Introduction & cooking Question

Hi all -- interesting group, I see a lot of familiar names from
rec.food.cooking. :-)

I started a doctor supervised low cal diet in late January; lost
4 pounds so far (I'm using DietPower to track calories and nutrients)
and am excited at the prospect of losing more. As a mom and wife, I
still have to cook for my family, so I've been replacing dinner with
one of those low-cal frozen entrees. I don't really care for the way
they're seasoned, though, so I decided to make my own. This is where
my question comes it.

Is there a way to pre-cook certain veggies so they're not so watery?
For example, I made up some individual portions of steamed chicken
breast with raw zucchini, raw mushrooms, and Bearnaise Sauce, then
froze them. (I'm not fond of microwave cooked meals, so I reheated
in the oven.) Everything was great, except the water from the zucchini
thinned out the sauce quite a bit. Any suggestions on how to prevent
this would be greatly appreciated.

I'm also curious about the numbers after everyone's names -- I
know they mean beginning weight, current weight, and goal weight,
but in what order? Thanks in advance...


--
j.j. ~ mom, gamer, novice cook ~
...fish heads, fish heads, eat them up, yum!

"J.J." wrote in message
...
Hi all -- interesting group, I see a lot of familiar names from
rec.food.cooking. :-)

I started a doctor supervised low cal diet in late January; lost
4 pounds so far (I'm using DietPower to track calories and nutrients)
and am excited at the prospect of losing more. As a mom and wife, I
still have to cook for my family, so I've been replacing dinner with
one of those low-cal frozen entrees. I don't really care for the way
they're seasoned, though, so I decided to make my own. This is where
my question comes it.

Is there a way to pre-cook certain veggies so they're not so watery?
For example, I made up some individual portions of steamed chicken
breast with raw zucchini, raw mushrooms, and Bearnaise Sauce, then
froze them. (I'm not fond of microwave cooked meals, so I reheated
in the oven.) Everything was great, except the water from the zucchini
thinned out the sauce quite a bit. Any suggestions on how to prevent
this would be greatly appreciated.

I'm also curious about the numbers after everyone's names -- I
know they mean beginning weight, current weight, and goal weight,
but in what order? Thanks in advance...


--
j.j. ~ mom, gamer, novice cook ~
..fish heads, fish heads, eat them up, yum!

Welcom J.J. I can't answer your question on preparing the food but the
numbers are
starting weight / current weight / goal weight.

Hope to see you posting often.

Beverly

Hi J.J.,

Welcome to ASD! Can't help with cooking since I can't cook and Bev
answered the weight number question.

Have a great day,

Paul
300/218/175

"J.J." wrote in message
...
Hi all -- interesting group, I see a lot of familiar names from
rec.food.cooking. :-)

I started a doctor supervised low cal diet in late January; lost
4 pounds so far (I'm using DietPower to track calories and nutrients)
and am excited at the prospect of losing more. As a mom and wife, I
still have to cook for my family, so I've been replacing dinner with
one of those low-cal frozen entrees. I don't really care for the way
they're seasoned, though, so I decided to make my own. This is where
my question comes it.

Is there a way to pre-cook certain veggies so they're not so watery?
For example, I made up some individual portions of steamed chicken
breast with raw zucchini, raw mushrooms, and Bearnaise Sauce, then
froze them. (I'm not fond of microwave cooked meals, so I reheated
in the oven.) Everything was great, except the water from the zucchini
thinned out the sauce quite a bit. Any suggestions on how to prevent
this would be greatly appreciated.

I'm also curious about the numbers after everyone's names -- I
know they mean beginning weight, current weight, and goal weight,
but in what order? Thanks in advance...


--
j.j. ~ mom, gamer, novice cook ~
..fish heads, fish heads, eat them up, yum!

"J.J." wrote in message
...
Hi all -- interesting group, I see a lot of familiar names from
rec.food.cooking. :-)

I started a doctor supervised low cal diet in late January; lost
4 pounds so far (I'm using DietPower to track calories and nutrients)
and am excited at the prospect of losing more. As a mom and wife, I
still have to cook for my family, so I've been replacing dinner with
one of those low-cal frozen entrees. I don't really care for the way
they're seasoned, though, so I decided to make my own. This is where
my question comes it.

Is there a way to pre-cook certain veggies so they're not so watery?
For example, I made up some individual portions of steamed chicken
breast with raw zucchini, raw mushrooms, and Bearnaise Sauce, then
froze them. (I'm not fond of microwave cooked meals, so I reheated
in the oven.) Everything was great, except the water from the zucchini
thinned out the sauce quite a bit. Any suggestions on how to prevent
this would be greatly appreciated.

I haven't actually done this, but it might work - try freezing portions of
veggies seperate from the meat in ziploc freezer bags. The meat generally
takes longer to reheat than most veggies (except carrots), so I think I'd
throw the veggies in halfway into the cooking. They also make plates with
seperate compartments for each side - kind of like the trays for frozen
entrees. I think these are by rubbermaid or something similar. They come
with lids and you could buy several and stack them up in the freezer if you
have room. Lastly, they are now making those disposable plastic dishes, and
I have seen those with 2 compartments - I think they are 4 for about $2, and
you can use them several times, if you don't melt them in the microwave or
dishwasher...

det

Welcome!

Actually, my family has changed their WOE along with me (family = DH,
the dogs didn't have to change VBG). My suggestion is to check out
some magazines like Cooking Light or Eating Well. They have the
nutritional info right with the recipe as well as the portion sizes.

As for precooking veggies, I would suggest using frozen and portioning
them out, then cooking as needed.

Also, I have been messing around with some recipe software. I'm having
a really good time with it. I downloaded several and ended up selecting
Living Cookbook (www.livingcookbook.com). You can enter the ingredients
and then you "link" them with a food database that it has and it
calculates the nutritional info. It also does a nice job with
formatting the recipes and stuff.

On 2/11/2004 4:21 PM, J.J. wrote:
Hi all -- interesting group, I see a lot of familiar names from
rec.food.cooking. :-)

I started a doctor supervised low cal diet in late January; lost
4 pounds so far (I'm using DietPower to track calories and nutrients)
and am excited at the prospect of losing more. As a mom and wife, I
still have to cook for my family, so I've been replacing dinner with
one of those low-cal frozen entrees. I don't really care for the way
they're seasoned, though, so I decided to make my own. This is where
my question comes it.

Is there a way to pre-cook certain veggies so they're not so watery?
For example, I made up some individual portions of steamed chicken
breast with raw zucchini, raw mushrooms, and Bearnaise Sauce, then
froze them. (I'm not fond of microwave cooked meals, so I reheated
in the oven.) Everything was great, except the water from the zucchini
thinned out the sauce quite a bit. Any suggestions on how to prevent
this would be greatly appreciated.

I'm also curious about the numbers after everyone's names -- I
know they mean beginning weight, current weight, and goal weight,
but in what order? Thanks in advance...



--
jmk in NC

Zucchini is very easy to overcook so you might want to not
freeze it, or else buy it frozen and mix with the other
food. Then to cook it, pPut a couple of ounces of water in
a saucepan, get it boiling, put the veggies in, and cook
about 5 minutes.

If you are taking fresh veggies from stove to table, this is
my recommendation. Use only a couple of ounces of water per
serving in the saucepan. Then get it boiling before you put
the veggies in. Then cook them at least 10 minutes. Veggies
change color about three times during steaming. The first time
they are still undercooked. The second time they should be
just right. If you let them get to the third time, they look
drab and dull and they are mushy.

"J.J." wrote:

Hi all -- interesting group, I see a lot of familiar names from
rec.food.cooking. :-)

I started a doctor supervised low cal diet in late January; lost
4 pounds so far (I'm using DietPower to track calories and nutrients)
and am excited at the prospect of losing more. As a mom and wife, I
still have to cook for my family, so I've been replacing dinner with
one of those low-cal frozen entrees. I don't really care for the way
they're seasoned, though, so I decided to make my own. This is where
my question comes it.

Is there a way to pre-cook certain veggies so they're not so watery?
For example, I made up some individual portions of steamed chicken
breast with raw zucchini, raw mushrooms, and Bearnaise Sauce, then
froze them. (I'm not fond of microwave cooked meals, so I reheated
in the oven.) Everything was great, except the water from the zucchini
thinned out the sauce quite a bit. Any suggestions on how to prevent
this would be greatly appreciated.

I'm also curious about the numbers after everyone's names -- I
know they mean beginning weight, current weight, and goal weight,
but in what order? Thanks in advance...

--
j.j. ~ mom, gamer, novice cook ~
..fish heads, fish heads, eat them up, yum!

Buy a steamer basket. You can get a stainless steel one for a very
reasonable price. You put a bit of water in a sauce pan up to where it will
near reach the steamer when you put in the pan and put your veggies in and
cover. They will turn out much tastier than just boiling them directly in
the water. It will preserve a lot of the crispness if you don't overcook
them.

Tonia

"Patricia Heil" wrote in message
...


