Jordie Porgie, puddin and pie

Dynamite Shrimp

2011-02-02T15:29:00.002-06:00

Based on the dish from Applebee's.

Fried popcorn shrimp
A bed of coleslaw mix (no dressing)
A sweet/spicy sauce made from honey mustard,
mayonnaise and cayenne pepper

Mini-Pavlovas

2011-02-02T15:27:00.001-06:00

Made by my mom on Christmas Eve. These are now a tradition at our house. Made with Ina's recipe and raspberry sauce.

NOT low carb. ;)

Low-carb Oopsie Burger

2011-02-02T15:24:00.003-06:00

Also low carb. The "oopsies" (the bun halves) are made from whipped egg whites and cream cheese, and have about 1 carb each. This whole burger has less than 4 carbs total.
And it's delicious.

BLT on Flaxseed Bread

2011-02-02T15:22:00.002-06:00

Low-carb. As I recall, each piece of "bread" has about 2 carbs.

Homemade Italian Nachos

2011-02-02T15:20:00.004-06:00

Inspired by Johnny Carino's.

Baked wonton wrappers
Italian sausage
Black olives
Chopped tomatoes
Mozzarella cheese
Alfredo sauce

Bacon Cheddar Deviled Eggs

2011-01-31T01:13:00.001-06:00

A great low-carb snack.

Banana Snickerdoodles

2010-09-13T12:03:00.005-05:00

Banana Snickerdoodles via Noble Pig

Rosemary Olive Oil Cake

2010-06-26T14:12:00.004-05:00

Rosemary Olive Oil Cake from 101 Cookbooks

This was interesting and I'm glad I tried it. That being said...if I make this cake again, I'm leaving out the rosemary. Just too strange for me.

Giveaway! Enter to win!

2010-05-15T21:48:00.003-05:00

Hey y'all!

I recently started an Etsy shop selling personalized cartoon portraits. You can order a portrait of you and your boyfriend/girlfriend, of you and your pet, or of your entire family! The possibilities are endless. Right now I'm having a Father's Day Sale - all portraits are discounted! 10-20% off!

BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY...to kick off the new shop, I am hosting a giveaway! The first-place winner will receive a $30 credit in my Etsy shop! The second-place winner will receive a $20 credit, and the third-place winner will receive a $10 credit. You can enter 4 different ways, which are listed below. Enter as many times as you want. The winner will be chosen at random by a computer program. Deadline is June 11 at 11:59 PM. Winners will be announced June 13.

HOW TO ENTER:
1. Become a fan of the Jordyluxe Facebook page LINK HERE

OR

2. Follow Jordyluxe on Twitter and tweet the following:
Retweet for a chance to win a Jordyluxe custom cartoon portrait! http://www.etsy.com/shop/jordyluxe #jordyluxegiveaway @jordyluxe

OR

3. Write a blog entry about Jordyluxe portraits, including a link to my Etsy shop. http://www.etsy.com/shop/jordyluxe Send the URL for your blog entry to jordyluxe@gmail.com with the subject: Giveaway Blog

OR

4. Upload a Youtube video about Jordyluxe portraits, including the link to my Etsy shop. http://www.etsy.com/shop/jordyluxe Send the URL of your video to jordyluxe@gmail.com with the subject: Giveaway Video

Thanks guys!
jordan

Radishes Au Gratin

2010-04-27T17:11:00.005-05:00

I heard that baked radishes taste a lot like potatoes, so I thought...why not make radishes au gratin?! I couldn't find any recipe online, so I made one up based on a potatoes au gratin recipe. I also tried to make it less calories, omitting the milk and using a minimal amount of butter and cheese.

Radishes Au Gratin
(serves 2-3 people as a side dish)

About 15-20 fresh radishes, sliced thinly
1 yellow or white onion, sliced into thin rings
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 slices of cheese - I used Muenster
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover the bottom of a round glass baking dish with the sliced radishes (you can overlap and make layers). Arrange a layer of onion on top. Melt the butter, and using a spoon, drizzle it over the top of the dish. Then sprinkle the flour over the dish. Season the dish with salt and pepper. Be aware that radishes are basically flavorless...I would suggest at least 1/2 tsp of salt. Next tear the cheese into smaller pieces and place it on top of the onion layer. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 50 minutes.

THIS IS SO DELICIOUS. I've made it twice so far. :)

Farinata (chickpea-pancake) wrap

2010-03-21T22:42:00.007-05:00

I've been meaning to post this for a while. Ever since I saw this post, I'd been wanting to make my own version of this wrap. When I researched it, I learned that there are many types of chickpea pancakes. Different cultures have slightly different recipes; India has "papadum," Italy has "la farinata," and France has "socca." Once I finally got my hands on chickpea flour, I made my chickpea pancakes using the Italian method. You can experiment with this wrap, and tweak the ingredients to your liking.

This is what my wrap consisted of:

1 chickpea pancake
1 sheet of whole-wheat flatbread, toasted
Shredded lettuce
Chopped white onion
Fresh sliced tomatoes
A sprinkle of fennel
Sauce made from sour cream, lemon juice, garlic, and Tabasco (to taste)

This was really good. The pancake (farinata) is similar to falafel, but it isn't deep-fried like falafel usually is (and so, it also has less calories...) The toasted flatbread gives it some crunch, plus all the veggies, and the yummy spicy sauce...it's good. :) Plus it's WAY easy to make. Just remember that the pancakes take about an hour to set, so you should plan for that.

Another interesting thing is that you can make hummus from chickpea flour. I tried it one day, because I figured it would be easier to blend than whole chickpeas. Well, I was right. It is easier to make, however it has kind of a strange aftertaste... Probably just gonna save the chickpea flour for farinata.

Pumpkin cornbread

2010-03-11T22:45:00.000-06:00

Coq au Vin

2010-02-26T18:39:00.002-06:00

(Chicken) Coq au Vin made by my dad

Old-fashioned Berry Chocolate Cake

2009-11-28T00:27:00.004-06:00

Based on this molasses cake. (Hold the molasses, add chocolate ;))

Trick-or-Treat

2009-10-31T21:41:00.004-05:00

Happy Halloween from the Barefoot Contessa!

Actually, a Contessa IMPOSTER!
But who better to dress up as than the amazing Ina Garten!

Happy Halloween!

Mozzarella-basil-tomato tart

2009-10-20T12:15:00.003-05:00

Fresh Tomato Tart at Ezra Pound Cake
from The Completely Italian Vegetarian Cookbook

Oeufs en cocotte (Baked eggs)

2009-10-18T19:49:00.002-05:00

Oeufs en Cocotte
from Julia Child

Per ramekin:

1/2 teaspoon butter
1 ramekin 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter and about 1 1/2 inches high
2 tablespoons whipping cream
A pan containing 3/4 inch of simmering water
1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter ramekin/s. Break an egg into the ramekin. Pour in a spoonful of cream over the egg and top with a dot of butter.

2. Place in middle level of preheated oven and bake for 7 to 10 minutes. The eggs are done when they are just set but still tremble slightly in the ramekins. They will set a little more when the ramekins are removed, so they should not be overcooked.

3. Season with salt and pepper and serve. The ramekins may remain in the hot water, out of the oven, for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. To prevent overcooking, remove eggs from oven when slightly underdone.

Ina's Berry Pavlova

2009-09-20T23:29:00.005-05:00

Mixed Berry Pavlova from Ina Garten

This gorgeous confection was my birthday "cake" this year. I wasn't feeling the traditional birthday cake, and once I saw Ina make this, I knew I had to have it. I'm a huge fan of Barefoot Contessa and I just love Ina. I also saw a Martha Stewart recipe for pavlova that also looked beautiful and delicious, but ultimately I had to be loyal to my contessa. ;)

My mom took on the task of making this. I know it was time-consuming and I am so grateful to her for doing it for me - and it turned out amazing. She did an awesome job.

Pavlova is basically a dessert made from a giant circle of meringue. I've never been a fan of meringue, but this was different. After you bake it, you let it cool, then cover it with a massive amount of homemade whipped cream, and then finish it off with a berry sauce made from fresh berries and a raspberry-flavored beer. (We actually sipped on the beer before lunch and it was very good - it tasted more like a raspberry champagne.)

This combination of creamy flavors makes the pavlova sweet, luscious, melt-in-your-mouth yummy. I loved it.

Actually, we all loved it. And if you need proof - this is what was left of the pavlova after 10 minutes:

Calories: Breakfast can make or break you...

2009-09-05T16:59:00.013-05:00

Breakfast:

1350 - HUGE and I mean huge breakfast

Snack:

180 - 2 string cheese
105 - m&ms

Dinner:

220? - wheat berries with walnuts and eggs
550? - homemade pizza

UNKNOWN*/1900

*Uh oh just had ANOTHER slice of pizza....and then downed some bread pudding with ice cream. :( At this point I'm probably over my calories by about 1000. :/

What have we learned from this?

1. Don't eat huge breakfasts without considering the calories BEFORE YOU EAT. Don't wait til after you've eaten bacon and donuts to consider the calorie count.

2. When you've had a lot of calories earlier in the day, eat smaller meals the rest of the day. DON'T GIVE IN TO PIZZA JUST BECAUSE YOUR SISTER IS MAKING IT HOMEMADE.

