Monday Night Dinner

No Memorial Day dinner here. Steve worked last night and again tonight. I still need to go to the store, but that's probably going to have to wait until Friday. I need to do a pretty big restock since the only things I have left are the infamous pork chops and the roast- which is still in the freezer. Need to get that out tonight. Seriously.

Tonight's dinner was another uninspired creation. Roasted Garlic and Olive Oil Cous cous and chicken and broccoli. I still had some shredded chicken in the freezer. Not really fit for a main course if you ask me, but I thought it might do well mixed in with the cous cous. Turns out it did. I served it with some fresh broccoli I needed to use up. My steamer is my new friend. I've had the thing for years, but I've probably used it more in the last 6 months than I have in all the years I have been in posession of it (it was originally my mom's she never used it either). It requires very little effort and clean up, but is the preferred way to cook veggies since it keeps more of the nutrients in than "boiling" them.

Maybe I'll finally get it together and we'll have that roast. Great thing about it is that it will last for at least two meals. I am all about leftovers these days. Saves me time and money. Both are good things to save if you ask me :)

Lunchable pictures

Had to get these off my phone. A simple task, yet....

He still really likes these. He did finally ask about the cookie one day last week, but I still had a good run. He took the disappiontment like a champ though.

Slacking

Okay so I've been slacking. I'm not sure anybody but me reads this thing anyway, but I'll keep blogging as often as I can get around to it. Should probably be easier when we get our high speed back and I can use the laptop instead of my phone.

Thursday night was Mexican. Courtesy of the El Toro restaurant. I am happy to say that we did not blow up despite smelling a little natural gas upon entering. My baby girl got her first taste of real solid food that night. She was eyeing my fork with a vengeance (cue the Geico creepy eyeball commercial music). In the tradition of her brother we are going to skip baby food altogether- more on that later- so I decided to dive in. Now I will say here that I am NOT ready for this milestone so unless her ped insists when we go in on Tues. we will only be "playing" with solids. Nevertheless, she sampled some tortilla and chicken and loved them.

Friday night was left over Minute Steak from lunch on Thursday. Served with green beans (frozen, never canned).

Last night was chicken pot pie from scratch. I had some chicken in the freezer from a mass cooking spree a while back. I defrosted enough to cover the bottom on my 8x8 pan about an inch deep. I poured on the rest of the bag of mixed veggies on top and added a layer of a homemade Bisquick mixture on top (partly because I was out of the real thing and partly because I had been meaning to try a homemade version and now seemed like a good time). It was okay. I was afraid to add much wetness to the bottom layer for fear that it wouldn't cook down and I would have a soupy mess. Lesson learned. The results were still edible, but overall a little dry. In my previous days I would have added a can of cream of something, but I am trying to get away from those as well. Maybe chicken broth next time, and something else. Not sure yet. I got the go ahead to make it again with some tweaking so it must not have been all bad.

Dinner tonight was pork chops again. In a flash of brilliance I bought the big pack of chops that were buy one get one free at Winn Dixie a few weeks ago. The result, about 9 bags of pork chops with 2-3 per bag.

I was feeling rather uninspired but realized about 10:30 this morning that I had not taken the roast out to thaw like I had intended, so that was clearly out for today. I decided to try the chops, but in the crock pot. Easy, no fuss. In went 2 bags of frozen pork chops (about 6 I think) and 2 cans of RoTel. That's it. I put them on high and just left them until I remembered to check, LOL. While I can't say that any great transformation took place (they tasted like pork chops and RoTel) they were altogether pretty decent. I removed the chops and added a little flour and water slurry to the remaining juices and RoTel to tighten it up a bit. Served the "gravy" over rice. Even my 3 year old who has suddenly become a little picky (guess he was used to eating all the crap too) ate it willingly.

Tomorrow night, is still up for grabs. The infamous roast is still frozen solid and I have my doubts that it would be ready to cook by morning, so I might just wing it for one more night. The pantry is winding down quickly so I'm liable to get really creative as payday approaches.

Spaghetti Night

Monday night dinner

Spaghetti with ground turkey meat sauce. I'd love to make this fabulous homemade spaghetti sauce, but as it is I lack a recipe and my husband hates Marinara sauce. So jarred it is. The recipe is courtesy of a lady I used to babysit for. It is the most fabulous sauce I have ever made. Even Steve likes it.

