Top Ten Links of the Week: 4/29/11 - 5/4/11

This week, it's a little bit of childhood obesity burnout, a very good Mother's Day question, and a video you will love to pieces.

1) Chow: But Mom...
I would argue that Mother’s Day might not be the time to expand your mom’s palate, but this is still a fabulous question: How do you pry your parents away from the same ol’ restaurants?

2) Culinate: Culling in the Kitchen - Does He Really Need Six Loaf Pans?
In which an ardent cook resolves to chuck the extras in his kitchen, and finds them somewhat intimidating. Hey, we’ve all bin there. Except me, I mean. (*Runs to conceal all seven of her French White Corningware casserole dishes*)

3) The Kitchn: Best Recipes for a Healthy Potluck
Potlucks and healthy recipes. This is my kind of comment thread.

4) Washington Post: Why Being a Foodie Isn't Elitist
Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser pens a longish essay on why giving a flying you-know-what about food shouldn't be looked upon as fascist. (Yes, fascist. The guy's been called a fascist for daring to suggest that our meat supply may not be the safest.) Caring is a good thing.

5) Food Politics: Food Stamps and Sodas
Should folks on SNAP be able to buy Pepsi with their food stamps? Some argue that not “allowing” them would be “insensitive and condescending,” but after careful consideration, Marion Nestle is for it. I don't know that I agree, but her arguments are worth reading. (Also: I know we link to Nestle every week, but no one is more thoughtful or informative when it comes to American food and eating.)

6) Wall Street Journal: Why Wood Pulp Makes Ice Cream Creamier
You know cellulose, that powdery stuff that coats grated cheese and can be found in Coffeemate (not to mention several bajillion other food products)? It’s apparently made of wood. Harmless wood, but … wood. You know how, sometimes when you’ve eaten a food for a really long time, and after years and years you find out that food is actually made of bark and roots? That is what is happening to all of us right now.

7) Time: The Sad State of American Kids' Food Environments
Lots of stats. They’re bad. (Ack. All this awareness of childhood obesity is wonderful, but to be honest, I'm kinda reaching overload.)

8) US News: Family Meals Keep Kids Slimmer, Healthier, Study Finds
No surprise. If you haven't checked out Laurie David's The Family Dinner: Great Ways to Connect with Your Kids, One Meal at a Time,which makes for excellent reading material as well as a neato cookbook, do so. It's all about this kind of stuff.

9) The Kitchn: Desserts with Three Ingredients or Less
10 ingredients, 11 totally different desserts. Neat little rundown.

9) Money Saving Mom: 3 Ways to Cut the Meat Without Decreasing Nutrition
Quick, useful, and in two cases, heretofore unknown by me, tips for reducing your meat intake.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Reuters: Do Video Games Make Kids Eat More?
With apologies to Portal 2, I will give you ten dollars if you answer correctly. (Note: I will not actually give you ten dollars.)

USA Today: Shifting Focus a Lot at Work Could Wreck Your Diet
Um … what if your job IS shifting your focus? Yuh-oh.

AND ALSO

Story Corps: No More Questions
Story Corps' mission "is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories of our lives." Those stories are occasionally animated, like that of Kay Wang, an 87-year-old grandma who passed away just a few weeks after telling her tale. It's ... awesome. Happy Mom's Day, everybody.


No More Questions! from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

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Top Ten Links of the Week: 4/22/11 - 4/28/11

Food marketing was the hot topic this week, with excellent articles from Leo Babuta, Marion Nestle, and Jane Black, among others. Plus, we celebrate the fabulous debut of Tom Haverfoods, which will only make sense for the next month or so.

1) Zen Habits: Breaking Free From Consumerist Chains
Super-solid piece on willingly dropping out of consumer culture. The first line establishes the tone: "We are not consumers. We are people." It just gets better from there, punctuated by real, honest-to-god useful tips.

2) Food Politics: At Last, FTC Releases Principles of Food Marketing to Kids
Marion Nestle analyzes the new FTC advertising guidelines for kids, and what they mean for the general populace. Essentially, she: A) wishes this would have happened already, but B) is pretty satisfied with the progress, and C) brings up a great point – Who's holding the food industry accountable? Also worth reading, Nestle's other excellent column about the insidiousness of viral marketing to kids.

3) The Atlantic:The Latest Food Marketing Trend - Fake Authenticity
Fascinating analysis of the biggest trend in food advertising right now: Health. No, really. Industry leaders are trying any way they can to promote the health benefits (virtue) of their products, whether it's watermelon or Tostitos. Reading labels could get real tricky, real soon. (Moreso, even.)

4) Serious Eats: What Exactly Does Fair Trade Mean?
Educational! Picture yourself as Johnny Carson when reading this, raising your eyebrows and saying, "I did not know that" in a thick Nebraskan accent.

5) Tom Haverfoods
Parks and Rec fans! Some genius created this randomizer of Tom’s alternate food names, from Funky Soda (light beer) to Cereal Sauce (milk). All it’s missing is Ron Swanson.

6) Bargaineering: How to Save on Groceries, With and Without Coupons
Good rundown of frugal food shopping strategies, emphasizing some of the not-as-well-known basics. ("Then how are they basics?" you might ask. They just are. Go with it.)

7) The Kitchn: 15 Simple Healthy Fruit Desserts
Guess what this post is about? Yep. Zombies.

8) stonesoup: vegetarianism for carnivores - a simple idea for healthier eating
The tips are pretty standard, but nicely presented, and MAN, I want to make that eggplant-bean thing right now.

9) USDA Today: Restaurants say consumers are finally ordering healthier meals
You guys! What we’re ordering at chain restaurants? As a nation? It’s getting healthier! The president of Applebee’s even says, “I’ve been in the restaurant business for 30 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this.” We win!

