This is the easiest dish I've made and one of the best scallop recipes. In just 5 steps you have incredibly delicious scallops wrapped in bacon. Yes, yes, I know, one can make this dish themselves, and there is no really good reason not to make this yourself. Except for those days when it's really great to come home and simply pull something from the freezer that is quick to make and satisfies the taste buds. And key-friendly of course. This "recipe" meets all the above criteria.
Scallops with bacon in 5 easy steps and yummy!
Ingredients:
1 box of Yankee Trader frozen scallops (I found these at BigY - they were buy 1 and get one free - this works for me!)
Instructions:
1. Turn oven on to 425.
2. Open a box of Yankee Trader frozen scallops.
3. Place the frozen scallops on a baking dish and then place in oven.
4. When oven beeps indicating the oven is fully heated, pull the scallops apart.
5. Note the time or set a timer for 10 minutes.
6. Turn the scallops over when it looks appropriate. I turned mine twice.
7. When the bacon is as crispy as you like, pull the dish from the oven.
8. Plate up and enjoy!
I'm on a roll with recipes, as I continue being determined to have a large recipe file for all of us to access when and where we need them. This bread-less sandwich reminds me of the two years I lived in Providence in the early 80's. My friend managed Baby Watson's and they were famous for their wrap-around veggie sandwiches, which they called "strollers." If you could imagine it in a sandwich, they could put it in a "stroller" for you. They spread a special sauce (mayo, soy, and garlic) on the wrap and then added your choice of protein and all veggies you wanted, they rolled everything up, wrapped it in paper, which you peeled off like a banana. You find these everywhere today, but they're called wraps. This recipe is the same concept, minus the (tortilla or pita) wrap, and this recipe is key friendly.
Italian Sub Roll-Up (recipe below)
I make this kind of sandwich on a regular basis. I often add mustard to slices of bologna, olive loaf, turkey, roast beef, or salami, then I roll it up, and wrap it with lettuce or arugula. I never thought to add veggies and herbs inside - great idea!
This type of wrap goes great with a veggie soup, to help keep the ratio of meat to veggie equal. One of these days I'll make the tomato soup my friend made for me when I was in Holland last spring. She used all fresh ingredients and it was divine. I asked her for the recipe and I wrote it all down, but I haven't made it yet. That soup would be a perfect match for this sandwich. Wow, my list of recipes to make is getting longer and longer.
BTW, I used to roll cold cuts with cheese inside, but today I know better than to do this if I want to reach my goal size. Cheese is a condiment and the way I was eating these roll-ups, I was having far too much cheese.
Italian Sub Roll-Up
Ingredients
ham slices
capicola ham or prosciutto slices
salami slices
tomato, sliced thin
banana peppers
spinach or other lettuce
dried oregano
olive oil
mayo & mustard
olives (optional)
vinegar (optional)
cucumbers (optional)
onions (optional)
Directions
Use the ham (or the largest cold-cut) for the outside layer.
Overlap that cold-cut about 1.5 inches, making 2 rows of 4 (as shown in the image below).
Make sure it’s overlapping, then layer your other meats on top.
Squeeze
on the mustard and mayo on one half, as this half will be the middle of your roll.
Layer thinly sliced tomato, banana peppers, and spinach over the mayo/mustard.
Add your other favorite "sub" fillers, such as olives, vinegar, cucumbers, onions, etc.
Roll as tight as you can from the filling side first.
Wrap in parchment or wax paper, like a burrito, and off you go. Peel the parchment paper off as if you're peeling a banana.
Another version of this type of sandwich is the red bell pepper sandwich. Take one look at this photo and it's easy enough to figure out how to make it. It would be delicious to roast the peppers first, although they would be messier to eat. Add sliced turkey or any cold cut, hold the cheese, and add splash of olive and vinegar or mayonnaise, perhaps even a few slices of onion or banana peppers.
During my weight loss journey, I've experience many non-scale victories. Sitting in the movie theater one day and suddenly realizing: I can cross my legs. Boarding an airplane and discovering: I no longer need a seatbelt extension. No longer having to arrive early to a meeting so I can quickly scan the room for the largest chair. My latest non-scale victory discovery: my body temperature is now in line with the average person. The consequence of being average: I'm cold all the time. Being cold is new to me. I was the one who was alway hot - even in the winter. So, what's an average girl to do when temperatures are in the single digits? Add more layers of clothing and then head for the kitchen to make soup.
Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
Being average, it turns out, isn't so bad. In fact, it feels great to be average. I consider myself an average size. Hush little mean girl, I know I'm currently the size others started at, it's still average, so hush. I'm an average procrastinator. I'm an average cook with an average desire to learn to cook even better. I've always been average height. Being average works for me.
Now, what about that soup? I have a couple soups I favor, but hands down-my favorite is pumpkin and sausage soup and a pretty close second is my chicken soup. I made chicken soup this week and it was incredible because I added a new secret ingredient: fresh ginger. When I make it next week, I promise to take notes and photos so I can add it to the blog recipes.
Meanwhile, I found this carrot-parsnip soup that looks perfect for those days when the temperature is a mere single-digit. I'll update this page with my own photos when I make this. I'm thinking I'll spice it up and add shrimp. It definitely needs some protein added or on the side. If you make this soup, please share your feedback for the rest of us!
Last month I made a delicious new dish for dinner: sirloin beef tips with steamed celeriac. I just ran across the photos I took, so I want to add this recipe here before I forget about it.
Sirloin beef tips with steamed celeriac. Photo by Theresa
Instructions:
Cut the skin off the celeriac, chop the celeriac into cubes, and then cook in a pan of water (like you would potatoes).
While the celeriac cooks, coat the bottom of a pan with olive oil, toss in some fresh minced garlic, then add the beef tips.
After a few minutes of cooking, pull the tips from the pan, slice then into long narrow pieces, and then return them to the pan.
Add a splash of balsamic vinegar and let the tips finish cooking.
Raw celeriac. Photo by Theresa
BTW, did you notice my army guy sitting in the plant next to the cutting board? I have a few others in my kitchen as a reminder of my journey.
Can't remember the army men metaphor? Here is my recollection, which is sort of the middle of the explanation about various military men used as metaphors to explain how food is processed in our bodies...
When you eat something, the Air Force yells - INCOMING and the Army men come running out.
If you eat too many carbs, or fake food, more Army men come out.
When there are too many army men they don't know what to do, so they turn that food into insulin/fat -- you don't want this.
The goal is to feed the marines (with protein) and to keep the army men working hard, but not fooling them into thinking there is more work to do.
This morning, as I sipped my first cup of coffee, I heard this statistic on the news: 92% of people dieting fail.
Wow! What a bummer way to start the new year, knowing you have an 8%
chance of successfully losing weight. For those of us following Julie's
program, we're not worried, because we are an anomaly to this equation. We're not dieting -- we're changing our lifestyles. We're eating in such a way that once we reach our goal size and we'll learn how to stay that size. We' re not buying into the New Year's
resolutions to lose weight this year--we resolve to live healthy
lives.
Crockpot Pulled Pork
(recipe below)
I started this weight loss journey at the end of January 2011. In 2011, I did not resolve to lose weight. In 2011, I did not know that in just a few weeks I would begin a journey that would change the way I look and feel about my life. This year, I resolve to have more joy in my life and to share that joy with others.
Of of the ways to bring more joy into my life in 2014 is to explore my creative side. I signed up for a 6 week writing workshop, which starts next week. Another one of
my creative goals is to make videos, something I've been talking about doing since 2001.
This morning I made a video! It's short. It's not finished. It's a start!
As I type, crockpot pulled pork is cooking in my kitchen. I took photos as I made the pulled pork and then I made this
video. It took more time to make the video than it did to make the
dish.
In fact, this makes 2 goals I've already met in the new year:
make
videos (check)
make new dishes (check)
2014 is already looking
like an incredible year!
What about you? What fun goals do you have for 2014? Is there something you've wanted to do and have put off for years? What non-scale goals are you making happen this year? The year is still young, so if you don't have a plan for 2014, there's no time like the present to make one!
Wishing all of you good health and lots of joy in 2014!
