Yes, I'm back to dieting. I've had a run of a few bad weeks that have seen me gain back a few kilos. Enkais, going-away parties, and some general late-winter malaise have all help erode my healthier eating habits. I find I'm doing a lot of snacking, pretty much a no-no for me, but worse doing it late at night.
OK, so the buck stops here.
However, where as before I'd adopted a rather simplistic (though effective, at least at that time) approach to dieting, recent readings have gotten me thinking. In particular, I've read more and more that caloric intake ultimately has no real bearing on weight gain/loss. Neither, ultimately, does fat intake. Rather, it's the intake of carbohydrates which affect insulin levels, which affect the body's ability to burn fat that's the culprit.
This is too simplistic a description of something that is far more complex. I'll admit readily that I have no deeper or intrinsic understanding of the factors/forces at work here. In fact, there's every good chance that I have fatally misunderstood this concept. I'll plow on, regardless, and hope that any clarifications catch up with me.
First, thanks to Rob for this damned interesting blogpost that reviews a book that explores many health-related things seen as "conventional wisdom." The blogpost is all the more interesting in that it is written by a physicist, who decries the un-rigourousness of modern "soft science". In the current counter-counter-culture mood I find myself in of late, this article feels especially appropriate.
Second, all this highfalutin ego-prose aside, let me meander into my own life, as there are some recent revelations I want to share:
1) I am stronger now. I have bigger muscles.
In this sense, my weight gain doesn't bother me...of course, assuming that this is all muscle and not fat.
2) My pants feel tighter.
Ah the other shoe drops. The operative word here though is feel. I highly suspect that while my arms and chest have become bigger due to muscle, my abdomen is also bigger, meaning bigger waist-size, meaning fat. I would estimate that my waist-size has gone up about 2cm (or just under an inch). This is, I feel, directly related to...
3) I am snacking and eating more bad shit.
Like McDee's, though no where near what I used to. I used to go to McDonald's and get 2 hamburgers and 5 nuggets, but now I'm back to just ordering a combo meal. I also used to ask for smaller portions of rice, but that rarely happens now either.
OK, so obviously cutting out bad shit is key. I suppose the easiest thing to do would be to cut out the McDonald's, but really, that's never going to happen. While I'm not really all that fanatical about the evils of processed food, I nevertheless realize that they are ultimately unhealthy for you. In this particular case though, this is rather something that nourishes my psychological self, because dammit sometimes I WANT to eat that Big Mac because it taste good and makes me happy.
However, given what I've read, a more careful consideration of my carb intake is probably warranted. I don't think I'll worry about the single piece of toast that I eat for breakfast. But the bread/pastry from the canteen downstairs at my school? Out. I'll also be going back to my no fries policy, at McDonald's and elsewhere. A side-salad, even with the high-calorie dressing, is better.
I may also have to re-think my calorie counting policy, in light of the above article. While it is only one side of a multi-faceted argument, I find the fact that the review was written by a physicist to be somehow comforting. So instead of calorie counting, I might consider carbohydrate counting instead, coupled with a wiser eating regimen. The occasional skipping of a meal is also something I will consider (like tonight, thanks to my gigantic but delicious bento the English department ordered for entrance exam marking day).
Well, that was a long and possibly boring post, but whatever.
Showing posts with label What's for dinner?. Show all posts
Showing posts with label What's for dinner?. Show all posts
3/12/2009
2/25/2009
Where's the dinner?
It occurs to me that I haven't had a What's For Dinner post in a long time. This coincides with my decision to lose weight, and consequent change in eating lifestyle. So my dinners are FAR less creative and complex, and are for the most part plain and repetitive.
Cue chicken ad nauseum.
But sometimes I still grab the old chef knife and try do make something edible. My latest was for Sandy's farewell party, where I made some good ol' Mac and Cheese.
The recipe I stole from Cooks.com, but very slightly modified to account for the Japanese paucity of cheddar cheese.