10) Wise Bread: The Best and Worst Nuts, By Nutrition and Price
In which mixed nuts prevail over all, and the word “nut” is used approximately 46,000 times.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Cupcake Project: Easter Cupcakes Baked in Real Eggs
This blew my mind. My clone will be typing the rest of this post.

Kalyn's Kitchen: Six Years Old and Six Lessons I'm Learning from Food Blogging
Happy birthday, Kalyn’s blog!

Neatorama: Every Secret Ingredient from Iron Chef America
Allez cuisine!

NPR: Shrinking Height of Poor Women Reflects Lack of Food, Health Care
Umm ... nothing funny about this one.

AND ALSO

The Daily What: Little Chefs
Kids + blenders = hee.



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Top Ten Links of the Week: 4/8/11 - 4/14/11

This Friday, it's lots of newsy-type stories, encased in Peeps. Enjoy!

1) Casual Kitchen: On Spice Fade, and the Utter Insanity of Throwing Spices Out After Six Months
LOVE this piece from Dan, not least because I never, ever throw out spices. He says, “The spice industry--as well as many misguided cooks, chefs and food bloggers--will tell you that if you have any spices in your cupboard that are more than six months old, you should throw them out. Pure hogwash. This is just another example of how the food industry tries to get you to spend unnecessarily. Worse, it makes cooking at home more expensive than it needs to be.” (Then he says more stuff.) Oh, snap!

Flickr's edenpictures

2) Chicago Tribune: Chicago school bans some lunches brought from home
This article, about an Illinois junior high that insists kids eat cafeteria food, has been all over the interweb this week, though very few news outlets have mentioned that A) the policy has been in place for six years, and B) most of the kids at this particular school qualify for free or reduced lunch. That doesn’t change the Big Brotherness of it all, but it does give it a little perspective, yes?

3) UK Guardian: Expensive wine and cheap plonk taste the same to most people
Woo hoo! Bring on the Three Buck Chuck!

4) LA Times: Organic label makes foods seem tastier, more healthful
In a blind taste test involving 144 shoppers, cookies labeled as organic were estimated to have, “more fiber, less fat and fewer calories” than their non-organic counterparts. Alas, it ain’t so. Beware as you shop. (NOTE: I originally phrased this as, “In a blind taste test OF 144 shoppers,” which would have made it a very different blurb. Some might say Lecter-esque?)

5) Washington Post: 2011 Peeps Show
Terrible food, wonderful art: The Post holds its annual Peeps diorama contest.

6) Surviving and Thriving: How Often do You Wash Your Jeans?
Oh, every time I wear them. #NotIntendedToBeAFactualStatement

7) stonesoup: veggie love - 7 tips to make sure you're getting enough
Simple, realistic, way helpful tips on cramming more broccoli into your maw. Plus cute recipes!

Flickr's dmdonahoo

8) Couponing 101: Realistic Couponing
Though it sounds like an event in the Grocery Shopping X-Games, Extreme Couponing is actually a TLC show about expert savers. Some argue the participants go way overboard, venturing into hoarding territory, which might intimidate beginning couponers. (Understandably so.) Happily, Couponing 101 has a nice, non-scary intro into the wide world of Red Plum discounts. For more, check out CHG’s piece, “Couponing for People Who Hate Couponing: A Zero-Stress Guide to Clipping Big Bargains.”

9) Food Politics: How to Get Involved in School Food
Have kids? Want to change their cafeteria offerings from the top down? Marion Nestle has compiled a list of resources. Read it and weep eat learn.

10) Slashfood: Vegan Magazine’s Faux-Meat Recipe Photos Actually Real Meat
Yuh-oh. VegNews has been photoshopping pictures of burgers and ribs, and passing them off as images of tempeh and seitan. Cauliflower lovers, they are not pleased.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Neatorama: Sunless Farming of the Future...
... Looks a lot like a Deee-lite video, apparently.

Slashfood: The Truth Behind the Olive Garden’s Tuscan Cooking School
What? NOOOOOOO! B-b-b-but … the unlimited breadsticks? They’re real, right?

AND ALSO

Achilles Effect: Word Cloud – How Toy Ad Vocabulary Reinforces Gender Stereotypes
Crystal compared descriptive words used in toy commercials – 27 ads aimed at boys, 32 at girls – and created word clouds with the results. The boys’ biggest included “battle,” “power,” “heroes,” and “ultimate,” while the girls could claim, “love,” “fun,” “magic,” and “babies.” Not so surprising, but still fascinating.

From Achilles Effect

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Top Ten Links of the Week: 4/1/11 - 4/7/11

This week, it's a group of pretty serious links tempered by candy, Batgirl, and a credit card application that will make your head spin. Sweet. (Also! Thank you again so much, sweet readers, for all your good thoughts and donations for Aline on Wednesday. You guys are positively wonderful.)

Image from Zatso

1) MSNBC: Sweet! Candy eaters surprisingly slimmer
Get this! Candy and chocolate eaters have “smaller waists, weigh less, and have a lower body mass index (BMI)” than those who forgo Mini-Snickers. Mostly, because they tend to work off the weight, don’t eat that much per day, and weight gain is largely (heh) associated with other things (soda, portion sizes, etc.). Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be mainlining some Jolly Ranchers.

2) Food Politics: Externalized Costs
In which Marion Nestle elaborates on the human rights, environmental, safety, and health care prices of inexpensive food. I’m not sure how much we can do on a personal level, except to buy ethically when possible. But on a macro/government level, it’s clear certain agricultural and labor policies (especially labor policies) need to change.

3) Wise Bread: How Water Can Save You $977 a Year
Remember: Water is the essence of wetness. And wetness is the essence of beauty. (And health. Drink more of it!)

