I bought a box of 1 quart Ziploc bags. I figure what I’m going to do is produce the basics for a bunch of meals at one time, and then freeze them. But let me skip ahead for a second, to finish out my first day’s meals. Dinner was pretty much a repeat of earlier meals. As I was headed off to bed, though, I was thinking about all the fresh spinach I was eating, the eggs, and the possibility of meat. Spinach salad, I thought. Nothing wrong with that!
Well, I got into bed, and was thinking about the spinach salad, and was getting hungry. So I got up and made a very rustic spinach salad. I smashed a hardboiled egg, added some spinach and some of the cooked beans. I lacked a dressing, but that was okay. With just a sprinkling of fine sea salt, it was pretty yummy. So much so, that I made a second one and ate it! Now, I could see that as a meal, with a bit of bacon. And warm. Heat some vinaigrette (following the book, if you use store-bought, make sure there’s no sweetener in it) in a pan, get it warm, add the beans first to warm them--they’re denser and will take longer. When they’re warm, add the spinach and toss with the vinaigrette. Add some crumbled bacon if you have it, and sliced or chopped egg, and chow down. Mmm...I’m getting hungry again.
Yesterday afternoon--I’m on the second day now, so we’re rewinding to the first day--I took the two chickens, put them in a roasting pan, and put them in the oven at 375. Here comes the chef part of me...I cooked them till they were done. If roasting a chicken is daunting, as doing the Thanksgiving turkey may also be, do exactly what I did. Put them in a pan, and put them in the oven. Be sure to take out the bag of giblets first. You can use the chicken livers for whatever pleases you. The gizzard and neck can be roasted with the chicken. If your chicken comes in a bag with juice, rinse it off first. Mine happened to be nice and dry, wrapped in butcher paper.
Yes, normally I would brush the chickens with melted butter and season them liberally with salt and black pepper before roasting them, and certainly I’d do that if I were serving them as roasted chicken, but I’m not, and I’m trying to keep it simple. Just be sure the chicken is cooked through before taking it out of the oven. Pull the thigh away from the body. There should be no pink juices at the joint.
I’m an avid fan of salt, as you might have deduced. If you’re finding this diet bland and not using salt, you’re missing out. Plus, I would guess a bit of extra salt might facilitate your wanting to drink more water. I like pepper, too, but I’m working in someone else’s kitchen right now, and I don’t have my spice mill with me, so I’m going without.
When the chicken’s done, pull it out, leave it the pan, and let it cool to the point where you can handle it. Pull all the skin and meat off. Chop the skin and chop or tear apart the meat. Put in a container and set aside. Reserve the bones and the carcass. Degrease the roasting pan and deglaze it with water. Heat it stovetop, or back in the oven. Use a wooden spoon to loosen all the golden bits on the bottom of the pan. Pour the juices into the chicken meat and toss. Now, the chicken’s way more flavorful with the pan juices. Bag up the carcasses and chill in the fridge, then freeze for later use. If you’re into it, you can make stock. Or, if you use store-bought “chicken broth” you can throw the carcasses into a pot with the broth and simmer it all for about half an hour, then strain. You’ll have much more flavorful broth. Or give them to a friend.
After dealing with the chicken, I cooked the rest of everything else, except the spinach and the eggs--with the exception of boiling a half dozen for a quick snack, or the above-mentioned spinach salad.
I cooked the rest of the beans. I sliced the ahi and cooked it and set it aside. I sliced the cauliflower and cooked it the way I did yesterday, and set it aside.
I set up a bunch of Ziploc bags. Taking the leftover, chilled beans from yesterday, I put a cup in each bag, followed by some cauliflower, and some ahi. I think I got three bags worth. Laying each bag on its side, I pressed down to spread out the contents and squeeze the air out before sealing. This will minimize the chance for freezer burn (not that I expect any of the food to be in the freezer that long), speed freezing, and subsequently speed thawing.
My idea with these bags is that I can pull them one-by-one, as needed, thaw/heat them, and then finish them in a sauté pan, scrambling eggs into them, then adding fresh spinach.
While the just-cooked beans were cooling, I bagged up the chicken, 5 ounces per bag. I sealed the bags and put them in the fridge. I got about ten portions. Then I covered the beans and put them away. Today, I’ll take the bags of chicken out, and add a cup of beans to each. I should also go and buy and prep more veg to add that to the bags, then freeze them. And I need more eggs.
By the way, I use a Pelouze 32 ounce scale from my restaurant for weighing the chicken. You certainly don’t need to be as exact! You could just as easily use a cup measure. And, the cup of beans is about 5 ounces. If your breakfast should be at least 30% protein, you’re at 50/50 right now. If you decide to use a bag and add eggs and veggies, you’re probably more than good to go with the 30%. I used a bag this morning, with three eggs, and three and a half ounces of spinach--which is quite voluminous--and got breakfast and lunch out of it.
