A pasta diet platter!

By whatever name they go by, the various forms of pasta are a popular mealtime treat here in America and elsewhere. Numbering at about 350 types, I personally like to prepare and eat just a few; Spaghetti, Penne Rigate and shell are three of my favorites!

When combined with a good red sauce, (like the ones that come in a can from Hunt's), I cannot think of many other meals that I enjoy more! The only downside being the carbs. The recommended serving of regular spaghetti on the package is 56 grams of noodles which is also about 56 noodles. A bundle measures about ½ inch across which is about the same diameter as a penny (see below), so it might not look like a lot. But whoa, if you look at the nutritional panel here, you can see that you'll be

consuming 41 fat causing carbs. [Note: While the dry amount does look kinda small(ish), those noodles actually do increase quite a bit in size after cooking!] However, I've found that by

eating just half a serving at meal time, that I could make a serious dent in the number of carbohydrates! Then continuing on that culinary theme, I often like to cook up a hamburger patty and then eat only half of that... Throw in a simple
oil & vinegar salad and you're all set!

I've found this to be a filling meal that comes in at only 320 calories, and when combined with the low carbs (30g), this 'pasta-styled' meal can be very diet friendly!

Notes: The picture at left shows a bundle of 56 grams worth of spaghetti noodles aka one serving. The better way to measure would be by using a scale and by getting used to the gram weight measurements rather than going by ounces. OK for those who don't like that idea, there are 29.3 grams in an ounce, so this would be about 2 ounces of pasta....

One added bonus to eating this way is you only have to cook stuff up one times for two meals. That's assuming your single, of course.

American Beauty Rotini and sauce!

For anyone with an interest, Rotini is a spiral form of pasta that is known for the manner in which it can hold onto a good tomato sauce! I enjoy eating this form of noodle fairly often which might explain my growing waistline!

A 56 gram serving or 2 ounces dry pasta will fill about ¾ of a cup. Add in a couple of tablespoons of Hunts spaghetti sauce, some garlic bread and you will be pushing 400 calories!

After setting a pot of salted water to boil, I add the pasta and set a timer for 9 minutes on simmer. In the mean time, I will take about 2 to 3 tablespoons of Hunts Original Spaghetti sauce and heat that over a stove top on low. After the pasta is done, I strain the noodles and then add them to the sauce. A couple of minutes later, I'm ready to add them to a plate alongside a couple of slices of garlic bread!

Pasta! Again?

Let me see... I'm was still on a diet, and so, what would be great to have for lunch? Ah yes, a nice plate of pasta!

Strange as it my sound, a working diet requires that sometimes you cheat! Cheating accomplishes two important diet points; 1) cheating allows you not to go insane! And 2) it keeps your metabolism guessing as to just what that crazy owner was going to ingest next!

Today, the culinary delicacy I planned to prepare was Penne Mostaccioli (or Penne lisce if you happen to live in Italy), which is just one of over 600 forms that pasta shapes can take! I enjoy the smooth variety of Penne. Next week I plan to go with a plate of small Conchiglie just for grins!

For the all important sauce, I used Hunts along with a pinch of oregano and red wine! And what about the carbs and cals? I don't do that anymore! My new slogan is 'Live Large'!

Pasta! On a Diet!! Why not!

Hell yes, pasta is diet cool! (Just so long as you keep the total calories and carbohydrates in line on any given day, you can eat most anything you want to)! Really!

On an otherwise cold and dreary Sunday in February, I elected to mix things up a bit, diet-wise, and have myself some pasta for the midday meal! I was getting pretty bored with the rather bland lunches in the past and wanted to enjoy a steaming plate of Penne lisce along with some steamed broccoli, carrots and a slice garlic toast! The key to this meal-a-deal was to keep the amount of pasta at just 56 grams. Here was what I came up with:

As I saw that the actual weights of the carrots and broccoli were significantly less that what had been calculated in the dietary base, I toned the calories down to 380 and the carbs to 74 grams. With the total for this day being about 1500 and 140 grams respectively. That was well with in the dietary recommendation of institutes like the Mayo Clinic.

[Note that the Mayo Clinic recommended amounts are as follows: 'The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that carbohydrates make up 45 to 65 percent of your total daily calories. So, if you get 2,000 calories a day, between 900 and 1,300 calories should be from carbohydrates. That translates to between 225 and 325 grams of carbohydrates a day.']

