Lunchtime Yums...

Just to make you hungry:

BACON LT

That's the granddaddy of all BLTs right there - it's made with bacon from a local farm (in the words of Brad_in_ma, who kindly provided the bacon: "You could have petted that pig a week or two ago"). Not only is the bacon fresh, but the bread is homemade - that's some of Mom G.'s world famous homemade bread, toasted and providing the starchy foundation upon which to build the perfect bacon, lettuce, and tomato sammich.

And now that you're all hungry and droolin', go have lunch...

That is all.

The Thrill of the Grill...

So we have a new grill at the G. household:

It's a Weber

We opted for the entry-level Spirit series, going with the two-burner 210 model. It's the perfect size for our family, big enough to handle the vast majority of cooking needs we have and small enough to save valuable back deck real estate. It's funny - when we bought our first grill after moving into the house, we opted for a lesser brand over the Weber, rationalizing that we would upgrade down the road. And we finally did, some eleven years later - I have my Weber grill.

Cooked up some spicy chicken last night (thanks to UJ and Dixie for the awesome chipotle sauce - TheBoy *loves* it, BTW) and the grill works beautifully. It cooks far more evenly than the old grill even when it was new; the igniter only takes a single quick touch; the grilling area comes to temperature quickly; and the cast iron grates transfer the heat effectively without burning. It's very good at what it does - and it's got a ten year warranty, so I expect to be using this for BabyGirl G.'s high school graduation party...

Initial review of the Weber Spirit 210 gas grill is two thumbs enthusiastically up!

That is all.

Curry... Of the Non-Tim Variety...

Got creative last night. Rather than yet another rendition of spaghetti and meatballs for Sunday night dinner, I stretched my culinary legs, so to speak:

Om nom nom

It's a generic curry chicken dish, a tame (by my standards) offering served over rice. The really killer about this one, though, is that it serves four - for less than 400 calories per serving. Here's the recipe:

1 lb boneless chicken, cubed

1 tablespoon cooking oil

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup sliced celery

½ red onion onion cut into thin wedges

1 cup chopped Golden Delicious apple

1 tablespoon cornstarch

And here's what you do with it:

Heat up a large saucepan. Put oil (I went with extra-virgin olive oil not because I have a crush on Rachel Ray but because I'm Italian and it's a law that we have a gallon tin of olive oil kicking around the house) in the pan, add curry, swirl around pan until well-coated.

Add chicken, cook over medium-high heat until browned. Add broth, celery, onion, and salt/pepper to taste. Bring to boil, then cover and reduce heat to simmer and stir occasionally for 15 minutes.

Add apple, stir, cover, let simmer another 5 minutes.

Mix cornstarch and water; add to pan and stir until sauce thickens. Simmer, covered, another 2-4 minutes.

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Serve over rice and voila! For the maiden voyage, I stuck pretty faithfully to the recipe. My kids aren't exactly the most adventurous sorts in trying new culinary delights, so I didn't want to put them off with strong spices for the first try. BabyGirl G. took one look at it and refused to eat a bite (although she did clean all the apple and rice up eventually); TheBoy loved it, giving it a sold 3.5 out of 4. Quote of the night: "Daddy, this is my new favorite chicken dish!"

I took it as a matter of pride that there wasn't a spot left over - gonna have to double the recipe next time!

That is all.

MArooned Menu: Orange-Glazed Pork

Here's a little something that you can whip up in very little time and have a satisfying meal for four that doesn't pack on the pounds.

MArooned Lo-Cal Orange-Glazed Pork

1lb. lean pork tenderloin, cut into medallions

1 yellow or red onion, diced

3/4 cup of sugar-free orange marmalade

2 cups frozen pea pods

2 tbsp water

Cook pork in saucepan, remove from skillet. Add onion, cook until tender, add marmalade, water, and pea pods. Cook additional 4-5 minutes, then add pork to mixture and simmer 5-10 minutes.

Orange Glazed Pork

Serve over rice. 500 calories per serving (including rice). Makes four servings.

Enjoy your nomming!

That is all.

For the Ultimate DIY'er...

How to make your own bacon.

How incredibly cool is it that this was originally posted on my birthday?

That is all.

Thanks to reader and commenter stretch for sending this porkalicious link to me!

MArooned Meals: Lunchtime!

