Canned vegetables and soups have gotten a bad rap over the past decade or so, and with good reason in some cases. Many canned goods are loaded with added salt and sugar. Because of how much added salt and sugar there are in many of the foods we eat today, we have actually conditioned ourselves to think and want more salt and sugar than we actually need. Eating foods with salt and sugar isn't the problem. The problem is we eat too much of it. There is also the whole BPA thing that potentially means eating canned foods can actually be somewhat dangerous. If you fear the BPA in cans, then this post is not for you. However, if like me, it’s not at the top of your list of concerns, then keep reading because I am about to blow your mind. (As much as I can with canned tomatoes) In the case of canned goods many of them are loaded with salt, and all kinds of added and really unnecessary ingredients. Canned soups are something that I particularly steer clear of on a normal basis because when I make food, I want to have as much control as possible over what, and how much of what goes into what I eat. Many prepackaged foods are not only loaded with salt and unrecognizable chemical compounds (to be discussed in a later post), but they are also loaded with sugar. If you were to prepare the same packaged foods from scratch, you would find that not only can you add less salt and sugar, but also without all of the extra junk they taste better than buying it ready made from the store. I can pretty much guess what your thinking. Yeah right. I really want to take time to make this crap from scratch, and my response is yes. Yes you do, and the best part is it’s easy. Which brings me to the canned tomato but before I extol the virtues of this glorious product I want to say a few things about buying canned goods. I’m not a fan of canned vegetables and fruits for a few reasons. For the most part, canned vegetables have a taste and texture that to me is generally unappealing, and could never in a million years live up to the taste of fresh vegetables. Canned fruits are almost always packed in syrup(hello megaton of added sugar) and even the ones packed in fruit juice have added sugar and the texture can also be a little….off (I’m talking to you peaches). Quick reminder, EXTRA salt and sugar are things to avoid. (Note the word EXTRA). Some canned goods are great to have on hand, and there are a few that I always have. Beans, tuna fish, and chickpeas are great pantry items. They save you a ton of time, and research has shown that giving them a quick rinse before use can wash off around 40% of the added salt. I keep canned diced tomatoes on hand, but I make sure to get the no salt added. Why? Because I want to be in control of how much salt goes into my food. Too much salt, among other things, is a huge contributor to bloat and water weight gain. Canned pumpkin(not pie filling) is also a great pantry staple, but again I am talking about the tomato. So, let’s get into it. What can you make out of the canned tomato? Get ready to have your mind blown. *Takes a breath* Spaghetti sauce, tomato soup, tomato bisque, pizza sauce, marinara sauce, and ketchup which also means BBQ sauce. All of these prepackaged items can be made at home for a fraction of the cost, giving you complete control over all of the ingredients, with almost no effort. The only kitchen tools that you need are a blender, and a pot with a stove. How does this work? For whichever of the previously listed items you want to make the method is the same. Open however many cans of tomatoes that you want to use, puree them in the blender, put them in a pot on the stove, add whatever ingredients you want, and let it cook without a lid until enough water cooks out to create your desired consistency. To make ketchup, two cans fills up a mason jar. I add a pinch of salt, a teaspoon of sugar, a little garlic powder, and a splash of white vinegar. I taste, and add more from there if I need to. Make sure you stir it occasionally as it cooks, and it’s done when you drag your mixing spoon across the pan and the trail that you make stays. Let it cool, put it in a mason jar, and put it in the fridge. Once it is refrigerator temperature it’s ready to use. It’s delicious, sooooo much cheaper, and I know exactly what is in it. Just to clarify when I say delicious, I mean the best ketchup I have ever had. Including, (yes...I know, I’m sorry my Texas peeps) “Whataburger” ketchup. It’s so easy, and it’s the same for all of the prepackaged tomato based foods. If you want a chunky marinara, or a chunky tomato bisque, then only puree half of the amount of canned tomato that you are using. Puree more or less to your taste. You are completely in control. Want a pasta sauce with fresh herbs? Make it, and make it your own! Why? Because you can, can, can! Chunky Tomato Bisque