So on this day, it was no harm and no foul as I did get to enjoy a real change of pace lunchtime repast! Notes: The glass contained not wine, but rather some flavored water. I also used a butter and salt substitute.

Trio Italiano with Hunt's pasta sauce!

There's something about a dish of hot pasta that just seems to yell 'Comfort Food'. That was the case for me, on a late August afternoon, when I sat down to a lunch that included a mix of; Rotini (spiral), Conchiglie (shell) and Penne rigate (rifled) pasta's. An interesting combo that really holds onto the pasta sauce of your choice. In my case that sauce was Hunt's pasta sauce, which is fairly cheap (under a dollar for 24 ounces when on sale), and which is also a great addition from a nutritional standpoint.

 At just 230 calories, this main entree fitted in nicely with my current dietary effort. And yes, those carbs were on the high side, but when viewed in the context of what other foods I ate that day, they were also in line as I ended up at under 100 grams! (Not shown was the nutritional impact of 30 grams of lean hamburger meat that was browned and then thrown in at the last minute). The entire meal, including the meat is shown below;

Note shown were the following ingredients; raw garlic, oregano and a dash of red wine!

Effective planning of meals with an eye to cost versus nutrition is something I feel should be taught as a required course at every High School across the country. Learning how to eat well along with good exercise are two keystones to aiding in the reduction of future health costs for everyone! This whole meal cost me under a dollar, was filling and delicious! Please give it a try!

Enjoying pasta even while dieting!

For anyone who has had to go on a diet, I would agree that it can be tough! Food  that you might really like, as in potatoes, pasta and bread are generally included on the list of stuff you can't eat!

In my case, I look at all foods mainly in terms of just two factors; carbs and calories! If you can reign those dudes into some semblance of reason, then any diet you might try, will likely be successful. The carbohydrate intake, in particular, needs to be monitored very carefully. (I try for less than 160 grams per day). Note that going below 50 grams can throw your metabolism into a state of ketosis. A potentially bad thing for you to find yourself in - see this article for more.

Click to enlarge.

As you can see in the picture above, that's a whole lot of pasta with a simple meatless tomato sauce! And is that garlic bread? Yes. I'm guilty on both counts. But at 277 calories (290 with the Parmesan and red wine I added), this was still a very can do lunch! After having a bowl of oats for my breakfast with half a cup of milk, I had a good idea of what I could enjoy for afternoon snack and dinner!

Following was the entire day that followed. Note that I was able to reserve calories for those inevitable late night snacks....

Click to enlarge.

After seeing that I had gained weight.... I made pasta!

I got down to business and made myself up a batch of pasta! What? Yes, I've always felt that when you begin to let events start to control your life, then it's time to say WTF!

Of the many pasta's I've tried, over the years, I like Penne Rigate most! It's fast to cook up (7 minutes), absorbs the sauce really well and makes my tummy very happy!

But, what about your diet, you may well ask? No biggie. Like all things food, it's really the calories you have to watch, and in the cast of pasta, it's all about portions.

According to the package, a ¾ cup (56 grams) of dried Penne will contain about 200 calories. Add a very simple tomato sauce and you would be pushing about 350 calories, all told. That's not really bad, in my book at least!

Where you have to exercise caution would be with topping like Parmesan cheese and such. The only side I like to add is a slice of garlic bread which throws another 120 or so calories into the meal mix. Still a very livable repast....

My problem with Hunt's tomato sauce!

As a man who loves to eat pasta, you would be right to think I would be picky about what sort of sauce I put on my noodles! And, as a careful shopper, I've taken advantage that Hunt's tomato sauce in the 24 ounce can which when on sale can be bought for only a buck! The sauce itself is great tasting and when you look at the nutritional label, you'd only see one big offender which would be the large salt content! (But, that's not why I have a problem with this product). It's the fact that they use High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) as an ingredient. Yes, it's in a small amount, but it's there and it shouldn't be, in my opinion!

