Day Three and Delicious Burritos

Menu:
breakfast:  oatmeal
snack:  piece of whole wheat toast with margarine and cup of milk
lunch:  big salad, hard-boiled egg, some almonds and craisins, some carrot ginger soup, a pita with sweet potato, black beans, cheese and spinach (note:  this lunch occurred over the course of like 4 hours- should have maybe classified some of these as snacks)
snack:  piece of key lime pie (not on the plan)
dinner:  yummy burritos with homemade tortillas, homemade salsa, corn, cheese, spinach and the black bean and sweet potato mix I made earlier in the week
snack:  2 small pieces of cake at book club

Ellia's menu:
breakfast:  oatmeal- she ate a good amount of it today and milk
snack:  some bites of my toast and half an orange (refused raw veggies)
lunch:  almost two hard boiled eggs, few more bites of bread, some carrot ginger soup, cup of milk
snack:  carrots and some pretzels (refused frozen peas) and cup of juice
dinner:  very few bites of salsa and corn- hardly anything.  cup of milk
dinner 2:  half piece of bread with a goat cheese spread on it

Today was hard diet-wise.  I was so hungry all day and realllly just wanted to eat junk.  I think I did ok, but I still felt like I was eating all day and was never full.  Probably should have had something healthy instead of the key lime pie.  I feel like I need more health food options - or at least my brain thinks that, probably not true, I just don't want to eat healthy.

Anyway, onto tonight's dinner recipes.  Tonight's recipes come from our neighbor Kelsey and both were delish.


Tortillas
2 and 2/3 cup flour (we used whole wheat)
1 and 1/4 cup hot water
3 tbsp oil
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder

Salsa
dozen small tomatoes
1/2 red onion
1/2 bunch green onion
1/2 can green chilis
cilantro - dry or fresh
1/4 tsp garlic powder
El Pato (optional)

Day Two and Carrot Ginger Coconut Soup

My menu of the day:
breakfast: small amount oatmeal with apple and blueberries, cinnamon and sugar.  glass of water
snack:  a few bites of banana, some almonds
lunch:  medium sized salad and a cup of milk, then I went to a friends for a pot luck lunch and had some delish enchilada soup (get this recipe if ever not on diet), some cheese, a few wheat thins and tortilla chips and 2 mint chocolate cookies (none of this on the plan)
dinner:  medium salad, carrot ginger coconut soup.  glass of water.
snack:  popcorn

Ellia's menu:
breakfast:  oatmeal with apple.  cup of milk
snack:  a few almonds and bites of banana. some water.
lunch:  tomato veggie soup and cheese stick, then at Jenny's some cheese, wheat thins, juice box, a few bites of a cornmeal muffin
snack:  carrots and apple
dinner:  carrot ginger soup.  cup of milk.
dinner 2:  green beans and meat jar.  more milk

Today was pretty good.  Wasn't as jazzed as yesterday and got SUPER hungry around 9:30 am when I wasn't so excited to be on the diet.  Also- haven't really set restrictions for myself eating at other people's houses, not sure if I should or not.

Anyway, here's dinner's recipe.  We used to make Carrot Ginger soup with cream and that recipe was much better, maybe not surprising.  Tasted a little bland to me and was a little runny for my tastes.

Vegan Carrot Ginger Coconut Soup

This soup is the picture of health.  Sweet carrots are cooked down and mixed with spicy ginger and creamy coconut.  It’s vegan.  It’s healthy.  Your insides will totally throw a parade in your honor.  I like to serve this soup with crusty bread… I like to serve everything with crusty bread.

Print this Recipe!

serves 4 to 6

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

3 tablespoons minced ginger

3/4 teaspoon ground coriander

4-5 cups diced carrots

3 cups vegetable broth

1 cup light coconut milk

salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onions and saute until onions are translucent, about 4 minutes.  Add ginger and saute for another 4 minutes, until softened and fragrant.  Add coriander and diced carrots.  Stir to incorporate.  Add the vegetable broth, reduce heat, and simmer mixture until carrots are completely softened, about 30 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool for 20 minutes.

