Showing posts with label yummies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label yummies. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Simple baked eggplant recipe
Recipe for baked eggplant:
1 eggplant
Salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups tomato (pasta) sauce
4 oz mozzarella or other cheese
Cut off the ends of the eggplant and discard. Cut the remainder into rounds about 1/2 inch thick - yield about 8 slices. Coat with salt and leave to sit about 20 minutes, until a brown liquid leaches from the eggplant (I hear this removes bitterness). Rinse the salt off of the eggplant. Coat eggplant with olive oil on both sides and bake on a cookie sheet at 350 F for about 15 minutes, until it displays a soft, spongy texture when poked with a fork. Remove eggplant from the oven and top each slice with 1/4 cup tomato sauce and 1/2 oz grated cheese. Return to oven until cheese is melted. Serve with bread or pasta.
Serving size 2 slices, servings 4, about 210 calories per serving.
1 eggplant
Salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups tomato (pasta) sauce
4 oz mozzarella or other cheese
Cut off the ends of the eggplant and discard. Cut the remainder into rounds about 1/2 inch thick - yield about 8 slices. Coat with salt and leave to sit about 20 minutes, until a brown liquid leaches from the eggplant (I hear this removes bitterness). Rinse the salt off of the eggplant. Coat eggplant with olive oil on both sides and bake on a cookie sheet at 350 F for about 15 minutes, until it displays a soft, spongy texture when poked with a fork. Remove eggplant from the oven and top each slice with 1/4 cup tomato sauce and 1/2 oz grated cheese. Return to oven until cheese is melted. Serve with bread or pasta.
Serving size 2 slices, servings 4, about 210 calories per serving.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Solstice dinner observations and low calorie muffins
Last night my parents hosted Solstice dinner. I had allotted 1500 calories for dinner and I'd planned out my meals in the day and gone to Bikram in the morning such that even with the big dinner I'd have a small deficit for the day.
Solstice dinner is always a root vegetable soup, lots of bread and fancy cheese, and often a dessert that varies. I also made an appetizer that was on sample at the grocery store with chocolate and sea salt melted over oiled baguette. So I had a couple pieces of chocolate bread, then sat down to dinner. Starting off with a bowl of soup, and the various cheeses made their way around the table. I took a few pieces of bread and took small samples of each cheese that was available. There was a lot of cheese, but I didn't think I'd have trouble putting it away. I certainly had less on my plate than I've eaten in previous years. But this year, I was barely halfway through my cheese when I started to get full! I slowed down, sipped some wine to cut through the fat, and had another bowl of soup for nutrients and fiber. I managed to sample each cheese without becoming uninterested in food, but I was totally stuffed (a phrase I never truly understood the meaning of before now) by the end and only had a few bites of the funny raw-food "cheesecake" that was for dessert.
So that's the downside of losing weight and the dietary changes that come with it. You get used to eating small portions, and then when you get to an event where there's lots of good food you want to eat, your body has forgotten how to take it in stride. I used to have a similar problem with Thanksgiving anyway - after having a little of everything, I was too full for seconds of the things I really loved. Anyway, it's interesting to see the internal changes as well as the external changes to my body. I'll have to come up with strategies for satisfying my mouth and my eyes without taxing my stomach too much at events like these. Fortunately (or not?) there will be plenty of practice this week.
In other news, I tweaked the muffin recipe and achieved my goal of yummy, 150 calorie muffins! Now I have to do it all over again with teff flour so I can bring something gluten free to my mom, but here is the wheat recipe:
Low-calorie multigrain wholemeal muffins:
2 Tbsp white sugar
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp oil
2 eggs
1 cup applesauce
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup oatmeal, crushed
1/4 cup cornmeal (polenta)
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
300 calories' worth of add-ins, for instance:
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, and zest of 1 orange
- 1 diced banana, 1/4 cup chocolate chips, and 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup cubed butternut squash, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, and a few Tbsp grated ginger
Preheat oven to 375 F. Mix dry and wet ingredients separately, then add dry to wet. Fold in the add-ins. Divide into 12 muffin cups and bake for 15-25 minutes.
Notes:
* Calorie content will vary slightly depending on the add-ins and also things like the brand of flour you use. However, as written, this recipe should give 12 muffins at about 150 calories each.
* A high volume of add-ins will result in slightly bigger muffins, and high moisture add-ins will increase the cooking time. So your cranberry-walnut muffins will be smaller and cook more quickly than banana or squash muffins.
