What I’ve Learned Wednesday: Links from Real Food Blogland 9/21/11

 

One of the things I like most about being a Real Food-er is (virtually) meeting all the amazing people who make up this worldwide community of crunchy food fanatics. Many of them can be found blogging about their traditional-fooding lives, and most of them have been doing both of those things a lot longer than I have. Thankfully, they are around to teach me.

Whether about gardening or gadgets, farming or fermentation, pudding or politics, real food blogs are always buzzing with new things to learn, recipes to try, or interesting stories to read. So I thought it was time that I start sharing with my own readers what I discover from them.

Here’s what I’ve learned this week:

Salsa = sunscreen. The lycopene in tomatoes has protective properties against photo damage from the sun’s UV rays, according to several clinical studies, and this blogger’s personal experience. Check out the recipe posted from An Hour In The Kitchen for a tasty salsa that packs a sunburn-fighting punch!

Nontoxic hippie cleaners can be effective AND convenient. Celebrating Family shared a great tip involving my most-used hippie housekeeping substance (that also happens to be a food): vinegar. You know those Swiffer WetJet mops that spray out cleaner on the floor with the push of a button? Well, you can dump out that icky chemical stuff and refill the container with vinegar! Totally doing this.

Yet another reason to stay away from fruit juice — toxic levels of arsenic. A recent study found arsenic in processed fruit juice, in some samples at levels significantly higher than what is accepted as safe (according to the EPA) for our drinking water. Oh but it’s okay, say the juice manufacturers — you’re not drinking as much juice as you are water, anyway! Sure, sign my baby up for some of your poison, then, Gerber. In this post, Granola Catholic shares her tips on what to do about this very concerning issue.

An easy trick to making even fresh hard-boiled eggs easier to peel. Cracking open hard boiled eggs often frightens me. But, this easy tip from Vim and Vigor is a great way to make peeling less scary. I’ll be sure to remember this egg boiling secret next time!

Here’s what I Plan to Eat:

 

I recently started using the super-amazing online meal planning program, Plan to Eat. It’s the perfect way to gather up all those awesome recipes from all the blogs we read, and actually get them on the table — instead of just drooling over them online! So now on WILW, I’d like to share which ones I’ve grabbed from all you bloggers out there, and added to my meal planning menu. If you’re a member of Plan to Eat, you can simply “friend” me on there, and add the recipes I’ve uploaded directly to your own recipe book and meal calendar! So easy.

Here’s what I added to my recipe book this week (link to their spot in my PTE recipe book is the first one, followed by their blog link):

Grain-Free Cheese Crackers: Dyno-Mom has got the cheesiest, easiest cracker recipe around. Grate some cheese. Fry in a pan. Done. Melissa claims this recipe is just “stupid easy.” I think it’s super brilliant! 😉

Paleo Chicken “Noodle” Soup: A grain-free spin on the classic, from The Coconut Mama. Adding this soup to my list of grainless dishes to try!

Double Chocolate Cherry Protein Balls: Though there may be “4 white chocolate chips in each little ball. Whoopy.” Beyond the Peel advises us to “lighten up.” and “live a little,” — and enjoy these “naughty but nice” tasty balls! Sounds like a plan to me.

Grain-Free Almond Bread: I’m really hoping my next attempt at a grain-free bread will turn out half as delicious as this one looks from GNOWFGLINS! My last coconut flour one didn’t go so well… but I have a lot of faith in this recipe — Wardeh being the master of the most difficult type of baking (sourdough) is sure to know how to whip up a good gluten-and-grain-free loaf!

Pakistani Kima (Beef Curry): Stuck in a ground beef rut? Here’s a great ethnic recipe from Whole New Mom that’s sure to spice your burger meat up a little. Without being too spicy for kids (or babies like me).

 

What have you learned lately from your favorite blogs? Any new recipes you plan on trying out?