My key to dropping those pre-wedding pounds was keeping close track of my caloric intake. My “food journals” were just spreadsheets that tallied up my calories throughout the day (I just love me a spreadsheet – especially one with formulas!). I tried to keep my intake around 1600 calories a day. At first this seemed like the most tedious thing I’d ever done, but over time it transformed into a kind of game. I thought: Whaaaa? Did I just make calorie counting fun? Yes! You’re the next contestant on… Let’s Make a Meal!

To do the best I could on as a contestant on this game show, I aimed to eat as much as possible for those 1600 calories. Some of my favorite foods are pretty healthy and relatively low-cal if eaten in appropriate portions. I was surprised at how much really good stuff I could eat and still stay in my calorie budget. The nice thing about this approach was that I didn’t cut anything out of my diet; I just knew if I ate this bag of chips now, I’m sacrificing my three Oreos after dinner. (Not gonna lie, sometimes I ate the chips and the Oreos. You can’t win every day.)

The other fun perk I got out of my calorie counting game show was that I would often plan out my whole day of eating while I ate breakfast. That way I knew how many calories I needed to save up if I was planning on having that leftover piece of cheesecake for dessert that evening. This might sound like a lot of planning, but I’m a food nerd that LOVES to plan ahead. One must be diligent if one is to win Let’s Make a Meal. Another benefit of this planning ahead was that I found myself looking forward to the things I’d get to eat throughout the day – and savor each bite just a little bit more.

So here’s what a typical day looked like for me on Let’s Make a Meal:

Breakfast:  Black coffee; 2 slices toast with peanut butter: about 400 calories
Lunch: Tuna Salad (with light sour cream, capers, red onion) on rye; carrots; apple: about 450 calories (Total for day: 850)
Snack: CHOCOLATE (sugar free, but still chocolate… ): 100 calories (Total for day up to 950)
Dinner: Chicken sausage with mashed sweet potatoes and roasted asparagus: about 475 calories (Total for day: 1425)

Tell her what’s she’s won, Johnny… a glass of wine!

Oh, do I still have calories left? YES! I’ll take that glass of wine, Johnny: approximately 175 calories for a total of…. 1600 calories total for the day! (Applause sign on!) It makes me so happy that I can eat so many different kinds of food in one healthy day – including chocolate and wine – and still be right at my caloric mark.

So, I’m back with my food journals, lovin’ that spreadsheet again and trying to shed those ten pounds before I hit the beach for a few games of volleyball this summer. Let’s make a meal. In fact, let’s make three. And let’s add a snack. Maybe most importantly, let’s add that glass of wine and feel like a real winner. Ahhh, it is so good to win.

There is nothing I love more than spending my morning chatting with our local farmers, bakers and fellow food lovers.  I thoroughly enjoy perusing the beautiful seasonal produce while deciding what I will be cooking that week.  I especially love the farmer’s market in the spring because there is a nice sense of camaraderie among the vendors due to the fact that they are all selling similar foods, unlike other times during the year where there can be an overwhelming variety of options.  During the spring months, you will have the pleasure of finding piles and piles of green and purple asparagus, ruby red rhubarb, luscious green garlic, rainbow beets, pink radishes, spring greens… so many fresh goodies!  My mouth waters just thinking of all the colorful culinary creations I could make this coming week.

During every market, I make an effort to try a new fruit or vegetable in order to expand my horizons of my produce knowledge.  This week, I  had the pleasure of sampling chive blossoms and pickled mushrooms, both of which were delightful.  This past Saturday was a bit rainy, but that did not stop me from making my weekly visit.  I filled my bag with all the previous mentioned vegetables: bunches of asparagus, bags of rhubarb, a few beets, some green garlic, and some gigantic portabello mushrooms.  I sampled some wonderfully rich and creamy goat cheeses and in addition to some particularly vibrant salsas.  I breathed in the savory aroma of fresh herbs and the fragrant smells of spring flowers.  I gazed longingly at beautiful loaves of crusty bread and flaky pastries.  The more I sampled the more hungry I became, so as soon as I got home I started roasting some of my lovely vegetables for lunch with a little drizzle of olive oil and some generous pinches of salt, basil, and oregano.

I love farmer’s markets for the opportunities to engage in dialogue with the people who grow our food and for the opportunity to buy the freshest possible ingredients, but my love goes even further.  Every visit to the farmer’s market gives me inspiration for my artwork from the infinite variety of colors, forms and textures that I experience every week.  Sometimes the curves of a bell pepper inspire me to paint; other times it is the brilliant deep purples of an eggplant that push me to take out my oil paints and brushes.

This week, I could not get enough of the glorious morel mushrooms that look like miniature brains or the twisted and contorted oyster mushrooms that remind me of a delicate giant rose.  I imagine transforming these mushrooms into giant colorful paintings that celebrate their intricate twisting lines and unique shapes.  I try to always bring a camera with me to the farmer’s market so that I can document all the incredible colors, textures, and forms I see to reference for painting later.  Sometimes I set up photo shoots with my market vegetable purchases after I am back home.   I have never been able to find the unique beauty of the produce that I find at the farmer’s market in the produce sections at the grocery store.

From the liveliest conversations about locally grown fruits and vegetables to engaging your taste buds with most savory cheeses, sweetest jams, or most refreshing apple cider, I cannot spend enough quality time roaming and exploring the Green City Market.  I urge you to explore a farmer’s market yourself, especially if it is something you have not yet experienced.  It will forever transform your ideas about food in the most delicious possible way.  If you are ever wondering where I will be early on a Saturday, look no further than the farmer’s market!

This season, I am on a quest to find restaurants where I don’t have to search for the healthy choice on the menu or be made to feel like I have missed out on the “joy” of eating.