* Some possible substitutions: use skim or 2% milk instead of applesauce (approximately calorie equivalent), use another kind of vegetable or fruit puree in place of applesauce, use all-purpose flour instead of whole-wheat, use more oatmeal or less cornmeal to lower calories further (I would keep 1 cup of wheat flour), use all white/all brown/raw sugar, use honey or agave syrup instead of crystalline sugar while cutting down the applesauce/milk a little, vary spices.
Solstice dinner is always a root vegetable soup, lots of bread and fancy cheese, and often a dessert that varies. I also made an appetizer that was on sample at the grocery store with chocolate and sea salt melted over oiled baguette. So I had a couple pieces of chocolate bread, then sat down to dinner. Starting off with a bowl of soup, and the various cheeses made their way around the table. I took a few pieces of bread and took small samples of each cheese that was available. There was a lot of cheese, but I didn't think I'd have trouble putting it away. I certainly had less on my plate than I've eaten in previous years. But this year, I was barely halfway through my cheese when I started to get full! I slowed down, sipped some wine to cut through the fat, and had another bowl of soup for nutrients and fiber. I managed to sample each cheese without becoming uninterested in food, but I was totally stuffed (a phrase I never truly understood the meaning of before now) by the end and only had a few bites of the funny raw-food "cheesecake" that was for dessert.
So that's the downside of losing weight and the dietary changes that come with it. You get used to eating small portions, and then when you get to an event where there's lots of good food you want to eat, your body has forgotten how to take it in stride. I used to have a similar problem with Thanksgiving anyway - after having a little of everything, I was too full for seconds of the things I really loved. Anyway, it's interesting to see the internal changes as well as the external changes to my body. I'll have to come up with strategies for satisfying my mouth and my eyes without taxing my stomach too much at events like these. Fortunately (or not?) there will be plenty of practice this week.
In other news, I tweaked the muffin recipe and achieved my goal of yummy, 150 calorie muffins! Now I have to do it all over again with teff flour so I can bring something gluten free to my mom, but here is the wheat recipe:
Low-calorie multigrain wholemeal muffins:
2 Tbsp white sugar
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp oil
2 eggs
1 cup applesauce
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup oatmeal, crushed
1/4 cup cornmeal (polenta)
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
300 calories' worth of add-ins, for instance:
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, and zest of 1 orange
- 1 diced banana, 1/4 cup chocolate chips, and 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup cubed butternut squash, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, and a few Tbsp grated ginger
Preheat oven to 375 F. Mix dry and wet ingredients separately, then add dry to wet. Fold in the add-ins. Divide into 12 muffin cups and bake for 15-25 minutes.
Notes:
* Calorie content will vary slightly depending on the add-ins and also things like the brand of flour you use. However, as written, this recipe should give 12 muffins at about 150 calories each.
* A high volume of add-ins will result in slightly bigger muffins, and high moisture add-ins will increase the cooking time. So your cranberry-walnut muffins will be smaller and cook more quickly than banana or squash muffins.
* Some possible substitutions: use skim or 2% milk instead of applesauce (approximately calorie equivalent), use another kind of vegetable or fruit puree in place of applesauce, use all-purpose flour instead of whole-wheat, use more oatmeal or less cornmeal to lower calories further (I would keep 1 cup of wheat flour), use all white/all brown/raw sugar, use honey or agave syrup instead of crystalline sugar while cutting down the applesauce/milk a little, vary spices.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Cranberry-orange walnut muffins
So I made some delicious kinda-low-calorie muffins today, adapted from a few different recipes I found on the internet:
Dry:
1 1/4 c. whole-wheat flour
1/2 c. dry oatmeal
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
Wet:
1 egg
1/3 c. sugar
3/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp water
Mix dry and wet, then fold in:
1/3 c. dried cranberries
1/4 c. chopped walnuts
Zest of 1 orange
Drop into muffin cups and bake 12-20 minutes at 375 F. I was expecting to get 12 muffins from the recipe, but it only made 8, and at that rate these are 205 calories apiece. They are really good, but I'd like to get a muffin of similar size down to 150 calories. If I could do that, I'd probably bake a batch of muffins each weekend and have them as an alternative to toast or bagels at breakfast, and take them to school for afternoon snacks.
