Life Behind the Curve

So Mel has been talking about wanting to make crazy smoothies for weeks now. I’m so glad she decided to write a post about them. Since I’ve been training for my relay this weekend, I’ve been thinking a lot about how to maintain a healthy diet. What better way than to drink your fruits and veggies? 

- EmmieJ 

* * * 

About two years after I had my first daughter (who will be 10 next month OMG!) I spoke with my PCP about the drop in my energy level and some trouble maintaining my weight. She sent me down to the lab for blood work which confirmed that I had an underactive thyroid or hypothyroidism. I’ve been on medication ever since, but lately I’ve been feeling a little blah. I believe it has a lot to do with my thyroid as well as my lack of exercise and taking time for me. So this past week I made the decision to do whatever it took to get myself healthier, physically and emotionally. 

I’ve been seeing a lot on the internet about green smoothies. There  are  tons  of  websites and  recipes  out  there.  I didn’t follow any one specifically, but without the information or recipes I obtained from these sites and a few others, I would’ve been lost.  

Green smoothies are a combination of about 60% fruits and 40% raw vegetables to create a blend that is not only pumping you with tons of vitamins, but it will give you a natural energy boost. These smoothies are a complete food because they still have fiber, unlike juicing.  According to these sites, those who consumed green smoothies regularly started to enjoy eating more greens and would actually crave them. They said I would stay full longer and that even my kids would enjoy them. I was sold.  

You will find that the recipes used various types of greens.  I decided that spinach would be my choice of greens to start off with.  According to Nutrition Data and Wikipedia, spinach is extremely rich in antioxidants, especially when fresh, steamed, or quickly boiled. It is low in calories (about 10 per cup) a great source of vitamins A, B6, C, E and K, as well as magnesium, folate and folic acid, iron and potassium. To improve iron absorption, eat your spinach with vitamin C-rich foods such as orange juice, tomatoes, and citrus fruit. 

Saturday morning before the kids were up, I told Tim I was off to the store to get stuff for breakfast.  I picked up some organic baby spinach, mangos, bananas, pears and gala apples.  I also grabbed a couple of those new Yoplait Greek yogurts that I saw on The Biggest Loser the other night.  (I’m not a huge fan of Greek yogurt unless it’s in the form of tzatziki and smothered on top of a chicken gyro, but I know it’s suppose to be good for you and it has 2x the protein people!!! 2x more than what I have no clue.  Hey, I’m just trying to be honest and whatever Jillian Michaels or Bob Harper say is truth in my book.) Ahem, back to the smoothie.  So, I get home and send a tweet of course and then I go in and tell Tim that we are about to get our smoothie on.  

Many sites recommend a Vita-mix blender, which is like $400 bucks so unless you have money throw around, you can use a strong blender with ice crushing like I did or some mention the Magic Bullet. If you are going to use bananas, some recommend freezing them (peel first) beforehand.  

What I used in the order they were place in the blender: 

• A handful of ice cubes (about 6)
• 1 banana peeled and broken into chunks
• 1 apple w/skin cut into chunks (no core)
• 1 mango (no skin) cut into chunks
• 2 huge handfuls of baby spinach (about ½ of the package of Olivia’s)
• 1 Yoplait Greek Yogurt (honey vanilla flavor)

Here is a picture after the fact because I forgot before I started. I also suck at taking and editing pictures, so please bear with me. Thanks.

I started the blender and poured about ½ cup of water through the top to help it blend. It took a bit at first because it has to break up the ice. Once it was well blended, I added another handful of spinach. In total, I think I used ¾ of the package. It was thick like a milkshake, but it says you can add water or juice until it’s the desired consistency.  

It was really good and I was surprised that even though I only used one banana; I could really taste that the most.  Haley tried it and said that she would rather me not use banana next time.  However, I’ll let the pictures tell you what Rory thought. 

She refused to give it up, but I had to take it and put it in a sippy cup because she almost spilled it a few times. So I gave her back her cup of water in the meantime while I did this.

She was NOT amused.

