A FAMILY VISIT AND PROJECT: "KITCHEN-FIT GRAND KIDS"

This past month, I had the pleasure of visiting with my son, daughter-in-law, and my three lovely grand children, ages 10, 8 and 5 years. It was an especially joyful time for me because I don´t get to see see them often. I live at the Mexican border and they live at the Canadian border, about 2000 miles away. While the children are always sweet and loving, they are still a bit shy with me. Thus, as a sort of icebreaker, I wanted to do a one-on-one project with each child. After a bit of reflection, I decided to do a cooking project with the children.  My past visits and recent communications had shown me that the grandchildren were way above average, doing a multitude of activities such as soft ball, swimming, gymnastics and community theater. All that was proof of their mental and physical fitness. And I hoped that their days of cooking with Abuela Susan (as they call me) would be ä giant, first step toward "kitchen-fitness".

In preparation for this project, I sent ahead a set of children's cookbooks. A cupcake book for Iris, the oldest, a cookie book for Myra, the second, and a simple snack book for Cruz, the youngest. In my judgement this choice of books would reflect the complexity of the cooking tasks, according to ages. (As related below, my estimation of the relative difficulty of the recipes turned out to be wrong.)

As soon as I arrived, I asked each child to choose one recipe from their book. They seemed eager to get started and, within minutes, selected their recipes. Iris chose lady-like, pink lemonade cupcakes and Cruz chose a fancier sort of grilled-cheese sandwiches, shown crust-less, cut into quarters, and held together with fancy toothpicks. Myra's choice was unexpected. She wanted to make what were the most complicated cookies imaginable. These cookies, called "Treasure Chests", were a quadruple-chocolate concoction with a brownie base, two layers of fudge icing, a chocolate cookie top and MnMs, a child´s version of gold treasure, that fell out of the sides of the "chests". My better judgement should have sent up red flags on Myra's choice but, being still somewhat jet-lagged mentally, I agreed to help her make complicated treat.

The second day of my stay, I went with the family to a neighborhood grocery store and, together, we bought all the ingredients for the recipes. Cruz wanted to make his sandwiches the very next morning. With just a bit of guidance, he was able to do almost all the work. I did the grilling, of course, and he cut them into quarters and placed them on a large platter, toothpicks stuck into each piece. The children and I ate them for lunch and leftovers went kept back for their Mom and Dad. Cruz was very pleased with the favorable comments that were made, and the first project was a resounding success.

Myra was ready to begin her treasure chest making on the third day. The process took more than two hours to complete because everything had to be done in steps.  I helped her with the initial steps of measuring and mixing and put the brownies in the oven. We had to wait for them to cool. And much care was needed to decorate the treasures.

Myra's 600-calorie "treasure chests".

The results were attractive and had a surprising resemblance to those shown in the cookbook. These treasure chests definitely had the wow-factor and received family raves. 

The only unfortunate part of this project was that the children wanted to eat multiples of these 600 calorie creations. I put out one for each of us on a plate and, when I had the chance, hid the rest in two plastic containers in the freezer behind other foods. My idea was to keep them hidden so that each of us could have one the next day. That trick worked, at least partially, and only a few had been stealthily removed from the freezer by the next day.

A few days later, Iris prepared her cupcakes. I taught her how to crack open an egg. She had never tried it before, but, after just one demonstration, successfully opened the remaining two eggs. She also did all the decorating by herself. I just had to oversee her work and helped her with the oven. The cupcakes were quite attractive and good. Also, luckily, they were normal cupcakes so that eating more than one in a day´s time wasn't so much of a worry.

These few days that I spent cooking with my grand kids were priceless to me. It reminded me of my own childhood when my sister and I learned (mostly from our Mom and Aunt Jane) how to make such treats as  popcorn, chocolate fudge, cookies and cakes. With these long-ago memories go warm feelings of family closeness and the joy of cooking adventures.

Project "kitchen-fit grand kids" was wonderful fun. And they radiated confidence what with their new skills of grocery shopping, measuring, mixing, pouring and decorating.  All-in-all, it turned out to be a perfect way to build a great family learning experience -- and all through the art of cooking.

Yes, it was a bit messy and the finished items were not quite as sophisticated as the pictures in their cookbooks. But the very best thing was that the kids felt they did it "for themselves" and, for all of us - especially grandma, we were building family memories. And that was absolutely worth it.

QUICK & TASTY RADISH & CARROT PICKLES

There are a few veggies that are almost always available at markets and remain fairly cheap all year long. A good deal, right? But, on the other hand, we – you and I - may not be used to buying them. For me, radishes were among those veggies. I always found them somewhat overpowering like raw garlic and onions. My own feeling was that radishes were good – finely sliced - in small doses buried in a green salad but, still, the quantity that I could consume was very little indeed. Most every time I bought a bunch of those rosy red roots, I found some left behind in my vegetable bin at the end of the week.

I, of course, knew what to do - serve the remainder to my husband who loves them and can eat them as a snack without anything – not even a dressing or dip. Now, with this recipe that I'm sharing with you, I know how to love those little red goodies and find no obstacle to consuming some of them most any day. I found that I truly like radishes when they pack a vinegary punch. Actually, the recipe is one my husband showed me how to make. I asked him to add the carrots, thinking - correctly, as it turned out - that the sweet of the carrot would combine nicely with the spicy tart of the radish.

So, here's our recipe for crisp, radish and carrot pickles. We made our first batch this past Sunday afternoon. We have pickled other things, before, and I don’t know why we took me so long to make these tasty pickles. They're so easy to make and go great with all kinds of foods, from tacos to salads, to sandwiches and crackers.

We sliced the veggies very thin because that way they soak up the flavors of vinegar and spices in just a few hours. A sharp chef’s knife was the key to getting the thin slices.

A sharp chef-style knife will make the work a lot easier.

The best thing about these quick pickles is that they’re ready munch on right away. We ate some about 4 hours after they were made – still a bit crunchy but good.

Here is the recipe for these tasty pickled radishes and carrots . The recipe as given below yields about 2 to 3 cups of pickles.

Ingredients

1 bunch radishes (should make 1.5 cups when thinly sliced)

2 medium carrots, also thinly sliced (about a cup's worth)

¾ cup balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar

juice of a medium lime (something my husband always adds for extra zip)

2 tablespoons of minced garlic

2 tablespoons of kosher salt

1 cup of balsamic vinegar

1/8 teaspoon of black pepper or a bit of crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

To prepare the veggies: Wash and slice off the tops and bottoms of the radishes and carrots, then use a sharp knife to slice the veggies into very thin rounds. Peel and mince the garlic. Pack the rounds and garlic into a quart-sized canning jar.  

Sprinkle the kosher salt on top and shake the jar to thoroughly salt the veggies. Leave without a top (or cover with a clean kitchen cloth secured to the jar with a rubber band) and let them sweat for, at least, 30 minutes. This step ensure crunchier veggies.

