The Menu: 9-14

When I saw Morgan Spurlock's documentary on what happens to a human body fed solely on McDonald's, I thought it was an amusing diversion, but nothing more.  However, coupled with a general trend towards combating obesity, I would like to think that the film is partly responsible for some of the changes at the Golden Arches.  As you may or may not know, the fast food behemoth pretty much threw their "Supersize" promotion under the bus immediately following this film (though they claimed that the promotion had just run its course.)  They have also added apples to kid's meals as well as other options that--while perhaps not as healthy as they appear--are less calorie-dense than their burgers and fries.  While these things haven't done much to give McDonald's the appearance of being a healthy place to eat, they take another step next week, when they add calorie counts to their menus.  I have to admit, I'm probably still not headed to a Mickey D's any time soon--apart from the Egg McMuffin, their food doesn't much appeal to me anymore--but I still appreciate this step.  They are the largest restaurant chain to ever do this, and the first to do it at a nationwide level.  While this won't appeal to a certain subset of people who want to eat a Big Mac without guilt, there are plenty of people who are willing to eat fast food as long as they can plan the rest of their eating for the day accordingly.  Now, I know that fast food is processed food, and lacking in nutritional value, and that even if you really want a cheeseburger from a drive-through, you can still get one from a local establishment, but those facts haven't stopped people from eating at McDonald's yet, so if they choose to improve themselves, that can only be a good thing.  

Picture from McDonald's

Burger N' Brew (Review)

While blogging is a good excuse to go out and try new things, sometimes it is important to just go eat somewhere you love.  That is why, when I made a quick fifty bucks by participating in a focus group, I took Wife down the street to Burger N' Brew (4295 W. State Street, Boise, ID 83703 (208) 345-7700) instead of looking for the next big thing.  Well, that and I had a coupon from the Town Planner calendar.

Barley Brothers Traveling Beer Show

I didn't think I was going to get to go to the Barley Brothers Traveling Beer Show when it hit the Boise area Labor Day weekend.  Despite having a blast at their McCall stop, I was tapped out, spending the last of my money watching my beloved Broncos go down in defeat against Michigan State.  Luckily, I have good friends.  Specifically, my best friend, who insisted I go.  When somebody wants to drink beer with you that badly, it's just rude to say no.

The Menu 9-7

One of the things I wondered as I started this new feature last week is if I would find enough links to have something to talk about.  It is quickly apparent that it should have been no worry at all.  It has been yet another busy week in the world of food.

I'll start close to home, where the Boise Saturday Market fired its founder and executive director, Karen Ellis.    Depending on who you believe, she was either ran out for sloppy business practices or the victim of internal politicking; maybe both.  The Market certainly seems eager to soldier on without her--their website has already updated their pages to reflect her removal--but I am curious to see what will happen next.  The market has grown quite a bit under Ellis' leadership, and although it has become so crowded that I tend to skip it in preference of smaller produce stands, I believe her vision has helped Boise keep pace with the national trends regarding local and sustainable eating.  

Other People's Recipes: Sausage, Spinach and Onion Turnovers

Now that school has started, Wife and have finally had to abandon the debauchery of summer.  Boy and Girl spent the middle of summer break at their other parents' houses, and so we abandoned our aspirations of health to eat at restaurants, order pizzas, grill meat, and drink beer and/or rum every night of the week.  It was a great time, but we are both ready to get back on track.  We have a pretty good collection of recipes building up that have calorie counts included, and I've gotten back in the habit of crafting menus designed to get my family healthy food without working too hard or spending too much.  Most of the recipes are designed with dinner in mind; while I was working nights I just packed sandwiches and left my wife to fend for herself during lunch.  Since switching shifts, however, we've tried experimenting with more interesting food.  For the first few weeks it was just soup--easy to make and easy to portion-control--but Wife gets bored easily.  After a couple of casseroles, it was looking like time to retreat to the ease of sandwiches until I stumbled across a delicious looking savory turnover in the pages of Cooking Light.