A Practical Guide To Healthy Living

Today the Times Magazine had a great article by Michael Pollan, entitled “Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch,” about how cooking in America has become a “spectator sport” with the advent of cooking shows and other food-related television programming.  And once again, Pollan has succeeded in clearly articulating problems with the American food culture.  I will admit, I love this guy.  When I read his books and articles, I feel like I imagine the women who read Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique must’ve felt – refreshed to have someone give voice to so many of the thoughts I have about food.

You should check the article out for yourself, but there were some scary stats on how few Americans actually cook anymore, and a frightening prediction that future generations will have even less desire to cook. 

All this got me thinking.  There are two major reasons why I want to teach my daughter to cook.  One is, there is so much pleasure and nurturing associated with serving and preparing food.  The other reason is practical.  Although I don’t feel compelled to cook for my daughter out of some sort of motherly duty, I do feel compelled to teach her to cook so that some day, she can call up the skill for herself, even if she doesn’t choose cooking as a hobby like her mother.

My culinary knowledge has served me well in many different ways throughout my life.  As a poor grad student and a young lawyer burdened with staggeringly high school loans I was a bean master-chef, queen of stretching a box of pasta with veggies and cheese.  I rarely ate meat, not for health reasons, but because it was too expensive, as were most prepared foods.

And isn’t parenting about preparing your kids as best you can for the future?  Instilling competence and resilience so that they can roll with life’s punches?  I’d argue that being able to feed oneself, well, is part of that.  And maybe L. will turn out to be a microwavin’ maven, but it’ll be her decision to spurn her mother’s home-spun ways, and not because I didn’t teach her the basics along the way.

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It’s advice well taken, especially if you’re trying to watch your weight.  I’ve never been a big juice or sugared soda drinker, but in college I was a big alcohol consumer, and all those calories caused me to reach maximum density.  After college, when I began to diet by counting calories, it quickly became clear that if I wanted to put more food in my mouth, I didn’t want to blow 150 calories or more on a drink.  So I quit drinking alcohol, and I quit drinking any sort of caloric beverage. 

So I drank water, Diet Coke and coffee.  I used to be a BIG Diet Coke fan.  I drank a lot of it – for the caffeine and for the taste, and I loved that it had no calories.  And although I’d use a bit of skim milk in my coffee, I always sweetened it with Sweet-n-Low.

Now, though, I no longer drink coffee and I try not to drink any artificially-sweetened drinks, either (although I confess to a continued love affair with Diet Coke from the fountain.  Once in a while I have to give into that temptation).  So . . . what do I drink?

Water and tea.  That’s pretty much it!  I have a juicer and once in a while I do juice, but mostly vegetables.  I hardly ever drink alcohol – I don’t get that much pleasure out of it, and there are some good studies that suggest that drinking booze is not such a great idea for women in terms of raising breast cancer risk. 

Water:  I don’t drink 8 glasses a day, I let thirst be my guide.  A lot of diet guides tell you to drink a lot of water, and I have to say that frankly, I have never noticed that my weight loss is affected by water consumption.  It’s good to be hydrated, and if you’re not drinking other stuff, you’ll likely end up drinking enough water without being regimented about it.

Tea:  My default hot tea, what I drink every morning and throughout the day for a lift when it’s cool outside, is an organic green “gunpowder” tea from Special Teas.  It’s bold, and it’s got a lot of caffeine.  When the weather gets warmer, I make iced tea in this glass pitcher made by Bodum.  I’ve had it for a couple of years and it’s held up well – has a stainless insert so that you can brew loose tea.  Special Teas has a great assortment of flavored loose teas to choose from.  One of my favorites is Japanese Cherry, and this year I’ve made a lot of the Ginger Peach Apricot.  I make iced tea every night while I clean up the kitchen, pop it in the fridge, and by the morning it’s cold and ready to drink.  I usually drink a pitcher myself over the course of a day – the only downside of this thing is that it’s not big enough to share!