2-14.5 oz canned diced tomatoes in tomato juice (no salt added) ½ cup skim milk 2 tsp of olive oil OR ⅔ tbsp of butter (I use olive oil because I’m watching my cholesterol. Olive oil will float to the top, but just stir it as it cooks) 2 tsp sugar Salt to taste ( I used about 1 to 1-1/2 tsp) **A word of caution about salt and sugar to taste. As mentioned above, most of the foods we eat that are prepackaged and bought at restaurants or other establishments are loaded with so much extra salt and sugar that our taste buds are thrown out of whack. If you're serious about a healthier lifestyle, then go 5 days without adding salt or sugar to anything, and don't buy any prepackaged foods. If you do, buy foods with lower salt and sugar content. (Read the label and nutrition info) Make it yourself and try to get away with not adding salt or sugar(including stevia, honey, agave nectar, etc...) to it. Find other ingredients such as spices and fresh or dried herbs to add instead. Potato and tomato dishes will need a touch of salt though. And for the love of God do not use any artificial sweetener. These little chemical shit-storms mess up your palette and make you crave the worst kinds of foods. This will allow your palette to reset, and when you gradually add in more foods you will find that some foods that you used to eat may be too salty or sweet, and artificial sweetener may end up tasting gross. (Let's hope) The point isn't to go without salt and sugar. The point is to get used to eating less. However, as far as artificial sweeteners are concerned....yes, the point is to go without these. Directions Puree one can, and pour both cans into a saucepan on medium high heat. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well. Taste for seasoning. Bring to a boil and boil with lid on for 10-15 mins. Lower heat and keep lid on for another 5-10 mins. Take lid off and continue to cook until desired thickness and consistency is reached. (About another 5-10 mins.) Serves 2-3 as a side dish. *This makes a great lunch with grilled cheese or a panini of some sort *If you want a smooth or not quite as chunky bisque then puree the contents of the canned tomatoes until desired consistency, then pour into the saucepan. Pureeing to some degree will also give it a more concentrated tomato flavor *You can get creative by adding in herbs, or sauteing onions and garlic in the oil or butter before adding in the tomatoes. Throw some lentils and farro into the bisque for a complete meal. The sky is the limit!
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Ahhh exercise. The math class of healthy living. You either love it or hate it. Unfortunately, for those of you that fall into the latter category exercise is an important part of the equation for health, but before I go any further I am just going to stop and say that no, I am not a certified trainer. I am only telling you what I’ve learned, and what has so far worked for me. Do with the information what you will. So step 1: Decide you are ready. Step 2: Assess and refine what you eat. Step 3: Exercise. This seems like a good time to discuss terminology. We've already discussed getting rid of the word diet (which again has the word die in it) and replacing it with nutritious and healthy. There is also using "self-control" over "will power". Will power sounds like deprivation whereas control sounds powerful, and like it is a choice because it is. The last group of terms that I want to discuss may be the most misunderstood. The term is "losing weight" This is the overall goal for most people, but this is problematic because the issue isn't weight. The issue is too much fat and too little muscle. Adjusting your food intake will allow you to lose weight and get smaller, but losing that weight doesn't mean you are only losing fat. You will also be losing muscle, and there is such a thing as being skinny, but still having too much fat. Fat, as everyone knows, is the cause of many preventable ailments. Too much fat is the problem, and excess fat is what we want to get rid of; not weight. However, we don't just want to lose fat, we also need to gain muscle. Muscle is what keeps us healthy. Muscle, along with eating enough food, is what makes sure that our metabolism doesn't crash. Unless you work to gain muscle as well as lose fat, more than likely any effort you make to "lose weight" will be for naught. That big study that came out about the contestants on "The Biggest Loser" about how they have all gained their weight back because when you lose weight you are doomed to a life of deprivation because your metabolism slows down is complete bull. Yes, your metabolism slows down because your body needs less to maintain its minimal functions. Yes, you may temporarily go into a type of starvation mode because your body is adjusting to its new norm, but what they left out is that the issue is they lost massive amounts of weight, fat and muscle, in such a short amount of time. This is a marathon and not a sprint. The body can only metabolize two pounds of fat per week. Any