Glory canned red beans and rice and black beans and rice tastes just like my grandmother's RB&R!! Of course, this is strange to me because she uses New Orleans style kidney beans, makes a gravy by adding water, adds a mixture of spices that I have not yet been given access to (something tells me that she's just using Zataran's, and that's why she isn't telling me), and throws in about a pound of sausage. But, hey, I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth.
Glory RB&R has just 3 ww points! I generally add chicken sausage or soysage (the apple smoked kind is excellent) for three more points and a REALLY tasty meal. I'm also a fan of Glory's cream corn, which is also three points, and their greens mix. I'm now eating red beans and rice or black beans and rice several times per week, and I am definitely not complaining. When Sir Mix-A-Lot says "red beans and rice didn't miss her," he meant me. :)
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Monday, May 5, 2008
Weight Watchers
I have a confession to make. I've gained weight since I started this blog--3 lbs. Writing papers and the end of the semester conspired to stress me out, and I ended up forgetting about all of my diet goals. Aaargh! After standing on the scale last night, I finally got serious. Today, I joined Weight Watchers.
I know, this blog isn't supposed to be about weight loss. But, it's my blog, and it is about eating healthy, so I will be blogging about Weight Watchers.
Reasons I love WW:
1. I went to one meeting, and I already saw someone I know. There were a ton of wonderful, supportive women there! Hooray for Female Empowerment!
2. Weight Watchers makes me feel like eating is a game I'm playing. It's a little like a cross between golf and bowling. I try to eat as many healthy foods as I can and also come in under points value.
3. I can still cook Mediterranean soul food on this diet. I can eat anything I want as long as I count the points. So, I'll still be cooking as I'm losing.
So long. More recipes, food tips, and confessions to come.
I know, this blog isn't supposed to be about weight loss. But, it's my blog, and it is about eating healthy, so I will be blogging about Weight Watchers.
Reasons I love WW:
1. I went to one meeting, and I already saw someone I know. There were a ton of wonderful, supportive women there! Hooray for Female Empowerment!
2. Weight Watchers makes me feel like eating is a game I'm playing. It's a little like a cross between golf and bowling. I try to eat as many healthy foods as I can and also come in under points value.
3. I can still cook Mediterranean soul food on this diet. I can eat anything I want as long as I count the points. So, I'll still be cooking as I'm losing.
So long. More recipes, food tips, and confessions to come.
Monday, April 21, 2008
King Corn (A Must See Documentary) and HFCS
So, I watched King Corn (a great new documentary) on PBS last night and got totally freaked out about High Fructose Corn Syrup. I went and checked my fridge and it’s in fewer products than I thought. Because I buy a lot of low sugar and sugar free foods, I only had to throw out four things (one jar of honey mustard and all of my artificial creamers). Most of my hot chocolate (which I love) contains “corn syrup solids,” and so I think I’m going to work on eliminating that next. I don’t know what the heck those are, but they do not sound good. My only other problem is that I love Sub sandwiches, and you and I both know that that bread is from the devil. In fact, I just ate some today! ICK! Looks like I’m going to have to change my bread of choice from that of the “Subway" to the bread from the local bakery. Actually, that doesn’t sound half bad! Yay!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Kefir
I'm aware that this is rapidly becoming The Blog of Cool Products and T.V. dinners rather than a blog about making food. However, I'm sure all of that will change after Thursday week, when my papers are done.
If you are into yogurt drinks, and want them as plain as possible, I recommend Kefir from Lifeway, which I discovered by accident in Publix. I buy plain Kefir and mix a little sweet n' low with it in order to make something like sweet lassi. Also, Lifeway brand actually sells lassi in Mango and Strawberry flavors, if you want something that you don't have to mess with. Yay!
If you are into yogurt drinks, and want them as plain as possible, I recommend Kefir from Lifeway, which I discovered by accident in Publix. I buy plain Kefir and mix a little sweet n' low with it in order to make something like sweet lassi. Also, Lifeway brand actually sells lassi in Mango and Strawberry flavors, if you want something that you don't have to mess with. Yay!
Monday, April 14, 2008
Off the Wagon!
Sadly, today I fell right off of the healthy food wagon, and not in a small way. First, I waited until 2:00 pm to eat, substituting breakfast for a medium skinny latte with two syrups. If I am honest with myself, that was 400 calories, which is definitely breakfast, but not nearly as satisfying as food. Then I made the mistake of buying some yogurt covered pretzels that I was going to eat in moderation. Moderation, ladies in gentlemen, is not in my vocabulary. I ended up eating five of the six servings!!! That's 1,000 calories right there! Aaaack! But, then at least I've lessened the impact somewhat. For the rest of lunch, I had what's called an "Ancient Incan Sandwich" and some quinoa salad (yummy) with fruit for a late-in-the-day snack. So, I'm pretty sure I clocked in at somewhere around 2,500 calories today. Sigh. I would walk to my boyfriend's house instead of biking there, if it wasn't dark outside . Oh well, it looks as if I'm due for an early morning run tomorrow. :)
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Baklava, Pumkin Butter, and Tandoori Chef
So, Saturday was my dessert day, and I also had a fight with my boyfriend, so I ended up with a craving for something really good. I decided upon baklava, which is amazing, but also swimming in fat. It's really yummy, but I'm not sure that I want to indulge so heavily on my next sweet day, so here is a recipe for low-fat baklava (I know, it sounds like an oxymoron)!
