The Art of the Soft-Boiled Yolk

Posted on May 5, 2014

Know what I love more than brownies or ice cream? SOFT-BOILED EGGS! They hypnotize me with their creamy simplicity and sate my hunger beautifully. It’s one of my favorite ways to start, or end the day. Eggs are the perfect light dinner paired with cauliflower hash, gluten-free toast, or better yet – risotto!

The trouble with this soft-boiled egg love affair is it was never properly consummated until recently. What I mean is, I couldn’t get the yolks right and it was driving me BATTY! Too hard or too soft was my egg-boiling purgatory. Quite frankly, I’d resigned myself to being in that undesirable realm forever, until the April issue of Saveur magazine divulged the formula, and here it is, fellow soft-egg lovers:

Place four room temperature eggs in 8 cups of water (or two eggs in four cups of water) and bring to a gentle boil. Cook gently uncovered for 6 minutes then plunge into an ice water bath for 30-45 seconds and proceed to peel. As Saveur promised, this yields firm, meaty whites that encase yolks that are just creamy enough and not runny.

I can’t tell you how elated I am to finally nail this. All it took was me putting a little faith in the timer. It’s farmers market season now and the perfect time to round up some local eggs. Give the soft boiled method a shot and let me know how it goes! Here’s a photo of one of my masterpieces, paired with sauteed fennel – Divine!

The right amount of creamy

The right amount of creamy

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Product Review: Healthy Peanut Butter Cups

Posted on May 1, 2014

Oh those labels…they can be so enticing. That coupled with the fact that it’s been a few years since I had those astonishingly addictive peanut butter cups I grew up with was enough of a lure and I happily forked over $3 for 1.76-oz. a package of 2 Quest Cravings Protein Peanut Butter Cups.

When my health food store owner helpfully pointed out they were Stevia-sweetened, my hopes heightened: if I liked them, I’d have a viable candy on my hands I could enjoy every now and then. And with a 20-gram protein blast to boot!

So what’s the verdict? In a single sentence, I liked them OK, but I didn’t love them. If you’re a chocolate and peanut butter lover who’s either off or cutting back on sugar, definitely give them a try. But you must suspend any expectation that they’ll be all that similar to the peanut butter cups of your youth – in taste or texture.

And it was the texture department that was more of a letdown. I already knew, being an experienced Stevia user, that the sharp, whistling high that comes from that jolting first bite of sugar just wouldn’t be there. But the texture was on the chalky, crumbly side, and that I’m attributing to the addition of protein powder, which by the way is derived from whey, which meant I bent the cow-dairy rule as I sometimes do.

Childhood peanut butter cups, repurposed...

Childhood peanut butter cups, repurposed…

The other let-down: the peanut butter cups looked little like what’s pictured on the package: milk-chocolate colored cups, sliced open to reveal creamy center oozing with peanut butter. In real life, the peanut butter center was a little on the sandy side, and the chocolate was dark and brittle. There was also a slight aftertaste from the Stevia and Sucralose.

But there were plusses: Because these cups aren’t overly sweet, it made the peanut butter taste a little saltier, which I love. And while there were no fun rounds of dopamine bells being rung in my brain from a sudden sugar high, there was no sugar crash to recover from. Despite only eating one of the cups, it satisfied a sweet craving and my hunger in general. This was a snack though, not a meal Judging by the nutritional label, these could actually pass for a meal on the fly.

Would I buy them again? Oh sure, for airplane trips or a long car ride. I’d also take one along on a night out when there are sure to be decadent desserts parading before me that are filled with ingredients I choose to avoid. One of these cups plus a demitasse of espresso would make a very worthy dessert.

But for everyday purposes, I’d sooner reach for a homemade clean dessert like Chocolate Avocado Mousse, Pistachio Pudding, or Chocolate Quinoa Cake.

Chocolate. Vegan. Sugar-Free. And Honestly GOOD.

Chocolate. Vegan. Sugar-Free. And Honestly GOOD.

