My Frenemies in Food

so... by now you're all aware that i like food, a lot.  you might also be surprised to learn that in addition to liking eating, i also like drinking.  a whoooole bunch. this shouldn't actually surprise anyone, the two kind of go hand in hand no?

now if i just liked to drink as an accompaniment for food, i'd probably be fine.  however, since i like to drink as accompaniment for, i dunno, life, things can get a little dicey.

bourbon is generally my drink of choice and i'll tell you what, it ain't cheap in the points department.  a healthy pour of bourbon will cost me about 5 points.  just to put that in perspective for you, a 6" turkey sandwich from Subway WITH cheese is 8 points...  you see what i'm getting at?

then there's my other love.  cheese.  cheese and i go waaaay back.  when i was little sometimes i'd sneak into the kitchen in the middle of the night and cut off a hunk of cheddar and eat it in the warm glow of the refrigerator.  my brother and i used to make an after school snack called "hot cheese" which basically involved putting a pile of grated cheese on a plate and microwaving it until it was melted.  sometimes you'd eat it with crackers, sometimes... well, i think you get the idea.

i don't need to insult your intelligence and tell you how cheese is bad for you.  everybody knows.

so what i'm getting at is that i'm doing really well on my journey and i'm happy with the changes i've made, but i'm ready to challenge myself. so this week (well, work week), Monday 12/6 - Friday 12/10, i'm not eating any cheese and i'm not drinking any booze.

this will never be a permanent change for me, that's just not something i'm interested in.  the goal is just to show myself that i can live without these things and maybe once i realize this, i'll stop depending on them so heavily in my everyday eating.

this is maybe not the best challenge for the holiday season but i figure if i can stick to it now, i will certainly have proved something to myself!

in other news, i've lost 28 pounds so far which is sort of incredible if you ask me.  i may or may not have gained a couple pounds over the Thanksgiving weekend (shocking i know), and i set a personal goal of losing those pounds plus a couple this week and i did, because i am awesome.  see you around!

-V

things that make this easier for me

when i started cooking in this new healthier way i had to reevaluate the way i was producing the flavors that i wanted.  how do i make things creamy without using cream?  how do i make things taste rich and meaty when bacon isn't an option?  how do i make this sweet without overloading on sugar?

well you might have noticed that certain ingredients keep popping up in my recipes and that's because they help me achieve these culinary goals without sacrificing my health.  i wish i could say that these were all whole-foods and preservative free and what have you but... come on!  cut me some slack, if i can't have fat i have to have something...

Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss Cheese
1 wedge = 1 point

these are great for spreading on a sandwich or melting into a sauce if you want a creamy texture.  they can also substitute for an egg if you're making a stuffing or a cake (the protein variety not the dessert kind) and need a binder.

Kitchen Basics No Salt Added Chicken Stock
1 cup = 0 points

whenever you are making a sauce or a stir fry or a roast or a soup or broth or beans or WHATEVER!  if you want it to taste like it's been cooking for a long time, or just generally deepen the flavor of it, add in some chicken stock and there you have it!  i like the unsalted variety because then i'm in complete control of the salt level of my food.

Mudhava Agave Nectar

1 tablespoon = 1 point

i happen to be a big fan of the salty / sweet / spicy flavor combination but sugar can get expensive (points wise) real quick so i use agave nectar in place of sugar almost exclusively these days.  it doesn't have a weird aspertame flavor like some non-sugar sweeteners and it's actually made of things that i can understand on an intellectual level.

so those are my secret weapons.  there are a lot more that i use but i think these three show up the most.  i believe i used them all in the pumpkin curry i made the other day, which i will be posting shortly.

happy cooking!

-V

being good at doing good

this past weekend i walked in the Susan G Komen 3-Day for the Cure in Dallas, TX.  in case you don't know what that is or don't care to click that link to find out (which you should because it's important), it's a 60 mile, 3 day walk which raises money for breast cancer research and community programs.

i'm not here to wax poetic about the philanthropic aspects of the walk, i'm here to talk about the fact that i walked 60 FUCKING MILES IN 3 DAYS.  sorry for cursing but for once, i think it was warranted.

it wasn't easy, at all.  i cried, a lot, i whined, a lot and i thought about quitting, constantly.  but i didn't.  and to me, that's kind of amazing.

i've never been a particularly confident person but since completing the walk i sort of feel like i can do anything i set my mind to.  i used to almost believe this but once i started working towards a goal, i would often give up when i realized how hard it was going to be.  but i think i've experienced some kind of breakthrough.

