Chilean sea bass, butternut squash, green beans. 10/14/21

Posted on October 15, 2021 by Beebamom
Roasted Chilean sea bass, butternut squash, green beans

Really delicious dinner tonight! John roasted the Chilean sea bass in the oven at 400F for 15 minutes and it was perfect.

Earlier in the day he split the butternut squash longitudinally for me and I scored the flesh sides, sprayed it with some olive oil and dusted on some nutmeg and salt. I baked it at 425F for about 50 minutes until a knife pierced it easily. I scraped out the cooked flesh and mashed it with a bit of butter. Now it was ready to just be reheated at dinner time.

Finally I steamed the beans in the afternoon for 2 minutes to par-cook them. When the fish was almost ready the beans went into a sauté pan with a teaspoon of butter and some pine nuts to finish cooking.

Doing some prep early in the day works really well for me. It makes dinner time a snap.

Posted in American, Easy, Fish, Kitchen tips, pescatarian, Vegetables | Tagged | 1 Comment

Vegan! Pasta with mushrooms and broccolini. 10/13/21

Posted on October 14, 2021 by Beebamom

So great to be cooking again! I thought I would be missing all the fancy dishes and drinks. But, no! This simple pasta dish was like a balm to my over-doing-it soul.

Whole grain penne with mushrooms and broccolini

John and I make some sort of pasta and vegetables every Wednesday. It can be lots of different combinations. I like to include mushrooms because they are meaty. I always use onions, garlic, oregano, and a little red pepper flakes. And, of course, salt. But I have used regular broccoli, asparagus, tomatoes, kale, zucchini, or mixtures of what I have left in the fridge for the main veg. Sauté the vegetables while the water is heating up starting with the mushrooms and adding each veg according to how long it needs cooking. Then add the most delicate ones, in this case the broccolini flowers, right before you toss in the al dente pasta. About 1/2 cup of pasta water and a teaspoon or two of EVOO is all you need for the sauce.

Always, always salt your pasta water so it tastes like the sea! You cannot make corrections to the seasoning level of the pasta after it’s cooked. It just does not work. And taste your components as you are cooking them for doneness and seasoning.

Posted in Easy, Italian, Kitchen tips, Pasta, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Chickpea sandwich spread. 10/13/21

Posted on October 13, 2021 by Beebamom

This is my first healthy-eating, post-vacation lunch. In addition to the chickpea spread, my sandwich includes half of a pita divided into two thin half-round pieces, home grown tomatoes, kale, and celery sticks. I also had an apple for dessert. It tasted terrific and made me feel good about myself.

Open-faced chickpea spread sandwich on pita with tomatoes, kale, and a side of celery sticks

Posted in Healthy tips, Legumes, Lunch, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged | 1 Comment

Weekly Menu – October 11 – 17, 2021

Posted on October 13, 2021 by Beebamom

Back from vacation! Some serious weight loss is what will be happening in the next few weeks.

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Tasty lunch in Valletta, Malta 10/9/21

Posted on October 9, 2021 by Beebamom

One day while we were on Malta we had a lunch at a seaside restaurant. I was expecting something pretty ho-hum since we were with a tour group but the lunch turned out to be way beyond my expectations.

Flatbreads with prosciutto, creamy feta-like cheese, arugula, and tomatoes

Seriously, I wanted to dive into these whole-heartedly but the other “ladies” at the table were saying, oh, this so much! I never have a big lunch etc. etc. So I limited myself to one and a half and the platter still had three pieces of flat bread left when they took it away. But I had already ordered a beer while the other two ladies had diet sodas and I was intimidated.

Branzino on top of caponata

This was also delicious and I ate everything on my plate. Then they served dessert which I did not eat at all since I do not like sweet things. My table partners ate their whole dessert which was a chocolate cake like thing with whipped cream. How I wish I could have asked for that platter of flatbreads back!! I still see myself as an overweight person whom others are judging. I really need to get over that.

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Greetings from Zadar, Croatia. 10/8/21

Posted on October 7, 2021 by Beebamom

I have been away for almost three weeks now and I have to admit that I am missing my usual routine. Making up my menu, shopping for the week, and cooking every night is what I like to do. I have been eating pretty much whatever I want for all this time away and I am really ready to address my weight gain and make sure that this trip is not the slippery slope towards being overweight again.

I have occasionally made some good choices. Both John and I have been concentrating on eating fish and vegetables. We have only had a dessert a couple of times but we have been into the bread a lot and each day has too many drinks! Here are some of the better choices I have made at lunch.