Best Macaroni and Cheese (Original recipe HERE)
230 g fusilli macaroni
1 stick butter
1/2 an onion, diced
3 packs of 1/2 bacon
3 tbsp. flour
230 ml. of milk
200 ml. cream (nama cream)
1/2 c. dry white wine
100 g. grated Hokkaido cheddar
150 g. shredded Japanese "natural" cheese
200 g. fine bread crumbs (topping)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika
Bring 4 qt. salted water to a rapid boil and cook the macaroni until not quite tender. Drain macaroni and set aside.
Fry bacon till crisp, pat try with paper towel, remove the grease from the pan. Dice the bacon into bacon-bits sized pieces.
In a saute pan, melt 1/2 the stick of butter (or 4 tablespoons). When melted, stir in the breadcrumbs and toast just until lightly browned. Remove breadcrumbs from pan and set aside. Wipe pan clean with paper towel and re-use for next step.
Melt remaining butter, add onions, and stir over low heat until onions are just translucent, but not browned. Stir in the flour and seasonings. Continue to cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Add the wine, then gradually stir in the milk or cream. Add bacon bits.
Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly until the sauce is thickened and smooth. Add cheese and continue stirring until the cheese melts.
Combine the macaroni with the cheese sauce. Turn out into a generously buttered casserole dish (approximately 1 1/2 quarts). If you have any extra grated cheese, you can sprinkle this on top along with the 1/2 cup of buttered, toasted bread crumbs.
Bake in a preheated 170 degree Celcius oven for approximately 20 minutes or until heated all the way through and golden brown on top.
No pictures, sadly. I was rushed at the end and didn't get a chance.
Cue chicken ad nauseum.
But sometimes I still grab the old chef knife and try do make something edible. My latest was for Sandy's farewell party, where I made some good ol' Mac and Cheese.
The recipe I stole from Cooks.com, but very slightly modified to account for the Japanese paucity of cheddar cheese.
Best Macaroni and Cheese (Original recipe HERE)
230 g fusilli macaroni
1 stick butter
1/2 an onion, diced
3 packs of 1/2 bacon
3 tbsp. flour
230 ml. of milk
200 ml. cream (nama cream)
1/2 c. dry white wine
100 g. grated Hokkaido cheddar
150 g. shredded Japanese "natural" cheese
200 g. fine bread crumbs (topping)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika
Bring 4 qt. salted water to a rapid boil and cook the macaroni until not quite tender. Drain macaroni and set aside.
Fry bacon till crisp, pat try with paper towel, remove the grease from the pan. Dice the bacon into bacon-bits sized pieces.
In a saute pan, melt 1/2 the stick of butter (or 4 tablespoons). When melted, stir in the breadcrumbs and toast just until lightly browned. Remove breadcrumbs from pan and set aside. Wipe pan clean with paper towel and re-use for next step.
Melt remaining butter, add onions, and stir over low heat until onions are just translucent, but not browned. Stir in the flour and seasonings. Continue to cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Add the wine, then gradually stir in the milk or cream. Add bacon bits.
Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly until the sauce is thickened and smooth. Add cheese and continue stirring until the cheese melts.
Combine the macaroni with the cheese sauce. Turn out into a generously buttered casserole dish (approximately 1 1/2 quarts). If you have any extra grated cheese, you can sprinkle this on top along with the 1/2 cup of buttered, toasted bread crumbs.
Bake in a preheated 170 degree Celcius oven for approximately 20 minutes or until heated all the way through and golden brown on top.
No pictures, sadly. I was rushed at the end and didn't get a chance.
3/24/2008
Spring time...
...is here in Japan.
Evening, sports fans. Spring break began for me last Wednesday after school. The last day of the school year, and at 4:20 I was out of there. I had after all an enkai to go to. Well, no tales of my drunken shenanigans (revelatory though they were). I woke up the next morning at the crack of noon.
HANGOVER: Enter, stage left.
Actually, thanks to some precautions it wasn't too bad. So, what did I do for the next four days?
hikkikomori
That comes from the combination of two words. The first is hiku, which means to pull away from. In this case, it means to pull away from society at large and social interaction specifically. The second word is komoru, which means to coop oneself up somewhere, in this case at home.
Its actually a social phenomenon that is affecting a number of otaku-types in Japan, and is the harbinger, dare I say, of a very serious pestilence affecting Japanese society in this post-modern world.
