Plain Ol' Food

Here's to a great 2012!

2012-01-03T07:50:00.002-06:00

I'm not big on New Years Resolutions, mainly because most people (including me) don't keep them. It seems to me that except for the thought that goes into them they're generally a waste of time. I do, however, think improving ourselves is a good thing. Any time of the day, week, month, or year. In light of that, I stumbled upon an improvement recently.

18 days ago I quit smoking! I didn't plan for it, didn't really intend to do it but a few weeks ago I knew a quit was coming so I bought a box of nicotine patches. On December 16th I ran out of cigarettes and remembered I had the patches so I put one on. I haven't smoked a cigarette since and haven't used a patch since December 25th.

Interestingly enough, I've had not major cravings. I've had fleeting thoughts of cigarettes, a hand full of minor desires for one, and Saturday night I wanted a cigarette for several hours but other than that, it's not been bad. The last time I quit, on January 2nd of 2007, I had a similar reaction but did chew the heck out of cigarette-length cut straws! I had a few of those ready this time but haven't used one.

I thought it would be good to have a visual reminder of how much money I'm not spending on cigarettes so every day I put into a pretty jar one penny for each dollar I haven't spent on cigarettes.

The picture above, taken yesterday, represents 144 dollars not spent on cigarettes. Several people have asked what I'll do with the money I don't spend killing myself and I've given that quite a bit of thought. Half will be saved to take myself on a nice vacation and the remainder will go to a local charity I've chosen. I think those are both good things to do with the money.

Fauxtato soup success!

2011-10-26T21:36:00.002-05:00

Ohh, long time no blog, friends! Life has been crazy but in a good way and I haven't had much time for blogging. However, I made something so delicious I just have to post about it here. Trust me, you'll be glad I did, especially if you're a low carb eater who misses that good ol' comfort food we know as "potato soup"!

For years I've heard of using cauliflower to make something akin to potato soup but none of the recipes I'd found appealed to me. Until last night, that is. I received email with a recipe for a simple but delicious sounding baked potato soup and as I read the recipe, I realized I had all the ingredients to turn it into fauxtato soup, including the cauliflower. I was very excited and started the dish last night before I headed to bed.

Here's a picture of the delicious but easy to make soup I ended up with.

Uh huh, makes your mouth water, doesn't it? Trust me, it's as beautiful to the taste buds as it is to the eyes!

And it's very easy to make. In a nutshell, I put one head of chopped fresh cauliflower, some chopped onion, about 3/4 of a package of onion soup mix combined with 2 cups water (since I didn't have broth on hand and wasn't making any for a few days), several whole cloves of garlic, and some spices in a slow cooker and left it all night. In the morning I mashed about a third of it with a block of cream cheese and put that back in the cooker. When the cheese was melted and incorporated well, I put some in the bowl and topped it with chopped green onion, crispy beef bacon, cheddar cheese, and a bit of fresh cilantro.

That's it! A little bit of chopping, a tad of mixing, throw it in the slow cooker and leave it all night, a little mashing up of stuff in the morning, and voila, delicious fauxtato soup!

This will definitely be on my menus as our weather cools. I hope it's on yours, too.

September 11th - September 17th Menu

2011-09-12T08:17:00.000-05:00

Wow, last week just sped by! Between work and other stuff, it seems like I just got back from vacation yesterday. I'm stressing a bit over the move of my mother and stepfather and his increasing dementia. I'm afraid that soon, very soon, he's simply going to be too much for Mom to handle alone. I'm not sure just what we'll do when that happens. Our options are very limited.

And this coming week is going to be a busy one, also, so more light cooking and eating are in my future.

Last night I went to Carl's Jr. for a Portobello Mushroom burger in a lettuce wrap. No, it's not as tasty as the burger with the bun and fries but it's much lower in carbs and much easier on the blood sugar. It was good and really hit the spot.

Tonight I'll have Tilapia and vegetables steamed in paper and with it a salad and a bit of wild rice

The rest of the week I'll have, in no particular order:

Homemade Ricotta Gnocchi with marinara sauce and steamed spinach. Gnocchi is something I very recently learned to make along with some other pastas and I'll probably never buy pasta again!

Slow cooked vegetable soup with a homemade wheat roll

Chicken and vegetable stir fry

Beef fajitas with plenty of freshly made tomatillo salsa

Leftover night when I finish off whatever is in the fridge

I'm still working on reproducing dishes I've eaten in restaurants recently but other than the tomatilla salsa, I haven't gotten them right. I will at some point and when I do, I'll share them with y'all.

If you have the dinner doldrums, check out Menu Plan Monday. Seeing what others are planning for dinner might give you some fresh ideas.

Tomatillo Salsa, anyone?

2011-09-05T17:53:00.000-05:00

Today was my first attempt at making this delicious salsa and it turned out fantastic, if I do say so myself!

I used a very easy recipe and added about a tsp of chopped garlic and the juice of half a lime. The finished product has the right amounts of heat and cilantro and will grace the little bit of leftover chicken I plan to eat tonight along with the vegetable soup.

This will definitely be a go to condiment for me.

September 4th - September 10th Menu

2011-09-04T12:35:00.001-05:00

We've had a bit of a reprieve yesterday and today from the absolutely miserable heat. It's been so hot I haven't wanted to do anything at all, not even cook. I've cooked anyway, though, simply because eating out is so expensive and detrimental to my blood sugar. My efforts at diet improvement and exercise have been successful, though. My latest A1c of 6.5 is definitely an improvement. It still isn't where I want it to be but I'll take that progress, thank you! Rather than follow the dietitian's recommended 30 grams of carbs at meals I've been eating 20 grams and that seems to have stopped the weight gain and I have more energy. I've lost another two pounds of what I gained but I've been concentrating on blood sugar rather than weight loss so that's okay with me.

My mother and stepfather sold their home and are moving. The house had been on the market over a year and the closing is right around the corner so my sister and I took our vacation last week, went to Austin and had a fantastic time, then spent the last couple of days helping the folks try to get organized and packed. I say try because they have so much stuff crammed into that house there's simply no way for us to get it all done before the move. Not with work and lives, you know. In fact, the contents of the attic filled an entire bedroom and I kid you not! It's overwhelming that they have so much to move but it is what it is and we've done our best to get it in some kind of order. We'll help them all we can until the move and then help unpack in the new place as time allows.

So, while on vacation I had some new to me foods and now that it's cooled off a little I'm going to work on reproducing a couple of the dishes at home. One of them is the Migas breakfast taco with Tomatillo salsa from Torchy's Tacos. I have the ingredients to make the salsa and will do that today or tomorrow. It might take a couple of tries but I'm okay with that as long as the results are edible. Another thing I want to make is Hummus like that served at Sarah's Mediterranean Grill and Market. I enjoy hummus but theirs is particularly tasty. It isn't as garlic laden as some and is creamier than most I've had and I'd love to have some of that in my fridge to eat as a snack now and then. I might not eat it with pita but simply with a spoon.

Okay, on to this week's menu. I have a very busy week ahead so most of my meals will be simple and easy to prepare. Tonight I'm having leftover chicken, potato salad, boiled cabbage and cole slaw (yes, two kinds of cabbage in one meal! I love the stuff) from yesterday's cookout at Mom's house. If I get around to making the tomatillo salsa I'll have some of that on my chicken.

The rest of the week I'll have, in no particular order:

Homemade pimiento cheese (best recipe I've found to date) with wheat crackers and a large salad

Vegetable soup, leftover from Mom's house, with a small salad and a homemade whole wheat roll

Stir fry steak and vegetables with brown rice

Dinner with Mom one night. No doubt it will be higher in carbs than I prefer but I'll shoot insulin and eat just enough to not be hungry.

Homemade turkey sausage, scrambled eggs, and salad with a slice of whole wheat toast

Leftover night, when I eat whatever is languishing in the fridge.

Once it really cools off, I'll return to making roasts and experimenting with breads but for now light and easy eating is the way to go.

I have a very interesting cooking project coming up and when I have more time I'll post about that. Until then, play with your food! And don't forget to look at Laura's Menu Plan Monday today. Her citrus-chicken salad pita pockets sound delicious and I might have to try that dish soon.

July 3rd - July 9th Menu

2011-07-03T08:36:00.004-05:00

I didn't make any of the recipes I'd planned last week. Instead, I ate leftovers and miscellaneous things from my freezer and fridge. My poor freezer was bulging with food so I made reducing it's contents and cleaning it a priority. It worked out well and I had plenty of time for more important things.

The next couple of weeks at work will be hectic. We had one person give notice last week then not return for her remaining shifts so there's been some scrambling to fill those. I love that we're down a person and it's Fourth of July weekend. And the boss is going on vacation next week so we'll be down two people that week. The good news is we're training a new person. I don't think she'll be ready to work alone for awhile so we'll just have to muddle through all this the best we can and try to maintain our sanity.

I'm very nervous and a little excited about starting back to college. I haven't been in over 20 years so I'm not sure what to expect but people I know in similar situations have told me it's much better later in life. I hope that's true. To help with my lack of basic math skills, I've been working my way through a textbook and workbook and using the videos at Khan Academy. Sal has a way of presenting difficult concepts in such a way that they're a little less difficult and his vision of a quality education for all is pretty impressive!

Okay, so on to the menu for this week. I work tonight so I'm taking a simple meal of turkey, swiss cheese, avocado and tomato on half a whole grain ciabatta roll and a few bell pepper strips with jalapeno ranch dressing.

The rest of the week I'll have, in no particular order:

Grilled or broiled NY strip steak with steamed asparagus and buttered red potatoes

Rosemary chicken with zucchini and red potatoes served with a salad

Chunky vegetable hash (South Beach recipe) with a scrambled egg

Beef brisket with Vegetables Alfredo over a little Dreamfields pasta

Leftover night, when I eat whatever is lingering in the fridge

Dinner out one night

I've received a few emails lately with questions about how I keep track of my menu for the week. Well, since I cook for just myself more often than not, it's no big deal if I vary things and prepare a meal not on my menu. However, since the menus are thoughtfully prepared with my blood sugar goals in mind I try to stick with what's on the menu and to do that, I need the menu where I can easily find it. So, I looked at a lot of different forms and picked the second one from The Project Girl. I don't care if I eat steak on Monday or Thursday or chicken on Tuesday or Saturday as long as I have the menu easily accessible. And it is. It's posted on my fridge each Sunday and here's this week's.

Meals are listed on the left and a shopping list is on the right. When the new week's menu is ready I put the old one in a binder so I can refer to it later for meal ideas. I've used this system for several months and really like it.

Join Laura and the crew for Menu Plan Monday and share what's on your menu for the week.

And have a great Fourth of July!

June 26th - July 2nd Menu

2011-06-27T10:25:00.003-05:00

The carb counting plan I've been on for almost a month is still working like a charm so I'm going to continue it. My blood sugar is rarely under 75 or over 110 and for me those are fantastic numbers. It's been weeks since I've had a middle of the night hypo and I've had only two day time episodes, both when I shot for 30 grams of carbs and ate only about 15. Ooops! Two hypos in a month is excellent, though, so I'm encouraged. I've gained back a little of the weight I'd lost but since increasing my exercise the weight is leaving again. It looks as though I'll just have to exercise regularly, like it or not. Go figure!

This week I have quite a bit of time off so trying new recipes is in the works. I've picked a few that sound delicious and fairly easy so the plan is to make those and post the recipes and pictures separately.

And on to this week's menu. Last night I didn't eat because I was very full and tired from the weekend. My sisters came in from Dallas and yesterday at Mom's we prepared a turkey roast with gravy, asparagus, pea salad, spicy pinto beans, and cherry cobbler and I had some of each. When I got home I couldn't even think of food and had to force myself to choke down a yogurt before bed.

Tonight's dinner will be chicken wings with caramelized onions and mushrooms, half an ear of corn, and a tossed salad. Connie prepared and brought 10 pounds of wings to Mom's house so I snagged enough for at least two meals this week. She made three kinds of wings - hot, barbecue, and cheese and all are delicious!

The rest of the week I'll have, in no particular order:

Marinated and grilled rib eye steak, the remaining half ear of corn, and grilled vegetables

Pico de Gallo Chicken Quesadillas with cold black bean salad

Chicken Alfredo with a bit of pasta, tossed salad, and steamed asparagus

A big salad with toasted tomato and cheese baguette

Dinner out one night

So that's it for this week's eats. Join Laura and the crew at Menu Plan Monday and share what's on your plate!

Update and happy anniversary/birthday to me

2011-06-23T09:51:00.001-05:00

Almost a month ago my computer shut off and wouldn't come back on. I loved that old Mac Mini and off to the doctor I sent it. Three weeks later it was pronounced officially dead. It could have been saved but the cost of repair considering it's age seemed high so I did my research, talked to some very Mac-savvy folks, decided I wanted this computer then went out and found a good deal. It was one of the smartest moves I've made in regard to computers!

Interestingly enough, I didn't miss the computer. Not often, anyway. I missed having something to do at times but found other entertainment. I made some great meals, read more books than I have in years, watched a lot of History Channel, and spent time with friends and acquaintances. I even wrote quite a bit, something I hadn't done for way too long. I don't think most of us realize just how plugged in we are until we're no longer so plugged in. Without the computer, cell phone, television, games, and constant flow of information we often feel lonely or as though we're living in the dark ages but I'm beginning to think it's the other way around. Those things, which give the illusion of connections of some sort with other people, might actually isolate us and lead to our own personal dark age and the lack of true connections.

Speaking of dark ages, my one year anniversary is next week and my 49th birthday is not far behind. If you haven't a clue what anniversary I'm talking about, almost a year ago my life changed dramatically. I won't say it's been a fun or pleasant year but I will say it's been enlightening and, in many ways, satisfying. I have a new group of folks I enjoy spending time with whom I affectionately refer to as "the tribe", I'm going back to college soon even though I don't know just what I want to be when I grow up, and I've realized that being almost 50 doesn't mean life is over. In fact, it's just starting and as they say, better late than never.

So here's to new computers, new connections, and new endeavors. May we all have plenty of them and success with each!

May 29th - June 4th Menu

2011-05-30T07:51:00.004-05:00

I saw the Endocrinologist and Certified Diabetes Educator last week. I found the visit with the endo to again be a waste of time and money. As of today, he's done very little my GP hasn't, can't, or won't do except confirm that I have LADA (Type 1.5 Diabetes) so I don't think I need him, though the GP probably won't agree. He did tell me that the recent blood sugar readings my sons had were way out of line and suggested they each get a Fasting Blood Glucose test and an A1c. Because of their ages, normal weights, and lifestyles he feels that if they're diabetic, they have LADA and not Type 2. He also gave credence to my suggestion that perhaps my diabetic relatives also had LADA rather than Type 2 and it's a genetic issue in our family.

I expected the visit with the CDE to be as much a waste of time as the endo but was pleasantly surprised. I told her up front that I eat a low carb diet most of the time but listened to her spiel with an open mind. In return, she didn't gripe about my way of eating but thoughtfully explained, complete with a white board and some great diagrams, why and how she believes low carb eating has actually harmed me over the last 11 years. Once I understood her perspective and the science behind it, I agreed to a two week trial with the understanding that if I didn't see substantial improvement in blood sugar readings without large weight gain I'd go back to my way. She told me that my blood sugar might seem a little unstable for a few days but not to panic if it did and I might gain a few pounds but those issues would resolve themselves quickly.

In a nutshell, I now carbohydrate count, but for comfort and weight loss purposes my plan is modified to contain fewer carbs. I eat three meals a day of 30 grams of carbs and three snacks of 15 grams of carbs with the third snack being eaten right before I go to bed, whether that's at 8 PM or 3 AM. That's 135 grams of carbs, still much less than most people eat but much higher than the 30 to 50 grams I'm used to. It's not easy for me to eat those carbs and some days I simply can't eat them all but I try and do well most of the time.

I now eat breakfast within thirty minutes of waking in the morning. Sometimes breakfast is nothing more than 1/3 to 1/2 cup of dry cereal but it meets the 30 grams of carbs criteria. Breakfast is a major hurdle for me. I just don't want food most days before 11 AM so I made a rule for myself - no coffee before eating in the morning. Yeah, I basically bribe myself to eat that first meal but it works for me. In addition, it's enabled me to drink just two cups of coffee in the morning rather than the copious amounts of the past.

I started the new way of eating on Wednesday, May 25th and except for Saturday, when I over ate a little and ran around 150 all afternoon and evening, and a postprandial last night of 177 (see note below), I haven't seen readings under 75 or over 120. No panic stricken hypos in the middle of the night leading to werewolf eating binges, no rushing to bolus extra insulin because I've over eaten or under shot. It's been fairly steady between 85 and 100 for most of four days. In addition, I'm shooting substantially less insulin, sleeping better, feeling better in general, and have lost 2 more pounds. I'm puzzled by it all and four days aren't enough to convince me that this is the long term way for me but the results give me hope that I might be able to have a less restricted diet. Since the average American eats between 200 and 400 grams of carbohydrates a day, I'll never have the 'average' diet (and don't want it, thanks!) but something pseudo-average will wonderfully suffice!

With all that said, my menus now have meals that average 30 grams of carbs, sometimes a bit less, sometimes a bit more. Feel free to adjust them as needed for your own preferences and if you're diabetic, remember YMMV (Your Meter May Vary).

This week I'll have, in no particular order except for last night's dinner which is listed first:

Beef fajita salad with Ken's Lite Northern Italian Dressing and six Triscuit rosemary and olive oil crackers (My preprandial was 102 and postprandial was 177. Six Triscuits might be too many so I'll try four next time and if that doesn't work, they'll become a rare treat that requires a little more insulin)

Chicken breast seasoned with plenty of garlic and pepper, skillet cooked with olive oil, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and a side of wild rice with slivered nuts

Open faced roast beef sandwich with caramelized onions and a side of homemade vegetable soup

Cheese and skirt steak omelet, hash browns, and one slice of whole wheat toast with sugar free grape jelly

Baked cod with green beans, buttered beets, and half an ear of corn

Beef stroganoff, whole wheat noodles, green beans, and a large salad

Leftover night when I eat whatever is lingering in the fridge

And that's it for this week! By the way, my snacks are usually 1/2 a cup of fruit, yogurt, or four crackers with cheese. I'm going to have to get more creative with snacks and I'll update on those as I come up with good ones. If you have suggestions on snacks with 10 to 15 grams of carbs, please share them in a comment.

For more ideas on what to feed your family, check out Menu Plan Monday to see what others are coming up with.

Farmer's Market Haul

2011-05-21T14:04:00.001-05:00

I went to the Historic Longview Farmers Market this morning, hoping to find some good tomatoes. Not surprisingly those sell out early and I missed them but I found some other goodies for my palate this week.

I left loaded with turnips, squash, leeks, onions, Daikon greens, and two kinds of goat cheese, plain and chipotle. I'd never had Daikon greens but prepared some and ate them with skillet cooked squash, onion, and fresh cilantro and it was a delicious lunch. As an added bonus, my blood sugar was just 85 two hours after lunch.

My menu for this week will be heavy on fresh produce. I love this time of year.

May 16th - May 22nd Menu

2011-05-16T10:53:00.004-05:00

My sons came to visit from Austin this weekend and we had a great time. I wish they'd stayed longer but the oldest one starts a new job today and they needed to get back home in time for him to prepare for the new job. We went to my mother's house Saturday and did some work around her place. She was so happy to have two of her grandsons there. She's been pretty depressed over things with my stepfather and the visit cheered her substantially.