Ingredients:
1/2 pound (226g) walnuts or shelled pistachios, ground
3 tablespoons Splenda for Baking (or other sugar substitute such as Equal)
3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons rose water
1/2 pound (226g) Filo (phyllo) dough
1/2 cup low-calorie (diet) margarine, melted
Rose Water Syrup (see recipe below)
Garnish (optional)
Ground Pistachios
*Note: Rose Water (or Rose Flower Water) may be purchased at Middle Eastern, Greek or Turkish grocery stores or at some gourmet stores.
Instructions:
1. Combine walnuts (or pistachios), sugar, cinnamon and rose water in small bowl. Using half of filo sheets (cover remaining with plastic wrap to prevent from drying out), place 3 sheets in bottom of lightly greased 13-inch x 9-inch baking sheet. Brush with some of the melted margarine. Sprinkle evenly with nut mixture. Place remaining sheets over nut filling, brushing after every third sheet and top sheet.
2. Cut baklava at 1-1/2" intervals diagonally to form pattern of about 35 diamond shapes. Bake at 400 degrees F (200 C) for 25 minutes or until golden. Place on wire rack to cool. Drizzle Rose Water Syrup evenly over top and allow to soak several hours. If desired, sprinkle ground pistachios over top of Baklava.
Nutritional Information:
Each piece baklava with syrup contains about: 85 calories; 32mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 9 grams carbohydrate; 2 grams protein; trace fiber.
Rose Water Syrup:
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups sugar substitute (such as Splenda, Equal, or Sweet N' Low)
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup rose water
Instructions:
Prepare the syrup by combining the sugar substitute and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, add the rose water, and set aside until ready to use.
85 calories and five grams of fat! That sounds great. I don't even want to know what I ate last night because I didn't just eat a diamond. I ate TWO! and it was the real deal with real butter on every sheet of 36 layers, tons of cashews, and so much honey it stung my tongue. Yum.
Moving on . . .
Pumpkin butter is my new best friend. I've been looking for a low calorie substitute for peanut butter for a while, and frankly, Better Than Peanut Butter leaves something to be desired unless you are making a milkshake or something else that only needs peanut butter "flavor." Pumpkin butter tastes like a super sweet pumpkin pie filling and contains only 20 calories and no fat per tablespoon. It will be very tasty on my toast, on a pumpkin butter and jelly sandwich, and in anything else I can think to use it in. I may also use it on my leftover naan bread from last night, which brings me to my third point . . .
Tandoori Chef. I know, I know. It's neither soul food nor Mediterranean food, but it is damn good, and after having that fight with my boyfriend, I needed something super spicy to burn my tongue and keep my mind off the pain. Tandoori Chef is t.v. dinner Indian food that tastes just like maataa made or at least like the local restaurant down the street. I had kofta and naan bread last night right before my baklava. But, a note of warning. Unlike lean cuisine or weight watchers, Tandoori chef boxes contain enough food for two, so either share with your honey or portion it out. I had eaten one and a half servings before I noticed a) that I wasn't going to be able to finish b)that I was super full and c) that I had ingested almost 14 grams of fat + baklava (which I ate first in true jilted style)!
More T.V. dinner and hopefully cooking adventures later.
Ingredients:
1/2 pound (226g) walnuts or shelled pistachios, ground
3 tablespoons Splenda for Baking (or other sugar substitute such as Equal)
3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons rose water
1/2 pound (226g) Filo (phyllo) dough
1/2 cup low-calorie (diet) margarine, melted
Rose Water Syrup (see recipe below)
Garnish (optional)
Ground Pistachios
*Note: Rose Water (or Rose Flower Water) may be purchased at Middle Eastern, Greek or Turkish grocery stores or at some gourmet stores.
Instructions:
1. Combine walnuts (or pistachios), sugar, cinnamon and rose water in small bowl. Using half of filo sheets (cover remaining with plastic wrap to prevent from drying out), place 3 sheets in bottom of lightly greased 13-inch x 9-inch baking sheet. Brush with some of the melted margarine. Sprinkle evenly with nut mixture. Place remaining sheets over nut filling, brushing after every third sheet and top sheet.
2. Cut baklava at 1-1/2" intervals diagonally to form pattern of about 35 diamond shapes. Bake at 400 degrees F (200 C) for 25 minutes or until golden. Place on wire rack to cool. Drizzle Rose Water Syrup evenly over top and allow to soak several hours. If desired, sprinkle ground pistachios over top of Baklava.
