Eating Right is Paying Off!

Okay, so after a weekend of eating only protein, the way the "Lean for Life" book says to, I have lost 3.5 pounds! Woo hoo! Today I get to add fruits and veggies and a grapefruit has never tasted so good! Plus, I get to keep my iced lattes so I'm totally surviving this. It is amazing how much better you feel when you don't eat junk. For reals.

Oh, and hello to all the Mingle Monday-ers! Hope you are enjoying the day off work as much as I am.

Eating Prep Day 2

First off let me say it is SO time to go home from work and watch "Top Chef". And yeah, I am blogging from my desk. Whatev, my works done.
So anyways, did I mention that this eating plan I'm trying starts off with 3 prep days? It's 3 prep days and then 3 days of nothing but protein. Literally all protein, not even vegetables. I'm trying to not binge too much on these days and still eat whole meals, but there is a part of me that totally wants to go off the deep end and just eat a friggin' cheesecake! I will not succumb, I promise. If I do that means I would have that much more to lose.
I will say that even just 2 days into eating more vegetables and actual meals instead of just whatever I feel like here and there does make me feel better. And I discovered Trader Joe's chopped veggie mix that I just throw into everything. Last night I mixed a cup of chopped veggies with 3/4 pounds italian sausage (out of the casings) and then stuffed bell pepper halves with it. I baked them at 350 for 45 min. and they are delicious! Oh, I also sprinkled a little garlic powder in there as well.
My one treat for the day is going to be William-Sonoma Hot Chocolate for dessert because it is absolutely amazing! I'll let you know Friday if I'm having major withdrawals, but hopefully I can press on!

Tasty Tuesdays: Major FAIL!

So, I got home from work and was all ready to make my Tasty Tuesday recipe for the week, but when I was done, it sucked. It was supposed to be Lemon Curry Roast Chicken, but it was't curry enough and the lemon taste was too dessert-y because of the tang. It wasn't sweet. It was tangy like lemon curd with some spice at the end. Bleh. It just wasn't edible. I ended up throwing the rest away after I ate one serving for dinner (and barely getting it down.) I'm thinking of writing Tyler Florence and letting him know his chicken was nowhere near ultimate.

Tasty Tuesday: A Mingle Monday Crossover!

In honor of Mingle Mondays from Life of Meg, I'm giving you two recipes! The first is a recipe from one of the sites I "mingled" with! Sweet Pea Kitchen actually just posted one of my favorite recipes; Skinny Girl Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. I have actually made these cookies numerous times and they are one of my FAVORITES! They are dense and kind of a cross-breed between a cookie and cake texture which is fine by me! Go ahead and check out the recipe on the Sweet Pea site here!

As for my own recipe for the week I bring you Butternut Squash Tomato Gratin! This is a great recipe from the cookbook "What Can I Bring?" and I think it's a nice blend of summer and fall!

Serves 12

Ingredients:

1 -2 medium butternut squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 (14 ounce) cans diced canned tomatoes (plain or with basil, oregano)
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Prep Time: 30 mins Total Time: 1 1/4 hr

Directions:
1 Place rack in center of oven and preheat to 400 degrees.
2 Using a sharp knife, trim off and discard the ends of the squash, then slice it in half lengthwise.
3 Scoop out the seeds and discard them.
4 Place the squash halves, cut side up, in a microwave oven, cover them with waxed paper and cook on high until soft, yet still firm enough to cut into cubes, about 8 minutes.
5 Place the squash on a large cutting board and let cool until you can handle it, then peel and cut into 1-inch cubes.
6 Place the squash in a 13 X 9 inch dish, drizzle the olive oil on it, then scatter the tomatoes, followed by the cheese evenly on top.
7 Bake until the cheese melts and squash and tomatoes are heated through, about 20 to 25 minutes.

To simplify it I bought a couple bags of the already cut butternut squash that you can find over by the bagged salads in the produce section. So basically, with the exception of grating cheese (which is SO hard to do), you basically dump the squash in a baking dish, drizzle olive oil, pour tomatos on top, then sprinkle cheese. Into the oven it goes! It tastes great and makes your kitchen smell wonderful as well! Bon appetit!

Tasty Tuesday: BEST PASTA EVER

I'm sorry I don't have pictures, but just trust me that this pasta is pretty and DELICIOUS!

