Cappuccino Anyone?

I know I haven't added anything to my blog in some time, but I've reached a point in the semester where I don't make anything but old favorites.  I make big batches, store, and refridgerate in one-size servings and zap my lunches and suppers.  However, something I make from scratch a couple times a day are my cappuccinos.  They are undoubtedly my primary source of caffeine, dairy, and unfortately, sugar.  I don't go in for those sugar-free drinks at all.  I HATE sugar substitutes.  And unless I stop losing weight and start packing on the pounds again, I will not stop drinking my cappuccinos. 

Here in Estherville, we have a new coffee house, Central Perk.  Although the name has much to be desired, I fell in love with their really good cappuccinos.  So much so, I was buying a $5 drink daily.  I quickly realized that I couldn't keep this up.  So I did a little searching for an upgrade from my old cappuccino machine and bought a new one.  Although this new one has a brand name that might be percieved to be crap (Mr. Coffee), I love it!  It's easy and makes great cappuccinos.  So since I got it about a month and a half ago, I've saved tens of dollars.  Seriously, I'm certain I've saved plenty of money from making my own. 

One thing that costs big time when you make your own cappuccinos is the syrup.  But rather than purchasing these exhorbitantly priced syrups, I make my own.  They're great!  I make it by making a symple syrup.  That's one to one sugar to water.  You simply stir it and cook it on the stove until the sugar is melted.  Then you let it cool a bit and add vanilla extract.  I insist on the real stuff, not imitation vanilla, and I use quite a bit of it.  Frankly, you should be able to do this with any kind of extract and a simple syrup.  If you are one of those strange people who like hazelnut (yuck!), you can do it.  I've thought almond might be nice.  The possibilities are pretty limitless as long as you can find the extract. Hmmm?  I wonder if there's a pumpkin spice extract....  You do have to refridgerate it.  There are no preservatives in simple syrup.  I just pour it into an old cruet, and it looks like liquid gold to me. 

Breakfast!?!

I've been struggling with breakfasts lately. If I try to eat one more bowl of oatmeal, I think I'll hurl it against the wall.  And I'm even tired of eggs and bacon.  When you're dieting, especially when you're doing it over a long period of time, it's hard to come up with something that really tastes good and is going to get your through your day until lunch.  Fruit alone won't cut it.  I really need protein and a small amount of fat.  So here I am digging for recipes.  Today I tried one that I saw on Facebook.   It's at https://www.facebook.com/officialgoodful/videos/1460451714025290/.  (I tried to link the video, but it wasn't working out for me).

It looks good, doesn't it?  Well, it was quite bland.  And what few instructions the video gives, wasn't adequate.  For one thing, it says you can make the cups with 5 large eggs.  In order to fill the cups, I had to use 9 large eggs.  Of course, there is the possibility that the muffin tray I was using was larger than what they used, but it sure didn't look that way, and if it was much smaller, there wouldn't have been enough to eat.  The time and temp of 20 minutes at 350 worked out fine.  It didn't call for salt and pepper, but I added them anyway, and still, it was unbelievably bland.  I decided what this little cup needed was a little butter.  Without any butter it was only 149 calories per cup.  I decided to do a little experiment.  I tried a second cup with half a tablespoon of butter, and it was so much better, but then, just about everything is better with a little butter.  This brought it to 199 calories which is certainly lower than most breakfasts.  The extra butter would also help curb my appetite until lunch.  However, I will continue my hunt for better breakfasts.

By they way, for those who are interested, I've now lost 84 pounds.

Thai Chicken Noodle Salad

This salad was really quite good; however, I don't think I chose the best day for it, or even the best meal for it.  It's very light and refreshing.  It would be perfect for a summer day luncheon.  Instead, I made it for a rainy day dinner.  And yes, technically it is still summer, but it feels like fall.

It's actually quite easy as well, once you've acquired the ingredients.  And although it calls for an English cucumber, a good old U.S. cucumber tastes the same.  The English cucumber is just more cooperative when it comes to slicing.  It's nice and straight and therefore slices easily and each piece is identical to the next.  And I couldn't find anchovy paste.  I had to mince a single anchovy out of the can.  I suspect the folks at HyVee think I'm nuts.  Frankly, I really didn't taste the anchovy, but I suspect the dish would lose some depth without it.

The only thing I didn't include in the recipe was fresh basil.  It is really hard to find for some reason.  I need to start growing my own herbs again.  It's so annoying to go without, and this is one instance in which dry basil would be a poor substitute.

The recipe came from the Everyday Food "Light" cookbook. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients for Salad:

1.25 pounds boneless, chicken breasts, thinly sliced and marinated in Spicy Asian Dressing.  The dressing recipe follows.

2.5 ounces Chinese rice noodles

1 Tablespoon Vegetable oil, such as safflower

2 medium carrots, shaved into ribbons

1 English cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

.24 cup fresh basil leaved

Assorted garnish, such as bean sprouts, chopped peanust, fresh mint leaves, red pepper flakes, and sliced scallion greens, which are all optional.  I just added chopped peanuts.

Spicy Asian Dressing Ingredients:

4 scallions, white parts only, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves minced

.5 cup soy sauce

.25 cup rice vinegar

2 tablespoons light-brown sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

.5 teaspoon anchovy paste or 1 minced canned anchovy

.5 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients of the Spicy Asian Dressing.  Bring ingredients to room temperature.

2. Place chicken and half of the Spicy Asian Dressing in a ziploc baggy.  Marinate at room temperature 20 minutes.

3. Cook Chinese noodles according to instructions.  Drain and rince

4.  In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high.  Working in batches (do not overcrowd skillet) cook chicken until cooked through.  1-2 minutes.  Placed chicken on top of noodles.

