A fun food challenge for 2025!

I find that one of the biggest challenges our household faces is optimization of meals, trying to strike a balance of enjoyable, reasonably easy, healthy, affordable, and non-wasteful. I don't pretend to have solutions to all of that, but I had an idea of something that might be a fun way to make inroads with at least a couple of those concerns. We do our shopping at Market Basket in Lynn, which is a diverse little city next door to our burb. There are a lot of foods favored by different ethnic groups, and we often find ourselves saying, "I wonder what that is?" "I wonder what you do with that?" "I wonder if that's any good?" So we are going to challenge ourselves to try at least two of these unknown items a month. Worst case is that we'll waste something different for a change, and best case is that we'll broaden our food horizons and add some more variety to our meal plans.

If anyone cares to join along, we can share our experiences here. Otherwise, I will just report on what we try and what we think about it.

Sounds like fun. Not sure I will participate, but would love to hear how it goes for you.

It sounds like a good idea. I've done some of that, just exploring the shelves and freezer section. We found Tikki Masala...and it's now part of our rotation..acting as if I plan that well!

Since we are also now Market Basketeers, let us know what you are trying if it's something in their pre-pared or frozen foods and we will try them too.

We are IN, Rosa!

I'm not sure about any specific numbers, but I'm always experimenting. I am most vegan/vegetarian, fish once a week, and turkey on Thanksgiving.

I've been experimenting with egg whites that come in the little milk cartons most places. Low cholesterol, high protein. In my well cured iron frying pan they will inevitably stick and cause a stubborn cleaning challenge with scrambled or omelet recipes. No changes in temperatures or amount of oil in the pan have helped, so I've been having pan baked eggs. I don't know there is a magic recipe, but basically sauté vegetables of choice that you might add to an omelet, maybe some cheese, and poor into a baking dish lined with parchment for about a half inch layer and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. No stick or big clean up and left- overs reheat in foil in a warm oven. A good use for left over veggies, maybe a little salsa. Maybe could make egg sandwiches.

If I didn't care about cholesterol, it might not be on my rotation.

DH and I were definitely experimenters when we signed up for Blue Apron. That took us out of our comfort zone a little. I had never even heard of farro, for instance. And the good thing about that is you get a recipe, so you know what to do with it. The meals were really good, but overall, the Blue Apron subscription was too expensive, despite what they say about saving you money.

Good luck with your experimentatoin, rosa! Definitely report back. These days I'm just trying to eat healthy with no processed foods. That's enough of a stretch for me!

I guess we are doing a version of this as we think about new recipes for using the ingredients we have on hand. Infrequent trips to Asian or Mexican groceries to buy harder to find add-ins. He was in the specialty grocery biz before retiring so we have been trying unusual foods like condiments and spices for a long time.

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Originally Posted by Rogar

I'm not sure about any specific numbers, but I'm always experimenting. I am most vegan/vegetarian, fish once a week, and turkey on Thanksgiving.

I've been experimenting with egg whites that come in the little milk cartons most places. Low cholesterol, high protein. In my well cured iron frying pan they will inevitably stick and cause a stubborn cleaning challenge with scrambled or omelet recipes. No changes in temperatures or amount of oil in the pan have helped, so I've been having pan baked eggs. I don't know there is a magic recipe, but basically sauté vegetables of choice that you might add to an omelet, maybe some cheese, and poor into a baking dish lined with parchment for about a half inch layer and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. No stick or big clean up and left- overs reheat in foil in a warm oven. A good use for left over veggies, maybe a little salsa. Maybe could make egg sandwiches.

If I didn't care about cholesterol, it might not be on my rotation.

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I usually do this every Sunday. Divide the pan into a dozen pieces and there is enough for both dh and I have to for breakfast for the week. Makes mornings so easy to just pot a piece of egg dish and a piece of bread into the toaster oven.

I'll try my best to join in. 2025 looking like it will be very unpredictable.

Not too adventurous, but we did try queso fresco this week. It reminded me of fresh mozzarella, only a bit saltier. It was OK, but I probably prefer mozzarella.

I was raised on Southern cooking, very unadventurous but specifically Southern. I never had anything else until in my teens--like no MacDonalds or Chinese food even until I was about 15. My palate is very limited because of that. It's hard to branch out.