Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Cooking Up A Storm
Cooking Tips for the Not So Cooking Inclined!
It is not uncommon these days to find more people out of touch with what’s in their kitchen. In our fast paced society, we have taken the value out of intentional meals, made from home. Every day we are served propaganda telling us we don’t have time to cook. Manipulations that coerce us to think cheap and easy meals at your local grocery store, restaurant, and gas station are healthier, better options than attempting to cook it yourself.
Let’s put this in perspective: When you put the words “cheap” and “easy” together in your mind, food may not be the only thing at the top of the list….
Not to say that having lower food costs and convenient meals isn’t a wonderful thing to have, it just requires a little more clarifying. For example: a “cheap and easy” meal from my grocery store that consists of a pasta salad, a pre-cooked meat, and sautéed veggies, may seem like smart choices, yet may not be so “cheap” in calories or “easy” for my heart and GI system to process. This is because the foods may have been prepared using lots of oil or cream and high sodium sauces. Many of the prepared food in your deli case could also come right from a box itself-not even prepared at the store. This means that you may not even be able to pronounce most of the ingredients in them. Restaurants and Fast Food speak for themselves on the health front.
It’s time to take control over your kitchen and let it know who’s boss...YOU! Getting to basics in the kitchen is where we are starting this week. To begin your path towards cooking success you will need to get schooled in the basics of cooking.
I am not a trained chef, just an average amateur cook with a food science and human nutrition degree. It’s obvious I have a passion for food in general-I get to talk about it all day! However, I will refer you to wonderful video resources to help you get a better sense of what basic cooking looks like.
Weekly Challenge: Dine out 3 times or less this week (including breakfast and snacks) by perusing one or two of the links below and find out how to make an egg, broil a chicken, and properly cook pasta.
Getting Schooled:
http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/technic.htm
http://www.epicurious.com/video/technique-videos
http://www.cookusinterruptus.com/index.php
Zen Recipe of the Week:
Brandi’s Left Over Protein Rice Pudding Porridge
Ingredients:
2 cups leftover brown rice (cooked)
½ cup rice milk (or whatever milk you drink)
¼ cup brown rice syrup (or honey or sugar)
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 scoop non flavored protein powder
Place all ingredients in a saucepan and turn to medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Stir occasionally to avoid rice sticking to bottom of pan. Feel free to add a little more milk if rice isn’t soft enough for you or you want the sauce to be thinner. When you can easily scoop up the porridge into a spoon without it pouring off the sides like a soup, then it’s done. (About 10 minutes.) Enjoy!
It is not uncommon these days to find more people out of touch with what’s in their kitchen. In our fast paced society, we have taken the value out of intentional meals, made from home. Every day we are served propaganda telling us we don’t have time to cook. Manipulations that coerce us to think cheap and easy meals at your local grocery store, restaurant, and gas station are healthier, better options than attempting to cook it yourself.
Let’s put this in perspective: When you put the words “cheap” and “easy” together in your mind, food may not be the only thing at the top of the list….
Not to say that having lower food costs and convenient meals isn’t a wonderful thing to have, it just requires a little more clarifying. For example: a “cheap and easy” meal from my grocery store that consists of a pasta salad, a pre-cooked meat, and sautéed veggies, may seem like smart choices, yet may not be so “cheap” in calories or “easy” for my heart and GI system to process. This is because the foods may have been prepared using lots of oil or cream and high sodium sauces. Many of the prepared food in your deli case could also come right from a box itself-not even prepared at the store. This means that you may not even be able to pronounce most of the ingredients in them. Restaurants and Fast Food speak for themselves on the health front.
It’s time to take control over your kitchen and let it know who’s boss...YOU! Getting to basics in the kitchen is where we are starting this week. To begin your path towards cooking success you will need to get schooled in the basics of cooking.
I am not a trained chef, just an average amateur cook with a food science and human nutrition degree. It’s obvious I have a passion for food in general-I get to talk about it all day! However, I will refer you to wonderful video resources to help you get a better sense of what basic cooking looks like.
Weekly Challenge: Dine out 3 times or less this week (including breakfast and snacks) by perusing one or two of the links below and find out how to make an egg, broil a chicken, and properly cook pasta.
Getting Schooled:
http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/technic.htm
http://www.epicurious.com/video/technique-videos
http://www.cookusinterruptus.com/index.php
Zen Recipe of the Week:
Brandi’s Left Over Protein Rice Pudding Porridge
Ingredients:
2 cups leftover brown rice (cooked)
½ cup rice milk (or whatever milk you drink)
¼ cup brown rice syrup (or honey or sugar)
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 scoop non flavored protein powder
Place all ingredients in a saucepan and turn to medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Stir occasionally to avoid rice sticking to bottom of pan. Feel free to add a little more milk if rice isn’t soft enough for you or you want the sauce to be thinner. When you can easily scoop up the porridge into a spoon without it pouring off the sides like a soup, then it’s done. (About 10 minutes.) Enjoy!
