Health for life

A few months ago, I fell into possession of The Quick Cook Book by Lois S. Kellogg, a 1961 paperback filled with hundreds of convenient and occasionally jaw-dropping recipes.


There are Mayonnaise Mounds. There are Corned Beef Cobblers. Theres even Prune Whip. And Im pretty sure we can trace Americas obesity problems directly to the Canned Chicken section.

To be fair to Lois, she seems to specialize in baking. The cake and cookie recipes look tasty and are mostly made from scratch. Some arent, but ... well get to that later.

First, lets pretend were hosting a party on Mad Men. And what better way to kick off a soiree than Cholives?



Of course, if youre not fond of olive and cheddar finger foods, deep-fried whole chicken sandwiches make an excellent light appetizer.



The meal really begins with soup. Tomatoes and pineapples are delicious, inexpensive, and come in cans. They should be lovely together.



Side dishes are vital to the success of any meal. I like to make a lot of them, since theyre less expensive than meat.



Id love to serve macaroni and cheese, but I find the garish yellow hue too distressing. How do I cope?



Of course, the most distressing part of hosting a party is that I never know what to serve for the main course. Jellied Meat Loaf? Corned Beef Corn Ring? Ham Wheel Pie? Corned Beef Cobbler? So many options, and all on the same page...



I know! Well do breakfast for dinner! With a twist!



Its important to end the meal with a wholesome, appealing dessert. Since I believe halitosis is a myth, (like morally upright socialists), this should fit the bill!



You know, Onion Ice Cream is definitely going on the menu, but Bob really pers treats that keep him regular. Maybe this would please him?



As for my son ... be caul, Danny. This peach pie is "Different" from all the other peach pies. Youre such a good student. Dont let it ruin your future.



And to cap it all off, coffee. But drinking it just seems so ... pedestrian. Isnt there a better way to get that caffeine fix?


Mmm ... delicious. I bet the Jell-O company will pay me at least one hundred dollars for this recipe.

Cheers, everyone!

~~~
If you like this article, you might also like:

• 11 Things Dwight K. Schrute Taught Me About Food and Frugality
• The Argument for Spending More on Food
• The Dos and Donts of Buying a Cookbook 

(All photos from The Quick Cook Book by Lois S. Kellogg)

With the dawn of 2011, there’s been a pretty neat uptick in traffic here at Cheap Healthy Good. If you’re visiting the blog for the first time, welcome! We’re so happy to have you. Bathroom’s on the left. If you’re a longtime reader, we love you! We’re not kidding. Its a little scary.

To get an idea of what CHG is all about, our FAQ and mission statement are good places to begin. To go a little deeper, these six posts give a pretty solid overview of what we do here:

1. Spend Less, Eat Healthier: The Five Most Important Things You Can Do
2. Dr. Veg-Love, Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Seasonal Produce
3. The Circular Game: Decoding Your Supermarket Weekly
4. How to Tell if a Recipe is Cheap and Healthy Just by Looking at it
5. Weekly Menu Planning for Singles, Couples, and Working People
6. Relax, Frugal Eater: A Measured Approach to Lifestyle Changes

Our master article directory of over 150 similar pieces can be found here. We also post one or two frugal, healthy, and delicious recipes per week, which are compiled here. There are over 400 right now, and we’re always adding to the list. Here are ten fairly simple favorites to get you started:

• Asparagus, Mushroom, and Parmesan Frittata
• Baked Apples
• Egg Drop Soup
• Honey-glazed Roasted Carrots
• Indonesian Curried Bean Stew
• Light(er) Macaroni and Cheese
• Pumpkin Orzo with Sage
• Roast Chicken with Two Lemons
• Sweet Lassi
• Wacky (Chocolate) Cake

Hope you’re enjoying the blog so far. We’d love to hear from you if you have suggestions, and best of luck with your resolutions!

With the dawn of 2010, there’s been a pretty neat uptick in traffic here at Cheap Healthy Good. If you’re visiting the blog for the first time, welcome! We’re so happy to have you. Bathroom’s on the left. If you’re a longtime reader, we love you! We’re not kidding. Its a little scary.

To get an idea of what CHG is all about, our FAQ and mission statement are good places to begin. To go a little deeper, these six posts give a pretty solid overview of what we do here:

1. Spend Less, Eat Healthier: The Five Most Important Things You Can Do
2. Dr. Veg-Love, Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Seasonal Produce
3. The Circular Game: Decoding Your Supermarket Weekly
4. How to Tell if a Recipe is Cheap and Healthy Just by Looking at it
5. Weekly Menu Planning for Singles, Couples, and Working People
6. Relax, Frugal Eater: A Measured Approach to Lifestyle Changes

Our master article directory of over 135 similar pieces can be found here. We also post one or two frugal, healthy, and delicious recipes per week, which are compiled here. Theres something like 300 right now, and we’re always adding to the list. Here are ten fairly simple favorites to get you started:

• Asparagus, Mushroom, and Parmesan Frittata
• Baked Apples
• Egg Drop Soup
• Honey-glazed Roasted Carrots
• Indonesian Curried Bean Stew
• Light(er) Macaroni and Cheese
• Pumpkin Orzo with Sage
• Roast Chicken with Two Lemons
• Sweet Lassi
• Wacky (Chocolate) Cake

Hope you’re enjoying the blog so far. We’d love to hear from you if you have suggestions, and best of luck with your resolutions!

A few months ago, I fell into possession of The Quick Cook Book by Lois S. Kellogg, a 1961 paperback filled with hundreds of convenient and occasionally jaw-dropping recipes.


There are Mayonnaise Mounds. There are Corned Beef Cobblers. Theres even Prune Whip. And Im pretty sure we can trace Americas obesity problems directly to the Canned Chicken section.

To be fair to Lois, she seems to specialize in baking. The cake and cookie recipes look tasty and are mostly made from scratch. Some arent, but ... well get to that later.

First, lets pretend were hosting a party on Mad Men. And what better way to kick off a soiree than Cholives?



Of course, if youre not fond of olive and cheddar finger foods, deep-fried whole chicken sandwiches make an excellent light appetizer.



The meal really begins with soup. Tomatoes and pineapples are delicious, inexpensive, and come in cans. They should be lovely together.



Side dishes are vital to the success of any meal. I like to make a lot of them, since theyre less expensive than meat.



Id love to serve macaroni and cheese, but I find the garish yellow hue too distressing. How do I cope?



Of course, the most distressing part of hosting a party is that I never know what to serve for the main course. Jellied Meat Loaf? Corned Beef Corn Ring? Ham Wheel Pie? Corned Beef Cobbler? So many options, and all on the same page...



I know! Well do breakfast for dinner! With a twist!



Its important to end the meal with a wholesome, appealing dessert. Since I believe halitosis is a myth, (like morally upright socialists), this should fit the bill!



You know, Onion Ice Cream is definitely going on the menu, but Bob really pers treats that keep him regular. Maybe this would please him?



As for my son ... be caul, Danny. This peach pie is "Different" from all the other peach pies. Youre such a good student. Dont let it ruin your future.



And to cap it all off, coffee. But drinking it just seems so ... pedestrian. Isnt there a better way to get that caffeine fix?


Mmm ... delicious. I bet the Jell-O company will pay me at least one hundred dollars for this recipe.

Cheers, everyone!

