quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn: Romaine tastes better than iceberg anyway.
I like both, but I like butter lettuce more than either. Sadly, butter lettuce has little nutritional value, but it's yummy anyway.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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quote:Originally posted by rivka: Again, lettuce (unless it is romaine or endive) DOES NOT count as "leafy greens". It counts as water.
Yeah, this was one of the good kinds (I can't remember which). I think there's some spinach type looking leaves in the mix too. I'm more ok with the watery stuff. It's kinda like cucumbers... not great, but no real problem with it. It really does seem like in terms of my tastebuds, the more health value there is, the harder time I have with it. I'm sure there's not actually a correlation there, but I really am having to work at getting enough leafy greens. If I'm serious about being healthy, getting enough leafy greens really is probably (or definitely) the biggest hurdle.
The thought of how little I was getting before I was paying conscious attention to it though is enough to keep me motivated though. I've got some catching up to do (even if it doesn't actually work like that).
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quote:Originally posted by rivka: As I said, your reaction to dark leafies implies you are a supertaster.
Yeah, I'd never heard of that before, but it does fit almost perfectly. Even with beer, I like most beer, but I can't stand IPA's and really hoppy beers. The only part that doesn't fit is that I do tend to like sweet. I've been known to consume large quantities of donuts.
Edit: Heh. I just read an article that said supertasters are more likely to be drawn towards salty type stuff. The example they gave was salt-and-vinegar chips, one of my all time preferred foods .
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Huh, now I wonder if I'm one of these supertasters as well.
I've always been a picky eater, and I absolutely hate most of the stuff on that list of foods they don't like. I hate most beers, I can only stand the sweeter ones. I don't like coffee, or grapefruit juice. There are a lot of things I don't like actually, though that's changed a bit in recent years.
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quote:Out of curiosity, has anyone ever heard of the old computer game "Commander Keen"? I wonder if part of my distaste for veggies comes from that. Though potatoes were evil in that and I still like potatoes plenty...
I used to play it all the time and I like vegetables, so I think your theory is, how shall I say it, bogus.
I agree with the putting vegetables in things. For example, if you make a curry, you can put spinach in it and you'll never taste it over the curry taste.
Try frozen peas in things as well, or asparagus fried in olive oil and lemon. Leek boiled with butter is also delicious. None of these things really taste vegetabley when cooked in this way.
I don't see why you expected to enjoy eating a handful of undressed greens. There's a reason salad dressing exists.
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quote:Originally posted by Teshi: I don't see why you expected to enjoy eating a handful of undressed greens. There's a reason salad dressing exists.
Haha. I in no wa expected to enjoy it. I just thought it would be momentary displeasure worth the benefit. But it was very intense displeasure that was not worth it. One of my first purchases at the grocery store yesterday was salad dressing.
Looking back on it, I think Commander Keen was my first real computer game (Solitaire and Mindsweeper obviously excluded). So it definitely does have a fond place in my heart and memory - Possibly formative in my later love of video games, but not likely in my distaste for veggies.
In other news, I'd say its going well. It is a struggle with the greens, but other than that I've been keeping up well with exercises and just in general eating better. I don't have any weights or really any way go get any in my current situation, but I did find a stack of huge books. So last night I loaded about 6 of them on top of each other and did make-shift bench presses. I know they won't do a huge amount of good because they aren't all that much weight, but again, I figure anything helps. And these are really big books.
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I would recommend clean milk jugs filled with water, as their handle is integrated and isn't as dangerous as a stack of books which can slip or tumble. A gallon is about 8 lbs, so if you can double up (some do not have hands big enough to hold two) you get 16 lbs of hand weights with the worst that can happen is a mini flood, so best to use outdoors or a room with tile.
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Yeah, I actually thought of that, with the only problem being that I cannot seem to find suitable jugs anywhere (I feel like there's some innuendo possible there, but I don't feel like rewording). I've looked repeatedly and as near as I can tell, they do not exist on this island.
