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[Ongoing] Healthy Cooking Discussion
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keyboard_arrow_downCraigLewis
260
Mar 7, 2018
For maintaining nutritional quality and flavor, try slow cooking your veg's in the oven.
Preheat oven only...NOT the baking dish...to 275.
Prepare as needed, season as desired. Drizzle with olive oil. (Or, of course, toss in a bowl with the olive oil first, then season in the pan.) I use a flameware as my baking dish; safe to say not many will, but glass or heavy ceramic like Corning French White should be fine. Cook for about 25 minutes.
Tomatoes and zucchini are my go-to; also done it with asparagus (good but slightly messy) and gray squash (ok, but not a favorite). Also works nicely with corn, when I do that...gotta watch the carbs. Never tried it with broccoli or broccolini; I prefer that raw. Should do OK tho.
Nice thing is...this can work with some meats. I do it regularly with salmon...that's where the idea started. Also works nicely with flatfish like sole filets. Boneless chicken thighs...trim off any fat. Trick is, these go into a *preheated* pan. Burger for one? I have a pair of 8" cast iron fry pans. I take the ground meat, add salt and seasonings and a small drizzle of olive oil, and knead together. Form into a patty; use the 2 pans to make, effectively, a press. I use cold pans for this because it's cooking from both sides. It's too cool to actually cause browning, I'll grant, but it's worked for me.
Last timing tip...if the 25 minutes is a tad short, then get the meat into the oven first, THEN prep the veggies. :)
And if you're gonna do...as I am, starting right about now...a steak where you want the browning, the 275 oven supports a pan roast. Saute to sear, then finish in the oven.
Preheat oven only...NOT the baking dish...to 275.
Prepare as needed, season as desired. Drizzle with olive oil. (Or, of course, toss in a bowl with the olive oil first, then season in the pan.) I use a flameware as my baking dish; safe to say not many will, but glass or heavy ceramic like Corning French White should be fine. Cook for about 25 minutes.
Tomatoes and zucchini are my go-to; also done it with asparagus (good but slightly messy) and gray squash (ok, but not a favorite). Also works nicely with corn, when I do that...gotta watch the carbs. Never tried it with broccoli or broccolini; I prefer that raw. Should do OK tho.
Nice thing is...this can work with some meats. I do it regularly with salmon...that's where the idea started. Also works nicely with flatfish like sole filets. Boneless chicken thighs...trim off any fat. Trick is, these go into a *preheated* pan. Burger for one? I have a pair of 8" cast iron fry pans. I take the ground meat, add salt and seasonings and a small drizzle of olive oil, and knead together. Form into a patty; use the 2 pans to make, effectively, a press. I use cold pans for this because it's cooking from both sides. It's too cool to actually cause browning, I'll grant, but it's worked for me.
Last timing tip...if the 25 minutes is a tad short, then get the meat into the oven first, THEN prep the veggies. :)
And if you're gonna do...as I am, starting right about now...a steak where you want the browning, the 275 oven supports a pan roast. Saute to sear, then finish in the oven.
CraigLewis
260
Mar 5, 2018
Low GI, ergo diabetic friendly smoothie (and yes, I am, and this is an everyday staple for me)
140 grams strawberries, hulled 70 grams other fruit (I've used blackberry, blueberry, raspberry, mango, and cherry, and combos as well) ~90 grams nonfat plain greek yogurt ~90 grams unsweetened almond milk 4-5 drops liquid stevia, or 1 packet stevia powder (optional, but helps the flavors pop) a good healthy shake of spice...cinnamon, chinese five spice, applie pie spice, etc. Also optional.
If using frozen strawberries, heat the almond mild for about 45 seconds first. This isn't necessary if using fresh strawberries with frozen secondary fruits, altho frozen mango can be easier to blend in if you zap the almond milk a bit first.
The strawberries are very low GI (glycemic index) and low in carbs. The other berries are almost as low. Cherries are a bit higher, and mango still higher, but you're not using that much. And the strawberry/mango is wonderful in hot weather. NOTE FOR DIABETICS: this should count as approximately 2 carbs out of your meal's 3. At the amounts given.
Finally, note that these can be expressed as ratios. By weight: fruit ~55%, non-fruit ~45%. For the fruit, 2 parts strawberries, 1 part other. Non-fruit is equal parts yogurt and almond milk. More almond milk will give a slightly thinner texture, and that's fine too.
Last but not least, this is a baseline recipe. Tweak to your liking. I emphasize the strawberries to give both a mild base flavor that can be tweaked, and because it's so diabetic-friendly. I rarely go less than 50% strawberries...but I've also done 100% blackberry, and 100% tart cherry.
140 grams strawberries, hulled 70 grams other fruit (I've used blackberry, blueberry, raspberry, mango, and cherry, and combos as well) ~90 grams nonfat plain greek yogurt ~90 grams unsweetened almond milk 4-5 drops liquid stevia, or 1 packet stevia powder (optional, but helps the flavors pop) a good healthy shake of spice...cinnamon, chinese five spice, applie pie spice, etc. Also optional.