Before they headed back to Austin yesterday the boys humored me by eating high carb meals. I checked their pre and post prandial blood sugar and both sons had substantially abnormal results. Damn diabetes! I've been seriously questioning the assumption that all my diabetic relatives were Type 2s and the numbers on my glucometer did nothing to calm my fears that they were more than likely adults with Type 1. My sons are 27 and 26, neither is overweight, and they have relatively healthy diets though the diets are probably a bit high in carbs but they both had high FBG and way too high results one and two hours after their lunch. I'm concerned that I'm seeing a genetic tendency to some variation of Type 1 (LADA?, MODY??, Alien ancestry???) in my family. I can't change that but knowing it might help future generations. I sent those young men packing with glucometers, test strips, directions for testing and lower carb eating, and encouragement to see a physician quickly. Sigh.

Anyway, on to my menu for this week!

Tonight I work so I'll probably have a nice salad for dinner or chicken salad I made this morning. The rest of the week I'll have:

Mexican red lentil stew

Mushroom, cheese, and cilantro omelet with a small salad

Garlic-Lime chicken with sauteed green beans and mushrooms

Turkey asparagus roll ups, steamed spinach, and salad

Beef stroganoff over faux rice, grilled asparagus and artichoke hearts, and steamed green beans

Make sure you look at Laura's Menu Plan Monday. You'll find some nice ideas for your menu!

May 8th - May 14th Menu

2011-05-09T08:02:00.001-05:00

And it's time for another menu to be shared! I've had a hectic week and another one is upon me and menu planning isn't really what I want to do in my small amount of spare time so I've put it off. But I finally worked on this week's menu last night after I got home from work. I was bone tired but if I don't plan for the week it becomes a haphazard grab what I can sort of thing (read that as trips to Long John Silver's, Carl's Jr., etc) so I dug through the freezer and fridge and here's what I came up with:

Sunday - I ate 6 small fish sticks and a salad. Not the most nutritious but it was all I could muster and was actually good. I must have been very hungry, indeed! I took caution not to overeat and my blood sugar responded to that - 94 before eating, 85 two hours after.

The rest of the week I'll have, in no particular order, except for the first meal which is Monday's:

Broiled chicken with a delicious homemade mayo, garlic, and black pepper dipping sauce, my special green beans, and a salad

Chicken fajitas made with leftover chicken and an egg wrap, served with cucumber/tomato/avocado salad and fresh pico de gallo

Ribeye steak with a small baked red potato, broccoli, and salad

Very large salad with just about every vegetable I can find in it

Dinner out one night, probably Italian food

Beef and vegetable stir fry with a tiny amount of wild rice and a salad

By the way, I've been experimenting with grazing the last few days. No, I didn't buy a cow! Instead, I've been eating small amounts of food throughout the day. It's doing wonders for my blood sugar and my weight. Two more pounds gone and I haven't had a blood sugar result over 110 though I did get a 54 at work yesterday. Ooops!

I'm accustomed to eating two, sometimes three large meals a day with snacks that aren't always the best choices but after doing a lot of research I thought I'd give grazing a good try. So far it's doing what I'd hoped. It might not always work this way but it's definitely worth the effort to try it for awhile!

I carry a small amount of almonds, cashews, walnuts, and cheese in my apron pocket and when I feel the need for something but no break is on the horizon, I munch on those. When I take my meal at work, I eat 1/3 to 1/2 of it (thanks to the grazing I'm not very hungry) and bring the rest home for later. I rarely feel hunger and my blood sugar seems happy at the moment so we'll see what happens.

Here's what I took to work yesterday: stuffed mushrooms, steamed cauliflower, carrot, bell pepper, and tomatoes with homemade dip, sliced strawberries, and hamburger steak cut into bite sized pieces. Oh, and a cheese stick for my apron pocket. :)

About 2/3 of it came home with me!

If you're bored with your menus and would like to try something new, head on over to Laura's Menu Plan Monday and see what others are cooking up this week.

A great day!

2011-05-07T22:38:00.002-05:00

I woke up this morning with a FBG of 84, which is awesomely good. I was thrilled and have managed to keep the blood sugar between 84 and 110 all day.

I got a great pseudo surprise today - my mother, stepfather, two sisters and the boyfriend of one of them met me for lunch! I say "pseudo surprise" because I knew the sisters were coming to east Texas but I had to work and didn't think I'd get to see them. They left Dallas early, though, and although they were a bit later than I'd hoped we got to spend some time together before I headed to work. It was great to see them, even if it was for only a short time. This week has been really rough and I felt cheered by the visit and it just made my day.

And here we are at Cheddar's!

Left to right: Connie, Terra, and me

It's officially official...

2011-05-05T20:06:00.004-05:00

I'm definitely a Type 1 diabetic. I got the call while I was out and about today but talked to the endo's nurse, who couldn't answer any of my questions. Basically all she said is I'll have to stay on insulin from here out and see the endo every three months. I have an appointment with him at the end of May and hopefully he'll have more information for me. I hate being left with all these questions and no answers.

To say I'm upset is something of an understatement. I've suspected this and yes, the phone call last week with the GP's assistant pretty much confirmed my suspicions but to hear it again, in no uncertain terms, no 'we think' or 'it looks like' or 'you appear to be', was really not what I wanted. On the other hand, a lot of things make more sense to me now.

I have a lot of questions to ask, a lot. And no answers for awhile.

Just sharin'....

2011-05-04T06:42:00.000-05:00

I was almost asleep last night when I started hearing weird sounds. I figured it was Sammy and tried to ignore it but the sounds continued and got louder until I finally had to get up and see what he was doing.

Here's what I found in the living room!

I guess he decided to use the box as a bed and what I'd heard was him scratching and pawing at it, trying to get it just right.

Ha ha, gotta love cats!

Have a great Wednesday.

May 1st - May 6th Menu

2011-05-02T08:16:00.001-05:00

This week's menu is a good one! I got some great deals at the grocery store and spent my weekend off resting and preparing dinners and lunches for this week. Other than the California Grilled Chicken Salad, there isn't much I can eat where I work so I do try to take lunches. However, sometimes I'm lazy about it or just forget to grab my lunch and if the salad isn't available or I'm not in the mood for it I end up eating chicken nuggets or chicken strips, both things I really don't need. I'm really trying to be more careful about what I eat and taking meals to work is a big part of that.

Last night I had oven baked beef ribs and salad for dinner. The ribs were incredibly delicious and much more tender than I expected. I'd found a large rack of beef ribs for a great price so I divided the rack into two sections. The first I seasoned with pepper, garlic powder, and a little celery salt, wrapped tightly in foil, and baked at 250 for about four hours. The second I pan cooked on very low heat for about three hours with plenty (15) of fresh whole garlic cloves. Both cooking methods produced meat that fell off the bones and there's enough for at least two more meals.

The rest of the week isn't nearly as exciting but is still good and healthy. Here's my menu, in no particular order:

Vegetable and chicken soup with salad and green beans

Chicken Parmesan with sauteed parmesan spinach

Salad with several kinds of greens, tomato, baby carrots, cucumber, bell pepper, and cheese

Chicken and vegetable stir fry with a bit of wild rice and mushrooms

Beef ribs with salad and 1/2 a small baked sweet potato

Vegetable fajitas made with a slew of fresh veggies and low carb tortillas

And that's it for this week! It's all made at home, thrifty, and good for me.

What's on the menu at your house this week? If you're stumped for ideas, join Laura and her followers at Menu Plan Monday. I'm sure you'll get some nice ideas.

Where's my whip?

2011-05-01T20:04:00.004-05:00

I still haven't heard from the endocrinologist and I'm just about ready to jump out of my skin.

I've spent quite a bit of time the last couple of days thinking about what I can do to get my blood sugar under better control. My last A1c was 7.1, a marked improvement from my January test but not close enough to the short term goal of 6.5 I've set. It does show that I'm on the right track, though, and that's encouraging.

After I had my little pity party Thursday I hitched up my big girl panties and was ready to beat the ever loving hell out of the Diabeastie. Where's my whip? Oh yeah, I don't have one so I guess I'll have to approach this differently. How about using common sense, planning, and forethought to gain the upper hand? How about putting to work the knowledge I already have and gaining more to help me overpower the dreaded creature? Yeah, I think that's a better plan.

In light of that, here are some of the things I must do/changes I must make to better manage my blood sugar:

Test more frequently - Depending on what's going on in my life, where I am, what I've eaten, and how I feel, some days I test only 3 or 4 times. Most days I test more often but when I've eaten something that's likely spiked me I'm more inclined to skip testing. I don't want proof that the 15 units of Novolog I shot weren't nearly enough for the two plates of food I ate so I just go on about my business. Trust me, that doesn't work well. I've returned to the test schedule that served me well as long as I faithfully kept it. I'll test before eating and drinking when I first get up in the morning, before each meal and two hours after starting the meal, before going to bed, when I eat something new to me, and when I don't feel good or feel like something is "off". And I'll do this... Every. Single. Day. That's 10 tests on a good day. A bad day will mean 15 or more. At about $35 for 100 test strips it isn't cheap but it's a lot cheaper than a hospital stay, losing my vision, or having a leg amputated. To help with this chore, I've ordered 500 test strips to keep me going for a little while.

Multiple Daily Injections - Since a pump isn't financially feasible for me and haphazardly shooting when I think about it or when my glucometer freaks out over a high number isn't a good idea, I'm going to continue my MDI schedule with a little tweaking. Yes, it's something of a pain in the butt - I have to faithfully test, remember to take my glucometer and insulin everywhere I go, eat soon after shooting rapid acting insulin and for the amount for which I've shot, remember to take my basal insulin at the same time each night, and (arrgh, the worst part of all!) accurately count the carbs I eat. But MDI, when conscientiously performed, can produce very good results. Or so I'm told.

Count carbs - I admit I'm one of the worst carb counters out there. In the beginning and for quite awhile after my initial diagnosis I ate fewer than 20 grams of carbs most days, often eating 10 grams in an entire day, and if you aren't eating carbs, what's there to count? It was easier and quicker to eat a very low carb snack and pronounce it "about 2 grams of carbs" than it was to learn exactly how many grams of carbohydrates are in a serving of something, measure or weigh to get that precise serving, and then consume just that serving. And that worked fine for awhile but I quickly needed insulin and still didn't properly count my carbs. Yes, I've been a horrible carb counter but I do know how to count carbs and I do it well most of the time. I simply need to be more faithful about it. So Friday I dug out my carb counting books, found a good food scale, and started putting them to use. No, I don't like it and yes, I can think of a lot of things I'd rather do than memorize carb counts of my favorite and not so favorite foods. But it is what it is.

Exercise more - This is another tough one because, well...I don't like exercise. However, I've increased the physical activity I get and it's already made a difference in weight and blood sugar so more should help. At least in theory. I don't have a gym membership. I just walk around the neighborhood and use my exercise DVDs. I simply need to do those things more.

So, the above things basically are my whip and I plan to fiercely use it!

I'll try to post updates on this now and then. Life is pretty hectic right now and I don't have as much free time as I'd like. At any rate, this week's menu will be posted later tonight or tomorrow. It's a good one!

It's official...

2011-04-28T20:17:00.045-05:00

sort of. Apparently my 11 year old diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes is incorrect. I'm actually a diabetic of some other flavor. I'm not sure of the details as I haven't talked with the endo yet but hopefully he or his nurse will call me soon and I'll learn more. My suspicion is that I have Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA) and the endo should be able to confirm or refute that.

When I talked to the GP's assistant yesterday and she told me the GAD test was positive I wasn't surprised. Disheartened and disappointed but not surprised. Today I've been pretty depressed over it. Had I known when I was first diagnosed that I wasn't a Type 2 I'd probably have been willing to start insulin much sooner and save some of the beta cell function present at the time. But I didn't know and my actions/lack of actions over the last 11 years have more than likely worn out my pancreas. That's a sobering thought as I really thought I was doing what was best for my body. Also, having LADA means my hope of someday being free of the insulin shots is nothing more than a pipe dream. Even when I get down to ideal weight, without some miracle it looks as though I'll need insulin the rest of my life.

On the other hand, there's a strange sort of relief. From what I've learned recently, the problems I've had controlling my blood sugar more than likely aren't due to being a "lazy diabetic" or being ignorant about carbohydrates and insulin. The crazy highs after eating a salad, something I used to be able to eat with no major increase in blood sugar, and the terrifying middle of the night lows, which are much scarier now that I live alone, more than likely aren't due entirely to injecting too little or too much insulin. And my exhaustion and emotional state appear to have something of a physical basis after all. There's some comfort in all that, albeit small and too late in some ways.

Since I already use insulin I'm not sure what difference, if any, this change in diagnosis will make in regard to treatment and prognosis. I don't mean to sound flippant but I strongly suspect that the major differences will be a note in my medical records and a change in diagnosis codes for insurance purposes. Whatever differences come I'll deal with them.

In the meantime I'm plugging along, trying to eat as I know I should, faithfully injecting my insulin, testing, testing, and testing, exercising, and trying not to stress over this. Good thoughts are welcomed and appreciated! And if you have Diabetes, especially LADA, I'd love to hear from you.

April 24th - 30th Menu

2011-04-25T08:11:00.001-05:00

Last week was another very busy one and between the job and the life I didn't have much relaxation time. I thoroughly enjoyed myself yesterday, though. I spent the morning and early part of the afternoon doing very little then went to a friend's house for dinner. We had a simple yet delicious meal of roasted chicken with plenty of sides, most of which were too high in carbs for me but I did eat a bit of this and a smidge of that and brought some of the leftovers home to eat later this week.

I noticed this morning that my zucchini plants have flowers! I need to move one of the plants to another container but I'm thrilled to see they're flowering. The tomato and pepper plants have no flowers yet and seem to be growing too slowly but I haven't given up on them. We might get some good storms over the next three days and I sure hope we do as my plants need it.

I'd planned to prepare a beef roast this week using Ray's 3 Envelope Roast recipe but when I took the roast from the freezer this morning, it had bad freezer burn. I dug a little more and found four additional packages of beef with the burn. Argh, how maddening! I've used my sister's sealer a few times in the last four months and those items are fine so I'm buying one this week and will try to use it faithfully! She has a method that works for her and I'll do it her way to see if it works as well for me.

As for the bad meat, I was going to trash it but remembered a Freecycle member who used to ask for freezer burned meat for her dogs so I listed it on Freecycle and someone is getting it tomorrow for her dogs. I hate wasting food but at least it isn't going into the trash.

Thanks to the freezer burned beef, my menu for this week changed and here it is, in no particular order except for tonight's dinner which is listed first:

Chipotle fish with vegetables from Sunday's dinner

Chicken and vegetables, more than likely made using Ray's recipe above. I haven't tried it with chicken yet but I'm sure it will be delicious.

Creamy Chicken and Cheese enchiladas made with egg wraps and served with faux spanish rice and a salad

Steak wrap made with Joseph's Lavash bread, thinly sliced ribeye steak, bell pepper, purple onion, and Alton Brown's Tzatziki sauce and served with spicy cucumber tomato salad

Archer Farms California grilled chicken salad

Dinner out one night, probably Italian or Chinese

As a side note, I've managed to gain 4 lbs in the last two weeks! Knowing that my weight fluctuates either way up to 5 lbs and I'm prone to water retention I'm not too worried about it. I still need to lose about 20 lbs but I think it's going to take a major increase in exercise to get there and right now I simply don't have the time so I'll continue to eat low carb, work out when I can, try to get an extra walk in here and there, and watch those 4 extra pounds like a hawk! I've gotten rid of any clothes above a size 12 so I really need to get and keep a handle on this. ;)

And that's it for this week. Join Laura and her many fans at Menu Plan Monday to find out what others are planning to nosh!

Shhhhh!

2011-04-15T23:47:00.001-05:00

Don't tell anyone but today was the second of four days I took off work! I ended up being very busy yesterday and today and the "days off" weren't so this weekend my plan is to do nothing. Nada. Rien. Nichts. Ingenting. Nihil. Okay, that's a slight exaggeration but you get my point, I'm sure.

I'm actually going to do some house cleaning, grocery shopping, a little cooking, and complete my FAFSA for the upcoming semester. Other than that, though......

Enjoy your weekend!

Black Bean and Pepperoni Soup

2011-04-12T11:49:00.000-05:00

I had a few things languishing in the fridge and decided to use some of them to make a hearty Black Bean and Pepperoni Soup. I had it with half a deli flat and a small salad and it was a hearty lunch. There's enough left for one or two more servings so later this week I'll remake it into a Tex Mex (sort of) dish.

Black Bean and Pepperoni Soup

Handful or two of pepperoni (I used turkey pepperoni)
3/4 cup of cooked black beans (I used canned)

1/2 to 1 cup of tomatoes (I used plain canned tomatoes)

4 ounces of broth, water, or other liquid

1 Tbsp chopped onion

2 Tablespoons chopped bell pepper
Dash of celery salt
Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Put the beans and other ingredients in a sauce pan and heat. Add pepperoni and voila, soup! It doesn't get much easier than this. :)

The newest addition to my household is...

2011-04-11T06:53:00.000-05:00

Sammy, my precious cat!

He's a real joy and a pain in the butt but I love him dearly!

April 10th - April 16th Menu

2011-04-10T10:42:00.004-05:00

Whew, what an interesting time the last week or so has been! Work has been particularly stressful and I've been struggling with some negative things going on but I think I finally have a handle on them. I hope so, anyway.

I've had a lot of 'thinking time' the last few months and after much consideration and research and quite a bit of discussion with people who've done it and survived, I've decided to go back to school. Retail can be difficult for the young but for us oldsters it can be downright brutal. Standing for umpteen hours a day has lost it's luster, if it ever had any, and the pay sucks and my patience with customers too often wears thin so back to college I go! I don't know yet just what classes I'll take and I need to get my transcripts from many years ago (you know, back when transcripts were put on clay tablets!) but I'm going to do this. Finally. As they say, there's no time like the present.

I've gotten back into gardening and genealogy this Spring and both are great hobbies, especially the gardening. I hope to have some lovely home grown tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and who knows what else on my menus a bit later this year! I'll try to put pictures up now and then.

In the meantime, here's my menu for the week, starting with Sunday's dinner then listed in no particular order:

California grilled chicken salad complete with feta cheese, walnuts, a few dried cranberries, and a bit of poppyseed dressing

Beef tips in low carb gravy served over roasted, mashed turnips with a hearty side salad

Vegetable beef soup, made with plannedover beef tips, gravy and turnips, and half a deli flat

Dinner out one night

Black Bean and Pepperoni Soup with a salad

Turkey bacon and a bowl of cottage cheese mixed with homemade pico de gallo and plenty of garlic

Leftovers, when whatever is in the fridge gets eaten

And that's it for this week! I have a few new recipes I've been playing with and hopefully will have at least one ready to share next week. Until then, don't forget to play with your food and join Laura and Friends at Menu Plan Monday to see what others are serving.

Just a quick update

2011-04-09T10:14:00.001-05:00

I'll post my menu for the coming week tonight or tomorrow but wanted to share a quick update. I'm now wearing a size 10 or 12 jeans! Right now that's the only exciting news in my life but that's pretty darn exciting to me. Oh wait, there's more. I had a c-peptide test and it turned out to be on the very low end. What does this mean? It means my pancreas is producing very little insulin. Surprise! ;) We're waiting for the results on a GAD test, also.

Regardless of the GAD results, I'm on the right track. I still need to lose another 15 to 18 lbs but I feel better now than I have in years, literally. My sleep is still not quite right but the old Denise is coming back and I'm so relieved!

March 6th - March 12th Menu

2011-03-07T11:38:00.000-06:00

I'm back on track with my diet, blood sugar, and exercise and it's paying off!

I've lost about 20 lbs in the last few weeks and my blood sugar is much better. I need to lose another 20 lbs and my A1c still has room for improvement but progress is motivating me to do what I know I should.

