Have you ever tried clean eating?

Options
1568101122

Replies

  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Options
    JaneSnowe wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    I would stay far far away from this then. It looks to be particularly dangerous. :s

    100_2424.JPG

    Ahh the evil baking soda... Used in rock quarries and grandmas chocolate chip cookies as well as that addictive KFC...

    Now I can finally stop wondering what the Colonel's addictive chemical is!


    spoiler alert: It's the sodium bicarbonate.
  • JaneSnowe
    JaneSnowe Posts: 1,283 Member
    Options
    JaneSnowe wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    I would stay far far away from this then. It looks to be particularly dangerous. :s

    100_2424.JPG

    Ahh the evil baking soda... Used in rock quarries and grandmas chocolate chip cookies as well as that addictive KFC...

    Now I can finally stop wondering what the Colonel's addictive chemical is!


    spoiler alert: It's the sodium bicarbonate.

    I'm so glad you linked that! I was going to go search for the thread about hating baking soda:smiley:
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Options
    My local supermarket is sabotaging my clean eating efforts!

    blbbi90p9rnk.jpg

    Omg I love this!
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Options
    My local supermarket is sabotaging my clean eating efforts!

    blbbi90p9rnk.jpg

    Lol
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
    Options
    My local supermarket is sabotaging my clean eating efforts!

    blbbi90p9rnk.jpg

    Omg I love this!

    That's funny....there are lots of ethnic foods I would have to sound out but would dive in and try it.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Options
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    rsleighty wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    rsleighty wrote: »
    I eat lots of fresh, one ingredient things. Cook from scratch as much as is practical . Whole grains as much as possible. But "clean" no. I enjoy an occasional diet soda, icecream when it fits into my calorie/saturated fat goals, chocolate, etc. Life should be lived, not endured. And, while I agree with the concept, I detest the term "clean eating ".

    I'm always curious about statements like the bolded. They seem to be in opposition to each other, as I can't think of a single thing that I cook that only has one ingredient. Even roasted veggies, I add olive oil, salt, pepper and other seasonings. Most things that I cook have lots of ingredients, and though I don't consider myself a clean eater, I can't imagine a life without soups, stews, sauces, etc... Or how eliminating them based on the fact that they have multiple components makes me healthier...

    What one ingredient things do you eat, other than maybe fruit?

    Maybe I should have said "one ingredient ingredients ". Sounded too complicated


    I always find this odd too, as when people ask for "clean eating" cookbooks (which if you mean just cooking from whole foods is basically every cookbook I have). When I cook from scratch, of course I typically use single ingredient, ingredients. I really don't think doing the semi-homemade (forget that woman's name, Sandra Lee?) is what most people think of re cooking. I think of roast veg with olive oil and salt (and maybe other seasonings), cook meat, cook starch side. If doing something more elaborate, it's still single ingredient ingredients for the most part (unless something like pasta which really is just flour and water and I could make at home but what difference does it make?). I'm always puzzled how it's assumed other people cook if not like this. Of course, I also don't think using something processed like pasta or flour or olive oil somehow makes my food less worth eating, so maybe we aren't on the same page.

    I really enjoy cooking from scratch but find it hard to fit in on busy week nights after working and running kids to any number of activities a. I hated that Sandra Lee show as I found her totally annoying especially her "tablescapes" but I liked the idea of it. I rely a lot on convenience foods to get dinner on the table but I still add my own seasoning or extra vegetables, so I guess I do some semi homemade cooking. It's funny though, when my husband and the kids say "thanks for cooking dinner mom" when I've thrown together some grilled chicken using a store bought marinade, a thing of ready rice, and some frozen vegetables, I always deflect and say "oh that's not really cooking" and my husband gets after me and says "you put dinner on the table, that's all that really matters". I always just chalked it up to my inability to take a compliment or just say "you're welcome" when someone thanks me for something I feel wasn't worthy of thanks...