more loss than this will include muscle loss, and that is what causes a metabolism to slow more than it should, and lack of muscle is what will make it difficult to maintain weight loss. All of the studies say that as we age we lose muscle mass, and our metabolism slows, but as it turns out our metabolism only slows because we lose muscle mass, and we only lose muscle mass because we don't stay as active. So what's the point? The point is that in order to be healthy, which is the goal, we have to not only stay motivated, eat well, and exercise, we have to exercise and stay active in a way that will help us lose excess fat, and build and maintain muscle. Muscle is the key component. To my view there are three components to exercise: Strength training, cardio, and flexibility. I have found that making sure that all of these components are incorporated is not only best physically, but also keeps me from being limited to one, boring type of exercise. For the moment I am not going to go into any more specifics on exercising because the first step to incorporating exercise is being motivated to do so. That being said, let me try to get you into the right mindset. We often view exercise as a form of punishment. “I ate that donut this morning, therefore I will run an extra 5 miles. If I exercise I won’t get to relax. I hate exercise”. This kind of negative self talk, that I’m sure all of us have experienced, ( I know I have) is a form of sabotage. People weren’t made to sit still. We were made to move. That’s why once we do we feel so good. Exercise releases endorphins that make us feel happy and less stressed, and that’s not an accident. That’s because we should be moving around. Even if you can’t do very much now, something is better than nothing. If walking for 2 minutes makes you feel winded, then start trying to walk for 3 minutes. Walk with some weights. Start trying to stretch. Try to do 5 push-ups on your knees. Try to do 2 push-ups on your knees. Take up yoga with some free youtube videos. (I can not say enough good things about yoga, and I will plug it as much as possible without apology) Park in the back of the parking lot and walk to the door. The point is to get up and get moving, and to quit thinking of exercise as punishment and see it for what it is. Exercise is a reward. It is love. It is taking care of your body so that the two of you will be happily together for a long time. Find the time, or create a routine that allows you to move around and keep the excuses on the shelf. Do the math. Subtract the negative mindset, and add some movement to your day. (See what I did there?) In terms of general topics about which I plan on posting, I would like to keep a fairly steady rotation through mental/spiritual well-being, physical well being, and the occasional “sharp opinion piece” as my husband calls it. So far I have covered my opinion piece, given an introductory glimpse into the mentality needed for a lifestyle change, and touched on meditation. Since everything so far has been on the mental/spiritual side of things I think that it is now time to start talking more about the physical side of well being. Specifically, let’s talk about….food. When beginning a change towards the healthy everyone is pretty much in agreement that exercise and good nutrition go hand in hand. This combination is the best for physical health for a number of reasons, but it all starts with food. There is a lot that can be said on this subject, so I am going to break it up across several posts to cover portion control, smarter food choices, how I put together a meal, how to splurge without guilt, and how to navigate eating out at a restaurant or party without derailing your efforts.. I am not a nutritionist, and I don’t claim to be, but I have found something that works for me and that’s the point. The best food choices are the ones that will work for you for the rest of your life, so without further ado, let’s begin. Raise your hand if you are now, or have ever been part of the “Clean Your Plate” club. (Keep them up while I count) Like me I’m sure most of us grew up in the well meaning ideology that you needed to eat everything on your plate because it costs money, there are starving children all over the world, and so on and so forth. Whatever your reason for being a part of this club let me just say to you in plain, and simple words, “Get out now!” Whatever your reason for clearing your plate, stop it. Stop it right now. Let go of the guilt that comes with seeing food left on your plate. Let go of the idea that the starving children need you to eat. Whether it goes to waste, or goes to your waist the children will not end up with that food. At least putting it in the trash doesn’t add to your waistline. There is absolutely nothing wrong with leaving food on your plate. (That’s right, I said it) Besides the food choices that we make, portion control, or lack thereof, is the main culprit to fat gain