Barbecued Beef Satay
I found this recipe in an old cookbook that I picked up at Bookman's, a used book store in town. I never knew what I was missing! We served this with a broccoli, cauliflower, carrot medley and brown basmati rice and spooned the sauce over the rice. Yummy!
1 lb round steak, cut into strips
1 medium sized onion, minced
2 tsp grated fresh ginger OR 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 TBSP dried red peppers OR 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp tamari or soy sauce
2 TBSP beef stock
2 TBSP lemon OR lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1. Place all of the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Mix well, cover, and let marinate for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
2. Spear the strips in a zig zag manner onto small skewers, reserving the marinade.
3. Broil 4 inches from the heat for 6 minutes, turning once and brushing with the marinade.
4. In a small saucepan, bring any reserved marinade to a simmer.
5. Serve the beef with the warm marinade as a dipping sauce.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
stretching chicken tortilla soup
A house full of company at dinner time and nothing in the fridge forced a quick trip to fresh & easy. I found -- all at 50% off -- chicken tortilla soup, 12 oz cooked and sliced chicken breast, canned organic Italian tomatoes, and a 1 lb bag of tri-colored garden rotini. For under $6.00 I stretched chicken tortilla soup.We added a 50% off Italian salad for another $1.90. Six people had a beautiful salad and a bowl of chicken tortilla soup with colorful rotini noodles. Next time, we'll only use half of the bag of pasta. The whole bag was just too much, especially since I shouldn't be eating pasta.
I'm telling you, I love this place! It is making it easier for me to stick to my new diet and I'm losing weight steadily.
I'm telling you, I love this place! It is making it easier for me to stick to my new diet and I'm losing weight steadily.
fresh & easy
If you have one near you, go check it out! If you don't you probably will soon! Either way, check out fresh & easy! From their front page:
"
People want fresh and healthy food choices. People want things to be easy.
So we're making our stores that way. How? By recruiting friendly people and offering high-quality food at prices you can't believe.
We also think people might like some inspiration, so we're creating easy-to-prepare meals and sharing Fresh & Easy™ Ideas that make busy lives easier.
Because we're a good neighbor who cares about the environment, we're including energy efficient equipment in our stores and operations. And since we're a neighborhood market, we recruit from the local area, reduce travel time, and encourage neighborhood shopping.
A simple shopping experience with everything you need right in the neighborhood. "
It's awesome! I totally thought it was going to be expensive, organic food that I'd never heard of and prepared, packaged meals for one. That just wouldn't have worked for me! Hubby and I were wandering around town a few weeks ago and BAM! there was a fresh & easy on the corner! I about threw a fit and he stopped the car!
We went in and all I can say is WOW! I'm still amazed with the place. Yes, they have organic. Yes, they have food I've never heard of. Yes, they have prepared, packaged meals for one. However, they also have my favorite soy yogurt for 33% less than I've found it anywhere else. And they have fresh fruit juices. And they have yummy sandwiches. And they have great produce. And they have some great canned products - like organic Italian diced tomatoes for $0.69 a can! And they have fabulous frozen foods.
AND everyday between 2pm and 3pm, they mark down all of the food that has 48 dhours to the "best by" date! Remember... everything is fresh, so everything gets marked down. And they mark it down 50%!! They relabel with "today's special" stickers. They also have free coffee every morning and a free sample all day long. In the morning it's usually a danish or something breakfasty. The rest of the day, they have 3 different samples up at all times. Last time we were in it was mixed nuts, 2 soups and peanut butter cookies.
We are tried and true WalMart brand shoppers to keep our grocery bills down, but fresh & easy is easily becoming our new favorite. We're not spending any more money; less, in fact. And we're getting fresh foods!
OH they have Hybrid Parking, Family Parking and they have a recycling station! aluminum cans, plastic bottles, plastic bags and glass! I have a bag that I take in full of plastic bottles every time I go.
You do all of your own checking out - unless you'd like help. Everyone is VERY happy to be of service to you. And they hand out $5.00 off your next visit if you spend $20.00 coupons EVERY TIME YOU CHECK OUT!
