Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Skillet Pork Chops with Sauteed Swiss Chard Dinner

Today's meals were Fabulous




Midmorning snack
Smoked Salmon on Cucumber Rounds

Lunch

Sirloin Burger w/ 2-oz melted reduced fat cheese, Dijon mustard and tomato on a bed of lettuce
½ c. Three-Bean Salad (equal amounts black beans, kidney beans, and pinto beans with chopped red onion and tossed with dressing of your choice)

Mid-afternoon snack
Hummus with veggie dippers

Dinner
Skillet Pork Chops with Sautéed Swiss Chard
Red Leaf Lettuce Salad
Ranch Dressing

Biggest tip is about the swiss chard. Cut off the thickest portion of the stem (about an inch or so). Then Remove the leaf portion from the stem. Rough Chop the leaves and thin slice the rest of the stem and add them with the leaves when cooking. If you don't have swiss chard you can substitute spinach or kale.

In a medium bowl combine:
2 tsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves minced
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp dried rosemary crushed
salt and pepper

Coat 4 pork chops (6-8 oz ea) in this and let sit for 30 mins (I just put the pork chops in the same bowl and tossed them in the oil and left them in there - one less dish for the dishwasher)

Spray a non-stick skillet with cooking spray and heat over med-high heat. Add pork chops and cook for 4-5 per side or until just cooked through. Don't over cook. Transfer port to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Wipe out pan if their are any burnt bits. Add:

2 tsp of olive oil
heat over med-high heat

2 garlic cloves minced
til just fragrant

2 lbs swiss chard
(may need to add in batches)

Cook until leaves are wilted approx 3-4 mins. Season with salt pepper and squeeze of  lemon juice.

Serve Pork Chops with their juices and the chard on the side









Dessert



Lime Ricotta Cream
Per person, mix:

1/2 cup part-skim or low fat ricotta cheese
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 pkg granular sugar substitute
1 Lime zest and juice
(1 small lime will work for 3 - 4 servings.. fyi)

I use an electric mixer and usually will make multiple servings (even if I am the only one eating this LOL). I will beat this everything together for 3-5 mins and makes the ricotta lighter and less "grainy" feeling than just mixing it together with a spoon.

Chill for 2 hrs or longer will usually last for a couple of days.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Baked Ricotta Custard for Gypsy

Heat oven to 250 and set a tea kettle to boil water.

In  large bowl, with an electric mixer at medium speed beat:

3/4 cup part-skim Ricotta Cheese
4 oz non-fat tub style cream cheese - room temp

Beat these together til creamy. Then add:

1/4 cup Granular Sugar Substitute (Splenda or the like)

Beat until well combined. Then add:
1 whole egg
1 egg white
1/4 cup fat-free half-and-half
1/4 tsp Vanilla

Beat until well blended. Be sure to scrape sides well.

Place a neatly folded tea towel inside an 8X8 dish so it covers the bottom. Place 4 8-oz ramekins on top of the tea towel in the dish. Pour mixture into ramekins evenly.

Pull out oven rack as to balance the dish of ramekins. Pour the boiling water into the baking dish around the ramekins to a depth of 1 inch from the top. Bake until custard set approx 45 mins. They should not jiggle at all. Let cool in bath until they can be handled and then remove to cool on rack at room temp. Serve cilled or at room temp, sprinkled with cinnamon.



First week of the diet

Approximately two weeks ago my mom came to me and said she really wanted to go on a diet and base it on the South Beach Diet. In case you hadn't heard of it, its written by a heart doctor and is high fiber, low fat, low carbs, low sugar, high in lean proteins. We have both been on it before although we did it separately as I was in Louisiana and they were in Seattle. I was very happy to do this as I had attempted to try to do something like this with the dinners I was making when I first came to Texas but no one else seemed interested in making it happen so it fell to the side.

Due to this I spent 3 days looking over stuff and putting 2 weeks of menus together. Gave them all to my mom for review, made changes where indicated and then made shopping menu based on the first week of menus. $400 later we had a weeks worth of food. Isn't it always the way when you are changing a way of eating????

The first week went well until the end. My Father had a melt down and, I guess, wasn't in the mood for anything I made, and lost his cool. He wasn't mean verbally. It was more attitude and it hurt my feelings and pissed me off. Which in turn pissed my mom off. And of course since I am just like her means she and I should not share the same space when we are both mad because we will both push each others buttons.

But today is a new day, a new week, and are working through it. My dad's take on food is more simple and straight forward and he likes the same ole same ole. But that has what got him and us in the state we are in.

So you wanna know what got made huh?? Ok here we go:

Pre Diet:


Chicken Soup with Kale

Day 1:

Midmorning snack



Veggie Dippers with Avocado-Cilantro Guacamole

Lunch


Chock-full-of-veggies Chili
Mixed green salad
2 tbsp Cilantro-Lime dressing

Mid-afternoon snack
Chilled shrimp cocktail w/spicy red pepper sauce

Dinner
Grilled sirloin steak
Hearts of palm “potato: salad
Steamed Broccoli
Grilled Bell Peppers and Onions with minced garlic and balsamic vinegar

Dessert
Maple-Almond Flan



Day 2

Midmorning snack
1 oz reduced fat cheese cubes and grape tomatoes

Lunch

Clear mushroom Soup
Sliced Steak on a beg of mixed greens
2 tbsp Lemon Vinaigrette

