A FRIDGE FULL OF FOOD...

St. Lucia Day: St. Lucia Saffron & Raisin Wreath

 

St. Lucia Day is celebrated throughout Scandinavia and in Italy where St. Lucia was born and died a martyr under the Roman Emporer Diocletian, circa 300 A.D.  The story goes that while she was carrying food supplies into the catacombs to hiding Christians, she needed her hands free so she fashioned a wreath of candles in her hair to light her way.

That story, combined with Medieval superstions about the winter solstice being a night of evil lurking in the dark giving way to the light and goodness of morning, transcended into a celebration of St. Lucia, the girl with the lighted wreath in her hair leading the people out into the literal and philosophical light, freedom, and goodness, by having the oldest daughter of the family dress in a long white dress with a red sash and a wreath of candles in her hair serve saffron buns and coffee to her family on the morning of the holiday.

The story has always appealed to me.  As the oldest daughter, I like the idea of serving my family and if part of that is cooking, then I'll be there with bells on.  Or candles on. Or a mag flashlight or anything that won't burn me alive in the process of the fun.

To mark the day two years ago I made individual swirled saffron buns. They were lovely tasting but I wasn't crazy about the way the raisins looked. No big.  This year, though, I went for a different presentation method and loved the results!

Good & Good For You: Dark Chocolate & Steel Cut Oatmeal

 

We all want to be healthier. We all say we want to eat healthier. The irony is that we live in a society with so much abundance of food that eating healthy sometimes seems more like a chore than a privilege.  One of the goals I've made for myself is not only to eat healthier and act healthier to be healthier (and lose weight) but to be happy about it. 

I am a 70's child of the era of the sugar-held-together-by-emaciated-grain Captain Crunch breakfast, shortening and sugar-laden peanut butter & jelly sandiwch lunch, and the chicken deep fried in transfats accompanied by mashed potatoes drained of their nutrients and swimming in saturated fat dinner. Remember the Bill Cosby chocolate cake for his kids routine?  "THAT'S nu-TRI-TION!"

My quest now is to retrain my tastebuds to not only enjoy the blessing I have in this world of all the wonderfully fresh nutritionally dense food I have at my disposal but to actually enjoy and crave them too, instead of being emotionally food childish about eating what's good for me while secretly desiring Captain Crunch in my heart of hearts.

New Yogurt on My Block: Stonyfield Farms

 

Found a new product to look for: Stonyfield Farms yogurts and ice cream.  They generously sent me some coupons for free product and I've been going back for more since I've used those up and have been paying for the product myself. Stonyfield contains live bacterial cultures which is what got my attention from the start.  I've long been a big Activia fan because I have a cranky little digestive system and I've noticed that the Activia or acidopholus supplements help keep me under control.  Jamie Lee Curtis is not lying to you in those commercials; I'm living proof.

What made me switch lines is that Stonyfield comes in so many more products that I use, namely the small versions of fat free plain yogurt, that although I pictured a sweet smoothy in my pics, I use the plain fat free yogurt as a sour cream substitute even more frequently than I make smoothies. For example a couple of weeks ago I turned a pot roast into stroganoff and the yogurt lightens that heavy winter meal up by quite a bit. The Stonyfield worked well in that venue, staying nice and creamy without all the fat and heaviness of sour cream. When I do want the heavier texture, I love that Stonyfield makes Greek yogurt in smaller containers which I've had a hard time finding in Springfield MO and Activia doesn't make that I know of. The large containers are great but since we're a two person family, the larger containers put more pressure on us to use it up quickly once it's opened.  The smaller containers are greatly appreciated!

I've also found that both Gene and I like the soy yogurt as much as the regular milk yogurt. We don't even notice which one we're pulling out of the fridge especially after you top it with fruit and/or nuts.

I do have one little dish I'd love to try that I don't have the ingredients for yet but when I do...you'll see it. I got an email newsletter from someone I don't remember but the article was about kid-friendly breakfasts. Not that we're kids but in our hearts...you know.  The breakfast idea was a step up of yogurt and fruit called Banana Split Breakfast.  It was a healthy banana split with yogurt (I'll use Stonyfield's Greek yogurt) replacing the ice cream and then no sauces: yogurt, fruit, and nuts. It looked both delicious and good for you.

Next time you're buying yogurt, I'd really recommend giving Stonyfield a look-see.  At my grocery, they're in the organic section rather than the normal yogurt section.

 

Breakfast Starts the Day off Right. Right? Right! Cornbread Frittata

 

One of the things I've been changing about the way I eat since I've been following the Mediterranean Diet path is the way I approach breakfast.  Like a lot of people I either tend to skip breakfast or eat all the wrong things.  For example, I work the night shift so when I get off shift in the morning I'm starving and ready to eat pretty much anything and everything. Technically, for nightshifters, the a.m. is our dinner time.  We eat breakfast when we get up around 4pm, lunch at 1am, and dinner for breakfast, but I've really been trying to get back into a more traditionally routine eating pattern even when I work, especially since working 12 hour shifts, we don't work a five day work week.

