When you're retired, losing and keeping off weight becomes full-time job

We bake, roast or grill a variety of fish fillets from Costco Wholesale, but inexpensive whole whiting seems to taste best when it is pan fried in olive oil, and served simply with fresh lime or lemon juice. Side dishes here are string beans with fresh garlic and black pepper, and sweet plantains. An organic spring mix salad completes the meal.

Editor's note: I am the head of a family of four who go through an enormous amount of food, much of it organic and naturally raised or grown. We are divided among meat eaters and non-meat eaters (3 to 1), and on many days, prepare two different breakfasts and dinners. Since I retired, I've also struggled to lose and keep off weight. 

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

When I retired, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to fill my time.

But I faced a bigger challenge: 

I not only was less active, but I wanted to lose close to 40 pounds I had put on from the stress of a sedentary copy editing job at a daily newspaper in northern New Jersey.

I got a big boost from a trainer at my gym: 

He told me that if I really wanted to lose weight, I should cut out bread and pizza, and substitute such filling foods as sweet potatoes, whole wheat pasta and brown rice.

I also was ahead, because I rarely ate dessert, and satisfied my sweet tooth with fruit.

Stopped eating meat

I had already lost about 5 pounds from giving up meat and poultry, and eating only seafood, so my starting point was 223 pounds.

Bread was my real weakness, even though I had long ago stopped eating one of those enormous Jersey bagels for breakfast every day. 

Favorites were Middle Eastern pocket bread from Fattal's in Paterson, and baguettes from Balthazar Bakery in Englewood.

Part-time jobs

I picked up part-time work, including driving cars into Manhattan, walking and taking mass transit back to New Jersey.

I was eating only two meals a day -- substituting a snack bar for lunch -- and the pounds started to come off.

I lost more than 40 of my original 223 pounds in about a year, but when I gave up the part-time work and started volunteering more, I eventually put on about 10 pounds.

Eating at home

I never leave the house without eating a big breakfast, relying on leftover pasta, quinoa or brown rice to go with an egg-white omelet or a wedge of frittata.

Omelets can be stuffed with a little reduced-fat grated cheese and marinara sauce, salsa or slices of smoked wild salmon.

At most, we eat out once a week and order takeout another night.

But when I cook at home, I prepare large amounts -- 1 pound of pasta, 3 pounds of sweet potatoes or 2 pounds of fish, ensuring a variety of leftovers for breakfast or snacks.

I cook and dress salads with olive oil.

I never eat butter, cream or full-fat cheese or milk, and avoid buying pasta sauces and other prepared food with added sugar.

Bread, pizza

Instead of eating bread two or three times a day, I may have some once a week or when we eat out.

Pizza still is a guilty pleasure every six months or so, such as the 18-inch Veggie Combo I picked up recently at the Costco Wholesale Business Center in Hackensack.

The leftovers are in the freezer.

Now, I see men in the gym who work out week after week, but still are grossly overweight, because they don't follow a diet, such as the one that has worked for me in the past five years.

A 10-inch frittata uses 4 cups of whole eggs and whites, a little low-fat milk, scallions and garlic. Wedges can be served with a spoonful of pesto or organic salsa.

Baked or mashed sweet potatoes are a favorite side dish at breakfast. Here, an egg-white omelet is stuffed with slices of smoked wild salmon and Mexican-style salsa, both from Costco Wholesale.

I often saute organic spinach from Costco or conventional spinach from the salad bar at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center with olive oil, sake and seasonings. Here, I added reduced-fat grated cheese and ate the spinach over leftover organic quinoa with organic beans and diced tomatoes prepared in an electric cooker.

Easy to assemble Icelandic Haddock with Organic Diced Tomatoes, Spinach and Olives is ready after 15 minutes in a pre-heated 400-degree oven. Fresh wild haddock is $7.99 a pound at Costco. Photos below show four easy steps. 

