We've been doing a bit of camping this summer, and that makes eating plain and healthy a bit difficult--after all, "convenience" foods tend to be unhealthy and/or very processed.
Yes, we could have made elaborate camp dinners using foil packets and the dutch oven or skillet, but we really prefer to keep things simple. We don't like cooking over a hot skillet on a campfire when it's hot outside, dutch oven cooking takes more time and planning (and usually, more ingredients to have to bring along).
Ben, making a ham & egg scramble.
So, we kept it simple. Sandwiches and veggies with hummus for lunches, venison hot dogs (courtesy of Ben's hunting) or chicken sausages for dinner, and scrambled ham and eggs with a side of leftover chicken sausage for breakfast.
Here comes my product recommendation for the chicken sausage: Aidell's chicken sausages are delicious, low-fat, and very reasonable for calories and sodium. But most important: they're delicious AND easy to cook over a campfire--because they're pre-cooked! You don't have to worry about eating raw meat if they're not cooked to a certain temperature; you're pretty much just warming them up over the fire. Simple! Delicious! Safe!
NOTE: I am NOT getting money or free products from this company (though I wouldn't turn them down if they offered). I simply found a great product that I wanted to share with my health and food-conscious friends. :)
Ben & his friend, Thomas, heating up sausage for dinner.
Anyway, Aidell's makes a variety of tasty chicken sausages; in fact, I thought we had tried all of them, only to discover a yummy list of their products on the website that our local grocery store doesn't carry. Now I'm inspired to ask my store to order some for me, or to find a way to order them online! We've already tried the artichoke & garlic, cajun style andouille, chicken & apple, pineapple & bacon, and Italian style with mozzarella. I highly recommend all of these. :)
I usually ate my chicken sausage either wrapped in a slice of Sara Lee Delightful bread or by itself on my plate. I also took apart some cauliflower and put it in a heavy-duty foil packet with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then set it in the coals to cook--I think it took about 20-30 minutes--to add some veggies to my dinner.
Now I'm just looking forward to trying some of the other sausages they make--especially the spicy mango/jalapeno and the roasted garlic with gruyere cheese!
So, again, I have to credit my friend, Ferial, for this one. :)
I usually do my regular breakfast: an egg & cheese breakfast sandwich and yogurt. A few weeks ago, Ferial gave me a bite of her egg-white omelet that she makes using a Roasted Red Pepper spread and Chevre goat cheese from Trader Joe's, and I was sold on it. It's just as easy and fast to make (though not something you can take and eat on the road), very filling, very low-calorie, and tastes downright gourmet. I listed the nutritional information at the bottom of this post, but FYI, the omelet itself is only about 90 calories. I eat this with a slice of toast made with Sara Lee Delightful bread (with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray), and a container of Dannon Light & Fit yogurt, for a total of about 210 calories.
After finally venturing out to the new Trader Joe's in Omaha (I hadn't been there yet because they opened when I was still dieting and I didn't think I could resist all the delicious cookies, chips, breads, and other carbs that they also have) to pick up the spread and cheese (a very similar goat cheese is also available at HyVee, so don't fret if you don't have TJ's near you--you can probably find a similar spread that you like at your local grocery store), I started making this omelet Every. Single. Day. The red pepper spread adds good flavor and just a little bit of kick, and the goat cheese makes it creamy, with just a slight sour-cream/cream cheese taste.
Egg-White Omelet with Cheese and Red Pepper Spread
Ingredients
3-5 Tbsp Egg Beaters 100% Egg Whites (or a generic version)
(or you could use the whites from 2-4 eggs)
1 Tbsp Roasted Red Pepper Spread with Eggplant and Garlic from TJ's
1/2 oz (less than 1 Tbsp) Chevre goat cheese
Heat small pan over med-high heat. Spray olive oil or non-stick spray in bottom of the pan (I have to spray up onto the sides to make sure the edges don't stick). Egg white is pretty delicate, so even though I have "nonstick" pans, I still spray them lightly with my Misto olive oil sprayer.
