Where Do You Purchase the Quality Meat That You Serve Your Family?

Posted on October 8, 2017 by Francis Pitt

Finding a tasty and affordable meal to serve to your family night after night can be a challenge. Finding the right source for the vegetables, fruits, and meats that you serve your family, however, is a start in the right direction. If you are someone who is always looking for your meal ingredients at the last minute or you are an organized cook who does all of the necessary shopping at the beginning of every week, it is important to know where to find the ingredients that you need. And while it may be tempting to simply buy what is advertised as being on sale for the week, the best commercial chefs and home cooks often pride themselves on making sure that they have a reliable resource for the meals that they serve.
Whether you are someone who buys your protein items at local meat markets once or twice a week or you are someone who purchases online meat sales once a month, you likely know the value of finding quality and affordable options for the meat that you serve your family or your customers. Cows, chickens, pigs, and sheep make up the livestock “big four,” and it should come as no surprise that home cooks and professional chefs rely on specific resources for each of these different types of protein.
Affordable Butcher Shops Near Me
The reality is that more and more families have to work within a budget when they are planning the meals that they serve their families. For many home meal planners, online meat packages are the best option. And while some local butcher shops will run some pieces of meat on sale every week, many of the other cuts of meat are sometimes out of the price range of many home budgets. Relying on online steak bundles, however, can help some families afford to serve a higher quality piece of meat.
Quality Butcher Shops Near Me
Not all Americans have the advantage of living close to a quality meat shop. And while some big chain stores sell a lot of meat, few of them have their own butchers on site. Small, local butchers, however, can provide high quality pieces of meat to their weekly customers.
The average American consumed approximately 198 pounds of meat in the year 2014, according to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. How about you and your family? Do you serve meat every day to your family? If so, you have probably spent a good amount of time deciding where the most affordable and highest quality meat can be found. If you find yourself trying to find answer the question where are the butcher shops near me, you have likely also considered the option of ordering meat online as well.

How Much Do You Know About Peanuts? Put Your Knowledge To The Test

Posted on September 28, 2017 by Francis Pitt

What do you know about peanuts? This can seem like a basic question. They’re tasty, right? They’re healthy, available in pretty much any grocery store and can be at home on a sandwich or in a bag of trail mix. But what about the nutritional benefits? How about where this amazing creation comes from and how peanut products have changed over the years? It doesn’t hurt to learn a little more about the food you come into contact with almost every day and the list below will shed some light on common to lesser-known facts.

Quick Facts

Peanuts are just about everywhere. Does that mean you know everything there is to know about them? Dr. George Washington Carver is often credited with creating peanut butter, a mainstay in many an American household, but the fact of the matter is rather different. He invented over 300 different uses for peanuts during his career, including hair products and massage oil, and actually had little to do with peanut butter. Peanut butter must be 90% peanuts or more by law. Lastly…the peanut vs groundnut debacle is a bit of a trick question.

Peanut vs Groundnut

Where do peanuts stand on the old-fashioned peanut vs groundnut debate? Let’s start with a lesser-known fact…peanuts are not actually a true nut. They’re what’s known as a legume (basically a seed in a pod), but for brevity’s sake they’re pushed into the nut family. Unlike walnuts, peanuts are grown above the ground rather than underground. Keep this knowledge tucked away next time the peanut vs groundnut debate crops up in polite company. You might find yourself turning heads.

Health Benefits

Peanuts are chock full of protein. This is especially useful if you’re on a vegan or vegetarian diet that has you eliminating meat and searching for alternatives that can keep you up to speed on all the nutrients needed for a healthy lifestyle. A mere ounce of raw peanuts has over seven grams of protein as well as a strong amount of dietary fiber, meaning you can get back that energy you thought only existed in chicken and pork. Peanuts also boast an impressive healthy cholesterol count and can work as an appetite suppressant.

Widespread Popularity

Who enjoys peanuts? Just about everybody. American residents eat over 700 million pounds of peanuts every year, with peanut purchases exceeding 65% of all nut purchases. That includes even popular staples like walnuts, cashews and pine nuts. Peanuts are very beloved in other parts of the world, with Thailand and Peru being some of the most notable examples on an already long list. When you consider peanuts can be enjoyed as they are or mixed into a variety of recipes, it stands to reason why they’d remain at the top of the food chain.

Usage In Popular Culture

What do you know about peanuts used in the mainstream? Probably more than you think. According to a study provided by Little Brownie Bakers, over 145,000 pounds of peanut butter are used during peak production periods to create some of the Girl’s Scouts most popular selections. One of America’s most iconic candy bars is the Pay Day, made out of peanuts and caramel, though it’s not the only treat that uses peanuts as part of the base.