What I've found through experimentation is that when I choose wholesome whole grained foods for breakfast that also contain a serving of fruit and/or veggies I have a much better day over all whether I'm up or sleeping for the day.  We all know basic nutrition.  Whole grains and fresh produce last longer in our systems because they're nutritionally dense and take longer to break down, creating a more even supply of glucose instead of the normal sugar/caffeine high and low of Krispie Kremes, Cocoa Puffs, and Caramel Mocha Coffee.  Weight Watchers call these nutritionally dense foods simply "filling" foods.  I'm experimenting with a lot of different things but I'm finding, so far, that egg dishes with fresh veggies and cereals like Irish oatmeal or Grapenuts with a side of fruit hit the spot and last all morning.

Photo Diet Diary: Pretty Pineapple Parfait

 

Super easy to put together, you can go the easy route and buy Greek yogurt or you can be like me and go the hard route:  buy Activia yogurt and strain it to get the same thick, rich texture. It was a matter of convenience. I can buy Greek yogurt in Springfield now but I would have had to go to a different store to do it so the work of straining it won.  The photo left shows how: simply cover the bottom of a colander with a layer or two of paper towel, put the colander over an empty bowl, dump the yogurt in the lined colander, and throw the whole thing into the fridge overnight. Voila: thick yogurt.  

For the parfait, I simply layered the yogurt with fresh pineapple, walnuts, and a tbsp drizzle of Melissa's Raspberry Dessert Sauce.  A word of warning though. I was surprised after I bought the sauce and then read the ingredients. From Melissa's, a brand name I trust for good wholesome foods in the produce department, I expected at least regular sugar, but nope, the first ingredient was high fructose corn syrup. Damn!  Oh well. I'll be using that sparingly for a very long time. The flavor is great but I expected real sugar and less of it from that brand name. My mistake.  I didn't see the ingredients of the other flavors but there was also chocolate, white chocolate, and caramel sauce.  I admit, though, the bottle and storage is very convenient.

I had gotten up late so I had the parfait as a combination breakfast/lunch, and then snacked on a couple of dates and a few walnuts before going to dinner with Auntie Miranda and Ann.  There I had this tuna, spinach, apple, & walnut salad...

 

...I'm lying.  Aunti ate this beautiful salad. I, being a creamsaucecrackwhore, ordered this:

Not quite at all good for me but it was very yummy. The only thing I have to say in my defense is that I only ate half and I didn't take the other half home. Sometimes wasting the leftovers by NOT taking them home is the best favor you can do yourself.

The rest of my day's imbibing was one 12 oz Coke, 3 glasses of water, and 3 tall glasses of iced tea with lemon.

Oh. And the one martini I had in the bar while waiting for Aunti and Ann to arrive where I learned something from a young prospective employee who came in to fill out a bartender application to the restaurant. This is sage advice:  DO NOT write "chick magnet" under the "special skills" section of the application.  The potential boss doesn't find it nearly as engaging and amusing as you do. (geesh, what a dumbass. :-))

Photo Diet Diary: The Chimichurri & Garlic Diet

 

Indulge me.  I've started a new diet. It's called the "Common Sense" Diet and it's of my own making.  Maybe I'll write my own book someday called "The Common Sense Diet:  Put Down the Bullshit Books and Use the Brain God Gave You by Glenna Anderson Muse."   (I like it.) 

I'm tired of reading books with complicated theories that promise that if only I will eat this and not that and take some special supplements and be a pain in the ass to every restaurant and friend's hospitality, THEN I'll be healthy, happy, and skinny. 

No, the uncomplicated truth is that if I eat good, real, fresh, unprocessed, unchemically saboutaged food then I'll be healhy(er).  Happy is up to me. No promises on skinny unless I put down the fork appropriately while getting off my ass at the same time, a complicated move here in Lazytown.  Sometimes I just need to remind myself that it's really NOT all that complicated. 

(Hmmm...I've said "ass" twice in two paragraphs. Perhaps I should have titled this the "ass" diet post.)

Here's a photo tour of my food intake from yesterday:  Gorgeous 4 oz filets with home-made  Chimichurri from parsley on the back porch. Equally beautiful 10/12 prawns sauteed in browned butter. Ceasar Salad.  Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes.  Wow.  The all garlic meal! But it was fabulous.

  

Lunch:  1/2 Price's Pimento Cheese Sandwich on Sara Lee White Wheat Bread & Musselman's No Sugar Added Applesauce

Snack:  Fiber One Oats & Caramel Bar (Really good. Too much sugar but a good alternative for other crap I could have eaten!)

Breakfast for Two:  Ham, Tomato, Potato, Green Pepper, & Onion Frittata.  This version with 4 eggs, 1/2 cup skim milk, a whole tomato, etc, and split by Gene and I, is 6 Weight Watchers points. 

By the way, I'm not much of a "meetings" person so I use weight watchers online to keep track of my food diary but I've only been to one meeting.  Ten years ago.  Never went back. I was too afraid from the gleams in the eyes and hands clasped to breasts that someone was going to speak in tongues and it just scared me a little.