Zucchini is very easy to overcook so you might want to not
freeze it, or else buy it frozen and mix with the other
food. Then to cook it, pPut a couple of ounces of water in
a saucepan, get it boiling, put the veggies in, and cook
about 5 minutes.

If you are taking fresh veggies from stove to table, this is
my recommendation. Use only a couple of ounces of water per
serving in the saucepan. Then get it boiling before you put
the veggies in. Then cook them at least 10 minutes. Veggies
change color about three times during steaming. The first time
they are still undercooked. The second time they should be
just right. If you let them get to the third time, they look
drab and dull and they are mushy.

"J.J." wrote:

Hi all -- interesting group, I see a lot of familiar names from
rec.food.cooking. :-)

I started a doctor supervised low cal diet in late January; lost
4 pounds so far (I'm using DietPower to track calories and nutrients)
and am excited at the prospect of losing more. As a mom and wife, I
still have to cook for my family, so I've been replacing dinner with
one of those low-cal frozen entrees. I don't really care for the way
they're seasoned, though, so I decided to make my own. This is where
my question comes it.

Is there a way to pre-cook certain veggies so they're not so watery?
For example, I made up some individual portions of steamed chicken
breast with raw zucchini, raw mushrooms, and Bearnaise Sauce, then
froze them. (I'm not fond of microwave cooked meals, so I reheated
in the oven.) Everything was great, except the water from the zucchini
thinned out the sauce quite a bit. Any suggestions on how to prevent
this would be greatly appreciated.

I'm also curious about the numbers after everyone's names -- I
know they mean beginning weight, current weight, and goal weight,
but in what order? Thanks in advance...

--
j.j. ~ mom, gamer, novice cook ~
..fish heads, fish heads, eat them up, yum!

Hark! I heard "Beverly" say:

snip

Welcom J.J.

Thank you!

I can't answer your question on preparing the food

I appreciate all the responses on that; I think I'll start by steaming
the zucchini and mushrooms before freezing; that should take out a lot
of the water. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions.

but the numbers are starting weight / current weight / goal weight.

Ah! Well, for simplicity's sake, I'll go from my official start of
diet on January 29th, which equals 251/245/150. There's more to the
story, though -- it's long, but if anyone is interested:

I'm a 5' 4", 40-year-old housemom. I've always been a yo-yo dieter.
You know -- lose 10, gain 20 back. And any time stress reared its
ugly head, I'd eat like crazy. Anyway, back in the mid-80's (before
I got married), I had literally starved myself down to 135 lbs. But
after meeting my Hubby, I started eating again. We moved from
coast to coast (here in the U.S.) twice -- between stress and home
sickness, I ballooned up to 275 as of last Fall. :-( I tried to diet,
but always failed. My heart was never truly in it, and the dieting
seemed to involve a lot of self-loathing, which doesn't help at all.
Plus, I was a junk food junkie -- I loved chocolate, cookies, cakes,
deep fried anything, popcorn with real butter. Yeesh!

I became desperate -- I was terrified that I would keep gaining and
considered gastric bypass, but my insurance at that time wouldn't pay
for it. Then in October of '03, I found that our newest insurance
*would* cover 80% of weight loss treatment, if the patient was morbidly
obese (I easily qualified). I thought "hooray, an easy way to lose
weight!". Naive me, hah!

I started my quest by talking to my GYN, as I knew she'd had it done
herself. She recommended lap banding instead, and pointed me to her
surgeon. He said I was a great candidate, his office received an okay
from the insurance company, the bank was willing to loan us our 20%
of the cost, and a surgery date was set.

Then, just a few days before the big day, I received a call from the
insurance company -- they said the surgery they had okayed was not
for lap banding, the surgeon's office had given them the wrong code.
They told me that they would NOT pay for a lap band, unless I had
tried a doctor assisted diet first. I was devistated. I cried. But
I figured I'd give it a try, and WHEN the diet failed, I'd get the
surgery.

Between October and January (when I finally found and met with an
internist who would help me), I mysteriously lost nearly 25 pounds,
although I hadn't realized it was happening. It turns out that I am
a Type 2 (aka Adult Onset) diabetic, and one of the symptoms is
weight loss. I half suspected as much, as I had gestational diabetes
when I was pregnant with my Small Child. It helps that I have some
experience with dealing with this disease, and my doctor says it's
very possible that by losing more weight and getting more excercise,
I might eventually be able to reverse it.

