November « 2009 « Healthy and Sane

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LTK, Harpoon brewery tour and Picco

November 30th, 2009 · 14 Comments · Boston, Eating out, restaurant reviews

Yesterday was the last day of a very long weekend and it turned into an unexpected staycation due to pretty nice weather. Adam and I decided to go for a walk and explore areas of Boston we rarely end up at. This brought us to the Seaport district.

We realized that Harpoon brewery is in the area and decided to take their 3pm brewery tour. This left us with just enough time to grab a snack at a restaurant in the area. I suggested pizza and we both got excited. Unfortunately without any conventions at the time, most businesses/restaurants are closed, including Salvatore’s (a local pizza joint). With not too many options around, we settled on LTK (Legal Sea Food’s sister restaurant). The second the bar tender mentioned a bloody mary, I knew I really wanted one (yeah, smart choice, Elina, vodka before a beer tour ).

Then came out the super fresh rolls with a butter bean dip. The dip was not bad, but the roles were amazing. They tasted like they just came out of the oven! Yum

For our “snack” Adam and I decided to spit the mussels in a white wine and garlic sauce. The chef made a special batch, sans onions, and I was very thankful for that. I could seriously drink that sauce straight out of the bowl! Instead I enjoyed it with the warm rolls (we asked for a few extra).

Next up: Harpoon Brewery tour!!

The tour was really fun! I loved learning about the process. We got to taste the wheat and barley used for brewing, as well as some pre-bottled IPA (it was cloudy, less carbonated and more alcoholic – still very good!). And then it was time for the beer tasting portion of the tour.

I started with the UFO (un-filtered offering) White. Harpoon started brewing this wheat beer 6 months ago, and it is now their 3rd best seller! [on the right is Adam's Harpoon Dark which I also tasted - yum!]

This UFO White I really enjoyed! It had hints of orange which made it a little special. Next I asked for the Ginger Wheat from Harpoon’s 100 barrel series (they let their brewers brew whatever they want once every 3 months, make 100 barrels of it, and that’s it! Talk about limited edition…)

It smelled like ginger but tasted quite lemony. Another good one!

Our tour guide/bartender mentioned that the Winter Warmer (has cloves and cinnamon) tastes like a gingerbread cookie, and combined with the hard Cider, tastes like apple pie. You know I had to test that theory

Winter Warmer:

Not quite a gingerbread cookie, but floral, fall flavors for sure. Combined with the Cider it tasted like candy to me (not apple pie). A little too sweet for my taste (I prefer the Cider on its own).

The tour + tasting was really a blast! I probably drank less than a beer altogether (I didn’t drink the samples in their entirety) but was definitely feeling tipsy (I guess that bloody mary was pretty strong!). I rarely drink beer so I was surprised how much I enjoyed everything I tasted. I think I like to taste them more than actually drink them all night long (except for cider, that’s like apple juice ). Adam and I are definitely Harpoon fans now, and I know we’ll be more likely to order it next time we’re at a bar (the kegs are usually about a week old when they get delivered to a local bar – that’s some fresh beer!!).

Feeling good (read: feeling the effects of alcohol) with a pizza craving still unsatisfied, brought us to our favorite pizza place in Boston – PICCO (pizza and ice cream company).

I got the small margharita with chicken and mushrooms

The dough is SO doughy and chewy, it tastes like heaven! The sauce has large tomato chunks (I like that over the smooth sauce) and the mozzarella is incredibly fresh. This pizza was to-die-for!

Adam got their fresh smoked pepperoni as a topping. We swapped one slice. Also yummy! I like how the mini pepperoni got all crispy in the oven. Best.pizza.ever!

We got home around 7:30; I promptly passed out on the couch around 8. I peeled myself off around 8:40 and got to bed, setting an alarm for bright and early, but that didn’t happen either. I slept for 11 hours and probably could have slept for another 11. I guess I was really tired!! Back to work now…..

Do you like being a tourist in your own city? Ever tried exploring new areas on a random Sunday afternoon? I highly recommend it!

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Welcome back dinner

November 29th, 2009 · 7 Comments · 20 minute meals, Cooking Light, chicken, restaurant reviews, turkey

My dad came back from Israel last night. He’s been gone for a month and my mom was out of town, so I decided to make a healthy dinner for the two of us. On the menu:

Candied walnut, pear and goat cheese salad
Scallop piccata over whole wheat spaghetti and spinach
Almond, cherry and chocolate clusters

The salad was based on this recipe from Cooking Light. I used the recipe to make the candied walnuts and the dressing (using 2/3 of the oil) and then just mixed them organic greens, sliced pears and goat cheese. The goat cheese was a great addition. I think everything goes better with goat cheese with nearly no exceptions!

