Lunch

Bread Heaven

Wow, did I ever mention how much I LOVE bread?! We baked the best bread today…soft with a hint of sweetness. Just like those really addicting rolls you get at restaurants where you vow to only eat one yet end up eating the whole basket. That’s the bread. The reason why this type of bread is sooo addicting is because it has both a small amount of butter and shortening in it…plus sugar. It’s not the best for you but it tastes so so so amazing.. I actually just plugged it into my nutritional software to find out that its 107 calories/ounce. That’s really not as bad as I would have thought. At all! But still….its white, its buttery, its sweet….its heaven. And now I’m stuck with an entire loaf of it PLUS a dozen knotted rolls. Ahh!!

I resisted eating a hot roll in class (snacked on about 7 almonds I had in my bag instead), and came home and made a super tuna sandwich on a split, still warm, roll. I had tuna leftover from the other night when I made that pasta that I had kept in tupperware in the fridge so I mixed 56 grams of that (about 2 ounces) with 1 tbsp miracle whip light, 1/2 tbsp relish, 1 tsp whole grain dijon mustard and a sprinkle of curry powder for spice. It tasted divine! I think this is partially because I used “tuna packed in olive oil”, which I have never had before. It really does taste better and is only about 20 calories more…..it seems to keep me full longer though and I think I would buy this again instead of chunk light packed in water. This is more European and in my opinion, much tastier! You don’t need as much “stuff” in the tuna salad to make it taste great!Β  With my sandwich I had the first ripe plum of the season and 4 ounces fage yogurt. You see tabbouli on my plate but I didn’t eat it because after one bite I could just tell that it had been sitting in the fridge for one day too long….tasted very funky. I wanted a lighter lunch anyways though because I’m going running this afternoon. I’ll have a substantial snack when I get back. If today’s run goes well (no ankle hurting) then I’m going to start training for a 10K at the beginning of next month in Tampa. I hope I can because I miss running! We’ll have to see how it goes though.

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My lunch, sans icky tabbouli, was about 438 calories. That roll weighed in at 160 calories. Really not bad at all—the thing is that this kind of bread is SO super light..not dense, so you can eat more of it!

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  • arimcg
    January 14, 2008 at 6:40 pm

    Is that Challah bread? Or just braided in a similar way? It looks really good, either way πŸ™‚

  • jenna
    January 14, 2008 at 6:42 pm

    It’s not challah bread…very similar though and made in the same fashion. This is just a good old fashioned braided loaf of white bread. very tasty πŸ™‚

  • Rachel
    January 14, 2008 at 7:02 pm

    Hi Jenna! I’m not sure if you saw my question I posted over the weekend and I would love your advice. Whenever you get a chance I would be interested to hear any ideas you have. Here is my q;

    I have noticed recently that when I am studying I tend to eat alot of hardcandies or gum. Do you have any recommendations how to not need something in my mouth? I know to drink tea, but I don’t always want something hot.

  • jenna
    January 14, 2008 at 7:08 pm

    Hi Rachel! Sorry about that, I must have missed your question!! Its good that you are mindful that you are eating/chewing during studying…thats the first step! Is this just going on during the day or at night more? I have the same problem sometimes..you just feel like you “need” something in your mouth! There’s nothing terribly wrong with chewing some sugar free gum for this..unless you go through like 10 packs a day I think its fine. Tea, yes, is a big one that I like to do. When I work during the day and just sit at the hostess stand I often get really bored and if I dont stop myself will eat all the after dinner mints! So..I started bringing a mug of herbal tea with me to slowly sip on throughout the morning and found that helps a ton. Try ending a meal with a small bite of real good dark chocolate…or if you dont want calories, try sniffing vanilla extract because that is said to curb sweet cravings. The scent “tricks” the mind in a way into thinking its been satisfied. Perrier with a slice of lemon or lime is another great thing to try if you don’t want something hot. I keep perrier around the house for this reason after dinner if I’m doing something and just dont feel like tea, I sip on perrier and the carbonation gives a good mouth feel so you arent as tempted to mindlessly chop on something.