Monday, May 17, 2010
YOUR QUESTIONS, ANSWERED
Does my toddler need to take a vitamin supplement?
The research shows that children benefit from taking protein/iron and vitamin D/calcium supplements. There were only 2 journal articles that I could find on multivitamin supplements in young children (2-24 months of age). The results showed an increased growth in length and decrease in diarrhea. In 2005, the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reported that most children ages 0-3 years get adequate nutrition from diet alone and any supplement recommendations needed to be based individually from a dietary assessment.
If you are concerned and want to be on the “safe” side, consider the source of the supplement. The supplement industry is not regulated by the FDA. This means that the company making your supplements has no incentive to test and measure that what is advertised is actually in the products. There have been several studies done that tested multiple supplements and found dangerous materials-like lead, as well as different amounts of the product than what the supplement was advertising on the bottle.
We often look to cut corners in our grocery bills, however, supplements are medicine-and when you buy the cheap stuff, you have to wonder what is making it so cheap. Ask yourself, do I trust this brand? How does this company ensure that what is advertised on the bottle, is what I am getting in each supplement I take or give to my kids.
One example of a brand that does 3rd party testing and research is Shaklee Another supplement company that doesn’t have a “multi-vitamin” but does have real food based supplements and does testing is Juice Plus (Dr. Sears promotes this.) I am not endorsing these or any other supplement brands, but I do encourage you to do your homework when it comes to taking supplements.
If you are interested in learning how much of each nutrient you need, Dr. Sears has a great table on his website (click here).
Zen Recipe Corner:
Snack Ideas:
1/2 banana sliced lengthwise, spread with a 1 tbsp of nut butter
Greek Yogurt (like Fage or Quark) mixed with fresh berries
A couple of slices of deli meat rolled around apple slices (or pear slices)
Whole wheat crackers spread with hummus and topped with cherry tomato halves
The research shows that children benefit from taking protein/iron and vitamin D/calcium supplements. There were only 2 journal articles that I could find on multivitamin supplements in young children (2-24 months of age). The results showed an increased growth in length and decrease in diarrhea. In 2005, the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reported that most children ages 0-3 years get adequate nutrition from diet alone and any supplement recommendations needed to be based individually from a dietary assessment.
If you are concerned and want to be on the “safe” side, consider the source of the supplement. The supplement industry is not regulated by the FDA. This means that the company making your supplements has no incentive to test and measure that what is advertised is actually in the products. There have been several studies done that tested multiple supplements and found dangerous materials-like lead, as well as different amounts of the product than what the supplement was advertising on the bottle.
We often look to cut corners in our grocery bills, however, supplements are medicine-and when you buy the cheap stuff, you have to wonder what is making it so cheap. Ask yourself, do I trust this brand? How does this company ensure that what is advertised on the bottle, is what I am getting in each supplement I take or give to my kids.
One example of a brand that does 3rd party testing and research is Shaklee Another supplement company that doesn’t have a “multi-vitamin” but does have real food based supplements and does testing is Juice Plus (Dr. Sears promotes this.) I am not endorsing these or any other supplement brands, but I do encourage you to do your homework when it comes to taking supplements.
If you are interested in learning how much of each nutrient you need, Dr. Sears has a great table on his website (click here).
Zen Recipe Corner:
Snack Ideas:
1/2 banana sliced lengthwise, spread with a 1 tbsp of nut butter
Greek Yogurt (like Fage or Quark) mixed with fresh berries
A couple of slices of deli meat rolled around apple slices (or pear slices)
Whole wheat crackers spread with hummus and topped with cherry tomato halves
Monday, May 10, 2010
Grocery Shopping
Either you love it or you hate it. I rarely hear an ambivalent expression when it comes to going to the grocery store. The bright lights, flashy signs, confusing labeling, smells of all sorts, random music coming from random speakers and squeaky shopping carts are enough to overwhelm every sense of our being.
Unfortunately, it has to happen so we might as well make it somewhat of an enjoyable experience...i.e. Shop Online! :-) Just kidding.
Grocery Shopping Goals:
1. Arrive with list in hand.
2. Walk out of the store with only the items on said list.
3. Complete the whole thing in 60 minutes or less.
4. Only make 1 or 2 trips to the store a week (Sticking to the same days each week is a time saver!).
If you do this already, then you are a superhero! Pat yourself on the back. If you’re like the rest of us, then keep reading.
