Wednesday, 31 December 2014

Happy New Year!

NOTE:This post was written last year, in 2014.  The material has been updated in Welcome to the Blog, on the Navigation Bar.  This year's seasonal offering is HOW TO...HOST THE FESTIVE SEASON HEALTHILY & AFFORDABLY  (Click on link)

Begin as you mean to go on!


67goingon50 helps get you healthy, stay healthy and age gracefully - whatever your years or income.  Indulge in delicious, slimming, low-cost dishes to help you through the post-holiday blues.


I am 67, though everyone says I look, move and behave like someone years younger.  Pictures (of me and my dishes) will appear in due course but in the meantime check out my Testimonials page.


Think a healthy lifestyle is the preserve of the monied?  Not so. My annual income has dropped from five to four figures.  I know it is possible to eat well and deliciously, and live a healthy lifestyle without breaking the bank.  


We're all on a budget now and all trying to self-medicate through healthy living. 67goingon50.blogspot.com is for you.     



67goingon50: Food


I worked for ten years as a chef in high-end dining rooms (hotels, the financial district) so I know what people want to eat.  They don't want anything that smacks of self-denial but increasingly worry about building a foundation for good health now and in the future.  The bulk of the recipes in 67 Going On 50 meet that criteria. My Turkey Chilli (see Recipes: Mains) is huge on flavour but low in cholesterol, fat and salt. As a bonus, it will feed 6-8 people for a tenner.  


Most of the recipes I developed myself.  Many are old family favorites; others I created out of greed; still others were inspired by celebrity chefs.  All have been adapted to a healthier, less affluent lifestyle.  





67goingon50 Offers 

  • 'Gourmet' food using inexpensive, healthy ingredients 
  • Pared-down cooking techniques for easier and faster preparation 
  • 'Double-duty dishes" (DDD's) feeding both meat-eaters and vegetarians from one basic recipe 
  • 'Skinny' versions of much-loved but calorific 'dirty' favorites, eg garlic bread without butter, flapjacks without butter or honey and icing without icing sugar.
  • 'Blow-out' but 'skinnier' dishes for essential breaks from healthy eating
  • Tips on healthy eating, diets, exercise, cot-cutting, freezers


67goingon50: Recipes  

I tested my recipes on a variety of human guinea pigs.  


I was, for a time, a volunteer chef for a Lottery Funded lunch club in one of the poorest and least healthy areas of London.  Many of the people in the group had health issues; a third were vegetarian; some were restricted to halal meat.  The recipes had to be healthy, cheap but delicious. And from lunch club comments, I succeeded. 


My office provided other willing volunteers (younger and more healthy), as did my block of flats, which houses residents of all ages but mostly 'golden oldies'.  


The dishes I created surprised everyone -- but in a good way.  People were thrilled that the fabulously tasty dishes cost so little and managed to be healthy, too.  My less or no-sugar desserts were a revelation.  But my habit of using less salt was sometimes a problem.  In some recipes I have suggested minimum and maximum levels of sugar and salt.   


      


67goingon50A Food Blog for Tougher Times 


We're all on a budget now


Living well on a budget is one of the most important things we can do in these difficult times.  Nutritious, satisfying food is a necessity for physical health; exercise and a variety of interests help strengthen emotional and mental health. We all want these life essentials without spending money we don't have.  67goingon50 hopes to help you achieve this.


With my Asian background, I know low incomes are no bar to healthy, tasty substantial meals.   And having been a chef at a major supermarket, I know how to work with cheaper ingredients, imperfect in appearance, that provide bags of nutrition and flavour.       

     

Self-medication through healthy living


Against the backdrop of a struggling NHS, we are more aware than ever of the need to take personal responsibility for our health.


67goingon50 is aimed as much at the young aiming to grow older healthy, as at the middle-aged and older who want more energy or less medication.


We are fortunate, in England, to have so many older people around us.

Sadly, many seem to suffer from poor health.  I wish someone had grabbed them earlier in life and said: Hey, you can have healthier, more energetic 'golden years' with a few changes!

This is what I hope to offer you.


 So, if you:

  1. Love delicious food but not its cost or effect on your health 
  2. Want tv-inspired dishes but find them too expensive
  3. Worry about your weight, cholesterol, diabetes, heart or joint problems or just general well-being
  4. Are over 60 and yearn for better health and/or less medication   
  5. Are below 60 (20 upwards) but want your later years to be energetic and physically able      
This Blog is for you!


