Bird, Bird, Bird.... Bird is the word!

So, to brine or not to brine? That is the question. Well people- I can tell you that the answer in this house is now YES!!! Get that damn bird in the water! :)

Here is what I did-

I had a 12+lb organic (blah, blah, blah) turkey that I got out of the packaging, washed under cool water (inside and out) and pulled the neck and innards out, and any pin feathers that may be remaining. In case you don't know, in a turkey the innards usually come in a paper or plastic bag in one of the cavities of the bird. The neck is also in there, but not in a bag. Set those to the side. Then, I make the brine!

Brine-
I bought some brine bags from the store, they come with a twisty tie to seal them off and I put the bag inside of a 5 gallon stock pot.
In a pot on the stove, I heat 1/2 gallon of chicken stock with 1 cup kosher salt, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup splenda. Once those have dissolved.... Add 1/2 a gallon of room temperature chicken stock and 1 pitcher of ice. In the bag, add a palm full of multi-colored peppercorns, 2 onions- quartered, 8 garlic cloves- smashed, 4 stalks celery- rough chopped, 6 bay leaves, handful of fresh oregano, handful of fresh thyme, and a handful of fresh basil. Put all of this in the bag inside the stock pot, then submerge the turkey into the mixture. Go on... shove him down! Then seal the bag up, and put it all in the fridge. I recommend brining for at least 12 hours, but I had mine in for 16!

Next, take the bird out of the brine and pat it dry inside and out.

Then, I spent some time loosening the skin over the breasts-

Now, there are some opinions out there and I went with the "season under the skin" opinion. To make it easier, I took frozen unsalted butter and cut it into little pats. Then I seasoned both sides with dried Italian seasoning and pepper (because of the brine, it had enough salt!). Next, slip the butter pats under the skin on both sides of the bird. It looked pretty damn awesome if you ask me!!!!

Next comes the stuffing!

I made stuffing using 3 cups of celery, 2 cups of onions, some fresh Italian herbs that I grow (basil, oregano, thyme) and enough chicken stock to cover it all. Once the veggies are transparent, allow to cool for a bit and then add 2 packages of stuffing mix- I use Pepperidge Farm. and mix thoroughly. Add poultry seasoning to taste. If it is too dry, add some more stock or some water to get it to the right texture. Then stuff both ends of the turkey- yep... BOTH... and cover with the excess skin and secure with metal skewers. Once on the rack, coat with butter all over!!! This gives you that crispy skin! Also, make sure you cook the bird, breast side up and that you tie the drumsticks together or tuck them under extra skin if available. For the wings, they are best tucked under the bird as shown below.

If you have extra stuffing, put it in a greased pan and bake off later. Some people are odd about eating stuffing that was in the bird!

Put on a greased rack in a roasting pan. Then cover the bottom of the pan with chicken stock, water, white wine (WHATEVER YOU HAVE!) and whatever else you want in there! Kind of like the brine, this is all personal choice! I used chicken stock and water, with some herbs (same as previously listed) and some chopped onion and smashed garlic. Put in an oven that is set to 450 degrees. Once you put the turkey in, the temp will naturally drop. Once you close the door, allow the temp to get back to 425, then turn it to 325 degrees WITHOUT OPENING THE DOOR! If you open the door, you let the heat and steam out... and that would ruin all your work to this point! Turkey is notorious for being difficult to keep moist and this is an IMPORTANT step!

I cooked mine for about 16 minutes a pound. It is important to check the temp of your turkey and your stuffing prior to taking it out of the oven. However, remember that the temp will raise about 10 degrees after you take it out of the oven so if you wait too long, it will be over cooked!

If you follow these steps... you will end up with a delishous turkey that will make you and your family proud!

For slicing, we cut the legs and thighs off, then cut the entire breast in one cut and then sliced it. This way, everyone gets a bit of that indulgent crispy skin and the well seasoned meat. I HIGHLY recommend this!!!



Holidays... and keeping your eye on the turkey.. errr... ball. Keeping your eye on the BALL!

So... this is a preview of my Turkey day that I am SOOOO proud of... and a preview of me getting back on the wagon. As I sit here and watch The Biggest Loser 12, I am remembering who I was when I started this journey, and who I DO NOT want to be again. 

Because we were with Kyle's family for Thanksgiving, I wanted to do something with my family after the fact. Soooo.... I DID! Here, you can see the entire spread that I made for the event. Now, I will not say that everything was healthy.... BUT... I tried to make the right decisions where it was appropriate.

I made the following things that you will see me post about-

Brined turkey- stuffed

Home made stuffing

Sweet Potato Casserole

Asparagus

Rolls

Caesar Salad

Chocolate Opera Cake

I can tell you this... it was all a success!!!! I had an awesome time and was so glad that I made my family proud. As I look myself and my scale in the eyes (so... my scale has no eyes but you get the point!) I remember the day that I completed my "The Biggest Loser" application- one of the questions was to finish the following sentence- "Food is..."