3. Don't eat something in a hurry. Don't grab ice cream or a dessert on a whim. Especially when it's a food you don't even really like. (ugh)

4. Don't eat chocolate several times a day. It just leaves you hungry for MORE. MORE MORE MOOOOOORRREEE CHOCOLATE!

Dark chocolate (Nutella) almond cookies

2009-08-18T23:08:00.012-05:00

Chocolate Nutella Cookies

I made these dark chocolate cookies almost two months ago. Talk about a delay. :)

We had some dark chocolate spread in the house (knock-off Nutella), and I really wanted to make cookies with it. The above recipe is the one I chose, but I tweaked it a little. Instead of using chocolate chips and only 3 tablespoons of chocolate spread, I omitted the chips and used about 6 oz of chocolate spread, or almost half a container of the stuff. I also added almonds and sprinkled powdered sugar on the finished cookies.

These cookies would go perfectly with morning coffee. They are extremely dense but they are small, so they make the perfect bite. Nutella (hazelnut spread) or any other chocolate spread would work for this recipe. I know World Market carries a variety of flavors, like caramel, white chocolate, and the dark chocolate kind.

Savory oatmeal with fried eggs

2009-08-16T23:45:00.008-05:00

I have always hated oatmeal. Don't most people? In the past I have taught myself to like certain foods because of their nutritional values. Skim milk...tomatoes...salad. But oatmeal...no matter how hard I tried to like it, I just couldn't. Even when I tried steel-cut oats, even when I mixed in cinnamon and honey, even when I put peanut butter and chocolate chips in it - I still felt like I had to force it down my throat.

But now...I have found an oatmeal I like.

The other day I saw a post (I can't remember where now) about savory oatmeal, with olive oil and herbs mixed in. Intriguing! I'd never heard of such a thing. Not the saccharine-sweet, brown sugar, milky cream oatmeal, but SAVORY! I finally tried it for myself last week and I was pleasantly surprised. A few nights later, as I was drifting off to sleep, I found myself CRAVING this oatmeal and scheming how I would make it again. I would spread the oatmeal out on a plate, then top it off with fried eggs.

And that's exactly what I did.

And it was good!

As far as how I made it: I used Quaker Instant oats and prepared one serving (half cup of dry oats) according to the package directions. It's better not to get it too soupy, so don't add too much water. A medium thickness makes it seem almost like risotto, which is perfect. Once it's hot, add in 1/2 TB of extra virgin olive oil, and salt and cracked black pepper to taste. (I love a lot of pepper). That's it! I haven't tried it with herbs yet but I'm sure it'd work great.

Blueberry crumb cake

2009-07-27T00:23:00.006-05:00

To Die For Blueberry Muffins from Allrecipes

Sorry guys, don't feel like being descriptive today. I haven't been much into cooking lately. I think I need a little break from all the foodie stuff. Anyone else ever feel that way?

To keep it simple, this recipe is absolutely divine. I used brown sugar for the topping instead of white, and I doubled the recipe and baked it in a large pan instead of making muffins. Definitely recommend it. It's very sweet but very good.

Greek hummus wraps

2009-07-18T14:31:00.007-05:00

Hummus Salad Wraps from Mediterrasian.com

Greek Pita Pockets from Mediterrasian.com

According to the family, this is the most filling vegetarian recipe we've ever had. It's a combination of the above recipes.

Hummus spread on whole-wheat flat bread, then covered in feta cheese, red onions, black olives, lettuce, tomato, grated carrots, and best of all.....Frank's Red Hot sauce.

It's a very refreshing meal, but filling at the same time. Plus it's really beautiful and colorful, and everyone can customize their sandwich with their favorite toppings. Definitely recommend this. :)

The hummus was homemade, created with chickpeas, olive oil, walnuts, red pepper flakes and some more of Frank's Red Hot. (I can't get enough of that stuff!)

Italian fried eggs on garlic bread

2009-07-15T12:41:00.006-05:00

Fried Egg with Tomato & Mozzarella from Ginger Rose

I first made a version of this after I saw Giada DeLaurentiis make it on her show. When I saw Ginger's post, I knew it was time to make it again.

I love the combination of eggs and tomato sauce! I often make egg pizzas in the morning or actually...any time of the day. This version served on top of french bread is delicious and savory...definitely a satisfying and easy meal!

Greek yogurt with toasted pecans and honey

2009-07-07T17:50:00.007-05:00

I am in love with Greek yogurt. My mom bought a big container at Whole Foods last week and I've been eating it every chance I get. Actually...I just had some with blueberries. Yum!

But the best way to eat Greek yogurt is with toasted nuts. I'm sure any nut would work, but the pecans are really delicious. Just spread the nuts out on a baking pan and stick it under the broiler for a few minutes. Mix it with a tablespoon of honey, and you really feel like you're eating a big bowl of ice cream. Plus, it's packed with protein and much more satisfying than ice cream!

I mean, just look at the picture, it speaks for itself. MMMM!

Oven-fried green beans

2009-07-02T23:09:00.012-05:00

Oven-Fried Green Beans

1/2 tsp salt
About a LB of fresh green beans
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne (optional)
2 tsp. vegetable oil
2 eggs

Wash and trim green beans and cut into halves. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Add oil and use your fingers to work the oil into the breadcrumb mixture. Transfer to a large plate or shallow bowl. Set aside. Whisk eggs to break them up completely. When you lift the whisk up it should be as lifting it out of water. Preheat oven to 425. Liberally oil a large baking sheet (or use nonstick). Thoroughly dry green bean sticks. Keeping one hand dry and one hand wet, dip a green bean in the eggs, lift it out and shake off any excess egg, put green bean in bread crumbs mixture and coat completely, lift out and shake off any excess bread crumbs, transfer stick to prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining sticks. Bake, turning once, until browned, crispy, and tender to the bite, about 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Dipping Sauce: Mix light sour cream with chipotle seasoning and a small amount of horseradish.

Easy onion flatbread

2009-07-01T21:20:00.005-05:00

Flatbread with Onion & Rosemary (Lazy Version)
Adapted from a recipe in Vegetarian Bible

There are a lot of flatbread recipes in the Vegetarian Bible, and they all look yummmmmmy. But most of them require you make your own dough. Well I'm too lazy for that.

Here is my version of one of the recipes, made from a can of Pillsbury pizza dough. This is unbelievably good! And ridiculously easy. Definitely making this again soon. Enjoy.

1 can refrigerated pizza dough
1 TB rosemary
2 TB extra virgin olive oil
1 red or yellow onion, finely sliced and separated into rings
1 tsp coarse sea salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Oil a cookie sheet. Open the canned dough and spread it on the sheet in a rough oval shape. Make holes about 2 inches apart on the surface of the dough with the handle of a wooden spoon. Spread the onion rings over the dough, then drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle over the salt. Bake the dough about 15-20 minutes (check the directions on the dough packaging). Five minutes before the end of the cooking time, garnish with the rosemary. Transfer to a cooling rack; serve warm.

Salmon and farfalle in walnut pesto

2009-06-28T09:00:00.002-05:00

Sun-dried Tomato & Walnut Pesto with Salmon and Asparagus
from Mediterrasian.com

Mediterrasian.com is an interesting site I found a few months ago. It lauds the benefits of eating a version of the Mediterranean/Asian diet, full of pasta, grains, fish, and olive oil. There are a lot of intriguing recipes on the site, and this is the second we've tried. My sister also made the Sicilian Tuna & Basil Pizza a couple of nights ago.

Although I didn't get to taste the pizza, I heard it received mixed reviews. This pasta dish actually turned out pretty tasty. The strange thing about both recipes, though, is that everyone agreed they were a little bland, especially the pizza. It just seems weird to me that a recipe from the Mediterranean, which seems to be bursting with flavors, would be bland. We ended up sprinkling lime juice and red pepper flakes on the pasta.

Meanwhile, my dad prepared a seasoning rub for some ribs last night, and he decided to try it on the remaining salmon filets. I was skeptical at first, but....let me tell you, it tasted like dessert - melt in your mouth goodness.

Mushroom rice casserole and glazed carrots

2009-06-27T09:00:00.002-05:00

Mushroom Casserole from 101 Cookbooks

Glazed Carrots from Alton Brown

Of course I've had mushroom rice casserole before, but typically we've made the canned-cream-of-mushroom variety. This recipe calls for fresh chopped mushrooms mixed in with a creamy mixture of cheeses and rice. It's very good, and it also smells HEAVENLY.

I decided to whip up some glazed carrots and found Alton's recipe. It calls for ginger ale, which I thought was interesting. Overall it's a good and simple, easy-to-make side dish.

Strawberry pie with crumb topping

2009-06-26T12:04:00.001-05:00

The Old Boy's Strawberry Pie from Allrecipes

This is a bizarre strawberry pie. It just is. You can't imagine how strange it looks before you stick it in the oven. So if you make it, just keep that in mind, and if it looks so bizarre you think you're doing something wrong...well you're probably not. You're probably doing it just right.

Appearances aside, this does taste very good. The crumb topping is scrumptious, even when I replaced the white flour with all-purpose white-wheat flour. Remember to keep it refrigerated for best taste.

I am ashamed to admit that, even though my blog is subtitled "pudding and pie"....this is the first pie I have posted since I began blogging in January.

I have yet to post a pudding.

Chiles rellenos and cilantro-lime rice (Father's Day)

2009-06-24T21:01:00.016-05:00

Chiles Rellenos from Dave Harker
via Home Companion August 2002
(recipe posted below)

Cilantro-Lime Rice from Allrecipes

Our family has always loved the chile relleno. I remember when I was little my mom would always order it at Mexican restaurants, and at the time, I would just take a little taste, because that was when I was afraid of spicy food. Haha...

