So in the changes I have been making – yoga. I do about 5 minutes of basic stretching first thing in the morning. I have been wanting to do more, and have found some streaming beginning yoga on Amazon Prime. I have plenty of room in my craft room.
But there my mat sits. One day I will do this.
Blessings!
Boneless Chicken Thighs with Spinach in a baby Portobello Mushrooms Lemon Butter Sauce.
Y’all…this was super yummy. I made this for dinner on Tuesday, and really kind of came upon it. Stephen was supposed to come over for dinner, but ended up sleeping through. Ha. Adulting, right? Anyway.
Ingredients:
6-8 Chicken Thighs – boneless, skinless
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 package of Portobello Mushrooms, sliced
1 large package of baby spinach, washed
Zoe’s Seasoning, salt & pepper
This is what I wanted to begin with…but only ended up with the Zoe’s Kitchen Seasoning. It add a robust flavor to the chicken.
Rinse and patted dry the chicken thighs. Season one side with course salt, pepper, and Zoe’s seasoning. Add to a hot skillet, and brown on both sides (cooking them about 7 minutes on each side) to a golden brown.
While the chicken cooks, saute the onion until milky then add the baby portobello mushrooms.
Cook until mushrooms are browned. I did add pepper to the mushrooms as well. And butter. Lots of butter.
Oh, and garlic – added these about midway through cooking the mushrooms. I add 2 pats of butter, and continue to brown. To make the sauce, I used the rest of the butter (1 stick total), and 1/2 cup of lemon juice. I added fresh parsley as well to brighten it.
Remove the mushrooms from pan, and keep warm. In the same pan, add more olive oil if needed to cook the spinach. Cook until wilted.
My salad plate: one thigh, pan sauce and spinach.
David’s regular plate with spinach on the bottom of the chicken (2), and leftover pasta salad.
This was a bright, silky sauce over the tender chicken. Very Spring. I will be cooking this again, maybe with asparagus?
Blessings!
Everyone has a basic deviled egg recipe, and I am certain, everyone’s is different.
My Mom made eggs this way, and it is what is familiar for me and the kids. We love them. Boil eggs. I normally cover the eggs with cold water in a pot. Bring to boil, and once bubble come to the top start the timer for 12 minutes. Off the heat, and rinse with cold water. I add ice cubes to help the process.
Cut eggs in half, and remove the yolk (place in a large bowl. I have a chilled platter for eggs, so I placed the halves here until I mixed up the yolk.
Crumble the yolks.
Add the ingredients. I don’t have an exact measurement, as it seems I go by sight and feel. I start with Tabasco. 
Then yellow mustard.
Then sweet relish.
Then mayonnaise. Just remember that you can always add more than take any away if it gets runny! So, just a spoonful of most of the ingredients.
I also add salt and ground pepper.
Stir.
and stir some more.
There are some that will place the yolk mixture in a plastic bag and pipe into the egg halves. I don’t, never have. I just use a small spoon, and add until the yolk’s are back where they belong.
Then sprinkle with Paprika.
Enjoy!
Every weekend in the Spring and Summer (so it seemed) my parents would grill out. We would have steaks, chicken and pork ribs. Mom would marinate them in the same basic recipe, and make the BBQ sauce.
Growing up, friends would benefit from this grilling as well. It was always good, and it seemed we always had plenty to share. I have been craving ribs for a while, and with my WLS it has been even stronger of a craving.
Tender, moist ribs would be the key to me being able to eat, enjoy, and process the meal. Grilling over charcoal was one key, and low and slow the other.
Marinade:
Wishbone Italian Dressing – two cups
McCormick Season Salt
Maggi Seasoning Sauce
Wine (whatever you have on hand)
Spare Ribs
BBQ Sauce of choice
Once the meat is cooked almost through, apply the BBQ sauce. If your sauce has a lot of sugar in it, it will burn easily. So pay attention to your ribs turning and applying more sauce after each turn.
Remove from the grill, and cover with foil to rest about ten minutes or so. Then slice in between the bones.
These were moist, tender, and fully cooked with tons of flavor. I got to enjoy one rib, and a nibble (extra bit of meat without the bone), and two deviled eggs.
This satisfied my cravings for ribs, and just relaxing outside. I can also confirm that these will be enjoyed throughout this next week.
Blessings!
Cod is high in protein, 3 ounces is 15 grams. So the last time we went to the store we purchased some that are individually packed and frozen. With it being just the two of us, and I am not able to eat a lot in each meal, this is more efficient for us. I have gotten tired of chicken lately.
For the marinade:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small red onion, chopped (I had a small yellow onion)
10 pitted Kalamata Olives, chopped
2 Tablespoons dried Oregano
Juice from a lemon
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Pat the fish dry with paper towels. I only took out 3 pieces of fish. This marinade is good for up to 6 pieces of fish.
Place in a glass dish.
Cover the fish with the marinade (yes, all of it). Cover, refrigerate, and let the fish marinade for at least 30 minutes but up to 2-3 hours.
Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for approximately 25-30 depending on the thickness of the fish.
I made steamed broccoli and rice for David.
I just had fish. Cod is a firm, white, flaky fish that cooked up nicely with these flavors. It was moist, and not salty. I had one fish, and David enjoyed the other. Cod is full of protein, and I didn’t feel like that was all I was having. This was a real treat that I will be making again.
Enjoy!
