Help me plan my Honeymoon!

I just spent an exhausting three days helping my mom and sister sort through part of my late grandmother's estate. I just can't believe all the stuff that a household can acquire throughout the years. It's amazing.  I had gone down with the plan of cooking dinner every night and ended up being too exhausted to move! Haha. I did cook the first night down:

Chicken Piccata

I love this dish, but I had a few problems with this recipe. Well, one. It was my fault. I was working with a pan that wasn't my own, and it wasn't heating evenly. By the time the sauce started to reduce, it went fast, and there was hardly any to go around. 

The flavors were great, and the chicken was moist and juicy... but I missed the sauce.

The second issue I had wasn't with this dish... I served this dish with:

Avocado Citrus Salad

SO SO yummy.... however, when you pair this with Piccata (which is lemon and capers) you end up with a lot of citric acid.

So, on our very busy weekend of working in a garage packed to the brim with treasures dating back to the 50s, I poisoned us with an overdose of citric acid!

Woo Hoo!!

I am enjoying my last week of no weeknight commitments. Come next week, I will start rehearsing my next show, The Elephant Man, with STAGEright here in the Emerald city. We go up in March, so keep your eyes and ears open. 

All in all I have very little to complain about at the moment. I am healthy, doubly employed, and very loved.

Speaking of which, I have a question for you guys... for my honeymoon:

VEGAS

or

AMUSEMENT PARKS

????

Help decide our fate.... and please let me know why you chose what you chose!

The Skinny on Skinny Taste

I made a promise to a friend that I would post my very favorite Skinny Taste recipes today.

I had to make this promise because I am now so obsessed with this website that I am obnoxiously talking to people about it. Pretty much anyone who will listen gets an earful.

To be honest, it's just because I am really excited! I hate dieting, and I have never been good to committing to lifestyle changes for much more than a week. I'm on day 22 of this little program I have put together, and have dropped 5 pounds since Christmas!

It's a lot easier to stick with, because I don't feel like I'm depriving myself of anything. I eat really yummy food. The recipes are so good that I have made them for guests, and no one can tell that they are low calorie meals. They are full flavor recipes, and really fun to make.

What I have been doing is eating a piece of fruit and a cup of coffee for breakfast (around 200 cal), I keep my lunch below 300 cal, but usually 200 (Light Progresso soups have been exceedingly helpful with this), and then I still have around 600-700 cals to splurge on dinner. I also let myself have one day of I-can-eat-whatever-I-want. What has been interesting is that I feel a difference in my body when I go and eat whatever I want.

Example: Sunday was my cheat day this week. We went to Red Robin, sat in the bar, and watched the Seahawks earn their way to the Superbowl. I had a burger, fries, and cocktails. It was super fun, and I had a great time 12th man-ing it up, but the next morning all of the sugar and grease I ate the day before made me nauseated. I had a hard time shaking it all day.

I love eating clean, and my body is happy. I am so supportive of this website! I have also been using My Fitness Pal to track calories. It's a great site that allows you to connect with friends, access support boards, and track your calorie intake. It has an amazingly thorough database that actually includes most of these recipes on Skinny Taste!

So, here are my favorites:

Chicken Parm: This was very very good. It was so low cal, that I could afford to serve it with some Angel Hair and Marinara. The leftover chicken make great sandwiches to boot!

Turkey Chili Baked Potato: I made this last night. It was delicious. I make taco soup on a fairly regular basis, and this just took that to a new level. I didn't make it in the crock pot, so it may not have been as juicy as normal, but it sure was delicious. I have made the full transition to using ground turkey instead of beef. If I'm craving beef, I'm going to have a steak. No questions.

Shrimp Tostadas: Mr. OU made this for me while I was in recovery (yes, I had my surgery) and it was very very good. Fresh ingredients, zesty guac... yummmm. Mr.OU marinated the shrimp in his own citrus-jalapeno marinade. I don't have that recipe, or I'd include it. It is one of my favorite things in the world, especially for Carne Asada. Maybe I'll squeeze it out of  him one day.

Pollo in Potaccio: Mr. OU was more a fan of this than I, but I don't love rosemary. It was very very tender. I made it on the stove top. I don't think my crock pot could have handled the quantity. It was good, but next time, I will omit the rosemary.

