Breakfast for Under 150 Calories

I'm always looking for ways to save calories, yet still enjoy nutritious and satisfying meals. Recently I read about several recipes that will allow me to do just that at breakfast. I love breakfast, but sometimes get tired of the same old thing. Puffed wheat or Kashi, sliced banana and/or blueberries and non fat milk. That's my regular. Here are two other ideas, with the same calories, that may make breakfast a little more interesting.

Cherries with Ricotta and Toasted Almonds

3/4 cups frozen pitted cherries
2 T. part skim ricotta
1 T. toasted slivered almonds

Heat cherries in the microwave on high until warm, about 1-2 minutes. Top the cherries with ricotta and almonds. 133 calories and delicious.

Morning Glory Muffins

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup old fashioned oats or quick cooking
1/3 cup non fat milk
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup light molasses
2 T. canola
1 large egg
3 medium carrots, shredded
1/2 cup chopped prunes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 12 standard muffin cups or line with fluted paper liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients except brown sugar, stir in oats. In a medium bowl, with fork, mix milk, applesauce, brown sugar, molasses, oil and egg until blended. Stir in carrots and prunes. Add applesauce mixture to floour mixture, stir just until floour is moistened (batter will be lumpy).

Spoon batter into muffin cups. (Muffin cups will be full). Bake 23-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately remove muffins from pan. Serve warm, or cool on wire rack. 165 delicious calories.

Heirloom Tomatoes..Beautiful and Tasty

This spring I planted four tomato plants, two of them heirloom tomato plants. What is an heirloom tomato? An heirloom is generally considered to be a variety that has been passed down, through several generations of a family because of it's valued characteristics. Since "heirloom" varieties have become popular in the past few years there have been liberties taken with the use of this term for commercial purposes. Heirlooms come in many different colors sizes and shapes. They add a beauty and freshness to salads, and I love using them.

We all know that tomatoes have many health benefits. They are rich in lycopene, one of the most concentrated carotenoids found in the blood. Tomatoes are particularly beneficial to men in keeping the incidence of prostate cancer to a minimum. Men who ate more than 10 servings of tomato-based foods a week had a 35%lower risk for prostate cancer than men who ate less than one and a half servings per week. Tomatoes also provide solid defense agaist cervical and ovarian cancer. The only negative for tomatoes is that they increase the amount of acid in your system, thus they are not good for thoses with acid reflux (heartburn). Overall, the good outweighs the bad, and there is nothing sweeter or juicier than a just picked fresh tomato. Local supermarkets all carry heirloom tomatoes today or go to your local farmer's market and get some that have just been picked.

Below is a simple recipe for heirloom tomatoes, perfect for summer.

Heirloom Tomatoes with Lemon Tahini

1/2 tahini (sesame seed paste)
zest of 2 lemons
5 T. fresh lemon juice
8 medium heirloom tomatoes (washed and cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 lemon(thinly sliced, for garnish)

In the bowl of a food processor, place tahini, half of lemon zest and lemon juice,. Pulse to combine.
With the motor running, add 7-8 T. cold water and continue to process until mixture is thick and smooth. Add salt to taste and refrigerate until cold.
Bring tahini to room temperature. Arrange tomatoes on a plate in a tight overlapping pattern: drizzle half the tahini over the tomatoes. Scatter remaining lemon zest on top. Garnish with lemon slices. Sprinkle fresh cracked pepper and ground kosher salt (or your favorite speciality salt) on top and enjoy. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Fresh ground salt and pepper really enhance the flavor, so don't just use plain salt from a salt shaker. It's not the same...Enjoy.

Twenty Third Visit to Taft

Ron is moving to Bel Air. That is, the Bel Air area of the Taft dormitory. As I told you early on, the sleeping assignments at Taft are on a senority basis. When you first arrive, you'll probably go to Flushing Meadows, the nickname for the area right near the bathroom. Obviously, the least desirable place to be. As time goes on you can move to better digs, possibly Sleepy Hollow. Ron requested a move and luckily he got it. He's now moved to area nicknamed Bel Air, as it is one of the nicest areas to live. Quiet, no lights blazing, and not a lot of foot traffic. Even though he hasn't been there very long, he was able to move to a better location. Maybe he won't have to sleep with ear plugs and an eye mask anymore.

