Ode to the Samoa Girl Scout Cookie: A Tasty (and Healthy) Snack Recipe

I saw something similar to this as an alternative to eating chocolates and it is surprisingly delicious. I played around with some recipe ideas online and adapted my own version. It reminds me of eating the gooey top of a Samoa (a.k.a. Caramel Delight) and I have yet to find someone who doesn't like them. Here's my recipe:

1 cup pitted medjool dates (~12 of them)
3/4 cup almonds
3/4 cup dried coconut flakes, unsweetened if possible

several tablespoons ground flax seed -or-
unsweetened cocoa powder

Combine the almonds and coconut in a food processor until they are minced. Then add the dates and blend. After a few minutes it should become more like a paste and chunk up on the side of the bowl. If it still doesn't do this after 5 minutes, add 1-3 more dates. Remove from food processor and transfer into a bowl. If needed, use your hands to fully mix. Then roll into 1" balls and set onto a piece of wax paper. I like to use a cookie scoop for this because it works a lot faster. Roll the balls into the ground flax or cocoa powder to finish. Let them set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour. Then enjoy!

The Ultimate Egg Test: Taste Testing!

Putting all known benefits aside, I decided to test the theory that better quality eggs taste better. I had some Eggland's Best regular eggs (sadly not cage-free or organic) in my fridge. I'm lucky to have a local coop in town called Weaver Street Market and I headed there to check out their egg selection. I picked up 2 kinds of cage-free eggs there: one from a local farm and the other Organic Valley brand. Then I grabbed some regular eggs from the closest grocery store, Food Lion. Since there are only 3 companies supplying 85% of the animal products in the country, I think it's safe to assume those are the same as the store brand at any non-specialty grocery store.

The Contenders:

a. Local farm eggs from Latta's Egg Ranch in Hillsborough, NC ($3.89 for 18) Package claims: Fresh grade A, cage-free, all-grain diet with no animal by-products

b. Organic Valley ($1.49/half dozen with $1 off coupon) Package claims: Grade A, cage-free, USDA organic, 100% vegetarian diet, Oregon tilth certified organic

c. Food Lion brand ($1.45/dozen) Package claims: Grade A Fresh, United Egg Producers Certified

d. Eggland's Best ($2.50/dozen) Package claims: Grade A, all natural, vegetarian fed hens (no animal fat or by products), no added hormones in diet, no antibiotics, 100 mg Omega 3

Results:

Test 1. Overeasy

Winner = d. Eggland's Best (me), b. Organic Valley (my boyfriend)

Runner up? Nope. We couldn't tell a significant difference between the other three.

Test 2. Scrambled

Winner = b. Organic Valley

Runner up = d. Eggland's Best

There was a much clearer taste and texture difference in these ones. The Food Lion brand egg was clearly behind: it had a much tougher texture and less flavor than the others.

Interestingly, none of these eggs had any greater claim for animal welfare than the 2 that are cage-free, which I now know is having a little more than a piece of paper size of living room. But it was clear that the feed and the environment have an effect on the taste. I wonder what one of Joel Salatin's eggs taste like...

Grocery shoping in a whole new way

If you've been reading, you know that I have been on a vegetarian kick. After everything I've learned, I decided I needed a break from eating animal products until I figure out what to do next. I am not advocating that everyone go out and stop eating meat or animal products. In the case of industrial farming, it is actually better to be a meat-eater. You can have a much stronger impact for invoking change. This naturally leads me to the next logical step: food shopping.

Let me premise that I looooooove grocery shopping. A usual shopping trip for me is probably an hour, maybe more. I know, I'm terrible! And I know it will change the minute I have kids. I just love looking at all of the different options. To me, a grocery store is a heavenly oasis of culinary possibilities (sigh). I will spend 10 mintues analyzing granola bars comparing the nutrition label to it's price per bar to its taste/enjoyment level to decide which is best. I can get lost in the aisles in such endeavors, which is partly why I follow the U-shape model of grocery store shopping. Have you ever heard of a grocery store tour? If not then now you have and dietitians are famous for them. One of the first things you always hear is to shop along the outside of the store, not in the aisles, because that is where the freshest food is located. Thus a U-shape. Granted, I don't think it's an actual model it's just good advice.

Last weekend, I excitedly embarked on a quest for the necessary ingredients for my new recipes. My first food shopping trip with my newfound info. Over a period of 2 days, I went to Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, A Southern Season (a local specialty store), Food Lion, and a small Asian market to complete my list. Inefficient doesn't even describe it. It was a big plop but that's also what happens when you make a big change. I made sure that my travels did not go to waste! I perused the meat and dairy sections looking for some food labels about animal welfare that I had found online. I found nothing! Not one label. There was a lot about not using hormones, some about antibiotics, and several organic, but that was all. I couldn't figure out what that meant for the cow or pig or chicken that it came from. I felt like a little kid with a balloon right after a bigger kid runs up a pops it.

