Monday morning it was back to the Ruby Slipper. Could not have Eggs Sardou again as it is a weekend special. I just had bacon and eggs with the eggs over medium white toast and potatoes. Everything was cooked to perfection! I believe Catie had the french toast made with New Orleans french bread, It was very good as well.
We were shopping for some coins that Catie wanted to get to give to a friend for her upcoming wedding. We got the coins and as we were wondering around we stumbled on to a place called Oceania. We had heard it was pretty good and so we decided to give it a try. I was not disappointed, I had fried redfish with crawfish cream sauce. It was the best seafood I had while in New Orleans! The veggies served with it, not so much but they were un-needed. Catie had the barbecued shrimp and while good they were not as good as the ones at the French Market Restaurant. The service was great and when we got up to leave after paying out, no less than four different people told us thank you on the way out! Southern hospitality and customer service is alive and well in NOLA!
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Sunday morning coming down!
Sorry I couldn't resist the title, Sunday started off with breakfast at this breakfast place that the conciere recommended as new New Orleans, sort of a modern kind of young peoples place. He must have been thinking of Catie when recommending this place. They had things like yogurt, and croissants with eggs and that sort of thing. I think Catie got some sort of waffles and they were good. It was OK but just OK. You went to the counter and placed your order then seated yourself and got a number and they brought the food to the table. The decor was very modern and all white with some cool artwork. The food was delivered quickly and it was fine but no comparison to the Ruby Slipper.
I think we went to the aquarium and when we got out the sun was shining and off we went to have lunch at the Gumbo Shop. It was very good! My son Michael recommended it and seconded by my wife Jane. The people were very nice. I got the gumbo as an appetizer and the shrimp creole as the entree. Both were good. My gumbo is better by far. When we discussed this with the waitress she was so diplomatic! I told her I was a gumbo connoisseur and that although their gumbo was very good it just wouldn't hold up against mine. She smiled and said that homemade gumbo is always better. They make gumbo in 200 gallon batches! Catie had crawfish étouffée and it was good too. I think I liked it better than the shrimp creole. That evening we decided to try Paul Prudhomme's. I was put off the minute I went in and discovered you had to stand in line to order then stand in line again to pick up your food, while we were standing in line to order someone got our table! That was enough for Catie and I, and we left before ordering! We wondered back up to the square and decided to try our luck at the French Market Restaurant. We had a drink while we waited at the bar and then sat outside on the balcony that had a nice view of the French Market. it was a nice evening. I had barbecued shrimp and they were very good. Rich but very good! I don't recall what Catie had but she really liked my shrimp better. Barbecued shrimp are not cooked on a grill but in a sauce that is seafood stock, lots of butter, hot peppers, and spices. Served with french bread to sop with. The shrimp are jumbo with heads on. Very good but very messy; they bring plenty of paper napkins and a towelette. Don't wear your white shirt! This is casual dining.
I think we went to the aquarium and when we got out the sun was shining and off we went to have lunch at the Gumbo Shop. It was very good! My son Michael recommended it and seconded by my wife Jane. The people were very nice. I got the gumbo as an appetizer and the shrimp creole as the entree. Both were good. My gumbo is better by far. When we discussed this with the waitress she was so diplomatic! I told her I was a gumbo connoisseur and that although their gumbo was very good it just wouldn't hold up against mine. She smiled and said that homemade gumbo is always better. They make gumbo in 200 gallon batches! Catie had crawfish étouffée and it was good too. I think I liked it better than the shrimp creole. That evening we decided to try Paul Prudhomme's. I was put off the minute I went in and discovered you had to stand in line to order then stand in line again to pick up your food, while we were standing in line to order someone got our table! That was enough for Catie and I, and we left before ordering! We wondered back up to the square and decided to try our luck at the French Market Restaurant. We had a drink while we waited at the bar and then sat outside on the balcony that had a nice view of the French Market. it was a nice evening. I had barbecued shrimp and they were very good. Rich but very good! I don't recall what Catie had but she really liked my shrimp better. Barbecued shrimp are not cooked on a grill but in a sauce that is seafood stock, lots of butter, hot peppers, and spices. Served with french bread to sop with. The shrimp are jumbo with heads on. Very good but very messy; they bring plenty of paper napkins and a towelette. Don't wear your white shirt! This is casual dining.
