Stir Fry!

I've made it my mission to keep my husband and myself from being bored on our plan to eat healthy. We were both hungry for Chinese so I went in search of an easy recipe for a stir fry sauce. This is what I found.

http://www.food.com/recipe/easy-stir-fry-sauce-83624

The recipe is easy to follow and the sauce came out delicious.

The only thing I would do differently would be to use the 3 tablespoons of cornstarch, instead of 2. (You have the option.) Mine came out just a tad soupy...just a tad.

Anyway, I got lean pork and cut it into bite-sized pieces. I cooked it in a frying pan, using cocoanut non-stick spray. I used frozen veggies I got at Wal*Mart. There are a few kinds of stir fry veggies. I like the one with water chestnuts. :)

When the meat was cooked through, I added the sauce. As that cooked,(it boils for a minute) I steamed the veggies. It was a quick, easy supper that was super good.

And a welcome break from chicken and fish on our diet.

The next time I make it, I'll be using shrimp. Yum!

Happy Reading

susan meier

Ah, the Taco...

I've discovered that chicken tacos make a great meal. Chicken keeps it lean. But, you can also add any kind of veggies you want. I stuck with tomatoes, lettuce, a sprinkle (not a cup!) of cheese and salsa. If you use a soft taco, you can make yourself as big (or little) of  serving as you want. You can also add low fat sour cream. Yum.

I also heated the soft shell in the oven...just a few minutes at a low temp so it's warm. :)

I lost another pound, but my husband weighed himself after his first week of dieting and lost 6. Six whole pounds!

I'm thinking this experiment of cooking good, healthy food, instead of eating takeout, is working!

Happy Reading...

susan meier

April 27, 2015 Meal Ides

I'm back. When we last spoke, I talked about how I wasn't the only one in my family who needed to lose weight. For the sake of his health, especially his back, my husband needs to lose forty pounds. Last week, we discovered two things. First, he doesn't know enough about "how" to diet. LOL (I need to teach him some lines to repeat over and over again in his head to remind him of why he needs to stick to a program.) Two, I didn't know how to put any variety in our meals. I found myself repeating the same three or four meals over and over, and let's face it. Those got old quick.

So, after a discussion with my daughter-in-law, who loves to cook, is a great cook,  and who spends a lot of time on Pinterest reading recipes, I came up with a bunch of different suppers to keep our diet from being boring...or feeling like punishment!

Here goes...

Zataran's fish. (I'll do a post on this soon...on most of these meals.)
Chicken with jalapenos and mushrooms
Chicken tacos
Salad (varies ie the Southwest Chicken Salad -- with grilled chicken -- from McDonalds is yummy and low fat/low cal. Panera Bread's Greek Salad is another good choice)
Stuffed Peppers (turkey hamburger and a small amount of brown rice)
Turkey sausage, eggs fried in cocoanut oil, whole wheat bagel thins (for breakfast for supper)
Shrimp and veggies
Chicken on the grill with veggies
Whole wheat spaghetti with turkey sausage and diced tomato sauce
Whole wheat macaroni with diced tomatoes and a bit of butter :)
Lean pork grilled with grilled veggies

I'm actually keeping a paper list of meal choices. I hope to add to it. But you can see from the above that we have over a week's worth of suppers with no repeats.

I think variety will help us both stick to a healthy eating plan. Plus, once we lose the weight, we can shift from turkey hamburger to regular hamburger as one "step" to get us back to normal eating. The way I understand it, we don't want to jump back into eating "normally."

But that's another blog.

Happy Reading...and eating...

susan meier

Applesuace Muffins with Pear

I couldn't have started this journey at a better time. Last week, my husband's doctor told him he needed to lose forty pounds. What better way to show someone you love them than to help them on their journey. Especially with a sweet treat.

My husband is a really cool guy. Last night, I couldn't sleep. So when we needed to wake at six-thirty this morning, I was too tired to get up. He rolled out of bed first and ten minutes later woke me with a cup of coffee. :)

It took me a few years into our marriage to realize that he might not use fancy words or do "romantic" gestures, but after our first fight, he made me mashed potatoes and roast beef -- my favorite dinner. He doesn't always bring me coffee in bed, but he does it at the right times. LOL And...this is what a great guy he is...for my birthday this year, he's building me a planting table so I can grow tomatoes, cucumbers, beans and peppers

Such a great guy deserves a sweet treat, even when on a diet. ;)

http://www.aspicyperspective.com/2013/05/applesauce-muffins.html

We start with this recipe for Applesauce Muffins with Pear from A Spicy Perspective.

Two things I noticed. First, the ingredients are just slightly out of order in terms of use. Second, I made 16 muffins instead of twelve. That might be because I used a really BIG pear. In spite of the batter going into 16 tins instead of 12, cooking time was still 20 minutes.

The muffins came out PERFECT! Not too sweet, but delicious. And, the good news is, we can freeze most of these to be taken out, popped into the microwave and eaten when we really need a treat.

These will help even ME stick to a diet! LOL

BTW, I couldn't find a calorie count on these. With applesauce replacing oil and so little sugar, it can't be too bad. But, as always, use your discretion in terms of your own diet and DON'T EAT TOO MANY! :0)

Happy Cooking!

susan meier

How It Started

About five years ago, a stirring of desire to cook rose in me. In this day and age of every dish imaginable frozen or in a box, I'd managed to feed my family without ever really cooking. Except turkey or ham on holidays! With the stirring prodding me, I tried a few recipes, failed miserably and let the desire drift away.

But it came back about once and year and every time it did, I'd find a few recipes, try them, fail and let the desire drift away in easy box dinners and delicious takeout.

This year, however, the desire isn't going away. Not only are my husband and I both overweight from too much takeout, and both warned to lay off processed foods and takeout, but also it seems God is showing me what an intimate activity cooking is. Providing sustenance for your family is a very basic way of showing love. Cooking itself can be a family activity. Eating together, at a table, not in front of the TV, is a foundation of good relationships.

So I begin. :)

susan meier