10 posts tagged “food”
I've really wanted to just go and eat a lot these days. Especially sweets. This kicked in shortly after my doctor told me I'd gained a bit too much this last month and should cut back on the starches (potatoes, breads, pasta, etc.) to about half of what I normally eat and then eat whole grain when I do. Now, I know that's good advice anytime, but it still got to me. I vacillate from being annoyed with my doctor to concerned about my health and that of the babe's.
See, I thought I was doing ok for weight gain this pregnancy - in fact, the 9 lbs he's concerned about is the only weight I've gained at 24 weeks so far. (Unfortunately, I gained it all in 4 weeks!) Now, this could just be a quirk of the scale and circumstances (ex. - unusally low at last weigh in and higher at this one) or, it could point to gestational diabetes - eek! I have my glucose screen test in another 2 weeks and in the meantime, I'm trying to be happy with fruit and veggies.
So how do I deal with the maddening desire to walk into my kitchen and back myself a batch of biscuits!
Go enjoy your ice cream and cookies for me, people!
As I've mentioned before, I've been reading a book very aptly named
It goes through different groups of foods and highlights how and why they are effective in preventing or fighting cancer. Here's a quick run down:
- Cruciferous Family - cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.
- Garlic and Onions
- Soy - including edamame, dry roasted soybeans, miso, tofu, etc.
- Tumeric - yes, this spice that makes everything very yellow is in its own cancer-fighting category.
- Green Tea - especially the Japanese variety, but the Chinese ones work fine, too.
- Berries - pretty much all of them!
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids - which you'll find in salmon, sardines, and milled flax seed for starters.
- Citrus Fruit
- Dark Chocolate (yay!)
- Red Wine
- Tomatoes
I'd decided to try to feature some of these things in our diet during the week. I knew we'd be short on the Omega-3 category, so I've started hunting down recipes for canned salmon. I was surprised at how few turned up in my library of about a dozen cookbooks. Most were for salmon cakes - some sort of fried concoction, usually using potatoes as a base. And then I found this recipe in a book my mom gave me a few years back: One-Dish Meals. Some of the reipes are odd to me because they call for things like "a 12 oz. bag of frozen peas, carrots, corn and red pepper slices." I just chop the veggies myself. And they don't have much by way of vegetarian, but I did find a casserole that worked very well. It's basically a white sauce mixed with noodles, broccoli and tinned salmon and baked in a casserole dish. I added garlic, celery and onion to the mix and topped it with some cheese instead of the bread crumbs because I didn't have any handy. And it was very tasty, even if I do say so myself. And it was cancer-fighting packed meal: salmon (omega-3), garlic & onion and broccoli. (I was tempted to add tumeric; maybe I'll wait to the next time.)
I know that eating healthy whenever one can is better than never trying to do it at all, but the thing is, I think I'll find it hard to keep up. It'll take time to adjust what we buy (and how much we spend!) and the time it takes to think ahead a prepare things instead of just reaching for wieners and beans (which is a meal I love, especially when I add cumin to the beans and put it all in a wrap with cheese).
What's your healthy food tip?
Thanks everyone, for your comments and calls. I've been feeling much better. Yes, I still have a runny nose and the throat will surely be tested with my passel of grade 8s tomorrow, but I'm just *feeling* better.
Our weekend: Friday night we were over at some friends' place for dinner. The S. family has 3 kids, the youngest is about 8 months older than Gus. They are a rambunctious and adorable crew and I enjoy seeing Gus interact (read: flee from) other kids. I know he's getting lots of interaction time at daycare, but it's fun to be able to see how he reacts to things.
Sunday morning, my husband very graciously was up at the crack of pre-dawn with Gus, who had no clue that this was the morning of day-light savings (or return from?) and could care less that the rest of the world was getting an extra hour of sleep, leaving me with some luxurious hours of sleep. We had to adjust our church-going: Gus barely made it through last week's service so we had him take an early nap this time so he wouldn't be so cranky by the end of the service. However, C. and I skipped Sunday School so he would get a decent rest. This afternoon gave me time to chat on the phone (Hi, Mom!), finish my postcards that are due to be swapped tomorrow, and play with Gus-Gus. We had even more cabbage for dinner (this time with perogies) and felt very good about it. (Seriously, folks - cabbage is an amazing cancer-fighting good. It's cheap, too. Go eat some!)
