Sunday, March 20, 2011

A Food Manifesto for the Future



February 1, 2011, 10:28 pm

A Food Manifesto for the Future


Mark Bittman on food and all things related.

For decades, Americans believed that we had the world’s healthiest and safest diet. We worried little about this diet’s effect on the environment or on the lives of the animals (or even the workers) it relies upon. Nor did we worry about its ability to endure — that is, its sustainability.
That didn’t mean all was well. And we’ve come to recognize that our diet is unhealthful and unsafe. Many food production workers labor in difficult, even deplorable, conditions, and animals are produced as if they were widgets. It would be hard to devise a more wasteful, damaging, unsustainable system.
Here are some ideas — frequently discussed, but sadly not yet implemented — that would make the growing, preparation and consumption of food healthier, saner, more productive, less damaging and more enduring. In no particular order:
  • End government subsidies to processed food. We grow more corn for livestock and cars than for humans, and it’s subsidized by more than $3 billion annually; most of it is processed beyond recognition. The story is similar for other crops, including soy: 98 percent of soybean meal becomes livestock feed, while most soybean oil is used in processed foods. Meanwhile, the marketers of the junk food made from these crops receive tax write-offs for the costs of promoting their wares. Total agricultural subsidies in 2009 were around $16 billion, which would pay for a great many of the ideas that follow.
  • Begin subsidies to those who produce and sell actual food for direct consumption. Small farmers and their employees need to make living wages. Markets — from super- to farmers’ — should be supported when they open in so-called food deserts and when they focus on real food rather than junk food. And, of course, we should immediately increase subsidies for school lunches so we can feed our youth more real food.
  • Break up the U.S. Department of Agriculture and empower the Food and Drug Administration. Currently, the U.S.D.A. counts among its missions both expanding markets for agricultural products (like corn and soy!) and providing nutrition education. These goals are at odds with each other; you can’t sell garbage while telling people not to eat it, and we need an agency devoted to encouraging sane eating. Meanwhile, the F.D.A. must be given expanded powers to ensure the safety of our food supply. (Food-related deaths are far more common than those resulting from terrorism, yet the F.D.A.’s budget is about one-fifteenth that of Homeland Security.)
  • Outlaw concentrated animal feeding operations and encourage the development of sustainable animal husbandry. The concentrated system degrades the environment, directly and indirectly, while torturing animals and producing tainted meat, poultry, eggs, and, more recently, fish. Sustainable methods of producing meat for consumption exist. At the same time, we must educate and encourage Americans to eat differently. It’s difficult to find a principled nutrition and health expert who doesn’t believe that a largely plant-based diet is the way to promote health and attack chronic diseases, which are now bigger killers, worldwide, than communicable ones. Furthermore, plant-based diets ease environmental stress, including global warming.
  • Encourage and subsidize home cooking. (Someday soon, I’ll write about my idea for a new Civilian Cooking Corps.) When people cook their own food, they make better choices. When families eat together, they’re more stable. We should provide food education for children (a new form of home ec, anyone?), cooking classes for anyone who wants them and even cooking assistance for those unable to cook for themselves.
  • Tax the marketing and sale of unhealthful foods. Another budget booster. This isn’t nanny-state paternalism but an accepted role of government: public health. If you support seat-belt, tobacco and alcohol laws, sewer systems and traffic lights, you should support legislation curbing the relentless marketing of soda and other foods that are hazardous to our health — including the sacred cheeseburger and fries.
  • Reduce waste and encourage recycling. The environmental stress incurred by unabsorbed fertilizer cannot be overestimated, and has caused, for example, a 6,000-square-mile dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico that is probably more damaging than the BP oil spill. And some estimates indicate that we waste half the food that’s grown. A careful look at ways to reduce waste and promote recycling is in order.
  • Mandate truth in labeling. Nearly everything labeled “healthy” or “natural” is not. It’s probably too much to ask that “vitamin water” be called “sugar water with vitamins,” but that’s precisely what real truth in labeling would mean.
  • Reinvest in research geared toward leading a global movement in sustainable agriculture, combining technology and tradition to create a new and meaningful Green Revolution.
I’ll expand on these issues (and more) in the future, but the essential message is this: food and everything surrounding it is a crucial matter of personal and public health, of national and global security. At stake is not only the health of humans but that of the earth.
This column appeared in print on February 2, 2011. It will appear in Opinionator regularly.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Taco Soup



Taco Soup
1# cooked extra lean ground beef
1 TBSP Taco Seasoning
1 TBSP Guacamole Blend
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
½ Cup chopped onion
3 C of chicken stock
1 15oz. can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 C of frozen corn
Instructions: Brown ground beef.  Drain fat.  Add remaining ingredients to dutch oven or large sauce pan.  Add black beans, and corn.  Simmer on med. heat for 20-25 minutes.

