Steak and Potatoes

Ahh Yes, the hearty food classic- Steak and potatoes. Now the truth of the matter is that this is a friggin hearty meal, not the type of thing you would want to eat every night- the meat is high in fat and the potatoes are very high in carbs. However, the meal provides a nutritional burst during the middle of the week and tastes so darn MERICAN.

I used a ribeye steak- it was about .75 lbs so I am eating half tonight and slicing the rest to use in a steak salad. I also used baby red potatoes that i cut in forths for my potatoes. They roast really nicely in the oven and have a great color to them. The potatoes take some time to roast (around 40-45 minutes) so give yourself plenty of time to make this dish.

Steak and Potatoes

Bad Presentation, Great Meal

Ingredients
-.75 pounds of beef. I used ribeye because it was cheap at the grocery store but sirloin steak, NEw York Strip, or filet would be wonderful as well. Come on its beef.

-1 small bag of baby red potatoes

-Olive Oil

-like 10 cloves of Garlic, peeled.

- 1/2 teaspoon of Rosemary, Thyme, Dried Oregano, Salt Pepper,

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450F. While oven is heating put potatoes and garlic cloves in a pyrex baking dish. Coat potatoes generously in Olive oil and add salt, pepper, Rosemary, thyme and dried oregano. Feel free to adjust amounts of herbs according to taste. I love rosemary so I pumped up the Rosemary. Place dish in oven.
2. About 20 minutes before potatoes are done prepare your steak. Simply Salt and Pepper GENEROUSLY on both sides. HEat a non-stick pan to medium high heat. Use a bit of canola oil or non-stick spray in the pan
3. Cook steak until desired temperature, flipping once at the half way point. For medium rare try 6-8 minutes. Medium 8-10, medium well 10-12. 
4. Remove steak and place on cutting board. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
5. Once potatoes are done (and steak has finished resting) take them out of the oven and plate. Slice your steak, saving half for lunch tomorrow. Place on plate.
6. Eat like a beast.

Healthy Asian Lettuce Wraps

Ok- Im not going to lie and say that these were as good as PF Chang's beloved Lettuce wraps. BUT DAMN! These were so good and they just tasted so fresh and healthy. THe think I love most about this dish is the texture. The crunchiness and wateriness of the lettuce couples with the saltiness of the soy sauce and softness of the meat and veggies. I garnished with thinly sliced carrot strips which also added a nice crunch.

This recipe made two servings and I am keeping the second one for lunch tomorrow. I'm so excited to eat them again I think I'm going to go to sleep really earlyso that lunch comes really fast- like a kid waiting for christmas.

ASIAN LETTUCE WRAPS

I really need to invest in a better Camera because these pictures do not do the dish justice.

Ingredients
-3/4 lbs of Ground Turkey (the 93/7 left over from last night)
-Half a yellow onion finely diced
-1 cup of mushrooms very finely diced
- 1/2 a red pepper finely diced
-1/2 a green pepper finely diced
-10-12 cloves of garlic finely minced
-3 good pieces of boston lettuce from the head of lettuce
- Sesame Seeds
-Soy Sauce
-1 tsp Cumin
-a few to a bunch of dashes of Chili powder (depending on your taste)
- 1 lime
-Olive Oil

Directions

1. Take all of the finely chopped veggies (onion, garlic, pepper, shrooms) and Saute in Olive OIl over medium high heat until soft. About 5 minutes. Set Aside
2. In a new pan brown the ground turkey until cooked all the way through. Add the juice of one lime, 2 tsps of soy sauce, 1tsp cumin, as many dashes of Chili powder as you like, and several dashes of Sesame seeds.
3. Once the Turkey is cooked through add the sauteed veggies. Cook over low heat for about 5 minutes, or if you have time, let simmer for 30 minutes (I did this and I think it contributed greatly to the flavor). 
4. Once all the flavors have mixed together, take a taste- what do u think it needs? I added some more soy sauce and a bit more chili powder but DO YOU!
5. Lay out lettuce pieces and garnish with carrot strips.
6. Remember to brag to your friends tomorrow about how good these were.

I also really need to get some hot chili sauce- like Srichacha- but I forgot to buy it at the grocery store this week. That would make a great addition to the dish. Also you could take the hot chili sauce, rice vinegar, and soy sauce and make a nice dipping sauce. Also for some extra crunch and texture you can add some crushed peanuts like they do in restaurants. Unfortunately I didn't have these either tonight but will definitely add them in the future.

Turkey Burger and Sweet Potato Fries

Burger and Fries- the bar staple. Try this was a delicious healthy alternative. I used the oven for both the fries and the turkey burger because they both cook about the same time and temp and it was really convenient. I have to be honest though and say oven baking burgers is not my favorite. I strongly prefer the  grill, pan frying second, then the oven. But for the sake of convenience the oven is a decent alternative. Plus it was raining out today so definintely not firing up the grill on this night.

