Homemade Blueberry Muffins,
My Pandora station made specifically for Sunday mornings, hot tea and some yummy fresh eggs.
Hard pressed to think of a better way to start the day.
Category: Food glorious food
The beginning of a new era at Starbucks and the end of an artform
This cup, this, venti, black iced tea with 3 pumps of sugar*, is the beginning of a new era for Starbucks. The barrista who served me referred to it as a move towards “mass production”.
Out with the quaint hand scrawled “Bk 3p CS” and in with the block type,
Blah. The barrista said the new system isn’t as personal as the old one and I agree. Occasionally, I’ll take the kids for a treat. The staff knows us and they would frequently add a 🙂 to my daughter’s KHC (Kid’s hot chocolate, smaller, not as hot). It was easy to do because the sharpie was already in hand, but that little extra touch was always noted and appreciated.
I’m sorry to see the scribbles go. I suspect, it all has to do with efficiency but, given a choice, I’ll take the personal touch over efficiency any day.
*FWIW, 3 pumps is HALF the standard amount of sugar.
Weight Loss Update -2.5
I’ve been using the Lose-It app on my phone to track calories in and calories out. It has been very enlightening.
I knew that olive oil is the “better” fat, but I didn’t know that two tablespoons of EVOO is 252 calories! Yeowch! Especially since I really could have gotten away with much less on my tortellini and broccoli.
I knew that exercise is good for you, but I didn’t know that an hour of rollerskating will burn 533 calories! Whoo Hoo, Laconia Skate Escape, here I come!
I knew that I had a sweet tooth that wasn’t going to magically disappear, but I didn’t know that most of the time I can fulfill my need for chocolate with a tablespoon of chocolate chips to the tune of 50 calories.
Given my history of PCOS, and insulin resistance, I think it is time to see a nutritionist. I’m eating better than I have been, but I think with some tweaking, I could shed the pounds more efficiently. I have a call into a highly recommended nutritionist to set up an initial consultation. I’m looking forward to the next step.
Speaking of steps, I’ve been exercising relatively regularly, anywhere from three to five times per week. I was hindered slightly by a heel injury, but I transferred my workouts to a local pool and was able to burn without further aggravating things. I’ve also dusted off my bike now that spring has sprung, here in New England. I’ve been out for a few rides (the longest of which was eight-and-a-half miles in an hour). I’m also excited because a friend recently purchased a bike and we’re hoping to hit the trails with the kids.
So that’s the update for now. Basically, I’m feeling good, and making progress.
The best laid plans
About two weeks ago, I had a REALLY bad Monday. My dear friend C was there throughout the day to lend an ear and provide support and wisdom. Well, what goes around comes around and all that, her Friday was worse than my Monday AND, her Friday went on for 4 days. Truthfully, the matter still isn’t really resolved, she’s just at a lull in the chaos. but I digress.
I had items I’d borrowed from C and her family that needed to be returned and I was picking up a few things for her at Trader Joe’s. I thought I’d throw together a chicken pot pie and drop that off too. I made the pie in between homework and dinner prep and then cooked it after dinner. When it was done, I pulled it out of the oven and left it sitting on a cookie tray on top of my stove to cool. As you can see, it never made it to C’s house. With apologies to Clement Moore, here is the tale.
‘Twas the night before delivery when all thought the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The borrowed items were stacked by the door with care in hopes I’d remember them and not leave them there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of play with grandparents danced in their heads.
With husband at the bar enjoying a beer, I collapsed in my chair in search of some cheer.
When out in the kitchen there arose such a clatter, alas, I was too tired to rise to see what was the matter.
Eventually I dragged my sorry self up and puttered to the kitchen to see what had gone amok
The light o’er the sink cast a dim illumination giving me very little information.
What did wondering eyes find on the floor? Why a chicken pot pie that now was no more.
With the pie upside down and gone kersplat, I knew in a moment, it must be the cat!
More rapid than eagles, the curses they came, and I screamed and I shouted and I called her by name.
!@$%! Winnie, !#$% cat!, and trust me there were more! Oh Phooey, I’m pissed and just look at the floor!
