I’ve been browsing a lot of wedding message boards lately. It’s a fun pastime. You take polls. You read arguments that could only happen in America. You learn what preoccupies engaged folks. Which? Besides the usual etiquette questions and endless recaps of Bridezilla, is losing weight.
To a certain degree, this is to be expected. It’s certainly a concern of mine. (Those photos will last for-freaking-ever.) But there are a disturbing number of fad diets floating around those boards: cheap pills, single-food fasts, and bizarre old wives’ tales. Needless to day, they’re expensive and frequently harmful, and the results are usually only temporary.
Of course, when it comes to successfully losing weight (and more importantly, keeping it off), nothing is written in stone. What works for one person may not work for her twin sister. I certainly don’t know all the answers.
But I kinda know some of them. These ten rules have been echoed time and again by medical professionals, nutrition experts, and the media in general. They’re fairly essential to any weight control. Many have worked for me over the years. Hopefully, they’ll help you along, too.
If you have more rules to add, I'd love to read 'em. Please fire away in the comment section.
1) Seek information.
Read. Research. Watch. Absorb. Flip on your interweb button and learn about food. Get facts from experts, health professionals and reliable sources who know what they’re talking about. Gather good data and apply those numbers and strategies to your own situation. Do not let advertising make your decisions for you.
2) Ignore dumb fads.
A good rule of thumb: if it sounds like something your crazy co-worker would try, keep on walking. This includes master cleanses, herbal laxatives, TrimSpa wannabes, apple cider vinegar diets, grapefruit diets, chicken soup diets, cabbage soup diets, that godforsaken cookie diet, and their ilk. As mentioned above, these are often dangerous, pricey, and based on bum science (when they’re based on any science whatsoever).
3) “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
Of all the theories I’ve heard on healthy eating, Michael Pollan’s credo seems to be the most reasonable and potentially effective, not to mention the most conscious of the financial, environmental, and social consequences. Let’s break it down.
EAT FOOD: consume whole foods and/or products with very short ingredient lists. “Don't eat anything your great-great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food.”
NOT TOO MUCH: check your portions.
MOSTLY PLANTS: eat less meat. Increase your produce intake. Serve more whole grains.
4) Cook.
By cooking at home, you regulate portions, control ingredients, spend less money, and reduce wasteful packaging. It keeps you out of restaurants and fast food joints, where serving sizes are much larger than they were 30, 20, or even 10 years ago. So, experiment with dinner. Learn how to use a knife. Pick up How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. A few minutes in the kitchen could save you a few years of heartache down the line.
5) Get up and move.
To lose weight and keep it off, you must consistently burn more or as many calories as you ingest. This is an unassailable fact, and means some degree of daily exercise, probably for the entirety of one’s life. Use it or lose it, folks.
6) Drink water.
It’s been estimated that soda makes up 10% of all calories in the American diet. That’s practically enough for its own food group. Plus, USA Today and Yale University say: “[Soda drinkers] do not appear to compensate by reducing calories somewhere else in their diets, so they tend to pack on extra pounds.” By replacing pop with water, you’re cutting calories and hydrating your body in a healthy way.
7) Kill your TV.
According to the National Institute of Media and Family, “children who watch more than three hours of television a day are 50 per cent more likely to be obese than kids who watch fewer than two hours.” If TV is that detrimental to kids, you know it can’t have a spectacular effect on adults. Same goes for your computer and/or Playstation. That’s time you could be cooking, moving, socializing, learning, reading … you get the picture.
8) Have breakfast.
The National Weight Control Registry is a reputable organization that monitors people who have kept 30 pounds off for at least one year. (On average, it’s 66 pounds for five-plus years.) Of those successful individuals, 78% eat breakfast every single day. It prevents overeating through the rest of the day, and “may leave the subject with a better ability to perform physical activity.”
9) Remember: everything in moderation.
Are you a cold turkey kind of person? More power to you. But lots of us are baby-steppers, and when we attempt to overhaul everything at once, it results in massive burnout. So, unless it’s a medical crisis, take baby steps. Change your behaviors a little at a time. Don’t starve yourself. Work your way up to more intense exercise. You may not even notice the difference after awhile, because it’s become such a part of you.
10) Don’t diet.
Change your lifestyle. The vast majority of successful dieters gain the weight back, maybe because he very word “diet” implies a temporary modification of habit, as opposed to a lifelong adoption of behaviors. For weight loss to work, it’s gotta be for the long term.
And that’s it. Readers, what would you add to these basic tenets? What essential rules have worked for you? The comment section is open.
~~~
If you like this article, you might also dig:
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Ask the Internet: Kitchen Wedding Registry How-to?
Today’s Ask the Internet is all me, sweet readers.
Q: I am a nice lady in her early 30s. This autumn, I will be hitching my wagon to a man of unparalleled studmuffinery, himself in his mid 30s. We’re currently in the process of creating a wedding registry.
Over the years, we’ve amassed a pretty good collection of kitchen gear, meaning we have many of the basics covered (pots, utensils, stand mixers, etc.). However, we’d like to add a few things that will be useful down the line, perhaps for cooking with kids or serving larger groups. Do you have any suggestions? What's been most useful to you from your registry?
P.S. Aside from the main questions, a toaster recommendation would be greatly appreciated.
