Mission: Um...Possible!

Well, folks, no recipe today unfortunately, I haven't been doing anything too adventurous in the kitchen this week, just salads, tuna on lavash flatbread, smoothies, etc...all pretty standard fare!  I thought I had better check in though, as I hadn't written in a few days...

Today for lunch we had tuna on a salad made with romaine, red peppers, cucumber, chopped dried ( unsweetened! ) apricots, raisins and tzatziki dressing...very refreshing...we had a couple of Suzie's kamut flatbreads with it...

This morning at the gym was HARD again, back and calves...the workout itself wasn't terribly overwhelming but we were both tired heading into it...yesterday we didn't go to the gym at all, but we did take the dogs to Bruce Pit for a good long walk, and fresh air...it was beautiful and sunny, cold but not unpleasantly so...I'm sure looking forward to spring! Some days it doesn't feel like it's far off...other days it feels like it'll never get there...

I did my once-a-month weigh and measure, I'm happy with the inches but disappointed in the weight number..HOWEVER, it's how you look and feel that counts, right? And since I started this particular adventure I'm down 21 and a half inches in total, 4 and a half of those off of my waist alone, so that's awesome...I do feel much much better, and although my arm measurement hasn't changed since I started, it used to be fluffy, dimpled and pudgy inches, now it's rock hard muscle inches...so that's awesome...I have striations in my chest and shoulders also and my quads are like rocks when I'm using them, so I realllly shouldn't care so much about that number on that &@#%$# scale....

Anyways i'm off to do something useful, have a nice day and I'll write again soon....I picked up some things called "Eddoes" at Produce Depot yesterday and am looking for information on cooking them, I'd never bought them ( or paid any attention to them quite frankly ) before so they're new to me!

Bye for now....

Dinah Moe Hummus

The following recipe is for the hummus I made last night, we have this on lavash flatbread or Suzie's Kamut Sesame flatbread, or we put it on cucumber slices or baby carrots, celery...we use it instead of mayo for spreads, it's reallly good with a good handful of alfalfa sprouts in a flax wrap with some turkey or chicken or a chopped egg... sounds like hippie food but it's actually really good!

If you don't get the name, then you don't listen to Frank Zappa. lol I don't either, I only ever heard 3 songs but they were all....interesting?

Dinah Moe Hummus

1 can chick peas, rinsed
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
3 - 4 cloves garlic
1 grind sea salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
3 tbsp lemon juice
hot sauce or cayenne pepper to taste, I usually give it about 4 shots of Texas Pete or similar hot sauce

This makes about two cups or a little more of hummus...

Place all in the food processor and let it whip for a while, until it looks uniform and smooth.  You shouldn't ever see any lumps when you spread it.  This one has a really nice light texture, a lot of flavour and a little bit of a kick...definitely NOT boring hummus!

That's it folks...oh and if you've never tried hummus because it looks....well...a little wierd, not very appetizing to some...and the whole chickpea thing throws a lot of people off, trust me, it's awesome...I put off trying it for 34 years and those are 34 non-hummus-eating years I'll never get back! *sob*
Have a great day, all!!

Guack-a-Mole!!

I'm off to make breakfast, but the following is today's recipe...modelled after one of everyone's favourite carnival games...

Guack-a-Mole!

Ingredients:

2 avocados 1/2 lemon, juiced 2 tablespoons chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

1.

Cut the avocados into halves. Remove the seeds, and scoop out the pulp into a small bowl. Use a fork to mash the avocado. Stir in lemon juice, onion, salt, and olive oil. Cover the bowl, and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Steak-holders Meeting

So, below is the most basic recipe ever, but it was really good!! Sometimes uncomplicated is just as good as fancy schmancy...

Steak-holders Meeting

THICK steak, at least an inch or more, if you like it rare or medium rare, as I do
Salad makin's...( tonight was just romaine, lebanese cucumbers, tomato, red cabbage VERY thin...much more basic than my usual salads! )
Tzatziki, preferably homemade, zipped in the Bullet with a bit of extra nonfat  yogurt and a bit of extra lemon juice...OR....finely chop cucumber with the skin on and squeeze in paper towels til you get most of the water out.  Mix the cucumber with plain nonfat yogurt, garlic, lemon juice and some cilantro....

Get the grill HOT, and get the steak good and charred on the outside, leaving the inside rare...trim the fat off of it and slice it so that it shows the red on the plate...

Make up your salad and drizzle your tzatziki over the top of it...the cool, fresh flavour of the tzatziki contrasts with the smoky, robust flavour of the steak, and while the steak is hot, the salad is cold, and it's just a really nice contrast...

Enjoy!!!

The Cabbage Catch, Kid!

Yes, it's Catch...as in Catch of the Day, yes, you guessed it, the other salmon steak! 

Tonight I wanted to do something different with the salmon....the first salmon steak, which is in Salmon to Watch Over Me, a couple of days ago, was good...rather yummy actually, but who wants to eat the same thing twice in one week? Not me, says I!  I started rummaging in the fridge and the following is what resulted...it was actually reallllly good and totally guilt free!


