Smokin'

If you like smoked foods--and I guess I don't, or I didn't cook it correctly--check out Smoke & Fire Smoked Tofu. It was sitting around my fridge, so I decided I may as well heat it up (sauteed it in a pan) for dinner. I was at Whole Foods today and picked up a couple of vegetable skewers (and fruit because there are chunks of pineapple in there). I slathered them in Annie's Smokey Maple Bar-B-Q sauce (which I do like). There are two skewers per package, and I stored the second one in the container in which it came. And of course, I had my old standby, a baked potato with Earth Balance margarine.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with prepackaged, precut veggies. If it gets someone to eat more fruits and veggies, then precut, packaged fresh (or even frozen) veggies are fine by me. Just avoid most canned veggies as they are lacking in nutrients. Yes, I buy canned tomatoes and tomato sauce and paste, and I buy canned beans (such as black beans or kidney beans, always checking for a low sodium level), but I wouldn't touch canned green beans, carrots, peas or corn. And sure the precut veggies are a little more than whole veggies, but if you're unsure how to cut up a butternut squash, or you want to make sure you like it (I kinda do), consider it a savings of time instead.

That said, I still make my own seitan. It just tastes better and has a better texture when I do.