Pour egg whites gently into the pan to cover the bottom. I usually use about 4-5 Tbsp of my Egg Beaters (approx 1.5 servings). Also, you'll notice my omelet looks yellow here. I had accidentally purchased the Egg Beater's Original, an egg substitute made with egg whites, which isn't the same thing (though it tastes the same). I have used that container up, and am now using the 100% egg whites. Let your egg cook until soft but not liquid-y. Spoon 1 Tbsp of the red pepper spread over 1/2 of your eggs.
Using a fork, break up some of the goat cheese and sprinkle over the top of the red pepper spread.
Fold the omelet over to cover the spread and cheese. Continue to cook for about a minute to heat the spread and cheese.
Remove from heat, and enjoy!
Nutritional Information for the omelet:
(using 1.5 serving of Egg Beaters, 1/2 oz goat cheese, 1 Tbsp red pepper spread) Calories: 87.5 Fat: 3.5g Sodium: 207.5mg Carb: 3.5g Fiber: 1g Protein: 9.5g
Here is the secret to the easiest, healthy, summer dessert: grilled pineapple. You can serve it several different ways (alone, with ice cream/froyo, with other fruit, with whipped cream, etc.), and it's so sweet and delicious that you really feel like you're eating something more decadent and unhealthy--you truly feel like you're getting a treat.
Since we were planning to grill out anyway, I went ahead and picked up a slightly under-ripe pineapple from the store (as most fruit is sold here in Nebraska. *sigh*) as well as some Reddi-Wip. Ben sliced off the "skin" of the pineapple, but left the crown (the green, leafy part) on as a way to help grasp it on the grill, and then laid it on it's side over med-low heat on the grill.
As a side would start to brown and/or blacken, he would rotate the pineapple, taking it off the grill after all sides have been exposed to the heat. Back on the table, we cut up the pineapple, added some Reddi-Wip (only 15 calories for 2 Tbsp!), and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon. DELICIOUS! The heat from the grill softens and sweetens even an under-ripe pineapple, causing it to carmelize a little bit (to be honest, the slightly more "charred" pieces are my favorite--they're sweet enough to be compared to toasted marshmallows, even).
According to Livestrong.com, 1 cup of fresh, diced pineapple is approximately 75 calories. Add 15 calories for the Reddi-Wip, and you have a summery, light, easy, delicious dessert for under 100 calories!
Next time, I think I'd like to make homemade spiced whipped cream from scratch, sweetened with stevia and spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger. But to keep it easy, Reddi-Wip certainly works well, too. :)
This recipe comes from my friend, Ferial. Ben and I had some friends over to grill out the other night, and I was trying to think of an easy vegetable side dish (other than grilled veggies--we weren't going to have room on the grill for anything other than the burgers and steaks we were serving!); luckily, Ferial suggested this super-simple roasted cauliflower.
As you may remember, I had mentioned once before that I thought I hated cauliflower. Up until this year, the texture of cauliflower--whether raw or cooked--just always grossed me out. But after making (and loving!) cauliflower crust pizza, I decided to give it another chance. I discovered that I also kind of like steamed cauliflower, as long as it's cooked until it's mostly soft. So, when Ferial described her roasted cauliflower to me, it sounded simple enough that I decided to give it a try--and it was a big hit, with me as well as our friends. :)
Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan
Ingredients
1 or 2 crowns of cauliflower (depending on how many people you are trying to feed)
olive oil (I used my oil mister with olive oil in it)
kosher or sea salt + pepper to taste
1-3 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese, to taste
Preheat oven to 425 or 450 degrees (I did 450 degrees, but my oven tends to run a little cool). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Break apart/cut up cauliflower into mostly bite-size chunks. EITHER toss cauliflower in olive oil, salt, and pepper and then put in an even layer on the baking sheet, OR spray the baking sheet lightly with olive oil, then place the cauliflower in an even layer, spray with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake for approximately 20-30 minutes, or until cauliflower starts to look brown and have some crispy edges. Remove from oven, move cauliflower to a serving dish, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Serve while still warm, and enjoy!
I love salads that use lots of dressing with mayo or Miracle Whip--potato salad, tuna salad, egg salad, chicken salad, ham salad...mmmmmm.
This is a much lighter chicken salad that uses Greek yogurt for the base of the dressing--which, I've decided, actually tastes better than the heavier versions we grew up with.
