This is an adaptation from various recipes I've used over the years. I'm a big fan of pasta and tomatoes with a sprinkling of Parmesan on top--it's simple, it's easy, and it's satisfying when it's cold and you're feeling hungry and in need of comfort food.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 stalk of celery, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed, peeled, and finely chopped
1 large (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup chicken broth
sugar
salt and pepper
(optional) dried herbs to taste: I like basil or oregano, though thyme and marjoram would also be good
In a large, heavy pot, heat oil over medium heat and add the onion, carrot, and celery, along with a good pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. (Even if you don't care for cooked carrot and celery--I don't, not much--they add flavor to the sauce, so don't skip them. I only recently learned the term mirepoix, and it is a beautiful thing as well as a beautiful word.) Cook the vegetables for around 5 minutes until somewhat softened, but not browned. Add the garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
Add the tomatoes, the chicken broth, and a pinch of sugar, cover, and simmer for 50 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. About 5 minutes before the time is up, add your dried herbs. Check seasoning, and serve.
This recipe keeps well in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. It's even better if you let it cool and then warm it up again. I think it would probably freeze well too, though I've not tried this.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Friday, October 4, 2013
Week's meal plan, October 4, 2013
Last week's meal plan went smoothly, and resulted in absolutely truckloads of leftovers, meaning that we didn't have to have peanut butter sandwiches for lunch every day.
The red cabbage/feta linguine was a big hit with all of us, probably because I put in around twice the feta it suggested. Next time I'll halve the recipe, however, because it made a gargantuan quantity, enough for three meals for the three of us. It didn't reheat particularly well, so I think I'll only make as much as we need.
The veggie burgers were a semi-flop. They tasted good, but the texture was too soft and they fell apart, even though I followed the recipe to the letter. Madly disappointed. I still have two leftover burgers in the freezer awaiting cooking. I'll probably make them some day when there's absolutely no other food in the house.
The salmon cakes were the week's best discovery, and I've made up an adaptation of the recipe I used. We liked them so much that we're having them again this week.
This week's meal plan:
Breakfasts: steel cut oats (had lots of those left over from last week) with plain unsweetened yogurt and frozen mixed berries, OR eggs on toast.
Lunches: good old peanut butter sandwiches, string cheese, fruit, raw vegetables.
Dinners:
1) Butternut squash and spinach lasagna rolls from Skinnytaste.com
2) Turkey, white bean, and pumpkin chili from Skinnytaste.com, with sides of brown rice and steamed broccoli
3) Chicken, rice, and mushroom soup from Skinnytaste.com (do you see something of a theme happening here?!)
4) Salmon cakes with sides of polenta and steamed broccoli
5) Hamburgers (Mr. B is going to make these, so I don't have a recipe) with homemade whole wheat buns and a side of steamed asparagus
6) Pan-seared cod fillets (also made by Mr. B) with a side of zucchini fritters from SmittenKitchen.com
7) Leftovers
The groceries:
Fruits and vegetables:
2lbs yellow onions: 0.95
2 heads garlic: 0.76
bunch scallions: 0.58
2.45 lbs butternut squash: 2.40
1 red pepper: 0.98
2 broccoli crowns: 0.86
1 .08 lbs asparagus: 3.22
0.4 lbs mushrooms: 1.19
1 bunch cilantro:0.48
1 head celery: 1.29
3 medium zucchini: 1.44
2.45 lbs nectarines: 3.14
1.88 Gala apples: 1.84
Dairy:
1 gallon Organic Valley whole milk: 6.68
Nancy's low-fat plain unsweetened yogurt: 2.43
Frigo part-skim ricotta, 15oz: 2.77
Tillamook Italian blend shredded cheese, 8oz: 1.98
Cheese Heads light string cheese: 2.48
Frozen:
10 oz spinach, supermarket brand 0.97
1 lb corn kernels, supermarket brand 0.78
8 oz frozen mixed berries, supermarket brand: 1.88
Bulk:
5 oz white/wild rice mix: 1.24
1.1 lbs whole wheat flour: 0.70
Meat:
20 oz free range chicken thighs: 4.28
1.5 lbs ground turkey: 3.98
2 fillets wild Alaskan cod: 4.15
1 lb lean ground grass-fed beef: 4.69 (bought it on the day of its expiration at half price! Yay!)