during the walk there would be times when i would almost lose touch with reality (who me? never!) and start to believe that i would never finish walking.  literally, i had myself convinced that i would spend the rest of my life walking the streets of Dallas.  this has happened to me before at the gym but all i have to do is look at the clock on the treadmill and i can say "no, you're not gonna be on this machine for the rest of your life, you're gonna be on this machine for 17 more minutes."  you can't really do that when the awful thing you're doing last 3 days so, hence my break with reality.

obviously, it did end, and here i am, back on my couch in Brooklyn with a major accomplishment under my belt.

the point i am (somewhat loquaciously) getting at is that no matter how miserable something makes me, or how crazy i become whilst doing it, i can in fact accomplish my goals.

if i can walk 60 miles i can certainly lose weight, and maybe even check a few other things off the list along the way.

so basically, whatever it is you think you can't do?  bullshit i say!  i know you can.

-V

p.s. yes i have underwear on outside of my leggings in that picture, don't ask. 

Speedbumps and Learning to Accept Them

here's the thing:

no matter how motivated a human being you are (and lately, i have been INCREDIBLY motivated), when you have to work for 14 hours+ in a single day, you're not gonna work out.

it's just not gonna happen, and ya know what?  i'm fine with that.

it's enough of an accomplishment that i managed not to abandon my new eating habits entirely the second i stepped on set (sing to me oh breakfast truck replete with omlett bars and lunch eaten at 2am with 16 different starch options) that i'm not gonna beat myself up about the fact that i couldn't manage to fit in a work out in the midst of all the chaos.

it does make me a little nervous for the future when i'm going to be required to be on set for more than a week at a time, but i'll take my victories where i can get them...

besides, i bet if i was wearing a pedometer on any of my on-set days i'd find that i'd walked about 5 miles anyway. 

this is me letting go of my guilt for not having worked out in a week, can't you tell?

anyway, i'm working on not beating myself up so much when things don't go exactly the way i planned, i'll let you know how that works out. 

i'm also going to make a WW friendly chocolate cake tonight, because if i don't have something sweet and safe to eat during all of this Halloween candy nonsense i will surely find myself locked in a closet binge eating candy corn (god i love candy corn) and bargaining with myself about how many more miles i'll have to walk to keep eating the candy corn...

wish me luck!

-V

Pork Tenderloin - Take 2

the other day i made a pork tenderloin and turned some of the leftovers into a delicious stir-fry.  as i said, it was delicious.

Shrimp & Pork Stir-Fry over Cilantro Rice
serves: 1
points per serving: 8

Stir Fry
5 large shrimp (peeled, de-veined and diced)
1 1/2 oz pork tenderloin (cooked & diced)
1 cup broccoli (diced)
1/4 red onion (sliced)
1 clove garlic (thinly sliced)
1 tbsp fresh ginger (minced)
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp agave nectar
kosher salt
red pepper flakes

Rice
1/4 cup jasmine rice
2 tbsp cilantro (finely chopped)
kosher salt

for Rice:
place a large pot of water on to boil, season heavily with salt. add in rice and cook until rice is almost completely done. drain rice and place back in hot pot and cover with lid.  let sit for about 10 minutes, add cilantro and fluff with a fork.

for Stir-Fry:
heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  add ginger and garlic and cook for about a minute, don't burn it.  add onion and broccoli and raise heat to medium high, season with salt and pepper flakes and sauté for a couple minutes.  add shrimp and cook until they are pink but not completely cooked through.  add pork and cook for another minute.  add soy sauce and agave and cook until slightly reduced making sure the shrimp are cooked and the pork is heated through.  serve over the cilantro rice.

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 in other news, my weekend in the country was exactly as detrimental to my progress as i expected it to be but i've been training like a crazy person for my breast cancer walk (click here to donate if you haven't already) so things should even out this week.  wish me luck!

