Sonoma Day whatever!

OKay, so i cheated over the weekend... who here has NEVER cheated on a diet!?!?! Yeah that's what i thought! lol But i still did follow some rules, some of the time~
On Thursday this was my lunch...
Black Bean Chicken in a Whole Wheat Pita

my stomach was SOOO full after eating this i couldn't eat the salad i brought to go with it and i didn't eat my two snacks later in the day! I couldn't i was sooo full! Yeah this is the SAME Pita i had on Monday when i was starving! My stomach is getting smaller! So here's what you do for this super yummy and fast lunch.
Take a whole wheat pita and cut it in half.
In each side place a tbsp of blk bean spread (recipe below) and a tbsp of salsa.
put in 1.5 oz ck in each side. (i bought these recooked chicken packets that have 6oz so i know i get half the pack in one sandwich.
Then load it up with 1/2 c baby spinach in each side
Chow down!
This is so filling!

Black Bean Spread from Sonoma Diet book

Ingredients
1/2 c finely chopped onion
1/4 c sliced green onions
1 tsp ground coriander (i didn't have this)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp canola oil (i didn't have any so i used olive)
1/4 c fresh cilantro
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 c water
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp finely chopped canned chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce (i couldn't find this so i just put some red pepper in the mix)
1/4 tsp salt

Directions
cook onions, coriander, and cumin in hot oil in small sauce pan until very tender.
Remove and stir in cilantro.
Put onion mixture into a food processor. Add blk beans, water, lime juice, pepper, and salt. Cover and blend until nearly smooth
serve immediately or store for up to three days. (i used for 5 days)

Sonoma Day 3!!

Well this was a little tough for me... i was hungry, very hungry at times! And in the morning my stomach blew up... sorry TMI i know BUT it's going to happen to you too so i thought you should know. Think about all the fiber you're eating. Plus as i was going to sleep last night i noticed my stomach or intestines or something was feeling weird and it made me wonder... are they adjusting to the fact that i haven't had sugar, white breads, processed food, etc in 3 days. I know you're thinking it's ONLY been three days BUT think about it... have you ever tried to eat "clean" (basically this way)? You have to cut out A LOT of junk! I never thought about it before how much junk i was really used to eating. No longer do i get to sit down and munch on my Chips and Salsa... goodbye ice cream bar after dinner, and so long butter popcorn before i leave work! It's hard! BUT SOOOO worth it! Know why?? Here's a preview of what's to come for you!
I started this on Monday weighing in at 165... i weighed myself 5 times this morning (b/c i was in shock) and i'm now at around 158-159 (mine isn't digital so i don't know the exact number)!!! I wanted to cheat SOOO bad last night but i didn't and BOY am i glad now! YES!

So i thought it might be helpful for you to see the plate i've been eating on compared to what i used to eat on (and go back for seconds). The top plate is my new dinner plate (ignore those pesky water spots)! It's almost 9" across and most the time i don't fully fill it up to the edge (b/c then stuff would fall off)

So what did i eat for day three?... well look at yesterday until you get to dinner.
Repetition works for me... plus it's cheaper then buying 10 different everythings. Dinner though, i was lazy... i just didn't want to put a lot of effort into it... was even considering cheating b/c of it but i decided no... i'll eat my plate and if i'm still hungry then i'll cheat... but guess what... i was FULL! True story... full all night! OHH yea!
So below is my dinner. Half a plate of mixed greens topped with Fat free Italian dressing. Then some Barilla Plus Pasta topped with Lite Kabala (sp?) sausage (3 pieces) and topped with marina sauce. Now i wasn't supposed to have sauce with sugar in BUT i had very little in it and it was all i had in the pantry... and i had less sauce then i normally do~

Sooo moving on to Day 4!

