Confessions of a Chocoholic Dietitian

Is chocolate the answer to bad moods, high stress, or broken hearts? Maybe
not, but lots of women feel it comes pretty darn close. Life without
chocolate would be a pretty tasteless place. I personally don't let a day go
by without a few bites of chocolate. There's something about chocolate that
completely speaks to me.

Chocolate is the superman of all food cravings. Sixty-eight percent of
women's food cravings are for chocolate. I can tell you that I for one am
somewhere in that 68% statistic. And the time we crave it the most?
Apparently it;s an afternoon delight. Don't even try to get between a woman
in need and a candy bar vending machine around 3 o'clock.

I'm not a compulsive eater and I really don't have food cravings to speak
of, but I do have a love for chocolate that is unmatched by any other food I
can think of. IT'S SO ALL ABOUT CHOCOLATE!

Have I ever had more than a few bites at one time? Not really. You see,
because I don't deprive myself of chocolate, it's always been something I
can enjoy in small amounts....a few chocolate kisses or a tablespoon of
chocolate chips.

I'll let you in on a little secret...in the upper right hand corner of the
freezer door is my chocolate stash- some type of chocolate in individual
pieces like chocolate chips or Hershey Nuggets.

Here's my Elaine Magee frozen chocolate theory. When you place a bite size
piece of frozen chocolate in your mouth it forces you to take your time
enjoying it. You can't bite it, so you have no choice but to roll it around
on your tongue, slowly warming it and softening it. Enjoying your chocolate
this way, you will have around 3 full minutes of chocolate ecstasy for a
Hershey's nugget compared with mere seconds if your chocolate is already at
room temperature. I know this because I timed myself doing it several times
just to be sure (this was a really fun experiment, do try it at home!)

No other food tantalizes the taste buds quite like chocolate--it represents
the divine blend of over 500 flavors (2 1/2 times more flavors than any
other food!) No other food compares to the sensual depth of chocolate--even
its melting point is sensual. Chocolate melts almost immediately in response
to human touch because its melting point is just below body temperature.
Couple that with other appealing characteristics of chocolate, like the
blend of fat and sugar, the smooth texture and arousing aroma, and
you've--got quite possibly--the most alluring food on the planet!

Have a happy chocolate Valentine's day everyone!

--Elaine Magee

P.S. For a bunch of lightened but luscious chocolate recipes, check out my
new cookbook, COMFORT FOOD MAKEOVERS.

Related Topics: Chocoholic's Survival Guide, Chocolate Recipes

Technorati Tags: chocolate, cravings, diettips, valentinesday

Shop Talk: Cooking Sprays

Move over PAM because there's a new cooking spray in town!

***Mazola PURE canola oil spray***

As if cooking spray wasn't expensive enough, now there's a new cooking spray
that costs even more than the others (I think it was 5 dollars, I'm not sure
but I remember being really shocked and thinking I better be able to write
it off my taxes.) I've got to say though...it IS definitely the prettiest
can on the shelf!

The Mazola PURE can is this pretty yellow color and it has this curvaceous
shape with an opaque yellow dome cap. Great design work Mazola!

Right on the front of the label, this cooking spray boasts:
* no alcohol (which made me wonder, do other cooking spray contain alcohol?)
* no silicone (I'm not even going to go there)

Well if makes such a big deal of not containing alcohol and silicone, what
does it contain? So I perused the list of ingredients and found:
--Canola oil (big surprise),
--Lecithin from soy (which they add for better no-stick-ness), and
--propellant

Did I like using this new cooking spray? You bet.
Is it worth the extra dollars per can? Depends on how badly you need those
extra dollars.
Is it still more environmentally friendly to use those refillable oil
sprayers? Darn it, but yes.


Bottom line: If you are interested in trying this new slick canola cooking
spray, try to buy it when it is on sale.

Elaine

Related Topics: Time for an Oil Change, What is in a Heart Healthy Kitchen

Technorati Tags: mazolapure, pam, cookingoil, spray

Coffee and Tea

My first carnival, how exciting! This week's Carnival of Recipes features some terrific ways to use coffee and tea. Stop by and give those links a click.

New Food & Sex Research

Trust me when I say that if I weren't a nutrition writer/expert, I probably
would have become a sex/marriage therapist. Definitely this popular topic is
in my top three favorite things to talk about. Someday I'll write a book
merging my two favorite topics (food & sex), but in the meantime, I'll just
have to blog!

