Diet Week 2

Ok so this dieting thing isn't so bad after all. It's forcing me to actually think about what I eat. I've been keeping a food journal-found this great app for the iPhone called Lose It. It's a free app and has some cool features. I put in all the food I eat for the day-some things you have to play around with and pick the closest match. For example, I had 3 chicken fingers on my salad at lunch today so I had to put in chicken fingers, fast food. At least it gives an idea of the calories I'm eating. You can also log your weight each day, I haven't been very good at doing that though. I have lost about 1-2 pounds but I have to admit that I haven't been exercising because my allergies are kicking the crap out of me these past few weeks. I'm having really bad asthma attacks out of nowhere which I've never really had before. I want to do some yoga on the wii fit at least this week but I won't make any promises. I'd like to say that I feel better because I'm eating better but with this allergy hell it's really hard to tell. I'm feeling better about myself in general because I have decided to do this and am actually doing it. So that's a nice feeling.


I've also been experimenting with some recipes and this past week I've come up with some good ones I think. :-)

This recipe is inspired by Barefoot Contessa's chicken meatballs for Italian Wedding Soup. Her recipe comes from her new book Back to Basics. I love her recipes because they're classic and always come out great. I made meatball subs last night and they were a big hit. They are small and you can fit 2 on a roll.

Chicken Meatball Subs

1 pound ground chicken
2 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp dried basil
2 tbsp dried parsley
1/8 tsp mustard powder
3 tbsp skim milk
1 egg white
1 cup breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper, to taste
Whole wheat rolls-Weight Watchers or Martin's Whole Wheat Potato Rolls
Speedy Tomato Sauce-see below or store-bought tomato sauce.
1/2 cup part skim mozzarella cheese or parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine all ingredients for meatballs except breadcrumbs. Mix together with hands. Add breadcrumbs a little bit at a time until mixture is no longer sticky but holds shape when pinched.
3. Using a small ice cream scoop or tablespoon measure, portion out meat and roll into balls. Place on a parchment paper lined sheetpan or nonstick sheetpan.
4. Bake for 20 minutes turning once. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes.
5. Toast rolls and heat sauce.
6. Cut meatballs in half and place 2 on one side of each bun. Ladle sauce over meatballs and top with cheese. Cook for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
7. Serve and enjoy!

My husband asked me to make tomato sauce like I used to-before I got all fancy haha. It isn't cooked for hours so you really get the taste of the tomatoes instead of sauce.

Speedy Tomato Sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 yellow onion, diced
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 28 oz. can Crushed Tomatoes, preferably San Marzano tomatoes
Salt and pepper, to taste.

1. Heat olive oil in a dutch oven or large sauce pan. When shimmering, add onion and garlic. Sweat until translucent-about 3 minutes.
2. Add herbs and tomatoes. Break up tomatoes using a wooden spoon. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove garlic cloves and cook sauce for 2 more minutes. Ready to use now or can go into refrigerator for use later.

1 comments:

Kim said...

Bri-

Good luck on your dieting! I think that this blog is a great idea!

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Culinary school grad figuring out how to cook for two people semi-healthy. After learning how to cook in huge batches with tons of butter and salt, this proves to be a challenge. Learning how to be a wife and homeowner.

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