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Saturday, December 29, 2012

What that traditional Southern "New Year's Good Luck dinner could cost you!!

One of the old sayings is that whatever you do on New Year's Day you will do the rest of the year?  So why not start with the "traditional" Southern "New Year's Good Luck Dinner?"

Country Ham
Blackeyed Peas
Collard Greens
Corn Bread


***2 (yes two) oz of average country ham***

  
(WHO EATS 2 OUNCES?)
***1275 mg. of SODIUM or 64% of recommended HIGH sodium (1500-2000)
***200 mg. of CHOLESTEROL or 27% of recommended HEALTHY HEART dosage
***7 grams of FAT or 14% of daily grams of fat (50 grams)
***110 CALORIES (with all fat cut off) 
(8% of 1500 calories for women and 5% of 2000 for men)
FAT NOT CUT OFF
(Just the calorie count: 160 calories)
(11% of 1500 calories for women and 8% for men)

-vs-

REGULAR HAM (SUCH AS SMITHFIELD HAM STEAK)

3 OUNCES NOT 2

Calories90Sodium780 mg
Total Fat2 gPotassium209 mg
Saturated1 gTotal Carbs2 g
Polyunsaturated0 gDietary Fiber0 g
Monounsaturated0 gSugars1 g
Trans0 gProtein10 g
Cholesterol20 mg
Vitamin A0%Calcium0%
Vitamin C0%Iron2%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.



NOTE:  SOME PEOPLE USE THIS DANGEROUS STUFF TO SAVE MONEY!! 
OMG!!  READ THIS LABEL.   Click on to make larger. Instant death!! 
  • 46 mg. of fat per 2 oz
  • 391 calories per 2 oz
  • 667 mg. of sodium per 2 oz
  • Again!  OMG!! 







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Black-eyed peas


Rumor has it that during the Civil War when the fields were set on fire that everything burned except the black-eyed peas. Of course, they didn't burn; they were green. Dried would have burned. 

1 16 oz package black-eyed peas (Nothing bad in the beans & do contain lots of fiber)
HOWEVER, HERE IS WHERE IT GETS SCARY. 
4 cups of chicken stock (recipe I saw on TV today)
My research on sodium in CHICKEN BROTH:
  • CVS drug store brand     1100 mg. of sodium per cup so that is 4400 mg of sodium divided by 6 servings of beans = 733 mg. of sodium.
 

Recommended sodium dosage is 1500 to 2000 PER DAY FOR ALL FOODS. 

I have placed photos I have taken with my camera phone at the store or at home.

 

 



WINNER:  YEAH!!  PROGRESSO MAKES AN UNSALTED VERSION.  ALSO FIND OUT THAT WHEN COMPANIES SAY 25% LESS OR 33% LESS THEY CALCULATE FROM DIFFERENT NUMBERS. 25% OF WHAT; 33% OF WHAT.  You say it probably doesn't have much flavor. You are cooking in it, not drinking it.   The unsalted has 125 mg of sodium per cup. That computes to 83 mg. of sodium per serving vs. 733 mg of sodium.  (NOTE: I have used the two extremes in chicken broth sodium levels)

Remember, SODIUM
  • causes high blood pressure which can cause strokes and heart attacks
  • does damage to your liver
  • and MORE!!
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Another study on TASTES of chicken broth LINK BELOW:



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No sodium or fat in the collard greens unless you had country ham or side meat SO DON'T ADD AND DON'T ADD SALT AND DON'T ADD SUGAR!! THAT IS NOT THE PROPER WAY TO COOK COLLARD GREENS. Remove stems, tear up and cook in pot for and hour. Drain off water and fill with fresh water. Cook another hour; drain off water and add 3rd amount of water. Sprinkle a little baking powder to remove the final bitterness.  Sugar is just a disguise for the bitterness and adds CALORIES. 

