More calcium, Owl cupcakes and chicken wellington

Spinach and cheese stuffed Chicken ‘wellington’

Food Diary (October 30, 2011)

Breakfast: Semolina porridge with plums

Lunch: Spinach and cheese stuffed chicken ‘wellington’, pickled apple salad

Dinner: Yellow peas in tomato sauce with polenta bread

Baking/sweets:

The chicken wellington was a twist of the more popular beef wellington. Chicken replaced beef, sourdough bread dough replaced puff pastry, and spinach and cheese replaced duxelles.  Pretty much everything was replaced except for salt. The sourdough 'cover' was not buttery and crispy like puff pastry but overall the dish was tasty.

Today's Favourite Photo

Source: Bon à croquer

Owl cupcakes

Today’s Favourite Blog

Source: Care2

The article says that keeping your bones strong is key to preventing osteoporosis, the bone loss that leads to poor posture, back pain, hip fracture, and many of the other problems that can sideline us as we age. Calcium is important for sure. Here are “9 sneaky ways to get more calcium”:

1.      Cheat with treats: Check the calcium content of frozen yogurt. Even commercially processed frozen yogurt contains 200 to 300 milligrams per cup — less than regular yogurt (300 to 400 milligrams) but still impressive. Another suggestion is to use evaporated milk when making treats such as cakes. One cup contains 660 milligrams of calcium.

2.      Make some cheesy main dishes: Cheeses are excellent sources of calcium

3.      Focus on fortification: Many foods are now fortified to help boost calcium intake. Orange juice, breakfast cereals, soy milk, and any food labeled “calcium fortified” provide great ways to sneak calcium into your diet unnoticed.

4.      Soak up the soy: Calcium-fortified soy milk actually has more calcium in it than milk — up to 400 milligrams a cup. And recent studies show that the calcium in soy milk is as easily absorbed as that in regular milk. Sneak in more calcium by snacking on fresh or dried soybeans, too. Tofu is also calcium-rich: One half-cup serving contains 250 milligrams, which is 25 percent of your daily needs. For still more calcium, choose tofu that’s preserved with calcium sulfate, making it an even better bone-builder.

5.      Green your diet: Kale, broccoli, lettuce, bok choy, cabbage, and other leafy greens are great sources of calcium. The problem is, the calcium in greens is not as easily absorbed as that in dairy if the greens contain naturally occuring substances called oxalates. Spinach, chard, and beet greens are higher in oxalates. It’s not a big issue unless you’re getting most of your calcium from nondairy sources. If so, try creating calcium-rich combinations, such as a spinach or lettuce salad topped with sesame seeds or beans (also good calcium sources) and cheese.

6.      Make your calcium supplement a combo pill: Having adequate magnesium stores is crucial for calcium absorption. In fact, research shows that high levels of calcium and low levels of magnesium can actually contribute to bone loss. Balance is key, too: Experts recommend a 2-to-1 ratio of calcium to magnesium. If you’re taking 1,000 milligrams of calcium a day, you need 500 milligrams of magnesium. One more thing: Your body can only absorb about 500 milligrams of calcium at a time; it excretes the rest. So you’re better off taking a calcium supplement in smaller doses twice a day, morning and evening. Calcium carbonate must be taken with meals, and you can take calcium citrate with or without food.

7.      Accompany calcium with vitamin D: Vitamin D is crucial to bone health, and it has a synergistic relationship with calcium. Research shows we lose 2 to 4 percent of our bone density during the winter due to vitamin D deficiency. To combat that, most experts now recommend getting 15 minutes a day of sunlight to help your body build vitamin D naturally, and taking at least 1,000 IUs (International Units) of vitamin D — usually you’ll need a separate supplement to get enough.

8.      Cut down on coffee (or drink lattes): Too much caffeine can weaken bones by increasing the rate of calcium excretion. Avoid this risk by limiting yourself to two cups a day. If you have trouble giving up extra cups of coffee, you can mitigate the calcium loss by choosing a latte or café au lait or adding a few tablespoons of milk or cream (not nondairy creamer) to your coffee.

9.      Beware of high-protein diets: Diets high in animal protein can actually leach calcium from your bones. That’s because protein is broken down into components that are acidic, and your body uses calcium to buffer them. If you eat a lot of red meat and eggs (in one to two meals per day), you’re even more likely to need to boost your calcium intake.

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