A quick post to let you know about a giveaway at The World According to Eggface. If you don't follow her already, you should! Lots of great recipes and tips to keep you on the right path.
Go here to enter her Bariatric Basics giveaway!
Good luck!
~K
Monday, September 3, 2012
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Pantry Staples
Here are the things I keep stockpiled in my pantry to keep me healthy and help me make smart food decisions. I make most of my meals myself, so keeping my pantry stocked makes my life a lot easier.
The cast of characters:
Yummy "extras"--which is why they are in the back:
-Local Cranberries from the Oregon coast (one my daughter's favs. I also love to throw them into oatmeal or homemade coleslaw)
-Organic Sunflower Seeds (great for salad toppers and in granola)
-Organic Flax Seeds--going to use these for banana flax crackers
Some of my staples:
-Brown Rice (from Trader Joe's)--I don't eat much of this myself, but use it for my family
-Oat Flour (Bob's Red Mill)--great for making Jamie Eason's protein bars
-Sesame Seeds (found in the Mexican section of a grocery supply store for $2, so I stocked up!)
-Coconut (Bob's Red Mill--unsweetened)
More healthy carbs:
-Multigrain Pancake Mix (Trader Joe's)--used this today for my daughters' pancakes and when I make Eggy's Cottage Cheese Pancakes
-Almond Meal (Bob's Red Mill)--I use this for muffin and donut recipes from Eggface
-Steel Cut Oats (Bob's Red Mill)--I also have "regular" Oatmeal in a jumbo container in the bottom of my pantry (which looks like a disaster, so there are no pics!)
Proteins and sauces:
-Local Albacore (in the silver pouch)--Garlic Pesto flavor--YUM!
-Fresh canned tuna (from my father-in-law)
-Peach jam (canned myself with sweetener vs. sugar)
-Roasted Tahini (for homemade hummus and a dressing I make for barbecued kale)
-Tune Ventresca (haven't tried it yet, but I bought it before my FIL had given me some "real" canned stuff)
-Peanut Butter (also underneath, fresh pressed almond butter)
-In the back: local honey, hot sauces, jumbo jar of pickles, SF pancake syrup, chili paste
Canned goods:
-Cannelinni Beans: great in Tuscan Kale soup (I'll post a recipe one day) or tossed with olive oil and Italian seasoning for a simple bean salad
-Garbanzo Beans: hummus, roasted, in soups, also good in simple bean salad
-Green Beans: had these forever--got them on sale
-Empty Space: reserved for tomatoes, other kinds of beans and canned pumpkin (LOVE!)
-Random row: water chestnuts (working on a new recipe), canned chicken from Costco (toss with Frank's wing sauce and Greek yogurt-or mayo-for an easy chicken salad, diced chiles and enchilada sauce (just in case, I guess? haha)
In the door:
-Baby food: for baking, not actual babies
-SF Jell-O products: jello and pudding
-Pickled ginger: for my next craving (not usually something I buy, but it was on sale at the health food store)
In case you were wondering, all of my containers are from the Dollar Tree. Feel free to use what works best for you!
~K
The cast of characters:
Yummy "extras"--which is why they are in the back:
-Local Cranberries from the Oregon coast (one my daughter's favs. I also love to throw them into oatmeal or homemade coleslaw)
-Organic Sunflower Seeds (great for salad toppers and in granola)
-Organic Flax Seeds--going to use these for banana flax crackers
Some of my staples:
-Brown Rice (from Trader Joe's)--I don't eat much of this myself, but use it for my family
-Oat Flour (Bob's Red Mill)--great for making Jamie Eason's protein bars
-Sesame Seeds (found in the Mexican section of a grocery supply store for $2, so I stocked up!)
-Coconut (Bob's Red Mill--unsweetened)
More healthy carbs:
-Multigrain Pancake Mix (Trader Joe's)--used this today for my daughters' pancakes and when I make Eggy's Cottage Cheese Pancakes
-Almond Meal (Bob's Red Mill)--I use this for muffin and donut recipes from Eggface
-Steel Cut Oats (Bob's Red Mill)--I also have "regular" Oatmeal in a jumbo container in the bottom of my pantry (which looks like a disaster, so there are no pics!)
Proteins and sauces:
-Local Albacore (in the silver pouch)--Garlic Pesto flavor--YUM!
