Foods and Their Stupid Sounds

Holy monkey, I'm ornery today. For no obvious reason though. Isn't that always the way?

There's something you should know about me. The thing that drives me the most batty in the universe is having to listen to someone else eat. I can't stand the chewing sounds. Usually at lunch time, I have to get away from the other eaters, for fear of having to listen to them crunch and smack and spit their way to fullness.

I just can't listen to the sounds - my neighbour continually scraping the bottom of his yogurt container for the last little stripe of creamy goodness at the bottom; the granola bar wrapper that someone refuses to take their whole granola bar out of, but instead chooses to take one piece out at a time, over the course of what seems like 7 hours, so I get to listen to every single crinkle that wrapper makes; slurping of hot coffee; the person next door who crunches 17 pounds of raw vegetables between the hours of 1pm and 4pm.

Gah!

Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, slurp <-- my co-worker eating an apple
Slurp, slurp, thump <-- another co-worker drinking coffee and putting down their mug
Scrape, scrape, scrape, scrape, scrape, *pause*, scrape, scrape, scrape, *pause*, scrape, scrape, scrape <-- isn't that freakin' yogurt gone yet?!?

Today, things that normally don't bother me are driving me insane. Yeah, I know we all gotta eat - I get it. I eat too.

There it is again, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, slurp, thump.

Is it time to go home yet?

Won't You Join Me for Dinner?

I read something interesting last night and it got me thinking. Think along with me, please.

Let's pretend you're coming to my house for dinner. Wouldn't that be nice? But there's a stipulation. We must also pretend that we both eat the way I would eat if I were alone and binging. How would this go? Let's open the refrigerator door and just stare in at the contents on the shelves. Should I open a couple of tupperware containers with leftovers in them, sniff them really hard, then pick a couple of pieces of food out of them with my fingers before I pass them to you? Maybe we could each eat a couple of scoops of ice cream right out of the carton? There are some stale crackers in the cupboard we could dip into a jar of salsa. And there's a frozen cake in the freezer we could stab at with a butter knife until a chunk falls off. What do you think? Is this how I eat when I'm all alone? Shouldn't we just be civilized about it and pull a chair right up to the refrigerator?

What does it look like when you eat alone? Would you let me come over to eat with you?

Interesting Article

Read an interesting article about the food trends of the last decade on CBC. Here are some of them:

Allergies: Rising awareness about food allergies and disorders such as celiac disease forced chefs to adapt, says chef John Higgins, head of Toronto's George Brown College culinary school. But, he notes, the great chefs rose to the challenge. "It's mind over matter," he says.

My take on it: It's unbelievable how much restaurants and chefs will accommodate you now. You can ask for nearly anything and they know how to prepare it the way you need it. I think this is a huge step in the right direction. It also makes life so much easier for people with allergies and food intolerances. The variety and ingredient substitutions are almost endless. Awesome!

Portion control: Gone are the days when Sunday brunch equals a large buffet, says Higgins. Nowadays it's more common to find people ordering individual plates, which he adds is much more "normal dining experience."

My take on it: While I like the way they've presented this and I do think that it's good that we're moving away from the buffet mentality, portion control has introduced an entirely new beast, the 100-calorie pack. I loathe the thinking behind the 100-calorie pack. While I can't argue the fact that they are convenient and do present people with a reasonable portion of that particular food, I see them as a stepping stone on the path to healthy eating. A person will not be able to say they are in full control until they no longer need the 100-calorie pack and they can bring home the real deal. Besides, the added packaging is not very green.

Blending sweet and savoury: The mix of flavours took off in kitchens and store-bought goods alike. "Salted caramels and bacon-flavoured chocolates are de rigeur at chocolatiers and coffee houses," says McCauley.

My take on it: Hmmm... what else is there? Chocolate covered bacon, chocolate covered pretzels, peppered strawberries, any more that I'm missing? I love sweet savoury combinations!