I found this Greek grilled chicken salad recipe at How Sweet It Is, a not-always-healthy-but-definitely-always-delicious-looking foodie blog. I love to drool over many of her concoctions and am interested in a lot of her combinations of foods that I'd never have thought to try (dark chocolate cupcakes with white chocolate ganache and candied bacon on top!?? What??). But some of her recipes are pretty do-able for someone watching what they're eating.
I didn't include a lot of pictures this time because, honestly, her pictures on the blog are fantastic. I also didn't make many changes--the only thing I did was omit the onions, just because we hate red onion and I couldn't find any Vidalia onions. I didn't want to use regular yellow or white onions, either, because I didn't want them to overpower the other flavors in this dish.
This recipe makes 2-4 servings (depending on your serving sizes, of course). This was a great dinner to have on a warm evening--it didn't heat up the kitchen, and the yogurt, lemon juice, tomato, and cucumber made for a cool, light, tasty summer meal.
Greek Grilled Chicken Salad Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup chopped tomato
3/4 cup chopped cucumber
1/4 cup feta for chicken marinade:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt & pepper for quick tzatziki
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons chopped cucumber
1 teaspoon fresh dill
salt and pepper, if desired
30 minutes to 2 hours before servings, season chicken with salt and
pepper. Place in a ziplock bag or baking dish and cover with the
marinade ingredients (oil, lemon, zest, garlic) and marinate. While
chicken is marinating, combine the tzatziki ingredients (yogurt, oil,
lemon, cucumber, garlic and dill) in a bowl and mix. Season with salt
and pepper. Set aside or back in the fridge until ready to use.
Once chicken is ready to cook, heat the grill (or a grill pan) to
medium-high heat and grill chicken about 5-6 minutes per side. Set aside
and let cool, then cut into chunks. In a large bowl, combine cucumber,
tomato, onion and chicken. Add in feta. To bring the salad together, add
the tzatziki in 2 tablespoon increments. I used about 3
tablespoons total, but feel free to add as much as you’d like. Just
continue to mix until the salad comes together. Serve on toast or in
pitas.
I had mine in a whole wheat pita, with about 2oz off steamed broccoli (only 2oz instead of my normal 4oz because I had been munching on broccoli and carrots with hummus while Ben grilled the chicken), using those nifty Ziploc Zip’n Steam bags I had written about a while back. :)
My last "official" day at work was May 30th! This means I finally have time to take a breath, relax a little, and catch up on things that have fallen by the wayside...such as this blog (insert sheepish look here).
March 17, 2012 -- 2nd 5K!
So, let's catch up on everything I've been doing, shall we? :) To start, I finally have a picture to post from when I ran the Blarney Stone 5K on St. Patrick's Day in March:
I've also been working hard on my yoga certification training. I am supposed to be done at the end of June--except I have to miss the very last weekend of training, so I'll probably make up the class sometime in July. Then I'll be a 200-hr certified yoga instructor!!
Yoga has changed my life and my body, and the certification training has been interesting to see myself continue to grow and develop even more strength and flexibility than I imagined I would have. I can now do an occasional arm balance, and am halfway to a headstand (I can balance on head and hands and pull feet off the ground, but have yet to bring my feet all the way up...but I'm working on it!). Here are some yoga snapshots for you, too:
Vrkrasana -- "Tree"
Trikonasana -- "Triangle"
Bakasana -- "Crow"
Also, just to help you see what yoga can do--and to make you cry a little bit--here is an amazing video that has continued to inspire me, even during the particularly difficult or disheartening parts of my training:
If this didn't inspire you or make you cry, then I don't know what will.
Moving onward with my updates...
I made a semi-drastic change to my appearance. Well, drastic for me, anyway. For years, my hair (which used to be so, so long when I was younger) has been my "security blanket." No matter how I felt about my weight and how I looked, I always got lots of compliments on my hair--the length, the color, the texture, the curls...all of it. So I got a little co-dependent on my hair, I think.
Unfortunately, due to the very strict diet and drastic life changes I have made, my hair started to thin out. A lot. It didn't happen quickly, and it actually didn't even start to really happen until I had started on my maintenance phase last summer--but I read that it can take time for hair changes to catch up to stress and/or major life changes, so I'm pretty sure it's diet and lifestyle-related. Anyway, starting toward the end of last summer, my hair really started to thin out.
