Tomorrow I’ll say “NO” to my diet!

Do you constantly crave chocolate cake, pork ribs, or a bacon hamburger? Well, let me tell you that you can eat that and more for a day! I was searching for recipes on the web and found out that tomorrow is the Eat What You Want Day! Isn’t it amazing? For a day you can have all those treats and meals that you are so afraid to eat for being unhealthy or high in calorie foods.

If you are on a diet, this is the day in which you should say “no” to salads, soups and low-fat foods. However, the goal is not to eat a lot of everything, but to really enjoy those foods that otherwise you cannot eat on a regular day. 

If you do not have a specific treat you want to try, but rather you are open to choices, let me share with you my sweet, greasy, and tasteful meal plan for tomorrow:

Pancakes (Breakfast)

Start your day like a champ by eating sweet and fluffy pancakes! Use toppings like whipped cream, chocolate chips, Nutella, or your favorite jam so your pancakes taste like a piece of heaven. Learn how to make them from scratch here: http://allwomenstalk.com/10-most-delicious-pancake-recipes

Quiche Lorraine (Brunch)

It cannot get any creamier! This tasteful quiche is full of bacon and gruyere cheese; you’ll love it! You can eat it for brunch. I found this great video that explains, step-by-step, how to prepare a delicious quiche Lorraine: http://allrecipes.com/video/814/quiche-lorraine/?src=mer1083

Cheese & Broccoli Penne (Lunch)

Very cheesy and delicious! Who doesn’t like pasta, right? Prepare this dish for lunch and you’ll have your stomach full in minutes! This link includes the list of ingredients and directions to prepare it: http://caloriecount.about.com/forums/weight-gain/high-calorie-recipes-1

Bacon Cheese Burger (Dinner)

You cannot end this amazing Eat What You Want day without having a burger. Try this greasy and tasteful ground beef burger full of bacon and cheddar cheese that you won’t want to stop eating! Click on this link to follow the instructions: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/bacon-cheese-burger-recipe/index.html 

Grill Chocolate Cake (Dessert)

There’s nothing sweeter than chocolate! This delicious Romano’s Macaroni cake is the “cherry on top” of your Eat What You Want day! Although it is loaded with calories, it is amazingly divine! Follow the recipe here: http://www.food.com/recipe/romanos-macaroni-grill-chocolate-cake-recipe-309758

A Spanglish post for the Cinco de Mayo fiesta!

Alright, I´m not sure if I told you this before, but I took several Spanish classes in High School. So this time, since Cinco de Mayo is just two days away, I´m going to put my bilingual skills in practice and write this article in Spanish. I´ll provide English translations in the recipe section so I don´t exclude anyone from trying this delicious 100% Mexican dish! We´ll see how it goes…

Comida con mucha sazón, bailes folclóricos y coloridos atuendos caracterizan las fiestas dedicadas al Cinco de Mayo. Más que una fecha, el Cinco de Mayo es un día en el que los mexicanos celebran su cultura y patrimonio.  Con orgullo nacionalista, cientos de mexicanos que viven en los Estados Unidos salen a celebrar con sus familias, amigos y conocidos el orgullo de ser mexicanos.

Pedro, mi amigo Mexicano, me ha contado acerca de la importancia de esta fecha. Según Pedro, el Cinco de Mayo conmemora el aniversario de la victoria de México contra las fuerzas Francesas en la Batalla de Puebla, la cual se llevó a cabo un 5 de mayo de 1862. Son ya 151 años desde que este importante suceso aconteció, y es por ello la alegría y el sentimiento de fiesta con el que tantos mexicanos le celebran.

En lo personal, a mí me encanta la cultura hispana. Es alegre, fiestera y muy familiar. Siendo amiga de Pedro por ya varios años, he logrado conocer un poco de su cultura y siempre que le visito me hace sentir como en casa. Hace un par de días Sandra, su esposa, me invitó a mí y a mi familia a cenar y celebrar anticipadamente el Cinco de Mayo. Hizo las enchiladas verdes más deliciosas que he probado en mi vida! Honestamente, ningún restaurante se le compara. Sandra sabe de mi blog así que inmediatamente me ofreció pasarme la receta, la cual obtuvo del blog Qué Rica Vida, y yo con gusto acepté:

Enchiladas Verdes

(Green Chicken Enchiladas)

