To recover from the salt overdose, I drank about a bathtub full of filtered water yesterday and was up 4 times during the night to the bathroom. My rings are still stuck, but I feel quite a bit better.
Over this past month I have built on a pretty solid foundation of food information. I knew about avoiding the four basic food groups: bagged, boxed, frozen and canned. I knew butter and lard were not co-rulers of the evil empire. What I didn't know could fill a library.
My daily emails from Andrew Wilder of Eating Rules introduced me to dozens of food bloggers, all busily creating tasty recipes from naked food. I've hooked up to bloggers all over the country and have a fabulous support system in place to help me keep on track. I've created a file of recipes I want to try and I'm looking forward to having my lab work done in two months.
I have 436 days until my 60th birthday and am going to take it one week at a time.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Day 30: I feel like death warmed over.
I had salt last night for the first time this month and feel terrible. My hands are swollen and my rings won't come off, my face is puffy and my toe ring is stuck. And to think I was like this all the time. Wow. There's not much more I need to say, is there?
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Day 29: What to do, what to do?
Halloween party night and what is a girl to do? I've been invited to a party and I know I will be exposed to processed foods. The best I can hope for is to follow the guidelines Andrew Wilder uses in his "Eating Rules" blog. He is also the creator of the Unprocessed October Challenge. I have been much more stringent that he suggests. I have used nothing with a label unless the label has only one ingredient on it.
Here is how Andrew defines unprocessed.
Obviously there’s a wide range of implications in that word, and we will probably each define it slightly differently for ourselves. My definition is this:
Unprocessed food is any food that could be made by a person with reasonable skill in a home kitchen with readily available, whole-food ingredients.
I call it “The Kitchen Test.” If you pick up something with a label (and if it doesn’t have a label, it’s probably unprocessed), and find an ingredient you’d never use in your kitchen and couldn’t possibly make yourself from the whole form, it’s processed.
It doesn’t mean you actually have to make it yourself, it just means that for it to be considered “unprocessed” that you could, in theory, do so.
So, I CAN eat a broader range than I have been. I just have to be very careful. If I avoid anything with white flour or white sugar, I should be pretty safe. I might as well throw in high fructose corn syrup too. I think I can do this.
Here is how Andrew defines unprocessed.
The “Kitchen Test” Definition
Of course, this begs the question: How do we define “Processed?”Obviously there’s a wide range of implications in that word, and we will probably each define it slightly differently for ourselves. My definition is this:
Unprocessed food is any food that could be made by a person with reasonable skill in a home kitchen with readily available, whole-food ingredients.
I call it “The Kitchen Test.” If you pick up something with a label (and if it doesn’t have a label, it’s probably unprocessed), and find an ingredient you’d never use in your kitchen and couldn’t possibly make yourself from the whole form, it’s processed.
It doesn’t mean you actually have to make it yourself, it just means that for it to be considered “unprocessed” that you could, in theory, do so.
So, I CAN eat a broader range than I have been. I just have to be very careful. If I avoid anything with white flour or white sugar, I should be pretty safe. I might as well throw in high fructose corn syrup too. I think I can do this.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Day 28: And counting down.
Three days to go to the end of the month. What a day to end this challenge on: Halloween with Halloween candy going on sale 50% off the next day. Honestly, I don't know if I could handle the sweetness now. I've gone 28 days without white sugar and haven't missed it. I can hardly believe I said that! I have baked cookies and cakes all my life. Well, since I was 9. I'm talking since the Kennedy Administration!
I was a wedding cake designer and worked in sugar, powdered sugar and fondant for years. My butter cream and Italian merangue buttercream were legendary. My cakes, cupcakes, cheesecakes and cookies were all made with the best (processed) ingredients available. Butter, eggs, flour, sugar, Dutch processed cocoa and rich Bourbon vanilla.
I didn't stop with desserts; I did breads too. And puff pastry. there is nothing like a fresh, hot, homemade croissant coming out of the oven or a loaf of yeasty bread. The aroma of baking bread will always be one of my favorites. I'm going to have to consider making Danish pastry with fruit filling, a fruit and honey reduction.
I was a wedding cake designer and worked in sugar, powdered sugar and fondant for years. My butter cream and Italian merangue buttercream were legendary. My cakes, cupcakes, cheesecakes and cookies were all made with the best (processed) ingredients available. Butter, eggs, flour, sugar, Dutch processed cocoa and rich Bourbon vanilla.
I didn't stop with desserts; I did breads too. And puff pastry. there is nothing like a fresh, hot, homemade croissant coming out of the oven or a loaf of yeasty bread. The aroma of baking bread will always be one of my favorites. I'm going to have to consider making Danish pastry with fruit filling, a fruit and honey reduction.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Day 27: Naked Popcorn!
I'm almost there! I really can't believe how simple this has been. And how painless. I'm really enjoying being back in the kitchen every day and eating really good food. I went out and bought that new, smaller belt yesterday.
Now, popcorn is one of my favorite foods. Growing up, dad would get out the old crank, stovetop popper and fill a roasting pan with popcorn. It took 3 1/3 cup batches to fill the roasting pan. We would melt a quarter pound of butter, drizzle it on the popcorn, sprinkle with salt and toss. He would fill his bowl from the roaster and sit in his recliner. The tree of us girls would lay on the living room floor in front of the TV with our roasting pan full of popcorn and dig in. Popcorn is one of my best family memories.
Fast forward 40 years. I have had air poppers and they made me happy, but I gave the last one away when I moved because of storage space. Dumb move. So I got addicted to microwave popcorn. And an addiction it was. I finished my last box of Orville Redenbacher's Movie Theater Butter Popcorn right before I accepted this challenge. I had ignored the ingredients list for years. I don't even want to think about the toxins I was putting into my body.
So here I was, in a popcorn free world. I had to come up with a plan. Soon I will buy a stovetop popper. In the interin, I had come up with some pretty good popcorn. I pour 1/4 of organic corn from the Alameda Natural Grocery ( http://www.alamedanaturalgrocery.com/. ) into a medium size paper bag, fold the top and into my microwave for 1 minute 50 seconds. At 2 minutes it starts to burn, but that's my microwave. Then I melt 2 T. butter and drizzle over the corn and top with a drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle with a little pink Himalayan salt and then about a 1/4 tsp. Galena Street Rub. Love those rubs! The olive oil gives a touch of sweetness, the rub gives it zip. Take THAT Orville!
Now, popcorn is one of my favorite foods. Growing up, dad would get out the old crank, stovetop popper and fill a roasting pan with popcorn. It took 3 1/3 cup batches to fill the roasting pan. We would melt a quarter pound of butter, drizzle it on the popcorn, sprinkle with salt and toss. He would fill his bowl from the roaster and sit in his recliner. The tree of us girls would lay on the living room floor in front of the TV with our roasting pan full of popcorn and dig in. Popcorn is one of my best family memories.
Fast forward 40 years. I have had air poppers and they made me happy, but I gave the last one away when I moved because of storage space. Dumb move. So I got addicted to microwave popcorn. And an addiction it was. I finished my last box of Orville Redenbacher's Movie Theater Butter Popcorn right before I accepted this challenge. I had ignored the ingredients list for years. I don't even want to think about the toxins I was putting into my body.
So here I was, in a popcorn free world. I had to come up with a plan. Soon I will buy a stovetop popper. In the interin, I had come up with some pretty good popcorn. I pour 1/4 of organic corn from the Alameda Natural Grocery ( http://www.alamedanaturalgrocery.com/. ) into a medium size paper bag, fold the top and into my microwave for 1 minute 50 seconds. At 2 minutes it starts to burn, but that's my microwave. Then I melt 2 T. butter and drizzle over the corn and top with a drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle with a little pink Himalayan salt and then about a 1/4 tsp. Galena Street Rub. Love those rubs! The olive oil gives a touch of sweetness, the rub gives it zip. Take THAT Orville!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Day 26: Spice of life.
Naked food is not bland. I have come to really enjoy a salad without dressing. Fresh greens are just delicious! I'm really enjoying arugula. I used to pick it out of my salads. Turns out it was the flavor of the arugula with ranch I didn't like.
I've pretty much disposed of salt. I rarely use it anymore. I'm playing with other spices instead. I have a couple of rubs and herb combos from The Spice House ( http://www.thespicehouse.com/. ) in Milwaukee. Last night I made some meatballs with one of the rubs. They were delightful. They were flavorful and moist and I was content with only 4 of them along with a cup of brown Jasmine rice and a naked salad.
