Posts Tagged ‘eating healthy’

I’m a healthy person right?

Filed Under: About me, From the Kitchen, Living Healthyon January 4th, 2011

Then why the hell do I hate oatmeal?

I’ve tried on numerous occasions to embrace my inner flower-power-hippy self and love oatmeal as the rest of my fellow bloggers and health freaks do, but I just can’t. The pre-packed Quaker oats, the flavored oatmeals, old fashion steel cut oats, gluten free oats, you name in.

I just can’t get over the texture. It’s something about the warm creaminess that reminds me more of baby food rather than breakfast. Risotto, I’m in! Ice cream, even better! Yogurt, the thicker and more Greek, yes sir. But why this utter hatred for the healthiest of healthy breakfast foods?

See even the picture LOOKS amazing, yet to me, doesn’t taste so. Compliments of Canadian Family.

In a Serious Eats article contemplating the best places to eat oatmeal in New York, I fall under the category of “the kind of people that will never understand why someone would order oatmeal in a restaurant.” I also have another category for myself, “why would anyone ever eat oatmeal at all?”

Granted, I come from a crunchy-family. That’s a term I just made up, and it basically means, those related to me prefer the snap of a pretzel over the creaminess of yogurt during snack time. The cardboard taste of dry cereal (yes, I’m odd and eat my cereal dry) than the warmth of oatmeal. I’m going to blame my genetics on this one, as I know there are raves about oatmeal from everyone I talk to.

If you feel so inspired, send me your pics, recipes, and posts at the bottom of this and I will promise to experiment. Although there are no guarantees I stop eating my cereal dry …

Tags: best places in NYC for oatmeal, eating healthy, oatmeal, Serious Eats
Posted in About me, From the Kitchen, Living Healthy | 2 Comments »

Surprising Myself

Filed Under: Food, Lifeon April 28th, 2010

Tuesday are my day off, unless I’m catering and then I’m shopping and prepping, but generally speaking I enjoy my nice leisurely Tuesday off. Today I was antsy, I’m not good at being idle … or relaxing.

So throughout the day I thought about all the mouth-watering meals and restaurants I wanted to try, and then, kept reminding myself of my limited (aka complete lack-of) funds and my fully stocked refrigerator. My “eating out” fund this week went to “buying specialty groceries.”

Alas, I debated all day.

And when my conscience (and girlfriend) couldn’t be convinced to journey to The Breslin for a lamb burger with me, I decided to cook at home. This is where I surprised myself.

I know I’m a good cook. I also know that I can basically make up recipes with what I have on hand. Ironically, I get less and less reliant on recipes the more and more I cook. So tonight’s dinner of london broil seared in a cast iron skillet with a side of shaved asparagus and zucchini salad was enough to wow me. So simple it’s embarrassing to even mention I’m surprised.

One thing I’m realizing is that I’m not exactly the healthiest cook when cooking at home. Usually for people it’s the opposite. But the thing is, I can be! I can be VERY good, but tonight wasn’t the case … I mean I was taught at a FRENCH school, butter is a must.

Oh and I fried some Rosemary in the skillet with the steak, yum!

I think this meal shows exactly how to fix a problem Americans have that the Europeans have tackled. Look at the portion sizes. That’s only about 3 oz of red meat. When you go to a restaurant there’s no way you’re getting less than 8 oz. And to be honest, I’d be pissed if I didn’t get that much with the amount of money you pay for a steak in New York.

And don’t kid yourself, that pan had tons of butter and olive oil. And see that blue cheese? I’m not skimping by any means, I’m just eating less of the bad and more of the good.

The salad, a shaved asparagus and zucchini salad is dressed with lemon juice, a dash of olive oil, salt and pepper. When you eat what’s in season (i.e. asparagus) it needs very little “extra.” The chance of one EVER finding Ranch Dressing in my refrigerator is as likely as seeing me work in Walmart. I simply don’t believe in it (or Walmart). Stop rolling your eyes boys, there are better things to dip pizza in …

So there it is, the simplest meal ever, and I couldn’t believe that it tasted so good. Hit the spot, and I didn’t even want to cook tonight!

Tags: eating healthy, week night meals
Posted in Food, Life | 6 Comments »

Healthy Pasta is Achievable

Filed Under: Foodon April 6th, 2010

Despite my love for dessert of all kinds, I a very healthy eater. And contrary to popular belief, carbs are not the devil. I’m a firm believer that everything is about portion control and moderation. That being said, pasta is far from out of the question. It’s actually the perfect meal to cook for one, and for one on a budget.

And for all you health nuts that say, “Use whole wheat pasta, it’s better for you because it’s ‘whole wheat’ and has more fiber,” this is what I have to say, “Whole wheat pasta tastes like cardboard.” Sorry, this is a blog, and that is my opinion. But unless it’s dressed in a completely decadent sauce, I’d much rather have a smaller portion of real pasta than use whole wheat. Sorry.

Inspired by a segment on the Today Show this morning with Mario Batali and the unseasonably spring weather, I was hankering for Pasta Primavera, literally “spring pasta.”

So what’s a girl to do with no money and nada in her apartment? Get creative! And that’s exactly what I did. What did I have? Angel hair pasta, artichokes hearts, thin asparagus, frozen peas, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and a strip of bacon.

The secret is this, use some of the pasta water to make the sauce. The starch in the pasta water combined with the cheese and olive oil creates a textured sauce fit for a light pasta dish. The trick with having your pasta, and eating it too, is simply loading up the vegetables to make the dish appear bigger. There is no doubt that too much of a good thing is a bad thing, but pasta CAN and IS healthy by adding the right ingredients and dressing it correctly.

Oh, and then afterwards for dessert I went out and got ice cream … so much for being completely healthy …

Happy Spring!

Tags: eating healthy, pasta primavera, spring
Posted in Food | 6 Comments »

Health Fix

Filed Under: Foodon February 3rd, 2010

I’m all about eating healthy, living healthy, and loving to live healthy. So after an indulgent yesterday, for today, I decided to curb my love for butter, sugar, red meat, ice cream … and the list continues, but you get the idea.

That, and I was a little financially in the hole. So what does that mean? Getting creative with what’s in your refrigerator.

Tonight, using a whole wheat pita I used some roasted sweet potatoes that I had left over from Sunday and layered them on top a slight drizzle of garlic olive oil. Next I layered on sautéed brussels sprouts which I quartered and caramelized with less than a slice of bacon.

One of the things I love to do is use strong flavored ingredients that pack the punch (even if they are high in calories) because you use less of them, while still have great flavor. Good examples of this are bacon, blue cheese, feta cheese, fleur, or dijon mustard.

I was also reading in a latest issue of O Magazine about the new “superfood.” The CHIA SEED! Ah, yes the very same one you use to grow Chia Pets. According to doctors it’s the healthiest whole food available. It’s comparable to flaxseed and omega 3, and contains more calcium than milk. They’re the grain equivalent of blueberries!

health article Now it’s odd how they recommend consuming it, but I know a good friend of mine would enjoy this because it’s supposedly similar to Japanese bubbling teas. Take a glass of water, a wedge of lemon, and a teaspoon of chia seeds, maybe some honey, and allow to seeds to spurt.

Apparently, it’s surprisingly refreshing. I don’t know if I’m sold. Next time I’m at Whole Foods, I’ll see what I can find and let you know.

But one things for sure, if you’re on a health fix, it might be your next miracle seeds.

Tags: chia seeds, eating healthy
Posted in Food | 4 Comments »