Here’s another mix of old and new links, on the theme of trying to eat healthy.
- Some studies showed that when compared to regular produce, organic produce has more antioxidants compounds linked to better health and that the difference is statistically significant. I’m really not sure how much stock to put into that, but wouldn’t it be nice if it were true?
- Here are 10 pictures of the recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables, because sometimes, it’s easier to understand it when you see it.
- As far as sodium is concerned, moderation is best, because it turns out that eating too little salt actually increase one’s risk of mortality more than eating too much of it. This is true of so many foods that used to be demonized – fat is the first example that comes to mind!
- It turns out that there’s very little evidence that consumption of dairy is doing any good to adults. I have now given up my formerly quasi-daily chocolate milk, which has cut some sugar out of my diet as well… This is hard for most North Americans to accept, because we’ve been trained to think that only dairy can get us enough calcium, but there are also many vegetable sources of calcium, most of which seem to be more easily absorbed by the body!
- I enjoyed this article about the legal ramification of the wording on food packages, particularly the word “natural” (which does not legally mean anything and is therefore not synonymous with “healthy”, despite what many consumers would like to think).
- Coca-Cola sales have declined over health concerns, and the brand keeps making healthy changes to remain competitive (which seems to be working). Like buying an Australian beverage brand and Vitaminwater, though in both cases, health aspects were exaggerated. Coca-Cola isn’t going away anytime soon, though, thanks to its ingrained feel-good messaging. Heck, because of nostalgia (and Stranger Things), even New Coke is making a comeback. Here’s the recipe for the original flavor, though it doesn’t specify how to carbonate it.
- Emulsifiers may not be safe: a study done on mice shows that “these ingredients may also be contributing to the rising incidence of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and inflammatory bowel disease by interfering with microbes in the gastrointestinal tract.”
- Not that I would always recommend drawing quick conclusions. Six-year-olds may have the lowest death rate, but I wouldn’t conclude theirs is the safest diet! (Of course, I would dispute that subject’s particular interpretation of a six-year-old’s diet in the first place…)
- The FDA had mandated that calorie counts of each food item had to be written on menus in restaurant chains with at least 20 locations and on vending machines, effective by 2016. I don’t go out much, but I’ve started seeing the calorie counts and paying more attention to them. On the one hand, no one is pretending most restaurants are healthy, but on the other hand, we usually didn’t know just how many calories those meals contained… Perhaps diners will gravitate toward meals lower in calories, and restaurants will adapt by making their original best-selling dishes healthier? Or maybe most diners don’t care? This will be interesting to watch. (I’ve read that diners now reduce their calorie intake by 40 calories on average, but that seems pretty trivial.) I also wonder what will happen with popcorn at the movies! In parallel, the FDA also commissioned a lost-pleasure analysis as consumers will avoid some junk food. This lost pleasure is due in part to “healthier foods [being] worse off on other dimensions such as taste, price, and convenience” and it is estimated to cost between 2 and 5 billion dollars over 20 years.
- An interesting article titled The growth of Wal-Mart may have made America’s obesity epidemic worse. It contains the following gem: “These estimates imply that the proliferation of Wal-Mart Supercenters explains 10.5 percent of the rise in obesity since the late 1980s.” Of course, this doesn’t take into consideration recent efforts by the chain to make nutritious food more affordable and available in so-called food deserts.
- It can also be helpful to learn about supermarket psychology. Bon Appétit wrote a great in-depth article on the subject (Part 1 and Part 2). Some spoilers: it turns out that many modern grocery stores are designed in such a way that you have to move through them counterclockwise, because that means you’d pick stuff up with your right hand as you move along, and since most people are right-handed, that strategy is more lucrative for store owners. But apparently, the perimeter rule isn’t always valid anymore… And you know how stores offer you bite-sized samples of various products? It’s not actually just to get you to buy the product, it’s to make you hungry so you’ll buy more food, period. Go in there with a game plan!
