Obsessed with Martha Stewart

January Overview...28 recipes!

As January comes to an end, I’ve compiled a list of all the recipes I’ve completed this month. I’m really proud of myself, because I cooked/baked/stir-fried/blended/juiced 28 recipes….I’m going to try to top this number in February, so keep checking in on a regular basis. I also participated in a Body + Soul Challenge (which I'm still doing) and a 4 day detox.

 

Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook (5 recipes):

 

Baking Powder Biscuits

Pumpkin Bread

Classic Crumb Cake

Spicy Cheese Biscuits

Blueberry Muffins

 

Everyday Food (14 recipes):

 

Spicy Sausage, Bean, and Cheese Nachos

Pasta with Roasted Vegetable and Spinach

Turkey Sausage Sandwiches

Chicken and Rice Soup with Lemon

Pork Tenderloin with Swiss Chard and Polenta

Beef Rolls with Spring Salad

Polenta Wedges with Asparagus and Mushrooms

Healthy Morning Muffins

Fresh Orange Yogurt Tart (Attempt 1 and Attempt 2)

Black-Bean and Brown-Rice Cakes

Cauliflower Gratin

Portobello, Broccoli, and Red Pepper Melts

Salmon with Green Beans and Lemon Zest

Stir-Fried Honey-Ginger Chicken with Peppers

 

Body + Soul/Whole Living (7 recipes):

 

Mango Smoothie

Green Juice

Carrot, Beet, Cabbage, and Watercress Juice

Chilled Cucumber Soup

Fennel/Apple Juice

Energy Smoothie

Stir-Fried Vegetables and Chicken with Buckwheat Noodles

Steamed Salmon with Fresh Herbs and Fennel

 

Martha Stewart Website (1 recipe):

 

John Legend’s Macaroni and Cheese

 

Martha Stewart’s Cookies (1 recipe):

Ginger Cheesecake Bars
 

Body and Soul Challenge Update

I’m currently on week 3 of the Body + Soul Challenge, but honestly, I’ve lost a lot my motivation to keep going. I’m supposed to be doing the following:

• Shunning saturated fats
• Satisfying my sweet tooth with fruit
• Curbing salt cravings by using herbs and spices
• Surviving a midafternoon slump without coffee or soda
• Opting for stir-frying and steaming cooking methods
• Rating my hunger before, during and after each meal
• Slowing down while eating
• Sitting at a table and turning my attention to my food
• Pumping iron
• Doing more physical activity
• Meditating for 15 minutes a day
• Journaling

I’m doing pretty good with all the food goals, except that I’ve been eating coffee cake for breakfast for the past three days. You can’t make coffee cake and not eat it. That’s just stupid {and torturous}. I can’t just drop all my baking goals for this challenge. I’ve been making smoothies or green juice each morning just like Martha and it definitely helps to keep me full and energized during the morning. I don’t drink coffee and unfortunately I gave up drinking soda at the end of August {I miss it, especially when I’m walking down the soda aisle in the grocery store}. Here’s a scary fact – before the end of August when I decided diet sodas weren’t good for me, I hadn’t gone a day without soda since I was in elementary school. When I was a kid, I refused to drink water, even when I was sick. I would only drink Kool-Aid, juice and soda. That is thousands and thousands of days where I drank soda. I wonder what my insides look like.

I didn’t even try to rate my hunger or sit at a table to turn my attention to my food. I could have been rating my hunger, but I forgot. I do have other things going on in my life besides a Body and Soul Challenge. And I’m not prioritizing sitting at a dining room table until 1) I get a dining room table and 2) I have kids. Martha’s just going to have to deal with this, because if I didn’t eat in front of the television, I wouldn’t have time to watch her show. I have slowed down while eating, even though I don’t enjoy it, because my food gets cold if I try to make a hot meal last 20 minutes.

