Top 10 TV Shows/Movies of the Decade December 7, 2009

10. Julie and Julia: A little slow and a little annoying at times, but it still deserves a spot on here.

9. The Princess and the Frog: Yes, I realize this hasn’t come out yet, but it’s a disney movie! How bad can it be?

8. Ace of Cakes: Nice blend of art and cake, although ultimately pointless.

7. 30-minute meals with Rachel Ray: Yes, her voice is a little annoying and I object to her crumbling under the pressure to lose weight, but someone who can chop that fast AND talk at the same time, deserves a spot on here.

6. Chopped: Iron Chef without the drama.

5. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Burton’s, of course!): Chocolate river, enough said.

4. Unwrapped: Interesting facts about food that you never wanted to know but will be glad to learn. Oh and my 11-year-old brother likes this show. If that’s not a good enough reason, I don’t know what is.

3. The Biggest Loser: Something about it is strangely motivating. Don’t need all the paraphernalia though…

2. Iron Chef: Do I need a reason?

And the NUMBER ONE TV show/Movie in the past 10 years is most defiantly…..

Picture courtesy of The Food Network

1. Good Eats: If you haven’t seen this show and enjoy tinkering with recipes, I’m sorry for your loss. Alton Brown is absolutely hilarious as well.

Movement December 5, 2009

No recipes today. Sorry.

I have some…interesting things I tried over Thanksgiving, but no pictures and such.

Honestly, I feel like there’s no point to posting in this blog anymore. I want to, but it’s become more of a diary of sorts. There really is no difference between a blog and a diary except that people read the former. If no one reads a blog, doesn’t that make it a diary?

I think it’s just the Christmas-ness that’s all around. After all, misery does love company.

There’s something about this time of year that makes me feel strange inside. It’s not the weather because I’ve spent Christmas in warm places and felt even worse. It’s not finals either, although those probably don’t help.

It’s just this horribly horrible feeling, like knowing that you’re going to die tomorrow and there’s nothing you can do about it. Except it’s worse, because there’s no cause, there’s nothing to attribute the feeling to and, without that, it all feels so useless.

Why feel at all?

Maybe it’s because of the realization that another year has passed. Time has gone on, people were born, people died, things are different, but-really-nothing is ever different. Everyone else has moved on, but all you can do is watch the trains go by, one by one.

So, you wait for all eternity on Platform 13, which you know will probably never be fixed because it never has been before.

Writer’s Block October 14, 2009

This post really has nothing to do with food. It should have something to do with food, seeing how this is a food blog and I’m eating food right now and I have a great recipe for spaghetti squash goat cheese lasagna (say it five times fast).

No, I don’t really feel like writing about food today. I don’t really feel like writing at all today but I’m hoping writing here might help me feel like writing so I can write my article that’s due in about 2 hours. Yes, this is the extent of my procrastination. Two hours before, and I still have about a tenth of the article, not to mention zero quotes.

Oh, and as if that weren’t amusing enough, I skipped the staff meeting today.

Do you want to know WHY I skipped the staff meeting? Well, it was because I have the world’s worst “bedside table” that seems to be incapable of actually allowing objects to sit on top of it. Although I’ve managed to chain my clock to the table, my glasses, which must be removed every morning, like to fall off and end up in strange places (i.e. under the covers). How they get from the table to under the covers is completely beyond me but, seeing as how I’m half blind, I can barely find them if they actually manage to stay ON the table.

I think the bedside table gods are out to get me. If I told a doctor that, they would diagnose me with paranoia and give me some pill or something but I swear to god that the tables are out to get me. As are the computers.

The good news, though, is that I’ve lulled my cell phone into quiet submission by throwing it against the wall several times. Take that, evil cell phone that sounded like a dying pig/cow/something whenever it rang! You shall not best me!!!! Of course, now the screen’s broken so I can’t see anything anymore, but at least the annoying ring is gone.

I think there was a point to this but, seeing as how I’ve clearly forgotten it, I’m just going to leave you with this picture of a bunny and a pancake, just to bring the focus back to food and all.

Taste Test: Nature’s Pride Bread October 4, 2009

Nature's Pride

When Foodbuzz sent all their featured published an invitation to try “Nature’s Pride Bread”, I was probably the first to sign up. Nature’s Pride? I thought, It’s got to be healthy.

