Around this time of year, summer begins to drag on for me. Maybe it's because I live in the South where summer tends to last until Halloween but whatever it is, I'm ready for Fall. Fall is my absolute most favorite season of the year. The changing leaves, fall festivals, candied apples, roasted chicken, pipin' hot bowls of soup, and the list goes on. All I can think about are the glorious meals that I can prepare once it's not 94 degrees outside anymore and I get more excited about that than Christmas! LOL
Sorry I missed a few posts lately. In my other life, I'm an aspiring photographer and am trying to get my business up and running. Right now, my brain has been on overdrive trying to deal with all the mundane details required to get a business started. It's pretty insane actually. I feel like I'm going 'round in circles with it and I'll be glad when it's complete!
This week, the boys and I are getting back to planning our menu. Grocery shopping is just useless these days without a plan and we can't afford to be planless! Tonight for example, I had to throw away $18 worth of FILET MIGNON because I didn't cook it in time and it turned doo doo brown. You cannot imagine my dismay and horror when I pulled those things out of the fridge. All day long I had been dreaming of preparing those gorgeous little beauties but instead, I ended up having a potato and a piece of chicken. It was good but it wasn't FILET MIGNON. Okay? So we can afford anymore instances like that and it's back to the menus for us with the boys choosing 4 nights worth of eats and me choosing the other 3. It worked out well in the first week and they actually have requested that we do it again.
Look for a menu post from me on Wednesday! Hope you're doing well!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Decadence
This week, I needed some comfort and sometimes, accompanying comfort is decadence. I had some chicken breasts that needed to be prepared so what did I do with them? Fried 'em up, y'all. Paula Deen style. Not a Paula Deen recipe but I fried them in my iron skillet in, wait for it...Crisco. I know it's horrible for you but I wanted to see how it would turn out prepared that way and it was mighty delicious. Definitely not weight loss fare but every once in a while, you've got to go a little bit wild.
Evie's Fried Chicken
2 large boneless, skinless breasts
1/2 - 3/4 cup of flour
1- 1 1/2 Tbs Montreal Steak Seasoning
1-2 tsps poultry seasoning
salt (for sprinkling afterwards)
2 Tbs crisco or enough oil to rise 1/2" on side of skillet
First, I pounded the chicken breasts to try and make them as evenly sized as possible. Then I put the flour and spices in a pie dish and dredged each breast through the mixture while the crisco was heating up. Do not add the chicken until that oil is good and hot or else you won't get a nice crust on your chicken. I cooked these for 5-7 minutes per side until I felt sure that they were done then I set them on papertowels to drain and rest until ready to eat. reserve drippings in pan to make gravy (see below).
Sides, Southern Green Beans and Mashed Potatoes with Cream Gravy.
For the beans you will need a 1/2 cup of chopped onion (I used frozen) 1 tsp butter, salt, pepper, ham boullion, and 1/2 package of frozen cut green beans. Oh, and water.
Before cooking the chicken, I actually got the beans going because they need to cook for a long time to get that good southern flavor happening. I put the butter in a saucepan and let it melt over medium heat and then I added the onions. I cooked these until they were soft and translucent. Then, I added about 1 tsp, maybe 2 of the boullion and some water (1/2 cup?). I stirred this until the boullion was well combined. Then I added the green beans and enough water to cover. I let this cook over medium low heat for 30-40 minutes.
I prepared the potatoes as I always do by dicing them, placing them in a saucepan and covering them with just enough water. Add salt, and gently boil for 10 minutes. Drain and then put back in the pan and cover, allowing them to steam for 15 minutes. Then I take my potato masher and smush them really well, adding butter and milk to taste. Add salt at the end if necessary. If you make cream gravy, be sure to keep a light hand with the salt in the potatoes. The gravy will be seasoned and you don't want to overdo it.
