Healthy Meal Ideas for Weight Loss

Eat every 2-3 hours. 5-6 meals a day.

Breakfast: Milk/Banana/Fruits/Egg Whites/Boiled Egg
Snack: Fruits/Veggies
Lunch: Chicken thighs cooked in Garlic, sour cream, chopped coriander/steamed broccoli/steamed cauliflower/shredded cheese
Snack: Cheese sticks/carrots/veggies/fruits
Dinner: Steamed fish/Asparagus/Omelette with shredded cabbage+fish+mustard sauce
Protein Shake: 0.5 cups milk+frozen yogurt+frozen mangoes+protein powder

Body Building

Here are some great recipes from this site.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/gredeker2.htm

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/rotw26.htm

Light Fish Recipes

I've been trying to get some good fish recipes. Most fish fillet recipes ask to be grilled in the oven where the edges of the fillet get painfully dry and the middle is sadly soggy.
The only option is to keep all of it consistently soggy by wrapping it in tin foil for the duration of the cooking.

However, this recipe just gave me some ideas:
http://blog.bodybuilding.com/nikki01198/2011/08/17/recipe_for_delicious_tilapia/

It won't matter how the fish is cooked if the topping or salsa on top is delicious. I have cilantro, lime juice, red onions and tomatoes at home. I might just chop everything up, sprinkle the lime juice and salt, mix and top on the "grilled" fish. Of course, serve with asparagus or another vegetable on the side. Since I'm going to substitute the rice with complex carbohydrates, I might splurge and pan fry the fillet with 1 - 2 tsp of oil.

Here's another promising one if you have a little bit of orange juice in the house (which I do at this time):
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/fitexpert9.htm

I'll be substituting white fish for the salmon. I'll also be skipping a bunch of ingredients I don't actually have.

Traveling for Work: Eating Healthy

I've been traveling heavily for work recently, and in 6 short weeks I've realized that eating out and eating sandwiches is not going to work for me. I'm in my early 30s and realized in my late 20s that eating food from restaurants and even eating prepared food from grocery stores wreaks havoc with my digestion. I feel bloated and sluggish, I have low energy, there are issues of a gaseous nature that I won't divulge too much... And don't solve your digestion problems by popping a TUMS in your mouth. Do yourself and your longevity a favour and eat healthy. Solve the problem at the root... don't treat the symptoms. I know someone that has a TUMS tablet with his meals every single day... what does he eat you wonder? 100% restaurant food. Every meal is cooked outside his house.

While I just passed that judgement, it's really hard to not do that if your lifestyle doesn't support healthy cooking and healthy eating. But, guys, you make your lifestyle! Don't give yourself lame excuses. You really can spend 20 minutes cooking something simple... it won't taste as good as hot crunchy onion rings plated in front of you... but you won't have heart burn and you won't gain weight every day either.

Anyway, I'm done with my preaching. There are a few key items that I'm battling: I don't have a microwave in the room, I don't have a kettle or a coffee maker. However there are many grocery stores around the hotel. Another criteria is I'm not going to carry around 350ml bottles of condiments everywhere. So flavouring has to be really simple but good. SO Here's what I'm planning on doing. I have purchased a rice cooker. I'm going to start experimenting cooking MEALS with said rice cooker and see what happens.

Things I plan on experimenting with:
1. Rice with vegetables and shrimp
2. Potatoes and chicken with vegetables (don't know if I'll do a soup or a steamed dish)
3. Maybe pasta with chicken or ground beef
4. Steamed veggies and chicken or meat

One idea: Steam veggies in rice cooker and eat with rotisserie chicken. For warming up leftover chicken, maybe I can throw it in the rice cooker with more veggies.

Hmm... I'll have to try it out.

Condiments:
1. Soy sauce packets from Chinese fast food joints
2. Salt/pepper from fast food joints
3. Packets of pickles I discovered at an Indian take out place.
4. Ketchup? (I can't see myself putting ketchup on anything really)
5. Chilli sauce from Chinese fast food joints

I will post more when I actually cook something.

Here is a site with a couple of links that aren't bad:
http://frugaldoesabodygood.blogspot.com/2006/06/rice-cooker-one-pot-meals.html

I'm seeing a pattern with the dishes.... mostly rice. But why does it have to be only rice? I'm going to experiment with some other items and update.

