[Note: This is a Michael Jackson-free post. Who cares what a food blogger thinks about Michael Jackson?]
Despite my resistance and disbelief and foot-dragging refusal, time marched on and I turned 40. So here's my question - am I old enough to be crotchety? I would LOVE to tell these young'uns to pull their damn pants up, that flip-flops are not appropriate office attire, and a faux-hawk looks completely ridiculous. Real mohawks look only slightly less ridiculous, but at least the person committed to it.
Once I've had some time out of the sun and a refreshing iced tea I still know that droopy pants and flip-flops and bad hair are UGH, but I'm a lot less likely to say so.
The same heat that is bringing my brown-eyed Susans to bloom and (hopefully) makes my vegetables grow is also driving me away from the kitchen and out to the grill. Last night I had the thrill of making a bruschetta with tomato, basil, and oregano from my own garden, and using it to top grilled chicken and zucchini. YUM. I'm really hoping these vegetable plants decide to help me out by, like, producing something edible. I've got 3 kinds of tomatoes, okra, yellow squash, jalapenos, and herbs going - we shall see.
The grill is a godsend in the heat, not in the least because Sweetie likes to tend the grill while I sit inside in the air conditioning and sip iced tea or a nice Pinot Grigio.
Grilled Herbed Pork Tenderloin
Cooking Light, 2006
1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves - yes, fresh
1/4 cup fresh sage leaves - yes, fresh
1/4 cup fresh orange juice - bottled is fine
2 tbsp honey (the recipe calls for 1/4 cup, which I found much too sweet. Your mileage may vary)
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil - I'm not really sure what it is besides something that would take up even more space in my cabinet. Regular vegetable oil is fine.
6 garlic cloves, peeled
2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
1. Combine first 9 ingredients - oregano through garlic - in a blender or food processor. Process until almost smooth. Pour mixture into a large heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag. Add pork to bag and seal. Marinate in refrigerator 2 hours, turning bag occasionally.
2. Prepare grill.
3. Remove pork from marinade. Discard marinade.
4. Place pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Cover and grill 25 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160 degrees, turning pork after 15 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Be Zucchiniful and Multiply... A Little
Funny thing about gardening – it’s a problem to do it poorly (our usual dried flower arrangement out front in the flower eternal-rest bed), and a problem to do it prolifically (zucchini). I love Mary’s “Darwin Garden” term – it's a tough world, and the only survivors are the ones who fight for it.
After last year’s stunning success with a basil plant – it produced basil! – I confidently aimed higher this year. Yup, I bought another basil plant. Plus two tomato plants, an jalapeno (bush? shrub? It doesn’t look vine-ish… should it? Have I messed up already?), and actual living thyme and oregano.
Lessons learned thus far:
a) It’s probably much easier to get a pre-made tomato cage around the plant when it’s small, and not when it’s 3 feet tall and bearing fruit. And hopefully not pointless.
b) Plants need water. Not that I didn’t already know that, but a trip out of town with no rain reinforced the lesson.
c) One thyme plant doesn’t produce a heck of a lot of thyme. I probably need several.
d)You can spin yourself into a tizzy with this organic thing. I was trying to buy organic seeds, but then I realized I’d plant them into soil I know nothing about and they’d be watered with rain in one of America’s worst air-quality cities. Then I stopped thinking about it altogether, hummed a happy tune, and focused on sending cheerful, leaf-affirming thoughts to my fledgling tomaters.
e)Tossing the grill cover on the basil plant – and leaving it there – makes for an unhappy plant.
f) In fact, it may not be a great idea to keep a super-hot grill near the plants at all. Hmmmm…..
One thing I stayed away from was the afore-mentioned zucchini, which produce like the rabbits of the vegetable kingdom. Two reasons – first, there are just two people in the household and we can only eat so much of any one vegetable.
More poignantly, what if it died? Could my self-esteem handle not being able to grow zucchini? It’s like not being able to grow dandelions in the middle of the lawn. I think it would have unpleasant emotional consequences.
For those of you blessed with an abundance of zucchini, a) call me, we’d be happy to take some off your hands! and b) two unusual recipes to use it up are below. I’m not a huge pineapple fan, but I like this bread.
Zucchini-Pineapple Quick Bread
Cooking Light
Yield 2 loaves
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini (about 1 1/2 medium zucchini)
2/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup egg substitute
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 (8-ounce) cans crushed pineapple in juice, drained
Baking spray with flour
1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, salt, and next 3 ingredients (through ground cinnamon) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk.
3. Beat eggs with a mixer at medium speed until foamy. Add sugar, zucchini, oil, egg substitute, and vanilla, beating until well blended. Add zucchini mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in pineapple. Spoon batter into 2 (9 x 5–inch) loaf pans coated with baking spray. Bake at 325° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.
Zucchini-Chocolate Cake
Cooking Light
I've never made the glaze, so I'm not vouching for it. Also, if you think this is a great way to sneak veggies into kids and they just won't notice something green in their chocolate cake, well, good luck with that. At age 4 it didn't escape Cutie's notice that there was something going on with this cake that she wasn't used to seeing. She ate it and she liked it, but she has always been a good eater (particularly of dessert).
CAKE:
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (4 ounces) block-style fat-free cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup fat-free buttermilk
2 cups shredded zucchini
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
GLAZE:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
8 teaspoons fat-free milk
2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare cake, coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray; dust pan with 1 tablespoon flour.
Place sugars, cream cheese, and vegetable oil in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs and egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Lightly spoon 2 1/2 cups flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine 2 1/2 cups flour and next 5 ingredients (2 1/2 cups flour through cinnamon) in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk.
Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in zucchini, 2/3 cup chocolate chips, and nuts. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.
To prepare glaze, combine 3/4 cup powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons cocoa in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Combine milk, 2 tablespoons chocolate chips, coffee, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract in a 1-cup glass measure. Microwave at medium 45 seconds or until chocolate melts, stirring after 20 seconds. Combine powdered sugar mixture with chocolate mixture, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle glaze over cake.
After last year’s stunning success with a basil plant – it produced basil! – I confidently aimed higher this year. Yup, I bought another basil plant. Plus two tomato plants, an jalapeno (bush? shrub? It doesn’t look vine-ish… should it? Have I messed up already?), and actual living thyme and oregano.
Lessons learned thus far:
a) It’s probably much easier to get a pre-made tomato cage around the plant when it’s small, and not when it’s 3 feet tall and bearing fruit. And hopefully not pointless.
b) Plants need water. Not that I didn’t already know that, but a trip out of town with no rain reinforced the lesson.
c) One thyme plant doesn’t produce a heck of a lot of thyme. I probably need several.
d)You can spin yourself into a tizzy with this organic thing. I was trying to buy organic seeds, but then I realized I’d plant them into soil I know nothing about and they’d be watered with rain in one of America’s worst air-quality cities. Then I stopped thinking about it altogether, hummed a happy tune, and focused on sending cheerful, leaf-affirming thoughts to my fledgling tomaters.
e)Tossing the grill cover on the basil plant – and leaving it there – makes for an unhappy plant.
f) In fact, it may not be a great idea to keep a super-hot grill near the plants at all. Hmmmm…..