Anyway, for Father's Day lunch my sister suggested this chile relleno recipe with a twist: instead of breading, you use egg-roll wrappers as the crispy outer layer. I have to say, it was a lot easier than breading 11 chiles, and it was absolutely delicious. Really really good. Yum. Everyone loved it.

Along with it we served cilantro-lime rice, which my sister made and which is one of her favorite side dishes for Mexican food. Also good. For dessert I made a strawberry pie, which I will share soon in a follow-up post. :)

For now, here is the Chiles Rellenos recipe credited to chef Dave Harker (apparently Home Companion is no longer published...hmmm).

Chiles Rellenos
makes 6

6 poblano chiles
2 C shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 C sun-dried tomatoes, softened in warm water, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled, minced
1/2 C plus 3 TB chopped cilantro
2 TB shredded fresh basil
1 package egg roll wrappers
2-3 C tomato sauce
1 C vegetable oil, plus more as needed

(The chiles should be skinned to remove the tough outer skin. To do this easily, place them on a sheet of aluminum foil or broiler pan and blister under a preheated broiler, turning occasionally, until browned. Have a bowl of ice water nearby, and, when peppers are charred, place them into the water. Let them cool just briefly and then remove them and carefully peel off the skin. Try your best not to tear the chiles, but it's almost inevitable so don't worry about it. If chiles are ripped, they can be salvaged. Carefully split the chiles up one side without removing the stem. Gently rinse out the seeds. Drain the chiles cut side down on paper towels.)

Meanwhile, combine cheese-sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, 1/2 C of the cilantro, and basil. Place stuffing inside chiles and carefully fold the edges closed, overlapping the edges slightly. They may not look too pretty at this point, but the wrapper will mask this.

Open egg roll wrapper package on two sides and remove one wrapper at a time. Cover chiles, leaving stem exposed.

Meanwhile heat 1-2 C of tomato sauce in a saucepan until hot.

Pour oil into a frying pan to a depth of about 1/2 inch. Heat oil on medium heat. When hot, fry the chiles, several at a time, gently turning them until they are browned on all sides. Adjust heat so they don't burn, adding extra oil as needed. When browned, place on paper towels to drain. Serve immediately on top of tomato sauce and garnish with the remaining 3 TB of cilantro.

Cabbage and walnut stir-fry

2009-06-24T20:38:00.010-05:00

I am so behind on food blogging...there are literally about 50 new pictures sitting around on my desktop that I haven't gotten around to posting. So I should have a lot of new posts in the next few days.

This is the first recipe I tried from my new Vegetarian Bible, which was a gift from Alejandro (even though he's claimed he won't eat anything out of it).

The book is full of gorgeous pictures and I was actually shocked at how yummy these vegetarian recipes look. There are several that I can't wait to make.

I made this cabbage dish for dinner this past weekend and everyone liked it, but it didn't seem filling enough to eat alone, so keep that in mind and pair it with something more substantial. Still it's got great flavors and it's perfect for you if you're a fan of cabbage, like my friend Adam, who also has a food blog, with much more beautiful pictures than my own.

Here is the recipe as published in the book.

Cabbage & Walnut Stir-Fry
serves 4

12 oz white cabbage
12 oz red cabbage
4 TB peanut oil
1 TB walnut oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
8 scallions, trimmed
8 oz firm tofu, cubed
2 TB lemon juice
1 C walnut halves
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp poppy seeds
salt and pepper

Using a sharp knife, shred the white and red cabbages thinly and set aside until required. Heat the peanut oil and walnut oil in a preheated wok. Add the garlic, cabbage, scallions, and tofu and cook for 5 minutes, stirring. Add the lemon juice, walnuts, and mustard, season with salt and pepper, and cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until the cabbage is tender. Transfer the stir-fry to a warm serving bowl, sprinkle with poppy seeds, and serve immediately.

Volcano cake

2009-06-16T19:31:00.006-05:00

Volcano Cake from Sandra Lee

So obviously this is not a healthy recipe. Eat this at your own risk.

My little sister requested this cake especially for her 18th birthday party. Basically it's a red velvet cake covered in dyed cream cheese frosting.

I made the cake mix from a box, then baked it in a Bundt pan, 2 circle pans, and one large cupcake form. Then I hodge-podged the cakes together after they cooled, and covered the whole thing with frosting.

It came out better than I thought...and dessert is always better with flames. :)

Chocolate-banana cookies

2009-06-07T12:38:00.008-05:00

Nikki's Healthy Cookies via 101 Cookbooks

This is a flour-less, egg-less cookie....so, perfect if you're like me, and you have a yearning to bake, but you don't feel like going to the store. Hehe... Also good if you're like me and you let bananas sit around til they're practically mush, and the only thing you can do with them is put them in a baked good.

I really enjoyed these cookies. They're healthy, but they're good! I promise! I calculated that each one has 105 calories and 2g protein when you make a batch of 26.

Like a 100-calorie pack!
(You know, except healthy, and not full of corn syrup ;))

Okonomiyaki

2009-06-07T12:32:00.000-05:00

Okonomiyaki from Kevin at Closet Cooking

If you want to see the most delectable, drool-inducing food photo you've ever seen...take a look at Kevin's Okonomiyaki. I'd never heard of a "Japanese pancake," but as soon as I saw his photo, I knew I had to make it.

This dish is pretty easy to prepare...not a lot of ingredients required, and it cooks quickly. I did have a little trouble maneuvering the pan around so I could flip the pancake (which is made mostly of cabbage and other vegetables), but I think it just takes practice. I made two versions: one with turkey bacon and one vegetarian. I have to say, the bacon version won hands down over the veggie.

I have sort of an aversion to mayonnaise, but I decided to try a little bit anyway for the sauce. I mixed some low-fat sour cream with Worchester and about a TB of mayonnaise. And you know what.....it was still too mayonnaise-y for me. So next time I'll have to figure out a different sauce. Any ideas?

Anyway, in spite of the mayo, I really liked this! It's definitely a healthy and unique meal and I would recommend it! :)

Roasted chickpeas

2009-05-29T23:06:00.007-05:00

Roasted Chickpeas from Christie's Corner

I've been seeing roasted chickpeas on a few different sites, and I finally got around to trying them. Instead of making them garlic, chili-flavored I just seasoned them with salt, olive oil, and tons of pepper. Yum. I was lazy, so I didn't saute them, I just dumped the can onto on a pan and went from there.

Doing it the lazy way makes the chickpeas less crunchy, and more chewy, so they taste like tiny potatoes. To me they taste like cracked-pepper potato chips, in mini size. They're really good. I totally recommend them.

One thing I would say is I didn't need that much olive oil. According to my calculations, a 15 oz can of chickpeas with 2 TB olive oil makes about 4 servings, with 165 calories a piece. I made these again, and I halved the olive oil, and I still felt like it was too much. So I'll have to do some tweaking to figure out the perfect amount.

Honey-nut biscotti

2009-05-25T12:02:00.008-05:00

Nut and Seed Biscotti from 101 Cookbooks
approx. 26 pieces, with 130 calories and 2.5g protein a piece

Biscotti takes practice. Let me tell you. I don't think I baked it long enough before cutting, so the loaf wasn't hard enough, and it was crumbling. Then I thought it was ruined because the thick pieces weren't getting crispy. But in the end, they crisped up fairly well and they tasted good. Slightly sweet, crunchy, and nutty.

I made the following variations to the recipe:
I used a mixture of sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds, and poppy seeds. Instead of natural cane sugar, I used 1/3 c honey and 1/3 c granulated sugar. The calories listed above are based on these variations.

Creamy chicken caliente

2009-05-22T15:03:00.006-05:00

Creamy Chicken Caliente

Ok so I couldn't think of a good name for this. Haha... I made this for dinner the other night, and I was basically just grabbing random things and throwing them on the stove. It turned out decently tasty. So here it is.

Quite frankly, I can't remember the exact quantities of everything I put in, so I'm not going to risk listing a recipe here. However I will describe it generally, so if it strikes your fancy, it should be very easy to replicate it according to your taste.

I took frozen chicken fajita strips and put them in a pan on low-medium heat. After a few minutes I added about 3/4 c low-fat sour cream, and about 1/2 c Pace picante sauce. I chopped up a jalapeño and threw that in there, along with a small can of shoepeg corn. I just warmed it enough so the chicken got hot...can't overheat it or the sour cream mixture will get too soupy.

In the meantime, I toasted whole-wheat tortillas in a skillet on high-heat. No oil needed....just toast each side for a few minutes, and they should get browned and crispy. I also used some corn tortillas. To serve, I spooned the chicken mixture over the tortilla, and added some chopped tomatoes, onions, and more jalapeños.

As for how to eat it, it's up to you. You can spoon the sauce over the tortilla and roll it up, or you can break up the tortilla, mix it all up and eat it with a fork.

Hummadilla

2009-05-20T21:29:00.009-05:00

Part hummus, part quesadilla. And you get the hummadilla.

This concoction is a ripoff of a menu item at the Magnolia Cafe in Austin, Texas. And it is SOOOOOO GOOOOOOD. Yum. Yum yum.

Yum.

Hummadilla
(serves 1)

2 whole-wheat flour tortillas
1/4 c to 1/2 c hummus (depending how much you love it)
1/4 c black beans
chopped up tomatoes and onions and/or red salsa to your liking

To crisp up the tortillas without using oil, heat them on a med-high to high heat skillet for a few minutes each side. They should become crisp and firmer, almost like a tostada. Slather a tortilla with hummus, then top with black beans and salsa. Put the other tortilla on top, and put it all back in the skillet to warm it up. Then just slice it in half. And you're done.

