Thinkin' Mediteranean

This week is my final week of blogging! I am getting myself ready to embark on an incredible experience where I am going to be visiting Poland and Israel, spending a week in each country.  I am going to be exploring the concentration camps where the Nazis tormented the Jews, and also touring the Jewish homeland.  I am extremely excited for this life-changing trip.  In order to prepare myself for this trip, I thought it would be necessary to add a recipe from this region of the world.  Today I chose to make Low-Fat Falafel.  Falafel is a Mediterranean classic: fried chickpeas generally served in a pita with Israeli salad and other vegetables and sauces.  The recipe I used today bakes the chickpea mixture instead of frying.  This eliminates a large amount of the oils found in the fried recipe.  I used garbanzo beans, garlic, onion, egg whites, cilantro, cumin, cayenne pepper, and soy sauce.  With only 102 calories per serving, this is a healthy and delicious Israeli treat!

Because I am going to be traveling in the next week, I chose to research food from around the world.  I found that food found across the world originated based on the crops, resources, and religions found in those areas.  Not only do the types and flavors of food differ around the world, but the way of eating is also unique.  For example, in places such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Korea, rice and soup (their common foods) are eaten with chopsticks.  While I am abroad, I will make sure to take careful note of how and what people are eating.

RANDOM FACT: Carrots were first grown as a medicine, not a food

TGIF

As the week comes to a close, I have finally finished putting together my recipe book, except for the recipes I plan on completing next week.  My recipe book has three sections: appetizers or sides, main dishes, and of course, desserts.  I am so excited to be able to have this recipe book with me next year as I go to college, in order to help me make healthier decisions.  This book proves that all good-tasting foods don't have to be high in fat or calories.

This week has been a difficult week to cook because it is Passover.  Passover is a Jewish holiday that forbids Jews (me) from eating bread products.  Because of this, I found it too hard to create a recipe that will be enjoyed by everyone throughout the entire year.  Next week, I am going to complete more recipes of my favorite fattening foods that have somehow been left out of my current recipes.

Keep posted for more recipes next week!

What Am I Missing?

As my WISE experience is rapidly approaching a close, I decided to take a day to reflect on the foods I have cooked thus far.  After looking through all the recipes, I noticed that several of my favorite unhealthy foods were not in the cookbook with a healthy alternative!  So, in the next week that I have to complete my cookbook before I leave for the March of the Living, I am going to create healthier recipes to my favorite fattening foods that I seem to have left out.  These include: Israeli food (FALAFEL), chicken parmesan, cake, and the classic American hamburger.

Not only have I been creating recipes based on my own opinions, but I have also been consulting my friends, family, and classmates.  This ensures that I cover all types of foods, even the ones I never thought I would like.  After my recipe book is completed I plan to give a copy to those who view my final presentation as well as my friends and family that have helped me with ideas for my project.

Tomorrow, I am going to continue working on my final presentation as well as exercising and researching about the long-run benefits that exercise and nutrition has on the body.

The Final Stretch

Today was a relatively slow day for me.  I decided that since this is a particularly busy week for me because of packing, celebrating passover, and finishing up my school work.  A week from tomorrow I am going to be headed to Poland and Israel for two weeks. I am going on a program called The March of the Living, where we tour the concentration camps set up by the Nazis during the Holocaust.  I am extremely excited about this trip, but it requires a lot of preparation with making up school work and packing.  However, I am not letting this trip completely interfere with my WISE project.  This week, I have made significant moves in my final presentation.

Usually, after third period every day I leave school to go to the gym and workout as well as try out new healthy recipes.  However, today I stayed at school and viewed Coach Love's model WISE presentation.  It helped me to see exactly what a presentation should look like and started giving me ideas for what I am going to do.  Now, I am more excited than ever to begin my final stretch of my WISE experience.  Yesterday, I began compiling the recipes I have tested out.  All recipes are healthier alternatives to fattening  foods.  I am proud to say I currently have about 40 new recipes!  In the coming days of the week, I am going to begin finalizing the book and hopefully making several copies.