I also figure that if the books fall, yes, they will hurt, but because they are separated they should still be relatively safe. Hopefully.
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quote:Originally posted by Dr Strangelove: I also figure that if the books fall, yes, they will hurt, but because they are separated they should still be relatively safe. Hopefully.
>_<
Your grasp of physics is worse than your grasp of physiology and nutrition. Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Stone_Wolf_: There is no milk on your island? Are you stranded on a sand atoll in the south Pacific?
Drinking water comes in the same jugs...heck, don't drink it, just leave it sealed.
Haha, not quite. I'm in Corsica. But it does seem incredibly difficult to find milk, and when I do find it its not in jugs so much as one liter bottles. Same for water, though there are two or three liter versions as well. But they are essentially giant water bottles with no handles and flimsy plastic. It just doesn't seem like they make jugs over here. I did pass the biggest grocery store I've seen yet on my way home today, so I'll check there tomorrow.
And rivka, I would definitely say that is true. . My reasoning though is that I'm not likely to drop all 6 or 7 on myself. It's much more likely (if it happens at all) that one will slip off the top, so instead of all the weight crushing me (like if I dropped a bar with weights on it without a spotter), it'll just be a fraction of it. I'll let you know how it works out though (that's my lifting imaginary weights, by the way).
I'm off to go make myself some cheesy pasta with spinach leaves and chicken in it!
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I am a supertaster, as proven by rivka's little paper test strips, but I like bitter flavors. Being able to taste something doesn't necessarily mean you won't like it. Except for aspartame, which is objectively nasty and not a question of preference.
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And I'm not a supertaster, but I loathe beer.
And black coffee, but that's just common sense. Coffee must be treated with milk and sugar to be safe for human consumption.
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It's strange how many reasons (excuses) people will find to avoid eating foods that they don't like. Children don't enjoy eating a lot of foods for myriad of reasons. As we grow, many of us expand our palates. Others can barely eat (exotic?) foods such as Chinese. My step father rarely strays from the steak / chicken / pork and potatoes model.
I feel sorry for people stuck in a tiny food box. Almost every food item that runs, flies, or grows can be prepared in a very tasty fashion. Virtually every region of the world has delicious variants of some of the same dishes.
Maybe I'm just too much of a foody? I know a lot of people who are content with Applebees, Sizzler, and Red Lobster as the pinnacles of fine dining. Maybe that's okay? <Shudder>
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I eat almost anything, there is a very short list of things that I am either allergic to or just make me vomit in my own mouth at the mere smell of them.
I'm allergic to: black pepper dried oregano and basil and bell peppers.
I hate with a passion that burns: anything flavored: cherry, grape, or banana (although I love all of these in real fruit form) black licorice, Dr. Pepper, cumin and liver.
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See, for me there is relatively little I actively dislike. Bitter greens is really about it. And mushrooms. And I definitely agree that I can make greens taste good. I just ate my leftovers of last nights yummy cheesy spinach pasta and it was delicious. I'm still working on mushrooms. I think that's a texture thing though.
The problem is that just as there's not a lot I hate, there's also not a lot I actively like. It's not a dislike thing. I'll eat most things and enjoy them well enough in the moment. But I just don't get in to the whole "eating" thing. It's a chore for me. And yes, I've eaten at very fancy restaurants from a variety of cultures (I've supped on four continents and can't think of a culture whose food I haven't eaten), and my wife is a pretty amazing cook to boot.
It's not about the quality of food, it's the actual action of eating. If I had my choice, I would go without eating most of the time. And in fact, before I got married and had someone watching out for me, I would go for several days eating virtually nothing. Maybe a bowl of cereal, but I would often skip that, then not feel like making lunch, and then figure eh, why mess with a... thing, and skip dinner too. I know, I know, it was incredibly unhealthy of me on multiple levels, but there it is. I used to look quite vampiric when I wore black, all pale with gaunt cheekbones, dark hair and light eyes. If only I sparkled in the sun...
