Why You Can Eat Anything You Want

Last updated on: August 25, 2011 at 5:00 am By Rachel Marie Stone

(as long as you make it yourself.) Last week, Michael Pollan tweeted a paper on nutrition by Carlos Monteiro entitled “There is No Such Thing as a Healthy Ultra-Processed Product.” Food companies, the paper argues, promote their products as ‘healthy’ based on either of two things: 1. The absence of perceived “bad” ingredients (0g trans fats! NO High Fructose Corn Syrup!) 2. Reduced levels of (X “bad” component: fat, salt, sugar) as compared to comparable products and 3. The addition... Read more

Beets! Beets! Beets!

Last updated on: August 24, 2011 at 5:00 am By Rachel Marie Stone

We’ve been a little serious around here what with two days of posts (here and here) on body image stuff, so I think it’s time for something more fun. Like cake. I don’t make desserts for every day meals. And I generally don’t bake cakes in the summertime. But you know? Some days, you just feel like having some cake. On this day, I was harvesting beets to make room for the very enthusiastically reproducing strawberry plants. My son and... Read more

Before You Talk to God, Make Sure You Brush Your Teeth

Last updated on: August 23, 2011 at 5:00 am By Rachel Marie Stone

Recently I read back through just a bit of Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman by Anne Ortlund–because I vaguely remember that there was something in there that had once had a grip on my mind–and I only had to suffer through 43 pages until I found it: “..my advice to all is: when you first become conscious in the morning, get decent. I know some people say [pray] first, but don’t you sort of feel sorry for God when daily... Read more

Am I too thin to say “accept your body”?

Last updated on: August 22, 2011 at 5:00 am By Rachel Marie Stone

Last week, I received a comment on the Audrey Hepburn post–in which I urged that one can be beautiful no matter their size–that gave me something to think about. You can read the comment in full on the original post (here), but this snippet sums up the basic point: “This is a message that is very lovely, but I have to say…you look beautifully thin in all of your pictures. It seems to me that it is somewhat easier to... Read more

Sunday Recipe: Insalata Caprese

Last updated on: August 21, 2011 at 5:00 am By Rachel Marie Stone

This salad is another perfect meal for a hot night. Again, it’s delicious served with a baguette. We used more of our delicious Riesentraubes (an heirloom cherry-type tomato) in this wonderful salad, which reminds us of the time we spent in Rome two summers ago. Though you’ll often see Caprese as a layered salad–with big slices of tomato and cheese alternated with big basil leaves–we find this version easier to eat. Toss together in a large bowl: 1 pound fresh... Read more

Weekend Eating Reading: Marion Nestle

Last updated on: August 20, 2011 at 5:00 am By Rachel Marie Stone

…the Saturday post! Weekend Eating Reading briefly discusses at least one good book that’s somehow related to ‘joyful eating.’ This week, I’d like to introduce two books by Marion Nestle, who is Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University. You may recognize her from the film Supersize Me or Truck Farm. Although Dr. Nestle is a legit scientist and scholar, her writing is clear and readable, even entertaining. The first book of hers I read was... Read more

Moment of Joy

Last updated on: August 19, 2011 at 5:00 am By Rachel Marie Stone

Inspired by Amanda Blake Soule’s {this moment}, I’m following a Friday ritual: posting a single photo–no caption, no words–from the week capturing a moment or an idea expressing something related to {family, faith, food; joyful justice & bread of life} —a Moment of Joy. If you would like to do the same, leave a link to your photo in the comments! Read more

In Defense of Frozen Food

Last updated on: August 18, 2011 at 5:00 am By Rachel Marie Stone

“I can’t eat local–what would I possibly eat in January–turnips?!” Not necessarily. Because whether you grow your own food or purchase locally grown food, you can PRESERVE some of it for winter! And it doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t need any special skills or equipment, unless boiling water is beyond your skill-set and a colander isn’t among your kitchen tools. And you know what? Many, many vegetables are BEST preserved by freezing rather than canning. (Think of the... Read more

Cucumbers, Pickles, & Immigrants

Last updated on: August 17, 2011 at 5:00 am By Rachel Marie Stone

Our little garden has produced plenty of cucumbers this year, though they’re drawing to an end now. We’ve been eating lots of them just like this: Because a truck crashed through our yard a few weeks ago, there have been plenty of work ‘guys’ (as my kids refer to them) in and around the garden recently. Most recently, a crew of landscapers came to plant new hedges in place of the ones that were uprooted in the accident. And while they... Read more

Should healthy living be a spiritual discipline?

Last updated on: August 16, 2011 at 5:00 am By Rachel Marie Stone

An essay at RELEVANT yesterday made some good points: first, that “the obesity battle isn’t an individual responsibility; it’s a community effort,” and, second, that the church can (and should) play a role in shaping America’s food culture for the better. Both of these are very, very true. But to my mind, the rest of the essay exemplified a shallowness of thinking about food and eating that has surfaced again and again in the 100+ years since Christians first began... Read more