Thursday, May 23, 2019
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
Batch of links - Bilingualism
While decluttering my computer, I found some documents that I had started for themed “batches of links” and never got around to finishing. Some are still relevant even if they are not recent, but I’ve added one brand new link below about a new study and one article published right before Christmas. So here’s a belated batch of links about bilingualism!
- Being bilingual changes the structure of your brain, which is why I sometimes find myself reaching for a word in my native language and coming up with it only in my second language. Also, my brain sometimes thinks in chiac. Turns out, it’s normal.
- People who are bilingual can learn a new language more quickly than those who are monolingual.
- The brain remembers the birth language in some way, even when the individual forgets it. Here’s another article on the same topic.
- Another way of looking at it: the first language you learn changes how you hear all other languages after, even if you no longer speak the original language.
- Interesting article on how babies learn two languages at the same time, which leads to the conclusion that bilingual babies have more flexible brains.
- Bilingual babies benefit from learning faster.
- Bilingual children are better at problem-solving, probably because they are used to thinking about the same thing in different ways. The sample size is small, but since my children are bilingual, I’m not going to question this.
- Good New York Times article on bilingualism, which such gems as the fact that bilingualism helps forestall the symptoms of Alzheimer’s and bilinguals are better at multitasking.
- For a better brain, learn another language.
- Although, to be fair, the bilingual advantage is often overstated.
- The language you speak changes your view of the world, and this view can change depending on the language in which you operate. For example, English doesn’t have gendered nouns whereas French does. When the Engineer reads The Very Hungry Caterpillar to our kids, the caterpillar is male, but when I read it, she’s female. A random fly or spider that finds its way into our house is male in English and female in French. Really, there’s a 50-50 chance anytime either one of us speaks about said fly or spider, but it’s interesting to see genders spontaneously applied differently by different members of the household!
- As a matter of fact, writers who switch languages compare the process to being born again. With my limited experience, I’d tend to agree, because there are certain things that I can only express in one language.
- However, a new study actually found no evidence of any advantage in the brain’s executive functions. A very informative article is here. In short, studies are often hard to replicate and easy to criticize.
- Les enfants bilingues ont l’oreille musicale.
- Les bébés vivant dans des milieux bilingues sont plus attentifs.
- Les bienfaits du cerveau bilingue se confirment.
- J’ai aimé aussi ce petit billet, De la diglossie dans les chaumières montréalaises, qui parle du fait que bien que le Québec impose le français dans la place publique, les ménages tendent à conserver la langue et la culture allophones à domicile, ce qui n’est pas le cas en Ontario par exemple, où l’anglais prend toute la place.
- Which leads me to How a family recipe taught me what is at stake when Franco-Ontarians lose their roots.
[Update, May 22, 2019: Here’s another link! Support for bilingualism for children waning in Canada.]
- Being bilingual changes the structure of your brain, which is why I sometimes find myself reaching for a word in my native language and coming up with it only in my second language. Also, my brain sometimes thinks in chiac. Turns out, it’s normal.
- People who are bilingual can learn a new language more quickly than those who are monolingual.
- The brain remembers the birth language in some way, even when the individual forgets it. Here’s another article on the same topic.
- Another way of looking at it: the first language you learn changes how you hear all other languages after, even if you no longer speak the original language.
- Interesting article on how babies learn two languages at the same time, which leads to the conclusion that bilingual babies have more flexible brains.
- Bilingual babies benefit from learning faster.
- Bilingual children are better at problem-solving, probably because they are used to thinking about the same thing in different ways. The sample size is small, but since my children are bilingual, I’m not going to question this.
- Good New York Times article on bilingualism, which such gems as the fact that bilingualism helps forestall the symptoms of Alzheimer’s and bilinguals are better at multitasking.
- For a better brain, learn another language.
- Although, to be fair, the bilingual advantage is often overstated.
