2.27.2017

Carrot & Sweet Potato Bisque

Ingredients

  1. 2 Tbl Olive Oil
  2. 1/4 cup butter
  3. 2 small & 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
  4. 10 large carrots, peeled and chopped
  5. 2 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
  6. 2 medium onions, chopped
  7. 1 tsp chopped garlic
  8. 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger, peeled
  9. 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  10. Sea salt to taste
  11. 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  12. 1/2 teaspoon curry
  13. 1/2 teaspoon All spice
  14. Dash nutmeg (to taste)
  15. 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  16. Dash cayenne
  17. 1 Tbl Sriracha
  18. 2 cups low-sodium organic chicken or vegetable broth
  19. 2 C half N half
  20. 2-4C water
  21. ½ C Orange Juice

Directions

1. Coat dutch oven with olive oil and butter in a large, (heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat). Place the chopped onion in the pot until translucent, add garlic. Next, add 2 C broth, sweet potatoes, carrots, apple, and stir and cook the apples and vegetables until soft.
2. Stir in all seasonings; ginger, ground black pepper, salt, cumin, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes. Mash occasionally with potato mashers.
3. Working in batches, pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use an emulsifier and puree the soup right in the cooking pot.
4. Return the pureed soup to the cooking pot. Bring back to a simmer over medium-high heat, adding orange juice, sriracha, and half-n-half (and anything else I may have forgotten! Add water as needed to thin the soup to your preferred consistency. Serve with yogurt for garnish or crème frieche. You can also toast mini marshmallows and pecans and sprinkle in the center of soup on top of the crème frieche if desired.

Chicken Cordon Bleu


4 chicken breasts (about 7-ounces each), skinless and boneless
8 thin slices ham or Canadian bacon
16 thin cut pieces Swiss cheese
1/2 cup flour
1 cup Italian bread crumbs or panko (Asian bread crumb)
2 tbl olive oil
2 eggs
¼ - ½ C milk


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place chicken breast inside a Ziploc bag. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, gently pound the chicken to nearly 1/4-inch thickness. Try not to shred or make holes, if you do there is a way around this. Take 1 piece of thin ham, lay it on the flattened chicken breast, take another piece of ham and break a 2 pcs of cheese into 4 little rectangles, now wrap in second piece of ham, like a purse, place in the first piece of ham on the chicken. Now roll the chicken breast like a jelly roll, try to tuck the sides up to seal.

Season the flour with salt and pepper, place in a pie pan or cake tin. Place bread crumbs in another pan. Beat together the eggs and milk, the mixture should be fluid and in a 3rd pan. Roll the chicken in flour, then dip in the egg mixture. Roll in the bread crumbs, compact in hands to make the chicken secure. Place chicken in a pan coated in non-stick. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes, turn chicken rolls over carefully, then bake an additional 15-20 more minutes. Serve with mashed potatoes, buttered noodles or rice.

Top with Hollandaise, Béarnaise, or other preferred sauce.

2.26.2017

Butternut & Red Lentil Curry



                                               

Roasted Butternut Squash

1 Diced Apple
1 Chopped Onion
          
3 Cloves Garlic

1 Whole Box Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1 Can Coconut Milk
        
Yellow Curry Seasoning

1/2 Cup PB2 Powder


1 tsp Thai Red Curry Paste
 
Red Lentils, 1 Cup



Vegetables
  • 1 whole butter nut squash, cut in half and roasted in the oven
  • 1 half chopped onion
  • 1 apple, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic chopped or pressed


 Seasoning
  • cumin
  • sage leaf
  • Thai red curry paste
  • yellow curry seasoning
  • salt & pepper to taste

Other Ingredients
  • 1c red lentils
  • PB2


Soup
  • 1 can reduced fat coconut milk
  • 1 box reduced sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 C cream or coconut cream
  • 8oz apple juice


Cooking

Cut squash in half, sprinkle with salt and pepper, place on baking sheet, sprinkle with olive oil, wrap tightly with foil. Bake until tender about 1.5 hours at 350.

In the mean time, saute 1 half of a chopped onion, 1 diced and seeded apple and 3 cloves garlic in 1 tbl olive oil, slowly adding 8 oz of apple juice as needed to keep vegetables from getting dry, adding the 1 heaping tsp of red curry paste at end of saute. Once onion and apple mixture are soft, add 1 box reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth, 1 can reduced fat coconut milk. Season with 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp yellow curry seasoning, salt and pepper to taste, and a pinch of red pepper flakes, stir together with vegetables, and 1 cup red lentils... Bring all to boil, then add cubes of squash and diced apple once finished baking (I bake the night before), and PB2, turn down to simmer over medium-low heat. You can add additional unflavored protein if desired. Simmer all ingredients for approx. 20 minutes together. Remove from heat and stir in or blend in cream.

