Day 28 - reflection

Well, I can't say I made anything today, really. Breakfast was Fiber One cereal, lunch was leftover guacamole and chips and dinner was Taco Bell. I made strawberry cupcakes for a thing Katie's got going on tomorrow, but I've already done a blog about those.

Reflecting on the past month, I really think my relationship with food has changed for the better. I think I awakened some tastebuds! I'm not afraid of white onions anymore. I ate more things containing tomatoes. I like peppers. I know some simple staple (organic) food items which carry a pretty decent shelf-life that can usually enhance any meal. I can use more seasonings than salt and pepper. I understand cooking times of different kinds of meats. I finally get that human touching food with bare hands kind of sensuality the chefs talk about on Top Chef. I get it, and it's good.

Some meals don't need to be complex to be a crowd-pleaser. I really enjoyed challenging myself to really step outside of the box and face some serious deep-rooted food fears I've been lugging around my whole life. Don't even get me started about how I feel about knives. ::shudder:: But I chopped things. I chopped a lot of things, and I'm proud of myself.

This has been a busy month, so I'm going to follow my buddy Laura's advice and do an entirely different kind of challenge for March. Postcards.

Yup, postcards.

I got a postcard the other day from a friend I met on Facebook and it tickled me to no end. I took a little hiatus (40 days to be exact) from the networking site so I could decompress, and focus on real life life. She just wanted to let me know she's still thinking about me. It feels good to get back in touch with people face-to-face, so I don't miss Facebook too much right now. I think sending actual mail is a lost art, and the outcome of who I contact might be fun. You might want to make sure I've got your current address, peeps. Just sayin'.

Day 27 - Jason's Deli

I got this turkey wrap with fresh fruit. Yum!

Day 26 - chicken wraps

Fresh baby spinach
shredded monterey jack cheese
baked chicken breast
sour cream
salsa
flour tortillas

No recipe here. Just some plain old "tossing things together at the last minute" kind of dinner. Tortillas have a shelf life (before being opened) of upwards of three months. It's a good idea, especially with kiddos in the house, to keep these around. Something about wrapping food into something portable makes it oh-so-appealing to eight year olds.

Day 25 - Shrimp Scampi

Back on the cooking wagon!

Ingredients

1 lb. jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined 2 tbsp unsalted butter 1 tbsp minced garlic 1 tbsp freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley 1 freshly squeezed lemon 1 tbsp grated lemon zest Kosher salt Ground black pepper

Directions

Shell, devein and dry shrimp (leave tails on).
Season shrimp with salt and pepper.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add butter.
When foaming subsides, raise heat to high and add shrimp in single layer.
Cook shrimp for one minute.
Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.
Turn shrimp over and cook for two more minutes.
Transfer shrimp to a serving bowl.
Return the skillet to medium heat, add lemon juice.
Scrape any browned bits from bottom of pan with wooden spoon.
Boil liquid for 45 seconds, then add the zest and parsley to the sauce.
Pour sauce over shrimp and toss to combine.

I don't know if my palate isn't enhanced for this or...what the problem was. This was not a palatable meal. I don't know what could have fixed this. It was bitter, had a horrid after-taste. I think had I added a cream sauce, it would have made it a lot better, but murdered it from a nutritional standpoint. I'd have to really consider some alterations before even thinking about making this again.

Day 24 - Made a run for the border

I had a non-stop day that involved taking my puppy in for Parvo treatment, so there was no way I was going to cook tonight. I went to Taco Bell and got their Beefy 5-layer burrito, which was crazy good. I don't even want to know the nutritional content, so I won't look. The bright side is (from a caloric standpoint) the only other thing I had the chance to eat today was buttered double-fiber toast (Orowheat) and a handful of Teddy Grahams. Kind of makes up for the fact my doctor called me fat today. Meh.

