Caponata (Italian Ratatouille)

This is my husband's favorite vegetable dish. This one is also adapted from a recipe in the Low-Carb Cookbook, but I halved the recipe (except for the vinegar), added way more tomatoes, prepared it on the stovetop, and left out the sugar.

Ingredients:
olive oil
1 large white onion sliced thin
1 medium-large eggplant unpeeled and cubed
1 bell pepper chopped
1 small zucchini cubed
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes in juice
1 heaping teaspoon capers
several olives
bay leaf
ground black pepper
1/4 cup white wine vinegar

Saute the onion in a large skillet in oil until it is tender, then add the rest of the vegetables, spices and vinegar, toss, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

I will usually serve this with some leftover roast chicken, or other leftovers that I want to "dress up."

Fats for Satiety

The last time I did Atkins and lost lots of weight I remember that I ate a lot of seafood and avocados, both great sources of heathy fats. The fats slow down your digestion process, keeping you feeling fuller longer so you don't overeat (great for weightloss), and the fact that the avocados also have a LOT of fiber in them also keeps you full and keeps your digestive system healthy. I enjoy my avocados sliced up with eggs for breakfast, or I mash them into a guacamole with lime juice and eat it with pieces of raw veggies like a dip.

Crustless Quiche

This is a recipe I adapted from The Low-Carb Cookbook by Fran McCullough. Most of the recipes are not things my husband would enjoy so I don't use very many of them, but this is something I make for myself cause it's a great quick breakfast when prepared in advance.

Ingredients:
oil or butter for a large pie pan
12 eggs
1 lb chopped cooked spinach, thawed
1 cup chopped sauted veggies such as mushroom, onion, bell pepper
salt and pepper

1. preheat the oven to 350 and oil or butter the pie pan

2. beat the eggs in a large bowl and add salt and pepper.

3. stir in the chopped spinach and veggies, and pour the mixture into the pie pan

4. bake at 350 for 50-60 min, until the top is golden brown and no longer runny in the center.

5. cut into 6 portions.

My Home Gym

I started an exercise program this year called Turbulence Training that prescribes 3 workouts/week consisting of 3 non-competing weight-lifting supersets followed by 20 minutes of cardio intervals. I'm really enjoying it because I am spending a lot less time at the gym and not feeling as burnt out on exercise as I was last year.

Sometimes I have to work out at home, so in addition to my collection of an adjustable bench and dumbbells, I purchased a cheapo exercise bike last month. Today I cleared up a little area of my kitchen and put down a carpet so it looks a bit more inspiring.

The only thing missing is a big bouncy Swiss ball. I bougt one a year ago but have never gotten around to inflating it.

Tomato Soup

This soup can be made with fresh summer tomatoes, or if you're lazy like me, you can make this any time of year with a couple of jumbo cans of diced tomatoes in juice. Can you tell I like to shop at Trader Joe's?

Ingredients:
olive oil
1 onion chopped
1 clove garlic minced
2 28-oz cans diced tomatoes in juice (or 4 lbs fresh tomatoes peeled, cored and diced with as much juice as you can save)
1 cup chicken stock (I'm using homemade stock in this batch)
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper

To cook:
Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until tender.

Add the tomatoes, stock, bay leaf and salt/pepper to taste.

Simmer until the tomatoes are tender (about 30 miuntes).

Puree in the blender, food processor or use a hand blender to puree it right in the pot.

You can serve it as is or with some fresh chopped parsley or basil as garnish.

Here it accompanies some leftover roast chicken and green salad.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Nothing makes the house smell so good in winter as a roast that is slowly cooking all day. I finally dragged out and dusted off my slow cooker (I've got a huge oval Rival Smart Pot) and bought 4 lbs of grass fed shoulder roast that should feed me and the husband for the rest of the week.

Ingredients:
4 lbs beef shoulder roast seared on all sides
2 onions cut into wedges
4 carrots cut into large chunks
3 small turnips peeled and quartered
3 celery stalks cut into large chunks
2 cloves garlic minced
1 TBSP tomato paste
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes w/juice
1 cup beef stock
1 cup red wine
1/2 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper

To cook:

Place all of the prepared ingredients in the slow cooker (roast should be fat side up) and cook on low heat for 10-12 hours (6-8 hours on high).

Remove meat and vegetables from the cooker and pour the liquid into a gravy separator.

When the fat is separated pour the non-fat liquid into a pan and boil until reduced to 2 cups of gravy.