Steak has been a food that is not common for me to eat since my weight loss surgery. I love steaks, especially ribeye. I had purchased a grass-fed ribeye at Whole Foods, and was excited to cook it. This is my favorite way (well, maybe tied with grilling).
Heat a tablespoon of oil in an iron skillet (this one is from my Mom, and has cooked many a dish in i t).
Bring the ribeye to room temperature, and pat dry with paper towels.
I seasoned it with McCormick Season Salt, and ground pepper on bot sides.
Place in the hot skillet. Cook (without turning for 3-4 minutes) until it has a good sear.
For my sanity, I use a splatter cover. 
Turn, and cook another 3-4 minutes or until medium rare. (Depending on the thickness of your steak it could take less or more time.)
Once done, you MUST rest your steak. I place mine on a cutting board, and cover with aluminum foil to keep in the heat.
After resting for about 10 minutes, I slice against the grain.
It is extremely juicy, and cooked just the way I love it.
I didn’t eat the fat (but the fat is rendered), and made sauteed spinach as my side. It was juicy, full of flavor, and perfect.
I only had about 3 ounces due to I really shouldn’t have red meat (harder to process with my sleeve). So I have enough for 4 meals with this one steak. Perfect.
Enjoy!
So my passport has expired in January, and I haven’t been able to get my picture taken until last weekend.
I am, of course, ten years older. A lot less hair, and weight. I see that I need some sun mainly because I think I am really pale, and tired in the more current photo.
Ugh. Feeling old.
One thing that most important thing to do is to take pictures of the weight loss journey. I have been doing this, and seeing really positive changes. This set of pictures isn’t really a positive one for me. Aged. Tired. You see the truth in these.
I don’t like not smiling in pictures either. I somewhat smile in both I think. It is hard not to for the camera.
Blessings.
We used to order from Blue Apron. It is a home delivery meal kit service. We really enjoyed it, cooking together, and trying new meals. With my surgery, and the kids moving out, it didn’t seem monetarily feasible.
We kept the recipe cards so that we could recreate the meals we really enjoyed. This spiced Chicken Souvlaki with Tahini-Yogurt Sauce & Roasted Potato Wedges was one of our favorites.
Ingredients:
12 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs (small)
4 Pocketless Pitas
1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
3 cloves Garlic
1 Lemon
1 Pound Russet Potatoes (2 large baking potatoes)
1 Romaine Heart
1 Red Onion
1 Bunch Mint
2 Tablespoons Tahini
2 Tablespoons Za’atar
Preheat oven 475 degrees. Wash and dry the produce. Halve the potatoes lengthwise; cut each half into 3 equal-sized wedges. Pick the mint leaves off the stems, discard the stems. Quarter and deseed the lemon. Peel, halve and thinly slice the onion. Peel and mince the garlic. Cut off and discard the root end of the lettuce; thinly slice the leaves crosswise.
Place the potatoes on a sheet pan Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper; toss to thoroughly coat. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer, skin side down. Roast 28 to 30 minutes turning occasionally.
Make the tahini-yogurt sauce: In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, tahini, half of the mint (tear just before adding), and the juice of all 4 lemon wedges; season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cook the chicken: Pat the chicken dry with paper towels; season with salt, pepper and the za’atar on both sides. In a large pan (nonstick preferred), heat olive oil on medium-high until hot. Working in batches, add the seasoned chicken. Cook 4 to 6 minutes per side, or until browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside in a warm place, leaving any browned bits in the pan.
Cook the garlic and onions: Add the garlic and onion to the hot pan (add more olive oil if needed), season with salt and pepper. Cook on medium-high heat stirring frequently and scraping any of the bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until softened and browned.
Toast the pita in the oven for about 2 to 3 minutes or until warm.
To serve: Transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board and thinly slice. Divide the lettuce, sliced chicken, and onions and garlic between the toasted pitas. Serve with the roasted potatoes and tahini-yogurt sauce on the side. Garnish with remaining mint.
My plate (salad plate-another tool for my gastric sleeve, and no pita or potato).
David received the completed dish.
Enjoy!
In December last year, David and walked our first 5k. We did so much better than either one of thought we would 59:01. One of my goals for this year is to participate in three 5k’s. Doable.
Today we participated in our second 5k, walking again. The Lucky Leprechaun 5k/10k in downtown Fort Walton Beach. I love being able to participate in this walk. David was able to walk with me. So happy about that.
I beat my time of 59:01 and got in at 53:36. I actually posted on the time on snap as 53:45. But I beat my time by 5 plus minutes. Huge success! (So thankful for friends and taking our picture!!)
We celebrated with friends that ran/walked.
Part of goal met. Success that I wasn’t dying after, and feel like I can do a better time for the next 5k. Part of another non-weight loss goal was that I wore a regular skirt (from Party City). The waist band was super tight, but it fit. Plus it made me feel like I had on a skirt from high school (drill team).
So…try…you just never know what you may accomplish!
Blessings.
So tonight we pick up our packets for our next 5k. Although I think it will only be me walking on Saturday. David has injured his back this past week. Bad enough that he actually saw a doctor yesterday. So, we are not sure if he will be able to walk on Saturday.
He has promised that he will go with me, and cheer me on at the finish line. Ha. David has always been my cheerleader. From day one of our friendship, he has encouraged me to be a better person. He makes me feel smart, thin, and beautiful all at the same time. I know I am in his eyes. That is all that counts, right?
So I am going to try a walking 5k again, because:
So going for another accomplishment.
Blessings.
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