Operation Cook Every Night... Night 5

Tonight I cooked another new recipe.. New, ha ha I guess I should say almost all are "new" to me... So tonight was Thai Beef Lettuce Wraps..We had our friend Monica over for dinner again and let me tell you, this recipe is SO GOOD.. there are not any carbs in this recipe and if anyone is doing the Ideal Protein Diet it is complaint with that... Today was also day 2 of my 8 min abs and 8 min buns.. today I was a bit sore from yesterday but still felt great doing it.. now, tomorrow might be a diffident story.. I have a feeling tomorrow we might be hurting a lot more.. You all should for sure try this recipe.. here is a note.. It is spicy so if you do not like spicy reduce the number of jalapenos..

Thai Beef Lettuce Wraps

Combine in a small bowl and set aside:

5 Tablespoon fish sauce

5 Tablespoon soy sauce

One packet Splenda

In a large skillet on high heat stir fry in 1 Tablespoon olive oil for about a min.:

8 chopped garlic cloves

3 thinly sliced large fresh jalapeno peppers

Add 2lbs lean hamburger, ground chicken or ground turkey 

( I used beef since I recently just bough 1/4 of a cow)

Fry until done, drain any visible oil.

Fold into hot meat mixture:

Sauce mixture

2 cups raw sliced in 1/2 inch pieces, green onion

2 cups fresh basil, chopped into large pieces

Generous "squirt of lime and lemon juice

Serve hot with large lettuce or cabbage leaves for each person to roll the meat mixture into a wrap.

This is so easy and so good.. I had a glass of Chardonnay with it but it would have probably been better paired with a  Cabernet or Pinot Nior..

Thai Beef Lettuce Wraps

Operation Cook Every Night.. Night 4

So I am now caught up.. Tonight I am making a meal I have had before it is so easy, healthy and so delicious.. I can tell you now James and I both rate this as a 10.. I am also starting to feel like I am getting back into  the groove of cooking.. today was also day one of doing 8 min abs and 8 min buns.. My best friend Lauren and I call each other on the phone (she lives in Colorado) and we put the phone down on speaker and watch the classics on YouTube.. soon we will be looking good..

Just in-case you forgot how awesome the ad was

Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken

1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

 1 garlic clove, minced

4 (4-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

  Cooking spray

8 cups torn romaine lettuce

1 cup sliced cucumber (about 1 small)

 8 pitted kalamata olives, halved

 4 plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise

   2 (1/4-inch-thick) slices red onion, separated into rings

1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled feta cheese

Preparation

·         Prepare grill or broiler.

·         Combine the first 8 ingredients in a small bowl. Brush the chicken with 2 tablespoons dressing; set remaining dressing aside.

·         Place chicken on grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray; cook for 5 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

·         Combine the romaine lettuce and the next 4 ingredients (romaine lettuce through red onion slices) in a large bowl, and toss with the remaining salad dressing. Divide the salad evenly among 4 plates; top each serving with sliced chicken, and sprinkle with feta cheese.

      Wine Suggestion: either Chardonnay or a pinot grigio

Operation Cook Every Night.. Night 3

Tuesday Night was Thai night.. I found a recipe that was only 236 calories for a salad.. James rated this recipe a 9 I however, rated it a 5 only because I HATE cilantro and was not paying attention when preparing it and added all the cilantro to the salad mixture.. I would make it again but next time I will put the cilantro on the side..

Thai Tenderloin Salad

1 pound beef tenderloin, trimmed

Cooking spray

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

6 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce

1 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper

1 cup thinly sliced peeled cucumber

1/3 cup coarsely chopped green onions

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

1 cup cilantro sprigs

3/4 cup chopped fresh mint

Preparation

Prepare grill.

Place beef on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 6 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Cover and let stand 10 minutes. Cut beef diagonally across grain into thin slices.

Combine juice, fish sauce, sugar, and ground red pepper in a large bowl. Add beef, lettuce, and next 5 ingredients (lettuce through jalapeño); toss well. Add cilantro and mint; toss gently.

Wine Suggestion: I would suggest a nice pinot noir

Operation Cook Every Night.. Night 2

So Monday night I made Lemon- Shallot Scallops.. By this day I was still very excited about cooking and was feeling good that I was making low calorie meals.. Not only were we saving tons of money on eating out each meal I have planed for this week are all under 300 calories...
This Scallop dish is ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! We had our friend Monica over for dinner and she loved it as well.. This one is for sure a keeper I might even try the same recipe with shrimp..

 Lemon-Shallot Scallops

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds Sea Scallops
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons butter
3 tablespoons minced shallots
1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
lemon wedges (optional)

1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle sea scallops with salt and pepper. Add scallops to pan, and sauté 2 mins on each side. Remove scallops from pan, and keep warm.

2. Melt butter in pan. Add shallots and garlic, sauté 30 seconds. Add wine and lemon juice, cook one min. Return Scallops to pan; toss to coat Remove from heat; sprinkle with parsley. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired on a bed of mixed greens...

Wine Suggestion: a nice Chardonnay for your choice

Operation Cook Every Night... Night 1

Sunday night was night one.. I made.. I was all excited to start and the fact that I was starting with a crock pot recipe was even better.. The roast came out good.. James and his dad loved it.. it was only OK to me only due to the fact I have some weird thing about liking the food I actually cook.. I will have to get over that

Slow Cooker Beef Roast with Gremolata

To produce a successful slow cooker pot roast, the classic recipe needs a flavor boost (here, from sun-dried tomatoes) and less liquid than oven or stove-top versions. A mixture of garlic, herbs, and lemon rind, gremolata is traditionally served in Italy with Veal Shanks.

