Why is Changing Your Eating and Drinking Habits So Challenging?

Over the years you become so accustomed to certain food and drink, that a suggested change in your diet isn't a change ... it's a challenge!

Hope you’re in the mood for some delightful foodie humor. Here goes.

When you have developed certain eating and drinking habits over the years, you think that either you will absolutely never change your ways OR you reluctantly make the change while whining about how hard it is to change. But once you make that change … which is usually for the better … your body (and mind) adapt so easily that you wonder why you thought it would be difficult.

Has that happened to you? It has happened in my life so many times.

I talked about my first food experience with veggie burgers in another post.

Several years before that experience, I told a friend that I would never eat meatless spaghetti. I used my kids as an excuse and said they would never agree with that change in the menu. Truth is I had never even tried to get them to eat it. I just assumed they wouldn't. Several years later, my daughters took over some of my meal preparation duties and decided that they were perfectly OK with meatless spaghetti. Served it with garlic bread and a huge salad and they were happy! Well! There went my excuse. LOL. The meal is great! To my surprise, I don't mind meatless spaghetti at all! And of course, my objection to a plate of meatless spaghetti was totally ridiculous. After all, I'll eat a large plate of vegetable lo mein without batting an eye. And what is lo mein? DUH!

Image Credit:  Amazon.com

My latest dietary change pertains to drinking less coffee and consuming more tea. I think back again to that same friend, who was my office mate. She drank tea religiously while I consumed gallons of coffee. Once again, my daughters decided that they would become tea drinkers instead of coffee lovers. Hey, wait a minute! Is this a conspiracy? LOL.

I am not a total convert. I still have to have my daily dose of java. But I am enjoying experimenting with the various flavors of teas that my kids purchase from the local grocery store and also making my own teas with herbs and spices in the kitchen cabinet. Teas have numerous medicinal purposes and lots of health benefits. On top of that, tea tastes good and some teapots are really pretty!

Have you been challenged to make any dietary changes?

♦

If You Like This You Might Also Like:

Food and Drink History: The Evolution of Tea

How to Pimp Up A Glass of Water

Source: My Foodie Luv newsletter

Would You Eat Food Not Grown on Planet Earth?

Have you ever thought that:

“Plants grown on other planets may be tastier than Earth veggies.”

Obviously, this thought has crossed someone’s mind.

Per my non-scientific observation and logic, none of the other planets even have trees! Why would anybody think the soil on Mars or Jupiter would be good for planting and harvesting fruits and vegetables? (O.o)

Nevertheless, ignoring the obvious scientific fact about the lack of trees, according to an interesting article published by Popular Science, there are working teams of scientists exploring the possibilities of farming Mars or growing plants on Jupiter.

The article is a fascinating read. Couldn’t help but note that when discussing or even imagining the possibilities of growing plants elsewhere in the universe they used the term “Earth-like planet”.

They have already conducted some experiments utilizing soil that is similar to that of Mars and it seems that “Martian berries will be tasty”. Not only that but another experiment indicated that “fries cooked on Jupiter would be the best in the solar system”.

To me, this is all the stuff of fiction like that 2015 movie, “The Martian” which starred Matt Damon.   The most interesting (and humorous) takeaway was what was deemed a crucial focus of all of this scientific experimentation. Forget about berries and fries. This is the really important question and it’s a direct quote from the PS article.

“So how do we identify known exoplanets as potential future homes for great-tasting chocolate?”

Really?

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Reference:

• Flook, Jamie. “Could Foods Taste Better On Other Planets Than They Do On Earth?” Popular Science, Bonnier Corporation, 22 Sept. 2015

Source: Virily.com

A Large Order of Jupiter Fries, Please!

In movies, people can grow food on a planet other than earth. But it's "fiction". Not science. However, some scientists are serious about experimenting with plants growing in soil similar to the kind of dirt one would find on Mars or Jupiter.

Winter Fun! (or Summer) Let's Have a Party! Who Wants Soup?

It's party time!  Bring a board game and your favorite soup!

A soup party?  Probably never thought of it. Right? But it's a great idea!

January may be National Soup Month but people start celebrating as soon as the autumn season arrives.  A soup party is great fun!  Especially if you live in places where you get to experience the changes of the seasons. That means you don't live in Florida, Texas, or Hawaii or other places with a tropical climate. The climate in these places really doesn't get you in the mood to savor a hearty bowl of steaming hot soup. 

But if you're in Maryland or Virginia and the winter season comes – there's that chilly nip in the air that makes you feel frisky. There's also a light dusting of snow on the ground outside and inside is nice and warm and cozy because you decided it's cold enough to get a fire started in the fireplace. The only thing you need to complete this idyllic scene is the aroma of a tasty pot of soup coming from the kitchen. My spouse says if you grew up in a tropical environment, snow and cold weather can cause depression. There is some truth to that but it does not have to be like that. The winter season seems to make a lot of people cheerful and they get even happier when their insatiable craving for soup is satisfied.