Upon receiving the bread, I have to admit I was a little disappointed. Not because I had actually tried it and it tasted horrible but because I had seen this bread every day in the dining hall since I started going there. It seems to be the bread no one wants and the only one that’s ever there. I never actually tried it though because, at 110 calories per slice, I felt it wasn’t worth it.

Now, I had two loaves of the stuff (pictured above) that I had volunteered to receive. I had to try it.

I started with the 12 Grain: I took a slice out and sniffed it, Hmmmm….nutty; it looked a little moldy until I realized those were just flakes of the grain; some more sniffing and I decided had better just eat the stuff.

I thought of putting some sugar-free jelly on it since it already had a nutty tinge but went ahead and tried my first slice straight up. I have to say, it was yummy, even without anything on it. I can’t compare it to “normal bread” because the closest I’ve ever gotten to “normal bread” is the stuff my mom used to by that had far fewer calories than this.

The thing about this bread is that it tastes good on its own. Because it’s own flavor is so strong, I’m not sure it would make a good sandwich with all different sorts of toppings. It needs a complement. For the 110 calories a slice (and low-fiber/protein content), I’d say it’s not the best choice for those worried about anything beyond taste, texture, and natural ingredients. It does trump Texas Toast by several points though, so if that’s your bread of choice, you ought to give this a try.

It wouldn’t be filling enough in a sandwich anyway but more so in something like a bread pudding or french toast. Especially one with chocolate soymilk like my Aphrodisiac French Toast (just use the no peanut powder version).

So there you have it-not the best, but definitely on my list of specialty breads.

Venturing into the Buffet (a.k.a. the “Dining Hall”) September 16, 2009

I was planning to take lots of pictures. I swear. I had my camera and everything. I would like to say that my battery died after the first one or the manager came and threatened to beat me with a stick (wouldn’t that be dramatic?), but, honestly, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

I know I’m a journalist and I’m supposed to be providing the public with easy access to the truth in its most comprehensible form and all, but standing in the middle of a PACKED college dining hall and taking pictures? Next time, I swear.

Cherry Pecan Salad, no dressing (with a veggie dog) and a side of Hummus with Pita

I did get one of MY tray, which I felt was fairly balanced (I’ll post it when I’m NOT in class). The big thing to remember with dining halls and any buffet is to decide what you want and get it. In America, the typical style of eating is “clean your plate”. If you do subconsciously feel that your plate must be sparkling white (or whatever color) when you’re done, don’t focus on changing this idea. I find that changing ingrained ideas is much harder than learning to work around them so, if you can change it, that’s wonderful, but if you can’t, find a way to get around it.

For example, I’m going to eat everything I get at a buffet. I could spend hours and hours that I don’t have obsessing about how to change this idea but all that obsession would probably lead to a binge anyway.

Instead, GET LESS. If you’re in a buffet situation, skip the old standbys and try stuff that looks really good. If you don’t like it after ONE bite, put the plate on the side of the table and mess it up (pour water in it, clean up something nasty with a napkin and put it on top, combine the parts that shouldn’t go together, etc) so you won’t go back to it later. Then, go back (with a new plate) and get something else.

If you prefer the sampling numerous items method, get smaller portions. In the dining hall, ask for half a cup of something or half a scoop of rice with sauce. It’s probably going to be easier to do this if you go when they’re not too busy so try to arrange your dinner time (if not lunch) a little bit later than “the rush”. If you’re at a self-serve buffet/stations, just take smaller portions. How to know how much to take? Everything should fit on a plate, preferably a smaller one.

Just my two cents.

Coming soon:
A visit to the nutritionist
Microwave idlis in 5 minutes (3 ingredients)

Yesterday: Pt II August 8, 2009

I haven’t eaten anything yet (or done anything, for that matter), but I thought I’d write a little update for yesterday.

Basically, I couldn’t sleep till 6AM and kept getting up every 30min-1hr to eat some random junk food (peanut butter and pita, a few bites of kashi, a small cookie, some melba toast, etc). My calorie total for the day was about 1650-1700, but what really worries me is that this follows a pattern: I start out great, slowly begin to eat a little more, gain weight, and then go into a cycle of bingeing/depression/starvation.

HOW DO I KEEP THESE HIGHER CALORIES TO A ONE TIME THING? How do I avoid this cycle and stay on track?

Zen #1: Of the art of hummus August 5, 2009

Today’s actually a bit of a mixed day: I didn’t accomplish the goal I set out for originally but I realize now that I was too ambitious. Eating what, how and when I want in the amount I need should be the end goal, a hope more than a goal. I did, however, accomplish the goal I had planned to set for my Mediterranean month, which was mastering the Zen of hummus.