-Fresh canned tuna (from my father-in-law)
-Peach jam (canned myself with sweetener vs. sugar)
-Roasted Tahini (for homemade hummus and a dressing I make for barbecued kale)
-Tune Ventresca (haven't tried it yet, but I bought it before my FIL had given me some "real" canned stuff)
-Peanut Butter (also underneath, fresh pressed almond butter)
-In the back: local honey, hot sauces, jumbo jar of pickles, SF pancake syrup, chili paste
Canned goods:
-Cannelinni Beans: great in Tuscan Kale soup (I'll post a recipe one day) or tossed with olive oil and Italian seasoning for a simple bean salad
-Garbanzo Beans: hummus, roasted, in soups, also good in simple bean salad
-Green Beans: had these forever--got them on sale
-Empty Space: reserved for tomatoes, other kinds of beans and canned pumpkin (LOVE!)
-Random row: water chestnuts (working on a new recipe), canned chicken from Costco (toss with Frank's wing sauce and Greek yogurt-or mayo-for an easy chicken salad, diced chiles and enchilada sauce (just in case, I guess? haha)
In the door:
-Baby food: for baking, not actual babies
-SF Jell-O products: jello and pudding
-Pickled ginger: for my next craving (not usually something I buy, but it was on sale at the health food store)
In case you were wondering, all of my containers are from the Dollar Tree. Feel free to use what works best for you!
~K
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Healthy Links-January 22nd
So I'm seeing this trend on Pinterest that seriously cracks me up. I see people posting all kinds of "thinspo" pics, motivational quotes, workout ideas...followed quickly by pics of seriously unhealthy food. So, as the {healthy} mama bear, I wanted to share some healthy and tasty goodness that will allow you to cook, bake and enjoy treats without feeling burdened by white flour and sugar.
On Sundays, I usually do a great big food prep day. I have been craving pumpkin and had the big 29/30oz size of canned pumpkin, so here's how I put it to work, without letting any of the deliciousness go to waste:
Used up half of the can making Jamie Eason's Pumpkin Protein Bars. [For the record, her Chocolate Protein Bars are pretty darn delicious, too. Luckily for me, I was able to find all of her ingredients at Fred Meyer, so not a hard switch to make at all.] Seriously moist and not overly sweet. I love having these for breakfast or as a snack to fuel me up before a workout without weighing me down. They are also really good when you are craving something "cakey" without blowing it.
Her recipe uses Oat Flour, which is simply whole oats pulsed into flour. My favorite is Bob's Red Mill. 1/3 cup has 4 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein. I love their entire line of products. I buy their multigrain pancake mix, unsweetened coconut, grits/polenta and almond meal. These are all healthy additions to your pantry and proof that not all carbs are bad for you.
To use up another 1/2 c of the pumpkin, I made a double batch of Eggy's Pumpkin Protein Pancakes. I love making double or triple batches of pancakes and freezing them for later. It makes a quick and nutritious breakfast (and perhaps a nice little smackeral of delciousness during snack time). For Eggy's recipe, I have used the Torani (always sugar free) Pumpkin Pie Syrup, Carmel, Vanilla and Brown Sugar Cinnamon and had good luck each time. When all else fails, SF Vanilla will work for darn near anything. They have a few basics at Fred Meyer, but I have had my best luck at Cash and Carry or Food 4 Less.
I used what little pumpkin I had left and mixed it in with some leftover ricotta cheese and pumpkin pie spice. It makes a heavenly spread for the pancakes or as a "frosting" for Jamie's pumpkin bars. I love when I can use up stuff without wasting anything. My granny would be proud!
For my gym routine, I have been following Nia Shank's Fat Loss Detour. She is a big advocate for girls lifting weights and simple nutrition. Her Egg Scramble is so easy to whip up in a big batch and is seriously filling. I call it my lumberjack meal. There's something absolutely heavenly about the unexpected taste of sweet potato mixed in with all of the savory goodness. I microwaved my sweet potatoes, let them cool enough to peel them and tossed them in at the end. I made a huge pan of the "guts" and then portioned out 3 bowls to top with eggs later and saved a huge bowl for later. A few weeks ago, we had some leftover pulled pork from a Costco trip and I made the Egg Scramble with that in lieu of sausage. So good and a great use of leftovers.
For dinner, I grilled polenta and topped it with some of the scramble guts. Super filling and so easy to throw together...especially since I already had the griddle out for my pancakes. :)
And just to prove that not everything you see on Pinterest is bad, I stumbled up this kick ass recipe. It looks exactly like a Carb Coma Cinnamon Roll, but was actually a recipe for Cinnamon Roll Baked Oatmeal. It seriously looks so darn delicious. Go ahead and look at the pictures...I will wait. It looks *that* good. I am going to make mine with Bob's Red Mill and have myself a big ol' delicious treat full of healthy goodness.
