A New Chapter for My Blog...

Sorry I have been so neglectful of my blog for the past few months. To say that it has been an intense fall would be an understatement, and those of you who know me know what I mean. Anyways, I am back on top of it now and that's what matters, right?!!?


My blog will take a bit of a different turn - still recipes - but healthy recipes and my journey to get healthy. I have not taken care of myself for quite a while. Had a bit of a "screw it" attitude and it has more than caught up with me. I knew that I was going up in sizes, that eating candy and living a sedentary life was the cause...but I didn't really care. Enjoy life, and do what you want became my mantra. 


Looking at pictures of myself on Facebook and comparing this year's holiday party picture with year's past I felt overwhelmed with sickness and truly saw how out of control I had let myself become. With a push from my husband (thanks Mike) and a bit of a reality check I realize that I need to make a change. Last week I joined Weight Watchers and came face to face with the fact that I am 50lbs over my ideal weight. Yikes!  This is the biggest I have EVER been. 


I am not going to say that a healthier lifestyle is my New Year's Resolution - it's cliche and it doesn't work that way (at least not for me). That is part of the reason why I joined as soon as I really had the motivation to do it. Sure, I could have said "I commit to this as of Jan 1" and given myself an excuse to pig out until that date and tried to go cold turkey. 


Instead I formed a plan - to take control of my life and health and make myself a more important priority. 


So, here it is:
1. Join Weight Watchers and commit to a healthy diet and body weight.
2. Find a way to enjoy exercise, so that I get out, get active and feel fit and strong.
3. Be more positive - happy people have a positive attitude and outlook.
4. Be a leader and act like a leader in everything I do.


These four pledges to myself are HUGE, and I assure you that I recognize (and wrote down) the steps to achieve these. A big part of being successful is breaking down the tasks into manageable steps to truly know where to start and to achieve such lofty goals. I also recognize that I can't try to change all these things all at once, I need to tackle it one step at a time, forming habits and building towards a healthier life.


Here I go! Wish me luck! 




Starting Stats:
Weight: 187 (ouch!)
Exercise: Minimal if any.
Attitude: Excited to rebuild my healthy body. 

Apple and Butternut Squash Soup

One of my favourite places for lunch is Soup Nutsy (which I went to today), and I absolutely LOVE their Butternut Squash soup with apple...but, the last few times I have been there they haven't had it :( So, my craving got the best of me and I decided to make some tonight myself!

Prep and hands on cooking time: 20 minutes 
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Serves 4 with leftovers


Ingredients
1 butternut squash, large, skinned, scooped and cut into small chunks
2 green apples, partially skinned and finely chopped
1 spanish onion, medium, chopped
700 mL chicken stock
500 mL apple juice
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon 
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic, minced (I used jarred)
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup 5% cream
salt and pepper to taste


Directions
1. In a large pot over medium heat saute onion, garlic and squash until slightly tender, about 10 minutes.

2. Add apple juice, a small handful of chopped apple, chicken stock, brown sugar, curry powder, cinnamon, oregano and bay leaf and heat until boiled (about 5 mins).

3. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

4. Remove from heat, remove bay leaf and blend in blender (you will have to do it in batches)
5. Return blended soup to pot, add remainder of chopped apple to pot and simmer over low heat for an additional 30 minutes. Sample flavour and add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Add cream, stir and continue simmering for 20 more mins, until apples are softened.


7. Serve with sour cream and bread (I used naan bread)

Chicken Pasta with Butternut Squash in a Tomato Carbonara Sauce

Tonight we are having Ron and Sue, Mike's parents, over for dinner. It is also the night before Mike's marathon (Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon), so I needed something hearty with pasta and something easy for four people. This recipe turned out delicious and everyone really enjoyed it! Because it has so much squash there is no need to side with a salad - it's good all on it's own! 