Meatballs
1 lb grass finished organic beef (grass finished beef is feed grass their entire lives, right up to slaughter)
1/3 cup whole wheat focaccia bread crumbs. The recipe is here on day 20.
1 organic egg
1 tsp. Galena Street Rub
Mix together well and form into 20 meatballs. Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes. Makes up to 5 servings.
The beef costs about $7 a lb. but it can make 5 servings. How reasonable is that??
I've pretty much disposed of salt. I rarely use it anymore. I'm playing with other spices instead. I have a couple of rubs and herb combos from The Spice House ( http://www.thespicehouse.com/. ) in Milwaukee. Last night I made some meatballs with one of the rubs. They were delightful. They were flavorful and moist and I was content with only 4 of them along with a cup of brown Jasmine rice and a naked salad.
Meatballs
1 lb grass finished organic beef (grass finished beef is feed grass their entire lives, right up to slaughter)
1/3 cup whole wheat focaccia bread crumbs. The recipe is here on day 20.
1 organic egg
1 tsp. Galena Street Rub
Mix together well and form into 20 meatballs. Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes. Makes up to 5 servings.
The beef costs about $7 a lb. but it can make 5 servings. How reasonable is that??
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Day 25: I am totally stealing this blog.
Beth Lee is a food and wine lover, seasoned marketing professional, mom of two impossibly great teens (who list arugula among their favorite foods), wife to @dormantchef, chauffeur, golfer, and can be overheard frequently exclaiming, OMG! Yummy. Her blog has been featured in the LA Times Food Section, Freshly-Pressed on WordPress.com, and featured on FoodPress. You can also find her on Twitter and Facebook.
As a harried mom, food blogger, and marketing consultant, I initially questioned the reality of someone like me feeding her family 100% unprocessed food for 30 days. After talking with Andrew last year, the net result was a guest post about ten healthy, family-friendly snacks and an understanding that the real purpose of the challenge was education and awareness.
Today, I am writing about five ingredients to avoid consuming in your food, based on a session I attended last August at the Hazon Food Conference at UC Davis. Hazon, which means “vision” in Hebrew, is a Jewish-based organization whose purpose is to create healthy and sustainable communities in the Jewish world and beyond. They do this through education, exercise (bike rides), and conferences.
The session, in the Health and Nutrition Track, was entitled “BrainMending: How to Change your Brain with What you Eat.”
The speaker, Dr. Shetreat-Klein, approaches this subject from a unique and highly trained perspective. An accomplished pediatric neurologist, she became frustrated with the focus on prescription drugs as the prominent modality used to treat her young patients. So she searched for a new angle and began to focus on the impact that the environment and specifically food can have on our bodies. She now runs a successful practice called Brain Mending whose premise is that nutrition is a legitimate modality that can be used to prevent and treat illness.
In her session, she first explained the concept of epigenetics, a fairly new area of genetic research that asserts that DNA is not the only variable in genetic change but that our genes can be affected in the short-term by environmental exposures. In a Time Magazine article on epigenetics, they explain that “Epigenetic changes represent a biological response to an environmental stressor.”
Applying this epigenetic concept to food and our bodies, Dr. Shetreat-Klein further explained that what you eat and what you’re exposed to may change how your body works.
In this definition, highly processed foods would be included in the category of environmental factors that change how our body works. She highlighted this concept by explaining five food products to avoid, and why.
Keep in mind that these ingredients can be disguised with other monikers, so be vigilant when reading labels.
MSG
Monosodium glutamate, commonly referred to as MSG, is what many of us associate with Chinese food, but in fact it appears in many foods we regularly purchase without even realizing it. On labels, it is frequently listed as MSG, monosodium glutamate, hydrolyzed vegetable proteins, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed yeast, yeast extract, soy extracts, protein isolate, or simply, “flavor.”Glutamate is actually a naturally occurring amino acid necessary for brain function that we find in foods we eat such as tomatoes, mushrooms, and parmesan cheese. In our brains, glutamate acts as a neurotransmitter helping information to move from neuron to neuron. Glutamate is referred to as an excitotoxin because if there is too much of it, it can “excite” the neural cells to death. So Dr. Shetreat-Klein believes that while we need glutamate for brain function, too much glutamate can be detrimental and begin to destroy healthy brain cells.
Aspartame
Aspartame, or the brand-name Nutrasweet, is an artificial sweetener used in many “diet” foods and drinks. Though the FDA has not chosen to ban its use, many studies indicate that for those sensitive to it or who ingest large quantities of it, it can be detrimental to their health, causing migraines and dizziness, among other side effects.Aspartame, like glutamate, helps transmit information between brain neurons and may be damaging to cells when consumed in excess. The debate over the safety of Aspartame continues to rage on both sides, but Dr. Shetreat-Klein who “studies the studies” is convinced we are better off not ingesting it. I encourage you to read the data and form your own opinion. But for me, just knowing that Aspartame consists of 10% methanol is enough reason to choose other sweetener alternatives.
Make-up of Aspartame:
- Phenylalanine (50 percent)
- Methanol (aka wood alcohol/poison) (10 percent)
- Aspartic Acid (40 percent)
Food Dyes
According to a March 2011 NPR article, artificial food dyes are made from petroleum and approved for use by the FDA to enhance the color of processed foods. In late March 2011, the FDA met to consider banning certain food dyes but did not pass the ban, citing a lack of evidence . These same food dyes are, however, banned in Europe based on scientific evidence showing increased hyperactivity in children after ingesting these dyes.Dr. Shetreat-Klein talked of a patient whose main diet included artificially-colored strawberry milk in large quantities. After taking this patient off this milk as well as several other positive dietary changes, there was a major improvement in the patient’s medical condition.
Stop by your local produce market and remind yourself how gorgeous natural unprocessed food really is. The naturally occurring colors you see in fruits and vegetables are a result of phytochemicals which may improve our health and decrease our chance of catching certain diseases [PDF].
Preservatives
Artificial preservatives are added to food to retard spoilage, extend shelf-life, and maintain a pleasant looking appearance. The number of preservatives used is so extensive that the Food and Drug Administration maintains a database called EAFUS (Everything Added to Food in the United States) of over 3,000 substances that the FDA has either approved or listed as Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS).The more unprocessed food you eat, the less you need artificial preservatives. (Just sayin’…)
A couple of preservatives with potentially negative effects are sodium benzoate (also listed as E211) and nitrites. Sodium benzoate is used in soda to retard spoilage but has been taken out of Diet Coke in the UK because of a study done there that links sodium benzoate with hyperactivity and changes to DNA.
Another preservative, Nitrite, used in processed meats such as hot dogs, has been shown to be carcinogenic. According to the LiveStrong website: “The major concern with regard to sodium nitrite is that it reacts with compounds called secondary amines to produce substances called nitrosamines. Nitrosamines, in turn, are potent carcinogens, meaning they cause cancer.”
High Fructose Corn Syrup
The last food additive she suggested to avoid is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). According to the Mayo Clinic website, “high-fructose corn syrup is the most common added sweetener in processed foods and beverages” The Mayo Clinic article also says that the evidence is mixed regarding whether or not HFCS is any worse for you than regular sugar. In fact, sugar of any kind in too large a quantity is bad for everybody, leading to weight gain, cavities, elevated triglycerides, which all lead to increase risk for heart attacks.Dr. Shetreat-Klein explained that HFCS is frequently found to contain mercury. In 2009, studies showed that high fructose corn syrup contains mercury which is toxic in all its forms. According to an article in the Washington Post, “Americans consume about 12 teaspoons per day of HFCS, but teens and other high consumers can take in 80 percent more HFCS than average.”
If you can choose an unprocessed sweetener over a processed one with mercury, what would be your choice?
Foods to Include
After discussing these five food additives to avoid, Dr. Shetreat-Klein also shared some foods to include in your diet:- For sweetening: Try raw honey, maple syrup, and stevia extract.
- Fermented foods are supposed to be excellent for the bacteria in your gut (she includes a fermented food on her dinner plate every day).
- Fresh herbs of all kinds have outstanding food qualities, besides just great taste. She suggested, for example, to make tea out of fresh parsley. Other teas she recommended are chamomile, passion flower, lemon balm and also green tea for focus and concentration.
