Weekly Chat - November 14th - 20th

[Leenie]

Good Morning :D

Well today I'm running out to the store to buy some whole grains. I made a big pot of chicken stew w/oodles of veggies in it and I'd like to cook some Grains like LindaT suggested and pour a scoop of stew over them.

Any suggestions ?

Leenie

[liz321]

I'm watching Leens!

:) Eliz

[Suzanne 3FC]

I'm going to make my list and menu today, and shop in the morning :) If I don't plan ahead, I'll come home with all kinds of things I don't need!

Do you like couscous? I buy Near East brand. I like the parmesan variety, and I add a little bit of chopped asparagus and tomatoes, and it's good. Their website has a lot of great recipes that might work for us. I'll add it to our reference section. Oh, we need a recipe forum instead of a sticky. I thought I made one, but I guess not, lol.

http://www.neareast.com

[LindaT]

Leenie, think bulgur wheat, barley, quinoa and whole wheat couscous. Suzanne, I am pretty sure that couscous in those mixes is not whole wheat, just an FYI. It is just small white pasta, I think. I may be wrong, but unless the first ingred is whole wheat, its not. I checked an old box of Marakesh flavored couscous that I have here and it isn't whole-wheat ..just reg old pasta stuff. The only place I've been able to find whole wheat couscous is at Whole Foods. Since this diet's emphasis is whole grains, I would personally stay away from regular couscous. IMHo of course,.. YMMV. :D

[Leenie]

Suzanne, a list is the best way to go, it keeps you from buying chocolate covered whole grains ;)

Liz don't watch me to carefully b/c I DON'T know what I'm doing (pssst... but don't tell anyone ;) )

Linda, I went shopping and got pearl barley since its the only kind I could find, I went to trader joe's which had none and then to the regular grocery store for it. At TJ's I got quinoa and some veggie stir fry (frozen) bags. I did see whole wheat couscous at the regular store but figured I'd start off with the barley and the quinoa. I also picked up a huge bottle/jug of extra virgin olive oil (which I was told by my italian friend it was the best to buy??).

I made some chicken stew w/oodles of veggies and I'm going to add some barley to it for dinners for the week.

I bought a dry mix of black bean oriental noodle mix, it looked good and easy so I will dock that up with alot of stirfry veggies as well.

ITS A START :D :D :D

Thanks for the help everyone :)

[Suzanne 3FC]

Eww, whole wheat couscous :lol: I like whole wheat bread on a sandwich, but that's my personal limit :p

The Med diet does place an emphasis on including whole grains, which includes bulgar, barley, and other good grains, but it doesn't prohibit white flour, white rice, potatoes, etc. All of my med diet cookbooks include recipes that contain just white flour for breads, regular couscous, etc. Whole wheat contains more nutrients, and since every calorie counts, then it's important to get all the bang you can for each calorie. But on the same note, white isn't a bad thing. Portion control with all food types is what counts in weight reduction.

Now this is my personal opinion, but I think the choice to go strictly whole wheat is a personal choice, and not necessary for most people, unless they have a health condition that dictates their diets. The Med diet is so healthy overall because it eliminates most saturated fats and processed foods, includes healthy vegetables, fruits, and lean proteins. In The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook by Nancy Harmon Jenkins there is barely a reference to whole wheat anything. Pasta is white, couscous (similar to pasta) is white, and rice is white. At the same time, our choices are varied, so we aren't going to eat white wheat at every meal, we may have barley, polenta, or legumes such as lentils or chickpeas.

The most important thing about making any diet plan successful is tailoring it to your personal needs, tastes, and lifestyle, because that's what enables us to stick with it. A lot of people may prefer whole wheat, but others may find that this is what makes a diet difficult to follow.

In all of our diet surveys so far, we've found that the diets that have the highest drop-out rates are the ones that restrict carbs in one way or another, via type or amount of carbs. FYI the one with the most satisfied followers is WW The Med diet doesn't restrict our choices this way, and I'm hoping that will help draw more people in. The good thing about the Med diet is that it can be tailored if you need to go low gi, or have other preferences. It's flexible enough in both ways, so the rest of us don't have to limit ourselves.

Linda, I'm glad you've joined us in this thread, and I'm looking forward to your tips and recipes and input :)

[LindaT]

Now Now Ms Suzanne. Have you ever tried whole-wheat couscous or are you being difficult? :p I personally started out incorporating all of the grains, white and whole but have found as I go further into this that the wholer (not a real word but what the heck) the grain the more it sorta sticks to my ribs. About now I have pretty much cut out white pasta and potatoes and white flour, but I agree that starting out that way may not be the best choice.