The recipe: 1 big glass jar (3 lb size) of your favorite Prego variety, 1 jar Classico Sun Dried Tomato Alfredo sauce ( Roasted Red Pepper works too) and 1 bay leaf. Add ground beef, turkey or other meat of your choice- or just leave it out. Mix together and simmer on low for at least 30 minutes. Serve over spaghetti noodles. (duh).

This makes a good bit so in order for us to not eat spaghetti for days, I usually just go ahead and freeze half. Then I can just reheat later for an even quicker dinner.

Will loves his new lunchables

Okay, time for another bad mommy confession. I bought Lunchables. Tons of them. For $1.50 I could feed the boy meat (protein), cheese (dairy), crackers (carbs), and a cookie ( desert... Oh wait, that's not really a food group). Seemed reasonable to me. Don't get me wrong I had moments of thinking this stuff is probably crap, yet I never made the move to make my own, until now.

See, I was recently shamed by my Step-father into it full speed. He remarked to my mother that he was surprised I bought them since I was "usually so careful" about those things. Umm yeah. I'll go hide under a rock now thankyouverymuch.

Step 1-Procure containers. This was by far the most difficult part. I knew what I wanted, a lunchable shaped box with 4 little (but not too small) compartments. My first thought was Bento boxes, but at $20ish a pop I could only afford 1 to start. Hmmm. Next thought was the Internet. Lock n Lock containers had just what I "thought" I needed. Now to just find them. On a recent trip to Winn Dixie I found some 2 compartment ones on clearance for $ .99. Score. Now to find more than 2 of them. 2 hour trip to the 2 closest Winn Dixies and finally success!! Not only did I find my 4 compartment Lock n Lock containers instead ($4.99 each) but I found my long lost IBC Cherry Limeade. All in all a really good day.

Step 2-Procure the ingredients. Cheese, meat, and Ritz crackers. You might be wondering about now why I am bothering if I am just going to use the same stuff. My answer: quailty control. I don't have a problem with the concept, but I'm fairly certain that the meat and cheese I include in my version are of a higher quailty than those of the Oscar Mayer variety. So I exasperated the lady at Wal Mart by asking for 2 slices of ham, turkey, and bologna (I know, I know but he likes it). Pair that with the cheese I bought at Winn Dixie and "Houston we have liftoff". I'll have to get back to you on the exact financials of this endeavour as to date it has been a bit of a mish-mash. It does however seem to be working out to be cheaper once you take the initial purchase of the containers out of the picture.

Step 3-Assembly. I cut my meats and cheeses into squareish shapes. I thought about round but decided it wasn't really necessary to duplicate them exactly, plus that would be a lot of waste. I settled on 8 pieces of each. It just so happens that I could get 12 of my squareish pieces from each slice of meat. Score again. 3 "meals" from my 2 slices. I went ahead and cut up all of the meats and cheese and bagged them up. My very own convenience foods. Now all I have to do is dole out the goods and serve- or refrigerate for the next day ( depending on just how far behind on dishes I am LOL). Now what to do with the other 2 spots. Crackers in the fridge? Not so much. I decided to just vary them depending on what I had on hand. Goldfish (hey they came from a carton, that doesn't count right?), carrots, strawberries, etc. Currently I am featuring carrots in both with blueberries in one and strawberries in the second.

Step 4 The Will test- I made a big deal about these new lunchables the night I made the first set. The next day I served it to him with no mention of the "difference". The verdict total and complete satisfaction. Take that Oscar Mayer! He happily munched on real cheese slices and ham that looks like ham. I have noticed he can take or leave the crackers, so we're leaving them. I added in baby carrots and kiwi and had a happy boy. And the best part, he hasn't even missed the cookies. Seriously.

Red Beans and Rice ans Sushi

Dinner last night was Red Beans and Rice. 1 bag of red beans, soaked and drained, 1 bay leaf, 1 tsp Tony Chacherie's, 1 Tbsp pepper, salt to taste, and 3 cloves garlic. Fill pot with enough water to cover beans by about a half inch. beans are soft. When beans are almost soft, brown 1 lb sausage cut into 1/2-3/4" rounds. Add sausage and grease to water (it's not that much grease I promise, but if I were a little more disciplined I might leave it out). Continue to cook until beans are ready. If beans are too soupy add a slurry of cornstarch and water a little at a time while beans are boiling.