4) New York Times: Colorless Food? We Blanch.
Can you imagine eating a gray Cheeto? Yeah, me neither. So it was no surprise when researchers discovered that food without coloring is way less appealing to us than foods with Red Dye #2. In fact, though some are organizing against artificial dyes in processed products, others argue, “I could live without sprinkles, but why would I want to?”

5) The Applied Research Center: The Color of Food
We’re not talking about the same kind of color as the last link. Instead, ARC did a, “survey of the food system, to map out the race, gender and class of workers along the supply chain.” And? Whites get the supervisory positions and the money, while people of color are mostly exploited. But wait! There’s more!

6) Accidental Hedonist: The Food Writer's Bubble
Interesting essay on the inherent elitism and ultimate meaninglessness of food writing. Best sentence: “Many of us in food media live in a bubble. Writers, chefs, marketers, and publicists, all groups have people who, when you mention food culture, majority privilege, or the effects of poverty on consumption patterns, you may as well be mentioning quantum physics or string theory.”

Wiki Commons Lausangnau

7) Orlando Sentinel: Mislabeling of fish at restaurants may be widespread, studies suggest
We’ve posted a bit about mislabeling seafood before, but this Sentinel article goes into depth on the fraudulent practice, including, places where “escolar masqueraded as tuna, tilapia stood in for red snapper, panga and emperor fillets were on menus as grouper, and imitation crab meat replaced authentic crab.” In a 2009 study, a majority of tested NYC restaurants were passing off lesser fish. SpongeBob would never do this.

8) Cockeyed.com: The Torn-Up Credit Card Application
Dude tears up credit card application he receives through the mail. Dude sends it in to credit card company. Dude receives credit card. Jaws will drop!

9) Neatorama: PETA Offers $1 Million Prize for Lab-Grown Meat
Vegan scientists and Frankenstein enthusiasts! Get experimentin’!

10) Wall Street Journal: Calorie Rules Make Diets a Federal Affair
The government proposed a bunch of new calorie labeling guidelines for restaurants, but curiously omit movie theaters, booze, hotels, bowling alleys, and a few other “Huh?” areas. It won’t go into effect until next year, so I can plead ignorance on Starbucks’ Lemon Iced Poundcake for at least another eight months.

AND ALSO

Reddit: At Least One of These Girls Will Grow Up to Be Awesome
Guess who?

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Top Ten Links of the Week: My Favorite Things

You know what, sweet readers? I’m tired of doing the same ol’ link roundup each Friday. So, this week, I thought I’d change it up and present you with my top ten very favorite things in life. (It’s kind of like Oprah’s list, except no one gets a Volvo in the end.) For special fun, let’s count ‘em down backwards. Hope you enjoy!

10) Golf
Is it a sport? A game? A hobby? A long walk over interminable greens taken by doughy white guys (and Tiger Woods) for eons at a time, narrated by men who are actually whispering, so as not to awaken the seniors who have mistaken the course for their retirement home living rooms? Only god and my dad know for sure.

9) The finale of Roseanne
(SPOILER ALERT) C’mon. You know Dan should have died in Season 5, anyway.

8) The country of Andorra
Once upon a time, I rode with family and friends through terrifying mountains and aneurysm-inducing switchbacks to reach this fine nation, one of the smallest in the world, only to find it’s a big mall for Vespa helmets. But the fine selection of Andorran Sausages (bologna), procured at a rustic local eatery (old diner), consumed next to an awe-inducing collection of European athletes (Luxembourg’s Winter Olympic team – not kidding) made up for the scooter ephemera.

7) Hootie and the Blowfish
Who didn’t hear “Only Want to Be With You” all through high school – in cars and restaurants, Starbucks bathrooms and Girl Scout potlucks, Buddhist retreats and Catholic mausoleums? I can only assume its demanding melody and complex lyrics (“I only wanna be with you / I only wanna be with you”) still resound for young Republicans even today.

6) Sandra Lee’s Baked Potato Ice Cream Recipe
It’s ice cream, dressed like a potato! Think of it like pizza in a lima bean suit, or Jon Hamm wearing a Kim Jong-il costume, or something that you love made to look homely and kind of melting. Sweet!

5) The subway
I wouldn’t trade any of it, whether it’s the surprisingly powerful 94-year-old woman elbowing me on to the third rail, the Williamsburg manorexic ironically wearing the same eyeglasses I was forced to don all through elementary school, or the seemingly button-down businessman clipping his nails over a screeching pack of Park Slope seventh graders all named Julian. I mean it.

4) Armando Benitez
Being a Mets fan would be great if it wasn’t for the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings of every ballgame. Fortunately, we’ve always had guys like ‘90s reliever Armando Benitez, who made sure that every pitch was as exciting as it could possibly be. Sometimes, you could actually see him thinking: Up by 12 runs against the Yankees? Let’s make this into nail-biter!

3) The Prince of Tides novel by Pat Conroy
This book makes me wish I didn’t have emotions.

2) Sinusitis
It’s really neat, that with all the junk packing our skulls – brains and muscles and arteries and whatnot – that our maker left a few holes full o’ nothin’. And it’s even neater that sometimes, those holes can get filled with stuff. And that stuff can be any color of the rainbow, and as soft and squishy or as elastic and bizarrely putty-like as you’ve ever seen. We’re like walking art projects, really, just waiting to be forcefully expectorated on to the nearest Kleenex canvas of life.

1) Mayonnaise
Wow! Mayonnaise is so …

I mean, I love the way it …

Um, so smooshy and…

Okay, you know this is an April Fool’s thing now. I can’t even pretend. Happy Friday, everybody!

Thank you so much for visiting Cheap Healthy Good! (We appreciate it muchly). If you’d like to further support CHG, subscribe to our RSS feed! Or become a Facebook friend! Or check out our Twitter! Bookmarking sites and links are nice, too. Viva la France!

