G! Gets Zesty: Ad Hoc Dining

Don’t think about it – just eat it!

By Cory Gallant (aka zestycook)

Today’s families like to improvise when it comes to assembling meals everyone will enjoy. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with bacon and eggs for supper or breaking out last night’s left over quesadilla for breakfast. Why we get so wrapped up in ensuring we eat ‘breakfast foods’ at breakfast and ‘dinner foods’ at dinner is beyond me – let’s just eat!

Do family meals always have to consist of meat and potatoes?  Pasta and salads?  Burgers and fries?  Hell no!  If you ask me, you can eat whatever you want, whenever you want it.

This month, I’ve put together a few options that could realistically be eaten any time of the day and will satisfy even the most rambunctious of appetites. Remember that while there are no rules when it comes to what you eat, moderation is key and always eat enough to satisfy your hunger.

A Blended Potato Pancake

What do you do when you only have a couple of sweet potatoes and Russet potatoes on hand?  Let me rephrase: what would zestycook do with sweet potatoes and Russet potatoes that are on the verge of perishing?

Ah, so glad you asked!

I shred what I’ve got left and blend them together to create a potato pancake that makes the heart beat just a little bit faster.  One thing I love about potato pancakes is that they are versatile enough to add either a savory side or a sweet topping.

These potato pancakes are great with fish or even a nice salad.  I personally like to top them off with homemade applesauce or apple bacon chutney.  You can eat these morning, noon or night – they are just that good!

Ingredients

* 2 Russet potatoes
* 2 sweet potatoes
* 1/2 onion (grated) – Optional [I leave it out due to Mrs. Zesty]
* 1 egg, beaten
* 1 teaspoon salt
* Hint of nutmeg
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* Ground black pepper to taste
* Vegetable oil for frying

Directions

1.     Finely grate potatoes. Drain off any excess liquid.

2.     Mix in egg, salt, and black pepper. Add enough flour to make mixture thick, about 2 to 4 tablespoons as needed.

3. Turn oven to low, about 200 F (95 C).

4. Heat 1/4 inch of vegetable oil in the bottom of a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Drop two or three 1/4 cup mounds into hot oil, and flatten to make 1/2 inch thick pancakes. Fry, turning once, until golden brown. Transfer to paper towel lined plates to drain, and keep warm in low oven until serving time. Repeat until all of the potato mixture is used.

Zesty Tip: The most important thing to watch for with this type of pancake and cooking technique is to ensure that the pan/oil are hot enough so that the pancake does not absorb any of the oil.  You do not want a soggy pancake.  If you are at the right temperature, you will achieve a nice crust on the exterior.  To test your oil, drop a tiny bit of batter in the pan and listen for the sizzle.

Taste The Summer Through A Straw

One of the most versatile creations you can make for any time of the day and to suit even the most discriminating of tastes is a SMOOTHIE.  Whether you add milk, juice, water, your favourite fruit or vegetable you can customize your smoothie to make you happy!

I tried a smoothie with POM Juice and I almost fell off my rocker (literally, I almost fell off my office chair).  It was so good I knew I had to make it again and again.  I like to call my smoothie creation the POM Star Summer because it tastes and looks like a little piece of summer. Try your favourite flavour combinations to create your very own smoothie creation.

Caramel Apple Cream Cheese Cookie Bars

Despite the fact that these bars are sinful in calories, you’ll quickly forget what calories are once you sink you teeth into them.  Remember what I wrote earlier: just eat whatever you want whenever you want it; just remember to exercise more and enjoy!

The best part of this recipe is that it’s a breeze to whip up, the kids can help and you can find all of the ingredients at your local grocery store.

So there you have it – a quick rundown of the ways to convince yourself that you can eat whatever you want at anytime of the day and feel no shame. For more information including recipes, be sure to come over and check out www.zestycook.com.

Thanks so much for reading.

Take care,

zesty

 

 

Cory Gallant, aka zestycook, has been stirring things up in the kitchen since he was a kid. Since 2008, zesty has been helping thousands of readers whip up quick and healthy recipes on his food blog www.zestycook.com. He has been a guest speaker at numerous conventions and conferences throughout North America, as well he is a regular monthly contributor with G!

Zesty currently resides in Marshfield with the lovely Mrs. Zesty and their two little zesties.

Don’t think about it – just eat it! By Cory Gallant (aka zestycook) Today’s families like to improvise when it comes to assembling meals everyone will enjoy. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with bacon and eggs for supper or breaking out last night’s left over quesadilla for breakfast. Why we get so wrapped up in ensuring [...]

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SiFTcast in Print: You Just Never Know

SiFTcast in Print
Brian Langille, Kris MacDonald, Dave Taylor and Jason White serve up a monthly dose of what they do best – SiFTcast!

Good day G! Readers!

We hope that everyone gets a break from all this snow and shovelling soon.

Before we start this months article, we’d all like to thank G!’s Commander and Chief, Meredith Morrison for not only being a part of SiFTcast Episode 23 “Monkey Fighters”, but also for completely rocking that episode. Thanks Meredith, and you are welcome to come back any time you want!

One of the recent topics we discussed on the show were reactions to Christmas presents. We shared a video that was posted online of a man in his mid 20’s opening a Sony Playstation 3 for Christmas and reacting as if he had just won the lottery (But be warned – language might be slightly NSFW).