Of course there was an article in the Library a while ago that I think Meg posted that said something to the effect that whole wheat pasta isn't really all that much different than white... so now I am cutting back on that as well. Pretty soon everything will be bad for us. Did any of you ever see the Woody Allen movie "Sleeper" ? Woody is cryonically frozen in the 1970s and wakes up hundreds of years in the future. When he is awakened, he asks for sprouts and tofu. The doctor who woke him said something to the effect that those things have been found to be "bad" for you and would he like a hot fudge sundae and steak and some cigarettes, which are some of the healthiest things. :lol:

Another good grain is something called Amaranth. I haven't had good luck cooking this so far. I've managed to make glue. :o :D

[Suzanne 3FC]

I've never tried Amaranth, but I think it was a garden weed :lol: I'm willing to give it a try, maybe we can find some good recipes :) I like to try just about anything. I may not eat it again, lol, but I'll try it once!

The very idea of whole wheat pasta seems blasphemic :lol: And I HAVE tried it :p It's not going to be on my plate anytime soon. I don't think white pasta is bad, but the problem is that most Americans don't know what a serving of pasta is. Restaurants serve it by the platter because it's a cheap filler that makes you think you are getting a lot for your buck. So we go home and duplicate it, feed our families till they are stuffed, then are pleased because we stuck to our budgets. We just eat too darned much of the stuff. Then some diet book guru comes along and says "white pasta made you fat". (and the term "platters full" is never mentioned) Where does self control and common sense come into it? Italians eat pasta every day, and their obesity rate is much much lower than ours. Pasta should accompany the veggies and lean meats, and not be the focal point of the meal. This is one of my favorite rants, lol. Maybe I can get a job with the Pasta Association :lol:

[midwife]

I am very excited about this forum! I love food and cooking and trying new recipes. Whole, fresh foods, cooked with olive oil and herbs, polenta! Yum....how can that be wrong? I agree that portion control is key...the nice thing about this movement is the focus on quality ingredients. Good stuff. I look forward to learning more.

[Leenie]

Good Morning,

Amaranth sounds like the name of a train lol.

WW products just take time getting used to. I prefer regular white pastas because of the texture but thats about it.

I cooked some of that pearl barley yesterday and boy, you surely don't need alot b/c it fluffs up big (ooops :^: ) I think I made enuf for a year lolol, live and learn huh. So I gave a whole mother load to my mom this morning lol.

[liz321]

I want to live long enough for sundae's steak and smoking to be healthy !

I love whole wheat pasta....I loved the description of breakfast in barcelona.....I am going to keep checking it out.

Thanks!

Eliz

[mauvaisroux]

I personally prefer whole wheat pasta to regular pasta, I find it tastes less starchy :shrug:

I have to admit that I haven't been able to get used to the taste and texture of brown rice and my DH abolutely refuses to eat it - he is a minute rice kind of guy :lol:

I find the trick for controlling pasta portions is to use pasta as a side dish to grilled chicken or beef. That way you can eat a cup and get the taste but not a huge plateful. I usually have a cup of pasta on my plate then fill out the rest of the plate with salad of romaine lettuce, sliced tomato and cucumber and oil and vinegar dressing - yum! :T

BTW - great new forum!

[Mel]

Great new forum!

I much prefer whole wheat pastas now on the very rare occasion that I eat any. Even my family asks for ww instead of white.

Have you tried taboule? It's cracked bulghar with diced tomatoes, mint, lemon juice, olive oil, and water. Yummmmy.

Last night's dinner would fit in quite well, also. I made a pot of chili using ground chicken breast browned in olive oil, chick peas, black beans, pinto beans and 2 cans crushed tomatoes. Serve over broccoli. A glass of red wine would have been nice....

Mel

[mauvaisroux]

I love tabouleh and hummous with pita bread - delicious! :T

[Suzanne 3FC]

I've never had tabouleh, will look forward to trying it :)

The chili sounds inspiring! It may be easy to adapt a lot of recipes to this way of eating, even if the seasonings are not the same. My favorite recipe that I make often is a veggie chili that is just beans, crushed tomatoes, garlic, roasted red peppers, onions, and seasonings. It may not taste Mediterranean, lol, but it fits the profile.