1 large can Alaska wild salmon: 3.08
Misc.
Hodgson whole wheat lasagna noodles: 1.48
Sara Lee multigrain bread: 1.98
1 large can pumpkin puree: 1.87
Total: $66.55.
Observations: I spent more than I usually do this week, but that's ok, it's still under my goal budget of $70. (I was rather enjoying keeping it under $60, but I'll allow myself this little slip-up.) This week, I was just so tired of roast chicken and then thinking up ways to use leftover chicken that my stomach heaved at the very thought. I do like my animal protein, so I splurged and got a few things we normally don't get. I was pretty pleased with getting some non-factory-farmed beef so cheaply--I regularly buy things that have reached their expiration dates, because I figure the dates are arbitrary and meaningless anyway. They probably put some date on it so that a fragile, 103-year-old person with a compromised immune system won't get sick from it (the same ancient person that the maximum daily dosage on bottles of ibuprofen is designed for, in fact).
I was pleased to discover the Hodgson Mill lasagna, which not only costs less than the white kind, but is higher in fiber. I was also pleased that I could get a supermarket-brand can of pumpkin that's cheaper than a name-brand variety as well as being twice the size.
I handed over my debit card with a brave smile, but to be honest, I sometimes wish I didn't care about feeding my family fruits and vegetables every day. Then I could REALLY save some cash. In my insufferably middle-class way, I'm quite sniffy about things like Hamburger Helper and boxed macaroni and cheese, but there's no getting around it, they're cheaper than the meals I make. They probably taste pretty good too, even if they aren't healthy.
Back to ranting: this week I found myself engaging in a Facebook spat over what poor people "should" eat. The people I argued against thought the poor "should" eat rice and beans, and nostalgically reminisced about the good old days when everyone ate whole grain and worked in the fields and was ever so much healthier (oh great, because everyone lived to a ripe old age in the nineteenth century and never got anything like rickets, malnutrition, terrible dental problems, etc?). There was even a comment with the old cliche "When I was in college I ate nothing but beans and never went to McDonald's..." which is so annoying I could barely dignify it with a response. Everyone in the middle classes has ideas about what the poor "should" do (be grateful and humble and endlessly respectable, and never, ever eat anything that isn't rice and beans, etc).
This project--feeding my family for less while still eating well--has been a fun challenge, and we're all pretty well-nourished from the meals we've made, if a little over-carbed these past couple of weeks. But the fact is that I can only do this because I can afford to buy the staples that make food taste good. If I run out of extra virgin olive oil, for example, I can get another $8 bottle without sending myself into overdraft. I can afford to disdain Hamburger Helper. I'm broke, but not destitute. I have no right to say what anyone else should and shouldn't eat.
The red cabbage/feta linguine was a big hit with all of us, probably because I put in around twice the feta it suggested. Next time I'll halve the recipe, however, because it made a gargantuan quantity, enough for three meals for the three of us. It didn't reheat particularly well, so I think I'll only make as much as we need.
The veggie burgers were a semi-flop. They tasted good, but the texture was too soft and they fell apart, even though I followed the recipe to the letter. Madly disappointed. I still have two leftover burgers in the freezer awaiting cooking. I'll probably make them some day when there's absolutely no other food in the house.
The salmon cakes were the week's best discovery, and I've made up an adaptation of the recipe I used. We liked them so much that we're having them again this week.
This week's meal plan:
Breakfasts: steel cut oats (had lots of those left over from last week) with plain unsweetened yogurt and frozen mixed berries, OR eggs on toast.
Lunches: good old peanut butter sandwiches, string cheese, fruit, raw vegetables.
Dinners:
1) Butternut squash and spinach lasagna rolls from Skinnytaste.com
2) Turkey, white bean, and pumpkin chili from Skinnytaste.com, with sides of brown rice and steamed broccoli
3) Chicken, rice, and mushroom soup from Skinnytaste.com (do you see something of a theme happening here?!)
