Really, It's Not My Fault

A great article in Psychology Today (reprinted in Newsday) magazine brings up a good point: we're hard wired to eat too much. 

This is something I've thought about more than once. When Atkins was all the rage, it made sense to me from an evolutionary perspective. Many of us - as cavemen/women - would eat off the land. Which meant meat and vegetables. Our bodies weren't really formulated to eat bleached white bread and whatnot. 

And in times of stress, some of us (me included) chow like crazy. I find myself either absent mindedly eating, or seeking out the fattiest, fillingest food. I always thought it was a reaction to the chemicals and hormones stress releases. In its basest form, these chemicals were for survival. If you're stressed, nature just assumes there might be a survival situation in the near future - nature doesn't really understand the "my boss just gave me crap" thing. 

Well, that article has some great tips to consider when dieting. More from a "you HAVE to fool your body's natural instincts" perspective. That means taking a hard line and using your brain (the part that knows about the societal issues you're facing) to make food decisions. Yup, it's will power. 

I thought it was a great article, considering you will see somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 million diet-related articles in the next few weeks. While all those tips (journaling, not eating after 8 etc) are all well and good - keep in mind that you're still fighting against your basic instincts when you diet. 

If you weren't, it would be a hell of a lot easier, no?

Happy New Year!!

Fun with Food

As I prepare the post on my holiday willpower meltdown...ok, make that continuing willpower meltdown...I didn't want to leave you all hanging on with nothing to chew on. Me? I'll be chewing on my 4,000th piece of biscotti. You? Check out a couple amazing food blogs I've been exploring:

Cake Wrecks - who knew bakery blunders could be so hi-larious? There's some drool-worthy cakes in the beginning, but once you get past that you'll find some pants-splitting mistakes (yeah...I'd totally argue for a discount at checkout and eat these atrocities anyway. I wouldn't want to slow my holiday binge just because Santa looks psychotic). 

No Fear Entertaining - this blog takes the terror out of having the in-laws over for the holidays - well the food-based terror anyway. If you love to cook as much as I do (you don't get a bod like this by being a picky eater/chef), you'll totally devour No Fear's amazing recipes.

Whatsupwitdat, Lean Cuisine?

Did Lean Cuisine come to market with a new formulation of their classic French Bread pizza, or did I get a dud box? It's hard to tell in the pics, but my cheese was not of the shredded variety, but instead it was more like cheese dust. It resembled Parmesan cheese more than anything. The taste was a little more bland as well. I didn't think it was too long since my last one, but maybe? It was kind of a bummer to say the least. Anyone else have a similar experience? 

My research (cough - Google - cough) has uncovered nothing! Nothing! WHYYY!?

OK Sushi Restaurants - Hint Taken!

I'm a diet dramatic, and I think sushi is a magic diet treat. Not only is it delish, but it's gorgeous to look at, exotic, and hard to eat. It encourages conversation ("I dare you to eat that") and appreciation for other cultures. 

When we order sushi at my house, we get a handful of rolls to split between 2 of us. Inevitably we'll get 3-4 sets of chopsticks. Now, we're not getting enough variety to require a chopstick-swap out, and we're not so great of customers to one restaurant that we get extra goodies. Nope, they just assume that there must be a swarm of people waiting for all this food. In actuality, it's my husband, me, and maybe the Guitar Hero band or the cast of How I Met Your Mother. So, yes Japanese restaurant, it's only two fat Americans having a mini feast. 

And, yes, we finish it all. I always feel awful when we venture out to a sushi bar or restaurant and I don't finish my food. I know they consider leaving even a smidge of rice behind is insulting (I'm sure they're used to us by now, but still

, I feel the scowl). Some buffets even charge you if you take more than you can choke down. Punishment for daredevils or incentive not to waste food? 

It makes sense, you pay for your whole entree even if you don't clean your plate - and sushi is expensive! If it weren't I'd eat it all the time, and probably not have anything to write about here as a result.

(and in case you were wondering - no, I'm not offended enough to stop ordering sushi, I just have a healthy supply of spare chopsticks)

White Christmas (the other) White Meat

Pork has been seeing a lot of fanfare lately. The barbecue renaissance of 2008 had us all clamoring to test our slow roasting skills - and earning us our own "Boston butt"s in the process. All those cuts of meat that are the most suitable to slow roasting, are also often the most fatty. That's why they taste SO good! 