BACON Meatloaf: Ok, ok, it's bacon topped meatloaf, but still! It's been a very long time since I've had someone else's meatloaf, and I am very particular.... but you put bacon on anything, and I am likely to try it. If you need your fix, this is the one to go to!

There you have it, a work weeks worth of yummy, good-for-you-recipes.

Enjoy!

Fun with Fitness!

Busy busy busy!

I may have lied about posting on Christmas dinner. It was really amazing. The Brussel Sprouts were really good. The beef broth added great flavor that countered the natural bitterness of  the sprout. Very very yummy.

I have been a busy bee, getting my wedding fitness plan up and going as well as other wedding planning. I have found this amazing website: skinnytaste.com

I have been able to keep my calorie intake around 1200 a day, with the help of myfitnesspal.com. Plus, Mr. OU and I are doing a new fitness challenge every month. This month it's a squat challenge. We did 80 squats yesterday, and boy am I feeling it.... but I am also feeling a difference in the way my clothes fit too, and I've only been doing this for a week.

Woo Hoo!

The goal is to get my college body back by Nov... which I can totally do. I'm not too far away as it is.

Tomorrow I may be having a surgery to take care of this cancer situation. That is, if my body cooperates. I am really hoping it will. If not, I'll be able to use the apt as a consultation, which may be beneficial as well. If I do get this done, I'll be on bed rest for three days, so I won't be doing much cooking. I will leave you today with my favorite so far skinny taste recipe:

Turkey Sausage Kale White Bean Soup

The only thing I did differently was I used Italian Turkey Sausage... Jenny-O, I believe. Changes the calorie count, but not too much. It's a good time for soup, and this was so low cal, that I got to have some yummy artisan bread with it! Perfect!


Also, this is what happens when you make me dinner:

He looks so.... is that happy or patient?

I Believe in Christmas Eve Eve

Merry Christmas!!!

Ok, it's a couple days early.... Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

I am so excited for Christmas this year. It's the first year without my Grandma, which is definitely going to be different, but we are having it at her house, which will be such a great way to remember her.

I am working today and tomorrow, picking up my brother and his girlfriend, and driving down to the coast to be with everyone.

Mr. OU and I exchanged big gifts last night, just to have a nice date-like Christmas, and he spoiled me with a new Kindle Fire, which I love. I gave him a digital camera to replace the one that broke on our trip to Disney World last January.

Speaking of Disney, we are currently talking about our Honeymoon, and it looks like we are leaning toward a SoCal Amusement Park trip. Initially, we wanted to go to Ireland, and still do, but it's just so darned expensive. I put together a SoCal trip for a week, with 3 parks, and 3 days at Disneyland for just around $2000. Airfare included. We had so much fun last winter, that it just seems like a wonderful vacation.
However, if any of my readers have recommendations, I am all ears!

There is my late Wedding update.

So now onto CHRISTMAS DINNER!

Here is our menu:

Prime Rib

Garlic Mashed Potatoes (Prepared by Mr. OU himself)

Brussel Sprouts with Prosciutto 

Green Bean Casserole

Cranberry Sauce (Just the "relish")

 

Dessert will be:

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie

Low-Sugar New York Cheesecake

I am pretty excited to get this all together. Maybe I'll even post Pictures of the spread with our new camera!!

Merry Christmas/ Happy Holidays to you and yours!

A Christmas Cold Can't Stop Cheer!

I love Christmas!! I'm not sure you could have gathered this from previous posts... I do though. It's been so great listening to Carols on the radio (106.9, my Seattle friends!), decorating the house, and saying "Happy Holidays" to all of my guest interactions at work. People are nicer, the weather is cooler (29 Degrees, burrr), and everything sparkles.

I had plans all week last week to get my Christmas tree on Saturday, and I was really looking forward to it. I grew up in Nevada, and we have only really had artificial trees... for practical reasons. This year Mr. OC insisted we go to a "U-Cut" farm to get a real tree. I was so excited. He knows his way around a saw, and is used to the fresh tree thing, so what could go wrong, right?

I got sick on Friday.

I mean, disgusting, dripping, sneezing, awful sick.

Saturday morning I woke up raring to go! "Woo, lebs do dis".... (that's what I sound like when I am sick). I was met with some resistance. "No, honey, let's go tomorrow, when you feel better". "No! I neeb my Christmas tree! We are so Scroogy ib our houbs."..... this went on and on until:

The stuffy nose voice always wins.

