Betty's Eats

Exiting the Asylum - Review time

2011-05-26T06:48:00.000-04:00

Not sure if when one completes the Asylum workout they are leaving the asylum or should be committed to one for putting themselves through such torture.

I can tell you what to do though if you want to bust your rear for 30 days and not have much to show for it. Wanna know that secret? Well, it's easy, eat like crap! Yup, my diet has been so poor and life so busy that it all just fell apart. I did every single workout for the 30 days but my lifestyle just kind of squashed any visible results.

This does not say anything about the program though. The program is awesome. Probably my favorite so far. Despite the lack of visible results, my core, legs and butt are hard as rocks and my stamina and coordination are much better than before. One of my favorite parts of this program is the focus on the lower back. This has always been a weak area for me (well, actually my entire back and shoulders), but Asylum has improved that by immeasurable amounts. I am beyond thrilled with that.

Where did the program fall short? I think there should have been at least one workout that was devoted to more ab work. Most of the moves do work the core, but I would've like just a bit more ab focus. That is my only complaint.

Also, each workout is under one hour. Thank you, thank you! Who has more time than that? Most of them hovered around 35 to 40 minutes which is really ideal. You'll work damn hard for those 40 minutes though.

Below are my before and afters. Not much difference, but I did promise them and here they are. Day one is the blue top, Day 30 is the grey.

LOL - these look like I took them on the same day and just changed the top - even my hair looks the same! There is a teeny bit of booty lift in the side view though at Day 30.
But, I hope that if you are on the fence about Asylum my results don't deter you from giving it a try. This really is a great workout that I plan to do again.

What's next? Another great thing about Asylum are the hybrid program schedules included. Your DVD set includes a 30 day schedule for a Asylum/P90X combo and one for Asylum/Insanity. I plan to do the Asylum/P90X combo followed by another round of straight Asylum. By August I plan to hit New Mexico with my bikini in hand!

I'll be back...

2011-05-25T09:22:00.000-04:00

Probably not the best time for Arnold jokes, huh?

Anyway, I am just apologizing for being absent from everyone's blogs lately. No apologies for my absense from my own blog as that's just silly, but I really do miss reading and commenting on all the wonderful blogs I follow.

But, after tomorrow I am putting my foot down about all this darn work business that has made me want to stay as far away from my computer when I'm not working as possible. So hopefully that will lead to more fun computer time. Plus, I'm in need of some new recipes. I admit to resorting to a bowl of cereal for dinner way too often lately. And don't even get me started on the bad snacking!

Enjoy the rest of the week everyone, and I'll be back to stalking you via blogger ASAP. :)

Blast from the Past - Burger Season

2011-05-05T12:00:00.000-04:00

Sick of all my workout posts yet? Yeah, I know, it's a bit much. I promise though that I've been cooking up a storm. Just haven't had time to post the recipes yet. But will do so soon. We've had some seriously killer dishes from Bon Appetit and Martha Stewart lately. Mmmm, so good! So don't leave me just yet, they're a comin'.

For now, let's delve back into my first month of blogging and get our grill on. Here's some yummy burgers from way back when. Almost a year ago. :)

One night - two burgers, a salsa burger with guac & radicchio and a surprise cheese slider with spinach & honey mustard. Both of these burgers are Fab-u-lous!!

Recipes obtained from Clean Eating magazine and modified by me.

Amount of ingredients will vary depending on number and size of burgers you prefer:

lean ground beef (I used 97/3)
fresh tomato salsa
low-fat cheddar (cubed)
guacamole (store made or from recipe in separate post)
radicchio leaves
1 tbsp raw honey
3 tbsp whole grain mustard
fat-free greek yogurt
baby spinach leaves
ground pepper

Sliders:
Season ground beef with pepper and combine. Roll into palm sized meatballs. Make an indent with finger and insert one cheese cube. Seal hole and form into patty. Grill to desired doneness (I suggest medium as the lean beef will dry out beyond that - although you can just add more sauce if this occurs). While burger is grilling, combine the honey and mustard in small bowl. Spread on top (or bottom) of a whole wheat bun and add spinach leaves. Top with hot, grilled burger.

Salsa burgers:
Season ground beef with pepper. Add salsa to meat mixture and combine. Shape into patties. Grill to desired doneness. While burger is grilling, spread bottom of whole wheat bun with yogurt and top with radicchio leaves. Spread a generous amount of guacamole on top bun. Add hot, grilled burger and enjoy.

Bun prep:

The finished product (I could not find whole wheat slider buns so please excuse the hiding burger):

Lean beef does NOT mean dry burgers. Hello oozy cheesy goodness:

Full nutritional info unavailable as I modified the recipes somewhat. BUT, 2 sliders will more than fill you and comes in at under 400 calories! Both burgers are an excellent source of much needed protein and iron. The salsa burger brings in just over 350 calories. Using lean beef and avoiding processed condiments knocks the cholesterol content of each serving (1 salsa burger or 2 sliders) to about 60mgs.

Review: My husband and the kids LOVED these burgers. I had a half of each burger and they were both equally delicious. I really enjoyed the honey mustard sauce on the slider and will use this for other dishes and sandwiches (think chicken and spinach on crusty whole grain, yum). I was unsure about the greek yogurt on the salsa burger as I don't typically like it, but oh my, what a good idea! This one was pretty messy to eat but very much worth it. Prep time was minimal. We will be doing this again and again. Who's coming over?

Would love some other ideas for healthy burger toppings.

Asylum Day 10 - Third of the Way to Done!

2011-05-04T12:05:00.001-04:00

Well, today marks the 1/3rd point in my Asylum workout program. Lucky for me, Day 10 is a stretch only day because I am sore today. This workout is killing my upper back and shoulders but hopefully in a good way.

What I can say about this series so far is that it is probably great for athletes looking to improve their game. For people with the will power to follow the diet plan that comes with it, you'll probably get very lean and strong. I though cannot follow the diet, or any diet, so I take what results I can get from just doing the workouts alone and attempting to eat better. Notice I say attempting. We will not mention the 10 chocolate chip cookie emotional eating binge last night or the box of Samoas that disappeared over the weekend.

Results so far - well, I did wear a somewhat fitted tee shirt today with my jeans. I do not usually do that because of those darn love handles. So, I guess my mid section has gone down somewhat. Other than that, any visible results will be hard for me to pinpoint right now as it's been a crappy week and I just feel icky, ugly and bloated. But the workout is fun and has been keeping my attention so that's a good thing.

One thing I love about this is that the workouts are all under an hour, most between 38 and 45 minutes which is ideal. There is one workout called Game Day which is the mother workout and it is about 60 minutes. I will do that for the first time tomorrow on Day 11. Eeek! I also love that the program lasts only 30 days. After that you can chose to repeat it or do one of the hybrid programs outlined in the package which combine Asylum with either P90X or Insanity or just move on to something new. It's too soon to say for sure, but I think the 30 day Asylum/P90X workout may follow for me.

Pics to follow at Day 30. Would love to hear if any of you have considered this workout or what you are doing these days!

You can follow my girl Laura for more in depth reviews and info about each of the workouts in Asylum at her blog, A Mom's Journey to Staying Fit & Fabulous. Fit and Fabulous she is too. Laura has been doing Beachbody workout programs back to back and in combination for over a year and looks rockin'! Go check out her triceps. :)

Have a great week.

Happy Healthy Family - Take a Hike

2011-05-03T09:00:00.001-04:00

My husband and I have decided to put a little more effort into doing things as a family. From here on out, the weekends and holidays that the kids spend with us, we will carve out some time to do something active together. Or at least something that stimulates the mind, body and/or spirit.

Our first attempt occurred this past weekend. My kids were anxious to test out the gear we purchased for our New Mexico trip, so we decided to go hiking. A quick google search for "Bergen County hiking" led us to the Palisades Park website and a list of moderate rated trails. We chose Carpenter's Loop I - a 2.5 mile hike on even terrain with just one rocky descent - as our first official family hike. All went really well and boy was I tired when we got home, the kids slept like rocks that night too.

Packed some portable snacks in our Camelbacks and a cooler for the car where we would enjoy lunch afterwards.

Of course, I lugged my camera along.

My goofy tourists.

Some views.

The hikers.

The wildlife.

Sustenance.

I'd love to use these posts as a way to inspire each other to try something new or to get out there and spend some time with the ones more dear to us.

Tell me, what are your family adventures like? Do you have set times when your family does things together?

Jillian Michaels' Ripped in 30 - Week 4

2011-04-29T10:00:00.000-04:00

Finally finished all four workouts and am putting this DVD to rest for now - I'm sure I'll revisit again when I am more committed.

Week 4 is the final week in this workout series and it did not disappoint. Definitely a thigh and butt week for me. I was feeling the burn! The ab moves are more advanced this week as well. Most of them I could not do due to a back issue but I was able to modify. My only complaint with this workout is the actual ab work. It is only 3 minutes a day. Perhaps though if I was able to do the moves Jillian was doing I'd feel differently, but I really felt like adding in other ab work would've given me better results.

And speaking of results, how'd I do? Well, I really didn't do this workout religiously week after week. My mojo didn't come back until after I did the last workout. For people doing the entire program 4-5 days a week and following the diet plan, I have no doubt there would be awesome results. Even though I didn't follow all the rules and pretty much ate like crap, my butt and legs do feel tighter and my stamina has certainly increased (thank God).

I'd recommend this workout to anyone who's looking for a time saving, doable workout. Looking to get into that bikini next month but don't have a ton of free time? This is for you. :)

What's next? Well, my Asylum workout arrived last week and I couldn't ignore it. I am presently on Day 5 of that workout and love it. So far, no missed workouts and I feel great. Stay tuned for more on Asylum.

Have a great weekend all!! As always, I'd love to hear your workout stories.

Yummy Steak Tacos

2011-04-26T16:07:00.000-04:00

We are a taco lovin' household for sure. Tell my son we are having steak tacos and he'll burn a trail to the dinner table. This recipe, found in Bon Appetit, was delicious. I loved the saucy steak and it made quite a mess while we were eating. The messiest tacos are always the best.

Steak Tacos (slightly modified from the BA recipe)

1 tbsp olive oil
1 skirt steak
1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
3/4 cup canned diced tomatoes with green chiles
1/4 cup raisins
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground allspice
whole wheat & herb tortillas
fresh cilantro, chopped

Heat oil in large skillet. Sprinkle steak with salt & pepper. Add to skillet and saute 5 minutes per side. Transfer to plate. In same skillet, add bell pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Add canned tomatoes, raisins, tomato paste, cumin and allspice. Simmer until sauce is thick, about 4 minutes. Season to taste wiht salt & pepper.

Cut steak into diagonal slices. Add steak and any juices to sauce. Toss to blend.

Heat tortillas and stuff with filling. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with homemade guac. Fresh, delicious and somewhat healthy! 1 large taco or 2 small corn tacos clocks in at 400 calories.

Tag - Easter Party Menu

2011-04-24T12:22:00.000-04:00

I'm a little late to the game here today but I was so graciously tagged by Lyndsey of The Tiny Skillet to participate in a dinner menu game and had to partake. The process appears to be to choose 5-10 recipes from your past posts and create a dinner menu (including links to the past posts and a photo) then choose 10 other bloggers to do the same.

Since Easter is about half over, let's just make it a dinner party for any occasion. I'm such a rule breaker. :)

Here is my kid friendly dinner party menu. Not sure these all flow together to make a nice meal, but then again, mine never do anyway:

Rum Cocktails (no rum for the kiddos of course, but they'll love the coconut "cup")

Shrimp Pot Stickers

Lentil Soup with cornbread

Stout Steak

Stuffed Potatoes on the side

Wasabi Tuna Rolls for the vegetarians

Creamy Peach Pie for dessert

Ten bloggers I'd love to see put together a menu:

Kristy from My Little Space

Bo from Bo's Bowl

Michael from Me, My Food & I

Ev from Mozzarella & Makeup

Little J from Whisk It Good

Lizzy from That Skinny Chick Can Bake!!

Pam from Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner

Julia from No Face Plate

EGB at Mmm Home Cooking

Catherine from Living the Gourmet

Jenn at Jenn's Food Journey

Oops, I think that's 11. Sorry for any double tagging. I have about 300 more bloggers I'd love to tag as well. :) Thanks Lyndsey for including me in this fun project. It was great to look back and some older posts.

Happy Easter to those who celebrate!

Want Some Paprika Shrimp??

2011-04-22T08:14:00.000-04:00

Well, if you do - and you should - head on over to Jenn's blog and check out my guest post. In case you need a little more enticement, here's a little food porn.

Paprika Shrimp = sexy!

Thanks Jenn for the guest post opportunity!

Shrimp & Halibut Curry

2011-04-21T09:00:00.004-04:00

One of my most favorite meals in a while from my new fav recipe source! We did this a while back after my first Fresh Direct order came in. Thankfully, the seafood was a delicious and fresh as it looked. This dish is a great intro to curries. Perfect for those picky eaters (which sadly includes me). You can read more about my attempt to introduce more healthy ethnic cuisine into our repertoire tomorrow over at Jenn's place. So exciting!

For today though, why not try out a little mild curry. I promise, it's yummy (and good for you too).

Modified from a recipe found in Bon Appetit.

3 limes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped shallots
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 tbsp minced ginger
2 1/2 tsp red curry paste
1 13-14 oz can unsweetened coconut milk
1 tbsp fish sauce
18 oz halibut, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 lb shrimp, peeled & deveined
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1/3 cup chopped basil
salt & pepper, to taste
sriracha, to taste

Finely grate peel of 2 limes. Juice same 2 limes and set aside. Cut third lime into wedges.

Heat oil in large saucepan. Add shallots, bell pepper and ginger. Saute until shallots are tender and peppers are soft. Stir in curry paste, coconut milk, fish sauce, lime peel and juice. Simmer, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes.

Sprinkle fish and shrimp with salt and pepper. Add to curry sauce. Stir in a little sriracha at this point if you like. Return to gentle simmer until fish are opaque in center, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Gently stir in cilantro and basil. Serve with lime wedges and rice or noodles.

Under and hour, super wonderfully delicious and just over 300 calories? Yes please. Tastes even better the next day so make extra.

Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 - Week 3

2011-04-20T11:05:00.000-04:00

Sorry I'm a little late with the week 3 review. Had a sore foot for a few days and needed to rest it. But, week three is complete. I'll be honest here and say Week 3 felt like a bit of a break. Sure the moves were difficult and I did sweat, but they just didn't come together to result in a good enough workout for me. Well, except for my triceps. This is triceps week for sure! So that I did like because those little guys are hard to work sometimes. Shoulders and hips also come into play this week.

What I missed this week was all the core work. I felt like Weeks 1 and 2 had a huge core focus (moreso in week 1) even during moves that weren't specifically defined "core" exercises. Hopefully we'll see more core work in Week 4.

All in all though, still happy with the DVD. There are some great workouts in here that I see myself using from time to time as a fill in or for a day where time is an issue. I can't adequately comment on results as I have been pretty inconsistent (ok, very inconsistent) and my diet is still garbage. But I do feel stronger and my core is getting tighter again which makes me happy. With week three down the tubes, I can still wholeheartedly recommend Ripped in 30! JM has a very good sense of what body parts cause the most trouble for women and how to work them well.

Less Guilt Chocolate Lava Cakes

2011-04-19T09:00:00.003-04:00

Hi Hi!! Work has finally slowed down (for now) so I figured I'd reward you all for sticking with me with a delicious guilt-free (well, there may be some guilt) lava cake. Easy to make so go ahead, you can be biting into this gooey deliciousness in less than a half hour!

From The Best of Clean Eating.

cooking spray
1/4 cup plus 1tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup sucanat
3 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
3 tbsp olive oil
1 egg
1 egg white
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tsp vanilla
powdered sugar, to top (optional)

Heat oven to 400. Spray 4 ramekins with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine cocoa and sucanat. Whisk in applesauce and oil.

In a small bowl, whisk egg and egg white. Add to cocoa mixture. Whisk until smooth. Stir in flour and vanilla until just completely combined. No over mixing.

Pour into ramekins and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 9 minutes. They will come out looking underdone. They are not! Let stand a few minutes before inverting on dessert plates. Serve warm for the most warm yumminess.

And Now For the Birthday Girl

2011-04-15T09:00:00.000-04:00

Right after the birthday cake for my son's third birthday, off we went to the hospital to await the arrival of the little princess.

Happy birthday to my little peanut. I hope you have a fabulous day!!

Of course, another journey through pictures. It's just what moms do.

Thoughtful enough to let her brother enjoy his birthday cake, a teeny little chicklet waited just long enough to come into the world so each sibling would have their own day.

Such a petite little flower, I am constantly in awe of your adventurous spirit and strength (clearly your mother's child).

Most of the time super sweet,

But sometimes a little sour,

She's just so cute that even her brother can't pass up the chance for a little hug.

You've got lots to smile about and have given us tons to smile about too. Can't wait to see what the next year brings for you. We love you munchkin.

