Back at it..

Meal Plan.. back in action.. 

yes, I am back in the kitchen. After a long pause as a self proclaimed "chef".. I am back at it.

I have a few new things going on in the kitchen this week. Get ready for them! Ill post when I make them but for now Ill give you a few peeks into what I will be cooking!

Strawberry & Chocolate Nachos (dessert)

Lemon Tilapia w/ Baked green bean fries & roasted garlic sauce

 

Roasted Chicken w/ Eggplant Fries

Avocado Crisps w/ well.. not sure yet, but I love avocado.. and anything with crisp sounds good to me!

And the usual.. although I have not cooked any of these since before May:

Chili (Zak is cooking Chili)

Flauntas (usual recipe)

Taco Soup (usual recipe)

M.I.A No Longer!!

I have been M.I.A in the kitchen and in the cooking blog. Well not so much in the kitchen as in the blogging but the great news is I am back! I have been focusing on eating right and not so much cooking. Now it is time to combine the two things along with blogging and get back to what I first wanted to do with this blog!

I am counting calories. I KNOW. Everyone hates to hear those words but it helps. Read Here to find out my thoughts on counting or at least understanding calories and sodium.

So, here is the menu for the week.

SNACKS
Creamy Garlic Herb Dip
Orange Chipotle Spiced Pecan Mix
(Texas made the Pecan Tree the state tree in 1919)

BREAKFAST
Mediterranean Style Frittata  Bite Size Frittata
(Frittatas originally came from Italy and the original frittata means fried. Usually fried leftovers from the night before. In america it has taken on as a breakfast since the staple American breakfast food is used.. Eggs)

LUNCH/SOUPS
Oriental Soup with Mushrooms, Bok Choy, and Shrimp
(Bok Choy is China Cabbage. In 2009 a women died from consuming 1.5 kg a day. Bok Choy has toxins in it that if you eat large quantities, can cause upset stomachs and dizziness)  FREAKY!
Chicken Asparagus Salad Creamy Chicken & Asparagus Salad
Chicken Salad with Avocado Dressing
(Avocado has the highest protein than any other fruit. It also has very healthy fats but should not be eaten in large quantities at a time. If you have an avocado that is not ripe, place it in a paper bag to speed up the process or you can place it in the fridge to slow down the ripening process.)

DINNER
Skillet Shrimp with BBQ Glaze Glazed Skillet Shrimp
Balsamic Chicken and Mushrooms
Dark Bean Soup with Avocado Lime Salsa
Southwestern Chicken and White Bean Soup
Yucatecan Rice Salad
(Yucatecan is a mixture of Mexican and European. This is because the Yucatecan Peninsula, apart of Mexico, was considered to be to far to reach from all other parts of Mexico. The Peninsula was known for having ports and the European were able to reach the ports easily. This is when the Peninsula became influenced with the European was such as dress, architecture, and .. you guessed it, cooking)



Looks like I have some major cooking to do! Can't wait to cook, take pics, and share my recipe (tweeks as always from the recipe I get it from) Be looking for it as early as tomorrow!

Again, I will link each dish to the recipe and photos as I make/upload them!

Creamy Chicken Salad with Asparagus

This recipe had me excited and "ify". I love chicken salad. I Love asparagus. Putting them together? I was not sure. I don't like grapes in my chicken salad, or nuts, or really anything crunchy/hard. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised! In a good way. It was delicious. The asparagus was very refreshing in it. The creamy sauce is yummy! This will be going in my cook book for sure! (I only put recipes in my cook book if I want to make it again)

Creamy Chicken Salad w/ Asparagus Spears
*1 cup of cut asparagus spears
*1/4 cup of mayo (I use olive oil mayo)
*1/4 cut of butter milk
*half a lemon's juice (or less if you don't like lemon juice.i love it)
*you could add salt but I didn't add any salt
* shake of ground pepper
*1/4 tsp of parsley
*1/4 tsp of oregano
*1/2 tsp of garlic powder
*1/4 tsp mrs dash garlic lime spice
*2 cups of shredded cooked chicken
(I am sure some people would like to add fresh tomato slices)