But that's not what I'm getting into in this post, so we'll leave it at that.
Indeed, I stayed home for the last four days, and by day four I was itching to go out. I was going to go see a dance recital (gods that makes it sound so lame) done by some of my graduated students, but inclement weather kept me home. Well, they got their ticket money from me, so my appearance was optional.
I did have a plan though, and that plan started to come to fruition today. This week I have all afternoons off (not free mind you. I'm using up my vacation days). So this week I will be organizing and cleaning my apartment. I purchased today a wonderful new bookshelf, which now houses all my magazines, English books, and art books, as well as my 1/100 MG Gundams (and other sundry things). This too was revelatory, because I realized that I have inherited by mother's crazy desire to clean. I nearly had a panic attack when, towards the end of the move, I looked around at the disarray I had created. Well, unlike my mother, I know how to deal with a panic attack. One slug of whiskey later, and I mellowed out, grabbed a trash bag, and gathered all the clutter that was pissing me off.
Well, that's the new shelf. Holy crap I've accumulated a lot of...crap.
Tomorrow I tackle my pantry cupboard, as well as perhaps start sorting through the all the paper in my house.
On an unrelated note, I paid off some more bills, and I came to the realization that, at virtually no impact to my lifestyle here in Japan, I've reduced my consumer debt by a considerable amount. When I first came to Japan, I had something like $2700 debt on one of my Visas alone. All told, I think I had something close to $5000. But as of today, I'm down to under $1800. Total. Spread over 3 cards, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. That makes me pretty damned happy.
And last, but not least, to placate my many gourmet fans, I present tonights dinner (sans the beer, which is only for show).
Evening, sports fans. Spring break began for me last Wednesday after school. The last day of the school year, and at 4:20 I was out of there. I had after all an enkai to go to. Well, no tales of my drunken shenanigans (revelatory though they were). I woke up the next morning at the crack of noon.
HANGOVER: Enter, stage left.
Actually, thanks to some precautions it wasn't too bad. So, what did I do for the next four days?
hikkikomori
That comes from the combination of two words. The first is hiku, which means to pull away from. In this case, it means to pull away from society at large and social interaction specifically. The second word is komoru, which means to coop oneself up somewhere, in this case at home.
Its actually a social phenomenon that is affecting a number of otaku-types in Japan, and is the harbinger, dare I say, of a very serious pestilence affecting Japanese society in this post-modern world.
But that's not what I'm getting into in this post, so we'll leave it at that.
Indeed, I stayed home for the last four days, and by day four I was itching to go out. I was going to go see a dance recital (gods that makes it sound so lame) done by some of my graduated students, but inclement weather kept me home. Well, they got their ticket money from me, so my appearance was optional.
I did have a plan though, and that plan started to come to fruition today. This week I have all afternoons off (not free mind you. I'm using up my vacation days). So this week I will be organizing and cleaning my apartment. I purchased today a wonderful new bookshelf, which now houses all my magazines, English books, and art books, as well as my 1/100 MG Gundams (and other sundry things). This too was revelatory, because I realized that I have inherited by mother's crazy desire to clean. I nearly had a panic attack when, towards the end of the move, I looked around at the disarray I had created. Well, unlike my mother, I know how to deal with a panic attack. One slug of whiskey later, and I mellowed out, grabbed a trash bag, and gathered all the clutter that was pissing me off.
Well, that's the new shelf. Holy crap I've accumulated a lot of...crap.
Tomorrow I tackle my pantry cupboard, as well as perhaps start sorting through the all the paper in my house.
On an unrelated note, I paid off some more bills, and I came to the realization that, at virtually no impact to my lifestyle here in Japan, I've reduced my consumer debt by a considerable amount. When I first came to Japan, I had something like $2700 debt on one of my Visas alone. All told, I think I had something close to $5000. But as of today, I'm down to under $1800. Total. Spread over 3 cards, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. That makes me pretty damned happy.
And last, but not least, to placate my many gourmet fans, I present tonights dinner (sans the beer, which is only for show).
3/07/2008
Mama-mia!