Enjoying Everything Peanuts Have To Offer

Peanuts come in nearly every form you can think of. You can eat them raw and have a great snack to supplement your busy schedule. Organic peanut oil is perfect for the gluten intolerant, while the health benefits of peanuts can supplement any diet low on calories. Peanut butter benefits can also be rather interesting in their more creative uses, such as slapped onto celery sticks or used to trim down an overeager appetite. Thinking of reaching for a bag of peanuts?

How to Find Authentic Mexican Food in Your City

Posted on September 8, 2017 by Francis Pitt

Everyone should have authentic tasting Mexican food, at least one time in their lives. It is likely that there are many Mexican restaurants in your local area. However, it is also likely that many of them are not authentic and the menu items actually have very little to do with Mexican food. How can you experience the authentic taste of Mexican food?

Travel to a different area

Traveling is one of the best ways to expand your Mexican restaurant experiences. Of course, you could travel to Mexico and have a real authentic taste of the Mexican food options. However, if traveling outside of the country is not an option for you, you will find that there are many high quality Mexican restaurants in the country that are close to the real thing. You will simply have to do a little research to find the best Mexican restaurants. Traveling more south and closer to the borders will give you the best options.

Look up local Mexican restaurant reviews

Even if you live in the northern most part of the United States, you probably have a few Mexican catering options. As of 2011, there are 38,000 Mexican restaurants dispersed across the American landscape. You can usually get a good idea of the foods that a Mexican restaurant serves by looking up local reviews. Pay attention to the factors that are most important to you including the cost, the taste, and how authentic the food is. Customers enjoy rating local restaurants and you can get a lot of valuable feedback about how authentic a restaurant is, based on these reviews.

Choose a Mexican restaurant based on food preferences

There are many different types of Mexican food. You might even find that you do not prefer what is considered to be authentic Mexican. Try out a couple of different restaurants to learn what your Mexican preferences are. You might prefer the fast casual restaurant Mexican option. This is a little different than the traditional restaurant setting. Instead of immediately sitting and waiting for a server to take your order, you go through a cafeteria like line and select the specific toppings you want. This is a great way to try new Mexican food dishes and to make substitutions for food items that you do not enjoy. Keep track of these food preferences and you will find it easier to choose a local Mexican restaurant.

Follow your favorite Mexican chefs

Authentic Mexican food usually comes from Mexican chefs. If a local Mexican restaurant is opened by a local with no ties to Mexico, you can guess that it is not going to serve authentic Mexican food. A lot of the restaurants today that claims to be Mexican actually have little to no ties to the Mexican culture. One out of every 10 restaurants in the U.S. sells Mexican food, making it the most popular style of international cuisine in the country. However, if you follow your favorite Mexican chefs, you can be the first to know about real Mexican restaurants opening in your area. Follow these chefs on social media, TV, and news publications.

Make your own Mexican food

If you are finding it difficult to locate authentic Mexican food in your area, consider making it yourself. With a little research and high quality ingredients, you can make a Mexican meal that is more authentic than the local Mexican restaurant. Approximately 71.08% of American households use Mexican food and ingredients anyway. Look up Mexican recipes and choose ones that appeal the most to you.

There are many restaurants that claim to serve authentic Mexican food. Yet, if you have ever been to Mexico or had a real Mexican meal, you know this is not the case. You can usually judge the authenticity of a Mexican restaurant based on their knowledge, reviews, and the chef. Make your own preference decisions and find the best Mexican restaurants in your city. If your search does not produce any good results, consider making your own Mexican inspired meals.

3 Beneficial Reasons to Consume Microgreens

Posted on August 31, 2017 by Francis Pitt

Microgreens have only been around for two to three decades. However, these greens continue to be something that every diner looks forward to seeing on a dinner plate. There are many uses for microgreens in both restaurants and home kitchens around the world. The wide range of micro green varieties ensures a chef always has plenty of options with this type of food. Here are three benefits of consuming microgreens.

Large Amount of Vitamins and Nutrients

One reason this food is highly beneficial is that there are many micro green varieties available. Many people combine various micro green varieties to receive multiple types of nutrients. Microgreens are known for being rated on a unique scale, receiving a rating from one to five. If microgreens receive a rating of less than three signifies this food as unmarketable.

High Concentration of Antioxidants

The way that microgreens are grown allows them to retain a lot of antioxidants. Organic micro greens are known to contain higher levels of antioxidants when compared to raw vegetables. One reason for this increase is because eating microgreens allows someone to consume more of a plant. Many vegetables purchased from a supermarket have these additional pieces removed before arrival. In order to keep microgreens in optimal condition, they need to be stored at a temperature nearing 39.2 degrees Fahrenheit.