B.P.E. (Best Pasta Ever) -my own recipe
Serves 1

1 cup uncooked TJ's Brown Rice Penne Pasta
2 slices prosciutto-chopped into small pieces
1-2 Tbs. butter
1/4 white onion chopped
1 clove garlic chopped ( I use the frozen pre-minced kind at TJ's)
Grated Parmesan-to your liking ( I use about 4 tbs. to make this into a sort of garlicky mac and cheese)

Okay, this recipe is by no means healthy, but it is delicious!!! Yum! Yum! Yum! Eat it when you want to indulge!

Cook the pasta in boiling water for 10 min. This seems to be the perfect temp for brown rice pasta.

Let the onion sweat over medium heat in a saute pan. After a min. add the prosciutto so it can start to crisp up.

Add the butter and garlic and keep over medium heat until the onion start to brown slightly.

Drain the pasta and pour the whole butter/onion mixture on top. Add the parmesan and stir to create the best gooey, garlicky pasta ever!

I now make this about once a week! And I should probably start eating salads on the days I decide to have this for dinner.

Tasty Tuesdays: Steak Involtini

In an effort to actually use my cookbooks and learn how to cook (one of my goals for the year), I've decided to implement Tasty Tuesdays. I'll post a new recipe that I tried to make each week and what my finished product looked like.

First up, Giade de Laurentis' Steak Involtini (recipe courtesy of foodnetwork.com)

Ingredients

Breading:

• 1 cup plain bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Filling:

• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus 1/4 cup
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 (8-ounce) London broil steaks, trimmed and pounded 1/8-inch thick
• 1 (26-ounce) jar marinara sauce
• Special equipment: 4 (4-inch) skewers

Directions

For the breading: In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Set aside.

For the filling: In a large bowl, mix together 1/4 cup of Parmesan, mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup olive oil, basil, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cut the steaks in half crosswise and place on a work surface. Spread the mixture evenly over the steaks. Roll up the steaks and secure with skewers.

In a medium skillet, heat the remaining 1/4 cup of oil over medium heat. Roll the steaks in the bread crumb mixture until coated and add to the skillet. Cook the steaks until brown on all sides, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the marinara sauce to the pan. Bring the sauce to a simmer and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Simmer, turning occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes for medium-well.

Remove the skewers, place the steaks on a cutting board and slice thinly. Arrange the steak slices on plates and serve with the marinara sauce.

So here's what I did differently:

• Nixed the breadcrumbs since I'm not supposed to have bread and just rubbed the whole thing in parmesan.
• I used a really big flank steak because I couldn't find London Broil. I sliced it in half (and my finger with it) and after getting a band-aid, I stuffed the whole thing with the filling and rolled it up. Since it was so big it looked like this:
• 
• So after browning all of it I realized the middle was never going to cook all the way through. I took the whole thing out and put it all in my pretty Le Creuset pan and sliced it.
• Then I heated my oven to 400 degrees and put it all in for 20 min.
• It came out looking like this:
It's not the prettiest thing to look at, but it is darn tasty! Nice mellow tomato flavor and yummy parmesan and garlic-y taste as well. Plus, I was able to make 6 servings out of it. Serve with a side of Trader Joe's Balsamic Butter Veggies and it would be a delicious meal!

Yummy Basil Dip on Glamour

Just discovered Glamour magazine has a whole set of blog posts dedicated to Afternoon Snacks! Look at their latest here!

Thought I would give you the pic to show you a taste!

Picture courtesy of Glamour.com

Yogurtland

How did I follow up my trip to get my teeth cleaned? By going to Yogurtland of course! And... they now have Root Beer Float yogurt and it is DELICIOUS! I'm seriously in heaven. Except they need to get rid of the cookie dough topping because I just keep eating it and can't stop! I honestly need to just get my float yogurt and keep on walking! But still, I love the whole concept of Yogurtland. I mean, c'mon they started in Fullerton! So, is it time to head out and get dessert?

Chicago

For anyone headed to Chicago anytime soon, these are my favorite things...

Magnificent Mile
Yes, its basically just a bunch of stores, but it’s a pretty street and much is located off of it, so I’m suggesting you see it. In fact, most of what I will reference is nearby.