Mmm.. I also think this would be so awesome with some black olives, and also some jalapeños, so I'll have to try that next time. The hummus I used was made with chickpeas, walnuts, and hot sauce. Yum!

Good Morning muffins

2009-05-18T14:18:00.012-05:00

Good Morning Muffins from Recipezaar
144 calories each when you make a batch of 17

The batter for these muffins smelled.....so good. Heavenly. Yum. They smelled really good when they were baking too. Now, my last attempt at muffins wasn't that great. Actually, it was really disappointing. So I was hoping for the best.

The verdict: they are good! Hallelujah. My sister said they taste like Christmas. That's because of the yummy spices in them. I would also compare them to a little carrot cake in muffin form. Except better, since I don't like carrot cake. I did use white-wheat flour in these, so they are extra healthy, don't worry. ;)

I had a heck of a time trying to photograph these. I think I finally got some decent pictures. Oh! One more tidbit...from my experience the last time I made fruit-y muffins, you should probably keep them refrigerated (if you have leftovers).

Bananaberry crumble

2009-05-16T23:30:00.001-05:00

Upside-Down Bananaberry Crumble from Hungry Girl
140 calories for half recipe

The Hungry Girl site doesn't have the recipe listed, but basically it's chopped up bananas and strawberries, mixed with Splenda, rum extract and cornstarch; covered in crushed graham crackers, and baked.

Of course, mine is not upside down. I did make a few changes to the recipe, mainly that I used part Sweet-n-Low and part regular sugar because we didn't have Splenda. I also used frozen strawberries instead of fresh.

I think it was a little more gushy rather than crispy because of the extra liquid from the frozen berries. But still pretty good. This would be good with some Cool Whip but we didn't have any.

Turkey panini on sourdough

2009-05-07T17:54:00.000-05:00

Chicken burgers by Jill

2009-05-02T18:15:00.004-05:00

Apparently my sister Jill is now obsessed with chicken and turkey burgers. So here are some that she made for lunch today. Chicken patty with avocado, tomato, and red onion. Side of potato salad.

Tomato quiche majig

2009-04-25T21:27:00.004-05:00

It looks horrible and calorie-ridden, doesn't it?

Not so!!! I found this recipe in a book called Country Cooking, which is filled with all kinds of amalgamations of butter and grease and lard. This is an example of how to take a fatty recipe and use replacements to make it healthy. I don't have the recipe to share with you, but these are just suggestions you can use to healthify a country-fied greasy quiche or omelette.

Instead of heavy cream (gasp!) I used plain fat-free yogurt. Instead of a pie crust, I used a thin layer of frozen hashbrowns. Instead of the layer of shredded cheddar, I used a couple slices of Muenster cheese, and sprinkled just a little of the shredded cheese on top. I also added some extra veggies to the filling.

After all that, it was about 300 calories for a fourth - a FOURTH - of that casserole dish. Mind-boggling! :)

Pan-glazed tempeh

2009-04-24T16:28:00.010-05:00

Orange Pan-glazed Tempeh from Jude Blereau via 101 Cookbooks

This something I've been wanting to try for a while. If you've never heard of tempeh, it's similar and dissimilar to tofu. They're both made from soy beans, but tempeh has a very different texture, among other things.

My veggie sister bought a pack of tempeh the other day and I decided to go ahead and try it for lunch. I didn't have all the ingredients for this recipe, so I just used what I had. I ended up using V8 Mango-Peach juice instead of orange juice, and I left out the mirin because...quite frankly I don't know what that is. ;)

Ok, ok, I looked it up...mirin is a Japanese sweet cooking wine.

So the verdict is: tempeh is....interesting. I'm glad I tried it, but...I'm not entirely sold. From what I've heard, it's one of those take-it-or-leave-it kind of foods. There were some bites that were very nutty and crunchy, and I liked that part about it. So maybe I didn't crisp them up enough. Or maybe I'll just use tofu next time.

As a side note, my older sister claims this tempeh recipe tastes exactly like brisket. So if you're a vegetarian craving barbecue, this is the recipe for you. :)

Big Red ice cream

2009-04-11T23:44:00.009-05:00

Big Red ice cream from Recipezaar

All I can say is.......YUMMMMMMM. My mom has made this for a long, long time.

Of course, Big Red ice cream isn't really healthy, but it's unbelievably delicious. So if you haven't tried it before, you should get ya summa that.

Buffalo chicken sandwich

2009-04-11T23:41:00.000-05:00

This post is dedicated to Kathy of Panini Happy: my family and I are ETERNALLY grateful to you for introducing us to Frank's Red Hot Buffalo sauce. MMM - I'd never had it before! It's amazing! We are obsessed! We have three bottles in the house right now! No joke!

I didn't exactly follow Kathy's recipe but I was definitely thinking about it while I made this. Thanks Kathy, I love your blog! Y'all check her out!

Homemade granola bars

2009-04-08T21:33:00.006-05:00

I found a bag of marshmallows in the pantry today, along with a big box of rice cereal. I was so tempted to make rice krispie treats, but instead I made some healthy homemade granola bars.

Here's what I threw into mine....however you can play around with ingredients, this is just what I had in the house. To make it even healthier, you could omit the butter and use Kashi or another healthier cereal instead of the rice krispies. Any kind of nut would also be a good addition.

Peanut Butter Oat Bars
based on this recipe from suite101.com

3 1/2 cups puffed rice cereal
3 c quick-cooking oats
3 oz raisins
1/4 c toasted pumpkin seeds
1/4 c craisins
1/2 c almond butter
1/2 c peanut butter
1/4 c maple syrup
1/4 c honey
2 TB butter

Spray a 13 x 9 pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix puffed rice cereal, oats, raisins, craisins, and pumpkin seeds. Heat peanut butter, maple syrup, honey and butter on medium-low heat for a few minutes, until melted. Stir. Pour over cereal mixture. Stir to coat. Press mixture into prepared pan using your hands. Freeze 30 minutes. Cut into bars. Keep refrigerated.

Makes 16 bars, 235 calories each.

Frozen yogurt and chile relleno casserole

2009-04-08T21:21:00.008-05:00

Vanilla Frozen Yogurt from David Lebovitz
1/2 c for 127 calories

Chile Relleno Casserole from Peertrainer.com
6 servings for 288 calories each

I first tasted Pinkberry frozen yogurt when my family visited Hollywood two summers ago. Since then we have tried to find a frozen yogurt that is comparable. The frozen yogurt with berries at Central Market comes pretty close. Well then I found this recipe, and this is the closest thing yet.

I will definitely make this again, and double it, because there was not enough to go around with 7 people. I will use a little less sugar next time. We topped ours with white chocolate chips, but pretty much any fruit, nut, or chocolate topping will taste good with this yogurt.

The chile relleno casserole was a recipe that I found randomly, when I was looking for tips on how to make a low-calorie chile relleno. (Although it's made from a very large chile, at Mexican restaurants it's usually stuffed brimming, overflowing with cheese....and usually has at least 600 calories.) I've never heard of peertrainer.com but this recipe was good, so I might look to see if they have other tantalizing recipes.

Mango mousse

2009-04-08T21:12:00.006-05:00

Mango Mousse from About.com

This is a pretty healthy dessert, definitely a good alternative to ice cream. I'm going through a mango phase, so I wanted to try a mango dessert.

I can't remember exactly how many calories are in this, but you can get a large portion for about 200 calories I think. I would say the key to success is to get very ripe mangoes. Ours weren't quite ripe enough, so the mousse turned out a little sour. If you use very ripe mangoes, then you could use less of the confectioner's sugar. One other note is that I used low-fat whipped topping instead of the whipping cream, so that cuts down the calories as well. Sprinkle some nutmeg or cinnamon on top.

Spinach soup and sourdough

2009-04-01T21:26:00.005-05:00

Spinach & Zucchini Soup from 101 Cookbooks

Finally got around to making this soup... It was different than I expected. I mean, it was good, but I guess I expected it to be creamier....even though it doesn't have cream in it. I don't know, ok!? But it was very good, and I added some red pepper flakes and jalapeno to give it some oomph. Sourdough slices were dusted with olive oil and Italian spices and broiled.

The recipe makes 6 servings, with about 90 calories a piece. (Awesome!)

CALORIES

2009-04-01T11:48:00.009-05:00

Breakfast:
300 - breakfast burrito

Snacks:
120 - tater tots
110 - granola bar
140 - fiber one bar
80 - fudge bar
130 - baked cheetos

Lunch:
140 - pitas
60 - ham
110 - gruyere cheese
0 - red onion
25 - tomatoes
0 - Frank's RedHot
335

Dinner:
150 - spinach & zucchini soup
220 - toasted sourdough
60 - asparagus

1645 Total

Calories burned: 235

CALORIES

2009-03-30T12:20:00.007-05:00

Well, my goal last week was to post my calories every day, and I came pretty close. Of course, my calories were highest the day before my weigh-in. Ain't that always how it happens... But I still managed to bring my weight down 4 lbs from last week.

Sorry I haven't been posting any recipes lately...it's been a little hectic. I haven't even been able to go proper grocery-shopping in a few weeks. Hopefully this week I'll be able to take a trip to the store and plan some meals out.

So, continuing on....

Breakfast:
100 - soy milk
160 - cereal
260

Snacks:
180 - cheddar
60 - plum
250 - m&ms
220 - pb crackers
120 - plums
80 - cheese

Lunch:
120 - bun
110 - hot dog
230

Dinner:
320 - tacos

1720 Total

CALORIES

2009-03-26T09:52:00.003-05:00

Ok, really didn't start the day off too good here....

