This post was inspired by eavesdropping in the gym. I overheard a ladies locker room conversation about someone who had unfavorable results from eating massive amounts of fruit. This reminded me how as a younger Ale, I ate large amounts of fruit only to find myself feeling and looking very bloated the next morning. Español aquí.
Throughout my humble experience working out since I was 15 years old, I’ve learned some things about being healthy. One of them being the importance of knowing how to eat the right proportions. In summary, we know that eating fruit is healthy, but do me know how much we need?
First of all, you should know that fruit is high in sugar in the form of fructose. While it is coming from a natural source, it should be consumed in moderation. Excess sugar, in this case, fructose, is turned into triglycerides by your liver and is stored in your fat cells throughout the body. This is basically bad for your heart.
So how do you avoid overdoing it? Start by knowing how much is the recommended amount of fruit you should eat in a day. Specialized online articles recommend 2 to 3 servings of fruit a day, with the United States Department of Agriculture recommending 2 cups of fruits a day. I find the second recommendation helpful because it’s most precise to measure as some fruits will be bigger than others.
Thank you very much for reading, I hope you’ve enjoyed this post!
This week’s post is dedicated to this favorite Peruvian side. As my fellow countrymen and countrywomen know, white rice is the companion par excellence for Peruvian dishes such as Sauteed beef, Seco Stew and more. In fact, several of the recipes I’ve shared this year recommend serving “with rice”. It’s something like the fish is to the water as the Peruvian is to the rice. So, if you don’t know how to make rice, this is for you. Español aquí.
The history of rice in Peru begins in China, about nine thousand years ago. From there it traveled to Spain with the Arab migration, from where it was introduced to the new continent. Although the type of rice which is common in Peru is short grain, there are other varieties of long and medium rice. I emphasize this because during a visit to Texas I spent 15 minutes looking for rice. In the end, I learned about basmati rice, which is a long grain rice that can be prepared with Peruvian seasoning.
I recommend not helping yourself different types of carbohydrates in on plate as is customary here when served generously. Its best to choose one. Personally, I replace rice with fibrous carbohydrates like cooked vegetables such as broccoli. Or, when I do have it I like to measure half a cup to know how much I’m eating.
For the recipe we will make the rice on stovetop and with a rice cooker. I used a cup of rice with 1 ½ cup of water. If you make more rice, always use the same amount of water as rice + ½ cup of water. For example, for 3 cups rice, 3 ½ cup water. Some people rinse the rice with water before cooking. It’s a preference associated with washing off starch and other elements.
1. Stovetop
Ingredients 1 cup of rice 1 ½ cup of water 2 garlic cloves finely chopped Salt to taste Oil to taste
Preparation Heat a greased pot. Brown the garlic and salt.
Pour in the water. Throw in the rice.
Cook over low heat for 12 to 15 minutes. Watch over so that the rice doesn’t burn.
2. Rice pot
Ingredients 1 cup of rice 1 ½ cup of water 2 garlic cloves finely chopped Salt to taste Oil to taste
Preparation Grease the pot. Introduce the garlic and salt.
Add the rice. Incorporate water. I realized that I added water and rice in different order between the stovetop and rice pot preparations, but don’t worry about the order because it doesn’t matter.
Cover the pot and select the cook option. The rice will be ready when it changes from the cook option automatically. In my case it took about 20 minutes.
Thank you for reading. I hope you liked this post!
Hello friends, I hope you had an excellent week (and some Peruvian style locro stew too). This post brings you five healthy snack ideas that are easy to take with you wherever you go. The idea is to make it as easy as possible because who doesn’t need to optimize their schedule. Español aquí.
Above all I recommend you to take time to know what the recommended portion is for your snacks. Super meals are excellent as long as you eat the right amount. I hope you like it!
1. Dried fruits Dried fruits are, in my opinion, the easiest choice to take with you. Try taking them in a glass jar to avoid exceeding the recommended serving size and not fall into the temptation to eat the whole bag. I’m listing my favorite dried fruits (but don’t eat them all at once).
Almonds – 23 units
Peanuts – 28 units
Eyelashes – 20 halves
Cashew – 16 units
Raisins – ¼ cup (fiber)
Apricots – ¼ cup
Guindones – 10 units
2. Berries Berries are also an excellent companion to take with you because they are easy to eat. You don’t need to remove the skin or the seeds, at least not the ones listed below). Also, they keep well in the refrigerator when they are fresh or in the freezer when they are frozen.
Aguaymanto (physalis peruviana) – ½ cup
Blackberries – 9 units (80 gr.)
Blueberry – ½ cup
Raspberry – 24 units (80 gr.)
3. Yogurt One way I used to calm my hunger when I worked in an office was with natural yogurt. There was a kitchen where I’d keep a bottle that I drank through the week. Yogurt is a good source of calcium and when it has probiotics it helps with digestion. I recommend choosing one without sugar or sweeteners, which can be difficult to find but not impossible. The recommended daily serving is a cup (don’t cheat by measuring with a large mug). My yogurt recommends 200 gr.