4) Salmon cakes with sides of polenta and steamed broccoli
5) Hamburgers (Mr. B is going to make these, so I don't have a recipe) with homemade whole wheat buns and a side of steamed asparagus
6) Pan-seared cod fillets (also made by Mr. B) with a side of zucchini fritters from SmittenKitchen.com
7) Leftovers
The groceries:
Fruits and vegetables:
2lbs yellow onions: 0.95
2 heads garlic: 0.76
bunch scallions: 0.58
2.45 lbs butternut squash: 2.40
1 red pepper: 0.98
2 broccoli crowns: 0.86
1 .08 lbs asparagus: 3.22
0.4 lbs mushrooms: 1.19
1 bunch cilantro:0.48
1 head celery: 1.29
3 medium zucchini: 1.44
2.45 lbs nectarines: 3.14
1.88 Gala apples: 1.84
Dairy:
1 gallon Organic Valley whole milk: 6.68
Nancy's low-fat plain unsweetened yogurt: 2.43
Frigo part-skim ricotta, 15oz: 2.77
Tillamook Italian blend shredded cheese, 8oz: 1.98
Cheese Heads light string cheese: 2.48
Frozen:
10 oz spinach, supermarket brand 0.97
1 lb corn kernels, supermarket brand 0.78
8 oz frozen mixed berries, supermarket brand: 1.88
Bulk:
5 oz white/wild rice mix: 1.24
1.1 lbs whole wheat flour: 0.70
Meat:
20 oz free range chicken thighs: 4.28
1.5 lbs ground turkey: 3.98
2 fillets wild Alaskan cod: 4.15
1 lb lean ground grass-fed beef: 4.69 (bought it on the day of its expiration at half price! Yay!)
1 large can Alaska wild salmon: 3.08
Misc.
Hodgson whole wheat lasagna noodles: 1.48
Sara Lee multigrain bread: 1.98
1 large can pumpkin puree: 1.87
Total: $66.55.
Observations: I spent more than I usually do this week, but that's ok, it's still under my goal budget of $70. (I was rather enjoying keeping it under $60, but I'll allow myself this little slip-up.) This week, I was just so tired of roast chicken and then thinking up ways to use leftover chicken that my stomach heaved at the very thought. I do like my animal protein, so I splurged and got a few things we normally don't get. I was pretty pleased with getting some non-factory-farmed beef so cheaply--I regularly buy things that have reached their expiration dates, because I figure the dates are arbitrary and meaningless anyway. They probably put some date on it so that a fragile, 103-year-old person with a compromised immune system won't get sick from it (the same ancient person that the maximum daily dosage on bottles of ibuprofen is designed for, in fact).
I was pleased to discover the Hodgson Mill lasagna, which not only costs less than the white kind, but is higher in fiber. I was also pleased that I could get a supermarket-brand can of pumpkin that's cheaper than a name-brand variety as well as being twice the size.
I handed over my debit card with a brave smile, but to be honest, I sometimes wish I didn't care about feeding my family fruits and vegetables every day. Then I could REALLY save some cash. In my insufferably middle-class way, I'm quite sniffy about things like Hamburger Helper and boxed macaroni and cheese, but there's no getting around it, they're cheaper than the meals I make. They probably taste pretty good too, even if they aren't healthy.
Back to ranting: this week I found myself engaging in a Facebook spat over what poor people "should" eat. The people I argued against thought the poor "should" eat rice and beans, and nostalgically reminisced about the good old days when everyone ate whole grain and worked in the fields and was ever so much healthier (oh great, because everyone lived to a ripe old age in the nineteenth century and never got anything like rickets, malnutrition, terrible dental problems, etc?). There was even a comment with the old cliche "When I was in college I ate nothing but beans and never went to McDonald's..." which is so annoying I could barely dignify it with a response. Everyone in the middle classes has ideas about what the poor "should" do (be grateful and humble and endlessly respectable, and never, ever eat anything that isn't rice and beans, etc).
This project--feeding my family for less while still eating well--has been a fun challenge, and we're all pretty well-nourished from the meals we've made, if a little over-carbed these past couple of weeks. But the fact is that I can only do this because I can afford to buy the staples that make food taste good. If I run out of extra virgin olive oil, for example, I can get another $8 bottle without sending myself into overdraft. I can afford to disdain Hamburger Helper. I'm broke, but not destitute. I have no right to say what anyone else should and shouldn't eat.