Convenience: "We have wanted more and wanted it faster since World War II, when our housewives became Rosie the Riveters," said McCauley. "Convenience is still king." Today it takes the form of prewashed and cut vegetables, frozen desserts promising homemade qualities and coffee drive-thrus.

My take on it: My favourite convenience foods include bagged salads, pre-packaged veggies in steamer bags, fresh design-your-own salads, roast chickens at the deli...

Bubble tea: In the early part of the decade, shops devoted to the Taiwanese drink filled with tapioca pearls began popping up across North America.

My take on it: LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! I love this freaking sweet concoction! Strawberry milky slush with pearls please!



What are some food trends you're loving/hating lately?

That Was Odd

Tuesday night is a crazy night for me. It's the night I lead my Weight Watchers meeting. This means that I rush from the office to my meeting, then home. I don't get home until at least 7pm.

Getting home late is a disaster for many reasons, mainly because I don't eat for a very long time before running into the house. And when I run into the house, I just want to eat ANYTHING. Disaster. Couple this with the fact that I'm taking a cake decorating course on Wednesday. This means that I bake either a cake or cupcakes on Sunday, and have to make fresh buttercream icing on Tuesday night when I get home from my meeting. All of this just leads to disaster.

But tonight, tonight was different. I was driving home and I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner. Steve and I just do what we want on our own for dinner on Tuesdays, which makes it easier, allows him to eat earlier, and also allows him to eat what he wants, which is usually hamburger helper or kraft dinner (tonight's choice was KD with lots of veggies in it - YAY Steve!).

Back to what I was saying... I was driving home trying to figure out what I would eat for dinner. I needed a protein, a starch, some veggies, and an oil. My first thought was pasta, since you can easily get all of those things in a pasta dish of some sort. But I just didn't feel like getting into a big mess in the kitchen. Then I thought... edamame!

I came home, counted out half a serving of baked tostitos, covered them in yves veggie ground chicken, some leftover sweet potato burrito filling, some BBQ sauce a la BBQ chicken nachos, some edamame, and a teaspoon of chili olive oil. Under the broiler. Served with tofu sour cream. Sooo delicious! And filling.

Luckily I only ate about a tablespoon of buttercream. That stuff's just hard to resist. Thank goodness there's only one more week of the course after tomorrow night.

Tofu

Since getting my allergy test results last week, I'm very excited to try all of the foods I thought I was allergic to, including tofu.

Last night I tried tofu. And I liked it.

We used it in a stir fry with some scallops,lots of veggies, and a ginger sauce. It was really good! This will make it much more tolerable to be allergic to dairy, since there are lots of great things you can do with tofu.

This weekend, I'm going to make a mayonnaise substitute with it.

I also made some vegan cookies called tropical delights. I'm trying to find a substitute for the cookies of the same name I sometimes get at the Second Cup. It turns out that the original cookie is made at Nature's Own Bakery in Barrie. Neat. Anway, these cookies are soooo good - filled with papaya, pineapple, dates, oats, coconut, and cashews. My first attempt was delicious (and addictive), but not the consistency I'm looking for, so I'm going to try again, also probably this weekend. When they turn out the way I'd like, I'll definitely be posting photos!

I'm Starting to Embrace the Comprehensive Elimination Diet

I posted a couple of weeks ago that my naturopath, Parissa, has put me on a comprehensive elimination diet to get me started on trying to figure out what it is I might be allergic to.

If you've even been on an elimination diet of any kind, you know it's not fun. I spent the first couple of days just wandering the organic and specialty sections of my favourite grocery stores, just looking. And feeling sorry for myself. I thought it was bad enough to avoid some foods I used to love because they weren't the healthiest of choices. Now I was tasked with trying to avoid foods I'd always known were healthy choices, specifically wheat and dairy.

