My Alma Mater, in conjunction with the Princeton Club, hosted an event showcasing the theme of “food” within present day higher ed coursework.  These various chemistry, biology and even art classes explore topics such as sustainable agriculture, genetically modified food, global food shortages, and the affect of food on our world today based on the decisions that we make as consumers.  Although it’s wonderful that our legacy (over it) has access to such inventive classes, I can’t help but want to reverse time and swap out my Organic Chem with The Art Of Food…

The faculty that spoke yesterday evening suggested looking to the following books for entertaining, as well as interesting, insight on this topic:

• Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food
• Cool Cuisine: Taking The Bite Out of Global Warming
• Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated into What America Eats
• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
• Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System

I know I have previously mentioned a few of Ellie Krieger’s recipes (most recently in my ‘Just Fig-urate Out’ Oct 6 write up), but I feel obligated to pay homage to the source of these great dishes by devoting an entire post to Ellie’s cookbook: The Food You Crave (available on Amazon for $18.48).

This Food Network host is the poster girl for ‘wholesome’ – however, her pearly whites and porcelain skin don’t really get me going.  What really makes me jump on the Krieger bandwagon are her recipes and overall healthy living mantra – bottom line, she is a realist! Through creativity and research, Ellie creates delicious as well as healthy meals that embrace natural ingredients versus chemical subsitutes.  The Food You Crave contains 200 recipes ranging from every meal, craving and season.  Best of all, each page contains a complete nutritional breakdown with tips on ingredients and techniques for healthier eating and cooking.

Originally a fashion model for Wilhelmina, Ellie received her undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in nutrition from Cornell and Columbia University.

Fashionista. Brainiac. Health Foodie.  Ellie Krieger, you complete me.

Thanks to the internet and Food Network we barely look at cookbooks anymore.  However, sometimes I eat with my eyes so to speak and become inspired via large glossy pictures. 

I wrote about my love for the ultra healthy but amazingly delicious Babycakes Bakery in my October 5 post (scroll down and look for a picture with large fluffy donuts).  Since trekking down to Broome street isn’t a realistic option for most, Babycakes thankfully offers a great cookbook for in home healthy-ness.  Already on my list of favorite presents to give, this book is filled with bold pictures that honestly make you smile when you flip through (although who wouldn’t when looking at cupcakes page after page) plus short bursts of information to intro readers to the natural, vegan and gluten free ingredients used. 

Get the book and bake it…don’t fake it.

I’m not a book worm by any stretch of the word (I can hear my brothers making fun of me right now) but I do come across a few good reads every couple of…decades…that I can’t put down – one being, Born To Run.

Born To Run is an incredible book that explores the culture of running, the endurance of the Tarahumara Tribe as well as the sanity/insanity behind ultra marathon training (or in the Tarahumara’s case, running 100+ miles following an all night drink fest).  Christopher McDougall, author and former journalist, also debates the architecture of the human foot and why we potentially would be better off running/walking sans sneakers.  Even if you don’t run, or particularly like to read sport’s books (me), this is a quick and interesting read.  It’s a story, a sociology lesson and an anatomy class all in one.

You’ll be hooked.  You won’t want it to end.  And by the last chapter, you’re going to want to be eating salads for breakfast and thinking orthotic inserts are the devil (read the book, you’ll know what I’m talking about).