 
So!  Do you want to get together on the weekend with a group of friends and play board games like Monopoly, Scrabble, Chess, or A Game of Thrones for hours and hours? Invite them to soup party! 

You prepare your favorite soup. Tell your friends to bring theirs, as if it's a potluck celebration. Make sure there's lots of warm bread or rolls, plenty of salad, and a never-ending supply of tea or lemonade.

Soup party not your idea of a good time? OK. Giving credit where credit is due, it wasn't my original idea either. Got it from a cookbook called Entertaining With Ease. For me, it is fun! Also, this would be great for me because domestic diva/goddess and perfect party hostess, I am not! This book is a Better Homes and Gardens® publication and the copyright is 1984. For decades, it has been my Go-To guide for recipes, cooking tips and entertaining.   For Your Information:  My fave soup recipe must include seasoned chunky chicken thigh pieces, sliced links of a spicy Italian turkey sausage, diced potatoes AND beans (red, black, no matter) OR peas (black-eyed peas, purple hull peas, crowder peas), and a green leafy vegetable; preferably kale, but mixed greens, spinach, or bok choy are all acceptable substitutes (the greener the leaf, the better) . The rolls and salad are optional. There's a recipe in the cookbook for a hot and hearty sausage soup which I varied slightly and made my own.


By the way, you can also use this idea for summer fun.  Do you like cold soups like vichyssoise and gazpacho?

Image credit:  glitter-graphics.com

Do you have a favorite soup recipe?

KOVOT Set of 4 Speckled Ceramic Soup Bowls With Spoons - 22-Oz Each
 

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Round Up! Random Foodie Finds: Recipes and Healthy Eating Tips

When this foodie blog was started back in 2016, I made it clear that "its purpose is to share food finds for food lovers, recipes, cooking tips and all things foodie!" 

Staying true to the purpose, it's been almost 4 years; and as they say: Time flies when you're having fun! This blog post includes recipes to encourage you to eat your fruits and veggies and a link to an informative article published by the American Cancer Society for reducing the risk of cancer.

Photo by Eaters Collective on Unsplash

Mexican Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa & Black Beans (vegan & gluten-free) | momswhosave.com :  A delicious recipe for Mexican stuffed peppers with quinoa and black beans. This recipe is vegan (& gluten-free), but some melted some cheese on top or a dollop of sour cream would be tasty …


American Cancer Society: Avoid Meat to Reduce Cancer Risk | livekindly.co : The American Cancer Society (ACS) unveiled its new guidelines for reducing the risk of cancer. The organization advises people to eat less red and processed meat and more whole, plant-based foods. …



11 Best Indian Mango Recipes To Try At Home | food.ndtv.com : 
The best of our Indian mango recipes for you to try at home. Let's just agree that the primary reason for most of us to wait for the peak summer season is only the… 


Watermelon Salad | old-fashion-recipe.com : Watermelon Salad is an old fashioned recipe made with fresh fruit cantaloupe, grapes, pineapple, and cheese. Included is How To Make A Watermelon Basket. It was popular in the 1970s as a decorative …

Food Spotlight : Capsicum Annuum (Peppers)

My late sister liked bell peppers. Me? I never paid any attention. It was an ingredient in a recipe. Fine! If it wasn’t in the recipe, I never missed it. To me, if I had celery why did I need bell pepper? Moved from Florida to Texas and in this state, particularly in two cities where I lived (El Paso and Austin), the folks love their fajitas, which is made with small pieces of meat (chicken, beef or pork), and chunks of veggies, mainly onions and bell peppers. Bell peppers in all different colors. I must say they make the dish pretty.

Anyway! I like fajitas. If it weren’t for this dish I don’t think I would have even realized that different color peppers exist and also have different flavors. For example, the red bell pepper actually tastes sweeter than the green bell pepper. The green pepper if you put too much in a recipe can taste kind of bitter. I blame my ignorance on a family tradition. My mom only bought green bell peppers. My sister only bought green bell peppers. So? I only bought green bell peppers. I learned by example. It’s not my fault! I watch a lot of cooking shows and once heard one of the TV chefs say that a red bell pepper has more vitamin C than an orange. Did you know that? Coming from Florida I was inclined not to believe that. But even though it’s true, I would still rather have an orange. Wouldn’t you?

I also recently discovered that there was such a thing as purple bell pepper. There is a website called johnnyseeds.com. There is even a sweet chocolate organic pepper. I’m not sure I want to try it. But if you’re brave enough, go for it!

