October 3rd, 2011

Healthier Snacking With Roasted Chickpeas

What: All natural, roasted chickpea snack packets for about $2.50 each. Four flavors are sold: Sea Salt, Cracked Pepper, Smoky Chili & Lime, and Sweet Cinnamon.

Who: Made by The Good Bean (they’re in Berkeley, CA)

Why:
  • This is a healthier alternative to corn nuts. What do I mean by “healthier”? I’m no expert but in reading the labels of a packet of the chickpeas versus a packet of cornnuts, there’s definitely less fat & calories per serving than corn nuts.
  • The Sweet Cinnamon flavor was liked by a member of the team who wanted a healthy snack alternative for her kids.
Read the full post here...
May 2nd, 2010

Organic Fruits & Vegetables: Best & Worst

Organic Fruit and Vegetables - Dirty Dozen

Who: Arts & Crafts site, My Paper Crane

What: They’ve created a nice little wallet-size graphic of The Dirty Dozen cheat sheet. It’s a cute little visual reminder of what fruits & vegetables have the most and least pesticides.

Why: Grubgirl realizes the importance of buying foods with less harmful gunk on their skins. At the same time, organic food isn’t exactly super cheap. This cheat sheet helps remind you where you want to focus the spending of your grocery budget, since sometimes you don’t have to pay extra to get something organic.

Read the full post here...
March 6th, 2010

Cobram Estate Olive Oil from Australia

Who: Cobram Estate, an Australian olive oil maker specializing in extra virgin olive oils.
What: They’re debuting their olive oils in local supermarkets (check your local Lucky, first). They have several, including ones with infused flavors, with tastes ranging from light to robust.
Why: These olive oils are getting introduced to the US at an affordable price point, for the flavor and fresh taste that they’re providing. I was surprised to learn that a medium-sized bottle would be sold at the $8-9.50 price point — I would’ve expected it to be much more! If you use olive oil as a healthier cooking alternative and homemade salad dressing ingredient, Cobram Estate olive oil provides a fresher, great tasting, strong value alternative to the other grocery store options I’ve been using. Break out of a rut and try some of these out!
Other olive oil facts I learned from their specialists:
- Age: The taste of an olive oil doesn’t necessarily get better with age.
- Color: A darker color doesn’t always mean a stronger taste.
If you really want to check out how they harvest their olives, the Aussies have been hip enough to post a YouTube video about themselves:

light-delicate-largeWho: Cobram Estate, an Australian olive oil maker specializing in extra virgin olive oils.

What: They’re debuting their olive oils in local supermarkets (check your local Lucky, first). They have several, including ones with infused flavors, with tastes ranging from light to robust.

Read the full post here...
September 29th, 2009

Divisadero Meat Market: Meats at Great Prices

Divisadero Meat Market

Divisadero Meat Market
600 Divisadero St
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 921-6159
M-Sat: 8:30am – 6:00pm

What: A neighborhood butcher with great prices and friendly staff in a clean environment.
Why: The prices are low. I’m not sure what middleman is being cut out, but that’s ok with me. I’ve bought chicken breasts, ribeye meat steaks, and sausages there repeatedly, and they’re always fresh. The chicken breasts are huge – you’d think the chickens were of the Dolly Parton variety. The ribeye cuts are less thick than
the ones I’ve purchased at the more expensive places like Mollie Stone’s, but this just means they cook faster (at almost 50% less per pound). Also, note that they make no claims about providing locally-sourced, naturally-raised animals, but I figure this is still more fresh than something frozen or saran-wrapped at a big-box supermarket. It’s not glamorous – you won’t get the meats wrapped in waxed butcher paper, you’ll get each order in a thick plastic bag. But I’m ok without those fancy trappings if that helps keep costs down.
How: They’re open 6 days a week, and not late. I do my shopping there on Saturdays since I can’t usually get there before they close on weeknights. The employees are fun-loving Cantonese guys. Don’t worry, they all speak English, but if you’re looking for some rarely-requested cut of an animal, you may want to be ready to point to what part of the body it comes from. Next up for me? Oxtails.

What: A neighborhood butcher with great prices and friendly staff in a clean environment.

Why: The prices are low. I’m not sure what middleman is being cut out, but that’s ok with me. I’ve bought chicken breasts, ribeye meat steaks, and sausages there repeatedly, and they’re always fresh. The chicken breasts are huge – you’d think the chickens were of the Dolly Parton variety. The ribeye cuts are less thick than the ones I’ve purchased at the more expensive places like Mollie Stone’s, but this just means they cook faster (at almost 50% less cost per pound).

Read the full post here...
« Next page
 
 
SEO Powered by Platinum SEO from Techblissonline