5.  Add carrots, cucumber, and basil.  Drizzle with reserved dressing, and serve with garnishes as desired.

Moroccan-Style Split Pea Soup

I'm dedicating this weekend to cooking. This preliminary week back to school has been rough on the diet. I realized that I need to have a lot more food prepared so all I need to do is warm it up; otherwise, I will do very bad things, like go through drive-thru. In addition to the soup I'm describing here, I've already made hummus, kombucha, and marinara sauce. Tomorrow, I plan on making vegetable-beef soup and chicken salad. My refridgerator is overflowing. But for someone who is as obsessed by food as I am, that's a comforting feeling.

I don't know if I ever had split-pea soup growing up. I suspect that one or both of my parents disliked it. As an adult, I'm not the biggest fan of the stuff yet, but this same cook book that I used last week, 1,000 Low-calorie Recipes has a Moroccan-Style Split Pea Soup recipe, and I do like Moroccan food. I love the strange marriage of spices we'd never consider putting together, like cinnamon and cumin, and yet, they really work.

The soup itself is ok.  It's filling and different than what I usually eat.  It'll be a nice change of pace now and again, but if I ever make it again, I'll leave out the cilantro.  It's too overwhelming.  I don't know if the other spices' flavors are lost in the cooking or whether they're simply masked by the cilantro.  Although I'm not one of those people who hate  cilantro because to them cilantro tastes like soap, I'm not too far off.  I prefer just a hint of it to as opposed to being hit over the head with it.

 Again, the calorie count is different in the book than what myfitnesspal.com has come up with.  The book says 150 calories/serving.  Myfitnesspal figures 114 calories.

Moroccan-Style Split Pea Soup:
Ingredients:
1 Tble Olive Oil
1 large onion chopped
1 large carrot finely diced (I use baby carrots. I like the convenience. I think I used 5 or 6)
2 tsp rice vinegar
1.5 tsps salt
2 large garlic cloves minced
1.5 tsps gingerroot grated (by the way, scraping gingerroot with the edge of spoon really does work well for scraping. I tried it for the first time tonight)
64 ounces ouf vegetable broth Swanson makes a 32-ounce carton
1.25 cups of split, dried, green peas
.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper
.5 tsp ground cinnamon
.25 tsp ground cumin
.25 tsp ground turmeric
.25 cup chopped fresh parsley
.25 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, viengar, and .25 tsp of salt cook until onion is softened, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook one minute.

2. Add the broth, split peas, pepper, cinnamon, cumin, tuermeric, and remaining 1.25 tsp salt. Bring to a boil over high. Reduce to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 1.25 hours. Stir occationally.

3. Stir in half the parsley and cilantro. Add remaining Parsley and Cilantro to individual bowls.

Ok. I didn't do the whole individual garnish thing. I added it all at once. When you reheat most of the soup, there's simply no sense to garnishes.

Cincinnati-Style Chili

I know. I haven't blogged in ages, but while I was on the low iodine diet in preparation for my follow-up scan, I wasn't eating much of anything let alone anything interesting. Then after the scan, I went a little crazy eating stuff I shouldn't have. I gained three pounds, and I really knuckled down, and I've lost that weight, so now I feel as though I can play again.

Not too long ago, I got low calorie cookbook, with the highly original title of 1,000 Low Calorie Recipes...I'll prove it.

See, I didn't make it up. Tonight I tried one of these recipes for the first time. It's called Cincinnatti-Style Chili. It was interesting because it has chocolate in it, and it's served over pasta. I dated a guy from Cincinnatti once, but we never got around to discussing chili, so I don't know how authentic it is. This recipe definitely gave my spice rack a work out. The only thing I didn't have was fresh oregano, but on top of cocoa powder, it called for chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, cayenne pepper...believe me, it smelled fabulous. It was a bit spicy too. Thank goodness I had a tall glass of kombucha. Beans were optional. I don't like chili without beans, so I added some pintos. Now the book said it was 290 calories a serving (it makes 6 servings), but when I figured it out with myfitnesspal.com, it was about 324. Not only was it good, but it was easy too. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 tble grapeseed or canola oil

1 pound ground turkey

1 large sweet onion, finely diced

1 large gralic clove minced

1 tble Worcestershire sauce

1 tble apple cider vinegar

1 (15 ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce

1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth

1/2 ounce unsweeted chocolate finely chopped or 1.5 tbls unsweetened cocoa powder

2.5 tsps chili powder

1.5 tsps ground cinnamon

1 tps. cumin

1 tsp salt

.75 tsp ground allspice

.5 tsp cayenne pepper

.5 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp chopped fresh oregano

1 pound spaghetti or linguine

Instructions: 1. Heat oil in large pan over medium high heat. Add turkey and onion and cook until the onion is softened and turkey is crumbled and just cooked through, about five minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic, and cook 1 minute. Stir in Worcestershire sauce and vinegar and cook for 1 minute.

2. Stir in the tomato sauce, broth, chocolate, chili powder, cinnamon, cumin, salt, allspice, cayenne, and dried oregano and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered. Stir in fresh oregano and serve over cooked pasta.

I'll definitely being having this again, and I'll be exploring a lot more recipes from it.

Shrimp and Cabbage Lo Mein

If you had just met me, it would not take long for you to realize that I love food, especially Asian food. Since I've been dieting, I've been very good about not going to the local Chinese restaurant. I worry about them. They're probably about to file for bankruptcy without my patronage. I realize there's a lot of Asian food that isn't calorie dense, but frankly I don't trust myself.

I've decided to expand my recipe sources. Yes, Cooking Light is an awesome magazine with marvelous recipes, but then, I started looking in my cookbooks, and I came across Everyday Food Light, which is a collection of lighter recipes from the magazine Everyday Food, one of the Martha Stewart magazines. It's no longer being published, but it had some of the best recipes, many of which I go back to on a regular basis. But the recipe I made tonight is a new one for me from the cookbook, Shrimp and Cabbage Lo Mein.

