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Home :: Food For Thought :: Posts Written By April Boland
Eat Cheats: Breakfast on the Go
The other day, a colleague of mine walked into our office kitchen while I was getting my breakfast. He looked at my plate, dumbfounded. "French toast? Where did you get French toast from?" Another time, I was asked how in the world I was able to have pancakes at the office. I am building quite a reputation as the woman with the awesome breakfasts.
The secret isn't really a secret. Brands such as Aunt Jemima have really expanded their product lines, and we no longer have to settle for frozen waffles alone. Sure, the waffles are great, but now we have a choice between those or pancakes or French toast. At the supermarket, you can find all of these fancy breakfast items in the frozen section. Just pop a pancake or slice of French toast in the toaster, as you would a waffle, and you're done.
Not only that, but brands such as Jimmy Dean offer breakfast bowls and sandwiches containing eggs, cheese, sausage, etc. that you can pop into the microwave. All of these options are fast and really help break up the monotony of breakfast.
Good Protein Sources (Part 2)
Hard to believe that when I wrote my previous post on how to get sufficient protein in your diet, I forgot to include protein powder! This might sound like something that only bodybuilders and weight lifters use, but every day folks like us can use it too. In fact, many nutritionists recommend it, especially if you are vegetarian or vegan.
A large can of protein powder can typically be found in the health food section of your supermarket, and can cost you anywhere between $12 and $25. This is not cheap, but think of it as an investment. The can usually contains enough to last you for months and months, depending on how often you use it. You can add it to all kinds of things, such as:
Milk in your cereal
A shake or smoothie
A bowl of oatmeal
Pancake or cake batter
Sauces
20 Minute Flatbread Pizza
Last week, I tried a recipe for Spinach/Goat Cheese Pizza that I found in this month's issue of Fitness Magazine. It took about 20 minutes to make and was really delicious. That got me thinking, so the other day I tried my own variation on the theme. Here's what I did:
- Brush olive oil over 1 slice of wheat naan (Indian flat bread, but you can use any kind you like). Bake on 350 degrees for 7 minutes.
- Top with fresh baby spinach leaves, goat cheese, bits of turkey (or fake turkey, if you are vegetarian) and pine nuts. Bake another 12 minutes in the oven.
Voila!
2-Minute Cheesecake
Kraft now has a Ready-To-Eat Cheesecake Filling product, which is incredible for those of us who are interested in making a fancy, delectable dessert within a couple of minutes. This tub of cream cheese-based filling can be spooned right into a pie crust, and you're done!
Alternatively, my mother suggested to me the other day that you can put it in a glass with crushed graham crackers on the bottom and top it with fresh fruit. In fact, there are plenty of ways to garnish your cheesecake:
- Cookies/graham crackers
- Fresh berries
- Fruit jam
- Whipped cream
- Chopped nuts
- Maraschino cherries
- Chocolate syrup, drizzled on top
Foods with a Bad Rap
- Coffee - Many people condemn coffee, yet recent studies have proven it to be rather good for you. According to a recent New York Times article, coffee can reduce the risk of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cirrhosis of the liver. You might want to switch to decaf in order to avoid the adverse effects of caffeine and its withdrawal symptoms, but coffee itself is not a bad choice for morning beverage.
- Chocolate - How many times have you or someone you know sworn off chocolate for health reasons? Yet WebMD asserts that a bit of dark chocolate a day is good for your heart! The flavonoids it contains "keep cholesterol from gathering in blood vessels, reduce the risk of blood clots, and slow down the immune responses that lead to clogged arteries." In moderation (it still contains a bunch of calories), chocolate can actually help your health rather than hurt it.
Good Protein Sources
As a vegetarian, I am constantly concerned about getting enough protein. I have also done a lot of research into the subject. Yet the recommended foods and supplements are not just helpful for vegetarians - anyone can benefit from getting the right amount of protein each day. According to the Recommended Daily Allowances, most adults should be consuming between 45 and 56 grams of protein each day (depending on age and sex). Paying attention to your protein intake based on food labels and such will give you a quick answer to whether or not you are meeting your targets, and if not, here's how you can start.
- Meat- This is a no-brainer, but meat-eaters who are not eating enough protein should stock up on lean meats in order to meet their target intake. Vegetarians, go for the fake meats. They come as "sausages", burgers, cold cuts, chili, ground "beef" and "chicken" nuggets, and are usually fortified with protein.
- Fish - Again, fairly obvious. Some vegetarians allow themselves to eat fish, and if you are one of them, stock up. Those omega fatty acids are great for your brain.
- Nuts - Go for raw nuts without salt. They still taste delicious and give you a protein/healthy fat boost without high sodium.
- Dairy products - Choose low-fat or fat-free milk, cheese, yogurt and sour cream if you can.
- Soy products - Tofu, soy nuts, soy milk, etc. are generally considered vegetarian staples, and they are delicious.
- Beans and legumes - You can cook these or throw them in a soup or salad. They are pretty versatile.