So, I wondered why use an ingredient that's really not very good for you? I'm not sure, and it doesn't look like much can be done on my part, as most of these types of products use it with abandon. I believe that they do it for three reasons; it's liquid in form, cheap and enjoys multiple byzantine agricultural supports and subsidies! That said, it wouldn't add that much to the cost for ConAgra to switch over to regular old glucose or even a sugar substitute. I know that I'd be happy to pay a little more, if they did!

Update: Feb 14, 2018 - I did receive a response from ConAgra in the form of an email. They denied using corn syrup, but used a different product as an example. I sent back a copy of the label shown above.

Critique: Trio Italiano

After going to a local grocery store and searching in vain for a package of American Beauty Penne Rigate on sale. No luck. I selected instead, a 340 gram package of Trio Italiano! Like the Penne I wrote about earlier, it was on sale for only a dollar! I figured I'd give this a try.

Now, normally, three different pasta's will cook to doneness at different times. However, I suspected that the AM Beauty people aka New World Pasta Company's quality control staff were on top of this and so designed all three types at about the same weight and thickness. As to why they decided on this particular mix, I really had no idea.

The cooking directions on the American Beauty package call for about two quarts of water, heated to boiling, in a pot. And even as salt is often considered optional, I like to add a small amount as it does add some needed 'flavor'. (If your on a salt free diet, then consider using a salt substitute). 

Once the water is boiling, you can add the noodles and maybe set a timer for say eleven minutes as per the package instructions. One thing to remember is that actual cooking times will depend on a number of factors such as the density and even age of the particular batch your working with. Do what I do and grab a sample piece from the pot for a quick taste test towards the end of the cooking cycle. After some practice, I've found that I can hit the 'al dente' mark just about every time!

Weights are in grams!

Once your pasta is cooked to the degree you like it; strain it and then add a pasta sauce of your choice back into the pot along with the noodles. (For this meal, I used Hunt's pasta sauce). Reheat everything for a bit and perhaps even add a small amount of Parmesan cheese to give this meal-a-deal an added flavor kick. There you go! Trio Italiano, ready to eat in only about 15 minutes!

[Take note that this meal is so not a diet breaker! Just make sure that any sides you choose to add are low in caloric impact; like say a salad with a vinaigrette dressing!] In the actual meal that I consumed, I used a tad less pasta sauce (110 grams) and sub'd in Catalina salad dressing and so the whole deal with a salad came in at about 360 calories! A very doable and satisfying repast!

American Beauty Penne Rigate vs Best Choice!

The last time I purchased Penne Rigate at a local store, the American Beauty offering was on sale for just a buck for a one pound (545g) package. A great deal! However, the next time I stopped there, I was forced to purchase a package of Best Choice that also came in at the same weight. The cost, at $1.89, was 47% more costly, however. (Something that caused me to consider buying this stuff only when on sale in the future)!

Am Beauty vs BC

As might be pretty obvious, the Best Choice product (right) had a larger bore diameter more due to the thickness of the wall than anything else. A thicker noodle should take a bit longer to cook and this was reflected in the length of the cooking times; 6-7 minutes for the American Beauty versus 10 to 12 minutes for the BC, (or about the same amount of time it would take to cook regular spaghetti). Each package had a recommended serving size of 2/3 of a cup or 56 grams of product. (I noted that the actual counts of noodles were 69 for the American Beauty and just 57 for the heavier Best Choice).

The question that then came to my mind was one of overall taste and firmness. I prefer my pasta on the al dente (pasta that is cooked to be firm to the bite) side of things, and so aimed for that in my effort at cooking it.

OK. Let the experiment begin!

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Preparation: For this test, I used 6 cups of water in a 2 quart Le Crueset. I added a quarter teaspoon of sea salt, brought the water to a rolling boil and then added the noodles. These were cooked for exactly 10 minutes, with me taste testing the noodles for doneness towards the end of that time. After cooking, I then added about a quarter cup of Hunt's tomato sauce to a sauce pan in which the two were brought together for the first, (and the last) time. That added a minute to the cooking time for the noodles. The only extra ingredient I used was a very light sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. (At ~260 calories, this was a very doable diet styled meal)! Note: I'm not sure where that garlic toast came from!! That, and the tomato juice elevated this meal into the 400 calorie level...