There are several things I'll change next time. First, I'll use my wok. The recipe didn't say to use a wok, but I realize trying to cook down cabbage is so much easier in a wok. Also, I'll either chop the cabbage smaller and sooner, or I'll buy a prepackaged presliced bag. There were too many undercooked cabbage ribs in this batch. I'm tempted to say that I'd add more noodles, but I don't dare. Oh, I love rice noodles. And finally, I'd cook the asparagus, that wasn't part of the recipe, but a side-dish, right into the cabbage. But the noodles, shrimp, and sauce were wonderful!

I was asked to share a picture of my kitchen when it's turned into a disaster after cooking like this. Well here is a small portion of it:

Most of it is from tonight's cooking. Yes, I really am a messy cook. Some of it will get cleaned up tonight (not much) and most of it'll get cleaned up tomorrow. This is my least favorite thing about cooking.

Dieting update: Some days are good, and some days are not so good. I'm getting a little frustrated with talking about how much I've lost because I lost it in two time periods. Last year, I lost about 15 pounds. So far this year I've lost between 44 and 45 pounds. Altogether, I've lost about 60 pounds, but I don't want to seem deceptive and tell people I've lost 60 pounds, when in fact, most recently I've only lost 45. Apparently, ethics can be involved even in dieting. I'm hoping to lose at least 20 more before school starts in August. So, I've been walking and using the elliptical. I'd much rather walk than use the elliptical, but it's getting too damn hot already. I'll hold out as long as I can.

Grilled Chicken Thighs with Ginger Sauce

I tried this new recipe tonight, Cooking Light's Chicken thighs with Ginger Sauce This recipe took a little more work, but it made 4 servings and it was delicious. It had a bit of an Asian taste to it, and I've missed that a lot. I had to hold myself back and only eat one serving of rice. I've really missed that. Because it was a bit more complicated, I only had one vegetable. Tomorrow, when I have one of the remaining servings, I'll put a little more effort into it have a couple of veggies. This will definitely be a welcome inclusion in my diet repertoire. When I finally reach my goal weight, I will continue to cook these meals I've come to love.

Crispy Chicken, Ham, and Swiss Roll-Ups

Visually, these turned out a lot better than I thought they would as I was making them. It was a sloppy process, and I had to cut my own cutlets, which isn't as bad as you might think. One piece came out pretty ragged, but cooked up ok. The recipe is Cripsy Chicken, Ham, and Swiss Roll-Up from Cooking Light magazine. Unfortunately, is was bland and dry. A real disappointment for the work. This is one I'll skip next time. I really don't do bland and dry.

The semester is all but over. I'm hoping that I'll have an opportunity to try some grilling recipes. I'm thinking of getting a gas grill, but I suspect I won't be able to afford a nice one, in which case, I'll stick to my old charcoal one.

Herb and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

After that fiasco Cauliflower Crust Pizza I had the other night, I was eager to try something else that was new. So, tonight, I had Cooking Light magazine's Herb and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts It sounded a bit complicated, but it really wasn't. Badabing, it was done. And I'm happy to say it was good. Ok, I might not want to have it every night, but now and then it would be a nice change of pace. And it took little time to make. It took more time chopping the herbs than it did doing anything else. The mint in the stuffing was surprisingly good. I rarely have mint in anything but candy and tea, but it was a good combination with the cheese and chicken.

I have my dad's dog again for a short time. Teddi has convinced her that green beans are good. So while I was French cutting some fresh ones (It's really the only way I like green beans), I would give some to the dogs. I don't mind. I never can get through one of those bags of fresh beans before they go bad anyway. I've tried to slip some of the older, wiltier ones to Ted, and she will have none of that. She just leaves them on the floor for me to sweep up.

Faux Pizza Crust

When it comes to food, I don't really believe in making substitutions, especially when those substitutions are entirely inadequate. I've never liked any kind of artificial sweetener. I gave up pop entirely rather than drinking diet pop. I hate zucchini noodles, which just piss me off because they aren't real. And now, we can include cauliflower pizza crust. It looks a lot better than it tastes. On top of that, it was hard work that left my kitchen looking like it had been bombed. Fortunately, I have a dog who will eat just about anything off the floor, including little grains of cauliflower that were everywhere. I'd rather wait and really enjoy a splurge of the real thing. Going without makes it all the better when I do indulge. I figured it was going to be crap, but I haven't tried a new recipe lately. By the way, this one is Cooking Light's Veggie Pizza with Cauliflower Crust.

Update:Last week it took me a week to lose a single pound, but after a little cheating my body figured out it wasn't starving to death and I've lost three pounds in the last three days. So far I'm lost 33 pounds, and I've feeling great.

Chipotle-Rubbed Flank Steak

I really don't like cheese except maybe melted mozzarella. Sorry Doug Dingel, I don't get too excited when you bring your plate of cheese to parties. It's just not in me. But every Cooking Light recipe that has had Blue Cheese or Gorgonzola as an ingredient I've loved, including tonight's Chipotle-Rubbed Flank Steak I loved the chipotle and I loved the Gogonzola sauce. It was delicious. The meat was a little tougher than I'd have liked. I wasn't crazy about the cut of meat I got. Because the guy in the meat department didn't have flank steak, he talked me into skirt steak. I think it was thinner than flank steak would have been and so the meat got a bit overcooked. I hate it when that happens. Next time, and there will be a next time, I'll simply hold out for flank steak. In a couple of days I've got Pork Tenderloin with Blue Cheese and Pears scheduled again. I'm looking forward to that.

Pork Chops with Herbed Goat Cheese Butter and Green Beans and Oatmeal with Poached Egg

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything, but I've been overwhelmed with papers and dogs. I still have my dad's dog, Heidi due to an unexpected bout with tape worm-infested cat poop. You don't want the gory details. However, I've been keeping up with this diet and cooking different meals. The most recent one I tried was tonight's supper, Pork Chops with Herbed Goat Cheese Butter and Green Beans It was ok, but I'm not a big fan of green beans. I like them best when they are French cut. I have the tool to do it, but I was following the recipe. If I choose to try this again, I will be French cutting them. In the picture, all that green is not green beans. I also had asparagus. I try to have at least two vegetables per meal. The best part of this meal was feeding Teddi and Heidi green beans. Teddi loves them, but Teddi loves most vegetables. Heidi on the other hand, not so much.