Gravy
reserved drippings
flour
salt and pepper
milk (to thin out)
Over medium low heat, add flour to the drippings in small increments until all the grease is absorbed. Cook for a couple of minutes stirring constantly. Then add milk (eyeball until gravy is right consistency), stirring well and add salt and pepper to taste. Then you're ready to eat!
So, so good y'all. Small portions. remember that. My weight is still holding steady at 197. I haven't gotten back into walking since I was sick but that's about to change. Things should begin moving off me once I get moving.
Make some chicken this weekend!
Evie's Fried Chicken
2 large boneless, skinless breasts
1/2 - 3/4 cup of flour
1- 1 1/2 Tbs Montreal Steak Seasoning
1-2 tsps poultry seasoning
salt (for sprinkling afterwards)
2 Tbs crisco or enough oil to rise 1/2" on side of skillet
First, I pounded the chicken breasts to try and make them as evenly sized as possible. Then I put the flour and spices in a pie dish and dredged each breast through the mixture while the crisco was heating up. Do not add the chicken until that oil is good and hot or else you won't get a nice crust on your chicken. I cooked these for 5-7 minutes per side until I felt sure that they were done then I set them on papertowels to drain and rest until ready to eat. reserve drippings in pan to make gravy (see below).
Sides, Southern Green Beans and Mashed Potatoes with Cream Gravy.
For the beans you will need a 1/2 cup of chopped onion (I used frozen) 1 tsp butter, salt, pepper, ham boullion, and 1/2 package of frozen cut green beans. Oh, and water.
Before cooking the chicken, I actually got the beans going because they need to cook for a long time to get that good southern flavor happening. I put the butter in a saucepan and let it melt over medium heat and then I added the onions. I cooked these until they were soft and translucent. Then, I added about 1 tsp, maybe 2 of the boullion and some water (1/2 cup?). I stirred this until the boullion was well combined. Then I added the green beans and enough water to cover. I let this cook over medium low heat for 30-40 minutes.
I prepared the potatoes as I always do by dicing them, placing them in a saucepan and covering them with just enough water. Add salt, and gently boil for 10 minutes. Drain and then put back in the pan and cover, allowing them to steam for 15 minutes. Then I take my potato masher and smush them really well, adding butter and milk to taste. Add salt at the end if necessary. If you make cream gravy, be sure to keep a light hand with the salt in the potatoes. The gravy will be seasoned and you don't want to overdo it.
Gravy
reserved drippings
flour
salt and pepper
milk (to thin out)
Over medium low heat, add flour to the drippings in small increments until all the grease is absorbed. Cook for a couple of minutes stirring constantly. Then add milk (eyeball until gravy is right consistency), stirring well and add salt and pepper to taste. Then you're ready to eat!
So, so good y'all. Small portions. remember that. My weight is still holding steady at 197. I haven't gotten back into walking since I was sick but that's about to change. Things should begin moving off me once I get moving.
Make some chicken this weekend!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Sausage and Lentil Soup
Yesterday the temperature only went up to about 75 degrees and for August in the South, that is a very cool temperature. It got me in the mood for soup. But not a heavy, cream-based soup. No, I wanted something "light" and broth-based so I got out this bistro cookbook I have and proceeded to comb through it for a recipe. There was only one that I had most of the ingedients for so it was the one I decided to prepare. Here is my version of "Lentil Soup with Pork Sausages" as adapted from the Bistro Cooking cookbook, by Patricia Wells.
Ingredients:
1/2 package of nitrate free bacon
1 onion, chopped well
1 grated carrot
2 tsp ground cumin
2 cloves of garlic, pushed through a press or minced
4 whole cloves
2 1/4 quarts of liquid (I used half chicken broth and half water)
1 pound organic french green lentils
2 bay leaves
1 Tbs unsalted butter
3 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
1 package of polish kielbasa
First you will need a large stockpot. Brown the bacon in the bottom of the pot, then remove the bacon leaving the drippings behind.
Next, add the cumin, chopped onion, grated carrot, 2 minced cloves of garlic, and the 4 whole cloves and saute these until they are all nice and brown.