Dry:
1 1/4 c. whole-wheat flour
1/2 c. dry oatmeal
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
Wet:
1 egg
1/3 c. sugar
3/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp water
Mix dry and wet, then fold in:
1/3 c. dried cranberries
1/4 c. chopped walnuts
Zest of 1 orange
Drop into muffin cups and bake 12-20 minutes at 375 F. I was expecting to get 12 muffins from the recipe, but it only made 8, and at that rate these are 205 calories apiece. They are really good, but I'd like to get a muffin of similar size down to 150 calories. If I could do that, I'd probably bake a batch of muffins each weekend and have them as an alternative to toast or bagels at breakfast, and take them to school for afternoon snacks.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Good eats, weekly summary, and sshh don't get excited yet
I wouldn't have said anything if it hadn't been my official weigh-in day, but today I weigh 149.8 lbs and 31.7% fat.
Which means that yes, actually technically barely, I am normal weight. And I am also still 0.2 pounds above my meso goal. I kind of don't believe it, though. I like the .6 goals because they give a little more buffer against popping back up over the tens-place switch. So no more on this today.
Quick stats: Average kcals/day 1866, 4 cardio, 2 yoga, average estimated balance -425, -1.0 lb.
Now I've got to catch up on some things I didn't have time to finish a post about this week. Thursday morning, I ate this:
1 egg fried in 1/2 tsp olive oil on a slice of toast (70+20+90=180)
1 orange, cut into half-rounds (100)
8 oz skim milk (90)
8 oz black coffee
Delicious, no? Funny thing is, at 370 calories, it's on the upper end of what I usually eat for breakfast, but it looks like such a typical "dieter's breakfast." (Of course, it would be even more so if I had just the eggwhites and cooked it with some kind of fat free spray, but I like egg yolks and fat is filling). Anyway, I really enjoyed it. Then I went to the gym and burned *659* calories while listening to my Sansa. Thursday morning was pretty much awesome.
For dinner I made tofu and I diced and cooked a turnip my boyfriend had in the crisper. I've probably had turnip before, but only in a soup or something - I didn't really know what it was going to taste like, but I figured it might be a little like a parsnip, especially since I tend to mix up the two words. So I tasted it... it was kind of funny, so I put some butter and salt and pepper on it. It was pretty good that way, but it still had this funny, bitter-spicy note that started to catch up with my tastebuds toward the end of the portion. I think I don't particularly care for turnips, but maybe there's a better way to prepare them.
Friday night, I made acorn squash with butter and brown sugar, then put some leftover rice and crumbled pecans in the hollow. It was amazing. Sometimes acorn squash isn't so good, and I don't really know how to pick out a good one, but they're in season right now, so statistics should be on my side.
So, I like skim milk, coffee, and fruit with a meager protein/carb combo for breakfast, and I should definitely start making more squash. The boyfriend has been gone, but he's coming back today and we'll go shopping and get lots of fruits and vegetables. A few of my new dietary goals are to eat fruit with every breakfast, eat vegetables with every dinner, and to buy produce from the five pigment-antioxidant color groups: red/pink, yellow/orange, green, blue/purple/black, and white/brown.
