A Third Try at a Whole30: Week 1

Ugh.  So fat.  So tired.  So uncomfortable. Time for a reset.
Also, I'm constantly dehydrated, so I'm making a concerted effort to drink a gallon of water a day.

Official weigh-in: 162.  HO-LY CRAP.
Day 1: The Eagles just won the SuperBowl
   Breakfast--Tea, water, coffee with coconut milk
   Lunch--Chicken cilantro burger with arugula and avocado
   Dinner--Lemon roasted chicken and baby roasted potatoes
   I actually did a pretty good job getting in those mythical 64 oz. of water.

Day 2:
   Breakfast--Smoothie (banana, coconut milk, chia, cherries and blueberries), tea
   Lunch--Chicken cilantro burger with arugula and avocado
   Dinner--Chicken stock with hot italian sausage and kale
   Again, I came close to, if I didn't surpass, the 64 oz. water goal.

Day 3:  Already waking up with a spring to my step.  Which is surprising because with all of this water I'm waking up to go pee at least once during the night.
   Breakfast--Smoothie (banana, coconut milk, chia, cherries and blueberries), tea
   Lunch---Chicken stock with hot italian sausage and kale
   Dinner---Popper chili with avocado
   I drank way more than 64 oz.

Day 4:
   Breakfast--Smoothie (banana, coconut milk, chia, cherries and blueberries), tea
   Lunch---Chicken and steak on lettuce with green salsa, tomatoes, guac and cilantro
   Snack: half an apple
   Dinner---B-nut squash burrito bowl w/ arugula, salsa, avocado, cilantro and a beautifully poached egg
   I drank way more than 64 oz., thanks to a 2-hour online class in which I need to do something with my body to keep my mind engaged.

Day 5:
   Breakfast--Smoothie (banana, coconut milk, chia, cherries and blueberries), tea
   Lunch---B-nut squash burrito bowl w/ arugula, salsa, avocado, cilantro and a beautifully poached egg
   Dinner---Can't remember...
   So dehydrated.

Day 6:
   Breakfast--Sweet potato hash, bacon, and a fried egg; tea
   Snack--Smoothie (banana, coconut milk, chia, cherries and blueberries)
   Lunch--Popper chili with avocado
   Dinner--Burger with caramelized onions and dijon mustard

Day 7:
   Breakfast--Veggie omelet (spinach, tomato, onion, mushrooms), homefries with onions, tea
   Lunch--
   Dinner--Stuffed peppers (chorizo and cauliflower rice
   Snack--a spoonful of almond butter with sea salt

All-in-all I felt pretty good all week, save Day 7, when I was raging from an accidental double-dose of steroids to treat a sinus issue that reared its head (also the reason I double-dosed).  I've been sleeping better, feeling more stable with energy levels, and my skin is already starting to clear up a bit.

Total spent on groceries: $185 (includes ancillary house items) to make 35 breakfasts, 29 lunches, 35 dinners for a family of five.

Whole30 #2: Week 4

I'm feeling like the worst Whole30-er this time around, but I actually don't really care enough to start the 30 days over again.  I'm sticking to the plan when I can, not stressing about it when I can't (damn work meals), and having ONE drink or a small treat when I really want it.

Day 22: Feeling fine.  Still got a cold, and I'm hanging out with a sick Little Lady at home.

• Breakfast: Coffee
• Lunch: Italian sausage in chicken broth with arugula.
• Dinner: Leftover spaghetti squash and marinara (no more meatballs) 

Day 23: More work meetings involving food, but I made it work...

• Breakfast:  Coffee, and then a plain tea.  Stayed strong against the free pastries at my 9am meeting.
• Lunch: Spaghetti squash and marinara
• Dinner: Cilantro chicken burgers with avocado, caramelized onions and peppers, and roasted spicy cauliflower over arugula.

Day 24: Lots of personal errands to run

• Breakfast: Coffee
• Lunch: Left-over cilantro chicken burger
• Dinner: Italian sausage in chicken broth with arugula.

Day 25: Cancelled business meetings, Nana(Claus) is coming to town.

