Monthly Archives: August 2015

Trouble keeping calories down on MIND diet

The MIND Diet, Weight Loss,

Four of the ten foods that are recommended on the MIND diet are ones I have tended to limit due to their calorie content:

  • Whole Grains
  • Beans
  • Nuts
  • Wine

Now, I am trying to eat more of them to meet the MIND diet requirements.  However, that increase is wreaking havoc with my attempt to lose weight.  I am trying to eat about 1000 calories per day. If I eat more than 1200 calories, I gain weight.

So, I decided to see how many calories those 4 recommended foods are costing me:

recommended
per week		 average cal/
serving		 average cal/
per week		 based on these foods and serving sizes
Wine 7 120 840 Franzia Moscato 5 oz
Beans 4 55 220 1/4 cup black beans
Nuts 5 191 955 1/4 cup walnuts
Whole grains 21 90 1890 oroweat whole grain bread
weekly total= 3905
average total
per day:
557.86

This analysis shows that these 4 foods constitute over half of my desired calorie limit every day. That doesn’t leave many calories for other foods. Let’s see how much they add up to.

This is based on what I think I should be eating. The additional fruit and the low-fat dairy are not mentioned on the MIND diet, but they are in other health-related articles. I hate to give them up.  The MIND diet does not mention an amount of olive oil, just that it should be the primary oil used. I think 1/2 TBSP per day is about a minimum for salad dressing and spreads.  Note that I am including only 3 oz of meat, fish, and poultry.  I think I am getting pretty close to a “plant-based” diet. Maybe that is the plan.

my target
per week		 average cal/
serving		 average cal/
per week		 based on:
Green leafy vegetables 7 10 70 red leaf lettuce
Other vegetables 7 30 210 average of gr beans and peas
2 Fruit, including berries 14 60 840 average of strawberries & orange
olive oil 1/2 TBSP 7 50 350 1/2 TBSP olive oil
2 low-fat dairy 14 90 1260 8 oz 1% milk & 1 light yogurt
3 oz beef, chicken, fish 7 150 1050 average of lean beef, chicken, salmon, etc.
weekly total= 3780
average total
per day:
540

That about tells the story.  558 + 540 = 1098 calories.  No wonder I can’t hit all these and my desired calorie intake of 1000 calories. I think I am going to have to adjust either number of servings or serving size. The MIND diet is presented as “one size fits all” and doesn’t really give serving sizes. I have been trying to figure out what average serving sizes are, but I think I need to focus on serving size for someone my size and age.

I am also going to figure out the most low-calorie foods that meet the MIND diet recommendations. There is a big difference between the 90 calorie Oroweat bread that I listed and 1 cup of breakfast cereal with the same amount of whole grains.

I know that activity level is a factor here also and important for preventing/stalling Alzheimers. I have been trying to hit 5,000 steps per day with 30 minutes of active exercise.  I think before I cut back on the recommended foods that I will increase my goal to 7,500 steps per day.

 

 

Desserts for breakfast on the MIND diet

Recipes, The MIND Diet

The other day I made oatmeal cookies with oil instead of butter and enjoyed a couple for lunch with my cottage cheese and blueberries. They were really good, but the recipe made 15 cookies and my husband didn’t care much for them. That left me with 13 cookies staring at me, the original COOKIE MONSTER.

The next day I discovered that 3 of those cookies made the perfect breakfast. Not much different, ingredient-wise, than eating oatmeal with sweetener and cinnamon, but a more appealing texture.  I didn’t even count them as one of my 4 pastries and sweets per week allowed by the MIND diet.

But, having those sitting around made me get into problem-solving mode. I also still have Pecan Cinnamon Scones and Whole Grain Blueberry Muffins in my freezer from earlier recipe tests.  I either have to stop testing new recipes or eat more than I should or waste food.  Then, it occurred to me that the answer is easy, single-serving recipes based on recommended MIND diet foods. I have tried a couple so far and I must share them.

My first inspiration came from Betty Crocker’s Build-Your-Own Microwave Mug Cobbler.  Of course, the strawberries and blueberries caught my attention, but I didn’t want to have to work on a whole grain substitute for Bisquick, so I looked around. I found an almost perfect recipe in this Single-serving Fruit Crisp.  The recipe said to cook it in the oven, but I used the cooking instructions from Betty Crocker and cooked it in the microwave. I also added some slivered almonds to get in another recommended food. This was the result:

Blueberry Crisp in a Mug                     PDF version

Mix in a mug:blueberry crisp in a mug

  • 1/2 cup blueberries (I used fresh, but frozen should be ok)
  • 1/2 TBSP agave (or sugar or sweetener, if you prefer)

Mix separately in a small bowl:

  • 3 TBSP oatmeal (I used old-fashioned)
  • 1 TBSP whole wheat flour
  • 1 TBSP agave (or sugar or sweetener to taste)
  • 1/8 tsp cinnamon

Spread this mixture over the blueberries. Top with:

  • 1 TBSP slivered almonds

Bake in microwave about 2 minutes until the berries bubble up over the topping a bit (My microwave is 700 watts; if you have a more powerful one, try 1 minutes first. Or, if you use frozen blueberries, it might take longer.)