Day 23 - Pollo y Cebollas Salteados

Tonight was Sauteed Chicken and Onion night. The recipe I found was in Spanglish, but here's the gist of it:

Garlic, 3 cloves Ground Oregano, 1 tsp a few dashes of black pepper a few dashes of salt 2 Tbsps olive oil 2 oz tap water 1/2 white onion, chopped 4 chicken breasts

1-Crush garlic, oregano, black pepper and salt.
2-Dice the chicken breast tenders and mix with the garlic paste until each piece is seasoned with it.
3-In a frypan, sauté chicken in oil. Add water and cook until water evaporates and chicken is cooked.
4-Add onion to chicken, cook until tender.
5-Makes 4 portions

The chicken tasted very light. The garlic gave it a sweet flavor and the oregano gave a slight Italian aftertaste. When I make this again (which I will), I would probably use a few more breasts and add cabbage or sweet peppers. This isn't a one-dish meal like what I prefer to make, so this alone as listed above would also work well over a bed of linguine. **NOTE** Original recipe only called for three chicken breasts, so note this in the nutritional value listed below:

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 3
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 111.1

• Total Fat: 7.1 g
• Cholesterol: 10.0 mg
• Sodium: 283.0 mg
• Total Carbs: 6.2 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.9 g
• Protein: 4.4 g

Day 22 - Black Pepper Beef And Cabbage Stir Fry

Very simple dish, packed with veggies, light tasting but filling at the same time. One note: If you're not a big fan of "spicy" dishes, you might consider cutting the black pepper in half. This was a definite "top" meal for me. Very simple to make, very inexpensive ingredients, took about 20 minutes from prep to table. I'll definitely make this again!

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 small head cabbage, shredded

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat, and add oil. Saute garlic for about 5 seconds, then add ground beef. Stir-fry until beef is evenly brown. Stir in cabbage and pepper, and cook until vegetables are tender, and beef is fully cooked. Stir in soy sauce. Mix together cornstarch and water, and stir in. Season with pepper. Cook, stirring, until sauce has thickened.

Servings: 4

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 4
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 202.6

• Total Fat: 11.3 g
• Cholesterol: 32.8 mg
• Sodium: 361.6 mg
• Total Carbs: 12.3 g
• Dietary Fiber: 3.6 g
• Protein: 14.8 g

Day 21 - McDonald's

I know. I KNOW. Ick on 800 different levels. It's one thing to be falling apart, it's another for a host of blog followers to follow me down the road to gut-destruction.

I'm ashamed, so very ashamed.

Day 20 - Rosa's

It's been such a busy month. Cooking isn't that much of a hassle, it really isn't. Sometimes it's just nice to have someone cook for me. Rosa's is one of my favorite places to go in Texas. I know I just said that about Braum's yesterday, but it's apples and oranges. Rosa's has such a fun environment. It's got a gigantic dining area, super high ceilings, bright decorations, friendly employees. I order myself, then get notified when my meal is ready and I run back up front and grab it. I usually get the Mexican dinner which has a taco, enchilada, rice, beans and some tortillas. It's a big platter, filling, unlimited drink refills. It's a few steps up from Taco Bell, but the dining room really makes the experience. I emailed Rosa's a while back to tell them I miss eating at their restaurant, and they sent me coupons, so this dinner was courtesy of Rosa's. Thanks, guys!

Taco, enchilada, rice, beans, tortillas

Day 19 - Braum's

Oh, Braum's, how I love thee. I mean love love. Whoever lives in a part of the country where Braum's doesn't exist, I feel sorry for you. I also have a guest room if you want to come to Texas and give it a try. It's a tiny grocery store and diner/fast food joint/ice cream parlor all in one. Their milk has no added hormones and tastes like heaven in a carton. Their shakes are delightful, they have the greenest bananas on earth (green is good), and you haven't lived until you've tried one of their bacon hamburgers. I was partially relieved I got a break from cooking for a night, but I just needed something greasy. It was one of those days. I skipped the cheese (just a preference) and the tomatoes, but gobbled down the rest of the meal like it was going to be my last. Yeah. They really look like that. ::raises glass of milk:: Cheers, Braum's!

Day 18 - At Subway, Eatin' Fresh!

