Happy Healthy Eating

Meatless Mommy Dinner

2011-06-06T16:51:00.000-07:00

Potstickers and Morningstar Farms (you know I love them.) The Asian veggie patties and some veggie potstickers. YUMMY Yummy in my Tummy. I would have taken a picture, but I didn't know how good it was and then it was all gone. Super quick and easy. Healthy, low fat, low cholesterol, mommy dinner.
The patties have a zingy spicy flavor. I don't know that I would like them as a burger. But baked in the oven with a little oil, they got nicely crispy.
The potstickers have been a favorite of mine since I was pregnant with my daughter. They are easy to make a whole meal out of for one person. Saute' the potstickers in a little oil in a med high pan, until they are golden brown. Turn them for a few minutes. Then add 1/4-1/2 cup of water, and a cup or so of frozen veggies, and 1-2 tbs terriyaki sauce. Lid the pan, reduce heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Basically a one pan meal for one or two.

Meatless Monday New Product Review

2011-05-25T13:49:00.000-07:00

(CLEARLY I am getting caught up today.)
Monday was Meatless Monday. We had tostadas. It is our fall back easy meatless thing. Hubby and I actually like the meatless crumbles, he calls it Veat (vegetarian meat). This week I found Yves Meatless Ground Turkey on sale ($1.50), so I picked it up to try it.
I seasoned it with onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne powder, a little salt and some paprika.
I used one pack. There was plenty for the 6 tostadas Hubby and I had. The kids had beans, rice and some of the veat mixed together like a dip. (as for the battle... Mommy gets 1/2. Hubby loved it. Caleigh ate it.) There was even some left That I am having for lunch today.
I Love this product. I would like it to be freezable, but it has a decent shelf life and it seasons really well. I would like to try it again in pasta sauce. But I think if I can find it on sale, will use this instead of the Morningstar Farms crumbles ($4-5 a bag).

Food Speriment Garlic Monkey Bread

2011-05-25T10:47:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I found a Bridgford Monkey Bread... But it was Garlic Monkey Bread. I made it with dinner one night and it was SUPER yummy. I got it on clearance, so I paid $2.00. But normally it is $4.00. Not really willing to spend that much and I haven't been able to find it at any of my local stores. Last night I was at the store. (Grocery Outlet. If you have one near you.. Visit it.) I was getting a frozen garlic chicken pasta for dinner, and I thought garlic bread would be yummy. So I bought a Pilsbury french loaf. I unrolled it, just find the seam and unroll the dough. then I cut it into little 1/2X1/2 squares. Dipped the squares in 4 tbs melted butter with 2 tbs of chopped garlic in it. I then tossed them in parmesean, basil, oregano, and fines herbs. Then the pieces go into the spring form bundt pan. (I am cool and have one. You could probably pile them into the muffin cups in a muffin pan or into a round baking pan.) then baked at 350 for 22 minutes. The result FABULOUS. I really need to start taking pictures of these things. Because it was so good it was gone. So yummy, not salty, just garlicky and yummy little bites of bread. perfect for the kids.

A New Direction

2011-05-25T10:11:00.000-07:00

While this food blog makes me sound like a crunchy earth momma, domestic goddess, this is not entirely so. I have a love for cheap mexican food, I love deserts, and I love cheese. This has resulted in my current predicament. My dr. called the other day to tell me that my cholesterol is too high. He wants me to start medication for 4 weeks and then retake the blood tests. I don't want to. SO. I have an appointment to talk to him (face to face). I am going to propose radical diet change and starting to work out again, instead of going on medication. If in 4 weeks my cholesterol has gone down. No medication. If not.. Well. I guess I am on medication.
So it is time for me to channel my inner crunchy earth momma, and do more home cooking and less eating mexican. I am going back to using whole grains, quinoa, brown rice, whole wheat breads. More fish, chicken and turkey and less red meat and pork. Less creamy sauces and less cheese. I guess I will be having oatmeal and cheerios for breakfast.
I will still eat out one day a week. My family goes to a mexican place near our church every Sunday after church, we have done it since I was 12 years old. So I will be doing that still.
The main problem is (confession...) I am terrible about doing the dishes. I hate doing the dishes. I don't know why. It really isn't that hard. But I will procrastinate until I have no clean dishes and we are eating off the "good china" with plastic forks. Then the leaning tower of plates, requires 4 loads of the dishwasher and 30 minutes of hand washing pots and pans. (I have started being better. It is another habit that I have to create. ) But when the kitchen is like that, I don't want to cook, so hubby lets me go out and get food. (an expensive and lazy habit.) The worst part is I love cooking, so it is stupid for me to eat food that doesn't make me happy.
So new direction.
Eat food that makes me happy, nourishes my body, and is healthy.
Get my ass to the gym 3-4 days a week.
Use whole grains, and convert the family.
Reinstate Meatless Monday, Fishy Friday and Wery Weggie Wednesday (sorry. little Star Trek reference there).
Oh and do the dishes every day.

Foodsperiment Sweet Potato Fries

2011-03-11T19:34:00.000-08:00

This was me trying to use the sweet potatoes we have and do something that the kids might actually eat.
I tried just baking sweet potatoes and giving Duckie and Kiwi chunks. Failure.. But I can put Sweet potatoes into JUST about ANYTHING and they will eat it. (french toast, muffins, pancakes.)
So I decided to make some sweet potato fries.
I sliced a sweet potato, then tossed it with some oil.
Then I quartered a about 8-10 carrots and tossed those too.
I preheated my oven and my baking sheets to 400.
I spread the potatoes and carrots out on the pans. Turned them after about 12-15 minutes. I think it took about 25-30 minutes to get everything ince and soft.. ( they didn't get crispy on the outside, maybe if I had baked them on a wire rack. but i can't find mine....)
I remembered something my grandmother had asked when I had seen her last, "Do they like cinnamon?" I decided to make sweet sweet potatoes.
In a big bowl I sprinkled about 2 tsp of cinnamon, 1/4-1/5 tsp of fresh grated nutmeg and about 2 tbs of sugar. then I tossed the carrots and sweet potatoes in the cinnamon and sugar right out of the oven. Then Serve....
Declan had two servings, Daddy had two servings, Caleigh ate all of hers, I was JAZZED, and this was all that was left.
I tricked my family into eating sweet potatoes and carrots.... AWESOME.

Little Boy Blue Muffins and Pink Berry Muffins

2011-02-21T12:56:00.000-08:00

These are basically just Blueberry muffins and Orange Cranberry muffins. With a twist... The Pincess wanted pink muffins, I figured if I am making muffins for her. I should make muffins for him too. I was given a cookbook. It is a Betty Crocker cook book from 1972. It has a FABULOUS muffin recipe. Super simple. It is a base recipe and then it tells you what to add to change the recipe. However, I cannot, just make the recipe normal... I have to change it up. Here was our recent experiments and successes.
Little Boy Blue Muffins. These are basic Blueberry Muffins. I used frozen ( buy them fresh, when they are on sale, toss the whole container in your freezer and when they are frozen solid transfer them to a ziplock baggie.) I changed part of the oil out for plain non fat yogurt, and I did a little zest of lemon in the batter and a sprinkle of white sugar on top. ( I will do the original recipe further down and the changes I made for each of these muffins)

Pink Berry Muffins.... These were fun to make.. because I was experimenting. AND they came out pretty good too. The neighbors loved them.
I used a Cranberry Orange recipe, I added, beet puree (to make them pink) and yogurt to cut the oil content, I didn't have enough orange zest, so I tried to use orange juice. Note, the Zest really makes the orange flavor, the juice really didn't cut it. I had my friend over for the weekend. She looked at me like I was out of my mind that I wanted to MAKE muffins, then when she saw me put beet puree in them, she said "I am NOT eating those. " I said "YES you will and I guarantee you won't taste the beet and that you will like them." 35 minutes later, and 3 muffins gone in her tummy.... I was right. ( does that count as another score for me???)