Find a fresh & easy!
"
People want fresh and healthy food choices. People want things to be easy.
So we're making our stores that way. How? By recruiting friendly people and offering high-quality food at prices you can't believe.
We also think people might like some inspiration, so we're creating easy-to-prepare meals and sharing Fresh & Easy™ Ideas that make busy lives easier.
Because we're a good neighbor who cares about the environment, we're including energy efficient equipment in our stores and operations. And since we're a neighborhood market, we recruit from the local area, reduce travel time, and encourage neighborhood shopping.
A simple shopping experience with everything you need right in the neighborhood. "
It's awesome! I totally thought it was going to be expensive, organic food that I'd never heard of and prepared, packaged meals for one. That just wouldn't have worked for me! Hubby and I were wandering around town a few weeks ago and BAM! there was a fresh & easy on the corner! I about threw a fit and he stopped the car!
We went in and all I can say is WOW! I'm still amazed with the place. Yes, they have organic. Yes, they have food I've never heard of. Yes, they have prepared, packaged meals for one. However, they also have my favorite soy yogurt for 33% less than I've found it anywhere else. And they have fresh fruit juices. And they have yummy sandwiches. And they have great produce. And they have some great canned products - like organic Italian diced tomatoes for $0.69 a can! And they have fabulous frozen foods.
AND everyday between 2pm and 3pm, they mark down all of the food that has 48 dhours to the "best by" date! Remember... everything is fresh, so everything gets marked down. And they mark it down 50%!! They relabel with "today's special" stickers. They also have free coffee every morning and a free sample all day long. In the morning it's usually a danish or something breakfasty. The rest of the day, they have 3 different samples up at all times. Last time we were in it was mixed nuts, 2 soups and peanut butter cookies.
We are tried and true WalMart brand shoppers to keep our grocery bills down, but fresh & easy is easily becoming our new favorite. We're not spending any more money; less, in fact. And we're getting fresh foods!
OH they have Hybrid Parking, Family Parking and they have a recycling station! aluminum cans, plastic bottles, plastic bags and glass! I have a bag that I take in full of plastic bottles every time I go.
You do all of your own checking out - unless you'd like help. Everyone is VERY happy to be of service to you. And they hand out $5.00 off your next visit if you spend $20.00 coupons EVERY TIME YOU CHECK OUT!
Find a fresh & easy!
I never knew it could be so good
shrimp with feta and tomatoes
aka "je ne sais shrimp"
I found this recipe in my new favorite book. I had my doubts, but let me tell you, even the finicky teenagers in my house LOVED it! Serve it up in bowls and supply spoons so that no sauce is left behind! The recipe states that it serves 4, but considering the nutritional information, we split this to serve 6 easily. There is plenty left over!
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup olive oil, EVOO for the best flavor
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 large tomatoes, diced OR 2 cans diced, stewed tomatoes (I prefer Italian style organic)
2 tsp dill or oregano, your choice
3 TBSP parsley
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp sugar
2 lbs shrimp, raw OR cooked and peeled
1 lb feta cheese
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Saute onions in the oil in an oven proof dutch oven until yellow and tender. Add garlic and saute briefly.
3. Add the tomatoes, dill or oregano, parsley, sugar and pepper. Cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the shrimp and mix with the sauce. Crumble the feta on top. Bring to boil.
5. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve.
Serves 4
Nutrition information: Per serving: 1,068 calories, 58% fat (69.2 g; 37.1 g saturated), 11% carbs (29.0 g), 32% protein (82.2 g), 644 mg cholesterol, 4.2 g fiber, 1243 mg sodium.
aka "je ne sais shrimp"
I found this recipe in my new favorite book. I had my doubts, but let me tell you, even the finicky teenagers in my house LOVED it! Serve it up in bowls and supply spoons so that no sauce is left behind! The recipe states that it serves 4, but considering the nutritional information, we split this to serve 6 easily. There is plenty left over!
