Month: August 2015

Omega in Milwaukee gets a second chance and does well

I’ve written before about how we were snubbed for a table when we stopped at an old-fashioned Greek diner on the South Side of Milwaukee called the Omega. We left and went across the street to a place called Zebb’s where I had a nice veggie omelet instead.

My Omega omelet
My Omega omelet

But on our most recent trip to Milwaukee, my wife convinced me to try Omega again. This time we were seated promptly and I had the chance to try its veggie omelet. The result was a satisfying breakfast.

The omelet, which I requested by made only from egg whites, was large and flavorful with a variety of veggies and no cheese.  Continue reading “Omega in Milwaukee gets a second chance and does well” →

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Roasted broccoli and green bean recipes

Broccoli and green beans are two of my favorite side dishes but I’m always looking for ways to add flavor to them because, honestly, they can get boring after a while.

So I was excited to find these two recipes from former Biggest Loser trainer Jillan on her website. The first roasts broccoli with olive oil and lemon. Leave out the salt in the recipe,

 

Put the trimmed broccoli in the steamer basket, cover and set the timer to the recommended cooking time.
Put the trimmed broccoli in the steamer basket, cover and set the timer to the recommended cooking time.

As usual, add the pepper if you like it.

 

The recipe calls for roasting in the oven but this could easily be made on an outdoor grill for summer too.

Continue reading “Roasted broccoli and green bean recipes” →

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McDonald’s burger buildoff could use more tools

McDonald’s, which has been trying a variety of ways to better connect with potential customers of late, has a new sales aid it’s trying in the Chicago area called the Burger Buildoff. If you click through to the site, you can construct your own customized McDonald’s burger.

My Almost healthy burger creation for McDonald's
My Almost healthy burger creation for McDonald’s.

It’s a fun exercise, but it has it limits. I would have liked to start with leaner beef, for example. The only choices are burgers McDonald’s already sells. If I could, I would have started with 96% lean ground beef.

The same is true for choice of buns. There is a whole grain bun, kudos for that. But I would have opted for salt-free whole wheat bread to cut the salt content. The cheeses do not include any fat-free cheese, not to mention any low-sodium cheeses (which are much harder to find). Continue reading “McDonald’s burger buildoff could use more tools” →

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Ten Best Foods for a long life

A fun list, I’m eating all of these except seeds, nuts and pomegranates which give me the creeps. I’m hoping the seed craze passes soon from our nutrition scene, I’m not reverting to a bird diet anytime soon

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Salt-free beets, a good choice for your do-it-yourself salad

Salad has become my regular lunch choice since my 2012 angioplasty. When I was still working in Chicago Loop, I would frequent a local salad bar. I had a choice of three near my last downtown office.

Now that I work at home, I buy large boxes of spring greens at Costco and make my own salad at least three days a week, sometimes more. So I’m always looking for low-fat, low-sodium, low-sugar items to add. I regularly put on slices of portobello mushrooms, tomatoes, reduced-sodium olives and fat-free feta cheese. And I’ve gotten in the habit of cooking more protein than we’ll eat at a given dinner so I have some leftover salmon, chicken or ground turkey to add to my salad the next day as well.

Look for no-salt-added beets to add to your salads.
Look for no-salt-added beets to add to your salads.

One item I routinely added at salad bars was slices of beets. But when I went to buy them at a supermarket I found salt hidden inside, 250 mgs per serving to be exact. I didn’t want all that salt from something so innocuous, so I’d given up on beets until recently. That’s when I found a sodium-free beets alternative at my local supermarket. Continue reading “Salt-free beets, a good choice for your do-it-yourself salad” →

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McDonald’s healthy eating? Here’s what nutrition pros buy there

McDonald’s menu, changing as it may be, is not exactly friendly to my post-angioplasty low-salt, low-fat, low-sugar diet. I’ve written about how I will order a salad there but bring my own oil and vinegar in packets I purchase via Amazon to avoid the high-salt Newman’s Own dressings.

McDonald's planned artisan chicken sandwich, with fewer harmful ingredients.
Want a chicken sandwich at McDonald’s? Hold the mayo and don’t eat the bun, one healthy eating expert recommends.

So I was interested in reading a recent article I saw headlined “What Diet Experts Eat at McDonald’s.” The piece speaks with nine people who call themselves nutrition and health eating experts to see what they buy at McDonald’s.

I was amused by one who gets a kid’s meal to get a taste of a hamburger in that tiny serving. I had been buying a double McDonald’s burger once a week to do the same thing before my 2012 surgery but have dropped that since. Now I buy 96% lean ground beef at a local supermarket and make my burgers at home.

Another gets a salad and leaves off the cheese and tortilla strips and uses less of the high-salt dressing to cut sodium. I too take off the tortilla strips but leave the little bit of cheese, opting to cut salt by using oil and vinegar instead of the prepared dressings. Continue reading “McDonald’s healthy eating? Here’s what nutrition pros buy there” →

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