So there you have it, 5 awesome links for healthy foods that you can enjoy without feeling like you need to: nap, barf, take a guilt trip or spend 2 hours at the gym over. I hope you enjoy them. If you have any good links you'd like to share, I'm always up for finding new and healthy things to try.
~K
On Sundays, I usually do a great big food prep day. I have been craving pumpkin and had the big 29/30oz size of canned pumpkin, so here's how I put it to work, without letting any of the deliciousness go to waste:
Used up half of the can making Jamie Eason's Pumpkin Protein Bars. [For the record, her Chocolate Protein Bars are pretty darn delicious, too. Luckily for me, I was able to find all of her ingredients at Fred Meyer, so not a hard switch to make at all.] Seriously moist and not overly sweet. I love having these for breakfast or as a snack to fuel me up before a workout without weighing me down. They are also really good when you are craving something "cakey" without blowing it.
Her recipe uses Oat Flour, which is simply whole oats pulsed into flour. My favorite is Bob's Red Mill. 1/3 cup has 4 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein. I love their entire line of products. I buy their multigrain pancake mix, unsweetened coconut, grits/polenta and almond meal. These are all healthy additions to your pantry and proof that not all carbs are bad for you.
To use up another 1/2 c of the pumpkin, I made a double batch of Eggy's Pumpkin Protein Pancakes. I love making double or triple batches of pancakes and freezing them for later. It makes a quick and nutritious breakfast (and perhaps a nice little smackeral of delciousness during snack time). For Eggy's recipe, I have used the Torani (always sugar free) Pumpkin Pie Syrup, Carmel, Vanilla and Brown Sugar Cinnamon and had good luck each time. When all else fails, SF Vanilla will work for darn near anything. They have a few basics at Fred Meyer, but I have had my best luck at Cash and Carry or Food 4 Less.
I used what little pumpkin I had left and mixed it in with some leftover ricotta cheese and pumpkin pie spice. It makes a heavenly spread for the pancakes or as a "frosting" for Jamie's pumpkin bars. I love when I can use up stuff without wasting anything. My granny would be proud!
For my gym routine, I have been following Nia Shank's Fat Loss Detour. She is a big advocate for girls lifting weights and simple nutrition. Her Egg Scramble is so easy to whip up in a big batch and is seriously filling. I call it my lumberjack meal. There's something absolutely heavenly about the unexpected taste of sweet potato mixed in with all of the savory goodness. I microwaved my sweet potatoes, let them cool enough to peel them and tossed them in at the end. I made a huge pan of the "guts" and then portioned out 3 bowls to top with eggs later and saved a huge bowl for later. A few weeks ago, we had some leftover pulled pork from a Costco trip and I made the Egg Scramble with that in lieu of sausage. So good and a great use of leftovers.
For dinner, I grilled polenta and topped it with some of the scramble guts. Super filling and so easy to throw together...especially since I already had the griddle out for my pancakes. :)
And just to prove that not everything you see on Pinterest is bad, I stumbled up this kick ass recipe. It looks exactly like a Carb Coma Cinnamon Roll, but was actually a recipe for Cinnamon Roll Baked Oatmeal. It seriously looks so darn delicious. Go ahead and look at the pictures...I will wait. It looks *that* good. I am going to make mine with Bob's Red Mill and have myself a big ol' delicious treat full of healthy goodness.
So there you have it, 5 awesome links for healthy foods that you can enjoy without feeling like you need to: nap, barf, take a guilt trip or spend 2 hours at the gym over. I hope you enjoy them. If you have any good links you'd like to share, I'm always up for finding new and healthy things to try.
~K
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Recipe share and giveway @ Eggy's
I'll keep it short and sweet.
Amazon.com has some awesome specials on Kindle books. I snagged The Spark (the sparkpeople.com book) and also the Biggest Loser 30 day Jump Start.
One of the recipes in the BL book that caught my eye is this one for Pesto Pizzettas
I also wanted to give you a quick heads up on a sweet protein-riffic giveaway from my friend Shell @ Eggface. My favorite protein powder and an awesome blender bottle. Sign up for your chance to win--if you hate protein powder, you can always give it to me. I love it for protein shakes, jazzing up SF pudding mixes and baking yummy guilt-free options.
Our family will be heading close, so we are meeting them. Can't wait to see them and our pretty goddaughter. Have a great weekend you guys!
~K
Amazon.com has some awesome specials on Kindle books. I snagged The Spark (the sparkpeople.com book) and also the Biggest Loser 30 day Jump Start.