Results: When compared to the American Beauty pasta, I found the Best Choice version to feel a lot more 'meaty'. It went OK together with the sauce and I enjoyed the experience. Still, in the future, I plan to base my selection strictly on the cost factor and will go with the 'lighter' noodle when I can!

Cincinnati Chili with a twist!

For many years, I've enjoyed making a slow cooked chili and then trowing some of that over a nice steaming plate of chili! After adding a couple of topping like cheese and chopped onions, I enjoyed what amount to Cincinnati chili! A true winter time comfort food!

However, being a normal male with a smattering of curiosity, I decided to experiment by adding a small amount of spaghetti sauce I had made earlier using only a small can of tomato sauce and some seasonings! (Is that being a little too nit picky)? Sure, but I wanted to see if there might be some taste improvement to be gained. [Spatula in hand, I marched forward]...

This luncheon styled meal came together very quickly (around ten minutes or so). I had already made the chili and sauce a day before, so all that was needed was to boil some pasta in water, chop some onion up and then sprinkle on a little shredded cheese! I my view, this is very filling Italian styled repast would be great for both kids and old men, such as myself. (If you count pennies, as I do, this is also a pretty cheap eat)!

TASTE: After mixing in some chili into the spaghetti sauce in a 2 to 1 ratio, I sat down and tried to impartially judge the result in terms of overall taste. My immediate reaction was that I liked it. I felt that the taste of the added sauce mellowed out the chili in a flattering manner. I also thought this to be a winning idea, as I'm always on the lookout to find ways to bulk up my meals in a cheaper manner.

CALORIES: If you happen to be twenty something and fit, then you can wolf down all of this stuff you want. If your not particularly fit and or older, then you may definitely want to keep an eye on how much you eat. As a rough rule of thumb, I have calculated that the combination of pasta and chili comes in at about 1.8 calories per gram – so the 150 gram serving equaled out to be about 270 calories. Not all that bad when you consider what I was eating. (Note that 150 grams is a very small amount. I supplemented this sitting by adding in some fruit and garlic bread)!

The caloric low down on a serving of Spaghetti with meat sauce!

Whenever I set myself down to a plate of spaghetti with a meat sauce at lunchtime, I've often wondered just what the caloric impact is for a given serving!

Here are the averaged figures I came up with:

Spaghetti pasta = 3.6 cal per gram (based on using American Beauty spaghetti panel information)

Pasta meat sauce = 3.3 cal per gram (based on my research post)

So, the first task was for me to decide what size of a serving made any sense! As I have been on a diet for what seems forever, I'd long ago estimated that the average tri-meal caloric content I needed to hit was about 500. (That was an averaged figure that would work out to 1500 calories a day, leaving me a few hundred to use for snacks). Eighteen hundred calories was, in reality, a top limit for a male over the age of 60. At least for one who wanted to lose a few pounds a month.

OK, now assuming the meal would consist of only the pasta and sauce, I wondered what a 500 calorie deal would look like? OK. Let's assume I went for 100 grams of pasta. That would equate to 360 calories right there. Now, to be under that 500 mark, I could therefore apply about 40 grams of sauce (or 132 calories) for a grand total of 492 calories for the entire meal-a-deal! This seemed a livable portion. Note: One of the fun things to do on any diet is to cheat! (Something I do quite often)! I therefore added a slice of garlic toast and found myself in culinary heaven! what a great lunch! Then, I started to wonder about what I was going to have for dinner....

Stretching that chili, Cincinnati style!

If you've ever found yourself with just a small amount of chili left over in the fridge, you know almost enough for a meal, but not quite... then it's time to go 3-way!

I let some pasta come to the rescue! Spaghetti is filling, cheap and easy to make! Add a small amount to act as a base, throw on the chili and top with some shredded cheese for a dish known as Cincinnati 3-way chili! Delicious!

What! Another pasta meal!!

Yeah, it seems that Wednesday is going to be another spaghetti day! That's especially true when you have leftover sauce that needed to be used up!

