Have you ever had a craving for something that you know is absolutely horrible for you?
That's me and mexican food. I have moments where all I want is a giant burrito, filled to bursting with deliciousness and a big serving of tortilla chips on the side. So good, but so, so bad for you.
While I could debate the merits of Moe's and Chipotle respectively, and probably get in an argument or two over which is better, I tend to appreciate the Chipotle style of burritos more than Moe's. From either restaurant, I do enjoy the "naked" versions, or the bowls that have everything you would put in a burrito, without the tortilla.
Except, there is not a Moe's in the town I'm living in now. Or a Chipotle. So today when the burrito-train hit me full force, I was lost. Until I regained my senses, and remembered that I can cook. A quick trip to the store, and I had embarked upon my mission to make a healthy, low fat version of a burrito from Chipotle. Given that my dad ate one in under 5 bites, and approvingly licked his fingers, I think I succeeded.
Here is the recipe (makes like, a million small burritos. And rice-beans-chicken-and-mushroom bowls. I made a lot of the filling to keep and use for quick lunches and such.):
- 4 cups rice, cooked (I added a splash of lemon juice and some cilantro, a la Chipotle)
- 1 can diced chicken, we get the big cans from Sam's Club, Member's Mark brand
- Salsa verde, amount to taste
-1 medium package of pre-sliced mushrooms
- 1 can pinto beans, drained
- Whole wheat tortillas
- low fat shredded cheese, mexican blend
1. Heat the shredded chicken in a pan with seasonings to taste (I used some chili pepper, cilantro, even some creole seasoning) and a bit of salsa verde. When the chicken is warm, add mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are desired tenderness, and chicken is shredded and super tender.
2. Heat the pinto beans to desired temperature (I just nuked 'em.)
3. Layer the burritos!
- Rice
- beans
- Chicken and mushrooms
- cheese
- a little more salsa, if desired.
I left out sour cream and guacamole because I'm always tempted to put WAY too much on. These had a lot of flavor, but weren't too spicy, but easily adjustable if I want spicy later on. One small one (I used the 'soft taco' size tortillas, and it created a decent size burrito) was enough to fill me up, and I resisted making a second because really, I knew that I could eat it, but I would be uncomfortably full later on. I didn't even need chips with it, since there was all that fiber from the beans, mushrooms, and the tortilla, with the protein of the chicken. I'm tempted to put the chicken and mushrooms on eggs for a breakfast tortilla tomorrow.
It's versatile, it's tasty, and it's healthy. I'd say that one of these burritos clocks in at way under 500 calories, compared to the nearly/over 2,000 that one from Moe's or Chipotle does. I am content, and my tummy is happily full of good noms.
Now I'm back to enjoying my day off, watching my lettuce pot garden (more on that in another post!) grow, and reading my library books. I get to see R. tomorrow, so I'm very happy today.
-A
Monday, August 15, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Family secrets.
So, there's this thing. Called "Grandma jelly."
My entire childhood can be summed up in this phrase. Grandma jelly.
In the backyard of my Grandma's house, there grows a gigantic fig tree. And every summer, the fig tree grows and grows, until it's so heavy with figs that we don't have to worry about fighting the squirrels, birds and bugs for the figs because we already have buckets and buckets of them. It is from this tree that Grandma Jelly begins.
I don't know how my Grandma decided to make Grandma jelly, but I'm glad she did. It's a mixture of fresh figs, mashed and mashed and mashed (we did it by hand, and she still does, because food processors are only good for certain things) and mixed with sugar and strawberry gelatin, cooked until perfect, then canned. The result is this figgy-berry-chunky-seedy-spreadable-wonderful-concoction that was christened "Grandma jelly."
The tree hasn't been producing as much as it has in the past, which means that Grandam Jelly production has slackened somewhat. Combined with the fact that she just doesn't have the demand that she used to, with the grandchildren almost all grown up and gone away, the stock of Grandma jelly has dwindled. But she still makes it, fresh batches that leave the house with a lingering sweet fruit smell for a week afterwards, from the end of June to middle of July when the figs are at their ripest.
I love Grandma jelly. There isn't a single thing on this earth that it isn't good on. Waffles, ice cream, PB&J sandwiches, hell, I've even used it as a sweet glaze on steak and chicken before. It's amazingly versatile. I don't know what she does, or how exactly she makes it, but it's seriously one of my favorite things in this entire world.
R. has never had Grandma jelly. But I managed to get a small jar from Grandma to give to him (how to tell she really likes him, yeah?). It may come to him opened with a few spoonfuls taken out, but it will make it. And he will enjoy Grandma jelly for the first time. I'm considering whether or not he likes it being a deciding factor in whether or not I can spend the rest of my life with him (I'm kidding! ... Maybe.).
