Saturated Fat; Friend or Foe?

I know you all read my butter blog, and if you haven't read it go ahead and do me a favor and give it a whirl (Butter Blog) .

We lived past 1999 and there was no explosive computer apocalypse as was expected and now you're about to read that new research has surfaced that saturated fat isn't as bad as previously thought to be. So before you start going crazy buying chocolate and eating cheeseburgers, let me explain why and how the SAD ( standard american diet) is lacking in said fat and needs to rearrange itself for us to be healthy and balanced individuals. Here goes nothing; A common known but dated fact is that saturated fat is evil and leads to heart disease by raising LDL ( bad cholesterol) levels, but what we didn't know is that it also contains good cholesterol (HDL) and triglycerides which are both linked to lowering heart disease and in comparison to refined carbs which raise cholesterol (LDL) and lower triglycerides two really bad things that up your risk for heart disease, saturated fat from meat and dairy isn't so bad within reason.

Now i know what you're thinking, get her to the loony bin she's telling us that we should indulge in cheese and full fat dairy and meats? Yes and No. Unfortunately due to all the diet promises that come in those brightly colored packages, were eating more processed foods, more trans fats and less real foods (basically if it doesn't go bad toss it!). Due to all the misinformation were swapping out real meat, real cheese, real dairy for real fake low fat, trans fat filled processed packaged foods.

What's a trans fat?
 well to make it easy for you it's a really bad vegetable fat that is uber processed to add shelf life and give the food the "perfect" consistency, it sounds so great but really it has no health benefits tons of sodium and sugar to make up for lost flavor of real fat that's why you usually find it in packaged processed foods. Avoid Trans fats! avoid at all costs!  If you're already avoiding trans fats good job! and if you've just started trying to avoid trans fats it can be pretty tricky they're in a lot of foods. The worst part is big food companies are allowed to boast a 0% trans fat  promise on their packages/containers if there's less than 0.5 of a gram per serving. Terrible!

My best advice is ditch  the convenient packages and if you really want those cookies make them yourself! So to debunk the myth the answer is yes you can eat saturated fat if it means you're going to kick the french toast for eggs and bacon yes it's ok on occasion, i really like center cut it's lower in saturated fat and still delicious! Am i suggesting you coat your scrambled eggs in butter and eat bowls of cheese all day then No, as much as that sounds like tons of fun! ( i myself love tons of cheese)

As I've said over and over balance is key to a good diet and that balance includes eating different types of good fats from; organic butter, olive oil, raw nuts, unheated nut oils, avocados, eggs, palm oil and even *gasp* grass fed meat so don't be so hard on yourself when it comes to saturated fat.

To balance and moderation!
Trish


For further reading
The Truth about Saturated Fats

I can't believe it's not....Margarine

Away with the margarine I say!
Hey everyone! I'm so excited to introduce you all to my old best friend, I haven't hung with him in awhile since he was sorta shunned but now everything's smooth sailing and he's part of the cool kids club, so without further ado let me introduce to you BUTTER!

Yes! and with the food porn butter pic I bring good news! The good news is that butter is actually part of a heart healthy balanced diet. Yeah, no need to check your eyes, butter is not the enemy and heres some reasons why!

1. Butter has tons of fat soluble vitamins A, E and  most importantly K2 which is pretty rare in standard diets and it aids in bone healthy and regulating calcium in our body

2. Butter has friendly saturated fat, the kind that raise HDL or (good cholesterol) 

3. Butter can lower the risk of heart disease due to vitamin K2 intake

4. Butter contains an essential fatty acid (Butyrate) that protects the digestive system 

5. It's delicious! so go ahead and use butter, within moderation always but no need to fear it any longer!

My favorite Food Rules!

It's 2013 and were all making our own resolutions for change, I myself love to eat and have a huge problem when it comes to sweets. A couple of years ago when I started making big changes in my eating habits I found a book called "Food Rules" by Michael Pollan a journalism professor at Berkeley. In his book which is super short and easy to read he lists some food rules along with accompanying explanations of each rule. Let me just say that after I read this book I became obsessed with it and I think everyone should read it,A great guide to eating simply and nutritiously. Below are the rules Mr.Pollan writes about, if you want to read the explanations I'll include a link at the end of the blog to a PDF of his book. Cheers towards A Happy and Healthy 2013!!


