Recipes and stuff about eating, and dieting

 

Basic Approach

Right off the bat I need to say that I failed at diet and exercise for about 20 years. In the early 80's, I did some fairly serious running and eating was not a problem. I found myself not wanting to blow a seven mile run with a lousy piece of pizza - so my eating plan was not really a diet, but a part of my running lifestyle. I was training for a half marathon with a goal of doing a full marathon. Problem was that when a back injury sidelined me for a second time and my physician told me to forget running, the old beer and pizza diet was back. The problem was never that I couldn't find the right diet. Dieting stinks. The problem was a change (for the worse) in lifestyle. Without the motivation and community of runners, the pounds piled right back on.

Here's the problem with diets. Dieting is all about deprivation. Weight watchers, lo carb, (Atkins was called Stillman's way back in the 70's), South Beach, cabbage soup, Jared and the Subway thing, the lists of diets out there on the front pages of the magazines you see at the checkout counters go on and on. Headlines shout out new ways to "lose 500 pounds in six days," in every issue. The basic principle is the same in every diet. Basically it's, "You can't have this, but you can have that." Actually, people do lose weight with whatever fad attempts. (Except for maybe those pills from mail order houses that promise to burn away your fat while you sleep. No need to exercise or diet.) A physician on NBC's Today Show commented that American's are good at losing weight - they just aren't good at keeping it off. That's because of the deprivation thing. Dieting doesn't work because how we eat is only one dimension of a lifestyle change. The Atkins craze is especially harmful (no serious athlete does "lo carb"). Check the Atkins Alert link above for medical low down on the Atkins Diet from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. (If you are even thinking Atkins - visit this site. Atkins in the long term is a killer diet.) You don't really lose weight with Atkins - you are drying out. 

For me, at least, this lifestyle change is a kind of three legged stool. How I eat, how I give my cardio vascular system a proper workout and resistance training for the muscular skeletal system completes the stool. As a runner, I was eating okay, doing the cardio, but I'm thinking a part of my injury problem was that missing resistance training piece to build up the muscular/skeletal system. Lifestyle change, on the other hand, is about abundance. I have more energy, more stamina, more fun, more goals, a more positive attitude about life in general and more really great friends who share the joy of a healthy lifestyle.

About These Recipes

A key challenge in my program was dealing with high cholesterol, diabetes, elevated blood pressure and the need to take in enough carbohydrates and protein for cardio and weight training. There are tons of good recipes out there, so I want to focus on some things that have helped me to lick the "tipple whammy." As time goes on, I hope that some of you who visit might contribute some of your recipes, ideas and personal creations.

In all my cooking that calls for oil, I use a product called Enova. Most of the fat in Enova is burned as energy in the liver. It can help your tryglyceride level and contains no cholesterol. Enova is not available in most stores, but it can be ordered online. Check out the Enova site under links above. There is complete information including research at the Enova web site under links above. (I'm not on the payroll!)

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Let's Get To It - Recipes (With a bit of Commentary)

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Malvey's Easy Cheesecake
Just to show you this is not about deprivation. Here's my wife's favorite. (She has a sweet tooth!)

Ingredients:
Three 8 ounce packages of fat free cream cheese. (Philadelphia fat free has really come a long way.)
3/4 cup of Splenda (Check out the Splenda Web Site for some great information about sugar free)
1 Teaspoon of Splenda
1 package of Egg Beater (equal to 2 eggs)
1/2 cup crushed low fat graham crackers (Better than using those low fat pre-packaged pie crusts)
3/4 teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract (I sometimes indulge here and use 1 t of Frangelico liqueur)
1 can (20 oz of reduced fat cherry pie filling (Optional) (Or blueberry - or whatever else strikes you)

Directions:
Mix cream cheese, Splenda and vanilla (almond or Frangelico or?) with a mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add Egg Beater and mix until blended.
Spray 9 inch pie plate with lo or no fat non-stick spray. (Or wipe pan with Enova oil)
Sprinkle bottom of pan with graham cracker crumbs. (Make your own by putting graham crackers in a baggie and rolling with a rolling pin.)
Pour cream cheese mixture into the pie pan.
Bake at 325 for 45 minutes or until center is almost set.
Cool three hours or refrigerate overnight
Top with pie filling (This is optional - without the pie filling this is virtually fat and sugar free. With the topping, you can adjust with a little or a lot.)

Other options - Use a low fat chocolate syrup as a drizzle over the cheesecake.  Forget the topping and go totally fat and sugar free. Have a shot of Frangelico in a diet coke and forget the cheesecake.

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Vegetable Lasagna
This is a really low fat, very low cholesterol, satisfying dish especially good for weight loss.