- She also suggested adding oat bran to your diet whenever possible.
- Coconut oil, which has many potential health benefits, has been linked anecdotally to improvements in Alzheimer’s patients.
What the #unprocessed challenge is all about is becoming more food-aware. The key with these ingredients is becoming aware of why and how they are used and being able to decide pro-actively if you want to be eating them. As I researched the five ingredients, my a-ha moment was discovering that the FDA keeps a database of over 3,000 (3,000!!!!) GRAS additives all to preserve and enhance what starts out as unprocessed food. As Andrew’s challenge teaches us, unprocessed food choices exist in abundance and it can only be to our benefit to eat food in it’s natural state whenever possible. As Dr. Shetreat-Klein believes, food can not only sustain us, but perhaps it can heal us as well.
–
Food coloring photo by Laurie | Liquid Paper.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Day 24: I need a new belt!!!
I didn't take this challenge to lose weight, I took this challenge to improve my overall health. I wanted to go to my doctor in December as usual and blow her away with my bloodwork results. Okay, that is coming, but in the meantime, the weight is melting like the Wicked Witch of the West in a bucket of water. In March I had bought a new pair of jean and never wore them because they were a little snug. I got them out this week so I could at least get some wear out of them before they got too big. Smart thinking. I'm not that far from the next size down.
I had to belt them. I dug through my closet for the only belt I own and looped it through. I could barely buckle this belt a month ago and now had to use the 4th hole!! Shoot, I'm barely going to get use out of this belt!! Well, I guess the jeans and belt will be close to new when I donate them. Lucky someone. Happy me.
I had to belt them. I dug through my closet for the only belt I own and looped it through. I could barely buckle this belt a month ago and now had to use the 4th hole!! Shoot, I'm barely going to get use out of this belt!! Well, I guess the jeans and belt will be close to new when I donate them. Lucky someone. Happy me.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Day 23: Cream soups are a challenge.
I made a soup yesterday I'm not sure about. I didn't think whole wheat flour would make a good roux for my cream of mushroom soup so I tried coconut flour. It didn't thicken like white flour. Not even close. And it made a grainy texture. The flavor, though, was awesome. The touch of coconut was delicious with the crimini mushrooms and organic milk. I suppose I'm going to have to change the way I feel about cream soups.
Cream soups have always been my favorites. As a comfort food, they have always done the trick. Thick, creamy and warm. Homemade cream of tomato with White Cheddar Cheez Its is absolutely the best. I've always made my cream soups myself as the salt content in canned soups mask the flavor of the ingredients. Fresh cream of asparagus is fabulous too. My cream of mushroom was my go to soup. I loved the rich, creamy texture of the soup with the fresh flavor of the mushroom permeating the cream. Will I miss it enough to use white flour? Is a tablespoon of white flour so bad? A dilemma for sure. If all the other ingredients are fresh and organic....
I can't believe this is me worrying about a tablespoon of white flour. Goodness, this challenge has taken hold of me.
Cream soups have always been my favorites. As a comfort food, they have always done the trick. Thick, creamy and warm. Homemade cream of tomato with White Cheddar Cheez Its is absolutely the best. I've always made my cream soups myself as the salt content in canned soups mask the flavor of the ingredients. Fresh cream of asparagus is fabulous too. My cream of mushroom was my go to soup. I loved the rich, creamy texture of the soup with the fresh flavor of the mushroom permeating the cream. Will I miss it enough to use white flour? Is a tablespoon of white flour so bad? A dilemma for sure. If all the other ingredients are fresh and organic....
I can't believe this is me worrying about a tablespoon of white flour. Goodness, this challenge has taken hold of me.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Day 22: I hate fast food.
I started a post and wrote pages of stuff about growing up in the backwoods of Wisconsin. While it was cathartic, it was poorly written and very painful stuff. I'm trying to stay positive here. Maybe some day I can go back, clean it up and see the humor of always being the odd child. Maybe not.
So to my topic. I consider fast food to be a total evil. I haven't eaten any since 1981, shortly after I divorced my first husband. He loved fast food. All of it. Even the obscure fast foods. And I ate it with him. He was just as content with Taco Bell as he was with my home-cooked, from scratch dinners. I was offended, to say the least. I rarely used canned goods and never used boxed or bagged anything in my cooking. Frozen was not often an option. Pasta was about the only product I bought in a bag or box.
Yet I gained weight. 35 lbs. over that 5 year marriage. The fast food got me. Weight Watchers helped for a while, but Weight Watchers started to add their prepared foods to the mix and it was all down hill from there. As the years passed I added more processed foods to my diet. I quit making my own salad dressing, started buying pasta sauces, quit buying fresh produce and bought frozen. My life was so busy that I just ate what was handy rather than take 30 minutes to cook a decent meal. The weight continued to climb. I became the queen of the yo-yo diet and finally gave up all together.
This challenge has definitely improved my life. I cook better, eat better, look better. This is not a diet which has an end, it is a lifestyle for the rest of my life.
So to my topic. I consider fast food to be a total evil. I haven't eaten any since 1981, shortly after I divorced my first husband. He loved fast food. All of it. Even the obscure fast foods. And I ate it with him. He was just as content with Taco Bell as he was with my home-cooked, from scratch dinners. I was offended, to say the least. I rarely used canned goods and never used boxed or bagged anything in my cooking. Frozen was not often an option. Pasta was about the only product I bought in a bag or box.
Yet I gained weight. 35 lbs. over that 5 year marriage. The fast food got me. Weight Watchers helped for a while, but Weight Watchers started to add their prepared foods to the mix and it was all down hill from there. As the years passed I added more processed foods to my diet. I quit making my own salad dressing, started buying pasta sauces, quit buying fresh produce and bought frozen. My life was so busy that I just ate what was handy rather than take 30 minutes to cook a decent meal. The weight continued to climb. I became the queen of the yo-yo diet and finally gave up all together.
This challenge has definitely improved my life. I cook better, eat better, look better. This is not a diet which has an end, it is a lifestyle for the rest of my life.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Day 21: Three weeks in and all is good.
I received more kudos yesterday afternoon. I had made an appointment with my doctor because I have blown out my knee. Again. My original injury was Jan 17, 1970 in an indoor soccer game. I was dribbling the ball and my knee went and I went down. over the years I have re-injured it multiple times. I have had an arthroscopy and x-rays, I have used ice and heat, I have tried physical therapy and massage therapy. This time, after 6 weeks, I have had no improvement. I hit the wall and I am so done with the pain.
So I was waiting in the exam room and my doctor walked in. I have been with Dr. Bauer for several years. We are of an age. I drive 70 miles to see her because she gets it. Well, she walked in and said I looked fantastic. How much weight have I lost and what's going on with my skin? Evidently Daryl wasn't lying when he said I was luminous. I explained my eating naked challenge and she is all for it. She was dying to have me do all new lab work to see what improvements there have been. I am holding off until around Christmas so I can have a truly remarkable improvement. I usually have labs done in December. Oh, oh, oh, and she cut my blood pressure meds in half!!.
So, I'm looking fabulous and who cares if my knee is killing me. I'm having new x-rays tomorrow morning and we will see how they are. Next I'm on to orthopedics. wish me luck.
So I was waiting in the exam room and my doctor walked in. I have been with Dr. Bauer for several years. We are of an age. I drive 70 miles to see her because she gets it. Well, she walked in and said I looked fantastic. How much weight have I lost and what's going on with my skin? Evidently Daryl wasn't lying when he said I was luminous. I explained my eating naked challenge and she is all for it. She was dying to have me do all new lab work to see what improvements there have been. I am holding off until around Christmas so I can have a truly remarkable improvement. I usually have labs done in December. Oh, oh, oh, and she cut my blood pressure meds in half!!.
So, I'm looking fabulous and who cares if my knee is killing me. I'm having new x-rays tomorrow morning and we will see how they are. Next I'm on to orthopedics. wish me luck.
Day 20: Bread is not an issue.
I love sandwiches. Mostly because I can eat them while I am doing something else! I love bread and always have. My mom used to bake bread every Monday; six loaves and a pan of cinnamon rolls. We always had cinnamon rolls for breakfast Tuesday. Bread and sugar, a deadly combo. Mom's bread was fantastic. She would get out her "bread bowl" and get to work. That bowl wasn't used for anything else. It was a huge, cream colored ceramic bowl with a little floral pattern. Mixing, kneading, watching it rise and waiting for the first warm slice...
