Exchange, Anyone?

In early December, I received a beautiful invitation, via e-mail (I love green efforts!), to an annual holiday event hosted by a coworker, a Cookie Exchange.  Since I had missed it the two years prior, and had heard great stories about each year's get-together, I was determined to make room on my schedule this year!  Also, as an avid food photog hobbyist, I thought it would be a great opportunity to snap some fabulous foodie shots. 

The invitation included directions for this soiree: "Please bring six dozen of your favorite cookie, bars, or other sweet treat. Take home packages will be provided. Drinks and light snacks will also be provided."

Our host, Lori, and her husband, had just moved into their new home a few months before the party, so it was a great opportunity to see the new digs, visit with friends outside of work, and enjoy yummy treats.

Their home was stunning, and I'm pretty sure I passed the (now infamous) Tiger Woods estate on my drive there, a neighborhood nowhere near my own, thank you very much!  However, once we all finally arrived and added our goodies to the table ......

the festivities began .....

and continued....

and continued....

with lots of good food to eat

until it was time for everyone to grab a to-go container

and begin filling them ...

and filling them some more....

I'm pretty sure everyone made the number of rounds that matched our contribution to the party:  6!

Wow... that's a lot of goodies!

As the serving platters emptied and the wine glasses, too, it was time to say good-night and thank our host for a very nice evening:

Thanks, Lori!

What a great way to spend time with friends during the holidays and enjoy the season's treats.

But why stop there?

How about other Exchange Parties during the year?

With Valentine's Day approaching, how about

a Wine Exchange party?

OR

a Candy Heart Exchange party?

(especially fun for single guys/gals for this 'lovers' holiday'!)....

Maybe add a set of movie tix to the bottom?

Want to be more practical?

How about a BOGO Exchange party?

(Bring One, Get One)

Clean out your closets, invite your friends,

and EXCHANGE,

as you give good stuff and get other good stuff!

(Great way to be green and have fun at the same time!)

Check out my "How To" here.

What have you exchanged or would exchange?

Recipes?

Specialty Coffees?

Artisan Cheeses/Crackers?

Seasonal, locally grown produce?

(All wrapped in beautiful, reusable, kitchen containers)

Happy eating, cooking, (and exchanging) friends....

Robin 

Try it Out Tuesday - Meatless Chik'n Strips

Tastes like chicken??  Well, sort of...

Like chicken, but don't want to eat chicken?

I recently tried Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chik'n Strips:

and found them to be a good substitute for the real thing. Check them out next to their feathered friends:

Looks pretty good, right?

Like the other Morningstar Farms products, the taste and texture are definitely 'do-able' with the chik'n strips. I don't think I could sneak them past Hubby, a die-hard carnivore, but for a recipe that calls for chicken, I think this would work as an acceptable replacement for vegetarian friends for some yummy dishes such as chik'n quesadillas or Tuscan Tomato Pasta.

Nutritional info:  A serving (12 pieces/8 oz) is 140 calories and 3.5 grams of fat, but the sodium is 21% of the RDA.  The calories are less than 6 oz of real chicken breast (about 190 calories). You can read more here.  Click on the nutritional label when you go to the web link; it'll enlarge.

Texture:  Meat-like, with a hint of firm tofu texture.

Taste:  Takes on the flavor of what you're preparing; this tasted like the (minimal) sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and garlic.  Tasty!  Once a crispy outer layer formed, it looked and tasted like skinless chicken fried in the pan.

Cost: In line with the other meatless products, the package was about $3.99 at our grocery store.

Other benefits?  It's meat-LESS. 

Verdict?  Recommended

Coming .........

Ready for a party? How about a cookie exchange?

Oh, wait. Christmas is over.

Check out a recent holiday party and ....

the ideas that stemmed from it......

Sorry for the delay, Lori...

but coming this week - FINALLY!!

Happy cooking and eating, friends.....

Robin 

It's Meatless Monday!

It's the fourth Monday of January,
another Meatless Monday.

Ready to try going meatless one night a week? 

How about Maple Sweet Potato Ravioli
OR
Savory Apple Pizza?

Sound good?

Click here for great recipes!

Try it Out Tuesday - The Healthy, Green Baker!

'Green' baking at its best

A few months ago, I wrote about a silicone baking mat as an item that fit nicely into a 'green kitchen.' 

Well, Santa must've read my post because one appeared under our Christmas tree a few months later. So here it is: my blue 'green' silicone baking mat, out of the box and getting broken in.

