Last week I made something delicious. It was also appalling to look at. I share this story in order to show that even people who like to cook and think they are pretty ok at it still have meals that don't go so well. Ultimately, these are meals you learn from and get better because of. All you can do is laugh and try again the next meal.
Beast was out of town for a few days last week so I was trying to make a healthy meal that would be super easy. And I was craving something that tasted like fall. Pork chops, sweet potatoes, apples, and cider were on hand so I was planning to make my Cinnamon Apple Pork Chops but thought maybe it would be even easier if I put it all in the crock pot instead.
Yes, this was easy. Yes, it tasted fabulous and the pork chops were super tender and tasty. But... Sweet potatoes and apples when left in a crock pot for hours become a not so attractive mush of orange and brown. I'm sparing you from a picture on purpose but I'm sure you can imagine it.
Bear, who eats EVERYTHING, looked at the plate I put in front of him and without so much as smelling my foul appearing concoction said, "I don't think I like that." Well said, my son.
He and Ladybug both did try it and both did eat it well because after you got over the visual appearance, it really did taste exactly how I wanted it to: sweet and cinnamony, tender and juicy.
Now there was plenty leftover but I could not imagine myself actually pulling these leftovers out of the fridge and thinking, "Mmmm, yeah that looks good." I also could not imagine throwing a whole pork chop and bowl of veggies away simply because they looked bad. So our dog, Charlie, ate well the next two meals.
Next time, I'll put the pork chops, onions, cider, and spices in the crock pot and leave the sweet potatoes and apples for cooking later. Once again a reminder that we first eat with our eyes and the appearances of our meals are important. I'm sure Charlie is hoping I forget that fact again soon.
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Monday, September 18, 2017
Someone else's great idea: Green Bean Fries
My garden went gangbusters in late August so we reached a point where we had more green beans than we knew what to do with. I stumbled on this recipe and made it on a night where Beast had a bunch of friends over to watch a big fight. I wound up making I don't know how many batches because as soon as I set them down they were gone.
I served mine with ranch dressing and had them in a metal can with a cute red napkin for a little color.
Check out the recipe here: https://damndelicious.net/2014/12/15/baked-green-bean-fries/
Breading is always a little labor intensive but I find when I get it set up in a row, it goes much faster.
I served mine with ranch dressing and had them in a metal can with a cute red napkin for a little color.
Do you have any go to recipes for dealing with the excess from your garden? If so, please share!
Happy Cooking!
Mel
Whole 30 Compliant Chicken Piccata
Chicken piccata is a fave of mine. Beast makes it almost every year for my birthday and he made it the first night we brought our Ladybug home. Typically it is served with a buttery sauce (not Whole 30 compliant) over or with noodles of some sort (also not Whole 30 compliant). I was having a little craving for a lemony sauce one night when we were doing Whole 30 and were planning to make grilled chicken salads. This is the dish I made instead and it wound up being a big hit.
It is very close to a typical, unbreaded chicken piccata using ghee instead of butter and serving it on a bed of spinach instead of noodles. The spinach gets lightly sautéed when you top it with the warm sauce and works really well with the salty, lemony capers. We gave the kids some steamed frozen veggies to have with the chicken in addition to a small amount of spinach so it worked for everyone. Enjoy!
Happy Cooking!
Mel
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It is very close to a typical, unbreaded chicken piccata using ghee instead of butter and serving it on a bed of spinach instead of noodles. The spinach gets lightly sautéed when you top it with the warm sauce and works really well with the salty, lemony capers. We gave the kids some steamed frozen veggies to have with the chicken in addition to a small amount of spinach so it worked for everyone. Enjoy!
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| Searing chicken in small batches to make sure you get a sear and not a steam. |
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| Seared chicken set aside. |
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| What may look dirty is actually flavor. Add the chicken stock and all those brown tasty bits will come off. |
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| Chicken simmering in the sauce. |
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| Final product. |
Happy Cooking!
Mel
Whole 30 Compliant Chicken Piccata
This is a great way to get the taste of the dish you love while being compliant with the Whole 30 program. Add as much lemon and capers to your taste, the 2 Tablespoons each here is the minimum. I typically use 3 Tablespoons of lemon juice and 4 Tablespoons or more of capers. The warm sauce lightly cooks the spinach it tops so it is much more like eating lightly sautéed spinach than raw spinach.