Commanders Palace
To continue with the saga of our NOLA eating adventure. Saturday evening we got dressed up Catie in her nice dress and heels and me in a sport coat and tie! We arrived a few minutes early and they escorted us through the kitchen to the bar. Yes you read that right a trip to the bar goes through the kitchen, go figure. Between the bar and the overflow dining room is a nice patio and so we waited comfortably at a small wrought iron table and umbrella. Right on time they came and got us and took us to our table. This is definitely the most precision run restaurant I have ever seen. We were seated and our drink orders taken and some wonderful garlic bread delivered. They explained that if you wished to have the Bread Pudding Soufflé or the Strawberry Shortcake for desert you must order them with your entrée. We looked over the menu and we both decided on the Beeliner Snapper, turtle soup, salad, and Catie had the Bread Pudding Soufflé and I had the Strawberry Shortcake. I must digress a bit to explain that our reservations were for 9:00 PM. I made those reservations 3 weeks in advance! If you plan on eating there make reservations well in advance. Moving on back to the meal, if you are not familiar with fish a Beeliner is a small snapper that lives in the Gulf in the upper portion of the water column unlike the Red Snapper. It is also Red so it makes a nice presentation and they are a good single serving size. They brought the salad first but I can't remember what dressing I got, it may have been the house special vinaigrette. It was the best salad I have ever had! Then the famous turtle soup. They bring it to the table in a carafe of sorts and then pour it in your bowl, then dress it with a bit of sherry. Everything is pretty showy with two or more waiters and a flourish! I must confess that I am not a fan of turtle soup, and it doesn't have anything to do with the turtle. The turtle was fine but the soup just did not appeal to me. Next time I will have the gumbo; I will be dissapointed in it too because it will never live up to mine! But hey you never know, they might have the second best, but they will have to beat out The Gumbo Shop for second. Well the truth is it won't even be second because all my kin folks make great gumbo so I must say second best restaurant gumbo. The snapper came and it was presented beautifully; it was on the plate as if it were swimming! They partially cook them in the oven then they take them out and dunk them in hot grease holding them in an undulating curve while they fry to a slightly crispy state that will hold its shape on the plate. The fish was good, only good not outstanding but the presentation made the meal. It was getting late but it was now time for dessert. Catie said the Bread Pudding Soufflé was to die for! They bring it to the table hot and puffy along with whiskey sauce. They punch a hole in top of it with a spoon and load it with the whiskey sauce. Once again a nice show! The Strawberry Shortcake was very good, it was not much different that any other Strawberry Shortcake but the shortcake was homemade and it was large. While not extraordinary it was quite good. Whats not to like about shortcake, fresh strawberries and whipped cream? Oh not to forget the coffee! We both had coffee with dessert, it was so strong I simply could not drink it! By the time we finished it was 11:30 PM. We made our way out where the valet parking attendant will hail you a cab. He does not go home until every patron has their car or a cab. Commanders Palace is in the Garden District right across the street from the cemetery where Marie Laveau the Voodoo queen of New Orleans is buried. The garden district is a upscale area but still not one to go wondering around in the dark looking for a cab at midnight! All in all I would recommend it if there is someone special you would like to entertain, plan on spending the evening and plan on a coat and tie. It is expensive, but it is the whole evenings entertainment, and the service is as good as it gets!
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
New Orleans Trip
As some of you may know Catie and I took a trip to the Big Easy last month. It was an eating extravaganza! It was our intent to go to New Orleans and just enjoy the food, we didn't have any special plans other than reservations at Commander's Palace and plans to visit the Audubon Aquarium.
I guess the simplest way to do this is to just go in more or less chronological order. Our flights went without a hitch and we arrived in NOLA and our Hotel about 1:30 in the afternoon. A bit early for our 3:00 PM check in. We stayed at the JW Marriott. I must take a minute to say that customer service is alive and well in New Orleans. I have never been anywhere that people at restaurants, hotels and airports were quite as helpful as in New Orleans. We inquired at the hotel check in desk to see if they would store our bags while we went and got a late lunch. They said that they could do better than that if our room was ready we could just go on up early and get settled in if we liked. Our room was ready so we were able to get settled in and then off to Dene's for lunch. We asked at the front desk if there were any good places close by and they recommended Dene's. It was a big place with a family atmosphere. The food while good was not outstanding. I got the stuffed shrimp, which was a set up for disappointment. As a child my parents used to take us to a place in Galveston called the Golden Greek. They had the best fried stuffed shrimp ever. Alas they have been gone for years now. Catie got the crawfish, fried and étouffée I believe, hers was better than mine. If I go back again I am just going to get the fried fish. Some people at the next table who looked like locals had the fish and it looked good!
We wondered around the french Quarter for the rest of the afternoon. It was rainy and not too crowed for a Friday afternoon. We thought we would try to see if we could get into Irene's. I had tried three weeks earlier to get reservations for Friday evening, they just laughed! Well it turns out that Irene's only allots 30% of their seating for reservations, preferring to have 70% of their tables for walk ins. Go figure. We had been told that if you get there about 5:00 PM and hang around the front door you can get in at 5:30 when they open and as long as you are seated in that first service you are set. Otherwise you may end up standing around for a couple of hours. This rainy evening there were only two couples waiting at 5:30. Catie and I were one of them so we got right in. We had a fried soft shell crab for an appetizer and it was delicious. Catie had the Duck and she said it was possibly the best fowl she had ever eaten. I had the gnocchi, topped with grilled black drum. Big mistake, first of all I have never been fond of gnocchi, but I thought I just won't eat the gnocchi and I will enjoy the nice fish. The gnocchi at Irene's is still gnocchi and it set on your stomach like you swallowed a roll of quarters! Unfortunately the fish was so overcooked it was like fish jerky. I should have complained but I just hated to after ordering the gnocchi, I sort of deserved to go hungry. I was surprised at the fish jerky but it was not good. I would give Irene's another try, it simply has to be better than what I got, and I tried Catie's duck and it was delicious. So a lesson to be learned is this; while you go to NOLA thinking seafood, don't be afraid to try other things if they sound good!