Chocoholic

I am writing relatively early today because I have my regional playoff game for lacrosse this afternoon!  We won districts against our rivals, Western High School.  With a score of 9 to 6, we beat them for the first time all season.  So, today, we are playing Coral Shores High School to determine which team moves on to states.  Wish us luck!

So, today I baked my third and final meal of the week.  I chose a light and decadent dessert that everyone loves: chocolate mousse.  Usually, chocolate mousse has about 361 calories plus however many calories are in the whipped cream and chocolate used to garnish the mousse!  However, this recipe has a mere 147 calories and an additional optional 15 for whipped cream.  For this recipe I used semisweet chocolate chips, reduced-fat extra-firm tofu, salt, egg whites, sugar, and water.  Besides letting it chill for 4 hours, it was relatively easy and fast to make.  This dessert is great for anything!

Over the weekend, I am going to continue planning my final WISE presentation.  I plan on doing an interactive presentation and allowing my audience to taste one of the recipes I have made.  Keep posted!


RANDOM FACT: The Swiss consume the most chocolate.  Then the English!

PASTA PASTA PASTA

Pasta is one of my absolute favorite foods to eat!  However, many of the traditional pasta dishes contain an overwhelming amount of calories and fat, stopping me from enjoying it.  After reading articles, watching informative shows, and searching the grocery store, I have found the perfect substitute for pasta: tofu noodles!  I know it sounds anything but appetizing; however, it tastes EXACTLY like regular noodles, and has only 20 calories per serving!!  This is a healthy and delicious way to enjoy pasta.  For my recipe today, I made my entire family pesto pasta.  For the pesto sauce, I used basil, fat-free ricotta cheese, reduced-fat Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper.  This recipe has only 177 calories whereas the average pesto pasta has 564 calories!  This is definitely a much better option.

As I do every day, I researched more today.  I learned the importance of snacking throughout the day.  By eating pre-planned snacks throughout the day, you lessen your chances of eating poorly for the rest of the day.  Snacks help keep you energized and not hungry.  Contrary to what many people think, healthy snacking throughout the day will not be a component of weight gain.

RANDOM FACT: There are more than 600 pasta shapes produced worldwide!

Nothing Fishy About This Recipe...

After a relaxing weekend, today I was ready to get back to work.  I began my week with my side dish.  I chose to make a coconut shrimp recipe.  This was different for me because in general, I do not eat shrimp.  However, after much research, I decided that because I do not have any seafood recipes, I should try a mild one: coconut shrimp.  This recipe was much easier and tastier than I had expected.  For the crunchy outsides, I used Fiber One bran cereal, breadcrumbs, and shredded sweetened coconut.  I also used chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and egg whites.  This recipe has only 164 calories for 5 large shrimp. Usually, 5 coconut shrimp would have about 400 calories!  Not only does this recipe have minimal calories, but it also used minimal time to make. I recommend this recipe to all my followers.

In addition to cooking today, I chose to research about food labels placed on foods.  These labels give vital information about daily food consumption.  It indicates how many calories, fat, protein, sugar, fiber, and various nutrients and vitamins are in a specific food.  Since I have become more health-conscious, I am more aware of the labels of the foods I eat.  It lets me know exactly how healthy a product is, and how much of it I should eat.  One of the most common misconceptions that leads to overeating is not being aware of serving size.

RANDOM FACT: The first soup ever made was from hippopotamus and dates back to 6000 B.C.!

Just Peachy!

Today was my last day of cooking for the week, and no surprises, it went well!  I baked the dessert recipe of the week which I chose to be peach cobbler.  This sweet, fruity dessert satisfies all of my cravings!  It was extremely easy to make, too.  I used splenda, brown sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch, and of course, peaches.  For the crust, I used Fiber One oat bran cereal, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, soymilk, light whipped butter, and sugar-free maple syrup.  This recipe only has 212 calories and 2.5 grams of fat.  Compare that to the average peach cobbler that has 503 calories and 19 grams of fat!!  This is clearly a much better option.