So yeah, I have a very very difficult time motivating myself to eat. Not because I dislike food. I just dislike eating, and there a few foods that I enjoy enough to inspire me otherwise. And I think this is where I was actually going with all of this... When I do decide to eat, I tend to just look for the quickest and easiest thing, which, of course, is very rarely healthy. So eating healthy for me has two levels - first, I need to motivate myself to eat. And then, once I've done that, I need to motivate myself to look further than bread and cheese, my usual staples, and actually get some nutrients in me.
(For the record, my wife does keep me in line quite a bit, making sure I eat and that I don't just eat donuts or something. So my initial statement about not being particularly unhealthy is true at this point in my life, despite my natural proclivity towards starvation)
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Your post makes it sound more complicated than translating calculus written in Chinese into Sanskrit. If I thought about it like that, I wouldn't want to do it either LOL.
In this day and age in the first world, eating can and should be a pleasurable experience. To change your habits, make it simple and easy on yourself.
Just choose, and do.
All the rest is just conjugation or is superfluous.
You can do it, brother. Just allow yourself to.
Posts: 2532 | Registered: Jul 2001
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I do like Indian food quite a bit. Like I said, for the most part food taste and whatnot isn't the issue. Actually getting myself to get up and eat is. But I'm doing pretty good I think and I figure once the habits really start to form (which should happen eventually, right?) it will be easier.
Anyways, in other news, I think I found milk. For some reason, its kept in the same place as cleaning supplies, and in similar bottles too. I think I mistook it for a bottle of bleach before. It's not refrigerated at all, though they say that once you open it it should be refrigerated and consumed within four days. But it definitely thew me off, not putting it with, you know, the dairy products.
I just had my first glass and I must say, it wasn't very good. I've never had powdered milk to my knowledge (I don't actually even have that great of a grasp of what it is), but I imagine it tastes a bit like this. It wasn't horrible though. Just different.
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If/when the apocalypse comes, I'm going to miss fresh, ice cold milk on demand...and indoor plumbing. And the interweb.
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That sounds like UHT milk. It's been sterilized (boiled) and sealed, which makes it shelf-stable until opened. But it also makes it taste rather odd.
Not too bad when really cold, though.
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quote:Originally posted by rivka: That sounds like UHT milk. It's been sterilized (boiled) and sealed, which makes it shelf-stable until opened. But it also makes it taste rather odd.
Not too bad when really cold, though.
Ok, yeah, that's exactly what it is. I just looked closer on the packaging and it says its been boiled. Odd.
So new question (and updated title!): I bought some artichokes at the store today (and a head of broccoli... we'll see how that goes). Does anyone have any recommendations about what I do with them? I assume they have at least a moderate amount of health value, so I'm looking for a recipe that maximizes healthyness (maybe one that includes broccoli?) but is also tasty tasty.
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Rinse them, clip off the tips of the leaves (they have needles) with kitchen sheers and the tip of the stem, steam them with a perforated basket over water (do NOT boil them!), strip off the leaves one at a time, dip them in a yummy sauce and scrape out the meat with your teeth, when you start running out of leaves, be careful there is a grouping of hairs which is dangerous to eat as it can choke you, pull off the hairs and discard, and then you get the real treat, the heart (and core of the stem)...
This you can dip and eat, or chop up into...well, a lot of goodnessess. I make a mean spinach artichoke dip, but it hardly counts as healthy. They are great in salads, or pasta or as a puree.
Enjoy your thistle.
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You can cook them in the microwave, but it's a little hit or miss. Other than that, follow Stone_Wolf_'s recommendation. (By the way, mayonnaise is the yummy sauce referred to. It's really the only choice).
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Not plain mayo. Mayo with lemon juice and garlic mixed in makes a lovely pseudo-aioli. That's an absolute must for artichoke dipping.
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quote:Originally posted by rivka: Not plain mayo. Mayo with lemon juice and garlic mixed in makes a lovely pseudo-aioli. That's an absolute must for artichoke dipping.
