The (in)Convenience of TV Dinners

OK, so this really has nothing to do with Bryan/College Station…except that you can buy TV dinners at stores in town. OK, so they aren’t called TV dinners anymore…they were when I was growing up.

So, I thought it would be fun to have a night where each person in my family chose a TV dinner…just for fun. My wife thought it would be interesting, so we went for it. (I have 4 kids just so you know).

First of all, my wife went to the grocery store and picked them all out, letting each child pick theirs too. The kids were excited…they looked so yummy and fun. My wife picked a couple of “Hungry Man” ones and I asked her to get a “Classic Swanson’s Salisbury Steak” because that’s what I remember liking.

NOTE: it’s called Salisbury Steak after it’s inventor Dr. James Salisbury, who was one of the earliest health food faddists and taught that diet was the main determinant of health. He believed vegetables and starchy foods produced poisonous substances in the digestive system which were responsible for heart disease, tumors, mental illness and tuberculosis. He believed that human dentition demonstrated that humans were meant to eat meat, and sought to limit vegetables, fruit, starches, and fats to one-third of the diet.

The USDA standards for Salisbury steak require a minimum content of 65% meat, of which up to 25% can be pork; the remainder must be beef (can include beef heart meat), unless the meat content is labelled specifically. Cereal (bread crumbs, flour, oat flakes, etc.) content is limited to 12%, except isolated soy protein at 6.8% is considered equivalent to 12%. The remainder consists of seasonings, vegetables (onion, bell pepper, mushroom or the like), binders (can include egg) and liquids (such as water, milk, cream, skim milk, etc.). (from Wiki)

We homeschool, so any opportunity is a teaching opportunity.

My wife told me it was really awkward to have them in the cart. She hid them under the produce and rice milk in the cart. She felt like a bad wife/mom for buying these things. See, we cook almost every night and we make really good meals. We also eat pretty healthy, and these were not the “lean” or “healthy” ones. These were full of sodium, high fructose corn syrup and white flour.

So, she fought past the urge to put them back and bought them and brought them home.

Yeah, they were pretty, but wow, do they take a lot of room in the freezer. We had to move everything just to fit the boxes of dinners. I can’t imagine where we’d put them if this was something we did regularly.

OK, so the day comes when we were going to eat them and we realize that only about three at a time fit in the oven…and it was going to take 25 minutes to cook them. How are we going to do this? I have 6 people to feed (plus one of our friends who wanted to experience the meal with us).

So my wife decided to go against her instincts and cook a few of them in the microwave…which got me researching how microwaves work just to ease her that she wasn’t feeding our kids radioactive food…turns out microwaves cook with radio frequencies…really high pitched ones that we can’t hear, that make the water in the food vibrate, which heats up the water, thus getting the food hot. No radiation.

So, there’s my wife reading the directions on each package…Cut the film off everything except for the corn, then cook the brownie by itself, then the next one…take bread out and cook with film over food, then halfway though, poke holes in the film and put bread…argh. She was getting frustrated. She was kinda laughing…but I know that laugh. It was not an “I am loving not having to cook tonight” kind of laugh.

So I open up the Salisbury steak, expecting…well, expecting something bigger that what was actually in there. It was tiny. I looked at the package to make sure this wasn’t the “kid’s” version. It wasn’t. Maybe I was taller and it just looked smaller than I remember.

“How much did this cost?” I asked.

The kid ones were about $2.50, the Hungry Man’s were about $4.00. What? This meal was expensive! I had just fed my whole family at Freebirds the other night for about $15. My wife cooked a huge Sour Cream Chicken Enchilada thing that probably cost about $10 total and we had already eaten from it for at least 3 meals…and even froze some for later.

I started realizing that first, there wasn’t much food, second, the quality of the food was not “healthy” by a long shot.

I decided that I needed to make a green smoothie. Blender…frozen fresh spinach, frozen mixed fruit, plain organic yogurt, frozen blueberries, frozen bananas, spoonful of 100% juice concentrate, reverse osmosis water, reverse osmosis ice. OK, they’ve got some good stuff in them.

OK, so, 20 minutes later, the kids are eating their “fake” meals. They were enjoying it…I think. My oldest was first to finish and asking to eat something else. Organic Fuji apples and roasted almonds.

