the side dish
the protein-ification of food, olive oil, and other yummy things
Welcome to The Side Dish!!! I’m excited to fill your inbox with random musings about anything happening in food media, viral meals, and yummy things I’ve been eating recently.
Today we’re chatting about the protein takeover, my fav olive oil (because everyone should have a fav olive oil), and random goodies I’ve been nibbling on.
What In The Protein Is Going On
It’s everywhere?!? I saw a Taco Bell ad the other day and they mentioned the macros in a Crunchwrap Supreme!?!?! If I’m chowin down on a crunch wrap I’m absolutely not wondering if it’s contributing to my gains but okay?
Eggo Waffles. Now with Protein. Starbucks Cold Foam. Now with protein. Cheerios left “low cholesterol” messaging in the dust and now has, you guessed it, Cheerios PROTEIN. It’s absolutely wild to see companies swing at the whim of consumer’s latest obsession. (Maybe we actually have more power over Corporate America™️ than we think!? Eh!?)
I had to take a sneaky peek at past food fads to see what else we’ve obsessed over and moved on from. Humor me:
Early 2000’s: Low-Carb Craze
Because how dare you eat a piece of bread once a month you animal!!!
Early-Mid 2010’s: Kale Era
But we collectively didn’t know to massage it and had wild toots after every salad.
Later 20-Teens: Activated Charcoal
I absolutely put that narsty powder in water and slurped it down with approximately 0 noticeable health benefits.
Late Teens - Early 2020’s: Gut Health/Microbiome
Yes, the purchase of scobys for homemade kombucha peaked in the late 2010’s.
Did I fall into the trap of almost every fab above? Yes. Do I track my protein intake? Yes, I do my best. But I don’t think little Johnie needs to track his macros from his Eggo waffles before he hops on his bike to go to school. (But maybe I’d be jacked if I started tracking macros when I was in 7th grade too.)
Olio Zone 🫒
As I’ve dabbled in the kitchen over the years I’ve come to really appreciate the value of high quality ingredients. Of course there was a time where that wasn’t the priority— a broke college kid, a just moved to New York budget, trying to save up for a trip or pay off student loans. But if there’s ever a place in the kitchen to splurge, it’s olive oil.
Olive oil is one of those ingredients that you don’t totally notice if it’s really bad, but you absolutely notice if it’s really good. The more you cook with high quality oil, the more you’ll actually taste it within your cooking.
I remember when Graza launched their super cute squeeze bottle oil. (Yes, I bought it.) The olive oil connoisseurs of TikTok lost their god damn minds. “Olive oil should never be in a plastic bottle! It should only be in dark glass or tin/steel.” Heard, great, okay, tell me why:
Blocks Light: The dark green glass and tin materials block light from reaching the oil. Light can accelerate the oxidation process, leading to a loss of flavor.
Oxidation: The seals on both glass and tin bottles help reduce the amount of oxygen that reaches oil, another contributor to tarnishing the flava.
Heat Exposure: Once plastic reaches a certain heat (some say 98 degrees Fahrenheit) chemicals from the plastic can break down and leach into the oil itself. Microplastics whoooo?!
So, I present to you, my fav olive oil(s):
For Everyday Cooking: Whole Foods 365 EVOO
For Dinners and Special Meals: Frankies 457 EVOO
$20 for 500mL isn’t cheap! In our household, we try to save her for in-depth dinners or any special occasion meal. TLDR I’m not using Frankies on my morning egg white omelet.
Things I Ate (& Made) Recently
Sausage with Peppers & Onions: From The Frankies Spuntino cookbook. (Greeeeeeat buy.)
Chicken Cutlets with Honey, Peppers, & Parm: From Benny Blanco’s cookbook, Open Wide. (Greeeeeeat gift for your dinner party obsessed friend.)
Potato Chip-Fried Fish Sandwich: From Carolina Gelen’s cookbook, Pass the Plate. (My current fav.)
Butter Chicken: More to come there. 👀
Things I Will Be Making In The Near Future
Pillsbury Cookies Meets Ice Cream Sandwich: I’ve been absolutely obsessing over this idea on Instagram and will be making them for Halloween.
One Pan Pasta Shells: It’s like the grown up version of Annie’s shells.
Kimchi Tofu Bowl: If there’s a new style of bowl with rice and fresh veg, I will be making it.
Gnocchi Soup: No further explanation needed.
lmk your daily protein macro goal in the comments!!!!! (jk)
©️ 2025 Jenna D’Ambrosio
Everything looks delicious!
Highly recommend oliveoillovers.com for buying high quality olive oil in bulk