This was a yummy breakfast! With the almonds, it was 258 calories and it kept me satisfied until noon. It was easy and I didn’t have any left-overs to worry about.

 

And then, another inspiration came along. On the Today Show, they mentioned French Toast in a Mug. They didn’t really give a recipe, but my first thought was: “I have to try that.” So, today I did and it was yummy.

Pecan french toast in a mug

French Toast in a Mug with Pecans
PDF version

Combine in a mug:

  • 1 egg
  • 1 TBSP milk (I used 1%)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 TBSP syrup (I used Kroger Sugar-Free)

Cut into ½ inch cubes:

  • 1 slice whole wheat bread

Add bread to mixture in mug and mix up so all bread is moistened.  Let sit while doing next step.

Chop:

  • 4 pecan halves (about 1 TBSP)

Put pecans on top.

Microwave on high about 1 ½ minute, until bread is no longer moist.

Top with:

  • 1 TBSP syrup (I used Kroger Sugar-Free)

Let cool a couple of minutes or maybe 5. It is really hot.

With the pecans, this was 242 calories. The pecans were 47 calories, so it would be less than 200 without them.

This was my best creation yet. It might have been more like bread pudding than French Toast?  Or, actually, it was kind of Like a Pecan Roll!  And, I don’t even feel the need to count it against my Pastries/Sweets quota.

 

 

Cookies for Lunch on the MIND diet

Recipes, Whole Grains

I love cookies! So, today I decided to look for a recipe that I could adapt to eat for lunch and not feel guilty about.  The MIND diet has made me feel less guilty about eating carbs, as long as they are whole grain.

Of course, the recipe had to use oil instead of stick margarine or butter.  I decided to look for oatmeal cookies, so I googled oatmeal cookies and oil.  I found an almost perfect recipe at http://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2014/11/30/the-ultimate-healthy-soft-chewy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies/  and headed to the kitchen.

I used olive oil in place of the coconut oil. I have olive oil that doesn’t have much taste. Since I am watching my calories, I used Sugar-free syrup for the agave. Another minor substitution was old-fashioned oats for the instant oats, since that is what I had.

oatmeal cookies

The cookies turned out pretty good. They are chewy and soft, like the recipe promised.  I thought about putting walnuts in them and then they would have had some crunch, but that would have added a lot more calories.  The way it was, I had 2 for lunch along with some fat-free cottage cheese and blueberries. That satisfied my need for cookies for a while.

My husband’s appraisal was that they needed frosting.  They actually could use a little more sugar or sweetener.

Oatmeal Cookies made with olive oil for the MIND diet               PDF version

  • 1 cup oatmeal (I used old-fashioned, but instant should be fine, too)
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 2 TBSP olive oil
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup sugar-free syrup (see options below)
  • 1/4 cup raisins

Mix the dry ingredients and liquid ingredients separately. Then, fold the liquids into the dry ingredients until barely mixed and fold in the raisins.  Chill for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Scoop the cookies onto the sheet so that you have 15 cookies. I used the medium Pampered Chef scoop that holds just over 1 TBSP and it came out just right.  Flatten the cookies a bit.

Bake for about 11 minutes and let them cool on the pan a few minutes.

oatmeal cookies nutrition part 1

Nutrition Facts calculated on MyFitnessPal.com.
Calories per cookie, if other sweeteners used:

  • ½ cup brown sugar and 5 TBSP milk -103 calories
  • ½ cup agave – 103 calories
  • ½ cup regular syrup -99 calories

Calories per cookie if ½ cup chopped walnuts added to recipe using sugar free syrup:  92
Calories per cookie if ½ cup chopped walnuts added to recipe using sugar free syrup + ¼ cup brown sugar:  102

 

When I finish this batch, I am going to try some with the walnuts and brown sugar.

oatmeal cookies nutrition part 2

Success! Beans and Rice Lunch for the MIND diet

Recipes, The MIND Diet, , ,

The other day I tried to make beans and rice for lunch and failed.  The outcome was too hot to eat!  See the sad tale here.  I didn’t think I would be ready to try it again, but today the black beans sitting in my refrigerator got to me and I decided to try again.

