Tofu | Healthy and Sane

Two-day highlights (+a giveaway alert)

June 9th, 2010

With my last post on dinner at Marlow & Sons in Brooklyn (have you checked it out yet?), I’m going to end NYC recaps. We did have a pretty delicious brunch at Egg before leaving, but I’m going to go out and say that it was not worth the hour+ wait. Maybe they never recovered in my mind after not offering bloody mary’s.

So we are back to semi-regular food journal blogging. After a weekend away, I jumped back on the cooking wagon right away. That’s the best way to ensure that I’m eating nutritious foods. Here are the highlights:

I dug deep into my freezer and found an old box of Holy Donuts, which made an appearance in Monday morning breakfast.

I don’t know what kind this was. It was a bit stale but still filled me up.

I added something new to my green smoothie – sprouts. They made the smoothie taste a bit “healthier” but the almond milk + banana + peanuts still added a good amount of sweetness. Not bad. Not bad.

Lunch was a grilled veggie + Samira’s Homemade jalapeno hummus + Foxboro Cheese fromage blanc wrap. Yummy. No picture.

Dinner was AMAZING! Adam mentioned he was craving Chinese food over the weekend. Before I even had a chance to say: “I’ll make some” he added: I want it to be authentic and greasy. No can do on the greasy part. Sorry. I still made a Chinese dish for our Meatless Monday dinner and it was authentic tasting.

Pineapple tofu stir-fry (recipe from Eating Well can be found here)

The sauce was sticky, sweet, sour and a little spicy (I added chile-garlic sauce). This was seriously perfection. I HIGHLY recommend this recipe.

TUESDAY…

started on the right foot. With brunch! Well actually breakfast since it was 8am but it tasted like brunch.

Grilled eggplant, tomato and bacon egg & cheese

+ a bloody mary (virgin don’t worry, I don’t drink before work )!!!

I picked this McClure’s bloody mary mix up in Brooklyn before we left and I’m so happy I did. This mix is spicy and super pickly (not a word, but you get it, right?) – just how I like ‘em! I actually had another glass after dinner. This time I used about 1/2 mix and 1/2 water and it was a little less “I’m drinking tomatoey pickle water”… even though honestly I totally could. Yes, I am obsessed with everything-pickle. I may just make a quick one right now to take to work.

Conclusion: if you see this mix, buy a case!

LUNCH

Leftover pineapple tofu stir-fry in a wrap + carrots. Yep, still amazing.

DINNER

I picked up some grass fed beef at the farmers market the other day and decided to make Lauren’s beef, potato and root vegetable stew for dinner last night (recipe can be found here).

Yes, I know it’s basically summer but I don’t care. This was made in my crockpot (I just threw everything in after browning the meat) and was delicious. I did add a whole bunch of hot sauce, extra salt and pepper and garlic powder to flavor the broth a bit more. After about 6 hours in the crockpot, the meat was tender and the broth thickened up around the veggies.

Summer or not, I still enjoyed this inside our air-conditioned condo.

In other news: I tried a pecan pie larabar yesterday and thought it was incredible. Have you tried it yet? You should.

Oh and of course I promised a giveaway. This one is mostly to Boston readers. Remember the Healthworks event I attended at Alibi? Remember that crazy awesome swag-bag? One of the things included was a free cut + color from a new hair salon on Newbury Street – Rock Paper Scissors. I’ve tried enough salons to know that I can’t cheat at my girl Amanda at Jerel 119 but maybe you’re up for a free hair-do? Sues and Colleen really loved the experience there and have some pretty awesome cuts to show off.

So here are the giveaway rules:

1) Leave a comment if you are interested in entering the giveaway.

2) For an extra entry, blog or tweet about this giveaway (and come back here and let me know you’ve done so). If you don’t have a blog or a twitter account, tell a friend about this giveaway and after they enter, come back and tell me you’ve referred them here.

I’m going to have this open for a few days. If you win, please take some before and after pics and share them with us. Cool?

The rest of you are welcome to comment on anything else in this post. I think there is some good material here, no?

All right, it’s time for me to make my bloody mary and run to work. Happy hump day!

Meatless Mondays – I’m on board!