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup olive oil, EVOO for the best flavor
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 large tomatoes, diced OR 2 cans diced, stewed tomatoes (I prefer Italian style organic)
2 tsp dill or oregano, your choice
3 TBSP parsley
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp sugar
2 lbs shrimp, raw OR cooked and peeled
1 lb feta cheese
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Saute onions in the oil in an oven proof dutch oven until yellow and tender. Add garlic and saute briefly.
3. Add the tomatoes, dill or oregano, parsley, sugar and pepper. Cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the shrimp and mix with the sauce. Crumble the feta on top. Bring to boil.
5. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve.
Serves 4
Nutrition information: Per serving: 1,068 calories, 58% fat (69.2 g; 37.1 g saturated), 11% carbs (29.0 g), 32% protein (82.2 g), 644 mg cholesterol, 4.2 g fiber, 1243 mg sodium.
veggies, veggies everywhere!
OH EM GEE! I have never eaten so many veggies in so short a time! My mom would be so proud! When I was growing up, we heard about the starving children in India (I know! they've been all over the world, those starving children!) and we were told to eat everything on our plates because of them. So we ate! and we ate! and we ate!
Think about our dinner plates for a moment. On any given night, those plates would be filled with meat, veggies and pasta or potatoes. Bread was a regular, too. Nothing wrong with that, right? Not at all. HOWEVER...... what percent of that plate was full of veggies?? For me, it was usually about 25%. The meat and potatoes/pasta each took up about 30%. A piece of bread or a dinner roll would fill the empty space for our total of 100%. These days, I need to rearrange my plate. Keeping in mind that I am giving up "white" and "roots," my 25% potato/pasta is gone all together! Bread is another 15% gone. Now I'm down to 60% as much food as I had on my plate when I started!! How is a body supposed to survive on 60%? Easily, but that's not what we're here for! We're here to fill that plate! But with what?? VEGGIES! High cholesterol means that I need to lower my fat intake, so I can't really fill my plate with meat, now can I? A body can only take so much vegetation, though. There's got to be something I can do!
How about.... learn to cook something different!
Think about our dinner plates for a moment. On any given night, those plates would be filled with meat, veggies and pasta or potatoes. Bread was a regular, too. Nothing wrong with that, right? Not at all. HOWEVER...... what percent of that plate was full of veggies?? For me, it was usually about 25%. The meat and potatoes/pasta each took up about 30%. A piece of bread or a dinner roll would fill the empty space for our total of 100%. These days, I need to rearrange my plate. Keeping in mind that I am giving up "white" and "roots," my 25% potato/pasta is gone all together! Bread is another 15% gone. Now I'm down to 60% as much food as I had on my plate when I started!! How is a body supposed to survive on 60%? Easily, but that's not what we're here for! We're here to fill that plate! But with what?? VEGGIES! High cholesterol means that I need to lower my fat intake, so I can't really fill my plate with meat, now can I? A body can only take so much vegetation, though. There's got to be something I can do!
How about.... learn to cook something different!
nom nom
a couple years back, I went on my own diet. I gave up sugar, all white foods, and anything that grows under ground or up in a tree. From mid-November to January 1, I lost 60lbs. YES I said SIXTY!
My thinking was caveman archaic at best. Sugar is bad. "root veggies" turn to sugar in your stomach, so those must be bad, too. "tree fruits" have the highest concentration of natural sugar of all fruits, so those must be bad, too. If a food is white but it came into the world a different color, it's integrity had been compromised so much that it no longer resembled what it was intended to be, and that can't be good. See? basic, archaic thinking. But it worked!
With the recent blood work coming back with high cholesterol, high blood sugar and general badness, I decided that a low fat, low cholesterol diet was in order. Then I came across a book that almost follows the same basic, archaic diet theory that had worked for me so long ago. It's all about glycemic load, not index. I have to be completely honest, here. I have no idea what a glycemic index is or what it means, but it's a term that has followed diabetics around for some time. Glycemic load is a whole different animal, apparently. I really should read more about it.