I was very cautious this time and added the spices a little bit at a time and then tasted.  At first, it was too bland. I kept adding more and finally made it to my taste.  It reminded me of Goldilocks’ experience–too hot, too cold, and eventually just right.  I learned a lot about adapting recipes, especially for single servings.

This is the final product:

Black Beans and Rice  1 serving                               PDF version

  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1/4 cup chopped celery
  • 1/4 cup red pepper (or green, if that is what you have)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
  • 1/2 tsp olive oil
  • 1/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained (or pinto beans or whatever)
  • 1/4 cup cooked brown rice
  • 1/4 tsp chili powder (or to your taste)
  • 1/8 tsp cumin
  • 1/8 tsp salt

Sauté the onion, celery, and red pepper in the olive oil about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook about 1 minute longer. Add the beans to heat and then the rice. Season to taste. The listed spices suited me, but I was still being cautious. Probably could have used a little more.

Enjoy.  I ate mine with 1/4 of an avocado, which added up to about a 300 calorie lunch.

A whole grain, a serving of black beans and rice
beans, a serving of ‘other vegetables,’ all cooked in olive oil. Seems like a win for the MIND diet and met my goal for a filling, low-calorie lunch, too.

 

 

 

Nutrition info calculated in MyFitnessPal.comblack beans and rice nutrition

Failed recipe for the MIND diet

Recipes, The MIND Diet, Uncategorized, , ,

I tried to make Red Beans and Rice for my lunch today, but it wasn’t very edible. I got through about half of it but then threw it out. I won’t be able to face it again for a while, so I thought I would post it in hopes that someone else would refine it.

I started with this recipe for inspiration: Authentic Louisiana Red Beans and Rice.

My plan was to make a single-serving because, if I really didn’t like it, I didn’t want more than one. Unfortunately, it is something my husband would eat.

The problem started with the rice. I had Uncle Ben’s Instant Brown Rice, which I usually use successfully to make 4 servings using the stove top method. I wanted to make just one serving so I used the microwave method.  I divided the 4 serving amounts by 4 and ended up with 2 TBSP of the dry rice and 1/4 cup of low sodium chicken broth.  I scaled back the cooking times as I thought appropriate: 5 minutes on high, then 5 minutes on medium, then let it stand for 5 minutes. My microwave is only about 700 watts so not too high. But, this didn’t work. It looked ok after the first 5 minutes but after the second 5 minutes and standing time, it was all brown (browner than brown rice should be) and hard. I tried again and just cooked it 5 minutes on high and then let it stand 5 minutes. Better, but not very fluffy.  The box does say that the stove-top method is preferred and now I see why. Next time, I will cook 4 servings on the stove and just use what I need. Or, use left-over rice because I usually do have a bit when I make 4 servings.

I used 1/4 cup each of onion, red pepper, and celery and 1 clove garlic. I sautéed the veggies in 1/2 tsp olive oil.  That all worked well and smelled great.

I went to add 1/4 cup of pinto beans, but found out I didn’t have any. I used black beans and they seemed like a good substitution.

The biggest problem, though, was the scaling down of the spices.  I thought I did the math right, but somehow the result was HOT.  I like Hot, but this was too HOT. One of the reasons was that I didn’t have the Cajun Seasoning that was called for. So, I looked up a substitute on Allrecipes.

These were my seasonings

  • 1/8 tsp thyme
  • 1/16 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/16 tsp sage
  • ½ tsp dried parsley
  • 1/8 tsp Cajun seasoning (I used the spices listed below for a substitute)
    • 1/8 tsp salt
    • 1/8 tsp oregano
    • 1/8 tsp paprika
    • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper – I only used 1/8 tsp of this mixture so not much
    • 1/8 tsp black pepper

Anyway, that was too much cayenne for me. I found that trying to scale down spices to one serving was a challenge.

If you compare my recipe to the inspiration recipe, you might wonder what happened to the sausage.  For the lunch I was making, I decided to omit it. I still think this would be fine without it. If I were making it for dinner, I might add some chicken sausage.

Since this was so HOT, I couldn’t taste much else. But, I did like the texture of the veggies and beans – not the rice.  I wasn’t sure if I liked the other spices in this recipe. I like them all in other recipes, but here not so much. I am thinking the next time I try this, I might use chili powder and cumin.  With some avocado slices and cilantro, I think that is more my style.