After going home, I realized that I would need to do a lot more to be an aware consumer. I started looking on product websites like Cabot Creamery and Eggland's best, also reading people's comment threads. That can be a bit tedious and still confusing. The best thing that I found that I think everyone should try is this website called Eathumane.org that was created by WSPA. Guess who's their new celebrity face? American Idol judge Simon Cowell! He has a heart after all. So back to the website. What's great about it is that it has all sorts of chain stores like Walmart, Costco, and Food Lion. You pick the store and then you choose the product: chicken, eggs, beef, etc. It will tell you what foods they carry that are more farm-animal friendly choices using simple grading scales of 1) Good, 2) Better, and 3) Best. For definitions, click here. Who knew that Food Lion had brand of American Humane Certified chicken? You might be surprised what you find and where.

There is one label I have really wanted to find and tonight I finally found it! In fact, I lost a bet with my boyfriend and had to buy him corned beef because he was able to find some that fit my buying criteria. Apparently this is like the holy grail of food labels: Animal Welfare Approved. It's the new grading created by the Animal Welfare Institute and if you do your research, you will come to find that it is the best out there. It was in the beef section at my neighborhood coop, Weaver Street Market. It's also under the "Best" category on Eathumane.org. So tonight, in honor of St. Patrick's day and finding some AWA beef, I had my first taste of meat in over a week and it was excellent.

If Oprah's on board...

I was flipping through the April issue of Oprah's magazine that features a new book about industrial farming called Animal Factory by David Kirby. If you're looking for some other interesting reads, I recommend starting with the following authors:

1. Marion Nestle, author of Food Politics, What to Eat, Safe Food. She is NYU's nutrition guru as well as my inspiration for becoming a dietitian.
2. Michael Pollan, journalist and author. He's written several articles and books, including The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food.
3. Michelle Simon, a public health lawyer and author of Appetite for Profit. She came to speak at UNC a few years ago and she's excellent.

Week 1: The Hungry Toot Machine

Yes, that aptly describes my rapid transition into a vegetarian diet. If you haven't read yesterday's post, read it first and come back! Retrospectively, I fully appreciate the concept of planning when it comes to making big changes in your diet. I, however, did not do that. I jumped head-first into "I won't eat that" land in the middle of a busy work week. I found myself in the hospital cafeteria trying to figure out what I could eat, hungry and confused; the crowd deafened by my own stomach's growls. I wouldn't eat meat, fish, egg, cheese, milk, or yogurt. I had decided that if I didn't know how it was raised, it was no longer going into my belly. That left surprisingly few choices...

Stage 1: Hunger

The next three days were a blur. I can't even tell you half of the things I ate. I was constantly hungry. I'd eat and an hour later I'd feel like eating again. Thursday was rough. It is my clinic day so I am pretty much running around the whole time. We often have lunch provided. Can you guess what it was? It was iceberg lettuce salad with ranch dressing, green beans, and roasted chicken. Lucky me. I grabbed a plate and loaded it down with salad and beans. Over the next 2 hours I repeated this process 3 times! There was a doctor visiting from Syria and every time I got a new plate he would see me! - I don't even want to know what he thinks of the U.S. after seeing me chow down 4 plates full of food. Normally I am so busy that I can barely eat, but clinic was abnormally slow, allowing me to focus on my non-substantial lunch. By 4pm I felt nauseous. I had a quick break so I ran to the cafeteria and grabbed an Odwalla bar and a plate of fries. Strange choices for me, but effective. The fries were actually delicious! Odwalla protein bar was not. Even in my state, I was only able to choke down half of it.

Stage 2: Planning

I'm sure you can guess that I started to do my homework pretty quickly. I searched online for vegetarian meal plans, recipes, comment threads. I was surprised to find out that a lot of vegetarians eat high calorie foods all the time. I never realized this before because when I have tried limiting meat or dairy in my diet, it was always separate, meaning I had one or the other. I unsuccessfully tried not eating meat for a month as a weight loss experiment. It didn't work because I just ate more. I also tried avoiding all dairy for 3 months but cheese called me back. That was a lot easier because there are so many substitutes like soy and rice products. Limiting all animal products was a different story.

I am also of a mind where I don't want to eat "fake" things. Translation: I don't want to eat a meat substitutes or soy cheese. I'd rather eat something that tastes like it's supposed to. This undoubtedly made it harder than it had to be. And, like all good dietitians, I strive for a balance of carbohydrate, fat, and protein in my meals. From my online research, I found some excellent recipes. I decided to devote my weekend to preventing a repeat of Stage 1. I found this awesome website: www.veggiemealplans.com among others and did some serious grocery shopping. The first thing I made was an Asian butternut squash and tempeh dish. Not bad, but not delectable either. Friday night I made a red lentil & sweet potato soup with cilantro. So good! Saturday the list included: red beet & tempeh chili w/ cilantro rice, carrot muffins, baked oatmeal w/ cranberries that ended up tasting like chewy granola bars because I messed up the recipe. My favorite thing was these dessert balls made with ground dates, almonds, and coconut. Heavenly! (I will post the recipe soon.)