• Breakfast: Coffee and a smoothie.
• Lunch: I FINALLY KILLED THAT MARINARA & SPAGHETTI SQUASH!!!
• Dinner: [Carb-cation commences] Meatball parm grinder from Lil' Rizzo's.  So worth it.

Day 26: Our 5th anniversary and a quick trip to the Poconos.

• Breakfast: Coffee.  And a smoothie. And then more coffee.
• Lunch:  Italian sausage in chicken broth with arugula and an apple with almond butter.
• Dinner: [Carb-cation continues at an all-inclusive buffet] Broccolini, chicken from this stirfry thingy that was really good, a little bit of pasta, a huge piece of cake.
• Extras: Some chocolates from my honey, like 5 glasses of wine, 2 glasses of champagne, 2 cups of beer, and god knows what else because I don't believe I remember the whole episode.

Day 27: Still Carb-cationing, and I have the worst headache existing in Luzerne County, PA.

• Breakfast: Tea, an egg burrito thingy, some fruit and about 8 french toast sticks.
• Lunch: A rest stop whopper junior and some advil.  
• Dinner: Some crab-stuffed talapia thingy from Outback (yay for gift cards), some chocolate thunder dessert thingy, and 2 beers.

Day 28: Toddler birthday party!  p.s. I got to meet Michael Angelo, the TMNT. 

• Breakfast: Coffee, and scrambled eggs on a whole wheat english muffin.
• Lunch: Half a grilled chicken wrap, half a grilled veggie chicken wrap, about 5 mimosas, and the best freaking Ninja Turtle cake pop ever.
• Dinner: Bourbon pork tenderloin, sweet potato, and roasted asparagus.  I later ate my truck stop cookie purchased on Day 27 and washed it down with a beer. 

[Carb-cation concludes.]

Whole30 #2: Week 3

Began the week on the cusp of a slip-up (a yummy delicious and worth it slip-up), but I'm back on the wagon!

Day 15: Feeling the sugar hang-over.  Tired, stuffy, dragging.

• Breakfast: Coffee.  I think I had 3 cups!
• Lunch: Work lunch steak salad: grilled steak, romaine, pico de gallo, lots of guac.  I also cheated a little with 2 corn chips as I stared at them longingly for almost 4 hours...
• Dinner: Peer pressure is the worst, and I'm such a sucker.  Definitely had a glass of home-brewed cider from a friend, got wasted off one glass, and then made dinner.

Day 16: Obviously dragging and tired.  Nose still stuffy.

• Breakfast: Coffee.  Again, multiple cups.
• Lunch: Leftover steak salad with avocado (since I ate all the guac at the meeting...)
• Dinner: Spaghetti squash and meatballs (no bread crumbs) with homemade marinara.

Day 17: Feeling better again, but still a little tired.

• Breakfast: Coffee.  I'm really just not hungry in the morning...
• Lunch: Leftover spaghetti squash and meatballs and an apple with almond butter.
• Dinner: Butternut squash burrito bowl.

Day 18: Energy's back. Still tough getting up, but it's not tragic.  Woke up hungry for the first time in about a week. 

• Breakfast: Coffee and a smoothie.
• Lunch: Leftover spaghetti squash and meatballs, and an apple lent to me by a friend.
• Dinner: More squash burrito bowl, with the last of the chipotle chicken, a poached egg, salsa, avocado, cilantro.  A spoon of almond butter as a snack.

Day 19:  Feeling great, except for this cold that came upon me...I also weighed myself and I'm down 7 lbs!

• Breakfast: Coffee.
• Lunch: The last of the squash burrito bowl, with a poached egg, salsa, avocado, and cilantro.
• Dinner:

And then there was a blizzard.

Day 20: Lots of shoveling, some "I earned this" beers, lots of warm things to thaw us.

• Breakfast: Coffee
• Lunch:  6 pepper chili (jalapeno, bell, chipolte, chili, ancho, and cayenne) with ground beef (no beans).
• Dinner:  

Day 21:  I'll be honest, I can't remember...there was more shoveling, and more chili to be sure.

Whole30 #2: Week 2

Better published late than never!

Other than the persistent feeling of exhaustion and the late week crankiness, we're doing good.  Looking for recipe ideas, so please help!

