Day Seven - Cycle Two (Day 24)

TODAY'S POSTING

     Up at 7:25, looked at clock and wondered why we weren't awakened by the telephone ringing at 7.  Called my friend Yvette to see what happened (she usually takes the little bit to school in the mornings).  She was sick and forgot to call and tell us.  Rushed to get ready.  Had to all a Taxi to take her to school.  Came back home, and found I had locked myself out.  I rang the doorbell for a few minutes until my son realized he needed to get up and answer the door. 
      Prepared and drank my lemon water.  It was the correct temperature and went down fairly easily.  I prepared my tea.  I ate my yogurt and a grapefruit for breakfast, along with my tea.  I also drank 2 waters.  I was expecting to be busy all day with an old friend, but he had to cancel and reschedule for tomorrow.
     Therefore, I spent the day updating my blog, farming my farm on farmville (I am currently undertaking serious renovations of my farm right now).  BTW, if any out there reading this plays farmville and is NOT my neighbor yet, PLEASE send me an invite to be your neighbor.  I need 6 more people before it will let me expand my land, and I desperately need the room.  I just put in my Mardi Gras Corner - in my favorite colors!  It's pretty.  I also have my Irish center done in green and gold.  I recently acquired a bakery and moved up two levels.  I am currently growing crops to help me bake goods for sale.  I still need to rearrange some things and fix the school yard back up.  I am digging a pond, and have plans for a greenhouse and a bee hive soon.
     Lunch was interesting.  I soaked chickpeas (garbanzo beans) all night.  I used them to make a fat free humus (see recipe below) that was pretty good.  I ate cauliflower with it and enjoyed it a lot.  I also had a salad with turkey chunks and fat free feta sprinkled in.  Another 2 waters went with lunch.  I saved the leftover hummus for another time.
     I am reminded that yesterday when I ate the leftover artichoke hearts and asparagus salad that I also sprinkled some fat free feta on that, and it really helped add flavor to it and but some of the tartness.  I like this fat free feta without any Mediterranean seasonings in it.  I thought that all feta cheese had those seasonings in it.  I never realized it comes plain.
     For dinner, I still have a tons of chickpeas left.  I put some in the freezer, some in the fridge, and still had a small bowl left over.  I made some home made salsa (see recipe below) with my Magic Bullet to go with dinner, and I decided to put some salsa into the bowl of chickpeas and try that.  It was really good!  The salsa was very tasty and added lots of flavor to what otherwise were plain beans.  I had looked up recipes for chickpeas, but found mostly different hummus recipes or ones with ingredients I can't have.  So, my salsa idea was plan B, and I believe it worked out well.  I prepared chicken Fajitas (see recipe below) for dinner with basmati rice.  It was fantastic.  I didn't even need the salsa to enhance the flavor.  I saved the leftover salsa for other dishes.
   As I was eating the fajitas with rice (the family eats them with tortillas), I was thinking about what kind of wrap I could put mine in, that would still be flavorful and good.  I thought about lettuce, but it would be cold and ruin the warmth of the fajitas.  Then, it dawned on me that the fajita mixture would taste fantastic in a cabbage leaf rolled up like a chicken and vegetable cabbage roll.  The flavor was reminiscent of my family's cabbage roll recipe (which I plan on making soon, because it contains ingredients I an have- it's a family favorite and passed down at least three generations that I know of - four if you count my daughter, but she makes her with shredded chicken because she doesn't eat beef).    I am definitely going to make cabbage to go with the fajitas next time.  I will include that as an option in the recipe below for those who want to try it and are not eating flour tortillas.  Otherwise, the normal recipe is eaten with small soft taco sized tortillas (try wheat or vegetable if you can find them, they are a healthier choice).
     I called my sister in Kansas, as her and her family are leaving to come out here tomorrow, with a planned arrival on Wednesday.  My brother-in-law's sister passed away Sunday morning after having a heart attack at the age of 47.  My thoughts and prayers go out to him and his entire family.  At one time, his sister Donna was my sister's best friend.  I was also married to their brother at one time, for a short time, a very long time ago, so I am still part of the family.  It's always sad to lose someone.  I interrupted my dinner to call, and I ended up staying on the phone for almost an hour.  I ended up not eating very much for dinner.  I felt full an satisfied at the time, but for the first time since I started this eating program, I was hungry about an hour later.  I tried water and tea for about an hour before I gave in and decided to have a snack to fill me up again.  I ate broccoli with salsa and hummus.  Also very tasty and filling..

