Friday, June 27, 2008

Indulgence

I would like to start off with - I believe in all things in moderation. As Nigella Lawson said 'I can't live on 1000 calories a day' and neither can I. To me to fully be able to enjoy food you have to be able to eat. Living off low fat, low calorie foods only can deplete you palate and make food boring. You have to indulge every once in awhile, have a slice of chocolate cake with real cream ice cream, have a hamburger with all the fixins including actual cheese, have tuna salad with (gasp) full fat mayo, or maybe even a sour apple martini. All these things taste great, they are comfort food, and they bring you a level of pleasure that you should not deny yourself. I am not saying have them all the time, but do have them. Indulgence helps to keep us mental sane at times.

With that being said it is possible to over-indulge. And those of us that have been to an all you can eat dessert buffet know all about that. So below I have posted some tips from RealAge that can help you deal with the times when you have taken things just a little bit too far.

Eat less/sweat more the day before and after. "If you know you're heading for a weekend of excess," says Hall, "squeeze in a workout and eat 300 fewer calories the day before the partying begins." Same goes for the day after. But don't punish yourself by skipping a meal -- it'll just make you cranky and hungry. Limit portions or forgo a snack," like a blueberry muffin or small bag of potato chips (about 300 calories each).

Curb carbs at lunch and dinner. Hall is known throughout the UK for her Carb Curfew diet, which "means no starchy carbs -- bread, pasta, rice, potatoes or cereal -- after 5 pm." And for food-filled weekends, she says turn the carb alarm back to noon. Why? "Chances are your fat intake will be higher on these days, pushing up your calorie intake, and with party food, it's often easier to avoid carbs than fatty foods."

Drink up! Lots of water, that is. A boozy weekend can leave you dehydrated and too hung over to stomach your usual workout. Hall's advice: Drink plenty of water during and after endless cocktail hours or a wild weekend. As for post-party exercise, go for a walk instead of a full workout, "especially if you have a sore head!"
Eat a big bowl of veggie soup. "Foods with a high water content help stave off hunger and make you feel full. Studies show that dieters who follow this advice tend to stick to their plan without feeling unsatisfied or deprived." So before you leave home, slurp up a big bowl of vegetable soup.
Shake your booty. "Sometimes you just have to go out and burn a little more energy," says Hall. But here's the good news: One of the all-time best calorie-burners is the dance floor. So get out there and cut yourself a big old slice of rug. You'll wind up boogieing away a few hundred calories before the night is through.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Deep Fried Chocolate Bars


To my calorie conscious friends this just sounds like a horrid abomination, but once you try this tasty little treat you will be hooked.

Now I am not saying that these are to be consumed daily, weekly or even monthly but as a treat every once in awhile they are great.

What could be better than your favorite chocolate bar warm and gooey, incased in a golden crispy batter. Don’t deny it, the thought of it has you salivating!!

Ingredients
1 Mars bar or Milky Way bar or Snickers bar basically your favorite chocolate bar
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup cornflour
1 pinch baking soda
milk
oil (for deep frying)

Directions


1. Chill the chocolate bar by keeping it in the fridge, but don't freeze it.
2. Mix the flours and baking soda together.
3. Add milk until you get a batter with the consistency of thin cream.
4. Heat the oil until a small piece of bread will brown in a few seconds, but don't allow to smoke.
5. Remove wrapper from chilled chocolate bar.
6. Coat completely in batter.
7. Carefully lower into hot oil and fry until golden brown.
8. Serve, with ice cream, if you're so inclined.

Funnel Cake Recipe


To me funnel cake represents the perfect way to end a day in an amusement park. After a day filled with foot long hot dogs and blue Icees, the best way to end the day is with a funnel cake. But no ordinary funnel cake; one covered in powdered sugar, strawberries and ice cream.

I do make them at home, but for some reason it just seems to taste better after a day of screaming your lungs out on Vortex.

So here is my recipe (actually it is Rachael Ray's recipe) for funnel cake but it is one I use and I haven't had any complaints yet.

Funnel Cake

Ingredients
3 cups of vegetable oil
4 cups of flour
1/3 cup of granulated sugar
2 teaspoons of baking powder
½ teaspoon of salt
2 ½ cups of milk
3 large eggs
Icing sugar for dusting / toppings

Directions

1. In a deep medium skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it registers 350º to 375º on a deep-fat thermometer.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center and add the milk and eggs; whisk until smooth.

3. Transfer the batter to a gallon-size resealable plastic bag, remove the excess air and seal the top. With scissors, snip off a corner to make a 1/4-inch-wide hole. Carefully squeeze about 1 cup batter (one-eighth of the mixture) back and forth into the oil, making a free-form lacy web. Cook until golden on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Using tongs, turn the cake over and cook until golden on the other side, about 1 minute more. Transfer the funnel cake to paper towels to drain briefly. Repeat with the remaining batter.

