Lately I’ve been hooked on these yummy smoothies for breakfast:

Packed full of good-for-me things and loaded with antioxidants: pomegranate juice, frozen blueberries, greek nonfat yogurt, a dash of honey. Yum. Take a closer look if you like.

Anyone who knows us or reads this blog knows that Rick and I both love to cook and eat. I don’t think we eat badly either. We don’t eat much in the way of processed foods and you won’t find our freezer filled with frozen ready-made dinners. We’re all about cooking fresh. We don’t eat out very much because we enjoy our own food more. Plus, when you eat out you cannot control what you are eating. You have no idea how the food was prepared (what fats, sugars, etc. that they might have used) and are probably taking in way too many extra calories loaded with things your body doesn’t need. As far as portions go, restaurants today give you so much more than you could or should possibly eat that’s it’s ridiculous! Many times Rick and I will share an appetizer and an entree (if we can agree on the same one!) and that works out very well.

For several years (before we moved to New Jersey) Rick and I followed the South Beach Diet and we both got downright skinny. It got kind of old and boring. (The diet part; not the skinny part!) Then we started eating a more modified South Beach by letting in some pasta, potatoes and bread. Then we pretty much threw out the South Beach plan and just ate everything in moderation which pretty much worked but neither of us were as skinny as we were. But like I mentioned before, we got lazy over the past few months and noticed a slight gain. Funnily enough, we both started complaining at the same time. It was time to put a new eating plan into action, so since the start of the year we’ve been South Beaching it again. It’s working, slowly but surely. There is a difference.

I’m always looking for new recipes that are both good for you and good tasting at the same time. And let’s face it, at the beginning of a new year doesn’t everyone think about eating more healthily? Losing one or two stubborn pounds that may have crept up when you weren’t looking? I bought these two great books recently (smoothie recipe came from Cook Yourself Thin Faster) and have been pouring over the recipes and tips.

They are not really “diet” books, just guidelines for eating things that are good for you and avoiding the things that are not. They are all about not depriving yourself of the foods you crave, just making small adjustments to them to make them more calorie friendly. You might not notice the weight loss for several weeks it’s so gradual, but it’s there.

Cook This Not That is a wonderful little book! Packed full of all kinds of helpful things, it begs to be read from cover to cover to glean all the little hints and tips on every (colorful) page. “Score card” pages show nutritional and dietary comparisons of dairy products,  bread, rices, grains and pastas, meats and fats so you can see at a glance the differences. Other pages include “Matrix” pages where you mix and match different ingredients for skewers, homemade salad dressings, pasta and toppings, crock pots, smoothies and more. Full color photos of each delicious looking recipe adds to the allure of this great little book.

The other book, Cook Yourself Thin Faster is the follow-up to her first book Cook Yourself Thin. I have both books, but I think the second one has better recipes. We made one the other night “Cod Saltimbocca” which was absolutely delicious! We both loved the cannellini bean/radicchio side. Here’s the photo from the book.

I can’t wait to try more of them out! And no, I don’t own stock in the companies, nor do I know the people personally. I just think they are great little tools to help you eat right. If you happen to buy one or the other I don’t think you’ll be sorry!

Well, I’ve been productive this afternoon but Mother Nature not so much. Yet. We shall see.

Here is Mother Nature before:

And Mother Nature around 3:00 p.m.

Really, Mom, you’re going to have to step it up a bit here. Just look at what I’ve accomplished next to your piddly little skiff of snow.

Giant Ginger Cookies:

Toffee Squares:

To be continued ...

Everyone around us is on snow alert. We got up early this morning to do some Christmas dinner shopping at the Fairway Market in Paramus. At 9 o’clock in the morning the store was jammed with shoppers rushing to get done before the snow starts. Snowplows appear on the front of nearly every truck you pass. Sand trucks stand at the ready. On Skyline Drive the Road Closed Snow Emergency signs are already up and waiting. (Skyline Drive is high in elevation and is always closed during bad snows. From the top of Skyline Drive you can, of course, on a clear day see the Manhattan skyline. Hence it’s name.) But will the blizzard really materialize or will the whole thing pass us by?

Let’s see how we’re doing here at home.
Salt and snow shovels? Check.
Wood split? Check.
Bolognese sauce cooking on the stove? Check.
Ingredients for baking cookies? Check.
Anticipation and excitement? Check.

We are all waiting. The stage is set and the players are ready to spring into action. All that’s left is for the star of the show to really and truly show up for her big performance. Mother Nature, bring it on!

Right now at noon it’s 20 degrees, the wind has picked up and the air is raw and damp. Stay tuned to this blog for further updates.

We’ve tried some new recipes over the the past week that have really turned out great. This one, Honey Mustard Pork Roast with Bacon I mentioned the other day. We got the recipe from the Giada on the Food Network. We are so totally Food Network junkies! When in doubt of what to watch we inevitably tune to food. Well, with one exception and that would be Paula Deen. I am sure she must have some good recipes but I can’t get around her affected accent. (Although she would probably heartily approve of this dish.) But I am digressing here. I didn’t really want to go down the Paula-Deen-you-drive-me-crazy-I-can’t-listen-to-you road. It’s supposed to be all about the food. So ...

