Summer Orzo Salad

I'm the only person in my immediate family that really likes pasta salad. I can get everyone to eat it, but they don't LOVE it. Which is a shame, because it's one of my favorites, especially in the summer when I have fresh veggies and herbs from the garden. I guess that just means more for me, right? Makes for great lunches at work.

This batch features all fresh herbs from the garden...by end of summer, nearly all the veggies will be from my garden as well.

Please note that this is really flexible to what you have on hand. I use different cheeses every time, and sometimes I add tomatoes. This time around I only had a little bit of fresh basil upstairs and didn't feel like going back down to the garden, so I supplemented with some fresh marjoram. Tasted great.

2 cups orzo pasta

1 medium cucumber, diced

1/2 red pepper, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

1/4 cup red onion, diced

1/2 cup diced mozzarella cheese (provolone is also great)

2T chopped fresh dill

2T chopped fresh basil

1T fresh thyme ( the leaves are so small I don't chop, just pull off the sprig)

3T olive oil

3T red wine vinegar

1/2t garlic powder

1t pepper

1/2t kosher salt

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain, and allow to cool for a moment. Meanwhile, prep cheese, all veggies and herbs. Place pasta, veggies, cheese and herbs in a bowl. Whisk oil, vinegar and garlic powder together in a small bowl. Pour over pasta salad. Add salt and pepper, and mix well. Chill for an hour before serving.

Willpower, baby!!!

Another day at the desk, eating a thrilling lunch. But I'm proud of myself. I'm eating this.

Instead of this.

Or this.

Or one of these.

There's about 4 boxes of those muffins at the front desk and I'm having to walk past this stuff all day. Torture. I looked at the info on the muffins...33g of fat in one little muffin. Ack.

I'm proud of myself. I'm eating salad. And if I get a wild hair afterward, I'm gonna eat this-

That's me. Living dangerously.

EWWWWWW!!!!

My sister bought the boys a home science kit where you collect and grow bacteria, just like they would at the doctor's office. I swabbed my nose. Hubby swabbed his ear. R swabbed the sink. K swabbed the foos-ball table. Which do you think grew the nastiest stuff? Tell me what you think. I will post the photos tomorrow. EWWWWW!!!!

I was naughty tonight (yay me)

I am beginning to surprise myself about just how disciplined I've become with our diets here at home. I usually make all of our salad dressings from scratch. I love homemade vinaigrette, no sugar, and less oil. Plus it's cheap to make. Win win, right? I do, however, keep a few bottles of dressing in the pantry for quick marinating or quick dip options (hubby is a dipper). Using bottled is a rarity for me though, particularly in a salad.

Tonight, though, as I looked at my options for a salad and thought about the perfect dressing for said contemplated salad, this bottle called to me from downstairs on the shelf. Number 1 ingredient? High Fructose Corn Syrup. (shudder). I decided to pretend that I didn't read that and threw all discipline to the winds (sorta). I used about 4T over the family salad, and then added about 2T of balsamic vinegar before I tossed the salad. I must say, not using the bottled dressing very often is a good thing, but this stuff rocks!

Here was the ingredient list that made this a perfect match:

romaine lettuce
1 hard boiled egg, peeled and chopped
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
1 roma tomato, diced
1/4 cup 2% milk cheddar cheese, grated

I logged all of this into Calorie Count tonight and got a decent grade, and my total fat grams for the day was actually surpisingly low- 36. So I guess in the end, not super naughty, just naughty enough :)

***By the way...this is why I surprise myself....bottled salad dressing for me is now a "naughty splurge" LOLOL. Too funny.

Oh, and...I was going to take a picture of that salad, but I scarfed it so fast I totally forgot. My bad.

Proud Mommy Moment

I made a big batch of sundried tomato hummus last night. My 7 year old actually got excited and asked if he could take some for lunch today. :::Sniff:::: My formerly picky child made a healthy choice, on his own. I had to photograph it as proof before he goes and does something 7 year old-ish :)

Time to start planning for the garden!

Hard to believe since my garden is still pretty snow covered that I need to start working on plants so that my garden will be like this again...

I start getting my seeds and supplies together this week, and I'll be designing a garden layout plan. Hubby is going to extend the bunny fencing to the front this summer as well, and try that instead of the water scarecrows, as they are just hellbent on getting to my green beans. This year I hope to end up with more than just a handful!

This year presents a bit of a challenge...I need to rotate where I had tomatoes last year, and because of the garden's shape, any of my options for where to relocate will have less space. Less space means less tomatoes. Bad because I won't have as many for salads, salsas and sauces, good because it will free up some space to try some new things. I will be doing lettuce and spinach this year, expanding my herbs, and perhaps trying some carrots. I will also be expanding my peppers, because hubby wants to try his hand at smoking jalapenos to make chipotle peppers.

I will post as I progress over the next week...what are you planting this year?

Roasted Broccoli

There is officially nothing that doesn't taste better after roasting. Well, okay, maybe not...but broccoli sure wasn't on my list of roasting no-brainers. I was actually a little skeptical. I felt better after watching my 4 and 7 year old inhale their broccoli. This will be going into regular rotation around here, and it's sooo easy!

