Monday, December 04, 2006

not the most appropriate post to follow the brownies...

It's that time of year when food is king. It's everywhere. Delicious cookies and cakes and comfort foods. I like it and usually don't feel much guilt. But I know I will be paying for it when it comes time for getting out the summer clothes again....the dreaded swimsuit and shorts and tank-tops. I love summer, don't get me wrong. But all my winter sloth and gluttony shows. It's the weather, I think, mostly. It's cold and dreary most days. You want to stay inside. Warm and comfy. And what's warmer and comfier than a belly full of yummy food?

Then New Years comes and we make all our resolutions to eat less, exercise more, etc. etc. Well why not start sooner? I've been searching for more healthy comfort food recipes. I read several bits about an author named Jeanne Jones who is famous for taking traditional recipes and lightening them up. I've gotten a couple of her cookbooks from the library, and tried one recipe: meatloaf in an onion. I liked the idea of it, but it turned out quite poorly. For one it's really meant to be something you wrap in foil and cook on the embers of a fire. But there were baking instructions, too. They didn't say NOT to put the foil on, so I wrapped all my onions in foil. It probably would have turned out better if I hadn't. What I got was bland steamed hamburger in a bland steamed onion. Very "cafeteria at the retirement home." Oh well. I'm not giving up on her recipes just yet, I'll just have to think about them more before I try them.

Wild Oats' website has all kinds of recipes. As far as healthier comfort food, this meatloaf and these mashed potatoes both look yummy and warming.

They also have a whole list of recipes to make using "super foods." Super foods are those which pack the most healthy stuff nature has to offer. I like this idea of not so much concentrating on "low-fat" and "low-calorie" but on quality ingredients that have naturally beneficial nutrients, fats, vitamins, etc. For more lists and recipes featuring the healthiest foods, check out the World's Healtiest Foods website, which has all kinds of info, including the list, a database of recipes, and featured food and recipe each week.

Also, this article lists 5 of the healthiest foods in the world, from around the world, such as Olive Oil from Spain. Click on each food to find out more about it, and see a recipe. Neat!

Okay, one more list. The 29 healthiest foods on the planet. It's something I'll keep in mind when planning my next meal.

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