This.
Although this delicious dipping sauce sort of tips Artichoke Night out of the healthy zone at my house. But with any luck you'll be too high on artichoke to notice.
Posts: 3580 | Registered: Aug 2005
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I personally prefer melted (not drawn) butter and Miracle Whip...eating artichokes is the -only- food I keep Miracle Whip in the house for. The salt of the butter and the sweet of the MW make yum yum, but it also nearly destroys the nutritional value of the choke.
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They taste better plain, anyway. Mayo is gross. </heretical viewpoint>
I usually throw a few cloves of crushed garlic and some bay leaves in the water when I'm steaming them, just to add to the flavor.
Posts: 650 | Registered: Mar 2005
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I've always had them the Italian way. It's mostly the same as Stone_Wolf's, but before steaming you pack the petals full of buttered, seasoned breadcrumbs. Also, before stuffing, cut off the stem flush with the base of the artichoke. Peel off the tough outer layers of the stem and then cut into quarters lengthwise. Tuck each of the quarters into the stuffing at various points. This way, you get surprise previews of the heart as you work your way through the petals.
quote:Originally posted by Stone_Wolf_: If/when the apocalypse comes, I'm going to miss fresh, ice cold milk on demand...and indoor plumbing. And the interweb.
quote:Originally posted by rivka: That sounds like UHT milk. It's been sterilized (boiled) and sealed, which makes it shelf-stable until opened. But it also makes it taste rather odd.
Not too bad when really cold, though.
I have a guilty pleasure admission: I LOVE UHT milk. Absolutely love the taste of it. I buy Parmalat regularly and drink it by the liter LOL.
When I was deployed, I remember being secretly happy when supply div stopped receiving real milk and UHT was all there was. No one liked to drink it so... MORE FOR ME!
Posts: 2532 | Registered: Jul 2001
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quote:Originally posted by Stone_Wolf_: Naw, if the apocalypse comes, paper money will become oh so much cotteny TP.
"We need to break into this bank vault."
"Why bother?"
"I have to take a wicked #2!"
... a simple and elegant solution that I literally NEVER would have thought of on my own!
Since I am a sincere believer that the zombie apocalypse will soon be upon us, I offer you heartfelt thanks for this! It has long been a perplexing worry of mine!
Posts: 2532 | Registered: Jul 2001
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quote:Originally posted by odouls268: I have a guilty pleasure admission: I LOVE UHT milk. Absolutely love the taste of it. I buy Parmalat regularly and drink it by the liter LOL.
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I just got back from the grocery store with a lemon and some butter and other good artichoke things. I'm quite excited! Does it pair well with chicken? I have one breast left and want to use it tonight.
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Somewhat health related question - I realized half way through my fourth artichoke that I hadn't washed them before steaming them. I went ahead and continued, figuring that anything too harmful would have been taken care of by the steam. Was I wrong in that? And more generally, what are the circumstances in which washing food is an *absolute* must? Does cooking usually take care of whatever issues there might be, or should I have stopped what I was doing and washed my beautifully warm artichokes in cold water?
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posted
Broccolini tastes more like artichokes / asparagus than broccoli. It's not actually broccoli -- it's hybridized with a chinese chard. Some (well) cooked cabbages also have a similar taste.
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I like broccolini, and agree it tastes somewhat like asparagus (which I love). I don't think it really tastes like an artichoke, though.
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Quick question about broccoli - is the trunk the healthier part or the top? I cut some up for my pasta last night and went with the top part since its greener and less distractingly crunchy.
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They're both pretty good. If you don't like the bottom crunchy (then what's WRONG with you, it's great that way!), just cut it in smaller pieces and/or cook it for longer.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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quote:Originally posted by rivka: They're both pretty good. If you don't like the bottom crunchy (then what's WRONG with you, it's great that way!), just cut it in smaller pieces and/or cook it for longer.
I love every contribution you've made to this thread.
Man. I need to hit the store on my way home.
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