You can either serve as is, topping with fried sage leaves, red pepper flakes and crushed peanuts or cashews... OR You can puree in blender or with a emulsifier.

2.23.2017

SLEEVE 101



IDEAL SLEEVE DIET GOALS

  • The following habits are ideal to your cusses after surgery.
  • 3 Small meals per day plus 2 shakes or high protein snacks
  • Lean protein with each meal for a goal of 60-80 grams per day
  • Take approximately 30 minutes to eat meals and snacks
  • Chew foods 20-30 timers per bite
  • Ear a variety of foods for a balanced diet
  • Measure your food, ½ cup portion for visual practice
  • Practice meal planning to avoid fast food as much as possible
  • Sip liquids, 6-8 ounces per hour
  • Avoid liquids during and 30 minutes after meals
  • Drink at least 48-4 ounces of water daily
  • Avoid carbonated beverages
  • It is ideal to avoid alcohol
  • Take vitamins and minerals as directed


EXERCISE GOALS

Aim to get exercise 6 days a week; walking, strength training, yoga, swimming… 30-45minutes each day at moderate intensity. (Approval from your M.D. is a must!)


Walking is a great source of exercise, just be sure to get your heart rate up!

I'm baaaack!

Ok, so it's definitely been awhile! So much so I decided it was time to clean up the blog, therefore I removed several posts. So let's catch up a little!

Over the year my family has had a lot going on, the biggies....My father-in-law passed away, we bought a home (will share more later), my oldest son got out of the military after 4 war deployments and 8 years of military service (clap clap clap!!!), my youngest son got married (less then 24hrs notice, IN MY YARD!!!!), and we had a new grandson (blesssssings!)!!!!

Wow, I drafted this 5 years ago and never posted it, tisk, tish, I promise to do better! For now, I'm baaaaack!



2.08.2012

NYX Round Lipstick












Ugh, I am so disappointed! While I loved the color "Rea" the extra creamy formula, the color, the color stay (easily comparable to MAC) and convincing myself to tolerate the very faint smell of citronella, you know the bug spray smell, although minimal, I was a gasp when I licked my lips and they tasted worst than the lipstick smelled! I literally tasted the horrible taste of perfume, as though I had sprayed it in my mouth (no, I am NOT exaggerating)! Too bad I bought 3 tubes, I haven't tried the other two, unexcited anyway, as the matte colors on the ULTA website do not look like the FLUORESCENT colors I received. Big waste of money for me!

What are your thoughts about NYX Lipstick?

Probably my first and only purchase of NYX, and I was so hoping to love the products!

Edited to add: OKAY I have had a change of heart, slightly- where the smell and taste is concerned the NYX matte lipstick products do NOT have the same issue; Hippie Chick, Butter and Euro Trash all were great in respect to the earlier comments. My biggest issue with the mattes is they seem to push out towards the outter lip leaving the center without color, disappearing way to easy. I will continue to try the mattes and report back! For $3 I got more than what I paid for!
XoX Shana
Bella Dish

2.05.2012

Inglot

Finally! I'm uploading a few of the Ingot palettes I have received so far! Just a quick note tonight, I will go through the colors later this week. First off, the pearl and shine are just as high quality as MAC; great color payoff, rich pigmentation, smooth, blend easily without diminishing color. Now for the matte, love the amount of colors available in matte. The negative, they are a little powdery so be sure to try using a mineral brush and press the shadow onto the brush or you will be sure to get lots of fall out, some of the mattes are slightly chalky but this does not take away from the pigment whatsoever. I do recommend shadow insurance, this will help your shadow last all day without creasing or much touch up! If you like sparkle, you will like their "DS" (double sparkle) shades. At $5 per pot, these shadows are a steal. I haven't tried them, but I would also recommend the Rainbow Collection Shadows for $7 a shade, you get 3 in 1! (see below) The 10 pot palettes are $14 empty, plus the $5 per shadow to fill them. The only flaw I find in the design of the palettes is there is no hole in the bottom of the palette to change out the pots. Be sure to pick yourself up a magnet from the fabric/craft or hardware store if you plan on rearranging them or changing your pots out!

I have had no eye irritation from the shadows. I will definitely repurchase and try not to pay that much attention to MAC because I'm simply sold on Inglot! This system is called the Freedom System. Next from Inglot I look forward to trying their lipstick and possibly concealers.

If you make a purchase, please let Inglot knows in the notes I referred you, and definitely let me know what YOU think!

Rainbow Shades

I'm definitely going to get some rainbow pots just for my highlighters, so I can have them in each palette!

My palettes below-













I almost forgot to mention the durability of the palette, I will definitely add photos of that or a video! They are highly durable and great for travel.
Have a Great week!

XoXo Shana
Bella Dish