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Top Ten Links of the Week: 3/11/11 - 3/17/11

Hi team CHG! Gonna keep this one a little short today, so I may bask in the glorious shiny thing that's planted itself in the middle of the sky. Yes, I'm talking about the alien ship. We are theirs now, and I, for one, greet our green-gilled overlords.

1) The Atlantic: The World-Class Local Foods That Gardeners Have Overlooked
Neat, neat piece by Hunger Angler Gardner Cook blogger Hank Shaw about oft-ignored food that grows in the wild. Groundnuts, ho!

Wiki - Ansel Adams

2) New York Times: Itinerant Life Weights on Farmworkers' Children
The families who pick our vegetables have children who must go to school. Only, they have it way, way, way tougher than other kids.

3) Oregon Live: The pantry principle - Serve up easy dinners by cooking what you have
I love the Oregonian's food articles because they're always way thoughtful and extensive. This one's another winner.

4) Grub Street: America's Next Great Restaurant (Recap)
Why watch the show when David Rees' recaps are so much fun?

5) Huffington Post: Giving Back - How You and the Food Community Can Help Struggling Families
Marcus Samuelsson says: Buy local. But with more words and better explanations.

6) Diner’s Journal: The DIY Cooking Bibliography
Love this link roundup of make-it-yo-dang-self blogs, focusing on food and the kitchen. Especially helpful if you're into preserving.

7) Food Politics: Soda companies vs. soda taxes - breathtaking creativity
Though their products are almost always mentioned as part of the reason for the rise in obesity, Pepsi, Coke, and similar businesses are making huge contributions toward anti-obesity initiatives. And the cycle continues.

8) Wise Bread: Affordable Sustainable Seafood Choices for Your Table
Nice little roundup with some unexpected suggestions. (Seaweed!) Also worthy of notice: squid, clams, sardines and anchovies, as well as various other shellfish and some cephalopods.

9) Casual Kitchen: An Easier Way to Crack an Egg - Blunt Force Trauma
Love the title, love the process.

10) Money Saving Mom: My Stock-Up Price List
Crystal finally shares what she'll pay for food. We are rank amateurs, people.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

The Epi-Log: Best Recipes for New Teen Vegetarians?
Chili! Chili!

Food Politics: Once again, kids prefer foods in packages with cartoons
Um … duh?

Serious Eats: What You Should Know About the Primer
"The Farm Bill, formally titled the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act, is a huge piece of legislation. Its 15 titles outline policies ranging from crop subsidies to agricultural research to nutrition programs." Will it be affected by the newfangled initiatives towards healthier eating? Remains to be seen.

Words to Eat By: Food Swap in The New York Times
Yay Deb!

AND ALSO

Endless Simmer: 100 Ways to Cook with Guinness
Guinness: It's not just for drinking anymore. You can eat it now, too.

From Wiki Commons' Koolgiy

Thank you so much for visiting Cheap Healthy Good! (We appreciate it muchly). If you’d like to further support CHG, subscribe to our RSS feed! Or become a Facebook friend! Or check out our Twitter! Bookmarking sites and links are nice, too. Viva la France!

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Top Ten Links of the Week: 3/4/11 - 3/10/11

Many thoughts and well-wishes going out to Japan today. To my knowledge, the Red Cross is not taking donations yet (11am EST), but are staying abreast of the situation. Check their updates here.

And with that, the links.

1) The Awl: How to Split a Check at a Restaurant
This one was all over the interwebs this week, since writer Neel Shah offered up somewhat controversial advice on footing a dining bill. He says if you’re under 25, you pay for what you ate. If you’re over 25, you split the check equally. Naturally, this isn’t fair to non-drinkers, but there’s an alluring simplicity to having everyone cough up the same amount of dough. Opinions?

2) Food Politics: The perils of food nutrition and resesarch
Marion Nestle explains how she discerns good food research from bad food research, and maybe, how we should, too. She mentions three criteria: biological plausibility, factoring for other influences, and the study’s sponsor.

Wiki Commons my100cans

3) USA Today: Is it healthy to drink diet soft drinks? The answer is fizzy.
That study Nestle was specifically referring to? Is this one. There's an observational link between diet soda and an increase in risk for strokes and heart attacks. Is it genuine? I'm not sure, but will tell you after I finish this lovely Diet Pepsi.

4) New York Times: Creamy, Brothy, Earthy, Hearty
Mark Bittman gives up 12 vegetable soup recipes, that honestly, you can extrapolate into an infinite number of slightly different dishes with the mere addition or subtraction of a few select ingredients. Also, I wonder if he based the title on The Who’s Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy album. Also, derf.

5) Get Rich Slowly: The GRS Garden Project – February 2011
JD and his wife Kris are starting their yearly garden project up again. If you ever wanted to see how lucrative growing your own produce can be, both in a fiduciary and flava sense, this monthly series is a must-read

6) Walletpop: Top 10 Fruits With the Most Nutritional Bang for Your Buck
It’s a quick list, but as those things go, it’s a good one.

7) stonesoup: 3 uber-simple lunches you can make at work in less time than it takes to go out and buy something
Think you don’t have time to cook yourself a delicious meal? Not so fast, bucko.

8) Money Saving Mom: What do you do when you don’t feel like being frugal anymore?
Short, to-the-point three-step post about what to do when you feel like taking a break. Great advice within.

9) New York Times: In New Food Culture, a Young Generation of Farmers Emerges
(And they’re all really, really hot.) Agriculture is the new culture, period, as many independent croppers are youths in their ‘20s and ‘30s. The downside: money. As in, there ain’t none.

