If you're anything like me, snacking can be your downfall. Luckily for people like us, there is a simple way to fix this, and most of them are pretty straightforward.
The biggest problem facing people in the US is portion sizing. Because we feed people so much, we often have difficulty telling what is a proper portion size. Couple that with a lack of knowledge of how to read nutrition facts (which I will get into if I can) and it becomes a recipe for disaster. The first thing you should look for when looking at the portion size and the caloric content so that you can judge if this is a good snack option for you; if it's not, shelve it and move on. For example, if you like to munch on something for a while, Oreos are probably not a good idea because a serving on the nutrition facts is 3 cookies, which are about 180 calories per serving. If it is, put the snacks in individually wrapped bags to help eliminate temptation. If you don't want to do this, go to an Asian/Pacific Island market; a lot of other countries, most notably Koreans and Japanese, tend to package their snacks in individual containers, which makes it easier to gauge what we're eating. For those of you who are looking at saving money, you can also use this to judge how many servings you can get for it and thus get more bang for your buck.
As I mentioned above, a lack of knowledge of nutrition facts can lead to other problems. One of the biggest factors is to look at the proportions. If it has more than 30% of your daily value of a given nutrient, it's high in that nutrient. This can be a good or bad thing, however. For example, it would be a good idea to eat half a cup of orange sections if it has 40% of your daily value of Vitamin C, but eating a food that has that proportion of carbohydrates wouldn't be such a good idea.
Most of us think of protein bars as a good healthy snack. Unfortunately, some of them are about as good for you as candy bars, and others are more like meal replacers than actual snacks. One of the reasons for that is added sugar content. Most people should not consume more than 25 grams of added sugar per day. To put that into perspective, a can of soda easily has at least twice that. The best way to do this is to look at the ingredients list; anything with the suffix -ose, the word syrup, honey, molasses, or cane juice is just a fancy word for sugar. If, like Will, you have a sweet tooth, you probably don't wish to waste your added sugar in one fell swoop.
I hope this helps. Do you have some tips on snacking that I didn't mention? Please comment below; I love it when people contribute to this.
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Chili Rellenos Con Guacamole: A Light, Delightful Summer Meal
So Will and I are back to trying to lose weight again and are looking at meals that are reasonably healthy. I've made this particular recipe before, but decided to make a few changes in order to get a better flavor profile going.
First, roast your poblano peppers. The way to do this is simple. Turn on your broiler, arrange your peppers on a baking sheet, and roast, turning until all sides are blistered. This should only take a total of five minutes. Next, stick them in a plastic bag and leave them alone until they are cool enough to handle. Warning: they will be steamy.
While waiting for your peppers to cool, make your guacamole. Mine is a pretty simple mixture of avocados, 1 clove of garlic per three avocados, salt, pepper, and some form of acid. Normally I use lemon or lime juice, but this time I had to use white wine vinegar. Because vinegar is more acidic than citrus juice, make sure to use a light hand with it.
Once your peppers are cool enough to handle, peel off the membrane, which should be easy since you blistered it in the broiler, and remove the seeds. If you don't, you will be in for a fiery mouth. Finally, spoon some of the guacamole into each pepper and serve.
Will thought these were awesome, but might be better with Anaheim peppers because they're spicier. I personally prefer to use poblanos because they are smokier tasting when roasted. This really is a fantastic summer dish and I look forward to making this in the future.
First, roast your poblano peppers. The way to do this is simple. Turn on your broiler, arrange your peppers on a baking sheet, and roast, turning until all sides are blistered. This should only take a total of five minutes. Next, stick them in a plastic bag and leave them alone until they are cool enough to handle. Warning: they will be steamy.
While waiting for your peppers to cool, make your guacamole. Mine is a pretty simple mixture of avocados, 1 clove of garlic per three avocados, salt, pepper, and some form of acid. Normally I use lemon or lime juice, but this time I had to use white wine vinegar. Because vinegar is more acidic than citrus juice, make sure to use a light hand with it.
Once your peppers are cool enough to handle, peel off the membrane, which should be easy since you blistered it in the broiler, and remove the seeds. If you don't, you will be in for a fiery mouth. Finally, spoon some of the guacamole into each pepper and serve.
