Menu Plan Monday: Week of December 31st, 2012 (Happy New Year)

It is a new year, it is time to get your resolutions ready! What is on your list?  Many of us add dieting to our resolutions and fail miserably at it.  It takes a lot of passion to accomplish dieting right?  How passionately do you want it?  Fact is, I did not need much passion to accomplish my weight loss goals.  Since I was already gluten free, this paleo diet was so easy.  I have been on many diets in my life.  I am a lifetime Weight Watcher!  I was so into Weight Watchers that I have retyped all of their diet materials into my computer.  Fact is, nothing worked quite as nicely as going Paleo.  At this stage I can eat the occasional bag of (not really paleo) Potato Chips and still be steady with my weight.  It was easy, I ate as much as I wanted of the allowed things.  I was never left to feel hungry and the weight still rolled off.  If you are interested, here is a great 30 day to Paleo Intro book you can look into.  As for us, I think we need to participate in the 21 Day Sugar Detox!  Way too much sugar snuck in our diets over the holidays.  I think any time you are detoxing from something there is going to be a challenge. I expect that detoxing from sugar will be EASY for us this time because when we are not cheating (say Monday through Friday) we tend to follow more of a stricter Rosedale Diet.  When we did cheat (say Saturdays and Sundays) we were leaning towards the less strict Paleo side.  So on the sugar detox we will eliminate things like winter squash, all potatoes, all fruit, cashews (which we were using in our granola), dairy.  Beans and peanuts are on the no-no sugar detox list too but we never at those anyway.

What are my new years resolutions?  I would like to tighten up this jelly belly of mine.  Yea, I am much thinner now, but not tighter.  There is where I would like to go next.  I would like to clean up my financial act this year too.  I have a few financial goals planned for myself.  Every year I set out this same financial goals and fail miserably at them.  THIS is were I would like to place my passion this year and I have a few fail safe's set in place to assure I reach these goals.

So I did not follow my meal plan last week AT ALL... LOL.  First for Christmas I made a Ham at Brunch and a Turkey at Dinner.  I ended up not having as many guests as I anticipated so the leftovers were abundant.  It was necessary for me to re-purpose these leftovers into new meals.  So, with that in mind, the next day I decided on Pub Style Ham, Potato and Cabbage with the leftover ham and hambone.  I had MORE than my share of sides so I combined gravy, dark turkey meat bits and veggies and topped with the leftover mashed potatoes and made a leftover style Shepherds Pie.  Still with a leftover turkey breast I sliced it thin and used more of that gravy (is it only me or does everybody get so much gravy from one turkey?) and served it over top of a slice of fresh baked Honey Oat Bread. What is next  after all these leftover dishes?  Leftover Turkey Chili of course!!!  I used some pantry canned goods along with some of those turkey bits and voila an incredible meal.  Next instead of soup my children asked for Turkey and dumplings.   Following the linked recipe, I boiled the turkey bones and made the stock.  Once the stock chilled overnight I dumped in all the remaining turkey.  Don't you just LOVE repurposed leftovers?   I only spent money on the first meal, the rest was free!  :-)

Now onto our New Years menu plan.....

Monday (New Year's Eve)

New York Strip Steaks, Broccoli, Mushrooms

Tuesday (New Year's Day)

Roast Pork, Sauerkraut, Cauliflower Puree, Green Beans

Wednesday:

Photo and Recipe are from Paleo Parents

Spaghetti Squash alla Carbonara

Thursday:

Baked Chicken, Paleo Dirty Rice, Broccoli

Friday:

Grilled Tri Tip Steak, Asparagus

Saturday:

Meatloaf (minus the sugary topping), Cauliflower Puree, Spinach

Sunday:

Almond and parmesan encrusted pork chops

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Gluten Free Easy Bake Oven Cake Mix Recipe

Did your son or daughter want an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas but you were reluctant to get him/her one because of the "wheat" issue? Well my brother gave one to my daughter last year along with a years supply of Gluten Free Quick Bake mixes that he ordered on Amazon. It was an incredible gift and he is the most thoughtful uncle EVER!  Alas, the year has gone by so quick and so have those mixes he purchased.

We needed a new plan. The recipe below is our new "frugal" solution to gluten free easy bake mixes.  I am using ingredients that are easy to find without special ordering.  Make the dry portions up ahead of time and store them in the snack sized zip lock bags.

2 Tablespoons Betty Crocker Gluten Free Bisquick
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 teaspoon Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa
3/4 teaspoon Butter, room temperature (oil works too)
2 Tablespoons Almond Milk

• Mix flour, sugar, cocoa.  
• Add butter and milk. Mix very well. Batter will be thick. 
• Scoop batter into greased baking pan that comes with the toy oven. 
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. 

Notes:

• We have the Ultimate Easy Bake Oven
• We purchased the checker cake accessory pack that includes two round rings so you can make a round layer cake.
• Double this recipe to make a sheet cake in the sheet cake pan included in the ultimate oven packaging.
• This recipe makes a tad bit more batter than is needed.  It won't overflow but caution is needed.