The Cabbage Catch, Kid!

1 large salmon steak ( each person gets half )
1 1/2 c coarsely chopped red cabbage
one apple, skin on, coarsely chopped
small handful sultana raisins
1/4c lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
small amount white sugar ( maybe 2 tbsp max ) or agave syrup or stevia
sea salt and black pepper

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a heavy skillet and add the cabbage and the apple...keep it moving over medium heat until all is shiny and the cabbage is less stiff...the apples will pick up the colour and get rosy and you'll start to smell it....add the lemon juice, sugar, raisins and a good grind of sea salt, and keep it moving until it cooks down a bit and is soft....turn the heat way down and let it sit while you do your salmon and steam your veg ( we had asparagus )

Heat the other tbsp of olive oil in another heavy skillet and sear the salmon on both sides...using a fork, remove the skin from both sides of the salmon and split the salmon steak down the middle.  Sear each side of the steak halves and then cover to finish cooking...give it a good grind of sea salt and black pepper

Serve a small pile of the cabbage/apple mixture with the salmon on top and steamed veg on the side...

I hope you enjoy it! I'm going to SLEEP...g'night!!!

Smoothie Operator...

Smoothie Operator

2/3c frozen berries, frozen fruit salad or any frozen fruit...make sure it's JUST fruit, no syrup or added sugar
1c orange juice or skim milk, totally different experience....I prefer the juice when I'm tired and want refreshment, I prefer the milk when I'm in a hurry and have to gulp it...wierd but true
1 scoop of whey protein..no added sugar and preferably no sucralose but good luck finding one without the sucralose OR sugar!
(You can also add 1 scoop PhytoBerries or Chia Nutra or ground flax seed or omega 3 oil...)

Blend it all or put it in your Bullet and buzz it...it's so awesome...it's the most basic thing but we just never get tired of them....we don't generally have more than 5 or 6 a week, each, so it's not like a meal replacement, but there is absolutely nothing better to a) revive you after the gym or b) satisfy your ice cream or sweet craving...if you put more berries and less juice, you get almost a sorbet thing happening...

Tomorrow is a BUSY BUSY day, hanging flat panel tv's, doing some programming on an audio system, finding out why my cable splitters are getting hot, stuff like that...enjoy your day all, and Dad, I hope you had a good visit today and that you're warm and turning brown....Hi to you also, Marcia, if you're reading this!  Soak up some sun for me, I could use it...I'm white as turkey meat, but I did get two free tanning sessions from the gym people...

I'll never be a perpetual tanner, I've seen too many women who look like they're wearing leather jackets and they're NOT, but a couple of doses can't hurt, can it?

Good night, Ma...Good night, Pop, Good night, John Boy....

Milestone Vs. Tombstone

Hi, I forgot to mention that as of yesterday I'm officially down TWENTY pounds since November 20, 2009...December sucked because I hardly budged, but I have only myself to blame for that...holidays and such...*sigh*  but we're back on track...my jeans that I could NOT inhale in on December 8 are now loose enough I need a belt to wear them, so that's a cool feeling...

Thank you Tosca Reno, you're always present in my kitchen and on my shoulder, like those little cartoon angels...my old habits and tendencies are on the other shoulder, dressed in red, with a little pitchfork and horns, and all...

To anyone reading this and either already Eating Clean or thinking about it...GO FOR IT...Tosca's books are not just a fad or a cash grab, if you don't have them, GET THEM and keep them handy.  They will truly inspire you to create change, and trust me folks...if I can...YOU can....

Have a wonderful day.....

Maresy Dotes and Dosey Dotes, and Little Lamsie Divey!

A Kiddley Divey too, wouldn't you?  Of course it's really

Mares eat Oats and Does eat Oats, and Little Lambs eat Ivy...A Kid'll Eat Ivy, too....but breakfast is our recipe today, and it's Maresy Dotes And So Do I

Maresy Dotes and So Do I

1/2 c steel cut oats
1 c water
1/4 tsp sea salt or one grind from a salt grinder
2 tbsp ground flax seed
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Put all in a pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for half an hour, or until the water is not sitting on top of the oats anymore...give it a stir now and again so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.

Serve topped with a dollop of really cold plain yogurt and some fresh blueberries, and sprinkle that with a bit of nutmeg...

OR, top it with strawberries and a SMALL drizzle of pure maple syrup

OR.....use your imagination and put any combination of things on top, or nothing at all...it has a wholesome flavour and the texture is just wonderful...and it's glycemic index is rock bottom while it's fibre content is very high...it'll keep you satisfied all morning and keep sweet cravings at bay...talk about sticking to your ribs!!

Enjoy...I'm off to work, it's only -6 degrees Celsius here today so that's nice, beats the heck out of -33 last week!! That was horrid...

Tonight we're having salmon again but I'll try to be original and not make the same thing I did last time...

Have a wonderful day, all, keep safe and warm, and if you live in Ontario, keep in mind that the new Handsfree Device law is now in full effect as of yesterday, and yes, you can get a $500 to $1000 dollar fine if you're caught chatting, texting, checking email, whatever, while behind the wheel...

Amy