Anyway, the book talks about good carbs and bad carbs. All stuff I've heard before... Basically, though, bad carbs are the carbs that "turn to sugar in your stomach" -- my root veggies! Good carbs are the ones that are full of nutrients and don't turn to sugar! groovy! Somewhere, there is a happy caveman who understands!
Again, it all comes down to refined vs unrefined and good vs bad carbs. I know that, for me, sugar is bad. Anything that turns into sugar inside of me is bad. Now, my body is different from every other body in the world. Perhaps there are similarities, but no two bodies are the same. Nothing new, there. This is what works for ME! My hubby would DIE if he couldn't have white rice. I, on the other hand, will gain 3lbs over night if I have rice with dinner.
I have a plan, though! My plan will help me lower my cholesterol, lower my blood sugar, lower my fat intake and lower my weight. Care to watch??
My thinking was caveman archaic at best. Sugar is bad. "root veggies" turn to sugar in your stomach, so those must be bad, too. "tree fruits" have the highest concentration of natural sugar of all fruits, so those must be bad, too. If a food is white but it came into the world a different color, it's integrity had been compromised so much that it no longer resembled what it was intended to be, and that can't be good. See? basic, archaic thinking. But it worked!
With the recent blood work coming back with high cholesterol, high blood sugar and general badness, I decided that a low fat, low cholesterol diet was in order. Then I came across a book that almost follows the same basic, archaic diet theory that had worked for me so long ago. It's all about glycemic load, not index. I have to be completely honest, here. I have no idea what a glycemic index is or what it means, but it's a term that has followed diabetics around for some time. Glycemic load is a whole different animal, apparently. I really should read more about it.
Anyway, the book talks about good carbs and bad carbs. All stuff I've heard before... Basically, though, bad carbs are the carbs that "turn to sugar in your stomach" -- my root veggies! Good carbs are the ones that are full of nutrients and don't turn to sugar! groovy! Somewhere, there is a happy caveman who understands!
Again, it all comes down to refined vs unrefined and good vs bad carbs. I know that, for me, sugar is bad. Anything that turns into sugar inside of me is bad. Now, my body is different from every other body in the world. Perhaps there are similarities, but no two bodies are the same. Nothing new, there. This is what works for ME! My hubby would DIE if he couldn't have white rice. I, on the other hand, will gain 3lbs over night if I have rice with dinner.
I have a plan, though! My plan will help me lower my cholesterol, lower my blood sugar, lower my fat intake and lower my weight. Care to watch??
catching up
So, here I am, putting it all in writing.
backstory - overweight, almost forty, mom of 4, happily married for just over a year.
I spent last year sick - all the time sick. coughing, aching, stuffy head, fever, no rest kind of sick. FINALLY, I just couldn't breathe anymore, so I went to Urgent Care. pneumonia. asthma. allergies. upper respiratory infection. mega-antibiotics. steroids. rescue inhaler. allergy shots.
So I followed up with my primary care physician, only not. SHE moved to a new location with new partners and they accept state funded insurance which is great if you have to be on state aid, because you now have access to a totally groovy chick doc. NOT so great, though, if you need to see her any time this YEAR. The switchboard is totally overworked and can't figure out what they are supposed to be doing IF they can manage to find you in their computer system. Forget that! I called the old office and made an appointment with a new doc.
DOC runs tons of blood work and schedules appointments for the "nearly 40" yearly checkup. pap. mammo. full physical. cholesterol. blood glucose. yada yada.
blood work is back - high cholesterol, pre-diabetes. low fat, low cholesterol, low sugar diet time. OH and can I come back for "additional views and possibly an ultrasound?" Okay, say I, but can you tell me why? M - aka THE MA - tells me "sometimes they just do that. you had what? an ultrasound?" um NO - I had a MAMMO! So, M needs to get the request signed and faxed back to radiology so that the additional views can be scheduled. groovy!
3 days later - no fax to radiology and I have a follow up AGAIN. DOC says M did fax the request - some sort of breakdown in communication (more yada yada) I got a copy of the faxed request and went down to radiology myself. tried to make an appointment - computer system is down, we'll call you.
