Crock Pot Spaghetti Sauce

As you  know , I don’t usually “copy and paste” much in this blog, as I much prefer to share my own thoughts and opinions about a particular topic.  This however, is already quite perfectly written–and I don’t know that I could add much to it–with the  exception of expanding on a couple of ideas…

This has come from one of my favourite blogs–Fooducate.com.  I have blogged about them before, and I can’t express how much I love what they are doing–educating people about the food industry, marketing and such, if you haven’t yet, check them out…This is their post today:

USA=United Snackers of America
“The meal as we know it is disappearing. A recent report from Packaged Facts – Snack Foods in the US (4th Edition) – shows an ever-growing consumer shift to snacking as a result of “frenzied lifestyles”.
The packaged snack market grew from $56 Billion in 2006 to $64 Billion in 2010 and is expected to rise to $77 Billion by 2015.
That’s about 12% of our total food spend at the supermarket!
The saddest part:

“The children of today, comfortable with replacing entire meals with snacks, will pass these lifestyle traits on to their children, ensuring that snacking will remain a big part of American life.”

And of course, marketers and brands are all over this. According to research director David Sprinkle:

“As consumers seek ways to achieve a healthier lifestyle, snack foods that are marketed as better for you will remain popular. Companies are realizing that they must highlight attributes such as vitamins, minerals, fiber content and lower sodium to both educate consumers and take advantage of demand for such products.

What this means for us: more confusing health claims, promises of simple solutions, and less real food. Maybe we should blame our frenzied lifestyles and not the food companies. But at the end of the day, even if we do want to eat healthful real meals, our modern way of living does not make it easy. “

How does this make you feel?  Sad, Mad, Apathetic?
Tomorrow I will expand a little on why I find this so distressing–not just for my own sanity, but for our culture as a whole….

Crock Pot Spaghetti Sauce
1 lb gound turkey or beef or italian sausage
1 onion chopped
2-3 cloves garlic minced
3 ribs of celery chopped
8-10 mushrooms sliced
a couple good handfuls of dried red lentils (they help to absorb any extra liquid, do you have a nice thick sauce)
1 tbsp sugar (to cut the acidity of the tomato)
2 tbsp of your favourite italian seasoning mix or a combo of dried oregano, basil, thyme
2 bay leaves
S&P
2, 28 oz cans diced, no salt tomatoes
2 cans of your favourite tomato sauce

Brown turkey in a hot frypan.  Add onions and cook until translucent.  Add mushrooms, minced garlic and celery-cook until soft.  Combine the turkey and all other ingredients into the crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours (or high for 3-4).  

Tip: this should make lots of extra sauce–it freezes like a dream, and makes  a great lasagne sauce too!