Balsamic Chicken

This was tasty and very moist but honestly i could have used more flavor (it's one of the book's recipes)... maybe if i would have grilled it then there would have been at least the grill taste... oh well it was still very good!
Ingredients
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast, 1- 1 1/4lbs (i had 3 big ones)
1/4 c Balsamic vinegar
1/4 c olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 1/2 tsp minced)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

Place your chicken between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and beat it to within an inch of it's lift... well 1/2 an inch (thickness that is)
Place it in a sealable baggie and pour the above marinade (premixed) over it. Seal and put in fridge for at least 1 hour, up to 4 hours, turning occasionally.

Discard the marinade when you remove Chicken from bad and grill or heat in oven.

I made mine in an oven on a boil pan, at 400 degress for around 15 mins.
Enjoy!

Hot Suff Rice

I created this yumminess when i realized that my chicken was going to be a little sweet and tangy so i wanted a bold hotness to blend nicely with it. Also brown rice is one of the few grains i can have (since i don't think i could get Chris to eat Quinoa or Barley... not sure i'm ready for that yet!) So here's what i did...
I have this GREAT Pampered Chef Microwave rice cooker so i loaded it up with
3 1/2 c of water
1 c brown rice
2 tbsp sliced green onions
3/4 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tspish of red pepper flakes
splash of olive oil
Pepper
very small amount of I can't believe it's not butter light
Cook in the micro for 35 mins and DONE
This had a really nice kick that blended well with the chicken!

Sonoma Diet, Day 2! By Joe!

They aren't lying to you! When all these diet/nutrition books tell you to eat slower and you'll get full faster, etc.. it's TRUE! So in day one i was dealing with EXTREME hunger after dinner so i decided to try something different. First i ate a little later, this obviously helping (ate at 7 instead of 6). Then i took 25 minutes people to eat my 9" plate of food! Oh YEA! This is incredible for me because normally i look at eating like a track event, the first one done is the winner! Not SO i tell you! WOW! So i ate VERY slow and i don't know about getting full FASTER but i did stay full LONGER! That was just what i needed! YES! Chris was even impressed with my slow eating! lol!
So here's what Day 2 looked like...
Breakfast: Same old Cereal as day one
Snack: Coffee with FF creamer and splenda (i HAVE to have this... sorry sonoma)
Lunch: As you see below i had mixed greens with baby spinach topped with a sprinkle of fresh Parmesan and Ken's Balsamic Vinaigrette from the healthy options line. And i had half of a whole wheat pita!

Snack: On my day off i made baggies of veggies that i could eat for snack. They included a few slices of each: green bell pepper, cucumber, celery, and some cherry tomatoes!
Snack at home: I had a skim mozzarella cheese stick and a glass of diet orange soda
Dinner: This was quite good! As you can see we had peas (no recipe needed, open a can and heat them up!), Balsamic Chicken and Hot Stuff Rice! Please note the plate is a 9" plate! ooooh yea!
Also i had TONS of water throughout my day~

TuTu Heaven

This is not eddible, but i made it~ This is sooo easy to make and here's how!

What you'll need
Tulle of preferred colors (i got about 10 yards... but i had a lot left over b/c my little person is short!)
elastic (a thin strip)
sissors
thick satin ribbon
thin ribbons in various colors
silk flower
Needle and thread

First measure you darlin's little waist. Then add on about two inches and cut the elastic that size.
Over lap the elastic ends about an inch and sew together.
Measure the length that you want your Tutu then double and add 2 inches. For exaple:
I wanted mine to be 8inches long
So i made my pieces of tulle 18 inches long (8x2=16+2+18)
Go through and cut all you tulle 18 inches long, then take those pieces and cut into strips about 3"-4" thick. So you'll have an 18x4 strip. This doesn't have to be exact, i measured the 18" but eyeballed the 3-4" thick strips. Worked JUST FINE!

Now that you have your strips and your band you can begin to place together.

I wish i had taken a picture of this next step but i'll try to explain.
Hold one strip of tulle with the two ends together so there's a connected end and a cut end. place the elastic circle on top. Loop the cut end over the elastic and through the connected end and pull. This should now have your tulle secured on the band!
You will continue this until all your tulle is on in whatever pattern etc you're trying for. The one above is as follows.
Hot Pink (about 65ish pieces)
Then i mixed in Yellow and blue creating 2 blue patches and 2 yellow patches and then a few random pieces here and there.
Topped it with Light pink and white and then a few more Hot Pink Tulle.

