The longer you live on this earth, the more you dread seeing your doctor.
Just kidding!
The more you dread getting your blood work done, is more like it!
I don't want to be thin, and I'm not. I want to be HEALTHY! I want my numbers to reflect that.
If I just ate what I really wanted, it would be pasta with butter and cheese, or bread with butter. And croissants, or better yet - ensemada! Note that these are all things involving white flour. And add to them white rice!
Instead, most of the above are relegated to a single serving every couple of months. Except for the bread - I need to a slice or two at least once a week . With butter.
And think about it: white EVERYTHING is boring! I need to eat fresh tomatoes several times a week, orange fruit, and green herbs.
I asked a friend if she ate brown rice; she told me she does NOW. A doctor's visit after bloodwork convinced her to make the change. Her cholesterol level was 300+! The doctor wanted to put her on medication IMMEDIATELY. She told him to give her a year to change.
By eating more fiber, fruit and vegetables, and less of the things she loves - pasta, white bread, pastries - she brought her cholesterol level down 100 points. She now eats Gen-Ji-Mai, a polished brown rice, as well as quinoa - a seed with lots of protein - and other fiber and nutrient-rich foods.
If you think all brown rice tastes the same, try the brown rice sushi at Nijiya - heaven! So good - this is something I crave! They must use Gen-Ji-Mai or something similar. There is also a delicious Gen-Ji-Mai 12-grain rice mix, which I cook in a 1:1 ratio with long grain white rice. Still healthy and lots of fiber. Add some chicken base or a little salt for more flavor and leftovers used as a salad base taste better.
Having said all that, I ate WHITE rice and umeboshi - pickled plums - for dinner tonight. Comfort food!
Do you eat brown rice? If not, why not?
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Posts About Cucumbers You May Have Missed
I see that folks really want to know what to do with all the cucumbers they're growing in their gardens, or inheriting from their neighbors.
The other night, we ate JaJa Mein, and julienned cucumbers are the ideal topping for this spicy-salty dish, along with some chopped tomatoes. Here's the recipe:
The other night, we ate JaJa Mein, and julienned cucumbers are the ideal topping for this spicy-salty dish, along with some chopped tomatoes. Here's the recipe:
Suzanne’s Jaja Mein
Based on lovelylanvin.com’s recipe
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 1 Tbsp ground bean sauce (Koon Chun brand)
- 1 tsp miso
- 1 tsp agave syrup or mirin
- 1 Tbsp shoyu
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 heaping Tbsp chili/garlic sauce
Combine the above sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Saute the following in oil:
- ½ lb. ground beef or pork
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 4 stalks (counting each bulb as one stalk) of green onion, chopped
Add the sauce ingredients and simmer 3 to 4 minutes. Adjust taste.
For noodles: place an opened serving packet from a package Sun ramen noodles in bowl. Add 2-3 Tbsp water. Cover and microwave 45 seconds, then drain. Top with 2-3 Tbsp of ground beef mixture and garnish with julienned cucumber, grape or chopped tomatoes and cilantro. Note: recipe makes about 4 servings.
You could also make a cucumber salat as a side dish, or this quick cucumber pickle. This panzanella salad contains tomatoes as well as cucumbers.
Cooling cucumbers offer a crispy contrast to spicy or hot food. What is your favorite way to eat cucumbers?
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Invitation to Lunch at Work
I was so tired from work yesterday - I was in charge of the last Saturday Storytime for August - that I took a shower, then fell asleep by 8 pm! The result, of course, is that I was up at 2:30 am, and I'm still up and typing this!
I spent the morning on last-minute details for storytime, did the stories and crafts, then went up to the employee lunchroom. I was invited to join the maintenance crew; lunch did smell delicious! I usually decline, but couldn't when one of the crew paid for my diet soda, and put a plate at my seat.
On the menu was fried chicken drumsticks, steamed white rice, and taro cooked with long beans and pork. The fellow who cooked also caters on weekends and has a second job cooking for the workers at a well-known resort - talented! I was invited to eat seconds, but declined - no sleeping allowed at the reference desk! I did wash my own plate and utensils.
I later told the DH I'd had a MUCH better lunch than I expected!
I spent the morning on last-minute details for storytime, did the stories and crafts, then went up to the employee lunchroom. I was invited to join the maintenance crew; lunch did smell delicious! I usually decline, but couldn't when one of the crew paid for my diet soda, and put a plate at my seat.
On the menu was fried chicken drumsticks, steamed white rice, and taro cooked with long beans and pork. The fellow who cooked also caters on weekends and has a second job cooking for the workers at a well-known resort - talented! I was invited to eat seconds, but declined - no sleeping allowed at the reference desk! I did wash my own plate and utensils.
I later told the DH I'd had a MUCH better lunch than I expected!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
What Else to Make with WOW Tomatoes
There were cucumbers, older bread, and WOW tomatoes from the Blaisdell Farmers' Market. Such a deal: these lovely red, orange and yellow - the latter two, low-acid! - about 8 or 10 of them for only $5. The lovely tomato lady said they were the "salsa" bag - riper, softer victims, but I already bookmarked them for tomato SOUP.
