Superbowl Sunday

My team hasn't been in the Superbowl since, um, a long time. (Not to mention that this was a rough season for fans.) However, I'm not opposed to cheering on the other New York team. So I enjoyed watching 2 games within the last 5 years, especially since both of them were against the New England Patriots, who I despise. I think it's more I despise Tom Brady.

Now that we're coming up to this big day between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers, I still have quite a few things to look forward to. I'll list them in order of importance to me - the food, commercials, and winning a box; and here's why.

We don't do anything special or go anywhere for SB Sunday, but I do enjoy making food to eat during the game. This year I plan on making buffalo cauliflower, baked version of deep fried mushrooms, shredded buffalo chicken, Skinny Girl's bloomin' onion and have some celery and carrots to dip. Oh and beer. Beer is very important to have on a day like this. I need to think which particular beer I would like to drink during the game. The food itself makes the game but the beer is very important too.

The commercials last year were absolutely great. Some of my favorites included M&Ms and Doritos. They had several, but these two were my faves - the dog kills cat bribe, baby sling,  Chrysler is also very good with their commercials so I'm looking forward to what they'll be bringing this year. Some of the best from last year

I participate in SB boxes just like most other people in America. It's exciting and you can win some big cash! So naturally when my team isn't playing, I don't really care who wins and I want my numbers to come out so I win some money.

I do wish Budweiser would bring back the Bud Bowl. I enjoyed watching that when I was younger. There is also the Puppy Bowl which pops on during breaks. It's pretty cute to watch.

Just a few more days to go until the big game! Are you watching? What will you be eating?

Thanksgiving Plans

It's my most favorite time of the year! It's Thanksgiving Week! As much as the retailers like to rush Christmas on us right after Halloween, this is one holiday that does not get passed over in our household. I have always been a big fan of this holiday and will continue it. Naturally I enjoy having a 4-day weekend as well in addition to any overtime my husband has over this break. I also love the food! I mean, what's not to love about it?

FMM: Thanksgiving Plans

What are your plans for Thanksgiving this year? Does your family have traditions? If so, share them…(I know that some of you live outside of the US so feel free to fill us in on other holiday traditions!)

Our plans this year is hosting the holiday at our house. It will be 8 of us total - me, Ken, my mom, dad, sister, mother-in-law and grandfather. I don't really know if we have traditions, but it's something my mom always did and now when we host we do the same in our house. I always have the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV while I'm cooking. We also have food to nibble on set up on the dining room table so we can graze while the other stuff is still cooking. We usually eat aroun 1-2pm and then have plenty of leftovers for the evening.

I have always been the one to bake a pumpkin pie (since it's my favorite) and this is a tradition I think I won't ever give up!

Weekend Cooking

My husband has told me on numerous occassions that there is nothing to eat in the house, meanwhile we have cabinets and a pantry full of food. Not to mention a fruit bowl on the table and plenty of things to eat in the fridge. But I finally understand what he is saying, because many times I open the fridge to find something prepared and there is nothing, just stuff that will take a lot of work. So this weekend I cooked and baked and roasted.

Last week I had Sauerbraten for dinner at one of our local favorite pubs, Connolly Station,  and thought it was heavenly so I looked up a recipe and found one by one of my favorite Food Network hosts, Alton Brown. I had a round bottom roast in the freezer so I took it out to defrost and on Thursday night I made the marinade, browned the meat and then set the meat into the marinade to sit for the next 3 days.

On Saturday I peeled a large butternut squash, chopped it up and roasted it. When it was soft, I added it to the blender with chicken stock and salt and pepper and made a roasted butternut squash soup.

On Sunday I got up and began my heavy cooking. I first made blueberry muffins, followed by tuna salad, egg salad, roasted asparagus and baked chicken cutlets. I also chopped up chicken breast into tenderloin size pieces and have them marinating in a hawaiian flavored marinade. I plan to grill these tonight. At about 4pm I took the Sauerbraten out of the fridge and put it in the crockpot to cook. I had it cook for 3 hours on high and it came out so tender and juicy. It really was a great recipe to follow. I posted the link to it above but here it is the way I made it.

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 1 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, additional for seasoning meat
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 (3 1/2 to 4-pound) bottom round
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions

In a large saucepan over high heat combine the water, cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, onion, carrot, salt, pepper, bay leaves, cloves, juniper, and mustard seeds. Cover and bring this to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Pat the bottom round dry and rub with vegetable oil and salt on all sides. Heat a large saute pan over high heat; add the meat and brown on all sides, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side.

