December 2008

Lighter Post Holiday Meals

December 4, 2008

Raise your hand if you are trying to eat a bit…well…lighter since Turkey Day. I’ve definitely had it on my mind. I think after the holidays and all that rich, heavy (although very good tasting) food, I am ready to get back on track with healthier foods.

I thought this was the perfect time to experiment with an idea I got when I was traveling in Ireland this past summer. Many of my lunches consisted of stopping by a Marks & Spencer (love that store!) and picking up a wrap and drink, then heading down to the water to eat. Such a bad dining atmosphere, I know.

I did this because it was less expensive; I could choose a healthier meal and after so much traveling around by yourself during the day asking for a table for one can get a bit old.

There was one particular wrap that was delicious – Mexican 3 Bean Wrap. It was lettuce, tomato, black bean salsa, cheese and chunks of sweet potato wrapped in a tortilla. The combination was surprisingly good.

I’ve been wanting to recreate it and finally decided to do so with my need for a lighter meal and left over sweet potatoes. After the potato, casserole and pie overload I’m limiting carbs a bit (at least until the Christmas cookies start coming around) so instead of eating it as a wrap, I turned it into a salad. I just added enough ingredients to make an individual meal.

Black Bean Sweet Potato Salad

Mixed greens
Black beans
Sweet potato, cubed and cooked (I like to boil them a bit to start the cooking process and then sauté to brown and caramelize the cubes)
Shredded cheese, I used an Italian blend
Salsa

So there you have it – veggies, protein, fiber and extra vitamins and minerals all in one tasty salad. Try it as a wrap too. It makes such a great lunch.

Snacking

December 3, 2008

One can find all kinds of information out there about snacking. There are a lot of different views on the practice. I have been through several phases in my life when it comes to snacking. I’ve grazed all day, had a structured diet for exercise where I had 3 meals and 2 snacks a day, and over time I’ve gotten to the point where I am at now. Snacking isn’t a huge part of my day anymore.

I think snacking has its purpose – it fulfills hunger between meals and keeps the body fueled throughout the day. For me, however, snacking often led to a lot of processed foods. I would make healthy choices, but there were usually crackers, a granola bar or a snack mix involved. I found that I felt I was doing the healthy thing fueling my body, but it was often adding unnecessary calories.

Recently the US Agricultural Research Service found that teens who snacked came closer to meeting recommended food group servings, but also took in excess sugar and fat. I think I fell into that category too.

Now I just treat snacking differently. I might snack, but I only do it when I’m truly hungry. Being involved in fitness I often followed the mini-meal/between meal snack regimen to keep my energy up. This works for some people. But I’ve moved to a place in my life and health where I just can’t see eating if you are not hungry.

Despite having healthy intentions, snacking to fuel when I wasn’t hungry was teaching me to eat when I didn’t feel hunger. I don’t like doing that anymore.

I definitely still have snacks throughout the day. When I put in a hard workout my stomach is always growling between meals. At these times I remember to steer clear of a box. Fruit and nuts have become my snack of choice and often I need about two bites to actually satisfy hunger. It is just another step in my journey to eat real food and to eat it mindfully.

Are you a snacker? How do you feel about the practice of snacking?

Photo by Kevin Rosseel, www.morguefile.com

#3 Brigadeiro

December 2, 2008

When it comes to food combinations is there anything better than chocolate and caramel? Well, okay, there are a ton of good combos, but this one is in the top five for me.

Last week I needed to do a test run of some of my upcoming holiday treats so I set out to make Brigadeiros. This food came in as # 3 on my 30 Foods List and it’s also a cultural lesson on Brazil foods. I haven’t featured a Brazilian food in a while.

I’ve found Brigadeiro everywhere I’ve been in Brazil. They love it. You can find it as the candy itself, cake flavors, ice cream bars and packaged cookies.

This candy could not be easier to make. The star ingredient is sweetened condensed milk. I know, not so healthy. I remember only using SCM for one thing growing up – fudge. Other than that we rarely purchased it.

Where I live in Brazil it is used to make almost every dessert. Oh, and they drink it too. It’s mixed into cocktails and sometimes they even drink it straight. This is certainly not a practice I’m getting into. Honestly, the cocktails make me gag.

But every once in a while you find a great thing made with the ever popular SCM that is worth the not-so-healthy status. Brigadeiro is one of those things.

Brigadeiro

1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp butter, plus extra when rolling balls
2 Tbsp cocoa
½ cup chocolate sprinkles

Heat sweetened condensed milk and butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly. You have to continue this process until the milk turns into a thick carame- like substance. It is ready when you stir and can start seeing the bottom of the pan. It takes about 15 minutes.

Once thickened remove from heat and add 2 heaping Tbsp of cocoa powder. Stir to combine. Put mixture into a bowl to cool. Once cool roll into balls. You’ll need to keep your hands buttered for this to keep the brigadeiro from sticking. Roll the balls in chocolate sprinkles and put in mini-liners. The recipe makes about 25.

A Tasty Tea

December 1, 2008

Happy December! I can’t believe the last month of 2008 is here. It doesn’t seem possible. I am glad to see it though. December is always filled with so much excitement for the holidays and thoughtful reflection regarding the past year.

I will start this post by saying I am coffee-crazy. I love coffee of all kinds. As you can imagine this interest has grown even more with moving to Brazil. Now I can purchase coffee that is grown right outside of the town we live in. It is so cool to buy local with coffee. Something I could never do in the US for sure.

But let me get to my point. This post is about tea this time around, not coffee.

Aside from growing up on sweet tea I’ve never been a regular tea drinker, although, my interest in hot tea has grown in recent years. In grad school I did a research review of green tea. The health benefits are quite amazing. However, I will say I was a bit discouraged to learn that these major benefits come from amounts that would be equivalent to about 12 cups of tea a day.

Of course, this is the reason that they decided to conveniently put the extract into a capsule. As you probably know by now, I am not in favor of getting from a pill what I can get from food and drink whether it is in higher doses or not.

My thinking is even if you don’t consume the amounts which research indicates is necessary, habitually taking in something that is good for us will add up over time. This is how I feel about tea.

My husband went to Beijing for work a few years ago and found their green tea to be amazing. The variety he brought back with him is definitely the best I have had. Now I find myself exploring the tea aisle for different varieties of both green and black tea.

Tea is one of those – “Well duh,” – drinks for me. You know, the kind of food or drink that has been used in cultures throughout history with proven health benefits. Then the rest of us finally catch on that it might be a healthy thing to incorporate into our diets.

Thanks to the catechin polyphenols in green tea, specifically the unpronounceable epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), tea gives us antioxidants that are thought to have the power to kill cancer cells. It is also quite handy for decreasing cholesterol and reducing risk of heart attack.

I enjoy green tea, but I like black tea too. I’m glad that more research is going into black tea. So far we know it has many of the same benefits as green tea, it just has a slightly lower antioxidant level. So don’t be concerned if black tea is your drink of choice.

So speaking of tea I wanted to tell you about this awesome variety I found at my grocery store since I’ve been back in the US. Celestial Seasonings Sweet Coconut Thai Chai. Have you seen it or tried it?

I couldn’t pass it up simply due to the name and I wasn’t disappointed. As the hot water combines with the tea you can smell the sweet aroma of coconut. I loved the spicy aftertaste of black pepper too. It is such a unique combination.

So now I’m a coffee drinker in the morning and a tea drinker at night.

How about you are you a coffee drinker, a tea drinker or both like me?

Newer Posts

Lighter Post Holiday Meals

Snacking

#3 Brigadeiro

A Tasty Tea

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