Happy New Year Everyone! [General]
2008 Dec 31
Happy New Year!!!!
Anyone have any food related resolutions?
My BF and I are trying to lose a few pounds (still trying to shed the cream/butter/foie gras weight I put on during French cooking school) and eat a healthier lifestyle. To aid in this we are trying out a vegetarian lifestyle for the time being (yes yes yes, before you bite my head off, I know that meat is not unhealthy, but not eating meat makes it a lot easier for us to avoid take-out, fast food, overprocessed food etc. and forces us to cook for ourselves more, and add more vegetables into our diet instead of relying on meat to fill us up - it's a phycological thing!)
Also, along the same vein, I think I'm going to give up drinking beer at home. I'll still feel free to go out for a pint with a friend, but not being able to bring a two-four home should help to shave off more calories from our diets.
Anyone have any food related resolutions?
My BF and I are trying to lose a few pounds (still trying to shed the cream/butter/foie gras weight I put on during French cooking school) and eat a healthier lifestyle. To aid in this we are trying out a vegetarian lifestyle for the time being (yes yes yes, before you bite my head off, I know that meat is not unhealthy, but not eating meat makes it a lot easier for us to avoid take-out, fast food, overprocessed food etc. and forces us to cook for ourselves more, and add more vegetables into our diet instead of relying on meat to fill us up - it's a phycological thing!)
Also, along the same vein, I think I'm going to give up drinking beer at home. I'll still feel free to go out for a pint with a friend, but not being able to bring a two-four home should help to shave off more calories from our diets.
2009 Jan 2
Happy NY back!
I'm also aiming to reduce (not eliminate!!!) my at-home beer consumption. Sadly (or predictably), its a resolution made and broken on several successive years. The problem lies in finding pubs serving the Belgian-styled brews i prefer, so i often end up rationalizing the purchase of various unibroues when passing by the beer store, etc.
another resolution is to gently improve the nutritional balance of my own cooking. As a small step in that direction (and out of curiosity), i've begun experimenting w/ chia seeds (aka salba) and nutritional yeast -- adding it to my morning toast and so forth. Also, i'd like to reduce my sodium intake -- difficult to manage given a weakness for various hot sauces / chili / curry pastes.
I'm also aiming to reduce (not eliminate!!!) my at-home beer consumption. Sadly (or predictably), its a resolution made and broken on several successive years. The problem lies in finding pubs serving the Belgian-styled brews i prefer, so i often end up rationalizing the purchase of various unibroues when passing by the beer store, etc.
another resolution is to gently improve the nutritional balance of my own cooking. As a small step in that direction (and out of curiosity), i've begun experimenting w/ chia seeds (aka salba) and nutritional yeast -- adding it to my morning toast and so forth. Also, i'd like to reduce my sodium intake -- difficult to manage given a weakness for various hot sauces / chili / curry pastes.
2009 Jan 5
Definitely cutting back on the carbs - I still love my pasta after all-:) I replenished my stash of grains last weekend so I plan taking lots of salads to work using couscous, quinoa, etc. I would also like to cut down on the dairy I consume and am trying a variety of soy/rice milks to find something I might like. In an effort to watch my weight I usually plan on one vegetarian meal a week but putting a ton of cheese on top is kinda defeating the purpose-:) Happy New Year everyone and good luck with your foodie goals.
2009 Jan 5
Pasta Lover... I was trying to think of a way to say this without being pretentious or coming off as a know-it-all, but, as I am a carb watcher and this is an oft misunderstood item, I'm just going for it. Hopefully there is no offense, but I'd hate to have you subvert your goals...
Couscous isn't a grain, it is a pasta (just a very small one) and no better or no worse than any other semolina pasta. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couscous
You can get "better for you" couscous which is made from barley or pearl millet, but they still have to process out most of the fiber, which reduces the labour.
Quinoa on the the otherhand is a grain, and a great one for you, and can be used as a substitute for couscous in most dishes.
Couscous isn't a grain, it is a pasta (just a very small one) and no better or no worse than any other semolina pasta. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couscous
You can get "better for you" couscous which is made from barley or pearl millet, but they still have to process out most of the fiber, which reduces the labour.
Quinoa on the the otherhand is a grain, and a great one for you, and can be used as a substitute for couscous in most dishes.
2009 Jan 5
Quinoa also has a relatively high protein content, making it especially valuable to a vegetarian diet. And last I checked, it was significantly cheaper at Bulk Barn than at Loblaws.
HHH, don't feel bad about being a know-it-all. We value pedantry here! :-) Anyway, I'm guessing Pasta lover is aware of the couscous-pasta connection but is suggesting it as a healthier choice over regular pasta in salads because one tends to use it in smaller proportions. (e.g. compare carbohydrate content of pasta salad vs. tabouleh made with couscous)
HHH, don't feel bad about being a know-it-all. We value pedantry here! :-) Anyway, I'm guessing Pasta lover is aware of the couscous-pasta connection but is suggesting it as a healthier choice over regular pasta in salads because one tends to use it in smaller proportions. (e.g. compare carbohydrate content of pasta salad vs. tabouleh made with couscous)
2009 Jan 6
hungry hungry hippo No offence taken! I am definitely "trying" to get more grains in my diet but then the next minute you will find me standing in the rice aisle trying to decide whether I want long grain rice or jasmine-:) My goal this year as I said is to get more grains in my diet and part of it involves doing a little research. So any thoughts to add to the conversation are always welcome!
Pete-In-Ottawa