Ben and I have a plan to eat healthy and lose weight this year. We’re trying to limit our meat consumption (Word of Wisdom), only diet soda, and when we eat out (hopefully less often) we’ll eat less of the portions and order lower calorie foods. Ben is also committed to cooking one meal a week so he’s less dependent on me for dinners.
Here are some of the things I made in my kitchen so far this year.
BBQ boneless chicken with corn muffin and roasted brussel sprouts (my favorite new way of cooking them).
Roasted carrots and parsnips, lemony lima beans with parmesan, and buttered noodles.
Blueberry lemon muffins.
Broccoli soup. The creaminess comes from using oats – there’s no cream, cheese, or milk!
Chinese chicken soup (chicken, peppers, carrots, and garlic)
Turkey meatloaf, braised butternut squash and sage, wild rice.
Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and candied ginger.
Tofu udon soup with spinach, shitake, and scallions. I HATED this. Ben liked it well enough. 
Tofu tacos. I hate tofu, but this was an acceptable way of eating it. Black beans would have been better though.
My version of massaman curry with sweet potatoes in place of regular, scallions instead of onions, and lowfat coconut milk.
Ben also made some pasta and bean soups that didn’t get photographed. I made old vegetarian favorites that I didn’t record as well. Overall I’d say we’re doing pretty well this year.
Mmmmm. looks good. i’ll be needing the massuman curry recipe as well as the braised butternut squash. what exactly does braised mean anyway?
Braising is when you cook something in a little water with a lid on, sort of poaching and steaming at the same time. After it’s tender you let most of the liquid evaporate so you’re left with a litte concentrated sauce. The curry was a funny meal, I just threw it together in a crock pot before going to dance class Friday, hoping it would turn out. Combine cubed sweet potatoes (1), sliced shallots (2), and a chicken breast in a small slow cooker. Add two teaspoons curry powder, salt, and pepper, and add enough coconut milk to cover and let simmer on low for a few hours. When I got home, I shredded the chicken and stirred in a big scoop of chunky peanut butter. Simmer for a few more minutes, then serve with rice.I’m so glad you’re reading my blog! Hopefully we can get this darned potluck scheduled someday 🙂