Patricia Chuey

Food and Nutrition Expert | Recipe Developer

Fresh Ideas

Fun, inspiring food tips and tricks from the kitchen.

6 Meals and 1 Snack I’ll Never Eat Again (but wish I could)

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Leftover Meals

This is not about dietary restrictions or being unable to eat gluten.

If trendiness is what it takes to make us think about food waste reduction, this is one instance where being trendy is not only awesome, but very important.

Major awareness campaigns are underway to reduce waste and increase the likelihood of food being available for everyone on this planet we share. Love Food, Hate Waste is a terrific website from which you can glean all kinds of waste-reducing ideas – even for those of us, a surprisingly large group, who don’t believe or realize we waste food too. For example, although composting food scraps reduces garbage, it doesn’t necessarily reduce food waste. The website has cool ideas, many that consumers have shared from their own homes. A few nifty examples:

Preserve the Herb –  chop bits of fresh leftover herbs and freeze in ice cube trays for later adding to soups or other savoury dishes. Same for that bit of leftover freshly-squeezed lemon or orange juice that can be thawed quickly and will come in handy in your next homemade lemon loaf or cranberry orange muffins.

Potato Peel Crisps –  make a fibre-rich snack from the skins of the potatoes you may have otherwise tossed

Best Before Date Wisdom –  learn that “Best Before Date” is the final date on which the manufacturer guarantees the product will taste as fresh as the day it left their facility. It’s not the definitive date on which the food suddenly blows up, expires or will make you sick. But, be informed and safe about it.

Recipe tools  –  use to calculate precisely how much food to make based on the number of adults and kids eating the meal to avoid unwanted leftovers (assuming you actually don’t want them)

Followers of mine will know I am a devoted food waste reducer and wholeheartedly embrace leftovers for the creative opportunity they offer. Even seeing the local wild blackberry bushes go unpicked in the summer months disheartens me because they’re loaded with nature-made, amazing nutritional value that could easily be picked and frozen. (Thanks for that valuable lesson Mom and Dad.) A number of my food waste-reduction ideas were shared in an interview I did for Yahoo a while back.

In our home, we’re all about creative use of leftovers. Sometimes we even come up with a meal made from the remnants that’s more delicious than the original version. I recommend getting leftover food into the fridge promptly after the meal – within 1-2 hours at the most. If you won’t use the leftovers within 2-3 days of the original meal, pop them into the freezer.

To provide some culinary inspiration, here are 6 examples of meals and a snack we’ve had that although amazingly delicious and healthy, we’ll likely never be able to have in the exact same way again because they were the product of a unique mix of leftovers being available at that moment. Yes, we might come close, but they won’t be exactly the same.

  1. Lentil Vegetable Pasta Sauce: I’ve spoken of this before. It’s our Tuesday (hockey practice night) pasta meal that takes on a new form every week. The sauce underway in the red pot in the photo was a recent one where I combined cooked lentils and lean ground beef in tomato sauce as the base. Using the food processor – not all “processed” food is bad – I minced onions, garlic, a couple less-than-crisp carrots and zucchini from the fridge and random leftover cooked vegetables. Turned out deliciously.
  2. BBQ’d Pork and Veggies on Flatbread: I spread a little BBQ sauce on warm flatbread, added a small amount of leftover homemade Korean BBQ pork and grated vegetables. Drizzled it with a quickly thrown together Asian-style salad dressing of rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, lime juice and a pinch of sugar. A bit of green onion and cilantro topped it off. It tasted amazing!
  3. Leftover Grilled Fish (or Chicken) Tacos: ‘Leftover’ and ‘fish’ in the same recipe is not (yet) exactly the way to win the award for Recipe Developer of the Year. Before writing this one off as disgusting, if that fish or chicken is used the very next day in tacos together with a quick coleslaw from that cabbage in the back of the fridge needing a little love, it can be tweaked to be awesome. Add grated carrot, green onion, minced peppers, jalapenos or any fresh veggies you have on hand. Drizzle with a sauce made by whisking  a little mayo, plain Greek yogurt, lemon juice and garlic.
  4. Layered Rotini and Tomato Sauce with a Kale Garnish: Looks pretty gourmet in the center bottom of the photo collage, but it’s actually the leftover pasta and sauce transferred directly from the fridge to the plate by turning it upside-down and emptying. Although many versions with differing shapes of pasta or sauces will show up on our plates in the future, the exact combo as pictured likely won’t.
  5. Tofu (or Chicken) Fried Rice: You’ve heard me proclaim rice as the best possible leftover food before. Fried rice fans will know that leftover rice + bits of leftover cooked tofu or chicken + leftover veggies + an egg + frozen peas + soy sauce = one very tasty meal. We don’t make it that often but no two instances of fried rice here are ever the same. Some call this dish Dirty Rice.
  6. Seafood Surprise Chowder: Little bits of celery, roasted veggies and small amounts of fish or shellfish are frozen and then my hubby makes a mighty yummy chowder. Never the same twice. (Recipe)

