sorry for the space I’m taking up trying to post the link, which does not want to link!
the starter is YOGOURMET
Henry used to make yogurt with raw milk. Jilly makes it now; also with raw milk.
Growing up with, "health nut", Henry, nutrition has always been a focus for me. I've been cooking for my family and then some, since I was eight years old. I'm good at it by now!
Henry taught us to read labels in the 1960's. He also taught us about food dyes and such. I've never drank soda, and don't like it at all, or anything else that tastes artificial.
My favorite, Henry lesson, was when he took a wrapped loaf of Rainbo bread. He twisted it, into a tight rope and tied it in a knot.
I have never eaten commercial white bread in my life. This includes lunches at school, because we did not eat lunch at school, because we had no money.
I've been gardening and canning for more than 15 years. I hate garbage food and I'm astonished, most live on it.
@elsa This is awesome and so thought-provoking.
In addition, I can get ahold of raw milk. I don’t drink much milk, myself anymore (my husband likes his certain milk). But I would definitely use it for the yogurt. The raw milk is healthier and I want to support these farms.
I have so many thoughts on school lunches but won’t go much into it. We were not poor but school lunch was seen as a treat or extra because my mother made our lunches (and later we did) because wtf wouldn’t you just make a lunch? It was kind of unthinkable, even among lower middle class families.
My mother baked a lot so we didn’t have store bought cookies or anything. She had us helping her when we were little, then we would just do it. My mom was a stay at home mom up until we were in middle school/early high school and then it was just a part time job in a bakery or cleaning houses.
Lots of the things she cooked or baked were things she learned from my grandmother and her grandmother. She also put up jams, tomatoes, pickles. It was just something they did.
So there is a lot to appreciate. But you have such a strong foundation with your grandfather’s wisdom. Food quality has only gotten worse for a variety of reasons so that information and background is gold.
@allie120 Yes, I'm like a poor snob. I can't believe the trash people eat.
I have been aware of avoiding the middle aisles of a grocery store, for decades. I buy protein and veggies and fruit...less veggies, more fruit, as I both garden, but also eat more with the seasons here... because they give you no choice?
I was accustomed to getting anything at any time, in the city. They do what's in season here, 80% anyway. I've morphed.
@elsa Hey, it works! 😄
I think about things like bananas. Again, another thing I rarely eat because I’m super picky about them and so I just don’t eat them. But my husband loves them. Like two a day. So I’m always buying bananas. They’re relatively cheap (although not like before!). But they’re always available at every time all year. Only one time have I ever not seen any and that was because we had a massive, crippling snowstorm that prevented food deliveries for several days. But doesn’t that seem like a lot of energy to send bananas all over, all year, every day? I’m a free market gal and if you have a banana farm then I hope you do well but I have bigger questions.
@allie120 Well, bananas grown in warm climates, so readily available year round. I've thought about it too, though.
But I shop in season. Peaches are in season,,, was cherries.
Satori lives in farm country. This has also raised my awareness.
Pear season is coming in now. Apples, next.
@elsa Yes our pears are ready now. I only learned last year that they ripen off the tree. As in, don’t wait for them to ripen on the tree!
We have apples now and peaches!
i love all this information!
@allie120 if you happen to have Apple TV, this series is so good!!!
@cocopeaches omg that’s wild! Thank you!
Back ages ago my sister was dating a guy from Uraguay and she went there with him. She said the bananas were really different than what we see here. Also, I think the native or original ones have big seeds.
I will see if I can watch that!
In my 1960s school, the hot lunch menu was distributed monthly. I really enjoyed some meals -- stew, hash, soups, Stroganoff, American chop suey, turkey, lasagna -- and the little bowls of Montmorency cherries. Hot lunch was 35 or 45 cents, a good value really. On days showing something yucky, my SAH mom would make me a sandwich plus celery sticks, cookies, and fruit, and I'd buy a little bottle of milk with the round cardboard stopper for a nickel. The hot lunch ladies were all so round and red-cheeked and jolly!
