Week 8 Day 1 Artichokes?

I have mentioned artichokes in previous menus but I haven't really said anything about them yet. I've grown up eating them a lot back home and love them! But they are unfortunately quite pricy here on the West Coast... I am also a bit amused every time I get to the cashier: he would hold the vegetable (flower?) in his hand, tilt his head side ways, and finally give up and ask "what is this thing?" because he doesn't know what to input on his screen.

PREPARING ARTICHOKES

Artichokes are really easy to cook. You basically rinse it with water to get rid of any superficial dust, then put it to boil for about 15mn for a small artichoke, up to 25mn for a big one. They are ready when you can grab a leaf from the middle and it stays in your hand (just watch out for the thorns at the leaf tip). You then serve it with any dip you'd like - I usually use low-fat olive oil mayonnaise. You can also keep the boiling water for other dishes (my mom drinks it as a tea).

To eat the artichoke, hold the leaf on the side of the thorn tip and dip the other soft end in the dip. Then place in your mouth between your teeth and gently "scrape" the delicious flesh from the leaf. Any part that is tough and doesn't "give" with this motion should be discarded. Continue until all the leaves are gone.

When you get to the heart of the artichoke (my favorite part!), you remove all the fuzzy hair that is inedible, and you are left with a big hearty piece of artichoke flesh to dip in your remaining sauce!

I think artichoke are great on fast days. They are relatively low calories (between 60 calories for a small one, up to 90 calories for the giant - scarily huge - ones) and it takes time to eat so your brain actually thinks you've had loads! A great snack if you like to munch in front of the tv for a while.


Menu Week 8 Day 1


Breakfast: approximately 146 calories
- 1/2 cup of egg whites (equivalent to 4 egg whites)
- 1 korean rice cracker
- 1 mini-babybel cheese


Lunch: approximately 192 calories
- 3oz chicken breast strips
- 3 cups of salad
- 7 grape tomatoes
- 1 tsp olive oil balsamic vinaigrette
- 1 date sliced


Dinner: approximately 185 calories
- 1 medium artichoke
- 1/4 cup egg white (equivalent to 2 egg whites) + 1 full egg beaten into an omelet
- 1/2 tbsp low fat olive oil mayonnaise


Total for the day: 512 calories