A Perfect Winter Meal

My first workout of the year

...why it took three weeks to get movin', I'm not sure,

but it felt great!

 

...across the  fields

and through the orchards

...mild with no wind...quiet and still

...just the sound of my snowshoes in the snow.

...perfect solitude...

...then home to cook the 

perfect winter meal...

Sauerkraut, pork and potatoes!

I've been craving a good mess of kraut all week.

Although sauerkraut is a German name it is not a national German dish, and is actually eaten mostly in Russia, United States, and France. It is believed to originate in Alsace, a traditionally German speaking region that today belongs to France. All I know is that I grew up eating this stuff and my family origins are German on both my Mom's side...Wile derived from the German name "Weil" and my Dad's...Hiltz derived from the German name "Huls" whose ancestors immigrated here from Germany in the mid 1700's.

Sauerkraut is fermented cabbage and we all know fermented food is good for you. I have certainly eaten my share of not only sauerkraut but turnipkraut, pickled beans and pickled heads (cabbage heads), all which are fermented in basically the same way under a salt water brine. Fermented foods load your gut with good healthy bacteria that helps prevent things like irritable bowel syndrome and also helps to boost a strong immune system. I attribute my robust immune system to a diet that includes fermented foods, like sauerkraut, and lots of home made yogurt...as well as the fact that we didn't have indoor plumbing until I was sixteen. When you come from a family of ten and have to share things like drinking water from a bucket using the same dipper, as well as sharing bath water and using outdoor toilet facilities, a "two seater," you share more than you think... but that's OK...early exposure to bad stuff just makes you stronger.

Although there are lots of ways to prepare sauerkraut, the basic meal of sauerkraut with pork couldn't be simplifier, just add it to a pot along with your choice of meat and simmer for about two hours.  

Start with your choice of pork. Some people like to use sweet pickled pork or ribs, but I prefer using either a fresh pork shoulder or pork chops.

Place meat in a large pot, dump in your favorite brand of sauerkraut, I used two large cartons because we love sauerkraut and leftovers are even better than the first time round. Add water to just barely cover the sauerkraut, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about two hours. I like to cook mine untl the meat is tender and falls apart.

 

Serve meat and sauerkraut along side mashed potatoes, or as I like it...a la mode...add a few generous grinds of pepper and your favorite pickles and you have a delicious hot "old world" meal.

Asian Miracle Dressing

It's been two weeks since I cleared out my exercise room and despite all my good intentions, I've yet to find my way there. While there's no excuse for the first week, I've been laid low this week with a bitch of a cold...but there's always another day. I did get my cross country skis and boots down and my snow shoes and poles are in easy reach...ready and waiting for me to get some ambition. Maybe with the fresh snow we are getting overnight I may just make it outside.

I have been doing a lot better diet wise now that all the Christmas goodies are gone...well pretty good...there's been a few slip ups.

My daughter gave me a bottle of Toasted Sesame Oil for Christmas along with her favorite salad dressing recipe, "Asian Miracle Dressing". I'm not sure where she got the recipe but she had served it to us once on a salad of mixed greens, baby Romaine, goat cheese, green onions and walnuts and it was delightful. I didn't have and greens so I put together a salad using some ingredients I had on hand and both the hubby and I loved it.

Breaded Chicken Breast

Garlic Fried Rice

Chickpea Salad with Asian Miracle Dressing

Chickpea Salad With Asian Miracle Dressing
1 can chickpeas rinsed
1/2 small onion finely chopped
1 small/medium tomato chopped
1/2 green pepper chopped
1 avocado chopped
pepper to taste
Toss above ingredients with Asian Miracle Dressing

Asian Miracle Dressing
1/8 c. balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 1/2 T. maple syrup (I used 1 T. honey)
a pinch of salt
a grind of pepper
1/2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp.toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil.
Whisk until well blended

Garlic Fried Rice
3 c. cooked brown rice
1 c. carrot curls
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 onion finely chopped
1 T. oil

Saute onion, garlic and carrots in oil until tender, add rice and mix well. I like to increase the heat and fry the rice enough to brown it some.

Tis The Season Again

There's nothing any better than a steaming hot bowl of Turkey soup to soothe the savage beast 

...unless it's a Lemon Meringue pie, 

but the soup is by far the healthier choice 

and when you have a 

beast of a cold,

 it doubles as a natural decongestant.

Turkey soup - the ultimate comfort food.

I usually make my Turkey Soup loaded with veggies, 

but since this pot was going to be shared with my Day Care kiddies

 I went easy on the veggies and added lots of noodles.

Turkey Soup

 To make soup stock use left over turkey bones from the last time you got "stuffed."

Cover with water and simmer for one hour, cool. 

Strain, keeping liquids for the soup. 

Carefully, especially if feeding to kids,

 remove all the meat from bones and add back to the pot with the stock.

 Add: 

pepper to taste

1-2 tsp. summer savory or more to taste

1/2 tsp. sage

2 pkg. chicken bullion

 Add to the pot whatever veggies you want. 

This time I added:

4 potatoes, diced

1 small onion finely chopped

2 c. carrots, diced

Simmer until veggies are tender. 

If you want to add peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower

or noodles, 

add them about 10 minutes before soup is done.

Another handy thing  to assist when battling a head cold

 is a Neti Pot. 

It may take a few times to get used to using one,

 but they really work.

Just add 1/2 tsp. sea salt and a pinch of baking soda 

with slightly warm water and start pouring.

For detailed instructions on the correct way 

to use a neti pot you can 

watch a video here.

But if Turkey soup and Neti Potting

 isn't your idea of pampering a cold 

...there's always Lemon Pie.

You can salivate over this one,

but the recipe

 remains with me!

 

Starting Slowly...A New Years Resolution

Just over six years ago I started on a plan to to loose weight and get healthy and managed to drop thirty pounds through exercise and eating well, and kept it off for the most part...aside from the yearly "Christmas Creep" where I let my diet go to "Hell in a hand basket" and let those festive 10 pounds settle in only to spend the next few months working them back off again.

To loose those initial 30 pounds I bought everything I thought I needed to set up a home gym in my basement, and for awhile I used it on a regular basis. However, the last few years I found that I enjoyed getting outside and walking every day for exercise more, so my little gym became more of a junk room than a gym, and my equipment became nothing more than dust collectors...which was fine as long as I was walking.

My daily walking routine however has slowly petered out over the past year to the point where I am now not walking at all. I entered this Christmas season already over weight and out of shape and easily ate my way to a few more extra pounds. Although I really enjoyed myself while putting them on I am now faced with the task of getting them back off.  Not only do have my own inner voice telling me I need to smarten up, I now have my doctor's voice singing in the choir as well. Making the choice of exercising, eating well and feeling and looking better over continuing on  my present path of feeling lousy while adding to the already fat pockets of the pharmaceutical companies should be a no brainer...right!

After a slow start, I have made only one small but obtainable New Years resolution...

"to clear a path to my exercise room"

...what follows is all up to me.

I can now get into my little gym and move around.

All the boxes I've been tossing in there during our kitchen renovation over the last few months are gone

...actually, they've just migrated to the garage

... but they are the hubby's problem now. 

 

...it's ready and waiting!