AJC.com > Health > Fit and Trim > Archives > 2005 > February > 15 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USThe healthier, leaner Valentine’s heart
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Happy Valentine’s Day Atlanta! Today is the perfect Hallmark holiday where you are required to spend twice as much on chocolate, 4 times as much on flowers, and more than your last paycheck on jewelry to tell that special someone you love them. Or, you could just tell them you love them with a healthy home cooked meal!
Why drop all that cash on flowers that will die in 3 days? Why get that cheap pendant that she will only wear 5 times a year? Why spend $200 on a dinner that won’t fill you up? Instead, you can achieve maximum romance with your significant other with a home cooked meal, and the right mood…candles & music optional, but helpful!
What brings this up? Well, last night my wife & I went to a cooking class for Valentine’s. The class was awesome & we learned a lot of cool new tips for cooking some dishes we never would have had a clue about. But we also learned some of the darker sides of eating out. The chef who was teaching the class was using some pretty wicked stuff in the recipes. Heavy cream, lots of oils, and tons of tasty, but bad stuff! Now, think about the kitchen at that $200 dinner restaurant you are going to. Is one night of splurging worth setting you back a week or more on your diet?
My wife & I started talking about what we learned & how we can make it healthier. Some things were perfectly good & healthy while others were not healthy at all. We figured you can take a healthy twist to an unhealthy dish and make it just as delicious while keeping the amazing flavor. For example, we cooked a whole beef tenderloin in the class, but put a heavy sauce over it. The same beef loin can be cooked (very healthy when eaten with portion control) and instead of coated in a heavy cream sauce, use a healthier alternative that may even suit your tastes better. We did oven roasted asparagus that came out delicious & was about as healthy as it can get. To end it, we had a chocolate mousse dessert that probably tipped the scales in the fat category! In the end, the class showed us how we can still have the finer foods, but with a little tweaking on our part, it will keep us healthier and happier.
And that is a Valentine’s heart that will last a lot longer!
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Drew Wilkinson
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By John Tackett
February 15, 2005 1:47 PM | Link to this
Drew, I watch a TV show called Calorie Commando and have been able to learn how to substitute certain foods to make a meal healthier (like unsweetened applsauce instead of cooking oil.) A favorite dessert of mine is a chocolate pudding pie made with lowfat, sugar free pudding mix, non fat milk and using crushed almonds to make the shell. Way to go my man. John Tackett Fat Man No More