While the elimination diet isn't fun to follow, it's nothing if it's not interested and an eye-opening experience. I've tried so many new, glorious and not-so-glorious products in the past couple of weeks I can't even tell you! But I'm going to try.

I'm going to start blogging about some of my new product discoveries. I hope it helps others with food sensitivities, or those who are avoiding a food for some reason.

No Wheat and No Dairy

Makes Tara a hungry, cranky girl.

I went to visit a naturopath on Thursday. I went because my family doctor is really dropping the ball on me, and I'm completely discouraged. Anyway, I am concerned about the acne I continually seem to fight with, as well as my elevated heart rate and ever-changing allergies.

Now I'm convinced most of this is all related. She's testing me for any allergies I really have. I've had traditional allergy testing done many times, with the pin prick test and the scratch test. She is testing me via blood sample, and I should have the results in a couple of weeks, which I'm very excited about. Then I'll finally know what is causing me issues and what isn't.

She also thinks I may be having issues with digestion. She thinks this is why I have a low B12 level. In most young people who have a low B12 level, this usually means you're missing an intrinsic factor in your stomach that is needed for the body to absorb B12. I told her I had asked my family doctor to proceed with testing to find out if this is my issue, but my family doctor refused to test me, and told me to just take a daily B12 supplement instead.

For now, the naturopath has asked me to try a diet that will allow for minimal effort by my digestive system. So no dairy, no wheat (two high-incidence allergens), and she has asked me to not eat raw fruits and vegetables, since they are difficult for the digestive system to process.

Now being a vegetarian, cutting out wheat and dairy is seriously challenging. I'm like a celiac vegan. Not fun. Fish, rice, and cooked veggies. Booooorrriing!

And to any celiacs out there, I now understand what it's like to try to live the way you have to. It must be terrible. Hugs to all of you.

Teed's 1st Annual A-Z List for Foodies!

Hello fellow foodies!

I've decided that I would put together a list of all things foodie 2009. I'm hoping to continue the list on an annual or semi-annual basis. I'll try to post a new letter every single day. Now that's dedication!

Stay tuned!

Moosewood Recipe - Puffy Pancake from New Classics

This week I'm on vacation, so I'm going to be cooking and baking up a storm. I'm taking every opportunity to embrace this new way of eating. And besides, I love being in the kitchen.

This morning I made the Puffy Pancake from Moosewood New Classics. I made a few changes. The original recipe calls for apples and an apple sauce made from apple cider.

I substituted with pears for the apples and added mini chocolate chips, but kept the rest of the ingredients the same. I didn't make the apple syrup either, we served with maple syrup.

The pears and chocolate were divine, but the next time I'll make a custard or english cream to serve this with.

A definite hit though, we'll definitely be making this again.

Tara's Got Her Groove Back!

I lost my groove. I couldn't find it anywhere. I checked behind the hot sauce, on the cookbook shelf, in the liquor cabinet, at the back of the pantry. It was gone.

Then I hosted the dinner party on Saturday night, something I committed to a couple of months ago. I dreaded it right up until the day before, lamenting over what to make, flipping fruitlessly through a myriad of cookbooks and food magazines, something I used to love to do. This was not like me. I was panicked about the meal.

Then I finalized my menu. Suddenly, everything fell into place. I picked a theme, tried some new dishes, and made some new friends.

Now I can't be stopped! I'm back to gettin' my groove on in the kitchen!

It started Sunday, with my sweethawt cherry jam, a recipe I just made up on the fly. Nice.

Then last night, I created my new favourite thing, but let me explain. This month in our Weight Watchers meetings, we are really emphasizing fruits and vegetables. I often try new things at home to help me stay connected to my members. So I promised them I would try something new this week, a cold soup, and then I would let them know how it was in our next meeting.

Keep in mind, I've always been against cold soups, they just sounded awful to me. I had no desire to eat cold soup AT ALL.

But I did it anyway.

