Boo-yon!

I've mentioned it a zillion times already, so I figured it deserved it's own post.

One thing I always have in my kitchen is bouillon. I use it in all sorts of dishes to add quick, robust flavor.
Bouillon cubes are dehydrated, seasoned broth or stock in, surprise!, cube form. To use, you simply have to heat up water and allow the cube to dissolve. I could use actual broth or stock for my cooking purposes, but I typically choose bouillon for the following reasons:

• It is cheap. One box of 6 large cubes (equivalent to about 12 cups of stock), costs less than $2. If you purchase a box or can of stock/broth, you will pay at least $1 for only a cup or 2, and more if you buy something fancier.
• It lasts forever. Well, maybe not forever, but for a very long time.
  
• It takes up a small amount of space in the pantry. My pantry is already packed with cans, boxes, etc. This saves space.
• I can use as much or as little as I want. Sometimes I only use half a cube. Sometimes I use many cubes. When you have a large amount of stock, it requires more work to portion and store properly.
  

If you want to try making your own, here is a good link sent to me from a friend:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/homemade-bouillon-recipe.html

I haven't tried the recipe myself, but it looks good. If you try it, let me know how it works out.

Now, I do use broth or stock sometimes. Homemade stock can add some great flavors to your cooking. It can also be a great way to make use of the icky parts of meat you don't actually eat or the parts of veggies you typically cut off and throw away. On Thanksgiving day I made my own stock to then use for a gravy. I cooked turkey trimming, carrot stubs, potato butts, celery leaves, etc for several hours and then strained it.

Some tips from one of my FOODS text books on making stock:
The more surface of the meat that is exposed to the water, the more flavor that is extracted. This means cutting the meal into small cubes or grinding it. Cooking some bone and some fat with lean meat is thought to improve the flavor. Vegetables and seasonings should be added during the last hour of cooking to avoid the development of undesirable flavors resulting from the overcooking of some vegetables. When cooking is finished, the stock is poured through a colander to remove meat, bone, seasonings, etc. When the stock is cool the hard fat layer may be removed from the top.

The text also offers these definitions FYI:
Bouillon is prepared by seasoning a soup stock. Consomme is an enriched or double-strength bouillon that has been clarified.

So whether you use the cubes, commercially prepared stock, or something homemade, what can you do with it?

• As a soup or stew base
• As a liquid when cooking something in the crock pot
• To make rice or couscous
• To cook greens
• And more! See previously posted recipes (and future ones) for specific suggestions.

Basically, any time you use water to cook something savory, you could use broth, stock or bouillon to add seasoning.

The only caution in using it, is that it does contain a fair amount of sodium. There are low sodium versions available, but I have tried many of them and the taste is hit or miss. So if you are watching your sodium/salt intake, limit the amount you use, or make your own! You can easily make a homemade stock and leave out the salt, or use a minimal amount, and add it other herbs or seasonings as desired.

Do you use stock, broth or bouillon when you cook? Have you tried it as a result of reading this blog? Do you have any good recipes either for making homemade versions or for using it?

Eating On Va-kay

I just got back from a 4ish day trip to Disney World. And while it was tricky at times, I always found a way to eat something relatively healthy and affordable.

Day 1

Breakfast:
I ate a egg and cheese breakfast sandwich from the hotel market/store. This gave me some protein and some carbs for the day ahead. Plus it only cost $5.

Lunch:
While walking around Downtown Disney I spotted a McDonald's. Personally, I'm not a big fan of them on principle, but I do love their fries. And they are pretty cheap and reliable. Instead of getting something fried, I got a large yogurt parfait and ate it outside. Again, this gave me some protein and some carbs, without being too heavy or full of empty calories. Cost $3. Fast food isn't something I normally recommend, but it can be handy in a pinch on the road or when the other options are more $$ or even worse for you. Just try to choose wisely. Try a salad with your sandwich or try the parfait.

Dinner:
For dinner I got to participate in a free company meal. It was a buffet. I got a small sample of a bunch of different items and decided what I liked the best, then I went back for more of that. I did NOT eat everything I got just to clean my plate. If I found I didn't like it, I left it alone. I ended up filling up on shrimp, veggies and beans. Then I indulged in a few adult beverages. ;)

Day 2

Breakfast:
At the end of Day 1, I walked through a small market/shop. It didn't have much, but it did have a sample pack of individual cereals. The cost was $7 for a pack of 8. While this is obviously more than a typical grocery store, I knew this would provide me snacks and easy meals if nothing else was available. So for breakfast on Day 2, I had 2 boxes of dry cereal and an orange that I brought with me from home.