Zapekanka & Kissel запеканка и кисель

This is a Russian dish. This is very popular with children but is a very simple tasting, delicious dish. I couldn't find a recipe online, so here it is. Please try it and let me know how it turned out for you. This recipe yields enough for 6 servings, or 4 greedy servings.

Ingredients:
For the Farmer's Cheese:
4 Litres whole fat milk (3.25% fat)
500 ml whipping cream (33% fat)
3-4 cups of yoghurt OR 3-4 tbsp lime/lemon juice
1 egg
4 tbsp flour
4 tbsp sugar

Cheesecloth for straining the farmer's cheese
Strainer

For the Kissel:
2 cups of berries or grapes (any berry will do. we like blue berries. Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, anything will work)
1.5 cups sugar
4 cups water
4 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 4 tbsp cold water

Zapekanka
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
1. Boil the milk and the whipping cream together.
2. Add the yoghurt OR lime juice to the milk. Keep stirring after adding this, and wait and watch for the milk to separate into curds and whey. If the colour of the whey isn't clear, add some more yoghurt OR lime juice.
Yoghurt makes a very soft cheese. Lime juice makes a slightly more squeaky, slightly tougher cheese.
3. Strain the cheese by pouring the above through a strainer lined with cheese cloth. Tie this cheese cloth at the top to strain the liquids. Let the cheese drain for 10 minutes or so.
4. If you have a food processor or mixer, great. If not, that's great too. We will have to spend 10 or 20 minutes kneading the cheese. The texture of the cheese changes significantly after this kneading process. You will see. The fresh farmer's cheese is crumbly and the kneaded cheese is soft and holds together very well.
Knead the cheese and stop when you don't feel like kneading anymore... knead at least 10 minutes though.
5. Mix the eggs, sugar and flour into the cheese. Mix it very well.
6. Pour into a buttered, square baking pan. Level the mixture and dot with butter. Bake for 40 minutes.
7. Let the Zapekanka cool for 30 minutes.

Kissel
1. Puree the berry or grapes. Set aside.
2. Pour the sugar and water in a pot, mix well. Bring to a boil.
3. Strain the berry puree well and add to the boiling sugar-water.
4. Mix together the cornstarch and cold water. Pour into the boiling sugar-water. Stir thoroughly.
5. Let the mixture come to a boil, let it thicken. Turn off the heat.
6. Cool the kissel.

How to serve
The Kissel has to be cooled (in the fridge).
Cut a portion of the warm Zapekanka and put it in a bowl. Pour the cool Kissel till it covers the Zapekanka. For 1/4th of the Zapekanka, you will use 1 cup of Kissel.

Very Very Very Yummy!

Cured Salmon/Gravlax/Grovlox

Since we spend a fortune on smoked salmon, I decided, "Why not try to make Gravlax at home"?
The reasons to not try at home (that quickly bubbled up in my head) are:
1. Food Safety: What if I die from some unknown salmon-related disease?
Answer: Buy pre-frozen salmon, completely thawed before preparation. Freezing it commercially kills the parasites that may be in there.
2. Food Safety: I'm not cooking it, is it safe?
Answer: Well, I eat sushi. I know the sushi-fish is great quality. Make sure the quality of the fish you're using is great. Look at the colour of the fish: Should be a healthy pink. Smell the fish: It should not smell of fish. It should be pretty much odourless. Buy from a store that cycles through their food very regularly.
3. Taste: Will it turn out ok?
Answer: Only way to know is to try it :)

So, I went online and this is the website I liked the most:
http://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/132/Gravlax

After one trial, I changed the recipe: I used 2 parts sugar to 1 part salt. And I only cured it in the fridge for 48 hours. I did have a thinner piece of salmon.

You have to judge how long your fish stays in the fridge by feeling the firmness of your fish every 12 hours or so. The fish will get pretty firm before it's ready to be eaten. Once you've taken away the packaging, you'll see the fish is still nice and easy to cut through.