New, short haircut!
Finally, I couldn't take how very thin the ends were looking; I felt like it made me look older, and made my hair difficult to style. Also, it made me super-self-conscious. So, last month, I asked my hairdresser to cut it off. And it turns out, I LOVE it!
I feel like my hair looks cute, sassy, and professional now. It's like I've finally grown up. :)
Oh... Oh! And the biggest update I've got: I finally hit a total of 100lbs of weight loss. 100. Pounds. Let me repeat that again: I HAVE LOST 100 POUNDS! I started this journey in the fall of 2010 at 263lbs (trust me, I never thought I'd get to a point where I'd be announcing THAT information to ANYONE. I don't think even Ben knew that), and now I'm weighing in at 163 pounds. I went from a size 22/24 to a size 12 (but almost a size 10! Almost! And definitely a 10 in some brands, lol!). This is skinnier than I was even when at my skinniest in high school, y'all. And the best part: I'm in the best physical shape of my life. I'm strong, I'm flexible, and I can run for 30 minutes without walking.
I feel good; I feel like I can keep up with life, finally.
And you know what? I've been on "maintenance" since last summer, and it hasn't been as painful as I thought it would be. Here's a perfect example... I babysat my younger nephew, Joey, today. He wanted Runza for lunch, so I grabbed a protein bar (I wasn't terribly hungry, or I would have gotten a salad there), and he had a kid's meal. Then he wanted frozen yogurt from Orange Leaf, so I took him there. I had about 2 tablespoons each of the raspberry lemonade frozen yogurt and the pistachio frozen yogurt. I thoroughly enjoyed my less-than-1-serving-size treat while watching my nephew attempt to eat his dessert:
What 4-year-olds dream of at night.
And I didn't feel deprived, or sad, or crave more than what I had (and I certainly didn't crave what he was eating. Ick.). I was fine for the rest of the day and then came home to have a healthy dinner.
My world did not end, and I still get to eat pretty much whatever I want. Just a lot less often than and in much smaller portions than what I was eating.
Well, this turned out to be a really long post, and I don't want to start getting all preachy about diet and exercise, so I will end here. I'll definitely be posting tomorrow about the Greek grilled chicken salad that we had for dinner tonight (light, easy, and perfect for summer), and posting more frequently in general, so be sure to check back!
I will leave you with some of the inspirational (and one funny) quotes that have helped keep me going on this journey:
So, Ben made this for himself for dinner the other night and I brought the leftovers with me to work today for lunch. It was Ah. Maze. Ing. Truly. I liked it so much that I called him after lunch and begged him to make it for me for dinner tonight. I made sure I watched him make it so I can make it for myself someday...you know, in case he gets turned into a vampire or is eaten by bigfoot or something.
Anyway. When I asked what he needed me to pick up from the store, he said that the beauty of the dish is that it uses whatever you've got in the fridge (Sweet! A way to use up the hodge-podge of veggies we have in the fridge!). And to pick up chicken breasts. Ben actually called it an Appalachian-style bergoux (bourgoux? bergoux? bergout?), but no matter how I spelled it, I couldn't find the term anywhere online. He said he heard it on a cooking show to refer to a type of stew, but I'm thinking he made it up to make his creation sound fancy. ;)
For now (at home), I'll just call it Ben's Skillet Deliciousness.
A few notes before we get started: Ben used what we already had in the fridge, so feel free to switch out the veggies for something you already have/like better. We used parsley tonight, but decided that it we wanted to try it with kale next time. (The parsley was good, but I just thought kale made more sense. And I like it more.) Also, Ben used a new seasoning that a friend had given him to try: Todd's Bayou Dirt. Ultimately, I think that's what made the meal so incredibly amazing, so I highly recommend picking some up or using something very similar!
Skillet Chicken & Vegetable Stew
Ingredients
1/8 c olive oil
1/2 large red bell pepper, chopped
5 large mushrooms, roughly chopped
2 shallots, roughly chopped
1/4-1/2 head cauliflower, chopped
1 c chopped red cabbage
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 c chopped fresh kale or parsley (not Italian parsley!)