Lunch:
After touring a park all morning, I was starved by lunch time. I was too hungry to wait until I got back from the park, so I ate inside. I checked out the map and found a place with a few options. Then I chose the kid meal instead of the adult. I got a small pizza (basically a slice), grapes, a cookie and milk for $5. It wasn't the healthiest lunch, but it filled me up and saved me the extra cash and calories from a full adult meal.

Snack:
Cereal.

Dinner:
Dinner was another company affair. At this buffet I did the same thing as before and chose a variety, sampled, then filled up on my favorite, leaving the other stuff on the plate. I also tried to choose salad and veggies. I did get dessert, but I only ate a few bites, stopping when I was satisfied...it wasn't thaaat good, so it wasn't worth the calories.

Day 3

Breakfast:
After a long run I knew I needed something more than one box of cereal. So I added some soymilk I picked up at a convenience store for some protein. I also had another orange.

Lunch:
I was starving for lunch! While walking around Epcot I could've picked the first thing I came to, fried fish and fries in England. Instead, I held out for a lighter cuisine. I was able to get a plate full of veggies, tofu and rice in China for $7. Then I shared a beer in Germany with Sir Cakewalk.

Dinner:
At dinner we found ourselves in another park. We checked the map and tried to find something that wouldn't cost too much $ and would be decent. We found a place where I could get a veggie burger. The sandwich came with fries and access to a topping bar for $8. And it was good. Enjoying fries every now and then is not a bad thing. I didn't feel guilty since I had run 5 miles AND walked all day long. Plus, we were at Disney! We had to be a little bad. ;)

Snack:
And carrying on with our badness, we decided to have a late night ice cream snack. I had a float! Yum! And I'm glad I did because we were out until 1am!

Day 4

Breakfast:
For lack of anything else available, I had another egg and cheese sandwich from the hotel shop. I also had a banana.

Lunch:
For lunch we found ourselves at the airport. We scoured the options and found a place that served wraps and salads. I had a veggie wrap with hummus for $8. Sir Cakewalk had chicken curry for the same price.

On the plane we avoided the high calorie snacks and drinks and enjoyed a seltzer water. If you haven't tried it, you should. It IS an acquired taste, but it can be acquired. I used to HATE it. Now I drink it all of the time. It's often free at restaurants and gives you the bubbliness of a soda without the calories or the chemicals.

Then we were home!

When on vacation, you don't have to through your diet our good eating habits out the window. You can still indulge, just do so wisely (make sure it's worth it) and don't go overboard....get the kids option or share something. Do a little planning ahead of time if you can. (I also research food options before I travel.) And you can usually bring some food with you. I brought oranges. And I would have brough some cereal of pretzels if I had had time to hit the grocery before I left. Even little snacks can be a life saver when you are starving and in an unfamiliar place.


Have you traveled lately? What did you eat? How did you keep from spending too much $$ or eating too poorly? Or did you throw caution out the window and eat whatever you wanted?

Reader Question: Stocking Up

Here is a reader question I just received:

"Here's a question for ya that you may have already addressed someone on here. How should we stock our pantries? I've found that we pan our meals each week based on what's on sale and buy those items. However, inevitably we end up working late and the meals we planned take too long to make, or we are not in the mood for anything we actually planned out. So instead we eat out. Are there staple foods that we should always have on hand, or foods that don't really go bad that we should always have to either 1) make a quick adn easy dinner or 2) goes into practically anything so regardless of what your in the mood for you are prepared."

And here is my answer:

Unfortunately I don't have a neat answer for you. Learning how to plan and prepare meals is a life skill that takes time to learn...and it depends greatly on each person's time, cooking skill, monetary situation and taste preferences. But I can address some of your concerns with some suggestions.

First, I would say to keep trying to plan meals. That is a great way to take charge of your diet! But, make an effort to plan meals that are simple to make. Start by planning meals you already know how to make and know you like. You can add a new ingredient to keep it interesting without complicating it too much. For example, I've mentioned it on here already, so forgive my redundancy, but I love making stir fry. I know how to make it and I can change up the ingredients to make countless new versions. It is one of my fall-back staples along with tuna cakes (served with frozen veggies of some sort and maybe some rice or something), and soup. I always keep the staples on hand for these meals and use whatever fresh produce I have on hand to supplement. Which brings me to my next point....