Breakfast:
250 - cereal

I forgot to pack my lunch for today, so all I have are some almonds and craisins........... :\

Snack:
280 - Snickers
160 - almonds
370 - chicken sandwich

Dinner:
270 - chile relleno
320 - chocolate pie

1650 Total

CALORIES

2009-03-25T14:21:00.005-05:00

Breakfast:
260 - Lean Pocket

Snacks:
140 - wheat crackers
180 - pepperjack cheese
350 - pb sandwich
90 - tapioca pudding
160 - almonds
260 - snack wrap
120 - iced coffee

Dinner:
320 - Lasagna

1880 Total

Roasted Grape salad / Eggplant sandwich

2009-03-24T21:24:00.013-05:00

Grape Salad from Myrecipes

Eggplant Sandwich from Allrecipes

You know when you don't eat grapes in time, and they lose their crunchiness? Well yesterday I had a bagful of such grapes. They just weren't fit to eat by themselves. I have really been into roasting vegetables lately, and I thought...why not roast grapes?

Well, I googled it and sure enough, there were directions. I knew it wasn't crazy. Toss the grapes in a little olive oil and a pinch of salt, and bake on 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes. I tasted one right after they came out of the oven - they taste surprisingly like a cherry cobbler.

I found the above recipe for a grape salad, and I simply omitted the chicken and used the roasted grapes instead of fresh.
If you use these on a salad, though, be careful because they retain a lot of juice. To avoid a soggy salad, you'd probably do best to add them on top of each salad portion, instead of mixing them into the bowl.

My sister made the eggplant, and it was yummmmy. I ate mine in a pita instead of the bun.

CALORIES

2009-03-24T10:32:00.005-05:00

Breakfast:
140 - Fiber one bar
260 - Lean Pocket

Snack:
90 - tapioca pudding

Lunch:
60 - ham
180 - pepperjack cheese
140 - wheat crackers

Dinner:
320 - chile relleno
130 - mexican rice
120 - refried beans
120 - 1/2 cheese enchilada

1560 Total

CALORIES / Breakfast pocket

2009-03-23T11:45:00.012-05:00

This is kind of a homemade version of a breakfast lean pocket, if you've ever tried one. I used to make these at the dorm cafeteria all the time, and it's really easy. Actually, I feel a little silly even explaining it, it's that easy.

Take half a pita and line it with the cheese.
Scramble an egg and heat up the sausage
(You can also use turkey bacon instead of sausage.
You can make this vegetarian by using veggie sausage links,
doubling the cheese or using veggies...potatoes, onions
and/or tomatoes come to mind.)
Put the egg in the pita.
Chop up the sausage.
Put it in the pita.
EASY.

I also grilled mine on the George Foreman to make it extra crispy.

Breakfast:
70 - half a pita
80 - 1 egg
75 - Eckrich sausage link
80 - 1 slice Havarti cheese
305

Snack:
130 - mango
135 - raspberry white chocolate peanut butter
210 - graham crackers
105 - rice pudding with cocoa powder
170 - hershey kisses

Lunch:
300 - fried quinoa with tofu and veggies

Dinner:
225 - roasted grape salad
160 - eggplant pita
60 - roasted zucchini

1800 Total

Too many sugary snacks!!

CALORIES

2009-03-22T13:34:00.009-05:00

Ok, I have not been good with my calories lately, and I am sick of it. I'm going to try to post my calories for every day this week. My calorie goal is about 1300 - 1600.

Didn't get off to a good start today, but I'm hoping this will help. Even though I cook and eat healthy food most of the time, I tend to do a lot of haphazard snacking. But it's got to stop, mostly because I feel like a slob.

Breakfast:
170 - trail mix
165 - 3 donut holes
335

Lunch:
140 - pita
70 - 3 slices deli ham
180 - pepperjack cheese
55 - caramelized onions
0 - Frank's Red hot sauce
445

Snack:
140 - 2 cookies
300 - kudos bars

Dinner:
500 - Mexican leftovers

1720 Total

Pepper and goat cheese frittata

2009-03-21T12:53:00.007-05:00

I decided to make another frittata using this for general instructions. As you can tell, this frittata isn't quite as purple as the other one. ;)

This time I used sauteed onions and green bell pepper, green chiles, red pepper flakes, roasted cherry tomatoes, and a "spring" mixture of lettuces (romaine, swiss chard, etc).

I also added more goat cheese than last time (a hard, "drunken" goat cheese, and also a soft, pepper goat cheese).

Topped it with some toasted pine nuts and it was done.

This is a great recipe to experiment with. The egg base is easy to make, and you can add whatever toppings you're in the mood for.

Camping - migas and sausage

2009-03-21T12:28:00.008-05:00

Here is the result of my first attempt at using a camp stove by myself. I felt like such a wilderness woman, cooking eggs up in the middle of the woods. I was entirely thrilled that nothing exploded.

To make migas, we added fried corn tortillas, a can of Rotel, and some American cheese to scrambled eggs.

We also grilled up some sausage links.

615 calories total.

Not bad for a hearty wilderness meal, huh?
We went on a hike afterward. ;)

Reader error - fixed!

2009-03-13T20:23:00.003-05:00

Several people have told me they're unable to add my blog to their RSS reader. I wanted to mention that I finally figured out the problem, and you should be able to subscribe to me now!

Thanks to everyone who's been commenting and reading my blogs!

jordan

Purple frittata

2009-03-13T20:13:00.006-05:00

A Tasty Frittata - from 101 Cookbooks

I have been so excited to make this ever since I found both purple potatoes and purple cauliflower at Whole Foods. Heidi suggests pink potatoes to make it colorful, but purple?? Even better!

I made only half the recipe and it still made this big old panful. It's got a cilantro chile lime sauce to drizzle over it which is a good addition. Definitely will make this again.

Sauteeing the purple stuff...

Look at all the pretty colors!

So pretty!

Quinoa Big Bowl and spinach salad

2009-03-13T20:09:00.005-05:00

Baby spinach with dried cranberries, whole almonds, some olive oil and pepper

Delicious Big Bowl - Quinoa - from 101 Cookbooks

Once again another delicious recipe from Heidi at 101 Cookbooks. This one is easy, quick, and one of those things that you can throw in whatever you want to customize. The recipe makes a big family-size bowl.

Chipotle shrimp and green beans with leeks

2009-03-08T19:46:00.006-05:00

Vibrant Green Beans from 101 Cookbooks
About 120 calories for 1/3

Shrimp in Chipotle Sauce from Recipezaar
About 180 calories for 1/4

I've been wanting to make shrimp, and we had some chipotle peppers around, so might as well try it. It also has EIGHT cloves of garlic in it, and a half cup of Coca Cola. Interesting. The sauce smells so good. It's got a bit of a kick to it...pretty spicy, actually, but sweet too.

My dad made the green bean recipe that I picked out. The leeks are sauteed and crispy, and the green beans are just a little crunchy. Don't let them get too squishy.

These recipes go really well together...plus, they're very festive red and green. ;)

My first shot at Quinoa

2009-03-08T19:33:00.007-05:00

I've never made or tasted quinoa, and I've never made tofu before...thankfully this recipe is really hard to screw up. Of course I got it here from 101 Cookbooks, which, if you couldn't tell, I am slightly obsessed with.

Quinoa (I think it's pronounced KEE-no-uh?) is a whole-grain that's sort of a mix between barley and couscous. It turned out similar to the fried couscous we made the other day...but I think I prefer this recipe. It has a deep, velvety flavor because of the pesto, the olive oil, and the pumpkin seeds.

I substituted peas for corn, but other than that I followed the recipe word for word. The tofu was ridiculously easy to cook up. In general, this recipe requires a bit of preparation but that's the perfect meal for a Sunday afternoon.

Enchiladas

2009-03-04T17:35:00.008-06:00

Here's some enchiladas based on this recipe from Hungry Girl.

I basically stuck to the recipe, but changed a few ingredients. I changed the refried beans to mashed up black beans, and added soy meat crumbles. Plus, I straight up used Mexican blend shredded cheese instead of the fat-free kind.

I do not condone using fat-free shredded cheese, because you know what? It tastes like plastic. It looks like plastic. I don't want plastic on my enchiladas. That's just my personal preference. Take a look at the Hungry Girl photo. That enchilada looks like it's covered with yellow hot glue. But by all means, use it if you're desperate to chop off some calories. EDIT: Or of course you could use reduced fat. Nothing wrong with that. Usually.

In total, I estimate there's about 260 calories per enchilada after the changes. But they're very filling. I say have yourself a bit of guacamole, a little salad, and you've got a meal.

Fried couscous

2009-02-28T17:41:00.008-06:00

This is another dish inspired by 101 Cookbooks. This time it's a fried couscous bowl, which is a variation of Heidi's Wild Fried Rice.

Jill was over today and she wanted couscous. I had made some stuffed bell peppers the other day with couscous and cannellini beans, which were really good together. We still had a can in the pantry, so we decided to toss those in, along with some garlic, white onion, tomato, spinach, parmesan cheese, fried egg, and lots of red pepper flakes and/or tabasco. I am starting to love spicy food, which is really weird for me.

This is a good dish to get in all your nutrients; it's full of whole grains, protein, and veggies. Use a 1/2 TB of olive oil to fry your egg, then remove it from the pan and add another 1/2 TB to fry your couscous. It's also pretty versatile...just add in whatever you've got laying around: beans, carrots, peas, bell peppers, pretty much anything. Just remember not to add in any beans or tomatoes until the end, or they'll get mushed up.