Seems Santa also knows that Hubby loves chocolate chip cookies! Hmmm.... interesting coincidence..... Enter:  Immaculate Baking Co. All Natural Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough.  Sweet!

Oh yes, cookies with a cause! Gotta love that!  I also mentioned these a few months ago - a treat with few ingredients, no trans fats, no artificial ingredients... clean and yummy food (I suppose 'healthy' could be argued!).  All things in moderation.

Okay, here's the scoop:

Wilton silicone baking mat

Cost:   $10.99 at our local Target

Benefit:  Replaces the need for throw-away foil or parchment paper (sustainable living!)

Specifics:  Can be used in the oven up to 500 degrees. Hand wash w/ warm sudsy water. Cut to size if you wish.  It's recommended you spray it before using, which is what you see in the picture: brown oil spots after it came out of the oven.

Immaculate Baking Co., a company with a really cool history that involves Willy Wonka, Ben and Jerry, and a big helping of entrepreneurship; they produce products with 'real' ingredients, such as their organic chocolate chip cookie dough.

Cost:  $3.09 at our grocery store (a bargain compared to the $4.99 online list price)

Benefit: Organic ingredients (healthier than trans fat, pure white sugar, etc...)

Flavor/Taste:  Pure. Simple. Not oily, like other 'less pure' brands.

Texture:  Just like the regular, fattening version

Nutritional info:  (Are we going there? They're cookies, after all!) Serving size: 2 (precut) cookies 140 calories/7 grams fat per serving.  Hubby says they're cut small, but he's a cookie monster! I personally like the size because I can better monitor what I'm eating.

Verdict?  Both items recommended!

Happy eating and cookings, friends....

Robin

Baby Bellas, Anyone?

Baby bella mushrooms - so much darker, thicker, and heartier than their white button cousins.  Here, they're paired with broccoli, angel hair pasta, and a hint of homemade heavy cream sauce.

It's Meatless Monday!

Ready to go meatless tonight?

Click here for yummy, healthy suggestions.

What's Your Path to Sustainable Living?

"Where are you on the path to sustainability?

Supporting local restaurants/merchants?

Shopping farmers' markets?

Using public transportation?

Using cloth shopping bags?

Eating less meat?

Check out the Nature's Path website, take their quiz, then come back and share with us what you're doing on your path to sustainable living...

Eating Good Stuff wants to hear from you!

Happy eating and cooking, friends....

Robin

And the NEW Winner is.....

Congratulations to Becca, who is our (new) winner of

Eating Good Stuff's first giveaway! 

Becca, please e-mail me (on my profile) your snail-mail address

within 72 hours of this post and

I'll be happy to ship this awesome prize to you!  :-) 

Happy eating and cooking, friends...

Robin

P.S. Becca's name was selected as #28, which is today's date x 2. 

And the Dust Settles....

Wow! As is often the case, when the giveaway ends,

the dust settles and new followers flee...

Hmmm....Can you say giveaway junkies??

In this case, we've lost a few friends this week,

including the winner of last week's giveaway -

without even claiming her prize! Bummer for her. 

But that leaves us with .....

A great market bag of goodies... waiting for a new home! 

Result??

A new giveaway winner will be announced Thursday!

Try it Out Tuesday - Soup's On!

Soup: it does a body good. 

Oh wait, that's milk, right? 

Well, I believe soup's pretty good, too, especially this time of the year, when it's cold in many parts of the world.  As a person who seeks out 'clean' food (few to no preservatives, as few ingredients as possible, pure, simple, and tasty), I'm always on the look-out for prepared foods that fall into the clean category (so few do!) - something quick and easy to prepare, but also healthy.  The problem with most soups, however, is that they are loaded with sodium. Yuck!

Campbell's, however, has done a pretty good job at lowering the sodium content, sticking to natural ingredients, and still making a tasty product with their Select Harvest line. With all-natural ingredients, sea salt, and no msg, many low in fat and calories, how can you go wrong? 

As a diabetic and a runner, all of these factors are extremely important to me!  As a 'nearly vegetarian' (I eat fish or a little chicken a few times a month), I can also find plenty of soups that are meat-free as well. When I take them to work, add some garlic powder, and pop in the microwave for a minute or two, someone always says, "Oh, what are you fixing? It smells soooo good!" (I'm a 'spicy' gal - always adding garlic powder and freshly ground black pepper to my foods.)

