Diet and Cooking

Ironically, when you are dieting and prepping for a competition, you tend to spend a huge amount of time cooking! It is important to have the food you need and want, ready at all times.

The more I diet, the more I find myself standing in the kitchen cooking, chopping, slicing, measuring, weighing, and packaging.

Friday I hit the store for my usual foods I would get ready for the upcoming week. I usually buy boneless, skinless chicken breast, although it is much more expensive, when you cook 8 pounds at a time, it is easier to get it in that form.

But the breasts with skin and bones was on sale for such a good price, I had to buy it. I ended up with 20 pounds of chicken!

I baked it as usual, and then pulled it all off the bone.  I had forgotten how much better it was like this! The breasts that are already skinned and boned get so dried out when they bake.

Then I had a huge pile of bones. I hate to waste anything so I decided to make stock. First the trick is to roast the bones in a very hot oven, here they are after they have been roasted.

David then deglazed the pan with water and white wine, scraping up all the stuck on bits.

Here it is simmering away, it smelled wonderful! We let the liquid cool, then poured it over the roasted bones.  Into the refrigerator for the night. 

In the morning we went to buy chicken feet, they make the best stock, but the store had none. So necks and backs was the order of the day.  We added the chicken parts to the roasted bones and liquid, added an onion, celery, bay leaf, fresh thyme and some carrots.


It all simmered together all day long, filling the house with a wonderful chicken scent (even though I eat a lot of chicken, it still smelled great).


Now, it is strained and back in the refrigerator where it will stay the night. Tomorrow I will skim the fat off and then package it into freezer containers.

I hope there is some left after my competition! I want to make some french onion soup with cheese and bread!!!!


And a nice glass of red wine too.

Tortellini in Broth

Tortellini in broth, who doesn't love that?!

I am on a diet, so I am not eating this, but my husband and son are not on a diet, and they like this. First I made my dinner:

2 ounces sweet potato, pureed
4 ounces ground turkey, sauteed with chorizo spices
6 spears asparagus, steamed
1 cup mixed sauteed bell peppers

Then the boys wanted something and we hadn't really given it much thought so it's off to the freezer to see what we have.

I almost always have homemade chicken stock, it is easy to make and there is no comparison to the canned or boxed garbage.

I heated that up and then put in a bag of Barilla 3 Cheese Tortellini.

Take a look at the front of this package. It says in very BOLD letters:

Dinner for 2 in 10 Minutes

Well, this is quite alluring isn't it? I can toss this in the stock and the boys will have dinner in 10 minutes.

Let's just take a look at the nutritional facts on the side.

It says that each serving has the following:

230 Calories

8 Grams fat

500 mg Sodium

32 Grams Carbohydrates

8 Grams protein

About what I would expect, you know pasta is high in calories and carbs. Not really too bad for a meal...(if you aren't on a diet).

But wait a minute, there is something wrong here. Look at the very top of the label. It says the serving size is 2/3 cup and there are 4 servings in the container!

This means that based on what it says on the front, you and one other person have just finished eating this because it was Dinner for 2 in 10 Minutes, and this is what you really consumed:

460 Calories

16 Grams fat

1000 mg Sodium

64 Grams Carbohydrates

16 Grams protein

Not only did they fool you into thinking it was a lower  calorie dinner, but had you been serving more than 2 people, you probably would have bought more of this pasta based on the front label, say three bags for 6 people. They screw you twice! You consume too many calories based on their label and spend too much money too.

Sneaky marketing that's what it is. No wonder why most of America is obese and dying of heart related disease.

Damn! Should have gone out for a burger!

Oh, plus they had this:

Good thing they aren't on a diet, they would not be very happy with the results.

If you eat packaged foods, please be very careful and thoroughly read the labels.

Travelling

When faced with the thought of travelling, many people start to get a little freaked out because they think they are just going to ruin their diet.

Now, of course, it all depends on what stage of your diet you are on. Are you just eating clean to maintain your health or are you actually in a preparation stage for a competition? The former would not be such a big deal, the latter could, it all depends on how you set yourself up!

I spent the weekend at my father's house along with my brother and one sister. As I have mentioned, my dad has cancer so he (in our opinion) could use a little extra care right now, although at times he is fighting us!

My brother is visiting from Barcelona and staying with him for a month, I think he may just be driving him crazy too.

I knew that many good foods would be prepared, and I had to make sure I would stick to my diet. I wrote down how many of each meal I needed while I was gone, measured out each portion and made big zip lock bags full of my food, portioned into littler bags.

One bag, had several 4 ounce bags of cooked, cubed chicken breast. One had several bags of cooked rice, beans and potatoes, and another had bags of different cooked vegetables.

I bought along a carton of egg whites, low sugar ketchup, hot sauce and plenty of spring water.

I also had my pre-made oat/egg white waffles and my supplements and whey protein.