Being active and exercising daily is an important component to losing weight and staying healthy.  Along with the recipe book I have been actively putting together, I have also been exercising and researching the benefits.  I have learned that by engaging in physical activity, you strengthen your immune system as well as promote better moods, and better sleeping habits.  Each day, I do about 30-45 minutes of cardio and about 20 minutes of weights and ab exercises.  Since I have begun my exercise routine, I have noticed a significant difference in the way I feel every day!

Over the weekend, I am playing in the first playoff game of my lacrosse season.  You can be sure that in this game I will be running A LOT!  So, I am going to continue exercising and researching new recipes.  Stay posted for next week!

RANDOM FACT: Exercise produces a relaxation response that serves as a positive distraction, so get moving and release your stress!

Say Cheese!

As usual, today proved to be another successful day for my WISE project.  After school, I made my daily visit to the local gym where I did cardio as well as weights and different abdominal exercises.  After completing my workout I came home where I continued searching for a recipe to make.  I decided to make a healthier and much less fattening version of an Italian classic: Baked Ziti.  Since I was extremely young, this cheesy pasta dish has always been my favorite, but not my body's favorite.  However, now it is!!  For this recipe, I used whole-wheat pasta, onions, mushrooms, garlic, spinach, basil, and tomatoes.  For the cheese, I used fat-free ricotta cheese, part-skim mozzarella cheese, and reduced-fat Parmesan-style grated cheese.  In the average baked ziti, there are about 872 calories and 44 grams of fat.  In this recipe, there are only 286 calories and 7 grams of fat! One of the main ways we were able to cut out a lot of the fat and calories by using healthier alternatives of cheeses.

In addition to cooking today, I also completed research on the importance of vitamins.  Although I previously knew that vitamins were good for you and help strengthen your immune system, I didn't know the specific details about them.  I learned that the body needs a minimum amount of vitamins and minerals each day to remain healthy and function properly.  A lack of these important substances can cause serious disorders.  The best way to obtain all of your necessary vitamins and minerals is to eat a well balanced diet, and not to deprive yourself of any food group.

RANDOM FACT: Snacks are a great way to refuel.  Choose snacks from different food groups.  If you eat smart at other meals, it is okay to splurge once in a while on a snack.

Roll Out the Calories

After a long week of midterm exams, I am refreshed and ready to begin cooking again.  I have just begun my very last quarter as a high school student, and can't believe how fast this year has gone by!  Since it is fourth quarter, that means my final project for WISE is extremely close.  So far, I have about 25 recipes for my book, and I plan to add more by the end.  Because my final presentation is approaching quickly, I have begun to think of how exactly I want my presentation to be conducted.  My thoughts now are that I will include a cooking demonstration as well as a detailed look at the cookbook my audience will receive.  These are just a few ideas which I will embellish before the day of my presentation.

Today, I chose to make a healthy and delicious appetizer.  I made shrimp egg rolls.  This Chinese classic has always been a "don't-touch" when thinking about this type of food.  However, now, it is a "must-have!"  With very simple ingredients that include egg roll wrappers, coleslaw mix, shrimp, different vegetables, garlic, salt, and pepper, this recipe was extremely easy to put together.  Compared to the average egg roll that has about 330 calories for two egg rolls, these have only 189 calories for two!  With a significant difference in the amount of calories between the two, it is evident that we have successfully rolled out the calories in this new recipe.

For this coming week I am going to continue exercising daily, researching, as well as cooking.  Stay posted for more recipes!

RANDOM FACT: Freezing is the best form of food storage because frozen food loses several times less vitamins A, C and B group than during keeping fruit and vegetables when another storing method has been chosen.