To the cleaning closet, I stormed, to grab this and that. Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away Cat!
Weight Loss Check-In
Exercisewise, this week was rough. It was a combination of things, Daylight Savings Time kicking my butt, a sore throat bug and stress. Since I’m thinking all three of these things will continue to occur on a regular basis, I need to find ways to overcome.
On the bright side, I’ve been good about my food journal but I haven’t eaten as well as I could have. One night I ate four Do-Si-Dos (Peanut Butter Sandwich Girl Scout Cookies) because I was so hungry and it was the only snack I that “appealed” to me. At times it is as if a part of me is fighting this new way of thinking and I sabotage myself. It is as if, that part of me realizes I’m serious this time and change is imminent and that part is pouting with fists full of chocolate bars and stamping it’s feet like a child saying “HELL NO I WON’T GO”!
I had a major epiphany this morning while updating a friend on a family member’s health. I say of the family member, “he talks a good game, but she is just making excuses” (pronouns changed to protect the guilty :)). It hit me like a board in the face this morning, OMG, am I doing the same thing? At times, yes. I should have skipped the !#%@ cookies and had some almonds. There is no law on the books that says you can’t have the same healthy snack two times in one day and seriously six almonds would have most assuredly been better for me than the four cookies.
On the bright side, I have run three days of Couch to 5K and enjoyed it every time. I love being outside again. I found a few videos on Netflix that I like and I have one of Leslie Sansone’s walking DVDs waiting to be tested (Hat Tip to The Blog Antagonist for the Leslie Sansone reco). I rode my bike for 3 muddy miles with my daughter last weekend too. Can’t wait to do more of that!
In case you hadn’t guessed, I am an impatient perfectionist. If I read this like a friend wrote it, I want to hug her and cheer her on and say “Great start! Good realization, do something constructive with it! Keep up the good work”, and yet here I sit annoyed that I ate four cookies the other night. Sometimes I guess I’m my own worst enemy! One battle at a time I guess.
Bread Glorious Bread!
My friend Cammy and I share many similarities. One of our shared loves is food. We both have a passion for healthy, unprocessed foods and enjoy being in the kitchen. Last fall we took a cheesemaking class. Yesterday, we took a bread making class. We took Bread 101 from King Arthur Flour’s Baking Education Center in Norwich, Vermont.
I love bread (I’ve got the hips to prove it). Somewhere there is a picture of me in a walker (it was the late 60’s don’t judge), standing beside the bread drawer at my Aunt’s house. I’ve pulled out the bag and am a happily noshing on a slice of Wonder Bread. I’m can say that, my taste for bread has improved greatly over the years.
This class was amazing and so much more than I expected. We left the class with 3 loaves of fresh made bread and 8 scones (well, I left with 7 because, I ate one fresh from the oven :)). We made a basic white bread that we shaped into a loaf for a pan as well as a braided loaf. We also made pane scalita, a traditional italian bread that is made with a mix of all purpose flour and semolina, then shaped and topped with toasted sesame seeds. The class was tightly choreographed yet it didn’t feel rushed. While the white bread was resting, there was a demo for the pane scaliata and while the other breads were cooking, we made a quick batch of buttermilk scones. Scones will never intimidate me again.
I have a bread machine, but after taking this class, I’m not sure I’ll be using it a lot. Melt-in-your mouth bread is the most amazing experience and it really isn’t that hard to make. The act of kneading the dough is also very calming. Irene was our lead instructor and Karen was her support. They were both wonderful. They were full of tips and tricks, encouragement, gentle correction and lots of complements.
The fragrance as the bread began to bake was almost soothing. We all oohed and aaahhed as the breads came out of the oven. Then they cut up the demonstration loaf of white bread. There was a collective sigh of contentment as we enjoyed the fruits of our labor. After the class, Cammy and I headed across the street to the King Arthur Flour Baking Store and put our 10% coupon to good use.
The King Arthur Flour Baking Education Center is about 1.5 hours from Concord (just down the road from the Montshire Museum and a stone’s throw from Hanover, New Hampshire. Follow the directions on the web site (or enter the exact coordinates in your GPS, ahem). The campus is located right of exit 13 of I-91 in Vermont.
