The One With Chicken Rolled with Prosciutto and Provolone

SH and I sat down today and planned out what we are going to eat for dinner all week. This is a HUGE accomplishment for us. Lately we've either been going to the store - every day after work - or ordering out. Neither option was a very good one. Plus, many times we'd end up without lunches for work the following day. Since we're trying to save money this is one area we both know there is opportunity to cut back!

So here is what we came up with.

Sunday Night/Monday Lunch
Chicken rolled with prosciutto and provolone
Asparagus
Rice

Monday Night/Tuesday Lunch
Tacos/Taco Salad

Tuesday Night/Wednesday Lunch
BBQ Pork Loin (freeze leftovers)
Broccoli
French Fries

Wednesday Night/Thursday Lunch
Balsamic and Honey Glazed Chicken
Green Beans
Rice

Thursday Night/Friday Lunch
The Para Chef's Ziti (yes I know we just made this last week but it is sooooo good!) (freeze leftovers)
Salad
Garlic Bread

Then Friday night we're either going to go out, or come up with a plan B later :o)

Here was tonight's dinner. I got the chicken recipe from SH's Aunt Linda as part of the recipe Tatstebook from my wedding shower.

Take boneless chicken breast and pound it flat to 1/4" (I took two chicken breast halves, sliced them in half and then pounded them flat)

On top layer a thin slice of prosciutto, 1 or 2 thin slices of provolne cheese and then sprinkle with sage, fresh ground pepper and romano cheese. (SH is not a cheese lover so I left the provolone out of his).

Roll chicken and hold together with toothpicks (don't mind the gross chicken vein. Ew. I am glad I didn't see that earlier).

Roll in melted butter and then roll into breadcrumbs mixed with parmesan. Pre-heat oven to 400 - turn back to 350 when you put in the chicken.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (Maybe somebody can tell me the purpose of this? It was getting late when I was cooking dinner so I kind of skipped this part - putting the meat in the freezer for 10 minutes and fridge for 5 - I also switched dishes from the regridgerating chicken to placing in oven chicken - the thing is I didn't think I could put a cold glass dish into a hot oven. Is that right or wrong?) and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Then I cut, peeled and washed asparagus, sprayed it with olive oil, added salt, pepper and two cloves of diced garlic. I rolled the tin foil up into a litte "bag" and placed asparagus in the oven along side the chicken.

In reality I would have preferred to cook brown rice with this meal, but I don't think SH would have eaten it and we had white rice on hand.

The One Where I Bake Ziti

One of my favorite new blogs is The Paraplegic Chef, written by an amazing and talented woman named Megan (who I look up to because of her courage and ability to take a bad situation and completely turn it around!)

Tonight I wanted to try her mom's baked ziti recipe. Let me tell you it did NOT disappoint. The recipe, as she wrote it is as follows (but I strongly suggest you check it out on her site, along with her other recipes!)

Ingredients:
1 box Ziti noodles
2 jars Basil and herb tomato/spaghetti sauce
12 oz mozzarella cheese (save half to top with)
1 onion
1 lb. hamburger meat (optional)

Prep:
Pre Heat oven to 350*
Cook the Ziti noodles and drain, set aside in large bowl
Shred Mozzarella
Dice Onion
Cook the hamburger meat (optional)
Saute onions until tender and put in large bowl
Add sauce with onion, cheese (half), meat (optional)
Add Ziti noodles mix well and pour into 9 x 13" pan and top with remaining cheese

Bake in oven for 30 minutes

So here goes my shot at replication.

I strayed from the recipe a little bit.

• I used whole grain pasta instead of white (+1 for being healthy!)
• I sauteed the onions in butter...because I think that's what you're supposed to do when you saute, but I don't really know (-1 for using salted butter instead of margarine, or something like olive oil. hmmmm would olive oil have worked for sauteing?)
• I asked SH to bring home fresh mozzarella and he did...but it was the kind in a ball, which was not what The Paraplegic Chef had in her pictures, but it tasted fantastic!! (-1 for not using low fat cheese, but honestly...ick.)
• I normally don't like tomato sauce, however the Classico Sweet Basil was really very good. Instead of using 2 jars, like the recipe called for, I used 1 1/4 and left the rest of the sauce on the side for SH to add to his meal (+1 for cutting calories!)

I took the finished product out of the oven 20-25 minutes later because I didn't want the pasta to dry up (due to the decrease in sauce I used.) The result was amazing. I savored every last bite of my dish (although -100 because I made Texas Toast instead of homemade garlic bread and didn't make salad!)

The best part is we can easily get 8 single serving dishes out of this one meal, which makes it completely economical! We're going to have some left overs for lunch tomorrow and freeze the rest.

