The Snow's Coming, Great Recipes, Food Allergies= Good News

The Snow's Coming- This is being predicted as the biggest winter storm in decades, and I'm hoping for a snow day tomorrow! Not because I'm lazy, just coming off a three-day weekend. Here's why- since the snow is going to start here tonite, with a predicted inch or 2 (not too bad), it's the up to 4-6" more on top of that that I'm cringing about. Not fun to try and drive home AFTER work in that much white stuff. Boise never does well with snow. Too many SUV drivers think they levitate over the snow :(  Time will tell, but I love snow!!!

Lots of Great Recipes- I have been playing around with some old, and new, recipes so I thought I'd post some here-

Pesto Sauce- A nice, low fat pesto sauce I made with a HUGE batch of fresh basil, oh the smell! I swooned! Great on multi grain spaghetti- Grouprecipes.com

Cuban Black Beans and Rice- I add more heat with more chili powder, to taste. It's great otherwise! wholefoodsmarket.com  Great for vegetarians and vegans. I serve with corn chips.

Cilantro-Lime Dressing- Excellent on top of a bed of greens, with an avocado and strips of marinated lean beef, wow! Not very hot, will leave in some jalapeno seeds next time- allrecipes.com  I LOVE this website, consistently great recipes!

Carne Asada- Great with the dressing above- recipe from Marksdailyapple.com I'm playing with some of the Primal Blueprint eating plans

INGREDIENTS

▪ 1 1/2 pounds (grass fed) flank steak I used round bottom, much cheaper)

▪ 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

▪ 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped

▪ 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

▪ 1 teaspoon cumin

▪ 1 teaspoon chili powder

▪ 1 teaspoon oregano

▪ Pinch cayenne pepper

▪ 2 limes, juiced

▪ 1 orange, juiced

▪ 8 to 12 ounces beer (or beef broth)

Slice the meat on the diagonal into thin strips. Combine all ingredients in a large Ziploc bag or in a shallow dish (meat should be completely covered in liquid). Marinate in the refrigerator at least 3 hours.

Take out and drain off the marinade. Lightly salt the steak. The meat can be cooked in a skillet or grilled. Cook 3–6 minutes on each side for medium-rare. I'm going to try with chicken next time...

Sorry no photos on the other recipes, too busy!

Freezer Cooking- I have been harvesting from the freezer the last couple of weeks. It's been great being able to use up some of my green and red bell peppers I bought last fall. They were .50 each then compared to $1.50 each now. I've also started making some cobblers out of my homegrown, organic nectarines. They're awesome mixed with homegrown, organic blackberries and store bought wild blueberries (bought last summer on sale). Now I can start getting some room in my freezer back!

Food Allergies-  I found out I am allergic to dairy over winter break in December. I am off all dairy about 99%. Here's what I have seen- I used to have an occasional pimple or two, every week. All gone now. My skin looks great! I never had that problem til after... menopause. Yes, I'm there, no big deal anymore. Almond milk has been a good substitute for on top of cereal, etc. Here's a nice, non-dairy way I have used to use up my Starbucks Mocha powder (a gift)- allrecipes.com  Boiling water, coconut milk (low fat) and the powder. Not bad!

The "good news" about food allergies- I decided to see a nutritionist, a part of our Employee Assistance Program (free up to six visits), to clean up my diet and lose weight. A good time for me to do this. So far, I'm happy to say, I'm losing weight easily, and down 7 lbs. I'm sticking with whole foods, no "diet anything". I was shown this website (all free) and it really helps- fatsecret.com/  It has a database of 1000's of items that are already listed- all kinds of grocery and restaurant items. You can also add foods as needed. It helps track and calculate your food, no guessing, or writing it on a piece of paper. My husband started using it too, as he needs to lose a small amount.

The great thing about a nutritionist is that you can tailor the food you eat for what works for YOU. No sales pitch- join this, buy that. This is working, and I can feel this difference already.

Other Really Good News- I got a call last month- "your mammogram shows something, you need to come back in". The an awful long week of waiting, 12-15 films later- it came back clean, big sigh of relief. BUT, if it had been SOMETHING, it would have been small enough to treat easily, and quickly. GET A MAMMOGRAM EVERY YEAR LADIES!!! It may save your life. And tell your daughters too. Don't wait...