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, add fresh spinach and drizzle with plenty of extra-virgin olive oil. An option is to use sliced mushrooms with spinach.

2. Cut up about 2 pounds of fish fillet, season with Aleppo red pepper and a little sea salt, and place over spinach. Add whole or chopped pitted olives with or without pimientos.

3. Open a can of organic diced tomatoes and spoon over fish. Squeeze juice from whole lemon or lime over pan. An option is to add shredded or grated cheese. Put in oven and set timer to 15 minutes.

4. Plate fish, spinach and olives and spoon sauce over them.

For a pasta-and-eggs breakfast, poach two organic eggs in leftover Classico Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce from ShopRite, and serve with leftover organic whole wheat fusilli. I added olive oil to the sauce, and shredded Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese over the eggs.  

Radish kimchi and other low-fat or no-fat Korean food, including prepared tofu, can be purchased at H Mart and other Korean supermarkets in northern New Jersey.

A 32-ounce jar of Radish or Kahkdoogi Kimchi can be purchased for $15 at Arirang, 1 Remsen Place, Ridgefield, in the H&Y Marketplace Shopping Center, below.

A delicious meal at Romulus in Englewood that didn't need red sauce

Carciofo alla Guida, a starter at Romulus in Englewood, draws its inspiration from Rome's old Jewish Quarter.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

An artichoke completely transformed by frying, al dente pasta in a lemony sauce and a perfectly grilled whole fish were the highlights of our dinner at Romulus, a new Italian restaurant in Englewood.

The Palisade Avenue BYO serves Roman cuisine, which is rare in a state where red sauce flows freely at thousands of Southern Italian restaurants and pizzerias.

On the short drive there late Thursday afternoon, I wondered if I would be satisfied with a meal devoid of marinara and other forms of tomato, one of my favorite foods.

Once we were seated, I noted the menu does list a couple of comfort dishes with red sauce; still, I decided to try the Roman-inspired dishes, and I was glad I did. 

My wife started with a Caesar Salad ($8), and I asked for Carciofo alla Guida ($10), a Roman Jewish specialty of fried artichoke that melts in the mouth.

Our main dishes were Spaghetti Limone ($15) and a grilled whole Branzino accented by a tomato vinaigrette ($25), a fish that was big enough to share.

I stole a couple of forkfuls of the al dente spaghetti, and loved the dressing of lemon juice, zest, olive oil and Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese.

My branzino or Mediterranean sea bass was beautifully grilled, with thin slices of lemon in the cavity, and served over shaved fennel, radish and fresh herbs. Delicious.

Service notes

Romulus serves bread from Balthazar Bakery, which is less than a half-mile away, and I threw out my no-bread diet and ate the chewy crusts dipped in extra-virgin olive oil, as well as the crunchy croutons from my wife's salad.

Don't dress for Romulus, where the host's flannel shirt was worn untucked, and servers were in jeans and T-shirts.

I liked the idea of a waiter bringing us a carafe of iced water, but not having to pour the first glass myself.

We arrived for the start of dinner service at 5, and shared the restaurant with another couple, and a party of 9 women and one man who said they were an Italian supper club.

Branzino with Lemon and Rosemary.

An order of Spaghetti Limone made up in flavor what it lacked in size.

A cappuccino was $6.

We enjoyed a bottle of Kirkland Signature Prosecco, a sparkling wine from Italy ($6.99 at Costco Wholesale in Wayne).

Before Romulus, occupants of the storefront on East Palisade Avenue included The Kitchen and Blue Moon Cafe, a mediocre Mexican-American restaurant that eventually expanded to a bigger space next door.

A pressed-copper ceiling, above; exposed brick walls and servers dressed in jeans and dark T-shirts are among the style notes.

Details

Romulus Restaurant, 21 E. Palisade Ave., Englewood; 201-408-2639. BYO, metered parking until 6 p.m.