Cook chicken if not already cooked and shred it
Cut the asparagus and then steam it until desired tenderness
Drain asparagus, then plunge into ice water. Then drain it
(you want the cooked asparagus to be cold not hot)
Combine Mayo and the next 7 ingredients into bowl and whisk
Taste and add extra spices to taste
Add chicken and asparagus. Toss lightly until all is covered by the creamy sauce.
Serve as is or place in fridge to chill. Add bread, crackers, or plain with a side of fruit. 

 This dish is for 2 people or half not half later.
The nutrition facts are for the full dish. If you eat half the dish, cut the facts in half! It is high in sodium but if you get reduced sodium everything, this could be lowered greatly.


Calories: 342
Total Fat: 14g
Choleserol: 71mg
Carbs: 23g
Protein: 30g
Sodium: 673mg

Glazed Skillet Shrimp

The recipe I used called this dish BBQ Shrimp. This is not what I thought of when I ate it. Actually when I made it I knew it wasn't even close to BBQ. I make my own bbq sauce so I know what goes into bbq sauces. This I will just call a glaze.

Glazed Skillet Shrimp*1 tablespoon of butter
*1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
*    cup of fat free Italian dressing
*1 teaspoon of dried rosemary
*14 peeled tail-on thawed shrimp
*1 lemon wedge

Mix the first four ingredients in a bowl. Pour into a skillet and bring to a boil on medium heat.
Add shrimp to skillet and cook shrimp to preferred "doneness"
I flipped the shrimp once in the skillet
Cut lemon into wedges and serve

Great dish for an appetizer, part of a seafood or steak meal, or just as a small light lunch.

200 calorie meals

My last day of work is tomorrow.. and of course here it is 1:30 am. Why am I still awake? What am I doing at this time in the morning. Believe it or not I am looking at 200 calorie meals. This is why I have not been posting what I have been cooking. My meals have been.. well.. not that interesting. Now that I wont be working, these meals can become interesting. I am on a 200 calorie meal plan for 5 times a day. There is a lot more into my meal plan but that is the easiest way to put it. I have heard. DON'T COUNT CALORIES. Well, it works.. not just losing weight though. I have learned. LEARNED so much about what is good for you to eat. What is not good that I thought was good. AND that every damn thing has sooo much sodium in it.

Counting the numbers daily per meal Benifits:
1. I have learned that things I thought were good for me, because the box said so or because it isn't fried, really are NOT good for me (or you).
2. 1,200 calories split between 5 meals makes each meal 200 calories. This is very easy to meet. I actually am usually under, which is not good. I am working on adding more calories.
3. Sodium. Your sodium intake should be the same as your calorie intake (for most people trying to loose weight) Sodium is in EVERYTHING. There is no way to get around it. You can majorly reduce it though. It makes a huge difference if you get reduced sodium, or no sodium, or 1/3 less sodium things. Just read the labels in the store. COMPARE! You will be suprised!
4. Low or No Sodium things taste just the same! Low sodium soy sauce, or chicken stock, or popcorn. It all taste the same!
5. I have learned to think. Counting has made me think. Exspecially when I cook. It makes me think, Do I Really Need to Add That?
6. Mainly I have to say it has just opened my eyes on food. It has taught me that the fried chicken fingers every day are doing nothing good for me. That I am getting more carbs and calories and fat from the breading than the protien from the chicken. You can take chicken breast add some whole wheat craker crumbs, bake it, and have a healthy yummy chicken finger plate!
Counting has made eating healthy become a life style. Or at least working towards a life style. It is easy after the first month of it! 

I find when I don't write it down, I cheat. If I write it, I wont eat it because seeing it makes me feel bad and sick! WRITE IT DOWN, COUNT IT, LEARN IT!