Activity:
S: 0
S: Outdoor run (2.0 mi)
M: 1 hr yoga
T: Elliptical (15+10m,165+115) and rowing (7:15, 85c)
W: 1 hr yoga
T: Elliptical (42.5m, 527c) and rowing (10.5m, 132c)
F: Elliptical (40.5m, 500c)
Food:
Friday 11/12
Yogurt, granola, and raisin parfait and coffee (130+140+130=400)
Banana and skim milk (100+90=190)
Egg, cheese, and vegetable sandwich (140+40+110+30+180=500)
Babybel cheese (70)
Werther's candy (20)
Skim milk (90)
1/2 acorn squash with butter, brown sugar, black rice and almonds (85+100+45+70+100=400)
Butter and sugar (100+45=145)
Skim milk (90)
400+190+500+70+20+90+400+145+90=1905
Thursday 11/11
Egg on toast, glass of skim milk, an orange, and black coffee (90+90+90+100=370)
Apple with peanut butter (100+200=300)
Tuna garden salad and 1/2 cheese sandwich (20+35+150+90+110=405)
Seasoned popcorn (165)
Bottled Thai coffee (150)
Babybel cheese (70)
Tofu, turnip buttered with salt & pepper, and chard with vinegar (200+40+35+50+10+5=340)
370+300+405+165+150++70+340=1800
Wednesday 11/10
Toast and yogurt with honey (90+130+30=350)
Tangerine (40)
Coffee with skim and simple syrup (10+5=15)
Apple with peanut butter and milk (100+200+80+45=425)
Stonewall Jerquee (165)
Lentils, black rice, tomato sauce, and cheese (130+160+50+110=450)
Seasoned popcorn (50)
Babybel cheese and 1 potato chip (70+10=80)
350+40+15+425+165+450+50+80=1575
Tuesday 11/9
Egg and cheese on toast and a tangerine (90+90+110+40=330)
Almonds (200)
Dry cocoa mix and 100 calorie bar (75+100=175)
Chicken Caesar salad (550)
Pasta with sauce, tofu, and chard with balsamic vinegar (200+50+200+20+10+5=485)
330+200+175+550+485=1740
Monday 11/8
Granola and milk (140+160=300)
Apple (100)
TLC sandwich (430)
Cookies and fig newtons (225+140=365)
Lentils and black rice with cheese (130+160+165=455)
300+100+430+365+455=1650
Sunday 11/7
Chard & cheese scrambled eggs, toast, 1/2 grapefruit, and coffee with milk & sugar (140+100+10+90+30+45=415)
Tangerine (40)
Greek yogurt and honey (130+60=190)
Pinto beans and cheese (130+70=200)
Dinner with parents (1770)
3 glasses wine and 1 vodka elderflower drink (500)
3.5 slices baguette with cheese (280)
Cauliflower/cheese/egg/potato casserole, salad, and bread (600+75+100=775)
1 chocolate, apple spice cake and ice cream (65+75+75=215)
415+40+190+200+1770=2615
Saturday 11/6
1.3 bagels with flavored cream cheese (350+130=480)
Clif builder bar (270)
Vanilla Coke (250)
Nibbles while making dinner (100)
Pasta and asparagus with garlic cheese sauce (400+50+230=680)
480+270+250+100+680=1780
Which means that yes, actually technically barely, I am normal weight. And I am also still 0.2 pounds above my meso goal. I kind of don't believe it, though. I like the .6 goals because they give a little more buffer against popping back up over the tens-place switch. So no more on this today.
Quick stats: Average kcals/day 1866, 4 cardio, 2 yoga, average estimated balance -425, -1.0 lb.
Now I've got to catch up on some things I didn't have time to finish a post about this week. Thursday morning, I ate this:
1 egg fried in 1/2 tsp olive oil on a slice of toast (70+20+90=180)
1 orange, cut into half-rounds (100)
8 oz skim milk (90)
8 oz black coffee
Delicious, no? Funny thing is, at 370 calories, it's on the upper end of what I usually eat for breakfast, but it looks like such a typical "dieter's breakfast." (Of course, it would be even more so if I had just the eggwhites and cooked it with some kind of fat free spray, but I like egg yolks and fat is filling). Anyway, I really enjoyed it. Then I went to the gym and burned *659* calories while listening to my Sansa. Thursday morning was pretty much awesome.
For dinner I made tofu and I diced and cooked a turnip my boyfriend had in the crisper. I've probably had turnip before, but only in a soup or something - I didn't really know what it was going to taste like, but I figured it might be a little like a parsnip, especially since I tend to mix up the two words. So I tasted it... it was kind of funny, so I put some butter and salt and pepper on it. It was pretty good that way, but it still had this funny, bitter-spicy note that started to catch up with my tastebuds toward the end of the portion. I think I don't particularly care for turnips, but maybe there's a better way to prepare them.
Friday night, I made acorn squash with butter and brown sugar, then put some leftover rice and crumbled pecans in the hollow. It was amazing. Sometimes acorn squash isn't so good, and I don't really know how to pick out a good one, but they're in season right now, so statistics should be on my side.
So, I like skim milk, coffee, and fruit with a meager protein/carb combo for breakfast, and I should definitely start making more squash. The boyfriend has been gone, but he's coming back today and we'll go shopping and get lots of fruits and vegetables. A few of my new dietary goals are to eat fruit with every breakfast, eat vegetables with every dinner, and to buy produce from the five pigment-antioxidant color groups: red/pink, yellow/orange, green, blue/purple/black, and white/brown.