Over the years, I have baked bread for special occassions and sometimes on a whim. However, most of the time I would buy my bread. Well, those days are over. Sunday has become my bread baking day. It takes 10 minutes to mix it up and about an hour to complete the rising. 30 minutes in the over and I have bread for a week. I've messed with a couple of recipes and come up with a very nice focaccia like bread for sandwiches. It will work just fine for a pizza dough too.
Finding Bob's Red Mill flour was a thrill. It's organic and flavorful. I can't wait to work my way through Bob's product line.
Whole Wheat Focaccia
4 c Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat flour
1 pkg or 1 T yeast
2 T organic honey
1 tsp salt
1/3 c olive oil
1 c warm water
Pour warm water into large mixer bowl, sprinkle in yeast and add honey. Stir. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes to proof. When yeast gets foamy, add salt, oil and 2 cups of flour. Mix on low for 4 minutes. Add remaining flour and mix to form soft dough. You may need a little more flour. Oil a large bowl and place dough in bowl. Rub dough with olive oil. Cover and let rise to double, about 45 minutes. Oil a 9 x 13 pan and push dough into pan. Poke with a fork in rows. Allow to rise to double again. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until browned. I slice mine into 16 squares and freeze. Thaw and slice like a hamburger bun for sandwiches.
Over the years, I have baked bread for special occassions and sometimes on a whim. However, most of the time I would buy my bread. Well, those days are over. Sunday has become my bread baking day. It takes 10 minutes to mix it up and about an hour to complete the rising. 30 minutes in the over and I have bread for a week. I've messed with a couple of recipes and come up with a very nice focaccia like bread for sandwiches. It will work just fine for a pizza dough too.
Finding Bob's Red Mill flour was a thrill. It's organic and flavorful. I can't wait to work my way through Bob's product line.
Whole Wheat Focaccia
4 c Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat flour
1 pkg or 1 T yeast
2 T organic honey
1 tsp salt
1/3 c olive oil
1 c warm water
Pour warm water into large mixer bowl, sprinkle in yeast and add honey. Stir. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes to proof. When yeast gets foamy, add salt, oil and 2 cups of flour. Mix on low for 4 minutes. Add remaining flour and mix to form soft dough. You may need a little more flour. Oil a large bowl and place dough in bowl. Rub dough with olive oil. Cover and let rise to double, about 45 minutes. Oil a 9 x 13 pan and push dough into pan. Poke with a fork in rows. Allow to rise to double again. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until browned. I slice mine into 16 squares and freeze. Thaw and slice like a hamburger bun for sandwiches.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Day 19: I'm a baker.
I've always been a baker and always from scratch. I made my first Jiffy cake when I was 7 and by 9 was making cakes from scratch. I love the whole process, from measuring, mixing, creating and savoring the aroma from the oven. Then there is the look on someones face when they take a bite of a "real" cake. Many years ago, when my godson, James, was about 4, he and his mother Kathleen dropped in to visit. James looked at em and asked if I had a cake. When I responded no, he asked if I was going to make one. His poor mother was appalled! James and I just headed off to the kitchen to bake a cake. This was an emergency. Within 45 minutes it was out of the oven and 15 minutes later it was cool enough to ice. He was happy.
For about a decade I did wedding cakes for friends and word of mouth connections. I drove them to Santa Rosa, The Cliff House, Santa Cruz, etc. Everything was made form scratch. Butter, flour, eggs. The fillings were from fresh fruit or custards made from eggs and half and half. Icings were always real buttercream.
Real buttercream. One day I called a bakery famous for its whipped cream icing. The young lady on the phone happily assured me the cake would be left out for 24 hours without refrigeration. WHAT KIND OF WHIPPED CREAM COULD BE LEFT OUT FOR 24 HOURS WITHOUT REFRIGERATION??!! What kind of chemicals was it made of? EEEEWWWWWWWWWWWW! I've always been a baking purist.
And now, I have no desire to bake cakes or cupcakes. I can't even imagine the taste of the buttercream. If a sugar plum is almost too sweet, how can I handle confectioner's sugar? I owe someone at work 2 dozen cupcakes and will deliver them after this pledge is over. And I will have to walk away from them. Wow.
For about a decade I did wedding cakes for friends and word of mouth connections. I drove them to Santa Rosa, The Cliff House, Santa Cruz, etc. Everything was made form scratch. Butter, flour, eggs. The fillings were from fresh fruit or custards made from eggs and half and half. Icings were always real buttercream.
Real buttercream. One day I called a bakery famous for its whipped cream icing. The young lady on the phone happily assured me the cake would be left out for 24 hours without refrigeration. WHAT KIND OF WHIPPED CREAM COULD BE LEFT OUT FOR 24 HOURS WITHOUT REFRIGERATION??!! What kind of chemicals was it made of? EEEEWWWWWWWWWWWW! I've always been a baking purist.
And now, I have no desire to bake cakes or cupcakes. I can't even imagine the taste of the buttercream. If a sugar plum is almost too sweet, how can I handle confectioner's sugar? I owe someone at work 2 dozen cupcakes and will deliver them after this pledge is over. And I will have to walk away from them. Wow.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Day 18: It's noticible
Last evening I got a text message form my mentor. He was going to be in San Francisco in the morning and could I meet him for breakfast. Oh, hell yes! No problem getting up at 4:30 and getting to Bart and into San Francisco by 6 am! Not to have breakfast with Daryl.
He is a brilliant finance genius who has weathered this economic downturn with aplomb and grace. I love to listen to his stories about dinner with presidents, golfing with the rich and famous and business in general. This morning's conversation included a quiz on obscure (obscure to a white woman from Wisconsin) Motown artists. At least I knew who Bobby Womack and Johnny "Guitar" Watson were. I have some homework to do though.
Well, Daryl took one look at me and said I looked fabulous. He said my skin was always good, but today I was glowing and luminous. I kind of explained the eating naked concept to him and he said that whatever I'm doing, just keep it up. How cool is that? Only 18 days into the challenge and it shows. This is going to make it so much easier to continue. I can't wait until he comes to town again!
He is a brilliant finance genius who has weathered this economic downturn with aplomb and grace. I love to listen to his stories about dinner with presidents, golfing with the rich and famous and business in general. This morning's conversation included a quiz on obscure (obscure to a white woman from Wisconsin) Motown artists. At least I knew who Bobby Womack and Johnny "Guitar" Watson were. I have some homework to do though.
Well, Daryl took one look at me and said I looked fabulous. He said my skin was always good, but today I was glowing and luminous. I kind of explained the eating naked concept to him and he said that whatever I'm doing, just keep it up. How cool is that? Only 18 days into the challenge and it shows. This is going to make it so much easier to continue. I can't wait until he comes to town again!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Day 17: I fed my boyfriend naked.
Yup, Lenny got naked shepard's pie last evening. He loved it and was surprised how good the flavors were. We hadn't seen much of each other over the past 6 weeks: he had an Achilles' tendon repair and was just, this week, able to drive again and make it up my 32 steps. because of the recent distance, he was able to notice the minute changes, the thinner waist and the glow.
I attribute the glow to the half gallon of water each day. As it flushes my system, it is clearing my acne. I have been plagues with zits for ever. I have extremely oily skin. While it has kept me from aging, I have occasional breakouts. Zits at 58 is a lovely look. My skin is so oily, I use the toilet seat covers in public restrooms for blotters. Really. It's the same tissue used in oil blotting paper and it doesn't disturb your makeup. I can saturate a toilet seat cover and come out of the restroom aglow. Try it. One day, after plastering a toilet seat comer to your face and coming out of the ladies room with an oil free face and makeup intact, you'll thank me for this tip.
I attribute the glow to the half gallon of water each day. As it flushes my system, it is clearing my acne. I have been plagues with zits for ever. I have extremely oily skin. While it has kept me from aging, I have occasional breakouts. Zits at 58 is a lovely look. My skin is so oily, I use the toilet seat covers in public restrooms for blotters. Really. It's the same tissue used in oil blotting paper and it doesn't disturb your makeup. I can saturate a toilet seat cover and come out of the restroom aglow. Try it. One day, after plastering a toilet seat comer to your face and coming out of the ladies room with an oil free face and makeup intact, you'll thank me for this tip.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Day 16: Halfway through October!