    When I really cook, I use cookbooks or recipes that have single ingredients too, but I just find the mention of this interesting as a measure of "clean eating", the same way I find priding oneself on ignorance of how to pronounce ingredients curious.

    Oh, that makes sense (and I so agree about tablescapes, heh). Now that I think of it my mother (who has always hated cooking but did from scratch mostly when I was growing up) now tends to use the store-bought marinades and so on, whereas when my dad cooks (who likes it, but it's always been a hobby for him that he did occasionally -- probably not unrelated). I just sometimes get the impression that people think they are doing something super special or unusual to cook from scratch--again, like the idea that you need special cookbooks. That's why I have this need to say "you know it's just cooking, right? Lots of us do it without giving it a special name or patting ourselves on the back as if it's somehow not just normal cooking."
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Options
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    rsleighty wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    rsleighty wrote: »
    I eat lots of fresh, one ingredient things. Cook from scratch as much as is practical . Whole grains as much as possible. But "clean" no. I enjoy an occasional diet soda, icecream when it fits into my calorie/saturated fat goals, chocolate, etc. Life should be lived, not endured. And, while I agree with the concept, I detest the term "clean eating ".

    I'm always curious about statements like the bolded. They seem to be in opposition to each other, as I can't think of a single thing that I cook that only has one ingredient. Even roasted veggies, I add olive oil, salt, pepper and other seasonings. Most things that I cook have lots of ingredients, and though I don't consider myself a clean eater, I can't imagine a life without soups, stews, sauces, etc... Or how eliminating them based on the fact that they have multiple components makes me healthier...

    What one ingredient things do you eat, other than maybe fruit?

    Maybe I should have said "one ingredient ingredients ". Sounded too complicated


    I always find this odd too, as when people ask for "clean eating" cookbooks (which if you mean just cooking from whole foods is basically every cookbook I have). When I cook from scratch, of course I typically use single ingredient, ingredients. I really don't think doing the semi-homemade (forget that woman's name, Sandra Lee?) is what most people think of re cooking. I think of roast veg with olive oil and salt (and maybe other seasonings), cook meat, cook starch side. If doing something more elaborate, it's still single ingredient ingredients for the most part (unless something like pasta which really is just flour and water and I could make at home but what difference does it make?). I'm always puzzled how it's assumed other people cook if not like this. Of course, I also don't think using something processed like pasta or flour or olive oil somehow makes my food less worth eating, so maybe we aren't on the same page.

    Oh I have a bookshelf full of cookbooks purchased from schools, churches or charity organizations that are filled with recipes that include ingredients that are not single ingredient ingredients.

    Casseroles that use frozen hashbrowns or corn flakes. Numerous recipes that call for Cheez Whiz or Velveeta, canned cream of <something> soup, or sausage. Desserts that use packaged cookies, cake mixes, pudding or Jell-O.

    I know such cookbooks exist--I love weird cookbooks and have a few Iowa church cookbook from the '20s or some such, as well as a cookbook based on food in books by James Joyce, LOL and a ton of other weird things--but they aren't the main common cookbooks, IME. The idea that you have to seek out "clean eating" cookbooks is odd.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Options
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    rsleighty wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    rsleighty wrote: »
    I eat lots of fresh, one ingredient things. Cook from scratch as much as is practical . Whole grains as much as possible. But "clean" no. I enjoy an occasional diet soda, icecream when it fits into my calorie/saturated fat goals, chocolate, etc. Life should be lived, not endured. And, while I agree with the concept, I detest the term "clean eating ".

    I'm always curious about statements like the bolded. They seem to be in opposition to each other, as I can't think of a single thing that I cook that only has one ingredient. Even roasted veggies, I add olive oil, salt, pepper and other seasonings. Most things that I cook have lots of ingredients, and though I don't consider myself a clean eater, I can't imagine a life without soups, stews, sauces, etc... Or how eliminating them based on the fact that they have multiple components makes me healthier...

    What one ingredient things do you eat, other than maybe fruit?

