Category: Low Fat

Weeknight Steak Chili

steak-chili-with-red-kidney-beansThe wind is cold and it’s finally time to pull the jeans and sweaters out of the back of the closet.  It’s also time to let a pot of chili welcome the boys home after a long day.  This time it won’t have to cook all day, I have my handy dandy pressure cooker, which doubles as a enhanced slow cooker, to cut the usual cooking time in half!  If you don’t have a pressure cooker I’ve put the alternate instructions in red where they differ.

Pressure Cooker Steak Chili

  • 1 pound trimmed Chuck roast ( I buy mine Organic from Sprouts) chopped into 1/4″ chunks – it’s easiest to chop raw meat if you freeze it for 30 minutes or so
  • 1/2 of a medium onion chopped
  • 1 block XLNT chili con carne
  • 1 small can S&W low-sodium red beans drained of most of the liquid
  • 1 small can Hunt’s petite diced tomatoes
  • 1 large can store brand dark red kidney beans drained of most of the liquid (my store didn’t carry a large can of S&W)
  1. Turn your pressure cooker on to the brown setting and toss in the onions.
  2. For non-pressure cookers: heat a Stock Pot to medium-high heat with a splash of olive oil and add the onions, then follow the instructions below through #8.
  3. Allow to cook for about 2 minutes then give them a quick stir.
  4. Add chopped meat to the pressure cooker.
  5. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 8 minutes.
  6. Add the block of chili.  If thawed, stir into the meat and onion. If frozen, skip this step.
  7. Add both cans of beans and the can of tomatoes.
  8. Stir the mixture, getting chili block to the bottom if it’s frozen.
  9. Close the pressure cooker.
  10. Set to slow cooker setting (mine has one) – mine defaults to 2 hours of cooking time.  At the end of 2 hours my kidney beans needed a little bit more time, so I added an additional 30 minutes and they were perfect.
  11. If you don’t have a pressure cooker you can finish cooking 1 of 2 ways: Put everything into the crock pot and cook on low for about 4 hours (or 1 hour on high and 2 on low); or you can finish this chili on the stove top in your stock pot.  You will need to add some more liquid, in which case I would go with a beer and make sure that you are cooking it low and slow – you’ll need to simmer and stir occasionally for about 4 hours.

tjbsI grated some white cheddar cheese to sprinkle on top and grabbed a package of Trader Joe’s Cheesy Bread Sticks that toasted up perfectly in the oven in 6 minutes. No one was in the mood for a salad, but if you wanted a perfectly rounded meal a salad would do the trick!

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Easy Turkey Day Appetizer

mb1One of the things I am in charge of this Thanksgiving is an appetizer.  I was going to get fancy and knock myself out with something that would be difficult to keep warm and wouldn’t likely taste that great cold, but I’ve decided to take another tack.

Instead of going in a direction that is completely opposite of the main meal, I thought instead that I would create something that would compliment and whet the appetites of the rest of the guests for the main event, plus I’d be able to incorporate one of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes from last year, Zinful Cran-blueberry Sauce!

Turkey Meatballs with Zinful Cran-Blueberry Sauce

Zinful Cran-Blueberry Sauce

  • 1 & 1/3 Cups Granulated Sugar
  • 1 Cup Zinfandel Wine (Best Quality you can afford – if you wouldn’t drink it, don’t cook with it)
  • 1 – 12 oz Package Ocean Spray Fresh Whole Cranberries
  • 1 Cup Frozen Blueberries
  • 1 Whole Cinnamon Stick
  • 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp Vanilla
  • Orange or Tangerine Zest

Bring sugar, wine and cinnamon stick to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Add remaining ingredients and return to a boil, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat to low and simmer 15-20 minutes.  You may want to use a splatter shield to avoid splashing when cranberries pop. Remove and discard cinnamon stick. Set aside to pour over cooked meatballs.