~~~
If you like this article, you might also like:

• 11 Things Dwight K. Schrute Taught Me About Food and Frugality
• The Argument for Spending More on Food
• The Dos and Donts of Buying a Cookbook 

(All photos from The Quick Cook Book by Lois S. Kellogg)

With the dawn of 2012, comes the dawn of many a resolution. If you’re visiting the blog for the first time, welcome! We’re so happy to have you. Bathroom’s on the left. If you’re a longtime reader, we love you! We’re not kidding. Its a little scary.

To get an idea of what CHG is all about, our FAQ and mission statement are good places to begin. To go a little deeper, these six posts give a pretty solid overview of what we do here:

1. Spend Less, Eat Healthier: The Five Most Important Things You Can Do
2. Dr. Veg-Love, Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Seasonal Produce
3. The Circular Game: Decoding Your Supermarket Weekly
4. How to Tell if a Recipe is Cheap and Healthy Just by Looking at it
5. Weekly Menu Planning for Singles, Couples, and Working People
6. Relax, Frugal Eater: A Measured Approach to Lifestyle Changes

Our master article directory of over 150 similar pieces can be found here. We also post one or two frugal, healthy, and delicious recipes per week, which are compiled here. There are over 400 right now, and we’re always adding to the list. Here are ten fairly simple favorites to get you started:

• Asparagus, Mushroom, and Parmesan Frittata
• Baked Apples
• Egg Drop Soup
• Honey-glazed Roasted Carrots
• Indonesian Curried Bean Stew
• Light(er) Macaroni and Cheese
• Pumpkin Orzo with Sage
• Roast Chicken with Two Lemons
• Sweet Lassi
• Wacky (Chocolate) Cake

Hope you’re enjoying the blog so far. We’d love to hear from you if you have suggestions, and best of luck with your resolutions!

We live in a busy world. As much as we want to be able to stick to our normal gym schedule, life throws us scheduling curve balls: an emergency staff meeting, playing the chauffeur to and from soccer practice, that girl you met at the gym asks you to catch dinner tonight. These things happen. In order to stay faithful to your fitness goals, here are five quick fixes when time isnt on your side. Use these when youre in a pinch but still want to kick your endorphins into high gear.

1. Maximize Your Lunch Break

Most of us have a little bit of a reprieve during the day: those precious minutes we call our lunch break.  If you know that you wont have the time to make it to the gym today, use your lunch break to your advantage--you can maximize your down time while still giving your body the fuel it needs with an energy or protein bar, meal replacement, or protein shake. Many companies have on-site fitness facilities that can be used to get a full gym workout in. And when in doubt, take a walk around the neighborhood.


2. Watch Your Waistline

As important as exercise is to reaching your fitness goals, theres a second half to that equation: healthy eating. And unfortunately the office is where most of us throw that part out the window. If youre like me, your office is surrounded by delicious, but not always healthy, meal choices. And sometimes youre skipping a gym date for a fancy dinner date instead. Dont sabotage yourself. If you know you arent making the gym today, opt for food options that will help your goals: power foods like avocados, lean meats and other lean proteins, and good carbs like fruit.

3. Back to Basics

Hershel Walker, the great Heisman trophy-winning football player, Olympic bobsledder, and Mixed Martial Artist, chiseled his physique in three steps without really having to step into the gym: push-ups, sit-ups, and sprints. Try this: in between commercials on your favorite primetime program, perform twenty push-ups and sit-ups each. Repeat for all commercials in a one-hour programming block. Its the TV workout. And it will help you stay on track even when you cant get to the gym.

4. Make-Up Day

Every working man and woman values the two days at the end of the week like they were made of solid gold. But, if you skipped a gym day this week, use your weekend to make It up. You dont have to forgo your weekend either. Take a mountain biking trip, go for a hike, hit the beach for a fun run or some kayaking action. You can still enjoy your day off while getting that workout in.

5. Dont Beat Yourself Up

Remember, if you miss a day or two, its not the end of the world. Many times we need that rest. Just remember that its important to not get off track, because that can derail your fitness goals. If you skip a day, just work that much harder the next time youre in the gym.
_http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/5-quick-fixes-when-you-cant-get-to-the-gym.html

Sweet readers, this originally appeared in July 2008, but I waned to re-post for St. Patricks Day. Therell be a new one up later today. And also! A special note to Weight Watchers: A 12-ounce bottle of Guinness (not a can) is only two points! Drink up.

Top o’ the mornin’ to ye, my fellow Irish, part-Irish, and Irish-on-March-17th-only. I raise a pint of Guinness to you, since today, of all days, today calls for a drink.

Alas, alcohol is expensive, and certain beverages come with calorie counts you’d expect only from a Double Whopper. So, how can one quaff without ending up as nutritionally and financially bankrupt as 70s-era Meat Loaf? Read on…

CUTTING CALORIES

For starters, to chop your caloric intake, avoid these 13 drinks:
(Note: all serving sizes standard)

Regular Beer (140–180 calories)
Malt beverages (Mike’s Hard, Bacardi, etc.) (190-240 calories)
Melon Ball (~300 calories)
Sex on the Beach (~300 calories)
Mai Tai (~350 calories)
Rum and regular Coke (~350 calories)
Mudslide (~ 400 calories)
White Russian (~400 calories)
Chocolate Martini (~450 calories)
Hurricane (~600 calories)
Pina Colada (~600 calories)
Frozen Margarita (~700 calories)
Long Island Iced Tea (~750 calories)

And drink these 13 instead:

Bellini (~65 calories)
Mimosa (~80 calories)
Light Beer (95-110 calories)
Scotch, vodka, gin, or bourbon (~100 calories)
Red, white, or sparkling white wine (100-120 calories)
Bloody Mary (~110 calories)
Rum and Diet Coke (~115 calories)
Tom Collins (~120 calories)
Sloe Gin Fizz (~120 calories)
Vodka Martini (~125 calories)
Guinness (12 oz = 125 calories)
Mojito (~160 calories)
Cosmopolitan (~160 calories)

Once you’ve got that memorized, try these tips, some of which (nursing, drinking water) coincide nicely with the whole “save money” thing:

Plan ahead. Before going out, spend some time researching the nutritional aspects of certain beverages (and yes, the term “nutritional” is being used loosely here). Dottie’s Weight Loss Zone and Recipe Circus both have comprehensive calorie-per-serving listings thatll give you a good idea of what you’re guzzling. For even more information, check the source listing at the bottom of this article.

Know your ingredients. If you don’t have time set aside to research (and really … I understand), keep these in mind:

• To better your chances of scoring a low-calorie mixed drink, watch out for milk, coconut milk, heavy cream, Red Bull, Crème de anything, premade mixes, regular soda, lemonade, sugar, and full-sugar fruit juice.
• Instead, look for diet sodas, diet mixes, club soda/seltzer, ice, tomato juice, champagne, prosecco, cava, and fruit purees.