Now you add your ribbon. Cut your pieces just like you did the tulle and secure in any pattern you prefer. I decided to do 5 pink, 5 blue, and 5 yellow.
Now make your Satin bow.
I found it easier to tie the bow on in a knot then as i made the bow i secured the flower in it!
And Voila! A perfectly cute tutu!

Marinated Flank Steak

This is quite the tasty treat! It sure had a kick too! I cooked this with REALLY thin steaks so that i could cut them up for my salad and i think if you did it on a thicker steak it wouldn't be as spicy! But Soo good!
Ingredients

* 1 (1-1/2 to 2 pounds) flank steak
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tablespoon dried, crumbled
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram or 1 teaspoon dried, crumbled (i didn't have any)
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried, crumbled
* 1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
* 1-1/2 teaspoons paprika
* 1 teaspoon coarse salt
* 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for grill pan

Directions

1. Trim fat from steak and place steak in a shallow dish. Stir together rosemary, marjoram, oregano, garlic, paprika, salt, and peppers in a small bowl. Stir in the oil until combined.

2. Spoon herb mixture evenly over both sides of steak, rubbing in. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

3. Preheat grill pan over moderately high heat. Lightly coat pan with oil and place steak in pan. Grill, turning once, until a meat thermometer inserted into center of steak registers 125 degree F for medium rare, 10 to 12 minutes.

4. Transfer to a cutting board. Cover and let stand 10 minutes before cutting, across the grain, into very thin slices. Makes 8 servings.

Sonoma DIET!

For all of you who were waiting for my BIG announcement, this is pretty much it. I am starting the Sonoma diet. If you are unsure of what this diet is here's a brief explanation I found on About.com:
Positive Emphasis - Emphasis is supposedly on what you do eat rather than what you don't, and this is true to an extent. However, the list of forbidden foods is one that is common to, for example, the South Beach Diet, and most of that list is common to all low-carb diets. BUT you do get carbs in Wave 1 (brown rice for example... and Whole Wheat Wraps and Pitas)

Focus on Food - There is an emphasis on eating slowly and savoring food. Partially to this end, a glass of wine is allowed with dinner after the first ten days.

Nutrition - The books talks getting a variety of phytonutrients and antioxidants, partially through "power foods". I always like it when I see a diet which emphasizes variety and nutrition. Also, whole foods are emphasized (very few processed foods are recommended), which is always a good sign.

Structure - I think that some of the popular low-carb diets lack structure. For those who want more guidance, the Sonoma Diet delivers, but perhaps too much for some. (I NEED this structure! I found even Weight Watchers was too open for me!)


I'm very excited about this diet because i have a SERIOUS addiction to carbs and sugar, hopefully this will help me so when i'm allowed to have them all again I don't over indulge.
Here's what I ate yesterday

Breakfast: 1 c Whole Grain


Lunch: Chicken and black bean spread in a whole wheat pita
You took a whole wheat Pita and spread in 2 tbsp of the black bean spread (Recipe coming later) throw in 3 oz of ck breast, 2 tbsp of salsa, and then fill with about 1 cup of baby spinach. SO good, i forgot to take a picture because it was so tasty!

Snack: 1/3 of a cucumber sliced and 1 celery stalk
1 stick of reduced fat string cheese (i had two actually, one later on in the evening b/c i was sooo hungry)

Dinner: Marinated Steak (recipe to follow) with Broccoli and Brown Rice.


I was fine until close to bed time, when i was starving! So i had another string cheese but other then that i did fine and no cheating! So from now on that will be my post and recipes... so if you have any questions feel free to ask away and i'll do my best to answer!