Make the Meatballs

  • Canola Oil Spray or PAM
  • 4 Pounds Ground Turkey
  • 2 Cups Bread Crumbs or Panko
  • 4 Eggs
  • 4 Cloves Garlic Chopped
  • 1 Large Granny Smith Apple Grated
  • 1 tsp Crushed Fennel Seeds
  • 8 tsp Chopped Fresh Sage
  • 3 tsp Freshly Ground Salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp Freshly Ground Pepper

Preheat oven to 450°F and spray 2 large baking sheets with non stick spray

  1. Combine turkey, breadcrumbs, eggs, garlic, grated apple, fennel seeds, chopped sage, salt and pepper on a large mixing bowl
  2. Using a 1″ cookie scoop, portion out the meat into balls, roll and put as many as you can on both baking sheets
  3. Bake for 15 minutes until meatballs begin to brown
  4. Remove meatballs from baking sheet and place into serving dish, chafing dish or crock pot (set to low or warm setting) and pour cran-blueberry sauce over until all are well coated.
  5. Garnish with whole sage leaves if desired.

If you are on Facebook and are interested in the things I may not devote an entire blog post to, recipes, food facts, nutritional information, photos and other things that make my mouth water, I have a page on Facebook you can visit too:  https://www.facebook.com/ThisGirlLovesHerFood

Ceviche Style Shrimp Cocktail

cevstyshrcockIt may be starting to look like fall in the East, but here in Southern California, we’re getting ready for another 80°+ weekend.  It’s late September, and I’m not complaining.

With any luck, I’ll be out of my cast (fingers crossed), my stitches will come out of the four incisions on my foot, and I’ll be able to spend all day Sunday floating in my pool, catching some rays and we’ll BBQ a steak, some fresh asparagus, and some sweet potatoes for dinner.

Well before dinner though, I’m absolutely going to have a couple of these shrimp cocktails (thanks for the recipe Pampered Chef) prepared and ready to have for lunch while I’m lounging!

Ceviche Style Shrimp Cocktail

Ingredients

  • 1 pound shelled, deveined, large cooked shrimp, diced (21-25 per pound)
  • 1/2 medium seedless cucumber, diced
  • 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced and quartered red onion
  • 1/4 cup snipped fresh cilantro
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 medium avocado
  • Coarse salt, lime slices and whole shrimp (optional)
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
 Directions
  1. Combine shrimp, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeño pepper and salt in mixing bowl; toss to coat. Cover; refrigerate up to 1 hour before serving.
  2. Immediately before serving, dice avocado and fold gently into shrimp mixture. If desired, rub the rims of four margarita glasses with one lime slice, then dip into shallow dish of coarse salt; spoon salad into glasses. Garnish with lime slices and whole shrimp.

Tip:

 For the best texture, do not prepare this recipe more than 1 hour in advance. Once combined with the acidic lime juice, the shrimp will begin to firm up and eventually become tough and rubbery.

Nutrients per serving:

Calories 200, Total Fat 8 g, Saturated Fat 1.5 g, Cholesterol 220 mg, Carbohydrate 8 g, Protein 26 g, Sodium 550 mg, Fiber 5 g

If you are on Facebook and are interested in the things I may not devote an entire blog post to, recipes, food facts, nutritional information, photos and other things that make my mouth water, I have a page on Facebook you can visit too:  https://www.facebook.com/ThisGirlLovesHerFood

Zero Effort Chicken For Dinner

Between the humidity coming up from a storm in Mexico and the temperature gauge hovering around the century mark, cooking is the last thing I want to do, but with my surgery date now 10 days away, I know that I will be making very few meals for the family due to movement restrictions, so I’m doing the deed today. 😉

The pressure cooker is definitely a cook’s friend on days like this!  With this recipe you get a bonus of 2 recipes in one!  The chicken, plus a bonus flavorful chicken stock that I am using as the base for my cabbage soup.  Yum!

chicken-on-cutting-boardChicken is the universal meat from which can spring any meal.  My Mom’s go-to was the Zacky Farm’s Cut up Whole Fryer, seems like a good place to start, so that’s where I’ll start.  I’ll make it early today and then the mood I’m in about an hour before dinnertime will determine how it ends up being served.

Zero Effort Pressure Cooker Chicken + Yummy Chicken Stock

  • 1 – 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 lb fryer chicken (cut up)
  • 2 TBLS Olive Oil
  • Zatarain’s Cajun Spice Mixture (Seasoned Salt)
  • 1/2 Medium Yellow Onion
  • 1 – Large Poblano Pepper
  • 5 Cloves Garlic

It should only take you 5 minutes to get all of the ingredients into the pressure cooker.  After that it’s pretty much set it and forget it!

