I lack creativity…..there I said it

You all know that I speak of working long hours and eating out but half the battle in eating well is having a little creativity in the kitchen.  Being raised in the South, I know how to cook a cadre of really good tasting but not good for your rump size food.

So when I’m stumped for what to do for dinner when we are staying at home, it’s a bit challenging for me to come up with something beyond grilled meat and a salad.  I blogged about Gigi’s Throw Together Salad and let me tell you even that was a chore to put together that recipe because I seriously throw it together without thinking, pretty much whatever is in the refrigerator on some days.

My husband is retired and he never really cooked that much before.  So same thing….low creativity in the kitchen with high calorie outputs.  Enter Home Chef….

We love Home Chef!  This has been life changing for us.  First, we don’t have to go to the store.  I hate going to the store and there are so many temptations on all those end caps that it is like a gambling addict walking through a room full of screaming slot machines.  Second, Home Chef taught my husband how to cook.  BONUS!!  Third, we don’t waste any food, EVER.

They have many choices and you are never stuck with a meal you don’t like.  I frequently get online and plan my meals weeks in advance.  They deliver the meal to your door weekly.  Everything is in portion sizes so it is cost effective and there is no waste.  The recipe cards have nice pictures and are easy to follow.  Meals usually take 25-30 minutes to prepare with 45 minutes pretty much the max time.  You can choose low carb, low calorie, gluten free, and vegan options.  You can also order lunches, smoothies, and fruit baskets.  The price is amazing with meals starting at $7.99 a piece.   When was the last time you had a meal in a restaurant that was tasty and healthy and only cost $8!

When I do make myself go to the grocery store (or in most cases order online) and I have a meal in mind, it frequently costs $40-50 to purchase all of the ingredients which you always have too much of and then it sits in the pantry or the refrigerator and goes bad.  Not the case with Home Chef!

The good thing about these meal services is that it does expand your  ideas and gets your creative juices going.  One night, I remembered that my husband  had made a really good fish taco with coleslaw so I pulled out the recipe card and did a spin off version of that with some food we had in the refrigerator; chicken breast instead of fish, chili infused olive oil, slaw mix, Sriracha, lime juice, avocado slices, and wheat tortillas.

There are other services out there such as Blue Apron, Sun Basket, and others.  I’m sure they are all comparable.  We actually started out on Blue Apron but there were some strange things on the menu that I couldn’t wrap my brain around.  Home Chef has been a perfect fit for us.

For Weight Watchers followers, I simply add the recipe online and the serving size (in our case 2) to calculate what the points per dish are.  There are some higher point dishes so I am careful on those days to make sure I eat lighter at breakfast and lunch.    Tonight: Crispy Onion Chicken with Creamy Mushrooms and Green Beans.  Mr. Shaw gets all the mushrooms, not my thing.  I calculated this meal out to be 9 points. 

 I did add the Bourbon Peach Basil Smash from be MIXED that I spoke about on my blog be MIXED

 Four points for that lil darling and 13 points out the door for dinner and the drink!

Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.”  So be happy and just try it!

 

be MIXED

So if you know me at all, you know that I love to entertain and I love to do so with cocktails.  I don’t drink daily or weekly, so don’t worry, I don’t need that 12 step program.  Remember, my addiction is food.

But if you are modifying your lifestyle like me, you also know that the dreaded cocktail can add on tons of empty calories that aren’t friendly to your waist line.   And let’s be real, vodka sodas make me sad.

Well let me introduce you to be MIXED!  Jen and Cristina created be MIXED out of a love for spending time with friends and a love for indulging in the good stuff.   Jen is a Type 1 diabetic so she needed some better low calorie options for creating cocktails sans the vodka and soda option.

Be MIXED is all natural, zero calorie cocktail mixers that really add a pizazz to your rum punch.  They currently offer three flavors: cucumber mint, ginger lime, and margarita.  The really cool thing is that that they have a ton of recipes using all types of liquor as an option, so the “Skyy” really is not the limit.  Options exist such as cucumber watermelon cooler, kiwi margarita, spiked blackberry lemonade, pineapple smash, lavender lemonade, and peach basil smash to name a few.  Goodbye vodka soda!

For those of you on the Weight Watchers journey, most of these drinks can be made for 3 points each.  (Just the points for the alcohol).  Compare that to an Italian Margarita at Olive Garden (14 points)!  You can thank me later!

Where to buy you ask?  Online is the best option except for some locations.  They have a store finder on their website.  Good news, you can get it on Amazon Prime and with any luck they could add it to their Prime Now menu.  I highly recommend trying all three flavors to see what you like best.  Use the online recipe tool, choose your liquor of choice and your bartending expertise and Voila!

Cheers!

Gigi’s Throw Together Salad

I love throwing together strange combinations of salads.  I like to mix different fruits and nuts together with the peppery taste of arugula. In the winter months I will use apples and walnuts instead with a Fuji apple vinaigrette.  If you come to my house to eat, don’t be surprised by my non-traditional salads!  I usually eat these with a piece of grilled meat.  Tonight it’s Filet Mignon.  Yum!

Serves 4

  • 2 cups arugula 
  • 1 small carton raspberries
  • 1 small carton blackberries
  • 1/2 cup almonds
  • Butter spray
  • 1 tsp. Chili olive oil
  • 1 tsp. honey
  • Tony Chachere’s Cajun seasoning
  • Maple Grove Farms Citrus Vinaigrette

Rinse arugula and berries, toss together in salad bowl.  Saute almonds in butter spray and chili oil until fragrant.  Add honey and cajun seasoning.  Let cool.  Toss with salad.  If you like, toss with citrus vinaigrette.

Smart points:  4 points per serving