Once the tears stopped, Tim, Rory and I enjoyed our smoothies.  The next day I made them again but used a pear (skin on) in place of the banana.  To give you an idea we had lunch at about 11:45 and then got ready for Haley’s lacrosse game.  We didn’t get home until after 6 and I realized we weren’t as hungry as we probably should’ve been.  Tim and I are hooked and will be making these daily.  He plans on adding some whey protein powder to his and we’ve learned that you can add Things like crushed almonds and ground flax-seed.  I’d like to hear from anyone who has used these as meal replacement in the morning or before/after working out.  What are your favorites and any other helpful tips or information you can share? 

Thanks! 

- Mel

I have been incredibly busy and stressed the last couple of weeks, in part because I’m in the middle of a 5 or 6 week stretch where I’ll be away from home every weekend. Weekends are the time that I meal-plan (yes, I plan the meals even though Scoot cooks them) and grocery shop so in addition to the fact that my house is a mess, my sleep is out of whack and my yard desperately needs some mowing and weeding, I get nervous about not eating well. Now, before I go any further, let me note that there are a couple of really awesome reasons why I’m not going to be around on the weekends, so I’m not complaining. But I still wanted to head down to the salad bar and meet some new veggies over a nice cold glass of milk. (Wait…what are we talking about?) 

Anyhow, my parents had received a delivery of their co-op produce while they were on vacation so my mom had plenty to share. Most of it I tried already or was lettuce and really? I feel like if I bring you all lettuce you’d laugh in my face. So I said, “F it. I’m gonna cook some radishes. I can just roast them, right? Toss ‘em in some oil and sprinkle on salt and be done with it. Right?” And that’s basically all I did. The end. You’re welcome. Oh, you want more? Ok… 

-EmmieJ 

* * * 

Radishes are root vegetables in the same family as turnips and mustard. I learned from some website (woohoo…I can say website without the AP style guide saying I’m wrong!) that I forgot to bookmark that one serving of radishes has as much potassium as a banana and as much ascorbic acid as an orange. They’re very low on calories and are mostly water. But pregnant ladies, listen up…they’re also high in folic acid! Woohoo! So…if you’re pregnant and you can’t stand taking those gawd awful vitamins because you burp and the nasty metal flavor comes up and makes you throw up, just grab a handful of radishes and go to town. 

Most people eat radishes raw on salads, but I had to be different. 

We got home from the Bay pretty late on Sunday but my MIL had given us a bag of cooked rice for the road and I had pre-cooked a meatloaf and left it in the fridge for just such an occassion. (I know us too well.) I threw together a “salad” of Romaine lettuce and ranch dressing (classy, I know) so everything was basically ready to go. 

As I was getting things out of the fridge and unpacking the random treats my MIL gave us (we also got Fuji apples and Rice Krispies treats…what can I say, she loves us), I preheated the oven to 375 degrees. 

I washed and trimmed the radishes. These are pretty small ones but the spring radish seasons runs from April until June so they were probably harvested on the early side. 

Fresh radishes.

I quartered them (or halved the smaller ones), tossed in a bit of extra virgin olive oil (not very much though…I was scraping the bottom of the barrel), sprinkled wish Kosher salt and popped them in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes. 

Wait…hold on…I lied. I really put them in for like 15 minutes but the rest of dinner was done heating up and we were hungry and it was getting late and I just had to get dinner on the table, ok? BUT, trust me…do the full 20 – 25 minutes because mine, while delicious, were not yet carmelized and we all know that the carmelization is the super yummy part. 

Not quite carmelized but still oh so good.

I put one on DJ’s plate and told him all he had to do was eat it. (He hates being my guinea pig.) A few minutes later I looked and it was gone. “Did you eat it or throw it away?” I asked. “I ate it,” he said. I was amazed I didn’t witness any the death scene enactments he usually puts on when I make him try something. “Does that mean you liked it,” I asked hopefully. “No.” Oh well, a mom can dream. 

As for me and Scoot, we both thought they tasted pretty good. I ate about half on their own and the other half ended up getting enveloped in my gourmet salad. Both ways were great. 

I’d definitely make it again. 