A: Readers, this one’s all you. I have no idea what I’m doing. Thank you!
Want to ask the interweb a question? Post one in the comment section, or write to Cheaphealthygood@gmail.com. Then, tune in next Tuesday for an answer/several answers from the good people of the World Wide Net.
Q: I am a nice lady in her early 30s. This autumn, I will be hitching my wagon to a man of unparalleled studmuffinery, himself in his mid 30s. We’re currently in the process of creating a wedding registry.
Over the years, we’ve amassed a pretty good collection of kitchen gear, meaning we have many of the basics covered (pots, utensils, stand mixers, etc.). However, we’d like to add a few things that will be useful down the line, perhaps for cooking with kids or serving larger groups. Do you have any suggestions? What's been most useful to you from your registry?
P.S. Aside from the main questions, a toaster recommendation would be greatly appreciated.
A: Readers, this one’s all you. I have no idea what I’m doing. Thank you!
Want to ask the interweb a question? Post one in the comment section, or write to Cheaphealthygood@gmail.com. Then, tune in next Tuesday for an answer/several answers from the good people of the World Wide Net.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Tomato and Avocado Salsa: A Basic Salsa Recipe of Deliciousness
Today on Serious Eats: Curried Kumquat Chutney. Delicious, hilarious to say.
It’s the second full week of 2010. By now, you may be ten or eleven days into a resolution diet. You’re probably feeling really good about your progress. Chances are you lost a little weight. There’s a possibility you noticed a physical change already. You might even be thinking (and justifiably so): “I am the greatest person alive! Besides Eddie Vedder, I mean.”
Sadly, this may also have crossed your mind: “If eat one more salad, I’m going to set my face on fire.”
Sweet baby Jane, I hear you. When I began to change my eating habits, salads made up a big chunk of my diet. Office lunches were never-ending parades of the Caesar varietals (with light dressing, natch), and I got real tired, real fast of baby spinach. Then, I learned to cook and life got exponentially better. (Exponentially! That’s a lot.)
Anyway, once I started puttering around the kitchen, I realized the following:
With a creative topping, you can turn five ounces of pedestrian grilled chicken into a succulent celebration, a flavoral fooferaw, or even a scrumptious shindig. (Or any other gratuitously alliterative party.) Think of the meat as your canvas, and the accompaniment as your pretty rainbow paint of rainbows.
Take Gail Simmons’ Tomato and Avocado Salsa from Food & Wine, for example. You can use it as a dip for chips or veggies, sure. (The Super Bowl’s coming up, after all.) But on plain poultry, it becomes something else entirely: a tasty, filling, healthy dinner. Like almost all salsas, the recipe is staggeringly easy to make and constitutes a solid serving of vegetables. For $1 and 100 extra calories, that ain’t too shabby.
This week, when you’re choking down another round of Romaine, stop. Grab an avocado and a few grape tomatoes, grill a slice of chicken, and treat yourself to Tomato and Avocado Salsa. It’ll make the next few months a lot easier to stomach.
~~~
If you like this recipe, you might also dig:
~~~
Tomato and Avocado Salsa
Serves 4.
Adapted from Food & Wine.
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 Hass avocado, diced small
1/4 cup onion, chopped small
1/2 small jalapeno, seeded and minced
1/8 cup cilantro, chopped
1/8 cup fresh lime juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1) In a medium bowl, gently combine all the ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir again to combine. Serve on meat, chicken, fish, chips, cheese, or … anything, really.
NOTE: If you’d like a less chunky salsa, chop the tomatoes and avocado even smaller.
Approximate Calories, Fat, Fiber, and Price Per Serving
4 servings: 100 calories, 7.4 g fat, 3.7 g fiber, $1.04
Calculations
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved or quartered: 45 calories, 0 g fat, 0.1 g fiber, $2.50
1 Hass avocado, diced small: 322 calories, 29.5 g fat, 13.5 g fiber, $0.99
1/4 cup onion, chopped small: 13 calories, 0 g fat, 0.6 g fiber, $0.08
1/2 small jalapeno, seeded and minced: 9 calories, 0 g fat, 0.3 g fiber, $0.05
1/8 cup cilantro, chopped: negligible calories and fat, 0.1 g fiber, $0.25
1/8 cup fresh lime juice: 10 calories, 0 g fat, 0.2 g fiber, $0.25
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper: negligible calories, fat, and fiber, $0.03
TOTAL: 399 calories, 29.5 g fat, 14.8 g fiber, $4.15
PER SERVING (TOTAL/4): 100 calories, 7.4 g fat, 3.7 g fiber, $1.04
It’s the second full week of 2010. By now, you may be ten or eleven days into a resolution diet. You’re probably feeling really good about your progress. Chances are you lost a little weight. There’s a possibility you noticed a physical change already. You might even be thinking (and justifiably so): “I am the greatest person alive! Besides Eddie Vedder, I mean.”
Sadly, this may also have crossed your mind: “If eat one more salad, I’m going to set my face on fire.”
Sweet baby Jane, I hear you. When I began to change my eating habits, salads made up a big chunk of my diet. Office lunches were never-ending parades of the Caesar varietals (with light dressing, natch), and I got real tired, real fast of baby spinach. Then, I learned to cook and life got exponentially better. (Exponentially! That’s a lot.)