Will thought these were awesome, but might be better with Anaheim peppers because they're spicier. I personally prefer to use poblanos because they are smokier tasting when roasted. This really is a fantastic summer dish and I look forward to making this in the future.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Cherry Vanilla Almond Sorbet: Fresh Flavor, No Dairy
I had a bunch of leftover cherries and decided to make some homemade sorbet. In order to do this, I modified a recipe I had for mango sorbet.
First, pit 2 cups of cherries and freeze them until frozen solid. Meanwhile, make a vanilla simple syrup by combining 1 cup sugar, 3/4 cup water, and half a vanilla bean. Bring this mixture to a boil on medium heat, stirring to dissolve. Once it comes up to a boil, put it on low and let it simmer until smooth, about a minute. Take it off the heat and cool it completely. Remove the vanilla bean from the syrup. For extra vanilla flavor, split the vanilla bean after removing it and scrape the seeds into the syrup.
Next, put cherries, 2 cups ice, syrup, and 1/2 cup almond liqueur in a blender. Blend this mixture until it's smooth and slushy. Pour this into Tupperware containers and freeze it until frozen solid.
Will and I both found this delicious. I was considering adding chopped almonds the next time I made it, but once I tasted it, I realized it didn't need it.
First, pit 2 cups of cherries and freeze them until frozen solid. Meanwhile, make a vanilla simple syrup by combining 1 cup sugar, 3/4 cup water, and half a vanilla bean. Bring this mixture to a boil on medium heat, stirring to dissolve. Once it comes up to a boil, put it on low and let it simmer until smooth, about a minute. Take it off the heat and cool it completely. Remove the vanilla bean from the syrup. For extra vanilla flavor, split the vanilla bean after removing it and scrape the seeds into the syrup.
Next, put cherries, 2 cups ice, syrup, and 1/2 cup almond liqueur in a blender. Blend this mixture until it's smooth and slushy. Pour this into Tupperware containers and freeze it until frozen solid.
Will and I both found this delicious. I was considering adding chopped almonds the next time I made it, but once I tasted it, I realized it didn't need it.
Friday, July 24, 2015
Black Rice Salad: Way Too Much Vinaigrette Used; Please Don't Make the Same Mistake I Did
I decided to make a rice salad to get back on the whole dieting thing after some craziness involving school and work. The good news is, this is my last year as an undergraduate. The bad news is, I have to struggle to get into graduate school. Wish me luck, everyone! Anyway, here's the recipe.
Cook one cup of black rice (also frequently known as Chinese forbidden rice or just forbidden rice) in one and three quarter cups boiling water for 45 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, thaw and drain frozen edamame (also known as shelled soybeans), French cut green beans, and corn.
To make the vinaigrette, combine one third of a cup of white wine vinegar, three Tablespoons grapeseed oil, and one Tablespoon agave nectar. Whisk this mixture to combine and add salt and pepper to taste. Toss the rice and vegetables together in the vinaigrette and add salt and pepper to taste if necessary.
As I said in the title, this had WAY too much vinegar. All I could taste was the acid. Will found it so vinegary that it turned his stomach and he couldn't actually stand to eat it. If I ever make this again, I will cut down the vinaigrette by at least half. Also, if you have stomach problems, make sure to cut down the vinaigrette or else your stomach will complain at you forever.
Cook one cup of black rice (also frequently known as Chinese forbidden rice or just forbidden rice) in one and three quarter cups boiling water for 45 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, thaw and drain frozen edamame (also known as shelled soybeans), French cut green beans, and corn.
To make the vinaigrette, combine one third of a cup of white wine vinegar, three Tablespoons grapeseed oil, and one Tablespoon agave nectar. Whisk this mixture to combine and add salt and pepper to taste. Toss the rice and vegetables together in the vinaigrette and add salt and pepper to taste if necessary.
As I said in the title, this had WAY too much vinegar. All I could taste was the acid. Will found it so vinegary that it turned his stomach and he couldn't actually stand to eat it. If I ever make this again, I will cut down the vinaigrette by at least half. Also, if you have stomach problems, make sure to cut down the vinaigrette or else your stomach will complain at you forever.
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