and overeating. If you’re like me, you just don’t understand the difference between being genuinely hungry, and just wanting more food, and you probably underestimate the amount of calories in the food you are eating. Portion control of any food, whether it be nutrient dense or not, is paramount to maintain a healthy eating lifestyle. When you’ve been conditioned to clean your plate, you have also conditioned yourself to ignore your body’s natural hunger cues, and this is what fouls up our ability to maintain appropriate portion control. What does this mean exactly? Well, it means that when it comes to leading a healthier lifestyle, you will probably have to retrain your body, and yourself to understand your natural hunger cues. Again, this is what worked for me, and I share it now because it took me 20 years to figure it out, and by Jove someone else should benefit. When I say portion control, I am specifically talking about how much of what food group you eat. Some people try to count calories. If that works for you forever, great. To me it is a huge pain in the ass. Do I count them at all? Sometimes yes, but only for meal planning purposes, which I’ll go over in a later post. Getting back to portion control, the big idea is to limit the calorie dense food you eat to smaller portions, fill up on lighter foods, like produce, and to also listen to your body for when it is full. In an earlier post I mentioned how my husband and I began with the 2020 diet. Even though we didn’t stick with that plan there were several useful pieces of information, one of which I am about to share with you. If your stomach isn’t growling, you aren’t hungry, and if you feel full or stuffed, then you ate too much. Does this mean that you should let yourself get mind numbingly hungry? No. But, when your stomach starts to growl, then you know that you are actually hungry. This has been useful for me because for so long I would mistake just wanting the mouth-feel of food, or having a particular craving (usually triggered by food network), or having the munchies for being hungry. Now my plan is simple. I eat 3-5 times a day,(3 meals and 1 snack, or 3 meals with a snack and dessert) and let my stomach decide. The other side of this is stopping before you eat too much. Your body takes around 20 minutes to decide that it is full. This means that if you’re one of those people who eat like their head is on fire, and it will only go out if you clear your plate, then you are eating all of this food before your body has time to process it. This goes back to my previous post, “Open up and say Om”. Slow down your eating. My little trick has now become putting my fork or spoon down after every bite, and before I finish my food I stop eating, and just sit for a moment. 5-10 minutes depending on how much time you have is long enough to give yourself time to see if you forget about those last few bites, or if you still feel hungry. No matter what food plan you eventually choose, the most important thing to remember is portion control. Eating nutrient dense food is important to health, but using portion control, and understanding when you are actually hungry is the key to long term success. There are some clubs that you just shouldn't be a part of. Say goodbye to the “Clean Your Plate” club, and never look back. Chances are that you've seen articles about mindfulness and meditation. While these aren't new topics by any means (think centuries), they do seem to suddenly be trending everywhere. If you enter those words into google, there are literally millions of search results. If you are anything like me, when hearing the word meditation you may think of a Buddhist monk hovering above the ground in the lotus position while being locked in a trance. While transcendental meditation is certainly possible(as far as I know floating is not), this is definitely something that most of us probably won't ever achieve in our lifetime. This is like the holy grail of meditation. Who has time to sit in the lotus position for hours a day trying to float, and shut out the world?! Here's the thing. Meditation, in its simplest form, is simply concentrating on one thing. When was the last time any of us concentrated on only one thing? How many times are you on your smart phone while watching tv? What about when you eat a meal? Do you concentrate on your food, or are you checking the latest trending topics? Do you ever look down and feel a little surprise that you have finished your entire meal, but really can't remember any of it? How often do you spend your down time looking ahead to the next thing? When it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, with a healthy balance, mindfulness is the key. Being mindful just means to stop and think. For someone trying to start or maintain a healthy, balanced lifestyle this is the epitome of putting your health first. How does meditation help with being mindful? Anytime that you meditate you are