November 2011

Sweet Hits The Spot

"French fries…not traditional fries, but fries with a not uncommon twist. Sweet potato fries."

French fries. Believe me, these little delicious slices of heaven are not finding their way onto a fat free menu. They easily find their way onto fast food and restaurant menus, or as a fitting side to a sandwich or burger. I know very few people who aren’t tempted by french fries and know even less that truly don’t desire to indulge in this fattening treat. I have no intention of disregarding the delicious flavors in healthy food, but I cannot ignore that the food that is NOT good for us, is often music to our taste buds.

Low Fat Meat Choices

Chicken, Rabbit, Seafood, and select Ground Beef.

If you do not wish to be a vegetarian but are trying to pursue a low fat diet, you may find your options for meat quite limited.  Most meat contains quite a bit of fat, which goes against the goals for the typical low fat diet.  There are some meats, however, that can be eaten in moderation while on a low fat diet.

Introducing! Ice Cream Happy Hour!

Greetings boozers and ice cream aficionados!

I am here to tell you about a new kind of ice cream; one that contains about 13% alcohol per serving. I’m a fan of alcohol and I’m a fan of ice cream. What’s not to love? Technically though, it is not possible to mix alcohol into ice cream. Why? The freezing point for alcohol is much lower than the freezing point for water (aka: ice). It’s science. …Ice, ice baby.

The lovelies behind the book: Ice Cream Happy Hour (50 Boozy Treats That You Spike and Freeze at Home), Valerie Lum and Jenise Addison found a work around. Note: it requires gelatin, so vegetarians take note.

Relaxing

A lost concept

When it comes to relaxing, the U.S. seems to be a little behind.  We are too focused on capitalism to think of relaxing. Siestas sound nice, but unfortunately that seems to be a lost idea on American culture.

Fortunately enough, we have tea.

Pepper Spray: A Food Product, Essentially?

Sure, in the same way that the guillotine is "a haircut, essentially."

 

Fox News commentator Megyn Kelly, while talking about the Occupy and UC Davis protests, dismissed concerns about police officers' heavy-handed use of pepper spray because it's "basically a food product, right?"
 
Well, yes and no. It is true that pepper spray contains capsicum, which is the active ingredient in hot peppers. Pepper spray causes "immediate closing of the eyes, difficulty breathing, runny nose, and coughing." It can cause corneal damage, and has been implicated in several deaths due to respiratory failure. When you breathe after being sprayed, it causes more of the spray to be inhaled, which can cause panic in many people. The effects last from between 30 minutes to 4 hours.
 
Sounds delish!

Is a Fat-Free Diet Really a Good Idea?

"Weston Price studied native peoples in several countries to determine how their diet affected their health."

There are many diet plans out there.  In fact, there are so many that the choices are simply overwhelming.  For many years, we have heard that eating fat will make us fat, and that certain fats are especially bad for us, like saturated fats.  Everywhere you look, there is no fat, low fat and fake fat, but if it is so effective, why are we all getting fatter?

Make Your Own Waffle Cones

How to make your own waffle cones (recipe adapted from The Cupcake Project):
  • 1 C heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 t vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 C powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 t ground cinnamon
  • Pinch ground nutmeg
  • 1 T cornstarch

In a bowl with a whisk, whip the cream with the vanilla until mousse-like (it won't form peaks).

Sift the remaining ingredients together and stir them into the cream to make a batter.

Let the batter sit for 30 minutes.

Sweet Potato Heaven



I grew up with a sweet potato family recipe that is truly heavenly. Until recently, I was unaware that everyone in the world didn’t prepare their sweet potatoes in the exact same way. When I was posting about the dish on a social networking site, I had a friend ask for the recipe. So here is my version of what is known as “Candied Sweet Potatoes.”

Day of Temptation

Thanksgiving is days away and we all know that healthy eating on this specific holiday, is not the easiest feat. Reality is, temptations lie around us all the time and this holiday is no different. Whether you are cooking or are simply a guest, the challenge lies within finding healthy alternatives to the traditional meal.

