eclectic / eccentric

Here are the recipes for our healthy homecooked meals over the past two weeks:

Meal #1 :: Roasted Chicken Breast with Herbs, Carrots, and Red Potatoes

1 lb stir fry chicken
2 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, chopped
1 T poultry seasoning
4 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 red potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 T extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and set the oven rack in the middle of the oven. Line a 10x12 inch pan with aluminum foil.
2. Use the tip of a sharp boning or paring knife to cut 3 small slits into the side of each chicken breast; insert a slice of garlic into each slit.
3. Mix the rosemary and poultry seasoning together and sprinkle evenly over the chicken.
4. Arrange the breasts close together on the foil-lined pan. Place carrots and red potatoes in a bowl; toss with olive oil until evenly coated. Place in a single layer around chicken and fold up edges of foil approximately 1 inch.
5. Cover and cook in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and vegetables are fork tender. An instant-read thermometer should register 165 degrees.

The recipe actually called for chicken breast, but I'm not a fan of thick chicken and that's all I can find outside of Market Day; hence, I used stir fry chicken. Also, I think 1 tablespoon of olive oil is plenty; although you do run the risk of the vegetables burning.

Very tasty

Meal #2 :: Rainbow Trout with Yogurt Sauce and Broccoli Pasta

The Trout...okay, so I used Tilapia....

1. In a medium bowl combine 1 cup of plain yogurt, 1 shredded cucumber, 2 T chopped dill, 1 whole lemon juiced and zested, and 1 T extra virgin olive oil.. Mix well and set aside.
2. Turn oven broiler on. Coat a broiler pan with non-stick cooking spray.
3.  Broil for about 8 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork. To serve spoon yogurt sauce over fish.

So, the husband and I are not a fan of the sauce. We are plain old tartar sauce kind of people. Fish, however, I always love.

The Broccoli Pasta

1. Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Stir in the linguini pasta and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still al dente. Drain.
2. Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add 3 T extra virgin olive oil and 1 T unsalted butter. Add 2 minced garlic cloves and cook 30 seconds. Add 2 lbs. broccoli pieces and stir. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Toss gently with pasta and serve topped with grated parmesan.

Delicious. The hubby and I even ate this on its own the next night; and Brian never eats a meal without meat, so that's impressive.

Meal #3 :: Chicken Stir Fry and Rice

1. Slice (or dice) 1 red pepper, 1 green pepper, 1 stick of celery, 3 carrots, 1/2 onion, 10-15 edamame (no need to cut these, just remove the beans (or not)), and anything else you want. 
2. Slice chicken breasts into strips.
3. Heat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add in the chicken and veggies.
4. Add in 2 T soy sauce, 3 T lemon juice, dash of pepper, and a dash of chili flakes. 
5. Cook for about 14 minutes - or until veggies and chicken are done. 

As for the rice, I just used Uncle Ben's Wild Rice which is beautifully contained in a microwavable bag, ready in 90 seconds....yeah, that counts as cooking....

Yet again, very tasty.

There was no meal #4 as Thanksgiving came up and slapped me in the stomach - right after the flu slapped me in the stomach for two days of no fun. But hey, I lost 9 pounds (yeah, that really doesn't count, does it).

I'm going to try to remember to take pictures of the meals - just to make these posts prettier.... :)

 

This week marked the beginning of my Healthy Cooking Challenge. The idea is simple: Twice a week I will cook an actual dinner that is healthy. For some, this would not be a big deal, but for me, oh-sweet-mary-the-pain. Cooking a healthy dinner is a challenge for me for two reasons: 1) I don't like cooking and 2) I'm terrible at preparing to cook. I consistently forget to defrost, and I always procrastinate on grocery shopping.

I wish I could say that getting healthy was my only reason for completing this challenge, but alas, another motivation is what really got me going: Madison. Since she is starting to eat more table food - practically never eating baby food anymore - I thought learning how to cook healthy dishes would be an appropriate pursuit. I'm pretty sure putting her on mommy and daddy's typical diet is a seriously not good parenting strategy.

On a typical night, I suddenly realize that I am getting hungry around 5:30 and then I scramble around trying to figure out what to eat with nothing defrosted and no vegetables in sight. This usually ends in one of four ways: 1) Some sort of frozen meat/fish with a side dish of frozen french fries; 2) Ordering or making pizza; 3) Ordering Chinese food; or 4) Eating random crap in an attempt to get full while my husband eats whatever left-overs are in the fridge. Bad eating. Bad, bad eating.

When you combine this sort of unhealthy eating with an under-active metabolism and a serious lack of exercise, well, we all know what you get....

As such, the chal