training your brain to stop everything else that it is doing, and concentrate on one thing. In other words, you are teaching your brain to calm the heck down. Meditation, according to many articles, can help limit the release of cortisol in your body which you've probably heard by now is a stress hormone, and can cause fat to store itself in your body. Outside of that doesn't stopping and just being sound great? So, what counts as meditation? Believe or not, there are many things that count as meditation besides the lotus position. You can meditate while driving. All you have to do is shut off the radio, breathe, and concentrate just on driving. Don't think about work, family problems, or anything else other than what is happening on the road.(That's great advice for everyone) Some people take up art, or crafting as a stress reliever because they are only concentrating on that one thing. I myself craft for this purpose which is how I got the idea to start my online store. Exercise is a proven stress reliever and can be a form of meditation if you focus. (Exercise also has many other benefits which we'll talk about later) But why not try meditating the way the monks do? Find 10 minutes and sit in the lotus position, shut your eyes, and just breathe deeply in and out through your nose. When a thought pops in, let it go, and just keep breathing. If many thoughts come to your mind at first that's okay. You are retraining your brain to concentrate on one thing and let everything else go, and this takes time. Keep your focus on your breath. On the days where I wake up before everyone else, I sit up in bed and meditate on the spot. It's a wonderful way to start your day. The best part of getting started is there isn't a wrong way to do it. As long as you are trying to meditate, you are meditating. You just have to make it a priority. When you start being mindful, stopping before you do something and thinking about it becomes easier. For me, if I feel stressed instead of reaching for whatever food is on hand, now I stop and think about why I want the food, and remind myself that I am not hungry. I just take a few deep breaths and move on. Want to stop finding yourself at the bottom of Ben & Jerry's when you feel depressed? Stop before you grab it in the first place, and breathe. Do something more productive. The same for when you are angry (or hangry), feel the midnight munchies, or decide to enjoy a little treat. Use mindfulness to exercise portion control. If you are reaching for Ben & Jerry, and you know it's just because you want it and not to feed some emotional need, then get a bowl and have a scoop. (Not the whole pint) When you are eating a meal, put away everything else and just eat. Not only will you eat more slowly so that you are less likely to overeat, but you will actually taste and enjoy (hopefully) your food. Learn to let negative emotions go by being mindful of what you can and can't change. Take a few minutes to breathe and gain a little clarity. I challenge you to be unapologetically selfish about finding time for yourself to breathe. Stop and say, "ommmmm." Okay so...second blog post. I started this blog with my token rant which may have added further clarity to why exactly I am unapologetic. So here's another confession. On January 1st, 2016 I weighed almost 240 lbs. Go ahead...take a moment to take that in, oh and I'm only 5'7". Yeah...So for this particular post I have decided to share a little bit of my story and one of my new favorite recipes, so let's begin. In December I happened to have Dr. Phil on (sans bonbon) and he was talking about the 20/20 diet that he, along with a slew of other people, developed. It was also on this day that as I bent to retrieve something off of the floor I realized that I actually had to move my legs apart in order to make room for my stomach to get whatever thing off of the floor. From the couch. I will say it again; reaching the floor from the couch took a concerted effort. You ever have one of those, "How did I get here moments?" Yeah well, that was mine. That evening when my husband, who weighed almost 300 lbs, came home I told him that we were doing the 20/20 diet and since I cooked and he didn't, he didn't get a choice. So for your edification I now present to you my before. So yes. That was me 9 months ago. A lifetime of emotional eating, generalized anxiety disorder, and basic lack of physical activity put me here. I almost couldn't help it. I love food. It was so comforting and celebratory. No matter what else happened good food would never disappoint or let you down, but enough was enough. I bought the book, read it, and we started the year off right. 