Anyway, once I started puttering around the kitchen, I realized the following:
lean meat + sauces, spreads, dips, salsas or dressings = excellence
With a creative topping, you can turn five ounces of pedestrian grilled chicken into a succulent celebration, a flavoral fooferaw, or even a scrumptious shindig. (Or any other gratuitously alliterative party.) Think of the meat as your canvas, and the accompaniment as your pretty rainbow paint of rainbows.
Take Gail Simmons’ Tomato and Avocado Salsa from Food & Wine, for example. You can use it as a dip for chips or veggies, sure. (The Super Bowl’s coming up, after all.) But on plain poultry, it becomes something else entirely: a tasty, filling, healthy dinner. Like almost all salsas, the recipe is staggeringly easy to make and constitutes a solid serving of vegetables. For $1 and 100 extra calories, that ain’t too shabby.
This week, when you’re choking down another round of Romaine, stop. Grab an avocado and a few grape tomatoes, grill a slice of chicken, and treat yourself to Tomato and Avocado Salsa. It’ll make the next few months a lot easier to stomach.
~~~
If you like this recipe, you might also dig:
~~~
Tomato and Avocado Salsa
Serves 4.
Adapted from Food & Wine.
1 Hass avocado, diced small
1/4 cup onion, chopped small
1/2 small jalapeno, seeded and minced
1/8 cup cilantro, chopped
1/8 cup fresh lime juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1) In a medium bowl, gently combine all the ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir again to combine. Serve on meat, chicken, fish, chips, cheese, or … anything, really.
NOTE: If you’d like a less chunky salsa, chop the tomatoes and avocado even smaller.
Approximate Calories, Fat, Fiber, and Price Per Serving
4 servings: 100 calories, 7.4 g fat, 3.7 g fiber, $1.04
Calculations
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved or quartered: 45 calories, 0 g fat, 0.1 g fiber, $2.50
1 Hass avocado, diced small: 322 calories, 29.5 g fat, 13.5 g fiber, $0.99
1/4 cup onion, chopped small: 13 calories, 0 g fat, 0.6 g fiber, $0.08
1/2 small jalapeno, seeded and minced: 9 calories, 0 g fat, 0.3 g fiber, $0.05
1/8 cup cilantro, chopped: negligible calories and fat, 0.1 g fiber, $0.25
1/8 cup fresh lime juice: 10 calories, 0 g fat, 0.2 g fiber, $0.25
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper: negligible calories, fat, and fiber, $0.03
TOTAL: 399 calories, 29.5 g fat, 14.8 g fiber, $4.15
PER SERVING (TOTAL/4): 100 calories, 7.4 g fat, 3.7 g fiber, $1.04
Friday, January 8, 2010
Top 10 Links of the Last 3 Weeks: 12/25/09 – 1/7/10 (1/8/10)
Okay, you guys. I was going to start off by explaining that this is a massive links collection dating back to Christmas (which it is, and it starts a little further down). But a friend forwarded me this video yesterday, along with the blurb, “Someone has to tell her this is impossible.” You have to watch it right now:
Right?
Holy moly. She must be quadruple jointed. I need to start doing yoga. Or at least minimal stretching.
Anyway, without further ado, here are the top links of the last month. Enjoy!
1)Money Saving Mom: Celebrating a Major Financial Milestone
A lifelong frugalist, Crystal and her husband Jesse are now buying a house outright. 100% cash down. No loans necessary. I don’t think she’s 30 yet. They have three kids. Dare to dream, folks.
2) Three-way tie from The Kitchn
25 Money-saving Tips for Frugal Cooking and Shopping
25 Favorite Quick-and-Easy Weeknight Meals
Spice Storage & Pot Racks – Reader Storage Solutions
The Kitchn has been tearing it up the last three weeks, with countdown after countdown of their best posts from 2009. Nearly every comp is worth a gander, but these three stuck out to me.
3) Ruhlman: America – Too Stupid to Cook
Half smug rant, half careful critique, Ratio author Michael Ruhlman bemoans both the state and underestimation of U.S. home cooks. Read the comments for a fabulous, extended thoughtful discussion. (Thanks to Elise for the link.)
4) Jezebel: Taco Bell’s Drive Thru Diet isn’t Really a Diet After All
More fast food joints are pushing their menus as diet aids, with Taco Bell most recently jumping on the bandwagon. Marketing-wise, it’s pretty brilliant. Are-you-serious-wise … really? Taco Bell? The same people who placed a Fourth Meal ad (“The meal between dinner and breakfast!”) next to the one for their lower-fat Fresco menu? Hunh.
5) Chow: 10 Tips for a Healthy Diet
Resolution makers! This level-headed advice is an excellent way to kick off your 2010 dietary overhaul.
6) MSN Smart Spending: Are Weight Loss Plans Worth the Cost?
On the timely CBS piece exploring the efficacy and value of eight popular diet programs. South Beach walks away the clear winner at $3.25 per pound lost, while In the Zone runs a staggering $224 for the same. Yikes.
7) Gizmodo: You’re Doing it Wrong – How to Properly Buy, Maintain, and Use a Knife
Stupendous all-around tutorial on the most important piece of hardware in your kitchen. This will make cooking about 1000% easier. I'd stake my socks on it.
