Omnivore

Thank goodness it’s Chicken Monday again! After all the eating and drinking of the Christmas weekend, it is so comforting to eat plainly. Way back on January 1, 2011 after returning from France and Spain, I felt the same way. I guess the feeling lasted for the whole year! Granted I’ve been kind of marching in place these past two months. I do want to pat myself on the back for that accomplishment, though. To go through a three week trip to Italy, Thanksgiving, my birthday and Christmas and not have a net gain is a new experience for me. I am feeling empowered to lose the other twenty-five pounds. I know I can do it.

John and I are in eat down mode to clear out the refrigerator before we leave for Florida. Part of the clear-out-the-refrigerator was to give a bunch of leftovers from Christmas eve to the kids. Also there was some throwing out of food that we are not going to get to. I have our menu planned for tomorrow using up the bits and pieces that are left.

So our unimaginative Chicken Monday consisted of John’s expertly seared and baked chicken breast. We also made up a packet of gravy with its stingy 20 calories per serving. Our starch was a mixture of rutabagas and potatoes. I had a few green beans left that I cooked up with some red onion and a little faux butter. And I steamed some snow peas with some carrot pieces for a little color. Sitting down to dinner with a wineglass full of sparkling water and a simple meal brought a big sigh of relief.

Pan roasted chicken breast with gravy, rutabaga/potato mash, green beans, and snow peas with carrots

Chicken Monday again! Since we are starting eat-down mode due to our upcoming trip, we tried to use bits and pieces of stuff we have in the refrigerator. We had leftover butternut squash and one potato so I cooked the potato and mashed it up with the butternut squash. We had some broccoli but not enough for our dinner so I added some carrots, onions and Brussels sprouts. First I sauteed the onions in butter spray and removed them from the pan. I cooked the vegetables in a little water starting with the carrots and Brussels sprouts. After letting them get a headstart, I put in the broccoli. When the water had boiled away, I added back in the onions and a little low cal butter substitute. John cooked the chicken and made some gravy. It turned out to be a completely acceptable meal for Chicken Monday.

Pan roasted chicken with gravy, potato/squash mash and mixed vegetables

The problem with using ground turkey in chili is that the chili ends up tasting not like chili. It just doesn’t have that hearty low note that beef or pork gives. I’ve been working on trying to figure out how to add that flavor without upping the fat. The chili I made has no additional fat. The only fat comes from the very lean ground turkey.

I decided that using ingredients that have umami would be the best way to achieve my goal. I diced up a bunch of crimini mushrooms and sauteed them in the pot right after I had browned the meat. I added a little tequila and let that reduce. Then I put in the rest of my vegetables one at at time – onions, red bell pepper, pasilla chile, fresno chile and garlic. I added about 1/4 cup of various spices. Then about 3 oz. of tomato paste. Next three kinds of beans – black, red kidney and cannellini. Then two cans of diced tomatoes, the browned turkey and a little V8 to get it to the right liquidity. Oh and all along I was seasoning it with salt as a put each ingredient in. But it still wasn’t quite right. So I added two capfuls of soy sauce another ingredient that has umami and a half lime, squeezed. Before putting the whole thing in the oven to simmer, I added a half of a dried chipotle pepper and two dried arbol chiles. It cooked slowly in the oven for a couple of hours.

When serving, I topped it with some sliced green onions and cilantro. I enjoyed having the arugula with it. The arugula has a nice bitterness and the acid from the salad dressing brought some tartness. So here’s a dinner that is pretty healthy – low in fat and high in fiber – and very filling. Plus there’s some left for tomorrow!

Turkey chili with arugula salad

I know what you are thinking when you look at the picture – Where’s the cheese? Cheese is not the dieter’s friend. Mostly it is really high in fat. So the amount of cheese I’ve eaten in the last year is minuscule. I’ve had to ask myself, what is it that cheese adds to a dish that I like. And the answer is salty flavor. So instead of using actual parmesan, I just sprinkle some salt on top. Zero calories.

John made the chicken in his usual way searing both sides and the edges and then popping it in a low oven until it read 155 degrees on the thermapen. I doctored up some jarred sauce with some fresh oregano and red pepper flakes. I also put the pepper flakes and the fresh oregano in the broccoli. We boiled up a few ounces of whole wheat penne and assembled the dish.

I am trying to make this week more interesting. Fish tacos, chicken parmesan and, tonight, chili. After being on this diet for 50 weeks, I am getting tired of the same old thing. Hopefully these dinners will keep me on track.

Chicken parmesan, penne and broccoli

My portion size was three ounces of chicken, 2 oz. (uncooked) of penne, 1/2 cup of sauce, and 1+ cups of broccoli.