Best Christmas Gift Reaction – Jalani P

We thought this guy’s reaction was awesome; it really captured the spirit of how you’d expect a young child to react to a highly anticipated gift at Christmas, so it was great to see that natural excitement from someone in their 20’s. That, and let’s face it, a video like this is what makes YouTube so awesome!

Then you have Brian’s son, who is really into his LEGO video games, plays them religiously on the PlayStation 3 and XBox 360 and, much like his dad, enjoys spending time playing his favourite video games. So when Santa brought the little guy a Nintendo DS for Christmas, you would have thought his reaction would have been similar, if not identical, to our 20-year-old YouTube friend’s we mentioned above, right?

Um yeah, not so much.

He looked at the box, didn’t recognize what it was due to the packaging not really making it clear what was inside, put it down and looked for the next gift.

So while an over-the-top reaction like that of the guy on YouTube was totally expected, this little 6-year-old instead treated his “big” present like a box of socks and moved on.

Since the lackluster performance on Christmas morning, things have changed and now it’s almost impossible to get the Nintendo DS out of his little hands most mornings before breakfast or evenings before bed. But at the time, what Brian and his wife had thought was Santa’s grand attempt to knock one out of the park turned out to be an epic swing and a miss for the big guy in red.

So despite Brian and his wife not getting the “Christmas reaction” they had hoped for, we can all live vicariously through the reaction of the 20-something YouTube sensation.

Until next month…

 

 

As Kris says, that will do it for another article of SiFTcast. You can check our website at www.siftcast.com, shoot us an email at info@siftcast.com, or follow us on Twitter @SiFTcast. SiFTcast is available on iTunes with new episodes every Sunday.

SiFTcast in Print Brian Langille, Kris MacDonald, Dave Taylor and Jason White serve up a monthly dose of what they do best – SiFTcast! Good day G! Readers! We hope that everyone gets a break from all this snow and shovelling soon. Before we start this months article, we’d all like to thank G!’s Commander [...]

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The Myth and The Madness: Want Muscle? Just Add Protein!

Sound too good to be true?  Then it probably is…but man, we hope not!  Ryan Cairns dispels the myths of fitness and sets us straight on the path to looking  (and feeling) good.

Myth:  Want muscle?  Just add protein!

This is one of my favourite myths. As a personal trainer, I get asked about protein shakes and other supplements a lot. I’m not telling you to take them or not to take them, but rather, I want to educate you on why you should or shouldn’t. Before I give my two cents, let’s look at diet and exercise.

First, let’s look at the nutrition aspect of building muscle. We need protein to build muscle. Protein comes from such foods as meat, dairy products, some nuts, beans, and soy. How much protein do we need each day to build muscle? Most people that are sedentary or exercise very little need less protein than avid exercisers or athletes.

We need between 0.8 and 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
Take your weight in pounds (lbs) and divide it by 2.2 to find out your weight in kilograms. Take that number and multiply it by 0.8 if you are sedentary; 1.8 if you are quite active.

Example:
A 180 lb man

180/2.2 = 81.8 kg x 0.8 = 65.4g of protein (sedentary/ low levels of activity)

180/2.2 = 81.8 kg x 1.8 = 147.24g of protein (high levels of activity)

There is very little evidence that shows that eating more protein than this will help you build more muscle.

Another important aspect to look at is WHEN you eat for optimal performance and absorption of protein.

Pre-workout nutrition:

You should try to consume a meal with some protein and carbohydrates before your workout. Try to have a decent sized meal 2-3 hours beforehand. The closer you get to the workout, the smaller the meal you should consume.

During your workout:

Most people don’t workout long enough for this to affect them, but if you do workout for long durations, try sipping on something high in carbohydrates, like juice or a sports drink. Remember, this is only for long periods of exercise.

Post-workout nutrition:

Try to consume some carbohydrates and protein within an hour after exercising. By consuming simple sugary or starchy carbohydrates, this will cause insulin levels spike which then shoves nutrients into the cells more effectively.  Consume some protein for immediate delivery to the cells.

Now, let’s look at the effects of exercise on muscle building.

When we think of building muscles, we think of lifting weights. To increase muscle size most effectively, we train a couple of different ways

1.    Muscular size or hypertrophy (8-12 reps with a moderate- heavy weight). This is how a body-builder would train.

2.    Muscular strength or hypertrophy (1-6 reps with a heavy weight, usually 85-95% of your 1RM, the heaviest weight you can lift once with good form.) This is how a strongman would train.

Here is my “Jerry Springer Final Thought” on protein. We need protein to build muscle; this is true. If you like protein shakes, that’s fine. Remember though, protein shakes are supplements, which means that you are using them because you are not eating enough protein in your diet.  If you’re a carnivore, not lactose intolerant, and love nuts then chances are you’re getting enough protein in your diet.

Yours in fitness and wellness,

Ryan Cairns
CSEP-CPT

 

Ryan Cairns doesn’t just talk the talk – he’s a certified personal trainer, kettlebell and UFIT instructor and a shining example of how fitness is more than just being active – it’s a lifestyle! For muscular hypertrophy workouts, check out Ryan’s blog at cairnsryan.wordpress.com.

Sound too good to be true?  Then it probably is…but man, we hope not!  Ryan Cairns dispels the myths of fitness and sets us straight on the path to looking  (and feeling) good. Myth:  Want muscle?  Just add protein! This is one of my favourite myths. As a personal trainer, I get asked about protein [...]

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