Recipe Wednesday Grilled Pork Fajitas

We are having Coconut Chicken Curry for dinner tonight! I am so excited. I'll let you know how it turns out tomorrow.

Today's recipe is another one that may take a few days to get to.

Grilled Pork Fajitas

Ingredients
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into strips
1/2 inch wide and 2 inches long
1 small onion, sliced
8 whole-wheat flour tortillas, about 8 inches in diameter, warmed in the microwave
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 medium tomatoes, diced
4 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup salsa

Directions

1. In a small bowl, stir together the chili powder, oregano, paprika, coriander and garlic powder. Dredge the pork pieces in the seasonings, coating completely.

2. Place the pork strips and onions in a cast-iron pan or grill basket. Grill or broil at medium-high heat, turning several times, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.

3. To serve, spread an equal amount of pork strips and onions on each tortilla. Top each with 1 tablespoon cheese, about 2 tablespoons tomatoes, 1/2 cup shredded lettuce and 2 tablespoons salsa. Fold in both sides of each tortilla up over the filling, then roll to close. Serve immediately.

Serving size: 1 fajita
Calories 234, Cholesterol 45 mg, Protein 18 g, Sodium 309 mg, Carbohydrate 23 g, Fiber 5 g, Total fat 8 g, Potassium 508 mg, Saturated fat 3 g, Calcium 115 mg, Monounsaturated fat 3 g

Recipe courtesy of the Mayo Clinic.

Recipe Wensday - Coconut Curry

We had lunch at Big Bowl on Sunday and ever since then I have been craving more Chicken Curry. I am one of the worlds pickiest eaters. I believe my current ranking is some where around 12th pickiest eater. So it surprises a lot of people, including me, that I like Indian and Thai food. It's a habit I picked up living in England and one I have had to curb this year as I've been losing weight. I used to hit the local Indian buffet for lunch about once a week. Man do I miss Naan Bread!

That's why I was so excited to find this really easy recipe for Coconut Chicken Curry. While not exactly a low cal recipe, it is low carb... until you add the rice. To make it a little healthier you could serve it over whole grain noodles instead.

My lovely wife has started planing out our meals for the week. We haven't been planing our meals very well so hopefully this will help with the last minute dinner scramble. I will ask her to put this recipe on the calender for some time next week.

Coconut Chicken Curry
INGREDIENTS:
1-lb skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut in bite-sized pieces
1/2 medium onion (optional, but I like it), chopped
1 medium red Bell pepper, chopped
12 oz fresh or frozen green beans
1 can coconut milk (can use light or regular)
Thai spices as described above to taste (depends on heat)
Salt or seasoning salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat some oil (I included 1 T in the nutritional info below) in the pan - olive, coconut, peanut, or high-oleic safflower oil all work well. Amount depends upon size of pan - you want a thin coating on the bottom.
2. Chop onion, and add.
3. Chop pepper and add.
4.While that is cooking, chop the chicken.
5. Add the spices (including the salt). The amount will depend upon the spice. For example, with Penzey's Sate' Seasoning, I use about 4 t, but for a hot paste, more like 2 t. It just depends upon how spicy the blend is and how spicy you like your food. Stir until the you start to smell the spices.
6. Add the chicken. Stir until almost cooked through.
7. Add the coconut milk. (Note: this makes a fairly soupy curry. If you want it thicker, just add maybe 2/3 of the can.) Bring it to a boil, and simmer for 3-5 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

Nutritional Information per serving (with onion and regular coconut milk): 404 calories, 30 gm protein, 12 gm carbohydrate, 4 gm fiber, 8 gm ECC , 27 gm fat.

Recipe courtesy of Laura Dolson at About.com.

Tony
9/12: 236.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
16.4 lbs. to go

Recipe Wednesday

This seems way advanced, but It also seems really good and I do love good Barbecued Pork. Plus the recipe comes from the Mayo Clinic so it's almost like medicine, right?

I have no clue when I will find the time to make this . If not this weekend, I will do my best to get it made in the next two weeks.

Jamaican Barbecued Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients
2 teaspoons firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pork tenderloin, about 1 pound, trimmed of visible fat
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons dark honey
1 teaspoon tomato paste

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, cloves, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the black pepper. Rub the spice mixture over the pork and let stand for 15 minutes.

2. In another small bowl, combine the vinegar, honey, tomato paste and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Whisk to blend. Set aside.

3. Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill or broiler (grill) to medium-high or 400 F. Away from the heat source, lightly coat the grill rack or broiler pan with cooking spray. Position the cooking rack 4 to 6 inches from the heat source.

4. Place the pork on the grill rack or broiler pan. Grill or broil at medium-high heat, turning several times, until browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Remove to a cooler part of the grill or reduce the heat and continue cooking for 14 to 16 minutes. Baste with the vinegar-honey glaze and continue cooking until the pork is slightly pink inside and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 160 F, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool for 5 minutes before slicing.

To serve, slice the pork tenderloin crosswise into 16 pieces and arrange on a warmed serving platter, or divide the slices among individual plates.

Nutritional Analysis(per serving)
Serving size: 4 pork tenderloin slices
Calories 180, Monounsaturated fat 3 g, Protein 24 g, Cholesterol 75 mg, Carbohydrate 6 g, Sodium 508 mg, Total fat 6 g, Fiber 1 g, Saturated fat 2 g

Recipe from the Mayo Clinic.

Tony
8/29: 239.8 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
19.8 lbs. to go

Pan Apple Chciken

I forgot to mention last night was a double recipe Wednesday. My lovely wife slaved away over the hot stove to make Pan Apple Chicken, and I do mean slaved. Pan Apple Chicken is a pain in the butt to make. I need to start reading these recipes a little more closely.

