In Defense of Food

I just finished the book, "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan.  I really enjoyed it.  He talks about how food used to be and how it is now.  He discusses nutritional research on food and on different culture's diets over the years.  His theme which is on the front of the book is simply, “Eat food, not too much, most plants.”  He adds other suggestions later in the booked, for example, “Don’t eat anything incapable of rotting.”    

I would be interested in reading another book like this if anyone has any good ones they have read.  Let me know!

Breakfast

Hi there!
I thought I would just contribute my 2 favorite healthy breakfast options. Both I love because I can make them on the weekend and then just heat them up each morning. Both are low cal, high fiber, and good protein.

1. Steel Cut Oats - Available everywhere! These are just oatmeal but not pressed like your normal Old Fashioned Oats. Barely any nutrtional difference, but they have a chewier texture and are not clumpy when you reheat.

1 cup oats to 3 cups water - pinch of salt optional
Bring to boil - Simmer for 20 -30 minutes depending on how you like the texture (I cook mine 20)
Divide into containers (remember you should reheat in in a non-plastic container)
I add 2% milk, ground flax seed, nutrtional yeast (also known as brewer's yeast), and brown sugar. Adding things like Almonds to eaither of these dishes adds texture and even more nutritional benefits.
Note: the serving size is less than old fashioned oats

2. Amaranth - Available at Whole Foods in bulk. Where I live I have to order it from a local organic farm market, but it's definitely out there. I know you can order it online as well. This is a very small grain, nutty/earthy flavor. People either like it or they don't so start off with a small quantity.
1/2 cup amaranth to 1 cup water
Bring to boil - Simmer for 20 minutes
Divide into containers
I add organic 1/2 and 1/2 and organic maple syrup to taste

Background: I went to HS with Emily. I am currently finishing up a degree in Nutrition from OSU and a SAHM. We eat a highly vegetarian diet but like to incorporate fish and grass-fed and organic meats. I am a canner as well if anyone is interested in those types of recipes. I am HUGE on non-processed foods which is very exciting with a blog like this!

OK ladies, I did it, I ordered Insanity. I found out it is a 60 day work out program and it comes with its own nutrition guide. Hopefully this one will have some great recipes. The stuffed peppers we make came from P90X so I am sure that Insanity will come with its own great recipes. I ordered it today so hopefully by next week I will be doing my first Insanity workout.

Any of you are welcome to join me!!!

Homemade Hummus

I chose an easy recipe with only five ingredients.  All you do is combine them all in the food processer.  I used olive oil instead of vegetable oil and used less (about ½ of what the recipe calls for below) after reading one of the reviews.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 cups garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Last week I read that pairing chickpeas with red peppers helps boast energy.  The vitamin C in the red peppers acts as a key and helps your body unlock the iron in the chickpeas so your blood cells can get to it.  I plan on taking the red peppers and hummus to work for an afternoon snack.  Hopefully they are right about boasting energy!  :)

NY Times Recipe Contest

Hey everyone, its Kirstin again. I just saw this contest on the NY Times and thought I would share it. I am definitely going to enter, and will absolutely post whatever recipe I enter on this site as well. I challenge each of you to enter, see below for the details!

http://submit.nytimes.com/potluck-recipes?WT.mc_id=GN-SM-E-FB-SM-LIN-WYS-091410-NYT-NA&WT.mc_ev=click

What's Your Signature Potluck Dish?
Are you known for your killer potato salad, your succulent pulled pork or your cinnamon-scented apple cake? Submit a photo and recipe of your go-to potluck dish for a special, community-themed food issue of The New York Times Magazine.Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs of food52.com will test and post a curated list of the very best on Oct. 6. The deadline to get your entries in is Sept. 24, noon E.S.T.

Make your own Pizza night!

Hey Everyone, its Kirstin. First, I want to thank Emily for inviting me! I think this is such a great idea and I am so excited to participate.

Just to give you a little background on myself since i don't know most of you. Emily and I went to High School together and are friends on Facebook (isn't it the best way to keep up with people). After college I moved to New York City for job in Advertising (I have been in NYC for almost 6 years now), met my now husband, got married, we recently just bought our first apartment in Brooklyn and have a 2 year old French Bulldog puppy named Sophie. We love NYC so much that we are never leaving (unless we get a better offer overseas). That's me in a few sentences, now onto the food!!!

