My little world is back on track. The big guy's home and Max has stopped his shaky dance. We all had a wonderful night's sleep - my first in several and I feel like I'm on top of the world. Life is good, isn't it?
Last night's dinner was a true reflection that the man of the house RULES..well OK, we'll let him believe that if he must. Steak was on the menu once again thanks to Mom and Dad B for making it a reality with their Christmas gift from Omaha Meats. This recipe's from what seems to be a regular source Epicurious.com, and while the recipe called for the sirloin steak to be coated in sesame seeds then seared in a hot pan, unfortunately some little birdie ate the sesame seeds I thought I had so we had to do without. Oh and I also cut the butter from the recipe. According to the per serving information, the recipe had 388 calories and without the sesame seeds and butter we reduced that to 322 per serving. So how did it taste? Pretty darn good, I'd say. The seared steak is glazed with a sauce of garlic, red pepper flakes, sherry, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar and a touch of honey which means it's sweet, spicy, and flavorful and adds some much needed moisture to what is a rather "chewy" cut of beef.
Once again I think the true kudos's go to the vegetable - Orange and Walnut Broccoli is a Sunset magazine recipe found on myrecipes.com. Broccoli spears are stir fried in a wok along with the peel and juice of an orange (I used one of our Tangelos), walnuts, fresh ginger and soy sauce. It is a fabulous way to add flavor to what's a rather ordinary vegetable. It's nutty, sweet, citrusy and really fresh and could easily morph into a great main course dish with the addition of some chicken or shrimp and a little more orange juice. By the way, I cut back the oil which saved us another 119 calories, and we shared the dish, which means our veggies were 150 calories per serving, and dinner totaled 472 calories.
This week, we'll start adding a few more calories and carbs and see what happens to the scale, but so far we're very pleased with our results and certainly don't feel deprived. I've been able to wear my dockers the past couple of days and the muffin top is down considerably. The big guy's been tightening his belt, looking svelt and the dunlap's reduced ALOT so there's certainly been some incentive to stick to the plan. What's dunlap you ask - it's when the belly done lap over the belt. I honestly think the key to this moderation business is eating foods that have a REALLY high flavor quotient, chowing down on a variety of things, and of course watching portion sizes. Now I'll let you all go so I can go polish my halo.
Drooling - I'm drooling!!!! - What a lovely dinner!!! Great to have the big guy home - huh?
Posted by: Lea | 01/10/2010 at 07:15 AM
It is great to have the big guy home. Hope your daughter's feeling better Lea.
Posted by: June | 01/10/2010 at 10:54 AM
That meat looks incredible. Glad your hubby is back.
Posted by: noble pig | 01/10/2010 at 03:02 PM
LOLing at dunlap...HEE!
I'm so proud of you guys! You're doing great. I also agree that moderation is the key but I'm also going to contribute a lot of the success to the generous amounts of veggies you guys have been eating.
Are you scared to start bringing the bread back into your eating plan? I know I am.
Posted by: Mags | 01/10/2010 at 03:11 PM
Alright! Navin and I treated ourselves to a little Omaha Steaks package as well so I've got my little freezer stocked. This is perfect!! Glad to hear the world is back to normal. Poor Maxi.
Posted by: Sophia Mangalee | 01/10/2010 at 03:31 PM
That's it. I'm buying brocolli and steak tomorrow. Thanks for the calorie count! I get lazy sometimes and just eyeball it.
Posted by: Sarah G | 01/10/2010 at 03:44 PM
Mags - yes, we're scared to eat bread, pasta, couscous, potatoes and all the darn good stuff, so we'll see what happens this week!
Sophia - Chow down you little sweetie. By the way, I've got some GREAT grub planned for this week, so tune in again OK?
Sarah - I know what you mean about calorie counting, but what it really means is that you don't have to deprive yourself of anything. That said, how am I gonna' tell the big guy that his gigantic martini's are a thing of the past? LOL
Posted by: June | 01/11/2010 at 08:57 AM
I made this for lunch today - subbed braised chard for the broccoli. It was very tasty and satisfying. I think satisfying is the bomb in watching your diet.
Posted by: Sarah G | 01/11/2010 at 09:14 AM
Cathy - I've a bone to pick with you about that Croissant Bread Pudding you posted today - you know the one with Chocolate. How am I gonna' do a calorie cut on that sucker? LOL
Posted by: June | 01/11/2010 at 09:14 AM