Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps!

These are so good and it makes a TON!!

Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps



This delicious, healthy recipe can be served as a family-style meal, an appetizer, or a party buffet. It makes a big batch - enough to eat now, freeze more for later, or feed a crowd.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon canola oil

• 3 pounds ground turkey breast

• 1-1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled (1 tablespoon minced)

• 3 garlic cloves (1 tablespoon minced)

• 4 medium carrots

• 10 green onions (white and green parts);

• 1 (8 oz) can sliced water chestnuts

• 1 (8 oz) can bamboo shoots

• 1 cup hoisin sauce

• 1/2 cup soy sauce

• 1/3 cup dry sherry

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

• 1 tablespoon Sriracha or other hot chili sauce or paste

• Boston Bibb lettuce (for a meal, allow 3-4 leaves per person); may substitute other lettuce with small, cup-shaped leaves

• Brown rice, cooked (optional)

• TOPPINGS (optional):

• chopped peanuts

• cilantro

• Sriracha chili sauce

• Asian Peanut sauce (recipe at www.theyummylife.com/recipes/16)

• Asian Spicy Lime & Ginger Sauce (recipe at www.theyummylife.com/recipes/138)



Directions

MINCE THE VEGGIES: Vegetables may all be minced by hand; however it's easier to use a food processor (FP) if you have one. Process in this order: 1. mince the garlic and ginger together in FP; 2. chop the carrots into 1" chunks and add them to FP and process until minced; 3. remove garlic/ginger/carrots to separate bowl; 4. chop green onions into 2" pieces and add with bamboo shoots and water chestnuts to FP; process until minced.



COOKING INSTRUCTIONS: Add canola oil to skillet and heat on stove-top on med-high heat. Add turkey, cook until browned with no pink remaining; break apart chunks with spatula as turkey browns. Add minced veggies (garlic, ginger, carrots, onions, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts) and cook 5-10 min., until tender. In separate bowl, whisk together hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sherry, sesame oil, and chili sauce; add to turkey mixture. Stir and cook until heated through, approx. 5 minutes.



TO SERVE: Spoon rice and turkey mixture into a lettuce leaf. Add toppings, if desired. Roll the lettuce leaf and eat.

TO FREEZE: Add turkey mixture to ziploc freezer bags - 2 cups of turkey mix per quart size bag. Flatten the bag, press out as much air as possible, and seal. Put in the freezer on a tray to keep it flat. Once frozen, remove from tray and stack bags in your freezer. May be frozen for several months. Reheats quickly in microwave.

FOR APPETIZERS: Use endive instead of lettuce. Fill leaves with turkey mixture and arrange on platter.



Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Egg cups and eating clean!!

Eating clean, here is a great idea for breakfast! Packed with protein, quick to prepare an you are off to a great start!! Get a quart of Lucerne Best of the Egg, (15-1/4 cup servings) mix in 2 teaspoons seasoning salt, onion, green pepper, mushroom and 1 cup mozzerella or any lowfat cheese. Pour mix into muffin tins sprayed liberally with Pam, about 1/3 c. per muffin. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.....they will come out puffy but then deflate (ha ha just like about everything!). Have two with salsa and 1 cup of milk for a really filling 200 calorie breakfast! One egg muffin has 54 calories, 2 g carb, 2 g fat and 8 grams of protien! Fed it to my sidekick in crime and fitness, Jilly, and she loved it!! Now back to work!! And oh ya, don't forget, water, water, water to flush the FAT!!

Monday, August 29, 2011

Losing weight.....it's time!

Here is a picture of me, cutting my nephews hair, 4 years ago when we moved out to our ranch. I lifted weights or did cardio, 6 days a week, I was eating good clean food and it showed! I kept at it sporadically that year after moving, then I had surgery, then I got this really bad cold that lasted a whole summer, and then I never got back to it. Well, that hasn't worked out so well for me. Because I went through menopause very early (at 38, the year after I had Sammie) and chose not to take hormone replacement. I'm am a walking magnet for pounds and have managed to attract 30 extra's!! Holy smokes!!
The picture below taken at Brave Girls camp was a real eye opener!! I'm not someone who gets dressed and looks in the mirror at all angles.....not much of my summer stuff fit, but I was okay with that , went up a size, and I must have my jeans really STRETCHED out or they are making those size 8's awfully big!! This is me now!
And the "L" sign we are showing is for "Lock it Up", that can mean pretty much anything, but for me it means I'm lockin it up and losing this flippen weight! And that little gem started today! Got me a new trainer, I know exactly what I need to eat to shed it. 30 pounds is my goal so lets go, lock it up!!

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Barn Cleaning..........





Every step we take brings us that much closer to our goal. This week, the mission was to clean the barn. This is not a very fun thing to do, so Jill came over and we literally puked the entire contents of the two bigger sheds onto the barnyard.............upon returning home with Mr Renaissance, oldest daughter Cloie dramatically rolls her eyes so she can see her brain, and declares our place a junk yard. We sorted, stashed, stacked and then power washed. Here are our empty spaces, on for me, one for Jilly!


 
I couldn't wait and had to have Mr. Renaissance put up these cute metal awnings, inside, yep, inside. Jill's space is on the left, mine on the right! Can't wait to transform them!!


Then these two little Renaissant's in training cleaned out and powerwashed the main barn, and here are all of the stalls, bright and shiny, ready to be filled with vendors goodies!!



It's all ready for beautiful, rusty, restored, refurbished, ready to be loved again goods to grace a new home! What a joy this is to work on, stay tuned for more news from the ranch, and Born in a Barn!

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Blog LOSER!!

I apologize for being so incredibly negligent of my blog! I promise after my Born in a Barn sale I will be better! I'm painting furniture, going to sales and ordering some goods wholesale to add to the joy of my world! We are filling garages with fabulous finds and meeting potential vendors when and where ever I can! I've wanted to do this for so very long I almost can't believe it is going to happen!! More later!!