by Jina on January 6, 2011
The gym has been packed lately, and we all know why…the dreadful, hellish act of penance we call New Year’s resolutions. I make them and then forget about them in the same instant.
Ok, ok I have one resolution and that is to eat six small meals a day. Personal trainer’s orders. He was horrified when I confessed my terrible meal habits. I usually eat a small breakfast followed by a small lunch, maybe some chocolate in the afternoon and then a HUGE dinner with a HUGE cocktail. I’d say 75% of my calories are consumed after 7pm. Isn’t this the way of the common (albeit obese) man?
“Eating smaller meals throughout the day will speed up your metabolism,” he admonishes as I roll my eyes, “and you’ll have more energy.” He’s pushing a bunch of diet jargon on me and it feels totally disingenuous.
“Yeeeaaah, I know, but I already have a fast metabolism and more than enough energy,” I reply all cocky.
“And you won’t binge at night because you’ve been starving yourself all day. That’s why you exercise to the point of exhaustion…you are compensating for eating so much damn food the night before. It’s called ‘exercise-bingeing’ and I see it all the time!” He’s almost shouting at this point. Deep breath. He’s right. So the real resolution is not to eat six small meals a day but to break this overeating – overexercising habit I’ve developed for god knows how long, and eating small meals is part of the solution. He also insists that I work out less, going from 6 days per week to 4, maybe 5 max. Less guilt, less exercise, more freedom…?
I have no idea how to eat six small meals. How many almonds or trail mix or veggies with hummus or cheese and whole wheat crackers or protein bars or yogurt with fruit can one eat before turning into a gerbil? It sounds so tedious and boring. The only way this is going to work is if I make amazingly delicious portable snacks. I start off my New Year’s resolution with a big pan of luscious spanakopita oozing with cheese under a bed of flaky buttery layers. Cut into small 4-bite squares, I eat them 2 or 3 at a time. They freeze well which makes them a fantastic emergency mini-meal. My trainer didn’t say the meals had to be diet-friendly; he just insisted that they be small and frequent. More to come…
Making the spanakopita became a kind of meditation…
The spinach and cheese layer…
The top filo layer with a light dusting of sesame seeds…
Scored in cute little squares and ready to bake…
Six small meals here I come…
by Jina on December 20, 2010
It’s times like these that I feel blessed to have a few reliable recipes that also make awesome gifts. These sweet and spicy nuts are one of them.
I’m not going to lie here…I’d rather go to the dentist than shop for gifts on a capitalist mandate. At least I know I’ll have clean teeth after 30 minutes of mildly painful excavating whereas scouring stores for hours oftentimes yields nothing but a huge migraine. But I can certainly – and happily – cook for loved ones because I that’s what I do anyway. It’s something I actually enjoy doing which makes the whole gifting experience a pleasure rather than a major chore. There’s a whole process involved with giving food gifts that can be overwhelming to the novice. My strategy is pretty simple: I take an afternoon to draw up a few lists – family and friends, various gift possibilities – while assessing my time and energy level for these cooking projects. Then I make a long list of ingredients and hit the food co-op first thing in the morning while the pickings are fresh.
I’ve been making these addictive nuts for three straight years because everyone loves them. The combination of spices give them a Cajun-y vibe, but they’re also pretty spicy which helps you savor them a bit longer instead of mindlessly munching on them like all the other sugar and butter bombs out there…Hey that’s for the next post!!!
SWEET AND SPICY NUTS
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (depending on how hot you want it!)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 5 cups unsalted mixed nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, and almonds (raw)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 9 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
- Mix spices and reserve.
Spread nuts on large baking sheet and lightly toast in 375 degree oven for 10 minutes. While the nuts are toasting, melt butter in large skillet over low heat. Mix brown sugar, spices, salt & 1 tablespoon water together to make a thick paste. Add the paste to skillet and stir to combine until brown sugar is just melted. Remove nuts from oven and add them to the pan with the butter mixture stirring constantly for 3 to 5 minutes until mixture gets thick and gooey. Line the baking sheet with parchment and coat with nonstick oil spray. Pour entire mixture onto baking sheet in an even layer and return to oven at 300 degrees. Check every 10 minutes to mix nuts around so they don’t burn. After 30 minutes, they should start to bubble and get super sticky. Remove baking sheet from oven and let cool. Break apart nuts while they are still warm or they will stick together in big chunks. Cool completely and then fill in pretty decorative jars. A perfect gift!