    Maybe I should have said "one ingredient ingredients ". Sounded too complicated


    I always find this odd too, as when people ask for "clean eating" cookbooks (which if you mean just cooking from whole foods is basically every cookbook I have). When I cook from scratch, of course I typically use single ingredient, ingredients. I really don't think doing the semi-homemade (forget that woman's name, Sandra Lee?) is what most people think of re cooking. I think of roast veg with olive oil and salt (and maybe other seasonings), cook meat, cook starch side. If doing something more elaborate, it's still single ingredient ingredients for the most part (unless something like pasta which really is just flour and water and I could make at home but what difference does it make?). I'm always puzzled how it's assumed other people cook if not like this. Of course, I also don't think using something processed like pasta or flour or olive oil somehow makes my food less worth eating, so maybe we aren't on the same page.

    Oh I have a bookshelf full of cookbooks purchased from schools, churches or charity organizations that are filled with recipes that include ingredients that are not single ingredient ingredients.

    Casseroles that use frozen hashbrowns or corn flakes. Numerous recipes that call for Cheez Whiz or Velveeta, canned cream of <something> soup, or sausage. Desserts that use packaged cookies, cake mixes, pudding or Jell-O.

    I know such cookbooks exist--I love weird cookbooks and have a few Iowa church cookbook from the '20s or some such, as well as a cookbook based on food in books by James Joyce, LOL and a ton of other weird things--but they aren't the main common cookbooks, IME. The idea that you have to seek out "clean eating" cookbooks is odd.

    I don't know what is meant by "main common cookbooks" but my point was that a lot of people cook with ingredients that aren't single ingredient ingredients and wouldn't normally be considered clean. Cookbooks such as those from churches and schools are compiled from recipes parents, members and students regularly make.
  • tomk8
    tomk8 Posts: 27 Member
    Options
    I recently read an article that went against this. The author had a horrible experience and had very negative health consequences as a result. The article summed up with eating what your body needs :)
  • Ruatine
    Ruatine Posts: 3,424 Member
    Options
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    rsleighty wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    rsleighty wrote: »
    I eat lots of fresh, one ingredient things. Cook from scratch as much as is practical . Whole grains as much as possible. But "clean" no. I enjoy an occasional diet soda, icecream when it fits into my calorie/saturated fat goals, chocolate, etc. Life should be lived, not endured. And, while I agree with the concept, I detest the term "clean eating ".

    I'm always curious about statements like the bolded. They seem to be in opposition to each other, as I can't think of a single thing that I cook that only has one ingredient. Even roasted veggies, I add olive oil, salt, pepper and other seasonings. Most things that I cook have lots of ingredients, and though I don't consider myself a clean eater, I can't imagine a life without soups, stews, sauces, etc... Or how eliminating them based on the fact that they have multiple components makes me healthier...

    What one ingredient things do you eat, other than maybe fruit?

    Maybe I should have said "one ingredient ingredients ". Sounded too complicated


    I always find this odd too, as when people ask for "clean eating" cookbooks (which if you mean just cooking from whole foods is basically every cookbook I have). When I cook from scratch, of course I typically use single ingredient, ingredients. I really don't think doing the semi-homemade (forget that woman's name, Sandra Lee?) is what most people think of re cooking. I think of roast veg with olive oil and salt (and maybe other seasonings), cook meat, cook starch side. If doing something more elaborate, it's still single ingredient ingredients for the most part (unless something like pasta which really is just flour and water and I could make at home but what difference does it make?). I'm always puzzled how it's assumed other people cook if not like this. Of course, I also don't think using something processed like pasta or flour or olive oil somehow makes my food less worth eating, so maybe we aren't on the same page.

    Oh I have a bookshelf full of cookbooks purchased from schools, churches or charity organizations that are filled with recipes that include ingredients that are not single ingredient ingredients.

    Casseroles that use frozen hashbrowns or corn flakes. Numerous recipes that call for Cheez Whiz or Velveeta, canned cream of <something> soup, or sausage. Desserts that use packaged cookies, cake mixes, pudding or Jell-O.