If using frozen strawberries, heat the almond mild for about 45 seconds first. This isn't necessary if using fresh strawberries with frozen secondary fruits, altho frozen mango can be easier to blend in if you zap the almond milk a bit first.
The strawberries are very low GI (glycemic index) and low in carbs. The other berries are almost as low. Cherries are a bit higher, and mango still higher, but you're not using that much. And the strawberry/mango is wonderful in hot weather. NOTE FOR DIABETICS: this should count as approximately 2 carbs out of your meal's 3. At the amounts given.
Finally, note that these can be expressed as ratios. By weight: fruit ~55%, non-fruit ~45%. For the fruit, 2 parts strawberries, 1 part other. Non-fruit is equal parts yogurt and almond milk. More almond milk will give a slightly thinner texture, and that's fine too.
Last but not least, this is a baseline recipe. Tweak to your liking. I emphasize the strawberries to give both a mild base flavor that can be tweaked, and because it's so diabetic-friendly. I rarely go less than 50% strawberries...but I've also done 100% blackberry, and 100% tart cherry.
b9d9ffdad3ac59e7f6f
135
Mar 3, 2018
I went on a winter/holiday weight loss journey some time ago, dropping 25 lbs in about a month to get ready for less-cold bike season. Calorie in vs calorie out, simple enough, right? I cook freestyle and eyeball everything, so inputting the ingredients into the calorie calculator was a pain. So I simply made larger batches or base batches I could add other stuff to so I could store it as a recipe I could reload.
But then I ran into another problem. The nutrition labels lie! You see, if the ingredient is less than a certain amount, U.S. FDA regulations allow it to be listed as zero. For example, cooking spray is often listed as "fat free" even if it's nearly 100% fat (there's an emulsifier and propellant too) since a single spray falls below the minimum. The FDA minimum is 5 calories per serving. So manufacturers will adjust the serving size such that the stigmatized ingredient falls below 5 calories.
Another extreme example involves Tic Tacs. While nearly entirely sugar, an individual Tic Tac is less than 0.5g, where the minimum amount of sugar to be counted is 0.5g. Thus, it is described as "sugar free".
Back to the topic at hand. How do you deal with this if you're calorie counting? Look up the FDA minimums and assume that is how much is in the foodstuffs. You can find that here: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=101.60
But then I ran into another problem. The nutrition labels lie! You see, if the ingredient is less than a certain amount, U.S. FDA regulations allow it to be listed as zero. For example, cooking spray is often listed as "fat free" even if it's nearly 100% fat (there's an emulsifier and propellant too) since a single spray falls below the minimum. The FDA minimum is 5 calories per serving. So manufacturers will adjust the serving size such that the stigmatized ingredient falls below 5 calories.
Another extreme example involves Tic Tacs. While nearly entirely sugar, an individual Tic Tac is less than 0.5g, where the minimum amount of sugar to be counted is 0.5g. Thus, it is described as "sugar free".
Back to the topic at hand. How do you deal with this if you're calorie counting? Look up the FDA minimums and assume that is how much is in the foodstuffs. You can find that here: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=101.60
cspirou
220
Mar 3, 2018
Well it would horrify you to know that I am on a high-fat/ketogenic diet. I have found that I am very sensitive to carbs, even complex carbs. But I still eat plenty of green vegetables. I am not too keen on vegetarian/veganism, but my wife is and I'd like to share some meals with her.
Anyway, I didn't come here to argue about diets.
Anyway, I didn't come here to argue about diets.
RogierFvV
43
Mar 3, 2018
cspirouI hear you... you might want to acquaint yourself with this program: https://go.ithriveseries.com - I completely appreciate you don't come here to argue diets. I've just come to the conclusion that the so-called ketogenic diet is a very sloppy, painful and expensive way to commit suicide, so sometimes I cannot help myself and speak up ;-) Take care.
dvorcol
5375
Keyboard Club Member
Mar 1, 2018
Recently I've been making celery smoothies in my blender:
3 sticks celery, chopped
1 green apple, quartered
1 banana
1 1/2 cup coconut water
1 cup chopped spinach
2 Tbsp chia seeds
optional - 5 strawberries, or 1/2 cup blueberries, etc.
Can anyone recommend other smoothies along these lines? Is anything wrong with this one?
Can anyone recommend other smoothies along these lines? Is anything wrong with this one?
dvorcol
5375
Keyboard Club Member
Mar 1, 2018
I'll give it a try! Except I don't like cold drinks (ice cream headaches), so I'll do room temperature mango and pineapple.
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HEALTHY COOKING There are plenty of benefits to having a cleaner eating regimen, and there are many ways to eat healthy without going on a demanding diet. All it takes is incorporating a few new techniques and the right tools into your routine. Getting the right guidance in regards to better nutrition, as well as having a few good recipes to try out, is a great place to start.
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