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Farmers’ market and Costco?  The two don’t immediately seem to go together.  When most people think of Costco, they think giant-sized boxes of diapers, frozen processed food, etc.  But I would argue that the rotisserie chicken from Costco is the unsung hero of any busy mother.  No, it’s not organic.  Yes, it’s salty.   But it’s also relatively cheap and delicious, and hey, you don’t eat it every day. 

When people think “farmers’ market,” they think fresh produce, locally grown . . . but often they think of ingredients that have to be massaged into something bigger in terms of making a meal of them.  In other words, food that is inconvenient to prepare.  But with some choice ingredients from the market, coupled with the Costco wonder-chicken (or any rotisserie chicken from any vendor), you can whip up an easy no-cook hot-summer-day supper.

After the gym today, I needed to make a return at Costco, so while there, I swung around to the back to grab a chicken.  It’s in the fridge waiting for me.  This afternoon at the Belmont Farmer’s Market, I scored some beautiful sweet corn, gorgeous tomatoes (all different varieties, sizes and colors), a ball of fresh mozzarella that was made this morning and a nice bunch of basil. 

Here’s my plan:

1/2 hour before dinner time, I will remove the chicken from the fridge and let it warm up a bit to room temperature, then I’ll carve it and put it on a platter.

Then I’ll slice the tomatoes and arrange them on a plate so that they don’t overlap, or so that they overlap only slightly.  I’ll salt them lightly with some Kosher salt, then scatter some slivered basil over the top.  I’ll then drop some slices of the mozzarella on top, and then drizzle some nice olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the whole lot.  Tomato salad – done.

Boil up the corn and serve that alongside the chicken and tomato salad with  butter and salt (or brush it with more good olive oil).

Oh, and in the meantime, I’ll make some pasta for my pasta-loving, veggie-hating kid to eat with her chicken. 

Voila.  A simple, no-heat in the kitchen, fresh and tasty summer dinner for everyone to enjoy.

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I just zoomed in from a haircut at 1:00 and was famished – long workout today at the gym and only an apple since my breakfast at 7:00 a.m.  My husband forgot his lunch, so I ate his ham-on-wheat, and treated myself to a package of Sensible Portions Rosemary Olive Oil Garden Veggie Straws that I’d packed for him.

Now, before I go on, know this about me:  I am not a sandwich & chips kinda girl.  No, lunch for me is usually a giant salad with beans and some sort of low-calorie dressing.  Or leftovers from the night before.  Or 1/2 cup of cottage cheese with fruit or black pepper.  And I don’t like potato chips that much.  No, if I’m going to indulge in a crunchy, junky snack, I’ll go for the crunchy Cheetos, or some Cheez-its (hmmm, sensing a theme). 

Anyway, back to the loving.  It wasn’t the ham, no, that’s delicious, but it’s deli ham (it’s the hand-tied maple ham from Whole Foods, if you’re curious – uncured and SO delicious).  It was the Veggie Straws – these, my friends, are super duper delicious.  Very crunchy, sorta salty, and with just a touch of rosemary flavor.   These were the perfect counterpoint to the slightly sweet ham.  And at 135 cal./bag (1 oz.), not a budget-breaker.  I hadn’t tried these until today – picked them up in a 24-pack (assorted flavors) at Costco for $8.99.

P.S.  I ate another bag just now.  That good!  A must-try!

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An interesting article today on the doubleX site – the thinking used to be that early-onset puberty was due to girls being heavier these days, but a new study out of Denmark seems to indicate that the link between early puberty and fat might not be the whole story . . . .

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We’re on vacation by the sea, and while for some that means endless fried seafood plates, we still cook at home many nights.  Part of it stems from practicality and selfishness:  with a young child, eating at home is just easier some nights.  And part of it stems from healthfulness and food-snobbery.  There just isn’t that much good food on Cape Cod, and a lot of what tastes good just isn’t great for you.

After years of doing this, I’ve come up with a system.  Before we leave home, I designate one cookbook to bring with us.  It has to have mostly easy recipes, and ones that don’t require too many ingredients, especially “exotic” ingredients.  Think about your average summer rental – not a lot of cumin, allspice, hoisin, etc. lying around.  I’m willing to buy some condiments and spices (and I bring a few things with me, like harissa – more to come on that), but I want recipes with only a few ingredients, most of which I’m going to buy fresh.

