Goodbye sugar, caffeine and white flour. Hello tears.

No more white sugar.
No more brown sugar.
No more simple carbs.
No more white flour.
No more caffeine.
No more bad fats.
No more honey.
No more maple syrup.
No more fruit.
No more juice.
No more sugar substitutes.
No more wine.

Preparing to say hello to the worst 28 days of my life:

Priceless.

Did you know you can actually have withdrawal symptoms from above said items? I am so looking forward to this. Not.

If you haven't been able to tell from my blog, I practically live off of this stuff... No, I take that back I need this stuff to breathe, let alone function. I am going to die. I am going to cry for my momma, like I never did before. I am going to rip peoples heads clean off. I am going... I am going to cry.

I am addicted to this eating lifestyle.

I am.

There I said it.

I am an addict. And it's slowly killing me.

I am 27 and I have a high end bmi, I have high blood pressure, I have high cholesterol and I am in the early stages of becoming a type two diabetic. I already had a heart attack when I was twenty one. Yes, you have read that correctly. Although it wasn't eating related, it now puts me at a higher risk for dying younger.

I was told, I would be lucky to reach sixty if I keep it up like this. Lucky.

This is scared me, I thought I was being relativity healthy. It made me think that I wouldn't see my youngest graduate from college, I wouldn't be able to chase my grand kids and these are all things I very much look forward too. In my family you either die old or you die young. I want to die old. I want to die after my 100th birthday. I want to be that damn old. I am stubborn and hopefully I get to prove that.

I want to be that role model for my girls. I want... no, I need to show them how to be healthy. How to eat right, how to properly take care of their bodies and that way when they become adults, they do not become like me. I do no want them to be 20 pounds over their ideal healthy weight, with high blood pressure and cholesterol. I do not want them to feel sluggish, to have sleep problems, to be moody, to be sick all the time and to feel like they need to depend on junk to live. To feel like they need to eat their problems away, to dull their stresses. I do not want them to eat like me.

I need more mental clarity, I need more energy, I need more zest. I want a better immune system, a healthier weight, better skin and a better digestive track. I need the depression gone, the mood swings gone. I want a better period. I want to be healthier.

So in one week and one day, I am detoxing. This isn't a New Year's resolution, this is a must do. Do or die slowly. The idea of not having one of my fail safes, scares the hell out of me. That alone is scary.

I will not become a stat.

I will no longer be addicted.

For all my food lovers, trust me. I am not abandoning ship, I just will update with older recipes and post new, healthier recipes until the 28 days are over. I LOVE food way too much. I just have to re-adjust and enjoy food in a different way.

<3 Stay with me, I will need you!

Easy Peasy Curry!

Indian food seems so daunting but when you really get into cooking it, it's so simple and so flavorful that you begin to wonder "Why wasn't I cooking this before?" Everyone assumes that the go to food in the winter months are soups, chilies, and roasts. There are plenty of well known food dishes that are neglected this time of year.

I would like to take the time to give proper homage to Curry.

I took some liberty with this recipe. I think it added a little "oomph" to the curry. I used chicken but I used an organic, free range and vegetable feed chicken and it was the same price as the leading brand. I have to say that it cuts and tastes WAY better then the normal kind. I used two large chicken breasts for two people. When I made this I had enough left over for one more person.

You can sub the chicken for tofu or turkey and I am sure it would taste just as good!

Ingredients:

1 pound of skinless chicken breast cut into one inch cubes
3 and 1/2 tbl spoons of curry powder
1/4 tsp of ginger powder
1/4 tsp of paprika
1 inch peeled knob of fresh ginger
1 medium or 1/4 of a large red onion cut into one inch cubes
1 large clove of garlic
2 pieces of green onion
1 medium serrano pepper (beware, smaller they are, the spicier they are)
1/2 of a ripe lime
1 can of chicken stock
1 package of cream cheese brought to room temp.
2-3 tablespoons of oil (I used coconut oil, you can use EVOO or veg)
Three medium pieces of roasted red bell peppers. (I used the jarred version)
Cilantro to garnish
Rice and naan bread.

Directions:

For the marinade:

1- Diagonally slice the green onions and pepper

2- Grate with the fine side of the grater the garlic and ginger.

3- Cut the chicken into one inch cubes and put into a large bowl, mix in the garlic, ginger, green onions and pepper.

4- Take the lime and roll it back and forth a few times to release the juices. Cut in half and squeeze over the chicken mixture.

5- Add two of the three and a half tablespoons of the curry powder and mix well. Refrigerate for up to 45 minutes to an hour.

6- After the chicken has been marinating, in a skillet, add in your oil and onions and cook the onions until translucent on low to medium heat. Once they are translucent, add in your chicken into the pan and turn the heat to medium heat until the chicken is slightly brown on each side. Add in two to three teaspoons of the chicken broth. Cover and cook on low until the when the chicken is cut it is no longer pink.