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The Best Homemade Low Carb Caesar Salad Dressing you will ever taste!

Here ya go, the cheat version of the classic favorite.  If I had started with Raw egg and oil, then I would not have eaten it.  LOL.  Dukes mayo is low carb so using it makes this diet friendly!

2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 teaspoon Anchovy Paste
2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon Horseradish Mustard
1 cup Mayonnaise (I am using Dukes because it is low carb)
    (make your own mayo to make it paleo)
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the garlic, anchovy paste, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce. 
• Add the mayonnaise, Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt and pepper and whisk until well combined. 
• Taste and adjust to your liking.

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Recipe | Prawn and Pork Wonton Triangles

Every time we have a new culinary magazine at home or whenever I get my hands on any cookbooks, I'd always take the time to check the recipes if there is something easy to do that I could recreate at home. While checking my notebook with a list of the recipes I would like to try, I came across this and thought it would be a good pica-pica dish to serve on Noche Buena.

This recipe was by celebrity chef Him Uy de Baron and was taken from the October 2010 issue of Yummy Magazine, and is also printed on their website.


Prawn and Pork Wonton Triangles
{makes 20 to 24 dumplings}

Ingredients:

• 150 grams pork picnic (kasim), minced into 1/4-inch cubes
• 50 grams pork back fat, minced into 1/4-inch cubes
• 150 grams prawns, minced into 1/4-inch cubes
• 10 grams dried woodear mushrooms, reconstituted in warm water and  minced into 1/4-inch cubes
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• dash of pepper
• 2 tablespoons potato starch or cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons chopped spring onion
• 20 to 24 pieces wonton wrappers
• 1 egg, whisked, to use as egg wash
• oil for deep-frying
• sweet chili sauce, to serve

How to Cook:

• Place all the ingredients in a bowl except wonton wrappers, egg, oil, and chili sauce; mix together.
• Make wonton triangles by placing a spoonful of the prawn-pork mix into the center of each wrapper. Brush with egg wash and fold to make triangles.
• Heat enough oil to deep-fry the triangles. Make sure that the oil is not too hot that the wrappers blister and brown within seconds. Fry in batches and drain excess oil on paper towels. Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

Even if I planned for this dish to be a part of our Noche Buena, it wasn't as perfect as I hoped it would be, because I forgot to buy the spring onions and it was already too late when I realized I was missing one ingredient. I also bought the small size wonton wrappers, so I didn't place a full tablespoon of filling, I just placed enough to fold the wrappers and sealing the edges.

This wasn't y first time to cook a related recipe. Back then, I attempted to do a ham and cheese wonton triangle and it was such a disaster. I learned (by cooking this recipe) that the oil didn't have to be so hot so the wrappers won't brown in seconds.

Despite not having the spring onions (which I think would add more dimension to the taste), it still turned out okay. All the wonton triangles I served were eaten so quickly, and my sister even requested me to cook it again because what we left for her (she didn't eat Noche Buena with us as she was already sleeping) weren't enough to satisfy her. Next time, I'd definitely put in the spring onions and would compare the taste.

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This Year's Noche Buena

In our household, mom ruled the kitchen. She would always prepare dishes (especially on special occasions) because she wanted to be in some sort of control, but for nearly a decade now, she allowed us (her children) to cook – not just everyday meals, but also during special days. During the holidays, my sister and I would prepare dishes for Noche Buena and Christmas Day lunch, while brother would prepare dishes for Media Noche and New Year’s Day lunch.


I wanted to keep it quite simple for this year’s Noche Buena, afterall, it’s just us four – no relatives visiting us for Christmas.


Chicken Macaroni Salad
I totally forgot when was the last time we prepared this dish at home. Growing up, my parents would serve this for the holidays, but as we grow old and learn different recipes, we kinda let this dish take the back seat. I want to include a feel of nostalgia, hence this dish. A very simple dish to make, I think we all know how to prepare this one... but for this particular salad, I made sure I chopped certain ingredients so it won’t make an overpowering impression. I also added a little condensed milk into the dressing, and of course, I didn’t forget adding finely minced onions, because we just love the hint of onions in our macaroni salad.


Prawn and Pork Wonton Triangles
I was browsing old culinary magazines for easy recipes to try and saw this from an old issue of Yummy Magazine. Cooking this on Christmas Eve was a risk – I have no idea how it would taste like and I don’t know how would the family accept it, but I was so glad that it tasted good. I just felt sad because the wonton wrapper I bought said it had 100 wrappers inside, yet I made below 50 wonton triangles all in all. Needless to say, what I served wasn’t enough to satisfy the family.

Recipe for this dish will be shared tomorrow.


Banana Cupcakes
Noche Buena and Christmas is about celebrating Jesus Christ’s birth, so the cake will always be present at the table during this time. We all know how hectic this time would be – too many shoppers flocking the market as well as different bakeshops, so we decided not to buy cakes. Instead, I opted to go for the ever reliable Maya Oven Toaster cake mix, so we could also give some to our neighbors.