The adult food was almost done. The timer goes off and two of the three that we fit in the oven were still cold on the inside…microwave.

OK, so the taste was good. Everyone enjoyed their meal. Even the Salisbury Steak was good…small…but I cut it into little tiny bites so it would last longer. I could have eaten that whole thing in one bite…maybe two.

Then I picked up all the plastic trays they came in, and the boxes, and the film, and stuffed them in the trashcan. Wow, that’s a lot of trash. We don’t make this much trash on a regular day. See, we take our trash to a dump and pay $.60 per large black plastic bag. So this is costing us some pennies.

Well, we cleared the table and went on with our evening…oh, my youngest doesn’t like corn, but our rule is you have to eat everything on the plate before you can get down from the table, and sadly for her, every kid’s meal she had to choose from at the store had corn in it…we found her about an hour later sleeping at the table with her blue TV dinner tray pushed away from her, with the corn still in it’s little place.

We decided it was OK this time that she didn’t eat the corn, so we cleared her tray and arranged about 20 or 30 stuffed animals around her. She was surprised when she woke up. We all shared her brownie that she was only allowed to eat if she ate all her corn.

I am pretty sure I won’t ever suggest that again. I remember it being a lot more fun growing up. I think it was because we only had TV dinners when my mom was out for the evening and my dad didn’t feel like cooking…and those were the only times we could eat actually sitting in front of the TV. TV dinners…what a concept.

We don’t even watch TV at our house.

Needless to say, I am looking forward to what’s for dinner tonight. (Smells like Black Bean Soup…yum!)

Healthy and Organic Grocery Store in Bryan

OK, so many of you have probably already seen this, but the Appletree on Briarcrest is now a Village Foods.

We found out because we received a Wednesday “Weekly” flyer in the mail advertising healthy food products. Coming from San Antonio, we miss going to Whole Foods, Central Market and even Sun Harvest. Here in College Station and Bryan, there are only a few places to go for healthy food, organic stuff and herbs and vitamins.

Brazos Natural Foods over on Texas and Rosemary is the obvious place, then there’s the HEB on Texas and Holloman…they have a natural foods section, so does the Kroger on Boonville and HWY 6.

So, we were excited that someone brought a natural foods place the likes of Whole Foods or Sun Harvest..

Well, we were a little bit disappointed. OK, only because our expectation was so high, but it’s a great store. Here is an exceprt from their website:

Village Foods is locally owned.  We live right here in Brazos County with you.  (Did you know that for every $1 you spend locally, 45 cents stays in the community?  If you shop at a chain, the community only keeps 14 cents.*)

If you have been shopping at AppleTree on Briarcrest Drive for the last 20 years (or any portion of that), then you may be worried about what we are going to do with your store.  Well, we hope to continue to provide all the things you wanted before – and to provide great options in case you would like to eat a little (or a lot) better.

Most of the merchandise we offer will be the very same as you have been buying.  We have consolidated space (and eliminated low-demand items) so we could add more than 7,000 new natural, organic, or better-for-you items.

Our intent is for this assortment to save you time by allowing you to get everything you need in one trip, to one store.  (We believe it will improve and extend your life too, but you may not be ready to hear about that yet.) (read more here)

OK, it’s definitely a bigger section than the other stores in town. I am really impressed by their standards and how much they are doing to trying to be a really great store. Go to the website and read their “About Us”. Very cool.

What they do have is a Gluten Free Section. It’s at least one whole aisle (maybe two) with Gluten free stuff. That’s pretty cool, Expecially if you are one of those people with wheat allergies or are just trying to cut out wheat from your diet. It is a pretty good selection.

They also have Xylitol products, which are good for your teeth. They have gum and toothpaste. We like this stuff. See, cavities are caused by bacteria, not by sugar. Bactiria grows where there’s sugar, but the sugar itself is not the culprit. Xylitol kills the bacteria in your mouth, so it’s actually doing good in your mouth. I would say better than flouride, but that’s another story.

Another thing they have is local honey. And by local I mean from College Station…not Snook or Spring or somewhere in the vicinity…actually local. That’s a good thing. We look for local honey wherever we live. It’s good for helping your body become accustom to the pollens and stuff in the area…which could help alleviate allergies from the stuff that’s around here…which is quite a bit.