My favorite story to tell of the power of Grandma jelly is this:
I had a supervisor at a store I worked at one summer who I really liked, J. She was a tough broad who had a sweet side when she wanted to show you, and I really enjoyed working with her. One day we were bored, the store was empty, so we started talking about our shared passion for cooking. Being summer, I shared that I was excited for the first batch of Grandma jelly to make it's appearance, and J. begged me, begged me to get her a jar. Grandma relented and gave me a small jar for her, only because J. had just found out that she was pregnant for the first time, and my Grandma is a sucker for babies and their pregnant mommas. J. rejoiced when I brought her the jar, and then two days later, she was on me like a drug addict begging for more -- she had used up the whole jar, on everything she could think of. Waffles, ice cream, pancakes, bologna sandwiches (Hey, she was pregnant!), and she wanted, no, needed more.
Are there any foods from your childhood that are family staples like Grandma jelly? What are they? How are they unique?
-A
My entire childhood can be summed up in this phrase. Grandma jelly.
In the backyard of my Grandma's house, there grows a gigantic fig tree. And every summer, the fig tree grows and grows, until it's so heavy with figs that we don't have to worry about fighting the squirrels, birds and bugs for the figs because we already have buckets and buckets of them. It is from this tree that Grandma Jelly begins.
I don't know how my Grandma decided to make Grandma jelly, but I'm glad she did. It's a mixture of fresh figs, mashed and mashed and mashed (we did it by hand, and she still does, because food processors are only good for certain things) and mixed with sugar and strawberry gelatin, cooked until perfect, then canned. The result is this figgy-berry-chunky-seedy-spreadable-wonderful-concoction that was christened "Grandma jelly."
The tree hasn't been producing as much as it has in the past, which means that Grandam Jelly production has slackened somewhat. Combined with the fact that she just doesn't have the demand that she used to, with the grandchildren almost all grown up and gone away, the stock of Grandma jelly has dwindled. But she still makes it, fresh batches that leave the house with a lingering sweet fruit smell for a week afterwards, from the end of June to middle of July when the figs are at their ripest.
I love Grandma jelly. There isn't a single thing on this earth that it isn't good on. Waffles, ice cream, PB&J sandwiches, hell, I've even used it as a sweet glaze on steak and chicken before. It's amazingly versatile. I don't know what she does, or how exactly she makes it, but it's seriously one of my favorite things in this entire world.
R. has never had Grandma jelly. But I managed to get a small jar from Grandma to give to him (how to tell she really likes him, yeah?). It may come to him opened with a few spoonfuls taken out, but it will make it. And he will enjoy Grandma jelly for the first time. I'm considering whether or not he likes it being a deciding factor in whether or not I can spend the rest of my life with him (I'm kidding! ... Maybe.).
My favorite story to tell of the power of Grandma jelly is this:
I had a supervisor at a store I worked at one summer who I really liked, J. She was a tough broad who had a sweet side when she wanted to show you, and I really enjoyed working with her. One day we were bored, the store was empty, so we started talking about our shared passion for cooking. Being summer, I shared that I was excited for the first batch of Grandma jelly to make it's appearance, and J. begged me, begged me to get her a jar. Grandma relented and gave me a small jar for her, only because J. had just found out that she was pregnant for the first time, and my Grandma is a sucker for babies and their pregnant mommas. J. rejoiced when I brought her the jar, and then two days later, she was on me like a drug addict begging for more -- she had used up the whole jar, on everything she could think of. Waffles, ice cream, pancakes, bologna sandwiches (Hey, she was pregnant!), and she wanted, no, needed more.
Are there any foods from your childhood that are family staples like Grandma jelly? What are they? How are they unique?
-A
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Tea and poetry.
One of my greatest loves in life has been constant and true, never failing: Tea.
It may be pandering to a stereotype of Southerners by saying that I love sweet tea more than any other beverage, but it's true. At least when the tea is brewed, not made from syrup in a soda fountain. Good tea. Not bad tea.
Is there really a difference between good tea and bad tea? Isn't all tea packed with the antioxidants and flavanoids that make it such a health benefit? Well, possibly, and I'm not a scientist to make any kind of solid comment on that front, and I'm feeling too lazy to do any research on the subject at present (I will probably end up doing some, though, just because not knowing something is one of my greatest irritations in life). But I know that there is a definite taste difference that leads to the conclusion that a glass of sweet tea is Good tea, or Bad tea. Just ask the Brits. They'll tell you.
