I have GOT to eat better

Last year, I tried the Whole30 Plan. It’s pretty basic. No grains, no dairy, no sugar, no processed foods or additives. No peas or corn (a couple of my fav veggies), no alcohol, no peanuts. I said it was basic, not easy.

But I did it.

I made my own ghee (clarified butter, really) to take out the milk fats. It took me a few cups before I could say I enjoy it, but I learned to drink black coffee. Fortunately, I could have potatoes and sweet potatoes (in moderation), so I was actually able to live without grains. I thought I would have the hardest time with the grains, but really, it was the cheese that got me. I wanted to lose weight, and I did lose some. But mostly, I wanted to learn some new eating habits so could lose weight and keep it off. Well, I have fallen back into some bad habits, so it’s time to work on me again. Harder this time. I am not going to do a strict Whole30 plan this time, but I will use a lot of what I learned and really work to make these changes that I need. I hope.

One thing I learned is that carbs for breakfast are useless for me. Sure, they taste great. But even the “healthy” things like oatmeal or Crispix cereal leave me hungry way before lunchtime. But if I have protein, I am only mildly hungry for lunch. So a protein-rich breakfast it is. I try to have hard boiled eggs, or sometimes I make mini frittatas, crustless quiches, whatever you want to call them. You can fill them with a meat of your choosing. I do try to pick a Whole30 approved one, which means no fake ingredients and no sugar — there is just one brand of bacon that my grocery store carries that does not have sugar. But I would rather cut added sugars out of everything else if it means I can have a cookie or something that actually tastes sweet and will satisfy my craving. For the mini frittatas, I leave out the cheese, and put in veggies, usually red bell peppers because they are one of my favorites in a quiche.

I also learned to love almond butter (a no additive kind, just plain ‘ole roasted and puréed almonds). Like black coffee, this too was an acquired taste. But now I like it more than peanut butter, which tastes overly sweet to me. I can put a couple tablespoons of almond butter on diced strawberries and bananas, or dip a sliced apple. I’m also excited to try a recipe I just saw for sweet potato and zucchini fritters - I think that will make a good breakfast. I am also going to master making poached eggs and serve them over roasted asparagus spears.

Something else I learned is that I can make just about anything for the guys for dinner. They are good sports and will try lots of different things. But while I can, and need to, avoid the carbs at dinner, if they don’t have a starch, they will be trolling through the kitchen an hour after dinner. Just different metabolisms, I guess. So one night, I made a homemade marinara sauce with ground chicken. I served it over portabella mushroom caps for me and big bowls of pasta for the guys. A perfect solution.

I know I won’t stick to a diet. But I can change the way I eat. Wish me luck! And if you have any suggestions, please feel free to share them.

Just a little mashed potatoes

I don't actually know how to cook a little of anything. I have enough Italian in me to make me want to make sure there's enough for everyone who might think about stopping by for dinner. And I have even more Irish in me, which means I like potatoes. I really like potatoes.

Tonight we made chicken thinghs. Jeffrey Came home grousing about having to to go 3 stores just to find plain 'ole chicken thighs. He kept finding the skinless, boneless ones and that's not what we wanted. I calmed him down by reminding him we still had Rice Krispie treats. That worked. We cooked the chicken simply, but it's one of our favorite methods. Olive oil (or butter) and Old Bay seasoning. And then we bake them on 350, or 380 if you're hungry and want them to cook faster. It usually takes between 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the temp you're using and how many chicken thighs you're cooking.

For sides, we had asparagus (after a couple false starts when we totally overcooked it, we really grew to love asparagus) and mashed potatoes. I made a lot of mashed potatoes. I have no pictures, mostly because we were hungry when dinner was ready. But oh man, they were some delicious mashed potatoes. I used heavy cream, because we had some leftover from making ganache this past weekend. I used butter, and salt and pepper. And that was it.

I might have had seconds and even some for lunch tomorrow.

It's easy, AND good for you

This recipe is one of new favorites. It's all over the internet, so I certainly can't take credit for it. I have tweaked it a little to make it mine, of course.

