Beef and Bok Choy Hot Pot

This was a wonderful slow simmering recipe that not only smells delicious while cooking, but is also very tasty. I made some modifications to the original recipe to suit my family, and it was very tasty. I had never cooked with bok choy before (for people like me- bok choy is that green stuff floating in your wonton soup) but it was not only easy to cook with, but had an enjoyable texture.

Everyone in my family enjoyed this, so thumbs up on the two year old and grown man scale. I made it with both egg noddles and Udon noodles, but I could have completely gone without the egg noodles, and just used the Udon that I put in the pot while cooking. It is recommended that you use rice noodles, but the store I was shopping at they were just over $4.00, so I decided Udon ($2) was the way to go.The beef has a tender beef stew texture, and the sauce is a full flavored garlic, ginger, and cinnamon. I hope you all enjoy, and please feel free to comment!

Beef and Bok Choy Hot Pot

2 1/4 Cup water
3/4 Cup Low salt beef broth
1/3 Cup rice vinegar
1/3 C soy sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 Tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp vegetable oil for browning meat
1 lb beef stew meat, cubed
1 1/4 Green onion
1 Garlic clove
1 Tsp fresh ginger
2 C thinly sliced bok choy
Noodles: Rice noodles, egg noodles, or Udon noodles

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 2 hours

1. Combine first six ingredients. Stir with whisk, set aside.

2. Heat oil in dutch oven, or large iron pot, over medium high heat. Add beef, brown lightly on all sides.

3. Add beef broth, green onion, garlic, fresh ginger and boil.

3.After boiling, reduce heat and cover. Simmer at least 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until beef is tender.

4. Before serving stir in Udon noodles (if using Udon) and bok choy. Cook for 5 minutes.

Serve over rice or egg noodles if udon is not added.

If you like carrots, you can add frozen carrots when you are adding the bok choy. This was really good, and it got better as it sat in the pot. I hope that you all enjoy!

One Love,

Virginia

Carrot Pancakes

Carrot Pancakes with honey butter syrup
 The pretentious pancake

This pancake would be great for brunch, or as an appetizer. It is sweet more like a carrot cookie, and contains all of the good sweet stuff that is contained in carrot cake (except for cream cheese.)  I made this for dinner, but it would have been much better for a brunch. This would make a great appetizer when made as a silver dollar pancake and served with honey butter syrup on the side.

Carrot Pancakes

1 1/4 Cup flour
1/4 Cup walnuts, toasted
2 Tsp baking powder
1 Tsp cinnamon
1/4 Tsp slat
1/8 Tsp nutmeg
Dash of cloves
Dash of ginger
1/4 Cup brown sugar
3/4 Cup butter milk
1 Tsp canola oil
1 1/2 Tsp vanilla
2 Large eggs, slightly beatn
2 Cup grated carrots
------------------------
Syrup
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp honey

1.  Shred carrots and toast walnuts

2. Combine flour, walnuts, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, clove, and ginger

3. Add brown sugar

4.  Add buttermilk

5. Add eggs and vanilla

6. Add carrots, shred finely

7. Spray pan, and cook like pancake. Press after turning.

For the syrup, melt together the butter and honey.

And enjoy. I think that honey butter is so good that it will make anything taste good.  I hope that you all enjoy.

One Love,

Virginia

Light King Chicken Casserole

Light King Chicken Casserole

This a spicy little dish with a complete full flavor. It had a tex-mex flavor with a excellent consistency for a casserole. It is packed full of fresh vegetables and herbs, which give it a fresh clean flavor.

I wish that I would have gotten a better picture, but it seems like I didn't take an end picture. I can assure you that it looks better that this picture that I have to the right.

Light King Chicken Casserole

1 Large shallot, or one medium onion
1 Large green pepper
2 C. cooked chopped chicken breast
1 10 oz can cream of chicken soup
1 10 oz  can cream of mushroom soup, garlic
1 10 oz can of diced tomatoes and green chilies
1 Tsp chili powder
1/2 Tsp pepper
1/4 Tsp garlic powder
12 Corn tortillas
2 Cups of shredded cheddar

Prep: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes

1. Saute shallot and green pepper.  Cook until lightly tender, so the vegetables remain slightly crunchy
2.  Stir together shallots, green peppers, and soups.

