Frances Ellen Speaks!

Archive for the ‘Cooking’ Category

I’m sorry, but when I’m determined to eat a healthier diet and try to get back in shape, I can’t do it without counting calories. All of these other popular diet plans do nothing for me.

Once I become aware of how many calories I’m putting into my stomach, I begin to adjust and to understand how much I can eat and when I should stop.

A good rule to follow in life is “everything in moderation.” That’s the rule I follow when I decide to take off some pounds. After counting calories for a while, my mind and my body eventually come to a happy understanding and eating right becomes second nature.

In the beginning, though, to get myself on track, I go to my favorite site for help counting calories.

http://www.prevention.com/health/

The site has helpful diet hints, but best of all, if you put in your current weight and plug in the amount of pounds you want to lose in a specified time, it calculates the number of calories you can eat in one day in order to reach your goal. Is that somethin’, or what?

Then you list the foods you eat during the day in the Health Tracker. It’s a snap. Sometimes, I even plan my meals for the following day.

Now I’m going in the kitchen to cook some pasta. Pasta? Yep. Because according to my Health Tracker, I’ve only eaten 861 calories today and it’s time for dinner.

I’m not in a huge hurry to lose my weight and I have a lot to lose. However, I’m not a person who is going to starve myself. I’ve given myself two years to lose 80 pounds.

There’s a method to my madness, because in order to do that, I can eat a whopping 1800 calories a day and still take all that weight off. Plus I can easily continue to eat that many calories after the weight melts slowly away. I don’t intend to gain it back!

Just for the record, 1 cup of cooked pasta equals 176 calories. And according to the site’s calculation, I can eat 2 cups without walking away with a busted-up conscience.

Need more laid-back inspiration?    Success or Failure?

Got to go and get that water boiling.

1 lb. ground beef, lean
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 or 2 cans of your favorite vegetable (or leftover veggies)
Instant Mashed Potatoes, you choose the amount of servings
OPTIONALS: Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 can Creamed Corn

Cook beef and onions in skillet until the meat is browned. Spoon into a baking casserole dish.

Prepare instant mashed potatoes. Add Shredded Cheddar, if you like. ** Place the prepared potatoes around the edges of the casserole dish on top of the beef.

Fill the center with vegetables (If using canned veggies, remember to drain beforehand.)

Bake in 425 oven for 15 minutes.   Serves 3 or 4 people.

**FOR A CHANGE OF PACE – Pour the can of creamed corn, straight from the can, over the beef, BEFORE adding the potatoes and veggies. Great!

I’ve already demonstrated how to cook perfect hard-boiled eggs in my previous post, and they are the first items on my snack list, as well as on Heidi Klum’s.

1. 2 Hard-boiled Eggs (only 150 calories)
2. Eat your favorite cereal straight from the box. No milk? More cereal!
3. Look for The Laughing Cow light cheese spread triangles in the dairy case. 1 triangle = 35 calories. (I can vouch for the Swiss flavor–it doesn’t taste like artificial muck!) 1 triangle easily covers 6 or 7 saltine crackers.
4. Rice Cake smeared with 1/2 tablespoon peanut butter and 1/2  sliced banana
5. Low-fat Cottage Cheese with plenty of fresh blueberries mixed in
6. Listen up! There are 15 calories in a tablespoon of ReddiWip. Think about that. You can add some really good zippitydoodah to that blah jello. Live a little. Spritz on two whole tablespoons. I’m not talking about that fat free stuff, either. This is the real deal. Jello with fruit with a large dollop of whipped cream. Heaven help us!