Ingredients
- 3, sliced to 1/4 inch thick chicken breasts
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2+ Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2+ Tablespoons capers
- 1 Tablespoon ghee
- 4 cups spinach
Instructions
1. Slice the chicken in 1/4 inch long slices2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper 3. Heat olive oil in cast iron pan or dutch oven with sides4. Sear chicken on 2-3 minutes each side in small batches5. Put chicken to the side once seared6. Add chicken stock to pan and scrape brown bits with wood spoon until clean7. Add 2 Tablespoons lemon juice and at least 2 Tablespoons capers8. Bring sauce to simmer for 5 minutes until it somewhat thickens9. Add ghee and stir to mix10. Taste sauce and add any additional lemon or capers to your taste (I typically add an additional Tablespoon of lemon juice here)11. Add chicken to the sauce and leave uncovered on low heat for 5 minutes12. Split spinach between large bowls13. Add several slices of chicken to bowls as well as a ladle of sauce and capers
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 4 servingsHow I am surviving (and thriving) during Whole 30
A good friend of mine and her husband decided they were going to do the Whole 30 program for 30 days and asked if Beast and I wanted to join them. My gut answer: Absolutely not. We've done diet tune ups several times over the last few years. All of them seemed overly restrictive in some areas (how can fruit really be that bad for you?) and way too inclusive in some areas (I can't have fruit but I can have bacon bits rolled up in cream cheese?). I usually last a few days and then Beast powers through until the end.
Because my friend is a good one, I thought I'd look into the program before I told her a strong no. After just a little research it was pretty clear that this was something I could actually get behind. Basically it is a 30 day diet tune up that has you focus on real food and helps you identify problem areas in your diet. You eliminate alcohol, dairy, sugar, and grains but can have proteins and almost all fruits and veggies so it doesn't feel too restrictive.
We've been doing it for over a week now and it hasn't been that bad at all in terms of overall effort and the food we've been eating is really good and satisfying. Now don't get me wrong, I would love a baguette, a whole wheel of cheese, and a big home pour of Cabernet right now. But I feel good and know I will be able to have those things in moderation once this 30 day period is over.
I already know some areas that are my weak points (apparently I tend to carbo-load during my kids' nap time like I'm going to run a marathon when they wake up). Shopping and reading all the labels of things you buy to see if they are compliant makes you realize how much sugar is added in tons of foods. While I think we eat very healthy the vast majority of the time, realizing all those little extras in our meals (sugar, dairy, grains) aren't always necessary or really good for us has been helpful for sure.
So, overall I would say I'm looking forward to the next 22 days and I'm happy with how I am feeling and eating.
Here are a few quick tips I've learned over the last couple of weeks preparing for this challenge and then in the first week of the program.
1) Read the basics and go through some recipes. I borrowed the original Whole 30 Book from a co-worker and read the basis of the program, which helped me to understand the WHYs behind the different rules. It also gives you a FAQ guide and timeline for certain things you might be feeling as you go through the program. Both very helpful. Finally, it has some recipes to get you started. I also bought the Whole 30 Cookbook, which gave me even more recipes and ideas for my meal planning. The program website (www.whole30.com) is also very helpful and has everything you would really need to know available for free.
This egg dish is from page 12 of the Whole 30 Cookbook (Bistro Breakfast Salad). It was delicious and a nice way to have something on the lighter side since I'm not a big fan of a gigantic breakfast most mornings.
2) Get some pantry/fridge basics that you will want to have on hand for your 30 days. For me, coffee creamer, salad dressing, mayo, and spice mixes (including taco seasoning) were a must. I've been really happy with these products.
3) Think through how you can modify your current recipes to be compliant. Probably a lot of what you make would be just fine if you substituted things for something else (rice for cauliflower rice) or removed added sugar (remove maple syrup from a meat marinade that has otherwise compliant ingredients). Something that has been a big hit is my go to veggie taco meat. I make it as usual other than substituting the regular taco seasoning for a compliant one and not deglazing the pan with a beer. Instead of serving with rice and beans, I just made twice the amount of meat. Beast and I ate it with butter lettuce leaves (double them up so your tacos don't break on you) and got some mini soft tortilla boats for the kids. They had cheese and sour cream since we had them in the fridge but we didn't. It was satisfying and easy modify a recipe that was already in my repertoire.
4) Meal plan a week at a time. One of the biggest complaints I hear about this and similar programs is how many times people have to go to the grocery store. What has worked for us is doing a meal planning session where I look through cookbooks and online to decide what we want to have. As I add items to our meal plan, I add what we would need to our grocery list. I go to the grocery store on Friday (one of my days off) and then one more time during the week, if needed, to get anything remaining that we maybe didn't have enough of. More apples, bananas, onions, or compliant snacks seem to be what we've needed on the second trip. Some people use fancy templates or boards for meal planning. I use a plain white sheet of paper from my printer and a clip board hung up in my pantry. Not fancy, but it works.
5) Get some La Croix. Sparkling water has been my go to when I just plain need something other than water. Most grocery stores will have lots of flavors on hand. Coconut has been my favorite and Cherry Lime has been Beast's. It has no calories or sweeteners so it is completely compliant. I think it gives me just a little taste of sweet when I am having a craving. We'll be keeping it on hand after these 30 days for sure.
