Weight Loss & Plates

Who cares about the plates we use? We all should! I have found a little weight loss trick: use smaller plates and you WILL lose weight. Hide your massive dinner plates. Gather lunchon plates about 8 inches wide and fill the plate with your dinner. Eat your dinner. Do NOT go for seconds. Keep this up. Resist getting out the larger plates, except for skinny friends. It works. When your pants feel loose you'll thank me.

Things I Don't Need #1

I have started taking a hard look at what I buy and have come to realize there are quite a few things I don't really need. Here are some items we have stopped using:

SODA and DIET SODA: Do you need all that sugar or artificial sweetener? Drink water, with a slice of orange, lemon or lime - it is tastier and better for you.

'WHITE" FOODS: White flour, rice and pastas aren't good for your health - use whole grain versions instead to feel full longer.

MOST FAST FOOD:  Why bother? If you absolutely must, select a cup of chili and a side salad from the Value Meal at Wendy's; it will cost 1.98 plus tax; replace a soft drink with free water.

GOOD ground Beef CHEAP

The battle of the Buck still rages: my latest scrimmage has been at the meat counter. In my home, tasty ground beef is a treat - and we consider a pinkish burger the centerpiece of a real fine meal. (I apologize to my vegan friends - so stop reading HERE.)

Since the 'bargain' 80/20 fatty stuff isn't even worth eating, I spend good coin for good ground. However, good news emerges from the front: local markets have been featuring chuck recently, as steaks and roasts, at $1.57 a pound! So I had the butcher trim the obvious fat and grind it. What YUMMY burgers! We made enough burgers and meatballs to last for the summer, and if I had had more freezer space ---well, you get the picture.

Ham Pt 2: Gougeres (Cheese Puffs) with HAM

Gougere with Ham is a ham and egg recipe ideal for any meal. It looks fancy, but it comes together quickly, and it is inexpensive!  This dish is made in three steps; first make a stiff French pastry dough known as Pate a Choux, then prepare a veggie filling  and put it all together. Before you begin, read the whole recipe and collect the ingredients, butter a  9-10" glass baking dish (or ovenproof casserole), and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Step One: Ingredients for Pate a Choux: 1 cup all purpose flour, a pinch of salt and pepper, ½ cup butter (1 stick) cut up, 1 cup water, 4 eggs, ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese.

To make the dough: Mix flour, salt and pepper and set aside. Use a saucepan and heat the butter with the water until the butter melts. Now turn up the heat until the liquid is boiling and add the flour mixture. Combine the ingredients for a minute, until it turns into a stiff dough. Set it aside and let it cool for about 5 minutes.

Once  the dough has cooled, add each egg one at a time, beating them into the dough, and stir in the cheese.  Set the dough aside while you prepare the filling.

Step Two: Ingredients for Filling:  2 Tbsp butter, 1 cup chopped onion, ½ cupped chopped fresh mushrooms,  a pinch of salt and pepper, 1 ½ Tbsp flour, 1 cup chicken broth (boullion is ok), ½ cup chopped tomatoes, 1 cup chopped ham. For the topping: 2 Tbsp. shredded cheddar cheese, and 2 Tbsp chopped parsley.

Saute the onions in the butter until soft, add the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes. Sprinkle with flour, salt and pepper add broth. Stir until mix boils; turn the heat down to simmer and cook for 4 minutes. Remove the filling from the heat and add in the tomato and ham.

Step Three: Assemble the Dish: Spoon the dough in a ring around the edge of the buttered dish, leaving the center open. Pour the filling into the center and sprinkle all over with the cheese and parsely. Bake the Gougere for 40 minutes or until puffed up and brown. Cut into wedges and serve. Great with a fruit or green salad! Bon Appetit!

Happy Spring Ham Part 1

Spring = Easter and Easter = ham!

Do the math and realize that hams are big, cheap,  and provide a lot of good meals for relatively little coin. Buy a pre-cooked ham. Spiral sliced is nice, but lots more money. Of course hams are fatty, but just trim away the skin and most of the thick fat and enjoy good flavor.

EASY Baked ham dinner:  Use a large heavy pan with a rack; poke some whole cloves into the ham and select a basting liquid, like fruit juices or nectars, even sprite and cola. Baste the ham. Cover and heat it in a 350 degree oven for 60 minutes or until heated through. Uncover it and heat it for another 10 minutes for some browning.

Add some scrubbed unpeeled sweet potatoes or yams to the oven and let them cook with the ham for about 45 minutes (or til soft); cook some asparagus and enjoy a lovely dinner with minimal fuss.

Happy Spring Ham Part 2 will feature Gougeres (Cheese Puffs) with HAM casserole. Easy. Cheap. Delicious!!!

HOT PLATES and Good Value

Welcome to my world, a place where I have been getting quite a workout lately. I find myself wrestling with easy ways to feed my family, squeezing every cent of the food budget, and usually running out of time. 

Since I also lift excess poundage and battle special dietary needs, I have begun a marathon to get educated about nutrition, make  better food choices AND get great value for my food dollar.

HOT PLATES: CHEAP cheep

CHEAP cheep: CHICKEN 3 WAYS

You either have to spend money or time to feed your family well, so here are three 'good value' ways to serve a roast chicken dinner for four. There are pros and cons to each method, but depending on your schedule you should keep open to each option.

GOOD VALUE: Boston Market Family dinner for $19.99; add the $1.99 second whole chicken. You'll be enjoying a prepared meal, avoid clean up and be able to take home leftovers. COST: Fully prepared meal for under $25.

BETTER VALUE: COSTCO cooked chicken for $4.99; add some baked fresh sweet potatoes and a slaw. You'll have already prepared chicken,  be able to add veggies AND have leftovers, for under $10.00

BEST VALUE: Whole chickens in my local stores were being sold for 67 cents a pound. Roast a chicken, add the veggies and get a meal for under $5.00. Smart chicks will roast a second chicken at the same time!

Want Snack? Get Protein!

Eating less is easy...unless you get hungry between meals. [Who doesn't get pangs between meals??] Carry some of these snax with you: you'll be READY for the next 'hungry horrors' and successfully avoid the nearest vending machine.

The trick? Combine carbos with protein for a satisfied feeling. Favorite tote along pairs: String cheese stick & 2 crackers, a clementine, orange, or small banana, with 4oz cottage cheese; 2 peanut butter crackers plus baby carrots; a small apple with peanut butter; and 2 pieces celery stix with low fat cream cheese. Also good: 1-2 oz. packs of cashew nuts or peanuts.

Avoid dried fruit mixes, fruit yogurt and granola bars; these 'food for you treats' are PACKED with sugar and calories.