I wouldn't count on there being any leftovers... there wasn't a scrap left tonight!You won't need a knife to cut the chicken when it finishes. It is so tender and juicy, and the flavors are wonderful together. The only extra (jar/canned food) was the spaghetti sauce. I usually try to make my own, but this sauce had everything I needed, and for convenience sake I threw it in.
6 boneless skinless breast halves (Winn Dixie has started selling packaged chicken breasts that are sliced down to a more portionable size! Yay!)
1 jar (26 oz) garden style spaghetti sauce (I used Prego Chunky Garden - Tomato, Onion & Garlic)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/2 each, small green, sweet yellow, and red peppers diced or julienned (or 1/2 cup Winn Dixie's diced pepper trio in the produce section - time saver!)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Cooked whole wheat spiral pasta
Shaved Parmesan cheese, optional
Place chicken breasts into the slow cooker. Layer the onion over the chicken. In a large bowl, combine the spaghetti sauce, peppers, cheese, garlic, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Pour over chicken.
Cook on low for 4-5 hours. When nearly finished, cook pasta according to package directions. Serve chicken and sauce over pasta. Top with shaved Parmesan.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Emotional... What? Who Are You Calling Emotional?
Certainly you don't mean me! Couldn't possibly be...
Oh, of course it's me. It's my lot in life. I wear my heart out on my sleeve, and I am far too sensitive for most males, and even some females, to tolerate. Now add to the existing over-sensitivity a pile of girl hormones. See where I'm going with this? Okay wait, there's more. Add prenancy or post-partum insanity to that mess! A woman deserves a good two-year free pass when it comes to post-partum adjusting, wouldn't you say, girls?
There you have it. A trainwreck. I think we could all relate to that term at one point in our lives or another. Personality, stresses, hormones... all contributors to our emotional existence. And sometimes there's just no emotional outlet, so what do we do? Eat them!
Does anyone else find it difficult to maintain a healthy regimen when your stress level is through the roof? If you find yourself lonely, or grief-stricken, or stressed out over a difficult situation do you find yourself consoling with your favorite comfort food?
Risking the shaking heads and the tsk-tsk's, I'll say that I do. This week has been tough for me emotionally. Mike's time away is starting to take its toll on me, other stresses in my life are magnified by it, my social contact with friends and family is terribly limited, and it's turning to a minute-to-minute battle to stay out of the kitchen. I can overcome it, but I'll tell you, I've experienced few things in life that take as much self-control and discipline as making good food choices does when everything in me is willing me to eat what I crave.
Whew. Okay, now that I've said it, I think I can stare it in the face and push forward! I think when my garden area is finally tilled, I'll have a place to put my focus besides working in the kitchen. I can't wait for that. Looks like it could be tomorrow or Thursday. I need the diversion!!
Anyone else struggling?
Oh, of course it's me. It's my lot in life. I wear my heart out on my sleeve, and I am far too sensitive for most males, and even some females, to tolerate. Now add to the existing over-sensitivity a pile of girl hormones. See where I'm going with this? Okay wait, there's more. Add prenancy or post-partum insanity to that mess! A woman deserves a good two-year free pass when it comes to post-partum adjusting, wouldn't you say, girls?
There you have it. A trainwreck. I think we could all relate to that term at one point in our lives or another. Personality, stresses, hormones... all contributors to our emotional existence. And sometimes there's just no emotional outlet, so what do we do? Eat them!
Does anyone else find it difficult to maintain a healthy regimen when your stress level is through the roof? If you find yourself lonely, or grief-stricken, or stressed out over a difficult situation do you find yourself consoling with your favorite comfort food?
Risking the shaking heads and the tsk-tsk's, I'll say that I do. This week has been tough for me emotionally. Mike's time away is starting to take its toll on me, other stresses in my life are magnified by it, my social contact with friends and family is terribly limited, and it's turning to a minute-to-minute battle to stay out of the kitchen. I can overcome it, but I'll tell you, I've experienced few things in life that take as much self-control and discipline as making good food choices does when everything in me is willing me to eat what I crave.
Whew. Okay, now that I've said it, I think I can stare it in the face and push forward! I think when my garden area is finally tilled, I'll have a place to put my focus besides working in the kitchen. I can't wait for that. Looks like it could be tomorrow or Thursday. I need the diversion!!
Anyone else struggling?
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Shredded Beef Sandwiches
Watch out - if you are hanging around the house while this cooks in your crockpot, carry a napkin to wipe your mouth because you will be drooling while you beg for it to hurry and finish cooking. It makes plenty, so be prepared for leftovers!
Great tip for those who hate scrubbing out their crockpots as much as I do: Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners. They run about $2.59 for four at Winn Dixie (so they'll be less than that at Wally) and worth EVERY PENNY! Cook, lift, toss!