Next time I make this (because there WILL be a next time) I think I'll use some ground turkey breast (any other type of ground turkey has just as much fat as ground beef) to make it a little healthier (and even with my recent belly issues, I don't think I can skip on the cheese. BTW, my belly feels ok tonight! I'm feeling a few symptoms but nothing like the other night. I ate WAY less cheese tonight, though.)

I'd also like to take a shot at making my own sauce, and adding fresh basil to it. Like I said, the kind this recipe called for was very good, I would just like to learn how to make it on my own.

Also I'll make sure to have a salad, and maybe a little red wine with it. Mmmm...now I'm getting hungry all over again.

The One Where I Write A Letter To My Belly

Dear Stomach,

You and me, we go way back.

I've forgiven you for making me throw up on the bus (in front of all the cool kids) in the 3rd grade. I've forgiven you for making me throw up in the Frankfurt Airport (in front of the 12th grade boys who were part of my exchange) when I was 16. I've even forgiven you for making me throw up ALL OVER (my now) SH's car just a couple of short months after we started dating when he picked me up at the airport after coming home from Hawaii.

I haven't complained (much) about my (ever-growing) pooch. I've learned to blame my ribs for sticking out so that no matter how much I would work out (as if!) I still wouldn't have a model-flat belly. You aren't even my least favorite body part - not close (I'm talking to you thighs and upper arms!)

So why, oh why, dear stomach do you continue to bother me?

I get it. I have a thyroid disease so my digestive track doesn't always function properly. We can work through that. What I don't know if I can work through is this sneaking suspicion that I'm lactose intolerant. Why do I think that? Let's go through the symptoms which usually start about 1/2 hour after eating pizza or grilled cheese(at least this is when I notice this the most):

• Nausea (check)
• Cramps (check)
• Bloating (check)
• Gas (check)
• Diarrhea (check, sorry bloggy readers, TMI)
  

See stomach, here is what you need to understand. Cheese is one of my favorite foods ever. Baked camembert with cranberry relish (heaven on earth), pizza, mozz sticks, grilled cheese, mac and cheese, crackers and cheese, cheese and cheese. Do you get it? I LOVE CHEESE.

Are you just trying to get me to eat healthier? I can work with that. Want to make a deal? If I start to eat better overall will you allow me to indulge in my cheesy favorites every once in a while without giving me problems?

Please let me know as soon as possible because if I have to go to the doctor to get this diagnosed I have a feeling I'm not going to like the answer (I never like their answers) so lets try and be friends, k?

Love,
Soxy

picture borrowed from dumbaaldum.org

The One About Pomegranate Chipotle Pork Roast

This first week back at work, after the holidays, has been kind of rough. I mean work itself has not been that bad (which is a minor miracle after the end of the year I had). What has been really hard is getting back into a schedule, not being able to sleep in, not getting enough cuddle time with SH and Spike, having to go outside in the icy cold weather, having to pay the post-holiday bills, etc. etc. etc.

I hate having to admit I haven't cooked much of anything for lunches/dinners this week. I haven't had the energy. That led to having dinners which consisted of a steak and cheese sub (it was a small - and I only ate half, but I did have a small bag of chips too), chicken soup (which I did make! from scratch!) and pizza. Not the best, eh?

Today I decided I was finally going to finally cook a real meal: Pomegranate Chipotle Pork Loin, Roasted Potatoes and Grilled Asparagus. This is one of the easiest meals I have made in a long time!

The Pork:

• 3 lbs of pork loin (mine came in a package with 2 1 1/2 lb loins)
• 8 Strips of bacon (even though I used 10 strips!)
  
• Pomegranate Chipotle Sauce*
  

Place the pork loin in a roasting pan with a rack and cover the pork with the strips of bacon. Put it in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about an hour (until the pork is 140 degrees). Once the pork reaches 140 degrees liberally brush the pomegranate chipotle sauce over the bacon and put back in the oven for about another 10 minutes or so until the pork reaches 150 degrees. Remove from the oven and let stand about 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with additional warmed pomegranate chipotle sauce.





The Potatoes:
Hmmm....this is somewhat subjective b/c I didn't measure anything. But here is what I did

• 5 Red Potatoes washed and cut into cubes
• 1/2 an onion diced up
• fresh parsley
• garlic powder
• salt
• pepper
• 2 TBS olive oil

Based on the recommendations from The Wife Icon, I placed all of the ingredients in a bag, shook them up and put them in a baking pan. Unlike the Wife Icon I didn't put the potatoes in a 425 oven for 30 minutes. I put them in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes to match the oven temp for the pork. They were finally starting to get browned on the outside but they were very soft.