Next you need to figure out what to have on hand as staples. Which is what you asked me, I know, but I can't tell you what to stock any more than I can tell you what to put in your mouth. It will depend on you. However, I can tell you what I stock and how I use them and maybe some of it will relate to you as well. So here is my list of kitchen staples which I always have on hand (in no particular order):

• Give me a B! o! u! i! l! l! i! o! n! What's that spell (assuming I spelled it correctly)? Bouillon! I use this to spruce up just about anything and everything, as you will notice in the recipes I post on here. I use it for soup stock. I use it to wilt greens. I use it to make rice. It is cheap and it lasts forever.
• Rice. I have big boxes of instant brown rice. I use it in stir fry, or as a side.
  
• Couscous. Quicker to make than rice and more versatile. I use it as a side, or it can be used under a thick soup or chili. You can even saute some veggies and shrimp or chicken and toss it all together to make a main dish.
• Pasta. I rarely cook boxed pasta. Personally I think it has little taste and only adds calories to a dish. But in a pinch you can always boil some water, cook some pasta and throw some sauce on it. If I have extra meat or veggies, I will toss those into the sauce to bulk it up.
• Canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, paste, pizza sauce and pasta sauce. The last two have an obvious purpose. Sir Cakewalk has learned how to make pizza from scratch, so we always have sauce on hand. But you can also buy the packets for dough or the premade crusts and add your own toppings and sauce. Makes dinner in 15 minutes and much better than Pizza Slut. Canned tomatoes can go into a quick soup or chili (on friday I made vegetarian chili in 15 minutes flat.) They can also make a homemade sauce or you can cook them and stir them into rice. Sauce and paste go into tons of dishes. Trust me, just have them on hand.
• Canned beans. Sometimes I just serve baked beans with tuna cakes and veggies. Or you can make chili or you can make soup or you can make a cold bean salad. Endless possibilities.
• Canned tuna for tuna cakes. I buy it on sale and stock up.
• Grits. I like greens with grits or shrimp and grits.
• Cereal. If we can't think of anything to make, sometimes we will have cereal for dinner, especially in the summer when its too hot to cook.
• Salsa. I put salsa on potatoes ($1 at Wendy's), mix it with rice, use it for burritos or tacos, put it on chicken, etc etc.
  
• Canned soup. It's not my favorite but it works in a pinch.
  
• Onions. Someone on the show Chopped once said "onions are like underwear, ya gotta have em." I couldn't agree more. I use them ALL of the time. And they last a very long time. So I buy them by the bag.
• Breadcrumbs. I use them for tuna cakes and many recipes call for them. So I always have them.
• EVOO.
  
• Vinegar. I have a smorgesbourd of vinegars. I use them for dressings, for greens, for marinades, etc.
  
• Milk.
  
• Eggs. You never know when you'll need an egg. And if they are going bad, make a fritatta!
• Butter.
• Cheese. Sandwiches, pizza, sprinkled on top of pasta, etc. I usually have sliced cheese and grated on hand as well as a hard cheese like asiago. I love making paninis on the george forman and serving with some soup.
• Soy Sauce.
• Frozen vegetables. Look for your favorites to be on sale and stock up. I toss them into soups and sauces and also saute them as a quick side. I also have broccoli and peppers at a minimum.
  

There are more things, I'm sure. I have a well-stocked pantry and fridge. But that should give you a basic idea. From there I purchase fresh seafood, meat, produce, etc as needed. Basically, if you're at a loss, go for a protein (chicken, beef, tofu, shrimp, etc.). Saute it with some seasoning and herbs or grill it or whatever. Then get some veggies. Pull out some frozen ones or use up something fresh you have on hand. Then, make a starch: rice, couscous, etc. That is the basic formula for many of my meals.

Otherwise I would say to keep reading my blog for meal ideas. I'm not saying that just to keep your attention...but because I can't think of all the recipes and meals I would recommend right now. But I have been trying to post meal ideas and to show how to use staple ingredients to put together meals.

I would also say to push past your moods. I know it isn't easy, but if you are serious about making your meals, force yourself to do it. If you've planned out a meal, make it. Or make something similar but easier. Maybe make it a fun, team effort. I know that won't always be an option so I would also say that....

There is nothing wrong with eating out if you do it mindfully. When I eat out I TRY to first choose a place that I know has healthy/lighter options. I don't give up right away and head for the burger joint or pizza place. But even if I go to those places, I still try to make the best choice I can. I might get a burger (or veggie burger), but I'll get a salad instead of fries. Or I'll share with Sir Cakewalk so that we only split one burger and fries. It doesn't have to be a total loss.

It's hard to always be prepared, and its impossible to know what you'll be in the mood for. So try to plan out things that are simple and that you really like or are excited to make. Even if I'm tired, if I have a meal I'm looking forward to, I'll crank it out. And I'm almost always glad I did.

Good luck!

And remember, you can always play "What's In Your Pantry?" And send me a list of some of your staples and your food preferences and I'll try to help you come up with meals you like.