Salmon cakes
Adapted from a recipe in Cook's Illustrated Best 30-Minute Recipes for my budget, tastes, and a few things that didn't work. The original recipe calls for leftover cooked salmon, but I can't afford that right now. So I substitute a large can of salmon. Not the flaked, "tuna style" kind, but the kind with skin and bones in it and large chunks of fish.
Ingredients:
1 large can (15oz or larger) wild salmon, skin and bones removed
1/2 a red bell pepper, chopped into tiny pieces
3/4 cup frozen corn kernels, cooked
2 scallions, chopped tiny
2 tablespoons fresh minced cilantro
1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs (pulse whole wheat bread in the food processor if you don't have or can't find these)
1/8 cup mayonnaise
1 large egg
salt and pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
Mix salmon (being careful not to break it into too-small pieces), red bell pepper, corn, scallions, and cilantro in a large bowl.
Mix together in a smaller bowl: 3/4 cups breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, egg, a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper in another bowl.
Gently combine the two mixtures in the larger bowl until just mixed.
Form the mixture into four equal-sized patties. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on the outsides. Refrigerate for half an hour or so to firm them up.
Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Gently place the salmon cakes in the oil, clap on a lid, and let cook for five minutes. Flip the cakes over gently with a spatula, being very careful not to break them, and cook for another five minutes on their other side.
Serve with a salad or steamed vegetables, and a side of polenta or brown rice.
Ingredients:
1 large can (15oz or larger) wild salmon, skin and bones removed
1/2 a red bell pepper, chopped into tiny pieces
3/4 cup frozen corn kernels, cooked
2 scallions, chopped tiny
2 tablespoons fresh minced cilantro
1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs (pulse whole wheat bread in the food processor if you don't have or can't find these)
1/8 cup mayonnaise
1 large egg
salt and pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
Mix salmon (being careful not to break it into too-small pieces), red bell pepper, corn, scallions, and cilantro in a large bowl.
Mix together in a smaller bowl: 3/4 cups breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, egg, a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper in another bowl.
Gently combine the two mixtures in the larger bowl until just mixed.
Form the mixture into four equal-sized patties. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on the outsides. Refrigerate for half an hour or so to firm them up.
Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Gently place the salmon cakes in the oil, clap on a lid, and let cook for five minutes. Flip the cakes over gently with a spatula, being very careful not to break them, and cook for another five minutes on their other side.
Serve with a salad or steamed vegetables, and a side of polenta or brown rice.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Overnight steel cut oats
I'm picky about my porridge. I won't eat the kind made from rolled oats, especially not (shudder!) those awful one-minute ones, which taste like glue. I adore the taste and texture from steel-cut oats, but there's no denying they're a lot more high-maintenance than the more quick-cooking varieties.
I've been searching for the perfect way to make steel-cut oats for some time. The key is advance preparation. In a pinch, you can simply make them 20 minutes before you want to eat: use one part steel cut oats to four parts water, bring to a boil, and simmer until the oats are softened and the water absorbed. But if you have 20 minutes to wait for breakfast in the morning, you're a more organized woman than I.
I tried a few times to make porridge in my slow cooker, but I didn't like it at all. The recipes always said the texture would be deliciously creamy, but for my taste it had just turned into glue. I like my oats to have a bit of bite.
This week, I figured out the perfect shortcut. You can prepare your oats the night before so that they cook gently in hot water and then cool down into perfectly cooked, perfectly textured porridge that you only need to heat up.
The trick is to put only three parts water for one part oats. Mix in a pot, stir, and bring to a boil. As soon as it's boiling, take the pot off the heat and clap a lid on it. Leave it overnight, and first thing in the morning, put it back on the stove over medium heat and let it heat through for a few minutes. Serve with the toppings of your choice--I like fresh or frozen fruit (it defrosts in the heat of the porridge) and a spoonful of plain yogurt. I grew up having milk and raw sugar on top, but my blood sugar can't handle sweet stuff in the morning these days. I'm told that the Scots are horrified by the thought of toppings on porridge. Oh well, I've only been there once.