-V

It Really Grinds My Gears...

so i went away to a friend's country house this weekend.  obviously it was really lovely and i was super grateful to him for having me out but i have to tell you, i ate like shit.

the whole drive out he had been telling me about this Martha Stewart pasta dish he's been making recently involving pasta, shaved parmesan, poached eggs and brown butter.  he was really looking forward to making it for me so i decided to be a good house guest and let him.  i tried to modify it saying things like "i only need one egg" and "you can actually leave the brown butter off of mine" but he wasn't having it so 15 points later (i only get 32 in a day), there i was.  yes, it was delicious.

the next day i was making dinner so i was able to make something i felt comfortable eating but not without having grilled cheeses for lunch first.

the day after it was spaghetti with meat sauce for lunch and cheeseburgers for dinner and long story short, if i break even on the scale this weekend i'll be happy.

i didn't want to put them out by asking for special food so i though i'd just try and make myself some supplemental things but went i looked around, there wasn't anything else to be had.

i guess next time i could say "i'm trying to be more mindful about what i eat these days" and bring food with me but frankly, i find that kind of embarrassing.

i did my best with portion control, and i don't feel TOO terrible about what i ate because it was all made with really high quality ingredients, but the fact remains that all of my meals for 2 and a half days were like once a week splurge meals.

i guess all i can do at this point is work out extra hard this week and move on but boy howdy do i feel like crap right now.

-V

Fall Flavors

i have a confession to make: i hate warm weather.  i know, everyone is supposed to love summer but not this girl.  give me a 65 degree day with a stiff breeze and i'm a happy camper.  my favorite days are those where it's cold and cloudy and maybe a little gray but it's not gonna rain... heaven.

so you might have guessed that i'm quite pleased with our sudden turn towards fall here in New York?  not only am i happy about, i think i may be responsible for it!

for the past few weeks, in an effort to will the season to change, i have been cooking all manner of hearty soups and roasts and braises and what have you. and finally, i think it actually worked!

so if you're not happy that the summer is over maybe you'll take this recipe for a quick Coq au Vin (chicken braised in red wine) as a peace offering!

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Quick Coq Au Vin over Parsley Noodles

Parsley Noodles
serves: 1
points per serving: 5

Ingredients
2oz pasta (any kind you like but flat things work best)
1 tsp butter
2 tbsp chopped parsley
kosher salt
pepper

Directions
cook pasta until done. toss with chopped parsley, butter, and salt & pepper.

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Quick Coq au Vin
serves: 1
points per serving: 11

Ingredients
1 chicken leg (with skin and bone)
1 small carrot, diced
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 cup frozen peas
1 tsp olive oil
2oz red wine
2oz cognac
kosher salt
pepper

Directions
season chicken leg with salt & pepper.  heat high sided skillet with lid over medium high heat.  brown chicken on both sides and remove from pan.  reduce heat to medium and add onions and carrots and season with salt & pepper, cook until wilted.  add wine and cognac (don't light yourself/home on fire when you add liquor) to pan and reduce heat to medium low.  return chicken to pan and cover. simmer over medium low heat for about 20 minutes.  after 20 minutes remove lid and reduce sauce until thick and syrupy.  once sauce has reached desired consistency turn off heat and stir in the frozen peas.  cover until peas are heated through.

serve over Parsley Noodles and enjoy!

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i was super hungry the night i made this so i ate it all myself but you could certainly use two separate pieces of chicken  and make this serve 2.

-V

10/2/10

 

i lost 4.8 pounds this week.  basically, i am the best at everything.

-V

Banana Bread

so this whole banana bread thing is pretty exciting for me because i have never fully developed a baking recipe all on my own so... kudos me!

as you can tell by the recipe it's super easy to make so you should definitely make one!

Better (for you) Banana Bread
serves: 12
points per serving: 4

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 medium sized bananas
2 large eggs
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (loosely packed)
1/2 cup fat free vanilla yogurt (i like Stonyfield Farms)
1/2 cup no sugar added apple sauce (i like Mott's)

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in large bowl.

in smaller bowl mash bananas using a hand mixer until almost completely smooth.  add eggs, sugars, yogurt and apple sauce and mix until fully incorporated.

add banana mixture to flour mixture and mix until combined.  do not over mix!

pour batter into greased loaf pan and bake for approximately 45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean when you poke the bread.

enjoy!

-V

Suck It Banana Bread

i win!!

recipe to follow tomorrow or something.

-V

Sunday Night Supper

i love pork.  a whole bunch.  it gets a pretty bad wrap sometimes because people seem to be obsessed with bacon which, while delicious, has more or less no nutritional value.  but let's not forget that "pork, the other white meat" was its slogan long before Emeril Lagasse ever started shouting about how "pork fat rules."

on that note, i've been working on some recipes to restore pork's good name.  this is what i came up with for dinner Sunday night.