Summers at Taft are long and hot. Ron likes his work in the garden, but when the temperature gets over 100 degrees, there is no outside work. It's just too hot. In fact Ron gets very overheated when it's in the 90's and he has to drink water and limit his activity. One thing the Taft mangement doesn't want is inmates getting sick from the heat. So the summer becomes very long. Ron goes inside where the weather is always comfortable, reads a book, does a puzzle, talks to his friends, or sleeps. The other reason summer is so long is that the guys are not playing softball in July and August (too hot), thus Ron is not umpiring. Umpiring is one of the activities that he really looks forward to, but that will have to wait until the weather cools off.

So for the now, things move along slowly. There's not much activity outside for the next few months, but hopefully he will have sudoku, crosswords, brain teasers and lots of books and magazines to keep him occupied. Some new things are coming to Taft soon, but I'll tell you about that next week.

The First Day of Summer

Monday, June 21 was the first day of summer, and I was prepared to begin with a bang. I was scheduled to meet my boogie boarding buddies at Fletcher Cove for a morning in the ocean. I awoke to clouds and cool weather. I was ready to cancel, but decided I would at least go down and say hello to everyone.

I love to boogie board, but I hate cold water, so I'm usually in the ocean from around June 1-September 30. I have to have water temperature of 68 degrees or more, otherwise I won't go in. I got to the beach, and just as I arrived, the sun came out. Happy day. The water was only 67 degrees, but with a short wet suit my friends convinced me to just do it. I did, and what a happy morning I had. There is nothing I do that makes me feel young again like boogie boarding. It's exciting to be out in the ocean, challenging to try to catch a wave, rewarding when you catch one and ride it all the way in to shore.

The only other activity I do that gives me the thrill of boogie boarding is skiing, and with my bad knee I can hardly do that anymore. Boogie boarding is great because old bones feel good in the water, even cold water. The ocean is freeing, I feel uninhibited and relaxed. The 20 year old life guards that are watching the beach get a big kick out of us. I can only imagine what they are saying to each other when they see a group of 10-15 women in their 50's, 60's and 70's marching into the ocean. Actually I think they wish their mothers and grandmothers would get there with us.

All in all, it was a great start to summer, and the first of many mornings spent catching a wave. You're never too old to enjoy the ocean.

The Marshmallow Experiment

My mom is busier than anyone I know. She's either playing bridge, mentoring seniors, gallery hopping, going to the theatre or attending an interesting lecture. The last lecture she went to dealt with the subject of success, and what leads to success. She told me about the marshmellow experiment. Many of you who have studied psychology probably know about it, but I did not, and found it extremely interesting.

In the mid 1960's, Walter Mischel of Stanford University, was in charge of study to identify the mental processes that allowed some people to delay gratification while others simply surrendered. Here's what he did. He put a child in a room and put a marshmellow on the table. He told the child that he could eat the marshmellow while the tester stepped out of the room for a few minutes, or he could wait until the tester returned and he would get two marshmallows. It was interesting to watch the children fighting the urge to eat the marshmallow. Some would pick it up, smell it and put it back. Others would take just a little bite and leave the rest, hoping they may still get the second marshmallow. Still others would find other ways to occupy themselves until the tester returned, then they would get their reward.

What did Mischel find out from all this? He found a direct correlation between the ability to delay gratification and success. Those who could delay gratification were better behaved in school, better able to plan ahead, had a greater ability to cope well with problems, and on average, scored 210 points higher on the S.A.T. test than those who were "low delayers." (unable to wait for the tester to return for a second marshmellow).