8) Serious Eats: Resolution – Eat Less Meat
Looking to improve your health and bottom line immediately? Eat a few vegetarian or meat-lite meals every week. This quick rundown from Almost Meatless co-author Tara Mataraza Desmond is a good way to get started.
9) Casual Kitchen: How to Resist Irresistible Food
Worthy piece on how logic/thoughtful eating can conquer cravings/mindless eating. If you’re interested in visualization and behavioral modification (or, simply going mental), definitely check this out.
10) KGW: Portland culinary institute faces class-action lawsuit
When I first saw this headline, I thought, “Man, such entitlement here.” But further inspection reveals a much more complex issue. When a school promises to place you in cooking capacity at a major restaurant, and you end up as a busboy, do you have a right to raise a ruckus? Law school graduates don’t start in the mailroom.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Bitten: Roasting Winter Vegetables
Vegetable + olive oil + salt-n-pepa + 30-40 minutes in a 400°F oven = wonderful January dinner. Don’t you love math?
Buffalo News: On a budget? Eat out in style by making smart choices
Quick, solid roundup of frugal restaurant strategies for newbies.
Cooking Issues: Crowded Wet Mushrooms – a Beautiful Thing
Hey! We’ve all been cooking mushrooms wrong. Dang. (Thanks to Eat Me Daily for the link.)
Food Politics
FDA warns Nestlé - Juicy Juice misbranded!
How Many Extra Calories Cause Weight Gain?
What’s up With Food and Nutrition in 2010?
Three solid quickies from Marion Nestle. The Juicy Juice thing is appalling.
Fox: Man Pays $72 for Taco
Frugality fail.
Get Rich Slowly: The Best Time to Buy Almost Everything
You may have seen Lifehacker’s recent roundup on this, but GRS is much more thorough.
MSN Smart Spending: Bean Counting and Bag Lady Dreams
Reflective piece in which writer Donna Freedman chronicles some tough times and the dreams that keep her going.
New York Times: Living on Nothing but Food Stamps
An increasing number of Americans have no income whatsoever, except for their food allowances. Scary.
Roger Ebert's Journal: Nil by Mouth
Cancer robbed the movie critic of his ability to speak, eat, and drink. But he can still write like the dickens.
Serious Eats: Low-fat Brownies – Applesauce vs. Yogurt
Yogurt wins by a mile. Read on for reasons.
Wise Bread: 7 Quick Meals That Are Faster Than Pizza Delivery
Why pay and wait for shrimp when you can make it faster and cheaper in your own galley?
AND TO TOP IT OFF
Stereogum: The 12 Best Late Night TV Performances of 2009
Cheeky music blog selects the best mini-concerts from Fallon, Letterman, and more. Definitely check the near-flawless Phoenix set, as well as “Aeon” by Antony and the Johnsons. If you’ve never heard Antony Hegarty sing, you will not believe the voice that comes out of this guy. He’s been blessed.
Thank you so much for visiting Cheap Healthy Good! (We appreciate it muchly). If you’d like to further support CHG, subscribe to our RSS feed! Or become a Facebook friend! Or check out our Twitter! Or buy something inexpensive, yet fulfilling via that Amazon store (on the left)! Bookmarking sites and links are nice, too. Viva la France!
Right?
Holy moly. She must be quadruple jointed. I need to start doing yoga. Or at least minimal stretching.
Anyway, without further ado, here are the top links of the last month. Enjoy!
1)Money Saving Mom: Celebrating a Major Financial Milestone
A lifelong frugalist, Crystal and her husband Jesse are now buying a house outright. 100% cash down. No loans necessary. I don’t think she’s 30 yet. They have three kids. Dare to dream, folks.
2) Three-way tie from The Kitchn
25 Money-saving Tips for Frugal Cooking and Shopping
25 Favorite Quick-and-Easy Weeknight Meals
Spice Storage & Pot Racks – Reader Storage Solutions
The Kitchn has been tearing it up the last three weeks, with countdown after countdown of their best posts from 2009. Nearly every comp is worth a gander, but these three stuck out to me.
3) Ruhlman: America – Too Stupid to Cook
Half smug rant, half careful critique, Ratio author Michael Ruhlman bemoans both the state and underestimation of U.S. home cooks. Read the comments for a fabulous, extended thoughtful discussion. (Thanks to Elise for the link.)
4) Jezebel: Taco Bell’s Drive Thru Diet isn’t Really a Diet After All
More fast food joints are pushing their menus as diet aids, with Taco Bell most recently jumping on the bandwagon. Marketing-wise, it’s pretty brilliant. Are-you-serious-wise … really? Taco Bell? The same people who placed a Fourth Meal ad (“The meal between dinner and breakfast!”) next to the one for their lower-fat Fresco menu? Hunh.
5) Chow: 10 Tips for a Healthy Diet
Resolution makers! This level-headed advice is an excellent way to kick off your 2010 dietary overhaul.
6) MSN Smart Spending: Are Weight Loss Plans Worth the Cost?
On the timely CBS piece exploring the efficacy and value of eight popular diet programs. South Beach walks away the clear winner at $3.25 per pound lost, while In the Zone runs a staggering $224 for the same. Yikes.
