blog #99 Oatmeal: benefits and where you can get a cheap bowl before 10am

One serving of oats is 150 calories, with 25 calories coming from fat.

Oatmeal is a whole-grain cereal. 

Instant oatmeal and old-fashioned oatmeal are both whole grains (but the old fashioned version is a better option due to less processing.) 

Oats help aid weight control.

“Oatmeal has a high satiety value, which means it helps fill you up and keeps you full. Research shows that oatmeal is more filling than some other breakfast foods such as bread, eggs and yogurt.”

Whole Foods offers an amazing bowl of oatmeal before 10am for just $2.17.

The oatmeal bar is set up in a buffet style so you can select your topping (like a salad bar, but for oats). For just $2.17 you can pick unlimited toppings.

Tips:

-Choose real fruit, not dried

-Limit the granola or other cereal toppings, unless you pour less oatmeal into your bowl (because your carb count will increase rapidly)

-Limit the nuts topping option (some are good, too much adds excessive calories and fat)

-Just like when buying packaged foods, compare the labels. At Whole Foods, they offer plain oats or oats made with fruit, but there’s a catch! In the ingredients posted above the hot cereal, you’ll see half and half listed in the oats made with fruit. If you are trying to maintain/lose weight, chose the oats with fewer ingredients (and no fatty dairy!), and add fresh fruit for more flavor. 

blog #98 Healthier pesto recipes

I stumbled across an article that mentioned something that stuck with me:

“Adjust the ingredients to your taste”

I’m a huge fan of this philosophy and I make soups with no recipe at all — I like to throw in a little bit of this and a little bit of whatever from my refrigerator.

Pesto is a sauce made from basil. Basil extract has been reported to have antioxidant activity. 

Generally, pesto includes:

Basil

Salt

Olive oil

Pine nuts

Cheese (parmesean)

Garlic

Check out this typical recipe:

I liked this article that suggests altering pesto to your needs:

This recipe calls for:

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts

3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

My recipe doesn’t include garlic or cheese, and instead of pine nuts I used almonds. Why not? It tastes just as good and I saved money on the nuts (pine nuts are pricy) and calories on the cheese.

It’s really hard to estimate how many calories are in pesto you get at a restaurant because it depends what it’s made with and mostly how much oil is used. Since the oil content is unknown when dining out, perhaps opting out of pesto as a topping is a good option.

Less oil, elimination of cheese, and less nuts can yield a lower calorie sauce.

Remember a little pesto goes a long way. Enjoy.

What I like pesto on/in:

Eggs/omelet

Soups

Salads (instead of dressing)

Rice or whole grain noodles

Quinoa

Steamed veggies like broccoli or tomatoes

Because pesto is made from simple chopping or pureeing ingredients together, it is considered a “raw food.”