My dad enjoyed the candied walnuts the most. I made some extra so you’ll see them in future posts over yogurt, salads and oats.

The entree was another Cooking Light recipe (see it here). I had really high expectations for this one. The picture in the magazine just looks absolutely mouth watering. I bought some baby scallops ($10 cheaper/lb than the large sea scallops!) and they just wouldn’t brown. They kept on releasing water, which I was draining out over and over, and were making me nervous. At the end I pulled them out of the pan (over cooked scallops taste like rubber!) and proceeded with the recipe. The final result was pretty yummy (I cut the butter by 1/2 and you could still really taste it!) but not mind-blowingly amazing.

Dad and I both enjoyed it

I was pretty satisfied with dinner by this point, so my little almond cherry cluster was consumed about an hour later. This one was a hit with dad too! I’m making more next week for company. These guys are really great!!

***

There were a few other eats earlier in the day that are worth mentioning:

This sandwich with dark meat turkey, cranberry sauce and laughing cow cheese on TJ’s whole wheat Tuscan bread was amazing! I seriously could not stop talking about it for hours! The soft yet chewy bread was definitely an important factor in this.

Adam had a Chipotle craving so we went in. I was really hungry but also really wanted some leftover hot and sour soup we had at home. Apparently Chipotle now lets you purchase just one taco if you want it. It was perfect to tie me over until we got home! Chicken taco with hot sauce, tiny bit of sour cream and cheese + lettuce

Chipotle uses all natural and mostly organic ingredients, including meats and dairy, so it’s one of the only fast food chains I actually like.

Who’s not ready for this long weekend to end?!

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Thanksgiving leftovers get a new life

November 27th, 2009 · 19 Comments · Asian, Cooking Light, Ellie Krieger, breakfast, dessert, oats, soups, turkey

I mentioned that one of my Thanksgiving day “strategies” was to keep it to just one day of indulgences, which means no leftovers. Well, this wasn’t 100% true. White meat turkey and cranberry sauce I consider perfectly healthy eats, so today, each of them got to star in their own separate dish.

BREAKFAST

Banana oatmeal with PB&J + coffee

The “J” was actually cranberry sauce from last night’s Thanksgiving dinner. I could really taste the dried cherries in it today. Delicious!!

DINNER

For dinner, the turkey leftovers were transformed into Asian wontons, based on the tip from page 74 of the November 2009 Cooking Light issue. I made a mixture of minced turkey, ginger, mushrooms and soy sauce, then Adam stuffed them in Nasoya wonton skins and boiled them in some chicken broth for a few minutes. They were really delicious with TJ’s gyoza sauce (I had about 4 or 5)!

We took the Asian theme a little further and decided to make some hot and sour soup. I followed this recipe from About.com, omitting the pork, the dry lili buds (what are these anyway?) and scallions, used dehydrated black trumpet mushrooms instead of black fungus, 2 cups of chicken broth and 4 cups of water, and a little more rice vinegar than the recipe called for (based on reviewers’ suggestions). I also finished it with 1 teaspoon of chili oil for the whole batch.

This picture doesn’t look like much, but I really felt like I was in a Chinese restaurant, except I’m sure this was way healthier! It tasted very authentic. The whole meal really hit the spot and took care of my Asian food craving that I didn’t even know I had. SO good! I can’t wait to have it again!

DESSERT

Tonight’s dessert was not Turkey day inspired, but is my CEiMB entry for the week. This week we were allowed to pick our own Ellie Krieger recipe to feature, and I decided to finally make this recipe for cherry almond chocolate clusters my sister told me about nearly a year ago! Chocolate, roasted almonds and dried cherries are probably my 3 favorite things in the world, so I can’t believe it actually took me this long to make these. I’m glad I did, because both Adam and I thought they were incredible and I think will be a great treat to have around when that sweet tooth kicks into high gear.

The key is to definitely use high quality chocolate (I used a mixture of organic Green & Black’s espresso chocolate and Scharffen Berger semisweet chocolate) and I guarantee you’ll fall in love. They’re even pretty healthy (dark chocolate has lots of antioxidants!), as long as you can stop at just 1 I’ve been a good girl so far.

I’m loving this super long weekend! What are your favorite ways to enjoy Thanksgiving leftovers? I’m thinking there is a turkey sandwich and maybe cranberry sauce muffins in my future

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Thanksgiving day 2009

November 27th, 2009 · 12 Comments · Cooking Light, baking, party

How was everybody’s Thankgiving day (for those who celebrate)? Mine was a lot of fun, as always. I worried a bit about my ugly apple pie that I made for the dinner, but otherwise it was a nice day to just relax and enjoy some time with the fam. My sister in law, as always, did a great job with dinner! One day I hope to host my own Thanksgiving gathering

The day was so relaxing that my only exercise was mashing potatoes

Actually it was hard work! My mom’s exercise was playing with baby Colby…

She wouldn’t leave the little guy! I think someone wants grandchildren, but she’ll have to wait a while for that. Hope she got her fix

Justin helped us really get into the spirit of Turkey day!