To get these results I started walking at least 30 minutes three times a week, do the occasional Walk Away The Pounds session, stopped going by fast food joints for a quick meal, and simply followed my lower carb sense. Yeah, I cook more but I like cooking so it works out well. I don't like exercise but it really does make a difference in weight loss and blood sugar so I do it, even when I don't want to.

I'm human, though, and I love my chinese and mexican food so I enjoy one of those once every couple of weeks but I shoot enough insulin for the carbs and I go for a long, brisk walk after the meal.

I recently saw an endocrinologist, the first time since my diagnosis almost 11 years ago. It was a very disappointing visit since he told me nothing I didn't already know and offered no practical advice but I went because my primary felt strongly about it. The only thing of interest I got from the $285 visit was that he thinks I'm an adult onset Type 1 or even a Type 1.5 rather than a Type 2. I've wondered about that myself for awhile and if he's right it would explain a few things that have been going on with my body for awhile. However, he didn't do blood work to confirm that suspicion. He simply told me to return in 3 months. Yeah, okay....

Anyway, I'm happy with the weight loss I've experienced but know I can't let up yet. I still have a ways to go! I did, however, treat myself last week - I had a stylist color and cut my hair. That was the first time I've had a professional color my hair and although it was expensive it was worth it. The color is lovely, dark brown with red woven in, and the cut isn't a lot different than what I've had for years but there's just enough of a subtle change to make it...well, different. ;) I don't know that I can afford to do it often but as a treat for weight loss and improved A1c, it's a nice treat.

So, on to this week's menu. Last night I had PF Chang's Orange Chicken, the frozen kind. The package lists it as having two servings with 61 grams of carbs each but I ate only a third of it. I'll have another third for dinner tonight and the remainder is in the freezer for future use.

Here's the rest of this week's menu:

Beef and vegetable soup, made with beef smoked sausage, leftover vegetables, and a small amount of whole grain rotini

Lemon butter fish with a salad and steamed spinach

Stir fried chicken and vegetables with a tiny amount of wild rice

Low carb chicken pot pie with salad, spinach, and fresh green beans

Leftovers, when I eat whatever is languishing in the fridge

And that's it. Simple but good and good for me. Have a great week and if you haven't checked out Menu Plan Monday yet, do so and join in the fun.

January 9th - January 15th Menu

2011-01-10T19:17:00.002-06:00

We had snow yesterday! It was very pretty but I don't like going out in it so I stayed home where I knew I'd be comfortable and warm. I did some cleaning and reading, watched a couple of Netflix movies I had lying around and even took a nap, though it was a very short one.

Speaking of short, this will be a short work and cooking week for me as I'm taking a few days to do nothing but rest and relax. I'll probably end up cooking something and if any of it's good I'll share it here.

Saturday evening I made some delicious creamy chicken enchiladas and had one of those with salad and faux rice Sunday night. Tonight I went out to eat with a friend and the rest of the week I'll have:

Grilled steak with half a baked sweet potato and brussels sprouts

Herb and lemon white fish with creamed spinach and salad

Low carb tortilla with scrambled eggs, turkey ham and plenty of cilantro salsa
half and a salad

And that's it for this the next few days. Nothing really exciting but it's all healthy and thrifty. I shouldn't have any leftovers by the time Sunday night rolls around and I can start a new cooking week.

Have a great week and make sure to check out Menu Plan Monday and let us know what's on your plate!

Savory Chicken and Onions

2011-01-04T19:53:00.001-06:00

This isn't my recipe. I found it on a forum and don't have a clue of it's origin. It had no name and after making and eating this dish, I decided to call it Savory Chicken and Onions. If anyone knows more about this recipe, please let me know. It's absolutely delicious and very thrifty. This will be a regular with me now.

Savory Chicken and Onions

1.5 - 2 lbs. chicken thighs
1 onion, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 can chicken broth or 1 cup of stock or white wine
2 tb flour
2 tb olive oil
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt & pepper.

Heat a large skillet, add the olive oil, then add onion and cook until softened. When the onion is softened, add the shallots, cook down for a minute or so, then the garlic.

Move all the veggies to a large roasting pan then add the chicken thighs, skin side down. Brown on both sides, remove from skillet and place in the large roasting pan. You may have to do this in batches.

When all the chicken is browned, deglaze the pan with most of the liquid.

Let the liquid cook down and thicken a bit. If it isn't thickening, mix the flour with some water or cornstarch and add to the skillet. When thickened, cover the chicken in the roasting pan with the liquid, cover the whole roasting pan with some foil, and cook for 1 1/2 hours.

Denise's note - I used 1 chicken breast in this recipe and it made four hearty servings. It's definitely a thrifty addition to my favorite recipes.

January 2 - January 8 Menu

2011-01-03T14:46:00.009-06:00

I'm starting the new year off right by spending a lot of time in my kitchen. I woke up at 2 AM yesterday and couldn't get back to sleep so by 3 AM I was making a low(er) carb chicken pot pie.

It's delicious, by the way! By 4 AM I had an unnamed chicken and onion dish (which I now call Savory Chicken and Onions) baking in the oven and the scent of it cooking was incredibly enticing.

By 10 AM I was napping. Oh well, naps are good for us now and then, especially when we wake up long before the roosters. I worked in the evening so the sleep was most appreciated.

I haven't done any grocery shopping for awhile because I have plenty of food. So here's this week's menu, in no particular order except for last night's and tonight's fare which are listed first and second, respectively:

~~Homemade chicken pot pie with tossed salad and steamed spinach~~

~~Savory Chicken and Onions with green beans and steamed mukimame~~

~~Vegetable stir fry made with zucchini and yellow squash, broccoli, green beans, leeks, red onion, shallots, and any other vegetables that strike me as sounding good at the time~~

Braised beef tips with spinach salad and faux mashed potatoes

Low Carb Enchilada Chicken Paillard with mexican faux rice and garlic black beans (Note that I'm not following the HCG diet but I find low carb recipes in all sorts of places!)

Grilled chicken breast with cheese soup and a tossed salad

Beef and broccoli with a tossed salad and sesame seed faux rice

Several of the dishes I'll make this week are from recipes that are new to me and the Chicken Paillard is one I'm really excited about trying.

For more menu ideas make sure to look at Menu Plan Monday and join us so we can see what's on your plate for the coming week!

Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie

2011-01-03T14:41:00.001-06:00

Lowe(er) Carb Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie
Servings: 4 to 6, about 20 grams of carbs per serving
Preheat: 350 degrees

Sauce:

1 chicken breast, cooked and cut into bite size pieces
1 can cream of chicken and mushroom soup
2 ounces cooked frozen green peas (use mukimame to lower the carb count a little more and increase the fiber count)
2 ounces cooked frozen corn
1 small red potato, cooked and cut into small chunks
1/8 cup liquid (milk, cream, water or broth)

Combine the soup, peas, corn and potato in a bowl. Add chicken then add liquid and stir just until liquid is incorporated. Pour into a baking pan.

Topping:

1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 to 1 cup shredded cheese
dash or two of salt
liquid (milk, cream, water or broth)

Mix and spread over the top of the chicken mixture in pan.

Bake in 350 degree oven until top is brown, about 25 minutes.

And now for something completely different...

2010-12-29T14:43:00.002-06:00

I don't get the whole "New Year's Resolutions" thing. And apparently I'm not alone in this. In my youth, I put stock in the concept mainly because my mother did so and encouraged me to, also. But I don't recall ever keeping the resolutions. Come to think of it, I don't recall her keeping them, either. So somewhere along the line I gave up and decided the entire process was inherently flawed.

What I didn't realize as a child, teenager and even most of my adult life was that goal setting without a plan to achieve the goal(s) is fruitless. At least for most of us. We humans aren't born knowing how to make Tiramisu, how to save to pay cash for a car, or how to raise responsible and loving children and if we aren't given good models and/or a plan we simply don't "get it". More than willpower alone, that explains why so many of us say we're going to learn to cook and keep making macaroni and cheese (from a box, no less!) for dinner. Or say we're going to be better with our money and continue to live paycheck to paycheck. Or say we're going to be a good parent and wonder why our kids turn out as they do. Our goals are vague and the knowledge that we need or want to do something in particular takes us only so far.

Excellent instruction in goal setting and planning for success in personal finance is shown by Dave Ramsey. If you don't know much about Dave, I encourage you to read his books and learn all you can about his personal finance philosophy. I don't always put into practice what I learned from Financial Peace University but I have a better handle on that part of my life than I did before the course and I know that if I work that plan, it works for me. Every time. Although what he says is common sense and should be common knowledge, most of us don't appear to have or use that knowledge and Dave lays out, in simple (but not always easy) steps the whys and hows of achieving financial security. He provides a plan to succeed with money and I think that explains his huge, very loyal, and debt free or soon to be debt free fan base.

There are a few tricks to help us set and achieve goals. I learned some of those tricks through FPU, used them without intent in recent months, and inadvertently achieved some major progress in goals. When I realized this, it was as though a light bulb went off over my head. In addition, I realized that for each goal I've not progressed in, there was no plan. That goal just sat dormant in the back of my mind with no action on my part. I think of it like this: I can fantasize about eating quiche for dinner all day long but unless I get off my fanny and make it (or order it in a restaurant!) I'll probably have turkey bacon and eggs for dinner. Again.

So I'm going to continue to work on old goals and try to reach a few new ones in the coming weeks and months. Meh, this might be the same thing as setting New Year's Resolutions (a horse by any other name...) but it hasn't felt that way to me and I hope it continues to not feel that way!

I've limited my goals because overloading myself will lead to none being met but here are three I'm either continuing to work on or have set for coming months along with the steps I'll take to achieve them:

Goal: expand my cooking skills
Steps to achieve this: attend local cooking classes, actually reproduce some of the amazing looking dishes I've seen in online cooking tutorials rather than just watching and wishing I could make the dish, and share some of the successes and failures (there will be some of both) on this blog

Goal: continue to lose weight
Steps to achieve this: increase my walking from 30 minutes 3 times a week to 45 minutes 5 times a week, increase my dance/exercise time from 15 minutes 4 times a week to 30 minutes 5 times a week, and continue to follow my lower carb way of eating

Goal: stop smoking
Steps to achieve this: throw out my cigarettes, buy and use the smoking cessation patches, and join a smoking cessation support group

I can't say that I'll have success with each goal but if there's progress I'll know I'm headed in the right direction and that will help to motivate me.

So here's to a new year, new goals, better health, and new foods to eat!

December 26th - January 2 Menu & new recipes tried

2010-12-27T16:22:00.000-06:00

Shame on me, I haven't posted an entry in two months! But life got hectic and even a little scary for awhile and now that it shows signs of calming down I hope to get back to my regularly scheduled programming, including blogging. Thank you for the prayers, comments, and emails for my mother and stepfather. They're doing better and although I'm not under any delusion that all is well with them, they're managing for now. And finally, the holiday rush at work is almost over and I see a little more free time in my future.

The last few weeks I've been trying to:

scale down my cooking so I don't have a fridge full of leftovers I plan to use and end up trashing
vary my diet a little more
and cross a few things off my ever-growing "try this soon" list

So last week I made two new recipes that helped with those goals, Cornish Hens with Stuffing and Shortbread Squares. Both recipes turned out much better than I expected.

Here's a shot of one of the cornish hens. I prefer the taste and texture over the typical whole chicken and the amount left over was very manageable so it's now my whole bird of choice.

And here's the shortbread squares. They were delicious! I can't eat them often but they were a nice treat. Most of these gems were shared with my co-workers and I took a second batch to my family's get together over the weekend. I've been mulling over ideas for a lower carb version of these and hope to get busy on that soon.

By the way, I bought a ~~dream~~ KitchenAid mixer on Black Friday. And I didn't have to wait in line or brave stampeding crowds for it, either. I simply went to the store at about 7 PM that evening and there it was, just waiting to jump into my cart. Oh my, it's everything I dreamed it would be and more!

Now, on to this week's menu:

Yesterday I had soup made from the remains of the cornish hens. I just added a little more than a cup of vegetable broth and a hand full of whole grain noodles to the leftover meat and onion stuffing, let it simmer until the noodles were done, and the resulting soup was very good.

I also prepared chili con carne yesterday and will have that and a salad for dinner tonight.

The rest of the week I'll have, in no particular order:

Leftover chili with a spinach salad

Grilled kabobs made with beef and a lot of vegetables

Lemon butter fish with leftover grilled vegetables, faux rice, and salad

Two egg omelet with Italian turkey sausage and hash brown wannabes

Whatever leftovers are in the fridge and need to be eaten

And that's it for this week's menu. If you're bored with your food lately or want to learn more about menu planning, spend some time perusing Menu Plan Monday, hosted by the lovely and very organized Laura!

No menu for this week - life intervenes

2010-10-26T10:01:00.002-05:00

I haven't planned a menu for this week and don't intend to. Two hours after I posted the last entry and got to bed my phone rang. It was my sister telling me my stepfather's heart had stopped and he was moved to cardiac ICU. He's still there but hopefully will be moved to a regular room today or tomorrow. I'm trying to keep my sanity and work and help my mother and I don't have time for menu planning right now. The reality is I probably need it more now than ever but I just don't have it in me to sit down and plan meals.

I have part of an uncooked roast in the fridge and will put that in marinade before I go to work in awhile and then cook it when I get in tonight. I'll have that tonight with roasted brussels sprouts and probably take whatever is left to Mom's house in the morning. My sisters are there and it will feed us for a meal or two, at least. Other than that, food isn't even on my mind.

Hopefully things will be calmer in a few days and I can give a little more thought to healthy eating. For now, just eating is a chore.

I think I hate October

2010-10-23T01:38:00.000-05:00

I've decided that I really dislike this month. It's been crappy. Between things at work and family issues, I'm ready for November to get here. I'm tired of the heat and while I don't like cold winters I'm ready for the cool of Autumn.

On the second of this month, my stepfather fell while riding his dirt bike and got scraped up pretty good. Not a major thing, really, but he ended up with Staph infection and then developed pneumonia. I'm sure he'll be okay but it's becoming more and more obvious to me and my sisters that he and Mom are almost, if not already, at the point where they just can't take care of one another without substantial help. And we aren't sure what kind of help they need or we can provide.

It's frustrating, stressful, sad, and depressing. They love one another but his dementia is taking its toll on them both. And her health seems to be deteriorating in ways, too. I saw this coming a couple of years ago but thought I had more time and I'm not ready for this.

Maybe I need to curl up on the couch with a blanket and pillow, watch "The Notebook" again, and have a good cry. Or maybe, since it's 1:35 in the morning, I just need to take my exhausted self to bed and start all over tomorrow. Yeah, that sounds like a plan.

But when I wake up it will still be October.

October 17th - 23rd Menu

2010-10-18T08:59:00.000-05:00

Thanks to those of you who emailed me to make sure I was following last week's menu. I did really well with it until I got started feeling sick on Friday and from then it was downhill! It was nice to hear from y'all though.

I'm still sick with strep throat, bronchitis, and a sinus infection so I haven't eaten much the last three days. I'm improving and assuming that trend continues I plan to have a pretty good food week. If it doesn't continue, I'll just roll all or most of this menu over to next week.

Right now the refrigerator has leftover sticky chicken that needs to be eaten so a couple of dinners will use that. I also have some leftover vegetable soup that I'll probably eat for lunch at work one day.

Tonight I'll have a fajita using a homemade egg wrap rather than a tortilla but will have all the trimmings with it - bell pepper, onion, guacamole and homemade pico de gallo.

The rest of the week I'll have, in no particular order:

Homemade chunky chicken vegetable soup with a flax muffin

Stir fried steak and vegetables with a little wild rice

Breakfast meatballs with scrambled eggs and spinach

Vodka sauce chicken & vegetables with a salad

Leftover night when I finish off whatever's haunting the refrigerator.

If you like to plan your menu or if you want to plan but aren't sure where to start, come on over to Menu Plan Monday and see what Laura and the others have cooking. There are some great recipes to be found there and the folks are happy to answer menu planning questions.

Stuffed Mushrooms Redux

2010-10-16T21:01:00.001-05:00

Since I haven't been feeling well the last couple of days (strep, bronchitis and a sinus infection) I haven't eaten much. Ice cream sounds good but not much else and since I don't have ice cream and everything I've tried to eat makes my throat hurt even more I just haven't eaten much.

This evening, though, I started craving mushrooms. Stuffed mushrooms in particular. So I dragged myself into the kitchen and made a batch. Fortunately, they only take a few minutes to make so I managed to get a batch of five made and I even managed to eat all five of them. Wonder of wonders!

Of course, they're so nice to look at and so tasty to eat but I was surprised that eating them didn't hurt my throat. Not much, anyway. Drinking water makes it feel like lava is sliding down it so go figure.

Anyway, here's a picture of the mushrooms I just made a bit ago.

Aren't they scrumptious looking?

I used the same recipe I always use but instead of turkey bacon I browned two tiny beef sausages, cut into very small pieces and I used red onion instead of green.

So yeah, next time you feel like the fires of hell have taken up residence in your throat, try this.

What to do when the meat you prepared isn't as good as you hoped...or Beefy Cheesy Spinach Soup

2010-10-15T07:31:00.006-05:00

I bought some tenderized skirt steak yesterday and broiled it thinking it would be really tasty with a salad. I wasn't impressed with the meat at all though, Apparently I don't like skirt steak when it's been tenderized but I couldn't handle the thought of throwing it out so I morphed it and some leftovers from the fridge into this lovely soup...

It actually turned out beautifully, tasting a lot like spinach cheese dip, and I'll make it again the next time I have the same leftovers.

Those leftovers, by the way, were skillet cooked spinach, a hand full of green beans, some queso, and some broth. I added green onions, a little half and half and some crema mexicana, some snipped fresh cilantro and voila, a delicious soup perfect for a cool night.

As a bonus there are leftovers to eat before I head to work this evening!

A question for those who buy for one or two adults, only

2010-10-14T17:38:00.002-05:00

I didn't get to the grocery store until today. Now, that doesn't mean I've been eating horrible food all week. I haven't. A friend treated me to lunch one day (Tex Mex) but I controlled myself, difficult as it was. It does mean that I've eaten breakfast a lot this week and I finally got tired of it and went grocery shopping today.

I went to two groceries, Albertson's and Brookshire's, a local chain that is higher than a cat's back. I go to the latter store strictly for sale items and even that's rare.

Since I moved into this place three months ago I've done little shopping..you know, run to the store and get a few things then go again a few days later. It's taken me this long to get my basics so today I did 'big shopping', which probably is nothing compared to those of you who have large families (at one
time I shopped and cooked for a large family so I know how that goes) but was pretty big for me.

At Albertson's I spent $126.52 and got:

Green tea, diet pepsi, chicken and beef broth, Rotel tomaotes, vegetable stock, some spices, a whole chicken, two beef roasts, mucho breakfast meat, eggs, a lot of half and half, cottage and sharp cheddar cheeses, a lot of frozen vegetables (10/$10), two packages of John Soule's cooked fajita beef (not cheap but still cheaper than eating out after a long shift at work), fixins to make pico de gallo which I eat at least once a day, two jars of Claussen kosher dills, a couple of limes, mushrooms, and raw peanuts. I did remember to take my canvas bags with me and got a $.50 bag discount. Wooot! ;)

I spent $23.96 at Brookshire's and got seven packages of raw skirt steak and three avocados (10/$10) and one gala apple, my treat for this week.

So I spent almost $151.00 today on food for one person. That's the most I've spent grocery shopping in these three months but taking into account that I eat low carb most of the time, making cheaper things like rice, beans, and pasta not part of my regular diet, it wasn't too bad. Honestly, I live on meat, vegetables, and eggs. The food I got will last at least a month with the addition of a couple of runs for eggs and fresh produce.