So, I may still be disgusting today, but it's so jolly in our house that I call it a win!

Worth it.

While we are talking about Christmas, here is a nifty make ahead recipe that I made a few years back:

Make-Ahead Melts

They are really yummy, but can be heavy first thing in the morning. My recommendation would be to have your first cup of coffee a while before, so your stomach is ready for the full meal that this little muffin turns out to be.

Of course, if you're anything like me, you're useless without that first cup anyway!

So with that, I leave you!

Happy Holidays, my dear friends :)

Gratefulness and Goodbyes

Turkey day has come and gone, and I didn't really follow up on my promise to do the weekly "I am thankful for...", but I will say this:

I am thankful for a juicy turkey two years running!
- This year I put a few small pads of butter under the skin, with a thyme-rosemary rub. I "stuffed" it with a quartered onion, and orange, and salted the skin. Roasted for 20 min per pound, and viola! Beautiful.

I am thankful for a harmonious gathering of some of the most important people in the world to me. It's a rare occasion anymore for all of us to be in one place, and I was so happy to be able to host them.

I am thankful for my health. This is a hard thing for me to say, because I have had some struggles this year. I got news on Wednesday that I have pre-cancer, and I am going to need a minor surgery. It's pretty terrifying, but it could be a lot worse. I don't have cancer, and if these cells weren't found, I would have. I am thankful that I have people that are taking care of me, and I know that no matter how scary this gets, I am fully supported by everyone in my life.

I am very thankful.

I am also thankful that I have friends that are so generous. Last night I was able to attend a charity event called Child's Play. It was a really amazing black-tie event, and I had the most amazing night. If it wasn't for very dear friends of mine donating their tickets to us, I would not have been able to go. Thank you Amanda and Andrew.

One last thing. My Grandmother on my dad's side passed away Wednesday night. It was very sudden. She was a very loving and kind woman, and will be dearly missed.

It has been an intense and long week, but all we can do from these experiences is grow. It's times like these where we have to change our perspective in order to survive. The last few years of my life I have said goodbye to four of my family members, and I have watched my own body begin to mutate. It's a fairly dramatic way to put it, but I like to think of my self as an X-Man now, I mean I've earned my patch.

I guess the way I feel about everything right now is simply this:

I can deal with anything.

That's right, Cancer.... Bring It.

Time for Turkey!!!

It's been so busy lately in the Grown-Up house! I had a little medical thing on Monday, and had to have a biopsy! Very interesting. Kind of painful, but I was pampered all day with comfort food, cuddles, and a mini Harry Potter Marathon.

Tuesday was full of cleaning the house and prepping for company for tomorrow! My father passed away in May of 2012, and I inherited his cookbooks. He used to throw the most elaborate parties, complete with cocktails, full meals, and lots of laughter. This year I get to host Thanksgiving, and as I was thumbing through his cookbooks, I came across a handwritten recipe for my father's fudge.

This is no ordinary fudge. It's amazing. It's life altering. It's my Dad's fudge.

Unfortunately, this is what the recipe said:

3/4 Cup Butter
3 Cups Sugar
2/3 Cup Evaporated Milk
12 Oz Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

7oz Marshmallow Cream

That was it. No instructions... nothing more than a shopping list.

BUT, I improvised. Me, be discouraged by a lack of directions? Never. I am am actor after all, I create all the time.

So, I melted everything together and put it in the fridge. ( I may have cut the butter by 1/2 cup... and maybe I cut the sugar in half.... it just seemed excessive).

Guess what. Guess what, guys! It's wonderful. Tastes like Holidays with my Daddy!

I have so much to do tomorrow.

20lb Turkey
Mini Pumpkin Pies

Last years mini's

Pumpkin Bread (to honor my Grandma)
Green Bean Casserole
Ambrosia Salad
2 Stuffings (neither of which I am making, thank god)
Sweet Potatoes (again, not making)
Roasted Garlic Chevre Spread with Crostini
Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Baby Carrots, and Purple Potatoes
Mashed Potatoes (Provided by my sister)
....

That may be all.... there are 8 of us, think there will be enough ;)?

Also, if you don't do the whole holiday thing, check out this recipe. It's worth OM NOM NOM, and nothing about it says Thanksgiving.

For those that are curious, I will be posting about tomorrow next week!