Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Wait, what?

Hey beloved readers, followers & stumblers! Time to change up this blog a bit. While I've been thoroughly enjoying trying a new recipe every day, it's been next to impossible to keep up since my return to work. Obviously, I'm still eating but I do rely on old faithfuls on those days when I'm dragging my butt off the bus.
Also, this challenge (combined with my broken foot and lack of ability for my usual activity level) has had some serious consequences on my waistline. Now, a gal hates to admit her weigh ins...but I'll leave it at an extra 3 inches in all the wrong places.
That being said, I'm going to be using this blog as a motivational means to keep my diet on track! I'm still going to be posting recipes, and yup- even daily again. I think it'll help me stick to this diet I've started on. For those of you wondering, I'm following a strict "Amanda" diet, haha. I've taken pieces of the P90X nutrition plan, recipes from the biggest loser and tidbits of Weight Watchers and Atkins diets. I'm also using a great FREE support site Spark People to track my calorie intake, measurements and physical activity.

Being in my 20's and working a job that requires me to be reasonably active for the entire day, it's really difficult to lose the last 10 pounds. Exercise alone is not enough, so I'm excited to embark on this and I've even got my boyfriend on board for extra support!

Damn, I sure will miss my crispy chicken skin though....

Day 1. Let's do this.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Oven Crispy Honey Garlic Chicken Drummies

Recipe 46.
MMMM. We had these for dinner last night and I knew this was a recipe that was blog worthy. It was SO good. Like so so so so good. And the smell- wow! The bf asked me about 15 times "is dinner ready yet?". Worth the extra effort of heating the sauce versus marinading in the fridge before hand. Truth be told, I didn't measure anything other then the honey in this recipe. I truly feel that it's one of those things that you can eyeball your ingredients and still end up with success.

7                  chicken drumsticks, skin on.
1/4 C            honey
4                  dashes on Tabasco sauce
2 T               soya sauce
1 T               Worcestershire sauce
2 T               lime juice
4 cloves        garlic, minced

Preheat your oven to 375F (400F if you want that extra crispy skin!).
Meanwhile, in a saucepan combine honey, tabasco, soya, worcestershire, lime and garlic. Bring to a slow boil over medium-high heat and then reduce to simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Place chicken on a rack in a roasting pan and brush both sides with sauce. Bake at 375 for about an hour, or until juices run clear and chicken is no longer pink, basting with the sauce every 15 minutes. Do not baste when you remove from the oven. Serve with salad and rice or potatoes! Mmmmm. This is actually a wing recipe that I adapted for what I had on hand.

Biggest Loser Buffalo Chicken-Blue Cheese Meat loaf

Recipe 45





Sadly, I'm getting pretty bad at remembering to take pictures of my dinners. And equally as awful as posting them- I guess it is harder to be an 365 no repeat urbanite after all. This recipe was yummy and super flavorful, definitely spicier the next day when reheated for my lunch. I bought the blue cheese with this recipe and the one that will follow in mind, so since it's a little expensive I suggest having another recipe in mind if you decide to make it! Not sure how well it went over with the boy, but I thought for a healthy chicken wing substitute, it was pretty delish.

2/3 cup                 old fashioned oats
1/2 C                    fat-free milk
2 1/2 T                 Frank's buffalo wing sauce, more or less to taste
1 lb                      extra lean ground chicken (do not substitute ground turkey here!)
1/2 C                    finely chopped celery
1/4 C                    shredded carrot
1/4 C                    finely chopped sweet onion
1 egg                    lightly beaten
1/4 t                     salt
1/2 C                    crumbled reduced-fat blue cheese

Preheat your oven to 350F. Lightly mist a 9x5x3 loaf pan with olive oil spray. I lined my pan with aluminum foil and then sprayed that, hello easy clean-up!
Combine the oats and milk in a bowl and stir to mix. Let stand for about 3 minutes or until the oats begin to soften. Stir in the wing sauce until well mixed. Add the chicken, celery, carrot, onion, egg whites and salt. Mix the ingredients with a fork or clean hands well. Add the blue cheese crumbles and gently mix to combine.
Transfer the mixture to your prepared loaf pan and press down, spread so that the top is flat. Bake for about an hour, or until the chicken is completely cooked and no longer pink. Cut into 8 slices and serve! I did a twice baked potato as the side for this recipe and thought it complimented it rather well- stick with a broccoli/cheese mix for the potato to keep it lightened up! Or, serve with a green salad.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Easter Egg Cake

Recipe 44...if you can call it that, haha.
Okay, so this really isn't a recipe per-say. It's a super cute way to add a little flair to your dessert, and sure way to get everyone complimenting your creativity. Because I used box cake mix and pre-made icing, this recipe really couldn't be any easier.