Even though I think I did fairly well I feel like I spent too much. Damn those grocery prices! ;)

If you're in a household of one or two adults, how much do you generally spend for a month's worth of groceries? Really, I'd like to know.

October 10th - 16th Menu

2010-10-11T17:49:00.000-05:00

I'm back to planning my meals at least a week at a time, but haven't been posting the menus here. And of course, not keeping to the plan for the most part! I'm not sure just why but putting a weekly menu up here for the whole world (potentially, anyway) to see keeps me on the straight and narrow. I thought I'd be fine not planning meals but what happened is I ate a lot of turkey bacon and egg suppers and too many take away meals from Long John Silver. The former isn't good for variety and the latter isn't good for my blood sugar. And though I tried to incorporate some variety into my diet, that isn't easy with turkey bacon and eggs and grease soaked frish (fried fish) so readily available. So, I'm asking y'all to please hold me accountable. How? Well, if you read this entry, please come back in a day or two and ask if I've actually prepared/eaten the stuff listed here or if I've been a slug and eaten breakfast food or junk food. I won't lie about it and if I don't eat what I have listed here, or a fairly healthy alternative, please berate and belittle me. Or something similar.

So, this week's menu contains the wonderful Caramelized Onions. I have a craving for those so when I'm off tomorrow those will be going in the slow cooker, simmering at a leisurely pace, smelling the kitchen up so wonderfully! I don't know if I can find Vidalias right now but other onions will work if I can't. If you like cooked onions and haven't tried that recipe yet, I highly recommend it to you.

Now, on to this week's menu!

Tonight I'll have leftover Swiss Steak. I made it on Friday and need to finish it off so I'll have that with a bit of wild rice and a small salad.

The rest of the week I'll have:

Mimi's Sticky Chicken with faux mashed potatoes and roasted brussels sprouts

Ribeye steak with caramelized onions, a very small baked red potato, and a bit of sour cream and butter

Chicken Fajita bundle (meaning I omit the tortilla and just pile the ingredients on a plate and eat with a fork), made with leftover sticky chicken, caramelized onions, plenty of shredded sharp cheddar and pepper jack, and homemade pico de gallo.

Fire Roasted Tomato Chicken soup, my own creation that rocks the socks, folks! When I make that, I'll share the recipe in a separate entry. It's loosely based on my Fire Roasted Tomato Soup with a few changes and with cooler evenings upon us, it will be a welcome dish one night this week.

And last but not least, Saturday night I'll have whatever's languishing in the fridge and needs to be eaten. I really detest throwing food out so I try to eat up those leftovers, whatever they are, on Saturdays. It's a good plan and works well most of the time.

So that's it for this week. Hopefully I'll stick to my plan, folks. If I don't, call me on it. Please!

To find out what others are having this week join us over at Laura's Menu Plan Monday. There seem to be some seriously good cooks into menu planning and I get wonderful ideas reading their menus.

September 5th - 11th Menu

2010-09-06T09:08:00.000-05:00

Now that it's just me I'm cooking for, I struggle a little with whether I need or want to plan my weekly menus. However, without proper planning the temptation to pick up some kind of fast food is occasionally just overwhelming. I usually don't give in to that temptation but each time I do is one time too many so back to menu planning for me.

You know, it doesn't seem that cooking for one person would be much different than cooking for two people but it is, at least for me. I don't mind eating leftovers but I prefer to either plan for them ahead of time or revamp them so that I don't feel like I'm eating the same thing over and over and over. But sometimes my kitchen creativity gene is dormant so unless the main dish is something basic like broiled steak, fajita meat, or roasted chicken I try to cook just enough for one meal. And that's when the trouble starts. I think I'll eat all that lovely homemade meat crust pizza but I actually eat only a little bit and I really don't like it warmed up for a later meal. So this cooking for one without having many leftovers trips me up now and then!

Anyway, a friend and I are going out for dinner one night this week, her treat, but we haven't yet decided where. We'll probably go for Chinese or Tex Mex but who knows, we might get wild and crazy and have barbecue!

Last night's dinner was a very nice crustless quiche that used the last of a fantastic cheese sauce I made a couple of days ago. The sauce was the same recipe as I use for Alfredo but I used Mozzarella cheese rather than Parmesan and half and half and water rather than milk. To make last night's fare I just dumped the sauce in a bowl and added three eggs, about 1/8 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, a bit of chopped red bell pepper, about 3 Tablespoons of leftover green beans and some spices, mixed it, poured it into a baking pan and baked it at 325 for about 20 minutes. The resulting quiche was excellent with roasted brussels sprouts and a tossed salad and there's enough for at least two meals, both of which will probably be lunch at work.

Tonight I'll have grilled ribeye steak with sauteed mushrooms and green and red bell pepper. If there's any left, I'll have it for lunch at work the next day.

The rest of the week I'll have, in no particular order:

Beef and chicken fajitas with a little wild rice and guacamole

Homemade chunky vegetable soup

Jambalaya made with riced cauliflower instead of rice

Leftover fajita meat with steamed fresh vegetables, homemade queso blanco, and avocado slices

And that sums it up for this coming week. I need to go to the grocery store tomorrow and get some basics but I don't plan to buy a lot. Of course, if there are any great deals on meat or vegetables I'll take advantage of those but otherwise, I only need a few things.

Here's to this week being a good one! Mosey on over to Menu Plan Monday, hosted by the lovely Laura, and see what others are planning to eat.

Pardon my dust and Friday eats

2010-09-03T09:08:00.000-05:00

I'm playing with the design of this blog so please bear with me as I figure out just what to do with it.

My lunch before I head to work is going to be the last of the pan fried round steak I cooked on Wednesday. I'll make a creamy cheese sauce using this recipe (with a couple of adjustments) and add bite size pieces of the steak to it then serve it over a small amount of Dreamfields Angel Hair. Served with the last of the leftover green beans and some sauteed mushrooms and bell pepper it should be filling and as long as I have just one serving of the pasta it shouldn't spike my blood sugar too badly.

I won't get home from work until late so I'll probably have a repeat of lunch without the pasta or perhaps some turkey bacon and eggs. Either way, I'll be ravenous when I get home and will have to whip up something.

Ugh!

2010-09-02T19:19:00.005-05:00

I can't seem to get rid of that lovely photobucket block that says an image has been moved or deleted. I can't find the code that's causing the problem. If any of you have an idea why it's happening or what I can do to fix it, please let me know!

I found the solution! It was some little bit of fluff but it's gone now. :)

Worthy of a comeback - Fire Roasted Tomato Soup!

2010-06-09T14:23:00.002-05:00

Not for the soup but for me! It's been way too long since I posted on this blog. Really, I should be a winner of the Worst Blogger Award if there is such a thing. However, today I made Fire Roasted Tomato Soup for the first time and it was so good I just have to share!

I had fire roasted tomato soup for the first time a few months ago at Newk's Express. It was incredibly good and I hunted for a recipe that I thought would give me a dish close to theirs. None that I found seemed to be right, though, so today I just experimented and came up with my own version. It's not quite as good as the soup at Newk's but it's darn close and a little more playing with it should give me a just as good fire roasted tomato soup.

If you like the look of the soup and want to try it, here's my recipe so far:

1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 an onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cans fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
12 ounces chicken stock
1 Tablespoon dried whole rosemary
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
a few red pepper flakes
1/4 cup crema mexicana

In a skillet or wok heat the olive oil until it's hot but not smoking. Add the onion and garlic and cook until onion is tender. Reduce heat to a simmer and add the tomatoes and stock. Simmer about 15 minutes then add herbs and black pepper. Reduce heat a little more and very slowly add the crema mexicana and red pepper flakes, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for about five minutes. Serve topped with sour cream or more crema mexicana and whatever cheese you like. I used sour cream and a little parmesan this time but plan to really play with cheeses for this dish.

I think this soup could easily be adapted and a version with black olives, cilantro, chili powder, and cheddar or pepper jack would help make a great fiesta inspired tomato soup. Watch for more experiments with this basic recipe. I promise there will be some!

March 21st - 27th Menu

2010-03-22T10:12:00.000-05:00

I haven't blogged much lately because between work, the dietary restrictions, and life in general the menu has been pretty dull. But I really need the accountability of posting entries here (and judging by the emails sent to me some of you really miss me! lol) so I've planned a menu of meals that require a little more work on my part but should help alleviate some of the boredom in our diets.

Last night I worked until after 8 and when I got home I was famished so I whipped up a quickie chili with Laura's Lean Beef, some no salt added canned diced tomatoes, dark red kidney beans, a little green onion, and some spices. It was very good topped with a little shredded cheddar and there's enough for our lunch today. It isn't as low in carbs as I wish, thanks to the kidney beans, but all in all it's a healthy dish.

Tonight we're having Mexican Chicken from The Everyday Low-Carb Slow Cooker Cookbook made with Sanderson Farms chicken breasts. I don't know if that brand is available where you are but if it is, you really should try it. The chicken is always juicy, meaty, and tasty without having added hormones, additives, and other garbage. And the breasts are huge! One is usually enough to feed the two of us and trust me, we can put away some chicken! We'll have this savory-sounding dish with some leftover Chipotle Cauliflower and low carb tortillas.

The rest of the week we'll have, in no particular order:

Vegetable stir fry with riced cauliflower

Triple decker vegetable omelets (from The Low-Carb Bible but also found online) served with zucchini fries

Salt-Baked Rosemary Chicken (modified from the original recipe to use less salt), steamed green beans, and tossed salad

Breakfast burritos made with low carb tortillas

You're On Your Own (YOYO) night when we clean out the fridge, eat leftovers, or go out for dinner.

And that's it for this week's upcoming evening meals. Some of them are a little more interesting than our usual fare and that's a good thing. I hope your culinary week is a great one and join us over at Menu Plan Monday for more great recipes and menu plans!

March 7th - 13th menu

2010-03-07T22:26:00.000-06:00

This week promises to be a busy one for me so most of our dinners will be easy to prepare. Because it simply needed to be done and to make things easier on myself, today I took some time and reorganized the pantry shelves. They were a mess and it was hard to tell what we had and what we need so now not only does it all look better but I should have an easier time making my shopping list and keeping up with what's in inventory.

I was determined to thoroughly clean the refrigerator, too, but didn't succeed in that although I did eliminate almost all the leftovers in it. Tonight's dinner was soup made from some of the leftovers. In the fridge I found about a cup and a half of leftover homemade vegetable beef soup, part of a can of diced tomatoes and most of a can of Rotel tomatoes. I dumped all of that in the wok, added a handful of Dreamfields elbow macaroni, a smidge of garlic salt, and some freshly ground black pepper and set it on low and a few minutes later our revamped soup was ready. It was excellent and there was just enough to feed us both so we're starting the week with very few leftovers.

If you'd like to learn more about meal planning please take a look at Menu Plan Monday, hosted by Laura and visited by hundreds!

So, on to this week's menu!

Monday night's dinner is seasoned turkey tenderloin with steamed spinach, edamame, and tossed salad.

The rest of the week we'll have:

Leftover turkey tenderloin with low carb gravy, with wild rice and steamed green beans

Chipotle chicken with tossed salad and buttered carrots

Cauliflower Leek Soup with Carbquick bread sticks

Stir fried vegetables with beef

YOYO (You're On Your Own) night when we eat leftovers, sandwiches, etc.

And that's it! Short, sweet, and not a lot of intense cooking going on this week. But it's all healthy, low in carbs, and thrifty. It works for us!

Spicy Chicken and Avocado with a Colby Jack "Wrap"

2010-03-06T10:56:00.005-06:00

You know how sometimes you have a little bit of roast chicken leftover from a meal but there isn't enough to feed the whole family? Well, today the man person didn't want chicken but I had a skosh of last night's delicious chicken and this was the perfect opportunity to make good use of it.

I dug through the fridge, found a few ingredients and came up with this:

The picture isn't great (not sure why but my pictures are blurry lately) but this turned out to be a delicious lunch today and I thought I'd share the 'recipe' (cough) with you.

1/2 cup cooked chicken, cut into bite size pieces
1 green onion, sliced
a few cloves of roasted garlic
3 or 4 thin strips of bell pepper
2 Tablespoons Rotel tomato
freshly ground black pepper
garlic powder
chili powder
chipotle pepper seasoning
1 thick slice Colby Jack cheese
1 avocado

In a skillet or wok, quickly cook the bell pepper on high heat until soft but not limp. Lower heat and add sliced onion, garlic and pepper. Add cooked chicken and cook until heated through and pepper is cooked to your liking. I like mine crunchy so it doesn't take long at all. Add the Rotel tomatoes and let simmer. Quickly mash avocado and add whatever spices you like. I prefer to add just a little pepper and garlic. If you want to add chopped tomatoes and onions, that would be tasty, too.

Place cheese on a plate and top with the hot chicken mixture. Spread avocado mixture over all and sprinkle with chili powder and chipotle seasoning. You can eat this like a taco, roll it like a burrito, or do as I did and use a fork to get every scrumptious bite. Mmmm!

Strange food combination and I'm such a lamer!

2010-03-05T17:56:00.000-06:00

I slept in a little this morning, until about 8 AM. I wasn't hungry when I got up and my fasting blood sugar was 125 (too high) so I shot 5 units of Novolog and enjoyed my morning coffee while checking email and playing on Farmville and Cafe World. I finally got hungry at about 10:30 but waited until 11:30 to do something about it. I wanted eggs but didn't want breakfast meat with it. I wanted some kind of bread but just a tad, not much. I also wanted to eat the veggie fries from last night. So, I made scrambled eggs with mushroom, yellow bell pepper, and a little colby jack cheese and ate it with 1/2 an english muffin and the leftover veggie frites. It was actually very good though it was a little weird.

I had errands to run today;bank, Drug Emporium, grocery store, etc. and while I was out I bought a cooked whole chicken. I don't do that often - jiminy, I have chickens in my freezer and my homemade ones are better than the store bought ones and much healthier! But I've had a rip roaring headache going for about three days and I didn't want to cook so I took the easy way out. Umm, at least it's low in carbs and we'll have it with steamed spinach, also low in carbs.

Don't hate me because I'm such a lamer....

March Recipes to try

2010-03-03T13:25:00.000-06:00

I love cauliflower, just about any kind of cauliflower. Raw, boiled, steamed, grilled, sauteed, or stir fried, I'll eat it. And I enjoy leeks or at least I think I do. I haven't had leeks (that I know of) in years so I'm not positive about that. But I found a nice sounding recipe for naturally low in carbs Cauliflower Leek Soup so it's on my list of recipes to try this month. The recipe calls for 3 cloves of garlic and I happen to have several cloves of awesomely delicious roasted garlic snagged from Newk's so I'll use those.

Speaking of roasted garlic from Newk's I'm obsessed with that stuff and the only way for me to get it is to go to Newk's. While I really do love their food, eating there isn't very thrifty and the sandwiches certainly aren't low carb so I've decided to try my hand at roasting garlic. I know it, it aint no big thing but I haven't done it before and I've been a little hesitant to try it but I've decided to bite the bullet. So, my other recipe to try this month is roasted garlic and the recipe is from simplyrecipes.com, one of my favorite cooking blogs. If I can roast my own garlic I can stay the heck away from Newk's and a little more freely indulge my passion for garlic.

Wish me luck!

February 28th - March 6th Menu - late but still good

2010-03-02T20:46:00.000-06:00

I'm late getting my menu posted this week. Between work and life I just haven't had a lot of time. But better late than never, right?

Sunday night was YOYO (You're On Your Own) night at our place. We had way too many leftovers for comfort so we took the opportunity to reduce them a little. I like nights like that since it means I don't have to cook much, if at all, and the cleanup is minimal.

Last night I prepared a beef roast with carrots, potatoes, onions and mushrooms. The man person had left a little of his homemade salad dressing (olive oil, the juice of 1/2 a lemon, and Spike) on the counter so I poured that over the roast and vegetables before popping them in the oven. The vegetables were very good but the meat was tougher than we like so we ate a little of it and some of the vegetables and I considered what to do with the meat to make it more tender. I decided using it in soup or stew would be an efficient way to use it so I cut the uneaten roast into bite size chunks and used about 1/4 of it and the leftover vegetables with a few more fresh veggies to make tonight's dinner which I just called 'Leftover Soup'. I discovered awhile back that stir frying the soup vegetables brings out their flavors so that's what I do. I just throw them in the wok with a little olive oil and when they're almost done I add the meat, stock, and spices, cover, and let it all simmer awhile. The result is a rich, robust soup with a nice combination of flavors. It's slightly different each time, too, since I vary the vegetables and spices. Tonight I used a little potato, a few green peas, carrot, onion, and some asparagus with rosemary, garlic, pepper, and chipotle seasoning. Mmmm, it was quite tasty and there's enough left for lunch tomorrow so we'll have that and dinner will be chicken fajitas made with leftover chicken.

The rest of the week we'll have:

Chicken in homemade Alfredo sauce served over thinly sliced and gently steamed zucchini with a salad and fresh green beans

Meat loaf with faux mashed potatoes (cauliflower) and salad

Omelets with Carbquick rolls

and Saturday will be another YOYO night to use up whatever leftovers are in the fridge. Another soup might be in the picture but we'll have to wait and see.

Oh yes, I haven't forgotten about posting the pictures of the zucchini lasagna but they're on another computer that I can't get to right now. As soon as I can, I'll get them and show them to y'all. Mmmm, that was good stuff!

Enjoy your food!

February recipes to try

2010-02-26T08:53:00.001-06:00

So, I've already tried one of the recipes for this month and that was Mock Crab Cakes. Yeah, I cheated and decided to make it a recipe to try after I'd already made them but it's my blog and I can do that. ;) They were very, very good and will be on our menu now and then, I'm sure. The man person and I agree there isn't really a crab taste to them but they're tasty and filling, anyway, and the recipe is definitely a keeper! If you check out the recipe, do browse Shannon's blog a bit. There are some fantastic recipes there and her blog is entertaining.

The other recipe for this month is Zucchini lasagna. I absolutely love lasagna and hadn't made it in a very long time so I was really excited about this one. I've read many recipes for lower carb lasagna but most of them leave me unimpressed. This recipe was different, though, and I'll write about it later today.

I'm working on March's recipes so stay tuned for those!

February 21st - 27th Menu

2010-02-22T10:13:00.001-06:00

This week's menu isn't particularly exciting (is mine ever??) but it's thrifty and low in carbs. For the most part. Last night, Sunday, we went to Wingstop and I indulged in garlic parmesan wings and a few of their addictive fries. My insulin dose must have been right on, though, because two hours after eating, my blood sugar was 84. And this morning my FBG was 95. Woot! The addition of Lantus to my insulin regimen helps a lot, too. It's been five days since I've been back on Lantus and my blood sugar is so much better it's amazing.

On to this week's eats!

So, tonight for dinner we're having roasted chicken, a nice salad, and steamed spinach. I don't get off until 6 PM so it will be a late-for-us dinner but a good one.

The rest of the week we'll have, in no particular order:

Chicken salad sandwiches/lettuce leaf wraps made with leftover roasted chicken

Zucchini lasagna with salad, Carbquick bread sticks, and steamed green beans

Hearty vegetable soup with the remaining bread sticks

Meat loaf, salad, and zucchini and red pepper "fries"

YOYO (You're On Your Own) night when we dig through the fridge eating leftovers

And that's it for this coming week's dinners. For more great menu ideas, visit Laura's Menu Plan Monday and jump right in.

Have a great week and enjoy your food!

Zucchini and Red Pepper "Fries"

2010-02-20T13:52:00.004-06:00

I had a craving today for french fries and decided to have some much healthier zucchini and red bell pepper instead of giving in to the fry temptation. Oh my, they were good and even if you aren't diabetic or worried about the carbs in your food, you really should give these a try.

Here's the very simple recipe, inspired by the amazingly, incredibly, awesome smashfries (can you tell I like them?) at SmashBurger.

