Food for Thought

I would say that I have a love-hate relationship with food.  I love eating... but like many people, my food choices can get me into major trouble with the way they make me feel and of course, the weight they make me gain.  I enjoyed the fast metabolism of my teenage years, but as my age increased in my twenties... my metabolism of course did not follow suit and began to fall.  After a family cruise in December of 2010, I hit a number on the scale that I had never seen before, and I finally realized my no-discipline, enjoy food no matter what philosophy was going to have to change.

In 2011, I lost 20 pounds on the Weight Watchers program.  I can't say enough good things about Weight Watchers!  The program taught me HOW to eat well and how to cook well rather than confining me to a strict diet to follow.  It worked so well that after I lost the 15 pounds that was my original goal, after I quit Weight Watchers officially I lost another 5 pounds just from the healthy habits I picked up!  I would absolutely recommend Weight Watchers to anyone looking to get a kick-start in their weight loss goals.

Recently to keep the discipline in my life alive, I tried keeping up with my calories on My Fitness Pal (another great and FREE weight loss tool), but honestly counting calories makes me go into semi-eating disorder mode.  Suddenly it's about beating the strict number on the screen rather than feeding your body what it needs.  I found pleasure in keeping my calories low and hit a mountain of guilt any time I screwed up.  Not a good situation.  I realized that for me, my focus simply needs to be on being HEALTHY - eating food that is good for me and exercising often.

So... since my Weight Watcher days, I noticed that foods such as produce (most of which have no Points Plus values) and things straight from nature are the basis for a healthy diet.  All the processed stuff has so many added chemicals and un-pronouncable ingredients, empty calories, and little nutritional value.  At the store we try to stick to the perimeter of the store, only grabbing produce, meats, dairy, etc.

After a little bit of research this morning, I realized that this philosophy I try to eat by is called "Clean Eating," and I found an awesome website full of  Clean Eating Recipes called "The Gracious Pantry."  I got so excited by the recipes that I tried three of them today!

For Breakfast:  Clean Eating Banana Muffins
I realized that the processed cereal that I eat every morning is loaded with sugar and doesn't keep me full until lunch (or even my mid-morning snack at work!).  I am going to try these muffins this week in the morning with a handful of blueberries!  These muffins turned out so pretty and they are tasty!  I used whole wheat flour instead of whole wheat pastry flour, and I topped them with walnuts.

For Lunch:  Clean Eating Chicken Salad

I made this recipe for lunch today including the clean Ranch dressing from scratch!  It was delectable, especially if you like dill!  I ate it on Kroger whole wheat crackers... totally not "clean" (the ingredient list is a mile long) but hey you gotta start somewhere.

For Snack:  Clean Eating Granola
I accidentally cooked it for a wee bit too long, but it's still really good!  I'm going to mix it with walnuts and almonds and keep it in baggies at my desk at work for a quick, healthy, and protein-packed snack.

It's been a long afternoon in the kitchen and the dishes were piled to the ceiling... but hey it's worth it to have some wholesome food to eat!  And now I have this stuff ready to go for the week ahead for on-the-go meals!

Anyone else practice Clean Eating?  Have any good recipes?  Send them my way!!!

Natalie

Always the bread girl, never the entree...

I think I have a pride issue.

Mom shared with me a Maxine cartoon before Thanksgiving that read "As the Thanksgiving season approaches, remember: All it takes is one undercooked turkey, and you'll be the 'dinner rolls' and 'soda' person for life."

This was in response to my report that for two events in two weeks, I was assigned the duty of providing bread. The job typically assigned to men who are known to have no domestic prowess whatsoever. "Ohhh Bobby wants to know what to bring? Tell him to bring rolls. You really can't mess that up." I mean, run into Publix, grab a bag, heat up, and viola, your job here is done.