1lb. fresh broccoli, cut into florets
2T olive oil
1t kosher salt
1/2 pepper
1T lemon juice

Preheat oven to 425....spray cookie sheet with no stick spray and spread broccoli evenly onto sheet. Drizzle oil over broccoli, sprinkle with salt and put in oven for 15-20 minutes until broccoli is tender and has some nice browning. After removing from oven, season with lemon juice, pepper, and if desired, an additional pinch of salt.

Asparagus with Lemon Dill Dipping Sauce

Well, I was going to take a picture of this today, as I'd made it to take to work. Except hubby ate it. All of it. LOL. He seriously is the world's worst late night snacker. I didn't say anything to him about not eating it because a) I've never seen him eat more veggies than necessary, and b) he doesn't like dill. I guess late night snack desperation took over :)

Anyway, this is a snack I like to make to take to work. You can also increase the amounts you make and serve as a healthy snack at a party.

1/2lb. fresh asparagus, ends removed
1T light mayonnaise
1/4 cup light sour cream
1t dijon mustard (I like to use Horseradish Dijon for a little extra kick)
1T lemon juice
1t lemon peel, finely grated
1/4t kosher salt
1/4t garlic powder
1/4t pepper
1/4t dried dill

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop asparagus in and cook about 2 minutes, until crisp tender. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop cooking.

Meanwhile, mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Cover, and chill both the dip and the asparagus until serving. Hide from hubby.

Check out other great recipes at Cooking Thursday.

Easy Spinach and Grapefruit Salad

This has become my new favorite healthy salad for lunch, and it's ridiculously easy. Mix 3 cups of fresh spinach with 1 red grapefruit, sliced into sections, and 1 strawberry Fiber One yogurt. Sprinkle with poppy seeds. Toss to coat. Eat.

173 calories gives you 10 grams of fiber, 150% of your daily Vitamin A and C needs, 20% of your iron, 15% of your potassium and 15% of your calcium. Not bad, huh?

Another way to sneak nutrition into food...

I use my coffee grinder a lot...and not for coffee :)

When I see the most common "deceptively delicious" type recipes, they generally involve sneaking in pureed fruits and vegetables. What I also work on sneaking in at my house is more beans, brown rice, oats, flax, and other grains. I find it very easy to do with my coffee grinder. A half cup of steel cut oats that has been grinded to a fine flour takes seconds, and is a lovely addition to pancakes, breads, etc., without the typical oat texture.

Beans and grains together are a whole protein. A quarter cup of dried black beans and a quarter cup of brown rice grinded and added to supplement the flour in brownies adds nutritional value.

Grind up your flax and sprinkle it into oatmeal, stir into yogurt or smoothies.

My kids never notice a thing.

Crockpot Turkey Chili

I made this chili in the slowcooker on Sunday, and will be using it in a couple of this week's meals, plus I'll have a little to freeze for another meal. It calls for my secret ingredients, don't laugh- strong brewed coffee, and a dash of cinnamon. I like to cook it and then let it sit in the refrigerator for at least a day. It helps the flavors blend.

1lb. lean ground turkey
1/2t salt (you will likely only need if using cooked beans, not canned)
1/2t pepper (I like to use the Penzey's California Blend)
1 can pinto beans (or 2 cups cooked)
1 can black beans ( or 2 cups cooked)
2 cans diced tomatoes (I used rotel cilantro lime)
1 can whole tomatoes, break up with wooden spoon in crockpot
2 cups strong brewed coffee
1T garlic powder
2T chili powder ( I used Penzey's Ancho Chili Powder)
1t cumin
1/4t cinnamon
3 beef boullion cubes

Brown turkey in skillet over medium high until cooked through and no longer pink. Meanwhile, place all other ingredients into slow cooker. Add turkey when cooked. Let cook on low for 6+ hours, or high for 3-4.

Waffles

Check it out! The first waffles I've ever made, in my first waffle iron! Really not sure why it took so long to get one, since I think waffles are a food group if you're 7 and 4. I like the healthier waffles, too, so those get pricey without sales and coupons. I played around and combined a couple of different recipes and adjusted for what I had for this recipe. Turned out great! I might toy with adding some ground flax seed or wheat germ in the future, but I was out of both this time around.

1 1/4 cups white flour
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup steel cut oats ground in coffee grinder to a nice oat flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups buttermilk (also used about 3/4 cup of skim milk to thin batter after mixing)
2 eggs
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine flour through salt in a large bowl and mix. In separate bowl, whisk buttermilk through cinnamon. Add to dry ingredients and stir until combined. Let rest for about 5 minutes. Heat waffle iron. Cook according to your iron's directions. For me, I used about 1 cup of batter per waffle, and they cooked for about 4 minutes. Perfect!

Getting Legumes and Veggies in Your Diet

A huge thanks to Katie at Kitchen Stewardship- She analyzed my meal plan last week and made suggestions about how to increase the beans and veggies in easy ways. She has great insight and information about the benefits of beans in your diet on a daily basis, making complete proteins, and other things that I know I can say I need to think about more! I find Katie's site to be super informative and thoughtful. Check out the advice she made for me here .