Here was my answer- "Food is...." comfort, pain, happiness and sorrow. Food is communicating. Food is hiding. Food is telling people that you love them. Food is telling yourself you love you, but allowing you to continue hating yourself. Food is both amazing and evil, it just depends on the day. Food is the root of good, and the root of evil. Food is hatred and forgiveness. Food brings everyone together, and it pushes them apart. Food is about communicating, and the word I need to learn from it is "no!"

As you can see, I am going back to my roots that I had when started with this blog. I got a new gym membership on the wagon... and you can consider this girl BACK ON THE WAGON!

Grilled Chicken Noodle Soup

Yeah, you read that right! So.... as you MAY have seen I am doing a challenge to keep myself busy and coming up with new recipes for the CSA I signed up for. As part of that, I cooked a beer can chicken on the grill last night that I carved up and served for dinner. Because my hubby is SO SMART, he suggested that I save the carcass to use for some soup since I have been sick. So the chicken recipe can be found here (http://hebbcl.blogspot.com/2011/10/challenge-chipotle-and-pumpkin-polenta.html), but you can feel free to use any leftover chicken carcases you have laying around. I have frequently used a rotisserie chicken as my new "fast food" since I have been living this new, healthier lifestyle. You have to make changes to eat better... but even healthy people don't feel like, or don't have time for cooking every night. These chickens are available at almost every grocery, and certainly at every Walmart and are an easy go to. All you have to do is carve them up and put a salad out and voila! DINNER! OK, I got a bit sidetracked, back to grilled chicken noodle soup! Here were my steps-

I put 16 cups of water into my big dutch oven. (Honestly, other than the grill, I live for cooking things in this pot. It just rocks!!! I guess this is the best meal ever then, I got to use the grill AND the dutch oven!) Then I put in my grilled chicken carcass, plus the wings and the legs that were leftover from last night. I turned this on medium high heat and let it simmer away for an hour. Then I pulled out the wings and legs, allowed them to cool a bit, and used 2 forks to pull all the meat off and put to the side with the other leftover grilled chicken from last night (mostly breast and thigh meat) which I had already shredded.

Pull the carcass and other other bones out of the pot (dig all the way to the bottom of the pot because some small bones may have gotten loose during the cooking process) and discard them. Continue to let your pot simmer away... you now have chicken stock. NOW.... lets improve it!

Chop up 8 carrots and about half of a bunch of celery (be sure to include some of the leafy middle pieces, they have LOTS of flavor!!!), half of a chopped yellow onion, 2 chopped garlic cloves- and toss them in. Now... it is kind of a free-for-all! What I mean is... use your favorite herbs and make your soup your own. Your last name isn't Campbell.... and this ain't your momma's chicken noodle soup! I went this way with it- 1 tablespoon salt, 1/2 tablespoon black pepper, 1/2 tablespoon tarragon, about 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme (I didn't bother to take it off the stem), 3 bay leaves. Now let it keep simmering! Let it go for about an hour... but be sure it is a light simmer and not a boil! You don't wanna cook up your yummy broth! Note: taste this broth throughout the process after you add the seasonings to ensure it tastes good. You may need to add more salt or pepper as you go. Remember... after you have added noodles the time to season is basically gone!

When you are ready to add noodles, bring the soup to a boil. Then add 1/2lb of whole wheat noodles of your choice. I went with linguine and broke them in half. Cook according to package instructions and serve!   

This makes plenty... at least enough for 4 adults with leftovers! You can see how much it cooks down from the mark on the dutch oven-

Now if this doesn't make you feel better, what will?!?!?!

Challenge- Everyone loves a breakfast sandwich!

Ever since I saw the movie Spanglish with Adam Sandler, I have loved a breakfast sandwich! Just seeing the sheer joy he had... it has stayed with me. I have since considered this style of sandwich to be pure joy to both make and eat! For this challenge I used the following Dominion Harvest mystery box ingredients:

• Brown Eggs
• Bibb Lettuce
• Gouda
• Green Tomatoes

I also used:

• High quality whole wheat bread
• Bacon (Yes, I went for the real stuff. This sandwich is heaven, and heaven has no place for Turkey bacon!)
• Smart Balance Spread

First, start cooking your bacon. You need 4 slices for each sandwich. (Go ahead and cook the rest, it is basically a sin not to!)

Next, butter (it just sounds better than Smart Balance Spread) one side of each piece of the bread. You need 2 slices per sandwich, seems like common sense... but just in case! You want to put this in a pan and brown it nicely. At the same time, put either sliced or grated (this is the option I chose) Gouda on one side of the bread for each sandwich and melt it. Once these are done, set to the side.