* Apologies for the awful cell phone pictures. Our regular camera was out of batteries and I was trying to hurry.* 

** Random tip for parents: radishes’ genus is named after the Greek word for “quick growing.” From seed to harvest only takes a few weeks so they’re an awesome plant to add to your kids’ garden.** 

***Question: My friend Chantel asked what a radish tastes like and I couldn’t explain it to her. Some website said it tastes like mustard and turnips but I’ve never tasted them (other than the liquid mustard variety…heh) so I don’t know if that’s accurate. What do you think? If you’ve tasted radishes before, what do you think they taste like?***

Wow…I come back from vacation and it’s like I don’t know how to do anything anymore. Sorry this post is delayed. On our drive back from Disneyland, we had to swing through the Bay Area to pick up our dogs that my parents had graciously entertained while we were gone. I called my mom in her office to tell her that we were there and about to leave and wouldn’t you know it, she said another bag of produce from their co-op had arrived. I went through the goods and decided to grab some leeks. I have made leek soup before but every time I told someone I was going to try leeks they said, “Yum, I love potato leek soup.” But, leeks aren’t just for soup, people.   

This is the scene that always comes in my head when I think of leeks. (Image from http://blu-ray.com)

 - EmmieJ  

* * *  

“What is a leek?” you may ask. Well, it looks like a green onion on steroids. It’s green leaves are tougher than an onion’s, however. It smells like a cross between onion and garlic but not as strong as either. It’s like a gentle giant. The leek is related to garlic and onion in the Allium family of vegetables. According to the World’s Healthiest Foods, a high intake of Allium vegetables can help lower bad cholesterol, raise good cholesterol, protect against a number of cancers, and stabilize blood sugar. And you know what? They taste good too.  

Seeing as I’m a lazy bones, I didn’t want to do something really complicated. I DO HAVE A VACATION TO RECOVER FROM! I started looking online for recipes and stumbled upon a leek salad recipe that looked yummy and easy. Woot! Double bonus: I had all except for one ingredient already in my cabinets. I headed over to Safeway and picked up two more leeks (the recipe calls for 8 but I halved it) and some tarragon.  

 Here’s what I used:  

Ingredients. Notice the huge leeks are from the organic co-op and the puny ones are the ones I got from Safeway.

It was really easy to make the salad. Here’s how:  

• Cut off green leaves and bottoms of white bulb from leeks. Slice once down the middle and finely chop.
• Cook in boiling water for 7 to 10 minutes. Remove, drain and immediately rinse in cold water.
• While leeks cook, prepare vinaigrette using 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/8 cup white wine vinegar, 1 clove of garlic (pressed), 1 sprig tarragon (finely chopped), 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard, and freshly ground salt and pepper.
• Place drained leeks in bowl and toss with vinaigrette and voila…

Leek salad.

You’re supposed to “chill well” but I didn’t have time so I threw it in the freezer for a few minutes while I was dishing up and it was fine. I could see serving it to guests very cold but this worked for a quick mid-week family meal.  

Because of the vinegar, it ended up a bit like the kind of coleslaw that doesn’t have mayonnaise in it. Do you know what I mean? Pickly. It was about the same texture as the seaweed salad served at Japanese restaurants. Maybe a smidge crispier. If you wanted it more al dente, you could just cook it for a bit less time, I suppose.  

The moment of truth came when I set it on a plate with some spaghetti and mini-meatballs and garlic bread. The boys…drumroll please…ATE IT! Kind of. DJ had it with Caesar dressing (which he calls “spicy ranch”) on it. Weird, I know, but whatever, if there’s ranch dressing on something he’ll eat it so let’s go with it, shall we? He liked it so much he had leftovers the next day in his lunch. I was impressed. And excited.  

This recipe is definitely going to be added to our salad rotation. I hate making multi-ingredient salad during the week because of all the chopping. But this was so easy since it was just one vegetable. Plus, I imagine it’d be good with other pre-made or store-bought vinaigrettes as well so I may give that a whirl too. Anything to add some variety and deliciousness to our dinners.

Do you know what is awesome about doing a little blog project with your friend? You get to go on vacation and still have posts go up! Woohoo! This week Mel reincarnates an old favorite with a healthy flare. This is one of those dishes that I’ve never prepared. Heck, I’m not sure I’ve ever eaten Eggplant Parmesan. When I get back from vacation, and I’m ready to start thinking about cooking again, I think I’ll have to give this a shot. In the mean time, get fresh with Mel as she makes it for her and her family.   