I've made it halfway through this challenge and while the changes may not be visible to anyone yet, I'm definitely feeling them. It's just little things: my pants are a little looser, my bra is a little more comfortable, the 32 stairs are easier. I'm waiting for the suffering to begin. I'm not hungry, I'm not craving anything, I'm not waiting for the challenge to end so I can have junk food. What's wrong with me?
My trip to Dan's Produce Market yesterday scored some sugar plums. My, my, my. The first one I tried was almost too sweet. It was juicy, succulent sweetness. I could only eat one. Now, you have to consider that I used to be able to knock off a half a bag of Oreos in one sitting. oreos, a quart of icy milk and a book and I was transported to heaven. Now I can go there with one sugar plum? All I can say is WOW. The exciting this is I have a pint basket of these still in the kitchen.
I also bought potatoes for my shepherd's pie. It's assembled and ready to go in the oven. I doubt I will ever make pie crust with whole wheat flour again. It was very difficult to roll. I ended up pressing the broken pieces of crust in my pan.
Shepherd's Pie
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion
2 T. butter
1/2 c red wine
1 T. cornstarch
1/2 c beef stock
salt and pepper to taste
5 medium potatoes
1/4 c butter
1/2 c milk
salt and pepper to taste.
1/2 c grated cheese (optional)
Peel and slice potatoes, cover with water in large sauce pan and boil until tender.
Chop onion and saute in butter until clear. Add beef and brown. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix cornstarch with wine and add to beef with stock. Stir and simmer until thick. Pour into prepared pie crust.
Drain and mash potatoes with butter and milk. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon on top of meat mixture. Add grated cheese on top of potatoes.
Bake at 350 until heated through, about 30 minutes.
My trip to Dan's Produce Market yesterday scored some sugar plums. My, my, my. The first one I tried was almost too sweet. It was juicy, succulent sweetness. I could only eat one. Now, you have to consider that I used to be able to knock off a half a bag of Oreos in one sitting. oreos, a quart of icy milk and a book and I was transported to heaven. Now I can go there with one sugar plum? All I can say is WOW. The exciting this is I have a pint basket of these still in the kitchen.
I also bought potatoes for my shepherd's pie. It's assembled and ready to go in the oven. I doubt I will ever make pie crust with whole wheat flour again. It was very difficult to roll. I ended up pressing the broken pieces of crust in my pan.
Shepherd's Pie
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion
2 T. butter
1/2 c red wine
1 T. cornstarch
1/2 c beef stock
salt and pepper to taste
5 medium potatoes
1/4 c butter
1/2 c milk
salt and pepper to taste.
1/2 c grated cheese (optional)
Peel and slice potatoes, cover with water in large sauce pan and boil until tender.
Chop onion and saute in butter until clear. Add beef and brown. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix cornstarch with wine and add to beef with stock. Stir and simmer until thick. Pour into prepared pie crust.
Drain and mash potatoes with butter and milk. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon on top of meat mixture. Add grated cheese on top of potatoes.
Bake at 350 until heated through, about 30 minutes.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Day 15: My mother was a terrible cook.
Really, the woman could not cook. She could bake, but she could not cook. We had this recipe for pie crust which was absolutely amazing. It's been in the family almost 50 years now and I remember the day she got it.
Every year there was a rummage sale in the basement of the Wascott Town Hall. Wascott was an unincorporated village in Northern Wisconsin, bisected by highway 53. The grocery/post office/gas station was in one building on the west side of the highway and the restarant and bar was in a building on the east side of the highway. There was a nondemonational church and and abandonded hotel near the railroad tracks. Population: uncounted. The town rummage sale was one and EVENT.
Well, about the time I was 10, we were at this sale, going through piles of stuff and mom sat down to have a piece of pie. She declared the crust to be the best she had ever had! I believe it was Mrs. Schmidt who made the pie. Mrs. Schmidt, who was an ancient lady of at least 50, happened to be there and shared the recipe with mom. The recipe called for a 1lb. of lard and makes enough crust for 5 pies. It's amazing and every baker should have this recipe.
Tomorrow I'm making a "classic" shepard's pie, with a tender crust, beef filling and mashed potatoes on top. I was inspired by Kathy, who made a chicken Pot Pie this week and followed my eating naked inspiration. You can read about her pie at http://whats-next-onthe-todo-list.blogspot.com/.
Pie Crust
5 cups flour
1 lb. lard ( I use fresh lard from The Local Butcher Shop)
1 tsp salt
1 egg and water to measure 1 cup
1 tsp vinegar
Mix all ingregients together. Makes 5 or 6 crusts.
Every year there was a rummage sale in the basement of the Wascott Town Hall. Wascott was an unincorporated village in Northern Wisconsin, bisected by highway 53. The grocery/post office/gas station was in one building on the west side of the highway and the restarant and bar was in a building on the east side of the highway. There was a nondemonational church and and abandonded hotel near the railroad tracks. Population: uncounted. The town rummage sale was one and EVENT.
Well, about the time I was 10, we were at this sale, going through piles of stuff and mom sat down to have a piece of pie. She declared the crust to be the best she had ever had! I believe it was Mrs. Schmidt who made the pie. Mrs. Schmidt, who was an ancient lady of at least 50, happened to be there and shared the recipe with mom. The recipe called for a 1lb. of lard and makes enough crust for 5 pies. It's amazing and every baker should have this recipe.
Tomorrow I'm making a "classic" shepard's pie, with a tender crust, beef filling and mashed potatoes on top. I was inspired by Kathy, who made a chicken Pot Pie this week and followed my eating naked inspiration. You can read about her pie at http://whats-next-onthe-todo-list.blogspot.com/.
Pie Crust
5 cups flour
1 lb. lard ( I use fresh lard from The Local Butcher Shop)
1 tsp salt
1 egg and water to measure 1 cup
1 tsp vinegar
Mix all ingregients together. Makes 5 or 6 crusts.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Day 14: My shoes got loose!
No, sorry, my shoes are not on the loose. They were falling off my feet when I walked. They were all too loose! Two weeks into this naked eating and my feet have changed Evidently there is something to this salt/water retention theory.
The thought of my shoes getting too big terrifies me. I hate shoe shopping. No, really, I hate it. I sit down in a chair at a shoe store and I am Cinderella's ugly step-sister. I wear an 11 or 11.5 WW with a high instep. Many a shoe salesman has broken a sweat trying to jam my toes into a beautiful shoe. After all the strain and humiliation, I might have a choice between 4 pair of shoes in stock. The best I can hope for is to find something I like and order it in my size and color. Two weeks later I will have my shoes. If I'm lucky. When a pair gets too shoddy to wear anymore I mourn for two reasons: first that I have lost dear friends and second because I have to go shopping. I can't just sashay into DSW and find something on the rack, no, I have to order them and pay premium prices. When I do find a shoe which fits and is comfortable (notice I said nothing about stylish) I order them in all the colors. My LaPlumes in this photo come in 42 colors; I have them in 10.
With winter approaching and the need to cover my toes coming fast, I dread my next shoe shopping trip.
The thought of my shoes getting too big terrifies me. I hate shoe shopping. No, really, I hate it. I sit down in a chair at a shoe store and I am Cinderella's ugly step-sister. I wear an 11 or 11.5 WW with a high instep. Many a shoe salesman has broken a sweat trying to jam my toes into a beautiful shoe. After all the strain and humiliation, I might have a choice between 4 pair of shoes in stock. The best I can hope for is to find something I like and order it in my size and color. Two weeks later I will have my shoes. If I'm lucky. When a pair gets too shoddy to wear anymore I mourn for two reasons: first that I have lost dear friends and second because I have to go shopping. I can't just sashay into DSW and find something on the rack, no, I have to order them and pay premium prices. When I do find a shoe which fits and is comfortable (notice I said nothing about stylish) I order them in all the colors. My LaPlumes in this photo come in 42 colors; I have them in 10.
With winter approaching and the need to cover my toes coming fast, I dread my next shoe shopping trip.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Day 13: I love Bourbon.
I love Bourbon, Jim Beam in particular. I've tried many Bourbons and always go back to my buddy Jim. Jim has always been there for me. He was there to hug me and keep me warm after my husband died, he was there to celebrate with me when I got my MBA, he loved to sit with me while I read a murder mystery. He wasn't there every evening, though; he would come and go. This morning I realized I hadn't seen him since I started eating naked. Hm. I haven't even missed him.
