vicious sweet tooth

Happy New Year!  I wish you all a prosperous new year! Last night was awesome!  We had a great time with our friends and my sister ringing in the new year!  I’ll recap the night later.   

Me + Jana 2009 New Years Eve

Group Shot

Fireworks

• Eat Less Sugar
• Give away 1/2 of whatever I bake (people at church, work, etc)
• Measure portion sizes instead of estimating
• Be consistent in my calorie counting
• Run a 5K – before Feb
• Finish my Gasparilla 15K strong
• Get a Tattoo
• Give Blood at least 3 times this year
• Pay Down Our Debt
• Take a trip to CA or out of the country
• Give to a charity  

And being a Southerner, we always have a traditional meal to ring in the new year.  It’s usually pork – like ham or a pork tenderloin, turnip greens, black-eyed peas, and cornbread.  But the hubby said he thought it would be good to throw things together and make a stew.  So I looked up a few recipes and then just went with my own thoughts.      

New Year's Day Stew

New Year’s Day Southerner Stew     

• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 celery ribs, diced
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tbsp All-Purpose flour
• 32 oz box of Chicken Stock/Broth
• 2 15 oz canned black-eyed peas
• 1 160 oz bag of frozen turnip greens
• 1 lg Potato, diced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 Tbsp Morton’s Natures’s Seasoning (or more depending on taste)
• Approximately 1 to 1.5 lbs of Pork Tenderloin, cut up into bite-sized pieces

Directions: Heat olive oil in a large soup pot.  Add onions, carrots and celery.  Saute’ until softened – about 10-12 mins.  Add garlic and cook for another min.  Add flour to veggies and cook for another min until flour takes on a nutty smell.  Add all remaining ingredients except the pork.  Bring to a boil, add the pork tenderloin.  Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 30-45 mins.        

*Notes – we only had about 1/2 an onion, but I would put an entire onion. And we probably let it cook for closer to an hour.  But it was ready sooner.      

We also made some cornbread.  I don’t think I’ve made any in a really long time.      

Corn Bread

  Cornbread – Adapted from Homesick Texan     

• 2 cups of cornmeal (yellow or white)
• ½ cup sifted flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 2 cups soy milk
• 2 Tbsp vinegar
• 2 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.
Put the oil in a cast iron skillet and place it in the oven for a few minutes until it’s sizzling.
Mix together dry ingredients. Set aside.  Add vinegar to soy milk and let sit for about mins.  Then whisk egg and milk together. Mix with dry ingredients. Take cast iron skillet out of oven, and pour hot oil into batter, and mix.
Pour batter into cast iron skillet, bake in oven for 20 minutes. Cornbread should be brown on top and pulling away from the sides of the skillet.
     

New Year's Day Lunch

Fresh Strawberries

Lunch:  

A bowl of soup (Approx 275) + 1 pc of cornbread (150 cal)   

1/2 cup strawberries ( approx 30 cal) 

Snacks: 

Triscuits - 1.5 services – (180 cal) + hummus (50 cal)  

Handful of BBQ Chex Mix – (Approx 100 cal)     

Calories: (Approx 1000 cal) 

The rest of the day we’ve been bums and have just been lounging on the couch.  Yay!  I love those days. Peace out….