April 27th, 2010

I finally joined the Meatless Monday movement. I know a lot of you are already on board, but I was hesitant. You see, over the past year I’ve significantly increased the number of vegetarian meals in my diet (and by default – my husband’s). It was driven by a conscious decision to purchase mostly organic poultry and meats as well as grass-fed beef, which of course we can’t afford for every meal. Instead of filling in the rest of the meals with antibiotics filled, inhumanely raised meat, we decided to go meatless more often!

Everyone has their own reasons to “go meatless.” I believe that one can maintain a healthy body on a carnivore diet (with lean meats, omega 3 rich fish and of course portion control and a balance with veggies, fruit and whole grains) but I strongly believe in incorporating more meatless dishes into our weekly repertoire because of the impact this has on the environment.

From the Meatless Monday site… Why Meatless?

REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT. The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization estimates the meat industry generates nearly one-fifth of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions that are accelerating climate change worldwide . . . far more than transportation.[3] And annual worldwide demand for meat continues to grow. Reining in meat consumption once a week can help slow this trend.
MINIMIZE WATER USAGE. The water needs of livestock are tremendous, far above those of vegetables or grains. An estimated 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water go into a single pound of beef.[4] Soy tofu produced in California requires 220 gallons of water per pound.[5]
HELP REDUCE FOSSIL FUEL DEPENDENCE. On average, about 40 calories of fossil fuel energy go into every calorie of feed lot beef in the U.S.[6] Compare this to the 2.2 calories of fossil fuel energy needed to produce one calorie of plant-based protein.[7] Moderating meat consumption is a great way to cut fossil fuel demand.

Every single person can help reduce the demand for meat (especially inhumanely raised meat) by going meatless more often. I knew I was already doing my part (I know I could always do more by becoming a vegetarian but it’s just not realistic for my lifestyle – we can only do our personal best) but committing myself to a Monday seemed limiting. Well, I’m taking on the challenge!! I like that I can plan a whole day of meatless eats (not just a random meal here and there). I think it happens by mistake once in a while but being more conscious about it made it fun. And you know what? I had some kick-ass eats today. Let’s review them!

BREAKFAST

Breakfast pizza + coffee

Ww tortilla, Barney Butter, nonfat yogurt, mango, Kashi golean cereal, shredded coconut + choc chips

So yummy!

MID-MORNING SNACK

LUNCH

Star ingredient #1: Ellie Krieger edamame “hummus” (recipe can be found here)

It was super galicky and very delicious. I used my vitamix so it was super creamy too. Love it!!

Star #2: grill… well a grill pan for now

Whole wheat Tuscan pane with edamame hummus, heirloom grape tomatoes, grilled zucchini and goat cheese – all pressed together

OMG – seriously I couldn’t get over this deliciousness. Goat cheese + grilled veggies is seriously the best combo on earth. Love <3

MID-AFTERNOON/PRE-WORKOUT SNACK

Clif mojo mountain trek mix bar

WORKOUT

I’m still getting over (or into?) a mild cold so an intense cardio workout was just not in the books. I attended a Body Pump-type class and it was tough. I sweated like crazy and loved every minute of it. What else is new?

DINNER

A little snack while prepping dinner: Doctor Kracker “flatbread” with edamame “hummus”

+ a meatless dinner – ma po tofu with steamed broccolini (recipe can be found here)

I used light tofu, omitted the beef and rice and added broccoli to the broccolini to bulk it up. This made 3 good servings with these lighter substitutions.

I LOVED this meal. It was quite spicy (I used 1T of sriracha) and tasted super authentic. I could see myself ordering it at a Chinese restaurant and being a very happy camper. Some brown rice would have been great to soak up some of the sauce but I thought we’ve been eating too much rice lately so that’s why I omitted it this time. I wouldn’t hesitate to make it again… and you shouldn’t either!

A lovely super charge me cookie to end a lovely day of meatless eats

What do you think of the Meatless Monday movement? If you’re interested, you can pledge to go meatless on Mondays here.

Sodium overload

March 13th, 2010

Over the past few weeks, I’ve become a sodium addict. It’s really strange because I am definitely a sweets kind of girl (and that hasn’t changed of course!) but I got this jar of garlic pickles and I’ve become reliant on having at least one every day. Yesterday as I was making breakfast, I opened the fridge to get some milk for my coffee and here it was, the pickle jar staring at me. I actually considered grabbing one. Um, Houston, we have a problem!