Original recipe.
Sweet Muffins-
1 egg
1/2 cup of milk
1/4 cup of salad oil
1 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 cup of sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
Heat oven to 400. Grease 12 muffin cups.
Beat egg, stir in milk and oil.
Mix in remaining ingredients just until flour is moistened. Batter should be lumpy.
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown, immediately remove from pan, serve warm.

WHAT DID I DO?
Little Boy Blue Muffins
First I doubled the recipe.
Sweet Muffins-
2 egg
1 cup of milk
1/2 cup of Plain Non Fat Yogurt
3 cups of flour
1 cup of sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp baking soda ( to counteract the acidity of the yogurt)
3/4 cup frozen Blueberries. (still frozen, this minimizes berry bleed..Original recipe called fro frozen, thawed and drained.)
I loaded the muffin cups almost to the top. I got about 18 muffins, that made nice big muffins. :)

Pink Berry Muffins-
First I doubled the recipe.
Sweet Muffins-
2 egg
1 cup of milk
1/2 cup of Plain Non Fat Yogurt
3 1/2 cups of flour
1/4 of beet puree
1 cup of sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp baking soda ( to counteract the acidity of the yogurt)
1 tbs grated orange peel (I used orange zest, done on my microplane) 1 cup cranberries ( I used 1 cup of Craisins)
This made 20 muffins. Next time... more beet puree, these weren't very pink. It did make the tops of them look pink, though.

Foodsperiment- Peanut Butter Banana Magic Muffins

2011-01-27T15:35:00.000-08:00

This is our recent Foodsperiment. ( with plans of repeating it tomorrow.)
Peanut Butter Banana Magic Muffins.
Here are the ingredients, peanut butter, banana, brown sugar, 1 egg white flour, baking powder, baking soda, oh.. and the MAGIC.. in this case it was Sweet Potato. The original recipe called for 1/2 cup of carrot or cauliflower puree, I didn't have either. I did have sweet potato puree.
The first time I did them. My daughter wanted to help make them. she saw me making the sweet potato puree and started in with " EWWW I don't like that" I said " You don't know that you don't like it you haven't tried it". Then she asked what it was. I said. "Magic." She said " MAGIC?" I went with it... "This is the magic that gives fairies and princesses their magic." She seemed to be good with that. The first batch was realllly sweet. (The 3 year old and the 18 year old loved them. I think because I didn't reduce the brown sugar to accomadate the sweetness of the sweet potato. But I liked them. I am making another batch tomorrow. The next try, I am doing 1/2 the brown sugar. I used smooth peanut butter the first time, but I think I will use chunky next time.
Here is the recipe- and my changes in BLUE
1 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar (1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar)
1/2 cup natural peanut butter ( 1/2 cup JIF because it is what we had.)
1/2 cup carrot or cauliflower puree (1/2 cup sweet potato puree)
1/2 cup banana puree ( I actually pureed up some bananas, but I think it was an unnecessary step. I keep bananas in the freezer to make muffins. All you have to do is let them defrost and cut the peel and slide the banana goo out. )
1 large egg white
1 cup whole wheat flour ( I used AP because; say it with me now: it was what I had)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray or liners.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix 1/2 cup of the brown sugar and the peanut butter, the vegetable and banana purees and the egg white using a wooden spoon. (I was trying to read the recipe and let the three year old help. so I did all the brown sugar at this point. and we used a silicone spatula.)
3.Put the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a smaller bowl or ziplock bag, stir or shake to mix. ( I put it through a mesh strainer, instead of dirtying another bowl or wasting another bag) Add to the peanut butter mixture and stir just to combine. Batter will be a little lumpy, do not overmix. ( pretty sure that the Three year old helped over mix a bit...) add the remaining 1/2 cup of brown sugar and stir once or twice. ( like I said.. I didn't have any sugar to add here.)
4. Divide the batter among the muffin cups and bake until the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean. 15-20 minutes. turn muffins out onto rack to cool.
5. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or wrap and freeze for up to one month. ( there were only 3 left and they were eaten the next morning.)

I don't know how many changes you have to make to a recipe to call it your own and not someone else's. But CREDIT where credit is due. this was originally a recipe from Jessica Seinfeld's book Deceptively Delicious.

Tomorow is Peanut Butter Banana Magic Muffins take two and Pink Berry Muffins (and depending on the size of the fit my daughter pitches.. Little Boy Blue Muffins too.)

Scrambled Egg-Speriments

2011-01-18T15:28:00.000-08:00

I have this great cook book, Deceptively Delicious, by Jessica Seinfeld. It is all about ways to incorporate and hide vegetable and sometimes meat in foods, normal foods for your kids.
One of the fist recipes I found and tried was for scrambled eggs. Caleigh LOVES scrambled eggs and I figured sneaking veggies into it would be great.
First, I tried sweet potato puree. No go. She ate one bite and spit it out.
Second try, I tried the actual recipe. 2 eggs, 4 egg whites, and cauliflower. NO GO again. Total ambivalence, she ate a few bites, but not like her usual breakfast eating habits.
Third try, this time I did 6 whole eggs, and 1/2 cup of cauliflower puree. Success. Both hubby, and Caleigh devoured them, no question.
I have since played with Egg beaters, and egg vs egg white combos. I can get away with a half and half ratio. I have used cauliflower and squash puree. Both eaten successfully.
I have found for my kid. it needed to look "normal". The sweet potatoes, actually add a sweet taste. If you started off with that and it was all the kids knew, you could maybe get away with the sweet potato. I like the cauliflower and the squash.
For adults. I have also added, cooked chopped broccoli, carrots and zucchini. I have had people who HATE zucchini, But love my veggie scramble.
Score one for the Mommy. I have managed to convert my kids to love something that has veggies in it... WOO HOO.

Little Picky Eaters

2011-01-18T11:40:00.000-08:00

This is the beginning of what I am calling FoodSperiments. I need to get food into the kids. I need for that food to contain veggies and to be good for them. They want to eat crackers, muffins, cheerios, macaroni and cheese and as my daughter calls it "chicken srench sries". So this is the battle ground. Mommy's goal to trick the children into eating as many veggies as I can. Kids goal, to try and thwart mommy and only eat Yummy food. These are my opponents. Declan 18 months and Caleigh age 3.

Here are the battles so far. (Blog posts coming to describe each battle in detail....)
*Scrambled Eggs with sweet potato puree... BIG fail the first time. (Kids 1- Mommy 0)
*Macaroni and Cheese with sweet potato puree, another fail. (Kids 2- Mommy 0)
*Cauliflower Mashed " Potatoes" 1/2 win for mommy, Daddy LOVED it, and he normally hates cauliflower. (kids 3 -Mommy 1/2)
* Scrambled Egg whites with Cauliflower (another fail....) (Kids 4 -Mommy1/2 )
*French Toast with Sweet Potato puree. HUGE SUCCESS. My daughter's friend, who had already had breakfast, ate 2 whole pieces. Caleigh ate 4 pieces and Declan at 1. BIG success (Kids 4- Mommy 1 1/2) With NOTHING but successes since.
*Scrambled Eggs with Cauliflower FINALLY a success... WOO HOO (Kids 4 -Mommy2 1/2)
*Pancakes with sweet potato puree. ANOTHER success. (Kids 4 -Mommy 3 1/2 )
*Oatmeal with apples and applesauce. Success ((Kids 4 -Mommy41/2 )
AND MOMMY PULLS AHEAD
*Turkey meatballs and rice. Partial fail. Once I got Caleigh to try it she liked it, but Declan wouldn't eat it. (Kids 4 1/2 -Mommy 5 )
*Black Beans and rice (aka Con Gris. ) Always a winner. (Kids 4 1/2 -Mommy 6 )
* Chicken Strips Parmesan with cauliflower puree. ( hopefully a replacement for chicken and french fries...) Score one for the home team.. (Kids 4 1/2 -Mommy 7 )
Macaroni and Cheese with cauliflower or Squash puree ((Kids 4 1/2 -Mommy 8 )
Scrambled eggs with sweet potato humus. Success. (Kids 4 1/2 -Mommy 9 )
Chicken Poncit with broccoli, carrots, celery and bean threads, instead of rice noodles. Score for mommy. They Both loved it. ((Kids 4 1/2 -Mommy 10)
That is how the battles have gone so far. As you can see. Mommy is in the lead. When they have a few days of finickiness, I resort to one of the Big winners. usually french toast for dinner.
I still use some pre-made and boxed things. But it is all better, than fast food. Right?