Breaking the Silence for a VIP Happy B-Day

2011-04-14T10:18:00.000-04:00

I know I haven't been around as work has been nuts, but I HAD to carve out a few minutes to wish my first born a very happy birthday.

I love you my little big man. You have made me worry like I never thought I'd worry before, but we wouldn't change a thing. You are turning into a wonderful and thoughtful fellow.

Life's journey in pictures (a/k/a mom's brag book):

Once upon a time, God granted me a cute and lovable little boy.

He was so wonderful, we decided to try for a playmate. Sometimes she wants to kill him, but mostly, she loves him too.

We've had some seriously scary times but you are so strong, you pulled through with flying colors and have inspired and helped others going through the "Cranio Wars"

You are the family rock star in more ways than one.

You are very much a boy but do clean up quite well. :)

So keep on climbing. The best is yet to come.

We love you! Peace out.

Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 - Week 2

2011-04-08T08:13:00.003-04:00

Managed to get this workout in 4 times this week which was great. The fact that it is under 30 minutes has been my saving grace.

Week 2 left me surprisingly less sweaty than Week 1. I also didn't feel too much post workout soreness. This week focused a lot on the shoulders and back - which are my weakest links. Lots of plank work here. In fact, one of the 2 minute cardio segments has you holding plank the entire time. 30 seconds of plank jacks, 30 seconds of moutain climbers (so hate those), repeat. Needless to say, I found myself on my knees more than a few times in that 2 minutes. Ab work was also stepped up this week. I had to modify most of the moves since a back issue prohibits me from raising my legs (extended straight) and shoulders off the floor at the same time. But it still felt like a good workout and my husband did comment that my butt felt firmer. :)

What I'm loving about Ripped in 30 is that even when you are not doing the ab segments, almost all of the moves work the core in one way or another. A strong core = a happy Betty.

Still not seeing a ton of visible progress with my body but then again, I'm still not eating 100%. We've gotten much better but the baked goods just keep calling and I'm unable to stop at one (or three).

See you next week with the Week 3 review! Happy weekend.

Too Much Work - Update

2011-04-04T21:00:00.000-04:00

Hey all. Just dropping in with a quick note. I'll be MIA for a little bit to tackle some hefty work projects. I love reading all your blogs and responding to the lovely comments left on mine. I promise to be back at it as soon as possible!

Have a great week.

Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30 - Week 1

2011-04-01T09:38:00.000-04:00

My usual workout routine becoming tiresome and never ending, it was time to change it up. I finally opened up my new JM DVD, Ripped in 30.

This DVD brought me right back to where the whole getting back in shape thing started for me with 30 Day Shred.

Ripped in 30 consists of four workouts, each one intended to be done for one week before moving on to the next, more intense workout. I can happily report that Week 1 is in the bag. Each workout this week consisted of three circuits - 3 minutes of strength (3 moves, repeated twice), 2 minutes of cardio (2 moves, repeated twice), and 1 minute of abs (2 30 second exercises). Week 1 left me a sweaty mess even though it was only 24 minutes. My obliques and hamstrings were feeling it the most and I see some definition in my chest from the push ups.

Did I see much progress this week? No. Was it because Ripped in 30 is ineffective? No. My diet is crap! I've been snacking like a bear getting ready for hibernation. Hopefully I can leave this bad habit behind for Week 2. Also, if this darn weather would start feeling more spring-like, I plan to do a bit of evening jogging. The kids and I want to run the Maywood 5K again in May so I need to get ready.

No progress pics yet as I'm Still searching for my get up and go that got up and went before Christmas and I've had three 14 hour work days so far that just totally screwed up my schedule. I will actually probably re-do week 1 before moving on to week 2 now that I think about it.

So, week 2 review next week. Oh, and there is a Ripped in 30 diet you can follow for optimal results. I took a look at it but know it's not enough food for me, but a link is included with the DVD.
Anybody having trouble getting their workouts in? Any new DVDs or exercise programs I should know about?

My 1st Fresh Direct Experience

2011-03-30T09:00:00.019-04:00

When I receive a $100 off coupon in the mail, it tends to attract my attention. This is just what happened with FreshDirect.com. Apparently they now deliver to my area (Northern NJ) and were soliciting new business. With a code for free delivery for two months and $100 off my first two purchases ($50 off each one), I had to give it a try. Restriction - each order had to total at least $125 before the $50 off would kick in (a $125 grocery order is child's play for me so this was a no brainer).

Got my 10 day recipe plan in place and ordered what we needed to make it happen. My order confirmation is below for anyone interested in those types of things (like me). Prices for produce and other weight reliant items are estimated on the initial order summary. My final total was $9 more than the original estimate. So they do get it pretty close.

And here is what arrived at my doorstep between 6:30am and 8am this Saturday (7:3am to be exact)! The best part, no annoying people who park their cart mid-aisle, no long lines, no muzak, no (insert myriad of other things one may hate about the supermarket here). This came out of 3 boxes with the frozen pizzas on top in a plastic bag. If we weren't home and the pizzas were left that way, not sure they would've lasted with all the squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, etc. we have here though so I will always try to schedule delivery when I know someone is home.

So far, I am really pleased with the quality. The veggies look fabulous. To me, this is Whole Foods quality at a slightly lower price, delivered to your door. I love the way the fish is wrapped and everything is labeled. We have some great dishes planned for the next two weeks and I'll comment more on quality and taste after we actually eat it. :)

Here is my original order info email. Final total was $116 at delivery.

Cheese
0.5 lb Cave-Aged Gruyère ($16.99/lb)$8.49*

Dairy
1 Red Jacket Orchards All Natural Apple Cider (1.89 liter) ($2.19/ea)$2.19

Grocery
1 Goya Low Sodium Pinto Beans (15.5oz) ($0.75/ea)$0.75
1 Health Valley Low-Fat Stoned Wheat Crackers (6oz) ($2.29/ea)$2.29
1 Imagine Organic Chicken Broth (32 fl. oz.) ($2.49/ea)$2.49
2 La Tortilla Factory Smart & Delicious Soft Wraps, Multi Grain made with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (10", 6ct) ($3.00/ea)$6.00 S
2 Mission White Corn Tortillas (6", 10ct 7.5oz) ($1.39/ea)$2.78

Heat & Eat
2 FreshDirect Mozzarella Pizza w/ Whole-Wheat Crust (Made w/ Part-Skim Mozzarella), Frozen (about 12") ($6.99/ea)$13.98

Meat
2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs (4-5 pieces per pack, Grade A) ($2.99/lb)$7.18*
1 Skirt Steak (USDA Choice, Hand-cut, Standard Pack) ($9.99/lb)$12.99* (this looks exceptionally delicious)

Organic & All-Natural
1 Organic Leeks, Bunch ($4.99/ea)$4.99
3 Organic Limes ($0.85/ea)$2.55 S

Our Picks
1 FreshDirect DeliveryPass Two-Month Trial (Two-Month Membership) ($0.01/ea)$0.01

Pasta
2 Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Chile (14.5oz) ($1.89/ea)$3.78
1 San Marzano Whole Peeled Tomatoes (28oz) ($3.49/ea)$3.49

Seafood
2.0 lb Shell-Off Cleaned Extra-Large Farm-Raised Shrimp, 26-30ct (Hand-packed) ($11.99/lb)$23.98*
2 Wild Pacific Halibut Fillet, Previously Frozen (MSC Certified) (8 - 10 oz, Hand-cut) ($20.99/lb)$23.61*
2 Wild Striped Bass Fillet (8 - 10 oz, Standard-Cut) ($18.99/lb)$21.36*

Vegetables & Herbs
2 Broccoli (Farm Fresh) ($1.65/ea)$3.30 S (4 very large bunches were delivered)
1 Cilantro (Farm Fresh) ($1.49/ea)$1.49
1 Curly Parsley (Farm Fresh) ($0.99/ea)$0.99
1 Green Bell Pepper (Farm Fresh, Lg) ($1.49/lb)$0.89*
2 Green Zucchini (Farm Fresh, Med) ($2.99/lb)$3.59*
0.25 lb Jalapeño Pepper (Farm Fresh) ($2.99/lb)$0.75* (we ended up with 4)
1 Red Bell Pepper (Farm Fresh, Lg) ($1.99/lb)$1.49*
1 Shallots (6oz, Farm Fresh, 6oz bag) ($2.49/ea)$2.49 (3 large oneswere delivered)

Estimated Subtotal:$157.90*
Tax:$0.00
State Bottle Deposit:$0.00
Order Subtotal:$157.90*
Delivery Charge (waived):$0.00
$50 off your Order!:-$50.00
ESTIMATED TOTAL: $107.90

If you are living in a Fresh Direct delivery zone, you can take these steps to (hopefully) receive the same deal:

Go to freshdirect.com/onepenny and add the delivery pass free trial to your cart.
Select your items and fill your cart.
At checkout, use code NEWFDA3 for $50 off each of your first two orders totalling over $125 before discount.

I am unsure if this is a regional offer so it may not work for everyone. Good luck! If you have any grocery delivery experiences, I'd love to hear them. Admittedly, I could get very used to this and will probably utilize this service even after my discounts are used up.

Cravings

2011-03-29T09:00:00.000-04:00

Am I the only one with cyclical cravings? Right now, I'm craving cereal! Have you tried Post's Great Grains yet? My current fav is the Raisins, Dates & Walnuts variety.

I'm at about a bowl a day right now. Sometimes I'll add a second as a night-time snack. Guess it could be worse, right?

What are you craving today?

Note: This is not a compensated endorsement. Just a post about the random food cravings of a lunatic. :)

Pulled Pork Pizza

2011-03-28T09:00:00.001-04:00

Last week I made a crock pot pulled pork with my husband's homemade BBQ sauce. Of course, we dove in and I totally forgot to take pictures and then totally forgot to ask him what went into his fab BBQ sauce. So, no blog post to document the awesome dinner (although I will say, BBQ pulled pork on fresh, soft egg challah rolls may not be kosher, but holy awesomeness for the mouth). We did however have a TON of leftovers. Then along came Jenn with her Pulled Pork BBQ Pizza. Thank you Jenn! This pizza is inspired by Jenn and the BBQ Chicken Pizza at California Pizza Kitchen. It was delicious.

Link to my husband's BBQ sauce recipe from Eating Well here.

1 whole wheat pizza dough
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1 cup shredded pulled pork
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, chopped
5 oz monterey jack, shredded

Heat oven to 500. Prepare pizza stone or pan with cornmeal or olive oil. Spread dough. Cover with BBQ sauce, pulled pork, pepper, onion and cheese. Cook to desired doneness. That's it. Easy!

Thankfully, the kids really loved this one. My son didn't even pick off the pepper. Progress! Thanks again for the idea Jenn.

Most Popular

2011-03-26T18:32:00.002-04:00

Just checking out the blog stats today and figured it was a good day for a re-post. A re-post of my most popular post to date.

Southern Hummingbird Cake - ah yes, this was a yummy one.

Chicken Calza-dillas

2011-03-25T09:00:00.003-04:00

Tired of all my Clean Eating recipes yet? Well, this one is just a loose interpretation of their chicken spinach ricotta quesadilla. To me, it was more of a calzone in a tortilla. Slightly messy but very yummy. The kids loved the cheesy-ness of it.

8 oz boneless skinless chicken breast
2 1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 medium white onion, finely diced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1 cup spinach, stems removed
3/4 cup fat free ricotta cheese (original recipe calls for low fat)
1/2 cup navy beans, drained and rinsed under cold water
3/4 cup low-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup fresh herbs (flat-leaf parsley and rosemary), chopped
Juice 1/2 lemon
Pinch nutmeg, freshly grated
8 small whole-grain tortillas

Preheat oven to 350° F. Heat grill or indoor grill pan. Lightly coat chicken with 1/2 tsp oil and season with salt and black pepper. Cook to done on grill pan or outdoor grill.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp oil in a large nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add onion and red pepper, stirring frequently until softened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add spinach to pan and stir to combine, until spinach is slightly wilted, about 1 minute. Remove mixture from pan and pour into a paper-towel-lined bowl. Set aside and allow to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese and beans, mashing beans slightly (or all the way so the kids don't see them). Add mozzarella cheese, herbs, lemon juice and nutmeg. Season with salt and black pepper, and stir well to combine. Set aside. When chicken is cool enough to handle, dice into 1/2-inch pieces and add to cheese mixture.

Working in small batches, squeeze excess moisture from spinach mixture with your hands. Discard any liquid, and then add spinach mixture to chicken-cheese mixture. Mix until thoroughly combined. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

On a flat surface, lay out tortillas and scoop about 1/3 cup mixture into center of each tortilla. Fold each tortilla in half, pressing gently to flatten filling evenly, until filling is about 1/4-inch from edge (you want to prevent the filling from leaking out during cooking).

Place quesadillas on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake in oven for 20 minutes, or until filling is hot throughout and tortillas are golden brown and crisp. Allow filling to set for 3 minutes before cutting. Cut in half and serve immediately. We used a little side of prepared salsa for dipping.

From Clean Eating (assuming the use of low fat ricotta): per 1/2 quesadilla: Calories: 290, Total Fat: 7 g, Sat. Fat: 2.5 g, Monounsaturated: 1.5 g, Polyunsaturated: 0 g, Omega-3s: 40 mg, Omega 6s: 260 mg, Carbs: 36 g, Fiber: 6 g, Sugars: 4 g, Protein: 20 g, Sodium: 590 mg, Cholesterol: 25 mg

Mini Burgers done Light

2011-03-23T09:00:00.002-04:00

**DISCLAIMER - Currently having computer display issues which are prohibiting me from accurately determining the coloring and exposure of my uploaded pics. Apologies for the over and under exposed or just plain crappy photos**

We are still working through the list of recipes chosen by my kids from some of my healthy eating resources. This was one of the kids' favorites so far. From Martha Stewart Everyday (Jan/Feb 2011 issue - "the light issue"), are the mini cheeseburgers with oven fries. What's not to like, right?

For the burgers (modified to give the beef a little more kick):
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 tbsp worcestshire sauce
1tsp siracha
garlic powder, to taste
salt & pepper to taste
reduced fat cheddar, sliced
whole wheat dinner rolls
sliced tomato, to top
lettuce, to top

Combine beef, worcestshire, siracha, garlic, salt & pepper. Form into mini burger patties. Heat cast iron skillet to smoking. Cook burgers on both sides to your liking. Top with cheddar. Serve on whole wheat buns with desired toppings.

For the fries:
3 lb large russet potatoes, cut into strips
cooking spray
4 tsp veg oil
salt & pepper, to taste

In a large bowl, cover potato strips with cold water. Cover and soak for at least 3 hours or overnight. Heat oven to 400. Coat two baking sheets with cooking spray. Drain and pat dry potatoes. Toss in a bowl with oil and season with salt & pepper. Bake on sheets until golden brown and crisp. About 45 minutes. Toss on sheet and bake for another 10 - 15 minutes.

So good! I took a bite and ate some fries before I remembered to shoot some pics.

Kids dove right in and had some for lunch two days later. When the patty is reheated on it's own and then added to the other toppings on a fresh bun, it is just as good as the first day.

Rico, straight from the bath, waited patiently for someone to drop some. Sadly for him, nobody did. I did feel bad about the bath though and gave him a little bite when the Mr. wasn't looking.

Am I the only mom who loves watching their kids eat good food? It really does make me feel happy when they sit down to the dinner table and thoroughly enjoy a healthy(er) meal.

Healthier Chicken Parm

2011-03-21T09:00:00.003-04:00

**DISCLAIMER - Currently having computer display issues which are prohibiting me from accurately determining the coloring and exposure of my uploaded pics. Apologies for the over and under exposed, dark or just plain crappy photos**

Last week we had another of my daughter's picks for dinner. Again, from the Clean Eating cookbook.

This is a healthified chicken parmagiana using whole wheat breading and adhering said breading with mustard instead of eggs and milk. It was delicious. The kids could detect the mustard flavor and decided they didn't want to have it again, but this night at least, they ate it.

1 cup whole wheat panko
1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
6 skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 cup prepared pasta sauce
1/2 cup part skim mozz, shredded

Heat oven to 400. Combine first 5 ingredients in a shallow bowl. Brush both sides of the chicken breasts with mustard. Coat with panko mixture and arrange on a cooking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and top with three tablespoons of sauce and some mozzarella. Return to oven and bake for another 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbling.

I really loved the bite of the mustard on this. We only had whole grain on hand so the breading didn't fully coat the chicken but that was ok with me. If you'd like a more even coating, a finer ground version would probably work best.

I love a quickie!!

2011-03-17T09:00:00.005-04:00

**DISCLAIMER - Currently having computer display issues which are prohibiting me from accurately determining the coloring and exposure of my uploaded pics. Apologies for the over and under exposed or just plain crappy photos**

That's right. If there's a quickie opp, I'm taking it! To me, the best quickies take place in the kitchen. But really, no matter where, a quick and somewhat healthy meal is always great in my book.