Now, a funny thing has happened -- I no longer want the surgery.
I obviously needed to change the way I eat, and do so permanently.
I have my good and bad days like anyone else, but my heart really
is in it now, and I have support and love from family and friends.
In the past, I wouldn't even admit that I *have* a weight problem;
I tried to pass it off as poor metabolism ("I really don't eat that
much!"). Now, I talk openly about the fact that I am fat and need
to lose weight -- it's like a burden is off of my shoulders! I know
this will work, and am looking forward to being healthier for the
rest of my life.

Soooo, long story short; although I've actually lost 30 pounds since
last Fall, I'm only going to report here what I've done since I've
changed my life style, 3 weeks ago. Currently, I eat 1500 calories
per day, keep close tabs on sugars and fats (I've got high cholesterol
too), lift hand weights 3 days per week and walk 2 miles on alternate
days. I will have to go through diabetes class and start monitering my
blood sugar, but I've done that before and I think it will help me stay
on the right track.

I've lurked here for a few days, and many of you are an inspiration.
Thanks for sharing your stories, whether they are good or bad. It's
going to be nice having folks in similar boats here to talk to...


--
J.J. ~ mom, gamer, novice cook ~ 251/247/150
...fish heads, fish heads, eat them up, yum!

"J.J." wrote in message
...
Ah! Well, for simplicity's sake, I'll go from my official start of
diet on January 29th, which equals 251/245/150. There's more to the
story, though -- it's long, but if anyone is interested:

I'm a 5' 4", 40-year-old housemom. I've always been a yo-yo dieter.
You know -- lose 10, gain 20 back. And any time stress reared its
ugly head, I'd eat like crazy. Anyway, back in the mid-80's (before
I got married), I had literally starved myself down to 135 lbs. But
after meeting my Hubby, I started eating again. We moved from
coast to coast (here in the U.S.) twice -- between stress and home
sickness, I ballooned up to 275 as of last Fall. :-( I tried to diet,
but always failed. My heart was never truly in it, and the dieting
seemed to involve a lot of self-loathing, which doesn't help at all.
Plus, I was a junk food junkie -- I loved chocolate, cookies, cakes,
deep fried anything, popcorn with real butter. Yeesh!

I became desperate -- I was terrified that I would keep gaining and
considered gastric bypass, but my insurance at that time wouldn't pay
for it. Then in October of '03, I found that our newest insurance
*would* cover 80% of weight loss treatment, if the patient was morbidly
obese (I easily qualified). I thought "hooray, an easy way to lose
weight!". Naive me, hah!

I started my quest by talking to my GYN, as I knew she'd had it done
herself. She recommended lap banding instead, and pointed me to her
surgeon. He said I was a great candidate, his office received an okay
from the insurance company, the bank was willing to loan us our 20%
of the cost, and a surgery date was set.

Then, just a few days before the big day, I received a call from the
insurance company -- they said the surgery they had okayed was not
for lap banding, the surgeon's office had given them the wrong code.
They told me that they would NOT pay for a lap band, unless I had
tried a doctor assisted diet first. I was devistated. I cried. But
I figured I'd give it a try, and WHEN the diet failed, I'd get the
surgery.

Between October and January (when I finally found and met with an
internist who would help me), I mysteriously lost nearly 25 pounds,
although I hadn't realized it was happening. It turns out that I am
a Type 2 (aka Adult Onset) diabetic, and one of the symptoms is
weight loss. I half suspected as much, as I had gestational diabetes
when I was pregnant with my Small Child. It helps that I have some
experience with dealing with this disease, and my doctor says it's
very possible that by losing more weight and getting more excercise,
I might eventually be able to reverse it.

Now, a funny thing has happened -- I no longer want the surgery.
I obviously needed to change the way I eat, and do so permanently.
I have my good and bad days like anyone else, but my heart really
is in it now, and I have support and love from family and friends.
In the past, I wouldn't even admit that I *have* a weight problem;
I tried to pass it off as poor metabolism ("I really don't eat that
much!"). Now, I talk openly about the fact that I am fat and need
to lose weight -- it's like a burden is off of my shoulders! I know
this will work, and am looking forward to being healthier for the
rest of my life.

Soooo, long story short; although I've actually lost 30 pounds since
last Fall, I'm only going to report here what I've done since I've
changed my life style, 3 weeks ago. Currently, I eat 1500 calories
per day, keep close tabs on sugars and fats (I've got high cholesterol
too), lift hand weights 3 days per week and walk 2 miles on alternate
days. I will have to go through diabetes class and start monitering my
blood sugar, but I've done that before and I think it will help me stay
on the right track.

