Strategies From The Skinny Chef

I grew up in a family who has always had big problems with weight gain and a serious passion for food. We love to talk about food, cook it, pick and nibble, stir, and munch - as long it's around, life is good!

Some of my best memories growing up are surrounded by food. I can't recall a time when a family gathering didn't have a large bountiful buffet made from scratch by my Granny, the food matriarch of our family.

How you view food depends so much on how you are raised, your ethnicity, and how your parents feel about food. I learned at an early age that food was much more than just a way to quiet a stomach growl. It was a way to comfort, impress, and celebrate - all strong emotional states, so it's no wonder feelings and food have always been linked in my mind.

Food is a pleasure and a joy, let's face it, eating delicious meals can make you feel just plain good! However, when you turn to food as a way to cope with the ups and downs of life, that little habit or treat can turn into a compulsion that is awfully hard to shake. I know from personal experience.

I was a quiet, painfully shy teen, with a sensitive heart. Sweets just seemed like an easy way to soothe myself when no one asked me to the dance or invited me to parties. I felt justified having that extra can of soda, piece of cake, or brownie, even though I wasn't hungry. Over the years, daily treats turned into a full-blown sugar addiction that caused painful headaches, stomach issues, and wild cravings for even more sugar that stayed with me into my early 20's. Looking back on that time in my life, it's hard for me to believe that I couldn't make it through the day without a piece of candy or cake.

I'm neither a psychologist nor the queen of will power. However, I do want to share some of my personal strategies that you can pair with your physician's advice. After 10 years of freedom from emotional eating, I feel better, look better, and have even been able to follow my lifelong dream of becoming a chef.

With my fear of food being gone and my new found confidence, I was able to apply that to graduating with honors from the Institute of Culinary Education, (formerly Peter Kump's), regularly contribute to print publications such as SELF magazine, Prevention, and First for Women, as well as appear on radio and television programs like the Today Show, Living Well With Montel, CBS, ABC and NBC. Moreover, serving as a personal chef for people looking to cook healthier (including a bariatric patient) has taught me so much that I began writing recipes for cookbooks. After serving as the recipe developer for Joy Bauer's Food Cures and Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook Deceptively Delicious, my own cookbook, Secrets of a Skinny Chef was published earlier this year.

It has been an amazing journey for me to go from a food loving shy girl with emotional eating problems to a healthy cooking chef! I hope that some of my personal strategies and recipes can help you with your healthy cooking food goals.

#1 - Make Space and Conquer

What happens when you have a really bad habit or even a compulsion? Thoughts turn into action quickly and before you even know it, you're doing something that you'll regret. When it comes to "knee jerk" reactions, it's important to put mental "space" in between the thought and the action, instead of trying to suppress it immediately.

From my steady yoga practice and years of reading self-help books, I've learned that repetition makes the mind what it is. And whatever you practice on a regular basis has staying power. The old saying "practice makes perfect" is doubly true when it comes to bad habits that feel good.

So the key to getting started is just a matter of practice, everyday, just five minutes a day for space.

Once you've done it a few times, you'll realize that making space is easy, and having a "spacious" attitude can open your mind to living a completely different way. Next time you have the urge to eat, don't mentally scold yourself or feel guilty, simply observe.

Imagine that you're a person watching a movie, and witness the urge without emotion and without taking any action. After practicing only that for several days, even if you still end up eating, you'll probably notice that the urge might lessen, or seem silly, or even melt away.

Over time the more "space" you make, the easier it is to "do without" and not feel deprived. Eventually, you'll break the cycle and be well on your way to having a healthier relationship with food.

#2 - Trigger Food Make Over

Have you ever seen a food commercial for a dish that you can't resist and found yourself tempted? Some like it salty, others prefer sweet, but certainly everyone has their soft spot when it comes to "junk" food. In fact, I have several.

It's ok to enjoy in moderation when you truly feel hungry, but bypass the prepackaged, fast food versions of those foods you often see in ads. When you make it yourself, not only can it taste just as good as the junky version but you can boost nutrition with whole ingredients that contribute things your body needs (like protein, fiber, and antioxidants).

When you make meals and snacks at home, from scratch, with simple ingredients, you save on calories and fat, and avoid all those harmful additives that food producers use to make food cheaply. Ingredients such as: trans-fats, artificial colorings and preservatives like nitrates that don't contribute to taste.

Below you'll find two delicious dishes that significantly lower fat and calorie content, but retain the tempting, delicious taste of its original version. And that is the principle behind all of the 100 recipes in my latest cookbook, Secrets of a Skinny Chef: 100% Flavor, 0% Guilt.

Chipotle Orange Shrimp

Summer BBQ, here we come! Orange is the perfect summer flavor and the Vitamin C protects your skin while you are grilling in the sun.

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 pound medium shrimp, shell on
2 medium oranges, one zested and juiced, the other thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 7-ounce can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1 lime, zested and juiced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
With a sharp paring knife, slit the backs of the shrimp and remove the vein – but leave the shell on. Rinse the shrimp and pat dry with a paper towel. In a large bowl, place the shrimp, orange zest, juice, orange slices, oil, and wine. Remove one of the chipotle chilies from the can and mince. Add it to the bowl along with 2 tablespoons of the adobo sauce. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

In a blender or mini-chopper, place the mayonnaise, lime zest and juice, one chipotle chili, 2 teaspoons of the adobo sauce, garlic, sugar, and salt to taste. Blend until smooth. On a preheated stovetop grill or outdoor grill, distribute the shrimp and orange slices.

Grill the shrimp until they are no longer translucent in the center, about 3-4 minutes total. Remove the shrimp to a plate and continue to grill the orange slices until the rind has softened (about 2 minutes more). Serve the shrimp on top of the orange slices with the spicy mayonnaise. Set out a small bowl for the shrimp shells.

Nutritional Stats Per Serving (1/4 pound shrimp plus 1/4 cup mayo): 297 calories. 24 g protein, 23 g carbohydrates, 9 g fat (0 g saturated), 172 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 800 mg sodium.

 

Mango Lemon Ice Cream

Most store bought ice creams can contain as much as 22 grams per half cup. That's more than a 1/3 of the fat that you should have in one day! When you make it at home not only will you cut the fat and keep the creamy, you also invent your own unique flavors.

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups 1-percent milk
1/2 cup half and half
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons lemon zest (from two lemons)
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1/4 cup chopped dried unsweetened mango

Directions
Place the milk, half and half, powdered sugar, cardamom pods, and lemon zest in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a slow boil over medium high heat. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks until very smooth, about 1 minute. Temper the eggs by adding a ½ cup of the milk into the egg mixture while stirring constantly until well combined. Repeat. Add the remaining milk mixture and whisk until smooth.

Return the milk mixture to the saucepan and heat over medium low, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the liquid coats the back of a spoon - about 4 to 5 minutes - do not boil. Refrigerate covered for one hour until cool, then transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Nutritional Stats Per Serving (1/2 cup): 158 calories, 6 g protein, 19 g carbohydrates, 6 g fat (2g saturated), 184 mg cholesterol, 0 g fiber, 69 mg sodium.

About the Author
Jennifer Iserloh believes that the essence of good health springs from your own kitchen. You can eat the foods you love by cooking them the healthy way to satisfy both body and soul. She celebrates delicious, easy to prepare dishes that can be enjoyed for a lifetime; reinventing meals that grandma would be proud to serve. The principle behind all of the 100 recipes in her latest cookbook, Secrets of a Skinny Chef are 100% Flavor, 0% Guilt. Learn more about Jennifer and her first cookbook at SkinnyChef.com and don't forget to  claim your bonus booklet available especially for the members of ObesityHelp.

Leave a comment below for a chance to WIN 1 of 3 books "Secrets of a Skinny Chef" by Jennifer Iserloh.  Jennifer has graciously donated these books to us. We’re excited to share these books with three lucky ObesityHelp.com members. Make sure to check out the recipe section of the newsletter for ANOTHER opportunity to win!

The drawing will take place on June 30, 2010 using random.org. Your placement in the comments section will determine your entry number. The total number of comments received at the time of drawing will be entered and the winning number will be selected. Watch our blog and main message board sticky post area for winner announcements.