7) Gizmodo: You’re Doing it Wrong – How to Properly Buy, Maintain, and Use a Knife
Stupendous all-around tutorial on the most important piece of hardware in your kitchen. This will make cooking about 1000% easier. I'd stake my socks on it.
8) Serious Eats: Resolution – Eat Less Meat
Looking to improve your health and bottom line immediately? Eat a few vegetarian or meat-lite meals every week. This quick rundown from Almost Meatless co-author Tara Mataraza Desmond is a good way to get started.
9) Casual Kitchen: How to Resist Irresistible Food
Worthy piece on how logic/thoughtful eating can conquer cravings/mindless eating. If you’re interested in visualization and behavioral modification (or, simply going mental), definitely check this out.
10) KGW: Portland culinary institute faces class-action lawsuit
When I first saw this headline, I thought, “Man, such entitlement here.” But further inspection reveals a much more complex issue. When a school promises to place you in cooking capacity at a major restaurant, and you end up as a busboy, do you have a right to raise a ruckus? Law school graduates don’t start in the mailroom.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Bitten: Roasting Winter Vegetables
Vegetable + olive oil + salt-n-pepa + 30-40 minutes in a 400°F oven = wonderful January dinner. Don’t you love math?
Buffalo News: On a budget? Eat out in style by making smart choices
Quick, solid roundup of frugal restaurant strategies for newbies.
Cooking Issues: Crowded Wet Mushrooms – a Beautiful Thing
Hey! We’ve all been cooking mushrooms wrong. Dang. (Thanks to Eat Me Daily for the link.)
Food Politics
FDA warns Nestlé - Juicy Juice misbranded!
How Many Extra Calories Cause Weight Gain?
What’s up With Food and Nutrition in 2010?
Three solid quickies from Marion Nestle. The Juicy Juice thing is appalling.
Fox: Man Pays $72 for Taco
Frugality fail.
Get Rich Slowly: The Best Time to Buy Almost Everything
You may have seen Lifehacker’s recent roundup on this, but GRS is much more thorough.
MSN Smart Spending: Bean Counting and Bag Lady Dreams
Reflective piece in which writer Donna Freedman chronicles some tough times and the dreams that keep her going.
New York Times: Living on Nothing but Food Stamps
An increasing number of Americans have no income whatsoever, except for their food allowances. Scary.
Roger Ebert's Journal: Nil by Mouth
Cancer robbed the movie critic of his ability to speak, eat, and drink. But he can still write like the dickens.
Serious Eats: Low-fat Brownies – Applesauce vs. Yogurt
Yogurt wins by a mile. Read on for reasons.
Wise Bread: 7 Quick Meals That Are Faster Than Pizza Delivery
Why pay and wait for shrimp when you can make it faster and cheaper in your own galley?
AND TO TOP IT OFF
Stereogum: The 12 Best Late Night TV Performances of 2009
Cheeky music blog selects the best mini-concerts from Fallon, Letterman, and more. Definitely check the near-flawless Phoenix set, as well as “Aeon” by Antony and the Johnsons. If you’ve never heard Antony Hegarty sing, you will not believe the voice that comes out of this guy. He’s been blessed.
Thank you so much for visiting Cheap Healthy Good! (We appreciate it muchly). If you’d like to further support CHG, subscribe to our RSS feed! Or become a Facebook friend! Or check out our Twitter! Or buy something inexpensive, yet fulfilling via that Amazon store (on the left)! Bookmarking sites and links are nice, too. Viva la France!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Veggie Might: Veggie Burgers (A Mighty Good Recipe)
Penned by the effervescent Leigh, Veggie Might is a weekly Thursday column about the wide world of Vegetarianism.
Hey y’all, happy new decade. Hope your holidays were dreamy and golden.
So, it’s been awhile. Whatcha been doin’? I’ve been eating homemade veggie burgers almost every day since the beginning of 2010. I made a big batch on New Year’s Eve (because I know how to party) and about half is still stashed in the freezer.
As you may recall, I have a love/hate relationship with veggie burgers, especially in restaurants. A chef or restaurant owner who only deigns to nuke a frozen patty for vegetarian customers can’t think too much of us; and the feeling is mutual.
But at home, a veggie burger can be a quick and easy comfort food/guilty pleasure. (They’re not bad for you. They’re just expensive/processed, and I rarely buy them.)
My favorites have always been the bean/rice varieties; I rarely pursue realism when seeking fake meat. So when I found Mark Bittman’s bean and oat burger recipe, deep within How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, I got happy.
This is a perfect pantry-busting recipe. It’s made from staples most vegetarians have on hand: beans, oats, rice, onion, garlic, spices. And, with canned beans, it’s fast. Otherwise, it just takes a bit of advanced prep. I’ve made it with dried/soaked beans and with canned beans and it works great either way.
My version is the Bittman recipe quadrupled, garlicked, and veganized. He suggests rice instead of egg as a vegan binder and I likey. I also used my homemade adobo spice mix for pizzazz, but you can add whatever spices you like. It’s essentially a meatloaf recipe with beans instead of ground beef.
Once the mixture is set, you can make patties or balls as your heart desires. And your heart will love them. These delicious, satisfying bean/grain burgers beat the cellophane off those pucks in the freezer section.
~~~
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
~~~
Mighty Good Veggie Burgers
Adapted from Black Bean Burger by Mark Bittman.