One of the things I've discovered while on this adventure is that sometimes I need more protein than what I'm getting with the recipes. A while ago I was just craving poached eggs. It was driving me crazy. The way I usually eat poached eggs is on toast, and bread is a major calorie problem. So I thought about it for a long time, and one morning, I made oatmeal, but rather than adding fruit and a little sweetner, I added sauted shallots and a poached egg. It was really good and satisfying. I haven't had it since, but I've been putting an egg into the rice cooker with the oatmeal. I've found that helps out a lot.

I've learned a lot while on this diet. I think one of the biggest things I've learned is the value of small amounts. I learned to cook for my family as a kid. I've always cooked by adding a lot, which means I eat more. With this diet, I find myself measuring an 1/8 of a teaspoon a lot, and rather than 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 teaspoons of butter. Seriously, when I put maple syrup on my oatmeal in the morning, I add two teaspoons of it. You can afford to buy the good, real maple syrup when you measure it out that way.

If you're wondering, I've lost 22 pounds since I started this almost a month ago. I had started working on losing weight earlier in the year, but not as effectively. I've actually lost 32 pounds since then.

I'm still enjoying this, but I'm getting creative as well. I thought breakfast was going to be a problem, and it's not. My problem meal has been lunch. I've since found a few good recipes I like from the diet, but I also make wraps on some days. I'm making things like BLTs and Tuna salad in a wrap. Like I said, bread is a killer, and tortillas make so much more sense. I'm sure as I go, I'll create a lot more changes, but it's been a lot of fun so far.

Spinach and Mushroom Omelet

The Cooking Light Spinach and Mushroom Omelet has become one of my favorite breakfasts. I usually alternate between it and either a oatmeal concoction or a quinoa concoction, but I really do like the omelet. I haven't written about it before because I couldn't take a decent picture. Although this isn't perfect, it's the best I've done so far. Previous attempts looked more like scrambled eggs with spinach and mushrooms tossed in. What did it for me this time is that I sprayed cooking spray around the base of the frying pan. The recipe doesn't call for it, but I can't imagine that just a little spray is going to add all that many calories. Calories be damned. I was able to get a picture this time.

I think what really makes this dish such a winner is the addition of a small amount of chopped garlic, chopped shallots, and a sprig of thyme. That thyme really makes a difference with the flavor.

If you go to the link for the recipe, you'll find that the original recipe serves 4. I tried just halving it and eating the left overs the next day; however, reheated eggs are not very good. So instead, I quartered the recipe. It was sort of difficult to accurately quarter some of these ingredients, but I figure if I'm long on garlic, shallots, spinach or even mushrooms, it will make no caloric difference. These ingredients are almost calorie free. However, I am exacting on the fats (with today's exception) and eggs. With a cup of coffee, this makes a great morning starter.

A Tale of Two Chicken Thigh Recipes

I eat a lot of chicken. I ate a lot of chicken before this diet. I happen to be a dark meat gal. I do eat light meat, but it usually has to be cooked into something because white meat tends to be too darn dry for me. I've had my eye on this recipe from Cooking Light magazine for about a year now. It's called Meltingly Tender Chicken, Miso, Ginger, and Carrots. I waited to make it until I had the miso. Miso, by the way, is a paste made of fermented soy and grain. Well, as it turned out, the recipe was overly fussy. When it told me to put a zip lock baggy in a two-cup measuring cup, pour the drippings in, let it settle, cut the tip and remove the drippings sans oil, I thought, "Ok, sounds simple enough, but I ended up having less than a teaspoon of drippings. That was a wasted zip lock bag.

The chicken was fine. I liked the added miso, but no, it was not "meltingly tender." It was ok, and not worth all the fussy grating and pouring. I was not really impressed.

Tonight, I had Roasted Chicken Thighs with Mustard-Thyme Sauce.This was not an overly fussy recipe. It was really quite easy. I'm not a big fan of mustard of any kind, but I thought it really tasted fine in the sauce. However, what really made the sauce outstanding was the thyme. I've always used basil, oregano, parsley, and chives, but I hadn't fully explored thyme the way I have since I started this little adventure, and I really like it. Of course, I don't know if the dogs can say the same when they have to listen to me sing, "Thyyymmme is on my side, yes it is," whenever I chop it. Well, at least they haven't howled at me over it.

Update

I started this "diet" thing two weeks ago, and yes, I have lost some weight. I haven't weighed myself, but I'm guessing about five pounds, most of it water weight. But I found myself really hungry, eating just what was on the menu. To be honest, I wasn't eating everything on the menu. It usually called for an entree and additional fancy sides. I skipped a lot of them. I also never drink milk when it was on the menu. I don't drink milk, ever. So, I came to realize that I needed more control. I already had an account on My Fitness Pal, and I got back to it. Just putting a couple of day's meals in, I realize that I haven't been eating enough. Yes, I need to cut back, but starving will just result in my giving up. I'm determined to cook myself thin. I'm feeling a lot more comfortable. Hopefully, this will see me through. And thanks everyone for your support. I really appreciate it.

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

I haven't been feeling the best the last couple of days. I think it's the change in the weather. I'm mostly just headachy. However, despite feeling like crap, I haven't resorted to bad comfort food. I've been able to fall back on Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup. I'm sorry, but I couldn't find an online source to which I can link it. I actually like this better than my usual chicken noodle soup. It's a very simple soup: Carrots, onions, chicken, orzo, chicken stock, and lemon. That's pretty much it, and it's easy to make.

I wasn't sure what orzo was at first. It's tiny, cigar-shaped pasta. What I like about it is that it doesn't get mushy at all.