Next, crack 2 of your brown eggs into a bowl. This serves two purposes, first it allows you to ensure no shell gets in, second, it allows you to control where it goes better when you pour it into the non stick pan. My preference is over easy eggs for these sandwiches, there is something so sinfully amazing about the yolk running out when you cut it! So if you go that route, pour into the pan so that the yolks and whites stay close together. This requires a slow pour into the pan and the use of a spatula to push the runaway whites in together. Be mindful of the size and shape of the bread you chose and try to push it into a similar size and shape. Top with a little salt and pepper and allow to cook gently. When they are lightly browned, flip the 2 eggs together. This might require 2 spatulas and some patience! Once flipped, salt and pepper the second side.

This starts the assembly phase of the breakfast sandwich! First, place the piece of bread that has the cheese on it, Gouda cheese side up on your plate. Then place your eggs on top of that. This may seem odd as most people put cheese on top, but when you go with over easy eggs you are looking forward to the runny goodness of the yolk- NOT the soggy ickiness that it can bring on your bread! The melted cheese helps to keep the breads form! On top of the eggs, put the 4 slices of REAL bacon, then 2 slices of green tomato, then 2 or 3 pieces of bibb lettuce! Again, the lettuce on top will help to protect the top piece of bread! Now comes the fun part, cut your sandwich in half and see the yummy golden deliciousness run out... this is good for smearing your sandwich in as you go. Of course, toss a few extra pieces of bacon on the plate and get ready for an AMAZING start to your day!!!!

Challenge- Chipotle and Pumpkin Polenta PLUS beer can chicken and a YUMMY salad!

Welcome! This blog will give you some Dominion Harvest Mystery Box ingredients, but will also outline a complete meal. WIN! I made a savory polenta, beer can chicken, and a salad that helped to brighten it all up!

First- The Dominion Harvest Mystery Box ingredients for this recipe were:

• Long Island Cheese Pumpkin (puree- recipe here- http://hebbcl.blogspot.com/2011/10/how-to-kill-long-islander-pumpkin-that.html)

I was inspired by a Rachael Ray recipe to make this polenta, but as usual, put my own spin on it. First, she always cooks with and recommends quick cooking polenta. To be clear- this does not exist in Richmond, VA. Instead, I went to the organic aisle at my grocery store (after googling "where to find quick cooking polenta in my grocery store" left me wondering around in circles) and found Corn Grits. It was not quick, but I just followed the instructions with a few variables. The instructions said to use 2 cups of corn grits with 6 cups of water. Instead, I brought 3 cups of chicken stock and 3 cups of water to a boil, then gradually added in the corn grits while stirring. Making real polenta (AKA not the quick variety) is a real time commitment... at least 30 minutes stirring... so bring in a radio and dance in front of the stove to entertain yourself. Yep... that is what I did! As the mixture thickened, I added 15oz of Long Island Cheese Pumpkin Puree, 2 tablespoons diced chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, 1 tablespoon butter, 1/4 cup nonfat milk. Save the milk until about 10 minutes are left to keep the mixture loose and not so gelatinous. In the last 5 minutes, stir in 1/4 cup of nice Parmesan cheese. Now, there are 2 ways to serve polenta, first is to spoon it out like grits. FYI- it will end up with the same Elmer's glue thing that southern grits do... if you can take that it still tastes great. If you can't, then you can pour it into an oiled dish and then flip the dish later and cut out to serve. For this, think Jello mold... it jiggles and wiggles but holds together! Top with a dash of Parmesan to serve.

For the beer can chicken-

Mix the following ingredients together-

1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon coriander
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon grill seasoning
1/2 tablespoon black pepper

Coat a whole 4lb chicken (that has been washed and dried with the innards removed) in olive oil and then use 3/4 of the spice mix to coat. Wrap in plastic and allow to sit for an hour.
Take a beer can and drink 1/2 of the can. Use a church key to open the mouth of the can up more, then put the rest of the spice mix in the can. Place the can on a foil pan, put your chicken over the can with the can and the legs acting as a tripod to hold it up straight, and put on your grill over indirect heat. Let cook for about an hour and a half. It will get very dark on the outside, but that is OK!

Once it is cooked through, carefully remove the beer can from the inside of your chicken. Remember... it will be HOT!!! I recommend using tongs and hot mitts!
Slice and serve!!!!

Fruit and Veggie Salad-

• 12 oz chopped pineapple with juices (get it fresh from the refrigerated section of your grocery!)
• 1/2 bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into thirds on a diagonal
• 1/2 red onion sliced
• 1/2 container (about 2 cups) of cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 red pepper, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro
• salt and pepper to taste

So... put it all in a bowl together and toss well.

At the last minute I decided to throw the entire thing on the grill after I got the chicken off. This added a yummy smokey flavor to it and it was incredible... I HIGHLY recommend it!!!

Here is the final product-

How to Kill a Long Islander- Pumpkin that is...Challenge: Pumpkin Cheese Cake

OK, so by Long Islander- I mean a Long Island Cheese Pumpkin. When I first saw this this name I thought WTF is that?!?!?! Then I saw it and it was pretty obvious. :) So for my mystery box challenge last week I had another squash and made a soup, which was truly delicious! But I felt that another soup this week (with the 2 quash I got) would be a cop out.... so I ended up making a couple recipes with this ingredient. First- here is how I prepped it!