1 mini-bottle of white wine (187ml or approx 3/4 cup -- we used a chardonnay)
3/4 cup tomato juice (approximately)
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts Todd's Bayou Dirt
Rub Todd's Dirt seasoning on the chicken (both sides) approximately 30-60minutes before cooking. Set aside at room temperature. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and heat olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to the skillet and sear (approx 2-3 min each side). Remove chicken to a plate and set aside.
Add shallots and garlic to skillet and saute until onions are clear, stirring consistently to prevent them from burning. Add red peppers, stirring occasionally, until tender-crisp (approx 1-2 min). Add remaining vegetables (except for parsley) until the cauliflower starts to soften and brown (4-5 min). Stir occasionally.
So pretty!
Add white wine and tomato juice and bring to a boil, then simmer for approximately 3-4 minutes. Add parsley and salt & pepper to taste. Return chicken to the skillet (nestled into the veggies) and put the skillet into the oven. Cook, uncovered, 25-35 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
I served myself about 4.5 ounces of chicken and 4.5 ounces of vegetables, then took a tablespoon or two of the liquid and poured it over the top. Beautiful, hearty, and delicious! And, if you just go by the chicken and veggies, it's only about 160-180 calories for that amount! Add a slice of bread (I used Sara Lee Delightful, only 45 calories) and butter (I used I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray, 0 calories) and you have a very hearty and yummy dinner for under 300 calories. Ah. Maze. Ing. And as I mentioned before, it is also really good as leftovers, so I will probably be bringing this to work with me again tomorrow. Ben did good on this one!
I hate that it's been almost a month since I've posted. I wish I could say it was because I was out of the country on some fantastic vacation, or because I won the lottery and was just too overwhelmed with phone calls of congratulations, or something else equally as exciting. Instead, my reasons center around work, more work, trying to get the house ready to sell, state testing at work, and more work. :(
However, I do have some good news: I have started to find ways that I enjoy eating cauliflower! I know, not quite as exciting as you had hoped, but hey--still exciting for me, nonetheless. Seriously. I used to hate cauliflower. Not as much as I hate brussel sprouts, but I really, really disliked cauliflower. Or so I thought...
Ben decided a few weeks ago to start a new, super-low-carb diet, so I've reverted to trying to find ways to make and eat traditionally "carby" foods. Enter this pizza crust. It had been suggested to me several months ago by a fellow MRC dieter on a message board I participate on, so I thought I'd give it a try. The original recipe is from RecipeGirl.com, and it really turned out well. The only downside was that--after adding the cheese on top of the pizza--it seemed to be kind of high in fat and calories . So, we decided that we will try again (with some modifications) on Sunday night. I was thinking that if I use parmesan in the crust instead of mozzarella, it should cut back on the fat/calories and also crisp it up a little more (the center was a little soft--not bad, but we prefer crispy pizza crusts). I will definitely plan on updating the blog with the parmesan-cauliflower adventure after Sunday, so be sure to check back.
Here is the recipe for the crust, as well as how I put together our pizzas last night:
Cauliflower Pizza Crust
1/2 large head of cauliflower (or 2+ cups shredded cauliflower)
1 large egg
1 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
Shred the cauliflower into small crumbles (I used a cheese grater). You'll
need a total of about 2 cups or so of cauliflower crumbles (which is
about half a large head of cauliflower). Place the cauliflower crumbles
in a large bowl and microwave them for 8 minutes. Give the cauliflower a chance to cool slightly.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray a cookie sheet or pizza pan
with nonstick spray (or use a nonstick surface). In a medium bowl, mix
the cauliflower crumbles with the remaining crust ingredients. Divide the "dough" into 2 portions, and pat the "crust" to form two pizzas on the prepared pan (or into a single 9 to 12-inch round). Spray the crust lightly with
nonstick spray and bake for 15 minutes (or until golden). Remove the
crust from the oven and turn the heat up to broil.
I then made one pizza (Ben's) into a buffalo chicken pizza, and one (mine) into a simple veggie and chicken pizza.