4. Veggie sticks I love choosing vegetable sticks as a fresh snack. Celery and carrots are ideal for this. Pack them with a dip if you want to add flavor. Get them ready to eat or make them in advance. They keep well in the refrigerator, so you can prep them from the night before. Use a sealed container when keeping them in the refrigerator so they don’t dry out.
5. Crackers and cheese The last option is inspired by tapas. Pack crackers and cheese cut up in small slices or another topping to eat wherever you go. Remember to read the wrapper for the recommended of crackers per day. Other nice toppings include jams. My crackers wrapping recommends about 10.
Hello friends! How are you? I hope you had a lovely Easter if they celebrate it, and if not, I hope you had an exquisite weekend. For this post I’m going to talk about the Peruvian Locro. Would you believe there was a time when I thought I didn’t like it? Good thing I corrected my ways and now I love it. My favorite thing about it is the melted cheese and that aroma it gets from the Peruvian huacatay mint (I mention this below). Español aquí.
This recipe is very special to me because I got it from my mom. I love how her locro tastes and I’m so glad I could have this recipe. I hope you like it too and, as always, I would love to know if you made it and see how it turned out.
I will start by saying that locro is a thick stew from the Andes region and that is not only a traditional dish in Peru, but also in Argentina, Bolivia and Ecuador. Its ingredients vary according to the region from which it is prepared. In Peru, it is made with pumpkin, potatoes, corn and cheese.
I always try to describe the ingredients so that you can know where to find them or at least know what they are, so I was surprised when I realized that the Peruvian term for the main ingredient which we call “zapallo” is only limited to Peru. I didn’t know the right term was squash or pumpkin, and that it is actually a fruit (a definite identity crisis). Just so you know, “zapallo” comes from the native peruvian Quechua word “sapallu”. According to Wikipedia, its scientific name is cucurbita maxima.
Another ingredient that is listed below is the aromatic herb huacatay, whose name also comes from the Quechua vocabulary as “wakatay”. According to Wikipedia it has many names in English, with “black mint” as the most predominant. To be more specific, according to the Dictionary of Traditional Peruvian Gastronomy by Sergio Zapata Acha the scientific name is tagetes minuta. I have read in some posts that it can be found in Latin markets outside of Peru, so I hope you can find it and try it. It is very aromatic for food and it makes a whole lot of difference for the locro. However don’t be discouraged if you do not find it. Remeber it is optional.
Ingredients 1 ½ kilo of seedless and crustless yellow squash, cut up into small thin strips 3-4 potatoes largely choppe, peeled or well washed 2 andean corn in slices ½ cup peas 1 red onion finely chopped 4 garlic cloves peeled and finely chopped ½ cup fresh cheese ½ cup of evaporated milk ⅓ cup of oil Salt and pepper to taste 2 branches of huacatay, leafless (optional) ¼ cup finely chopped huacatay leaves (optional)
Preparation Heat a large pot with oil.
Sauté the onion and garlic, and salt and pepper.
Add the squash.
Incorporate the corn, potatoes, and peas.
Add two branches of huacatay without the leaves.
Cook over low heat until the pumpkin comes apart. In my case it took 30 to 40 minutes to cook. You can remove the corn and potatoes to squash the squash if it looks solid. Return them when you are done.
Add the cheese, milk and huacatay leaves.
Cook for 2 to 5 more minutes.
Traditionally it is served with white rice, although it is possible to mention that the locro already contains enough carbohydrates with the corn and the potato.
When I was growing up, Easter was about chocolate bunnies and family time around smelly fish. Now that I’m thirty, I’m part of the smelly fish crowd and I don’t get chocolate bunnies. But I have no complaints, I love sharing table time with the people I care most about. Español aquí.
This week’s recipe is very special to me because it’s a recipe that my grandmother shared with my mother, and that now she has shared with me. My favorite thing about it is that the ingredients are natural (except for the canned tuna) and easy to find wherever you may be.
Because I enjoy reading a little about the recipes that I share, here is what I learned about vizcaina. This dish originates in the Spaniard Basque region (feel free to correct me). Traditionally it involves a pepper sauce and fish, mainly codfish. In Peru and other countries that have adopted the recipe, we add tomatoes and other regional ingredients. This is an favorite in Peru during Easter as well as Escabeche.
Ingredients 1 ½ cup of chickpeas 2 cans of tuna 170 grs (120 grs drained) 1 onion minced 4 to 6 cloves garlic peeled and minced 2 to 3 tomatoes peeled and seedless 1 pepper in slivers 2 tablespoons of dried mushrooms 2 to 3 bay leaves Salt and pepper Oil
Preparation Soak the chickpeas in water overnight. The next morning, drain and rinse them.
Bring to boil in a large pot with plenty of water.
Cook in abundant water for three hours or until the chickpeas are soft. My mother recommends changing the water after the first boil.
Drain the chickpeas and set the water aside.
Crush the tomatoes and dried mushrooms.
Heat the same pot with oil.
Sauté the garlic and onion.
Incorporate the tomatoes and mushrooms, and salt and pepper.