For those cooking the meals and eating them, finding 100% fat free options are a staggeringly difficult task. Most people can roll with the healthier option, but want to stay within the Thanksgiving meal itself. So, replacing turkey and all the fixins’ altogether, aren’t very realistic for most. What we can do, is reduce the fat greatly, replace some components with others, monitor our portions and make conscious choices all around.

Caramel Apple Waffles

 

The transition of fall to winter is the perfect time for waffles especially when they involve caramel and apples. Check out this recipe for caramel apple waffles next time you’re having some guests over.

Caramel Apple Waffles

(4 servings)    

For The Sauce:

  • 1 and 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 4 Tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


For The Apples:

  • 3 large apples - peeled / cored / cut into wedges
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg


The Austerity Sandwich: Toast On Bread

World's cheapest - and worst - sandwich?

 

Some scientists in Britain have identified what they believe is the cheapest edible meal: the "toast sandwich," which is found in Mrs. Beeton's legendary text on housekeeping and entertaining. The meal consists of a toasted slice of bread, with a dab of butter plus salt and pepper, between two other slices of bread. It clocks in at 330 calories, and 7.5 pence - or about 12 cents US.
 
This has to be the most depressing sandwich of all time. What a sad lunch that would be, as you sprinkle salt and pepper on the slice of toast before putting it between two slices of bread.
 
I guess that puts it as the polar opposite of another British sandwich, the famed "shooter's sandwich," which is an ever-popular entrant at online foodie hangouts like Reddit's /r/food board. The shooter's sandwich is basically a Panini sandwich with a steak, sautee'd mushrooms, and shallots on a loaf of crusty bread. It looks absolutely mouth-watering, and is considered by some to be "the world's best sandwich."

Fat Free Fruit Snacks

If you couldn’t tell, I have a sweet tooth, which does not necessarily work well with a fat free diet.  Fortunately, there are little things that save me and keep me on track, such as fat free fruit snacks like the kind Welch's makes.  These little gooey, tasty wonders are ideal not only for fat free diets, but also as a healthier snack for kids.

Hasselback Potatoes

Beautiful and delicious, but super-fiddly
I'll be honest with you: I tried making these, and I failed completely. Curious, I spent more time researching this recipe the next day. I might try making it again… or I might not!
 
Hasselback potatoes have nothing to do with David Hasselhoff, so don't let your mind take you anywhere in that direction. (Nothing good lies that way.) They are the specialty potatoes of a restaurant in Sweden called Hasselbackens, where they are on the menu as Hasselbackspotatis ("Hasselback's potatoes").

Spice Isn't Just For The Bedroom

In an effort to take on a healthy lifestyle, I have had to make conscious choices surrounding MOST of the things I would prefer to eat. I suppose on this journey towards healthiness, I have also realized that there are some things out there, that truly put a smile on my face, make my stomach grumble with pleasure, and in all honesty, not real sure I could live without. Some people probably say desserts or potato chips, etc. And although I cannot lie, because I love sweets and good ole’ fashion carbs, for me. My vice is condiments!

Ketchup, dressings, marinades, hot sauces etc. can be the life of my party. And although you can find low fat options lining the shelves of the grocery store, they are often packed with enough sodium to stop your heart. So, I have been scouring the health world trying to figure out what is the solution, what’s the trade off? How do I get great flavor without subjecting myself to fat and sodium?

Well, the consensus is SPICES. I have looked online and gathered information from my super healthy friends and family…and they all point to the same thing…dodge the traditional condiments and tap into natural spices. Not only do they have more overall nutritional value, they often times have various research showing their health characteristics as well. Using spices can season and dress up your fish, chicken, potatoes, and vegetables.

Foods You Can Eat on a Fat-Free Diet

Last week, we talked about foods that don’t work on a fat-free diet.  As a fat-free dieter, you probably hear a lot about what you can’t have, so this week I thought I would lighten the mood with a focus on healthy, tasty choices that are perfectly acceptable on a fat-free diet.  When you look at all of the healthy choices available, dieting does not seem so restrictive.

Fruits
You can enjoy fruits without any worries.  Apples, bananas, cherries, blueberries, watermelon, pears and tomatoes are all free choices on a fat-free diet.

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