Turkey, beans and mushroom chili with arugula salad – July 23, 2012

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Beebamom

This morning after breakfast we made dinner. We were expecting some workmen to come in and start our renovation and wanted to get the whole dinner prep thing over with before they arrived. Solution – slow cooker! I started by browning the ground turkey. To make the dish vegetarian just omit the turkey. Next I sauteed our umami factor, a whole bunch of mushrooms. This was followed by onions and garlic. In the meantime John assembled the spices and his special cheesecloth sachet full of dried chili pods etc. After adding back the meat and the mushrooms to the onions, I added the spices, sauteed them for a bit and then added a large dollop of tomato paste. Into the slow cooker with this combination along with three kinds of beans, cilantro, serrano, jalapeno and bell peppers. Also diced tomatoes. I set it on high and after a few hours turned it to low.

When dinner time came, dinner was ready for us. We tweaked the seasoning and served the chili with an arugula salad.

Turkey, bean and mushroom chili

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Seared scallops, broccoli and curried cauliflower “rice” – July 22, 2012

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Beebamom

As you know scallops are my absolute favorite protein. It seems remarkable that something so tasty could also be low in fat and calories. Oh, shellfish, you are the best!

Tonight’s dinner was all about illusion. How can we make food that is low in fat and calories and still have it taste super. I don’t know about you but when I am cooking, I have a tendency to munch. What do I love to munch? Anything salty and crunchy. Back in the bad old days that would have meant chips or crackers and cheese. Last night I solved the problem with radishes dosed with salt. You have to be inventive and go after the texture and taste that you want.

Radish with salt on a pretty plate for munching

Next, how can I make a vegetable substitute for a starch? Often I use rutabagas. But rutabagas don’t really go with scallops. Here’s how I coped. I cut up a head of cauliflower and steamed it until it was pretty cooked. John assembled some spices which we warmed through. We added one teaspoon of butter and mashed the spices, cauliflower and butter up until it was the consistency of rice. This was a great substitute.

Bloomed curry spices and steamed cauliflower

I also made some broccoli. Here’s how the dinner looked.

Seared scallops, broccoli and curried cauliflower “rice”

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Bison medallion, new potatoes and seared green beans – July 21, 2012

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Beebamom

Tonight’s dinner enlisted a new ingredient, bison medallions, from Costco. John grilled them. When we first cut into them they were too rare and had to spend a little more time on the grill. It was hard to tell doneness due to the squishy texture of the meat. They came out tasting quite good, however, kind of like beef but without all the extra calories.

I steamed some new potatoes and cooked the green beans in a little water and faux butter. When the water had boiled away, the beans browned in the little bit of fat. I give this dinner the thumbs up. After all this time on the new healthy eating plan, it is nice to have something different.

Grilled bison medallion, steamed new potatoes and seared green beans

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Portobello mushroom burger, Texas caviar and grilled potato – July 20, 2012

Posted on July 21, 2012 by Beebamom

We grilled some portobello mushrooms and served them on a sandwich thin with 1/2 ounce of goat cheese, a slab of grilled onion, roasted red pepper and arugula. I made Texas caviar which is a spicy bean and vegetable salad and we split a grilled baking potato.

Portobello mushroom burger, Texas caviar and grilled potato

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Chicken with mushroom gravy, rutabagas and green beans – July 19, 2012

Posted on July 21, 2012 by Beebamom

John and I have been on an extended celebration of our 40th anniversary. And by celebration I mean we’ve been eating everything plus the kitchen sink. We had some awesome meals in Las Vegas and enjoyed ourselves immensely. So now that I’ve gained several pounds it is time to get back to the healthy lifestyle. On Thursday, the first day of eating sensibly again we had chicken Monday. John pan roasted the chicken and I made the rutabagas and green beans. It’s always kind of relief to get back to eating right.