3. Stir in can of tomatoes and green chilies

4. Stir in chili powder, pepper, and garlic powder. Remove from heat.

5. Line bottom of casserole with corn tortillas.

6. Pour mixture over tortillas.

7. Layer with chicken and cheese

8. Repeat layers, end with cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30- 35 minutes

That's it! This is relatively low fat, if used with low fat cheese.  I liked it! We all liked it. I hope you have a wonderful day.

One Love,

Virginia

Steamed Baby Carrots with Ginger Garlic Butter

Steamed Whole Baby Carrots with Ginger Garlic Butter

When my little boy was small, he loved carrots. He could not get enough of them.  Now, he won't hardly touch them.  I made this not thinking that he would eat them at all, especially with a ginger garlic butter on them. Sometimes I think fresh ginger and garlic can have an overpowering flavor that children might not like, but this was great. Alex ate all of his carrots, "Just like a bunny."  Score one for the mama team.   

These were very easy to make, and very tasty. I used fresh garlic and ginger, but I imagine that dry spices can work too.  It was very sweet with a very light spice to it. I hope that you all enjoy.

Steamed Whole Baby Carrots with Ginger Garlic Butter

2 Cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb whole baby carrots with stems, peeled
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tsp Fresh ground ginger
1 Tbsp lime juice
salt to taste

Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cooking Time 10 Minutes
Makes 6-8 whole baby carrots


1. Mince garlic and grind ginger
2. Peel carrots, leave stems on, trim stems so that there are only 3 to 4 inches left.

3. Steam carrots, cover 10 minutes

4.  While carrots are steaming, melt butter in large pan over medium heat.

5. Add garlic and ginger. Cook, this usually takes under a minute. Remove from heat.

6.  Stir carrots and remaining ingredients together.

There you have it. This will make one small bunch of baby carrots.  The original recipe calls for 1 Tsp of fresh cilantro to be mixed in before serving. I'm not a huge fan of cilantro, so I omitted it here.  I hope you all enjoy!

One Love,

Virginia

This is from an adapted recipe on myrecipes.com

McDonald's

Not every meal is a laborious one at our house. I take Alex out to a fast food restaurant once a week to practice eating out in public, and to give myself a little break. Even though eating at the McDonald's might not always be the best practice or the most nutritious, I am pleasantly surprised how many more healthy options there are today than when I was a little kid in the 80's. The chicken nuggets are all white meat ( mechanically separated), you can get apple slices instead of french fries, tea instead of soda, the side salad has a great potential for being nutritious with choice of low fat natural dressing. I guess McDonald's gives you ' free will' now to choose what fits best in your particular life style.

I know most of the foods I post on here aren't the most healthy foods, but the truth is that we really eat them in moderation. I keep chicken portions to 3 to 4  ounces instead of the insanely large chicken breasts the store cuts them into. I sneak vegetables in whenever possible. I choose high in fiber side dishes such as beans and brown rice. And most importantly, I keep sweets to minimal serving size (except the lemon bars, I tore those up. LOL.)

I think it's sad how it seems like the only shows that teach nutrition tend to be shows where people who battle obesity are put in a side show of reality TV.On a side note, has anyone else noticed how the Biggest Loser has turned into a slightly exploitative show where the majority of the nutritional tips are advertisements for corporate sponsors?If it weren't for them and all of the heart they put into everything, the show would not still be running.  Jillian is a strong powerful female role model. Bob is a wonderful yin to the yang and motivates people with a beautifully karmic personality.  They really make the show what it is today.  I really hope that they changes that they are making on the show now are really for the betterment of humanity and not just for ratings.



Not correct "portion size"

 I'm really happy that there are these alternatives that we can use. Except, the unfortunate part is that labels can be very deceiving. Especially the label of "low fat". Buying only low fat or fat free products aren't always the leanest way to go. Let me explain why. Sometimes low fat or fat free foods can have a very high caloric content.  So you might ask, how can something have a high caloric content but low on fat? The answer is sugar!  Somethings that are high in sugar  don't have any grams of fat! That's an Oprah "Ah ha" moment.

(See below for full size)

 All these calories from sugar can actually be way more harmful than calories from fat if you don't watch out.  All of those high calories from the sugar only really provide energy to the quick muscle tissue, meaning small movements.  If you don't use them- glycolosys- WAM- weight gain.  Also sugar is a highly addictive compound.  For example most of the time when you drink a Mountain Dew or a Sierra Mist or even eat a cookie, the sugar makes you want to eat more sugar. Sometimes if you eat a lot of sugar you can even feel the oral buzz that it provides in your mouth.  I highly recommend trying this. Next you eat a large amount of sugar (we all do at some point) stop, and feel the sensation that it leaves in your mouth.  Ah you see- sugar is a drug!  And the worst part of it is that it causes more deaths than other oral stimulants like chewing tobacco. At least chewing tobacco gives you a warning on the side of the can.  



