With so much time away from my blog and work, I have so much catching up to do. Yesterday, the Foods From Chile consolation prize arrived… a box of foods from that country, which also includes a great canvas tote bag. These canvas bags have replaced paper bags in my Big John’s supermarket. They really frown on needing paper, and they don’t even have a plastic bag option… thankfully.

So, one more tote to tote, and to also remember the excitement of being a finalist in their potential trip process.

In the box, besides the bag?

• A card that told me,“You are what you eat” ~ which I’ve been saying since the 1960s, when imitation foods began to come into the market place
• Robinson Crusoe Premium Chilean Whole Mussels in oil ~ recommended for pastas, salads, and appetizers
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil ~ my new butter replacement for even toast in the morning
• Huerto Azul Fig Chutney with Merkén (Merkén or merquén [from the Mapuche mapudungun] is a smoked chili pepper) ~ perfect with a variety of cheese, pastas, and meats
• 100% Pure Fruit Chilean Blueberry Juice – Fresh Pressed Tamaya ~ Hello antioxidants!

And tips: Top 10 Healthy, Tasty Substitution Tips that are really worth sharing. The first one is new to me; all are worth sharing:

1. Salmon burger for hamburger (salmon lovers rejoice… this one’s new to me because I have fish allergies)
2. Ground chicken for ground beef (turkey will also do nicely)
3. Citrus slice in seltzer water for soda (when was the last time you drank a soda with almost one teaspoons of sugar per ounce?)
4. Unsweetened applesauce for butter (there’s also apple butter as an option)
5. Nuts for croutons in salads (darn, I’ve been using both, but I get it)
6. Olive oil [3 tbs.] for butter [1/4 cup] (Great conversion for us to understand)
7. Lemon juice for salt (Have you heard this one yet? It works)
8. Frozen or fresh fruit for canned fruit (cans also take a lot of energy to create and then to recreate, etc.)
9. Avocado mash for mayo (beware, though, this fruit has the highest calorie count)
10. Almond flour for wheat flour (this is a really tasty alternative, and eliminates the gluten)

Now the Chilean wines coming up to taste, and these wines WERE NOT PART OF THE PACKAGE… They arrived separately from another source, but they’re a good complement to the foods that arrived, so I’ve put them into this blog past.

• Los Vascos Domaines Barons de Rothschild [Lafite] Grande Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
• Serie Riberas Gran Reserva Concha y Toto Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

I foresee a grilling night, and using the Chilean Extra Virgin Olive Oil and the Huerto Azul Fig Chutney to enhance the flavors of beef. Jose and I only buy organic, non hormone meat. It tastes a bit different than what has evolved for meat these days, so you might even have to get used to it…

My doctor and I were just talking aobut the super virus that I got, and I told him how disappointed I am with our meat industry for the amount of hormones and antibiotics that are used in our meat supply. He asked me, “Do you know how much antibiotics are being used each year by the America’s meat industry?” I had to admit that I didn’t.

He said, “Five Million Tons of antibiotics…”

In pounds… to make the point even more clear… 10,000,000,000 pounds… How many of those pounds are going into your body? Think organic…..

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• A Finicky Foodie Finds Delight in Foods From Chile
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• Foods from Chile + Chilean Wine
• Why are you the right blogger (or writer) for this Chilean culinary adventure?