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Pork Tenderloin with Broccoli & Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Wine Marinated Pork Tenderloin
serves: 3
points per serving: 5

1 pound pork tenderloin
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp red wine
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 garlic clove smashed
kosher salt
black pepper

place pork in large plastic bag with everything. mush it around a little to coat the tenderloin.  let marinate for at least 30 mins.

preheat oven to 375 degrees.

place cast iron skillet over med-high heat.  remove tenderloin from marinade and pat dry.  brown tenderloin on all sides and then transfer to oven for approximately 15 minutes or until the largest park of the pork registers 137 degrees on a meat thermometer. yes, 137.

transfer to a platter, tent with foil and let rest for 10 minutes. slice and serve.

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Pan Sauce
serves: 3
points per serving: 1

1 tbsp red wine
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp brown sugar
1/8 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
1 tsp butter

place all ingredients except butter in pan used to cook pork.  stir to combine and cook until slightly reduced.  turn off the heat, add butter and stir until melted.

pour over sliced pork.

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Roasted Sweet Potatoes
serves: 2
points per serving: 2

1 medium sized sweet potato
1 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
kosher salt
pepper

preheat oven to 375 degress

peel and cube sweet potato. chop garlic clove roughly.  toss sweet potato with oli, salt, pepper and garlic.  place in baking dish and roast for approximately 35 minutes until potatoes are cooked through and slightly browned.

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full disclosure: that picture is two servings worth of sweet potatoes, i was very hungry.

anyway, that was my meal. i think it might be fancy enough to make for some sort of dinner party situation and maybe no one would notice that it was diet food!

-V

9/25/10 - UPDATE

banana bread fail

well.  that didn't work now did it?

i think i used too many bananas, too much yogurt, and too much sugar. needless to say it didn't ever set up.  the flavor was good though...

back to the drawing board!

-V

9/25/10

i lost 2 pounds this week so... that's pretty sweet.

also, i'm currently attempting to make a low point banana bread.  the one that's in the oven right now will have 4 points per serving but it was pretty soupy when i put it in so i'm not really sure it's gonna work out...

i'll let you know!

-V

i am fricking awesome

(i'm giving myself gold stars now when i do things that are awesome)

this morning.  at the gym.  on the treadmill. i RAN.

this may not seem like anything of note to you but you should understand that i have NEVER, ever in my life, under any circumstances voluntarily run (ran?).  sure i used to have to run when i played softball, and i have occasionally run away from things, but never have i thought to myself: "ya know what would be fun right now? running!"

i'm not sure what came over me, maybe it was the bouncing ponytail in front of me or the Katy Perry blaring in my ears (don't you judge me, her shitty, shitty music makes me feel like working out), but there i was walking briskly and i was like "hey self, i bet you can run for at least 2 songs!"  so i kicked the treadmill up to 6.0 and i ran for two whole songs.

of course as soon as the songs ended i had a cramp in my side and i felt like i was gonna die but i finished my workout and i have to say, i'm super proud of myself.

-V

endorsements - GST

so while this whole "get-in-shape-and-not-eat-everything-that-comes-across-your-path" thing is fairly new to me i don't want to give the impression that i'm a totally inactive waste.  i played softball pretty competitively for almost 10 years, i've always enjoyed dancing (though i've never been very good at it) and for the past 5 years i've been studying pilates with this woman, Marina Trejo.  (she is totally awesome and you should definitely take class with her in case you were wondering.)  so to say that i don't ever enjoy working out would be a lie.

on the other hand, to say that i don't ever enjoy going to the gym?  that's the damn truth.  i love the way it makes me feel after but the during bores me to tears.  i just can't seem to get used to the idea that even though i've been walking on this treadmill for 30 minutes i haven't actually gone anywhere and the bouncing ponytail of the girl in front of me hasn't gone anywhere either.

as a result of my gym-related ADD, i'm always looking for workout solutions which activate my brain as well as my bod (did i really just write the word bod? who cares, it's staying), and now it think i've finally found the holy grail.

GST (Grace Somatomorphic Technique - no i don't know what that means), is this thing that i really can't explain.  basically you're at a ballet barre and you stand there and stretch your body longer and taller than you ever thought you could.  it's kind of reminiscent of pilates in that there is some spring work and your core is constantly engaged, but halfway through class i was covered in sweat and had already worked out harder than i had in any pilates class or personal training session for that matter. 

it's a fairly new technique and as of right now you can only do it in New York and LA, but if you happen to be in one of those places you should certainly give it a shot. 

i definitely don't think it'll replace pilates for me but i'm always happy to have something else in my exercise arsenal to break up the monotony!

