Inspiration

I love aprons! They are practical and fun! I am always cooking something on the stove that splatters oil, so when I saw this apron, I just had to have it! It is my newest inspiration to have fun in the kitchen! Add some great music, and Wa-La! You're cookin'!

Check out this fun apron website!

8-29-09 Chicken Piccata with Prosciutto

I got creative tonight and cooked a first for me- chicken piccata- so that I could use capers that I bought on a whim. I used to work at Marina's on the Square while in college at MTSU. That is where I became introduced to capers. Interesting little things! They add a bit of bite, kind of like an olive, but not as strong. I happened to have prosciutto from a time when I was wrapping it around mozzarella cheese sticks for 1 block snacks. So, here it is:

Thinly coat chicken tenders or breasts in whole wheat flour/salt and pepper. Cook in skillet in a couple of tablespoons of EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) for about 4-5 minutes on each side. Put in preheated oven of 200 degrees to keep warm while making sauce.





Sauce: Use remains of skillet and add:
It called for 1 cup chicken broth, but I used leftover Pinot Grigio.
It called for minced garlic and shallots, but I used garlic powder and freezed dried chives,
Dried parsley, and lemon juice.
Add capers and prosciutto and simmer for a few minutes.
My measurements were not exact.
Pour over chicken! So good! So easy! So Yummy! Really! I think that the wine was a great substitute.



Sides: I served this with sauteed spinach with added bacon bits (real ones) and applesauce (no added sugars).

I made the kids eat one bite of the spinach and then they had carrots and dip. They also dipped their chicken in ranch instead of having my sauce.

Today's breakfast:
Leftover ground turkey with melted cheese in a pita. Coffee with H&H.

Today's lunch: fish taco!!!!!! YUM! My pleasure to eat lunch at the Beam household with Amanda and Stacey! They hooked my little can of tuna UP! Instead of eating it out of the can, they gave me a wheat tortilla, slaw, cilantra, red pepper, salt and pepper, and lime juice! Soooooo good! Probably very close to a 3 block meal.

Today's snack: yogurt and coffee with H&H

9-22-09 Pork Loin Roast Dinner

This is one of my new favorites, and so easy!
If you're tired of chicken or a regular roast, then try pork!

Brown the pork loin roast in your iron skillet :) (or whatever kind of skillet you have and then transfer to a baking dish)
Add salt and pepper, and tonight I smoothed on some Hoisin sauce, which is good for pork and poultry. Two tablespoons has 13 carbs, so it will be minimal when sliced. Put it in the oven for 1 hour and WA-LA! or however you spell that!

I found a pork rub at World Market that looked worth trying out, but I knew I had Hoisin sauce to use up. I am not familiar with rubs, but intend to experiment at some point.

I will serve it with green beans from the freezer, steamed cauliflower, and cantaloupe. This is what I have, but I'm sure the side options are endless.

What's In YOUR Pantry?

We have two shelves to our pantry that hold food. Here you can see our staples: beef jerkey is a steal at Sam's, cheerios for the kids, almonds in a jar because we buy a 3 lb. bag at Sam's Club, a red "snack" container that usually has things like applesauce or kids' clif bars or idividual nut packs for lunch boxes, raisins. On the turn tables above: whole oats, all natural peanut butter, tuna fish,black beans, vinegar, chicken broth, protein powder, and probably a few other things to cook with. There are two canisters behind there that you can't see, but one is for whole wheat flour and the other is for sugar. I have decided to keep the sugar one empty for now! I'm not afraid to bake or concoct when cravings call!

One thing that you will not see on a regular basis anymore is chocolate chips for "baking". About three years ago, I realized that I would easily eat 400 calories of chocolate chips during the day from just getting small handfuls when I passed by the cabinet. I made a change knowing that that couldn't be good for me calorie wise. However, I now know that the even larger problem than the extra calories was the consistent insulin spike I was giving myself all day long. So, just a little FYI in case you have something like that on a regular basis that seems innocent, but may not be. And obviouisly, chocolate chips is a no no when adhering strictly to the zone! I could have 1 and 1/2 oz for a meal's worth of carbs, but that is not worth it because I would want more!

I also have another cabinet with herbs and spices, vanilla, baking powder, cooking spray, and agave nectar- stuff like that.



Post your favorite herbs to cook with or items you consider to be staples in your pantry...

9-18-09

I won't bore you with my failures again today. I ate several complete meals, but I also gave into an afternoon sugar craving. I will tell you this, I threw a box of donuts and a loaf of not-so-healthy bread in the trash. Many of you may run into this. Some of you have asked how to avoid hurting peoples feelings when it comes to avoiding their unhealthy food. I have a relative that has good intentions and brings junk to my house all the time for the kids. She has not picked up on the fact that we NEVER have this kind of food in our house when she is here and FOR A REASON. Either she is not perceptive or she thinks we are depriving our kids. Either way, we have to throw it out when she leaves. Sometimes, I hang on to it to divvy out to the kids at appropriate times, but all too often this wrecks all my hard work because I end up giving into temptations when I know it is there, even if it is in the freezer. Believe it or not, Evan can also be tempted this way. If icecream is in the freezer, it is too hard to avoid it. Well, blah blah blah... here is what I ate today that was worth telling: (remember, I eat 3 block meals)

Breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs (using EVOO/olive oil cooking spray), 1 piece of Ezekial bread raisin toast with 2/3 tsp. butter, 1/2 of an orange. Water. Coffee w/ 1 tbsp. H&H. I did not feel good, so I ate the other 1/2 orange hoping it would help my headache and lack of energy. I'm not sure if I am fighting off getting sick or if it was a result of the past few days of badness.

Lunch: Pita sandwich with mayo and roast beef, coffee w/ H&H, water.

snack: badness

dinner: chicken tenderloin cooked in EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) on the stove in my iron skillet, dipped first in egg and then in a mixture of oat bran and chicken seasoning. Green beans with salt. I could have cooked the g.b. in chicken broth for more flavor, but didn't think about it in time. The kids dipped their chicken in ranch dressing. Evan had his chicken cooked in EVOO and vinegar. I found the oat bran to be a healthy alternative to bread crumbs. The kids weren't so sure about it, but ate it. I'm bet after another 4 or 5 times, they won't think twice about it not being really greasy crust!

So, this was my hybrid day of counting blocks for some meals, but not all day long. Tonight I have also had some almonds.

What did you have for dinner tonight?

Do tell!

Back in the Saddle Again

I have had my fun. I have exhausted all sugar in the house. Tomorrow I will get "back in the saddle again!" I am sorry to those of you I disappointed. My reason for blogging this is to give a realistic account of what it takes to eat well. For those of you that find it hard like me, hopefully my confessions will be encouraging when you find it hard. For the rare few that are not tempted by bad-for-you-foods, I would love to know your other weaknesses! Ha! Well, actually, I would love for you to share your outlets for stress or boredom, especially healthy outlets that I could learn from and adopt. I find that when I am busy, food is not so much on my mind. However, being a stay-at-home mom makes food all too much a priority. I am constantly thinking about the next meal for my family; and if I feel stressed or overwhelmed by active children, I all too easily look for something in the kitchen to make myself feel better. Well, you have gotten enough deep thought posts for this week, so tomorrow, I will begin listing my food choices again in order to give ideas and help myself stay on track. You probably noticed that I haven't listed what I have eaten the past week because it would be too embarrassing if I told all! I love to read your thoughts, so don't be hesitant to comment!

-Angela