A new study (with rats) just came out that basically found that the female rats loaded on caffeine weren't exactly "shy" about wanting and getting sex, again and again. Since it was shots of "caffeine" that seemed to create these wanton rats, what does this possibly imply about cultures that are absolutely rabid about their caffeinated tea drinking? (England...Asia...just to name a couple)

The researchers say it's too early to say whether caffeine will have similar
effects on human females...but I might just get my stock in Starbucks right
now (LOL)...but here's a thought...maybe the caffeinated-charged rats just
got more sex because they couldn't get to sleep?

--Elaine Magee

Related Topics: Better Loving Through Biochemistry, Eat Your Way to a Spicier Sex Life

Technorati Tags: sex, caffeine, starbucks

D is for Delicious Recipes

It's All About the Letter "D" Today!

My husband's name starts with the letter "D" (Dennis) and my daughter's name
does too (Devon)...so you could say I'm rather partial to this 4th letter of
the alphabet.

The other thing that makes "D" special to me is that it's the letter that
comes after the letter that my favorite treat starts with--"C"--for
chocolate!

In honor of this "D" day in food blog history, I wanted to share a couple of
D-light-ful "D" recipes from my last two cookbooks.

From my just-released COMFORT FOOD MAKEOVERS cookbook:

DAY-BEFORE MASHED POTATOES
This recipe makes a thick mashed potato that stands up well after a night in
the refrigerator.

Makes 8 servings

8 medium-sized potatoes, peeled an cubed
1 tablespoon butter or no trans margarine
2/3 cup light cream cheese
2/3 cup fat free or light sour cream
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Canola oil cooking spray
1 to 2 tablespoons butter (optional)

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in the potatoes and
cook until tender (about 15 minutes).
2. Drain potatoes well and immediately add them to the bowl of an electric
mixer along with the tablespoon of butter. Beat on low until the potatoes
are smooth.
3. Mix in the cream cheese, sour cream, onion powder, salt (if desired),
and pepper and beat on low to blend well. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
4. Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with the cooking spray. Spread the potato
mixture in the prepared dish, cover with foil, and refrigerator overnight.
5. Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Bake dish for 30 minutes. Dot each serving
of potatoes with a little bit of butter, if desired.

Nutritional Analysis: per serving
BEFORE AFTER
Calories 350 240
Fat (grams) 17 3.5
Saturated fat (grams) 10.5 2.1
Cholesterol (mgs) 45 17
Sodium (mgs) 430 117

And From my FRY LIGHT, FRY RIGHT! Cookbook (light versions of favorite fried
foods):

DRUMETTES BUFFALO (BETTER-FOR-YOU BUFFALO CHICKEN WING DRUMETTES)
To make this favorite party food more healthful, we removed the skin and
decreased the cooking oil by cooking the wings with a touch of canola
cooking spray.

Makes 7 servings (4 drumettes per serving)

2 teaspoons seasoned salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons flour
2 1/2 pounds (about 28) skinless wing drumettes if available (if not, you
can take the skin off yourself)
Canola cooking spray
1/4 cup nonalcoholic beer or light beer (chicken broth or wine can also be
used)
Light blue cheese dip or dressing

1. In a small mixing bowl, stir together the seasoned salt, chili powder,
garlic powder, pepper, and flour. Remove and discard the skin from the
wings. Dip each wing into the seasoning mixture, pressing the mixture onto
the chicken to coat well.
2. Generously coat a large nonstick skillet with canola cooking spray and
place over medium-high heat. Add the chicken drumettes (cooking in batches
if necessary) and cook for about 4 minutes, or until the bottoms are
browned. Flip with prongs and cook for about 4 minutes more.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the beer. Cover the pan and cook
for about 5 minutes. If the wings aren't cooked through, turn them over and
cook for a few minutes more. Remove from the heat and serve hot with light
blue cheese or ranch dip or dressing, if desired.

Nutritional Analysis: per serving
BEFORE AFTER
Calories 200 174
Fat (grams) 14 4.5
Saturated fat (grams) 3.6 1.2
Cholesterol (mgs) 73 52
Sodium (mgs) 551 539


Technorati Tags: recipes, chocolate, mashedpotatoes, buffalowings, slashfood

Hot Flash Help!

Here's a recipe from my Change of Life Diet cookbook - enjoy!

HOT FLASH MOCHACCINO

Makes 2 small drinks (about 1 cup each)

1/2 cup double-strength coffee, chilled
3/4 cup chocolate soymilk
1 1/2 cups ice cubes
1 tablespoon chocolate syrup (optional)


Add coffee, chocolate soymilk, ice cubes into blender and blend until the mixture has a nice, smooth texture (like a milkshake).