What really seems to make this recipe so good though is the lemon. It doesn't take much at all, one tablespoon for a two-serving recipe. But that little bit of lemon really brightens the soup up. It's not enough that you're puckering up from the sour of it, but it's enough to feel like spring. It reminds me of another dish I make occasionally. It's sort of a soup, but I make it quite thick. It includes rice, chicken, and asparagus, but at the end, I always add a little vinegar. I only make it in the Spring because it feels really light like spring. Ok, I know some of you are thinking I'm nuts, but both dishes are really good.

Erin Go Bragh

I didn't plan it out today, but lunch turned out to be very green. It included Herby Frittata with Vegetables and Goat Cheese and a small greens salad. This was the first time I've ever had goat cheese. It was good. It reminds me of Feta. It also reminds me of a souffle. The recipe makes 4 servings. I think I'll eat the rest for breakfast. It seems very breakfasty.

Tonight's supper, Pork Tenderloin with Blue Cheese and Pears, included another dairy first for me, blue cheese. I've never really had reason to try goat cheese, so it was no big deal, but blue cheese...I've made a point of avoiding it. I didn't avoid it tonight because when you're doing a diet like this, you've got to go balls to the walls. And although I would never sit down and eat blue cheese (I wouldn't do that with any cheese. I'm not that much of a fan) this wasn't so bad. Of course, I crumbled it very small, and because there was so much balsamic vinegar in it, which I do like, I didn't get a big old bite of the cheese. I am fine with that. Overall, this is a good dish. The pork was great, I liked the combination of the pears, onions, and pork. I'll probably make this again.

Whoa!

Tonight's supper was Smokey Two Bean Vegetarian Chili Holy Cow! It's hot, not too hot to eat, but the smokey part is my mouth burning. Actually, the smokey part is from the chipotle chiles canned in adobo sauce. This is a key ingredient. I don't think it would be any good without it. I really enjoyed it and I'm glad the recipe made 4 servings because I am looking forward to having it again soon. I think it might have been improved with maybe the tiniest hint of sugar, but obviously that's not going to be included in my diet recipe. And as long as you've got the ingredients, this was not hard to make. I'm not a vegetarian, but this didn't need any meat.

My breakfast today was ok. Quinoa with berries (of course pureed and strained) and toasted almonds. I'm liking my French press coffee more and more. I had two cups again today. I hope I sleep.

Lunch, on the other hand, was mediocre at best. It was called a jar salad. It called for tahini, lemon juice, chick peas, canned roasted peppers, chicken, and spring mix greens. It was just flat and boring. I let it set for several hours while I was off doing things, and it said it could be refrigerated for up to 24 hours. I would think that given the time, the flavors would have melded and improved. But nope. I don't think I'll be revisiting this recipe any time soon.

2nd Day Breakfast

As I said, I won't be sharing every meal every day with you, but I had to share this. This was my breakfast this morning. It was actually pretty good; however, I expect my problem meal will be breakfast. Today the scrambled eggs were comprised of one egg and two egg whites. It was good, but it looked more than a little pale. The picture on the diet program shows very yellow eggs.

The stuff in the desert bowl is yogurt with pureed and strained berries. The menu didn't require the pureeing and straining. My diverticulitis did. It's made up of strawberries, blueberries and raspberries, and it was really good, but it was a lot of extra work. However, better to have a pain in the butt than a pain in the gut. I should embroider that on a pillow! And yes, I have temporarily given up my cappuccinos and I had pressed coffee this morning. I forgot how good it is.

This afternoon, it's a Mediterranean chicken salad, and tonight leftovers. I've decided that every other night should be leftovers. Why have all that food in the fridge that will eventually go bad. It'll also make things less stressful and less expensive. So today, while I'm waiting to get dug out of the snow, I'll be poaching chicken breasts and bottling my latest batch of Kombucha. I did get on the elliptical yesterday, but really with all this cooking who needs exercise? (yes, I know. I do, and I will).

First Day

Breakfast

Breakfast was NOT a big hit. The name of the entree is "Carrot Cake Oatmeal." Doesn't that sound good? It really wasn't. I don't mind oatmeal if I can smother it in a lot of goodies, but this just wasn't very good. It called for grated carrots, no surprise, cinnamon, and maple syrup. To be honest, this was my first time to sample real maple syrup (I've led a sheltered life), but I couldn't taste the small amount called for because it also called for a lot of cinnamon. It's only a half cup of oatmeal and it called for a 1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon. I know, next time don't include so much cinnamon, but I don't think there will be a next time for this specific dish.

On the positive side, I discovered that yes, I could make oatmeal in my little rice cooker. This is so much easier than standing there waiting for it to cook on the stove. I'll definitely be doing that again in the future.

Breakfast also called for half a grapefruit. I'm not a big fan of grapefruit and I'm really not supposed to eat it because of my blood pressure medication. I substituted a half an orange. I know it doesn't have the same calories, but I'm not going to eat the snack today.

The real hardship was my daily cappuccino. The meal called for a half a cup of milk. I don't drink plain milk, so I figured the milk I frothed for my cappuccino counted for that. But I have plenty of sugar in my morning mug. I tried to cut back on the sugar, and the first couple of sips were very disappointing, but now that I'm finishing the cup, it's not so bad. I may just have to switch back to drinking coffee made in my French press, and save cappuccinos for special occasions.

Here I am, the first meal, and I already realize that sugar is the culprit...ok, I knew that even before I began, but damn, it's a disappointment. But this whole thing isn't just about cutting back on sugar. It's about discovering new ways to eat and be satisfied without all that sugar. It's about establishing new eating habits, following what I believe to be the healthiest way to eat, and having fun cooking new meals. I can't wait to see what lunch brings, but in the meantime, it's dishwashing time!

Lunch

I'm happy to say that lunch made up for breakfast. It was "Mediterranean Salad with Salmon." It included Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber slices, feta cheese, kalamata olives, and balsamic vinaigrette, and of course salmon. I'd never broiled salmon before, so once again something new. I've never been a big salmon fan. I can only think of one time I've had it that I didn't think it was dry. Given the expense, I haven't thought it was worth it. Well, I screwed up the first effort broiling it. I obviously put it too close to the flame. It caught fire. Fortunately, I had enough salmon that I could give it another go. I re-positioned the rack and gave it another shot. I watched it very carefully this time, and when I got it out, it was exactly the right temperature, but I still found it a bit dry. Apparently, salmon just isn't my thing. However, the salad itself was marvelous. I would have liked to include a lot more kalamata olives and feta cheese though. They really made it special. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's lunch. It's much the same, but with chicken.