I haven’t been able to do any of the fitness goals, because my back is still hurt from doing freakin yoga last week. I’m still taking muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatory medications and hoping that I can avoid a costly trip to the doctor. One reason it’s taking me so long to heal is every time I go from the living room to the kitchen {which is 30+ times a day} I have to lift my leg over a baby gate. I can’t work the baby gate to open and close it {don’t make fun – my husband can barely do it} and that would be too risky anyways, because the puppies (which are about 35 pounds at three months old) will run by me and eat the curtains before I can get them back into the kitchen.

I made a serious attempt at meditating, but my muscle relaxers make me drowsy, so each time I put in the meditation CD and try to follow it, I fall asleep. I didn’t try meditating today, because I didn’t have the time for a nap. I consider this blog to me journal outlet, so I think I’ve got that one covered.

So far, I would give myself a C. I’ve put in enough effort to pass comfortably, but not enough to get what I would consider a good grade.

Salmon with Green Beans and Lemon Zest

 

Salmon with green beans and lemon zest. Sounds good, right? Wrong. I enjoy eating salmon most of the time, and I’m trying to eat healthy for this Body and Soul Challenge. But this dish from the January/February 2010 edition of Everyday Food was anything but good. I ate a few bites and then gave my plate to my husband who happily ate both of our dinners. He liked it – didn’t love it. I’m not making this one again.

Hopefully I’ll have more luck with tonight’s dinner of stir-fried honey-ginger chicken with peppers.

Three Vegetarian Dinners

This week I cooked 3 vegetarian dinners to stick with my Body + Soul challenge. On Monday, we ate John Legend’s Macaroni and Cheese. I found the recipe when I looked through the meatless comfort food dishes on the Martha Stewart website. The sauce is made from evaporated milk and a little skim milk, and I didn’t love it. It made a huge amount – my husband and I had it for dinner and then I had it for lunch 3 days in a row. I like the macaroni and cheese that my husband and I make from scratch a lot more than this recipe. We got our recipe from his mother.

 

 

On Tuesday I cooked Portobello, Broccoli, and Red Pepper Melts. This recipe is from the Everyday Food Magazine from March 2008. I loved this one even though it included one of my least favorite food items: mushrooms.

 

 

Wednesday, we were supposed to have grilled mozzarella sandwiches. I found this recipe through the meatless comfort food dishes on Martha Stewart’s website. However, my husband was supposed to pick the ingredients up from the grocery store after he left work and we were going to fix them together when he got home. Most nights he leaves the office at 6:00 p.m., but of course, the night he needs to go to the grocery store he had a meeting that lasted until 7:00 p.m. By the time he would go to store, come home and fix dinner, it would be 8:00 p.m. So we made the decision to have Wendy’s instead (sorry Body + Soul challenge).

Thursday night I was excited to cook Cauliflower Gratin. This recipe was from the Everyday Food magazine from March 2007. I was hoping that I would love this dish, because there aren’t too many ways I like to eat cauliflower. It would be a good side item if you added some meat to it – like some pieces of crispy bacon or ham. But we ate it as a main dish and it didn’t have a lot of taste. My husband had to get up and add salt to his after a couple bites, because it was bland.

 

 

Tonight is our cheat night, and I can’t wait. My husband will be bringing home a pizza and a bottle of wine and we’ll enjoy watching last night’s Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice together.

Black-Bean and Brown-Rice Cakes

 

This week I’m supposed to eat mainly vegetarian meals for the Body + Soul challenge, so I went through my Martha Stewart books, magazines and the website to find vegetarian recipes for my dinners this week. The first one I tried came from the January/February 2010 Everyday Food magazine. The recipe was pretty simple to follow and the amount that it made was just right for me, my husband and my mother-in-law. I didn’t love them. Don’t get me wrong – I ate all of mine, so they weren’t awful, but I probably won’t make them again. I did really enjoy the yogurt, lime and cilantro sauce that went on top of them.