Ingredients:
1/2 (1 lb.) package of Lasagna
8 0z sliced portabella mushrooms (substitute any favorite mushroom)
1 package frozen spinach
3/4 cup finely chopped green pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 cloves chopped garlic
2 tbs olive or Enova oil
2 cans of Hunt's no sugar added spaghetti sauce (Lowest calorie and fat content of the commercial brands)
1 t basil
1 t oregano
1 container (15 or 16 oz) no or low fat Ricotta Cheese
3 cups (12 oz) Kraft Free shredded Mozzarella cheese (I use a bit more than this recipe calls for)
4 oz. Egg Beater
1/2 cup lo fat grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Thaw spinach ahead of time. Cook lasagna as package directs. Drain and preheat oven to 350.
Sauté onion, green pepper, and garlic until tender. Add the portabella mushrooms, basil, and oregano. Continue to sauté until mushrooms are tender. Set aside.
Combine Ricotta, 2 cups Mozzarella and Egg Beater until mixed well.
Spread 1/2 to 3/4 cup of sauce on bottom of greased 13x9 in. baking dish. (I use a lo fat cooking spray.)
Put first layer of cooked lasagna in the bottom of the dish.
Spread more sauce over the lasagna and top with 1/2 of the cheese mixture, mushrooms, and spinach.
Put another layer of lasagna and top with sauce and remaining cheese mixture, mushrooms, and spinach.
Now use the last layer of lasagna, top with sauce. Shake a bit of parmesan over the top if desired.
Cover tightly and bake for 45 - 50 min. (Or until hot and bubbly) Uncover and top with 1 cup (or more if you wish) of the mozzarella and bake 5 min. additional.
Let stand for at least 15 min.

Notes:
This was one of my favorite recipes while I was shedding serious pounds. I would cut the leftovers into individual serving sizes, wrap in plastic wrap, put in a small freezer bag and freeze. I used a microwave at work and "dined in" for lunch. (Saved half of my lunch break for brisk walking - walk first!)
Fat free cheese has come a long way, but high heat is not kind to fat free cheese.  If you do not have a great concern about a few grams of sat fat, you can use lo fat versions of the cheeses in this recipe and still come out fairly lo cal. Also - the fat free version can be a tad dry when re-heated. I work around this and the temperature thing by putting about 1/4 cup of sauce over the lasagna when heating and get past the high heat thing by cooking the lasagna for 6 min. on the defrost cycle. Individual microwaves will differ, but this should be close.

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Sandwich Idea - Smoked Lox and Bagel

Here's another way I get my protein, "dine in" at lunch. Go fairly lo cal, get some good carbs, and feel satisfied. You will need:

1 package of Nova Lox (Less salty than thin sliced smoked salmon - but salmon will do too)
1 ripe tomato
1 Package of Philadelphia Fat Free Cream Cheese 
1 Brownberry Wheat Bagel

Lightly toast the bagel and spread the FF cream cheese on one half. Add 1/2 package of the Nova Lox (about 3 oz) and a slice of tomato. This has some really good protein. The bagel has nine grams of protein and six grams of fiber - so the 44 grams of carb are more than manageable. Add the salmon and cream cheese protein and this is a great "post workout" meal.

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Malvey's Everything but the Kitchen Sink Power House Bread
Toast a slice of this for a great snack, to re-crab after exercise. It has good carbs, good fat, and protein.
A bread machine is best and easiest - use a whole wheat or specialty bread setting.
This will work as a regular recipe, mix, knead and let rise for an hour, punch down and let rise for another hour.

Ingredients: (If using bread machine, put in baking pan in this order)
1 cup plus 4 TBS water
1 1/2 Enova Oil (extra virgin olive is okay if you don't need to watch cholesterol)
3TBS Honey -OR- (I Use a couple packets of GU Energy Gel)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole what flour
1 cup rye flour (or go with 2 cups of whole wheat or 1 cup oat bran)
1/3 cup ground flax seed
1/3 cup sunflower seed
1/4 cup chopped almonds
3 TBS Whey Protein Powder
1 1/4 PKG instant yeast

Directions:
Put all ingredients in the machine baking pan in the order listed. Select basic wheat, light setting and start. I really like this toasted with Philadelphia Fat Free Cream Cheese and Smucker's sugar free strawberry preserves.

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NUTRITION NOTE:
When I get a taste for meat (not often) I always choose bison. Check out these nutrition facts from the USDA:

Bison Nutrition facts

Nutrient Composition    (per 100 grams of cooked lean meat)

 

For an excellent guide to nutritional information check out the USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory site.