Web site: Roman Cuisine

In Englewood, these sushi rolls may be just what the doctor ordered

Spicy Tuna and Salmon Rolls from Maguro Sushi House in Rochelle Park are a recent addition to the fare offered to visitors, employees and volunteers in the cafeteria at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

A hospital cafeteria might not seem like a good place for takeout in Englewood, where you'll find Balthazar Bakery, Jerry's Gourmet & More and Best Dumplings, just to name three terrific options.

But since I began volunteering at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, I've always used my $8 dining card to take home a hearty soup or fresh spinach, spring mix and other items from the cafeteria's great salad bar.

Now, the Drapkin Family Garden Cafe is offering tasty inside-out rolls from Maguro Sushi House in Rochelle Park and other Asian fare.

I liked the Spicy Tuna and Salmon Rolls I brought home on Wednesday afternoon ($8.63), especially the absence of any sweetener.

Ingredients listed are ground tuna and chopped salmon with cucumber, all mixed with a special hot sauce and caviar.

They have proven too popular. I found some on Wednesday afternoon after 4, but when I returned to the hospital on Thursday afternoon, they were sold out.

Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, 350 Engle St., Englewood. Cafeteria is open until 8:30 p.m. Hospital parking is $5.

On Wednesday afternoon, there were two trays of sushi rolls available, above. But on Thursday, the sushi and seaweed salad sold out before 3 p.m. Fried vegetable dumplings also are available at the cafeteria grill.

Giving thanks for crab cakes, red snapper, steak and tacos

My Thanksgiving appetizer of handmade Phillips Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes from Costco Wholesale with Whole Foods Market's Roasted Salsa Verde and a side of organic purple sweet potatoes, which I mashed with extra-virgin olive oil, cinnamon and other seasonings.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

I happily celebrated another turkey-free Thanksgiving this week, filling up instead on great seafood dishes, mashed purple sweet potatoes and an organic spring mix salad with crunchy pomegranate seeds.

And as we did before I stopped eating meat and poultry nearly five years ago, we don't have leftovers from a whole bird, because my wife roasts only the most flavorful dark-meat parts.

I started my feast on Tuesday night with a takeout order of fish tacos from Taqueria Los Gueros in Englewood.

On Wednesday night, I threw together a dish of pasta with sardines, using leftover bottled sauce in the refrigerator and a few ounces of organic whole-wheat capellini, which are just a little thicker than angel hair and cook in three to four minutes in a shallow pan (no need to salt the water).

And for breakfast on Thursday morning, I prepared a 10-inch egg-white frittata with smoked wild salmon and Roasted Salsa Verde from Whole Foods Market.

My Thanksgiving entree was a whole red snapper prepared by a family friend and leftover wild-caught U-12 shrimp from H Mart in Englewood that my wife marinated in fresh lime juice and chopped garlic.

Pre-Thanksgiving takeout

At Taqueria Los Gueros, 48 W. Palisade Ave. in Englewood, we took advantage of Taco Tuesday, when 5 Pastor, Carnitas or Pollo tacos are only $4.99.

But my wife, who ordered the takeout, said the server wouldn't give her any fresh pineapple, an essential ingredient in a Taco el Pastor, and the way it comes when you eat it there.

The Taco Tuesday price is $1 less than what Pastor tacos cost the rest of the time.

She brought me an order of four fish tacos topped with avocado slices, what the taqueria calls Mexican Tacos ($8), but the portion was noticeably smaller than what I was served at Los Gueros in March.

I was in Englewood late Wednesday afternoon and stopped at Balthazar Bakery, 214 S. Dean St., for two $2 baguettes, waiting on line behind six or seven other customers.

Then, I stopped at Jerry's Gourmet & More at 410 S. Dean St., where I was surprised the hordes of pre-holiday shoppers left behind three Meals To Go, those complete restaurant-quality takeout dinners that are cut to $5.99 after 4 p.m.