One thing I stayed away from was the afore-mentioned zucchini, which produce like the rabbits of the vegetable kingdom. Two reasons – first, there are just two people in the household and we can only eat so much of any one vegetable.
More poignantly, what if it died? Could my self-esteem handle not being able to grow zucchini? It’s like not being able to grow dandelions in the middle of the lawn. I think it would have unpleasant emotional consequences.
For those of you blessed with an abundance of zucchini, a) call me, we’d be happy to take some off your hands! and b) two unusual recipes to use it up are below. I’m not a huge pineapple fan, but I like this bread.
Zucchini-Pineapple Quick Bread
Cooking Light
Yield 2 loaves
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini (about 1 1/2 medium zucchini)
2/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup egg substitute
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 (8-ounce) cans crushed pineapple in juice, drained
Baking spray with flour
1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, salt, and next 3 ingredients (through ground cinnamon) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk.
3. Beat eggs with a mixer at medium speed until foamy. Add sugar, zucchini, oil, egg substitute, and vanilla, beating until well blended. Add zucchini mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in pineapple. Spoon batter into 2 (9 x 5–inch) loaf pans coated with baking spray. Bake at 325° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.
Zucchini-Chocolate Cake
Cooking Light
I've never made the glaze, so I'm not vouching for it. Also, if you think this is a great way to sneak veggies into kids and they just won't notice something green in their chocolate cake, well, good luck with that. At age 4 it didn't escape Cutie's notice that there was something going on with this cake that she wasn't used to seeing. She ate it and she liked it, but she has always been a good eater (particularly of dessert).
CAKE:
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (4 ounces) block-style fat-free cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup fat-free buttermilk
2 cups shredded zucchini
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
GLAZE:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
8 teaspoons fat-free milk
2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare cake, coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray; dust pan with 1 tablespoon flour.
Place sugars, cream cheese, and vegetable oil in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs and egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Lightly spoon 2 1/2 cups flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine 2 1/2 cups flour and next 5 ingredients (2 1/2 cups flour through cinnamon) in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk.
Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in zucchini, 2/3 cup chocolate chips, and nuts. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.
To prepare glaze, combine 3/4 cup powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons cocoa in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Combine milk, 2 tablespoons chocolate chips, coffee, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract in a 1-cup glass measure. Microwave at medium 45 seconds or until chocolate melts, stirring after 20 seconds. Combine powdered sugar mixture with chocolate mixture, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle glaze over cake.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Not THAT Kind of Blood Orange
My brand-new salad craving is heightening my fear that turning 40 will make me a Responsible Adult. Or, at the very least, cement my Old Enough To Know Better status. I'm filing for an extension since I'm clearly not ready.
Or perhaps it's just a continuation of the "sashaying to the beat of my own accordion" that I've pretty much always done. At least my newfound obsession, the dark chocolate covered pretzels at Trader Joe's - is keeping a sense of normalcy.
Over the weekend I threw some fish on the grill and made this tasty salad. Two things to work around - a) oranges and asparagus are generally not in season at the same time - sliced apples would work much better than the dry, styrofoam-y oranges I was able to get, and b) how the hell do you "shave" asparagus? They're skinny spears. You have to hold onto them somewhere. They're floppy. For the life of me I couldn't figure out how to pull that off without also pulling off a layer of skin.
Our chopped asparagus salad turned out just fine. The dressing is terrific. Thyme, which grows in my herb garden, substitutes just fine for tarragon, which I didn't plant.
Shaved/Chopped Asparagus Salad with Orange-Tarragon Vinaigrette
Vegetarian Times
1/3 cup raw hazelnuts or almonds
1 large shallot, peeled and minced (3 TBSP)
3 TBSP white wine vinegar (or regular white vinegar)
1 TBSP chopped fresh tarragon leaves (or thyme)
2 tsp. orange zest - about 1 orange
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
7 TBSP olive oil (I used 5)
1/2 pound fresh asparagus (8 to 10 medium-size spears)
6 cups mixed spring greens
2 navel oranges
[If using hazelnuts - preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place hazelnuts on baking sheet and toast 15 minutes, or until skins darken and split. Rub nuts between two towels until skins come off. Cool, then coarsely chop]
1. Whisk together shallot, vinegar, tarragon/thyme, orange zest, and mustard in bowl. Whisk in oil. Season with salt and pepper. I didn't whisk, I just combined everything in a cruet and shook it.
2. Peel asparagus into long, thin strands with a peeler. Then e-mail me a video about how you did it.
3. Toss with greens in bowl.
4. Peel oranges with knife, removing white pith. Slice between membranes, and cut orange segments directly into salad, letting juice drip into bowl. Toss salad with nuts and 3 TBSP dressing. Serve remaining dressing on the side.
Or perhaps it's just a continuation of the "sashaying to the beat of my own accordion" that I've pretty much always done. At least my newfound obsession, the dark chocolate covered pretzels at Trader Joe's - is keeping a sense of normalcy.
Over the weekend I threw some fish on the grill and made this tasty salad. Two things to work around - a) oranges and asparagus are generally not in season at the same time - sliced apples would work much better than the dry, styrofoam-y oranges I was able to get, and b) how the hell do you "shave" asparagus? They're skinny spears. You have to hold onto them somewhere. They're floppy. For the life of me I couldn't figure out how to pull that off without also pulling off a layer of skin.
Our chopped asparagus salad turned out just fine. The dressing is terrific. Thyme, which grows in my herb garden, substitutes just fine for tarragon, which I didn't plant.
Shaved/Chopped Asparagus Salad with Orange-Tarragon Vinaigrette
Vegetarian Times
1/3 cup raw hazelnuts or almonds
1 large shallot, peeled and minced (3 TBSP)
3 TBSP white wine vinegar (or regular white vinegar)
1 TBSP chopped fresh tarragon leaves (or thyme)
2 tsp. orange zest - about 1 orange
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
7 TBSP olive oil (I used 5)
1/2 pound fresh asparagus (8 to 10 medium-size spears)
6 cups mixed spring greens
2 navel oranges
[If using hazelnuts - preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place hazelnuts on baking sheet and toast 15 minutes, or until skins darken and split. Rub nuts between two towels until skins come off. Cool, then coarsely chop]
1. Whisk together shallot, vinegar, tarragon/thyme, orange zest, and mustard in bowl. Whisk in oil. Season with salt and pepper. I didn't whisk, I just combined everything in a cruet and shook it.
2. Peel asparagus into long, thin strands with a peeler. Then e-mail me a video about how you did it.
3. Toss with greens in bowl.
4. Peel oranges with knife, removing white pith. Slice between membranes, and cut orange segments directly into salad, letting juice drip into bowl. Toss salad with nuts and 3 TBSP dressing. Serve remaining dressing on the side.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Easy-Peasy (Hold The Peas)
Y'all, we went to the most amazing wedding over the weekend - it was like having a walk-on part in a fairy tale.
