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!
Friday, February 26, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
February 21st - 27th Menu
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!
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Zucchini and Red Pepper "Fries"
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!
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!
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!
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!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Mock Crab Cakes - Mmmm with a capital M!
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!
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!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
February 14th - 20th Menu
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!
Saturday, February 13, 2010
A few pictures of the very recent snow!
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. ;)
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. ;)
Monday, February 8, 2010
February 7th - 13th Menu
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
Leftover roast beef cut into chunks and simmered in low carb gravy, served over wild rice with tossed salad and steamed green beans
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!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Superbowl eats
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. ;)
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. ;)
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Part 1 of my trip to Austin...finally!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Ummm, I don't *do* cakes!
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!
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!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Mary had a little lamb...with asparagus and red potato
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.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
January 31st - February 6th Menu
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!
Monday, January 25, 2010
January 24th - 30th Menu
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.
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.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Vacation plans a little derailed!
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.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Fire roasted red pepper sauce!
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!
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. ;)
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. ;)
Monday, January 11, 2010
January 10th - 16th Menu
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.
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.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Tiny kitchen, big cookin'!
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.
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.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
And now for something completely different...
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!
Smile and enjoy!
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