Here's a quick look at a 10 minute meal whipped up thanks to the convenience of store bought rotisserie chicken (and a long forgotten about Panini press).

The players:
Garlic roasted chicken from Whole Foods
Fresh mozzerella
Red and yellow heirloom tomatoes
Fresh basil
Balsamic vinegar
Whole Foods bakery whole grain bread assortment

I'm thinking the panini press will be used more often around here. Chicken, cheddar and apples may be next!

Care to share your fav quickies?

Turkey Sloppy Joes

2011-03-15T09:00:00.001-04:00

In my attempt to get back on track with healthy eating AND get the kids involved and excited about it, this past weekend I dug out a few of my "healthier" cookbooks and magazines and let them tab dishes they wanted to have throughout the next two weeks. Then we compiled our shopping list and hit the store. It is such a nice feeling to be organized and have what I need for the week. On my fridge is a list of the chosen dishes and in the morning I decide which one we will have, defrost or set up whatever meat we need, and go about my day.

Today's dish rocked my socks! It was chosen by my daughter from Clean Eating's new cookbook. It was nice to finely chop all those veggies and watch the kids devour them. So, I highly recommend the Turkey Sloppy Joes for the fam.

1 cup Yellow Corn

1 lb Ground Breast Of Turkey
1/2 cup Raw Red Bell Pepper
1/2 cup Yellow Bell Pepper
1/2 cup Red Onion
4 tsp Chili Powder
2 cloves Garlic
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
6 tomatoes, finely chopped
1 cup Chicken Broth, Reduced Sodium
1 tbsp Tomato Paste
3/4 tbsp Low Sodium Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Arrowroot
6 whole wheat rolls
Monterrey jack cheese, shredded

Dice red and yellow peppers and onion in 1/2 dice. Finely chop garlic cloves. Set aside.

In a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat, cook turkey until it begins to brown, 3-4 minutes. Add red and yellow peppers and cook, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes. Add onion and garlic, cook for 4 minutes. Add chili powder and salt and cook for 1 minute.

Stir in tomatoes, corn, broth, tomato paste and soy sauce. Increase heat to high and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer,cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Dissolve arrowroot in 2 tbsp cold water. Add sloppy joe mixture at end of cooking time. Stir until sauce thickens - 30-60 seconds.

Toast your rolls in the toaster oven or under broiler. Slap the meat on there and top with some cheese. Yummy!

They are just a tad bit messy. But I really love to see this:

The leftovers were awesome too. Served it one day over whole wheat pasta for the kids and my husband and I took some to work with pita bread for lunch.

Anyone else pick up this book yet?

Powerful Banana Walnut Bread

2011-03-07T09:00:00.001-05:00

In keeping true to my usual self, I've had this lovely Power Foodsbook for well over two months now and just finally got to making one of the recipes. Sigh. We love bananas in this house, so this flax infused Banana Bread was the perfect start to this lovely book. If you haven't picked this up yet, it's worth at least a quick leaf through at the bookstore. The pictures are so gorgeous and appetizing that you'll be craving veggies in no time. Now, on to the bread.

Despite being a "healthy" snack, it was pretty darn good - and easy to whip up. Yay!

2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 whole egg
1 egg white
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup mashed banana (about 2)
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350. Spray loaf pan with baking spray. In a bowl, whisk together both flours, flaxseed, salt, baking soda and baking powder.

In another bowl, with an electric mixer, beat your eggs. Add melted butter, sugar, vanilla and bananas. Mix until combined. Add flour mixture and mix on low until just combined. Stir in walnuts with spatula.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until golden, about 30 minutes (recipe calls for 35 but this would've left me with a very dry bread). Let cool and serve. Or, if you are like me, wait 2 minutes and grab a quick slice for "taste testing" purposes. Can be stored at room temp, wrapped in plastic, for 4 days.

Good Earth Tuscan Chicken Pasta - Review

2011-03-03T09:00:00.002-05:00

As much as I hate prepared or packaged convenience foods, I do have to keep some on hand for those days when we are just rushing around and my brain can only conceive of calling out for pizza. Bad for my wallet and not the greatest for our bodies. Typically, I try to find the least unhealthy things available. We may resort to this type of thing once a month or two.

Last shopping trip to ShopRite I picked up a box of Good Earth's Tuscan Chicken with penne pasta - a General Mills product. Sounded pretty decent. 100% whole grain pasta, zero saturated fat, natural flavors, add your own chicken (cuz prepared foods that contain "meat" totally gross me out) and less sodium than a box of mac and cheese at a mere 570mg per serving, not too bad for a packaged meal kit.

My initial thoughts upon opening the box and removing the contents were wow, there is no way this is enough for 5 servings, which is what the box claims to contain. In preparation, I doubled up on the pasta which I always have on hand and added some chicken sausage in addition to the cut up chicken.

Taste - it was pretty good. I did go back for seconds and the kids ate it without complaint although my daughter inquired as to what the "green stuff" was (it's parsley).

Prep - fairly easy. Although, on nights when I need a quick fix, I'd prefer a one pot or one skillet meal. This required a whopping two as I had to cook the pasta separate from the chicken. Then, of course, there was a colander involved as well.

Final thoughts - if it was on sale or I had a coupon, I may purchase this again. I liked that I could use leftover rotisserie chicken meat rather than cooking up some raw as well. The serving size however is slightly inadequate for our family, so that 570mg of sodium is actually greater based on our actual serving size. The ingredient list was fully pronounceable, I knew what they were and didn't mind putting said ingredients into my kids. Overall, a good thing to keep on hand for those crazy nights where dinner plans just weren't made. This did taste good the second day as leftovers as well.

Food Fest - New Mexico

2011-03-01T10:27:00.000-05:00

The fam and I are planning to hit up New Mexico for our next vacation. Preliminary deets and some really pretty New Mexico photos available here - New Mexico trip. If all things go as planned, we will be heading out west in August.

Of course, being that eats are one of the most important parts of any trip, I'm asking all my lovely readers for any dining suggestions out in that neck of the woods. Most of our trip will be centered around Santa Fe and Albuquerque (I will never get that spelling correct and it will always make me think of Bugs Bunny), but we also hope to head south to White Sands National Monument and Carlsbad Caverns.

For now I know we need to have huevos rancheros for breakfast, try out pizza with blue corn dough, and indulge in some sopapillas and indian fry bread. That's all we have at the moment.

Lisa from Respect the Shoes was nice enough to give me some great places in Albuquerque, but the more the merrier. In return, I promise to post a day by day report of our New Mexico eats upon our return so you can all drool over the yummy goodness. Hello chiles!

So, ya got anything for me?

Day 1...Again. A Workout Post

2011-02-28T09:00:00.017-05:00

Where oh where have the workout posts been? Well, I'll tell ya. Nobody's been working out. I keep starting and stopping. Most recently I made it through one week of P90X followed by two random workouts the following week. And I've been eating pretty poorly. So, since my jeans were quite tight in the waist the other day, I decided to get back on track with a new program that will hopefully keep my attention. The problem before? Dedicating an hour + to workouts. I just can't do it.

The decision was made to go back to the month 1 Insanity workouts. Most of them are under 40 minutes. Perfect. I will do those 5 to 6 mornings a week subbing in some other DVDs here and there for review purposes, and hopefully 3 nights a week I will do some P90X or other strength workouts.

Just to make sure I keep up with it, I am posting my sad Day 1 photos. These were taken immediately prior to starting my first Insanity workout on Saturday morning so please excuse the lack of makeup.

The part I'm most anxious to see leave? The damn muffin top. Oh how I hate you!

Now I know these aren't the worst before photos in the world, but having been in shape and somewhat fit my entire life, I'm disappointed with my body. I'm not complaining and calling myself fat, nor am I striving to look like a supermodel, but I don't feel this body truly represents who I am.

More pictures in 30 days. Hopefully we'll be well on our way to amping up the sad booty, getting rid of the spare tire, and bringing back the muscles! Expect more healthier recipes too.

Am I the only one who's fallen off the wagon this winter? What are you doing to get back in shape?

Almond Cake with Orange Glaze & Spiked Cream

2011-02-25T09:00:00.001-05:00

Perhaps I should change my blog name to Chez Betty's Extremely Totally Fabulous Super Fancy Cooking? Another Bon Appetit recipe here.
Ok, so I'm kidding about the fancy part. Just glad that I finally picked up a copy of Bon Appetit and started cooking from it. We haven't had any fails yet, and the recipes are not as involved as I thought. Although I've heard that they have toned it down in recent years.

As the dessert to follow the yummy blood orange scallops previously posted, I made BA's almond cake. Their recipe calls for a 8 inch, two layer cake with boysenberry jam filling. First, I couldn't find boysenberry jam anywhere. Second, I'm trying to cut back on the icings and such (and I'm lazy), so I made a 9 inch, one layer cake. The result was still fabulous! Oh yeah, and I chose to spike the cream on my own - it was one of those days.

3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp almond paste
1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 large eggs
mandarin orange jam, to top
powdered sugar, to top

Whipped cream
1 cup whipping cream
1 tbsp raspberry jam
1 tbsp coconut rum

Heat oven to 350. Butter 9 inch round cake pan, line bottom with parchment, butter parchment.

Blend sugar and almond paste in food processor until finely ground. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into medium bowl.

In separate bowl, beat almond paste mixture, butter and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated. Fold in dry ingredients and transfer to pan.

Bake cake for 30 minutes without opening oven. Rotate pan and continue baking until top is golden and cake is firm, about 8-10 minutes more. Cool in pan on cake rack for 10 minutes. Invert cake and remove pan. Let cool completely.

Once cool, spread a layer of mandarin orange jam over top. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with whipped cream.

For cream, whip all ingredients until peaks form.

A little taste of sunshine for a dreary day! And this tastes even better the next day when left out at room temperature.

Do You Gastrique?

2011-02-24T09:00:00.001-05:00

Oh, you don't. Well, I do. Yeah yeah, I'm super dooper fancy in the kitchen now. Got my copy of Bon Appetit and well, as we all know, that makes you nearly a professional!

Ok, just kidding. I was proud of myself though. Do I know what a gastrique is technically? No. But I do know that I heated some sugar and then added vinegar and it got hard (and I got scared) and then it got soft again and I added the other stuff and let it reduce (for a heck of a lot longer than indicated in the recipe) and then it tasted really good. So that is my definition of gastrique. For now...

Bon Appetit's Scallops with Blood Orange Gastrique. C'mon, you know that sounds damn good!

Gastrique:
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon Sherry wine vinegar
1 cup fresh blood orange juice (from about 6 oranges)
1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth

Scallops and brussels sprouts:
2 blood oranges, peeled, separated into segments
1/4 cup each (lightly packed) fresh parsley leaves, fresh mint leaves, and fresh tarragon leaves
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Coarse kosher salt
8 ounces brussels sprouts, leaves removed from core, core discarded
20 large sea scallops, side muscles removed

Note: My supermarkets did not have fresh tarragon, so I added 1/2 tsp of dried.
Place sugar in heavy medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until sugar begins to melt. Stir until sugar dissolves, then cook without stirring until deep golden, about 5 minutes. Gradually add vinegar (mixture will harden). Stir until caramel melts, about 1 minute. Add orange juice; boil until mixture begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Add broth; boil until gastrique coats spoon and is reduced to generous 1/2 cup, about 15 minutes.

Mix orange segments, parsley, mint, and tarragon in medium bowl. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil; toss to coat. Season salad with coarse salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add brussels sprouts and toss until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer brussels sprouts to bowl. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to same skillet. Sprinkle scallops with salt and pepper. Add scallops to skillet and cook until browned and just opaque in center, 1 to 2 minutes per side.

Arrange scallops and brussels sprouts on plates. Drizzle gastrique over scallops. Garnish with salad.

Positively delicious! This was an adult's only night, but I do think my guys would've eaten the scallops and maybe a sprout or two since I broke them down into leaves. Neither of us are into brussel sprouts, but breaking them down this way and cooking the living daylights out of them made them much easier to get down. My husband even went back for seconds!

Any first timer "fancy" cooking success stories out there?

Recipe Challenge Final Thoughts & Favs

2011-02-22T09:00:00.003-05:00

Well, well, well, it's done. This post is a little late though as I was recovered from the meat coma I've been in since finishing up Street Food Chicago. Yup, meat every single day. And I was bringing leftovers for lunch too! LOL

Anyway, this was a lot of fun. I loved being prepared each week with my shopping list and bookmarked recipe pages. Despite having to prepare something each night, it was actually easier. No thought involved. This is the one aspect of the challenge that I'm going to continue with each week. Less money at the grocery store on things we may end up tossing and having to use much less of my brain each evening when meal time rolls around is awesome.

Although there were really only a few recipes I truly disliked over the past month, here are a few of my favs. I hope you enjoyed all the recipes over the past four weeks and will dust off those magazines and cookbooks on your shelves, open 'em up and give something new a try!

Martha's chili and focaccia

Martha's shrimp pot stickers (probably the one I'm most proud of and the most time consuming)

Coconut pancakes with citrus salsa from Bon Appetit

Rachel Ray's Sausage & Pepper Pizza

Chicago Street Food's Chicken Shawarma

Which week was my favorite? They were all fun for different reasons. I will tell you that my body felt the best during the Martha Stewart week. Probably due to the "light" recipes? And Bon Appetit was fun because it was new and always so scary for me. Chicago week was great because it was all kid friendly (at least for my fairly picky kiddos anyway). Rachel comes in last. :( Sorry Rachel, it was just a bit boring now that I'm a fancy cooker lady. LOL

Chicken Shawarma - RC Week 4

2011-02-19T09:00:00.001-05:00

Who doesn't love an easy and wonderfully tasty recipe!! Doesn't hurt when it's healthy too. I will say, I never tasted anything like this combo of flavors before. We will do this again.

4 medium chicken breasts, thin
1/2 cup tahini
1/4 cup non fat yogurt
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped parsley
pinch sea salt, pepper, tabasco

Marinade:
1 cup non fat yogurt
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp garlic puree
2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp all spice

In mixing bowl, combine all marinade ingredients, add chicken and marinate overnight.

Combine all dressing ingredients and refridgerate overnight. Yup, a make ahead meal. Woohoo!

Heat grill or grill pan over high heat. Spray with nonstick spray. Place chicken on grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Cut cooked pieces into long strips and serve with warm pita, tahini sauce and tomato.

Chicken & Dumplings - RC Week 4

2011-02-18T09:00:00.002-05:00

Why does white flour have to taste so good?? Yup, we've permitted a bag of the white stuff back in the house for this challenge. And wow, the dumplings here were delicious. White flour + butter + stewy chicken = yummy.

4 tbsp olive oil
4 to 5 lb chicken, quartered
1/2 cup flour

Sauce:
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
6 tbsp flour
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped (I omitted this because as we all know, celery is gross)
1 leek, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 1/4 tsp Polish spice (no idea what this is so I used herbs de provence)
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup white wine
5 1/2 cups chicken stock
dash of siracha

Dumplings:
2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp parsley, minced
3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup braising liquid from chicken

heat oil in saucepan. Dredge chicken in flour and saute in oil for 5 minutes until golden brown. Remove from pot. Remove excess grease from pot and add butter and flour. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Now add garlic, onion, carrots, celery (if you must), leek, mushrooms, spice and bay leaf. Cook for about 2 mintues

Add remaining sauce ingredients. Bring to boil. Add chicken. Reduce heat and simmer with pot slightly covered for 1 hour. After 45 minutes, remove 3/4 cup of cooking liquid and reserve for dumplings.

After 1 hour, remove lid, turn heat way down. Place dumplings on top of stewing chicken, cover completely and let cook for another 25 minutes.

Dumplings:
In mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, pepper and parsley. Cut butter into flour mixture. Add reserved braising liquid and stir until dry ingredients are just moistened. Turn out the dough on floured work surface and pat into a 6x6 inch road. Cut dough into 1 inch squares, roll into a round and place in stew. Or you can skip all the rolling and just make dough balls which is what I did. Me and rolling dough just don't work.

Serve piping hot.

Yummy!!

Chi Town Chili - RC Week 4

2011-02-17T09:00:00.002-05:00

Another week, another chili. Happy to say this one was very, very good. Different from Martha's a few weeks ago which was nice (although I'm still claiming Martha's as my fav for now).

2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 lb ground beef
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
Dash sea salt & red pepper flakes
4 cups beef stock
1 cup tomato puree

Thickener:
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp cornmeal
1/3 cup warm water
15 ounces beans, rinsed & drained

In non-stick saucepot, heat oil and brown your beef. Drain the meat then return to pot. Add all remaining ingredients (but not the thickener ones). Bring to boil then reduce to slow simmer for 45 minutes. Mix the flour and cornmeal with warm water until it forms a smooth paste. Add to the pot and stir to combine. Add beans and let chili cook for another 15 mintues. Serve.

I used some whole wheat egg noodles as a base so I wouldn't get strange looks from the kids when I passed them a bowl of wet meat.

Garnish thief!

You know it's good chili when you eat it all even though the dog probably licked a bit of it when he stole the cilantro.