Easy to Digest

One problem with getting nutrients and vitamins from vegetable is that you have to eat a lot of them. Certain people may find that they have difficulties digesting such large quantities of food. A microgreen is a much smaller form of vegetable that is often easier to consume. In addition, microgreens are made in a way that reduces certain nutrients known to cause digestion problems.

In summary, there are many benefits associated with microgreens. This type of food is known for having large amounts of vitamins and minerals. Regularly consuming vitamins and minerals has been shown to reduce certain the risk of certain diseases. Microgreens have a high concentration of antioxidants which are beneficial for cleansing the body. Many people find that antioxidants are easy to digest since they are smaller types of food. Microgreens have risen to popularity since the 1980s and remain a favorite among foodies.

3 Steps to Save Yourself Time During Your Busiest of Days

Posted on August 11, 2017 by Francis Pitt

Are you always in a hurry? Maybe you feel like you?re always trying to run to get to the office on time. When it comes to meals, you prefer grab-and-go options so that you don?t feel like you?re wasting time sitting and eating. Either way, you?re someone who values every single minute of your day. You can?t waste any time waiting in long lines, getting stuck in traffic, or trying to prepare meals. There are plenty of alternatives that can help you get through your daily tasks and meals quicker so you feel like you?re making the most of your time.

Interested in learning more about how to make the most of your busy day? Keep reading to find out why coffee shops and delis that offer options like paper soup cups to go and sandwiches could be a lifesaver for your busy schedule.

How to Make the Most of Your Busy Day

Step 1. Don?t waste time in the morning

One of the best ways to kick-start your day is to get through your morning smoothly. You don?t want to be fumbling around getting out of bed and getting ready for the work day. You should always prepare what you?re going to wear the night before to save time in the morning. If you have kids, you can implement the same strategy with them to make mornings easier.

Get up right when your alarm goes off, and start getting ready right away. You quicker the move, the more you?ll wake up. You?ll waste less time, be more efficient, and get out the door and on your way to work with time to spare.

Step 2. Use leftover time to stop at a coffee shop

Don?t try to make your own coffee at home before work. You likely won?t have time to make the coffee, let alone drink it, especially if you have children. By the time you get around to starting the pot, it?ll be too late to the cup cool before you need to drink it and run out the door. This opens up opportunities for burning and spilling on your clothes. Chances are, you don?t have the right type of carrier cup to make transporting your coffee easy. So, stop by a local coffee shop on the way to work, instead.

With the average American drinks around 1.5 cups of coffee every day, it?s important to make sure you pick a coffee shop that doesn?t usually have long lines. Around 65% of coffee drank is consumed for breakfast, so you may need to allocate a little extra time in case the shop is busy. Even so, they?ll be able to provide you with coffee cups with lids, coffee stirrers, and creamer just as you like it.

Step 3. Stop by a deli for lunch

On your lunch hour, don?t go out for a sit-down lunch. This will end up taking much longer than you expect. Chances are you can?t actually do any work while you?re at lunch either. Worst case scenario, a sit-down lunch means you have to stay at work an hour later that night, and no one wants that.

Instead, find a good deli near your office and make it your usual lunch stop. One of the easiest things to get at delis is hot soup. In fact, soup is becoming so popular that around 30% of delis are looking at ways to enhance their soup stations for customer satisfaction. You might not believe it but every year, there are around 10 billion bowls of soup eaten by Americans. Soup is so easy to grab-and-go that you can eat it quickly in the deli or take it back to the office to eat while you continue working. Also, there?s so many different varieties of soup that you?ll never get bored with your selection.

What steps do you take to make sure you have more time in your day? How do you get everything done without wasting any time? Let us know about your busy days in the comments.

America and Its Love Affair With the Chicken

Posted on July 7, 2017 by Francis Pitt

All over the United States of America, people have fallen in love with the chicken. At least they have fallen in love with the chicken when it comes to what to have for lunch, dinner, or even a late night snack.

We here in the United States eat more chicken than anywhere else in the entire world. It is our number one source of protein and is prepared in many different ways. Friend chicken, broiled chicken, grilled chicken, and even fried chicken wings are consumed in great numbers all over the country.

Chicken wings are a special kind of food that we devour on all kinds of different special occasions. Work occasions, get-togethers, summer nights out on the back porch, even parties like Super Bowls and other big games have chicken wings at the center of the culinary activities.