There seems to be a little confusion over the use of the word capsicum. In my mind, that is. I always thought capsicum was the word used for a hot red pepper. But I was watching an Indian chef on TV and she used the word “capsicum” for the dish she was preparing, however, she was talking about bell pepper. I was confused but an Indian guy on a Q&A site called Quora clarified the difference between the bell pepper and capsicum. It turns out that we are both right!

I am not really a huge fan of bell peppers. But I can live with them. So if a recipe calls for the ingredient, I prefer to use RED.

What about you?
♦ ♦ ♦

Vegetarian Singapore noodles - quick and easy!

Recipe uses bell peppers, bean sprouts, snow peas, tumeric + curry powder. Follow the recipe here >> https://t.co/gv5x5UTdLO#vegetarian #recipe pic.twitter.com/zesbccX17H

— Louisa Clements (@Living_Lou) August 13, 2018

The secret to this #Japanese Style Grilled Bell Peppers #recipe is a dressing that is both sweet and savory - and plenty of katsuobushi!
RECIPE >> https://t.co/GbXmltkUSB pic.twitter.com/uROEb7dapQ

— Pickled Plum Food and Drinks (@misspickledplum) August 8, 2018

● Herb and Spice Spotlight: Capsicum (Red Pepper) https://t.co/zsmV9DtqDM @EverydaySpices #foodanddrink #veggies

— Treathyl Fox (aka cmoneyspinner) ~ #Freelancer (@cmoneyspinner) June 17, 2020

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Grocery Shopping on Amazon ~
The Best Fresh Peppers in Best Sellers.

Content Source

Strawberries or Blueberries? Pineberry or Pink Lemonade? Choose!

Life is full of difficult decisions. As if it isn't hard enough to choose between whether to grow strawberries or blueberries. There are these two exquisitely delicious variations of these fruits and you have to choose.

White Carolina Pineberry Plant VS 

Pink Lemonade Blueberry Plant.

Let's Discuss.

If you are a gardener and you like strawberries, then you might like to try planting the White Carolina Pineberry plant. It tastes like pineapple and strawberry TOGETHER! If you can imagine that. Sounds so exotic, doesn’t it? (Although some people describe it as weird.)

PROs:

• Can a fruit which tastes like strawberry and pineapple be bad?
• Great gift idea for gardeners
• People might be impressed if they saw it in your garden
• Can be dipped in chocolate like the red strawberry
• Natural Medicine endorses it as a healthy food

CONs:

• Uh? Any fruit claiming to be a strawberry “relative” should be RED.  (O.o)  What?  It's not red!!
• Need to be a good gardener

* Learn more: Specialty Produce: Pineberries

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Do you like lemonade? I do. What I like about lemonade is that you can vary this drink recipe and make it even better adding another fruit. Do you like blueberries? Well then there is no reason why you wouldn’t love the Pink Lemonade Blueberry plant.

PROs:

• For people who always wanted blueberries to be PINK
• Has been suggested for people who are NOT gardeners
• Great gift idea for gardeners and non-gardeners
• People might be impressed if they saw them in your garden
• Can still be used to make blueberry pancakes

CONs:

• Any fruit claiming to be a blueberry “relative” should be BLUE.  (O.o)  What?  It's not blue!!

* Learn more: Specialty Produce: Pink Lemonade Blueberries

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

♦  White Carolina Pineberry Plant

A berry lover's delight! White Carolina Strawberry - Pineberry - Pineapple Hybrid Berry Bare Root 10 Pack... by astor_farm https://t.co/dMVe7K24tr #fruit #exoticfruit #pineberries #strawberries #healthyeating #groceryandgourmet @EverydaySpices @goshoppingbees pic.twitter.com/I92hxNBtO0

— Treathyl Fox (aka cmoneyspinner) ~ #Freelancer (@cmoneyspinner) June 3, 2019

♦  Pink Lemonade Blueberry Plant

Pink Lemonade Blueberry Fruit Berries Plant Quart Pot Garden Outdoor Flowers by rrgkusamall https://t.co/rdlzpTzvb8 #fruit #exoticfruit #pineberries #strawberries #healthyeating #gardening #plants #groceryandgourmet @EverydaySpices @goshoppingbees pic.twitter.com/lfcb7jYe9P

— Treathyl Fox (aka cmoneyspinner) ~ #Freelancer (@cmoneyspinner) May 10, 2020

Do You Have a Favorite Summer Fruit and Do You Like Popsicles?

Don't you love when you're listening to the weather forecast and they announce when the first day of a season will begin? I do. 

Even though spring is my favorite season I get excited when they announce that summer will begin. Summertime means summer fruit! 

I love summer fruit. My favorite is nectarines. I also love popsicles and found some recipes for you to enjoy your summer fruit as a popsicle.