Fried Pork is Never Bad - RC Week 4

2011-02-16T09:00:00.002-05:00

Even better - it was hubby's night to cook. He did a pretty bang up job here.

4 boneless pork cutlets
1/2 cup flour
2 large eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp sweet paprika
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
oil for frying

Heat oven to 400. Flatten pork cutlets with mallet and dredge in flour. Beat eggs in separate bowl and set aside. Combine the remaining ingredients into another bowl and mix. Heat oil in skillet and when hot, dip flour coated cutlets into the egg, then into breadcrumbs. Gently saute for 2 to 3 minutes per side until crisp and golden. Place skillet in oven for 10 minutes. Serve with gravy if desired.

My husband whipped up this mushroom gravy to use with this dish. I have no idea what he used other than mushrooms.

Go ahead, take a bite. You know you want to.

Banana Cream Pie - RC Week 4

2011-02-15T09:00:00.003-05:00

Oh yeah, you know this dessert immediately followed the deep dish pizza. Thankfully, I was scheduled to re-start P90X the next day - if I could move.

I have to admit here, I've been way off my game in the cooking department. Actually, in every department. Mid-winter-is-this-ever-going-to-end depression has taken over. I'm making mindless mistakes and just generally not caring when I do. So, this pie contains mistakes. Thankfully, it was still extremely delicious. We'll call it an extra protein banana pie (I'll explain later). Oh yeah, and there is rum in the whipped cream topping! Hello!

Chicago's Banana Cream Pie - I halved the recipe since there was no way we NEEDED two banana cream pies in the house. To make two pies, just double the ingredients.

Graham cracker pie crust
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 tsp sea salt
2 cups milk
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
1 large banana, peeled and sliced
1 tbsp lemon juice

Topping:
1 cup whipping cream
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp rum

Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in heave saucepan. Stir to mix. Add milk, egg yolks and vanilla. Whisk to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. After it comes to a boil, continue to cook for 1 minute and then remove from heat. Should be thickened at this point.

Sprinkle banana slices with lemon juice and toss to combine. Place 1/2 of the custard mixture into the pie shell, top with banana slices and repeat this process. Please filled shells in fridge for at least 4 hours before serving.

To serve, whisk topping ingredients until stiff peaks form. Spread on pie. Or pipe into beautiful decorations - which I cannot do. Then eat and try to stop at just one slice. Good luck!

So where did I screw this one up? Well, with the recipe directly in front of me, I read two egg yolks but proceeded to drop in only the whites and toss the yolks. After discovering my mistake, I went ahead and added two egg yolks as well. Perhaps it changed the texture a bit, but otherwise, it was still delicious!

Deep Dish Pizza - RC Week 4

2011-02-14T09:00:00.004-05:00

Awww, say it ain't so. Last week of my self-imposed recipe challenge. If we make it through this week with five recipes, it will be a success. Gee, maybe I can stick with things?

This week will require some tweaking here and there as I am using Street Food Chicagoas my guide and let me tell ya, there's a whole lotta calories going on in Chicago. Whew! But wow, yummy stuff in this book. Had trouble narrowing it down to just five, so we may have six this week as well. My thanks goes out to Pam for hosting the giveaway where I won this fabulous cookbook! I'm so happy to finally use it.

First this week, and you probably knew I'd have to do it, pizza. Chicago style deep dish pizza. Believe it or not, I have never had the pleasure. Although I did eat at a Pizzeria Uno once or twice in my life. :)

This recipe required a trip to Chef Central to pick up a deep dish pan which I've been wanting anyway (for super big cakes) so it wasn't too much of an inconvenience. And if you are ever in New Jersey, I highly recommend a visit to Chef Central. It's the most awesomest cooking store ever!

Ok, on to the pizza. I took a dough short cut and made some slight modifications which will be noted below.

2 lbs whole wheat pizza dough
1 lb chicken sausage, casings removed
1 lb part skim mozzarella
1 cup sauce
1/3 cup pecorino romano, grated

Heat oven to 475. Brush deep dish pan with olive oil to coat evenly. Spread dough and crimp 1 1/2 to 2 inches up the sides. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 15 minutes. Prick the bottom of dough with a fork about every 1/2 inch and back on bottom rack for 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and drizzle more olive oil over dough. Cover with mozzarella cheese, then tomato pulp. Sprinkle with romano cheese and top with quarter sized pieces of sausage meat. Bake on lower rack for 45-50 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
* Modifications
Recipe calls for a white flour dough and has a corresponding recipe in the book.
Recipe called for 1/2 lb. pork sausage but I'm saving my pork fat allowance for another recipe this week and wanted more sausage on the pie.
Recipe calls for a tomato pulp but I used my usual homemade version. I highly suggest doing the pulp though because my sauce gave off a bit too much liquid. The book's sauce indicates draining the tomatoes and two different stages during prep.

A hot (and yummy) mess

I think this would be a great meal to make for your sweetie this Valentine's Day. Nothing says love like sauce and cheese dripping down your chin. Enjoy!

RC Week 3 Thoughts

2011-02-13T09:00:00.002-05:00

Ah, Bon Appetit. For most of my adult life you have taunted me from the magazine rack. Telling me I was in no way sophisticated enough for you, that I wasn't a good enough cook or baker. I just knew you were full of expensive, out of my budget ingredients which would be used to prepare rich, complicated dishes that my simple palette just couldn't appreciate and involving fancy culinary techniques that I definitely did not possess.

But alas, I was wrong. This week I grabbed the Bon Appetit by the horns and dove right in. Six recipes (well, two were drinks, but ya know we gotta start somewhere) done! All were delicious! All were cooked by lil ole me! So ok, I did spend more on ingredients this week, but not as bad as I thought. $30 for those fabulous pork loins and $30 for those buttery delicious steaks were very well worth every penny. The ingredients weren't that hard to find (although the miso took a few minutes). And you weren't overly fattening or rich!! Even better, no fancy techniques (although cutting the top off a coconut without making a huge coconut mess is apparently an acquired skill) or unrecognizable terms.

And now the week of BA is done and I'm a little sad that I won't have the chance to get back to you for a few weeks. But this is just a see ya later because you will now appear in my measly little mailbox every month for the next year. Soon enough we will again be snuggled up on the couch flagging "must do" pages and compiling a shopping list for the week. Until then, it's been fun. XOXO

Do I dare now pick up a copy of Gourmet??!!

Energy Shake - RC Week 3

2011-02-12T09:00:00.003-05:00

Goodness knows I could use some energy these days. Thankfully, Bon Appetit comes to the rescue with this frothy little green concoction. Green drinks have NEVER appealed to me. Perhaps it's my aversion to veggies and most things green. I always feel it's going to taste like cut grass or something - and I'm pretty sure some of them do. But, since this one contains some of my fav, I figured we'd give it a try. And I didn't like it. It smelled "green" and the kale bits grossed me out. My husband however drank both servings this made (minus my sip).

1 1/2 cups fresh orange juice
1 banana, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 cup (packed) coarsely chopped kale leaves
1/2 kiwi, peeled
2 pitted Medjool dates, coarsely chopped

Combine orange juice, banana, chopped kale, kiwi, and chopped dates in blender. Puree until smooth, stopping and scraping down sides of blender as needed. Divide between two glasses and serve. I guess this would be a pretty healthy breakfast.

Calamari & Pasta - RC Week 3

2011-02-11T09:00:00.005-05:00

Words cannot describe how much this dish does NOT fit in with my whole attempt at healthy eating, but it looked and sounded so good in the magazine that I just HAD to try it. So glad I did. What a fun and tasty recipe that was also surprisingly easy. And hey, did you know how cheap squid is? I had no idea. $7.50 a pound at Whole Foods! I bet it's like $3 at Shoprite then. LOL

Here's the wonderful Amalfi Calamari Pasta recipe from Bon Appetit (Warning - one serving clocks in at just over 600 delicious calories):

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound cleaned squid (bodies only), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rings
2 cups olive oil
1 cup canola oil
1 pound spaghetti
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, diced
3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Lemon wedges

Line rimmed baking sheet with several layers of paper towels. Whisk flour, cornstarch, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, baking powder, and cayenne pepper in medium bowl to blend. Working in batches, toss squid rings in flour mixture to coat, then place rings in single layer on sheet of foil.

Pour both oils into large skillet; lean deep-fry thermometer on side of skillet, submerging bulb in oil. Heat oil over medium-high heat until thermometer registers 350°F to 360°F. Working in several batches, add squid rings to hot oil and cook until light golden and crisp around edges, 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Using slotted spoon, transfer squid to paper-towel-lined baking sheet to drain.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot. Add butter and 3 tablespoons lemon juice and toss to coat pasta. Add 3/4 cup pasta cooking liquid and toss. Mix in 1/3 cup parsley. Season to taste with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, adding more lemon juice and pasta cooking liquid, if desired.

Transfer pasta to large bowl; top with calamari. Sprinkle with remaining parsley. Serve with lemon wedges. I also added just a small bit of freshly grated Parm to the calamari.

Never would've thought to put fried calamari over pasta. It worked well. I love the butter lemon sauce that coats the pasta. Very refreshing flavors here.

Oh, and if you are lucky enough to have leftovers (we had a bit), don't worry about the calamari getting soggy. I tossed what was left with a few cups of arabiatta (too lazy to check my spelling on that one)sauce and reheated. This was about two days later and OMG, so wonderfully delicious. Gotta love when the leftovers taste better than (or just as good as) the original!

Miso Glazed Pork - RC Week 3

2011-02-10T09:00:00.003-05:00

Yet another first this week. Miso. I knew there was such a thing as Miso soup, but that's really all I knew. From the What's New at the Market section of Bon Appetit, here's a Miso Apricot Glazed Pork Loin. Mmm, pork!

I doubled up on the garlic because, well, you can never have too much garlic.

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
5 tablespoons apricot preserves
1/4 cup red miso
1/4 cup Champagne vinegar (I used white wine)
2 teaspoons finely grated orange peel
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 pork tenderloins
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat large rimmed baking sheet with oil spray. Combine preserves, miso, vinegar, orange peel, and garlic in small pot over medium heat. Cook until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Reserve.

Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Place on prepared baking sheet, tucking thin end under to ensure even cooking. Brush with 2 tablespoons apricot glaze; roast 12 to 15 minutes. Turn pork over with tongs and brush with 3 more tablespoons glaze. Continue to roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 150°F, 8 to 10 minutes longer. Mine actually took an additional 15 but I know my husband would've been happy with this less well done.

Add chicken broth to remaining apricot glaze. Bring to simmer and cook until reduced to 2/3 cup, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Slice pork crosswise into 1/2- to 3/4- inch-thick slices and arrange on platter. Spoon sauce over and serve.

Now, this was a delicious dish. I love me some pork loin. For me, a little salt, pepper and garlic is all a good loin needs. The fact that the miso glaze was quite a powerful flavor made me miss the goodness that is just simple pork loin. So while I enjoyed it today, I don't think it will make another appearance in my kitchen.

The kids? Well, I had to cut off the sauce covered edges to get them to eat it. Oh well, it was fun. And I have quite a bit of miso left to play with. Recipe suggestions?

Vegan Coconut Pancakes & Tropical Salsa - RC Week 3

2011-02-09T09:00:00.004-05:00

Having heard great things about Mr. Mark Bittman and his fabulous healthy eats, I was so happy to see one of his pancake recipes in this month's Bon Appetit. In addition, the fact that they are made with whole wheat flour made them a must try. The tropical salsa here is the true star of the show. It was a fabulous breakfast!

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 13 1/2-ounce can light unsweetened coconut milk (about 1 2/3 cups)
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Vegetable oil (I used coconut oil)
Tropical Fruit Salad (recipe to follow)
Additional pure maple syrup
Chopped natural unsalted pistachios (for garnish)

Preheat oven to 250°F. Whisk first 6 ingredients and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl. Whisk coconut milk, 11/4 cups warm water, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, and vanilla in medium bowl. Whisk coconut milk mixture into dry ingredients until batter is pourable.

Heat griddle or skillet over medium-high heat; brush with vegetable oil. Working in batches, add batter by 1/4 cupfuls. Working quickly and using back of spoon, spread each pancake to about 4-inch round. Cook until small bubbles appear on surface and bottoms of pancakes are golden, reducing heat if browning too quickly, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn over; cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to baking sheet. Keep warm in oven.

Place 2 to 3 pancakes on each plate. Top with Tropical Fruit Salad, maple syrup, and chopped pistachios.

For Tropical Salsa, mix the following ingredients up to 2 hours ahead of breakfast (or lunch, or dinner, or snack...)

1 cup diced peeled pitted mango
1 cup diced peeled cored pineapple
1 cup diced peeled banana
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

The result? Holy yumminess!! And enough batter leftover for several more fabulous mornings with less work.

And my husband got to christen one of his Christmas gifts. Oh yeah, I totally wanted this and bought it for him since Christmas was a good excuse to make the purchase. :-D

3 days later with nanners and nuts. Still stinkin' yummy:

I gotta say, I feel so sophisticated in my eating this week. Bon Appetit subscription ordered.

A Year Later - Where's My Workouts??

2011-02-08T11:55:00.002-05:00

This week marks one year since I started attempting to get fit once again. A year ago this week I was busting my rear five days a week with Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred. I then added in Jillian Michaels: No More Trouble Zones and Jillian Michaels: Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism. Got bored with that after a month or so and moved on to Workout: One-On-One Training with Jackie and Personal Training with Jackie: Power Circuit Training, Jackie Warner DVDS (all of which I highly recommend).

I finally rounding out this past summer with P90X Extreme Home Fitness Workout Program and then my husband and I almost completed Insanity: The Ultimate Cardio Workout and Fitness DVD Program.

Well, that all ended a few months ago and I've tried about five times to do another round of P90X. Never seemed to get passed that first week. This winter is just kicking my behind and I have zero motivation. But, given the fact that it's been a year and right now I don't feel much more in shape than I did when I started last year, I'm back on the horse. Today is day 3 of P90X...again.

So hopefully I will be able to post some more workout updates and reviews to help us (and by us, I mean me) shake off the last of the holiday weight gain and that stinky winter "coat", and get back into kick ass shape. And really, have you seen what I've been eating lately???!! Goodness, I need some way to work that off too!

Thanks to all my fitness followers for sticking with me through this little dry spell. Here's to tight abs, strong legs and a lifted booty in the near future!

Note: The above links are Amazon affiliate links. They are just easier than adding the links on my own. My blog does not generate any income.

Stout Steak - RC Week 3

2011-02-08T09:00:00.004-05:00

Yet another first today. Never before have I prepared a recipe from a cookbook or magazine that did not have a corresponding picture. In fact, one of my pet peeves are cookbooks with no pictures. But, reading this recipe in Bon Appetit's What's New the Supermarket section, I had to give it a try despite the fact that is wasn't pictured in the magazine. And, it sounded easy enough which is always great.

Rogue stout and two gorgeous strip steaks in hand (thank you Whole Foods), I gave it a whirl.

NY Strip with Stout Pan Sauce. Oh yeah, I made a pan sauce. And it was Eeee-z!

5 teaspoons Dijon mustard, divided
2 12-ounce New York strip steaks
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons all purpose flour
1 large garlic clove, pressed
1/2 cup low-salt beef broth
1/2 cup stout
1 tablespoon (packed) dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Spread 1 teaspoon mustard over steaks; sprinkle with salt and ground black pepper. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook meat about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to plate; tent with foil. Wipe out skillet.

Mash butter and flour in small bowl; set aside. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 15 to 20 seconds. Add broth; bring to boil. Whisk in stout, brown sugar, soy sauce, 3 teaspoons mustard, and butter mixture. Boil until reduced to 2/3 cup, 2 to 3 minutes.

Thinly slice steaks; divide among plates. Drizzle sauce over and serve.

Notice those potato poppers from Rachel Ray last week? They are very good as leftovers.
My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this meal. I mean, it was sinfully delicious. Didn't hurt that it was a kidless night, it immediately followed the tiki coconut drinks I posted yesterday, and we ate it at the coffee table while watching HGTV. Ahhh, romance! But seriously, this is a delicious pan sauce to serve over a high quality (or not) cut of meat. My husband used the leftover sauce to pour over meatloaf the following day too.

Bring on the Alcohol - Coconut Drinks! RC Week 3

2011-02-07T09:00:00.003-05:00

What better way to start out week three, during yet another impending snow storm, than with a little tropical rum drink served in a coconut?? I say there is nothing better! And this did not disappoint.

Oh, and I hope you don't mind, but my titles were getting a little lengthy, so I am now calling the Recipe Challenge RC.

Our first "recipe" from Bon Appetit is the Luau Coconut.

1/4 cup sugar
2 fresh young coconuts (green skin cut away)
1/4 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup light rum
1/4 cup gold rum
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons pineapple juice
Ice cubes
2 lime slices (for garnish)
2 maraschino cherries (for garnish)

Bring sugar and 1/4 cup water to boil in small saucepan over medium- high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cool simple syrup. Or, you can use ready made simple syrup from Trader Joe's like me!

