Meatballs And Polenta

Husband's meatloaf and polenta. Looks messy. I went to a callback and was not feeling up to anything, much less making a pretty picture. As my friend Tom would say, "harumph".

There is a post being written, just can't share it just yet. Stay tuned...

Crispy Chicken And A Modified Ritual Meal

This was Monday night dinner. Husband's favorite curry crusted chicken thighs. Served with spiced yam mash and steamed veggies. I always pick the hottest days to crank the oven up to 400 degrees. Genius am I.



This is a slightly modified ritual meal. I don't know if y'all have noticed, but I've been branching out a bit from the exact same meal for every meal, yes? My latest obsessions are vegan cookies and green monsters, which result in a caloric imbalance that leads to bigger dinners. Don't know how much this agrees with me. It could be my body saying "thank you, mama, for the variety" or it could be my body saying "what the- where's all this sugar coming from?!"

Tonight I am feeling weirdly achy and dizzy; think it could be a reaction to the fish I snarfed after my culinary exam today (the fish was perfect and perfectly fresh, I just think I may have an allergy, as I am allergic to shellfish as it is).

Modified Ritual Meal: cucumber, celery, broccoli, cheese, spiced yam mash, nuts and dried pineapple.

Bison Burger And Tater Tots

Husband didn't want a carby bun, so I gave him all the fixings on a bed of spinach and sliced roma tomatoes.

His burger was bison, which I mix with grated onion and Worcestershire sauce before it goes in the pan. Topped with "special sauce" (mustard, mayo and ketchup), tofu cheese and fried onions. Served with tots, which he likes to dip in mustard and ketchup.

I had my ritual meal. Yawn.

Chili And Cornbread

This cornbread was a total improvisation and it turned out pretty good! Not perfect, but totally decent. Here's the ingredients:

1/2 cup Arrowhead Mills gluten-free baking mix
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup vanilla rice milk
1 Tablespoon honey
1 egg
pinch salt
couple drops vanilla stevia extract

Mixed it all up and put it in a greased pan. Baked at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. It was dense and a bit like a pancake and could have been a touch sweeter. I might add 1/2 cup corn kernels next time.


Chili. 1 pkg lean, organic ground beef, 1 20 oz can kidney beans, 1/2 chopped jalapeno, 1 sauteed onion, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 20 oz can crushed tomatoes, 2 Tablespoons chili powder, 1 Tablespoon cumin and a generous splash of Worcestershire sauce to zing it up. Simmered for one hour. Done!



Husband's chili with some extra veggies stirred in and...


...his buttered cornbread.



Mine: cucumber, broccoli, cheese, nuts and a d'anjou pear.

I'm sorry I haven't posted until Sunday. I've been working like a real working girl, and putting my favorite blog last...mine.

Sunday workout: Squeeze Stronger With Tracy Effinger

Warm Spinach Salad With Bacon For Sunday Lunch

How I did it.

4 slices bacon
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 pound asparagus
4 cups spinach
4 oz salmon (husband)
1 oz grated Gruyere (for me)

Coat asparagus spears in olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in 400 degree oven for 15 minutes or until toasty roasty.

Pan fry bacon until brown and crispy, drain on paper towels. Crumble bacon and reserve.

Take fat out of the pan, reserving 1 Tablespoon. Take that fat and caramelize the onion. When onion is soft, add mushrooms and saute until mushrooms are brown and caramelized with the onion.

Cook salmon as desired (I cooked in tin foil for 10 minutes in the 400 degree oven with a little bacon fat and lemon juice).

Right before serving, toss spinach in the onion and mushrooms and let wilt, just about 45 seconds. Divide the salad mixture between two plates. Top one with salmon, the other with cheese. Top with fat-free Trader Joe's balsamic vinaigrette that I spiked with another Tablespoon balsamic vinegar (the salad can take a lot of acid with all that bacon grease).

Enjoy!

Monday Night Dinner Eaten Consciously

What a day. Husband and I feel like we're running a small business out of our house, which I guess we sort of are. It's actually awesome having meetings in bed about clients and projects. We had so much to discuss, we decided to (eureka!) eat at the table.




Husband's polenta and meatballs. He likes it better than pasta.



Mine: cucumber, broccoli, cheese, nuts and dried pineapple.

Monday workout: 3 mile run with husband.

First Attempt To Duplicate Versailles #6 With No Rice

I'm embarrassed to show this chicken but when I began this blog I committed to putting it all out there, bad chicken and all. The goal was to create a meal that rivaled our addiction to Versailles lemon garlic roasted chicken with black beans and fried plantains. I made roasted chicken in a garlic lemon sauce, black beans and pan-fried bananas. Here are the recipes:

Roasted chicken
1 chicken
1 Tablespoon olive oil
zest of 2 lemons
juice of 1 lemon
1 lemon sliced
5 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
1 medium onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons soy sauce

Wash and pat dry chicken. Loosen skin and stuff randomly with garlic and sliced lemon.

In a separate bowl, combine oil, zest, juice, onion and soy sauce. Rub and pour the mixture over chicken. Bake at 425 degrees until internal temp is 165 degrees.

