Don’t forget to take advantage of the Open Sky coupon, good through Friday!

As you may know, I eat a mostly-vegetarian diet. Personally, this is partially due to the ethics of eating meat, and largely due to the fact that my body functions better when I eat less meat.

I realize that eating a vegetarian diet isn’t for everyone. Just as my body doesn’t perform as well when I’m eating meat, some people feel like they function better when they do eat meat. Today, Maria shares with you her reasons for being a vegetarian.

Today’s Guest Post is Brought To You By: Maria of Real Fit Mama

Hi SavvyEats readers! My name is Maria, but you might also know me as RealFitMama from my blog by the same name. I am honored to be a guest poster on SavvyEats.

I grew up with a pretty Southern family. Everything we ate was meat-based and either fried or covered in gravy. Not the healthiest diet for anyone, but especially for someone who gains weight very easily! By the time my oldest daughter was born I was weighing 200lbs on the dot and I’m only 5 feet 5 inches!!

I have to admit when I first became a vegetarian I didn’t know if I would be able to keep it up. My family is NOT vegetarian and has no desire to EVER be vegetarian. Some even give me a hard time and tell me it really isn’t the healthiest choice for all these crazy reasons. Anyway – I knew it was going to be tough, but then I read a book by John Robbins called ‘Diet For A New America’ and it completely changed my life. Within the first few pages I found every reason under the sun to stay on this meat free journey for the rest of my life. I knew in those beginning paragraphs that my children would be raised vegetarian. I knew my life had changed for the better.

Hello friends, I hope you had a great weekend! As I mentioned on Friday, I will be back with tales of my trip to Florida, including the big blogger lunch and the Disney Princess Half Marathon, later this week. Until then, enjoy these guest posts.

And, don’t forget about the Open Sky coupon for a Tiger Tail… good through Friday, March 12!

Today’s guest post is brought to you by: Meghan at Travel Eat Love.

If you are like me and you love to eat, you don’t want to settle for a boring, expensive, or unhealthy lunch option during the week, whether at the office or at home. Early in my career, I really did not look forward to lunch time. Cafes and restaurants near most offices can be overpriced and often don’t offer the best choices. I ended up with soggy sandwiches or canned soups which were loaded with sodium and that “just out of a can” flavor.

Bringing my own lunch saves me about $45 a week, possibly more considering the lunch options near where I work. When I factor that out over the course of a year, taking a few weeks out for vacation; that makes over $2000 in savings!

An easy one pot meal that I can use for a variety of lunches is three bean vegetarian chili. I start with a basic recipe like the one I posted on Plummelo, and then add in whatever I have, the more veggies, the better! Packed with nutritious, filling, and inexpensive ingredients, chili keeps well for days, can be made to the individual’s taste, and provides endless opportunities to create “new” meals with one base meal.

Monday

Rice and Beans

Mix ½ cup brown rice with ½ cup chili. Add hot sauce if you are adventurous!

Tuesday

Hot and cold salad- serve warmed chili atop a bed of shredded romaine lettuce, spinach, shredded cheese. Make two servings and save one for Wednesday.

Wednesday

Mix a serving of Tuesday’s salad with 1 TSP plain yogurt and ¼ chopped avocado and roll into a whole wheat wrap/burrito shell.

Thursday

Chili empanadas! Split a cup of chili into two, ½ cup servings. I would suggest using a slotted spoon to move the chili so that the liquid is as drained out as possible. Roll out store bought pie dough or puff pastry dough into large squares. Scoop chili into the middle of each square, fold dough, and seal around the edges using a fork to press down and create a decorative edge. Bake according to dough package directions or until golden.

Friday

You made it! Hopefully the variations using your Sunday chili have kept you satisfied and happy with your lunch. For Friday, mix a cup of chili with a cup of vegetable or chicken broth. Adding liquid will thin out the chili into a lovely soup. You may want to add additional spices or hot sauce at this point as the flavors may be diluted by the broth. At this point, you could also add leftover rice from Monday or small cooked pasta to the dish.

It only takes a couple of hours and a little bit of creativity to stretch your dollar and ingredients on hand to make 5 delicious meals for the week!

Thanks so much to Julie for allowing me to guest post! If you are looking for more healthy recipes, travel tips, or wine suggestions, please visit Travel Eat Love.