- The language you speak changes your view of the world, and this view can change depending on the language in which you operate. For example, English doesn’t have gendered nouns whereas French does. When the Engineer reads The Very Hungry Caterpillar to our kids, the caterpillar is male, but when I read it, she’s female. A random fly or spider that finds its way into our house is male in English and female in French. Really, there’s a 50-50 chance anytime either one of us speaks about said fly or spider, but it’s interesting to see genders spontaneously applied differently by different members of the household!
- As a matter of fact, writers who switch languages compare the process to being born again. With my limited experience, I’d tend to agree, because there are certain things that I can only express in one language.
- However, a new study actually found no evidence of any advantage in the brain’s executive functions. A very informative article is here. In short, studies are often hard to replicate and easy to criticize.
- Les enfants bilingues ont l’oreille musicale.
- Les bébés vivant dans des milieux bilingues sont plus attentifs.
- Les bienfaits du cerveau bilingue se confirment.
- J’ai aimé aussi ce petit billet, De la diglossie dans les chaumières montréalaises, qui parle du fait que bien que le Québec impose le français dans la place publique, les ménages tendent à conserver la langue et la culture allophones à domicile, ce qui n’est pas le cas en Ontario par exemple, où l’anglais prend toute la place.
- Which leads me to How a family recipe taught me what is at stake when Franco-Ontarians lose their roots.
[Update, May 22, 2019: Here’s another link! Support for bilingualism for children waning in Canada.]
Friday, May 17, 2019
Carrés magiques au citron
C’est un fait, j’aime les gâteaux magiques. Comme celui à la noix de coco ou celui au chocolat. Là, j’en ai essayé un au citron, publié dans le magazine 3 fois par jour de mai 2018 (mais je ne le trouve pas sur leur site). C’était absolument excellent! On a tous adoré, vraiment. Le truc, en fait le plus important, c’est que tous les ingrédients soient à la température de la pièce. On pourrait aussi parfumer avec du zeste d’orange ou de citron Meyer…
Je change quand même une instruction – en effet, il est plus facile de séparer un œuf quand il est froid, alors je vous recommande de séparer les œufs tout d’abord et de les laisser venir à la température de la pièce ensuite.
4 œufs, séparés, à la température ambiante
¾ tasse de sucre
½ tasse de beurre ou de margarine sans lactose, fondu(e) et à température ambiante
le zeste de 3 citrons
¾ tasse de farine tout-usage
2 tasses de lait sans lactose, à température ambiante
sucre en poudre (facultatif)
Préchauffer le four à 325 °F et placer la grille au centre. Graisser et tapisser un moule carré de 9 po (j’en ai pris in de 8 po) de papier parchemin, puis réserver.
Dans un bol, fouetter les jaunes d’œufs avec le sucre 3 ou 4 minutes afin que le tout soit léger et mousseux.
Ajouter le beurre fondu et le zeste de citron, puis fouetter pendant 1 minute supplémentaire.
Incorporer la farine, puis ajouter graduellement le lait jusqu’à l’obtention d’une texture lisse et homogène. Réserver. (À cette étape, la pâte sera liquide.)
Dans un autre bol, fouetter les blancs d’œufs jusqu’à l’obtention de pics fermes.
Ajouter les œufs en neige au mélange précédent sans trop remuer, afin que le tout ne soit pas homogène.
Verser dans le moule et cuire au four de 45 à 50 minutes, ou jusqu’à ce que le dessus soit bien doré et que le centre soit presque pris.
Laisser tiédir à température ambiante, puis placer au réfrigérateur pour refroidir complètement.
Saupoudrer de sucre en poudre pour servir, si désiré.