As long as I'm ranting about nutrition, I would like to add one more side note.  When I went to Mongolian Barbecue this past weekend, my little boy got a food cup that had a diagram of a food pyramid. One problem- it's the old food pyramid! The USDA changed the food pyramid in 2005! Theyhave improved the science from a decade ago when they created the original food pyramid, and now have completely changed it.  How did they change it? They turned the pyramid on its side. It's no longer called the "Food Pyramid" but "My Pyramid".



New "My Pyramid"



Old "food pyramid"



As you can tell there are some differences now. With the help of Dr. Atkins, there is a big change in the Grains section. Grains are no longer supposed to be the most eaten, gone are the days of eating bread, pastas, and cereals all day.  No we are supposed to consume equal amounts of grains and vegetables.Also, according to the 'new' My Pyramid grains, vegetables AND dairy are supposed to consumed in equal amounts.  The amount of fruits we are supposed to eat is less. We have found out that fruits contain a lot of sugar, all be it natural sugar, but sugar nonetheless.  It also suggests that we now eat less meat products.  I guess my big problem with this is that a lot of people still don't know about the new food pyramid. I found out myself about a year and a half ago. 

Our knowledge of food is ever evolving with the changing science.  However, we do know the best way to remain healthy is to exercise and eat within moderation.  This doesn't mean that you have to be the skinniest person, there are a lot people that are overweight that are actually in better health than skinner people.  You have to eat in a healthful way.  Consume the amount of food that you are suppose, and again that means for some people eating more.  Get out (or stay in) and get some kind of exercise a few days a week.  Even doing some types of household chores can help you get your exercise in- rake some leaves anyone?

I guess the reason that all of this is so important, and why I am so passionate about this is because of have seen members of my family eat their way into their own graves. According to the Wellness International which studies these statistics, Eight out of ten people in the United States are over weight. 58 million overweight, 40 million obese, and 3 million morbidly obese. New studies are showing that 1 out of every 4 of overweight children begin to show symptoms of type 2 diabetes. According to their website: 

Obesity Related Diseases

• 80% of type II diabetes related to obesity
• 70% of Cardiovascular disease related to obesity
• 42% breast and colon cancer diagnosed among obese individuals
• 30% of gall bladder surgery related to obesity
• 26% of obese people having high blood pressure

This is completely staggering.  When I think about this, I see visions of the movie Walle.  How everyone is just blobular due to centuries of laziness and poor diet. Our diet is the thing that keeps our vehicle of a body active.  It is the thing that houses our mind and soul.  The truth behind the whole matter is that food really is a drug. To many people it calls and soothes.  I just really hope that those 8 out of 10 people wake up before it's too late.

Sugar... only 18 calories, and its all empty.



Scalloped Apples

Scalloped Apples
An apple day keeps the doctor away..
   unless your a diabetic..

My little man loves apples. It is by far one of his favorite fruits.  This week I let him pick out his apples at the grocery store. He wanted the green ones. There only was one problem with that..... Green Apple = Sour Apple.  These apples might as well have been one of those terribly sour Warhead candies.  Needless to say, this bag of beautiful green apples was just sitting there in my kitchen. No one was going to touch them. But hey- when live gives you lemons, make lemonade!

Today I saw this recipe as I was going through my large collection.  I figured that this was an easy solution to get rid of the bag of sour apples sitting on top of my refrigerator.
I hope you all enjoy.

Scalloped Apples

7 or 8 Medium Apples
1/2 Tsp Lemon Juice
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/8 Tsp Cloves
1/4 Tsp Nutmeg
4 Tbsp Butter
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon

1. Peel and core apples

2.   Toss apples into large bowl with all remaining ingredients except for butter

3.  Melt Butter in large pan

4.  Add apple mix and stir until coated. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until apples are tender.

After 5 Minutes



After 15 Minutes

There you have it! Scalloped Apples!  I think this recipe has too much cinnamon in it. I would have reduced the amount of cinnamon and added white sugar. But that's just me.  I hope that you all have a great day.

One Love,

Virginia