Fish Experiment # 31

2010-07-15T07:55:00.000-07:00

I don't mind fish. I have had fish that I totally loved, however, I am consistently afraid of fish. I hate fishy, mushy fish. I am never sure what to try. I do really well with ocean fish. I do mahi-mahi, salmon and shark pretty well. But, I have also had fish that was mushy, fishy, slimy and to me... totally gross. So every time Alex wants to try a new fish, or something, I wait as long as possible. I have to build up courage to try it. Last night we tried Tilapia again. This was the second time I have made it. However, it was the first time I have seasoned it.
We had pan seared tilapia with roasted potatoes and green beans.
I didn't think I had any lemons, so I used grapefruit. I zested it for the potatoes. Then I segmented it for the fish. I used the juice from the grapefruit and a couple of the segments broken up. 1 clove of garlic, minced, 1 tbs of oil, 2 tsps of basil, and (I did find a lemon) zest of one lemon and juice of half of a lemon. I let the fish rest in the marinade for a minute, then into a hot pan with a little bit of oil. I seared them for 2 minutes. Then I topped them with the rest of the marinade. Then I put them into the oven to finish off. (350*) I left them in there for about four more minutes.
They came out AWESOME. The fish was tender, flavorful, moist and perfectly cooked. The potatoes were Yummy. Here is a picture.
Yummy. I think tilapia is added to the list of fish I like.

Meatless Monday Experiment

2010-07-12T21:06:00.000-07:00

My mom told me about this alternative to MEAT, called Jackfruit. It is an Asian fruit that looks like a bumpy football. (or if you get it my way it looks like a metal can...) you tear it apart and pull the middle core out. Then re-heat, season, and sauce or flavor it and build a dish.

I decided to make Pulled Not Pork Barbecue Sandwiches. Then I decided to make my OWN BARBECUE SAUCE. (thank you Bobby Flay for showing me how to do that).

OH MY WORD DEAR the sauce is fabulous. It had a nice flavor, good build up of heat, but not overwhelming. I sauteed the jackfruit with minced garlic and onions. Then I added the sauce and cooked it in for a few minutes. Heat up some sandwich rolls, add yummy barbecue stuff.

MMMM YUMMY.

4 Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

2010-05-20T07:14:00.000-07:00

Yep... and they were YUMMY.
So, here is the recipe.
I made 6, so that is what the recipe is based on.
1/4 med onion diced
1/2 medium zucchini, diced
2 cloves of garlic diced
oil spray
total of 1/4 cup of your four favorite cheeses. We used 1 Tbs Parmesan (grated), 1Tbs feta, 1 Tbs Monterrey Jack (grated or diced) and 1 Tbs of Mozzerella. semi soft to hard cheeses are best, brie, goats cheeses and other soft could be messy.
OH and the mushrooms. 6 Med-Large (muffin cup sized) mushroom, cleaned, stemmed.
Heat oven to 400
Combine diced onion, zucchini and garlic and saute` until lightly golden. Move to mixing bowl.
Using your MUFFIN PAN (thank you Rachael Ray) or a regular cookie sheet, or an oven proof skillet. Oil lightly with spray. Place mushrooms stem side down and bake for about 5 minutes. this is to pre-cook them a bit and dry them out so you don't have soggy mushrooms or filling.
Return to filling add 1/4 cup of bread crumbs, and a little basil (or any other herbs you like.)
Stir to combine. Add in 3 of the 4 cheeses, reserve one to melt on top. We used the mozzarella to melt on top.
Remove mushrooms. Mound the stuffing up on the mushrooms, and pack it a little bit. Return them to the pan and bake 5-7 minutes. Just until everything starts to melt. Top with reserved cheese and return to oven to melt.
These were SO yummy. Totally vegetarian as is. We decided though that this would lend itself well to adding crab (or Krab), shrimp, or sausage, or even pieces of shredded chicken. You could add green chiles instead of the feta and Parmesan with the chicken. MMM maybe that will be next.
This was easy to make. It took me about 20 minutes. I did it while I was marinating the fish for dinner.

Our First Meatless Monday

2010-05-04T15:02:00.000-07:00

Last night was our first Meatless Monday. We had tostadas. Vegetarian refried beans. My favorite tostada shell, Los Pericos. Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Grillers Recipe Crumbles, that I cooked with salsa. Then topped it all with shredded romaine lettuce, tomatoes, scallions, and avocados. It was super yummy.
I love the Morningstar Farms meatless crumbles. You find them in the freezer section. they cook up in about 5 minutes. It makes enough to make 8-10 totadas. I cook it in a skillet over medium-high heat. Spray the pan with a little oil spray, and add 1-2 tbs of your favorite salsa (or 2-3 packets of Taco Bell hot sauce) Then cook stirring often for a couple minutes. It really cooks so fast. Dinner is ready in no time. The price per meal is comparable to ground beef. I had a package of ground beef in my hand that was a little over a pound of 85/15 that was $4. 26 and the Morningstar Farms crumbles were on sale 2/$7.
Enjoy. Super easy, Low cost.
Morningstar Farms crumbles 2/$7 on sale (used one bag). Refried beans $.88, Lettuce $1.89 a head (only used 1/2) Avocados $1.00 each, Tomatoes $.99 a lb. Scallions $.89 a bunch (used 1/2) Tostada shells $1.49. Grand total. $10.05 for 3-4 people.

Meatless Mondays and Fishy Fridays

2010-05-04T14:53:00.000-07:00

I have decided to do at least one day a week where we eat meatless meals, and at least one day a week where we eat fish. This is another attempt to set a good example for my children, expand our recipes, and eat healthier.
Alex wants to eat fish more often. I bought a fish and seafood cookbook. Fishy friday is my way of committing to one day a week. We will likely work up to more times a week. But for now, one day a week is a start.
I have been partially vegetarian for years. I find that when it is just me alone, I revert to eating basically vegetarian. Alex has been very accepting of vegetarian food. Even though he still "lovingly" calls it fascist food. Meghan, my sister, is vegan and has been very good for getting Alex to try new things.

Brie and bread

2010-04-30T08:16:00.000-07:00

So, my friend is getting ready to move and we had to clean out her fridge. What did we find? Two kinds of brie cheese, a DELICIOUS cheese that is a white cheddar with apricots in it. (I know sounds weird but it was yummmy.) Well that was in addition to the cheddars, and mozzerellas. We decided on brie for breakfast.
We went to the store to buy sourdough french bread. There wasn't any. So, I bought 2 artizan baguettes, and a regular french loaf. One was an artizan sourdough baguette with sea salt on top. The second was also sourdough but it was everything style. Like an everything bagel.
Here is what to do. I am sure lots of people to this, and I am sure it is really common in France and Europe, but, I had never seen it before.
heat oven to 350
slice the bread. if you slice it on an angle you get a bigger slice. lay them out on PARCHMENT PAPER or that neat non stick foil.
slice the brie. we used standard brie, and this wonderful herb coated brie, covered in basil.
lay the slices on the bread...(duh...)
place in the oven to melt the cheese. 10 minutes at the most.
then eat. I think doing it with more than one kind of bread and more than one kind of cheese is the best. because then you get to have a different taste each time.
NOW. this was delicious on it's own. But in my world I think some oven broiled sausages would be a great addition.
Ok so this might not be the healthiest of breakfasts, but it is probably still healthier that going to Denny's. Plus it will definitely taste better than anything you can get at a Denny's

Beer Glazed Chicken

2010-04-29T14:54:00.001-07:00

Yep. I said BEER GLAZED CHICKEN. I will share the fabulousness of it with you.
2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, and butterflied
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs lemon juice
1/2 bottle good IPA beer. Don't cook with it if you won't drink it. curious phrase, because I don't really love an IPA, but this was a yummy dinner.
garlic powder, lemon pepper, salt, mrs. dash, fresh ground pepper.
Season the butterflied chicken with lemon pepper, mrs. dash, salt and garlic powder.
Brown the chicken breasts in a pan over medium high in heated oil. about 4-5 minutes per side.
Pour on 1/2 a bottle of beer. Cover and simmer 5-8 minutes. Chicken should feel firm.
Remove chicken, and cover with foil.
Whisk about 1 tbs of olive oil into the beer in the pan. Whisk in lemon juice and reduce by about 1/2. finish with salt and fresh ground pepper.
Drizzle over chicken and serve.
Seriously YUMMMY.
Reducing the beer takes the bitter Beer taste out of it.