1 box          Duncan Hines white cake mix, prepared as per package instructions & divided evenly into 4 bowls
2 cans         Duncan Hines cream cheese white icing
                  food coloring (red, blue, green, yellow)
                  chocolate mini eggs
                  round sprinkles in light easter colors

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare and divide the cake mix into 4 bowls. Add a few drops of red and yellow food coloring to one batch of cake mix. Stir to make a pink base. In another bowl, add equal parts blue and red coloring to make a purple base. Add green to another batch of cake mix and yellow to the last remaining batch. Pour the batter into 4 round cake pans and bake for about 15 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Place cakes onto a rack and allow to cook for about 30 minutes.
Decide on the order you want to assemble the cake and stack them, spreading a layer of icing in between each layer. Ice the cake and arrange mini-eggs around the bottom and tops, and then shake some sprinkles on top! Piece of cake ;) Enjoy!

Lemony Roasted Root Vegetables

Recipe 43.
Sadly, I didn't take a picture of this. By time we were all gathered around the table after first & second courses, I just wanted to dig in to the main event. These were a yummy take on traditional roasted vegetables. You can roast them in the same pan with the tenderloin, I just chose not to.

1/4 C           extra virgin olive oil
3 T              fresh chopped oregano
3 T              lemon juice
1 T              Dijon mustard
1/2 t each     salt & pepper
1/4 t             hot red pepper flakes
1 lb              mini white potatoes, scrubbed & cut in half
3                 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
1                 large onion, chopped into large chunks

In a bowl whisk together olive oil, oregano, lemon juice, mustard, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Arrange potatoes, carrots and onions in a pan and toss with dressing. Bake in a 350 F oven for about an hour and a half. Serve with pork tenderloin!

Artichoke Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Recipe 42.
*recipe from Canadian Living, April 2011 issue
Happy Easter all! I had the honor of hosting Easter dinner for my parents & the bf's parents. On top of the fact that it was my first time hosting a holiday, it was also the first meet & greet for our parents! Talk about stressful- but very successful! We all had a great time and the meal came out perfectly! I took the safe route by sticking to ham & pork tenderloin (my chicken luck has been coming up short lately). Everyone raved about this pork tenderloin, enjoy!

2- 1lb               pork tenderloins, butterflied (you can google ways to do this but if you bat your eyelashes and smile                        ever so sweetly, your butcher will do this for you!)
1 pkg               baby spinach
3 T                  extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves            garlic, minced
1 leek                thinly sliced, white and light green parts only
1 can                 artichokes, drained, pressed & sliced
1 cup                shredded Gouda cheese (Tip: Freeze the gouda for 30 minutes prior to shredding. It'll be much easier)
3/4 cup             fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup             parmesan cheese
1/3 cup             chopped fresh italian parsley

In a dutch oven, cover and cook spinach with 2 T of water over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes until wilted. Remove from heat and drain well. Set aside in a large bowl to cool.
In the same pan, add olive oil, leeks and garlic. Saute until softened, about 6 minutes. Add to bowl with spinach.
Stir in artichokes,cheeses, parsley and bread crumbs. Season with salt & pepper. I made this stuffing ahead and put it in the fridge until I was ready to put the tenderloin in the oven. It's safe to do this for up to 24 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lay the butterflied tenderloins onto a clean cutting board and mound a heaping portion of the stuffing mixture in the centre of each. Pressing the stuffing helps you get more of it in there! Roll the sides of the tenderloin tightly together and tie with string. Season the outside of the pork with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. Transfer to a roasting pan and bake until the juices run clear and the temperature reaches 160 F. Yup, I got my hands on a meat thermometer the time. About an hour cooking time. Let rest on a cutting board loosely tented with aluminum foil. Slice into 6 pieces and serve!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

day 40, recipe 41: Cuban Pork Roast with Mojo Crillo

This was way different then any pork roast I've ever done, but in a good way. It was definitely a nice change & that's what this challenge is all about. The fact that we had already eaten our side dishes more then 20 minutes before this roast was done was a little disappointing, but hey- that's urban cooking for ya. Live and learn, or buy a meat thermometer. Recipe from Canadian Living.

1             boneless pork rib roast, 3-4 pounds
2             garlic cloves, slivered
1/2 C       orange juice
1/4 C       lime juice (i used concentrated)
1/4 C       lemon juice (ditto)
2 T          extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp        each cumin, pepper, and dried oregano
3/4 C       chicken broth

Cut slits around pork & insert garlic slivers. Whisk together all other ingredients except chicken stock, pour over pork & place into a large resealable bag. Place in the fridge for 4-24 hours (the longer, the better), turning occasionally.
Place roast & marinade in a roasting pan and cover, roasting at 325 degrees F for 1 hour. Uncover, baste & continue cooking for another hour. Broil until golden brown, about 3 minutes.
Remove from pan and place on to a cutting board. Loosely tent with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile skim fat from pan juices and add enough chicken broth to make 1 1/4 cups of sauce. More broth if you want it less tangy.

