not processed, or at least you can buy it that way. Peanut butter can also be bought without sugar in it. Lastly, bread has been the most difficult, almost every brand has sugar, even high end organic breads usually have organic cane juice, a fancy word for processed sugar, albeit organic, but still processed. I found a brand of German pumpernickel bread at my beloved Aldi that contains no sugar at all! No preservatives either, only whole grain. Pumpernickel is sort of a moist bread almost the consistency of banana bread or zuchini bread, but more dense. It comes pre-sliced and must be kept in the refrigerator once opened. It has nuts in it and is just delicious. So with these three ingredients I had this this morning for breakfast…

Is this really a sacrifice??

If this is a sacrifice, then count me in. It was tough, but somebody had to eat it! The point is, if we give up something not so good for us it forces us to be a little more creative. As always, I implore you, get out there, read your ingredients, know what is going in your mouth and eat to live, don’t live to eat.

Abstain and learn,

FV