Establish boundaries. Give yourself a pre-set limit and stick to it. No more than two beers at a picnic, three glasses of wine at a wedding, etc. To make this strategy doubly effective, enlist a partner and help each other keep track.

Order a bigger drink. I don’t know about y’all, but I can knock off a standard-sized Cosmo during a commercial break. If that’s your situation as well, it might help to choose a larger, lighter beverage with less alcohol content. A 12-oz Beck’s Premier Light (only 64 calories) can take a full hour to imbibe, which contrasts nicely to those three-minute martinis. Speaking of…

Learn to nurse. Note: A beer, not a baby.

Hit the web. If you’re preparing drinks at home, look for websites that specifically cater to light beverage seekers. Hungry Girl is good for this, as are Cooking Light and the Weight Watchers boards.

Embrace agua. Sipping a glass of water between drinks will:
A) keep you hydrated,
B) keep you sober, and able to regulate your cash flow better,
C) chop your caloric intake in half, and
D) chop your spent dollars in half.

Flip a brain switch. Try to think of liquor as a treat (like ice cream or bacon) rather than an everymeal event (like water or vegetables). With practice, the distinction could become a habit, saving oodles of calories (and cash) in the long run.

Ignore peer pressure. Dude. Drinking is not a requirement for social events. If you like soda better, that’s completely fine. Get down with your teetotaling self.

CUTTING EXPENDITURES

Of course, price is another matter entirely. Unless you’re drinking it out of a king-size plastic flagon (Which … no judgment. Been there.) hooch costs add up quickly – especially if you’re sating a party. These tips should help to slash some costs.

Go bargain hunting. Look for happy hours, drink specials, and brunch menus with drinks included. Sites like Unthirsty and Happy-Hour are great resources, and folks in metro areas can Google some pretty decent city guides, as well. Always remember, though: if you can’t afford to tip the bartender/waitress, you can’t afford to go out.

Keep it simple. Mixed drinks are sometimes priced by their degree of prep difficulty and/or the amount of alcohol contained within. Fortunately, lots of lighter drinks are fairly unfussy that way. So, next time you’re deciding between a made-from-scratch Frozen Strawberry Daquiri and vodka with club soda, go with the latter.

Mix intelligently. Don’t use or ask for high-quality alcohol in mixed drinks. Stuff like Macallan is meant to be savored on its own or with very little enhancement. Combining it with lesser liquor misses the point.

Purchase wine wisely. According to studies, the vast majority of vino chuggers can’t tell the difference between a $6 bottle of Trader Joe’s Cabernet and a $50 jug of the upscale stuff. Ask the clerk for his/her best lower-range suggestions, and when in doubt, go for the less-expensive (but not bottom-of-the-barrel) brand. I find that Cavit, Fetzer, Indaba, Ravenswood, Yellow Tail, Veramonte, and Charles Shaw (a.k.a. Two Buck Chuck) are all pretty reliable, fairly economic labels.

Abandon your brand loyalty. Dropping your allegiance to certain labels opens up a whole new world of bargains and flavors. Why? Well, oftentimes, the stuff you like won’t be on sale, but a similar-tasting item will be. Give it a shot, and you might be pleasantly surprised. (Note: This doesn’t mean you have to forgo Smithwicks for Schlitz. It means that if there are two six-packs of similar Hefeweizens, and A’s on sale for $2 less than B, choose A.)

Buy in bulk. Almost without fail, alcohol is cheaper in bigger packages – beer especially. What’s more, certain wine and liquor stores give 10% case discounts, so don’t forget to ask the cashier. (Of course, some may argue that having so much booze lying around might tempt you to drink more often. If that’s the case, please only buy in bulk for gathering-type situations.)

Order online. Sites like Wine.com and My Wines Direct offer a wide selection of highly-rated, deeply discounted wines that can be shipped anywhere. Look for Clearance or Under $20 sections, and be sure to check RetailMeNot for bargain codes before purchasing.

Go beyond the norm. Beer barns, airports, Trader Joe’s, breweries, and wineries are just a sampling of the locales where intoxicants can be purchased at a less-than-soul-crushing price. Next time you pass one, step inside and consider.

Stay at home. If you’re really looking to get your drink on, consider inviting a few friends over instead of going out. Bars and restaurants make mad cash on alcohol, and tippling at either can cost you 500% more than if you set up shop in your own kitchen. If you do head out to an eatery, consider one with a BYO policy.

And that’s it. Readers, do you have any suggestions on either the health or cash front? What are your favorite low-cal drinks? How do you save a bundle when buying liquor? Bring it!

Sources for calorie information:
Calorie King
Divine Caroline
Dotties Weight Loss ZoneFitSugar
Forbes
Glamour
Mens Health
Recipe Circus
Washington Post

(Photos courtesy of Guinness, Stuff Educated Latinos Like, and Wine and Words.)