The Asparagus

• Cut, Wash and Peel
  
• Used a Misto Sprayer to spray olive oil
• Sprinkled Sea Salt
• Sprinkled Pepper
• Wrapped it in tin-foil
  

I placed the Asparagus in the 350 oven for about 15 minutes until it was cooked through.

The results were really good. The pork had a great flavor, but it was MUCH better when you ate the bacon with it. I prefer my potatoes more browned on the outside, but they were cooked to perfection for SH and the asparagus was also good. It was wonderful to have a nice, easy meal - and to have enough leftovers for tomorrow!

I feel somewhat accomplished having cooked a meal tonight. Hopefully I can stay in the habit, because surely eating right can help me work towards my goal of losing some weight.

*UPDATE: You can buy the Pomegranate Chipotle Sauce from my Tastefully Simple Representative, Amy Branco.  Look for it under the "Condiments, Sauces & Spreads.

The One Where I Can Walk Like a Penguin

There really isn't an athletic bone in my body.

Yeah, my first word was "tut-down" (touchdown for those of you who don't speak baby.)

And my nickname in softball was "slugger" (the nickname doesn't account for the fact that even though I could hit the ball long and hard *hee hee* I rarely made it past 2nd because I can't run to save my life.)

Maybe it's true that I could spend countless hours outside with my dad throwing free throws in the hoop - the last one you made had to be a swish! It was the rule! (but that doesn't really tell the story about when I tried out for my middle school basketball team and broke two fingers in the process, delegating me to become "she who manned the time clock" does it?)

Sure I write a sports blog (you know, when I have the time and put in some effort) and have been interviewed on TV to talk about sports, but that does not mean that I'm athletic!

If fact, I am quite the opposite. I. Am. Clumsy.

There. I said it.

Why am I writing about this now? Well it's winter again (I hate how this happens every year!) and we're getting snow/ice storms and I'm terrified of walking outside. (And before you ask I have no interest in moving to Florida or Texas or California to avoid the New England Winters. That's a blog post for another time.)

Our house is on a steep hill, and literally I start to cry a little bit (internally) when I have to get out of my car and walk down the snowy/icy hill, to get to our snowy/icy sidewalk and walk up the 15 or so snowy/icy concrete stairs - without a railing - to get into my nice warm house. Sure SH shovels and puts down pet-friendly salt to help me be more safe, but I'm still scared. I hate it.

Plus, when I get to work our parking lot is literally a skating rink. I swear it's a law-suit waiting to happen. And while I could use the extra dough, I don't want to be the one to fall in the parking lot where my whole company can see and laugh at me. Oh, and I don't want to get hurt.

You might think I'm over-reacting a little bit but let me tell you something totally embarrassing if you don't know me in RL.

Three weeks before my wedding I fell walking down the stairs outside of our house attempting to step on the grass. I had to wear a brace for the wedding and part of the honeymoon!

Not only that, but a few months later (literally three months) my father had open-heart surgery. My brother and I went to stay with him during his recovery. Wouldn't you know it - the day after dad got home from the hospital I went outside to walk the dog, fell in the garage and re-sprained my ankle. Thank goodness my brother was there or I don't know what we would have done that week I couldn't put any weight on my ankle.

Well today the Boston.com decided to give us some tips for walking on the ice - like a penguin (which reminds me of that 80's commercial for New England Aquarium where Karen says "I can walk like a penguin..." remember that? No? Ok then. OH WAIT - Apparently YouTube remembers!!! Watch Karen walk like a penguin for yourself!) Ok - back to the tips:



Honestly, thanks for the tips. But now on top of being clumsy, they want me to walk like an idiot (I mean penguin!) and in the 1.5 seconds I'm falling to the ground remember to tell myself, "Self: try and relax your muscles." I'm in big trouble.

How many days until spring?!?!

The One Where My Dog Is So Human

How freaking cute is Spike? Seriously you can't look at these pictures and honestly say you don't think he is the most adorable thing EVER.

So yes, we let the dog sleep in the bed (I actually love it, don't judge me!) And usually he curls up under the covers and then wriggles himself out during the night because he gets too hot. Well last night he only came half way out and totally laid there on his back, with his little paws sticking out on top of the blanket.

I almost died from the cuteness overload.
I love him so much.
Really.
So. Much.

Congrats to Sarah (@SensiblySassy) from Sensibly Sassy who will be getting her own little bundle of puppy love in just one month!

The One About The Ten Best Days of My Life

Part of Goal 70

The Ten Best Days of My Life by Adena Halpern
My Grade: B - It was great - recommend it
January 2009

After some of the really (good but) depressing stuff I had been reading I decided it was time to lighten things up. SH and I headed to Barnes & Noble after going to the movies yesterday (we saw Marley & Me and on a side-note I am happy to report SH showed some emotion. He wasn't crying and certainly not sobbing like half of the theater, but he showed emotion and that makes me happy.)