Saturday, May 11, 2019
The best hummus
It had been a while since I’d made hummus at home. I’m a big fan of my mother’s recipe, which I’ll have to make again soon, but this one is different. I had some dried chickpeas left over from a recipe the Engineer had made and I wanted to use them up. It’s not one of those recipes for which you have to peel the chickpeas, because ain’t nobody got time for that (though I’d consider adding ice cold aquafaba instead of olive oil to see what happens). As it is, though, this is the BEST hummus I’ve ever made, and it was plenty smooth and creamy without having to peel the chickpeas! When I made it, I gChatted with the Engineer, and it went a little something like this…
LFG – Hey, you know how Jerusalem Grill has the best hummus ever?
Eng – Umm… Yeah?
LFG – Well, they’ve got some competition. IN OUR KITCHEN!
So yeah, this was amazing. The Engineer said it was ridiculous how good it was, and I should just throw away any other hummus recipe I have because they will never hold a candle to this one. It was presented in Bon Appétit on two occasions and was created by Michael Solomonov, chef at Philadelphia’s Dizengoff (which, BTW, *delivers* hummus). It’s certainly not hard to make, but it is a bit long, even though some of it is remembering to soak the chickpeas the day before. For presentation tips, see here for the hummus swoosh technique.
1 cup dried chickpeas
2 tsp. baking soda, divided
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
⅓ cup (or more) fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more
⅔ cup tahini
¼ tsp. (or more) ground cumin
olive oil (for serving)
Place chickpeas and 1 tsp. baking soda in a medium bowl and add cold water to cover by 2". Cover and let sit at room temperature until chickpeas have doubled in size, 8–12 hours. Drain and rinse.
Combine soaked chickpeas and remaining 1 tsp. baking soda in a large saucepan and add cold water to cover by at least 2". Bring to a boil, skimming surface as needed. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer until chickpeas are tender and completely falling apart, 45–60 minutes. Drain; set aside.
Meanwhile, process garlic, lemon juice, and 1 tsp. salt in a food processor until coarsely puréed; let sit 10 minutes to allow garlic to mellow.
Strain garlic mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pressing on solids to release as much liquid as possible. Return liquid to food processor; discard solids. Add tahini and pulse to combine. With motor running, add ¼ cup ice water by the tablespoonful and process (it may seize up at first) until mixture is very smooth, pale, and thick. Add chickpeas and cumin and process, occasionally scraping down sides, until mixture is extremely smooth, about 4 minutes. Thin with more water if you prefer a looser consistency; taste and season with salt, more lemon juice, and more cumin as desired.
Spoon hummus into a shallow bowl, making a well in the center, and drizzle liberally with oil. Top as desired.
Spring outings
Here’s a quick recap of our outings so far this year. I should really create a new tag for those… Anyway, we may or may not have an “official” outing in May, but we’ll almost certainly hit a few spots like the River Walk and the Doseum when my mother-in-law visits, so those might have to do.
In January, we went to the San Antonio Botanical Garden. Even though it was a beautiful day, it was low season, so there were very few people – this suited us, as we don’t like crowds. There’s still plenty to see, though! For one thing, the citrus is in season, and there’s plenty indoors as well.
Unbeknownst to us, Geometric Harmony, an exhibit by Otto opened that day, so there were modern sculptures on the grounds. It was also our first time visiting the new Family Adventure Garden, which opened last year. There’s a space called No Name Creek which is actually a splash zone in the summer, but dry in the winter – as far as I’m concerned, I’m glad we were there when it’s dry, because I really don’t want to have to schlep swimsuits and towels when I go to the botanical garden with my kids! There are lots of play houses and child-size picnic tables and structures for the kids to have fun, so we really enjoyed our time there.
We also visited parts of the garden that we had seen before, but it was the first time for the kids. We stuck to the glasshouses of the Lucile Halsell Conservatory and the Orangerie, then made our way back via the WaterSaver Garden and the Rose Garden (the Kumamoto En Japanese Garden was closed that day). We had seen the lake before and decided to skip it this time, especially considering that the Little Prince was getting tired of walking and we were all getting hungry. We had lunch at Rosella at the Garden (which I think is the former Carriage House restaurant); they had great brunch options, and we really enjoyed the meal. It was a nice way to cap off the visit!