Time to start this up again.

2010-03-16T15:59:00.001-07:00

Yes, that is right. It has been almost a year. It is time to start blogging about food again.
Here is my plan. 2 recipes a week, be they mine or stollen ( borrowed with credit from another source), 1 review of food item a week, and 1 post about feeding my kids every week.... (when they eat something)
I cook a lot like Rachael Ray. with pinches, dashes and some....
So to start.
Today I will review my new favorite alternative food... Coconut milk.

Coming soon.
Love to you all, Eat healthy and Be happy.
OH.... and here is a pic of my sweet boy.
Declan Orlando
Born Aug 21, 08

Oh and I forgot to mention...

2009-03-06T07:49:00.000-08:00

I am pregnant again.
Yep we are having baby number two. We are due August 28th. I get to find out the sex ( hopefully) on April 19.
I wonder if there are any girl making foods...
No. by now the gender is determined and in place. I am 15 weeks today.
almost half way... Pregnant through the summer again. Yay Me...

Chicken Sans Pie

2009-03-06T07:19:00.000-08:00

I started off calling this chicken stroganoff, but that was deceptive. It is basically a chicken pot pie with out the pie.
It is super yummy on a cold night with french bread. It is quick and easy and would be good with a salad on a hot day. It packs up well and reheats awesome.

2 chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken ( or mushroom if you prefer) + 1 cup of milk
3 cups total of variety of frozen veggies. I usually do 1 1/2 c of broccoli, 1/2 c of corn, 1/2 c of peas and 1 c of green beans. ( nuke for about 4-5 minutes to cook them most of the way through)
1-2 cups of shredded cheese ( your choice, cheddar, cheddarella, Italian blend whatever)
1/2 bag of egg noodles

Cut chicken into medium bite sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper, garlic powder, Mrs. Dash and Itallian seasoning if you like. Saute' in a large deep skillet ( I use a non stick wok style pan). Keep them moving, until they are almost cooked through. add the cream of chicken, milk, and veggies. mix together and turn heat down to medium. Add egg noodles, try and get them all into the sauce. Cover and cook on medium to medium low for about 10 minutes. Or until the noodles are cooked (you could dirty another pot by boiling these seperate and just topping the noodles with the sauce, but why?) add about 1/2 of the cheese to the pot. stir. this helps to thicken and add a cheesey flavor. serve, in bowls, top with a little more cheese, serve with garlic bread, or french bread, or rolls. this recipe feed hubby and I with leftovers ( or seconds). It would feed a family of four easy, if you added salad.
I love this recipe, because it literally takes about 30 minutes. You could adjust this and make it feed more, by adding a chicken breast, about 1 c of chicken stock, and maybe another 1/2 to 1 c of veggies.

I Am Back

2008-07-03T12:59:00.000-07:00

I am back. Caleigh has gotten to a point where she likes to play in her jumper or play pen and I get time to play online every day or so.
So I am trying to be good about posting new recipes and reviews.
Good Luck. Love Sara

Turkey Meatball Stroganoff

2008-07-01T14:02:00.000-07:00

This was a Sara Experiment Meal and it came out fabulous.

I did this for dinner last night and it was SUPER yummy.
Meatballs- 1 lb ground turkey1/2 stick celery diced fine1/2 carrot grated1/4 onion diced fine (all these should equal about 1/4 cup or less each)1/4 c grated cheese ( we used pizza blend, italian blend or parm would work fine)1/4-1/2 bread crumbs1 beaten eggsalt, pepper, garlic and italian herbs 1-2 tsp ( i just shake so kinda guessing)
MIX all ingredients together. Make about 1 inch meatballs. ( we used about 15 and the recipe made about 30) Cook meatballs in large skillet/pan. remove the meatballs. add 2 cans cream of chicken soup and 1 can of milk. scrape the bottom and get all the good flavoring bits up. add the meatballs back in. cook at barely a simmer until egg noodles are done.
BOIL Egg noodles until almost done. drain. return to big boiling pot.
POUR meatballs and sauce over. mix and serve. top with a little more shredded cheese. serve with rolls..If you wanted to do it with ground beef, I would switch the cream soup to mushroom. Love, Sara

Where did I go?

2007-10-24T19:01:00.000-07:00

I have been gone for a few months. My last post was in August. Since then My life was a whirlwind of tests, and testing, Dr's appointments and parties and running all over three counties to get stuff done and do some visiting before Caleigh was born.
Alex got home on September 16. Caleigh was born on October 2nd. Check out the Life and Times of Sara Blog( http://cheshireprincess.blogspot.com/ )
I am going to try and post a few of my new and Yummy recipes this week..
Love Sara

Chicken Salad

2007-08-04T12:27:00.000-07:00

This is an easy lunch to make and take. It is good with left over grilled chicken or canned.
2 grilled chicken pieces (I prefer breasts) in medium diced pieces about 2 cups
1/2 c each,
cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
green onion, the white and the green
chopped cilantro
1/2 c cottage cheese
1/2 c sour cream (I use low fat or non fat)
Directions-
Mix together all ingredients, with cottage cheese. Add sour cream a little at a time until you reach desired consistancy. Serve with tortilla chips, on tostada shells, with crackers, or on top of a green salad.
The cucumber adds a nice crunch. If you make it with left over grilled chicken that is already seasoned, wait until it is all done to add salt or pepper. This is a really good use of leftover, chicken from chicken tacos, Pollo Asada, whole rotisserie chicken, or even thanksgiving turkey. It stores well for about three days, but it won't last that long. Hubby likes a little shredded cheese on top.
Sometimes, we do this as a trio of salads, chicken salad, egg salad and tuna salad or a green salad. That way it is really nice on a hot day.
Love Sara

Spicy Black Beans and Con Gris

2007-08-03T11:36:00.000-07:00

Ok. So we are going to cover two recipes. Spicy Black Beans, a super yummy, easy dish that takes no time, and Con Gris a Cuban classic, that is easy, and tasty.
Spicy Black Beans
2 cans of Black Beans (drained and rinsed)
1-2 serrano chiles
1/2 onion diced
1/4 c cilantro chopped
16 oz of chicken or vegetable stock
Directions- If you want the beans to be not too spicy, use only one serrano and leave it whole, medium spicy, cut it in half and remove all the seeds and white pith from inside, Med-hot use 2 serranos sliced, and cleaned (all the seeds and white pith) then dice, Hot (this will not melt the roof of your mouth, but it will be a pleasant heat for those of us that like it) use 2 serranos and either slice, or dice leaving in the seeds. Saute' onions in 1 tbs of olive oil. In a baking dish (ceramic, not metal) combine all ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste, bake 350* for 20 -30 minutes. Less time in the oven means more sauce, more time means less sauce and richer taste.
Con Gris
2 cans black beans (drained, reserve liquid)
1 1/2 c rice (white or brown)
2 Tbs minced garlic
1/2 c diced onion
salt, pepper
water or chicken stock
In a large pot saute' garlic and onion in 1 Tbs of olive oil. Add water to reserved bean liquid to bring up to three cups. Add beans and rice to onions and garlic. Add water and bean liquid. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer and cover and cook for the time recommended on the rice package. White it is usually 20-30 minutes, Brown it is 30-45 minutes. The rice will look grey and the beans will have flavored all of it. VERRRRYYYYY GOOODDD. This is really good as a side dish to steak, carne asada, grilled chicken or even fish. Optional toppings include, queso fresco, or shredded cheddar, sour cream, and cilantro. This only gets better as leftovers and is easily frozen. To use after freezing allow to defrost in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave with a wet paper towel over. Hubby loves it the next morning, reheat about 1/2-1 c of con gris and fry or poach (I prefer poached) One or two eggs, place eggs over the top and mix it all up, (so the egg yolk mixes in and you get a little of everything in each bite). YUMMY especially in the winter.
Love Sara