Oh, they also have a large selection of healthy frozen and dairy stuff, including Water Oak Farms Goat products. Try the Brazos Supreme Goat Milk Ice Cream…it’s really tasty. Those guys know what they are doing when it comes to making sure their goat milk doesn’t taste too goaty.

Build-Your-Own Six Pack

So, here’s my opinion about beer…it does not taste good. Now, I’ve drank quite a bit of beer in my past having lived in Spain for a few years where there is no age limit for buying alcohol.

My general theory back then was to drink enough that when you threw it up, you still had enough in you to get a buzz. OK, so there was no need to “like” the taste of beer.

I haven’t tasted a beer in forever…maybe because I ruined my taste for beer by drinking really bad beer…whatever the case may be, I just never wanted it.

Now, the commercials sure make it look refreshing and tasty and wonderful with the little crushed ice clinging to the chilled bottle and the sound of the can or bottle opening and the little smokey fumes trickling out of it. The yellow color…it all looks good, then you taste it and…bitter. (remember Keystone commercials about “Bitter Beer Face“?

OK, so I felt like I had to do some soul searching here. Are the millions of people that say they actually like beer not being honest? Am I not manly enough to “like” the taste of beer? Is it actually not that beer tastes good, but that the addictive qualities of alcohol overshadow the taste of beer? Why do I want to like beer?

Well, so I thought I would start trying beers and asking opinions from people who have strong opinions on beer. I’ve asked quite a few people, and around here, it seems that Shiner Bock is almost always suggested, and for that matter, Ziegen Boch (since they are both Ambers, right?)

Well, for the record, Shiner and Ziegen are not tasty. They are as bitter as any other beer I’ve tasted.

I went to The Republic and had a Bud Light, having been told that I would probably like a “Light” beer. This one was on tap, and it was OK. I would say this and the Lone Star I got at the Stafford on Main Street were probably my favorite, but I use that term loosely. It still tasted like bitter carbonated water. Mybe it was the people I was with, maybe it was the situation. I was playing in the band Elmo Weedon at the Stafford and the owner bought me a beer.

So, what am I looking for in a beer? I don’t know…I know what I don’t want…bitter. YOU know, that aftertaste that happens once you swallow? The truth is, beer tastes fine while I’m drinking it, it’s when I stop drinking that it tastes bad. An old friend of mine explained to me that the way to taste beer is to drink almost half of it in one knock back to get the real taste of it. THat’s what I’ve been doing. My first drink of a beer is a three gulp minimum. Again, for the most part, it’s fine while I’m drinking it.

Even in the case of a bottled Guinness Draught, which afterwards I was told is pretty much the worst way to drink Guinness. Knocking that thing back took me off balance for about a half an hour. Plus, half way through, I tried to pawn it off on someone, but no one wanted it. I couldn’t be rude to the owner of the house by throwing it out after accepting it, so I finished it off in the way I knew I could, one fell swoop. Wow, I held it in, but it was tough.

So, a friend of mine, wanting to find me a beer that I actually like, went to Kroger on Boonville and got me a “build-your-own” six pack. I didn’t know there was something like this, and maybe there is another place in town you can do this, but this is a cool idea. There’s a wall of beers, you just grab your six pack holder and fill up.

Well, the idea might be cool, but honestly, it’s still beer. Michelob Honey Lager is not good. Wailua Wheat with Passion Fruit is lame. Hops Hound was so terrible. There’s a Pacifico and a Bach Bum still waiting in the frig, but I’m not looking forward to them.

Actually, among that whole group, there was one that was actually not so bad, at first anyway. It was Michelob Ultra Tangerine Pineapple. A little sweet, slight fruit taste, very light. Still a little bitter, but it was fine. The problem here is I can’t imagine asking for this at a bar. Sounds like a beer most places won’t have anyway.

So, back to the rant…all these beers I’m tasting still taste like beer. And the truth is, it’s really just a soda, right? Let’s be honest…it’s carbonated…so it’s like a man’s soda or something. But look at soda’s, and there are tons of very distinctive flavors…Coke, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, Fanta Orange, Root Beer, Pepsi, etc. So why isn’t there a “beer” that still has the hops, but is also distinctively “orange” or “chocolate” or “coffee” or I don’t know, “BBQ”. What the heck? Honestly, I would have more fun trying those beers.

