7 Day Challenge -- 2.0

My packed lunch today

I had other posts in mind for this week, posts that have been sitting in my draft. But then something happened last week.

For the first time ever I met a blogger in real life. For whatever reason I have never taken a blog friendship to the next level with e-mails, chats, social networks, phone calls and then live. Occasional e-mails yes but nothing beyond that.

So even when I told her that I would be happy to meet her I wasn't too sure. But am I glad that I did. It was wonderful really and it didn't feel like meeting a stranger at all. She was extremely sweet and got me and S some delightful presents. The Tulika books for S are a treasure.

I made a complete bengali meal for her and the menu was Rice, Dal, Begun Bhaja, Jhinge Chingri Posto, Pathar Mangsho and Aamer Chaatni, the dessert didn't happen.

But her no-grains/limited grain diet for the last 12 years inspired me and I thought of doing the 7 day challenge again this week. Kay's post gave me the final shove.

Summing up the Challenge is simple points

* No Grains
* No Sugars
* No Alcohol
* No Processed Food
* Regular exercise
* Fruits and veggies except Potato
* All lean meat and fish
* Fast for 18 hours


As I had mentioned earlier my main problem was the large amount of prep work that I needed especially to pack lunch etc. So I am keeping it simple this time.

7 Day 2.0 Challenge Menu

7 Day 1.0 Challenge Menu

I got 6-7 packets of frozen vegetables, different blend like Italian, California etc. They are not processed, just chopped and frozen. I am going to steam them and pan roast them for lunch. Different spices and difference in vegetables will bring in the much needed variety. I will have a simple Dal or soup along with it. Dinner will be grilled veggies and salmon on most days. Snacks will be Kala Chana and Papad. I am going to have Tea twice a day. Also I am going to have a little honey on some days.

Steam Veggies according to package Direction

Heat 1 tsp of Olive Oil in a heavy bottomed pan

Flavor the oil with minced garlic and chopped green chillies

Add some chopped red onion and saute till onion is soft.

Add spices like Garam masala or Corriander powder or anything else that you fancy.

Add the veggies. Add salt and saute at medium to low heat till veggies are done to your liking

Pathmark carries expired Baby Food

I buy Gerber Organic Baby Food for my daughter from my local Path Mark Store every two weeks. A month(in May-June time) or so back when I opened the Green Bean container that I had bought a day earlier, it didn't look quiet right.On checking the dates, we saw the expiry date on the product was Jan 2009 (i.e. the baby food had expired 4 months back). We promptly checked all the other Gerber Baby Foods in our pantry. The Fruits were all fine with an expiry date of 2010 or even 2011. But one or two of the Veggies had the expiry date as Jan 2009.

D ,my husband took them back to the store and notified customer service about it. They simply said, they would remove the expired products from the shelves.

Today I was back at the same store. Now I was more aware and I checked the dates before picking up the Gerber containers from the shelves. However there were very few of the Organic Gerber varieties available and so I started checking the Beech & Nut Naturals. And what do I see ? Products with expiry date stamped as April 2009. Today being July 18th, 2009 the product had already expired 3 months back and yet they were still sitting on the shelf.

When I complained to customer service, they simply said it was a vendor packaging issue and were not even apologetic. They did say they will remove these products from the shelves. But I don't understand how the store could be so careless and nonchalant even after our initial complaint. These were all Stage 2 foods and could be potentially harmful for a 6+ month old baby. The way the expiry date is printed, it is not something that is at your face, you need to look for it and I am sure many parents would not pay much attention while picking up these packs.

I have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. I would urge all parents to check the dates on such packaged baby foods and lodge a complaint when they find something amiss.

Is there anything more I can do ?

* Please don't leave a comment if you think I am terribly wrong in feeding my baby Gerber. All constructive comments are welcome.

Edited to Add: I have sent e-mails to PathMark customer care and to the mayor's office of the township. No one has got back. I don't think the manufacturers are even responsible for this, so haven't called them yet.

Eternity

My Dida, my Ma's mother, my maternal grandma passed away last week. The memories of her that I carry in my heart can not be captured in a blog post and it is no point saying how dear she was to me. Though she was old and frail, I was really hoping to see her if and when I visit India later this year but that is not to be.

She was a wonderful cook but I never ever attempted to learn any culinary skills from her. I was too happy eating, thinking that is the norm, she would whip up one delicacy after other while we just gorged on them. Many of her cooking traditions has come trickling down via my Mom of course but to make a Chingri Cutlet(Prawn Cutlet) or Kankra Jhaal(Crab Curry) or even Khasta kachori like her will never again be possible.

She was getting old and had almost lost her will to live any longer. I am sad because I couldn't hold her and give a tight squeeze before she went on her journey to eternity,the way I always used to before I left her home

I will be back once I have my thoughts settled

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