I resisted the urge to start my morning with a delicious garlic pickle but the craving did not go away and I finally surrendered mid-afternoon. This pickle addiction opened my eyes to other high-sodium things I’ve been craving (and consuming) lately. I think yesterday was the worst of it. I need to get my act together asap since high sodium consumption increases blood pressure and has been linked to a higher risk of heart disease and stroke. I eat such a small amount of processed foods – I should not be worried about sodium but here we are.

BREAKFAST

Food for Life english muffin with Barney Butter, 1/2 banana and cherry preserves + coffee

Yummy breakfast. Stayed clear of pickles! Phew.

MID-AFTERNOON SNACK

1T almond butter + baby carrots

Such a filling combo! I love this unsalted/unsweetened almond butter with carrots.

LUNCH

Kick-ass salad – that’s what’s for lunch!

Mixed greens, shredded carrots, steamed brussels sprouts, TJ’s baked teriyaki tofu (amazing!!!!), goat cheese, hot pepper rings + 1T Jenna’s sesame sauce

While making my salad, I finally had a large pickle (60% of daily sodium recommendation based on a 2,000 calorie diet). The hot pepper rings have also become a new favorite. My mouth was on fire and I was loving every second of it. The hot pepper rings are another 20% of the daily sodium recommendation.

I just realized that the tofu has another 25% of sodium + of course some of the dressing/sauce has sodium as well but I can’t really count that right now. Let’s just say that by lunch time, I already consumed 105%+ of sodium. Eek

MID-AFTERNOON SNACK

Lunch was crazy delicious and very filling but I still wanted dessert. I decided to go to Paradise Bakery for a cookie after work (once I was less full) but was getting impatient waiting for 5pm. I considered hitting up the vending machine for some peanut M&Ms but then remembered that I had a serving of TJ’s Nutty American trek mix stashed in my drawer. This was not a cookie but it did satisfy my chocolate + nut craving.

DINNER

Have I had enough sodium yet? Apparently not! For a Friday night dinner, Adam and I decided to make a homemade pizza. I had 1/2 with buffalo chicken and 1/2 with mushrooms.

I’m sure the sauce, dough and cheese have some sodium but the most obvious source was the buffalo sauce. I always remember that (bottled) buffalo sauce is extremely low calorie (5 cals/tablespoon) and fat-free. This time I looked at the label to find the sodium content (I was getting paranoid… and for a reason) and saw a whopping 20% of daily allowance in a serving. I had at least 2 tablespoons if not more. Total so far: 145%!!!!

My half of the pizza is on the right. It was sodium laden but SO good!!

A little dessert after dinner? Sure, why not!

Godiva truffles I got from Adam for Valentine’s day. I forgot I had them so it was fun to re-discover them.

Adam joined me in the tasting and we ate all four. The box said 4 were a serving!

Yum!!!!

After dinner we changed and hopped on the T to meet our friends at Grendel’s Den in Harvard Square.

My sodium craving kicked in once again and I just decided to go with the flow and ordered a bloody Mary (I’ll do better tomorrow – have you heard that before? hmm).

Flash or no flash – both pics suck for different reasons, huh?

Grendel’s Den was packed. I was happy we were able to get a table on a Friday night!

Hmm, my friends are not looking too happy here. Hopefully a little more drinking will solve that problem

I wanted my blood Mary to be more-tomato-ey but it was kind of watered down. Oh well – I’m sure my heart was thanking the bartender for that one. Maybe he knew I had one too many pickles already

For my second drink I ordered a 10oz Hefeweizen

I love me some wheat beer… so creamy! But how sad does my 10oz pour look compared to Adam’s 1/2 liter? It looked like such a baby.

I drank about 3/4 of it so I guess it was the right amount for me after all.

11pm munchies kicked in and I knew just the right salty snack. Double hummus with tahini, vegetable crudites and pita wedges

Flash?

Or no flash?

Grendel’s Den’s food is cheap but kind of gross (I’ve been there before and all I have to say… you get what you paid for). With that said, I thought it was hard to screw up hummus. Apparently, it’s possible. This had waaaaay too much tahini and was almost bitter. The veggies seemed pretty fresh though. I had a few scoops of hummus with cauliflower and a pita wedge and munched on some carrot sticks. The rest of the table devoured it.

Total sodium intake – over 200% of daily allowance. Certainly eye opening – I better get my act together. Do you track your sodium intake? Ever worried about over-consumption?

Two-day highlights (+a giveaway alert)

Meatless Mondays – I’m on board!

Sodium overload

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