Eat Like a Rabbit

The concierge at our hotel needed to direct us to a reasonably fast dinner location. Paul said Italian pizza sounded good, and she made a reservation for us at Salute! on Madison Ave. and then directed us on the best way to get a cab to Carnegie Hall for a beautiful, but long performance of Handel's Messiah. (In case you never knew, the Hallelujah Chorus is not the end of the program, only of Part 2.)

Salute was an amazing restaurant with a bar in the front and lots of tables in the back. The monochromatic color scheme made the room very inviting, and we loved our seats looking out the window.

A kind lady met us at the door and waited patiently while I removed both coats and packaged my gloves and hat so as not to lose them. Then, she led us to a table, that I'm sorry to say was very tipped. However, we were happy to have a seat and the leaning table was never a problem.

Our waitress arrived with menus and took our order for drinks. New York water tastes very good. However, I have learned to order lemon with my water, especially when I'm dehydrated. The lemon never came.

Two articles in December editions of parenting magazines I was lucky enough to acquire free subscriptions for have me very excited. One is geared more toward parents, but the other applies to anyone.

Parents magazine had a great article on page 42 sharing a new statement from the American Dietetic Association. A well-planned vegetarian diet can be healthy for infants and toddlers. This thrills me because I was nervous we would have difficulties finding a pediatrician that supported our vegetarian eating style. The article also shares vegetarian sources for iron, protein, B-12, and zinc, nutrients generally sought from meat products. I could not locate the article on the website, but if you are interested in reading more, pop over to your local library and read up on it.

"Wasting" time before a concert that we were accidentally an hour early for thanks to the time change (and our not being diligent about changing all the clocks in our house) we took a side-trip to Whole Foods. We rarely shop at Whole Foods because a) of its reputation as "Whole Paycheck" and b) it really isn't near anywhere we go regularly. Strolling down one aisle just for kicks, we came across a few varieties of Joe's Oat's organic soy- and gluten-free burger mix. It was expensive. Over $1 a burger! But, we thought it would be worth a try because as I've mentioned before, we do know people with allergies to wheat and always appreciate knowing of delicious dinner alternatives. We also acquired some mini-pitas (whole wheat) from the bakery that were quite yummy and were a perfect size for the burgers.

The burgers themselves were really good. A big selling point is that I could read and even have in the average kitchen every ingredient on the list. Unfortunately, I thought the directions for cooking weren't very clear. It's definitely a good idea to read the entire label before starting the cooking process. Hot water is required. I don't recommend a broth because it adds additional sodium, but I can see adding some onion and garlic powder to the water. Also, I highly recommend greasing the skillet before cooking up the burgers.

Paul picked up a copy of the Orlando Weekly with an interesting cover on it. The title said "Sole Food." I spent the last few days reading and rereading it. Then, in my free time, I thought about it. First, I searched for a true definition of Sole Food, which was hard to do since my brain kept wanting to spell "soul". Then, I tracked down the original article in the Baltimore City Paper.

There were plenty of negative comments about the article. And I must say, I had a few questions of my own (like most people--including ourselves--have even less of a monthly budget for food than $343. Plus toiletries and diapers have to come out of that budget, too.) But, I followed along with the positive comments and decided it was a good idea to use the article as a learning experience. After all, that's really why I read news items--too broaden my horizons.

We first learned about Muir Glen Organic Tomatoes when we were doing our "Pasta Taste Test." I didn't have a coupon at the time and had no idea how much I would fall in love with them. I have since quit buying pasta sauce--even when it's available for a great price. I love making my own with these full-flavor tomatoes, a little onion, garlic, and basil from our herb garden. However, I have become a serious believer in couponing (Especially when it comes to stocking up on diapers!) and love finding links to print $1 coupons for 1 Muir Glen Product ($1/1). I can buy 8 oz. cans of Tomato Sauce at my local Publix for $0.89 a can. With the coupon, the tomatoes are free! If I get a can of diced tomatoes, I end up paying about $0.40. That's a great price for organic-anything! Below are a few links to $1/1 printable coupons. You can print two per computer. You can also find notes to get an additional coupon by becoming a fan on Facebook in the Recommended Links in the right hand column.

After typing my initial disconcerting post about the lack of vegetarian cheese, I have since done hours of research and am feeling more relieved. I'm sad that I failed to check (or have forgotten that I checked) nutrition information before buying products. At least now I know some ideas of how to continue on with my current menus--like burritos--without interruption.

Horizon Organics says on its website all cheese is 100% vegetarian.

A much more accurate and detailed list of Vegetarian Cheeses.

I was talking to my mom about my dilemma. She was listing off companies that she had gotten letters from years ago that said their cheeses were vegetarian-friendly, but then I told her my study this evening said some companies have changed. She immediately went and read the label on the block of Kirkland Medium Sharp Cheddar (the Costco brand). Although it doesn't say Kosher, it does say it is made with no animal enzymes. I wasn't able to look for myself because the package on my cheese is already gone. At least that product I use is safe.

We ate at the High Noon Cafe on a Friday and intentionally went out of our way to try the vegetarian crab cakes cutely named "Seaside Cakes" made from tofu and what I thought might be se

Publix has Earth's Best Organic Baby Food Buy One Get One Free. That's a maximum savings of $0.54 a jar! Not bad if you're stuck on organic. . .not bad for baby food at all. See Earth's Best website for a list of products. See the add that came out on Thursday. Remember, Publix sales go from Thursday to Wednesday.