Turkey Burger and Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients
- 1 lb of Ground Turkey. Use 93/7 because the 99% lean stuff is just too lean.
-1 large sweet potato chopped thinly into fries
-1/4 of a large onion diced
- 1 piece of Swiss Cheese
-  A few dashes of Worchestire Sauce
- 1 tsp of cumin
-1 tsp on garlic powder
- Salt and Pepper
-Olive Oil

Directions

• Preheat Oven to 400 F. While the oven in preheating spread out sweet potato fry strip on a metal baking sheet. Lightly cover in Olive oil and Season generously with Salt and pepper. Add a dash of cayenne pepper for some spice, cinnamon for some sweet or nothing for that real sweet potatoey taste- depending on what you like. Arrange in a single line on the sheet- don't overlap fries on eachother.
• Place ground turkey, onions, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add a few dashes of Worchestire Sauce. Hand mix together a bit and form into two half pound patties. Place on a separate baking sheet lined with Olive Oil.
• When Oven is heated, place the fries on the top rack and the burgers on the lower rack. Let cook for 15 minutes then flip burgers. Let the fries cook for 20 minutes then flip them. 
• A few minutes before the burgers are done heat up the bun by placing it seperately in the oven. Also like 2-3 minutes before you can melt the cheese on top of the patty. I strangely like my cheese unmelted in burgers.
• Remove the burgers and let sit for a few minutes. Check the Sweet potato fries to see if they are crispy. If not, broil them on high for a minute or two until crispy. If you cut them thin enough the thirty minutes should be fine. 
• This makes two burgers so keep the other one for lunch tomorrow.
• Put on a plate, enjoy food tasty enough to be in a bar from the comfort of your couch.

Back on Track- Week of Feb 21st

So its been a hectic past two weeks and I didn't blog once. In fact I cooked very little in that time, unfortunately. But not my schedule is getting back to normal and its time to get back on track. I am trying to do a bit of a theme this week- healthy takes on traditional restaurant / bar food.  I hope to show that you can make your favorite eating out foods in healthy and simple ways to enjoy at home. So i'm doing the whole deal this week and I think its going to turn out great.

Meal Plan


Sunday

• Dinner- (Turkey) Burger and (Sweet Potato) Fries

Monday

• Lunch- Turkey Burger
• Dinner- Asian Lettuce Wraps

Tuesday

• Lunch- Asian Rice Mix
• Dinner- Steak and Roasted Potatoes

Wednesday

• Lunch- Turkey Sandwich
• Dinner- Chicken Quesadillas

Thursday

• Lunch- Southwest Salad
• Dinner- Healthy Nacho Supreme

These dishes are takes on my restaurant favorites- Burger and fries, Steak and Potatoes, Asian Lettuce wraps (I love PF Changs lettuce wraps), etc. These foods are all comfort foods, but comfort food doesn't have to be unhealthy. These meals are going to taste great and provide plenty of protein to support the new workout plan I am doing in the few weeks before SB 2011!

Grocery List- all from the greatest grocer on the planet- Trader Joe's

• 1.25 lbs Ground Turkey (93/7)- 4.10
• One large Sweet Potatoes- 1.29
• Pack of Whole Wheat Buns- 2.29
• Yellow Onion- .99
• 1 Red Bell Pepper- .99
• 1 Green Pepper- .99
• 1 pack baby carrots- 1.69
• I head of Iceberg LEttuce- 1.29
• 1 pack of Cremini mushroom- 1.99
• 1 pack of TJ's microwavable brown rice- 1.99
• 1 Rib Eye steak (i got about 3/4 of a pound)- 5.83
• 1, 1.5lb bag of Red Potatoes- 1.99
• 1/2 Lb of Turkey- 2.99
• 1/2 lb of swiss cheese- 2.99
• 1 pack of Chicken Breasts (around 1 Lb should do)- 6.88
• Pack of tortillas- 3.49
• 1 pack of mixed greens- 2.29
• 1 pack of Soy and Flaxseed Tortilla Chips -2.49
• 3 Jalepeno peppers- .99
• 1 pack of lite MExican Blend Cheese- 2.99
• 1 can of black beans- .99

Total- 49.51

Other stuff to Have- Oil Oil, Salt, Pepper, Soy Sauce, Cumin, Worchestire sauce, Cayenne Pepper, Thyme, Rosemary, Balsamic Vinegar

I left out breakfasts again so subtracted from my allotted spending accordingly. Do yourself a favor though, get some greek yogurt for breakfast with some granola and some fresh fruit like Banana, blueberries, raspberries etc. There is no better start to a morning than greek yogurt and a strong cup of coffee.

Shrimp Fajitas

This literally could not be easier to make- especially with pre-cooked shrimp because everything can cook basically the same amount of time and everything can go in the same bag. So to cook all you have to do is heat a pan and dumb the contents of the bag in the pan. I pre-season / marinate alot of my stuff in bags up to 24 hours before I cook it. If you are using raw meat make sure that you season the meat in one bag and the veggies in another.

Shrimp Fajitas

Ingredients
-1/2 lb of jumbo cooked shrip
- Half a red pepper sliced into fajita strips
- Half a green pepper sliced into Fajita strips
- Half a Red Onion in Fajita- type strips
- 1 lime
- Two Corn Torillas
- A little Mexican cheese
- Salt, Pepper
- 1 tsp of each- Cumin, Garlic Powder, Cayenne Pepper (adjust to taste)
- Olive Oil

Directions


1. The night before you are going to make this put the followin ingredients in a freezer bag: Shrimp, Peppers and Onions, Cumin, Garlic Powder, juice of half a lime. Also put in a few pinches of salt and pepper. Drizzle olive oil in bag until it lightly covers all ingredients. Close the bag tightly and toss it around so that the seasoning covers all of the ingredients. Put in the fridge for the night

2. On the day you are going to cook heat a large pan for around 3 minutes on high heat. You might add the juice of the other half of the lime to the pan, but you don't have to if you don't want them too limey. Open the bag and pour contents into the heated pan.