Caterers all around the country have their own special ways of preparing chicken for different types of occasions. Usually, at events like weddings, catering services might provide chicken wings at a cocktail hour and then serve a more dressed up and fancy version of chicken preparation at the sit-down dinner.

If you have ever been to a wedding and had to select chicken or fish, or were given some other type of choice like chicken or beef, you will most likely recall that it was chicken that was always the constant. The other item is the one that is different. Chicken is a pretty steady bet when you go to a sit-down event.

In 2015, Americans consumed 90.1 pounds of chicken per capita. In the year 2016, it was projected that the amount of chicken consumed per capita would grow to 91.8 pounds, over a pound more per capita. American’s love of chicken is pretty large and it doesn’t look like it is going to end anytime soon.

Chicken is an extremely important part of the fast food industry in America. Virtually every restaurant that has its doors open has at least one chicken item on the menu. Food delivery has grown to include many different types of restaurants that offer chicken on the menu. The many ways in which chicken can be prepared lends itself to being served in so many different types of restaurants.

Many restaurants that specialize in chicken, especially fried chicken, really understand that using almost the entire chicken is what makes chicken lovers come back for more. The thigh, the breast, the wings, virtually every bit of the chicken is used by friend chicken restaurants around the country.

No matter what, though, it is chicken wings that seem to be the most popular. Having chicken wings during the big game has become a tradition over the last couple of decades, leaving every other kind of food trailing behind in terms of numbers. The breast and thigh are popular items for sit down meals, but the chicken wings are what most people want to sink their teeth into when they are snacking on something during the halftime show at the Super Bowl.

No matter what part of the chicken is being used by restaurants, caterers, or backyard barbecue aficionados, the chicken is an animal that Americans can’t seem to get enough of. Because we can’t get enough chicken, that means that more chickens have to be raised and delivered. Right now, there are about 25,000 family farms that have what are called production contracts with chicken companies. Just about 95% of the broiler chickens that are produced are produced on these family farms. The additional 5% of chickens are raised on company-owned farms.

The United States of America might not be first in some things, but it is certainly first in the amount of chicken its people eat every year. It does not matter how you prepare it, chicken is the number one, go-to meal in almost every home and restaurant. Maybe after reading this you are getting hungry for some chicken. How about some chicken wings?

How Coffee Has Increased Demand for Paper Cups

Posted on June 12, 2017 by Francis Pitt

Paper cups seem sometimes like a product used for parties and celebrations, where there are many people gathered for one occasion and an affordable method for delivering drinks is desired. But increasingly paper cups are playing a larger role in one of the fastest growing industries in the past two decades–coffee.

The retail value of the coffee market is valued at $48 billion, with 55% of that amount coming from the specialty coffee market. The United States imported around 27 million bags of unroasted coffee in 2014, which is one fourth of the imported coffee in the entire world. That made the U.S. the single largest buyer of coffee globally.

The statistics surrounding American coffee consumption show a larger picture of how Americans are drinking and consuming this product that is ingrained into American culture.

Recent statistics show that the average American consumes 1.64 cups of coffee per day.
30% of the population drinks coffee occasionally.
65% of all coffee in America is consumed during breakfast hours, with 30% between meals, and the remaining 5% with other meals.

It makes sense then that paper cups have become increasingly in-demand as the coffee industry has experienced incredible growth. Whether it’s a latte or a cappuccino or just a simple coffee drank black, paper cups are being used to deliver America’s most well-known energy drink.

There are many products that go in line with the paper cup when it comes to coffee. The wooden coffee stirrers, for instance, or the wooden stir sticks can often be seen at stations, where sugar and cream and other various flavoring substances are available to put within coffee.

Most paper cups used for coffee today are the standard white. These white paper coffee cups are standard at locations such as Starbucks, the Barnes and Noble Cafe, and other locations that distribute coffee as part of their main business plan. Many companies are likely to buy these cups wholesale, as part of inventory. These wholesale coffee cups can be a boon for businesses that produce these cups, leading to more revenue.

Aside from coffee, paper cups are used for another item on the menu at locations that serve coffee as part of their main business plan: soups. Whether at Panera Bread, Barnes and Noble, or other cafe locations, soups are placed in a hot soup container or hot paper cup and can also be sold wholesale.

In addition, some of those who wholesale paper coffee cups or sell hot cups wholesale offer an additional option for companies who deal with to-go orders: the lid. Cups with lids and small paper cups with lids are useful and somewhat standard when it comes to coffee delivery. These lids allow people to pick up coffee on the way to work and drive with the cups without spilling the liquid.

As the coffee industry has grown, demand for paper cups, whether disposable or just plain white, has seemingly increased.

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