    I know such cookbooks exist--I love weird cookbooks and have a few Iowa church cookbook from the '20s or some such, as well as a cookbook based on food in books by James Joyce, LOL and a ton of other weird things--but they aren't the main common cookbooks, IME. The idea that you have to seek out "clean eating" cookbooks is odd.

    I don't know what is meant by "main common cookbooks" but my point was that a lot of people cook with ingredients that aren't single ingredient ingredients and wouldn't normally be considered clean. Cookbooks such as those from churches and schools are compiled from recipes parents, members and students regularly make.

    Bittman, Julia Child, stuff like that.

    Those product-based recipes are typically from the back of the product, not a standard cookbook.

    Maybe I'm naive, but most people I know primarily cook using whole ingredients, not Ritz crackers. They will also use convenience foods on occasion (or even regularly for lunch), sure, but I find it odd that some seem to think that normal cooking, cooking from whole foods, is something special and different that needs a self-congratulatory name. I just think of it as cooking.

    Aww, this threw me back to when my grandfather would make his "famous" stuffed mushrooms. Ritz crackers were an important ingredient in the stuffing, and it had to be Ritz, no off-brand would do.

    I get what you're saying. I think there's probably a (small) subset of people that cook using convenience foods or non-one ingredient ingredients. Same as there is a (smaller) subset of people that don't really cook at all and just go out to eat all the time or just eat pre-packaged foods. I don't think cooking from "whole" ingredients needs a special name either - it's just cooking from scratch.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    Options
    I eat/drink anything that fits my macros daily and have excellent result if I'm bulking or on a cut. Ice cream, pastries, burgers, whiskey it's all clean in my book.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Options
    Yes. But I define it as not eating anything I couldn't replicate at home. So I could make my own butter, but never margarine etc. People argue a lot about definitions on here but it's just semantics. The same as one person's 'healthy' eating could be completely different from someone else's.

    You can make a lot of things at home, depending on how much effort you want to put in it.

    And your point is?

    The point is that that is a poor argument. You can make a good number of "processed foods" at home.
    Bread, cheese, pasta, all are processed foods, you can make all of those at home.
    Even junk food, chips, gummy bears, ice cream, whatever. You can make them if you care about it.

    Number one its not an 'argument'. Number two who mentioned 'processed foods'? I said you cannot create margarine at home. You can make chips at home (slice potatoes, fry in lard). No you cannot replicate gummi Bears therefore I do not eat them. I make my own bread from my own starter. I'm not sure why your arguing with me about this as yes, I can replicate a lot of things at home. But I can't make Oreos in my kitchen from the listed ingredients so I don't eat them. It's actually a pretty standard definition of 'clean' eating even though you don't understand it.

    It's not really though. TBH, it is the first time I've heard "clean eating" described like that. The problem with "clean" eating is there is no standard definition.

    As I mentioned, I used to follow the Tosco Reno version. Lean protein, brown rice, quinoa, veggies, dairy etc. Paleo is protein, not necessarily lean, no grains, no dairy, low fruit, lots of veg, certain oils and nuts. I think Dr Furhman (but can't recall for sure) has a vegetarian version where clean is no meant, lots of grains, veggies, etc.

    All of those are contradictory and none of them mention anything about only eating what you can make at home.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,149 Member
    Options
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    rsleighty wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    rsleighty wrote: »
    I eat lots of fresh, one ingredient things. Cook from scratch as much as is practical . Whole grains as much as possible. But "clean" no. I enjoy an occasional diet soda, icecream when it fits into my calorie/saturated fat goals, chocolate, etc. Life should be lived, not endured. And, while I agree with the concept, I detest the term "clean eating ".

    I'm always curious about statements like the bolded. They seem to be in opposition to each other, as I can't think of a single thing that I cook that only has one ingredient. Even roasted veggies, I add olive oil, salt, pepper and other seasonings. Most things that I cook have lots of ingredients, and though I don't consider myself a clean eater, I can't imagine a life without soups, stews, sauces, etc... Or how eliminating them based on the fact that they have multiple components makes me healthier...