Being the sort of person who would eat all my mom’s chickpeas before she could use them for cooking channa masala, I consider myself a hummus connoisseur. It’s like all my favorite ingredients added into one blended concoction: chickpeas, lemon and garlic, all of which I use in excess when I cook (see notes on some previous recipes). I could live with nothing more than a spoon and bottomless bowls of hummus and peanut butter.

It’s a strange thing, really, as I never really intended to do this. It just–happened. I had slaved over a chinese-style stir fry (which I’ll post tomorrow) and all of a sudden I had a thought: I want hummus. That’s it. It had to be done. Right then. I NEEDED hummus. I knew that, if I didn’t have hummus NOW, I would binge on something else and still feel miserable. It was like a little voice inside yelled “Give me some freaking hummus, God damn it!!!!”

Unfortunately for me, hummus, as I have learned the hard way comes in good and bad varieties and the good variety is NEVER produced by measurement. Instead, it is produced by this inner zen that is beyond the guess and check of normal recipes. One must enter a different state of mind when making this concoction, everyone’s “hummus zone” (as I have termed it) is different, which is why every chef’s hummus taste so different. I always tell people that hummus is, like poetry, a representation of the soul and bad hummus indicates either a lack of knowledge (most commonly) or an inability to accept the fact that you cannot measure good hummus. (Unless you have a machine that measures the ingredients for you while you can go on making without losing your Zen….such a machine may exist in a few large-scale factory operations).

Anyone who tells you that hummus can be made a certain way or that their hummus is “the best recipe their friends have ever tasted” does not know the art of hummus. I find it sad and pitiful that such a delicacy has been demeaned enough to become part of the American “*insert culture name* like-substance”. It has been a long standing dream of mine to journey to Egypt or Greece or (dare I say it having come from Hindu parents?) Arabic countries so that I may taste the hummus of the true artists.

So here is Zen #1: Hummus, like everything good in life, needs to be realized: it is the individual personified in an edible substance. Show me a man who makes the perfect hummus and I will show you a man who has the perfect soul. Unfortunately, such a thing does not exist but, like human nature itself, it is the imperfections that make the soul perfect, is it not? Herein lies the Zen: love your imperfections, even though they make you scarred.

Darn, I’ll have to think of a new goal for the Mediterranean month now!

Hummus

My Zen-ed Up Hummus

• 1 can of chickpeas (I used low sodium)
• Naturally More peanut butter
• flax seeds
• olive oil
• lemon juice
• garlic
• salt

→Blend an enjoy!

As for the rest of today, it was pretty ordinary. I woke up really late feeling shitty because of a carb/fat binge last night (nuts, bread, cereal) but, looking back, the whole day didn’t amount to more than roughly 1500-1700 calories. Even though I live what I would say is an EXTREMELY sedentary lifestyle, maybe I need to accept that this is what I need to eat to lose weight. According to my scale’s analysis, I burn about 2600 a day. Subtract about 200 for my lifestyle, factor in 5-10% for error and and it’s around 1500 for weight loss mode. I took a picture of some of my meals, but here’s a basic rundown of what I ate: 1/2 banana, kim’s light bagel w/fat free cream cheese, low carb yogurt, 1 oz cocoa roasted almonds, most of a kangaroo pita pocket, 2 slices light bread and a “banana split” in a bowl with Spirutein “ice cream”.

"Breakfast"

I know it's a little blurry, but it was the only picture where you could see the strawberries peeking through

Finding the Zen August 4, 2009

Me at 75 pounds after high school

In an effort to un-disorder my long-standing disordered eating, I’m going to abandon this Weight Watchers mentality. If there’s one thing I’ve realized through years and years of self-abuse from cutting to anorexia to everything else inbetween, it’s that “You’d be surprised what you can live through or, more specifically, what you can be forced to stay alive despite of“.

The only thing that you can do or really SHOULD do while you’re around, is try to make the best of it. I always used to dream that I’d find happiness. That, if I was more noble, braver, stronger, thinner, smarter, kinder…than all of my peers, “God” would bring me happiness. I gave up on God a long time ago and never will go back–EVER EVER, but something persisted in me to find the happiness. From 75 pounds to whatever godforsaken number my highest weight was, all I ever wanted to be was happy. I wanted others to value me so I could then place value on myself. Because that’s what happiness is, right? Success, money, power, fame, love…the things people kill each other for.

