Meals 4-10

with the holidays over, i'm trying to get myself back on track with eating healthy. the next two weeks will be more of an emphasis on low-carb meals (pretty much the phase one of south beach). this always resets my mindset away from the sugars and snacks. i always find this takes a little creativity to stay healthy without getting bored. and i do love a challenge!

01/04 since tonight was also a monday, i needed a recipe that was not only low carb but vegetarian.  so i made a simple frittata with zucchini, mushrooms, leeks and fontina cheese. i did a batch of tomatoes roasted with balsamic and garlic as a side, and garnished both with fresh basil. the bonus of this meal is that the leftovers will reheat quite nicely for breakfast!

01/05 one of my favorite carb-free meals is chicken in a creamy sun dried tomato sauce. we had a friend of tony's staying with us tonight, so i didn't want to make something "too diety". it must have served it's purpose, because everyone's place was clean. i also recommend making this meal with a side of rice or polenta to soak up the AMAZING sauce of this dish.

01/06 going back to my love of all things made in a muffin tin, tonight was mini kale pies. the "crust" is italian sausage formed into muffin tin. the filling is ricotta cheese mixed with kale, parmesan, garlic and onion. for a side i roasted zucchini with parmesan and italian seasoning. another meal that will double as a wonderful breakfast in the morning.

01/07 i was out of town tonight for work, and left to the mercy of an industrial cafeteria. luckily the food here had enough variety i could cobble together a meal that didn't break my diet stride. a simple salad and a very sad piece of flounder. it took all the will power i could muster not to take advantage of the free cookies here!!

01/08 this recipe is straight out of the south beach diet cook book. "turkey burgers with fennel". i always add a cup of shredded zucchini to the recipe because i often find ground turkey to be a little dry. i topped the burgers with tzatiki and served them with a greek salad. it's one of the simpler meals i can always rely on to be good and super healthy. the creamy texture of the tzatiki makes the meal feel so much more decadent than it really is!

01/09 tonight we had an invitation to a friend's house for a dinner party. she wanted to do a "raclette" dinner. which i'm ashamed to say i had to google. how is it with all of my love of cheese i had never heard of this???

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raclette

apparently raclette is not only a type of cheese, but a style of preparation. it's basically a really fancy and amazing delicious fondue. everybody gets little trays that they can put whatever combination of meats, veggies and bread onto. then you cover it with cheese and heat it until it melts. delicious!!!! i highly recommend you if EVER get the chance to try this? DO IT!

01/10 i ended the week with a meal inspired by something i had a few years ago at a small restaurant in brooklyn. seared scallops over wilted collard greens on a bed of cannellini beans. it sounds....odd. and a combination i never would've imagined that i would like. but something about the way the flavors all meld together? it's actually become one of my favorite meals. the white beans are tossed in olive oil and old bay (a personal touch....i am from maryland after all). the greens are wilted in bacon that's been cooked with shallots and garlic, then tossed with hot sauce and cider vinegar. the scallops are seared in butter, garlic and red pepper flakes. all very simple. but i promise you when it comes together? it is amazing!

i feel pretty good after this week. no more holiday sugar hangover! i've always felt that as long as food tastes good? and flavorful? you don't notice that it's *gasp* healthy!!!!