Perhaps you’ve noticed that planning ahead is the theme. I’m not sure who originally quoted this but I love the statement: “The failure to plan, is a plan to fail!” If you are attempting to go to the grocery store sans list, stay home. Meal plan for the week, make your list, then go. You will save money, time, and lower your stress for many hours in the upcoming week by doing so.
The Most Common Grocery Shopping Tips:
1. Go with a list
2. Plan your trip right after a snack or meal time
3. Shop the perimeter to limit the more processed foods
4. Read labels (read this for more info)
5. Have a budget in mind and run a tally during your trip
6. Don’t forget your coupons (keep them in your car)
Parent Corner: Entertaining the Kiddos in the Store
6-24 months: point out the different colors, tell them what the items are you are putting into the cart, allow them to hold one of your foodie treasures (keep wipes around in case you need to sanitize.)
18 months-4 years: tell them what the items are you are putting in the cart, have them point to colors, types of produce, shapes. Go fishing: take 3-4 feet of string and tie one end to an empty can/container, when you get to the store tie the other end to your grocery cart handle. Have them “go fishing” by lowering the line. When they aren’t looking put an item on your list into the can and tug. Have them pull up the string to discover what they’ve caught.
5+ years: Produce Treasure Hunt-tell them a few of the items you need in the produce department and see how fast-without running, they can find those items. When they return send them for more things. You can continue to shop for produce but in half the time. As the kids get older it can expand to different food groups.
Weekly Challenge: Designate 1 day each week to grocery shop (whether online or at the store) and pick 2 items on the tip list above to try out. See you next week when we talk about How to Cook: shortcuts, tips, resources to get us going.
Zen Recipe Corner:
Mollie Katzen’s Spring or Summer Frittata: click here
Unfortunately, it has to happen so we might as well make it somewhat of an enjoyable experience...i.e. Shop Online! :-) Just kidding.
Grocery Shopping Goals:
1. Arrive with list in hand.
2. Walk out of the store with only the items on said list.
3. Complete the whole thing in 60 minutes or less.
4. Only make 1 or 2 trips to the store a week (Sticking to the same days each week is a time saver!).
If you do this already, then you are a superhero! Pat yourself on the back. If you’re like the rest of us, then keep reading.
Perhaps you’ve noticed that planning ahead is the theme. I’m not sure who originally quoted this but I love the statement: “The failure to plan, is a plan to fail!” If you are attempting to go to the grocery store sans list, stay home. Meal plan for the week, make your list, then go. You will save money, time, and lower your stress for many hours in the upcoming week by doing so.
The Most Common Grocery Shopping Tips:
1. Go with a list
2. Plan your trip right after a snack or meal time
3. Shop the perimeter to limit the more processed foods
4. Read labels (read this for more info)
5. Have a budget in mind and run a tally during your trip
6. Don’t forget your coupons (keep them in your car)
Parent Corner: Entertaining the Kiddos in the Store
6-24 months: point out the different colors, tell them what the items are you are putting into the cart, allow them to hold one of your foodie treasures (keep wipes around in case you need to sanitize.)
18 months-4 years: tell them what the items are you are putting in the cart, have them point to colors, types of produce, shapes. Go fishing: take 3-4 feet of string and tie one end to an empty can/container, when you get to the store tie the other end to your grocery cart handle. Have them “go fishing” by lowering the line. When they aren’t looking put an item on your list into the can and tug. Have them pull up the string to discover what they’ve caught.
5+ years: Produce Treasure Hunt-tell them a few of the items you need in the produce department and see how fast-without running, they can find those items. When they return send them for more things. You can continue to shop for produce but in half the time. As the kids get older it can expand to different food groups.
Weekly Challenge: Designate 1 day each week to grocery shop (whether online or at the store) and pick 2 items on the tip list above to try out. See you next week when we talk about How to Cook: shortcuts, tips, resources to get us going.
Zen Recipe Corner:
Mollie Katzen’s Spring or Summer Frittata: click here
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Leading By Example with Meal Planning
Week 3 in the Series
I haven't shared with you my weekly meal plan in a while and this is a great week to let you peak into my kitchen.
Thursdays I get a New Roots Organic produce delivery. I base my menu off of what I get and what random foods I may have left in the fridge. The cookbooks I used this week were Mollie Katzen's Vegetables Dishes I Can't Live Without (Veg Dish), Feeding the Whole Family (FWF) by Cynthia Lair, Moosewood Cookbook (MW) by Mollie Katzen (can you tell I'm a big fan of hers :-), and a few made up on the spot.