Vacation = Running + Fruit ??? Only For A Nutritionist

In two days I get to go to Disney World. Yay!

I'll have 2.5 days by myself to do as I please (Sir Cakewalk will be in trainings/meetings.)

So what do I plan to do???

I plan to run at least twice. I have to do my long run on Saturday and will probably do a short run as well. I have already downloaded maps of running trails.


I also plan to take advantage of the gym/spa. I'll probably do a light workout and then steam it up or go hot tubbin. I might also get a massage or some other fancy treatment. Although I have to wonder....will Pluto be my massage therapist? I don't think I can handle having a Disney character seeing me partially in the nude.

I'm kinda sad we are missing the Disney Marathon by a week. I love watching marathons. If you haven't seen one, you should. Very inspirational.

I'm not going to be a total fitness dork. I also plan to walk around Epcot, maybe ride some rides, etc. And I'll get to visit the parks with Cakewalk when he is out of meetings.

So the only other question is what to pack. Amongst all of the clothing decisions, I have one other decision to make. Will I bring some of my own food?

I know, right now you think I'm crazy and you may even right off this blog as the ramblings of a truly deranged nutrition obsesser. But, this is something to consider when planning a trip. It's hard enough to eat well at home, let alone when you are in a strange place with no kitchen and trying not to spend an arm and a leg.

While Cakewalk gets all his meals covered, I will be on my own for breakfast and lunch. I'm sure I can meander around Disney (especially Epcot) and find a decent lunch (although I'm sure it'll cost $$$.) But for breakfast I'm not so sure. I typically hate room service. And I don't like to eat a lot in the morning anyway. But it IS the most important meal of the day. So I was considering bringing some apples, bananas, and maybe some cereal that can be eaten dry as well as some snacks. Is that too crazy???

Hopefully I just don't get in trouble for taking an apple on a plane!

More Vietnamese, Please!

Have you tried Vietnamese food?

I am a fan of almost all ethnic cuisine. I love Indian food, Ethiopian, real Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, etc etc. Besides being delicious, many true ethnic foods are rather healthy...especially if you know what to look for or look out for.

While I don't know as much about it as many of the others, Vietnamese food seems to be a really healthy option for those looking to try something new. Many dishes contain seafood, tofu, lean meats, and lots of veggies (but not all at the same time necessarily.)


My favorite dish is Pho (pictured above), pronounced like "fun" without the "n." It's a noodle soup with a broth base. The broth is very complex and the noodles are small and light. From there it will contain whatever you order. I like either veggie, tofu or seafood pho. When it comes to your table you will get a large bowl of soup and several additions on the side including fresh herbs, jalapeno, bean sprouts, lime, etc so that you can add as much or as little ask you like.

It is a very light yet filling dish...and you typically get a large portion for you money.

I also love summer rolls. These are the rolls you may have seen at the grocery store in the sushi section. They resemble egg rolls, but are wrapped in a thin, translucent rice paper and are not fried. They usually contain spring, herbs, cucumber, etc and are served cold with a peanut dipping sauce. So refreshing on a hot day! (But good in the winter too.) ;)



But today I am having something new, a vietnamese sub sandwich. I'm eating it as I type and it is soooo good. Mine has freshly baked bread like a baguette. Then it has a layer of grilled tofu that you would think was marinated chicken (I promise it's unlike anything you consider tofu-ish). Then it has pickled carrots, pickled daikon, cucumber, fresh cilantro and fresh jalapenos. It's served warm. Soooooo good! Sooooo much better than a certain other typical sub option (although that can be good too for a light meal.)

If you have not had Vietnamese food, I highly recommend it. If you are in the Raleigh area, I'd be happy to dine with you, to help you navigate the menu (same for any ethnic cuisine that you may be unfamiliar with.) I know where many of the better restaurants are and I'm pretty familiar with many of the dishes.

What is your favorite ethnic food? (And no, taco bell tacos don't count.)

What is your favorite ethnic restaurant? I'm always looking for new places to try.

Nothing Says "Good Mornin Sunshine!" Like A Hot, Steamy....

....bowl of oatmeal or hot cereal.

Most of us know oatmeal is good for us. But not all oatmeal/hot cereal is created equal. Many are packed with extra sugar and calories and minimal fiber or protein. So I did an inspection of the options while at Trader Joe's this weekend.

And I found a new product I love!

It's Trader Joe's Cranberry Hot Cereal (it has other grains besides just oats, hence the name.) It comes in individual packets, making it easy to take to work. It's instant, but doesn't turn too mushy like some instant oatmeals. And the cranberries add an extra zing of flavor. I may even add in a sprinkle of my own berries, just to beef it up a little more.

