Thursday, January 31, 2013

Delivery dinner

Sometimes you just don't want to leave the house.


4 oz. sesame tofu with broccoli: 200 calories
1 vegetarian spring roll: 100 calories
2 vegetable steamed dumplings: 60 calories

Monday, January 28, 2013

Spaghetti and meatballs, slimmed down

Whole-wheat spaghetti with homemade turkey meatballs:


Turkey meatballs:
16 oz. ground turkey (94% lean)
1 oz. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tsp. Italian seasoning

Makes 16 meatballs, 50 calories each

Served with 1/2 cup whole wheat spaghetti: 90 calories
and 1/2 cup Whole Foods brand pasta sauce: 20 calories
Not shown: Tossed salad with fat-free Italian dressing

Saturday, January 26, 2013

A pleasant morning repast


Omelette: 2 eggs, beaten
2 mushrooms, sliced and sauteed
1/2 oz. Saint Andre cheese
220 calories

Screwdriver: 2 oz. vodka
4 oz. freshly squeezed Honeybell juice
180 calories

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Chile, 'cause it's chilly

Winter has finally struck - today's high was only in the forties, with lows in the twenties. I made chicken chile verde and cornbread.


2 chicken breast halves, poached and shredded
6 green onions
8 oz. chicken broth
4 oz. Herdez salsa verde
1 can diced mild green chiles
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Garnished with light sour cream, light Mexican blend shredded cheese, and avocado. Cornbread from a Jiffy mix.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Lunch stop: Subway

Eating healthfully on the road can be a challenge, but Subway is at nearly every exit from the interstate, and it's at least possible to get something that's not too bad. Sure, the meat is kind of icky, and the stores always smell funny, but it's better than most fast food.


6" Cold Cut Trio on wheat, with green peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, black olives, mustard, and light mayo: 420 calories.

Thankfully we have returned home safely and can start eating normal food again.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Disney Wrap-Up

So, I was naive enough to think that I would be able to blog in the evenings after days at Disney World. Um, no. A day in a Disney park is enough to knock one on one's backside, so to speak. All I could do after getting back to the hotel was have a glass of wine and space out. We left Orlando at noon and are now safely ensconced in a hotel in Atlantic Beach, where I can listen to ocean surf rather than the cacophony of a theme park.

Food at Disney actually turned out better than I expected.

Saturday we went to Epcot, and had lunch at Seasons Food Court after riding Soarin'.

Veggie wrap:


Quite tasty, albeit slightly too heavy on the eggplant.

Hard-boiled eggs (ate the whites, left the yolks behind:


Had to get some protein in since the veggie wrap didn't have much.

We met friends for dinner at Chefs de France.
Appetizer of French onion soup:


Tasty but large - I ended up leaving half of it behind.

Entree of duck breast and leg with cherry sauce:


This was cooked very well, the sauce was delicious, and there was none of that un-rendered fat that can make duck unpleasant. It was accompanied by mashed sweet potatoes and baby pattypan squash.

We spent Sunday in the Magic Kingdom. I did not eat anything there as the offerings at counter service restaurants were unappetizing. We got there first thing in the morning, then at 2:00 or so left for a swim and rest at the hotel. I had lunch poolside - a Cuban sandwich. Then we returned to the park at 7:00 to catch the Main Street Electrical Parade, the Wishes fireworks show, and a few more rides.

Monday morning we returned to Epcot, and had breakfast at the Seasons food court while waiting for our Soarin' Fastpasses to become valid.

Special K and fat-free strawberry Greek yogurt:


A satisfying breakfast that clocks in at 190 calories.

The Seasons food court definitely wins for healthy eating; the Magic Kingdom would do well to add something similar to their offerings.

Friday, January 18, 2013

Dinner stop: Denny's

Marathon drive from Charlotte to Orlando today. Stopped for dinner at a Denny's off the highway near Jacksonville. It's been well over a decade since I ate at a Denny's, so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect.

I ended up with an order of Dippable Veggies:


Six baby carrots, three celery sticks, and - no kidding - at least half a cup of ranch dressing. I did dip the veggies a bit, but didn't make a dent in the dressing bowl. I'm estimating the dressing intake at 1/2 tablespoon.

And a cup of chili:


Not so bad, vaguely reminiscent of Wendy's chili. The picture on the menu showed that it was served with sour cream and cheese, but I didn't complain when it came out without.

Veggies plus dressing: 75 calories
Chili: 280 calories

Epcot in the morning!