10) Village Voice: Is it Okay to Eat My Stinky Food in the Office?
Ack. No! Okay, maybe. But it depends on the stink. Don’t go cracking open a durian by my desk, or I will staple you to a manila folder.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Consumerist: Grow Your Own Everlasting Salad
Gardening tips, great title.

New York Magazine: Best of Food Issue
And the winner is: all of us.

Time Magazine: A Food Fight in the Budget Debate
More on the budget cuts, and how they could affect federal food departments.

AND ALSO

Paula Deen Riding Things
Scratch that. The winner is the internet. If you haven't seen this site yet ... Paula herself approves.

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Top Ten Links of the Week: 2/27/11 - 3/3/11

To begin, a trio of most excellent posts from the fine folks at Wise Bread. To fill out lots of other well-written and finely-observed pieces of literature. And to end, the most terrifying possibility for the future that I have ever contemplated: cats with thumbs.

1) Wise Bread:
17 Uses for Stale Bread
Breaking the Bread Code – How to Get the Freshest Loaf
Dilutions of Grandeur – Stretch Your Food at Every Meal
Honestly, Wise Bread deserves the first spot for the bread article alone (Tags are color coordinated by day? Who knew?), but the other two links just cement the glory.

2) Parenting the Tiniest of Miracles: Prepping Five Meals from Five Chicken Breasts
Super solid post on skinning, slicing, prepping, and cooking bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, and then spreading them out to create several different meals. Definitely worth a gander, especially if you’re a poultry fan.

3) Words to Eat By: In Praise of Processed Foods
One mom uses – gasp – processed foods. Which are actually fine, depending, with a definition that encompasses a lot more than Taquitos and Go-Gurt. Read on for tips on choosing carefully.

4) New York Times: Once a Villain, Coconut Oil Charms the Health Food World
In the olden times, coconut oil was believed less deadly than going to a Red Sox game wearing a Yankees jersey, but more deadly than having a quiet dinner with Michael Corleone. Nowadays, that impression is changing, thanks mostly to closer reading of old research, as well as an increasing number of delicious applications, such as the ones Melissa Clark includes in this thorough, engaging piece.

5) Obama Foodorama: Chris Christie Supports Michelle Obama
Three Republican governors with weight issues – Mike Huckabee (ex-AR), Chris Christie (NJ), and Haley Barbour (MS) – have said publicly that they think MObama’s doing a dang good job with the Let’s Move! campaign. More interestingly, her three most vocal opponents are thin conservative women – Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann, and Laura Ingraham. (Okay, and Rush Limbaugh, but that guy stopped mattering in 1997.) Why is that? I have … theories. But they’re mean. I’m more interested in what you guys think.

6) Wall Street Journal: Consumers Start to Feel Pinch From Higher Grain Prices
Two things to know, but not necessarily freak over: “U.S. food prices will jump between 3% and 4% this year,” and “The USDA expects food prices this year to climb at roughly twice the general inflation rate.” It’s not good, but other countries are being hit a lot worse, so count some blessings, yo.

7) Boston.com: A madcap quest for ‘free’
Profile of Kathy Spencer, a hardcore couponer who's inspired thousands like her, for better (mostly) or for worse. The best quote: "When a newbie couponer is birthed, they are very much like baby vampires." I've already started the script for Twilight: Rite Aid, so book your movie tickets now.

8) Chow: Chefs are Masochists, Culinary School is a Scam
Helena Echilin layeth the smacketh downeth. Think twice about forking over $70,000 for cooking school, folks. In most cases, you’d be better off washing dishes at a diner. At least you'd be in a working kitchen.

9) The Economist: The 9 Billion-People Question
Honestly, I haven’t had the chance to read all of this (which is why it’s at #9). What I did get through was detailed, intelligent, and about as objective as you can be when you’re reporting on the potential starvation of billions. Check it out. (Er, and tell me about it!)

10) Chicago Tribune: The Kids' Table - Better nutrition at the end of the rainbow
Eat the rainbow! A natural one, though – not the processed rainbow found in boxes of Lucky Charms. Blueberries, kale, and oranges are of what we speak.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Business Week: Breathing More Profit into Chocolate Bars
With food prices soaring, choco-companies are adding the cheapest ingredient of all in as filler. Nope, not used copies of Extreme’s Pornograffiti album, but – air.

Culiante: Madhur Jaffrey
Leigh! This one’s for you.

The Kitchn: Smarter Searching with Google’s New Recipe Feature
On the plus side, this means easier ingredient-based searches. On the minus side, food bloggers won’t really benefit until some coding issues get worked out. (ETA: More from Elise Bauer.)

AND ALSO

Cats With Thumbs
I genuinely fear this.



Thank you so much for visiting Cheap Healthy Good! (We appreciate it muchly). If you’d like to further support CHG, subscribe to our RSS feed! Or become a Facebook friend! Or check out our Twitter! Bookmarking sites and links are nice, too. Viva la France!

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CHG Best of February 2011

Hey! Remember February? Man, it seems like only yesterday. Let's take a trip in the wayback machine, shall we? These were the posts of those long-ago times.

FEBRUARY RECIPES
Gluten-Free Pancakes
Hot and Spicy Apple Cider
Marinated Celery and Carrots, Chinese Style
Monkey Bars
Roasted Sunchokes and Broccoli
Simple Beans and Rice
Sweet Potato, Parsnip and Kasha Pie
Sweet Potato Soup with Chipotle
Tomato and Bread Soup with Rosemary

FEBRUARY ARTICLES

We got all geometric and philosophical with Cheap Healthy Good and the Triangle of Compromise.

Cooking for Survival Eaters asked (and answered) the question, "Do you know people who only eat to live?"

Jaime came up with Five Delicious Ways to Eat Broccoli Stalks, and we cheered her on with little broccoli pom-poms when she was done.