Then add the lentils and bay leaves, give it a good stir, and then add all your liquid. At this point, you will also need to add a liberal amount of salt and pepper. Taste the broth as you add to make sure it's to your liking.
Bring to a boil then turn down the heat and let the lentils simmer until cooked through, which takes about 45 minutes.
About 10 minutes before the lentils are done, slice the kielbasa into rounds and place it into a pan with the 1 Tbs of butter and the Worcestershire sauce. You may also add a light sprinkling of cumin here if you wish. Cutting the sausage and then cooking it cuts down the time it takes to get these done and you want them to be a nice brown. When you see that, you'll know they're ready.
In small soup bowls, ladle some of the lentil soup in first then top it with a few pieces of the cut kielbasa. It's quite tasty and so simple because there aren't many ingredients. This should serve at least 4-6 people. I had a bunch of soup leftover to freeze for another day.
Here is what mine looked like:
A couple of notes for you, this took a lot more salt than I would have thought it would so don't be scared when you're adding it to yours. Also, if you can't find the French Green lentils, regular lentils will do just as well. I halfway think I like them better because they're a little more substantial than their French counterpart.
If you make this and enjoy it, please leave me a comment and let me know!
Ingredients:
1/2 package of nitrate free bacon
1 onion, chopped well
1 grated carrot
2 tsp ground cumin
2 cloves of garlic, pushed through a press or minced
4 whole cloves
2 1/4 quarts of liquid (I used half chicken broth and half water)
1 pound organic french green lentils
2 bay leaves
1 Tbs unsalted butter
3 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
1 package of polish kielbasa
First you will need a large stockpot. Brown the bacon in the bottom of the pot, then remove the bacon leaving the drippings behind.
Next, add the cumin, chopped onion, grated carrot, 2 minced cloves of garlic, and the 4 whole cloves and saute these until they are all nice and brown.
Then add the lentils and bay leaves, give it a good stir, and then add all your liquid. At this point, you will also need to add a liberal amount of salt and pepper. Taste the broth as you add to make sure it's to your liking.
Bring to a boil then turn down the heat and let the lentils simmer until cooked through, which takes about 45 minutes.
About 10 minutes before the lentils are done, slice the kielbasa into rounds and place it into a pan with the 1 Tbs of butter and the Worcestershire sauce. You may also add a light sprinkling of cumin here if you wish. Cutting the sausage and then cooking it cuts down the time it takes to get these done and you want them to be a nice brown. When you see that, you'll know they're ready.
In small soup bowls, ladle some of the lentil soup in first then top it with a few pieces of the cut kielbasa. It's quite tasty and so simple because there aren't many ingredients. This should serve at least 4-6 people. I had a bunch of soup leftover to freeze for another day.
Here is what mine looked like:
A couple of notes for you, this took a lot more salt than I would have thought it would so don't be scared when you're adding it to yours. Also, if you can't find the French Green lentils, regular lentils will do just as well. I halfway think I like them better because they're a little more substantial than their French counterpart.
If you make this and enjoy it, please leave me a comment and let me know!
Monday, August 11, 2008
The Good, the Bad, the Ugly
I'm not dead. Yeah, I know you were thinking I had fallen face-down into a vat of caramel or something and had OD'd but fear not! I yet live. Last week was a rough one though because our house was infected by some kind of ass-kicking cold and I didn't cook as much as I would have liked. However, in spite of eating out a couple of times, really it wasn't a bad week eats-wise overall.
Thanks to my handy dandy menu planning, grocery shopping has been quite breezy and affordable here lately. I'm liking the whole menu thing and fully intend to keep that up. The kids have been enjoying their involvement in the process, too, and I expect that, as time goes on, they will grow accustomed to eating healthier foods. It's not going to happen overnight because they haven't been raised to eat that way but with time I'm hopeful that things will get better.