I'd just like to point out that I believe I made it clear in my first post for the month that this month would be food-centric blogs. I don't believe I said at any point that I'd toss on a cape (backwards apron, whatev) and become Superwoman. I have limitations, and today is one of those days. I spent hours battling traffic in between doctor's appointments, and something went awry (see: my brain) and I ran out of medication today that I couldn't get filled today. Unmedicated me + four hours in a car = feeling like I was dropped out of a plane.

Actually, it feels more like I was bucked off an unbroken horse I jumped on to ride bareback. How do I know, you ask? I've done it. But that's another blog.

So tonight's treat to myself and the ladies was just to go to Subway. I think the lack of product on hand and the skyrocketed prices is a good indicator that we're trying desperately to get away from being a McNation of McCardiac Arrests. The sandwiches were delish. Katie and I got the Italian BMT, and Jori got a Kid's ham sandwich meal thingy. They gave her the meal in a canvas re-usable bag. For this reason alone, I almost forgave the fact that three fairly simple sandwiches, 3 bags of chips and 3 beverages came to seventeen dollars and change. No, I'm not kidding.

Subway is very forthright on their nutritional values. They're posted on the menus, the napkins, stickers right above the breads, as well as their website. It's a good idea to put a little thought into what toppings to put on your sandwich. How much do you really want cheese on your sandwich? Simple. Do you want to look like Jared? Or do you want to look like Jared?

That's a trick question. Jared's gross. We want to look like Fairuza Balk. Mrowr.

Day 17 - Broiled Tilapia Parmesan AND guacamole!

Oh, that's right folks. I took it up a notch and made two recipes. I think my family is convinced I've been abducted and replaced with a less annoying version of Rachael Ray. The guac was more of a happy accident than something planned. We had bought avocados last weekend that I forgot about until this evening. So, since super-mushy avocados are pretty much guacamole in a shell anyway, I decided to save their integrity and just turn 'em into dip. First, let's get to this tilapia business.

3 Tilapia fillets
2 tsps olive oil
juice from two fresh limes
1 tsp dehydrated cilantro
2 cups fresh spinach
1/4 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
1 Tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
garlic powder

Brush fillets with some olive oil. I've seen that "Naked Chef" guy so I thought I'd be fancy. I just drizzled a dollop of oil on the fillet (in my hands) and rubbed it in on both sides. Saves cleaning a brush and it makes everyone watching you cook think you're just so totally cool. Squeeze juice from the limes over the fillets. I also don't own a lime juicer, so I crushed them (just like Ahnold) with my bare hands. I'm flexing right now. Trust me. Sprinkle garlic powder over fish. Don't encrust the little guy, but don't be afraid to use this spice liberally. Sprinkle fillets with cilantro. I just find it's easier to keep dehydrated cilantro on hand instead of the fresh, but that's up to you.

Broil 6 inches from heat in oven for 6 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork. While the fish is under the heat, get your spinach rinsed off and pluck off all the stems. It might seem tedious to do so, but trust me, it's worth it. Place spinach in a microwave safe dish, cover loosely, nuke for 4 minutes. The natural juices of the spinach will steam it for you. Fancy, huh?

Spoon cooked spinach onto plate, place fish over spinach. Place chopped tomatoes and shredded cheese over the fish, and you're done! Best. Fish. Dish. Ever. True story. The bonus is being able to get through dinner, do the dishes, and still be able to brag to everyone how your hands smell limey fresh.

Holy Guacamole!

2 medium Hass avocados

1/2 cup onion, chopped

2 Tbsp dehydrated cilantro

1/4 cup tomato chopped

juice from a fresh lime (or two!)

Directions

Cut avocado in half and remove pit. Scoop pulp out into a bowl. Using a fork, mash avocado until smooth in consistency. Add the lime juice, onion, cilantro, and tomato. Poof. You're the life of the party. (The guac is in the lower right hand corner there.)