Thanks Meghan, for the great ideas!

Knee Update + A Sale

After Wednesday’s big decision to not run the half marathon this weekend, I felt a stabbing pain in my knee all day. In fact, I felt like crying whenever I walked up or down stairs!

Luckily, that pain has died down, through lots of icing, Ibuprofin, and my secret weapon… The Tiger Tail.

The kind people over at Pressure Positive were kind enough to send me a sample of their Tiger Tail last week. Initially, I was excited to use it after the half marathon, since I can’t exactly travel with my big foam roller!

Clearly, I will not be needing it as a post-race treatment anymore. But, every time my knee starts to cramp up again, I roll the Tiger Tail over it, and immediately feel better! I start off with light pressure, and gradually increase it as needed, and I like that there is more control over the amount of pressure than you can get with a regular foam roller. Since it is nice and portable, I will still be taking it on vacation to aid in my recovery.

As a special half-birthday present to all my readers, I have a 30% off coupon for you on the Tiger Tail at Open Sky!

This puts the 18″ Tiger Tail, which is the size I have, at $17.49. EDIT: The coupon is only valid for the 18″ Tiger Tail.

Just enter “TIGER30″ at checkout to get your discount!

The coupon is good through Friday, March 12.

Happy Half-Birthday, SE!

In addition to the special half-birthday discount, I also have created a Best of Savvy Eats” page of all of my favorite posts from the past 6 months. This timing works out well, too, since I will be on blogging hiatus while I am in Florida!

Best of Savvy Eats

• Why I Blog… a VERY early post, but a good one. My photography has come such a long way!
• Tyranena Oktoberfest Bike Ride … my very first charity bike ride, as well as my longest ride to date!
• A Long, Wonderful Day… my first 5K EVER!
• Do YOU have stress? … great advice from a conference session I attended!
• My First 15K!! … my first race longer than a 5K
• Almost Vegetarian … my thoughts on eating a mostly vegetarian diet
• What do you want to do with your life? … my plans for the future, and how I figured out what I want in life
• Egg-less Baking … one of my first, and favorite, Brain Food 101 posts!
• Tasting at Fresco … our first tasting with our wedding caterer
• Cooking for College Students … my Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24 post
• 2009: A Year in Review
• My 10 in 2010
• Run into the New Year Recap … a very cold 5K!
• Breakfast Quinoa on the Go… one of my favorite recipes to date
• Grand Opening + Monster Pasta … another favorite recipe
• The Little Things #9 (and My Running Verdict) … putting a positive spin on a tough decision
• An Ode to Quinoa … a love letter to my favorite breakfast

Guest Posts

Don’t worry, there will still be new material up on Savvy Eats while I am gone! I have some great guest posts lined up for Monday-Wednesday, including one from a certain someone’s fiance… that’s right, Dan will be debuting on the blog!

Talk to you all on Thursday night/Friday morning!

I know this post was supposed to go up yesterday, but after the sad news regarding my half marathon, I really felt the need to do a “Little Things” post instead! Thank you for all your kind words and support about my running decision!

My Top Five Reasons to Buy Local

1.   Less nutrient loss. As I discussed on Tuesday, the sooner you get your produce after it is harvested, the more nutrients it will have.

2. Lower fuel usage. A lot of the produce at your grocery store may have been delivered from the other side of the country, or even the other side of the world! It takes much more fuel to transport the produce from afar than it does to get it to your Farmer’s Market or co-op.

3. Support local businesses, and your local economy. This is pretty self-explanatory, right? Plus, there is nothing better than a fresh loaf of bread from the bakery down the road!

[Source]

4. Lower or equal costs. This one actually depends on where you live and what you are buying, but the fact that the transportation costs are lower definitely helps. In Madison, the immense size of our Farmer’s Market means that there are a lot of competing stands, so prices are lower. In the summer and fall, I can fill 2 or 3 grocery bags with produce for a mere $20! If you only have a small Farmer’s Market available to you, it may be slightly more expensive, but Farmer’s Markets aren’t your only option! There are also CSAs (Community Supported Agricultures) and many local farms have U-Pick options for the fruits or vegetables they have in season..

5. Better variety of produce. Local farmers will often grow more varieties of produce than you would see in the grocery store. I first discovered my favorite variety of apples, Empires, when I went apple picking at a local orchard!

