Cooking with Jennifer

[sunsunsun]

@Jennifer thanks, i appreciate your contributions

[Jennifer]

@Mossy, beyond any nutritional benefit, do you like potatoes better with the skin or without it? I cook them with the skin on and peel them while eating them because I don’t like the tartness of the skin, but peeling raw tiny potatoes is a hassle. One of the beauties of cooking them in the microwave is that the flesh shrinks and pulls away from the skin, making them easy for me to peel.

LOL And to think 300 is just a baby when compared to farms in Europe. The main lesson I took from Kervran’s work and what Ray said is how resourceful, and remarkable, really, the body is. It reinforced this inner knowing I had, but due to fear struggled to believe, that I don’t have to micromanage my body, get every last nutrient covered or “balanced” to be my healthiest and thrive.

I get the NestFresh eggs in an 18 pack and the cost comes out to $7 a dozen, which is comparable to other pastured eggs here, but I can only get them at Whole Foods and one other market so they’re not the easiest to come by.

Out of curiosity, if you don’t mind sharing, what is your ancestry? I think plantains are a great compliment to meat, too. I’m a fan of the fruit (juice) and animal protein combination, myself. Out of all the combinations I’ve tried, it’s my favorite, hands down. I get carnivore benefits like satiation, a calm gut, clear head, effortless muscles and strong bones, teeth and nails with fruitarian benefits like sustained energy, good hydration and quality sleep.

For sure. If someone is sensitive to EMFs, they definitely don’t want to be standing directly in front of a microwave while it’s on—I had the inside of my house and outside property tested when my health was at its worst. Thankfully, I’m not sensitive to EMFs, but I am sensitive to people’s energy so I can empathize. Like you, I use an Instant Pot, but only for making yogurt once a month. I mainly use a charcoal grill. We bought a Weber Jumbo Joe in the spring that I’m slightly obsessed with. Cleanup is a breeze and food tastes so much better to me with a hint of charcoal. Reminds me of summer.

Agreed. Best to not over think things. It’s so true that neurosis is easy for an overly sensitive person in an overly stimulated world. A calm mind is part of being like water, for sure. A calm mind, calm body, even in the face of challenges, we be water …

Youtube Video

[Jennifer]

My pleasure, @sunsunsun. And thank you.

[Mossy]

@Jennifer That's a good idea, to peel the potatoes after cooking.  I don't recall whether I like the taste of the skin or not, because I've just been peeling them in advance.  I did use the gold potatoes for potato salad recently, but in an attempt to save I didn't buy the baby version.  They strangely came out a bit under cooked, after cooking them longer than any potato variation previously.  I still liked the taste, but they were too firm for my dad.  I'll either cook them longer or buy the baby/petite next time.  I do like them better than red potatoes.  As you say, creamier, versus the waxy red.

I do like that perspective, to trust the body do its part, and not micromanage.  My mother followed that philosophy, which gave me apprehension to use or trust Western medicine for all of my life.  I've used Western medicine a few times, and every time have been let down.  Even so, I do keep an open mind.  I do think they are the best at emergency situations and mechanical work, but not as good for a holistic approach: aiding, or working along side the body, versus forcing it.

Okay, $7/dozen isn't astronomical, by higher-end egg standards.  Even so, too rich for my budget currently.  But I will keep them in mind when I upgrade.

In general, I'm Welsh-Italian, but I only look Welsh.  So, I could guess plantains are far removed from my genetics, unless maybe the Italians used them.  I'm with you on the fruit and meat combo, for sure.  I haven't had plantains in a long time.  I was wanting to avoid a serotonin effect, which I assumed they'd give like bananas, but that is a total guess.  Maybe I'll pick some up and try them.  I find making them overly ripe can be a bit tricky at times.  They can mold before they get good and brown.  I find it best to buy them as ripe as you can, if they look healthy-ripe, not moldy.  Speaking of bananas, I made banana nut bread and I didn't get any serotonin effect from what I can tell. That is one of my anti-Peat splurges, because I do use walnuts.

Interesting about the grill.  So you'll cook out doors?  I did see that about the Instant Pot, that you can make yogurt.  I've never tried.  What kind of yogurt do you make?  Greek yogurt is my favorite, which I use primarily for bread making, but will have it by itself with toppings sometimes.