Day 8: Still tired, cranky, but this may be due more to life than diet...WORST. MONDAY. EVER.

• Breakfast:  Coffee and 1/2 a smoothie (the other half ended up in my purse.  See above note regarding temperament).
• Lunch: Work restaurant lunch--salad with grilled chicken, romaine, hard boiled egg, pico, avocado, vinegar (not vinagrette).
• Dinner: Chicken roasted with carrots and parsnips.  A big old spoonful of almond butter
  sprinkled with sea salt.

Day 9: The cranky is finally subsiding.  I was originally up at 5am for no good reason--just done sleeping I guess!

• Breakfast: Coffee.  Lots of coffee.
• Lunch: Leftover chicken, carrots, and parsnips with some arugula; an orange; and a not very ripe at all mango.
• Dinner: Thai red curry with veggies, cod, and avocado.

Day 10:

• Breakfast:  Coffee.
• Lunch: Chicken soup, an apple and some almond butter.
• Dinner: Chicken soup and a skinny taste inspired butternut squash burrito bowl with a poached egg and avocado.

Day 11: Feeling pretty good.  Getting out of bed easily.

• Breakfast: Coffee.
• Lunch: Leftover squash burrito bowl and a grapefruit.  I even poached an egg at work using the microwave!
• Dinner: Chicken soup.

Day 12: Feeling really good, but there's a strong need for coffee.

• Breakfast:  Lots of coffee. 
• Lunch: A weird amalgam of leftovers that I can't really describe.  And an apple with almond butter.
• Dinner: Date night!: King crab legs with strained butter, green beans, and some baked potato with strained butter.

Day 13:  Ski day!

• Breakfast: Coffee 
• Lunch:  Chicken taco salad and a grapefruit.  And a coffee.  I was just feeling the coffee.
• Dinner:

Day 14: Little Man's Birthday!  I was up 645am (everyone else was dead to the world) and got to read quietly for 45 minutes before the little lady got up.  It was awesome!

• Breakfast: Coffee and a smoothie (coconut milk, blueberries, cherries, chia seed, and a Tbsp of almond butter.
• Lunch: Salad and buffalo wings.  It probably had vegetable oil in both, but whatever...I didn't eat pizza.  Or the really awesome Ninja Turtle head cake pops my best friend made.  Or drink wine!  But I did eat chocolate cake...and it was amazing.
• Dinner: Chicken soup--finally killed that batch!

5 Reasons to Love Your Crockpot This Month

Although the past week or so has been hiding this fact, it's November and the colder weather is coming.

Here are 5 easy ways to show your crockpot (and wallet and sanity) some love this month:
1. Roasted Squash.  I was totally afraid of this one at first.  But seriously, wash a butternut squash, cut it in half, and just throw it in and put the lid on.  No seeding, no peeling, nada.  High for ~4 hours or low for ~6.  Then just scoop out the roasted yummy goodness (after scooping the seeds out if you don't want to eat them).
2. Roasted Chicken and Vegetables.  3 whole peeled carrots, 3 trimmed stalks of celery on the bottom, a seasoned (salt, pepper, paprika to keep it simple) whole fryer chicken stuffed with a bay leaf, a clove of garlic and a small onion on top.  Put the lid on, turn it on low for ~8 hours.  Eat the breasts and then get onto...
3. Chicken soup.  Leave everything in the crockpot but the whole chicken from #2, add back in the meat you picked off of that chicken after your meal for #2, add about 4 cups of water and voila!  Soup.  You don't even have to turn the crockpot on for this one.
4. Chili.  After browning about a pound of ground beef (or turkey), add it to the crock pot with two big cans of whole tomatoes, a small can of tomato paste, a chopped onion, a chopped green pepper, a chopped (and seeded if you like) jalapeno, a can of black beans, a clove of garlic, and 4 diced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (1/2 a small can).  ~2 hours on high; ~4 hours on low.
5. Coq au Vin.  Whether you prefer it red (I recommend cote du rhone) or white (Nigella and I say Riesling), just get some skinless chicken thighs (4-5), coarsely chopped onion, carrot, celery, 2 bay leaves, and 2 cloves of garlic into that crockpot!  Serve it over some buttered egg noodles or just with some crusty bread.  ~4 hours on high or ~6 on low.