I had never heard of this book, or this author but the cover premise was cute and I thought I'd give it a try.

A 29 year old finds herself in heaven, after being struck and killed by a MINI Cooper (ha ha!) and learns it's everything heaven is cracked up to be, and more. However, in order to stay in her "7th Heaven" instead of moving down to the 4th Heaven (with the druggie musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison and without a custom walk in closet-room full of designer clothes) she needs to prove she was on the way to living a fulfilling life by writing an essay about the ten best days of her life.

The book is light-hearted (even though death is a main topic!) and funny and a totally entertaining read. I got through the whole thing in one day (started it at bed time and finished when I woke up). It reminds you to live each day to the fullest and have fun, not take things so seriously. That was certainly something I needed to be reminded of. Plus the book makes you feel like you really will see your loved ones again after you die (I know the author has no way of knowing this, it was just a good feeling I got. Don't judge me!)

I woke up refreshed and in a good mood, like a re-birth of sorts (I'm giving the book credit, not the 12+ hours of sleep I've gotten for the past few nights in a row) - and is it a coincidence it was 1:04 when I looked at the clock (the time of my birth so many years ago) - maybe?! But maybe not ;o)

The One About If I Am Missing Or Dead

Part of Goal 70

If I Am Missing Or Dead by Janine Latus
My grade: C - It was good - recommend for some people
January 2009

Once again, this book was totally not what I was expecting (that seems to happen to me quite a bit these days.) I guess that's good. I guess it means I've ventured out a little bit and am reading more than Chick-Lit (but don't you worry, I'm still reading plenty of that.)

I expected this to be a fictional mystery-type book, not a memoir and definitely not one with so much abuse and sadness. Yeah I had a feeling there was going to be a death - you know, from the title - but I just didn't expect what I got. Yup, I totally judged a book by its cover.

This story isn't so much about Janine Latus' sister, the one who left the note saying,"If I am Missing or Dead" - it's more a story about Janine growing up, being subjected to abuse by her father and dealing with shitty relationships as a result of it. What you learn is that Janine wasn't the only child in that family who ended up in physically and or emotionally abusive relationships - unfortunately her sister did as well, and one such relationship turned fatal. What you also learn is about how courageous Janine truly was.

For anyone who has ever been subjected to any type of domestic abuse, this story is a must-read. It shows courage doesn't come easily, but that you CAN get out before it is too late. And if you don't...well what could be your cold, hard reality.

The One About Weight Loss

Goals 33, 34, 35 and 36 are all centered around me losing some weight.

33. Lose 5 lbs (0/5)
34. Lose 5 lbs (0/5)
35. Lose 10 lbs (0/5)
36. Make goal weight of losing 20 total lbs (0/20)

I broke them out into different segments so I didn't totally overwhelm myself. I mean, it sounds so much easier to say "I want to lose 5 pounds" instead of "I want to lose 20 pounds" (and realistically I want to lose 25-30 pounds but I don't want to set myself up for failure and I'll be thrilled if I'm 20 pounds lighter than I am now.)

Anyway, since it's a new year all sorts of resolutions have been popping up on the Internets (like this and this) and it seems like a good time to jump on the bandwagon (man oh man I HATE bandwagons) and try and take care of some of these goals.

So here is my little counter:



And here some pictures from the past few years or my "lighter" days for inspiration

The One With My First Video Blog

Yeah...so this is slightly mortifying. I just did my first video blog and I'm considering trashing it and not putting it up. Only I know I should bite the bullet and post it. I'm so embarrassed and feel like a super-lame-pants. Plus I should NEVER wear white in the winter when I'm so ghostly pale. Horrible.

However, SH said I looked cute, and a little lame but that I should post this and not to worry because I'll get better at it. Haha. I love him.


My First Video Blog from SoxyLady on Vimeo.

My awesome scarf is from Ashley (@ashleymarie6 from Our Little Apartmet) and was part of the Girl Get Your Scarf On Exchange put together by Sarah Marie P (@sarahmariep from Sarah Said) and Talia (from Rejoicings and Ramblings oops, I just realized I never put her in my Google reader! Sorry! Doing that now!!)



I totally hope they do it again next year because I had so much fun. Or maybe even a cute little Valentine's Day Exchange (hint hint!)

And the great presents are from Natasha (Omg, Tasha are you not on Twitter?!??!) from SohoButterfly as the prizes from her Christmas Memory Contest.

I also talk about Exposaroonie which every aspiring, casual or professional photographer should enter! It's a lot of fun (even though like I said I've only entered once so far. After today it should be twice!)

Now I'm not sure how to end this embarrassing post except to say, ummm...thanks for watching?