Alas, the seasons change and here we are in the dead of winter. We've left the fatty post-diet apocalyptic fad in the most hot-off-the-presses pages of food fad history (file with: turkey fryers, hickory smokers, and campfire foil packs). While, yes, we are in the season of the sweater, it doesn't mean we can't get a jump on the January pound drop with some lean, white meat...and for the love of Pete, it cannot be turkey again!

For the holidays, consider oft looked over the pork tenderloin. What's that you say? You filed them under fad long ago? Well, yeah, those marinated logs were at every dinner party for awhile. But they're back. But this time, skip the honey mustard goo bag, and go au naturale. Think of the plain pork tenderloins as a blank canvas, kind of like chicken. It can be molded to fit any time. I recently made a french-inspired version, with an easy herbs de Provence mixture. Ok - I admit it. I totally got the recipe from the dreaded Sandra Lee (I'm not a huge fan, but the woman makes a killer cocktail every show) and it was super easy. 

The key here is cooking by temperature, not by time. I got myself one of those electric probes that sits outside the oven and rings when the temperature hits. (see any episode of Good Eats, you'll know). Mine came out amazingly moist and delish!

It's a simple and wonderful main course for your main holiday dinner. And, you'll be tricking all your guests into following your diet plan. Think of Pork Tenderloin as pork fillet Mignon. It's lean, but tender. The low fat content results in fewer calories too - 3 oz will only cost you 122 calories with 1g of saturated fat. (this is for pork tenderloin in general, not necessarily the recipe I mention above, which is probably slightly more thanks to some olive oil involvement). 

I'll be making it at my holiday dinner...I love making everyone follow my diet unknowingly. I'll show them!

Best Diet Ever or Worst Timing?

I've been pushed out of the land of the living for the next few days. My whole "I don't need a flu shot" philosophy has been debunked - and hard. I'm pretty much down for the count. All my wonderful food pictures that have been awaiting posting are now just irritatingly delicious-looking. I have no desire to eat or do much more than avoid bed sores. 

The good news? Food (usually my BFF) isn't even interesting from an eating perspective. I am, however, devouring the food porn on the Food Network like crazy! It's amazing (Tyler Florence rocks my world) yet depressing (I should be in holiday baking mode, cooking up my annual batch of gift biscotti, but I'd be dispensing little flu bombs to my friends and family).

The bad news? I'm already tired of drinking water, so I'm chugging apple juice like, well, like it's cool (I'm sick, and I had a whole witty reference about Pabst Blue Ribbon in Brooklyn that was just not gelling - give me a break). At somewhere around 140 calories per small glass, I'm still racking up calories. Granted, not as many calories as taste-testing biscotti would have yielded, but still. I really hate drinking my calories - I save that for a nice glass of wine. For day to day, I'd typically take a million unflavored seltzers and my left hand rather than down, say, a real Coke. 

Hopefully I'll be able to catch up on some posts. I have a rockin' ode to a pork roast on deck, so look for that soon. Until then - I'm hitting the apple juice and settling down for some holiday cooking with Giada, Tyler, Paula, Ina, and Guy. I'll be catching up on my Food Network Addict too (a complete must for any FN fan). 

Today's Obsession: Fresh Tuna

It's getting cold here in the Northeast. Cold, wet, miserable - it's gross all over. There's no escape. Mmm....escape = vacation = summer. What reminds me of the warm summer? Seafood! Fresh, light, guilt-free and delish. 

Yup, I'm a huge brat and love me some ex swimmers. This week, it's Tuna (don't worry, salmon will have a post all it's own...but I have to wait for Costco holiday shoppers to clear out). I found a beautiful hunka hunka fresh tuna at my local grocery store. It was love at first sight. Deep red, more than an inch thick - it just looked like a perfect health-food specimen. I mean, it was Top Chef material. There was no denying it, this fish was coming home with me. That, and I was fresh from my pilates class, and ready to eat something delish & nutrish. 

My beautiful tuna steak was almost 3/4 of a lb. It was plenty to feed me

 and my hubby. How'd I cook it you ask? Well, how nice of you! I seared it...I seared it gooood.

I started by heating up a cast iron griddle pan (any cast iron pan will do - I went with flat rather than breaking out the grill pan). I put the flame on high and let it blast away until the pan was hotter than the sun itself. As my pan neared spontaneous combustion, I prepared my tuna steak with a sprinkle of kosher salt (yes, Alton Brown got to me too), pepper, and a dusting of Sunny Spain seasoning from Penzey's. It's my default fish seasoning, so guard this secret with your life! A very light drizzle of olive oil (not too much, I didn't want it to burst into flames when brought near the heat) and off to the griddle. 