Fresh Orange and Yogurt Tart: Second Attempt

I would have posted about this earlier, but I ironically hurt my back doing yoga for the Body + Soul challenge. I have major back problems (arthritis, muscle spasms, scoliosis, and a slipped disc) and sometimes they get triggered which means it hurts to sit, stand, or do almost anything else. I’m taking muscle relaxers, and they make me super drowsy. Yesterday, I spent most of the day asleep or with the puppies.

My second attempt at the fresh orange and yogurt tart was a huge success. I’m really proud of myself and glad that I didn’t give up after the first failed attempt. It was delicious and I could feel good about eating it, because it’s only 238 calories per serving. Anybody looking for a healthier dessert option should seriously consider making this yummy tart from the January/February edition of Everyday Food.

Healthy Morning Muffins

I’m really proud of myself. So far this morning, I’ve made green juice to continue with my Body + Soul challenge and I baked these healthy morning muffins from the Everyday Food magazine. This recipe came from a reader in Alaska, and the muffins are only 186 calories with 3.6 grams of protein and 2.2 grams of fiber. I love muffins and was happy that I could eat these without feeling guilty.

The recipe states that you should bake the muffins for 23 to 25 minutes, but mine were overdone at 23 minutes. I think I’ll take them out at 20 minutes next time. Even though the outside layer of the muffin was a little too hard, they tasted delicious. I’ll definitely be cooking these again.

Today I’m trying to put together a meal list for this upcoming week. We have to stick with vegetarian recipes. My husband and I are going to do 30 minutes of yoga today to fulfill are 30 minutes of light exercise required for the Body + Soul challenge. I’m making black-bean and brown-rice cakes from Everyday Food for lunch and egg salad sandwiches from Everyday Food for dinner. It’s going to a be a day devoted to Martha Stewart.

My Love Affair with Food Continues...

I’m done with my 4 day detox…and I only cheated one time! That’s miraculous for me. The best part about the detox was learning how to make my own juice. Basically, if you own a juicer, you can mask the taste of raw veggies such as cabbage and broccoli if you just add apples and lemon. Not bad. I’m going to continue drinking juice (hopefully once a day if my budget allows it) for part of my breakfast or for a mid-afternoon snack. I’m serious. I bought a book today that has 100 juice and smoothie recipes.

I also lost weight which wasn’t my goal but is always appreciated. I don’t have a scale in my house, so I don’t know how much…but I can tell because my clothes are fitting differently. You know that little bulge on your stomach that often comes when wearing hose or tights….kinda like a muffin top….well, I don’t have one at all (not even a little one) and I’m wearing tights today! And I ate a like pig over the holidays, so that’s a big deal.

The worst part was drinking my breakfast and dinner for 4 days. I can’t ever do that again. Detox isn’t worth it for me. I’d rather eat healthy most of the time and have some cheat meals then deprive myself of solid food for more than a day. I’m a person who loves food. I look forward to meals, enjoy having a glass of wine with dinner every once in a while, and now, I love to cook. Detox makes me an irritable, unsatisfied person, and I just can’t have that. I like to be happy.

I had a delicious lunch of tomato soup and a turkey sandwich with lots of veggies. I also had a whole grain roll to go with my soup. Yum. I’m counting down the minutes until pizza and wine tonight…195 minutes to go….

I Admit Detox Diet Defeat

Image from Wole Living

Last night I broke down and ate a Wendy’s spicy chicken sandwich and French fries for dinner. I know, I suck. I refused to suffer through another liquid dinner and my husband thankfully agreed at the time. It was the best fast food meal I’ve ever eaten. Even though I fell off the wagon, I’m back on. I had a mango smoothie for breakfast and chicken breast with buckwheat noodles and veggies for lunch. My snack consisted of a bowl of blueberries and tonight I’ll be having green juice for dinner.

I can’t wait for tomorrow. It’s almost better than Christmas morning for a kid. I get to have real food. Now I’m not going to go crazy. In fact, I’m going to try to maintain healthy eating for most meals. We’ve already planned on having eggs and whole wheat toast for breakfast (I’ll also have some berries) and we’re going to a healthy restaurant for lunch where I’ll probably have soup and a sandwich with turkey breast.