Before my aunt moved into assisted living, I would spend one night a week at her home. She would make dinner and I would mix the martinis. She was a great cook and I was a great bartender. The evenings were always filled with laughter, good conversation and Jeopardy. Now she is in Oregon and I miss her terribly. I miss the crisp martinis. That first sip of an ice-cold, shaken martini in its fogged glass, condensation dripping, was heaven. I made them with plenty of vermouth and dirty as can be.
I have always preferred my alcohol straight because I could gauge how much I was getting. Rather sip a Bourbon on the rocks than swig a mixed drink with added sugar which jacked up my insulin production. I also always laid down a solid base of protein before I sipped. Believe me, I've studied the affects of alcohol in the bloodstream and have found by avoiding the high carb snacks which generally accompany cocktails and nibbling the meat and cheese sans crackers, I can maintain a modicum of equilibrium. Because I maintain control, I get to be the designated driver. I learned to be a responsible drinker.
Imagine my surprise to find I am not desiring Jim after a 40 year love affair. Yes, I cheated on him with another man now and again. Johnny Walker was hot for awhile and Ezra Brooks curled my toes, but I always went home to Jim
Before my aunt moved into assisted living, I would spend one night a week at her home. She would make dinner and I would mix the martinis. She was a great cook and I was a great bartender. The evenings were always filled with laughter, good conversation and Jeopardy. Now she is in Oregon and I miss her terribly. I miss the crisp martinis. That first sip of an ice-cold, shaken martini in its fogged glass, condensation dripping, was heaven. I made them with plenty of vermouth and dirty as can be.
I have always preferred my alcohol straight because I could gauge how much I was getting. Rather sip a Bourbon on the rocks than swig a mixed drink with added sugar which jacked up my insulin production. I also always laid down a solid base of protein before I sipped. Believe me, I've studied the affects of alcohol in the bloodstream and have found by avoiding the high carb snacks which generally accompany cocktails and nibbling the meat and cheese sans crackers, I can maintain a modicum of equilibrium. Because I maintain control, I get to be the designated driver. I learned to be a responsible drinker.
Imagine my surprise to find I am not desiring Jim after a 40 year love affair. Yes, I cheated on him with another man now and again. Johnny Walker was hot for awhile and Ezra Brooks curled my toes, but I always went home to Jim
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Day 12: Life in the food industry.
It's not surprising is it that I work in the food industry? I am the accountant for a major catering firm in Northern California. We are a green company and can tell you what the carbon footprint is for your event. We use predominantly local produce, meats and fish. Our client list includes Alice Waters, yes, that Alice Waters, which should tell you all you need to know about the meals we produce. A lunch buffet is one of the benefits of the job. Every day the kitchen staff puts out a delicious, relatively naked lunch. There's always a huge bowl of salad of the best greens. This time of year the salad includes fabulous tomatoes from and organic garden in St. Helena. I love this time of year.
My salad dressing turned out pretty good. I used the old family recipe and exchanged ingredients for organic.
Not Your Regular Russian Dressing.
1 cup olive oil
juice of one lemon
1/4 c. honey
1/4 tsp. sweet smoked Spanish paprika
1/2 T. Worcesterdhire sauce (okay, mine wasn't organic and has trace crap in it, but I'm looking for a substitute.)
1 small onion, cut in chunks
2T vinegar
1 tsp salt
7 oz catsup
Put all ingredients except oil in blender, blend well. With blender on, slowly drizzle oil into blender until all is mixed well. Chill.
My salad dressing turned out pretty good. I used the old family recipe and exchanged ingredients for organic.
Not Your Regular Russian Dressing.
1 cup olive oil
juice of one lemon
1/4 c. honey
1/4 tsp. sweet smoked Spanish paprika
1/2 T. Worcesterdhire sauce (okay, mine wasn't organic and has trace crap in it, but I'm looking for a substitute.)
1 small onion, cut in chunks
2T vinegar
1 tsp salt
7 oz catsup
Put all ingredients except oil in blender, blend well. With blender on, slowly drizzle oil into blender until all is mixed well. Chill.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Day 11: I threw out my salad dressings.
This morning I hauled a large bag of partially used salad dressings out of my apartment. Good-bye! I have always had a love-hate relationship with salad dressing. I am the creamy lover as opposed to the vinaigrette. I have tried a billion dressings, very few of which I liked. They were either too spicy, too oily or just downright nasty tasting. Occasionally, I would find one I liked and use it until I was sick of it. Then I was back in the dressing aisle, perusing the pretty labels with beautiful valleys and handsome men. I would take one home and think, ah ha!, this is going to be IT, only to be disappointed. Dating is easier.
I always knew dressings were not good for me, just look at the labels. They should read oil, vinegar, herbs. What are all those unpronounceable thingies? Flavor enhancers and preservatives? Well, I hate the flavors so why would I want to preserve them? I had one bottle in the fridge which had made the move to Alameda with me 7 months ago. Lord only knows how long it lurked in my fridge before that. Why would I want to eat a product which won't self destruct after a year?
There is one salad dressing which completely pleases me. It's a Russian dressing we made growing up in Wisconsin. It's rich and red, BUT the base is catsup. If I make it with an organic catsup and olive oil....I'll let you know how my experiments tonight turns out.
I always knew dressings were not good for me, just look at the labels. They should read oil, vinegar, herbs. What are all those unpronounceable thingies? Flavor enhancers and preservatives? Well, I hate the flavors so why would I want to preserve them? I had one bottle in the fridge which had made the move to Alameda with me 7 months ago. Lord only knows how long it lurked in my fridge before that. Why would I want to eat a product which won't self destruct after a year?
There is one salad dressing which completely pleases me. It's a Russian dressing we made growing up in Wisconsin. It's rich and red, BUT the base is catsup. If I make it with an organic catsup and olive oil....I'll let you know how my experiments tonight turns out.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Day 10: How did Julie Powell do it?
When my husband, Jon and I went to see Julie and Julia, I wondered how she prepared those magnificent meals in that tiny kitchen. We were living in my relatively huge house with a massive butcher block table to prepare food on. I also had a 1950s Wedgewood stove with a griddle in the middle. It was a chome enhanced '56 Chevy parked in my kitchen. I had work surfaces. Now I'm trying to work in my teeny, tiny kitchen with a 24" stove and 24" refrigerator. Yesterday I had two large cookie trays with roasted tomatoes and another with roasted eggplant stacked precariously while I juggled my 5 quart pot, mixer and food processor.
I have kitchen equipment for a large kitchen. My mixer is the 6qt KitchenAid which weighs a bloody ton! It lives on my linen closet floor. I have the industrial KitchenAid food processor and Oster bar blender. When I moved from the big house to this studio, I kept my kitchen equipment and figured I would find a place. Well, I did. First things first. I also brought 3 sets of china in addition to my Fiestawear. I have my everyday flatwear and my silver. Glasswear galore. I fit it all in and gave away many of my clothes. I have 4 closets and the shelves are filled with kitchen stuff. And yarn, but that's another story.
My version of the Roasted Tomato and Egplant soup:
Preheat oven to 425
8 large plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
10 cloves garlic
1/4 cup Olive oil
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp fresh, ground pepper
2 tsp. Curry powder
1 large eggplant diced 3/4"
1 cup diced left-over beef (I used London broil)
Toss the garlic and tomatoes in half the oil, salt and pepper. Place meat side down of rimmed baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes. Toss eggplant with remaining oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes, stirring once. Puree tomatoes and garlic. Pour into large pot and add 4 cups water and meat. Simmer for one hour. Add eggplant and heat thoroughly. Serve with fresh focaccia.
I have kitchen equipment for a large kitchen. My mixer is the 6qt KitchenAid which weighs a bloody ton! It lives on my linen closet floor. I have the industrial KitchenAid food processor and Oster bar blender. When I moved from the big house to this studio, I kept my kitchen equipment and figured I would find a place. Well, I did. First things first. I also brought 3 sets of china in addition to my Fiestawear. I have my everyday flatwear and my silver. Glasswear galore. I fit it all in and gave away many of my clothes. I have 4 closets and the shelves are filled with kitchen stuff. And yarn, but that's another story.
