Lentil and Spring Greens Salad with Cranberry Apple Cider Vinaigrette

The salad was wonderful!  I made it with my changes and loved it.  I'm going to post the modified recipe here along with its new name:

Lentil and Spring Greens Salad with Cranberry Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Ingredients
3/4 cup green lentils (or 1 cup already cooked lentils)
7 tablespoons unfiltered apple cider vinegar
6 ounces diced pancetta
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup finely chopped shallot
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup dried unsweetened cranberries, about 3 ounces
2 tablespoons sugar
3 1/2 cups spring salad mix
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese, about 2 ounces (can use plain or mediterranean flavor feta)

Directions
In a heavy saucepan cover lentils with water by 2 inches and simmer until just tender but not falling apart, about 15 minutes. Drain lentils well in a sieve. Rinse lentils under cold running water to stop cooking and drain well.  Skip this step if using already cooked lentils.

In a bowl toss lentils with 2 tablespoons vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. (Lentils may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Bring lentils to room temperature before proceeding.)

In a skillet cook pancetta over moderate heat until crisp.

In cleaned saucepan heat 2 tablespoons oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and cook shallot, stirring, until golden brown. Stir in water, cranberries, sugar, and remaining 5 tablespoons vinegar and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by about half, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a slow stream until emulsified. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper.

Add half of vinaigrette to lentils and toss well. In another bowl toss spring greens with half of lentil mixture, half of pancetta, half of cheese, remaining vinaigrette, and salt and pepper to taste.

Divide remaining lentil mixture among 6 plates and top with spinach mixture. Sprinkle salads with remaining pancetta and cheese.

A Salad for Tomorrow

I received an email newsletter from LiveStrong.com with a recipe for Lentil and Spinach Salad with Blue Cheese and Tart Cherry Vinaigrette.  The recipe looked intriguing, and I plan to make it with some changes, which I'll note in parenthesis:

Ingredients
3/4 cup green lentils (I bought steamed lentils from Trader Joe's)
7 tablespoons red-wine vinegar (I'll be using unfiltered apple cider vinegar)
8 bacon slices, about 6 ounces (This will be replaced with diced pancetta)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup finely chopped shallot (Trader Joe's has diced shallots, garlic and onion which I'll be using)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup dried unsweetened tart cherries, about 3 ounces (dried cranberries are cheaper, so I'll use those instead)
2 tablespoons sugar
3 1/2 cups baby or regular spinach leaves (I have a bag of spring salad mix to use instead of this)
1/3 cup blue cheese, about 2 ounces (I hate blue cheese, so I'll be using feta instead)

Directions
In a heavy saucepan cover lentils with water by 2 inches and simmer until just tender but not falling apart, about 15 minutes. Drain lentils well in a sieve. Rinse lentils under cold running water to stop cooking and drain well. In a bowl toss lentils with 2 tablespoons vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. (Lentils may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Bring lentils to room temperature before proceeding.)

In a skillet cook bacon over moderate heat until crisp and with tongs transfer to paper towels to drain. Crumble bacon.

In cleaned saucepan heat 2 tablespoons oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and cook shallot, stirring, until golden brown. Stir in water, cherries, sugar, and remaining 5 tablespoons vinegar and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by about half, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a slow stream until emulsified. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper.

Add half of vinaigrette to lentils and toss well. In another bowl toss spinach with half of lentil mixture, half of bacon, half of cheese, remaining vinaigrette, and salt and pepper to taste.

Divide remaining lentil mixture among 6 plates and top with spinach mixture. Sprinkle salads with remaining bacon and cheese.

Healthy Breakfast Ideas

I'm always keeping an eye out for some quick, easy and healthy breakfast ideas.  Here are a few:


A favorite of mine is a yogurt parfait...take a container of your favorite low-fat yogurt, empty it into a bowl and top it with your favorite fruit and 1/4 cup of Kashi Go-Lean Crunch.  Very delicious!

I also enjoy low-fat, large-curd cottage cheese mixed with a variety of chopped vegetables (Some stores sell chopped mixed vegetables in their produce department) and chopped nuts such as pecans, almonds or walnuts.  Another tasty and easy breakfast :)

Here are more ideas from Fitness Magazine:

Spinach & Bacon Omelet
    * 1 egg plus 2 egg whites
    * 2 slices cooked turkey bacon, crumbled
    * 1 cup baby spinach
    * Cooking spray
    * 1 slice whole-grain toast
    * 1 teaspoon butter

Whisk together eggs, bacon and spinach. Coat a skillet with cooking spray; cook egg mixture and serve with toast and butter.

Pumpkin & Granola Parfait
    * 1 container (6 ounces) plain low-fat yogurt
    * 2 teaspoons honey
    * 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
    * 1 whole-grain crunchy granola bar, crumbled
    * 1/2 cup canned pumpkin

Mix together yogurt, honey and pumpkin-pie spice. In a bowl, layer yogurt mixture, granola-bar crumbs and pumpkin.

 Peanut Butter & Banana Pancakes
    * 1/2 small banana, chopped
    * 2 teaspoons peanut butter
    * 1/3 cup prepared whole-grain pancake batter
    * 1 teaspoon honey

Add banana and peanut butter to batter. Cook pancakes and serve with honey drizzled on top.

Vanilla Spice French Toast with Apple
    * 1 egg plus 2 egg whites
    * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    * Dash each of cinnamon and nutmeg
    * 2 pieces whole-grain bread
    * 1/2 medium apple, sliced

Whisk eggs, vanilla, and spices together. Dip bread into egg mixture. Spray skillet with cooking spray and saute bread on each side until brown (about 3 minutes). Top with apple slices.

Honey & Peach Oatmeal with Almonds
    * 1 medium peach, diced
    * 2 teaspoons honey
    * 1 packet instant plain oatmeal
    * 1 tablespoon almonds, chopped

Microwave peach and honey until warm (about 3 minutes). Prepare oatmeal with hot water and top with peach and honey. Sprinkle with almonds.

Santa Fe Egg Scramble
    * 1 egg plus 2 egg whites
    * 2 tablespoons canned green chilies, dried
    * 2 tablespoons cheddar cheese
    * 1 whole wheat tortilla, heated
    * 1/2 grapefruit

In a pan over medium heat, scramble eggs, chilies, and cheese together. Once cooked, place egg mixture in tortilla and fold. Eat with grapefruit.

 Blackberry and Nectarine Yogurt Parfait
    * 6  ounces nonfat plain yogurt
    * 2  teaspoons honey
    * 1/2  cup blackberries
    * 1/4  cup chopped nectarine
    * 1  granola bar, crumbled

Mix honey into plain yogurt. Layer yogurt, fruit and granola in bowl.

 Black Bean Breakfast Burrito
    * 1  egg and 2 egg whites
    * 1/4  cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
    * 2  tablespoons salsa
    * 2  tablespoons shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
    * 1  small whole-wheat tortilla

Scramble eggs, beans, salsa and cheese. Fill tortilla with egg mixture.

Scale Junkie also has some great suggestions for quick and healthy breakfasts.

 

Eating a Big Breakfast is Good for You...

Big Breakfast' Diet Helps Shed Pounds
Study Shows 600-Calorie Breakfasts Reduce Food Cravings Later in the Day
By Kathleen Doheny, WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

June 17, 2008 -- Eating a 600-calorie breakfast rich in carbohydrates and protein helps dieters lose more weight long term than eating a modest breakfast and following a lower-carb eating plan, according to a new study.

Breakfast and weight loss have long been linked, but the new research zeroes in on how to help dieters stick with a plan and not regain the lost weight by adjusting the amount of carbohydrates, protein, and calories eaten early in the day.

"Those on the 'big breakfast diet' feel less hungry before lunch and all day," says Daniela Jakubowicz, MD, an endocrinologist in Caracas, Venezuela, and a clinical professor at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, who led the study. She is presenting her findings this week at ENDO 08, the 90th annual meeting of The Endocrine Society in San Francisco.

Breakfast and Weight Loss
With colleagues from Virginia Commonwealth University, Jakubowicz assigned 94 obese, physically inactive women, on average in their 30s, to two groups:

The low-carb diet group of 46 women was instructed to eat a small breakfast totaling about 290 calories that was low in carbohydrates and typically didn't include bread. A sample breakfast might have included a cup of milk, one egg, three slices of bacon, and two teaspoons of butter. When they visited the study center, these women ate breakfast there and their food was monitored. They ate an average of 1,085 calories a day.

The big-breakfast group of 48 women was told to eat a breakfast of about 610 calories. A sample breakfast: a cup of milk, turkey, cheese, two slices of bread, mayonnaise, 1 ounce of chocolate candy, and a protein shake. They could eat the breakfast in stages from the time they got up until 9 a.m. This group averaged 1,240 calories a day.

Both groups stayed on the diet for four months to lose weight, and then shifted to maintenance mode for the last four months.

At the four-month mark, the dieters eating the modest breakfast dropped about 28 pounds, while those on the big breakfast plan lost 23 pounds.

The real differences showed up at the eight-month mark, when the low-carb dieters had regained an average of 18 pounds and the big-breakfast eaters continued to lose, dropping another 16.5 pounds on average.

In all, members of the big-breakfast group lost more than 21% of their body weight; low-carb group members lost 4.5%.

A bonus, says Jakubowicz, is that the big-breakfast dieters reported less hunger and fewer cravings for carbohydrates than the other group.

Big Breakfast Diet
Some of the study findings make perfect sense and are well known to nutrition experts, says Joan Salge Blake, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association and a professor of nutrition at Boston University, who reviewed the study for WebMD.

"We know women who don't eat breakfast are more likely to do impulsive, unplanned snacking," she says. "It's no big surprise that having breakfast and having protein is a good thing when it comes to weight loss."

"We know protein will have the biggest effect on the feeling of fullness," she says. "It's always important to have protein at each meal."

But she has some misgivings about both diets, contending that the daily calorie allotment and the carbohydrate intake was too low in both groups. "One hundred thirty grams of carbohydrate are the minimum for our brain to keep working," she says, citing guidelines from the National Academy of Sciences.

To achieve weight loss, she advises eating breakfast every day, including protein at each meal, and also focusing on eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

While the participants in the study were all obese, Jakubowicz says she thinks the plan will work for those with less weight to lose, too.

"I think this is the right way of eating, even if you are thin. I think it works for everybody and especially for obesity."

New Look

I found a blog layout that I love What do you think of it?

What I've Been Doing This Last Year

Hi As you can see, it's been a few months since I last posted on this blog and just over a year since I last tracked my progress with living a healthy life.  A lot has happened since then.

My temp assignment at Vision Service Plan ended on July 31st, and I went on unemployment.  Finding more work was difficult, so I decided to try and go to school while on unemployment.  God had His hand all over that and blessed me in a tremendous way :)

I had no idea what the procedure was for starting school and being on unemployment, so I searched the California EDD website and found a pdf file about the California Training Benefits program.  In that pdf file, I read something about going to a Sacramento Works office to be approved to go to school while on unemployment, so I made my way to the nearest office and began the process.

Little did I know what lay in store for me...I went through the long, laborious process of trying to get my schooling paid for with a government grant, filling out paperwork and attending training classes at the Sacramento Works office.  I had to research the field in which I wanted retraining, see what the employment outlook was for it, and fill out a scholarship award packet.  I had to find someone who was an employer or employee in the field I had chosen and interview them as well.

God guided me every step of the way...it was awesome!  For the interview I had to do, I thought of a friend in my small group bible study.  I asked him if I could interview him and he was very kind and gracious in saying yes.  When I did the interview, one of the first questions I asked him was his title.  At that point I discovered that he was the chief financial officer for the Sacramento SPCA!  I found a big dog to interview!

My job history was pretty free-flowing...I took whatever jobs came along while working as a temp, and had never aimed for something specific before.  During the first couple of weeks after my temp assignment ended, I evaluated my career and looked at what made the most sense for me to pursue.  I chose accounting for a few reasons...numbers do what they're supposed to do, and if they don't, it's a mistake that can be tracked down.  I was also tired of being stuck with only a few career choices.  I've been a secretary, an admin assistant, I've done data entry in accounting departments, I've been a proofreader at a title company, a proofreading team lead there, and was a title examiner when I quit.  Accounting would fit into those job experiences quite well.

After I turned in the scholarship packet, all that was left was to wait and see if I got a scholarship.  One day I got a message from Jackie...I was approved!  The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) was funding my entire tuition to attend MTI College and go through their accounting technician program!  $16,000!  Wow!

I began school in October, and through the entire 36 weeks I managed to maintain a 4.0 GPA and graduate at the top of my small class My last class was on Thursday, July 1st, and I've been job-hunting since.

It's time for me to trust that God will bring me to the right job.  Most of the time I'm not worried about it; I keep searching online and applying, trusting that He will lead me to the right position and open the door to the job He has lined up for me. 

As for my working on losing weight, I didn't do much at all during this last year.  The good news is that I didn't gain any weight; I've been fluctuating between 232 and 237 lbs.  I can maintain my weight, which is good to know.

Along with looking for a job, I need to begin working on a healthy lifestyle again, that's my next challenge.  I have two options for exercise...walking and riding my bike.  Both are good, and doing either or both on a daily basis is my goal, as is keeping a food diary.

I'm not going to be following a rigid plan right now, although it might be better for me to do that.  At this point our budget is tight, so doing something like South Beach isn't an option.  Focusing on healthy food choices is the most important thing I can do, and that's something I have to do for the rest of my life.

The area I struggle with the most seems to be allowing myself splurges.  I find a reason to let myself have some type of splurge nearly every day, and that's not good.  If I want to lose weight and be healthier than I am now I can't keep doing that.

This brings me to this blog...writing about my efforts here will help me stay focused.  I need that :)  I'll be writing about all of that as well as the rest of my life.  Choosing to live a healthy life involves every aspect, not just diet and exercise. 

I hope you enjoy reading here, and that you share your thoughts and comments as well.  Those comments will be an encouragement to keep blogging away :)