Cut off top 2 inches of coconuts (wow, this was not easy and I made a good sized mess); reserve coconut water. Mix 1/4 cup simple syrup, coconut milk, light rum, gold rum, lime juice, pineapple juice, and 1/2 cup reserved coconut water in large cocktail shaker. Fill with ice; cover and shake vigorously 20 times. Pour contents of shaker into coconuts, dividing equally (do not strain). Garnish each with lime slice and maraschino cherry. Serve with straw and spoon for scraping out fresh coconut from inside of shell.

Hard to photograph these as they weren't all that pretty. But, I promise, they tasted pretty damn good!

Recipe Challenge Week 2 Thoughts

2011-02-06T09:00:00.001-05:00

No offense to Rachel, but I am so glad this week is over! I honestly feel like I've put on close to five pounds eating from her magazine. We enjoyed all but one of the recipes and they were very "homey" and comfortable which is nice. Nothing too crazy for the working mom or beginner cook.

Again, it was so nice to have a plan everyday. I didn't run to the store several times this week, we only went once, list in hand. There are also several tupperwares of leftovers still in the fridge that will get us through the weekend and lunch all week.

Best thing about the past two weeks? We did not order a pizza even once! Not even when the kids had friends over. Everybody ate what I made or chose a leftover from a previous night. Gotta love that. No wasted groceries and no extra spending on take out.

The kids' favorite from this week was definitely the Chicken Mac & Cheese. For my husband and I, it was the Sausage & Pepper Pizza. Actually, everything was very tasty with the exception of the Turkey "Chili". Another good experience.

So we are at the half way point and moving on. Next up is Bon Appetit. Oh, that one makes me nervous. But we are starting out easy and I have high hopes for the entire week. Best part - nothing is overly fattening. We won't see a lot of cheese this week!

Hope everyone enjoyed the week of Rachel Ray. See you tomorrow with a little glimpse of the beach. hint hint

Just One More - Recipe Challenge Week 2

2011-02-05T09:00:00.023-05:00

Ok, ok. I had to do just one more from Rachel Ray this weekend. The craving for an egg on toast took over and I recalled seeing an egg dish in the mag. Not in the mood for meat, I cut the prosciutto from this recipe and used an everything bagel instead of white bread.

Croque Madames

Four 1-inch-thick slices good-quality white bread (or a bagel which works out lovely)
Fig spread
2 tablespoons butter
1 rounded tablespoon flour
1 cup skim milk
Salt and pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
8 slices prosciutto cotto with rosemary, if desired
8 ounces fontina cheese, grated
4 large organic eggs

Preheat the oven to 375. Arrange the bread on a baking sheet and spread a thin layer of fig spread on each slice. In a small skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour for half a minute, then whisk in the milk. Season the sauce with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Turn off the heat and stir in the mustard. Sauce will thicken.

Divide the sauce among the bread slices. Top each slice with 2 folded prosciutto slices and a small mound of fontina, scattering the cheese all the way to the edges of the bread. Bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes.

When the sandwiches are done, cook the eggs to order in pats of melted butter. Top each sandwich with an egg and serve.

Can ya tell I was too lazy to whip out my cheese grater? Instead I just tore off clumps of cheese and tossed them onto the bagel.

Despite my shortcuts, this was so, so good. This is also my first time using Fontina and it will not be the last. What a delightful combination of flavors! Never would've thought to combine these ingredients. I can see us having this with ham on Sunday mornings or as a lazy weeknight dinner.

Light Stuffed Taters - Recipe Challenge Week 2

2011-02-04T09:00:00.010-05:00

Another week down! We have successfully completed two weeks of the month-long recipe challenge. After today, I will bid farewell to Rachel Ray and move on to the next mag, Bon Appetit. I will admit, I'm nervous about that one. It's fancy (pronounced fun-sea, of course). :)

Ok, back to this week. After a week of cheesy, fattening goodness, I chose one of the "light" recipes in the magazine. There were only two so it was an easy choice. Rachel doesn't do too many diet-friendly dishes. And, I had some broccoli that needed to be used up anyway.

Here's an easy peasy recipe for cute little stuffed potatoes. These were yummy!

7 small yellow-fleshed potatoes, such as yukon gold
1 cup broccoli florets
2 ounces monterey jack cheese, shredded
3 tablespoons reduced-fat plain yogurt
2 tablespoons finely chopped pickled jalapeño chile
Salt and pepper
Olive oil cooking spray
Chili powder, for sprinkling

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until fork-tender, about 25 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan of boiling water, cook the broccoli until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes; drain. Finely chop the broccoli and place in a medium bowl.

Slice 6 potatoes in half. Scoop out half of the flesh from each piece and add to the broccoli. Peel and finely chop the remaining potato and add to the mixture. Add the cheese, yogurt and the jalapeño; mash coarsely and season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 425. Arrange the potato halves cut side down on a baking sheet and lightly coat them with cooking spray; invert and season with salt and pepper. Divide the stuffing among the potato halves. Lightly coat with cooking spray and sprinkle with chili powder. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Garnish chili powder.

Trying to scoop out the middle of these teeny guys was no picnic, but the end result was a fun little appetizer popper. The tangy bite from the yogurt paired well with the broccoli and chili powder. I would make these again.

Turkey Chili - Recipe Challenge Week 2

2011-02-03T09:00:00.001-05:00

When I saw Rachel Ray had a chili recipe in this month's issue, I knew I had to do it in order to compare it to Martha's we did last week. In keeping with our one flop per week, this was it. Sorry Rach, Martha kicked your butt big time in the chili round. This came out like a oddly flavored ground turkey soup. Thankfully my husband will eat anything, or this would've gone right in the trash. The kids picked out the turkey on this one and then dipped chips in the "broth" so not a total loss.

Easy Turkey Chili

2 lbs ground turkey
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
One 2-inch piece fresh ginger, grated

2 scotch bonnet chile peppers, finely chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 scant palmful sweet smoked paprika or sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper
2 cups chicken stock
One 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes with chiles
One 12-ounce bottle lager beer
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar

Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the turkey and cook until browned, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and chile peppers. Stir in the thyme, paprika, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock, tomatoes, beer, worcestershire, brown sugar and vinegar; simmer to combine the flavors, about 5 minutes. Serve.

I just looked up the reviews for this one on the Rachel Ray site. Not good. Should've checked there before trying this one. Oh well.

Chicken Mac & Cheese - Recipe Challenge Week 2

2011-02-02T09:00:00.001-05:00

As mentioned before, this is in no way a diet friendly week. My girl Rachel likes her cheeses and butter. To make my waistline a little happier, I did cut a bit of the butter, bacon and cheese from the original recipe and adjusted a few other minor things.

4 slices low sodium bacon, cooked to crisp
1 lb whole wheat penne or elbows
2 pieces skinless, boneless chicken breast
EVOO
1/2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
3 tbsp butter
1 large onion, quartered & thinly sliced
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp thyme
freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup shredded x-tra sharp cheddar
3/4 cup shredded gruyere cheese
salt & pepper

Heat broiler.

In a large pot, cook pasta to one minute shy of al dente. Drain and return to pot.

Heat grill pan. Drizzle chicken with EVOO and season evenly with paprika, salt & pepper. Grill chicken for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until done. Transfer to cutting board, halve and thinly slice.

Melt butter in medium saucepan. Add onion and cook until very soft, 15 or 20 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and whisk for 1 minute. Add stock and then milk. Bring to boil and cook, whisking, until sauce coats the back of a spoon. Add thyme and season with salt, pepper & nutmeg. Stir in cheeses until completely melted.

Add chicken, bacon and sauce to pasta and transfer to a casserole dish. Broil until bubbly and browned. About 5 minutes.

Although this dish left me craving a low cal salad, it was very yummy. Needless to say, the kids devoured it.

Sausage & Pepper Pizza - Recipe Challenge Week 2

2011-02-01T09:00:00.005-05:00

You know that if one of my chosen mags has a pizza recipe, I've got to try it! Recipe #2 from Rachel Ray was another huge hit. Well, a huge hit for the adults. Kids took issue with the red pepper and ended up eating some leftovers from another night. But this "pizza" was so flavorful that my husband and I both enjoyed two huge slices. Leftovers went to work with him for two additional days. This whole recipe challenge thing is making packing lunch so easy - and delicious.

So, here's the sausage & pepper pizza a la Rachel Ray (and prepped by my husband, it was his night afterall).

1 lb whole wheat pizza dough
1/4 cup EVOO
1 lb hot sausage, casings removed
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 tbsp dry)
3/4 cup part skim ricotta
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Heat oven to 500. Stretch pizza dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet (or pizza stone).

In large skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and add sausage. Cook, breaking it up, until no longer pink. Remove from pan and pour off any grease. In same skillet, add 2 tbsp olive oil and onion and peppers. Cook for about 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and rosemary.

Scatter the sausage, onion and peppers across pizza dough. Dollop with ricotta and sprinkle with parmesan. Drizzle with remaining 1 tbsp olive oil.

Bake until crisp, about 20 minutes.

The result - remarkably tasty dinner! Once again, pictures don't do this justice. I will, at some point, work on my styling and photography. This night though, I just wanted to take a bite. A big bite!

Happy to have yet another pizza to add to my repertoire.

Shroom Pasta - Recipe Challenge Week 2

2011-01-31T09:00:00.001-05:00

Week 2 of my recipe challenge brings us to the most recent Rachel Ray magazine. The difference from last week? Well, there don't seem to be any "light" recipes here. In fact, doing my shopping for the week, I ended up with six different cheeses and some ricotta. I better step up the workouts this week for sure!

Our first stop this week is pasta in a mushroom sauce. Very, very good. And the kids were clueless as to the mushrooms and ate it up. My son had seconds!

2 cups veggie stock (or chicken)
handful dried mushrooms
1 lb pappardelle pasta
3 tbsp butter
3/4 lb cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 large bay leaf
1 small bunch kale
4 shallots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
fresh grated nutmeg
3/4 marsala wine
1 cup light cream
grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Place stock and dried mushrooms in a saucepan and bring to a low boil. Lower heat and reconstitute. Remove mushrooms with a slotted spoon and chop.

Bring pasta pot of water to boil. Add salt. Cook pasta to al dente (Note: since I could not find whole wheat pappardelle, I used only 1/2 lb of that and 1/2 pound of whole wheat rotini). Drain, reserving some cooking water.

Heat butter in large skillet. Add cremini mushrooms and bay leaf. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes. Add kale, shallots and garlic. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cook for another 7 minutes then stir in the wine (Note: I could not find marsala at my store, do I just used a random red). Add reconstituted mushrooms and all but 1/4 cup of mushroom stock. Stir in the cream and cook to reduce and thicken.

Toss the pasta with the sauce, adding reserved pasta water if sauce is too thick. Top with grated cheese.

It doesn't look like much as since I used light cream instead of heavy, and cut down the butter, my sauce is thinner than depicted in the mag, but there is a lot of flavor in that thin sauce. I would do this one again!

Recipe Challenge Week 1 Thoughts

2011-01-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

Well, the week is done. Seven recipes from Martha Stewart Everyday in one week. All in all, we ate pretty good this week. I love that everything was "light" as well. I felt like perhaps we even dropped a pound or two. Seriously. Which is always a good thing.

One thing I can say about doing this challenge is that it forced me to pre-plan the week's dinners. I made my shopping list off of the recipes I planned to make and that was all I purchased at the store besides our usual staples. Despite having a few very long work days in the mix, I was able to knock out dinner each night. And, all week we had leftovers for lunches and to get us through the weekend. It was a very nice feeling.

We are looking forward to next week which will be Rachel Ray magazine. Sadly, I didn't see any low calorie, "healthy" looking recipes in there, so I better get my butt back into working out quick.

The highlights of this week were the pot stickers and chicken chili. Both were absolutely delicious and I couldn't believe I made them and that they were light meals. One failure out of the week wasn't too bad as I honestly expected more than that.

I hope you guys enjoyed the recipes this week or were inspired to dust off one of the books or magazines you've been meaning to get to. I'll see you tomorrow with our first fattening delight from Rachel Ray! Ta now.

Food Porn!!

2011-01-29T11:55:00.000-05:00

Derailing the blog from the Recipe Challenge just a tad to share a cute article on Etsy about food porn and thought others might enjoy.

The Fundamentals of Food Porn

I don't know about you, but I'm a fan of food pornography. Yum!

I Made Pot Stickers!! - Recipe Challenge Week 1

2011-01-29T09:00:00.007-05:00

What a way to end the first week of my self-imposed challenge. Home-made pot stickers. Yum, yum, yum! Next to the chili, this was the week's best recipe.

I will say though, what a pain in the butt! I have a new found respect for those poor guys holed up in the prep areas of dumpling restaurants hand stuffing and sealing these little buggers. Lots o' work! But these tasted remarkable so perhaps they will appear in my kitchen again on a day when I have loads of extra prep time. Maybe.

So, my last Martha Stewart recipe for this week, shrimp pot stickers.

Dipping sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce
5 tbsp white vinegar
4 tsp (or more) Sriracha sauce
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

Pot stickers:
2 scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 medium carrot, diced
1 large egg white
1 lb large shrimp, peeled, deveined & tails removed
36 wonton wrappers
cooking spray

In medium bowl, whisk soy sauce, vinegar, Sriracha, sugar, ginger and sesame oil. Set aside.

In food processor, process scallions, carrot, egg white and half the shrimp until a paste forms. Transfer to medium bowl. Roughly chop remaining shrimp and combine with paste. Stir in 3 tbsp dipping sauce.

Place a scant tbsp shrimp mixture in center of one wonton wrapper. With a wet finger, moisten edges, then fold over filling and press to seal. Place on a dish covered with toweling while you prep remaining wontons.

Lightly coat a large skillet with cooking spray. In batches, cook dumplings until browned on both sides. About 1 to 2 minutes per side. Add 1/2 cup water to skillet, cover, and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove cover and continue cooking until almost all water has evaporated. Transfer to plate. Wipe skillet clean and start over with remaining stickers. Serve with dipping sauce.

I had never worked with wonton wrappers before, and filling and sealing each one at a time was time consuming. I did get better towards the end though, and amazingly, none of them opened during cooking. Best of all, these are so incredibly good. The sauce intensified in the fridge too, so my lunch leftovers were extra delish.

What is the most time-consuming recipe you make that you just can't live without?

Frittata - Recipe Challenge Week 1

2011-01-28T09:00:00.002-05:00

I know this first "challenge" week consisted of some very less than challenging recipes, but I'm going to give myself props for sticking with it anyway as I had three 12 hour workdays thrown in as well. And with only one real flop during the whole week, that ain't too shabby either.

This meal was probably the easiest so far and very tasty. I always love a good egg dinner but we don't do it too often. This potato and leek frittata was great. The addition of ricotta, which I've never done before, really added something to the texture. Didn't hurt that I used some wonderful farm fresh eggs either. Hello fluffy goodness!

Potato & Leek Frittata

1 tbsp olive oil
1 leek (white & light green parts only), thinly sliced
2 cups cooked cubed potato
9 large eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup part skim ricotta
salt & pepper

Heat oven to 425. In ovenproof skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add leek and potato, season with salt & pepper and cook until leek is translucent. About 5 minutes.

Add eggs and ricotta, season with salt & pepper and stir to combine. Cook until edges are set. About 2 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until top is just set. About 10-15 minutes. Slide frittata to dish and cut into 6 to 8 wedges.

Since this was dinner, I served with some Alexia garlic bread (yeah, the frozen kind, I was lazy after doing so much cooking this week) and a spinach salad. It was enjoyed by all - the frittata, not the salad, that's got "green stuff".

Don't you just love breakfast for dinner?

Chicken Chili & Focaccia - Recipe Challenge Week 1

2011-01-27T09:00:00.003-05:00

After last night's flop, I was extremely pleased that this meal worked out so well. To be honest, it was beyond fabulous. The focaccia rocked and the chili was delicious. Together, well, it was heaven. And since I bought the large beer, there was extra leftover to drink! Winner winner, chicken dinner. hee hee hee

First up, the bread.

3 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil
2 pounds whole wheat pizza dough
2 large red onions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano
1 tsp red pepper flakes
salt & pepper

Heat oven to 425. Coat 11x17 baking sheet with 2 tbsp oil. Place dough on sheet and stretch to fit. Drizzle edges with 1 tbsp olive oil. Cover with plastic and let rest for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp olive oil in large skillet. Add onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until onions are tender and golden brown. About 12 minutes. Add vinegar and cook for about a minute.

Remove plastic from dough and poke dimples all over it with fingertips. Top with romano cheese, onions and red pepper flakes. Bake until golden brown on edges, about 30 minutes. Cut into 20 pieces and serve warm or at room temp.
The chili.