So far, I haven’t really been hungry or craving anything, though I did get up to make the spinach salad last night. I just hope I’m not overeating. It’s only been two days, of course, but I don’t feel the need for a “cheat day” yet. I’m sure when the time comes, I’ll be looking forward to it, but I recall with less than great fondness a couple of different days in childhood when I ate so much I wanted to throw up. One of those days it was chocolate éclairs and hamburgers, among other goodies.
Speaking of “cheat day,” I have a huge amount of skepticism about this diet for several reasons, cheat day being one of those. The concept just doesn’t strike me as being healthy. I’ll probably get into some of the other issues on a slow day, but then I don’t want to appear as a pontificating blogger.
I’ve been recording the amount I’ve spent on food thus far, just out of curiosity to compare my costs with what’s in the book. That’ll come in this blog in a day or two, along with some thoughts on making the food yet more palatable and interesting.
Monday, May 30, 2011
A spur of the moment beginning!
I don’t really blog. Certainly, I never read blogs. I’m tired of Facebook, and I finally took the time to suspend my account. Yeah, I’m probably a little anti-social, but do you really care? I don’t think you do. Nor did I care about all the stuff that everyone else was always posting about themselves, as if the world cared. There are more personal ways to stay in touch with people.
It was not my idea to do this blog. It was suggested by a good friend, Cherie, with reason. I first heard about “The 4-Hour Body” and the slow carb diet from her. She loaned me the book. I’ve never had any desire or intention of trying a diet that‘s been the subject of any book. I’m a professional chef, and I’ve also “dieted” very successfully in my life, losing 65# in eight months, and keeping more than the majority of that off for many, many years. So, I know how to lose weight and keep it off. (One of the things I "love" about blogs is when people profess to have great knowledge about something. I don't have great knowledge, but I do have expereince.)
Yes, I’d like to lose some weight now. It’s been many years since I’ve had a regular exercise program, since my restaurant and bed & breakfast became my exercise. After more than 15 years, we finally closed the business because of the bad economy. I’m not cooking professionally right now--almost a welcome respite--and I don’t cook for myself. I prefer to cook for others. When I have no one to cook for, I tend just to eat out or order food to go. But, believe it or not, that becomes boring after a while.
Out of boredom, I figured I’d give the slow carb diet a try. Timothy Ferris, the author, likes to eat out of cans, but I can’t bring myself to that. I might as well eat out. Though I don’t like to cook for myself, I love to cook, and I love challenges. I figured this could be a challenge. I know as a professional, it’s relatively easy for me to walk into a kitchen and do things because it’s all in my head. So, I’m not going to give details here. But neither do I want what I’m going to say to be daunting. Perhaps it’ll just stir some creative juices.
Today is day one. Yes, as the book suggests, I’ve eaten basically the same meal four times today. But nothing’s out of a can, or frozen. Between yesterday and today, I’ve thrown some things together which I hope will make this diet a little more interesting.
First, a trip to the grocery store. Check out the proteins first. Stupid reason--they’re going to be the heaviest items, so you won’t crush your produce, plus they can leak. You don’t want chicken fluids on your fresh spinach. Do I need to say that? No, it’s just a suggestion. I happened to go the other way, starting in produce.
I’m not a big fish eater. I’m not fond of “fishy” (aka oily) fish, first of all, even though, in general, they’re probably better for you. Second, being a chef, I have an issue with freshness. I will barbecue right-out-of-the-ocean salmon once a year at home, and I love it. I’d do salmon for staff meal at the restaurant if I knew it was impeccably fresh. Mostly if I have fish, I’ll have it at a good restaurant. Sort of don’t ask, don’t tell. But it’s just one of a few things I’ll never cook for myself, but I’ll order out somewhere. Chicken livers. Same thing. Go figure.
Since you’re looking for protein from fish (aside from the fact that Omega-3s are good for you) look for fresh and cheap. Ahi was $10 a pound. Petrale sole, which I love, was $12, wild king salmon was $22. I got a chunk of ahi. In my book, lamb and pork are favored over beef, but I like chicken, too. So I got two roasters, local and naturally-raised. That was enough for the time being.
Beans/legumes. I happen to love black beans, and I used to make some killer refried black bean cakes. Black bean soup, too. Oh, my Mom’s black bean soup with a squirt of lemon juice and diced or sliced hardboiled egg on the top! But we’re trying to keep things simple. So, over to the bulk commodity section. I picked up some black beans, green lentils and split baby chick peas, with the emphasis on the black beans. Lentils from Puy in the Auvergne in France are considered to be among the world’s best. Splurge if you want to. They stay firmer than regular green lentils. Red lentils are close to worthless, in my opinion, unless you like mush.