Quest Cravings Protein Peanut Butter Cups

Serving Size: 2 Cups

Calories: 240

Calories from fat: 150

Total Fat 17 grams

Total Carbohydrates: 10 grams

Dietary Fiber: 3 grams

Sugars: 1 gram

Protein: 20 grams

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What’s Electric-Green And All-Natural?

Posted on April 27, 2014

Why, a phyto-chemical filled glass of juice, of course! This morning, I opened my refrigerated vegetable drawer and realized it was high time to do some juicing. Since I use a Vita-Mix, there’s no pulp-extraction involved and it’s super easy. The cool part about juicing (other than it’s the easiest way on the planet to ingest a quarter-bushel of greens) is that no two juices are ever exactly the same. At least not for me. I’m still in the midst of a Candida Cleanse so this one consisted entirely of greens and an orange…and by orange, I mean a few slices of tumeric root.

A Blender Full of Green!

A Blender Full of Green!

But back to the greens for this morning’s drink. They are as follows: two fistfulls of spinach, 1 large leaf of kale, 1/2 cucumber, and a small handful of parsley. Rounding it out was about a cup of coconut water, leftover from the night before when I separated it from the glorious richness of the coconut cream (I was frosting one of my quinoa chocolate cakes). Ordinarily I used purified water, but the coconut water (plus a few strands of coconut cream) gave the juice a slight coconut flavor and a beautiful texture.

About 30 seconds in the Vita-Mix and viola – an entire day’s serving of greens. I love starting the day this way. I feel energized, cleansed, and unburdened from at least one thing on my to-do list.

It's Electric! And no props: food color supplied by Mother Nature.

It’s Electric! And no props: food color supplied by Mother Nature.

And don’t forget to swish out your blender! This stuff’s too good to waste:

Remember the Rinse Cycle on the Blender!

Remember the Rinse Cycle on the Blender!

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Why 345 Lbs. Is A Closed Chapter

Posted on April 19, 2014

I never want to go back to 345 pounds. And I don’t want that construed as an anti-fat sentiment. I’ll always be a Big Girl in my Heart, and will always have an unending supply of empathy and knowing towards anyone struggling with weight issues, or the general malaise of not feeling good enough.

I don’t want to go back to the 300’s again because it was a physical burden. Which was the direct result of an emotional burden. Which I attempted to remedy by soothing myself with food. So there I was for the majority of my life: trapped in a cycle, searching for wholeness and resolution that was never to be found…at least not in a bag of cheeseburgers and fries, eaten alone in my car in a remote corner of a parking lot.

Tired of trying to force myself to not overeat, and worn-out from society’s labels and blaming myself, and battered from my own harsh way of speaking to myself, I decided to take myself out of the game. And play a new one, called “Loving Myself No Matter What.”

2008 - and feeling great. The physical healing would soon follow...

2008 – and feeling great. The physical healing would soon follow…

Man, I was rusty at first. You know that inborn Joy every baby comes in with? It was drained from my body and energy field, little by little over the decades. On the surface it seemed I just didn’t have the capacity for self-esteem. But somewhere at the core I knew that wasn’t true. So I got to work, acting as if. Yes, Truth-Seekers, I faked it till I made it. I consider nailing self-esteem at 300 pounds a far greater accolade than dropping 185. The former is not only more meaningful, it took more courage and tenacity.

Glowing after a DDPYOGA Workout

So when I say I have no hope or desire to return to three bills, it’s simply because I enjoy my physical (and emotional) freedom far too much to give them up or relinquish them to the false notion that I’ve arrived at the finish line. There are still uncomfortable feelings to wade through, trying days to master without running to a drive-thru, and disappointments of every stripe.

The trials come, and they go. It’s part of life and being at a lower weight is no magic garlic necklace that keeps the vampires away. But clearing away the physical and emotional burdens now allow me, my mind, and my digestive track to be at Peace. Regular, everyday Peace. Now that’s priceless.

Where are you on your journey? It all starts within. Lasting change can’t come any other way. I can’t tell you where or how to begin, but to expedite things, it’s a big help to take blame right out of the equation. It’s such an energy drain anyway. Channel it into something more fun…You deserve it.

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