Baked Fish with Baked Potatoes
Potato Leek Soup
Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Green Rice (A rice salad of spinach, green onions, green peppers, cilantro, and guacamole.)
Fried Potatoes with sauteed vegetables topped with plain, non-fat greek yogurt.
Mozzarella Nachos (Made with fried tortilla chunks in substitute for over-salted tortilla chips, topped with plain, non-fat, greek yogurt instead of sour cream, with fresh cut tomatoes, jalapenos, red onion, cilantro instead of fatty ground beef.)
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Back in the Kitchen
I have not made many posts on this blog lately because up until recently, my old friend food and I were estranged from each other. Sanity has returned, however, and I am back in the kitchen cooking and eating without shame. So, I guess I will start this post off with easy ways to incorporate more nutritional value into each meal.
Let us start with an everyday menu: Breakfast is honey nut cherrios, lunch is a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich and dinner is chicken and mashed potatoes.
WHY YOU SHOULD NOT GUILT YOURSELF IF YOU EAT LIKE THIS:
As we all know, oats help lower cholesterol. Chicken is a fairly lean source of proetein and potatoes are a good source of potassium, which is neccessarly for a healthy heart. Even if this menu has more daily carbs than Dr. "Hack"tins, oh excuse me, Acktins, would approve of, your brain is a glucose hog.
A FEW SIMPLE CHANGES:
Substitute making your own oatmeal for the honey nut cheerios. Food that you make yourself is so much better for you. Not only does it lack the "natural" and atrificial flavors but it has more nutritional value the less processed the food. Also, one small bowl of oatmeal is so much more filling than one bowl of processed cereal. Also, the mere fact that it is hot when you eat it cues your body into knowing that it is getting its fill. Cold cereal has a way of feeling light, even when you ate a big bowl of it. You don't really need another bowl, but you feel like you should. Eating something hot at breakfast aids proper portion contol. Now all you need is a few berries in your oats as a substitute for brown sugar and it is sweet enough.
For lunch, substitute a jelly for actual fruit preserves that are high in fiber, or actual fruit. You may have heard of Elvis' fried peanut butter and banana sandwhich (Which is decadent as a dessert!) Try substituting bananas for jam, just don't fry it. Or another one I love is a celery and peanut butter sandwhich, or an apple and peanut butter sandwhich. If you are trying to limit your carb intake, try "open-faced" sandwhich. Oh yes, and you all probably know this, but whole wheat bread is much more nutritious than the white bread.
For dinner, I like to have at least two green vegetable sources available. That way I do not fill up on the starch. So fill up on the spinach and broccoli first, then you won't eat more chicken and potatoes than you really need.
Now I will try the same tactics with a Sunday menu.
Breakfast: Fried Eggs, Bacon or sausage, orange juice.
Lunch: Ham and Cheese Sandwhich
Dinner: Hamburgers and french fries and ice cream.
WHY YOU SHOULD NOT GUILT YOURSELF IF YOU EAT LIKE THIS: It is once a week not every day. Give yourself a break.
A FEW ALTERNATIVES:
For Breakfast, cut the sausage and bacon out, altogether. Or every once in a while, have the bacon, but instead of distributing four pieces for each plate, try frying up ONLY four pieces and then snipping them into little bits and sprinkling them on the whole omelette to serve all. I have tried using turkey bacon and did not like it. But Chicken "sausage" is good. Again, it helps to cook just a few and sprinkle it in. It cuts calories, but you still get some flavor. I never salt my eggs. Instead I sautee mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and peppers in a little olive oil, then I scramble eggs in them. It is flavorful enough as is and does not need any added sodium. Olive oil eggs taste different than butter eggs. Okay, butter makes them taste better, but olive oil is better for you. Also, sauteeing plenty of vegetables first, with the scrambled eggs makes you use less, so more reduced fat and more veggies, win-win. Instead of drinking orange juice try eating a quarter of an orange, or a half a banana or a few fresh berries. It is more nutritious.
For lunch, instead of a sandwhich have a green salad, but not with processed dressing. I dress mine with olive oil or lemon juice. Or if you need a sandwhich, try this veggie wrap. Start with a spinach "wrap" or tortilla, spread some hummus on it. Fill it with fresh spinach, peppers, onions, tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers, carrots or anything you want. Eat until you are full. Just put the good stuff in it.