Using a blender, blend soup in batches until smooth.  (You can also use an emulsion blender in the pot and never have to move the soup… if you’re into that sort of convenience.)  Return soup to pot, stir in coconut milk.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve soup warm with crusty vegan bread.

Day One and Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos

So, this is the first day of our new "eating to live" eating plan.  Here's what I ate today:

breakfast:  oatmeal with blueberries and apple.  glass of water.
snack:  banana and almonds.  glass of water.
unplanned snack:  string cheese and cheezits and 3 small cookies left over from my bday (not part of the plan)
lunch:  (wasn't really hungry until much later due to unplanned snack, so this lunch was around 4:00, some call that dinner) HUHGE salad!  piece of wheat toast.  glass of water
dinner:  sweet potato and black bean burrito.  glass of water

Ellia's consumption:
breakfast:  a few bites of oatmeal and milk
snack:  left over whole wheat, banana and chocolate chip pancake and a few almonds
snack/lunch:  pretzel cup, some cheezits and water
after nap snack:  many, many carrots.  some bites of my toast
dinner:  sweet potato and black bean quesadilla and milk.
after dinner dinner:  jar of green beans and meat

I think if I record both of our eating habits I'll be more accountable for what I feed myself and her.  Obviously we have some improvements to make with Ellia's diet.  I did ok today- esp since I really haven't given myself any rules.  I chopped a TON of veggies today for our two-a-day salads.  Included in the salad bags are:  one head cauliflower, 3 bunches broccoli, 2 red peppers, lots of baby carrots, one package mushrooms, one green pepper, a bunch of grapes, 2 cucumbers and a few tomatoes (cucumbers and tomatoes got their own baggies so they don't slop up the bags).  And I cut a head of romaine lettuce and red-leafed lettuce and spinach.  Although, while reading the book today I read that we are supposed to be eating the equivalent of one head of romaine by our selves every.day!  So, we'll see how long our lettuce lasts, but I think we'll be fine.

Anyway, I felt really good and super healthy after eating my humungo salad (which literally took me 30 minutes just to eat!)  And I'm excited to treat my body so well by having two of these a day- I feel like my body is going to just love me for this.  Should be good.  Oh and I had balsamic vinegar and olive oil on my salad along with some pine nuts and sunflower seeds.

Ok, here's the recipe for tonight's dinner, which was also Saturday night's dinner and Sunday lunch and will probably be lunch/snack many times this week since it's sooo yummy and I have lots leftover on purpose.  I just made the filling part and then did my own thing with it.

source:  http://www.womansday.com/Recipes/Sweet-Potato-and-Black-Bean-Burritos-Recipe.html

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos Recipe

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Photo: Antonis Achilleos/Woman's Day

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

You won't even miss the meat when it's substituted with sautéed sweet potatoes. It's filling, fiber-rich and plays well with creamy black beans. Also, crisping the outside of each burrito may seem unnecessary, but it’s definitely well worth the effort.

Recipe Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-in. pieces
• 1 medium red onion, half chopped and half thinly sliced
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 1 15.5-oz can black beans, rinsed
• 1 Tbsp chopped chipotle peppers in adobo
• 1 small bunch spinach, thick stems discarded, leaves coarsely chopped
• 6 oz Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely grated
• 4 large flour tortillas
• 2 Tbsp lowfat sour cream
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice, plus wedges for serving
• 1/2 head romaine lettuce, sliced into 1/2-in.-thick strips

Recipe Preparation

1. Heat 1 Tbsp of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sweet potato, chopped onion and 1/2 tsp salt and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Add the beans and chipotles and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add the spinach and cook, tossing, until it begins to wilt, 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Divide the cheese and potato-bean mixture among the tortillas (about 1 cup each) and roll up to form burritos. Wipe out the skillet and heat over medium heat. Cook the burritos (seam-side down first) until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
4. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lime juice, remaining Tbsp oil, and 1/4 each tsp salt and pepper. Add the romaine and sliced onions and toss to coat. Serve with the burritos and lime wedges, if desired.
5. Chop the leftover chipotles and divide the pieces and remaining adobo sauce among the sections of an ice cube tray. Freeze, then transfer cubes to a freezer-safe container. Toss into chili or stew.