We then had a few outings consisting of taking family photos in a field of bluebonnets (and driving around to find said field, only to settle for one within walking distance), and going out to a picnic at the playground, so we’re rolling that up into one and counting it as February.
In March, we went to the Science Mill in Johnson City. We went on a Sunday, so it wasn’t too busy. This old mill has been turned into a children’s museum, with exhibits in the STEM fields. I think that our favorite exhibits ended up being outside: the colossal robotic hand and the incredible ball machine are must-sees, though the Little Prince was probably more into the fossil dig at the end, even refusing to leave because he was having too much fun in his adventure!
The April outing was Landa Park in New Braunfels. I had been thinking that it had been a while since we rode a little train here (even though we did ride one in Vancouver), but I wanted to go someplace new, so Landa Park it was. The park is 51 acres of big oak trees, grass, and water (Landa Lake and Comal Springs). There are playgrounds for the kiddos, and you can fish, swim or rent a paddle boat if you are so inclined! The Engineer and the Little Prince played a round of mini-golf; there are also volleyball courts, BBQ grills and walking paths. We enjoyed our visit!
In January, we went to the San Antonio Botanical Garden. Even though it was a beautiful day, it was low season, so there were very few people – this suited us, as we don’t like crowds. There’s still plenty to see, though! For one thing, the citrus is in season, and there’s plenty indoors as well.
Unbeknownst to us, Geometric Harmony, an exhibit by Otto opened that day, so there were modern sculptures on the grounds. It was also our first time visiting the new Family Adventure Garden, which opened last year. There’s a space called No Name Creek which is actually a splash zone in the summer, but dry in the winter – as far as I’m concerned, I’m glad we were there when it’s dry, because I really don’t want to have to schlep swimsuits and towels when I go to the botanical garden with my kids! There are lots of play houses and child-size picnic tables and structures for the kids to have fun, so we really enjoyed our time there.
We also visited parts of the garden that we had seen before, but it was the first time for the kids. We stuck to the glasshouses of the Lucile Halsell Conservatory and the Orangerie, then made our way back via the WaterSaver Garden and the Rose Garden (the Kumamoto En Japanese Garden was closed that day). We had seen the lake before and decided to skip it this time, especially considering that the Little Prince was getting tired of walking and we were all getting hungry. We had lunch at Rosella at the Garden (which I think is the former Carriage House restaurant); they had great brunch options, and we really enjoyed the meal. It was a nice way to cap off the visit!
We then had a few outings consisting of taking family photos in a field of bluebonnets (and driving around to find said field, only to settle for one within walking distance), and going out to a picnic at the playground, so we’re rolling that up into one and counting it as February.
In March, we went to the Science Mill in Johnson City. We went on a Sunday, so it wasn’t too busy. This old mill has been turned into a children’s museum, with exhibits in the STEM fields. I think that our favorite exhibits ended up being outside: the colossal robotic hand and the incredible ball machine are must-sees, though the Little Prince was probably more into the fossil dig at the end, even refusing to leave because he was having too much fun in his adventure!
The April outing was Landa Park in New Braunfels. I had been thinking that it had been a while since we rode a little train here (even though we did ride one in Vancouver), but I wanted to go someplace new, so Landa Park it was. The park is 51 acres of big oak trees, grass, and water (Landa Lake and Comal Springs). There are playgrounds for the kiddos, and you can fish, swim or rent a paddle boat if you are so inclined! The Engineer and the Little Prince played a round of mini-golf; there are also volleyball courts, BBQ grills and walking paths. We enjoyed our visit!