I've been researching lots of recipes the past few weeks since I've been doing the Whole30 meal plan. Basically, Whole30 means no dairy, no grains, no sugar, no legumes, no alcohol, for 30 days. You can have butter, if it's clarified. But no cheating with gluten-free anything. The idea, for me especially, has been to make myself less dependent on bread, pasta, sugar and high-fat foods. I think I've been doing pretty well. I'll write more about my whole journey on a future blog. And check out the Whole30 site for more info on the plan.

So this recipe has a few of my various tweaks -- just use the flavors you like best, or to keep it an easy dish even suitable for a busy weeknight meal, just use whatever you have on hand. On a side note, Jeff would like me to point out that he is awesome. He is, so there you go.

Ingredients

• 8-10 pieces of bone in chicken thighs 
• 1 lb . baby red potatoes (or whole small potatoes, or cut yellow or russet potatoes)
• 1/2 in onion - cut large pieces (I skip this sometimes)
• carrots -- either baby carrots or whole carrots cut in pieces similar in size to your potatoes
• 2 lemons and 2 limes (this is my biggest switch from the other recipes, which only use lemons. We really love the combo of both fruits)
• 1/3 cup olive oil (I don't actually measure, just drizzle over everyone in the pool)
• 2 cloves garlic minced (I skip this sometimes too)
• 1 tablespoon fresh Rosemary plus sprigs for garnish (or thyme, or dried if you don't have fresh)
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I definitely skip this - can't eat red pepper flakes at all)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt (again, why measure???)
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper (see salt note above - just use how much you think looks good)
• sprinkle paprika or other seasoning if not using sprigs of rosemary or thyme

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Spray a glass 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange chicken pieces (skin side up), potatoes, sliced onion and lemon slices evenly in pan. Or, use foil-lined cookie sheets (with a raised side). Make sure the thighs are sitting on the sliced limes and lemons.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, rosemary, crushed red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Pour mixture all over chicken and potatoes. Sprinkle all over generously with additional salt and pepper.
4. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour, or until chicken and potatoes are fully cooked.

Use your pretty things

This morning I was putzing around the kitchen, putting some things away, getting a few things started for Easter dinner. I opened the doors of the tiny cabinet above the microwave to remind myself what was in it. I had to use a spatula to open the doors, of course, because I can't actually reach the doors themselves. Which is why I store the china up there.

I actually have two sets of china, both of which my Mom gave to me. One is the set I remember from my childhood. It has a pretty rose pattern on just a side of the plate, in a soft silver. I would share a picture of it, but as I mentioned, I can't actually reach it, so...

The other set I have also brings back special memories. Every year at Christmas, my Dad loved shopping for everyone. And every year, he had to make that one last trip to a store to get just one more thing, usually for Mom. One year, it was a new set of china. It is also pretty, in a more modern way than the traditional flower pattern. This set is decorated by a simple silver border. What I remember most about it is not the many holiday meals we used it, but the pure joy my father displayed in buying and giving to Mom.

As I was looking at the cabinet from (far) below, my son asked why we never use the china. (The flowered set is in the cabinet and the other set is in storage in the house). I pointed out that we do, on special occasions. We then decided that our Easter dinner counted as one, even if it was just going to be the three of us tonight. We're having a pork loin with a balsamic reduction glaze, a pineapple casserole and roasted carrots with rosemary, by the way.

I also got this set of Pioneer Woman bowls for Christmas from my mother-in-law (who knows me well). It's not quite the pattern I would usually gravitate toward, but I had previously assured her that I truly loved the patterns and colors in this line. I often joke about being close to losing my 'girl card,' but sometimes I do like to use pretty things. And why not? Why do we have pretty things if not to enjoy them? Dig out the china, use the special glasses, mix lemon bar filling in the pretty bowl likely meant for display only. Enjoy your life and the things in it, and share them and the the things you make with the ones you love. They're worth the effort. And so are you.

