First real breakfast made in my new little home! Coconut flour pancake topped with fresh strawberries and bit of pure agave, fried egg, avocado (of course, and bacon (of course). Great start to a Sunday morning.
Long story very short, I had to suddenly move out of the place I was living about two weeks ago and have been couch surfing (explains my absence from blogging - too busy being homeless).
Thankfully sad story has a good ending to where I finally have my very own apartment. No roommates. No one to rely on but myself. Naked Sundays. Anything.
And this is the first meal I have cooked. Simple, delicious and done in my own kitchen.
I need to do a tribute to meat heaven. And I will do just that in an upcoming post.
But THIS is my steak from tonight. Had a chance to cook this boneless rib eye tenderized steak. I rubbed it with an Arizona chipotle seasoning and some pepper. And that’s a side of sautéed tomatoes, spinach with garlic.
Yummy medium rare goodness.
Cooking for One
Personally, I am not a huge fan of eating leftovers. I mean, unless of course it’s a breakfast frittata or casserole I purposely made to have throughout the week. But for the most part, I dislike having leftovers because I either forget about them or just never get to them. A big reason why this happens to me is because most recipes are made to cook for two people (yes, the couples of the world) or more (families).
Although I have roommates, I don’t cook for them and vice versa because we eat different than one another.Beyond having a dislike for eating leftovers, it also takes extra thought to decipher ingredient amounts to break it down for one person.
The reason I don’t usually put ingredient amounts for recipes I make is because I’d rather you gauge it for however many people you’re cooking for.Some people don’t even get the urge to cook if it would only be for themselves, they don’t see the point. But there can be lots of fun had for cooking for yourself!
Here are some helpful websites with single serving recipes for folks like me (and maybe you):
Marie Claire - Living Alone Recipes
Serving Sizes to Real Life Things
Okay, I really doubt I am the only one but there are times when I get thrown for a loop with serving sizes, specially when I’m in a hurry. And specially when serving sizes are in metrics unit. Which, by the way, the U.S. should just go metric already…I don’t get it, besides the U.S., only Liberia and Miyanmar are the only other countries using imperial units. We’re the only industrialized nation that uses imperial. Because we’re unique? Oh yes, yes, I concur.
Anyway, back to my point! I like having comparisons when it comes to measurements , specially for times when I am out and about. So here are some cheats to measurements to better track your eating:
Vegetables/Fruits:
One cup of food (8 ounces) = Large handful or small adult fist
1 baked potato/sweet potato = Size of a fist or computer mouse
1/2 cup cooked broccoli = Size of a light bulb
1/2 cup serving for general = Size 6 asparagus spears; 7 or 8 baby carrots or carrot sticks or 1 ear of corn on the cob
1 medium sized fruit = Size of a tennis ball or fist
Meat/Poultry/Fish:
3 ounces of cooked meat = The palm of an average hand
3 ounces grilled/baked fish = Size of a checkbook
Cheese:
1 1/2 ounces of natural cheese = 9-volt battery or 3 dominoes
One ounce of processed cheese = a thumb
Extras:
One tablespoon (tbsp) = Tip of thumb from last crease
One teaspoon (tsp) = Tip of your little finger from last crease
One cupped hand holds two tablespoon of liquid
*Dashboard people: Go to blog to see pictures*
05.18.10 Feels Good to Cook
I kind of miscalculated the amount of Greek yogurt I made. I should have put more Greek yogurt and less almonds perhaps or more of both because I found myself a bit hungry before lunch, which never happens anymore.
Lunch was super primal haha. Beef smoked sausages and eggs provided by my dear mother with a side salad. And for a little dessert she gave me a little bit of strawberries and blackberries. I probably should have just had two eggs pan-fried as opposed to three, I was just thrown for a loop since the yogurt didn’t fill me much this time around, which I found odd.
Dinner I posted here and highly enjoyed. I really had missed being in the kitchen and making something new! I’ve been so busy with birthday season, some dates, working out, and just life! But glad I was able to make that dish, and surprisingly it was spur of the moment.
Went over on cals but not by too much so it’s fine. I notice Livestrong brought back the “red” danger highlights if you go over. In case you don’t know, just a reminder that i don’t follow Livestrong’s guidelines for fat or cholesterol, so you will most likely usually see red for those. I am very glad that I stayed under on sodium, carbs (under 100g is where I’m supposed to be), and sugar!
Where have you been all my life, Ghee?
At Whole Foods apparently! I have been meaning to buy (because I’m too lazy to make it) for some time now and finally did a couple days ago! And last night I made a spinach and aged cheddar cheese omelet (that’s for my breakfast today) using said ghee, and wow! SO good. I just had it here at work and it gave it so much flavor.
Ghee is basically clarified butter which means all the milk solids are removed leaving behind only the healthy butter fats and also making it lactose-free. It is also very stable in high heat (400 degrees +) unlike butter, because with butter, the milk solids tend to go to the bottom and burn fairly easily.
And one tablespoon of ghee can replace up to three tablespoons of oil or butter in your recipe. All in all, good and yummy stuff, I definitely recommend it!
Kitchen Gadgets I Need (Okay, I Want)
I am notorious for perusing new recipes for me to try in the kitchen and I absolutely loathe when I run into one that sounds so mouth watering yet I am missing a key gadget that is needed to make it! Kitchen gadgets I NEED WANT:
- First, I need to look cute while I cook up a storm and yet I don’t have a cute apron yet!
- I always stumble upon different recipes of how to make “primal” ice cream but what do you know, I need an ice cream maker!
- Pulled pork? Pulled chicken? Chili? Let my food cook for hours while I’m at work or running errands? Ugh! I need a crockpot/slow-cooker in my life ASAP!
- Authentic stir-fry? I’ve used one at my mom’s house before and stir-fry’s just TASTE better made in a wok! So yes please, add a wok to my ever growing list!
- And alas, I’ll be more motivated to cook often with this fella in my kitchen!
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