I made a cold minted watermelon soup, à la picture below:


There it is, not plated nearly as fancily as it should be, as it's only coming to work for lunch today. But if I could, I'd dress it up in stilettos and gloves ladies. It's that good. My new favourite summertime treat. Go ahead and taste it. I won't tell anyone you licked your monitor.

Saturday's Dinner Party

We hosted a dinner party on Saturday night. And it was great!

I prepared a lot of things ahead of time:

I toasted my litte crostinis for the bruschetta:


Stephen made our other little appies, the tomato basil mozza poppers. I made my pesto potato salad, marinated the chicken, and mixed the berries with all of the extras for dessert.

Here was our menu:
Bruschetta, Tomato Basil Mozza Poppers - Appetizers
Balsamic Rosemary Grilled Chicken
Pesto Potato Salad
Zucchini Cheese Roll Ups
Puff Pastry w Limoncello Berries and Vanilla Bean Honey Cream - Dessert

The dessert was so simple, and so amazing! I will definitely make this again. First time I had used a real vanilla bean, and I don't know if I can ever go back. So delicious!

Me and My Sweethawt - We Be Jammin'!

I've had some cherries in my refrigerator that needed to have something done with them. Something. Three pounds worth of fresh sweet cherries that needed something done with them.

So this is what I did.

I jammed 'em. Yup, me and the dog, jammed. That's him taste testing the cherries on the right. He's such a foodie. Has to make sure everything's perfect. "Quality control" he calls it.

Steve supported us from the couch, and took pictures. We jammed mostly to the black eyed peas. We used black cherries, an apple, an onion, a jalapeno, cinnamon, nutmeg, a lemon, and the other mandatory jam ingredients. I'm calling it my Sweethawt Cherry Jam.

I can't wait to eat this with CHEESE!

My 100 Miles

There's a new show on the Food Network on Sundays called 'The 100 Mile Challenge'. We've been watching it, and finding it very interesting. It's really made me much more aware of how I can support and find local farmers.

So this map shows my 100 miles. We have lots available to us in our area, or so we realized after looking. We even have an organic flour mill in Speerville!

Confessions of a Splenda Junkie

After long last, I've finally made it back to goal. FINALLY. And I did it after reading a great book, and taking the advice I always give to my WW members. When my members reach a plateau, they usually grab me after a meeting and hit me up about what to do. The conversation usually goes like this:

Member: "I need to ask you something. I'm staying OP all week, and it seems like no matter what I do I just can't lose any weight - can you help me?"

*Please note: this member always looks like they've either been hit by a truck and didn't mind it, or they look like they would rip a chocolate bunny out of the hands of a six year old, then proceed to bite Mr. Krispy's ear off right in front of this child. Sometimes I let out a little giggle when they look me in the eye, to hide my fear.

Me: "Are you getting in your fruits and veggies, and the rest of your healthy food servings?"

The member ALWAYS says yes.

Me: "Then you have to take a good look at the foods you're eating other than your healthy choices. Are you eating enough? Are you eating your Flex and activity points?"

The answers vary, but this is often where the ugly truth comes out. Usually people are filling their days with 100-calorie packs, or they aren't eating enough. I stress to them that it's really important to take a look at the quality of the calories they're taking in, not just the amount.

Every time I struggle with a plateau I learn something. This time I had to take my own advice and look at what I was eating. This, in combination with Jillian's new book, are what finally got me back to losing the extra 10 lbs I've been carrying around since fall. I was eating a lot of chemical crap - diet pop, artificially sweetened EVERYTHING.

So I went back to basics, eating whole foods. No artificial anything. And it actually WORKED. And it's for good, forever. I'm not going back to being a Splenda junkie.

Since I'm a huge foodie, you wouldn't think that I'd try to scrimp and scrape by on low calorie alternatives for real food, would you? Well I did. And it didn't pay off. My food tasted worse and ended up stockpiling chemicals in my body. NOT GOOD.