For the buffalo chicken pizza, I spread 1 tablespoon of Bolthouse Farms Ranch Dressing onto the crust (because it's only 45 calories and blue cheese isn't allowed on Ben's diet), then 1 oz each of shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses (reduced-fat cheddar) and approximately 3 oz of chicken that had been tossed in Frank's buffalo wing sauce. On my pizza, I used 1 tablespoon of the ranch dressing (only because I was out of regular pizza sauce--but it turned out delicious with the ranch), 1 oz each of mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, some chopped mushroom and grape tomatoes, and about 1/2 to 1 oz of chopped, plain chicken breast.
Broil the pizza 3 to 4 minutes, or until the toppings are hot and the
cheese is melted and bubbly. Cut into slices and serve immediately. I swear, you can't tell that it's cauliflower!
Here is the nutritional information for the crust recipe as well as each pizza. Like I said, it turned out a little higher in fat and calories than I thought it would. Tomorrow night--during my re-do--I plan to use parmesan in the crust, maybe a mix of parmesan and mozzarella on top, and less cheese overall on top.
**UPDATE: Made the pizza crust with parmesan and while it was delicious--much more crisp and had a bit of a smoky flavor, yum!--it turned out to actually be higher in fat and calories than the mozzarella version. Oops. So, I highly recommend using the parmesan if you aren't watching fat/calories all that much (granted, it's still healthier than any restaurant or frozen pizza you get!), but not if you're really trying to cut back and watch your calorie intake. In that case, stick with the mozzarella.
Cauliflower Pizza Crust Nutritional Information (for the entire batch of the "crust")
Calories: 440
Fat: 25g Sodium: 805mg Carb: 10.5g Fiber: 5g Protein: 42g
Buffalo Chicken Pizza Nutritional Information
(uses 1/2 of the batch of the "crust")
Calories: 460
Fat: 33.6g Sodium: 742mg Carb: 8.63g Fiber: 2.83g Protein: 53.5g
Chicken and Veggie Pizza Nutritional Information
("uses 1/2 of the batch of the "crust")
Calories: 390
Fat: 26.23g Sodium: 742mg Carb: 8.63 Fiber: 2.83 Protein: 37.41g
I discovered a new, delicious meal by accident earlier this week as
I tried to use up some leftovers from last weekend. We had some friends over for dinner Saturday night and
Ben had grilled a couple pounds of skirt steak that he had bought on sale (side note: Ben grilled it perfectly medium, and it was tender and delicious).
This dish is loosely based on this recipe for quinoa and black beans at Allrecipes.com, but with several modifications--for my taste, and also to utilize the leftover steak. It makes a lot of food--Ben and I ate it for dinner, then I brought some over to mom and the rest to work with me the next day, so about 4-5 servings (depending on the serving size).
I have mentioned quinoa on this blog before, but I don't think I've really ever explained what it is (for those who don't already know). Quinoa is a grain (well, not technically, but it looks/acts like a grain, I guess) native to South America and known for having great nutritional value (high protein, fiber, and vitamins/minerals). Depending on the type of quinoa you get and how you prepare it, it can have a slightly nutty flavor and a fluffy, slightly crunchy texture. Here are a couple of articles that review some of the nutritional information on quinoa, as well as some of the health benefits: World's Healthiest Foods article and Body Ecology article.
Quinoa can also often take the place of rice in many recipes; here is an article from Cookingquinoa.net that compares nutritional values of quinoa and rice (spoiler: quinoa wins). It used to be that you could only get quinoa at expensive health-food stores, but it's becoming more and more popular/mainstream, so you can find it at most grocery store chains now.
Anyway, I wasn't sure how this recipe adventure going to turn out, so I didn't think to take any pictures until I reheated it the next day (equally good as leftovers!) for lunch at work. I'll have to come back and update this post someday when I make this again (and oh, I will make this again!) to include more pictures.
(optional: fresh cilantro--I didn't use any, because I'm not a much of a fan.)
Heat
the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and
garlic, and saute until lightly browned. Mix
quinoa into the saucepan and cover with 1 ½ c. of broth. Season with
cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil.
Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.
Stir
sliced steak, tomatoes, and remaining broth into the saucepan, and
continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black
beans (and fresh cilantro, if desired).
