Fallen Souffle

Since I have begun eating better I have been trying my darndest to eat more protein. Not some much steaks and such, more lean proteins which means lots of egg whites, protein shakes and….cottage cheese. I have NEVER been able to stomach cottage cheese. It’s the smell, texture and taste of it that just turned my stomach. But I have learned to deal with it and found that brand does make a huge difference- Breakstone is my “favorite” right now. I have added sweet stuff, savory stuff and have pretty much decided to just add salt and pepper and gulp it down.

I was in a huge hurry this morning to get out the door and I remembered I had a sample of the new Fiber One Caramel Delight cereal, so I grabbed that. I figured I could snack on that with an apple. Once I got to the office, I found a container of cottage cheese that I didn’t eat yesterday so I decided to go daring and add the cereal to the cottage cheese. To my surprise…it rocked! Seriously,the cereal took away the soupiness of the cheese and added an awesome crunch and sweetness. This cereal is really good, albeit a bit too sweet for me to eat everyday. It also has some not so natural stuff in it, so I would try and limit to a once a week treat. But at 9 grams of fiber per cup, you can’t beat that and with the added protein of the cottage cheese, I have been full all morning.

Wow, that so sounded like a commercial, but I promise I am not being paid for my humble opinion. But I would suggest trying a sample of this. I believe you can still get it by signing up here. And if you dare…mix it with some cottage cheese

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So I weighed myself this morning and I have lost 15 pounds since January! Ahh little victories. I needed this pick me up as I have not worked out in almost a week due to this stupid back pain. Though I am feeling much better today and may try to jog a bit tonight. I’m still planning to participate in the 10k this weekend even if I have to walk it!

I am finding that by cleaning up my diet I am craving less “bad” foods. I am also finding new ways to satisfy my cravings and my sweet tooth and these granola bars are definitely one of my new tricks!

I was craving granola bars earlier this week and since I am on a mission to use up food in my pantry I figured this was a great way to use some dried fruit, almond remnants and rolled oats. These babies are so yummy! They are sorta chewy which is a nice change from other granola/energy bars I have made, and come on…they look store bought! They are a tad on the sweet side as it does call for a cup of brown sugar (yikes!) but I am going to try and play around with that to reduce the sweetness. You could certainly add whatever nuts and dried fruits you wanted, even some mini chocolate chips!

Some tips I learned:
1. Line your pan with foil or parchment, because of the sugar they were not easy to get out of the pan! I actually had a bit of a meltdown at 11:15pm because they wouldn’t come out…..ok, I was kinda cranky to begin with

2. I baked these originally in a 9×9 inch pan but I think next time I will use loaf pans, place half of the mixture into one loaf pan. That way they aren’t too thick but you have the nice “store bought” shape.

3. After cooling, refrigerate the bars to firm up, otherwise they will be a pain to get out of the pan and cut. The bars stay nice and firm after they come to room temperature so you don’t have to worry about them getting too soft.

4. I would suggest individually wrapping them after cutting to make them easy and portable.

Oatmeal Raisin Granola Bars

1 egg
1 egg white
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup toasted oats
2/3 cup raisins (I used golden raisins- yum!)
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread oats on a baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 18 minutes, until lightly browned and fragrant.

2. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Line an 9×9 inch pan with foil. Lightly oil or coat with nonstick spray.

3. In a large bowl, whisk egg, egg white, brown sugar, oil, cinnamon, salt and vanilla extract. Stir in toasted oats, raisins, almonds and flour.

4. Spread in prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool; cut into bars with a lightly oiled knife.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
(based on 16 individual servings)
Calories: 130
Total Fat: 2 g
Cholesterol: 14 mg
Sodium: 50 mg
Carbohydrates: 24 g
Protein: 2 g

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So I have been busy picking out new furniture for the house; couch, loveseat, lamps, desk and coffee tables. You think this would be fun but it has been stressful, I had not expected these expenses so I am stressed out about the money and it’s really hard to find decent, non-frumpy furniture! Though I have checked things off my list slowly and am now down to finding a coffee table and maybe an end table. The house should be completely furnished by the end of the month! I also had to buy a washer and dryer, which was purchased form Craigslist and after pushing and pulling the thing upstairs, resulting in a painful back strain, the damn washer doesn’t even work! Story of my life! So I am working on getting it fixed/replaced/refunded. So I have a non-functioning washer, a strained back and a 10K race this Saturday. Yeah not a good combo, not sure how that is going to play out. The good news is that the Cary Wine festival is Saturday afternoon- so I can just drown out the pain with wine

Anyways, on to a positive note…I have found my new favorite fish dish. Thai Style Halibut with Coconut Curry broth. YUM! It’s an Ellie Kreiger recipe and it is soooo yummy! I actually had a can of light coconut milk on hand and just needed to purchase some red curry paste, a lime, and some scallions. I forgot about the cilantro, but didn’t feel like the dish really lacked any flavor because of it. I also doubles the sauce, because I like things saucey and I let it reduce a bit longer so it would be thicker.

