This Old Dog Learned A New Trick!

I make breakfast for dinner one night each week.

I've written about it here.

After re-commiting myself (again) to the 17 Day Diet, I found that I was not going to be able to have my usual turkey bacon with my eggs at dinner on Cycle 1.

I knew that there was a recipe on some of the blogs for do-it-yourself Turkey Sausage but for some reason I had avoided it for the past year. Not sure why. I think I thought that it was going to be disgusting.

Well, tonight was the night that I went for it. Mostly out of desperation. I needed some sort of meat!

Surprise, surprise! It was actually pretty darn good! So good in fact that my picky son who loves his bacon, ham, and sausage of all kinds ate TWO of the patties that I made!

I adapted the recipe from here, one of the original 17 Day Diet recipe blogs.

I really just adapted it to suit one package of turkey breast since the original recipe calls for two pounds and all I had was the 20 ounce package that I had picked up at Target earlier in the day.

Turkey Sausage

1 20 ounce package of ground turkey (or chicken) breast
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until blended.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, coat with olive oil or PAM

Form the turkey sausage into patties and cook until browned on both sides, and no longer pink in the middle

OR

Cook as crumbles to mix into recipes!



I ended up starting the patties in the pan

 And then ended up finishing them off in the oven

I served them with Artichoke Parmesan Frittata and roasted carrots. 

It just goes to show you that you can teach an old dog new tricks! I turned up my nose at this one and it ended up being super quick and tasty...and much healthier than anything I could buy in the store!

I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie

When I taught Elementary School, one of my favorite books to read at Thanksgiving was I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson. Obviously it's a take-off on the Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly…but with Thanksgiving foods instead of spiders and cats and horses. My kind of gal.

I hadn't thought about this book in a few years…probably since my own son has gotten too old to read it at the holiday and the kids I work with now are all under the age of three.

Wouldn't you know it? The old bag popped into my head as I was getting ready to return home from a Thanksgiving vacation in Florida. Specifically this page:

In where said "Lady" has eaten so much that she becomes a balloon in the Thanksgiving Day Parade.

I was feeling pretty balloon-ish myself.

Maybe it was the Carvel cake before we left for Florida. Or the stuffing and potatoes at Thanksgiving dinner. It could have been the brisket and carnitas tacos at our favorite Mexican place, El Jefe Luchador. Possibly the two different stops at Menchie's Frozen Yogurt where some incredible genius has invented Cinnabon-flavored yogurt and Cream Cheese Frosting as a squirtable topping. Then there was the night I actually drank…a rarity for me. I had a Strawberry-Rhubarb mojito. And I liked it. A few bialys here, some handfuls of Target Monster Trail Mix there. You get the picture.

By the time I was sitting in the airport waiting for my departing plane, I couldn't even squeeze in my usual "flying chocolate" with my requisite People magazine. It wasn't the big photo of Bill Cosby on the cover making me nauseous…it was all of that food I had over the past week. I made it through the flight without the candy…but somehow made room for the free Popcorners that they passed out.

When I got up the next morning I faced the scale and owned that number on it. I had earned it. Now it was time to make it disappear. I was never so excited to have some cottage cheese and fruit in my whole entire life!

Two days later I have rid myself of two of the (cough-cough) pounds I have seemed to find somewhere between Halloween and Thanksgiving-time. I need to get rid of them before the next holiday rolls around. Ugh, I said rolls.

Unfortunately I have picked up the nasty cold that my husband and son both had last week. I managed to find enough energy to make a pot of my favorite Cycle 1 Italian Egg Drop Soup with Chicken Meatballs. I also had some Eggplant Plop in the freezer and that made the transition to home easier for me. Tomorrow I need to make a turkey breast that I have defrosted, and I was thinking of trying out a new recipe for Balsamic Red Cabbage. I will let you know how it goes, and share it with you over the weekend.

Hopefully I will continue to be the Old Lady Who Swallowed a 17 Day Diet Compliant Fat-Free Unflavored Greek Yogurt. There's a story in there somewhere, right?

Thanksgiving Came Early This Year!

I was in the kitchen making a batch of Chicken and Eggplant Bolognese (which I just realized I haven't shared the recipe with you for and NEED to ASAP!) minding my 17 Day Diet compliant business when my cellphone buzzed  with a text message.

It was someone from the local Whole Foods asking me if I wanted to attend a Thanksgiving Dinner Sneak Peek for food bloggers. Tonight. In three hours.

This was a bit of a conundrum for me.

I've been back on the wagon and watching every morsel that goes into my mouth over the last few days, and this dinner was not going to be diet-friendly. There was part of me that wanted to stay home and cook my salmon and cauliflower…but there was a bigger part of me that was ridiculously curious about this dinner.

Whole Foods has always been my favorite market. Before it came to my area I would go out of my way to stop at any of their stores that I came across. When visiting relatives in other states…I'd be sure to hit a Whole Foods. There's just something intoxicating about it, and I just can't pass it up!

That being said, I decided to go for it and eat mindfully. Small bites just to see what they were offering.

Little did I know it was going to be an all-out feast!

Do you see what's on that menu, dear readers? This was going to take a long ride on the recumbent bike to undo. Fortunately….it was all worth it!

There was a beautifully set table with flowers, candlesticks and not just any water. Fancy VOSS water in sparkling and still. Also, an interesting drink called 12 Beverage, an all-natural sparkling drink that is lightly sweetened with fruit juice. I tried the Pomegranate Black Currant and the Citrus Ginger. It was almost like a more evolved edition of the typical sparkling cider and perfect for the non-alcohol drinking crowd at your table. Completing the setting were plates of pumpkin bread, and I really hate to admit this…but it was better than mine. Frankly, I was shocked! I don't typically buy baked goods anywhere since I love to do it myself. Seems the tide has turned, because the Whole Foods pumpkin bread is delicious, moist, and sadly for me…kicks my pumpkin bread's butt!

