Healthy in a Hurry June 30, 2010

In talking with people about foods I like to eat and make, I’m often talking about recipes that are good but quick and easy. I think it’s a common misconception that eating healthy either has to be a salad, or something complicated which takes a large time commitment every day. I have definitely found I love to cook, and am willing to take on a challenge; however, I too love my easy, fabulous recipes. I have actually found that some of the easiest recipes we found have become my favorite meals. This is true again for a new recipe we tried tonight for black bean quesadillas. I changed it a bit, making a simple guacamole with the avocado instead of just dicing it up, and found that it was great that way. To make this, I scooped out one avocado, and mashed it with about 1/2 a small onion diced and 1 tbsp lime juice. I put it in the fridge then while I made the quesadillas. I also found that a good side for this is salsa corn, which is essentially what it sounds like: mix frozen corn and salsa (about 1/4 cup salsa for 2 servings of corn). All this, combined with the main entree (recipe below) turned out to be a great dinner, and took me less than 30 minutes total to put together. I just love a good recipe, and this one is definitely a keeper! As an added bonus for those who are budget conscience as we are, it is inexpensive to make. Enjoy!

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/black_bean_quesadillas.html

Success! June 5, 2010

So, after a week of my experimental weigh-ins with the hubby, he informed me this morning that I am down 2.6 pounds. So far, I’m liking this method. It seems to cause less worry for me about what “number” I am, and more excitement that I am down 2.6 pounds! We have really “stepped” up the walking this week, which certainly has helped. We walked 2-3 miles most days this week. When it was raining, I did my stepper. I also know how bad my nighttime eating is for my weight goals, so I’ve put extra effort in trying to cut that down, or eat low-cal things. It certainly feels good to be on my way to my new goal. I’ve also been good about not asking my husband too much about what the scale says. He’s been keeping a record of it on his computer, which I’ve also been good about not sneaking into! I think this is something I can keep up until next week, and we’ll see how well it goes.

I Just Don’t Want to Know May 31, 2010

I have enlisted my husband for another task. I want to lose about ten pounds (that I know I have put on slowly again), but I’m afraid if I look at my starting weight, I’ll just be discouraged. So, when I got on the scale this morning, I asked him to look at the number, record it, and not tell me what it is. Then, as I continue to weigh myself, he will have to continue looking, recording, and keep it a secret from me. The only thing I want to know is the weight difference each time. When I proposed this to him, his initial reaction was laughter. But, he agreed to do this, and so it begins. I already demanded to know if it was under a certain number, and he reluctantly told me. Now I need to keep myself in check, and not ask him any more about what number it is. I realize it wouldn’t be fair of me to ask him to do this, and then constantly bother him with questions. I’m hopeful that I will be able to do this, even though losing ten pounds often seems impossible. I will soon find out if not knowing is better than knowing. I’m wondering how it will impact my weight loss; I’m hoping it will be easier since I won’t be the one knowing the number! Not knowing gives me one less thing to obsess over, and instead I can focus on what recipes I want to make. I think we got off to a good start with making a five spice grilled kabob recipe last night.   I’m kind of over the usual burgers and brats, and I’m onto more interesting, and healthier, options. Over the next few weeks, we’ll see what else I can find to help me with this new adventure.

No to sugar, yes to alcohol? May 23, 2010

This past weekend I went to a bridal shower/bachelorette party and spent a decent amount of time with some girls I didn’t know. We had a pretty good time chatting and talking about the bride-to-be, and of course eating. However, when the mother-of-the-bride came around handing out plates of whoopie pie desserts, I found it interesting that the thinnest girl at the table stated “No thanks, I gave up sweets.” She then went on to say that she has found she drinks more since giving up sugary foods, and often has a glass of wine as dessert. Somehow, this all didn’t add up to me, but no one else at the table found anything contradictory about it. She also went on to say how much she missed sweets, and for a while it was almost torturous to deny herself everything sweet. I would certainly have a problem if I tried to do what she’s doing, and so I’m a firm believer in eating sweets, just not too many. I see no reason why we shouldn’t enjoy something absolutely yummy; life is way to short not to! This isn’t the first time I’ve heard someone who is weight/calorie conscience talk about essentially substituting wine or alcohol for the “bad foods.” The last time I heard this from someone, I believe she stated that she didn’t believe that calories from beverages count the same way calories from food did. Again, this sounded completely absurd, and was a complete rationalization. Beverages can be loaded with calories, and have very few healthy attributes, and so can be detrimental to any diet. Of course there’s the argument that red wine offers some healthy benefits, however too much of that can also be detrimental. In the same way I’m all for eating sweets, I’m all for having a drink with friends. If enjoyed in moderation, not only are both enjoyable, but consuming these have helped me stay on a healthy diet. As the girl last night stated, denying herself of it only made her want it more.