Happy slow cooking!

Portobello Mushroom "Burger" with Peppers and Fresh Mozz!

Served with a baked sweet potato

Meatless Mondays.  It's a thing.  And for a gal who would rather eat veggies, it's a great excuse to have some fun with vegetable main dishes.

This is what we had for dinner last night, and I'm so glad I saw those mushroom caps at the grocery store on Sunday!  All said, this took about 30 minutes to make, and most of that was waiting for the peppers and onions to cook down and caramelize.

Portobello Mushroom "Burger" 
Serves 3

3 portobello Mushroom Caps
1 red pepper (med/large), finely chopped
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
1 cup baby arugula
3 English muffins, toasted
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 slices fresh mozzarella (1/4 thick)
Olive Oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Lay mushrooms stem side up on a plate.  Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Heat pan over medium heat.  Add a tablespoon of olive oil, peppers, and onions when pan is hot.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover.  Cook for 10-15 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they begin to caramelize.  Move from pan into bowl; set aside.

Put mushrooms in pan, stem side down, with balsamic vinegar over medium heat.  Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes.  Flip mushrooms, cover, and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes until tender.

In the pan, spoon peppers and onions on the stem side of mushroom.  Top with cheese, and cover until cheese melts slightly.

Serve on a toasted bun (or English muffin) with 1/3 cup of baby arugula.

I miss making things!

Man, I never thought I'd be so out of touch with my own blog.  I've never been a super-regular journaling kind of gal (even when I had an actual diary with a lock and key that I really just drew on--not in), but the last few months (roughly 7, actually) have probably been the most unproductive of my life externally.

Since January, I've stopped my personal chef-ery business, haven't sewn a darn thing (except a rogue bra strap and hook & eye clasp repair on said bra), haven't brewed a single beer, have knitted or crocheted exactly nothing, and barely have the energy to make dinner most nights.  I've planted exactly 4 tomato plants in my garden, and put together a really cute herb garden in a strawberry pot--that's it.

Internally, I'm sustaining an expectant life.  "#2" as we affectionately call him or her is due, ironically, Labor Day weekend.  As he/she/it is literally sucking the energy right out of me, I do a lot of "supervising".  I'm lucky to have an actually helpful 2 1/2 year old and an understanding husband...

But even though I spend most of my days dreaming about making things and plotting what I might be able to make while on maternity leave, I am lucky enough to be reading a ton lately.  In addition to voraciously reading my National Geographics each month, finally catching up on my SKI and 32 degrees magazines (ironic since there's no snow and I'm really not fit to ski), I've re-discovered the awesomeness that "Leisure Reading" section at Temple University's library which is awesomely situated across the street from my office.

If you're interested in keeping up with what I'm reading or suggesting a new book, please link up!  I hate walking blindly into a book without a recommendation and I'm game to read anything.  I'm 99% sure this is my profile.

Until I'm game for making again, here are my current craft-crushes:
The Cutest Darn Thing to entertain your toddler on Two-Many
I need to have this skirt but am too lazy to make it, but I still really want to buy the pattern
Signs I may miss drinking a bit too much

I hope to have more fodder to share with you all soon, but it may just be musings on what I plan to brew for my post-baby hospital bed celebration...I'm excited about that!

Pretzel Bread Bowls & Butternut Squash Soup

Fall means a few things to me, and two of them are baking and soup!  And (as long as you have strong arms or a stand mixer), these two easy recipes will keep you ready to fight the impending frost.

First, I made these pretzel bread bowls.  And luckily, my trusty helper Little Man was there to help dump in the flour and make a mess.  Though the entire process took some time (20 minutes of mixing and kneading, an hour of rising, 25 minutes to punch down/separate/rest, 10 minutes of baking soda bath, 20 minutes of baking), it really couldn't have been easier.  And we fought over the left-over bread bowls...because apparently having 6 left over wasn't enough to make us all happy.

While they cooled, I made the butternut squash soup.  Very easy to do from scratch and it takes maybe 30 minutes and will feed 4 people LARGE soup portions.  Can be made vegan or vegetarian by using oils and water or veggie stock.