Katie will analyze your meal plan as well, and make suggestions. Just head over to Kitchen Stewardship. Thanks, Katie!!

Menu Plan Week of 6/21

We're not turning the oven on at all this week. I am going to try to use the grill and the microwave as much as possible, and I will be really branching out with the variety of cold salads with dinner. I'm also experimenting with some new recipes, both online and from a couple of new cookbooks I've gotten. I'll be posting more recipes as I go.

Monday 6/22
Grilled Garlic Chicken $1.50
Grilled artichokes $2.00
Spaghetti noodles with parmesan, olive oil and chopped fresh basil $1.00
Spinach and blueberry salad $1.00
$5.50

Tuesday 6/23
Smoked bbq pork sandwiches $2.80
Pork $1.50, buns .50, bbq .50, cheese .30
Apple Cole Slaw $1.75
Corn .50
$5.05

Wednesday 6/24
Taco salad $4.25
Nectarine slices $1.00
$5.25

Thursday 6/25
Mini Cheese ravioli with portabello mushroom sauce $4.00
Salad $1.00
$5.00

Friday 6/26
Steak kebobs with veggies $5.50
Potato, green bean and corn salad (making half this) $1.25
$6.75

Saturday 6/27
Brat patties on buns $2.80
Slow cooker beans with smoked pork bone $1.00 for ½ (will freeze other half)
$4.80

Sunday 6/28
Lemon shrimp on angel hair pasta $6.50
Broccoli .25
$6.75

Getting all of your nutrients on a budget

We take vitamin supplements. We're about to start taking Juice Plus Supplements to see how we do with them. That said, I still believe the best source for vitamins and nutrients is the food you put in your mouth every day.

I keep a food log online every day at Calorie Count. The analysis section allows me to see where I am strong in nutrients, and where I am short. I have been surprised by what I've learned.

If you eat a fair amount of fruits and vegetables, you will find you hit your vitamin A and C levels by lunch pretty much. I'm already at 146% of my vitamin A intake today, with dinner yet to come.

Calcium for me has always been a tricky thing. I don't particularly like milk that much, although I love dairy products. Knowing this, I take supplements, but I also find other ways to get as close as possible to my recommended daily amount through my diet.

The one that really shocks me is my struggle to get enough iron in. I'm a meat eater, I like to eat things like spinach, so I figured I should blast past the recommended amount. Not so much.

For women, the recommended amount is 18mg. At 4:30pm, I've consumed 8. 10 to go. Great.

Meat, particularly red meat and organ meats (blech) are surefire ways to get in your iron. Meats contain Heme iron, which is the most easily digested form of iron. Meat is not the only option, however. Non-Heme options are quite healthy, and very frugal, although the absorption rate isn't as high with these foods. If you're like me, here are some things to make sure you get in your diet:

-White Beans- 3.9mg per serving. Bean soup, anyone?
-Lentils- 3.3mg per serving
-Spinach- 3.2 per half cup
-Blackstrap Molasses- 3.5mg per TB

I'll be covering some of the other nutrients that you need that you (and I!) might not be getting enough of over the next few weeks.

Custom Meat Cuts

When it comes to meat, I have 3 things that I pay attention to:

-knowing exactly how much I'm using per meal for price breakouts and budget
-having meat that has most prep work done, so that it's quick to use at meals
-portion size for calories, diet and health

I have found that buying in bulk is great. Even better, buying full sections of meat and either cutting it up myself or having the butcher do it can be even better. Example- I love boneless pork chops. I've found that buying a whole pork loin is cheaper per pound, and then I can cut the chops to 3 oz. portion sizes, which I then marinate and freeze so they are ready to cook as soon as they defrost.

For good cuts of steak, I typically wait for the Fareway here to have a great sale. They have a wonderful meat counter, and I can have the butchers cut things specifically to my liking.

You can also take your boneless skinless chicken breasts, portion them up, and have them in marinade ready to go.

Now I know I'm eating the proper portion size of meat and can't eat more (no temptation!), I can determine exact price per meal, and the prep work is all done! Works for me!

This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday.

Easy Way to Control Portions

You hear it all the time. You can't "diet". You have to change habits and make it a part of your lifestyle. Sometimes it's the simplest things. Here's one that has really worked for us. See the plate on the right? That's the biggest plate size in my set, and we just used it by default. See the one on the left? That's the "salad size" plate.

We always served food on the biggest plate because, you know, the box called it the dinner plate, so I guess you eat dinner on the dinner plate, right? This summer, I decided that if I wanted to eat less, it might make sense to have a smaller plate to put it on. So we moved to the smaller plate size.

If you'll notice, it's not so small that we are getting tiny portions, but it does help us restrict what we can eat in one sitting. And, the plate looks full, which makes a big impact when I sit down and look at my food. I have a full plate, so I don't feel deprived. Hubby has lost 40lbs since summer just with a smaller plate! Amazing.

So are you eating off the huge plate, or can you downsize? Downsizing your plate could help downsize your pants, and this is a habit that is easy to live with!