March 2009 | Simple, Good and Tasty, page 2

Mix My Granola: The Review

Posted in Out & About on Thu, 03/26/2009 - 3:55am by lee -

mix-my-granny1 2 days after I placed my order, my MixMyGranola.com custom-mixed granola arrived in the mail. I quickly opened the box, revealing a sleek white container emblazoned with the company logo. I had already been impressed by the selection of ingredients on the website (including organic muesli, dried papaya, organic flax seeds, and chocolate espresso beans) and the packaging of the food. Now I just needed to try what was inside.

USDA Bans Downer Cows from Food Supply

Posted in News & Views on Wed, 03/25/2009 - 4:17am by lee -

Good news! After nearly a year of promises, and under apparent pressure from the Obama administration, the USDA has finally instituted a ban on downer cows in the US food supply.

The First Garden

Posted in Farms & Gardens on Tue, 03/24/2009 - 7:09am by lee -

Just after the ground was broken on the White House's new, organic garden, the Washington Post quoted Michelle Obama as follows:

NY Times on Eating Better Food, Organic or Not

Posted in Health on Tue, 03/24/2009 - 3:59am by lee -

My friend Chris recently pointed me to a terrific NY Times article by Mark Bittman from this past weekend. The article talks about the value of eating organic food as well as the numbers of people who are starting to buy and eat "at least some" organic food (30%, according to the article).

In Defense of Food, Part 2

Posted in Books & Media on Mon, 03/23/2009 - 3:24am by lee -

I just love Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto- I return to it constantly. There are so many great ideas here, so much that inspires and aggravates me. Chapter One, From Foods to Nutrients, is an example of the latter.

Organic, Fair Trade Peace Coffee

Posted in Out & About on Sun, 03/22/2009 - 4:09am by lee -

peace Peace Coffee is a terrific Minneapolis company committed to organic, fair trade beans. Here's what it says on their site:

Big Bull Jerky is No Bull

Posted in Out & About on Sat, 03/21/2009 - 4:49am by lee -

I've made no secret of my love for beef jerky, and I've recently got my hands on a new favorite: Big Bull Brand beef jerky. I found it at my local Kowalski's in South Minneapolis, but you can order it online or visit the Big Bull beef jerky store in St. Paul, MN. Big Bull offers 15 flavors of beef jerky, including Jalapeno Six Pepper, Honey Maple, and "Texican." At $8.92 for 3 ounces, it's not cheap. I tried Big Bull (Teriyaki and Habanero flavors) because its packaging tells me that:

Food4Thought.com: Bringing CSAs to Your Doorstep

Posted in Farms & Gardens on Fri, 03/20/2009 - 8:10am by lee -

food4thoughtlogo Tony Pavelko, who recently started the Twin Cities company Food4Thought with Gina DiMaggio, recently sent me an email describing the service:

Common Roots: Good Food from Scratch

Posted in Out & About on Fri, 03/20/2009 - 4:23am by lee -

I've been excited to write about Minneapolis' Common Roots Cafe for a while. I love so many things about the place, including their swanky logo, the building facade, the fact that they compost, the vegetarian options, the delectable pastries (from mostly - if not entirely - local, sustainable ingredients), and the fact that they are so involved in the neighborhood. Last week they provided free bagels, muffins, and scones to nearly 50 families at my boy's elementary school. All of the food was locally grown and made.

Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Posted in Books & Media on Thu, 03/19/2009 - 12:42pm by lee -

I'm still near the start of Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, and really liking it. It's my first Kingsolver book, so I king-folks don't have strong feelings about the author either way (most people I know who've read her books do), but I'm really enjoying the way she describes her family moving east to become closer to the land and, more specifically, to the food they eat.