Pot Roast:

1  (2 1/2 pound) boneless cross-rib chuck roast, trimmed

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon olive oil

Cooking Spray

2 cups chopped onion

1 can beef broth

1 cup dry red wine

1/4 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

4 Thyme sprigs or 1/2-1 tsp dry to taste

4 garlic cloves, crushed

2 bay leaves

3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 turnip cut into 1 inch pieces

1 rutabaga cut into 1 inch pieces

1 parsnip cut into 1 inch pieces

Gremolata:

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 teaspoon chopped fresh fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp dry

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind

1 garlic clove, minced.

To prepare pot roast, sprinkle roast evenly with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Coat slow cooker with cooking spray. Add roast to skillet; cook 5 min, turning to brown on all sides. Transfer roast to an electric cooker. Re-coat skillet with oil and add onion; saute 8 mins or until tender. Add broth and next 6 ingredients (through bay leaves) to skillet; bring to a simmer. Add broth broth mixture to slow cooker.. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours. Reduce heat to low; arrange carrots, turnip, rutabaga, and parsnip around roast in a slow cooker cook 4 hours. Remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs from slow cooker; discard. Remove roast from slow cooker; shred with 2 forks.  Make sure you use the Gremolata on the meat.

To prepare gremolata, combine parsley and remaining ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well. Serve roast and vegetable mixture.

Wine Note: goes well with a nice Red Zinfandel.

Operation Cook Every Night...

 I know I have not blogged in awhile.. man, time sure does fly by.. I have been super stressed out lately. We have had to deal with, well, the obvious (not being able to have a baby) as well as damage done to our basement, I have lost quit a few kiddos from my day care due to moving and going to preschool.. Which is the added stress of making less money.. Then my husband, James, throughout his back, he has a herniated disc as well as his original injury from the Army.. now he waiting to get back surgery which is making him not work.. so now I am also taking care of him as well as children all day..

I am not going to lie for a bit there I was so stressed out and felt like we could not catch a break... I really started to wonder how much more I could take..I was in a bit of a funk for a bit.. but today I woke up and decided to snap out of it.. this is not who I am.. I have had the bad luck stick all my life.. I can deal with it..It could be worse.. 

So, to get to the meaning of the title of my blog "Operation Cook Every Night"... James and I eat out ALL the time either at a restaurant, our friends or family members houses.. This past weekend in an attempt to get out of my stressed out funk and to save money since we will be drowning in medical bills soon, I decided I would try and cook every night! I know, some of you are thinking I do that every night, must be nice to have be able to go out all the time, well, you are right it was nice to eat out but with eating out always comes more calories and the huge expense..I created a menu for the week and have given myself a mini goal of cooking every night this week.. Sunday will start week II of cook every night.. I was going to say 30 days but then felt that was way too big of a goal and when I fail at things I never go back to it.. so I have made it a weekly goal.. So far so good.. I should have started this blog on Sunday then this blog entry would not end up being so long..

If you are wondering why I have decided to blog about it, the answer is simple.. I loved blogging when I did.. it is in a way a therapy.. I also though since there is absolutely no news to write about in the infertility aspect since we can only afford to try once a year and now with James back and the basement we will most likely have to wait until 2013 ( which is scary since the Dr. said I no longer could be a patient at 35 and my chances would be about 0% at that age.. The next three post that I will post back to back are what I have been cooking with the recipes...then it will be a daily thing..

Time Flies when you're having fun...

I feel like yesterday was the beginning of summer..and now it is the 5th of August..time sure does fly.. I have not posted in awhile.. mainly because it is summer and we have been super busy...

James and took a nice 10 day vacation in July and it was awesome we did not have any plans.. we knew our first stop was going to be Thermopolis, WY and after that we decided where we were going to go once we packed up camp and hit the road.. We camped near Clarks Fork (which is near Cody) then we took a day trip driving the Beartooth Pass, which some people call the highway to the sky.. it was awesome.. there was so much snow up there.. we also hit up Red Lodge, MT for a day... once we packed up camp at Clarks Fork, which by the way we named "Camp Awesome" we were the only people around and we were near the river with 4 wheeling trails.. we headed up to Montana and stayed in a KOA that nigh mainly because it was getting late and dark and we had not decided where we were going.. it was nice to get a shower and swim in a pool.. from there we headed to Gardiner, MT we were hoping the the Boiling River would be open in Yellowstone park (it is where the Gardiner River and the Boiling River meet.. it is a free all natural hot springs..) however, the river was stay to high and flowing to fast so we could not do that.. so we headed up to the Gallatin National Forest and stayed in the Tom Miner park right next to the Petrified Forest. Again, we were the only ones up there and we had a great time.. We did meet a man who was up there who was attacked by a bear up there in 2007 and came back every year.. his story was amazing and his scars were crazy.. While we were camped up there we made a day trip into town to go to Chico Hot Springs.. which is a resort with hot springs.. I want to go back there and stay at that resort.. Then on the 23rd we started making our way back home we decided to do it in 2 days since we were pretty far away.. when we got off the mountain and turned our phones on I received news that my sister Amelia had her baby.. Chloe Read Pierce born 7.2lbs at 5:00am she is so cute.

James and I on our 4 wheeler

Our drive over Beartooth Pass

Once we got back into town on Sunday we headed out to Glendo to go boating with our friends.. after all we were not ready to end our vacation just quit yet. The following weekend I went down to Denver to see my sister and to meet my new niece.. she is so tiny and cute.. I was able to do a small photo shoot with her at 1 week old..

Chloe Read Pierce 1 week old

I hope everyone has had an awesome summer so far...

That pretty much sums up my summer so far.. this weekend we are going to the lake for our friends birthday and we are going to go boating, knee boarding and tubing.. it should be fun..