    What one ingredient things do you eat, other than maybe fruit?

    Maybe I should have said "one ingredient ingredients ". Sounded too complicated


    I always find this odd too, as when people ask for "clean eating" cookbooks (which if you mean just cooking from whole foods is basically every cookbook I have). When I cook from scratch, of course I typically use single ingredient, ingredients. I really don't think doing the semi-homemade (forget that woman's name, Sandra Lee?) is what most people think of re cooking. I think of roast veg with olive oil and salt (and maybe other seasonings), cook meat, cook starch side. If doing something more elaborate, it's still single ingredient ingredients for the most part (unless something like pasta which really is just flour and water and I could make at home but what difference does it make?). I'm always puzzled how it's assumed other people cook if not like this. Of course, I also don't think using something processed like pasta or flour or olive oil somehow makes my food less worth eating, so maybe we aren't on the same page.

    Oh I have a bookshelf full of cookbooks purchased from schools, churches or charity organizations that are filled with recipes that include ingredients that are not single ingredient ingredients.

    Casseroles that use frozen hashbrowns or corn flakes. Numerous recipes that call for Cheez Whiz or Velveeta, canned cream of <something> soup, or sausage. Desserts that use packaged cookies, cake mixes, pudding or Jell-O.

    I know such cookbooks exist--I love weird cookbooks and have a few Iowa church cookbook from the '20s or some such, as well as a cookbook based on food in books by James Joyce, LOL and a ton of other weird things--but they aren't the main common cookbooks, IME. The idea that you have to seek out "clean eating" cookbooks is odd.

    I don't know what is meant by "main common cookbooks" but my point was that a lot of people cook with ingredients that aren't single ingredient ingredients and wouldn't normally be considered clean. Cookbooks such as those from churches and schools are compiled from recipes parents, members and students regularly make.

    Bittman, Julia Child, stuff like that.

    Those product-based recipes are typically from the back of the product, not a standard cookbook.

    Maybe I'm naive, but most people I know primarily cook using whole ingredients, not Ritz crackers. They will also use convenience foods on occasion (or even regularly for lunch), sure, but I find it odd that some seem to think that normal cooking, cooking from whole foods, is something special and different that needs a self-congratulatory name. I just think of it as cooking.

    Speaking of that Ritz cracker thing ... there's a pie that is, apparently, made from Ritz crackers.

    Evidently it is apple flavoured and I've heard you buy a pie shell, a package of the cheapest Ritz crackers (or look-alikes) that you can find, and the cheapest sugar laden apple beverage that you can find. You soak the Ritz crackers in the apple beverage, then plop the whole mess into the pie shell, and maybe add some more sugar and cinnamon and bake it.

    It's supposed to taste just like apple pie ... without all the hassle of cutting up fresh apples.


    Even though I've heard about this pie from several people, and I'm told it is a poor person's alternative to buying fresh produce, I can't get the word "WHY???" out of my head.

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Options
    Machka9 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    rsleighty wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    rsleighty wrote: »
    I eat lots of fresh, one ingredient things. Cook from scratch as much as is practical . Whole grains as much as possible. But "clean" no. I enjoy an occasional diet soda, icecream when it fits into my calorie/saturated fat goals, chocolate, etc. Life should be lived, not endured. And, while I agree with the concept, I detest the term "clean eating ".

    I'm always curious about statements like the bolded. They seem to be in opposition to each other, as I can't think of a single thing that I cook that only has one ingredient. Even roasted veggies, I add olive oil, salt, pepper and other seasonings. Most things that I cook have lots of ingredients, and though I don't consider myself a clean eater, I can't imagine a life without soups, stews, sauces, etc... Or how eliminating them based on the fact that they have multiple components makes me healthier...

    What one ingredient things do you eat, other than maybe fruit?