In keeping with my fitness routine, I thought I'd share my normal workday lunch:

There's a red delicious apple for my mid-morning snack (60 calories). For lunch, a ham lavash wrap with spicy mustard and diced lettuce and onion (200 calories), baked Cheetos™ snack chips (100 calories), pickles (20 calories), a Diet Coke, and a sugar-free pudding for dessert (60 calories). For a mid-afternoon snack there's a yogurt (80 calories) and a small package of baby carrots (35 calories). Total expenditure for the day: Approximately 600 calories including the morning coffee.

It's plenty of food for the day, with snacks spaced pretty evenly to stave off the hungry horrors but not overload, causing the mid-afternoon slump. Add in a couple hundred calories for a breakfast bar or bowl of cereal, then 800 - 1000 calories for dinner, and the day's caloric intake is well under 2000 calories. The evening snack(s) round this number out to add more protein (peanut butter, beef jerky, etc.) and maintain weight for an active lifestyle.

Now, I'd be lying if I said this beat a buffalo chicken sandwich at the 99 Restaurant, or a couple slices of sausage and 'roni pizza from Sal's, but it sure beats a handful of rice cakes and a grapefruit, that's for sure. And that was my intent - I didn't want to just cut way back on the calories for a few weeks, then go back to my old ways. I'd done that pretty much my whole life, and as soon as I went "off" the diet, I'd gain all the weight I lost back (and then some, usually...)

Instead, I opted to make a lot of small changes that I could live with going forward; I wanted each change to be something that I would continue using rather than stop once the weight goal was achieved. It appears to be working - I've been within 5 pounds of the same weight since May of last year; I've never kept weight off this long before. Most experts call weight loss permanent if the weight is still off after two to five years; I'm not going to relax until I've hit the upper end of that figure.

Heck, I may sit down and write my diet book - call it "How I Did It" in honor of the question most often asked!

That is all.

MArooned Meals: CHILI!!!

At the Cub Scout Overnight last weekend, the talk around the campfire turned to chili (and yes, the campfire scene from Blazing Saddles was discussed as well. We're nothing if not well-rounded in the classics...). It got me to thinking (never a good idea), and I decided to whip up a batch of chili this weekend. So, presented for your amusement, benefit, and/or betterment, here's my patented chili recipe. Purists beware, I'm a fan of beans ("More beans, Mr. Taggart?") and corn in my chili...

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef, 93% lean

1 lb. ground turkey

1 lb. ground pork

2 28 ounce cans of diced tomatoes

2 cans light kidney beans

2 cans dark kidney beans

2 cans kernel corn

1 can tomato paste

Chili powder

Onion powder

Cumin (thanks T-bolt!)

Crushed red peppers

2 Fresh cerrano peppers

1 Fresh habañero pepper

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Preparation:

Brown all meat in skillet, set aside.

Dice fresh peppers finely, set aside.

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Add all ingredients except chili powder, onion powder, and diced peppers to 10 quart stock pot. Bring to slow boil over medium-high heat, then let simmer.

Add in chili powder, onion powder, and diced peppers to taste after chili has simmered for at least 15 minutes.

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Enjoy!

MMmmmm, mmmm good!

That is all.

New Feature: MArooned Meals!

I'm going to try something new today. I'm going to post a recipe, possibly the first in a series, of a quick and easy meal I like to make that's a hit with the kids. I call it:

The Hurried Dad's Quick 'N' EZ Chicken Cacciatore.

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Prep time: 5 minutes.

Cook time: 25 minutes

Total calories: 2,700

Servings: 6-8

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Ingredients:

Perdue Short Cuts Chicken, Traditional, cut into 1" pieces

Pound of pasta, shape of choice

2 bags frozen Italian Vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, beans, carrots, etc.)

2 28 ounce cans Diced Tomatos

1 6 ounce can Tomato Paste

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Preparation:

Cook pasta as directed.

Cook frozen vegetables until warm.

Mix Diced Tomatoes, Tomato Paste, and chicken in large mixing bowl.

Add spices to taste:

• Garlic


• Parsley


• Oregano


• Onion Powder


• Italian Seasoning


• Salt/pepper

Warm in microwave five minutes.

Combine with vegetables, mix thoroughly. Heat 4 minutes in microwave.

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Serve:

This is a kid favorite - even BabyGirl G, the epitome of "fussy eater", will clean her plate and ask for seconds...

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Enjoy!

That is all.