The scale is not going in the right direction lately. Too much chocolate and cheetos! So back to the swing of things…
Habits…walking (treadmill), daily…again.
Eating better. Today. Meal planning. I must do this. I have to prep for the week, mainly for lunches, to be successful. I need some new ideas for dinner. Need to plan for those as well. Plan to succeed.
So… what do you do to continue to be successful? Do you meal plan?
Blessings.
The day ended like it started, crazy. So getting dinner on the table was really a miracle for me. I didn’t take pictures of before or during—completely forgot. At least I got pictures of the final product.
4 Boneless/skinless chicken thighs
1/4 cup of Dijon mustard
2 T of red wine vinegar
1-2 T Olive Oil
1 T of dried parsley (fresh would be better)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Pat the chicken dry. Mix together the rest of the ingredients and coat the chicken. Heat oil in pan, and sear until done. These could have browned a bit more. The vinegar added a nice tang with the mustard, and not heavy in taste.
My plate, with sauteed spinach (my favorite, of course).
I made these again last night, but cooked them in my iron skillet. They browned a bit more, and flavor was better with that searing.
I made a pan sauce from the dripping by adding some wine and butter (1/3 cup wine, 3 pats of unsalted butter), and reduced it by half. It was really nice over rice (again a standard in our house for the family).
Blessings.
So apparently today is National Junk Food Day…and since surgery I definitely have some cravings that are not good for me or my sleeve.
Crunchy Cheetos. 
Butterfinger Bites.
Both of these are evil for me to have around, but having a bite or two is okay just not everyday. Today is a day for treats.
Happy Friday.
Back to cravings…
I had put the Gruyere cheese on the grocery list months ago, and David did get some for me. I had placed in the freezer (I do this with most cheeses especially if I know that I won’t be cooking it for a while). Well, we had gotten the heavy cream for the liver pate’, and had about 2 cups leftover. Perfect for my quiche.
I found this very traditional recipe on the NY Times Cooking page. I cheated and used a pre-made pastry crust. Pre-baked at 400 degrees F, and then turn down the oven to 375 degrees.
4-5 strips of bacon
1 onion, thinly sliced (I chopped mine)
1 cup Grugere’ or Swiss cheese, cubed (I grated mine – better melting)
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, grated
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups of heavy cream (or 1 cup each of milk and cream)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Tabasco sauce to taste
Cook the bacon until crisp and remove it from skillet. Pour off all but one tablespoon of the fat remaining in the skillet. Cook the onion in the remaining fat until the onion is transparent.
Crumble the bacon and sprinkle the bacon, onion and cheeses over the inside of the partly baked pastry.
Combine the eggs, cream, nutmeg, salt, pepper and Tabasco sauce to taste. Strain the mixture over the onion-cheese mixture. Slide the pie onto a baking sheet.
Bake the pie until a knife inserted one inch from the pastry edge comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Remove to a wire rack. Let stand five or 10 minutes before serving.
I should have placed this on a prettier plate. I had a very small slice, and none of the crust. I loved the creaminess, and bite of the Tabasco in this quiche. I will be eating on this for lunch this week (so excited!).
Blessings.
So I mentioned the extra chicken livers in the Chicken Livers (Rumaki) post yesterday. I soaked them in some heavy cream for about 1 hour.
Sauteed 1/2 onion, and 1 teaspoon garlic in 2-3 tablespoons of butter.
Saute until the onions are translucent. 
Add 1 cup of Sherry, and melt another 3 tablespoons of butter (do not add the butter). Cook out the Sherry (about 5-8 minutes). Add to a blender or food processor, and pulse or blend until chunky smooth.
Spread mixture into a mold (lined with clear wrap), and spread evenly.
Pour the melted butter over the top, and then cover with the clear wrap.
Place in the refrigerator until set (about 4 hours or the next day).
Unmold (the butter will break off – discard). Serve with crackers. I love the water crackers as you only get the flavor the topping.
This was such a treat, and really nicely flavored with the Sherry and parsley. I will make these again, but again the family was a no. Which is fine with me…more for me!
Blessings!
Again, cravings. Bought and cleaned the livers.
Bacon, slices cut in half. 
Place a liver in a slice of bacon and roll tightly. Place on a soaked skewer.
Repeat…I had enough for the three skewers, and then for the Liver Pate’ (another post).
It was raining so we baked these in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes…applied sauce when half way done. Turned, and sauced again (for about another 10-15 minutes).
I loved these. I do prefer them on the grill, and a little crispy (if not with some burnt edges). Family really don’t care for the gamy taste that the livers can have. I loved it. Perfect for my sleeve with a ton of protein.
Blessings.
We seem to be eating a lot of pork lately. This version was okay- less liquid in cooking- and I think it would glaze perfectly.
Tamari – or soy sauce, rice vinegar, grated ginger, sesame oil, brown sugar, and raw sesame seeds. I mixed everything together (except the raw seeds), and marinated the pork in it for about 1 hour. (note: I didn’t measure anything except the sugar – about 1/2 cup loosely packed.)
I toasted the seeds in a non-stick skillet on medium-high for 5-7 minutes. 
Place the pork chops in a oven proof pan (I added some of the marinade), and bake for 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle with seeds, and bake for an additional 5-6 minutes.
These were juicy, and nicely flavored, just not really glazed. Will adjust the sugar (more), and reduce amount in pan for browning.
Blessings.
“To begin is easy, to persist is an art.” -German Proverb
Happy Friday!
Carmen and I spent some time last week (around the 4th) at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
We ate at several wonderful places at each park, but one that is really special to us is the Brown Derby in Hollywood Studios. The Starring Rolls Cafe (just outside The Brown Derby) is a tapas and lounge area that was unexpected treat.
Since my surgery (once I was released to normal food), I normally eat cold cuts and nuts for my lunch.
This board was super flavorful with blue, cheddar, Gouda cheese, prosciutto, hard salami, duck pate’ and I don’t remember the other pate, fresh pickles and kalamatas, dried fruit, and a ground mustard with applesauce. The crackers were enjoyed more by Carmen, but I did have one.
It was light, refreshing, and filling. The pate’ was amazing (garlic and spices really made the flavor pop), and the combination of flavors were really nice.
We enjoyed our time just sitting and people watching as well. This is a great spot to do just that.
Blessings.
This morning the alarm went off at 5:45 a.m., and I just laid in bed. I didn’t want to get up, and thinking about walking- nope. I haven’t been walking for the past week, and this morning I wasn’t “feeling” it.
I got my phone, and began the normal part of my morning routine of scrolling through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (still in bed). One the the people I follow on Instagram, @onestepcloser_vsg, is weight loss poster. Her journey is inspirational, and her post this morning was perfect:
Why work-out before work?
All of these reasons were why I stared walking in the morning to begin with…to boost my day. New habits, right? So, this lazy butt feeling of a morning, I got up and walked. I only walked for 20 minutes. But I walked. I thanked her as well for helping me get out of bed this morning!
Thankful.
mommajerryanns.com 