Butternut Squash Soup
1 large Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 small onion, diced
1 quart of chicken stock (box or home made)
1 tsp of sage
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup cream or half and half
salt and pepper to taste

Put a stock pot over high heat with a tablespoon of olive oil or butter.  Once it starts to glisten, add in the onions, sage and bay leaf and pinch of salt.  When the onion is slightly translucent add in the squash.  Saute about a minute until the squash starts to turn a bit darker.  Add in enough stock to just cover the squash and bring to a bowl.  Put the lid on, turn the heat to medium, and cook until the squash is soft.

Take off the heat, remove the bay leaf. Using a stick blender, blend away until all the soup is smooth (can be done in a traditional blender as well in stages).  Add the half and half, stir and return to the heat for a few minutes until it's nice and hot again. 

Serve with a sprinkling of sage or a dusting of nutmeg.

Can be made vegan or vegetarian by using oils and water or veggie stock.
Freezes REALLY well.

Summer Re-cap

I hate bloggers who apologize for not keeping up with their blogs--because blog readers are just glued to their computers waiting for us all to share what we had for dinner, the cute outfit we spent hours laboring over for our kid who messed it up 2 minutes after the photos were taken, or finding out what fun picture frame we fashioned into a completely useless piece of wall "art".

So, I'm not apologizing for not posting anything for almost 6 months--I have a life.  But, I've missed cataloging what I've been up to, so I thought I would do a bit of a photo montage that explains what I've been up to over the last six months.  Enjoy!

Garden:

We finally had a strawberry this year!  It rained a lot, my tomatoes are coming in like crazy (still), I built a vertical planter for sweet potatoes (that died) that seems very well suited for cucumbers, pesto: the elixir of pasta, a squash plant I started from seed and hydrangea. 

Kiddo:

 

Helping me make cinnamon buns with his friend one morning.

 

And thankfully, we had a lot of beach & lake time this summer.

Cooking:

 

I discovered the olive bar at Wegmans's; Mac n Cheese, grilled lamb leg, avocado pasta, pierogies with chorizo(!), the book that started it all, cold-brewed coffee (a revelation), we made baked beans from scratch, this crazy watermelon rum drink with limes and cilantro, Heizenberg special rock candy (just a touch of chili p yo), and the most beautiful fritatta I've ever made.

Beer/Liquor Drinks:

A small sampling what I've been drinking this summer.  Lots of ales and saisons, now transitioning into festbiers and porters.  I haven't brewed since probably Februrary, but I'm enjoying what others are making immensely!

The chill of fall has also reignited the bourbon (me) vs. scotch (my husband) debate in our house.  Here's a fun maple mint julep I made--it's actually better without the ice cubes to take that chill off your bones.

If you have any questions about what I have up here, just ask!  It may make its way into a full blog post one day!

Rural Revolution: How long will home-canned food last?

I had to share this blog post from a blog I randomly came across months ago. 

Now, I don't have a pressure-canning system so I can't can meat, but this is a great example of how great home canning can be!  And don't forget to read the comments.  Some are great!


Rural Revolution: How long will home-canned food last?: I was cleaning out my pantry a couple days ago when I came across some home-canned jars of meat: beef and ham, as well as lentil soup. No...

Venison Tenderloin Roast

I'm a lucky girl in many ways, but I am definitely lucky to have to step-father who shares the spoils of his hunting expeditions.  And last year, he got two deer, so there was a lot of sharing!

Since deer season is set to begin again in his area, I'm in a mad dash to finish all of the wonderful cuts of meat we got last year and this tenderloin is actually part of a larger roast I made into stew a few weeks back.  It was a small roast--maybe one pound tops--so it was perfect for a quick and yummy weeknight dinner for two.

Plus, once it was defrosted, it only took 10 minutes to prepare--start to finish! 

Pan-seared Venison Tenderloin
1 lb. tenderloin (whole)
2 Tbs. garlic powder
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbs. cracked black pepper
2 Tbs. olive oil

Heat a frying/sautee pan over high heat.  Add olive oil.

