Dinner/ Exercise/ Fitness

Cheese=Amazing

So, I have been looking forward all day long to having a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner tonight with a cup of my chunky lentil soup from last night. I have a ziplock bag with some leftover slices of provolone in the fridge that I was going to use. THEN, I had a revelation…and listen close because I’m going to tell you about the best grilled cheese sandwich of my entire life. Yesterday I bought 3 ounces of Taleggio cheese from Whole Foods. Taleggio is to Italy what Brie is to France. It’s a triple cream soft ripened cheese that you can spread, melt, eat with crackers…anything really. It’s very specialty though so you will probably only be able to find it at the Fresh Market, Whole Foods, or an imported foods shop. Well, for tomorrow’s recipe (which is still a secret, you will have to wait and see!), I only need 1 ounce……so tonight, I took the other ounce, combined it with 2 tbsp of freshly grated parmesan cheese and layered it between 2 slices of sprouted grain bread. Set on the griddle and weighted down with a big pot on top to get a crusty feel to it. It.was.amazing. Totally melted to absolute perfection and tasted divine! Like a gourmet grilled cheese…SO much better (and about the same calories) as just using regular old provolone. So, if you are at a specialty grocery store and see Taleggio cheese, GRAB IT! It’s so good!

Besides my amazing grilled cheese I also had a small bowl of lentil soup and a 4 ounce glass of red wine. I would pretty much classify this as the perfect dinner. It was easy to make, tasted like heaven, and left me satisfied and happy! The total calories was about 555, including my glass of wine.

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Now, I have steel cut oats simmering on the stove for the next couple day’s breakfasts and I’m about to take a bubble bath before starting on my recipe copying for school tomorrow. I’m going to eat a little treat in about an hour so I’ll let you know what that will be (I don’t know what I feel like yet!)

My ashtanga yoga class was really good once again today…yoga always seems to give me exactly what I need. Too bad my finger is still throbbing from earlier 🙁

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  • mel
    December 18, 2007 at 9:00 pm

    Hey Jenna! I have a couple of quick questions!! Do you think it is ok to eat instand oatmeal (lower sugar maple brown sugar) vs. regular oatmeal? I really like the instant packets and the portion plus a banana is perfect for me!! Also, how much butter do you put on your bread before making a grilled cheese and what kind? and..haha how do you feel about 98% fat free tyson ground turkey or chicken? I don’t eat red meat so I make turket tacos frequently by browning the ground turkey, mixing spinach, corn, tomatoes, onions and sometimes broccoli in in and put in into a wheat tortilla with salsa and sometimes brown rice on the side..MY FAVORITE Meal!! Just wanted your opinion!! thanks
    Melissa

  • katheats
    December 19, 2007 at 9:00 am

    Mmmmmmm cheese is good! Bubble bath sounds fun too!! Take some photos of your oats for breakfast, please :). I’m curious to see how you make yours.

  • jaweber
    December 19, 2007 at 12:20 pm

    Mel,

    I personally would not recommend the instant oatmeal packets but I know some people that swear by them. The reason I say this is because these little quaker packets include some artificial ingredients that sort of hinder you from getting the full benefit of the oats. I looked up the lower sugar maple/brown sugar one and here are the ingredients:

    Lower Sugar Maple and Brown Sugar

    WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED OATS (WITH OAT BRAN), SUGAR, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, SALT, CALCIUM CARBONATE, GUAR GUM, CARAMEL COLOR, SUCRALOSE (SPLENDA® BRAND), NIACINAMIDE*, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, REDUCED IRON, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE*, RIBOFLAVIN*, THIAMIN MONONITRATE*, FOLIC ACID*.