2nd mammo - radiologist shows me the films and the spots that he's concerned with and says "I definitely want to follow up on this in 6 months to see if there is any change." groovy! Then he looks again at the films and says "ya know, I want an ultrasound. fit her in today" TODAY?!?! I sit. for an hour. I sit. I have to say, here, that the staff is EXCEPTIONAL!
Ultrasound tech is available!! yay!! We go in and get set up and here comes the radiologist. He doesn't want to wait to see the films. He wants to be there and see it as it's done. "cyst. cyst. cyst. cyst. cyst. cyst....." Radiologist says "yeah, I definitely want to follow up on this in 6 months to see if there is any change." (sound familiar?) He steps out of the room and starts to close the door.... "ya know, I want an MRI as soon as possible." He goes on to tell me that he will fax his recommendation to my DOC and that she will need to get insurance authorization for the MRI. I'll get a call to schedule the MRI. Films will be sent to another location, read by Different Radiologist, HIS report will be faxed back to the original location and to my DOC, original radiologist will call me to discuss recommendations. Sounds good!
That was Wednesday. Thursday, M calls to give me all the same information that radiologist gave me. I let her know that I was aware of all this and that she needed to get the insurance auth. She tells me that she will get to it but probably not before Tuesday (Monday is a holiday). I let her know how important this is to me and she tells me that she understands.
Tuesday
nothing
Wednesday
nothing
so I call. M is away from her desk but "all calls will be reviewed by the end of the day" so I wait for a return call.
nothing
Thursday - noonish
I call and talk to whomever answered the phone "don't send me to M, she isn't returning my calls, here's what's going on." I proceeded to tell her about the MRI and the need for auth and that I'm frustrated and freaking out. "I totally understand that I am not the only patient and that they are busy, but this is my LIFE and possibly my DEATH we're talking about. somebody please help!"
I'm told that M is out of the office today but that someone is handling her caseload. Groovy! I hold for J. J comes on the line and sounds as frustrated as I feel. She is covering for TWO missing MAs today and is cleaning up messes that M has left all over the place. NOT happy! So she goes looking for my chart. Nothing to indicate that M has initiated ANYTHING with the insurance company regarding an MRI. FABULOUS! J is taking notes like a madwoman! (I'm loving J at this point) She tells me that she will get on this right away and get this info to the DOC, but she's seeing patients, so it could be a while. Okay, I can handle that. "I'll get back to you NO LATER than this afternoon." groovy!
THIRTY MINUTES LATER
J is on the phone letting me know that she's talked with the radiology department and my insurance auth is currently pending. "give them a call tomorrow to check again." Theoretically, I should get a call from BOTH the radiology dept AND the DOC's office to let me know when they get the authorization. groovy!!
At this point, I ask J if SHE will be MY MA and she giggles and tells me "if you ever need anything, you go ahead and give me a call." kudos!
now, I wait......
all that said, I am losing weight by eating a low glycemic load diet. Amazingly, without adding exercise to my daily, lazy routine, I have lost 6lbs in about a week. This will be the place that I will blog about my DOC experiences and my new dietary habits. I'm finding loads of great food to eat and a new store in our area -- fresh & easy. The daughter calls it "the hippy mart"
Here's to new food, new friends, new DOCs, new MAs, new test results and new beginnings!
cheers!
backstory - overweight, almost forty, mom of 4, happily married for just over a year.
I spent last year sick - all the time sick. coughing, aching, stuffy head, fever, no rest kind of sick. FINALLY, I just couldn't breathe anymore, so I went to Urgent Care. pneumonia. asthma. allergies. upper respiratory infection. mega-antibiotics. steroids. rescue inhaler. allergy shots.
So I followed up with my primary care physician, only not. SHE moved to a new location with new partners and they accept state funded insurance which is great if you have to be on state aid, because you now have access to a totally groovy chick doc. NOT so great, though, if you need to see her any time this YEAR. The switchboard is totally overworked and can't figure out what they are supposed to be doing IF they can manage to find you in their computer system. Forget that! I called the old office and made an appointment with a new doc.