Snack – After School Fruit Salad: Because I’m able to be a “Stay-Home-From-Workplace-Mom” (def’n: a Mom or Dad who can participate in their career mainly in the hours when the kids are at school or sleeping), I’m usually around when our son gets home from school and can get this ‘recipe’ made before the fruit passes the point of no return. If half an apple, a few grapes, strawberries or couple bites of banana return home in the lunchbox, I quickly chop them and toss with some frozen berries, a fresh kiwi or canned no-sugar-added peaches, pears or pineapple to make a fruit salad. It always gets eaten. The exact composition of the fruit salad is never the same.

This list of leftover-inspired meals and snacks could be much longer. I predict that a chain of trendy restaurants or even cooking school programs centered on food waste reduction or leftovers become popular. Maybe it’ll be my restaurant? Cookbooks on the subject already exist as do excellent campaigns to embrace so-called ugly vegetables.

I’ll remember these 6 leftover meals and 1 snack not only for their delicious taste but the small victories they represented in reducing food waste. Creative home chefs, I applaud you for celebrating leftovers and the time-savings they represent. Use them before they spoil. Let your amazing meals be a quiet example to the kids of how to respect and be grateful for access to good food.  My parents did just that and I’m grateful.  Share your creations to inspire others and let’s keep doing our part to love food while hating waste. Trendy or not.

Cheers!

Well-Fueled Tournament Travel: Not for Wimps

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Medal food
Packable Tournament Food Ideas

After getting many ‘thumbs up’ when I post pictures of our hotel-rooms-turned-kitchens for sports tournaments (visualize cooler, mini fridge, microwave and a counter made from the ironing board), I figured a list of travel snack ideas might be a helpful thing to share too. Although I’m speaking from the context of hockey and lacrosse tournaments for kids, many of these ideas also work well for business travel or summer road trips to spare relying on expensive and/or low quality food from gas stations, convenience stores or airplanes.  When traveling by car and you have room for a cooler, even a small one, the sky’s the limit for the healthy snacks you can bring. Inquire ahead of time about the availability of a fridge in your hotel room. No Fridge Plan B: bring plastic bags and keep your cooler cold with ice from the hotel.

  • All vegetables: pre-wash, cut up and transport in zip bags or containers – carrots, snap peas, cauliflower, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, pepper strips, cucumber slices, radishes…Small containers of dip are nice too. If you don’t have time to make hummus or something homemade, mixing plain Greek yogurt with fresh herbs or even a little salad dressing like Ranch or cucumber works well. Also in the vegetable snack category are made-in-advance edamame, baked potato wedges or salad rolls – all taste just fine served cold.
  • All fruit: pre-wash apples, grapes, strawberries…even consider pre-peeling and packing orange segments. Bananas and blueberries are great sport foods! Also in the fruit category: small containers of pineapple chunks or applesauce and dried fruit. Individual 100% real juice in normal-sized, non-humongous portions is a great way for active kids to stay hydrated and get some nutrients.
  • Hard boiled eggs – assuming you have a cooler, boil the eggs at home, peel off the shells and transport in a sealed container (handy for quick hotel room breakfasts too) 6g protein, 14 essential nutrients and only 70 calories per egg!
  • Nuts and seeds like almonds, peanuts, trail mix, mixed nuts, pumpkin seeds or hemp hearts, for example. (Always respect any allergy issues on the team)
  • Smoothies. Pack a small, portable blender and a few cups. In this case, I’m not talking about a heavy duty VitaMix. Department stores (or online) sell single serving, lightweight blenders for around $20. Once in the hotel room, you can blend together fruit and 100% juice or milk for various flavours of smoothies. Our favourite for easy transport is banana, nut butter and milk (or chocolate milk). We feel better when our hotel room neighbours are teammates so we aren’t waking up random people with our blending.
  • Grainy crackers, mini bagels or toast with nut butter or cheese
  • Quality cereal and milk (look for cereals with <8 g sugar and >4 g fibre). Instant oatmeal packets plus milk – cut sugar by mixing with plain oats – make a great snack or quick breakfast option too once in the hotel.
  • Pita bread with hummus or tzatziki dip
  • Homemade sandwiches, wraps or quesadilla triangles. Alternatively, bring a package of tortillas and fixings to assemble in the room.
  • Milk or chocolate milk, cheese cubes, cottage cheese and/or yogurt
  • Chunks of cooked chicken, turkey or ham
  • Pre-made mini pancakes, French toast fingers or rolled up crepes sprinkled with a little cinnamon
  • Homemade or decent quality muffins, cookies, granola bars and kid-friendly  (not from an adult body-building gym) energy bars
  • Microwave popcorn (if a microwave will be available). If the microwave or a full stove and oven are available, pack along potatoes to bake (great sports food), eggs to scramble and much more!
  • Water bottles

