this sucks

i will not tell a lie, this diet the trainer has put me on blows.

i love food and it is making me hate food.

i don't want to eat any more protein.

boo.

-V

possibly losing my mind

so i was all set to write a post about this plateau i seem to be in the midst of and then, well, i had something bigger to write about. 

you see, my very good friend, the lovely and talented stylist Natalie Decleve found herself in possession of some personal training sessions that she had no need for, so she very generously gave them to me.  today i had my consultation/assessment with the trainer and let's just say i'm in for some changes...

just a brief run-down of what i have agreed to do for the next 2 weeks:

no drinking anything other than water
no snacking
no carbs
work out every day

i'm trying to stay positive about this, i mean people pay a lot of money to work out with this woman and follow her plan and i've got the opportunity to do it for free!  so i'm trying to keep that in mind as i imagine my Saturday night without alcohol and try to figure out what i might eat at brunch tomorrow... 

i'm gonna do it though and i'm not gonna half-ass it.  the way i see it the next 2 weeks of my life will happen regardless of what i do, so i might as well do this plan and hopefully have something great to show for it.

i'm not gonna delude myself into thinking this is actually something i'd be interesting in doing for all time, but i'm hoping these 2 weeks will be some kind of jump-start to keep me motivated on my much longer journey.  i've been feeling a little stagnant lately and things haven't been progressing at the rate i'd like them to, so maybe this will get me going again.

anyway, i might be crazy, this might be beyond anything i can (or actually want to) handle but we never know until we try right?!

wish me luck!

-V

Asian Night

so, while i recognize that i am a pretty good cook, i can also recognize that i can really only cook like, 5 types of food.  they are as follows: American/Southern, French, Italian, Mexican-ish and Asian-ish.  this recipe obviously falls in the "Asian-ish" category and i probably make it about 3 times a month. 

it's a really good one for making a bunch and then keeping it because the chicken gets more flavorful the longer it sits.  it's also super easy for an after work meal because if you can get it together to marinate the chicken in the morning, there's really only about a half hour of actual cooking required.

Ginger Garlic Chicken with Asian Green Rice

Ginger Garlic Chicken
serves: 1
points plus value per serving: 6

1 chicken leg (with skin & bone)
fresh cilantro
garlic, 3 cloves
fresh ginger, 2 inches
1 dried red chile
1tsp olive oil
1 tsp soy sauce
juice of 1/2 a lime
1 tsp honey
kosher salt

several hours before cooking place chicken leg in a plastic bag with: cilantro (roughly chopped), 2 cloves of garlic (smashed), ginger (roughly chopped), red chile (crushed), lime juice, soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon olive oil and salt. shake the bag around so the chicken is coated in the marinade.  let sit for at least an hour, overnight if possible.

preheat oven to 375 degrees.

heat a skillet (cast iron or stainless) over medium high heat.  remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with a paper towel making sure no pieces of garlic or ginger are left on the chicken, otherwise they will burn when you cook the chicken and you will be sad.

add remaining 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil to pan and brown chicken on both sides.  transfer chicken to a wire rack on a baking sheet and place in the oven for about 45 minutes.  while chicken is cooking grate remaining clove of garlic into 1 teaspoon of honey, add a few drops of water to thin out honey a bit.  about 15 minutes before chicken finishes cooking brush on honey-garlic glaze.

remove chicken from oven and let rest for about 10 minutes before eating.

Green Asian Rice
serves: 3
points plus value per serving: 4

1/2 cup brown rice
1/2 cup frozen edamame pods
1 cup broccoli florets
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno, seeds & ribs removed, very finely chopped
2 tbsp ginger, grated
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
kosher salt

bring about 6 cups of water to a boil in a large sauce pan, season heavily with salt.  add brown rice and cook for about 45 minutes, add edamame and cook for another 10 minutes,  add broccoli and cook for another 5 minutes.  drain rice, edamame & broccoli and return to pan, place lid on and let sit for about 10 minutes.

while rice mixture is steaming mix together olive oil, vinegar, scallions, jalapeno and ginger.  pour over rice mixture, season with salt and pepper and mix well.  serve.

so there it is, i suggest you try it soon, i bet it'll become a regular in your rotation too!

-V