Thursday, February 11, 2010

Recipes you did not ask for. But I'm a giver.



Ginger Bok Choy Up In Here


1. Don't be afraid of the bok choy. It's the green stuff in all the sweet and sour chinese food plates we eat.


2. It's really good! Like celery on one end and crunchy romaine on the other.


3. Sautee some fresh or minced garlic in a medium-heat pan with some Pam spray or a spot of oil.


4. Add the chopped bok choy (as much as you want boo boo!) into the pan. Don't burn it.


5. Add a bit of marinade if you want. I went with the Archer Farms Asian Ginger Marinade. Ridiculous.


6. Add some bean sprouts at the end.


7. Add some protein if you want...beans, chicken breast, veggie burger. Tortoise. Whatev.


8. Eat it. Enjoy it. Tell your friends about it.


Roasted Root (come on, that's funny right?)


1. Bite sized pieces of butternut squash (or sweet potato)


2. Halved pecans or walnuts


3. Fresh whole cranberries (the dried ones become bullets and those aren't fun in the teeth).


4. Bite sized pieces (not too thin or they'll lose the sweetness) of apple or pear


5. Roast it for 15-ish minutes, keep checking on it.


6. I found mine to be ready when the cranberries were no longer tart.


7. Add a drizzle of maple syrup or honey. Enjoy with your favorite person and tell them how terrific I am for giving you this idea.


Butternut Squash Risotto


(this is stolen from Rachael Ray, but I skipped the butter, wine and sage...the kids didn't go for it but remember that they worship applesauce and hot dogs).



Ingredients:
One 32-ounce container (4 cups) chicken broth
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
2 cups arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
One 12-ounce box frozen butternut squash puree, thawed
Nutmeg
Salt and pepper
1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
10 leaves fresh sage, slivered

Directions:
In a large saucepan, bring the chicken broth and 1 cup water to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn the heat to low.

In a large skillet, heat the EVOO , 2 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. When the oil is rippling, add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2 minutes. Add the rice and toast for 3 minutes. Stir in the wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until mostly evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add 2 ladlefuls of the warm chicken broth to the rice and stir until the liquid evaporates. Repeat with the remaining broth, cooking the risotto until creamy, about 18 minutes.


During the last 3 minutes of cooking, stir in the squash; season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.


During the last minute of cooking, stir in the cheese and butter. Top with the sage.







Are you Really Suprised?




I really really really wish I were a better blogger. I wish I could run off and type all the things I think about all day, but you know I just don't. Dinners to be made and clothes to be laid out and floors to be swept and honestly, there are bottoms to wipe. Don't get me wrong, I can waste time like a champion (remember this?). Anyway, the detox continued to go really well. And then we ended up in the ER with one lethargic little girl (long story, really longer and the most important thing is that she's fine, thankfully) and the chicken salad sandwich the nurse gives you is in your gullet faster than you can say 'kale spinach frittata'. I kept going though, not perfectly, and made some really interesting (life changing? naaah...maybe?) observations about myself:


-holy crap, I CAN live on vegetables and I will NOT die.


-vegetables are really good and really satisfying.


-I don't need as much protein as I eat. I need far, far less.


-I actually don't have to eat the candy in the dish. (I won't die!)


-I really love good chocolate (Ahoooo! Cacao!) and I will eat it every day of my life. Detox bedamned.


-that wasabi vinaigrette stuff? Good lord. I could put it on just about anything.


-new recipes are scary but waaaay more fun. (See this super cool book from my mother-in-law).


-it's not about having less and being satisfied, it's about finding interesting ways to be satisfied that go beyond the carrot and celery stick. I made butternut squash risotto for goodness sake!


Onward and upward and I'm surprised that I'm surprised by how good it feels. Wow, taking care of myself (which sometimes includes Mike's Pastry from the North End) is good for everyone in my home.


I'm on the list, bitches! And I'm going to stay on it!


Peace, namaste.


Go eat some eggplant.


Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Day 3. At Work.