Prep time: 15 minutes 
Cook time: 60 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Serves 4 with some leftovers


Ingredients
1 butternut squash, seeded, skinned and cut into cubes
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
6 slices bacon
1/4 cup grated parmesan, and some for topping
1/4 cup store bought tomato sauce, and some for topping
2 egg whites 
2 tsp garlic, minced
1/4 cup cream
1/4 tsp dried sage
1 box of whole wheat bow tie pasta
3 chicken breasts, grilled
salt and pepper
1 tbsp oil 


Directions

1. In a skillet (use one with higher sides, and that you have a lid for...later in the recipe) cook bacon.
2. While bacon is cooking, boil water and cook pasta according to box, with salt and oil.
3. Once bacon is done cooking, remove from pan and drain half the fat. 
4. Add squash, onion, tomato, garlic and sage to pan and cook, covered, until squash is soft over medium-high heat. Stir often.
5. After about 10 minutes, add bacon, chopped, to pan and continue to cook. 
6. While squash mixture is cooking, mix egg whites and cream. Once mixed add tomato sauce and grated cheese, mix well. Set aside.
7. Once pasta is done cooking, drain and put back in the pot. Add squash mixture and cream mixture to pot with the pasta and let simmer over low heat. Add grilled chicken.
8. Serve with grated parm and a dollop of tomato sauce.

To drink I served easily impressive spritzers!

Easily Impressive Spritzer

Looking for an impressive, but easy drink to serve your guests? Look no further than the easily impressive spritzer. Just mix 1 part red wine (I used a Gamay Noir) and 2 parts flavoured carbonated water (I used tangerine lime sugar free from Our Compliments). Throw in some frozen cranberries and voila! You are done! 

Thai Beef with Coconut Rice

This dish has a lot of flavour, but is simple and tasty! An easy dinner during the week. Enjoy!

Prep time: 10 minutes 
Cook time: 35 minutes
Total time: 45 mins 


Ingredients
2 cups instant brown rice
1 can (400 mL) coconut milk
1/4 cup water
1 tsp salt
1 pound ground beef, lean
1 tsp garlic, I used minced
1 tsp thai red curry paste
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 onion, chopped
1 roasted red pepper, thinly sliced
1 banana pepper, finely chopped
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste


Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine coconut milk, water, rice and 1/4 tsp of salt.
2. Cook covered over high heat until boiling, then reduce heat to low and simmer until liquid is absorbed into rice, covered (about 25 minutes).
3. In a fry pan, combine beef, onion, garlic, banana pepper and cook until meat is browned, over medium heat.
4. While beef is cooking, combine soy sauce, curry paste and sugar in a small boil and set aside.
5. Once beef is browned, pour off liquid (fat) and turn down heat to simmer. Mix in soy sauce mixture, roasted red pepper add salt and pepper.
6. Cover beef and let simmer for about 5 minutes or so.
7. Add basil to beef and simmer uncovered for another 5 minutes. 
8. Fluff rice and serve in bowls, topped with thai beef.

Goat Cheese and Roasted Red Pepper Stuffed Chicken with Parmesan Baked Tomato

We eat a lot of chicken and keeping it interesting is always a challenge. For tonight's dinner I decided to go with a stuffed chicken. When you cook chicken this way it is usually really tender and is excellent with goat cheese. 

Prep time: 20 minutes (although some of the prep for the tomato can be done while chicken is cooking
Bake time: 60 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 10 mins


Ingredients
Stuffed Chicken
2 large chicken breasts
1 small log of goat cheese
1 green onion, finely sliced
1 full roasted red pepper, jarred and sliced in half
2 tsp garlic, minced...I used jarred
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste


Parmesan Baked Tomato
1 large tomato, cut in half
handful of croutons
1/8 cup parmesan, grated
1 tsp garlic, minced... I used jarred
a few sprinkles of dried rosemary