Activity:
S: 0
S: Outdoor run (2.0 mi)
M: 1 hr yoga
T: Elliptical (15+10m,165+115) and rowing (7:15, 85c)
W: 1 hr yoga
T: Elliptical (42.5m, 527c) and rowing (10.5m, 132c)
F: Elliptical (40.5m, 500c)
Food:
Friday 11/12
Yogurt, granola, and raisin parfait and coffee (130+140+130=400)
Banana and skim milk (100+90=190)
Egg, cheese, and vegetable sandwich (140+40+110+30+180=500)
Babybel cheese (70)
Werther's candy (20)
Skim milk (90)
1/2 acorn squash with butter, brown sugar, black rice and almonds (85+100+45+70+100=400)
Butter and sugar (100+45=145)
Skim milk (90)
400+190+500+70+20+90+400+145+90=1905
Thursday 11/11
Egg on toast, glass of skim milk, an orange, and black coffee (90+90+90+100=370)
Apple with peanut butter (100+200=300)
Tuna garden salad and 1/2 cheese sandwich (20+35+150+90+110=405)
Seasoned popcorn (165)
Bottled Thai coffee (150)
Babybel cheese (70)
Tofu, turnip buttered with salt & pepper, and chard with vinegar (200+40+35+50+10+5=340)
370+300+405+165+150++70+340=1800
Wednesday 11/10
Toast and yogurt with honey (90+130+30=350)
Tangerine (40)
Coffee with skim and simple syrup (10+5=15)
Apple with peanut butter and milk (100+200+80+45=425)
Stonewall Jerquee (165)
Lentils, black rice, tomato sauce, and cheese (130+160+50+110=450)
Seasoned popcorn (50)
Babybel cheese and 1 potato chip (70+10=80)
350+40+15+425+165+450+50+80=1575
Tuesday 11/9
Egg and cheese on toast and a tangerine (90+90+110+40=330)
Almonds (200)
Dry cocoa mix and 100 calorie bar (75+100=175)
Chicken Caesar salad (550)
Pasta with sauce, tofu, and chard with balsamic vinegar (200+50+200+20+10+5=485)
330+200+175+550+485=1740
Monday 11/8
Granola and milk (140+160=300)
Apple (100)
TLC sandwich (430)
Cookies and fig newtons (225+140=365)
Lentils and black rice with cheese (130+160+165=455)
300+100+430+365+455=1650
Sunday 11/7
Chard & cheese scrambled eggs, toast, 1/2 grapefruit, and coffee with milk & sugar (140+100+10+90+30+45=415)
Tangerine (40)
Greek yogurt and honey (130+60=190)
Pinto beans and cheese (130+70=200)
Dinner with parents (1770)
3 glasses wine and 1 vodka elderflower drink (500)
3.5 slices baguette with cheese (280)
Cauliflower/cheese/egg/potato casserole, salad, and bread (600+75+100=775)
1 chocolate, apple spice cake and ice cream (65+75+75=215)
415+40+190+200+1770=2615
Saturday 11/6
1.3 bagels with flavored cream cheese (350+130=480)
Clif builder bar (270)
Vanilla Coke (250)
Nibbles while making dinner (100)
Pasta and asparagus with garlic cheese sauce (400+50+230=680)
480+270+250+100+680=1780
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Froot n veg
Watch me eat 4 servings of fruits and vegetables in one meal:
Steam, adding in order:
1 oz baby carrots, chopped (or regular carrots, I just had leftovers from a group snack)
About 1 small potato, chopped
About 2 leaves Italian kale, cut into strips
In the boiling water cook:
1 egg, then cool in freezer and chop
Toss together and add a dash of salt.
In a separate container toss:
1 apple, chopped into small pieces
Heaping 1/2-cup grapes
Close containers, store in fridge overnight, toss in backpack in the morning, and microwave the veggie mixture at lunchtime. Voila: 4/5 for the day taken care of.
Steam, adding in order:
1 oz baby carrots, chopped (or regular carrots, I just had leftovers from a group snack)
About 1 small potato, chopped
About 2 leaves Italian kale, cut into strips
In the boiling water cook:
1 egg, then cool in freezer and chop
Toss together and add a dash of salt.
In a separate container toss:
1 apple, chopped into small pieces
Heaping 1/2-cup grapes
Close containers, store in fridge overnight, toss in backpack in the morning, and microwave the veggie mixture at lunchtime. Voila: 4/5 for the day taken care of.
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