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I have a love/hate relationship with Kroger. Sometimes I’m really impressed with what they have to offer – totally free pasta, steep discounts on manager’s special filets of sell-by-today seafood or soda, four 12-can packs for $11 (that’s like $0.23 a can people!). And sometimes I leave totally stupefied by the absurdity of the things I have seen. Case in point – stickers. Kroger gets some sick, misguided satisfaction from their environmentally-friendly policy of planting a giant sticker that reads “Less plastic? Fantastic! Thanks! You saved a plastic bag!” on all large or bulky items you carry-out of the store as-is instead of having it placed in a plastic bag…….um, does any one else see the irony here?

Where oh where do I begin!? First of all, it is highly unlikely that anyone shopping at Kroger is thinking, “Whoa, Nelly! Let me get this straight: If I opt not to use a landfill-clogging plastic bag (that I always put in the plastic bag recycle bin anyway) for this economy-sized package of Soft N’ Fluffy toilet paper that doesn’t even fit in a plastic bag, I get, gasp!, a sticker!? YES!! This totally awesome sticker is so worth saving a plastic bag!” Like everybody else in this world, I too love stickers, but really and truly Kroger, nobody is that excited about your stickers that they’re willing to give up a plastic bag if they need one. The sticker does not entice me to use or not to use a plastic bag.

Secondly, can we take a moment to discuss the utter and complete waste of time, money, and materials that goes into these stickers? I’m nearly positive that the cost of their existence far exceeds any potential benefit they may provide to the environment. For example, today I purchased eight boxes of soda and two cartons of milk. If you’re counting, that’s ten stickers they gave me. TEN. One (or, you know, none) would have been a sufficient “thank you!” The bagger actually wasted about two minutes of her time carefully placing a sticker on every single box of soda and gallon of milk I bought. You know what I’m going to do with those stickers? That’s right! Open trash can, insert sticker. I honestly would not be in the least bit offended if I didn’t receive a single sticker on my bulk items.  At ten stickers a person, they must hand out millions every day! Millions of stickers that cost money (and, um, plastic) to produce. Millions of stickers – with plastic backings – that will end up in landfill. And all of this to promote saving plastic! I am in awe of the brilliance at work here. But on the plus side I saved $33.37 and ten plastic bags by shopping at Kroger today! Sheer. Excellence.

As previously promised I have a delicious recipe to share with you today! I yanked it out of a magazine some time ago and, in true Lara fashion, have added my own personal touches and edits to it. This is a recipe for Chinese chicken (I’m pretty sure it’s sponsored by Kraft & Jell-O – so I in no way take credit for it). It’s easy to make, fairly healthy, and every time we make it we’re always impressed by how potent the flavors are for so few ingredients. I brought leftovers of it to work yesterday and every single person who walked into the room took one sniff and promptly declared “Something smells amazing! What is that!?” So I thought I’d share the goodness.

Source

Chinese Takeout Lemon Chicken

1. The chicken: Using the steaming method, bake about 1 lb. of fresh boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs if you prefer dark meat) in the oven. I lay them all out on a piece of tinfoil, tightly seal the tinfoil together to create a steamer bag, and throw them in the oven on a baking sheet at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. It comes out perfectly. Once done, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
2. The rice: I use Basmati Jasmine rice. You shouldn’t have a problem finding it at any local grocery store. It’s a white rice that’s often used in Thai and Indian dishes. It’s really mild rice that’s an excellent base for soaking in flavors like ginger, garlic, lemon and smoked mushrooms if you like to add a little more flavor to your dishes. Anyhow, I simmer 1 cup of the rice in 1.5 cups of salty water on the stove for 20 minutes and set it aside to keep warm.
3. The sauce: In a small bowl mix together one small 4-oz. package of sugar-free lemon jello mix and 1 Tbsp. of cornstarch. Heat up 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Add the dry lemon jello and cornstarch mix to the broth and stir. Add 2 Tbsp. of Kraft’s light zesty Italian dressing and three cloves of minced fresh garlic to the broth. Stir well. If you want to get all fancy (and you do) you can even add a teaspoon of ground ginger paste for extra oomph.
4. The veggies: Cut up two large handfuls of fresh sugar snap peas, one red bell pepper, and 1/2 a can of full baby corns into pieces. On medium-high heat, cook the veggies in a skillet on the stove for about 8 minutes in a little bit of spray oil, stirring constantly.
5. Put it all together: Add the chicken and the sauce to the skillet of vegetables. Reduce heat to medium and stir together for about 5 minutes. Serve over the Jasmine rice.

This recipe is seriously delicious. There’s so few ingredients and it’s so simple to make – but the result is so tasty! If you’re keeping with the no meat during Fridays in Lent you can substitute the chicken for shrimp and I’m sure it would be just as delicious. Someone out there please try this and tell me about it so all my typing wasn’t in vain!

And finally, if you’re not over the whole reading thing yet, I have Day 3 of the photo blog challenge for you….tomorrow. Have a great Monday!