Kissing for HEALTH!!

It starts with a kiss!  Along with the obvious side effects like making you feel loved and turning you on, I just read an article that shows there’s now proof to back up the following other benefits of kissing:

1. It can boost your metabolism. The more passionate the kiss, the more calories it burns.

2. It helps keep your face slender. Apparently, making out works out something like 30 of your face’s muscles. How about that for a skincare regimen?

3. It’s an intimate way to get to know the other person.

4. A makeout a day… the saliva you produce when kissing helps to rid your teeth of bacteria and fight plaque.

5. It makes you happy through the release of dopamine and norepinephrine.

6. It’s a sexy de-stresser. Kissing also releases oxytocin which calms you down.

So when your partner gets home tonight or the next time you meet up with a hottie...break out the breath spray and get your make-out on!

I am a Nutritarian....

A what?  A Nutritarian.  In my quest for optimal health I am going to do my best to eat only those food that provide me the best nutrients.  Eating a nutrient dense diet (Diet is the Latin term for "Way of Life", not a temporary practice to lose weight.) is what I strive for.  I am trying to view food as fuel for my body and not entertainment, not out of boredom and not what the multi-billon dollar food industry tells me I should be eating.  Here is Dr. Joel Furhman's food pyramid that I am doing my best to follow.  I am still heavy on the whole grains and potatoes and trying to incorporate more green and less starchy vegetables.

Dr. Furhman's Website

So I am sitting here sipping my banana, strawberry, almond milk smoothie and thinking I should have added some spinach to this.  This is a process and I am not perfect by any means...but I am slowly moving to health.

Menu for the Week of March 25, 2012

We are a busy couple both with full time jobs, volunteer positions, an active social life and three pets.  Finding time to cook or prepare three meals per day with very little dining out is a challenge but it can be done!

Breakfast:  During the work week we generally just have a smoothie for breakfast.  We have a few standards in rotation.  I will list the recipes as we go.  On the weekends we'll take time to make oatmeal or egg dishes.

Lunch:  I generally eat a salad and left-overs from the previous night's dinner.  Robert takes a sandwich or wrap, fruit, veggies and protein bars to get him through his very busy and arduous work days at UPS.

This week's dinners are:

Sunday:  Apple, cranberry and chicken sausages from Gibb's Butcher Block and mixed green salad.

Monday:  Pasta bake with roasted veggies, ricotta salata, and mixed green salad.

Tuesday:  Slow Cooker Cassoulet with wilted garlic spinach

Wednesday: Roasted cauliflower, chickpea and quinoa

Thursday:  Crab stuffed flounder (from Trader Joe's), brown rice and steamed broccoli

Friday: Grilled cilantro chicken and sweet potatoes

Saturday:  Out to dinner on a date with my honey :)

Farewell to Suki

Princess Suki Paul crossed over the rainbow bridge on Saturday, February 6, 2010. She was loyal companion, my best friend and just the best dog to ever cross my path. She was my child just as if I had birthed her myself. The imprint she has left on my heart will always be there. The lessons she taught me will be my life's mission. Love unconditionally, live in the moment, never hold grudges, green grass is meant to be rolled in and there is nothing better than cuddling with the ones you love! Rest in peace my precious princess!

Please take a moment and view this video of the life and times of Suki Paul

Ham Salad from Scratch

More ham left-overs! I enjoy ham salad on a few rare occassions. I enjoy it served either on small crustless breads at tea or on buttered crackers. I never made it myself...but I thought it was time to try. I looked online through several recipes and just decided to do wing it.

This is recipe is a breeze with a food processor! I have this Cuisinart Food Processor and love it!

Ham Salad
3 cups ham chopped fine
1/2 cup celery chopped fine
1/2 cup sweet pickle relish (I made my own from my homemade Bread & Butter Pickles).
1 cup mayonaise
2 Tbsp. dijon mustard

Put all ingredients in food processor (seperately) and chop fine. Mix with mayo and dijon.

