Out to lunch with no damage, the “sad lunch” – 1/10/17

Posted on January 10, 2017 by Beebamom

We are having rainpocolypse here in Northern Cal. John is off to work and my daughter and I are deciding to brave the unfriendly weather by going shopping and having lunch out. In my family I am known for ordering the “sad lunch” at Chili’s. This consists of a garden salad (no croutons and cheese, dressing on the side),  steamed broccoli (no butter or Parmesan), and 6 small broiled shrimp. Sometimes I even bring my own zero-cal dressing! However, if you use your dressing judiciously by only dipping the very ends of your fork tines in the salad dressing, you can make a small amount go a long way.

Sad salad :(

Sad salad 😦

So while my daughter has her endless soup, salad, and chips, I plow through my sad salad. To be honest I quite like it plus I like myself afterward.

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Chicken Monday (on Monday!) 1/9/17

Posted on January 10, 2017 by Beebamom

As promised, I gave myself a night off last night and we had take-out Chinese food (moo shu pork and Mongolian beef, Yum!) Now back to cooking. There is a reason why we have Chicken Monday. It is a way of bringing us back to eating properly for the week. The protein decision is made. We only need to decide how we are going to put our dinner together. Since frying is never (except scallops) an option, there are lots of interesting ways to craft a dinner that is healthy and satisfying.

Chicken breast with creamy polenta and zucchini

Chicken breast with creamy polenta and zucchini

I am resolute in trying to make interesting meals this year. So instead of the same-old same-old chicken, tonight’s dinner is somewhat more interesting. John sous vides the chicken and stirs up a 5.5 to 1 polenta. The broth for the polenta is flavored with bay and thyme and finished with minimal olive oil and butter. I made sautéed zucchini, bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Served with a tomato sauce, this was a pleasing plate.

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Lunch fav – 1/9/17

Posted on January 9, 2017 by Beebamom
Crushed chickpeas with olive oil, lettuce and tomato

Crushed chickpeas with olive oil, lettuce and tomato

Delicious, healthy vegan lunch!

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Spaghetti and meatballs – 1/7/17

Posted on January 8, 2017 by Beebamom

This is the eleventh dinner in a row that we have cooked and ideas are running a little thin. I think tomorrow I shall take the day off.

Spaghetti and meatballs

Spaghetti and meatballs

Sauce from a jar and frozen meatballs are on the menu tonight. The pasta was interesting though. It is spaghetti rigate. If you look closely you can see the striations on the strands. This makes the sauce adhere to the pasta better.

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Curry some flavor – 1/6/17

Posted on January 8, 2017 by Beebamom
Chicken curry

Chicken curry

I do so love this dinner!!! John cooks his curry combination and then adds onions, carrots, cut-up chicken thighs, rice, and raisins.

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Just for the halibut – 1/5/17

Posted on January 8, 2017 by Beebamom
Halibut and parsley sauce with broccoli and screamed new potatoes

Halibut and parsley sauce with broccoli and screamed new potatoes

We cooked the halibut with our Anova sous vide but it came out not quite right. We are having trouble getting fish right. We set it at 130F after reading various suggestions. It was a little over done and at the same time not quite hot enough. We need to work on this more. Parsley sauce was leftover and frozen from some other fish dinner. I updated it with additional garlic and olives. Broccoli and potatoes were simply steamed.

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Why not try breakfast for dinner? – 1/4/17

Posted on January 5, 2017 by Beebamom

Making yourself a nice breakfast for dinner is an easy, fast, comforting choice. There is something about breakfast that makes it seem snugly. I am not talking about the grab and dash breakfast bar but a nice English muffin, a couple of scrambled eggs, a bit of sausage, and a tomato. It is kind of like a British breakfast!

Breakfast for dinner

Breakfast for dinner

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Creative leftovers – 1/3/17

Posted on January 3, 2017 by Beebamom
Fresh vegetables with leftover chicken and pasta

Fresh vegetables with leftover chicken and pasta

I love the look and texture of these corkscrew pasta pieces! There is a lot of healthy stuff in this bowlful – mushrooms, onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and a whole bag of a dark greens salad mix. The couple of ounces of chicken are leftover from last night and the sauce is some chicken stock and leftover packet gravy.

2017 healthy dinner number three!

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New Year’s Try – 1/2/17

Posted on January 3, 2017 by Beebamom

Can a person resolve to try to do something? I think that if you are resolving then you cannot be halfway about it. So I think I will have New Year’s tries.

I will try to make healthier choices.

I will try to work on my blogs every day. (I have a couple.)

I will try to be cheerful, uncomplaining, and generous.

So, here is my second healthy meal of 2017, Chicken breast with salad and root vegetable mash.

Chicken breast with salad and root vegetable mash

Chicken breast with salad and root vegetable mash

The root vegetable mash is a combination of leftover rutabagas and fresh sweet potato and acorn squash. I added a little parsley for color and pine nuts for texture. The chicken is sous vide.

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New Year’s Day tradition – 1/1/17

Posted on January 1, 2017 by Beebamom

Happy? 2017!

I have always thought that the traditional food for New Year’s Day was red beans and rice but apparently it is call Hoppin’ John and is served in the southern U.S. It is a porky, ricey, beany dish which is supposed to bring peace and prosperity. I guess that remains to be seen.

Here’s our take on this iconic dish. First cut up a bunch of vegetables and sauté them. Then substitute ditalini for the rice and chickpeas for the beans.  It is sort of all in the same family, right? Okay, there’s no meat but it is a good clean way to start out the New Year.

Chickpeas and ditalinilini

Chickpeas and ditalinilini

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