This past weekend a good friend of mine called to see if I wanted to go out for dinner. I have to be honest with you; I don’t usually go out on the weekends. It’s enough that I have to get ready to go to work five days a week, so I prefer to stay ‘au natural’ on the weekend. So I suggested he come to my house and I would prepare dinner. That was the best steak dinner I’ve had in years! Much better in my opinion than my usual Capital Grille or Abe & Louie’s steak dinner for a tenth of the price.
The menu was very simple:
Tomatoes with fresh herbs
I simply sliced the tomatoes and drizzled some good wine vinegar and a nice basil infused olive oil over them. Luckily I always have fresh parsley, basil and chives available in my little herb garden. The addition of fresh herb transformed these hard odorless tomatoes into a delight.
Sirloin steak
I like my steak with Montréal seasoning seared in a grill pan to a perfect medium rare.
Boiled baby potatoes
These little things are as good as candy; they don’t need anything else.
Sautéed crimini mushrooms with garlic and rosemary
This also took no time at all to prepare as he bought pre-sliced mushrooms. I used good European butter, fresh garlic and rosemary from my little herb garden. I sautéed them over medium-high heat to get them a little crispy around the edges. Perfect!
This was a delicious meal for two with a good bottle of red wine (good but not expensive) for only $25.00. Not to mention that there were some leftovers that made a great lunch (or breakfast for that matter).
Besides the fact that it was a cheap meal compared to a typical restaurant, it tasted so much better and everything was done to my liking. But the stars of the dinner were the fresh herbs; it’s really worth it to keep a few pots in the house or outside when weather permits.
Peace and love.
- Josée
Hint, Hint: This would make a perfect Valentine’s Day dinner menu for two. Add some Sherbet and Berry Filled Chocolate Cups for dessert and you’re good to go. Stay tuned for more delectable Valentine’s Day menu ideas from Renee next week.
Most of us would agree that the “Super Bowl Sunday Spread” usually includes very few healthy, low calorie or low fat foods. You could always forget about your healthy eating and just go for it or you could change it up this year and have a low calorie, low fat spread instead. There are so many ways to change up your Super Bowl spread to make it healthier.
Start with your drinks. Beer is a popular drink at Super Bowl parties. The easiest thing to do is to serve or drink light beer. A regular 12 oz Budweiser beer has 145 calories and a 12 oz Bud Light has 110 calories. That is a saving of 35 calories. If you are having more than one beer, it will add up quickly. Try some Gatorade for a non alcoholic, low calorie option that is fitting for a football game. You can get a few different flavors. Try the G2 Orange Gatorade. It has 38 calories in 8 oz.
Next move on to your appetizer type foods. Everyone loves buffalo chicken wings at a Super Bowl party. Try to lighten them up by using boneless chicken tenders to start. Check out one of my favorite low calorie recipes. Another favorite appetizer is chips and salsa. Salsa is great because it is low in fat and calories, however, tortilla chips are high in both fat and calories. Opt for baked tortilla chips which will have much less fat and calories per serving. You could also skip the chips altogether and serve mini chicken tacos. These are so easy to make. Just cook some diced chicken in a pan with olive oil and taco seasoning for about 15 minutes. Drain off any liquid and scoop into small taco shells. Put out small bowls of shredded lettuce, diced onions, peppers, low fat shredded cheese or sour cream and salsa so everyone can make their own favorite taco. Just have one or two and you will end up saving fat and calories by not continuing to dip your hand into chip bowl!
At halftime most people serve their “main course.” Some favorite main courses include: chili, lasagna and pizza. These foods are easy to makeover. You can easily make these lower in calories and fat. Make your chili with ground turkey or chicken meat. This will save you a good amount of calories and fat. You can still use your beans, sauce, cayenne pepper and spices which are all low in fat. Serve your chili with low fat chips or whole grain crackers for a low fat side. When making lasagna, try whole grain lasagna noodles which will give you a little fiber to help you feel full. You can also use some low fat or light cheese. Leave out the meat and put in some veggies instead. Most people will like vegetable lasagna just as much as meat lasagna. Check out this great recipe. You can substitute any veggies you like. Pizza is a great meal for the adults and kids at your party. If the kids aren’t interested in the game, let them help make the pizza. You can use a premade pizza crust or even English muffins. You can use a regular pizza sauce topped with low fat shredded cheese. Next let everyone choose some healthy toppings for the pizza. Put out onions, peppers, pineapples or whatever you like but avoid the sausage, pepperoni and bacon.
Finally, serve up a great dessert at the end of the game. My favorite is angel food cake slices topped with strawberries, cherries or pineapples. Let your guests decide what they want to top their cake with. Avoid the cookies and brownies which are usually very high in fat and calories.
You still have a few days before Super Bowl Sunday so try to get everyone on board and ask them to bring a healthy food to your party. Many people will appreciate the healthy options and they can help keep you on track while still having a great time at your party.
February is American Heart Month, which was proclaimed by Congress in 1963 to urge Americans to join the battle against cardiovascular disease. And this Friday, February 5th is ‘National Wear Red Day’ to support the fight against heart disease in women. Heart disease is still the #1 killer for Americans. Like many diseases and chronic conditions, there are some controllable factors that can reduce our risk and help manage the disease. We all know that we can’t change our family history, genes, age or sex. But lifestyle is a substantial ‘controllable’ risk factor which happens to be free.
