White Chicken Chili

This is one of those recipes that I come back to again and again. It started out as a recipe that I got from Rachel Ray, but it has evolved into something that we rely on often for an easy meal.

Number of Servings: 8
Points Per Serving: 6

2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
2 Poblano Peppers, diced
2 Anaheim Peppers, diced (the long green ones)
4 cloves garlic
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 Tbsp cumin, or to taste
2 cans Cannelini, Great Northern, or White Kidney Beans, drained (see note)
2-3 cups chicken broth, or water with chicken boullion
2 Tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
salt & pepper to taste

Heat a large deep skillet or dutch oven over medium heat, add the oil. Add the onion and saute until slightly softened. Throw in the peppers and garlic, cooking until softened, a little browning is a good thing in this one. Add in the chicken and cumin, let the chicken get a little color. Add the beans, then pour in the chicken broth until it is the consistency that you like. Let simmer for about 15 minutes or until cooked through. Season with cilantro, salt & pepper to taste. Garnish with some cilantro and sour cream or plain yogurt. Enjoy!

A Little Note about Beans: Now, I put 2 cans of beans in this recipe, but I prefer to use beans that I prepare myself from their dried state. It is actually very easy to do (just follow the directions) and I like the texture and flavor a lot more. Some might think I am crazy to find the time to do this... but I also am a big fan of saving money as they are much, much cheaper!

When fighting with yourself, who wins?

Since I haven't posted in over a month, I am not surprised to find that I haven't been doing very well on Weight Watchers either. For the past three weeks I have been majorly struggling. It's not like there is some great excuse for it either, it is just me fighting with... well, me. I can't seem to stop from sabotaging all the good work I do! During the week I have no problems at with eating right. My only difficultly is getting to the gym, yet when Friday night rolls around I just royally screw myself. I don't know why I do it.... I just do. I think it could be fear. Fear of failure and not believing that I can do this. I don't know how to be skinny. I know how to get there, but I can't seem to do it!

But now I am sick of excuses. And I am sick of giving them. I just want to do it. I want it to become natural. I want it to become ME. Some huge changes need to be made in the meantime...

First things first, as of today I am off of caffiene. Some may think "Oh God, No!" but the reasoning is that I end up spending a lot of calories and money of caffinated beverages to get me through the day. And when you go out to score a diet coke, i seem to end up wanting to get something to eat too. Such a waste! I think that losing the caffiene will definitely help make me feel better too. Here's hoping!

Now I need to figure out what to make for dinner so I can post it.

Labor Day Weekend BBQ

Mmmm... BBQ! BBQs tend to get a bad rap as being unhealthy and fat-laden food, but I definitely think that it is one of the easiest, tastiest ways to eat healthy. The one thing I don't like about BBQs is that I usually get stuck in the kitchen while everyone else hangs out. I finally have figured out a good menu that requires little hands-on time, so you can enjoy your guests too! I hope you enjoy!

Wine & Herb Marinated Tri Tip

I love Freedom Meat Locker's Wine & Spice Marinade and have not found anything that compares. I did however base this recipe off one I found on www.reluctantgourmet.com and I have to admit that I like it more.

Points Per 3 oz serving: 3 points

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp black pepper

2 Tbsp italian parsley, finely chopped

2 Tbsp rosemary, finely chopped

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tri Tip Steak

Chop up the garlic, parsley, and rosemary a little bit and add it to a blender or food processor. Combine all other ingredients except the olive oil and steak (of course). Blend together then add the oil slowly so it emulsifies. Combine the steak and marinade in a dish or ziploc bag and marinate in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 4 hours. Cook according to your grilling preferences... but I have one tip: Cook the meat until it is 145 degrees inside, then pull it and let it rest for 10 minutes. It will continue to cook.

Balsamic Glazed Pearl Onions

These onions are baked in the oven and have a sweet flavor. Although I do have to admit that they are a little overwhelming on their own, they are really good with a bite of steak or barley.

Number of Servings: 5

Points Per Serving: 1 pt

14 oz bag frozen whole petite onions (or pearl onions)

2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tsp dijon mustard

2 tsp olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Add the onions to a 9x13 inch glass baking dish. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix until combined. Pour into the baking dish and toss the onions in the glaze. Cover the dish with foil and place in the oven. Cook for about 45 minutes or until tender.

Oven-Baked Mushroom & Barley Pilaf

If you are sick of the same old brown rice, I suggest you try Barley. It is a surprizingly tasty grain and very easy to work with. You can often use it as a substitute in recipes that use brown rice, just as long as you up the liquid a little bit. This recipe, as well as other great basic grain recipes can be found in Joy of Cooking

Servings: 5

Points Per Serving: 3 points

2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp butter

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup mushrooms, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup pearl barley

3 cups chicken broth

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the oil and butter in an oven-safe pan. Cook the onion, mushrooms and garlic until the mushrooms are golden. Add the barley and stir to coat. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and put in the oven, cooking 45 minutes or until the broth is absorbed and the barley is cooked. Enjoy!

And Fat Aimee Strikes Again...

My husband, toddler and I were planning on going camping over labor day weekend. We bought all the food, and just needed to pack the car.... But we decided not to go because of recent toddleriness I was not up for a weekend camping with no reinforcements. Instead, we decided to just stay home but do some fun things that we have been meaning to do for a long time... Then the failures began...

Thursday night, after we decided not to go, I decided that I might as well "taste" the turkey jerky. Well, I LOVE turkey jerky. It's like chips, I can't have it in the house or I will eat it all. And I ate waaaaay too much of it. You would think I would learn my lesson after that but NOOO! Friday, I did excellent! I more or less stayed within my daily points all well going to my inlaws to eat dinner. I was very proud of myself! Then Saturday came... when I was going to be camping... I did alright during the day, but that night we started drinking beer... and eating chips and salsa. Next thing you know I am tipsy, eating half a bag of chips and I have the brilliant idea that I need more chips... with cheese! Ugh! What the hell was I thinking?!?!

So this morning I woke up ashamed... with a headache of course! And as punishment I forced myself to track it. And, I am surprised. I did horribly, but because I tracked what I ate all this week I was able to minimize the damage. The best part is that today is the last day of the week for tracking my food and I will have tracked for a whole week in God knows how long! For how unbelievably stupid I feel (plus a little headachy, nauseous, bloated, etc) at least I know that I did accomplish SOMETHING! I just need to remember Baby Steps, Aimee... Baby Steps.

Oven "Fried" Tofu a.k.a. If you don't like tofu, you'll love this tofu!

I love, love, love Chinese Fried Tofu. It is one of those things that just makes me happy. But it definitely is not calorie friendly, so I came up with this as a replacement. It doesn't have the mushy consistency that tofu normally has... Even my friends husband who won't eat anything different nor any vegetables likes it!

Servings: 4 (or 2 man-sized portions)

Points Per Serving: 3 (5 for man-sized)

1 package Extra Firm Tofu (Must be Extra Firm)

2 Tbsp Hoisin Sauce

Cooking Spray

Drain the tofu and place on a cutting board that is covered with one half of a towel (the towel should be large enough to fold over like a greeting card over the tofu). Slice the tofu into 4 equal slices. Lay each slice flat on the cutting board and slice diagonally from opposite corners so you end up with two triangles. Do this with all four slices. Separate the triangles and then fold the towel over them. Place a cookie sheet on top of the tofu then weight it down with some jars or cans. Let the tofu rest for 10-15 minutes.

Preheat your broiler on low. Place the pressed tofu on a foil lined cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray (this will make clean up a lot easier). Place under the broiler for 5 minutes. Turn the tofu and cook another 5. The surface of the tofu will now dry out and get a "skin". Continue to broil until it is golden brown (flip as necessary). Brush the tofu with hoisin sauce and return to the broiler on high. Cook a couple minutes or until the hoisin starts to glaze a little bit. That's all there is to it!

Note: A great side dish is some baby bok choy that is broiled as well until slightly wilted. Then mix together a little chili garlic paste and vinegar and drizzle over the bok choy (this is also really good on brocolli). Serve with brown rice.

Happy New Year... In September!

I have decided to recommit myself and take this blog in a new direction. I am commiting to adding a new recipe weekly, and I am going to also share about my weight loss journey. I think that having a venue to be brutally honest about my weight loss will help me to reach my goal. I am going to give this blog one year, I also want to reach my goal weight in one year as well. It is going to be very, very hard considering how much I have to lose, but I think that having a focused goal in mind will be a great thing.

So, in honor of this new commitment to honesty, I am going to do something I would never even dream of doing in the past. My weight has always been a taboo subject for me. I will "discuss" but I would never truly tell ANYONE how I truly feel about it. I am going to share the truth about my situation.... So here goes...

I am 26 years old and as of 5/13/09 I was 126.6 pounds overweight. Now, 16 weeks later, I have lost 19.2 pounds with the help of Weight Watchers. I wish I could blame pregnancy for my weight gain, but I can't. I only gained 2 pounds with my son. In fact, the day I joined WW I weighed .4 pounds less than the day I was induced. I have failed epically in my weigh loss since I was 10 when I hit puberty and started gaining weight. Throughout Jr. High and High School I was overweight but was not obese. In college I gained a little but not nearly as much as after I met my husband. Since then I have been on and off Weight Watchers... gaining 30 pounds each time I quit. When it comes down to it, I am extremely ashamed of what I have become.

Since having my son I have struggled greatly with my appearance. I had a C-Section and have ended up with a lot of extra skin and have been very upset by the fact that I have hit the point that even when I do reach my goal weight I will not look "normal" without surgery. This isn't going to stop me, but I do fear it. It is very hard to feel encouraged to lose weight when you don't have an image of yourself to harken back to, I fear that I am not going to like what I look like thin (I know this is a stupid fear, but it is a FEAR).

This is what I am certain of: I am certain that this is the last time I will weigh this much and I am certain that this is the time that I am going to reach my goal. The puzzle pieces that I need to succeed are finally fitting together. I have found a meeting that I love and people in the meeting that are supportive of my success. I have a husband who is there to encourage me through this, and friends that have always loved me no matter what my size. And I have the greatest inspiration of all... my little boy. I don't want him to struggle like I have struggled and I don't want him to see me this way. I want to look back at his toddlerhood and be proud to show him the pictures of us together, rather than hide them away in shame.

So there. That is as honest and real as I can be. Now time to move forward. As Dolly Parton says "Better Get to Livin'..."

-Aimee

...Or Maybe Not!

Here's the truth. I want to quit this blog because I am failing at it. I have not been updating it. I have not been cooking all that much. And I don't like the pressure of having to come up with something new and creative.

But here is another truth: If I quit this it will be a lot easier to cook unhealthy foods and to stop losing weight.

I have reached the point of no return and with my husband's encouragement (I swear he secretly went and saw Julie & Julia...) I am recommiting to doing this thing. I am going to give it a year (I know, so cliche!). I want to see what happens and to celebrate all our successes together.