The Grapefruit

            I wonder if you are tired of seeing commercials talking about your holiday weight gain and what you need to do about it.  Do this diet, take our pill, and use that equipment.  All this is repeatedly told to us in an effort to get us to lose weight.

          The diet I’m going to talk about is The Grapefruit Diet.  It’s a “diet” that somehow shows up every year as part of the weight loss phenomena.  I want to say there is a problem with this diet.  Many people don’t like grapefruits because they are too tangy.

             I have a solution.  Here is how I like my grapefruit.

Grapefruit Salad

1 Grapefruit (red or pink preferred)

2 Navel Oranges

1 cp. fresh Pineapple*

*If fresh Pineapple is not available, an 8 oz. can of Pineapple packed in juice can be used.  Be sure to drain the juice before use.

1. Peel the Grapefruit.  Then cut or peel the individual sections from the membrane.
2. Prepare the Navel Oranges the same way as the grapefruit.
3. Cut the Pineapple into tidbits.
4. Put all the fruit together in a bowl.

Note: This can be eaten right away.  If not, put the salad in the refrigerator until a half hour before serving.

               I hope you enjoy this refreshing salad.

Red Beans & Rice with Sausage

           Today is the first day of 2013.  It’s my birthday and I am making the resolution that I am going to lose the 80lbs I have gained in the past thirty years.

          My first goal is to lose 30 lbs by April 1.  Since I don’t have a scale, my results will be measured in what clothing I can wear again.

          To celebrate the New Year we will have our traditional meal of red beans and rice for good luck.  We add sausage just because we love it.  This is an easy recipe.

Red Beans & Rice with Sausage

1 lb. Dry Beans

2 Dried Chipotle Peppers

2 c. Rice

4 c. Water

4 Fresh Sausages

 

1.        Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.         Soak beans in a bowl of hot water for one hour.  The beans must be completely covered by the water.
3.         Drain the beans and put in a Dutch oven.  Completely cover the beans with cold water and add the peppers.  The peppers will float on the water.  Cover the Dutch oven.
4.      Put the beans in the oven to cook.  Periodically check the beans to make sure they remain covered with water.  If they don’t, add more water.
5.        After three hours in the oven, add the sausage to the beans in the Dutch oven.  Cook for another hour.  If the beans are not tender at this point, keep cooking and check every ten minutes until they are tender.
6.       Once the beans and sausage have finished cooking, remove the peppers.
7.       As the beans cool, make the 2 c. rice with the 4 c. fresh water in the method best for you.  I use the microwave.

          Serve everything on a single platter.  Place the rice first then the beans go on top.  The sausages can go either on top of the rice and beans or on the sides of the platter.

Happy New Year 

 

Some Do Not Like It Hot

          I don’t know about where you live, but our weather has been so hot. It got the point that I turned on the air conditioning in my house for the first time since it was installed 12 years ago. With all the heat we have not felt much like eating. Our dinner these days has become a fruit smoothie.

Smoothie

Ingredients

1 cup Fat Free Plain Yogurt

Note: Soy and lactose free yogurts are available in stores as a replacement for regular yogurt.

1 cup Orange Juice

Enough Fresh and/or Frozen Fruit to fill blender carafe

Note: The fruit can be any variety you like. Every time I make a smoothie the fruit combination is different. Some of our favorites are pineapple, strawberries, and frozen tropical blends.

1. Put Yogurt and Orange Juice in blender carafe.

2. Add fruit until it fills to about an inch below the top edge of the carafe. 

3. Blend until smooth and serve.  With a 5 cup carafe I am able to fill around four 12 oz. glasses.

Simple Lunch

       This is one of my favorite lunches to take to work. It is a combination of brown rice, edamame, and Italian Import Tuna in oil. I know this may sound weird to use Asian ingredients and Italian tuna but it gives you carbs, vegetables, and protein.

Ingredients

2 cups brown rice
Note: If you do not like the deeper flavor of just brown rice, use one cup of white and one cup of brown.
4 cups water
¼ cup frozen shelled edamame
3 oz Italian Import Tuna in Oil
2 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
1 tsp Sesame Oil
1 tsp chili oil or sprinkle of chili flakes (optional)
1 Tbsp Sun Flower Seeds or Chopped Peanuts (optional)

1. Put rice and water in a covered casserole dish so the rice can steam at the end of the cycle. Place in the microwave and cook using the Rice button.
2. Once the rice is cooked, fluff it. Then add the Rice Wine Vinegar and Sesame Oil by fluffing it into the rice. If you would like a spicier version of this meal, add the optional chili oil or flakes.

                    This is how I construct my lunch
1. Take 1-1/2 cups of the rice and put together with the edamame in a microwaveable container. The remaining rice can be stored for later use. Put tuna in a separate container.
2. Heat the rice and edamame for 1-1/2 minutes.
3. Put the room temperature tuna on top of the heated rice and edamame to make a good contrast.
4. If you want a little crunch, use the Sun Flower Seeds of Chopped Peanuts.

             I hope you like my lunch suggestion.

Cooking Tip #1

Rice Wine Vinegar

         There appears to be two types of Rice Wine Vinegar.  The regular version contains a large amount of salt while the low sodium has significantly less.  If you have to watch your salt intake as I do, here is a mixture I created to lessen the salt, including the taste.

¾ of a bottle of Low Sodium Rice Wine Vinegar

¼ of a bottle of Regular Rice Wine Vinegar

Note: Make sure bottles are the same size. 

1.       Mix the two vinegars together to get the flavor you like without the salt you don’t.