Metabolism Myths–Busted

From a WebMD article:

WebMD Feature from “Prevention” Magazine

By Julie Upton, RD

Learn the truth behind the folklore and use it to your weight loss advantage.

Google the word metabolism and you’ll find nearly 45 million results–advice on how to “speed-up,” “ignite,” “kick-start,” and “boost” your body’s fat-burning capacity. Truth is, there are probably more myths about metabolism than there are about the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot combined. The reality: Your body does burn 2 to 5% fewer calories with each decade after age 40, and women tend to put on about a pound a year as a result, but these changes are not inevitable, says Matt Hickey, PhD, director of the Human Performance Clinical Research Lab at Colorado State University. Simple tweaks to your daily routine can up your calorie burn and compensate for the deficit, keeping you from succumbing to age-related weight gain. Take our quiz and learn the truth about harnessing your metabolism to keep off unwanted pounds.

Your body burns more calories digesting ice-cold beverages and foods (T/F)

True. But before you give yourself an ice-cream headache, there’s more. “The small difference in calories probably won’t make a significant dent in your diet,” explains Madelyn Fernstrom, PhD, CNS, founder and director of the UPMC Weight Management Center in Pittsburgh. On the bright side, different studies have suggested that five or six ice-cold glasses of water could help you burn about 10 extra calories a day–equaling about 1 pound of nearly effortless weight loss each year.

Tip Although the metabolism-boosting effects are small, it can’t hurt to pour no-cal drinks–water, tea, coffee–on the rocks to maximize your body’s calorie-burning potential.

Cabbage with Caraway and Red Pepper

Cabbage is one of the World’s Healthiest Foods, and we’re always looking for interesting ways to add more to our diets.

I got this idea from a blog today, but I can’t find the original again. Here’s my version:

• 1 lb onion (white, yellow), chopped
• 2 Tb EVOO

Add the EVOO to a large frying pan or wok. Add the onion and saute until clear. In the meantime, prepare:

• 4-5 garlic cloves, microplaned, pressed or minced
• 1/4 tsp (or more) crushed red pepper
• 1/2 tsp caraway seeds
• 1 medium-large cabbage, cut into 3/4 inch ribbons. I used the heart too.
• 1/4 cup water or as needed
• salt and fresh ground pepper

When the onion is cooked, add the garlic, crushed  red pepper and caraway seeds. Saute for a minute or so until the garlic gets aromatic.

Add the cabbage ribbons and 1/4 cup of water, cover over medium heat and steam for 15 minutes.

Toss, add salt and pepper to taste, serve.

We liked this a lot and will make many times in the winter when it’s too cold to eat cabbage in slaws.

Orange Marinated Chicken

This sounds really good to me. I happen to have 3-4 lbs of fresh chicken breast in the fridge.

I’ll substitute chipotle powder for the canned.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (4 pounds if buying bone-in)
• 6 oranges, peeled and seeded, coarsely chopped (or 2-3 cups fresh squeezed orange juice)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 of a 7-ounce-can of chipotle chili peppers in adobo
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 1 Tbsp fresh marjoram leaves (or oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried of either)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Chopped fresh parsley and orange slices for garnish

Method

1 In a blender or food processor, combine the chopped oranges, onion, chipotle in adobo, garlic, cilantro, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, and salt. Pulse a few times to make a coarse purée.

2 Put boneless chicken thighs between two sheets of wax paper and pound with a meat hammer until an even thickness of about 1/2-inch. Combine the chicken pieces and the orange marinade together either in a bowl or in a ziplock freezer bag. Refrigerate overnight.

3 Heat olive oil in a large cast iron pan on medium high heat. Remove chicken pieces from the marinade, wiping off excess (but not all) marinade. Working in batches, cook the chicken pieces for 5 minutes on each side.

Serve over rice or Spanish rice.

Serves 6.

Simply Recipes http://simplyrecipes.com

Lentil Soup – Easy and Fast

Cool and damp yesterday; a perfect day for hot soup. I hadn’t tried this before, but I had a quantity of my veggie soup in the fridge, and a pound of lentils at hand.

• Clean and wash 1 lb of lentils
• Cook the lentils in a deep soup pot according to package directions until tender. The great thing about lentils is this only takes 20 minutes or so.
• Drain the cooked lentils, reserving the gravy
• Put the lentils back in the soup pot and cover with 6-8 cups of veggie soup. Add back lentil gravy until the  mix is as “soupy” as you like.
• Heat through. Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Simmer for 5 minutes or so for flavors to blend.

That’s it – ready to eat. Garnishes or accompaniments that sound good to me:

• chopped red onion
• chopped parsley
• fresh grated Parmesan, Romano, or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses
• Bruschettas

My version of “The Amazing Soup”

Some time ago Cousin Ardyce told us about The Amazing Soup. It’s become a go-to item around here (we use it as the basis for many other dishes), but I modify the recipe substantially. That said, there’s nothing inherently wrong with the original, and you can’t go wrong making either version (but mine is better – ha).

Our Fast Food – Bean and Cheese Burritos

We make big batches of these and freeze them for when we don’t feel like cooking or to travel with.

Unwrap them and after a few minutes in the microwave (make sure you get all the aluminium off first or your microwave may turn into Old Sparky!) we have a hot meal we can feel good about – these are real food.

Low Carb Swaps

From a Men’s Health article:

Lasagna

Substitute: Zucchini slices for noodles

Slice four to five medium-size zukes lengthwise into three-quarter-inch-thick strips, instructs Lise Battaglia, a New Jersey chef whose past clients include Jon Bon Jovi. Sprinkle Italian seasoning on the strips, place them in a single layer on a nonstick cookie sheet, and bake at 425 degrees F for 20 minutes. You want them firm, not crisp. “Then simply make the lasagna as you normally would, replacing lasagna noodles with the baked zucchini,” she says.

Carbs Eliminated: 36 g per serving

The Taste: “Delicious. The zucchini provides texture that you don’t get from noodles alone.”

Mash Potatoes