On to produce. Again, to keep things simple for now, a head of cauliflower and a bag of washed, baby spinach. Don’t bother with bunches of spinach, which normally are full of sand and gunky leaves interspersed among the good ones. It’s worth getting the washed stuff, unless you really hate yourself.
I also picked up a dozen organic eggs and a gallon of spring water. I’m an egg lover, but not a water drinker. I could guzzle down a pint of water in about 10 gulps when I was working in my hot kitchen all day and needed hydration. I’d have a two cup measure handy just for that purpose, and the sink was right there. As soon as the first pint settled, I’d often down a second. The book says to drink a lot of water, but unless it’s right there, like it was in my kitchen, I don’t think to drink. The gallon keeps the water close by and, true to form, I can guzzle it from the bottle and down quite a bit.
Last night I cooked some of the legumes. If you’re a purist, you can soak the black beans overnight. I tend not to. Rinse ‘em, put ‘em in a pan, cover with about an inch of water and bring ‘em to a boil. Turn down to a simmer. They’ll need to go an hour, and watch the water. You want to keep the water level with the top of the beans. After 30-35 minutes, add the chick peas and lentils. Again, keep the water level with the top. At the end of the hour, remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Finally, drain, put in a container, cover and refrigerate.
That’s all I did last night in preparation for starting the diet today.
For breakfast, I heated some oil in a sauté pan and sliced some of the cauliflower about 3/16ths of an inch thick. (Sorry, it was neither an 1/8 of an inch, nor a 1/4). When the oil was hot, I added the raw cauliflower. The reason for that thickness is that I wasn’t blanching it ahead of time, so I wanted it thin enough to cook and brown, but not so thick that it would burn. When it was slightly brown, I turned it to brown on the other side.
While that was cooking, I sliced some ahi, about 1/4 inch thick. You can do the seared ahi thing, if you like, but I was looking for simplicity--a one-pan meal. To keep the ahi rare would have meant removing it from the pan when it was done and later and adding it back. I added about a cup of the precooked legumes and heated them a bit, and then whisked in three eggs. Personally, I like my eggs scrambled soft--custardy. But this wasn’t to be this time. Then, a handful of fresh spinach, just to take the chill off it, and a bit of salt. It was passable, but way more than I could eat. So I doggy-bagged the rest, put an ice pack on it, and took it on the road with me for lunch. It was actually better the second time around, cold.
Well, it wasn’t exciting, but it was okay. There was a good combination of textures and flavors. And if you’re a bigger fan of fish than I am, it probably would have been quite good. Meals the rest of the day were pretty much the same. I ate enough that I wasn’t hungry. And I’ve been drinking water, but probably not enough.
As Ferris says, you don’t have to read the whole book, just those sections that are of interest. What I read was a couple or more weeks ago. Since I decided yesterday, more or less on the spur of the moment, to give it a try, I had to quickly review what the book said. So, right now I’m sort of winging it in terms of percentages of protein, legumes and veggies.
It was not my idea to do this blog. It was suggested by a good friend, Cherie, with reason. I first heard about “The 4-Hour Body” and the slow carb diet from her. She loaned me the book. I’ve never had any desire or intention of trying a diet that‘s been the subject of any book. I’m a professional chef, and I’ve also “dieted” very successfully in my life, losing 65# in eight months, and keeping more than the majority of that off for many, many years. So, I know how to lose weight and keep it off. (One of the things I "love" about blogs is when people profess to have great knowledge about something. I don't have great knowledge, but I do have expereince.)
Yes, I’d like to lose some weight now. It’s been many years since I’ve had a regular exercise program, since my restaurant and bed & breakfast became my exercise. After more than 15 years, we finally closed the business because of the bad economy. I’m not cooking professionally right now--almost a welcome respite--and I don’t cook for myself. I prefer to cook for others. When I have no one to cook for, I tend just to eat out or order food to go. But, believe it or not, that becomes boring after a while.
Out of boredom, I figured I’d give the slow carb diet a try. Timothy Ferris, the author, likes to eat out of cans, but I can’t bring myself to that. I might as well eat out. Though I don’t like to cook for myself, I love to cook, and I love challenges. I figured this could be a challenge. I know as a professional, it’s relatively easy for me to walk into a kitchen and do things because it’s all in my head. So, I’m not going to give details here. But neither do I want what I’m going to say to be daunting. Perhaps it’ll just stir some creative juices.
Today is day one. Yes, as the book suggests, I’ve eaten basically the same meal four times today. But nothing’s out of a can, or frozen. Between yesterday and today, I’ve thrown some things together which I hope will make this diet a little more interesting.