But, my husband and I always have a cheat meal on Friday nights. It’s our way of rewarding ourselves for eating healthy throughout the week. Tomorrow night is pizza and wine night and I’m looking forward to every toxin in it. My husband and I have been discussing our Friday night meal since we started this detox diet on Monday.

I’m ready to start week 2 of the Body and Soul challenge this Saturday. The rules are to eat 7 servings of veggies and fruit each day, eat veggie main dishes for most meals, eat 3 to 6 high-fiber whole grains per day, eat mindfully, workout for 30 minutes per day, do a five minute breathing technique and journal about things that are stressful and things your grateful for each night. Sorry, but that’s a lot of crap to do. How much freakin time is this going to take? I’m getting stressed just thinking about it.

I hate eating mindfully. I like to devour my food in front of the television. I know it’s bad, but I love watching The View while eating lunch. It’s my guilty pleasure. One of the questions you’re supposed to answer on the mindful eating checklist is do you put your fork down between bites. I laughed out loud. My fork keeps moving when I’m eating. I guess I’ll have to pace myself and put my fork down, but that’s going to suck. I finally get to eat real food and I have to do it slowly.

Also, I’ve mentioned before that I’m not into the whole meditation thing. I get bored and it just doesn’t work for me. Plus I don’t like sitting in complete silence unless I’m writing and even then the keys make noise as I type. I looked ahead and next week I have to meditate for 15 minutes each day. First of all, who has 15 minutes to waste on meditating? Second of all, you haven’t been in my head. If you had, you’d know that it doesn’t slow down for anything. In preparation of 15 minutes of meditation, I bought a CD recommended by someone I like and admire. It’s called Guided Meditations: For Calmness, Awareness, and Love. It sounds ridiculous, but I’m gonna give it a try.

I’m signing off tonight with only one meal left on this detox diet…..praise Jesus! 

Detox Day 3, Feels like Day 14

I’m happy to report that the apple and fennel juice was edible, so I was able to have a little something for dinner last night. It wasn’t great – don’t get me wrong – but I would drink it again. This morning we fixed energy smoothies made with almond butter, cardamom, peaches, agave syrup and ice. It wasn’t terrible. I drank it, but it had this really bad after taste. I wouldn’t drink that one again if I wasn’t on a detox.

I thought I had died and gone to heaven for lunch, because I was able to have chicken breast, buckwheat noodles, and stir fry veggies. Oh my gosh, I savored that meal. It was hard to do, because I hadn’t had real food in about 24 hours. I cooked it last night for my husband and me to take for lunch today, because I wouldn’t have time in the morning to prepare it. We were salivating and dying to eat it as we cooked. We both ate about two noodles that got stuck to the pan and didn’t make it into the main dish. We looked kinda like a dog that finds a leftover piece of food and inhales it. All we could think about was the garlic and chicken smells coming from the kitchen. It was pretty tortuous.

Tonight we get mango smoothies…..it feels like I’ve been doing this detox for at least two weeks. I can’t wait until Friday when I get to have real food and a nice glass of wine. Even though you’re not supposed to eat “unhealthy” foods right away, because you’re just putting the toxins back into your body, I seriously won’t be able to help myself. For the past two nights I’ve dreamed of Pizza Hut cheesy bread.

I’m not sure if it’s due to the detox, but I’ve been suffering from horrible headaches each day and I have to take Advil. I know that’s probably a toxin that I shouldn’t be putting in my body while detoxing, but I can’t help it when my head feels like it’s about to split open. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that my puppies are little terrors. It’s seriously a good thing that puppies are so cute. If they weren’t, mine would be dead (calm down, I’m just kidding). I love my puppies but they test my patience when they chew holes in the wall, bite me with their sharp puppy teeth, and pee on the floor when I just took them outside. I’ve been trying to train them properly (I even bought a puppy training book, read it and followed the advice), but it’s been difficult.