-V

fiesta night!

i made a Mexican feast for dinner the other night.

the black bean soup recipe is a slight variation on a recipe my dear friend Lisa showed me a few years back which has become a staple in my cooking arsenal.  she usually adds frozen corn at the end of the cooking process which is totally delicious, but i leave it out to save a few points.  this time when i made the soup i also rinsed & drained the beans to get rid of the bean liquor which makes for a distinctly lighter soup.  one more piece of advice: make sure you use the jalapeno in your crisper drawer and not the serrano pepper.  one is much hotter than the other and makes for a borderline unpleasant eating experience.  not that i would know or anything...

i always struggle to find a healthy something to eat with this soup because my mind can usually only go to a quesadilla place and i don't think i need to explain to you why that doesn't work...  so the chicken for this tostada is sort of inspired by enchiladas suizas and i think it might be a winner.

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Black Bean Soup & Tequila Lime Chicken Tostada

Black Bean Soup
servings: 4
points per serving: 4

2 14.5 oz cans black beans, rinsed & drained
1 14.5 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small jalapeno (with seeds and ribs, minced
1/2 medium sized red onion, diced
1/2 bell pepper, diced
1 bullion cube
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon olive oil
22oz water (1 & 1/2 empty cans full)
salt - to taste
pepper - to taste
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

heat olive oil in heavy bottom pot.  add onion and bell peppers, season with salt and pepper and cook until wilted.  add garlic and jalapeno and cook for approx. 2 minutes, BE SURE NOT TO BURN GARLIC.  add tomato paste, bullion cube, cumin and crushed red pepper and cook until incorporated.  add beans and tomatoes and season again with salt and pepper.  stir to combine everything.  add water, cover pot and bring to a vigorous simmer for 1/2 hour.  after 1/2 hour remove lid and check seasoning.  cook until soup reaches your preferred soup consistency.  enjoy!

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Tequila Lima Chicken Tostada
serves: 1
points per serving: 8

1 whole wheat tortilla, toasted
1 tablespoon shredded Mexican cheese

chicken topping:
5.25 oz boneless skinless chicken breast cut into strips
1/4 red onion very thinly sliced
1 wedge light original flavor laughing cow cheese
1 oz tequila
1 teaspoon agave nectar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
salt
pepper
1 teaspoon adobo seasoning
water (if needed)

salad:
1 cup mixed greens
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
squeeze of lime juice


for chicken:
season chicken with salt, pepper and half of adobo seasoning.  heat non-stick skillet over medium high heat and spray with Pam.  brown chicken on both sides.  add onion, tequila (don't light yourself or your home on fire), agave, lime juice and cook until slight reduced.  add laughing cow cheese and season with salt, pepper and remaining adobo seasoning.  cook until cheese has melted and made a creamy sauce for the chicken.

for salad:
toss greens with olive oil and lime juice.  duh.

to assemble:
place toasted tortilla on a plate. top with chicken mixture, place salad on top of chicken. top salad with shredded cheese.  eat

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i have to say, this is one of my favorite meals i've made in a while.  it was light yet filling, super flavorful and pretty well rounded.  you should make it before it stops being summer and you don't want light summery food anymore.

-V

is smarts important?

so i have this new trainer.  we'll call her... Suzie.  she seems to know what she's talking about and my legs feel like noodles after working with her for just one hour.  there's just one problem though, she's a bit of a moron.

maybe i'm just being a picky elitist but it's really hard for me to listen to someone when i don't respect them on an intellectual level!  there are actual practical issues too.  she can't really express herself very well verbally so i'll be in the middle of an exercise and she tries to give me an adjustment and i have NO idea what she's talking about.

i know i should probably just suck it up and keep working with her since she seems to be convinced that i can lose AT LEAST 30 pounds by my next birthday (she actually said this - i remain skeptical), but i dunno, i'm tempted to find someone else.

am i being totally ridiculous? someone advise me please....

-V

dinner - another Tuesday night

well hello there!

let's not bore ourselves with my talking about how i haven't written in this blog in ages and what have you and let's get straight to some dinner!

Asian Pork Chops with Sauteed Vegetables and Brown Rice

 

 

Asian Pork Chops
points per serving: 6

2 boneless thin pork chops, pounded
spice rub for chops
a pinch each of:
salt
pepper
ground ginger
chili powder
curry powder

sauce
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon agave nectar
pinch each:
cayenne pepper
ground ginger
ground allspice

season both sides of the pork chops with the spice rub seasoning.  heat a non-stick skillet to over medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray.  place the pork chops in the pan and cook for approx 3 minutes until browned. turn over and cook for 1 minute.  add sauce ingredients and lower heat to medium-low.  cook until sauce is slightly reduces, approx 5 minutes.  place pork chops on plate and pour reduced sauce over chops.