  • Cathy
    January 14, 2008 at 7:56 pm

    This bread looks so good!!! I absolutely adore bread. If you ask my husband what my favorite two things are to eat, he will tell you, bread and brie! πŸ™‚ Very french! Anyway, it looks great Jenna….you are such a wonderful baker! πŸ™‚

  • Erica
    January 14, 2008 at 8:28 pm

    Hi Jenna! Lunch looks yummy as always. πŸ™‚
    I just wanted to ask you a question regarding weight gain. I want to gain around 10 pounds, but I want to do it the healthy way; not by adding tons of empty calories and being sedentary. I love the gym, cardio on the treadmill to be exact, and I generally would get on the tread every day or almost every day of the week. I’m thinking of reducing my days at the gym and only going 4-5 days a week instead. Do you think if I raise my calorie intake a bit and reduce my gym routine, i’ll gain? Thanks for your help!

  • Allison
    January 14, 2008 at 8:52 pm

    Hi Jenna,

    What kinds of questions do nutritionists ask to determine how many calories you take in? If you are going to a nutritionist what kind of questions should you ask? (I realize that is kind of a ridiculous question since if you have made an appointment with one you presumably are going for a reason). I am trying to get an idea of how many calories I should it, how it is best to space them over the day and how they should be distributed amoung the food groups. I went to a nutritionist in the late 80’s who put me on a 1200 calorie diet (I am 5’10” and active) and I was starving and that put me on the road to binging, so I didn’t find it that helpful. Any advice, comments, suggestions would be helpful.

    Thanks

  • jenna
    January 14, 2008 at 9:02 pm

    Allison,

    I dont know what kind of “nutritionist” you went to, but to put someone on a 1200 calorie a day diet is not even healthy!! That’s CRAZY and very dangerous! I would never put someone on a diet like that because it is way too extreme and only could lead to binging, like you said. Get that number out of your head! A proper nutritionist would take accurate measurements at different parts of your body and look at your height, age and activity level, along with those measurements, to come up with an accurate number. Its not really a matter of question asking, its more a matter of taking your BMI (through measurements, not generalizing by using the internet) and then going from there. I would have to know a ton more about you to give you an even close to accurate caloric number but I do know that your body needs more than 1200. I’m 5’6 and very active and I usually eat around 1750-1900 everyday and that’s what works for me. Instead of looking for a perfect number I think you should just go by what your body is telling you…how hungry are you at the end of the day? are you getting headaches or becoming fatigued? Are you eating enough fruits and veggies? If you are hungry or have a headache, you need more food. But, a proper nutritionist would need to meet with you in person to accurately tell you a number for you to have as your baseline.

  • Trina
    January 14, 2008 at 9:12 pm

    Hi Jenna, I was reading the previous question and response that are listed and it made me think of this question.

    I am always hearing about how people should not go under a certain amount of calories per day b/c it causes so many problems. But, then you see all the diets like Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers and Nutrisystems and all of these different things where they usually restrict calorie intake to around 1200 (to my knowledge anyways)…so how is it possible that they do this and it is in a healthy way when so many other people say not to do that??

    Also, since we are on the subject, what types of problems occur when eating too low of calories?

  • jenna
    January 14, 2008 at 9:13 pm

    Erica,

    The way to gain weight is easy. Eat more calories than you expend. Do this by eating more HEALTHY fats such as nuts, olive oil and fish. You might also try making shakes after youe workout using a little protein powder with fruit and low fat yogurt. You also should eat more often….incorporate more healthy snacks and increase your mealtime calories to maybe 50-100 more calories than usual. Just be sure to eat more healthy fats other than saturated fats from fast foods and junk food.

    Here’s a sample meal plan straight from my nutrition textbook for someone looking to gain a few pounds (healthfully):

    breakfast: 8 oz skim milk, 1 piece whole wheat toast, 4 tsp jelly, 1 cup oatmeal, 4 strawberries

    morning snack: 4 tsp trail mix

    lunch: 1 orange, 1 banana, a homemade bean and cheese burrito

    snack: smoothie made with 12 oz skim milk and a frozen banana, 1 apple, 2 whole wheat crackers with 1 oz low fat cheese

    dinner: 1 cup spinach salad, 1 whole wheat dinner roll, 4 oz salmon steak, 3/4 cup noodles with parsley and 2 tsp butter, 1 cup broccoli

    Now, you may think that is WAY extreme and it is about 2500 calories….you dont have to follow this one exactly but I just wanted to show you different combos of nutrients that will benefit you.

