What I Ate Today

[paddlegal]

Since I've had some interest in my funny way of eating, AKA Lifestyle Eating, I thought it might be useful to post for awhile my daily menus. Recipes are available if anyone would like one.

Breakfast: Oatmeal, fresh berries and of course a soy, sugar free hazelnut latte
Snack: Crackers (made from brown rice and seeds, no oil), veggies and homemade bean dip
Lunch: Brown rice, tossed with chopped arugula and tobasco (this is pretty much my daily lunch because I love it)
Snack: another latte and leftover berries and bananas from breakfast...I always prepare a large bowl so it lasts me through the day.
Dinner: Roasted potatoes, bell peppers, onions and kidney beans. Served over a mountain of mixed greens and brown rice, topped with a fresh salsa. DH likes balsamic vinegar for seasoning, I like tobasco or salsa.
Snack: the end of the brown rice as I cleaned out the cooker and arugula.

I partially prep DH's lunch each night. Here's what he will take to work with him. His appetite is way bigger than mine though he doesn't always eat everything I give him which is great. Each night I make sure that I have a cooked sweet potato or yam. Right now we are crazy about Japanese Sweet Potatoes, very yummy. Okay his menu for work: Large green salad with veggies (he keeps balsamic vinegar at work for dressing and seasoning), heated sweet potato, heated previous evening's leftover dinner with brown rice, fruit bowl (made at breakfast), raw carrots and sugar snap peas, bean dip if I'm ambitious. These dishes are taken in two "to go" bento boxes. They are like giant thermous containers with stacking lidded dishes inside. One is used for hot dishes and the other for cold. They work great.

Hmmm, what to cook tomorrow?

[4nancie]

Thanks for the menu
Do you eat brown rice everyday. I love white rice maybe I should try the brown! Is it that much better for you or is it a staple?

[Sharonv]

Interested to see the reply as my daughter loves white rice and will eat and eat it as do I. What is the difference?

[ChristyB]

Thanks for the menu
Do you eat brown rice everyday. I love white rice maybe I should try the brown! Is it that much better for you or is it a staple?

Brown rice is much better for you. It does taste a bit different though-more nutty maybe, but fills you up better.
When we switched from white to brown rice I started out by making half white,half brown & mixing together (my family resisted the change) and I have a rice cooker so it was not time invasive. Eventually I added more brown & less white until all brown is what we have now.

It also takes a bit longer to cook than white


and Farley
I love the Bento boxes. That's what I pack the kids lunches in.

[troublesmom]

I have tried brown rice but guess I don't cook it long enough. I don't know it always seems crunchy and hubby doesn't like it like that. He is one of these people who likes his rice "sticky". We both like yams and I have them once a week, maybe I should go for more days.

[ChristyB]

It is a bit crunchier than white-no matter how much you cook it.
It is also good hot or cold (in salads or such)

[pbp908]

Brown rice hasn't been processed as much as white rice. White rice also converts to sugar in your body more quickly than brown, which is a. better for you if you're dieting and b. why you feel fuller longer than with white.

A great book to read if you're trying to make a dietary change is "Sugar Busters." It's easy changes to make and works. I keep trying to make DH follow it but he's a dyed in the wool southern boy who has to eat starches.

Pam

[troublesmom]

Pam I know that feeling. I can do without meat but hubby has to have meat, veggies, starch with dinner. No ifs, ands or buts about it.

[pamcook]

Farley - when you roast your veggies, what do you put on them or do they roast well without adding anything? I toss mine in olive oil but if you don't use oils...
I ordered his book from www.half.com - hope to talk DH into using the guidelines one day a week and maybe slowly add more meals. Right now, he's on a tirade against aspertame (again). Sigh...

[troublesmom]

Farley I have another question when you eat your rice at lunch do you reheat or eat it cold. I bought some brown rice today at the store and thought I might try it. Just need some ideas. I don't do spicy so that is totally out. Any hints?

[jfugina]

Oh Farley - that all sounds so wonderful. I really wish I enjoyed cooking. It doesn't seem any more complicated to prepare the kind of things that you're having than many of our meals (which typically come from a box and involve a microwave for at least one of the steps). It really is a lifestyle change - and one that we can make at this point in our lives.

So I'll just continue to drool over your daily menus, and cheer on all of those who are able to and enjoy trying some of your meals.

[paddlegal]

Brown rice hasn't been processed as much as white rice. White rice also converts to sugar in your body more quickly than brown, which is a. better for you if you're dieting and b. why you feel fuller longer than with white.

Pam

Pam's explanation is a great one.

I have an amazing rice cooker made by Zojirushi: 5.5 cup Induction Heating System Rice Cooker and Warmer. This is my best investment and cooking tool. It is expensive but when I think of the money we save from no longer buying medications for high cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes, it has paid for itself in every way possible. My Zoji is working right now cooking GABA brown rice and will be ready at 4:30pm. GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is a cooking method for brown rice. The cooker warms the rice to 104 degrees for about 2 hours which causes it to sprout, then it continues the process by cooking the rice for about another 1 1/2 hours. The Zojirushi has a timer, so each morning I put in 4 cups of raw short grain brown rice plus water. It has two cook/finish timers so I just hit the finish time I want and ignore it until I hear it play a cute little tune to tell me it's done at 4:30! It switches automatically to warm. On the weekends I make it for lunch and we nibble from it all day long. Kind of like an all day coffee pot. It comes out perfect and not crunchy. It's actually a little sticky and the flavor is nutty and awesome.

Cheryl, when I eat it for lunch I usually heat it up so it wilts the mountain of arugula or spinach. I love tobasco but DH prefers using balsamic vinegar as his dressing/seasoning. Often it will get cold if I forget it and it still tastes wonderful. I will also make cold rice salads with it, using favorite chopped veggies and then mixing balsamic vinegar, lime juice and mustard for a dressing. My mouth is watering writing this,

Pam, when I roast or saute anything, rather than using olive oil I use wine...red usually. You can also use vegetable broth but they often have oil in them and I just don't like the flavor personally.

Back tonight with the menu.

[pamcook]

Cheryl - Brown rice is very versatile - any recipe you use white rice will work with brown rice. I like it with butter, parlsey & chopped green onion. You can add mushrooms & pecans.
Go to allrecipes.com or google Mollie Katzen to see her recipes. I'm sure Farley has a list of 101 ways to enjoy brown rice, too!

[4nancie]

Thanks for the menu
Do you eat brown rice everyday. I love white rice maybe I should try the brown! Is it that much better for you or is it a staple?

Brown rice is much better for you. It does taste a bit different though-more nutty maybe, but fills you up better.
When we switched from white to brown rice I started out by making half white,half brown & mixing together (my family resisted the change) and I have a rice cooker so it was not time invasive. Eventually I added more brown & less white until all brown is what we have now.

thats a great idea

[paddlegal]

Today's menu:

Breakfast: oatmeal, berries and bananas and latte
Snack: remaining fruit
Lunch: frozen country style potatoes grilled on a non-stick griddle well browned served over spinach and rice with salsa
Snack: vegan brownies...delicious but not particularly healthy
Dinner: sauted mixed greens of chard, kale and savoy (isn't it pretty?) in red wine with onions and kidney beans and as usual served over more greens and brown rice.
Snack: left over rice.