#TripleD Recipe Friday

This weeks recipe takes a bit of an Asian twist. This is my steak and vegetable stir fry with rice noodles. It is packed with vegetables and the rice noodles are much lighter than a bed of rice.

What you’ll need:

• 1/2 box of rice noodles
• 2 strip steaks sliced very thinly
• 1/2 cup sliced carrots
• 1 medium zucchini sliced
• 1/2 red pepper small diced
• 1/2 green pepper small diced
• 1/2 red onion small diced
• 1 small can of sliced water chestnuts
• 1 cup fresh green beans. (can use frozen just thaw and drain first)
• 2 Tbsp of light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp of rice wine vinegar (I used the one with chili flakes in but that is optional)
• 6 Tbsp of sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp of ground ginger
• 3 Tbsp of sweet chili wing sauce ( I used Quaker Steak and Lube Thai R’ Cracker sauce)
• sesame seeds for garnish

 

Here we go!

1. In a zip top bag add half of the sesame oil, vinegar, ginger, and soy sauce and mix to combine.
2. Add steak and let sit in fridge for at least 30min to an hour
3. Prepare rice noodles per box instructions hold for later
4. In a large metal skillet heat the other amount of sesame oil.
5. Add steak and flash fry for about a minute. Take the steak out of the pan
6. Add in all of the vegetables and cook until tender.
7. When vegetables are cooked add in the wing sauce
8. Toss in rice noodles and steak into the pan.
9. Cook together for another minute to combine all of the flavors
10. Serve and top with sesame seeds

ENJOY!

 

 

#TripleD When The Weight Loss Clock Stops

After about a month of being on this journey. I was rewarded with a big success in weight loss. I had lost 18 pounds and I was feeling great. Nothing was going to derail this train…..Nothing!

However, after that initial success the weight loss clock came to a screeching halt. I couldn’t figure out why this was happening. I hadn’t changed my diet at all,  I was working out at the gym, doing everything I could to keep the weight off.

I started trying to lower my calorie intake to help make the pounds drop off. I would skip a meal because I was always trained the less you eat the more you’ll lose. I quickly found out that this wasn’t only wrong but harmful. A couple of days I would feel light headed by dinner, and just wasn’t my old new self.

What I found out was just the opposite. Your body will go into starvation mode when it doesn’t get enough nutrients during the day. When you eat less or skip meals the body thinks it is starving. So what it does to combat that is hold onto the fat as a self defense mechanism.

So what I started doing was eating more vegetables with meals. I always make twice as many vegetables as protein and starch. Make sure to leave the table full….just full of the right things. I now always leave time in the morning for breakfast. Even if it is a yogurt it is something to start the day off right.

Since starting this second phase of the journey I have lost another seven pounds. The weight will drop off you just have to stick with it. Don’t get frustrated if the scale stalls for a couple weeks.

I have now lost a total of 25 pounds in a little under two months. I have a little over a month to go before our trip to Walt Disney World. So I hope the clock doesn’t stop too many more times.

Remember…..There’s always room for one more……serving of vegetables!

 

#TripleD Recipe Friday

This week’s recipe is one of my favorites. Seared pork tenderloin with pesto potato hash and pan gravy. I know it sounds complicated but it’s really not. I like to make fresh pesto especially in the summertime when I grow my own basil. It is so much cheaper than buying the fresh at the store. If you have bunch of herbs leftover at the end of the season just dry them and grind them into your own herb blends. So I will start with the pesto recipe first and go from there.

What you’ll need:

• Fresh basil with most of the stems removed
• fresh garlic cloves
• pinenuts
• grated Parmesan cheese
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Here we go!

1. In a food processor (I used a nutribullet but it will take a bit more work) combine basil, garlic, and pinenuts and pulse until fine.
2. Add Parmesan cheese and slowly add olive oil until it forms a paste
3. taste before you add the salt and pepper because the cheese can tend to be salty

Chef’s note: you can use other types of nuts as well. Pinenuts are traditional but can also be costly. I have used cashews and peanuts before just make sure they are raw (not roasted or salted)

The potato hash is very simple yet delicious because of the time you took to make the pesto.