Sauteed Asian Vegetables
points per serving: 2

1 bunch Japanese spinach (stems and leaves), diced **
6 cremini mushrooms, diced
1/2 medium sized shallot, sliced
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
salt
pepper

heat olive oil in skillet and sauté shallots till they begin to soften, add spinach stems and cook until bright green.  add mushrooms and cook until wilted.  once mushrooms have reached desired texture season with salt & pepper.  add spinach leaves, worcestershire sauce and mustard and cook for another 2 minutes until all ingredients are combined.

** if you can't find Japanese spinach a bunch of baby bok choy will work just fine


i don't think i need to put up a recipe for brown rice because i know i have like 8 readers and you all know how to make brown rice, but i had 2 points worth with my meal, making the grand total for my dinner: 10 points.

anyway, that's what i had for dinner.  it was really good.

i'm not gonna make any promises about updating more often or whatever because we've all seen how well i stick to those, but here's hoping i see y'all again real soon!

-V

regarding wagons and being on or off them

you know i've never really understood that phrase?  being ON the wagon (which sounds like on the sauce to me) means you're on the straight and narrow, doing what your supposed to do and what have you.  being OFF the wagon (which sounds like off the sauce) implies that you have let things slide.

someone once told me that it had something to do with a water wagon and if you were on the wagon you were drinking water and not booze or whatever but it still doesn't make any sense to me.

ANYWAY!  things have been... shall we say hectic lately?

working a lot, getting sick, spraining wrists, being heartbroken etc...

so i have recommitted myself to my goals this week which means i'll be around here more often.

we had a party this weekend and while some of the appetizers i made (bacon pizza) were not really in the spirit of this blog others (Greek chicken skewers with tatziki dip) were right on track and i'd LOVE to share the recipe with you so, look forward to that!

alright friends, here's to getting back on wagon and falling off of it less often!

-V

the great cheeseburger experiment - part 1

first attempt to replace the cheeseburger: chicken burger.  i gotta say, it was REALLY good.  like so good that i made it Thursday night and i'm gonna make it again tonight.

i'm not sure it totally satisfies the cheeseburger itch but it was very tasty, the texture was right and it was SO flavorful.  the apple was a sort of random addition but it gave a nice sweetness and kept everything moist.  i love an english muffin as the bun, it's light and spongey with a little bit of that tart flavor that english muffins have. 

i don't think this is the answer to my better cheeseburger prayers but it was certainly a step in the right direction!

RECIPE

Chicken Burger
serves: 1
points: 10

ingredients:
4 & 1/2 ounces ground chicken (raw weight)
2 tablespoons diced shallot
1/4 peeled apple, small diced
1 garlic clove, minced
Pam cooking spray
salt
pepper
fresh thyme chopped fine
3/4 oz toussaint cheese *
1 english muffin
1 tablespoon spicy dijon mustard

* any creamy cheese with a little bite can work.  this was an exciting one i came across at my local market that night.

directions:
preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

heat nonstick skillet over medium heat, spray with Pam.  add shallot, apple and garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook until softened.  place in small mixing bowl and cool completely. 

add ground chicken to apple-shallot-garlic mixture.  season with salt, pepper and fresh thyme, mix to combine.  form into a patty and reheat skillet to medium high heat, re-spray with Pam.  place patty in skillet and brown on both sides.  place skillet in oven (or transfer to baking sheet if your skillet isn't oven safe) and cook until patty is cooked through.  in the last couple minutes of cooking top patty with cheese so cheese will melt.

while patty is cooking in oven toast english muffin directly on oven rack. spread mustard on both sides of english muffin while still warm.

place patty on english muffin and enjoy. and believe me, you will.