Food Rules

1. Eat food

2. Don’t eat anything your great‐grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food

3. Avoid food products containing ingredients that no ordinary human would keep in the pantry

4. Avoid food products that contain high‐fructose corn syrup

5. Avoid food products that have some form of sugar (or sweetener listed among) the top three ingredients

6. Avoid food products that have more than 5 ingredients

7. Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third‐grader cannot pronounce

8. Avoid food products that make health claims

9. Avoid food products with the wordoid “lite” or the terms “low fat” or “nonfat” in their names

10. Avoid foods that are pretending to be something they are not

11. Avoid foods you see advertised on television

12. Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle

13. Eat only foods that will eventually rot

14. Eat foods made from ingredients that you can picture in their raw state or growing in nature

15. Get out of the supermarket whenever you can

16. Buy your snacks at the farmers market

17. Eat only foods that have been cooked by humans

18. Don’t ingest foods made in places where everyone is required to wear a surgical cap

19. If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don’t.

20. It’s not food if it arrived through the window of your car

21. It’s not food if it’s called by the same name in every language (Think Big Mac, Cheetos or Pringles)

22. Eat mostly plants, especially leaves

23. Treat meat as a flavoring or special occasion food

24. Eating what stands on one leg [mushrooms and plant foods] is better than eating what stands on two legs [fowl], which is better than eating what stands on four legs [cows, pigs and other mammals].

25. Eat your colors

26. Drink the spinach water

27. Eat animals that have themselves eaten well

28. If you have space, buy a freezer

29. Eat like an omnivore

30. Eat well‐grown food from healthy soil

31. Eat wild foods when you can

32. Don’t overlook the oily little fishes

33. Eat some foods that have been predigested by bacterial or fungi

34. Sweeten and salt your food yourself

35. Eat sweet foods as you find them in nature

36. Don’t eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the milk

37. The whiter the bread, the sooner you’ll be dead

38. Favor the kinds of oils and grains that have traditionally been stone‐ground

39. Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself

40. Be the kind of person who takes supplements – then skip the supplements

41. Eat more like the French. Or the Japanese. Or the Italians. Or the Greeks.

42. Regard nontraditional foods with skepticism

43. Have a glass of wine with dinner

44. Pay more, eat less

45. Eat less

46. Stop eating before you’re full

47. Eat when you are hungry, not when you are bored

48. Consult your gut

49. Eat slowly

50. The banquet is in the first bite

51. Spend as much time enjoying the meal as it took to prepare it

52. Buy smaller plates and glasses

53. Serve a proper portion and don’t go back for seconds

54. Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like pauper

55. Eat meals

56. Limit your snacks to unprocessed plant foods

57. Don’t get your fuel from the same place your car does

58. Do all your eating at a table

59. Try not to eat alone

60. Treat treats as treats

61. Leave something on your plate

62. Plant a vegetable garden if you have space, a window box if you don’t

63. Cook

64. Break the rules once in a while

To read the accompanying explanations click here Food Rules by Michael Pollan

S'more pie please!

With summer coming up I've been looking for different variations on s'mores. Cause who doesn't love melty chocolate, graham cracker & roasted marshmallows? Well then, for a birthday breakfast I decided to make this pie for the chocoholics & of course it was a hit! Lemme give you a teaser for a quick minute: crushed graham cracker buttery crust with a chocolate mousse creamy filling topped with a broiled marshmallow top. Howaboutit???! Super easy to make!

Pie crust

1 cup of crushed graham crackers
1/2 cup of sugar
1 stick of butter

Chocolate filling
1 1/4 cup of chocolate chips ( I used semi sweet)
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2 eggs
Teaspoon of vanilla
Pinch of salt

Mini marshmallows to top with

1. In a bowl mix graham cracker crumbs and sugar till combined.
2. Add the melted butter and mix till crumbly but pastey
3. Line pie pan with graham cracker mixture & bake for 10 min. Let cool for 10 min
4. Heat your heavy cream until boiling and add chocolate chips. Whisk until smooth.
5. In a separate bowl mix eggs, vanilla and salt.
6. Pour egg mixture into chocolate mixture and stir gently till combined.
7. Pour your chocolate mixture into your graham cracker crust & bake 20-25 min until the middle is set.
8. Let your pie cool for 10 minutes and preheat your broiler to Hi.
9. Sprinkle pie with marshmallows & broil for 1-2 minutes.
10. Let cool & serve . Refrigerate when done

Irish You a Happy St.Patrick's Day (chocolate Guinness cupcakes)

So while everyone has there own way to celebrate St.Patrick's Day; eating corned beef and cabbage, going to a pub with friends or having a party at home. What better way to celebrate than with Guinness but not only Guinness by itself...oh no this is big. While browsing for recipes i stumbled upon this one and thought what's the perfect thing to bring to a St.Patty's day potluck but these Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting! (Baking tip- to make these giant cupcakes fill the cupcake liners full with batter!) Happy Eating!