Black Beans

1/2 lb dried black beans, washed and sorted
6 cups good chicken stock
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar (less or more, to taste. I love me some vinegar)

Combine in a pot and cook until beans are soft, 1 1/2-2 hours. Add vinegar 20 mins before beans are done.

Pan-fried Banana

2 bananas, sliced lengthwise
2 Tablespoons light butter
cinnamon

Heat butter in frying pan until bubbly. Add cinnamon and banana slices. Let fry for at least 2-3 minutes to get nice coating. Flip, repeat. Can be held on low flame until you're ready to plate.




The problem? Chicken was too big for the roasting pan. I need to have a bigger pot AND have the chicken on a rack so it would brown evenly. We just ate the parts with crispy skin and a shredded the rest to be used for chicken salad. I also combined some of the chicken with the VERY yummy lemon sauce with the black beans and froze it in individual portions; kind of like a Cuban chicken chili.

I'm Cooking Again

Husband's crispy curried chicken thighs with steamed veggies and spiced yam mash. Yep, I'm back.

We're watching basketball. Correction; husband is watching basketball and I'm playing on the computer. I can't just watch, I get too anxious and upset. I feel bad when a player gets hurt or fouled and I really don't want LA to beat Denver...even though I know they will since my therapist accidentally spoiled it over the phone (love you, Fred).

I'm leafing through one of those crappy mailers that get stuffed in our mailbox every other day with a bunch of coupons for crappy stuff we will never buy, like permanent make-up or a customized pool. Trees, people, trees!

Lamb Stew And A Scandal

Denise was right, it's near impossible to make stewy things look like anything other than dog food. This was some lovely reheated lamb stew with hot roasty new potatoes fried in butter.




Mine: broccoli and cauliflower, cucumber, cheese, nuts and dried pineapple. Then I had some extra nuts (getting crazy on Friday night).

I gave in and bought a People magazine at the grocery store because Kate (of Jon & Kate Plus 8) gave an exclusive. Yes, I am obsessed with the show and totally invested in the family although I will be the first to admit I was horrified of the way she spoke to her husband and sometimes to her kids in the beginning and then I got sucked in. She's like that sister you know is a complete bitch but you love her because you get why she does what she does...that's how I feel about Kate.

I like Jon, too and I believe they both love their kids, but I think they will split up and it's probably for the best. It is kind of exploity though how foe their Memorial Day premiere they're going to meet on camera after not speaking for weeks or months...it really is creepy, this "reality" television thing. Too bad I can't stop watching. And they can make lots of money to pay for their kid's therapy bills.

Culinary School: Poultry (Wet Heat=Braising)

Coq Au Vin. Mattias was on his own with this one and he totally delivered. Salt pork, onions, garlic, mushrooms and tomato simmered with deep red wine. Hearty.


Chicken in vinegar sauce. Very tasty; basically a refined barbecue chicken. Sauce was comprised of garlic, shallots, champagne vinegar, Riesling, honey and tomato paste. Could easily be addictive served with collard greens and cornbread.



Chicken Fricassee. Krista and I rocked this simple chicken with a wine, cream and tarragon sauce. Super simple; it was a crowd pleaser.


Braised quail with figs over couscous. The figs were genius; the sweetness of them and the addition of sherry vinegar cut the richness of the quail and the buttery sauce.


Soy-braised cornish hens. Salty and anise scented (of which I am normally not a fan), the flavor was lovely, the hen tender and the rice perfectly cooked. A very comforting dish.

My First Roasted Chicken!

I replicated the "split stuffed" chicken we did in Culinary school last week. Except I used spinach instead of zucchini, cream cheese instead of ricotta and fine bread crumbs instead of coarse bread crumbs. I bought a beautiful little organic chicken and it turned out perfect. Buying good quality meat makes all the difference. I would rather eat less and have it taste good and be raised humanely than eat crappy, scary mass produced chicken every week. I know too much.

Served with roasted hericot verts and fingerling potatoes.



Holla if you'd like the recipe.

Monday workout: 3 mile run

Spaghetti With Bison Meatballs

I made this meal after I got my iphone. Very fancy. I love it and it makes me feel very hip and glamorous. I guess I should have done it a long time ago...

What you see here is brown rice spaghetti with bison meatballs and served with sauteed broccoli and carrots.

I had my ritual meal (not pictured): cucumber, broccoli, cheese, nuts and dried pineapple.

Sunday workout: Eva's hardcore class at Gold's Gym in Venice

Husband's Carl's Jr. Fix

I don't know what to say about this. I don't deny a man his fast foodiness every once in a while, but I always get a little uneasy when I see the quantity; and I didn't photograph the giant root beer or the chocolate cake also consumed. I will not judge since he does not judge me and my ritual foods. Bless husband (and his arteries).

I ate a chicken Caesar salad and some nuts.

Saturday Workout: weight training

Leftover Sausage, Polenta With Roasted Tomatoes

I am laughing right now with sick husband because he keeps asking what he should eat and I keep answering "lamb stew" because I made too much and I don't want to re-freeze it. He's calling me a stew pusher.

