Tag: Food tips

Hot Cocoa

Posted on by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

There’s something about a rainy winter day that just begs for a cup of hot chocolate. I grew up with the store-bought hot chocolate packets, but in my quest of going homemade many years ago, I started making our hot cocoa mix and have never looked back.

Why homemade?

Hot cocoa mix is ridiculously simple to make. It’s also cheaper, healthier (I don’t even recognize some of the ingredients on store-bought packets), and way less wasteful in terms of packaging. I also love that once I make a batch of this, I put it in a large Mason jar and it lasts for such a long time; it’s rare that I suddenly run out. (And, an added bonus, I don’t have to support companies like Nestle.)

How?

There are a ton of recipes online. Some use powdered milk in them, so you can just add water. This mix might be really good if you’re on the move or on a camping trip. At home, I tend to like the recipes with just cocoa, sugar, and salt that can be mixed with cow milk or alternative milk. Someday, I’d love to do a taste test comparison, but so far I just stick with the first one I tried, which I found in Jennifer Reese’s book Make the Bread, Buy the Butter. I make a big batch and store it in a Mason jar with the “recipe” written on a label on top. Her recipe also suggests adding vanilla extract after everything has been mixed.

Gift Ideas

Homemade cocoa mix is a very simple gift, but also a very welcome one. Small Mason jars of cocoa mix would be great for neighbors or co-workers or even party favors. A larger jar could stand on its own as a gift, especially when decorated with ribbon or a nice label. Cocoa jars could be a fun addition to a homemade food basket. And, you could even make your own Hot Cocoa Basket and include jars of crushed candy canes, mini marshmallows, vanilla extract, cinnamon sticks or spice, measuring spoons, mugs, or anything else that might be a tasty complement to the cocoa. 

Hope you enjoy!

Leftovers

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Reducing food waste can happen at many stages in a food’s journey, but with the holiday season in full swing, I thought I’d talk a little bit about leftovers today. 

I know some people who are very clever and creative with their leftovers; I am not one of those people yet. But, I do have some tips to share that have helped our family cut down on the leftovers food waste.

One of the best ways to reduce waste for us is to label our leftovers. I tend to be one of those who is overly careful about how old food is. So to counteract this, I keep masking tape and a Sharpie in the kitchen. Most of our food goes into Pyrex containers to be stored, and that is when we label it. By simply marking the date on the food and designating a shelf for leftovers, I find that our food waste is greatly reduced. Another option we like to use is our freezer. Not only do we mark the date in this case, but also the food item. If we know we won’t be enjoying the food in a timely manner, then the freezer is a great place for it. This also gives us bonus, easy meals, whether it’s days or weeks down the road. 

When you’re planning a big meal for a holiday, it might help to have a plan ahead of time for leftovers. And while I know that leftovers are seen as a great bonus of holiday meals for many people, this doesn’t always include all the parts of the meal. So, be sure to have a plan for the side dishes as well as the main ones. The Internet is, of course, a good source for ideas. By simply typing in “leftovers ideas” and the name of the holiday you might be celebrating, you’d be surprised by the number of posts. 

Another way to cut down on food waste is to do your best to plan for how much food you really need. Especially at holidays, I know many people get wrapped up in the idea of a huge meal or cooking certain items because they feel those are expected or traditional items. Be sure that what you’re cooking or buying really matches what people will want to eat in the first place. It might help to ask yourself or those around you which foods are actual favorites versus which foods just seem like they should be on the table.

Another way to reduce leftover food waste is by sharing with others, whether it’s guests you have over for a meal (in non-Covid times), neighbors, or whoever you think might benefit from the food, if you know you won’t be able to eat it all.

Foods go through so much to get to us. The amount of water and time and labor and transportation and packaging is staggering. By trying some of these suggestions or others you might have, hopefully we can reduce the leftovers waste.

Quick review:

-Create or buy foods that match your preferences and the amount that will most likely be eaten.

-Have a leftover plan in place ahead of time.

-Find recipes for leftovers.

-Store and label leftovers in a visible location.