Work is historically a place where I 'screw up' any sort of good eating regime. Canisters abound everywhere with those peppermint puffy things that I could eat 20 of. And chocolate trays all over the place. A drawer full of emergency snacks and power bars and a coffee maker and a huge BJ's box full of mini-creams that really really should be used up already.


Breakfast of an egg white and baby spinach. Pear. Earl Grey tea.


So I was nervous. But I packed diligently and had a nice crudite dip: wasabi mustard mixed with good season dressing (made with some balsamic and only about 1/3 of the oil called for in the recipe). It was amazing! Three people came into my office and wanted in on it.


Lunch was a big salad with butter lettuce and baby spinach and a grilled veggie burger and the rest of the wasabi-grette. Really good. Really satisfying.


When is this going to be annoying? It's not yet. Maybe getting boring, but that's just due to a lack of creativity on my part.


Fresh fruit melon salad. Herbal mint tea.


Greek yogurt, large apple.


Got home. Some peanut butter and chocolate chips, dammitallstraighttohell.


Dinner was just like lunch but with an Asian veggie patty. Have you tried these, from Morningstar? Seriously delicious.


Gluten free pretzels.


More tea.


Not beating myself up about this at all.


Still waiting to feel bad. Still have good energy.




Monday, February 1, 2010

Day 2 of the Deet.



I thought I would crack today. The mere THOUGHT of my coffee percolating made me almost cry. But I didn't...I cheated a little bit and had a bit of caffeinated tea though because I'm all set with a 'whatthehellareyoudoingwhyhaven'tyouhadcoffee' middle finger I was going to get in the form of a colossal headache.




Breakfast was some fatfree greek yogurt and a just ripe banana.




Snack of hot soup before I trucked the girls out to the Y. Did indeed indulge in a few bites of their gluten free pretzels. Dammit.




Lunch: started off with some stir fried (no oil) bean sprouts with a splash of low sodium soy sauce and good ol' helping of Kimchi (spicy marinated cabbage, in the Korean section). Really good. Suprisingly. Pear. Raw veggie sticks. More soup.
Dinner. More soup with a mashed up (delicious) Morningstar veggie burger in it.
25 Calorie hot cocoa (this is kind of ridiculous and against my chocolate religion but I needed something sweet).




Not miserable by the way. Still want some carb crunch, but I want to molest the pretzels LESS.




(Seriously, have plenty of energy and wonder it'll be when I want to just pass out).




Oh, Detox. You naughty little minx.


I'm a big believer in not going too hard-core with the eating. I can't cut out a food group to save my life, unless it's licorice. Is licorice a food group?

I didn't last more than 2 days on the Master Cleanse, even though I bought all the lemons and ginger and raw almonds and field greens. I just don't have the ability, honestly. I also read time and time again that the body does it's OWN detox, naturally. It's called your kidney and your liver.

So a friend of mine suggested a more structured detox that's supported with some supplements and probiotics. It's vegetable and fruit-based, it bans coffee, and it scared the hell out of me.
I thought about it. Marinated. Decided I could. Of course I could! And after the holidays? Who doesn't need a good purge?

So...I went in. I bought the journal. I bought the 'cleansing fiber powder' which makes my rear end twinge a bit just by writing it.

I started yesterday. Sunday. The day of our Lord. I thought it was appropriate. Here's how it went down: (ps, I won't get into the habit of writing about what I eat. And you can always just go look at your US weekly, but you know what you'll see there? People talking about what they eat).


Sunday:

-green tea with lemon

-honeydew melon

-egg white


-veggie sticks


-homemade veggie soup with kale, leeks, carrots, celery, bok choy, stewed tomatoes, garlic and onion.

-add veggie burger to this

(this is really good!).


-marinated red cabbage with apple

-field green salad

-prunes (this is a no-no, but they were there and looked so delicious!) (See? I can't even go a DAY).


-scoop of low fat cottage cheese

-green mint tea


OK: I won't lie: I wanted to put my face in a bag of pretzels and just give it a big ol' motorboat. However, I kept my cool and was strangely satisfied. I think it's because I'm high from lack of fat and sugar.