Shirred Eggs and Baby Lettuces Salad: A Simple Meal

1 Feb By

I love fancy food and usually eat it with abandon.  This week, however, I’m nursing a running injury (and it better be a mild, fleeting injury!), and the resulting reduction in quality cardio time means I’ve got to dial down my calorie intake as well.  For the past few days, I’ve eaten a bare-bones salad for lunch but yesterday, the tummy demanded rich food.  What can I say?  I miss buttery, creamy goodness.

Luckily it’s possible to each rich flavor and still keep calories in check.  I whipped up this little  salad and its accompanying baked egg for under 300 calories and added some fruit to make it a healthy small meal.  This would be an excellent brunch dish for you entertainers out there!

Shirred Eggs with Baby Lettuces Salad

Serves 4

1/4 large sweet onion, thinly sliced

1 1/2 Tbsp butter

4 large eggs

4 Tbsp fat-free half and half or cream

1 tsp rubbed sage

Salt and Pepper

1 cup button mushrooms, thinly sliced

8 cups baby lettuce leaves (arugula, spinach, romaine, red and green leaf lettuces work well)

3 Tbsp aged Balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp dijon mustard

1 Tbsp olive oil

4 Tbsp crumbled goat cheese.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease 4 oven-safe ramekins.  Melt butter in a small skillet over medium low heat.  Stir in onions and cook until slightly caramelized.  Remove onions from skillet and split evenly between ramekins.  Add mushrooms to remaining butter in skillet and cook until golden and tender.  Remove from heat.  Break one egg into each ramekin atop caramelized onions.  Spoon 1 Tbsp cream or half and half over each egg and sprinkle with sage.  Salt and pepper as desired.  Transfer ramekins to oven and bake 10-12 minutes or until egg whites have just firmed up.

Meanwhile, combine olive oil, mustard and vinegar in a small bowl.  Whisk to emulsify.  Pour vinaigrette over baby lettuces in a large bowl and toss to coat.  Divide lettuces among four plates and top with sauteed mushrooms and goat cheese.  Serve with shirred eggs on the side.

signature

6 Comments

Filed Under: Food, Light Meals Tagged With: , , , ,

How ’bout them Resolutions?

16 Jan By

Yesterday marked two weeks since New Year’s day and I’ve noticed that the blog, Facebook and Twitter posts about the ‘ol lose weight resolution have started to wane.  In some cases, this is because folks are down to the hard work of knocking off the pounds, but in many other cases, it’s because you’ve given up.  The longer I’ve done nutrition counseling, the more I’ve realized that people fail at “diets” because they follow bad advice or believe some pretty big lies.

If you’re currently trying to lose weight, I’d like you to know a few things:

  1. You should feel hungry.  Our bodies are hard-wired to respond to a rhythm of hunger and satiety.  Even if you don’t want to lose weight, you should feel hungry before a regular meal time and you should be eating portions that fill you up for a while and then leave you feeling hungry for the next meal.  Making the lifestyle change to lose weight means learning to recognize the feeling of hunger AND understanding how to just satisfy (rather than stomp to death) that feeling. When a diet swears you’ll never feel hungry, it should probably be touting that you’ll never go hungry instead.  Feeling hungry is okay.
  2. Deprivation doesn’t work. It’s pretty hip right now to cut out certain types of foods as means of getting healthier and losing weight.  Paleo, gluten-free, whole 30 and other movements call for the systematic elimination of huge chunks of the usual American diet, and they often result in weight loss.  The problem here is psychological:  We don’t like to be told and over time, “no” turns into “maybe” which turns in to “I’m doing [fill-in-the-blank eating lifestyle] except that I eat [forbidden food]” and before you know it the pounds come back.  The fix is simple:  Say yes.  Instead of focusing on things you can’t or shouldn’t eat, make your new eating lifestyle about the things you can or should eat and reward yourself for success.  Positive is the new negative!
  3. Don’t be tricked by food labels. Foods labels like “Made with Whole Grain”, “Naturally Sweetened”, “Organic”, and”Free-Range” do not mean “Will Help You Lose Weight”.  I recently compared a “whole grain”, “organic”, “naturally sweetened” cupcake to a pre-packaged, highly processed one in a local grocery store.  The “healthy” cupcake had 5 more fat grams and about 150 more calories than the “unhealthy” one.  While steering away from heavily processed foods is a good move, the truth is, if you’re hoping to lose pounds your focus needs to be on eating more fruits, veggies and lean proteins rather than on finding “healthy” versions of what you already eat. Instead of searching for healthy-sounding labels, focus on filling your shopping cart with foods that don’t need labels: fresh produce, unprepared lean proteins and unprocessed grains.
  4. Changing WHAT you eat isn’t a stand alone solution.  You must change WHY you eat. Anyone who reads this blog knows I’m a self-proclaimed foodie – I love eating and I love cooking.  I don’t, however, eat to be happy or to feel comfort. I eat because I find delight in the artwork of flavors and textures and aroma that can be found in a great meal and I enjoy them in moderation.  If, however, you find yourself seeking solace during difficult times from a box of macaroni and cheese or a hoping to entertain yourself with a few dozen Oreos, chances are you’re eating for the wrong reasons.  Changing this isn’t easy, and may honestly require the help of a counselor, but spending time identifying your triggers for overeating is the first step to dealing with them.  You can also start dealing with these triggers by responding to them differently.  When you’re bored and want to eat, go for a walk instead.  When you’re sad and want to eat, leave the kitchen and call a friend to talk instead.  Long term, if you’re heart is in the right place, changing your eating habits will be easier!