“Yeah, Let me have the Peanut Butter Banana.”

So, I tried Coors, Guinness on tap, Dos Equis Lager on tap, Budweiser, and even Busch, and it’s all the same.

Maybe it’s not so much that I don’t like the flavor…which I don’t, It’s that there isn’t a variety of choice. Beer is beer…and apparently, I don’t like beer…yet.

So, I know you are going to say, “Dude, just drink Wine Coolers.” I know those things are out tere, but that’s not the point. For some reason, it’s beer that is facinating me.

My question again is: D you really like the taste of beer?

Did you have to get used to it? What beer do you suggest I try?

jorge

“Extended” Target Store Hwy 6 & Briarcrest

Mid July, 2008 is when the new Target is going to open. Now, I thought for sure it was going to be a Super Target, but it’s not. Apparently, it’s going to be an “Extended” Target. I don’t wuite know what that means, but I was told by the Info Person at the Target on Texas Avenue that the new Target would have more dry goods that a regular store, but not as much as a Super Target.

I’m wondering if that means no produce, meats and bakery. Well, I know my wife was hoping for a Super Target so she could have another store to use her coupons in, but no. She’ll be OK.

I guess with the Kroger right down the street and the “Plethora” of grocery stores in town (Albertson’s (2), Kroger’s (3), Super Wal-Mart, HEB (2), Apple Tree(2), plus the Asian Market and the Mexican Michoacana), maybe Target thought they couldn’t make the money back.

They’ve put up a Traffic light on Briarcrest, and it looks like it’s going to be quite a big shopping center. Here’s a quote from the Eagle in June of 2007:

The retail center will be anchored by the 127,000-square-foot Target store, and will feature five junior anchor spaces, eight free-standing shops and 100,000-square-foot of shop space.

This means more restaurants and the potential for maybe…just maybe, another Freebirds.

—

Well, no Freebirds is planned. Here is a list of planned stores to occupy the retail spaces (the list is from Chris Tesch’s Real Estate blog):

Shipley’s Doughnuts
Baskin Robbins
Eyemart Express
Citifinancial
E-Nail Topia
Dollar Tree
rue21
Rack Room Shoes
Maurices
Logan ’s Steakhouse
Anytime Fitness
Salt Grass Steakhouse
IHOP
Burlington Coat Factory

Help in the Kitchen

We have a prayer meeting at our house on Monday nights where around 5 families get together, each bringing some dish or side or dessert. We eat, then hang out, then pray and sing songs. It’s a perfect way to start the week. We all look forward to getting together.

Well, this last week, we were blessed to have our desert supplied by Delicious Moments, and Husband and Wife team who caters small parties in the College Station and Bryan area.

They brought us a whole bunch of really yummy mini cheesecakes. They were so good. Everyone commented on them and wanted to know where they came from. I was happy to tell them that Zack and Lauren from Delicious Moments brought them over.

Being the first time we used a catering service, I was not sure what to expect, but let me assure you, Delicious Moments has set the bar pretty high, at least in our eyes.

They emailed me in the morning asking me what time would be good for them to drop off the food, then in the afternoon (way before people started to arrive), I got a call from them telling me they were on their way.

They brought the cheesecakes in cute little pink boxes, and they looked just perfect. They brought us original and peanut butter cheesecakes. Wow, they were good. In fact, there were way more than we needed, and were looking forward to having some the next day, but at the end of the night, while my wife and I were cleaning up after everyone left, we looked in the boxes and they were all gone. Bummer. They were obviously very good, maybe even the best in town!

We were all very impressed with these guys, and will definitely be the first company we call.

They also offer a personal chef service and in home cooking classes.

They even offer to go to the grocery store for you. Here a quote from the Delicious Moments website:

How many people hate grocery shopping? Either it takes too long, you have little kids who seem to always throw a tantrum once you get to the store or who just want to load the cart up on candy and cookies, you’re too busy to find time to grocery shop, you hate waiting in long lines, crowded aisles, finding a close parking spot, etc. Well, if you just want someone to do your grocery shopping for you, call us up and let us know! We would be happy to be of assistance! Just send us your list and we’ll do the grocery shopping for you! Simple as that.

Call these guys soon, even if your event is later this year. Visit their website for more catering, personal chef and cooking class information.

jorge