After we walked off the dinner, which didn't take long for me we went to Cafe Du Monde for coffee and beignets. It was good, the chicory coffee was good with the beignets. I understand there are better places for beignets but you just can't go to New Orleans and not try Cafe Du Monde. It's convenient that they are open 24 hours.
The next morning we were up early and asked at the desk where a good place to eat breakfast that was nearby. They sent us to the Ruby Slipper. Catie and I both had the Eggs Sardou. Wow! This dish was originally invented by Antoine's, the oldest restaurant in New Orleans open since 1854 I believe. They also invented Oysters Rockefeller. Eggs Sardou Ruby Slipper style is two poached eggs, on top of French Bread, lightly sautéed fresh spinach, tasso, cherry tomatoes, artichoke hearts, topped with Bearnaise sauce. It was good i made it at home for Jane and mine tasted just like the Ruby Slipper although I used Hollandaise sauce like the original and it didn't come out too well. It tasted fine it just didn't come out as smooth as I would have liked. Not Bad at all!
Lunch, I can't remember the name of place we went for lunch. We just walked in and it was sort of a new generation new Orleans place. We ate out on the patio since the rain was clearing ad it was nice outside. We had Braised Beef Cheeks. It was on a bed of mashed potatoes and topped with a dollop of black eyed peas. It was like a very tender rich pot roast, it was very good.
I am going to leave off here for now, and I will continue with our Commander's Palace adventure. See you soon.
I guess the simplest way to do this is to just go in more or less chronological order. Our flights went without a hitch and we arrived in NOLA and our Hotel about 1:30 in the afternoon. A bit early for our 3:00 PM check in. We stayed at the JW Marriott. I must take a minute to say that customer service is alive and well in New Orleans. I have never been anywhere that people at restaurants, hotels and airports were quite as helpful as in New Orleans. We inquired at the hotel check in desk to see if they would store our bags while we went and got a late lunch. They said that they could do better than that if our room was ready we could just go on up early and get settled in if we liked. Our room was ready so we were able to get settled in and then off to Dene's for lunch. We asked at the front desk if there were any good places close by and they recommended Dene's. It was a big place with a family atmosphere. The food while good was not outstanding. I got the stuffed shrimp, which was a set up for disappointment. As a child my parents used to take us to a place in Galveston called the Golden Greek. They had the best fried stuffed shrimp ever. Alas they have been gone for years now. Catie got the crawfish, fried and étouffée I believe, hers was better than mine. If I go back again I am just going to get the fried fish. Some people at the next table who looked like locals had the fish and it looked good!
We wondered around the french Quarter for the rest of the afternoon. It was rainy and not too crowed for a Friday afternoon. We thought we would try to see if we could get into Irene's. I had tried three weeks earlier to get reservations for Friday evening, they just laughed! Well it turns out that Irene's only allots 30% of their seating for reservations, preferring to have 70% of their tables for walk ins. Go figure. We had been told that if you get there about 5:00 PM and hang around the front door you can get in at 5:30 when they open and as long as you are seated in that first service you are set. Otherwise you may end up standing around for a couple of hours. This rainy evening there were only two couples waiting at 5:30. Catie and I were one of them so we got right in. We had a fried soft shell crab for an appetizer and it was delicious. Catie had the Duck and she said it was possibly the best fowl she had ever eaten. I had the gnocchi, topped with grilled black drum. Big mistake, first of all I have never been fond of gnocchi, but I thought I just won't eat the gnocchi and I will enjoy the nice fish. The gnocchi at Irene's is still gnocchi and it set on your stomach like you swallowed a roll of quarters! Unfortunately the fish was so overcooked it was like fish jerky. I should have complained but I just hated to after ordering the gnocchi, I sort of deserved to go hungry. I was surprised at the fish jerky but it was not good. I would give Irene's another try, it simply has to be better than what I got, and I tried Catie's duck and it was delicious. So a lesson to be learned is this; while you go to NOLA thinking seafood, don't be afraid to try other things if they sound good!
After we walked off the dinner, which didn't take long for me we went to Cafe Du Monde for coffee and beignets. It was good, the chicory coffee was good with the beignets. I understand there are better places for beignets but you just can't go to New Orleans and not try Cafe Du Monde. It's convenient that they are open 24 hours.
The next morning we were up early and asked at the desk where a good place to eat breakfast that was nearby. They sent us to the Ruby Slipper. Catie and I both had the Eggs Sardou. Wow! This dish was originally invented by Antoine's, the oldest restaurant in New Orleans open since 1854 I believe. They also invented Oysters Rockefeller. Eggs Sardou Ruby Slipper style is two poached eggs, on top of French Bread, lightly sautéed fresh spinach, tasso, cherry tomatoes, artichoke hearts, topped with Bearnaise sauce. It was good i made it at home for Jane and mine tasted just like the Ruby Slipper although I used Hollandaise sauce like the original and it didn't come out too well. It tasted fine it just didn't come out as smooth as I would have liked. Not Bad at all!