About me. This morning I had a quick, small breakfast of one Alexia Biscuit. These things are delicious and are so close to homemade tasting it is ridiculous. It's a pricey option but sometimes, I don't feel like standing in the kitchen making biscuits. No, I want to sit on the sofa, waiting for the ovven to preheat while taking in the glorious sights on re-runs of "Third Watch" on A&E. Bosco is yummy to look at, what can I say? But these biscuits are made from all natural ingredients so I feel a lot less guilty eating one of these:
as opposed to eating a McDonald's biscuit. Look for them in your grocer's freezer section. I promise you will love them. And no, I'm not getting paid a single cent to promote them they're just that damn good.
For lunch, my sister took me out to a wonderful little local restaurant and I had an Italian deli-style sandwich with a small side salad. The salad was fabulous because they use nice, dark green lettuce, along with julienned zucchini and carrots. Not that there's anything wrong with iceberg but I enjoy a hearty salad when I go out to eat.
For dinner, the boys wanted to go out for pizza and, since Sean wasn't home for dinner tonight, I was happy to oblige. Here is what my piece looked like:
In the spirit of full disclosure, this picture is of a piece of pizza that I ate last year but I swear, the one I ate tonight looked JUST like this. Except it had yellow peppers instead of green but that was the only difference! It was funny because I really didn't want pizza and did my darndest to convince the boys to choose something else but in the end, that pizza was goooood.
Now, my belly is full and I am finished eating for the night. My weight is actually down another pound to 197. It's slow but I'm good with that. I'm trying to make changes and choices that I can live my life with and not do a crash diet that will send me off on a binge when a stressful moment strikes. Tonight, I'm going to sit snuggled up under a blanket and watch "the Closer" and "Saving Grace". It's nice to feel like I'm on the right track for a change.
I'll be back tomorrow and with better photos! Hope all is well in your world!
Thanks to my handy dandy menu planning, grocery shopping has been quite breezy and affordable here lately. I'm liking the whole menu thing and fully intend to keep that up. The kids have been enjoying their involvement in the process, too, and I expect that, as time goes on, they will grow accustomed to eating healthier foods. It's not going to happen overnight because they haven't been raised to eat that way but with time I'm hopeful that things will get better.
About me. This morning I had a quick, small breakfast of one Alexia Biscuit. These things are delicious and are so close to homemade tasting it is ridiculous. It's a pricey option but sometimes, I don't feel like standing in the kitchen making biscuits. No, I want to sit on the sofa, waiting for the ovven to preheat while taking in the glorious sights on re-runs of "Third Watch" on A&E. Bosco is yummy to look at, what can I say? But these biscuits are made from all natural ingredients so I feel a lot less guilty eating one of these:
as opposed to eating a McDonald's biscuit. Look for them in your grocer's freezer section. I promise you will love them. And no, I'm not getting paid a single cent to promote them they're just that damn good.For lunch, my sister took me out to a wonderful little local restaurant and I had an Italian deli-style sandwich with a small side salad. The salad was fabulous because they use nice, dark green lettuce, along with julienned zucchini and carrots. Not that there's anything wrong with iceberg but I enjoy a hearty salad when I go out to eat.
For dinner, the boys wanted to go out for pizza and, since Sean wasn't home for dinner tonight, I was happy to oblige. Here is what my piece looked like:
In the spirit of full disclosure, this picture is of a piece of pizza that I ate last year but I swear, the one I ate tonight looked JUST like this. Except it had yellow peppers instead of green but that was the only difference! It was funny because I really didn't want pizza and did my darndest to convince the boys to choose something else but in the end, that pizza was goooood.
Now, my belly is full and I am finished eating for the night. My weight is actually down another pound to 197. It's slow but I'm good with that. I'm trying to make changes and choices that I can live my life with and not do a crash diet that will send me off on a binge when a stressful moment strikes. Tonight, I'm going to sit snuggled up under a blanket and watch "the Closer" and "Saving Grace". It's nice to feel like I'm on the right track for a change.
I'll be back tomorrow and with better photos! Hope all is well in your world!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Here we go!
