Mellow Monday Recap: Polenta Eggs

 

Yesterday was a Monday like any Monday - I find myself especially sad on Mondays that are cold and dreary. As you know if you've been reading this blog, I try to make something quick and easy for dinner. Hence the series of titles within the category of Mellow Monday. Today I bring you an ode to the best kind of comfort food - that mooshy, almost breakfast-like comfort food. You know you like it. I crave it, in fact, and I do get sick of soup after eating it for lunch 3 days a week.

If polenta intimidates you, just relax and go with your gut while cooking. Various recipes will have you stirring for a half hour, but I find with today's enriched cornmeal it only takes about 10 minutes to cook up a batch to my desired creaminess. I grew up hearing the old Italian wives tale - always stir polenta in the same direction or you will have bad luck - aka never get married or make babies! YIKES! I can be superstitious, however, this one, I don't subscribe to. I stir both ways. I separated the polenta as a stand alone recipe, since it can be made in batches in advanced. Feel free to substitute herbs and seasoning. Read on for the full poached egg recipe.


Creamy Dreamy Polenta (serves 4 as a side)

Ingredients: 
3 cups water
3/4 cup cornmeal (the coarser, the better in my opinon)
1/2 tsp. salt (use a little more if you prefer more salt)
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 Tbs. butter or olive oil
1 Tbs. soft cheese - goat, cream, laughing cow (can be omitted for vegan version)

Directions:

1. Boil water in a saucepan.

2. Once boiling add salt and herbs. Stir.

3. With a whisk, gradually add cornmeal and combine with water. Mixture will thicken.

4. Turn heat down to low and continue stirring every few seconds.

5. If polenta becomes too gummy, add a dash more of water.

6. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until cornmeal is tender.

7. Add butter/olive oil and cheese, if using. Stir gently just until combined.


Poached Polenta Eggs

Ingredients:
1 recipe Creamy Dreamy Polenta
4 cage free eggs
1+1/2 c. marinara sauce
dried basil

Directions:

1. Flatten out Creamy Dreamy Polenta in saucepan.

2. With the back of a spoon create 4 wells for eggs to sit.

3. Crack eggs and pour into each designated spot.

4. Carefully spread marinara around each egg and dust with basil.

5. Cover pan for 5 minutes on low heat.

6. Rotate pan to evenly cook all eggs, and allow to simmer for another 5 minutes or until desired poachedness.

7. Once eggs are cooked, serve polenta eggs in a bowl and enjoy!

Things Are Lookin' Up

My my my, did I have a ball this weekend. I squeezed in a decent amount of girl time -

9 Sex & the City episodes
3 romantic comedies
6 cinnamon rolls
10 cups of coffee
2 bottles of wine
1 roll of goat cheese
1 bag of red seedless grapes (single-handedly eaten by yours truly)
2 pitchers sangria
8 tapas
uncountable slices of dark chocolate pumpkin bread
thousands of laughs
a few bad jokes
3 good pictures

While these are mostly guestimates, I have to say everything on that list was accomplished and more, thanks to a snow storm that kept my friends close for an extra day of girliness. On Sunday morning we all woke up feeling the pains of tapas and sangria, vowing to have a day of detox regardless of the change in plans. I worked in some weight lifting and indoor cycling. Such lovely friends I have, they held back their laughter and only made a few cracks about my intense need for physical activity. Thank you to my dear friends for trekking through the snow with me for a little winter adventure. I miss you already!

Circa 2008 

My girls have inspired me in the kitchen. I only wish I had been so creative with our meals, but visiting friends usually means fun meals out - so I happily obliged. This week, Mind Over Booty will feature some holiday party treats, warm comfort foods - starting with my favorite one for dinner tonight - hint: Italian take on eggs, and sensible cocktail recipes - in the event you are the host(ess) of your own fete.

Cheers to a snowy and swift Monday!
Miss M

It's So Cold, I Don't Wanna...

GO OUTSIDE! It's so cold, I don't want to breathe outside. I literally hold my breath in hopes that the wind will stop blowing or a magical heat bubble will surround me making my walk to work just a little more pleasant. Being an Arizona girl at heart, I handle winter like a sissy. I take every opportunity to complain and confess my not-so-secret hatred for the season.

Here are the things that make winter a little more OK today - because let's face it, winter will never be bearable.

1. A Down Coat
Now I hear all you animal lovers out there like me. That is a fake fur hood. Do you know how hard it is to find a reasonable priced down coat that covers the booty and has a hood WITHOUT fur. Finally, I caved and bought one, with a steep discount on one of my favorite sites!

Not too ugly, no?

2. Making A Donation
At the beginning of the holiday season I put together a list of places that I want to contribute to. Also, I consider what I have to give that doesn't involve a new purchase. Since the back of my cabinets contained canned food that I was less than thrilled about consuming - I'm donating those items to a non-perishable food drive right in the lobby of my office building. Food drives are a great way to clean out your cabinets when you've lost inspiration and make space for new flavors and foods. Plus, you reap benefits from volunteering and giving back to your community.

