April 23rd, 2010

Recipe: Garlic and Herb Pork Chops with Yams and Kale

The nice thing about being so determined to lose weight is that I am cooking more. This week alone I  made  hummus, applesauce, vegetarian chili, portobello burgers, and more. Tonight, I decided to make garlic and herb pork chops and yams with kale.What I liked about tonight’s meal is that it was quick and different. My husband and I always complained that hos family loved to make steak and salad but no other sides. This is definitely not that kind of meal

Everything was so good.
To Make the Pork Chops:

In a blender or chopper (I use the Magic Bullet), combine:

• 9 cloves of garlic
• 2 shallots
• olive oil (about .5 cup)
• sage
• fresh basil
• rosemary
• a little water or balsamic vinegar

Chop until everything is very fine. If it is too thick add more water or vinegar. Pour into a large Ziploc bag with 3 Bone-in Porkchops. Seal the bag and work the mixture until it coats the chops. Grill or oven bake on till done.

The Sweet Potato-Kale recipe is not mine, so go here to learn how to make it.

April 1st, 2010

A Weigh to Go: Just Do It

I know Nike has been using that line for years but I am so adopting it as my motto. See, I tend to spend a lot of time in my head planning what I want to do and thinking about how I will get it done. The problem is that by the time I am done planning/thinking I have lost all motivation to do whatever I am planning. But applying for Mamavation Moms was different.

Read the rest on A Weigh to Go

March 28th, 2010

Mamavation Monday: The Journey…Again

By now you probably know that I am am ready to take a big step on my journey to lose weight. I have completed (as of tomorrow) the last step in my pre-op weight loss surgery requirements and am ready to set a date. However, I have decided to try to lose weight once again before doing so. In truth, I want to to lower my BMI before I set a date because as of now I am a danger zone. I also think that if I can jump­start my metab­o­lism and refo­cus my weight loss jour­ney, I may decide not to have the surgery.

After watching the Mamavation conversation for weeks on Twitter and after witnessing the success of my very good friend Renee J Ross who recently lost 40 lbs since Thanksgiving, I knew that I had to give it another go for my piece of mind.

Read the rest of this post over at A Weigh to Go.

February 3rd, 2010

Wednesday Dinner: Onion Mushroom Burgers with Mashed Potatoes

I love coming up with new recipes and new ways to try some old-time favorites with a new twist. If you have been following my weight loss journey you know that I have a serious problem getting enough protein in my diet.  So, I decided to add a little ground beef to my menu. The problem is that I really don’t like the taste of meat. It makes me gag to think that I have to eat beef.

So tonight I tried to create a burger that was more like a Salisbury steak and paired with some of my favorite veggies: mushrooms, onions, and green peppers.

Burger Recipe

Mushroom Sauce:

• 1 pint Baby Bella Mushrooms
• 1 large onion
• 1 large bell pepper

Saute this mixture starting with the onions and then adding the green peppers and then the mushrooms. Cook on medium until the green peppers and mushrooms have released all of their liquids. ( I learned this techniques from the Iron Chef competitions). Remove from pan.

Burger Seasonings (I cook by smell so the measurements are all palm -sized)

• Black pepper
• Ground Thyme
• Paprika
• Garlic Powder
• Red Pepper
• Cumin

In a bowl combine all of the dry ingredients and mix well. Mix half of the dry mixture into the ground beef. Form your burgers (4) and “flour” each burger patty with the remaining dry seasoning  mix. Cook burgers in pan (8 minutes on each side if you like yours well done).

For Sauce

• Mushroom, Onion, Pepper mixture
• 1 cups of hot water with a beef bouillon cube dissolved
• .5 cup of Balsamic Vinegar

Remove the burgers from the pan and add vinegar and water/broth. With fire on medium scrap bottom of pan and mix well. Add MOP mixture and bring to a slight boil. Add burgers back to pan and cover. Turn fire to low and cook until the middles of the burgers are as pink as you want (I like them well-done so it took about 13 minutes to cook thoroughly. This will differ based on the thickness of your burger)

Serve with mashed potatoes (I used instant mashed potatoes and made them with Soy Milk) and a side salad (my salad had baby carrots, 2 kinds of lettuce, peppers, mushrooms, and onions). Cover mashed potatoes and burgers with sauce/MOP mixture.

The burger is about 215 calories alone.

*The picture features a very large burger that I cut in thirds.