The best thing to do during a Hurricane…

While living in Florida back in 2004-07 I survived 4 hurricanes and I know when a hurricane is coming you really don’t need milk, bread and flash lights….you need projects, good company and beer.   

This weekend Dave and I focused on a major homestead clean out.  3 bag of donations, 5 bags of trash,  2 craft projects, and 3 amazing meals later, we survived Hurricane Irene!  Honestly I am thankful for her, I have been trying to get this place cleaned out for awhile.

Here’s what was cooking over here….

I should start by saying, I am a huge Trade Joe’s fan, you will notice everything is from TJ’s.  I personally love shopping at a food store­ where I can pronounce all of the ingredients on the labels.  Trade Joe’s has great prices and food with integrity.  They save you money by not putting their products in fancy packages, having deceiving price clubs or coupons and by efficient food making processes that save money.  Basically…no corporate BS.  Okay…Trade Joe’s commercial….check!  But seriously since I started my weight loss journey Trader Joe’s has been a critical part of my success and I love sharing it!

Garlic-Rosemary Chicken – YUM

What you’ll need

2 Pieces of Chicken

2-3 Rosemary Sticks

3-6 Cloves of Garlic

1/4 cup Olive Oil

Pinch of Salt

A Few pinches Seasoning Salt

I seasoned the chicken with the salt and seasoning salt then mixed everything else together and let it sit for a few hours.  When I was ready to cook I removed the chicken from the mix and placed it into a frying pan with a lid.  It is really important NOT to cook the chicken in all of the oil.  Less oil=Less fat but it’s good for soaking.

I cooked the beast on low and covered it steams the chicken when you cook it that way.

It was delicious! 

I use MyFitnessPal.com to track my food intake…so here is the breakdown

Cheesesteaks

What you’ll need…

Shaved Beef Steak (1/4 pd. per sandwich)

1/4 cup of Cheese (per sandwich)

Roll (you can skip the roll – low carb style)

Onion (if you like)

Cook up the beef, add some onions and cheese and BAM 😉

…and the breakdown for one sandwich…

 

Lasagna with Homemade Mariana Sauce

What you’ll need…

1/2 box of Lasagna Noodles

15oz of Ricotta

Zucchini – sliced into thin circles

1 pd. 96/4 Ground Meat (you can also use turkey)

1 bag of Mozzarella Cheese

For the sauce…

2 cans of Tomatoes

5-8 Cloves of Garlic

1/4 cup of Oil

A few pinches of Salt & Pepper

I love making my own Mariana sauce, it’s easy, better for you and delish….if I don’t say so myself!  For the sauce just mix everything together.  You can heat this on the stove for 15-20 minutes or leaving it cooking in a crock-pot for awhile.  Yesterday I was feeling the crock-pot. 

Once your sauce is ready…

Cook up the meat, drain well.  Mix the meat and ricotta cheese together.

Start with a little sauce in the bottom of the pan, add a layer of noodles, add a layer of the ricotta/meat mix, add a layer of sauce, add a layer of zucchini (use it all), another layer of sauce, layer of cheese, layer of noodles, ricotta/meat mix, sauce, cheese.

Save some cheese to top later

Cook at 375 for one hour.  Top with a layer of cheese and cook for another 5.  Let sit (if you can resist) for 10 minutes.

 

 

And in between all the cooking I got a great workout and this donation pile happened…I actually took that Live, Love, Laugh sign back…please hold for a craft project…holla!