I am going to leave off here for now, and I will continue with our Commander's Palace adventure. See you soon.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Mom's Italian Chicken & Not Your Mom's Banana Nut Bread
One of the things that is hard about trying to eat better when you are a food lover is that we don't really like to give up on flavor. So the first thing I did when I started "dieting" is dig through my recipes to see if I had any that were already fairly low cal with out trying. And I did! Part of this is proper portioning but not everything that tastes good has to be full of fat.
The main dish I am sharing was one of my favorite recipes long before I started counting calories (I try and keep dinner between 500-800 calories as it is the biggest mean of the day for us). Its sort of like a lighter version of Chicken Parmesan, but there is no breading so I just call it Italian Chicken.
During my senior year of high school I realized that I really needed to learn how to cook properly before I got married the following August so I volunteered my mother to teach me how. Now I grew up helping in the kitchen and was at an advantage for it, but preparing a meal all by yourself and helping a pro are two very different things. This recipe was awesome because it was so easy that anyone could do it and it's super yummy. It boosted my confidence at being able to cook and became a keeper recipe in part because it was inexpensive enough for us as a broke couple living of military pay to afford.
This recipe serves 3 people but you could easily add another chicken breast with out a problem.
Italian Chicken:
1 Jar Pasta Sauce (What ever brand and type you like. I buy what ever organic marinara I can find.)
3/4 cup part skim shredded mozzarella
6 Tbsp parmesan cheese
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (6 oz)
PAM
Preheat you oven to 375°.
Lightly spray a 9x7 pyrex casserole dish with PAM, empty 1/2 the jar of sauce into the bottom of the dish. Place the chicken breasts on top of the sauce and sprinkle each of them with 1/4 cup of the mozzarella and 2 Tbsp of parmesan. Cover chicken the other 1/2 jar of sauce. Bake for 1 hour or until chicken is fully cooked.
Serve over pasta. I alot 3/4 cup (dry) pasta per person wish is about 150 calories, the sauce and cheese (depending on the sauce you use) per person comes out to about 300 calories, and the chicken another 200. So you have a dinner for a grand total of 650 calories per person. Add ten spears of steamed asparagus for 50 calories or 1/2 cup of peas (frozen, popped into the microwave for a couple for a minute or two) for 70 calories to round out your meal if you like.
Next is my recipe for "Not Your Mom's Banana Nut Bread". This has come about from me trying countless Banana Nut Bread recipes over the years and combining the parts that I like and adding things and playing until I got it just the way I like it. The result is a bread that isn't like anyone else and defiantly not like moms.
Our house ALWAYS has banana's in it and it seems like we eather eat all of them in a matter of a day or two or we have several left hanging out till they are over ripe. Ripe bananas can be frozen until you are ready to use them so anytime I have one or two lonely ripe bananas I pop them in the freezer. Now keep in mind that when you do this the skin on them will turn COMPLETELY black. That's normal...don't panic. When you are ready to use them make sure you take them out and let them thaw for 24 hrs or until they aren't frozen anymore. Or you can stick them in a ziplock and let them rapid thaw in warm water, either way works. You will need 2 bowls, one for wet ingredients and one for dry, as well as a 10 in bundt pan (if you don't have a bundt pan you can use loaf pans instead).
Not Your Mom's Banana Nut Bread:
Wet:
This makes about 24 small slices and are only 150 calories each. One slice is perfect for breakfast or a fast snack. This is one of those times that its all about proper portioning, but really can be done and feels like you are getting to indulge.
Enjoy!
The main dish I am sharing was one of my favorite recipes long before I started counting calories (I try and keep dinner between 500-800 calories as it is the biggest mean of the day for us). Its sort of like a lighter version of Chicken Parmesan, but there is no breading so I just call it Italian Chicken.
During my senior year of high school I realized that I really needed to learn how to cook properly before I got married the following August so I volunteered my mother to teach me how. Now I grew up helping in the kitchen and was at an advantage for it, but preparing a meal all by yourself and helping a pro are two very different things. This recipe was awesome because it was so easy that anyone could do it and it's super yummy. It boosted my confidence at being able to cook and became a keeper recipe in part because it was inexpensive enough for us as a broke couple living of military pay to afford.
This recipe serves 3 people but you could easily add another chicken breast with out a problem.
Italian Chicken:
1 Jar Pasta Sauce (What ever brand and type you like. I buy what ever organic marinara I can find.)
3/4 cup part skim shredded mozzarella
6 Tbsp parmesan cheese
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (6 oz)
PAM
Preheat you oven to 375°.
Lightly spray a 9x7 pyrex casserole dish with PAM, empty 1/2 the jar of sauce into the bottom of the dish. Place the chicken breasts on top of the sauce and sprinkle each of them with 1/4 cup of the mozzarella and 2 Tbsp of parmesan. Cover chicken the other 1/2 jar of sauce. Bake for 1 hour or until chicken is fully cooked.