Chipotle white beans

2009-02-23T12:22:00.007-06:00

This is a recipe I snatched from 101 Cookbooks, which was originally Giant Chipotle White Beans. I didn't change much, I just used small white beans instead of giant, and added some chickpeas. For the cheese I used chunks of queso fresco.

This recipe makes a gorgeous panful that makes you think you're eating a big cheesy pizza...we gobbled it right up. The chipotle sauce and red pepper flakes make it really spicy, so have a big glass of ice water ready.

Low-carb cheesecake

2009-02-15T22:47:00.007-06:00

I have had a never-ending chocolate craving this weekend. I can't get enough of it. So far, I've been able to control it to a decent extent, but I did have a few too many Valentine chocolates.

I've been limiting my carb intake recently... I'm not doing the Atkins diet or anything, but I am trying to avoid bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, tortillas, chips, etc. When I started this, I told myself I would boycott desserts...but I quickly realized that I can't do without chocolate for an extended period of time. Actually, I don't think I can go without chocolate for more than a day or two.

Anyway, so I found myself craving chocolate once again tonight. I found a recipe for a low-carb "cheesecake," and I immediately decided to make it into a turtle cheesecake. Here's the recipe..

Low-Carb Turtle Cheesecake
(makes 3 or 4 servings;
267 calories and 14 carbs;
or 202 calories and 10 carbs)

8 oz package cream cheese or neufchatel
1 TB unsweetened cocoa powder
3 TBS splenda*
3 sugar-free pecans-and-caramel chocolates
Can of light whipped cream

Heat neufchatel in microwave for 20-30 seconds. Mix in cocoa powder and sugar, and place in fridge to set. (If you have some time, give it about 30-40 minutes. Or, you can put it in the freezer to speed it up.)
Finely chop the chocolates. When the neufchatel mixture is set, divide up portions, top with a squirt of whipped cream, and sprinkle generously with chocolate.

*We were practically out of splenda, so I used 1 TB splenda, 1 TB stevia, and 1 TB regular sugar.

Day 37: CALORIE LOG

2009-02-10T23:07:00.000-06:00

Breakfast:
240 - eggs with chopped pork and spinach

Snack:
150 - cheese
200 - yogurt

Lunch:
100 - veggie patty
140 - avocado

Snack:
10 - baby carrots

Dinner:
400 - surf salad
100 - olives and grape tomatoes
150 - cheese

Snack:
125 - olives and broccoli

TOTAL
1615

Ricotta scramble with black beans

2009-02-09T12:39:00.008-06:00

Ricotta Scramble with Spinach and Black Beans
(370 calories; 28 g protein; serves 1)

2 eggs, beaten
1/4 c ricotta cheese
3/4 c fresh spinach, chopped
1/4 c sprouts, chopped
1/4 c onion, chopped
1/2 c black beans
1/2 tsp sea salt
Cayenne or red pepper flakes (optional)
Salsa verde (optional)

Season eggs with salt and cayenne or red pepper to taste. Heat pan to low heat. Spray with no-calorie cooking spray. Cook spinach until wilted. Increase heat to medium-low heat. Add onions and cook another minute. Make a well in the center, and add another dose of cooking spray. Add eggs, stir, and spread mixture out around the pan. Add the ricotta evenly across the eggs. Add sprouts. Stir and cook about another minute. Remove from pan. Heat black beans in microwave for 30 seconds. Place on plate with eggs. Top with salsa verde and eat.

Surf Club salad

2009-02-09T11:30:00.001-06:00

Maranui Surf Club Salad

This is a squash and chickpea salad, with coconut milk, lime, and curry. I estimate this salad has 200 calories per 3/4 c serving.

My fresh acorn squash was too hard to cut, so I meant to soften it a bit in the microwave....but I absentmindedly cooked it for almost 6 minutes. Consequently, my squash was much softer than the recipe calls for. It's supposed to be toasted cubes of squash. Because it was more creamy, the result tasted like a coconut-y, exotic potato salad! It's actually really good, it's just a different texture than the original recipe.

Baked Quince

2009-02-08T01:20:00.011-06:00

At Whole Foods yesterday, I came across some odd-looking fruits in the produce section. This quince was the only one I could afford. LOL. I wasn't sure how to eat it....I thought you could eat it like an apple. Apparently not. I looked it up, and I found out that raw quince is hard and tart...and that quince jelly used to be common in the U.S. until canning went out of fashion. Quince can also be baked like pears or apples, used in compotes, cobblers, and pies, or made into a kind of fruit leather.

The quince intrigues me. It looks like a lemon, smells like a pineapple, and tastes like a pear. The word "quince" sounds so medieval and antiquated to me...like an obsolete word. It makes me feel like I'm eating something from the middle ages, maybe along with some Cornish pasties and mutton. I can't wait to buy more, so I can make another of the recipes I found. Apparently when you cook quince for several hours (5), the flesh turns from white to bright, blood red.

I came across a few quince recipes, and I combined a couple of them.

Baked Quince

1 quince, cut in half and cored
1 TB butter
1 TB honey
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cloves
cinnamon (to taste)
3 c water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the quince flesh side up in a deep baking pan. Place butter on the quince, drizzle with 1/2 TB of honey, save the rest. Sprinkle quince with sugar, cloves, and cinnamon according to your liking. Fill pan with water and heat uncovered for 1 hour. Remove from oven, drizzle quince with remaining honey. Serve by itself or with vanilla ice cream. :)

Day 35: Chickpea veggie burgers

2009-02-08T01:08:00.012-06:00

Ultimate Veggie Burger

This is the most ingenious idea. Instead of putting a veggie burger on dry bread, you make the veggie patties the bun! I stuffed mine with dijon mustard, red onion, green olives, grape tomatoes, gruyere cheese, and some kale. It was so good! I can't wait to try it with avocado. Mm...

Prepping....

Some lime zest...

Whole-wheat crumbs to thicken it up a little...

Little bit o' olive oil...

It's so pretty too!

CALORIE LOG

Breakfast:
95 - almond butter
100 - banana
100 - yogurt
25 - strawberries

Snack:
45 - fruit leather

Lunch:
110 - black beans
20 - pinch of parmesan
35 - tomato, onion, lime juice
100 - marinated pork

Snack:
80 - apple
160 - craisins and goji berries
110 - soy nuts

Dinner:
200 - surf club salad
300 - creamy chicken soup

Snack:
30 - grape tomatoes and green olives
85 - sugar-free pudding with light cool whip

TOTAL
1595

Day 34: Squash gnocchi and baked peas

2009-02-07T16:43:00.009-06:00

Baked Peas with Tarragon, Yogurt, and Pistachios

I found this recipe last night and it sounded intriguing. The yogurt dressing smells SOOOO GOOD. I should've doubled the dressing to make it a little creamier, but it was good anyway. However, I could have done without the pistachios on top...next time I'll probably just use another nut or leave them off all together.

Acorn Squash Gnocchi
I've been trying to make this squash gnocchi for a week. But things kept coming up and I didn't have time to make a complicated dinner. I finally had some time last night, and it took a LOT longer than I thought it would. The squash was really hard to scoop out, and by the time I had the dough made, I didn't even care what the gnocchi looked like - I just cut them as fast as I could, so they're all different shapes. Haha..

I didn't use the sauce listed in the recipe, I just cooked together a couple TBs of butter, a little olive oil, black pepper, sage, and parmesan. The gnocchi was sweet and salty - overall, very good.

CALORIE LOG

Breakfast:
80 - egg
110 - swiss cheese
100 - yogurt
60 - berries

Lunch:
80 - baked peas
180 - gnocchi

Snack:
40 - fruit leather
110 - soy nuts
95 - almond butter

Dinner:
425 - veggie burger and some snacking while making it. ;)

Snack:
155 - baked quince
75 - olives

TOTAL
1510

Day 33: Griller Salad

2009-02-06T11:38:00.010-06:00

This is a yummy recipe from Morningstar Farms that I altered a bit.

Griller Salad (serves 1)

2 cups baby spinach
1/4 - 1/2 red bell pepper (cut into strips)
3 slices avocado
1/4 c sprouts
1 MF Grillers soy patty (cooked and sliced into strips)
3/4 TB olive oil
black pepper (to taste)

Toss it all together and you're done. :)

CALORIE LOG

Breakfast:
140 - 2 eggs
20 - spinach
10 - bell peppers
85 - banana

Lunch:
170 - veggie patty
100 - mozzarella
0 - tomato

Snack:
100 - mozzarella
130 - craisins

Dinner:
390 - squash gnocchi
150 - baked peas
180 - 8 oz riesling wine

TOTAL
1475

Day 28: Chicken Coconut Stew

2009-02-01T13:10:00.008-06:00

This is very tasty. I love it. It's a healthy chicken stew with coconut milk, curry, and vegetables in it. Kind of like an Indian pot roast. I found it here.

I also found a recipe for Lemony Lentils in the newspaper the other day. There's a similar recipe on Recipezaar here. They were good and very lemony, but they're actually too filling to go with the stew. I imagined they would be lighter. They should be served with something light or be used as a main dish. The newspaper article suggested serving them with a falafel wrap, which I'm sure would be good, I love falafel. Since we have a lot left over I might make a lentil soup this week. (Tada: I just found a recipe for lemony lentil soup here.

Day 24: Dad's porkchops

2009-01-28T13:33:00.009-06:00

Had a bad day yesterday. Well, at least eating-wise.... School was cancelled due to inclement weather, and I took the opportunity to be even more lazy than usual.