It all started with mozarella

The other day I took advantage of a BOGO and got two balls of fresh mozzarella. Yep, Bel Gioioso. I wanted some cheese to pair with baby heirloom and other tiny tomatoes for breakfast. Unconventional yes, but it's at least not a carbohydrate-loaded meal.

Anywho, I had this mozzarella in the fridge and was thinking what to do, what to do, and I settled on naan bread pizzas. We really like doing individual pizzas on naan bread. It's light and just the perfect size for a personal pizza. This was a quick dinner, so I bought pesto rather than make it. Just a small spoonful on each bread, topped with thin slices of mozzarella, about 5-6 per pizza, a little grated Parmesan and some torn prosciutto. I baked them on sheet pans at 350 degrees until the cheese was melted and bubbly (didn't time it, sorry, but it was probably between 10 and 15 minutes).

I knew we needed a side dish too, so I got some hummus and we had carrots, zucchini and red bell pepper slices for dipping. All in all, a good, quick, and not terribly unhealthy dinner. Of course, then we had some chocolate chip cookies, so....

Fall vegetables?

Tomatoes and bell peppers are a summer thing, right? Not at our house.

We had some really nice herb plants this year -- Rosemary, chives, thyme and parsley (no, no sage). And we had some container tomatoes and bell peppers. I wasn't sure how they would do in containers, but the plants really flourished. At least the pepper plants did. The tomato plants did great until the squirrels discovered them. They took one whole plant from the pot. And then they took all the tomatoes. And finally, they denuded it so all that was left was a sad looking stem. Sigh. 

The peppers were still in the game though. And the herbs too. Then we went to Asheville and were gone for 5 days in the hottest, driest part of summer. The peppers we had on the stems - dead. The herbs? Completely dried up and dead. But the pepper plants still looked good. And the tomato stem, well, it was still green-ish. So I kept watering them. And now this happened. There are flowers on the tomato plant. I mean, look at that stem! It was sheared in half, and still this thing is growing. And we might get tomatoes after all. We might need to invest in some fine mesh screening to surround it and protect it from the squirrels. There are also nine bell peppers growing. Nine! I have always thought that our yard has some kind of weird growing vibe and that plants flourish despite my care for them, and now I think I have proof. Let's just hope they give us some veggies before our fall trip. 

Fig jam and pork

A friend recently gave me a jar of fig jam. I knew I liked figs, but I wasn't sure about the fellas. Turns out one does and one is not sure.

I also wasn't entirely sure what to do with fig jam. It has all the typical fruit jam uses, and I hear it is really good on toast. But it seems to be more...substantial than a berry or apple jelly or jam. So I decided to make a sauce for pork chops.

Now look. I know this is a food blog. But I am terrible about writing measurements down. And I only got one picture of the final product. And the boy photobombed it. But I am a writer, so I can tell you all about it. Here's how it went down.

I sauteed boneless pork chops in the cast iron skillet. I seasoned the chops with salt and pepper and paprika. You could use your favorite grill seasoning or garlic instead.

After the chops were done, I removed them and kept them warm. Then I started with some olive oil and onions. I used a red onion, sliced in thin half moons. A little salt and pepper and then let them get happy, as Emeril would say. You want them pretty soft, nice and caramelized. Deglaze with white wine. Then add some apples, thinly sliced. I used 2 Granny Smith apples, and I didn't bother to peel them. I added a little dry thyme at this point. A little more wine to keep things moving in the pan.  

Next came the fig jam. I heated it through and then added a little more wine to thin out the sauce a little. I tasted the sauce and didn't think it needed anything else. Except a little butter. Sauce always needs a little butter.

Plate the chops, spoon the onions and apples on top, add a little more sauce. Baby carrots with a just a little butter, salt and pepper made a nice side dish and voila! Dinner was served. Oh, I almost forgot the biscuits. Jeffrey had mentioned a couple of times that he was really hungry. And I had made him help clean out my car, so I made biscuits. No muss, no fuss, just the Hungry Jack recipe here. No cheddar, so I used mozzarella and garlic seasoning instead.

John is not necessarily a fan of the fig jam I think, but otherwise, this dinner was a big hit!