Add the vinegar, lemon juice and pepper. If you use some other kind of vinegar - other than balsamic - you may want to dissolve a couple of teaspoons of sugar with it. Make sure that there is some space between the veggies and the rim of the jar. This allows a space for the good gases produced by fermentation. Shake, again, to make sure you've coated all the veggies. Put a secure top on the jar and refrigerate. They're good to go from the first day.

These pickles keep very well for a week or ten days, and usually will be gone long before that. 

Best of all, you can pickle almost any thinly sliced vegetables in this manner. Try carrots, beets, cucumbers, red onions, cabbage or cauliflower. The thinner you slice the vegetables, the better they absorb the vinegar solution and taste like pickles.

Vinegar is good for us, too. It helps control high blood pressure, improve digestive system, reduce urinary tract infections and strengthen bone. With this pickle recipe, you will have a delicious way to have a little vinegar everyday. So go ahead with confidence and make pickles of all kinds, knowing it's almost impossible to get it wrong, and, for most people, they're a spicy delight. And get ready to for a lifetime (healthy) addiction to homemade pickles.

DEPLASTICIZE MY LIFE – BEGIN IN THE KITCHEN, PLEASE!

Plastic is a petroleum product that's part of oil extraction industries. It's everywhere and it's long-term effects are incalculably bad. If you've been reading almost anything current, you’ve heard that our continuous exposure to plastic lowers our immune defenses setting us up for infections and even cancers. And it’s not just in our homes.  Plastics from litter and landfills have fouled up our water where they act as carcinogens and artificial estrogens.  Leached plastic is killing all forms of life in our lakes and oceans. And when marine animals are being poisoned, so are we when we eat any of it.

The plastics industry spends a lot of effort telling us that plastics are OK - that they're recyclable. But that’s a theoretical statement. The reality is that only a fraction of them are recyclable. And most of those that could be reused don't make it to the right place. Also, plastic recycling is energy intensive and, therefore expensive. Beyond that, even after you use the recyclable stuff as a car bumper or a lumber substitute, when it's over, it's over. The next step is the landfill or directly into some river, lake or ocean bottom.

Luckily there are some ways to reduce plastic use – beginning in the home.  And that’s the main reason for my impassioned plea – “DEPLASTICIZE MY LIFE!” Obviously, no one is going to do it for me. I have to do it myself. And it’s not easy and is taking me many weeks. Summing up the deplasticizing strategy: * STOP THE PLASTIC PLAGUE BY REFUSING TO BUY THE STUFF.*  

So, here’s a bit more about my progress, and I’m sharing this to raise awareness (and anger, why not?) about plastic exposure in the home and point out some practical ways that we can reduce that exposure.

There’s even a blog about a woman who spent a whole year without using plastic.  Maybe you and I aren't ready for that yet. But we can minimize our plastic use – beginning today - and redoubling our efforts ASAP.

Beginning my kitchen deplasticizing saga

A year or so ago, I began my deplasticizing saga on a small scale. My new campaign redoublea my efforts. I've begun with the easiest steps and am tackling the harder ones as the days go by. As of now, absolutely, no more plastic shopping bags are brought in. I take my cloth shopping bags with me with a small one where I put all the produce items, together. They have to sort them out at the market check-out counter. But that’s their problem. If they provided small paper bags for those things, they wouldn’t have to do the extra work. I also don't buy products that are wrapped in plastic whenever there is an alternative. Farmers’ markets usually sell their products plastic free, so I do a lot of my shopping, there.

Currently, my kitchen is 80% plastic free. Of course, I may never reach  an absolute of 100% free because there are plastics lids on a lot of things – like, for example, my stainless steel pans and the lid and base of my blender. I wouldn't know where to begin to replace them right now. And, of course, I'm not ready yet to get rid of all electric kitchen items – although I've thought about it – at least for the foreseeable future. I've got an electric refrigerator and stove, all of which have plastic components. 

While I’m almost sure that it doesn't make sense to try to eliminate plastics entirely – even in the kitchen - I'm doing what I can to reduce our food’s exposure to plastic.  It’s a question of a redo organization in the kitchen!  I've read that the most healthy and safest canisters and refrigerator containers for food are glass or stainless steel. So, there’s where I began. All my storage containers now have a glass base. Some still have plastic tops, for now.

New steps on my deplasticizing campaign

After the initial efforts that I just outlined, I began to look around in my kitchen cabinets, drawers and on the counters. Some plastic could be found in all those places. What to do? The first thing I decided to do was to buy absolutely *NO NEW PLASTIC ITEMS*. The heaviest weight stuff  – melamine plates and bowls – the ones that I use frequently, I’m keeping right now. They are still useful for cold lunch items and salads. All the hot stuff and food to be stored is always placed in glass containers.

I also have recently changed out my cooking utensils and the salt, pepper, and spice shakers for stainless steel and glass. It didn't cost me a fortune to do. I shopped around and came up with low-cost substitute items, all for less than five dollars, each.

As for more expensive purchases, I've had to take my time – only one per month. Just last month, I changed out my non-stick (plastic) rice cooker for a stainless steel one. The non-stick pizza maker is next on my list for removal – probably by buying a new countertop oven that accommodates 12-inch pizzas. I need a new one, anyway, and that way I’ll be able to use just one electric product instead of two.

Well, soon, my kitchen may be deplasticized to my satisfaction. But, I'll not stop there and be looking around at other areas of the house that also need a redo. I've already got a start on that. I’ve done away with most plastic containers in other areas of the house – all but, for now, the large storage boxes in the closet. I’m not sure what I could be using – except for, maybe, metal trunks. That would be expensive. So, I'll have to pause on that issue – at least, for now. Finding substitutes for my laundry basket and the waste cans shouldn't be very difficult.

Trade out plastic for stainless steel items.

At the present time, I’ve given up on plastic throwaway pens, pencils, and feminine razors. I use the refillable metal ones and an electric razor. What’s more, all my personal and cleaning products are made from coconut oil, sea salt, vinegar, baking soda, cornstarch, and borax. The dry stuff comes in cardboard boxes and the other usually can be found in glass. If I can’t find something I need except in plastic and it’s in sufficient bulk and not expensive, I may choose it.  With these products, what I'm more concerned with is the use of non-toxic substances. Still, I transfer as much of these as I can to smaller glass containers. I currently buy a non-toxic bath soap bar, but I’d like to make my own soap bars sometime soon.

As you can see, deplasticizing is an adventure. It took us (people on this planet) less than 70 years – post 1950 – to get to this terrible state of affairs. But, I've challenged myself that before this year is out, my home will be 90% plastic free. Will you join me in this campaign?

THE SEARCH FOR A BETTER TABLE SPREAD

I'm always looking for ways to prepare and eat REAL FOOD - or, at least, as close to it as we can get these days when so much of the readily available stuff is full of empty calories and toxins. For my own health and that of my family members, I've learned over the years to make most food from scratch. Among other things, it was important to me to have a healthy and tasty spread for my toast and to put on the veggies.