I seared it relatively quickly (it was a thick sucker) so it was nicely medium rare inside. OK, it was slightly closer to rare, but amazingly warm & delish. I topped it with a quick mix of soy sauce, a touch of olive oil, lemon, garlic, and a dash of Sunny Spain, and served it on a bed of cous cous (I'm VERY into Top Chef right now...I'm even plating). I found a similar recipe on a Tuna Steak recipes blog if you need a proper step by step. 

It was almost as good as what you'd get in a good restaurant. And it's super good for me! A 3oz portion only runs about 160 calories, and a shocking 25g protein! Plus it has mega omega 3's - which is the 'good' fat. 

I might have to hit the tuna stand again next week - it was that good. Plus, it brings me back to the days on the beach where you can't turn around without being slapped with a tuna steak. Next time I might try to take it to the tropics with some Caribbean inspiration (mmm...coconut milk & cilantro maybe?)...I'll keep you posted. 

Would You Like Room In Your Cup for Snobbery?

First it was wine. We swirled, we sniffed, we refused to spit out or samples (it's wine, duh).

Then olive oil. We diped, we slurped, we pretended it wasn't gross to sip straight up oil.

Now, it's time to snobbifiy your coffee. What's that you say? You think your triple half-caf, half-soy latte is plenty snobby? Well, put your $4 dollars away, you'll need it to save up for a pound of uber-spresso.

According to this very informative and caffeinated (8 pages of 8.5 x 11 - really?) article in Seattle Weekly "Seattle's New Way to Fetishize Coffee" - cupping, the act of loudly slurpping coffee for taste, quality, and snob appeal, is catching on like crazy in the hipster capital of the Northwest. I'm sure this practice isn't coming soon to a Starbucks near you - the symbol of American capitalism is way too low brow for these guys. They're savoring the aromas of the world's most rare and schmancy coffee. How schmancy? A pound can cost up to $16!

Check with your local indie coffee shop (if you still have one) to see if they hold any 'cupping' sessions in the area. I'm going to try to find one myself just to see what it's all about.

How does this tie back to diet drama? If loudly huffing a $12 cup of espresso isn't over the top, then I don't know what to think anymore. Not to mention, coffee is calorie-free (black coffee, so don't race out to get a pumpkin spice latte just yet), and just smelling it...well, that may be the best diet trick ever invented! But the question remains much the same as with wine...is everyone taking in air, or do they just suck?

Oranges Oranges Oranges!!

Through a strange twist of fate, I am the proud owner of 60 oranges. 60!!! My household is all of 2 people (my hubby and I) both adults. The package was intended for the previous owners (a large family + others), but they apparently didn't think it was important to give their new address to Grandma.

Now, I know what you're thinking, but I assure you I'm not evil and did not steal Grandma's special orange shipment. Kids are not catching colds, Grandma's hear is not broken. We went away for Thanksgiving weekend and were greeted by a giant box on our doorstep upon our return. We knew it was for the previous owner, who we will go to great lengths to avoid dealing with her at all costs (she's what we drama queens call "bat shit crazy"). So we call the company - Cushman's - and they were nice enough to let us keep the crop while they fix the issue on their end. Yay! Free Oranges! Sweet, tree-ripened, amazing, best I ever tasted Navel Oranges!

However, it's a daunting amount of oranges. In our excitement of scoring the bushel of citrus, we gorged ourselves the first night. We destroyed about 5 oranges, but barely made a dent in the stash. We've been averaging 2 a day (at least) but we're still making very little progress. 

The result so far is that I feel amazing! The vitamin C boost, fiber, and low calories are jolting my system in a great way.  Not only am I the only one in my office to NOT be snorking and coughing, but Vitamin C also helps wounds heal faster (take that, paper cut!) and is great for my gum health. 

But, what do I make with 60-freaking-oranges?? I mean, besides check scurvy off my list of things to worry about. I checked out Epicurious.com and was disappointed in the selection (poached oranges? eh...pass). I found one tart that looked interesting, but I was really hoping for some sort of Chinese food. Any ideas? Post in the comments...I beg you! I can't have the guilt of letting all these beautiful babies go bad!

