Clean Eating

Sparky, the love of my life, spring in my step, kick in my julep, and best friend in the whole world, is home. He also wants more meat in his life. As bringer of the paycheck, he certainly has every right to request that. He understands my objections to the meat for food industry, and is looking forward to assisting me in my search for responsibly, locally raised meat. We also want to eat better.

So, we are trying the concept of clean eating.

That is achieved thusly: We will try very hard to consume food that is as close to its original state as possible, avoiding processed food like semolina pasta, bread and or crackers made with anything but whole wheat, and non-hydrogenated fats. Refined sugar is on the no-no list, too. So, goodbye donuts, spaghetti, TVP patties (probably better off without those, anyway), and many other fat and sugar-laden treats we love so dearly.

But that's OK.

The recipes I have been using for our experiment have come from a magazine called Clean Eating. This magazine has a section of inexpensive meal recipes, as well as simple, one skillet meals that take less than 30 minutes to prepare.

Here's a brief run-down of our suppers for the last few nights:

Monday: Pan seared sirloin with stir fried squash and onions, with tomato reduction.

It was delicious. The sirloin had a tasty crust made of spices, the veggies were wonderful just plain and tasty, and the tomato reduction was a dream. As Rachel Ray would say, "YUM-O"!!

Tuesday: Salmon-Oat Hash.

So simple!! Steel cut oats, apples, celery, fresh dill, and cooked salmon. It was fabulous, and filling!! The Irish use steel cut oats for so much more than breakfast, and this savory application did not disappoint.

Wednesday: Chicken Tetrezzini Casserole.

This one was a bit more labor-intensive than the rest of what I've made so far, but everybody seemed to enjoy it. I found the color of the sauce (made up of part of the cooked veggies in the dish, and some broth) off-putting, but it tasted very good.

Thursday: We were supposed to have a friend of Sparky's over for dinner, but he couldn't make it. I still managed to keep our meal clean. I bought two beautiful packages of tenderloin,, intending to make them in the oven with a garlic-herb crust, but we decided instead to grill tham. We gave the meat the same treatment we give our steaks: We sprinkle them lightly with kosher salt, and push the flakes into the meat. We let the meat sit for a while, then grilled it. After it was cooked, I made grilled peppers, mushrooms, sweet spanish onions, and zucchini. I tossed them in olive oil and Spike brand seasoning. It was fabulous, and clean, too! Kylie ate three helpings, and all of her vegetables!

I've lost a few pounds, which is good. I think that eating clean is good for us. Processed foods are so full of chemicals, and strange things that replace the original ingredients, things we are all better off without!!

Tmorrow, I'll continue my commentary on processed foods, as well as present afew new ideas about the food we eat.

Until then, -urp-...yum.