But best of all, it's really good for me! One packet has 160 calories, 6 grams of fiber and some protein as well.

For breakfast this morning I had a bowl of this cereal and about a cup of fresh pineapple I chopped up last night. Very filling and super tasty!

What is your favorite Trader Joe's product?

What did you eat for breakfast this morning?

Whoooooa, Nellie! (Don't Do Too Much Too Soon!)

Let's see a show of hands....

How many of you recently started a new exercise/training regime?

It's the time of year when people roll off the couch, squeeze into some workout clothes and hit the gym full force. If this is you, you probably have a goal or ideal you are working towards.

So what is it?

• Have you registered for a 8k?
• Have you signed up for a triathlon?
• Have you decreed that you will work out every single day?
• Have you decided this is the year you will mimic the contestants on the Biggest Loser: losing a lot of weight very quickly by working out for extended periods of time and forcing your body to do things it isn't ready to do?

Have you set yourself up for failure? Or worse, injury?

It seems many of my friends and colleagues these days are training for something. As a long time runner, many who are training for a running event come to me for advice. The question I hear most often is "How do I get faster/finish my race in a specific time frame?" One friend and I recently had a discussion on this topic. She is new to running and showing great strides in her abilities. But she is still "slow." After our talk, she showed me an article from beginningtriathlete.com While the particulars may not apply to you, I think the advice applies to all beginning runners/new athletes/those with new workout goals. Here are some excerpts:

"From the Forum: I just began training for triathlon two months ago. I've really accomplished a lot (if you figure I started from zero) in that I can now run 5K without walking, consistently. However, my pace is about 10:20 per mile on an outdoor course. I'm 41 years old, female. Looking at the splits from a local triathlon, that pace is not very good even for women my age, who average about 8:30 per mile.With my first triathlon scheduled for March, when should I start to worry/concentrate on getting faster? And how do I get faster?"

And the response from Eric Conway:

"This is likely the most common question in the forum and I always feel compelled to answer.

First of all, congratulate yourself for converting to becoming a runner. Keep it up, the benefits are immense.

Now, about your comparison to local triathlete splits. I don't know how you determined your own pace, but remember the averages around 8:30 min/mile were during a race for which many of those women had trained for months, peaked in training, then tapered for the race. Some of these women may have been runners for some time, possibly for years. If you just went outside and ran a 5K on local roads, with only two months of running under your belt and NOT in a race situation, of course you will be slower than those times. This is the proverbial comparing apples to oranges and it can lead to erroneous (and potentially harmful) conclusions.

Let's be realistic here. You are 41 (though this is NOT a limiting factor!), new to running, and have only been training for a total of two months. You should consider a 10 minute/mile pace as a very good pace and feel proud that you are there so soon. I bet there are a number of people training in the same age group who would love a 10:20 pace. But, alas, we all want to improve (otherwise why would we care?! ) so make sure you do it smartly. Nothing can cut short your 'career' as a runner as a running injury.

For now, let's forget the idea of 'speed work' and/or sprint workouts. Until you are an experienced and strong runner, speed work will not provide you any realistic benefit and will very likely cause serious injury. One of my favorite triathlon authors states that there should be NO speed work in your training until you have run consistently for a minimum of 1 year (and up to 3 years for older and/or heavier athletes). Rushing your body into speedwork is irresponsible and generally a bad idea. Also, most beginning runners have enough areas to improve that a speed increase comes naturally as you become a regular runner."



I can't agree more with this article! As a runner who has faced injury time and again, only now have I begun to learn the importance of sound training, taking my time, listening to my body, and setting realistic goals.

I don't know what your goals are. And I am not trying to be a downer or kill your motivation. I am sooooo proud of you for taking charge of your health and attempting to do what most Americans consider a waist of time (had to put a pun in there.) I just want you to do it correctly, to set yourself up for victory in achieving your goals and in laying the foundation for a permanent lifestyle change.

So set realistic goals. (I am running a half marathon in a few months and my goal is to finish.)

Take your time.

Don't overdo it. You don't have to work out all of the time to reap the rewards. Just be consistent.

Be prepared. Make sure you are wearing the right clothes, have good shoes, use proper equipment, etc. You don't have to spend a lot of money, but sometimes a small investment will pay off huge dividends.

And, most importantly, LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. If someting hurts (beyond a sore muscle or two), take it easy. If it still hurts after rest and proper attention, back off your training/schedule, you're probably doing too much or working too hard. The more you push, the worse it will probably get. Better to nip it in the bud early than let it become a serious injury that puts you out of commission for a long time.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!