Store-bought margarine was out because it was made from what I consider non-food contents and loaded with chemicals. Of course, I also wanted to keep within a budget - since my household income hasn't increased more than a smidgeon in five years while food costs have doubled - or it seems that way to me. Am I wrong on this?

Obviously, I wanted to use only "natural foods" in my table spread. That pretty well ruled out industrially processed vegetable oils. There are a lot of problems with those oils. One hundred years ago, most people didn't consume any vegetable based oils. Today, US people consume mostly vegetable oils such as canola, corn, cotton seed and soy. The soaring increase in vegetable oils occurred after the 1950s. That's when the government launched a campaign to convince people to eat industrial oils and margarine and thus, avoid butter and other "artery-clogging saturated fats." According to the theory, then promoted, saturated fats were the cause of so many heart attacks and that dietary change was going to change all that. Well, butter and lard in the diet decreased substantially over the years but the use of cheap industrial oils went through the roof - to a current average of 70 pounds per year per person. (For sure, a lot of this has to do with the meteoric rise of the fast food industry where processed foods and cooking grease and oil are the basis of most of what's served.)

Our collective health, as we are well-aware, has not improved over the sixty or more years since that campaign. Instead, as a nation, half or more of us are overweight and have chronic (diet-related) diseases. Part of the reason that we have so much illness comes from the unnatural oils we are consuming. Vegetable oils contain very high levels of polyunsaturated fats, something human bodies can't use well - leaving us fat but not well-fed. Nutritional science knows that saturated- and monounsaturated fats, in modest quantities - is what we need. Another problem is that polyunsaturated fats are unstable and oxidize easily - during processing, by light exposure while sitting on shelves or, later on, in our very own bodies. Oxidized fats cause cell mutation. These mutations cause cellular inflammation and clog arteries. Is it any wonder that we have so much cardio-vascular disease and cancer?

Well, my answer to this dilemma is to make my own tubs of buttery spread. When I first started making this spread I just used olive oil and butter. Later, I added coconut oil to the mix. That gives it a bit more consistency and a lighter flavor.  I like the combo of flavors. My husband doesn't - says he doesn't need butter at all. So, I continue to use my combo for cooking and he uses only olive oil on bread and baked potatoes. Someday I'd like to follow his guidance - less use of dairy products - but haven't done so yet.

In the meantime, I have my own table spread - one that doesn't have a list of ingredients a mile long and is free of potentially toxic additives. It's super easy to make.


A healthy table spread that's easy to make.

Grandma's Own Not-Margarine Spread  (makes about a pound)


Ingredients (organic and extra virgin varieties are recommended)

1/2 pound butter (two sticks)
1 cup olive oil
1/4 cup coconut oil
dash sea salt (or more if you like it salty)

Directions
Put out all ingredients close to the stove to get warm. When all are soft, take a small spatula and whip them together. You could use a blender or food processor to do this but I find it unnecessary. When there are no more important lumps, you've got your spread.

Press your spread into a clean glass jar. Store it in the fridge. The color of course, will tend to be a bit greenish rather than bright yellow. Once, I put some turmeric in the spread thinking that it would look more yellow but that didn't turn out so good. It looked an even brighter green! Also worth noting - not all olive oils are light tasting so plan to try out a couple of different brands until you find what's best. Beyond that, this otherwise good table spread but may not be the best substitute in baking. You'll probably have to experiment with that to find the fats that work for you.

Closing thoughts
With this recipe you can get along without the use of vegetable oils for your table spread. It is also advisable to stop using them for cooking and baking. I use butter, olive and coconut oil for all kitchen uses. On the other hand, a huge challenge still comes from processed foods. If you look on the label of most processed foods, you'll see "partially hydrogenated corn/soybean/etc. oil" or "may contain soybean, canola, or other vegetable oil". These products are not good for you. Stop buying them.  If you're pressed for time during the week, cook up several healthy meals on the weekend and freeze the portions that your family needs. That way you won't be so inclined to buy quick-cook dinners or stop by fast food places.

HEALTHY MEALS BEGIN WITH SAFE COOKWARE

As you may remember, I gave away my microwave oven a couple of months ago. Some time before that, I had already recycled (in favor of Pyrex) all those plastic pans that were supposedly micro-safe, but aren't at all. So, those were my first steps in having less toxic meal preparation. And just this past month, I decided to throw out the last Teflon skillet that I had continued to use long after I swore to myself that it had to go. All my other pots are now stainless steel and an enamel stockpot. And I have one large iron skillet.

To make life even more confusing, recently, I heard that all my aluminum baking sheets and tins aren't trustworthy either. So there’s another step that I’ll have to consider, very soon.

Even though, I can’t spend a lot of cash - at any one time - for expensive cookware, I've decided to completely revamp my kitchen with healthier cookware. You’ll want to, too, after you hear how dangerous those late 20th century pots and pans are for you.

Just how bad is it?
Non-stick cookware
Nonstick/Teflon cookware is the most popular cookware in the US. These kinds of pots and pans pose health risks. Names for this cookware include: Teflon (round since 1946), Silverstone, Tefal, Anolon, Circulon, Caphalon and others. The Environmental Working Group, reports that nonstick coatings can “reach 700 degrees Fahrenheit in as little as 3-5 minutes, releasing 15 toxic gases and chemicals, including two carcinogens (fluoropolymers).”

Want more health-related statistics? Over 90% of US people tested have been shown to have significant levels of toxic chemicals in their blood directly related to the nonstick coating used in cheap cookware. And newborns at birth already have measurable levels, too. At high heat the nonstick finishes release various toxic fumes, including cancer causing ones that are also associated with increase cholesterol and birth defects. When overheated, the nonstick finishes release fumes that cause illness in humans and are known to kill birds. Manufacturers have been forced to warn against use of these pans in homes with pet birds. It is also known that these substances cause tumors in rats and increased cancer rates in exposed workers.

Aluminum cookware
All those aluminum pans -some may be in your kitchen - are made from toxic heavy metals. Aluminum is a highly reactive metal that can leach into food, especially when you are cooking acidic foods. The metal-food reaction can form aluminum salts that are associated with impaired visual motor coordination and Alzheimer’s disease.

While improvements have been made in aluminum cookware with the advent of anodized aluminum (a process that covers the aluminum with less toxic substances on the surface of the pan). On the other hand, there are still environmental and worker health problems related to the mining and processing of aluminum.

Wood utensils help protect cookware surfaces.

Copper cookware
While not as interactive as aluminum, copper cookware may also cause metal migration into your food (especially with highly acidic foods). Beyond that, there are sometimes other metals fused with the copper. So, all in all, it's best to avoid possible risk in copper pots and pans.

Thank Heaven, there is some safe cookware. 

Yes, there is safe cookware and you'd do yourself a favor in using it. Here is an overview of the basic materials that make for kitchenware safe.