4. Dust the funnel cakes with powdered sugar/toppings and serve hot.

Ways to beat cravings

1. Keep your sugar substitutes, such as Sweet'n Low and Splenda, to a minimum. These are great products for adding sweetness to a beverage or cereal. But too much might trigger your craving for something really sweet - like a slice of pie or ice cream!

2. Avoid foods high in sodium, including Chinese takeout, chips, canned soups, and some frozen dinners. Sodium not only makes you retain fluids but also acts as an appetite stimulant and contributes to heart disease.

3. Avoid foods high in fat, including ice cream, baked goods, and chips. Some of these foods may contain trans fat, but even if they don't, the fat means you're taking in too many calories, and this will no doubt upset your caloric goals for the day.

4. Avoid alcohol. An occasional glass of wine or light beer is a pleasure I don't want to deny you. But it's easy to forget that alcohol contains a lot of hidden calories - 80-90 calories per glass of wine and 120 calories per beer. If you have between three and five drinks per week, that's around 250-500 extra calories per week! Alcohol also lowers your inhibitions and may lead to less-than-good food choices.

5. Caffeine is a stimulant and one many of us rely on to wake us up in the morning or give us that extra oomph when our energy lags in the afternoon. But do keep in mind that too much caffeine can be bad for us, stressing our bodies, depleting our bones of calcium, and eventually making us more tired than wakeful.

Restaurant Review - Oyster Boy




Oyster Boy
872 Queen Street West,
Toronto, ON
(416) 534-3432
http://www.oysterboy.ca/



This is a review for those of us that love seafood, in this case the oyster.
It doesn't matter whether it is dipped in a beer batter or panko bread crumbs and fried to a beautiful golden brown. Or delectably grilled on an open flame with the flavours of cedar infusing into it. Or sautéed in sweet butter with garlic, shallots and provencial herbs. Or even steeped in a fragrant broth surrounded seasonal vegetables and a piece of crusty bread ready for the dipping.
My favourite way to eat seafood, more specifically the jewel of the sea; the oyster, is raw. And nobody does it better than Oyster Boy on Queen West in Toronto. The restaurant itself is situated right next to Trinity-Bellwood's Park in Parkdale. From the outside it looks like a local dive bar, with its black paint and military looking logo. You may even do a double take when you enter the restaurant, not sure about whether or not you are in an eatery or a bar. It has pub style sitting with tall chairs and wood topped tables, that can be described as rustic and cozy. But the ambience is just right. It doesn't have the pretentiousness of 'finer' dining establishments, it has a homey feel.


The servers are excellent; they are fast, attentive and friendly. They are willing to explain the difference between the many types of oysters that they serve and they are even willing to go through the menu and explain the items.


Now for the food. Firstly the prepared items are delicious and absolutely enjoyable. The deep fried oysters with the wonderful mayonnaise, is heaven on a plate. And the Oysters Rockefeller are prepared wonderfully. The raw oysters are amazing. The selection cannot be found anywhere else, and the taste of a fresh oyster is like nothing you have ever had before. With over 6 varieties of oysters there is something to satisfy even the most 'selective' diner. They can be purchased individually or in dozens. And it is really easy to go through a dozen and not even realize it. Also, if you're not sure about which type of oyster is right for you, just ask the server!
For those that are not to keen on oysters the seafood platter is the thing for you. It's loaded with fish, and shrimp.


As you can probably tell Oyster Boy is one of my favorite restaurants. Since finding it by accident almost three years ago, I have been back many, many, many times and can't wait for my next trip back.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

is there anything out there that we can still eat??

I am not big on fast food. I mean when there are so many other options out there I would rather eat but I am a realist. I know that there are times when you don't have the time to go home a make a healthy, satisfying meal and a Big mac is easy, fast and tastes really dang good. I don't live in a cave, I know that in order to make these things taste so good and make money fast food restaurants don't always use the freshest, high quality ingredients. So when studies come out stating the obvious - just how bad fast food is for us, I am never really surprised, mildly disgusted, but not surprised.

The latest 'bad thing' that scientists have been saying is in our food is high fructose corn syrup. If you watch The View you know that high fructose corn syrup is bad for you. Whoopi has mentioned several times that it was banned from food product because it was bad for you and then the government removed the ban. Like every other additive in food, I never really paid attention to it though, until now.

This is the first time that I have ever decided to search for a list of the actual foods containing HFCS and dang!! It's a long a$$ list!! And this is only a list of the foods from fast food restaurants, the list of the products that are on grocery shelves for daily consumption is even longer!!