After spending 21 years of my life searching for happiness in every corner of the world, in every movie, every book, every story, every method, I sit here today knowing only that I am unhappy and have been unhappy ever since I can remember. Isn’t that a little odd for someone who has spent their entire life pursuing the things that make you happy (and, in some cases, achieving them)? The key thing I failed to realize through all of my searches and escapades was that more is not always better: more points on that paper does not make you smarter, more praise does not make you praiseworthy, more love does not make you more lovable, and more money does NOT make you richer.

Perhaps some who read this will say I am raving mad, infected by rabies when that cat scratched me a while back, but doesn’t everyone have some critics? I know, I for one, am just sick of my life right now and need a change. So, in that spirit, I’m going to break away from the American mentality of dieting: dieting, bingeing, starving, large portions, small portions, tips and tricks, going to the “gym,” and try to focus on the cultures that seem to have it right: the cultures whose members are more concerned with the state of their surroundings than the state of their stomachs.

Starting in September (I don’t want to start in the middle of a month), I’m going to dedicate each month to a different culture and explore their foods, practices and mentality. On my list of revolutionizing (for me anyway) cultures (so far) is the Mediterraneans, the French, the Indians, the Spanish, and the Asians (Japan, China, Korea).

I know that this list isn’t by any means comprehensive (nor is it even close to being so), but these are the cultures that I know at least a little bit about. So, if anyone has any suggestions-where to start, what to do, what to include-PLEASE tell me!

Me in England last summer (I think I'm about the same now, maybe a little more after that soy crisp gorge in the middle of the night yesterday)

(And, yes, I will still be focusing on HEALTHY foods, I do recognize I will never be COMPLETELY healed of my “issues” with food, and I will ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS strive to fitter and thinner, but NOT obsessively!!!)

It’s not WHAT you count, it’s HOW MUCH June 21, 2009

I’ve been on every diet under the sun. You pick one, I’ve been on it. From complete and total starvation for an extended period (to the point of death) to diets that restricted/eliminated one or more foods to eat everything under a certain number of calories.

The first killed me (literally, it brought me so close to death I ended up in the hospital with a hole in my lung and a heart rate less than 1/3 of normal), the second categories didn’t last too long and the third, although provided initial success, resulted in weight regain a couple months later.

There’s a new study out that says no matter how you diet, all that matters is that you do. Carbs, calories, fat, sugar, protein, ratios….none of that matters and trying to count all of them is pointless, only leading to diet fatigue.

To read more, click here: Largest Collective Study on Types of Diets and Their Effectiveness

Fat-Free Mac and Cheese June 14, 2009

I know the term is a contradiction in meaning, but let’s just say I’m taking my creative rights to an extreme.

The story behind this inspiration is fairly simple…I’ve recently started the weight watchers core diet (upon advice of my physician) and that seems to have reignited my desire to cook. I guess that’s because the nature of the diet is really “prepared food unfriendly”.

So, in honor of what hopefully will not become one of my failed attempts at commercial dieting, here is the first official “like-substance” tailored to the weight watchers core plan. Yay…

Even better than "The Cheesiest"

Beefy Veggie Cheesy Macaroni

1. 1. 6oz whole wheat elbow macaroni (or whatever shape you want)
2. 3/8 pound lean ground beef, pork or turkey breast (I used 3/4 cup “Smart Ground”)
3. 6 oz fat-free shredded cheddar cheese
4. 8 oz fat-free cottage cheese
5. 6 oz fat-free sour cream
6. 1/4 cup skim milk (I used 8th continent light original)
7. 1/2 head broccoli, finely chopped
8. 4 oz sliced mushrooms
9. lots and lots of salt and pepper

→1. Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 8X8 or 9X9 baking dish with nonstick spray.
Cook the pasta, drain and set aside.
In a large pot, cook the ground beef until browned and drain (or, if you’re using the veggie stuff, just toss it in the pot at medium heat). Add the mushrooms and broccoli and cook until mushrooms are tender (4-5 minutes), stirring frequently.
Add all the dairy ingredients (cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, sour cream, and milk) to the pot and season to taste. Turn the heat down a little and just heat until it’s warm (DO NOT OVERHEAT OR THE SAUCE WILL END UP CRUMBLY).
Add the pasta and bake until bubbly (25-30 minutes). I baked it covered for the first half and uncovered for the second half, but watch it near the end to make sure it doesn’t burn.