3. Cook for 8-10 minutes on high heat until peppers and Onions are cooked through.

4. Heat corn tortillas for 30 seconds in microwave right before the fajita stuff is done cooking. Serve fajitas on heated tortillas and top with some lite mexican blend cheese.

Southwest Salmon with Corn and Black Bean Salsa

THIS IS WHY I COOK! This was a meal I had never made before but was incredibly simple to make and tasted restaurant quality the very first time. This dish may not get you a michelin star but it will probably get you a second date- Just let the food do all the talking.

Southwest Salmon with Corn and Black Bean Salsa

I wish I had a better camera than my I-phone because this picture does not do this dish justice. The Salmon was juicy, flaky and perfectly browned on the outside and medium rare on the inside. The southwest seasoning on the fish was an amazing compliment to the salsa. The corn had a beautiful dusted color from the cumin that is unfortunately not captured in this picture. It was a fantastic southwest inspired dish and will be repeated very soon.

Ingredients
-1/2 pound salmon filet- I bought this Trader Joe's Southwest Seasoned Salmon filet. I normally don't buy preseason stuff but this one looked so good at the store and it turns out it was great when cooked. It also saves some time and energy.

-1 cup of sweet corn- i used frozen corn but feel free to use canned or fresh
-1 can of black beans
-half of a red onion diced
-Salt, Pepper, Cumin, Garlic Powder, Olive Oil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. While the oven is preheating, heat some olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. When Olive Oil is hot, sautee diced red onion until translucent- about 3-4 minutes. Drain water from black beans and place in the pan along with the corn. Season with Salt, pepper. Add about 1 tablespoon of Cumin and 1/2 tablespoon of Garlic powder. Stir, taste and adjust seasoning to taste. Take the pan off heat. Save half for sides and with fajitas. Put the other half on your plate.
2. Once the oven is pre-heating heat some Canola oil in a seperate pan over high heat for 3-4 minutes. Once hot, place the Salmon in the pan skin side down. Sear for two minutes on the skin side until golden brown. Flip and Sear for one minute.
3. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 5-7 minutes, depenind on how rare you like it (try 4 for medium rare and more like 7 for medium)
4. Once cooked, take the salmon out of the oven and place over salsa.
5. YYEEEEHHHAAAWWWWW!

Shrimp and Asparagus Pasta

So I made double of this dish to save for lunch tomorrow. Its a really light dinner which is nice after a weekend of heavy eating. I used Trader Joe's Traditional Marinara sauce, but you can use whatever sauce you like. It would go really well with a white-wine garlic sauce or even a lemon-butter sauce.

Shrimp and Asparagus Pasta

Ingredients

- About 12 Shrimp- unfrozen

- 1 Bunch of Asparaus- sliced into about half inch peices (cut off the very bottom fibrious part)

- A handful of Basil

- Two servings of Whole Wheat Pasta

- As many cloves of garlic as you like- I used like 8

Directions

1.  Boil water and cook two servings of whole wheat Pasta according to directions on pasta package.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat Olive oil in a pan in medium high heat. When Olive Oil is heated throw in garlic and sautee for about 1-2 minutes.
3. After Garlic has sauteed throw in the shrimp, basil and asparagus peices
4. Cook all the ingredients for about 5-7 minutes until the asparagus is cooked through. 
5. Lower heat and add pasta sauce to the pan. Stir around so that the ingredients are covered in the pasta sauce and wait until the pasta is done cooking. Should be about 3 minutes or so left.
6. Strain pasta when done and cover in the marinara and ingredients.
7. Enjoy with a nice side salad

Week of Feb 1

So its been awhile since I've done the full week with the grocery list and all. But now that my schedule has gotten a bit more predictable, I am going to do the real deal again for as long as I can.

So check this week out- Frozen Shrimp were on great Sale at TJ's so I picked a big frozen thing of those up and am going to make my meals around them. Im going out of town Thursday night, so I will have to skip cooking Thursday dinner and instead enjoy a meal with my wonderful sister in her college stomping grounds. Ill take 5 bucks off the total so as to reflect the missing meal.

Meal Plan


Sunday

• Dinner- Shrimp Pasta with Asparagus and Basil

Monday

• Breakfast- Granola and Yogurt
• Lunch- Shrimp Pasta Leftover
• Dinner- Southwest Salmon with Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Tuesday

• Breakfast- Yogurt and Bluberries
• Lunch- Turkey and Swiss Pita and Corn Salsa Side
• Dinner- Shrimp Fajitas

Wednesday

• Breakfast- Veggie Omlette
• Lunch- Shrimp Fajita Salad
• Dinner- Thai Sesame Shrimp with Soy Glazed Carrots

Thursday

• Breakfast- Vanilla Yogurt and Granola
• Lunch- Turkey and Swiss wrap with Hummus 