And now C. is preparing his study for our care group/Bible study meeting on Tuesday so we can spend time with other friends who have graciously invited us over for dinner tomorrow night! Me, I'm killing time here, but will soon be returning to my latest novel: Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs. (The TV series Bones is based on her writings.) So far, so good. I'll let you know when I'm done.
Enjoy your week.
We had our fill of turkey sandwiches in the wake of our Thanksgiving dinner so I turned the rest of the meat to a different use: Turkey Soup & Turkey Pot Pie.
I boiled down the carcass the other night to make stock and then let it chill the next day to bring the fat to the surface and skimmed it off this morning. Then I tossed in onion, garlic, carrots, celery, barely, potato and turkey bits to make this yummy looking soup! The stock had so much colour and aroma (and rightly so) that I didn't bother putting any more herbs into it. Now it goes to the freezer to help me through work lunches and those dinners when I dont' feel like doing anything more than defrosting!
For this evening though, I was a bit more adventurous (for me, anyway!). I made us some Turkey Pot Pie. I used a recipe from The Joy of Cooking for the creamed chicken part but used my own biscuit recipe (come to me by way of my friend Sara and from which I get many, many compliments!) for the topping. The cream sauce was a basic roux and then I threw in the turkey, onion, garlic, celery, carrot and peas. We realized it could have been cooked longer once I had served it up, as there were some doughy, mushy pieces where the biscuits hadn't been cooked through right next the the sauce. So I tossed it in for about 15 more minutes to be sure. This meal ought to serve us for the next 2 dinners!
For those of you who do not live north of the 49th parallel in North America, Canada celebrate thanksgiving earlier than the Americans. Actually, this year seems particularly early to those of us accustomed to it. However, this 3 day long weekend was quite welcome.
Mine began Friday: C. had been away all week for work and had just come home Thursday night. He stayed home with Gus on Friday while I spent most of the day at work, trying to get a bunch of work done before the weekend. After work we straighted up the house in preparation of the arrival of my father-in-law and brother-in-law who came later that evening. (My mother-in-law was in Ethiopia at the time.) That night they brought the rest of our wall unit, and C. and his brother put it together and now our CDs have a home and the Ikea unit is complete!
Saturday morning we all headed out to the farmer's market. I picked up a squash and some parsley and F.I.L treated us to some sausage and bannock and picked up some Fresh is Best salsa and chips as an appy for dinner, which we had as part of lunch instead!
While the guys chopped veggies, I got the turkey going and then all 4 guys, Gus included - he just bounced along in the chariot, headed out for some Disc Golf. There is a great course on the edge of town but since trees have been felled because of the pine beetle epidemic, many of the holes were much easier than they had been, have far fewer obstacles. I stayed home to baste the turkey and enjoyed some quiet time reading (I'm on to The Two Towers now).
The meal itself turned out fine: the turkey was moist, the potatoes blue and the roasted mashed yams (that my husband calls 'yample sauce' since he likens it to applesauce) tasty. I do regret that I still can't create a gravy I'm satisfied with. After putting Gus-Gus to bed, the four of us busted out some more beer, mint chocolate chip ice cream and a game of Contractor, which I lost, barely, to my father-in-law.
Sunday morning our guests departed and we headed off to church. I spent much of the service in the nursery, which suited Gus well since he wouldn't nap before we left and so was a bit ornery later on. The afternoon was quiet and relaxing and later in the evening we watched the newest Bond flick - Casino Royale. (Liked it - but I usually do.)
Today (Monday) has had us complete errands around the house: fixing gutters and getting groceries, phone calls and laundry. I've made turkey soup and I'll be working on Turkey Pot Pie for dinner as soon as I've finished procrastinating with this post. I also got out to my favourite coffee shop for a cuppa and some school prep: we begin a novel study tomorrow and I still hadn't decided on my course of action. But I have now, thanks to the inspiration of caffeine! C. and Gus-Gus are still out - they've gone for a bike ride. And now my procrastinating should come to an end.