That was my day with the exception of one 12 oz Coke, 2 glasses of water, and 4 glasses of iced herbal tea. 6 glasses of non-caffeinated beverages, five veggies, and having to pick fresh green stuff out of my teeth after dinner is a pretty good day in my book...

Warm Fluffy Frittata on a Too Cool Spring Morning

 

Dear Winter,

Are ya done yet?

Annoyed, Glenna

So I'm hoping that's our last frost and we can get the garden in the ground soon...in the meantime, am up early this morning and decided I needed eggs to ward off the spring chill in the air.

No real recipe for this one but I'll walk you through how I do it. 

Happy Fat Tuesday! --- King Cake w/cream cheese & cherry filling

 

My first King Cake!  Not only do I love this cake, which is much more like a pastry than a traditional cake, I have to pat myself on the back and explain that not only did I start this at 5pm tonight (and finish about 8:30pm), that was AFTER finishing up a two day very stressful certification course for work called PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support).  I came home with a fried brain, took a nap, and got up in such a good mood that I don't have to recertify for two years that I decided to not only make stuffed pork chops and twice baked potatoes with steamed zucchini for dinner, I made this cake too.  No.  I don't know where the energy came from but I'm really glad I made it. Gene will enjoy it with his coffee for the next few mornings and there will still be plenty to share with the neighbors. 

By the way, the meanings of the colors of Mardis Gras are Purple = royalty, Green = friendship, and Yellow = Purity.

Moving on into Lent...what are you sacrificing?  Personally, I've chosen to give up all words that DON'T start with "F" and all foods whose main ingredients AREN'T sugar.  It's worked well for me in the past.

Channeling My Inner Hippie: Yogurt Cheese, raw honey, & Home-made Granola Redux

Since when did people start making this "yocheese"?  I'd heard of draining yogurt but finally took the time to do it on a whim the other night and then did a google search to see if anyone else was doing it.  You know... I'm always the last to know anything.  I'm always the guy getting excited saying "Hey, y'all, I found this new thing!" People look at me and say "Oh pish, I've been doing that for years."  Sort of takes the wind out of my sails but then I happily go back to my own little world.

From what I've read yocheese has been hot in the Atkins circles for years. Really? That surprised me. I figured it was just a shoot off from the folks who "brew" their own yogurt. Cut me some slack on the Atkins connection.  I never even attempted Atkins mostly because I hate meat. I don't hate it but I don't love it enough to dedicate my life to it.  Purgatory, to me, would be someone sitting me down in a kitchen full of steaks and bacon and saying "Here, eat all you want of this and you'll even lose weight but for all of eternity you can never taste another slice of bread." 

(By the way, the rose is from my garden.  It's gorgeous this year.)

Doctor's Kitchen Monday: A New Year with Home-made Granola

It's a new year and although I did lose 15 lbs. last year it feels a hollow victory.  Does it really count if I lost and gained and lost and gained the same 10 lbs over and over and over again, barely inching my way down the scale throughout the year?  Maybe so but I really had higher hopes for the beginning of '08.  Sigh.  But such is life and there's no going back, only going forward.

The two things I'm really trying to tackle this month are the all important B and B's: Breakfast and Beverages. 

Let's start with soda.  I go up and down with my consumption but it's a constant battle against the addictiveness of Coke. Just love the stuff. If I have the choice between Pepsi and water, I'll choose the water, but if Coke is the choice, I'll drink it. The weird thing is I drink more of it at home than at work.  I'd think that would be the opposite but at work I'm moving around so much that I get dehydrated, know it, and crave water.  At home, nothing like an ice cold Coke. Right?  Okay, so I'm a product of effective advertising.

To fight my addiciton I've limited myself to an 8 oz serving a day and turned my attention to water, iced herbal tea, and Crystal Lite when I really need something flavored.  In the meantime I printed out this article and pasted in to the shelf above my desk and will read it every day and even change it out for articles in the same vein to keep myself reminded of just how healthy soda is. Not.

Take a look at this HEALTH BOLT: WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR BODY EVERY TIME YOU DRINK A SODA --  and we wonder why diabetes is so rampant in our culture. Armed with that bit of depression I'm drinking lots of iced herbal tea today with lots of water tonight at work.

Moving on to breakfast I thought  long and hard.  One of the mistakes I've made in past January gung-ho moments is to think that I'm suddenly going to change everything about myself in one fell swoop.  From past experience I think I can safely say that's not going to happen so instead I think I'll try to work with my natural inclinations.  For breakfast, I like carbs mostly.  I can do eggs but in my least healthy moments I'm more of a biscuits & gravy and hashbrowns kind of girl.  Well those are out, obviously, but what I did come up with was granola.  I like cereal but it usually leaves me starving by lunchtime, which is no surprise since most commercial cereals are little more than sugar held together by refined flour.

I decided to make my own granola, which I happen to love. It's hearty, delicious, and if I make my own I can control the ingredients 1) to shape it to my tastes or whims of the week, and 2) which means I can control the sugar.  That's a win-win.