I am really into cooking nutritious/delicious foods, so most of my foods will reflect some kind of nutrition (more to come on that in later posts). Now on to make your own Pizza night (this you can make as healthy or unhealthy as you want)!

Pizza Dough

Makes four 8- to 10-inch pizzas (each ball serves 1 to 2 people, we usually do one per person)

Ingredients -

• ¼ cup whole wheat flour
• 3½ cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for rolling
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 2/3 cups lukewarm water
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons active-dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
  

Directions

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
• Place the flours and salt in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. (Or knead by hand. I have done both and its simple to do by hand but easier to do in the Kitchen Aid.)
• Combine the water, sugar and yeast in a separate small bowl and let sit for five minutes until the mixture bubbles slightly. Add the olive oil and stir.
• With the mixer on low, gradually add the oil-water mixture into the bowl. Knead until the dough is firm and smooth, under 10 minutes. The dough will be very wet and sort of difficult to work with. I liberally coat my hands with flour before attempting to remove
• Divide the dough into four balls, about 7½ ounces each. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. (Be sure to oil the parchment paper.) Place two balls on a sheet. Lightly rub the balls with olive oil, then cover loosely with plastic wrap. The dough is very sticky and wet, so, be sure to coat the balls or the plastic with oil (or you can use cooking spray if you don't want the oil). Let the balls rise in a warm spot until they have doubled in bulk, about two hours.
• Liberally (you need to have a lot down) coat your counter with flour and take each dough ball and roll out to desired consistency. I LOVE thin crust pizza, so I choose to roll out really thin. (I don't get too caught up with the shape, I let the pizza take whatever shape it wants).
• Place on a foil lined (oiled or cooking sprayed) baking sheet.
• Choose your favorite toppings (see below for topping suggestions)
• Bake for aprox 10 minutes (until crust is slightly golden brown)
• ENJOY!!!!

Topping Suggestions

• Healthy Meat Lovers - pizza sauce, turkey pepperoni, turkey bacon, turkey sausage, basil, mozzarela
• Super Healthy - pizza sauce, spinach (pre-cooked), sun dried tomatoes, goat cheese
• Delicious - caramelized onions, grapes, gorgonzola and mascapone cheese
• Medditerian - pizza sauce, chopped olives, sun dried tomatoes, feta cheese
• Margareta - pizza sauce, sliced tomatoes, basil, mozzarela

This meal is super easy, its great for everyone eating to participate in the meal once the dough is done!

Note: This dough freezes beautifully. After the initial rise, punch down the dough, wrap it in plastic and place in a Ziplock bag. Freeze for several months. When ready to use, let sit at room temperature for about an hour, then proceed with rolling/topping/baking.

PS - pictures to come next week (I am on vacation and then traveling for business so don't have access to pictures right now!)

Hi Girls,

Well I don't have any new recipes as of right now, however I am considering trying a new workout program. As a few of you know I did P90X and loved it. It really worked for me and the best part was that I was able to work out from home. P90X focused a lot on free weights, which personally I really liked. It is a a 90 day program and I did it once all the way through pretty strictly in order to lose the initial weight that I wanted to. I am currently using P90X but this time around I am really just trying to work out 3 to 4 times a week.

I love P90X but I want to incorporate a little more cardio into my routine and heard from multiple ladies at work about a program called Insanity. I believe it is through the same company as P90X, which is Beach Bodies, but that this one focuses more on cardio. I think that I am going to purchase Insanity and hopefully will have the "perfect" combination of weight lifting and cardio.

I'll let you know when I order it and how it goes! :)

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Hey, this is Emily.  Hope everyone had a good Labor Day!  I tried out my first Chocolate Chip Banana Bread.  I got the recipe from our newest author, Kirstin! 

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (substitution, use whole wheat flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
3 egg whites , at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup apple sauce (unsweetened)
1/2 cup splenda (or ½ cup sugar)
3 very ripe bananas , peeled, and mashed with a fork (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (or more to taste)

Directions
Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl, set aside. Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a liquid measuring cup with a spout, set aside. Lightly brush a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan with butter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with an electric hand-held mixer, cream the apple sauce and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually pour the egg mixture into the apple sauce while mixing until incorporated. Add the bananas (the mixture will appear to be curdled, so don’t worry), and remove the bowl from the mixer. With a rubber spatula, mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips and transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Turn the bread out of the pan and let cool completely on the rack. Wrap in plastic wrap. The banana bread is best if served the next day.  Substitution – instead of making bread, make muffins or mini muffins.