- EmmieJ   

* * *   

Eggplant is a vegetable I have grown to love. Back when Tim and I first started dating, he would order Eggplant Parmesan and ask me to try it or suggest we make it sometime. I couldn’t be bothered. It just didn’t appeal to me. I would go to the grocery store, see the odd looking vegetable and think, eh…just looks like a purple squash so, um NO. (Squash will be what I tackle next.) So, years past and we had our first daughter, Haley. When she was 2years old, her life was all about pizza and pasta and there was rarely anything else we could prepare for her that she would sit down and eat without a battle. By battle I mean throwing pieces on the floor and me giving up and breaking out the ziti. I just wanted the girl to eat. I knew she wasn’t into chicken and I’m not sure what made the light bulb go off, but I had my “ah–ha” moment. I imagine this little puffy thought bubble appeared above my head with a big purple eggplant inside. I collected recipes and tried with flour coating, breadcrumbs, jarred sauce and then homemade sauce until I found what tasted best and guess what?  SHE ATE IT!  I figured I should give it a try. I did and have been hooked ever since.   

Lately my taste buds have been yearning for some eggplant parmesan. Let me preface this by saying I’ve been making some significant changes to the way I eat. It’s impossible for me to give up carbohydrates completely (as well as other things that I love) without wanting to hurt someone, so I’m eating them in moderation or finding healthier ways to make things. Eggplant has vitamins C and B1 as well as a high fiber content which, along with helping our digestive process, also acts against coronary heart disease. Another benefit of eggplant is its anti-bacterial, diuretic effect due to its level of potassium which also plays a role in regulating blood pressure.   

I searched the web for a bit and found a few recipes for “Healthy Eggplant Parmesan.” I chose this one and worked from it. I will admit I was a skeptic at first.   

Here are some also helpful facts I found online here.   

• Purchasing Eggplant: Smaller, immature eggplants are best. Full-size puffy ones may have hard seeds and can be bitter. Choose a firm, smooth-skinned eggplant that is heavy for its size; avoid those with soft or brown spots. Gently push with your thumb or forefinger. If the flesh gives slightly but then bounces back, it is ripe. If the indentation remains, it is overripe and the insides will be mushy. If there is no give, the eggplant was picked too early. Also make sure an eggplant isn’t dry inside, knock on it with your knuckles. If you hear a hollow sound, don’t buy it. NOTE: Whether or not there is an appreciable difference, I don’t know. 
• Storing Eggplant: Eggplants are very perishable and become bitter with age. They should be stored in a cool, dry place and used within a day or two of purchase. To store in the refrigerator, place in a plastic bag. If you plan to cook it the same day you buy it, leave it out at room temperature. 

Baked Eggplant Parmesan   

Ingredients (I do a good portion of my shopping at Trader Joes, so you can easily find these items there):   

• 2 medium eggplants (1 medium = approx 1lb)(pick glossy purple eggplants. Dull purple it usually means they are over ripe.)
• 3 egg whites (anyone have a clue what to do with the unused yolks?)
• 3 Tbsp of water
• 1 – 1 ¼ cup of breadcrumbs
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• Salt, pepper, dried basil and oregano
• Large Can of TJ’s marinara sauce (about 28oz)
• 3 large handfuls of shredded mozzarella cheese (Approximately ½ a bag, but I would just eyeball it to your taste.)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat two baking sheets with Olive Oil Spray or whatever cooking spray you have on hand. I peeled the eggplants with a veggie peeler because we do not prefer the skin on. Then cut into about ¼ inch thick slices. Whisk up the egg whites with water in a shallow dish. Get the breadcrumbs ready in another dish. Mine were not preseasoned, so I added salt, pepper basil and oregano. Next you dip the slices in the egg and then cover with breadcrumbs and place on a baking sheet until you have finished. I gave them all another quick spray of olive oil on top as well.   

Bake them at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes on each side until golden brown.   

I’m a fan of this process now because I never realized how much work it actually took to stand at pan and frying eggplant so that it was perfectly golden.   

Next take a ceramic baking dish about 8 x 11 ½ (2 inches or so deep) and spray it with olive oil lightly. Cover the bottom with the marinara sauce sprinkle some basil & oregano and add a layer of eggplant overlapping a bit. Cover with sauce, more basil & oregano and a good handful of shredded mozzarella and repeat. I made 2 good layers. Pop it in the oven for about 25 minutes and it’s done.   