Homemade Pumpkin Puree!

Here is my Long Island Cheese Pumpkin out of the box, kinda washed off-

Your first step is to cut his head off... in this case, his stem is his head. It was unfortunate but I think he knew what was coming. And lets be honest.... it is October so he should really be glad he got put to good use instead of having a face carved into him and left on someones front step to either rot or get smashed in the street by some unruly teenagers!

Next, cut him in half (and yes, this pumpkin will be a he throughout this process! HAHA!) Then scrape out all of the pumpkins seeds and guts. Kind of a nasty job, but someone has to do it! And in this case... YOU are someone! (If you are the type to like roasted pumpkin seeds, save these and roast them up later on. If you aren't, ditch them like I did.) Once each half is well seeded, cut each half into 4 pieces and put skin side down on a baking sheet.

Now, I know you are tempted to salt and pepper and coat in olive oil... but don't do it!!!! We are going to make a puree and we want a true pumpkin taste with this. Roast in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Once you get it out, flip so that it is skin side up and use a knife to peel off the skin. It will come off easily, and then put the tender meat into a food processor and puree until all chunks are gone. You will likely not need to add any liquid because squash is a very juicy. But if you find it is too dry, add a tablespoon of water at the time until you get the consistency you are looking for. You will likely need to do this in several batches. Here is the final BEAUTIFUL product!!!

For this challenge I used the following Dominion Harvest mystery box ingredients:

• Long Island Cheese Pumpkin (measure out 15oz)

Other Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 stick melted salted butter 

Filling:

• 3 (8-ounce) packages low or non fat cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup non fat sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups Splenda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

First- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For crust:

In medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch springform pan and up the sides about 1/4 to 1/2 of the way. Set aside.

For filling:

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add long island cheese pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, Splenda and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined. Do not skimp on this step! If you do, the consistency will be all wrong!

Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

As you can see- We dug in before I remembered to take a picture! It was great, but not the healthiest thing ever. The crust was to die for, what's not to like!

Challenge- Apple Pork Tenderloin with Apple Cider Green Beans

So if you ask me, this doubles as 2 challenges! I used mystery box ingredients to make a complete meal and also did an iron chef battle by using my apples throughout the meal! HOT DIGGITY! These two items really complimented each other but were different enough to make the taste buds happy!

First- I used the following ingredients from my Dominion Harvest mystery box-

• Apples
• Onions
• Green Beans

Other Ingredients-

• Pork Loin (normal package comes with 2 small or one big, this is fine but if you get one big one you will need to slice it length wise for this recipe)
• Stone Ground Mustard
• Bourbon
• Apple Juice
• Cinnamon
• Rosemary
• Salt and Pepper
• Olive Oil

First, dice one apple and cut another so that you leave the apple in a square. Then, slice the pieces of the apple so that they have 2 flat edges. (This will make sense in a minute!)

Next, lay 3 or 4 pieces of butchers twine across the short side of a lightly greased, shallow baking pan that is long enough for the tenderloin to fit without being bunched together.

Next, lay your tenderloin pieces out side by side. Again, remember that you need 2 pieces for this! Salt and pepper both pieces all over with a total of 1 teaspoon dried rosemary as well. Then, smear 1 teaspoon of the stone ground mustard along the entire length of one side of the tenderloin. This is going to be the "middle" once we put the 2 pieces together. Then, put one piece across the laid out butchers twine with the mustard side up. Cover the mustard with the diced apple. Then take the other piece of tenderloin and put it mustard side down on top of the first. (Note: most tenderloins have a thin end and a big end, try to match these up big end to thin end so that it cooks through evenly.) Then tie with the twine to keep them tightly together. You don't want those yummy apples escaping!!!

Now, pick up the tenderloin and lay the flatted pieces of apple under it. (See... I told you it would all make sense later!) Now, cook according to package instructions for the pork loin, for mine- it was at 375 for one hour.

Now, in a saucepan combine 1/2 cup apple juice, 1 tablespoon of the stone ground mustard, 1 tablespoon bourbon, and 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary and simmer until it becomes a nice glaze. (Honestly, mine was more of a liquid that I spooned over the meat in the last 15 minutes, but I think a glaze would work better next time.)

As I said, spoon over in the last 15 minutes of cooking several times. Also, once the meat is done cooking allow it to sit on the counter and rest to let the juices redistribute. Top with the glaze one more time for the resting period.