My version of the Roasted Tomato and Egplant soup:
Preheat oven to 425
8 large plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
10 cloves garlic
1/4 cup Olive oil
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp fresh, ground pepper
2 tsp. Curry powder
1 large eggplant diced 3/4"
1 cup diced left-over beef (I used London broil)
Toss the garlic and tomatoes in half the oil, salt and pepper. Place meat side down of rimmed baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes. Toss eggplant with remaining oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes, stirring once. Puree tomatoes and garlic. Pour into large pot and add 4 cups water and meat. Simmer for one hour. Add eggplant and heat thoroughly. Serve with fresh focaccia.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Day 9: The pain is gone.
For almost forty years, I have suffered pain from food. Heartburn, GERD, acid reflux, whatever name you choose to use, I have had it. The first trigger I noticed was the scones in the Sequoia Hospital cafeteria in the mid seventies. They were absolutely delicious, but within 30 minutes of finishing one, I had heartburn. Did I quit them? Heck no. I went to my doctor instead and was given a prescription of Tagamet, new on the market then. I knew every flavor of OTC antacid there was and had a particular fondness for a lemon Swiss creme flavored one. They all worked fast, but not for long. the Tagamet gave me long lasting relief.
Fast forward 25 years. I have now graduated to Prilosec before it was OTC. Finally, I had the ephphany I was searching for; how about if I figure out which foods make me sick? Well, the list was not acid and spicy foods as suspected, it was refined carbs. Sugar. Bread. Oh, and get this one, tuna salad sandwiches. Tuna was easy enough to quit, but sugar? It's everywhere and I wanted to be where it was. (There's another story here for a later date.) I tried the Carbohydrate Addicts Diet and was extremely successful. I felt good, looked good and lost 50 lbs. Yet my nemesis lurked, luring me to failure. Of course, carbohydrates won.
There have been many times I take a bite, swallow and feel the food explode in my stomach, causing horrific pain, a sharp, jarring burn. French fries were a frequent offender, however, it could just as easily be caused by milk or vegetables. Luckily, Bourbon was never an offender.
Now, over a week into this challenge, I no longer have pain. I no longer have the napalm moments, the esophegeal burn or the cough. Maybe it was the chemicals in my food. Maybe.
Today I'm roasting tomatoes and eggplant for a soup. The recipe calls for garbanzo beans and I don't have those in stock. I do have left-over London broil, though. I don't have the carrots either. Oh well, I guess I have to fix the recipe to work with my ingregients, because we all know, it's all about me.
Fast forward 25 years. I have now graduated to Prilosec before it was OTC. Finally, I had the ephphany I was searching for; how about if I figure out which foods make me sick? Well, the list was not acid and spicy foods as suspected, it was refined carbs. Sugar. Bread. Oh, and get this one, tuna salad sandwiches. Tuna was easy enough to quit, but sugar? It's everywhere and I wanted to be where it was. (There's another story here for a later date.) I tried the Carbohydrate Addicts Diet and was extremely successful. I felt good, looked good and lost 50 lbs. Yet my nemesis lurked, luring me to failure. Of course, carbohydrates won.
There have been many times I take a bite, swallow and feel the food explode in my stomach, causing horrific pain, a sharp, jarring burn. French fries were a frequent offender, however, it could just as easily be caused by milk or vegetables. Luckily, Bourbon was never an offender.
Now, over a week into this challenge, I no longer have pain. I no longer have the napalm moments, the esophegeal burn or the cough. Maybe it was the chemicals in my food. Maybe.
Today I'm roasting tomatoes and eggplant for a soup. The recipe calls for garbanzo beans and I don't have those in stock. I do have left-over London broil, though. I don't have the carrots either. Oh well, I guess I have to fix the recipe to work with my ingregients, because we all know, it's all about me.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Day 8: I have a Dickensian relationship with numbers.
Numbers are the best of friends; numbers are the worst of friends. As friends, numbers keep a roof over my head. I am an accountant and love it. You can do anything with numbers. Most of my hobbies include numbers too. Knitting requires a lot of math, from measurements to number of stitches per inch, as does spinning, with its ratio of revolutions of the wheels to the number of twistes per inch. My music is also nothing but numbers. If you an count to four, you can count music. That doesn't mean you can dance though. THAT'S a whole different thing.
As a worst of friends, numbers have tortured me almost all my life. There are the numbers which dash through my head as I count the steps to every staircase I encounter. There are the ceiling tiles which need counting. Finally, there is the motherf*&$#ing number on the Met Life height weight chart; the devil incarnate. That number has cause me more anxiety that the SAT, the contractor's license exam and the GMAT. Combined.
The first time I encounter the devil, I was 17 and having my college entrance physical. I had this new, hotshot doctor who had all the answers. there I was, 17, an athlete with muscle definition in my back, arms and legs from waterskiing. At 5'9" and 175 I measured 42-27-41. The Commodores wrote a song about me. This doctor decided I was 45lbs. overweight and wanted me on a diet.
I am of Scandinavian stock. My great-grandfather was probably a reindeer herder in Finland. I am built to withstand the deprivations of the the northern climes. So where was this 45 lbs supposed to come from? Certainly not my butt, which was defined, not my thighs with a crease between the quads and hamstrings, and most certainly not from my belly. Oh, yeah, I didn't have one of those. But the number on the chart said I had to lose 45 lbs!
There was no way I could add any physical activity. I was a cheerleader, I waterskiied, swam hours a day, ice skated in the winter, bicycled, played volleyball, etc. So I started a diet and lost 5 lbs. That was the beginning of a lifetime of yo-yo dieting. Thank you doctor.
Last night was tough. I had my delicious London broil from The Local Butcher Shop. I scored it and rubbed it with fresh, chopped garlic and ground pepper before broiling. Along with my left over cauliflower, and followed by an apple, it was a very satisfying meal. Yet it wasn't enough. I was full and wanting more and the hard thing was, I didn't know what! I had a slice of the focaccia I had made to fill the corners and it seemed to work. Now I have to work on discovering why I needed more. If I can make this breakthrough....
As a worst of friends, numbers have tortured me almost all my life. There are the numbers which dash through my head as I count the steps to every staircase I encounter. There are the ceiling tiles which need counting. Finally, there is the motherf*&$#ing number on the Met Life height weight chart; the devil incarnate. That number has cause me more anxiety that the SAT, the contractor's license exam and the GMAT. Combined.
The first time I encounter the devil, I was 17 and having my college entrance physical. I had this new, hotshot doctor who had all the answers. there I was, 17, an athlete with muscle definition in my back, arms and legs from waterskiing. At 5'9" and 175 I measured 42-27-41. The Commodores wrote a song about me. This doctor decided I was 45lbs. overweight and wanted me on a diet.
I am of Scandinavian stock. My great-grandfather was probably a reindeer herder in Finland. I am built to withstand the deprivations of the the northern climes. So where was this 45 lbs supposed to come from? Certainly not my butt, which was defined, not my thighs with a crease between the quads and hamstrings, and most certainly not from my belly. Oh, yeah, I didn't have one of those. But the number on the chart said I had to lose 45 lbs!
There was no way I could add any physical activity. I was a cheerleader, I waterskiied, swam hours a day, ice skated in the winter, bicycled, played volleyball, etc. So I started a diet and lost 5 lbs. That was the beginning of a lifetime of yo-yo dieting. Thank you doctor.
Last night was tough. I had my delicious London broil from The Local Butcher Shop. I scored it and rubbed it with fresh, chopped garlic and ground pepper before broiling. Along with my left over cauliflower, and followed by an apple, it was a very satisfying meal. Yet it wasn't enough. I was full and wanting more and the hard thing was, I didn't know what! I had a slice of the focaccia I had made to fill the corners and it seemed to work. Now I have to work on discovering why I needed more. If I can make this breakthrough....
Friday, October 7, 2011
Day 7: My Brita is my best friend. Sorry Marcia.
I drink filtered water. After many years of experimenting, this is the water which tastes best to me and I am relatively sure it is safe. I grew up with well water in iron ore country. You can only imagine. I would turn on the tap and, all too frequently, I would get a spurt of orange sludge which in no way resembled water. If you let it run a minute it would clear. sort of. My mother used a wringer washer because she could control the water that went into the washer. With an automatic it was a crap shoot. You might get and entire load of whites washed in orange sludge. As it was, my white cotton granny panties had a distinct orange cast to them. They were a deterent to premarital sex.
Two of my sisters have wells. Karen has the same problem with iron and Linda's just smells nasty. Karen washes her natural blond hair in lake water to preserve its color and Linda filters drinking water.
