adamwa's Profile

Display Name: adamwa
Member Since: 1/27/09

Latest Comments...

cortney reminded me of one of my fav low carb foods is lettuce wraps! to make it even cheaper i dice up a whole pint of mushrooms and saute them till they have lost a lot of moisture, it really bulks up the lettuce wraps when mixed with ground meat and a lot of other veggies.

another thing i just remembered is Pasta Zero look for it by the tofu and stuff. My local grocery just started selling it. Its some kind of soy product made into noodles. Its not the cheapest but its pretty filling and great to have around for when you want something really noodly (sorry but zucchini or spaghetti squash never cuts it for me!)


Ideas for Low-Carb, Budget-Friendly Meals That Satisfy? Good Questions
5/15/13 12:48 AM

Im on a similar diet and have a hard time filling up as well. It can be challenging sometimes to get full on a single dish. I've come to rely on quick side dishes/starters to my meals that help me fill up. Just buy whatever veggie/greens are on sale and saute/slaw/salad it. Add some nuts or some dried fruit (sparing on that) for extra interest/texture/flavor. Mix a jar of home made salad dressing for it.

Dont forget hummus/bean spreads can be pretty low carb friendly with veggies for dipping. Great appetizer/snack.

cabbage is great and almost always cheap, it can be a perfect vehicle for stir fry, meat sauce, etc.seems to keep me feeling fuller than other greens. check out this round up of cabbage preparations: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/03/17/magazine/cabbage-recipes.html?ref=magazine

Depends on your diet but if you can get away with a sweet potato once in awhile then those can be very filling too. They are really complex carbs and nutritious.


Ideas for Low-Carb, Budget-Friendly Meals That Satisfy? Good Questions
5/14/13 5:05 PM

at this point i only grow a few herbs, and the rest of the plants are ornamental. I tried for a few years with lettuce/greens, container tomatoes, and carrots etc and the effort i put into them wasnt worth the yield and wasnt very attractive on the balcony either.

Herbs are great, ill do mint, basil, cilantro, scallions etc.


Calling Small Space Cooks Who Garden: What Do You Grow & How Do You Do It? Reader Intelligence Request
5/2/13 6:22 PM

@LSUgrad03 is absolutely right. Even without kids sometimes the change in routine is enough to send dinner to the back burner. Whenever my partner or I travels and leaves the other home dinners usually look a lot different than when its a normal week.


4 Pizzas and a Burrito:
What They Eat When I'm Away

4/29/13 2:42 PM

i have two 6 cupcake pans so im in the same boat, i always just leave it out and they seem to cook up fine


Advice for Making Multiple Batches of Cupcakes with One Pan? Good Questions
4/4/13 4:58 PM

anyone have a good resource for used bikes in denver?


15 Sources for Bicycles & Bike Accessories
4/3/13 5:18 PM

i think 30 min is realistic, it reminds me of artisan bread in 5 min a day approach - sure you spend more that 5 minutes making the dough but if you do prep work in bulk and then divide it out over the days it will serve you, i do think its very possible to make a meal in 30 min active prep time per day.

I spend about 15 minutes a week meal planning and making a rough menu, i can then go shopping and when i get home i know what im making and how to prep it. Doing a lot of prep work at once saves a lot of time. Ill divide up my proteins since i often buy meat in bulk, cut/trim them appropriately, even get tonight and/or tomorrows dinner marinating if need be. I can also plan for leftovers and how to tie the meals together.

A good example of this is roast a chicken one night, throw the carcass in the crock pot with extra stuff overnight, and i have a delicious fresh stock to make a simple soup with the next night. Chicken and rice soup from scratch is then, no joke, 15 min away if you have some frozen rice in your freezer (i always do) and some meat from the night before.

That being said, often i find myself more in the 45 min - 1 hour bracket because i like to try new things and enjoy making a variety of things for meals, but on busy weeks i can totally make it happen in 30 min or less if i need it too.


How Real is the 30-Minute Meal? Reader Discussion
3/19/13 2:38 PM

great list, I have lately been a big fan of green onions too, they seem to work on almost anything. Lately i buy 2 bunches every week.

I agree with a lot of other comments: cans of beans, canned tuna, sesame oil, parmesean cheese, frozen bacon, frozen shrimp, chorizo, - i usually have several of those on hand for quick dinners.