So have a gander, maybe this will help you make some 'better' choices, if there is anything on the menu left to eat.

ARBYS
Arby's Fat Free Italian Dressing
Honey Wheat Bread
Light Balsamic Vinaigrette Raspberry Vinaigrette
Santa Fe Ranch Dressing
Spicy Brown Honey Mustard
Blimpie Blue Cheese Dressing
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Cinnamon Roll
Fat Free Italian Dressing
Fudge Brownie
Honey French Dressing
Marbled Rye Roll
Mustard Potato Salad
Potato Salad
Sweet Peppers
Thousand Island Dressing

BURGER KING

Burger King Breakfast Syrup
Buffalo Sauce
Chocolate Shake Syrup
Coca Cola Classic
Corn Dusted Buns Croissant (Croissan'wich)
Dr Pepper
Dutch Apple Pie
Hershey's Sundae Pie
Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
Honey Mustard Spread
Icee - Coca Cola Classic
Icee - Minute Maid Cherry
Ketchup
Milk Shake Milk,
1% Lowfat Chocolate
Mott's Strawberry Flavored Applesauce
Sesame Seed Buns
Specialty Buns
Sprite
Steak Sauce
Strawberry Shake Syrup
Tartar Sauce
Chick-fil-a Barbecue Sauce
Blue Cheese Dressing Buttermilk
Ranch Dressing
Carrot & Raisin Salad
Carrot & Raisin Salad Chicken Salad
Cup Chick-fil-A Southwest Chargrilled Salad
Chocolate syrup ingredients
Dr Pepper
Fat Free Honey Mustard Dressing
Fudge Nut Brownie
Garlic and Butter Croutons
Honey Mustard Sauce
Honey Roasted BBQ Sauce
Honey Roasted Sunflower Kernels
Polynesian Sauce
Reduced Fat Raspberry Vinaigrette
Sunflower Multigrain Bagel
Thousand Island Dressing
Yeast rolls

DAIRY QUEEN

Dairy Queen Chocolate Cold Fudge

KFC

KFC Potato Salad
Apple Pie Slice
Cherry Cheesecake Parfait
Lemon Meringue Pie
Lil' Bucket Chocolate Crème
Lil' Bucket Fudge Brownie
Lil' Bucket Lemon Crème
Lil' Bucket Strawberry Short Cake
Strawberry Crème Pie Slice
Apple Pie Mini's
Mott's Apple Sauce

MCDONALDS

McDonald's 1% Low Fat Chocolate Milk Jug
Baked Apple Pie
Barbeque Sauce
Big Mac Bun
Big Mac Sauce
Biscuit
Butter Garlic Croutons
Chocolate Triple Thick Shake
Coca-Cola Classic
Deluxe Warm Cinnamon Roll
English Muffin
Hi-C Orange
Lavaburst
Honey Wheat Roll
Hot Caramel Sundae
Hot Mustard Sauce
Hotcakes
Ketchup
Low Fat Caramel Dip (for Apple Dippers)
McDonaldland Cookies
McFlurry with Oreo Cookies
McRib
Newman's Own Cobb Dressing
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie
POWERade Mountain Blast
Regular Bun
Sesame Seed Bun
Southwestern Chipotle Barbeque Sauce
Sprite
Strawberry Sundae
Strawberry Triple Thick Shake
Sweet 'N Sour Sauce

Subway

Chicken Strips, Teriyaki Glazed
Chipotle Soutwest Sauce
Chocolate Chunk Cookie
Deli Style Roll
Fat Free Honey Mustard
Peanut Butter
Sourdough Bread
Wheat Bread

TACO BELL

Taco Bell Caramel Apple Empanada
Citrus Salsa
Pizza Sauce
Salsa

Monday, June 23, 2008

I love you berry berry much!!

Summer is here in the great white North, and you know what that means???

The food is even better!! It's fresher, sweeter, juicer, crunchier, and easier to find.

I went to a farmers market this weekend and was in a state of bliss. I was surrounded by produce that was picked the day before, freshly baked breads and pies, and eggs that were selected that morning.

And the berries, I have to mention them seperately, they were simply mouth-watering. The red ripe raspberries, the plump juicy strawberries and the delicious cherries, they overwhelmed my senses. They presented so many possiblities; jams, jellies, preserves, pies, ice creams, in salads, and as snacks, I could barely contain myself.

It was a foodies dream!!

I Heart Food

I am a foodie at heart. I love just about any kind of food out there and my waistline can atest to that.

Because of that I figured this could be my forum for expressing my love or ( in the rare instance) dislike for all the restaurants, roadside stands and random forms of nourishment that I come across.

A foodie fanatic   © 2008. Template Recipes by Emporium Digital

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