Now he's looking for raisins. It's fun having husband home but I get a lot less work done. Oh, well.

Last night he got leftover sausage and peppers with leftover polenta and leftover veggies, so I can't blame him for not wanting more...leftovers.

Tonite; pizza!


He did get a fresh dessert; apple and mango "crumbler".

Workout: Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred Level 3 and Level 1

Lamb Stew For Sickish Husband

Yum. Lamb stew. Very wintry but husband was craving it. I understand and respect a craving.



Mine: cucumber, broccoli, cheese, nuts and dried pineapple.

So, the conscious eating thing. Husband and I have both been slipping, meaning, we've been eating in front of the TV again. Not full meals, but I think it may be a slippery slope.

Workout: 1 hour cardio and abs at Gold's Gym.

Sausage With Polenta

I took the sausage and peppers husband ordered but did not eat from Earth, Wind and Flour on Sunday and served it with cheesy polenta and sauteed broccoli and cauliflower. I even got extra fancy and topped the dish with some homegrown baby basil. That's how I roll.



Mine: cucumber, broccoli, cheese, nuts and dried pineapple.

Crispy Spicy Curry Chicken

Sooooo hot. The weather AND the chicken. 98 degrees in Santa Monica and I'm baking chicken. Genius. Served the sweltering chicken thighs coated with Indian spices with tofu cheesy cauliflower and broccoli.

I ate my ritual meal while sweating and could not hear husband talk or myself think over the many fans I strategically placed about the apartment. Thank God we have air conditioning in the bedroom.

Workout: After attempting to go to 6:30am spinning (have not been since my favorite instructor in the entire world moved to Kentucky because he was over LA...take me with you), wearing flip flops (have special spinning shoes to change into), I found out 6:30am spinning is now 6:00am spinning. And I'm wearing flip flops so I can't even get a normal gym workout in.

Drove home in a rage and did level 1 and 2 of Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred.

Lamb Stew Lunch

It was kinda weird making lamb stew on the hottest day of the year thus far (90 degrees in Santa Monica), but husband had a craving, and he doesn't get cravings too often.  So he got a big bowl of stew finished with fresh cilantro and served with salt and pepper potato chips (no carbs in the stew).

I make this with a pressure cooker, which is a bit scary at first, but is a total time saver that I love for making stewy and chili type concoctions.

I always use whatever lamb looks best at the store, so this batch was cut up loin and a few shanks.  I start by lightly browning a one chopped onion, 1/2 cup chopped carrot and 1/2 cup chopped celery.  

When those have slightly softened, I added the lamb, letting it brown a bit on a couple sides.  Then I added 1 teaspoon cumin, a generous sprinkling of sea salt and freshly ground pepper.  Lastly, I added a large can of crushed tomatoes and 1 chipotle pepper for spice.

I pop the lid on and once it comes to temperature (which I know because my lid makes a little whistling noise and I can see some steam), it takes 40 minutes.  Genius.

Spaghetti and a new(ish) dining room

On our way home from Palm Springs, we stopped at the Cabazon Outlet Mall

for, umm, socks, a brown belt and some summer pants for husband.  We ended up with socks, a brown belt, summer pants (green, very fabulous) and 8 t-shirts for husband.  We also ended up with some unmentionables for moi and 3 bags of house stuff from Crate & Barrel.  The dining room looks much better now.

We were so busy shopping and driving all day that I consumed one soft pretzel with crappy nacho "cheese food" dip and husband had a blueberry/banana smoothie.  Thus, he ate this entire mountain of spaghetti with turkey meatballs.  Then he had some Simply Fruit strawberry preserves with a spoon.

Mine:  cucumber, green beans, cheese, nuts and dried pineapple.  And I think I'm going to eat a snack right now.  If only I knew what it was...

Turkey Meatballs, Polenta And Strawberries

Polenta is the new pasta at our house these days.  Tonight I made them with water instead of milk, but still added tofu cream cheese and "white cheddar" tofu cheese to make 'em extra yum.  I plopped a big puddle of that down and topped it with turkey and spinach meatballs with marinara sauce stuffed with veggies.

Lovely organic strawberries for dessert.  I put just the tiniest bit of stevia on them to bring out their sweetness (not that they needed much help; I could smell these berries right when I walked inside Trader Joe's).

In other news, I just started therapy (I've done this drill before, but the last go around was probably 10 years ago).  My therapist is totally amazingly great.  He asked if I would bring in some pictures.  He had no idea what kind of can of worms he'd just opened.  

I came in with this handmade scrapbook of my life (and that was only one of many).  We were halfway through it and he was totally exhausted.  Kinda funny.  He said what he saw in the book was that I was very talented, and it kind of gave me pause.  It's interesting because I never think of myself in that way.  In my day to day life, I'm just a "wife" or a "writer" or a "masseuse" or an "assistant".  I never look at the big picture and think, wow, I've been successful at many different things.  So now I'm kind of intrigued by myself.  Maybe I'll get to know that chick...