Butternut Squash Carbonara

We've been in need of a good squash recipe since my friend with a garden gave us some.  I saw this on Pinterest and knew we had to give it a go.  Consensus:  yummm.  To make it a little more healthy we only used 3 strips of bacon instead of 6, which was plenty and we used whole milk instead of cream- which was just fine.  Also, we added a zucchini.  It had a great flavor without feeling too heavy like most carbonaras would.  And we used a ton of squash, I'm thinking too much and when I make this again I want to cut them up into smaller pieces (no small feat) because these were a little too big.  Also, as Rich pointed out, I think all the squash made the dish a little too starchy, but I did like that we had more squash than noodles.  I ranked this a 8/10 and Rich ranked it a 6/10.

source:  http://www.closetcooking.com/2010/01/butternut-squash-carbonara.html

Butternut Squash Carbonara

(makes 2 servings)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
6 slices bacon (cut into 1 inch slices)
2 cups squash (cut into small pieces)
1/2 pound pasta
1 clove garlic (chopped)
1 tablespoon sage (chopped)
pepper to taste
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano

Directions:
1. Start boiling some water in a large pot to cook the pasta.
2. Cook the bacon in a pan, set aside and drain all but a tablespoon of the grease.
3. Add the squash to the pan, toss to coat in the bacon grease and saute until tender, about 8-10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook as directed on the package.
5. Meanwhile, mix the egg yolk, heavy cream and parmigiano reggiano in a bowl.
6. Drain the cooked pasta reserving some of the water.
7. Add the garlic, sage and pepper to the squash and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
8. Add the pasta to the pan and toss.
9. Remove the pan from the heat and wait for the sizzling to stop.
10. Add the egg mixture and toss to coat.
11. Add a bit of the pasta water and toss to mix and coat.
12. Garnish with more sage & serve.

Fall Pork Chops

Made this tonight.  Got the idea from Pinterest.  It was soooo yummy.  Definitely one of my favorite pork chop recipes.  Let's see we didn't have apple cider vinegar or mustard- so those were omitted, and I substituted a regular onion for shallots.  When I make it again, I will add less sugar since it was a little too sweet and a little less pepper.  Also, the apples were so gushy by the end, I think I would just put them in like 15 minutes or so before it's done cooking.  And what I thought was our rosemary was actually thyme, so I put a lot of thyme in, which turned out to be good.  The spices I used were thyme, oregano and dried parsley.

source:  http://www.jensyummyfun.com/2009/10/perfect-fall-pork-chops.html

Perfect Fall Pork Chops

A PERFECT fall dish. SO yummy! We loved this!  Ben said it very well might be his "FAVORITE dish I make". I am glad I wrote down what I did :) 

6-8 pork chops

olive oil

3-4 fresh garlic cloves

3-4 shallots sliced into quarters

2 Cup baby carrots

3 red potatoes (sm-med)-cubed

1/2 - 1 small apple sliced 

1/2 - 1 small pear sliced (remove skins optional) 

fresh rosemary

fresh chives

fresh parsley

1/4 C butter

3/4 C brown sugar

4 Tlb dijon mustard

1-2 Tbl Apple Cider Vinegar 

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp pepper

DIRECTIONS 

Melt butter and brown sugar in a frying pan. Saute shallots, carrots, garlic, korsher salt and pepper approx 5 minutes then add potatoes, apples and pears and herbs for an additional 3-5 minutes until everything is well coated but not cooked tender. 