Stainless steel
With stainless steel, the cooking surface includes less risky materials (iron, chromium, and manganese). It is also less prone to leaching. The exception would be stainless steel pots and pans that have been damaged by harsh scouring with an abrasive material like steel wool. If you keep the cooking surfaces intact, stainless steel is an excellent choice.

Cast iron
Cast iron is versatile and easy care. It works on the stove top or in the oven and requires no detergent for cleaning. It can be used – literally - for centuries. Well-seasoned cast iron cookware has a coating of polymerized fat that creates a non-stick surface and serves as a barrier between the iron and your food. That means little or no leaching under normal use. But to be safer, avoid the cooking and storage of acidic foods in cast iron. Enamel coated cast iron has the added advantage of both naturally non-stick and non-porous surfaces that allow for the preparation and storing of acid foods.

Glass, ceramic and enameled cookware 
All of these allow for safe, non-toxic use. And depending on the quality and size, they can serve multiple functions. Breakage and cracking are the main problems. Cracking will often lead to metal leaching in ceramic and enameled pots.

Take the leap.
Now, that you've likely as not, decided to toss out all that old, toxic cookware, it’s best to choose wisely what pieces are going to replace it. Sets are expensive and for the most of us that’s an obstacle. Picking and choosing well thought-out individual pots and pans over time helps avoid unnecessary costs. Just get what you really need.

A few saucepans or pots with lids
Quality stainless steel is non-reactive with most everything except the highly acidic things cooked at high temperatures. So, for those things, you might like at least one that's ceramic, enameled or glass. With an enamel-coated Dutch oven, you can make do with just a couple of stainless pans.

A big stockpot
Every working kitchen needs a big stockpot. It’s a necessity for making stews and broth, and you’ll also use it for spaghetti and for all kinds of other home-cooked foods.

A couple of skillets 
For most of my skillet usage, a cast iron pan fits the bill. An 8” or 10-incher will do nicely for most everything. A 14" ceramic-covered, stainless skillet gets a big workout for most everyday stove top casseroles and serves as a fry pan. Skillet lids are essential.

Bake ware
You want to avoid bake ware with non-stick coating. Regular aluminum isn't good, either. So, keep that in mind and make plans to purchase stainless steel or ceramic baking pans. In the meantime, you don’t have to toss your aluminum. Parchment paper and paper baking cups (unbleached paper, please) can keep your bake goods away from the metals. Pyrex glass dishes are great bake ware. Some even come with lids. Those with lids do double duty as storage containers - a real plus in small kitchens..

I GAVE AWAY MY MICROWAVE OVEN - WHYS AND WHEREFORES.

You may think that the microwave oven is your best friend in the kitchen. But, there's a dark side to your supposed friend. It's something like the Trojan horse of Greek history that looked like a gift, but brought tragic, unforeseen consequences. Here's the story.

Domestic microwave oven models were first offered in 1967. It didn't take too long before it became another item that brought "prestige" to consumer households who could pay what was initially a high price tag. Over the past decades, the much publicized microwave oven became much more affordable, and this led almost all U.S. householders to buy and use large and small units. And the younger generation probably believes that it's impossible to run any kitchen adequately without one. Hundreds of specialized cookbooks have added to the popularity of these ovens. It all seems to make sense – preparing and reheating food - in just a few seconds. It appears to be something that no "right-minded" man or woman would want to do without. But think again.

Big problems with microwave ovens.
First of all, it's been shown that microwave cooking breaks up proteins, vitamins, and minerals into much smaller molecules that the human body can't use as well for nutritional purposes. And its radiation effects create decomposed compounds that pose risks for cancer, reduced immune function, and impaired memory.

One study found disturbing changes in the blood of individuals consuming microwaved milk and vegetables for a few weeks. Study subjects ate combinations of the same foods cooked different ways. Those who ate foods processed through microwave ovens, compared with the controls, showed hemoglobin levels decreases and over all white cell levels and cholesterol levels increases. They also had important increases in leukocytes – signs of poisoning and cell damage - with the microwaved foods.

Second, these microwave ovens make up a substantial part of the cumulative problem of so much electromagnetic radiation in our homes, offices, and schools. It's the electromagnetic radiation that agitates the molecules generating an internal heat that "cooks" the food. At the same time, an unknown amount of the same radiation is escaping from the oven and going into the surroundings. That's why people with a pace-maker and pregnant women are supposed to stay aways from these ovens. The radiation leaks out of all of them – to some extent.

Another concern had to do with the fact that you shouldn't be using any type of plastic in these ovens. Plastic contains BPA and other substances that are released into the food with all that super heat. When the manufacturer says that it's microwave safe, that only means that it won't dissolve in the oven, not that it won't bleed toxic substances into your food.

 

The real deal - you really don't need it
Here, I'd like to tell you my experience and how I stopped being a convinced fan of  microwave cooking. Some months ago, my husband and I visited a friend for a few days. We cooked our food in her apartment. And with the first breakfast that we made, I noticed that the coffee was getting cold. I asked where the microwave was. She said she didn't have one. Well, I knew that my friend kept a rather Spartan apartment and had virtually eliminated all unnecessary items in it. But, I was amazed that she had no microwave. She told me about the negative health effects of having a radiation box in the home and that, microwaved food had a bad taste when compared with food cooked in a conventional way. More importantly, that it wasn't good for you, nutritionally. And that microwaving causes changes in the molecular structure of food, so that you don't get the same kind of nourishment from it as you would eating food cooked on a regular stove. While I was impressed by what she said, I didn't think enough about it, at the time, to stop using my microwave oven at home.

Some time later, I began to read about the negative effects of microwaves and that microwave cooked food was a health hazard. And after a time, I made a decision. I  gave away my microwave oven and bought a small, cabinet-top toaster oven to replace it. Now, several months have passed – sans microwave –and I'm satisfied that I did the right thing. Also the general quality and taste of our meals have improved – at least my husband tells me that. And, while, it may be due to any number of healthier changes in our lives, we both feel better, too.

Your chance to protect your family and the environment
You, too, can get along without that big monster hovering over your stove or hogging limited kitchen counter space. After all, those meals that you’re preparing for loved ones should be done in the best way you can. And, yes, things can get busy in the kitchen with everybody already hungry. But there are any number of ways that you can simplify your menus. Food can be served as salads or vegetables quickly steamed, in the conventional manner, during those hectic times. Tell your family that, yes, you're having to spend ten to fifteen minutes more in food prep time but that they're avoiding health risks and getting more nutrition in the process. Surely, they'll thank you for the extra effort made on their behalf.

And, why contribute to so many environmental problems created by the need for more and more electronic products? Just remember most families trade out out those big items - like microwave ovens - every few years or so. Our consumer-buying frenzy creates too much use of natural resources and leads to deadly levels of industrial smog. And it doesn't matter that the large part of that smog falls over Asian cities. It all comes back in the form of global ecological destruction - through acid rain and worldwide climate change.