Supper

Tonight for supper...it's early. I've grown accustomed to going to bed really early so that I can get up ridiculously early and get papers graded. So, yes I've already had my supper and it's not even 6:00 with daylight savings time...so again, tonight for supper, I had Lemon-Honey chicken thighs with sides of asparagus sauteed with shallots and zucchini noodles. The chicken thighs were excellent. There was only the slightest hint of lemon and honey. By the way, when the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice, there's no freaking way I'm going to squeeze a lemon for it. Bottled Real Lemon worked just fine. The menu actually called for broccoli, which I thought I had, but it turned out I had eaten the last of it. Asparagus has even fewer calories, and I had plenty of it on hand. It worked beautifully with the shallots. The disappointment of the meal was the zucchini noodles. Actually, the store didn't have zucchini when I went shopping, so I bought summer squash. I think they taste just the same, and the yellow seemed to brighten the plate up a bit. However, I don't really like zucchini noodles anyway. A year ago, I did the Whole 30 diet and had zucchini noodles a lot. No they don't satisfy my desire for pasta. They just piss me off. So, I'm going to see what vegetable I can come up with that might have a similar calorie count whenever it turns up on the menu.

I know I've already made quite a few changes and it's only the first day; however, I've really tried to keep those changes within the calorie requirements and the type of foods. In other words, I haven't used whipped cream as a substitute for lettuce. One of the things I screwed up on was the shopping. I didn't want to purchase a full week's worth in a single trip, and in sorting out the ingredients for the recipes, I missed the sides. I already know that for tomorrow, I'll have to come up with a substitute for sweet potatoes. I'd run to the store, but I'm pretty sure I'll be snowed in. It's been coming down pretty steady today, and it doesn't look as if it's going to let up. To be honest, I think this is more of an adventure than I realized, but I'm really enjoying it.

Preparations

Friday, after I got home from work, I realized I needed to clean out my fridge if I was going to buy ingredients for these meals. I do NOT like cleaning out the fridge, and it needed it badly. My first thought was that I needed a hazmat suit. However, I did survive and boy was it a mess.

I spent the day today finishing up my grading and submitting my midterm grades. It pretty much took all day. Then before I came home, I had to go grocery shopping. I knew I wouldn't be able to get the whole week's worth of groceries at one time, so I did the first three days. OH MY GOD! I spent about $130. I know this endeavor will be expensive, but I figure that as I stock up, I won't have to spend so much each time. Even though I spent that much, I still wasn't able to find white Miso or Demerara Sugar. These are two ingredients I'll need for Tuesday's meals. I think I should be able to find them by then. I'll try in Spirit Lake and Spencer first.

The one thing that's really nice about these meals, the dinner meal is portioned for two, so I'll be able to have plenty of leftovers. I won't have to cook every single meal every single day. I also think it's a good idea that I'm starting this during spring break. It'll give me time to adjust to it.

It begins tomorrow...with oatmeal. Not my favorite meal, but I'll have plenty other options as the week progresses.

A New Adventure

I think most of you know that I had another diverticulitis flare up this week. I honestly think it was the hard dried seeds in the 12-grain bread I had been eating. I blamed the carrots, but I think they simply aggravated the situation. It seems to me that I was eating the same bread when I had my first attack. Yes, apparently I also suffer from amnesia. So my regular cooking and normal meals were curtailed for a while. I've been eating really appetizing things like instant mashed potatoes and baked chicken.

I also think stress was a factor. Let's see, what can I possibly be stressed out about. My dad is in a nursing home recovering from a car accident. I have his dog along with my own dog. I have to get a ton of papers graded by midterm...Nope, nothing stressful here.

The thing is, I've been trying to make my diet a lot healthier. I love to cook and I actually like healthy food, but inevitably I either go for ease or comfort. I believe that non-processed food is the key, but it's really difficult to pull that off. I did the Whole 30 diet last year. That's where you eliminate all processed food including all dairy, flour, sugar, etc. It was too restrictive, and no one can carry on like that for an extended time. I looked at something that was called "the naked diet," which was idea, but insisted on all organic and specialty items I'm not going to find here in Podunk, Iowa. I also looked at Clean eating...I can't remember, but there was a problem with that too.

I'm definitely an omnivore. I can eat gluten (I've been tested). Seeds are a problem and excess acid is a problem. So, I just bought a diet plan from Cooking Light magazine. It's not one of those delivery meal setups. It's recipes and grocery lists. It's not all that expensive, but I'm afraid a lot of the food will be. I'll have to watch that. I'm starting this adventure, and I hope you will be following along. I won't report on every meal, but I'll give you the good, the bad, and undoubtedly, the ugly.

Snow Storm Bean Soup

I've been cooking this morning and despite the snow storm that's going on outside, I'm really feeling warm. I even opened up a couple of windows. The thermostat only says 69 degrees, but it feels like it's 80 degrees. However, I've been dumping a lot of humidity in the air cooking the bean soup. I'm not a huge fan of bean soup, but it's nice to have once in a while, and it's good to have on hand for a quick meal. I don't like bland navy bean bean soup. I like those bags of 15 varieties of beans. It's so much more colorful and interesting. And I am a bean soaker. I know it's not necessarily the thing to do these days, but the beans cook up better if you do it, especially when you are using a variety of beans that don't necessarily cook up evenly.

I also don't use chopped ham. I like to use a ham shank or a ham hock. They are less processed, and cooking the bone makes the soup heartier and healthier. And really, it's not that hard to fish it out of the soup after it's cooked a while and then cut the meat off the bone.