Anyway, I didn't make dinner last night, but my mom told me I had to photograph my dad's food. :)

Porkchops simmered with tomatoes, onions, and peppers; with whole-wheat pasta and a vinaigrette salad. This is what I would call one of my dad's signature dishes, the others being red chili, green chili stew, and pot roast.

Day 22: Couscous soup and cornmeal crunch

2009-01-26T19:50:00.015-06:00

This was a pleasant surprise. I'm tellin you, it's good.

I just came across this blog - 101 Cookbooks - and she has tons of healthy vegetarian recipes. I bookmarked a bunch of them. Anyway, this recipe for Ten-Minute Couscous Soup sounded fast and simple, so I went for it. I wasn't expecting much from it, honestly. But it is SO GOOD. It's got tons of flavors swirling around in it - red pepper flakes, green onion, couscous, and we added some chopped mushroom. I added some extra broth and couscous to make 8 servings, and based on my calculations on SparkPeople, the total is 187 calories for a whopping bowl of soup.

Also from 101 Cookbooks, I was intrigued by a recipe called Cornmeal Crunch. It's like a very crunchy, very onion-y cornbread. Also very good. The recipe makes 16 pieces, 76 calories each.

MMM!

Day 21: Cookie dough brownies

2009-01-25T23:35:00.003-06:00

Ok...let me preface this by saying - this concoction is not health food in any way. This is not a 100-calorie pack. This is not breakfast. This is not what you eat for energy before a workout. However, even though this isn't healthy, this is an example of taking a ludicrously indulgent recipe and making it a little more healthy than it was.

So with that disclaimer, here are the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies. Basically, in the original recipe, you take chocolate chip cookie dough, and you pour it onto brownie batter, and bake it all together as one glorious pan of chocolatey goo.

Now, here's where the slight adjustment comes in. I knew this recipe would have a plethora of calories, so I decided to soften the blow a little bit, by replacing the brownie batter with Hungry Girl's Yum Yum Brownie Muffin mix. Instead of brownie mix, get a box of devil's food cake mix, and stir in a can of pure pumpkin. And there's your batter. Don't add eggs or oil.

After that, I followed the recipe as is. The change of the brownie batter took off about 100 calories, and in the end, I cut each piece in 2 to make smaller portions, bringing the total to about 200 calories per brownie.

I find it laughable that Betty Crocker lists this recipe as having 48 servings. I ended up with about 26 pieces. (The brownie pictured is a double serving...imagine it cut in half.)

Anyway, these are delicious. Fortunately, we were able to pawn them off on some willing bystanders, so there's not many left in the house to tempt us.

Day 20: peach muffins

2009-01-24T02:25:00.006-06:00

These, I have to say, are........quite bland. I was in the mood to whip up a quick something yesterday, and when I'm in that mood, I tend to just take inventory of what we have in the house, and then search for a recipe with those ingredients. Well, we had canned peaches and wheat flour in the house. So I found this recipe: Honey Peach Bran Muffins. I always think anything with honey in it sounds good, but these ended up pretty unexciting. Of course, I didn't put any bran in, so maybe that would've given it the extra kick, I don't know. Otherwise, I think they need some sugar added to them. Anyway, they are definitely edible, and they'll be good to throw in my lunches next week, or to have for a quick breakfast. They're just not delectable, that's all.

Day 18: pineapple-corn salad and breakfast burritos

2009-01-22T19:16:00.002-06:00

Ok, dinner last night....I woke up craving potato breakfast burritos but I didn't have the willpower to make them for breakfast. So I made them for dinner instead.

I based these off of this recipe, however, I made a lot of changes. The original recipe has a whopping 887 calories per serving. I took out the chorizo to make it vegetarian, used only 1 TB of olive oil, used only 3/4 package of neufchatel, and used corn tortillas instead of flour. I cut up the potatoes and baked them to make them softer, and I also added some yellow onion to the mix. After all the changes, we end up with 420 calories for 2 burritos, or 210 a piece. Not too bad.

The corn salad came about because I wanted to use up some crushed pineapple we had in the pantry. So I searched for some recipes and this one was incredibly simple and easy. Ironically, I am infamous for hating corn. But I decided to give it a try. In actuality, I do like cream corn occasionally, fried corn, corn nuggets.....basically whenever corn has sugar and fat added to it - THEN I'll eat it. Haha.
But this corn salad isn't bad at all. It's about 100 calories for a half cup serving. Actually, probably a little less than that, since I used light mayonnaise.

Mm look at that!
Forgot to mention we used a green salsa that has tequila in it!

Calories for today: 1918.

Day 17: homemade lean pocket

2009-01-21T16:07:00.011-06:00

Here is one of the "homemade lean pockets" I made the other day. I had a turkey pepperoni one for lunch yesterday, and a spinach one today. Both are very good.

For the spinach pockets, I had a variety of cheeses around, so each one has a different variation of ingredients. I think this one had spinach, sauce, mushrooms, garlic, about a quarter TB of neufchatel, half a slice of muenster cheese, and a little bleu cheese: approx. 250 calories (or less). I made the whole-wheat dough in the bread machine.

You can buy packaged dough to save time. Roll it out and throw in whatever ingredients you want, then bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. You can wrap them up and freeze them, and reheat them in the microwave for 2 minutes.

Breakfast:

331 - polenta grits with cheese and smoked sausage

Lunch:

250 - spinach pocket

Snacks:

380 - 2 chicken tenders
188 - 2 chocolate cookies
150 - sherbet

Dinner:

95 - pineapple corn salad
545 - breakfast burritos

1939 TOTAL

A little high on the calories today....the one thing I regret is those chicken tenders.

Day 16: zucchini potato bake

2009-01-20T21:46:00.000-06:00

Here's a recipe I tried last night from Allrecipes - Zucchini Potato Bake.
Potatoes, zucchini, red bell pepper, and I threw in some spinach too: 245 calories.
I also made some "lean pockets" from scratch...spinach and turkey pepperoni. I'll get to postin those soon.

It's so pretty...

Right out of the oven...

This has been such a crappy day.....one day back to school and I'm already stressed out.

Breakfast:

220 - oatmeal to go

Lunch:

280 - homemade pizza pocket

Snack:

245 - potato zucchini

Dinner:

424 - Sonic chicken sandwich
375 - tater tots

Snack:

130 - craisins

1674 TOTAL

Day 15: pizza bagels

2009-01-19T17:46:00.006-06:00

I made these pizza bagels the other day. Yummy. :)

Food Log:

120 - orange juice
380 - stir fry
188 - 2 chocolate crisps
150 - Pringles
94 - chocolate crisp
???? - Chicken Express.....more than I can imagine. :(

932+++

Day 14: picnic

2009-01-18T20:40:00.009-06:00

It was such a pretty day that we decided to pack a picnic. I made a Cobb salad based on the Cheesecake Factory's California Salad, and my sister made a variation of Pioneer Woman's Veggie Bagel.

On the salad: romaine lettuce, hardboiled eggs, craisins, bleu cheese, red onions, soy bac'n bits - 200 calories.
On the sandwich: whitewheat bread, neufchatel with chives, cucumber, red onion, sprouts, cheddar cheese - 310 calories.

This sandwich....is delicious. If you look at PW's recipe...our version has considerably less calories, since we used bread instead of the giant bagel, and we left out the avocado. I also left out the muenster cheese....the reason the picture has two slices of cheese is because I photographed my sisters instead of mine. So there you go.

We didn't want to actually bake anything, so we cheated and bought a berry pie from Tom Thumb. It was pretty good. The only thing I feel bad about (diet-wise) is that I drank a glass of Dr. Pepper (GASP). I never drink Coke (soda). I mean never. But I stupidly forgot my water bottle and there was nothing else to drink. So I regret using up calories for that.

Then I intended to have a light dinner, since we had such a big lunch.....until we up and went to Ikea. We always buy a box of double chocolate crisps when we go, and I couldn't resist....I had FOUR of them while walking through the store! At 94 calories a piece, that's 376 calories on cookies alone. Curse those delicious cookies!

Breakfast:

180 - 3 chicken wings (weird breakfast....lol)

Lunch:

310 - veggie sandwich
200 - cobb salad
290 - berry cobbler
140 - Dr. Pepper (grr)

Dinner:

376 - chocolate crisps
280 - hot dog

1776 TOTAL

Day 12: polenta lasagna and oven-fried squash

2009-01-16T12:52:00.005-06:00

Last night I made a polenta lasagna for the first time. I was so excited to make it, because you use polenta slices instead of lasagna sheets. It was from a Pesto Lasagna on Allrecipes that I changed up. Instead of pesto and pinenuts, I put in lots of sauteed onions and red bell pepper, and added some spinach. It was very tasty, lemme tell you. I think next time I'll add some ricotta cheese to make it taste more lasagna-y.

I also found a recipe for Oven-Fried Courgette. Courgette is just the fancy British word for zucchini. (And zucchini is the fancy American word for courgette.) Well, we had a bunch of yellow squash so I used that instead, and I whipped up some honey mustard, and voila: squash fries. We actually used wheat flour and wheat bread crumbs to coat them, and they still turned out really good.

It looks really decadent in the pictures, doesn't it? But it's not....the lasagna has only 270 calories for a big ol' piece, and the zucchini is about 120 calories. The only fattening thing on that plate is the honey mustard, and we barely used any of it.