Now get another pan going with salted water till it boils. Then place trimmed green beans in the boiling water and allow them to blanch for three minutes. Drain and immediately submerge the green beans into ice water to stop the cooking process. Then drain again. Return the pot to the heat and coat with about a teaspoon of olive oil. Then add 1/2 cup of diced onion then top with salt and pepper and allow it to sweat for about 4 minutes or until translucent. Then add 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/2 cup apple juice. Allow to simmer until it has thickened (should only take a minute or two) and then add the green beans until thoroughly coated. Serve immediately. The process of cooking the green beans takes almost exactly the time you need to allow the juices to redistribute in the meat! And that is no accident!!! :)

This meal was incredibly delicious! I loved that when sliced the pork looked like a sliced apple! (The apple looks like the core!)

Challenge Week 2- What the HECK is that?!?!

Today brings another mystery box from Dominion Harvest (https://www.dominionharvest.com/), and a little confusion! Remember that paper I told you about? Well, this week the first item on the list is Long Island Cheese Pumpkin. If you are like me, you just said WTF is that?!?!? Hahaha... Well... should make an interesting week of coming up with recipes!

So... here are is the loot from week 2 group of Dominion Harvest!

One Long Island Cheese Pumpkin (as it turns out... this is a squash variety)

One Acorn Squash

5 Red Delicious Apples

4 Red Bell Peppers

1 Head Bibb Lettuce

4 Green Tomatoes (my instinct is to fry them, like the movie title says to... but that would fall a bit short of "healthy"!!!)

1 Dozen Brown Eggs

3 BEAUTIFUL ONIONS!!!

Green Beans

Okra

Gouda Cheese

I will try to come up with some interesting recipes but I will be honest, some of these items sound like more fun than others. I am gonna really focus this week and try to come up with some yummy recipes!

Let the games begin!!! 



Challenge- Breakfast Frittatas

For this challenge I used the following ingredients from my Dominion Harvest mystery box-

• Eggs
• Red Bell Pepper
• White Cheddar Cheese

Other Ingredients-

• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 2 diced jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed (I left them in one because I like the heat)
• 1 1/2 cups of crumbled turkey sausage (I used pre-cooked turkey sausage crumbles to make it easier)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

First, heat up the olive oil and cook the sausage for about 3 minutes over medium heat in a non-stick skillet. Then add all of the veggies and allow to cook for about 2 more minutes.
Next, scramble 10 eggs and season with salt and pepper. Then pour over the sausage mixture. Allow to cook over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes while occasionally running a spatula around the edge to let the runny eggs reach the heat (like you would for an omelet!).
Once the bottom is firm and lightly browned, place a large plate (bigger than the skillet) over the top of the skillet, hold with a hot mitt, and flip. Then slide the frittata, cooked side up, back into the skillet. Top with 1/2 cup shredded white cheddar cheese.  Put in the oven at 350 degrees for 5-7 more minutes or until cooked through and firm and the cheese is lightly browned.

This is an amazing make ahead breakfast. I find that most people don't eat breakfast or eat something that is not really healthy just because it is fast and easy. The above recipe takes very little time and is FULL of flavor.  PUT DOWN the donut and WALK AWAY!!!! Now is your chance to make a choice to be healthier!

Challenge- Honey and Vanilla Poached Pears

For this challenge I used the following ingredients from my Dominion Harvest mystery box-

• Asian Pears
• Honey

Other Ingredients-

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup unsweetened apple juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

First, it a medium/large saucepan over medium heat combine water, apple juice, 1/4 cup honey, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Bring to a boil.
While the liquid comes to a boil- peel, halve, and core the pears and then toss in the lemon juice to keep them from browning.
Reduce the poaching liquid to a simmer, add the pears and cover for 3 minutes (let it go a bit longer if you prefer your pears to be softer). Remove and allow them to cool while you turn the poaching liquid back to a boil and allow it to reduce by half.
To serve, plate the pears and then pour the reduced liquid over the top.

Challenge- Eggplant Manicotti

For this challenge I used the following ingredients from my Dominion Harvest mystery box-

• Eggplant

Other Ingredients-

• Carrie's Marinara (recipe in blog)
• 1 cup fat free ricotta
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 cup shredded reduced fat mozzarella cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil cooking spray

First, trim your eggplant to make it square and remove most of the skin. Then, either use a mandolin or slice by hand to get to 1/6 of an inch. Then lay the slices down on parchment lined baking sheets then season with salt and pepper and spray lightly with olive oil cooking spray and bake at 450 degrees for about 5-10 minutes. Keep an eye on them as it will be easy to let them go too far. You want them to be soft and pliable. When you take them out, set them aside to let them cool enough that you can easily handle them.
Mix the ricotta and 1/4 cup Parmesan with the fresh basil and combine completely. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Put about 1 cup of the marinara into the bottom of an 11"X7" banking dish.
Next, equally portion the ricotta mixture into the large end of the eggplant slices as shown below.

Next, roll the eggplant up and place, seam side down, onto the marinara in the baking dish.
When all of the rolls are placed in the dish, cover with another cup of the marinara. Then top with mozzarella and the remaining Parmesan.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until warm and bubbly.