Tonight was dinner out again. Samurai J. Shrimp Tempura, Spicy Crawfish, Trojan Roll (shrimp tempura with crab) and a little of my friend Tim's Fairhope Roll. I am stuffed, but it was so good! I have actually made sushi from scratch several times, but it tastes so much better when the fine chefs at the "J" make it for me.

Tomorrow night I'm going to a Greek wedding. I expect great things from the food. I'm sure I will not be disappointed. Greek Chicken and Pastichio are on the menu I'm told. Yum!

Recent Dinners

Tonight's dinner was lightly breaded flounder sauteed in a little butter and Olive Oil with garlic and steamed broccoli. I needed to eat a little healthy after I ate an embarrasingly large quantity of food at dinner last night.

Monday night was Pork Chops, seasoned with salt, pepper and Cavendar's Greek Seasoning. I browned them and got them 95% done, Then I removed them from the skillet and added 3 cubes of chicken broth (oh yeah I make and freeze my own chicken broth) some onions and a pat of butter (might try without the butter next time). I got the onions cooked and then returned the chops to the skillet for another minute or two on each side. It was reported to be a success. We served the last of my boxed cous cous, Pine Nut something or other. It was good too.

Tomorrow night, Red Beans and Rice. Yum.

Flax Seeds, secret agents of nutrition

So as I have said before I am "trying" to be healthier in general. I have recently been shamed into changing my eating habits even further than no longer buying Hamburger Helpers and such. I have heard Flax Seeds mentioned in the posts of some of my healthier friends, but had relegated them in my mind to hippie bird food. I finally got up the courage to try some on my recent trip to the Fresh Market last week. They're not bad at all. I tried a few straight out and they kind of taste like a really mild sunflower seed. I'm thinking I can sneak these into some stuff fairly easily.

More on flax seeds from Dr. Sears website:

FABULOUS FLAX: THE RICH NUTRIENTS IN FLAX
Flax oil and flax seeds are being rediscovered as true health foods. They definitely merit being included on any top-ten list of foods that are good for you. Flax is not a new food. It is actually one of the older and, perhaps, one of the original "health foods," treasured because of its healing properties throughout the Roman empire. Flax was one of the original "medicines" used by Hippocrates. Flax could be dubbed the "forgotten oil." It has fallen out of favor because oil manufacturers have found nutritious oils to be less profitable. The very nutrients that give flax its nutritional benefits - essential fatty acids - also give it a short shelf life, making it more expensive to produce, transport, and store. Yet, those who are nutritionally in the know continue to rank flax high on the list of "must have" foods. Because of the flurry of scientific studies validating the health benefits of omega 3 fatty acids, flax oil has graduated from the refrigerator of "health food nuts" to a status of scientific respectability.
I seldom leave home in the morning without having my daily tablespoon of flax oil or 2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal. Besides being the best source of omega 3's, flax oil is a good source of omega 6, or linoleic acid (LA). Sunflower, safflower, and sesame oil are greater sources of omega 6 fatty acids but they don't contain any omega-3 fatty acids. Flax oil is 45 to 60 percent the omega-3 fatty acid alphalinolenic acid (ALA).
In addition to nutritious fats, flax seeds contain other nutrients which make eating the whole seed superior to consuming just the extracted oil:
Flax seeds contain a high quality protein.
Flax seeds are rich in soluble fiber. The combination of the oil and the fiber makes flaxseeds an ideal laxative.
Flax seeds contain vitamins B-1, B-2, C, E, and carotene. These seeds also contain iron, zinc, and trace amounts of potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, and vitamin E and carotene, two nutrients which aid the metabolism of the oil.
Flax seeds contain over a hundred times more of a phytonutrient, known as lignin, than any of its closest competitors, such as wheat bran, buckwheat, rye, millet, oats, and soybeans. Lignins have received a lot of attention lately because of possible anti-cancer properties, especially in relation to breast and colon cancer. Lignins seem to flush excess estrogen out of the body, thereby reducing the incidence of estrogen-linked cancers, such as breast cancer. Besides anti-tumor properties, lignins also seem to have antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties.
Flax seeds, because they contain some protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals, and lignins, are more nutritious than their oil. Yet, for practical purposes, most consumers prefer simply using the oil for its omega-3 fatty acids and not having to bother with grinding the seeds. But nutritionally speaking, it's worth the trouble to grind fresh flax seeds (say, in a coffee grinder) and sprinkle them as a seasoning on salads or cereals, or mix them into muffins. When buying seeds, be sure they are whole, not split; splitting exposes the inner seed to light and heat and decreases the nutritional value. Or, buy pre-ground flax seeds, available as flaxseed meal. One ounce of flaxseed meal (approximately 4 tbsp.) will yield about 6 grams of protein, and 8 grams of fiber.

