The DIY Diet

Thanksgiving is fast approaching and earlier this season already I’ve been the grateful recipient of pumpkin, squash, onions, tomatoes, peppers, and the like from the bounty of my brother and sister-in-law’s large garden.  They grew some lovely, large pumpkins this year, the ornamental variety, that we used for Halloween decorations.  For Thanksgiving pies, I think we’ll bake a Mrs. Smith’s Frozen Pumpkin Pie.  We like the flavor and the ease of preparation. The acorn squash has been delicious and from the tomatoes, onions, and peppers I’ve made and frozen spaghetti sauce, chili, and tomato pulp for later use. 

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"Sometime during the fall season I’d like to make a trip ‘up north’," my elderly mother said when we were out running errands one day.  I said, "We can do that.  Would you like to go tomorrow?" I think I surprised her with my response.  "Yes," she said without giving it a second thought,  and we made plans to leave the following morning for our former Northeastern Minnesota home.  I made hotel reservations, we packed our bags, told my brother of our plans, and off we went.

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This year I not only made spaghetti sauce from extra tomatoes, I also made chili to freeze for the winter.

In September, my mother and I were out in the country west of the Twin Cities taking care of lovable labrador mutts, Pumba and Beauty, while my brother and sister-in-law went out of state.  Their garden had produced a bumper crop of tomatoes again this year and though the dogs were running me ragged, I couldn’t stand to see those gorgeous tomatoes sit unused in the garden.  My sister-in-law had already filled up her freezer and had given away as many as she could.

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Steaming is my favorite way to prepare certain vegetables. That’s the way I like to prepare cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, green beans, peas pods, and carrots. I often fix cabbage and corn that way, too. When I steam my vegetables, I use a bamboo steamer. I own a metal steamer basket but I’ve never used it. In fact, I have no idea where it is - probably stored in my garage. I love the very slight bamboo fragrance it seems to impart to the air as the vegetables cook. It reminds me of living in the Orient. I find that one of the big advantages to cooking with a bamboo steamer is that I can quickly stop cooking when the vegetables are al dente or still a bit firm when you bite into them (used typically to describe pasta).

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I go through stages on the things I eat for breakfast. For a time, all I will want is fruit and cereal. Then I may crave scrambled eggs and Canadian bacon. Sometimes, nothing will do but cottage cheese and fruit for breakfast. I listen to my what my body is telling me. When I start craving one thing or another, I feel it is my body signaling a need for something. I try to accommodate. Cottage cheese is one breakfast option that is fast and filling with plenty of protein, and keeps hunger at bay for a long time.

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I’d been paging through my many cookbooks looking for ideas for a light, delicious dessert to serve when my friend, Karen, and her husband joined me for supper. Like me, they are both on a calorie diet so I wanted to make something that kept our calorie count at a reasonable level.

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When I was growing up Christmas always meant my Aunt Sig and Uncle Chet would bring a box of meringue cookies when they came up north for the holiday.

I loved the sweet, melt-in-your-mouth treats. My favorite was the light green wreath shaped cookies with colorful sugar sprinkles on top. I’ve never tried making them but intend to do so next Christmas. I’d also never tried making meringue shells because I thought they’d be both very high in calories, because of the sugar, and difficult to make. I was wrong on both accounts.

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I had never made chicken pot pie before I ran across the Kraft Foods recipe for Gram’s Chicken Pot Pie Updated.

As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, I don’t buy commercially prepared meals that contain chicken in any kind of sauce, so when I eat chicken in a sauce, I make it myself. I also didn’t think Chicken Pot Pie would be low enough in calories for me to include in my diet. I was wrong.

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Chicken salad is one of my favorite low calorie lunches and ever since I ran across the 7-oz. vacuum-packed, foil packages of 100% natural white meat chicken by Valley Fresh in my local grocery store, I keep it on hand for quick, last-minute meals when I don’t feel like roasting my own chicken or picking apart a super market roasted chicken.

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Super Bowl parties are so much fun, but they can be a nightmare for dieters when the buffet table is spread with hot wings, pizza, and high-fat dips and chips.

So I’ve put together some ideas for lower-calorie (but yummy) Super Bowl party fare. These snacks can also be used for any special celebration for a family member or good friend.

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