Hot on the heels of my last post, I bring you my next creation. There are many things I miss about Canada, and not least among these is food. While the Americanization of Japan continues apace, luxuries such as Pizza Hut and Burger King remain the purview of the mandarins in Tokyo.
Among the food I really miss though is Mom's cooking. When people ask me here what kind of food I ate at home, while I usually tell them things like katsudon or yudo-fu, I also explain that my mother's repertoire necessarily included a healthy dose of western food. Meatloaf and lasagna were probably my favourite.
This post, unlike my last, demands a certain amount of verbosity, not only because this is the first time I've made lasagna from "scratch" (that is, not kit-bashed), it is also is a sense an homage to my mother's cooking.
So here I will walk you through the lasagna-making process. Unlike my mother's, which is highly nutritious, filled with vegetables and all such manner of goodness, mine is much simpler fare, made with for the most part pre-prepared ingredients.
1 Large pack of minced beef/pork mix.
2 packs of tomato sauce
1 pack of cottage cheese
14 pieces of lasagna pasta
1 pack of shredded Mozzarella
Parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
oregano
garlic paste
tomato paste
First, brown the meat, adding salt and pepper about 1/2 way through the cooking process. Drain fat, and transfer to a bowl. Put the tomato sauce into the pan used to cook the meat, add tomato paste, oregano, garlic paste. Add meat, mix on low heat until even.
Boil lasagna pasta. I did mine in 2 batches. In a Pyrex baking dish, put down a layer of sauce and cottage cheese, then lay down a layer of pasta. Continue in this manner until you've used up the pasta, cutting some into smaller strips to fill out the layers.
Each layer should be perpendicular to the last layer, so as to reinforce the structure of the lasagna. Each layer in mine had both sauce and cottage cheese. Top the lasagna off with the remainder of the sauce, sprinkle Mozzarella and Parmesan.
Bake in an oven at 180 degrees Celcius for 30 minutes. For the last 10 minutes, cover the lasagna in aluminum foil.
And done. I've modified the recipe instructions above after reflection on my meal. First, I left the lasagna uncovered the entire time in the oven, leading the mozzarella cheese to harden into a crust. In future, the aluminum foil should help with that. Also, though the lasagna is solid in the last picture, it collapsed as the pasta slid away. For this, I might try to reduce the pasta sauce a bit (as in let the water content evaporate a little more), and try to spread the cottage cheese a little more evenly.
Also, in a effort to save time, I would do both the sauce and boil the water for the pasta noodles at the same time. I did this today in the order listed, and as a result it ended up taking about an hour to prepare, and a further 30 minutes to bake. Eating was a 20 minute affair (x2 nights, so 40 total). Ideally, I'd like to get something closer to a 1:1 ratio.
Manic.
Among the food I really miss though is Mom's cooking. When people ask me here what kind of food I ate at home, while I usually tell them things like katsudon or yudo-fu, I also explain that my mother's repertoire necessarily included a healthy dose of western food. Meatloaf and lasagna were probably my favourite.
This post, unlike my last, demands a certain amount of verbosity, not only because this is the first time I've made lasagna from "scratch" (that is, not kit-bashed), it is also is a sense an homage to my mother's cooking.
So here I will walk you through the lasagna-making process. Unlike my mother's, which is highly nutritious, filled with vegetables and all such manner of goodness, mine is much simpler fare, made with for the most part pre-prepared ingredients.
1 Large pack of minced beef/pork mix.
2 packs of tomato sauce
1 pack of cottage cheese
14 pieces of lasagna pasta
1 pack of shredded Mozzarella
Parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
oregano
garlic paste
tomato paste
First, brown the meat, adding salt and pepper about 1/2 way through the cooking process. Drain fat, and transfer to a bowl. Put the tomato sauce into the pan used to cook the meat, add tomato paste, oregano, garlic paste. Add meat, mix on low heat until even.
Boil lasagna pasta. I did mine in 2 batches. In a Pyrex baking dish, put down a layer of sauce and cottage cheese, then lay down a layer of pasta. Continue in this manner until you've used up the pasta, cutting some into smaller strips to fill out the layers.
Each layer should be perpendicular to the last layer, so as to reinforce the structure of the lasagna. Each layer in mine had both sauce and cottage cheese. Top the lasagna off with the remainder of the sauce, sprinkle Mozzarella and Parmesan.