  1. Set your pressure cooker to the “Brown” setting.
  2. Pour the Olive Oil into the pressure cooker pan
  3. Cut the pepper in half, remove the seeds and veins, then cut into about 1″ chunks and place into pan
  4. Peel and chop the onion into roughly 1″ chunks and add to pan
  5. Peel the garlic and add to pan
  6. Sprinkle the Zatarain’s seasoning on both sides of the chicken
  7. Place each piece of the chicken, skin side down (or on edge so skin is in contact with the sides of the pan) into the pan on top of the vegetables
  8. Allow the chicken to brown, undisturbed for about 20 minutes, then close the lid of the pressure cooker and set to cook under pressure for 30 minutes
  9. When cooking cycle has ended, allow the pressure to return to normal naturally

At the end of the keep warm cycle, release the lid and remove the chicken from the cooker to a large bowl.  It should be falling off the bones.  I take the time to remove the bones, skin and cartilage at this point and use a fork to do a gentle separation of the meat.

Leave the remaining vegetables and garlic in the pan with the meat drippings.  Skim ant visible fat and allow to cool.

If you aren’t using it immediately in another recipe, move the cooled Yummy Chicken Stock to a sealable container and refrigerate (up to 5 days) or freeze until ready to use.

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Cleansing Ginger Chicken Soup

gingerchickensoup

Food’s not forbidden on The Prime, but I am not particularly hungry (a good thing) so this recipe for a light soup from the January 2012 issue of Bon Appetit Magazine, with ginger, whose anti-inflammatory properties my body is sorely (pun intended!) in need of, as one of its key ingredients, is definitely on tonight’s menu.  After reading the reviews I made a few of the suggested additions and it made a really tasty soup.

Cleansing Ginger-Chicken Soup

  • 1-2 TBLS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1/2 Yellow Onion, Chopped
  • 4 Celery Stalks, Chopped
  • 3 Large Carrots, Peeled and Chopped into 1″ Pieces
  • 8 oz Unpeeled, Scrubbed Ginger, Cut into 1/2″ Pieces
  • 5 Garlic Cloves, Crushed
  • 1/2 Large Lemon (seeds removed)
  • 2-3 tsp freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
  • 1 – 3lb Whole Organic Chicken, Cut into 7 pieces (2 Breasts, 2 Legs w/Thighs Attached, 2 Wings, 1 Back)
  • Cilantro Leaves
  1. In a large heavy pot, place chopped yellow onion, and the chicken, skin side down, in 1 to 2 TBLS Olive oil and cook long enough to brown slightly and pull the fat out of the skin.
  2. Add the garlic and continue to cook over low heat for about 5 minutes then add the celery, carrots, ginger, lemon, pepper and 5 quarts of water (preferably filtered or spring water); bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover with lid slightly ajar.
  3. Reduce heat to low; simmer  uncovered, until broth is fully flavored, about 2 hours.
  4. Remove chicken from broth. When cool enough to handle, coarsely shred meat; discard skin and bones.
  5. Place a fine-mesh sieve over another large pot; strain broth, discarding solids in strainer (you should have about 8 cups broth). Season with salt if needed.
  6. Rewarm soup.
  7. Divide chicken among bowls. Pour hot broth over, dividing equally. Garnish soup with cilantro leaves, if desired.

Are you on Facebook?  You might be interested in the things I may not devote an entire blog post to: recipes, food facts, nutritional information, photos and other things that make my mouth water. I may not write a blog post every day, but there are daily updates to my This Girl Loves To Eat community at: https://www.facebook.com/ThisGirlLovesHerFood

Do You Eat Breakfast Every Day?

fruitandoatsSince we were young we’ve all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  Turns out that Mom wasn’t just trying to keep us from shoving candy and junk food into our pie holes by making us eat breakfast.