What you’ll need:

• 2 red potatoes diced small
• 2 carrots small diced (I used baby carrots and sliced them, use what you have on hand)
• 1/4 onion small diced
• 2 Tbsp of the pesto

Here we go!

1. Combine all the vegetables in a oven safe dish
2. Stir in pesto
3. Bake at 350 for 45 min to an hour

Whew! now that the hard part is over lets move on to the pork

For the pork tenderloin I do a cross between braising and pan frying.

What you’ll need:

• 1 pork tenderloin
• 1/2 rough chopped onion
• 1 cup rough diced celery (use the leaves as well for great flavor)
• 1/2 cup rough chopped carrots (you can leave the peel on you are straining them out later)
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 cup of chicken broth

Here we go!

1. In a non coated skillet heat 3 Tbsp of oil over medium heat.
2. When the oil is hot sear the pork tenderloin on all sided until you get a nice color on all sides.
3. Take the pork out of the skillet
4. Add vegetables and tomato paste to the skillet
5. When the vegetables are soft add your broth.
6. Scrape the charred bits off of the pan with a spoon.
7. Add tenderloin back to the pan on top of the vegetables
8. Cover the skillet and bake in a 350 degree oven until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145.
9. Remove from skillet and let rest for 5-8 minutes
10. Strain the vegetables out of the skillet and reserve the liquid for over the pork
11. Slice and serve.

I really hope you enjoy this and let me know how you liked it. Even better let me know how you alter it to your own tastes.

#TripleD Recipe Friday

Since the Super Bowl is coming up this weekend. I wanted to deviate a little from the totally healthy and give you something that is lighter than its original. This is my four cheese mac & cheese topped with pulled pork and onion crumble. If you follow me on twitter @dolewhipdaily, you might have seen the picture above on ABC’s show The Chew. I smoke my own pork, but you can easily buy the pre pulled pork (just don’t get the one that is sauced). Another more time consuming method would be to get a pork butt (or shoulder) and put it in the crock pot. Cook it overnight with a little vinegar based bbq sauce. Then pull it apart.

What you’ll need:

1. Half pound of uncooked elbow macaroni
2. 1 carton of chicken stock or broth (low salted or unsalted)
3. 3 cups total grated cheeses ( I used colby jack, smoked swiss, parmesan, and cheddar)
4. 3 cups pulled pork
5. 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
6. 1/2 cup fried onions
7. 2 cups milk ( I used 1%)
8. 1/4 cup flour
9. 1/4 cup vegetable oil
10. 1/4 cup diced onions
11. 1 tsp chopped garlic

Here we go!

• In a large pot cook the pasta half as long as the box says, drain, and cool.
• In the same pan (once you drain the pasta *less dishes) put a tablespoon of vegetable oil. add onions and garlic, sautee untl soft.
• Add chicken stock and bring to simmer.
• Pour in the milk and bring to a slow boil.
• In a small bowl mix flour and vegetable oil to make a roux (paste)
• Add roux to stock mixture and whisk until it thickens slightly.
• Turn burner to low and slowly add in the grated cheeses whisking to blend into mixture.
• Stir until all of the cheese is melted and the sauce has formed. Turn off heat
• Preheat your oven to 350 F
• In a zip top bag add panko bread crumbs and fried onions. Use a rolling pin or can to crush them together.
• Add pasta to the sauce. You want enough sauce so it looks a little runny. The pasta will absorb some of the sauce as it bakes.
• Pour into a greased cast iron skillet (or any baking dish will do)
• Top with the pulled pork and sprinkle bread crumb mixture on top. Don’t make it like a crust just sprinkle.
• Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
• Serve with a drizzle of your favorite bbq sauce. I like the vinegar based sauces that aren’t overly sweet, but it’s your choice. Don’t forget to enjoy with Cheerwine!

This dish is healthier than regular mac & cheese because it uses mostly broth instead of all milk or cream. For a two cup serving is 845 calories. So still within the diet range but certainly doesn’t feel like “diet” food.

The dish made it on the show. It’s the top right corner of the screen!

Send me pictures of your version I’d love to see them. Use #RecipeFriday