Now that I've rid myself of the Splenda, the extra weight seems to be falling off, without a whole lot of effort on my part - a big change from a month ago where everyday was a struggle and I wasn't losing an ounce. In fact, I was gaining.

Eating Chemicals + Exercising = Gaining Weight Anyway -> BAD

Eating Real Food + Moderate Exercise = Losing Weight Without Thinking About It-> GOOD

And, to top it off, I haven't had a pimple since I made the change! That is huge for me.

So sing it with me girls, "Don't you put it in your mouth..."

Some of my food tricks...

There have been so many threads lately about Superbowl Sunday and the food that goes with it that I thought I'd post a few of my little pub food items and how I make them...

Essentially all you need to bread anything is a good high-fibre breading, then you can make all kinds of wonderful appetizers with it. I usually grind up my older bread in my food processor to make my bread crumbs, then I use them for everything!

I make jalapeno poppers by hollowing out my jalapenos, filling them with a combo of FF cream cheese and grated LF cheddar, dip them in egg whites, then bread them with my breadcrumbs seasoned with pepper and maybe a little parmesan. Then just bake em up for about 20 minutes - very good!

I make my "wings" the same way. Just cut up my chicken pieces and dip them in egg whites, then into my seasoned breadcrumbs. Usually I season the breadcrums with BBQ chicken seasoning and some thyme. Then bake em up. Once they're cooked, I toss them in whatever wing sauce I want (Franks Buffalo is super delicious!).

Potato skins are also not so bad for you. You can bake up some potatoes. Hollow them out and save the hollowed out flesh for another meal. Then just sprinkle the skins with LF grated cheddar, some real bacon bits (which are surprisingly not that bad for you), and some green onions. Then just rebake them until the cheese melts. Serve them with salsa and/or sour cream.

Roast veggies in the oven (you could also bread these if you'd like), and serve them with LF peppercorn ranch dressing. A good substitute for deep fried veggies.

Bread up some LF cheese sticks for a mozza stick substitute too.

Also - nacho dip! Mix equal parts FF cream cheese and LF sour cream. Put in a baking dish, cover with salsa and all kinds of veggies if you want. Grate some LF cheese on top and bake until bubbly. Serve with baked tostitos.

Meat & Alternatives: Poultry

Higher in protein and lower in saturated fat than red meats, poultry is an excellent source of high-quality protein, with all the essential amino acids, as well as calcium, copper, iron, phosphorous, potassium, and zinc.

All poultry has a similar range of nutrients, with the biggest difference being in the fat content. A 3-oz portion of roasted, skinless light turkey is the lowest in calories and fat, with 135 calories, 3 grams of fat, and 25 grams of protein, compared to 170 calories, 9 grams of fat, and 20 grams of protein in a comparable portion of skinless roasted duck. A 3-oz portion of roasted chicken breast without skin has 26 grams of protein, 142 calories, and 3 grams of fat compared to the same serving with skin at 195 calories and 8 grams of fat.

Most poultry fat is under the skin; removing the skin before eating the meat greatly reduces fat content.

Because most poultry is sold with it's skin intact, it is susceptible to spoilage from bacteria that remain on the skin and in the cavity after processing. Kept at the average refrigerator temperature, chicken skin will become slimy in about 6 days, indicating a 10000-fold increase in bacteria. You should wash your hands, and scrub knives and cutting boards in hot soapy water during preparation.

Recipe: Buffalo Chicken "Wings"

Ingredients:

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs

Egg whites, for dipping chicken pieces in

Fresh bread crumbs, made from high-fibre bread

BBQ chicken seasoning, Thyme, Parmesan cheese, Garlic powder - all to taste

Frank's HOT Buffalo Wing Sauce

Light peppercorn ranch salad dressing, or blue cheese dressing, for dipping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F. Season bread crumbs with bbq chicken seasoning, thyme, parmesan, and garlic, to taste. Cut chicken breasts (or thighs) into wing sized pieces. Dip chicken pieces in egg whites, then coat in bread crumb mixture. Bake chicken in oven until cooked through, 20-25 minutes. Once chicken is cooked, place in a plastic container with a cover. Add desired amount of sauce to coat chicken. Serve with dressing for dipping.