[Source]

For more information about being a locavore, Mae just had a great post about it!

Giveaway Notice!

Check out Emily’s FoodTee giveaway…these shirts are adorable!

Don’t forget that tomorrow is Savvy Eats’ half birthday, and there are some exciting things planned!

Sorry to anyone who got a half-finished post by me in their Google Reader! For some unknown reason, Ecto decided that it would be a good idea to publish my rough draft for tomorrow’s post instead of saving it! I deleted it, but some of you may have still gotten it in your reader. Sorry!

Half Marathon Verdict

This morning, I attempted my first run in weeks, since I have been babying my IT band and shin injury. I ran/walked 1.9 miles in about 25:00, and it now feels like someone is stabbing a fork into the side of my knee. Since it still hurts over an hour and a half later, and since I only ran less than 1/6 the distance of the half, I have decided to pull out of the race.

Hearing Kelley talk about her training and experiences with last year’s Princess Half is what initially got me started on running. This race was why I started running in the first place, so as you can imagine, I’m a bit bummed. But I also know that this decision is the best for me in the long run.

My plane ticket is nonrefundable, so I will still be traveling to Orlando on Friday night. I have a fun bloggie lunch date planned for Saturday, will get to cheer on my friends and spend quality time with them, and will soak up a bit of the Floridian warmth, so I’m still excited to go!

Any Floridians want to be spectators at the race with me on Sunday morning? I’d love the company!!

I’m trying to stay positive about the whole thing, so today seems appropriate for…

The Little Things #9!

The little things making me happy today are….

1. I listened to my body and made the difficult, but best, decision for me.

2. I get to escape the Wisconsin cold for a few days of sun and warmth!

3. I will get to have a fun week with friends, all of whom I will be living far away from come June.

4. I am getting married in 88 days, and our wedding invitations arrived today!

5. I tried my first bowl of savory oatmeal this morning. WHY have I never had this before? It is so good! I shouldn’t have been afraid of savory oats!

Before toppings:

• 1/2 c. oats
• 1 c. water
• 1/2 c. frozen corn

With toppings:

• Black beans
• Raspberry Chipotle salsa
• A little bit of sharp cheddar cheese!

6. It is finally starting to feel like spring outside! It is still cold, but you can feel the spring sun coming on!

7. The knee injury gives me an opportunity to get deeper into my yoga and strength training practices.

8. Friday is Savvy Eats’ half birthday, and there are some exciting things scheduled for it!

What little things are making you happy today?

Welcome to all the new readers who found me through my guest post on Carrots ‘n Cake today!

For those of you who are new to Savvy Eats, I am a soon-to-be-graduate studying Food Science and Engineering. I write a series called ‘Just Eat It: Brain Food 101,’ where I answer reader questions about the science behind food.

Some of my favorite posts from the series so far are:

Replacing eggs with flax “eggs”

Baking powder v. baking soda

The caffeine in tea

Today, I’m adding one to the series, with…

Frozen v. “Fresh” Produce

Let’s start with a little quiz, shall we? Don’t worry, it is painless. I took an exam on this material today, but I promise I won’t make you write an essay about it like I did! I’ll write the essay for you.

Question: Rank the following in terms of likely nutritional quality and content.

A. Fresh sweet peas from the grocery store

B. Fresh sweet peas from a Farmer’s Market

C. Frozen sweet peas

If you chose B > C > A, you would be right!

Wait, the frozen peas have more nutrients than the ones in the produce section at your grocery store? That’s right, folks! (Unless your grocery store specifically states that it sources produce from local farmers, that is.)

Here’s why:

Respiration is the process by which plants turn nutrients into energy so that they can continue to grow and thrive. Fruits and vegetables continue to respire even after they are harvested, but since they can no longer get their fuel from the plant and soil, they must use what they have inside. Plants need fuel too!

Because of this, fruits and vegetables start to convert their nutrients into energy within hours of harvesting, meaning there are fewer nutrients left when we eat them. Unfortunately, they continue to respire throughout the time it takes to make the journey to your grocery store from around the globe. Yes, producers can take some steps to slow down the respiration process, like shipping the fruits and vegetables in dark, refrigerated containers. However, they will still lose nutrients.