Whatever you do, don’t give up.  Ignore the people complaining about crowded gyms during resolution time and hop on that elliptical.  Log out of Pinterest so you don’t have to look at all those unhealthy dinner ideas. Think of this endeavor as the beginning of a new lifestyle and not as a diet or a temporary “fix”: you’re not broken!

signature

2 Comments

Filed Under: Diet, Fitness, Food Tagged With: , ,

Tried It, Liked It: MyFoodDiary.com

23 May By

If you’re a regular reader her or a follower on Twitter you know that I’ve been prattling on about the love of food for a few weeks now.  I’ve even been posting the meals I eat using the hashtag #WhatIEat (join in!) and apparently those pictures raised a few eyebrows.

Because I’ve posted meals like these which are healthy and delicious:

Spinach Oatmeal Smoothie and Veggie Mexican "Pizza"

 AND meals like these which are delicious and delicious.  (I’m not going to call them unhealthy, but you won’t find them in a diet handbook)

Charcuterie and Homemade Enchiladas

Three different people made similar comments on the disparity among those photos:

“Well of course you don’t see food as an enemy. It’s obvious you don’t have to count calories to stay at your weight.”

And I laugh. Of course I have to count calories!  I’m over 30, work a corporate job (read: desk) and my genes predispose me to curves.  I definitely pay attention to calories.

I actually keep a detailed food diary and not just for the purpose of counting calories.  The diary I keep tells me how I’m doing at getting the right vitamins and minerals from the foods I eat, how much saturated fat I’m ingesting (it was a metric delicious ton with that charcuterie plate), whether I’m overdoing it on sodium.  This diary also counts my total calories throughout the day and tells me what allowance I have remaining if I want to maintain weight or lose weight. Finally, if one chose to do so, the diary tracks weight and body measurement over time.  And so I introduce you to MyFoodDiary.com

This screen shot shows my diary from a day when I ate a spinach smoothie for breakfast, that Mexican Pizza up there for lunch and then made a huge dinner of enchiladas and roasted corn…. because I ran 7 miles in the afternoon.  I love the “Goal” section the best because it doesn’t assume my goal is to lose weight.  Good stuff, MyFoodDiary.com!

I’ve seen similar products, but I choose this one for the three simple reasons:

1. There’s no “success” or “failure”.  Instead, I get a realistic view of what I’m eating and what I’m burning over a period of time and can spot trends.  In the screen shot above, the diary shows that I can still eat 286 calories for the day and expect to lose weight.  But in an average week, I also eat enough on some days that I don’t have any “leftover” calories and being able to look at the whole week shows me that on balance, I’m doing just fine.

Too much sodium and saturated fat on this day (um enchiladas, ya know?), but look at all the things I did right!!  I love those green smiley faces.

2.  Its easy-to-use.  I hate online diaries like this that don’t include major brands or measure food in grams instead of cups or tablespoons.  MyFoodDiary.com includes most of the major brands I eat (yes, even Trader Joe’s!) and the measurements are easy to manipulate so you know how much you’re actually eating.

3.  Access.  I can upload meals and workouts from my phone or my computer, save regular meals and even check calories in restaurant meals before I eat them.  Easy peasy.

MyFoodDiary.com isn’t free, but at $9.o0 a month, I think it’s a steal. Plus you can sign up for a free trial to see if you like it!

Full disclosure as always:  I am not working with MyFoodDiary.com, I’m not reimbursed in any way for this post, and they don’t even know I wrote it.  You’re welcome, MyFoodDiary.com.

 

2 Comments

Filed Under: Diet, Food, Food is Joy Tagged With: , , ,

10K Monday: Food Fuel

9 Apr By

{source}

With my 10K just under two weeks away, it’s time to talk food fuel.  As important as good gear, complimentary weight training and listening to your body are for successful racing, the one thing that makes it or breaks it for me is proper nutrition.  (My professional background probably leaves me a little bit biased).

Most runners are familiar with the concept of carb-loading before a race, but the practice is often misunderstood and probably not necessary for the more casual runner*.  I’ll put it simply:  Eating a massive plate of spaghetti the night before a race is not carb-loading. In fact, with many casual runners on training regimens to lose weight, carb-loading can be a good way to derail weight-loss progress.