    Maybe I should have said "one ingredient ingredients ". Sounded too complicated


    I always find this odd too, as when people ask for "clean eating" cookbooks (which if you mean just cooking from whole foods is basically every cookbook I have). When I cook from scratch, of course I typically use single ingredient, ingredients. I really don't think doing the semi-homemade (forget that woman's name, Sandra Lee?) is what most people think of re cooking. I think of roast veg with olive oil and salt (and maybe other seasonings), cook meat, cook starch side. If doing something more elaborate, it's still single ingredient ingredients for the most part (unless something like pasta which really is just flour and water and I could make at home but what difference does it make?). I'm always puzzled how it's assumed other people cook if not like this. Of course, I also don't think using something processed like pasta or flour or olive oil somehow makes my food less worth eating, so maybe we aren't on the same page.

    Oh I have a bookshelf full of cookbooks purchased from schools, churches or charity organizations that are filled with recipes that include ingredients that are not single ingredient ingredients.

    Casseroles that use frozen hashbrowns or corn flakes. Numerous recipes that call for Cheez Whiz or Velveeta, canned cream of <something> soup, or sausage. Desserts that use packaged cookies, cake mixes, pudding or Jell-O.

    I know such cookbooks exist--I love weird cookbooks and have a few Iowa church cookbook from the '20s or some such, as well as a cookbook based on food in books by James Joyce, LOL and a ton of other weird things--but they aren't the main common cookbooks, IME. The idea that you have to seek out "clean eating" cookbooks is odd.

    I don't know what is meant by "main common cookbooks" but my point was that a lot of people cook with ingredients that aren't single ingredient ingredients and wouldn't normally be considered clean. Cookbooks such as those from churches and schools are compiled from recipes parents, members and students regularly make.

    Bittman, Julia Child, stuff like that.

    Those product-based recipes are typically from the back of the product, not a standard cookbook.

    Maybe I'm naive, but most people I know primarily cook using whole ingredients, not Ritz crackers. They will also use convenience foods on occasion (or even regularly for lunch), sure, but I find it odd that some seem to think that normal cooking, cooking from whole foods, is something special and different that needs a self-congratulatory name. I just think of it as cooking.

    Speaking of that Ritz cracker thing ... there's a pie that is, apparently, made from Ritz crackers.

    Evidently it is apple flavoured and I've heard you buy a pie shell, a package of the cheapest Ritz crackers (or look-alikes) that you can find, and the cheapest sugar laden apple beverage that you can find. You soak the Ritz crackers in the apple beverage, then plop the whole mess into the pie shell, and maybe add some more sugar and cinnamon and bake it.

    It's supposed to taste just like apple pie ... without all the hassle of cutting up fresh apples.


    Even though I've heard about this pie from several people, and I'm told it is a poor person's alternative to buying fresh produce, I can't get the word "WHY???" out of my head.

    Heh, that's actually one of the things I was thinking of. Mock apple pie. It was on the back of the Ritz box at times during my childhood: http://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/recipe-ritz-mock-apple-pie-8212-an-old-time-favorite/

    We never made that, but we did make rice crispy treats, of course, and back then you had to make them yourself, they weren't sold as a separate product, but a recipe on the back of the cereal box.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,149 Member
    edited July 2016
    Options
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Machka9 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    rsleighty wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    rsleighty wrote: »
    I eat lots of fresh, one ingredient things. Cook from scratch as much as is practical . Whole grains as much as possible. But "clean" no. I enjoy an occasional diet soda, icecream when it fits into my calorie/saturated fat goals, chocolate, etc. Life should be lived, not endured. And, while I agree with the concept, I detest the term "clean eating ".

    I'm always curious about statements like the bolded. They seem to be in opposition to each other, as I can't think of a single thing that I cook that only has one ingredient. Even roasted veggies, I add olive oil, salt, pepper and other seasonings. Most things that I cook have lots of ingredients, and though I don't consider myself a clean eater, I can't imagine a life without soups, stews, sauces, etc... Or how eliminating them based on the fact that they have multiple components makes me healthier...

