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January 26 2009
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Issue: # 02
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How much does YOUR diet cost?
A recent issue Forbes Magazine took a look at the cost of eating and "dieting" in the United States. Some of their findings are worth a second look...
"The average American household of four spends $254.10 a week on food,
not including alcohol and fast food items, according to the Census'
latest Statistical Abstract, which surveyed 5,000 households of varying
sizes."
We all spend a significant part of our income on food: according to the information, it adds up to $1016.00 per month. This number doesn't take into account just how much those trips to the store, the restaurant, or the drive thru cost.
"We found that consumers on such programs as NutriSystem,
the Zone,
The
Abs Diet, The 5-Factor Diet, South Beach, Weight Watchers and the Martha's Vineyard Diet Detox
can expect to spend as little as $100 and as much as $385 during the first week..."
"Dr. George
Blackburn, associate director of the Division of Nutrition at the Harvard
Medical School, says expecting an average consumer to consistently venture
beyond their favorite meals or foods can be cost prohibitive while also
inviting failure.
"We
have our golden oldies," he says. "You can't re-engineer these
things. There are three or four favorites, and that's how you eat most of your
meals."
While a
regimen like the Martha's Vineyard Diet Detox, for example, might promise to
help you shed 21 pounds in 21 days by cleansing the system with soups, water
and juices, Dr. Blackburn says that dieters can lose one to two pounds a
week if they cut portion sizes, exercise regularly and nurture good habits
like getting a full night's sleep and not skipping breakfast.
"All of
these diets work a little way," he says. The magic bullet, according to
Blackburn, isn't someone else's hype-driven diet but a practical approach. "Choose
a variety of food that tastes good, and commit yourself to a structure."
All of this points out some of the reasons why many clients turn to a personal chef. We all want to get the most from our food dollars. A customized meal program can help control food costs, reduce waste-- how much food do you throw away?-- it can also be designed for portion control and a variety of meals that satisfy your palate.
Whether you are looking to shed a few pounds, control how much you spend on meals, or just have better tasting food made fresh to your taste, don't overlook a personal chef as a option to consider.
See the whole Forbes article here:
How Expensive Is Your Diet?
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Super Bowl HELP
Have you planned a party for the Super Bowl?
I still have some times available to help you with your gathering.
Call me for details 801-599-6910
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Let's Eat featured recipe
Best Chicken Pot Pie
The cold winter months just seem to draw us to "comfort food", and there are few things in my food life more comforting than the smell and taste of a delicious pot pie baking. The flaky crust filled with savory meat and vegetables all in a creamy sauce. This recipe requires a few more steps to finish, but the work will be worth it!
4 Large Chicken breasts, boneless cubed
1 lb. Bacon, diced
2 cups small red potatoes, quartered
1/4 cup olive oil
kosher salt
pepper
2 teaspoons dried thyme, divided
2 medium onions, sliced
3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
3/4 cup green peas, frozen
1 cup mixed vegetables, frozen
4 cups chicken stock
4 cloves roasted garlic (see below)
6 tbsp. butter
6 tbsp. flour
2 tbsp. corn starch
1/4 cup water
4 oz. cream cheese
2 whole bay leaves
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tsp. paprika
1-2 each Marie Callender™ frozen pie crust, thawed
Coat potatoes with olive oil, kosher salt, pepper, and thyme, spread on a baking sheet. Roast at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Set asideFry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from fat, add chicken pieces sauté in rendered fat until brown.To the chicken add the onion and celery, roasted garlic and dried thyme. Sauté until onion is clear. Add chicken stock and bay leaves. Cover and simmer until chicken is tender. Add frozen vegetables, bring back to a simmer, add the potatoes. Make a roux by combining the flour and butter. Mix the paprika and cornstarch and add to the water to make a slurry.Use the roux and the cornstarch slurry to thicken the gravy. Add the crumbled bacon,simmer the mixture for 10 more minutes. During this time add the cream cheese a little bit at a time allowing it to melt into the sauce. Place filling in an oven safe dish, cover with crust sealing the edges. Bake at 400 degrees until crust is golden brown 15-18 minutes, cool slightly, Serve