Light Dairy Substitutes
I am a big fan of dairy products, especially cheese. As a vegetarian, I can sometimes overcompensate for not eating meat by eating too many cheese sandwiches, quesadillas, pasta with cheese, etc. This is not good when you consider the calories and fat in most dairy products. The obvious recommendation would be to use light dairy products such as fat-free milk, yogurt, sour cream and cheeses. Yet I have found another way to lighten up the dairy products I use - choosing non-dairy products. Sound funny? Let me explain.
Though I am not a vegan, I do enjoy using vegan cheese in place of regular cheese from time to time. When melting a slice of American or a pinch of shredded Cheddar in a sandwich or omelet, I can't even tell the difference. This allows me to have more dairy with less guilt. After all, 1 ounce of vegan cheese contains 45 calories, while 1 ounce of real cheese contains anywhere from 75 to 120 calories. The same thing goes for soy milk in place of regular milk. Did you know that even fat-free milk contains 12 grams of sugar per cup? Alternatively, soy milk contains only 6 grams per cup.
And while I'm at it, I cannot neglect to mention Laughing Cow cheese, which is tasty spreadable cheese (not vegan) that only has 35 calories per wedge.
Fast Serve-able Snacks
If you're like me, you probably enjoy having friends over to talk, watch movies and nosh on some good food. (If you don't, you should try it sometime!) These "nights in" can save you all a good deal of money when you consider what it costs for each person to make or purchase a small dish and rent a movie as opposed to dinner and a movie out. Yet some foods are faster to prepare and easier to eat than others, especially at intimate potluck events such as I am describing. Here are some ideas for what to serve your guests that will not take hours to prepare or wind up staining your carpet.
- Cold cut roll-ups - You may remember this from childhood, but nicely paired slices of cheese and meat can be rolled together and served on a platter.
- Crudité - Raw veggies and dip are healthy, simple and ever popular. You can use baby carrots, celery sticks, cauliflower, broccoli, cherry tomatoes or cucumber slices. The dip is also easy - a 60-cent bag of dip mix combined with fat-free sour cream will yield one that is tasty but not too calorie-heavy.
- Pigs in a blanket - Mini hot dogs rolled in biscuit dough and baked in the oven. These are perfect hors 'd'oeuvres. To lighten this up, you might try turkey or vegetarian dogs and light or wheat biscuits.
- Fine cheese - Spring for some Brie (they even sell a light version!) and serve it to friends with wheat crackers or crusty French bread. You can also make a fruit/cheese plate by adding grapes and pear or apple slices on the side.
- Asian chicken lettuce wraps - These are not too difficult to make. Buy a ready-made rotisserie chicken (or throw a couple of breasts into the oven) and construct your wraps using large lettuce leaves and Thai peanut sauce (available in the Asian section of most supermarkets).
Happy hosting!
Baking... With Seltzer?
Has anyone ever heard of the "Diet Coke Cake"? I don't know who invented it, but this recipe is all over healthy cooking message boards on the Internet. The premise is that if you buy a box of cake mix and add a can of Diet Coke to it (instead of eggs, oil, etc) and bake it according to the directions on the box, it will rise and be fabulous and have way less fat and calories. Many people have tried variations on this with different cake flavors and different diet sodas.
I first tried this a while back and, while I was amazed that it actually produced a cake, the diet soda added a sweetness that I did not care for. I started to experiment and found that - voila! - seltzer/club soda/bubbly water does the trick. You can literally bake a cake that tastes delicious with the amount of fat and calories per serving that the box attributes to the 'mix' but not to the 'prepared' result.
I even started doing this with muffin mix. I buy a small bag of blueberry or banana nut for under $1 which yields 6 muffins, add 1/2 can of seltzer and enjoy. I have served these light muffins to friends who do not consider themselves healthy eaters, without telling them, and they complimented me on how delicious they were.
Popping Your Own Popcorn
Who doesn't like popcorn? And yet, you might want to think twice before buying boxes of the microwaveable stuff. Many of them, aside from being pricey, are high in fat and calories from the flavoring and all. (Don't even get me started on movie popcorn and its perils!)
Most people don't seem to realize how amazing, easy and inexpensive it is to freshly pop your own popcorn. No, you don't need a popcorn machine - all you need is a pot or pan and a bag of kernels. I recently purchased an 80 cent bag of popcorn kernels. According to the nutrition information and serving sizes, that small bag that cost me less than a dollar will yield 44 cups of popcorn.
Seems hard to believe until you start popping, which is when you will realize that a few spoons of kernels are all you need. (Follow instructions on the bag and try to avoid popping too much! It will be tempting to think the small number of kernels couldn't possibly be it.) Add oil (olive would be the healthy choice) and a single kernel to the pot or pan over a flame, covered. When the single kernel pops, the pot/pan is ready. Add all of your kernels, keep it covered and pop! (This should be fun with kids, or for those of you who remember Jiffy Pop foil skillets over the stove.)
The best part is you can flavor your popcorn with whatever you like:
- Salt and pepper
- Butter
- Garlic salt
- Parmesan cheese
Now, doesn't 80 cents for at least 20+ popcorn sessions - that are much healthier than processed popcorn with artificial flavoring - sound like a good deal?