Here are a few lifestyle changes that will reduce your risk for heart disease (and many other diseases too):
If you smoke, please quit. People have heard this for years but it’s still one of the most important controllable risk factors.
Keep your weight within a healthy range. You can still be a little overweight but be healthy and fit. A few extra pounds are not the issue here. It’s the 40-50 lbs that needs to be addressed, unless you’re all muscle.
Exercise. Just go for a walk; it’s free and always available. Go outside to get some vitamin D. For those who are too heavy to start exercising at their present weight, they can start by moving their upper body and arms. As long as they move something and get their heart rate up a little; but they should do more than what they are doing now and slowly add more as they improve their strength and breathing capacity.
Stress management. Here’s an easy one…yeah right! Maybe exercise can be stress management? Maybe switching excessive working hours for personal time? Take on meditation, visualization, prayers or music time, but whatever you do take time for yourself.
Healthy eating includes:
Get your omega-3’s from fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, herring, kippers, sardines, trout or fatty tuna. Canned kippers and sardines are so cheap and convenient.
Limit trans and saturated fats mostly from processed food, fast food and restaurant food, fatty cuts of meat, high fat dairy products and added fats like butter, margarine, mayo, sauces and gravy.
Reduce your intake of meat and replace it with more fruits, vegetables, whole grain products, fish and seafood.
Use mono and polyunsaturated rich foods as your main fat source such as: olive or canola oils, nuts and seeds.
Eat soluble fibers: dried beans (chick peas, kidney beans, black eye peas, baked beans, black beans and other beans), lentils, oats and oat bran, barley, brown rice, baked potatoes, carrots, citrus fruits, apples, bananas and apricots.
Eat smaller meals more often. 4-6 small meals will help avoid stomach distention which can push on the diaphragm up and consequently put pressure on the heart.
Limit your salt intake. The easiest way to do this is to stay away from processed foods since salt is a used as a preservative. Canned food, frozen foods, cheese and cheese products, deli and salty snack products are the highest ones on the list. Your maximum daily intake should really be less than 4000 mg, so think before buying a canned soup or deli meat that has more than 600 mg per serving, since most of the time we eat more than “one” serving.
Drink plenty of water.
Get a regular medical check-up.
Sounds pretty much like the Mediterranean diet, doesn’t it? So get on the Med wagon! It’s good for you all around and it’s also part of Sensei’s program.
So lady’s…wear a little red on Friday and let’s stick together and support each other. You guy’s too, but understand that heart disease is not only a ‘man’s’ disease.
After emerging from his burrow yesterday, Punxsutawney Phil determined that there will be another 6 weeks of winter. The famous groundhog did indeed see his shadow, which means most people around the country can prepare themselves for more (yes, more) cold weather. With that in mind I wanted to share some healthy tips and recipes to keep you happy and warm during these dragging winter months.
Nothing says comfort food like a hot, hearty soup. Check out these delicious Sensei soup recipes to heat you up and keep you satisfied all month long:
During the winter months pot pies, chunky stews and casseroles abound, but these seasonal favorites are notoriously high in fat and calories. Give your comfort foods a facelift with the following tips:
Use fat free or low fat evaporated milk instead of heavy cream in soups and sauces.
If you enjoy stews and casseroles made with lots of meat, try adding more vegetables, beans or whole grains (like brown rice or quinoa) and cut back on the animal protein. They will have the same flavor, but will be more filling and better for you.
Pair a smaller portion of your favorite comfort foods with a side salad or cup of broth based soup. This will add healthy nutrients to the meal and help you feel full.
Make individual servings of casseroles in muffin tins to control portion sizes.
Last but not least, don’t forget to bundle up and stay active. Take a walk outside, shovel the sidewalk or go sledding with your kids. The sunlight and crisp air with refresh you and brighten your mood.
The Super Bowl is here again! This is simultaneously the best and worst day of the year for me. Yes, someone finally wins, but no football for 7 months!? I think I’m hyperventilating a little bit! Since this is a food/nutrition blog, I bet you’re wondering when I’m going to lecture you on what you should be eating during the big game instead of that gigantic plate of nachos, the chili cheese dog and the 12 beers you plan on chugging. I’ll get to that in a second.
Have you ever wondered what football players eat before a game? I mean, you can’t just have a salad and expect to survive 3 hours of giant men in pads running at you at full speed. I did a little research and found out what the star quarterbacks will be eating this Super Bowl Sunday:
A peanut butter and jelly sandwich the night before.
An egg white omelet with ham, peppers and spinach, sausage links, potatoes and fruit the morning of the game.
Their meals say it all: balanced, hearty and healthy. No wonder these guys are out there slinging the ball 60 yards at a time! Their training may have something to do with it, but personally I think it’s just the food.
As for the rest of us who will not be suiting up, perhaps we should rethink the chili cheese dogs and those 12 beers. I’m not saying that you have to chew on veggies the whole game, but having a platter of them around can’t hurt, right? And maybe you can alternate the beers with water or other calorie-free drinks? Check out Renee’s Surviving the Super Bowl Spread blog for some great food suggestions for your Super Bowl festivities, and be on the look out for Jennifer’s blog for healthy recipe ideas.