Serve over pasta. I alot 3/4 cup (dry) pasta per person wish is about 150 calories, the sauce and cheese (depending on the sauce you use) per person comes out to about 300 calories, and the chicken another 200. So you have a dinner for a grand total of 650 calories per person. Add ten spears of steamed asparagus for 50 calories or 1/2 cup of peas (frozen, popped into the microwave for a couple for a minute or two) for 70 calories to round out your meal if you like.
Next is my recipe for "Not Your Mom's Banana Nut Bread". This has come about from me trying countless Banana Nut Bread recipes over the years and combining the parts that I like and adding things and playing until I got it just the way I like it. The result is a bread that isn't like anyone else and defiantly not like moms.
Our house ALWAYS has banana's in it and it seems like we eather eat all of them in a matter of a day or two or we have several left hanging out till they are over ripe. Ripe bananas can be frozen until you are ready to use them so anytime I have one or two lonely ripe bananas I pop them in the freezer. Now keep in mind that when you do this the skin on them will turn COMPLETELY black. That's normal...don't panic. When you are ready to use them make sure you take them out and let them thaw for 24 hrs or until they aren't frozen anymore. Or you can stick them in a ziplock and let them rapid thaw in warm water, either way works. You will need 2 bowls, one for wet ingredients and one for dry, as well as a 10 in bundt pan (if you don't have a bundt pan you can use loaf pans instead).
Not Your Mom's Banana Nut Bread:
Wet:
4 bananas mashed (the riper, the better)
4 Tbsp orange marmalade
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
2 Tbsp nutella
Dry:
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup chopped nuts of your choice (I like almond
slivers but I also often use pecan bits)
Preheat your oven to 350°.
Mix together the wet ingredients in their bowl, the dry
ingredients in their bowl, and then combine the two, mixing all the ingredients
together well. Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan (PAM Baking also works
really well. If not, spray regular PAM or rub sides of pan with butter then
sprinkle a very small amount of flour in. Shake flour around and then invert
pan over trash, tapping lightly to get rid of any extra flour).
Bake for one hour, testing for doneness with a knife.
This bread freezes really well so if this is way more
than you can eat, don't worry! Freezing is also a good way to stope yourself from eating to many servings. Just pre-slice, freezer bag (removing air) and freeze! Take out a bag and nuke for 30 seconds when you want a slice!
This makes about 24 small slices and are only 150 calories each. One slice is perfect for breakfast or a fast snack. This is one of those times that its all about proper portioning, but really can be done and feels like you are getting to indulge.
Enjoy!
- Catie
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Travel, Birthdays, & Dieting
Gosh, it has been a while since we wrote last and lots has happened, so instead of boring you all with every tiny detail I will hit the highlights of the past few months.
First of all I went to work in January for Massage Envy and I can honestly say I LOVE my job. I really mean that. It is so incredibly rewarding to help people every single day and I keep thanking my lucky stars I ended up choosing this path for my life. It was certainly not what I originally thought I would be doing, but I'm happy it's where I ended up.
It is nice to be more than a wife and mom (not that I don't love those things) and to have an identity that is all my own and it's one that I am very proud of. And on top of that it has been a positive influence in my life in that I try really hard to practice the things I preach to my clients: Eat right, Stretch/Exercise often, and drink plenty of water. But more about practicing what I preach later.
I have also been traveling a great deal the last few moths. In February I went with my husband and his family to Vegas for the second time (we all went 3 or so years ago too). It was our first big trip with out our little monster with us and while we missed her quite a bit it was really nice and we realized we need to take some breaks for us to have play time too. Unfortunately I have no pictures of our Vegas trip for you (Hello, what happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas...unless it gets written about on a blog) other than ones from the Rugby World Sevens match (why we went when we did).
On to March. In March Emily and I went with my Mom and Aunt to Gruene where we met up with my brother and his wife and kids. This is a yearly excursion for us and a total blast. We go to the animal park and the caverns, but mostly we just do a lot of sitting around a relaxing. This year was no exception and we had a blast.
In May was New Orleans with my dad. And all I can say is FOOD FOOD FOOD. Everything I put in my mouth was good but the best things were the Duck St. Philip (duck with a raspberry and pancetta demi-glace on a bed of spinach with a side of whipped sweet potatoes) from Irene's, the Bread Pudding Soufflé from Commander's Palace, and the Barbecued Shrimp from The French Market Restaurant. But in all honesty there wasn't a single thing I ate in New Orleans that I didn't like. The trip was really nice and yes, we had gumbo (The Gumbo Shop had the best of all we tried out). I should mention we did a lot of the touristy looking around and even took a city tour which was neat. We got to meet two very cool sisters who had a baked goods stand in the market that were Sicilian and we stood around swapping tales for about an hour with them. One of them have me a dried fava bean that had been on the St. Josephs alter to keep in my pantry (to bring blessings that you will always have food there) or wallet (so you always have money).
I happen to Love New Orleans and feel like its very much a refection of my soul...of lots of peoples souls. It is both decadence and despair. Absolute joy and total squalor. It is beautiful yet dark and eerie.