It really is important to eat breakfast for some very good reasons:

  • Breakfast influences how we perform physically and mentally throughout the day.  According to John L. Ivy, PhD University of Texas at Austin, “Breakfast immediately raises the body’s energy level and restores the blood glucose level to normal after an overnight fast.”
  • Kids who eat breakfast tend to eat healthier throughout the day
  • Skipping breakfast can make kids feel tired, restless and irritable
  • Choosing breakfast foods that are rich in whole grains, fiber, and protein while low in added sugar helps boost attention span, concentration, and memory
  • People who don’t eat breakfast tend to overeat later in the day and are more likely to be overweight
  • If you are trying to lose weight, breakfast kicks your metabolism into gear and helps get your body into calorie burning mode for the day.
  • Eating a good breakfast lowers levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol, lowers chances of getting diabetes, heart disease and being overweight (per WebMD.com)

Eating the right foods for breakfast is also important:

  • Oatmeal – Steel cut with fruit, almonds and sweetened (if desired) with honey.  Another healthy option, the one that Barry Jay, Co-Founder of Barry’s Boot Camp, prefers, is to add a tablespoon or two of natural almond or peanut butter.  Avoid pre-packaged oatmeal that’s high in sugar and low in fiber.
  • Cheerios – Top with a sliced banana, and serve with non-fat milk and a hard boiled egg.
  • Greek Yogurt – A great “Grab and Go” option. High in protein, just add a pinch of cinnamon and a handful of blueberries or raspberries to sweeten.
  • Vegetable omelet or scramble made with 3 egg whites + 1 egg yolk (which provides protein, vitamin A, choline and B vitamins) a handful of fresh spinach, chopped tomato, a few chopped broccoli or cauliflower florets and, if you desire, a bit of feta cheese.
  • Bananas, Apples, Berries – Easily Digestible fiber that will keep you fuller longer
  • Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Shake – chocolate whey protein powder, natural unsalted peanut (or almond) butter, ice, unsweetened almond or coconut milk, cinnamon, and water.
  • Whole Grain Bread Toasted – Topped with either: natural almond or peanut butter and a sliced banana; or a scrambled egg, atop a slice of cheese, a few leaves of raw spinach and a slice of tomato

Any of these choices are hearty enough to keep you full until at least 10:00- 10:30 when you should have a mid-morning snack to keep you going.  Keeping your blood sugar steady throughout the day helps keep your energy levels and attention up during the school day or work day, which is especially important if you are someone who operates heavy equipment or drives for a living.  I’d want to be at my very best if that’s what I did!

If you’re dieting it’s important to eat small amounts between your main meals for the same reason.  When blood sugar crashes we are at our most vulnerable and most likely to reach for the nearest food to satisfy our hunger, which often isn’t the healthiest choice: drive-thru, pre-packaged snacks, etc.

quest-bar-cheat-clean

In my case, I always try (I don’t always succeed) to choose:  a piece of fruit with a cutiesjuiceindividually packaged cheese stick;  a low net carbohydrate protein bar (I like Quest Bars); or a hard boiled egg and a glass of fresh sqeezed or whole fruit (no sugar added) juice like Cuties Tangerine Juice.

If you’re like me, you do more in a day than most people and do for yourself last.  I, for one, am slowing down to take care of my health because if I don’t, the rest of the people around me will surely fall apart.  Moms are the grease that keep the squeaky wheel of the family turning and we need to start taking care of ourselves today.  Yesterday is gone, we can’t change that, but we can change tomorrow.

That change starts with breakfast, even if it’s just a glass of juice (or an apple or banana) and a hard boiled egg that’s been pre-made and peeled to grab and go on the way out the door.

One way to make sure to have quick mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack on hand at work is to at least prepare your grab and go snacks on Sunday:

  • If you have a small to medium lunch or grocery type bag you can leave in the refrigerator that’s ideal.
  • Boil a dozen eggs; peel once they are cool enough to touch (I plunge mine in ice water to stop the cooking); put 5 into a zip bag and then into the lunch bag.  Put the other 7 into a second zip bag and put into the snack / deli drawer in your refrigerator.
  • Fill 5 snack sized zip bags with 1-2 TBLS each natural (no sugar added) almond or peanut butter and put into lunch bag.
  • Put 5 medium sized Apples and 5 individually wrapped low-fat cheese sticks into the lunch bag and put into the refrigerator.
  • Make a note for yourself and put it with your car keys so you don’t leave without your snack bag.

