Fusilli arrabiata over kale. 1/11/23

Posted on January 12, 2023 by Beebamom
Fusilli arrabiata over kale

I made a spaghetti sauce that started with sautéed mushrooms, onions, and garlic and added two tablespoons of tomato paste, a tablespoon of dried oregano, and a 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes. Since arrabiata means “angry” in Italian my heat came from a teaspoon of red pepper flakes, 5 shakes of Tabasco, and 2 squirts of sriracha. I let that simmer for about 45 minutes, tasted it, and corrected the salt level. Before the pasta was cooked I put half of my sauce in a container for another day.

John cooked the pasta and saved a cup of the pasta water. I put the drained fusilli into the sauce and cooked it together for a few minutes, adding in pasta water to give the dish the right consistency. I took shredded raw kale and placed a big handful in the bottom of our bowls and then ladled the saucy pasta on top. A sprinkling of Parmesan finished the dish. (Omit Parmesan for a vegan preparation.)

I love a big bowl of pasta! Using a bed of kale makes the dinner really filling without adding a bunch of calories.

Posted in Easy, Healthy tips, Italian, Pasta, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Weeknight dinners | Tagged | Leave a comment

Tilapia sub with coleslaw 1/10/23

Posted on January 11, 2023 by Beebamom

Tilapia on a small sub roll with spicy tartar sauce and coleslaw

Tonight’s simple dinner satisfied a craving for a sub. John cooked the fish quickly in a pan on the stovetop. I toasted the rolls under the broiler. I also made the coleslaw and some tartar sauce. The tartar sauce is basically mayonnaise, cider vinegar, yellow mustard, and capers. I added a shake of onion and garlic powders and a squirt of sriracha for spice.

The only problem with this dinner was that once I had eaten my sub I definitely wanted another one!

Posted in American, Easy, Fish, Vegetables, Weeknight dinners | Tagged | Leave a comment

Salmon bowl. 1/9/23

Posted on January 10, 2023 by Beebamom
Salmon over rice with cabbage, cucumber, avocado, and edamame

This is a family favorite but to be honest I am getting tired of all these bowls. I am sure that especially our daughter is not going to be happy about that! Last night all I could think of is how much I would have preferred the salmon with a mustard sauce. Oh, well, I will probably get out-voted.

I served my salmon over a riced cauliflower and white rice base. Around the salmon I have shredded cabbage, sliced cucumber, edamame, and avocado. I am also feeling a little annoyed about the avocado which had a big brown spot and was not as bright green as usual. Plus they had gone up to $1.50! The dressing is a mix of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic, ginger, and green onions. Since we all like a different amount of oil we put our own over top. Garnish with cilantro, lime, and green onions.

Posted in Asian, Easy, Fish, Legumes, Methods, pescatarian, Vegetables, Weeknight dinners | Tagged | Leave a comment

Birthday Pizza Party. 1/8/23

Posted on January 9, 2023 by Beebamom
Pizza Margherita (thanks internet)

Usually on Sunday nights we have Breakfast for Dinner, a light dinner which will aid in our weekly weigh-in on Mondays. Last night, however, we were celebrating our grandson’s birthday and he chose a festive outing to a local, very good pizza place. Since pizza is in my top ten things I like to eat and since I am currently trying to shed more than a few pounds accumulated over 2022, this was going to be hard.

I decided that at most I could have two smallish slices and a salad if I ate carefully the rest of the day. I managed that part of my plan. What threw me were the basket of garlic breadsticks. I could not resist and ate one. It was good but not as good as I was anticipating. I will store that away in my food memory bank for next time.

I am not beating myself up over this small lapse. I lost 4.8 lbs. this week. That’s a lot! I know you always lose more the first week and probably next week will be .5 lb. or something minimal. And that will be okay too.