When I returned from this trip I was 5 lbs heavier. Seriously. It helped kick me into starting a new diet... but I'm getting ahead of myself. May was also a very special month because my sweet little girl turned 2! I still can not believe she is already 2. Time with her goes by so fast. (By the way she has defiantly entered the "terrible twos"...which like so many other things, I have eaten my words on because I didn't believe in "terrible twos" before I had a kid. Ha!) While she is trying at times, overall she is a really really good girl and often I find that I am more disappointed with myself for losing my temper and lacking in patience than with anything she does. Parenting is not for the weak ladies and gentlemen. And all the clichés you have heard are true. Anyway...I digress. May was a good month.
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And here is my little love on her birthday and at her party.
If you are wondering when the hell I am going to post a recipe... I'm getting there. When we were in NOLA my dad got a strawberry shortcake at Commander's Palace and when we came home he decided to make some of his own. He generously shared one with me (ie. I invited myself over and ate his food) and it was so yummy I decided to make miniature ones for Emily's birthday party instead of cake. Emily LOVES strawberries, they are in season, and I wanted her party to have an air of casual and fun.
My dad found the recipe here: Shortcake . The recipe comes from Food Network's Alton Brown and is great. I tripled this recipe and I doubled the amount of sugar in the shortcakes (though they still were not sweet). Also AND THIS IS IMPORTANT instead of ice cream we used one container of crema mexicana table cream (This stuff) mixed with one regular sized container of sour cream, sweetened with a bit of powdered sugar (to your taste...I think I used 1/4 cup). Beat until frothy then refrigerate. The berries we chopped up and added a little sugar too, then refrigerated to let macerate. I let mine sit over night and it made a nice syrup but you don't have to let it sit that long, probably 4 hours or so would do. The shortcakes were a hit and the party went off with out a hitch.
Now... fast forward to last week and we are to the "diet" part of this entry and what I have been eluding too this whole time. In short, as a food lover I have indulged a little too much (ok, a lot too much) and a little (lot) too often in foods that were not exactly the pinnacle of healthiness. Over the years this has added up...namely on my stomach and I'm not comfortable with myself anymore. Health and nutrition had always been important to me. I mean...the essence of my love for food and cooking is at its most basic level loving creating something that is nourishing for myself and others.
SO after I got back from New Orleans and Emily's birthday was over I looked at my scale and cried a little. Well maybe I just wanted to cry, but I also remembered that I want to lead by example for not only my clients (and not be a total hypocrite) but I also want to be a good example for my daughter so I embarked on my better eating "diet".
My goal is to stay under 1,200 calories a day and still maintain a good balanced diet. I needed to cut back on fats and sugars (carbs) and eat more protein and veggies. Thus far it has been much easier than I originally though! Honestly, the first 3 days I thought I was going to die. Like... starvation. And then I stopped being quite so hungry as my stomach started shrinking back to normal human proportions and my body adjusted to me not eating enough for 3 people. Also eating good FOR you food is fairly simple as I like veggies and "health" food.
The biggest help for me is when I actually count my calories I pay attention. I don't do the whole "Oh, one more helping is fine" or "Well, just one or two of those can't hurt". I wont say that keeping tabs on my food is a piece of cake, but its not as hellish as one might think.
Most days at lunch I eat a salad and measure out my dressing OR eat Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice. Since I am at work I need something fast yet not diet busting. Dinner always varies on what veggies I can get my hands on and what I have eaten the rest of the day. The places I really had to focus on where breakfast and snacks.
Here is some of the stuff I eat during those times that is great and low cal.
Breakfast:
2 Egg Whites with a touch of Mrs. Dash's garlic herb seasoning - 45 calories
5.3 oz container of Stonyfield plain organic nonfat greek yogurt - 70 calories
Starbucks Low Cal bottled Iced Coffee - 50 calories
A medium grapefruit - 90 calories
Two Moms in the Raw Granola Gluten Free Organic Gojiberry bar - 210 calories
Snacks:
Central Market Organic Mini bag Popcorn - 100 calories
Bolthouse Farms 2oz bag baby carrots - 25 calories
Quaker Stila oat clusters - 80 calories
Banana - 110 calories
3 Skinny Cow peanut butter creme chocolates - 130 calories
In general I have usually consumed around 400-500 calories by dinnertime which lets me be a little more flexible with what I cook. I promise I will toss up some recipes soon with examples of that.
I have also started taking my vitamins AND trying to drink at LEAST 80 oz. of water, with a goal of 100 oz. a day. In order to accomplish that I use two tools. The first is that I carry around a 20 oz. plastic "jar" with a huge straw in it (This thing) everywhere I go. The second is I make a huge pitcher of Infused Water and keep it in the fridge so if I get sick of normal water I have another option. This is my favorite "recipe" so far for it.
5 strawberries sliced
1/2 a large cucumber peeled and sliced
2-3 lemons sliced into disks
5 quarts water
Put all ingredients in a big ass pitcher and refrigerate overnight. Use within 5-7 days.
So the dieting is going fairly well and I have lost the 5 lbs I gained in New Orleans. The exorcising is much harder, but that is for another blog. Hope you enjoyed reading this and as I said, I will be posting more recipes soon.