Here's something that you can do right away. Take out your microwave and put it in the garage or in a closet for one month. Switch over to a toaster oven for warming your cooked food and heat up liquids in pots on the stove. Try this simple exercise. If it works for you, at the end of the month, I'm sure you'll be more than happy to give or throw away your microwave oven. At any rate, you will know that it's not such a good idea to use it and, if it reappears in the kitchen, your use will surely be less frequent.  

IRON SKILLET-BAKED BISCUITS

Being a thrifty sort of grandma, I take great pride in having useful things that last for a very long time. I also enjoy a challenge, and when I don’t have the necessary equipment to do something, I like to make do with what’s on hand. One of my dearest treasures is my cast iron skillet. It’s been one of my favorite things for years, and I’ve learned to cook and bake a lot of foods in it.


An iron skillet is a valuable tool in the kitchen

 Even though I don’t have any of the family hierloom cookware, my grandmothers, my mother and my aunts all had and used cast iron skillets that lasted them a lifetime. I remember that my Mom had two of them when we were growing up. One was about six inches in diameter, perfect for frying eggs. The other was an all-purpose 12-inch skillet. Dad claimed that the 6-inch pan was his very own and guarded it closely from any use other than egg frying. I learned to use it at a young age. I had to get a bit older to deal with the 12 inch skillet since it weighed so much.

The one I have now is 12 inches wide with a flat bottom. It’s the standard midnight black one and weighs what feels like 8 pounds. I can do a lot with my cast iron skillet: fry eggs, pancakes, fish or chicken, bake biscuits and cornbread, sautee vegetables and roast chiles. I don’t like to have around a bunch of different pots and pans, and using the same skillet works for me. While it may be heavy, it’s a wonder that heats evenly, is permanently nonstick, and works well on the stove top and in the oven. It sometimes even graces the table - on top an iron trivet, of course. It’s the one that I swear by and have carried around with me for many years. Still, I sometimes wish that I had Mom’s old skillet, the same size. I guess my sister has it.

Getting started with iron cookware
You can find new iron skillets at big box places and department stores. The dutch oven is a larger pot with its own iron lid that - with a bit of practice - can successfully bake almost anything, including cakes. Old iron pans can sometimes be found in attics and at garage sales and flea markets. Until just a few years ago, new iron cookware had to be seasoned before use. Luckily pre-seasoned pans are now available. 

If your iron pan hasn’t been seasoned, it’s a fairly easy process. First rinse with hot water and dry completely. Do not use soap. Coat the entire piece of cookware, inside and out, with vegetable oil or lard. Cook it in an oven at 450-500 degrees for about 15 minutes - until it quits smoking. Take it out, pour out any excess oil and turn it upside down in the oven at 250 degrees for two hours. Let cool. It's seasoned when it's smooth to the touch.

After it’s seasoned, don’t wash it with soap. To clean it, just stick it in water and scrub. If you need to do more because something has burned on it, rub salt around the bottom with paper towels. The rinse with water. To dry it, put it on a stove and heat it until all the water is burned off, otherwise the cookware will rust. If, after using it for a while, you see some rust, rub it with salt and paper towels, then add a teaspoon of oil to the bottom and heat up the pan for a few minutes. Then let the skillet cool. Rub off any excess oil with paper towels.

So, that’s the topic of this post - making good biscuits in a cast iron skillet. The stove top baked biscuits will be a bit denser than their oven cooked cousins but every bit as tasty. My recipe is pretty much a standard one. I enjoy biscuits made this way, and other people regularly praise them. I like to eat them hot out of the pan with butter and jam, and they're delicious with any kind of gravy.

Now, I suppose that you’re using a gas stove – that’s what I use - or an electric stove (may be more difficult but totally possible) to do the skillet, stove top baking. You can also cook this way over on a wood stove top, BBQ grill, or over a camp fire. But, for this last, be sure to put out the fire and do the baking only with the hot coals. Don’t use just bottom heat. Pile the coals around the pan all the way to the top, whenever possible.

Recipe for iron skillet biscuits
Ingredients
Two cups of whole wheat or unbleached white flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 stick of butter (8 tablespoons) or other shortening. (No hydrogenated oils, please. See "Cooking Oil" post below.)
3/4 cup of buttermilk, yogurt or whole evaporated milk

Method
Preheat your oven, if you're using one,  to 425 degrees F. Or try stove top baking in which case you heat up the skillet (or dutch oven) to a medium hot heat. Stove top baking uses just a fraction of the energy needed to heat up a large oven. Try it. It's an earth-friendly effort.

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Cut the stick of butter into pieces (or pour in the oil) and work it into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or your hands until the mixture has a lot of pea-sized crumbs. Add the liquid and mix everything together. It will be a bit loose and sticky. Pour dough out on a floured surface and knead it for about a minute. You can sprinkle some more flour on the surface if the dough is too sticky.

Roll the dough to about a ¾-inch thickness. Cut into small circles, using a round cutter or a small glass or cup. If you're doing oven baking, put the biscuits in the skillet - no grease necessary -  and bake them for about 15 minutes at 425 degrees. For a crispier, golden biscuit, spoon a bit of hot grease over the tops while they bake. Makes abut 10 small biscuits.


If you're doing stove top baking, take a circular aluminum baking tin of about the size of the skillet (or dutch oven). Just turn the tin upside down and grease the top surface lightly and set the biscuits on top. (Some cooks say to poke holes in the tin - holey side down, smoother biscuit side up - but I have never done that.) The biscuits should lie fairly close together so they rise up and not out. Carefully, using baking mits, put the tin and uncooked biscuits in the hot skillet. Cover the skillet with a good fitting lid. The biscuits should have room to rise and for heat to circulate around them. Cook the biscuits on one side for about 5 to 7 minutes. Then flip them over like pancakes and cover them again to cook for about another 5 minutes. Some people have really good luck (or talent) and can stove top bake their biscuits perfectly in the skillet without even turning them over. Experiment a bit with this and see what works for you.

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COOKING UP SOME OF THE HOT STUFF

Living in South Texas and being a resolute fan of Mexican and South West cooking, I know and use many different kinds of hot peppers. My husband eats almost all his meals with the hottest bottled hot sauce he can find, well, except his breakfast – and sometimes even then, and we both enjoy eating food doused with homemade salsa several times a week. I can bet that most of my readers also like to eat tasty dishes that contain some kind of hot peppers or chili sauce. Do I recommend cooking with chilies? Of course, I do. But personally, I don’t think that they should become any kind of addiction and are best eaten in smaller, rather than larger, quantities.

To name a few of the most popular hot peppers - and the ones I use most, there are: cayenne, jalapeno, Serrano, poblano, banana, cascabel, and pasilla. Of course, I don’t buy all of them every week or cook with a bunch of them at a time! That wouldn’t be a meal but an extravaganza of smoldering distress. But different regional dishes call for different peppers, and substituting one for another just isn’t a good idea. My husband sometimes buys himself some habaneros. I won’t have anything to do with those super hot peppers. He has to prepare them himself. The closest I get is to them is to scrape the tiny seeds and veins off the plates after the meal, and even that makes me cough and sneeze. Anyway, all these different kinds of peppers are found at grocery stores all over Texas, and I suppose they’re just as common in the entire South West. If you don’t live in those areas, there are surely some specialty food stores that have chilies wherever you are.

