Friday, April 26, 2013

My Spinach is Better than Yours

Spinach is delicious.  But sometimes it's kind of boring.  Here is how I make it delectable.  I buy a bag and forget about it for several days, and then decide I need to eat it.  Here's how:
Ingredients: 
2 tsp canola oil 
1 bag spinach
2 T walnuts (kept in the freezer for freshness)
2 T raisins
garlic powder, salt, pepper, to taste 


Directions
Heat oil in skillet.  Put all the other things in the pan.  Stir around til spinach has wilted.  Eat half for dinner.  Eat half for lunch the next day cold.  Voila.  Bag of spinach consumed.


    

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Turkey and Vegetable Ragu Detox

On the heels of two ridiculously decadent trips... Las Vegas, NV three weeks ago and Savannah, GA last week, I am in desperate need of vegetables and lean protein.  Those two trips have revolved around eating some pretty fabulous meals.  Not to mention that the past few days I've had an average of three desserts a day.  I don't regret one bit starting breakfast with bread pudding from Goose Feathers on Sunday or the Banana Praline Gelato later that day or sampling Leopold's Ice Cream after a modest breakfast of corned beef hash on Monday....

But, today is Tuesday.  My remaining pralines from River Street are in shards in my freezer awaiting my frozen yogurt experiments.  Because again.  Today is Tuesday and I am not having dessert after breakfast today.  I do not need to live my life, "full as a tick." (A fabulous expression I heard for the first time recently.)  I have a beach trip around the corner...

Getting home yesterday at 5:00 pm, I was a bit groggy from napping on the flight, I decide I need a Target run and a grocery run.  My Target run turned into my grocery run because once in the store, I decide I can manage a dinner out of things I can find in Target and they had milk....  so who needed a real grocery store?  Here is the result, which also was my lunch today, will be a few other meals later this week, and is also in my freezer for a rainy day...
Lettuce cups, grapes, & string cheese

Turkey and Vegetable Ragu Detox

Ingredients:

1 T canola oil
1 package extra lean ground turkey
1 bag frozen spinach
1 jar Classico Pasta Sauce
1 package white button mushrooms, sliced
1 small zucchini
1 small summer squash
Seasoning - oregano, crushed red pepper, basil, garlic powder, salt, pepper
Sprinkle of Parmesan
Romaine lettuce

Directions: 
Brown turkey in oil.  Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Add sliced mushrooms, sliced zucchini, and sliced summer squash, seasoning more and cooking for a bit.  Add bag of spinach and jar of tomato sauce.  Swish jar with water to get all the bits and add water.  Maybe 1/2 cup.  Cooking/heating til spinach is defrosted.  Add red pepper flakes to taste, more garlic, salt and pepper.  Top with parm when done.

This makes a small vat of food.  I froze two quart freezer bags for later and kept enough for 3 more meals in the fridge.

(I had the intention of serving this over spaghetti squash.  Target didn't have that.  So I ate it in romaine leaves making lettuce wraps.  One could eat it over pasta, and I may use my frozen portions over pasta later... But I was in the mood for vegetables as I have eaten my weight in starch in the form of pralines, ice cream, pie, and bacon caramel popcorn over the past few days.)