A serving is about 4-6 rolls and comes up below 300 calories a serving. I chose to serve it with some simple blanched asparagus and it was incredible! This was my hubby's first entirely vegetarian meal and not only did he love it, but he was full afterwards!

Here is the final plate-

Carrie's Marinara- What? I am MARRIED to an Italian!!!

Ingredients:

• 1 large can low sodium crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons low sodium tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons honey (I hear you saying "HUH?!?!" but trust me! It helps break up the acidity of the tomatoes but is a healthier option than dumping in sugar.
• 2 tablespoons each fresh basil, oregano, and thyme. All chopped.
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped.
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

First, heat the olive oil in your pan. Once hot, sweat the onions for 3-5 minutes or until translucent.
Next, add the minced garlic and continue to cook for about a minute. Keep an eye on this and keep it moving around the pan. Burned garlic is a nasty bitter flavor!
Then add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, honey and herbs.
Turn the heat down to a simmer and let it gently bubble away for at least an hour. Add the water only to loosen up the sauce if necessary. If it is necessary, that is usually a sign that your temp is too high on the burner! Remember, you don't want this boiling for an hour, just simmering!

This recipe is east enough to double and then you can freeze some to have on hand in a pinch.

Challenge- Butternut Squash Soup

(CHECK OUT THAT STEAM!!!!)

For this challenge I used the following ingredients from my Dominion Harvest mystery box-

•  Butternut Squash



First, I chopped a whole yellow onion and browned it in a tablespoon of olive oil plus salt and pepper to taste, in a 3qt pot.
Then, I added 1.5 teaspoons cumin and 1.5 teaspoons of ground coriander.
Then I added the chopped up butternut squash with 2 cups of low sodium fat free chicken stock and 1 cup water. I brought it to a boil, then turned to a simmer and covered with a lid.
After the squash had become tender, I put everything in a blended (it took several batches) and blended to a nice smooth texture.
To serve, I sprinkled a little cinnamon on top.

OK I will be honest, Kyle was not a fan of this one, but I loved it. I thought it was tasty and hardly had any calories, less than 100 per serving!!! My recommendation is that if you like squash, you will like this soup... but this is probably not something that is dynamic to make a believer out of someone who usually turns their nose up at this wonderful flavor!

Challenge- Indian Chicken Salad Pitas

OK so I lied, one more phone pic, I forgot to charge my camera. Sorry!

Let me just say that this picture does not do this meal justice! This thing was freakin amazing!

For this challenge I used the following ingredients from my Dominion Harvest mystery box-

•  Cucumbers

First, I took 2 chicken breasts and split them so that they would cook faster and yield more bites for the same amount of food. I put a pinch of salt and pepper on them and grilled them up.

While the meat cooked, I mixed 4 tablespoons of low fat mayo, 1 tablespoon of lime juice, 1 1/2 teaspoons of curry paste (I have a hot tomato based paste), 1/4 of a diced red onion, 1/2 of a seeded, diced cucumber.

After the meat has been allowed to rest, I chopped it into bite size pieces and added it to the mayo mixture.

Then I added some finely chopped lettuce, I had romaine on hand but you could use any kind you want. I would say about a cup after being chopped (2 romaine leaves) and mixed it all together.

I cut a whole wheat pita in half and filled with the chicken mixture, then served with a side salad.

I have never cooked with curry before. Keep in mind, the curry paste can be high in calories so you only need a small amount! It gave this dish an amazing kick and even Kyle liked it despite the onions, cucumbers, and lettuce!

I am loving these challenges, I cannot believe that CUCUMBERS inspired this dish!



Challenge- Chicken Lettuce Wraps

First, I know that these pics are not the best. I vow to start using a real camera from now on. No more cell phone pics!

For this challenge I used the following ingredients from my Dominion Harvest mystery box-

• Bibb Lettuce
• Red Bell Pepper
• White Cheddar Cheese

 First, I put about a tablespoon of olive oil in my trusty cast iron pan and once it is hot, I added 2lbs of ground chicken. I sprinkled one teaspoon of Mrs. Dash (Salt Free) Southwest Chipotle seasoning with 1/2 a teaspoon garlic powder and a dash of black pepper. Break up the meat with a flat edged spoon, and turn once browned. After turning, add equal amounts of seasoning as previously used.
Next, I diced half of a red bell pepper and threw it in with the chicken. Continue to break the chicken up so it is in smaller pieces.
Add 1/2 tablespoon of Worcestershire. (I know what you are thinking... this is an ingredient that is used on BEEF! Well, yeah, but it adds tremendous depth of flavor and allows a meal that takes 20 minutes to taste like you spent significantly longer! TRUST ME!)
While the meat simmers away, gently wash your bibb lettuce and evenly disperse it among the plates.
Shred a small amount (about 1oz per person) of the fresh white cheddar cheese to be served with your wraps. You are welcome to serve more, but if you are counting calories like I am, keep it to 1oz and be greatful for the indulgence!
Lastly, put your chicken with peppers in a bowl and place it on a plate with your lettuce leaves and your cheese on the side. I chose to add some salsa to mine for an added punch!