This recipe was so dangerous, my lovely wife injured herself not once, but twice. First when the apple corer got her finger and second when she accidentally got Jalapeño juice in her eye. And yet she carried on and finished with a flurry. That's why I love her.

It was worth the work though...especially since I didn't do any of it. My Lovely Wife did such a great job that I broke down and had two helpings.

Turns out Pan Apple Chicken isn't so much about the apple though. It's really more of a Mediterranean dish that gets most of it's flavor from the currents and peppers. Still very good... just not what I expected. And watch out for some of those apple slices, they can carry a real kick.

I highly recommend Pan Apple Chicken... but I suggest you save it for a Saturday night or pay my lovely wife to come over and cook it for you.

Tony
8/15: 245.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
25.4 lbs. to go

Recipe Wednesday

I started my strength training last night.

14 Push Ups
40 Crunches (20 straight, 20 to the side)
4 Dips
20 Squats
40 Walking Lunges
30 Calf Raises

I am surprised at how good I feel this morning... minus the road rash on my leg of course, which feels like a thousand little elves with a thousand white hot needles poking into my leg every few minutes.

My feeling good may have something to do with my first every visit to the chiropractor yesterday. For a while now, I have been having some issues with my lower back. Every morning on my drive in, my back and lower legs get kind of numb and it takes me a while to walk it off. I assumed it was weight related. Turns out I have a tilted pelvis because of the way I sleep. Last night I slept with a body pillow and did some stretches this morning and now I am feeling great.

I also have a general check up on Friday. This will be my first check up since shortly after college. If I am going to get serious about my health I might as well get serious about all aspects of it.

Now on to...

Recipe WEDNESDAY

It's a crazy one this week. This recipe comes from this great book that Laura's Aunt Polly gave us called Fix It and Forget It Lightly. It's all low cal crock pot recipes and it's full of some good looking recipes that I am excited to try. I'll be making this one tomorrow night.

Pepsi Pot Roast

INGREDIENTS:
3-lb. pot roast
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
2 10-3/4 oz. cans of fat-free, low-sodium cream of mushroom soup
2 16-oz. bottles of diet soda

PREPARATION:
1. Place meat in slow cooker.
2. In large bowl mix soup, onion soup mix and cola. Pour over roast in cooker.
3. Cover. Cook on high 6 hours.

Per Serving:
Calories: 170, 7g total fat, (2g saturated fat, .5g trans fat), 70mg cholesterol, 430mg sodium, 4g total cabs, 0g fiber, 23g protien

Tony
8/1: 251.8 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
31.8 lbs. to go

Recipe Wednesday

3 post in one hour! I know it's overkill but we can't skip recipe Wednesday.

With the busy weekend I still haven't managed to cook up last week's recipe. Hopefully I will get to it tonight. I am really excited about it.

This weeks recipe comes from my friend Char by way of her daughter Caitlyn. Thanks Char.

Crockpot Chicken Chow Mein

1-2 T. vegetable oil
1-1/2 lb chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces
4 medium carrots, thinly sliced
6-8 green onions, sliced, including greens
1-1/2 C. celery, sliced
1 C. low sodium chicken broth (*I double this)
1 T. granulated sugar
1/3 C light soy sauce
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 clove garlic
1 can (8 oz.) bean sprouts (I use fresh)
1 can (8 oz.) water chestnuts, drained and sliced
1/4 C. cornstarch
1/ 3 C. water


Preparation: Heat oil in skillet, brown chicken pieces, stirring to brown all sides. Put chicken pieces in crockpot. Stir in all ingredients except cornstarch and water. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Combine cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl; stir until cornstarch is dissolved. Stir into the slow cooker liquids. Keeping cover slightly ajar to allow steam to escape, cook on HIGH until thickened, about 15-30 minutes. Serve over rice or Chinese noodles.

Tony
7/24: 257.2 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
37.2 lbs. to go

Recipe Wednesday

We had a lovely birthday celebration for my maternal grandmother last night. Once again everyone was on thier best behavior when it came to providing food. Low cal, low fat options of some of our favorite standbys like Cheesy Potatoes turned out suprisingly good. And lots of fruit and vegtables helped curb my craving for second helpings on the burgers and spuds.

Congratulations to my Aunt Sue who has started her own healthy lifestyle journey and is doing very well.

I am not sure when I will get a chance to make this recipe, but I am very excited to try it. It is looking like a late night at work tonight and then tomorrow night we will have to scramble to get the house ready for the party crew that is arriving on Friday. We are having a big Christmas in January blowout for my lovely wife's family on Saturday. All the yard work and house beatification I have been writing about has been in prep for this big moment.

Honey Crusted Chicken
Ingredients
8 saltine crackers, each about 2 inches square
1 teaspoon paprika
4 teaspoons honey
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, each 4 ounces


Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Lightly coat a baking dish with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, crush the crackers. Add paprika and stir to mix well.

Brush 1 teaspoon honey on each side of the chicken breasts. Dredge the chicken through the cracker mixture, coating both sides.

Place the chicken in the prepared baking dish. Bake until lightly browned and cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serving size: 1 chicken breast
Calories 224, Cholesterol 66mg, Protein 27g, Sodium 231mg, Carbohydrate 21g, Fiber 1g, Total fat 3g, Potassium 338mg, Saturated fat 1g, Calcium 30mg, Monounsaturated fat 1g

Recipe provide by Mayo Clinic

Tony
7/18: 258.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
38.4 lbs. to go