Yields about 15 3-oz burgers
25 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed (or 2 1/2 cups cooked beans)
25 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed (or 2 1/2 cups cooked beans)
1 medium onion, quartered
3 cloves garlic
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups cooked brown short grain rice
2 tbsp adobo spice mix (or spices of your choice)
salt and pepper to taste
1) Cook short grain brown rice ahead of time. You’ll need 2 cooked cups.
2) Rinse beans and put into food processor. Add the quartered onion, garlic cloves, and oats. Pulse a few times to begin mixing. Then add the rice and spices.
3) Pulse until all the ingredients are combined but not pureed, scraping the sides of the food processor occasionally. Add a splash of water if necessary. The mixture should be moist but not wet (if that makes sense).
4) Let bean/grain mixture rest for about 15-20 minutes before forming into patties. Roll mixture into 2 1/2- to 3-oz balls (a little less than 1/4 cup) and flatten into 1/2-inch-thick patties.
5) Pan cook in a teeny bit of oil or cooking spray for 5–7 minutes on each side; or bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, turning after 15 minutes. Either way, the outside gets a little crispy and the inside is nice and chewy, but not dry.
6) Serve with whole grain bread and your favorite condiments, like spicy mustard or peanut butter and American cheese. These burgs rock with sweet potato fries.
Approximate Calories, Fat, Fiber, and Price per Serving
156 calories, 1g fat, 5g fiber, $0.43
Calculations
25 oz canned black beans: 500 calories, 0g fat, 25g fiber, $2.39
25 oz cooked or canned kidney beans: 500 calories, 0g fat, 25g fiber, $2.39
1 medium onion: 40 calories, .2g fat, 3g fiber, $.50
3 cloves garlic: 4.2 calories, 0g fat, 0g fiber, $.036
2 cups rolled oats: 614 calories, 10g fat, 16g fiber, $.34
2 cups cooked brown short grain rice: 668 calories, 5g fat, 6g fiber, $.71
2 tbsp adobo spice mix: negligible calories, fat, and fiber, $.02
salt and pepper: negligible calories, fat, and fiber, $.02
TOTALS: 2,332.6 calories, 15.2g fat, 75g fiber, $6.41
PER SERVING (totals/15): 156 calories, 1g fat, 5g fiber, $0.43
Hey y’all, happy new decade. Hope your holidays were dreamy and golden.
So, it’s been awhile. Whatcha been doin’? I’ve been eating homemade veggie burgers almost every day since the beginning of 2010. I made a big batch on New Year’s Eve (because I know how to party) and about half is still stashed in the freezer.
As you may recall, I have a love/hate relationship with veggie burgers, especially in restaurants. A chef or restaurant owner who only deigns to nuke a frozen patty for vegetarian customers can’t think too much of us; and the feeling is mutual.
But at home, a veggie burger can be a quick and easy comfort food/guilty pleasure. (They’re not bad for you. They’re just expensive/processed, and I rarely buy them.)
My favorites have always been the bean/rice varieties; I rarely pursue realism when seeking fake meat. So when I found Mark Bittman’s bean and oat burger recipe, deep within How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, I got happy.
This is a perfect pantry-busting recipe. It’s made from staples most vegetarians have on hand: beans, oats, rice, onion, garlic, spices. And, with canned beans, it’s fast. Otherwise, it just takes a bit of advanced prep. I’ve made it with dried/soaked beans and with canned beans and it works great either way.
My version is the Bittman recipe quadrupled, garlicked, and veganized. He suggests rice instead of egg as a vegan binder and I likey. I also used my homemade adobo spice mix for pizzazz, but you can add whatever spices you like. It’s essentially a meatloaf recipe with beans instead of ground beef.
Once the mixture is set, you can make patties or balls as your heart desires. And your heart will love them. These delicious, satisfying bean/grain burgers beat the cellophane off those pucks in the freezer section.
~~~
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
~~~
Mighty Good Veggie Burgers
Adapted from Black Bean Burger by Mark Bittman.
Yields about 15 3-oz burgers
25 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed (or 2 1/2 cups cooked beans)
25 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed (or 2 1/2 cups cooked beans)
1 medium onion, quartered
3 cloves garlic
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups cooked brown short grain rice
2 tbsp adobo spice mix (or spices of your choice)
salt and pepper to taste
1) Cook short grain brown rice ahead of time. You’ll need 2 cooked cups.
2) Rinse beans and put into food processor. Add the quartered onion, garlic cloves, and oats. Pulse a few times to begin mixing. Then add the rice and spices.
3) Pulse until all the ingredients are combined but not pureed, scraping the sides of the food processor occasionally. Add a splash of water if necessary. The mixture should be moist but not wet (if that makes sense).
4) Let bean/grain mixture rest for about 15-20 minutes before forming into patties. Roll mixture into 2 1/2- to 3-oz balls (a little less than 1/4 cup) and flatten into 1/2-inch-thick patties.
5) Pan cook in a teeny bit of oil or cooking spray for 5–7 minutes on each side; or bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, turning after 15 minutes. Either way, the outside gets a little crispy and the inside is nice and chewy, but not dry.
6) Serve with whole grain bread and your favorite condiments, like spicy mustard or peanut butter and American cheese. These burgs rock with sweet potato fries.