  

Link for collard green recipe. If you don't have the dark sesame oil just leave it out.  This recipe only has 7 grams of fat and 3 mg. of sodium per serving. 


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Corn bread is another sodium trap.  Martha White boxed commercial corn bread mix has:

White Cornbread Mix - Martha White

www.marthawhite.com/products/detail.aspx?catID=292...
Sweet Corn Custard Cornbread ... Saturated Fat 0g0%; Trans Fat 0g; Cholesterol 0mg0%; Sodium 500mg21%; Total Carbohydrate 21g7%; Dietary Fiber 2g6% ...


 

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Summary:

Normal meal servings of sodium & fat & calories

  • 2 ounces country ham

 ***1275 mg. of SODIUM or 64% of recommended HIGH sodium (1500-2000)
***200 mg. of CHOLESTEROL or 27% of recommended HEALTHY HEART dosage
***7 grams of FAT or 14% of daily grams of fat (50 grams)
***110 CALORIES (with all fat cut off) 
(8% of 1500 calories for women and 5% of 2000 for men)
FAT NOT CUT OFF
(Just the calorie count: 160 calories)
(11% of 1500 calories for women and 8% for men)

1 serving of black-eyed peas prepared with high sodium chicken broth

CVS drug store brand     1100 mg. of sodium per cup so that is 4400 mg of sodium divided by 6 servings of beans = 733 mg. of sodium.

Collards with country ham (see above)

1 serving of corn bread

YOU COULD HAVE FOR THAT MEAL (not counting dessert etc)

  • 3146 mg. of sodium
  • (Recommended daily allowance 1500-2000 mg)
  • FAT & CALORIES - do your own math!!
Same meal prepared with
  • Smithfield ham steak (2 oz)
  • No salt chicken broth for black-eyed peas 
  • Collards with no country ham
  • 1 serving of corn bread - NO BUTTER

  • Equals 
1103 mg of sodium


REMEMBER WHAT YOU DO ON NEW YEARS DAY YOU WILL REPEAT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.  I  HAVE NO WAY TO COMPUTE THE BLOOD PRESSURE DANGER OR THE WEIGHT GAIN - YES, SODIUM MAKES YOU RETAIN WATER AND THEREFORE HELPS YOU GAIN WEIGHT.


Note: My husband is a southerner; I am a yankee. Always ate pork & sauerkraut when up North for New Year's Day. 
However, since he doesn't like black-eyed peas any more and I hate them (this yankee taught my southern husband how to cook collards) we are having 
  • smoked pork butt (new fancy smoker for Christmas)
  • pinto beans (bacon or side meat - small amount)
  • mixed greens (1 tbsn bacon grease per serving)
  • potato salad with Hellman's Lite Mayo
  • Other
for the family. 


Bonne Annee
Happy New Year



Friday, December 28, 2012

Chocolate and Mint

Chocolate and mint are born to complement each other (photos are generic but yummy looking):

  

  

 

Link for Triple Chocolate Grasshopper Mint Sandwich Cookies from bravotv.com


Link for Chocolate Mint Grasshopper Pie from Yummly.com


Link for Grasshopper Pie from Yummly.com

http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Grasshopper-Pie-Recipezaar?columns=4&position=4/10

  

  





Link for Grasshopper sandwiches from sugardishme.com


Several Recipes for chocolate and mint cookies from Cooks.com


FROM THE AUTHOR OF THIS BLOG:  EASY RECIPE FOR 

YOU CAN BUY the following on Amazon if you can't find chocolate wafers or thin chocolate cookies a the store if you don't want to make your own. 

Amazon.com/Nabisco-Famous-Chocolate-Wafers 

Make this easy frosting from Cooks.com and put in the middle of 2 wafers like an OREO. 

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1713,145173-237203,00.html

  

  

 




33 COOKIE RECIPES PDF FROM "WE-ENERGIES.COM"

2012 PDF COOKBOOK LINK BELOW PHOTOS

Photos are generic ONLY: