14 Days in, an update

Its been 14 days since i've begun, and despite a few minor set backs, (sometimes when my in-laws ask if i want something for breakfast from Mc Donalds its really hard to say no), I've been doing very well. Even over the past week, despite my lack of posting, I was still cooking better meals for myself and my family. (a certain monthly friend decided that twice the pain and sticking around twice as long was a great idea)

And how do I feel? great. I get up in the morning and I no longer feel sluggish. that's different. that's quite new. I'm actually feeling refreshed. I'm not doing this to loose weight, or something like that. I am working on making some Important lifestyle changes, Starting with the food that I eat, to make myself a healthier individual. and its working. I feel different. we still eat out, but its a rare thing. and when we do, we think about what we eat. Gyros from the local diner, no fries. things like that. 

I let myself have a doctor pepper for the first time in two weeks yesterday. That was nice. I REALY enjoyed that. because you can't deprive yourself of everything you love just because its not super healthy for you. Tonight I'm making Beef Burgundy and redskin mashed potatoes. its going to be delicious. AND it's going to be healthy (because i'm not using a stick of butter and 3 pounds of meat)

The Best of Intentions ( fish and roasted Tomatoes)

Depending on how its cooked, i will either love fish, or really hate it. (though oddly i love sushi) I have also never been a fan of Olives of any kind, or tomatoes in their whole form... So why did i decide to cook this meal? Because my husband (who hates tomatoes in ANY form save pizza sauce or Ketchup) was working late. Also because i like to see how cooking something differently affects my enjoyment of it. 

Mediterranean Cod with Roasted Tomatoes

4 4-oz fresh or frozen skinless cod fillets 3/4 to 1 inch thick (i was at the mercy of my grocery store and they had very little to choose from...)

2 teaspoons snipped fresh oregano

1 teaspoon snipped fresh thyme

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon paprika

3 cups cherry tomatoes

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons sliced black olives

2 teaspoons capers

heat oven to 450. combine the oregano and thyme (original recipe says to add garlic and paprika as well but I find it doesn't mix well. and I prefer just to sprinkle it over the top before baking) use about half the herbs to coat the fish both front and back, than place on half a lightly greased baking sheet. (if you did it my way, lightly sprinkle with garlic and paprika. and pepper.)

put the tomatoes in a bowl with the pieces of sliced garlic. drizzle with olive oil and add the rest of the herb mixture. toss so it gets a good coating and put it on the other side of the baking sheet. bake  for 8-15 minutes or until fish flakes lightly with a fork. put the tomatoes back in the bowl, add olives and capers, and mix again. 

Because i don't eat tomatoes, i took two leeks, cut them up, and cooked them in place of half the tomatoes (since the recipe is for 4 servings)

I made this with Israeli couscous.

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Like I said, my In-laws loved this. Especially Hobbit. they want me to make it again. I was really hoping it would be otherwise, but eh. Next time i make this i will try a few things differently to make it more suited to something i would eat.

Glad I Didn't Have a V8 (fruit and veggie Smoothie)

So my father has been on a Juice and smoothie kick for a while, and working hard to get me to try it. I have been wanting to get one of those magic bullet things i see so many times on Infomercials. because its COOL! and has bright colors! and pretty! and i like collecting Kitchen appliances. (2 crock pots, a blender, a juicer, a rice cooker, all i'm missing is a food processor)

so i got a magic bullet for myself for Christmas and went digging for a good recipe to try. Which means Pintrest. i found myself over on Perry's Plate, which is a blog for mostly Paleo recipes. I'm not entirely sure what Paleo stands for, other than the fact that it makes me think of Archeologists and the Stone Ages. i could google it and figure out what it is, but i'm feeling kind of lazy.

I knew I had one chance to really wow my husband with a smoothie, so he'd be willing to try other ones. This recipe she had up was perfect.

Carrots, Strawberries, Spinach, blueberries, and fruit juice. really simple and easy to put together and make. I'm not posting the full recipe here, because i want to send people her way as well, its only fair.
so here's a link to the recipe, and I'll just talk about what i changed. ( the picture is mine, BTW)

The Morning Smoothie for People who Hate Green Smoothies

so first things first, I used a magic bullet. I also used about half of everything since i was making it in separate individual cups. in my husband and Hobbit's smoothies, I used grape juice instead of Pomegranate juice, because I'm the only one who will drink it, and its expensive (so its mine. ALL MINE)

everyone loved it, even my father in law, who just tasted some of Hobbit's smoothie. So I'm ecstatic. and also quite satisfied. i drank this, than realized i wasn't even remotely hungry for lunch. I think between this and salads I don't even need to worry about luncheon. And i wont feel so bad about my single shortbread cookie with Afternoon tea.

Everybody got to deviate from the norm (cooking with things I've never used before)

So I've eaten plenty of things with curry, but I've never cooked with it. always thought orange juice on my meat was weird. honey as the sauce for pasta? like i said. this is a deviation from the norm. in a really big way. And yet it turned out awesome.

These recipes came from the same magazine as yesterday, Eat to Beat Diabetes ( with a few minor changes to suit my family's tastes) and makes 4 servings.

Curry Marinated Pork Kabobs

1 lb pork tenderloin 

3 tablespoons orange juice

2 tablespoons yellow curry paste

WARNING: this is something you want to do either early the morning of, or the night before.

Cut the pork into pieces (i cut mine into exactly 16 mostly equal size pieces because its divisible by 4 and i'm OCD like that.) and trim off the fat.

Mix the curry and OJ in a large freezer bag. I used a fresh orange which ended up being about 3 and a half tablespoons. drop in the meat, push out most of the air, and seal the bag. once the bag is sealed, i like the mix it by just squishing things around until all the meat looks good and coated.  Put it in the fridge and forget about it until you're ready to cook. (at least 6 hours)

preheat the oven to 425. cauliflower in recipe below goes in at the same temp but takes twice as long. Magazine recommends soaking the 4 skewers in water before threading the meat onto them. It didn't say why, but i did it. Skewers didn't splinter as much as i'm used to so maybe soaking did something. put the skewers on a lightly greased baking sheet (yay Pam Spray!) and cook for 12 to 15 minutes until the pork is only slightly pink in the center.

Carrot Fettuccine and Roasted Cauliflower

6 cups bite sized cauliflower florets

1 tablespoon olive oil (I used closer to 2)

4 oz whole grain fettuccine

1 cup jullienned carrots

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

2 tablespoons coarse ground mustard

2 tablespoons honey

1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro (i used half that)

1/4 cup chopped, unsalted peanuts (i omitted these entirely, per family request)

I added about 1/4 of a cup chicken broth, and about a 1/2 teaspoon of pepper to the olive oil before tossing the cauliflower in it. help spread the oil out a bit and give it a bit more flavor. also I like pepper. A lot. place the cauliflower on a baking sheet and put it in the oven at 425 for 20 to 30 minutes.

Cook the Fettuccine according to package directions, adding in the carrots during the last two minutes of cooking. (i added mine in sooner than that). save 1/2 cup of the liquid from the pasta when you strain it. add the honey, mustard, and cilantro to it. combine the pasta/carrots with the roasted cauliflower and the green onions, than toss the entire mixture in the honey lemon sauce you just made. plate, and sprinkle with peanuts if desired. I cut the pasta into smaller pieces part way through, having realized while trying to coat it that i ended up with a ball of pasta and everything else separate. 

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So this meal also was a success with my family. Which I am very grateful for. I was informed when i first started cooking for everyone that they liked very plain, simple things. very standard meals with very little fluff. I'd like to think that this changed their minds at least a little. This one is definitely getting cooked again. And i now have a jar of yellow curry paste that i will be experimenting with in the future.

SODA (and have you LOOKED at the sugar content in most juice???)

when you look at all the drinks out there, and you start looking at the nutrition facts, you'll realize that half of them are just as bad as soda. some are worse, and the rest taste gross because really isn't that how health food is supposed to taste? but there's a bunch of things you can do to get rid of the not so great stuff and not have to suffer with just drinking water.

Now soda's not that hard for me to give up. there are 2 main sodas i drink, and usually only 2-3 sodas a week. 5 if we're getting fast food more than once. Doctor Pepper is my staple, Ginger ale when i want some thing different, or when my stomach is bothering me, and every once in a while, i really really like cherry coke. or cherry Pepsi, or cherry Dr Pepper. Cherry soda is my sweet sometimes treat. I've actually given up soda before, but Doctor Pepper brings me back... every time...

So how do i keep myself from going back? I don't. Not in the way you'd think. everything is fine in moderation. every now and than, 2-3 times a MONTH, its okay for me to have a Dr. Pepper. because hey its my life and whats the point of living if i can't enjoy it?

That being said, most juice is too sweet for me. I like my tea without sugar, or depending on the tea, very little sugar. but i really like juice and i really like it when my drinks are fizzy. easy fix. fruit juice and seltzer. my staple, 1 serving of Minute-maid Cherry Limeade (there i go with cherry again) and a can of Lime seltzer water. it waters down the overly sweet flavor of the drink, while giving the seltzer some flavor. so i CAN have my cake and eat it too!

And than there's tea. when someone tells me they don't like tea, i kind of want to laugh. okay. you don't like tea. what kind of tea? Because seriously, not all tea tastes the same. there are wildly different flavors of tea out there. I had tea with cocoa beans and chili powder in it the other day, Thank you Emzie. and i have a tea on my shelf right now that's sweet even without any sugar in it, and tastes like wild berries. my point is, don't be nit picky. go forth and taste the tea!

Its a New Years Miracle! (AKA my Husband re-thinks his Hatred of Mushrooms)

It isn't just the Cake that's a lie any more, my friends! these mashed potatoes are about 75% Cauliflower. and my Father in law said he couldn't tell the difference!

my family has rated this meal a 4.5 out of 5, so its going in my list of things to cook again.

Steak and Potatoes with Mushroom Gravy

(recipe was acquired from the magazine Eat to Beat Diabetes ( with a few minor changes to suit my family's tastes) and makes 4 servings)

4 four oz steaks (I used 2 eight oz steaks, but that's just me)

dash of salt and pepper on each (original recipe calls only for 1/4 teaspoon of salt) 

You can cook the steaks on a grill, in the oven, however you would normally cook them. I usually cook mine to an internal temp of 145, or medium rare. on my cast iron skillet it only took about 8-10 minutes. When they're done, let them cool a bit so they don't loose their moisture, and slice them thin. (I saved the juices off the cast iron skillet i used and poured it right into the almost finished gravy. it was amazing)

1 1/4 cups reduced sodium beef broth (i used closer to 2 cups. I'm bad...)

1 teaspoon minced garlic ( i used 2 cloves. one clove is about a teaspoon from what i can tell.)

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

4 teaspoons flour (original recipe calls for corn starch instead. but i like flour. also i sift it in)

Put a 1/4 of a cup broth into a pan along with the garlic and let it simmer for a bit, than add the mushrooms. Cook on medium heat for about 3 minutes. mix the remaining broth in with the flour and add it into the pan (i used a whisk and sifted the flour into the broth) cook and stirr until thickened. (i also added the drippings off the cast iron skillet into it,)

6 cups cauliflower ( i just used an entire head of cauliflower)

12 oz potatoes (i had no idea how to estimate this. the bag i bought was 48 oz redskin potatoes so i used about 1/4th of the bag, cubed, it came out to about 2 cups)

1/2 a cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons fresh parsley

Cube the potatoes and break up the cauliflower. Recipe says to boil these two together for about 25 minutes with the onions, than beat with an electric mixer. because of a certain picky eater, cooked them separately, and used scallions instead of onion, adding that in at the end. I also just used a regular potato masher. I would have used my dad's ricer but i couldn't find it... add in the butter, salt pepper, and parsley and treat it as you would regular mashed potatoes.

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My husband hates mushrooms, even to the point that he has told people he's allergic. I think I've just changed his mind with this recipe. My picky eater got her cauliflower in a dish on the side (and i forgot to set aside some potato for her, so she got extra mushrooms) 

Husband : 4 ( less mushrooms, more steak. some people don't like changes to their eating habits)

The Hobbit: 5 (she even says that next time she'll steal some of my father in law's cauliflower mashed potatoes. maybe. don't push it.)

Father in law: 5 (always been a meat and potatoes man, but he'll eat just about anything. can't be a picky eater in the navy. HOWEVER! he said that it tasted just like normal mashed potatoes so i will take that as a huge win!)

Me: 4 (I've never been a fan of mushrooms, and normally i just pick them out. but this time i ate them . it was delicious, though i think the texture of mushrooms will take some getting used to)

All in all, this meal will be getting added to the list of things i'm making again!

Too Much Thyme on my Hands

After a fairly active day of shopping, rearranging the kitchen, and gutting the fridge of last year's leftovers, I settled down to do some fun things. I bought about 6 different types of herbs at the fresh market and proceeded to chop them all into little bits, than throw them in labeled freezer bags. now i'll have fresh herbs and i don't have to worry about finding them 2 months later in a very icky state in the back of my fridge. I also made myself Thyme sticks for when i make food in the crock pot.

Bundles of Thyme wrapped in thread that get pulled out either at the end, or part way through cooking. because pulling leaves off thyme is my least favorite activity. right beside running.

In any case, i now have Parsley, Thyme, Tarragon, Cilantro, Oregano, and Basil in my freezer ready to be used.

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For a recipe i'm doing later this week, (aka tomorrow) I required an unusual ingredient that they don't carry at my local grocery store. which is odd because there's a very large Indian community here. I needed yellow curry paste. i must have gone to 4 different stores looking for it, before finally venturing bravely into my local Indian food mart. 

I'm reminded a lot of high school, where the jocks had their hang outs, the nerds theirs, the goths theirs, and if you went into the wrong area, everyone knew you didn't belong and stared at you out of the corner of their eyes, watching you. yeah it was a little like that. but a really nice young man at the register assured me i was buying the right thing, and even gave me some tips on his favorite way to cook plantains, (which i saw and had to get, having been 7 years since i last had them). Long story short, Definitely going back there again. saw a bunch of things i want to cook. and eat. especially eat.