Bring on the heat.
All peppers have a chemical called capsaicin, and the degree of capsaicin heat of each variety is measured according to the Scoville Heat Index. Among the mildest on the Scoville scale are bell peppers, Anaheim, and banana peppers. In the middle are peppers like Serrano, yellow hot wax peppers, poblanos (these vary a lot in heat), and red cayenne. Among the hottest peppers you’re likely to find in stores are the jalapenos and habaneros. Some Oriental ones are even hotter. The chipotles that you've probably seen are the same jalapenos that have been smoked, thereby increasing their heat and giving them a distinctive flavor.

Whatever their heat level, all red chilies are high in vitamin A and vitamin C as well as folic acid, potassium and antioxidants. They are low sodium and have almost no carbs. Because of their heat, they induce sweating which serves to cool the body, and they are also a digestive stimulant. Many dieters claim that chilies help increase their metabolism. That may or may not be true. Probably, what’s better established is that people tend to feel better satisfied with smaller meals when they eat foods that contain a fair amount of capsaicin.


Preparation and cooking tips
As to the culinary properties of these marvelous little plants, it’s difficult to say something flatly and still have it be the absolute truth. Just remember each chili adds a distinct flavor as well as adding heat to a dish. So, follow your recipes and buy what’s called for. Sometimes, the same chili varies in both flavor and heat, depending on the soil and the amount of rainfall in the area or other watering available. I guess the only way to have uniform outcome as far as peppers is concerned is to grow them in green houses. Recommendable as that might be, I imagine that these hardy little plants will continue to be regular crops rather than hot house products. Of course, the best way to get uniform results would be to grow them yourself - something that isn't really difficult in a small garden or even a large container.

Fresh chilies keep in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks if placed in a closed container and wrapped in paper towels. When choosing  chilies, select the ones that have firm and have no blemishes. When you’re ready to prepare the food, use a small knife to cut the chilies length-wise down the center and remove the seeds and membranes. Add fresh chilies or chili powder when you begin to cook. This allows the flavor to improve and lessens the heat. Don’t go overboard when you add chilies, if you’re not sure what you’re doing. You can always add a little hot sauce at the end or put a bottle of sauce on the table.

Precautions
As a woman who has some kind of contact with hot peppers almost every day, I can say that great care needs to be taken when handling raw chilies. And, anyone who prepares or eats meals that include hot peppers in any form can sometimes suffer regrettable consequences. Usually, it's an immediate sting and you can calm it down by rubbing a bit of olive oil (or any cooking oil that you have on hand) on the affected area to “dilute” the hot capsaicin oil and then washing the area with hand soap and warm water to flush away  the oils.

Many people think that the seeds are the hottest part of chilies. The heat of chili peppers comes from the seeds, the veins (the thin inner membranes), and the parts nearest the veins. The oils from the seeds and veins can be very irritating to the skin and can cause painful burning of the hands, eyes, and lips. Do not touch your face while handling chilies. Wash your hands well in warm soapy water after handling. Wear rubber gloves if your skin is especially sensitive or any time, if you're handling the hottest kinds of chili peppers.

There's a difference between the heat of raw chilis and what they're like when they're cooked. The capsaicin of all red chilis burns on contact with the lips, tongue, and fingers. But the chemical reacts somewhat differently in the mouth, giving a usually pleasant heat sensation. Obviously, too much chili or too hot a chili will cause major distress in the mouth, throat and beyond in all parts of the digestive system. Beware!

For milder dishes, discard both the seeds and veins. This substantially decreases the sting. If the cooked food causes you heat distress, don’t drink water. The chemical sensation is even stronger with water, making a bad situation worse. Drinking plain milk or a few spoons of yoghurt has a soothing effect on the mouth and throat.

Baked Peppers With Cheese Recipe
Make every one happy by preparing two different peppers, one sweet and the other moderately hot, in the very same tasty way. I’m talking about stuffed green peppers, a family favorite that can be extended to include some of the hot stuff.

INGREDIENTS
3 bell peppers and 3 poblanos (These look a lot different, both raw and cooked, so you'll never confuse them.)
about a 1/2 pound of fresh white (Farmers, feta, ricotta, panela, or cottage) cheese. 6 Roma (small) tomatoes or a can of stewed tomatoes
1 small onion, chopped very fine
2 Tbsp. of parsley or cilantro, chopped very fine
2 cloves garlic
4 Tbsp. of olive oil, 2 to be blended and two more to brush on the peppers
Salt and pepper to taste
Option: For a lighter dish, stuff the peppers with cooked rice along with the cheese.
COOKING
Pre-heat your oven to 300 degrees. Rinse the peppers twice in cold water. Bring a large pot of water to boil, and add the whole peppers. Boil them for five minutes. That’s just enough to soften them.

Drain and rinse the peppers, then dry them off and slice them in half and deseed them. Use rubber gloves when handling poblanos and wash your hands immediately afterwards. Brush the pepper halves inside and out with olive oil. Put a little seasoned salt on them (reduced sodium kind, please).

Mix the tomatoes with the other ingredients in the blender.

Fill all pepper halves with cheese. You can use wood toothpicks to hold two halves together, and that way prevent the cheese from spilling out into the sauce.  Place them in a baking pan and pour the blended tomato mixture over them. Bake for about 50 minutes.

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Most people think of healthy diets as those with fewer calories and less saturated fat and sugar. But not so many are aware that they are eating too much salt. On average, an adult in the U.S. now consumes about 3,400 milligrams, about one and a half teaspoons, of sodium each day, while health experts recommend no more than 1,500 milligrams of salt a day, or two-thirds of one teaspoon.

And salt is a cause of many ailments. To name some: heart disease, high blood pressure, and tissue swelling. And there is also evidence relating salt to cancer, diabetes, dementia, kidney disease, and osteoporosis. Sodium also boosts insulin production, leading to weight gain. Approximately 90% of US adults will develop hypertension over their lifetime. In fact, high dietary salt alone kills about 100,000 people each year (Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Science in the Public Interest).  What’s even more scandalous, 97 percent of children and adolescents are eating too much salt for their body weight, and physicians are now seeing quite a bit hypertension in children and teens.

Where does all that sodium come from?
More than 75 percent of sodium in our diets comes from processed foods, junk snacks, soda pop, and restaurant foods. Even fresh meats, especially pork and poultry, are injected with sodium. The rest is the result of over salting during food preparation or use of the table salt shaker. While sea salt is often recommended because of its mineral content, it has the same amount of sodium as table salt and kosher salt.

What can we do?
- Salt in the diet, in general, is linked to the number of calories consumed, so eating less food is one way to lower sodium intake.