Red bell pepper, cut into strips
Zucchini, cut into strips
Garlic
Salt
Pepper
Rosemary (I use dried whole leaf from my mother's yard)
Olive oil

Heat olive oil in skillet or wok. Toss vegetables with seasonings and stir fry to preferred tenderness. I like mine a little crunchy so it took just a few minutes to go from wok to plate.

Of course, you can use other vegetables and cut them any way you want but I like this combination.

Are they as good as Smashburger fries? Ehhh, we're not comparing apples to apples so that's hard to say. However, these make a fantastic snack or side dish and they're certainly much lower in carbs than the Smashbloodsugarspike.

Enjoy!

Free Atkins goodies!

2010-02-20T07:48:00.000-06:00

For those of you who, like me, are a little slow on the uptake, Atkins offers some free goodies when you register with their site. It's free to register and you get all this:

Quick Start Guide
3 Nutrition bars
Pocket carb counter
Access to their recipes

and more! No, I don't work for Atkins.com and I don't follow the Atkins plan but I have in the past and might do it again and I'm a fan, especially for those who are struggling with diabetes and/or high lipids and hypertension.

So, if you or anyone you care about needs to lose weight or get that blood sugar under control, tell 'em about this great freebie!

Mock Crab Cakes - Mmmm with a capital M!

2010-02-17T17:54:00.003-06:00

I wanted to make something different for dinner tonight. Never mind that I broiled a three pound beef roast today or that we have leftover chicken and leftover chili in the fridge. Never mind that 'something different' wasn't on my menu plan for this week. I don't feel too good and very little appealed to me but I knew I wanted something different.

While perusing blogs this afternoon, I found a recipe for Mock Crab Cakes by Shannon at Margarita Stewart and knew that those were my 'something different'. I lacked two ingredients so although I was tired and just feeling puny I went to the grocery and bought them, along with the other things I needed. And I prepared the Mock Crab Cakes.

Let me say that I take a little bit of exception to Shannon's comment of "There is no crab in this, it tastes like it". Neither I nor the man person thought the patties tasted much like crab but don't let that deter you because these babies rock! To be very fair, the recipe didn't say whether the zucchini should be peeled so I didn't peel it. Also, I cut the ingredients in half and sometimes that makes a difference in taste.

I do detect a very slight seafood taste that I think is given mainly by the Old Bay seasoning which I associate with seafood and you might think they're 'crabbier' than we do so let your tongue and taste buds be your guide. Regardless of how crabby tasting they are or aren't, these patties don't disappoint in any way and will be on our menu now and then. The man person liked them so much that when I gave him a bite to taste test while the bulk of the cakes were cooking, his response was, "Do you have a bunch of that stuff made up?" Ehhh, that means he really likes it! And I'm adding this recipe to my February Recipes to Try, even though I still have one from January I haven't tried yet. Okay, so adding one I just found and tried today is kinda cheating but hey, it's my blog. ;)

Shannon, thank you for sharing this treat with the world!

February 14th - 20th Menu

2010-02-14T21:25:00.002-06:00

It's that time again, already! Time for Menu Plan Monday. I don't know how many of my readers participate in MPM but it really is a good tool for helping keep on track in regard to food budget and menu planning. I'm sure it's psychological but having my menu posted on this blog gives me some sort of accountability and for the most part I stick to the menu. I admit, though, that I'm not as faithful as I'd like to be so that's something I'm diligently working on. Last week didn't work out too well as I went to Dallas Wednesday with my mother to take my aunt to the airport and while I was there, I went to my favorite Chinese restaurant with the intention of buying several dishes 'for the freezer'. Well, between getting in late Wednesday, being called in early to work on Friday and simply being lazy on Thursday and Saturday, we've managed to almost finish off 6, yes 6, of the Chinese dishes I brought back. So much for Chinese for the freezer and low carb eating! Eh well, this week will be better and I'm determined to make it so.

Anyway, on to this week's eats!

Tonight after I got off work we went to Wing Stop and I had garlic parmesan wings with ranch dressing on the side. Oh my, they were soooo tasty! We also had an order of their deliciously addictive fries and I ate too many but not enough. Ha! But that was my carbs for the week!

The rest of the week we'll have, in no particular order:

Mimi's Sticky Chicken with zucchini, carrots, and cauliflower

Broiled cross cut beef ribs with Edith Bristow's Baked Onions and stir fried green beans

Vegetable chicken soup made with the leftover sticky chicken and vegetables

Chili Con Carne with lower carb Carbquick cornbread

Zucchini boats with tossed salad and leftover baked onions

You're On Your Own (YOYO) night when we eat leftovers or whatever else we can find that appeals to us.

The coming week will be busy but not so busy I won't have time to cook and hopefully enjoy the food. I hope you enjoy yours, too!

A few pictures of the very recent snow!

2010-02-13T10:44:00.001-06:00

I still need to post the second batch of pictures from my trip to Austin but this blog is interrupted for an entry on east Texas weather. We don't get many 'winter wonderland' scenes here in east Texas but we did get a few Thursday. Dallas, which is about 120 miles to the West, got record breaking amounts of snow and we got 4 to 6 inches in a lot of places but I don't think we broke records. At any rate, we did get a lot and here are a few pictures.

Anyway, for those of you who live in areas with a lot of snow this might not seem like a lot but to us it's pretty amazing!

And here we go.

The sign in our shop parking lot.

The trees across from the back of the office.

This is a picture of the road right outside our office.

And another picture of that same road.

The empty parking lot and trees across the road from the back of the office.

The school behind our office is very quiet!

And finally, me pointing to the sign for our shop.

And here are a few pictures I took on the way to work and in the parking lot at work.

Poor little tree! Too much snow did it in.

Ahh, so that's our 'winter wonderland' 2010 review. Hope you enjoyed it. ;)

February 7th - 13th Menu

2010-02-08T08:53:00.006-06:00

Last night we had our Super Sunday Mini feast, which was very good but contained way too many carbs to have often and we're back on track today.

In light of that, here's the healthy menu for this coming week, in no particular order:

Baked whiting, steamed green beans, and tossed salad

Chicken salad roll ups with slightly modified slow cooked caramelized onions and baked cabbage

~~Buffalo meat loaf topped with leftover caramelized onions and a little bit of grated cheese, served with quick stir fried fresh broccoli and cauliflower~~

~~Vegetable chicken soup with Carbquick cheese biscuits~~

Leftover roast beef cut into chunks and simmered in low carb gravy, served over wild rice with tossed salad and steamed green beans

~~Baked lentils and cheese, from "More-With-Less", with tossed salad, steamed spinach and low carb garlic bread sticks~~

The menu isn't exciting but it's thrifty and all dishes are very easy to make. In addition, it makes very limited use of processed and packaged foods, which is a real plus in my book!

Have a great week, enjoy your eats whatever they are, and don't forget to share your menu with at Menu Plan Monday. I'd love to know what's on your menu!

Superbowl eats

2010-02-07T16:21:00.003-06:00

We aren't having anything terribly exciting on this Superbowl Sunday. Although we're rooting for the Saints they aren't our first choice so we aren't going food crazy. Now, if the Cowboys were playing, we'd have a feast! Ha!

Our Super Sunday menu is thinly sliced roast beef and Colby Jack cheese, Almost Healthy 3 Ingredient Dip with chips and veggies, and brownies!

Since we've cut way back on sodium and the man person is limiting fat, too, rather than buy any kind of lunch meat I cooked a lovely beef roast a couple of days ago with some minced onion, garlic, freshly ground black pepper and the juice of 1/2 a lemon and today we used our new-to-us electric meat slicer to slice a good portion of it. The man person and the youngest of the young men persons, age 18, made roast beef and Colby Jack cheese sandwiches while I just put a few slices of the meat on a 1/2 slice of Colby Jack and topped the mini mound o' meat with another 1/2 slice and warmed it until the cheese was melted. Then I sprinkled it with freshly ground black pepper and gobbled it up! It was fantastic and there's enough for the man to enjoy roast beef for a few days. The makings for an almost healthy Cream Cheese Sausage Dip (recipe below) are in the small slow cooker right now and we'll have that with tortilla chips and/or fresh raw vegetables during the game.

By the way, the part of the roast that didn't get sliced earlier was cut into small chunks and will be used to make "beef tips and gravy" to eat over wild rice. See the forthcoming menu for this week for more on that.

Almost Healthy 3 Ingredient Dip

1 block American Neufchatel cheese
1 lb bulk sausage (I use either turkey or beef sausage or, like today, Gimme Lean sausage)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Put the cheese in a slow cooker and turn it on low. Cook the sausage in a skillet until done. If you use buffalo or any other very lean sausage add a little olive oil to the skillet. Pour the cooked sausage and oil into the slow cooker and add red pepper. Cover and cook on LOW until the cheese melts, then stir a little and cook more until the dip is hot. Serve with chips, vegetables, or whatever you like. You can spice this dip with Rotel tomatoes and we like it that way but actually prefer it without the Rotel.

The brownies are from a mix we had languishing on a back room shelf and aren't even close to healthy but hey, it is a special day and we have to balance out the relative goodforus qualities of the other dishes. Umm, it sounds good anyway!

So, that's our Super Sunday menu - simple, short, and not too terribly unhealthy.

I hope your Sunday is wonderful and may your team win! As long as the Saints are your team. ;)

Part 1 of my trip to Austin...finally!

2010-02-04T04:54:00.000-06:00

Since I only had 4 days of vacation left when the man person got out of the hospital, I decided to drive to Austin and leave Amtrak for another time. I headed out Thursday morning at 3 AM and was at my son's house by 9 AM. Lydia, my daughter in love, had work responsibilities that kept her away most of the weekend but I did get to see her for just a few minutes when she came home to get ready for a banquet.
Isn't she lovely? I think she is and Jeremy is blessed to have a wife such as Lydia. Of course, she's blessed, too!

Jeremy had to work from home Thursday morning and Jon slept most of the morning so I played with Bob the Cat a little and enjoyed the occasional chatting with my oldest. When Jon got up and Jeremy was finished with work we went to Chuy's, an Austin tradition, for lunch. Jeremy had told me he wasn't a huge fan of the place, partially because it's always crowded and the wait is very long, but we got there at the right time of day, apparently. We were seated immediately and had our food within 20 minutes. The food, by the way, was excellent! I had the Stuffed Avocado, something I'd never even heard of, and though it was too rich to eat often, it sure was tasty! The appearance of it was a little odd - it looks kind of like a demented Easter egg. I got a picture of it with my Blackberry but can't find it now. Grrr! It looks like this, though. After lunch, we drove over to South Congress Street and walked around, looking at some funky little shops and enjoying the beautiful weather. One of the best shops was Uncommon Objects and it's chock full of just that, uncommon objects. Truly, it's part antique shop, part junk shop and part something out of "Needful Things".

Friday night we went to Sixth Street, the famous strip of bars, clubs, and music joints. When we got there, some of the street had barricades and my sons explained to me that the street is blocked off weekend nights. There were a few people milling in the street but it was pretty quiet and not at all what I expected. As we walked down the street we passed what I thought was a statue of The Grim Reaper. I slowed to look a little more closely and it moved! Ahhh, a street performer it was, not a statue! Whoever was inside the black shroud did a great job of portraying the ol' reaper and I couldn't help but giggle over the creepiness so Jon got a picture of me with the reaper.
Sweet, huh? Ha ha!

We went to a bar called Nuno's on Sixth because Pinetop Perkins, who is 96 years old and one of the last great Mississippi bluesmen, hangs out there and my sons know I'm a rabid, errr avid, blues fan. We got there and Pinetop was sitting in with Travis Green and The Late Bloomers, one of Austin's newest and most promising bands, playing his keyboard and singing. Oh man, I haven't heard live blues like that before and I was enthralled! So were the rest of the folks in the bar, apparently, because there wasn't a seat to be found so we just stood by the bar and enjoyed the great music of Mr. Perkins, Mr. Green, and company. It was definitely worth much more than the $3 cover charge Nuno's charges! While we were there, the great Alan Haynes wandered in and it seemed like old home week there at Nuno's. Unfortunately, Alan didn't play and didn't stay long but I had hope!

After a couple of hours of that we headed back into the street. It was pretty late, about 1 AM, and the fairly quiet Sixth Street I'd seen earlier was gone! There were young people walking in the streets, some sober and a lot of them not so sober. The police were out and about, a few striding through the street, some riding their horses, watching carefully and "escorting" folks (usually handcuffed) to the paddy wagon as necessary. Apparently, a person can be slobbering drunk down there but as long as said drunk person has a sober person there to keep an eye on him/her an arrest isn't made. However, if you're drunk and alone, watch out! Austin Texas Police, bless you! I wouldn't want your job but I'm so glad you're there to do it.

We stopped for a treat at The Best Wurst, a street vendor, for the best all beef bratwurst I've ever had. I wanted to get a picture of the lovely dog, kraut, and bun with spicy mustard but I wolfed it down.

However, Jon did get a shot of me standing by one of the police horses, bratwurst in hand. Yeah, I'm terrified of horses so I had to make myself stand next to this beast! The policeman was very nice about the picture and the horse was pretty tolerant, too, though he did try to steal my snack! I lived in Germany for a few years in the 80s and have had my share of brats but none like this. Seriously, if you ever get to Austin and are a brat fan, go to The Best Wurst and try their fare.

That's enough for this entry...more to come later!

Ummm, I don't do cakes!

2010-02-02T06:02:00.001-06:00

Since we're both diabetic I don't bake cakes anymore but I used to love to bake them. And cookies. And brownies. And, and, and... But even when I did bake cakes the most decorating I did was frost them and that wasn't always easy for me. You know, getting every little spot covered with icing and making it look attractive to boot was a tall order! It was easier to just leave the cake unfrosted.

I might be pretty brave in the kitchen but not brave enough to attempt cake decorating. I don't have steady hands or sharp eyesight and there are just too many things that can go wrong, as evidenced by Cake Wrecks, a site that keeps me laughing so hard my sides hurt! The pictures are enough to make me roll but the author's words are even better.

So, when you have a little time and want a laugh, go look at what the cake wreckerators have wrought!

Mary had a little lamb...with asparagus and red potato

2010-02-01T18:13:00.001-06:00

Okay, I don't know if Mary did but Denise and the man person sure did! We had them with steamed asparagus and red potatoes with a dab of sour cream and boy, was it delicious!

I've only eaten lamb a few times and had never participated in the cooking of it before (unless you consider watching someone else grill it participating in cooking) so this was an experience for me. I was nervous even though everything I've read said to treat it pretty much like a beef steak. No matter how much I read about cooking lamb my mind screamed, "But it isn't a big ugly cow! It's a little, wooly lamb!" I finally managed to ignore that part of mind and decided to just do it!

So what did I do? I seasoned the two chops with garlic powder, a very small amount of Cook's Choice Gourmet Steak Seasoning and a little dried rosemary from my mother's herb garden. I baked it at 325 for about 25 minutes, checking and turning it often to make sure it didn't cook too much.

The result was a savory treat that was fork tender and fit for a king. We both enjoyed the lamb and there's enough left of tonight's dinner for the man person to have a repeat for tomorrow's lunch. It just doesn't get much better than that.

If you haven't tried lamb, go ahead and give it a shot. And if you have some experience with lamb, please let me know what cut you use and how you prepare it. We'll have it once a month or so probably and it would be great to have other ideas on how to prepare it.

January 31st - February 6th Menu

2010-01-31T19:31:00.007-06:00

It's been a busy week for me and I still haven't gotten the pictures from Austin posted but will do that when I get the ones my son took. I only have a couple on my camera and he's a more creative shutterbug than I am, anyway, so those should be better.

I realized today I failed in my attempt to try two new recipes in January. However, I did try one of them and am going to try the other this week so I don't think self beating is in order.

As for this last week, we did go out to eat one night but otherwise stuck to the menu I had planned. Sometimes that's the hard part for me - sticking to the plan. The actual planning is the easy part!

Do you find that sticking with a menu plan is difficult? If so, do you have suggestions or strategies for helping with that?

Yesterday I did our grocery shopping and spent too much but man, it's tough to eat a lower fat, lower carb, and lower sodium diet on a budget! I spent $105 but except for milk and fresh vegetables that should last close to two weeks.

In my never ending quest to find healthier alternatives to sodium injected, fatty, cheap meats, I got a package of two very nice lamb shoulder arm chops for $4.99 a lb. A bit pricier than I like but it should be tasty and nice for a treat. I don't have a lot of experience with eating lamb and have less experience with cooking it but I'm game! I also found asparagus for $1.79 a lb and got a small bundle of that. It's a nice addition to a quick stir fry.

Tonight we were going to have the lamb dinner but I was ravenous when I got in from work so we had beef roast I cooked earlier today with a little bit of baked red potato.

Anyway, without further ado, here's this week's menu in no particular order except for tomorrow night's meal which is listed first:

Seasoned lamb shoulder arm chops with steamed asparagus and buttered herbed red potatoes

Roasted chicken with carrots, cabbage, potato and onion

Vegetable chicken soup made with the leftover chicken and vegetables

Beef tips and low carb gravy over wild rice served with tossed salad and baked onions

Quick chipotle chicken with leftover wild rice and my special green beans

Vegetable beef soup made with leftover beef roast and beef tips served with Carbquick cheesy biscuits

So there's our menu for this week. With the exception of the lamb and chipotle chicken, it's all our very standard and boring fare! But at least we're having a couple of interesting and different-for-us dishes.

If you haven't tried menu planning yet and want to give it a try, I encourage you to join Laura and her ever growing crew of menu planning fans at Menu Plan Monday. Head on over there to find new recipes and perhaps get some ideas for your own menu!

January 24th - 30th Menu

2010-01-25T10:44:00.001-06:00

I got back from Austin about 2 PM yesterday. Boy, is it good to be back! I have a few pictures to share, a couple are even of food, and I'll try to get those posted later today or tomorrow but for now my priority is sharing our menu for the coming week. It's very hard to low carb when on vacation so although I did some, I didn't do enough and absolutely must get back on track so adequate planning for the coming week is vital. Of course, I also have to consider the man person's diet, which is now low fat, low sodium, and lower carb. Arrgh, what am I supposed to feed him, grass and water? Apparently, his diet should be akin to that. Uh huh, like that's gonna happen!

Anyway, last night we had baked cross cut beef ribs with a tiny red potato each and steamed broccoli. It was tasty but the ribs were too fatty. The price for them was very good, though, and eating them as a treat once in awhile is okay, I think.

Tonight's dinner will be Stir Fry, made with low carb vegetables and just a little meat. The man person will probably have his over a long grain and wild rice mix and I'll have mine over a little bit of Dreamfields macaroni.

Here's the rest of this week's menu, in no particular order:

Vegetable Beef soup, made with the emphasis on lower carb vegetables and a small amount of meat, served with Carbquick cheese biscuits

Roast chicken with carrots, onion, mushroom, and potato

Vegetable and Pasta Casserole using a leftover Carbquick biscuit for the bread crumbs

Chicken salad lettuce rolls made with leftover roasted chicken and served with steamed green beans

Chicken fajitas, made with leftover chicken, plenty of onion, and a little bit of cheese

And that's it for this week's dinners. They're all fairly low in carbs, fat and sodium, but high in taste and value. For more menu ideas, make sure you check out Menu Plan Monday, hosted by Laura at orgjunkie.com.

Vacation plans a little derailed!

