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.

6:32 PM | Labels: | 1 Comments  

Dieting

For the second time in my life I'm going to try dieting. Last time I did this I was working full time, going to school full time, and planning a wedding. I did it for a month and gave up when I lost only 7 pounds and was starving all the time. I don't think I did it right and also I wasn't in the right mindset. 

 
Ok so now I'm seriously going to try to do this right this time. My husband's school is doing "the biggest loser" so he's been dieting since March. There's about $300 a person going to the team that wins and he has three more weeks left. So this past week he's been trying really hard and I decided I would do it too. Couldn't hurt to lose some of the newlywed 15 could it? 

A little background is probably in order. I am a chef. I went to culinary school and loved every second of it. The two things you will hear most often at culinary school are: "fat equals flavor" and "add salt and it will taste better." These phrases are 100% true but not kind to your waistline. Those two things are also the reason food in a restaurant tastes better than food at home (most times-not always). The chef has figured out the balance of how much salt brings out the flavor perfectly and how much puts it over the edge and makes it taste salty. I am pretty close to mastering this and now I have to unlearn it to cook healthy food. 

So last week I attempted to make a stir fry with beef and sugar snap peas using only 2 tbsp of Soy sauce and 1 tbsp of Sake. This ended with me having a meltdown and then saying f it and adding about 2 tbsp of Soy sauce and 1 tbsp of Oyster sauce (the dark brown salty sauce used to make beef w/ broccoli). My husband had to talk me down because I was freaking out that I am a chef and can't make it taste good. He has to tell me that healthy food doesn't necessarily taste good and that it's not me. So for now, I'll be researching more healthy recipes. Wish me luck; I think I'll need it. 

6:57 PM | | 1 Comments  

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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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