A.L.O.E. 07.01.12

WOW!  July 1st already.  How time does fly.  It's the first Sunday of a VERY long weekend for me.  I am on a staycation!  I don't have to work again until 7/9.  Plenty of time for me, me, me.  And tonight that includes telling you about a few things.  It's A Little Of Everything Sunday.  A.L.O.E., for short.  Let's see what is on tap tonight...


Home Run Lasagna

I had a great weekend up in New York State.  My aunt and uncle live just north of Woodstock and we spent the weekend with them and their girls.  No TV, no cell signal, no air conditioning.  It's a very nice house, mind you, but the point of the place is to unplug and unwind.  VERY relaxing.  Since I never go anywhere empty-handed, I offered to bring a vegetable lasagna.  I saw the recipe a few days back on a show called The Jazzy Vegetarian.  This women isn't the most polished of TV personalities, but what she made looked so good I wanted to try it.  This weekend was a perfect opportunity since I am trying to eat better, the wife is a vegan and I wanted to be as little a pain in the ass as possible in terms of being a house-guest.  Tab was hesitant to not only try out a new recipe on someone else before testing it, but also because it included ingredients like tofu and vegan sausage (the wife and I call it fauxsage).  I wasn't as apprehensive about the situation.  I have a good feel for when flavors should work and making esoteric ingredients as palatable as possible for the average joe.  Also, I did make minor modifications to suit things to my own personal taste.  I have to tell you that this freaking meal was a HUGE success.  My uncle had three helpings!  I don't have the numbers on it, but the it was made with all healthy stuff.  It included cremini mushrooms, zucchini, spinach, whole grain lasagna noodles, semi-homemade sauce and even vegan soy-based mozzarella.  I would definitely put this in front of the most ardent carnivore.  It rocked.  Here is a link to The Jazzy Vegetarian's site for the recipe. Please try it as a very viable alternative to the much-more-fattening traditional lasagna.  My Mom's lasagna is my favorite meal on the planet and I loved this one as a healthy stand-in.


The Wonderful Ms. H.
I have always been a huge fan of my Aunt H.  Not only is she one of the smartest people I know, but she is a true renaissance woman.  She is good at so many things it is scary.  She can cook up a storm, speak on just about any topic with insight and wit, create stained glass and photographs of a total professional grade and is considerate to the nth degree.  Heck, she even performed our nuptuals and wrote part of the ceremony!  The considerate side of her was once again exemplified this weekend when she turned out such a healthy spread of fine cuisine it blew my mind.  All of the dishes included vegan options for Tab and the attention to detail with regard to our differing lifestyles was touching.  Most folks would throw together a plate of steamed veggies and call it a day.  Not H.  Friday we had homemade gazpacho and a salad of asparagus and snow peas over Boston lettuce.  I never thought it would be substantial enough, but I was very satisfied.  Today we dined on a fabulous salad of whole wheat pasta and veggies and a chilled melon soup.  Any four-star joint could easily charge $12 a bowl for this soup dish.  The skill with which these meals were prepared was matched only by her compassion for her loved one's life choices.  She has always been someone I have looked up to and learned a great deal from.  Look for a guest blog post from H about cooking for Mike and Tabitha on July 11th.


Big Week Ahead
Not only am I off this week, but I will have full house for most of it.  Right now, my mother and Aunt K are in the other room with Tab.  Wednesday my brother and his three boys come for three days.  I am hosting July 4th this year.  My first inclination was to have various options for everyone, some healthy and some traditional all-American grub.  Then I thought, if I am trying to do better for myself, why not do the same for my loved ones since I am perfectly capable of turning out nutritious, healthy fare for all?  So we are nixing the goopy potato salad we all love so much, plus the sugar-coma-inducing baked beans.  These are both dishes my mother is renowned for, but she is getting time off for good behavior this year.  We will not be having hot dogs or sausage.  I did buy top-of-the-line, grass-fed, free range beef for burgers and boneless chicken thighs for grilling.  I hope the rest of my fourteen or so guests enjoy it.  I'm certainly looking forward to the spread.


Cya tomorrow for the weigh-in,
M


What I ate today and how I exercised:
Breakfast ~ Kashi Go Lean cereal w/banana and soy milk
Lunch ~ Chilled melon soup, whole grain pasta and veggie salad and a few crackers
Snack ~ A Lara Bar 
Dinner ~ I wanted to cook for Mom and Aunt K, so I turned out some tilapia, braised baby kale with cannelini beans and some baby carrots.  The carrots were awesome.
Exercise ~ Too much going on and too damn hot