Chow Time

As I said yesterday, I'm more of a snack meal eater. I like to eat lots of little things to add up my points rather than one big thing. I don't know, maybe I have a short food attention span or something. But, I do still eat meals and have learned to enjoy cooking for myself.

Before I started this whole hullaballoo, I ate out probably four nights a week and maybe a lunch or two as well. Yeah, I know. And I now feel guilty for spending more money on groceries--that makes sense. I would say eating at home has to be one of the biggest means of success in everything I've done. I now eat out as a social thing with friends, and very rarely on my own. That means I have to think up what to eat at home, though, and here are some common things I do.

1) Eggs. Since I've cut back on meat, I use eggs as a source of protein. You have to watch out for cholesterol and whatnot, but a good egg now and then is filling and relatively low-cal. I recently learned how to separate an egg white from a yolk, which has been a boon. A whole egg is two points, but if you add a second egg white, it's free. That really bulks up the amount for no significant additional calories. No extra cholesterol, either. That's all in the yolk.

Sometimes I just eat the egg(s) fried up in a skillet with cooking spray (no butter or oil), but other times I scramble them with a teaspoon of butter and a "dollop" of skim milk. Scrambled eggs like this is 3pts for one whole and one egg white. That's good for a lot of food. Eat that with toast and fruit: done. I also make egg burritos, with a whole-wheat tortilla, a fried egg, bell pepper and onion, spinach, and Louisiana hot sauce (Tobasco or any brand will do). If I need a little cheese on it, I either use a Laughing Cow or some reduced-fat cheddar. Without cheese, we're talking about 3pts. With cheese, 4-5 pts. If you stuff the tortilla full of the vegetables, it's very filling. You could also add mushrooms, which I'm only now learning to love.

With the egg recall going on now, it might seem funny to start with this one. I make a point to buy local, cage-free eggs whenever I can to avoid the salmonella problem that is largely to do with the inhumane factory productions from which most of our eggs come. My co-op sells them for $2.50 a dozen. That's more money than conventional, but not extravagantly more. And it sure beats stomach cramps and diarrhea.

2) Sweet potatoes or yams. I eat these things regularly. They are chockablock full of vitamins good-for-you stuff (sorry for the technical jargon), more than your traditional potato. They go with any meal (including eggs). They sometimes serve as a meal for me (because I'm like that). They aren't point-free, but a normal sized one is about 2-3pts, and it fills you up like no other.  I bake them in my toaster oven or in a skillet (skillet is faster). Slice them into fries shape or medallions, mix them with a teaspoon of olive oil (1 extra pt, but worth it!), add a little salt or seasoning, and cook. I dip mine in Dijon mustard, but you could dip them in ketchup or whatever, or just eat them plain.

3) Anything with bulgur, which is a wheat/oat hybrid kind of deal. It makes a great alternative to rice because it's lower in pts, more filling, and high in protein and fiber. Like rice, it kind of takes on the flavor of whatever it goes with. It's chewier, though, and is shaped more like steel-cut oats (see below). I often make stir-fry vegetables (frozen or fresh, depending on my motivation) with olive oil and garlic. When the vegetables are a mostly done and a little crispy from the oil, I add chicken or vegetable broth (about 1/4 cup), garam masala spice, and some parsley. Cook the vegetables till the broth is partly worked down, then remove from heat and add cooked bulgur. Very low points but crazy filling.

A quarter cup dried bulgur makes about a cup of cooked. I usually can't eat a full cup if I'm eating it with vegetables, but I make enough vegetables for a leftover lunch, so it's all good. To cook bulgur, just have three parts water to one part dried bulgur. Boil water, add the bulgur, cover and cook on low heat till the water is gone. Easy.

4) Steel-cut oats. I flipping love these. They need a little adding to for extra flavor, but they are more filling and healthier than regular oats. The only downside is that they take 20 or 25 minutes to make. If you want, you could make a big batch and then refrigerate the leftovers till you're ready to microwave it for later meals. It's good leftover, too. These are high-fiber, have a decent amount of protein, and are chewier and thicker than regular oatmeal. The instant packs of regular oatmeal are loaded with preservatives and sugars, so they aren't so good for you. With steel-cut, you can sweeten them in a healthy way with a little vanilla yogurt, blueberries (frozen or fresh), Stevia extract, honey, peanut butter, or cinnamon and raisins. Whatever you want. I most often eat these at breakfast, but sometimes I make them at night when I get a craving. A quarter cup of dry makes a cup of cooked (like bulgur) and fills me up, especially when paired up with fruit and/or an egg. Oh, and it's also great with some almonds thrown in. Almonds are high-calorie, but like natural peanut butter they have unsaturated (good) fat and vitamins. So about 10 of them (1.5 pts) add a nice crunch to oatmeal.

5) Tortilla pizza. I used to do these with fatty ingredients, but I've changed my ways now. On a skittle, put a whole-wheat tortilla down and start cooking on medium heat. While that's starting, on one half of the tortilla, add some pizza sauce and a quarter-cup reduced fat mozarella, and then whatever toppings you want. I now do filling vegetables (peppers, onions, a little chopped spinach), but you could add turkey pepperoni, too, which I like better than regular pepperoni. You could also do ground meat (I would use chicken because I don't generally eat much beef) if you wanted, or some chicken sausage, canadian bacon, whatever. Once all the toppings are loaded up, fold the "clean" half of the tortilla over the filling-topped half. Cook till the cheese melts and sticks both sides together and then carefully flip it over to the other side to cook the tortilla a bit more and melt the cheese more. I flip it a few times to be sure it's evenly cooked without burning either side. Depending on your toppings, this can be a 3-4 point meal (meat adds pts...veggies typically don't).

6) English muffin pizza. My cousin reminded me that we used to do these a lot when I was a kid. Now I do them healthier with 1-pt English muffins and reduced-fat mozzarella. I also do vegetables instead of meat toppings. Pizza for few points.

7) Big old salad. I eat tons of salads with various toppings. Bell peppers, homemade pita crisps (just a few and instead of croutons), onions, and homemade vinaigrette. Sometimes I add chicken breast, too, but not always. Black beans add points, but it's good, filling topping.

For pita crisps, I just cut up half a whole-grain pita into small pieces, put them on the cooking sheet for my toaster oven, and bake them for about 10 minutes. They're crunchy and better for you than store-bought croutons.

The vinaigrette I make is what my French host family taught me when I was in Lyon in 1998. For a single salad, combine 1tsp. olive oil, about 3/4 tsp. red-wine vinegar, 1 T or so Dijon mustard (I use extra because I love it), about 1/2 to 3/4 tsp. soy sauce, a clove of garlic, and some McCormick's Salad Supreme (in the spice aisle at the grocery store). Stir, add salad ingredients, and devour. It's tangy and flavorful and I love it.

8) I also use that vinaigrette with whole-wheat pasta for a pasta salad that's good for you. I add stir-fry vegetables (or just some fresh broccoli) to it, and sometimes some chicken. Whole-wheat pasta is 3pts for 2 oz. dry pasta. If I'm really hungry, I just make a little more pasta and adjust pts accordingly.

I must get to work and stop this writing nonsense. I'll probably do a few more of these things tomorrow before moving on to other topics besides menus. You're probably getting bored with this stuff. I'm not, though. :)