A Happy Mother’s Day May 12, 2010

I offered to make a dessert for a Mother’s Day cookout at my parents house. The hunt was on to find something very tasty, yet not gut-busting. I found exactly what I wanted on what else, but the Eating Well website! I know this isn’t a surprise, since if I need a recipe for any kind of food, this is my go-to place. What I found was even better than I imagined it would be. It was also super easy to make, so who could ask for more than that? If it wasn’t enough that I was experimenting with a new recipe for my Mom’s special day, I decided it would be good to add a white chocolate butter cream to the cake. I know this made the cake slightly worse calorie/fat-wise, however with the cake portion being low-cal, made with whole wheat flour, and no saturated fats, I couldn’t resist adding something special for my Mom. For those interested in a tasty, simple dessert (and for those who like chocolate), here is what I had found: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/one_bowl_chocolate_cake.html

To Be or Not To Be… May 5, 2010

…vegetarian? I will be the first to admit that I probably could never be vegetarian. At least, not completely. However, since meat is often so expensive, and we really don’t need to be eating tons of it to stay healthy, we try to eat several meals a week that require no meat. Beans have worked their way into our diet big time; everything from black beans, kidney beans, great northern beans, and even the great pinto beans have made it to our dinner plates. Being the super source of protein that they are (and fiber!), they are a great substitute for meat, and I found I love eating them more than I could have imagined. As I peruse the Eating Well website, I can find just about any food I could ever be looking for. Tonight, in honor of Cinco de Mayo, I made a vegetarian taco salad. It was so delicious, I didn’t miss the meat one bit! I love a good taco salad, and usually they are loaded with fat and calories. All the bad things we certainly don’t need, even on Cinco de Mayo. This one uses a nice mix of black beans, brown rice, and corn as a base for the salad; add some chili powder, oregano, and cilantro fresh salsa, and this was one delish meal. Even though I could never eat a completely vegetarian diet, it is amazing how many vegetarian dishes out there are just awesome. This is one of them. Try it for yourself! Enjoy. http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/vegetarian_taco_salad.html

Mediterranean Diet April 28, 2010

I’ve always heard that the Mediterranean diet is one of the healthiest. I recently looked into it more, and reading some things about it on the Mayo Clinic website made me realize that we unintentionally already do a lot of what is outlined in the diet. One thing that really stayed with me is the point they made about the people living in the Mediterranean region eat this diet not because they are trying to diet, but rather because the food in this diet is what is available to them. While we can’t make the McDonald’s on every other corner go away, we can certainly surround ourselves at home with these good foods so when we go looking for that snack at night, we don’t find any potato chips. Upon thinking about our eating habits, I realized that we already eat low-fat dairy, lots of fruits and veggies, whole grains, legumes (mostly peanuts) for snacks, and we use mostly olive oil and sometimes canola.  According to Mayo Clinic, eating 9-10 servings of fruits and veggies a common practice for those Mediterranean folks. I have been paying more attention to just how many servings I get a day, and while I think it’s a lot, I usually get about 4-6. I’m still working on including all those extra veggie/fruit servings, as it is harder than it would seem! Also need to find some good recipes for fish to make me like it more. I know I’ve had good tasting fish, but I will really have to find some recipes with good spices and seasonings. Otherwise, I struggle with the fish (unless it’s a fish fry, but I doubt this counts!) Oh, and we are also working on adding that daily glass of red wine; it may only allow for about 6oz a day, but definitely a bonus for good heart health!