- Eating an abundance of fresh fruits, vegetables, and (unsalted, please) nuts provide potassium and magnesium, minerals that reduce the effects of sodium and lower blood pressure.

- Read food nutrition labels. Watch for foods that, per serving, contain no more than 15% of daily sodium allowance. Try to eat the amount mentioned on the label as one serving. Eating a bigger serving will increase your salt intake. Disodium phosphate, monosodium glutamate (MSG), sodium alginate, sodium nitrate (or nitrite), and sodium benzoate are also salts.

- Eat at home and prepare your meals with as much unprocessed food as possible.  Fast food places and even better restaurants put large amounts of salt in their food. On those occasions when you eat at a restaurant, ask the chef to hold the salt on your entrée and side dishes.

- Kill the craving. Stop eating salty foods for just a little while, and likely as not you’ll find that your cravings start to disappear. Hide the salt shaker in the cabinet – thereby thwarting the temptation to reach for it. Yes, we can train our taste buds. Each taste bud has about 100 receptor cells, and each cell lives about 2 weeks. Then the cell is replaced. When you consistently cut back on sodium for two weeks, your taste buds will adjust to their new reality and be perfectly satisfied with less salty foods.

- Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of filtered water a day. Carry your own small thermos of water when you go out. If you must drink bottled water, choose a low sodium one.

- Halve the amount of salt that your recipes suggest, and add salt near the end of the cooking process or just before eating. Seasoning will still be detected but less salt will have penetrated into food. Lemon juice activates the same taste buds as salt. Other non-salty seasonings include: herbs - fresh and dried – especially fresh pressed garlic, red and black pepper, and chili powder. Add hot sauce or salsa at the table - this also heightens taste without so much salt.

- Dilute the sodium in foods. For example, start with the canned soup as a base and then add fresh or frozen vegetables such as potatoes, celery, onions, greens, and carrots. You’ll have more soup and a less sodium per serving. Canned vegetables, beans and pre-made salads are also often salty. They can be drained and rinsed removing a lot of salt. Add about half of the flavoring packets to packaged macaroni and cheese or ramen noodles and mix vegetables with these foods. Wash sodium from the surface of canned olives and pickles.

Recipe for a reduced sodium seasoning
Some commercial reduced salt seasonings are really excellent but they tend to have big price tags. Others are cheaper but contain some chemical ingredients. So, preparing healthy seasonings at home makes sense. Here’s my recipe for basic seasoning made from all natural ingredients - guaranteed to spice up your meals, while cutting your salt use in half. Use it for cooking and keep a shaker of it on hand (but not on the table), when someone needs a bit more seasoning on their food. You can also make up some extra batches and fill pretty glass or ceramic canisters with your seasoned salt to give as gifts. Your friends and family will appreciate it.

Ingredients
1/2 cup ground sea salt
2 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp ground black or cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp garlic powder (not garlic salt)
1 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 Tbsp ground dried grated lemon peel
1 Tbsp turmeric
Options: Less or more of any of the above, along with the amounts you choose of kelp (for natural iodine), onion salt, dill weed, celery seed, oregano, sage, etc.

Instructions
Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight glass or ceramic container. Makes 1 cup. Use within six months.

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CHECK OUT THIS PATTERN FOR A QUILTED TABLE RUNNER IN BRIGHT SUMMER COLORS

Summer is definitely here, and warm weather makes us want to lighten up our mood and decorate our homes with bright summer colors. While not all of us have a budget for repainting or buying new furnishings, we still have the option of using colorful pillow covers, tablecloths, curtains, and bedspreads to spruce up our homes.  And we have the option to make or repurpose what we already have instead of buying commercial home decoration items.

So, an easy-to-make, quilted table runner – a bit of summer grandeur - might be the perfect project for you. The quilting is a little bit thicker than your regular tablecloth, and this adds extra color and dimension to your dining space. An attractive runner looks good on top of any solid color tablecloth you already have. And if your table has a nice top, you can use the runner with place mats and no tablecloth at all - very much in keeping with hot-weather informality.

You can make your table runner with whatever fabrics you like, but stick to deeper shades of summer colors and small print designs. These will hide minor food stains better.  I also recommend that you use a larger quilt pattern rather than sewing a lot of small pieces together. The decorative effect is about the same, and the time necessary to complete the project is much less. Also your quilt patterns should only involve straight seams - easier to work with and hold up better through frequent washings.  With only basic sewing skills, you can make a simple quilted tablecloth to dress up your summertime table for informal family meals and social get-togethers. Best of all, this kind of project can be completed in just a few hours. That's the inspiration for another one of GrandmaS' trash-to-treasure projects:  a quick-to-make table runner with the punch of vibrant summer colors.

Pattern for a quilted table runner
A table runner is a strip of fabric from 12" to 18" wide that runs down the center of the table. The quilt pattern that you choose should include enough blocks to cover the length of the table and just hang down from 6" - 8" at the sides. Longer runners will require more material and probably won't add much to the decorative effect, anyway. Of course, the drop portion can vary according to your taste, and whatever length you choose will still look attractive. You've probably noticed that many table runners are reversible and can be used on either side.

This pattern is for a one-sided table runner. The bright colors and pattern are on the front. I chose five summer colors for the runner - sunshine yellow, bright pink, coral, lime green, and a jewel-tone blue. I 'm sure you'll agree with me that these colors shout out *SUMMER* and really look great together. The backing is made from an old cotton mattress cover cut to size. If you don't have an old one, they can usually be found at thrift stores for just a dollar or two. Old faded quilts with a hole or two in them can also be used - just use the better parts. So, the back is only utilitarian and won't be seen at all once the runner is placed on the table. The fabric for the quilt pieces should be all cotton because it washes better and doesn't tear up despite years of use. You can also use recycled cotton fabric from old dresses and shirts, if you can find them in colors and patterns you like.

Materials
- Cotton fabrics for quilt pieces, in at least four bright colors – solids or with a small print
- Backing fabric, in this case a cut-to-size piece of a mattress pad or old faded quilt. (Mark and cut the backing a tiny bit larger than your runner size.) If the pad isn't long enough, just sew two sections together. If you want to have some color on the back of your runner, you can dye the pad piece before starting the quilting project.
- Hand sewing needles or a sewing machine
- Ruler
- Marking pen
- Coordinating thread
- 1/2” double-fold bias tape in a contrasting color (Iron-on tape is a little more expensive but makes any binding job a lot easier.)
- Straight pins and large safety pins

Make the runner front
My runner was 12” wide and 72” long plus two 8” long triangles that hang over the edge of my table. All the fabric pieces have a tiny pattern in coordinating color.  The inner pieces are two squares and eight right triangles. The ends of the runner are isosceles triangles as wide as the width of the runner. Each square is 12’ X 12”,  and the right triangles have a 12” base. If your table is a different length, you’ll have to add or subtract squares or adjust their size.   I suggest that you cut out lightweight cardboard shapes to size and use them as patterns. That way you’ll be sure that your fabric is cut out correctly. Sew all the pieces of your runner together according to your pattern.  Pin pieces right sides together on one long edge and sew with a straight seam and a 3/8-inch seam allowance. Be sure to knot or backstitch at the begining and end of every seam. When the entire front is sewn together, iron open the seams.