Ingredientes

• 8 tortillas de maíz (8 corn tortillas)
• 1 1/2 tazas de pollo desmenuzado y cocinado (1 ½ cups of boiled chicken, shredded)
• 1 3/4 tazas de salsa de tomatillo verde (1 ¾ cups of Green tomatillo sauce)
• 1 taza de queso manchego, rallado (1 cup of manchego cheese, shredded)
• 1/4 taza de crema (1/4 cup of sour cream)
• 1/2 taza de cebolla finamente picada (1/2 cup of chopped onion)
• Hojas de cilantro, opcional (cilantro leaves, optional)
• Lascas de aguacate, optional (Avocado slices, optional)

Instrucciones

• Precalienta el horno a 350° F. Envuelve 4 tortillas a la vez en papel toalla y caliéntalas en el microondas por 20 ó 30 segundos. (Preheat the oven at 350º F. Wrap all tortillas between two paper towels and microwave for 20 to 30 seconds).
• Con una cuchara, extiende el pollo en el centro de cada tortilla. Dobla los lados y enróllalas. Ponlas en un molde cuadrado, de 9 pulgadas, y coloca la salsa sobre las enchiladas. Espolvorea queso y vierte la crema y la cebolla. (Spoon enough shredded chicken on each tortilla. Fold over filling. Place enchiladas in a 9 inch square pan and top them with green tomatillo sauce, manchego cheese, sour cream and chopped onion).
• Hornea sin cubrir el molde durante 15 minutos o hasta que estén bien calientes. (Bake for 15 minutes without covering the pan or until enchiladas are very hot).
• Espolvorea el cilantro. Decora con lascas de aguacate. Sirve inmediatamente. (Garnish with cilantro. Decorate with avocado slices. Serve immediately). 
  

Beefy Stew Loaded with Proteins

I love beef and I enjoy making different dishes with it. Many people still believe that eating beef can be unhealthy and cause problems to your health, but this is just a myth! While I was doing some research about beef, I found in a USDA article that a 3 ounce serving of lean beef contributes to less than 10 percent (154) of calories. This is a very small amount compared to the 2,000 calorie diet that is recommended to most people. Also, a 3 ounce serving of lean beef supplies 40% for the Daily Value of protein.

I also found that approximately one third of beef’s saturated fat is stearic acid, a unique saturated fatty acid that doesn’t raise blood cholesterol. In fact, some doctors say that, if you eat lean cuts of beef such as round, chuck, sirloin or tenderloin in moderation, your blood pressure won’t raise.

Since my family and I are beef lovers, I cooked one of these days a delicious Beefy Stew with potatoes and salad that I got from AllRecipes.com. Everyone at home enjoyed it! Preparing and cooking it is very simple:

Ingredients

• 1 pound beef stew meat
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼  teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ cup baby carrots
• 1/3 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup boiling water
• ½ (1/2 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 onion, sliced
• ¼ cup red wine
• ¼ cup warm water
• 1 potato, sliced
• ¼ cup of olive oil
• 2 tomatoes
• lettuce

Directions

1. Place meat in a large plastic bag. Combine 1/4 cup flour with 1/4 teaspoon salt; pour into the bag with the meat, and shake to coat.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add stew meat, and cook until evenly browned on the outside. Transfer to a slow cooker along with the carrots and pepper. In a small bowl, stir together 1 cup of boiling water and dry soup mix; pour into the slow cooker.
3. In the same skillet, melt butter and sauté onions until softened; remove to the slow cooker. Pour red wine into the skillet, and stir to loosen browned bits of food on the bottom. Remove from heat, and pour into the slow cooker.
4. Cover, and cook on High for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to Low, and cook for 6 hours, or until meat is fork tender. In a small bowl or cup, mix together 2 tablespoons flour with 1/4 cup warm water. Stir into stew, and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, or until thickened.
5. On a frying pan, put ¼ of olive oil and fry the potato slices.
6. Decorate the dish with a salad.

Mexican Nachos that are ‘Buenísimos’!

Hello everyone!

A few days ago I shared with you my easy-to-make spaghetti recipe. If you tried it, I am sure you loved it! This time, however; I decided to forget Italy for a while and spiced up my cooking a little bit with a Mexican style. I don’t know you, but I love nachos, and I’m not talking about the American ones. Although I like American nachos too, Mexican nachos are spread with a different cheese and are made with kidney or black beans.

