vegetables – Betsy Schow

Snack Smart: Fattening vegetables

I have a friend, who will remain nameless, that loves to snack on baby carrots. I swear, her skin could turn orange. And not just from fake bake tanning. Anyway, she is not losing any weight and couldn’t figure out why. After spending one weekend over at her place, I knew why.

She’s attempting to have about 50% of her daily food as vegetables. A great goal. One problem, she soaks them in butter, cheese, and ranch dressing. Sadly, you do have to keep track of the crap you put on veggies to make them taste good. You think Oh, it’s just a little bit of dipping sauce, it can’t be too bad. I measured out her ranch dressing she used on those baby carrots. She added 250 calories to her low cal snack. No wonder she wasn’t losing.

If you gotta have that dipping sauce, make sure you go low fat and use sparingly.

And for the record, apples are a great healthy snack. Apples with a tub of caramel dip… not so much.

Snack Smart: Kale Chips

Ok, so I am attempting to live a greener life. Aside from a salad, I had no clue how to do this.

My friend, Tres Hatch helped me discover Kale chips. Hers were much better than mine, but I’m working on it.

First, buy a bunch of kale at the grocery store. They are the leafy things hotels stick on everything to make it look pretty. And yes it’s edible. Tip* shake out the water before you buy it. Weighs less, costs less.

Next go home and preheat the over to 350.

Now wash, and strip all the leaves off the stem. The stem is bitter and nasty.

Throw in a bowl with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) and kosher salt. I way over salted mine. More than a pinch,. less than a handful.

Toss and then lay out on a cookie sheet.

Throw them in the the preheated oven for around 30 minutes.

Voila. Tasty Potato chip substitute.

Potpourri: Obesity by tax bracket

I recently read a study whose findings indicated that women in a lower tax brackets are more likely to be obese than their wealthier counterparts.

To this I say a big fat “duh”. Unless you’re starving yourself, if you got no money, you eat off the dollar menu, or ramen. Cheeseburger and fries do not exactly help the waistline.

It’s very easy to say, “Well If I had money for a personal chef and trainer, I’d be skinny too.” That’s true, but I know I still need to be making better choices. I can’t afford a trainer or a fancy gym, but I can take community classes. Or run for free.

Food is still a problem though. Why is it that Cheap food is unhealthy, and healthy food is uncheap? Buying fresh fruits and veggies can kill a budget in a week. Try a farmer’s market, a co-op, or growing your own. Or do what I do, beg your neighbors for leftovers from their gardens.