Health for life

This week’s Ask the Internet question comes from right here at home, and addresses an issue many of us might be facing in our post-Christmas hazes.

Q: Two years ago, I received several bread mixes and a jar of chocolate sauce for Christmas. The breads were baked and eaten within a month, but the sauce still lingers in the bottom of my pantry. What should I do with it? What do YOU do with food-based Christmas gifts you don’t use and/or never intend to?

A: While the generosity and thoughtfulness of a food present is wonderful, there are zillions of pepperoni sticks and Jordan almonds that will go uneaten this year. What makes it tougher: many of them (see: chocolate sauce) would be of little use to a food bank.

So, readers – what’s your plan for this stuff? Will you re-gift? Will you bring the edibles to a party, or try to pawn them off at the office? Will they simply go in the garbage? Any and all suggestions are welcome in the comment section.

P.S. Good Christmas food stories are highly encouraged.

Want to ask the interweb a question? Post one in the comment section, or write to Cheaphealthygood@gmail.com. Then, tune in next Tuesday for an answer/several answers from the good people of the World Wide Net.

Todays question is ripped from the headlines. (Woo hoo! Timeliness!)

Q: A recent study on calorie labeling in fast food restaurants showed that it didnt affect what kids ordered. Though the research was only conducted in New York City and Newark, the results still kinda surprised me.

Readers of CHG tend to be pretty aware of nutritional guidelines. Would calorie labeling affect what you ordered from a chain?

A: On the rare occasions I visit fast food restaurants (mostly on the road), definitely. Some of those salads, man - why not just have the burger?

Readers, how about you?

Want to ask the interweb a question? Post one in the comment section, or write to Cheaphealthygood@gmail.com. Then, tune in next Tuesday for an answer/several answers from the good people of the World Wide Net.

Edited @ 1pm EST: Sweet readers! Blogger comments arent publishing right now, across the board, all over the U.S. Hopefully, itll be fixed this afternoon, and all your replies (of which there have been many) will show up. Until then ... uh ... keep writing? And Ill wait to publish until Blogger has things up and running? Yeah. That sounds good.

ETA: Theyre working again! Fire away!

This week’s (very good) question comes from reader Allie.

Q: My roommate is extremely sensitive to onions. I cant chop or cook them when shes home; or at least, not without asking her to shut herself up in her bedroom for a couple of hours. For that reason, I keep a special eye out for onion-free recipes, but theyre a minority by far within my repertoire.

So heres my question for your readers: can you recommend any onion-free recipes - particularly single-dish meals, or dishes that are fairly simple to prepare? (Bonus points for vegetarian recipes.)

A: This is a great question, since Im sure we all know/love somebody with a sensitivity to/hatred for onions. My own sister is anti-Allium, though she makes exceptions for the minced onions on a Big Mac. She’s weird, that one.

While chilis and stir fries are largely out the window, you might want to add more egg and pasta dishes in your repertoire. Beyond that, some of my favorite onion-free single-dish recipes include:

• Angel Hair Pasta with Eggplant-Tomato Sauce
• Elbows with Broccoli and Chickpeas (onion optional)
• Pasta with Asparagus and Mushrooms
• Bruschetta Chicken Bake
• Orzo with Sausage, Peppers, and Tomatoes

Readers, what say you? What are your favorite onionless meals? What do you substitute for onions? Do you have any tricks for getting around an onion sensitivity? Do tell.

Want to ask the interweb a question? Post one in the comment section, or write to Cheaphealthygood@gmail.com. Then, tune in next Tuesday for an answer/several answers from the good people of the World Wide Net.