The best bet when prepping for race day is to really buckle down about 2 weeks out with the right combination of quality carbs, proteins and fats, leaving your metabolism running at its most efficient rate. Here’s how the two weeks before a race break down:

2 weeks to go:  Diet should consist of about 50% carbs, 30% protein and 20% fats.  Check out tomorrow’s post for best bets in each category

1 week to go:  Adjust the above ratios so you’re eating about 60% carbs, 20% protein, 20% fats

3 days to go:  Adjust again – this time you’ll want 65% carbs, 20% protein and 15% fats

Day of the race:  Eat your last meal about 2 hours before the race.  Go for high quality carbs like oatmeal or brown rice and I usually add in a banana for some extra potassium.

Water:  Most of the readily available nutrition advice for runners advises hydrating well before a race (which you certainly should), but a practice that’s really helped me over the past few years is something I call “water-loading”.  If you’ve ever tried to down the mythically necessary eight 8 oz glasses a day, you know that suddenly imbibing more water than you’re used to equals many trips to the bathroom.  Because a hard run means sweat and electrolyte loss it is a good idea to drink more water beforehand, but I find it helps to start downing extra water a few weeks in a day.  Start downing 2 liters of water a day 2 weeks out from the race.  You’ll be better hydrated and more comfortable running on the actual race day.

After the race:  Don’t forget to keep your nutrition in check after the race!  Your body will need to replenish fluids and electrolytes so fruit, veggies and water are your best bet.  After about an hour (and a shower)enjoy a healthy burrito and a margarita.  Yep.  That margarita’s in my official training regimen!

 

*There is likely a benefit to carb-loading for distances of 1/2 marathon and longer.

Leave a Comment

Filed Under: Fitness, Food, Running Tagged With: , , ,

Goodbye Processed Sugar

15 Mar By

{source}

Last month I participated in an online workshop called 31 Days to Build a Better Blog and while the class was full of great ideas and advice, “meeting” the other participating bloggers is my greatest takeaway.  I’ve got a number of these bloggers linked over there in the right column under “Blogroll” – check them out!

Kristin at Mind Your Bees and Trees has really captivated me.  Her healthy living blog focuses heavily on mindful, natural eating and since that’s where my blogging career habit began, I’ve really enjoyed reading her posts and recipes.

About two weeks ago, Kristin issued a challenge to join her in cutting out processed sugar for the next 4 months.  I’m incapable of saying no to challenge  so I was intrigued, but she sealed the deal for me with this line:

“The point is that by cutting out processed sugar, we will start to become more mindful of what we eat. “

YES!  This is a challenge about moving to a healthier mindset when it comes to food:  mindful, healthier, whole choices.

It’s probably useful to point out that I entirely lack a sweet tooth (don’t even like chocolate), so I’m not going to have to battle with dessert cravings to participate in this challenge.  However, my background in nutrition reminds me that cutting out processed sugar is NOT easy.  Unless you spend most of your grocery shopping expeditions on the outside aisles, you probably buy more processed sugar in non-dessert foods than you realized!

Consider joining Kristin (and me) in this challenge.  Head on over to Mind Your Bees and Trees to learn more about (and join!) the challenge and its rules.  I’ve also posted some answers to some common questions about processed sugar below.

What’s so bad about processed sugar anyway?  If you watch the news (or TV at all) then you know there’s tons of research linking high-sugar diets with diabetes, heart disease, high obesity rates and a whole slew of other chronic health problems.  Additional research suggests that heavily processed sugars are particularly problematic because they may be metabolized differently.  I think that quote from Kristin up there gets to the real issue, though.  Foods with lots of added sugar tend to be less nutritious overall – they are often highly processed which reduces the vitamin, mineral and antioxidant content of naturally occurring foods and they are usually high in calories per serving.

What are some surprising sources of added, refined sugar?  I mentioned that processed sugar seems to line the internal aisles of grocery stores these days.  We usually think of added sugar in things that taste sweet, but here is a list of a few store-bought items that are not desserts, but contain significant added sugar:

Salad Dressing

Loaf Bread

Pasta Sauce

Canned soups

Condiments (ketchup, mayo, bbq sauce, marinades)

Dried Fruit

Are there healthier natural sugars I can eat?  Absolutely.  Kristin has a good list of them here.  Stevia’s one of my favorites (especially in coffee).  I’m also allowing a small amount of “Raw Sugar” as it is significantly less-processed than regular sugar.  Mostly, I’m allowing it because a tiny amount is present in a favorite healthy snack of mine.  I’ll be posting a review of this snack later!

Further Reading:

Deepak Chopra on High Fructose Corn Syrup

American Heart Association on Added Sugar

5 Comments

Filed Under: Diet, Food Tagged With: , , ,