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April 28, 2005
But What Do I Feed My Boyfriend/Husband/Kids/Parents/Wife/Pets Who Don't Do CR?
It's a constant struggle. So many of my readers have written to tell me that they have no problem sticking to their own CR diet when alone, but that family mealtimes or holidays or dates are a problem.
It's not easy when the people around you don't approve of CR and don't want to eat your "rabbit food." I've come up with some suggestions for what to serve to the non-CR'd in your life, while minimzing the inconvenience to yourself.
1) Take whatever you're eating and throw it over pasta or rice for the non-CR'd. This is an easy thing to do with soups, stews, and sauces. Eat yours in a bowl, and make a pasta or rice dish out of theirs.
2) Throw a piece of meat or fish on the side for the non-CR'd. You can take my lasagna, bake a piece of chicken, feed yourself the lasagna alone and give the non-CR'd a piece of chicken with the lasagna as a hearty side dish.
3) Break the meal into courses, with a light soup or salad, such as my cauliflower soup. People feel like they've had a proper meal if it has a first course, entree and dessert. They don't have to know that the cauliflower soup you're all enjoying had 35 calories! I'll post some more super-light soup recipes asap.
4) Make desserts and use that as an opportunity to get some fruit into your diet. People are easily fooled by desserts. More recipes to follow.
5) Use lowfat and non-fat dairy to make creamy sauces. For example, fat-free riccota is a steal when it comes to low calorie, high calcium food. You could make a downright fluffy sauce for asparagus or broccoli with fat-free riccotta and garlic powder and salt. Fat free yogurt can be used to thicken soups and make them seem creamy, even when they're not, and they're a great source of calcium and protein.
6) Use ingredients that have sharp flavors, like olives, capers, canned artichokes in water, hearts of palm, roasted red peppers, etc. I call those ingredients "special effects" -- they make a dish seem fancy even when it's not!
7) If all else fails, leave your boyfriend and I'll set you up with a nice single CR'd fellow. I know a whole lot of great guys who would make someone a really nice boyfriend. They all have good jobs and know the difference between a macronutrient and a micronutrient. It's an amazing thing to date a boy who eats more exotic vegetables than you do. Try it and you'll like it.
Posted by april at April 28, 2005 1:47 PM