Still have the last 15 pounds to go just to be as fat as I was before.
Sigh.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Relish! Review (Again)
I will first acknowledge that reviewing Relish! is not what this blog purports to be about. I will, however, defend what I'm doing by saying - hey, at least I'm writing about food which is relevant to losing (or the failure to lose) weight.
Last night was mini broccoli quiches with red pepper hash browns. First - we winged it for the recipes again (couldn't get online in the kitchen). Second - I will never buy frozen hash browns again.
The quiches were yummy - think baked omelet in big muffin tins. We used egg, milk, cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon and some fresh oregano. Baked at 375 for about 20/25 minutes. Yum. I had one, the Man had two. I had one for breakfast.
Frozen hash browns cooked in a skillet were lack luster. When I finally had a chance to look at the recipe on Relish! it called for putting sauteed red bell pepper on the top of the hash browns before serving. I don't think it would have made an appreciable difference.
So far - and I guess I'm repeating myself - both the Man and me are happy with the inspiration we are getting from the service. Still hoping to get wowed by the full package.
P.S. I'm having the ribs for lunch with rice and broccoli. Zero waste from that meal. Bonus!
Last night was mini broccoli quiches with red pepper hash browns. First - we winged it for the recipes again (couldn't get online in the kitchen). Second - I will never buy frozen hash browns again.
The quiches were yummy - think baked omelet in big muffin tins. We used egg, milk, cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon and some fresh oregano. Baked at 375 for about 20/25 minutes. Yum. I had one, the Man had two. I had one for breakfast.
Frozen hash browns cooked in a skillet were lack luster. When I finally had a chance to look at the recipe on Relish! it called for putting sauteed red bell pepper on the top of the hash browns before serving. I don't think it would have made an appreciable difference.
So far - and I guess I'm repeating myself - both the Man and me are happy with the inspiration we are getting from the service. Still hoping to get wowed by the full package.
P.S. I'm having the ribs for lunch with rice and broccoli. Zero waste from that meal. Bonus!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Yum
The Korean style ribs were a hit. Dead easy and yummy. In our house, they need a little more heat so maybe more peppers or some red pepper flakes next time.
I love having an acceptable meal from the crockpot. Generally, I am not a huge fan and the Man even less so.
Of course, these were not exactly from Relish! but the rib menu suggestion on the site inspired us to try something different than we usually eat. I did kind of make the broccoli recipe from Relish! but I was too timid with my use of vinegar so it turned out pretty bland.
Tonight mini-broccoli quiches. They are crustless. It is nice that they will use (in our version anyway) the same cheddar cheese, bacon, and broccoli as was used in meals earlier in the week. The side is some kind of hash brown casserole I think? or maybe it is just hash browns? Either way, I'll let you know how it comes out!
I love having an acceptable meal from the crockpot. Generally, I am not a huge fan and the Man even less so.
Of course, these were not exactly from Relish! but the rib menu suggestion on the site inspired us to try something different than we usually eat. I did kind of make the broccoli recipe from Relish! but I was too timid with my use of vinegar so it turned out pretty bland.
Tonight mini-broccoli quiches. They are crustless. It is nice that they will use (in our version anyway) the same cheddar cheese, bacon, and broccoli as was used in meals earlier in the week. The side is some kind of hash brown casserole I think? or maybe it is just hash browns? Either way, I'll let you know how it comes out!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Relish! Reviewed - Week One Night One
So even though I have kind of given up on losing weight for the moment, I thought I would take a minute to review Relish!
It has only been one night but so far it has been both a smashing success and a dismal failure.
We chose five meals from the fifteen presented. Two are beef, two are vegetarian, and one is seafood. It seemed that the chicken recipe(s) (honestly I can't remember if there was more than one) was too oriented to kids (some kind of chicken fingers with dipping sauce). We liked the sound of all the beef choices but that was too much beef for one week. Too many vegetarian options. I don't eat pork so those were out (although we substituted a beef recipe I wanted to try for one of the pork selections).
Pros -
- I loved having a discrete list for the store - no wandering around the store wondering what I could buy that wouldn't spoil if we didn't get to cook. It was quick to get through the store.
- I pulled the laptop right up to the kitchen to make dinner. Seems a print out would be warranted only if the recipe is worth going back to again.
- We have plans (as well as proteins and produce) for meals all week.
Cons -
- It did seem like I spent a ton of money at the store (even when I subtract the paper products and mustards - yes mustardS - we have some condiment issues at our house).
- The soup we made was awful.
Last night's dinner was Baked Potato Soup with Baguette and Dill Butter. I prepped everything as directed in the recipe. Cooked everything as directed in the recipe. Hubby doctored the heck out of the blandness that was the soup. Still a big YAWN. We decided that this was a case where we should have taken the concept of the menu item and figured out how to make it on our own so it would be more to our liking. The most inspired part of the meal was Hubby's decision to use the dill butter on the potato skins that otherwise would have gotten thrown away - definitely the best part of dinner!
I think the thing we will take most from Relish!, in addition to the organizational aspect, is the inspiration to try different things so dinner doesn't get too boring. We can see having some fun in the kitchen trying to make the best _______________ (fill in the blank - whatever the menu item on Relish! is) with or without the help of the recipe. We both enjoy cooking so hopefully this will inspire us to get out of our rut.