Besides "Steph and her Sweetie had a terrific time at the beach wedding", that statement also means "she hasn't cooked much." Seriously, I came home Sunday night - after Sweetie surprised me with a trip to the spot where we got engaged and later married - to no food in the house and not much time to cook, anyway.
Everyone flies on a wing and a prayer at some point. I'm still trying to eat really healthfully, and this has been "throw it in a skillet and hope for the best" week.
Substitute "baking dish" for "skillet", and we have last night's super-easy, quite yummy dinner. Knowing full well there was nothing in the fridge, I stopped by the supermarket on the way home and got one tilapia filet ($1.50) and a small head of broccoli. I may have to do that again...
Baked Tilapia and Broccoli
4 Tilapia filets (to serve 4 - I just did one since Sweetie wasn't home for dinner)
2 cups broccoli, carrots, and chopped shallots (again, adjust according to how many people are eating)
1 lemon
Cooking spray or 1 TBSP butter
Old Bay seasoning
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Spray baking dish large enough for fish and vegetables. For easier, though not environmentally-friendly, clean-up line the baking dish with foil and then spray with cooking spray.
Place filet(s) and vegetables in baking dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice and seasoning. Dot with butter if using; if not, mist with cooking spray/olive oil.
Bake at 375 degrees for between 12 and 20 minutes. Fish will be opaque and will flake easily with a fork when done.
This could not have been easier and was way tasty.
Besides "Steph and her Sweetie had a terrific time at the beach wedding", that statement also means "she hasn't cooked much." Seriously, I came home Sunday night - after Sweetie surprised me with a trip to the spot where we got engaged and later married - to no food in the house and not much time to cook, anyway.
Everyone flies on a wing and a prayer at some point. I'm still trying to eat really healthfully, and this has been "throw it in a skillet and hope for the best" week.
Substitute "baking dish" for "skillet", and we have last night's super-easy, quite yummy dinner. Knowing full well there was nothing in the fridge, I stopped by the supermarket on the way home and got one tilapia filet ($1.50) and a small head of broccoli. I may have to do that again...
Baked Tilapia and Broccoli
4 Tilapia filets (to serve 4 - I just did one since Sweetie wasn't home for dinner)
2 cups broccoli, carrots, and chopped shallots (again, adjust according to how many people are eating)
1 lemon
Cooking spray or 1 TBSP butter
Old Bay seasoning
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Spray baking dish large enough for fish and vegetables. For easier, though not environmentally-friendly, clean-up line the baking dish with foil and then spray with cooking spray.
Place filet(s) and vegetables in baking dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice and seasoning. Dot with butter if using; if not, mist with cooking spray/olive oil.
Bake at 375 degrees for between 12 and 20 minutes. Fish will be opaque and will flake easily with a fork when done.
This could not have been easier and was way tasty.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
The Dreadmill
Dear Women's Magazines -
In some ways, I'm atypical. I haven't eaten red meat since 1989, I do not see the big deal about SNL's Kristen Wiig, I don't have cable TV.
But in a lot of ways, I'm more like the mythical Everywoman that you claim as your audience . I have the following: a job that has its good points but could be better; more Stuff to Do than Stuff-Doing Time; ten-ish more pounds to lose; two dogs and a husband who all seem to like me well enough on most days (and vice versa).
On behalf of those Everywomen, I gotta tell ya - I'm not down with everything you're spewing at me every month. Some of it is on the money, some of it we have some common ground, and the rest - honestly, either I'm doing this all wrong, or you liiiieeeed like a tobacco exec at a Health and Human Services hearing.
"It's Easy to Work In Exercise During the Day"
I'm willing to meet you halfway on this one. I take all 20+ flights of stairs down to the cafeteria every day at work. And when I can, I exit the train one stop early and walk the rest of the way to my office - and have for the past year or so. Honestly, I do feel better and am more productive when I pull it off, and it's not that big of a deal timewise.
But I didn't lose any weight that way. It's just not enough to make an appreciable difference. Over the past two months I've dropped somewhere around 8 pounds, and I'm literally swimming my butt off. Figure a 15-minute drive to the gym, a solid 30 minutes of swimming (assuming I don't have to wait for a lane), another 45 to shower, dress, and dry hair and the drive home. That's a full hour and a half of non-work time that I had to scrape together out of my already-busy day. It's worth it and it's do-able, but "easy"? No.
Find An Exercise You Love To Do - And DO IT
We're in sync on this one. I like walking, but don't usually have the 3+ hours it takes to burn off as many calories as I need to burn. And finding comfortable sneakers for my extra-wide, flipper-like feet is no easy task. But put me in a pool - where footwear isn't required and flippers are a definite advantage - and I'll stay there for hours. I still get on a treadmill every so often and do weights; swimming, for all its benefits, doesn't build bone density. So in the past two years on the dreadmill, nothin' much. Two months in the pool - weight loss.
Which reminds me.... parents, you might want to try to steer your kid towards an activity they can do for life, like tennis or running or golf. I was a gymnast, and I assure you no co-worker has ever said, "You know, there's a balance beam and a springfloor at the park up the street from me. We should meet up for some tumbling sometime after work" or "You look like you a vaulter - are you interested in joining the company gymnastics team? We kicked Xerox's ass at the corporate Olympics last year."
"Getting in Shape Doesn't Have to Cost Any Money"
In theory, true. I'm sure there's someone out there who gets a charge out of running up and down their house's stairs and hoisting bags of flour or full suitcases or whatever around as weights. And I've heard good things about those $15 fitness DVDs, but my 19-inch TV and playful golden retriever (who does doga on my mat) make that impractical in this house. For those of us who live in the real world - one that has, like, weather - we need a gym.
My costs so far, for an 8-pound loss - I'm not including food, because I mostly shifted around by putting the $ I used to spend on cheese and crackers and Smartfood popcorn towards edamame and strawberries:
* Two athletic Reebok bathing suits - $70 + tax (on sale at Dick's Sporting Goods}
* One pretty bathing suit that proved shockingly and embarassingly inadequate for a good backstroke push-off - $30. I guess I'll bring it to the beach this weekend
* Swimming Cap - $15 (plus the deep conditioner from the two months I swam without one, and the haircut, and the damage to my highlights....)
* Sneakers for my impossible-to-fit, extra-wide, flipper-like feet for land workouts - $80
* Swimmers' shamwow-like super absorbent towel - $10
And keep in mind that I already had a yoga mat, gym bag, extra hair dryer, gym membership, etc. We have a terrific park near the house and I happily go walking there - but not when it's pouring rain (almost every day this month), not when it's over 90 degrees, not when Atlanta's air quality is "unhealthy for every non-cockroach living being" (daily from June to mid-October), and not when the pollen drifts obscure the walking path (March and April).
One free source of inspiration was watching The Biggest Loser. Those folks didn't just show up at the gym and go through the motions - they busted it, they threw up, they sweated through their clothes, they cried, they cursed their trainers. Honest to God, I think of that when I start slowing down on my laps and feel like it might be OK to stop before hitting my goal. And I keep going.