7- In a large bowl place your cream cheese and half of the remaining chicken broth, mix until creamy. You may have to keep adding into the mixture until the lumps are gone, you can mix by hand but I had better results with my mixer and beater attachment. Look for a thick but runny consistency. Add in the remaining curry powder, ginger and paprika.

8- Mix in the cheese mixture into the pan with the chicken and add in the roasted red peppers cook on low for twenty minutes. Stirring every so often so that the curry sauce wont stick and burn to the pan.


9- Cook rice as directed. Serve with rice on the side and naan bread. Garnish with Cilantro.


10- Enjoy!

Korma Inspired Turkey Meatballs with Farmer's Cheese.

What do you get when you get when you mix Indian with Italian and add in a little ooey gooey twist?

You get stuffed meatballs!

So simple and yet so good! I love Kormas, any kind, be it traditional or UK versions. I love them but I wanted a healthier version and simpler version. I had all the staples for this in my kitchen, and the prep time was really easy.

This is where you are going to hate me, I NEVER measure my spices. Ever. So I am going to give you an estimate, close to. It should still be ok, I wouldn't go over the recommend amount though, then the spices might over power the turkey.

By frying these before you finish them in the oven you get a really moist and tender turkey meatball.

Ingredients:
1 pound of ground turkey
1 small yellow onion
1 clove of garlic
1 small package of a good firm Farmer's Cheese
Parmesan cheese
Italian bread crumbs
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon of curry powder
1/4 teaspoon of ginger powder
1/4 teaspoon or less of ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of dried basil (I finely crush with my finger before adding.)
1 teaspoon of dried parsley (I finely crush with my finger before adding.)
Dash of black pepper
3 tablespoons of ketchup
1 tablespoon of mustard
1/8 cup of milk (I used heavy whipping cream)
Vegetable oil for frying.

Directions:

1- Using the smallest grate on a grater, grate up little less then half of the onion and clove of garlic.

2- In a bowl place in the turkey, curry, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, grated onion and garlic. Add in the ketchup and mustard.

3- Using your hands, mix until everything is well incorporated and cover bowl and place in fridge for up to an hour to let the turkey absorb the flavors.

4- After an hour, crack one egg and mix in with your hands.

5- Add in 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and start with 1/4 cup of bread crumbs until your turkey mixture feels like it did before you added the egg. Then see if you can roll a ball, if it is sticking to you hands too much, add in more bread crumbs. Let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes.

6- Take your farmers cheese and cut into cubes about 1/2 or smaller. Set aside.

7- In a small bowl mix your last egg and milk until combined.

8- In another medium bowl mix in equal parts parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.

9- In a medium sauce pan, add in about an inch of vegetable oil, place on medium heat. Meanwhile, turn your oven to 450 degrees.

10- Pull your turkey mixture out of the fridge and start shaping a small amount of turkey into a bowl (indent) where you will place the cheese into, I try to keep it smaller then my palm but no smaller or you will have problems with the cheese escaping when you are cooking. Repeat until all the balls are made.

*VERY IMPORTANT TIP*
You MUST roll the meatballs until all visible creases are gone. If you don't your cheese is going to melt and escape while cooking.

11- Then take the meat balls roll in egg mixture and then coat into the bread mixture. Set aside.

12- To make sure your oil is hot enough take a little bread crumbs and drop it into your oil. If it rises to the top right away then it's hot enough to cook your meat balls. Slowly drop one meat ball in at a time. After about twenty seconds add in another. I would do no more then four at a time. Make sure your oil doesn't cover your meat balls!


Cook until one side is golden brown and then flip and continue cooking until the other side is brown which will take two to three minutes. Remove and set aside to allow the oil to drain. Place in the pan that you are going to use to finish cooking them in the oven.


Once all your meat balls are fried and drained, place them into the oven and cook JUST until the cheese starts to bubble out of the meat balls.

This would pair well with noodles and a pepper pasta sauce. It now has become a hit with my picky eaters! Not to mention it's in high demand with my friends and family!

Enjoy!

Where have I been?

I would like to first say sorry.

"Sorry."

I started classes this fall and moved at the same time. Little did I know how much of an undertaking that was! I was so under-prepared for the amount of stress it brought me. But now that I can handle it, next semester should be a breeze!

My new kitchen has seen little action these days but that shall change here soon! It's Christmas here in our house! It has even trickled a little bit into the kitchen. It's rather simple this year. We just moved and money is tight. Simple is fine for now, my kitchen will become a war zone as soon as Christmas gets nearer.

I have decided to organize my blog. Not for only your sake but mine. It will make things easier, I hope.

I also plan on posting new stuff every three to four days, that way it keeps me busy doing what I love to do. Cook and eat. Especially the eating part.

I had plan on posting an recipe tonight but my pain meds are making it nearly impossible to stay awake. I am sorry, tomorrow mates.

Cheers!