And then there was food, lots of food!

APPETIZERS

I had 2 little buffalo chicken in puff pastry guys, 1 piece of smoked gouda and a bunch of fresh carrots. The carrots were the perfect thing to munch on while we were all just hanging out before dinner time! Speaking of dinner…

THANKSGIVING FEAST

Before:

After:

Turkey (duh). I’m always surprised at how perfect it looks!

Sweet potato casserole (with brown sugar, pecans and cranberries) – as always, one of my favorites! It’s like dessert for dinner, and you guys know I’m all about that

Cheese & broccoli casserole

My sister in law made a special one for me, sans onions

Same with the stuffing, these stuffing muffins were made for me without onions… love the presentation!

Cranberry sauce with dried cherries

Mashed potatoes (professionally mashed )

Something here is not like the others… my mother in law made a Russian beet salad with walnuts, apples, garlic and light mayo. I LOVED it! This is actually what comfort food is for me.

My plate ( + some green beans that came out minutes later)

Crescent roll that I kind of ate out of habit.

Nothing (except for the green beans) was healthy so I tried a tiny bit of everything (minus the mashed potatoes, I know what mashed potatoes taste like) and kept the portions small. Surprisingly, I was very satisfied after finishing this plate. I grabbed a tiny bit more of the beet salad for seconds. That’s it!

Oh, of course I also enjoyed a few glasses of wine with dinner

DESSERTS

Oh yeah, this is what I live for, people. Desserts!! I was so excited for this spread because every single thing sounded amazing. Let’s start with my ugly apple pie… I followed this recipe from Cooking Light for caramel apple pie (you know I had to make the healthier version!).

Making this thing was such a project! My crust dough was too crumbly after the first step but I saved it by adding another tablespoon of water and letting it do it’s thing in the fridge for 15 minutes. Then it was too small for my pie plate. I spent a while stretching it, but as you can see above, those little dough pieces I added, just ended up falling off. Finally, the top wouldn’t brown! I cooked it for so much longer than the recipe called for (like 25 minutes longer!) but it was just looking soggy and bluh. At the end, I covered the crust and broiled the top for a few minutes. This resulted in slightly burnt apples. *Sigh.* A looker it was not…

… but it did taste really good!! Everyone seemed to enjoy it (including myself). My nephew even said I had to make it again next year and this kid doesn’t lie (5-year olds definitely tell it like it is). Not a complete failure I guess! I’ll keep working on my pie crust skills!

SIL also made a yummy pecan pie

A chocolate pudding pie (I didn’t try it)

Purchased an awesome pumpkin cheesecake from Costco…

And my mom made one of my favorite cakes – the black poodle (because it looks like curly hair on a poodle’s head)

Creamy filling, raisins, walnuts, chocolate ganache… what more can you ask for?! Thanks, mom!!

black poodle cake

The whole spread:

My plate:

Again, I was proud for tiny portions of everything. I had all the intentions of going back for seconds and doubling this, but was satisfied with just this (whoa, is this intuitive eating actually starting to work?!!). After a few hours of chatting, I went back for a slice of mom’s black poodle cake. It was exactly what I wanted and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

And that’s my Thanksgiving 2009 recap. I read through last year’s recap and noted slight differences in my thinking this year. Last year I was counting calories. I made a conscious decision to enjoy the day’s eats but not go overboard last year, just like this year. It did seem to be a little harder for me last year. I appears that although I probably ate nearly the same amounts on both occasions, my experience mentally was a little different. Last year, I think taking a break from calorie counting, my instinct was to eat as much as possible since it was “allowed” but I fought it. This year it was completely effortless. I didn’t try to “be good” and didn’t fight the urge to go back for more. I listened to my body, and it told me exactly what I wanted and in what portions. I guess I am growing!! Hey, that’s something to be thankful for!

A few more family pics for the road… my mom and I. See the resemblance?

The whole family (minus my dad… he’s back from Israel tomorrow)

Adam and I

I hope you had a wonderful day. Anyone out there doing crazy shopping on Black Friday? Go out there and support the economy, will ya?! I’ve been doing my part for months!!

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If you haven’t already, enter my NuNaturals stevia giveaway here.

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Happy Thanksgiving!!

November 26th, 2009 · 6 Comments · breakfast

Just dropping by to wish all of you a very happy Thanksgiving!! Enjoy the day, don’t stress out, spend time with your loved ones!

I made some pumpkin waffles with walnuts this morning to start the day on the right (and yummy) foot. A little Barney Butter + banana… mmm, I’m ready for an awesome day!