This was a delicious and healthy dinner! This has the added benefit of making you work to put the food together before you eat it. This is fun because it is interactive, but it allows your stomach to have time to tell your brain "I am full." I once dieted simply by eating EVERYTHING with chopsticks. Seriously! (It is crazy what fat people will resort to to get thin!) Even without changing the food I was eating, I lost a good bit of weight simply because I slowed myself down! We need to remember to have a relationship with food that does not begin and end with inhaling it. When you take the time to enjoy your meal, you give your body time to tell you when enough is enough. Trust me, and if I see you out eating steak and salad with chopsticks, you will get no judgement from me!



Challenge- Spicy Green Beans

Ok guys, step one of my personal challenge. You will notice that you do not find many processed carbs in my meals, so my plates may look empty... but healthy!!!

For this challenge I used the following ingredients from my Dominion Harvest mystery box-

• Green Beans
• Red Bell Peppers

For this I blanched the green beans in boiling water for 3 minutes, then drained and put in an ice bath to stop the cooking process, then drained again.
In a non stick pan, I heated up a tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat, then added 2 tablespoons of shallots and cooked for 2 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn!
Next, add a crushed garlic clove and simmer for another 30 seconds.
Then add 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika and 1/2 a teaspoon chili pepper powder and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper and stir around until well mixed with the oil.
Lastly, add the green beans (I had about 1lb) and one red bell pepper that was sliced in long thin strips. Stir around so it is well covered, and allow to cook about 2 more minutes.

I like my green beans crispy... so if you prefer they be softer, you might allow for more time at the end. This ended up being a pretty dish that I served with a pork loin that I covered in cajun spice before cooking in the oven. All in all, it was a meal with the right kind of heat that didn't make anyone sweat while eating. I hope you give it a try and enjoy!

A New Way of Eating

With my new role at work I am traveling quite a bit these days. That has given me the opportunity to try new foods at some really incredible places! I have really learned what a difference local and organic food can make to the taste of the dishes you ar making. As a result, I recently started looking into getting involved into a co-op or getting produce from local, sustainable farms and finally decided on Dominion Harvest (https://www.dominionharvest.com/). I decided to order the Cardinal box and to have it delivered to our house once a week. Knowing that Kyle is picky on things, I knew this would be a risk but thought I could always eat the veggies myself!

Today I got my first shipment and I was SO EXCITED! I read how it would come to us, in a red bin with ice packs and I even told Kyle he wasn't allowed to open it until I got home! When I walked in and saw that red box on our counter it was like a little kid on Christmas morning! I opened it and dug through the packing and ice pack and finally got to the goodies. JACKPOT!!!! I noticed there is a paper taped to the box that tells you what is in the box, and what farm it came from. How amazing to know EXACTLY where your produce came from? Kyle stood by as I dug through and explained everything to him, even though he knew what most of it was already. God love him for his patience!

Well, once I saw this box it sparked something in me.... a challenge. And lord knows I LOVE a challenge! Recently I have been considering taking a cookbook and cooking every single thing out of it (picture the movie Julie and Julia). Here is what I came up with instead- Every week I will post a picture of my produce with a list of what I got. Then, I am going to come up with some (mostly) healthy recipes to use everything I got and share them in my blog! My thought is that I can mix and match as much as I want, but I will have to use every single thing at least once.

So.... this is Week 1 from Dominion Harvest! Here is what I got-
A dozen brown eggs
3 red peppers
3 cucumbers
1 eggplant
1 butternut squash
1 head of bibb lettuce
4 asian pears
2lbs (roughly) green beans
1 jar of local honey
White cheddar cheese (forgot to put it in the pics! WHOOPS!)

(On a side note, check out that amazing cutting board I got this weekend! That thing is BAD ASS!)

So, let the games begin!!!!!! I am excited to share my food with you!

Black Bean Burgers

OK Guys, this is not my own recipe but it is YUMMY! High in fiber and a good change of pace. Even Kyle likes them, and that is really saying ALOT! I hope you give them a shot and let me know what you think!

Ingredients
For The Pico de Gallo
1 large beefsteak tomato, seeded
and chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 to 2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1 T lime juice
1 t extra-virgin olive oil
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For The Burgers
1 15.5-ounce can low-sodium black beans
Cooking spray
3 clv garlic, minced
1/4 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs), preferably whole-wheat
1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 t dried oregano
1/4 t kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 small (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 large California avocado, peeled and sliced

Directions
To make the pico de gallo, combine tomato, onion, jalapeños, lime juice, olive oil, cilantro, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir, cover, and set aside at room temperature for up to 30 minutes, or refrigerate for up to 3 hours to allow flavors to blend.

To make the burgers, rinse black beans in a colander and set aside. Meanwhile, coat a medium skillet with cooking spray and heat to mediumlow. Add red onion and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes, or until soft. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes more.