It takes a very small effort to eat breakfast when it’s something as simple as a banana and a hard boiled egg that you can grab on the way out the door to work.  Even if you regularly eat out for lunch, you will likely eat less (and better) and will get through your day with more energy and clarity if you have your snacks on hand to get you through the mid-morning and mid-afternoon danger zones.  Who knows, you might even lose a few pounds. 😉

Are you on Facebook?  You might be interested in the things I may not devote an entire blog post to: recipes, food facts, nutritional information, photos and other things that make my mouth water. I may not write a blog post every day, but there are daily updates to my This Girl Loves To Eat community at: https://www.facebook.com/ThisGirlLovesHerFood

 

Nektar Advanced Juice Cleanse

nektarcleanseMy doctor reminded me this morning that I need to schedule my annual physical.  Ug.  As an added bonus she drew 8 vials of blood for the battery of tests that give me numbers that usually make me cringe.

I dutifully scheduled the appointment for July 1, which is a mere 2 weeks from now.  Of course that will come immediately after a weekend in Las Vegas, so I figured it would be a good idea to schedule a 2 day Nektar Advanced Juice Cleanse for the 2 days immediately preceding that visit. 😉

Since I was already at Nektar to pick up the nifty reusable cold bags full of my two days of punishment, of course I meant healthy eating, I went ahead  and grabbed a third bag so I could do a 1 day and see just how rotten, oops good, I am going to feel.

mintwaterI prepped 1/2 gallon of water with sliced cucumber, blood orange and lemon in it for between bottles and dove in with both feet.  I should have started at 8 this morning so I had to adjust the amount of time between bottles to be able to get them all in before bedtime.

  • 12:00 – Time to open bottle 1.  This is the green one and I was not impressed with the taste.  Made of apple, celery, cucumber, lime, kale, parsley, spinach and mint I expected this one to taste pretty good.  I immediately tasted the celery and couldn’t identify any of the other flavors except the kale, which I still do not like.  I drank the 16.9 oz in 3 large gulps, glad to have that bottle done and hoping the other 5 would be better.  This one was very salty.
  • 2:00 – Anxiously anticipating bottle 2.  This one looks like Tang© and I sure hope it tastes better than bottle 1.  Looking at the ingredients: filtered water, lemon, agave nectar, turmeric, and cayenne pepper, I wasn’t optimistic.  I tasted the lemon and the sweetness of the agave nectar and then WOWZA!  The burn of the cayenne (not full power, but it’s there) hit the back of my throat.  Again, polished this bottle off in 3 great gulps.  Thanks to the 33.8 oz of the cleanse juices and the 32 oz of water I’d already had, all I feel is the overpowering need to pee.
  • 3:30 – Time for the beet red bottle.  I hate beets and have been dreading the 3rd bottle in the bag.  I took a huge swig and reaffirmed my intense dislike for that bold red root vegetable!  The label says it has apple, celery, beet, lemon, parsley, spinach and ginger inside.  All I taste is beets.  Add to my displeasure of having to down this gross concoction that I also had to run to the bathroom mid-drink 3.  My intestines are starting their own revolt against the juice cleanse and I am not a happy camper.  The only solace I can find is that I didn’t eat a ton of solid food yesterday, so hopefully the internal revolution that’s keeping me in the bathroom will pass quickly.
  • 5:00 – Time for the scary looking dark blackish-purple bottle.  The ingredient that catches my eye is “Coconut Charcoal.”  WTH is coconut charcoal?  This bottle scares me!  According to science, the fine particles of coconut charcoal keep toxins and gas from settling in your digestive system and causing problems.  I will need to examine coconut charcoal in more depth in another post, it seems to good things.  It didn’t taste good, but I choked the bottle down and followed it with a 16 ounce bottle of water with lemon and mint to wash the taste out of my mouth.
  • 7:00 – Bottle 5 beckons.  Eerily similar to bottle #2 with the same cayenne effect.  Drank this one down in 2 big drinks and waited for something to happen.
  • 9:00 – Last Bottle!  This one looked like coconut milk and had a chunky/grainy consistency.  My guess is that it’s attempting to fool my system into thinking it’s ingested food at this point.  Very sweet and it took about reminded me of the rice cereal in formula mix I used to put in my sons nighttime bottles to get him to sleep longer at night.

Other than needing to pee more often from all of the liquids I had ingested, I really didn’t feel any of the effects that my girlfriends were complaining about.  I experienced no increase in needing to poop, no diarrhea, and no added gas.  Really I don’t feel like the one-day cleanse did anything at all for me.  I didn’t notice any change on the scale, I wasn’t hungry, so I guess that was a good thing, but honestly, I just felt full from all of the liquid.