Mahi Tacos

2007-08-02T13:34:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe that I created in an attempt to recreate something from one of my favorite restaurants (Rubios). While the restaurant is famous for the fried fish tacos, I love their grilled fish tacos.
I use frozen Mahi Mahi. These are individually wrapped in 5-8 oz pieces. One piece usually makes two well stuffed tacos. I base all my recipes on the fact that it is Hubby and I eating. But the recipes can be doubled quite easily.
Recipe-
2 frzn Mahi Mahi fillets ( These defrost fastest under cool running water. I put them in a bowl or a pitcher, still wrapped, and turn the water on to a little more than a trickle)
1 lemon and 1 lime, juiced and zested.
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped.
1 tbs Mrs. Dash (I use the Table Blend, but the Extra Spicy works well too.)
2-3 tbs olive oil
In a large ziplock bag, combine juice, zest, olive oil, all but 1Tbs of the cilantro, and the Mrs.Dash. Seal the bag and shake to combine. Add the fillets, reseal and push as much of the air out as possible. Allow to marinate in the fridge for 15-30 minutes (any longer and you are making ceviche. Also a yummy, healthy food, but not what we are going for.)
While that is marinating, make the sauce.
1 c sour cream
1 lemon, juiced
Cilantro, the remainder
1/2 Tbs Mrs. Dash
1 tsp each garlic, and parsley.
Mix all the ingredients. The lemon juice should thin the sour cream, just a bit to make it like a sauce, and not a dip. refridgerate until time to serve.
Heat the barbeque. I like to oil my barbeque grates, and then heat it up for about 10 minutes ( I use a gas grill). This gets the grill really hot. Place the fish, and give them about five minutes on the first side and about three on the flip side. DON"T FUSS WITH THEM. Leave them alone until you are ready to flip, and use a spatula to flip rather than tongs. When they are ready, the meat should pull apart easily and be white all the way through. Transfer them to a plate or pan ( I use a pie pan) and cover with foil.
Slice about 1/2 a head of white cabbage really thin. Dice up 1 tomato and one avocado. Shred cheddar cheese, or open the package. Warm two corn tortillas per person.
Using a fork, seperate the fish. Start at one end or corner of the fish and pull the fork through the meat, this should give you nice chunky flaky bites.
Assembly-
Lay out tortilla, spread one tsp of sauce down the center. Add fish, cheese, cabbage just to cover, tomatoes and avocado. I like green tomatillo style salsa on mine, hubby likes a little bit more lemon. Repeat and eat. Two fillets usually make 4-5 tacos. We usually eat this just as is, but it could be served with spicy black beans (recipe soon...) and rice. This recipe also makes excellent Mahi burritos, trade out the corn tortillas for burrito sized flour tortillas, and build the same way, then fold, roll and eat. Hubby prefers no cabbage and more fish on the burritos.

Eat More Lose Weight?

2007-08-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

So, I have described th daily plan for eating for my Gestational Diabetes. It is what usually comes out to between 3-5 cups of food for every meal. Plus snacks and fruit. Since my diagnosis and being put on this diet I have gained 3 lbs, and nothing since my last appointment 2 weeks ago yesterday. My Nurse Practioner yesterday said that this is a very healthy diet and one that I could lose weight quickly on after the baby.
Now, here is the logic behind it. When you skip meals, your body doesn't know where or when the next source of nutrition will come, so it starts to conserve energy. (energy is stored as .... FAT) However when you eat a diet with large portions of easy to use (fruit, dairy and vegetables) and complex energy sources (carbs and protein), your body barely finishes using one meal before you start putting more in. Your body needs constant fuel. That is why the best "Diet GURU Corporations" all incorporate snacks into their well portioned meal plans. So what should the regular person trying to eat healthy and lose weight take from this. Eat breakfast, (Your mother was right it really is important). Have a mid-morning snack, (like a piece of fruit and some cheese and crackers, or yogurt and part of a muffin or bagel). Have lunch, and eat your salad with it. Green vegetables help our system to run smoothly, and they are easy to burn food. If you eat a salad first you are less likely to overeat when lunch comes, and at the very least you will eat slower. Have an afternoon snack, a piece of fruit, or a fruit cup. This will be much better that another cup of coffee, diet soda, or a frappaccino. Have a healthy dinner. Have two veggies and one starch, a protein and you can even have a roll.
First of all is you eat like this you will almost never be hungry. You will burn energy all day long, and you will start to lose weight. This is a healthy life style change type of eating rather than a quick fix DIET that teaches you nothing except that 1) Grapefruit and tuna do not a meal make or 2) That you never want to see another popcorn cake as long as you live.
This is a way to enjoy eating again, rather than stress over how much this will add to the waistline. After all, who wants to just eat to live, we should WANT to eat, we should live to eat good food...
Love, Sara

Chicken Parmaseana

2007-07-26T16:06:00.000-07:00

Yes I realise that I spelled it wrong. In our world (Hubby and Me) it is about the cheese and flavors, not the cooking process. The regular spelling implies that the dish is from the Parma region of Italy. My way implies that it is going to have alot of cheese on it.
Okay some of my recipes are all about the ingredients. This one is all about the process... The ingredients are mostly store bought and pre-made.
Recipe-
One chicken patty per person. (as previously stated for this I really like the Morning Star Farms Chick Patties) A breaded chicken breast or a couple of chicken tenders would work as well.
One can (12 oz) per 2 servings of Del Monte Diced Tomatoes with Basil and Oregano. (or favorite spaghetti sauce, canned or homemade)
1/2 package (per 2 servings) of favorite pasta. I like Angel Hair.
Sliced Mozzarella (1 slice per chick patty, 2 per for chick breast or tenders)
1/4 c Parmesan cheese per serving. (this will be divided between the chicken and the pasta)
Directions-
Cook chicken according to package. Cook pasta. Remove chicken and turn broiler on. Spoon tomatoes (or sauce) onto chicken, about 2 tbs per chick patty. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over, and lay a slice of mozzarella on top. Place under broiler for 1-2 minutes, just long enough to melt the cheese.
Toss remainder of can of tomatoes with hot pasta. Serve 1/2-1 c of pasta and tomatoes cover with Parmesan cheese. Serve melty, cheesey, gooey chicken along side.
Despite the cheese, this is a really light meal. The tomatoes are really fresh, and the chick patties version can be done so quickly that it doesn't heat up the house, those can be microwaved. So this is really good in the summer, too. The tossed tomatoes and pasta is really yummy as a cold lunch the next day.
Variation.
Instead of making pasta, toast a sourdough sandwich roll. Place a bit of tomatoes or sauce on bread and add cheese, broil to melt cheese. Cut chicken in half, place chicken on the sandwich roll. Close and Eat. Serve with a salad, veggies (Veggie Convicts see may post Eat Your Veggies) or french fries.