We showed you How to Buy the USDA Recommended 4.5 Cups of Fruits and Vegetables for $2.50 Per Day. You were pretty cool with it.

Navigating the Reboot: Getting Back on Track After Falling Off of It. (The Track, I Mean.) reinforced that lapses don't necessarily mean failure.

Go Green Bay! Super Bowl Recipes XLV: 77 Cheap and Healthy Foods for the Big Game was a list of the fine dishes you ate that fateful Sunday.

And rounding out the month, we Asked the Internet about:

• Meat Ideas for an Ex-Vegetarian
• Organizing Lids
• What’s Not Worth Making Homemade?
• Would Calorie Labeling Change What You Order?

For more Cheap Healthy Goodness…

1) Have your say!
We love reading creative comments and participating in thought-provoking discussions. There’s even a fabulous new Ask the Internet column, where readers can write in with various inquiries and/or offer helpful suggestions. Sweet.

2) Spread the word!
Like us? Link to us! Refer us to a bookmarking site! (We have StumbleUpon and Digg buttons! Come to think of it, at some point, we should probably get Reddit, too.) Or just talk us up to your mom. That’s nice, too.

3) Behold our social networking!
Subscribe to our feed, join our Facebook page, or check out our Twitter … thing. They’re super fun ways to kill time, without any accompanying not-so-fresh feeling.

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Top Ten Links of the Week: 2/18/11 - 2/24/11

Much like this season of American Idol, this week’s link roundup could be our strongest ever. Unlike this season of American Idol, J-Lo had very little to do with it. Well, she did do the html, so, y’know – credit where credit is due. (P.S. Have you ever seen someone who looks that good in high def? If that's what being from the block does to your skin, I'm moving to the Bronx.)

1) stonesoup: The Simplest Method for Menu Planning
Whoa. Ten ingredients. Four pantry items. Five days of dinners. Winner: Jules.

2) Money Saving Mom: Can You Buy Natural and Organic Foods on a Budget?
You know, I feel like we’ve seen this question a bazillion times before, but these clearly written, simple-to-employ strategies make this post worth a visit or ten. Seriously. Not kidding. It is awesome and for winners, much like the ocean. (30 Rock, holla!)

3) Huffington Post: The Politics of Food – How U.S. Farm Policy Impacts People Worldwide
A wonderful primer on U.S. farming subsidies, and how they affect agriculture and hunger on a global scale, from super chef and fellow Swede Marcus Samuelsson. Simply explained, urgently worded, very effective. Read and learn.

4) Food Politics: Why the White House is soft on Wal-Mart - afterthoughts
This is some hardcore lefty hippie reasoning with strong parental undertones (I don’t know what that means, either), and I love every minute of it. Corporate profits and the Let’s Move! agenda are at odds with each other, so MObama has to make some concessions for the greater good. How will it be moving forward? Only we can decide.

5) Money Saving Mom: How Living Abroad Taught Me to Simplify Life
Love this quick, insightful guest post on the profound and frequently lifelong benefits of travel. Perhaps the best part of getting out of your comfort zone is how it changes your behavior in your comfort zone.

6) The Epi-Log: Host a Baby Food Swap
I’ve heard of soup and dinner swaps, but baby food is a new one, and maybe the best idea of them all. You get variety, no preservatives, freshness, and friendship all in one. The interview with author Karen Solomon reveals even more.

7) New York Times: Cooking with Dexter – Busy Signal
In his last Cooking with Dexter column, Pete Wells has a message: Lay off working parents. They’re trying, and if they can’t cook every night, it’s not the end of the world. Also, eat spaghetti.

8) Serious Eats: Why We’re Paying More for Coffee
Erin Meister explains the many reasons you’re seeing Folgers prices shoot up at the grocery store, including: More people worldwide are drinking java, which raises demand without necessarily increasing production. But wait, there’s more!

9) The Kitchn: What Are Your Recipe Deal Breakers?
Whoa! Good question. 57 comments later, the big ones are: hated ingredients (big winner), long ingredient lists, recipe takes more than a day, unfamiliar with cooking technique, and time. How about you guys?

10) The Guardian UK: Is Homemade Always Better?
Whoa! You guys! So much more about our Ask the Internet from last week.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Chow: 7 Easy, Healthy Risotto Recipes
Commence drooling.

Moneycrashers: Festival of Frugality – Back to School Edition
We’re in this! Sweet.

Nation’s Restaurant News: Consumers Craving More Ethnic Cuisine
Caribbean, Thai, and Japanese. They’re so hot right now.

New York Post: Soaring cost of food forces you to eat out
Fellow Noo Yawkuhs, check it: “The cost of eating at home in the New York area [soared] in January at an annual rate of 18 percent -- eight times faster than escalating menu prices here.” Woo hoo! Put it on my bill.

Ohdeedoh: Meet Debbie Koenig of Words to Eat By
Yay, Deb!

Serious Eats: Should Food Blogs Cater to the Foodie? (Pun Intended)
Well, should they? Or should they be more populist? (We try to strike a balance here.)

AND ALSO

YouTube: Casey
Speaking of American Idol, I’m pulling for Naima (the pretty rasta lady) or this guy, Casey Abrams. Listen to that voice and tell me he’s only 19. Nuts.



Thank you so much for visiting Cheap Healthy Good! (We appreciate it muchly). If you’d like to further support CHG, subscribe to our RSS feed! Or become a Facebook friend! Or check out our Twitter! Or buy something inexpensive, yet fulfilling via that Amazon store (on the left)! Bookmarking sites and links are nice, too. Viva la France!

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Top Ten Links of the Week: 2/11/11 - 2/17/11

Lots of good little stories today, along with a chicken saga of near-epic proportions. It will beak you out.