One of the recipes in the BL book that caught my eye is this one for Pesto Pizzettas
I also wanted to give you a quick heads up on a sweet protein-riffic giveaway from my friend Shell @ Eggface. My favorite protein powder and an awesome blender bottle. Sign up for your chance to win--if you hate protein powder, you can always give it to me. I love it for protein shakes, jazzing up SF pudding mixes and baking yummy guilt-free options.
Our family will be heading close, so we are meeting them. Can't wait to see them and our pretty goddaughter. Have a great weekend you guys!
~K
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Heads up: Giveaway @ Eggy's
My favorite blog gal Shelley is doing a sweet giveaway on her blog click here. To celebrate the many milestones in her life around the month of June, she is doing 5 awesome giveaways. This time, it's one of my favorites: Sugar Free Torani syrups. If you follow Shell's blog for any length of time, you will quickly amass all kinds of things to make post-op life easier and more delicious. Torani is one of those things for me. I have a whole lazy susan full of SF Toranis. I use them to jazz up protein shakes, SF pudding, lattes (especially iced!), and of course for the tons of recipes on Eggy's blog. Another easy fav: fresh strawberries with a splash of SF Torani to give it a sugary Strawberry shortcake topping kind of vibe without the guilt.
Go check her out, follow her, leave her some love & learn something while you're there. She has been hands-down my best post-op resource and I say a little blessing of gratitude every day for all that she does/shares/creates.
Thank you Shelley!! :)
~K
Go check her out, follow her, leave her some love & learn something while you're there. She has been hands-down my best post-op resource and I say a little blessing of gratitude every day for all that she does/shares/creates.
Thank you Shelley!! :)
~K
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Super Yummy Spring Rolls
1/2 cup shredded daikon
1/2 cup shredded carrot
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 T rice vinegar
1 small fresh jalapeno, finely chopped
1/2 t sesame oil
1/2 cup cucumber, cut into thin strips
2 T fresh cilantro
1 T soy sauce
Rice papers
1 1/2 cups boston or curly leaf lettuce
They have you make 2 separate marinades and chill your ingredients for 2-24 hours...too much work, so, this is how I roll:
On my big cooking day, I shred the daikon and carrots. I don't measure it. I use a "chunk" of daikon and about 3 carrots. I don't freak out if I have more carrots or more daikon and you shouldn't either. :) I chop up my cucumbers, but don't worry about thin strips. I also use 3 (or more!) jalapenos diced finely and some fresh grated ginger. All of this goes into plastic ware (one with a good lid!). I shake on some soy sauce (or Tamari) + some rice vinegar + some fish sauce and put the lid on and just shake it. This mixture goes into the fridge until Spring Roll day rolls around. If I happen to be rooting around in the fridge for something and I see it in there, I give it a shake for good measure, but this is not required. :) I also chop up A TON of cilantro and put it in a separate container. (and since I'm already chopping, I chop extra for Shrimpo de gallo)...seriously, you will want to do it my way and include extra cilantro. I <3 Cilantro! And for the record, I use Spring Mix vs curly leaf lettuce.
*In case you couldn't already tell, I'm not an "exact measurements" kind of gal. Please do not hold this against me and please feel free to follow their recipe exactly. I'm just kind of "a little bit of this, a little bit of that" kind of cook.*
The other variation that I do is I add protein to mine, always in the form of leftovers. When I'm grilling up my goodies on a sunny day, I'll throw extra on there in case the mood for spring rolls strikes. If it doesn't strike, I make bites or omelets or soup or salad or whatever else sounds good that day.
Leftover Grilled Chicken tenders--pork, shrimp, fish or tender cuts of beef would also work...I'm thinking rotisserie chicken would work great, too.
Throw them in the Ninja to chop the meat up (or use a knife!)
The carrot-daikon-jalapeno-ginger-cucumber mixture (squeeze extra liquid off and mix it in with the chopped meat)
Lots and lots of fresh cilantro...smells so fresh and yummy. Keep this in a separate container for now.
These are the rice papers or "Spring Roll Skin". I get mine at Cash-n-Carry, which also stocks loads of SF Torani syrups and sushi supplies for a steal. :)
Now, here is the part where people freak out a little. "ACK--spring roll wrappers, they are so hard to use. I can't get mine to stay. They fold up in a big clump." Don't worry, I'll help you with that too. Start off by finding a long stretch of space and lay down 1 clean dishtowel for every 4 spring rolls you want to make (I made 8, so I put out 2 towels) and get yourself a large bowl of warm water.