Valentine's Day Steaks

Chris and i had a very LAZY and relaxing Valentine's Day... it consisted of us doing well really nothing... we took a nap! WHOO HOO! We did go grocery shopping so that we could have a nice yummy dinner at home! Don't you LOVE how grocery stores ALWAYS have really good steaks on sale for this holiday! Even if you don't celebrate Valentines Day you should AT LEAST take advantage of the steaks! YUMM! We'll we did and i created a creations using some Parmesan and peppercorn salad dressing we bought!
Ingredients
Steaks, doesn't matter the cut, kind, etc just get what you want!
1/4c about of Parmesan Peppercorn Ken's light and healthy salad dressing
1 c of sliced mushrooms
splash of white wine
pepper
Put all of this in a small skillet and cook over low heat for as long as the steaks take

We Broiled our steaks (b/c it was COLD) with a broil seasonings rub.

Once your Steak is done pull it out and top it with the mixture in the skillet (the liquid should be very little and creamy since the mushrooms should soak up quite a bit.
Then top with about a tablespoon of the salad dressing and sprinkle fresh Parmesan cheese on top and some fresh ground pepper and voila! Yumminess!
Chris has decided we're going to start having this once a week... riiight!

Happy Valentine's Day!

These little wonders are AMAZING!!! SOOO good! I put them together on Friday night and threw them in the fridge. Then the next morning i pulled them out and put them in the oven and WOW! Chris and I were eating these all weekend long! Yummm! I can't remember whose blog i got these from so if they're yours let me know because i REALLY want to thank you!!!
Cinnamon Rolls
For dough:
1/2 cup warm water (105–115°F)
2 (1/4-oz) packages active dry yeast (5 teaspoons)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
5 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup warm milk
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened

For filling:
2/3 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoon cinnamon

Glaze (is my own combination):
2 cups powdered sugar
Approximately 8 teaspoons milk (add more if glaze is too thick)
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions
-In bowl of large stand mixer, stir together warm water, yeast, and a pinch of the sugar and let stand until foamy, about 5-10 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, discard and start over.)
-Meanwhile, in large mixing bowl, combine 5 cups flour, salt, and remaining sugar and whisk to combine; set aside
-In small bowl, combine milk and eggs.
-With mixer and dough hook on low speed, add milk and egg mixture then slowly add flour mixture, stirring to combine.
-Beat at medium speed until a very soft dough forms, about 2 minutes.
-Add butter and continue beating at medium speed until dough is smooth, soft, and elastic (adding more milk or flour to achieve good consistency if needed), about 4 minutes (it will be quite sticky).
-Add dough to large oiled bowl and tightly with plastic wrap.
-Let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
-Turn out dough onto a well-floured surface and dust with flour, then roll out into a 16-inch square.
-Stir together brown sugar, cinnamon, and 2/3 c. granulated sugar and sprinkle evenly over dough.
-Beginning with side nearest you, roll up dough, firmly but not tightly, into a log, then pinch seam to seal.
-Trim 1 inch off each end with a large knife and discard, then cut log crosswise into 12 slices.
-Arrange slices, cut sides up, into prepared 9x13 pan, spacing evenly as they will bulk up.
-Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge overnight to rise (you can also just let rise at room temp until doubled in bulk about 1 -1 1/2 hours).
-In morning, remove rolls from fridge and preheat oven to 350 degrees while they comes to room temperature.
-Bake rolls in lower third of oven until puffed and golden, 30 to 35 minutes, then cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes.
-Meanwhile, stir together powdered sugar, vanilla and milk with a fork until smooth.
-Drizzle over buns while still relatively hot.
-Serve buns warm or at room temperature.

It's HERE what you've all be waiting for!!

MIA... i know i know

I know i've been MIA from my cooking, well i have been cooking, it's just not blog worthy... but that's because i'm planning something BIG! So be prepared.... it's coming within a week!