I burnt my mouth right after this picture digging in with a fork. I couldn’t help it!!!

The recipe makes enough for six servings. I’m posting the nutritional information because I imagine it’s pretty accurate and it doesn’t make me feel so bad about eating its cheesy goodness.   

Per serving: 203 calories; 6 g fat (3 g saturated, 2 g mono unsaturated); 13 mg cholesterol; 29 g carbohydrates; 12 g protein; 8 g fiber; 563 mg sodium; 777 mg potassium.   

I did this late Tuesday night. Tim asked what I used the baking pans for and I told him to bake the eggplant first. He made a face, naturally, and I shoved a fork full at him. He hadn’t even finished chewing and said “THAT is WICKED good!!!” and then a swallow followed by “Fucking awesome!! I’m gonna have some of that right now with a salad.” My thoughts exactly.   

The kids ate the leftovers heated in the microwave Wednesday for dinner. Haley gobbled hers up and although Rory gave me a “what the hell is this” face at the start, she signed “more” and threw a fit when I told her “all gone.”   

I have to admit it was actually even better the next day and didn’t have that greasiness that fried eggplant leaves in the dish after it sits. 

- Mel

I have a lot of fond memories from college, but most are not typical of today’s college student. I transferred to Rutgers as a junior to be close to Scoot, who also had just transferred to accept a football scholarship. (He became my fiancée about ten minutes after I landed in New Jersey. He’s a smart man.) Instead of hanging out with our peers, we spent a considerable amount of time with faculty and staff with whom we had become friendly. The group of them that we spent the most time with included a number of Africans. We’d occasionally go to a local Ethiopian restaurant and, once, were invited over to one of their homes for an African meal. It was during this meal that I was introduced to peanut butter collard greens. For this week’s experiment, I decided to attempt to recreate them.     

- EmmieJ    

* * *    

Like I normally do, I turned to Chef Google and, wouldn’t you know it, the first recipe I found was for African-inspired collard greens in peanut sauce. I headed off to the store to buy two bunches of greens. Collard greens are low in calories and rich in vitamins B, C and beta carotene. A recent study by researchers at UC Berkeley also found that a chemical common in greens like collards exhibits anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-cancer properties.    

Fresh collard greens

Like other greens, collards cook down so two bunches ended up being just right for about four moderately sized servings.    

When I went to pull up the recipe, the link was broken. Luckily, I have a near photographic memory and could recall most of what I was supposed to do. The one thing I was unsure of was the cooking time. Here is how I made them:    

• Rinse greens. Cut off end of stems (I cut just above those white ties to make things easy). Chop greens into thin strips.
• Boil 1 – 2 cups of water in a large pot. Add greens. Cover. Steam for 5 – 10 minutes.
• Drain greens, reserving cooking liquid into a bowl. (Warning: The liquid looks like pee. You’re welcome.) Return greens to pot.
• In a separate bowl, add 1/2 cup peanut butter. (I used mass-marketed reduced fat peanut butter. If you have the chance, I highly recommend the most natural peanut butter you can get, as it’ll keep the flavor more true to those of African cooking, since there won’t be as much added sugar.)
• Mix cooking liquid into the peanut butter, a small amount at a time, until it’s the consistency of sour cream or yogurt.

Creating the peanut sauce

• Once it reaches the desired consistency, add the peanut sauce into the greens, stirring to coat.
• Add a bit of freshly ground sea salt to taste.
• Turn heat on to low and cook uncovered for another 10 – 15 minutes. (My greens ended up being somewhat al dente. If you’re used to southern style greens that have been simmering for a long time on the stove, you may want to increase the cooking time.)

Collard greens in peanut sauce

 I love to have thematic meals but in all honesty, dinner last night was just a mishmash of random stuff that we had in our fridge. The greens were a hit with me and Scoot. The boys did not like them. Even D, who loves the canned collard greens that we’ll buy on occasion, did not like them. Like he went over to the trashcan and spit them out. Oh well. You win some, you lose some. Guess we’ll just have to ship the boys off somewhere so Scoot and I can enjoy them again.