What a healthy donation!

3. Hot Drinks! 
As much as I hate winter, I LOVE hot cocoa. Unfathomable to some. I grew up in a house where we made our mix from scratch. I highly recommend steering away from the pre-packaged cocoa, just read the ingredients list and it won't take much convincing. Now I'm a dark chocolate fan, but Grant Park (my bf) is more of a white chocolate fan. I adjust my recipe by the cupfull - mine usually has a little more cocoa, while his usually has a little more sweet stuff.

Me at the famous Angelina's in Paris, France sippin' some high class cocoa!

My easy hot cocoa blend:

Ingredients:
1 c. non dairy milk (I prefer almond or soy)
1/2 c. water
2 Tbs. cocoa (can add more or less to taste)
1 Tbs. splenda (or raw sugar or agave nectar)
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract (or almond)
Optional: 1 Tbsp. hazelnut soy creamer, dash of nutmeg and cinnamon, dash of chile powder

Directions:
 - Heat Milk and water in microwave (about 2 minutes)
 - Stir in the rest of the ingredients and ENJOY!

4. Spending time with out-of-town friends consuming said hot drinks

I have a group of girlfriends from my time living and studying abroad in France. We make an effort to reunite every couple of months. Bravely, a rendez-vous was scheduled for Chicago this weekend. Yes, it is going to be freezing, literally, but all we really need is to be together to chat and laugh over some delicious hot beverages. And with such good friends, you surely can feel a little better about the terrible winter season. 

Breaky for a Crowd: APP

They say breakfast is the most important meal...

An Apple Peanut Pancake is scrumptious.

Trust me. 

After years of staring down those sugary-buttery-super-sized apple pancakes at breakfast restaurants, I finally found my apple pancake bliss. Honestly, if you add peanut into the picture, it improves the whole shot. This pancake will impress guests, or your live in companion lovah whilst still being healthy - packing a punch of protein from the peanut flour and eggs and a good dose of healthy fats from the egg yolks and peanut butter.

Ingredients:

Pancake
3 sm. gala apples
1 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. splenda
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 eggs
1/4 c. non-dairy milk
2 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 c. peanut flour
1/4 c. whole wheat flour

Peanut Syrup
2 Tbsp. half and half (or other milk)
1 Tbsp. real maple syrp
1 Tbsp. chunky peanut butter


*serves 4, about 300 calories per serving (excluding calories in the fruit, you don't need to feel guilty about apples).

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spray a pie pan with cooking spray.

2. Chop apples into slices no thicker than 1/4 inch, ideally about 1/8 inch.

3. Melt butter in a pan over medium heat and add apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, and splenda (or sugar).

4. Nudge the apples every 30 seconds or so for 5 to 10 minutes. They should begin to release juices and are done when sticky and slightly browned.

5. Put the remainder of the pancake ingredients into a blender. Blend for 30 seconds. (You can do this part by hand, make sure to sift the flours).

6. Put the apples into the pie pan and scrape all the juices with them.

7. Pour the batter from the blender on top of the apples and bake for 30 minutes, or until pancake passes the push test.

8. In the same pan used for the apples pour half and half and heat on low/medium.

10. Whisk in maple syrup and peanut butter until sauce is smooth.

11. Turn off stove and allow to rest and thicken.

12. Once pancake is fully cooked, allow to sit for a few minutes before plating with sauce overtop.

You're welcome. :)

Host Gift Part 1: Peppermint Bark

With the holiday season in full swing, I wanted to share my favorite elf with you - Miss Manners. Miss Manners doesn't pledge allegiance to any religion or type of family, but she certainly creeps into every household. It is proper etiquette - Miss Manners taught me - to bring a small gift of thanks when invited to a gathering or party that may have taken the host or hostess a significant effort to put together. No matter how small or large this token of appreciation, best not to arrive empty handed. And so, I bring you the easiest home-made treat for the holidays: peppermint bark - requiring a smattering of patience for a lovely outcome. Of great importance is the type of chocolate used, since there are so few ingredients, make sure the quality is high. When selecting chocolate, read the ingredients, make sure there are no artificial oils - it should have cocoa butter not vegetable oil. The reason the oil is added is explained eloquently here on the Joy of Baking website, which inspired this slight twist on a classic. Most importantly, this peppermint bark is meant to be shared, because it IS THAT GOOD!