-Freeze leftovers if they won’t be eaten soon.

-Share with people who will enjoy the leftovers, if you won’t be able to.

 

Thank you so much for being here. I am grateful for you. Your actions can and will make a difference!

Microwave Popcorn

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I stopped buying microwave popcorn years ago when I began reading a bit more about the health risks linked to the perflourooctanoic acid that lines the bags.  I know the Internet has scores of information that we all must sift through to find the truth, but when I repeatedly read about links to diseases, infertility, and cancers, it was quite easy to stop with the microwave popcorn. No matter how healthy the packaging looks, no matter any “organic” labels, I decided it just wasn’t for me. 

The great news is it’s SUPER easy to make your own homemade popcorn. AND, not only is it healthier and way cheaper, it’s also so much better for the environment. Instead of purchasing a box of individually-wrapped bags, you’re either buying a single plastic bag FULL of kernels and the bag can then be recycled with plastic grocery bag recycling, or better yet, you can get in a bulk section using or reusing your own bag. You’ve also got way more control over your popcorn when you make it yourself. You can control the amount and the ingredients. You can spend the little bit extra and get organic kernels, which I highly recommend. And you can often choose if you’d like yellow or white corn kernels. It’s so many pluses that it really is hard to justify continuing with the packaged kind.

Remember, if you are going to be using pre-packaged microwave popcorn, reuse and recycle the cardboard box. You also should be able to add the individual clear plastic wraps to a grocery bag recycling station. If you’re popping your own bulk corn, it’s very likely you can recycle that clear plastic bag as well with the grocery bag recycling.

Popcorn Ideas

Food for Thought

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I still remember reading Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle for the first time and reading about her stance on bananas. I quite agree with Ms. Kingsolver about being conscious how far our food travels and being willing to put our foot down about certain foods whose negative environmental impact is just too large to ignore. Buuut, then I had kids. And a zillion and half other things to worry about, and bananas crept back into our kitchen, along with various other foods.

I do my best to reduce food waste. I’m definitely more conscious about food packaging at this point than the food itself. So, I bring my own containers to restaurants for leftovers and we use Pyrex containers at home for everything, instead of plastic baggies. I do my best to make food from scratch. We buy organic, mostly. But, I would say my awareness about food and where it’s come from and its environmental impact, is something I really would like to know more about.  I’m far from perfect in the impact-my-food-has-on-the-enviroment department, but all I can offer is my best. And my best right now, is to appreciate the food we use and not waste it. To slowly journey into discovering which foods we might want to steer away from because of their environmental impact. And to share as I’m learning.

This section is devoted to my exploration in reducing food waste, reducing food packaging waste, and sharing ideas for making more meals at home.

Thank you for being here.  Your actions can and will make a difference.

Grating Cheese

Posted on by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

We’ve been grating our own blocks of cheese for awhile now, but I thought it might be good to share.  It’s so helpful to have staple food items on hand.  So, instead of buying small plastic bags of pre-grated cheese, we buy large blocks, grate them, store them in Pyrex containers, and keep them in the freezer.  This way, they last longer, and we always seem to have cheese on hand when we need it for a recipe.

The great part about this method from an environmental standpoint, is a decrease in the individual plastic bags that pre-grated cheese is usually sold in.  Another benefit is avoiding the cellulose found in pre-grated forms.  While cellulose itself isn’t bad, too much of it can be; there’s often not much monitoring as to how much cellulose in a bag is being used as filler, in place of genuine cheese.  And, the third benefit, as always, is cost.  Pre-grated bags will almost always work out to be more money, even when there’s a sale.

So, how to grate all that cheese?  Freezing the block of cheese for a bit before grating is known to help.  If you’re lucky enough to have a fancy kitchen gadget like a food processor or Kitchen Aid mixer, they often have attachments that will help with grating cheese or vegetables quickly.  If not, it’s a little bit of a workout, but once it’s done, you’ve got yourself a bunch of cheese at the ready!  And that, my friend, is always a good thing!

(Photo at top is from a 2 lb block of cheese)