Cold and sweet. It’s the perfect treat for a hot summer’s day or night! Don’t you think so? **

I love a simple fruit popsicle! What are your favorite summer sweet treats? #summertime #sweettreats pic.twitter.com/O0f67psHPz

— Playing W. Fire (@Playingwfirepc) July 7, 2019

Summer Fruit Popsicle Recipe Blog from The Fruit Company ~ #summerfruit #recipes #popsicles #cool and #sweet #treats
~ https://t.co/JiIMWFQWDH pic.twitter.com/buMryooB12

— EverydayExoticSpices (@EverydaySpices) July 14, 2019

https://foodways2017.tumblr.com/post/621302834049302528/nectarine-ice-pops-recipe-easy-summer-dessert

https://foodways2017.tumblr.com/post/621303239568179200/summer-fruit-popsicle-best-healthy-homemade

https://foodways2017.tumblr.com/post/621303239568179200/summer-fruit-popsicle-best-healthy-homemade

Spices in Filipino Cuisine by Carlo Villamayor (Guest Post)

It's no secret that Filipino cuisine is one of the best in the world, but like any good food, it has to have its secrets. Few people have really mastered authentic Filipino food, not the washed-down fare you get in fast foods and diners, but real, home-made native dishes. Although most of us can whip up something when we need to, it can be hard to capture that distinct Filipino taste.

So what really goes into our food? How do you make your food taste truly Filipino? There's really no single answer because no one can define our food; we come from a hodgepodge of cultures, after all. But one thing that sets us apart from our Asian neighbors is our heavy use of spices. Whereas other cuisines prefer subtle hints of flavor, we like a big burst of it with every bite.

So that's the first rule: be generous with the spice. If you want your dish to fit in with other Filipino recipes, get to know the spices that go into them. Here are some of the most common. 

Ginger

Ginger is used in most of Asian cuisine, and Filipino food recipes. In the Philippines, it is most commonly used in soups and stews; dishes such as arroz caldo (rice porridge), and tinola (chicken stew) use garlic as their main spice. It goes particularly well with chicken and fish dishes, where it provides a nice contrast to the strong meat flavors. Ginger is used both for flavor and aroma, although the flesh of the root is not always eaten. Most people just crush the root and drop it into the dish, then take it out just before serving.

Chili

We're not as wild about spicy food as the Thais, but we do like a bit of bite in our food. Virtually every Filipino dish can be spiced up with chili peppers, from rich meat viands to everyday soups and noodles. Sauces like patis (fish sauce) and soy sauce are often mixed with crushed chili and used as dips or marinades. Bicol, a region in southeastern Luzon, is known for using chili peppers in most of its dishes. Perhaps the most popular is Bicol express, made with meat, bagoong (saut'ed shrimp paste), coconut milk, and chopped green chilies.

Garlic and onions

These two almost always go together, especially in meat and vegetable dishes. You may be more familiar with Taiwanese and Australian garlic, which have larger cloves and are easier to work with. But if you want a stronger, spicier flavor, go for native garlic. Philippine garlic comes in smaller bulbs, with cloves less than half the size of other types. This makes them hard to handle, but it's well worth the trouble.

Philippine onions are strong and pungent, making them a great source of flavor. Use native red onions for saut'ing and pickling, but use the white ones for salads and sandwiches. If you're making rice porridge, top it with chopped green onions for extra spice.

Lemongrass

Lemongrass has strong-smelling leaves and stalks commonly used in soups, teas and sauces. The leaf is slightly sweet with a hint of citrus, a perfect complement to gravy and other meat sauces. There are several ways to use lemongrass, but the most common method is cooking the fresh leaves (sometimes the entire stalk or bulb) with the food to release the flavor. If you're using the stalk, take only the soft inner part and chop it up before dropping it in. You can also use dried and powdered lemongrass, especially if you're in the city and fresh leaves are hard to find. 



Pandan

Pandan is mostly an aromatic ingredient, most commonly used with plain white rice. Just add a couple of leaves to your rice as it boils, and it comes out with a strong, inviting aroma. Some regions even weave it onto rice pots for an even stronger scent. You can do the same with rice cakes, puddings, and other Filipino desserts recipes.

Bay leaf

The strong, pungent taste of bay leaves makes them a perfect fit for Filipino cooking recipes. The leaf has a wide range of uses, from meat sauces and dips to main dishes like adobo, menudo and mechado. Dried bay leaves are traditionally used; fresh bay is seldom available in local markets. The leaf itself is not usually eaten; like ginger, you can take out the leaves once you're ready to serve. However, most people just leave them in and set them aside when eating.

About The Author:   Carlo Villamayor is a devoted cook, he makes it his personal mission to spread the joy of one of his Filipino food recipes with food lovers the world over. Bon appetit!  (Source:  ArticleCity.com)

EES shares recipes, cooking tips
and all things foodie!
 

Everyday Exotic Spices

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