Red & White Winter Salad...and Weigh In

As you know, I've been trying to incorporate changes into  my diet and life to have a healthier me in 2016. 

Making healthier choices. Incorporating more whole foods. More fruits and veggies. 

I know it's only the first week, but so far so good. 

Friday has always been my weigh in day. And woo hoo!! I am down 4.8 lbs! I have no doubt much of that is water weight....but either way my eyeballs were super happy to see that number on the scale this morning!

Great motivation to keep going!

Last night I made a lovely winter salad that I thought I'd share with you today. This would be a great salad for a nice winter lunch. We had it as a starter before our main meal, which was Deconstructed Lasagna - one of my favorites! 

I based this salad on some of the veggies I bought when I was prepping for my no-spend month (which I'll post my progress on weekly, beginning on Monday!)

I have never purchased Endive or Radicchio before, but they looked so lovely sitting in the produce section I just had to give them a try. 

When I got them home I honestly didn't know what I would do with them! But I knew I'd come up with something. 

And I did. Something lovely!

I started by cutting the ends off the Endive and the Radicchio. I pulled all the leaves off the Endive and cut it into strips. 

The Radicchio I chopped into rough strips as well. It's so beautiful with all that glorious color!

Next came a small red onion, peeled, cut in half, and then into thin slices. 

A red pear, just ripe enough and super juicy and sweet, also cut into strips. 

Red grapes were cut in half and tossed into the mix. 

Just look at all that good stuff in there! 

I tossed in a handful of shelled pistachios for crunch and protein. 

Next came some good Gorgonzola. Because lets face it, there's no way I'm giving up cheese entirely. And Gorgonzola and fruit is the most amazing combination!

A drizzle of olive oil, some balsamic vinegar  - I used Blackberry Ginger Balsamic from the Saratoga Olive Oil Company - it's so amazing!

Some freshly ground pepper and sea salt and you're all done. 

The sweetness of the fruit balances out the bitterness of the Radicchio. The Endive has a great fresh crunch. And the onions gave just enough bite. Add the crunch of the pistachios and the creamy tart Gorgonzola and this was a match made in heaven!

The salad as a starter meant I only took half as much pasta as I would have without that fiber filling my belly. 

My body thanks me for this wonderful goodness I nourished it with. 

And it showed on the scale. 

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Motivation for a Healthier Lifestyle

So many of us are trying to move towards a healthier lifestyle, and of course the New Year is a great time to start. 

Via

But really and truly, any time is a great time to start. 

Any movement is better than no movement. 

Each and every healthy choice is an improvement over an unhealthy choice. 

Via

I really wanted to bring the leftover meatloaf for lunch today. But one of the things that works for me when I am on Weight Watchers is to keep my points super low throughout the day so I can enjoy a 'normal' dinner in the evening and a glass of wine. 

I'm also trying to incorporate more fruits and veggies into my meals as I feel I stepped away from that for a little while. 

Via

So, despite the meatloaf craving I took the time this  morning before work to prepare a spinach salad: baby spinach, scallions, tomatoes, sliced boiled egg, crumbled bacon, and Gorgonzola. Light on the bacon (1/2 slice, crumbled) and light on the Gorgonzola. A drizzle of olive oil, some mango balsamic, salt and pepper. 

It's not meatloaf but it's a mighty good salad. And in the end, my body will thank me for it. 

Via

Since I was struggling with the battle of the meatloaf I know many of you out there who are also trying to embrace a healthier lifestyle may also be struggling. 

Together we can work to motivate each other. Together we are incredibly powerful. 

Little changes can make a big difference. 

Via

We can do this. 

We WILL do this. 

Via

We can do it together. 

Who's in?


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Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy Weeknight Dinner

Hi All! I hope you are having a great week so far! I know a lot of kiddos went back to school this week - those days are over for me but somehow the mind still goes into "back to school" mode in early September regardless. The summer is unofficially over, and it's time to buckle down and get back into a routine. 

For me, I need to get back into a workout routine. But that's a whole different post for another day. Sigh.  

For you moms and dads out there looking to put a quick meal on the table on a weeknight - this one's for you! It's quick, healthy, and amazingly delicious! (Amazeballs according to my daughter.....)

This would also work well for a daughter looking to impress her date with a nice home cooked meal. Ahem. 

My meal plans during the growing season generally start with whatever the garden is spitting out en masse that week. This week it's TOMATOES - we've been pulling in bucket loads, many of which are sort of a large grape tomato (or possibly a small plum tomato?)

So a quick gathering of what I needed:
Tomatoes (duh)
Fresh Cheese Tortellini  (Note: You could also use angel hair or linguine in this recipe, I just happen to love it with cheese tortellini) 
A Decent Olive Oil
Freshly Ground Sea Salt & Pepper
Salted Butter
Fresh Basil
2 Large Garlic Cloves (not shown, it was fresh out of the garden and I still had to wash it!)
Romano or Parmesan Cheese 
Low Sodium Fat Free Chicken Broth

And a Nice Glass of Wine for the Cook. I chose a Provence Rose. Just because. 

Slice your tomatoes in half if they are large grape tomatoes/small plum tomatoes like mine. Cherry tomatoes I just put on the baking sheet whole - they will pop when they heat anyway.

Drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes. I baked mine in the toaster oven because it was quite warm out alst night so I didn't want to turn on the oven - and it worked perfectly.

While the tomatoes are roasting, put your water on to boil - I use a large pot to give the tortellini lots of room. And I don't think they need any salt since there is salt in the filling so I omit the salt I usually use in my pasta cooking water. That whole "salty like the ocean" instruction for pasta water certainly doesn't apply here!

I also took advantage of the cooking time to scrub the garlic we harvested. Look how beautiful it is!

Next I chopped some fresh basil and put it aside. Then I chopped two large cloves of fresh garlic - that brought my daughter into the kitchen! What an amazing aroma!! There is a huge difference between supermarket garlic and home grown organic garlic - wow. LOVE!

When the tomatoes were nearly done I cooked the tortellini according to the package directions and dumped them into a colander to drain. 

Into the same pot went a light drizzle of olive oil and 2 tbs of salted butter. 

And then the garlic.Oh my, the GARLIC!!! Cooked just until golden....and the aroma throughout the entire house was pure heaven. I'm surprised the bears didn't come knocking at the door. 

The tomatoes were done roasting - look how beautiful they are! They kept their shape but released their flavor, as roasted tomatoes do so well. Gorgeous!

Into the pot they went, with about a cup of chicken stock, more or less. I do make my own chicken broth and keep it in the freezer in ziplock bags but for something quick like this I always keep some low sodium fat free broth in the panty. 

Back into the pot went the cooked tortellini along with the chopped basil. 

A quick gentle stir to combine (you don't want to break the tortellini) and this was the end result. 

Some freshly shaved romano tops off this dish - pure heaven in a bowl, right there. 

Note: this served two for dinner plus two light lunches the next day. 

Mangia! 

The Party's Over

Friday is Weigh In Day. It has been for me for many years. Sometimes I skip it, when I know I haven't been "good" lately. Lately I've been skipping it a whole lot. 

This morning I decided to face the music, even though I knew I wouldn't be happy with the results. 

And I wasn't. 

Most people would lose weight when they move to a new house, right? I truly thought that would be the case, that I would certainly drop a few pounds lugging all those boxes and working my butt off to get the house organized. 

Nope. I gained 3 lbs. On top of the weight I already wanted to lose. Which I hadn't lost yet. 

And I know why, too. 

I love good food. Love. Like, truly love. LOVE. Did I say love? 

I get excited at the thought of making a great meal for my peeps. I've been photographing my food for years, long before I ever thought about creating a blog. (FYI: Many of these photos are from the archives, from past homes, taken with my iPhone. Excuse the quality!)

This one is from my new home. A recent meal. Black angus cheese burgers made with the most amazing ground beef from a local farm. Garden fresh salad with all sorts of yumminess tossed in. Yumzers. 

And I also love cocktails. Many types, but especially my infusions. Like raspberry gin with a slice of lime. Pure heaven, right there. 

And sometimes I make food with cocktails. Like this bourbon vanilla cranberry sauce that I made the past two Thanksgivings. Best cranberry sauce EVER! Made with cherry bourbon to make it even more amazing!
http://www.eatliverun.com/bourbon-vanilla-cranberry-sauce/

And let's not forget a nice glass of wine paired with a great meal. More love. 

And sweet stuff like chocolate. Especially when made with....you guessed it, COCKTAILS! Like this Black Forest Cake made with cherry liqueur. Yup. Amazeballs. 

Did I mention cheese? I put it in/on almost everything. Cheese might just be my greatest weakness. 



Cheese is a big problem for me. Huge. Ginormous. 

And we can't forget my weakness for nuts. And nut butters. Which are actually good, in small quantities. However, not great if you are trying to drop some pounds. Or if you inhale them. 

Can you tell? I love food. Good food. And occasionally food that's not good for me. Like chips. And candy. And cookies. 

And lately I've been eating more of that "bad" food than I usually do, which does not make me happy at all. It's a vicious cycle. Once you have it, your body craves it. And I need to break the cycle. 

And eat more of this food.

Which I also love. But, let's be honest -  it doesn't quite satisfy the same way cheese does when your body is craving cheese. Or craving crunchy salty snacks. Or sweets like candy and chocolate and ice cream.  A pea pod out of the garden just isn't going to have the same satisfying effect, not immediately. 

But there's hope - because......the beauty of the whole thing is that the more you eat this type of food, the more your body craves this type of food - that's the magic!

Aren't our bodies wonderful? We can retrain them, and break the craving cycle. You just have to be ready. And now I'm ready. It took me a while, I had to "nest" in my new house for a few months and be ready to get back to taking care of me, not just the house, house, house. Well, I'm ready. It's time to break the cycle. It doesn't mean eliminating all the stuff I love, it just means reining it in and following the 80/20 rule again, where 80% of the time I make the healthy food choices, and 20% of the time I loosen up a little. 

Fortunately I love to cook. And I have a fantastic vegetable garden right outside my door. And it's the heart of the summer, when the farmers markets are in full swing. 

So, here we go again. For reals. I'm ready. 

Who's in?

xo