    What one ingredient things do you eat, other than maybe fruit?

    Maybe I should have said "one ingredient ingredients ". Sounded too complicated


    I always find this odd too, as when people ask for "clean eating" cookbooks (which if you mean just cooking from whole foods is basically every cookbook I have). When I cook from scratch, of course I typically use single ingredient, ingredients. I really don't think doing the semi-homemade (forget that woman's name, Sandra Lee?) is what most people think of re cooking. I think of roast veg with olive oil and salt (and maybe other seasonings), cook meat, cook starch side. If doing something more elaborate, it's still single ingredient ingredients for the most part (unless something like pasta which really is just flour and water and I could make at home but what difference does it make?). I'm always puzzled how it's assumed other people cook if not like this. Of course, I also don't think using something processed like pasta or flour or olive oil somehow makes my food less worth eating, so maybe we aren't on the same page.

    Oh I have a bookshelf full of cookbooks purchased from schools, churches or charity organizations that are filled with recipes that include ingredients that are not single ingredient ingredients.

    Casseroles that use frozen hashbrowns or corn flakes. Numerous recipes that call for Cheez Whiz or Velveeta, canned cream of <something> soup, or sausage. Desserts that use packaged cookies, cake mixes, pudding or Jell-O.

    I know such cookbooks exist--I love weird cookbooks and have a few Iowa church cookbook from the '20s or some such, as well as a cookbook based on food in books by James Joyce, LOL and a ton of other weird things--but they aren't the main common cookbooks, IME. The idea that you have to seek out "clean eating" cookbooks is odd.

    I don't know what is meant by "main common cookbooks" but my point was that a lot of people cook with ingredients that aren't single ingredient ingredients and wouldn't normally be considered clean. Cookbooks such as those from churches and schools are compiled from recipes parents, members and students regularly make.

    Bittman, Julia Child, stuff like that.

    Those product-based recipes are typically from the back of the product, not a standard cookbook.

    Maybe I'm naive, but most people I know primarily cook using whole ingredients, not Ritz crackers. They will also use convenience foods on occasion (or even regularly for lunch), sure, but I find it odd that some seem to think that normal cooking, cooking from whole foods, is something special and different that needs a self-congratulatory name. I just think of it as cooking.

    Speaking of that Ritz cracker thing ... there's a pie that is, apparently, made from Ritz crackers.

    Evidently it is apple flavoured and I've heard you buy a pie shell, a package of the cheapest Ritz crackers (or look-alikes) that you can find, and the cheapest sugar laden apple beverage that you can find. You soak the Ritz crackers in the apple beverage, then plop the whole mess into the pie shell, and maybe add some more sugar and cinnamon and bake it.

    It's supposed to taste just like apple pie ... without all the hassle of cutting up fresh apples.


    Even though I've heard about this pie from several people, and I'm told it is a poor person's alternative to buying fresh produce, I can't get the word "WHY???" out of my head.

    Heh, that's actually one of the things I was thinking of. Mock apple pie. It was on the back of the Ritz box at times during my childhood: http://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/recipe-ritz-mock-apple-pie-8212-an-old-time-favorite/

    We never made that, but we did make rice crispy treats, of course, and back then you had to make them yourself, they weren't sold as a separate product, but a recipe on the back of the cereal box.

    That's the pie ... however, the people I know who made it did it with the apple juice instead of lemon juice, although there might have been a bit of lemon in it.

    Yep, I've made rice crispy squares too. Those were the days!! :) Oh dear ... now I've got an urge to make some again.



  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Options
    That's how I feel. Why not just try to eat a nutritious diet. If you want to avoid lots of preservatives or additives or products that have lots of calories from added sugar or fat, read labels.

    Like I said upthread, stuff like only shop the perimeter or don't eat what you can't pronounce make me feel like I'm assumed to be stupid and dysfunctional and unable to see something in the grocery store and understand what it is.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
    Options
    When a universal definition finally manifests I'll let you know...