  • ana
    January 14, 2008 at 9:18 pm

    ugh! so unfair -_^ you get you’re own hometown frozen yogurt! sounds so good, though! i might have to take a little vacation down to miami to get some! *i LOVE your blog! it’s unique too, in that you are actually interested in making the food! i find your enthusiasm and obvious love of food truly inspiring! great job!^_^

  • jenna
    January 14, 2008 at 9:22 pm

    Trina,

    I’m not very familiar with weight watchers and jenny craig so I couldnt tell you for sure. Limiting your caloric intake IS dangerous though and I would never recommend to anyone that they should go under 1500. Basically in a nutshell, if you don’t eat enough calories during the day your body goes into “fast” mode, or starvation mode as its most commonly referred to. When this happens, the body turns to its own muscles to provide the necessary source of glucose that is must have (fuel) to keep on running. The reason people lose a ton of weight quickly on these diets is because within the first couple days of putting your body through this “fasting” mode, their body is devouring its own protein tissues as fuel. Basically, they are losing their muscle and thus losing weight (as muscle weighs more than fat). If you keep on depleting calories your body starts turning to fat…it converts your fat cells to a usable form to feed the brain….this is known as ketosis, you might have heard of it before. Your body’s lean tissues are now wasting away at a fast rate and your body slows down its metabolism to save fuel. Women lose their period, their hair, and if you keep at it your body will eventually just shut down..aka you die.

    So, as you can see these “quickie” diets that claim to get your skinny in 4 weeks and all that is really just a bunch of crap. All they do is leave you with less energy and slow your metabolism down so later on you will gain weight faster than you did in the first place.

    There are SENSIBLE ways to lose weight…such as decreasing the junk, increasing fiber and healthy foods and exercising more. If you live a healthy lifestyle and don’t eat junk, you will steadily lose weight (slowly, but you will).

    I hope that helped–it was straight out of my old nutrition textbook!

  • VeggieGirl
    January 14, 2008 at 9:25 pm

    I can certainly tell that you DO love baking bread, Jenna – you executed each loaf so perfectly and gorgeously!! oh my goodness!! enjoy it!! :0)

  • Trina
    January 14, 2008 at 9:35 pm

    Cool-thanks for the info, that was great and very educational! Hopefully other people will read that too and learn a little something.

    I will have to do some research on all those diets that so many people go on to lose weight and see why they promote restricting calories or how this is possible while still being healthy??…. I will re-post if I find any valuable information!!

    I LOVE learning about nutrition and health!!

  • jenna
    January 14, 2008 at 9:38 pm

    ps- those diets propose restricting calories because it gets weight off FAST (they dont mention how it harms the body and slows the metabolism or how the weight just comes right back on) and, most of all, because it makes the company $$$$

  • Trina
    January 14, 2008 at 10:01 pm

    Well that makes sense that they would design the diets to have the weight come off fast-like you said to make money…but it just seems like they would have to be safe diets or they wouldn’t be allowed…or they would have a ton of lawsuits!! Haha!!

    Maybe I am wrong though…I was just interested in seeing how all that works.

  • Danielle
    January 14, 2008 at 10:28 pm

    Hi Trina & Jenna,
    I’ve researched more “credible” diets like Jenny Craig & Weight Watchers and although their immediate diet plan is usally low (from 1200-1400) they encourage dieters to pair their meals with a salad and an unlimited amount of veggies and to snack on fruit. By adding that in it probably adds up to a more healthy caloric number, although who can say whether or not the dieters take the advice. Hope that helps πŸ™‚

  • Anne
    January 15, 2008 at 2:45 am

    Hi Jenna!
    I am so inspired from you!!! But, I have to say – I still make the sea biscuits when I make soup – Do you remember the Box Car Children Cookbook?!!!
    Anne.

  • Trina
    January 15, 2008 at 2:57 pm

    Hi Danielle,
    Thanks for the info!! It is good to know that at least they are trying to incorporate the healthy numbers and encourage dieters to eat a healthy amount of calories!!

  • suze
    January 17, 2008 at 9:24 pm

    hey jenna!

    you’re so lucky to be at le cordon bleu! those yeast rolls look delicious; i was just wondering if you could please post the recipe for us bakers…

    thanks & take care!

  • jenna
    January 18, 2008 at 3:15 am

    Hi suze,

    I’ll try to post that one this weekend. Its a bit longer…but I will get it up there!