Yes, in the teeth of a Hawaiian summer, I make soup! Here is the recipe. I made a double batch, and we ate it hot the first time. Tonight, we ate the leftovers cold - just out of the refrigerator long enough to take off the first chill. We also ate deliciously sweet, juicy Tuscan melon - I got this from my *favorite* big box store - with prosciutto.
Last night, we ate WOW tomatoes and arugula on top of pizza that was NOT Inferno's. More about that some other time!
And I used the last of them Marc Matsumoto's Panzanella salad. Check out his personal blog, No Recipes, as well as the PBS blog. For this bread salad, there are 4 things I did differently. my leftover bread was a Kalamata olive loaf, not plain or white, and as I didn't have champagne vinegar, I used Japanese rice vinegar (milder). I used Kalamata olives instead of green ones AND capers. Finally, I have a huge bag of arugula (anyone out there have different arugual recipes?) so I served the salad on a bed of this.
How was it all? Two thumbs up from the DH! I thought the salad was a bit salty - probably because of the olives in the bread as well as the salad, plus the capers, and would cut back on the salt in the dressing. But it was all fresh, light and tasty, and the only heat in the kitchen was from toasting the croutons in a skillet. Here's a tip: keep the croutons in the pan to cool, that way they are not piled up and soggy, but stay crisp. I had leftover croutons enough for another salad.
And leftover melon and salad for lunch at work tomorrow!
What do you do to keep cool in the kitchen? Besides drinking a lot of rose!
Yes, in the teeth of a Hawaiian summer, I make soup! Here is the recipe. I made a double batch, and we ate it hot the first time. Tonight, we ate the leftovers cold - just out of the refrigerator long enough to take off the first chill. We also ate deliciously sweet, juicy Tuscan melon - I got this from my *favorite* big box store - with prosciutto.
Last night, we ate WOW tomatoes and arugula on top of pizza that was NOT Inferno's. More about that some other time!
And I used the last of them Marc Matsumoto's Panzanella salad. Check out his personal blog, No Recipes, as well as the PBS blog. For this bread salad, there are 4 things I did differently. my leftover bread was a Kalamata olive loaf, not plain or white, and as I didn't have champagne vinegar, I used Japanese rice vinegar (milder). I used Kalamata olives instead of green ones AND capers. Finally, I have a huge bag of arugula (anyone out there have different arugual recipes?) so I served the salad on a bed of this.
How was it all? Two thumbs up from the DH! I thought the salad was a bit salty - probably because of the olives in the bread as well as the salad, plus the capers, and would cut back on the salt in the dressing. But it was all fresh, light and tasty, and the only heat in the kitchen was from toasting the croutons in a skillet. Here's a tip: keep the croutons in the pan to cool, that way they are not piled up and soggy, but stay crisp. I had leftover croutons enough for another salad.
And leftover melon and salad for lunch at work tomorrow!
What do you do to keep cool in the kitchen? Besides drinking a lot of rose!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Favorite New Drinks
Nah, nothing as exciting as ALCOHOL!
In my continuing quest to avoid drinking soda - which I like much too much - I sometimes drink Crystal Light. Yes, I know it has aspartame and acesulfame. No, I do not drink it every day.
Here are two three four things I've recently found, that I really like:
First, Naked Juice. It's so thick, it tastes like a smoothie. It's pricey unless it's on sale. But it's worth it, and there are lots of things that cost less, do not taste good, and YOU DESERVE A TREAT now and then! I like the mango and acai. They have reduced calorie versions, too.
Second, TRUE. It's a 0 calorie powder you mix with a pint of water. I got the orange flavor from Wal-Mart. (No, I don't go there often - maybe once every 5 weeks. They carry some things I can't find elsewhere.) I love the way it smells and tastes. I need to try the lemon!
Third, Pacific Breeze Oolong Tea in Mangosteen flavor. I've never eaten a mangosteen. This tastes slightly citrusy. Half the packet in 12-14 oz. of water still tastes good. Also available at Wal-Mart.
Fourth: Barley tea. I know. It sounds awful. But it's not. I now understand why the Japanese drink it in hot weather. One packet makes a quart; so easy, just steep in cold water. It's toasted-nutty-tasting and refreshing served cold. Buy it at Nijiya.
Now I'm hungry for Nijiya brown-rice sushi!
In my continuing quest to avoid drinking soda - which I like much too much - I sometimes drink Crystal Light. Yes, I know it has aspartame and acesulfame. No, I do not drink it every day.
Here are two three four things I've recently found, that I really like:
First, Naked Juice. It's so thick, it tastes like a smoothie. It's pricey unless it's on sale. But it's worth it, and there are lots of things that cost less, do not taste good, and YOU DESERVE A TREAT now and then! I like the mango and acai. They have reduced calorie versions, too.
Second, TRUE. It's a 0 calorie powder you mix with a pint of water. I got the orange flavor from Wal-Mart. (No, I don't go there often - maybe once every 5 weeks. They carry some things I can't find elsewhere.) I love the way it smells and tastes. I need to try the lemon!