Pat dry tenderloin with paper towels, and evenly apply garlic, salt, and pepper.

Once the oil is shimmery and just starting to smoke, add the tenderloin.  Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side--probably 4 sides--for a rare center and medium rare ends.  It should be dark brown but not burnt.  Turn off heat and remove loin to carving surface and tent with foil to rest for 5-10 minutes before carving and serving.

*You can use a similar preparation for a beef or pork tenderloin as well, if you finish it off in the oven since they are generally much larger than 1 lb.

Pan Roasted Cabbage

I love a cabbage, garlic and cumin combo, so I came up with this recipe one night when I had a random head of leftover cabbage.  After everything is said and done, this dish will cost you about $2 to make, and feeds about 6 people very hefty side servings.  Goes great with chicken, steak, and pork.  It's a little sweet, a teeny bit sour, and perfect for a fall evening.

First thing to know about cabbage is how to cut it. Remove any leaves from the outside that look wilted, damaged, brown, mushy, or otherwise unappealing.  Cut it in half from the core and then cut a little triangle around the core to remove it.  Cabbage can be a tough little ball of leaves, so be careful.  You can also use a food processor to shred the cabbage after removing the core, but I find it to be too much clean-up.

Then, cut the cabbage in about 1/8 inch (smaller if you can manage) slices.  I cut those in half.  The smaller you can make the slices, the quicker it will cook and caramelize.

Pan Roasted Cabbage
1 medium head of green cabbage
2 tablespoons of oil (I used olive)
3 large cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of honey
1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon of cumin seeds
salt and pepper to taste

Mince the garlic and add to a large skillet with the oil, cumin and a bit of salt over medium heat.  Once the cumin aroma starts to come out, add the cabbage, stir to combine and cover for 10 minutes or until the cabbage has softened.  Stir again, add the honey and vinegar, and cook uncovered for another 2-3 minutes.  Cabbage should just start to brown.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 6-8.

Linguini and hot sausage in a fried sage cream sauce

When I first read about this in a NYTimes column early this week, it sounded gross.  I mean, fried sage?  In a cream sauce?  And then you have hot sausage?  Nothing about this seemed like it would make sense, but I have a sage bush(?) in my garden (that I can't seem to kill and I barely even use the stuff) and those food writers at the Times haven't steered me wrong yet, so I went for it.

This is a modified recipe, as I didn't use theirs and frankly don't remember or care to spend the time finding the link.  I made it for two, and we had two large servings, with just barely enough left over to not save it for a lunch the next day.

1/2 lb of Linguini (not fresh)
1 cup of heavy cream
1/2 lb of hot italian sausage in the casing
2 Tbs Fresh sage chopped finely (or use little leaves)
1 small shallot, sliced thinly
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Start your pasta water boiling, and a large skillet on medium/medium high with a drop of olive oil. 

Cut the sausage into 1/8" slices (think bite-sized).  When the pan is hot, add the sausage and cook for 5 minutes or until both sides are browned.  Remove sausage from pan and set aside.

If you have a fair amount of oils left in the pan, just add the sage and saute until it turns to a dark green, scraping up any bits that may have been left in the bottom of the pan along the way.  You may want to add a small amount of oil if you didn't have a fatty sausage, but be light-handed with the oil.

When the water is boiling, salt it and add the pasta.  Cook to package directions.  Before you drain your pasta, be sure to save a mug of pasta water.

Once the sage is a bit crunchy and the desired shade of dark green, add your thinly sliced shallot.  You can also substitute a bit of onion and minced garlic, but I liked the sweetness of the shallot and think garlic would have been a bit much with the sausage.  Saute until it becomes translucent and starts to brown.

Turn off the heat, and slowly add the cream, about 1/4 cup at a time.  Stir to incorporate, making sure that the cream isn't curdling.  Once you've added the cream, turn the heat back on to medium.  Add the sausage back in as well.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Allow the cream sauce to simmer and thicken to your desired consistency--I'd recommend just a bit thicker than the cream started out.

Add the drained pasta to the sauce skillet and toss to combine.  If you'd like a looser sauce, add the reserved pasta water (less than 1/4 cup at a time) until you get your desired texture.

Serve and enjoy!