"When You Make Healthful Substitutions, You'll Never Miss Snack Food"
F-you. Seriously. DO NOT tell me that a crunchy carrot stick is a "great substitute" for potato chips. That's insane. What kind of half-wit confuses the two? I happen to love berries, but I'm not so clueless as to notice they're not covered with chocolate.
And the verdict is...
I'm renewing my subscription to Weight Watchers magazine (terrific recipes) and I'll still pick up the occasional copy of Self and Fitness.
Here's the thing - I go to church every Sunday. And the message does not change, ever - in my house of worship, it's "love thy neighbor as thy self" and "follow the Ten Commandments" and "your marriage and your family are important" and "it is impossible to have earned the mercy we are shown, it's a gift." In the past ten or more years that I've gone to the same church, same message. The people who went there 50 years ago? They heard the same thing, every time.
But I need to hear it every week, because it's hard to do and it doesn't mesh with everything I see around me. Same thing with my health - there are no giant billboards advertising carrots the way there are for soda and doughnuts and fried chicken. I need to read the stories every month of someone who lost weight and kept it off to remind me that it can be done.
So dammit, you've got me for a good $10 per month. Just add that to my tab above.
Well played, editors. Well played.
In some ways, I'm atypical. I haven't eaten red meat since 1989, I do not see the big deal about SNL's Kristen Wiig, I don't have cable TV.
But in a lot of ways, I'm more like the mythical Everywoman that you claim as your audience . I have the following: a job that has its good points but could be better; more Stuff to Do than Stuff-Doing Time; ten-ish more pounds to lose; two dogs and a husband who all seem to like me well enough on most days (and vice versa).
On behalf of those Everywomen, I gotta tell ya - I'm not down with everything you're spewing at me every month. Some of it is on the money, some of it we have some common ground, and the rest - honestly, either I'm doing this all wrong, or you liiiieeeed like a tobacco exec at a Health and Human Services hearing.
"It's Easy to Work In Exercise During the Day"
I'm willing to meet you halfway on this one. I take all 20+ flights of stairs down to the cafeteria every day at work. And when I can, I exit the train one stop early and walk the rest of the way to my office - and have for the past year or so. Honestly, I do feel better and am more productive when I pull it off, and it's not that big of a deal timewise.
But I didn't lose any weight that way. It's just not enough to make an appreciable difference. Over the past two months I've dropped somewhere around 8 pounds, and I'm literally swimming my butt off. Figure a 15-minute drive to the gym, a solid 30 minutes of swimming (assuming I don't have to wait for a lane), another 45 to shower, dress, and dry hair and the drive home. That's a full hour and a half of non-work time that I had to scrape together out of my already-busy day. It's worth it and it's do-able, but "easy"? No.
Find An Exercise You Love To Do - And DO IT
We're in sync on this one. I like walking, but don't usually have the 3+ hours it takes to burn off as many calories as I need to burn. And finding comfortable sneakers for my extra-wide, flipper-like feet is no easy task. But put me in a pool - where footwear isn't required and flippers are a definite advantage - and I'll stay there for hours. I still get on a treadmill every so often and do weights; swimming, for all its benefits, doesn't build bone density. So in the past two years on the dreadmill, nothin' much. Two months in the pool - weight loss.
Which reminds me.... parents, you might want to try to steer your kid towards an activity they can do for life, like tennis or running or golf. I was a gymnast, and I assure you no co-worker has ever said, "You know, there's a balance beam and a springfloor at the park up the street from me. We should meet up for some tumbling sometime after work" or "You look like you a vaulter - are you interested in joining the company gymnastics team? We kicked Xerox's ass at the corporate Olympics last year."
"Getting in Shape Doesn't Have to Cost Any Money"
In theory, true. I'm sure there's someone out there who gets a charge out of running up and down their house's stairs and hoisting bags of flour or full suitcases or whatever around as weights. And I've heard good things about those $15 fitness DVDs, but my 19-inch TV and playful golden retriever (who does doga on my mat) make that impractical in this house. For those of us who live in the real world - one that has, like, weather - we need a gym.
My costs so far, for an 8-pound loss - I'm not including food, because I mostly shifted around by putting the $ I used to spend on cheese and crackers and Smartfood popcorn towards edamame and strawberries:
* Two athletic Reebok bathing suits - $70 + tax (on sale at Dick's Sporting Goods}
* One pretty bathing suit that proved shockingly and embarassingly inadequate for a good backstroke push-off - $30. I guess I'll bring it to the beach this weekend
* Swimming Cap - $15 (plus the deep conditioner from the two months I swam without one, and the haircut, and the damage to my highlights....)
* Sneakers for my impossible-to-fit, extra-wide, flipper-like feet for land workouts - $80
* Swimmers' shamwow-like super absorbent towel - $10
And keep in mind that I already had a yoga mat, gym bag, extra hair dryer, gym membership, etc. We have a terrific park near the house and I happily go walking there - but not when it's pouring rain (almost every day this month), not when it's over 90 degrees, not when Atlanta's air quality is "unhealthy for every non-cockroach living being" (daily from June to mid-October), and not when the pollen drifts obscure the walking path (March and April).
One free source of inspiration was watching The Biggest Loser. Those folks didn't just show up at the gym and go through the motions - they busted it, they threw up, they sweated through their clothes, they cried, they cursed their trainers. Honest to God, I think of that when I start slowing down on my laps and feel like it might be OK to stop before hitting my goal. And I keep going.
"When You Make Healthful Substitutions, You'll Never Miss Snack Food"
F-you. Seriously. DO NOT tell me that a crunchy carrot stick is a "great substitute" for potato chips. That's insane. What kind of half-wit confuses the two? I happen to love berries, but I'm not so clueless as to notice they're not covered with chocolate.
And the verdict is...
I'm renewing my subscription to Weight Watchers magazine (terrific recipes) and I'll still pick up the occasional copy of Self and Fitness.
Here's the thing - I go to church every Sunday. And the message does not change, ever - in my house of worship, it's "love thy neighbor as thy self" and "follow the Ten Commandments" and "your marriage and your family are important" and "it is impossible to have earned the mercy we are shown, it's a gift." In the past ten or more years that I've gone to the same church, same message. The people who went there 50 years ago? They heard the same thing, every time.
But I need to hear it every week, because it's hard to do and it doesn't mesh with everything I see around me. Same thing with my health - there are no giant billboards advertising carrots the way there are for soda and doughnuts and fried chicken. I need to read the stories every month of someone who lost weight and kept it off to remind me that it can be done.
So dammit, you've got me for a good $10 per month. Just add that to my tab above.
Well played, editors. Well played.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Mother's Day for the Uninitiated
The most important thing to know - right now - about Mother's Day is that it was two weeks ago. So if you forgot, you're SO screwed and there's no making it up. Like you'll need to buy Mom her dream car in her favorite color, invite her to move in with you, or just head down to the senior center, pick out a new one, and start over.
As childfree couples with mothers way-out-of-state go, Sweetie and I had quite the shindig. No, the dogs didn't put their furry heads together and hatch some gopherrific scheme to surprise me (thank God). Rather, we brought brunch and conversation to a friend who lost her young adult son earlier this year. Oddly enough she preferred to have it at her house, on her porch overlooking her array of beautifully cultured gardens, instead of in our little dining room with its view of the kitchen. We aim to please.