-V

 

my chicken burger in all its glory

lies Ina Garten told me

i watch a lot of cooking shows, like a LOT of cooking shows.  always have, always will.

one of my favorites is The Barefoot Contessa on the food network.

i don't know if you're familiar with this program but its host is a wonderfully ridiculous woman named Ina Garten.  she is this posh thing who seems to only socialize with beautiful gay men and everything she cooks has about 6 sticks of butter and a cup of heavy cream in it.  she calls everyone darling and everything is fabulous and decadent and- you get the picture.

well just now i was watching her program and she was making a Pastisio (which sounds really delicious actually but probably has about a day's worth of points per serving) and one element of it was a bechamel sauce.  since its a Greek dish she decided to add some Greek yogurt to the sauce and while she claimed she was adding 2/3 of a cup she probably put 2 cups in.

this is not a trait unique to Ms. Garten either.

i was watching some lady i didn't recognize earlier and she was making a cocktail and claimed to be putting 2 tablespoons of simple syrup in it, and then proceeded to add about a 1/2 cup in.

bullshit i cry! bullshit!

they make this stuff on TV and they're all loosey goosey with the "eyeballing" of measurements and yeah, of course it's delicious and looks great!  then i go home and try to make it and it's bland and gross because i put 2/3 of a cup of yogurt in it instead of your 2 cups!!!

anyway, i promise you that the measurements i put on my recipes will be accurate and everything will taste good because i've tried it all before.

with that, look forward to a lot of recipes this week.  the first round of cheeseburger experiments is done and i've perfected my chicken stir-fry recipe to boot!

thanks for sticking with me so far, things are about to get interesting around here!

-V

musings - cheeseburgers

here's something you need to understand right off the bat: i fucking love cheeseburgers.  i've eaten a lot of food in my life, much of it very expensive; and even the tastiest dish from the finest of fine dining establishments doesn't top the best cheeseburger i've had.  i don't know what it is, i just love cheeseburgers.

to me, when i say cheeseburger i mean something very specific. between ¼ and a ½ pound of beef (at least 20% fat content please), american cheese, spongey white-bread bun, raw onion, mayonnaise and more ketchup than you're comfortable with. lettuce and tomato are acceptable additions but only if the tomato is really ripe and flavorful (nothing like a pale mealy tomato to ruin my burger).  now I’m not saying i’m not open to other interpretations of the cheeseburger, but the above description is what i dream about.  yes i dream about cheeseburgers.

to me, the closest i've ever come to perfection in a cheeseburger, the holy grail of cheeseburgers if you will needs only one word to describe:

LUGER'S

if you don't know about Peter Luger cheeseburgers, all i can say is go eat one now.  unless it's after 3pm then go eat one tomorrow.  now if you don't know about Peter Luger's altogether, i have nothing to say to you.

i can only guess that right about now you're asking yourself "what does waxing poetic about  cheeseburgers have to do with losing weight?"  the answer?  not a god damned thing.  but i'm hung up on cheeseburgers right now so i'm going with it.

so here's my new mission: figure out how to make a cheeseburger that won't break the fat-bank.  

in order to do this i must first determine what it is that i love about the cheeseburger so much.  it has to be juicy, it has to be flavorful, the bun can't be too dense and neither can the patty for that matter.  the turkey burger's never done it for me, the patty's too dense and get dried out when you cook them all the way.  veggie burger's have their place but they certainly won't satisfy the cheeseburger itch.  

i'm thinking the answer lies somewhere in a mixture of ground chicken thigh, and lean ground beef.  i'll tell you one thing for certain, i will not rest until i've figured this mystery out.  and when i do, y'all will be the first to know!

-V

hilarity - scene from a taqueria

so the other day i was working out in Ditmas Park and went to the delightful Cinco de Mayo Restaurant for lunch.  seriously, if you ever find yourself in the neighborhood you should definitely hit them up.  the mole is epic.

anyway!  whilst trying to order something for lunch i had the following exchange with the nice old lady that works there. 

me: i want the pollo asada platter.  but i don't want rice and beans on the side, i want salad.  and any dairy that usually comes on it, like sour cream or cheese or whatever, can you leave that off?  

lady: yes.

me: great!  so, pollo asada platter with no rice and beans or dairy?

lady: yes.

me: awesome. (pause) actually can i get salad and beans but no rice?  is that ok?

lady: yes.

me: ok great, that's what i want. (pause) i'm sorry, i don't think i want the beans actually, just the salad.

lady: no beans?

me: weeeell...

lady: you want the chicken, the salad, some guacamole and salsa, no tortillas and a diet coke.

me: how did you know??

lady: on a diet?

me: yes.

no jokes, this happened to me.

apparently i wasn't the first person to come into Cinco de Mayo with a weight loss agenda...

on the up side, my lunch was really delicious, only 9 points and now i know exactly what to order the next time i go to a taqueria!

'til next time!

