General Discussion

@Firefishes
Soy sauce/honey sounds interesting.... Do you mix it up first? Or just drizzle both at the same time? Is it sweet and salty? Or like a tangy salty?

@Delamire
Oh yeah! I'm totally into cooking. My SO and I do teamwork in the kitchen. Mostly he does all the main and I get the cleaning up/passing him spices. But I also get to be the taster!

@DigDog

You just do as you want :) I recommend drizzle both at the same time.
If you do it from the start the water will evaporate and you'll get a nice, sometimes a bit crunchy layer on your veggies/pastas/whatever.
Do it at the end and you'll get a sweet/salty sauce (great with pastas and rice!)

Just experiment, and see what you like!! :)

@DigDog That's the best part!

I've only recently gotten into cooking, mostly out of necessity. I can only eat so much food out of a box or packet before I start dying inside lol. My food needs to be able to travel and sometimes be eaten cold though. That along with budget constraints is what made me start throwing new things together to see what kind of use I could get out of cheap foods.

@Firefishes
Yummy! I totally will!

@Delamire
Oh, man. Same! How long have you been trying this new diet? I've seen a total change in the way my body feels ever since I've stopped eating packaged dinners and heavily processed meats. Of course, at the time it was the only thing I could afford (or though I could afford)! And now if I try eating those things again (hamburger helper, kraft mac and cheese, anything hot pocket) my tummy just explodes. D:

That might be a fun contest! What would be the most nutritious, but healthy meal to make that costs the least.

@DigDog I still eat a good bit of hamburger helper style foods and 'quick-mix' stuff but it definitely hurts my digestive system a lot and if that's my lunches for the week I noticed that I tend not to feel good about myself overall as well.

I have a degree in animal science (which is a heavily food animal based degree) and my roommate of 3 years was vegan and very active in the industry so I use a lot of what I learned in school and from her as I slowly try to change the way I eat. Frozen fruits and veggies are my lifesavers though!

@Delamire
this might be a weird question... but do you ever... mentally feel better when you eat a better diet? Like you feel like you can, just, think better and stop forgetting things?

@DigDog Mentally I feel more confident because I tend to feel less "gross" when I'm eating certain foods over others. My skin will be less oily, stomach not hurting/gassy, and I won't have a weighed down feeling.

As far as alertness and clearheadedness, there are definitely a lot of ways food ingredients can affect them but sometimes it's dependent on the person (sensitivities to certain dyes and such).

I'm going to get weird and real with you all, I absolutely love dipping pretzels in ketchup. >.> It sounds super disgusting but the salty/ketchup-y combo is really surprisingly good. Not a real recipe yes, but a strange combination nonetheless. (Not exactly healthy, but still)

Edit: Also, @Delamire it's funny that you were talking about sensitivity to dyes because I am actually allergic to red food coloring. It took me about three years to figure out, but whenever I eat/drink something artificially red (Twizzlers, red fruit punch, red candies, maraschino cherries, etc.) I get really horrible migraines.

@Xotis
I've have never thought to try that and now I'm really craving pretzels haha
I have to eat pretzels with something else, I can't stand them alone for some reason... :p

Whenever I eat twizzlers I get sick to my stomach and I've always wondered if it was the dye but other red foods don't have the same effect so I have no idea. I eat them anyway cause they're one of my favorite candies but something in them doesn't agree with me. *shakes fist* darn you red dyes!

Recipe: Hickory Smoked Tuna Salad


Ingredients: min-5 max-9

• 3 Hickory Smoked tuna pouches (or regular canned tuna)
• Mayonnaise/Miracle Whip
• 2 boiled eggs
• Chopped Bacon/bacon bits
• Mustard
• Liquid Smoke
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Tony Chachere's Seasoning (if available in your area)

Hickory smoked tuna is best but regular canned tuna is fine and what I personally use because I'm cheap.

Crush boiled eggs first with a fork into small chunks.
Mix eggs and drained tuna together in a bowl.
Add mayonnaise to reach the desired consistency (I like it creamier).
Cook, chop, and mix in bacon or sprinkle in bacon bits.
Add a small squirt of mustard, 2-3 drops of liquid smoke, a sprinkle of garlic powder, onion powder, and Tony Chachere's to taste.

All ingredients should be added in amounts that suit your taste and seasonings can be left out without ruining the salad :)