Eggs - Its what for dinner on meatless Mondays!

I feel good about my meatless meals.  But we all know we need  that protein in order to feel full and happy.  That is where eggs come into play.  I used to make omelettes but they were always a bit messy and over wrought.  That is when I met my best friend the frittata.  I know it sounds all fancy but if you have eggs, some veggies and some cheese you are in business.

I like the frittata because it allows me to get rid of stuff in my frig and make a meal and get PROTEIN!!! Yippeee

So how do you start?  Heat you oven to 350.  Then get out a sautee pan that can go into the oven.  I normally start with an onion and some garlic.  Put a swirl of olive oil in a sautee pan over medium high heat and chop the onion and garlic and put it in.

While those are going, search you fridge for some wonderful stuff.  My favs are mushrooms, grape/cherry tomatoes and spinach.  Slice the mushrooms and put them in next. Half the tomatoes and squeeze the insides out and throw them in.  When all that has started softening and getting a little color, then put a couple of handfuls of spinach in and let it wilt.  I normally add salt, pepper and a little nutmeg at this time. Don't worry if your veggies get a little brown...they will be awesome with the eggs.

While all that is getting married, whip up your eggs.  I usually plan on 3 per adult with about a tablespoon of warm water and pinch of salt and pepper.  Whip them good until they are happy.

When you veggies are smelling great and the spinach is wilted down, dump the eggs into the pan. Shake the pan a little to distribute the egg around the pan.  Give it a couple of minutes for the edges to start firming up.  Then go get the cheese you like or that is in the fridge and put it on top...start with  1/2 cup and add if you want to.  I've even covered the top with sliced swiss.

Put the whole pan in the oven for about 10 minutes.  Check to see if it is done by shaking the pan.  If the eggs are still wiggly, leave it in another 4-5 minutes and check again.  Once the egg firms up, you are ready to eat.

So if you are building a shopping list, this is what you will need.
Eggs (I average 2-3 eggs per person)
onion
garlic
spinach or another leafy friend like kale
mushrooms...any kind
tomatoes or any other loved veggie (I keep sundried tomatoes in the house and that is great)
any other left over veggie you have in the fridge...artichokes, brussel sprouts, bok choy...
salt
pepper
nutmeg (just a pinch)
olive oil or any other oil you like to cook with

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Are your balls dry? Turkey MeatBALLS!!!

Meatballs...turkey meatballs to be exact...

We all feel good about using turkey meat instead of ground beef.  Lower fat...better for us...but sometimes they are sooo dang dry.  Well to be honest, all the time.  Flavorless yucky sawdust balls. Most are either hard as a rock (see below) or dry as sand.  And people are always suggesting dipping sauce,  That is code for this is gonna suck.  Or provide hints to make it taste good by adding fat laden ingredients.  So what is a girl to do?  I have been on a mission.

By thinking outside the box, I have come up with a scheme that produces juicy meatballs made from turkey.  The trick is in adding moisture that will last during the cooking cycle and will not leave a soggy mess.

First I add onion and garlic.  Finely chopped or even grated onion.  For 1.5 pounds of turkey I use a medium onion.  Don't like onion then reduce that but increase slightly the next few ingredients.  I leave mine raw.  It will make sense later.  Then the next secret ingredient is fat free plain yogurt.  I usually start with a big heaping tablespoon.  Salt and pepper and any other herb you love.  And finally panko bread crumbs.  A handful.  If you love egg in your meatballs, add one and just increase the bread crumbs.

The mixture should feel gross...nothing like beef meatballs.  This mixture should be looser and wetter and mushy.  You should be able to make a ball but it needs to be loose and not firm.  Now, ready for some more magic.  A skillet on the stove on medium/high with olive oil...just enough to coat the bottom.  Put the meat balls in the pan close together.  They help each other stay together :-)  Brown the top and bottom of each.  Then, but the skillet in the oven.  That's right, stick it in a 350 degree oven until the meatballs are done. The time to get done varies based on how big you made them.  Use your thermometer to check them.

I use these as a base to alot of flavor profiles.  Italian, mexican, thai..,turkey meatballs turn up at my house once a week.  They also freeze wonderfully.  Make a bunch and put them in a zip lock freezer bag and they are wonderful.  Give it a try and let me know how it goes!

