Menu for my First Thanksgiving

Last year my mom announced while cooking Christmas dinner that it was her 50th Christmas dinner and so was that Thanksgiving!  Amazing ones they were, too!  Feeding my three brothers is a task in itself then add plus  ones, the cycle of relatives that traveled in for that year, grandkids, and a picky eater hubby.  Well she has definitely put in hers and it is time I take over that feat for her! 


I may be a few chairs and a roasting pan short, but I will make it happen, with a few scrapes and bruises I'm sure.  Even so, I am very excited!!  The only downside is that my partner in crime will be at work.  He gets out of clean up but will get all of the leftovers.  Lucky bugger!!  Think I'll have him be my sous chef before he heads off at 1:30... ;)


The guest list includes: Mom, my stepdad Lee, my oldest brother Jon, Simon's mom Sue, and his stepdad Steve.  Still waiting to hear if Simon's sister and her girlfriend will join us, so I have a potential guest list of 8.  I have 4 chairs... Ha!  It will be a hodge podge of patio mixed with dining @ the table and possibly my brother can bring over his bar stools so I can seat 2 at the bar.  It's what you do to fit all your fam, isn't it!  Can't wait!!


The biggest feat I have at hand will be timing - but I have learned from my organized mom and grandmother that there are great tricks to help along the way.  I think it will all come together beautifully!


I am aiming for "from scratch" on everything I make and have assigned a few tasks to lighten the load.  On the menu we have:

• Turkey (duh!) - would love to do cage-free if affordable.  I think AJ's may sell them otherwise Safeway never fails with their meats.  Still going to do some research but one trick I will use from Mom is covering it with a brown grocery bag to help seal in moisture
• Cranberry Orange Sauce
• Dressing (I won't be stuffing the turkey so technically it's called dressing - who knew!)
• Sweet Potatoes
• Green bean casserole, courtesy of Jon
• Pies, courtesy of Mom
• Dinner rolls, courtesy of Sue

These are the recipes for the stuffing, cranberry, and yams I found.
 

Cranberry Sauce Extraordinaire

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 (12 ounce) package fresh cranberries
• 1 orange, peeled and pureed
• 1 apple - peeled, cored and diced
• 1 pear - peeled, cored and diced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, boil water and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to simmer, and stir in cranberries, pureed orange, apple, pear, dried fruit, pecans, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries burst. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature.

Traditional Crockpot Dressing

I'm really happy to have found this!  It will help save time and work on Thanksgiving day.  :)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 2 (8 oz.) cans sliced mushrooms, drained
• 12 cups day old bread cubes, dried overnight
• 1 tsp. poultry seasoning
• 1-1/2 tsp. dried sage leaves
• 1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 3-1/2 cups chicken or turkey broth
• 2 eggs, beaten

Preparation:

To dry bread, let it stand uncovered overnight on a wire rack, or bake in a 200 degree F oven for about 20-30 minutes, until firm. In a heavy skillet, melt butter over low heat. Add onion, celery, parsley, and mushrooms and cook and stir for 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, place bread cubes in a large bowl. Pour this mixture over bread cubes, then add all seasonings and toss well. Pour in enough broth to moisten, about 1/3 cup at a time, tossing with fork. Don't make the dressing too wet! Add eggs and mix well. Spoon lightly into 5-6 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, sprinkling with some more chicken stock once or twice during the cooking time.

Buttermilk Mashed Sweet Potatoes

2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 6 medium)
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature or slightly warmed
3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into chunks. Steam over boiling water until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. (Or, pierce unpeeled potatoes with fork and microwave on high (100% power) 12 to 14 minutes, turning over halfway through, let cool and peel.)
2. Transfer sweet potatoes to mixing bowl and mash, blending in orange zest, buttermilk, butter and brown sugar. Transfer to serving dish. 

Update on the flat belly quest

So I lost 2 pounds last week, my first week on the plan.  Woo hoo!  This also included a full on binge day courtesy of my company's employee appreciation day.  I mean honestly, I was on a boat what choice did I have?!