Well, typing out this recipe I know now where I went wrong. Before I started in on it, I knew it was going to take 2 hours but for some reason I pulled it out and tented it after an hour and a half. Paying attention is the key to success. I don't have a picture of the cooked roast because I was pretty much over it by time I served it- BUT! I went to metro yesterday and just about fell over when I saw the price of them! We bought two roasts and froze them a few weeks ago when they were on sale. I paid $4.57 for the same exact roast (weight, type). Check out the price this week.

yay for being a smart shopper! I would have been royally pissed if I paid $20 and my roast didn't take center stage about dinner time!

day 40, recipe 40: Sassy Sides- Skinny Sweet Potatoes & Seared Brussel Sprouts

I really don't like brussel sprouts. Or at least I didn't until I came across this lovely little recipe. These are sooooo good, I went back for seconds. The skinny sweet potatoes are a nice change to the traditional mashed potatoes, and as an added bonus- no gravy required! Yay for skipping steps and less dishes.

Seared Brussel Sprouts
2lb            fresh brussel sprouts, washed & cut into half, outer leaf removed
1lb            slab bacon (I used 1/2 package of sliced bacon because it's what I had on hand)
2 T           extra virgin olive oil

In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat & add bacon. Add just enough water to the skillet to cover the bacon and cook until the water has fully evaporated, about 8 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring around to break up the bacon. Remove bacon from skillet & strain off fat into a bowl.
Toss the brussel sprouts in the bacon fat and return to skillet flat side down over high heat (it'll be a little smokey, open a window in advance). Cook sprouts for 3 minutes without moving & then flip to cook round side for about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat & toss with bacon crumbles. That's all, folks. Phenomenal. Seriously. I mean, it involves bacon, how could it not be?

Skinny Sweet Potatoes3                large sweet potatoes, washed & peeled, cut into pieces
3 C             low sodium chicken broth
3 C             water
2 T             butter
1/4 C           brown sugar (more or less, depends on how sweet you like it)
                   generous dash of black pepper

In a pot, bring water & chicken broth to a boil and cook potatoes until they are tender. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid. Add butter, brown sugar & black pepper to pot and use your potato masher to create a creamy mashed potato texture. Serve immediately!

note the big empty space on the plate...sigh. I made a cuban pork roast to accompany these sassy sides and because I don't own a meat thermometer, it wasn't ready when the sides were. Truly disappointing.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

day 39, recipe 39: Asian Vermicelli Chicken Soup

Oh no, we've got germs in the house. My boyfriend is uber-sick so I decided to make a hearty chicken soup in hopes of making him feel better! I got this recipe awhile back from my momma and made a few tweaks to it based on other similar recipes I found on the internet!


6 C              chicken broth
4 C              fresh spinach, washed & cut into bite size pieces
1 C              mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 C        matchstick carrots
4 ounces      vermicelli rice noodles
1/2              onion, cut into thin slices
1 t               ginger
3 T              fish oil
3 ounces      snow peas, halved
1/2 t            chili pepper flakes
1 1/2 C        cooked diced chicken
2                 stalks of celery, sliced

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook rice noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside.
Bring chicken broth to a boil and add carrots, celery, onion and snow peas; cook for 2 minutes and remove from heat. Stir in chicken, spinach, mushrooms, ginger, fish oil & chili flakes. Let stand for 3 minutes for flavours to absorb.
Place a heaping amount of rice noodles into a bowl & spoon broth and vegetables over top. Garnish with fresh tomato slices if you want!

day 38, recipe 38: Potato Frittata

It's really, really hard to find brown bag lunch recipes that I actually want to make. And they have to stand up to the options available in the food court if I'm going to be happy to bring them, y'know? This recipe doubles as a breakfast on the run or a yummy healthy lunch! It can be eaten cold or hot, and is especially good with a little bit of salsa. Modified from original recipes I found because I didn't have any spinach on hand.

6               large eggs
1/3 C         milk
7               white mushrooms, diced
1/2            broccoli head, cut into bite size pieces
2               cloves of garlic, minced
3               medium potatoes, washed, peeled & cut into thin circles
2               green onions, white & green parts, sliced
2 T            vegetable oil
1/2 C         part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

In a bowl, combine eggs & milk; whisk together to "scramble" the eggs.
Heat oil over medium heat and add potato circles. Season with salt and pepper and cook covered for about 8 minutes.
Add all your vegetables to the skillet and cook for about 2 more minutes.
Pour egg mixture into skillet and reduce to medium low, cover and cook for about 10 minutes, until all the egg has cooked.
Heat the broiler in your oven. Sprinkle frittata with cheese & place under broiler for about 3 minutes.
Remove from oven, let stand for 3 minutes. Cut into 8 slices & serve, or pack into individual ziploc containers!