Keep It Simple Foods » D.C. news

Farmer’s Market and a Brush with Fame

Jennifer — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:05:43 +0000

Yesterday, the White House Farmer’s Market (my weekly market because it’s located just outside my office) at Vermont Ave NW, also know as the FreshFarm Market, was taken over in an event hosted by Toyota’s Farm to Table Tour. In order to raise awareness about farmer’s markets, local farmers, and sustainable eating, Toyota paired D.C. chefs with local famers in order to create tasty dishes featuring seasonal foods. Each chef created a bite-sized, tasty, and complimentary dish for visitors to enjoy- all showcasing farm-fresh ingredients. In addition to taste-testing, visitors were given a free potted herb to take home and enjoy (I chose summer savory).

Of the nine samples offered, I was able to enjoy three (darn those veggie constraints!). I was pleased with what I had, especially from chef Mike of Zatinya (and Top Chef)- which featured a mild and creamy crumbled cheese with ripe, summer peach and a drizzle of spiced honey. It was delicious! I felt too lame asking a celebrity chef for his photo, but my friend surrepticiously snapped this one as I was leaving the booth (that’s me to the right). So there you have it- my brush with fame at the farmer’s market. Who knew you could find great food and cute celebrities there?

Ready to Eat at Pret A Manger

Jennifer — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 18:07:55 +0000

Good news! Pret A Manger is opening a D.C. location at 11 and F St. NW, near Metro Center. I actually saw it with my own eyes! According to the online info, it should be up and running this July.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Pret A Manger (admittedly, I’ve never eaten at one), it’s a UK based take-away sandwich shop that focuses on natural, healthy foods and sustainability. It’s basically fast food without all the junk food. Reading over the US and UK websites, it looks like Pret is not a franchise, but is a slow growing organization that focuses on its workers (the people who run the shops) and practices good hiring and promotion policies, giving kudos and opportunities where deserved. And, as if this review weren’t glowing enough, the marketing features adorable pictures of food sculpted into everyday objects. Who doesn’t love butter shaped like Stonehenge?

CNN’s Eatocracy

Jennifer — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:17:21 +0000

I recently discovered CNN’s new page dedicated to all things food related. Bellaeats (one of my favorite VA bloggers) was recently featured here.

Just a HINT

Jennifer — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 16:45:56 +0000

Have you tried this yet?

HINT flavored water is a refreshing, zero calorie drink made with water and just a hint of natural fruit flavoring. I’m sipping on blackberry HINT today and loving it! HINT has no sugar so you don’t have to worry about factoring empty drink calories into your daily regime. Also, there are no artificial sweeteners so you don’t have to deal with chemical, not-so-natural tasting “fruit” flavors. HINT can easily be found in the grocery store, health food stores or at Starbux.

Forget food rules?

Jennifer — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:03:19 +0000

Michael Pollan wants us to forget his hard and fast food rules like “eat items with five ingredients or less.” On second thought, maybe I shouldn’t say that he wants us to forget them, rather, he wants us to use common sense and not follow such rules blindly. For example, if the ingredients listed are; sugar, cream, vanilla, eggs, and milk-that’s ice cream! It’s not a health food so you can’t eat this type of food thinking that you are making a healthy choice. Admittedly, you are probably making a healthier choice than eating something that reads; high fructose corn syrup, sugar, milk solids, preservative 1, presearvative 2, and a bunch of ingredients no one can pronounce. But, don’t be fooled about the choices you make and, more importantly, don’t fall prey to advertising techniques that glorify some junk foods while demonizing others-the bottom line is they are both junk foods. Click here for the full article.

25 Diet Busters

Jennifer — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 12:49:09 +0000

Health.com recently came up with a list of 25 foods that are sure to derail your diet. All of these are commercial food products that you can pick up in the grocery, a restaurant or the (dreaded) mall. I was horrified to find out that I’ve sampled a handful of these products more than once- which I blame on my Starbux addiction to all things whipped, blended and sugary sweet. Some of these products, ahem Vitamin Water, are even marketed as being nutritious or (quel horror!) “low fat” to help you maintian your figure. Now, that’s just cruel. For the complete article, click here. Keep in mind that this list was created using an average 2000 calorie per day diet with 66 grams fat and 300 grams carbs.

When it comes to eggs, buying organic may not be enough.

Jennifer — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 14:41:14 +0000

Apparently buying organic isn’t safe these days. The label “organic” simply indictes FDA standards for how food is grown or raised. It doesn’t speak to what happens to the food once it leaves the farm. In the case of eggs, many are processed in the same way that factory farm eggs are processed-washed in chlorine baths and then doused in a petroleum-based mineral oil. This is deceptive to consumers who think they are buying an all-natural product that is safe to eat. From what I’ve read, meat is treated in much the same way. This is why I personally feel that food regulations should be stricter and consumers should be given more information about where food comes from and how it’s processed. Of course it’s up to us to do our homework.

Buying directly from local farmers (at farmer’s markets and Whole Foods) is a great way to circumvent this problem. For the full article on this topic, read here.

Killer Desserts

Jennifer — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 12:08:57 +0000

The Daily Beast recently published a list of 40 of the unhealthiest desserts you’ll find on restaurant menus today in a photo essay entitled The 40 Desserts That Can Kill You. Most of these sweets are featured at chain restaurants such as Applebees, Macaroni Grill, Outback, Denny’s, Dairy Queen, Olive Garden, and P.F. Chang’s (my mother’s beloved banana spring rolls made the list with nearly 1,000 calories a pop!) which isn’t too surprising. Most of these places I avoid like the plague, but every once in a while I start feeling nostalgic for the days when Red Lobster and Ruby Tuesday were the new and exciting restaurants in town and get sucked right back in. Luckily it doesn’t happen too often and typically only on a road trip where options are limited. If after reading this you still crave one on of these desserts, please, please, please at least share it with 2 to 3 other people.

War on Salt

Jennifer — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 13:46:58 +0000

Apparently national health officials are taking salt to task, by encouraging food companies to greatly reduce salt use in foods. Companies are resisting, saying that Americans are hungry for salt and products that are already low in fat and sugar will not sell with less salt. The most interesting rebuttle offered is that reducing the salt compound in foods will actually chemically alter structure, taste and texture of foods making them less crispy, tangy and crunchy. Click here to read the full article.

What do you think? Should Americans reduce their salt intake? Should companies be forced to add less salt to prepared food products? Please post your thoughts in the comments below.

Dirty Dozen

Jennifer — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:18:42 +0000

Check out CNN’s shocking report about the ‘dirty dozen’ fruits and veggies that typically contain between 47 to 67 pesticide residues. Summer favorites like strawberries, peaches, and nectarines top the list. You can also find the ‘clean fifteen’ fruits and veggies that are relatively safe from pesticide residue.