The Food Diary of a Ravenous Dietitian: “I will exercise for food!”

today was a scheduled “rest” day. I am loving a yoga class that I do via my cable video-on-demand, so no rest day. So far this week I’ve sweated through a run, 2 weight workout sessions, 2 50-minute rides on the stationary bike, and my yoga class. I’m quietly working on shedding about 5 pounds which is proving to be challenging for several reasons.

1. My height is in the “petite” range which means those few pounds muck up the physique more than it sounds like they should.
2. My age is in that range at which one must think twice about what food choices are approved to pass the lips.
3. I LOVE well-prepared, good quality food. That’s what I spend each day working on whether I’m cooking it, photographing it, shopping in some unusual store for it, or guiding someone else on how to eat it. I do not like to miss a meal!

Breakfast was old-fashioned rolled oats with soy milk, walnuts, and some maple syurup.

Meatless Monday with Eat Well Meal Plans: Peach Strawberry Wheat Germ Smoothie

workouts have been challenging lately.

My runs in the very humid air are tough. Some in my running group tolerate this much better than others – I gasp for air. I am not a fish and need more oxygen to make the long run which includes a few uphill climbs. Although I am so sad to see summer fade away, dry and cool conditions allow my body the maximum benefit from my workout. But I’ll push through it. Miss out on 2+ hours of quality socialization and bonding? No way!

I can whir up a protein smoothie without much effort while I recover and resaturate my cells with oxygen after a Saturday or Sunday run. This peach strawberry wheat germ smoothie is filling and not too sweet. You can slip in another fruit instead of the peach if desired and change the yogurt flavor, too. Rice milk, soy milk, or cow milk will all taste great in this recipe. Soy and cow milk will add a little more protein than the other choices.

Peach Strawberry Wheat Germ Smoothie

• 4 ice cubes
• 1 small peach, roughly chopped
• 1 6-ounce container strawberry greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 tablespoon wheat germ

Meatless Monday with Eat Well Meal Plans: The Bread That Blew My Mind

“The results will blow your mind.” This is what Mark Bittman promised if  I could produce this No-Knead Bread made famous by Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery in New York City. The original recipe came out in 2006 and I am embarrassed to admit that today was the first time that I have attempted it. For some odd reason I did not believe that the process could really be this simple. I was sure that when I looked at the directions there would be a labor intensive step to replace the kneading. I would have to identify a day on my calendar without any appointments in order to devote myself to the bread-making process.

But no! The human companionship that this loaf requires is very minimal. Don’t depend on this loaf to help reduce the stress of your day as the traditional kneading process has been useful in doing.

I loved the process and was AMAZED with the results! Oh, and you know Mark Bittman. He always has variations on a simple theme.  Immediately after consuming a few slices of my first stab at the basic no-knead recipe, I threw together a version made with buckwheat flour to replace a portion of the original measure of flour. Can hardly wait to taste this version, but I’ll have to wait until tomorrow as the long fermentation time is the key to the success of this chewy-crusted, light-textured, yeasty-flavored bread.

Jim Lahey and Mark Bittman: No-Knead Bread

The Food Diary of a Ravenous Dietitian: Fruits and Vegetables of the Season

My summer has been full of trips to my CSA and various farmers markets at home and on the Delaware Coast. I love meeting the farmers and their families who are so proud to offer information about their farm and the goodies set out on the table in front of them.

Ideas for incorporating these local fruits and vegetables in Eat Well Meal Plan recipes and quick dishes for my family have come easily. Here is one I use frequently:  Toss bite-sized pieces of local fruit on top of breakfast.

Today some sweet cherries sat atop a blend of Heritage O’s + Spec K + almond milk.

This lunch of leftover eggplant and summer squash with noodles in an Asian sauce was just delectable. I’ll definately make this again. (Note: This is a notable comment due to the fact that I do not make many things twice. In order to produce all of the recipes for Eat Well Meal Plans I must move on to new territory constantly. Therefore, a recipe that is produced a second time is a pretty big deal!)

And dinner. This is simply hard-cooked eggs under spinach sautéed with olive oil, garlic, s & p, under light sour cream. Looks like a lot of sour cream in this shot, but it’s actually a lot of spinach creating that illusion . . . really . . . I used the entire bag of spinach. The result is sort of a deconstructed creamed spinach with some protein added. Good stuff.

Meatless Monday with Eat Well Meal Plans: Green Tomatoes

I’ll be picking out my produce from the CSA in about an hour now. Maybe it sounds a little strange, but I’m kind of excited. I wish I could collect my treasures now.

When I bring my market basket full of fresh goods, they will be spread out on a table for me to ogle. They will pose for a few pictures. Then my mind will begin to pair each simple vegetable and fruit with complimentary herbs, spices, oils, and vinegars to really show off those summer wonders.

A recent CSA haul included some green tomatoes. I knew that I wanted to experiment with something other than the familiar “fried green tomato” concoction. After a bit of research I found an intriguing idea from Mark Bittman.

Sweet Green Tomato Upside-Down Cake

adapted from How To Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 6 or more thick slices green tomatoes
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt