Pesach and nutrition

[cellio]

Notes to self for next year:

• Use fish, a lot, to make up the protein deficit (waa! no soy!) without driving calories through the roof. That much meat, cheese, and egg is bad for you.
• But not tuna salad. I mean real fish, several times during the week. Fresh fish freezes.
• Eat more fruit. Fruit doesn't have to come in cans, you know; there's this place called the produce aisle.
• Eat more veggies too. Buy a microwave-safe casserole for this.
• There's a vitamin-balance problem, but I don't know how to fix it when the balanced breakfast drink is off limits.
• Baby carrots are not the only convenient raw veggie -- just the most convenient one. 400% RDA on Vitamin A is probably bad for you, even if it's only a week.
• Maybe you shouldn't eat matzah after the seders. It's not required, and there are other delivery systems for cheese and jam. Ok, maybe not jam, but you shouldn't be eating much of that anyway.

Comments

[estherchaya.livejournal.com]

For what it's worth, I pretty much LIVE on fruits and veggies during pesach. And, like Jeanne, I tend to cut back on the egg yolks whenever feasible. I do this much of the year anyway, as Seth's cholesterol doesn't need any help inching up.

Convenient veggies: grape tomatoes. Grapes (not a veggie, but healthy and convenient) Also, if you cut up celery into snack sized portions before Pesach and keep them soaking in water, they'll last all through pesach. That's what I love about celery. Another nice snacky food is cucumbers. Slice 'em, or cut them into spears. It only takes a few minutes to peel and cut up a cucumber. And it's a tasty snack with next to no calories.

Convenient fruits too: (grapes of course), strawberries. Just rinse them off when you buy them and then you can snack on them whenever. Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries. Apples. Bananas. Oranges.

I make a fruit salad virtually every day during Pesach. Pineapple, honeydew, strawberries, mango, and assorted berries. It's sweet, it's filling, it's healthy. You've probably noticed, also, that I don't believe in canned fruit.

I eat little matzoh during the week. I make few things with matzoh, even. I made farfel stuffing this year, but that can be eaten sparingly and still enjoyed.

Most of the money that I spent on food this year, believe it or not, went to the produce aisle at Whole Foods. I spent a lot of time browsing, finding interesting things and getting inspired. It worked out well, I think.

[cellio]

Thanks for the suggestions! (I didn't know that celery would keep in water.)

I rarely use canned fruit at home (only when using fresh is too much of a PITA, like pineapple, or fresh is out of season). The canned fruit is for work, where the can and a plastic spoon are all I need for a mid-afternoon snack.

[estherchaya.livejournal.com]

All you need for a mid-afternoon snack is a plastic baggy full of already washed grapes, a couple of fingers to grab the grapes with, and a mouth to pop them in. :)

[estherchaya.livejournal.com]

oh, and yes, celery will keep in water. Also if you have droopy sad celery, cut the stalks and put them in water in the fridge. In a couple hours, it'll be nice and crisp again. :)