Organic purple sweet potatoes from Whole Foods Market with conventional sweet potatoes from Trader Joe's. I mashed about 2 pounds of each with extra-virgin olive oil after boiling the skin-on sections together for about 45 minutes. The water turned purple.

Thanksgiving

For breakfast, I prepared a 10-inch frittata with Costco Wholesale's smoked wild salmon. 

This week, my wife paid $15.99 for a 1-pound package of Kirkland Signature Wild Alaskan Smoked Sockeye Salmon, close to the $15.59 the sliced salmon cost in March 2013. This year, the price had suddenly risen to $18.89.

For our Thanksgiving dinner, I started with two wonderful Phillips Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes, also from Costco, and delicious mashed organic purple sweet potatoes.

For $21.99, you get six frozen 3-ounce crab cakes (about $4 each). The first ingredient listed is crab meat.

My entree was a whole fish and wild-caught shrimp with chopped garlic and lime juice.

A few hours later, I had a simple salad of organic spring mix and pomegranate seeds, both from Costco.

The meat eaters in the family really went to town, preparing naturally raised turkey drumsticks from Goffle Road Poultry Farm in Wyckoff, heating up a fully cooked naturally raised ham from Wellshire, and cooking oxtails and rice with pigeon peas.

I drank a red wine from Siciliy.

A wedge of smoked wild salmon frittata with roasted green salsa I made for my Thanksgiving morning breakfast and served over organic quinoa.

This morning, I had pasta and eggs -- a wedge of frittata with leftover organic whole-wheat capellini and sardines.

I used a 16-ounce carton of the 100% Egg Whites from Costco Wholesale with chopped garlic, scallions, grated sheep-milk's Pecorino Romano cheese and a little low-fat milk before I poured it into a preheated 10-inch pan with olive oil on the stove, below.

As the crust set, I added a half-pound of sliced Wild Alaskan Smoked Sockeye Salmon from Costco Wholesale, where a 1-pound package was nearly $3 less last week. 

The frittata finished cooking under the broiler. I spooned on Whole Foods' Roasted Salsa Verde in the last few minutes.

A takeout order of Mexican Tacos from Taqueria Los Gueros in Englewood. Two corn tortillas are used for each taco. The green salsa that comes with them is hot and the red salsa is really hot. You also get marinated onions and jalapeno peppers.

A complete Grilled Hanger Steak takeout dinner from Jerry's in Englewood includes bowtie pasta with pesto, broccoli with garlic and steamed vegetables. Two other dinners contained roasted pork chops.

The price for a Meal To Go is cut to $5.99 after 4 p.m.

I ignored the many temptations at Balthazar Bakery, ordering my usual, two crusty baguettes, still only $2 each 12 years after the retail store opened.

My day boat comes in at Giulia's Kitchen in Cliffside Park

Four plump Day Boat Scallops served over broccoli rabe and polenta at Giulia's Kitchen in Cliffside Park ($24). Scallops harvested by day boats are the freshest around.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

I wanted to have an early dinner at Giulia's Kitchen in Cliffside Park on Friday to make sure the chef didn't run out of fat sea scallops, one of my favorite shellfish.

Photos of the scallop entree were seared in my memory from a newspaper story and on the Living Social site, where I bought a $35 voucher for $70 worth of food.

The dish didn't disappoint: Perfectly grilled, medium-rare scallops perched on top of pleasantly bitter broccoli rabe, a bit of pesto and a cheesy cake of polenta ($24).

But I couldn't help notice my entree had only four scallops, compared to the five I saw in the photos. A great dish, nevertheless.

The Lobster Roll appetizer is served on a much larger roll than elsewhere, meaning a lot more lightly dressed lobster meat ($20). 

Hearts of Romaine is an interesting take on Caesar's Salad, with shaved Manchego Cheese, white anchovies, nuggets of delicious fried eggplant and grape tomato halves, but it could have used more dressing ($8).

