High Fructose Corn Syrup - Intro

I'm doing something a little crazy...

I'm participating in one of those medical studies, from the newspaper.

at the Rippe Lifestyle Institute.

It's a study about the effects of High Fructose Corn Syrup on the body. I'm both excited and nervous.

I'm excited to see how the corn syrup effects my body, not most bodies or people in general but my body specifically. I'm also intrigued because I consume so little corn syrup now compared to the average American, although I would probably like to lower my intake even more, that I think I will be aware of the changes in my body. The results from this study may give me the final motivation I need to cut HFCS out of my diet forever.

I'm a little nervous that I will get sick or gain weight but I am confident I'll find some sort of cleanse to do afterward that will bring me back to normal. Any suggestions?

It's a 10 week study so I'll probably continue to post my feelings and observations about myself during the ten weeks. It can be a fun journey for all of us! They will be testing my blood and glucose levels next week so we will be all set to start consuming the syrup after that.

Wish me luck!

oh and if you're interested... you could come on this journey with me!

Milkshakes

The Food Network Magazine that I've been reading most recently (that doesn't mean it is actually the most recent issue since I've got stacks of magazines waiting to be read) focuses on smoothies.

Do you like smoothies?

I don't.

I never have really. All those trendy smoothie joints my roommates in college frequented, not my favorite.

I like starbucks, not the smoothie type drinks though.

I like milkshakes more than smoothies. If I'm going to have a blended high calorie drink let's just call it like it is and add ice cream. Adding fruit and pretending it's healthy isn't for me.

I made milkshakes for Chris and I with these ingredients:

1. Banana Babies - Have you ever had these, they are YUM! Chocolate covered frozen bananas on a stick. (BOGO last week at the Publix in Central Florida!) I Sliced it off it's wooden stick for the milkshake but they are good as a popsicle too. No nasty junk ingredients either.

2. Talenti Milk Chocolate Gelato - Best chocolate ice cream type stuff EVER! no weird ingredients. It was Bogo when we bought it too.

3. Smuckers Natural Peanut Butter - Because hello, chocolate and peanut butter and banana are a magical threesome.

4. Horizon Organic Milk - It is a "Milk"shake.

It was delicious and full of calcium, protein, vitamin D, and potassium. Nutritious can mean not low in calories. Drink it up!

Happy Eating!

Disney World

The Mister and I have season passes to Walt Disney World, you might already know that if you read the blog.

You pretty much cannot go to Disney World and not eat, although in reality you can because you are allowed to bring food in with you. How can you bring in Mickey Mouse ice cream and fried Churros though? You can't, proving my point.

What is it about entertainment and food that people have knit together into one? There are Disney parks though out the world selling rodent shaped food. On our monthly budget, eating out and entertainment are one line. Chris and I love food but we also love the entertainment of food. The cooking together, the eating out together, the being together... It's nourishing to the soul to be with your partner/ family/ friends. It's nourishing to the body to eat good food. It's brilliant to put the two together! (you could argue here that churros are not "good food" to which I might agree, but then eat one anyway)

Where do you go to fill your tummy and your soul? Who do you go with? Let's celebrate nourishment of all sorts together!

Happy Eating.

Summer Vegetable Crepes!

Chris loves Crepes.

I don't know that I had ever thought one way or another about them until I met Chris.

but now I like them.

Not as much as Chris though.

I like savory crepes the best.

Chris likes sweet ones the best.

We still like each other the very best, definitely more than crepes despite our differences, although savory ones are clearly better.

The pre-made crepes were difficult for me to find at the grocery stores in our area though! I found some Melissa's Brand ones and I knew it was meant to be. I would encourage you to look in your fruit section because that is where I found mine.

• 1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh chives
• 3 tablespoons fat-free milk
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• Salt/Pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups chopped zucchini
• 1 1/4 cups chopped green beans
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 6 9-inch "ready-to-use" crêpes

Directions:

Combine the sour cream, 1/2 the chives, milk, lemon juice, and some salt and pepper. This is the sauce. Save it for the end.