Saturday I spent 2.5 hours preparing all of the lunch/dinner recipes below. My wonderful husband kept things running smoothly by cleaning up along the way. In our house we have this rule: "Whom ever cooks is absolved of cleaning". So on these marathon cooking days he chips in so the mess isn't overwhelming at the end of it all. Bless that man for what he puts up with!
Weekly Menu
Breakfast:
1. Deviled Eggs, Sliced Tomatoes, Whole Wheat Baguette
2. Steel Cut Oats, Frozen Strawberries, Walnuts, Brown Sugar (made with Rice Milk)
3. Protein Smoothies with Frozen Strawberries and Fresh Bananas
Lunch/Dinners:
1. Veg Dish p 96 Ruby Chard, Pressure Cooked Black-Eyed Peas, Grilled Halibut on the BBQ
2. FWF p 144 Millet Croquettes with Leftover Lentil Soup (also from MW p 25)
3. MW p 101 Vegetable-Walnut Pate stuffed in Mini Sweet Peppers, Grilled Chicken, and Brown Rice
4. (Own) Sauteed Cabbage Raab (1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 cup diced onion, 2 tsp olive oil, 1 tbsp minced garlic), Fresh Caught Boiled Shrimp (Today was open boating season and friends caught their limit in fresh shrimp today, THANKS for sharing them!), with Baked Spaghetti Squash
5. Leftover Combos: Blacked-eyed Peas on Brown Rice with a side of Ruby Chard, Remaining Vegetable-Walnut Pate on Warm Pita with a low fat string cheese (Yummy Snack!), Put remaining Cabbage Raab in Tomato Sauce, add any leftover shrimp or chicken and serve over Spaghetti Squash, Breakfast for Dinner option: Over-easy egg served on top of warmed Millet Croquette and a few slices of fresh fruit.
Good luck putting your plans together this week. Leave comments with questions and your personal stories. We love hearing from you!
This is my new pressure cooker! If you have any tips I'd love to hear them.
I haven't shared with you my weekly meal plan in a while and this is a great week to let you peak into my kitchen.
Thursdays I get a New Roots Organic produce delivery. I base my menu off of what I get and what random foods I may have left in the fridge. The cookbooks I used this week were Mollie Katzen's Vegetables Dishes I Can't Live Without (Veg Dish), Feeding the Whole Family (FWF) by Cynthia Lair, Moosewood Cookbook (MW) by Mollie Katzen (can you tell I'm a big fan of hers :-), and a few made up on the spot.
Saturday I spent 2.5 hours preparing all of the lunch/dinner recipes below. My wonderful husband kept things running smoothly by cleaning up along the way. In our house we have this rule: "Whom ever cooks is absolved of cleaning". So on these marathon cooking days he chips in so the mess isn't overwhelming at the end of it all. Bless that man for what he puts up with!
Weekly Menu
Breakfast:
1. Deviled Eggs, Sliced Tomatoes, Whole Wheat Baguette
2. Steel Cut Oats, Frozen Strawberries, Walnuts, Brown Sugar (made with Rice Milk)
3. Protein Smoothies with Frozen Strawberries and Fresh Bananas
Lunch/Dinners:
1. Veg Dish p 96 Ruby Chard, Pressure Cooked Black-Eyed Peas, Grilled Halibut on the BBQ
2. FWF p 144 Millet Croquettes with Leftover Lentil Soup (also from MW p 25)
3. MW p 101 Vegetable-Walnut Pate stuffed in Mini Sweet Peppers, Grilled Chicken, and Brown Rice
4. (Own) Sauteed Cabbage Raab (1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 cup diced onion, 2 tsp olive oil, 1 tbsp minced garlic), Fresh Caught Boiled Shrimp (Today was open boating season and friends caught their limit in fresh shrimp today, THANKS for sharing them!), with Baked Spaghetti Squash
5. Leftover Combos: Blacked-eyed Peas on Brown Rice with a side of Ruby Chard, Remaining Vegetable-Walnut Pate on Warm Pita with a low fat string cheese (Yummy Snack!), Put remaining Cabbage Raab in Tomato Sauce, add any leftover shrimp or chicken and serve over Spaghetti Squash, Breakfast for Dinner option: Over-easy egg served on top of warmed Millet Croquette and a few slices of fresh fruit.
Good luck putting your plans together this week. Leave comments with questions and your personal stories. We love hearing from you!
This is my new pressure cooker! If you have any tips I'd love to hear them.
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