April's CR Diary

We love serving steamed asparagus with a little drizzle of lightly salted lemon butter with tilapia, together with sauteed multi-coloured peppers. That combo ooks gorgeous on the plate, too! The grape tomato salad would make an awesome starter. Maybe really blow his mind (and explode any preconceived notions about CR) and serve the CR-friendly Chocolate Mousse for dessert! JD ;-)

Wow, April, good for you! I know it isn't easy to serve as the public face for CR, especially when so many people react in such a strangely negative way to it. I'm proud of you for being so courageous in putting yourself out there.
As for food suggestions,how about brussels sprouts or kale? You definitely need some greenery in there somewhere. (Mmm...brussels sprouts). And how about a nice, colorful soup of some sort? There's just something so inviting about a steaming bowl of soup on a cold winter's day. Pears poached in port sound heavenly! Of course, *anything* in port sounds good to me...
Whatever you serve, make sure you serve a lot of it. I'm tired of hearing people claim that CR practitioners are "starving" themselves. If only they could see the shear bulk of food I eat every day!
If you can talk the reporter into doing it, it would be great if he could bring, say, a McDonald's cheeseburger to dinner and set it side by side with healthy foods from your table that provide an equivalent number of calories. You could then crunch the numbers with your software to show how much more nutrition you're getting with the healthy meal versus the cheeseburger. That way, viewers can get a very clear picture of just how much food you get to eat and exactly how much healthier it is when you practice CR.
Just a thought.

How about artichoke? Non-CR people might not realize it can be enjoyed without a high-calorie dip.

Robin, your McDonald's gak comparison idea is brilliant! However, I must disagree with you on Brussels sprouts. Do you have any idea how many people out there really, really hate them? It's a fairly large percentage of the population. Apparently, there's some chemical in them (and a couple of other veggies) that a lot of people experience as seriously nasty. JD

I agree with all the other commenters and I think tilapia is an excellent idea! Though quorn may be tasty (note to self: buy some quorn and try it!), its one of those things that seems to freak out non-vegetarians for some reason. Nice safe, traditional food will provide less ammunition for people to twist into some wierd view of CR folks.

You'll have to let me know when its on - I haven't seen any of your TV segments yet!

Good luck!
Amy

Hey I like the tilapia idea. Had some the other night myself and loved it!! So simple. I also like the idea about the cheeseburger and hey why not go full monty with it. Do the Big Mac meal with the ridiculous soda large enough for a small child to swim in. I think would be a great comparision.

Just wanted to let you know, I spent New Year's in Phily. It's such a great place. I love just walkin and lookin! I am thinking of taking some more trips down later in Feb. Let's do lunch!

Judith, As sad as I am to accept that others don't share my deep and abiding love for brussels sprouts, I must admit you're probably right. Asparagus or broccoli would probably be less objectionable to most. To me, though, few things taste better than steamed brussels sprouts in onions and maybe a touch of olive oil. Now if only I could convince my toddler of that.

Amy, You must try Quorn! I think it tastes much better than soy-based meat substitutes. I'm really grateful to April for introducing it to me since I eat it several times a week. My freezer is filled with the stuff.

I agree that a colorful veggie side would look and taste lovely - I like broccoli stir fried with red bell pepper.

Wish I could eat that dinner with you!

Cauliflower! I was so proud of my husband the other day - he saw the mashed cauliflower trick on television, and told me we should try it.

Not necessarily for this meal, but my aunt cooked the best dish the other night. It's celeriac (celery roots) cooked with baby carrots, onions and organic apples with dill. You just peel the roots, quarter the (should be smallish)apples, dice the onion and the carrot if they are big, but them all together in a dish, add salt to taste add half a cup of water or veggie broth and cook until all tender on low heat. Then serve luke warm or cold with dill and a drizzle of olive oil with a lemon wedge on the side and cayenne sprinkles on top.

Apparently you should NOT serve low-fat ricotta and fresh berries! (Hahaha - sorry, I couldn't resist.....)

I'm a huge fan of butternut squash or other winter squashes. Either as a soup, or maybe with a red chili sauce. It might not be the best match with fish, but I could be wrong. I usually find some great ideas on www.whfoods.com (not sure if you know that site or not - or what your thoughts are).

Good luck to you!!!

hi april,

re: cnn. hoaw about a roasted vegetable like asparagus, brussel sprouts or fennel to serve with your tilapia?