Ingredients:

6 oz. dark chocolate
6 oz. white chocolate
2 tsp vegetable oil
4 lg candy canes
1 holiday tin

Directions:

1. Line an 8 x 8 pan with foil, making surface as smooth as possible.

2. Chop dark chocolate and add to a pan.

3. Mix in 1 tsp. vegetable oil and heat over low heat stirring constantly until chocolate is mostly melted.

4. Turn off heat and continue to stir until smooth.

5. Pour into pan and shake until the chocolate forms an even layer.

6. Place in refrigerator for 30 to 40 minutes.

7. Repeat steps 2 through 5 for white chocolate.

8. Crush candy canes in a plastic bag.

9. Sprinkle candy cane bits over chocolate and place in refrigerator for at least 45 minutes.

10. Pull foil out of pan and flip over onto a cutting board.

11. Cut peppermint bark into uneven pieces or break and place in a holiday tin.

Even Better Tomorrow - Lentil Soup

Winter is officially here in Chicago! As I write the snow is falling outside my window, and I'm craving all the comforts of warm hearty treats that my kitchen yields. Soup is the ultimate winter food, but all I can really think about as I watch this week's episode of Glee in my pajamas is - how is that 30 years have passed since Dirty Dancing and all of sudden everyone is doing "Had the Time of My Life?" This exhibits my lack of meaningful thoughts for the morning, which explains why I needed inspiration from a fav blogger, Carrots N' Cake. I'll be back later this weekend with more coherent ideas for you all. In the meantime, enjoy some soup and stay warm!

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil
3 yellow onions
1 purple onion
1 sweet potato
1 tomato
4 c. veggie broth
1/2 c. lentils
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. dried sage
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions:

1. Chop all veggies, and keep in separate piles.

2. In a large pot, saute onions in olive oil until translucent.

3. Over medium heat, add sweet potato and saute for about 3 minutes.

4. Add diced tomato, seasoning and veggie broth simmer for 3 minutes.

5. Combine dried lentils into pot and bring to a boil.

6. Cover soup and turn down to a simmer for 30 minutes.

**inspired in part by Carrots N' Cake's post.

Workout Fearin'

Think about why you workout as often or as little as you do. My top reasons for hitting the gym are:

1. Fear
2. Guilt
3. Self-love
4. Habit

Oh yes, I'm going to just throw that out there. One of the top reasons that motivates me to get to the gym on days when I just feel like watching some Grey's Anatomy and munching on air-popped popcorn is FEAR. In the last year I have aimed to rule my body with love, as Machiavelli would suggest, but most days fear and guilt win. Fear of the relaxed-eating-habits-5lbs, or the happy-and-in-love-10lbs, or the sneaky that-time-of-the-month-3lbs. With a lifetime dedicated to dieting and 5 years of serious hard work and self-educating, I am afraid to gain back that stubborn double digit number over 50 and regain that especially unhappy version of myself.

In an unscientific analysis from studying myself for twenty something years, I would suggest that I have a slightly obsessive (er, addictive) personality. A problem with food and self-esteem turned into an exercise addiction, to the point where I felt guilty if I didn't make it to the gym at least six days a week. I pushed my body into a rut for a number of reasons.

I was:

1. overtired
2. overworked & overworked-out
3. lacking sufficient caloric energy

 I should mention during this same point in my life I kept my caloric intake below 1200 calories, and on some days, below 1000. Now, I'm nearly 5'8" and there's absolutely no reason, no instance, no case where my calorie limit should be THAT low, especially when physically active. I stress this point for all you ladies that read diet and health magazines with glossy success stories. Rarely do they point out height in relation to weight and nutrition. There is a range of numbers when it comes to healthy weight, calorie intake, and exercise recommendations. For instance, a person my height has a recommended healthy weight of somewhere in the 120s all the way up to the 160s. That's a 40 pound margin! I bring up this point, because there is a large margin for what is considered healthy for each individual body.

I admit that I am in a phase of learning to trust my body. To listen. When does my body really need to go to sleep instead of a late night work out. And, when is my lazy, couch potato side trying to set my workout schedule. This week I have been particularly busy in the evening. In an average week, by Thursday I would have completed 4 workouts. This week I've only racked up 2. My old self would feel terrible about missing workouts. New self, positive self, knows the reasons why:

1. Those 2 workouts were tough, combining weights and cardio.
2. I'm still active - walking the long route to the train, using stairs, etc.
3. The days where I didn't make it to the gym had me up at 6 am and home after 9 pm, my body said SLEEP - and I listened.
4. I have made healthy nutritious meal and snack choices, listening to my body when it says no more.

So in this season of holiday cheer and special visits with friends and families, I encourage you to tune into your body and enjoy everyday. Prioritize fitness by giving yourself a weekly goal that is a range of a number (or minutes) of workouts. My goal for this week, considering my schedule and sleep habits, is 4 to 6 workouts. As long as I hit 4 workouts, I can keep fear at bay and feel satisfied that I am working towards a healthy and fit self.

PLEDGE TO RESPECT YOUR BODY BY LEAVING A COMMENT ABOUT YOUR WEEKLY GOALS!