This year I brought down the Better Homes & Gardens New Dieter’s Cookbook.  I got this at TJMaxx for $5.99 a while ago on a whim, and I have to tell you, it’s been a great little find.  All the recipes are easy, they’re short, they’ve got some interesting and creative combinations of ingredients, and what’s more, they’re healthful.  You may remember the spicy sesame chicken recipe I posted a while back – that’s from this cookbook.  It’s not gourmet in any sense of the word, but I’ve probably made 15 dishes from this and we haven’t found a loser yet.

Tonight’s salad was a big hit.  It makes a perfect light summer supper.  I adapted it a bit, so this is not verbatim from the cookbook.

Chicken & Stone Fruit Salad

Sprinkle the tenderloins with salt & pepper and set on a broiler pan.  Broil on high for a few minutes on each side until cooked through, then remove and set out to cool while you prepare the remainder of the salad.

Meanwhile, combine the sliced peaches and plums in a medium bowl.  Add 1/2 the lemon juice and toss them gently to coat.  For the dressing, combine the yogurt, green onion, poppy seeds and the remaining juice of the lemon.  Stir.

Divide greens amongst four dinner plates.  Arrange the fruit atop the greens, then layer chicken tenders on top of the fruit.  Drizzle each salad with the dressing.  Serve immediately.

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Here is a simple recipe using a renowned superfood – quinoa (pronounced “keen-wa”).  By now, most people have heard of quinoa, but do you know how great it is for your body and how easy it is to cook?  Although commonly considered a grain, quinoa is actually a relative of leafy green vegetables like spinach and Swiss chard.  The protein-rich seed has a fluffy, slightly crunchy texture and a rather nutty flavor when cooked. Quinoa is one of the few vegetarian sources of complete protein, meaning, like meats, it has all nine of the essential amino acids.  It’s also gluten-free, full of fiber, and contains other heart-healthy vitamins. This recipe is flavorful and exquisitely simple to prepare – most of these ingredients are pantry staples.  Impress your family with your whole-foods prowess and whip it up tonight.  

1 c. quinoa, rinsed well (use red quinoa if you can find it, it’s prettier)
1 lb. chicken cutlets, cut into strips
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 3/4 c. low-sodium chicken broth
1 c. sweet peas, cooked
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 T extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 T white wine vinegar
2 T tomato paste
Finely grated Romano cheese, about 1/2 c.
Salt and pepper to taste

Marinate chicken with salt, black pepper, garlic and 1 T of the olive oil for about 15 minutes. Sauté onion in 2 T of the olive oil on low heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add vinegar and tomato paste, mix well and sauté for another two minutes. Add marinated chicken to the mix and cook, covered, for ten minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside. Turn the chicken pieces occasionally to coat them with the sauce. Add the quinoa and stir in the chicken broth. Reduce the heat, cover and cook for approximately fifteen minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed by the quinoa. Mix in the peas and cheese and serve immediately.

Pair this with a crisp and simple side salad.  Serves 4.

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Hopefully the Bostonians among you have heard of Sofra, Ana Sortun’s other place in Cambridge.  If not, you must must must check it out.  It’s a little small and crowded, and the tables and seats are a little precious and uncomfortable, but the food is out of this world.  I think it’s a destination place, but we’re lucky ’cause we live nearby.

While I’ve tried a lot of things off the menu, I hadn’t really made my way through the tea list.  And the other day I tried something new at Sofra that blew me away – Sofra’s Cocoa Rose Tea.  It’s cocoa nibs and rose tea (black tea with rose petals) and while it sounds like the cocoa might overwhelm the flavor of the whole operation, it doesn’t – instead it’s the dark, smoky backdrop to the flowery rose flavor – not easy to describe, but I urge you to try it.  You can pick it up to brew at home, too, which I did, so now I can enjoy a lil’ bit of Sofra without jockeying for a parking spot.

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