Posted in Dining out, Healthy tips, Italian, Special occasion, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged | Leave a comment

Weekly Menu January 9-15, 2023

Posted on January 8, 2023 by Beebamom
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Chickpeas with ditalini and vegetables 1/7/23

Posted on January 8, 2023 by Beebamom
Chickpeas with ditalini and vegetables

Here’s a big pot of goodness burbling away on my stove top. The main components are chickpeas, some sort of small pasta, and vegetable or chicken stock. After that, use what you have vegetable-wise. I used onions, garlic, zucchini, carrots, celery, and a whole bag of spinach! Along with two cups of broth I added two cups of water, and a can of Rotel spicy tomatoes. If you do not like spiciness you can use regular diced tomatoes. Bring the pot to a boil and simmer until the pasta is cooked through.

Garnish with sliced green onions, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese (optional.)

My bowl of goodness!
Posted in American, Easy, Kitchen tips, Legumes, Methods, Pasta, soup, stew, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Weeknight dinners | Tagged | Leave a comment

Shrimp and grits with broccoli. 1/6/22

Posted on January 7, 2023 by Beebamom
Shrimp and grits with broccoli

Tonight John cooked up the rest of our smaller frozen shrimp that we had purchased for Christmas Eve. I took the time to cut each one in half to slow down my eating. By doing that, when John asked if I would like to split the rest of what was left after our first platefuls I was actually full! We make our polenta (grits) at a ratio of 5.5 parts water to 1 part polenta. So in this case .5 cup of polenta to 2.75 cups of water. We also added a tablespoon of butter. The polenta comes out really creamy and is a good base for the sautéed shrimp and like a sauce for the steamed broccoli.

A really good satisfying dinner!

Posted in American, Easy, Healthy tips, Kitchen tips, Methods, Shellfish, Vegetables, Weeknight dinners | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Chicken and gravy with squash and green beans 1/5/23

Posted on January 6, 2023 by Beebamom
Rotisserie chicken breast with gravy and butternut squash and green beans

Using rotisserie chicken, packet gravy, and an Instant Pot for the butternut squash makes this dinner a snap. I set the Instant Pot on high for 15 minutes and the butternut squash came out with a texture that was easy to mash. The chicken heated up on low in the gravy and all that was left to do was to sauté the green beans in a quarter cup of water and a pat of butter.

I always love this homey dinner. After the first filling of plates I managed to say “No thank you” when John asked if I would like seconds. My first instinct is to share everything equally. I need to practice remembering that he is a foot taller than I am and can consume and burn calories better.

Posted in American, Easy, Instant Pot, Methods, Poultry, Vegetables, Weeknight dinners | Tagged | 1 Comment

Fettucine and zoodles with mushrooms and broccolini 1/4/23

Posted on January 5, 2023 by Beebamom
Fettucine and zoodles with mushrooms and broccolini

Two vegan dinners in a row! It is such a pleasure not to be eating in an unhealthy manner. John was in charge of cooking the pasta and I was in charge of cutting up vegetables, zoodling the zucchini, and turning the pasta water and olive oil into a sauce. It all goes pretty quickly. By the time the pasta is ready the mushrooms, onions, garlic, and broccolini are cooked. The zoodles go into the vegetable pan and then the pasta. The zoodles are too delicate to be cooked very long. They will turn into mush. I mix everything around for a couple of minutes and adding some olive oil and pasta water. And dinner is served!

This is a delicious, healthy, and filling dinner. It is one I would be happy to eat at least once a week!

Posted in American, Easy, Italian, Methods, Pasta, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Weeknight dinners | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Vegan Afghani style lentils with rice and kale 1/3/23

Posted on January 4, 2023 by Beebamom
Afghani style red lentils over white rice/cauliflower rice mix and kale

Quick-cooking red lentils form the base for this dinner entree. It is spiced up with garlic, onion, ginger, cumin seed, turmeric, and cayenne. First you cook up the spices in a little oil, then add the garlic, onion, and ginger sautéing until the onion softens. Lastly you put in the vegetable stock and lentils. Bring it to a boil and let simmer for 15 minutes and it is done.

I served mine over raw kale and a mix of riced cauliflower and white rice. The red on top is a teaspoon of sriracha to spice it up further. Honestly the Afghani dal was spicy enough without it. John, who was manning the pot, makes sure our dishes have plenty of heat!

Posted in Afghan, Easy, Legumes, Methods, rice, stew, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Weeknight dinners | Tagged | Leave a comment