Haha!...that dog is hilarious.  The opposite of neurotic.

[Jennifer]

@Mossy, I’m sorry to hear that the gold potatoes came out undercooked. They’re the only mature variety I’ve used in years so I don’t remember how cooking times compare. With the babies, I always roast gold and red together for my dad’s meals and they cook evenly. Fingers crossed your next attempt is successful.

That’s essentially what I tell my dad, that the medical industry is great at emergency care, but not so much preventative and long-term care. I can understand your apprehension with Western medicine, given your experience with it. I’ve been let down too, and not just by allopathic medicine, but alternative, as well. 20 years as a medical industry guinea pig and the horror stories I could share.

I understand. I have a dream I’m saving up for so $7 for a dozen eggs would be too rich for my budget also, had I not designed the rest of my diet to be so cheap. Along with canned seafood, the eggs are the cheapest, most nutrient dense protein I have access to and the only animal protein I eat daily so even at $24 a week in eggs, my grocery bill is the lowest it has been in 20 years because the rest of my diet is mostly tuna, fruit and homemade veggie soups, with occasional splurges like sea scallops and raw dairy.

Welsh-Italian is a neat combination. My nieces’ father was born in Wales so I think I have an idea of what you mean by looking Welsh. I can imagine serotonin, gut dysbiosis and/or sensitivities to the chemicals commercial plantains/bananas produce in response to stress (how they’re grown and shipped) being possible factors. Ripening plantains was tricky for me, too. If I couldn’t buy them at a certain level of ripeness, I didn’t bother because I was guaranteed mold otherwise. It’s so great that you didn’t get a serotonin effect from the banana nut bread! I won’t tell the Peaty police about the walnuts, if you don’t tell them about my current love affair with eggs.

Yep, I’m grilling outdoors. I have a pretty good system going. The grill is on my back deck right off the kitchen through a sliding door so it’s a smooth transition from fridge to grill to table, and the majority of the fruit (squash, bell peppers etc.) I grill is picked fresh from self-watering GrowBox planters on the deck. This deters animals from eating all the fruit as the deck abuts dense woods and I’ve had fruit-loving coyote pups playing with each other on my lawn all summer long. For yogurt, I was making skyr, but switched to coconut yogurt when protein was triggering the dysautonomia and I liked it so much that I’ve continued making it since. I use it as a mayo substitute for my egg and tuna salads.

One last video. Being water while doing chores…

Youtube Video

[Mossy]

@Jennifer I blame my attempt to go the budgeted route, and not get the baby potatoes. But all is not lost...I was able to cook the more mature gold to a better consistency this time.  I do think they are probably the best tasting.

For sure.  It seems everything health wise is a high profit business first, and whatever the soul of medicine should be, last...if at all.  To some degree, I get it, life is expensive, but ultimately it's a let down.  I also agree about being let down by alternative medicine as well.  I had a TCM doctor take me for a bit of a ride, financially, seemingly just trying to get as much out of me as he could.  I could imagine with your more complex situation you do have some horror stories.  What health perspective would you say ultimately helped you the most?  Or is it a mix?

That is smart, to strategize, budget wise, so you can get those items you really want.  I used to buy good eggs, so I do miss them.  The bottom of the barrel eggs are really hit or miss.  Sometimes I'll be surprised how good they look, with my unscientific test of looking at yolk size and color.  I realize many producers simply feed the hens a food that colors the yolks, but I don't know if yolk size can be faked.  What brought you to seafood, and specifically tuna?  A few years ago I was eating tuna, fresh caught tuna steaks.  Really tasty.  So much so it was hard to go back to canned tuna.  But, cost and time wise, canned tuna is faster and cheaper.

Now I'm going to sound like an ignoramus, but a few eggs a day are Peaty, no?  I do get information overload, but I think I have that right.  With PUFA being the greatest concern, then I think choline (though I don't remember how much of a factor Peat himself made of choline.)  If what we read is accurate, eggs are one of the few foods that supply vitamin D.  So, I see that as a plus.  Which reminds me, are you still taking that mushroom derived vitamin D supplement?