Now in the instance of event number one, Thanksgiving at the in-laws, I am one hundred percent certain my mother-in-law meant no malice by this assignment. The kind-hearted woman, knowing we were only a couple weeks married, probably assigned this to me to alleviate any holiday stress. I appreciate that, mom. Really. And in event number two, dinner with my four best friends from college, I'm hoping the salad and bread thing was a luck of the draw and not the result of a hushed conversation... "What can we tell Natalie to bring? Remember all those bland overcooked chicken breasts she made in college? Let's give her bread and salad, just to be on the safe side."

But for whatever reason, I just can't help but listen to the little devil on my shoulder saying, "Rolls? They want rolls? Oh I'll give you rolls."

I've mentioned how much of a Publix fan that I am, and that simply walking into Publix and seeing my friend at the Simple Meals stand gives me a boost of confidence that I am capable of anything in the kitchen. Unstoppable. Sky's the limit. But I've found another thing in my life that puffs up my confidence like no other.

KitchenAid mixer. Ohhh yeah. The king of all kitchen appliances. Best wedding gift ever. That bad boy sits on my counter, just awaiting an opportunity to blend to perfection a culinary masterpiece. You could probably pour dirt and sludge into it's shiny bowl and come out with an award winning dish. Too far? Probably, but the thing is amazing.

So with the confidence of Publix and KitchenAid combined... I made rolls, from scratch, for Thanksgiving. And I have to say, they were darn good. And I may or may not have made a huge deal out of making sure everyone knew that I had made them from scratch... Pride - 1, Humility - 0.

Next up - I am making Garlic Bread with the help of my BFF KitchenAid for my dinner tomorrow night. Hopefully that will be a success... if not, Publix is just around the corner.

Domestic Diva... in training

Table set. Nice placemats out. Napkins - not the paper kind, the cloth variety... with rings. Candles - the candles my mother gave us to light for our first married dinner.

I have to admit, I had a hint of foreknowledge that I was being a tad overzealous. I'd never cooked pork before. But Publix told me it was a "Simple Meal." Easy for you to say, Publix. You've been in the food business for years. Me? I've gotten by on pasta and butter with the occasional (dreadful tasting) chicken breast for the past 5 years.

I've come to love the Publix man who stands behind his little booth, whipping up a sample of this so-called "Simple Meal" to feed you, so you can decide that this food is delicious enough to make on your own. Then you may walk the three steps to his cooler where he has laid out everything you need to prepare this meal. Brilliant, everything you need in one place, at your fingertips. Way too tempting for this lazy girl. Walk around the store collecting groceries for one meal? Nonsense! It's all right here baby.

That's why I attempted this "Pork Roast with Tropical Fruit Sauce." Feeling confident, I gathered my ingredients, checked out, and headed for my unsuspecting kitchen.

Step one: Set table as mentioned above. Step two: Put on cute apron to make this whole cooking thing legit. Step three: Begin following recipe... and this is where it all goes downhill.

Publix tells me to heat a pan over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes. Easy. In the meantime, season pork with salt and pepper. Done. When 3-4 minutes is up, pour two tablespoons of olive oil into pan, and brown both sides of roast. Catastrophe.

Sounds simple, except for the fact that the oil in the pan immediately burned to smitherines, sending smoke throughout my apartment. I panic, run to the front door, prop it open with a reject wedding present, open the patio door, and frantically attempt to fan the smoke out of the apartment. Smoke is still billowing, so I take the walk of shame, carrying the pan of burnt smoking oil and raw roast out onto the patio, praying no one can see me.

So I skipped the whole "browning step" and went straight to the baking step. The side dishes came together luckily without flames, and the roast made it to its appropriate temperature just in time for husband to walk in the apartment.

I may have had to saw through that roast like I was sawing through a 2x4, but all in all the meal turned out decent. I can't expect to be Happy Housewife or Domestic Diva on day one, so besides almost burning down our apartment complex, I'll label this one a win. But our apartment does still have a stench of burnt dinner.