My husband is interested in a job opportunity that may mean a move to Grand Rapids, MI (or the surrounding area). Can anyone provide insights into the fresh/organic food scene there? I see that there's a farmers market...but would love some more info about access to good food.
Hi Ed,
Rapini is a wonderful winter vegetable and I never seem to grow tired of it.
A little olive oil, some garlic, toasted pine nuts and every once in a while a hit of red pepper flakes. Tasty stuff...
Happy New Year and thanks for all of your great posts.
Shelley Kieran, Palo Alto CA
The fennel and orange salad sounds perfect.
What sort of dressing do you make?
Every week I roast 4 pounds of carrots at 400 degrees for 90 minutes. They sit in the refrigerator and make a delicious and filling snack with a generous sprinkling of salt.
I often mix frozen wild blueberries w/ Fage 2% yogurt (I've tried to go fat free but I like the 2% so much more), and nothing else - the blueberries add the perfect amt of sweetness and are an extremely nutritious and low-calorie addition. And, as piccola said, the frozen berries also partially freeze the yogurt and it almost tastes like eating something much more decadent.. mmm.
I've been thinking about using frozen wild blueberries to make a smoothie with yogurt and a banana.
Hey Ed, one more thing to try in the yogurt: frozen blueberries (not thawed). It partially freezes the yogurt, which makes it extra good. Or you can be less lazy and actually put it all in the blender for something like fro-yo.
Karen Resta at 11:10AM on 01/02/08 wrote:
11. There's another. Popcorn. Undressed of course. The popcorn, not you.
You crack me up, Karen! You're right, of course, but still... :-P
Anyway, regarding "A vegetable TBD" -- why only one? They're all good for you and VERY weight-management friendly. They're all really good prepared without all the "evil" stuff, whether steamed, roasted or sauteed in a VERY small amount of olive oil. And, almost all of them benefit from a little lo-cal flavor enhancement, whether it's a sprinkle of parmigiano reggiano, a dash of vinegar, a squirt of lemon or lime, some hot sauce, or whatever.
Not to mention how handy it is to have a large supply of cut up carrots, celery, jicama, etc., on hand in zipper bags to satisfy the overwhelming urge to chew something. Anything. Especially if it's crunchy!
So, I'd say you should just edit that last go-to item to read...
"Vegetables, of all kinds and colors, healthfully prepared."
I usually don't like flavoured yogurts, but found the following to be pretty good
1) Emmi low fat blueberry yogurt (many NYC stores and deli's have it, but Food Emporium seem to be the cheapest)
2) Spega low fat La natura Mixed berry yogurt..comes in packs of two in cute little glass jars at Trader Joe.
1. Broccolini with two slices of Turkey Bacon cut up into chunks and saute the Broccolini with the Turkey Bacon until bright green but still crisp. Top off with a little Shredded Parm-Reg and you are golden.
2. Sliced Melon with a pinch of Cypress Flake Sea Salt.
3. Watercress, Shaved Almonds, orange segments tossed together for a refreshing little salad.
4. Fage 2% with Honey.
5. Propel Fitness Water... it is just yummy and very low calorie
6. Whole fresh pear sliced and fanned out, light sprinkle of crumbled blue cheese (I like Treasure Cave for this), a pinch of chopped pecans and stick it on an oven safe plate or piece of foil under the boiler just until the cheese gets melty. So sweet and savory and really satisfying because it feels so decadent.
7. Homemade Hummus and Red Pepper Strips for dipping.
I'm sorry Ed, I'm distracted by your Splenda. Don't do it (and browsing through the post - you did indeed skip it the last time). People who make that stuff never use it. What's wrong a little bit of honey or maple syrup? It would certainly not ruin your diet.
It's not a diet tactic for me, but I need some sort of pickles around all the time. They can be fairly filling and due to the vinegar content, you will feel ill if you eat too much of it. Not very nutritional I suppose.
When I'm in dieting mode, I practically live (well, one meal a day) on a roasted vegetable stew I make. I roast red peppers, portobello mushrooms, eggplant, onions, garlic cloves and some kind of hot pepper, like jalepenos or red fresnos. Then chop the whole thing up and mix with Muir Farms Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes, oregano, basil, salt, pepper. Cook it for 20 minutes or so. Finish when eating with a bit of olive oil and a few kalamata olives. It's delicious and healthy and has few calories.
Other must haves include:
Oatmeal, oatmeal, oatmeal (I love oatmeal)
Lots of Stonyfield Farms Low Fat Yogurt (I like greek, but prefer this for mixing with:
Apples
Mangoes
Whole grain breads
Brown Rice
A bit of pasta tossed with lots of broccoli, some garlic, feta, olive oil, crushed red pepper. Yum.
Almonds. Trader Joes has a great variety. My favorite is the (unsalted) Dry Roasted Almonds. They don't come in individual servings, but a handful works for me.
apples (if I'm extra hungry, I'll add a few slices of cheese)
Trail Mix. Trader Joes actually does have a bag that is portioned into individual servings.
Yogurt is great. I like fat free, and I try to buy the brand with less sugar.
Buy a large container of salad greens and pre-portion them into individual serving containers. I do this, along with small containers of dressing, for my husband's lunch. I also cut up a variety of veggies and put them in a big bowl. Radiches, carrots, broccoli, red and green peppers. He takes a baggie full with him everyday.
a slice (or two) of whole grain toast with apple butter
Hmmm. These are mostly snack ideas... For full meals, a lean protein such as chicken or fish, steamed veggies, and brown rice. You can cook the brown rice with flavorings, such as ginger and garlic, maybe a splash of soy sauce.
Oh, and stay off soda pop. I know many people who lost ten pounds but cutting it out of their diet. They did nothing else, and lost ten pounds. Diet is worse than regular. There are studies about this.
Good luck!
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