1) Politics of the Plate: Co-opting an Unsustainable Food System - Student-Run Collectives Replace Junk Food Franchises on College Campuses
With a headline like that, this had to be about UC Berkeley. Fortunately, those crazy hippie kids have the smarts and drive to back up their freewheeling ideas, like a healthy food co-op to replace a planned fast food chain. Hooray for the future! It's looking bright, and somewhat jam bandy.

2) New York Times: Chicken Vanishes, Heartbreak Ensues
A diverse Brooklyn neighborhood comes together for a stolen chicken. It's like Steel Magnolias, minus the accents, characters, armadillo cake, and diabetic shock, but with a chicken.

3) Donna Freedman: I Have “Frugal Fatigue” Fatigue
Sing it, sister. To paraphrase Livia Soprano, “Oh, poor us.” (Um. I don’t know if it’s possible to convey Nancy Marchand’s vocal inflections in three words of text, but trust me: She said that really, really sarcastically.)

4) The Simple Dollar: Does Cutting Meat, Eggs, or Dairy from Your Diet Save Money?
Yes, but it also costs you time. Are you willing to sacrifice one for the other? Trent explores the Triangle of Compromise.

5) Money Saving Mom: Free Downloadable Recipe Cost Calculator Spreadsheet
Man, this could be really, really handy. Check it out, and if you’re having problems with the Excel Doc, check the comments for troubleshooting tips.

6) Wall Street Journal: Fiber-Rich Diet Linked to Longevity
It begins with this: “People who consumed higher amounts of fiber, particularly from grains, had a significantly lower risk of dying over a nine-year period compared to those who consumed lower amounts of fiber,” and just gets better. Best pack the quinoa.

7) Obama Foodorama: One Study Finds that Posted Calories Don’t Keep Kids From Choosing Junky Fast Food
Call me crazy, but could it be because they’re children? Who have almost no conception what a calorie, gram of fat, or milligram of protein could possibly mean in the grand scheme of their diets? Great. Now I feel like Andy Rooney.

8) More: The 5 Nutrients You’re Not Getting.
A breakdown of potassium, fiber, calcium, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, plus where to find ‘em

9) Frugal Dad: A Grocery Shopping Hiatus – How Long Can You Eat from the Pantry?
Guest poster Laurel Gray wants to see how many days she can go without hitting the supermarket. She’ll write back with updates. I’m guessing 22, before the lack of dairy and fresh produce force her into a Kroger. Anyone taking bets?

10) 344 Pounds: Ten Small Benefits of Losing 100 Pounds
You knew that clothes would fit better, and walking up stairs wouldn’t be as difficult, but how about less sweating, better posture, and the ability to sit in restaurant booths? Quick and interesting.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Lifehacker: The Best Foods and Strategies for Eating at Your Computer
Not that I do this. Hey! Look over there! It’s zombie Cary Grant! (*runs away*) (*sits at computer*) (*eats*)

New York Times: For Actresses, is Appetite a Big Part of the Show?
You know how the skinniest of Hollywood ladies always have to front, like they're constantly scarfing mile-high stacks of pancakes for breakfast? Why is that?

The Simple Dollar: Inspiring Others to Financial Responsibility Without Being Preachy
There’s a fine line between clever and annoying.

AND ALSO

Urban Edge: Honest Real Estate Broker?
This is a shockingly accurate portrait of apartment hunting in New York City.



Thank you so much for visiting Cheap Healthy Good! (We appreciate it muchly). If you’d like to further support CHG, subscribe to our RSS feed! Or become a Facebook friend! Or check out our Twitter! Or buy something inexpensive, yet fulfilling via that Amazon store (on the left)! Bookmarking sites and links are nice, too. Viva la France!

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Top Ten Links of the Week: 2/4/11 - 2/10/11

It’s a rough week for working moms, a good week for buying food cheaply, and a terrible week for heavy wine bottles and weak shelving. Read on for the magic.

1) Wise Bread
5 Things Other Grocery Stores Should Steal from Trader Joe's
Best Money Tips - Eat Healthy for Under $5 a Day
Best Money Tips – How to Get Groceries for Free
Sex Up Your Sandwich – Ideas for Budget Conscious Brown Baggers
Not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR way relevant posts from the fine folks at Wise Bread this week. Read ‘em and … well, don’t weep. But enjoy them thoroughly. That’s what they’re there for.

2) The Kitchn
How to Cook Moist and Tender Chicken Breasts
How to Start a Food Storage Plan on $10 a Week
On Cooking Through Your Pantry – Using Up Odds and Ends
Coming in a close second, this trio of super-useful Kitchn posts.

3) Culinate: Eating like monsters - 12 ways to get kids to eat well
Ooo! Dig these creative suggestions for feeding kids, which are so much more constructive than, “Puree vegetables and stick 'em in tastier foods.” I want to live in Laura Grace Weldon’s house at dinnertime.

4) Squawkfox: 1 Chicken, 22 Meals, 49 Bucks
Loved this post, which uses a humanely-raised, all-natural chicken for an experiment similar to CHG’s 1 Chicken, 17 Healthy Meals, $26 Bucks, No Mayo. It can be done healthfully! Includes pictures and a grocery list.

5) Serious Eats: New USDA Report Says You Can Eat Right for $2.50 a Day
While it’s definitely possible to get enough USDA-recommended produce for $2.50 per day, author Leah Douglas raises good points on some missing details in the recent nutrition report. One thing is clear: While progress is being made on what the government considers to be a healthy diet, there’s still a ways to go.

6) Hunter Angler Gardener Cook: Why Salt Matters
Excellent tutorial on artisanal salts accompanied by gorgeous pictures of the same. Read it, then print it out and staple it to your wall.