It is important to bring more than you need, you never know what you might feel like eating and it is safer to have a bit extra than to risk eating garbage right now.

You may wonder on occasion where I get my sense of humor? Could be my dad. Here he is after we all drove him nuts for several hours fussing.

I guess the medication they gave him was no match for his nagging children! I think this shows that I also inherited some of my positive outlook from him, I mean, he is joking and laughing! It's not going to help to cry, might as well have fun.

I was fine with my food, when I walked in my brother had a wonderful smelling curry on the stove, so I had to make some myself.

I asked what spices he used and put my vegetables into a pot, added those spices, cooked it until aromatic then added some chicken stock and rice, then chicken. I had a pretty good curry along with them.

I avoided the biscuits with butter, chocolate chip cookies, Swedish fish, special brownies, and all the rest of the goodies.

I know where the closest gym is, I have been there before and it isn't convenient, but that didn't stop me. It is a 13.46 mile drive each way and a $10.00 fee.

I slept on the love seat and then tried the floor. Neither was quite like my bed, but no matter, I had a good time. Kept my phone nearby and as soon as it was time, got up, drank my protein and off to the gym I went each morning.

By the time I got home (3 hours later), everyone was up, had eaten and cleaned up and we could spend time together.

Diet? No problem!

Roasted Turkey Stock

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My favorite part of Thanksgiving turkey is the roasted stock I make the next day! It is sublime if I do say so myself.


I got up at 4:15 a.m., feeling a little slow and the 30 degree weather didn't help matters at all. In fact, my birdbath in the backyard turned into an ice skating rink!


I had a 2 hour workout, back and bicep day and 30 minutes cardio, walking on the treadmill at 15% watching a silly show called Sweet 16 on VH1.


Then home to hack up the carcass! I am in the backyard, with my antique Briddell solid steel cleaver, it was a gift from my dad. He said it was from a restaurant in San Francisco that burned to the ground, this and another large knife were a few of the salvage items. I love things that come with a story!


The carcass needs to be hacked up to cut into the bones so all the gelatin can come out. I do it outside because turkey meat goes flying everywhere (I learned that the hard way).

Into the roasting pan goes all the hacked up bones and fat and any frozen chicken necks and pieces from my freezer.


I then add a couple big onions, cut in quarters, no need to peel them. Several stalks of celery, roughly cut up and lots of carrots, peeled and cut into big hunks.

I then roast it all in a 400 degree oven, stirring every once in a while, everything should get dark brown, with some crispy pieces.

Then all of this gets placed into a large stockpot and covered with cold water. I throw a few whole black peppercorns in, then bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer several hours, the end result will be a dark, rich, flavorful stock. Strain it and cool in the refrigerator until the fat forms a solid mass on the top, then remove and discard.


I will freeze the stock to use as a base for soup, just add some pasta or rice, a grating of Parmesan and it is the most delicious, simple meal. It can also be used for anything that calls for chicken or meat stock.


Your turkey carcass is probably gone by now, but if it's not, don't by pass this amazing treat. It really isn't that much work and there is nothing more satisfying than a homemade rich broth.

Quinoa with Sun Dried Tomatoes

If you have never tried quinoa, you must as soon as possible, I cannot stress how wonderful this grain is!  It is considered one of natures "superfoods" .

Quinoa is an ancient grain grown above 12,000 feet above sea level. It is a whole grain and has been classified by the National Academy of Sciences as one of the best sources of protein in the vegetable kingdom.

It is gluten-free, has a low glycemic index and provides all of the eight essential amino acids.

It is simple to cook, unlike rice and tastes fantastic.  One of my favorite recipes is from Tosco Reno's The Eat Clean Diet Cookbook.

QUINOA WITH SUNDRIED TOMATOES

INGREDIENTS (Serves 6):
1 tsp best-quality olive oil
8 sundried tomatoes (not oil-packed)
2 minced shallots
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 cups low-sodium, low-fat chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup dry quinoa
Pinch cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tsp sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Rinse quinoa grains in fine mesh sieve (to remove the bitter saponin layer) until water runs clear (about 1 minute).This step is very important unless you buy pre-rinsed quinoa.

2. Heat oil in large saucepan. Add tomatoes, shallots, and garlic. Sauté until shallots are softened.

3. Add stock OR water and bring to a boil.

4. Stir in quinoa and cayenne pepper. Return to boil.

5. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.

6. Let stand for 5 minutes, and fluff with a fork.

7. Mix in the seasonings!

Calories 128

Protein 5 grams

Carbs 23 grams

Fiber 2 grams

Sugar 1 gram

Fat 3 grams

Sodium 211 mg

The picture above is made with red quinoa, you can also make black or white. I like to mix in cubed cucumber, chunks of chicken breast and some fresh chopped green onions, top with some fat free vinaigrette and you have a complete, healthy meal.

Feel free to experiment and mix in whatever vegetables you enjoy. 

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