Noom it up: Bread

Bread has been tricky for me. I get the nutsiest twigsiest bread I can find, and try to just have a slice or two a day.

Dave's Killer Bread is great as is Grand Central Baking (here in Portland, OR). I also get some good stuff at the farmer's market.

I've done well with the Franz Everything bagel and the Franz totally whole wheat English muffin.

I always try to break down the package into smaller portions when I get it home and put most in the freezer: 2, 4, or 6 slices in a package. Double bagged.

The bread itself seems to be ok, but it really seems to wake up my hunger. And I don't have a strong intuition for when to stop.

The sandwich: I usually eat my bread in some kind of sandwich.

Condiments: Mashed avocado, hummus, dressing, the most flavorful mustard you enjoy... 

Green it up: 
Thinly sliced apples, roasted potatoes, cucumbers, ...
Salad greens (I like mine shredded).
Herbs (fresh basil!)
Pickles. (There are pickled veggies other than cucumbers too)

Always keep an eye out for how to sneak in more Greens: Side of fruit; Side salad; Carrots and celery...

Red Rebel Alliance: 
Red foods are not bad, they just need to be treated with care. There are options between LOTS OF CHEESE and NO CHEESE.
Red foods are the most important to weigh or measure carefully since Noom's "slice" may not be your "slice." Once you get the hang of it, you can estimate based on experience. And eventually, just rely on your intuition.
If a sandwich isn't a sandwich without mayonnaise, use a thin layer.

Mix it up: 
Do you love salami, but find turkey boring?  Try Turkey and Salami. Measure, log, pay attention.
Want less bread? Make half a sandwich and stack the fillings. Or have it open-faced.

To log condiments: 
Weigh bread before and after, or
weigh the knife with and without, or
weigh the container before and after.

New to whole grains?
Also, if you are new to eating whole wheat or whole grain bread: slow down while chewing. Give it some time and the enzymes in your mouth with break down some starch and provide a lot more flavor.

Toasted Cheese Sandwich Lesson

Today I had an opportunity to provide a cooking lesson for Rachel: how to make a toasted cheese sandwich.

First we discussed how a toasted cheese sandwich was similar to and different from a pancake: Similarities

• Tools: Same pan, same spatula
• Heat transfer fluid: butter the pan
• Process: Cook, flip, remove

Differences

• You could eat the cheese sandwich without cooking it
• The pancake batter, not-so-much

Sourdough Sandwich Rolls

Started another batch of Classic Sourdough Bread to use to make  more sandwich rolls. I actually started the sponge last night with a cup of starter and three cups of white whole wheat flour plus 3 T of wheat gluten and 1 1/2 cup warm water. This morning I added two more cups of flour, 1 T each of sugar, salt, and orange juice. 

After kneading in the stand mixer it is resting. Next I will divide it into eight parts and form them into balls. They get to rise again in the pan on the silicone mat. We'll see if I can remember to slit the tops before they go in the oven this time. 

The photos are from the last batch I made. Since the recipe is for two loaves, I bake until the internal temp is 190 and I have some nice browning.

The Jason Cristo

The Jason Cristo is my take on a Monte Cristo: Aged cheddar, salami, turkey, ham, bacon, mustard, provolone, in homemade bread fried like french toast.

The Jason Cristo sandwich is a current favorite among the adventurous.