Love yourself...set goals!

I used to set huge goals...at the end of this year I will be 150 pounds.  And January would be fabulous.  I would lose weight and exercise and be so goal oriented.  Then February would come and I would be 10 pounds down...and March would come and I would be 15 pounds down.  And I would realize the goal was unattainable and become totally discouraged.  And the goal would be forgotten.

Finally after years of doing this craziness...I found out I was doing it all wrong.  I learned that my goal was fine it was just I was going about it all wrong.  And maybe my goal was a bit out  there.  I hadn't been 150 pounds since I was in my teens :-)  So I rethought this whole goal thing.  And after much deliberation and reading, I decided to state a goal with steps or sub-goals.

So my new goal was "Change my eating habits in 2016 so I could fit in my skinny clothes and not take liptor"
Well, that was a pretty big goal.  My cholesterol sucked and my skinny clothes were 60 pounds in my past.
But you know what?  I set out to do it.  I had an appointment with my doctor and a nutritionist and I told them what I wanted to do.  They gave me a list of things I had to do...reduce meat intake, reduce sugar, reduce caffeine, cut carb intake, increase exercise to 30 minutes a day, eat on a schedule.  So I started breaking my goal into steps:
By February 1 - weigh myself everyday
By March 1 - have 1 meatless day
By April 1 - only have beef/pork 1 day a week
By May 1 - Reduce sugar by 75%
By June 1 - Cut caffeine by 50%
By September 1 - 30 minutes a day exercise
By December 31 - Reduce carbs by 75%

How did I do?  I found all of them hard.  And I slipped on occasion....the sugar reduction was the hardest due to my intolerance for artificial sweeteners.  But I reached all my goals on a regular basis.  I've lost 50 pounds and can fit into my skinny clothes (skinny for me is a size 16 pants and x-large shirt).  And I never lost my way or felt totally discouraged.  Some days were worst than others...but I am in 2017 and still moving forward.

Be kind to yourself.  Make little goals that you can achieve and celebrate when you do!!!

Valentine's Day ... Today love yourself

Everybody who wants to lose weight does it for different reasons.  You want to fit into your skinny clothes...You want to find a man/woman...You want to wear a bikini...You want to be healthy...You want to stop being ugly....WAIT A MINUTE!!!!  No!!! You are beautiful the way you are.  You cannot be defined by your scale.  At no point in life does a number on a scale become a trigger for your beauty.

If you don't believe me, think about a skinny person you know.  Is she more beautiful than you?  Kinder than you?  A better mother/wife/girlfriend/person than you?  I bet not.  She is skinnier than you.  That is it.  She might not even be healthier than you.  If so, the hospitals would not have any skinny people in it...Think about that one!

On this journey to lose weight and get healthy, I first had to come to terms about why I wanted to lose weight.  I had to realize that I am a pretty cool person.  That I am not a bad person because I am morbidly obese.  I just need help reaching my healthy weight and staying at that weight.  And admitting I needed that help was the hardest.  After I got over that hurdle, I realized I loved myself.  I just didn't love the impact the weight had on my life.

So today my friends, before you love anyone else, LOVE YOURSELF!!!!

Halo Top is awesome...but sometimes you need cupcakes!!!

Yes we all love Halo Top!  It was a gift to all of us who love ice cream and need protein, low fat and low sugar.  It makes us feel guilty and God knows I love GUILTY!!!  But even with ice cream...sometimes you need cake or in this instance, cupcakes.

I made these cupcakes for a birthday party.  They were amazing and light.  I know cake is normally a no-no but sometimes you have to have a good responsible cake.  I added a little more blueberries because I love them.  Enjoy!!!!

This is from Cooking Light!

Ingredients
Cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups (about 6 3/4 ounces) plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
10 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 large egg
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed
Frosting:
1/4 cup (2 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Fresh blueberries (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°.

Place 12 decorative paper muffin cup liners into muffin cups.