Here is what I've done so far:

Sundays is meal planning and market day.  Here's the meals we had last week.  I would make everything again!  (sorry I tossed the menu):

• Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps (MUFA=Safflower Oil) - was a perfect lunch paired with fresh fruit
• Spinach Salad with Pears, pecans, and goat cheese (MUFA=Pecans)
• Roasted Potatoes with Feta cheese-walnut butter (MUFA=walnuts) - served with flank steak
• Roasted chicken, potatoes, & veggies (MUFA=olive oil) - the most common meal we eat weekly
• Roasted tomatoes with garlic - served on an english muffin for a snack (MUFA=olive oil) 
• Chicken avocado taco (MUFA=avocado) - a standard also found in the book - score! 
• Bean avocado tacos (MUFA=avocado) - always a standard - was my staple when I was veg.
• Olives and cheese for a snack - (MUFA=olives)I realized I am very picky about which olives i like, one kind almost made me ralph!  braved through it though.  (notice there are no olives on this week's menu... I think they would be best in a recipe rather than standing alone)

This week:

• Not being too planned on breakfast and the snacks:
• Breakfasts: Cereal with fruit & nuts or egg with muffin (MUFA=nuts or olive oil) - pretty standard stuff
• Snacks: Fruit, cheese, nuts (MUFA=nuts) or whatever perks interest for the day from the book
• Monday
• Lunch: Avocado and ham sandwich (MUFA=Avocado) - pretty standard on our normal menu
• Dinner: Leftover pasta from Sunday (home cooked fresh tomato, garlic, & basil sauce) (MUFA=olive oil) - recipe courtesy miss Sarah T.
• Tuesday
• Lunch: Salad with chicken and etc. (MUFA=nuts)
• Dinner: Ahi steak with Bok Choy & garlic (MUFA=olive oil)  - yum yum yummy!  Simon made this one and it was delicious!  Who know bok choy would be so great!
• Wednesday
• Lunch: Cashew Chicken w/ brown rice (MUFA=Cashews)- just finished making this and it looks GOOD!
• Dinner: Roasted Chicken with mushroom rice pilaf (MUFA=Pecans)
• Thursday
• Lunch: Leftovers from Wed dinner
• Dinner: tbd - I'm going to a Saki tasting! =)
• Friday
• Lunch: Chickpea Curry with Cashews (MUFA=cashews)
• Dinner: tbd for me, Simon eats out with co-workers every Friday 

A lot of the techniques are pretty on par for the way we cooked before - if anything, it's giving both of us a chance to experiment in the kitchen!  Have stocked up on some new staples - need to get some Hoisin sauce for the asian dishes, though.  Substituting with terriyaki can only go so far.  I don't even know what hoisin sauce is, really.  

I have been going to yoga 3x a week and really working hard while I'm there.  I have seen immense improvements in my strength, control, and flow as well as good oceanic breathing.  My posture is better and I can see the difference in my arms and legs. Also, I've been trying to throw in a cardio/weights day 1x a week when I can.

To be honest, not seeing much shrinkage in the belly area... maybe if I quit drinking during the week or cheating so much on the weekend...  Regardless - my progress is slow but it is ever present!

Baking with Frank and friends

Note: wrote this last Friday night but just now got around to posting...  Guess I've been busy!

Well, couldn't wait until tomorrow - baked the Lemon Cupcakes with Citrus Icing tonight.  I won't bore you with the recipe but if you'd like it email me (miss.morgan.rebecca@gmail.com) or, just buy the book!  (See Eating My Way to a Flat Belly).  I will tell you , though, that our MUFA in this recipe is Safflower Oil.

Frank (as in Sinatra) provided the tunes and when he tired out Michael Buble stepped in to finish out the set.  A few others helped me out along the way, too.

My late Grandma Thelma (her friends called her Petie) taught me how to take everything out and put it away as you need it - this way, you know if you forgot something because it'll still be sitting out.  Great, right?  So I used my cute little pinch bowls and such and prepped all my ingredients.  Normally, I would just take her advice and dish straight out of the box/jar/bag/whatever but I have always wanted to be fancy and use pinch bowls.  And trust me, it's worth the extra step!

Took a break to head back to the store and purchase a new muffin tin - one of the tricks to Yorkshire puddings is to leave the lard in the muffin tin and cover it with foil for next time.  This definitely warranted a new bakeware purchase!

I couldn't resist to dance my way through - Frankie sure is infectious!  I even thought it might be fun to try to juggle my lemon and orange.  Yep.  Nothing like goofing off and laughing out loud at yourself!

So I had all my ingredients together and ready to go, but I was missing one thing - a refreshing G&T.  Thank you Cross Keys pub in York for serving me my first and getting me hooked!  Cheers!

While preparing the batter I used this new little trick that I love - I was scolded once (in jest of course) for cracking an egg on the counter and introduced to the proper technique.  A lady lightly taps her egg with the bottom of a spoon and presses into the dent with her thumbs.  This just makes me giggle that there is a proper way and I undoubtedly feel obligated to do it.