So, after visiting the doctor I had a coming to Jesus party for myself. Things have got to change or else my life will be miserable and I don't want to be miserable. I've implemented some changes in my life that should help with that and here is what they are. First of all, I'm using weekly menus. This will help me keep a record of what I eat AND it will help me spend more wisely at the grocery store. Another thing I have done with the weekly menus is get the kids in on the action. Right now, they eat pretty much what they want which means I'm preparing at least 3 different meals, 3 times a day. I'm not going to do that anymore so we've made a compromise. They get to choose their meals 4x a week and then in turn, they must eat what I choose for them 3x a week. You can't make a kid go cold turkey onto grownup food so this seems like a decent way to get them to make the eventual switch to healthier eats. The kids and I sat down together and figured out or menu for this week and here they are, their menu and mine:
Kids
Friday: Chicken Nuggets, french fries (all from frozen)
Saturday: Pizza (homemade)
Sunday: My choice
Monday: My choice
Tuesday: Corn Dogs, Grapes
Wednesday: Spaghetti, Meatballs, Salad
Thursday: My choice
Me and Sean
Friday: Fish, Green beans, Rice
Saturday: Homemade pizza
Sunday: Meatloaf, broccoli, Potatoes
Monday: Oven Fried Chicken, Peas, Rice
Tuesday: Leftovers from Meatloaf night
Wednesday: Spaghetti and Meatballs
Thursday: Turkey Sloppy Joe's and Salad (from Rachael Ray's 30 minute meals 2 book)
There are some meals that we will eat with the kids like pizza and spaghetti because I use whole wheat crusts and noodles. And on the nights when the kids don't eat with us I'm able to incorporate leftovers into our meals. It's economical and healthful. I'm liking our plan thus far.
Here are some photos of what we've been eating this week. My new favorite breakfast is something the Pioneer Woman featured on the cooking portion of her website and it's called Egg-in-a-nest. I freaking love this now and eat it almost every day. There's just something about the combination of lightly toasted bread, seasoned with salt and pepper paired up with a gently fried egg in the middle. It is, in one word, divine.
I use a whole grain bread and cage free egg because the yolks are a million times better.
Another breakfast I make when I have the time is an egg and some sauteed potatoes.
For this version, I used red potatoes which I diced along with a green pepper that was grown organically in my container garden. The homegrown peppers pack a lot of flavor into them and are really sweet and delicious. I love eating an egg for breakfast, in case you couldn't tell. It just is a great start to the day.
Salmon is a favorite fish around here. It's hearty, pretty, and doesn't need a lot of adornment to bring out the wonderful flavor of this fish. Here is a piece of wild Alaskan Salmon that I bought at the store:
Isn't it beautiful? Anyway, I cook this under the broiler skin side-up after I season it with a tsp of olive oil, and a tsp of lemon-pepper. Once the skin begins to bubble, I pull it out of the oven, pull the skin off, flip it over and finish it off under the broiler for a few more minutes. The times will vary depending on the thickness and cut of your fish but this particular piece took 5-7 mins start to finish. I served it with a long/wild rice blend, and steamed green beans that I tossed in a pan with some garlic infused oil. Mmmmmmm. So good.
Yesterday, I got a little crazy in the kitchen and decided to make my own pizza dough from scratch. Baking and I don't usually get along because, let's face it. I'm one lazy sucker and I don't like have to be so precise with my measurements. Eyeballing it is more my thing but in order for me to have a healthy dough, I was going to have to make it myself. Last year, I bought a Wolfgang Puck food processor and it came with a couple of recipes for pizza dough. I used the one for whole wheat dough and it turned out all right but I don't think I would use it again. Anyway, here is the pizza in all it's crispy, golden glory:
Again, I used homegrown peppers, canned black olives, and canned mushrooms. Calm down! I was going to use fresh shrooms but they had gone bad. I'll use fresh next time, ok? Here is the pizza up close:
Can't you just smell it?
