Steel Cut Oats

This is one of those foods that is so good for you it’s worth the extra time that it takes to prepare. It’ll help lower your cholesterol and provide you with some great fiber in your diet. It’s very flexible, as you can do all sorts of things to zip it up a bit. A little sugar, cinnamon and butter is a classic from my childhood (as long as you go easy on the sugar), but nowadays I quite often will add flaked coconut and coconut oil, or I’ll add some whey protein and a square of dark chocolate. Cooked oats go with just about anything, sweet or savory, so let your imagination run wild.

Steel cut oats are also cheap. The price here in Boise, ID recently went up to 61 per pound if you buy from the bulk food bins. My wife and I eat this stuff every day for breakfast and I sometimes eat it as an evening or afternoon snack, and we probably only use a pound every few weeks or more. So we’re talking about 10 cents per week per person here! This is a great way to stretch a buck!

About once a week we’ll cook up about two cups of dry oats in a large 6 quart pan. Once it’s done we’ll let it sit for a while, then transfer the oats into 9.5 oz disposable storage containers (only about 6-8 oz per container). We refrigerate these, then reheat them by microwaving on high for 1 minute, 20 seconds. It’ll be sort of congealed, but add some flavorings and mix it up and it’ll be almost as good a fresh!

For cooking instructions, check out the Bob's Red Mill site. And look for their Oat Pilaf recipe. It's excellent!

Salmon Doesn’t Get Any Easier Than This

Not long ago my wife and I were what you would consider cooking-challenged. Anything more difficult than boiling water or grilling a steak was way out of our league. I got the following simple tip from a butcher working for Fred Meyer. From that positive experience our cooking ability has blossomed.

Dilled Salmon Fillets

Preheat oven to 450º.
Cut a sheet of aluminum foil big enough to enclose the fillets.
Spray it with olive oil or your favorite cooking spray.
Place the salmon on the foil, skin side down.
Slice some ¼” cucumber slices on the salmon.
Seal the foil.
Cook for about 25 minutes.
You’ll need to adjust either the time or temperature depending upon the thickness of the fillet. 25 minutes is a good starting point, and you’ll soon figure out how to fine tune things. Until then, if it's not quite done, just toss it back in the oven for a few more minutes.

The result is that the cucumber will infuse the salmon with a mild dill flavor, your salmon will remain moist and tender, and you’ll get some good cooked veggies to boot! Who knew cooking fish could be so easy?

Nutritional Strategies

About five years ago I started running into some health problems. I decided to look to the web to find ways to live healthier, rather than heading to a doctor and getting a handful of pills. My search led me to a number of resources worth sharing.

The first is The Zone Diet. There are lots of other similar diets, and by mentioning The Zone I'm not necessarily endorsing it, though the general strategy is very sound. Basically it allows you to control blood sugar by removing breads and starchy foods from your diet, and uses frequent meals and snacks with some protein and a little good fat to control your appetite. It works. It's a huge dietary change for most of us, so it'll require a willingness to change a life time of eating habits. But by following this diet I managed to painlessly loose 10 pounds less than when I was on WeightWatchers (and hungry all the time). Team Slipstream is using the same diet to give their team an edge. Check out their blog here to learn more about the value of this approach to nutrition.

The second is mercola.com. This site reinforces many of the principles of The Zone diet, but with a ton of great information on taking control of your own health. If you're currently on meds for common diseases - high blood pressure, Type II diabetes, high cholesterol, auto-immune diseases, I highly recommend subscribing to his 3 times a week newsletter. Even if some of the stuff seems a bit out there, don't discard the rest. There is a ton of great info. You'll be glad you took the time.

The third is the Cyclo-Fuel nutrition plan and the Cyclo-Club. The value of Cyclo-Fuel is that is very similar to The Zone, but specifically targeted to cyclists. There's a seven day fat loss plan designed to break your sugar addiction that's an important first step for most folks. And in the Cyclo-Club there's a seven day fat loss boot camp along the same lines (no need to buy Cyclo-Fuel). The one thing that sold me on Cyclo-Fuel was that before buying it I had been monitoring my blood pressure daily for about a year. It was borderline high - often around 128/80, once in a while even higher. I watched the Soffritto demonstration on Cyclo-Fuel and was intrigued by the flexibility of this cooking technique in creating a number of interesting one dish meals. I tried it and the next day my BP was 112/70. And while following the principles of the plan it has consistently stayed 10 points below what it had been previously. I can't say that everyone will have the same results, since there is so much variability how people eat and their genetics. But for me that made it well worth the price of admission for the plan.

Italian Bowtie Pie

It's hard to find good Italian meal that helps you maintain your weight (unless you use wimpy little portions). Here's a tasty recipe that's a great substitute for lasagna. It trims calories by reducing the amount of pasta and substituting cottage cheese for higher-calorie ricotta cheese. It also incorporates a great superfood - broccoli! Skip the garlic bread, or limit yourself to just a modest slice - a side salad is a better choice. It makes great leftovers, so the time spent making this supper is paid back with some easy and very nutritious lunches.

Enjoy!

Italian Bowtie Pie

1 lb 90% lean ground beef
2 small onions, chopped
1 can (16 oz) diced tomato or 6-8 Roma tomatoes, diced.
1 can (8 oz) tomato paste
1 clove of garlic, crushed or minced
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
8 oz uncooked Farfalle (bowtie) Pasta
4 eggs
2 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted
8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
16 oz small curd low-fat cottage cheese
2 cups fresh chopped broccoli
4 oz Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook beef and onion in a large skillet until beef is browned. Drain fat.

To beef mixture, stir in diced tomato, tomato paste, garlic, wine, oregano, basil, sea salt, ground pepper. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10-15 minutes or until thickened. Stir occasionally.

Cook and drain bowtie pasta per package instructions.

In a medium bowl, beat two eggs and the melted margarine/butter. Stir in bowtie pasta.

In a medium bowl mix the cottage cheese and two eggs.

Layer ingredients in a large (9" x 12") casserole dish as follows:
- Bowtie mix.
- Mozzarella cheese.
- Cottage cheese mix.
- Chopped broccoli
- Meat and tomato mixture.
- Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.

Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.