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Place the chicken breasts in a large ziplock bag and pound until they are about 1/4 inch thick with a meat pounder. The ziplock helps the chicken from tearing and the counter clean.
3. In a small bowl crumble the goat cheese and mix with green onion.
4. Take the chicken breasts out of the bag and lay them out on a plate. Put half the goat cheese mixture on each, then top with the red pepper.
5. Fold up the sides and ends of the chicken around the filling and fasten with toothpicks.
6. Place the chicken with the seam side down on a baking tray, then spread 1 tsp of garlic over each, sprinkle salt, pepper and parsley over top.
7. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
8. While the chicken is cooking, take the tomatoes and with the inside facing up, cut criss-crosses in them to allow the seasonings to seep in when they are cooking.
9. Spread 1/2 tsp of minced garlic on each, then sprinkle rosemary.
10. Crush up the croutons into crumbs (I used a mini chopper, but you could put in another bag and use the meat pounder).
11. Top the tomatoes with the croutons so the tops are covered, the top with grated parm.
12. Put tomatoes on a baking sheet, and put in the oven when the chicken has about 20 minutes left on the timer.
13. Once 45 minutes are up, uncover chicken and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Keep tomatoes in the oven as well.
14. Remove the toothpicks when you are ready to serve, and sprinkle some more parsley on top. If some of the cheese seeped out when it cooked, drizzle it over the top. Because there may be some chicken fat also in the bottom of the baking pan you may want to skim the cheese out.

Serve it up and enjoy! We wanted some more veggies, so we also included a mixed green salad.

Let me know what you think and leave a comment!

Sauteed Shrimp with Mango Salad and Cilantro Rice

Recently I came across a great dinner recipe on www.marthastewart.com but wanted something easier to make, so I adapted for this recipe. The result is a quick dinner that is full on flavour. Enjoy!

Prep time: 30 minutes (includes marinating time)
Hands on cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes


Ingredients
Cilantro Rice
2 servings of minute long grain brown rice (with any water, margarine and salt as noted on the box)
handful of cilantro chopped


Mango Salad
1 mango, chopped into chunks
6 radishes, sliced
1/2 onion thinly sliced
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp honey
lime juice from 1 lime
3 handfuls of mixed greens


Spicy Shrimp
20-30 small to medium sized raw shrimp, deveined, tails removed, defrosted (I used pacific shrimp)
1/2 banana pepper, finely chopped
3 tsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic, minced




Directions

1. Put shrimp, banana pepper, 1 tsp oil into a sealable container, combine, and put in the fridge to marinate for about 30 minutes. 
2. While the shrimp is marinating combine mango, onion, lime juice and radish and combine in a bowl.
3. In a small bowl, whisk 2 tsp olive oil with honey and add to bowl with mango mixture.
4. Prepare minute rice as noted on the package, and add cilantro then cook per instructions on the box. 
5. When shrimp is done marinating, add 2 tsp olive oil and garlic to pan over medium heat. Once hot add shrimp and cook for approx 2 minutes per side, until shrimp is cooked. Drain off some of the liquid, but keep the garlic and peppers.
6. Plate the meal with baby greens, topped with mango mixture. Add rice to side of plate, and top with shrimp. 
7. Enjoy!

Pulled Pork Sandwiches Topped with Creamy Slaw

I recently discovered my love of pulled pork sandwiches, and have been on the hunt for the BEST pulled pork recipe. I've tried it with rootbeer, a variety of different bbq sauces - both made from scratch and bottled - but haven't found that perfect solution to make what I consider to be the best. Until now. 

This recipe is based on a variety of others that I found, but the key is the delicious home made bbq sauce. My favourite blogger over at Closet Cooking is who I thank for this one! Check out his bbq sauce recipe 

I typically top my pulled pork sandwich with sour cream, but I took some more inspiration from Closet Cooking and made up some of my own coleslaw, which was a great topping and added a bit of crunch. After a recent trip to Tofino I fell in love with the delicious coleslaw (as well as fish and chips) from Wildside Grill (great place to check out if you are out that way!). What made it so good? Apple! 

This recipe is the culmination of months of trying different recipes, and settling on a secret (well, not so secret) ingredient for both the pork and the slaw - APPLES!

Prep Time: 20 mins  
Slow Cooker Time: 8 hours

Final Preparations: 10 minutesTotal Time: 8 hours 30 minutes
Serves lots!

