Yam Noodles

I have written about Shiritaki noodles already, and these are similar, but they are made with yam flour and no tofu. They come in white or "black", although black is really brown as you see here above.

I didn't notice much difference in taste or texture and bought these because they were a bit thicker and I wanted some variety.

I was looking for a low to no carb meal and a quick one, so I made some chicken soup and it was good, not stellar but filled me up on a cold rainy day.

1 package yam or shiritaki noodles
4 ounces cooked ground chicken
2 cups Chicken broth

I  chose the ground chicken because I had it in the freezer and wanted to use it up. Cooked, cubed chicken would be just fine. I used chicken broth in a box, but homemade would be best, I don't always have homemade in my freezer though. Any kind of cooked vegetable would be great thrown in, but like I said, I was really, really hungry and needed food fast.

End result:

 

I will make it again, but allow myself a little time so I can add some more ingredients. Chopped green onion, slivered jalapenos and basil, maybe some sliced carrots, almost anything and it will become almost pho-like.

What was the breakdown?

Calories: 190
Protein: 27 grams
Fat:8 grams

Carbs: 7 grams

Basically the noodles are free food, hardly any calories or carbs...

CSA Delivery

When my friend gave me her CSA delivery, there were other wonderful things in there besides the Ratatouille in a Box!

The main reason why I enjoy a delivery or a seasonal option, is that it encourages me to eat things I may not pick up at the store. I hate waste, so it all gets eaten!

Most people stick to the same old foods, day in and day out. Even people who are not on a diet have their favorites they generally stick too, it's our nature.

But eating the same old thing gets boring, and when you are bored, you stray....

Eating seasonally also ensures you are eating what is ripe and best at that time of year, so you are getting the best supply of vitamins, minerals and nutrients to keep your body healthy.

I love to combine all sorts of different vegetables together,  it makes familiar vegetables something special.

Above I have carrots, pimientos de padron, chard and kale.

I roasted the carrots. Cut them up, lay them on a large cookie sheet, pop them in a 375 degree oven and stir around once in a while. I roast them about a half hour or until they are soft and starting to get a little caramelized.

The chard and kale get washed and roughly chopped, then boiled in salted water, chard about 3 minutes, kale about 6 minutes. Drain well.

The pimientos (or any kind of pepper) gets chopped, I leave the seeds in for extra heat and flavor. Then I add a small amount of coconut oil to a large skillet and saute the peppers on high heat, turn on the fan, the heat may hurt your eyes!

Once the peppers are browned and softened, I add the chard and kale and carrots into the pan, saute a couple minutes together and then it's done. 

I will use this mixture for a "bowl", and add 4 ounces chicken and 4 ounces rice. For flavor, some fresh lemon or rice vinegar is great.

I also got some beautiful beets, so here I have the finished product

 
These are washed, then placed into a small roasting an and covered with a bit of water, about a half cup, then tightly covered with foil. I roast them at the same times as the other vegetables, they can take anywhere from a half hour to an hour depending on size. You need to check them by poking with a sharp knife, the knife should slip easily into the center if they are done.

Let cool a bit then the skins scrape off easily, quarter them and toss in a bowl with salt, pepper and a few tablespoons of red wine vinegar. Let this marinade until you use them.

Beets are great in salads, or as a side vegetable.

Grilled Vegetables

I eat a great deal of vegetables, more than anyone I know. I am always looking for new ways of doing things, after all, "variety is the spice of life" right?

So, I grilled carrots. They turned out really good! David suggested par boiling them ahead of time the next time I do it, and I may or may not. I actually like the somewhat crunchy texture these had. When  you are dieting for a competition, things can get rather boring and texture is always a pleasant surprise.

You really don't have to use oil to grill all of this, and I know most people will use it, it is up to you, and depends on what your goal is. If you just want to be healthy, then go ahead and brush a bit of olive oil on everything before you grill it. Me? I never do, any time of year and I am used to it that way.

I have a couple big heads of radicchio, cut into thick wedges, big green onions, a couple different squash and pimientos de padron (from my garden) which are small peppers meant to be fried in olive oil, salted and eaten as an appetizer, they are a Spanish dish.

And my carrots.

I suppose it's almost like my "clean your fridge out salad" except this is all from my CSA delivery.

I then cut the carrots into chunks, chopped the green onions, roughly chopped the radicchio and left the squash sliced in thick slices.

I put some into small zipper bags and froze it, for those busy days when I will not have time to cook my lunches. The rest I put into the refrigerator, I will eat it all within a couple days.

Th grilling does add a nice flavor, boiled or steamed vegetables can get boring. Give it a try!