tip: 365 GARBANZO BEANS

Normally I wouldn't recommend anything that comes in a can.  The reason being that most canned items are loaded with sodium because they are meant to last a long time on the shelf.  HOWEVER, the 365 Brand made by Whole Foods has their own line of canned beans that has no added salt!  Check it out...

As you can see on the nutritional panel there is only 10mg of sodium per serving.  Most canned beans have anywhere from 200mg - 400mg per serving!  I could bloat and have a heart attack just thinking about it!

Beans are a great source of protein, especially if you are vegetarian.  But they can be time consuming to make, so that's why these canned beans are such a good find.  Just pop open the can and you're ready (although I do like to run them under some water before I eat them).  They are a great addition to a salad, they are perfect for making hummus, and they can even add thickness to a soup or sauce (recipes to come!).

Bonus, they are only $0.99!

GTBB,
Bad Joan

tip: SPROUTED GRAIN BREAD

It's not carbs that are the devil, it's flour.   Wheat, white, and all-purpose flour are all delicious but they are just empty calories, they don't have nutrients that your body can use.  Which is why you should eat sprouted grain bread.  Sprouted grain breads are made from whole grains, they do not have flour, they are easier for your body to digest and breakdown, and they are much higher in vitamins and fiber.  In other words, they are made up of carbs and calories that your body can use!

I will admit that a lot of sprouted grain breads taste like cardboard.  But I found a brand that I really like, Alvarado Street Bakery.  They offer several different types of sliced bread including whole wheat, sourdough and multi grain, and they are all delicious.  This makes the perfect sandwich bread so at the very least when you are at home making your own meal you can make a better choice for yourself! 

GTBB,
Bad Joan

tip: CRUMBLE AND SHRED YOUR CHEESE

I love cheese but I definitely think it is something to be enjoyed in moderation.  While it is high in calories there are a lot of valuable nutrients like calcium, Vitamin A, zinc, etc. The calories can be put to good use so that doesn't bother me as much as the fact that cheese is generally a heavily processed food and I am a believer in eating food as close to the source as possible. 

That said when I do buy cheese I never buy pre-crumbled or pre-shredded cheese and here are the reasons:

1. It's a waste of money.  Buying a block of cheese gives you way more bang for your buck!  I find that a block of cheese is half the price and yields 2 to 3 times more cheese than pre-shredded or pre-crumbled.  Don't get ripped off!
2. When a cheese is pre-shredded or pre-crumbled certain ingredients are added to keep the cheese from "caking" or sticking together.  These ingredients are usually things like powdered cellulose, calcium carbonate and/or starch.  These ingredients are considered "naturally occurring."  PS - everything starts out as a "naturally occurring" substance, and then it gets altered.  Bottom line, even if these ingredients were once natural they have been altered from their natural state in order to keep your cheese looking pretty for a long time after being crumbled or shredded.  Which leads to you ingesting these ingredients for no good reason.  It's one more thing that your body does not need and cannot make use of so why eat it?

Crumbling and shredding your own cheese takes a whole minute longer than if you bought it pre-shredded or pre-crumbled.  

"It's good to be Bad"... not Lazy!

GTBB,
Bad Joan

GTBB,
Bad Joan

tip: OAT FLOUR

There is no denying that all-purpose flour turns out some pretty delicious baked goods.  But it is also made up of mainly "empty calories."  Sometimes you just need a few empty calories in life, we've all been there!  But if you cook a lot for yourself, and if you love baked goods as much as I do, than you might think about exploring flour substitutes in order to make those calories count for something instead of just taking up space on your thighs!

A lot of alternate flours can be tricky and require a lot of math and experimenting in order to figure out the right quantities.  However, oat flour is wonderful because you can just plug it right into any recipe without having to change the quantity!  It will substitute 1 = 1 for any recipe that calls for all-purpose flour.  This is great news because oat flour is higher in both fiber (which will help your body break down those pesky carbs) and protein than all-purpose flour. 

I personally like to use Bob's Red Mill Whole Grain Oat Flour which consists of finely ground oats and nothing else.  You can buy it in bulk online at the link above or in smaller packages at your local Whole Foods or other health food markets.

*IMPORTANT: Oat flour does have a slightly different taste than all-purpose flour.  While you can substitute the quantity without any problem, it will give a different flavor to your baked goods.  I often prefer the oat flour flavor, but it does not work with everything.  You just have to experiment in order to find out which recipes work with this flavor and which do not!


GTBB,
Bad Joan

tip: SHOP IN A SMALL PRODUCE STORE

First things first, you need a place to buy produce.  If you live in Los Angeles there are lot of small/local produces stores to choose from.  On Fairfax between Beverly and Melrose as well as on Pico just east of Robertson.  Personally, I love the Three Amigos on Fairfax and Rosewood.  The "three amigos" are friendly and helpful, and I like their selection.... 

The benefits of these types of stores are twofold... 1) they are about half the price of shopping in a regular supermarket and 2) their product is fresher and uses less sprays and chemicals. 

These stores generally sell wholesale/bulk to restaurants and therefore turnaround product quickly.  This allows them to charge less and the products don't need to have such a long shelf life or look "pretty" and shiny like they do in the supermarket.   

If you are not in Los Angeles but want to find a store like this near you I suggest doing some research and finding out where your local restaurants buy their produce.  Or if you know of a local produce store in your area post about in the comments section here so that others in your area can find it!

Okay, let's start cooking... and eating!

GTBB,
Bad Joan