-V

endorsements - Puffins

so... i work a lot.  like 60 plus hours/week a lot.  often i'm out the door by like, 4:30 in the morning and that means i certainly don't eat breakfast before i leave the house.  luckily for me, my job provides breakfast.  unluckily for me, that breakfast usually comes in the form of "delicious breakfast burrito from the truck," or "tasty bagel with half a cup of cream cheese on it," or when things get really exciting "sweet and spongy doughnut from Dunkin Donuts."

i don't know if you know anything about things that are good for you, but i can tell you right now that none of those things are.

so in my efforts to be responsible i've started just bringing a box of cereal with me to work and i eat that everyday.  however, being on WW i'm often presented with some cold cereal related issues.

when they're good for you/low in points they usually don't taste good.  honestly, GoLean tastes like moderately sweet cluster made of pebbles.  then there's those that do taste good, Special K for example, but you're hungry again 45 minutes after eating it because it's basically made of air.  maybe i'm being a baby about this but it's true, Fiber One actually tastes like a bowl of sticks.

now i know this doesn't seem like much of an issue, i mean, it's cereal right?  how bad for you can it actually be?  the problem occurs when you try to do things like add a banana to your bowl of cereal to beef things up a bit.  then you have to add more milk because there's more in the bowl and i don't know about you but my cereal to milk ratio is constant and vital.  so anyway, you add the banana and you put some more milk in to get it right and all of a sudden you're at like 8 points for a stupid bowl of cereal!

well the other day, i found my salvation:

 PUFFINS!

this shit is awesome.  seriously.  90 calories, 1 gram of fat and 5 GRAMS OF FIBER for 3/4 of a cup!  that is 1 measly point my friend.  fuck it, have a whole cup.  i do.  want a banana in it?  GO AHEAD!  it's still gonna be less than 5 points.

they're sort of sweet but not too much (perfect for the afore mentioned banana-adding), crunchy but not in a made-of-pebble way and pretty much just spectacular.

so go buy some, or don't actually, then there's more for me!

 

my Puffins among the wreckage at the crafty table

-V

a love story

i love food. let me just be honest and up-front about that. i have always loved food and i will always love food, nothing will ever change that.

there are some people who can love food without being consumed by it, i am not one of those people. since birth, my relationship with food has progressed from a young and innocent admiration to a Sid & Nancy like infatuation where all you want to do is hole up in a dark room and not let anyone else in.

it has recently occurred to me that this is not the relationship everyone has with food. perhaps it's not normal to think about what you're having for lunch WHILE eating breakfast? neither is it normal to plan entire vacations to another continent just so you can go to a restaurant. and maybe the most ridiculous of all, it's fucking weird to request a lobe of foie gras instead of flowers when you've accomplished something.

normal or not, these are all things i've done, and i have come to realize that while my relationship with food is not a common one, the love i have for it is deep and true. so rather than try to love food less, i'm going to try and love it differently.

that's where "the goal" comes into play. i want to lose weight. i know, it's shocking, a 26 year old woman living in New York City wants to lose weight? who's ever heard of such a thing?! here's where i'm different, i want to lose weight but not lose food.

you hear that food? i don't want to break up with you! i want to love you as much as i ever did, i'm just not going to let you make me fat anymore.

i'm gonna keep cooking good food, keep going out to amazing restaurants, keep drinking alcohol and even keep eating fast food. how is any of this possible? what incredible magic have i devised??

not to let you down, but i didn't devise anything, i'm just doing Weight Watchers. i will tell you a secret though, when you do Weight Watchers, you can eat anything you want. if you REALLY want like, a half a sheet pan of box cake (don't lie, we've all done it at least once), you can have it! granted you don't get to eat anything else for the rest of the day, but you can still have the cake.

this isn't really the sort of thing they like to emphasize at WW meetings but i happen to think it's one of the greatest things about the program. what you eat is entirely up to you, you're essentially designing a program to fit exactly your needs and likes, and that's why it works.

so why do i think this is the makings of a good blog? who knows? it might not be interesting at all, but part of what makes WW work for me is accountability. if i have to tell someone what i'm eating everyday, i'm a lot more likely to make good choices. so i thought, why not expand that sense of accountability that's built into WW? why not tell the WHOLE WORLD what i'm eating and see what they have to say about it?

however, in order to make this an equitable relationship (i'm all about equitable relationships these days) i thought i'd give you (the reader) something back. so i'll be posting recipes, product endorsements (and the inevitable admonishments), restaurant reviews (with my goals in mind), as well as any other bit of information that i think you might find useful.

so won't you join me? i think we'll have some fun…

-V