Healthy is the new skinny

So, you may read my blog, look at my photo and think, "who is this skinny bitch trying to give me advice on how to eat? She's probably never had a weight problem in her life."
Well, you're right, I've never been more than about 15 lbs overweight in my 53 years, but I did and still do have a binge eating problem. No purging, I just overeat. I'm missing some sort of stop mechanism, once I start eating I simply don't want to stop. (I'm kinda the same way with beer.) If I buy cookies, ice cream or chips I will eat the entire package in one or two sittings. I solve that problem for myself by not buying those things. I'm not saying I never buy it, but I don't as a rule. When I do eat "bad stuff" I keep craving it and eating it for days until I am able to break the cycle. It's easier to just stay away.

When I advise about exercising portion control it is a reminder to myself as well; I eat way too much at one sitting. And so, since my 20's I have had to work at maintaining my ideal weight, thus my lifelong interest in fitness and nutrition. I don't like being overweight, it is uncomfortable and I'm too cheap to buy new clothes.

My saving grace is that I never sit still and I like healthy food. And about 4 years ago I had a black cloud in my life that came with a super shiny silver lining. I had throat cancer. Luckily (oh so luckily!!) it was caught early and I'm here to tell you about it. I had 7 weeks of radiation that completely changed the landscape of my mouth and turned it into a science ficton project. After the first week I noticed that grapes tasted really, really bad. Pretty much the rest of the fruit family followed. I lived on mostly Ensure, hot tea, and a little bland food like oats and pasta with butter. Veggies tasted okay, but my mouth hurt and eating was not pleasant. Boy, did Thanksgiving suck that year!

Slowly after the radiation treatment I was able to incorporate food back into my life. Some things were easier to eat than others.  And I was not only fortunate to survive my illness, but also to recover my taste buds! Somehow my bout with cancer turned into an advantage for me because cookies and cake just turned to dough in my mouth and I no longer desired eating them. I did ingest a lot of fatty things at first to recover some of the weight I'd lost, but found that sugary foods wreaked havoc with my mouth, causing a yeasty reaction as well as the corners of my mouth cracking. Never a huge fan of squashes, post radiation they were the friendlest food for my mouth. Now I love all of them and eat them often. Vegetables continue to be one of my most palatable foods and sometimes I'm amazed at how sweet they taste to me. Recovery was a very slow and gradual thing for my taste buds and mouth and I still have trouble with things sticking in my throat, but all in all I'm a very lucky girl.

And so I say, healthy is the new skinny. Don't worry about trying to conform to society's unrealistic ideals on looks and size. Instead eat food that is going to keep your hair, skin and organs healthy.

It's a chilly winter Sunday in Florida, perfect day for a pot of soup. I just whipped up this corn chowder and it came out so yummy that I want to share.This is a vegetarian recipe than can easily be made vegan.
I have found that chipotles in adobo make a great meat substitute for many recipes and use them instead of bacon, chorizo and other meats in soup and bean recipes. They have fabulous, spicy heat and a touch of smokiness. A little goes a long way in the spicy heat department.

Vegetarian Corn Chowder

10 oz bag organic frozen sweet corn
1/2 onion
1 stalk celery (I used organic)
1/2 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce*
bay leaf
2 small yellow flesh potatoes
vegetable stock**
kosher salt and pepper
can coconut milk
butter****
fresh parsley

I started with about 2 T of butter in a heavy, large saucepan, heated with a drop of oil (olive, grapeseed, etc). Finely dice onion and add it to pot (on

med), finely dice celery and add to pot. Stir frequently. Dice potatoes and add to pot and stir. Season with a pinch of kosher salt and pepper. Add

bay leaf to pot and stir. Finely dice a chipotle pepper, I used about 1/2 one or about 1 teaspoon and stir into pot. Add bag of frozen corn to pot, stir

and cook for several minutes creating a fond on the bottom of pot. Season again with salt and pepper.
Add vegetable stock to pot to cover vegetables, about 2 cups or so. Cook until vegetables are tender, another several minutes or so.
Add coconut milk to desired level of soupiness/creaminess, I used about 1/2 can.*** Add chopped fresh parsley, I used about 1 T, stir, check

seasoning and serve.

*There are many many peppers in a can of chipotles in adobo sauce (found in the latino section of the market). I divide them into small containers

and freeze them once I open a can.

**I had homemade vegetable stock on hand that I made with potato peelings, leek greens and celery stalk.

***Reserve the leftover coconut milk in a plastic or glass container and save in fridge for another use (curry, coffee, whatever) and use up in a couple

days.

****Substitute olive oil for butter for a vegan recipe.

Quinoa is an ancient grain (or grain like food) that is high in protein and amino acids. It can be substituted for rice or pasta in dishes, supplementing a high nutritional content. It has a rather bland, but slightly nutty flavor and a fine texture.
Cooking it is simple, especially if you buy the kind that is pre-rinsed*. You can cook it in broth to add more flavor. 

Put your quinoa in a saucepan that has a tight fitting lid. Measure the ratio 1 part quinoa to 1 1/2 parts liquid. In other words, if you are using 1 cup of quinoa, use 1 1/2 c. of liquid. Bring it to a boil, turn down, cover and simmer for 15 min. When that time is up take the pot off the heat and place a clean, folded dish towel over the top and put the lid back on to absorb excess moisture.

Once you have cooked quinoa you can use it to make many different recipes: pilaf, salads, etc. 
In the above picture I have used it as a simple backdrop for my piccata style swai and it was a perfect complement.

To cook the swai I heated a non stick skillet on medium and melted a bit of butter in it with a couple drops of olive oil to keep it from burning. I washed the swai and seasoned one side with salt and pepper. When my pan was ready (the butter will stop sizzling) I added the fish, seasoned side up. I then grated the zest of 1/2 lemon (I wash my lemons) and squeezed all the juice onto it. I had to turn my pan up to high at this point. After a couple minutes I turned the fish and the butter was sizzling back up nicely, with the water content evaporating. I turned the fish one more time and then added about a tsp of capers.

The squash medley I made last night. My friend signed up for a fresh produce co-op and brought me a basket of several different kinds of squash. Well, there's no sense in letting fresh veggies get old in your fridge, so I cooked it all up, sauteing it in olive oil with some onion and both fresh and dried herbs and a little salt and pepper. I've eaten it twice and still have more for another meal, which is a plus as far as I'm concerned.

Here's a little tip to help control your eating: Take your supplements before you sit down to a meal with a full glass of water, it will help to fill up your belly. Or, take them after your meal to keep you from going back for seconds, as I do. I admit, I devoured that entire plate of food pictured and it barely made a dent. By time I take my vitamins and drink down the water I will be full. :)

*Afternote: rinse your quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. I used the pre-rinsed kind today and after eating it have noticed a slightly bitter taste in my mouth.