Because I WANT to eat it!

So many of the people I have worked with over the years have echoed the same desire, "I want to eat what I want, when I want, without the consequences."

Their heart felt frustrations rang in my ear as I read Portia de Rossi's words this weekend. In the epilogue of her book, Unbearable Lightness, she speaks of learning how to do just this by following a role model. Her role model was her partner at the time and she was intrigued at how she stayed a constant weight, was healthy, and ate whatever she wanted.

Like many people who are first walking down the path towards peace with food, Portia began looking at the people around her to try and understand what "normal" eating was. Portia writes how she noticed that her partner stopped eating when she was full, ate more sometimes because it was delicious, and chose to stop in other moments because there would be more to eat tomorrow.

Do you have any role models in your life that do this? How do your eating habits differ from theirs?

In order to begin cultivating this same perspective on eating, it is best to start at the fundamental understanding of hunger and fullness.

Weekly Challenge: Rate your hunger and fullness at least once a day for the next 7 days. Use the definition list below.

Black Friday Survival Guide

There are tons of tips out there for how to handle Thanksgiving.  For example:

*Put a normal portion on your plate and wait 20 minutes before thinking of seconds
*Don’t skip meals just because it’s a holiday
*Go for a family walk or play outside at some point in the day
*Limit alcohol & if drinking, place it in your least dominant hand

I want to talk about Black Friday. You know, the day after Thanksgiving. When people wake up at un-Godly hours to wait in line for the stores to open so they can get all the gifts on their family’s wish list. It’s the day that most people spend hours preparing for what stores they will go to and when, yet don’t plan for meals or snacks. Thanksgiving day takes so much food thought we often space out on how to eat well for the days immediately following it.

Well, you’re about to get equipped with a Black Friday Survival Guide. So no more excuses!

Tip-1: Eat! Seems simple, but for many folks, they aren’t feeling too well from the day before. Some people feel guilty for overdoing it the day before and choose to skip meals to make up for their mistakes. That in itself, is a mistake.  You will be more able to “self-correct” any eating mistakes by getting right back to your set meal times. While you are minding the times the stores open, be aware of your meal times.
•    Eat breakfast within an hour of waking and continue to eat every 3 hours until bedtime

Tip-2:  Pack food in your bag. While organizing your store ads and circulars, toss a couple of snacks into your purse or bag. Some tasty ideas are: dried cranberries and almonds, cheese cubes and apple, sliced veggies and leftover turkey wrapped in a tortilla, and low sodium jerky and fruit leather.

Tip-3: Know your Lunch. Determine your lunch destination and check out the menu ahead of time. Find options that include lots of veggies and lean meat. Stay away from buffet restaurants and don’t be afraid to ask for modifications.

Tip-4: Wear your pedometer. Aim for 10,000 steps on Black Friday. Increasing your spontaneous physical activity will improve your mood, relieve some of the stress from dealing with the other shoppers, and help you manage your post Turkey Day food coma.

Have fun and Happy Shopping (or not, if you choose to abstain)!

Zen Food Corner
Leftover Turkey Recipes…click here

Thanksgiving Day Feast

This year is going to be a special holiday season. I can already feel the holiday spirit percolating inside me.  Yes, I know it isn’t Turkey Day yet and I’m already excited to pick out a Christmas tree. I will also confess that I’ve created a new Pandora radio station on classic Bing Crosby Christmas songs.

Among all the things that come along with the holiday spirit, planning delicious meals for the main events has been on my mind. This part actually hasn’t been too much fun for me. It’s been my FROG! (For those of you who have no clue what I mean, watch this: Eat That Frog Movie)

Last year I was overwhelmed during the holidays and made the executive decision to order a complete Turkey dinner from QFC. It was probably the worst meal I’d ever had. The rolls were white and doughy and the remaining foods all looked like some form of regurgitated food stuffs. Not my finest hour.

My husband’s adorable parents will flying into town soon and I owe them a re-do (they were the unfortunate subsidiaries to last year’s massacre). Having said this, planning for the meal isn’t something I will feel like spending time doing once they arrive.  So, after putting my little one down for a nap yesterday, I sat down with a cup of tea and some good friends (Moosewood Cookbook, Cooking Light, and Feeding the Whole Family Cookbook). Together, we ate my FROG!