2 tsp olive oil
1 lb chicken thighs, chopped
1/2 large onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, diced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp ancho chili powder
1 bottle lager or chicken broth
28 ounces peeled tomatoes, pureed
15.5 ounces pinto beans, rinsed & drained
salt & pepper

In large heavy pot, heat 1 tsp oil. Add chicken and cook until cooked through. About 8 minutes. Transfer meat to bowl and drain off juices.

Add 1 tsp oil to pot. Add onion and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, oregano and chili. Cook about 1 minute. Add beer and cook, scraping up browned bits until liquid thickens. About 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes, chicken, beans and 1/2 cup water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, partially cover and simmer for 45 minutes or longer. Season with salt & pepper. I topped our chili with a little shredded cheddar and served the kids in mugs. They thought that was very fun.

Perfect in this ridiculously cold NJ weather.

This was very good and will be my new go-to chili recipe. I had it for two lunches during the week as well and another dinner. Each day it tasted better than the one prior.

So please, grab a brewsky and give this a try ASAP, K?

Flippin' Flop Eggplant Relish - Recipe Challenge Week 1

2011-01-26T09:00:00.005-05:00

Our first flop of the week o' Martha. This "relish" just didn't do it for me served with pasta. Perhaps it would've been better as a dip or something. The relish itself tasted pretty good although I did kind of mess up the roasting step - burned some of the tomatoes to the pan and first undercooked the eggplant and then overcooked it. We just couldn't win here.

But, I think doing it again, the right way, and serving it in a different manner would be pretty good. To be honest though, I have no intentions of trying.

Here's how the recipe reads in the event you want to give it a try:

Eggplant-Tomato Relish over Pasta

28 ounces whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
2 unpeeled garlic cloves
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp olive oil
1 eggplant
1/2 small red onion, diced
salt & pepper to taste
1 lb cooked penne
shredded cheese to top

Heat oven to 450. On rimmed baking sheet (not too large) stir together the tomatoes, garlic, cumin and olive oil. Put the whole eggplant on top and roast for about 30-40 minutes or until eggplant is tender when pierced. Let cool.

Transfer eggplant to cutting board, halve and scrape out flesh, discarding as many seeds as possible (this was quite difficult for me). Roughly chop flesh and place in bowl. Peel and chop garlic and add to bowl. Add onion and seaon with salt and pepper. Mix together.

For this dish, stir into cooked whole wheat pasta and top with shredded cheese. Recipe called for feta but I only had mozzarella on hand.
Challenge details here.

So, this was not a big hit and since I know Martha can do no wrong in the kitchen, I'm chalking it up to something I did wrong. Probably with roasting and disecting that damn eggplant. Later in the week I added a cup of jarred arabiatta sauce to the leftovers and reheated. Was much better that day.

Chocolate Cheese??!! - Recipe Challenge Week 1

2011-01-25T09:00:00.003-05:00

That's what my son said when he saw me putting ricotta and cocoa powder into the food processor for the night's dessert. He was positively horrified but still had to stick his finger in it and have a taste, BEFORE I added the sugar and eggs. Did not go over well. Thankfully though, the end result was FAB-U-LOUS!

Recipe number two from our week of Food Everyday by Martha Stewart is Ricotta Chocolate Mousse (challenge info can be found HERE). Rich, delicious and very satisfying as a dessert. If you try nothing else I ever blog about, please give this one a go! Not to mention, it's light - a low on calories and fat chocolate mousse dessert! Yes please. And, it's quite easy.

2 cups part skim ricotta
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 egg whites, room temp
1/2 cup sugar
coarse salt

Pulse ricotta and cocoa in food processor until completely smooth. Transfer to large bowl.

Place egg whites, sugar and a pinch of salt in a heatproof mixing bowl set over a pot of simmering water, whisking consistently for about 3 minutes. Mixture should be warmed. Remove from heat and beat using an electric mixer until stiff glossy peaks form, about 5 minutes. Note: my mix never peaked but it may be because I used an organic sugar.

Gently fold egg mixture into ricotta mixture until combined. Divide among 6 serving cups and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. Lightly dust with cocoa powder before serving if desired.

Num Yummy! Felt like a rich sinful dessert but only has 166 calories and 4g of saturated fat. This was loved even by the kids (although I did tell my son not to tell his sister it contained cheese).

Nutritional info as per Miss Martha:
Calories - 166
Sat fat - 4g
Protein - 11g
Carbs - 18g
Fiber - 1g

A "Smooth" Morning with Martha - Recipe Challenge Week 1

2011-01-24T09:00:00.001-05:00

So clever I am, no? :)

This is the very first post in my month-long recipe challenge (more about that HERE). As you can see, we are starting out easy. Today you get a smoothie and tomorrow you may get a super easy dessert but you'll have to wait and see. After that, it's on to the main dishes! Best thing - this whole week will consist of "light" recipes for those of us still trying to shed those holiday pounds and eat cleaner.

Anyway, the first recipes I tried from Food Everyday (Martha Stewart's little recipe mag) were smoothies. Perfect for a Sunday morning! The two we made were the Almond Date and Pom-Berry Banana. Both recipes are meant to yield two smoothies.

Almond Date Smoothie
3 tbsp almond butter
4 pitted dates, chopped
1 cup low fat yogurt
1 cup apple cider or juice
1 cup ice

Blend all ingredients in blender.

Pom-Berry Banana Smoothie
1 peeled orange, quartered
1 cup frozen berries
1 ripe banana
1 cup pomegranate juice

Blend all ingredients in blender.

Cheers! So good, we even broke out the Simon Pearce for breakfast.

My son downed the Pom-Berry immediately. My husband and I shared the Almond Date (he also polished off what was left of the berry). It was a bit gritty from the almond butter. The Almond was not as refreshing as the other, but still very good. These were filling as a breakfast too - and I usually can't do a "drink" as a meal.

Nutritional info as per magazine:
Pom-Berry
Calories - 197
Fat - 0g
Protein - 2g
Carbs - 50g
Fiber - 4g

Almond Date
Calories - 373 (clearly, a meal)
Sat Fat - 2g
Protein - 11g
Carbs - 53g
Fiber - 3g

Hot Deal - $20 at Amazon for $10

2011-01-19T10:08:00.000-05:00

Hey there. I figure this is a good deal so I'm posting here as well as on my lifestyle blog.

Living Social is offering $20 Amazon gift codes for $10. Codes will be emailed tomorrow and valid as of tomorrow. I have used this site for other offers and it is legit. In fact, I purchased mine already (got a few camera accessories I've been eyeing).

So, if you've got a cookbook or spatula,etc. on that Amazon wish list, check out Living Social first and then purchase tomorrow for $10 off! Yay!

Quick Note - Recipe Challenge

2011-01-17T12:43:00.001-05:00

Just a quick update on the recipe challenge I posted last week. I am three days into Food Everyday by Martha Stewart and it's been so fun! Next week I will start posting this weeks recipes and outcomes. We are pleased so far.

Next week I'll be using Rachel Ray mag - I figure we should start out with the easy and familiar stuff first.

I have a few dishes from last week that I'm hoping to get on here over the next few days. We've been eating pretty darn good around here! Hope everyone else is too. Enjoy the week!

And before I forget, this is the "light" issue, so indulging this week is allowed and the recipes fit right in with our re-attempt at a healthier lifestyle.

Turkey & Rice Noodle Lettuce Wraps

2011-01-14T09:00:00.000-05:00

Attempting to get back in the swing of healthier eating, I was delighted to see this recipe over at The Cilantropist. Great name, right? Her blog is chock full of beautiful food photos and wonderfully tasty recipes. These "Larbs" were the answer to my "what should I do with this ground turkey" dilemma last week. They were a hit. My husband said "I think I could eat these everyday." Wow. Really quick and easy to make too, not to mention no silverware to wash! I hope you give them a try.

Quick note - the original recipe called for butter lettuce leaves. Two grocery stores and there were none to be found, so it was curly lettuce for us. Next time I see butter lettuce though, I grabbing a head and some more ground turkey!

1 lb. ground turkey

1/2 of a medium-sized red onion

Juice from 3 limes
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro
1/4 cup roughly chopped mint
3/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
Pinch of sugar
Lettuce leaves for serving
Rice noodles
Heat a bit of oil in a non-stick skillet to brown turkey, cooking completely. Season with salt & pepper. Drain off excess fat and set aside to cool.

Slice the onion very thin (I used my beloved mandolin) and place in a medium bowl with the lime juice. Toss to cover the onion slices completely with the juice, as this will help to neutralize the bite of the raw onions. Then add the cilantro, mint, red pepper flakes, garlic, soy sauce, and cooled turkey and toss well to combine. Put mixture in the fridge to marinate for at least one hour or overnight. Who doesn't love a do-ahead recipe?
To serve, cook a small amount of rice noodles according to package instructions and cool to room temperature. Put some noodles on top of the lettuce leaves and top with turkey mixture. Wrap it up and enjoy dining with your hands. Yum!

Snow Day = Pancakes on a Weekday

2011-01-12T09:21:00.001-05:00

When I saw these pancakes just yesterday over at Baking Serendipity, I immediately printed them out thinking we'd have them one lazy Sunday.

Well, another 9 inches of snow on the ground, no school for the kids and a very late arrival at the office for me meant we could have homemade pancakes on a Wednesday! I love that many of Sarah's recipes are made with whole wheat flour too so be sure to check out her entire blog. Just makes them a little less of a guilty pleasure.

Sarah's Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pancakes

1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp butter, melted
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 eggs
2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Melt butter and stir in brown sugar in small bowl.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon until well combined. Add eggs, milk and vanilla. Mix well. Gently stir in brown sugar and butter making sure to blend completely. The batter will now be very airy and light (well, mine was anyway). Spoon batter onto greased griddle or large skillet, cooking well on both sides. I love how these rose up high.

My daughter, who has been complaining about everything I make lately tasting "too healthy" loved these. Finally!!

The downside. Snuggling on the couch with the kids, watching the weather on GMA and eating these fluffy pancakes made me just want to go back to bed.

A New Challenge on the Horizon - Are You In?

2011-01-11T10:29:00.000-05:00

There have to be others out there like me. You know, the ones who pick up cooking magazines at the checkout counter fully intending to make something from it but never do. The ones who have stacks and stacks of cookbooks at home, looking through them a few times but never making more than a handful of the recipes.

Well, the above describes me to a T so I have given myself a new 30 day challenge. What is it you ask? Well, each week I am going to choose a cookbook or magazine and prepare a meal (or drink or dessert) from it every day for a week. Then I will move on to another and then another. My family will be enjoying an entire month of something NEW every day.

Here are the deets - I cook Tuesdays through Saturdays (Sunday and Monday that task belongs to the husband although he may participate too). My plan is to post the week's recipes on the blog the week after they were prepared. I figure this whole thing will be challenging enough without having the pressure of blogging the results within 24 hours! So, next Tuesday (January 18th) I will begin my week of recipes out of the most recent Martha Stewart Everyday Magazine. If memory serves me, this is the "light" issue (perfect). That week of recipes will show on the blog throughout the week of January 23rd.

Some other mags and books I have in mind are my Chicago Street Food cookbook that I won on Pam's wonderful blog long, long ago, Food Network Magazine, Nigella Lawson's books, Bon Appetit (this one has always frightened me as I really never felt "fancy enough" to purchase it), etc. Honestly, I have enough "material" to continue this challenge for a year or more. But let's see how we fare after 30 days before extending it, ok? :)

If anyone wants to join me or has done something similar in the past, I'd love to hear about it.

For now, wish me luck! Ima gonna need it.

What Comes After P90X?

2011-01-11T09:00:00.000-05:00

Perhaps it's fairly obvious by now that I'm a Jillian Michaels groupie. Ever since her 30 Day Shred, I must purchase every DVD she comes out with. Although, and I know I haven't come through on my promise of a review yet, the 6 Week Six-Pack didn't really do it for me. But this one, Jillian Michaels-Ripped in 30, seems promising so I pre-ordered. It will release in March, just about the time I finish this round of P90X (hopefully). If nothing else, it should break up the monotony of my workouts. My attention span seems to hover around two weeks to 30 days when it comes to exercise routines.

Amazon describes it as follows:
Features 4 levels of workouts over a four week period. Each level incorporates Jillians' best-selling 3-2-1 interval system: 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of abs. The 3-2-1 system is repeated three times in each workout and is designed to get you ripped in 30-days.

Begin with week 1 and when ready, progress to the next week. Each week will get progressively more difficult, however each workout offers modified moves ideal for both beginners to those more advanced students.

DVD INCLUDES:
Four 24-Minute Workouts

Any other Jillian Michaels fanatics out there?

Photography - Fav Food Photos

2011-01-10T08:30:00.001-05:00

If you follow my other blog, you know that I'm making a huge effort this year to improve my photography skills. This post is my "starting point" of sorts for taking food pictures with my DSLR. Hoping to spend more time styling and photographing the recipes I present here and that my new skills will be put to good use.

So, here's the best of 2010 in food - the photos I thought looked the most appetizing.

And my personal favorite (not sure why, probably just because it was so incredibly delicious)

Link to my other fav photos Here. Hoping to get inspired and improve greatly from there. :)

New Year - New Workout

2011-01-08T18:24:00.001-05:00

Now that we are back on the fitness bandwagon (kinda), I was happy to give one of my new DVDs a trial run. I was pleasantly surprised by Jackie Warner's Crunch-Free Xtreme Abs. Finally some new ab moves! After doing one round of P90X (meaning Ab Ripper 3x a week for 3 months) and constantly trying to start another, I was very much in need of something new. This fit the bill.

The DVD consists of two 15-minute ab workouts - one consisting of floor exercises and one of standing ab work. They can be done separately or back to back. I chose back to back. I was sweating when we were done and by the next morning, I could feel it. In my opinion, the floor work was a bit more "Xtreme" than the standing one, but equally effective I'm sure.

Jackie's DVD has 19 reviews on Amazon and they are all 5 stars. Below is a little video preview that I found on YouTube. I am not affiliated with the website referenced in the video.

There's a lot more to the workout than what you see here. Give it a try if you are looking to switch things up a bit. I will be subbing this in for Ab Ripper during this round of P90X from time to time.

Loved it so much that I'm also putting it on my other blog HERE.

Caramel Pecan Banana Bread

2011-01-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

In addition to Ina Garten's lovely granola bars, I gave out one of these loaves this past holiday as a gift. It is beyond delicious and I always love a dessert that's easy to make!

Recipe comes from Baking Serendipity. Sorry for the crappy photo, it is soooo much better than it appears.

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup fat free yogurt
1 1/2 cups ripe, mashed banana (about 3)
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup toasted pecans,chopped
1 cup caramel pieces, chopped
Preheat oven to 350. Chop pecans and toast in oven for 10-12 minutes. Set aside.

Cream your butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in yogurt, vanilla and mashed banana. Add flours, baking soda and salt. Mix well and fold in toasted pecans and caramel bits.

Bake for one hour or to desired doneness. Eat it warm, eat it cold, top with a little powdered sugar, OMG, it's just good!

Southern Banana Cake (a/k/a Hummingbird Cake)

2011-01-06T09:00:00.001-05:00

As a self-proclaimed cake-a-holic, I am always looking out for lightened versions of any and all desserts I can find. This Hummingbird Cake comes from Southern Living's website. This is the "lightened" version as they put it. I thought it tasted pretty damn good too (won't even look at the un-lightened recipe). This is also only my third timing making icing which is not at all diet friendly in my opinion. It worked though!!

The original recipe called for 3 cake pans for a 3 layer cake but I only own two (for now). Also, I subbed out 1.5 cups of the all purpose flour with whole wheat and cut out 1/2 a cup of the sugar from the cake mix.

Vegetable cooking spray
1.5 cups plus 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour, divided
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups mashed banana (about 5 to 6)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 (8-ounce) package reduced-fat cream cheese (unsoftened)
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon light butter (unsoftened)
6 cups powdered sugar (eeeekk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Coat 2 round cakepans with cooking spray; sprinkle flour evenly into pans, shaking to coat.

Combine remaining 3 cups flour and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir together eggs, applesauce, and oil; add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. (Do not beat.) Stir in mashed banana, vanilla extract, and pineapple. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.

Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool layers in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove layers from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

Beat cream cheese and butter at high speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed just until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Spread Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake.

Nutritional Information (approximate as I made some substitutions)
Calories:407 (21% from fat)
Fat:9.5g (sat 2.9g,mono 3.2g,poly 2.1g)
Protein:4.6g
Carbohydrate:78g
Fiber:1.7g
Cholesterol:33mg.

If you enlarge that last pic, you can just see how moist this cake is. Gotta love that!

NYE Snackies - Love to Trader Joes

2011-01-03T09:51:00.000-05:00

Happy 2011 Everybody!

Just sharing my kids' favorite thing about the Eve - snackie dinner! This year we ran to Trader Joes and picked up all the frozen appys and goodies we could find - trying to be somewhat mindful of ingredients and such.