What’s for Breakfast? April 21, 2010

During the week, we eat the same breakfast everyday: cereal (usually Cheerios), half a banana on the cereal, yogurt, and coffee. This works well for those days we need to get out of the door quickly. However, every weekend we have the same problem of figuring out what to make when we have more time. We both agree that we can’t stand one more day of boring cereal. We often come to this problem Saturday morning when we are standing around in our pajamas and saying “what do you want?” “I don’t know, what do you want?” Then it comes down to: what do we actually have? We also struggle with choosing something tasty that isn’t too unhealthy for us. While we love our whole wheat pancakes (especially those with chocolate chips!), we don’t want to get burnt out on them either. This past weekend, we tried to plan ahead, finding a recipe Friday night, and after discovering most of the ingredients are things already in our kitchen, we stopped to pick up one item so we’d be ready to face breakfast Saturday morning. We decided on a banana chocolate-chip quick bread. It actually called for nuts too; however, I personally feel walnuts ruin just about anything they touch, so we skipped it. I imagine for anyone who likes them, it would be delicious. We expected the results to be good, but I was quite pleasantly surprised on just how good these were! Dicing the banana instead of mashing is brilliant, and made them just delightful. Now we just need to start working on breakfast for THIS weekend. For anyone interested in trying them, check this out: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/banana_nut_chocolate_chip_quick_bread.html

How Good is a Low-Fat Diet? April 14, 2010

In today’s paper, the weekly “food fight” was between low-fat foods and their higher fat counterpart. After being presented with these two options, people can go online and vote. Most people would prefer to eat the high-fat food, and eat less of it to balance out the fat and calories. While this sounds good in theory, I have two issues with this rationale (and rationalizing is what I think it really comes down to). First, it’s a slippery slope to say “I’ll have the cookie made with real butter and sugar, but only one.” The next time it may be “Before I had one cookie, and it was SO good, I must have two. Two’s not bad…it won’t hurt me.” then, “I just had two cookies, but one more isn’t bad, right?” This scenario can be true for most foods, even those foods that are better for us. Before we know it, we have put on several pounds, our cholesterol and blood pressure are up, and we now must buy a bigger wardrobe. It would take real discipline to eat high-fat foods and never go down the slippery slope. My second issue asks the question, why can’t we enjoy naturally low-fat foods that taste great and are good for us? I have learned about so many foods that are actually more natural than what most people eat (brown rice, whole wheat flour) that are tasty and less processed. Include all the servings of fruits and vegetables we should get a day, and one can eat a healthy, low-fat diet without sacrificing taste. I agree that some low-fat, low-calorie foods DO taste bad (i.e. diet soda) and it is a bit disturbing to think of the chemicals added to some of these foods (just check the ingredient label sometime).  However, there are definitely some foods that really have a negligible differences in taste and texture. I haven’t had real mayonnaise in years just due to this. But, just buying something that is labeled “diet”, “low-calorie” or “low-fat” doesn’t mean you’re eating healthy or eating good. We need to be sure we include all kinds of healthy foods, many of which were even a surprise to me when I learned they had health benefits. Spices, for example, not only flavor foods wonderfully, but many have good healthy benefits!  My thought is that those people blasting the low-fat, low-calorie diet need to explore more options in their cooking. I definitely believe in eating unhealthy treats from time to time (which, admittedly can ALSO be a slippery slope), but I can’t imagine a life without my healthy recipes.

Our Little Seedlings April 11, 2010

Eating more fruits and vegetables is expensive. It’s almost crazy how much a tomato costs, or a small package of raspberries. Our attempt last year at growing our own was a semi-success. We certainly got enough tomatoes to make it worth creating a vegetable garden and buying the little packet of seeds. Getting the seedlings to last long enough to transplant before wilting was the challenge. Of course, one big advantage for us this year is the vegetable garden is all ready this year for the exact time the little guys need to be planted. We are hoping for some fantastic tomato plants, and hopefully some peppers to go with them. Last year we cheated a bit when our own seedlings wilted, and bought one tomato plant from the store. However, it was still considerably cheaper than buying grocery store tomatoes. The one tomato plant that made it from a seedling, though, was our pride and joy of the garden. We can’t forget our second pride and joy: the one cucumber we managed to grow. This year, we’ll keep it simple with two vegetables from seeds, and possibly some potatoes. I never thought I’d say this, but growing vegetables is actually quite exciting, and I can’t wait to have dinners made from our very own garden.