Guinness Chococolate Cake 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup stout or porter beer, such as Guinness
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 1/2 cups superfine sugar
• 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

METHOD

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pan with 12 paper liners

2 In a large saucepan place the beer and butter. Cook over medium-high heat until the butter has melted. Add the cocoa powder and sugars and whisk together. Take off heat and allow to come to room temperature.

3 In another bowl beat together the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract until very, very well combined. Add to the butter-beer mixture and whisk together.

4 In another bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the beer-butter mixture and whisk together until it just comes together. Pour into the prepared pan and give the pan a few short drops onto the countertop to shake the air pockets in the batter to the surface and out of the cake. Bake for 35-40 minutes and to prevent from overcooking let cool in cupcake pan and take out after and let cool on a rack or cookie sheet 

5 Spread frosting on the cooled cupcakes and serve.

Cream Cheese Frosting 

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature
• 8 oz of Philly cream cheese (1 package), room temperature
• 2 - 3 cups of powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

METHOD

1 With an electric mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes on medium speed until very smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

2 Add the vanilla extract and mix. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Keep adding until you get to desired sweetness and thickness.

3  spoon into a piping bag to decorate your cupcakes.

Milk and Cookies

So most of you folks know that i loveeeee chocolate, as in i'm pretty sure i eat it everyday at least a little. With that said i decided to take on some double chocolate cookies, you know the kind that you take a bite and you need to scramble for a glass of milk?  the ones that are super chocolatey and rich but you can't settle with one bite. Reader meet Giant Double chocolate cookies, Giant chocolate cookies meet reader! Enjoy

Giant Double Chocolate Cookies

Yield: 12 very large cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
1¼ cup sugar
2 large eggs
½ cup dark cocoa powder
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar.  Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.  Blend in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed.  Mix in the cocoa powder until well blended.  Add the flour, salt and baking powder to the bowl and mix on low speed just until incorporated.  Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.  Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead briefly by hand to be sure the ingredients are well combined.

Divide the dough into 4 ounce portions (or divide into 12 equal pieces).  Roll each portion of dough into a ball and flatten just slightly into a disc.  Place on the prepared baking sheets, a few inches apart.  Bake 16-20 minutes.  Let cool on the baking sheets 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Check out these rolls!

One of the hardest things about going to the mall is walking by the Cinnabon and smelling what is the wonderful goodness of sticky, buttery, cinnamon rolls. I decided that this would be a challenge i would accept and therefore if i made them from scratch the calories wouldn't count. I didn't eat the whole batch but  these can be lethal sitting in your kitchen. So here's my take on cinnabon cinnamon rolls! Who said you cant have cinnamon rolls for breakfast, lunch& dinner?

Enjoy & happy eating!

Suga/Butter  filling
1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
3 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 cup of melted butter

Roll Dough
2 packs of active dry yeast ( 2 tbsp)
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 cup of hot water
1 cup of warm milk
2/3 granulated sugar
2/3 melted butter
2 tsp salt
2 eggs (slightly beaten)
4-6 cups of flour

Pan Filling
1/2 cup of melted butter
1/3 cup of granulated sugar

Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup butter
16 oz powdered sugar

Mix together 1 1/2 cup of sugar and 3 tbsp of cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.
To make your dough, Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water.  
In a large bowl mix warm milk,sugar, butter and salt then add yeast mixture.
Add beaten eggs and 2 cups of flour at a time. Add up to 6 cups to make a stretchy yet slightly stiff dough that you can work with easily.
 Put dough on a floured surface and knead for 6 minutes.
Put dough in a greased bowl and cover let it rise for 1 1/2 hours.
Punch dough down and let it rest for 5 minutes
Roll the dough out on a well floured surface to a 15x 20' rectangle
Brush rolled out dough with 1/2 cup of melted butter and sprinkle evenly with Cinnamon sugar mixture.
Roll up the dough as tight as you can and pinch the edges to seal.
Brush 1/2 cup of melted butter and 1/3 cup of granulated sugar onto the bottom of your baking sheet
Cut rolled up dough into 12-15 slices using dental floss or thread and place in your baking sheet
Let cinnamon rolls rise for 45 minutes and then preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake for 25- 30 minutes or until golden brown

To prepare the frosting in a saucepan over low heat melt 1/2 cup of butter, add in 8 oz of cream cheese and 16 oz of powdered sugar. Whisk until creamy and completely melted. Pour icing of hot cinnamon rolls and feast!