Approximate Calories, Fat, Fiber, and Price per Serving
156 calories, 1g fat, 5g fiber, $0.43
Calculations
25 oz canned black beans: 500 calories, 0g fat, 25g fiber, $2.39
25 oz cooked or canned kidney beans: 500 calories, 0g fat, 25g fiber, $2.39
1 medium onion: 40 calories, .2g fat, 3g fiber, $.50
3 cloves garlic: 4.2 calories, 0g fat, 0g fiber, $.036
2 cups rolled oats: 614 calories, 10g fat, 16g fiber, $.34
2 cups cooked brown short grain rice: 668 calories, 5g fat, 6g fiber, $.71
2 tbsp adobo spice mix: negligible calories, fat, and fiber, $.02
salt and pepper: negligible calories, fat, and fiber, $.02
TOTALS: 2,332.6 calories, 15.2g fat, 75g fiber, $6.41
PER SERVING (totals/15): 156 calories, 1g fat, 5g fiber, $0.43
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Overcoming Your Cooking Obstacles, Part II: So, Your Family Doesn’t Cook
A few months ago, CHG posted a piece called Overcoming Your Cooking Obstacles, discussing why folks avoid their own kitchens. I argued that cooking is imperative to saving cash (because you spend less) and eating healthier (because you have control), and then presented some strategies for conquering common culinary fears.
Sadly, there’s an obstacle I missed. A big one. Maybe the biggest one of all.
What if your family doesn’t cook? What if they never did? What if they don’t want to, either?
At first, this may seem like a problem easily solved. “Suck it up and get going,” you might hear. “This is your journey, not theirs.” Boo, I say. Boo. That response ignores the cultural, behavioral, and environmental factors inherent in family issues. Especially ones dealing with food.
I understand. My grandma lived until I was 30. She was wonderful and smart as hell, but in the three decades we hung out, I never saw her roast, chop, or heat a single victual. My parents hold their own, but don’t consider cooking a particularly thrilling activity. (With the exception of Ma’s masterful Christmas cookies. I got your back, Ma.) My sister would rather hit herself in the head with a mallet than sauté something.
And this is totally okay. Yeah, sometimes I envy my Italian friends, who seem to have the recipe for red sauce imprinted in their DNA. But family is family, and you can’t will them into the kitchen. To borrow a support-group adage phrase, I can only change myself. Same goes for everybody.
In the meantime, here are some tips for co-existing with your kitchen-resistant kin. The tricks should make learning to cook a little easier, and might even get your live-in relations involved in the process. We’d love to hear more ideas, too, so don’t forget to have your say in the comment section.
Avoid pointing fingers.
Though a lack of cooking skillz is nobody's fault per se, it’s tempting to blame that gap in knowledge on those who neglected to teach. Alas, this road leads only to ruin. (Weird, passive-aggressive ruin.) Instead of wasting time with accusations and bad feelings, concentrate on the positive. You’re about to discover a delicious new world, and it’s going to be a fabulous journey.
Realize there’s only so much you can control.
You may begin to cook hoping it will alter your family’s eating habits. If this works out, go you! If it doesn’t, no worries. Dietary behaviors are pretty ingrained, and you can’t force people to transform themselves. (They may not want to, anyway. It’s a bit presumptuous to think so.) Work on your own situation, and shrug off non-constructive criticism as best you can.
Observe friends.
If you’re itching to cook, but can’t learn at home, look to your social circle for help. Hang out with pals who enjoy tooling around the kitchen. Watch their parents as they prepare meals. Ask if you can participate. It’s free, and odds are the observed will be flattered.
Volunteer to make meals at home.
Learning to cook is a hands-on activity. By stepping in to handle dinner, you’re gaining valuable experience AND alleviating your family of a chore. If they’re happy with the results, they might even do the dishes. And that, my friends, is the greatest gift of all.
Make cooking a group activity.
When it comes to exercise, I am strictly a team sports kind of girl. Treadmills bore my face off, but I’ll play softball until the apocalypse. The same may be true of your family and meal prep. So, try choosing dishes that require group assembly, like burritos or personal pizzas. The more fun you have, the better. It could inspire you to keep going, and spark kitchen interest in someone else.
Ask a family member to show you how to prepare his/her specialty.
If crowds aren’t your thing, go one on one. Even the most clueless of cooks has one decent meal in his/her repertoire, and it’s likely he/she will be thrilled to share. Again, you’ll gain experience, and maybe make a happy memory.
Watch a cooking show together.
Do you know someone who doesn’t give a flying you-know-what about food, until they see Giada DeLaurentiis making it? Yeah, me too. While TV might not propel loved ones into the kitchen, it can get the conversation rolling.
Try new food.
If your family members are daring types (though not necessarily cooks themselves), try bringing unusual fruit or vegetables home. My parents discovered persimmons this way, and now it’s a healthy food we can all eat together. If you’re feeling really saucy, make it a contest: whoever buys the weirdest, tastiest edible wins … a nickel? A DVD? A pony? Whatever reward suits your brood the best.
With that, I hand it over to you guys. What are some other ways to deal with a cooking-adverse family?
~~~
If you like this article, you might also dig:
(Photo courtesy of Where is the Outrage?)
Sadly, there’s an obstacle I missed. A big one. Maybe the biggest one of all.What if your family doesn’t cook? What if they never did? What if they don’t want to, either?