This is one area of life where I have an embarrassment of riches. My own mother? Fabulous. My mother-in-law? We're truly, genuinely friends. My "other mother-in-law", who I know through Sweetie and to whom we brought brunch? She's terrific. I'm SO blessed. Note that our Moms are out of state, so we sent chocolates (I highly, highly recommend godiva.com and johnandkiras.com).
It seems oddly appropriate to note that our golden retriever has sought out a Russian grandmother of his very own, and there is sheer joy on their faces when they spot each other. Our neighbor's mother lives with him, and she doesn't speak much English. But she pets well (presumably), and she and Henry Dog have struck up a friendship like nothing I've ever seen. He runs to her when he sees her. She bends down and coos endearments into his big, floppy ear. They smile at each other. It's one of those little serendipitous, joyful things that makes you happy to be a small part of it.
Our brunch was very simple, including a platter of gorgeous fresh strawberries. These Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins are also a terrific brunch dish. They can be made (and frozen, if necessary) ahead of time. If raspberries are too tart for your taste, substitute blueberries.
RASPBERRY CREAM CHEESE MUFFINS
Cooking Light - June, 2003Yield: 2 dozen (serving size: 1 muffin)
2/3 cup (5 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries (blueberries if you don't care for raspberries)
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at high speed until well blended. Add sugar; beat until fluffy. Add vanilla, egg whites, and egg; beat well.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and buttermilk to cream cheese mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Gently fold in raspberries and walnuts.
Place 24 foil cup liners in muffin cups. Spoon batter evenly into liners. Bake at 350° 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pans; cool on a wire rack.
As childfree couples with mothers way-out-of-state go, Sweetie and I had quite the shindig. No, the dogs didn't put their furry heads together and hatch some gopherrific scheme to surprise me (thank God). Rather, we brought brunch and conversation to a friend who lost her young adult son earlier this year. Oddly enough she preferred to have it at her house, on her porch overlooking her array of beautifully cultured gardens, instead of in our little dining room with its view of the kitchen. We aim to please.
This is one area of life where I have an embarrassment of riches. My own mother? Fabulous. My mother-in-law? We're truly, genuinely friends. My "other mother-in-law", who I know through Sweetie and to whom we brought brunch? She's terrific. I'm SO blessed. Note that our Moms are out of state, so we sent chocolates (I highly, highly recommend godiva.com and johnandkiras.com).
It seems oddly appropriate to note that our golden retriever has sought out a Russian grandmother of his very own, and there is sheer joy on their faces when they spot each other. Our neighbor's mother lives with him, and she doesn't speak much English. But she pets well (presumably), and she and Henry Dog have struck up a friendship like nothing I've ever seen. He runs to her when he sees her. She bends down and coos endearments into his big, floppy ear. They smile at each other. It's one of those little serendipitous, joyful things that makes you happy to be a small part of it.
Our brunch was very simple, including a platter of gorgeous fresh strawberries. These Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins are also a terrific brunch dish. They can be made (and frozen, if necessary) ahead of time. If raspberries are too tart for your taste, substitute blueberries.
RASPBERRY CREAM CHEESE MUFFINS
Cooking Light - June, 2003Yield: 2 dozen (serving size: 1 muffin)
2/3 cup (5 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries (blueberries if you don't care for raspberries)
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at high speed until well blended. Add sugar; beat until fluffy. Add vanilla, egg whites, and egg; beat well.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and buttermilk to cream cheese mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Gently fold in raspberries and walnuts.
Place 24 foil cup liners in muffin cups. Spoon batter evenly into liners. Bake at 350° 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pans; cool on a wire rack.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Nuggets of Wisdom
As a lifelong picky eater, I really can’t relate to my oldest niece sometimes. Like this, at dinner one night:
“I just don’t know what I want. Only two vegetables? I really want the beets. And the Brussels sprouts. AND the squash.”
She lost me after “don’t know what I want.” Mystified, and possibly a little frightened, DH and I looked at each other. The kid wasn’t putting on an act – it was her first visit to The Colonnade, we were feeding her WAY late (like past-her-bedtime late), she was seriously hungry and as long as olives aren’t involved she loves her veggies.
Figuring there’s a sure Ticket To Hell if you don’t give a child Brussels sprouts when she wants them, Sweetie used one of his side dish options for the sprouts. And Cutie happily gobbled them up, in addition to the beets from my salad and the sweet potatoes that came with her burger.
Weird.
As an adult, I call myself a “food snob” instead of a “picky eater” although, really, it’s the same thing. I’m super-snobby about Italian food and my sister and I will go to dramatic lengths to avoid ever eating at Olive Garden. And yet, my mother insists that for a SOLID YEAR, sometime before kindergarten, I ate nothing but Spaghetti-O’s. A concoction that I haven’t touched for 30 years, and that caused me to raise an eyebrow when Sweetie told me in our dating days that one of his specialties was “Spaghetti-O’s Primavera.”
Weird.
So with kids, you just never know. What causes a good sleeper to suddenly be ready to play at 1:30 AM? What causes a seemingly-happy baby to start screaming in the supermarket halfway through the week’s only food-shopping opportunity? What makes a toddler love oatmeal today and projectile vomit at the sight of it tomorrow?
No one knows. The books don’t know, the experts don’t know, the mothers of 12 don’t know, they just work around it.
And yet, they all seem to love McNuggets – which, in my food-snobby opinion, aren’t actually food at all.
If, for marketing purposes, you want to call these “Salmon Nuggets” it may just get the little ones to give these fabulous salmon patties a whirl. Oddly, though, they call for raisins which I simply do not understand. Raisins belong in some salads, oatmeal, oatmeal cookies, and granola. Fish? Seriously??? I doubt even the Brussels sprouts-loving Cutie would touch it.
The salsa is absolutely perfect on the fish, and also works beautifully on chips or chicken.
Salmon Balls/Nuggets/Croquettes with Fresh Tomato SalsaSelf, 10/2002
Tomato Salsa
2 large ripe beefsteak tomatoes, seeded, peeled, and diced
3 scallions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley (yes, fresh – dried parsley will taste musty and have a weird mouth-feel)
1 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp chopped fresh basil (yes, fresh)
1 tsp red wine vinegar
Combine everything in a bowl. Season with pepper. Cover and set aside. Don’t add salt until serving – it pulls flavor from tomatoes.
Salmon Balls
1 lb. fresh salmon fillet, chopped into ¼-inch pieces (you can also use the pouches of salmon that are available now)
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
¾ cup bread crumbs (OR crushed gluten-free cornflakes)
3 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
2 TBSP Parmesan cheese
½ tsp freshly ground pepper
2 tsp olive oil
6 cups arugula or spinach, torn into bite-sized pieces
Combine all ingredients except oil and arugula/spinach in a bowl. Mix well. Form walnut-sized balls (about 16); SET ASIDE. In a large nonstick frying pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add balls and cook 4 – 6 minutes, turning to brown all ides. Divide arugula among 4 plates. Place 4 balls in center of each and serve with salsa. Sprinkle with salt.