[Lyria]

I have to admit to having a quiet chuckle over the "Mediterranean Diet" phase currently in. I was reading through all the essential elements and whatnot above and realised...Hey! This is exactly the kind of diet I grew up on, and what I went back to naturally eating after I stopped wallowing in self pity and gorging on crap, sweets and junk. I dropped a good 50 pounds or so when I went back to it.

I think the best thing about it eating this way is i have never ever felt like i was missing out on something because nothing is restricted, it really is just a natural way of eating.

As to the whole (no pun intended ;)) wholegrain vs plain white flour and such, just strike a nice balance somewhere. My sister and dad eat white bread, my mum and I eat wholemeal bread. It hasnt affected any of us in any negative way..we eat either white or wholemeal according to our own preferences. I do most of the baking when I am home and I will usually use wholemeal, but if i am making pastry then i use white flour.

The great thing about wholemeal is it has far more flavour, so thats why i use it. I tend to forget that its actually a whole heap better into the bargin!

Livi

[Suzanne 3FC]

Congratulations! 50lbs is a lot to be proud of! I see you are very close to your goal, good luck :D

I've also seen many cases where white vs whole didn't have an impact on weight loss. Some of the experts believe that it's an over-rated gimmick to sell diet books. Whole wheat does contain more nutrients, but it's not a magic bullet for weight loss. I personally lost the bulk of my weight on white carbs. I counted calories, ate from all 4 food groups, and exercised daily. I think it's pretty well known which side of the great carb debate I stand on, lol. I love that the Mediterranean diet is flexible and there are choices for both sides. I think that the biggest focus is on including healthy olive oils, fish, and fresh produce, and of course whole grains such as quinoa, barley, etc. I think people can incorporate the principles of the plan into any other program, like WW, SB, etc, even if you don't follow it to the letter.

Leenie, how did you prepare your barley? I'd love to find some good barley recipes :)

[Leenie]

Suzanne, I just boiled it in water, then I rinced it in cold water (habbit I guess). I made so much that I couldn't just throw it in my chicken stew (to many calories), so at night when I get home I take a cup of stew and 1/4 cup of the barley and mix it together. Portion control is a big problem with me, but I am trying. LindaT suggested I don't mix my grains in with stuff until I'm ready to eat it, this way I know exactly how much I'm getting. Thanks Linny :D

I want LindaT's pumpkin chili recipe..... I'm droolin ;)

Livi, congrats on your WL, thats a big accomplishment for sure.

[LindaT]

Poor Leenie. Barley has a habit of tripling in size from what you put in. :lol: You can always bag it and freeze it for another time. One nice thing about barley, lentils, dried beans.. etc..it is pretty cheap.

Pumpkin chili recipe - I'll post it in the recipe area. I changed it, of course and will make more changes next time. :D I tell you I couldn't stop saying "Mmmmmmm" as I ate the stuff.

I made a wonderful Baked Dijon Salmon for dinner last night. The only part I want to monkey with is the bread crumbs. I'd rather use whole wheat than the white stuff but haven't been able to find those in the markets. I tried making them myself and it was a real pain.

So is every one getting their exercise in as well? Eating is only part of the package, IMHO. :D Since I have been laid off, my body is my project. I am working up to 2 hours a day and right now am getting about 105 minutes a day. Now if the scale would cooperate....... :mad:

[Suzanne 3FC]

I've not exercised, lol, but I have an excuse - I have the flu. My lungs feel like they are filled with lead. I'll probably be back on the treadmill by the end of the week. I love exercise, it's the only time when nothing else matters, and I can daydream or whatever :) It's an escape. Congrats on your 2 hours! Very, very impressive :D

The salmon sounds delicious! I love salmon, but eat any kind of fish. I have a freezer full of tilapia at the moment (good ole walmart sales)

Thanks for posting your pumpkin chili recipe, I was SO curious! Sounds yummy, and perfect for this time of year!

[Leenie]

My favorite fish is Orange Roughy YUMMMIE but its gotta be cooked on the grill. LindaT turned me on to Tilapia, thats another favorite.