Vegetable: Potatoes

There are many varieties of potato, but yams and sweet potatoes are not among them; they are not even related to the white potato, which is a member of the nightshade family, and is related to peppers and tomatoes. For most North Americans, potatoes are a major component of the diet - usually in processed forms that are high in fat and salt.

Potatoes are surprisingly delicious and low in calories. When eaten with the skin, they are high in complex carbohydrates and fibre; one medium-sized baked potato (with the skin) provides 25 mg of vitamin C, which is 25% of the adult Recommended Dietary Allowance, along with a good supply of vitamin B6, thiamine, niacin, and magnesium, 800 mg of potassium, and a moderate amount of zinc. The skins are rich in chlorogenic acid, a phytochemical that has anti-cancer properties.

Potatoes have a relatively high glycemic index (GI), which may be an issue for diabetics or people trying to lose weight by following a low-GI diet. Many people think potatoes are fattening, but this is determined by the way they are prepared.

Potato Facts:

• The average potato has approximately 120-150 calories, a small amount of protein, and almost no fat. The same potato turned into potato chips has 450-550 calories and up to 35 grams of fat; 115 grams of french fries contain about 300 calories and 15-20 grams of fat.
• Baking, steaming, or microwaving a potato preserves the maximum amount of nutrients.
• Don't store potatoes and onions together; the acids in the onions aid the decomposition in the potatoes, and vice-versa.

My New Food Blog

Some time ago I had created a recipe blog. I didn't really pay much attention to it though after I created it. So I've come up with a better idea. I'm going to start updating a food blog daily...

LINK TO FOOD BLOG ON THE RIGHT ----->

I'm hoping to add a new food everyday, along with recipes and product reviews of some of my favourite and not-so-favourite food products.

I hope everyone likes it!

Water - Vital for Life

Two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen, water is the most abundant substance in the human body, accounting for up to 60% of our body weight. Even though water has no calories or other nutrients, we can go for only a few days without it. In contrast, a healthy person can survive for 6 to 8 weeks without food. A loss of only 5 to 10% of body water results in serious dehydration, while a 15 to 20% loss is usually fatal.

Vital Functions

Water is essential to virtually every body function, including digestion, absorption, and transport of nutrients, elimination of body waste, and regulation of body temperature, as well as many other chemical processes. Water is needed to build all body tissues and is the base of all blood and fluid secretions such as tears, saliva, and gastric juices, as well as the fluids that lubricate our organs and joints. It also keeps our skin soft and smooth. As our body ages, it becomes dryer. An infant's body is 75 to 80% water, compared to 50% after age 65 or 70.

How Much Do We Need?

The human body needs enough water to ensure the urine is pale, not dark or bright yellow. For the average adult this translates to 6 to 8 glasses of water a day. Most of this comes from drinks, but surprisingly there is a substantial amount in foods as well. Fruits and vegetables are 70 to 95% water, compared to 75% of an egg, 40 to 60% of meat, poultry, and fish, and 35% of bread.

While trying to lose weight, it is said that you should consume half of your body weight in ounces of water. In my case, at 135 lbs, I should be consuming approximately 68 oz. (2 litres) of water daily.

It is also important to remember that you should consume as much water as you excrete during any given day. So on days where the weather is hotter or you sweat due to a hard workout, you should consume more water.

The Purpose of Teed's Food Blog

The purpose of my food blog - I wanted to be able to post interesting food facts, recipes, and product reviews all on one blog. Since I will now be using this blog to post all of my recipes, I will be removing my recipe blog, not that I had posted much on it anyway. Please visit often, as I'll be posting daily!

Hope you find it interesting!