Another great salad

My wife ordered Hearts of Romaine ($8) followed by a Lobster Roll appetizer ($20).

I started with another terrific salad, a Beet Stack, which was served with goat cheese on a bed of peppery arugula ($9), and I finished my meal with Day Boat Scallops ($24).

I ordered a glass of Five Rivers Pinot Noir, which cost a reasonable $7.

A salad of peppery arugula surrounds the Beet Stack ($9).

The spacious dining room is in a brick building at Anderson and Grant avenues in Cliffside Park, opposite an enormous hole in the ground that has been under development for more than five years smack in the middle of the shopping district.

"Contemporary Comfort Food" is the phrase that appears with the restaurant's name on the large plate-glass windows.

A Bob Marley soundtrack welcomed us when we arrived for an early dinner on Saturday. Large blackboards list charcuterie and desserts.

First to arrive

We made a reservation for 5 p.m., and got a table in the window.

After a while, Chef Michael Ostros came out of the kitchen to greet us, and I told him I was looking forward to the Day Boat Scallops.

I wanted to make sure they were on the menu. He said he got them from the Hunts Point Market, and I mentioned day boaters from Viking Village in Barnegat Light, on the Jersey shore, are famous for their sea scallops.

Ostros said he would look them up.

Minor complaints

I plan to return to Giulia's Kitchen to try other seafood dishes on the menu, but have two minor complaints:

The bread served with olive oil isn't a match for the high level of food preparation, but that would be easily remedied by ordering crusty dinner rolls from Balthazar Bakery in Englewood.

And some staffers seem inexperienced.

We called the restaurant a few times, and the man who answered the phone asked, "How can I direct your call," as if he had worked in a hotel for many years.

And on Saturday evening, around 5:45, I got a call from the restaurant, asking if I planed to keep my 5 p.m. reservation.

I explained I did -- the night before. 

Details

Giulia's Kitchen, 696 Anderson Ave., Cliffside Park; 201-945-1680. Open for dinner and, starting Wednesday, for lunch. Full bar. Closed Sundays. Free parking on side streets.

Fish tacos, diners, cafe au lait, pappardelle and more

Four Mexican Tacos with grilled fresh tilapia and avocado at Taqueria Los Gueros in East Rutherford, including salsas, lime wedges, cilantro and extra spicy onions from the free condiment bar, below ($7.95).

"Extra spicy" is no idle boast when it comes to this fiery combination of onions, carrots and hot peppers. They are seriously hot.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

When lunchtime hunger pangs strike, I usually reach for one of the energy or snack bars I carry with me.

But on Thursday, I knew I was only a couple of miles away from Taqueria Los Gueros, an informal Mexican restaurant with branches in Englewood, East Rutherford and Passaic city.

I loved the scrumptious Tacos de Pescado or Fish Tacos I had at the Englewood branch, but when I walked into the East Rutherford restaurant, I couldn't find them on the wall menu.

I told the woman at the register what I wanted -- fish, cilantro, onion, salsa fresca and avocado -- and she told me to order the Mexican Tacos, which come with a choice of meat or seafood, fried or grilled ($7.95 for four).

I also asked for seltzer, which was free.

East Rutherford v. Englewood

The East Rutherford restaurant is much bigger and busier than the Englewood branch, and the wait for the food was longer.

Although the tacos were as delicious as I remembered and made with two corn tortillas, I thought the piece of fish was smaller.

In Englewood, where one cook and one waitress work, the place is small enough for her to bring your tacos to the table; in East Rutherford, they take your name and you pick up the tray at the counter.

In East Rutherford, tortilla chips are served with your food, but I gave them back. Four tacos with grilled fish are $8 in Englewood, $7.95 in East Rutherford.

After you get your order, the next stop is to pick up salsas, lime and other additions to your tacos, above. You order at the counter below, where I found the employees both pleasant and helpful.