7 HEALTH-PROMOTING PROPERTIES OF FLAX
Flax oil, flax seeds, and the omega-3 fatty acids they contain are good for your health. Here are some of the ways flax helps your body.
1. Flax promotes cardiovascular health. The ultra-high levels of omega-3 fatty acids lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Fish oils and algae are also good sources of essential fatty acids.
2. Flax promotes colon health. It has anti-cancer properties and, as a natural lubricant and a rich fiber source, it lowers the risk of constipation.
3. Flax supplements can boost immunity. One study showed that school children supplemented with less than a teaspoon of flax oil a day had fewer and less severe respiratory infections than children not supplemented with flax oil.
4. Flax provides fats that are precursors for brain building. This is especially important at the stage of life when a child's brain grows the fastest, in utero and during infancy. A prudent mom should consider supplementing her diet with a daily tablespoon of flax oil during her pregnancy and while breastfeeding.
5. Flax promotes healthy skin. I have used flax oil as a dietary supplement in my patients who seem to have dry skin or eczema, or whose skin is particularly sun-sensitive.
6. Flax may lessen the severity of diabetes by stabilizing blood-sugar levels.
7. Flax fat can be slimming. Fats high in essential fatty acids, such as flax, increase the body's metabolic rate, helping to burn the excess, unhealthy fats in the body. Eating the right kind of fat gives you a better fighting chance of your body storing the right amount of fats. This is called thermogenesis , a process in which specialized fat cells throughout the body (called brown fat) click into high gear and burn more fat when activated by essential fatty acids, especially gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). I have personally noticed that I crave less fat overall when I get enough of the healthy fats. A daily supplement of omega 3 fatty acids may be an important part of weight control programs.

The KFC conspiracy theory

In case you haven't heard Kentucky Fried Chicken gave out free grilled chicken dinner coupons on Oprah the other day. What am I saying, of course you knew. Everybody knew. No doubt this is why KFC ran out of chicken! My husband thinks this is all a big conspiracy designed to lure hungry lazy customers into their stores. That they didn't really intend to give out all that free chicken. I am now inclined to agree at least somewhat. Let's take a look at the facts shall we?

1.The coupon service they used sucks. I tried in vain to print my 4 coupons only to be told that I had exceeded my allotment before I printed a single coupon. I hear I am not the only person who has experienced this. My email requesting help with this "problem" remains unanswered. We only got coupons because someone at his work figured it out.

2. They blacked out Mother's Day. Do they really have such a run on Mother's Day chicken that they needed to do this? Or is it a cleverly designed ploy to make you forget about the coupon.

3. The coupons expire after like 2 weeks. They're counting on people forgetting about them or meaning to get around to it or ...

4. When we got there on Friday to redeem our coupons, and a mere 2 days after the coupon first aired our local KFC was already "unable to honor" the coupon. Surely they had to know how this would go. They agreed to free food on Oprah. It's not like it's some local 2 bit show. This is Oprah people. You offer, they will come. The fat that people always show up for free food is a universal truth. Why did they not stock up before the coupon came out?

5. They apparently have rain check forms printed out and waiting at the registers. Why not just continue to honor the coupons after the expiration date? Why do I have to send off a form to get a coupon to replace my coupon? We learned this on Friday as we attempted to redeem ours. Instead of getting the free lunch we went in for we just stayed (hence the lazy reference). Umm yeah. We spent 25 at frigging KFC. At least we didn't have to tip a waiter at the end. But seriously, $25 for a family of three is more than I care to spend on fast food. Unless my free chicken coupon actually shows up, I won't be eating inside that box again either!

So there you have it, irrefutable proof that this whole KFC thing was just one big conspiracy. Right?

P.S.- My husband said that there was in fact grilled chicken on the buffet, and that it was pretty tasty. Just in case anybody was wondering.