Crockpot Pulled Pork
Ingredients
pork shoulder roast, about 4 pounds
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups water
1 bottle barbecue sauce (16 ounces)
1 cup chopped onion
Preparation
Place half of the thinly sliced onions in bottom of slow cooker; add pork and water, along with remaining onion slices.
Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours or 4 to 5 hours on HIGH heat setting.
Drain liquid from slow cooker; chop the meat coarsely and discard excess fat.
01/02/14 Update 7:15am
I finished making this dish and went back and added more photos to the video.
What are your New Year's Eve and New Year's Day plans? My plans include having this shrimp with lemon butter. My plans do not include resolving to lose weight, as that plan is already in motion and all I need to do is keep doing what I'm doing. This year, I resolve to do other things, such as having more joy in my life. What about you? Since you too have this program down, what resolutions are you making?
Shrimp with Lemon Butter
Whatever your plans are, I wish you all a happy new year. May your new year be full of many new experiences and may your heart be full of joy like you've never know before.
Shrimp with Lemon Butter
When I saw this recipe, I knew this would be the perfect dish to bring
in the new year. It promises to be an easy and quick dinner, full of wonderful.
Ingredients
1 stick of butter (I used a 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil)
1 lemon, sliced
1 packet Italian seasoning* (I used jarred herbs instead: red pepper flakes, chives, dill, and black pepper)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
fresh parsley or basil (optional)
*One of my key friends suggested packets of Italian seasoning may not be allowed, so you may want to use jarred or fresh Italian herbs instead. I thought that taco seasonings are okay, so it seemed logical that Italian seasoning packets should be okay too. I'm not always right. Remember, I'm just one person sharing my weight loss journey and I refine my journey along the way.
Instructions
Line a cookie sheet with tin foil. I used a glass baking dish.
Melt a stick of butter and pour into the foil. I added the butter and oil to the baking dish and melted it in the dish in the oven. Be careful not to burn the butter.
Add lemon slices and minced garlic on top of the butter.
Place fresh shrimp on top of butter mixture. I added the olive oil on top of the shrimp.
Sprinkle one pack of dried Italian seasoning (or jarred herbs of your choice) on top of shrimp.
Bake in the oven at 350 for 15 min.
Optional: top with fresh parsley or basil when the shrimp first comes out of the oven.
01/05/14 Update
I made this recipe yesterday and it was so delicious that I didn't stop
to take a photo. I tasted a piece of shrimp, to make sure it was cooked
enough, and immediately plated up my dish and ate every bite.
Are you looking for an appetizer to bring with you to a holiday party? These mushrooms may be just what you're looking for - they're stuffed with sausage and spices - no bread! I'm thinking these mushrooms might be a good metaphor for Julie's reference to her sausage-sixes (while on maintenance, she know it's time to go back in the river when her size 6 clothes are tight). While at a party, I can eat these mushrooms and ask myself which do I want more: to reach my goal size or to eat that non-key food being offered? Easy choice. What about you - what do you plan to do to stay on program the rest of this holiday season?
Stuffed mushrooms
Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients
8" sausage links
12 2" Bella mushrooms
4 cloves garlic
2 green onions
2 Tbsp Parmesan
1/3 cup mozzarella (optional; you also may use less)
1/8 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp parsley
2 fresh basil leaves, diced
Directions
Chop the sausage finely.
Brown the outside of the sausage.
Add a little water and steam sausage to cook it thoroughly while maintaining its moisture.
Remove about 2/3 of the insides of the mushrooms.
Discard the hard stem tips and then dice the rest and add it to the sausage.
Finely chop 2 large cloves of garlic and the bulb ends of 2 green onions and add the sausage.
Remove from heat.
Dice 2 more cloves of garlic and mix that in with sausages.
Dice the lower half of the green onions and add to mixture as well.
Add in the Parmesan, mozzarella, oregano, parsley, and basil.
Mix thoroughly
Spoon mixture into the mushroom caps; the mixture should mound in each mushroom without falling out.
Cover a cookie sheet with tin foil and put the mushroom caps onto the foil with spacing between each.
Cook at 400F for about ten minutes.
Let cool before serving.
This how the mushrooms look before they go into the oven.
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