6) Make enough for leftovers. If you are going to the effort of making great meals every night, give yourself a little break at lunch the next day by making enough at dinner time for leftovers. This had made things during the day pretty easy. For instance, I had leftover taco meat that I took to work. I went to the salad bar to get some greens and tomatoes, topped it with my leftover taco meat, and had a compliant taco salad with minimal effort.
So those are the things that are helping me not only survive Whole 30 but appreciate what I am learning through it. Hope that helps anyone thinking about doing it!
Happy Cooking!
Mel
Because my friend is a good one, I thought I'd look into the program before I told her a strong no. After just a little research it was pretty clear that this was something I could actually get behind. Basically it is a 30 day diet tune up that has you focus on real food and helps you identify problem areas in your diet. You eliminate alcohol, dairy, sugar, and grains but can have proteins and almost all fruits and veggies so it doesn't feel too restrictive.
We've been doing it for over a week now and it hasn't been that bad at all in terms of overall effort and the food we've been eating is really good and satisfying. Now don't get me wrong, I would love a baguette, a whole wheel of cheese, and a big home pour of Cabernet right now. But I feel good and know I will be able to have those things in moderation once this 30 day period is over.
I already know some areas that are my weak points (apparently I tend to carbo-load during my kids' nap time like I'm going to run a marathon when they wake up). Shopping and reading all the labels of things you buy to see if they are compliant makes you realize how much sugar is added in tons of foods. While I think we eat very healthy the vast majority of the time, realizing all those little extras in our meals (sugar, dairy, grains) aren't always necessary or really good for us has been helpful for sure.
So, overall I would say I'm looking forward to the next 22 days and I'm happy with how I am feeling and eating.
Here are a few quick tips I've learned over the last couple of weeks preparing for this challenge and then in the first week of the program.
1) Read the basics and go through some recipes. I borrowed the original Whole 30 Book from a co-worker and read the basis of the program, which helped me to understand the WHYs behind the different rules. It also gives you a FAQ guide and timeline for certain things you might be feeling as you go through the program. Both very helpful. Finally, it has some recipes to get you started. I also bought the Whole 30 Cookbook, which gave me even more recipes and ideas for my meal planning. The program website (www.whole30.com) is also very helpful and has everything you would really need to know available for free.
This egg dish is from page 12 of the Whole 30 Cookbook (Bistro Breakfast Salad). It was delicious and a nice way to have something on the lighter side since I'm not a big fan of a gigantic breakfast most mornings.
2) Get some pantry/fridge basics that you will want to have on hand for your 30 days. For me, coffee creamer, salad dressing, mayo, and spice mixes (including taco seasoning) were a must. I've been really happy with these products.
3) Think through how you can modify your current recipes to be compliant. Probably a lot of what you make would be just fine if you substituted things for something else (rice for cauliflower rice) or removed added sugar (remove maple syrup from a meat marinade that has otherwise compliant ingredients). Something that has been a big hit is my go to veggie taco meat. I make it as usual other than substituting the regular taco seasoning for a compliant one and not deglazing the pan with a beer. Instead of serving with rice and beans, I just made twice the amount of meat. Beast and I ate it with butter lettuce leaves (double them up so your tacos don't break on you) and got some mini soft tortilla boats for the kids. They had cheese and sour cream since we had them in the fridge but we didn't. It was satisfying and easy modify a recipe that was already in my repertoire.
4) Meal plan a week at a time. One of the biggest complaints I hear about this and similar programs is how many times people have to go to the grocery store. What has worked for us is doing a meal planning session where I look through cookbooks and online to decide what we want to have. As I add items to our meal plan, I add what we would need to our grocery list. I go to the grocery store on Friday (one of my days off) and then one more time during the week, if needed, to get anything remaining that we maybe didn't have enough of. More apples, bananas, onions, or compliant snacks seem to be what we've needed on the second trip. Some people use fancy templates or boards for meal planning. I use a plain white sheet of paper from my printer and a clip board hung up in my pantry. Not fancy, but it works.
5) Get some La Croix. Sparkling water has been my go to when I just plain need something other than water. Most grocery stores will have lots of flavors on hand. Coconut has been my favorite and Cherry Lime has been Beast's. It has no calories or sweeteners so it is completely compliant. I think it gives me just a little taste of sweet when I am having a craving. We'll be keeping it on hand after these 30 days for sure.
6) Make enough for leftovers. If you are going to the effort of making great meals every night, give yourself a little break at lunch the next day by making enough at dinner time for leftovers. This had made things during the day pretty easy. For instance, I had leftover taco meat that I took to work. I went to the salad bar to get some greens and tomatoes, topped it with my leftover taco meat, and had a compliant taco salad with minimal effort.
So those are the things that are helping me not only survive Whole 30 but appreciate what I am learning through it. Hope that helps anyone thinking about doing it!
Happy Cooking!
Mel
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