Bake in an oven at 180 degrees Celcius for 30 minutes. For the last 10 minutes, cover the lasagna in aluminum foil.
And done. I've modified the recipe instructions above after reflection on my meal. First, I left the lasagna uncovered the entire time in the oven, leading the mozzarella cheese to harden into a crust. In future, the aluminum foil should help with that. Also, though the lasagna is solid in the last picture, it collapsed as the pasta slid away. For this, I might try to reduce the pasta sauce a bit (as in let the water content evaporate a little more), and try to spread the cottage cheese a little more evenly.
Also, in a effort to save time, I would do both the sauce and boil the water for the pasta noodles at the same time. I did this today in the order listed, and as a result it ended up taking about an hour to prepare, and a further 30 minutes to bake. Eating was a 20 minute affair (x2 nights, so 40 total). Ideally, I'd like to get something closer to a 1:1 ratio.
Manic.
3/06/2008
GINOURMOUS SALAD
Ceasar style. This is my dinner tonight. Instructions as follows:
Chicken Tenders
Romaine Lettuce
Croutons
Ceasar dressing.
IF YOU CANNOT FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THIS, YOU ARE ST00PID!!
/ahem
Chicken was cut, marinated with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, coriander.
Did you know that Ceasar salad was actually invented by a Mexican chef? It was not, as some people believe, invented by the Roman Dictator cum Emperor. Such a salad would no doubt have a healthy dose of daggers, blood, and et tu, Brute?
2/28/2008
Shepherd's Pie
...or more correctly, Cottage Pie. Directions as follows:
(Keep in mind that I find cooking a chore)
(Also keep in mind that cooking is an art, not a science, so I'm not listing any measurements. That and I'm lazy.)
Ground Beef (maybe a pound or so)
Frozen mixed vegetables (half a JP bag)
Water
1 cube of beef stock (or gravy mix)
Tomato paste
Mashed Potatoes
Parmesan Cheese
Cook beef. Add water (enough to cover the meat). Add frozen vegetables. Add gravy mix. Add tomato paste. Add spices. Stir, simmer until reduced. Make sure the meat doesn't dry out. Transfer to Pyrex dish, and cover in a layer of mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with parmesan. Dot with butter if so desired. Put in the oven at 120 degrees Celcius for an hour.
2/18/2008
Salmon Muiniere
I think that's spelled right. Three posts in a month. I may beat Nakagawa Shoko yet!
A landmark, because it will represent the first time since coming to Japan of me preparing a fish dinner. And in the aftermath, most definitely not the last.
Delicious. And nutritious. Especially considering my weekend fare...
Directions as follows:
1) Wash and pat dry salmon filets.
2) Salt and pepper to taste.
3) Add what herbs you like (mine was oregano and parsley, what I had in my cupboard).
4) Coat in a light layer of flour.
5) Melt butter in frying pan, medium heat.
6) Fish in. Flip when brown and yummy looking.
7) Reduce heat to low, let cook.
Also new to my repertoire in recent times: Shepherd's Pie (or Cottage Pie for those realists).
P.S.: The tea cup pictured is my Earth Federation tea cup I won at the Gundam Fair at my local Mini-Stop. Carry readers of kanji will be able to read Chikyuu Renpou.
A landmark, because it will represent the first time since coming to Japan of me preparing a fish dinner. And in the aftermath, most definitely not the last.
Delicious. And nutritious. Especially considering my weekend fare...
Directions as follows:
1) Wash and pat dry salmon filets.
2) Salt and pepper to taste.
3) Add what herbs you like (mine was oregano and parsley, what I had in my cupboard).
4) Coat in a light layer of flour.
5) Melt butter in frying pan, medium heat.
6) Fish in. Flip when brown and yummy looking.
7) Reduce heat to low, let cook.
Also new to my repertoire in recent times: Shepherd's Pie (or Cottage Pie for those realists).
P.S.: The tea cup pictured is my Earth Federation tea cup I won at the Gundam Fair at my local Mini-Stop. Carry readers of kanji will be able to read Chikyuu Renpou.
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