We have different types of the Maya Oven Toaster cake mix at home – Banana Cake, Chocolate Cake, Butter Cake, and Bibingka. The Bibingka was a bit difficult to use and there might be too much chocolate this time of the year, so we used the banana cake mix. A box of the mix yielded 18 mini cupcakes, definitely a great giveaway. As always, we used the steamer to cook the cupcakes, which turned out to be a better choice (than using the oven toaster) because it was moist and had an even color.
It was a different celebration this year. I felt a little sad that it was just us four celebrating it, and sister didn’t even eat with us that midnight. Well, I couldn’t blame her – she’s very tired from work and still has to go to work morning of Christmas Day, but of course I just couldn’t help but feel sad.

How was your Noche Buena?

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Menu Plan Monday: Week of December 24th, 2012

Merry Christmas everyone!  Ready or now, here it comes!!!!!  We are supposed to get snow tomorrow, for the south, this is a BIG deal.  We are all so excited.  I hope its not yet another false alarm!

This is my Christmas Meal Plan, including Brunch and Dinner.  All made ahead except for the Turkey!  Don't worry, I am not here blogging on Christmas.  I put this post on autopilot.  Typed it in last week as soon as I had a clue!

Monday, Christmas Eve:

Rib Roast, Cauliflower Puree, Vegetable Medley

Tuesday:

Brunch Breakfast Buffet:

Baked Ham

Make Ahead Egg & Sausage Casserole (using Udi's Bread, toasted)

Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole GF Copycat

Make Ahead Cinnamon Rolls

Apple Coffee Cake (paleo)

Dinner:

Brined Turkey

Paleo Stuffing

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

Green Bean Casserole

Sweet Potato Casserole

Canned Cranberry Sauce


Tuesday:

Hot Roast Turkey Open-face Sandwiches and Leftover Sides

Wednesday:

Grilled Trip Tip

Thursday:

This is Urban Poser's Incredible Pot Pie Photo!

Turkey Pot Pie

Friday:

New York Strip Steaks

Saturday & Sunday: 
TBD

Looking for inspiration? I can help:

1. For the roundup of menu plans this week, visit Angela’s Kitchen. 
2. Head on over to Orgjunkie.com and visit Laura's Menu Plan Monday.
3. Visit Heather at Celiac Family, the Gluten Free Menu Swap headquarters!
4. You can also view my past menu plans here 

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Gadget Gambit’s Thanksgiving Party

Every year, influential blogs are recognized, and blogger Jonel Uy’s influence in the Philippine blogosphere is once again recognized, as his tech blog – Gadget Gambit was awarded as one of this year’s top emerging influential blogs.

With so much blessings coming his way, Gadget Gambit held a thanksgiving party, which happened at the SM North EDSA’s branch of Greenwich, one of the country’s well known pizza and pasta place.

Food served at the party –


All-Meat Overload Pizza


Hawaiian Overload Pizza


7 Cheese Overload Pizza


Greenwich Special Overload Pizza

Just recently, Greenwich introduced their barkada size – 15” pizza, cut into 16 pieces for barkadas (and big groups in general) to share. This reminds me of the rectangle family sized pizza Greenwich used to have, and although the idea of having a huge pizza for people to share is nice, I somehow didn't like it that much, because the outer four cuts were so small compared the other cuts, and some had the outer crust, while the others had full of toppings. Good thing, Greenwich will cut the pizza to the customer's liking... so if you prefer to have it cut in 8 equal cuts (like the typical pizza) or any other kinds of cut you prefer, all you have to do is to give them your special request.

I liked all the flavors, but my favorites would have to be the 7 Cheese and Hawaiian pizzas.


Crunchy Chicken Glaze
I only had a tiny piece of this chicken (which I took from my cousin Marjorie’s plate) to taste it, and I wasn’t disappointed. When I first heard about this dish, I thought it might be similar to the soy-garlic double deep fried chicken, but I was mistaken. Well, the presentation might be the same, but the taste is definitely different. This one’s slightly sweet and spicy, and perfect to be eaten with rice. Well, I had a piece of each of the pizzas, so I will just go back to Greenwich to order one next time.


Lasagna
This season means parties here and there, and for some, cooking a potluck dish might take more time and effort, so Greenwich is now offering party-size trays for their pastas. I have always liked their lasagna, so I truly enjoyed feasting on this pasta.


Greenwich Fried Chicken
I couldn’t remember the last time I ate Greenwich Fried Chicken (I often go for their pizza and pasta), but eating this one was a surprise. It tasted way much better than the last Greenwich Fried Chicken I tasted – this one’s more flavorful that a gravy isn’t necessary anymore.


Also at the event, Jonel gave recognition to the bloggers who joined his Blogger Apprenticeship Program. Now on its second year, the program is designed for young bloggers (bloggers who are blogging for a year and below) who would like to know more about the ins and outs of blogging. For this day, Jonel awarded the top six and top three bloggers, and the ones present at the event were Athena, Sumi, and Alwin. Congratulations!

Christmastime is truly a time for gratitude, and as much as Jonel held this party to extend his gratitude, I also would like to thank him for inviting me (and my brother) for this event.

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