With coyotes close, you must not have any small pets.  Or maybe you keep them inside.  That sounds like a nice cooking arrangement, with fresh produce and fridge close by.  Yogurt in place of mayo I've never thought of.  I've been making homemade mayo, simply to be able to control the type of oil used.  Most everything contains soybean oil.  It's not my favorite thing to make, but a necessity I feel, if I'm going to have mayo. It's a challenge because olive oil can taste bitter from the mixing, and my preferred oil, coconut oil, solidifies in the fridge. They do make a coconut oil that doesn't solidify, but it's a bit more than regular coconut oil, and I'm not familiar with it. Maybe I'll try that after I run out of olive oil.

Holy cow, that dog.  Not to mention the side kick dog.  I'm tempted to say that that is AI.  If I was a betting man, I'd say AI.

[Jennifer]

@Mossy, oh, good! I’m glad the potatoes turned out better this time. I agree that they’re the best tasting.

Your TCM doctor sounds like the naturopath I was under the care of when my spine collapsed. I spent my life savings to end up disabled. The health perspective that helped me the most? Ice cream heals all wounds. More specifically, that health is a byproduct of love, not suffering for the cause. I think love is the most healing of all but due to the fear brought on by “experts,” I spent years trying to heal by following diets I hated, taking supplements I hated, doing therapies I hated, and ending up sicker than ever, sicker than people who took no interest in health. Seriously, I was the unhealthiest “healthy” person I knew. Now I eat all the foods I care for and none of the ones I don’t, and I’m doing what doctors were so sure I would never do again and then some. Do all things in love.

No, I don’t think yolk size can be faked, nor a thick, strong shell or firm, cloudy egg white—cloudy because a fresh egg retains more CO2, which clouds the albumen—but I think any eggs are better than no eggs at all, even the bottom of the barrel eggs, given their nutrient density. Same with canned tuna. I agree that it’s not as good as fresh tuna, but I actually prefer it for tuna salad, maybe because I grew up on it, and like you said it’s faster and cheaper, and overall a quality protein that’s shelf-stable so even if I can’t get to the store, I have food. Plus, my thyroid loves it. Speaking of quality protein, since you like Greek yogurt, have you ever had the brand Nounós? I treated myself this week to a container of the classic plain and WOW is it delicious! It’s not like any Greek yogurt I’ve had before. It’s more like cream cheese:

https://www.nounoscreamery.com/

LOL No, that’s a fair question. Three eggs a day is Peaty enough, but I eat upwards of 6, no less than 4, and even though the eggs are pastured, I have no doubt that the hens are fed supplemental feed rich in PUFA as it’s standard practice in the US, a factor that kept Ray from eating more than one a day while living in the States—he said he would only eat more while living in Mexico. However, I feel fantastic on eggs, and meat and dairy, and overall, getting a bulk of my calories now from quality protein. Regarding the lichen-derived D3, it gave me hives so I switched back to the lanolin-derived.

Nope, no small pets. We had a cat, Maltese and a Lab/Husky mix and the coyotes didn’t start coming in the yard until after they passed away. Now coyote pups wander into the yard every spring/summer. I don’t blame them. Our yard is covered in moss so it’s like rolling around on shag carpet. It feels good under the tootsies while grounding. Regarding mayo, I had the same challenges as you when making it—I mostly used Carrington Farms’ liquid coconut oil—and because my dad doesn’t eat a lot of it, it would go bad, but I recently came across an olive oil mayo by the brand Graza while at the supermarket and it got the dad approval so I’ve been buying it ever since:

https://www.graza.co/products/original-mayo

Hehe…his sidekick. I think the Pittie’s reaction is the funniest part of the video but yeah, it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s AI. It seems like most things I see online now are.