    *ONE OF THE B VITAMINS

    While the quaker people are kind to point out that folic acid, riboflavin and so on are one of the B vitamins, what about the artificial flavor mentioned…and the SUGAR? Caramel color? what’s that?! When you eat something and you see sugar as the second ingredient listed that means its the second biggest ingredient in there because ingredients are always listed by weight. I like to know exactly what I eat so I have a hard time with that. I realize the portioning is perfect but here’s an idea that helped me in the past. go buy the Mcann’s quick irish oats and then portion out 1/2 cup servings of the dry oats in little plastic baggies and keep them in your pantry. All you do when you want to make some is grab a baggie, add 1 cup water or do what I do with 1/2 cup skim, 1/2 cup water and heat for 1.5 minutes in the microwave! That probably only takes about 30 seconds longer than the instant packets yet you forgo all the weird stuff in the ingredients that you can’t pronounce. now you know you are eating JUST oats and reaping the full benefit!!!

    now as for your ground turkey/chicken I think that’s great and that’s something I do myself as well! I can only recommend you try to buy organic or natural ground meat though to reduce the added hormones. That meal you make sounds really tasty though-might have to try it!!

  • jaweber
    December 19, 2007 at 12:34 pm

    Oh, I forgot to answer the other part of your question, Mel! I use the Ezekiel sprouted grain breads and really like them. I don’t use butter on my grilled cheese—I use a small amount of promise light spread…I probably use 1/4 tsp total and put it on both pieces of bread before laying them in the skillet.

  • mel
    December 19, 2007 at 1:36 pm

    Hey jenna!! thanks so much for answering all of my long questions! Where do you find the irish oats? I usually go to Kroger or Meyers grocery stores. I’ve tried the plain quaker instant oats before and they are kind of boring, but I have an open mind!! I add a banana always, what else would you recomend to make it a little better (like a splenda ?) I like the promise light spread! I’ll have to get some next time I go to the store!! You should for sure try the turkey/or chicken tacos..they are my favorite!! Also, I’m going to the beach for 10 days on the 26th. we always go out to eat at night (b/c there isn’t a lot to do and I’m with my entire fam) but I usually always get seafood b/c its right by the ocean!! what drinks would you recommend with dinner? Like one glass of wine and stop! haha! My dad loves to make homemade pina coladas before dinner…o lord! Have a great day!!

  • jaweber
    December 19, 2007 at 2:12 pm

    Mel,
    I’m sure you can find McAnn’s quick cooking irish oats anywhere! look for them near Quaker. They come in a box. I like to make them with tons of cinnamon, 1 tbsp natural peanut butter (or a mixture of 2 tsp peanut butter and 5 toasted walnuts), 1 banana and a little bit of real maple syrup. I think they taste fantastic this way!!!!! especially when you heat up the banana in with the oats…the banana melts into them and makes them all the more creamy and sweet. If you like peanut butter you have to go try it…I don’t use splenda in my oats because I like to add a little maple syrup at the end. Or I will just add a little bit of brown sugar. I like splenda in my coffee but for other baking things and foods I like to use a little bit of the real stuff to reduce a “fake” taste.

    As for the drinks, i would stick to one glass of wine at dinner because that way you wont feel guilty eating out and/or eating dessert. Pina coladas and those tropical drinks ARE very very tasty but also have more calories than a dessert usually has! One would be fine for the occasion (maybe the first night or last night?) but other than that I would stick to one glass of wine.

  • jaweber
    December 19, 2007 at 2:13 pm

    Kath-

    I’ll take some pictures! I’ve been experimenting lately with steel cut oats and LOVE them…they blow away any other kind in my opinion! I made steel cut oats with 1 tbsp natural peanut butter with a banana yesterday morning and it was quite tasty!

  • mel
    December 19, 2007 at 5:27 pm

    thanks Jenna! I’m going to tell my dad to lighten up on the coladas this year…I’m a light weight too and probably won’t feel womderful if I drink one everyday! plus wine! haha! I’ll for sure look for those oats asap! I love love pb and put it on everything!! What are your favorite spices to use? I love garlic and pepper on everything but want to find something new to add!!
    Thanks!
    Melissa

  • jaweber
    December 19, 2007 at 7:17 pm

    Mel,
    I cook with a ton of garlic, hot pepper flakes, sea salt, pepper…I LOVE spicy things so I’m always adding some spice to everything! I also like Old Bay with Garlic and Herbs–i put it on my fish and chicken before i cook them. I also love cilantro and basically any other fresh herb. Really adds a ton to a simple recipe!

  • To Burn Calories
    October 21, 2011 at 9:51 am

    One of the joys of having a whole foods 2 min’s away from your house is you get to eat products like Taleggio cheese all the time. This cheese does make for a tasty sandwich.