Rice with Spice

If you’re not sure what to make for dinner, try this easy recipe. I grew up with this dish and it has become a family favorite. It’s perfect for a dinner party because it can be left as a vegetarian main or have meat/fish added for extra protein.

Yields two servings.

Boil enough brown rice for two people (approximately 1/2 cup of uncooked rice per person).

1 tsp each of  cumin, chili powder and black pepper.

On a separate plate, arrange sides such as raw, cut-up vegetables like peas, red and yellow pepper, carrots etc.

On another plate, serve protein such as chicken, shrimp and/or sliced hard-boiled egg.  For vegetarians, raw nuts like almonds are a great alternative. Serve with a generous slice of lemon to squeeze over rice.

The picture below was taken at my mum’s place where I had spiced rice for dinner!  (We had hard-boiled egg and almonds for protein and sliced, raw peppers, orange, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots and celery).

Last lesson (I promise) on portion control

Earlier this month, The Globe and Mail’s Leslie Beck (Food for Thought) had  a great article entitled: “The key to weight loss: portion control.”

Portions are something I’ve written about quite a lot of late, but I thought she had some good tips. In case you don’t have time to read the whole article, here are the key points and my opinions on some of them:

1. The Plate Model: divide your plate into quarters (one quarter protein, on quarter starch like brown rice, pasta, potato or my personal favorite, quinoa.  The final half of the plate should be filled with vegetables.  Another plate trick is to use a lunch plate as a dinner plate and using small glasses for fluids other than water.  A great idea–while I’m sometimes reluctant to use my lunch plates, doing so does force me to pause and ask myself if I really need more.  Additionally, if I do opt for seconds, I still eat less overall than if I had used a larger, dinner plate. 

2. Serve several courses: stretch your mealtime by starting with a clear soup then offer salad as a separate corse–this extra time helps you to register when you are full. I love this idea–it reminds me of those restaurants where you spend two to three luxurious hours over dinner.  There may be many courses, but they’re not big; it’s quality over quantity.

3. Keep seconds out of sight: don’t put all of your food dishes on the table at a once. Serve yourself and then put a portion away for lunch the next day. If possible, try to cook only one serving.  I find it difficult to prepare only one serving so I would opt for fixing my plate and putting some away  for the next day over cooking “for one.”

4. Bulk up your meals: eat large quantities of low-energy -density foods and smaller portions of food with high-energy-density.  This means having whole grains, broths, legumes and white fish over cheese, salad dressing, meats and breads.   A great tip and one that works! Having a small bowl of soup in the fridge is a great way to curb cravings and appetites. 

5. Don’t rush your meal.  Beck suggests putting the fork and knife down between bits or to consider using chopsticks.  Personally, I don’t think this suggestion is very good.  If I had to endure my dinner mate putting down their utensils between every bite, I would get really annoyed.  Probably so annoyed that I would lunge across the table and shove their dinner down their throat.  Dinner would be so slow as to be painful, no?

6. Share an entree.: yes, restaurants server portions that are quite big, but is it really fair to go out to a restaurant and order only one entree?  I think that restaurants should be enjoyed–I would say just eat out less often rather than follow this rule.

7. Read nutrition labels: Beck suggests reading labels to discover serving sizes and weight out portions. Again, I do not think this tip is a good one.  I think it’s better to read nutrition labels to see what the food is made of and then decide whether or not to eat it. Most whole foods–most healthy foods–don’t come with labels!

Starbucks: Health Food on the Go

I know a lot of people hate Starbucks, but I have to commend them for providing some healthy food.  Fortunately, there are a lot of healthy alternatives to the donut.  Not only do they have raw, unsalted nuts, but they also let their customers customize their drinks.  This means that you can elminate fat and calorie-laden extras like cream, flavour shots and syrups.  2%, skim and non-fat milk are always available and can make a difference of up to 300 calories.  

In addition to the usual breakfast foods like the healthy cookie, yoghurt and fresh fruit salad, Starbucks is now offering oatmeal!  

I have yet to find nutritional information online for this new treat, but I can tell you for sure that it should be low in fat and full of fiber.

I’ll try to find out how they make it–hopefully it’s just with hot water and not milk.  If it is made with milk, try  nixing the dried fruit that they put on top, don’t add any sweeteners save for honey or raw sugar.  And, if you must top it with something, try cinnamon.

If you have info, pass it on!