Another friend that helped this evening is my amazing mother.  She taught me to always clean up as you go, and that starts with a sink full of hot, soapy water.  Sure does the trick!  While the cupcakes were baking, I was able to wash all of my dishes that I used!

Payton, my little niece, reminded me a few Christmases ago the fun of baking like getting flour on yourself or anywhere else possible and making sure you finish off cleaning the bowl.  Mmmm, that batter was tasty!

They came out perfect and smelling intensely of lemon!  Yum yum!  Now to let them cool completely and prepare the icing.

...............

Voile!  287 calories - add a glass of fat free milk and you've got a MUFA meal!

They aren't exactly the picture in the book but I am guessing they taste just as good.  The only thing I would change is buying a bigger lemon and orange to get more zest and then I would have made the glaze a little differently.  I think more fresh OJ to powdered sugar and it may have turned out a little better.  It's basically the icing used to make snow on a gingerbread mountain, but better.  =)

Survey says....   Delish!  moist, fluffy, and fresh!  Will definitely make them again!

Daily Love

I am in love with all of today's quotes from The Daily Love!  I think we all could benefit from them and work them into our own personal mantras.  We have control of our emotions! Happy Friday! TODAY'sQUOTES

"Stress is not what happens to us. It's our response TO what happens. And RESPONSE is something we can choose."   - Maureen Killoran, life coach.  "An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere, while a pessimist sees only the red stoplight... The truly wise person is color- blind."   - Albert Schweitzer, was a theologian, organist, philosopher, and physician. "No one else 'makes us angry.' We make ourselves angry when we surrender control of our attitude. What someone else may have done is irrelevant. We choose, not they. They merely put our attitude to a test."   - Jim Rohn, was an American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker.

Eating my way to a flat belly

First of all, if I can eat those cupcakes and work towards a flat belly, I'm sold.  Second, this book is so cute with it's bright happy yellow and super fun hot pink I just couldn't wait to get going!   Thank you, Mom!

I know what you are wondering - how the heck is this even possible to eat your way towards a flat belly?  The secret is MUFAs!  (Monounsaturated fats)  The nutritionists at Prevention magazine took habits from people in the Mediterranean (who according to this book and their research, have some of the healthiest stats on the planet) and combined those with loads and loads of research to discover that MUFAs actually target lisceral fat!  That is the dangerous fat that lurks in the core of your body and surronds your organs.  By carefully constructing balanced meals, the Flat Belly Diet has you eating 4 times a day, consuming 1600 calories, and the magic trick is eating 1 MUFA in each 400 cal meal.

There are tons of testimonials inside, and I know of one first hand - my mom.  She suffers from thyroid disease which means she has been struggling with poor metabolism since she was treated - she used to have hyper which means her metabolism was through the roof but, it's a disease and her body was producing too much of the hormone.  They zapped her thyroid and now she has to rely on medication to have any hint of a metabolism.  It's extremely tough and frustrating and I've seen her struggle with it for years.  Two weeks ago, she started this plan and since has lost 13 pounds!  AND she says she is losing it in her belly, the hardest place for her to lose weight!  I'm so happy for her! 

So I say, if she is successful, I can be too!

First step:  4-day Jumpstart

Here is a link to a cheat sheet I created:  Flat Belly Diet - 4-day Jumpstart Plan

Check it out and meet me back here....

... not to bad, huh! And, this is the hard part!  In all honesty, this is pretty close what I eat anyways.  There are a few changes but otherwise, nothing too drastic so far!

So last night I did my shopping for two (Simon is along for the ride) and prepped most of the food for the plan:

Here are my 16 portions of fruit - 1 for breakfast with cereal or oatmeal and 1 for the smoothie.  This was a pain!  3 packages of strawberries, 3 packages of blackberries, and 1 package of blueberries.  AND I think I shorted a few of the baggies so I probably could have gotten 1 more package of blueberries.  Rinsed all and cut up the strawberries and then put 2 handfuls (1c) in a little plastic baggie.  (Thank goodness for my Pampered Chef spinner!)

The veggie tray with plan approved veg for steaming (green beans, carrots, squash) - I think we'll have to replenish this before too soon - does this look like 16 cups to you?  Hardly but we'll see... Sunflower is right across the street so that is a quick and easy fix!

Yummy yummy chicken!  Roasted with Caribbean Jerk marinde.  We only get 3oz chicken per meal.  Wondering if Simon will survive on that little meat!  The alternate is a 4oz fish fillet - I buy the Gortons Tilapia that are delish and they're super easy to pull out of the freezer to bake right when you want your meal.