Helpful Hints You Probably Already Know:

• Don’t drink your calories.
• Stay away from sweets.
• Eat every morsel of food s-l-o-w-l-y.
• Be realistic. If you lose one pound in a week, that’s “great.” If you lose 1/2 pound in a week, that’s “very, very good.”
• Homemade vegetable soup is your friend. It’s easy to make. Empty a large can of chicken broth into a pot. Put every imaginable vegetable you have handy (fresh or frozen) into the broth. Cook over medium heat for at least an hour. Separate into 2-cup containers (or larger, if you want – there’s no limit to the amount you can eat). Then keep the containers handy in the frig and freezer.
• I’m not even going to mention exercise, because that’s such a pain in the butt. But remember, if you walk down every aisle in the supermarket, or you shop at the mall. Hey, you’re walking–Excellent!
• Most Important – Don’t beat yourself up. If you hate broiled scallops, but love fried scallops, what the heck. Order them, but fill the rest of your plate with veggies. Also start you meal with a salad. And stick with the cocktail sauce, not the tartar sauce. There you are–no guilty conscience at all.

“It’s so hard to peel a hard-boiled egg.” I hear this complaint over and over again. Therefore, I think it is time for me to share my secret.

Also, you might like to know. Heidi Klum’s exercise guru says that Heidi insists hard boiled eggs be available for that time of day when she needs to have a snack, something filling, but low in calories.

So, here you have it. This takes exactly 20 minutes.

Gently place eggs in pan. Cover with water. Eggs should fit tightly in the pan. You don’t want them rolling around while boiling.

Place pan on burner set on “high.”

The 20 minutes starts now. Set your timer.

Only lower the heat if your pot begins to spit or overflow, but keep the water boiling.

When the timer goes off, plunge the pan under cold running water and fill the pan immediately with ice cubes. The eggs must chill rapidly. Shut off the water and allow pan with cubes to sit for 10 minutes. Replenish ice cubes, if necessary.

Refrigerate eggs.

Now, for the crucial peeling. Crack the shell, not just a little. After you’ve started to crack it, roll it lightly along the counter. It will almost begin to peel itself. Finish peeling. Voila! Beautiful, shiny, smooth egg – ready to eat. Enjoy.

Here’s a story about Buttermilk Pie.

A few years ago, my friend went to Texas for a week. She ate lunch in the same diner every afternoon for a week, and each time, she topped her meal off with their buttermilk pie. She had never tasted it before. By the end of the week, she managed to wangle the recipe from the cook.

When she returned to work, she laid the recipe on my desk and said, “Make it. You won’t be sorry.” I said, “Why don’t you make it?” She said, “I know it will taste better if you make it for me.”

The truth is anyone can make it. And I’ve never tasted anything quite like it. The best part – it’s mistake-proof. Take that as my word of honor, since I am not and never will be a superb baker. Great cook–yes! Baker–no!

You’ve got to try this.

Buttermilk Pie

1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup buttermilk
3 eggs
1 tsp real vanilla
pinch of salt
1 pie shell (9 inch) (I use a ready made Pillsbury shell. You thaw it and then roll it into the pie pan–easy)

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into pie shell. Bake at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes. Top of pie will be golden brown.

Someone asked me this week, if I had any good recipes for Bruschetta. Here they are. If you use a smaller loaf of bread, like French bread, the tasty morsels automatically become Crostini. You can serve them as an appetizer, while waiting for the main course to be served, or eat them right along with your meal. Superb!

Bruschetta – Tomato & Basil

Use 8 thick slices of Italian bread

Rub both sides with 2 large halved cloves of garlic OR sprinkle sparingly with garlic powder

Brush both sides with virgin olive oil

Toast the bread or, if you prefer, broil in oven-making sure to brown both sides.

Combine:

4 ripe tomatoes, cored and diced

½ cup fresh basil, chopped

Salt, pepper

Spread on bread or serve separately so that each guest can prepare their own.

Bruschetta – Tomato & Mozzarella

Prepare Italian bread as above, but DO NOT toast.

Top each slice of bread with shredded mozzarella. Broil till the cheese is bubbling. Remove from oven and top each slice with diced fresh tomato and fresh or dried oregano. (Go easy on the oregano)

Bruschetta – Garlic, Butter and Cheese

Use 8 thick slices of Italian bread

Spread with thin coat of butter (real butter)

Sprinkle with garlic powder (sparingly)

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese covering the entire surface

Broil until golden

Top each slice with diced fresh tomatoes or eat “as is” with no tomato added.