Per serving: 381 calories, 13g fat (3g saturated fat), 34g carbohydrates, 32g protein
“I just don’t know what I want. Only two vegetables? I really want the beets. And the Brussels sprouts. AND the squash.”
She lost me after “don’t know what I want.” Mystified, and possibly a little frightened, DH and I looked at each other. The kid wasn’t putting on an act – it was her first visit to The Colonnade, we were feeding her WAY late (like past-her-bedtime late), she was seriously hungry and as long as olives aren’t involved she loves her veggies.
Figuring there’s a sure Ticket To Hell if you don’t give a child Brussels sprouts when she wants them, Sweetie used one of his side dish options for the sprouts. And Cutie happily gobbled them up, in addition to the beets from my salad and the sweet potatoes that came with her burger.
Weird.
As an adult, I call myself a “food snob” instead of a “picky eater” although, really, it’s the same thing. I’m super-snobby about Italian food and my sister and I will go to dramatic lengths to avoid ever eating at Olive Garden. And yet, my mother insists that for a SOLID YEAR, sometime before kindergarten, I ate nothing but Spaghetti-O’s. A concoction that I haven’t touched for 30 years, and that caused me to raise an eyebrow when Sweetie told me in our dating days that one of his specialties was “Spaghetti-O’s Primavera.”
Weird.
So with kids, you just never know. What causes a good sleeper to suddenly be ready to play at 1:30 AM? What causes a seemingly-happy baby to start screaming in the supermarket halfway through the week’s only food-shopping opportunity? What makes a toddler love oatmeal today and projectile vomit at the sight of it tomorrow?
No one knows. The books don’t know, the experts don’t know, the mothers of 12 don’t know, they just work around it.
And yet, they all seem to love McNuggets – which, in my food-snobby opinion, aren’t actually food at all.
If, for marketing purposes, you want to call these “Salmon Nuggets” it may just get the little ones to give these fabulous salmon patties a whirl. Oddly, though, they call for raisins which I simply do not understand. Raisins belong in some salads, oatmeal, oatmeal cookies, and granola. Fish? Seriously??? I doubt even the Brussels sprouts-loving Cutie would touch it.
The salsa is absolutely perfect on the fish, and also works beautifully on chips or chicken.
Salmon Balls/Nuggets/Croquettes with Fresh Tomato SalsaSelf, 10/2002
Tomato Salsa
2 large ripe beefsteak tomatoes, seeded, peeled, and diced
3 scallions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley (yes, fresh – dried parsley will taste musty and have a weird mouth-feel)
1 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp chopped fresh basil (yes, fresh)
1 tsp red wine vinegar
Combine everything in a bowl. Season with pepper. Cover and set aside. Don’t add salt until serving – it pulls flavor from tomatoes.
Salmon Balls
1 lb. fresh salmon fillet, chopped into ¼-inch pieces (you can also use the pouches of salmon that are available now)
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
¾ cup bread crumbs (OR crushed gluten-free cornflakes)
3 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
2 TBSP Parmesan cheese
½ tsp freshly ground pepper
2 tsp olive oil
6 cups arugula or spinach, torn into bite-sized pieces
Combine all ingredients except oil and arugula/spinach in a bowl. Mix well. Form walnut-sized balls (about 16); SET ASIDE. In a large nonstick frying pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add balls and cook 4 – 6 minutes, turning to brown all ides. Divide arugula among 4 plates. Place 4 balls in center of each and serve with salsa. Sprinkle with salt.
Per serving: 381 calories, 13g fat (3g saturated fat), 34g carbohydrates, 32g protein
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Are There Really Frozen Artichokes?
You know, there are only so many ways to combine corn, tomatoes, and chicken and I think I've tried every last one of them. Time for something new & different.
What helps break me out of a rut is trying some new, random source for recipes. On a whim I picked up Good Housekeeping and was thrilled to find this Greek Chicken dish. Good Housekeeping is hardly new to the world of recipe-making, it's just not something I usually pick up (especially now that even doctor's offices only carry free publications - what is up with that?).
I've never in my life seen or heard of frozen artichokes. Running into a friend at Trader Joe's, she confirmed that I wasn't the only one. Fortunately, Trader Joe's had jarred artichokes that worked just fine. You could zip this up a little bit with marinated artichokes (which will also increase the fat content), and maybe ditch the mint, depending on the marinade.
The cooking is pretty easy. I got all fancy with the serving - cucumbers go beautifully with feta and mint, so I sliced cucumber and fanned it prettily on each plate. Then a little brown rice, topped with chicken, topped with artichoke sauce, topped with feta. YUM.
Oh, and I tried pounding the chicken breasts to an even thickness and did nothing besides scare the crap out of the dogs with all the noise. If you're equally unskilled, either get a sharp knife and slice them thinly yourself (easiest when they're still semi-frozen), or just decide to let them cook a little longer at a slightly lower temp.
Chicken Saute with Artichokes, Lemon, & Mint
Good Housekeeping, May 2009
4 med. skinless, boneless chicken-breast halves (1 1/2 pounds)
Salt and pepper
4 tbsp. olive oil (kind of a lot... you can knock it down to 2 or 3)
1 pkg (8 to 10 ounces) of mythical, don't-believe-they-really-exist frozen artichoke hearts, thawed. Whatever. I found a 14-ounce jar and figured that, once drained, they were probably 10ish ounces.
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, chopped, plus additional for garnish [Note: If you haven't cooked with mint before, I'd start with 2 tablespoons in the sauce and see how you like it. You can always add more later, but you can't take it out.]
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (I used bottled)
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1. With meat mallet or bottom of skillet, pound chicken (placed between 2 sheets plastic wrap) to an even 1/2-inch thickness; sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides.
2. In 12-inch skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil on medium heat. Add chicken and cook 12 to 14 minutes or until browned on both sides and chicken loses it pink color throughout turning over once. Transfer chicken to shallow serving bowl; cover with foil to keep warm.
3. To same skillet, add remaining 2 teaspoons oil and heat on medium until hot. Add artichokes and cook 3 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Stir in broth and heat to boiling on medium-high; boil 2 to 3 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Remove skillet from heat; stir in mint and lemon juice.
4. To serve, spoon artichoke sauce over chicken; top with feta. Garnish with additional chopped mint leaves.
Each serving about 285 calories, 43g protein
What helps break me out of a rut is trying some new, random source for recipes. On a whim I picked up Good Housekeeping and was thrilled to find this Greek Chicken dish. Good Housekeeping is hardly new to the world of recipe-making, it's just not something I usually pick up (especially now that even doctor's offices only carry free publications - what is up with that?).
I've never in my life seen or heard of frozen artichokes. Running into a friend at Trader Joe's, she confirmed that I wasn't the only one. Fortunately, Trader Joe's had jarred artichokes that worked just fine. You could zip this up a little bit with marinated artichokes (which will also increase the fat content), and maybe ditch the mint, depending on the marinade.