Most frozen vegetables and fruits, on the other hand, are frozen within hours of being harvested. The low temperature nearly halts the respiration process, so very few nutrients are lost once they are frozen. One study shows that frozen peas, for example, have 60% more carotene than ‘fresh’ peas from the grocery store! That is a HUGE difference!

Question: Why do the vegetables at your local Farmer’s Market probably have more nutrients than the ‘fresh’ ones at the grocery store?

You can probably guess the answer by now! The fruits and vegetables at your local Farmer’s Market will have less time between harvest and purchase, so won’t have a chance to lose many nutrients. The sooner you eat freshly picked produce, the better!

And when you bring it home, it is a good idea to refrigerate most produce right away. Refrigeration slows respiration and therefore nutrient loss, though not as effectively as freezing does.

(Side note: There are some exceptions to the ‘refrigerate upon purchase’ rule. Bananas will actually brown more quickly when refrigerated, for example.)

Now granted, some methods for reheating and cooking the frozen fruits and vegetables will cause some of the nutrients to be lost. But that will be another Brain Food 101 post for another time!

Check back tomorrow for the Top 5 Reasons to Buy Local Produce!

Edited to add:  Sources:  On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen (Harold McGee), Fennema’s Food Chemistry, Fourth Edition (Food Science and Technology)

As you may have noticed, Savvy Eats got a makeover this weekend! I love that it looks so much cleaner now, don’t you?

Project Strength

This weekend marked the end of Project Strength, the results of which you can see here. I didn’t make quite as much progress as I would have hoped, but I think part of that can be attributed to my month-long running struggles.

Prospects are looking good for my ability to run the half marathon, so I’m icing, stretching, foam rolling, and Ibuprofin-ing (yep, that isn’t a word) for the rest of the week to prepare. Cross your fingers!

I am also attempting to get a lot of rest in this week, as my body tries to deal with my IT Band issues AND the head cold I seem to have come down with.

And lots of liquids. Lots. As in, I am alternating sips of all three of these right now:

Water, Green Monster, herbal tea. Awesome.

Project Glow

I’ve definitely been fulfilling the drink Green Monsters, stay hydrated, and avoid dairy aspects of Project Glow!

Well, except for the day that our Food Science professor brought in ice cream cake. He likes to bring in whatever foods we are learning about that day, and we covered ice cream cake in one of our lectures on freezing. I wasn’t about to turn down free ice cream cake!

Oh, and Greek yogurt. I still eat Greek yogurt.

New Veggies

Remember when I said I was experimenting with new vegetables, and that sunchokes (the smaller brown discs below) were next on the list?

Turns out I’m not a huge fan of sunchokes. They just taste too ‘earthy’ to me. When roasted, the smell reminded me of when people burn leaves in the fall. It is a good smell, but not something I necessarily want to taste.
Though they were better than mustard greens, I’ll give them that!

And just in case you thought I hated all new veggies that I tried, I roasted parsnips with the sunchokes, and liked them. Very sweet, kind of like roasted carrots! Since I cut them relatively thick, they came out soft and pillowy. If you want them more crispy, Zesty has a parsnip chips recipe!

Did You Win?

Crofter’s giveaway winners, I still need to hear from two of you! Did you win?

Announcements:

In case you missed it, my Open Sky Shop has had its Grand Opening. And, the Sagaform products are on sale!

Also, Savvy Eats now has a Facebook page. Become a fan today!

And, the Crofter’s winners are listed at the end of this post!

Brain Food 101: Caffeine in Tea

Mae asked me a great question about caffeinated v. decaf tea the other day.

‘Food Science Girl!! If caffeine from tea leaves dissolves in hot water, is it decaffeinated the second time you use the same leaves?’

Kind of! With each cup brewed with the same leaves, the caffeine content will be lower. So it may take a few cups to get a ‘decaf’ tea. Keep in mind, of course, that no decaf tea or coffee is truly caffeine-free. There is always still a little bit there!

Caffeine is one of the first things to dissolve during steeping. Studies show that it takes 4-5 minutes to remove about 2/3 of the caffeine in tea, approximately 10 minutes to remove more than 90% of the caffeine, and 15 minutes to get rid of virtually all the caffeine.

In my opinion, you will lose a lot of the flavor of the tea if you steep it in hot for 15 minutes before actually making your cup of tea, but I haven’t actually tried it.