@warped I think ours was weekly (I started school in 1970). I think milk was 2 cents but I don’t remember much else. We always had the same, sandwich, celery or carrots. Some kids had chips with their lunch but we never did. And sometimes we brought soup.
Middle and high school was a choice of one school lunch per week if we wanted so it was usually pizza. But we still mostly brought.
Wow, two cent milk! I did bring a Thermos in my red plaid metal lunch box in winter, half filled with milk with a little coffee in it, to take off the chill -- I must have complained about being too cold for cold milk. I was always paranoid that the glass inside would break and I'd be drinking glass!
The big drawback of hot lunch was having to gulp it down so fast after having to wait in line for it!
@warped LOL I had the metal plaid lunchbox and thermos, too! I don’t remember if we bought the milk every day or just once in awhile. Chocolate milk was maybe 3 or 4 cents and we weren’t allowed to have it (and only had the 2 cents).
Two cents because it had to be subsidized, I’m sure. It went up over time and then we got off the gold standard. 🤷🏻♀️
There was definitely no chocolate milk available, nor soda or juice drinks. Neither snacks nor subsidies had reached us yet. Some teachers would line right up with the kids for lunches and eat at a table where they could keep an eye on the crowd.
@warped There was just the milk, yes. I think the milk was that price because it was a public school, hence subsidized by government funds.
I think there were vending machines in the high school but the school lunches were still the same, no sodas, etc.
They didn’t have breakfasts then either but I think some schools have had them for a couple decades, maybe? Schools have taken over many family tasks.
Hey Allie,
To be so successful at power lifting I’d imagine your diet would be very important (to maintain muscle mass, keep strong etc).
What’s your secret dietary weapon 😄?
Do you have any suggestions for what women in my age group (50+), should perhaps consume more of to retain our strength and energy?
@hades-moon Oh I really focus on my protein intake. And if you use an app to track, it can break down your macros (carbs, protein, fat). There are also sites online that will calculate (of course it’s an estimate but it a start) you calorie requirements and your macros.
Protein is good for building, maintaining, repairing muscle, carbs for energy, fats for organ function and hormone transport. That’s super basic and a starting point.
I would focus on protein. It’s also more satiating. Also hydration. Things start to fall in place when you get rolling.
@allie120 Thanks. Yeah, I definitely find protein satisfying. There is room for me to increase my intake, so I will try.
I have used a calorie counting app in the past which adjusted intake requirements according to energy expenditure. This is where technology is positive/handy.
@hades-moon Yes the adjustments are really useful. I find when I meet my protein requirements (or get close) I feel better. Sometimes I find it difficult and I do add protein powder (it’s versatile).
I never knew how much I needed until I started training and reading about it.
@allie120 I’m definitely going to work on this. It’s interesting that you said that you even feel better when you consume more protein.
Yeah, I’ll try to get it naturally first but as you mentioned, it’s good to know I have powder as back up 👍.
@hades-moon I’d love updates from you and anyone on it! Many times I will meal prep my lunches, in a way, by making chicken thighs for the week.
A general rule of thumb is .8 - 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. I don’t think this is the rule if someone is 300# and wants to lose weight, though because that seems excessive. But more protein is ok if one exercises strenuously.
I’m in no way a dietitian so I would check reliable resources, your own experimentation, and/or a doctor for clarification.
@allie120 Yes, I’ll definitely keep you updated. I think, like you, I’ll meal prep in advance. It’s important to have what I need at my fingertips in order to do it & commit to it. I’ll take on board your advice and combine it with some research to customise it to my activity and weight.
I’m enjoying this thread. I’m going to order the yogurt starter, my instapot has a yogurt function that I want to try. Thanks for the tips here.
@myrna Me, too!
I don’t have an instapot but I see you can make yogurt in a crockpot so I am giving that a try next week. There’s so much fair season happening now that’s what we’re doing this weekend 🥳😍, in advance of our anniversary.
@myrna I've made yogurt in the instapot and it works like a charm! I would like to do it more often. Hope you have fun giving it a shot!