Wow..$6.00 Dinner and my first Quiche Ham, Broccoli and Cheese Quiche

Considering the economic times we are in, I am trying to use more left overs than ever and make more economical meals than ever. Also, I am trying to perfect my pie/tart making skills..so I thought a quiche would foot the bill. I was a little worried that my husband wouldn't think a quiche was a suitable dinner..but I was soo sooo wrong.

I had quite a bit of ham left over from a party earlier in the summer and it was taking up my much valuable freezer space. So I finally figured out what to do with it.
Ham, Broccoli and Cheese Quiche - Serves 4
1 Pie/Tart crust
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 medium onion chopped
1 cup of diced ham
1 cup of diced broccoli florettes
1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese
4 eggs
1 cup of milk ( I used skim)
salt and pepper

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

1) For the crust I used the tart crust from the Zucchini, Bacon and Goat Cheese Tart I made last week. I made the crust the night before and refrigerated it overnight. I rolled it into a 14 inch circle and placed it in a 12" tart pan with a removable bottom. You could also use a store bought pie crust for convenience.

2) In a large skillet pour 2 Tbsp. of the butter (reserving 1 Tbsp.), onion, ham and broccoli and saute until they are just heated through. Fill crust with the ham, broccoli and onion mixture.

3) Sprinkle cheese over the top.

4) In a bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, reserved Tbsp. butter salt and pepper.

5) Pour egg mixture over cheese and filling.

6) Bake for 40-45 minutes or until knife comes out clean from center.

An Updated American Classic Appetizer - Sweet and Sour Meatballs

I was invited to a friend's party and knew there were going to be a lot of Brazillian's with a lot of Brazillian food. I wanted to make something classic american and decided on Sweet and Sour Meatballs. I updated the recipe (my mother in-laws) so I didn't have to go out shopping.

Updated Sweet and Sour Meatballs - Makes approximately 50 mini meatballs

2.4 lbs. package of ground turkey (85/15 lean)

4 slices of bread (I used chiabatta) coursely ground into breadcrumbs..approximately 2 cups

1 package lipton onion soup

2 eggs

2 jars heinz chili sauce

2 cups - mixed berry jam

2 tsp. lemon juice (approximately the juice of one lemon)

2 tsp. brown sugar

Directions

1) Mix ground turkey, breadcrumbs, onion soup mix and eggs in a mixing bowl..mixing until meat can hold together to form into balls.

2) Using a medium scoop dish out equal portions of the meat onto cookie sheets that have been sprayed with cooking spray or brushed with olive oil. Form each portion into a ball by rolling in your hands.

HINT: keep a bowl of warm water near you to make the rolling easier dip your hands in the water every two or three meatballs.

3) Bake in oven at 3:50 until cooked through (approximately 15 minutes)

4) In a mixing bowl combing chili sauce, jam, lemon juice and brown sugar and combine well with wisk.

5) Add meatballs to a slow cooker, pour sauce over and coat each meatball with the sauce. Cook on high for one hour and turn to low or warm. Serve warm.

(Traditionally the recipe calls for beef, bread crumbs, dry minced onion, a variety of spices, chili sauce, jellied cranberry sauce and the meatballs are fried in oil before going into the sauce..this version is slightly healthier and very tasty.) Feel free to write to me for the original recipe if you would like.

Zucchini, Bacon and Goat Cheese Tart

I was watching PBS on Sunday and saw the Huber Keller show. I only recognized him since he was one of the Top Chef Masters. This was a show from many years ago as he was a much younger man. He made an eggplant, zucchini, tomato tart with goat cheese and it looked soo delicious. I tried to find the recipe on-line without much luck but found a few similar recipes and decided to put a few of the recipes together to re-create this dish. This will be a work in progress as I did many things right (the crust was perfect)...but I want to improve the filling flavor and I want to perfect this dish.