Day 16 - Gone in 60 Seconds Meatloaf

Ingredients

1 lb. 93% Lean Ground Turkey

1 large egg

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

1/3 cup ketchup

1/2 onion, finely chopped

2 Tbsp. 1% Milk

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. oregano

5-6 "shakes" paprika

Directions

Mix all ingredients in large mixing bowl. Spray Pyrex casserole dish with cooking spray. Mold the meatloaf mixture into a "loaf" in the dish. Sprinkle with additional pepper if desired. Bake in oven at 350 for 45 minutes. After first 20 minutes cooking, add additional catsup to top of loaf. Remove from oven after 45 minutes, let "rest" an additional 10 minutes on counter/stove-top. 

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 6
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 170.9

• Total Fat: 5.9 g
• Cholesterol: 63.6 mg
• Sodium: 646.9 mg
• Total Carbs: 11.3 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.5 g
• Protein: 16.6 g

Day 15 - Crunchy Chicken!

3 fresh chicken breasts

1/4 cup dried Italian bread crumbs

9 tsp Olive oil

Salt (to taste, optional) 

Directions

Heat oven to 375 F. 

 Wash chicken and pat dry. 

Dip chicken pieces into breadcrumbs and turn so as to coat all over.
Place in a lightly greased baking pan and drizzle about 1 teaspoon of olive oil over each chicken breast.
Sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes

Serves 3-4

The Italian crumbs take this dish's flavor to an entirely new level. Comes with all the flavor of a tasty fried chicken, with none of the grease.

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 4
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 146.4

• Total Fat: 8.8 g
• Cholesterol: 38.0 mg
• Sodium: 121.2 mg
• Total Carbs: 5.1 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.3 g
• Protein: 11.1 g

Day 14 - Poor Man's Pot Roast

1 lean 2 lb beef roast 2 medium onions peeled and halved 4 carrots, peeled and cut in half 1/2 a large cabbage cut in 4 wedges 2 potatoes, peeled and cut in half 4 cups Emeril's beef broth 2 bay leaves 2 cloves of garlic salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Put Slow cooker at medium high heat.
2. Add all to pot and cook 3-5 hours.
3. Serve with vegetables and juices.

You know, I just wasn't a fan of this. The flavor wasn't there, so it was just an underwhelming dish for me. I haven't tried cabbage in a pot roast in the past, but I definitely will do it in the future...if I can just find a better pot roast recipe. :)

Day 13 - Niki's Italian Bistro

Celebrated Valentine's Day a day early. It's still cold, and I'm still hurtin', so tonight I was going to let someone else cook for me. One of my favorite local restaurants is Niki's Italian Bistro. The prices are reasonable, and the food isn't that Tex-Italian rubbish they have at several other "Italian" restaurants in the neighborhood. I really like the ambience too. It probably won't sit more than 70 people. It's romantic and intimate, but every time I've been I've seen several tables where couples have brought their whole family. For the sake of the blog, I decided to go out on a limb. I was going to order something different. I usually get the baked ziti, the manicotti or the cannelloni. I prefer marinara and naked (oil based) sauces to the heavier and richer alfredo sauces. 


I ordered their Chicken Scarpariello, which is a chicken breast sauteed with lemon sauce and fresh garlic. The entree was simple in appearance, but the flavors were so complex. It was served over angel hair pasta and came with a bottomless basket of garlic twist rolls. I could only get through half the plate, but at least I made room for the chocolate turtle cheesecake. I love this restaurant and would recommend it to everyone!

Day 12 - BBQ broiled chicken w/ steamed rice

We're still snowed in and the chill outside sits right in my bones. Though I'm totally craving a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup, I had some thawed out chicken that needed to be used today. I wasn't really inspired to cook much of anything today. I just brushed some barbecue sauce onto the chicken and tossed it in the broiler. I steamed rice on the stove top, and called it a night.

