I feel like chicken tonight...

...like chicken tonight, chicken tonight!
Does anyone but me remember that old jingle? Maybe I am just crazy. Anyway...

I am still in a veggie mood because I am afraid to eat anything else. I don't know all the places gluten can hide yet, so I am weary of eating anything packaged. The great thing is that I have lots of veggies on hand. The not-so-great thing is that the hubs is getting a little sick of potatoes. Ah, well. One more night of dinner and then we fly out to Colorado for a family reunion. That should be a blast, even if it is full of food mines and explosions.

So here is tonight's dinner. Roasted chicken and veg.


This is really easy too. Grab a large 13x9 baking dish. (Side note: I heart Pyrex) Cut your potatoes, carrots, and onions into chunks that are roughly the same size, dump them in your baking dish. Drizzle Olive Oil over the top, then sprinkle on salt and pepper. Toss to coat (in the pan, trying to avoid dishes- ya dig?). On a separate plate, drizzle your chicken with olive oil. Add salt, pepper, and seasoning on both sides. Put on top of the veggies in the baking dish, then cover with foil. Bake at 375 degrees F for about an hour or until the veggies are tender and the chicken reads at an internal temperature of 180 degrees F.

Yum!

I'm all about the easy...

So this was our dinner. Hash is lovely.

Olive oil in a large skillet. Add cubed potatoes and diced onions. Add ground beef (mmm, bessie...) Cook until everything is done, stirring occasionally. Salt, pepper, and a tiny bit of sugar.

Yum, and totally gluten free.

In other GF news, I will have the tests run next week. Since I feel a lot better already, I think this may be the path that I am heading down...

Stir Fry, My style

So, this is what I made for dinner last night. It was mighty tasty. I had forgotten that I like to cook. Well, mostly.

I am really trying this whole gluten free thing. Even if I don't end up needing to eat gluten free, I think that I would still try it. If for no other reason than it might get me cooking at home more, and eating out less. That would probably also help me lose the extra fifty to sixty pounds that I have gained.

So this post is to remind myself that home cooking is a good thing. (Picture Martha saying it).



My Stirred Fry

Wok Oil (just a bit)
Chicken
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Snap Peas
Carrots
Broccoli Shoots
Onions
Hoisin Sauce
Rice Wine Vinegar
Sesame Oil

All amounts are at your discretion. Choose what you like, and how much you like. Chop and size according to your tastes.

Heat your wok over high heat. Glug the wok oil in the wok (I used about two turns). When the oil is hot, toss the chicken in. Brown for a few minutes until the chicken is mostly done. Push chicken to the sides of the wok and add a veg. Cook until the veg is just barely warm. Push that veg to the sides of the wok and add another veg, continue until all the veggies have been added. (Cook whatever will take the longest first, then add from there). Hopefully, by the end, all the veggies will be added and crisp-tender.

Add a bit of hoisin sauce. Stir. Cook until eveything is done to your liking. Turn off the heat. Add a bit of rice wine vinegar. Stir. Take wok off the heat, then add a few drops of sesame oil. Stir.

Serve over rice.

Makes about as much as you want to consume. It really depends on how many veggies you added. If your wok is too small, the cook each item separately until almost done to your liking. Take the item our of the wok just before it is cooked through and set aside. When everything is cooked, then you can add it all back in, add your sauces, and voila! Stir Fry.

Our biggest loser

I am officially the an email queen for our biggest loser competition. Included in the first email was a fitness tip and recipe (see below). Since starting our competition, it has been really hard to take out the sweets. My down fall is, and always has been, bakery items. I love the danish, I love my favorite cake, and I really, really, really love banana cream pie. (Warning: The links click to pictures of these forbidden items- click at your own risk!). So imagine the horror when I walk into my break room at work to see a whole spread of pastries, mini tarts, and coffee cakes. All of it was on sale for our first quarter fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah.

Luckily, I was prepared. I packed the best lunch today and although I was tempted, I stayed strong. I also chewed a half stick of Extra Sweet Watermelon Gum. At five calories per stick, it is a great deal. It cuts my cravings so fast and lasts a while. I totally passed the danish test at work today because of it! Go Me!

Anyway, I hope that I can actually get to the gym tomorrow, otherwise I might go a bit crazy. I miss the warm weather only because I miss my bike. But really, a few more months of winter isn't bad either.

Big Tip of the Week:Shop the Perimeter

Recipe of the Day: Tuna Salad Twist

Plain old tuna salad seems like a great, low-cal, healthy item. But when using a full fat mayo it can be pretty bad for you. This is a lighter version with a few new flavors. This is also great because you can eat it open-faced, in a whole wheat pita, in a whole grain tortilla for a 'snack wrap', or my favorite: as a topping on a big bed of lettuce. If using as a main course this has 2 servings. If using as a snack item this has 4 servings.

8 oz (1 standard can) of white tuna in water- please buy from a reputable company that does not harm dolphins or whales :)
2 Tablespoons low-fat mayo
3/4 teaspoon lemon zest
1 squeeze of lemon juice, fresh is best
2 Tablespoons of chopped celery
2 Tablespoons of chopped green onion, optional
2 Tablespoons chopped dill pickle, optional

Drain tuna and place in a bowl. Mix in remainder of ingredients and blend well. Chill for at least one hour and serve.

As a main item (2 servings) the Per serving nutrition information: calories 170; fat 3 grams; carbs; 4 grams; protein 30 grams; fiber 2 grams

St. Patties Day

I just wanted to do a quick post about one of my favorite holidays of the year. St. Patrick's Day! Yeah!!!! Green beer and pinching people for fun always sounded like good times to me :) I sometimes wonder why the green beer started...hmmm, maybe time for more research. So I do what I always do when I am curious about something.... I googled it. A wealth of information available right at my fingertips. I think the history of St. Patties Day is very interesting, but I still could not find an answer to why the green beer started. A curious thing indeed.

Anyway, I thought that I would share a recipe today. This bread is crusty on the outside and has a great heaviness to it. This bread is rib-stickin' bread and you don't need to eat a lot... Trust me, I overindulged last year :)

THIS RECIPE IS NOT ALLERGY SAFE- so If you have allergies, try substitution.

IRISH SODA BREAD
Adapted from a recipe by MP Welty on allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

4 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup buttermilk

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk; brush loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an 'X' into the top of the loaf.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 30 to 50 minutes. You may continue to brush the loaf with the butter mixture while it bakes.