I started out my life drinking sweet tea and sweetened hot tea at my grandma's house (any surprise there, folks?). The hot tea was mainly because I could sneak a few extra scoops of sugar into the mug, and then be left with the grainy melty sweet stickiness at the bottom of the cup when I had finished the tea. Sweet iced tea has always been one of my favorite things about Grandma's house, though. Even though I know that she doesn't do anything special, doesn't buy anything other than the cheapest brand of tea and use regular sugar, somehow it just tastes better. Maybe because it's made with love? (*wink*)
As I got older, I began to experience new kinds of tea. Flavored black teas, herbal teas, and green tea. As a singer, I developed "magic tea" which is a herbal tea mixed with mint, honey, and a little bit of lemon that just plain made a sore throat feel better, and saved my voice on occasion. I like green tea when I'm drinking hot tea, mostly because I've managed to convince myself that it's better for me, and I do enjoy green tea with lemon iced. There is nothing that holds more meaning of cold weather happiness to me than a big mug of chai tea, inhaling the cinnamon and clove scent, luxuriating in the complex flavors of a good chai.
I'm trying to cut back the caffeine in the evenings, since I do have to get up at a regular time these days. I drink a lot of water at work (it's seriously hot outside in Florida, y'all. Seriously. And humid. Water is my best friend), and I like to have a good herbal tea at night just to break up the routine of water, and it's something other than soda to give it flavor.
And there is no other past time in my life I enjoy more than curling up with a book and a mug of tea, even in hot weather. Since I got two new books from the library today, I think that's what I'll do.
What are you favorite beverages? Do they hold any meaning to you?
-A
It may be pandering to a stereotype of Southerners by saying that I love sweet tea more than any other beverage, but it's true. At least when the tea is brewed, not made from syrup in a soda fountain. Good tea. Not bad tea.
Is there really a difference between good tea and bad tea? Isn't all tea packed with the antioxidants and flavanoids that make it such a health benefit? Well, possibly, and I'm not a scientist to make any kind of solid comment on that front, and I'm feeling too lazy to do any research on the subject at present (I will probably end up doing some, though, just because not knowing something is one of my greatest irritations in life). But I know that there is a definite taste difference that leads to the conclusion that a glass of sweet tea is Good tea, or Bad tea. Just ask the Brits. They'll tell you.
I started out my life drinking sweet tea and sweetened hot tea at my grandma's house (any surprise there, folks?). The hot tea was mainly because I could sneak a few extra scoops of sugar into the mug, and then be left with the grainy melty sweet stickiness at the bottom of the cup when I had finished the tea. Sweet iced tea has always been one of my favorite things about Grandma's house, though. Even though I know that she doesn't do anything special, doesn't buy anything other than the cheapest brand of tea and use regular sugar, somehow it just tastes better. Maybe because it's made with love? (*wink*)
As I got older, I began to experience new kinds of tea. Flavored black teas, herbal teas, and green tea. As a singer, I developed "magic tea" which is a herbal tea mixed with mint, honey, and a little bit of lemon that just plain made a sore throat feel better, and saved my voice on occasion. I like green tea when I'm drinking hot tea, mostly because I've managed to convince myself that it's better for me, and I do enjoy green tea with lemon iced. There is nothing that holds more meaning of cold weather happiness to me than a big mug of chai tea, inhaling the cinnamon and clove scent, luxuriating in the complex flavors of a good chai.
I'm trying to cut back the caffeine in the evenings, since I do have to get up at a regular time these days. I drink a lot of water at work (it's seriously hot outside in Florida, y'all. Seriously. And humid. Water is my best friend), and I like to have a good herbal tea at night just to break up the routine of water, and it's something other than soda to give it flavor.
And there is no other past time in my life I enjoy more than curling up with a book and a mug of tea, even in hot weather. Since I got two new books from the library today, I think that's what I'll do.
What are you favorite beverages? Do they hold any meaning to you?
-A
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Well, hi.
It's been a while. Over a month, actually.
I didn't mean to take that long of a hiatus, but my life has been kind of moving along at a pace faster than I can keep up with, so I let the non-essential activities slide by the wayside in order to continue to be able to handle the important things. You know, work, eating, paying bills, sleeping. That kind of thing.
The move back home as officially been completed, and R. is safely off to his internship. It's going to be a very long six months of only being able to see each other on occasion when our schedules line up (if it ever happens. I'm crossing my fingers!), if the two months where he was back in California were any indication. I miss him. He did, however, leave me the pancake mix and chocolate chips. He did this while knowing full well how terrible I am at making them. I'm going to take this as a sign that he'll be back for them.
