Archive for September, 2010

There I was lounging about in the hotel room while my husband was taking a class for his job. Nothing to do but watch T.V. I never watch day time T.V. Well, unless it is the Weather Channel, CNN, and the History Channel. But hell, I was on vacation taking a break from years of work and school. So my thoughts were on wasting the day away in guiltless pleasure.

That is when I tuned into the Dr. Oz Show. I have never seen this show but I was immediately impressed with this guy. He was describing the effects of obesity on the brain, heart, liver, pancreas, and knees. The show was advertising this guy as America’s favorite doctor. Where have I been, under a rock? I didn’t know this guy! But he offered the 10 lbs challenge. By taking off 10 lbs he said it would help your heart, diabetes and arthritis. Okay. Arthritis is my big one. So I decided, what the hay, let’s give it a whirl right? He offered this great blue bracelet for taking the challenge which I promptly hopped on my laptop to order (free by the way).

And now I invite you to come with me on the 10 lbs challenge. The more the merrier, right? I love this Dr. Oz dude. What do you think?

New York. 1981. Chromogenic color print (printed c. 2005). 18 x 11 15/16″ (45.7 x 30.4 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Marvin Hoshino. © 2010 The Estate of Helen Levitt, courtesy Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco

Hope you had a great Labor Day. I tried something new this year. I made a new dinner from top to bottom. I found some recipes on Weight Watchers and used them as “guidelines” to create a nice meal. This I what I made:
Tropical Chicken with Sweet Potato Fries:

I did a marinated “Tropical Chicken” with sweet potato fries.
Ingredients for marinate:
6 Tbsp fresh lime juice
3 Tbsp ginger paste (found in the produce section)
¼ cup apricot preserves
6 Tbsp of soy sauce
I marinated a whole cut up chicken for 12 hours before grilling. Yum!!! Frozen sweet potato fries baked in oven per directions on the package.

Then I made Chili-Lime Corn:
I had some frozen halves so I thawed them and brush them with:
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp lime zest
1 Tbsp chili powder
Salt to taste

Once on the grill I place them on the outside of the fire until they were warm then moved them onto the fire so that I could lightly char the corn along with fresh jalapenos from the garden.
With chips I made a dip which was nice with fresh veggie tray as well:

Black Bean Dip:
15 oz. canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup of Cilantro loosely packed. Very important you use fresh Cilantro.
½ cup Greek plain yogurt
½ Chipotle salsa
1 tsp. cumin
Salt and chili powder to taste. Pulse in food processor until at desired consistency then garnish w/Cilantro. Be sure to refrigerate because this dip is fresh and will only last 24 hours.

And for desert I followed the recipe except I added walnuts:
Berry Mixed Crumble:
2 cups blueberries
2 cups raspberries
¾ c. all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unpacked light brown sugar
¼ lb. of butter, melted
¼ cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse berries and set aside. In another bowl combine flour and sugar. Remove about 2 Tbsp of the flour mixture to gently toss with the berries. Place in an 8” pan
Topping add melted butter and remaining flour mixture, combine well. Crumble little bits of topping all over top of berries. Bake until it starts to bubble. I cooked mine for 35 minutes, removed from oven and cooled to room temperature. Served warm with a then slice of sharp cheddar cheese.
If you get an opportunity to use this meal let me know how you enjoyed it. I think I found a winning Labor Day meal.