We are a hard core foodie family. But that does not mean that we eat ginormous portions of food! These days where ever we go, we see insane portion sizes... Just look the size of a bagel or a muffin for instance... and what about a cup of coffee? I would be happy with a 6-oz cup. Instead, at any popular coffee shop these days the smallest available size is 12-oz cup!!!??! So husband and I share. However, if I am alone, I end up throwing away half the coffee. I hate wasting.... I really do. And I know that many people out there share my view. So what do people typically do? They gorge themselves with unwanted calories. And it's not only the concerns of wastage that is causing people to eat in excess. It is the psychology. Plain simple psychology. If it is easily available, if it is tasty comfort food, if I am emotional (bored, tired, lonely, angry, tired, depressed etc.) .... I will binge. I will not care about nourishing my body. I will not care about eating to live. I will eat. In fact, I will live to eat.
Eating disorder is a huge problem affecting our society today. Large portion sizes contribute to obesity. Emotional eating contributes to obesity. More so, not knowing about where food comes from and how it affects our bodies contributes to obesity. Solution? Education. That's right. Educating people about not just the perils of binge eating unhealthy food, but also educating them in fun, practical ways on how to make right food choices - either by equipping them with skill sets to make their own, or choosing the right food, right portions while dining out, is the need of the hour.
As the theme of my blog suggests, I believe in silver linings ... just a few changes here and there and we are on to a path that is new, unexplored, invigorating and exciting! While on the topic of making your own, I would like to share a recipe of Dates and Walnut cake. It has been scaled down to 3-4 servings instead of the typical 10-12. More so it is egg-less, full of super carbs (complex, unrefined, good-for-you carbs), loaded with dietary fiber, iron and anti-oxidants. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1-cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup light (or dark) brown sugar
1 Tablespoon flax meal (I used golden flax seed powder)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons yogurt
10-12 dates, soaked for 1/2 hour and puréed (using about 3 Tablespoons water)
1/4 cup walnuts
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of sea salt
Method:
1) Preheat the oven to 325 degree F. Grease a 5-inch cake pan and lightly flour it.
2) Whisk all the wet ingredients together (Olive oil, date purée, yogurt) with sugar and flax meal.
3) Sift the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt) 1-2 times to aerate the flour mixture
4) Gradually combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, stirring with a wooden spoon to just until you get a smooth batter. However, take care not to over mix the batter.
5) Stir in the chopped walnuts.
6) Pour into the cake pan and bake for 35-40 min or until done. Check the done-ness of the cake by inserting a toothpick and checking it is clean.
Eating disorder is a huge problem affecting our society today. Large portion sizes contribute to obesity. Emotional eating contributes to obesity. More so, not knowing about where food comes from and how it affects our bodies contributes to obesity. Solution? Education. That's right. Educating people about not just the perils of binge eating unhealthy food, but also educating them in fun, practical ways on how to make right food choices - either by equipping them with skill sets to make their own, or choosing the right food, right portions while dining out, is the need of the hour.
As the theme of my blog suggests, I believe in silver linings ... just a few changes here and there and we are on to a path that is new, unexplored, invigorating and exciting! While on the topic of making your own, I would like to share a recipe of Dates and Walnut cake. It has been scaled down to 3-4 servings instead of the typical 10-12. More so it is egg-less, full of super carbs (complex, unrefined, good-for-you carbs), loaded with dietary fiber, iron and anti-oxidants. Enjoy!
Date and Walnut Cake
(makes 3-4 servings)Ingredients:
1-cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup light (or dark) brown sugar
1 Tablespoon flax meal (I used golden flax seed powder)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons yogurt
10-12 dates, soaked for 1/2 hour and puréed (using about 3 Tablespoons water)
1/4 cup walnuts
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of sea salt
Method:
1) Preheat the oven to 325 degree F. Grease a 5-inch cake pan and lightly flour it.
2) Whisk all the wet ingredients together (Olive oil, date purée, yogurt) with sugar and flax meal.
3) Sift the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt) 1-2 times to aerate the flour mixture
4) Gradually combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, stirring with a wooden spoon to just until you get a smooth batter. However, take care not to over mix the batter.
5) Stir in the chopped walnuts.
6) Pour into the cake pan and bake for 35-40 min or until done. Check the done-ness of the cake by inserting a toothpick and checking it is clean.
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