Don't use water to wash away the spices and herbs. Just wipe it away with kitchen towel. If you're going to store any of it back in the fridge, then the water might affect the shelf life of your fish. The cured fish, safely stored with kitchen towel wrapped around it to catch excess moisture, will last in your fridge for at least 2 weeks. It will last about 6 months if you slice it and store it in the freezer in air-tight ziplock bags.

Just try it once. It worked out great for us. And we finished the half fillet of salmon in one meal. The smoked salmon we purchased would have cost us $15. This preparation cost us $5.

Pretty neat, huh? Next time I make it, I'll take a picture to post up here.

Perfect North Indian Dry Sabji

This one I've struggled with in the past. Mostly because I'm used to Bengali cooking. But I've never struggled with North American cooking or European cooking as much. Don't know why.

1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp powdered garam masala
2 tsp oil
1 pinch asafoetida
2 tsp MDH sabji masala
2 tsp MDH pav bhaji masala
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp haldi
1 tomato chopped

2-3 green chillies
2 tsp ginger minced (fresh)
1 carrot cut into thin sticks
1 small potato, cubed into 1 cm pieces
2 cups cauliflower (cut to bite site pieces)
2 cups beans (green or snap peas)
1-2 tsp salt

2 tsp Amchur powder

1. Heat the oil at medium heat, add cumin seeds and asafoetida. Let it sizzle for 20-30 seconds.
2. Make a paste of all the spice powders with 1 tbsp of water. Add to the oil. Cook for 3 minutes on low heat and stir often. Only thing to remember is don't let it burn. If it starts burning, add 1 tbsp more water &/or lower the heat.
3. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Mash the tomatoes into the spice paste.
4. Add the potatoes. Stir to coat with spices. Sprinkle 1 tsp of salt. Add 1/2 cup of water. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are nearly done.
5. Add the rest of the vegetables, chillies and ginger. Add the remaining salt. Stir well. Cover and cook for another 15 minutes.
6. Stir in the amchur before serving.

I've eaten this on it's own. I've also mashed a quarter cup of this, put it between 2 slices of light rye bread, and toasted it Panini style - a little bit like Pav Bhaji.

This dish is light in calories because of the ONLY 2 tsps of oil and 1 small potato. I find the potato adds some texture to this dish that makes it more authentic.

Of course, feel free to add/replace any vegetable you wish.

Begun Posto - Eggplant with poppyseed paste

I started looking for a basic Begun Posto recipe online and found a bunch of poser recipes, which annoyed me. Basic begun posto is simple to prepare and absolutely delicious if you like begun (eggplant) and posto (poppy seed paste prepared Indian-style). Now a little bit of history: My grandparents were all originally from East Bengal - which is now Bangladesh. There is a big difference between the recipes in Hindu and Muslim homes. I find the Hindu recipes use more of the local ingredients, and the Muslim recipes try to incorporate ingredients frequently used in North West Indian or Arabic cuisine.

This recipe is a Hindu recipe. Which boils down to this: there is no need for onions or garlic to be deep fried or sauteed at the beginning of everything. (How refreshing.) Because the big problem with that method of cooking is: everything ends up tasting exactly the same. Meat, chicken, fish, vegetables... all taste the same. On the bright side, if you wanted to make a big bag of fried onions and garlic ahead of time, you can add that to any and all dishes.

Here's the Begun Posto recipe.

2-3 cups of Eggplant
2 Tbsp white poppy seeds
1-3 tsp red chilli paste or green chilli paste
1-2 Tbsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
1 Tbsp mustard seed oil

If you are using a large eggplant, cut it into 2 inch cubes. If you are using the little round "Indian" eggplants, cut it into halves. Wash and set aside.

1. Add salt and turmeric to the eggplant.
2. Heat a little bit of the oil in a pan and cook the eggplants just so there is some colour to the cut sides. I don't like to deep fry my food, so I sometimes just spray the eggplant with cooking spray and cook it till it has colour on the sides. The eggplant need not be cooked through.
3. Dry grind the poppy seeds (I use a coffee grinder). Add the chilli paste (I cheat and use sambal paste). Add about 2 tsps of water to make a paste.
4. Heat your pan and add the oil. Set the heat to medium and wait for the oil to heat up. Add the poppy seed paste and salt and stir. The mixture will be dry so add 1/4 cup of water to keep it to a moist consistency. At this point you can make the dish as dry or wet as you like. But you want to eat this with rice, so keep it to a custard-like consistency. If it gets too dry while cooking, don't be afraid to add 1/4 cup of water at a time. If it's too wet, cook it a little longer.
5. Once the poppy seed paste has been warmed up and starts to cook, add the eggplant.
6. Cover the pan with a lid, make sure there's enough water that it won't burn, and walk away.
7. Stir occasionally and cook till the eggplant is done. Taste for salt and you're done.