We had:

Fresh tri-color tomatoes oven burst and spread on toasted french bread. Cilantro chicken dumplings. Large head of garlic to for roasting and spreading. Seasoned salmon fillets. Tri-color hummus and garlic cheese with chips and pretzels. Parmesan pigs in a blanket. Mini pizza bagels. And of course, Swedish donuts with caramel dipping sauce. Yup, we made pigs of ourselves and enjoyed every minute of it! Then I went to bed at 10. :)

Anyone else have any NYE traditions? Have you ever been to and do you like Trader Joes?

Best of 2010

2011-01-02T18:30:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the crazy formatting of this post. No idea what's up. But anyway...

Just thought I'd join the crowd and list my most popular posts of 2010 despite the fact that my blog has only been live since June. :) Thank you all so much for reading, following and commenting. Since I never thought anyone other than my mom would read this (in fact, she doesn't), it means that much more to me.

Here are my top five most visited food posts. Oddly enough, my most popular posts all involved P90X, but I don't feel the need to revisit those now.

#5 Toasted Marshmallow Brownies

#4 What Can I Expect to Receive from a CSA?

#3 Late Summer Pizza

#2 Iced Oatmeal Cookies

#1 Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

And my top five personal favorites are, in no particular order:

Wasabi Tuna Rolls

Banana Coco-Walnut Muffins

Carrot Cake

Indian Pizza

Peaches and Cream Pie

Thanks again for reading!

More Pizza

2010-12-30T14:03:00.001-05:00

Shall I resolve for 2011 to not eat quite so much pizza?? Nah, no way!

Last night I did a slightly different version of the broccoli pizza which was dubbed Best. Pizza. Ever. by my husband. I added some very, very thin red onion and sauteed that with the broccoli tons of fresh garlic, salt, pepper and pepper flake in a bit of olive oil before topping the pizza. We opted to use some red sauce and a bit of pepperoni. Not much as I wasn't sure we'd like the flavor combo. But, we did!! Next time it's pepperoni all over. Cooked at 450 on a pizza stone.

The result - thin crispy crust with that slight nutty flavor from the whole wheat dough. The broccoli onion mixture had a pretty decent amount of heat from the pepper flake and garlic which was super delicious. I only managed to get a slice and a half before HE came home and devoured the rest. Geesh!

Apologies for the crummy pics - I was in a hurry to eat. Promise it was much more delicious than it appears here.

I haven't thought up any yet besides attempting to eat healthier, but do you have any resolutions for 2011 in the kitchen?

My MoJo - She is Gone

2010-12-29T17:34:00.000-05:00

Hey everybody. Hope the holidays are treating you well! I'm just popping in to post a quick update. Nope, you have not seen any workout related posts in a bit. Guess why. No working out has been done for about three weeks here - and nothing consistently for over a month. Seems I've got a nasty bug that just really likes me and wants to stick around - it's been hanging out in my right ear for almost three weeks now and makes jumping around quite uncomfortable and stomach turning.

BUT, the end is in sight. I'm on some serious meds (which will last eight weeks, ewww) and starting to feel better, if not a bit fatigued. The plan is to once again start P90X and kick some butt in 2011. I think this will be our fourth attempt at getting past week one!

So I wish everybody a very Happy New Year and will be back with the healthier (mostly) dishes very soon. For now, let's just eat chocolate and cake. :)

See you in 2011!!!

Overnight French Toast

2010-12-26T09:00:00.002-05:00

We made this lovely dish on Christmas Eve morning. We all had to be out of the house early and wouldn't have the kids for breakfast Christmas morning, so a dish I could prep the night before and throw in the oven upon waking was perfect!

This recipe comes from Sweet Tooth Sweet Life and is a must try. It is kind of like candy for breakfast and unless you are an Elf, probably not something you should do weekly. But, for the holidays, I say why the heck not!!

What you need:

2 tbsp corn syrup (I used light)
1/2 cup butter (this can be modified down)
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 loaf french bread
8 eggs*
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

*I used 1/2 a cup of egg whites and 3 eggs

In a saucepan, combine the corn syrup, butter and sugar. Simmer until syrupy. Pour this mixtur into a 9x13 baking dish lined with parchment and sprayed with baking spray.

In a bowl, beat the eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Slice the bread into 20-24 slices and coat with egg mixture.

Lay the bread slices in the pan, squishing into the caramel. Pour remaining egg mixture over top (use your judgment, I felt I had too much egg mixture left to use the entire thing). Cover dish and put in fridge overnight.

Next morning, preheat oven to 350. Bake covered for 40 minutes and uncovered for another 10. Serve and enjoy! I served with chicken sausage as I thought we should have some sort of nutritional value in the morning.

Store leftovers in a tupperware as the caramel will stick to the parchment upon hardening. I found this is great cold out of the fridge too as a leftover sweet treat. :)

Hope everybody had a terrific Christmas and is looking forward to a healthy and happy 2011!

Have a Joyous Christmas!!

2010-12-24T09:25:00.000-05:00

From our family to yours - enjoy this wonderful time of year!

And since I love to reminisce, here's some of our out-takes and memories from the past few Christmas card sessions.

Oops, my set up is showing. :)

Don't forget to wash little faces before setting up for pictures.

Hello. Is this thing on?

Sometimes it's best to have someone else take the photos.

Christmas Rocks!!

Labor of Love Caramel Apple Cake

2010-12-23T10:00:00.022-05:00

The minute I saw this cake in Food Network magazine, I knew I would be making it. I have to say though, it is a bit of work. Well worth it in the end, but work none-the-less. The recipe below is a tad bit lighter than the original - using light cream vs. heavy, less sugar, and subbing out some white flour for wheat. Hey, every little bit helps.

For the Caramel and Apples:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
2 cups sugar
5 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 cup light cream
4 large Golden Delicious apples

For the Batter:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup light sour cream
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs

Butter a 9-by-3-inch round cake pan. Make the caramel: Cook the sugar and corn syrup in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is dark amber.
Reduce the heat to medium. Carefully add the cream and 4 tablespoons butter (it will splatter) and cook, stirring, until combined, about 3 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the heat and let sit 1 minute. Pour 1 1/2 cups caramel into a glass measuring cup and set aside (at this point, feel free to cut up another apple and dip away - you're already ready for a break). Pour the remaining caramel into the prepared pan and set aside until set, about 30 minutes.

Cut 3 apples into quarters and cut out the cores with a paring knife. Arrange the pieces skin-side down in the pan (overlapping them slightly) to form a ring about 1/2 inch from the edge. Save any pieces that do not fit for later.

Halve the remaining whole apple crosswise. Scoop out the seeds with a melon baller or measuring spoon, leaving the stem on the top half. Chop the bottom and any of the leftover quartered apples into pieces; set aside.

Arrange the apple top, stem-side down, in the center of the pan. If the quartered apples shift, just push them back into place.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Make the batter: Whisk the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream, orange juice and vanilla.

Beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Crack the eggs into a small bowl. Slip them into the mixer bowl, one at a time, and beat until the mixture is pale and creamy, about 5 more minutes.

With the mixer on low speed, add half of the sour cream mixture, then half of the flour mixture. Repeat. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula; finish combining the batter by hand.

Spread the batter over the apples in the pan. It was pretty thick.

Top with the chopped apple. Bake on the middle oven rack until the cake is brown on top and springs back when pressed, 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes (don't worry if the top is dark). Cool in the pan on a rack.

Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a skillet wide enough to hold the cake pan. Carefully run a sharp knife around the inside of the pan several times, then rest the pan in the water to soften the caramel, about 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the water and dry.

Invert a plate on top of the cake, then flip over the cake and plate. Using pot holders or a towel, wriggle the pan off. Soften the reserved 1 1/2 cups caramel in the microwave (or on the stove if you are like me and don't own a micro). Drizzle the cake with some of the caramel. Slice and serve with the rest (lots of the rest). I promise that it tastes better than it looks. The top gets all sticky and caramely.

After this marathon baking session, it is time to eat!! You deserve it. Nummers!

This was delicious and smelled wonderful. Do I think I'll make this again? Probably not, I'm lazy and it's a lot of work. Homemade caramel though? Yeah, we will be doing that again!!

A New Outlet (err...I mean blog)!

2010-12-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

It's official, I'm a stuck in a rut mom. Finally, at 37, figured out what it is I like to do. Yeah, I've always been a little late to the game. Problem is, at this point, it's just not possible to pursue those interests right now. What's a girl to do?? Well I say why not start a new blog wherein she can post about all the things she wants to do, hopes to do (translation: wants to buy), places she wants to go, and so on!

So I did it. I started a mom blog (a mlog?). My husband would probably call it a blah, blah blog and he's not far off. Mom blog sounds better than bitter, frustrated, aging woman blog doesn't it? LOL I promise though, I'm not that bitter or that frustrated, but it would be fun to commune with other women (and men too) about art, decorating, kid stuff, fashion, shopping, travel, budgets, etc. If you care to join me, feel free to come on over to Random. I'd love to see ya!

Vegetarian Thai Chili

2010-12-21T09:55:00.001-05:00

That's right, Betty did a vegetarian chili. And guess what? She liked it!! The kids ate it too!! So, I definitely recommend giving this a swing. Credit goes to Clean Eating magazine's January 2011 issue.

1 1/2 tsp red curry paste
1 tsp ground cumin
4 cups veggie broth
1/2 cup bulgur
1 sweet potato, peeled & cubed
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cups cooked kidney beans, drained
1/2 cup light coconut milk
2 cups tomato puree
salt & pepper, to taste

In a heavy pot, add curry paste, cumin and a small bit of broth. Mash mixture and stir until paste is free of lumps. Add remaining broth, bulgur, potato and bell pepper. Set over high heat and bring to boil. Cover tightly, reduce heat and cook for 10 minutes.

Add beans, coconut milk and puree. Stir to combine. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes or until bulgur is tender and chili is thickened. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.

This was quick and easy. The best part was using it as a dip for a fresh piece of whole grain baguette. Mmmm... I told the kids the bulgur was similar to rice but just in balls and they ate it up.

I believe this is only the second time in my life I had a vegetarian meal, let alone prepare one myself. It was very good, easy to prep, not too costly and is a keeper in the winter rotation. Oh, and this makes a fairly large pot of chili. The leftovers are even better!

Nutritional info as per Clean Eating:
Calories 341
Fat 5g
Carbs 68g
Fiber 17g
Protein 17g
No cholesterol!!

Anybody see my wagon??

2010-12-20T09:39:00.000-05:00

Yup, I fell off the wagon (hard) so long ago that the damn wagon is no longer in sight. No real valid excuses, just the norm: crazy work schedule, crazy kids' schedules, yet another major feeling illness and a total lack of motivation. Lack of motivation has included cooking, wrapping gifts, blogging, cleaning, the list goes on. Sleep seems to be the only thing I'm interested in doing.

Anyway, I'm hoping to start back up next week as my office is closed. So once again, I'll be restarting P90X from the beginning.

Hope everybody else is doing great and gearing up for a terrific holiday and New Year!!

Cookbook Sale!!

2010-12-16T11:11:00.000-05:00

HauteLook is having some Random House cookbook deals today. A few of them are cheaper than Amazon, but I'm not sure about shipping prices. They have what appears to be all the Ina Garten books and the Julia Child Mastering the Art of French Cooking box set too!

Anyway, if you want to have a look - THIS is the site. You do have to sign up, but there is no charge. The link posted is not an affiliate link. I have ordered from this site though and they are reputable.

Happy shopping!

Clean Moroccan Beef & Root Veggies

2010-12-13T09:00:00.007-05:00

Got the new issue of Clean Eating and it is chock full of soothing comfort food - my fav!! The first thing I had to try was the Moroccan Beef. I thought it was pretty good and it really made the house smell lovely.

There are also recipes for Thai Vegetarian Chili and Chicken Tetrazzini that I want to take a stab at this week (hopefully). One thing I can't get the hang of is making dinner when work is busy. This week we resorted to pizza one night, Whole Foods buffet another, and most unfortunately, one night when it was just me, a 1/2 bag of cheese curls. Ugh.

So, here's to better eating from here on out!! In case you want to give the beef a whirl, the recipe is below.

olive oil
salt & pepper, to taste
2 navel oranges
1 1/2 lb. stew meat
1/2 medium onion (chopped)
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp coriander
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 1/2 tsp tomato paste
2 3/4 chicken stock
1 small turnip (peeled & chopped)
3 parsnips (peeled & chopped)
2 carrots (peeled and chopped)
12 prunes
3/4 cup whole wheat couscous
3 scallions (thinly sliced), for garnish

Preheat oven to 350. Remove peel of one orange with a veggie peeler (removing as much pith as possible), set aside. Juice one orange, set aside.

Pat beef dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown meat in batches and set aside.

Drain any fat from pan and heat more olive oil. Add onion and cook until tender. Add cumin, coriander, cinnamon & cayenne. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Add 1 3/4 cups of the stock, reserved orange peel and juice. Bring to a simmer and then add beef and any juices back into pot. When simmering begins again, cover and place in preheated oven for 45 minutes.

Remove pot from oven and add remaining 1 cup of stock, turnip, parsnips and carrots. Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven again and add plums. Return to oven and cook for another 25 minutes.

About 15 minutes before beef is done, bring 1 cup water to boil. Add couscous, remove from heat, cover and set aside for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork and divide among bowls. Top with beef and veggies and garnish with scallions and zest of remaining orange.

Yum!!
Here's my attempt at taking better and more appetizing food photos. :)

Approximate nutritional info as per Clean Eating:
Calories: 492
Fat 13g
Sat Fat 3g
Carbs 64g
Fiber 10g
Sugars 19g
Protein 34g
Sodium 422mg
Cholesterol 50mg

Week O' Ina - Part III: My First Shot at Soup!

2010-12-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

Well folks, 'tis the last recipe in my week long tribute to Ina Garten. This woman is really something. I mean she got me to make a homemade soup!! A lentil vegetable soup no less, vegetables! No easy task. For the record, compared to the price of a cup of soup from Panera, homemade soup is expensive. When I went to Whole Foods to get ingredients for this and the tuna rolls, I walked out with two shopping bags and nearly $100 less in my wallet. But, this did make a boat load of soup and I used the best quality ingredients I could find.

1 pound French green lentils

4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 large onions)
4 cups chopped leeks, white part only (2 leeks)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups medium-diced celery (8 stalks) - I omitted the celery because it's just gross
3 cups medium-diced carrots (4 to 6 carrots)
3 quarts chicken stock
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons red wine
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.

In a large stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions, leeks, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are translucent and very tender. Add the celery (if you are using it) and carrots and saute for 10 more minutes.

Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, until the lentils are cooked through. Check the seasonings. Add the red wine and serve hot, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan, or with a simple slice of corn bread.

Or a giant grilled tuna roll. :)

I really enjoyed the flavor of the broth in this soup. My only complaint, and something quite fixable for next time, is that she did this with a very rough chop on the veggies. For people like me (and my kids) who have a hard time with veggies to begin with, I don't know why I thought huge chunks would go over well. Next time I will dice them much finer. Oh yeah, and when it came to the kids, I told them the lentils were pasta. They dove in.

And that is the last of Ina for this week, but I'm sure I'll be posting many more of her recipes in the future. When I want something homey, flavorful and impressive, her cookbooks are what I turn to.

Where do you turn for a great recipe?

Shutterfly $25 Gift Certificate Deal

2010-12-08T16:56:00.000-05:00

Hey all. Just wanted to give any fellow bloggers a heads up about a Shutterfly offer.

Today I created and ordered our holiday card (see prior post) and calendar through Shutterfly. After checkout, I was prompted to "share" my project on my blog for a $25 gift certificate to Shutterfly.

So, if anybody is interested and hasn't ordered their holiday "stuffs" yet, get on over there and check it out. According to my confirmation email, the code will be emailed to me within 10 business days which is great because I've been wanting to order a few things! Code is good until February 15, 2011.

I'm sure I'm probably the last one to know about this as I ordered so late, but just in case anybody else has their head in the sand, this is for you. :)

Snipit from my confirmation email from Shutterfly.

"Thank you for your entry to the Share Project promotion at Shutterfly.
We will review all entries and send discount codes to qualified entrants within 10 business days. To qualify for the discount code, projects must be posted to a website or blog owned or managed by the participant.
Please note that sharing to social networks such as Facebook does not meet the promotion requirements."

Happy Holidays

2010-12-08T16:36:00.001-05:00

Glitter Glamour Joy Christmas Card

Get custom photo Christmas cards online at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

Week O' Ina - Part II: Wasabi Tuna Rolls

2010-12-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

Another day, another Ina Garten recipe. Is that Jeffrey a lucky guy or what??!! And don't even get me started on her house in the Hamptons. Heck, I'd settle for her garden right outside MY kitchen window.

This recipe was featured on the same show as the granola bars. It is easy to do and looks and tastes like a million bucks. Grilled Wasabi Tuna Rolls! I like to call these one of those impress your guests with little effort recipes.

Olive oil

1 pound very fresh tuna steak
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lime, zest grated
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (2 limes)
1 teaspoon wasabi powder
1 teaspoon soy sauce
5 dashes hot sauce
1 firm, ripe Hass avocado, diced
1/4 red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced scallion
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
9 hot dog rolls, grilled or toasted
1 bunch baby arugula

My whole foods find, soft and delicious wheat hoagie rolls. They were perfect for this recipe.