I've been searching for the perfect way to make steel-cut oats for some time. The key is advance preparation. In a pinch, you can simply make them 20 minutes before you want to eat: use one part steel cut oats to four parts water, bring to a boil, and simmer until the oats are softened and the water absorbed. But if you have 20 minutes to wait for breakfast in the morning, you're a more organized woman than I.
I tried a few times to make porridge in my slow cooker, but I didn't like it at all. The recipes always said the texture would be deliciously creamy, but for my taste it had just turned into glue. I like my oats to have a bit of bite.
This week, I figured out the perfect shortcut. You can prepare your oats the night before so that they cook gently in hot water and then cool down into perfectly cooked, perfectly textured porridge that you only need to heat up.
The trick is to put only three parts water for one part oats. Mix in a pot, stir, and bring to a boil. As soon as it's boiling, take the pot off the heat and clap a lid on it. Leave it overnight, and first thing in the morning, put it back on the stove over medium heat and let it heat through for a few minutes. Serve with the toppings of your choice--I like fresh or frozen fruit (it defrosts in the heat of the porridge) and a spoonful of plain yogurt. I grew up having milk and raw sugar on top, but my blood sugar can't handle sweet stuff in the morning these days. I'm told that the Scots are horrified by the thought of toppings on porridge. Oh well, I've only been there once.
Week's meal plan, September 27, 2013
Last week's meal plan went fine. Mr. B and Baby B loved the corn fritters. The black bean burgers weren't particularly exciting, so in my quest for the perfect veggie burger, I'm going to try another recipe this week. I've had some lovely veggie burgers in restaurants, but have yet to find a really good recipe, one that tastes good, has a pleasant texture, and doesn't send my blood sugar into outer space.
This week, I was taking stock of the ingredients I already had in the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer, and realized that I had enough food to make masses of meals without even going shopping. So I decided to use up some of them, and spend my grocery money on some things that were possibly a little more luxurious than what I normally get, just for fun. Not super economical, but sometimes a girl yearns for a sundried tomato and a bit of feta.
Contents of my pantry:
So I decided to make the following recipes:
Meat:
1 whole chicken: 7.72
This week, I was taking stock of the ingredients I already had in the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer, and realized that I had enough food to make masses of meals without even going shopping. So I decided to use up some of them, and spend my grocery money on some things that were possibly a little more luxurious than what I normally get, just for fun. Not super economical, but sometimes a girl yearns for a sundried tomato and a bit of feta.
Contents of my pantry:
- 1 15-oz can Alaska sockeye salmon
- whole wheat rotini
- pinto beans
- black beans
- whole wheat breadcrumbs
- brown basmati rice
- white flour
- whole wheat flour
- rice noodles
- polenta
Contents of my freezer:
- 1 large chicken breast
- half a bag of green beans
- half a bag of peas
- 1/4 bag of corn
- small quantities of frozen fruits: mangoes, cherries, bananas
Contents of my refrigerator:
- 1 loaf whole wheat bread
- Half a jar of peanut butter
- various condiments: mayonnaise, soy sauce, fish sauce, etc
- eggs
So I decided to make the following recipes:
- Roast chicken with sides of black beans and brown basmati rice, side salad
- Rotini with leftover chicken, broccoli, sundried tomatoes and Asiago (from the Cook's Illustrated Best 30-Minute Recipes), side of peas and green beans
- Veggie burgers with homemade whole wheat buns, with mayonnaise/tomatoes/spinach/etc
- Salmon cakes with red peppers, green chiles, scallions, cilantro, and lime juice (also from Cook's Illustrated Best 30-Minute Recipes) with a side of cheesy polenta and a side salad
- Some kind of stir-fry with sauteed chicken breast, rice noodles, spinach, peanuts, carrots, scallions, various stir-fry sauces (I seldom use a recipe for this kind of thing, it's more of an improvisation)
- Linguine with red cabbage and feta, side salad
- Leftovers (we always seem to have lots)
Lunches:
- Peanut butter sandwiches
- Raw vegetable sticks
- Boiled eggs
- Fruit
Snacks:
- string cheese
- fruit
Breakfasts:
- Steel cut oats with yogurt and frozen berries
- eggs on toast
Desserts:
I spent $58.03.