DOC runs tons of blood work and schedules appointments for the "nearly 40" yearly checkup. pap. mammo. full physical. cholesterol. blood glucose. yada yada.
blood work is back - high cholesterol, pre-diabetes. low fat, low cholesterol, low sugar diet time. OH and can I come back for "additional views and possibly an ultrasound?" Okay, say I, but can you tell me why? M - aka THE MA - tells me "sometimes they just do that. you had what? an ultrasound?" um NO - I had a MAMMO! So, M needs to get the request signed and faxed back to radiology so that the additional views can be scheduled. groovy!
3 days later - no fax to radiology and I have a follow up AGAIN. DOC says M did fax the request - some sort of breakdown in communication (more yada yada) I got a copy of the faxed request and went down to radiology myself. tried to make an appointment - computer system is down, we'll call you.
2nd mammo - radiologist shows me the films and the spots that he's concerned with and says "I definitely want to follow up on this in 6 months to see if there is any change." groovy! Then he looks again at the films and says "ya know, I want an ultrasound. fit her in today" TODAY?!?! I sit. for an hour. I sit. I have to say, here, that the staff is EXCEPTIONAL!
Ultrasound tech is available!! yay!! We go in and get set up and here comes the radiologist. He doesn't want to wait to see the films. He wants to be there and see it as it's done. "cyst. cyst. cyst. cyst. cyst. cyst....." Radiologist says "yeah, I definitely want to follow up on this in 6 months to see if there is any change." (sound familiar?) He steps out of the room and starts to close the door.... "ya know, I want an MRI as soon as possible." He goes on to tell me that he will fax his recommendation to my DOC and that she will need to get insurance authorization for the MRI. I'll get a call to schedule the MRI. Films will be sent to another location, read by Different Radiologist, HIS report will be faxed back to the original location and to my DOC, original radiologist will call me to discuss recommendations. Sounds good!
That was Wednesday. Thursday, M calls to give me all the same information that radiologist gave me. I let her know that I was aware of all this and that she needed to get the insurance auth. She tells me that she will get to it but probably not before Tuesday (Monday is a holiday). I let her know how important this is to me and she tells me that she understands.
Tuesday
nothing
Wednesday
nothing
so I call. M is away from her desk but "all calls will be reviewed by the end of the day" so I wait for a return call.
nothing
Thursday - noonish
I call and talk to whomever answered the phone "don't send me to M, she isn't returning my calls, here's what's going on." I proceeded to tell her about the MRI and the need for auth and that I'm frustrated and freaking out. "I totally understand that I am not the only patient and that they are busy, but this is my LIFE and possibly my DEATH we're talking about. somebody please help!"
I'm told that M is out of the office today but that someone is handling her caseload. Groovy! I hold for J. J comes on the line and sounds as frustrated as I feel. She is covering for TWO missing MAs today and is cleaning up messes that M has left all over the place. NOT happy! So she goes looking for my chart. Nothing to indicate that M has initiated ANYTHING with the insurance company regarding an MRI. FABULOUS! J is taking notes like a madwoman! (I'm loving J at this point) She tells me that she will get on this right away and get this info to the DOC, but she's seeing patients, so it could be a while. Okay, I can handle that. "I'll get back to you NO LATER than this afternoon." groovy!
THIRTY MINUTES LATER
J is on the phone letting me know that she's talked with the radiology department and my insurance auth is currently pending. "give them a call tomorrow to check again." Theoretically, I should get a call from BOTH the radiology dept AND the DOC's office to let me know when they get the authorization. groovy!!
At this point, I ask J if SHE will be MY MA and she giggles and tells me "if you ever need anything, you go ahead and give me a call." kudos!
now, I wait......
all that said, I am losing weight by eating a low glycemic load diet. Amazingly, without adding exercise to my daily, lazy routine, I have lost 6lbs in about a week. This will be the place that I will blog about my DOC experiences and my new dietary habits. I'm finding loads of great food to eat and a new store in our area -- fresh & easy. The daughter calls it "the hippy mart"
Here's to new food, new friends, new DOCs, new MAs, new test results and new beginnings!
cheers!
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