I was more conscious of what I ate over the weekend, at least as far as trying not to shovel large meals in to make up for my foodless day, but I either had few toxins in my system (I find that hard to believe), or had just had a particularly clean eating day the day prior.  I honestly can’t remember what I ate before doing the cleanse, but I doubt it was super healthy.  I do know that I had been enjoying a nightly indulgence from the bag of “Chicago Style” Popcornopolis I foolishly bought at Costco.  In my defense, I did go hungry (Cardinal Sin) and couldn’t pass by the huge bag of a mixture of cheese corn and caramel corn.  It screamed my name and found its way into my cart….

Maybe I’ll notice a bigger difference when I do the two day cleanse next Monday and Tuesday after my weekend eating and drinking like a glutton in Las Vegas. 😉

Are you on Facebook?  You might be interested in the things I may not devote an entire blog post to: recipes, food facts, nutritional information, photos and other things that make my mouth water. I may not write a blog post every day, but there are daily updates to my This Girl Loves To Eat community at: https://www.facebook.com/ThisGirlLovesHerFood

 

Benefits of Red Fruits & Vegetables

redvegetablesUnless you’ve been completely cut off from technology and forms of communication with the outside world for the past few decades, you have likely read an article or heard nutritional experts discussing the health benefits of eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.

According to the experts at www.choosemyplate.gov, the benefits include keeping your digestive system “moving” and healthy, lowering the risk for some chronic health conditions and lessening the chance of morbid obesity:

  • Most vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories. Eating foods such as vegetables that are lower in calories per cup instead of some other higher-calorie food may be useful in helping to lower calorie intake.
  • Since none have cholesterol, eating a diet rich in vegetables and fruits as part of an overall healthy diet may reduce risk for heart disease, including heart attack and stroke.
  • Vegetables are important sources of many nutrients, including potassium, dietary fiber, folate (folic acid), vitamin A, and vitamin C.
  • Diets rich in potassium may help to maintain healthy blood pressure. Eating vegetables and fruits rich in potassium as part of an overall healthy diet may lower blood pressure, and may also reduce the risk of developing kidney stones and help to decrease bone loss.  Vegetable sources of potassium include sweet potatoes, white potatoes, white beans, tomato products (paste, sauce, and juice), beet greens, soybeans, lima beans, spinach, lentils, and kidney beans.
  • Dietary fiber from vegetables, as part of an overall healthy diet, helps reduce blood cholesterol levels and may lower risk of heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Fiber is important for proper bowel function. It helps reduce constipation and diverticulosis. Fiber-containing foods such as vegetables help provide a feeling of fullness with fewer calories.
  • Folate (folic acid) helps the body form red blood cells. Women of childbearing age who may become pregnant should consume adequate folate from foods, and in addition 400 mcg of synthetic folic acid from fortified foods or supplements. This reduces the risk of neural tube defects, spina bifida, and anencephaly during fetal development.
  • Vitamin A keeps eyes and skin healthy and helps to protect against infections.
  • Vitamin C helps heal cuts and wounds and keeps teeth and gums healthy. Vitamin C aids in iron absorption.
  • Eating a diet rich in some vegetables and fruits as part of an overall healthy diet may protect against certain types of cancers.
  • Red fruits and vegetables containing Lycopene (Red Peppers, Tomatoes, Guavas, Mangoes, Papayas, Watermelon, Strawberries, Red Grapes, Grapefruit, Asparagus, and Purple Cabbage) are said to ward off the damaging rays of the sun that cause sunburn, while their antioxidant properties also contribute to the removal of free radicals that can lead to cancer and heart disease.

My grandma got on the healthy living bandwagon in the mid 70’s embracing Jack LaLanne, making her own yogurt & drying her own fruit, the Cambridge Diet and trying to share her healthy living with my raw ground beef, all things canned-meat eating grandpa.  I bet you can guess where that got her….nowhere.  Hmmm.