Nutritional Information:
Each piece baklava with syrup contains about: 85 calories; 32mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 9 grams carbohydrate; 2 grams protein; trace fiber.
Rose Water Syrup:
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups sugar substitute (such as Splenda, Equal, or Sweet N' Low)
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup rose water
Instructions:
Prepare the syrup by combining the sugar substitute and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, add the rose water, and set aside until ready to use.
85 calories and five grams of fat! That sounds great. I don't even want to know what I ate last night because I didn't just eat a diamond. I ate TWO! and it was the real deal with real butter on every sheet of 36 layers, tons of cashews, and so much honey it stung my tongue. Yum.
Moving on . . .
Pumpkin butter is my new best friend. I've been looking for a low calorie substitute for peanut butter for a while, and frankly, Better Than Peanut Butter leaves something to be desired unless you are making a milkshake or something else that only needs peanut butter "flavor." Pumpkin butter tastes like a super sweet pumpkin pie filling and contains only 20 calories and no fat per tablespoon. It will be very tasty on my toast, on a pumpkin butter and jelly sandwich, and in anything else I can think to use it in. I may also use it on my leftover naan bread from last night, which brings me to my third point . . .
Tandoori Chef. I know, I know. It's neither soul food nor Mediterranean food, but it is damn good, and after having that fight with my boyfriend, I needed something super spicy to burn my tongue and keep my mind off the pain. Tandoori Chef is t.v. dinner Indian food that tastes just like maataa made or at least like the local restaurant down the street. I had kofta and naan bread last night right before my baklava. But, a note of warning. Unlike lean cuisine or weight watchers, Tandoori chef boxes contain enough food for two, so either share with your honey or portion it out. I had eaten one and a half servings before I noticed a) that I wasn't going to be able to finish b)that I was super full and c) that I had ingested almost 14 grams of fat + baklava (which I ate first in true jilted style)!
More T.V. dinner and hopefully cooking adventures later.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
The New Food Rules
I'm trying to be happier and healthier, so here are the new food rules:
1. No fast food. I will not eat food from anywhere that has a mascot, especially one that looks like he eats acid for breakfast.
2. At least 1 serving of veggies or one salad per day and butter and dressing are out. From now on, it's lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, hummus, or lowfat plain yogurt. Yum.
3. Water . . . lots of it. When 1 billion of the world's people are dying for clean water, what exactly am I doing eschewing it for diet coke?
4. Cheese is a treat, not a staple, and British and American cheeses are just a mess. So, goat's cheese and Parmesan for me, and sparingly.
5. Meat is a treat too, so two servings per week. And, if I'm going to eat meat so infrequently, I want good, gamey meat like goat and rabbit . . . with the occasional sausage. I just can't quite give up my cajun style sausage.
6. Fish, while infinitely better that meat, is also a treat. I'm cutting down on the tuna (too much mercury anyway) and looking more toward shellfish, shrimp, and squid (but not fried squid. Why would you want to take something that good for you and utterly decimate it?).
7. Saturday is the day of a sweet dessert. No one except for fat rich Americans thinks that dessert is something that you eat everyday after dinner.
8. The best snacks are fruits, veggies, and nuts, so I will eat those with the occasional guacamole (Yucatan is real; if the brand says guacamole "flavored," run, run away!) or lentil hummus dipped pita wedges to mix it up.
9. Ezekial Bread, homebaked bread, or pita. That other stuff is not bread. It's soylent green, folks.
1. No fast food. I will not eat food from anywhere that has a mascot, especially one that looks like he eats acid for breakfast.
2. At least 1 serving of veggies or one salad per day and butter and dressing are out. From now on, it's lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, hummus, or lowfat plain yogurt. Yum.
3. Water . . . lots of it. When 1 billion of the world's people are dying for clean water, what exactly am I doing eschewing it for diet coke?
4. Cheese is a treat, not a staple, and British and American cheeses are just a mess. So, goat's cheese and Parmesan for me, and sparingly.
5. Meat is a treat too, so two servings per week. And, if I'm going to eat meat so infrequently, I want good, gamey meat like goat and rabbit . . . with the occasional sausage. I just can't quite give up my cajun style sausage.
6. Fish, while infinitely better that meat, is also a treat. I'm cutting down on the tuna (too much mercury anyway) and looking more toward shellfish, shrimp, and squid (but not fried squid. Why would you want to take something that good for you and utterly decimate it?).
7. Saturday is the day of a sweet dessert. No one except for fat rich Americans thinks that dessert is something that you eat everyday after dinner.
8. The best snacks are fruits, veggies, and nuts, so I will eat those with the occasional guacamole (Yucatan is real; if the brand says guacamole "flavored," run, run away!) or lentil hummus dipped pita wedges to mix it up.
9. Ezekial Bread, homebaked bread, or pita. That other stuff is not bread. It's soylent green, folks.
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