Because it’s always the 80-20 approach around here, you’ll  find a few small treats in our luggage too…most likely a bag of chips, pretzels or even a little chocolate or candy. It’s only offered over and above, rarely in place of, the items listed above. Keep it real, normal and free of adult diet hang ups folks!

The keenest sports parents I’ve met, and who have inspired me, are SO incredibly skilled at tournament food packing. They bring along a bin with lightweight plates, cups, bowls, cutlery, napkins and even plastic wrap or bags for leftovers, dish soap and tea towels. They also bring a small toaster and their slow cooker for heating frozen homemade meals like spaghetti, chili, stir-fries, pulled pork and more! (Recipe for regular and vegan pulled pork) If you run out of time to cook in advance, bringing cans of baked beans, chili, tuna, salmon or quality soup can help out too. Don’t forget the can opener. Tournaments can be costly endeavours for sure!

Google ahead of time to find out what’s near your hotel if you need to pick up anything extra from the grocery store. If you’ll be dining out the whole time, consider a little advanced research to know what the nearby options are. When the game is over and the kids are hungry (possibly “hangry” depending on fatigue and game outcome), getting food into them soon makes a big difference in mood, muscle fuel and recovery especially if heading back into competitive action in just a couple hours. Investigate the cost of having a pasta, burger or taco buffet set up for a team meal in the hotel versus a meal out at a restaurant. In some cases, this can offer a time and cost-saving benefit.

It’s NEVER just about the food. Training, adequate rest, genetics, natural talent, passion, fun, great coaching and much more factor in along with the love and support of parents.

Keeping growing kids well fueled for the high energy demands of tournaments is not for wimps! I applaud the many families out there who put in a tremendous effort many times throughout the season. It’s as much work as packing for a weekend of camping.

Keep up the awesome work!

 

Ten Ways To Still Eat Enough Veggies When Cauliflower Is $7 A Head

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Cabbage Leaf Wraps 007

Vegetable prices ARE crazy high right now.

Aiming to eat at least 5 daily servings of vegetables and fruit all year long helps ensure we get the disease-fighting nutrients they offer. In cold and flu season (on now), this remains super important. Ideally, we eat more like 8 servings a day. So how do we cope when fresh cauliflower (and other vegetables) are so incredibly expensive?

I felt compelled to share a few tricks from our home.  If you’re an adventurous cook and the kind of person who gets excited by creative, waste-reducing food ideas, you’ll love these. Note that 1 serving of vegetables equals 1 cup of fresh leafy greens or just half a cup of cooked vegetables…so it can be easier than it sounds to get in your 5-8 servings.