Zucchini, Bacon and Goat Cheese Tart

Crust

1 1/2 cups of flour

1/4 tsp. of salt

1 stick of unsalted butted chilled and cut into pieces

1 large egg yolk mixed with 2 Tbsp. ice water

Extra Ice water as needed (I used about 3 Tbsp)

1) Place flour, salt, butter in a food processor and pulse until dough resembles coarse meal, add egg mixture through the feed tube with the processor in the "on" position. Pour in extra ice water until dough is moist and almost lumping together (marbles).

2) Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a moment with the heel of your hand. Form dough into a disk, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3) Roll dough into a 14 inch round. Carefully transfer to a 9" tart pan with a removable bottom. Trim overhanging dough to 1". Lightly press dough into the grooves and fold over the top for a double thick edge. Edge should be approximately 1/2" higher than the pan. Pierce dough with a fork. Wrap tart in plastic and freeze for 30 minutes.

4) Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake until crust is golden brown, approximately 20 minutes. Remove and cool for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375.

Filling:

3 eggs lightly beaten

5 oz. creamy goat cheese (at room temp.)

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 sour cream

5 slices of cooked bacon chopped fine

1 cups shredded zucchini

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

pinch of cayenne pepper

In a large bowl whisk eggs, goat cheese, heavy cream and sour cream together. Fold in bacon, zucchini and spices. Pour into prepared tart crust.

Toping:

1 zucchini sliced thin (I used both zucchini and yellow squash for aesthetics)

2 roma tomatoes, sliced thin

1 Tbsp. Olive oil

1 Tbsp. bread crumbs

Arrange zucchini and tomato slices in concentric circles until covered. Drizzle olive oil on top, sprinkle bread crumbs on top.

Bake for 30-40 minutes until a knife comes out clean in the center. I put mine on broil for a few minutes to brown up the top, but I also over-cooked the crust edge slightly.

TIP - To save time and effort buy a pre-made pie crust (but I will say the crust was the best part!!) You can also make this vegetarian by leaving out the bacon....add onion for more flavor.

Dessert Sliders!

These cookies were such a hit at the last BBQ we attended. Everyone thought they were too cute eat, but when they did bite into them, they were delicious as well! This is more of an assembly, than cooking and there is no baking required. I saw these on the news the other day and thought I could that! They used grasshopper mint cookies but I thought the flavor profile would be better with the carmel fudge cookies. They were so fun to make..and easy.

Dessert Sliders

Yields: 36 sliders. I made an assembly line and did 18 cookies at a time, it took me less than 30 minutes from start to finish.

1 package vanilla wafers (Nilla Brand)

2 packages Keebler Fudge Shop, Carmel filled

1 small package of sweetened shredded coconut (died with green food coloring)

1 each of Red and Yellow, Betty Crocker Icing Tubes (the spray can works better)

2 Tbsp. Sesame seeds

2 Tbsp. Caro Syrup ( I would rethink this part)

Directions:

1) Brush tops of vanilla wafers with caro syrup and sprinkle sesame seeds.

2) Squeeze yellow frosting around edge of vanilla wafer (mustard) and place keebler cookie on top (burger) sprinkle the coconut (lettuce) on the burger, top with the red food coloring (ketchup) and place the vanilla wafer with the sesame seeds on top.

Note: The caro syrup never dried and was left sticky and hard to cover with plastic wrap for transortation. Someone online suggested just using water to get the sesame seeds to stick. I may try honey and bake the tops for a few minutes.

Cornbread Burger Bake

I don't recall where I picked up this recipe card, but the source states "Ohio State University Extension, Cuyahoga County, Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program". This looked like something Robert would love as he loves cornbread and burgers and it was made with turkey..which was a great bonus. I made a few changes to the recipe, but here is the original recipe, I will explain my changes and suggestions below.

