7/12/2009: Experiments in Eating

I discovered a new cooking show on the cooking channel last week about cooking and eating healthy. As you know, I am usually pretty sketical about these kinds of things. They take the recipes we know and love and convert them to bland and nasty by using "Fat Free" substitutes for the actual ingredients. This show, however, surprised me. There was not one mention of "low fat cheese" or "fat free sour cream" or "splenda".

The host of the show said "Eating healthy isn't about not eating your favorite foods, its about expanding your palate to include a larger variety of foods so you have a selection of foods you love that happen to be healthy." She suggested things like substituting spinach for lettuce, mangoes for oranges and kiwis for grapes to add variety to your favorite foods. Of the recipes I have seen, here are the ones I have gotten the stuff to try myself. One of the things she made was a spinach salad with walnuts, green apples, crumbled blue cheese and a vinaigrette. One of the other things she made was a mac and cheese like dish using Quinoa (pronounced Key-nwah) instead of pasta to add protein and fiber and reduce carbs. The last thing she made that I got the stuff to try was a spaghetti type dish - she made a "gravy" which is italian marinara with meat, and instead of adding spaghetti, she used red lentils - the end result looked alot like a hearty chili.

In my adventure to find these "weird" ingredients, I was able to find them at my regular grocery store. I found a couple of other grains as well. They weren't cheap, but considering that much smaller portions of these whole grains will fill you up much faster than the pasta alternatives, I am hoping they will balance each other out.

One of the dishes she made that I am waiting until fall to try was a sweet potato soup (similar to the one I make with butternut squash). It is made with Sweet Potatoes, chicken broth, herbs, spices, and peanut butter. I am intrigued by this show and will let you know how my experiments have turned out.

In the "other stuff" category, I have been having fun experimenting with my artistic side since I have been on my own. My memaw and grandaddy have a portrait of them from when they were young that I dearly love. So I have been trying to produce something similar for Mike and Mary based on their wedding photos. I have completed a couple of attempts but nothing I would ever show to anyone. My favorite one looks more "cartoonish" than I want, but I think it captures their spirit. Hopefully eventually I will make something worth giving to them to keep forever. In my other "accomplishments" I have made a picture of my memaw's rose garden, a fantasy picture with a dragon and a castle, a lion, and a variety of flower pictures. I really want to do the cake decorating stuff, but practicing that would be fattening, so I am holding off for now. Although I have to admit that every time I go into Michael's I have to wander through the cake decorating section.