Most days, I work. Which means breakfast in the morning, a packed lunch of whatever I can grab while rushing in the morning, and dinner of some kind. My job doesn't allow me the ability to snack at all, which means I've had to adjust my eating habits since snacking was one of the main ways I was able to keep hunger at bay, and continue to make smart eating choices. That is, when the snacks were smart to begin with. But now I've learned to adjust to three meals a day, not overloading one or the other, and keeping things healthy. A sandwich for lunch, or leftovers, possibly some rice with chicken and salsa verde and a few Babybel cheese wheels melted in. Breakfast is oatmeal mixed with greek yogurt for protein, and dinner is usually a protein and carb, and a vegetable if I can get my hands on it. All well and good.
I admit that there are downfalls. Like the fact that even though I know I get lunch, I never really know when I'm going to lunch -- so it could be earlier or later than I expected. If it's earlier, I'm starving by the time I get off work, and stopping by Chick-fil-A or Great Wraps is a much more appealing option for dinner than coming home and wasting time cooking. Take time to cook while hungry, or have instant gratification of waffle fries in mouth? It's a difficult conundrum. There are days when I eat late and I'm still starving. I have managed to keep the worst of those at bay with an emergency Luna protein bar in my lunch box for desperate times, but there are only so many protein bars you can eat in your life before you hate them. Even tasty ones like Luna bars.
I haven't been very creative with cooking lately, so I don't have any good recipes to share with you. But I promise that I will, very soon. I'm working on writing up some of my old standbys that I usually just make from memory. Some of them I don't think I ever wrote down, I just created. It's about time I wrote those down.
Life is good, even if the future seems lonely right now. I'll try not to get sappy on you guys, but I will say that I feel like Bonnie without her Clyde right now.
-A
P.S. R. managed to get my Grandma to allow him to cook in her kitchen. She refused to sit down or "not help" the entire time, but it's still a pretty amazing feat. It's things like this that make me love him!
I didn't mean to take that long of a hiatus, but my life has been kind of moving along at a pace faster than I can keep up with, so I let the non-essential activities slide by the wayside in order to continue to be able to handle the important things. You know, work, eating, paying bills, sleeping. That kind of thing.
The move back home as officially been completed, and R. is safely off to his internship. It's going to be a very long six months of only being able to see each other on occasion when our schedules line up (if it ever happens. I'm crossing my fingers!), if the two months where he was back in California were any indication. I miss him. He did, however, leave me the pancake mix and chocolate chips. He did this while knowing full well how terrible I am at making them. I'm going to take this as a sign that he'll be back for them.
Most days, I work. Which means breakfast in the morning, a packed lunch of whatever I can grab while rushing in the morning, and dinner of some kind. My job doesn't allow me the ability to snack at all, which means I've had to adjust my eating habits since snacking was one of the main ways I was able to keep hunger at bay, and continue to make smart eating choices. That is, when the snacks were smart to begin with. But now I've learned to adjust to three meals a day, not overloading one or the other, and keeping things healthy. A sandwich for lunch, or leftovers, possibly some rice with chicken and salsa verde and a few Babybel cheese wheels melted in. Breakfast is oatmeal mixed with greek yogurt for protein, and dinner is usually a protein and carb, and a vegetable if I can get my hands on it. All well and good.
I admit that there are downfalls. Like the fact that even though I know I get lunch, I never really know when I'm going to lunch -- so it could be earlier or later than I expected. If it's earlier, I'm starving by the time I get off work, and stopping by Chick-fil-A or Great Wraps is a much more appealing option for dinner than coming home and wasting time cooking. Take time to cook while hungry, or have instant gratification of waffle fries in mouth? It's a difficult conundrum. There are days when I eat late and I'm still starving. I have managed to keep the worst of those at bay with an emergency Luna protein bar in my lunch box for desperate times, but there are only so many protein bars you can eat in your life before you hate them. Even tasty ones like Luna bars.
I haven't been very creative with cooking lately, so I don't have any good recipes to share with you. But I promise that I will, very soon. I'm working on writing up some of my old standbys that I usually just make from memory. Some of them I don't think I ever wrote down, I just created. It's about time I wrote those down.
Life is good, even if the future seems lonely right now. I'll try not to get sappy on you guys, but I will say that I feel like Bonnie without her Clyde right now.
-A
P.S. R. managed to get my Grandma to allow him to cook in her kitchen. She refused to sit down or "not help" the entire time, but it's still a pretty amazing feat. It's things like this that make me love him!
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