The East Rutherford branch of Taqueria Los Gueros is in a shopping center at 93 Route 17 south, East Rutherford. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. (201-340-4361). On Tuesdays, some tacos are only $4.99 for five. 

The well-maintained Colonial Diner shining in the rain on Thursday morning (27 Orient Way, Lyndhurst; 201-953-3192).

The interior of the original diner, which is said to be about 70 years old. I stopped there with friends, but didn't eat or drink anything, because I was saving room for the fish tacos I was planning to have for lunch.

About four years ago, this addition was added, and it blends beautifully with the old diner. Check out the shiny ceiling with a scallop-shell design at the far end.

A large bowl of cream of potato soup was $4.10 at the Suburban Diner, 172 Route 17 north in Paramus (201-261-2605).

Mighty Leaf Organic Earl Grey Tea was $2.25 with refills of hot water.

A close-up of the Suburban Diner's Greek Salad with extra anchovies a friend ordered ($12.70).

The 16-ounce cup of Cafe Au Lait comes with a piece of chocolate for $2.75 at Aroma Espresso Bar in Westfield Garden State Plaza, Paramus (use the mall's J.C. Penney entrance).

A few ounces of 100% whole-wheat Garofalo Pappardelle from Jerry's Gourmet in Englewood dressed in Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto from Costco Wholesale in Hackensack with added pignoli nuts, one of the ingredients in classic pesto that also is available at Costco. 

Mouth-filling pasta with pesto

Whole-wheat Garofalo Pappardelle from Italy has gone up to $2.59 a pound, a dollar and 20 cents more than a pound of organic whole-wheat pasta from Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Market.

But those stores don't carry this thick ribbon pasta in whole wheat, which fills the mouth and is completely satisfying, especially when dressed with Basil Pesto from Costco Wholesale.

The last time I enjoyed the dish, I added a handful of pignoli nuts before tossing the al dente pasta and unheated sauce together is the warm pot I used to boil the pappardelle.

The only caveat is you need to cook the pasta about 3 or 4 minutes longer than the 8 minutes listed on the package.

100% Italian olive oil

Finding all-Italian extra-virgin olive oil isn't as easy as it sounds.

Many bottles and tins contain a blend of extra-virgin olive oils from Italy, Greece, Tunisia and other countries.

On Friday, at Jerry's Gourmet & More, 410 S. Dean Street in Englewood, I found a 3-liter tin of Colavita Extra-Virgin Olive Oil made completely from olives harvested and pressed in Italy.

At $20.99, it worked out to about $6.99 a liter.

I also paid $6.99 a liter for organic extra-virgin olive oil from Turkey at the International Food Warehouse, 370 Essex St., Lodi.

Also at Jerry's, I picked up two complete Meals To Go -- restaurant-quality dinners with sausage, peppers and onions, fettuccine in a veal ragu, zucchini flower, heart of palm salad or a vegetable for $7.99 each.

Among the free samples, I loved the Truffle Cheese and the Smoked Gouda. 

Before Jerry's, I stopped at Balthazar, the artisanal bakery at 214 S. Dean St. in Englewood, for a baguette ($2) and half of a sliced batard of Pain de Seigle, its signature rye bread, which is made with beer (1.2 pounds for $3.50).  

$7.99 watermelons

At ShopRite in Paramus on Friday, watermelons with and without seeds were $7.99 each, but the latter were oblong and twice the size of the round, seedless ones.

I selected a heavy watermelon with seeds that a woman rejected because it didn't make the sound she desired when she thumped the end with her hand.

A 64-0unce bottle of Langers Cranberry Pomegranate Juice with no added sugar was on sale for $1.49 or $2 off. But a half-gallon of ShopRite Lactose Free 1% Milk was the usual $3.49.

Last Monday at the Paramus ShopRite, fresh free-range, grass-fed boneless shell steaks from Nature's Reserve in Australia were on sale for $6.99 a pound.

Golden Pineapples and Jumbo Cantaloupes were two for $5.