I was not compensated in anyway for these words. These are purely my opinions.
The Dinner Olympics
I got a wild hair across my tastebuds tonight and made a bunch of new things for dinner. First of all, can I just say I LOVE Allrecipes.com? I am actually a paid member (and I have the tote bags to prove it :)). I love the search by ingredients feature and I get a kick out of the reviews.
I had bananas long past their use by date and I love chocolate and peanut butter, so I made Craving Cookies. They are funky, but good.
I was supposed to make Greek Meat loaf (a variation on this recipe), but realized I only had about a tablespoon of Feta and that wasn’t going to cut it, a quick search on AllRecipes.com turned up. Greek Lamb and Orzo YUM!! I sprinkled some of the feta I had on mine and added just a smidge of plain greek yogurt for a creamy, flavorful taste.
While we were in Disney last month we had roasted chick peas. Um, YUMMMMMMMMM! And they were easy to make too. I think I may have just found my new favorite snack.
Lastly, while I was buying chickpeas to roast, I threw in two extra cans to make hummus and since I was on a roll tonight, I went there too. I thought 2 cloves of Garlic wasn’t enough, but I went overboard with 4. This made my husband laugh, because peeps, I LOOOVVVVVEEE me some garlic, but when you dice it, it gets stronger and 4 cloves was just too much. On the bright side, we aren’t in danger of being bitten by vampires. On the brighter side, A-man has some too, so at least I won’t scare him off.
Now for the truth in advertising. I made spaghettin for the kids. I asked them to try the roasted chick peas and neither liked then but for different reasons. A-Man, wasn’t keen on them either which leaves more for me :). We both enjoyed the lamb and orzo dish. Everyone except Mim liked the cookies. He might have eaten them if his sister hadn’t mentioned the reminded her of banana bread.
After all that, I’m exhausted, so I’m off in search of a glass of wine.
What is your favorite recipe site?
Crispy, baked pork chops
One of my favorite dinners growing up was pork chops, baked potatoes, with the mandatory vegetable, homemade applesauce and Crescent Rolls. My mother used Shake ‘N Bake on pork chops and to this day, it is really the only way I enjoy pork chops. If not cooked correctly, chops can be dry and tough, but coated and baked quickly at a high temperature locks in the juices and the tenderness.
Once I started reading labels, Shake ‘N Bake was removed from our pantry. So I set about making my own crispy coating for baked meats. I started with this recipe as a base, but tweaked it to our liking.
I make the seasoning in bulk and store it in a Ziplock bag for use on pork, or chicken. I bet it would work on mild white fish, but since my husband is anti-fish, I doubt I’ll ever get the chance to prove it.
Here is the recipe:
- 4 Cups crushed Corn Flakes (I use the store brand and they are just fine).
- 4T Paprika
- 2T Garlic salt
- 1/2T Onion powder
- 2t Celery flakes
- 1t (scant) Ground pepper
- 1/2t Chili powder
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Store in tightly sealed plastic bag, or container.
Notes, Panko crumbs are crunchier, but they are also more expensive. I’ve substituted one cup of panko crumbs for one cup of Corn Flakes for a nice compromise.
Crispy Baked Pork Chops
- 5 bone-in pork chops (you can use boneless, I just prefer the bone-in kind).
- 1 heaping cup of Crispy Baking mix (recipe above).
- 1 egg beaten
- 2T Milk
- 1T (Approximately) Extra virgin olive oil
Preheat oven to 425 degrees (unless you are like me and want a baked potato, so the oven is already on).
Combine egg and milk in one bowl.
Combine baking mix and enough olive oil to make the spices adhere to the flakes. the mix will darken slightly.
Rinse and pat dry the pork chops.
Dip a pork chop in milk and egg mixture until coated.
Dip coated pork chop in coating mix turning to coat.
Place on baking sheet (I cover a jelly roll pan in aluminum foil to speed clean up).
Repeat for remaining chops.
Bake at 425 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until chops are no longer show any signs of pink on the inside.
I serve with a baked potato steamed carrots, green beans and homemade applesauce.