For my serving, I tried to measure out about 4 oz of the steak, then scooped out some of the quinoa/black bean/tomato mixture and eyeballed about 1/2 cup in my dish. Add about 4 oz of steamed zucchini (thank you Ziploc ZipnSteam!) and it's a complete meal!
Forgive the dishes/crappy picture--this was at my desk at work.
Apparently, I suck at blogging. While on my run today, it occurred to me that I haven't posted anything in a few weeks. Oops.
Not that I haven't wanted to post. I simply haven't been cooking much lately because we've been so busy--and when I did cook, I was either making something fast and terribly boring (plain chicken breast and broccoli) or something I'd already posted here before (What can I say? I'm a creature of habit.).
We went to Des Moines last weekend for my cousin Katie's wedding, so we had to eat out a lot that weekend. Even though the hotel's breakfast tried to sabotage me by being 100% carbohydrates (toast, muffins, pastries, cereal, juice), I had packed some protein bars, drank extra water, and tried to get all my veggies and protein in during our lunches and dinner. According to the scale on Monday morning, I hadn't gained a pound--even with the hors d'oeuvres, glass of chardonnay, and the red velvet cupcake I had (in addition to the meal) at the reception or the extra sodium from restaurant food. Victory!
Also, I wore my new, blue dress (that I got from H&M during my trip to Chicago), and I looked smoking hot. I know, because all my Facebook friends told me so when I posted the picture there. :) Ben didn't look to shabby, either.
Anyway, after a week of not having time to make much for dinner (I survived on subway salads or chicken breasts with broccoli or green beans most nights), I decided I wanted something a little more hearty tonight. Enter the buffaloaf.
This meatloaf, made with ground bison, is a leaner, lower-sodium, and lower-carb version of what I grew up with, but is still flavorful and comforting (lower-carb because of the elimination of ketchup and most bread or oatmeal that is traditionally added). I made a slightly different version--with way more veggies in it, because I was sick of veggies and wanted to "hide" them--when I was on the MRC diet. In case you are also sick of eating vegetables, here's a hint: if you use 16 oz of veggies instead of the 5 oz I use here, then each serving of your buffaloaf will also include a full serving of vegetables.
Buffaloaf
Ingredients
1 lb ground bison
2 eggs
1-2 tbsp worcestershire sauce (to taste) 1 pouch Tomato-Basil Soup supplement (you could probably substitute tomato paste instead, but that would also change nutritional information)
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 bell pepper (I used red, because it was on sale), finely chopped
1 cup chopped mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
1 tsp diced garlic
1 slice Sara Lee Delightful bread, torn into small pieces
Approx 2-3 tbsp water
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Note: if you are going to have baked potatoes, you should clean and prep your potatoes and put them in the oven before starting the buffaloaf--that way they'll all get done at the same time.
Break eggs into a large bowl. Add tomato-basil supplement and whisk. Add water, 1 tbsp at a time until it is a smooth but slightly thick consistency. Add worcestershire sauce, diced garlic, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Whisk until blended.
Add chopped vegetables and stir. Mix raw bison in with bare hands, making sure to incorporate the mixture fully into the meat. Add the torn pieces of bread and continue to mix with hands until incorporated.
Put the meat mixture into a foil-lined, glass baking dish (thank you, mom, for teaching me this trick to easy clean-up so many years ago!) and bake at 375 degrees for about 35 minutes. Turn oven up to 400 degrees and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, or until done. Let rest on stovetop a couple of minutes before slicing. Makes 4 servings.
I ate mine with 3 oz of sauteed zucchini and a very small baked potato (usually I just do 1/2 of a large potato, but we happened to have a small one) with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray and about 1.5 tbsp of light sour cream on it. Warm, comforting, and delicious, but also low in fat, sodium, and carbs!
Here comes my product recommendation for the chicken sausage: Aidell's chicken sausages are delicious, low-fat, and very reasonable for calories and sodium. But most important: they're delicious AND easy to cook over a campfire--because they're pre-cooked! You don't have to worry about eating raw meat if they're not cooked to a certain temperature; you're pretty much just warming them up over the fire. Simple! Delicious! Safe!
