9th time's a charm!

So I've decided that bread making is not for the faint of heart... today, for the first time in two weeks, we had a winner. My 9th loaf of bread is delicious! From forgetting the butter, to bad yeast, to opening the top of the bread maker, to over kneading that stupid dough... I think I finally got it right. However I did perfect my meat loaf slicing skills along the way, as that's what the bread resembled most often. We love great harvest bread, and I had given in to the fact that we'd probably end up buying our bread there for the rest of our life, thank goodness for their punch card! But at almost $5 a loaf, I desperately needed to get this thing right... So, finally, we have a decent loaf, Praise the Lord! (Too bad I dropped it when it was still hot and the top got crunched down :( but at least it tastes good!)

Going Strong

Homemade spaghetti!!! It really doesn't get better than this. Kelsey has come a long way in her spaghetti making skills. Most husbands can identify with what I'm saying. I never complained before, I just ate the bad spaghetti with a grateful heart. But now that things are soooooo much better, I make comments like "This is the best spaghetti you have ever made. This so much better than last time. I can't believe how much better this is..." Usually, Kelsey gives me the stare and I quit. Recipe: sugarless red sauce, grass fed ground beef, whole wheat pasta.

Cajun shrimp and polenta. One of my new favorites. We had this for the first time at the Williamson's house. Simple yet delicious. Just shrimp in cajun seasonings and polenta.

Spaghetti squash. Not really good, not really bad. It's squash. What makes it worthwhile is its versatility. You can eat it sweet with a little butter and agave nectar or you can eat it savory as a pasta substitute.

So if you tilt your head sideways... This meal is a staple in our home. Crockpot beef, slow cooked in beer and salsa. Just add peppers and onions; slap it in a corn tortilla and you're good to go.

One of the questions we often get asked is, "What do you eat for snacks?" Lots of popcorn, fruit, toast with jam, almonds, and dried fruit. We're doing well.

Moroccan Chicken Stew and cous cous

There's been a few requests for the recipe for this delicious stew, so here it is.. (thanks Beth for sharing it with me!)

In a large pot heat 1 tbs of olive oil for 2 minutes then add 1 small diced onion and 3 cloves of minced garlic, saute for 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 tsp tumeric, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 2 bay leaves and 3 whole cloves. cook for 3 minutes. Add 2 cups of chicken broth and 4 raw skinless/boneless chicken breasts plus 1 can of diced tomatoes. Simmer covered for 25 minutes. Stir in 1 large sliced carrot, 1 cup peas, 4 small squash, 1 cup corn, 1 can of chick peas (drain and rinsed), 1 tsp salt and 1/2 cup of raisins. Simmer 10 more minutes, break the chicken up into pieces and serve over whole wheat cous cous.

For the couscous, bring 2 cups of chicken broth, 1 cup of water and 1 tbs of butter to a boil, add 2 cups of whole wheat cous cous, remove from heat, cover for 5 minutes then fluff with a fork. Serve stew in a bowl over the cous cous. Enjoy!!

A Fantastic Week of Food; mostly

The best shrimp pasta I've ever had. It was a combination of whole wheat pasta, garlic, lemon juice and zest, white wine, tomato, basil, chili pepper, and olive oil. It was fantastic.

Something new and different, yet very delicious. Scalloped corn. If you like baked mac & cheese, you'll love this. I know it may not sound like an adequate substitute for a comfort food, but it hit the spot. It's like a corn, egg, cheese, red pepper, and chili pepper bake. I highly recommend this one.

So Kelsey is a master grocery shopper. She snagged this wild salmon for $3.99 per lb at Albertson's. It was pan seared, 5-7 minutes on each side (America's Test Kitchen recipe). I had the leftovers for lunch today. Very good.

So this may not look appetizing, but it is one of my favorites. Just chicken with squash, carrots, tomatoes, and lots of pesto. I could eat this every week.

We promised to be transparent... Kelsey attempted a fish stew/soup thingy. You know how some foods don't look good but taste fantastic? Well, this one tasted as bad as it looked. I am purely going by Kelsey's assessment. I never got a chance to taste it. But the smell lingered. We both like fish, but I don't think fish soup is our thing. Something about fish swimming in its own juices is repulsive.

Do not try this at home. The recipe is called "sweet potato cookies." I got my hopes up when Kelsey told me that she was making cookies. First, what a cruel, cruel thing to do to a guy who has just given up sugar and is searching for a sweet treat that fits into the eating plan. Anyway, these aren't cookies and they did not taste sweet. They are basically: sliced, seasoned, and baked yams. Proceed with caution.

