Flotsam and Jetsam - I think, therefore I think I am. (thank you, Ambrose Bierce)
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You can find me yakking more at This Eclectic Life. I talk about anything that comes into my head at 4:30 in the morning. You'll find me saying "y'all" a lot, because I'm from Texas, but I don't brag too much about it.

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My Favorite Trail Mix

I don't know why it is called "trail mix," because I mean to tell you that I'm not doing any hiking.  But, I'm darned sure eating this particular trail mix.  It's my favorite snack these days (and just for the record...I'm losing weight!). 

It's equal parts of pecans, dark chocolate morsels, and "Craisins."  If you haven't had them, craisins are dried up cranberries, but they are unexpectedly sweet.

I am supposed to be eating nuts, because it helps lower my cholesterol, and my favorite is pecans.  Dark chocolate is supposed to be "chock" full of anti-oxidants and can lower high blood pressure, according to the Aug. 27 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.  And, I guess craisins are supposed to be healthy.

Do I know how many calories are in this?  Of course not!  Do I care?  Absolutely not.  I just know that it satisfies my cravings for sweets--which keeps me from overeating.  I gobble two tablespoons of this at mid-morning, and two tablespoons when I get hungry in the afternoon.  I swear it's helping me shed pounds.

So, any recipes for your favorite trail mix?


 

Filed under  //  recipes   trail mix  
Comment (1)
Posted 10 months ago

Lemon Dill Chicken in a Jiffy

Do you avoid cooking because it seems like too much trouble?  When I was single, I did.  And, I was avoiding it when our youngest son moved out of the house, because it seemed ridiculous to try to cook for just two people.

I've discovered that there is absolutely no reason not to have a delicious and healthful meal super quickly!  I've blogged about foil cooking before on my main blog, but I thought I'd share it here. 

I'm cooking Lemon Dill Chicken tonight and cooking it in foil. It took about 10 minutes to prepare it, and it will cook in 15 minutes.  Then, we will sit down and dine with a glass of red wine in hand.  Cleanup will be minimal!  That's the best part.

Here is the recipe for four people.  It divides well (I'm cooking for three tonight).

Cut about one and a fourth pound of chicken (you could use fish, pork, or beef if you prefer) into 1/2 inch slices and put it in a large bowl.

Add this "flavoring combo":
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, minced
4 large green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. each, salt and ground black pepper (I reduce the salt)

Add one pound of your favorite vegetables (you can choose from squash, bell peppers, asparagus, bok choy, tomatoes, mushrooms...or just about anything else you can name!).  Make sure it is cut into small pieces--about 1 inch lengths.

Mix that all together in the bowl until everything is well coated.  Then divide it into fourths.  Place each fourth of the mixture on heavy duty foil (12-by-18 inch sheets).  I usually put the protein on top of the vegetables.  Fold up the foil to make a packet and crimp it to seal it.  Set the packets on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes in a 500 degree oven.  You can also grill it on the charcoal grill for 8 minutes.  Let the packets stand for 3 minutes, open them up, and EAT!

MMMM.  Tasty!

Filed under  //  Lemon Dill Chicken   recipes  
Comments (2)
Posted 12 months ago

It's Chili Weather!


Some would say it was a travesty that I took this beautiful steak from Nolan Ryan Beef company and made chili from it.  It was the last steak I had, and alone it wasn't enough to feed two of us.  I needed lean meat to make the chili, because I'm trying to reduce my cholesterol levels (though beef isn't the best way to do that!).

Now, I won that beef in a blogging "contest" for the Texas Beef Council --but I'd buy beef from Nolan Ryan if I could afford it!  It almost melts in your mouth.  It is certainly expensive, though.

It's getting a little bit cooler here in Texas, so it seemed like chili weather.   I assembled the ingredients for Cowboy Beef and Black Bean Chili, substituting that one steak.  A true chili connoisseur would never add beans to chili.  On the other hand, I have pedestrian taste, so beans are fine with me. 

I always change the recipe somewhat, and I reduced it to cook for just two, but I definitely added beer to it.   I didn't show it in the picture, and I used a dark ale instead of just a plain old beer.  It adds a good flavor.  We liked this recipe well enough to do it again, so I thought I'd give you a link.

 

Filed under  //  chili   links   recipes  
Comments (2)
Posted 1 year ago