The 12 Best Items to Always Have on Hand for Quick, Healthy Suppers
3/18/13 1:59 PM

haha ive been eyeing the cart for awhile too trying to justify it...


The 10 Best Kitchen Items To Buy at IKEA
3/14/13 2:51 PM

i have this one too in yellow, its also chipped around the rim and stained inside, but it works just fine still as far as i can tell. $300 for a pot will probably never be in my budget (id rather buy a plane ticket to somewhere for that!)


My Uncool Kitchen Tool: A Not-As-Good-As-Le-Creuset Dutch Oven
3/1/13 12:50 PM

hmm no idea, i was afraid of this too when i moved into my condo with original 1950's cabinets. My best guess tho, is they probably hold more than the cheap new particle board ones do. I have my loaded up and they haven't budged. You could always weigh them and test load them with something else...


How Can I Tell If My Dishes Are Too Heavy for My Shelves? Good Questions
2/28/13 3:06 PM

yah also happy to see more denver people! ive always thought AT needed more downtown denver tours, the last few CO ones have been in the burbs.

Great place!


Kathryn & Perry's \"Have Less Do More\" Apartment House Tour
2/20/13 1:21 PM

This is a great visual to help show people how stuff balances out. A few years ago i went thru a calorie counting phase just to better educate myself. Its scary how fast they can add up, especially with refined and processed foods!


What Does 200 Calories Look Like?
2/20/13 11:40 AM

as a denver native it will be interesting to see how this goes. I know the market has changed a lot in the past few years but it is still very realistic to still find a 1 bedroom 500-600 square foot apartment closer to downtown than 2 miles for that same price. $500-700 will get you a studio or even one bedroom in cap hill or uptown. Not to mention everything in cap hill is cheaper than highlands/riverfront where im assuming this will be.


Denver Joins the Micro-Apartment Trend with New Competition Design News 02.20.13
2/20/13 11:07 AM

i saw this on smitten and tried it, it works pretty well! Its really not that time consuming either. Ill do it when im catching up on an episode of something, in 20 minutes to can peel a lot of chickpeas - bear in mind as deb illustrates squeezing them out of their skin takes no thought, effort, you dont even need to look at them.


Smitten Kitchen's Tip for Incredibly Smooth Hummus: Have You Tried It?
2/19/13 3:35 PM

i didnt realize rachel ray did this but i somehow defaulted on this too, in my small kitchen there is no convenient trash bin by where i usually prep stuff. I usually just grab any old dirty dish or some bag or container that is already destined for the trash and pile things up in there


Garbage Bowls: Why We Love This Underappreciated Kitchen Tool
2/19/13 11:11 AM

fried rice is the top of my list too, also a pasta carbonara, chicken stir fry, simple quesadilla filling, tuna salad - really most of the "by heart" stuff is really more of a "use what you have" kind of thing - a basic template and using whats in the fridge/pantry


10 (More) Recipes To Know By Heart Recipes from The Kitchn
2/18/13 12:39 PM

Only once I trudged into my local (luckily 24 hour) super market at about 2 am to return a bunch of bad chicken - i had bought about 8 lbs of chicken thighs for a large dinner party the next night and was about to get them marinating before i went to bed and when i opened the package you wouldn't believe the smell. The store replaced it.

Even though the grocery is just a few blocks away I wont head back immediately unless I absolutely have to. It doesnt hurt to give them a call and let them know the problem tho as soon as you know it, usually they will offer a replacement on your next visit.


Have You Ever Returned Something to the Grocery Store?
1/31/13 5:36 AM

no pc compatibility?


Paprika: The Recipe Organizer App I've Been Looking For Product Review
1/30/13 8:21 AM

my partner and i have our birthdays within days of each other so we usually celebrate them together with friends on a convenient date. Its important to us that everyone who wants to come can, so we usually opt for something casual and we foot the bill. No presents required come as you are leave when you want. Usually its just pizza, alcohol, and cake at our place. I have a bit of fun with the cakes and try out something novel usually. Otherwise its a really stress free and good time. I cant imagine making a big bother of it. It's just fun to have all your friends in one place! Birthday is just a convenient excuse to guilt them all into coming!


Grown Up Birthdays: What Does a Party Mean to You?
1/30/13 7:07 AM