Grocery List

• 1 lb bag of Large Frozen Shrip- On sale at TJ's- 8.99
• 1 bunch of Asparagus- 4.29
• 1 Bunch Basil- .99
• 1 pack of TJs 0% fat Greek Style Vanilla Yogurt- 2.99
• 1 pack of TJ's mixed BErry Granola- 3.69
• 1 peice of Salmon- I got about .75 pounds- 6.65
• 1 pack of frozen corn- 2.49
• 1 can black beans- .99
• 1 red pepper- .99
• 1 green pepper- .99
• 1 Red Onion- .89
• 2 Limes- 1.00
• 1 package of mixed greens- 2.49
• 1 dozen eggs- 1.49
• TJ's frozen  Roasted carrots and parsnips- 3.99
• 1/2 pound of turkey- 2.99
• 1/4 pound of cheese- I got reduced fat swiss- 1.99
• 1 package of Hummus- 3.99
• 1 package of Whole Wheat Pasta- 2.49
• 1 package of whole wheat pitas (4 count)- 1.49

TOTAL- 55.87

Other stuff you will need- The usual

• Olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, soy sauce, Sesame seeds

I'm pretty excited about this weeks menu. I have been doing alot of chicken lately so I decided to go with more seafood this week. The corn salsa is going to serve a bunch of different purposes - to accompany the Salmon, an addition to the Fajita Salad and as a side for lunch. This stuff is great and I often make it at the beginnig of a week to have just in case I need something extra with a meal or as a quick snack.

Take the extra twenty bucks you saved this week and by yourself a beer. You deserve it. 

Goat Cheese and Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast

So yes its true- Your Body is in fact Your Temple. But sometimes we don't treat it that way. That usually seems to coincide with playoff sports, bar food, and good drink specials. After a rough weekend its time to get back on the healthy track.

REmember this point though- healthy eating isn't about eating healthy all the time. Former WWE Superstar and current B list Actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is famous (in certain circles) for his diet plan that includes one really terrible, greasy dinner a week- like his favorite bar food or a whole pizza or whatever he wants. This keeps him motivated and keeps his diet realistic. SO in the event you don't eat perfectly healthy remember that you can always get back on track at anytime. And when you do eat really well, remember to reward yourself.

This is a great recipe made with my favorite ingredient of all time- GOAT CHEESE

Ingredients
1 large Chicken Breast
1 oz creamy GOAT CHEESE
1 small handful of spinach
Salt
Pepper
Italian Seasoning
Olive Oil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F. While the oven is pre-heating take your chicken breast and slice it long ways. Don't slice all the way through. LEave the two sides connected so that the stuff can fit inside.
2. Generously season the chicken breast in Salt, Pepper, and Italian Seasoning on both sides. In the slice you put in the chicken put half the goat cheese in, then the spinach, then the rest of the goat cheese. Make sure its spread out the length of the chicken breast.
3. Drizzle Olive Oil over the chicken breast and place in the oven for 25 minutes. 
4. Take out 25 minutes later, let cool for about 5 minutes. BOOM

When I have more time, I also make a breaded version. To go that route simply beat an egg in a bowl, cover the chicken breast in the egg wash. In another bowl mix 1/4 cup of breacrumbs and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese. Cover the chicken breast in the breading mix. Follow the rest of the directions. I usually Slice the chicken breast before I bread it because its less messy.

Beer Chicken and Rice

I will admit, as someone who has had his fair share of beers, cooking with beer is not the coolest thing you can do with beer. Drinking it is probably the coolest, closely followed by exaggerating to your friends about how many beers you actually drank.

With that said, a nice flavorful beer like an IPA or good Amber Ale can add a kick to otherwise ordinary ingredients. Its great to beef up the flavor of rice. Another great cooking use for beer? Beer Brats. But we will have to wait for summer for that recipe. And here in Chicago, the summer is far, far away.

Beer Chicken and Rice- For two or for 1 dinner and 1 lunch. The picture doesn't do it justice. Its actually delicious.

Ingredients
2 large chicken breasts
Half a bag of baby carrot
1 Medium Sized Red Onion
1 cup of Brown Rice
2 12 Oz beers- something like an IPA, Amber Ale, Pale Ale with lots of flavor
Salt, Pepper
Canola Oil

Directions

1. Thinly slice chicken breasts. Cook over medium high heat in canola oil until chicken is browned and fully cooked- about 12 minutes. Salt and Pepper to taste
2. While Chicken is cooking chop up half a bag of baby carrots and dice a red onion. Place 1 cup of brown rice and veggies in a large sauce pan. Wait for chicken to finish cooking
3. When chicken is done cooking all the way through place chicken in sauce pan with veggies and rice. Make sure you get the excess Canola Oil in the saucepan.
4. Pour both bottles of beer in the sauce pan with all the ingredients, this will substitute for water. Cook rice according to package directions. Don't worry that you use more liquid than the package calls for because the veggies and chicken will soak up the excess. You might have to play with this a few times to get the liquid right, but err on the side of using too much liquid and if there is left over liquid, use a slotted spoon to plate.
5. Once the rice is done cooking (with all the other ingredients in there) according to package let sit for 5 minutes. Plate when done, salt and pepper to taste
6. Grab yourself another few beers if  your looking for a buzz because the alcohol will evaporate as it cooks. 

EGGPLANT PARMESAN- AWESOME!

BOY O BOY. This was my first time attempting to make eggplant parm and was it ever a success. This quickly has become one of my favorite dishes.

 I researched a bunch of different recipes and techniques, trying to find the best combination of preserving flavor but staying supremely healthy. Many recipes call for frying the eggplant. Instead of frying, I oven roasted the eggplant in olive oil and oregano . This gives you a nice crisp crust on the eggplant and a baked in oregano flavor without all the unhealthiness of frying. Its a little more labor intensive then some of my other recipes but put some music on, pour yourself a drink and give it a try.

Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant
-1 bunch Basil
-Breadcrumbs
-3 egg whites
-1 Jar of your favorite Marinara sauce
-Garlic, lots and lots of Garlic
-Dried Oregano
-Salt and Pepper
-Shredded Mozzarella cheese
-Parmesan

Directions


1. Preheat oven to 400F

2. Put the whites of three eggs in a bowl. Discard Yolks.

3. In another bowl mix breadcrumbs, dried Oregano salt and Pepper. Im not sure exactly how much to put in because I ran out a few times so I kept refilling the bowl with the mixture.

4. Slice your eggplant into 1/4 inch strips. Dip the Eggplant in the eggwhites and then roll around in the breadcrumb bowl so the eggplant is lightly covered. Repeat for all your eggplant slices.

5. Place breaded eggplant slices on a oven tray. I had to use two, so its nice if you have an extra tray. Drizzle olive oil generously over eggplant. Cook for 15 minutes, flip and cook for 15 more. The eggplant should have a crisp golden brown crust when done.

6. While the eggplant is cooking you can either just use your favorite marinara sauce, or as I did, spruce up your favorite marinara sauce. I love Garlic so I minced like 10 cloves of garlic and a handful of basil and put that into the marinara sauce. I added some chicken broth to the sauce, brought to a boil and then let it simmer until the eggplant was ready.

7. When eggplant is ready, take out of the oven. Place a layer of marinara sauce on the bottom of a large pyrex backing dish. Lay out eggplant slices, slightly overlapping forming a layer of eggplant. Cover Eggplant in a layer of marinara and mozzarella cheese. Use rest of eggplant to create another layer of eggplant and cover that eggplant in marinara, mozzarella and parmesan.

8. Place back in oven for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling

9. Try not to drool in it when you take it out.

Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwich

I stole this recipe from my roommate- He also likes to cook. He makes amazing comfort food in a southern tradition. For example, this weekend he made a sinfully delicious peach and blueberry cobbler. He also cooks a tremendous amount of bacon. Nothing like waking up to the smell of bacon in the morning.

This recipe, however, is simple and perfectly healthy. Just the way I like it.

Ingredients

- Two large chicken breasts

-Your Favorite BBQ sauce (I use Sweet Baby Rays Original)

-Salt and Pepper

-Whole wheat bun

-THATS IT!

Directions

1. Bring water to boil in a large pot. Salt water generously. 
2. Once the water is boiling, place chicken breasts in the water and cook for around 20 minutes, until cooked all the way through.
3. Remove chicken from water and place in a bowl. Take two forks and pull the chicken apart into thin strips. This will take a few minutes and a little determination, but the better you strip it up, the more it will look like you took hours to make it.
4. Liberally coat in BBQ sauce. The Chicken will quickly soak up the BBQ so feel free to use a lot. Add salt and Pepper to taste.
5. Place on a whole wheat bun and enjoy with a healthy side- save half of the BBQ chicken for a lunch Sandwich or wrap tomorrow.
6. Lie to your friends and say this is an old family recipe that takes 8 hours to make.
7. Remind yourself it only took 25 minutes to make as you eat it.

Pan Seared Tilapia and Southwest CousCous Salad

This was a perfect way to finish off a great weekend!

Pan Seared Tilapia

Ingredients
- 1 Large Tilapia Filet
- A good fish seasoning- I found this one called "The Spice Hunter" fish seasoning and I use it a ton.
-Italian flavored breadcrumbs
- 1 Egg
-Canola Oil

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400F
2. Crack egg and place whites in the bowl. Discard yoke. Wisk whites. Pat dry your tilapia filet and drag it through the egg white wash.
3. Place egg washed filet on a cutting board and season generally with fish seasoning on both sides. Also cover lightly with breadcrumbs evenly on both sides.
4. Heat Canola oil on medium-high heat in a non-stick, oven safe pan. Cook Tilapia filet for 1-2 minutes. Flip and cook on other side for 1-2 minutes. Make sure that neither side burns but has a nice crisp brown color and breadcrumbs are crusted on.
5. Place Pan directly into the oven at 400 F and let cook for 8-10 minutes.

While the Tilapia is cooking you can quickly whip up the Southwest CousCous Salad


Ingredients

• -1 cup uncooked couscous

• -1 1/4 cups chicken broth

• -3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• -Juice of 1 lime
• -1 teaspoon Balsamic vinegar
• -1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• -handful fresh, chopped cilantro
• -1 cup corn kernels
• -1 15 oz can black beans, drained
• -1/2 a red pepper diced
• -1/2 a green pepper diced
• -1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• -salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Bring chicken broth to a boil in a 2 quart or larger sauce pan and stir in the couscous. Cover the pot and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, balsamic vinegar and cumin. Add green peper, red pepper, cilantro, corn, beans and feta. Toss in the bowl so veggies are evenly covered
3. Fluff the couscous, making sure all chunks are gone. Add to the bowl with the vegetables and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste
4. This should serve about 4 so eat 1 serving as a side for dinner and save rest for lunch later in the week.

WEEK 2 Grocery List and Meal Plan

Week 1 is in the history books and it proved to be a great weak of meals. Week 2 I am going to provide some new and different dishes and try to keep a good variety so as to keep myself interested.

