Girl's day at the Chocolate Bar - Langham Hotel in Boston

Yesterday was the day I have been waiting for since Valentine's Day. As I mentioned before, I invited my Mom, Mother in Law and Sister to join me at the Langham Hotels infamous Chocolate Bar. We went early this morning with empty stomachs and splurged on every level possible. J

After our chocolate experience we decided to take a short walk to Haymarket (the fruit and vegetable market right between the North End and Gov’t Center. If you don’t mind the crowd, and aren’t afraid of a little attitude from the vendors, Haymarket is a great place to get produce at a fraction of the price!

No I'm not Irish Corned Beef and Cabbage

Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

Today is the one day of the year where people of every nationality unite and claim themselves as Irish. Tonight Phil and I invited our Family (who are Italian, Portuguese and Syrian) for a tradition Irish Meal.  We served Corned Beef and Cabbage, traditional with our own twists.

When I went to the supermarket in the beginning of the week, I was slightly intimidated by the packaged piece of beef I knew would become my Thursday night dinner. I purchased all the veggies and said, what’s the worst that could happen. The experiment started last night. My dad (who is a great cook) told me that all I needed to do was boil the meat for 3 hours…. So when I got home from work, I put the meat in my favorite ‘Martha Stewart’ cast iron skillet, filled it with water, added pepper, fresh garlic cloves, and a bay leave and let it simmer for 3 hours. After a while the kitchen smelled amazing. I turned it off and hoped for the best. (I refrigerated it over night)

Today, when I got home, I removed the meat from the pan and added all the veggies. I chose to use white potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnip, and cabbage. For a Portuguese twist I also added Linguica (a spicy sausage…you can find right at the regular supermarket). I boiled the meat, and veggies in the broth for about 1 hour more, served it with vinegar and mustard and it turned out to be amazzzinggg.

No I'm not Irish Corned Beef and Cabbage

I am proud of myself…maybe I could be Irish after all. J

Oooooie Goooie, 'Healthier' Au Gratin

4 all purpose potatoes, peeled and sliced thin

½ cup non-fat milk

½  cup part skim mozzarella cheese

¼ tsp salt and pepper

½  tsp garlic powder

1 stem of fresh thyme leaves

Preheat oven to 375^oF. Arrange a layer of the potatoes in a baking dish and sprinkle with some cheese. Continue layering the potatoes and the cheese until all are used. In a small bowl, whisk together milk, garlic powder, salt, pepper and thyme leaves. Pour milk mixture over potatoes. Bake for 1 hour, until top is golden brown and potatoes are tender.



It looks guilty...doesn't it!

Homemade Take out Sunday...

Making take out foods at home is so easy. You are able to still eat the foods that you love without feeling so guilty about it. What’s great about making take out at home is you are able to control all of the ingredients.  In my Made at Home…Steak and Cheese Sub and Truffle French Fries, I was able to control the amount of fat (oil and cheese), salt, and of course the portion size. I was also able to add flavor with fresh garlic, onions and herbs (you don’t get that at the deli).

Portions when we eat out and sometimes even when we eat in are a big problem. People (including myself sometimes) have a distorted view about how much food we need to make us feel full. 

Your eyes are always bigger than your stomach...basically this saying means that when you put food on your plate, your mind is telling you that you want a lot, when in reality you probably only need half of the portion you chose to take. Now, because it is on your plate, of course you’re going to eat it...isn’t that what mama always taught us?

Here are some easy ways to think about portion sizing:

• meat, fish and chicken: measure the palm of your hand (about 4 oz)
• rice, pasta and other grains: measure your fist (about 1 cup cooked)
• nuts and dried fruits: 1 handful (about 1/8 cup)
• hard cheese, peanut butter and cream cheese: thumb (about 1 oz)
• snack food (chips, crackers, popcorn, pretzels): 2 handfuls (about 1/2 cup or less)
• oils, mayo, butter, sweets (sugar or candy): tip on thumb (about 1 tsp)

***Tip - Serve food on a smaller plate, you still have the "look" of a large portion because the plate is full, but really you are automatically cutting your portion size AND I guarantee you, you’ll be full and satisfied when you finish.



Oops Kinda Morning...

Don’t you just hate when you get home and "Uh-oh, I didn’t take anything out of the freezer for dinner tonight!"

….Well that’s what happened to me last night. Although the hubby would be totally fine with Chinese food or a cheese pizza, to stay in tune with our "healthy lifestyle" I relied on my pantry's secret stash. In previous posts I have talked about keeping a well stocked fridge, freezer, and pantry. (Although in this case the freezer didn’t do me any good..) In less than an hour I put together a from scratch Lentil Soup and from scratch Biscuits. So simple and so satisfying!

Lentil Soup with Homemade Biscuits

Lentil Soup

1 bag of dried lentils

2 tbsp olive oil

2 slices of bacon, diced into small pieces

1 tbsp dried or fresh rosemary

2 carrots

2 stalks of celery

2 onions

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 chicken bouillon cubes

8 cups water

In a small pot add dried lentils and 2 cups of water, bring to a boil for 15 minutes until lentils are softer but not fully cooked. The lentils will absorb most of the water but drain off the extra water, rinse and set aside.

In a large soup pot add oil and bacon and cook until crisp. Add onions, carrots and celery and saute for 2 minutes then add garlic, saute for another minute. Add bouillon cubes, rosemary and prepared lentils and saute for another minute. Add water and simmer for about 10 minutes. Serve

Chocolate Extraviganza

A few years ago for Valentines Day my dad bought my sister, mom and I tickets to a Chocolate Tour of Boston, as you can imagine it was amazing. We went in a big bus with a tour guide who talked about the history of chocolate and the history of restaurants in Boston. Our tour ended at the Langham Hotel at their famous Chocolate Bar. The bar/buffet had desserts of all types, some with fruits, some with caramels, mostly chocolates, sinfully good. This year after Valentines Day, I had this great idea; Why not have a Chocolate/Dessert Buffet/Fashion Girls-night-in party at my house! So guess what…I’m doing it!

The planning is coming along, I have hired a “fashion lady” who sells all kinds of things like sunglasses, wallets, scarves, pocket books, jewelry, etc. to join us. The invitations are on order and the guest list is prepared. I have even started to order some serving wear, such as tiny martini glasses, shot glasses to make mini parfaits, cupcakes liners, and much more.  

The menu is coming along as well. I am going to do some traditional desserts such as cookies and cupcakes, some fancy desserts like creme brulee, some healthier alternatives like yogurt parfaits and fruit salads, and...how could I forget the cotton candy machine J.

for more information on the Chocolate Bar visit: http://boston.langhamhotels.com/restaurants/chocolate_bar.htm

March into a healthier you...

Its March, National Nutrition Month®! Every March, the American Dietetic Association recognizes the work that Dietitians and Nutritionists do by giving us a whole month to celebrate how important food is when having a healthy lifestyle. National Nutrition Month® is a campaign that focuses on the importance of making good food choices and incorporating physical activity in your daily routine.

ü      Healthy food is what gives us energy and stamina for our busy lives.

ü      Certain foods have the ability to prevent or even help diseases.

ü      Make sure you have a diet rich in nutrient dense foods from all of the food groups.

o       Whole grains

o       Low-fat dairy

o       Fruits and vegetables

o       Proteins

o       Healthy fats

ü      Incorporate exercise in your routine every day.

For more information vistit - http://www.eatright.org/nnm/ or click the logo on the right side of the blog page.

*The beautiful blooming tulips I treated myself too!