The Faux Fiber Feeling of Whole Wheat Pasta

In the past few years, I've become a big fan of whole wheat pasta, the Barilla Plus stuff in particular. This is primarily because I've harbored an anti-carb fear of pasta since the late 90's thanks to the Atkins craze. I figure, whole grains are slightly less evil than refined white anything - this includes pasta, bread, and crackers. 

Tonight I set out to list whole wheat pasta as my daily obsession. But when I compared the nutrition info, I was fairly disappointed. Sure, my whole wheat pasta (I was having Barilla Rotini) packed in an extra 4g grams of dietary fiber (which is always good) I was expecting at least a slightly lower calorie count to go with it - or maybe even a tad extra protein? Nope. Nada. (however, Barilla Plus is rockin' some extra protein thanks to its added Omega-3 etc.). 

In short, yes, you can cram some extra fiber into your daily diet with some whole wheat pasta. And really, it's not a bad thing - it's super fabulous for your overall health and disease prevention (and that's why I sneak it in whenever I can). But if you're looking for lower carbs or calories, don't use whole wheat pastas as a crutch. You'll just be fooling yourself, and in turn, cheating yourself. If you're on a lower carb plan and need a pasta fix, I say just go all the way. Why? Because then you'll be fully aware of the damage you've done, instead of hiding behind the safety of the label on the front of the box! And, if you're looking for a nice pasta, the texture really is a little different (the 'Plus' stuff is borderline gummy) and I wouldn't recommend it with a light sauce. The pasta will just overpower it. 

For tips on increasing your fiber, check out this post for ideas. 

Today's Obsession: Artichokes

I recently took on a culinary challenge: artichokes

I've only eaten one or two *actual* artichokes in my life, and only in restaurants. By *actual* I mean the prickly, alien-looking vegetable thing pictured here. Artichoke Hearts on the other hand, are a staple of my pantry (and a whole 'nother post, really). 

Why was I so intimidated by these things? First off, I didn't know how to cook them. I live in the Northeastern US, so the green alien-veggie isn't exactly a super market staple. Second, and more horrifying, is the dreaded choke (cue monster music, please). Every cooking show host who handles an artichoke gives a severe warning: Don't eat the choke, don't go near the choke, don't look directly at the choke. I felt that if I got too close to the dreaded epi-center that I'd accidentally take a bite and permanently damage my intestines, or be stuck with a constant hair ball for life. Neither were attractive options. 

Nevertheless, I found myself purchasing three artichokes. The checkout boy even pricked his finger on one of the spiky leaves - I ignored the obvious sign from the big guy upstairs and took my freaky fruits home anyway. 

After a ridiculous amount of research to prepare for the task at hand, I dove in. I was surprised at how easy it was. It was merely a little cutting, a little washing, and about 1/2 hour of steaming. I set myself up with some green goddess dressing and garlic butter for dipping (yeah yeah, it wasn't that much butter). 

So why the obsession? Besides being obscenely delish, they're crazy low in calories. A large one of these crazy critters will only run you about 75 calories! You'll get around 9g of dietary fiber, and 5g of protein to boot! Woo...wait. This doesn't count dippers. But even counting worst case scenario, you probably won't dip more than a tablespoon of anything. Plus, artichokes are labor-intensive, which means it will take you some time to savor it all. I completely heart labor-intensive foods. Some people find them daunting, I find them dramatically diet-friendly.

I have to give huge credit to the folks at the Simply Recipes blog for the amazing step-by-step instructions for cooking and eating artichokes. 

What I'm NOT Thankful For

Ugh.

Thanksgiving has left me full. Full like I wasn't hungry until 2pm...today (Monday). I didn't even eat all that much at ye ole Thanksgiving Dinner. I believe it was the constant grazing, dessert-shoveling, and wine-guzzling that did me in. I am too terrified to step on a scale, so I haven't assessed the damage yet. 

According to multiple sources, Thanksgiving dinner can run you 2,000 - 4,000 calories. This handy/evil calculator told me I'll have to march a marathon in order to burn my splurge off. I don't think this is accurate though - mostly because it only gave me the option of 1 glass of wine and a mere 1/2 cup of stuffing (my kryptonite). 

My only saving grace for Thanksgiving was my insane love of jellied cranberry sauce. No really. I can't even list it as an obsession because it's more like true love. It's my comfort food, one of my favorite foods - even though it's technically a condiment. It gets almost as much real estate on my plate as stuffing. I take solace in its 0g fat content. So there. 

I hope you all enjoyed a great Thanksgiving, and aren't wracked with guilt as I am...oh the humanity!