Appetizers were introduced, and while I could not try two of them due to shellfish allergies I was assured my table mates that they were absolutely delicious.

There were Tornado Shrimp wrapped in crispy sweet potato, crab cakes, and brie en croute. This particular brie had apples and cranberries and was very tasty. I was more intrigued by the other flavors they offer…cherry with rosemary and fig with apricot. For $16.99 it's well worth it and will be a likely addition to one of my holiday celebrations this year.

The next part of the evening was the adorable Chef Adam, who showed us how to properly carve a turkey. It was fascinating to watch, and very informative. He explained the importance of using the right kind of knife for the job. All of you sawing away at your bird with an electric knife? That's a no-no! It lets all of the moisture out and creates a dry bird!

After our carving lesson, we got down to business. And by business, I mean dinner. Lots of it!

On the table we had not one, but two kinds of turkey! There was a Plainville Farms turkey and a Kosher turkey. Stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans with almonds,  mashed maple sweet potatoes, and cranberry orange relish. For the vegans and vegetarians there was meat-free Gardein roast stuffed with a savory mix of vegetables, brown rice and cranberries.

In the name of science, I had to taste ALL of it:

Let's start on the far left with the vegan Gardein roast and mushroom gravy. I have actually bought this before for my husband who is a vegetarian but never bothered to try it myself. I've got to tell you…WOW. I really liked this. There is a crisp breading on the outside, the "meat" is moist and the stuffing in the middle is savory and then a bit sweet from cranberries. Honestly, I don't think that the average person could even tell that it wasn't actually turkey!

Now for the real turkey. I had initially taken a piece from one side of the platter and was somewhat underwhelmed by it. It was turkey, but nothing special. I decided to go back and take a piece from the other side of the platter and NOW we were in business! The second piece I took was moist, flavorful, and easily cut with the side of my fork. I had to stop myself from going up to get more of it! So in my humble opinion, the Kosher turkey was the clear favorite. It had been brined, Chef Adam told us…and lucky for everyone that the brine solution is sold in the store. To top off that perfect turkey was some delicious gravy that I sopped up with most everything on my plate!

The sides are usually everyone's favorite part of the meal, and these didn't disappoint. The clear favorites for me though were the green beans with almonds, the mashed maple sweet potatoes, and the cranberry orange relish. The irony in that is the fact that I never, ever touch the cranberry sauce at the Thanksgiving table. Ever. Last night was the first time I indulged in cranberry sauce and boy am I glad I did. Woah. This was amazing, and the Grand Marnier that Chef Adam adds takes it to another level.

Just when I was ready to pop, there was this….

Not one, not two, but THREE pieces of pie. Apple, pumpkin, and apple crumb pie. Fortunately I was able to take a bite of each and then bring them home for my boys to finish off. They were all very good, especially the pumpkin.

All in all, it was a lovely evening, and I am very thankful to Whole Foods for including me. All of the foods mentioned in this post are available at your local store. You can even order online at shop.wfm.com

As for me, I will absolutely be purchasing a few of these delicacies this season. Ok…confession time. I already did. I went back today and picked up one of these to share with my boys:

Like I said….Thanksgiving came early this year!!

As for that salmon and cauliflower that I was supposed to eat last night? I had it this evening. Back in the saddle again!

Meatza, Meatza!

Boy, did that hit the spot!

Who knew that something so seemingly simple (and a little gross-sounding) could be SO delicious?

What is a "meatza" you ask?

Basically, it is a crust made of meat. Ground beef, chicken, or turkey. The meat can be seasoned simply with salt and pepper…or a variety of seasonings to make it Italian, Greek, Mexican, etc.

The meat is mixed with the seasonings and pressed into an 8-inch round pan, then baked in the oven. This is what puts the "meat" in meatza!

After it bakes for about 15-20 minutes at 450, flip it out onto a lined baking sheet. Cover with toppings and throw back into the oven until the cheese melts.

My first meatza was a classic one. Marinara, fat free mozzarella and turkey pepperoni:

This was EXACTLY what I needed that day. Just some good old comfort food. I ate half, then ate the other half the next day for lunch straight out of the refrigerator ice cold. It was that good!

As soon as it was gone, I wanted more. Not really a good idea though…too much meat isn't going to move the scale.

I waited a few days and tried another meatza using ground turkey breast. I did the same thing as before and mixed it with salt and pepper. Pressed it into the same 8-inch round cake pan and baked it up.

While it was baking, I sautéed some onions and mushrooms in a bit of oil until they were nice and caramelized. After the turkey was cooked through I put it on a cookie sheet, added some fat free shredded cheddar, and topped with the mushroom and onion mixture.

Let me say…this was JUST as good as the beef version, and I felt a little less guilty eating it.

I think next week I may try the turkey again with some Mexican seasoning…possibly spreading a thin layer of beans on top? The possibilities are endless! Go make yourself a meatza!!

Meatza

20-24 ounce package of ground beef, chicken, or turkey, divided in half (freeze the other half)
season with salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Press meat into an 8-inch round cake pan in a thin layer. Bake for 15-20 minutes until done.

Remove from oven, place on lined cookie sheet. Cover with toppings of choice and put back into oven until heated through.

Italian: Add oregano to meat. Top with marinara, mozzarella, veggies
Mexican: Add taco flavoring to meat. Top with salsa, beans, cheddar, jalapeño
Greek: Add oregano and garlic to meat. Top with spinach, feta, tzatziki
Patty Melt: Top with cheddar or swiss and sautéed onions and mushrooms

I'm sure there are loads of combinations to try out. Enjoy!