By the way, I vaguely remember buying that Lucite cutting board pictured here, but it's turned out to be a real wonder. It's got a little trench around it to catch juices. I've been able to cut up whole turkeys on that thing with little to no mess. And watermelon is really easy with this cutting board. I really lucked out when I stumbled across it.

Aside from water the only other ingredients I've included are chopped onions, carrots and celery.

The celery looks funky because it had been in the freezer. The ham is salty enough that no additional seasoning is necessary. Each individual can add additional salt and pepper to taste. I cooked this for hours although I don't think it needs to be cooked all that long. It's really hard to screw up a recipe like this.

Drinking Night and Day

Hah! I fooled you with that title. You thought it was cocktails...well maybe that's what I should try next, cocktail recipes. But for now, these two drinks are meant to wake you up in the morning, and help you sleep at night. I've never been too excited by smoothie drinks. They usually include some ingredient like kale that just doesn't seem like a refreshing drink, but when I got the most recent Cooking Light magazine, there were two beverages that caught my attention. The first one is called "Double-Apple Morning Elixer" and the other "Golden Milk Tea." The recipes for both can be found at http://www.cookinglight.com/recipes/double-apple-morning-elixir.

Double-Apple Morning Elixir"

The drink is mostly comprised of Granny Smith apple, but it also has vinegar, water, and a little honey in it. I'm afraid I couldn't find fresh cilantro on my most recent grocery shopping trip (I'll save that rant for another day), so I didn't include it. I'm not terribly fond of cilantro anyway, so no loss. And the blender which is on its last legs was not up to the challenge, and I tried, so I ended up processing it my food processor. It worked just fine. And of course it had to be strained. My good old strainer really is a work horse. I'm always using it.

I took this picture of it just so you could see the lovely color of it. It looked so good, but I was convinced that it was going to taste horrible. Boy, was I surprised. A little tart, a little sour, but with that little honey in it, it really seemed to balance the flavors. The darn thing tasted like spring, and it made be think of spring grass without actually tasting like it. During the week, my morning is rushed enough. I don't think I'll be doing this on a regular basis, but on a relaxed weekend, I'll definitely be doing this again.

Golden Milk Tea

This drink is mostly comprised of coconut milk, turmeric, ginger, a little honey, and even less cardamon. We've all heard how great turmeric is and how we should include it in our diets, so I thought this might be the way to do it. I've only had one other thing with turmeric in it. It was a turmeric kombucha, and it was horrible, so I was wary. I think this drink is greatly improved with the honey and ginger. I LOVE ginger. I was happy to do this recipe for no other reason than it was an excuse to have the scent of freshly ground ginger in my kitchen for a while.

Ok, it's not repulsive. It's not bad at all, but it's not exactly my new favorite refreshment. The texture is thin, but it makes me think of squash soup, which isn't thin, so it sort of startles my senses. And with that little kick of ginger it sort of smells like squash soup as well. I really like squash soup, so it is sort of a disappointment, but the color is lovely. I've been sipping it the entire time I've been writing this, and I've been trying to come up with a description of the flavor, and I'm afraid, I'm coming up short. It definitely has a spicy flavor, but at the same time, sort of flat. To be honest, I really preferred the apple morning drink. This drink is supposed to help you sleep. I really don't see that happening. By the way, I dumped half of it down the sink if that tells you anything.

Poached Eggs

I don't know if it's because I've grown old or whether it's because I never had them really cooked well as a kid, but I have become very fond of eggs, in particular poached eggs. Paradoxically, they seem to be quite simple and yet very complex. When you eat a well-poached egg, it feels, looks, and tastes like it's been stripped down to its very earthy essentials, but to prepare a well-poached egg is difficult. There are all sorts of recipes and strategies and I've tried them all, from swirling to cooking them in little silicone "sail boats." I recently found what I consider to be the best method so far in Cook's Illustrated magazine.

Probably the strangest thing you do is the first step. You crack the egg open in a colander. It sounds so strange, and yet it works. According to the Cook's Illustrated article there are two kinds of egg white in an egg. There's the thinner white that turns to a thready mass when poached and the thicker stuff that surrounds the egg yolk. It's that thin stuff you get rid of when you put the egg in a colander. The article also indicated that fresher eggs have more of the thick egg white and less of the thin stuff. And seriously, if you've ever tried to poach an egg before, it is that thready stuff that makes it almost unappetizing.

The next thing you do is boil a pot of water. That's not too tough. Then once the water is boiling, you add 1 tablespoon of vinegar and a teaspoon of salt. I know you're curling your lips thinking about the vinegar in with the eggs, but you smell it in the process, but you don't taste it. The purpose of the vinegar and salt is to change the pH of the water which helps cook the whites while not overcooking the yolk. It's so funny to see the chemical reaction when you add the vinegar to the boiling water. I had never seen that before with water. It's very cool.

Once the salt and vinegar are added, you gently pour 1-2 eggs in, cover and remove from the heat. It only takes 3-4 minutes to cook. Then use a slotted spoon to catch the eggs and enjoy. Poached eggs on toast is wonderful when you're not feeling the best, but I love them anytime. I also like to use poached eggs on a salad, especially a steak salad. Who needs fattening, processed dressings when you've got a runny egg!?!

Proof That Junk Food Is Bad for You

I have immediate proof that junk food is bad for you. Sometimes when I do grocery shopping, I'll pick up a frozen pizza for supper. I did that tonight. When the pizza was done, I grabbed the closest potholder that was sitting on the cupboard. I didn't realize that it had been sitting is some water. Instantly, when I grabbed the pizza, I felt the pain. I tried to hold on, but I ended up dumping the whole pizza back in the oven upside down. I burnt my left thumb badly enough that I've got a blister, and my right forefinger hurts but no real damage. I should have taken a picture of the mess, but I didn't even think of it, and it's already cleaned up. Ok, I could have easily done this when cooking from scratch, but then I would have felt terrible because of all the work I put into it. Now I just feel dumb.

