Shopping for healthier food. Need Help.

Discussion in 'Miscellaneous' started by Kenbushway, Apr 24, 2013.

  1. Sector 7

    Sector 7 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    That's exactly what my farts smell like! Others tend to disagree, but I stand by my claim.:rofl:
     
  2. Kenbushway

    Kenbushway Captain Captain

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    I am not making these recipes just for myself, its me, father, mother, sisters. Not everyone can eat hard food, I have to keep these recipes soft. I can't just make plain oats and throw in fruit, only a few could eat it. This type of cooking is for the better of others and not centered around me. I am just clarifying.
     
  3. teya

    teya Vice Admiral Admiral

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    When cooked properly, oats aren't hard.. they're creamy with a bit of chew.

    Or chewy with a bit of cream, depending on the oats.

    Thing is, we can give you advice on what to eat & how to cook it but, like everything, it takes practice & experience. I baked many a loaf that would be perfectly at home mortared into a stone wall before being able to wake up on a Saturday morning, pull out the bread bucket & mix up the dough for a week's worth of loaves by feel.

    Start with the basics. Soups & stews are pretty foolproof.

    Salads, too.
     
  4. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Yeah there is nothing hard about the oats,they will be mushy and soft. We're just saying leave out all that sugar! If you let people add sugar to taste it be far less than in that recipe. The pumpkin is sweet in itself.
     
  5. teya

    teya Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Exactly. And even without the pumpkin, people would add less sugar, honey, maple syrup than that recipe calls for.

    I've found that with both sugar & salt, when you have fresh food with flavor, people voluntarily use less.
     
  6. thestrangequark

    thestrangequark Admiral Admiral

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    Exactly! The idea behind the recipe is great, pumpkin would definitely be a nutritious and tasty way to bulk up some oats, but it just needs modification. When you buy your pumpkin puree make sure it's pure pumpkin puree with nothing added. Pumpkin is sweet all on it's own, and doesn't need the added sugar or corn syrup that some prepackaged pumpkin pie fillings use. As teacake said, you can then let everyone add sugar (or brown sugar, because it's delicious) to taste. Hell, I have a major sweet tooth and the amount of sweetener that recipe called for blows my mind (especially considering it suggested a sugar substitute, which tend to be much sweeter than sugar).

    It may take you a little while to learn, but there are usually easy, healthy ways to do just about anything, and when you eat healthy 90% of the time, it makes that slice of cheesecake at Christmas, or that weekend chocolate bar indulgence, or whatever occasional treat you fancy all the sweeter!

    If you like, check the veggie thread for my vegetarian chili. That's a super healthy dish that is cost effective and very easy to make in bulk to feed a family. It's also very well cooked, to make chewing easy on your old folks. You might want to make it less spicy than I wrote it, though!
    Definitely. Sugar and salt should enhance a flavor, not be the primary flavor in and of themselves.
     
  7. Kenbushway

    Kenbushway Captain Captain

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    Right thank you. I am mostly talking about the raw fruits though when it comes to softness. I love oatmeal and can cook it soft and I love adding real apples to it - mixed with cinnamon. But not everyone can eat that in my family. I like the pumpkin oatmeal because its high in Vitamin A something important to have in my case, I don't want my vision to get worse and its soft. Plus my folks love pumpkin pie so I can trick them into eating something healthy.
     
  8. thestrangequark

    thestrangequark Admiral Admiral

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    ^Sounds like a good idea. As for the apples, boiled apples are delish and very soft; they'd make a great addition to oatmeal. As would poached pears!
     
  9. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    You can always make apple sauce first and add that to porridge.

    I wouldn't hold your breath as far as the vitamin A content of canned pumpkin. Do check the labels for no added sugars to it as tsq says. If you are trying to expand relatives palates it's always good to start with something they like and if they do love pumpkin pie this sounds like a good idea.
     
  10. Sector 7

    Sector 7 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I understand what you mean, Kenbushway. I take care of my mother, who is in a hospital bed at home. She only has upper dentures, so meal planning can be difficult. Often, I will fix two meals, which is physically and mentally exhausting.

    Over the past year or so, I have been eating more healthy and bringing Mom with me... kicking and screaming.:devil: Although from Ohio, she is a Southern cook by nature... she wants butter on, and in, everything! She is the only human I know who would slice a doughnut in half and lavish butter on each half!:cardie:

    I have learned to make some of Mom's favorite dishes much more healthy. Sugar-free syrup or applesauce or Truvia (stevia plant natural sweetner) are healthier substitutes for sugar, sugar syrup, etc. Applesauce instead of sugar also makes cakes more moist, as well as, healthier.

    I use Cavender's Greek Seasoning (Salt-free, of course) as a salt replacement and all around seasoning. This has lowered our sodium intake considerably.
     
  11. iguana_tonante

    iguana_tonante Admiral Admiral

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    Being Italian, it's generally understood that pasta should be the main course of at least one meal every day. Preferably, two or more.

    Kidding aside, I do eat pasta most days, and even with my slow metabolism, I can work it off pretty easily. My portion is usually 80-90g of pasta if it's the main dish of the meal, less if it's just the first course. I wonder what is considered a "portion" of pasta in other situation.
     
  12. Kenbushway

    Kenbushway Captain Captain

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    Thank very much for the advice and tips. Funny thing I was actually listening to The Ozark Mountain Daredevils song If you want to get to heaven when I clicked on the spice link.

    Definitely have to lower sugar and sodium intake. I live in Ga, so I know what you mean by southern cooking. Love it but it will put you in a early grave if you have heart problems.

    Could I buy this Greek seasoning at a store locally?
     
  13. Kenbushway

    Kenbushway Captain Captain

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    I cannot for the life of me figure out how to cook hash browns correctly. I tried 3 different times now, I am actually getting worse.
     
  14. thestrangequark

    thestrangequark Admiral Admiral

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    ^Hash browns aren't exactly a healthy food...you sure you want advice on cooking them? Better to bake those potatoes than fry them.
     
  15. Squiggy

    Squiggy FrozenToad Admiral

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    Yeah...so far you're not doing too well on the whole "eating healthy" thing.
     
  16. Kenbushway

    Kenbushway Captain Captain

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    I didn't actually think of baking them. But its too hot here in Ga for baking anymore.
     
  17. Tora Ziyal

    Tora Ziyal Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Italian-American food tends to be southern Italian (to whatever extent it's still Italian at all). My family pretty much sneered at it, but then they came from Rome and Sardinia.

    Garlic can be overused, but never overrated. ;)
     
  18. Amaris

    Amaris Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Oh, this sounds terrific! I'm going to try this. It will satisfy my need for creamy sauces (lulz), and also allow me to consume more veggies, albeit in puréed form.
     
  19. Kenbushway

    Kenbushway Captain Captain

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    I've tried looking for recipes on how to make pureed cauliflower but they think I am looking for a healthy alternative to mash potatoes. Do you have a specific way of making it yourself?
     
  20. Amaris

    Amaris Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    That's because pureed cauliflower can be a good substitute for mashed potatoes. Potatoes cause significant blood sugar spikes, and are generally not good for diabetics (I was heartbroken when I learned this because I'm pretty certain I was born a potato).