Friday, May 10, 2019
A quick lunch idea
It’s the end of the school year (the last day of school here is in very late May, but the end of June isn’t far off for everyone else in North America). If your kid is like mine, there are things that he liked for lunch at the beginning of the year that he doesn’t like anymore, and you’re trying to find something else but have no inspiration. So here’s an idea shared by a nutritionist in April’s Parents magazine: healthier corn dogs. Simply buy some Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix, but only fill the cups 2/3 of the way with batter. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, then push a 2-inch piece of nitrate-free hot dog sausage in the center of each muffin (also cut the sausages lengthwise for a small child, obviously). Continue baking for 5 to 7 more minutes, until muffins are set. Things of note: the package of Jiffy mix didn’t have any ingredients that I object to, and the muffins were really good; however, the package only makes about 6 muffins, so consider buying two packages; and the muffins have a major tendency to crumble. The Little Prince absolutely loved them, though! I used Applegate Organics uncured turkey hot dog sausages. You could make you own cornbread, but I didn’t have a good recipe (the last one I tried was “meh”).
Wednesday, May 01, 2019
Baked Potato Egg Boats
I was at a loss for what to make for dinner, and the Engineer suggested baked potatoes. It was a good idea, because it seemed like it had been a long time since I had bought baking potatoes (I made these baked garlic parmesan potato wedges in December and can’t clearly remember buying them since). So after looking through my recipes, I decided to make baked potato egg boats, even though it was presented as a brunch recipe.
I had to bake the potatoes for a much longer time than called for, but the result was so worth it! I also used more cheese than called for, and the amounts below are mine. This was delicious and so satisfying! I served it with leftover rainbow salad.
Keep in mind that you can bake the potatoes in advance and finish the prep closer to meal time. Also, you don’t actually use the flesh of the potatoes in this recipe, so you can snack on it as you’re waiting for the egg boats to bake or you can reserve it for another use.
6 small russet potatoes, scrubbed well and pricked with a fork all over
6 strips cooked bacon, chopped (divided)
2 cups shredded lactose-free cheddar (divided)
8 large eggs, beaten
¼ cup lactose-free milk
2 thinly sliced green onions
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 ˚F.
Place potatoes directly on oven rack in center of the oven (I used a baking sheet) and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender through the center (it took longer in my case).
Remove from oven and allow potatoes to cool for about 15 minutes.
Slice each potato in half lengthwise and hollow each half out, scooping the potato flesh into a mixing bowl for another use at another time.
Sprinkle a small amount of bacon and cheddar into each hollowed potato skin and transfer skins to a baking sheet lined with parchment.
Whisk milk, remaining bacon, half of the remaining cheese and green onion into the egg mixture and season with salt and pepper.
Pour egg mixture into each potato cavity (¾ full) and top with remaining cheese.
Lower oven temperature to 375 ˚F and bake potatoes until the egg mixture has set, 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove from oven, cool a bit, and serve.
I had to bake the potatoes for a much longer time than called for, but the result was so worth it! I also used more cheese than called for, and the amounts below are mine. This was delicious and so satisfying! I served it with leftover rainbow salad.
Keep in mind that you can bake the potatoes in advance and finish the prep closer to meal time. Also, you don’t actually use the flesh of the potatoes in this recipe, so you can snack on it as you’re waiting for the egg boats to bake or you can reserve it for another use.
6 small russet potatoes, scrubbed well and pricked with a fork all over
6 strips cooked bacon, chopped (divided)
2 cups shredded lactose-free cheddar (divided)
8 large eggs, beaten
¼ cup lactose-free milk
2 thinly sliced green onions
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 ˚F.
Place potatoes directly on oven rack in center of the oven (I used a baking sheet) and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender through the center (it took longer in my case).
Remove from oven and allow potatoes to cool for about 15 minutes.
Slice each potato in half lengthwise and hollow each half out, scooping the potato flesh into a mixing bowl for another use at another time.
Sprinkle a small amount of bacon and cheddar into each hollowed potato skin and transfer skins to a baking sheet lined with parchment.
Whisk milk, remaining bacon, half of the remaining cheese and green onion into the egg mixture and season with salt and pepper.
Pour egg mixture into each potato cavity (¾ full) and top with remaining cheese.