  1. Embrace cabbage. Even it is a bit pricier than normal right now, but you’ll get far more mileage from a head of cabbage than cauliflower yet it contains similar powerful nutrients. Using cabbage leaves, give these wraps a try.  Just one wrap provides 2 servings of vegetables. (I used almonds in the recipe pictured here, but go with seeds for a less expensive option.)
  2. Make a large coleslaw using grated green or red cabbage, carrots, grated beets, green onion, sesame seeds or any ingredients you like. Use an oil-vinegar or Asian-style sesame dressing to keep it lighter than a traditional mayo dressing. If you like the creamy mayo-types, use some mayo mixed with plain yogurt and lemon juice to make it go further and lighten it up while still being tangy and delicious. Coleslaw stays fresh in the fridge for up to 4 days and is a great side to just about anything. It can also be the base of a meal when topped with a few chickpeas (canned chickpeas are super affordable) for added protein, chunks of canned salmon or protein of your choice.
  3. Saute cabbage as a base and add in all of those remaining veggies in the drawer in the fridge that you don’t quite have enough of for a dish full. Two diced carrots, those 8 remaining green beans, half a zucchini. This makes a colourful, attractive, tasty vegetable dish.
  4. Make a lazy cabbage roll casserole. Spare the work of rolling and instead make this lasagna-type dish using layers of cooked cabbage with rice, ground meat and canned diced tomatoes. A hearty serving makes a complete, balanced meal in itself.
  5. Eat Asian greens. For example, a large bag of bok choy is typically affordable and is a great alternative to broccoli in a stirfry while we wait for local, more affordable options to return as we get closer to spring and summer.
  6. Look for deals in the frozen aisle. If you have the freezer space, watch for sales on frozen Brussels sprouts, green peas or mixed vegetables. These are great served on their own and also work nicely in the idea in point #3 above.
  7. Although ‘clean eating’ is on our minds, this doesn’t mean every single item in the middle aisles of the grocery store is bad. Canned tomatoes are often on sale and make a great base for an Italian-esque saute of tomatoes, green beans and zucchini. Canned corn kernels combined with black beans, a vinaigrette and southwest seasonings makes a quick salad. Look for canned goods with a short ingredient list and still keep an eye on sodium levels here. Rinsed and drained canned legumes in general (aka pulses) are awesome to combine with vegetables to stretch them further while adding nutrients, fibre and protein!
  8. Get creative with carrots. Buy them in large quantities to reduce the unit cost. In addition to raw carrot sticks, grate them in coleslaws, leafy green salads, cut into coins and combine with frozen peas, use in curries, soups and stews.
  9. Save every single remnant of vegetables for soup. Celery is crazy expensive right now too. Before it goes limp, dice it and freeze. Do the same with leftover cooked veggies from meals. When you have a few bags of these frozen leftover veggies available, make a hearty vegetable soup.
  10. Potatoes and onions are vegetables too 🙂  and the affordable possibilities are endless. Soups, scalloped potatoes, mashed potatoes, curries, potato salad, homemade french fries…

If you live where you have available garden space, start thinking about what you might be able to grow this spring and summer to later stock in your freezer for the winter. If fruit is on sale, for example oranges and apples, stock up. Fruit provides valuable nutrients to keep our immune system strong, especially if our vegetable intake temporarily drops a little. Avoid becoming a believer in the dangerous myth that healthy eating is WAY more expensive than a junk-based diet. The items in the list below remain affordable staples for a healthy diet and I’m up for a good argument on how affordable healthy eating can be – anytime!

12 Must-have Low-cost Healthy Staples: lentils, carrots, onions, apples, eggs, rice, yogurt, oatmeal, potatoes, canned beans, canned tuna, cabbage

7 More No-Recipe Lentil Ideas

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Lentil jars

2016 is International Year of the Pulse! If you aren’t already including lentils and other legumes (aka pulses) in your meals at least twice each week, plan to make it happen soon.

Here are 7 more great ways to lentil-up your life. You can find my previous 7 ideas here.

  1. Puree cooked lentils and use as a sauce extender. Perfect in pizza sauce, tomato sauce for lasagna, curry sauces and even in a white sauce for pasta. Pureed tiny red lentils are ideal in this application.
  2. Add cooked lentils to brown and/or wild rice along with a few minced fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon juice for an instant, seemingly gourmet pilaf dish.
  3. Replace or extend ground meat. In the tomato-meat mixture for lasagna, spaghetti sauce or even a spicy chili taco-themed pizza, lentils mix right in and are barely noticed by those who would prefer to think they’re eating ground meat only.
  4. Stir a few lentils along with toasted crumbled almonds, walnuts, hemp hearts or flax seeds into your oatmeal. Lentils at breakfast? Only a superstar eater does that!!!
  5. Last minute gift idea! Make a homemade soup kit to inspire a friend by packing together in a pretty box or basket: lentils, bouillon, wild rice or quinoa and a couple favourite dried herbs.
  6. Did you know you can sprout dried lentils? (Okay, this one needs some ‘recipe method’ guidance, but google if you are a sprout-maker or want to do a mini indoor garden science experiment with the kids.
  7. Sprinkle cooked lentils on cooked vegetable dishes for an attractive finishing garnish.

And, keep your eyes out to build a collection of reliable, amazingly delicious lentil recipes. They are one of the MOST IMPORTANT foods of the future! And, many are grown right here in Canada!

Have a happy, healthy 2016!

Cheers!

Meet Patricia

Eating well is just one spoke in the wheel of health. An active life...

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