Long live the butcher!

I was watching a news story the other day about the 'apparent' general freak-out of the country’s parents who no longer know what to give their children for school lunches (thanks to the infamous and tragic Maple Leaf Foods fiasco)… I’m paraphrasing, but the lady being interviewed said something like “we can’t send them to school with peanut butter, and now no ham...we’re kinda running out of options.” The next story was a nutritionist proposing some alternatives-and the camera cut to a can of black beans, some nutri-something soy chunks ‘that you can stuff in a pita or flavor with chilies or whatever your child likes’)…good lord! Are those the only options? From over-processed nitrate-ridden meat (some of which I also miss dearly) to mind bending (at least for some pickier little ones), possibly time consuming, nouveau (and maybe GMO) headache-producers?

I agree that getting more black beans into a child’s diet is an excellent idea (Go taco night!), but everything that nutritionist proudly displayed on her table made me go “ugh, too much work…next!)-and I’m a single with time to kill!

Here’s my suggestions folks (and if you need recipes/tips, for gods sake, email me):
Roast your own beef
Make your own meatloaf
Cook your own chicken or turkey breasts
…cut ‘em up thinly, and voila...crisis averted!

I promise you, with the possible exception of the meatloaf (which is worth jazzing up), we’re usually talking something as simple as unwrap x meat, wash it, throw salt and pepper on it, and bake (or hell, slow-cooker the bugger if you have to go out.)

Not to mention, Maple Leaf is not the only meat supplier in the world. No longer trust the multinational to supply you safe food? Go see a butcher-I promised every city will have one…better still, find a farmer…they still care what they put in front of their hungry families, and they know their stuff.

And here’s my handy–dandy tip of the week.
Precooked your own bacon.
(This one’s so easy you’ll wonder why you haven’t always done it!)
Spread the whole package of bacon on a cookie sheet (its ok if they overlap, but better if they don’t), turn on the oven to 350C, pop it in, and set a timer for 15 minutes. When the timer goes off, check it. If they’re not crispy enough, put ‘em back in and set the timer for another 5. Remember to undercook them just a little because when you reheat them you can finish the cooking. When you’re happy with them, take them out, let them cool, and throw them in a long flat container in the fridge. They’ll keep in the fridge for at least a week, but the temptation of having 2-second bacon every morning may not allow them to last that long. (When I do this its toasted bacon and tomato sandwiches daily until the piggies run dry).

…but if you’re still stuck, email me. Healthy, tasty food need not be scary-and that’s what friends are for.