Submerge your spring roll paper in the warm water...do it! It will be okay, I promise. They will be nearly invisible when they are wet.
Take the wrapper out of the warm water and lay it flat on the clean towel. It will stick slightly to the towel, which helps you fold in all of your yummy ingredients. I am an assembly line kind of girl, so I do all of my wrappers first, then move on to my "guts".
Put on a scoop of the meat & veggie mixture. My rule of thumb:, fill them with what your pouch will hold...unless you don't have a pouch, then use about a cup of "guts". You can use more or less guts depending on how big or little you want your rolls to be. I try to position my guts more towards one edge of the wrapper, so I have more room to tuck my guts in tight...do what feels good to you. (FYI, the original recipe has you put in only 1T of guts...whatever!)
Sprinkle some fresh cilantro down the length of the guts. Feel free to use this abundantly. It gives them a fresh flavor. I always put in extra...seriously, how can they expect 2 measly spoons of cilantro to make it last through a whole batch of spring rolls?!
If you are not into salad, skip this next step. I always have to make 2 for my husband without the spring mix, because he is a wuss about salad. :)
Sprinkle on some spring mix. Seriously, put in what looks right. No need to measure, but if you are crazy about measurements, the original recipe has you put in 1/4 cup of lettuce. I personally think they are nuts and try to pack in the protein first and the salad later.
Assembly time!
More Ninja-ing. I tuck and roll and get my guts in tight as I roll these bad boys.
All done. To cut them in half, use a serrated knife, since the skins are so delicate.
Make extra for hungry co-workers...in my case I am swapping a Spring Roll for a breakfast burrito. YUM!
Now, here's the best part...dig in & enjoy! :)
I eat mine with homemade peanut sauce. Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum.
Enjoy!
~KMonday, May 16, 2011
Vegas recap + cooking for the week
So, Vegas was fabulous. Aside from not getting to see my Eggy I had a completely excellent time. Lounging by the pool, manufacturing vitamin D, napping and sightseeing. I'm ready to go back already! Mom and I caught Love at the Mirage, which was really great. My uncle and I were able to keep the concert a complete secret until we were in the door! Caesar's didn't have any signage out on the strip or really anywhere in the Colesseum until right outside the front door. We both acted surprised and told her when the line thinned out we would go take a picture with the poster. We snapped her picture and then took her inside. She was so surprised and giddy and appreciative. It was really a fun surprise and fun to watch it all unfold. Stevie was awesome and her band could really rock. Nothing beats hearing the guitar riff for Rhiannon in person. Kinda makes me want to learn how to play the guitar...seriously!
We left Vegas and it was sunny and in the 90s. Returning home, uh not so much--cold, windy and rainy. Boo to that! I think the combo of no sleep, casino smoke, weather changes and traveling took its toll on me as I woke up completely miserable. Luckily, I had an extra day to recuperate and used it to do what I normally do on Sundays: groceries and cooking for the week. Grocery shopping was productive as I had coupons for half off of medicine (convenient, eh?) and lots of my favs were on sale like cucumbers, peppers, and Bob's Red Mill products. I am completely in love with Bob's Red Mill and @ 40% off, I used the opportunity to stock up my pantry. If you are a fan of Eggface (I love her!) and use her recipes, the Bob's Red Mill products work beautifully. I love his Multigrain pancake mix, almond flour and unsweetened coconut for her recipes. I have also fallen in love with his steel cut oats and grits/polenta. Seriously good stuff and the right kind of carbs.
I had 2 bananas and all of my lovely Bob's goodies, so I made a quadruple batch of Eggy's delicious banana mini muffins . In one pan, I added walnuts and in the other I sprinkled in chocolate chips (don't worry--2 chips/muffin is all). My kids (neighbor kids included!) absolutely go bananas (hahaha) for these things. The folks at work will be happy to see me tomorrow, too. I love sharing my goodies and I love when people love them. I also love that I am feeding them healthy, nutritious food and they have no clue it's pouch friendly as well.
Other items of the day: grilled chicken tenders, veggies (squash, zucchini, onions) and salmon for the grill. Can I just say Uber YUM?! . The leftover grilled chicken will be revamped into Spring Rolls later in the week. I'll do a post on that and include the recipe for you guys. These are one of my new favorites! While I was doing all of that chopping, I also made my standby shrimpo de gallo (just waiting for the avocados to ripen) and chopped extra onions for a batch of cottage cheese pancakes later in the week as well. I also used up some milk (to make room for the plastic ware full of goodness) and made SF Chocolate pudding w choc protein powder in it. So, I cooked just once and am loaded up with goodies for the week.