First, a trip to the grocery store. Check out the proteins first. Stupid reason--they’re going to be the heaviest items, so you won’t crush your produce, plus they can leak. You don’t want chicken fluids on your fresh spinach. Do I need to say that? No, it’s just a suggestion. I happened to go the other way, starting in produce.
I’m not a big fish eater. I’m not fond of “fishy” (aka oily) fish, first of all, even though, in general, they’re probably better for you. Second, being a chef, I have an issue with freshness. I will barbecue right-out-of-the-ocean salmon once a year at home, and I love it. I’d do salmon for staff meal at the restaurant if I knew it was impeccably fresh. Mostly if I have fish, I’ll have it at a good restaurant. Sort of don’t ask, don’t tell. But it’s just one of a few things I’ll never cook for myself, but I’ll order out somewhere. Chicken livers. Same thing. Go figure.
Since you’re looking for protein from fish (aside from the fact that Omega-3s are good for you) look for fresh and cheap. Ahi was $10 a pound. Petrale sole, which I love, was $12, wild king salmon was $22. I got a chunk of ahi. In my book, lamb and pork are favored over beef, but I like chicken, too. So I got two roasters, local and naturally-raised. That was enough for the time being.
Beans/legumes. I happen to love black beans, and I used to make some killer refried black bean cakes. Black bean soup, too. Oh, my Mom’s black bean soup with a squirt of lemon juice and diced or sliced hardboiled egg on the top! But we’re trying to keep things simple. So, over to the bulk commodity section. I picked up some black beans, green lentils and split baby chick peas, with the emphasis on the black beans. Lentils from Puy in the Auvergne in France are considered to be among the world’s best. Splurge if you want to. They stay firmer than regular green lentils. Red lentils are close to worthless, in my opinion, unless you like mush.
On to produce. Again, to keep things simple for now, a head of cauliflower and a bag of washed, baby spinach. Don’t bother with bunches of spinach, which normally are full of sand and gunky leaves interspersed among the good ones. It’s worth getting the washed stuff, unless you really hate yourself.
I also picked up a dozen organic eggs and a gallon of spring water. I’m an egg lover, but not a water drinker. I could guzzle down a pint of water in about 10 gulps when I was working in my hot kitchen all day and needed hydration. I’d have a two cup measure handy just for that purpose, and the sink was right there. As soon as the first pint settled, I’d often down a second. The book says to drink a lot of water, but unless it’s right there, like it was in my kitchen, I don’t think to drink. The gallon keeps the water close by and, true to form, I can guzzle it from the bottle and down quite a bit.
Last night I cooked some of the legumes. If you’re a purist, you can soak the black beans overnight. I tend not to. Rinse ‘em, put ‘em in a pan, cover with about an inch of water and bring ‘em to a boil. Turn down to a simmer. They’ll need to go an hour, and watch the water. You want to keep the water level with the top of the beans. After 30-35 minutes, add the chick peas and lentils. Again, keep the water level with the top. At the end of the hour, remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Finally, drain, put in a container, cover and refrigerate.
That’s all I did last night in preparation for starting the diet today.
For breakfast, I heated some oil in a sauté pan and sliced some of the cauliflower about 3/16ths of an inch thick. (Sorry, it was neither an 1/8 of an inch, nor a 1/4). When the oil was hot, I added the raw cauliflower. The reason for that thickness is that I wasn’t blanching it ahead of time, so I wanted it thin enough to cook and brown, but not so thick that it would burn. When it was slightly brown, I turned it to brown on the other side.
While that was cooking, I sliced some ahi, about 1/4 inch thick. You can do the seared ahi thing, if you like, but I was looking for simplicity--a one-pan meal. To keep the ahi rare would have meant removing it from the pan when it was done and later and adding it back. I added about a cup of the precooked legumes and heated them a bit, and then whisked in three eggs. Personally, I like my eggs scrambled soft--custardy. But this wasn’t to be this time. Then, a handful of fresh spinach, just to take the chill off it, and a bit of salt. It was passable, but way more than I could eat. So I doggy-bagged the rest, put an ice pack on it, and took it on the road with me for lunch. It was actually better the second time around, cold.
Well, it wasn’t exciting, but it was okay. There was a good combination of textures and flavors. And if you’re a bigger fan of fish than I am, it probably would have been quite good. Meals the rest of the day were pretty much the same. I ate enough that I wasn’t hungry. And I’ve been drinking water, but probably not enough.
As Ferris says, you don’t have to read the whole book, just those sections that are of interest. What I read was a couple or more weeks ago. Since I decided yesterday, more or less on the spur of the moment, to give it a try, I had to quickly review what the book said. So, right now I’m sort of winging it in terms of percentages of protein, legumes and veggies.
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