The cooking is pretty easy. I got all fancy with the serving - cucumbers go beautifully with feta and mint, so I sliced cucumber and fanned it prettily on each plate. Then a little brown rice, topped with chicken, topped with artichoke sauce, topped with feta. YUM.
Oh, and I tried pounding the chicken breasts to an even thickness and did nothing besides scare the crap out of the dogs with all the noise. If you're equally unskilled, either get a sharp knife and slice them thinly yourself (easiest when they're still semi-frozen), or just decide to let them cook a little longer at a slightly lower temp.
Chicken Saute with Artichokes, Lemon, & Mint
Good Housekeeping, May 2009
4 med. skinless, boneless chicken-breast halves (1 1/2 pounds)
Salt and pepper
4 tbsp. olive oil (kind of a lot... you can knock it down to 2 or 3)
1 pkg (8 to 10 ounces) of mythical, don't-believe-they-really-exist frozen artichoke hearts, thawed. Whatever. I found a 14-ounce jar and figured that, once drained, they were probably 10ish ounces.
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, chopped, plus additional for garnish [Note: If you haven't cooked with mint before, I'd start with 2 tablespoons in the sauce and see how you like it. You can always add more later, but you can't take it out.]
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (I used bottled)
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1. With meat mallet or bottom of skillet, pound chicken (placed between 2 sheets plastic wrap) to an even 1/2-inch thickness; sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides.
2. In 12-inch skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil on medium heat. Add chicken and cook 12 to 14 minutes or until browned on both sides and chicken loses it pink color throughout turning over once. Transfer chicken to shallow serving bowl; cover with foil to keep warm.
3. To same skillet, add remaining 2 teaspoons oil and heat on medium until hot. Add artichokes and cook 3 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Stir in broth and heat to boiling on medium-high; boil 2 to 3 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Remove skillet from heat; stir in mint and lemon juice.
4. To serve, spoon artichoke sauce over chicken; top with feta. Garnish with additional chopped mint leaves.
Each serving about 285 calories, 43g protein
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Book Report and Random Thinkiness
Michael Pollan - Paula Poundstone was pretty rude to him (but funny) when he was a guest on NPR's "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me." I decided to finally check his book "In Defense of Food" out of the library.
It's an extraordinary book. It's written in everyday (not overly-scientific) language that isn't preachy, it's just uncommon common sense. He points out that we're in an odd state of affairs when we're turning to him, a journalist, for nutrition advice, and that no other culture at any other time has had a hard time figuring out what to feed themselves and how. True enough.
I highly recommend the book if you haven't read it. If you want a quick summary, it's this - "Food is more than a lump of protein, fats, carbs, and vitamins. It's FOOD. Cook your own as much as you can. Eat food as it was intended - orange juice doesn't naturally have calcium, so don't drink it that way. There are lots of ways to eat a really healthful diet, and vending machines and food that never rots isn't part of any of them. Science doesn't know everything."
The anti-inflammatory diet - Also at the library, since it's in the same part of the Dewey Decimal System, was Dr. Barry Sears' "The Anti-Inflammatory Zone." Dr. Sears is the creator of the Zone diet, and I took the book out to see what he had to say.
After getting about one-third of the way through I decided it was quacky and brought it back to the library. Any book that talks about the Secrets Mainstream Medicine Doesn't Want You To Know is, in my opinion, trying to sell something. Like, say, Dr. Sears Zone Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (it's on Amazon). I haven't ruled out the idea that there is something to an anti-inflammatory diet, only that this book reads too SHAMWOW for me to take it seriously.
That said, I'm a little over two weeks into my three-week experiment and I'm feelin' pretty good, even if I don't know conclusively why. There is little agreement on what exactly an anti-inflammatory diet really is. I've removed a lot of simple carbs (bread, pasta), sugar, and nightshades (alas, tomatoes and potatoes), from my daily consumption. I've also let go of cheese, which I generally eat too much of. I'm eating more fish and vegetables. My new gym has a pool and I've been pretty regular in attendance.
So is it the anti-inflammatory component of what I'm doing that's helping? Or the overall health-supporting diet and exercise? Or both? I have no idea. But what drove me to this - wanting relief from constant achiness - is apparently a stronger motivator than "I want to lose weight." Good to know.
It's pretty unlikely that this Italian girl is going to permanently give up tomatoes and cheese. In fact, Sweetie and I went out for pizza this weekend because neither of us had the energy to scrape together something in our own kitchen (and I was REALLY craving pizza). And it's just hard for me to wrap my head around the idea that millions of earth's tomato-eating people are "secretly" battling some sort of painful malady, you know?
Pool Fitness - For crying out loud, if you get in the pool expect to get your hair wet. Seriously. You don't have to go underwater during most pool fitness classes, but you really should expect to be splashed.
Pool Fitness II - When someone with a 4-prong cane enters the pool area, GIVE THEM THE LANE NEAREST THE STEPS. She was elderly, in her skirted swimsuit and floweredy bathing cap and determined to get her workout. She really needed to be in an outside lane to hold onto the side as she power-walked up and down the length of the pool - and good for her, I say. Her reaction when I vacated the outside lane for her let me know that she can't assume folks will make simple accommodations for her. Sad.
New Tag - My blog project right now is adding a "Health Conscious" tag to the selections on the right, which will take you to all the yummy recipes I have from various healthful-cooking sources. Basically, I eat what tastes good and some of it has really healthful qualities and some of it (hellllllooooo, brownies!) not so much. Clicking on "Health Conscious" will take you to those recipes that are, as they say, more of an "everyday" food and not a "special occasion" food.
It's an extraordinary book. It's written in everyday (not overly-scientific) language that isn't preachy, it's just uncommon common sense. He points out that we're in an odd state of affairs when we're turning to him, a journalist, for nutrition advice, and that no other culture at any other time has had a hard time figuring out what to feed themselves and how. True enough.
I highly recommend the book if you haven't read it. If you want a quick summary, it's this - "Food is more than a lump of protein, fats, carbs, and vitamins. It's FOOD. Cook your own as much as you can. Eat food as it was intended - orange juice doesn't naturally have calcium, so don't drink it that way. There are lots of ways to eat a really healthful diet, and vending machines and food that never rots isn't part of any of them. Science doesn't know everything."
The anti-inflammatory diet - Also at the library, since it's in the same part of the Dewey Decimal System, was Dr. Barry Sears' "The Anti-Inflammatory Zone." Dr. Sears is the creator of the Zone diet, and I took the book out to see what he had to say.
After getting about one-third of the way through I decided it was quacky and brought it back to the library. Any book that talks about the Secrets Mainstream Medicine Doesn't Want You To Know is, in my opinion, trying to sell something. Like, say, Dr. Sears Zone Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (it's on Amazon). I haven't ruled out the idea that there is something to an anti-inflammatory diet, only that this book reads too SHAMWOW for me to take it seriously.