 

 

 

 

Single-serving munches and lunches on the MIND diet

Whole Grains

I have been working on single serving recipes of recommended foods that I can use either for meals or for snacks.  Because I am watching my calorie intake, these will probably be mostly for meals even though they seem like snack food.

Why am I working on single serving recipes?  These are snack-type foods.  It is dangerous for me to have more than one serving available at a time. I think you will see why when you see the recipes I have tried. If you want more, you can always multiply. I think it is easier to multiply recipes than divide.

I am trying to base these recipes on nuts, beans, and whole grains and using olive oil when fat is required. Of course, fruits and vegetables make good snacks, but they are obvious and they don’t usually need recipes.

Here are a couple of recipes I have tried:

Sugar and Cinnamon Tortilla Crisps – Yum. Makes a nice breakfast.nutrition info sugar and cinnamon crisps

  • 2 whole wheat but lower calorie tortillas. (I use Mi Mama’s Low Carb Tortillas because they have 70 calories per tortilla.)
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp olive oil

Brush the olive oil on the tortillas or spray with olive oil spray. Sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon mix.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes until crisp-watch closely; cut in 8 wedges. Enjoy.

With all that sugar, I count this as one of my Sweets/Pastries for the week. I could try cutting down on sugar or even using part sweetener.
It might work to use a little water instead of oil to make the sugar and cinnamon stick. Maybe I will try one that way and one with oil next time and compare them.

 

Single –serving Party Mix for the MIND diet – based on the original Chex Party Mix

  • 1 cup Corn Chexnutrition info MIND diet party mix
  • ¼ cup Lightly salted Peanuts
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp Olive Oil
  • ½ tsp Worcestershire Sauce

Heat oven to 250 degrees.
Mix the Chex and the peanuts in a 9 x 9 pan.
Sprinkle with garlic powder (and some salt, if desired)
Mix the olive oil and Worc.
Sauce, sprinkle over the Chex and Peanut, and stir well.

Bake for an hour stirring every 15 minutes (or microwave as stated on the original recipe but I like it a bit crispy).

I ate this for lunch today and it felt pretty decadent. It is a good thing I just had the one serving available!  It could have use a little salt or maybe a little more Worc. Sauce. Or, regular peanuts instead of the lightly salted ones.

Kind of pricey, calorie-wise. I suppose I could use less peanuts.

I am assuming the peanuts are included in the nuts category for the MIND diet and the Corn Chex as whole grain (they have the whole grain council symbol, but only 12 grams of whole grain). Maybe I should look for another cereal with more whole grain per serving.

 

That is all I have tried so far. I have lots of ideas but I haven’t tried them out yet. Here are a few I plan to work on:

  • Flour tortilla crisps with taco-like seasoning
  • Corn tortilla crisps with taco-like seasoning
  • Tortilla roll-ups with Greek yogurt, grated veggies, and spices
  • Black bean dip with baked corn chips
  • Roasted chick peas – lots of recipes for that online
  • With veggies. Or whole grain pita crisps, corn tortilla crisps
  • Popcorn, maybe with spices or cinnamon and sugar? Have to work on popping a single serving in a lunch bag in the microwave.

 

Nutrition Info calculated at MyFitnessPal.com

Menus for a 15-point MIND diet week

The MIND Diet

I have been trying to follow the MIND diet for a month or so now. I have been fairly successful by just trying to eat the recommended foods and avoid those that are not so good. I have tracked mostly at the end of each week by reviewing my MyFitnessPal food diary and plugging in to my MIND diet tracker.

However, I have fallen a bit short in a few recommended foods each week. So, I decided I should make up a week’s worth of menus and be sure I hit all the recommendations before I start the week.  Here is my first attempt: MIND diet menus one week.  If I counted right, these menus will give me 15 points at the end of the week. I tried to include enough detail that someone else could follow them, if desired.  I have never been very good at following someone else’s menus, but they might be a good start anyway. Or else you can have a good laugh.

You may notice that I listed calories, dairy, and fruit intake as well as MIND diet foods.  I really have to watch my calories because, if I eat over 1200 calories, I gain weight. I have to get down to 900-1000 calories plus 30 minutes of exercise a day to lose weight.  Figuring out how to increase my whole grain, nuts, beans, and wine intake without increasing my calories has been my biggest challenge.  I also try to get 2 low fat dairy and 2 fruits per day, but I did not figure out how to do that on these menus. I still need to work on that.

Nice MIND Diet poster

The MIND Diet,

Prevention.com has a nice MIND Diet poster. You can save it as an image from http://www.prevention.com/health/cut-alzheimer-risk . It fits nicely on an 8.5 by 11 sheet to print out and put on your refrigerator.