Meal planning keeps me on track nutritionally and cooking a big haul once a week keeps me on track sanity wise. It took me awhile to get my system down, but here's what works for me:
1. Stock up on containers--I got lucky and scored a TON of plastic ware at my local Dollar Tree. You can also save containers like from cottage cheese (which hold 2 cups by the way) or those take and toss kind. If you are early op, get thee to the Dollar Tree and stock up on those baby containers with lids and measure out the stage you are in i.e. 1/4 c or 1/2 c. Hit yard sales or hostess a Tupperware party. Buy the size that you will use. For me, I have a variety of sizes/shapes/depths. Get what works for you. It may be baggies, glass bowls, or cottage cheese containers...just make sure you have enough to store the amount of food you want to cook and that it will do what you need it to do i.e. use glass for red sauce so it doesn't stain or take and toss if it's extra stinky or you don't want to ever think about cleaning it. :)
2. The freezer is your friend--I love my recipes, but I am not a huge fan of eating the same thing day in and day out. I have learned that for me, I can cook a big batch and ration it out this way: enough for dinner that night + lunches the next day. The rest gets frozen into usable sizes i.e. enough for dinner or enough to grab and go for lunch. For example, if I make soup, I freeze containers with 1 cup if it's for lunch for me or 4 cups if I want to make it into an easy meal. Same goes with those muffins. No one needs 48 muffins in one week. I put a batch in my freezer for a quick snack later.
3. Waste not, want not--most of the time, my cooking gets inspired by what is on sale or what I have on hand that needs to get used ASAP. I hate wasting food/money, so I try to stretch every single thing I can and make the most of it. Small amounts of meat or veggies get chopped up and made into omelets or bites. If I can score an awesome deal on something, that comes into play. If a neighbor gives me some of their tomatoes, I will most definitely add that to the menu. This week, cucumbers were on sale 3 for $1. For $1 in produce, I was able to make: cucumber salad (cukes + balsamic + feta), sunomono, chopped cukes for the Spring rolls, and sliced cukes to have with hummus. They are also great with sour cream/greek yogurt & dry ranch mix or dill. Yum! Channel Tim Gunn and "Make it work".
4. Find your staples--There are certain things that I use a lot in my cooking: Bob's Red Mill products obviously, eggs, lean proteins, beans, cheese, pesto, cottage cheese, peanut butter, fresh produce and hot sauce. A lot of my favorite dishes use some combination of these ingredients. If there is something I'm really craving, I'll buy what I need for that dish and figure out a way to use the leftovers (see #3). Or, if I have something I need to use up, I can rely on one of my staples to help me out. Like that cucumber salad...totally just raided my cheese drawer and saw the feta and tossed it together into a quick salad. The same goes with your recipe box...find a handful of recipes that you can always rely on to make something healthy for yourself. For me, I can always find a use for leftover grilled proteins and veggies, so I make that nearly every week. I also always have some kind of soup in my freezer just in case. There is not a single fast food restaurant that can make anything as healthy as you can by reheating something from your stash.
5. Don't forget about breakfast--for me, breakfast has always been a challenge. Either I forget it totally, or (pre-op) I would pick something full of sugar and feel like crap the rest of the day. In order for me to make it out the door and to work on time, I need grab and go options. I always have protein powder for a quick shake, eggs, and cottage cheese. Sometimes, a warm breakfast is in order though. Every week, I also pick one "breakfasty" thing to make and freeze some servings of it. This week, I'll make cottage cheese pancakes...but in my freezer, you'll also find: breakfast burritos (low-carb tortillas + whatever guts you like, wrap in aluminum foil), protein powder pancakes, egg bites, and single servings of steel cut oats. I always eat a healthy breakfast this way.
6. Get inspired--nothing makes me want to cook quite like tasting something absolutely delicious and trying to recreate it...or getting my hands on a coveted recipe...or seeing a mouth watering food picture (food porn)...or going to Farmer's Market and seeing all of that gorgeous fresh local produce...or it being crab season...or it being fall (pumpkin + cinnamon!)...or it being sunny and total barbecue weather...or getting a great deal on something at the Grocery Outlet. You get the idea. Do what works for you. I am a total food dork, so I have a lot of tricks. I have a memo pad in my cell phone with ideas or my take on what I just ate (probably garlic and rosemary or try ginger next time or needs more cheese). I read a lot of food blogs. I taste a lot of things that other people make and ask (beg/plead/donate a kidney) for the recipe. I subscribe to magazines that help me: Rachael Ray, Sunset, Real Simple. I have an uncle that can cook, so I text him with questions. I swap secrets with other foodies. And the biggie...I take time to taste what I am eating. Pre-op, I was a "snarfer". (Snarfer (n): one who inhales their food without tasting it; one who eats like a ferocious animal; one who eats so quickly they do not chew. May also be used as a verb i.e. to snarf). I can now tell what is right (or wrong) with a dish. I can also figure out how to make it work for me (no pasta/no rice/no pre-packaged nastiness/no real sugar).