Snow Day Poached Chicken

Cooking and blogging are the best things in the world to do on a snow day...ok, along with sleeping, eating, reading, and watching movies. I've been poaching chicken for so long, I can't quite remember where I got the recipe. I think I got it from Martha Stewart's Every Day Food, which is no longer published. I don't know about the rest of you, but generally speaking, I'm a dark meat gal. White meat tends to be dry and chewy. Frankly, I think it would be easier to swallow wood pulp than chicken breast the way it is usually prepared. But there are some things for which white meat is just more appropriate. I always have some on hand for such things as chicken salad, chicken pot pie, casseroles, or even just creamed chicken. And poaching chicken is not hard at all.

I remember, according to the recipe, you need a straight-edged skillet. I don't know why this is necessary, but apparently it is.

And I just happen to have the right pan for the job. My dad gave me this cooks skillet years ago, and I use it exclusively for poaching chicken.

What's nice about this recipe is that you don't have to cut things small and dainty. You can just use big chunks. What you include are: some onion, peeled and crushed garlic, some chunks of celery, carrots, a good heaping teaspoon of salt, peppercorns, thyme, and sliced lemon. This time, I didn't have any carrots, which really shocks me. I almost always have carrots. But I did have thyme because of the Butternut-Leek bisque, so I was able to add it, which I rarely do. I really don't like celery. Undoubtedly the healthiest vegetable of all, and of course, I dislike it. But it does belong in some dishes, so when I buy some, I quickly chop it up and throw it in the freezer; otherwise, it'll spoil by the time I get around to using it. The only ingredient I won't leave out is lemon. I don't know if it adds all that much flavor, but I love the smell. I also think the original recipe said to use so much chicken broth with the water in the poaching...I never do that. It doesn't seem to make much difference. So you add enough water that the chicken breasts will be completely covered in water. And of course, we need chicken breasts. My pan is very big, but you can only put so much chicken in to properly poach it. About one full chicken breast will do it. But if you use those gigantic chicken breasts from Fareway, only a half at a time.

Maybe I should explain the term "poaching." Poaching means to cook in a hot liquid just below boiling. With chicken breast, you want to bring the water and other ingredients to a boil. Add the breasts. Let the chicken cook like that for 3 minutes, turning once in the middle.

Then after the 3 minutes, cover it and turn off the stove...you may want to remove it from the burner if you have an electric stove. Leave it in the pot this way for 9 minutes. Then flip and cover and leave it another 9 minutes. Then check the temperature. It should be 165 degrees in the middle.

I killed my digital thermometer making yogurt, so until my new digital thermometer gets here, I have to use this old clunky analogue one. But I've never had trouble with temps while poaching. Either use the chicken or refrigerate immediately. Do not leave it in the water. It'll continue to cook and you'll have that same old dried out chicken breast. This is the most succulent and moist chicken breast I've ever had. If you're grilling chicken, it's also a great way to guarantee you've got your chicken done. Poach it first and then just put it on the grill for that nice grilled flavor and you're guaranteed it's not undercooked.

Creamy Butternut-Leek Bisque

My first bite of this Butternut-Leek Bisque was a bit disappointing. It seemed flat and bland, but as I ate more, it seemed to grow on me. It's earthy and hearty. I can imagine eating it with a sandwich on a snowy cold day. And I think the quinoa actually adds to it, though it made me a bit nervous as I was cooking it. However, I may have enjoyed cooking it more than I am enjoying eating it.

I haven't cooked with a lot of leeks in my time. I knew that they had to be thoroughly washed because they are often filled with sand. I really enjoyed cooking them until they were tender. I love how that green popped out and made me feel as though spring was immanent.

The next step, toasting the quinoa with the leeks made me a little nervous. I've never cooked with quinoa, and I've never really enjoyed it when I have eaten it. The tricky part with toasting it was that it kept sticking to the sides of the pot. I was supposed to stir it constantly and I found myself continuously scraping the sides.

What I really liked was when I added the squash and the colors just really popped. The pale orange with the soft, but bright green of the leeks was just downright pretty. This picture does not do it justice.

I should have taken a picture of it, but the bisque quickly lost that prettiness when the quinoa plumped up. Oh well.

One thing I did learn, it's time to get a new blender. This blender was old and used when I got it, which I can't even remember. It was probably an old one of Mom and Dad's or something. It did the job it was supposed to do, but it practically needed defibrillation by the time it was done.

Overall, I'll probably never make this recipe again. I've had better butternut squash soup, but it was an interesting process. It's added to my experiences and my knowledge of cooking.

Roasting Peppers

Recently, I saw a video on Facebook for a recipe...I don't even remember what the recipe was for, but it included roasted peppers, and when I saw how they did it, I went a nuts. It's great they were roasting them because peppers' outer skins are a bit bitter, but after they roasted them they scraped at them with a knife, which isn't cool and certainly not necessary. So, I decided to show folks what I think is the best way to roast a pepper.

One of the selling points for my house was that the stove was gas. I grew up with a gas stove, and I don't think I've had one since, until I bought this house. I love the control with gas. Gas cooking allows me to easily roast peppers. I just turn on the stove and throw a pepper on it.

I let it get nice and charred on one side and then I just flip it around a bit.

It doesn't take much work, and my house sometimes has an interesting smokey pepper scent because of it. Once it's good and charred all over, I put it in a bowl, cover it, and refrigerate it for a couple hours. The one in the picture I refrigerated for a couple days. It didn't matter.

The refrigeration does something to it so that when it's time to use, all I have to do is put it under running water and rub the skin away

The flesh of the pepper is so tender all I have to do is gently pull it open, and seed it right there in the sink. All that's left is patting it dry and slicing it up.

Peppers can be roasted in the oven, and of course, on the grill. But I love the convenience of just popping it on the stove. My family is always raving about a bean dip I make. I've given them all the recipe, but they say I make it better than they do. It's simply because I take the time and roast the peppers. It might seem a bit fussy, but it really does make a big difference.