With these thoughts in mind, I selected Karyn’s Cooked located on Wells Street for dinner.  This restaurant specializes in an all vegan menu but does it with a touch of flair that makes meat and dairy loving fans (like myself) have a wonderful dining experience.

Sloppy Jo

When you peruse the menu, you will notice that the restaurant purposely gives all of their menu descriptions “traditional names” such as Sloppy Jo, Buffalo Wings and Meatloaf.  Even though all of these options are made without actual meat or dairy, the owner feels that if she described the items on her menu differently than their meat-filled counterparts (i.e. soy bean, protein flavored products) some of the meat lovers would be hesitant to give them a try.

Being slightly hesitant myself, I went straight for the fried veggie basket appetizer which included zucchini, cauliflower and mushrooms. I figured that if I did not like anything else on the menu I couldn’t go wrong with deep fried veggies, especially ones that  I was already familiar with.  I was not disappointed with this choice.  However, the even better choice was my entree of “Sloppy Jo” and the pecan pie with coffee for dessert.

The presentation, as well as the taste, was amazing within every dish that I tried and dispelled many reservations I had been holding about vegan menus.   The menu also includes an array of pizzas, soups, salads and interesting entrees that will definitely warrant me going back to try again another day.

Downtown Chicago is FILLED with wonderful food choices. I look forward to trying many of them this summer with my new “healthy attitude”.  It will make familiar dining experiences like new and new dining experiences even better.

My showpiece is most definitely my Le Creuset 5 ½ quart round French oven (Dutch oven).  This piece is always sitting out in my kitchen for two reasons: it’s beautiful and I am always using it.  It works for so many things like braising, soups, sauces and our favorite veggie cobbler.  The enamel finish makes for easy clean up and the lifetime warranty makes it a great value.  I have heard of many people who have their grandparent’s Le Creuset.

Whenever I prepare a meal I use my chef’s knife.  Suggesting the right knife for someone is hard because there are many great brands and styles that leave it up to personal preference (kind of like a mate).  I have had the opportunity to take many knives for a test drive at The Chopping Block and found I really adore the Shun brand but I would suggest you take our most popular class, Knife Skills, to see what fits you.

Finally, if you are going to be using a knife you definitely need a cutting board.  There are so many beautiful and useful ones out there but for our lifestyle we chose an Epicurean.  They are made from recycled materials, dishwasher safe (low maintenance) and look great.  We have had ours for at least five years and it still looks new even after riding in the dishwasher many times a week.

Although I have built quite a collection, there is still an item that I haven’t acquired yet. Eventually, I hope to own a Vitamix blender.  It is so powerful yet so quiet.  The motor can go so fast that you can make soup in it.  Also, it pulverizes food that you can use the entire fruit (think strawberry stems) gaining even more vitamins.

I am a very practical minimalist so when I buy something it must be long lasting and have multiple purposes.  That is why these are some of my favorite items.  I would love to hear about products that you can’t live without in the kitchen.

One of the reasons it was still in the living room was I didn’t have anywhere to put it.  I knew I wanted a large egg, but I couldn’t commit to anything else.  Did I want the table mates, do I need a nest handler? I kind of wanted a cart, but didn’t know if it would fit.  I couldn’t decide.  This was definitely an investment piece for my ever growing culinary collection.  I didn’t want to make a lighthearted decision.

I did the only responsible thing.  I turned to the internet for ideas on what I would actually need.  That’s when it got interesting. There were some amazingly complex BGE creations out there.  That‘s when I decided I was going to get creative.  I’m just going to build a table for my egg.  It started off as just a simple cart, and then tuned into a combination cart/prep table.  I realized I could almost double the work surface if I put in a drop down leaf on the other side and still save space when I needed it.

Off to the lumberyard, to get some boards and four by four posts, and the next couple of days off work were spent in the backyard.  A week later, my cart is finished enough for a trial run.  We kept it simple: brats, grilled chicken and roasted vegetables. Even though I’ve been using Eggs for a couple of years at The Chopping Block, they still need a bit of a test run to see how they are going to behave.  This one did very well.  First dinner was a success and everything worked.  I just have to install the drop down leaf and it will be ready for a fun summer of backyard BBQ’s.   I’m hooked and officially an EGGhead!

Fiji has a multi-ethnic population consisting mainly of Polynesian, Indian, Chinese, Melanesian and European descent.  This makes for a wide variety of interesting and delicious cuisines.  Seafood, beef, chicken and pork are the main proteins used, accompanied by coconut, cassava (yuca), yam, taro root, mango, pineapple, banana, guava and many different leaves and greens.

Researching this before going, I wasn’t really sure what to expect.  My first meal upon arrival was Cajun spiced chicken, fried cassava, and a salad of fresh coconut pieces, carrot, cucumber and cabbage.  Dessert was a homemade brioche cup, filled with sweet custard and topped with fresh fruit.  For me, the fresh coconut was the star of the dish.  Breakfast was amazing every day.  The eggs were so fresh with yolks almost orange in color, and the unbelievably delicious fresh coconut crusted-banana stuffed French toast and sugar cane syrup.  Yum!  Not to mention the picturesque sunrise!

I am thankful to have spent 5 nights on the island of Vanua Levu, the second largest of the Fiji Islands.  Vanua Levu is not as touristy as Viti Levu (the largest island) so I was able to delve into a bit of the true Fiji culture.  The main exports of this island are coconut, sugar cane and cava.  I might have to write a third blog just about coconut!  I am still amazed by the sheer height of the coconut trees.  Savusavu is the closest town to where I was staying.  The town is known for its beautiful bay, copra (coconut) plantations, and natural hot springs where locals still cook their lunch using nothing other than a plastic shopping bag.

Watch for my blog next month to hear more about my Fiji adventures!