[Mossy]

@Jennifer Haha, that is funny.  Ice cream was the answer.  I think in our very modern and very deficient world, love is a component in healing, beyond the technical and mechanical parts of healing needed.  Love is indeed a powerful thing; even beyond the emotional response, the deeper security and hope that love provides.  A strange coincidence, I received an email today for an ebook on sale on this very subject.  I prefer physical books, but the price of ebooks is just too good to pass up for my budgeted life these days. I realize not everyone wants or needs everything broken down academically: to use an analogy I've heard, some just want to eat the apple, they don't have to look at it in a microscope. Books and authors are a personal taste, no doubt, but just in case it would interest you:  https://www.amazon.com/Four-Loves-C-S-Lewis-ebook/dp/B01EFM8NI4

I was not aware of the cloudy egg white, as evidence of more CO2.  Interesting.  I did notice the egg whites were a bit cloudy just recently, but thought that was due to the cold of the refrigerator.  I've never had Nounós yogurt, but it does indeed look to be the cream of the crop.  I like the A2 and the glass container.  Next time I make it to Whole Foods, which is hardly never these days, I'll look for it.

I agree with your egg perspective.  I eat 2-4 a day myself.  I've been considering adding some of Haidut's vitamin E several times a week, but since my PUFA is quite low in general, I don't worry too much about it.  Wow, hives from the lichen-derived.  (And I see I used the word mushroom-derived in error.)  I think I'll look for lanolin-derived.  I don't feel well on the vitamin D3 supplement I have, which I think is synthetic.  But I don't feel well on any supplements.  I think Haidut's D3 was a little better, but I don't completely remember.  It's been years since I've had his.

Yeah, grounding.  I haven't done that is a while. That does look like good mayo that you linked, as far as store bought goes.  And 17oz for $9 is actually not too bad.  It would cost me a few dollars more to make it myself, but I see that I would be able to use a better olive oil.  I promise, I'm not dogging your mayo , I'm just attempting to be objective in my evaluation.  I would take your olive mayo over all the soy based mayos any day.  Coincidentally, I did just make mayo after my last message and it didn't take at first.  Really, it's one of my least favorite things to make.  I can be a bit neurotic in my quest for quality, so I'll continue to do it until I really lose my patience with it.  I believe the problem is that I was using bottled lemon juice versus fresh.

[Jennifer]

@Mossy, exactly, and for me, love is the main component—in practice, basing my choices on a love for myself (and others by extension—man being a strand in the web of life and all) and my life, not fear, has proven to be the most healing of all. I believe there is no higher vibration than God and God is love. Thank you for sharing The Four Loves with me. I found a free pdf of it on archive.org and am currently reading it. I had never read anything by C. S. Lewis before, but I was aware he was a Christian apologist so I had some idea of what to expect—I’m not Christian, myself, but having grown up in a Catholic family and attended parochial school, I’m familiar with the Christian concept of God.

I think cold can have an effect on an egg’s cloudiness, too, because I’ve had cartons of eggs too close to the refrigerator’s fan that partially froze, and the half that froze and defrosted had very cloudy whites. It’s too bad you can only get the Nounós at Whole Foods. I’ve only found two stores here that carry it. If you can get your hands on Alexandre Family Farm’s whole milk yogurt and strain it, it’s similar. I used to strain the Alexandre’s, but it became too costly at $7.99 for a 24 oz container (roughly 12 oz after straining) daily. For comparison, I paid $5.99 for a 16 oz container of Nounós.

No worries. I knew exactly what you meant by mushroom. I should clarify that my experience is not a reflection of the quality of lichen-based D3, but my health status, at the time. My thyroid was still recovering from the trauma of my mum’s passing and for whatever reason, when my thyroid tanks, I struggle with plants so practically everything plant-based was causing hives. I haven’t tried Haidut’s vitamin D, only because I like to take D3 orally for best absorption and don’t care for ethanol, but I appreciate that it doesn’t contain MCT, for those whose intestines would be irritated by it. Have you tried D3 in a base of olive oil? I’m wondering if you would be less sensitive to that excipient?

Haha! I take no offense. As a recovering perfectionist, I understand neuroticism well and besides, you’re Italian so I trust your judgment. Now, if you try schooling me on butter, those are fighting words, mister. JK I bring my people shame—I don’t eat butter. Mayo is my dad’s condiment of choice for sandwiches and he doesn’t like the coconut-based one, due to it solidifying in the fridge and needing to take it out in advance to soften it before use, which he doesn’t have the patience for, so I figure the Graza is a good compromise. What type of olive oil do you prefer? I get my dad the “fancy” made with 100% extra virgin olive oil. Is extra virgin not good? While growing up, my mum used mainly butter in her cooking and evoo in her baking—she did cake decorating and swore by oil for moist cakes—so that’s my only reference point.