Serve with hot rice.

This dish is so incredible.

On a side note: Don't eat this dish the day before getting tested for drugs. This dish is 90% poppy seed and you will test positive for opiates. :) I find this fun fact hilarious!! I'm not saying that I or any of my readers are in an environment where they'll be tested for drugs frequently BUT if you work in a security sensitive environment (like Oil&Gas premises or Govt research facilities) then keep this fact in mind.

Seafood Pan Pizza

Pan pizza has always been a favourite of mine. The first pizza I ever ate was a Pizza Hut Seafood Pizza. It tasted so delicious! I've tried to recreate the same pizza and finally did it today. I was 8 when I had that pizza, so I can't say for certain that it's the same, but it is really really delicious!

Dough:
1 cup skim milk
2 cups of flour (approx.)
1 tsp sugar
1/2 to 1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp thyme
1 tsp oil
1 package yeast or 2 tsp of yeast
& 4 Tbsp oil, I use extra light Olive oil or Canola oil

Pizza Toppings (the following is enough for 2 pizzas):
1/2 cup Low fat Alfredo sauce
20-25 Cooked Shrimp (about 1 cm long)
1/4 cup Black Olives, sliced
3-4 tbsp Spring onions or Red onions, diced
2 tbsp Chives, minced
1/2 medium Tomato, diced
1 cup low fat Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
Parmesan cheese, sprinkling

Directions:
Just as Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid suggested in their book "Flatbreads and Flavours", I start with the liquid and then add the flour. This is the easiest way to get the right consistency for your dough.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees C.

1. Get the milk to room temperature or a littler warmer, add oil, sugar and yeast. Stir.
2. Add roughly 1 cup of the flour, the salt and mix. Keep mixing till you've got the dough to a bread dough texture. (I did the above in a mixer, but usually I do this with a spoon or I use my hands.)
3. Knead for 5 minutes.
4. Pull the dough together into a ball. Put a light coating of oil all over, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a bowl while you get your pizza ingredients together.

The "Pan Pizza" part:
5. Take two 9" round cake pans. Pour 2 Tbsp of oil in each and swirl evenly. This step is what will make the "Pan Pizza" what it is.
6. Once the dough has risen, divide it into 2, and roll each half so it fits in the pan. Make sure the dough is nice and snug in the pan.
7. Layer the half the Alfredo sauce, mozza cheese, onions, chives, shrimp and olives. Top with parmesan.
8. Bake for 20 minutes.
9. If the top isn't browned, put it under the broiler for 2-3 minutes. Make sure nothing burns. Keep a close eye on the pizza while broiling.

The result will be delicious! The bottom of the crust is crunchy and the inside is nice and chewy. The alfredo sauce is creamy and complements the shrimp beautifully. You won't miss any of the fat in the sauce or the cheese. The black olives are a must, since it brings out the flavours of the alfredo sauce and the shrimp.

If you find this pizza wasn't "Seafoody" enough, feel free to load up on clams, crab, canned oysters, anchovies, anything your mind can fathom.

I hope you make this! If you do, please leave a comment and let me know how it turned out.

Enjoy!

Divine Chocolate Strawberry Trifle

This is divine. Nuff said.
2 PlusPoints of Happiness.

4 tbsps from 1 packet fat free jello chocolate pudding prepared with skim milk
4 tbsps 95% fat free cool whip frozen topping
1-2 strawberries sliced
1/2 graham cracker, broken into smallish pieces
a little sugar or a little caramel syrup (less than 1 tsp)

Take your favourite bowl/cup. (I made this in my beautiful rustic coffee cup.)
Layer pudding, strawberries, coolwhip, graham crackers, coolwhip, strawberries and top with sugar or caramel syrup.

Yes, You're Most Welcome.