Polenta lasagna

Oven-fried squash

YUM

Food Log

434 - 2 chicken soft tacos
216 - black bean taco

170 - 4 Riesen's chocolates

200 - polenta lasagna

1020 calories worth of food, the rest of my calories were taken up by Captain Morgan's, unfortunately. I really think that will be my last night out in a long, long time.

Day 11: egg pizza

2009-01-15T14:12:00.014-06:00

This is my version of the Hungry Girl Breakfast Pizza. It was surprisingly difficult to make...it is near impossible to flip the egg as the directions say. ANYWAY, I used real eggs instead of egg-beaters, so mine had more calories.
Eggs, pasta sauce, turkey pepperoni, Sargento string cheese, onions and baby spinach: 252 calories. It was pretty good!

Day 10: apple-oat muesli

2009-01-14T12:05:00.009-06:00

I'm sure this recipe would taste good if I actually made it right. Haha... I accidentally put too much water in, so it was a little soupy...basically the consistency of apple sauce. I think I'll try it again some other day.

Lunch:

50 - muesli
330 - leftover stir-fry

Snacks:

320 - homemade pizza bagels
150 - breadstick
70 - berry crumble and cream
150 - teddy grahams

Dinner:

280 - veggie taco salad
150 - taco shells
20 - olives
50 - string cheese

Dessert:

150 - banana bread
90 - tapioca pudding

1810 TOTAL

So....obviously I'm still struggling to stay in range (1200 - 1550). I'm always shocked to realize how many sweets I eat during a day. Take a look, and I had 4 types of sweets, and several types of bread/carbs. I'm gonna have to try to limit myself.

Day 9: stir-fry

2009-01-13T21:57:00.015-06:00

I have been wanting to make stir-fry for the past 2 weeks. I decided to take some pictures while I was making it, they're posted below.
Broccoli, peas, baby corn, red bell pepper, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, a few mandarin oranges and pineapple chunks, orange juice, soy sauce, sesame seeds. Plus some grilled chicken and long-grain rice. It was good but a little bland. I think I will add some more pineapple to the leftovers. Plus I realized that I forgot to add the wonton strips my sister and I bought especially for the stir-fry. They're garlic-ginger flavored.

Another thing is that I have discovered the bento box. OMG they are gorgeous. It's like packing a lunch, but making every single food look gorgeous. Like a magical little bento box world, where everyone makes gorgeous delicious recipes every day and then chops them up and packs them perfectly into a cute little box. Here's a link to some really awesome bento boxes: http://wererabbits.wordpress.com

Lunch:

320 - Lean cuisine

Snacks:

390 - Drumstick cone (I have so been craving this! I had to have it!)
280 - 1 slice veggie pizza
350 - banana bread

Dinner:

400 - stir-fry

1740 TOTAL

Day 8

2009-01-12T16:08:00.004-06:00

Lunch:

260 - Lean Cuisine meatloaf
90 - tapioca pudding

Snacks:

130 - c c cookie
130 - 1/3 c craisins
90 - Kelloggs wheat crackers

Dinner:

374 - mimosa
50 - delicious sauteed green beans
120 - salad
880 - pizza

2124

Day 7

2009-01-11T11:56:00.006-06:00

Ok, I......have not been having the best weekend. I've gotten into a really pitiful mood and been moping around for the past 2 or 3 days, and eating whatever's in sight to try to numb my self-loathing. Well, it's ridiculous. We're going to the rodeo today for a couple hours...I will try to pack snacks or something because I'm not sure what the food situation will be.

Breakfast:

160 - coffee yogurt
175 - eggs and sausage

335

Snacks:

200 - 1/4 c walnuts
50 - cheese
50 - cheese
30 - 3 oz snap peas
120 - a few nachos

Dinner:

850 - chili's mini hamburgers plus tortilla chips

250 - hungry girl brownie and some cinnabon

1985 TOTAL

Day 6

2009-01-10T11:27:00.001-06:00

Breakfast:

200 - wheat bread
100 - scrambled egg
100 - turkey sausage

400

360
75
120
60
100

Day 4

2009-01-08T11:30:00.001-06:00

Breakfast:

423 - taco scramble

Snack:

380 - ice cream
330 - pizza
175 - 1/2 bbq sandwich

Lunch:

460 - frozen dinner
150 - smart ones dessert

1918

Day 3: more yogurt talk

2009-01-07T11:09:00.012-06:00

We had some extra torn bread lying around for some reason or other, so I decided to make a strata last night. I've really been in a baking mood this week. Plus, preparing it last night kept me from putting other food in my mouth. I have no idea what it's gonna taste like, though....haha. I started with a recipe, but I wanted to make it healthier and put more spices in, so I ended up just adding in lots of different stuff. Also, me and Jaley went to Tom Thumb yesterday so I got some Dannon coffee yogurt, which is basically the best yogurt ever. It's naturally flavored, only has 4 or 5 ingredients, and it doesn't have corn syrup or sweeteners in it...PLUS it doesn't have gluten, so my vegetarian sister can even eat it. And it tastes really good. I haven't been able to find it in any other flavors, but the coffee one is really good.
*So the strata didn't turn out too bad, I put broccoli and red bell peppers in it, with basil, garlic salt, cayenne pepper. Cut out the 1/2 lb of cheddar cheese and added a sprinkle of mozzarella and parmesan, and a couple TB of sour cream. Definitely tastes lunch-y instead of breakfast-y but that's ok.

Breakfast:

160 - Dannon All Natural coffee yogurt

Lunch:

220 - broccoli pepper strata

Snack:

300 - cheese pizza
90 - deli turkey
160 - oatmeal cookies

Dinner:

484 - 1 1/2 servings taco salad
70 - crispy tortilla strips
30 - sour cream
21 - parmesan cheese

1535 TOTAL

Dinner was totally yummy, I got a recipe for healthy taco salad and covered it with bell peppers and black beans. MM. Only thing is I had kind of an unbalanced day....I had a really small breakfast, and then I had a huge dinner.

*Ok......had a bit of a binge tonight. What am I talking about, a "bit" of a binge...well, I think I'd feel worse about it if I DIDN'T blog it, so here goes...

224 - raspberry scone
45 - 2 pc chocolate
240 - 2 large dinner rolls
45 - corn casserole
80 - fries

2169 NEW TOTAL

619 calories over budget..... :\
I am not likin that number...
I plan to eat fabulously well tomorrow so that I won't end up compromising with myself for one more bite of this or that.

Day 2: yogurt

2009-01-06T11:12:00.011-06:00

I am really bad about wasting yogurt. I've just never gotten myself to like it the way I have other healthy foods. I bought a big tub of vanilla yogurt a few weeks ago and I kept forgetting about it....probably because I pushed it to the back of the fridge. LOL. Or I would see it and think, "Ehhh.....that doesn't sound good." I knew it was gonna expire soon so I decided to figure out a way to make myself eat it. I bought some canned peaches, and mixed them with the yogurt for breakfast. It's pretty good actually. I've found that if I add fruit to something I don't like, it magically makes it edible. Like oatmeal. I tried to teach myself to like oatmeal. I really did. I used to just add cinnamon and a little salt and some I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray, but......there's just something about it. But adding strawberries to oatmeal makes it scrumptious. Now, sometimes I add a TB of peanut butter to make it really hearty, but it takes me forever to eat. I read someone's blog the other day that said they binged on oatmeal......WHA? Haha.....I would never ever turn to oatmeal for a midnight snack. BLECH.

I'm gonna aim for about 1250 calories today, and I'm going to try to avoid any sweets.

Breakfast:

200 - 1 c vanilla yogurt
80 - 3/4 c canned peaches

Lunch:

270 - lean pocket

Snack:

170 - almonds
26 - hershey kiss (well that's one sweet so far....)
270 - chicken quesadilla
51 - hushpuppy

Dinner:

320 - zucchini cheese soup (yummy!)
135 - 1/2 chicken quesadilla

1522 TOTAL

OMG could I actually be in range today???! It's already after 10 pm so my chances are good.

Day 1: pancakes

2009-01-05T14:31:00.010-06:00

I have been so eager to make these zucchini pancakes I saw in a magazine. For weeks. Except we never have any zucchini, and then I bought some, and I swear I brought it into the house and it vanished. Without a trace, I have no idea where it went. Anyway, so I did have some baby corn, and I thought - hmm....maybe it will be like corn cakes? So this afternoon I was making the recipe, and I saw it called for 2 TB baking powder....that seemed like a lot to me but I put it in anyway.

I started to make a few, then went to taste one, and OMG. It was like a baking powder cake. It was disgusting. And that's saying a lot. There's not a lot of things that I will throw out, but those pancakes went straight to the dogs. So then I just made regular pancakes. Well, I added blueberry and a few chocolate chips to them. So the rest of the day will need to be spot-on with eating.

Breakfast:

400 - 5 pancakes (3 blueberry chocolate, 1 plain, 1 chocolate)
140 - approx. 2 TB Ghirardelli chocolate chips
12 - Cary's sugar-free syrup

Lunch:

230 - Lean Cuisine broccoli and potatoes

Snack:

100 - another pancake :\
115 - 2 pieces of Ghirardelli chocolate

Dinner:

560?- potato soup in sourdough bowl
280 - raspberry turnover

1837 Total

Not too shabby (considering how badly I've BEEN eating)....although I'm not entirely sure about the soup. Was probably more calories than that.
Now I just have to wait out the rest of the night and not eat anything else...it's about 9 pm.
As we speak, cherry turnovers are being made in the oven....I don't even want any!! But I'm afraid I'll walk by and inhale one on accident!! EDIT: I KNEW I was gonna gobble one up!! :\