2010-01-22T10:53:00.003-06:00

On the Friday before I was to board Amtrak for my trip to Austin, Rod told me he'd been having chest pains since Thursday. He'd put off telling me because he thought the pain would pass and he didn't want to interfere with my trip. Well, by Saturday afternoon we were at the ER and he was admitted. His cardiac interventionist wasn't on duty so a hospital physician admitted him and he basically sat in a room until Monday morning when his physician showed up and decided to do a heart cath. The cath was done and the surgeon found that the non-medicated stents that were placed in November were 95% clogged. He placed two medicated stents inside the two non-medicated stents, Rod left the hospital Wednesday morning, and I left for Austin Thursday morning.

Rather than take Amtrak, which is a 10 hour ride down and a little over 8 hours back, I drove. The trip was uneventful and I've enjoyed my stay in Austin so far. I have to head back home Sunday morning since I have to be at work Monday but at least I get to spend a couple of days with my sons. Rod seems to feel fine and he's watching his diet. Better than that, though, he hasn't had a smoke since Saturday! Needless to say, I'm going to quit, too.

Wish us well in that! More to come later from Austin.

Fire roasted red pepper sauce!

2010-01-13T17:56:00.001-06:00

I've had fire roasted red pepper in soups and salads but had never done a thing with them at home. Recently I found a 12 ounce jar of them on sale and bought it thinking I'd find some use for it. I hadn't though. Until tonight!

Dinner was breakfast meatballs, steamed broccoli, and a tiny baked red potato. I didn't have any homemade buttermilk ranch to put on my potato and though I often use just butter, salt, and pepper I wanted something different tonight. So I put on my thinking cap and came up with this:

Fire Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

For each potato, heat 2 Tablespoons of cream cheese until it's very smooth and spoonable. Add to the cheese whatever seasonings you like. I used a little garlic, pepper, and celery salt. To the cheese mixture add chopped fire roasted red pepper. I used about 1/2 a pepper but it definitely could have used more. Stir well and use.

I spooned the sauce onto my little baked potato and sprinkled a dash of Spike Gourmet Natural Seasoning on it and it was amazing! Such a simple and easy little sauce but I think it would be good on asparagus, on green beans, or even as a dip for fresh, raw vegetables or nice little crackers.

By the way, if you haven't tried Spike, you really should. It's a blend of a lot of spices and herbs and it's great on salads, meats, in soups, etc. The claim is that Spike has no MSG but it does have hydrolyzed vegetable protein so if you're sensitive to MSG, try it with caution.

Here are the ingredients in Spike:

Salt and sea salt crystals, special high flavor yeast, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, mellow toasted onion, onion powder, orange powder, soy flour, celery leaf powder, celery root powder, garlic powder, dill, kelp, Indian curry, horseradish, ripe white pepper, orange and lemon peel, summer savory, mustard flower, sweet green and red peppers, parsley flakes, tarragon, rose hips, saffron, mushroom powder, parsley powder, spinach powder, tomato powder, sweet Hungarian paprika, celery powder, cayenne pepper, plus a delightful herbal bouquet of the best Greek oregano, French sweet basil, French marjoram, French rosemary, and Spanish thyme

So, if you have a jar of fire roasted red peppers languishing somewhere, drag 'em out and create something! If you do, please let me know what you came up with as I have about 10 ounces left to use.

Vacation plans!

2010-01-13T12:20:00.000-06:00

I'm taking a week off starting Monday, January 18th, and am going to Austin to see my sons. To say I'm excited is an understatement, folks!

Every time I've been to Austin it's been for an event of some sort and I had precious little free time. Years ago when my daughter was living I went there a few times for training/education purposes. I stayed in hotels and spent my days at seminars and advocacy training sessions. I rode with others so didn't have a car and my evenings were spent in hotel rooms watching television. I even ate at the hotels most of the time and rarely got to see anything, though I did see Treaty Oak on one visit.

More recently I've been to Austin for my oldest son's college graduation, his wedding, and their combination anniversary/housewarming party five months ago. Each of those times I was only there for a couple of days and most of my time was spent planning, running errands, and such.

This time the entire purpose of the trip is to spend time with my kids.

Rather than fly or drive I'm going on Amtrak! I haven't been on a train in many years and have heard Amtrak can be a lot of fun so I'm giving it a shot. It's a long trip - 8 to 10 hours - so I'll take my cell phone, my iPod, my digital camera and a book or two. Hopefully I'll be able to nap on the train but we'll see.

I'm really looking forward to this trip and hope to return with pictures galore to share. Hopefully, some will be of good local fare we've consumed or something we've conjured in the kitchen.

I'll post again before I leave and probably while I'm gone, too. ;)

January 10th - 16th Menu

2010-01-11T06:29:00.005-06:00

Brrrr, it's so cold it's ridiculous! We don't have snow, ice or any of that wet stuff but it's cold nonetheless. It's so cold I saw a democrat with his hands in his own pockets! Heh...

Speaking of cold, I'm taking part in a clean out the freezer challenge so this week's menu is based on what's in that freezer, just screaming to get out so new stuff can come in. I also got a new Aroma electric wok and want to use it.

Sunday night we had roasted chicken with green beans, carrots, potatoes, and onions that were cooked in the new wok.

The rest of the week we'll have, in no particular order:

Chicken and vegetable soup with the leftover chicken and vegetables

Turkey sausage and beef meatballs in "gravy" (a light broth based sauce) served with salad and steamed spinach

Meat crust pizza topped with turkey bacon, smoked turkey, and turkey pastrami

Seasoned baked salmon with caramelized onions, served with salad and steamed broccoli

Chili Relleno Casserole with ugly green bean fries

YOYO (You're On Your Own) when we clean out the fridge of leftovers, snack on something light, have a couple of hotdogs, or whatever

And that's it for this week's hearty, healthy, and very frugal menu. :)

Is your menu made for the coming week? If so, please share! I love to see what others are eating and it often gives me great ideas for something new. And don't forget to head over to Menu Plan Monday headquarters for new ideas from Laura and company.

Tiny kitchen, big cookin'!

2010-01-10T11:44:00.014-06:00

We have what we call 'the kitchen' but it isn't what most people think of as a kitchen. Picture an area with counter top space big enough for a toaster and perhaps a microwave and slow cooker, a couple of cupboards above and below the counter top, a small sink, two drawers and you've pretty much seen our kitchen.

Here's the kitchen, boring and messy, as it looks while I'm cooking:

And here's the kitchen, boring but clean, as it looks after I've cleaned up the mess from cooking:

Now you've seen my kitchen. All of it. There's no oven or stove. There's definitely no dishwasher, only a very tiny one hole sink in which to wash and rinse dishes and there's not much storage space. There's no space for a refrigerator or freezer so those are in another room. It's something of an adventure and now and then people who visit ask me, "How do you cook in such a tiny space?" The answer is "With thought and planning!"

Recipes and dishes in this blog prior to October of 2007 were prepared in a 'real kitchen' but after that time the dishes have been prepared in our makeshift kitchen. I cook everything now that I always have with the exception of boiled eggs. The single electric burner we had quit working and we didn't replace it, opting instead to use store bought boiled eggs on rare occasions.

And how have I actually performed these feats and marvels? Like I said, with thought and planning!

Seriously, it isn't as hard as it might seem but it requires a few particular appliances and accessories. For us, the main appliances are:

slow cookers - we have three but one would work fine for us. They're used to make chili, soups, and stews, to cook roasts, and to "smoke" chicken.
Cook's Essentials 8 quart digital pressure cooker - this is used mainly to make Ray's 3 Envelope Roast, the best roast I've ever tasted and beef tips to serve over wild rice or riced cauliflower.
Black & Decker countertop convection oven - from cooking frozen fish sticks to roasting a chicken or a hefty cut of beef to baking stuffed mushrooms, this tiny oven will do it.
microwave oven - mainly for cooking vegetables and re-heating leftovers
two slice toaster - used just for toast
Deni indoor grill - produces nicely grilled beef, chicken, fish steaks, and vegetables
bread machine (rarely used)
Aroma heavy duty electric wok - purchased yesterday but so far it's been used for breakfast this morning and now it has green beans, carrots, potato and onion cooking in it.

The accessories, though not necessary, enable me to provide a little more variety in our meals. None of these are outrageously expensive when purchased new and ours were bought for pennies at garage sales. The main accessories we use are:

Pampered Chef small Micro-Cooker (25 cents)
Nordic Ware Microwave Egg Muffin Cooker (25 cents and great for 'fried' eggs)
Master Gourmet Microwave Steak and Burger grill (50 cents)
Nordic Ware Microwave Omelet pan (25 cents)
Various shallow metal and ceramic baking pan, muffin tins, tiny loaf pans, etc.

I can think of a few additional items that would be beneficial if I had more space. An electric skillet would be nice but the new wok will suffice and is more versatile. Some people have suggested a rice cooker as a handy addition but we don't eat much rice or pasta and when we do I cook it in the microwave. Once in awhile I think I need a food processor or blender but have managed just fine without one. However, I am seriously considering an immersion blender.

And where do we keep all this stuff? Ahh, that's an excellent question! If you're standing in the kitchen facing the sink, to the left there's a wall and against the wall is this shelf:

The appliances I use the most are kept on this shelf. Things I use less often like the tiny slow cooker and the pressure cooker are kept in another room.

Directly across from the sink is one of those cheap plastic drawer stands and on top of it sits the dish drainer. The drawers have little used utensils and smaller kitchen things in them. The entire kitchen area, wall to wall, is about 12 feet by 4 feet. That's it. And from this small space culinary masterpieces emerge...errr, we manage to eat well.

Breakfast is generally some kind of breakfast meat cooked in the microwave or convection oven along with eggs from the microwave, usually scrambled, and toast. This morning, though, I cooked Sweet Italian Sausages in the new wok and then fried the eggs in olive oil in the wok. It was fantastic and a very nice change of pace from the usual nuked fare. I did a quick test to see if the wok would boil water and it does. It boils 4 cups of water in less than 5 minutes which means I can now make hard boiled eggs.

Lunch is usually leftovers from the night before though sometimes the man person prepares himself a sandwich.

Suppers are normal fare - roasted chicken, beef roast, meat loaf, baked fish, etc. cooked in the convection oven, slow cooker, or pressure cooker with a salad and/or other vegetables, usually cooked in the microwave. The addition of the wok will give us a few more options, especially in the vegetable department.

All in all, we do quite well without a 'real kitchen' so if you find yourself in the position of not being able to cook as you normally do (for whatever reason) don't panic. Just re-think how you prepare the foods you eat the most and punt.

We're remarkably able to adapt and change, we humans, especially if we feel we have no choice.

And now for something completely different...

2010-01-09T11:09:00.001-06:00

This has nothing to do with food. Well, it sorta does because of what it's promoting. But I'm sharing this just because it's so darn cute and as cold as it's been lately we should be thankful we don't have the little birds running around everywhere. ;)

Smile and enjoy!

The Great Thaw of 2010 - ready, set, go!

2010-01-08T16:47:00.005-06:00

And no, I'm not talkin' about the weather.

Someone in a Yahoo Group I'm in posted that she wants to empty her freezer of the foods she bought in 2009, using the food she's already paid for and getting the freezer cleaned and ready for new stuff. I'd already been thinking about how badly our freezer needs a good going through and this shows you why:

Marvel at the mess! Fear the frost buildup! The freezer is an old one and I do mean old. We got it almost two years ago at a garage sale for $5 (talk about a bargain!) and when we had a repairman come work on our fridge recently he looked over the freezer and said it's a model from the 1940s!! I love vintage but vintage that doesn't defrost itself? Ehhh, not so much. But for the price, it's fantastic. I have to defrost it and clean it well every three months or so and haven't done that in about 5 months now. It's absolutely shameful and I'm going to do something about it. There's really a decent amount of food in the freezer but unfortunately it's such a disaster I can't tell you just what's in there. And it wouldn't surprise me if some of it is freezer burned now. Anyway, I told her I was in.

I found a package of thin beef roasts or thick beef steaks (not sure which but they could be either) and broiled them. We ate some with broccoli with cheese sauce for lunch and I'll use the rest of the cooked meat over the next few days. One thing I plan to make is vegetable beef soup and I'll probably do that tomorrow while I'm off. If I come up with anything different, exciting, or even remotely interesting I'll post about it and will put up pictures. Be afraid, be very afraid.

So, that's the Great Thaw of 2010. Ha! Anyone care to join me? If so, let me know and if you post about it somewhere I'd love to know the URL so I can read about what you did with that glut of frozen food!

Ammonia in our beef!?!?!?

2010-01-07T16:34:00.003-06:00

I often question the food supply here in the U.S. I've known and talked to too many people in the food industry to think our food is all A-OK. The USDA as far as I'm concerned, is just about worthless as are most government agencies. I won't use this entry to rant too much about said agency but the "pyramid" crap we've been fed should be proof enough.

However, if you need more proof, here it is.

It's important that you read the entire article. To say I'm stunned, shocked, and disgusted would be an understatement.

That is all.

Simple things...

2010-01-06T20:06:00.001-06:00

Today was my day off and I had such a nice day. The weather is cold but that's what heaters, sweaters, jackets, and gloves are for, right? After letting my van warm up well this morning I went to the bank, then by Verizon to gripe about the lemon of a phone I recently got from them (they're sending a new one), then to the laundrymat where I tended to the chore of washing, drying, hanging and folding clothes. I went by Starbucks for an Americano and got a survey receipt so when I got back to the shop I completed the survey and got my authorization code for a free tall drink of my choice. Yummy!

I spent most of the rest of the day doing as little as possible, just enjoying my day off. I did cook a dinner of crustless spinach quiche and instead of making vegetables to go with it, we each had a small piece of the lower carb faux cornbread I made a couple of days ago. There's plenty of quiche and cornbread left so the man person will probably have some for his lunch tomorrow and I'll definitely take some. I'll aim for a no spend day tomorrow so bringing lunch, a small snack, and a drink is a good idea.

Ahhh, the pleasure of simple things in life - a warm van, clean clothes, a free drink, and hearty leftovers for lunch. I can't ask for much more.

Start Over, Finish Rich - free!

2010-01-05T05:50:00.005-06:00

I know some of you are interested in personal finance and for those of you who are, here's a freebie for you: David Bach's book, Start Over, Finish Rich. This is the same guy who wrote The Automatic Millionaire, Smart Women Finish Rich, and a host of other great books. This download is supposed to be free for just one day (yesterday) but it's still being given this morning.

So hurry and get yours!!

Edited to say the above link isn't valid now.

January 3rd - 9th Menu

2010-01-03T22:25:00.006-06:00

Ahhh, a new year and a chance to start fresh in so many areas! The man person and I have revamped our budget and re-committed ourselves to our financial and health goals. I've also set a few personal goals and one of those is to continue our healthy eating while still saving money. Talk about a challenge!

Menu planning will help, though. It keeps me from buying food we don't need, it helps me utilize the food items we have and the ones at bargain prices at the stores, it helps me use up those leftovers, and it saves a lot of time. Menu planning truly is a thing of beauty that's growing in popularity and if you don't believe me, check out Menu Plan Monday to see how many people are participating!

Oh, at that site are some nice grocery list templates, envelopes, labels and more to download. If you haven't participated in Menu Plan Monday and you're thinking of doing so or giving menu planning a try, please join in! I don't think you'll be sorry.

We have bad (for this area) weather coming mid-week and very cold temperatures are being predicted. What's your favorite cold weather food and do you have a recipe for it you'll share? I'm on the lookout for some new cold weather favorites!

I'm simply out of inspiration right now so I looked through old blog entries and found a few dishes that look or sound good to me. So, this week's menu is largely made of dishes I've mentioned in the past. They must be good, though, or I wouldn't consider having them again! Okay, on to this week's thrifty, healthy, and tasty menu!

Tonight we had Farmhouse Beef Casserole with steamed green beans. I blogged about the casserole a little earlier this evening and if you want to know about that dish, here's the review. We had it with green beans and it was a hearty meal. There's some leftover and I'll more than likely take the leftovers to work over the next couple of days.

Tomorrow night we're having slow cooked lima beans with cornbread I'll attempt to make using Carbquick and a small amount of corn meal. I'll put the beans in the crock with some water and spices and before I head to work in the afternoon I'll add some turkey pastrami. When I get in tomorrow evening they'll be tender and hot and so tasty.

The rest of the week we'll have, in no particular order:

Cheese and spinach crustless quiche served with green salad and crispy steamed carrots

Vegetable chicken soup, made with the meat from two chicken legs and quite a few vegetables lingering in the fridge, served with low carb biscuits and butter

Spicy baked chicken served with green salad and stuffed mushrooms

Turkey Italian sausage and baked cabbage

Poor Man's Steak, leftover baked cabbage, and 1/2 a small baked potato each

So that's the menu for this week. Nothing exciting or new other than the Farmhouse Beef Casserole we had tonight but that's okay - some things are so good they just need to be repeated

Farmhouse Beef Casserole - mixed reviews

2010-01-03T19:45:00.003-06:00

I got in from work at about 5:20 tonight and made the Farmhouse Beef Casserole I mentioned in yesterday's entry. It took a little while to prepare the ingredients but I did it while watching the tail end of the Cowboys/Eagles game (take that, you Eagles!) and the time passed quickly.

I like this dish but the man person said, and I quote:

"I wouldn't want that often but it wasn't bad."

He isn't really into casseroles for the most part so for him to really like any casserole is rare. Keep that in mind and don't let his words sway you into declaring this dish as "don't try".

Here are some things I really like about this dish; the thrifty ingredients, the great smell while it's cooking, and the fact that it's satisfying for the tummy. One thing I didn't like about it though; the taste was a little blander than what I like and I think it needs a little more something though I'm not sure what. I did make a few changes to the recipe and they're noted in parentheses after the original. My additional notes are after the recipe.

Farmhouse Beef Casserole

Olive oil cooking spray
1 small russet or all purpose potato
1 cup shredded low fat mozarella cheese (I used cheddar as I have a glut of it right now)
1 lb extra lean ground sirloin (I used ground turkey as I had it on hand and only used 1/2 lb)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped (I use about 1/4 of an onion but more would have been better)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-14.5 oz can no salt added diced tomatoes with juice (See below)
1 Tbsp chili powder or to taste
2 cups shredded green cabbage (I don't shred cabbage, instead I just slice it thin then dice it)
salt (optional) (I used a little celery salt)
freshly ground black pepper
1-3 tbls purchased taco sauce (I omitted this)
6 slices pickled jalapeno chili peppers (optional) (I omitted this)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat a 2 qt casserole dish with cooking spray. Peel and grate the potato into a bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup ot the cheese and spread evenly over the bottom of the prepared dish. Bake 15-20 minutes or until potato is browned and crispy. Meanwhile, brown ground sirloin, onion, and garlic in a large nonstick skillet, breaking up the beef with a wooden spoon as it browns. Discard any excess fat. Stir in tomatoes with their juice, chili powder and cabbage. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Saute, stirring for a minute or two. If mix seems too dry add 1 Tbsp of the bottled taco sauce, adding up to 2 Tbsp more, if needed. When potatoes are done, spoon beef mixture on top of potatoes. Top with remaining cheese and jalapeno slices (if using). Bake for 25-30 minutes till casserole is hot and bubbly. Serve at once.

Calories 235 (40% from fat), 24g protein, 11g total fat (4.8g sat. fat), 12g carb., 2 g fiber, 38mg cholesterol, 471mg potassium, 357mg sodium
Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 1 carb (1/2 bread/starch, 1-1/2 vegetable

Here's a picture of the crust, which I made according to the directions.

It's very good as is but I think to reduce the carb count I might try making it with shredded cauliflower. Since we need to be careful of fat and not just carbs, I used ground turkey breast instead of beef and since I don't have a stove I put the turkey, garlic and onion in my handy dandy Pampered Chef small Micro-Cooker (bought at a garage sale for a quarter!) and cooked it all for 4 minutes, stopping twice to break the meat up a little. When it was cooked through, I let it cool, strained it well, and used clean hands to break the meat up really well.