I've lurked here for a few days, and many of you are an inspiration.
Thanks for sharing your stories, whether they are good or bad. It's
going to be nice having folks in similar boats here to talk to...


--
J.J. ~ mom, gamer, novice cook ~ 251/247/150
..fish heads, fish heads, eat them up, yum!

You're certainly off to a great start. I'm glad to hear you've decided
against the surgery. I know two people who had weightloss surgery and both
have gained back their weight over the years. Like every other weight loss
method it only works if you're willing to learn to eat right and exercise.

There are many in the group who have improved their health (diabetes,
cholesterol, etc) by losing weight. I'm 61 and just a few pounds away from
goal but it's been a real struggle to lose the last few pounds. I'm more
interested in improving my bone density as I have osteopenia. I started
working out at Curves last summer and I take medication so I'm hoping for a
better bone scan next time.

Hope to see you posting often. You'll find lots of information and support
here.

Beverly

Congratulations. You've made a terrific milestone already (getting under
250). It's amazing how getting your heart into the actual weight loss cycle
really helps the whole process.

I look forward to reading your posts and watching your journey.
Julie.

"J.J." wrote in message
...
Hark! I heard "Beverly" say:

snip

I'm a 5' 4", 40-year-old housemom. I've always been a yo-yo dieter.
You know -- lose 10, gain 20 back. And any time stress reared its
ugly head, I'd eat like crazy. Anyway, back in the mid-80's (before
I got married), I had literally starved myself down to 135 lbs. But
after meeting my Hubby, I started eating again. We moved from
coast to coast (here in the U.S.) twice -- between stress and home
sickness, I ballooned up to 275 as of last Fall. :-( I tried to diet,
but always failed. My heart was never truly in it, and the dieting
seemed to involve a lot of self-loathing, which doesn't help at all.
Plus, I was a junk food junkie -- I loved chocolate, cookies, cakes,
deep fried anything, popcorn with real butter. Yeesh!

I became desperate -- I was terrified that I would keep gaining and
considered gastric bypass, but my insurance at that time wouldn't pay
for it. Then in October of '03, I found that our newest insurance
*would* cover 80% of weight loss treatment, if the patient was morbidly
obese (I easily qualified). I thought "hooray, an easy way to lose
weight!". Naive me, hah!

I started my quest by talking to my GYN, as I knew she'd had it done
herself. She recommended lap banding instead, and pointed me to her
surgeon. He said I was a great candidate, his office received an okay
from the insurance company, the bank was willing to loan us our 20%
of the cost, and a surgery date was set.

Then, just a few days before the big day, I received a call from the
insurance company -- they said the surgery they had okayed was not
for lap banding, the surgeon's office had given them the wrong code.
They told me that they would NOT pay for a lap band, unless I had
tried a doctor assisted diet first. I was devistated. I cried. But
I figured I'd give it a try, and WHEN the diet failed, I'd get the
surgery.

Between October and January (when I finally found and met with an
internist who would help me), I mysteriously lost nearly 25 pounds,
although I hadn't realized it was happening. It turns out that I am
a Type 2 (aka Adult Onset) diabetic, and one of the symptoms is
weight loss. I half suspected as much, as I had gestational diabetes
when I was pregnant with my Small Child. It helps that I have some
experience with dealing with this disease, and my doctor says it's
very possible that by losing more weight and getting more excercise,
I might eventually be able to reverse it.

Now, a funny thing has happened -- I no longer want the surgery.
I obviously needed to change the way I eat, and do so permanently.
I have my good and bad days like anyone else, but my heart really
is in it now, and I have support and love from family and friends.
In the past, I wouldn't even admit that I *have* a weight problem;
I tried to pass it off as poor metabolism ("I really don't eat that
much!"). Now, I talk openly about the fact that I am fat and need
to lose weight -- it's like a burden is off of my shoulders! I know
this will work, and am looking forward to being healthier for the
rest of my life.

Soooo, long story short; although I've actually lost 30 pounds since
last Fall, I'm only going to report here what I've done since I've
changed my life style, 3 weeks ago. Currently, I eat 1500 calories
per day, keep close tabs on sugars and fats (I've got high cholesterol
too), lift hand weights 3 days per week and walk 2 miles on alternate
days. I will have to go through diabetes class and start monitering my
blood sugar, but I've done that before and I think it will help me stay
on the right track.

I've lurked here for a few days, and many of you are an inspiration.
Thanks for sharing your stories, whether they are good or bad. It's
going to be nice having folks in similar boats here to talk to...


--
J.J. ~ mom, gamer, novice cook ~ 251/247/150
..fish heads, fish heads, eat them up, yum!