Groceries:
Dairy:
1 gallon Organic Valley whole milk: 6.68
Nancy's low-fat yogurt: 2.43
Asiago (cheaper than parmesan and does the same sort of thing): 1.48
Sargento reduced fat Mexican shredded cheese: 2.68
Frigo reduced fat string cheese: 2.48
Athenos crumbled feta cheese: 4.78
Eggs: 1.30
Fruit and vegetables:
Frozen mixed berries: 1.88
sundried tomatoes: 2.88
broccoli: 2.02
1 red bell pepper: 0.88
1 head garlic: 0.38
10 oz spinach: 1.38
3 lbs nectarines: 2.96
3 lbs gala apples: 2.67
red onions: 2.19
3 lbs tomatoes: 2.98
5 limes: 1.25
scallions: 0.58
1 red cabbage: 1.47
2 lbs carrots: 0.98
1 head celery: 1.51
Bulk:
steel cut oats: 0.68
bulgur wheat: 0.29
brown sugar: 0.13
1 lb linguine: 0.93
unsalted peanuts: 0.30
Meat:
1 whole chicken: 7.72
Fruit "ice cream"
I don't buy ice cream much, because it's not especially healthy and we don't want Baby B getting used to the idea of sweet desserts. We have dessert every night, but it's either fruit or cheese unless it's a very special occasion. This, however, is probably about as healthy an ice cream as you can get. I don't have an ice cream maker, but you don't need one if all your ingredients are frozen and you have a food processor whose blade can handle it.
This isn't an exact recipe, but I was clearing out my freezer and found some bags of frozen mangoes, cherries, and bananas. I mixed about two cups of the fruit with 2 tablespoons of yogurt and whizzed them all up in the food processor until they'd achieved the texture of ice cream. Baby B and I had it for an afternoon snack and it was joyfully received. If you wanted to be extra-virtuous, you could throw in a handful of raw or frozen spinach or kale, which wouldn't alter the taste, but would give you an effortless serving of your daily green leafy vegetable.
This isn't an exact recipe, but I was clearing out my freezer and found some bags of frozen mangoes, cherries, and bananas. I mixed about two cups of the fruit with 2 tablespoons of yogurt and whizzed them all up in the food processor until they'd achieved the texture of ice cream. Baby B and I had it for an afternoon snack and it was joyfully received. If you wanted to be extra-virtuous, you could throw in a handful of raw or frozen spinach or kale, which wouldn't alter the taste, but would give you an effortless serving of your daily green leafy vegetable.
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Cold-brewed tea
Like cold-brewed coffee, this is a wonderful way to use resources economically. Using eight tea bags, you can make a gallon of iced tea--far more than the eight cups of hot tea you could make with as many bags. It also tastes far better than hot-brewed tea cooled down, because for some reason the complex flavor of tea really comes out when you cold-brew it. Even if you use the absolute cheapest tea bags you can find. We use the Red Rose brand, which costs $3.31 for 100 tea bags. One pitcher of ice tea is enough for Mr. B and me for at least half the week, so we use 16 tea bags a week. As you see, that $3.31 goes a very long way.
For the container, we spend $7 and bought a large square glass jar with a lid and a sort of tap at the bottom for convenience. We keep it on a shelf of its own in the refrigerator.
Ingredients:
1 gallon water
8 black tea bags (caffeinated or decaffeinated as you like)
Pour water into a large container, and immerse the tea bags in it. Cover and put in fridge overnight or until the tea is steeped to your liking. Remove the tea bags. Serve.
For the container, we spend $7 and bought a large square glass jar with a lid and a sort of tap at the bottom for convenience. We keep it on a shelf of its own in the refrigerator.
Ingredients:
1 gallon water
8 black tea bags (caffeinated or decaffeinated as you like)
Pour water into a large container, and immerse the tea bags in it. Cover and put in fridge overnight or until the tea is steeped to your liking. Remove the tea bags. Serve.
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