Deep-fried Cupcakes with a side of Bacon

I feel as though from my last post on I have subsisted on cheese, fried chicken and cookies washed down with copious amounts of wine and salted caramel lattes (damn you Starbucks).  I have 45 potato pancakes, a half pint of bourbon chocolate ganache and some egg nog granita in my freezer to remind me of the holidays. So now I'm just too fat, my knees hurt and I feel teeter-y on my high heels, as though they cannot support my weight.

SOOO what do I do about it? Duh, excerise and eat better....and blog so I am accountable for my actions:

Also I have decided to do a bog food shop once a week instead of running to the store all the time (except when I make fish,  then I will go to FISH Store, not Acme and certianly not Whole Foods).

This should not only force me to be creative and cook the tofu instead of being tempted  by the ready made fried chicken but save me some cash. In the month of december I spent over $1200 on food & alcohol and that's just too much, mind you a chunk of it was gifts and party food but still, freakin stupid. I could have taken a vacation or bought a fabulous coat.

So Took my beloved BF with me to the market this time ( he help[s me spend less) and here is our working pantry for this week:

Protein: (Spent $17.50 at all natural organic stand at reading terminal chicken , eggs, bacon ground meat)

10 Eggs

1/2 lb Bacon

1 lb Chicken breast

Extra Firm tofu

Black Beans

In the freezer:

1/4lb ground sirloin

1/2 lb ground bison

1 small boneless leg of lamb

Italian style turkey sausage

1 portion mahi mahi

(2) 1/4lb burgers ground sirloin.

Vegetables ($29 at Iovines for most of this..normally I would by at the farm stand, but I'm being frugal)

2 orange peppers

1 yellow pepper

1 bunch swiss chard

2 large red potatoes

2 medium russet potatoes

1 head savoy cabbage

1 bag lemons

2 cara cara oranges

1 bunch red radishes

1 daikon radish

fresh dill

Italian parsley

grape tomatoes

1 bag salad greens

2 zucchinis

4 red onions

4 yellow onions

2 heads garlic

4 shallots

2 poblano peppers

(below is stuff i already have)

2 large beets

1 sweet potato

1 med butter nut squash

carrots

parsnips

romaine lettuce

3 pink grapefruits

1 pomegranate

In the pantry I have kind of everything:

Last Night for dinner we had:

Grilled Veg Bruschetta 

Grilled zucchini & radishes., chopped with grape tomatoes, lemon zest,parsley, basil (from a tube) balsamic vinegar & Wisconson parmesan cheese on grilled thin cut  whole wheat bread rubbed with garlic.

Lightened up Spagetti & Meatballs

here's what i did, and I think it can be refined to be even better

Meatballs:

1/4lb Ground meat (I used beef , would work great with turkey, possible even textured protein or half turkey half tofu?)

1 cut swiss chard julienned & nuked with the onion & garlic for 1.5 min. the squeezed dry

1 egg white

1/2 cup bread crumbs (next time I would whirr some oatmeal in the Magic bullet and use that)

3 tables spoons diced red onion

1 large garlic clove smashed

1 tbs 2% milk ( thats what we have right now)

1 tbs grated cheese

1 tbs toasted pine nuts ( I wanted to put these in but X is nut a huge nut fan)

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Mix it all up very well, this made 12 small meatballs, if you dip  your hand in cold water its easier .

I baked them in the oven on my GREEN PAN!!! poured about 1/2 cup red wine over them before the went in the oven, because it was there.

SAUCE:

1 half orange pepper (diced)

1 have med red onion (Diced)

1 small carrot peeled & diced

1 small zucchini (diced)

3 cloves garlic Smashed

1/2 Large can whole tomatoes with juice

1/2 cup red wine

1 bayleaf

basil in tube ( fresh is better)

Salt & pepper

Same as any tomato sauce I tried to up the veg content, if I had eggplant,  mushrooms,sundried tomatoes and/or artichoke hearts I would have added them too.

Heat pan , add olive oil , add diced veg & bay leaf season w/ salt an pepper, cook till soft, ad wine, let it evaporate a bit, and juice from tomatoes, cook down, add tomatoes ( I put then in a measuring cup then stick a scissor in there and chop away) and tube basil if you are using it. Cook down for as long as you want to, you can just heat it or let it cook on low for an hour two.

Made this with reg. spaghetti because I didn;t feel like opening a new box of whole wheat pasta when I already had one box open. and put grated cheese on top. Nd had a glass of Malbec.

So that was dinner, half way through the golden globes I had a 100 calorie chocolate pudding

So far thing morning

 

@ 9am 

 Coffee with 2% milk

1/2 cup 100% juice pomegrnate/cranberry, blended with ice 1 cup fresh blueberries & lemon juice

11:30 Hard Boiled egg sandwich...1 egg , 2 small slices ww bread, 1 tsp light mayo

in about 15 minutes I'm having the left over pasta with extra zucchini added

Dinner tonight:

Tofu veg stir fry -Tofu, Red Cabbage, Carrots, Orange pepper & squash w/ red thai red curry & brown rice

Cabbage, shallot, carrot salad   

DARN I wish I had cilantro... but I don't and buying it will break my rule.