Workin on my fitness.

I've started chipping away at the ice pack I've had this old blog in for the last few months. I'd all but given it up for good, and then lo and behold! I felt like writing a little something.

I'm feeling the calm that comes along with seeing progress. I've changed my diet and have been feeling the wonderful effects of eating whole foods! Thanks to the inspiration and information that I've gotten here, here and here, I've made some major changes and I'm excited about getting healthy.

Basically, what I've done is:

1. Cut out all added sugar.
2. Cut out all artificial sugar. (I was a Splendaholic, so this was a biggie. I now use Stevia.)
3. Cut out (almost) all caffeine. (No more coffee, now I do green tea, but not even every day.)
4. Cut out preservatives.
5. Eating grass-fed free-range organic meats. (Here's an anecdote for ya: Grain-fed chicken is the worst. Because of their high-sugar diets, these poor animals end up contracting all kinds of mess; cancer being one. The butchers that process the meat are trained on how to cut away these tumors and separate them from the "sellable" chicken. What happens to the tumor chicken pile? Well, my friends that is the answer to why places like McDonald's are able to produce those lovely little Mcnuggets, sell them for only cents, and still make a profit. They buy THAT chicken!! sickness.)
6. I'm now eating (mostly) gluten-free.
7. Drinking water with lemon at every turn. (The lemon alkalizes your body, which helps you out in a multitude of ways. )
8. No food after 8 at night. (Hard.)
9. I'm all about the coconut! I now like to cook with Coconut Oil instead of Olive oil and drink this. (The principle fatty acid in coconut milk is lauric acid, which is the same fat found in abundance in mother's milk and is known to promote normal brain development and contribute to healthy bones. And it's SUPER yummy!)
10. A couple glasses of wine, but only on the weekend. (This one was harder than I'd like to admit.)

One great thing I'm implementing is my friend Lesley's "free meal a week". I love knowing that if I behave, I can at least look forward to one splurge!

So, I guess this sounds pretty strict, but to be honest, it has not been as hard as it looks to be. Thanks to the wonderful recipes and tips I've gotten from different people, I'm 3 weeks in and going strong.

Here's to change!

quinoa and roasted corn salad: a recipe

Tonight's dinner was off the hook if I do say so myself (and I do.) I snagged a recipe from a comment left on another friend's blog... My interest was initially piqued because of the health-factor, but I'll be making it again and again because of how ridiculously yummy and slap-yo-mama delicious it was! Andy said it was the perfect end-of-summer-beginning-of-fall meal.

The original came from (who else) Martha, and can be found here.
Of course, I like to slightly tweak things (heehee) and so here's what I did:

{Quinoa and Roasted Corn Salad with Chicken and Pumpkin Seeds}

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

pinch kosher salt

1 cup quinoa, thoroughly rinsed and drained (about 4 Cups cooked)

2 cups veggie stock

3 ears fresh roasted corn, kernels cut from cob

Earth Balance spread for "buttering" corn

1 medium red pepper, cored, seeded, and diced

3 scallions, thinly sliced

1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Seasoning for chicken: Juice of 1 fresh lime, 1 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. chili powder, Kosher salt, Fresh ground black pepper, 2 Tbsp. olive oil.

1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1 ripe avocado, pitted and thinly sliced

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted

I started by roasting the corn. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pull back husks of corn, but don't remove. DO remove the silks. Coat each cob with a nice spread of Earth Balance or butter, replace the husks, roll tightly in aluminum foil, place on baking sheet and cook for 35 mins. When done, allow it to cool slightly and then slice kernels from cobs.

To toast pumpkin seeds, place in a hot, dry skillet. Constantly stirring and flipping so they don't burn. When they begin to pop and smell "toasty" remove them to a pan to cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, cumin, chili powder, garlic, oil, and salt to taste; set aside. Cook quinoa according to package directions, substituting the 2 cups veggie stock for the water.

For chicken: Rinse it, and pat dry. Cut it into chunks, and completely coat it in seasoning mixture. Heat a large non-stick pan over high heat and add chicken. Cook until browned and done.

In a large bowl add roasted corn, cooked quinoa, diced red bell pepper, diced and seeded jalapeno, sliced scallions and reserved lemon juice/spice dressing. Mix well.

To assemble:
First arrange a big pile of quinoa, topped with chicken and sliced avocados. Sprinkle on a handful of toasted pumpkin seeds, and chopped cilantro.

...And you're in bidness.

Pair it with one of these naughty buggers... and you're in big time bidness! (You know I had to sabotage that "health-factor" somehow.)

(And yes, I will admit, this recipe was a little more labor-intensive than I normally dig but it was WELL worth it! It was absolutely bursting with flavors and very guiltless! A new favorite!)

my favorite squash.

