So my partner just got the results of his physical and his cholesterol is higher than me at my senior year high school graduation. (AND That's HIGH).
I have been trying to come up with decent meals that we can all eat together and it's getting hard to find ways to eat chicken. We have to cut red meats from the diet and were told fish and chicken were best. UMMM...I'm loosing some variety...not to mention, we are big on the snacking thing. I LOVE me some chips while watching some late night movies or Chili Cheese Corn Chips...YUMMY...so instead of just taking the crunchy comfy effect away from our snacking, I air pop popcorn with no salt, or cut up some apples, or have grapes...I'm not going to lie, I much prefer the chips by a long shot.
But y'all, I need some help. Last night I made stuffed green and red peppers. I put ground turkey, onions, mushrooms, diced chicken, a little tomato sauce, brown rice and some garlic..I guess it was ok..but I'm running out of low cholesterol stuff. I went online and looked at the web and I'm sorry..but some of these dishes are too complicated and time consuming. Since we both work, have a son, plus an unbelievable amount of responsibility/errands, I need some easy dishes, quick, and yet something I can play with to change up a little...you know, add some variety...
My partner is now on some kind of cholesterol medication and I hate this kind of thing. I want to get his cholesterol down so he can stop taking these meds. Especially ones that can harm other internal organs if taken off a long period of time.
Throw me some ideas. (kids gotta like this as well).
Say What?..Change Our Eating Habits??
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Barnes & Noble's cookbooks in their Bargain section are typically filled with little "quick and easy and low-fat and low-cholesterol, etc. etc.) books. You'll have to spend a few minutes looking for them since there's no rhyme or reason to the Bargain department but that should get you going.
We do a lot of salads and, when we're sick of chicken we put edamame in the salad for protein.
We do grill chicken alot but mix up the sides. Sometimes we have a small serving of whole wheat pasta with lots of veggies, and sometimes my husband will make a sweet potato "hash" with cubed sweet potatoes and onions (and spices).
The simplest foods are really the healthiest for you, but yes: it is boring sometimes! :)
With Chicken we do chicken lime tacos in soft tortilla wraps. Just marinated the chicken in lime juice (this is key) for a few hours and you can grill or cook it in a pan, then slice thin and serve or tortilla with sour cream, cheese (whatever you favorite taco topping is)
I've been cooking low fat but not too sure about low cholesterol. We do a lot of chicken as well, usually grilled and in salads, fajitas, and as a meal.
this may sound odd, but it helped me...lose weight and lower cholesterol...if I could make a copy and send, I would LOL...
http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/p90x.do
you can cook together rice and lentils(specifically, toor dal) - you can look online for how long to cook it etc; but it is essentially a one pot/one pressure cooker dish. Kids in India that have just started eating solid foods are fed that regularly with a pinch of salt a drop of clarified butter.
For the adults, you can spice the dish up with a tadka (hot oil seasoning) after setting some aside for the kids. Eat with some low fat yogurt for satisfying comfort food. (And you can always stir fry some veggies if you have extra time :-) )
I have diabetes, so I'm on a mission to keep my cholesterol down. The biggest thing you can do is work with whole grains that are high in fiber. I've taken my total cholesterol from 215 to 162 in three months. Barley is awesome for helping to lower LDL, but it takes some time to cook. If you have a pressure cooker you can make an awesome barley risotto in about twenty minutes. Another good option is to google Quinoa (pronounced Keen-Wah). Not only is it a whole grain, but it has a ton of protein for a grain. I've made a Quinoa salad which doesn't take much time at all and will keep for a few days in the fridge. Actually, it tastes even better the day after it is first made. I'll put a post on my blog on Monday with the recipe since I need to get a RMDM Kitchen post out anyway. Good luck.
i've been lucky in the cholesterol department even though i'm overweight (i have thyroid diesease). i know that lot of fats have to be cut out. i wish i had some recipes for you. i have been trying to go low fat around here, but my husband makes it very hard. :-/
Regarding the snacking, Costco is selling a product called Veggie chips that are delicious. A co worker let me try a few. Low in cal/fat.
Has your partner added oatmeal to his diet? I have family history of high cholesterol but have been eating oatmeal now for years and just received my lab result. It's lower then it has ever been.
Regarding dinners, keep plugging away, trying different websites. It's hard to adapt to changes in our eating. I miss some foods, but like all things moderation. Don't totally deprive yourself otherwise you will feel bored. Good luck;-)
There was a great recipe for a crock pot tarragon chicken we tried out like a year ago--I can't find the recipe right now but it was easy (let get it started and forget it type of meal) and delicious. Also another great thing to try is soups. Chicken tortilla is a great soup and relatively easy. Edamame was mentioned but I second that--so healthy and sooo good.
I wish I had some other ideas for you, but I don't. It might take some digging on the internet or in a bookstore, but I'm sure you can find something that suits your needs.
My husband is gluten intolerant and we were stuck in a food rut for a while because we didn't know what else to cook. It took a while, but we have finally broken out of that (and got a few cookbooks along the way as well).
Good luck!
I would suggest you take a look at this blog! Its radical, but makes sense on many levels. Hope it helps. http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/
Have you thought about using Niacin or Red Yeast Rice to control cholesterol? You might check into these or ask your physician. Niacin and Red Yeast can be purchased in a health food or Chinese herbal store. There is prescription forms of niacin that can also be prescribe by a physician. FYI… the niacin can make you flushed (like a lady with a hot flash) if you take an excessive dose.
The below recipes are used around our house. We do not eat a lot of meat as cholesterol is a huge concern. Each dish can be made ahead of time as long as you make/add the pasta just before serving. In addition, you can always supplement steamed veggies, grill cheese or penne in tomato or butter sauce for your little one. Best of luck!!
Minestrone Soup
(serves 4)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup celery, with leaves, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-ounce can of tomatoes, with juice
1 large can white beans (Cannelli beans or Navy beans)
5 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup flat parsley, finely chopped
1 cup finely sliced, then roughly chopped Swiss Chard (or spinach or cabbage or combination)
2 zucchini, unpeeled and julienne
1/2 cup small pasta
Optional: Freshly Grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Sauté the onion, celery in oil until wilted. Toss in garlic and stir additional minute. Add tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in stock, reserved tomato juice, beans and bring to a boil. Add half the parsley, lower heat, and cook for about 30 minutes. Add leafy green vegetable, zucchini, and pasta and cook at a gentle boil until pasta is tender.
When ready to serve, stir in remaining parsley and season to taste w/ salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and serve with parmesan and crusty Italian bread.
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Leeks and Fish in Linguine
(serves 4)
Ingredients:
1lb. cod fish or white fish (cut into small 2 in pieces)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Kosher Salt and White pepper
1 pound fresh linguine
4 leeks—trimmed, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise and washed
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (a generous handful)
Directions
Toss fish w/ 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon peel, garlic, crushed red pepper; season with salt and white pepper. Sit fish aside to marinate.Cook linguine until al dente (per directions) in salted water. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add leeks, season w/ salt and white pepper and cook until wilted. Add fish and cook until firm. Pour in the white wine and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add pasta to skillet, season to taste w/ salt and white pepper. Add the parsley and toss.
Special Note:
*Red Pepper can be eliminated (for the little one)
*White wine and lemon and be substituted for one 28 oz. can of whole tomatoes.
*If tomatoes are used cut into chunks and add with juice
Tabouli Salad
We use a premade tabouli mix and add fresh seeded cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, scallions, lemon and a dash of white vinegar.
*Serve w/ hummus, pitas and fruit.
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