I've been enjoying the Select Harvest line of soups for about a year, and recently have been on a tomato soup kick (never touched the stuff until six months ago!).  This craving recently led to a new discovery, though, when I made a dash into our grocery store for a quick lunch item and grabbed what I thought was my 'regular' tomato soup, only to find out later it was a new flavor... uh oh! Was this going to work???  Would it go well with my grilled cheese sandwich?? 

Turns out...

Yes! The flavor I grabbed by accident is part of their new "Mediterranian-style collection." Described as a 'zesty tomato bisque,' this soup is a little thinner than its basic 'tomato soup' cousin, has a little kick to it, and even has a few veggies/tomato chunks added.  Nice! And the sodium content? The label says 20% of the RDA, but I don't notice it at all, and I'm pretty salt-sensitive since I cook with it in very limited amounts. 

COST:  $2.49/can at our grocery store, a little less at Target (often on sale, BOGO...stock up!)

TEXTURE:  Pleasantly thin (not watery) with a few veggies and tomato chunks

FLAVOR:  "Zesty" as described.  I added about an 1/8 of a tspn of basil to the pot on the stove..no garlic on the first try, but might add a pinch, though I don't think it really needs it.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: 120 calories and 2.5 gr of fat/serving   Click here for more info.

WILL ADD:  Small cheese tortellinis - our cafeteria at work offers a similar soup one day a week with the tortellinis, and I can't get enough of it (!), so I'm looking forward to making my own.  Maybe 4 -5 really crispy croutons, too, to bulk it up a little... wow!

WEBSITE:  I particularly like companies who offer a nutritionally comprehensive, interactive website that's user-friendly and chockful of helpful information. Campbell's hits the mark on this one, too. Their website is loaded with useful info from prep ideas to product info and everything in between, and is very easy to navigate.

NEED RECIPES?  Look no further. Many of you mentioned recipes as your #1 need/look-for when you visit EGS, and I want to make sure to provide as many as I can. Even for our EGS friends with special dietary needs (such as my own), Campbell's Kitchen has you in mind with their Nutritious & Delicious category. I see plenty of options that can be further tweaked.

Click here to enter the Campbell's Kitchen and have

-  hundreds of recipes at your fingertips

-  all categorized just for you - from budget-friendly to family favorites and lots more

-  with reader reviews (so important!)

-  your own online recipe box  (love this feature... I use this a lot on the Food Network site) 

And to take us back to a recent EGS post, I put my leftover soup in a repurposed glass jar for later use, writing the date with a dry erase marker. 

For those who missed that green tip, you can read about it here.  And for our EGS giveaway winner, Paige, she will be receiving dry erase markers for her own kitchen use.  :-) 

By the way, a BIG thanks to a few of our anonymous readers who e-mailed me about their repurposed glass jars and how they use and store them.  One reader said storage was an issue, but that she would be asking her wonderful husband to build her a new shelf just for her jars.  I happen to know he's a pretty awesome hubby, so I'm betting he did! 

Another reader shared that she uses her glass jars all over the house, for lots of items, in spite of having three youngsters under the age of 8... amazing! No broken glass and everything is stored neatly.  Thanks for sharing, guys!

Sooo.... love soup, but not sodium?? Try Campbell's Select Harvest Soups... plenty of flavor without all the extra stuff! 

Happy eating and cooking, friends....

Robin

It's Meatless Monday!

How are those New Year's resolutions

to eat more healthfully coming along?

Ready to try going meatless one night a week?

Click here for yummy,healthy suggestions.

And the Winner is.....

A HUGE thank you to everyone who entered the Eating Good Stuff first-ever giveaway! It's been fun reading all of your comments, ideas, and suggestions, and I look forward to creating lots of new posts, based on your feedback! 

I enlisted the help of "Hubby" tonight, to randomly select our winner.  Here's how it went:

1.   I entered everyone's name into an Excel spreadsheet in the order each comment was received/appeared. 

(These were the Turtles blog entries, but you can see the process.)

2.   Next, Hubby added a new column to the left and added 1- 64, to represent the number of comments. 

3.   Then, he hid your names.  You can see this in the picture above, as he changes the font from black to white.)

4.   He sorted column #1, to scramble the numbers.

5.   He thought for a moment. (Such a good thinker, this guy!)  :-)

and chose #39 (his current age).
 6.   When he revealed the names, we learned that Paige is our winner of the EGS giveaway. 

And to document the date and time, we took one more picture......

Congratulations, Paige! 

Please e-mail me (my e-mail addy is on my profile) your contact information, and I'll get this great market bag full of 'foodie good stuff' sent out to you this week.  :-)