Note: Weekly postings on Wednesdays.  Future topics include:



  • healthy eating matters
  • dieting matters
  • exercise matters
  • food budgeting matters
  • storage matters 



This week's recipe: (currently has a glitch in the pages which is being sorted) 

The popular Tuna Fried Rice, (see Recipe: Mains)   and Orange and Blueberry Platter (See Recipes: Desserts).   Perfect for New Year resolutions, they are low-cost, delicious, satisfying and good for you.  They are also easy to prepare.    

IRISH COFFEE CHEESECAKE, Skinnier, No-bake, Make-Ahead, kids option

This lower-fat, lower-cal sensation will leave everyone speechless with delight and disbelief 

I love Irish coffee and developed this fabulously delicious dessert to satisfy adult tastes.  Though stunning to look at and to eat, it's actually much lower in fat than it looks.  

As for cook, it's a doddle; there's no baking.  There are several steps but all of them are simple.  


The recipe was inspired by a major supermarket which created easily-assembled recipes for its staff canteens -- but they weren't lucky enough to get anything like this!  

Calories were reduced with 50% reduced-fat cream cheese (80% fat-reduced also works) and whipping cream in some places. The recipe is by no-means low calorie but the 23 cm cheesecake provides at least 12 portions.  One of my colleagues managed to serve 15!  Remember: portion control is one aspect of healthy eating even during an indulgence day!  


Serves: up to 12
Cost: £6

Ingred: 
13-15 digestive biscuits, bashed with a rolling pin in a heavy plastic bag, or whizzed in a food processor until sandy
90 g unsalted butter, melted

300 g 50% (or 80%) reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
1 pint double cream (or whipping cream for even lower fat levels) 
100g/3.5 oz 70% chocolate 
2-3 tablespoons expresso coffee powder mixed with 2 tbsp boiling water
3-4 tbsp whisky or brandy

approx 150 gms double or whipping cream
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract (opt)
50 gm cocoa powder, or 70% chocolate, chilled and grated or peeled

Method:

1. Line a 23cm tin with a double layer of cling film  
2.  Mix biscuit rubble with melted butter; pour into tin, smooth into an even layer with the back of a spoon.  Refrigerate.
3. Melt chocolate over simmering water; the bowl should not touch the water. Take off the heat and blend in coffee and alcohol.  Cool.
4. Using a hand mixer or whisk, blend cream cheese until it is smooth and creamy.  Add cream, beat on low speed until well blended and starting to lose its liquid form.  
5.   Pour cooled chocolate into cream cheese mix. Use a whisk to blend; a few streaks are ok.  Add coffee and alcohol; mix well.  The mixture should be soft but hold its shape.  Pour into the biscuit base; smooth top.  Refrigerate at least four hours.
6. Just before serving, beat the whipping cream until you see circles forming on the top of the cream.  Add sugar and vanilla.  Beat until soft peaks form.  Pour or pipe over the cheesecake 
7.  Sift powdered chocolate  or grate chocolate flakes over the cream.                                                               (31/12/14)


Tips:  
  •  For children you could forget the coffee, substitute orange juice and grated orange peel and serve it layered with biscuit base in pretty glasses.
  • The recipe halves well and can be served from a loaf or rectangular tin.    
               More low-cal desserts on NavBar: Recipes II/Skinny


 Please leave a Comment in the box below 


These recipes have been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  They may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.
            

Wednesday, 17 December 2014

2014 summary



67 GOING ON 50: good health & graceful ageing whatever your years or income with low-cost, delicious dishes and practical advice.  


This blog is written by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.

  

I am 67 but don't look or feel 67. Strangers are surprised by my age.  I've had a lifetime to study good health and now achieve it (with lapses) on a tiny budget. In due course there will be pictures but for now, see Testimonials page from people who know me.


67 GOING ON 50 offers healthy, frugal but fabulous dishes - often inspired by gourmet chefs - developed by me and tested on human guinea pigs! Many recipes are aimed at age-specific ailments (heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, overweight) but can also help prevent the onset of such afflictions.  Other recipes are 'skinny' versions of much loved 'dirty' dishes. All aim to increase and maintain good health.  All were found delicious and (apart from those for indulging) surprisingly low-cost.


67 GOING ON 50 also offers practical advice on subjects such as budgeting, low-cost exercise and freezer storage, validated by personal experience.


The full blog launches on 1st January with cheap, nourishing tasty meals suitable for the post-Christmas slump, and a Guide to Healthy Eating.  


Today, there's a recipe for a low-fat, low-cholesterol, low-salt Chilli Con Carne feeding 6-8 for under £10.  


See Pages:
    Testimonials
    Background
    Recipes
    Comments



Next posting: 
  • No added sugar, low-gluten Christmas Stollen 
  • Low fat smoked salmon dip (with secret ingredient)