Suggested side dish:  Wildtree’s Texas Cornbread  (2 bags to a box)

 

Sunday, March 13, 2011

March Guest Special


Ordering is so easy check out the products at my website www.robinstuessi.mywildtree.com To place your order either email me or place your order directly on the website by clicking on 'Events’, then click on ‘once-a-month ordering’ your order will become part of my tasting party (select 'ship to host' to have your order come to me for the discounted party rate of $5.75, or have it direct shipped to you at regular web rates). I will be closing this order on Wednesday March 16th.

Created by L.Delaney  March 2011

Thursday, March 10, 2011

March Newsletter


March Madness

What's for dinner?
It's the question of the hour. Too many busy moms (and dads) look for answers in the supermarket at 5 p.m. Harried, harassed by hungry children, they rack their brains for an answer to the dinner-hour question. Often this can lead to unhealthy food choices-take out, frozen dinners, hamburger helper, etc.
What's the answer? A menu plan!
Menu planning doesn't have to be complicated. A small investment of time can reap great rewards:
  • A menu plan saves money. Reducing trips to the supermarket, a menu plan reduces impulse spending. Using leftovers efficiently cuts food waste, while planned buying in bulk makes it easy to stockpile freezer meals at reduced prices.
  • A menu plan saves time. No dash to the neighbors for a missing ingredient, no frantic searches through the freezer for something, anything to thaw for dinner. It allows you to plan when you going to use your freezer meals, giving you adequate time to defrost them and have everything on hand to prepare them.
  • A menu plan improves nutrition. Without the daily dash to the supermarket, there's time to prepare side dishes and salads to complement the main dish, increasing the family's consumption of fruits and vegetables.

Freezer Meal Workshop
Freezer Meal Workshops will be back on Sunday, April 3rd at 10am or 3pm. Sign up ASAP to save your spot.
Some of the meals we are making include:

Wildtree de Milo Soup


Salisbury Steak


Lemon Rosemary Chicken (crock pot)


Garlic Pepper Steak


 Chicken & Onion Stew


Garlic Galore Chicken (crock pot)


       Curry Peach Glazed Pork Loin


Cheesy Noodle Bake


Greek Pork Chops


Breaded Onion Chive Rotisserie Chicken

March Specials
Incredible opportunity this month!!!
Guests ~ Spend $50...receive any product ½ off.  Spend $100 get 2 products for ½ off, etc!!!
Hosts ~ Host a $400 tasting party and receive the 12.7 oz Roasted Garlic Grapeseed Oil. (In addition the $80 in FREE groceries you would receive!!!)
Host a $500 tasting party and receive the 64 oz Roasted   Garlic Grapeseed Oil. (In addition the $100 or more in FREE groceries
you would receive!!!)

There is no better time to host a Wildtree Party. Your guests will be eager to spend $50 on groceries to receive ½ off on a fabulous Family  Favorites Bundle which retails at $81.25 for only $40.63! Or a 64 oz Grapeseed Oil for only $25. What other party could you host where the food is practically done for you?
Call me today to schedule your tasting.

Easy Re-Ordering
Have you ever wondered how to re-order your Wildtree groceries? It's super simple! You can either host a tasting and earn them for free or place an order from the comfort of your home. Just go to www.robinstuessi.mywildtree.com and click on 'Events’, then click on ‘once-a-month ordering’ your order will become part of my tasting party (select 'ship to host' to have your order come to me for the discounted party rate of $5.75, or have it direct shipped to you at regular web rates). If you are a Culinary Club Member you can go to www.wildtreeclub.com


Join Wildtree Today!
Wildtree truly is an amazing business opportunity. It is a pure pleasure to help families eat healthier meals as well as make some extra money. Many people have made New Year resolutions to eat healthier and Wildtree can make it possible to accomplish. Click here for more information or contact me today.


Let me know if you have any questions or need any help!
Come join my Facebook Fan Page at Wildtree Cooking with Robin and check out my blog at www.wildtreecookingwithrobin.blogspot.com

My business is successful due to the wonderful recommendations my customers give to friends and family - so please feel free to share my info with anyone whom you think may benefit and enjoy! No matter where you live, I can help you with all your Wildtree needs.

Eat Well
Robin
Wildtree Representative
www.robinstuessi.mywildtree.com
 
Wildtree products contain NO additives, preservatives, food dyes, MSG, high fructose corn syrup, use minimal or no salt & sugar and are 100% PEANUT-FREE. Wildtree is committed to using ingredients with no GMOs and their Grapeseed Oils are expeller pressed.