Growing up in the country had it's ups and downs. But definitely one of the things I'd consider an "up" was always being exposed to good ol' Southern cookin! My parents always had a garden full of good veggies along with other yummy things like fresh eggs from the chickens we kept. There was usually a mason jar or two full of peach or fig preserves and always a pitcher of fresh sweet tea in the fridge. I have memories of shelling peas on the back porch with my mom, and tip-toeing into the coop every morning to get my breakfast. Now, at the time I may not have thought all this to be as precious as I do as an adult... but I must say that I've become quite proud of this upbringing and love that I have such sweet memories to share with my youngun.

One of my favorite things to see on the dinner plate was my mom's squash. I loved it then, and love it now... and even though it's about as simple as you can get... I've never had better! It's slowly cooked down in it's own juices and then cranked up at the end to dry it out and almost give it a "caramelized" quality. It's hearty, filling, rich, peppery, and NEVER enough! Every time I make it I always wish I'd thought to double the recipe.
Just trust me and make it, y'all!

Mama Faye's Cooked-Down Squash

4-6 Yellow Squash, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1 medium white onion, diced
1 Tbsp. Canola Oil (or if you wanna be real Southern; bacon drippings is the alternative.)
1 Tsp. of salt, and a lot of fresh pepper. (and I mean, a lot... at least 2/3 Tsp.)
..................................................

Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, squash, salt and pepper and give it a toss. (As you can see, I really piled it in there. But that's only because it will end up cooking down to less than half that amount. Promise.)

Cover and cook over medium/low for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking up the squash with the back of your spatula. All of the juices will be released from the squash during this and it should be simmering.

Just keep checking it every 5 minutes or so and breaking up the squash.
After it's simmered down and looks kinda pulverized, uncover, crank up the heat to high and cook until all the liquid has evaporated. Making sure to scrape the bottom the bottom of the skillet as I go, getting up any brown bits -aka- the extra yumminess.

And here's what it should look like:

Golden goodness! And though it may not the prettiest dish you've ever seen...
I promise it won't do you wrong.
Straight from my Mama's kitchen to yours!
Hope you enjoy!

eat your greens!

Andy and I are dead-set on eating healthier up in here. More fruits, more veggies, less, um.... late-night french onion dip and brownies. And of course, my goal is to be eating all organic all the time, but who can afford this? I ask you. Who? Not we. Luckily, a good friend recently turned me onto this:


{farmersmarketbaskets.com}

What a great resource! You sign up, pay a $10 basket fee, and then you're on your way to having fresh, locally-grown fruits and veggies at half the price of that yucky grocery store produce! My bud tells me that she does it every week and LOVES it! With prices ranging from $10-$15 for a small/large regular basket or $20-$30 for small/large organic basket. Literally overflowing with yum-yums. Now, you can't beat that with a stick. If you want to try it out first (without paying $10 for your basket) you can go here and sign up.
I'm gonna!

This woman is trying to kill me...

Seriously. (ok, not seriously. But kinda.) The Pioneer Woman can't possibly know the effects that her gorgeous food photos and ridiculous decadent recipes have on me. It's hard to see things like this and be workin' on my fitness at the same time. Very hard.

Butter Chicken
(the name alone being enough to send me into a swoon.)

{4 pieces Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts}
{5 cloves Garlic, Minced}
{1 teaspoon Salt}
{½ teaspoons Black Pepper}
{½ teaspoons Cayenne Pepper}
{¼ teaspoons Ground Coriander}
{¼ teaspoons Cumin}
{¼ teaspoons Cardamom}
{1 whole Lime, Juiced}
{1 whole Onion, Diced}
{¼ cups Butter}
{1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Tomato Sauce}
{1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Petite Diced Tomatoes}
{1 pint Whipping Cream}
{Chopped Cilantro}
{Basmati Rice}

Combine first 9 ingredients and marinate overnight.

Saute the onion in the butter until soft. Add marinated chicken and cook about 10 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Cook for 30 minutes over medium-low heat with the lid on. Add the whipping cream (I have used light cream or half-and-half also) and cilantro just before serving over Basmati rice.

Yum.

turkey burgers: my recipe.

Okie Doke.

I cooked up some lip smackin' turkey burgers for dinner tonight. And while I must admit, I wasn't quite sure about them at first, I ended up being very pleased with the outcome. Here's what's up:

1 pound ground turkey
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 small granny smith apple, medium dice
1/2 small red onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons Pear Preserves
1 tablespoon hot sauce
juice and zest of 1 lemon
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
buns or kaiser rolls, buttered and grilled
cheese, mayo etc...

In a small pan, saute the diced apple and onion in the canola oil until tender. Reduce the heat to low and add the pear preserves, allowing it to melt into the apple mixture. Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool completely. In a mixing bowl add the ground turkey, all of the spices, hot sauce, lemon juice and zest, and apple/onion mixture, combine completely. Form into 4 patties, plate them and put them in the freezer for about 30 mins. Drink a glass of wine, and check your Facebook. Next, heat a grill pan on medium/high and cook patties. (I like to do 3 minutes, then turn them 90degrees and cook another 3 minutes so as to achieve the criss-cross grill marks. Repeating on both sides:) Just before they are done add your cheese. Slap them on some buttered and grilled buns, with a little mayo and you're in bidness.