This also took no time to cook, which was even better! I think 20 minutes total, therefore I made some quick cooking wild rice (I would have preferred some coconut rice) so that I wasn’t waiting for rice to cook. I also sauteed spinach as Ellie does so this was quite a well rounded meal.

I think I will use this broth/sauce in some chicken and shrimp dishes as well, maybe throw in some chopped peanuts for a pad thai type dish. So many possibilities!

Thai-Style Halibut with Coconut-Curry Broth
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 shallots, finely chopped, about 3/4 cup (I didn’t have shallots or onions so I used the whites of the scallions and a couple cloves of garlic)
2 1/2 teaspoons red curry paste*, or 2 teaspoons curry powder (use the red curry paste! It is the best!)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon, plus more for seasoning
4 (6-ounce) pieces halibut fillet, skin removed
Steamed spinach**
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 scallions, green part only, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cooked brown rice, for serving

*Available in the Asian section of most supermarkets
**Steam or microwave 5 cups of washed baby spinach for 2 minutes

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer until reduced to 2 cups, about 5 minutes.

Season the halibut with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Arrange the fish in the pan and gently shake the pan so the fish is coated with the sauce. Cover and cook until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 7 minutes.

Arrange a pile of steamed spinach in the bottom of 4 soup plates. Top with the fish fillets. Stir the cilantro, scallions, and lime juice into the sauce and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Ladle the sauce over the fish and serve with rice.

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It’s crazy that I have had this recipe saved on my Bloglines for almost 3 years! I need to challenge myself to actually make these recipes I have been savings. I got this recipe off of Joe’s Blog. I love how he can post a recipes everyday! Wow, I wish I had that dedication. Maybe that’s another challenge…

So anyways, I was tired of making banana bread but was faced with a plethora of near rotten bananas and a need to bake something fabulous so I thought I would whip this up. It comes together very easily, I made this Thursday night after a workout and while cooking dinner. I brought it into work and it received rave reviews! I made this in a 9×13 inch pan instead of a 15×10 pan so it took about 30-35 minutes to bake. Next time I may make it in 2 round 8 inch pans and double the icing. I may also add a bit of cinnamon in the cake next time.

Overall, a fantastic cake that is moist and tender and perfect for an impromptu office treat or a special birthday.

Picture will hopefully be up tonight…

Banana Bars with Browned Butter Pecan Frosting

For the cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium bananas for me)
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the frosting

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
(I also needed a splash of milk to smooth it out a bit)
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

To make the cake

Preheat oven to 375

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until combined. Add sour cream, mashed banana and vanilla - mix until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.

Scoop the mixture into a 10″ x 15″ baking pan coated with nonstick spray - spread the top smooth with an off-set spatula. Bake until golden and a toothpick placed in the center comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs attached, about 18 to 25 minutes. Place on a wire rack and cool completely.

To make the frosting

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium - continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the butter releases a nutty aroma and just starts to turn golden, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove and let cool completely.

In a small bowl, mix together browned butter, confectioners’ sugar, cream cheese, vanilla and salt until well combined and smooth. Spread frosting over the bars and sprinkle with pecans.

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So I have been debating whether or not to even write this post but feel like I might as well put it out there as this is the real me and I am no longer ashamed. So much has been going on the last 7 months or so and it’s time to come clean with it. I am currently separated from my husband. I am about 5 months away from being divorced. Never in a million years did I ever think I would be someone to get a divorce. I come from a long line of happily married family members including my parents who are about to celebrate 30 years! However, sometimes life throws you a curveball and forces you to deal with it. So at the end of October I bought my townhouse-which I love- and moved to Raleigh with a room mate. The room mate has thrown me another curveball and is unexpectedly moving out this month. So now I feel like I am starting over again as I have to buy new furniture and deal with my finances in a totally different way. In the meantime, I put on some weight, nothing major but enough to not feel like “myself” hence the reason for the Abs Diet. While that was a great starting point, I have concentrated alot on “cleaning up” my diet, lifting weights, running more, and mountain biking. I just did a 5k this weekend and have decided to run a 10k in two weeks. Maybe I will get the guts to run a marathon by the end of the year. I’m pretty excited to be getting my life back on track, in more ways that one. I have started to see someone, which is always scary when coming off a break up, especially a marriage, but I have trust and faith in myself and am tired of having my life on hold for other people. I have the awesome support of my family and friends which have helped me tremendously through the past 7-8 months.

So that’s why there was a 2 month hiatus, that’s why I am cooking different foods, working out more, and chopping off 8 inches of hair :). I am concentrating on myself and it’s sad that it took an event like this to really focus on my well being. I am doing things now that I love to do; trying new restaurants, going to art galleries, taking long walks with Bella, and planning some really fun trips (Alaska in 3 months!) so life is definitely not boring!

Whew- feels good to get that off my chest…now back to our regularly schedules recipes…..

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