Lower oven temperature to 375 ˚F and bake potatoes until the egg mixture has set, 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove from oven, cool a bit, and serve.
Friday, April 19, 2019
Batch of links
- First, not a link, but a quick announcement: I’m taking down the Amazon store linked to this blog. Amazon has changed a bunch of things, making running the store a very frustrating experience (and very user-unfriendly as compared to when I first opened), so it’s not worth my time. It’s been down for a while anyway, this is just more official. This means that there will be broken links in previous posts, but as far as I can remember, products were mentioned by name in addition to being linked, so you can still find them on your own.
- I listened to Spilled Milk Podcast’s episode about MSG, all the while marveling at the nocebo effect, and it led me to this episode of This American Life for more detail. And from there down the rabbit hole to learn more about the Stork Derby (I’d heard about it, but not in this much detail).
- I had been reminiscing about a series I used to watch over and over as a kid (it had been taped off TV, I think). It was animated and taught science concepts, but some were considered pretty advanced – I haven’t met many other 5-year-olds who understood that things get hotter as their molecules move faster, you know? Anyway, it took a lot of Googling, but I finally tracked it down: Eureka! This is a link to the English version on YouTube; I couldn’t find the French version that I used to watch (the series was made in Ontario and it exists in both languages, or at least it did). It holds up really well, and we’re currently watching it with the Little Prince.
- A photographer documents what she finds in her preschooler’s pockets and those treasures are really sweet.
- For your inner child (or your actual child): Disney songs in their native languages.
- There’s a dating app that pairs people based on the contents of their fridge, and if I were single I’d be all over that.
- Don’t get fooled when you buy San Marzano tomatoes.
- And another link to a Spilled Milk episode, this one about meal planning. I left a long comment on their page, but the gist of it is that I plan meals for the week to come, and even though that takes work, for me it’s an anxiety-reducing tool because I can’t stand not to know what I’ll be serving the next day. It also helps to have meal templates, especially if you have small children. Other families might decide that Wednesday is always chicken day, for example, but they’ll vary what type of chicken they make. My long-term plan would be to narrow down my recipes to my family’s favorites, use an online service to make them into a book, and come up with a few monthly menu templates taking into account what’s in season. What’s your take on meal planning?
- I listened to Spilled Milk Podcast’s episode about MSG, all the while marveling at the nocebo effect, and it led me to this episode of This American Life for more detail. And from there down the rabbit hole to learn more about the Stork Derby (I’d heard about it, but not in this much detail).
- I had been reminiscing about a series I used to watch over and over as a kid (it had been taped off TV, I think). It was animated and taught science concepts, but some were considered pretty advanced – I haven’t met many other 5-year-olds who understood that things get hotter as their molecules move faster, you know? Anyway, it took a lot of Googling, but I finally tracked it down: Eureka! This is a link to the English version on YouTube; I couldn’t find the French version that I used to watch (the series was made in Ontario and it exists in both languages, or at least it did). It holds up really well, and we’re currently watching it with the Little Prince.
- A photographer documents what she finds in her preschooler’s pockets and those treasures are really sweet.
- For your inner child (or your actual child): Disney songs in their native languages.
- There’s a dating app that pairs people based on the contents of their fridge, and if I were single I’d be all over that.
- Don’t get fooled when you buy San Marzano tomatoes.
- And another link to a Spilled Milk episode, this one about meal planning. I left a long comment on their page, but the gist of it is that I plan meals for the week to come, and even though that takes work, for me it’s an anxiety-reducing tool because I can’t stand not to know what I’ll be serving the next day. It also helps to have meal templates, especially if you have small children. Other families might decide that Wednesday is always chicken day, for example, but they’ll vary what type of chicken they make. My long-term plan would be to narrow down my recipes to my family’s favorites, use an online service to make them into a book, and come up with a few monthly menu templates taking into account what’s in season. What’s your take on meal planning?
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