Food Review....Mock Chicken Patty

2007-07-21T15:23:00.000-07:00

I said I would review Yummy foods that are healthy. So here it goes.
Hubby loves Chicken Parmaseana. Whenever we go out he orders that. I knew I could make it better at home. So I started looking for help, I hate frying things, it is messy and time consuming. I looked at frozen, breaded chicken patties, breasts and even strips. They all had upwards of 800 mgs of sodium and at least 13 grams of fat. Every chicken patty we tried seemed to be pressed and molded concoctions of various meat. They didn't taste very good and often had gristly bits.
Then I had a revelation, Morning Star Farms. This is a company that makes vegetarian meat replacements. They are made from Textured Vegetable Protein. Known as TVP to vegans and vegetarians. It is a soy product, but tastes nothing like soy milk, baby formula or tofu. Hubby and I love their ground meat replacer, I like their sausage and my sister loves the buffalo wings and corn dogs, so why not give it a try. They have two Chick Patties products, the Original and Parmesean Ranch. I wasn't sure about the Parmesean Ranch flavor over the Original, because often when things are flavored the flavoring is too much and over powers the food. The Parmesean Ranch was delicious, a nice herby outside and a delicious "chickeny" inside. Either one works perfectly for Chicken Parmeseana, Chicken Parmaseana Sandwiches, or Chicken Patty Sandwiches.
The Original flavor has 540 mgs of sodium and only 6 grams of fat. They come in a package of four, wraped in two sealed plastic packs, to keep them fresh. In the stores that I find them in, they are between $3.50 and $5.00 a package. But if you compare that to the cost of two meals worth of meat, it is reasonable. ( It is just Hubby and I and one patty each is good for a meal.)
They cook up quickly in the micro or in the oven. I usually use a blended cooking method, giving them a minute in the micro and using the broiler to melt cheese and sauce over the tops.
If you haven't tried one of their products I highly recommend starting with these. They taste like real chicken, there are no gristly bits or wierd pressed meat texture. They have a real meat mouth feel, and even look like real chicken patties. (Yes, you can fool your friends.)
Try something new. Love Sara

Spaghetti and Meatballs

2007-07-19T15:38:00.000-07:00

Yes, even with the gestational diabetes I can have this starch heavy treat. The trick, make everything yourself.
I made a veggie heavy red sauce and my own meatballs.
Here is the recipe.
(WARNING this is not a one pot recipe... But good food is worth a little extra cleanup)
Meatballs
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey (you can change 1/2 lb of that for hot or itallian turkey sausage)
1/2 medium onion diced, fine
3-4 cloves of garlic minced (or 2 tsps of minced garlic from a jar)
1-2 Tbs breadcrumbs
1 egg, scrambled
Herbs (dry)
1 Tbs of Fines Herbs (or 1 tsp each of rosemarry, thyme, savory, and oregano)
1 Tbs of basil
1-2 tsps of pepper
(I don't cook with salt, but if you like salt 1/2 -1 tsp of salt also)
2 Tbs of flour and 1Tbs of breadcrumbs for dredging.
Mix all ingredients, (by hand is really best) the mixture should feel a little moist. I used a deep bowled 1 Tbs measuring spoon, but you could do it with a small ice cream scoop or a large spoon.
The meatballs should be about 1 inch across. Form them with your hands and drop them onto the plate with the flour. Shake them around a bit, just to get them covered, then try to shake off the excess flour. Cook over medium high heat in 1tbs of olive oil for 5 minutes before turning. Cook for another five minutes, cover with blended sauce and cook on low heat for 20-30 minutes.
Sauces (yes technically there are two)
1 lg can of whole peeled tomatoes, drained reserve the liquid
3 cans of diced tomatoes, drained reserve the liquid
1 zucchini, diced
1 carrot diced (i omitted this )
8-10 mushrooms diced
1/2 med onion diced
3-4 garlic cloves minced (or 1-2 tsps of minced from a jar)
Herbs (same ammounts as above for each sauce.)
2 bay leaves
Sauce 1 (for the meatballs)
2 cans of tomatoes, drained, and reserve the liquid.
1-2 tsps of minced garlic
Olive oil
In a medium pot heat the oil and garlic, for 1-2 minutes over medium heat. Add tomatoes. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes.
In a medium pan combine all the reserved liquid, one bay leaf and the herbs. Reduce, (cook over medium high to high heat for 20-30 minutes until the liquid is reduced.) this concentrates the flavor.
Pour tomatoes and reduced liquid (remove bay leaf), into a blender. Cover, remove small cap or vent the lid and cover with a tea towel. Blend until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour 2/3 of this sauce over the meatballs when ready and cook acording to meatball recipe.
Sauce 2
In a large pan. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onions. Sautee' for about 2 minutes, add zucchini and carrots, 2 minutes more. Add mushrooms and cook for about 5 more minutes. Crush whole tomatoes, (by hand, over the pan) and add to veggies. Add diced tomatoes, bay leaf and herbs. Add reserved meatball sauce. Cook over medioum low heat for 20-30 minutes. It will thicken and reduce slightly, stir often. Serve over whole wheat pasta or spaghetti squash.
For my diet I had 1 c of pasta ( I prefer angel hair, 2 starches), 1 c of tomato sauce (2 veggies), 4 meatballs (4 protein), one piece of whole wheat toast with butter, garlic and riccota cheese, (1 starch and 1/2 milk) and some parmasean cheese on top (1/2 milk).
Super Yummy. Next day, have open face meatball sandwiches with tomato sauce and cheese.
You can eat yummy and eat healthy too..
Love Sara

Diabetic Irish Breakfast

2007-07-19T10:45:00.000-07:00

Our first morning in Ireland, we went down to breakfast in the hotel restaurant. The waiter thought we were with a tour group and asked us if we wanted the Traditional Irish Breakfast or eggs and bacon. We hadn't seen any menus, so we kind of assumed "How quaint they only have two breakfast offerings." So we all got the Traditional Irish Breakfast. We were expecting, potatoes (it is Ireland afterall), maybe oatmeal or other poridge, and Irish soda bread. No, No, and No. We got a tray with dry white toast (cold, not refridgerated but not hot). We all got coffee, we had to ask for tea or anything else to drink. The main plate was three kinds of sausage, Black (which I swear is related to blood sausage or scrapple), white (a little more like scrapple than anything) and either one huge or two smaller pork links, 1 fried egg, grilled tomato halves, and three or four sauteed mushroom caps. Needless to say James, the Texan Meatatarian, was happy. Mom and I were a little like "When in Rome.." Both of us knowing coming to the understanding that this vacation was going to be hard on our respective diets.
So, recently I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes. For breakfast I can have 2 proteins and once starch. I have been having one piece of whole wheat toast, one piece of vegetarian sausage, and one fried egg. Mushrooms are on my list of foods that I can eat as much of as I want and I like them, so they end up on or in almost everything.
So the Diabetic Irish Breakfast is
One piece of toast.
One fried egg to your liking. One piece of sausage ( I like the patty kind, it layers better)
Sauteed mushrooms, 2-4 depending on size and liking (I slice them up for faster cooking)
Place the toast (buttered if you like) on the plate, place sausage patty, one fried egg, and mushrooms. I recently found that the mushrooms layer better between the egg and the sausage, but if I were serving this I would put them on top. Then I cut it up into bite size squares and eat. Between the whole wheat and the egg and sausage this is really quite filling.
The rest of my breakfast comes as a snack about two hours later, I usually have 1 c of plain yogurt and 1c of strawberries or raspberries mixed in, and another piece of toast.
This is a really healthy and satisfying way to eat, because you eat about every two hours, and your tummy is never not full. That keeps you from snacking on bad stuff or gorging when you are starving. Plus you body and brain always have fuel, so your body never feels like it is being starved, which is what happens when you skip meals. (then the body starts to save all it can)
good luck.

