Eatin' Well

Sometimes, I get cravings that I can only compare to those of an exceedingly hormonal pregnant woman.  And really, I don't really have any idea how much exceedingly hormonal pregnant women crave things, but I can only imagine it's at least as bad as I do every once in a while!

Last night, the craving was for Chinese food.  Mmm...deep friend anything covered in high-calorie sauce and plenty of puffiness-inducing, sodium-packed soy sauce.  Egg drop soup with loads of crispy, deep fried wonton strips. Can't forget the side of fried rice, either.  Putting this food into words, however, really does make it sound less appetizing, right?  How about describing the makings of a fast food cheeseburger or chicken "nuggets"?  Okay, I know, we see enough about this stuff in the media (ah, delicious ammonia-treated boneless lean beef trimmings), but are we REALLY seeing it?  Are we REALLY engaged in this battle against our bodies and our health?

Alright, enough already.  The purpose of this is not to go off the deep end about the vast and growing issues with the production of large quantities of cheap, eco-terrorizing and nutrition-less crap that we sometimes grab because we simply are too tired to cook dinner or crave it terribly.  I really just want to highlight the simplicity of thinking about food in a different way, maybe by just putting it into words.  As you reach for a not-so-healthy food, try asking yourself, What does this do for me?  What is it made of?  How could I reinvent this to make it more nutritious? 

I had homemade egg drop soup last night with homemade spring rolls.  Hit. The. Spot.  My husband and I made this dinner together after one heck of a long day.  The meal was wonderful and was almost as good as the time we spent together making it.  It was a double-whammy of happiness-inducing good stuff.

For the spring rolls, you only need a few ingredients:

Wonton/egg roll wrappers
Olive oil
Coleslaw (this can be purchased pre-slawed...you know, without the dressing...)
Low sodium soy sauce
Pinch of sugar
Broccoli (if you like it -- try other veggies too, like green onion!)

While the oven gets pre-heated to 375 degrees, heat 2 tsp of olive oil over medium heat.  Add coleslaw (one small package will do the trick -- we used Dole brand last night) and stir until softened.  Add 1 Tbsp of low-sodium soy sauce and pinch of sugar until blended.  Let cool slightly.  Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray.  To prepare rolls, simply wet the edges of each wrapper with water (using your fingertips works just fine).  Spoon about a 1/2 cup of prepared filling onto the middle of the wrapper.  Fold two corners toward the center, then finish by rolling one remaining corner over the filling and to the other.  Place on baking sheet and lightly spray with nonstick spray.  Bake until golden (roughly 15-17 minutes).  Delicious!  Plus, you can totally add a dash of sesame seeds to the mix.  Nothing fried.  :)

For the soup, we just heated some organic low-sodium chicken broth (vegetable broth works great too!) with chopped green onion and bok choy (if you haven't tried bok choy yet, your are missing out!).  Once the broth and veggies are brought to a boil, lower to medium heat.  Scramble an egg or two in a bowl.  While stirring the broth, pour the egg into it slowly.  We added a little cayenne pepper and garlic powder as well, to give it a little extra oomph.

I would be a total hypocrite if I said I never ever eat fast food, or that I never dine out.  I do.  However, those outings are considered special occasions, or even sometimes necessary.  It's difficult to argue with the options available outside of gas station munchies while on a long road trip.  I definitely enjoy a good meal out, but I really enjoy a great meal in.