Pantry/Freezer meals, week 1

I made a serious effort to eat foods out of my freezer(s) this week.  My small freezer in the laundry room doesn't have much in it.  Some popsicles, some bread, a steak, and a piece of liver I bought at the farmer's market.  And a bunch of chicken stock.

The above-the-fridge freezer is a different story.  Bread crumbs, frozen fruit, frozen veggies, bread heels, and some unidentifed items wrapped in foil  (turns out, these were pancakes and cooked tri-tip, but not together).

My pantry is not much better, with rice and pasta and beans and things that I stopped eating when I went low-carb.  I've kind of drifted away from the low-carb thing, and I'm actually not feeling all that healthy about it.  Ah well, it's a process.

Last weekend I made another loaf of no-knead bread.  This time it was rye bread.  I used up some rye flour and caraway seeds from the pantry (well, I didn't "use them up").  The Cook's Illustrated bread recipe calls for beer.  I found one dusty beer a few weeks ago in the laundry room, and have been using it for the no-knead breads.  I just stick a wine cork in it and put it back in the fridge.

Fruit - smoothie and juice

Man, this was a good smoothie.  Blueberries, strawberries, banana, milk, and Amazing Grass.  Yum.

Bikini Bootcamp Roundup of Recipes

I won't know how much weight I lost until Monday.  Probably not much.  That's the thing about these plans.  You gotta follow them.  And PMS doesn't help.  Here's a round up of the recipes I've tried, and the ones I haven't gotten to yet. In case you are interested in testing out the book:

What I've tried:
Breakfasts:
Banana smoothie
Banana yogurt parfait
Blueberry smoothie
Huevos Mexicana
Mango yogurt parfait
Scrambled eggs with spinach and mushrooms

Salads:
Amansala salad with ginger-sesame dressing - this is so so good, I've eaten it 5 times at least in 2 weeks
Chicken taco salad: good
Chopped vegetable and chickpea salad with citrus dressing: very filling and good
Spinach and chickpea salad with orange dressing: YUMMY
White bean and tuna salad: this was just okay.  Very filling though

Soups:
Broccoli soup: very good and very easy to make
Carrot ginger soup: very easy and my absolute favorite so far
Mushroom spinach soup: delish.  Hubby doesn't like greens in soup
Tortilla-less tortilla soup: meh. Probably I made it wrong.  I heavily adjusted it.
White bean and roasted tomato soup: my hubby's and kid's favorite

Mains:
Chicken fajitas: good, but they are fajitas.  Pretty basic
Chicken stir-fry over napa cabbage: yum!
Fish kebabs: I heavily edited this, but it was still yummy

I also made a fair number of dressings, marinades, and smoothies

What I haven't tried:
Asian chicken lettuce wraps with peanuts
Black bean salad
Couscous salad with mint, raisins, and almonds
Crunchy chicken salad with raisins and apples
Jicama, black bean, and avocado salad
Mango chicken salad
Soba noodle salad with chicken
Curried spinach salad with papaya and pumpkin seeds
Black bean soup
Butternut squash soup (it's not the season, and I have a good recipe already)
Cauliflower soup
Clear chicken soup with lime and avocado
Gazpacho (just not into cold soups)
Lentil soup
Sopa de lima
Spicy Mexican vegetable soup
Zucchini soup
Chicken curry with veggies on couscous
Chicken enchiladas
Fish tacos in lettuce wraps
Grilled fish with mango salsa
Grilled fish with radish and cucumber salad
Ginger shrimp with zucchini
Steamed fish over soba noodles
Steamed fish with tomatoes, peppers and onions
Vegetable fajitas
Any desserts

Therefore, I have many more recipes to try, when I get the energy.

My Fancy New Blender

I got a new Blendtec Total Blender for my birthday. I had been coveting a new blender like this one or the Vita-Mix for a few years. No, it's not my birthday yet (this week though...gulp...), but since my spouse has yet ANOTHER business trip this week, I decided to break it out early.

I made a green smoothie with fresh spinach, banana, juice, peanut butter, and frozen berries. It was delicious. My spouse has asked for some tomorrow, but he really wants me to leave out the peanut butter. So I probably will. Tomorrow will include fresh peaches.

Unlike the regular blender, the spinach is ground up so small that you can't even see it. Can't taste it. Can kinda smell it.