Since I was using only half the called for meat, I figured I needed a little less liquid than what the original recipe called for so I reserved the juice from the tomatoes rather than mixing it in with the meat and cabbage. I did use some of that juice a bit later but only about 1/3 of what was in the can.

From there I followed the original recipe.

I'll try this recipe again but with some changes. As I mentioned, I'll use cauliflower instead of potato and will use more onion than I did this time but I think I'll add a little bit of homemade taco seasoning to the meat, garlic, and onion to give it that extra flavor. I might even put a little pico de gallo on top, too.

All in all, this is a hearty dish and I think it's one that lends itself to versatility. If you don't have one of the ingredients, use something else. Make it your own and if you do, please share with me what you did! I'm always looking for inexpensive but flavorful recipes.

January recipes to try

2010-01-02T05:30:00.004-06:00

For a long time now (think years) I've had a list of recipes to try. I keep meaning to get around to making them but you know how it is - with work and other things going on in my life, I don't get to it. Oh, I try new recipes often but not the ones I've had for ages! Some of them now are in the "don't try" list simply because they're too high in carbs or our tastes have changed and they don't appeal to us anymore, but the list of ones to try is still very long. And I've decided that this year I'm going to start working to reduce that list.

Just like like going to the gym and being careful about my diet are priorities, trying new recipes will be a priority. So, one of my goals for 2010 is to try at least two new recipes a month and write a blog entry about each. I'll more than likely exceed two most months but two new recipes a month is a reasonable and easily attainable goal.

Here are the two I've picked for January:

Edith Bristow's Baked Onions and Farmhouse Beef Casserole

Neither of these has long been in my "try this soon" file but both sound quite tasty and easy so I'll start with them. When I try them, I'll post the original recipe, any changes made to it, and photos. It should be interesting!

Keep watching for more on this!

Thrifty January? Inexpensive slow cooker recipes to the rescue!

2010-01-01T05:59:00.011-06:00

I really love my slow cookers. I have three of them and they get used a lot. In fact, right now the medium one has lima beans in it (we thought we had blackeye peas and don't!!) and before I head to work this afternoon I'll have a bowl of hot, well seasoned and thrifty limas. Mmmm!

Here are a few of my standby slow cooked dishes that are easy to throw in the crock and don't cost an arm and a leg.

Cheater's Slow Cooked Steak and Gravy - the soup and broth from the meat make the gravy so even a person who has gravy making issues can produce lovely gravy!

beef (I use 1 lb of inexpensive steak or carne picada)
onion to taste, chopped, sliced, however you like it (I like a lot)
salt, pepper, garlic and any other seasonings desired
cream of mushroom soup or homemade equivalent (use cream of chicken with mushroom to save some carbs)
small can chopped green chiles

Put the beef in a slow cooker, add the onion and spices, and cook on high for about an hour until the meat shows little or no pink. Drain enough liquid that there's only 1/4 cup or so in the crock. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on low for at least three hours. Serve over rice, noodles, potatoes or vegetables. I love this over riced cauliflower.

"Smoked" Chicken in a Crock - this is so simple and the resulting chicken has a nice smoky flavor that's a welcome addition to many dishes!

I love the flavor of smoked chicken but without a smoker I have to get creative to get that flavor. After a little experimentation I hit on the right combination of things to get a decent smoky flavor in my slow cooker. This is very simple but tasty and the leftover chicken makes delicious chicken salad.

Wash and rinse chicken pieces or a whole chicken. I prefer to use whole chicken. Pat it dry and season with a little pepper, salt, and garlic. Put the chicken in the crock of your slow cooker and add 2 Tablespoons of Liquid Smoke. Add sliced onions, bell peppers, squash or any other vegetable you like, put the lid on the crock, set it to low and let cook about 6 hours. Because I don't like the boiled chicken thing that often happens in slow cookers, I drain the broth a few times during the cooking process, freezing it for later use.

When the chicken is cooked, carefully remove it from the crock. It will more than likely fall apart so you might want to put the chicken and vegetables in some netting or cheesecloth before you put it in the crock. I don't do that normally but do if I think I won't want to mess with fishing out pieces of chicken.

Chicken & Biscuits - another easy favorite, though a bit too high in carbs for us to eat often! I do occasionally use Carbquick to make low carb biscuits for this, though.

3 cups chicken, cooked and chopped
3 cups chicken broth (water and chicken bouillon work, too, as does vegetable broth)
5 small carrots, chopped
1/2 to 3/4 onion, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
8 ounces mushrooms, fresh or canned
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 cup frozen green peas (I often use chopped green beans instead)
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup cold water (I often use juice from canned vegetables)
biscuits, uncooked

Bring chicken broth to a boil and add garlic and vegetables. Simmer about 15 minutes. Add chicken and peas or beans and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes. Dump it all in the slow cooker and set the heat to low. Make a paste with the cornstarch and cold water and carefully add it to the chicken mixture a little at a time, stirring well. Stir a bit then put the lid on the crock and continue to cook on low for at least an hour. At this point, if you're going to eat it immediately, just pour everything into a casserole, top with biscuits, and bake at 375 until the biscuits are light brown.

To freeze, pour into a glass casserole dish, cover with foil, place in a good freezer bag and put in freezer. When ready to eat, thaw and place in 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and place raw biscuit dough or pre-made biscuits on top. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until hot and biscuits are lightly browned.

Prevention's site has some nice sounding inexpensive slow cooker recipes, including corn chowder, kidney bean and beef chili, brownies, and "baked" apples, and most can be made for less than $2 per serving. If there's something in one of the recipes that makes the cost too high for your budget, eliminate that item or substitute something else. And check out their line of hearty and healthy soups and stews, too! Just because the site is Prevention's and the recipes are healthier than a lot of others doesn't mean the dishes aren't very good!

Speaking of soup, Tipnut has a list of 15 comforting homemade soup recipes, including my very own Slow Cooked Beef, Barley, and Vegetable Soup.

This is a great time of year for soups so find some good recipes or get creative and make your own but make plenty of that warm, hearty soup!

December 27 - January 2 Menu

2009-12-28T15:42:00.003-06:00

It's been a long time since I participated in Menu Plan Monday and I've missed it! I'll try to be more consistent about blogging and I hope others will try to give me input on menus and posts. ;)

So, last night was a YOYO (You're On Your Own) night because I worked until 6:30 and the Cowboys game was about to start when I got home. I had some Dreamfields pasta cooked in beef broth with a little stewed tomato and garlic and the man person had a sandwich made with some of the barbecued chicken I prepared yesterday. The meal wasn't particularly exciting but it was cheap, hot, filling, and very good while watching the Cowboys game.

Tonight we're having garlic baked salmon with steamed carrots and salad. And on New Year's Day we'll have black eyed peas, cabbage and fish of some sort for lunch.

The rest of the week we'll have, in no particular order:

Roast beef slow cooked with sweet potatoes, carrots, and onions, served with tossed salad

Open face roast beef sandwiches (made with leftover roast beef) and green beans

Vegetable beef soup using the last of the cooked roast and vegetables

Sticky Chicken cooked with fresh green beans and served with salad

Homemade chicken pot pie (using Carbquick to make the crust), salad, and steamed spinach

And that's it for this week, tasty, nutritious, and thrifty food!

Happy eating, y'all, and don't forget to check out MPM for more great menu ideas.

She lives!

2009-12-24T22:57:00.003-06:00

Yes folks, I am alive! Not that anyone really doubted that but you know...

Life has been pretty hectic and I just haven't spent a lot of time online and the time I do spend online I try to make fairly productive by doing things like reading cooking and low carb eating blogs and playing Farmville and Cafe World on Face Book! ;)

Actually, things really have been hectic but all is well. The man person had two stents put in his heart recently but he recuperated very quickly and nicely and is doing really well.

Anyway, it's Thursday evening, almost 11 PM and I can't sleep. I hope to go to Dallas in the morning and spend the day with my family but the weather here is being wishy washy and not cooperating too well so we'll see what happens.

In the meantime, have a healthy, happy and safe holiday and look for more from me soon!

Today is 14KPWD Day - are you ready?

2009-07-14T09:14:00.004-05:00

Today is July 14th, #14KWD Day, the day 14,000 people with diabetes will test their blood sugar at the same time and post the result on Twitter, Facebook, their blog, send via text message to others, etc. If you can't post at the exact time, it's okay to do it earlier or later. The point is to raise awareness about testing blood sugar and its importance so if you're diabetic or know someone who is, join in!
I'll be at work at 3 PM but will text my results to Twitter and some of my loved ones.

Here are the testing times:
* 1:00 pm PT
* 2:00 pm MT
* 3:00 pm CT
* 4:00 pm ET
* 8:00 pm GMT
Friends, family, and loved ones, be ready to get a text from me around 3 PM!

Menu Plan Monday

2009-07-12T23:20:00.005-05:00

It's time again for Menu Plan Monday! I really hope more low carbers will join in the Monday mayhem. There are a few of us but it's always fun to see what others are eating. I find that planning and posting our menus for the week really does help me keep grocery and time spending under control but more than that it's a major help in keeping me on the right nutritional track!

Participating is very easy so please join us!

Our menus for last week didn't pan out as I'd hoped. We didn't go out to eat except for the one night at the gym's cafe but we ate some meals that weren't on the menu. That's okay, though, we're having those foods this week!

So, here's this week's menu in no particular order except for Sunday night's dinner, which is first:

Long John Silver's Grilled Pacific Salmon with no rice and two servings of the Vegetable Medley

Turkey sausage meatballs (adaptation of this recipe), served with baked sweet potato and steamed green beans

Blackened salmon with vegetable soup and baked cauliflower

Turkey pastrami and cheese wrap at the gym's cafe one night but no pita chips!

BBQ chicken breasts, leftover baked sweet potato, and salad

Tuna salad made with dill pickle relish, mayonnaise, garlic, and a little balsamic vinegar nestled in a nice low carb Lavash bread and served with fresh steamed vegetables and a salad

Chicken salad made with leftover baked chicken breast and rolled in lettuce leaves, served with my special spinach-almond-garlic saute

None of those meals are very high in carbs or fat and they're all thrifty and easy. Of course, other than Saturday, which is our day off, we'll be at the gym after dinner gettin' that sweat on!

Old baby, new baby!

2009-07-11T11:46:00.005-05:00

I got a new baby today! She's an expensive baby but ohhhhhh, so worth it!

My old baby never did satisfy me...he simply didn't have the power and gumption I needed and after months of trying to cajole him, I gave up and decided it was time to find a replacement.

Yeah, he's a Eureka Altima vacuum. If you're in the market for a new vacuum, don't waste your money on one of these. I don't care if some of the reviews (but check the comments to the review!!) are sparkling, this thing is a pain in the butt. It never picked up dirt well and constantly cleaning the filters in an attempt to get it to clean better was a real nightmare. Not only that, the damn thing spits dust and dirt out the back, even after the filters are cleaned and the canister is emptied. It only cost about $80 which is one reason I got it but each and every time I buy a cheap vacuum, I get a cheap vacuum. Funny how that works, huh?

So this morning I'd finally had enough. I went to the local Oreck store and got a new baby! Yeah, she's an Oreck Silver Series vacuum and boy, is she special! I used it as soon as I got home with it and she picked up more dirt and stuff than the Eureka ever even knew existed. The power of this vacuum is simply amazing.

After tax, she cost $432.95 but she's worth every penny and I'd pay that much to replace her. This is my second Oreck and of every vacuum I've owned (and believe me I've owned many in the almost 30 years I've been keeping house), Oreck is the only one that satisfies...and I've even tried the Dyson. Remind me of this if I ever try to buy anything but an Oreck.

Yeah, I'm an Oreck girl and I'm proud of it...

Ugh!

2009-07-09T10:33:00.005-05:00

I'm really struggling with the blood sugar/carb/insulin/exercise issue lately. It seems that exercise brings the BG down but sometimes it brings it down too much and other times it doesn't lower it enough. There has to be a happy medium but I haven't found it yet. I'm still looking, though, and I'll figure it all out.

So, the menu has changed a little for this week. Last night we had meatloaf rather than meatballs and we had it with sliced tomato and green peas. It was tasty and I used 93/7 ground beef so it was fairly lean, too.

I'm craving beef so I have a package of beef boneless ribs thawing. That isn't a lean cut so we won't eat a lot of it but I'll cook them, we'll each have one and perhaps split a third one, and the rest will go in the freezer for later use. I'm not sure what we'll have with it but a big salad and a few sugar snap peas sound good!

We're considering ordering some buffalo meat. It's leaner than beef and has a superior taste but my only concern is that its so lean the cooked meat is often dry. If you have experience with cooking and eating buffalo I'd love know your thoughts on it. We're also considering buying an adult goat to slaughter. Buffalo and goat are substantially leaner than beef and even chicken. Interesting, huh?

I'm 8 lbs lighter...

2009-07-07T20:40:00.006-05:00

but better than that, I can go most of the day now with only my Novolin N insulin!

We joined the gym 2 weeks ago tomorrow and tonight I weighed in 8 lbs lighter than the day I joined. But the best news is that most days I don't need any fast acting insulin other than the few units I take in the morning to deal with the spike coffee gives me!

Tonight we had a great dinner (not on the menu for this week but it sounded good) of turkey and dressing with a little gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, broccoli, peas and carrots and sliced tomatoes. Yeah, that sounds like a lot of food and it was but I didn't eat much of the starchy items. We shared a frozen dinner that had 33 grams of carbs so we each got somewhere around 17 grams of carbs from the dinner plus the carbs that were in the broccoli and peas and carrots.

Here's my plate of food:

Pretty good lookin', huh? It tasted great, too! But notice the small amounts of turkey and gravy (on the right), dressing (that little mound of brownish stuff next to the turkey) mashed, and peas and carrots. Each of those was slightly over 1 Tablespoon. I know, that isn't much but the point is that I was able to eat a great tasting meal with over 20 grams of carbs with no fast acting insulin and no spike in the blood sugar! Wooohoooo! That's big stuff for me, folks!

We did go to the gym after eating the meal. BG before eating was 114. BG two hours after eating and right after the workout was 108. Wow!

Two weeks of working out all but two days have paid off already. I weigh 8 lbs less than when I started and I'm able to eat a semi-normal meal (still lower in carbs than most American meals but higher than I'm accustomed to) without a spike as long as I work for it.

I'd say that's a pretty fair tradeoff!

Menu Plan Monday

2009-07-05T20:15:00.005-05:00

We have a busy week coming up (since when do we not?) but I'm armed and ready to go! I really do appreciate the opportunity to take part in Menu Plan Monday and hope that if you haven't joined in yet, you will!

Our menu this week will be tasty and contain food that's lower in fat and carbs. If you're a die hard low carber who doesn't worry about fat, more power to you! This goes for you die hard fat minimalists, too! We all have our own WOE (way of eating) and right now ours is lower in fat and carbs. But I'm still trying to keep it high in flavor and its quite a balancing act.

So, here's this week's menu in no particular order except for Sunday's dinner which is listed first and Monday's dinner, which is listed second:

Baked salmon, seasoned with basil and garlic pepper, vegetable soup, and a small baked potato

Turkey pastrami and cheese wrap with a small salad (we're having dinner at the gym's cafe where they serve very tasty food)

Beef, Cheese, and Jalapeno sausages baked with cherry tomatoes (inspired by this recipe), served with cabbage and green beans

Spinach salad with a few baked chicken wings

Turkey sausage meatballs (adaptation of this recipe), served with baked sweet potato and steamed broccoli

Biiiig salad loaded with all sorts of vegetables and a bowl of vegetable soup

Turkey with dressing, mashed with a little gravy, green beans, broccoli, and peas and carrots (you can read more about the surprising result of eating this meal tonight, Tuesday)

And that's about it for the week. If something changes I'll post the change on this entry and write another if it warrants that much attention. ;)

Sweet potato treat on the fly

2009-07-04T12:21:00.007-05:00

Lunch this afternoon was homemade vegetable soup, the last of the turkey tenderloin, seasoned with garlic pepper and basil and topped with homemade pico de gallo, and a delicious dessert made with sweet potato.

White and red potatoes spike my blood sugar but a moderate amount of sweet potato doesn't. I usually eat it with butter and pepper but today I've craved something sweet and decided to put my half of the sweet potato to good use. I didn't feel like doing a lot to it, though, so I came up with a simple and easy treat.

I baked the sweet potato and cut it in half. I mashed the potato, cut the peel in small pieces and added it to the potato. To that I added a splash of Half and Half and half a splash of vanilla extract. I mixed it all well, put it in a small bowl, and topped it with a dollop of Redi-Whip, one of my favorite I need something sweet and need it now things. It's almost carb free, doesn't spike my blood sugar (in moderation) and just plain ol' tastes good!

The resulting "pudding" was creamy, smooth, and just sweet enough. Next time I'll add a little cinnamon and maybe some cardamom or some cinnamon seasoned chopped walnuts but for a lower carb dessert on the fly this is awesome! And the best part is it was less than 15 grams of carbs.

If you like sweet potato and crave something a little sweet, try this idea and let me know what you think of it.

Cottage Cheese & Egg Breakfast Muffins

2009-07-03T08:22:00.008-05:00

Sooooo...my experiment with the muffins didn't go so well. They taste fine but they're a little bland and don't present nearly a pretty a picture as Kalyn's do. I had one for breakfast this morning along with three slices of fresh tomato and I'll take one to work today for my snack. The man hasn't tried them yet...

Blood glucose before the muffin and tomatoes was 86. Blood glucose after breakfast was 109! Okay, maybe I need to re-think these little gems. If I can eat one now and then without a spike, I'm game!

I made a few changes to the original recipe, using Better N' Eggs, omitting the green onion, and using a little less cheese and soy flour rather than almond meal. The differences all combined to make a muffin that was okay by and large but not something I'd make again. However, I do think the original recipe is probably very tasty so I'll make them again a little closer to her recipe. I'll probably use more cheese, almond meal, and perhaps throw in some Spike for that extra zing it adds.

If you're looking for good ideas for breakfast try Kalyn's Cottage Cheese and Egg Breakfast Muffins but use the original recipe first and see what you think.

A new breakfast muffin recipe

2009-07-02T09:07:00.007-05:00

In my never-ending quest for breakfast ideas, I turned to Kalyn's Kitchen, one of my favorite low carb cooking blogs and I wasn't disappointed for I found a recipe for Cottage Cheese & Egg Breakfast Muffins. The picture of the muffins looks fantastic and I'm going to make this recipe today. I don't have almond meal so I'll have to run to Granary St. to get it but that's a simple thing.

I've tried a few of Kalyn's recipes and they've all been tasty and fairly easy to make. If you haven't looked over her blog, give it a try and let me know what you think.

I'll post a review and pictures of the muffins after I've made them.

Tuesday stuff or where do low carb & low cholesterol meet? Or do they?

2009-06-30T13:42:00.012-05:00

Well, our nutritional and exercise lives just got harder. The man found out yesterday his cholesterol is "through the roof" but he didn't get the exact number. He sees the Dr tomorrow and I'm sure he'll learn more then. In the meantime, what to feed someone who is a Type 2 diabetic maxed out on Glucophage and needs to control carbs but who also needs to watch fat and cholesterol intake?

The typical lower fat, lower cholesterol foods are likely to spike his blood sugar. Oatmeal, one of the major players in the cholesterol lowering food lineup spikes him and gives him major heartburn. He's willing to try organic oats to see if perhaps there's something used in the processing of the others that causes the heartburn but that doesn't help with the spike in blood sugar it causes. We have the same basic issues with bread, legumes, fruit and some vegetables. They either cause major heartburn, spike the blood sugar, or both.

Last night's dinner was the last of the leftover salmon, green beans, and mixed greens.