Cornbread Burger Bake

1 Cup of Flour

1 egg beaten

1 Tbsp. Baking Powder

1 Cup 1% milk

1 Cup Cornmeal

1/4 cup cooking oil

1 can cream style corn

1 lb. ground turkey

1/4 green bell pepper chopped

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1 cup low fat cheese

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees, grease or use cooking spray to coat a 9 x9 casserole dish.

2. Combine first seven ingredients and set aside.

3. Brown the ground turkey, dran excess fat and add onion, green pepper and chili powder.

4. Pour half of the cornbread mixture in the casserole, cover with turkey mixture and the cheese; pour the remainder of the cornbread batter over the top.

5. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Changes

I made the following changes. It was good, but still needed something more. I used skim milk, instead of 1%. I used two ears of corn instead of a can of cream of corn...I am trying to eat only whole foods and I think I should have added something else for this substitute, maybe a Tbsp. of honey as creamed corn is sweet usually.

I also added a whole onion and bell pepper and I added the onion and green pepper to the turkey while browning it. I use very lean ground turkey and had to add olive oil to get it to brown. Next time, I'll add a little more chili powder too.

In the corn bread mixture I added a fresh jalepeno, chopped fine, for a little flavor and color. That was a great addition.

Overall, this was good...not great. I think tweaking the recipe a little more will make this a wonderful hearty dish to add to my repitore. Served with salad..but this is really a pretty complete meal in one. For time saving, you could use any corbread pre-mix that you like. I think Trader Joe's Cornbread mix is pretty darn good.

This is another one of those healthy, economical dishes. I would estimate it was less than $10 to make and you can get 6 nice sized servings.

I'm Back!!

Well, after a year of not blogging I've decided it something I miss and want to do again. I think the pressure of daily updates was too much and I realized I cook a lot of the same meals which is boring for my loyal blog readers. So, while I am not promising daily blog updates, I do plan to update it much more frequently than once a year!

Pork & Bean Enchilladas

I love to use C.O.S.T. (Cook Once, Serve Twice) cooking is so easy and helps in cooking economical quick meals. I used the left over pork tenderloin from Saturday and made a whole new meal in a few minutes with some convenience foods.Pork & Bean Enchiladas

1 lb. pork tenderloin, cooked and chopped

1 14 oz. can of pinto beans

2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese

1 jar of Frontera Enchilada Sauce

8 corn tortillas

Mix pork, beans and 1/2 of the cheese in a bowl. Heat tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds to soften them up a little. Fill tortilla shells with 1/8 of the meat/cheese mixture and roll them up. Pour a small amount of enchilada sauce in a 13 x 9 casserole dish and place tortillas on top. Cover with the remainder of the sauce and bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake until cheese has melted and is bubbly.

Served with Rice A Roni Spanish rice and Sweet Corn Saute from a previous blog.

Company Breakfast

This is such a decadent breakfast we usually reserve it for the holidays. We had some overnight guest this weekend and I made this for Sunday morning. It was a huge hit all around. Definitely a very easy, but yet impressive breakfast. You make it the night before so it makes the morning easy and care-free so you can enjoy your guests.

French Toast Casserole

Loaf of French bread cut into 2" thick pieces

1 stick of butter

3/4 cup of brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

5 Tbsp. Orange Juice

5 eggs

1 1/2 cups half and half

Melt butter and pour into the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of brown sugar into butter and spread evenly. Place bread in a layer over bottom. Sprinkle remainder of brown sugar and cinnamon on top of bread. Whip together eggs, cream and OJ and pour mixture over the bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night. In a.m. bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes.

Serving suggestion:Warm 1 cup of pure maple syrup with 1/4 cup grand marnier in a small saucepan. Serve with sausage and fresh fruit.

Cooking Light is always right!

So, I saw this cover of Cooking Light's June 2008 issue and thought it looked so good. I decided to try and make this tonight. It was really easy to make and pretty tasty. I especially loved hte coleslaw. This is a great summer meal!