Stuffed kale, butternut squash, chickpea purée and a giant breadstick
Fish curry, rice, Brussels sprouts, and roasted tomato
Vegetarian kabob with polenta cake and tzatziki, grilled shrimp

John and I have already started discussing our menu for next week. This vacation from my normal life has been fun but I am ready to get back to normalcy!

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Deconstructed stuffed cabbage. 9/21/21

Posted on September 22, 2021 by Beebamom
Ground beef, rice, and chopped cabbage meatballs with cabbage in a sweet and sour sauce

This was our last dinner before leaving on vacation. I made it in the Instant Pot. Even though it was simpler than actually stuffing the cabbage leaves it was still a lot of work. Delicious, though.

Since we were celebrating Sukkot our daughter made a wonderful four strand challah.

Table ready for a festive al fresco dinner
Posted in Baking, Beef, Holidays, Instant Pot, Vegetables | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Chicken parm with pasta and zucchini. 9/17/21

Posted on September 18, 2021 by Beebamom
Chicken parmesan with whole grain spaghetti and tomato sauce plus zucchini, onions, garlic, and red bell,pepper

Excellent dinner tonight! John took one chicken breast and cut it into four pieces which he pounded out, seasoned, and cooked in a skillet with a spray of olive oil. I had made a tomato sauce with fresh and dried oregano, red onion, and garlic to go with it. I used the stick blender to get a smooth consistency. I also sautéed some batons of zucchini and yellow squash along with onion, garlic, red bell pepper, and mushrooms. When the chicken was done John put an ultra thin piece of cheese on top and I ladled on some tomato sauce and doled out the pasta and vegetables. A shower of parmesan finished our plates.

Each of us ended up having half a chicken breast and 2 oz. of pasta along with the vegetables. I was afraid that the portion size would seem woefully weensy but it actually seemed like quite a bit of food. I am hoping that this revelation shows nutritional growth on my part!

Posted in American, Healthy tips, Italian, Kitchen tips, Pasta, Poultry, Vegetables | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Salmon with cauliflower rice and broccoli. 9/16/21

Posted on September 16, 2021 by Beebamom
Pan roasted salmon with mango salsa, broccoli, and cauliflower rice with parsley and grated carrot

While I liked everything in tonight’s dinner I really think that the mango salsa was the star. Mangoes are so sweet and delicious! They pair especially well with cut up red onion, red bell pepper, jalapeño, cilantro, and lime juice. A little salt really perks the whole salsa up. I have found that a couple of days in a paper bag with an apple helps to ripen the mango. I use the peeling technique where you slide a piece of mango over the edge of a glass. The peel stay in your hand and the flesh falls into the glass. Try looking up “peel a mango with a glass” on Google and you will see several video choices showing you how it is done.

I went with cauliflower rice with no real rice mixed in tonight. I am atoning for my overindulgence on John’s birthday. I added some parley and grated carrot (they are in the same family) and a little soy sauce to give it more flavor. The broccoli was simply steamed.

John and I are still trying to figure out the best way to cook salmon. It is a work in progress. John covered the pan towards the end of cooking it to cook the top without flipping it. The salmon was fine but needs some browning I think. It is hard to cook it on both sides without overcooking it, though. We will try another method next time we have salmon.

Posted in American, Fish, Healthy tips, Kitchen tips, pescatarian, Vegetables | Leave a comment

Whole grain penne with pesto. 9/15/21

Posted on September 16, 2021 by Beebamom

Last week I harvested a bunch of basil from my two backyard basil plants to make pesto. Since I did not have quite enough I used some store-bought Italian parsley to supplement the basil. I used this recipe from the Cookie and Kate website. https://cookieandkate.com/how-to-make-basil-pesto/#tasty-recipes-24855-jump-target

I did not add the lemon juice and I tried to scrimp a little on the oil by adding an ounce of water. You just put all the ingredients in a blender and let it rip. Be sure your oil gets all the way down to the bottom of the blender before you turn it on. It made about 1 3/4 cups of pesto. I bought a 1/4 cup ice cube tray and froze all but one portion and then transferred the individual cubes into a zip-lock bag after the cubes were set. The 1/4 cup I left in the refrigerator was used in tonight’s dinner. We cooked 8 ounces of penne and the 1/4 cup of pesto and 1/2 cup of pasta water were all that I needed for the sauce.

We started our dinner with a tossed salad with green leaf lettuce, kale, cherry tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, and pepperoncini. The salad was dressed with Skinny Girl ranch dressing. We ate fairly lightly the rest of the day so we could enjoy and extra ounce of pasta tonight. I am so glad I have 6 other pesto meals waiting in the freezer!

Posted in Easy, Healthy tips, Italian, Kitchen tips, Pasta, Salad, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged , | 1 Comment