-Catie
First of all I went to work in January for Massage Envy and I can honestly say I LOVE my job. I really mean that. It is so incredibly rewarding to help people every single day and I keep thanking my lucky stars I ended up choosing this path for my life. It was certainly not what I originally thought I would be doing, but I'm happy it's where I ended up.
It is nice to be more than a wife and mom (not that I don't love those things) and to have an identity that is all my own and it's one that I am very proud of. And on top of that it has been a positive influence in my life in that I try really hard to practice the things I preach to my clients: Eat right, Stretch/Exercise often, and drink plenty of water. But more about practicing what I preach later.
I have also been traveling a great deal the last few moths. In February I went with my husband and his family to Vegas for the second time (we all went 3 or so years ago too). It was our first big trip with out our little monster with us and while we missed her quite a bit it was really nice and we realized we need to take some breaks for us to have play time too. Unfortunately I have no pictures of our Vegas trip for you (Hello, what happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas...unless it gets written about on a blog) other than ones from the Rugby World Sevens match (why we went when we did).
This is the USA team...and yes, that guy's face is bleeding.
On to March. In March Emily and I went with my Mom and Aunt to Gruene where we met up with my brother and his wife and kids. This is a yearly excursion for us and a total blast. We go to the animal park and the caverns, but mostly we just do a lot of sitting around a relaxing. This year was no exception and we had a blast.
Gruene is Green.
The Caverns.
Emily and my Mom.
April was a good month as well. Very busy... One of my very closest friends and I took our little ones to Lubbock to the Science Spectrum and to a live Butterfly exhibit there. Which by the way is going on through June 12th so if you live fairly close you might want to check it out. Here is a link with the info: Butterflies Alive! The exhibit was small, but it was fun to take the kids and an easy day trip for us. Later in the month Shea and I went to Dallas on our second childless trip. We went to "Edge Fest" and to a Metric concert at the House of Blues. Both were amazing. We drank to much, spent to much money, and acted like we were 17. Needless to say we had an seriously fabulous time.
Butterflies and Emily at the Science Spectrum.
Me in Dallas about to head to Metric (My most favorite band EVER!).
I happen to Love New Orleans and feel like its very much a refection of my soul...of lots of peoples souls. It is both decadence and despair. Absolute joy and total squalor. It is beautiful yet dark and eerie.
When I returned from this trip I was 5 lbs heavier. Seriously. It helped kick me into starting a new diet... but I'm getting ahead of myself. May was also a very special month because my sweet little girl turned 2! I still can not believe she is already 2. Time with her goes by so fast. (By the way she has defiantly entered the "terrible twos"...which like so many other things, I have eaten my words on because I didn't believe in "terrible twos" before I had a kid. Ha!) While she is trying at times, overall she is a really really good girl and often I find that I am more disappointed with myself for losing my temper and lacking in patience than with anything she does. Parenting is not for the weak ladies and gentlemen. And all the clichés you have heard are true. Anyway...I digress. May was a good month.
A few NOLA pictures.
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And here is my little love on her birthday and at her party.
My dad found the recipe here: Shortcake . The recipe comes from Food Network's Alton Brown and is great. I tripled this recipe and I doubled the amount of sugar in the shortcakes (though they still were not sweet). Also AND THIS IS IMPORTANT instead of ice cream we used one container of crema mexicana table cream (This stuff) mixed with one regular sized container of sour cream, sweetened with a bit of powdered sugar (to your taste...I think I used 1/4 cup). Beat until frothy then refrigerate. The berries we chopped up and added a little sugar too, then refrigerated to let macerate. I let mine sit over night and it made a nice syrup but you don't have to let it sit that long, probably 4 hours or so would do. The shortcakes were a hit and the party went off with out a hitch.
Now... fast forward to last week and we are to the "diet" part of this entry and what I have been eluding too this whole time. In short, as a food lover I have indulged a little too much (ok, a lot too much) and a little (lot) too often in foods that were not exactly the pinnacle of healthiness. Over the years this has added up...namely on my stomach and I'm not comfortable with myself anymore. Health and nutrition had always been important to me. I mean...the essence of my love for food and cooking is at its most basic level loving creating something that is nourishing for myself and others.
SO after I got back from New Orleans and Emily's birthday was over I looked at my scale and cried a little. Well maybe I just wanted to cry, but I also remembered that I want to lead by example for not only my clients (and not be a total hypocrite) but I also want to be a good example for my daughter so I embarked on my better eating "diet".
My goal is to stay under 1,200 calories a day and still maintain a good balanced diet. I needed to cut back on fats and sugars (carbs) and eat more protein and veggies. Thus far it has been much easier than I originally though! Honestly, the first 3 days I thought I was going to die. Like... starvation. And then I stopped being quite so hungry as my stomach started shrinking back to normal human proportions and my body adjusted to me not eating enough for 3 people. Also eating good FOR you food is fairly simple as I like veggies and "health" food.
The biggest help for me is when I actually count my calories I pay attention. I don't do the whole "Oh, one more helping is fine" or "Well, just one or two of those can't hurt". I wont say that keeping tabs on my food is a piece of cake, but its not as hellish as one might think.