7. Good music always helps--I had an iPod dock radio thing in my office, which was really a waste since if I'm in my office, I'm probably on the computer and can listen to music on that. So, I moved said iPod dock radio thing to my kitchen and rock out while I'm cooking/prepping/cleaning. Good tunes also inspire small children to come into my vicinity and give me a much needed laugh or dance break. :)
So, that's it...the secrets to my success. Are there any other cooking for the week kind of cooks out there? Getting my stockpile has seriously saved my sanity on a few occasions and most definitely kept me from succumbing to a really bad (unhealthy) food choice too many times to count. It's hard to justify McDonald's when I can have a delicious bowl of Black Bean soup instead.
Take care of yourselves!
~K
We left Vegas and it was sunny and in the 90s. Returning home, uh not so much--cold, windy and rainy. Boo to that! I think the combo of no sleep, casino smoke, weather changes and traveling took its toll on me as I woke up completely miserable. Luckily, I had an extra day to recuperate and used it to do what I normally do on Sundays: groceries and cooking for the week. Grocery shopping was productive as I had coupons for half off of medicine (convenient, eh?) and lots of my favs were on sale like cucumbers, peppers, and Bob's Red Mill products. I am completely in love with Bob's Red Mill and @ 40% off, I used the opportunity to stock up my pantry. If you are a fan of Eggface (I love her!) and use her recipes, the Bob's Red Mill products work beautifully. I love his Multigrain pancake mix, almond flour and unsweetened coconut for her recipes. I have also fallen in love with his steel cut oats and grits/polenta. Seriously good stuff and the right kind of carbs.
I had 2 bananas and all of my lovely Bob's goodies, so I made a quadruple batch of Eggy's delicious banana mini muffins . In one pan, I added walnuts and in the other I sprinkled in chocolate chips (don't worry--2 chips/muffin is all). My kids (neighbor kids included!) absolutely go bananas (hahaha) for these things. The folks at work will be happy to see me tomorrow, too. I love sharing my goodies and I love when people love them. I also love that I am feeding them healthy, nutritious food and they have no clue it's pouch friendly as well.
Other items of the day: grilled chicken tenders, veggies (squash, zucchini, onions) and salmon for the grill. Can I just say Uber YUM?! . The leftover grilled chicken will be revamped into Spring Rolls later in the week. I'll do a post on that and include the recipe for you guys. These are one of my new favorites! While I was doing all of that chopping, I also made my standby shrimpo de gallo (just waiting for the avocados to ripen) and chopped extra onions for a batch of cottage cheese pancakes later in the week as well. I also used up some milk (to make room for the plastic ware full of goodness) and made SF Chocolate pudding w choc protein powder in it. So, I cooked just once and am loaded up with goodies for the week.
Meal planning keeps me on track nutritionally and cooking a big haul once a week keeps me on track sanity wise. It took me awhile to get my system down, but here's what works for me:
1. Stock up on containers--I got lucky and scored a TON of plastic ware at my local Dollar Tree. You can also save containers like from cottage cheese (which hold 2 cups by the way) or those take and toss kind. If you are early op, get thee to the Dollar Tree and stock up on those baby containers with lids and measure out the stage you are in i.e. 1/4 c or 1/2 c. Hit yard sales or hostess a Tupperware party. Buy the size that you will use. For me, I have a variety of sizes/shapes/depths. Get what works for you. It may be baggies, glass bowls, or cottage cheese containers...just make sure you have enough to store the amount of food you want to cook and that it will do what you need it to do i.e. use glass for red sauce so it doesn't stain or take and toss if it's extra stinky or you don't want to ever think about cleaning it. :)
2. The freezer is your friend--I love my recipes, but I am not a huge fan of eating the same thing day in and day out. I have learned that for me, I can cook a big batch and ration it out this way: enough for dinner that night + lunches the next day. The rest gets frozen into usable sizes i.e. enough for dinner or enough to grab and go for lunch. For example, if I make soup, I freeze containers with 1 cup if it's for lunch for me or 4 cups if I want to make it into an easy meal. Same goes with those muffins. No one needs 48 muffins in one week. I put a batch in my freezer for a quick snack later.
