May 13, 2016 – Penne with broccoli and carrots in peanut sauce

Posted on May 13, 2016 by Beebamom
Penne, broccoli, and carrots in peanut sauce

Penne, broccoli, and carrots in peanut sauce

How is it that I haven’t written about a proper meal since Cinco de Mayo? Here is what the last week was like. We had take-out Chinese food one night. It was Mother’s Day weekend and we had bagels and lox with the kids and grand kids. Then we had a dinner party on Monday which was great except I forgot to take pictures. This was followed by three days of John being at a conference and not home for dinner. Did I mention one night we just ate tater tots? So mea culpa for last week and probably next week as well as I am off to visit my best friend who is undergoing chemo-therapy.

However, today I am posting my old standby dinner, penne plus some kind of vegetables in peanut sauce.  Always a winner!

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May 5, 2016 – Cinco de Mayo

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Beebamom
Fish tacos and black beans

Fish tacos and black beans

It is possible to eat reasonably on Cinco de Mayo. Tonight we made fish tacos and spicy black beans. I doctored up some canned black beans with onions, garlic, cilantro, and some store-bought fresh salsa. John cooked the cod and warmed through the corn tortillas. Our toppings were shredded cabbage, cilantro, green onions, salsa, and a crema made with yogurt, cumin, and some salt. Rather than a margarita I had a non-alcoholic beer. We enjoyed our Mexican dinner and didn’t blow the bank calorie-wise.

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May 4, 2016 – Shrimp and grits with broccolini

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Beebamom
Shrimp and grits with broccolini

Shrimp and grits with broccolini

We don’t actually call this polenta grits since we lived in the South but are not natives of the South. This is a very tasty dish but John and I need to come to some sort of understanding about spiciness. He asked me to put a chile in the broccolini and I did. But he also put black pepper in the polenta and spicy paprika on the shrimp. So this dinner tasted like various shades of hot to me – spicy hot from the chile and the paprika and burning hot from the black pepper. He thought it was great while I kept sneezing and clearing my throat as I ate.

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May 3, 2016 – Lentil Stew

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Beebamom
Lentil stew with mushrooms, carrots, celery, and onions

Lentil stew with mushrooms, carrots, celery, and onions

What could be more comforting than a big pot of lentil stew! I debated whether I should call this soup or stew but decided it was thick enough for stew. I actually made this the day before because I wanted to use some of the lentils with my leftover farro yesterday. First I made a mirepoix of celery, onions, and carrots cut up quite small.  I sautéed them along with the mushrooms.  Then added water, or vegetable stock, or chicken stock depending on your nutritional lifestyle. When the lentils were cooked through I added a large chop of carrots and celery and cooked them briefly. You want them with a little crunch. Topped the stew with chopped parsley, green onions, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Note: Non-vegans/vegetarians might enjoy some sort of firm, cooked sausage in this.

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May 2, 2016 – Lamb chop with farro and green beans

Posted on May 3, 2016 by Beebamom
Lamb chop with farro and green beans

Lamb chop with farro and green beans

As you can see I am still trying to keep my meat portions small. The real star of the show was the leftover farro which I mixed with lentils. Mmmm, so good!

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April 29, 2016 – Penne with asparagus and mushrooms in a peanut sauce

Posted on April 30, 2016 by Beebamom
Penne with asparagus and mushrooms in a peanut sauce

Penne with asparagus and mushrooms in a peanut sauce

This penne dish is fast becoming a favorite go-to dinner. By the time you heat the water to boiling and cook the pasta, all the vegetables are ready. The only think that needs to be timed more precisely than the cooking of the penne is when to put the asparagus into the already cooked mushrooms and onions. I leave the tips out until the last second because they will pretty much be cooked enough by being with the just cooked penne. Add the peanut sauce. Be sure to save some pasta water to thin out the sauce!

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April 29, 2016 – Bagel breakfast!

Posted on April 29, 2016 by Beebamom
Combo bagels from Bagel Street Cafe

Combo bagels from Bagel Street Cafe

I know it seems like we never eat out unless we are on vacation. That is pretty much true with the exception of an occasional lunch. It is so hard to not be tempted by the dark side when you eat at a restaurant. But today in order to make up for this splurge we walked the 2 1/2 mile round trip to Bagel Street Cafe in order to compensate. It was definitely worth it!

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April 28, 2016 – Chicken breast with farro and broccoli

Posted on April 29, 2016 by Beebamom
Chicken breast with farro and broccoli

Chicken breast with farro and broccoli

Well, this picture turned out looking darker than it was! I think it is because I used a bunch of broccoli stem pieces that picked up some color from the shallots. Honestly, I did not overcook the broccoli! I used the brown rice oven cooking method for the farro. (Spray dish, 1 1/2 cups rinsed farro, 1 tsp. olive oil,  1 tsp. table salt, 2 1/3 cups boiling water, cover tightly, 375F oven for 1 hour) Recently I bought broccoli on the stalks which is sometimes not available (just the floret part is always available.) I used the top for a pasta dish and saved all the stalks. When they are peeled they are tender and delicious!  John pan roasted the chicken expertly.

I went to a nutritionist once in my never ending weight battle and she suggested that my plate should be 2/3 vegetable and complex carbohydrate and only 1/3 protein. For someone like me who prefers vegetables and starches way more than meat, it was no problem. However, it didn’t really help with the weight loss because my portion sizes are too big. What can I say? I love to eat!

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April 27, 2016 – more leftovers!

Posted on April 27, 2016 by Beebamom

I tried to use up all the bits in the refrigerator from over the weekend. John ate up the rest of the chili with the addition of lamb from Sunday that he diced up. I made some pasta and ate the rest of the spaghetti sauce. We just sat on the couch and ate out of bowls while watching TV!

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April 26, 2016 – Turkey chili

Posted on April 27, 2016 by Beebamom
Turkey chili with arugula salad

Turkey chili with arugula salad

I cut up and cooked all the vegetables yesterday for this turkey chili. Using my food processor made short work of the mushrooms, onions, chiles, and bell pepper. We use a lot of mushrooms to get some depth of flavor that ground turkey just not impart on its own.  When the chili is almost done we add some fish sauce to try to take away some of the sweetness. I do this with spaghetti sauce too.  Fish sauce is my secret weapon!

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