Take 5

Take 5…. Seriously…. when you are grocery shopping take 5 minutes or less to read the labels of ingredients on the item(s) you are purchasing. I realize not everyone is going to be freakish as I am about organic, but I recently stumbled upon some new information I want to pass along. Since I pretty much have my “list” of frequently purchased items down to fine science, I don’t have to read every label, every-time.  BUT…. and you knew there was a BUT coming, I recently had to purchase sour cream, and was shocked at what I saw on the label. I won’t mention the brand, however I will say it was a brand of a very well-known grocery store chain. Sour cream should pretty much be milk & cream, and not a whole lot of other additives. The generic grocery store brand of sour cream had a list, several lines long, of not just added ingredients but chemicals as well. I was speechless to say the least. My local super market doesn’t carry “organic sour cream” so I was forced at this time to buy the regular version. *Insert  “Would you like some CHEESE with your whine”? * Here is what I found out.

Just so you don’t think I’m rambling just to hear myself ramble, the proof is in the pudding! Here is a snapshot of the carton of  Daisy Sour Cream:

Notice the ingredients are simply “Cultured Cream, Skim Milk, and Vitamin A Palminate”.

And here are the ingredients of the generic store brand sour cream:

 Cultured Cream, contains less than 1% of: Whey Protein Concentrate, Food Starch-Modified, Sodium Phosphate, Maltodextrin, Cultured Dextrose, Sodium Citrate, Gellan Gum, carrageenan, Guar Gum, Calcium Sulfate, Locust Bean Gum, Potassium Sorbate (to preserve freshness).

WOW, shocking huh? I don’t have a snapshot of the generic brand, but I also didn’t want to throw them under the bus either, so you’ll have to trust me on this. Do the research and READ YOUR LABELS! It’s always better to buy organic, however if you cannot than at the very least, read the labels. I would rather put natural, real food into my body instead of added junk that are not necessary.

This was just an example of many. I have stumbled across other products like this one many times. I was only going to save .30 cents if I bought the generic store brand, which is not a huge savings. I am saving more money by buying better products, less chemicals and additives in the long run as my health is a stake. I feel we all need to be made  more aware of what’s going into our bodies than not. I am thrifty, but not at the expense of my long-term health.

Just some food for thought!

Summer Kale Salad Recipe

Ahhhh…….. Fresh Kale Salad. Nothing quite like it and it’s so versatile! When most people think of Kale, they associate it with the pretty green “leaf” on their plate when they’ve ordered an entree from a restaurant. That’s now in the past. Kale has come a long way from just entree decor, and is now seen on many plates as salad, or Kale Chips. Here’s the scoop on Kale: It’s loaded full of antioxidants, vitamins, and very high in vitamin K, vitamin C, and rich in Beta Carotene as well as Calcium. Kale has been linked to helping inflammation and has cancer preventive benefits, as well as provide cardiovascular support and has a high level of detox-activating isothiocyanates. Sound good? Let’s get down to the best part…. The Salad!

3-4 Bunches of Organic Kale OR 1 Bag Organic Chopped Kale

1-2 Fresh Organic Lemons

 Organic Olive Oil

Organic Red, Yellow, Orange Peppers, chopped

Organic Onion, chopped

Greek or Black Olives, chopped

Sunflower Seeds

Garlic

Take your chopped Kale ***Stems removed*** and place in a large bowl. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the Kale and “massage” the leaves for about 5-6 min or until dark green in color and “wilted”. Drizzle with a very small amount of olive oil, and I mean VERY small amount as you don’t want your salad to be soupy. Add chopped peppers, onions, olives, sunflower seeds & garlic. Mix well and refrigerate for several hours. It is BEST when it has sat overnight, but chill at least a few hours before serving. 

Voila! Bon Appetit!