He actually followed these kids into adulthood, and found the more successful adults were also the ones that ended up getting the extra marshmallow. What I find interesting is that even though every child may not have the ability to delay gratification at age 3 or 4, it is definitely something that can be taught. So, if you know as a parent or grandparent that your child is imppulsive and wants everything now, you can actually teach him to delay gratification and improve his chances for success in many areas of his life. I thought this was an interesting study and wanted to share it with you.

Noodle Kugel You'll Love

I love noodles, pasta and just about anything that's a carbohydrate. That's a problem for me, and since I've been working hard to reduce, meals high in carbs have been off limits, with one exception. I love the noodle kugel I am giving you the recipe for below so much that I will make a casserole of it, wrap it in individual servings, and dole it out over about a month. It's just delicious. There are sweet and savory kugel recipes. This one is sweet, but not too sweet. It goes well with roasted chicken or brisket. I'm not a fan of matzo kuegel. It's pretty dry. This kugel is moist, sweet and creamy, and loaded with calories. You can lighten it up by using low fat cottage cheese, low fat sour cream, and three egg whites + one egg yolk. Enjoy.


Noodle Kugel

1/2 lb. cottage cheese
1/2 pt. sour cream
3 eggs
1/8 c. sugar
1/8 lb. butter
pinch of salt
1/2 lb. wide noodles
1/2 c. raisins.

Grease a 9X12 inch pyrex pan. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook noodles according to package directions, drain well. Put in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Pour into baking pan, and cook at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce to 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Let it rest before cuting it into squares. It can also be eaten as a main course for lunch, with a garden salad. I hope you like it.

Remembering My Dad

It's been more than a year and a half since my dad passed away at 93, but hardly a day goes by that I don't think of him. Father's Day made me reflect on him, and his influence on me. You don't realize while you're growing up the influence your parents have on your personality, intellect and character. It's years later, when you hear their voice in your head that you realize how far reaching their influence is.

My earliest memories are of my father as a story teller. From the time I was very young, bedtime to me meant that Dad would tell me a story. No reading stories for him. He would create his own stories that were far more interesting than anything in a book. He loved to create jungle stories filled with adventure, and later my sister and I would hear war stories. When my own children were young, one of their favorite parts of sleepovers with Grandma and Grandpa was bedtime. My Dad created long stories for them, told over weeks or months. They couldn't wait for the next installment.

I remember my Dad teaching me to swim, to ride a bike, to play the piano,to fly a kite and to shoot a bow and arrow. He always wanted me to take fencing lessons, I don't know why, but I never did. He was a good teacher, very patient most of the time and I loved spending time with him. He also taught me to play chess, checkers and gin, and we played often.

I was lucky, as I had a dad that worked at home. Most of my friends didn't see their dads much, they were all out making a living. My dad was a composer and worked at home, so we had him around most of the time. When he was working we weren't allowed to bother him, but just knowing he was available was a great comfort.

I don't remember my Dad being involved in school decisions like what classes I took or helping me with homework. I think that was my mom's department. I do remember being praised when I came home with good grades. That encouraged me to work hard.

It's funny how so many details from childhood are hard to remember, but I do know childrearing was very different. Men's roles were more defined in the 40's and 50's. I don't remember my Dad ever taking me to the doctor or taking care of me when I was sick. That was a woman's job.

One other thing I remember fondly is the letters he used to write me when I was away at summer camp and later, when I was away at college. He was funny and creative and his letters always made me feel good, especially the little drawings with which he ended each letter.

I have always believed that every day should be Mother's or Father's Day. Just honoring your parents one day a year is not living by the fifth commandment, "Honor thy father and mother". I think the word "everyday" should be added to the end of that commandment. I see so many young children today who are disrespectful to their parents and it doesn't feel right. These children will most likely grow up and have their children treat them the same way.

The older I get the more the lessons my parents taught me become a part of me. That's a good thing, because I like what I have become, the values I hold dear, and the character I possess. I give them both credit for developing these traits in me, but today I give special thanks to my Dad.