Sidenote: Food Journaling

My friend and ever-inspiring blogger girl, Jenna, wrote a post today about food journaling.

Read her post, then read my take:

I food journal, and I truly believe it’s like the best thing ever.

But first let me say this: (and please, still love me after) I have an addiction to food. No, I’m not saying “I’m addicted” in the cute way that food bloggers say it. I really, truly, terrifyingly, am addicted to food. It FEELS good to eat it. It improves my mood. It’s how I handle emotions. Bottom line: my relationship with food is unhealthy.

Now that I’ve got that on the table, I can explain why food journaling helps me. It keeps me from eating so damn much. It’s not about guilt, it’s about honesty. With myself. How many times have I said to myself, “I didn’t eat that many cheetos, I’m still good on calories for the day” without counting or measuring or writing it down, when in reality if I had actually paid attention, I would see that I ate close to three cups of cheetos, and gained a butt-ton of weight in the process. (dramatization, but you get the point).

So for me, journaling keeps me honest. It keeps me aware. It keeps me healthy. But let’s say a healthy person, with healthy eating habits, and a lack of self-lying habits- let’s say they want to know if they should food journal. My answer: whatever is right for you is right for you.

Does it feel good to write it down? Sweet. No? Then don’t.

Project 365: 19 (and a recipe!)

Gosh, I just love carbs. Seriously.

Check out the recipe here: http://thefrugalflambe.com/2012/01/19/recipe-bran-muffins/

(Click to enlarge)

Update: I started food blogging again...

Yep. I hope it sticks! Maybe I won't commit myself to 7 new recipes a week this time... LOL!

Check out the glorious recipe I made here.

What We're Eating: Triple Berry Turnovers

Recently I purchased a huge bag of frozen raspberries because I had this amazing idea to make about a million raspberry cream cheese muffins and send them to people as "I'm thinking of you" gifts. It was a sweet idea, wasn't it? Yeah, it was! But all the sweet ideas in the world are just frozen raspberries if they're never made into muffins.

Last week, I bought ANOTHER bag of frozen berries, this time a raspberry-blueberry-blackberry mix, for Thanksgiving. The hubbster doesn't like pumpkin pie or pecan pie (the two kinds of pies being provided by my mother-in-law) so I decided to earn some pie-points and bake him his own non-Thanksgiving-themed pie.

So I went to my freezer last night, and I had two half-eaten large bags of frozen berries. I was running out of room for all of my other freezer stuff (like the 10 boxes of Weight Watchers frozen desserts I've got in there). Something had to be done- and fast.

I did my normal problem-solver: www.foodnetwork.com, of course. And that's when I found heaven in the form of Triple Berry Turnovers- adapted from this recipe by the Neeley's.

WARNING: This recipe makes WAY too much filling for just 8 turnovers. We were happy about it, because we like berry stuff to accompany our vanilla ice cream once in a while. If you don't want extra, cut first six ingredients in half.

Triple Berry Turnovers

Servings: 8
Weight Watchers Points Plus Value per serving: 4

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 cups (about 1 1/2 pounds) frozen raspberries
• 4 1/2 cups (about 1 1/2 pounds) frozen mixed berry blend (blackberry, blueberry, raspberry)
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed
• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• 1 egg, beaten
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a medium pot, combine the first 6 ingredients and mix well.
3. Cook on medium heat until berries are thawed and mixture is syrupy.
4. Allow to cool in refrigerator for 1 hour.
5. Roll out the puff pastry into a rectangle on a well-floured surface and cut into 8 squares.
6. Place onto a sheet tray lined with parchment paper. Brush the edges of the square with the beaten egg.
7. Place about 2 1/2 tablespoons of filling in the center of the square, leaving 1-inch on all sides clear.
8. Repeat until all the puff pastry is used.
9. Fold the turnover into a triangle, seal edges with fingers.
10. Brush egg wash on top of each triangle.
11. Bake the turnovers until puffy and golden brown, about 16-20 minutes.
12. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

What We're Eating: Chili & Corn Casserole

I've heard that some of my friends across the US are experiencing some beautiful spring changes in the weather. Some are even wearing short sleeved shirts and mowing their lawns. I hate you all. ;) Here in Minnesota, winter is still in full effect. Today it was just over twenty degrees (F), a bit breezy, and the snow is fore-casted to be moderately heavy starting this next week. It's downright chilly, folks, and that means Momma's Home Cookin' is also still in full swing- let's not kid ourselves- a hearty meal that stick to yer bones is downright necessary these days. With that in mind, what feels more hearty and warm than a big ole bowl of chili and some corn casserole? Not much. ;)

Guthrie Family Chili

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 large can (29 oz) tomatoes (process in blender)
• 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 large or 2 small bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp chili powder
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp paprika
• 1 can (15.5 oz) chili beans

Directions:

1. Brown ground beef and onion in a heavy skillet.
2. Add remaining ingredients.
3. Simmer gently til ready.
4. If it thickens up too much, add water a bit at a time to desired thickness.

My Changes:

We like it hearty, so we do 2 pounds of ground beef. Delish.

• I use A LOT more chili powder. Like, 3 tablespoons. So good. Here's our fave- Williams Sonoma Ancho Chili Powder, $6. (at left)

Also, more cayenne pepper. We like a reason to add sour cream and cheese once it's done... Um, yum.

Corn Casserole

I know, a lot of my west coast readers are gonna say, "Corn Casserole? What is THAT?" But hey, trust this mid-westerner when she says it's AWESOME. Minnesotans, while being strongly misguided on their choice of climate, have got the whole casserole thing down pat. Try it, and prove me wrong. (Impossible.)