[Mossy]

@Jennifer You're welcome.  I can't help but reference these authors that have been such an influence on my me.  I stress again, I know everyone is different, in that the paths we've been on have us favoring different voices and styles, though I believe truth is truth, which survives above style and preference.  At the least, a truth discovered, even from an author who is not preferred, could lead us deeper into a subject, searching out an author we do prefer, who speaks to us better.  I do like archive.org.  I used to use them quite a bit, but then I got spoiled with how cheap some ebooks have become, and how the formatting allows for ease of use.  But, I will give this to the PDF format, you get the images of the original pages of books, which gives you some of that physical book quality, which can't be replicated in a full digital format.  I actually used to prefer the PDF for this reason, but now I can't resist the ease of full digital format.  Though, I will still go to archive.org for books not yet available as an ebook. Your religious history is very common, having touched upon various aspects of Faith through family, and educational institutions.  That's all of us, really; which is Lewis's story as well, until he became fully immersed.

I do like the Alexandre brand very much.  I think there is hardly a better brand available for dairy, at least at a chain store.  Kalona is a good brand too, but like Alexandre, expensive.  Okay, so Nounos is cheaper, comparatively. So, you were basically making Greek yogurt from the regular versions, by straining it?  I never thought to do that, but can definitely see how that is costly.

Yeah, stress is brutal on our health.  I can see how your mother's passing was hard.  Interesting, but kind of understandable, how plant-based foods were hard on your thyroid. When I was at my worst, raw foods were hard on me.  Maybe my correlation is off, but the strong natural defenses of plants, and especially with raw, seem the culprit.  Though, even as I type this, I remember raw juices made me feel good.  Maybe the juicing broke down those defenses.  This is my bro-science ...something worked by juicing them!  I have tried olive oil based D3.  A very lean version, with the only ingredient listed besides the D3 (cholecalciferol) being olive oil.  And strangely, I still had issues with it.  I've tried so many different versions. I forget which was the most temporarily tolerable — which is the only possible scenario for me.  I can take nothing long term, and I really can't remember a vitamin D supplement that didn't make me sick for at least a week...haha.  Funny stuff.  I may go back to putting mushrooms out in the sun, but there isn't really a way to know the true potency, though it would still be more than I'm getting.  Most of all, though, it would be costlier and more time consuming.  Maybe Haidut's is worth another try (if he has a non-ethanol version).

Funny.  My only claim to being partially Italian is the claim itself (apart from my ancestors proving it): I don't think anyone would ever call me Italian by looking at me.  I like butter as well; even better than olive oil.  In most recipes, if I can use butter instead of oil, I'll do it.  But, right on cue, since I've started making banana bread, I've switched to coconut oil, and it is more moist.  From my limited experience, your mother is correct!  My understanding of olive oil is that you want a single source, cold pressed, and minimal time from harvesting, to manufacturing, to consumer.  This would eliminate, seemingly, as much potential for unwanted variables as possible.  It seems olive oil imported from outside the US is very subject to being something other than what is stated.  When I was researching this about a year or so ago, there were reports that the oils were not necessarily what was being claimed on the bottle, for non-US oils.  There were claims they were mixed (i.e., contaminated with lesser or other olive oils); and if not that, prolonged storage and transit was reducing the quality.  But, these days, who knows about the oils in the US.  My rule of thumb, is you do your best research, then just go with what you have have access to, and don't worry after that.  As for the 100% CA oil, it can be costly, but I only buy it on sale.  I normally use the Amazon brand, which is cheaper than the other popular, 100% CA brand (California Olive Ranch).  Olive oil is the one food item I consistently splurge on.  I splurge because of the potential rancidity of oils and other negative factors.  But, should my budget get even tighter, I'd simply buy a cheaper oil and not worry about it; though, always olive or coconut oil, not soy, canola, etc. It's worth adding, that even though the olive oil is a higher quality, it doesn't make the best tasting mayo, by itself. My understanding is that the blending breaks the fragile EVOO and makes it a bit bitter. I counter this by putting a little sugar in it.