Gestational Diabetes

2007-07-18T15:21:00.000-07:00

This is all new to me. I now have Gestational Diabetes (GD). It is a problem where the placenta has started to produce hormones in addition to what my body makes naturally. These hormones block the signals that tell my body to produce or use insulin. So, my blood sugar goes up. My blood sugars are not crazy, they for the most part are completely within range 98% of the time. That other two percent are my morning fast readings and the occasional reading post meal that is a little high. The morning fast readings are the ones that the Dr. is worried about. That is the longest period of time that the baby is exposed to these higher sugars. That can cause they baby to grow extra big, have very high blood sugar at birth, or possibly develop diabetes later in life. So we are working on taking care of those naughty morning numbers, with a medication (not insulin ).
Needless to say that because of this GD I am on a new and different diet. Realistically, the ammounts of proteins and veggies are what I should have been eating all along, so this would be an ideal diet for all pregnant women. The catch is the things I am not supposed to eat. I miss my chocolate, I miss being able to have a bowl of ice cream because I want it, and I miss Brown Bag Cookies (a local cookie bakery, super yummy).
All of these food issues, and testing and medicine should go away the day I deliver. But the diet is healthy and working so I will probably keep up with some of it after I deliver.
The diet.
Breakfast is two parts. Part one I get 2 protein and a starch. (usually two eggs scrambled or one egg and one vegetarian sausage and a piece of super whole grain toast) Part two, two hours later, is 1 dairy, one fruit and one starch. (usually 1 c of fat free plain yogurt, 1 c or strawberries or raspberries mixed into the yogurt, and another piece of toast. But it could be grapes, cherries, apple or nectarine, 1 oz of cheese and crackers)
Lunch is 1 dairy, 1 fruit, 3 protein, 2 veggie, 3 starch. Yesterday it was a grilled cheese sandwich with bacon, caramelized onions and avocado. Last week it was two open faced tuna salad sandwiches with cheese on top, and fruit and veggies on the side. One serving of veggies is 1/2 c cooked or 1 c raw, so between the fruit, veggies and if I have yogurt or cottage cheese for my dairy, that is four cups of food.
Dinner is 1 dairy, 1 fruit, 4 protien (between 4-6 oz of meat or seafood), 2 veggies and 3 starches(usually 1/3-1/2 c of cooked starches like potatoes, rice, pasta, etc)
I get to eat alot of food. But it has to be in the right portions and the right kinds. Whole grain breads versus sourdough or white. Baked, broiled or grilled rather than fried. I have been doing it for a week now and I am getting really good at "site measuring" my amounts. I have been able to eat out twice now. I can mentally check things off and keep track of my portions.
Speaking of which I have to go make lunch. I will post a few new recipes soon.
Love Sara

I Love Summer

2007-05-26T20:26:00.000-07:00

It is summertime again and I am HAPPY. Fruit is coming back to the stores, it is fresh, beautiful and ready. I went to the store the other day and found cherries, peaches, tangerines, avocados, watermelon and cantaloupe all ripe and beautiful. So, I bought all of them. I have had more fruit in the last week than I have had in two months. I am pregnant, and for about two weeks i have been in a carb mood, and now we are in a fruit mood. Not a problem for me, I like fruit. When she gets into the scrambled eggs and ketchup mood I will not be happy.
So if you haven't gone shopping, go get some fruit. Try something new. Kiwi is a strange little fruit, but inside it is sweet and tart and YUMMY. Try papaya or mango. The produce manager in your store will know how to pick a ripe fruit, and will often let you sample it.
Love Sara

Eat Your Veggies

2007-05-16T19:48:00.000-07:00

Veggies have always been one of my favorite parts of dinner. Alex on the other hand only liked corn, broccoli, salads and potatoes. Well, after years of trying different recipes on him, he now likes asparagus, zucchini, spaghetti squash, yellow squash, almost anything that goes on salads, green beans, and even peas and mushrooms sometimes. He still doesn't like bell peppers, or other squash, or Brussel Sprouts, but I am convinced that i am part of the .001% of people who do like them. Here are a few of my recipes that have changed his mind about veggies.
Zucchini and Asparagus Convicts. (I grill them and the grill marks look like convicts uniforms)
In a large zip lock bag combine, 1/4 c balsamic vinegar, 1/4 c olive oil, the juice of one lemon, 1/2 tbsp pepper and Mrs. Dash. Cut the zucchini lengthwise, (i use a "v slicer" or mandolin on the thick slice setting) and "snap" the asparagus to remove the woody ends. Place veggies in zip lock bag to marinate for 30 minutes to an hour. Heat grill to 400 degrees or so, reduce heat to low under the veggies. Place veggies across grill plates and cook for about 2-3 minutes per side. Keep an eye on them, some grills retain more heat.
This recipe is really yummy with red onion slices, mushrooms and small par cooked potatoes as well. It is really good with steak, and fish dinners.
Veggie Lasagna
This is a long recipe, but I sneak veggies in by combining finely diced mushrooms, and zucchini in with the creamy ricotta mixture.
The third way that I sneak veggies past him is to use veggies in all of my casseroles. I use broccoli with the Tortellini Chicken Alfredo, mixed veggies with Chicken Pot Pie Bake, and Asian style veggies with my Potstickers dinner. (yes I will put these recipes up soon)
I hope you can use these ideas to feed your family veggies.

Where did she go??

2007-03-01T12:02:00.000-08:00

You may be wondering why I haven't been posting about all my wonderful recipes recently. The reason, I was sick. I had morning sickness, actually I had this weird variety of the same idea. I was nauseous all day but it was always worse at night. So, needless to say, I wasn't exactly in the mood to cook. That has passed, thank god. Now, I am dealing with low blood sugar. As my mother put it, "babies are like parasites, they don't care where they get the nutrients from, they'll just take it." If I don't eat like a Hobbit, I get dizzy, nauseous, and faint. (fortunately I haven't actually fainted yet.) So I eat like a Hobbit. I get up and have first breakfast, usually a small bagel, or a small bowl of cereal, or toast with peanut butter. Then I wait a little while and make second breakfast for me and Alex. This is usually scrambled eggs, and fried potatoes, and some vegan sausage. Then about two hours later I have early lunch, this is usually a piece of fruit, some cheese, a handful of nuts (raw or dry roasted unsalted) or a small salad. Then I get second lunch a little while later. This is often a bowl of soup and some veggies. Then I make dinner, lately just for me, this is sometimes leftovers from a big meal the night before, or sometimes frozen veggies and rice, with a little bit of chicken. (I can't stand the smell of fish right now, so I am not cooking with it very often. I try to save any red meat that I am going to eat for a night when Alex and I can go out together.) Then depending on how late dinner was, or how late I am going to stay up I get a second post dinner snackerel. Sometimes this is just a couple pieces of cheese and some crackers or a little bit more of dinner. Then I get desert, (sometimes not every night). Desert is usually, a Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich, or a small bowl of Sherbet.
So here I am eating 8-10 times a day, and it is only going to be more fun as I go along.
I will try to post some new fabulous cooking things soon. I am thinking some reviews might be in order, I have found some wonderful new HEALTHY, and easy products on the market.
Love Sara

What I can't eat...

2007-02-10T21:40:00.000-08:00

Now that I am pregnant I am learning that there are a great many things that I either shouldn't eat very often or things that I just flat out can't eat.
Out of the five kinds of cheese in my refrigerator at this moment, I can eat two. We have Munster, Feta, Queso Fresco, Cheddar, and Colby Jack. I am not supposed to eat, soft or unpastuerised cheese.
One book said I can't eat deli meat. I guess because they cut so many different kinds that it can harbor bacteria.
I can't eat certain types of fish and no raw shellfish (yeah, I am completely heart broken about not being able to eat raw oysters). I do however, LOVE sushi, Teka Maki (tuna rolls) as well as any other sushi or sashimi is out of the question. I can have tuna (no albacore) mahi mahi, cod, or shrimp, but only a maximum of 2 times a week.
I can't eat soft cooked eggs. ( I guess if I use pasteurised eggs, maybe)
Oh and the whole no alchohol, drugs or tobacco.
I am supposed to lots of vegetables, especially the dark leafy and raw kind. I am supposed to eat lots of protien and calcium rich foods. The problem right now I can't eat big meals and I can't stomach the smell of most meat. So, I am pretty good on the vegetables, lots of salads, and grilled cheese sandwiches. I try to eat some meat at least once a day and i drink at least one glass of milk or OJ. This is going to be really interesting. I hope i get past the food sensitivity part.

Avocado Bruschetta

2007-01-29T20:21:00.000-08:00

YUMMY. This was such a Yummy experiment. This is a delicious snack with lots of heart healthy elements.
Here is the recipe.