FAT FREE HUMMUS RECIPE

(This recipe comes from the recipe book that came with my Magic Bullet)

     1 can of chickpeas (14 oz.) or cook fresh ones yourself (see directions below)
     2-4 splashes of fat free, reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth
     2 tbs. lemon juice
     2 cloves of garlic
     sprinkle paprika (optional)
     salt and pepper to taste

Add all ingredients, except paprika, in blender (or Magic Bullet) and blend until smooth.  Do not add too much broth, as it will break down the chickpeas.  Splash a little at a time in and add more as needed until the consistency is smooth, but sort of thick.

Voila!  Fat Free Hummus!  This is a really good recipe.

     To Cook Your Own Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans) - soak peas in water with a tsp. soda overnight. in fridge.  Drain.  Rinse well.  Drain all water off.  Cook in plenty of water for 2 hours on a constant simmering boil.  Drain and rinse.  Use in recipes.

SEVEN SECOND SALSA RECIPE

     1 - 2 boiler onions or 1/4  of a regular onion (about 1/4 cup)
     1/6 to 1/4 jalapeno pepper (add more if you like it hot and spicy)
     8-10 cherry tomatoes or 1 regular sized tomato
     1 - 2 Cloves of garlic
     small sprigs of cilantro
     salt and pepper to taste

Place all vegetables in the order listed into the Magic Bullet large cup or your blender.   In the Magic Bullet you just give it a few slight taps to pulsate it a couple times so that salsa remains chunky.  Do same in blender.

Voila! 7-second salsa! This is delicious!  No reason to spend money eating out!

CHICKEN FAJITA RECIPE

This recipe is my husband's creation, and it is delicious!  The whole family loves this, and the kids don't usually eat onions and bell peppers!

ADJUST AMOUNTS TO SUIT YOUR FAMILIES NEEDS
     1 whole onion (red or your favorite)
     1 whole green bell pepper
     1 whole red bell pepper (or orange or yellow)
     1 package of sliced mushrooms (optional)
     1 -2 tomatoes
     1 -2 pounds of meat (This recipe works great for CHICKEN, SHRIMP OR STEAK)
     season salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
     sour cream (optional)

NOTE:   To make the Shrimp fajitas real easy on you look for UNCOOKED, but already shelled and deveigned shrimp.

Julienne (thinly slice long pieces) all the onions and peppers.  Do Not Dice. Tomatoes can be diced.   You want to leave things in strips at least 2 inches long.  Wash meat.  Slice meat into thin strips. Heat a pan sprayed with Pam and add 1 tbs. oil.  When oil is warm, add your meat.  Season meat to taste - HINT: the season salt is providing your "fajita" flavoring don't be stingy with it, but don't go overboard either!  Stir meat while cooking thoroughly.  If using shrimp it is done when they turn bright orange and are no longer translucent.  The chicken should cook or 7-9 minutes - you can cut into a large piece to check for pink to see when done.  Remove meat from pan and set aside for a moment - cover to keep warm.

Put 1 tbs olive oil in same pan.  Toss in all vegetables.  Stir fry up those vegetables until they are soft and cooked through.  Add meat back in and stir up.  Toss in tomatoes and cook for about 2 minutes.

This recipe is made for tortillas - soft taco size (small).  You can serve with sour cream!  This dish is so delicious that you don't need any other condiments.  However, you could serve with cheese, salsa, guacamole.

Healthier Eating Options:  If you are trying to eat healthier, like me - do not use the tortillas (or use vegetable or wheat tortillas).  Use 1 cup of cooked basmati rice, place fajitas over the rice and enjoy.

Another Healthier Serving Option:  Take a cooked cabbage leaf and roll up some rice and your fajita mix into a cabbage leaf and eat it as a wrap.  You could probably afford to eat 2-3 of these (using your 1 cup of rice and all the vegetables mix you can fit in them.

Voila! Superb Fajitas!  This is the best recipe!!!!!

TODAY'S STATS:

Green Tea = 2; Water = 4 (yikes); Fruit = 1 grapefruit; Probiotics = 2 yogurts; Proteins = turkey breast, chicken breast, chickpeas; Veggies = lots! - romaine lettuce, cauliflower, onions, mushrooms, green bell peppers, red bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic, lemon; Friendly Fats = 2 Tbs olive oil; Fat free Feta Cheese