Thursday, January 17, 2013

On the Road to the House of Mouse

The kid has a four-day weekend coming up (MLK day followed by a teacher workday) so we're going to Disney World! Stay tuned for my attempts to stay healthy (or at least not sick) and find something tasty among the roadtrip food and theme park food.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Pot Roast

A cold and gloomy day needs a warm and hearty dinner.


Chuck roast was on sale at Harris Teeter, so I picked up one that was about two pounds.

2 pounds chuck roast
Brown on both sides, then remove to a plate

1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
Saute in the same pot for about 10 minutes

Then add:
1 1/2 cups red wine
1 1/2 cups beef broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom,
then return the roast to the pot.

Simmer for 2 1/2 hours, turning every 1/2 hour, then remove and hold in a 200 degree oven.
Strain the cooking liquid and boil until reduced by 1/2.
Add a mixture of 2 tbsp corn starch and 2 tbsp water and boil until thickened

Slice the roast and serve with the sauce.
Served with noodles and brussels sprouts.

4 oz. pot roast: 240 calories
1/2 cup yolk-free egg noodles: 100 calories
1 cup brussels sprouts in butter sauce (frozen): 90 calories

Monday, January 14, 2013

Mideast Feast

In a Middle Eastern mood tonight:


1/2 flatbread: 105 calories
1 tbsp. hummus: 40 calories
2 pieces stuffed eggplant (canned): 120 calories
2 tbsp. tzatziki (made with Fage 0% yogurt): 30 calories
3 kofta (4 oz. ground sirloin): 150 calories

Enchiladas, augmented

Trader Joe's black bean and corn enchiladas: 260 calories


Topped with 1/4 cup lite shredded mexican cheese blend: 80 calories
and 1 egg over easy: 70 calories

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Once a Year

Once every year, on a particularly gloomy winter day, I make cheese fondue. This Sunday was the day.


1/2 pound Gruyere cheese, shredded
1/2 pound Emmenthaler cheese, shredded
1 1/2 cups white wine
It also should contain 2 oz. of kirsch, but we were out of kirsch, and this being North Carolina we couldn't go buy some, because it was Sunday and the liquor laws here are ridiculous.

Cubed pumpernickel bread and sliced apples for dipping.

Calories: I don't want to know.

We didn't eat the whole dish on Sunday night, so I used the leftovers on Monday. I made French onion soup, topped with the remaining cubed bread and fondue cheese, and used what was left of the un-cubed pumpernickel to make grilled Reuben sandwiches.

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Bounty of the Season

Our family has an extraordinarily generous friend who sends us a box of Honeybell tangerines every year. It takes a certain amount of effort for a family of three to eat sixty-four tangerines before they go bad, so you'll be seeing a lot of these in the next couple of weeks.


Friday, January 4, 2013

Out to Lunch: Spice South

The wonders of a good Indian lunch buffet. This lunch at Spice South was a big splurge, calorie-wise. I'm not sure where I'd even start trying to calculate calories. But it was delicious. The great thing about Spice South is that they don't dumb down the spices for the lunch buffet - this stuff is serious. Also, in some Indian restaurants everything tastes kind of the same. These folks make each dish taste distinct.

Plate of vegetarian dishes:


Clockwise from the top there's green peas and carrots, potatoes in stew, okra and green peppers, a pappadam, and dry-cooked potatoes. 

Plate of chicken:


Clockwise from the top, tandoori chicken, curry chicken, naan, and chicken tikka masala.

And dessert:


Warm rice pudding with raisins and spices (predominantly cardamom).

A big meal, and a splurge, but I did try to keep it from becoming a total pig-out. I took small portions of each dish, did not eat rice (except for dessert), and only had one piece of naan.

As I always say to myself in this kind of situation, "All you can eat" doesn't have to mean "Eat all you can!"

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Pizza night

One of the few things I can make that nobody complains about:


Pizza made with Trader Joe's dough, tomato sauce, and lite mozzarella, plus toppings.
A small pepperoni pizza for the kid, a larger vegetarian pizza for the grownups (with red bell pepper, onions, and black olives.) I had two slices of the vegetarian, approximately 200 calories each.

Back in gear for the New Year

The fancy food and wine have been consumed, the Christmas treats have been demolished, the dishes are (mostly) washed, and it's finally time to get back to normal.


1 egg over easy
2 tbsp. shredded lite Mexican cheese blend
2 tbsp. salsa
1 piece leftover corn bread (1/12 of pan)

195 calories