2016 was the year that I would become my best self. "Today I am better than I was yesterday" became my motto, and it worked! The pounds melted off of both of me and my husband. I found my voice. I found myself, and everyday I became better than I was yesterday. I don't think of it as a diet because that sounds temporary...and has the word die in it. I am fueling my body with good nutrition which in turn makes me feel good. Exercise became a reward for my body instead of punishment or a chore. Yoga worked out all of the kinks and meditation gave me new coping tools. After all of these months I have hit my goal size. (Notice that I said size, and not weight, but I'll talk about that in future posts.) The key thing that I learned in this process was that this isn't about a number on the scale. It is about being healthy physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Making this kind of change has to start in your soul because you almost have to change your world view, and learn how to be your best self. If you make it all about the physical, it won't be successful. You have to find the intrinsic value to being healthy, and here's the rub, you have to be selfish in prioritizing your health. However, in terms of the physical, food is a huge component. What and how much you eat is paramount. You can't out exercise a poor diet, and you can't indulge in the fatty, luxurious, sugar/salt laden foods every day. My husband and I quit the 20/20 diet months ago because I love food, I love to cook, and I wanted more freedom. I began to develop my own recipes to satisfy cravings for fun foods. I can honestly say that I do not feel deprived of the joy that can be food, and that the strategies that I developed for myself really do work, and are worth the time and effort. Throughout future posts I will share my strategies, but for now every before needs an after, so here is mine. So as reward for sticking with me for two blog posts, and because I love fall, here is my recipe for a family-style pumpkin pancake complete with photos. Photos are after the recipe. This particular recipe is a recent development on my part. I do love an indulgent and sweet breakfast over a savory breakfast. Sunday morning is our fun food day where we don't worry about what goes into what we're eating, but following the 80/20 rule I wanted something that felt indulgent, but was actually quite light and nutritious. What I also love about this breakfast is the family style method of serving. I'm not a huge fan of making a bunch of small pancakes that take longer to cook in batches than it does to make the batter and eat the food. This recipe is extremely kid friendly. My picky 3 year old daughter actually does almost all of the whisking, and eats these up. Family Style Pumpkin Pancake. Ingredients 2 large eggs 1/4 cup of skim or buttermilk 1 cup pumpkin puree ( I use canned) 1/4 cup whole wheat flour 1 cup rolled oats 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 1 tsp baking powder pumpkin pie spice-to taste 2 tsp coconut oil 1. In a 10 inch skillet that has a lid heat the coconut oil on medium heat. 2. In a mixing bowl whisk the eggs, milk, pumpkin, vanilla, and pie spice. I use about a teaspoon of pie spice. 3. Whisk in the flour and oats, and gently whisk in the baking powder. Let sit for a few minutes. The batter will be thick. 4. Make sure that the coconut oil evenly covers the bottom of the pan, and pour in all of the batter. Gently shake the pan to spread the batter completely across the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the top of the pancake with pie spice and cover. 5. After about 5 minutes check to see if the pancake is ready to flip by gently shaking the pan. If it moves freely, then you are ready to flip. 6. To flip, gently slide the pancake onto a plate, and place the skillet upside down over the pancake that is now on the plate. 7. Flip everything over so now the uncooked top becomes the bottom in the pan. Sprinkle with pie spice and cover. 8. Cook for another minute or two. Use the shake test to see if it is done. Cut into 6 or 8 triangle pieces like a pizza and serve from the skillet. I like to top this with a little peanut butter drizzle and a dollop of nonfat, vanilla greek yogurt. To make the drizzle combine peanut butter, skim milk, and honey until you reach desired consistency. I use a fork and drizzle directly in the skillet. A note about peanut butter, I use natural peanut butter because honestly, you only need two ingredients for peanut butter: peanuts and salt. The pancake itself isn't sweet. If you would like a little sweetness directly in the pancake, then sprinkle a little brown sugar over the top after you pour the batter from the bowl into the pan. When you flip it over the sugar will caramelize slightly to create a sweet bottom. If you are feeling special and fancy, then slice half of any sweet apple into thin rounds using a mandolin. Cook in the oil, in a single layer sprinkled with pie spice, and let cook while making the batter. Pour the batter over the apples, and when you flip the pancake the apples will be on top. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
March 2017
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