Ingredients:

• 2 cans whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 can cream corn
• 1 stick margarine melted
• 2 eggs slightly beaten
• 8 oz sour cream
• 1 box Jiffy muffin mix

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients.
2. Bake at 350 degrees until set- approximately 1 hour.
3. DEVOUR.

The whole supper can be made in an hour, and is easy easy easy. Perfect after a snowball fight, or after a day of staring out the window hating all things winter. Enjoy. :)

What We're Eating: Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad

It's always fun to get new recipes, so here's a yummy one for my fans: Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad, a fresh, yummy, healthier-than-KFC meal that is light but holds it own.

Ingredients

Salad:

• 1 Egg
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1/2 cup Flour
• 1/2 cup Corn Flake Crumbs
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
• 1 boneless, skinless Chicken Breast halves
• Oil for frying
• 3 cups chopped Romaine Lettuce
• 1 cup Red Cabbage
• 1 cup Napa Cabbage
• 1/2 Carrot, julienned or shredded
• 1 Green Onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon sliced Almonds
• 1/3 cup Chow Mein Noodles

Dressing:

• 3 tablespoons Honey
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar
• 1/4 cup Mayonnaise (Duke's -- It's all we use)
• 1 teaspoon Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon Sesame Oil

Directions

1. Prepare dressing ingredients by mixing in a small bowl. Refrigerate while preparing salad.
2. Cut each chicken breast into 5 strips.
3. In one bowl, beat egg with milk. In another bowl, combine flour with corn flake crumbs,salt and pepper.
4. Preheat oil over medium heat.
5. Dip individual chicken pieces in egg mixture and then roll in the flour mixture.
6. Fry chicken until browned, drain and set aside.
7. Prepare salad by tossing the chopped romaine with the chopped red cabbage, Napa cabbage, and carrots.
8. Sprinkle sliced green onion on top of the lettuce. Sprinkle almonds over the salad, then the chow mein
9. noodles.
10. Cut the chicken into small chunks.
11. Place the chicken onto the salad forming a pile in the middle.

A couple of notes that we do here at home:

• Add mandarin oranges (canned) to the salad. Mmmm...
• The dressing is hard to mix by hand, so I use the food processor.
• When we make salads, the veggies on the plate consist of whatever I've got in the fridge. So, if I've got carrots, they're there. If not, we forgo them. No biggie. Any lettuce, any veggies.
• This recipe makes one serving. Add one chicken breast per diner, and also duplicate the dressing per diner. (ie. 2 people eating, 2 chicken breasts and double the dressing recipe.)

Enjoy, you guys. :)

The Food Network Addiction and Late Night Breakfasts

I made the most delicious discovery this weekend. I have access to the Food Network on my TV. It's true, ladies and gentlemen. 24/7 food- how to cook it, where to eat it, who's good at makin it and who's ordering it... FOOD.

So, naturally, I watched a show or two and then went back to more important weekend activities.

WRONG.

I watched the Food Network until my little brain could hold no more TV. I watched until my husband was begging for attention (a rare event). I watched until I saw rerun after rerun of the same shows, and still, I watched.

It was a beautiful thing.

Shortly before my husband pulled the plug on my little couch potato party, (literally and figuratively), I watched a new show called Cupcake Wars. These people who make their entire living out of making tiny little cakes with frosting on top get together and duke it out for a title. I can't really knock them for having such a silly profession because hey, I sell digital paper- no one even knows what digital paper is, and everyone knows and loves cupcakes. However- still silly. Back to my point, though, they had to create a winning cupcake using sweet and savory flavors from breakfast favorites. Weird, right? Super weird. Try cappuccino cake with bacon flavored frosting. Or salmon cake topped with goat cheese frosting. Yuck and double yuck.

However, I was inspired.

Since the hubbs was wanting some attention, and both of us tend to get hungry right around 10pm, I decided it was a late night breakfast evening. And thus began the most beautiful culinary experience my mother-in-law's kitchen has even seen.

Well, that might be an exageration, but it really was awesome. I made what I now lovingly call the "steakhouse omelet". It was extravagant AND meat-free. (I know there are some skinnies out there who are all about the non-meat thing. This could be your new favorite thing EVER.) In addition to culinary genius, this wonderful event was the perfect time for me to a) get away from the dang TV, b) show my hubby some love by way of his tummy- the best way, and c) be reminded that I don't hate cooking if I like what I'm cooking.

Here's the recipe for my yummy creation:

2 eggs
5 button mushrooms (diced)
3/4 cup diced spinach
1/4 cup diced onions
1 chopped mozzarella string cheese (or adult equivalent measurement)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 dollop sour cream
Diced chives (only a little for garnish)
Garlic powder (to taste)
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)

Combine mushrooms, onions, spinach, mozzarella, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a saucepan, cook until mushrooms are soft. In another pan, slowly cook two beaten eggs. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drain mushroom mixture of excess water (spinach will create the moisture- it'll just make your omelet all watery if you don't drain it). When eggs are mostly firm (still kinda sticky on top, but flip-able) Pour mushroom mixture onto one half of the eggs, then flip naked half over the top. Let sit for 2 more minutes, then pull off the stove and serve. Top with small dollop of sour cream and chives.

Here's a disgusting picture that doesn't do the food any justice. (Give me a break on this one- it's past 10pm)



Happy TV watching, eating, and, of course, Happy Scrapping!