Enjoy!
You are what you eat
I’ve been pondering eating less processed, locally grown food for a long time. I’ve been reading a little here and there and taking micro steps to purchase food that is made closer to home. The recent salmonella outbreak at Iowa egg farms really pushed the issue front and center for me.
It started when my husband was diagnosed with migraines and I discovered one of his triggers is Maltodextrin a sugar additive found in numerous dips mix, gravies, and seasoning packets. Once I started reading labels, I was overwhelmed by words I could not pronounce. I really started to wonder whether those were things I wanted to be putting in my body or the bodies of my husband and children. Ever since, I have been making an effort to eliminate processed foods from our diets a little at a time. I’ve discovered food that is fresh and free of chemical sweeteners simply tastes better.
I stopped buying beef and pork from the grocery store years ago. Now I purchase my steaks and pork chops from a local butcher. Per pound, it is a little more expensive, but the meat is well trimmed and they package the meat in quantities that will feed my family with only a little left over, so there is little waste. There is most definitely a taste difference.
I’ve virtually eliminated convenience foods and replaced them with my own incarnations. I started making my own crunchy coating for my pork chops and chicken parts (something akin to Shake N’ Bake ®). Dips are made from greek yogurt and spices.
I have a bread maker and am striving to bake more bread at home. I haven’t made as much progress in this area as I would like and frankly, the bigger problem there is my picky kids. I’ve yet to find a white bread recipe that my son will take to school as a PB&J sandwich. Once I conquer that, THEN I’ll work towards whole grain breads.
My most recent discovery is locally sourced milk, delivered right to my door in glass bottles. We got our first delivery last Friday and I finally broke in to the good stuff this morning. The fresh skim milk tastes like the 1% store bought. Yummmm!
My other recent discovery has been Trader Joe’s I am loving the fact that when I pick up an item to read the ingredients most of the time I recognize everything on the label. I also find that their prices fit within my budget. The downside is that the nearest Trader Joe’s is 45 minutes away (Hey Trader Joe’s Please come to New Hampshire!), so I have to make it stop on other scheduled trips to that area.
Buying locally takes more time and costs more money. I do not have a wide-open schedule or a money tree, but I have found with just a little bit of planning, I can make this work for our family.
Were you to open my cabinets, you would still see foods that contain preservatives and high-fructose corn syrup, it is like a said, baby steps. I’m not sure I’ll be able to eliminate ALL processed foods from our diets. We are like most American families, we lead an active life and time is a premium. I think it is about striking a balance and ideally I’d like the scales to tip in favor of fresh healthy food.
How about you? Do you have any foods that you will only buy from local sources?
Birthday Cake
So, yes, Mim turned six with much fanfare. There was a family party where he and his birthday twin Auntie Jennie celebrated their birthdays. The menu included hot dogs hamburgers, french fries and chocolate cake. His choice as Auntie decided to skip her birthday this year 😉
On Sunday, we had Timmy’s birthday party with his friends. He asked for a Lightening McQueen cake, no shock there. This will be the third year in a row he requested a Lightening McQueen cake. The first year, we couldn’t get one, the grocery store didn’t offer a Lightening theme. Last year, we found one at Sam’s Club. It was 3 times as much cake as we needed, but Mim was stoked because it came with a functioning McQueen on top. The black frosting used for the road, was a little much though.
We’ve been watching a lot of Ace of Cakes lately, so this year I got brave (or stupid I wasn’t really sure which) and rented a Lightening McQueen cake pan from my local cake and candy supply shop.
The baking and frosting process was an adventure. I overfilled the pan, so the cake erupted all over my oven and took twice as long as I thought it would to bake. BUT, it came out of the pan almost flawlessly. I’m a function over form person, I will pick taste over aesthetics any day, so I made a pure butter cream frosting, no shortening for me. Pure buttercream tastes better, but it is also softer, so it doesn’t hold it’s form as well as a frosting made with shortening. Add to that the 100% humidity and things were a little squishy on the frosting front.
All that said, I don’t think it came out half bad. Most importantly, Mim loved it.
Live Fearless Lee 