Oils

Cooking For Yourself

August 23, 2019

In theory, it should make little difference to your health whether you cook for yourself or let someone else do the work. But unless you can afford to hire a private chef to prepare meals exactly to your specifications, letting other people cook for you means losing control over your eating life, the portions as much as the ingredients. Cooking for yourself is the only sure way to take back control of your diet from the food scientists and food processors, and to guarantee you’re eating real food and not edible foodlike substances, with their unhealthy oils, high-fructose corn syrup, and surfeit of salt. Not surprisingly, the decline in home cooking closely parallels the rise in obesity, and research suggests that people who cook are more likely to eat a more healthful diet.

“Work With What You Got!”

©Tiny New York Kitchen © 2019 All Rights Reserved

Herb Oils

August 9, 2017

One of the best ways to preserve the abundance of fresh herbs from your garden is by making flavored oils. Herb oils can be enjoyed so many ways – drizzled over salads, vegetables, pastas, sandwiches, or grilled items, hot or cold or at room temperature. Not only are they flavorful, but they also add dramatic color when drizzled on plates. If you want to add more flavor add half a clove of smashed garlic and 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper to the blender with the other ingredients, which makes a great dipping oil for chunks of rustic bread.

“Work With What You Got!”

© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2017 All Rights Reserved

Eating Well

January 12, 2017

The message is simple: Eat well to stay well. The good news is that you don’t need a graduate degree in nutrition to eat healthfully on a daily basis. What follows are some guidelines and information to help you make informed decisions about what you and your family should eat to maintain a balanced diet.

*Consume a variety of nutrient-dense foods and beverages within the basic food groups. Choose foods that limit your intake of saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars, salt, and alcohol.

*Engage in regular physical activity and reduce sedentary activities to promote health, psychological well-being, and a healthy body weight.

*Consume three or more 1 ounce equivalent servings of whole grains each day.

*Consume 3 cups of fat-free or low-fat milk or equivalent dairy products per day.

*Derive less than 10 percent of your calories from saturated fat and less than 300mg of cholesterol per day. Avoid trans fats.

*Keep your total fat intake between 20 and 35 percent of your calories, with most fats coming from polyunsaturated and monounsaturated sources, such as fish, nuts, and vegetable oils.

*Choose fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, and whole grains each day.

*Consume less than 2,300mg (about 1 teaspoon) of sodium each day.

*Women who choose to drink alcohol should limit themselves to one drink per day; men should limit themselves to no more than two drinks per day.

“Work With What You Got!”

© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2017 All Rights Reserved

Paleo Diet

January 18, 2016

Paleo Diet

The Paleo Diet (short for Paleolithic) is fashioned around the eating habits and available foods of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. These ancestors had to nourish themselves with the meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and fats available to them in nature. With the benefit of large supermarkets, it’s easy today to mimic these foods in wider variety. Specific recommendations for eating Paleo will vary; however, the main ideas are the same: Reduce the risk of debilitating diseases and optimize health by eating whole, fresh, unprocessed foods and avoid foods that were not available prior to the advent of modern agriculture.

Research studies looking at the Paleo Diet have noted that eating a Paleo Diet for a short term improved the glucose control and lipid profiles in people with type 2 diabetes, compared to eating a diet containing low-fat dairy, moderate salt intake, whole grains, and legumes. Additional research indicates similar results may be possible in people without type 2 diabetes as well. The Paleo diet may result in higher levels of satiety (fullness) throughout the day when compared with a low-fat, low-calorie diet.

Paleo Do’s
Eat plenty of non-starchy vegetables and fruits.

Make fresh meat, poultry, fish, and seafood your primary sources calories.

Avoid highly processed meats that contain preservatives, artificial flavors, and sugar, such as some sausages, bacon, deli meats, and smoked fish products.

Consume nuts and seeds.

Use coconut oil, grass-fed butter, olive oil, avocado oil, nut and seed oils, and animal fats, such as goose fat or duck fat, for cooking and eating.

Balance the intake of acid-producing foods (meats, fish, salt, and cheese) with base-producing foods (fruits and vegetables) for optimal health.

Use sea salt to season foods, but try to decrease sodium intake in general.

Paleo Don’ts
Consume highly processed packaged foods.

Get heavy handed with the salt shaker.

Eat grains of any kinds. Quinoa, bulgur, rice, wheat, bread, pasta, etc., are all out.

Consume sugar (including honey and maple syrup), sweets, candy, or desserts.

Use artificial sweeteners, such as monk fruit extract, stevia, NutraSweet or Equal (aspartame), Splenda (sucralose), or sugar alcohols, such as xylitol, sorbitol, or maltitol.

Eat legumes, beans, peas, lentils, or soy, or foods make from soybeans.

Use canola or soybean oils or consume hydrogenated oils (trans fats).

Consume dairy, with the exception of fermented dairy or raw milk cheese on occasion.

“Work With What You Got!”

© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2016 All Rights Reserved

Cheese on 62nd

May 18, 2012

Cheese on 62nd

Each week I try to visit a food shop or an interesting restaurant that I have never been to before.  This week, by chance, I ran across a cute little cheese shop not far from Bloomingdales.  Cheese on 62nd is the name of the shop and it is aptly named as it is on 62nd & Lexington.  The refrigerated case was filled with nice cheeses, there were many hanging salamis and a nice variety of oils, vinegars and packaged treats.  All in all a nice selection of Mediterranean goodies. They also make lunchtime sandwiches which looked good. The prices didn’t seem crazy (at least for New York) and the man behind the counter was very friendly as well.  If you’re in the neighborhood you just may want to swing by and check it out. 

 

Cheese on 62nd

134 E 62nd Street

New York, NY 10065

212-980-5544

 

Subway: Lexington Ave/63rd Street (F Train)

               Lexington Ave/59th Street (N, Q, R Trains)

               59th Street (4, 5, 6 Trains)

 

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