Quilt the runner front to the pad
Lay the mattress pad on a flat surface. It can be a table or a clean floor. Put the runner front right side up on top of the pad. Trim up the excess pad so it is the same size as the front. Start straightening and pinning with safety pins – at least five pins per square, 4 pins per triangle (sides and center), beginning at the upper left corner of the runner. Continue until all the quilted pieces are pinned. Sew each quilt piece to the pad, following the seam lines and quilt about 1/4" inside the seams. The two squares will need an extra line of quilting along the diagonal. This time begin quilting in the center and continue outward, square by square to the ends. Don't sew the outline seams of the quilt pieces at the edges of the runner. This is done altogether in one long sewing line around the runner. Remove pins as you sew.

To apply the binding, start on the lower right-hand side of the runner and place one side on the back of the runner, making sure the fold of the tape is even with the edges. Pin in place. Fold the tape carefully at each corner and continue until all of the runner back has bias tape pinned to it. Iron in place. If tape is holding well, you can remove the pins. If you're not using iron-on tape or if it's not holding securely after ironing, you'll need to baste the tape in place before removing the pins. Fold the binding over onto the front of the runner and pin into place. Make sure that the corners fold neatly. Iron first and remove pins. Again basting may be necessary. Finally, sew the binding through all layers with a straight stitch and a 1/4" seam allowance. You’ll need to wash, dry and iron the runner.

Don’t wait for an “occasion". Use the quilted runner right away and celebrate your new creation with a center vase of summer flowers. Your table is sure to get lots of compliments.

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BIG BREAKFAST DIET – IS IT FOR REAL?

Everyone is looking for the perfect diet
Maybe half the adults in the U.S. have tried some kind of diet in an effort to shed some of their excess pounds. Unhappily, most of these diets depend on calorie restriction, and that means cutting back on total volume or eating only low-cal foods. And, basically, the large majority of us aren’t happy when we have to eat less than what we’re accustomed to. So, we try one diet and another, and too often lose only about 5 pounds which comes back quickly when we ditch our low-cal diet and start eating our customary meals. Consequently, we spend our time awaiting the new, ultimate diet that will let us lose some weight and keep it off – hopefully – forever. This page is about another fashionable diet, the so-called “Big Breakfast Diet”, and it’s one that needs to be considered.

Recently, a number of popular fitness magazines and blogs have encouraged people to lose weight by following the Big Beakfast Diet. The novel solution of this diet is a relatively high intake of calories for breakfast to be followed by 2 or 3 very small meals throughout the day. Now, nutrition science has pretty well convinced most of us that the only way to lose weight is to ingest fewer calories than those that are burned, and the big breakfast diet goes along with this kind of calorie reduction. On the other hand, it’s different from other diets in that it calls for 50% or more of daily calories to be consumed at breakfast. The idea is that the added calories, including a high load of protein, consumed at the breakfast will curb the appetite and, so it will be possible to have a drastic calorie reduction at other meals (virtual snacks) later in the day.

Does the "Big Breakfast" make sense?
Proponents of the Big Breakfast diet claim that eating a big breakfast will lead to weight loss because the big breakfast sets the metabolism higher and more calories are burned during the day, whereas added calories later in the day often never get burned and are a cause of extra body fat. But is that necessarily so?

Most nutrition science and fitness sources speak of benefits of eating breakfast because the body needs fuel in the morning. But how much fuel is enough and importantly, what is the nutritional quality of what’s eaten at that meal? The Big Breakfast Diet places an emphasis on plenty of breakfast foods - protein, carbohydrates and fat. This could be a problem when dieters are boosting their breakfast calories with fatty and sugary foods such as bread, eggs, sausages, butter and jelly. If that’s the way that calories are being added early in the day, no amount of “metabolism boosting” is likely to burn all that fuel during the day.

Then there’s a social side to this question. We know that there are people who really like to eat a big breakfast, and that others prefer a small breakfast. Some skip breakfast all together. So, the “Big Breakfast” diet may not be good or even tolerable to a lot of people. Beyond that, many people eat with others at lunch and/or dinner hours and may find it hard to restrict their calories at these times. For this group, a plan to eat big in the early morning may, in fact, be unwise. They’ll end up “eating big” at two meals and will be frustrated with their failure. Obviously, a “Big Breakfast Diet” won’t be of much help for those people.

So, what’s to be done? Probably the healthiest choice for most of us is eating a nutritious breakfast but not a a very big one. When following a calorie-restricted diet, you need to carefully select foods to ensure nutritional adequacy at every meal. Any diet based on poor food choices that's extended over time will finally be a threat to good health.

Whatever diet is chosen, weight loss will depend on a lower intake of total calories and a slightly higher intake of protein, rather than the timing of the meals. Three smaller meals, totaling 400 to 500 calories each, and light snacks to keep down hunger is a safer bet for the most of us. But, if for personal habit or for social reasons, one meal tends to add on more calories, it’s best to strongly restrict calories at the other two meals and end up with a better outcome for the whole day. Despite comforting promises made to ourselves, our plan to eat less the next day usually doesn’t work out. Too often, we face other situations that make it difficult to reduce our calory intake on the following day.

Another option: the "Not-So-Big Breakfast"
A smaller rather than bigger breakfast is probably best for the majority of us, and we need to make sound food choices at that meal, including lots of protein and fiber to help us feel full longer.(And we can do it with eating meat-based protein.) A good-sized bowl of old-fashioned oats or granola can be a great help to losing unwanted pounds because it’s nourishing and keeps you full. But, as we know, a lot of popular, packaged oat cereals, including granolas, are high in cost and not so nutritious. You can make your own lower calory granola at home without the big price tag and unnecessary oil and sugar. The following recipe is for a nutritious, homemade granola bread that has diet-sticking power and not so many calories. Unlike the trendly muffin, this hearty granola bread is high on protein and low on oils and sugars, and it still has the advantage of easy transport for eating on the run.

Recipe for a nutritious granola bread (made in the bread maker)
1 cup water, at room temperature
1/2 cup applesauce
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. butter or margarine, cut into small pieces
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1 cup oats
1 cup bread flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. active dry yeast
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup peanuts or sunflower seeds

Add all ingredients, except raisins and nuts, to the bread maker pan, in the exact order listed and use the basic or whole wheat bread setting. Raisins and peanuts are added to the pan when the machine gives the “ping” for added ingredients.

Note: My own usual “Not-So-Big-Breakfast” consists of a small banana, a bowl of oatmeal or granola bread and just a bit of butter or honey, along with 1 soft- or hard-boiled egg. I'm not sure I should admit it, but sometimes I don't eat any breakfast.