Veggieburgers!

Tonight is another bean night and my distaste for beans grows and grows each week. I know they are good for me. I know my irritable tummy really likes, wants, and needs them... but I just can't do it. So I'm compromising and having them as a significant side portion to my favorite veggieburgers. "What are my favorite veggieburgers?" you ask. I reply without hesitation:

Franklin Farms Fresh Veggieburger Portabell0 burgers.

These were another bought-on-a-whim-because-it-had-an-orange-tag-at-Kroger buy. Now every time I see that $2.59 sticker they are mine. There were three freshly tagged sitting on the shelf when we went shopping on Sunday. Two packs are in my freezer and one is in my fridge.

The package contains 4 pre-grilled vegetable based patties. The pre-grilling gives them the great smoky flavor that makes them my favorite. They're super low cal/fat/sodium compared to the more popular kinds. Each one is only 100 calories but has a crazy 14 g of protein! They're also gluten free which makes my tummy hate me less, so that's good.

Cooking them can be a tiny bit tricky. They're a little crumbly and tend to fall apart unless you treat them very carefully. However, the one I made tonight was stable enough to put directly on the rack so I finally got to try one broiled. It was really great. If you can't keep them together, just throw it in the microwave or a baking dish and warm it up. I had mine on a whole wheat bun with a tomato, some lettuce, a bunch of pickles, Dijon mustard, and a little ketchup. Now I'm no vegetarian, but I'll admit this is much better than the real thing :D

They come in another variety (original recipe) at my Kroger and we've tried that one, but the portabello can't be beat. It's a double treat for me when both the fresh portabell0 mushrooms and the burgers are on sale. I'll lightly saute them and throw them on top with some mozz cheese. Ooooh man. Love.

So until I learn to make a decent homemade patty I will continue to enjoy my fresh veggieburger (when they're on sale of course).

The Franklin Farms Fresh Veggieburger Portabello burgers get a gold spork

Teaching myself to be Thankful

I'm not naturally the most thankful person on earth. I'm actually quite ungrateful a lot of the time. I have no one to blame and I can usually scrounge up some politeness for social situations, but in my head I'm always wanting something more. So is it ironic that I love Thanksgiving dinner? Not necessarily the big event that occurs in November (I'm kind of an antisocial hermit, so these family meals end up freaking me out), but the meal: tender, juicy Turkey meat, rich gravy, luscious roasted potatoes and vegetables, hearty stuffing, and the whole berry cranberry sauce that ties everything together.

I never really appreciated the Thanksgiving meal as much as I have since I met my husband. Thanksgiving is his favorite holiday. He is always reminiscing about the turkey his mom spent days preparing. When we first met, he'd talk about Thanksgiving pretty much daily. It was May. So when it came time for our first Thanksgiving together I was totally intimidated. We were pretty much inseparable at this point, but I had convinced myself that if ended up ruining Thanksgiving dinner he'd find someone who could make one just like Mom's. Well, I found myself super relieved when I found out I'd get to dodge the bullet; his boss gave us a gift certificate to Honey Baked Ham. We picked up a Turkey breast and two sides. I popped them in the oven and in 45 minutes we had an unbelievable meal. When I was cleaning up I started to realize I was really in for it the next year. Now I had to live up to Mom's and Honeybaked Ham's. The next year would be our first Thanksgiving as a married couple. I spent hours trying to figure out how to make the perfect Thanksgiving dinner for two. When I was looking at the sales papers I was excited to see that turkey prices were so low, but when we went to the grocery store 2 weeks before Thanksgiving I was surprised to find out that I could not pick out a "small turkey." I somehow didn't know that turkeys were kind of huge, and even the breast itself weighed at least 3-4 lbs. Definitely not what I was planning as the perfect healthy Thanksgiving for two. I actually cried on the way home. Then the next day his boss invited us to his house. He was planning on deep frying a turkey and wondered if we'd like to join his wife, mother, and kids for dinner. I really wanted to make my own dinner, but we couldn't turn down his offer. I was secretly glad the pressure was off again, but after dinner I realized I now had to compete with Mom's, Honeybaked, and a deep fried turkey.

Then in the spring of last year I found a pack of Turkey breast cutlets on sale. I'd never cooked turkey before, but I was more than willing to give it a try. I seared them first, then pan roasted them with vegetables in the oven. I think we both knew we had a hit. The next time we went shopping we got another pack and "Thanksgiving" trimmings. After that meal we decided to have "Thanksgiving" once a month. When November came around last year I wasn't freaked out at all. I just made my favorite monthly meal and added a tiny little individual sized pecan pie I found at Walmart. My turkey dinner is probably not as good as his mom's, but it is definitely better than Honeybaked's, and is way healthier than the deep fried version.

"Thanksgiving"
Throw

1 potato cut in 3/4 in chunks

1 sweet potato cut in 3/4 in chunks

4 carrots cut in 1 in pieces

1 cup fresh Brussel sprouts

1/2 chopped onion

1 roughly chopped clove garlic

in a lightly oiled slow cooker. Add

1 T fresh rosemary leaves

1 t sage

dash of salt

few grinds of pepper

Quickly sear

1 lb turkey breast cutlets sprinkled with S&P

and add on top of veggies in slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Add a few tablespoons of water if needed. Serve with Stovetop Stuffing and a small can of whole berry cranberry sauce (R doesn't like the real stuff... go figure) and maybe indulge in a mini pecan, sweet potato, or pumpkin pie.