Heat the oil and saute the zucchini, green beans, and corn in a pretty large pan.

Mix in the ricotta and shredded cheese, plus the rest of the chives and some more salt and pepper. Stir it until it is melted and mixed with the vegetables.

Scoop about 1/4 cup of filling into each pre-made crepe. I found it to be easier to roll the crepes closed if i used the waxy paper beneath it to roll it using gravity for some help.

Top the crepes with the sauce that you made in the beginning.

I got 6 crepes from this recipe, which is originally at Eating Well. Which is a great website and I highly recommend it. The original says they only got 4 crepes from these amounts. So the nutritional content is probably off a little bit, but these are their numbers.

Nutrition: 302 calories. 17 grams fat. 25 grams carbs. 15 grams protein. 3 grams fiber.

Happy Eating!

Tortilla Muffins

I love "The Biggest Loser" and I'm not afraid to admit it. It's feel-good television for me. This recipe was featured on the show a few weeks ago. I've altered it of course, but the basic idea is from the show. The two new trainers featured it.

It's also a Jennie O Turkey recipe. I did not buy Jennie O Turkey Sausages, I bought Jones Dairy Farm Turkey Sausages. I suppose it's up to you which turkey links to buy.

Ingredients:

6 Turkey Sausage Links

3 Taco Sized Tortillas, I used Flour because Chris loves them but Corn would be perfect too, and gluten free, if you need.

12 tbsp Diced Canned Tomatoes with Zesty Jalapenos, Fresh tomatoes with fresh jalapeno would would also. Just make sure your canned variety doesn't have corn in it.

12 tbsp Black Beans

12 Eggs/Egg Whites. I'm a real egg kind of girl but egg substitutes would work too in this recipe.

Salt/Pepper

Cooking Spray

Muffin Tin

First: Cut the tortillas into 8 little triangles, so each cup gets 2 triangles or 1/4 a tortilla. Layer them bigger side down and overlapping so the tops poke up. You might want to spray the muffin pan with cooking spray first.

Second: Cook the Sausages and quarter them too. Each cup gets 1/2 a sausage, cut into two pieces.

Third: Put 1 tbsp black beans and 1 tbsp diced tomatoes in each cup

Fourth: Put 1 egg or 1 egg white on top. I did half eggs and half egg whites.

Fifth: Sprinkle the tops with salt and pepper. Put in the over at 300 degrees.

Sixth: Bake until the eggs are cooked.

Seventh: Eat and Enjoy!

Nutritional Approximations: 1 muffin has 81 calories. 2 fats. 2 carbs. 1 sugar. 8.5 proteins.

Breakfast

hello bloggers.

remember that new year's resolution to blog more regularly...

I remember it, and I remember when it sailed into the trash can like the rough draft of a love poem.

Updates: I still love cooking and I've been cooking really fun things. I just forget to take pictures and then I figure I can't blog about it unless I have a picture.

It's the lenten season officially yesterday and I've decided to give up some online social networking and start reading some real paper books.

It's also raining at my house right now and I would like to stay in my stretchy work-out pants all day, but I have to go to work this afternoon so I'm taking advantage of the morning.

Breakfast: Do you love breakfast. I'm of the mindset that breakfast is indeed the most important meal of the day.

This was breakfast this morning. I have no idea what to call them. Some people call them an egg in a basket I think. I don't really like that name.

It's a slice of bread, Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Wheat Bread if you'd like to know. First I pop out a circle with the top of a drinking glass. Then I put it in a little pan. Separate an egg white. Pour the egg white into the circle with a bit of salt and pepper. Cook and try not to spill egg white everywhere. Then I smear a tiny bit of real butter around the edges of the bread before enjoying. real butter is more delicious on rainy mornings than at any other time.

Nutritional Content: (if you don't eat the little round cutouts from the bread) 2 egg bread slices. 145 calories. 4 grams of fat. 14 carbs. 3 fibers. 12 protein. 0 sugar.

Happy Eating!