Brush both sides of the tuna with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Cook the tuna on hot grill or grill pan for about 2 minutes (or less) on each side. Remove to a plate. The tuna should be seared on the outside and raw inside. Allow to cool and cut into cubes.

For the dressing, whisk together 2 tablespoons of olive oil, lime zest, lime juice, wasabi powder, soy sauce, hot sauce, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Toss the avocado in the dressing and then add the tuna, red onion, scallion, and sesame seeds.

Line the rolls with arugula leaves, fill with the tuna mixture, and serve. And hello yummy! You may want to offer these up with a fork as well.

B-Day Post! My Fav Restaurant

2010-12-07T09:00:00.013-05:00

Yes, it is true. Today I take one baby step closer to the big 4-0! Funny how that number gets closer every year.

Anyway, my husband and I don't really do gifts anymore since we both buy ourselves what we want and need when we want and need it. LOL But, we do go out for a nice meal together. This year we brought the kids along and had a great time.

Oddly enough, I chose the restaurant I've chosen for the past three years, Saigon Cafe in Jersey City, New Jersey. (website) Vietnamese food made by a very friendly Vietnamese family served in a comfy little hole in the wall. I think I may have ordered the same dish the past three years in a row too. :)

Here are some rather crappy pictures. The lighting in the restaurant had a blue cast to it and all I had was my son's cheapo point and shoot. I don't know how all those great food bloggers whip out that big DSLR at a restaurant - guess I'm too self conscious.

The girls (we're sitting on a church pew!):

The boys:

Chicken satay with peanut butter dipping sauce:

Chopstick practice and a shredded pork roll:

Clay pot shrimp special with a side of rice (the rice was a godsend as this was so spicy but absolutely delicious):

Asian style pork ribs (my daughter is not very adventurous):

My fav - prawn chip pork with lettuce wraps (there are cukes and carrots in there too):

Of course, dessert came and it's one we just LOVE. I totally forgot to take a picture until...

Oopsie. It was a steamed banana "cake" with coconut creme and ground peanuts on top. One day I will find a recipe for this little delight. If you ever get to visit and can only afford one thing, get the steamed banana cake! Words cannot describe.

And my husband got off cheap. Dinner for four, soup to nuts with a few alcoholic beverages (3 mojitos) and he shells out less than $100! Hmmm...maybe I should rethink that whole no gift thing.

Thanks for a great birthday meal, my gorgeous and sophisticated husband. Love ya (someone has to)!

Week O' Ina - Part I: Granola Bars

2010-12-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

A few months ago I shared our dirty little secret. After the kids go to bed and my husband and I have a little time together, we like to pour some wine, shut the lights and cuddle on the couch and...oh yeah, you know where this is going...somewhere hot and spicy, seductive, exciting, inspiring and oftentimes, delicious...watch the Food Network!! Hello, Iron Chef, Triple D (in layman's terms: Diners, Drive Ins & Dives), The Best Thing I Ever Ate, Next Food Network Star. Now that's some primetime excitement right there!

Many years ago we I first discovered the Food Network, I immediately fell in love with Ina Garten. Her food is doable, delicious, fancy yet not gourmet and most times, not completely drenched in butter and cream (ahem...Paula Deen, the American Heart Association called and they ain't happy y'all!). I have many of her cookbooks and love when I catch her shows on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. As my little tribute to Ina, this week I am posting some of my recent favorite dishes. Oddly enough, they all appeared on the same show that I was lucky enough to catch on weekend. Afterwards, I immediately ran to FoodTV.com and printed the recipes every single thing she made.

Our first stop will be granola bars. I have made these at least five times since seeing them on television and will be giving them out as gifts this Christmas as well. So, without further ado, Ina's homemade granola bars.

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup honey
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 350. Butter an 8x12 baking dish and line it with parchment paper. Spray the paper with cooking spray to prevent sticking.

Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300.

Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dates, apricots, and cranberries and stir well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.

These are delicious and addicting. Enjoy!

P90X Plyo - I Missed You??!!

2010-12-04T08:37:00.000-05:00

Oh yeah, that's right, I'm loving plyo right now. After several pain in the butt interruptions in my pursuit to get back into P90X, it finally happened, I started working out again. And as of Day 2, the dreaded Plyometrics day, and after sampling other programs, I knew this was the program for me. So, we're back into it - straight P90X with some possible substitutions here and there when time is an issue (with the X, you're never done in less than an hour, which lately has been an issue - that darn working for a living just ruins everything). My husband is only doing some of the days with me, but that's ok. I am enjoying it and can already feel like I'm getting results just four days in. For me, the mix of strength training and cardio is where it's at yo. :-D

So here's my sweaty mess of a self after my Day 2 plyometrics workout.

Two Freebies Still Left - Yoga & Cardio

2010-12-04T08:04:00.002-05:00

No interest in ~~Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga~~? No love for Jari Love? These are the two items left from my give-away post HERE.

Same rules apply, first comment published gets it. These two are open for seconds, so if you've already claimed a video or book, you can add on. I'm packing up the items to ship on Monday so the give-away will be closed on Sunday evening.

Have a great weekend!

UPDATE: Only DVD left is the Jari Love.

Anybody Want Some Free Stuff?

2010-11-29T12:00:00.005-05:00

Since I didn't have to go to my office job for the past four days, I spent a little time clearing out my closets and DVD collection this weekend. I found some things that I'd love to pass on for someone else to enjoy. Yeah, I didn't call this a give-away since it's nothing fancy, but if you find something you can use, it's yours. We'll call it something of a Blog Freecycle program. :)

So here's how it will work. If you see something you like, just write a quick comment naming the item so you can stake your "claim" and then drop me an email with your mailing address. If you are the first commentor for that item, it's yours. I will mail all claimed items next week via media mail on my dime. They are small items so there will be no residency restriction. I only ask that you be a follower, making it easier for me to contact you if need be and limit yourself to just one item for now. In a few days, if there are still items left, I'll open them up for seconds. As items are claimed, I will strike them out in this post.

Now here's what I have:

~~Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential~~ - both my husband and I read this. I really enjoyed this book. Lots of references to sex, drugs and rock and roll type stuff though (contains quite a bit of the F-bomb). Just a warning. :) If you've seen his show, this book reads exactly like he speaks. I loved that you could just hear his voice through the pages.

~~Biggest Loser Cardio Max DVD~~ - great beginner cardio DVD. This has been previewed by me.

~~Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga~~ - fun beginner yoga DVD. I have viewed and tried this once.

~~Biggest Loser Power Sculpt~~ - good resistance DVD for beginners. Requires light dumbells for max results. I used this a few times.

~~Biggest Loser Last Chance Workout~~ - A step up from cardio max. Gets you sweating pretty good. I used this a few times.

~~Biggest Loser Boot Camp~~ - A 6 to 8 week program progressing from Level 1 to Level 3. Seems like a pretty good DVD. I have not tried this one, but it is opened.

Jari Love's Get Extremely Ripped 1000 - I did this video once. If you like step aerobics, this may be the one for you. I just couldn't get past the dated and dark clothing and didn't really care for Jari. But, someone else may love it. It has a ton of great reviews on Amazon.

That will do it. Hope to help someone get started on a fit and healthy 2011!

Fell off the Wagon

2010-11-28T18:00:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update post. I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving and hopefully a long and restful weekend. I've been absent from the blog for a while due to work, but I have been reading your wonderful blogs, printing your delicious recipes and hope to catch up with you all over the next two weeks.

As for my workout stats, well there isn't much to tell. I got up early for two mornings this week and did a great workout (P90X chest & back and Insanity Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs) despite having some lingering pain from the Bob Harper DVD I did last week. After that though, I was down for the count. I must have pulled something in my mid-back that limits my ability to even stand still, let alone jump around or do weight bearing activity. Don't even get me started on standing in line this past Friday at the stores. I ended up leaving the mall near tears from the pain. That's right!! I walked away from shopping the good deals even!! LOL

Anyway, we are hoping to get back on the ball tomorrow. I'm going to follow the P90X plan from the start again since that is the program that I feel gave me the greatest results. From time to time I'll sub out the cardio DVDs when I get too bored.

So, until next week!! Have a great one.

Oh yeah, and I have been cooking and baking. I can't wait to share the delicious granola bars I've been making and a sinful grilled ahi tuna roll. So yummy!!

X-Sanity Plus - Week 2

2010-11-21T08:02:00.000-05:00

Still adjusting to not working out in the mornings. The worst thing about it is that sometimes I run out of time or something comes up (work, headache, kid's event) that prevents me from working out. Also, I don't find that I bring the same intensity to the workout that I would in the morning. A few nights my I just felt really full so it was hard to really jump around comfortably.

But, still managed to get in five workouts this week. Here's how it went:

Day 1 - P90X Chest & Back, Jackie Warner Abs Only Circuit from Power Circuit Training
Day 2 - Insanity Cardio Power & Resistance
Day 3 - P90X Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper
Day 4 - Rest (grrrr, migraines)
Day 5 - Rest (grrrr, not enough hours in the day)
Day 6 - Bob Harper Body Rev Cardio Conditioning
Day 7 - P90X Legs & Back, Insanity Cardio Abs

My husband and I were chatting about working out, eating, etc. earlier in the week and we agree that we have both put on a few pounds since wrapping up Insanity. Can't tell you how much as we don't own a scale, but I've felt a little "puffy" so maybe two or three pounds (all in the midsection, of course). I think the main reason is that we are still eating as though we are doing Insanity. A few nights this week I just felt way too full after dinner. So, we are going to try to get back on track with cooking at home, watching what we eat and all that really fun (not) stuff. :)

One thing I'm noticing too is that I'm so bored with my workout selections. Mostly the cardio ones, but even the P90X videos are getting on my nerves. Anybody have any good suggestions for cardio workouts that are somewhat intense but preferably not over 45 minutes long? If so, I'd love to hear about them. Thanks muchly!!

Have a great Turkey week!

X-Sanity Plus - Week 1

2010-11-16T10:51:00.002-05:00

Completed my first week of the P90X, Insanity and other random stuff workout. It feels good to be back into some strength training. I missed it even more than I thought I did. What else is different is that I'm working out in the evenings sans hubby. After several weeks of being unable to drag myself out of bed, I decided that perhaps this time of year workouts need to be done in the evening for me. So, every night at about 7pm, I push play. My husband started morning workouts this morning.

This week's schedule for me was as follows:

Day 1 - P90X Chest & Back, Ab Ripper
Day 2 - Insanity Pure Cardio
Day 3 - rest (unintentional)
Day 4 - Jillian Michael's Shred it With Weights, Level 2
Day 5 - P90X Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper
Day 6 - Cathe Kick, Punch & Crunch
Day 7 - rest

My legs were super duper sore after the JM's workout and then Cathe came along and really drove that soreness home. I'll review those two DVDs after I give them another whirl or two, but for now, I think I like them and will keep them in the mix.

I'm enjoying giving myself the flexibility to choose different DVDs depending on my mood. The weekly schedule will change quite a bit week to week, but the three strength days from P90X will always be there. Love, love, love them! :)

Hope everybody is having a great week. Guess it's time to gear up for the holidays. Any day now all those delicious baked goodies will be popping up everywhere! Must stay on track with my workouts so I can enjoy.

Best. Pizza. Ever.

2010-11-12T10:00:00.000-05:00

Oh yes, oh yes, we've just had possibly the best pizza I have ever made. Perhaps even the best pizza I've ever tasted! And, it's got veggies on it. I know, me and veggies and the best pizza ever. Craziness!! Who woulda thunk!!??

Anyway, I won't go into the whole pizza process as I've done that so many times and I don't really change is up much. But I will list today's toppings and note the variations from my usual prep.

whole wheat dough
homemade sauce
low fat mozzarella, grated
1/2 head broccoli, steamed and chopped
1 medium onion, sliced and caramelized with olive oil, crushed garlic & butter
1 head garlic, roasted
Parmesan cheese, grated
red pepper flakes, to taste
salt & pepper, to taste

I did precook my dough for about 5 minutes before smearing it with the roasted garlic. Mostly so it wouldn't tear. Then I added the remaining toppings and cooked it at 500 until done.

The result was so far beyond my expectations. The entire pizza was gone in minutes. One warning though, let's just say that my husband kept the bed very warm that night. :-P

Does anybody else have a pizza obsession? I'm thinking of reincarnating the "pizza Fridays" from my childhood.

Insanity - The End! My Review

2010-11-11T12:33:00.003-05:00

Hey there folks! Sorry for the late review post. Life has once again gotten a bit hectic. Work for me, in my freelance job, is always feast or famine. Right now, we've got a huge feast going on. :) Now, on to the Insanity review.

Photo credit

First things first - We did not complete the Insanity program as it was meant to be done. We skipped most of the second to last week and then decided to go back to the Month 1 workouts for our last week. So these opinions and results are based on that fact.

My husband and I both really enjoyed all of the Month 1 workouts. They were challenging (especially that first week) and fresh. With each repetition of a workout you can feel yourself getting farther and farther along with less trouble - which is very motivating. It was great to see our progress from Week 1 to Week 3. After that though, we pretty much stayed the same as far as fit test results go, which is totally fine with me.

Unfortunately, our love for the program came to a screeching halt at Month 2. After the first week we both mentioned that the workouts seemed too frantic, too long and too repetitive. There were also several complex moves that I felt could cause injury if not done perfectly (and I most likely don't do ANY of the moves perfectly). We made it two very long feeling weeks before calling it quits and going back to the Month 1 workouts for the remainder.

The problem with Month 2, in my opinion and for my personal taste, is that it gets boring. In Month 1 several of the workouts contain interval training consisting of three or four exercises done for 30 to 60 seconds each in two to three minute intervals, each interval then being performed three times. Now for me three times is a bit much (for reference, intervals in P90X are only repeated twice). I get bored and start craving variety, but for three minutes at a time, I can handle it. Enter Month 2 and the intervals jump to eight minutes or more. So after repeating three times, that is 24+ minutes of repeating the same movements. It was just too repetitive for me. I lost interest and ended up really dreading getting up in the morning for our workouts. The only Month 2 workout I really enjoyed was Max Cardio because there were NO intervals, just pure sweat and hard work.

Also, I felt extremely tired all day after starting it with a 60 minute sweat fest. To keep my body fueled for that type of activity just didn't seem possible. There are only so many calories one can consume in a day.

Results - my husband visibly slimmed down from his face to his feet. Both of us experienced great jumps in our stamina and an overall feeling of "tightness". I, on the other hand, did not start out with any actual weight to lose but wanted to tighten up the butt and loose some of that extra belly fat. What I got was a firmer and lifted butt and some very strong and toned legs - very happy about that. The belly? Well, that's still there, but I hear that good abs are made in the kitchen and to be honest, my kitchen doesn't usually produce the dishes necessary for good abs. Living on salads and carefully counted carb, protein, veggie ratios is just not something I'm good at, nor do I desire to be.

So, in closing, we did enjoy Insanity. If we did the Month 1 program for both months I'd have been happy. And I think that is an option that will bring great results for most people. What I missed was weight training. I feel I lost a lot of muscle and strength in my upper body and abs since completing P90X and trying Insanity. If you aren't as easily bored as me, you will probably enjoy both months of Insanity. For people with extra weight to lose or who wish to increase their cardio activity, I highly recommend it. For people with any type of leg, knee or back problems, this is probably not for you. All of the workouts are very high impact. The new sneaks (Mizunos in fact) I purchased at the start were completely out of cushioning and support by week 5!

What's next? We are now in our first week of a P90X/Insanity combo. I am following the P90X workout calendar and just subbing out most of the X cardio days with Insanity workouts from Month 1. I also plan to incorporate a few other DVDs into the plan as I have several new ones that I want to test out and review, including Jillian Micheal's Shred it With Weights and Six Week Six Pack which should arrive by month's end.

I'll try to post progress pics later in the week although I don't really have visible results.

Have a great day all!!

Yum-EEE Lobster Salad

2010-11-03T18:54:00.001-04:00

OK, finally posting the recipe we used for that delicious tub of fresh Maine lobster I picked up at the farmer's market. This is a version of Mario Batali's recipe that also calls for fresh basil and mint which I did not have on hand, but can only imagine the layers of deliciousness they would add. So, if you do try this, definitely pick up some basil and mint!! I know I will next time - and there will be a next time.

The schtuff:

Steamed and cooled meat from 2-3 lobsters
1 medium red onion, sliced paper thin
1 pound almost overripe tomatoes, chopped into 1/4-inch dice
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
15 basil leaves (I had to use dried)
10 mint leaves (sadly, I didn't have these)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Mix all ingredients together. Serve. Easy peasy!!
I served this along side the Brie Stuffed Latkes and a little garlic bread (yeah, we love our starches). Obviously this would be so much prettier (and tastier) had I picked up the fresh basil and mint.

Happy Eating!!