Here is the pork before cooking in its blanket of bacon:

We paired it with a recipe out of Cooking Light that my sister told she had tried for Thanksgiving and everyone at her table raved about. Cipollini with Apples and Bacon. Yes, we had our bacon fix for the entire week with this meal but it was worth it! Cipollini are small white (Italian) onions. Unlike the tiny pearl onions, cipollini are fat and squat but just as hard to prep for cooking. Here they are still in the pan looking all caramelized. Yum! Delicious!

And here is the completed meal. We served the pork on a bed of lightly dressed arugula.

We also tried to reinvent a recipe we had while in the Finger Lakes. A crab cake on top of a grilled portabello mushroom. We tried a new crab cake recipe from Cooking Light that also included chopped up shrimp. It was very tasty but I think I would have preferred a normal old-style crab cake for this particular recipe. The crab cake gets lightly molded and bakes right in the mushroom cap. We served it with a crunchy and fresh pickled cucumber salad.

Are you getting hungry yet?

Being the foodies that we are, we are going to Sunday Lunch at Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Westchester County, New York this weekend. I had to make the reservation two months in advance! Neighbors Kim and Mark are joining us in this culinary adventure. It truly is an adventure since there are no menus at Blue Hill. Whatever is fresh that day is what you eat. We’ve been once before and you can read about it here. Elegant and upscale, gentlemen must wear a jacket and tie; ladies should be dressed equally so. Oh, dear. Must we go through what (not) to wear again? No, no, not to worry. I think it has to be the little basic black dress sans ruffles. Can’t wait!

Look what’s going on at my house today.

SNOW! Okay, it’s not too exciting in the amount department right now. We might get three inches, but I am not complaining. Oh no. I am ecstatic! An doubly so because today was the day we designated for getting the tree and decorating the inside of the house. How more perfect could it be? For once the weather forecast was spot on!

This morning we had to get up early to go to Goshen, New York to pick up Johnny’s tire. The other day when the traveling John Deere Spa came to our house to service Johnny and change out the mowing deck for the snow blower (what great timing!) they were supposed to bring a new inner tube for the tire but they forgot. They took the tire back up with them to fix it, and really, what good is a tractor without four wheels?

After that we did our grocery shopping for the weekend so we wouldn’t have to go back out. A few members of the local high school band were playing Christmas Carols outside the store. Festive! When we have no plans to go anywhere we just like to get everything done so we can just chill out for the rest of the weekend. It’s so peaceful and restful that way without any running around to do. We’re trying out a new recipe we saw on Food Network last week from Giada: Honey-Mustard Pork Roast wrapped in bacon. We’ll see how that goes a bit later!

Then we went to our favorite tree lot at Bear Swamp Farm (the same place where the CSA is), run by the Hosford family. (Allison Hosford also does our mushroom forays.) It was cold and damp and just starting to spit little fitful flakes of snow. The parking lot was jammed with cars; some already loaded with a tree strapped to the top while other still awaited their “topper.” They sell already cut trees fresh from Pennsylvania, or you can cut your own from the 15 acres available. No chain saws are allowed and they have a good supply of hand saws to take with you on your search for the perfect tree. People were singing carols as they searched, taking photos of getting ready to cut their tree, and just having a great time. Rick and I have cut trees from the same little spot for two years now, and after looking over some different areas decided to go back to “our” spot where there are mostly spruce trees.

Have you ever noticed that they look much smaller growing in the forest? We never learn. Anyway, after much deliberation between two trees, we selected our tree and carried it back to be wrapped up for transport. I couldn’t believe that they were selling big bundles of cut boughs for $1! I also bought a 20’ garland. Not sure just yet how I am going to use them. Neighbor Kim and I went back to Jungle Habitat and cut some fresh bittersweet the other day, so I plan to incorporate that into it somehow.

We get the tree home and into the house. We set it up still bundled in its netting. We unclip the netting, let down the boughs and ... it slightly overwhelms the space. It’s really too big. Not only that but in the forest the tree was gorgeous and perfectly straight up and down. This tree is, well, shall we say, a bit wonky? It grows straight from the trunk but something goes wrong about half way up. It’s totally crooked!!! Leaning like a drunkard, our tree is. Oh my. How could one tree look so different? Poor Rick twisted and turned the tree with me giving directions ... no, a little left ... maybe a bit more to the right ... trying to get it to look less crooked. I think we succeeded, finally. It will be beautiful once it’s decorated. Right now only the lights are on or I would should you a pic. Wait. I’ll get the camera. Hold on a minute. Now, remember, so far it’s just the lights.

See? You can’t tell it’s crooked, can you? I think it’s going to be lovely! (Note the snowy visage out the window!) A pic of the fully decorated tree in all its wonkyness will soon be posted. Right now I am going to pour myself a glass of nicely chilled Chardonnay and watch the snow drift past my window.

Have a peaceful night.

Addendum: Oh my goodness! I forgot our snowy visitors. They wanted to be included and I forgot them. They are too late for Thanksgiving, however.

Also, have you noticed the “On this day ...” in the right hand column of my blog? It shows blog entries posted on this day in previous years. This is today’s in case you missed it. Bella hasn’t changed too much ... except she’s much bigger. The attitude remains the same. But look at all the leaves in the yard! No snow yet!