Thanks for sticking around. I'll tell you what else I'm thankful for later...
What are the 10 foods you must have in your refrigerator and/or your kitchen cabinet?
Submitted by Carol.
In no particular order:
- cheese
- garlic
- green tea
- onions
- baked beans (yes, the ones in a can - love 'em)
- flour
- butter
- sugar
- flour tortillas
- tomato sauce
However, we’re cleaning out the cabinets and fridge today, leaving ourselves with a modgepodge of items. We had to make a menu for these next couple of days. We decided on take-out for the last night so we aren’t worrying about food prep. At first, C. wanted to go with this great roast chicken/baguette/salad deal at our grocery store, but then I reminded him that we’d need a cutting board and knife for the chicken, butter and knives for the bread, salt and pepper for that macaroni salad, plus plates and knives…
So, we’ve decided on Chinese take-out (they’ll provide chopsticks) for the night before the Big Move and cereal the next morning so we know what can be packed and can’t. Pizza would be ideal – napkins only! – but that’s what we’ll be having for lunch the next day; it’s easy for us and will satisfy our selfless friends who are giving up their Saturday to help us out.
My mother-in-law is arriving tonight to help us out. (Bless her!) Her primary task will be to watch my boy so we can focus on everything else. Fortunately, that isn’t a big burden for grandmas to take on!
Ok. Back to researching oven cleaning. I haven’t done it in a long time. Hmmm. Maybe I should have said that…is that bad?
Finished this book this last week after a bit of a reading hiatus. It was a lovely, undemanding read. The content moves between characters in different times and places but I didn't find it difficult to follow. I can see how they got the charming movie out of it. It contained some heavy subjects but were they were dealt with a levity that simultaneously managed not to dismiss the importance of the issue. I'd recommend it, especially for a summer beach read.
This book got me thinking about somethings. I've just spent the last 15 mins trying to flesh out my thoughts, but they aren't sounding right, so here are the highlights:
- how we romanticise our past, ignoring the tough stuff and how it brought about the advantages to our present lifestyles.- how people can have so much troubling connecting. Why do we isolate ourselves?
- why do we hesitate to look after others we don't consider 'our own'?
- it amazes me that we connect over food - I love it! And there is such a longing for it. Have you noticed how big the cookbook/food section is at the bookstore these days?
- Aging: so wonderful and so sad, or so goes our portrayal of it.
- Selfless raising of kids...handicapped or no. Why are we so scared of it? Did you know that there are fewer and fewer children with Down's Syndrome being born in the US thanks to amniocentesis and abortions? It's interesting what we now consider to be 'quality of life.'
- Does anybody in Canada actually eat fried green tomatoes?
Last night I made dinner. I made big barn bowties out of the Rebar cookbook
Here's what it was:
Chopped and steamed together - onion, garlic, carrot and savoy cabbage, (we have some great pots and pans that let us do this wonderfully), add thyme and sage.
Boil bowtie pasta.
Throw in some walnuts to broil.
Melt some butter (the recipe calls for brown butter, but I don't bother straining out the solids).
On the plate, bowties with veggies on top, and some sprinkles/dashes, etc. of Parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar, and brown butter.
Yummy!
Even with the cold air and burned bits settling out of the air. Did you notice that assemblage? Yep, forgot those walnuts. They reminded me they were there when the smoke started pouring out of the oven. Many - do nuts ever have a lot of oil in them. Instead of simply dousing it with baking soda or covering it, we grabbed it and threw it out into our backyard. Not the most advisable course of action (how come we never think if the sane things in times like that?) but effective nonetheless.
With windows and doors open for awhile, we were able to get things cleared out by the end of the night and the brouhaha didn't seem to bother my little boy.
Tonight:
Seafood Chowder - with scallops, clams, shrimp, corn and some potatoes. And no oven use.
(This Friday5 was from last week - better late than...)
1. Have you ever been out of your country?
Sure have - been down to the a few times. First, when I was 5 when we stayed for a summer while my dad took more classes at his alma mater. The next time was when I was 12 and my dad had to defend his thesis at another university. Since then, there have been a very small handful of trips - some down as far south as to visit relatives and others just short jaunts across the border to to visit friends.