Womanly Craving for Cupcakes

So right about now i see in your eyes that if you're a woman you're thinking "Right On Sister! Cupcakes and Chocolate... perfect filler for a craving" and if you're a man you're think "Sweet, food" and let me tell you think is sweetness and quite deceiving! lol!
So This Cupcake baking story begins with Chris coming to me and saying that he would REALLY like me to make a lemon cake. I'm thinking on it, begin searching for recipes... then BAM! Craving hits me like a mac truck (no i'm not pregnant i'm getting a visit from... okay TMI you get the point, moving on...) i NEEDED raspberries and chocolate! I don't mean i wanted.. it was a DIRE NEED!! BUT i also knew i didn't want to overwhelm my "not a huge sweet fan" husband with a raspberry chocolate overload, so i decided to throw in his lemon cake! Oooh YEA!
So since we all like simple servings i decided to make cupcakes! I found a lemon cake recipe that was a former first ladies i believe... and she must have been a democrat because it was full of it! HA, not funny? ok ok you can laugh at ME later...
well honestly this was NOT a very good recipe so i'm not posting it... the cupcake was VERY heavy and sort of hard... so it wasnt bad, tasted good, just not fluffy deliousness.
Directions
So Make a cake batter (mine might be boxed next time!) and make your cupcakes. Once they have cooled, scoop out a small amount of the center... kinda of the size of one of those slugger marbles (you know the big ones you used to knock the little ones out of the circle, never played marbles.. oh well guess you'll have to guesstimate!)
Then pour raspberry preserves in the center (i used oh wonderful store bought kind and stirred them until it became more liquidy) then i covered the preserves with some of the cake i scooped out and then topped it with Whipped creamy chocolate icing *uh yea no recipe for this either b/c it was store bought...(whatever i just wanted CHOCOLATE)!
These are amazing (minus the heaviness of the cupcake) Chris said if they were a fluffier cupcake it would be his favorite desert, so i'll be making these again... with a recipe i like hopefully! So enjoy my cupcakes that are full if it (yes it was my idea for the filling and i'm a republican so i guess i'm full of it now... oh well)!

Another Take on Ale Braised Sausage

As you'll hopefully remember I made katie's Ale Braised Sausage with a pasta twist before. Well this time i decided to stay a little truer to the recipe she found since i was bringing it to a Super Bowl party! So the recipe is the same as on my other page (minus the pasta) but i thickened up the sauce quite a bit with extra flour so that people could stab the pieces with a toothpick and just munch!
It worked well and everyone got their fill of beer sausage yumminess!

Edible Footballs

Are you ever invited to someones house for game day and you're supposed to bring something? Well Come fall (since football is now over) Your problems have been solved!! You can bring chocolaty football goodness! I foundhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif this great little item on and it sure was a winner!
Here's the review:
So i go to Chris and say "I'm sooo excited I'm going to make Chocolate rice krispie treats in football shapes!"
and to that Chris said "oh i don't know if i'm going to like that... can't you just make normal ones??"
Me: NOOO Footballs aren't flesh colored! Just don't eat them if you don't want them.
So i go about my day making them... and as i'm mixing it up he comes and has a bite... hmmmm is his reply. Well a little while later they are done and he asks if he can try one... Sure I say... and what does he say? "Wow these are rich... a lot better then what i was thinking... anyone who likes chocolate will love these! SCORE!
So keep in mind my darlin husband is NOT a big sweet person.
OKay, so i bring them to my mother-in-laws for her birthday and they were an instant hit... i mean HELLO what woman doesn't like chocolate!
The next day while i'm waiting for us to leave to go to our friends house for the Super Bowl he ask me two different times if he could have a chocolate football... i caved and let him.
Took them to the party... devoured! Even had people hiding them for later! lol! So Make this and you'll take me (okay Katie, since she thought of it) later! Oh and as you will see i changed the cereal type and i don't have anything to compare it too but it was GREAT!

Chocolate Football Crispies
Kraft

Ingredients:
6 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate
½ c. light corn syrup
1 Tbsp butter
½ tsp vanilla
4 c. Chocolate Rice Krispies
white decorating gel

Directions:
- Microwave chocolate, corn syrup and butter in large microwaveable bowl on high 2 1/2 min., stirring after 1 ½ min.
-Blend in vanilla.
-Add cereal, mix well.
-Let cool 10 min and then shape into football shapes on parchment with moistened hands.
-Let cool completely and use decorating gel to add lacings.
-Let stand until gel is firm.