January 7th, 2012-Food Blog

This is my last day of food blogging. For which I am both regretful and grateful. I am regretful because this food blog has helped motivate my family and I to eat very well this week. But grateful because keeping up with the blog every night has been an arduous task.  I’d also like to clear up some misconceptions about me. I don’t particularly LIKE cooking. I like eating well. And the best way to have that happen is to cook for myself. Luckily, I have an amazing life partner who is very supportive with what many people would consider my crazy whims and ideas. I also don’t particularly like working out. I like doing Pilates but I like Pilates BEST when I’m doing it with someone else. As far as elliptical and running I don’t like it. I do it because I love how I feel after its done and I truly enjoy living my life and experiencing the world in a healthy body. So I’m willing to work very hard to keep my body healthy.

Breakfast

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

• 1/3 cup cottage cheese (try for low-sodium but it’s not necessary; I used 2% – use fat-free or 1% if you want to lower calories)
• 1/3 cup instant/quick rolled oats
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 large eggs (use whites if you want to lower calories further, but generally not recommended)
• 50 grams of blueberries (I used frozen wild blueberries)
• 2-3 grams of butter, non-stick oil, or a few grams of coconut oil
• Sugar-free syrup (I used Walden Farms Calorie Free Pancake Syrup)

1. Mix cottage cheese, oats, cinnamon, vanilla, eggs, and baking powder in blender until smooth.
2. Heat non-stick pan and add butter/oil of choice to pan.
3. Pour mixture into pan. Pour near the outside of the pan until you have your desired pancake radius.
4. Add blueberries to the raw side of the pancake.
5. When side is browning (a minute or so), flip pancakes.
6. When the other side is brown, flip onto plate and serve with syrup.

Notes: Josh found this recipe online but I’m not sure where. This is a bit heavy on the egg for me to feel it is “healthy” but this was pretty tasty. It really cooked and tasted like a pancake. Quinn, the ultimate critic scarfed down two.

Lunch

Becca’s Lunch Salad

8oz Spinach

4oz Arugula

Avocado Vinaigrette

Dinner

Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

1/2 teaspoon white sugar dissolve in 3/4 cups warm water

1 1/2 teaspoon dry yeast

1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups whole wheat flour

Add the dry yeast to the water mixture. Let it stand 10 minutes until foamy. Stir in olive oil and salt. Mix in wheat flour. Knead 10 minutes. Then let it stand 1 hour covered.

We divide our wheat pizza into three pizzas. We roll them very thin. Then we bake them for 5 minutes at 500. We bake ours directly on our racks for extra crispiness. Remove.

We use a pre-made tomato sauce. Spread on the dough. Today we used fresh mozzarella grated in our food processor. (and a little pre-made shredded cheese) That was a great choice and will be repeated. We topped it with diced tomato and spinach.

As always this pizza was AMAZING. But Josh and I are cognizant of that fact that this meal, whole wheat and all, is a splurge meal. This meal, while better for you than pizza ordered out, is still predominantly cheese and flour. Just because there is whole wheat in this food, does NOT make this a health food. But it is much better for you than Domino’s. And about a 100 times tastier.

The good news is that Josh and I feel so much better than we did at the beginning of the week. I have more energy and vitality. And in one week I have lost four of my cookie pounds. (easy on, easy off) Now to tackle the rest of it.

-Rebecca Garrison