Day 11 - Chicago Pizza

Tonight I was invited to have dinner at Katie's mother's house. They're both transplants from Chicago, so they're huge on Chicago pizza and Chicago dogs. The dogs are horrifying to look at. I don't imagine I'd ever eat one, even if it was a triple-dog-dare. No pun intended. Now Chicago PIZZA is an entirely different story. Let me make one thing clear right now. I am not (I repeat) I. am. not...a tomato person. Never have been, never will be. I find the appearance, texture and flavor repulsive in every way. What I can say, however, is if you're going to alter said appearance, texture and flavor, I'll be a trooper and try to choke one down. This is something I discovered I was willing to do, after I had eaten a slice of pizza shipped from Lou Malnati's Pizzeria in Chicago. Every winter, one or more of Katie's relatives ship two or three pizzas to us, pre-packaged. We had a huge snow storm yesterday, so cooking a meal was the last thing on anyone's mind. The pizza was so filling, and delightful. Props to Katie's mom for inviting us over.

Day 10 - article about diet soda

I just made baked potatoes and steamed some veggies for supper. Not really post worthy, so I thought I'd share this article that's been circling the internet this past week regarding the correlation between diet sodas and pancreatic cancer. Kind of makes me thankful I've never been a "soda" gal. I know it's possible to find articles pro (and con) virtually any food or beverage on G-d's green Earth, so you can take or leave information given here. I just find it interesting.

Day 9 - Ground Turkey Stroganoff

Ground Turkey Stroganoff

Ingredients

1 lb extra lean ground turkey

1 onion, chopped

2 cans 98% ff cream of mushroom soup

2 8oz packages mushrooms

1 cup fat free sour cream

1 package egg noodles

Directions

Brown turkey & onion in a large pan.
Add soup, sour cream & mushrooms.
Simmer for 15 minutes, or until mushrooms are soft. Serve over noodles.
Makes 8 1 cup servings.

Easily the long lost half-sister meal to the prison food I made on Saturday. The consistency was weird. The mushrooms were completely unnecessary and added a strange flavor. Everything else was bland. Though I'm very sure if I had left out the mushrooms and added corn and some seasoning, this could have been a lot less gross. With time, I'll come to understand seasonings more so I'll know what I can add if something is tasting a little off. I don't blame the original source for this recipe. I blame my ignorance about seasoning. I did add my Tony Chachere's and it made it alright enough to get it down, but I wouldn't call this a "good" dish.

Day 8 - steak tacos

Brr! It's freezing outside and I can feel it in my bones. Literally. So tonight's dinner, like most of the others, had to be very low-maintenance. It's also helpful to dish out a dinner that's more of a serve-yourself kind of meal.

1 lb stew meat
1 cup italian dressing
Daisy light sour cream
shredded cheddar cheese
salsa
2 avocados
flour tortillas

One of the most flavorful and simplest of marinades is using salad dressing. I had about a cup of Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing left. I tossed it in a tupperware container with the stew meat and stirred it up every hour or so. I let it marinade a total of 5 hours, but meat doesn't usually need more than 1/2 an hour's time to marinate. At dinner time, I just tossed the meat into a frying pan and browned it. In the future, we will be using beef for stir fry. The stew meat is less expensive, but it's a lot tougher. Pick my battles? Don't mind if I do. :)

I just put the sour cream, shredded cheese, salsa, tortillas and avocados on the table and told everyone to knock themselves out. Kiddos seem to like the idea of building their own dinner, so it was a win-win situation.

Day 7 - Scrambled Omelets 2 ways

I like scrambled eggs for a few reasons. They're simple to make. They're a one-dish meal. It's a good way to take care of leftover cheeses, fresh veggies, and meats when you add them to the eggs.

For the first breakfast, I sprayed a little vegetable oil on the omelet pan to keep the eggs from sticking. I used a medium flame. I scrambled three eggs (remove one or more of the yolks if you're watching your cholesterol) in a large coffee cup. I mixed in some chopped up chives, bacon bits, and added a slice of Borden's cheese. I have some slices of cheese that's made for grilled cheese sandwiches, so I knew it would melt better than most cheeses. 2 slices of Pepperidge Farms cinnamon and raisin bread, and you'll start your day off right. The high protein, complex carbs and fiber will give your body the fuel you need to jump start your metabolism, and will keep you feeling full for several hours.