I saved perhaps the best for last. If you attend Gresham Bible Church, then these delightful muffins graced the snack on Sunday. Wonderful! Made with spelt flour and sweetened with pure maple syrup and raw honey. I found a sweet treat. Once again, "Great Food, Good Medicine" has been a great resource.

The eating plan is going exceptionally well. We feel great, we're eating some delicious food, and we are losing weight. Kelsey's planning, shopping, and cooking are the key.

Posts are on the way...

Our computer is in the shop. We have lots to update you on.

Food and Family

Sooooooo... Kelsey has been cooking up a storm! I have included some pictures of the recent delights that she has prepared. On January 1st she made the roasted chicken, grilled asparagus, and french potato salad I mentioned in a previous blog. Then, last night she threw down on Moroccan chicken stew with whole wheat cous cous. I'm talkin bout some good cookin.

This blog is about food, but I have to show you a few pictures of the kids. And by the way, little Ms. Olive is diggin the healthy food. Kelsey and I just commented to each other that we have never seen her eat so well. Go figure.

Let's do this!

Meal planning: done
Pantry: purged
Shopping: done
Fridge: cleaned out and organized
Temptations: eliminated (barring Olive's potty treats)
Regrets: none
Morale: we are so pumped!

The question I keep asking myself is: "What took us so long to make the change?" It got me thinking about other areas of my life that lack purpose and intention. It is so easy to go with the flow and respond rather than initiate (I'll stop there because a I feel a sermon coming on).

I have to tell you about an excellent resource that Judie Busch (the wife of Greg Busch, a stud elder at GBC) passed on to Kelsey; the book is titled, "Good Food, Great Medicine." It was written by a doctor from Portland. Kelsey loves it. Another good resource, Kelsey Willard. She is the queen of granola. Oh, and one more, The Nourishing Gourmet. We like their site so much that we've added it to our favorites list.

Here is a quick update on our food cost. Keep in mind our goal is to stay under $350 each month for all food and household items. But we recognize that we may spend more the first month.

• $62 for everything at Winco, shout out to their Bob's Red Mill bulk section!
• $10 at Great Harvest
• $92 at Costco
• $89 at Trader Joe's
• $36 at New Seasons

We should be solid for the next 2 1/2 -3 weeks.

Tonight we're having: whole roasted chicken, grilled asparagus, and french potato salad. Bon appetit.

Shop til we drop

So most of the feedback we've gotten so far has been, "It (eating only unprocessed foods) is going to be so expensive!" While it's true whole unprocessed foods cost more and processed foods cost less (due to their longer shelf life), we're not expecting to spend a ton more money. Presently, our food, eating out, coffee, and household items budget is $275 per month. With our new eating plan we are budgeting for $350 per month. Although initially we think we'll spend more stocking our cupboards with the essentials. The additional $75 is for more fresh produce and the premium you pay for things like pure maple syrup and uncooked raw honey. We'll keep you posted on the food budget. We're going for as much transparency as possible.

We had a good time shopping last night. We went to Trader Joe's (cheap), Costco (awesome), and New Seasons Market (great service). We love all three stores. Kelsey has the first two weeks of meals all planned out. In future post we'll rate our meals and import pictures of the visually appetizing ones. And we'll probably tell you about the duds too : ) Kelsey is excited to cook and I'm excited to eat and we're both excited to feel better and lose weight. We keep telling each other how excited we are. Dr. Drake, Kelsey's OB went all-natural and he has lost over 50 lbs! Go Dr. Drake!

Purging the Pantry

We knew the day would come--the day when we would have to purge our home of all processed foods. Let me explain what that entails:

• Good-bye cheetos
• See you later Captain Crunch
• So long Dr. Peeper
• Adios frozen pizzas
• Hasta luego Haagan-dazs
• Bon voyage canned soups
  
• Ciao Mrs. Buttersworth
  
• Farewell Cheddar Goldfish (one of Olive's snacks that became a house favorite)

We were able to donate most our food to a family in need from McCarty; they were extremely grateful.

Enjoy the before and after pictures.

Getting 'it' out of our system

So... It's 2 days before Christmas and 8 days before we go granola. I had Chinese twice this week. We're having Mexican tomorrow. Lots of sugar on Christmas (ummm egg nog lattes). We'll have Boccelis alfredo on Sunday. And Round Table and Bugerville sometime next week. It's kinda like a Fat Tuesday except over the course of a week. Psychologically it may help. Probably not, but so what. Oh yea, a trip to Popeyes too. Although we may enjoy the foods we'll eat over the next week, we're convinced our lifestyle change will be worth sacrificing the greasy goodness of takeout. Cheers!