To prepare cupcakes, lightly spoon 1 1/2 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Measure 1 tablespoon flour; level with a knife. Sift together 1 1/2 cups flour plus 1 tablespoon flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Combine melted butter and egg in another large bowl; stir with a whisk. Add buttermilk, milk, and 1 teaspoon rind to butter mixture; stir with a whisk. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Toss blueberries with remaining 1 tablespoon flour. Fold blueberries into batter. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

To prepare frosting, place cream cheese, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon rind, vanilla, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed just until blended. Gradually add powdered sugar (do not overbeat). Stir in juice. Spread frosting evenly over cupcakes; garnish with blueberries, if desired. Store, covered, in refrigerator.

Nutritional Information
Amount per serving
Calories 236  Caloriesfromfat 29 %  Fat 7.7 g  Satfat 4.6 g  Monofat 2 g  Polyfat 0.4 g  Protein 3.7 g

Lab work and xrays...almost ready

I had 'one of those days' today.  I had labs and xrays scheduled for today and a nutritionists visit.  My doctor's office is a hot mess.  I have never dealt with people who were so disorganized and just plain unprofessional.  They used to be great...in the last 6 months things have gone down hill quickly.  There were numerous calls this week with numerous instructions.  I had a feeling things would be bad.

First of all, they sent me to the wrong place.  The folks there were AWESOME.  Called the doctors and spoke to numerous folks until they got it right.  They gave me directions where to go.  Well, kinda.  They sent me to the hospital but the hospital has at least 40 huge buildings and so it took me a while to find where I was suppose to be.  Thirty minutes later, I was where I needed to go.  Pleasant people all around. But guess what?  No orders in the system.  Once again, a kind person called the office and talked to a myriad of people about what I needed.  Then she ordered what I really needed.  See, she had this surgery in the past and knew what I needed.  Thank goodness!

At this point I am almost 12 hours without water...which means I will be a pin cushion before they find a vein.  But everyone was super pleasant.  The worst test included jabbing a needle in my wrist to get blood from an artery.  Dear lord.  But that was over quickly.

I was late for my appointment with the nutritionist because of the run around. When I got there, I unloaded on her and complained about the craziness.

The funny thing is...when I left there and went and got lunch, I was sensible in my selection of lunch.  I did have coffee which I needed badly, but I ordered a low fat wrap and water.  My previous self would have ordered dessert.  But with all  that stress and pain, I focused on my goal.  And that my friend, is a WIN!!!

Try to remember that you are on a journey...it is a marathon.  And if you let people knock you off course, it spells disaster for you not them!  Hugs!

Cooking Light magazine makes my life easier...and tasty

Most of the push back on diets swirl around the never ending salad and flavorless food.  And recipes sound good but when you cook them they look horrible.  That is why I get cooking light magazine in the mail.  I love the color photos and wonderful recipes.

Cooking Light doesn't skimp on flavor. They provide recipes that remind you full fat/carb food without the fat and carbs.  I am a huge fan.  They have made me a foodie!

Last night I made one of the sheet pan chicken recipe.  I didn't have any squash so I used what I had in the fridge.  Tasty and wonderful.

To keep eating healthy you have to become open to different flavors and textures.  Magazines like this help you to branch out.  Try this recipe and let me know what you think!

Maple-Mustard Roasted Chicken with Squash and Brussels Sprouts

ACTIVE TIME20 mins

TOTAL TIME1 hr

YIELD

Serves 6 (serving size: 4 oz. chicken and 1 cup vegetables)

Ingredients

·         1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage, divided

·         1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

·         1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

·         4 (10-oz.) bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts

·         4 cups cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 lb.)

·         3 large shallots, peeled and quartered

·         1/2 acorn squash, seeded and cut crosswise into slices

·         8 ounces Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved (about 2 cups)

·         2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

·         1 tablespoon olive oil

·         1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

·         1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

How to Make It

1.      Place a large rimmed baking sheet in oven; preheat oven to 425°F (leave pan in oven as it preheats).

2.      Combine sage, mustard, and syrup in a small bowl; brush evenly over chicken breasts. Carefully remove pan from oven. Add chicken to pan; bake at 425°F for 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven. Discard any juices from pan.

3.      Add butternut squash, shallots, acorn squash, and Brussels sprouts to pan with chicken. Top vegetables with butter, oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper; toss. Spread in an even layer around chicken. Sprinkle chicken with remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bake at 425°F for 20 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove bones from chicken before serving; discard.