Mutually Exclusive Ideas

I have been bombarded recently with articles, books, and thoughts about food, its origins, and the future of our society, both its health and the planet's. I read in an article just today (in the Best Food Writing of 2005, I'll get the citation) that regular, non-organic apple trees are treated with up to 400 different chemical compounds in order to make them grow. The article went on to say that it is no wonder the taste of apples has deteriorated while our cancer rates have risen. And then the Minimalist, Mark Bittman, has jumped on the eat-less-meat because it's better for you and for the planet bandwagon (a la Michael Pollan). Just reading about the cows was enough to make my stomach turn. And, if that wasn't enough, DP came home with Pollan's In Defense of Food from Costco last night. This is the book with its summary on the front illustration--"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Of course, I'm sympathetic with many of these ideas. And eat organic and mostly real food most of the time.

But as I was reading that apple article, I was eating a Quarter Pounder with Cheese. Uh-huh. From you-know-where. What a contrast! And, while WW promotes healthy living, many of its recipes and those posted by its members on the message board contain items that Pollan (and my grandmothers) wouldn't recognize as food--dry cake mix baked with only diet soda, anyone? And I've eaten that too. Sometimes my boundaries between avoiding chemicals and losing weight with foods that aren't are blurry.

Just for full disclosure, the kids had McNuggets, but they don't get ww cake mix. We made what I would consider to be much healthier, real food oatmeal bars earlier this morning.

In honor of my embrace of this dichotomy, I include both recipes.

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Diet Soda Cake Cobbler
1 pkg regular white cake mix dry
24 oz frozen berries
20 oz diet soda

Put frozen fruit on bottom of baking pan 13x9. Sprinkle cake mix over the fruit. Pour soda over cake. Do not stir cake mix in. Cover pan with foil and bake 20 minutes, uncover and bake 30 minutes or longer at 350.


Oatmeal Bars

The recipe for homemade fillings are in the BH&G cookbook, but the jams work well too. A note: a layer of toasted almonds adds to the crunch; you can also sprinkle untoasted almonds on the top (but not for the kids).

Makes 25

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup butter
1-10 oz. jar of preserve

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, and baking soda. Cut in butter til mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve ½ cup of the flour mixture. Press remaining flour mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 9 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan. Spread with desired filling. Sprinkle with reserved flour mixture.

Bake in 350°F oven for 30 to 35 minutes or til the top is golden. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook