What the heck is that?!

So now that Irene has come and gone, I really hope everyone is safe and has limited damage to their property.  I know tons of people are without power, so I hope that is restored quickly! Irene forced me out of Hoboken back to RI, so I still haven’t been back to my apartment yet, but I hear we weren’t affected there.

I have nothing interesting to report in the way of meals or exercise so I figured I would talk about the wacky things I eat.

I often get asked “What the heck is that?” while I’m feasting on some of my healthier eats.  I brought home Vegenaise last week and Dan wanted to throw up.  So here are some of the things I eat that aren’t typically known in normal cooking.

• Quinoa- Pronounced keen-wah not kin-o-wah.  This is one of my favorite grains.  It comes as super small round grains that you cook in a saucepot in double the amount of liquid as the grain (2 cups of water or vegetable stock to 1 cup of quinoa).  This is great as a side but it’s filling enough that it could be eaten as a main dish.  Add in some chopped peppers, cucumbers or any type of meat with spices of your choice and a little EVOO for a fabulous, filling, healthy meal. 

 

• Nutritional Yeast- it looks like yellow fish food and doesn’t smell like much.  These little flakes are a vegetarian’s dream.  It tastes similar to cheese but it is packed with protein and amino acids.  While I am not a vegetarian, I use nutritional yeast as a seasoning.  I put it on eggs, potatoes, turkey burgers and in my egg salad.  It gives those things a great flavor and a little extra nutrition. You can’t go wrong!

 

• Wasa-These are flat, hard pieces of bread.  If Triscuits and Matzo had a love child, it would be named Wasa.  Yes, I’ll admit, it tastes like cardboard if you eat it alone, but you can top it with literally anything.  I love slathering it in nut butter and eating it as a post-workout snack.  I’ve also eaten Wasa with cottage cheese and tomatoes on top.  Use your imagination, and get the multigrain variety, they are the best.

 

• Vegenaise-this is a mayo substitute.  Mayo is made of eggs but vegenaise is made without it.  It tastes pretty similar to mayo but it is so much healthier than regular mayo.  Check out some information and nutritional facts about Vegenaise here.

 

 

 

• Flax seeds-These little nuggets of fiber are pure gold! They come ground or as whole seeds (they are really small though) and can be added to virtually everything and you really can’t taste it, I promise.  They are packed with fiber and the essential omega-3 fatty acids that are good for your ticker and your thinker (might be good for your waist line too!). Some of the things I have added flax to include:
  • Cookies-add it right into the batter
  • Turkey burgers
  • Greek yogurt
  • Egg salad
  • Smoothies
  • Rice
  • Lentils
  • Salads
  • Cereal
  • Mashed taters
  • Soups

I can’t think of any other odd things I eat right now, but I am sure there are more.  Healthy friends, what are some wacky things you add to your diet?