Week 2: Dedication Casserole

Recipe: Dedication Casserole by Joanna Gaines, in Magnolia Table cookbook

Reflection Questions:

1.     Write a thoughtful comparison of all three plates. Discuss three similarities. Discuss three differences. What questions do the similarities and differences between the three plates raise for you? What things are new and surprising?  Is there anything about the plates you strongly agree or disagree with? 

Similarities:

1)    All three resources believe that each of our plates should be half fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, they believe that there should be a little more emphasis on vegetables than fruit.

2)    The three resources also believe that the other half of our plate should consist of grains and protein, with the portions of each being about equal.

3)    Another similarity is that all three suggest eating at least a little bit of dairy each day.

Differences:

1)    The Center for Body-Mind Medicine suggests that we incorporate starchy vegetables, such as potatoes and corn, into our diets. Harvard suggests that we avoid things like potatoes and French fries. I personally agree that we should avoid French fries, but I think it’s okay to consume sweet potatoes and regular potatoes in moderation.

2)    Both The Center for Body-Mind Medicine and Harvard suggest that we eat some healthy oils, such as olive and canola oil, each day. The USDA, on the other hand, does not recommend that we consume any healthy oils (or at least it isn’t incorporated in their plate). I think it’s important that we incorporate these oils in our diet, not only to keep things balanced, but also to help enhance the flavors in our food.

3)    It seems that The Center for Body-Mind Medicine highlights incorporating healthy fats (such as avocados, coconut, nuts, seeds, and olives) into our daily diet, but the other 2 sources don’t mention this at all. I agree that it’s important to consume healthy fats for the same reason as oils—flavor and balance.

It was surprising to me to read on the Harvard plate that we should avoid cold-cut meat because it’s processed. I’ve always thought that cold-cut meat was just as healthy as whole meat, but apparently not. This raises a question—what makes cold-cut meat so much more unhealthy and what’s the true different between that and regular meat?

I was also surprised that the suggested serving of fruit is actually smaller than the suggested servings of protein and grains. I figured experts would suggest we eat more fruit. This makes me wonder, why is the suggested serving size of fruit so small? My guess is that it’s because there is so much natural sugar in fruit, and if we overconsume them, it can be bad for us.

I strongly agree with the comment that both Harvard and The Center for Body-Mind Medicine made, regarding sugary drinks. Each of these sources state that it’s important to stay hydrated through water and other unsweetened drinks, and to overall avoid sugary drinks. I think this is very important because consuming that added, artificial sugar is not good for your body and cause you to gain weight. Therefore, it’s important we avoid it in the beverages we’re drinking on a daily basis.

2.     For your home cooking assignment* this week, prepare a "go-to" meal that represents a typical meal you often make.  Choose a "Plate" or USDA Dietary Guideline that you most prefer, and explain how your "go-to" meal does or does not fit into the recommendations. What modifications would you make and why?  Why did you choose the "Plate" or Dietary Guidelines that you did?  

Whenever I meal prep for the upcoming week, I typically like to make something easy, that makes a lot of servings. I also like to ensure my food incorporates a good balance of veggies, grains, proteins, and fruits. This week I decided to meal prep a casserole that I found the recipe for in one of my cookbooks—Dedication Casserole by Joanna Gaines, in the Magnolia Table cookbook. Here is a picture of the recipe, along with a picture of my ingredients laid-out:

While cooking this meal, I didn’t really have anything go wrong. I followed the recipe exactly, except that I used a 9 x 13 x 2-inch pan, instead of a 9 x 13 x 3-inch pan. I was slightly worried that all the food wouldn’t fit into my pan, but it ended up fitting just right.

The first step was to cook the rice. Once that was done, I basically just had to mix in all the other ingredients with the rice and pour it all into the casserole dish. Once it was in there, I sprinkled the cheese on top, and stuck it in the oven for about 35 minutes. It came out and was cooked thoroughly. I sprinkled the last bit of tarragon on top, and served it to myself and my two roommates. My roommates seemed to absolutely love the dish and wouldn’t stop complimenting me on it. I personally enjoyed it a lot too, but one thing I would’ve done differently is to pass on adding more fresh tarragon to the top of the casserole, after I pull it out of the oven. The fresh tarragon pieces on-top were pretty strong, and detracted from the rest of the ingredients in the casserole. I also ate my serving of casserole with a banana.

My meal overall resembles the Harvard plate pretty well. I had a decent amount of vegetables in the dish with the artichokes and water chestnuts. I had chicken in there for protein, and the rice was my grain. Additionally, I had shredded cheese and cream cheese to satisfy my serving of dairy for the day, and I also ate a banana to incorporate fruit. One thing that didn’t align with Harvard’s plate very well is the proportion of veggies to grains, in the overall plate. I would say I definitely had a larger serving of rice than of the veggies in the casserole, and this should have been vice versa. Therefore, if I were to make this again, I would try to incorporate more veggies and maybe a smaller portion of rice.

I chose the Harvard plate as my favorite because I really agree with almost all of the statements they make in their category descriptions. I agree with their portion sizes, the groups of foods they suggest to eat, and especially with the certain foods they suggest to avoid (e.g. sugary drinks, bacon, butter, etc.). I feel like the values of the Harvard plate align with my personal dieting values very well.