Chicken, rutabagas and green beans

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Salmon paella – July 12 & 13, 2012

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Beebamom

We had a bunch of scraps left over from making cedar planked salmon so we decided to try something new. It’s really not quite a paella since the rice wasn’t made in the pan originally. I added saffron and smoked paprika to the usual oven method of brown rice. While it cooked I sweated onions, red bell pepper, celery, garlic and serrano chiles.

Sweating vegetables

When the rice was done I added it to the pan along with some frozen peas and zucchini. John put the salmon on top.

Salmon is added to the paella

The salmon cooked through under loosely tented aluminum foil and the rice on the bottom got a little crusty. And, yay, we only ate half of it so I don’t have to cook on Friday! I can see endless possibilities for this dish.

Finished salmon paella

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Pan roasted chicken, couscous, asparagus – July 11, 2012

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Beebamom

Do you have a kitchen scale to weigh your portions? I believe I can eyeball a portion size pretty well but I like to check myself. My portion sizes have a habit of creeping upward. When weight loss slows down to a crawl, it’s a good time to make sure that you’re not cheating on portions. John still weighs all my protein before he gives it to me.

Three ounces of chicken

Since we had salmon leftovers on Chicken Monday, Chicken Wednesday seemed like a good alternative. John pan roasted the chicken. I made couscous and asparagus. I always like to add a lot of vegetables to the couscous so that I can have a bigger portion. One third of a cup of couscous translates into at least a half a cup of the mixture. I sauteed the vegetables separately and then added them to the couscous.

Chicken Wednesday –

Pan roasted chicken with couscous/vegetable medley and asparagus

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Bison steak, rice with asparagus, Brussels sprouts

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Beebamom

Last week was a hard week what with the Fourth of July and then our Wimbledon party. Needless to say, my weight was up quite a bit. Time to get back to basics. Today I exercised and ate correctly. It was kind of a relief. Last time I lost a lot of weight I let it creep back on but this time that is not going to happen!

For dinner tonight we had lean bison steaks, brown rice with asparagus and Brussels sprouts. It was a tasty and satisfying meal.

Bison steak, Brussels sprouts and brown rice with asparagus

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Cedar planked salmon, farro and grilled veg plus carrot cake for dessert! – July 8 and 9, 2012

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Beebamom

On Sunday we celebrated Super Court Sunday, better known as the Wimbledon final. Amazingly there were no displays of Pim’s, strawberries and cream, or other Wimbledon favorites at the grocery store. Tennis remains the stepchild of American sports even though it would really help with the obesity problem in the U.S. It is energetic and pretty cheap to play given the number of courts (rapidly deteriorating) in small towns across the U.S. It is a sport one can play as a youth or as a senior. How may older folks are out there playing football? Zero. But I digress.

For our party we made cedar planked wild salmon, farro with mushrooms and onions, and grilled mixed vegetables. Sarah also made a carrot cake with cream cheese icing to serve as a dessert. I ended up freezing two thirds of the cake because John and I OD’d on it. We ate this menu for our party and then ate it again on Monday.

Salmon with dill sauce plus farro and grilled vegetables


Sarah’s really delicious carrot cake with cream cheese icing

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Lobster tails, steamed new potatoes and asparagus – July 7, 2012

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Beebamom

Today Sarah and Jon came over and we had a family day. Sarah did her laundry. Jon played tennis with us. We all went out to lunch. Later Sarah helped me by making the dessert for our Sunday Wimbledon dinner with our friends. It was an especially nice day.

When I was relating to Jon what our dinner would be for Saturday night, he laughed and called it first world dieting. He has a point. This is a favorite diet dinner but seriously how many people can afford to diet on lobster tails? It cost about $20 for the lobster tails and maybe $2 for the rest of the components. How much would it have cost for us to go out for a way inferior meal? Probably a lot more including tax and tip. Sometimes it is a better strategy to cook luxe rather than dine out poorly.

Lobster tail, steamed new potatoes and asparagus

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