Tonight I am trying Korean-style Short Ribs (a substitution for the Relish! recipe which was some kind of Asian-style pork ribs in the crock) with Sesame Broccoli (part of the original Relish! menu for the day).
Obviously, using Relish! is a work in progress for us. Hopefully it will be a positive experience overall . . .
It has only been one night but so far it has been both a smashing success and a dismal failure.
We chose five meals from the fifteen presented. Two are beef, two are vegetarian, and one is seafood. It seemed that the chicken recipe(s) (honestly I can't remember if there was more than one) was too oriented to kids (some kind of chicken fingers with dipping sauce). We liked the sound of all the beef choices but that was too much beef for one week. Too many vegetarian options. I don't eat pork so those were out (although we substituted a beef recipe I wanted to try for one of the pork selections).
Pros -
- I loved having a discrete list for the store - no wandering around the store wondering what I could buy that wouldn't spoil if we didn't get to cook. It was quick to get through the store.
- I pulled the laptop right up to the kitchen to make dinner. Seems a print out would be warranted only if the recipe is worth going back to again.
- We have plans (as well as proteins and produce) for meals all week.
Cons -
- It did seem like I spent a ton of money at the store (even when I subtract the paper products and mustards - yes mustardS - we have some condiment issues at our house).
- The soup we made was awful.
Last night's dinner was Baked Potato Soup with Baguette and Dill Butter. I prepped everything as directed in the recipe. Cooked everything as directed in the recipe. Hubby doctored the heck out of the blandness that was the soup. Still a big YAWN. We decided that this was a case where we should have taken the concept of the menu item and figured out how to make it on our own so it would be more to our liking. The most inspired part of the meal was Hubby's decision to use the dill butter on the potato skins that otherwise would have gotten thrown away - definitely the best part of dinner!
I think the thing we will take most from Relish!, in addition to the organizational aspect, is the inspiration to try different things so dinner doesn't get too boring. We can see having some fun in the kitchen trying to make the best _______________ (fill in the blank - whatever the menu item on Relish! is) with or without the help of the recipe. We both enjoy cooking so hopefully this will inspire us to get out of our rut.
Tonight I am trying Korean-style Short Ribs (a substitution for the Relish! recipe which was some kind of Asian-style pork ribs in the crock) with Sesame Broccoli (part of the original Relish! menu for the day).
Obviously, using Relish! is a work in progress for us. Hopefully it will be a positive experience overall . . .
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Ssssssssslacker!
Oh, boy! Do I suck at this blog thing or what? I am guessing that my lack of enthusiasm for blogging is directly correlated to my lack of enthusiam for being on program!
Weight-wise, I am pretty much where I was when I started this whole thing. Fourteen point six pounds to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I haven't been to a meeting in about three weeks. I haven't journaled in probably four. And my heart hasn't been in it for probably six. Which is pretty sad since this whole shindig has only been on for about seven or eight weeks.
Anyway, I did go running last night after work. Week 1, Day 1 of the Couch-to-5K (C25K). I really thought about it and I *can* run at least once a week after work then do Friday mornings (since my commute is about five minutes on Friday instead of an hour) and Sundays. I only need 90-minutes total for the whole week. I CAN FIND THAT TIME! I just need to get over my old way of always running really early in the morning. That isn't possible right now so I have to adapt. See Erika adapt. Adapt, Erika, adapt.
So I think I'm going to try to focus on exercise for a bit and then go back to the food thing when I can wrap my head around that. Obviously I can't get into the groove on Weight Watchers right now but I can do SOMETHING.
Also, I signed up for a menu planner service called Relish! I haven't used it yet, but conceptually I really like it. The program provides you with fifteen dinner options each week; pick five and a grocery list is generated based on the menu and the number of servings you designate. I just registered for three months to try it out. If it is something we are able to integrate into our lives I'll sign up for the year.
Weight-wise, I am pretty much where I was when I started this whole thing. Fourteen point six pounds to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I haven't been to a meeting in about three weeks. I haven't journaled in probably four. And my heart hasn't been in it for probably six. Which is pretty sad since this whole shindig has only been on for about seven or eight weeks.
Anyway, I did go running last night after work. Week 1, Day 1 of the Couch-to-5K (C25K). I really thought about it and I *can* run at least once a week after work then do Friday mornings (since my commute is about five minutes on Friday instead of an hour) and Sundays. I only need 90-minutes total for the whole week. I CAN FIND THAT TIME! I just need to get over my old way of always running really early in the morning. That isn't possible right now so I have to adapt. See Erika adapt. Adapt, Erika, adapt.
So I think I'm going to try to focus on exercise for a bit and then go back to the food thing when I can wrap my head around that. Obviously I can't get into the groove on Weight Watchers right now but I can do SOMETHING.
Also, I signed up for a menu planner service called Relish! I haven't used it yet, but conceptually I really like it. The program provides you with fifteen dinner options each week; pick five and a grocery list is generated based on the menu and the number of servings you designate. I just registered for three months to try it out. If it is something we are able to integrate into our lives I'll sign up for the year.
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