In a large bowl, combine black beans, onion mixture, panko, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Mash, allowing some chunks to remain. Form bean mixture into four patties about 3 inches wide and half an inch thick.

Divide tortillas into two stacks of four and wrap each stack loosely with foil. Place burgers and tortilla packets on a lightly oiled grill and cook for 4 minutes. Flip burgers and packets and cook for 3 minutes more, or until burgers are lightly browned. To serve, arrange two tortillas on each of four plates. Top with a burger, salsa, and avocado slices and serve.

The Turkey Meatloaf That Will Make You a Believer!!!

I highly suggest making a double batch of this... either cook it all together for lots of leftovers or cook half and freeze half. It is a great thing to keep on hand in case you need something one night and don't want to put a ton of effort in! If you are like me, you hate the idea of meatloaf (who the hell wants to eat a LOAF of MEAT anyway?!?!) and to consider it with turkey just sounds foul. I promise you, this tastes amazing and is super filling. Even my hubby likes it! The added beans give it a high fiber twist and the dijon mustard makes it nice and tangy.



Ingredients
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 (15-ounce) can great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/4 pounds extra-lean ground turkey
2 large eggs
1/2 cup chopped parsley
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard plus extra for serving

Instructions
Heat the oven to 375° F. Lightly coat an 8- by 4- by 2 1/2 –inch metal or glass loaf pan with cooking spray.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, thyme, cayenne, paprika, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes longer. Add beans and stir to combine. Transfer mixture to a bowl and let cool, about 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine cooled bean mixture, turkey, eggs, parsley, and 2 teaspoons of the Worcestershire sauce. Mix well with wet hands to combine. Form into a loaf and place into the prepared pan.
Stir together mustard and remaining 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce and set aside.
Bake meatloaf on the middle rack of the oven for 50 minutes.
Remove from the oven and brush with the reserved Worcestershire mixture. Return to the oven and continue baking 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until a thermometer inserted into meatloaf registers 170 ° F. Let meatloaf stand 5 minutes before serving. Serve with additional Dijon mustard.

Forever Battle

Well, I know I have been gone for a while but I had some encouragement from friends and I really want to let you know what I have learned- Being thin is a forever battle. I know what you are thinking, because I thought it too- "Shit, really? That sucks!" And yes, really. And yes, it sucks! BUT... I can do it and SO CAN YOU! The day you realize you have gained some of that weight back that you worked SO HARD to lose, it is immensely frustrating. But, I hope that you A) avoid that after reading this bc you have been warned or B) that you feel the same way I did upon this bitter realization- "I am going to fix this now and not let it happen again!" It would be so easy if once you lost the weight that it just stayed off, but then would you really be "choosing your hard" then? I think not. Being thin and healthy is a choice that you have to make every single day. Some days you may choose to be more healthy than others, but you still have to make that choice. When you start flying by the seat of your pants and riding on the glory of the weight you lost before, it will creep back up on you before you can say "yes, I want fries with that." WAKE UP PEOPLE!!! LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES!

True to form- here is my story-

I lost nearly 100lbs (as you can see from other posts and pics) and since then, here is what happened. In the span of 30 days I got a new job, quit my old one, moved from Charlotte to Richmond and stayed with my mom for several weeks, started a new job, got married, went on a honeymoon, hubby got a new job (also in Richmond) and we rented and moved into a new place. HOLY CRAP! That was alot!

In that time.... I lost track of myself. Is it understandable? SURE! I was super busy... but that is life! I am big about not making excuses for myself, that is really what allowed me to lose all that weight in the first place. It is what allowed me to say "yeah, I am fat. So now what?" Well, here are the excuses I have been giving to myself for the last 5 months or so (stop me if you have heard them before... strike that... take a good hard look in the mirror if you have SAID these before)-

• I am too tired to workout
• I am too stressed to make time to work out
• I need to get dinner on the table so there is no time to work out
• I am in a hurry so I will just grab something for dinner on the way home
• I can eat this... now that I know how to lose weight, I can just get it off later (that one really stings when you realize how freakin stupid it is!!!)

Honestly, those are just a few. I finally had to accept that I was just being lazy. YES, I am tired and stressed. Yes, I do need to get dinner together and sometimes I don't have alot of time. However, if I plan ahead there are OPTIONS. I can cook meat in advance and throw it together with veggies in NO TIME. I get being tired, but you really will have more energy when you aren't so out of shape! Mind over matter! We make time for things day in and day out, make time for yourself and your health. NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT.

This is my way of getting back on the wagon. I am back to eating right, exercising, making good choices, and drinking enough water that I feel like I am going to float away. I have decided that I am going to get back to blogging because I think some people like reading it, and I REALLY like writing it. However, I am going to mix it up a little. You all know I love to cook... so I am going to work on making this blog more recipe focused... and I am super excited about it. If you have thoughts or requests... let me know and I will try to put something together with a more healthy spin on it!