Day 5 of 100: Magic Notebook

Oh my goodness.  What a snowy day. I was sad to cancel my belly dance classes but I had a lot of gals who come from a long distance, so even if it was clear in the morning (which it wasn't) the drive home for everyone would have been treacherous.  I stayed in my jammies till at least noon, took a nap, got up, had lunch, and started to cook!  (still in jammies, but fresh ones!)  I also spent about an hour trying to figure out how to get the pictures on to this site from my camera.  Eventually I would like to add recipes and photos to this blog on a regular basis. 

But before I attempt my foray into cookbooking (hey there's scrapbooking so why not cookbooking????) I want to talk a bit about today's lesson:  The magic notebook.  In addition to using your notebook to journal feelings and experiences in this weight loss journey I love LOVE the suggestion that you use it record foods that cross your mind.  One of the users of this idea (from Linda Spangle's book, page 10) is Jennifer.  The best way I can tell the concept is to directly quote:  "She said, 'By writing it down, I take it out of my head. I tell myself I don't have to think about it anymore because it's recorded and I can always return to it later.'" Linda suggests to "practice the skill of observing food cues, then letting them go." 

This is very good for random things - like being out for lunch and seeing something on the menu that is particularly "sinful", or passing the bakery counter and smelling the fresh bread, or seeing the pastries. But, because I love to cook, I'm faced with it daily, in a little less random way.  If I just cooked the one meal for the one day then it would just be portion control.  But because I cook ahead many things, it's an issue of not wanting to eat it ALL the minute it is ready!  I am "worried" even about tomorrow - a big football day and snack-type foods available all day long.  I think my magic notebook will be very filled very soon!

I have three other things that I might make later, if I am so motivated, but I did put together two recipes today:

This first one is called "breakfast casserole" but truthfully, I ate it for dinner almost every night last week.  In this journey, I am trying to learn what works and what doesn't.  What works for me is to have dinner ready, portioned out and ready to heat when I walk through the door, with a minimum of sides.  It has to be filling so I'm not looking for food within an hour of dinner.  When I have this casserole with a side of steamed veggies, and maybe my cranberry orange relish, I really am set for the night.

Uncooked breakfast casserole

 

 

 

So this is the casserole finished, but unbaked.  It has to "soak" overnight.
Recipe: Layer the following:
6 slices of bread (I use high fiber that has about 70 calories per slice), diced and laid at the bottom of a 9x13 pan.  For those of you not eating bread, making this recipe without it will result in a really nice quiche sort of strata.
8 ounces sliced mushrooms sauteed in a non-stick pan with oil spray
8 ounces diced chicken sausage and 5 sliced green onions, added to cooked mushrooms and sauteed till brown
16 oz thawed frozen spinach, with the water squeezed out of it
Pour over all of this: 1 cup egg beaters, 1 cup skim milk, 1 TBS Dijon mustard (all whisked together)
Top with 3/4 cup lite or fat free cheddar or mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced tomatoes, then 1 TBS grated Parmesan cheese
Cover and let sit over night (or at least several hours) and bake at 350 for two hours.  6 servings (6PP+)

Buckwheat pilaf - this is SO easy, and can be made with anything: quinoa, lentils, barley, etc. (although cooking time and liquid might have to be varied).  Buckwheat is not wheat at all, so if you are staying away from wheat you might still want to check it out.

I am lazy and start with Miripoix - a blend of finely diced carrots, onions and celery.  This is a picture of a container of Miripoix from Trader Joe's ($2.99)

Pour this out into a non-stick pan and saute until softened.  I don't add oil, so a little way into it I have to add some water so things don't burn.  Add one cup of buckwheat, and continue sauteing for a few minutes until buckwheat becomes fragrant..  Add two cups of water or broth, lower heat, and cover for 15-20 minutes.  This almost doesn't even require cooking (like couscous... which is also another great thing to make with Miripoix) so really REALLY make sure your flame is very low.
And you get this (four servings, 4PP+ each):

Other things on the list today (but more likely might be done tomorrow): Cranberry orange relish; orange-apple-fennel salad; and apple crumble  Okay so you tell ME how fast my magic notebook is going to be filled!

Stay safe and warm and I hope you can share with my what has gone in your magic notebook.
Miriam