While I like the convenience of grabbing a bottle of water with its premeasured perfection, one bottle = 2 glasses, I can't deal with the waste. All that plastic, piles of landfill, the ecosystem in agony, the screams of the earth shattering my dreams. The cost is also crazy. I wouldn't pay that much per gallon for gas! Then, where do you store a case of water in a studio apartment? I have room for me, but not a case of water. I would also have to carry it up 32 steps from my parking space to my apartment. No, these are not the reasons I drink filtered water.
I was having dinner one evening at the home of a retired chief of the Berkeley PD. He had a filter on his tap and he filled his Brita from that. I thought that might be overkill; however, he said they were always pulling bodies out of the reservoir and no matter how much the water was filtered and treated by East Bay Municple Utilities District, he had to filter it twice himself. That is why I drink filtered water.
My focaccia and short rib, open-faced sandwich was delicious. I had cauliflower sauteed in butter and sprnkled liberally with The Spice House's Galena Street Rub. Yes, it's a meat rub. So? Think outside the box. Hell, throw the box away. It's a spicy, flavorful rub that enhanced the cauliflower. I have leftover cauliflower for my London broil tonight.
Two of my sisters have wells. Karen has the same problem with iron and Linda's just smells nasty. Karen washes her natural blond hair in lake water to preserve its color and Linda filters drinking water.
While I like the convenience of grabbing a bottle of water with its premeasured perfection, one bottle = 2 glasses, I can't deal with the waste. All that plastic, piles of landfill, the ecosystem in agony, the screams of the earth shattering my dreams. The cost is also crazy. I wouldn't pay that much per gallon for gas! Then, where do you store a case of water in a studio apartment? I have room for me, but not a case of water. I would also have to carry it up 32 steps from my parking space to my apartment. No, these are not the reasons I drink filtered water.
I was having dinner one evening at the home of a retired chief of the Berkeley PD. He had a filter on his tap and he filled his Brita from that. I thought that might be overkill; however, he said they were always pulling bodies out of the reservoir and no matter how much the water was filtered and treated by East Bay Municple Utilities District, he had to filter it twice himself. That is why I drink filtered water.
My focaccia and short rib, open-faced sandwich was delicious. I had cauliflower sauteed in butter and sprnkled liberally with The Spice House's Galena Street Rub. Yes, it's a meat rub. So? Think outside the box. Hell, throw the box away. It's a spicy, flavorful rub that enhanced the cauliflower. I have leftover cauliflower for my London broil tonight.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Day 6.
I'm home sick with a cold. So much for eating healthy! All kidding aside, this cold is not kicking my butt as they usually do. Maybe it's the organic honey in my green tea. maybe it's the lack of chemicals in my diet. I'm not sure why, but I'll certainly take it.
Even feeling the way I do, I had to dress and move my car. I was in a 2 hour spot last evening and had to find something for all day; the woes of urban living. Sometime before 8 am I have to move it again to accomodate the street sweepers. There's excitement in this tale, though. It was easier to button my jeans. These jeans were fresh out of the wash, as snug as they're going to be and, BAM, they buttoned with no tugging. I may be on to something here.
Last night, coming home from work sick, I started cooking. I heated my Dutch oven and melted a tablespoon of fresh pork lard. I hadn't smelled that in a long time. I quickly seared the short ribs from The Local Butcher Shop. When the ribs had a nice brown on them I poured a pint of fresh beef stock over them and popped the pot in the oven at 325. I stirred them around after an hour and again after 2 hours. I took the lid off for about 15 minutes and continued to let them braise. They were gorgeous and the aroma was decadent. I dug into one and let the flavors assault my tongue. I hadn't added any seasoning. It was pure beef; juicy, succulent beef. The remaining ribs are picked apart and ready for sandwiches tomorrow. I poured all the juices back into the jar they came from and refrigerated it. The marrow from the ribs melted into the stock along with that tablespoon of lard. I'm not sure what to do with that yet, but inspiration will arrive, I'm sure.
Today I'm making a whole wheat focaccia for my short rib sandwich. I can't think of a better thing to do on a rainy day while I'm home sick.
Even feeling the way I do, I had to dress and move my car. I was in a 2 hour spot last evening and had to find something for all day; the woes of urban living. Sometime before 8 am I have to move it again to accomodate the street sweepers. There's excitement in this tale, though. It was easier to button my jeans. These jeans were fresh out of the wash, as snug as they're going to be and, BAM, they buttoned with no tugging. I may be on to something here.
Last night, coming home from work sick, I started cooking. I heated my Dutch oven and melted a tablespoon of fresh pork lard. I hadn't smelled that in a long time. I quickly seared the short ribs from The Local Butcher Shop. When the ribs had a nice brown on them I poured a pint of fresh beef stock over them and popped the pot in the oven at 325. I stirred them around after an hour and again after 2 hours. I took the lid off for about 15 minutes and continued to let them braise. They were gorgeous and the aroma was decadent. I dug into one and let the flavors assault my tongue. I hadn't added any seasoning. It was pure beef; juicy, succulent beef. The remaining ribs are picked apart and ready for sandwiches tomorrow. I poured all the juices back into the jar they came from and refrigerated it. The marrow from the ribs melted into the stock along with that tablespoon of lard. I'm not sure what to do with that yet, but inspiration will arrive, I'm sure.
Today I'm making a whole wheat focaccia for my short rib sandwich. I can't think of a better thing to do on a rainy day while I'm home sick.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Day five of eating naked
I haven't eaten in a fast food restaurant since 1981. I know, I'm some sort of freak. Growing up, fast food didn't exist. Sure, we had A&W, but that was with carhops. It was a drive-in, not a drive through. Because of my diligent avoidance of fast food, my cholesterol is fine, as is my blood sugar. I want to keep it that way!
I rediscovered raw milk. I dropped into Berekley Bowl and picked up a glass bottle of whole, raw milk. I popped the top as soon as I got in the car. It tasted just like I remember real milk. It was rich, smooth and cold. I could almost taste the grass. It brought memories flooding back. When I was a kid, we lived on a farm in Wisconsin for a year. We weren't farmers, but the neighbors certainly were. I would go to the Scalzo's barn at evening milking with my dad and fill our gallon jar with fresh, warm, wholesome milk. Resting in the refrigerator overnight, the cream would rise to the top. Mom would skim the cream with her turkey baster, leaving some to be shaken in to the milk. We had to shake the jar every time before pouring. Real milk; there's nothing like it.
I rediscovered raw milk. I dropped into Berekley Bowl and picked up a glass bottle of whole, raw milk. I popped the top as soon as I got in the car. It tasted just like I remember real milk. It was rich, smooth and cold. I could almost taste the grass. It brought memories flooding back. When I was a kid, we lived on a farm in Wisconsin for a year. We weren't farmers, but the neighbors certainly were. I would go to the Scalzo's barn at evening milking with my dad and fill our gallon jar with fresh, warm, wholesome milk. Resting in the refrigerator overnight, the cream would rise to the top. Mom would skim the cream with her turkey baster, leaving some to be shaken in to the milk. We had to shake the jar every time before pouring. Real milk; there's nothing like it.
A Year of Eating Naked
On January 9, 2013, I will turn 60. Over the next year I am going to make changes in my life so I can live much longer and live in better health. I am going to eat naked. Naked food that is. Join me on my journey as I reflect on the changes I make and share with you how I got here.
I didn't plan to eat naked. No, no, no, no no. I liked the way I ate. I generally cooked from scratch, didn't shop much in the middle of the grocery store and tried to avoid the four basic food groups: bagged, boxed, frozen and canned.
That is, until two weeks ago. I dropped into my local bookstore, Books, Inc. in Alameda, CA. It's right downstairs from my studio apartment. The event planner for the store, Jerry, and I have become close friends. We've cooked together, shared cocktails and enjoyed friends and family together.
I didn't plan to eat naked. No, no, no, no no. I liked the way I ate. I generally cooked from scratch, didn't shop much in the middle of the grocery store and tried to avoid the four basic food groups: bagged, boxed, frozen and canned.
That is, until two weeks ago. I dropped into my local bookstore, Books, Inc. in Alameda, CA. It's right downstairs from my studio apartment. The event planner for the store, Jerry, and I have become close friends. We've cooked together, shared cocktails and enjoyed friends and family together.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)