 I had been having this craving for a while, so I decided to go to the grocery store and buy the following ingredients:

• 1 can of black beans
• 1/2 onion
• Worcestershire sauce
• Lettuce
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 bag of tortilla chips
• Mozzarella cheese
• Sour cream (optional)

1. I started with the beans. I chopped the onion and fried it in a pan. Then, I added the beans and some (like 5 to 7 drops) of Worcestershire sauce, and reduced heat to medium low. Don’t forget to stir occasionally until the water of the beans start to dry. Remove from heat.
2. Cut the tomatoes into small cubes and torn the lettuce into small pieces.
3. On a plate, put the tortilla chips first. Then add the beans, spreading them all over the tortilla chips. Repeat the process with the mozzarella cheese. 

     5. On the top, add the tomato cubes and the lettuce. Top it with sour cream.  

When the Sun Starts to Shine: Outdoor Entertaining Ideas

Finally the weather has started to warm up! It is time to get rid of my coat and enjoy some fresh air and sunlight. I have been expecting this time since winter started (I know, I am contradictory by nature). While waiting, I decided to do my own research and jot down some outdoor cooking ideas for this beautiful time of the year. 

Include these on your own list of outdoor activities:

Fire up the grill

Grill your favorite type of meat and season it with some flavorful ingredients. I love grilling chicken, beef, and pork with my kids and my husband. While my husband and I are cooking, the kids get to play in the backyard and we all have a good time. It is a great way to relax!

Here are some grilling tips that I found on the web that you might find useful: http://www.countryliving.com/cooking/about-food/top-10-grilling-tips-0708

 Relax with a picnic

Enjoy fresh air and the beauties of nature by having an afternoon picnic with your family or friends. Going on a picnic is one of the things I really miss doing when it’s winter time. I don’t know you, but after three months of snow and cold weather all I really want is to have a relaxed time outdoors! 

Get ideas from this site to prepare delicious sandwiches, snacks and treats so you can enjoy during your picnic: http://www.marthastewart.com/359498/picnic-ideas

Get wet with a pool party

Your kids will definitely love this! If you don’t have a pool, that’s okay. You can buy an inflatable pool for less than $40. The point of this activity, besides having fun with your loved ones, is to cool off a little and enjoy the sunlight. Don’t forget to buy some munchies and drinks at your nearest grocery store. I always put some sodas, orange juice, and snacks on a table close to the pool because my kids love to drink and eat something while playing with water. 

I found this great article that gives some pool party ideas for your kids and their friends that you may want to read: http://voices.yahoo.com/pool-party-ideas-young-kids-3741646.html

Pasta for 4 with Less Than $5

I have two kids, an 11 year old and a 6 year old. I am concerned that my kids are growing so fast and there is nothing I can do about it. However, it is in my hands to feed them with the nutrients and vitamins they need so they can grow into healthy, strong adults. This is sometimes hard to achieve when you have to stick to a tight budget, which is usually my case.

One of the things I enjoy cooking for supper is pasta. Some of the benefits of pasta is that it is low in calories, doesn’t have any saturated or trans-fat, and it has carbohydrates that work like energy boosters for kids that are in a fast developmental stage. Also, it helps me save some dollars since it is cheap and everyone ends up with their stomachs full. So, if you are planning to cut your budget just a little, I encourage you to prepare different pasta dishes for your family.

Yesterday, I decided to cook a delicious Bacon and Provolone Spaghetti with less than $5. My husband, my two kids, and I tried this yesterday and everyone loved it! 

I used the following ingredients to prepare this meal:

• 16 oz. Spaghetti (approx. $1)
• 26 oz. bacon and provolone Italian sauce (approx. $3)
• 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 2 tablespoons of butter (approx. $0.10)
• ¼ of onion, chopped (approx. $0.25)
• 4 tablespoons of shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese (approx. $0.35)

Preparing this meal is very simple:

1. Follow the spaghetti box instructions to cook the spaghetti until it is tender. Remember to include one teaspoon of vegetable oil and one of salt to the water, so the spaghetti doesn’t stick to the pan. I will reveal to you my magic trick: if you want to know when the spaghettis are ready, throw them to the wall. If they stick to it, it means they are ready.
   
   
   
2. Remove the spaghettis from the heat and drain them into a colander.
3. In the same pan, fry the chopped onions in 2 tablespoons of butter in medium-low. When they start getting transparent, add the spaghettis again and stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Reduce the heat to low and add the bacon and provolone Italian sauce. Stir constantly for five minutes and remove from the heat. 
   
5. Serve them on plates and spread some shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese on the spaghetti.