Transforming Comfort Food: Healthy and Nutritious Options
When I have flashbacks of the long ago days when almost any rich delicious food was a comfort food for me, I also remember the aches and pains and how hard it was to get around when I weighed over 300 pounds.
I am always on the outlook for healthy, delicious, and nutritious foods. At Thanksgiving my sister-in-law, Cherrie Thomas, served me one that I came right home and have fixed again several times. She had sliced yams into quarter inch slices and then put them on an oiled cookie sheet with just a little butter (I use a little olive oil) and roasted them in the oven. WOW! – they tasted like a vegetable candy. Like anything else, portion control is key so I limit myself to a serving to cup per serving.
The biggest New Year’s Resolution is to lose weight. Here are a few of my favorite tips:
1.Pomegranate and Grape nuts:
I always have an apple when I have a bowl of whole grain cereal in the morning. One day I was out of apple and decided that pomegranates would do. I had cup Grape nuts, with 1-cup pomegranates ales, and 1 cup of soymilk. It was so good I think I have had it everyday for the past two weeks.
2.Frozen fruit shake:
Ice cream custard was one of my favorites long ago so I had to find a shake that would take its place and satisfy a craving for my oldI now buy a bunch of bananas in the store and let them sit on the counter until they get a few little dark brown dots on them. At this point they are ripe and the sugar in the banana is fully developed. I then cut them into 2 inch slices and put them on a cookie sheet covered with plastic wrap and freeze them. When I am ready for my special treat, I put a frozen banana into the blender with 1 to 1 cups of vanilla soy milk or milk. Add just a few drops of vanilla and turn the blender on. Frozen strawberries and other fruit as wonderful to add the basic banana.
3.Smoked salmon sandwich:
Buy thin sliced smoked salmon, and no-fat cream cheese. Toast a slice of whole grain bread and then spread 1 tablespoon cream cheese over it and then place 2 oz of the thinly sliced salmon.
4.Hearty chicken salad:
First, I put in the romaine lettuce then add yellow and red peppers. I then added some grapes and pomegranates along with some roasted butternut squash that has been warmed. Add 3 oz. of cooked chicken breast and a little of Newman’s Own light sesame dressing.