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 How to make roasted garlic
Preheat oven to 325° F. Cut off the top third of the garlic head to expose cloves. Place a piece of aluminum foil large enough to wrap the garlic completely, on work surface. Put prepared garlic head on middle of foil drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bring foil up to top to completely wrap garlic. Place on small baking pan and bake until garlic is tender about 1 hour. Allow garlic to cool till you can handle it. Squeeze pulp out from the cloves and mash in a small saucepan
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Upcoming Events
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Super Soups ClassJan 28- Feb 18
Learn to make great soup in less than an hour! Delicious, and oh so healthful! Save money and time and stir
up a variety of soups. Incorporate fresh ingredients, adjust salt portions, and
soothe the soul. Try new recipes each week. Price includes supplies. Register ONLINE HEREOR CALL Granite
Peaks Lifelong Learning
District Office (801) 646-4666
Community Education Office (801) 646-5439
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Meet the Chef
After more than 30 years of honing my cooking and
baking skills, and expanding my catering and teaching abilities, I at
last found a way to pursue my passion as a vocation when I started my
own Personal Chef Service in June of 2008. The Personal Chef Industry allows me share my culinary talents in a more personal and rewarding
way than ever before. As a member of the American Personal &
Private Chef Association and a ServSafe Certified food Manager, I'm
always continuing to add to my culinary education.
Today,
I work hard to create meals for my clients with all the love and
attention I give the meals I prepare for my own friends and family.
My business serves clients along the Wasatch Front and in Summit County.
Visit my website
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Food Facts
Aluminum Foil
If I asked you about the about the important tools in your kitchen, you might list pots or a pan, or a knife, but what about foil?
Few tools have become as important to modern cooking as aluminum foil.Think about all the uses for this product in your own cooking. I would be hard pressed to find a replacement for all it does in my business, and then there are the foil pans! Here are some things that you might not know about that roll of foil in your kitchen.
Before aluminum foil
Foil made from a thin leaf of tin was
commercially available before its aluminum counterpart. In the late nineteenth
century and early twentieth century, tin foil was in common use, and some
people continue to refer to the new product by the old name.
The first audio recordings on phonograph
cylinders were made on tin foil.
The first aluminum foil
Tin was first replaced by aluminum in 1910,
when the first aluminum foil rolling plant, "Dr. Lauber, Neher & Cie. and
Emmishofen was opened in Kreuzlingen,
Switzerland.
The first use of foil in the United States
was in 1913 for wrapping Life Savers, candy bars, and gum. Processes evolved
over time to include the use of print, color, lacquer, laminate and the embossing
of the aluminum.
Why
is one side of the foil shiny or "bright"?
After the foil
stock is made, it must be reduced in thickness to make the foil. This is
accomplished in a rolling mill, where the material is passed several times
through metal rolls called work rolls. As During this rolling process, the
aluminum occasionally must be annealed (heat-treated) to maintain its
workability.
Rolling produces two natural finishes on the
foil, bright and matte. The bright finish is produced when the foil comes in
contact with the work roll surfaces.What produces the matte finish,during this process, to avoid tearing, two sheets
must be packed together and rolled simultaneously; when this is done, the sides
that are touching each other end up with a matte finish
See the entire process here:
How aluminum foil is made
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What would you like to see in future newsletters?
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Try my "Friends & Family" program
2 families share one cookdate
each family gets
16 servings 4 entrees X 4 servings
Only $180.00 each (regularly $255.00)
plus groceries
CALL ME 801-599-6910
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February Special- Romantic Dinners
Want to avoid the crowds?
I can prepare a great meal in your home.
CALL me for details
801-599-6910
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