When the marinade has cooled to a point where you can stick your finger in it and not be burned, place the meat in a non-reactive vessel and pour over the marinade. Place into the refrigerator for 3 days. If the meat is not completely submerged in the liquid, turn it over once a day.

After 3 days of marinating, place the roast and marinade into the slowcooker and turn it on high.

Add the sugar to the meat and marinade, cover and cook until tender, approximately 3-`4 hours.

Remove the meat from the vessel and keep warm. Strain the liquid to remove the solids. Return the liquid to the pan and place over medium-high heat. Whisk in the cornstarch and cook until thickened, stirring occasionally. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps. Slice the meat and serve with the sauce.  

My Guilty Pleasures

I feel for the most part, people have guilty pleasures. Whether it's a tv show, an author, a type of food or beverage, we all have them. Here are some of mine!

Cream - it's vodka infused whipped cream. I've only had the chocolate flavor, but wow what a great thing to add on top of your iced cream!

Flip Flop Wine - I enjoy a nice glass of wine and was excited to see brand that is dedicated to summer. They make a nice array of wines. My favorites are the Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. Try a bottle. You won't be disappointed.

Since summer began, I have been grilling just about every food in our house. If you like pineapple, you will love grilled pineapple. I buy a pineapple every week and grill it to perfection.

I don't really have many shows that I watch but I do watch Real Housewives of New Jersey. I think it's great to see people make fools of themselves for a national audience. Now I can't wait for Orange County to come back!

Friend Makin' Monday!!

Friend Makin’ Mondays is always fun, but having so much interaction last week made it awesome! Don’t you think? So let’s get creative with our answers again this week and make it even better than last week! =)

 

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: http://www.alltheweigh.com/ so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

 

FMM: What’s in Your Fridge?

 

1. List a few common items that can always be found in your fridge. Chobani Greek yogurt, baby carrots, reduced sugar or sugar free chocolate syrup, lettuce, celery, broccoli, cheese, cold cuts and potato bread.
2. What kind of milk do you drink? Unsweetened vanilla Almond milk and 1% regular. I prefer skim, but my hubby likes it with a little fat. Since I do the shopping, I pick the type of milk.
3. Do you prefer fresh or frozen vegetables? Definitely fresh, but we have a freezer full of frozen veggies!
4. What do you currently have to drink in the fridge? Crystal Light raspberry lemonade, milk, Trop50 OJ, beer, and almond milk. We're not bit soda drinkers and we have bottled water, just don't keep it cold.
5. How often do you clean out your refrigerator? Since there's only 2 of us, we don't have that much stuff to keep in there so we don't need to really clean it out.
6. What’s the healthiest thing in it right now? I'm guessing the brussel sprouts. We have a lot of fresh veggies so nutrition wise, I think that's the healthiest.
7. What’s the most unhealthy thing in it right now? Smuckers Caramel sundae syrup
   
8. What do you wish you had in it that you don’t have now?  Chicken cutlets. I haven't had them in so long!!
9. How often do you shop for groceries? Once a week
10. What’s the weirdest thing in your fridge right now? I don't think we have any weird stuff. If I like it, I don't think it's weird!

Food for Thought

Changing your diet to eat healthy, is not easy. Ask anyone that's tried. I do think that with support from others, whether it's friends, family, chat forums, you can be successful. What you put in, you can get out. In all that I participate in, I do my best to put in and learn from other people and avenues on ways to improve.

At my Weight Watchers meeting tonight, we talked about being bored with food. This couldn't be more true. I have been so fearful of becoming bored with what I'm eating that I'll stop my great progress and go back to old habits. A lot of people shared foods they enjoy and I was able to offer some of my ideas. One of the big topics was chicken and how it gets so boring, especially if you eat it the same way every time. I love chicken and am happy to have found Cooking Channel (thanks mom!) and watch Food Network a lot which has helped me learn how to season my chicken differently so it tastes delicious and different every time I eat it.

One of my struggles is vegetables. My husband loves the steam vegetables because he can take them to work or just throw them in a dish of pasta (his specialty is spaghetti, steamed brussels sprouts and balsamic). I, on the other hand, get so bored with them! They all end up tasting the same no matter what vegetable I'm eating! One of my favorite ways to eat vegetables is to grill them. I do this a lot, but when you have a small grill pan to work with during the winter (even though we keep our grill out all year, I'm not grilling with a foot of snow on the ground or if the weather is below freezing) I don't always do that. One thing I remember from childhood is having roast chicken with carrots, potatoes and onions. This was something that always tasted great. The other night I decided to change up the vegetables I can grab with my dinner. I took every fresh vegetable in the house, chopped them up and roasted them. Do you know how delicious roasted vegetables taste? If not, you need to do it. It really brings out wonderful flavors and you'll probably end up eating vegetables you didn't like prepared other ways. The vegetables caramelize and become so tasty! I line a cookie sheet with foil, toss the chopped veggies on, spray with olive oil spray, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast in the oven at 450 degrees for about 30 minutes.