I wish I could say that we always act like it's Thanksgiving while we're eating it: that we sit at a candle lit table confessing what we're Thankful for once a month, but I can't. Last night I made our July Thanksgiving meal. We both sat on the couch, scarfed it down quickly, silently, but happily and went on about our night. But while I'm cooking it and after I realize what I've made to do start to reflect on what this meal means to most people and the things that make my life better. I may not always the most thankful person, but month by month I'm working on it.

True Story: During last year's holiday season Walmart put Stovetop Stuffing on sale for $.44. We bought 12 boxes of the low sodium chicken variety- enough to last us all year, since we had been springing nearly $2 for the regular turkey variety during the year.

I ate a Mexican

So here I am writing this food blog, looking like this perfect eater. "Oh, my favorite food is salad. I eat it at least twice a weeeek. Ladidahdidah..." Let me set the record straight. I said I cook like a skinny bitch. I never said I eat like one. But even saying I cook like a skinny bitch is mostly a lie too. Especially if you recall the uber popular cookbooks by that title; I am not a vegan.

Having thrown that disclaimer out there, it is confession time: I ate a Mexican. This is a term that my beautiful best friend made up while we were in college. Every Sunday we'd have a reunion dinner after a long weekend apart at the local Mexican restaurant, Las Palmas. I have left some emotional residue there and surely my ghost will make a few appearances in those booths after I am gone. Mexican food is an emotional food for me and today I was feeling quite stoic. I can't stand not feeling so I thought trying the new Mexican restaurant in town, Lalo's, would loosen me up a bit. (It is slowly starting to kick in at about the same rate as a Tylenol on a headache.)

But yes, I ate a Mexican and he was freaking huge. I had another childhood favorite: hot cheese burrito, taco, rice & beans combo and R had some special quesadilla and we shared a cheese dip. The place is just starting up so I won't be too critical. It has potential but could use a few more customers to keep the orders coming up fresh.

Our Kroger has BOGO w/ drinks or $5 off $25 coupons on the back of our receipts and they are on restaurant.com, but they are currently doing 50% off on their combo meals as a grand opening special so I went with that.

If you're in the Austell area give 'em a try:

LaLo's Mexican Restaurant

Casey's honest opinion:

Bronze Spork

So... lemme 'splain these ratings-

Overall impression of the restaurant will gain either a bronze, silver, or gold spork or no spork. The bronze spork is for a restaurant that fed me, the silver spork is for a restaurant that made me feel full, and a gold spork is for a restaurant that feeds my soul. There will be more rating categories to come... stay on the edge of your seats.

Eating the week

So for those of you unfamiliar with my current meal planning strategy it is as follows:

Monday is fish night. Fish is our favorite as it is so healthy and delicious. We usually pick out a cut of salmon on sale at Kroger. For the last couple of weeks wild caught salmon has been $2.99-3.99/lb! That's just ridiculously awesome. I love S&P salmon, but I've also got to experiment sometimes. I like rosemary and cilantro (separately) as seasonings for the fish.

Tuesday and Thursday are salad nights. I love salads. I like to keep a lot of salad toppings on hand so my fridge and pantry sometimes looks like a little Sweet Tomatoes. My salads usually consist of a bed of lettuce (romaine, iceburg, leaf, cabbages, and/or spinich), a meat protien (chicken or fish), a nut, "finishers" (rasins, crispy noodles, croutons, fresh fruit, and/or cheese), and a dressing. Like I said in my first post I usually make my own dressings, but we also like a lot of the dressings made by Ken's Steak House. The lite caesar is really great. I tend to get pretty creative with my salads and have a few secret salads that I wouldn't feel comfortable posting without a patent. lol. Tonight we had iceburg garden salads with my homemade ginger dressing.

Ginger Dressing
Process

1 lb carrots

1/2 c rice vinegar

1/2 c water

1/4 c fresh ginger root

2 T garlic

1/4 c onion

1/4 c lemon juice

1/4 c soy sauce

2 T sesame oil

1/2 c salad oil

in a blender or food processor to a desired consistency.
(You can also add 1/4-1/2 cup of mayo if you like, but we hate the stuff.)

Wednesday is bean night. My husband is half latino and loves the flavors of latino food. When we were first together we were even more frugal than now (imagine that!) and decided we'd eat some form of beans and rice every night. Then we forgot a pot on the stove during a workout and smoked up the house and the price of beans soared at the same time so we started to modify the weekly meal plan. I can hardly look at a bean after 6+ months of that plan, but my husband still loves the taste and swears by the health benefits of the bean. I used to sit by a huge pot of dry beans and wait for them to cook on my days off from school, but thankfully, now I have a slowcooker. I'll try any kind of beans recipe, but black is my old standby. We've also subbed the rice with bulgar or some other ancient grain for the health benefits. I usually make mine a taco-less taco salad.