Taste the drink. If you would like a stronger chocolate flavor, add a tablespoon of chocolate syrup. Blend the mixture, pour into two glasses and enjoy!


NOTE: If you don't have a blender, just mix the first 2 ingredients (and chocolate syrup, if desired) together and then add the ice.

Nutritional Facts: 55 calories, 2 grams protein, 9 grams carbohydrate, 1.3 grams fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 30 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 21 percent.
115 mg calcium, 9 mcg folate, 45 IU vitamin D, 38 RE vitamin A

--Elaine Magee

Related Topics: Hot Flahes: Open a Window or I'll Scream, Soy Plus Exercise Relieves Hot Flashes


Technorati Tags: coffee, menopause, mocha, hotflashes

Shop Talk: Frozen Entrees

I usually just walk right by the frozen entree aisle...it's not that I'm
stuck up about processed food or anything...okay maybe just a little. What
can I say? Some frozen entrees just have that "hospital cafeteria" smell and
taste to it. Or...they are shockingly high in something, if it isn't fat
grams it's milligrams of sodium. And even if I can get past all of that, I
kind of have an issue with an ingredient list that it takes several minutes
to read.

But, even with all of that, every now and then I venture down that
foreboding aisle and select a couple entrees to try. This time I picked one
entree that didn't say it was a "healthier" choice and one that did (it
starts with "lean" and ends with a word that rhymes). Then I followed the
microwave directions on the back of the box and voila! I had one entree that
was pleasantly tasty and one that was so visually unappealing that the only
two words that kept coming to mind were "mystery meat". It tasted about as
good as it looked. But enough about that one.

The one that rocked was by Marie Callender's and it was the
GOLDEN BATTERED FISH FILLET which comes with seasoned rice and broccoli in a
creamy cheese sauce. I could have done without the cheese sauce on the
broccoli but the rest was darn yummy. The grand total on the nutrition facts
label:

450 calories
16 grams fat 32% calories from fat
4.5 grams saturated fat
0 grams trans
35 mg cholesterol
53 grams carbohydrate
22 grams protein
4 grams fiber
1170 milligrams of sodium

Elaine

Related Topics: Busy Family Food Choices, Eat Better for Less

Technorati Tags: frozenfood, quickmeals, foodreviews

The Recipe Doctor's New Year's Resolutions

I rather like the clean slate we all start off with in January and the hope that New Years Resolutions bring. I try to choose resolutions that are set up for success--like one of my all time favorites (1989)...to floss everyday.

That was one of those habits you can just add to your day fairly easily. It was almost a sure success. And that resolution stuck! To this day I have floss packed in my purse, my car, my bathroom at home. I'm known as the phantom flosser in my family, dropping mysterious strands of floss in almost every room in the house.

So...for this year...what improvements would I like to make? What shall I choose as my 2006 resolutions?

Well, I already exercise almost every day (I'm one of those ex-dancers that has no problem motivating myself to exercise an hour every day), but I would like to make it to two Pilates classes a week instead of one and two Spinning classes (bicycle) a week instead of one. Those classes just kick my butt and I think it will kick my fitness up a notch if I can double my attendance. For me, it's just about fitting the classes into my "workday" and "mom" schedule. Once I get a workout time or class figured into the my schedule (working, picking kids up, bringing them to afternoon dance classes, fixing dinner, etc.), it's as good as gold.

You would think "the recipe doctor" would pick something "food" for her resolution, wouldn't you? Well, the food resolutions I'm keeping in mind for the New Year are

• continuing to drinking green tea every day (I started a month ago and it seems to have stuck)
• remembering to add a tablespoon of ground flax to most days (I've realized that with flaxseed it can be out of sight, out of mind. It helps if you put a week's worth of flax on your kitchen counter where you will see it every day. Keep the rest in the freezer.) When I wrote The Flax Cookbook, I was testing recipes every day and it was easier to get my daily dose of flax. So I just need to make a more conscious effort to add this powerful plant food (once a day) when I'm cooking or eating.

I could also resolve to not swear as much (but I'm saving that one for Lent!) LOL!

Wishing all of you a healthy and happy 2006!