Sear pork chops in a hot frying pan with 2 Tbl of olive oil and generous amounts seasoning salt and pepper until barely browned. Place in baking dish and pour vegetables and glaze over pork chops. Stir together 4Tbl Dijon mustard with a little apple cider vinegar (or water) just enough to make it thin enough to drizzle over pork chops and vegetables.  Snip fresh parsley and  rosemary on top and cover dish with 2 layers of foil.

Bake 400 for 45 minutes, then reduce heat to 250 for 30-40 more minutes. Make sure pork chops are cooked throughout and are no longer pink. 

Richard's Mushroom Potato Soup

Rich made this up- it's tasty, but I ruined it this time by making it way, way too runny :(

So here's a guestimate of what should go in:

some butter/margerine
some garlic
a package of mushrooms
one small onion chopped
about 6 (smallish) potatoes
4 cups chicken broth (?)

Melt some butter in the soup pot, put in the mushrooms until they are good and sauteed.  Take em out.  Put in more butter, add garlic and onion.  Cook until onion is see through.  Add chicken broth and potatoes.  Cook for a while, then add most of the mushrooms, and take some potatoes out.  Blend with hand held blender and put back the mushrooms and potatoes you took out.  The end.

Blackberry and Brie Grilled Cheese

Tried this tonight after it looked so appetizing on Pinterest.  We homemade white bread and substituted ham for the prosciutto.  Pretty tasty- a little heavy and not quiiite as good as it looks in that picture.  The jam was very good though.  Overall I give it a thumbs up. 

Source:  http://www.yumsugar.com/Fast-Easy-Recipe-Blackberry-Prosciutto-Brie-Grilled-Cheese-10654180

Berry Tempting: Blackberry Brie Panini

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During our berry tempting month of blueberries, I was obsessed with the versatility ofblueberry sauce. Similarly, with an abundance of blackberries, I simply couldn't resist making a pared-down version of blackberry jam. Never one to pass up a solid salty-sweet combo, I used the ripe flavor of blackberries as a plummy counterpoint to salumi, melted cheese, and mustard. The end result is everything one could want in a sandwich; the portable meal is salty, porky, creamy, toasty, and fruity all at the same time. Click ahead for the recipe.

Prosciutto and Brie Sandwiches With Blackberry Jam
From Susannah Chen

This recipe, which calls for a grill, could also easily be prepared with a panini press, or even in a frying pan. Use the leftover jam to stir into Greek yogurt, top on waffles, or fill a crostata — the options are endless.

Ingredients

Blackberry Jam:
2 cups blackberries, preferably fresh
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
For sandwiches
4 slices sweet batard, or other rustic bread
2 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
6 thin slices prosciutto
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
6 ounces of brie cheese, sliced

Directions

1. Make blackberry jam: Combine blackberries and sugar in a small metal saucepan, using the tines of a fork or a potato masher to break apart the berries.
2. Add lime juice and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, and allow to cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until juices have been released.
3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with cold water until well incorporated. Stir cornstarch water into simmering blackberries, and remove pot from heat immediately. Allow jam to cool to slightly. Reserve 4 teaspoons for recipe, and transfer the rest (approximately 3/4 cup) to an airtight container, reserving for another use. (The jam will keep for about 2 weeks.)
4. Make the sandwiches: Preheat a grill to medium heat. Butter both sides of all bread slices. Place on grill for 6-10 minutes, flipping each slice of bread once halfway through, until exterior is browned and crisp to your liking. Remove from grill.
5. Divide the 4 teaspoons blackberry jelly between two slices of bread, then top evenly with the brie cheese slices, and return to the grill for 3-5 minutes, or until cheese has melted.
6. Top the other two remaining bread slices with mustard, and fold 3 prosciutto slices atop each. Carefully bring the blackberry-brie and mustard-prosciutto slices of bread together to form a sandwich. Enjoy immediately.

Makes 2 sandwiches.