Mid-afternoon snack
Grilled Chicken and Roasted Red Pepper Roll-Up

Dinner


Sheppard’s Pie


Radicchio and endive salad
2 Tbsp Dijon Vinaigrette

Dessert
Peanut Butter Delight

Day 3

Midmorning snack
Tex-Mex Smoked Turkey Roll-Up

Lunch


Black Bean Soup

Chopped Salad with Tuna and White Beans (On chopped romaine: 6 oz light Tuna, chopped Cucumber, Tomato, Celery, Radish, ½ c canned white beans, ½ c diced avocado)
Lemon Vinaigrette


Mid-afternoon snack
Plum tomato halves topped with 1 oz crispy reduced-fat turkey pepperoni slices

Dinner
Roasted Rotisserie Chicken on a bed of mixed greens with toasted pistachios


2 Tbsp Green Goddess dressing
Roasted Artichoke Hearts
Lima Beans

Dessert
Lime Zest Ricotta Crème


Day 4

Midmorning snack
Roast Beef and Horseradish Roll-Up

Lunch

Green Gazpacho
Southwestern Chicken Salad (toss left over chicken with ½ c canned black beans, 1/3 diced small avocado, chopped scallions, and prepared salsa, on a bed of salad greens)


Mid-afternoon snack
Celery Sticks stuffed with 1 wedge French Onion and garlic reduced fat spreadable cheese

Dinner


Grilled Salmon with Tomatoes, Spinach and Capers


Jicama and Red Onion Salad
2 Tbsp Lime Vinaigrette

Dessert
Chilled Espresso Custard (pg. 235)

Day 5

 Midmorning snack
Caprese Bites (Cut 1 part-skim Mozzarella stick cut into 4 pieces; place each into a hollowed out cherry tomato. Micro to melt if desired)

Lunch

Easy Salmon Salad (toss left over salmon with diced cucumber, and place over salad mix and watercress)

Mid-afternoon snack
Veggie Dippers with Indian-style yogurt dip

Dinner
Home-style Turkey Meatloaf with Mushrooms and White Beans
Mixed Salad Greens with ¼ c toasted Pine nuts
2 Tbsp Dijon Vinaigrette

Dessert



Cocoa-Nut Mousse

Day 6


Midmorning snack
1 oz asst. reduced-fat cheese cubes with crudités

Lunch


Lump Crabmeat Salad in a Tomato Bowl
(4-oz lump crabmeat, ¼ c fine diced bell pepper, 1 minced scallion, 1 Tbsp Mayo, 1 Tbsp nonfat plain yogurt; served in hollowed out tomato)
Sugar free Popsicle

Mid-afternoon snack
Latte with fat-free milk
30 Pistachios

Dinner



Ginger-Dijon Glazed Pork Tenderloin
Surprise South Beach Mashed “Potatoes”
Asst Grilled Veggies: Asparagus, Bell Peppers, Brussel Sprouts, Fennel

Dessert


Baked Ricotta Custard

Day 7


Midmorning snack
1 reduced fat spreadable Cheese Wedge with cucumber sticks

Lunch



Cobb Salad
(Chopped romaine topped with diced deli chicken, 1/3 diced avocado, 2 slices crumbled turkey bacon, chopped tomato, and chopped red onion)
2 Tbsp Lime Vinaigrette

Mid-afternoon snack


 Labne (Kefir Cheese) Balls  with crudités

Dinner
Mediterranean Skillet Cod
Oven-roasted Asparagus with Lemon Zest and Black Pepper
Julienned Vegetable Salad with crumbled reduced-fat feta
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinaigrette

Dessert
1 no-sugar Fudgesicle with an 8-oz glass of milk


Thursday, October 1, 2009

Stuff I have made at home

This is all stuff I have made at home. Mainly when I lived in Vegas after I went to culinary school. I love everything on here and most of it is actually is good for you.




Mint and Garlic Crusted Lamb with Red Wine Sauce and Asparagus


Mint and Garlic Crusted Lamb with Red Wine Sauce and Garlic Wild Rice and Asparagus
(I added the wild rice to this one since my roommate was a guy and he needed the carbs to keep his weight up LOL)


Spaghetti Squash with Bolenase Sauce 
(Spaghetti Squash was roasted with Garlic and Olive Oil)
SO Healthy and tasty! Spaghetti with no pasta... saving the carbs for something better


Tex-Mex Salad 
(Chicken, Cactus, Green Chilis, Pepper Jack, Cheddar, Green Onions, Olives, Grape Tomatoes, and Sour Cream on Baby Greens)


Verde Simmered Chicken Fajitas




Verde Simmered Chicken Fajitas
Veggies (Onions and Multi-colored Peppers) are grilled seperatly


 
Verde Simmered Chicken Fajitas Plated with homemade "Refried" Beans




Devilled Eggs




Grilled Chicken Salad with Honeyed Lime Cilantro Vinegrette




Beer Braised Bartwusts with Cliantro, Lime Jicima Slaw
(Slaw is better than fries right??... I really wanted those brats)




Balsamic Mixed Berry Short Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream
(Ok this one isn't healthy but DAMN IT TASTED GOOD)



French Lentils with Sweet Sausage




Individual Pineapple Upside Down Cakes out the Oven




Individual Pineapple Upside Down Cake




Italian Sausage and Peppers Pasta Salad
(This was actually made with Turkey Spicy Italian Sausage)




Spicy Salmon with Risotto style Black Bean& Lime Orzo