I've also tried to limit the types of pastas and rice I'm eating and have now incorporate a lot more quinoa into my meals. This is so easy to make, has a lot of protein and fiber and if you're doing Weight Watchers, it's only 3 PointsPlus for a half cup serving. I love to add roasted or grilled vegetables into this and make it a really delicious side. I've also noticed that you can make this ahead of time and it doesn't dry out like rice or pasta.

These were just some of my ideas. I love learning new ones, so please share yours!

April Goals and March Recap

Now that we are into our second day of April, I've had a good time to think about what goals I'd like to attain this month. I've come up with quite a few good ones that I feel fit into my new WW lifestyle as well. Before I start on April's goals, I wanted to recap how I did for March:

• Make 3 new recipes this month (I made 2, but I also made a lot of fresh marinades this month so it should count for something!)
• Finish Water for Elephants (Great book! Looking forward to the movie!)
• Go to 5 Spin Classes (I believe I made it to 7 classes!)
• Get a massage (Got this, but only because I was in pain from my shoulder through my neck. Wasn't as enjoyable as I had wanted it to be.)

My goals for April:

• Make 10 dinners without processed food - this will be tough because I use a lot of cans
• Get to the gym 21 times 
• Plant herb seedlings
• Bring my dog to the dog park everyday I have off from work, weather permitting
• Get in touch with paving stone companies for estimates

Reaching a Milestone

I consider myself a private person, especially when it comes to my weight. However, I've been following the new Weight Watchers program and happy to report I have hit an important milestone- I have lost over 10 pounds. From here, 15 pounds doesn't seem to far away. I'm more than confident I'll reach that mid-April.

When you think about what I lost, it's kind of amazing and it was only 10 pounds. That's 2 bags of potatoes or a 2 month old. That's what has disappeared from me! This will be a long journey, but I'm getting back to what I used to be and I'm excited for that!

Made in America

I’m not sure how many of you caught the special series on ABC News, Made in America, but it focused on how we as Americans own more products that are made outside of this country. The article actually states that “Economists say that if every one of us spent an extra $3.33 on U.S.-made goods every year, it would create nearly 10,000 new jobs in this country.” You know what? I can do that.

Watching this series really put into perspective the items that I use on a daily basis and what is currently in my home. Thinking about the big ticket items, most of the stuff we have is not made in USA. Of course, you won’t be able to find certain items, like electronics, that are made in USA. It just doesn’t exist. However, there are many products and other big ticket items, like appliances, that are made here.

While there isn’t anything I can do about the products we currently have in our home, going forward my husband and I have made a conscious effort to purchase American made products. We can help do our part to help strengthen our economy, we will. There might be many reasons as to why others buy American made only as it is – child labor, poor wages, import/exports, non-regulated chemicals being used, etc., but my reason is to help the US economy. This is where I live and I will do what I can to help out.

Here is another article from the story that gives you websites on where to find made in USA products.

My 4 Obsessions

I like to think of my obsessions as trends. I don't always have the same ones for very long. (I do think my longest was Farmville, although I wouldn't say I was obsessed with it to the point where it was interfering with my life. I haven't played that game in over 2 months now!) Right now there are 4 things I can't get enough of.
1. Words with Friends - If you play, my SN is MCardinal79
2. Manicures - I hope this becomes more permanent and not just a trend
3. Spinning - A love I had many many months ago and I'm so glad you've returned to my life
4. White Chocolate Infused with Pretzels Peanut Spread - I thank Tyler Florence for this obsession

What is trending with you right now?

Luck of the Irish

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I had my corned beef and cabbage, did you?

Many people talk about the luck of the Irish and the more I think about luck, I have to say I'm pretty lucky myself. I have a wonderful husband and family, great friends, a nice house, a job that I enjoy and just so many other things I feel so lucky to have.

How lucky do you feel? Think about all you have and realize that you are a lucky person.

I leave you with this Irish Blessing.
May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow. And may trouble avoid you, wherever you go.