I also discovered Trader Joe's this weekend and it has changed my grocery life. That place is awesome and cheaper and they have awesome options that can be made in a hurry if you dont have time to cook. I highly recommend it.

Finally, Im not going to post my breakfasts anymore because pretty much all I do is oatmeal or an omelette. So Ill leave some money of the grocery list- lets say 12 bucks for breakfasts that way someone can do whatever they are in the mood for- even if its just milk and cereal.

Meal Plan
Sunday

• Dinner- Breaded Tilapia and Southwest Cous Cous Salad

Monday

• Lunch- Stuffed Shells leftovers (will post the recipe for those)
• Dinner- Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Tuesday

• Lunch- BBQ Chicken Wrap
• Dinner- Beer Chicken and Rice

Wednesday

• Lunch- Cous Cous Salad
• Dinner- Eggplant Parm and Roasted Veggies

Thursday

• Lunch- Eggplant Parm and Pasta Side
• Dinner- White Bean Bacon Scallops 

Grocery List-Prices are from Trader Joe's in Chicago

• 1 Can Cannellini Beans- .89
• 1 Pack whole wheat Hamburger Buns- 3.29
• 1 Pack Spring Salad Mix- 2.49
•  8 oz Fresh Tilapia - 4.50
• 1 package whole wheat Cous Cous- 1.99
• 1 package frozen corn- 2.59
• 1 Can black beans- .99
• 1 package frozen New England Jumbo Scallops -11.99
• BBQ Sauce- 2.59 (I use Sweet Baby Rays because the Sauce is the Boss!)
• 1 handful basil- .99
• 1 package of Chicken Breasts- 3 breasts about 2  pounds- 7.39
• Broccoli and Cauliflower combo pack- 2.29
• 1 Red Onion- .79
• 1 Large Eggplant- 1.49
• 1 Red Pepper and 1 Green pepper combo pack- 2.79
• 8 oz. Mozzarella- 2.29
• 4 oz Parmigiano Reggiano- 4.99
• 1 Can Pasta sauce (i go the TJs brand classic marinara)- 1.29
• 2 Slices of bacon- stole them from my roommate, not sure how much that costs- 1.00?
• 1 bunch Cilantro- .99

Total- 59.91- way under budget and if you don't mind eating oatmeal and/or eggs in the morning you should have breakfasts left over from last week- so buy your friends a round this weekend.

You will also need:

Brown Rice, whole wheat Pasta, Chicken Broth Two Bottles of your favorite Pale Ale- Sierra Nevada for me.

WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS- Cilantro Lime Fish Tacos

This was the first time I tried this recipe and it turned out really well. I ate with two others so this recipe makes about twelve mini-tacos- Thats right, we each had four. They were that good.

Ingredients
-1.5 pounds flaky white fish (I used tilapia, its really flaky and not fishy at all so it really soaks up all the flavors of the seasonings and lime)

-3 Avocados

-1 Bunch of Cilantro

-3 Limes

-Olive oil

-Garlic Powder, Cayenne Pepper, Cumin, Salt, Pepper,

-Salsa Verde

-Mini Corn Tortillas



Directions

1. Up to 6-8 hours before you are going to eat, slice tilapia filets into thin strips. Place in a gallon freezer bag. In the bag squeeze in the juice of three limes. Also zest outside of 1 full lime into the bag. Season bag with Salt, Pepper, Cayenne, Garlic Powder, Cumin. Start with a table spoon of each and adjust as desired (for example if you want more spice add more Cayenne pepper). Chop up a handful of cilantro and place in bag. Place bag in freezer until dinner time.
2. Pre-heat oven to 425 F. Take tilapia out  and spread evenly over a metal baking sheet. Place Tilapia in the oven and cook for 12 minutes or until flaky to a fork.
3. While Tilapia is cooking slice 3 avocados into 1/4 inch strips. Also heat corn tortillas (can use oven, microwave, conventional oven, whatever).
4. When fish finishes cooking remove from oven and place fish on corn tortilla. Add two slices of avocado, Salsa Verde and top with more Cilantro.
5. Remove top from a Corona and insert Lime wedge.
6. Send apology letter to your local mexican restaurant, because you won't be eating there anymore.

Quick Chicken Parm and Chicken Pasta Marinara

So after a few meals of chili (chili by itself, Chili as a side with lunch, Chili nachos) I am ready to put up a new recipe which I will again parlay into a lunch option.

This is a staple recipe because its so damn easy, really delicious, and perfectly healthy. 


You will never forget this recipe- because there is absolutely nothing to it.

Quick Chicken Parm

Ingredients

- Two Large Chicken breasts - about 8 oz each

-Your Favorite Marinara Pasta Sauce- I use the classico marinara

-Parmesan cheese or substitute whatever you have, Swiss, Shredded Cheddar, whatever. I guess if your going to call it "parm" you should use parm, but o well

-Salt, Pepper, Italian Herb grinder

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 F. While oven is pre-heating cook one serving of whole wheat pasta according to directions on the box. You can use this pasta for dinner or save it for lunch. No early workout for me tomorrow so I will do carbs at lunch.
2. After you have set the pasta remove two large chicken breasts from pack and place on a tin foil lined metal backing sheet.
3.  Season both sides of the breasts with Salt, pepper, and especially the Italian Herb Seasoning.
4. Cover the top side of the breasts in marinara sauce. Spread over the breasts evenly with a spoon.
5. Cover Marinara in grated Parmesan cheese or with a slice of swiss (which I what I did in the picture) or with shredded cheddar.
6. REMEMBER TO: Check your pasta and strain when done. Place in a tupperware container (if you want to save it for lunch, if not, place on your dinner plate)
7. Place seasoned and sauced breasts in oven for 25 minutes at 425
8. When timer is up let the breasts sit for at least 5 minutes
9. Serve with a side salad.

Take the larger breast and eat tonight for dinner. After dinner, slice the second, smaller peice into equal strips and put in a tupperware with the pasta you made earlier. Top it off with some of the marinara sauce you used earlier.

This recipe is an INSANELY easy and is a great way to knock out two meals at once. Best of all, It only takes 30 minutes total (5 for oven to heat, 25 to cook) to make because you are prepping while the oven is heating, and making the pasta for tomorrow while the chicken is cooking. Thats efficient and efficiency is good (some would argue).

Monday Jan 3

Back to "real life" after a great holiday spent with family and close friends. Its always funny to see the New Year Resolutioners packing the gym at 7 am that first Monday of the New Year but I hope the keep it up!

Anyway, for Breakfast I did my simple Berry Medley, Cinnamon Oatmeal. It looks kind of gross in this picture but tastes awesome. I use frozen berries because they are more economical and I waste nothing like I do when I use fresh berries. They lack the super-fresh taste, but they add a nice kick to the oatmeal and still provide the nutritional value.

This picture makes it look a little gross. But trust me, it aint!

Ingredients
1/2 cup dry McCan's instant Oatmeal
1 cup of non-fat milk (Vanilla Soy milk is also a nice alternative)
1 cup of frozen berries
Cinnamon to taste

Directions
1. Rub the sleep off your eyes.
2. Place 1/2 cup of dry oatmeal in a fairly deep bowl.
3. Add cup of milk and frozen berries to bowl.
4. Cover in as much cinnamon as you desire
5. Microwave on high for four minutes
6. Stir and Enjoy



Lunch was the steak and asparagus salad with the leftovers from yesterday. I simply added the steak and asparagus to a bed of romaine lettuce and added onions, red and green peppers, and my trustee balsamic dressing.

For the Dressing I do equal parts olive oil and balsamic vinegar a healthy helping of Adobo Goya Seasoning (Sin Pimiento), dried oregano, garlic powder and pepper. Its delicious and I use it for pretty much all my salads.

Dinner


Thirty Minute Turkey Chili 
Good Chili doesn't have to take hours or days (though great chili probably does). This recipe makes probably 4 or 5 servings. So I will use some of it tomorrow and probably freeze the rest for a nice treat on the weekend.

Ingredients
1 lb Ground Turkey
1 15 oz can Black beans ( I use Goya)
1 15 oz can Kidney beans (Goya again)
1/2 a red pepper diced
1/2 a green pepper diced
1 small onion diced
Garlic Powder
Salt
Cumin
Pepper
Cayenne Pepper
Celery Salt
Worschestire Sauce

1. Heat about 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a pot on medium heat. Place all the ground turkey in the pot and cook until brown. Probably around 5 minutes.

2. About 3 minutes into browning the turkey, throw onions in the pot. Season entire mix with Salt and Pepper.

3. After the Turkey is completely browned throw in red and green diced peppers and both can of beans with the juice. Swirl around in the pot to mix everything up.

4. Season the chili with Cumin, Cayenne Pepper, Garlic Powder, Celery Salt, Worchestire sauce . I wish I could give exact amounts of seasoning but I rarely measure and just go on smell and color. As a starting point you could try 1/2 TSP of cumin, 1/4 TSP of Cayenne Pepper, 1/4 TSP of garlic powder, a dash of celery salt and a few drops of worchestire sauce. Taste throughout and figure out what you want more of and adjust accordingly.

5. Once seasoning is in, stir the Chili, turn up heat and bring to a boil. Let the mixture boil for about a minute, then reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes.

6. Serve in a bowl and top with some shredded cheddar cheese.

Store the rest of the chili. I am putting some in a small container to go as a side with my lunch tomorrow and in a large container for future meals.

ENJOY!

SUNDAY DINNER- Lemon Pepper Skirt Steak and Asparagus

This is a really simple but tasty recipe which I am going to parlay into a lunch salad for tomorrow. I bought double portions of meat and asparagus to make so that I would have leftovers for my steak salad. Generally I use 1/2 lb portions (8oz.) of meat per meal. This is a pretty large amount of meat so if you need to eat less or more than me you should adjust accordingly.

Ingredients

1 bunch of Asparagus

1 lb skirt steak

6-7 cloves of Garlic

2 lemons

Sea Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

Olive Oil

Directions

1. About an hour before you are going to eat dinner place skirt steak in a large, sturdy freezer bag. In the bag insert the juice of 2 lemons and 6-7 cloves of minced garlic. Grind Sea Salt  in bag generously to taste. Zip bag, mix up ingredients and place in the fridge to marinate for an hour.

2. Pre-heat oven to 425 F. While over is pre-heating place asparagus on a baking tray. Cut off about the bottom inch of the asaparagus. You don't want the white part on the bottom. Cover generously in Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Fresh Ground Pepper. Make sure asparagus are all well covered in all of the ingredients.

3. Before you take the steak out of the bag (about 15 minutes before you want to eat) place  a small handful of fresh, whole peppercorns on a cutting board. Break up the peppercorns with a knife by laying the flat side of the knife on the peppercorns and pressing firmly. They should be quite course. Once they are broken up, take the steak out of the back and press peppercorn into the steak with you hands so that the peppercorns are firmly lodged into the steak. Perform on both sides.

• An alternate to this technique is to just use you pepper grinder and press it in that way. Use the most course setting if your grinder has one. I have found that the above technique, though a bit more laborious, gives the steak that restaurant peppered look and feel. 

4. Heat Canola Oil on high-heat. Once the oil is sufficiently heated,  place steak flatly in the pan and cook for ten minutes. Flip the steak only once at the 5 minute mark so that you get 5 minutes per side.

5. Right after you put the steak in the pan, put the asparagus in the oven. Let cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring up asparagus about half way through.

6. After steak has cooked 5 minutes on both sides, place on a cutting board to rest for at least 5 minutes.

7. Remove asparagus from oven- put half of it on your plate and save the other half

8. Slice skirt steak against the grain after it has rested and put half on the plate

9. EAT!!

10. After dinner, slice up asparagus into 1 inch pieces and place in a large tupperware with the rest of the leftover skirt steak. To the tupperware add 1 heart of romaine lettuce, a handful of feta cheese, diced onions, red and green pepper. Place the tupperware in the fridge and save for tomorrow's lunch. Don't forget to take or make you favorite light dressing to add to the salad. I use a very simple Balsamic and Olive oil dressing with Oregano, Adobo Goya Seasoning, and pepper. I will give some other dressing recipes tomorrow. Don't add dressing until tomorrow's lunch so the veggies don't get soggy.

11. Put on a movie and get a good night of sleep.

WEEK 1 GROCERY LIST AND MEAL PLAN

Sunday is the day when I usually grocery shop. Its a perfect time to get ready for the upcoming week, think about and plan out your meals and activities, and buy what you need to execute your plan.  I also take the time after I grocery shop to dice my onions and peppers and get my veggies ready so I don't have to mess with them when I start cooking the actual meal. I will also usually marinade my meats to save myself some time later in the week.

If you are actually going to follow my weekly meal plan I recommend you start next Sunday with this as your first week because it will be impossible to follow in real time. But once I have a solid week down you can stay a week behind me and all the planning out will be done for you. But this week will give you a general sense of how I operate and how my weekly meal plans usually work.

So here is my grocery list for dinner Sunday night (1/2) - Lunch Friday(1/7). I decided to add Sunday dinner and drop Friday dinner because Friday is a great night to mix it up and go out for something. Yes you can eat  healthy and still be social.

GROCERY LIST- Prices based on Jewel Osco in Chicago

1. Bunch of Asparagus- 4.99
2. 2 lemons- 2.00
3. 12 oz bag of Romaine Lettuce Hearts- 2.50
4. 1 Sweet Onion - 1.29
5. 1 Green Pepper- .99
6. 1 Red Pepper- 2.49
7. 1 lb skirt steak- 12.99
8. 1 Pack Perdue Chicken Breasts (3 breasts or about 1.5 lbs total)- 8.23
9. 1 lb Pack Perdue Fit and Easy Ground Turkey 99% lean - 4.00
10. 1 Pack Reduced Fat, Crumbled Feta Cheese (I got Athenos)- 3.99
11. 1lb Boar's Head Ovengold Deli Turkey (on special at another grocery) - 5.99
12. 1 Quart Non-fat Milk- 1.99
13.  12 oz Jewel Osco Brand Frozen Berry Medley- 3.99
14. LA Tortilla Factory Smart and Delicious Soft Wraps with Olive Oil- 4.29
15. McCann's Irish Oatmeal, Steel Cut, 16 oz box- 3.49
16. Garden of Eatin Tortilla Chips Sea Salt Multigrain with Flaxseed- 3.49
17. 1 Can Goya Black Beans- .99
18. 1 Can Goya Kidney Beans- .99
19. 1 dozen Eggs- 2.29
20. 1 Potato- .99

TOTAL- $70.84

WEEK 1 MEAL PLAN

Sunday

• Dinner- Lemon Pepper Skirt Steak and Asparagus

Monday

• Breakfast- Cinnamon Oatmeal and Berries
• Lunch- Steak Salad with Asparagus and Crumbled Feta
• Dinner- Turkey Chili and House Salad

Tuesday

• Breakfast- Egg White Omelette with Onions and Peppers 
• Lunch- Turkey Wrap and Chili Side
• Dinner- Chili Nachos

Wednesday

• Breakfast- Cinnamon Oatmeal and berries
• Lunch- Turkey and Feta Wrap
• Dinner- Chicken Pesto Pasta

Thursday

• Breakfast- Oatmeal or Egg Scramble, whichever I wake up in the mood for
• Lunch- Chicken Pesto Wrap
• Dinner- Baked Chicken Marinara and Garden Salad

Friday

• Breakfast- Egg White Omelette and Hash Browns
• Lunch- Chicken Marinara Pasta

This should be a pretty good week of meals- The Chili might get a bit repetitive but I have tried a few different ways to keep it exciting since it doesn't make much sense to make a single serving of chili. 

I also like to keep my breakfast options open. So if I don't feel like making an omelette early in the morning, I will usually just go with the quick and easy oatmeal. I buy McCan's Irish Steel Cut  Instant Oatmeal. Its unbelievably hearty and soaks up flavor from the berries for a great start to the day.