While she was beating a dead horse in her own home, I can say that she did instill in me a love of fruits, vegetables and being pretty healthy.  I’m not lying though, I never passed up one of grandpa’s delicacies either: chipped beef, SPAM, and even Vienna sausages.  I never claimed to be perfect.  😉

Are you on Facebook?  You might be interested in the things I may not devote an entire blog post to: recipes, food facts, nutritional information, photos and other things that make my mouth water. I may not write a blog post every day, but there are daily updates to my This Girl Loves To Eat community at: https://www.facebook.com/ThisGirlLovesHerFood

Quick Cucumber Salad

cucsaladI wish I had all day to experiment in the kitchen, but that is one luxury I do not have.

Between my “real” job, the groups/charities I volunteer my time to, my family, my dogs and the few other things I get to do in my free time, I rarely get as much time to create new recipes as I’d like.

Today was another one of those days.  You know, the kind with business meetings, tasks on the ever-growing to-do list, a trip to the hair salon, and a few other unexpected things, so I knew dinner time would be rushed as well.

This morning I put 2 frozen chicken breasts in a Rubbermaid container with some of my favorite marinade (Ponte’ Winery Scallion Oil Marinade/Dressing) with hopes that they’d defrost in time and then surveyed the refrigerator for what I’d be able to serve with them.

oxoI really am trying to cut back on the carbs, fat and extra calories in our diets, so a cold salad I could marinate all day would be just the right choice!  Plus, I’d get to use my new kitchen tool: my OXO slicer/grater.

Quick Cucumber Salad

  • 1 English Cucumber
  • 2 Roma Tomatoes
  • 1/2 Small Yellow Onion
  • 1/3 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 TBLS Olive Oil
  • 6 Large Leaves Fresh Basil
  • Freshly Ground Pepper
  1. Using either a very sharp knife or a Mandolin slicer (I use the OXO Complete Grate & Slicer Set), thinly slice the cucumber, the tomatoes and the onion and combine in a gallon sized zip bag.
  2. Stack the basil leaves and roll like a cigar and then thinly slice into narrow strips.  Add the basil to the zip bag.
  3. Add pepper, vinegar, and olive oil to the zip bag.
  4. Seal the bag and shake the contents vigorously.
  5. Open the zip bag then push the air out and reseal.
  6. Place the salad in the refrigerator until time to serve.
  7. Before serving, open the zip bag again to allow air to enter, then reseal and shake the salad to mix before place on plates to serve.

Are you on Facebook?  You might be interested in the things I may not devote an entire blog post to: recipes, food facts, nutritional information, photos and other things that make my mouth water. I may not write a blog post every day, but there are daily updates to my This Girl Loves To Eat community at: https://www.facebook.com/ThisGirlLovesHerFood

 

Ancho-Cherry Pork Chops

My husband loves pork chops.  I’m not a fan so I don’t cook them often.

He bought me a pretty necklace so tonight he’s getting pork chops 😉

Pressure Cooked Ancho-Cherry Pork Chops

  • 4  Bone in Trimmed Pork Chops about 3/4 inch thick
  • 2  TBLS Coconut Oil
  • 6  Pieces Thick Cut Bacon
  • 1/2 Cup Frozen Dark Sweet Cherries
  • 1  Medium Pasilla Chili (Poblano)
  • 1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1/2 Cup Water
  • 1/4 Cup Fischer & Wieser Smokey Ancho Cherry Sauce
  • Salt & Pepper
  1. Set the pressure cooker to “Brown” and add the coconut oil
  2. Seed and chop the chili into small pieces
  3. Using kitchen shears, cut the bacon into about 1″ chunks
  4. Add the bacon and chili to the pressure cooker
  5. With the lid open, let the bacon brown and the chili soften (about 8 minutes)
  6. Add the frozen cherries and stir until they defrost
  7. Stir in the apple cider vinegar and water
  8. Sprinkle both sides of the pork chops with salt and pepper
  9.  Brush both sides of the pork chops with he Ancho-Cherry Sauce
  10. Layer the pork chops into the pressure cooker then close and lock lid
  11. Set machine to high
  12. When pressure cooker reaches temperature, cook for 10 minutes
  13. Unplug machine and immediately release the pressure with manual release button

To serve:  Put a scoop of rice or quinoa in the center of the plate.  Pile some of the drained Braised Red Cabbage (yesterday’s recipe) on top of the rice/quinoa then place a pork chop on top of the cabbage.  Spoon some of the cooking juices, cherries, chilies and bacon onto the pork chop and serve immediately.

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