3. Waste not, want not--most of the time, my cooking gets inspired by what is on sale or what I have on hand that needs to get used ASAP. I hate wasting food/money, so I try to stretch every single thing I can and make the most of it. Small amounts of meat or veggies get chopped up and made into omelets or bites. If I can score an awesome deal on something, that comes into play. If a neighbor gives me some of their tomatoes, I will most definitely add that to the menu. This week, cucumbers were on sale 3 for $1. For $1 in produce, I was able to make: cucumber salad (cukes + balsamic + feta), sunomono, chopped cukes for the Spring rolls, and sliced cukes to have with hummus. They are also great with sour cream/greek yogurt & dry ranch mix or dill. Yum! Channel Tim Gunn and "Make it work".
4. Find your staples--There are certain things that I use a lot in my cooking: Bob's Red Mill products obviously, eggs, lean proteins, beans, cheese, pesto, cottage cheese, peanut butter, fresh produce and hot sauce. A lot of my favorite dishes use some combination of these ingredients. If there is something I'm really craving, I'll buy what I need for that dish and figure out a way to use the leftovers (see #3). Or, if I have something I need to use up, I can rely on one of my staples to help me out. Like that cucumber salad...totally just raided my cheese drawer and saw the feta and tossed it together into a quick salad. The same goes with your recipe box...find a handful of recipes that you can always rely on to make something healthy for yourself. For me, I can always find a use for leftover grilled proteins and veggies, so I make that nearly every week. I also always have some kind of soup in my freezer just in case. There is not a single fast food restaurant that can make anything as healthy as you can by reheating something from your stash.
5. Don't forget about breakfast--for me, breakfast has always been a challenge. Either I forget it totally, or (pre-op) I would pick something full of sugar and feel like crap the rest of the day. In order for me to make it out the door and to work on time, I need grab and go options. I always have protein powder for a quick shake, eggs, and cottage cheese. Sometimes, a warm breakfast is in order though. Every week, I also pick one "breakfasty" thing to make and freeze some servings of it. This week, I'll make cottage cheese pancakes...but in my freezer, you'll also find: breakfast burritos (low-carb tortillas + whatever guts you like, wrap in aluminum foil), protein powder pancakes, egg bites, and single servings of steel cut oats. I always eat a healthy breakfast this way.
6. Get inspired--nothing makes me want to cook quite like tasting something absolutely delicious and trying to recreate it...or getting my hands on a coveted recipe...or seeing a mouth watering food picture (food porn)...or going to Farmer's Market and seeing all of that gorgeous fresh local produce...or it being crab season...or it being fall (pumpkin + cinnamon!)...or it being sunny and total barbecue weather...or getting a great deal on something at the Grocery Outlet. You get the idea. Do what works for you. I am a total food dork, so I have a lot of tricks. I have a memo pad in my cell phone with ideas or my take on what I just ate (probably garlic and rosemary or try ginger next time or needs more cheese). I read a lot of food blogs. I taste a lot of things that other people make and ask (beg/plead/donate a kidney) for the recipe. I subscribe to magazines that help me: Rachael Ray, Sunset, Real Simple. I have an uncle that can cook, so I text him with questions. I swap secrets with other foodies. And the biggie...I take time to taste what I am eating. Pre-op, I was a "snarfer". (Snarfer (n): one who inhales their food without tasting it; one who eats like a ferocious animal; one who eats so quickly they do not chew. May also be used as a verb i.e. to snarf). I can now tell what is right (or wrong) with a dish. I can also figure out how to make it work for me (no pasta/no rice/no pre-packaged nastiness/no real sugar).
7. Good music always helps--I had an iPod dock radio thing in my office, which was really a waste since if I'm in my office, I'm probably on the computer and can listen to music on that. So, I moved said iPod dock radio thing to my kitchen and rock out while I'm cooking/prepping/cleaning. Good tunes also inspire small children to come into my vicinity and give me a much needed laugh or dance break. :)
So, that's it...the secrets to my success. Are there any other cooking for the week kind of cooks out there? Getting my stockpile has seriously saved my sanity on a few occasions and most definitely kept me from succumbing to a really bad (unhealthy) food choice too many times to count. It's hard to justify McDonald's when I can have a delicious bowl of Black Bean soup instead.
Take care of yourselves!
~K
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