Okay so I cheated

Here I am in my very first regularly scheduled blog post and I served something from a box! Gasp. As I said in my beginning post I am learning to cook without the aid of boxed foods. As it was when I went on my healthy snack buying spree at Fresh Market the other day the only cous cous they had was boxed. Now mind you I have only attempted to season the plain stuff once and it was a miserable tasteless failure, but I was willing to give it a shot again. Maybe next time. For now dinner was Grilled (but not really) Chicken Tenderlions, California Blend veggies steamed with 2 cloves of pressed garlic in the water (didn't quite have the effect I had hoped for) and Garlic and Olive Oil cous cous. A success. Excuse the stray cous cous on the plate if you please.

Where do I begin?

I suppose I'll begin at the beginning. Novel concept I know. Don't worry, not "the" beginning, but "this" beginning.

In June of 2005 I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy we named William (Will). Prior to his pregnancy I was an average size 8 sometimes 6. I was bigger than I had ever been, but still respectable for a person of my height. His pregnancy left me with about 30 lbs of souvenirs and a determination to get my old self back. I nursed him exclusively and waited for those magical pounds to just fall off, because that's what they do for breastfeeding mothers, right? Ha!

Fast forward to November 2008. I am now very pregnant with baby #2, still carrying around those 30 lbs plus a newly acquired 40 more. Of course I was 8 months pregnant, but still, not a pretty number on the scale. I hit a number I never thought I'd see and hoped that I would have better luck this time loosing the weight. I was really going to do it this time. I wasn't sure just how yet, but I was thinking about it in my spare time (because you know SAHMs with 3 year old boys have loads of that right?). On November 24th, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Sara Catherine. 8 lbs down, 72 more to go. Ack! Time to get serious now.

I came home and began life as the mother of two. In an effort to loose weight I started really paying attention to what I was eating. Not just studying the box of Hamburger Helper as I fixed it for dinner yet again, but really being conscious. On my own I decided to try my best to stay away from the boxes and to try to cook at home from scratch using as much flavor, but as little fat as possible. (A stark contrast to the pregnancy when I baked cookies at least once a week ;) I hadn't really thought of the health benefits to this new plan, my motivation was strictly aesthetic. Somehow, the magic weight fairy smiled on me this time and I saw loss after loss on the scale until by about 3 months PP I was almost back at my pre-pregnancy weight; pre-second-pregnancy that is. Excited by this new found success I was determined to ride the wave of weight loss momentum as long as possible. At 5 months that day seems to have come. I have plateaued. So here I am, having had great success but still 30 lbs over where I want to be. I have a closet full of cute clothes that are wasting away in the attic.

About a month ago I clicked on a link from a friend and discovered My Charming Kids blog. I was immediately captivated by the story of her miracle baby and the struggles he was now facing outside of the womb. But, as I dug deeper I found that before all this illness there was a blog dealing with day to day life with 4 under 4 aka MSC (Many Small Children). She posts about nutrition and the things she feeds her children and I was intrigued. Steve and I have always tried to expose Will to many different foods and for the most part have succeeded in creating a wonderful eater, but could I do better? Since this whole healthier eating things had been on my mind for a while I took this as a sign that I really needed to make this a priority. Not only for myself, but for my husband, whom I want to have around for a while longer, and my child(ren)who has fallen victim to my reliance on convenience foods to a greater degree than I ever thought I would. Now although I'm not a junk food girl- don't get me wrong, I love it, which is why I almost never buy it- my pantry would frequently be filled with the aforementioned Hamburger Helper, Shake and Bake, canned veggies, store bought bread, commercial peanut butter, pop tarts and many other oh so tasty, but so unhealthy foods. I had gradually weaned myself away from my boxed dinner foods during the initial Post-Partum weight loss spree, but I still had have a long way to go. Thanks to MckMama and the good old Internet I am learning more about nutrition. I might not never eat from a box again (that sounds a lot like a double negative, but it is not, I promise) but I am on a journey to eat better, feel better and look better.
I'm discovering new recipes, and new foods every day and I'll be posting them here. If anyone but me actually reads this I'd welcome their ideas and input as well. I need all the help I can get.

So here I am, Learning to eat outside of the box. For those who know me IRL outside of the box is something I have never really been, but I feel myself drifting that way in my personal life too. I am opening my mind to some new ways of being and feeling like a better preson because of it. Perhaps this outside of the box thing is good for me after all.