That said, I'm a little over two weeks into my three-week experiment and I'm feelin' pretty good, even if I don't know conclusively why. There is little agreement on what exactly an anti-inflammatory diet really is. I've removed a lot of simple carbs (bread, pasta), sugar, and nightshades (alas, tomatoes and potatoes), from my daily consumption. I've also let go of cheese, which I generally eat too much of. I'm eating more fish and vegetables. My new gym has a pool and I've been pretty regular in attendance.
So is it the anti-inflammatory component of what I'm doing that's helping? Or the overall health-supporting diet and exercise? Or both? I have no idea. But what drove me to this - wanting relief from constant achiness - is apparently a stronger motivator than "I want to lose weight." Good to know.
It's pretty unlikely that this Italian girl is going to permanently give up tomatoes and cheese. In fact, Sweetie and I went out for pizza this weekend because neither of us had the energy to scrape together something in our own kitchen (and I was REALLY craving pizza). And it's just hard for me to wrap my head around the idea that millions of earth's tomato-eating people are "secretly" battling some sort of painful malady, you know?
Pool Fitness - For crying out loud, if you get in the pool expect to get your hair wet. Seriously. You don't have to go underwater during most pool fitness classes, but you really should expect to be splashed.
Pool Fitness II - When someone with a 4-prong cane enters the pool area, GIVE THEM THE LANE NEAREST THE STEPS. She was elderly, in her skirted swimsuit and floweredy bathing cap and determined to get her workout. She really needed to be in an outside lane to hold onto the side as she power-walked up and down the length of the pool - and good for her, I say. Her reaction when I vacated the outside lane for her let me know that she can't assume folks will make simple accommodations for her. Sad.
New Tag - My blog project right now is adding a "Health Conscious" tag to the selections on the right, which will take you to all the yummy recipes I have from various healthful-cooking sources. Basically, I eat what tastes good and some of it has really healthful qualities and some of it (hellllllooooo, brownies!) not so much. Clicking on "Health Conscious" will take you to those recipes that are, as they say, more of an "everyday" food and not a "special occasion" food.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Seriously Underpaid
Working with disability as I do, I know that one of the biggest issues in the field is the shockingly low pay that aides and attendants get for the work they do in caring for the elderly and disabled.
Today my grandmother made me realize a whoooole part of the picture I hadn't seen before. She's 85-ish years old, but really hasn't seemed "old" until the past year or two. If you have a traditional Italian or Jewish grandmother, you've pretty much met her. If not, here's the deal - she passionately loves her family, was a terrific cook, talks a lot, and believes that the Youth of Today ("youth" being anyone under 45) really needs a good finger-wagging and talking-to. Finger-wagging will make someone realize that they really don't need heroin, that they nobody's getting any younger so they might as well marry that nice boy, and that only members of the Clean Plate Club go to heaven.
Our weekly chat this morning, which focused on her somewhat-recent move into Assisted Living, went like this....
Me: So you're still happy in the new apartment?
Grandmother: Oh, yes. Everyone here is so nice. All you have to do is call and ask for something, and they take care of it.
Me: Wonderful!
Grandmother: The aides are all young, you know. They really like having older folks around, with our wisdom and experience. They love my advice.
Me: Oh?
Grandmother: Oh, yes! They used to ask me for it, but now I just go ahead and give it to them instead of playing that little game where I wait for them to ask, which I know they're going to do. Like yesterday, one of the young ladies came in and she had been tanning. I showed her all the spots I have from being out in the sun too much and told her she needs to wear a hat. And since we were talking anyway, I told her, "you have on too much makeup."
Me: Really????
Grandmother: Well, someone had to tell her. She thanked me several times.
Methinks someone has stopped recognizing sarcasm, or doesn't realize there are angels in her midst. I hope it's the latter, and God bless them.
Years ago my grandmother sent me home with a loaf of her pumpkin bread. Living alone at the time, I brought it into the office to share. My manager wasn't willing to wait for the mail for the recipe (this was before e-mail); she made me call that afternoon, from the office, and write down the recipe as read by my grandmother.
A full cup of oil ("NOT olive", she specified in the recipe) is a LOT, even though this makes three loaves. I cut it down to 3/4 cup with no ill effect. In her own words, here 'tis.
Irene's Famous Pumpkin Bread
3 cups sugar
1 cup oil
2/3 cup water
4 eggs
3 1/3 cups flour
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
3 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups pumpkin
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. PAM three loaf pans. Bake 350 degrees, 45 minutes to one hour.
There it is. That's the whole thing. It really is terrific and it freezes well. And if I'd found this in a cookbook I would never have made it, given the 4 eggs and 3 cups of sugar. But then again, my grandmother has been in specactularly good health for most of her life so what do I know?
Maybe I need a good finger-wagging.
Today my grandmother made me realize a whoooole part of the picture I hadn't seen before. She's 85-ish years old, but really hasn't seemed "old" until the past year or two. If you have a traditional Italian or Jewish grandmother, you've pretty much met her. If not, here's the deal - she passionately loves her family, was a terrific cook, talks a lot, and believes that the Youth of Today ("youth" being anyone under 45) really needs a good finger-wagging and talking-to. Finger-wagging will make someone realize that they really don't need heroin, that they nobody's getting any younger so they might as well marry that nice boy, and that only members of the Clean Plate Club go to heaven.
Our weekly chat this morning, which focused on her somewhat-recent move into Assisted Living, went like this....
Me: So you're still happy in the new apartment?
Grandmother: Oh, yes. Everyone here is so nice. All you have to do is call and ask for something, and they take care of it.
Me: Wonderful!
Grandmother: The aides are all young, you know. They really like having older folks around, with our wisdom and experience. They love my advice.
Me: Oh?
Grandmother: Oh, yes! They used to ask me for it, but now I just go ahead and give it to them instead of playing that little game where I wait for them to ask, which I know they're going to do. Like yesterday, one of the young ladies came in and she had been tanning. I showed her all the spots I have from being out in the sun too much and told her she needs to wear a hat. And since we were talking anyway, I told her, "you have on too much makeup."
Me: Really????
Grandmother: Well, someone had to tell her. She thanked me several times.
Methinks someone has stopped recognizing sarcasm, or doesn't realize there are angels in her midst. I hope it's the latter, and God bless them.
Years ago my grandmother sent me home with a loaf of her pumpkin bread. Living alone at the time, I brought it into the office to share. My manager wasn't willing to wait for the mail for the recipe (this was before e-mail); she made me call that afternoon, from the office, and write down the recipe as read by my grandmother.
A full cup of oil ("NOT olive", she specified in the recipe) is a LOT, even though this makes three loaves. I cut it down to 3/4 cup with no ill effect. In her own words, here 'tis.
Irene's Famous Pumpkin Bread
3 cups sugar
1 cup oil
2/3 cup water
4 eggs
3 1/3 cups flour
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
3 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups pumpkin
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. PAM three loaf pans. Bake 350 degrees, 45 minutes to one hour.
There it is. That's the whole thing. It really is terrific and it freezes well. And if I'd found this in a cookbook I would never have made it, given the 4 eggs and 3 cups of sugar. But then again, my grandmother has been in specactularly good health for most of her life so what do I know?
Maybe I need a good finger-wagging.
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