Sunday, March 25, 2007

Health Food


Nourishing: my two new favorite health food obsessions.
1. Quinoa: Pronounced Keen-wa, this a delicious grain-like thing (I know very little about food and less about cooking, fyi) that is full of nutrients and protein, can be used in place of rice anywhere you might put rice, and doesn't even count as a carb. I learned about it from my far healthier, Berkeley-living, vegetable-growing, organic-food-eating, marathon-running sister who is still completely edgy and cool, but can teach me about healthy stuff when necessary. It is terrific on salads and actually turns them into a meal, to which even my Jets-loving, meat-eating, non-health-food-trusting TT can attest. (He asked me to point out here that he does run regularly, so as not to be misrepresented as a football-watching coach potato.)
2. Kombucha tea: this is a bizarre tea grown from a floating living organism-thing that looks like a huge mushroom and has lots of super-healthy enzymes and probiotic powers. All I know is, drink one and it feels like sonic caffeine on a perfect time-release program with no crash--it lasts literally all day. The gingerberry one even tastes kind of good. Like all good things except sugar, I don't think you're supposed to indulge in this when you're pregnant.

Neutral: tofu.
Yes, tofu is very good for you and as I am now forced to eat it regularly because Isabel eats it all the time but never gets through half the package in the 5 allotted days and otherwise it would go to waste, I have discovered that it can be okay...meaning, it tastes like soy sauce if you saute it in soy sauce, and etc. But I'm sorry, I just can't give this gummy little substance more than a neutral. Maybe it's just me and my horrible cooking.

Depleting (for me, anyway): egg whites.
I know these are supposed to be healthy and I used to like them. However, now that Isabel eats egg yolks 4-5 times a week (I go with what works and pray she doesn't get bored), what am I supposed to do? I eat the hard-boiled whites 4-5 times a week, standing in the kitchen and making silly faces at her as I shove them in my mouth and call it lunch. Just thinking about them right now as I type makes me want to hurl, but fast forward to lunch time and guess what I'll be doing. So while others are free to enjoy their egg-white omelettes and feel healthy and virtuous, on my list they've been denigrated to depleting.

11 comments:

Carrie Wilson Link said...

I'll take your word for it! I'm super happy with my high fat, high carb, high sugar, low-protein diet! SUPER happy!

Suzy said...

Ok on the Quinoa, icky on the tea or any tea for that matter-Tofu- a health friend of mine ruined it when she served To-Furkey hot dogs.
Yeh, I'll go back to that again.
LOVE LOVE egg whites and give the dogs the yolk for their shiny coat.
See? You and Miss I will end up with shiny coats!

Ask Me Anything said...

omg--suzy and I are totally in sync. Yeah Quinoa. Ick-Tea and the only way to eat tofu is fried in sesame oil with soy sauce and japanese eggplant.

Also, Just put some celery and mayo on those egg whites and now you're talking!

Jerri said...

You're the third person who's endorsed quinoa to me this week. Guess I'm gonna have to try it.

Thanks for the healthy ideas.

kario said...

Hmmm, I love quinoa, too, but the tea sounds a little scary. I'll stick to coffee in the morning and chocolate in the afternoon for my rush, thank you.

Tofu is my friend when it's spongy and soaks up extra phad thai or peanut sauce, but only then.

I'm with Terry - make egg salad with the egg whites and spread it on some yummy bread with fresh tomatoes - yum!

P.S. You are a hoot!

Deb Shucka said...

You could be writing for a magazine with this stuff! I like saying quinoa way more than I like eating it. The tea has me intrigued - I'll let you know.

holly said...

Yummy Quinoa - Trader Joe's has an excellent quinoa in a box. Do you have TJs there? Love trader joes for letting me eat well AND not have to cook. Thanks Joe.

2. The tea- can't get past the taste.
3. Try chunking and freezing the tofu, then stir-frying. get's rid of that icky texture.
4. egg whites - soon she'll be able to eat the whole egg and in a couple years they won't make you want to hurl anymore - until you have to go through the yolk only thing aging.
and i'm with carrie - i'll take any of those extra maple bars!

Anonymous said...

if it ain't instant, it ain't happening at my house. :)

the kombucha is a crazy tea -- doesn't look so hot with all that goo floating around -- but it does energize!

thanks holly for reminding me to go to trader joe's for some quinoa. i think i could handle making it. i have some shiitakes and broccoli here, and they cook in 2 seconds -- bet all that together would make a nice meal.

as for tofu, it is my friend, i could eat the super-firm stuff right out of the package. i can't cook it to save my life, it never comes out tasting right. phooey.

:) fun post!

riversgrace said...

Used to be a tofu, quinoa, every tea this and that. Now I try for organic. Everything. Chocolate, popcorn, cheese, ice cream. I tell myself it's how I think and feel while I eat. Is this a copout?

jennifer said...

Here's what you do with those egg whites, froth them up, add cheese, salmon, spinach..you have a snappy little omlette!

Monica said...

Okay, I'm gonna have to go with Carrie Link on this one. I stayed away from food for half of my life. Weighed 100 pounds and I'm 5'9 for those of you who don't know me), until I was twenty-four years old.

Now I like food, I LOVE food. And if I make myself eat things that make me want to hurl, I'll be going backwards big time.

But, Kim, I think it's great that you're healthy. And for Isabel, of course, it's totally great. You're the best mom, that's for sure.