In a medium bowl combine 3-4 diced garlic cloves, 1 tsp basil, 1/2 tsp each of pepper and onion powder and about 1 tsp of lemon zest, cover with about 1 Tbs of olive oil. Set aside.
Score the skin of two medium tomatoes ( or 6-8 Plum or Roma tomatoes). (Scoring is: start at the stem end and just barely cut the skin all the way around, turn the tomato and repeat. The bottom of your tomato should have an "X" cut in the skin.) Drop the tomatoes into boiling water for (10 - 45 seconds) or just until the edges of the cuts start to curl, remove and place in ICE water. Then you should be able to peel the skin off the tomatoes. Dice the tomatoes after they are peeled. Move the diced tomatoes to a strainer, to drain off any excess moisture.
Cut 1 avocado in half. (Start at the stem end and cut down until you hit the pit, then follow your blade all the way around the Avo. It should come apart with a gentle twist.) Cut the halves in half again, so you are now working with avocado quarters. Dice the avocado, and add to the bowl with the garlic. Add the drained tomatoes and mix gently.
Start your broiler, (a toaster oven will also work) and slice either a baguette, or 2 sandwich rolls into about 1/2 inch slices. Coat with a little bit of olive oil, and toast uner the broiler. ("Don't walk away" says The Queen Of Burned Bread) After they are toasted sprinkle about 1 tsp of shredded cheese (we used Parmesean. But mozzerella, swiss, or any preferred chese would work) and return to the broiler to melt the cheese. When the Cheesy Toast is done melting, remove. Now Top with the Avocado Bruschetta. VIOLA!! (Doesn't that just sound YUMMY.)
This has no salt added to it. Avacado and olive oil are natural fats that your body can use and likes. Garlic in it's raw state is excellent for reducing blood pressure and is good for your liver. Tomatoes are full of good stuff including Vitamins C, D and Lycopine (good for eyes and prostate health). This was enough for about four servings. Eat happy!!!

Breakfast Bagels

2007-01-21T14:46:00.000-08:00

This is a healthy meal version of the traditional bagel and cream cheese.
It is a bagel, (best with the whole wheat or whole grain bagels. These are better for you.) with low fat chive, or garlic herb cream cheese. Then it is topped with avocado slices and bacon pieces.
Toast your bagel. Spread a relatively thin layer of cream cheese on the bagel. Top with the avocado slices (tomato slices would work too) and 1 slice of bacon per bagel half, cut into bite sized pieces. I will get a picture soon, I ate breakfast too fast this morning to photograph it.
If you use the pre-cooked bacon, available in the meat section near sausages or the frozen section, this meal takes about 2 minutes longer than it takes to toast the bagel.
This is a relatively healthy option to the traditional bagel and cream cheese, because with the bacon and avocado it is very filling. Complete this meal with a fruit smoothie and you have a great breakfast, that will keep you going.
The fruit variation to this is to use cinnamon raisin or blueberry bagels, low fat cream cheese and fruit slices, strawberries, bananas, or other berries work well.

Food Alergies and Intolerances

2007-01-21T13:23:00.000-08:00

This might be more information than most of you want.
I found out recently that I have a food sensitivity to Oatmeal. I tried the oatmeal for breakfast everyday and after about a week and a half I found that I was getting constipated. (I warned you TMFI) I couldn't understand it. I was eating High fiber breakfast, having salads for lunch and eating apples as snacks. So I did some research on causes, and found that food sensitivity to anything could cause it. Food sensitivity is similar to a mild allergy. I am going to try oatmeal that is not instant, what is called steel cut or pin head oats. But I might just have to cut Oatmeal out.
I have also found that I am developing a sensitivity to milk, right now I only use milk for cereal (oatmeal) and when we have cookies. I think I am going to cut milk out as well. I find that it actually upsets my stomach rather than soothe it. I will keep you all updated on the trying of milk alternatives. I know I don't like Soy milk much, so Meg (my resident Vegan) reccomends rice dream and some of the newer nut milks.
If you want to join the band wagon, these milk alternatives are available in most grocery stores. Soy milk, Silk and Sun Milk (a sunflower and cows milk combination) are all available in the dairy section. The others (Almond milk, Rice milk, Rice Dream and a Hazelnut combination) are available in the standard shelves near the cereal, coffee, or baking aisles usually.
The vegan and Vegetarian options to meat and animal by products have come a long way in the last 5 years. Try something new, you might like it better.
Sara

Tonight's Meal

2007-01-20T23:56:00.000-08:00

Tonight we had Chicken Soft Tacos. This was a Sara creation that is SUPER easy and quick. It also happened to be low in fat, sodium and very high in taste.
One chicken breast yields about two tacos.

For every two chicken breasts, use about 1 tsp of Cumin, ground Onion and pepper. Also about 2 tsp of granulated garlic and your choice of Mrs. Dash seasoning (we used the hot and spicy). You will also need the juice of 1 lime and 1/2 of a lemon. Cut the (defrosted) chicken breasts into long strips. If the chicken breast was really thick cut these into thinner strips (lay them flat and cut them in half lengthwise). Then cut the strips into small bite-size pieces and transfer to a bowl.
Add the seasoning and juices. Using a hot skillet, (don't crowd the pan two breasts to a pan) with about 1tbs of olive oil in the bottom, saute' the chicken for about 3-5 minutes. (the tiny pieces cook super fast) Transfer chicken to a bowl, and repeat for the desired servings.
Now, unless you have to grate cheese or you desire a salad on your tacos that was the most work that you will do for this meal.
If you want now is the time to dice some, onions (green, red or sweet white), some tomatoes, some avacado (tomatoes and avacado should be about 1/2 for four tacos, for onions 1/4 ) and shred some lettuce.
Heat your prefered tortillas. (we used the Mission Soft Taco sized flour tortillas, corn would be fine though) you can do this in a microwave for 15-20 seconds, in the oven for 5-10 minutes on low heat, or on the gas cooktop over open flame.
Assembly...
we used sour cream and a small can of roasted diced green chiles (mild or hot if you are so inclined)
heat tortilla, using the back of a spoon smear sour cream down the middle of the tortilla, add a small spoonfull of diced chiles, PILE on the chicken, add desired veggies, and cheese. Repeat, eat and enjoy. There is no salt added to this recipe, try it this way first. The lemon and lime with the other seasonings are very flavorful.
I wanted to share this because it was fast, easy and delicious. If you made alot of this chicken you could use it for chicken salad, chicken quesadillas, or chicken burritos, all of which make excellent lunches to take to work.
Happy eating, now i have to go put dinner away. Good night.

Merry Christmas to Me

2007-01-17T13:20:00.000-08:00

My husband loves me lots. He bought me the Racheal Ray Furi Knives for Christmas. These are the best knives I have ever used. I love them. With exception of the whole proposing to me on Christmas morning, these are the best Christmas gift ever!!! These are beautifully ballanced, lightweight and comfortable. I started using them that very day and I have used them every day since.
The best knife I had prior to these was part of a set, that Alex got me our very first Christmas together. It was a bread knife, "chef's"knife, what was suposed to be a boning knife, and six steak knifes. The bread knife was a joke, the boning knife was serrated (they all were, but this is particularly bad for a boning knife). The steak knives were and are the best ones I have ever had, I use them as ATK's (all terrain Knives). I use them for camping, and for general service, I take them with me for cutting up apples at work and they will cut through just about anything so they are abuse friendy.
I also recieved new measuring cups, the OXO Good Grips Angled Measurers. The cool thing about these is that you can read the measurement from above as well as the side. I love the OXO Good Grips Products in general. These are quickly becoming the only kitchen tools I use, because of the reasonable cost, easy availability and superb durability. I abuse the heck out of my silicone spatulas. These are serious multi taskers. I use them to make scrambled eggs, to press food through strainers, they are flexible, non staining, and really easy to clean (nothing sticks to them).
Ok Enough about my kitchen tools.
I will post soon, with recipes, taste tests, and food experiments gone bad (or good. You never know until you try it.)