Recipes from Around Blog-Land

I tried recipes from two of my favorite blogs this week, and loved them both, so I’m sharing the love with you! Check these out, and make them SOON.

1. Angela’s In a Jiffy Spelt Burgers. So filling, addictive, and filled with great ingredients!

2. Lindsey’s Super Health Nut Chocolate Shake. Tastes like a chocolatey, creamy dessert, but super healthy!

Winners

And finally, the winners of the Crofter’s giveaway are….

1. Kimberly Jahnke
2. Wendy
3. Tiffany

Congrats, everyone! Please send me your mailing info, and we’ll get you your coupon!

Happy Friday, friends!

I have two exciting things for this post to kick-off the weekend.

Number 1: My Open Sky Shop Grand Opening!

Today is the day of the GRAND OPENING of my Open Sky Shop. I have added a bunch of fun new products for you to check out, and two of them are on sale!

The Sagaform Oil/Vinegar set

are both on sale for a limited time only. Aren’t they beautiful? Who doesn’t like some good stoneware?

Check them out and take advantage of the sale while you still can!

Number 2: A New Recipe!

The sauce is thick and creamy, without actually containing any cream.

Yep, it is neon-green. But that just makes it more fun, right?

This is super-filling, but oh-so-good. Since the sauce was inspired by the beloved Green Monsters, I’ve dubbed it…

Monster Pasta

1/2 c. chickpeas (soaked, cooked and drained, or canned and drained)

1/4 c. tahini

1/3 c. water

4 T. olive oil + 1 tsp olive oil

1 1/2 -2 c. spinach

Salt, pepper, and chili powder to taste– blend

1/3 c. onion

1 c. broccoli (I used defrosted frozen broccoli)

2/3 c. whole grain pasta, cooked

Blend the chickpeas, tahini, 4 T. of oil, water, spinach and spices in a food processor until smooth. In the meantime, prepare the pasta.

Heat the onion and broccoli in a skillet over medium-high heat with 1 tsp. of olive oil. When tender, add the chickpea blend to the skillet and cook until heated through.

Serve over pasta.

I’ve been on a bit of a S’mores kick lately. Which is kind of funny, because I don’t particularly care for S’mores!

But lately, whether it be my favorite Glo bar,

Aren’t they so tiny and cute? The frosting and graham cracker crumbs combination is especially delicious! The only change I would make in the future is to add a little cocoa powder or a few more chocolate chips. The marshmallow and graham cracker flavors really shone through, but the chocolate was a little faint.

These can easily be made vegan, by using vegan graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows, in addition to the milk and butter substitutes listed.

If you don’t have a mini muffin tin, I’m sure you could double this recipe to make 12 regular-sized cupcakes. Just be aware that this will make the baking time longer, but i don’t know what it will be exactly!

Mini S’Mores Cupcakes

Inspired by Jessica’s Cookie & Cream Cupcakes

Makes 12 mini cupcakes

For the Cupcakes:

4 T. canola or other vegetable oil

1/2 c. turbinado sugar

1 flax ‘egg’ (1 T. ground flax + 3 T. water)

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 c. milk or milk substitute

3/4 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs

1/4 c. mini marshmallows

3 T. chocolate chips

For the Frosting:

3/4 c. powdered sugar

1/4 stick butter or vegan margarine

4 T. milk or milk substitute

1/4 c. mini marshmallows

3 T. chocolate chips

2 tsp. lemon juice

2 tsp. vanilla

Topping:

Graham crackers for sprinkling

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350* F. Mix the oil, sugar, ‘egg,’ vanilla, baking powder, ‘milk,’ and flour in a large bowl until completely blended. Add the graham cracker crumbs, marshmallows, and chocolate chips. Stir until mixed evenly.

Grease a mini muffin tin, and distribute batter evenly among the cups. Try to make sure the marshmallows aren’t sitting on the very top edge, because they will melt onto the pan, instead of into the cupcake.

Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until a toothpick poked into one of the middle cupcakes comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before removing from the pan and frosting.

To make the frosting, beat the ‘milk,’ ‘butter,’ and 1/3 of the sugar on high until creamy. Slowly add the rest of the sugar, beating in between additions so that the sugar doesn’t puff up into the air. Add the remaining ingredients, and beat until fully incorporated.

Spread the frosting on the cooled cupcakes, then sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs.

Enjoy!