My Thanksgiving Menu:
Butternut Squash Dip with Veggies (Cooking Light-appetizer)
Pistachios mixed with Dried Cranberries (my own idea-appetizer)
Roasted Turkey (using Williams Sonoma Brine)
Savory Herb Gravy (Cooking Light)
Massaged Kale and Currant Salad (Feeding the Whole Family)
Comprehensively Stuffed Acorn Squash (Moosewood Cookbook)
Shredded Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Hazelnuts (Cooking Light)
 

I’m asking guests to bring:
Stuffing and Desserts

Planning the menu felt like ACT 1. ACT 2 was figuring out the execution.  I, among many people I know and love, am not very good about asking for help. However, since I will be working right up until the holiday itself, I am succumbing to the realization that I can’t do it all by myself. (That is so hard to believe sometimes!)
Luckily, my father-in-law is a great cook and I am sure he will be delighted to learn which delicacies I’m holding in his charge.  Hee, Hee, Hee.

Zen Recipe Corner:
Shredded Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Hazelnuts:
See the Cooking Light Recipe Here

Weekly Menu

I  don't normally due this but I'm so excited to eat the foods I've planned and prepared for this week that I just had to tell someone.

Here is the menu:
Breakfast:
Vegetable Hash with Scrambled Eggs or Turkey Bacon and Rice Milk
Veggie and Egg Samosas (some with cheese for the rest of the family)

Snacks:
Miso-Almond Dip with Carrot Sticks (I'm going to have a hard time slowing down on this one...yummmmm)
Banana and Peanut Butter
Salad People (by Mollie Katzen's Salad People Cookbook-got the dip from this book as well.)
Edamame and red bell pepper strips

Lunch/Dinners:
Roasted Pork in Enchilada Sauce and served on tostadas with lettuce, fat free refried beans, avocado, and salsa (side salad included).
Hot & Sour Coconut Soup (with added chicken and cilantro wantons)
Singapore Mai Fun
Baked white fish with sauteed green beans and black lentils
Roast Beef with a Load of vegetables (my slow cooker recipe for the week.)

I have to say that one of the benefits of getting to prepare our meals for the week is that I also get to taste test! I am always surprised at how much more I look forward to the week. I get to eat my yummy food and I don't have to cook until Friday. Love it!

Creative Breakfast Ideas

Most of us know how to go about planning for our dinners each week. It is also equally important to plan ahead for breakfast, lunches, and snacks as well.  I recommend planning for 2 breakfast ideas, 4 snack ideas and 4 lunch/dinner ideas to complete the meal planning for an entire week.

This week entails several tasty breakfast combinations for you to experiment with. Most will make many servings-great for heating up quickly when you are rushing around in the morning.

Sweet and Salty Quesadilla
Brown rice tortillas with sliced bananas and peanut butter warmed up in the microwave.

Breakfast Samosas
Dough: 2 ½ c flour, ½ tsp salt, 1 c buttermilk or yogurt, extra flour as needed
Directions: Mix dry ingredients then wet ingredients, knead for 5 minutes, roll out (leave it a little thick), use a biscuit cutter or the top of a large glass and cut out as many circles as you can. Roll out each circle to make them flat. (Usually makes about 6.)
Filling: Cook 4-5 scrambled eggs (put a little raw egg white from one egg in a small dish and set aside for later) with 1-1 ½ cups of fresh spinach and which-ever seasonings you like. Add a little shredded cheese if you like. Fill ½ of each samosa. Fold the other half over and use the tines of a fork to pinch dough together. Brush tops of samosas with the reserved egg white. Baked at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.

Vegetable Hash with Turkey Sausage
Take whatever veggies you have in the fridge that you think you won’t eat up before they die, add to it a potato or two.  Dice and chop them up. Place on a baking sheet, drizzle 1-2 tsp of olive oil, season with salt and pepper then roast in the oven at 375 for 20-30 minutes or until veggies are cooked.

Meanwhile brown some bulk turkey sausage in a skillet. (You can also use bacon, chicken sausage, turkey kielbasa, or left over pre-made frozen meatballs.) When veggies are done, mix it all together. Taste for seasoning and enjoy.

Quick Oats Surprise
Ingredients you’ll need: instant regular oatmeal, ½ scoop vanilla or natural flavored protein powder, ½ cup low fat milk or milk alternative, ¼ cup of dried fruit, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/8 cup nuts or seeds, cinnamon and nutmeg to taste
Directions: Add everything but the nuts/seeds and protein powder to a bowl and microwave to cook the oats. Stir in the protein powder and top with the nuts. Enjoy.

Egg Muffins a la Mollie Katzen from Sunrise Café Cookbook
Ingredients: 8 eggs, leftover veggies, about ½ cup bread crumbs and 2 tbsp of canola or olive oil.
Directions: In a muffin pan, drizzle the bottom of each tin with a little oil. Sprinkle in bread crumbs. Let the crumbs absorb the oil while you scramble eggs in a bowl, add in chopped leftover veggies. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour egg mixture into prepared tins. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until eggs are cooked through. This is a great weekday treat when paired with a piece of toast and a small fruit.

Weekly Challenge: Try out ONE of these recipes within the next 2 weeks.