Pork Tenderloin with Mustard BBQ Sauce and Tangy Mustard Coleslaw

Ingredients
Sauce: 2 bacon slices, finely chopped 1 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup prepared yellow mustard 5 tablespoons honey 3 tablespoons ketchup 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 1/4 teaspoon chili powder 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin Pork: 1 tablespoon light brown sugar 1 tablespoon smoked paprika 2 teaspoons chili powder 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper 2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins, trimmed.

1. Prepare grill.
2. To prepare sauce, cook bacon in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat 4 minutes or until almost crisp, stirring occasionally. Add chopped onion to pan; cook 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add mustard and next 5 ingredients (through 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin) to pan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 4 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally.
3. To prepare pork, combine brown sugar and next 7 ingredients (through red pepper) in a small bowl, stirring well; rub mixture evenly over pork. Place pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 20 minutes or until a thermometer registers 155° (slightly pink), turning once. Let pork stand 10 minutes. Cut pork crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Serve with sauce.
Yield
8 servings (serving size: 3 ounces pork and about 2 1/2 tablespoons sauce)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 235(25% from fat); FAT 6.5g (sat 2.1g,mono 2.8g,poly 0.7g); IRON 1.8mg; CHOLESTEROL 77mg; CALCIUM 26mg; CARBOHYDRATE 17.6g; SODIUM 569mg; PROTEIN 26.2g; FIBER 1.3g

David Bonom ,
Cooking Light, JUNE 2008

Perfect Pasta Primavera

This is one of those dinners than just screams summer. Any variety of summer vegetables will do. I chose red peppers, vidalia onion, broccoli, zucchini and garlic this time..but the possibilities are endless. I love to roast tomatoes, eggplant and other veggies as well. I roasted the veggies in the oven, but this is really good using the grill on these hot summer days!

Pasta Primavera

1 lbs. of pasta, cooked to package directions.

1 red pepper, chopped

1 head of broccoli, chopped to florets

1 zucchini, chopped

1 vidalia onion, chopped

4-6 cloves of garlic

Olive oil, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes.

Parmesan or Romano Cheese

1) Cook pasta according to package directions. Toss with olive oil and set aside.

2) Arrange cut vegetables on a cookie sheet, coat with olive oil (about 2-3 Tbsp.) and season with salt and pepper. Bake in a 400 degree oven for approx. 20 minutes.

3) Remove garlic and chop fine

4) Toss vegetables with pasta and season to taste.

Serve with Parmesan or Romano Cheese

Lets Talk Turkey!!

So to continue on our week of Cheap Eats and Healthy Treats tonight we had turkey burgers, with baked sweet potatoes and sauted mushroom and onions. I also served it with my childhood favorite, applesauce. Total cost of dinner = $6.93, plus we had a burger left over for lunch tomorrow!!

Tina's Tasty Turkey Burgers

1 lb. ground turkey (85/15)
1 slice of bread made into crumbs
4-6 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 small onion, grated 2 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 tsp. black pepper
salt to taste

Blend all together and form into 4 burgers. Grill until done and serve on toasted buns.
Serve with baked sweet potatoes and sauted portobello mushrooms and onions.

Ground Turkey - 1 lb. $2.49
Slice of bread - $.10
1 large onion - $.69
8 oz. portobello mushrooms - $1.50
2 oz. cheddar cheese - $.30
Sweet potatoes - $1.60
Applesauce - $.25
Total - $6.93

Beans, Beans They are good for the Heart and the Wallet!

Okay, so continue on my Cheap Eats Week, we had Black Beans and Rice tonight. I usually prefer to use dry beans as they are very inexpensive and have no salt added, they do take more time. Today was a beautiful day and I preferred to be at the pool instead of the kitchen. This dinner for two cost just about $5.00!