I personally prefer a spicier taste, so I switched up my eggs a bit differently.

Santa-Fe style eggs with wheat toast

Three scrambled eggs
1/4 c chives
a pinch of crumbled bacon
a dash of table salt
a dash of black pepper
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

Whip ingredients together in large mug. Cook over medium flame in lightly oiled saucepan. Takes only about two minutes to cook. Adding the spices to the eggs before they cook allows the flavors to permeate the eggs. I just scooped the eggs onto the toast and made impromptu folded breakfast sandwiches.

Day 6 - Ground Turkey Potato Casserole. AKA: "prison food"

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground turkey

1 medium onion

1 medium green bell pepper

1/2 tsp table salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

8 oz canned mushrooms

10 3/4 oz Campbell's 98% Fat-Free Cream Of Mushroom Soup

4 medium potatoes 

Peel and slice 4 potatoes. Parboil potatoes, rinsing off excess starch. Saute' onions and peppers in 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil. Add turkey and cook through. Place potatoes and turkey with onions and peppers in a 3 qt. baking dish. Add remaining ingredients. Bake for 35 minutes at 400 degrees in oven.

The last time I ate a meal with this flavoring and consistency, I was sitting in the cafeteria of my elementary school. Saying this tasted like cat food would be insulting to the cat food industry. The potatoes were very starchy. The "casserole" didn't have the consistency of casserole. We tried desperately to "save" the dish by various means. Added a few shakes of garlic salt to a bite? Nope. Tony Chachere's didn't even save this dish. There's so many variances which would need to be made to this dish to make it palatable, it would become a different dish entirely.

I did, of course learn a few lessons from this dish. When a recipe says it takes 30 minutes in an oven to turn sliced raw potatoes soft, it's lying. Green bell pepper tastes nothing like sweet bell peppers. Salt and pepper doesn't go very far when it comes to seasoning dishes. Tony's seasoning can't make everything better. Last, but not least, you can tell who your real friends are when you serve something disgusting for dinner. If they don't make fun of you and still thank you for making it, they're worth keeping.

Dinner on the plate:

Dinner where it really belongs:

Day 5 - baked potatoes and mung bean salad

My energy's a little low today, so I wanted to make something that didn't require too much standing/walking. I used a pre-made iceberg salad mix straight from the bag. I added some fresh mung beans and drizzled italian dressing on top and I was done. The baked potatoes were just done in the microwave the same way I made the last baked potatoes. Topped with sour cream, freshly chopped chives and some freshly shredded cheese. Mung beans are hearty and bitter, so I don't think they're a good fit for salad, but I had to give it a try. They're usually best when added to a stir fry. Good thing I have some left over to try them on something else! :)

Day 4 - Strawberry Cupcakes!

Today was far too busy to actually make dinner, so I made cupcakes for dessert. I don't do anything special. Heck, I don't even make them from scratch! What I CAN tell you, is I don't use any other brand than Duncan Hines. I've used Betty Crocker and Pillsbury in the past and both tasted dusty. Duncan Hines, if made precisely the way it's suggested on the box, comes out wonderfully moist and flavorful. One thing to mention, is the cake mix asks for 3 large eggs. I always crack my eggs into a measuring cup. If the three eggs gets me to 2/3 cup, I'm good. If I end up with more, I pour out a bit until I get to the 2/3 cup mark. This always ensures the perfect amount of egg. The frosting I use, is also straight-from-the-package Duncan Hines frosting. I bake cupcakes for 20 minutes, then let them fully cool before frosting...putting a fan on them speeds up the cooling/drying time significantly.

I feel truly humbled right now. I only tried one of the cupcakes before sending the remaining cupcakes with Katie to her work for "food day". Unbeknownst to both of us, they were having a contest as well. Her entire floor got to vote, and my cupcakes won the "best dish". Our award was a beautiful glass serving platter from Pier 1. LOVE IT! This really made my day today. Thanks to all who voted. :)