Stage 3: Gas

Technically this is kind of stage 2.5 but for clarity's sake, I'll leave it. Yes I'm talking about it! Did you know the average person lets loose 14 times a day? Well, my new diet has made me above average. I know this is a very personal issue for many people, but I'm a dietitian and I work in a hospital. Let's be honest here. Gastrointestinal function matters. It is a sign of health. And for the record, I was not a stinky cloud of music as you might picture, but rather dainty and non-odorous. Nevertheless, it was annoying. I definitely recommend increasing fiber over the weekend, away from work, and preferably not one in which you are attending a wedding or party indoors.

The transition to a satisfying vegetarian diet includes the addition of a hefty dose of fiber. Fiber alters gut flora which, in turn, produce gas. Fiber also helps keep you full. Whole grains like oats, tempeh, quinoa; legumes such as dark beans, lentils; fruits and vegetables - they all have it. It takes time for your body to adjust to an increase, but after that you're golden.

FRESH: Coming to Grips with the "V" Word

Writing about this may be extremely unpopular and likely make me the subject of ridicule, but this is too big to drop. So what is the "V" word? No sexual innuendo implied, I'm talking about vegetarian! Before you heave a sigh, grumble under your breath about vegans and organic foods, just wait. This post pertains to you on a very personal level and you probably don't even know it.

As you may already know, I'm a dietitian, which means nutrition is my job. I am often baffled by how many crazy ideas are out there about what to eat and how to eat it. I'll come right out and say that most of them are crap. Recently the organic, local movement has made a lot of headway. I admit that I have scoffed at the idea that, from a health standpoint, an organic tomato is better than non-organic or that eating bacon from a pig who took antibiotics is going to make a significant difference in my health. Economically, it's hard to justify when you're on a limited budget. Don't get me wrong, I believe in the power of food but ultimately our choices are made by asking if the benefits outweigh the costs. And until last week, I had no idea how high the costs have become. It's beyond health or budgets, it's become an issue of human decency.

So what happened that blew my mindhole? I'll see if I can do it justice...

Cara, a friend of mine and fellow dietitian, had emailed me about a movie screening with a speaker beforehand. I knew that the speaker had to be good because Cara had raved about him in her email and when I tried to register for the movie+speaker, it was already sold out! So I bought 2 tickets and ended up bringing (okay, dragging) my boyfriend along. I figured it would be the usual public health nutrition message about school programs or obesity trends, but it wasn't. It was so much more. The movie is called Fresh. It highlighted all of the problems with modern-day agriculture while brilliantly contrasting it by showcasing people who are working to change it. I left shocked, indignant, and yet strangely hopeful. I think we assume because we live in the U.S. that certain standards are met. Think again. Here's what I learned:

1. Almost all (a whopping 85%!) of the meat in our food supply comes from animals who are treated miserably.

These are animals who spend their entire lives being treated worse than objects. I don't know that I can even describe to you the horrors of this industry. Chickens, pigs, and cows are penned up -most of the time unable to even turn around. They have body parts removed without any painkillers: beaks, tails, ears, reproductive parts. They have to be given routine antibiotics because they are kept in such close quarters that they basically live in their own excrement. Sometimes altered feed makes them gain weight so quickly that they can't stand anymore. That's all before they're killed for their meat.

2. Animal products in our food supply are now less healthy.

This system has made our animal products way more bacteria-laden (e.coli, salmonella, mad cow). The mass antibiotic use has created incredibly resistant bacteria. In fact, one hog farmer in Fresh almost died from the strep infection in his leg after being kicked by a pig; normal antibiotics didn't work. Farm animals are also fed hormones to grow faster, produce more milk, etc. 40% of dairy cows are lame by the time they are sent to slaughter. We breed weaker animals. They live in diseased conditions, those that die are actually fed to the "healthy" ones, and we end up putting all of this into our bodies. I don't know about you, but that makes me feel sick.

3. Your money = your vote.

What we choose to buy is the best way to send the message that consumers don't want this. There are people out there who are fighting for change: sustainable and organic farmers, animal welfare certified programs. There's a reason why you can get more cheeseburger than carrot for a $1: when you think about the resources required for both -you know it shouldn't be that way. Organic, farmers market prices are probably what high-quality fresh meats, eggs, and dairy should cost.

I was so disturbed after all of this that I started researching online to find out if all of this was really true and why I didn't know the extent of how bad it is. I came upon a lot more, including Food, Inc. and Meet your meat video (disclaimer: this one is really hard to watch). It is hard to even think about, much less talk about, but I can no longer blindly support cruelty and torture. Harsh words, but I think they are an underestimation of the reality. I move forward from this with a new outlook on what I eat. If I decide to eat meat, it will be from a farmer who at least respected the life of that animal before it died. The same for my milk, cheese, butter, eggs. I'd rather eat it less often and feel good about what I'm putting into my body.

So what is all this about? I'm blogging about my life in the aftermath of Fresh. I want to share what I learn that in hopes that it will help other people in the same boat. It's not easy to go against the grain. So far, I'm 7 days vegetarian. I'm still deciding on whether I will eat meat in the future, but I realize that in order to actually make a difference I have to be a player in the system. That means putting my money where my mouth is! P.S. If you need a pick-me-up after this, check out this video and the pictures on this blog :)