I'm feeling really positive about this direction in which we're going. It feels good including the kids in the menu-making process and it helps all of us make healthier choices. Since I've added wheat products back into my diet I'm expecting to see my weight go back up a bit but this week, I'm putting exercise into my routine and am hoping it may offset the gain.
I'll be back tomorrow to post pics of tonight's dinner!
Kids
Friday: Chicken Nuggets, french fries (all from frozen)
Saturday: Pizza (homemade)
Sunday: My choice
Monday: My choice
Tuesday: Corn Dogs, Grapes
Wednesday: Spaghetti, Meatballs, Salad
Thursday: My choice
Me and Sean
Friday: Fish, Green beans, Rice
Saturday: Homemade pizza
Sunday: Meatloaf, broccoli, Potatoes
Monday: Oven Fried Chicken, Peas, Rice
Tuesday: Leftovers from Meatloaf night
Wednesday: Spaghetti and Meatballs
Thursday: Turkey Sloppy Joe's and Salad (from Rachael Ray's 30 minute meals 2 book)
There are some meals that we will eat with the kids like pizza and spaghetti because I use whole wheat crusts and noodles. And on the nights when the kids don't eat with us I'm able to incorporate leftovers into our meals. It's economical and healthful. I'm liking our plan thus far.
Here are some photos of what we've been eating this week. My new favorite breakfast is something the Pioneer Woman featured on the cooking portion of her website and it's called Egg-in-a-nest. I freaking love this now and eat it almost every day. There's just something about the combination of lightly toasted bread, seasoned with salt and pepper paired up with a gently fried egg in the middle. It is, in one word, divine.
I use a whole grain bread and cage free egg because the yolks are a million times better.
Another breakfast I make when I have the time is an egg and some sauteed potatoes.
For this version, I used red potatoes which I diced along with a green pepper that was grown organically in my container garden. The homegrown peppers pack a lot of flavor into them and are really sweet and delicious. I love eating an egg for breakfast, in case you couldn't tell. It just is a great start to the day.
Salmon is a favorite fish around here. It's hearty, pretty, and doesn't need a lot of adornment to bring out the wonderful flavor of this fish. Here is a piece of wild Alaskan Salmon that I bought at the store:
Isn't it beautiful? Anyway, I cook this under the broiler skin side-up after I season it with a tsp of olive oil, and a tsp of lemon-pepper. Once the skin begins to bubble, I pull it out of the oven, pull the skin off, flip it over and finish it off under the broiler for a few more minutes. The times will vary depending on the thickness and cut of your fish but this particular piece took 5-7 mins start to finish. I served it with a long/wild rice blend, and steamed green beans that I tossed in a pan with some garlic infused oil. Mmmmmmm. So good.
Yesterday, I got a little crazy in the kitchen and decided to make my own pizza dough from scratch. Baking and I don't usually get along because, let's face it. I'm one lazy sucker and I don't like have to be so precise with my measurements. Eyeballing it is more my thing but in order for me to have a healthy dough, I was going to have to make it myself. Last year, I bought a Wolfgang Puck food processor and it came with a couple of recipes for pizza dough. I used the one for whole wheat dough and it turned out all right but I don't think I would use it again. Anyway, here is the pizza in all it's crispy, golden glory:
Again, I used homegrown peppers, canned black olives, and canned mushrooms. Calm down! I was going to use fresh shrooms but they had gone bad. I'll use fresh next time, ok? Here is the pizza up close:
Can't you just smell it?
I'm feeling really positive about this direction in which we're going. It feels good including the kids in the menu-making process and it helps all of us make healthier choices. Since I've added wheat products back into my diet I'm expecting to see my weight go back up a bit but this week, I'm putting exercise into my routine and am hoping it may offset the gain.
I'll be back tomorrow to post pics of tonight's dinner!
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Menu Post and Recent Eats Coming Soon
Tomorrow morning I will be posting my menu and recent eats. I will show you my latest favorite thing to eat for breakfast!!
See you tomorrow!
Evie
See you tomorrow!
Evie
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