Friday is a-la-carte night. I'm not a huge fan of this as I'd like to have a huge meal every night, but my structure hating husband loves it. We just throw a couple of small plates together and snack all night.

The weekend is pretty open. We do Kroger shopping on Saturday. We pick up our weekly essentials, produce, and weekend treats there, then do Walmart shopping on Sunday mornings. We sometimes make special meals at home, like our once-a-month Thanksgiving dinner, or we eat a meal out, like subs, sushi, or Sweet Tomatoes (the s's).

We've been working this schedule since at least Spring and we've been pretty satisfied with it. We've lost our winter weight by having the structure based on healthy meals. The structure will likely change over time. I'm really looking forward to soup in the Fall, so one salad night will probably turn into a soup night. I guess we'll see...

Eeenchirito, 'nchirito, rito...

So, something inside of me stirred last week. Another intense craving. My cravings are no joke. Especially if they are a craving for something from childhood. I somehow stumbled upon some advertisement for Taco Bell. Normally this would have no affect on me, but for some reason I was reminded of the Enchirito and had to have one. When I was a kid my mom would allow my brother and me 3 items from the menu that would add up to less than $4. I would pick a cup of beans and cheese or nachos, a drink, and one different item each time. This one time I chose the Enchirito. The combination of the beans, beef, shell, cheese, and enchilada sauce really hit the spot. Sure it was just a beef and bean burrito with enchilada sauce drizzled on top, but it was just what I wanted that day. I'm not sure if I ever even had it after that day, but I can still taste it. Yuuuum.

True story: Taco Bell beans and cheese were my first food as a baby thanks to my Aunt Linda.

So this craving has been stirring for about a week now and I cannot wait to fulfill the longing. I'm making my own. I found a copycat recipe online and will be trying to improve upon it by adding more fresh veggies.

Casey's Enchirito

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Saute

1/4 small diced onion

1/4 small diced green pepper

3 diced mushrooms

2 Tbsp diced olived

1 clove garlic in a frying pan over medium heat for a couple of minutes.
Add

1/2 lb 97% FF ground turkey

a dash to 1 tsp chili powder
and cook thoroughly.

Arrange

6 small warm corn or flour tortilla shells

(your choice, I'm using corn) in a baking dish. Fill each with

1/8 cup refried beans

1/8 cup meat mixture

1 Tbsp 2% shredded Mexican cheese blend

close each shell then pour

1/4 cup enchilada sauce

1/4 cup 2% shredded Mexican cheese blend

over the enchiritos and bake until cheese is nice and melty.

You can use a small can of refried beans or make your own. I cook 3/4 cups of dry black beans and a little salt and garlic in my slow cooker this morning, then I blended them with a few Tbs of EEVO in my food processor. (Again, I'm not a big fan of prepackaged/canned/bottled stuff).

Now this probably won't taste much like the Enchirito I've been coveting for the last couple of days, but I'm sure it will hit the spot and be a pretty good hump day meal. I'll probably have it will a little garden salad and R will probably have the leftover black beans since it is a "bean night."

Passion

Passion isn't easy to come by. There are very few things that I can say I am truly passionate about. My love, understanding life's little mysteries, and food. I can eat from the moment I wake up until the moment I crash at night. My husband says I "think like a fat girl" and he is so right. I am constantly thinking about food. I "cook" my next meal in my mind until I get into the kitchen to begin the magical process of turning a bunch of loose ingredients into something more. I ride down the road craving every restaurant I pass. I love food, but I also love my body so I try to control what I put into it. This game of creating satisfying, slap-yo-granny meals without slowly killing myself only elevates my passion. I'm not the best cook in the world but I'm working on that. I will say that I have to throw away fewer and fewer dishes as time goes by so I think I'm doing well.

I'm also passionate about sharing my story with the world. Happily, food is a huge part of my daily story right now. I'm in an awesome place in my life where I have the time, space, and funds to cook healthy meals for the man I love and myself every day. This is a simple gift, but its one I'm thankful for. So here's my story...

Tonight is a "salad night."
I made a blue cheese vinaigrette earlier this morning and plan to serve it on an apple walnut salad. I don't always make my own dressings, but I certainly prefer my own dressings. I love knowing what goes into them. Lite bottled dressings often add tons of sugar, salt, preservatives, and unpronounceable crap to make the flavor acceptable, but that is not acceptable to me.

Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

Just mix up:

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup eevo

3/4 cup salad oil

1/2 cup blue cheese

1 T Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic

1 T fresh ground pepper

and a dash of salt

in an empty salad dressing bottle and shake, shake, shake before pouring it on.

I'll be pouring mine over a bed of romaine lettuce, 1/2 sliced red delicious apple, a small handful of lightly toasted walnuts, 1/4 cup thinly sliced onion, 1 T bacon bits, and 1/2 cup of 1/2 inch chunks of S&P baked boneless skinless chicken breasts. I made a small plate without the chicken or bacon bits after I finished making the dressing and I loved it! I can't wait to serve this tonight.

Hope everyone in cyberland enjoys a good meal tonight. Eat happy.