This is the "Sassy Water" that you drink at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  I renamed it "Jumpstart H2O" to make it a little more guy friendly ;)  Water, lemon & cucumber thinly sliced, grated ginger, and fresh mint leaves.  Let me tell you this is sooooo yummy!  They said a lot of people still drink this after the plan is over but I immediately doubted I would cause it is a lot of work every day but I may have to make it here or there.  Yum yum!

And here are the star players:  the MUFAs! Sunflower seeds at breakfast, Flaxseed Oil in the smoothie, and Olive Oil with the veggies at dinner.

Looking forward to getting through the first part and trying out all of their delicious looking recipes.  First order of business Saturday - bake lemon cupcakes!

A very successful Sunday Roast

To date a man, you need to know how to cook. To date an English man,
you need to know how to cook a roast and how to perfect Yorkshire
Puddings (basically a popover but a tad different).
Today, I succeded! It is a major triumph - I think a right of passage
in acceptance by your English man. Haha There is a lot of pressure to
do it right and damn it, I nailed it!!! Wahoo!!
Simon told me that I did such a wonderful job that he now wants this
every Sunday. I did have a lot of fun puttin it all together and
figuring things out with him... We will see! :)
Ladies, I think this meal goes down in history for a tell tale, for
sure way to win a man's heart through his stomach!!!!
Here is my step by step to eat about 5:15...
1:15 preheat oven to 325. Prep roast in pan ( I used a 3.2 lb chuck
roast). Salt and pepper each side and add about a half cup of water
into the bottom of the pan. Cover with foil
1:30ish put in the roast on the center rack
Do all of your prep work - clean and cut veggies & place in the
steamer so they're ready to go, get all f your ingredients sorted for
the yorkshires, cut up potatoes and place on a baking sheet covered in
foil insides down, place sprigs of Rosemary and thyme throughout the
pan and drizzle with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to
cook.
2:30 prepare yorkshire batter (see below)
3 turn roast over, recover and put in about another hour
4 pull out roast ( if ready) and set oven to 400
4:20 put in potatoes on the top rack and Yorkshire pan on the center
4:30 take out Yorkshire pan and add mixture. (See below for super
important details!)
Make gravy and let simmer (we just use a brown gravy packet and Simon
added grilled onions to it. Yum)
4:45 Turn on the steamer and steam veggies for 10-15 minutes
5 take out potatoes, quickly!!!!!!!!!! (and carefully!!!!!!!)
5:10 yorkshires should be done
Set oven to 330, when ready, put in bread & butter pudding for about
an hr (until it isn't watery anymore)
By 5:15 you'll have a heavenly meal on your plate. Enjoy!!
Here are the recipes for Yorkshire puddings and Bread and Butter
pudding:

Yorkshire pudding (courtesy of Martha Stewart, revised by me)
Mix 2 cups flour, 1 tsp coarse salt and a little bit of cracked
pepper. Create a well in the center.
Measure out about 3 cups milk. (2% is good. Original recipe called for
whole)
Pour about 1/4 of the milk and 4 eggs, beaten into the well and whisk
together. Fold in the flour.
Add about half of the remaining milk and beat with an electric mixer
on low until liquid. Set for about 1 1/2 hrs at room temp. Set
remaining milk aside, room temp

Put about a tsp of lard in the bottom of each cup of a 12 cup muffin
tin.
Once you pull the roast out, turn up the heat to 400 an put in the
potatoes and the Yorkshire pan.
Now, slowly add more milk and mix with the electric mixer on low. You
may not need all the milk, just get it to the consistency of cream. I
used a total of 2 1/2 cups or so.
About 10 minutes in, take out the pan and fill each tin about 3/4 of
the way. Put in the oven on the center rack, centered pefectly, shut
the door, and do NOT open it for anything. Your potatoes will be just
fine unturned.
They should begin to rise after about 10 min or less and continue
until about 20 or 30 in. They are done when they are golden brown. If
they start to fall when you open the door, they aren't done so close
the door quickly!!! Should take about 40 minutes.
Bread and butter Pudding, courtesy of Simon's dad
1 pint (20 oz) milk, hot
2 large eggs
1/2 c sugar
Whisk together
Butter 3-5 slices of stale bread (if ends, slice the end off. Some
take all the crust off) and quarter.
Layer half the bread in casserole dish and pour half the mixture over
it. Layer the remains of the bread and then the rest of the mix.
Sprinkle with raw sugar and all spice. If desired, currants and or
raisins.
Bake at 150C (332f) for about an hour or so, until it isn't watery at
all

Bon Voyage!