Giordano’s Pizza
GO! There is no questioning. Do not listen to those who say Uno, or Gino’s, or any of the other deep dish establishments is better. They are not. I have done taste tests. This is THE best, quintessentially Chicago deep dish pizza. Their thin crust is actually good too, but get the deep dish. We have no deep dish in L.A. that is like this. I they have many locations but I suggest this one:RUSH STREET(312) 951-0747730 N RUSH ST.www.giordanos.com

Garret’s Popcorn
If you feel like a snack I recommend Garrett’s. They make this amazing combo of cheddar and caramel popcorn which sounds disgusting, but is phenomenal. Even there plain, buttered is good. Oh, and they’ll let you sample before you make a decision.Neighborhood: The Loop4 E Madison St(between Holden Ct & State St) Chicago, IL 60602(312) 263-1108www.garrettpopcorn.com

As for things to do, I love the Art Institute. I highly recommend it. It’s honestly one of my favorites. And look at their schedule because I think one night a week it’s free; although I paid and it was totally worth it.

Also, the John Hancock building. Oh and here’s my cheap-o tip. Don’t pay for the trip to the top, just go to the lounge that’s one floor beneath it and order a drink. That’s what we did. And use the women’s restroom. It’s ridiculous because it next to the gigantic windows. We went and came out and were freaking (especially me with the fear of heights, who had purposely avoided being close to the edge all night long) and we thought it was just us who thought it was strange. I come home and tell my friend Adam I went to the Hancock Building and he goes, “Did you go in the women’s bathroom?” Then I read in Real Simple magazine that they suggest exactly what we did (going to the lounge instead of paying to go to the top) and they too say, “Make sure to check out the women’s restroom.” So, check out the women’s restroom.

Lastly, my hotel there, The Palmer House, has the most amazing lobby I’ve ever seen. Seriously, not even going to describe it. Google if you wish, but if you need a place to just rest for awhile, go to The Palmer House and sit in the lobby. They also do tea in the afternoons, and I want to say it’s close to the Art Institute.

Today I Ate...

I just started (like literally today) writing down all that I eat. I've tried doing this in the past and have failed miserably, but there is so much research saying this is a good practice to keep your eating in check so I thought I should give it a whirl again. I have friends who have whole blogs on what they eat, so it should be totally easy for me to do this on my own, right? I'm not going to jot down for you what I ate today because a) I'm not even comfortable yet with writing it down for myself and b) seriously, my eating habits are not that exciting. It is amazing though how even now, at just 2 pm, I totally forgot about some of the stuff I ate-like trail mix in the office pantry! I did leave out the M&Ms though so that's something. I leave on a business trip tomorrow so it will be interesting to see if I can even keep this up for a few days.

What about you? Do you write down what you eat and if so, does it help?

Bacon Wrapped Dates

My cousin made bacon wrapped dates as an appetizer on Christmas Eve this year. While I've had them before, this time they really struck a chord with me. The last few weeks I've actually been making them for dinner or putting just 2 in the broiler and having a decadent little snack. When you're no longer allowed carbs or sugar it's amazing what becomes okay to eat! You can find the recipe for these wonderful, salty/sweet treats on my cousin Cheri's blog Adventures in the Kitchen.

(Photo is courtesy of Cheri's blog!)

Umami Burger

So apparently when I say "tomorrow" I mean a week later! But, here is my review. Umami Burger is the hip, relatively new burger trend in L.A. They have 3 restaurants and a food truck that hangs out in the Santa Monica area. Basically, "umami" is the fifth taste after sweet, sour, salty, bitter. At least, it is according to the Japanese. Personally, I did not eat my burger and go, "Oh wow! Totally umami!" but it was good.

My friend and I went to the central location in Hollywood a week ago on a Sunday night. It's tucked into that center on Cahuenga that has the Urban Outfitters in it. We walked in and the girl said sit anywhere and the only table left was the huge cafeteria style table for 8, but still, she said sit anywhere so that's where we sat. Well, 10 min. passed and no one gave us menus. After a while a waiter came over and asked if we were alone and we said yes, but this was the only table available. Well, right then Mark Ruffalo (yes, that Mark Ruffalo) left his smaller table so we said we'd move there once it was cleared. It took them another 5 minutes to clear that table. Still had no menus by the way. The waiter just stared at us. Finally I asked the girl who we first talked to if we could have menus and she handed some to me and said, "Sorry, apparently I'm the only one working tonight." She was right. As the night went on she really was the only one doing anything. But she did soften to us and was really nice about explaining all the choices.
I ended up going with the Truffle Burger, protein style. Mary chose the Diablo Burger and Onion Rings. The onion rings come tempura fried and are delicious with the aioli they pair it with! They were a bit greasy for me, but still worth a try. My truffle burger was a sirloin burger with truffle cheese and truffle sauce. Oh My Gosh! I love truffle! It was amazing. I've actually dreamed of it since! I had a bite of Mary's burger and it lived up to it's spicy name. That sucker was HOT! Too hot for me actually. We also tried the two Cake Monkey Ding-Dongs they had that day-red velvet and peanut butter and chocolate-and while I'm glad we tried it, I probably wouldn't order either again. I'd rather get one of the ice cream sandwiches they have delivered from Milk.

Also, it's worth mentioning that they have these "meals" which depending on the combo are a burger, fries or onion rings, and beer or wine. And they were all well priced for what you got. All-in-all, while I didn't have a new taste experience, it was a good burger in a chill atmosphere and I would definitely recommend giving Umami a try!

Umami Burger- http://www.umamiburger.com/

Learning to Cook

Cooking is one of those things I've never really learned how to do properly and have vowed for 3 years that I would finally learn. This is the year it is going to happen. I've set a goal to cook once a week and I actually have cooked the last 3 days straight. Some hits, some major misses. I made a steak today that was inedible. It was supposed to marinate in balsamic vinegar, pepper, and garlic cloves overnight. It just ended up tasting like balsamic vinegar. Disgusting. Way too strong.

On the other hand, I made some pretty decent items too. My chicken stock came out well (pictures below), and my balsamic onions and brussel sprouts with pancetta and garlic came out nicely.

I also learned a lesson about roasting chicken-5 minutes too long in the oven can make a HUGE difference. I made this amazing, velvety red wine reduction sauce and poured it over the roast chicken to discover the chicken was tough and rubbery. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. So far it's been a good learning experience.

This is the chicken stock simmering. Doesn't it look pretty?

My Roasted Balsamic Onions! So yummy!

My velvety red wine sauce!

A snack size portion of my brussel sprouts and pancetta. I realized I'm not a huge fan of the way brussel sprouts taste, but I think they look gorgeous!

The mess I got to clean up after it was all done!

So, what kitchen mess-ups have you had? Also, what do you think I need to learn to cook?

All my Groceries..

Remember how I said I bought a ton of food. Let me show it to you...

Just so you know, my refrigerator had just that water pitcher in it before the trip to the grocery store. I kid you not.

Now look how pretty all my veggies look on my counter!

Seriously feeling domestic! Now it's time to make that Chicken Stock!

Here's to the New Year!

So, in my world basically everything after Christmas is the New Year. I love these few days in between the two holidays to start gearing up for the new year. Cleaning, organizing, setting goals, etc. Today I did MAJOR grocery shopping as this WILL be the year I learn to legitimately cook. I'm making chicken stock tomorrow for lesson number one and let's just say I'm terrified but excited to try. I also took down all my Christmas decorations which included the 8 ft. tree. That's right, all 5'1" of me put the tree away. Very heavy, but at least it's not taunting me anymore saying Christmas is over! Anyway, I look forward to blogging more in the year to come and will be talking more about all this "New Year, New You" stuff in the days to come.

The easiest thing to bring to a holiday party...

So ho, ho, ho and Merry Christmas! Sure, it's 75 degrees outside, but it's still December which means the time for holiday get-togethers is upon us. This also means needing to bring an item to many of these holiday parties. Here is my FAVORITE item that is easy to bring, yet looks like you made effort:

The Carnation Famous Fudge Kit is so simple! It comes with everything, look:

The only thing you need to add is 3 tablespoons butter. You just melt it all together and then put it in the pan they give you and refrigerate for a few hours. Before the party, simply cut it into bite-size pieces and put it on a pretty Christmas plate. Voila! You have a lovely sweet to bring with you!

Oh and FYI, I slaved last year over delicious, made-from-scratch gingerbread cookies for a party and at the last minute decided to make this fudge too. I had leftover gingerbread cookies for days, but the fudge was gone way before the party ended!