7) Businessweek: The More Mom Works, the Heavier Her Kids Get - Study
Let’s ignore the fact that men weren’t mentioned until the very end of this article, as if they have little obligation to feed their children. (ANGRY LATENT FEMINIST HULK SMASH!) Instead, we will say that the weight gain coincided with hours worked, as opposed to employment itself, which is somewhat comforting. I guess.

8) Time: Toddlers Junk Food Diet May Lead to Lower IQ
Bad foods consumed at age three can have an adverse effect on intelligence by age eight, a new study finds. The IQ drop isn’t gigantic, but why take the risk? After all, an apple a day keeps your brain ... uh ... very ... yay?

9) Consumerist: Should Restaurant Refund Me For Edamame Appetizer With Free Giant Worm?
Yes. But wait! There’s more!

10) Epicurious: Budget Boosters – 35 Ways to Stretch Your Food Dollars
There is a slim possibility I’ve linked to this before, but I can’t seem to find it, and it’s good enough to deserve a double-mention anyway. It’s a great primer and not a slideshow, so – bonus.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Kalyn’s Kitchen: Five Fun Things on a Friday and My Family Rocks
Love the first craft idea.

Salon: Charting anti-obesity progress
A look back at the year in MObama’s food initiatives.

Salon: Regrets of a Stay-at-Home Mom
Well, this doesn’t terrify me at all. (*enrolls in medical school*)

AND ALSO

Urlesque: Watch 100 Wine Bottles Crash to the Floor
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!



Thank you so much for visiting Cheap Healthy Good! (We appreciate it muchly). If you’d like to further support CHG, subscribe to our RSS feed! Or become a Facebook friend! Or check out our Twitter! Or buy something inexpensive, yet fulfilling via that Amazon store (on the left)! Bookmarking sites and links are nice, too. Viva la France!

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Top Ten Links of the Week: 1/28/11 - 2/3/11

Big news this week, as the USDA released their new food guidelines and Mark Bittman started his new occasional editorial series for The New York Times. Also, there’s this … thing? This Sunday? I don’t know. I think some people are eating at it. And there’s some kind of ball.

1) Get Rich Slowly: Fight Rising Prices By Building Your Own Food Bank
This guest post from Donna Freedman advocates – in a new and intelligent way – the stockpiling of food in your home. It’s not so much that you’ll never eat it, but enough to get you through the winter, especially when Mama Nature feels the urge to drop another three feet o’ precipitation on your car.

2) Lifehacker: The Geek’s Guide to Rebooting Your Kitchen
Dig this one-minute video about maximizing kitchen efficiency. Then read the more detailed descriptions, which will undoubtedly help you in your quest to reorganize. Then think about the video again, asking yourself, “How did the cat manage to be in the way at all times?” Then ponder cat ownership.

3) New York Times: A Food Manifesto for the Future
Remember that Bittman piece we spoke of up top? This is it. His proposals for a better food future read wonderfully, but have a long way to go before they’re actualized – if it ever happens. Still, it’s nice that they’re even out there. (Think positive!)

4) Cracked: 6 Subtle Ways You’re Getting Screwed at the Grocery Store
Perhaps not as classic as Cracked’s “6 Animals That Just Don’t Give a F#@k” from November, but very helpful nonetheless. Caution: Beware the saucy language. (Also, the Ides of March.)

5) Food Politics: The 2010 Dietary Guidelines: Enjoy your food, but eat less!
Marion Nestle breaks down the new USDA guidelines in easy-to-understand bulletpoints. (Seriously, they’re really easy to understand. They average about five words each.) Bonus: she’s attached the link to the PDF itself. Browse through if you’re feeling motivated.

6) Zen Habits: The Simplest Diet for Lean Fitness
In which Leo Babauta counsels against extreme changes to your eating and exercise plans. He adjusted his gradually, until it his body was working optimally. Best part? Never felt a thing.

7) xkcd: Learning to Cook
This one-panel comic has been all over the food ‘net this week, but it’s so good, I’m linking to it again. (No picture, so you have to click! MUAHAHAHAHA!)

8) The Kitchn: Halving Casseroles: Tips for Reducing the Size of a Recipe
Oooo … I need to do this ALL THE TIME, since it’s only HOTUS and me at home. (Also, the cat. But he has a pretty strict casserole policy. If I make one, it’s all his, or we get clawed.)

9) New York Times: Mushrooms Fill in the Blanks for the Meat-Free
Ahh … the power of fungus. I’ve known of mushrooms’ curious ability to sate ever since my friend H. grilled me my first big ol’ Portobello in college. Now, the Times is sharing five recipes of its own. (Or, of other people’s. You know how it goes.)

10) Café Johnsonia: S.M.A.R.T. Goals
The SMART system to creating goals means they should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and should have a timeline. (There are also a few other acronyms in there, but the internet only has so much space.) They guidelines are pretty much applicable to anything, but especially achieving bodily health. Mama likes. (P.S. Beware you spell “SMART” right. Otherwise, this.)

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Business Week: TV – A Sneaky Part of the Food Pyramid
USA TODAY: Kids Fed Unhealthy Foods Learn to Prefer Them
USA TODAY: Catch of the Week – 8 Ounces of Fish in Your Diet
Washington Post: Military personnel take extreme measures to meet body-fat and weight rules

AND ALSO

Parks and Recreation: Ron Swanson’s Pyramid of Greatness
INTENSITY: Give 100%. 110% is impossible. Only idiots recommend that.

Thank you so much for visiting Cheap Healthy Good! (We appreciate it muchly). If you’d like to further support CHG, subscribe to our RSS feed! Or become a Facebook friend! Or check out our Twitter! Or buy something inexpensive, yet fulfilling via that Amazon store (on the left)! Bookmarking sites and links are nice, too. Viva la France!

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