The most exciting one was taking my first overseas flight to visit my then boyfriend (now husband) who was working in . I flew standby. In order to make the trip, I had to miss some classes which meant getting permission to rearrange a test with an English prof. He obliged and then asked me to pick up a guide book he had once purchased in the region and had then lost. He gave me a horrible sketch of the cover, since he couldn't recall the title - it could have been virtually any book! Fortunately, I did find the right one.
I flew into , spent time in just across the () and my boyfriend surprised me with a day trip to , a place I've always wanted to visit. We spent 6 hours in Strausbourg, a city that has street signs in both French and German. I'd love to go back.
2. What is your mode of transportation?
· My feet, pushing a chariot or regular stroller
- Our Mitsubishi Lancer.
- My mountain bike, on occassion.
3. Have you ever eaten anything straight from nature?
Yep: trout when camping with my family, saskatoons and field strawberries from the side of streets in my hometown, a vareity of veggies from my garden (does that count?) and the white pith of fireweed stalks.
4. Tell us about some of the places you have lived.
Place #1. I lived in a 900 sq. foot house with 6 other people. We had a big yard where I could climb trees and go sledding in our ditch out front. I the 8 houses in my 'corner' there were 20 kids 12 and under. I could bike around my neighbourhood until it got dark. We were 3 blocks from the lake - an excellent swimming lake and we even found a place we could dive for clay when the water was far enough out. Just towel off when you get out or you'll get mite bites. I lived within shouting distance of my elementary school. Besides the first couple of days of kindergarten, I don't think my mom ever had to walk me to and from school. We played in bushes and biked trails. We were off the main highway, and I always thought that there was nothing else north, east, or west of where we lived - just bush; the rest of the world was 'down there' - south. And up above: the northern lights were wonderful.
Place #2. I slept within 50 metres of the ocean, and could hear the waves lapping as I fell asleep, and woke up to the ferry warming up for the day. Though on the west coast, I lived in a rain shadow. I had to avoid banana slugs on the paths that wound through cedar and arbutus forests and learned to dress in layers. The sunsets were almost as beautiful as Place #1. I kayaked to collect sand dollars and boulder jumped to get a good look at vivdly purple starfish. I met and made friends with some amazing and wonderful people. I learned how to serve and be served. God taught me there.
5. Show us a photo of a place - any place!
Um, my computer won't let me show any right now... I'll fix it soon.
What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?
Submitted by sami711.
Growing up with 5 siblings and an immediate family in town, we never traveled for the holidays and I think that helped establish our holiday traditions.
My fav traditions start with decorating the tree. Every year each one of us would get a new ornament, often one that marked the year somehow - like a bat to mark the baseball season, or something from our summer vacation destination. When we put them on the tree, we would always start with our baby ornaments and work up to the newest one. By the time I was 20, there were a lot of ornaments, because I would have 20 ornaments, my brother would have 18 and my other brother 16, and 14 for one sister and 11 for another. That's 79 ornaments on the tree! It's a tradition I've decided to implement with my own son this year.
Another common tradition was taco dinner with family friends on Christmas Eve. This was then followed by a family drive about town to see the different Christmas light displays - this was not a favourite for me simply because I can be prone to motion sickness!
My final favourite is the family gathering, usually on Christmas day, however it has been flexible. For example, there was the year my great-grandmother was ill and my Grandpa couldn't be there for Christmas Day so we had the family gathering after New Year's when he was home again, and this year we're having the gathering on Christmas Eve so that my brother can make it before he has to fly away on Christmas Day. This gathering had about 20 people as standard with all the cousins, aunts and uncles. It often swelled with various other distant relatives or close friends. In most recent years, additions of spouses and babies have added to the crowd. I always loved these gatherings because they would be so relaxed - while one group played a board game, you could also feel free to doze off on the couch. The food is also great. About 10 years back they decided that we didn't need to do the turkey dinner, since people usually ate that somewhere else. Instead, we've started the grazing tradition - soup, breads, crackers, cheese, dips, shrimp, sweets, - a lovely spread.
I think we're doing a roast dinner this year. I have good memories of that too. And come to think of it, I don't think I've had a roast in a long time. Yum.