Elaine

Related Topics: Fit Mom, Fit Kids, 10 Easy Ways to Make Weight Loss a Habit

Tags: 2006Resolutions, flax, greentea, health, wellness, webmd

That Time of Year - Comfort Food

I was reading the NY times article, "Macaroni and Lots of Cheese" and I thought...doesn't that just say it all! I've already confessed to being a chocoholic but I'm also a cheeseaholic (you heard it here first folks). Maybe it's in my genes (I'm 100% Dutch and the Dutch seem to have a thing for cheese-a common Dutch breakfast is slices of cheese on toast).

Homemade macaroni and cheese--bubbling from the oven--with a golden, crusty upper crust...well, that sounds like heaven to me. But being that I'm the Recipe Doctor, my homemade macaroni and cheese is also lightened for fat, saturated fat and calories (and it's higher in fiber too). I know some of you are thinking that spoils the whole comfort food fantasy, don't you. But to me and many others with health interests or issues and medical conditions, it really doesn't. As long as the recipe is still wonderful. And trust me, I "madeover" many a comfort food in my book, COMFORT FOOD MAKEOVERS, and in most cases you really can cut the calories, fat and saturated fat (and raise the fiber) without a big difference. Still yummy, still comforting, but with half the fat and a lot less calories.

This could very well be my favorite cookbook I've ever written. Why? Because if someone said, "Yo, Elaine (I'll answer to Yo, Recipe Doctor too though)...what's your favorite type or style of cooking?" It would be the homestyle (comfort food) type of cooking hands down. I've lightened up fancy restaurant recipes many times and those are fun too, don't get me wrong. But my personal favorite foods to eat and cook? Definitely homestyle. Did you know that macaroni and cheese is one of the top 3 comfort foods in America? (according to a survey I ran a few years ago on www.allrecipes.com). Just in case you are curious, the other two were chocolate chip cookies and mashed potatoes and gravy. Who is going to argue with those results!

--Elaine

Related Topics: Kids in the Kitchen, Comfort Foods Offer Symptom Relief

Tags: comfortfood,macaroniandcheese,recipe,nutrition,webmd

SHOP TALK - Barilla Plus Pasta

Given what I do for a living, I'm in some darn supermarket almost every day (sometimes twice in one day--the checkers must think I'm nuts). But some things never change...I'm always looking for new products to try and I often can't help but shake my head in disgust at other new products and say in my head (and sometimes out loud), "What were they thinking!" or "We really NEEDED another cola with the flavor of vanilla AND wild cherry or a breakfast cereal in the shape of a chocolate chip cookie!" I'm a lot of fun to shop with.

On one of my shopping trips this week I finally picked up a box of the new Barilla PLUS pasta. I've been trying whatever whole grain pasta I come across over, some are pretty good and some just stink. I was most interested in this brand because they have also added plant omega-3s to the pasta (via ground flaxseed) and an assortment of high fiber ingredients (lentils, oats, spelt, barley, wheat fiber and ground flaxseed). How brilliant to pump up pasta with all sorts of good stuff in an effort to regain the respect all-things-pasta lost with that stupid low carb craze.

Tasting is believing though, so I boiled me a huge stockpot of water and dumped the whole box in (all 16 ounces of it). I've got to say it was quite good. I fed it to my family for dinner (in the form of a make-shift pasta salad) and no one said anything like "this pasta is icky" or "are these whole wheat noodles again!" My husband happens to be a fairly picky customer when it comes to food and he really enjoyed the pasta salad. Always a good sign.

I think the reason this pasta works is because it's a multigrain "enriched" pasta with the first ingredient still being semolina (the usual ingredient in white pasta). Then a grain and legume flour blend is the second ingredient (that's where the lentils, chick peas, oats, spelt, barley, and ground flaxseed and wheat fiber come from).

The noodles are not noticeably BROWN and the taste isn't noticeably different--I would think for most Americans, this is a good thing. The nutritional info though is noticeably improved.

A 2 ounce serving of dry pasta contains 200 calories, 4 grams of fiber (some of it will be soluble fiber from the oats, beans, and ground flaxseed), and there are 10 grams of protein too (from the legumes and egg whites). My guess is the glycemic index or glycemic load on these noodles, especially if you cook them al dente, will be significantly better than white pasta. The 2 ounce serving also contributes some plant omega's to the picture...A 2 ounce (dry) serving of this pasta computes to about 206 milligrams of plant omega-3s (about the amount in 1/2 teaspoon of ground flax). A far cry from the omegas in a serving of salmon but every little bit helps.

Bottom line: What impresses me most about this pasta is the fiber (part soluble and part insoluble).

Related Topics: pasta recipe, High fiber for high blood pressure