The time has finally come - we set off for our super-wonderful-fabulous 3 week vacation this morning!

After 3 years of talking about this trip and about 8 months of planning, it's a surreal moment to know it's finally here...  Is this really happening to me? 

We have a long layover in Minneaopolis - 8 hours! But I'm not bothered, it's a perfect opportunity to see some family!  My brother is going to pick us up, you know, the jokester, and we will first surprise Payton at her school - she has no idea we are coming!  We'll also get to see Harrison's baseball game!  Which will end in perfect timing to get back to the airport for our red eye.

It's going to be a long couple of days, but we'll survive.  Shit, we have enough time to recoup! haha

Stay tuned for some photo blogs...

I can't fucking wait!

Simon + Morgan turned 2

Sorry I've been a little MIA and a little preoccupied but finally I'm going to share with you the super fun day we had to celebrate our 2 year anniversary.

In case you missed it, here is the story of how we met.

Our anniversary was on a Wednesday, a day that we have opposite schedules, so we made plans to celebrate Saturday.  We decided on a picnic, hanging out at the pool, and then grilling at home.  Since we're trying to save money we opted for staying in and it ended up being more than perfect!

But rather than ramble on, I'll tell you in photos.  Enjoy!

The Flowers

Fig spread, apples, brie, prosciutto, and honey Bruschetta

A party in your mouth

The classic

fresh tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and basil (from the garden!)

Tasty!

Simon's favorite pose

He insisted I did it, too but I think I look incredibly silly...

Springtime calls for bare feet and in AZ, it also means poolside

We went for pedis before the picnic - here is mine =)

It's almost time for dinner... Simon preps the steaks for the grill

....and I prep the corn & asparagus

...and open another bottle of wine

Steaks are ready to grill and I keep Simon company on the patio

per usual, the steaks were divine and the wine and conversation kept flowing.   I love our nights in.

Love you, babe!  Thanks for an amazing day together!

It's a little sunnier

Yesterday I made a pretty depressing  post  full of self pity.  Today, I have a better attitude.


While I am still really tired with fuzzy eyes and a slow-moving, heavy body, I'm not so down on myself.  I see the light, sort of.  Shit, this is probably all a bad case of PMS anyways...


But there is so much that I can do in life - the possibilities are endless!  And it is definitely something I will focus on once I'm back from my trip, but right now I need to put my all in the present!  No more sour puss!


I haven't talked about running since my post about my off week so I'll fill you in.  It's tough - I'm having a really hard time getting motivated and once I'm out there I'm not at 100%.  But I'm doing it.  I won't quit.  I've been close a few times but I just won't do it.  Only 4 more runs left in the program! Can't stop now!  


Get ready, folks!  T-minus 13 days until we touch down in London town!  2 nights in London, a week in York, then it's jet set to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands (with maybe some diving in my future!)  But this is all a whole other post that I will save for later.


Knockin' myself out of my funk because I just can't stand the sound of myself anymore.  Suck it up, Morg!  Your childhood dream of a vacation is less than 2 fucking weeks away!!!!!!! The other shit can wait!

Current obsessions

I think I am channeling my tween self - I am actually obsessed with a bit of pop culture and fashion trends and it has definitely been a while...

The Top Knot

I saw a mention of it somewhere between Glamour and my Fitness Mag emails - at first I was weary but I rocked it last week (a lot) and loved it!   

White Nail Polish 

Ana from far away, inspired me when she wrote about her recent white polish manicure.  I have to say, it looks fabulous!  

(P.S. Gwen Stefani is amazing and my original tween role model)

"OMG"

I cannot get enough of this song!  Usher never fails.  Heart him.

I've also fallen in love with my new Pumas

The best part about them is they were free, kind of... In case you weren't aware, Nordstrom has THE best return policy - so long as you have the receipt you can return clothes you've been wearing for who knows how long.  I bought a super cute pair of jeans just shy of a year ago but they're too big now (woo hoo!) and there was a tiny (fixable but why bother) spot where the seam was coming apart.  Pow!  Instant $75!  They're super comfortable and have a thin profile.  Now my feet will be happy and I don't have to wear my clunky running shoes!  Score!

Photos from the wedding

My Handsome Date

The Setting: Leo-Carrillo Ranch

Peacocks were everywhere!

Sisters! (aka my aunt and mom)

Lovebirds

The Street Fair

Poolside with a view

Two of my favorite things in the world, 

Mom and the beach

Law & Order roll - Harney's Sushi, Oceanside

A must do when in town!

Goodbye SD :(