I'm going to make that Pumpkin Chili but I'm going to make it w/ground chicken b/c I prefer the taste over ground turkey and to load it up w/more beans, good ideal Lin, I'm a gas bag anyway so whats a few more beans :s:

Linda, I'm wondering how sweet potato pureed would taste in it ??? Oh yeah babe'

[2stubborn2giveup]

Thank goodness! A Mediterranean Diet forum! I lost 15 pounds eating this way last year, but for some reason (known only to God; I don't know it) I stopped. This is the way I ate when I was growing up. I've been counting calories, carbs, fat grams, food groups, points, etc. on and off for 30 years and those 15 pounds were the easiest I ever lost. For what it's worth, I found concise, helpful information from Oldways. For $2 I received a booklet with snack, breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas along with recipes. Their website: www.oldwayspt.org
Thank you for starting this forum! It's just what I needed to get back to what works for me.

[Suzanne 3FC]

Congratulations on losing weight this way :) We're glad you joined us, maybe you can share more tips :) Thanks for the link to Oldways! I've visited their site before and signed up for their newsletter, but had not noticed the booklet. I'm going to place my order today.


I just came from the supermarket, the only one in my town that I thought I could count on for specialty foods, but it looks like I'll have to order some things online after all. Does anyone have a favorite online specialty shop? www.chefshop.com has a lot of good things, though I've never ordered from them before.

[Leenie]

Whats everyone planning on cooking for the week. Do you all plan ahead or just day by day?

[LindaT]

Hey Leenie Beanie and other early morning Med chickies

The bratty animal pictured in my avatar decided that I needed to get up this morning about 6:30. So here I am drinking my iced mocha and trying to clear the cobwebs.

Let's see for the week I am making: lowcountry grits and shrimp, stir fried kale, mexican salmon, calabacitas, and with Turkey Day leftovers I am making a yummy asian bbq stir fry. Lunches this week will be either hot turkey kielbasa and apple slaw or else baked spinach tofu wraps. Next week will be a turkey and wild rice soup with veggies, I think.. to use up the carcass.

As you know Leens, I plan my meals for the following week every Friday. The grocery store ads come Monday, I read them and get ideas for what is on sale, Friday I make a recipe list and buy the things I need. Now I don't necessarily plan every day, but I do know the meals for the week. Might have meal A on Monday thursday or else Sunday and Wednesday. Doesn't matter, but what does matter IMHO is planning for the week. How many times have you not known what to eat, have nothing planned and spent 30 minute grazing in the fridge and then make dinner? :lol: I am guilty of this. When you are tired and hungry it is sooo easy to make bad food choices.

I found something totally yummy at Trader Joe's yesterday. Pepitas!! If you haven't had them before, they are green roasted pumpkin seeds. :hungry: I need them for a sweet potato salad I am making on Thanksgiving. I'll post the recipe after I make it, in case it sucks. :lol: Anyway, the dish is pretty Med friendly - sweet potatoes, dried cranberries, pepitas, olive oil, fresh herbs.. but the pepitas are being stored in the freezer now so I don't eat them all before Thanksgiving. :o

Well time to go start my Shanny cakes - I make mine with veggies and then get cleaned up to head to Kohl's. Big sale today from 6am til noon!! My poor credit card. :lol:

[Suzanne 3FC]

Gee, Linda, you're so organized! I keep saying I'll make a menu, grocery list, organize my cabinets, make up my bed... but nothing ever gets done. I'll be anxious to hear how the sweet potato salad is, I might like to try it if it's good! We're having our Thanksgiving the Sunday after, because the parents are on a cruise.

What's a Shanny cake? :?:

[LindaT]

Morning ladies

Just finished having a yummy breakfast of Shanny cakes and am now slurping down an iced mocha. Suzanne, I found out about Shanny cakes from the ladies over at the LWL forum. They are very good. I'll post the recipe and the Linda modifications. :lol: those always are there

4 Egg Whites - I use ½ cup egg beaters
1/4C Cottage Cheese - I use low fat
1/2C dry measure Oatmeal
Cinnamon - 1tsp or more to taste
Splenda - 4 packets or to taste
(optional) 1 cap of Vanilla Extract

Place all ingredients into a blender for 20-30 seconds. This makes a very thin watery batter. Preheat a non-stick pan on low to medium low. Spray with cooking spray and pour in the batter. I make 1 large pancake but you can make several smaller ones. The pancake is ready to flip when small bubbles appear on the top of the batter.

Now for the Linda changes :cheese:

I omit the cinnamon, splenda and the vanilla. I saw a big flat pancake and thought “omelet”

So I add some Italian seasoning, spicy salt and garlic to the batter before it cooks and then after it is cooked I top half of it with fresh spinach, diced fresh tomatoes and salsa. Then fold over the half like an omelet and Voila!