Third, Pacific Breeze Oolong Tea in Mangosteen flavor. I've never eaten a mangosteen. This tastes slightly citrusy. Half the packet in 12-14 oz. of water still tastes good. Also available at Wal-Mart.
Fourth: Barley tea. I know. It sounds awful. But it's not. I now understand why the Japanese drink it in hot weather. One packet makes a quart; so easy, just steep in cold water. It's toasted-nutty-tasting and refreshing served cold. Buy it at Nijiya.
Now I'm hungry for Nijiya brown-rice sushi!
Vegetable Rescue, or My Version of Potato/Mac Salad
You know what potato salad is, but if you're not from Hawaii, you're wondering what the heck the "Mac" is?
It's short for macaroni, the common elbow type. Yes, there is stand-alone mac salad, but not in my house made by me! My theory is that potatoes have more nutrition than macaroni when eaten as a salad. And my potatoes were threatening to develop eyes, so they definitely needed rescuing!
They were lovely, small Yukon Gold potatoes, which I cut up into 1/2 inch dice, covered with water and nuked in the microwave lightly covered until tender. I drained them - saved the water for soup! - and put them in the refrigerator to cool.
Instead of elbow macaroni, I cooked some ditalini - short tubes about 1/4 to 3/8 inch long - but I also like another tubular pasta that is 1/3 the diameter of elbows, but a bit longer. I do not know what this is called - when I see it, I'll buy it! I drained the pasta and also put this in the refrigerator to cool. At this point, I had about a cup and a half each of potatoes and mac.
I peeled 2 hard-boiled eggs and put the DH to work mashing them lightly. I finely chopped 1/4 cup sweet onion and 1/4 cup carrot and added them to the eggs. By this time, the potatoes and mac were cool, and they were mixed in with salt, pepper and just enough mayonnaise to hold it all together. I like the Japanese-style mac salad, which uses that skinnier pasta and less mayo, so what mayo there is is not really visible. But you can taste it.
We ate this as our starch - and it IS starchy! I think I make it once a year? Along with this, we had the Panch Phoran Yam Soup, and some sweet, sweet juicy cantaloupe - so we saved the meal with lots of fiber and beta carotene.
It's short for macaroni, the common elbow type. Yes, there is stand-alone mac salad, but not in my house made by me! My theory is that potatoes have more nutrition than macaroni when eaten as a salad. And my potatoes were threatening to develop eyes, so they definitely needed rescuing!
They were lovely, small Yukon Gold potatoes, which I cut up into 1/2 inch dice, covered with water and nuked in the microwave lightly covered until tender. I drained them - saved the water for soup! - and put them in the refrigerator to cool.
Instead of elbow macaroni, I cooked some ditalini - short tubes about 1/4 to 3/8 inch long - but I also like another tubular pasta that is 1/3 the diameter of elbows, but a bit longer. I do not know what this is called - when I see it, I'll buy it! I drained the pasta and also put this in the refrigerator to cool. At this point, I had about a cup and a half each of potatoes and mac.
I peeled 2 hard-boiled eggs and put the DH to work mashing them lightly. I finely chopped 1/4 cup sweet onion and 1/4 cup carrot and added them to the eggs. By this time, the potatoes and mac were cool, and they were mixed in with salt, pepper and just enough mayonnaise to hold it all together. I like the Japanese-style mac salad, which uses that skinnier pasta and less mayo, so what mayo there is is not really visible. But you can taste it.
We ate this as our starch - and it IS starchy! I think I make it once a year? Along with this, we had the Panch Phoran Yam Soup, and some sweet, sweet juicy cantaloupe - so we saved the meal with lots of fiber and beta carotene.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Panch Phoran Yams Transformed into Soup
While the dish was yummy, I could tell the whole spices used for the yams were a bit much for the DH to deal with. The next time, I might whirl them in the food processor or blender before using them.
It was a windy and rainy evening when I looked into the refrigerator to start dinner. There was 1 to1-1/2 cups of the Panch Phoran Yams left over. I chopped some onion and sauteed this in butter. When the onions were soft, I added the yams. I combined a cup of water, teaspoon and a half of chicken base and half a packet of powdered coconut milk, added this to the onions and yams, and heated the mixture through. After it was hot enough, I blended all into a thick soup with an immersion blender.
Warming, fragrantly spicy soup from leftovers!
The rest of the meal was leftover salmon with Thai sweet chili sauce. And a local Hawaiian side dish I'll post about separately...
It was a windy and rainy evening when I looked into the refrigerator to start dinner. There was 1 to1-1/2 cups of the Panch Phoran Yams left over. I chopped some onion and sauteed this in butter. When the onions were soft, I added the yams. I combined a cup of water, teaspoon and a half of chicken base and half a packet of powdered coconut milk, added this to the onions and yams, and heated the mixture through. After it was hot enough, I blended all into a thick soup with an immersion blender.
Warming, fragrantly spicy soup from leftovers!
The rest of the meal was leftover salmon with Thai sweet chili sauce. And a local Hawaiian side dish I'll post about separately...
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