Category Archives: Health/Nutrition

Three Energy Bars to Fuel The Summer

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Pure Organic Bars

Pure Organic Bars

 

During the summer especially, when we’re all hiking, playing tennis, biking, and traveling by car or plane, a healthful snack is a must-have.

It has to be easy to pack. It has to refuel our tired bodies. And it has to taste good, of course.

These three energy bars do the trick.

Pure Organic bars don’t contain gluten, dairy, soy or GMOs. The Fruit and Nut Bars weigh in at 200 calories or less, and contain 5 to 6 grams of protein and 3 to 4 grams of fiber. They are barely sweet and have a dense, chewy, fruitcake-like texture. The Apple Cinnamon one is like a taste of apple pie, only a whole lot less sugary.

Pure’s Organic Ancient Grain Bars have more crunch, thanks to quinoa, amaranth, flax and hemp. These have 150 to 160 calories, and 5 grams of protein and about 9 grams of total fat. Again, these have only a whisper of sweetness. The Chocolate Chunk Nut Bar won’t ever pass for a brownie. But it has the earthy, slightly bitterness of cocoa that makes it a pleasant way to enjoy a little chocolate without verging into dessert territory.

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A “Vegetarian Dinner Party” For Me, Myself — and Meat Boy?

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Tofu that's pretty enough for company, don't you think?

Tofu that’s pretty enough for company, don’t you think?

 

My husband likes to say he will gladly eat a vegetarian meal.

(Insert eye rolling here.)

But when I cook a vegetarian entree at home, I will see him sneak a few pieces of salami on the side.

What can I expect from someone nicknamed Meat Boy, right?

When I received a review copy of “Vegetarian Dinner Parties” (Rodale, 2014), though, I had high hopes he might actually keep to his word for once.

Not only was the book named the “2015 People’s Choice Award” by the International Association of Culinary Professionals, but it was written by our friends and most prolific cookbook writers, Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough. After all, if you can’t enjoy a vegetarian dish by two people you know and like, when can you?

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Farm Hill: A Meal Delivery Service Targeting the South Bay

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The Classic Chicken entree from Farm Hill.

The Classic Chicken entree from Farm Hill.

 

Every time I turn around these days, a new startup is popping up to deliver either cooking kits or prepared meals to your home or office.

Almost all of them, though, zero in on San Francisco first, before spreading to other parts of the Bay Area.

Not so with Farm Hill.

The founders, Marc Manara and Mark Wittman, who got the idea for the business while students at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, started the service first in the South Bay. They wisely deduced that in urban centers like San Francisco, it’s fairly easy to walk out the door to find a tasty lunch close by. But in more suburban areas, going for lunch often means getting in the car to drive a few miles for sustenance.

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Scenes From the Inaugural BITE Silicon Valley

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"Top Chef'' winner Brian Voltaggio hamming it up with his crew at BITE Silicon Valley. Gee, can you guess why his Los Angeles restaurants are called Ink and Ink.Sack?

“Top Chef” winner Michael Voltaggio hamming it up with his crew at BITE Silicon Valley. Gee, can you guess why his Los Angeles restaurants are called Ink and Ink.Sack?

 

If ever there was a place where food and technology intersect, it’s Silicon Valley.

So it was only apropos that the inaugural BITE Silicon Valley extravaganza be held this past weekend at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

The three-day affair brought together some of the country’s most famed chefs, cutting-edge food entrepreneurs, food scientists and food activists to not only talk about how technology has impacted food, but to offer delicious tastes of their work.

Food and technology -- not football -- were the focus of attention this past weekend.

Food and technology — not football — were the focus of attention this past weekend.

Event chair Jose Andres, renowned chef and founder of the ThinkFoodGroup, spoke passionately about how his humanitarian organization, World Central Kitchen, has worked in developing countries to bring about more efficient and safer cooking methods.

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Oatmeal Tête–À–Tête

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Oatmeal for dinner -- a comfort dish even naysayers will love.

Oatmeal for dinner — a comfort dish even naysayers will love.

 

A typical day at my house:

(Rip, rustle, rustle, as I open a package that arrived in the mail, this one containing sample tins of Flahavan’s Irish Steel Cut Oatmeal.)

Me to my husband: “Oh, look, it’s oatmeal! You like oatmeal, right?”

My husband: (Snorts, shrugs.) “Eh, yeah.”

After all, he eats it for breakfast at least a couple times a week. But of course, I’m in the mood to do something different with it.

Me: “Guess what I’m going to do! I’m going to make savory oatmeal for dinner with it!”

My husband: “WHY?!?!?”

Me: “You cook it like risotto. That sounds really good, doesn’t it?”

My husband: (Makes a face, shrugs, looks at me cross-eyed.) “If you must…”

Yup, that response is typical, too, whenever I want to cook up something a little different from the norm. But at least he’s a good sport about it, right? Well, sort of.

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