When it comes to spaghetti (or any pasta for that matter), and in spite of the bad nutritional press it gets from time to time, a moderate amount on your plate ain't all that bad for you. Here's some facts:

Carbohydrates like pasta provide glucose, the crucial fuel for your brain and muscles. Pasta is an excellent source of complex carbs, which provide a slow release of energy and thus have a relatively low glycemic impact. Unlike simple sugars that offer a quick, yet fleeting boost of energy, pasta helps you to sustain energy, and that's a good thing. In addition, pasta is very low in sodium and is cholesterol-free! The only rub, in this meal-a-deal, was the garlic bread. I used a mix of butter and garlic salt which makes it a big no-no for anyone with high blood pressure! And that potato! It was a very small potato. Almost a child potato for crying out loud! I like to eat them as they offer a very high level of essential amino acids. When added to a glass of milk, this 500 calorie meal offers up all the essential amino acids a body needs to function properly!

So, the bottom line is to watch the portion amounts as that's what can get a guy, (or girl) into trouble.

Update: August 2015 and I went from 196 pounds down to 178! Of course there was a lot of sweating involved!

A fine midday repast!

Ah yes, there's nothing to help one contemplate their approaching state of morbid obesity like a hearty plate of spaghetti with homemade sauce and garlic bread! (My only stab at culinary sanity was two meager slices of pineapple).

In my defense, I had just finished viewing a TV program on how to correctly make pasta. It was a YouTube program entitle 'You're Doing It All Wrong'. (Or was that the one about sex)? Either or, I found the tips to actually work pretty well and thus enjoyed a fine midday feast. As to my current state of heftiness, I'll just have to get used to snide comments such as 'gee mister how far along are you anyway?'

Critique: Ronzoni Tri-Color Rotini!

Not only is this little corkscrew shaped pasta colorful, but the packaging assures one that it is also enriched with carrots, tomato and spinach solids from 'dried vegetables'!

I made up a batch of Ronzoni Tri-Color rotini for the first time and discovered that you have to be careful as it overcooks quite easily. The package states that 9 minutes is medium al dente, but I found it to be a bit over cooked!

At a cost of $2.49 for a 12 ounce (340 gram) package, the pasta is a bit on the expensive side. Nutritionally, each ¾ cup (56g) serving has 200 calories, so after adding some pasta sauce the total caloric impact can get up there! I generally like to make my own pasta sauce from scratch using low sodium tomato sauce and simple ingredients like onions and bell peppers. This keeps the overall calories in check, although the serving is rather small.

Critique: Healthy Choice Lasagna with meat sauce!

For some reason, the folks at HC decided that they needed to placed the word 'BAKED' in super large words for some reason that is unclear to me. Isn't the dish, by definition, already pre-baked before it was frozen? I mean you don't really cook this entree in just a few minutes in the microwave do you? Sheesh! They also inform the buyer that the lasagna is made 'with meat sauce'! Well, what else would they make it with? Tofu fashioned to look like meat? Give me a break guys. Lastly, you'll note that they are obviously proud of the fact that there are 'No Preservatives'! Duh! That's because this is a frozen product and not a canned one.

Media version vs real thing!

OK, all that aside, I made the plunge and brought one home to try out. Check out the picture of this meal that they post of their web page with a side by side view of the real thing. Hmm. I think I'd like to choose what's behind curtain one...

Nutritionally, what you get for this 269 gram square of pasta, cheese and meat is about 280 calories. (Not a diet buster, that's for sure). And, there was really not all that much in the way of cholesterol or salt (15 mg and 380 mg respectively). Take note that these low levels of sodium and cholesterol are the reason why the Healthy Choice line of products was invented in the first place. It seems the owner of the company was looking for ways to survive his poor cardio-health while still eating what could be classified as 'junk' food. (It also helps to explain why the Healthy Choice logo'd products are generally more expensive than other brands that contain similar meals). In general the less salt there is in a TV style dinner the worst it's likely to taste!

So, it was with some trepidation that I popped it into my microwave set on high for about seven minutes after first cutting a slit in the film cover as directed. There was no stopping and stirring required which I really liked. After the required time had elapsed, I removed it to my table and prepared to dig in.

As to the taste... OK, I must tell you I've had great homemade lasagna in the past. A friend named Sharon Davidson used to made me some of the finest lasagna I've ever tasted. (A true culinary experience by which I judge all others that came after). This offer by Healthy Choice was no where near that! Was it edible? Sure. I'd give it a 6 on a scale of 10, to give everyone some idea of how I felt. Would I spend $3 buck on it again. Maybe...