Ingredients:

Pulled Pork

1.5 cups BBQ sauce, I used this one from Closet Cooking

1 large apple, thinly sliced, I used Pink Lady

Pork roast...or pork shoulder, or pork tenderloin; you don't need a great cut of meat because it cooks so long, so use what you have at your local grocery store.

Buns or bread 

Creamy Slaw with Apples

4 cups cabbage, thinly chopped

1/2 cup mayonnaise, I used Hellmans

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp sugar

2 tbsp Realemon (what can I say, I'm lazy!)

2 tsp dried dill weed

1 large apple, chopped into matchsticks, I used Pink Lady, but Green apples would give it more of a tart flavour

Directions:
Creamy Slaw with Apples

1. Mix all ingredients together. The dill flavour blends well if you make it the night before. 

Pulled Pork 

1. Pour 1/2 cup of bbq in the slow cooker and coat bottom, then layer sliced apple and put pork on top. 

2. Top with a bit more bbq sauce to coat pork (about 1/4 cup), and layer with remaining sliced apples. 

3. Cook pork on low for 8 hours or so.
4. Shred pork with two forks and add remaining bbq sauce and mix in the slow cooker.
5. Keep on low with the lid off for a few minutes until sauce reduces.
7. Assemble sandwiches with coleslaw. 

I like to toast the buns or bread as well. 

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Do you have a great pulled pork recipe of your own? Drop me a comment, I would love to read about it! 

Banana Cranberry Muffins

I have to admit that today I am in full on procrastination mode...rather than doing some work I had planned, I have cleaned and organized the condo (including bathroom cabinets, clearing the den and five loads of laundry), made dinner for tonight (steak, no recipe required!), dinner for tomorrow night (stay tuned, pulled pork sandwiches) then decided to make some muffins (at 8:30 at night!)

Prep Time: 10 mins  
Bake time: 25 mins
Total Time: 35 mins
Made 24 mini muffins and 6 regular sized muffins

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 ripe large bananas mashed well

1/2 cup cranberries, I used frozen and defrosted them

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Extra butter to butter muffin pan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and place the oven rack in the middle of the oven. Butter the muffin tray.
2. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
3. In a medium-sized bowl combine the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. Add cranberries and partially mash so that the mixture has a slight reddish colour but they aren't totally mashed up.
4. With a rubber spatula lightly fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combined and the batter is thick and chunky. Do not over mix.
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins.
6. Bake about 20 - 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Place on a wire rack to cool for five minutes and then remove muffins from pan. 
8. Serve warm or at room temperature...I like them with a little bit of butter on them. Yummmm!

When I made them I had 24 mini muffins and 6 regular sized muffins (made more than my mini tray!)
 

Buffalo Chicken Quesadilla with Simple Pico de Gallo

Tonight we needed something simple, so I went the quesadilla route. Wanting to make it a little different than the usual I decided to use some Frank's RedHot Buffalo Wing sauce. It's not too hot, but adds some great flavour. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did! 


Sorry, no picture for this one. I took so long posting it that I got a new phone and didn't transfer the pictures over (and sold it!). Yay, new iPhone 4 :)


Prep Time: 10 mins  
hands on cook time:  10 mins
Bake time: 10 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
Serves 3 (or me and a hungry Mike)


Ingredients
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 chicken breasts, diced in 1 inch cubes
1/3 cup Franks RedHot Buffalo Wing sauce
1 tsp flour
1 tomato, diced
1/4 onion, thinly sliced then diced
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
4 tortillas
1/4 cup sour cream





Directions

1. Mix tomato, sweet onion, green onion and cilantro in a bowl, set aside. 
2. Preheat oven to 400 F
3. Heat a fry pan with oil over medium heat. When hot, add chicken and cook until almost cooked through, about 5 minutes.
4. In a measuring cup whisk together Frank's RedHot and flour then pour over chicken. Continue to cook until cooked through, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.  
5. On a baking sheet, lay out three tortillas and on one half of each layer cheese, chicken, pico de gallo, more cheese then fold. 
6. Put in oven for 10 minutes until cheese melts.
7. Cut each quesadilla into three sections and serve with sour cream. 

I paired this with a simple green salad.