Black Beans and Rice

2 15 oz. cans of Black Beans, rinsed (I like Goya brand)

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped

1 vidalia onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

2 cups of chicken stock

1 tsp. chili powder

2 tsp. cumin

pinch of cayenne

In a large sauce pan over medium heat saute onion, bell peppers, jalapeno and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add beans, chicken stock and seasonings. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer, simmer 30 minutes.

Brown Rice

Follow package directions. I use this rice steamer for perfect rice every time!

Beans - $1.60

Peppers - $3.25

Rice - $.50

Total dinner for two = $5.35

Cheap Eats and Healthy Too!

So, this is a dinner we eat on a regular basis. It isn't exciting, it isn't challenging but it is healthy, cheap, quick and easy. My organic chicken was on sale for $1.99 lbs. so this whole dinner cost under $7.00 to make.

Grilled Chicken, Harvest Blend and Broccoli

Grilled Chicken (marinated in Good Seasons Italian salad dressing) $2.58

Trader Joe's Harvest grain blend (1/2 bag) $1.00

Trader Joe's Low Sodium Chicken Stock (2 cups) $1.00

Broccoli, steamed $1.69

Total Dinner for two= $6.27

So for my friends who say it is cheaper to eat out...give me a break!! There is basically no recipe...just marinate the chicken for a few hours and grill it. Follow the package direction on the Harvest Grains blend..this stuff is awesome! Steam the broccoli and eat!

Cheap Eats and Healthy Treats Week!!

Robert's been on vacation and we ate like crap last week. Corned Beef Sandwiches, Burritos, White Castle (I know, I know). So, in hopes of getting our food back under control I plan to blog my menu and get back on our healthy eating kick. Also, to get our budget back in place, this week all of our meals are going to be on the cheap :-) Under $10 for every meal!!

Monday - Grilled BBQ Chicken, 5 grains medley and steamed broccoli
Tuesday - Black Beans and Rice with salad topped with salsa & avocado
Wednesday -Turkey Burgers with baked sweet potatoes, sauted mushrooms and onions
Thursday - Grilled Vegetable medley with brown rice
Friday - Turkey Kielbasa with German Potato Salad
Saturday - Out to dinner :-)
Sunday - Beer in the Butt Chicken

Beer in the Butt Chicken

Last year I saw a chef on television make beer can chicken and have been wanting to try it. Robert and I were at Williams-Sonoma and saw this contraption and had to buy it.

You don't need this $30 Veritcal Chicken Roaster..you can simply make this dish using a beer can...but if you know me..you know I can't pass up a new cooking gadget.

We made our first beer can chicken and it was awesome! Better than I expected. Unfortunately, we were so excited to eat it..we never took photos! So, I will show you some of the ones from Williams-Sonoma until we make this again..which will be very soon.

Beer In the Butt Chicken

1 whole chicken approximately (4-5 lbs)

1 can of beer

1 cup of BBQ Sauce (we used Jack Daniels Spicy)

Kosher Salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Chili Powder

4 Tbsp. Olive oil

Pre-heat grill to medium high.

Prepare chicken by rinsing it thoroughly inside and out and let it rest to room temperature. Pat dry and then coat chicken with olive oil, salt, pepper and chili powder and rub in generously.

Pour half of the beer into the BBQ Sauce the other half of the beer into the cup on the roaster.

Place chicken atop roasted and then onto in-direct heat on grill. Close lid and allow to cook for 30 minutes. After the first 30 minutes, baste with beer/bbq sauce every 10 to 15 minutes until chicken reads 170 degrees in the thigh. (Approximately 1 to 1 1/2 hours.)

Grilled Veggies

1 Red bell pepper

1 vidalia onion

3 potatoes

4 green onions

2 Tbsp. olive oil

salt and pepper

Chop veggies into bite sized pieces, coat with olive oil and season with salt and/or pepper.

Place veggies on the outside of roasted after the first 30 minutes of cooking. Toss every 15 minutes or so until dish is complete.

Enjoy!