Today's lunch was salad, a little blackened fish, and a small amount of peas and carrots.

~~Tonight's dinner will be a few baked chicken wings, salad, and broccoli.~~ We ended up eating a fairly low in fat but moderate in carb chicken and vegetable dish from the freezer. We had it with salad and peas and carrots.

See a pattern developing? I do. Boredom! Just like low carb is after months and months...

We have two major obstacles: breakfast and snacks. He's an egg eater and eats at least two eggs every morning for breakfast. He's willing to try 1 egg with the equivalent of an egg beater type product but that still gives 7 eggs a week if he eats that each morning. He really needs to eat four or fewer eggs a week so I'm researching and looking for more breakfast ideas that don't include fatty meats, eggs, fruit, high carb vegetables, or oatmeal. Good luck! He's used to snacking on meat, cheese, and whatever else he desires but that's got to really be brought into control.

On the brighter side of things, we do have the advantage of having joined the gym last week and we've been faithful about going. We even got up at 5:15 this morning, headed over there, and worked out for 55 minutes before I had to shower and dress for work. We know that exercise and losing weight will help both the blood sugar and the cholesterol but we still have to figure out the nutrition/diet part of things.

If you have any brilliant ideas on this, please share. You can either post suggestions here or on the diabetes blog. My brain is fried from all the thinking!

Menu Plan Monday

2009-06-29T06:00:00.004-05:00

Since our weekend experiment in modified low carb didn't work out too well, it's back to not-so-modified low carb for us. Connie left four of her low carb cookbooks with me and took two of mine. We're going to look through them for recipes to help spice up our diets and hopefully ease the boredom issue. She also brought some leftovers with her so we'll eat those first and I'll cook when the spare food is gone.

In the cooking arena of my life, I have a goal to try two new recipes a week, at least one of them low carb and the other must either be low carb or easily adaptable to low carb.

We're going to the gym daily and went twice yesterday. The exercise definitely affects the blood sugar but right now I see no pattern or consistency so it's still something of a crap shoot. You can read more about our lives with diabetes in all its glory at the Diabetes blog Connie and I have.

So, here's our menu for the week, in no particular order except for last night's dinner, which is listed first:

Grilled salmon on a very small bed of dirty rice served with green beans and spinach (I've asked Connie to post the recipes for the salmon and rice on the diabetes blog as they're both absolutely fantastic!)

Beef Stroganoff, tossed salad, broccoli, and brussels sprouts

Stir fried chicken and vegetables served with steamed spinach parmesan

Bigass salad

Beef, cheese and jalapeno sausages served with a small pasta salad made of Dreamfields pasta, fresh vegetables and a light dressing

Night out

YOYO night when we eat all the leftovers from the week

I'm really trying to keep our diet from being so dull and predictable but it isn't easy.

Again, thank you to Laura for hosting Menu Plan Monday. It really does benefit my little family and I appreciate the opportunity to participate. If you haven't participated, why not? It isn't hard and it will save you time, money, and stress! So hop to it. ;)

The trouble with low carb eating...

2009-06-28T13:25:00.019-05:00

is boredom!

My sister was here from Dallas this weekend and we had a nice time. She went to the gym with us Friday and though she has cracked ribs from a recent auto accident, she walked the indoor track with me and did a little time on a treadmill. Yaaay, Connie!

She and I both have been struggling with our nutrition. Because we're Type 2 diabetics and overweight we need to lose weight and we absolutely must keep the blood glucose in line. For both of us, carbs are the main culprit in blood sugar spikes. Although protein and fat are important factors, carbs have a quicker and sharper impact on the blood sugar so for the most part we really limit carbs. But a life with strictly limited carbs, both simple and complex, quickly becomes boring and staying with the program gets harder and harder. Connie and I both keep hitting the carb wall and then we go on a binge eating things we absolutely shouldn't. And we know we shouldn't. But how to stop?

That's the question. Yes, it's a matter of self control and discipline but it's also a matter of simply getting bored with chicken, fish, and low carb vegetables and finally losing it. It's horrible and we both know we have 'food issues' but we haven't figured out just how to deal with them. We just kind of muddle along as best we can, trying to keep the carb count down and praying the next day doesn't become a binge day. But really, it's next to impossible to eat very low carb all day, every day. There has to be a better way, right?

Connie recently purchased the Food Lovers Fat Loss System so she brought it with her and we read over the books, talked about the program, and tried it for a couple of days but the high blood sugar readings, lethargy, and general blah feeling we both experienced made it clear that this plan won't work for us. So, it's back to low carb we go.

Although I've known for years that regular exercise helps my blood sugar I just recently joined a gym and can tell a difference already. I feel better after the workout, I'm sleeping better, and a good one hour workout lowers my BG quite a bit. Now, don't think I like exercise. I'm truly a slug, dear readers. However, I do enjoy the improved mood and increase in energy I have after a workout and I really enjoy the reward of lowered blood sugar and if exercise will get me those then exercise is what I'll do. I also hope the exercise increases my insulin sensitivity.

But even if I go to the gym every day, I see no way I'll be able to eat a "normal" diet. Here's an example of why. After the work out this morning, my blood sugar was 109, down from the pre-workout of 180. Great! An hour later it was 82. I ate a measured and weighed lunch of two ounces of chicken fried steak with two teaspoons of gravy, two Tablespoons of mashed potatoes, and one small steamed broccoli spear. I drank water and two hours later the blood sugar was 217. What??? A 135 point difference from that small amount of food? Yep and it's disgusting and depressing. Numbers like that make me want to just say to hell with it and enjoy my food even if it means I have a shorter life. I don't feel that way all the time but I do feel that way occasionally.

I won't give up, though. I've been in this battle almost ten years and I'm not ready to declare Diabetes the winner. I might have to eat very low carb unless I go to the gym afterwards and work it off. And it might be that as I lose weight I can handle more carbs. I don't know. I do know that I can't live on strict low carb for the rest of my life but I can't handle ridiculously high blood sugar readings, either. There must be some kind of compromise and I have to find it.

Can you tell I'm frustrated?

If you have suggestions, encouragement or thoughts on this, please share with me.

Friday fluff

2009-06-26T11:15:00.005-05:00

Well, this morning's FBG wasn't good. It was 194! Umm, must have been the cracked pepper and olive oil triscuits with cheese last night. Ugh, figures. Perhaps I just ate too many, though, and only eating one or two will work. I'll try that.

My sister is on her way here from Dallas! Wooot! We had such a good time on the trip and we miss each other so she's coming for the weekend. I'm so excited! I don't have to work until Monday so we'll get to spend plenty of time together.

She'll go to the gym with us and I think tomorrow we're all going to Jefferson and will do a little sightseeing and visit the museum. We might even take a tour of The Grove, purported to be one of the most haunted houses in America. I'm not into haints, normally, but it might be an interesting way to spend a little time.

Anyway, time to make lunch. Have a great weekend!

Joined the gym and....

2009-06-25T20:47:00.004-05:00

We joined the gym I mentioned in my last entry and last night we worked out for an hour. Again, my idea of a workout and yours might be different but considering how sedentary I am, almost anything is a workout! I walked the indoor track, about a mile, and rode a stationary bike. I tried a treadmill but the setting wasn't right for me and I just couldn't do it. I was okay with walking and biking, though.

We went again tonight and worked out for 50 minutes. I just couldn't do 10 more minutes to make an hour but was happy with the time I did get in. I was really impressed with what the workout did to my blood sugar. Before the workout tonight, the BG was 180 and 20 minutes after the workout was finished it was 104. Wooohoooo! I had similar results last night and it appears that a good workout does wonders for my BG.

We were both starving as we hadn't eaten dinner so we went to Arby's. Rod had a sandwich but I got just the inside fixins of a beef and cheddar sandwich, no bun, and some water. They were out of salad stuff so I couldn't have salad which is what I really wanted. But the beef and cheddar was good and the water really hit the spot. It wasn't enough to really fill me but I'm too tired and sore to prepare anything so I'm going to just head to bed and hope for a good BG in the morning. :)

Follow up visit with physican today

2009-06-24T14:50:00.006-05:00

I saw my new physician for a follow up today. It didn't go as well as I'd hoped but we both got out of there without hurting one another. No really, I like her and she's thorough but she's a tad arrogant and I have a problem with that.

Truly, telling me that I cant't take Novolin N and Novolog 70/30 without giving me a reason and finally in exasperation saying,"Because I went to medical school!" isn't cool. Lady, that medical degree doesn't help me one bit if you can't or won't answer a question.

At any rate, she finally did give me a reasonable answer after I told her her degree wasn't nearly as important to me as my blood sugar. So now I'm going to take 20 units of Novolin each morning and night and Novolog prior to meals. The problem I have is this: how much Novolog to shoot? That's been a question that's nagged me since I first started on insulin and since no physician would ever actually answer it, shooting insulin has been a crapshoot for me. She said to start with 1 unit for every 10 grams of carbohydrate and increase accordingly. Ummm, okay....

We've decided get a summer membership to the Institute for Healthy Living, a local hospital run fitness and wellness facility. We toured the place a few months ago but never got around to joining and after my appointment this morning, Rod and I decided to stop talking about joining the place and to actually join it. I have serious insulin resistance and exercise will help that so I'm going to commit to working out there at least four times a week, more if I can and am able.

Of course, considering my age, weight, and health status, my idea of a work out and yours, dear reader, may very well not be the same. I'll start with walking the indoor track and some time in the resistance pool and will let progress lead me as it will. If I can get to the point of being able to spend half an hour or so at a time on the horrendous looking machines there, great. If not, I'll keep doing what I can until something changes. The absolute least I can do is walk and use the resistance pool and just those two things will help.

So there you have it, my follow up with my doctor this morning. Keep me in your prayers, please. I need all of those I can get.

And more on menu planning not working out..

2009-06-23T23:30:00.004-05:00

Tonight we went to Double Dave's for dinner. Rod thought he was going to play there so we went right after he closed the shop and we ordered two stromboli, one cheese steak and one garlic and spinach. I only ate half of mine so while it wasn't a great dinner on the carb front it wasn't horrendous, either.

We hadn't really planned on eating out but he wanted to and we had it in the budget so that worked out okay. We haven't eaten out much lately but we still do it more than we should. We're on the right track, though, so we don't feel guilty about it. The bills are paid on time or early, we aren't behind on anything, and we have money saved so eating out tonight won't break us. But man, being human sure is a pain at times!

Tomorrow is my day off (oh really? errands, laundry, what day off?) and I hope to make the crustless meat pie on my menu plan. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

And now for something completely different...

2009-06-23T06:00:00.003-05:00

I love photographs. Photographs of people, places, and things, even if I'm not sure who, where, or what they're of. I find photographs of nature to be stunning for the most part and Nick Cobbing's work shows nature in her icy glory in Greenland. Trust me, you won't want to miss it.

So get the kids settled, pour yourself a cup of something good, and take just a few minutes to see the absolute beauty in Nick's photos. And while you're at that site, look at his other photo stories, too. They're simply amazing.

When menu planning just doesn't work out...

2009-06-22T21:29:00.002-05:00

we have to roll with the punches. Sometimes we plan and things just don't work out as we'd hoped. Take today for instance. I'd wanted to make the crustless beef pie tonight from leftover roast and vegetables. But I worked a long shift today and was exhausted when I got home. My head hurt, my feet hurt, and I was so hot and sweaty and just needed to have some peace, quiet, and air conditioning. The last thing I wanted to do was make that pie so instead I baked a bunch of Market Pantry brand chicken wings and we ate those. And nothing but those. Healthy or balanced? Nope. Easy? Oh yeah! And not too expensive, either, and certainly cheaper than eating out.

So don't feel too bad if your menu planning doesn't always work out as you planned. Things happen. Kids get sick, emergencies come up, we just get tired, etc. Do the best you can and keep a few things on hand for those nights. Extra meatloaf from the freezer works well as do spaghetti, goulash, and other such dishes. And Market Pantry brand chicken wings rock...

Menu Plan Monday

2009-06-21T21:44:00.003-05:00

This week my work schedule is a little hectic and we're limiting eating dinner out so I did some cooking in preparation for the week. Between cooking ahead a few things and good old fashioned menu planning, meals this week shouldn't be a problem. If you haven't participated in Laura's Menu Plan Monday yet, now might be the time to get started. This week she's giving away a nice little gift to some lucky participant so jump on in!

I made Slow Cooker Roast and Gravy and My Way Wings. Both are very easy, thrifty, and tasty dishes and neither take much time. Leftover steak and gravy is easily turned into a savory meat pie so boredom with the dish isn't an issue. Although we usually eat the roast and gravy with plenty of vegetables or a salad, I just ate mine from a bowl tonight and it was scrumptious!

To make the roast and gravy, I put about 5 lbs of chuck roast, cut into serving size slabs, in the slow cooker and cook on low for several hours until tender. Once they're tender I drain most of the liquid and add 3 or 4 chopped onions, stalks and all, a can of cream of mushroom soup, a can of cream of celery soup (other creams ofs work, too..be brave!) and a goodly amount of garlic pepper seasoning and a little celery salt. Then I just let it all cook on low for another hour or so and voila, steak and gravy! Slow cooking is a grand way to turn inexpensive and tough cuts of meat into tender dishes and my slow cookers and I are great friends.

So, here's the menu for this week, in no particular order except for the first meal which we had tonight:

~~Slow Cooker Roast and Gravy with leftover carrots and potatoes cooked with roast last week~~

~~My Way Wings~~ ~~served with tossed salad and sweet fries~~

Crustless Beef Pie made with the roast, gravy and vegetable leftovers served with green beans and salad (will post the recipe the night I make this)

Pasta Del Sol made with Dreamfield's pasta and a few modifications to make it lower in carbs served with steamed mixed vegetables and mock creme brulee for dessert

Leftover My Way Wings with steamed spinach

Teriyaki Chicken Thighs with wild rice and steamed yellow squash

You're On Your Own (YOYO) night when we finish up the leftovers so I can clean the fridge for a new week

Saturday stuff

2009-06-20T18:51:00.007-05:00

I got to work this morning to find water pooled inside the espresso machine and of course, the machine wasn't working. This isn't good for a coffee shop, folks! I knew then that they day might not be a great one. Fortunately we didn't lose many sales as its so blasted hot that most people want cold drinks and not necessarily iced lattes, either. An emergency work order had been opened and a technician came and worked on the machine for a couple of hours, finishing up around two o'clock. It's a good thing, too, as we got our busy spell right after that and most orders required espresso.

At any rate, I got off at four this afternoon and as soon as I got home I changed into cooler clothes and threw myself on the bed to watch a little television. The heat is ridiculous already and it just saps me of energy, especially after a long work day. Speaking of heat, over at Learning the Frugal Life, there's a nice little entry on ways to stay cool. The suggestions are good but I told her she left out my favorite - taking cool showers. I've lived without AC many times and although summer can be miserable without it, cool showers and a fan go a long way toward cooling me off. So, I figured I'd fall asleep in the cool room but didn't. Instead, I found some energy so I paused the "House" episode I was watching, cleaned the kitchen, including the coffee pot and microwave, and took four perch fillets out of the freezer to thaw for dinner.

The man person and I ran a quick errand and I'm about to bake those fillets. I think I'll season them with a little butter and some spicy sea salt. I'll eat mine with brussels sprouts and the man will have his with peas and carrots and a small baked potato.

And this girl is going to bed early tonight. I don't open in the morning so I can actually sleep in...and let me tell you, I need it.

Thursday doings...

2009-06-18T08:24:00.009-05:00

The man person and his 18 year old are off tending to some things this morning so I have the place to myself. How odd that is! It's really quiet, almost too quiet. Oh dear, somehow I'll have to make myself enjoy it!

I work one to six today but open for the next couple of days so I need to accomplish some cooking ahead to prevent us from going out to eat because I'm too tired to cook.

Tonight's dinner is in the slow cooker now - beef roast with plenty of vegetables. I seasoned the meat pretty heavily, leaving out the salt til it's just about ready. When I get in after six tonight I'll be hungry and that roast will be magnificent, I'm sure. There should be enough roast left for at least two more meals.

One of them will be beef salad and we'll have that for supper tomorrow night. I love beef salad and it surprises me that so many people don't seem to know about it. I make it like I do tuna or chicken salad with a little salad dressing or mayo, chopped onion and sweet pickles, garlic, and I add a little celery seed/salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper. It's an easy and tasty way to use leftover beef roast and is great on bread, rolls, crackers, or rolled in a lettuce leaf but I usually just eat it with a fork and plenty of green beans or steamed spinach.

The other meal from the roast will probably be "Skillet Stuff", a very simple dish I make with leftover beef. I just chop a small potato or two and brown them in a skillet with a little olive oil and chopped onion. When those are soft, I add the cooked beef, some frozen green beans, and whatever seasonings I want like salt, garlic, pepper, etc. I let it all simmer in the skillet, stirring now and then to make sure it's evenly heated and we eat it with a large salad. The dish can easily be varied with different ingredients and each time we eat it's good, filling and frugal.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-17T12:47:00.004-05:00

Okay, I have to add a few words. I joined a 'clean the fridge' challenge and we finished off the leftovers for lunch today. Go me!

Plain Ol' Food

Here's to a great 2012!

Fauxtato soup success!

September 11th - September 17th Menu

Tomatillo Salsa, anyone?

September 4th - September 10th Menu

July 3rd - July 9th Menu

June 26th - July 2nd Menu

Update and happy anniversary/birthday to me

May 29th - June 4th Menu

Farmer's Market Haul

May 16th - May 22nd Menu

May 8th - May 14th Menu

A great day!

It's officially official...

Just sharin'....

May 1st - May 6th Menu

Where's my whip?

It's official...

April 24th - 30th Menu

Shhhhh!

Black Bean and Pepperoni Soup

The newest addition to my household is...

April 10th - April 16th Menu

Just a quick update

March 6th - March 12th Menu

January 9th - January 15th Menu

Savory Chicken and Onions

January 2 - January 8 Menu

Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie

And now for something completely different...

December 26th - January 2 Menu & new recipes tried

No menu for this week - life intervenes

I think I hate October

October 17th - 23rd Menu

Stuffed Mushrooms Redux

What to do when the meat you prepared isn't as good as you hoped...or Beefy Cheesy Spinach Soup

A question for those who buy for one or two adults, only

October 10th - 16th Menu

September 5th - 11th Menu

Pardon my dust and Friday eats

Ugh!

Worthy of a comeback - Fire Roasted Tomato Soup!

March 21st - 27th Menu

March 7th - 13th menu

Spicy Chicken and Avocado with a Colby Jack "Wrap"

Strange food combination and I'm such a lamer!

March Recipes to try

February 28th - March 6th Menu - late but still good

February recipes to try

February 21st - 27th Menu

Zucchini and Red Pepper "Fries"

Free Atkins goodies!

Mock Crab Cakes - Mmmm with a capital M!

February 14th - 20th Menu

A few pictures of the very recent snow!

February 7th - 13th Menu

Superbowl eats

Part 1 of my trip to Austin...finally!

Ummm, I don't *do* cakes!

Mary had a little lamb...with asparagus and red potato

January 31st - February 6th Menu

January 24th - 30th Menu

Vacation plans a little derailed!

Fire roasted red pepper sauce!

Vacation plans!

January 10th - 16th Menu

Tiny kitchen, big cookin'!

And now for something completely different...

The Great Thaw of 2010 - ready, set, go!

Ammonia in our beef!?!?!?

Simple things...

Start Over, Finish Rich - free!

January 3rd - 9th Menu

Farmhouse Beef Casserole - mixed reviews

January recipes to try

Thrifty January? Inexpensive slow cooker recipes to the rescue!

December 27 - January 2 Menu

She lives!

Today is 14KPWD Day - are you ready?

Ummm, I don't do cakes!