For an alternate to beef hamburgers, try turkey burgers. They cook nicely in water, so you don't need oil of added fat. The mayonaise on the bun will be enough. If you are trying to limit your carb intake, forego the bun and just eat it with tons of your favorite vegetables. Instead of french fries, bake the potatoes instead and season them with spices and herbs, not salt.
Wow. All this talk about food is making me hungry. A few weeks ago I would have ignored it and waited another twenty hours before eating. Now I am going to the fridge to get me some spinach. See ya'all!
Let us start with an everyday menu: Breakfast is honey nut cherrios, lunch is a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich and dinner is chicken and mashed potatoes.
WHY YOU SHOULD NOT GUILT YOURSELF IF YOU EAT LIKE THIS:
As we all know, oats help lower cholesterol. Chicken is a fairly lean source of proetein and potatoes are a good source of potassium, which is neccessarly for a healthy heart. Even if this menu has more daily carbs than Dr. "Hack"tins, oh excuse me, Acktins, would approve of, your brain is a glucose hog.
A FEW SIMPLE CHANGES:
Substitute making your own oatmeal for the honey nut cheerios. Food that you make yourself is so much better for you. Not only does it lack the "natural" and atrificial flavors but it has more nutritional value the less processed the food. Also, one small bowl of oatmeal is so much more filling than one bowl of processed cereal. Also, the mere fact that it is hot when you eat it cues your body into knowing that it is getting its fill. Cold cereal has a way of feeling light, even when you ate a big bowl of it. You don't really need another bowl, but you feel like you should. Eating something hot at breakfast aids proper portion contol. Now all you need is a few berries in your oats as a substitute for brown sugar and it is sweet enough.
For lunch, substitute a jelly for actual fruit preserves that are high in fiber, or actual fruit. You may have heard of Elvis' fried peanut butter and banana sandwhich (Which is decadent as a dessert!) Try substituting bananas for jam, just don't fry it. Or another one I love is a celery and peanut butter sandwhich, or an apple and peanut butter sandwhich. If you are trying to limit your carb intake, try "open-faced" sandwhich. Oh yes, and you all probably know this, but whole wheat bread is much more nutritious than the white bread.
For dinner, I like to have at least two green vegetable sources available. That way I do not fill up on the starch. So fill up on the spinach and broccoli first, then you won't eat more chicken and potatoes than you really need.
Now I will try the same tactics with a Sunday menu.
Breakfast: Fried Eggs, Bacon or sausage, orange juice.
Lunch: Ham and Cheese Sandwhich
Dinner: Hamburgers and french fries and ice cream.
WHY YOU SHOULD NOT GUILT YOURSELF IF YOU EAT LIKE THIS: It is once a week not every day. Give yourself a break.
A FEW ALTERNATIVES:
For Breakfast, cut the sausage and bacon out, altogether. Or every once in a while, have the bacon, but instead of distributing four pieces for each plate, try frying up ONLY four pieces and then snipping them into little bits and sprinkling them on the whole omelette to serve all. I have tried using turkey bacon and did not like it. But Chicken "sausage" is good. Again, it helps to cook just a few and sprinkle it in. It cuts calories, but you still get some flavor. I never salt my eggs. Instead I sautee mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and peppers in a little olive oil, then I scramble eggs in them. It is flavorful enough as is and does not need any added sodium. Olive oil eggs taste different than butter eggs. Okay, butter makes them taste better, but olive oil is better for you. Also, sauteeing plenty of vegetables first, with the scrambled eggs makes you use less, so more reduced fat and more veggies, win-win. Instead of drinking orange juice try eating a quarter of an orange, or a half a banana or a few fresh berries. It is more nutritious.
For lunch, instead of a sandwhich have a green salad, but not with processed dressing. I dress mine with olive oil or lemon juice. Or if you need a sandwhich, try this veggie wrap. Start with a spinach "wrap" or tortilla, spread some hummus on it. Fill it with fresh spinach, peppers, onions, tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers, carrots or anything you want. Eat until you are full. Just put the good stuff in it.
For an alternate to beef hamburgers, try turkey burgers. They cook nicely in water, so you don't need oil of added fat. The mayonaise on the bun will be enough. If you are trying to limit your carb intake, forego the bun and just eat it with tons of your favorite vegetables. Instead of french fries, bake the potatoes instead and season them with spices and herbs, not salt.
Wow. All this talk about food is making me hungry. A few weeks ago I would have ignored it and waited another twenty hours before eating. Now I am going to the fridge to get me some spinach. See ya'all!
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