What is the cost of your food?

I was walking through No Frills with Norah this morning when I realized that I don’t buy much in the way of prepared foods. Lasagna, pizza, frozen hors d’oeuvres, chicken fingers/nuggets/buddies, packaged diet meals and their cousins in the “Heat and Eat” family.

Why would I not buy those convenient foods? I have a busy/hectic full-time job and a newborn baby at home. Why would I not want to buy the easy and inexpensive food? How much is my time worth? How much is my health worth?

My time? Well, I know I’m not the norm in that I love to cook and bake. Throw that out the window. Let’s pretend that I don’t mind cooking, and do it when I have to, in order to eat healthy and nutritious, instead of Salty, Fatty, Preservatives and Additives. Let’s face it, most prepared food are loaded with sodium, saturated fats and chemicals with more syllables than anyone knows what to do with. And last time I checked, this wasn't the way to have a healthy life. (I also have a feeling that processed/prepared foods probably contribute to a lot of "modern" diseases)

Second, how much does the food cost? Sure, it’s cheap. FOR A REASON!!! If the food doesn’t cost much to produce, then why would it cost more to sell to you, the consumer?

Let’s assume it’s a meat-based product.

If you take care of an animal the way that animals should be taken care of, then it’s going to cost money. Prepared foods use industrial meat. Industrial meat is rife with issues like poor taste, poor nutritional value, and the possibility of containing steroids, hormones and antibiotics. Depending on what the meat is, and where it’s from. (Do you know where the meat in your prepared foods is from?)

Any time that a store is selling you something for $1, how much do you think it cost them? Less! And the distributor? LESS! And the original producer/seller? EVEN LESS!!! So, cheap food is just that. Cheap. Look up the word in the dictionary if you’re unclear of why I’m using it in a negative context here. I’m not saying frugal, penny-pinching, bargain hunter, or anything positive. C-H-E-A-P!

What can one make that doesn’t involve much effort or skill, and tastes great? Make a pesto by toasting some nuts, letting them cool and then adding them into a blender/food processor with a chopped up green herb (basil or parsley or cilantro), fresh garlic, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and parmesan cheese, or another hard/aged cheese like reggiano or asiago. Put it into smaller containers and freeze. They can be mixed with rice, couscous, pasta or quinoa, all of which are very easy to make. Toss in some veggies and you’re set. Add some protein, like a grilled piece of meat or fish, or shrimp, or leftover whatever. Et voila. FOOD!

Real food.

Tomato sauce? Real simple. In a saucepan, over medium heat put some oil and diced onion and garlic in and cook until the onion is soft. Add diced tomatoes (fresh, or canned without salt) and continue to cook. Add an herb – basil, oregano, parsley.....along with some sea salt, fresh black pepper and some balsamic vinegar (red wine vinegar, or red wine will also work just fine!) and let it simmer, covered. Serve with any of the above, or blend with some pesto for something a little different. This sauce can be cooled and mixed together with tuna for a healthy and easy lunch option too. Put it into smaller containers and freeze for use at a later date.

Real food isn’t rocket science, and doesn’t take long at all. Cooking is seriously simple, and the reality is that if you cook and bake, you’ll be teaching your children the skills they need to look after themselves. I know we don’t all have children, but we should all be cooking, or at the very least eating real food.

Yes, I’m a parent and a teacher. But I’m also someone who benefits from the fact that I feel better about myself knowing that my wife and daughter are connected to their food and where it comes from. From me. And in many cases I know where the food is coming from otherwise, as I buy my meat from a farmer.

In closing, I hear a lot about how eating locally, ethically and sustainably is too expensive for everyone to do. And to a certain extent, yes that’s true. But, it’s certainly not difficult to cut down on buying prepared/packaged foods that are loaded with low nutritional value ingredients, chemicals and additives and wrapped in plastics that we just don’t need. I try very hard not to buy products in plastic.

Oh, and please watch this:

http://tinyurl.com/4g3jt9w

I think my new man crush is on Michael Symon.

d.