OK! So here's the rest of the story... Some things I couldawouldashoulda done.

Firstly: Add bacon! These burgers turn out so juice and melty and sweet that the contrast of some crispy, salty bacon would have just sent them over the edge!!! I mean, when has bacon NOT been good when added to anything in the world? Ever?

Secondly: In lieu of Cheddar I think that goat cheese would have been a nice choice. The tangy cheese would have been a great balance to the sweet burger.

Thirdly: I would have made twice as many. Yum.

J'aime du beurre!

I'm in that sad little place I so often find myself.... the blogging doldrums. I just haven't felt inspired to write anything new lately. Yes, I've had fleeting thoughts, and random funny experiences lately... But nothing I thought worth typing out. That's all about to change m'dears. I mean, what the heck's this blog for, if not a place to where I can bore the world wide web with my pointless rambling??? Right? Right. So in that spirit, I just want to elaborate a little on what's been forefront in my mind lately.
In a word. FOOD!
On Labor Day, I managed to FINALLY make it out to see Julie & Julia.

Loved it.
I mean, is there anyone better than Meryl? And while the movie itself was just precious... the main thing that stayed with me was all the food. Glorious FOOD! Ahhh.... the cooking scenes, the globs of butter, the smacking and slurping and oohing and aahing was almost too much for me. French cooking is one avenue I've not really travelled down... I need this to change. I mean, seriously. The only drawback is my persistently increasing girth. I told Andy my name should be legally changed to Girtha. It's becoming a serious issue, but I digress... I'm dreaming of hollandaise and butter and wine when I should be eating carrot sticks, chewing on bamboo or, dare I say it... excercising. (...SEE! I don't even know how to SPELL exercising.)

Pray for me friends. I love to eat. I love to drink. I love to be merry.
I DO NOT love treadmills.

in the cottage cheese

So in accordance with my healthier eating habits, I am trying to add snacks into my daily routine (so as not to go the route I usually do of getting so ravenously hungry by 4pm, that I devour anything in sight, including, at times Jack's exposed toes or ears. It's really more so a matter of child safety at this point. The snacking thing.) Anyway, my new favorite thing is this:

Rachel's Wickedly Delicious Cottage Cheese

I understand that some people may abhor cottage cheese. That's cool. I personally have only ever "been ok" with it, but have never been one to actually seek out the stuff. And I will say, that I definitely do NOT enjoy it with fruit. I'm a salty snacker to the core... and so when I ran across this at Harry's it seemed a little more up my alley. And, wow!... it's great! It has the same flavors as Greek tzatziki sauce.... and it's simply vunderbar! There are a whole range of unique flavors, from Pear and Mangosteen to Lemon Verbena and Berry. I picked up the Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto version... I'm a tad skeptical... We'll see.

Christy's Jerk Chicken Pasta

I made some dang good pasta last night and just wanted to share...

Now, let me just go ahead and put this out there: Don't judge me because I used a store bought marinade. I know there are those of you out there that just don't do store bought. But you are weird, not me. OK, so I'm a little touchy on the subject... but I just want to clarify that I DO know how to make a marinade.... I just didn't this time. K? K. Anyway, it all started with this:
...and it ended in a delicious Jerk Chicken Pasta. It was so flippin' good, I knew right then and there that it was blog-worthy. Here's what I did:

Ingredients:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
a small bundle fresh asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces.
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced.
3 cloves garlic, finely minced.
linguine or bowtie pasta (I used half the package of whole wheat linguine, for 2 people.)
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup half/half
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 Tbsps. butter.
2 Tbsps. olive oil.
1 tsp. dried rosemary.
1 tsp. dried parsley.
1 tsp. cayenne pepper (or more, if you're spicy.)
a little salt.
lots of freshly ground pepper.
1 tsp. corn starch.

Marinate your chicken for at least an 2 hours for a really good taste. Then throw it on the grill (or grill pan in my case.) Grill for about 5 minutes per side.
While chicken cooks, in a medium sized skillet, melt butter and 1 T. of olive oil over med heat. Add garlic, and once it is fragrant, add the other veggies. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Saute for 2 minutes and then remove to a plate and set aside.
In a bowl whisk together the stock, half/half, heavy cream and corn starch. Once combined, add the liquids to the same skillet you just used and stir. After sauce thickens a little (about 3 mins) add the parmesan, dash of salt, good amount of pepper, herbs and let it continue cooking over low heat.
Now, throw your pasta into the pot of already boiling and salted water and cook to package directions.
Your chicken should be about done, remove it from the heat and allow to rest about 5 mins. When rested, thinly slice it and add it to the sauce, along with the reserved veggies and the cooked and drained pasta. Taste for saltiness/spiciness factor. Give a good toss, plate it up, sprinkle with a little extra parmesan... and be amazed!

hecks yeah.