MIND diet poster
MIND diet poster

Review it carefully, though. Here are a couple of things to be aware of.

  • There are only 9 images for  recommended foods instead of 10. Olive oil is mentioned in the line below the images.
  • It looks like there are only 4 foods to avoid. That is because they lumped cheese with fast food and fried food.
  • Beans are listed as 3 recommended per week, but the research article says ‘more than 3.’
  • Red meat is listed as “4 times a week or less” but the research article says “less than 4 times per week”

But, the images and format are nice for a reminder, so I think it’s good to use – just edit it a bit.

Balsamic Vinaigrette Olive Oil Salad Dressing for the MIND diet

Olive Oil, Recipes

One of the requirements of the MIND diet is using olive oil as the primary oil.  The main place I use oil is in salad dressing. Now that I am eating a big green salad almost every day, I use even more oil that way (although I usually use only 1 TBSP on a side salad).

When I looked for store-bought salad dressings using olive oil, I didn’t see anything that looked good to me. I decided it was time to stop being lazy and try making my own.  I had been using Kraft Balsamic Vinaigrette most recently, so that is what I tried to imitate. Since I am also trying to cut down on calories, too, I am trying to make a light version.

I started with this recipe for Light Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad
Dressing.  It’s actually pretty close, but a little heavy on the vinegar. I added a TBSP of brown sugar this time. Next time, I will try a little less vinegar and a little more water.

Olive Oil Balsamic Vinaigrette

  • 1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 TBSP olive oil
  • 1 TBSP Dijon Mustard
  • 2 TBSP brown sugar
  • 2 tsp minced garlic (I use a microplane grater)
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp pepper

I just whisk it all together.  With that little bit of oil in it, you don’t have to worry much about getting it emulsified.

This recipe makes 3/4 cup. Add a little water if needed to make this amount. This is 12 TBSP.  I use 1 TBSP on a small dinner salad and 2 TBSP for a salad that is the whole meal.

One serving (1 TBSP) has 24 calories.

I am keeping this in the refrigerator, but I think this is just a habit. The ingredients wouldn’t have to be refrigerated individually and I will have it used up within 2 weeks at the most.

I considered using sweetener for at least half of the sugar, but it is pretty low calorie the way it is. I can never decide which is worse – sugar or sweetener.

This recipe doesn’t have much olive oil in it: 1/12 of a TBSP (1/4 tsp) per serving. I am assuming that it is not the consumption of olive oil that is the benefit but the fact that it is replacing the consumption of other oils.  At least with this as my salad dressing, I can say that olive oil is my primary oil. I probably need to do more research on this.

Next, I need to tackle olive oil-based mayo.

 

No queso quesadilla recipe for the MIND diet

Recipes

I love Mexican food!  Or, at least what I consider Mexican food- probably not very authentic. But, a major ingredient of everything I consider Mexican is cheese, so I had to rethink this.

I love Mexican food more than anyone else in my family does. So, I can’t really make Mexican for dinner as often as I would like. I do get my Mexican fix at least weekly by fixing myself something at lunch.  My most frequent would be a little taco meat on a slice of bread with taco sauce and cheese melted on top. It was easy to use whole grain bread and make my taco meat with ground turkey, but what to do for the cheese??

Today, I got out my quesadilla maker and got creative. I’m sure you could do this without an actual quesadilla maker, too.

No Queso Quesadilla                                 PDF version

Spray the quesadilla maker and warm it up.  Spread the refried beans on one tortilla. Put the tortilla on the quesadilla maker and distribute the turkey on each section, so it doesn’t cover the ridges.  Add the olives, cilantro, and onion.  Dab on the salsa. Top with the second tortilla.  Close the maker and let it cook until the ‘done’ light comes on – about 5 minutes.

Move to a plate and cut into wedges.  I ate this with some slices of red pepper. It was a really good Mexican fix.  And, it ticked the box for whole grain – I am going to call it 2 servings of whole grain. I know ‘low carb tortilla’ doesn’t sound like whole grain, but it looks like it qualifies to me. This type of tortilla is locally made. The reason I like it, besides it being whole grain, is that the 6 inch tortillas are just 70 calories each. I am also calling this one of my 4 servings of beans for the week. I didn’t even miss the cheese (much).

According to MyFitnessPal, the calorie count is 268 calories.

Quesadilla before top tortilla added
Quesadilla before top tortilla added

 

 

Quesadilla just done cooking
Quesadilla just done cooking
Quesadilla Plated
Quesadilla Plated