1 boneless beef chuck roast 3-4 lb(the extra expense is worth the taste, and the fact that it will make so much!)
1 med onion, thinly sliced
1 cup ketchup (Heinz is my ketchup of choice)
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbs brown sugar
2 Tbs cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke
Cut roast in half, place in 5 qt (my 3 qt did the job)slow cooker. Top with onion. Combine the next eight ingredients; pour over roast. Cover and cook on low 8-9 hours, or until the meat is tender. (Definitely DON'T over-cook!)
Remove roast and cool slightly. Shred meat with two forks. Skim fat from cooking liquid. Return meat to slow cooker and heat through. Using a slotted spoon, place 1/3 cup meat mixture on each roll.
This was a great meal for me nutritionally. No sugary or high-fructose sauces - just a little in the ketchup, and the meat was nice and lean. I removed a minimal amount of fat from the meat after cooking. And it tastes SO GOOD. I was sad when the last sandwich was gone, but we did have it for three days!
With this I recommend Merita Lite-Wheat rolls - they have less sugar and more fiber & protein than other choices I had. I served it with coleslaw mix from the produce section and used a light slaw dressing on it.
Great tip for those who hate scrubbing out their crockpots as much as I do: Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners. They run about $2.59 for four at Winn Dixie (so they'll be less than that at Wally) and worth EVERY PENNY! Cook, lift, toss!
1 boneless beef chuck roast 3-4 lb(the extra expense is worth the taste, and the fact that it will make so much!)
1 med onion, thinly sliced
1 cup ketchup (Heinz is my ketchup of choice)
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbs brown sugar
2 Tbs cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke
Cut roast in half, place in 5 qt (my 3 qt did the job)slow cooker. Top with onion. Combine the next eight ingredients; pour over roast. Cover and cook on low 8-9 hours, or until the meat is tender. (Definitely DON'T over-cook!)
Remove roast and cool slightly. Shred meat with two forks. Skim fat from cooking liquid. Return meat to slow cooker and heat through. Using a slotted spoon, place 1/3 cup meat mixture on each roll.
This was a great meal for me nutritionally. No sugary or high-fructose sauces - just a little in the ketchup, and the meat was nice and lean. I removed a minimal amount of fat from the meat after cooking. And it tastes SO GOOD. I was sad when the last sandwich was gone, but we did have it for three days!
With this I recommend Merita Lite-Wheat rolls - they have less sugar and more fiber & protein than other choices I had. I served it with coleslaw mix from the produce section and used a light slaw dressing on it.
Shame, Shame.. You Know My Name.
I am bashfully writing this post because I have not written in what.. three weeks??? Terrible! I haven't been working as hard as I should at keeping the changes intact, but I'm still making good choices in addition to some of the bad ones! This week I am resolved to get back at it with 100% effort. I haven't gained any weight, so I am still at a 14 lb loss.
I was not prepared for the onslaught of cravings that accompany a particular female cycle... I really didn't recognize it at first, all I knew was that if I didn't have some chocolate IMMEDIATELY there would be mayhem at the Winslows. That lasted an entire week and I fought a losing battle with my cravings. It was so overwhelming that even reading and re-reading my previous post about skirting cravings didn't help! So I'm following my own advice - dusting myself off and getting back on that horse. The crazy thing about the whole cycle thing - FALSE ALARM. Good grief.
To make matters worse, a girl I am friends with at church who had missed a few months came back last week. Girl had lost about 60lb and left me in the dust.. talk about a guilt trip! I asked her what her secret was, and she said with a heinous smile, "Diet and exercise!" Ugh. Of course! However, she did invite me to work out with her, and I may take her up on that when my schedule permits!
So tell me, what have you all been doing to stay on track? Have you lost a little time? Are you going to keep at it? Let me know!
I do have some great recipes to share so watch for them!
I was not prepared for the onslaught of cravings that accompany a particular female cycle... I really didn't recognize it at first, all I knew was that if I didn't have some chocolate IMMEDIATELY there would be mayhem at the Winslows. That lasted an entire week and I fought a losing battle with my cravings. It was so overwhelming that even reading and re-reading my previous post about skirting cravings didn't help! So I'm following my own advice - dusting myself off and getting back on that horse. The crazy thing about the whole cycle thing - FALSE ALARM. Good grief.
To make matters worse, a girl I am friends with at church who had missed a few months came back last week. Girl had lost about 60lb and left me in the dust.. talk about a guilt trip! I asked her what her secret was, and she said with a heinous smile, "Diet and exercise!" Ugh. Of course! However, she did invite me to work out with her, and I may take her up on that when my schedule permits!
So tell me, what have you all been doing to stay on track? Have you lost a little time? Are you going to keep at it? Let me know!
I do have some great recipes to share so watch for them!
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