Most days at lunch I eat a salad and measure out my dressing OR eat Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice. Since I am at work I need something fast yet not diet busting. Dinner always varies on what veggies I can get my hands on and what I have eaten the rest of the day. The places I really had to focus on where breakfast and snacks.
Here is some of the stuff I eat during those times that is great and low cal.
Breakfast:
2 Egg Whites with a touch of Mrs. Dash's garlic herb seasoning - 45 calories
5.3 oz container of Stonyfield plain organic nonfat greek yogurt - 70 calories
Starbucks Low Cal bottled Iced Coffee - 50 calories
A medium grapefruit - 90 calories
Two Moms in the Raw Granola Gluten Free Organic Gojiberry bar - 210 calories
Snacks:
Central Market Organic Mini bag Popcorn - 100 calories
Bolthouse Farms 2oz bag baby carrots - 25 calories
Quaker Stila oat clusters - 80 calories
Banana - 110 calories
3 Skinny Cow peanut butter creme chocolates - 130 calories
In general I have usually consumed around 400-500 calories by dinnertime which lets me be a little more flexible with what I cook. I promise I will toss up some recipes soon with examples of that.
I have also started taking my vitamins AND trying to drink at LEAST 80 oz. of water, with a goal of 100 oz. a day. In order to accomplish that I use two tools. The first is that I carry around a 20 oz. plastic "jar" with a huge straw in it (This thing) everywhere I go. The second is I make a huge pitcher of Infused Water and keep it in the fridge so if I get sick of normal water I have another option. This is my favorite "recipe" so far for it.
5 strawberries sliced
1/2 a large cucumber peeled and sliced
2-3 lemons sliced into disks
5 quarts water
Put all ingredients in a big ass pitcher and refrigerate overnight. Use within 5-7 days.
So the dieting is going fairly well and I have lost the 5 lbs I gained in New Orleans. The exorcising is much harder, but that is for another blog. Hope you enjoyed reading this and as I said, I will be posting more recipes soon.
-Catie
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Quick Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Gumbo, gumbo, gumbo! As you can see by the name of our blog
gumbo is very important to our family. Not only is it delicious and filling,
but it is wonderful in that its full of a little of this and a little of that
all thrown in and mixed with love. Every persons gumbo is different (and we all
ours is the best). In many ways families and gumbo are a lot alike.
You will notice several big differences with my gumbo. While
I do sometimes make gumbo totally from scratch most days I simply don’t have
time or the ability (as it’s impossible to stir Roux and watch the little
monster at the same time). But I love gumbo… So I cheat. I use a good brand of
store bought roux and a rotisserie chicken. Oh, about chicken… while dad
prefers shrimp gumbo (and yes it is very tasty) I prefer chicken and sausage. Also I use a LOT of bell pepper. Really I use
a lot of veggies in general as I like my gumbo to be very hearty.
Keep in mind that almost anything can be changed in amount
so long as you don’t start omitting things. If you like less onion, put less
onion if you want to use 3 links of sausage instead of 2, be my guest. This is
a hard recipe to jack up simply because all gumbos vary so much that it’s
totally acceptable if your gumbo is different than my gumbo.
Some gumbos are thinner than others, some have seafood, some
have chicken, some are spicy while some are mild. Some gumbos even include
tomatoes and filé… but we don’t talk about those types in our house (Kidding,
kidding… I would try your gumbo if it had those things…it just wouldn’t be as
tasty as mine ;) ). So with all that in
mind relax, you can totally make a delicious gumbo without all the fuss.
4-6 quarts chicken broth (start with 4 and if you need to
add water/broth later you can)
2/3 jar Ragin’ Cajun Fixin’s famous Dark Roux
3 green bell peppers
6-8 stalks celery (8-10 if it’s just hearts)
1 bunch green onions
1 small white onion
4-6 cloves garlic
1 ½-2 cups fresh okra (or a small bag frozen okra)
1 rotisserie chicken
2 links andouille sausage (or if you can’t find it any
smoked sausage will do)
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
¼ - 1/3 teaspoon cayenne
Salt and pepper to taste
2 bay leaves
Bring your chicken broth to a boil in a large stock pot with
the bay leaves. Dice all your veggies and
in a separate pan sauté them in the olive oil. Once veggies have started
to soften dissolve in 2/3 jar of Roux in the veggies. Add in cayenne and black
pepper (wait to add salt until gumbo has cooked for at least one hour as the
sausage will contribute to the saltiness).
Add veggie roux mix to boiling broth once roux is mostly dissolved. Stir
well. Tear chicken off the bone into manageable pieces and cut up your sausage.
Add both to gumbo. Bring back to a boil again and then turn down to low to cook
for at least 1 ½ hrs. Best when cooked on low all day. You can add more water
or broth if needed but remember the idea is for the gumbo to thicken. It should
be the consistency of a thin gravy.
Serve over steamed rice. I also always accompany mine with a
loaf of Italian bread.
I like to add Tabasco to mine, but Shea doesn’t like his
very spicy so he lets it stay as is.
Also the longer gumbo sits the better it is so this makes
AWESOME leftovers.
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