At first, this may seem like a problem easily solved. “Suck it up and get going,” you might hear. “This is your journey, not theirs.” Boo, I say. Boo. That response ignores the cultural, behavioral, and environmental factors inherent in family issues. Especially ones dealing with food.
I understand. My grandma lived until I was 30. She was wonderful and smart as hell, but in the three decades we hung out, I never saw her roast, chop, or heat a single victual. My parents hold their own, but don’t consider cooking a particularly thrilling activity. (With the exception of Ma’s masterful Christmas cookies. I got your back, Ma.) My sister would rather hit herself in the head with a mallet than sauté something.
And this is totally okay. Yeah, sometimes I envy my Italian friends, who seem to have the recipe for red sauce imprinted in their DNA. But family is family, and you can’t will them into the kitchen. To borrow a support-group adage phrase, I can only change myself. Same goes for everybody.
In the meantime, here are some tips for co-existing with your kitchen-resistant kin. The tricks should make learning to cook a little easier, and might even get your live-in relations involved in the process. We’d love to hear more ideas, too, so don’t forget to have your say in the comment section.
Avoid pointing fingers.
Though a lack of cooking skillz is nobody's fault per se, it’s tempting to blame that gap in knowledge on those who neglected to teach. Alas, this road leads only to ruin. (Weird, passive-aggressive ruin.) Instead of wasting time with accusations and bad feelings, concentrate on the positive. You’re about to discover a delicious new world, and it’s going to be a fabulous journey.
Realize there’s only so much you can control.
You may begin to cook hoping it will alter your family’s eating habits. If this works out, go you! If it doesn’t, no worries. Dietary behaviors are pretty ingrained, and you can’t force people to transform themselves. (They may not want to, anyway. It’s a bit presumptuous to think so.) Work on your own situation, and shrug off non-constructive criticism as best you can.
Observe friends.
If you’re itching to cook, but can’t learn at home, look to your social circle for help. Hang out with pals who enjoy tooling around the kitchen. Watch their parents as they prepare meals. Ask if you can participate. It’s free, and odds are the observed will be flattered.
Volunteer to make meals at home.
Learning to cook is a hands-on activity. By stepping in to handle dinner, you’re gaining valuable experience AND alleviating your family of a chore. If they’re happy with the results, they might even do the dishes. And that, my friends, is the greatest gift of all.
Make cooking a group activity.
When it comes to exercise, I am strictly a team sports kind of girl. Treadmills bore my face off, but I’ll play softball until the apocalypse. The same may be true of your family and meal prep. So, try choosing dishes that require group assembly, like burritos or personal pizzas. The more fun you have, the better. It could inspire you to keep going, and spark kitchen interest in someone else.
Ask a family member to show you how to prepare his/her specialty.
If crowds aren’t your thing, go one on one. Even the most clueless of cooks has one decent meal in his/her repertoire, and it’s likely he/she will be thrilled to share. Again, you’ll gain experience, and maybe make a happy memory.
Watch a cooking show together.
Do you know someone who doesn’t give a flying you-know-what about food, until they see Giada DeLaurentiis making it? Yeah, me too. While TV might not propel loved ones into the kitchen, it can get the conversation rolling.
Try new food.
If your family members are daring types (though not necessarily cooks themselves), try bringing unusual fruit or vegetables home. My parents discovered persimmons this way, and now it’s a healthy food we can all eat together. If you’re feeling really saucy, make it a contest: whoever buys the weirdest, tastiest edible wins … a nickel? A DVD? A pony? Whatever reward suits your brood the best.
With that, I hand it over to you guys. What are some other ways to deal with a cooking-adverse family?
~~~
If you like this article, you might also dig:
- Frugal Food Hacks: 10 Tips to Simplifying Online Recipe Searches
- Life Skills 101: A Curriculum for Food, Finance, and Other Real World Basics
- 15 Reasons I Gained Weight (and Two Reasons I Didn't)
(Photo courtesy of Where is the Outrage?)
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Welcome to CHG: A Quick Overview
With the dawn of 2010, there’s been a pretty neat uptick in traffic here at Cheap Healthy Good. If you’re visiting the blog for the first time, welcome! We’re so happy to have you. Bathroom’s on the left. If you’re a longtime reader, we love you! We’re not kidding. It's a little scary.
To get an idea of what CHG is all about, our FAQ and mission statement are good places to begin. To go a little deeper, these six posts give a pretty solid overview of what we do here:
Hope you’re enjoying the blog so far. We’d love to hear from you if you have suggestions, and best of luck with your resolutions!
To get an idea of what CHG is all about, our FAQ and mission statement are good places to begin. To go a little deeper, these six posts give a pretty solid overview of what we do here:
- Spend Less, Eat Healthier: The Five Most Important Things You Can Do
- Dr. Veg-Love, Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Seasonal Produce
- The Circular Game: Decoding Your Supermarket Weekly
- How to Tell if a Recipe is Cheap and Healthy Just by Looking at it
- Weekly Menu Planning for Singles, Couples, and Working People
- Relax, Frugal Eater: A Measured Approach to Lifestyle Changes
Hope you’re enjoying the blog so far. We’d love to hear from you if you have suggestions, and best of luck with your resolutions!
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