So there you have it. It's very filling and no guilt. :)

I don't think I'm organized. You wouldn't either if you could see my house. :lol: I do plan my meals because I know not planning is a recipe for disaster. Life is chaotic enough so this gives me an area I can control. I can control what I eat and I schedule a time for exercise and then fit everything else around it. Some people I know think I am just completely anal retentive. :lol:

I rarely make my bed... ok almost never, my cabinets are a mess and I am not going to tell you how awful my floors look. :lol: I want to live as long as possible and I figure I had better divert my energies to what will make that happen, rather than all the extra stuff. No one every laid on their death bed thinking they should have cleaned more. :lol:

If you need some recipe ideas, I have a big review site at allrecipes. Most are healthy, some are not. :devil: http://allrecipes.com/reviews/rvbyrvwr.asp?rvwr=168002 This site really helps in meal planning. I recommend it to everyone.. and besides it is free. :) Every day I go and read their recipe of the day section. If I find something I like, I add it to my recipe box. This only takes a few minutes a day and the recipes really add up quickly. If I have more time, I look through the various sections. This place makes up my shopping list for me. Too bad it doesn't go to the store, buy the stuff and then unpack it when it arrives home. :lol:

My credit card is in minor pain from yesterday, but I got some terrific deals on Christmas gifts. Today I did my 73 minute step aerobics, stuffed my face with breakfast and now need to toddle off and get cleaned up for church. I somehow volunteered to coordinate today's church potluck after services so I need to be there early. Give me strength at the potluck, please. :D

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone.

[Mel]

Here are some other variations:

Pumpkin Pie
add 1/2 c. pumpkin puree, more cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and serve with sf maple syrup (yum- pumpkin pie!)

Spinach Quiche
Leave out the cinnamon,splenda and vanilla, but add 1 cup spinach, 1/4c. fat free cheddar or mozarella, and some garlic seasoning to the blender. Pour it into the pan and sprinkle 1 tablespoon meatless bacon bits on top. Sort of spinach quiche.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Desperation
Add 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder to the basic recipe. Top with 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter.

Apple Upside Down Cake
Finely dice 1 small apple. Pour batter into srayed pan, and sprinkle apple on top. Flip it, cook through and serve with sf syrup.
( any fruit works as long as it's not really wet)

Mel

[DonnaD]

I'm new at this forum. Ironically, I just finished reading SBD. Went thru 12 days of induction and had a breakdown. Low Carbing is just so hard. Found this Med Diet interesting. Seems well rounded.

Anyway, has anyone tried Kashi. Not the cereal but the 7 grain that you cook for about 20 minutes. It's a chewy grainy side dish or hot cereal. Some suggest on veggies or salad but that didn't appeal to me. I had it as hot cereal w/blueberries. But can be seasoned as side dish. I actually put the box in my fridge for long term(in the pkg not cooked) but I've been low carbing off and on and forgot it was there. I'll have to see how it held up and cook some tomorrow. I think you may like it.

[jansan]

In this diet incarnation, I unknowing selected a modified Mediterranean diet - the diet of my youth. My goal is to eat the Med. foods, only less of them. I just didnt know it was a Med. diet. Fortunately I love to cook.

My father was Italian and my Mom cooked to his tastes. And that was lots of fresh (from the garden) veggies and salads, and lots and lots of in season fruit, and lean meats usually chicken and so forth. Lots of homemade low fat soups with ample ingredients. Nothing fried except the fresh fish that was pan 'fried'. And very few second servings. Moderation was the key. Very rare 'regular' desserts, and that usually fruit pie and icecream. Yes to nuts. Yes to cheese, but small amounts and highly flavored. And very few processed foods of any sort. Main meal at noon, and moderate daily red wine with it for the adults. Followed by afternoon napzzzz.

Most food was simply but well cooked and recognizable (no odd concoctions or even casseroles). But... no olive oil, some beans but not many. And white bread and white pasta. You just dont see much besides white pasta anywhere in Italy - at least that was my experience when traveling. Again it comes down to personal preference.

Its too bad I stopped eating that way for too many years.

I am happy this forum is now here. Jan

[Fat in Hong Kong]

I'm so pleased that this Mediterranean forum has been started :) My family and I love this type of food and I thoroughly enjoy cooking it. My only problem is with portion control :o ... always much, too much, pasta and not enough veggies etc. :mad: But I am trying to change my ways :)

I look forward to swopping recipes and tips with everyone :)

Nichola

[Leenie]

Hi Everyone :wave: