Good PCOS Food

I found another healthy and delicious breakfast that keeps my energy up and pleases my palate! It's very simple.

I mix some Dannon low fat plain yogurt*, Publix Greenwise vanilla flavored protein powder (about the equivalent to how much they say to put in a drink of the same size), frozen blueberries and a dash of agave nectar. Just mix it all to your individual taste. It is scrumptious. 

I always love to share a good food find. 

*Not all plain yogurts are created equal. I find Dannon to be a delicious one. Stoneyfield Farms is good too, but it's harder to find and much more expensive.

Donut Jelly Beans

In case you were wondering what they're called.

Strawberries

Delicious Healthiness

Pancakes aren't the greatest for you. They're especially not great when you have any insulin related disorder. I should really make my own out of something like almond flour, but it ain't happenin' people. Sorry. Sooo, the next best thing is to buy some of this scrumptious delight. It almost tastes like an oatmeal cookie. The whole family loves them, and I eat them with agave nectar and fresh strawberries. Mmm. Has anyone seen them in box form?

Our Unexpected Valentine

For Valentine's Day, Hub searched around and made a reservation for 7:30 at a little Italian place nearby. We got home from work, rushed through some clean-up and headed out with the little man. 

When we got to the restaurant, there was no one at the check in podium and a long line of people waiting. After about 10 minutes, someone came by but still wasn't even addressing us. Hub managed to tell her we had reservations (at 7:40), and she looked frightened. That's pretty much what happened for the next 20 minutes. People would remind her that they had reservations, she would hardly answer their questions, looking frightened while she scribbled things on a pad and stared at the computer screen. I honestly don't think she had any system to what was going on. She finally told us that our table was being cleaned. I asked her to be honest with me about how long it would take to get food since we had a 3 year old with us. She said it would be quick. We sat down a little after 8pm. By 8:10, no one had even greeted us, so we got up and walked out thinking at this point it would be better to grab something on the way home. 

However, as we walked past a little pub type place in the same shopping plaza, a lady walked out and asked if we were looking for somewhere to eat. They had heart lights and balloons and a man was crooning R&B in the corner. We sat down at an outdoor table next to a heater and were treated to so much fun, kindness, and good service that we enjoyed ourselves immensely. The food was also amazing. I had a pressed turkey, brie, apple and mango sauce sandwich that slayed me with deliciousness. Hub had some roast beef with au jus. E bopped to the music, and when he finished, he got down and danced in an open space between tables, basking in the smiles of people nearby. The singer allowed a man to sing a few songs while he took a break. One of them was for his wife who video taped him with big smiles. 

The music was wonderful. The people were gracious. The food was divine. The unexpectedness of it made it perfect. 

Happy Valentine's Day. 

Things I've Learned Recently

We've just returned from our trip to visit family. I did well with the hard candy! It's much more like cooking than baking, so it was more up my alley. I'm not so hot with the baking. This has been the year of trips. I really should include some photos from California, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. I'm a very negligent blogger.

In any case, here are the top things I wanted to share with you that I learned in the past few weeks.

1. If you unknowingly brush your teeth with whitening Sensodyne, it will not help your sensitivity. In fact, you will end up with very painful high sensitivity that you then go to the dentist about without realizing you caused the problem in the first place. Smart.

2. If you think to yourself, "Huh. My car windows seem to go down and up really slowly these days," check your battery. What? I've never had automatic windows before!

3. When making hard candy, if you cook it slighly too long into caramelizing, then add teal food coloring, it will be forest green... 'cause, you know,  yellow and blue make green.

4. Here is a lovely photo of my actual teal candy. The photo makes it look more true blue, but trust me, it was teal.

5. I handle the cold much better than I used to, and I seem to have less tolerance for heat. So weird. I don't know if it's having my thyroid and PCOS under control or what. But while I still lean heavily toward Virginia, I could possibly live in Pittsburgh as well. E blossomed incredibly around all his family. He particularly loved his "cousints." 

Culinary Delights

Our church recently dropped a service, and we have a horrible time getting E motivated and going by the time it starts... so we tried a different church today. Not so much. I haven't been pleased with it in the past and was very much not so today. E wasn't a fan as always. He likes our regular church all right once he's there. He just can't get going that early.

So we ended up ditching and wandering across the street to a new little area where various Latin businesses have sprung up. It's so fun, interesting and new to us. We pressed our noses against the glass at a little Hispanic bakery that has almost every bakery delight known to Italians, Hispanics and a few others. The counter is so long and so high, I imagined E thinking he'd been magically transported to tasty toddler heaven with no end in sight. In fact, he spent a very enjoyable few minutes pointing at various cakes saying, "Dat wooks good! That one wooks good too! Dat one wooks yummy!" It was a beautiful display of cakes and berries and breads and snacks. E and I had a chicken empanada and strawberry cream cake (which he helped choose.) Hub had tiramisu... before lunch. Then we walked over to a new Paella place where Hub tried some chorizo carried out still flaming. I had potatoes with ali oli sauce. It was a very interesting dressing that tasted a bit like a fresher ranch with more bite. E opted for some rice. He hasn't been feeling 100%, so it's been bland all the way for him lately. The restaurant itself was cute, elegant and homey all at the same time. 

We rounded out our culinary adventures of the day by trying the sandwiches and desserts at our new Wawa. We reveled in the cooler rainier weather (Thank you Isaac. Now just don't hurt too many people.) by sitting out on the metal chairs and tables. Yeah. We know how to rock it with the elegant crowd.

The Case of the Strawberries

So.... well... I wanted to show you my "genius" idea for my strawberry plants. So I took a picture. But then I rethought sharing with you my "genius" idea. Why you ask? Well, nothing big really... other than the fact that the plants growing in the photo are not strawberries. Yeah. It wouldn't come as much of a shock if you knew my history (as some of you may) with growing things (or not growing them as the case may be.) 

I bought this root ball kit thing at Lowe's. It was "guaranteed" to grow. And in just the right time after I planted it, something did grow! And they resembled baby strawberry plants, so I stopped there and got all excited. Then more things grew; except that the more things didn't look like the previous things. Then none of them had leaves that really looked like any strawberry plants I knew. And they kept getting taller... too much taller. And they smelled funny. So I stared at them and stared at photos of various types of strawberry plants; willing them to be good. But it was no good. They were weeds hiding in the bag or blown in from the yard or whatever.

So without further adieu, here is my grand idea of growing my strawberries in an old pet cage. I bought some fabulous mesh to put around the outside to further discourage raiding pests. I figured that was such a good idea. Also in this photo are the buzz kills - the non strawberries. Enjoy. I will be buying full fledged plants online in the Fall planting season. I will also be following directions exactly, growing them with companion plants and buying only the ones that are good for Florida. 

Wish us all luck.

Food Truck Awesomeness

I didn't know about food trucks until we moved to Florida. I still didn't know about them until years after. Have they been around long? Am I just slow? In any case my husband and I, bordering on foodie (with a hippy bent), are hooked. We used to have to travel into the city to a massive gathering where we'd wait in long lines in a baking parking lot. Sure there was a lot of variety, but good luck getting to much of it!


This weekend, we attended one in our little area that's going to be there monthly! It's tiny, but that means there are no long lines, we can WALK there, and it's in the middle of a field where the kids can run and play. I love it! We're already developing favorites. 


One new thing I tried was a pupusa. Oh my heavens. Heaven in my mouth AND tummy... sometimes a difficult combo. I've also experienced mochi ice cream and Korean tacos this way. Our whole family revels.


Do you have food trucks in your area? Have you ever gone? Tell me all about it! I do so love the food talk.

This is a Rice Spatula

Since a few of you have never seen one... They come with rice cookers (which everyone should have in my opinion). This one is my favorite as it's a heavier duty one bought at Target.
Enjoy my late 70s early 80s era counters. Someday.

Cranberry Roast

OK, so I had lots of cranberries left over from Thanksgiving since they had a big sale at the grocery. I love making cranberry sauce. My favorite recipe can be found here on the Pioneer Woman's site.

So basically what I did is to substitute agave nectar for her maple syrup. I think the dark or amber agave works better in this instance... more flavor. I find the light agave better for basic flavoring in teas etc.  To make the roast, I threw all those ingredients for cranberry sauce, about a cup of water, a few Tablespoons of soy sauce, black pepper to taste, and a few pinches of Italian seasoning in a crock pot along with a sirloin tip roast. Then I turned it on low for 8 hours. The end.

My husband and my guest pronounced it scrumptious, so I say it was good! You can add some corn starch and put it on high at the end to make a thicker gravy, but I didn't bother. (I'm too lazy.) I just used the plain old broth for our No Yolks noodles. I added some whole green beans and sweet potato souffle, and life was good.

A Favorite Healthy Snack

I have 2 problems with food daily.
1. Finding healthy, yummy things to eat that won't make me sick. (metformin and lactose intolerance)
2. Finding higher calorie, healthy things E will eat to keep that boy NOT HUNGRY.
Something I stumbled on was to mix my non sugar peanut butter, a banana, and a healthy glob of agave nectar into a delicious gloop. Then we either eat it straight or smeared on a sandwich. Mmm wonderful with a cold glass of lactose free milk.

Things I Learned this Christmas

• Rice spatulas work as GREAT cookie dough stirrers. The dough doesn't stick as much. They're very sturdy, and it's easy to scrape the sides of the bowl.
• Pediped is actually pronounced PEE DEE ped. Huh. I don't like it.
• I think one of the reasons my cloth diapers weren't getting as clean in the washer is that my Rockin Green soap wasn't even dissolving completely in hot washes (which I hate doing. I prefer warm.) I was trying to use it up on regular clothes since the boy will no longer wear cloth, and I find it spattered all through and on top of the washer. 
• An alternative down mattress pad is lovely.
• I like my life. 
• Cranberry roast is delicious (and I don't even eat beef!). I made up my own recipe. I shall share it soon.

Christmas Cards and such

I just ordered my free cards from Tiny Prints that I received after reviewing them here on the blog, and I'm so excited! I didn't end up using the one I posted, but I love the one we did choose. I'll reveal it after they've all gone out. I don't want to ruin the surprise for the people who read this and will get one. I just love that site and their products. I doubt I'll be able to afford to do this on the same level every year, but it will be my hope to do so. And I don't even get anything for this blathering! I just like it that much.

All this has gotten me so excited (again) for the holidays. I only have to buy the turkey, cranberries, garlic and chocolate pudding (Hub has requested chocolate pie) for Thanksgiving. I work that day, so it requires a lot of pre-planning and Hub participation. He does a great job! We will have the usual stuffing, turkey breast, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, homestyle pole green beans, fresh cranberries sauce (once you've had fresh, you won't go back), pumpkin pie and chocolate pie. I'd make more except that it's not reasonable for 2-3 people on a workday. Alas, my Grandmother's sweet potato casserole, and my Mom's noodles sing a siren song that I resist.

E has been starting to notice "Cwismas Twees" and "Big Giant Cwismas Twees" along with snowflake lights that he calls "pwetty fwoers." Oh how excited he will be.

Want to join us?

Butternut Squash

It's fall again, and time to reinvest in my discovery of the ease and deliciousness that is butternut squash. You are likely to know this already, but I wanted to share my favorite way to make it.
Put the oven at 350 degrees, and cut the squash in half however you can. Clean out the seeds and strings. Place the squash flesh down in a pan of water with a pat of butter and some cinnamon. Cook for approximately 30-40 minutes, checking to make sure it doesn't dry out. When it's finished, scoop out the insides and add more butter, a dash of salt, cinnamon and agave nectar to taste. And if you use more, "healthy" butter, you have a tasty, healthy, wonderful meal addition! Another favorite is roasted parsnips, but that's for another post.

MY Kind of Lasagne

True Italians and lasagne aficionados may want to click away before I even get started. I may strike horror in your heart with the following post.

Now that I've warned you, here's the first shocker. I really don't like lasagne very much. I don't eat beef. I don't love the taste of ricotta, and it makes me very sick, and I'm not into really heavy meals unless they involve potatoes. My husband, however, is a total lasagne fiend. He would eat it multiple times a week if only I would make it for him. Up until now, he's had to get his fix from those frozen meals or when we dined out as I was very insecure about my ability to make it. 

As his birthday and Canadian Thanksgiving approached, I tried to think of something I could cook that would make him very happy. Lasagne came to mind as always, and when I mentioned it at work, someone told me that the recipe on the back of the no boil (NO BOIL? I thought. AMAZING!) Barilla lasagne box was quite easy and that I could substitute all kinds of things. 


I ran out and bought all the supplies I needed, made it, and it was DELICIOUS if I do say so myself. Actually, Hub and E said so as well, so I'm not just imagining it. Here's what I did:


Instead of Ricotta, I used Lactaid (you may recall my lactose intolerance) cottage cheese.
Instead of ground beef, I used ground turkey (NOT the all white meat kind)
Instead of 4 cups of mozzarella, I used 2 cups of part skim mozzarella.
Instead of Barilla marinara I used Classico cabernet marinara (it's delicious and was on sale)
I forgot the eggs, so just added a little olive oil instead and prayed it would work.


The verdict: VERY tasty, much more healthy and much lighter than the usual lasagne. The only failing was that due to the egg issue, it wasn't as "stacked" and compact as it usually would be. But it tasted amazingly good. I did it! And now, thanks to Jen's suggestion, I will be making 2 lasagnes at once, so I can freeze one and save myself some dinner prep.


P.S. The flat Barilla noodles were VERY good. And once again, let me remind you that they can't even search me, so I'm not in the market for free stuff.

Grumpy

I'm really grumpy with blogging right now, and I'm not sure why. I mean, I know some of the things I'm grumpy about, but I'm not sure why they're bothering me, and I'm not sure what's stopping me from writing even though I have ideas. I'm just in a bit of a pissy mood in general lately, so perhaps it's because dear AF is on her way or some other hormonal balance for which I'm famous. (Maybe just locally, but you know what I mean.)

On the bright side, we went into a Sedano's grocery store for the first time today and were delighted by cheap, delicious empanadas de pollo along with a wonderful lady selling them who didn't speak much English. I don't speak much Spanish, so together we taught each other and bumbled our laughing way through a conversation. Our next stop was the ice cream/sherbet counter where we had a mix of tamarindo (tamarind), mango and guanabana (pronounced gwa-NA-va-NA - yes I mangled it at first) sherbet. The lady there was a delight too. We will surely be going back. As I've mentioned before, most Hispanic cultures (particularly the women) delight me. I come from a very expressive family and have spent a lot of my life becoming more quiet and trying to tone down my reactions so as not to appear, "so emotional." It's too tiring to explain to people that that's just the way we are. But when I'm surrounded by Colombians or Chileans or many other nationalities in those parts, I feel at ease and happy. It's nice to live here.

So to sum up, I'm a grump who still gets a high off food and happy people. What do you do when you feel this way about blogging? Perhaps it's that I'm not getting much of a high off it anymore? Any thoughts welcome.

Oh Canada

I had half a Tim Hortons iced cap, a few bites of Poutine, and a stroll through beautiful Toronto today. Portions due to Met belly that has been rebelling grandly at my food choices this week. Aside from that fact, I know you're jealous. Don't hate on the lucky.

It's Our Anniversary All Week!

It's really only our 8th wedding anniversary the middle of this coming week, but why not celebrate for days? Since Hub is working on our real anniversary, we decided to start early with our day off together. When I came home from work last night, Hub had some of my favorite stuff from Whole Foods ready for me along with special desert that my tummy can handle! Tonight we made our way to Seasons 52 where I had a most delicious tamarind glazed turkey tenderloin skewer with vegetable couscous and green beans. Or as fancy restaurants like to say, "hericots verts," which means the exact same thing, but I guess the French just sounds so much better. I also had one of their amazing shot glass desserts. It was the sugar free cookies and cream, and I was highly impressed with the delicious non-sugar free taste.

E came with us and was less than pleased for a lot of it since his evil canines were bothering him (still coming in), and we hadn't brought any "meh-sin." He was pleased that he got to eat the Oreo from the top of my dessert though.

If you haven't yet tried Seasons 52, please do. They rotate their menu according to what's in season to use food that's as fresh as possible. They also strive to keep their food heart healthy and low calorie yet amazingly delicious. I adore it. Those of us on Metformin should probably send them a huge thank you card.

Tomorrow I post a step by step training post. I swear! If I don't do it, please hound me.

Summer Camp Day 7 - Foods!

Day 7– What’s your favorite thing to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Do you read food blogs or would you ever consider writing one?

For breakfast there's nothing I enjoy more than some sausage gravy and home fries. Since meat and potatoes were two of a very small selection of foods I could enjoy while pregnant, this was a favorite. (Who am I kidding? It's always a favorite!) Technically, I don't eat and don't even like sausage. But for some reason, put it in some white gravy, and I go nuts.

For lunch hmm... I think I'd have to say that lunch is highly variable for me, and I like it that way. I work outside a lot, so my favorite thing is very dependent on the kind of weather in which I find myself. In hot weather, I love something fruit based or delicious chicken salad with a good Italian dressing. In cold weather, I prefer something like potato soup. (sensing a pattern with the potatoes?)

For dinner a favorite go to meal is a veggie or chicken soy based Asian dish. I don't much care which one. They're all delicious, though two of my regular favorites include Szechuan chicken and Mu Shu vegetable. I also love a good veggie pad thai or Filipino sinigang. My favorite meal of my family's is ham pot pie (except I don't eat the ham.) And no, this isn't a meat pie. In case you didn't know, that's a different thing altogether. This is pot pie... ingredients... dough... in a pot... on the stove. Pot pie. Homemade thick noodles and potatoes (shocker!) in a flavorful broth. Mmmmmmm.

I occasionally read food blogs. I adore food and love learning new recipes and looking at the beautiful photos of beautiful deliciousness. The only one I read regularly is Pioneer Woman's cooking section. Every single recipe I have tried of hers has been heavenly. And no, I would never food blog. I do not have the patience in the slightest. Nor do I have the time.

Join Calliope's Summer Camp in the Blogosphere to play along!