Lamb Chops with Balsamic Reduction

Wow , I have really been slacking on updating this oh so fabulous blog of mine. Well here I go. I made this dish awhile back using a recipe from allrecipes.com . The lamb chops turned out delicious so tender and juicy with so much flavor. To complete the meal I made fresh steamed broccoli, cornbread muffins and mashed potatoes yummy comfort food and about a billion calories oh well . The hubbie loved these lamb chops so I will probably keep this recipe in rotation in our kitchen.

• 3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 lamb chops (3/4 inch thick)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup minced shallots
• 1/3 cup aged balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon butter
• In a small bowl or cup, mix together the rosemary, basil, thyme, salt and pepper. Rub this mixture onto the lamb chops on both sides. Place them on a plate, cover and set aside for 15 minutes to absorb the flavors.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place lamb chops in the skillet, and cook for about 3 1/2 minutes per side for medium rare, or continue to cook to your desired doneness. Remove from the skillet, and keep warm on a serving platter.
• Add shallots to the skillet, and cook for a few minutes, just until browned. Stir in vinegar, scraping any bits of lamb from the bottom of the skillet, then stir in the chicken broth. Continue to cook and stir over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until the sauce has reduced by half. If you don't, the sauce will be runny and not good. Remove from heat, and stir in the butter. Pour over the lamb chops, and serve.

Pineapple Upside down cake

I wanted to try this cake. Actually it was requested for me to make this . But this was my first time making Pineapple upside down cake so was a bit nervous about the whole process lol. Well I used a recipe from allrecipes.com and it turned out great. The original recipe calls for a cast iron skillet to bake it in, I do not have one. So I used 9x 11 pan instead. It came out great, moist and delicious. Will defiantly make again but will try it next time with the cast iron skillet.

The Good Stuff....who knew

Its always a good idea to keep healthy snacks on hand. Most days I end up running late for work and stop by 7-11 or Wawa to buy some over priced protein bar that taste like cardboard. I was beginning to get tired of this routine so I decided to try out these protein bars from Beachbody. Wow , seriously this doesn't even taste healthy . Taste like a candy bar, and the best part is that its so good for you. Its packed with 20grams of protein and 0 trans fat. This is the best tasting protein bar I have ever tired. I was really surprised .I ordered the new flavor chocolate peanut butter and love it. I defiantly plan to keep this in heavy rotation . Great Stuff right here.

The truth about Asparagus

Ok, so pretty much my entire life I have always stayed away from asparagus. I had only tried it once as a kid and immediately decided it was gross and vowed never to eat it again. Well ... never say never. Lately I have been making my usual veggies broccoli and spinach in heavy rotation and decided it was time to give the forbidden Asparagus another try. OMG who knew it was so good and why didn't anyone tell me? I steamed a handful of it , only a handful because I was still weary of the taste and didn't want to waste it if it was bad. I added a few dashes of Mrs.Dash spice, salt, and this yummy Olive oil butter. It was so very good. Seriously I feel jipped , like I have been missing out on asparagus my whole life. Oh well . I will be keeping this in my green veggie rotation now that I love it and am looking forward to trying out some new recipes. Stay posted.

Chicken Shawarma ..umm

Ok so I had some shawarma spice on hand so decided to make some chicken breast. This was so good. Ok first I just want to say I made up this recipe so it has no real authenticity to real Lebanese shawarma besides the fact that i used shawarma spice lol . I took 2 chicken breast marinated them in 1/2 the juice of a fresh lemon, 1 tablespoon Olive oil. and covered the chicken breast in lots of shawarma spice. I let this marinate for a few hours. Then baked covered with foil untill almost done then removed the foil last 15mins. Chicken was nice and juicy. I served with steamed broccoli and brown rice. Total calories for the meal about 400 maybe less.

If you don't have a middle eastern meat market in your area that sells shawarma spice you can make your own. Its made of 1 tablespoon ground coriander 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 tablespoon ground cardamom 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 teaspoon smoked paprika also fresh garlic to taste.

Fitness is a journey

I'm so excited . I decided to switch up my normal boring workout routine and will be starting slim in six from beach body. Usually I am not one to give in to the late night infomercials , BUT my friend Kenny and beach body Coach, put me on to the whole beach body wonderfulness (which im sure isn't a word ). The beach body has a series of workouts P90x, Turbo Jam, slim in 6, Chalene Extreme , Hiphop Abs , just a few fabulous intense workouts in the series. Once I complete the slim in six program I will be moving on to others in the beach body series. The slim in six is an intense 6 week workout program where you workout for six days a week for 6 weeks. After reading lots and lots of reviews and seeing Kenny's results on the P90x I decided to give the beach body workouts a try. I have ordered it and it should be arriving any day now. I will be updating my blog on the progress. Here is a little video of the wonderful beach body products I will give reviews on the programs as I do them. Also anyone interested in P90x check out Kens blog he is having great results with it.

For the Love of Cheesecake

Ok so last week a friend and I were talking about my love for cheesecake and I stated cheesecake factory has the best ever. So the other day my friend decides to give me 2 cheesecakes 1 carrot cake cheesecake and one brownie cheesecake from cheesecake factory. OMG. Seriously why when you decide to be healthy someone has to come along and try to sabotage your diet? So to be nice I had once small piece of the carrot cake cheesecake. After all cheesecake is a terrible thing to waste. Its just a crime really . Let me just say the carrot cake cheesecake is the best cheesecake in the world. If you have never tried this defiantly head to the nearest cheesecake factory and try this now! I have decided to donate the rest of the cake and the other brownie one to charity lol cant have temptation like that around. One slice is like 1000 calories. I have also found the copycat recipe from recipe zaar if you would like to try to make this yourself. I plan to make one later next with with substituting healthier ingredients.
Cheesecake Factory Carrot Cake Cheesecake
Ingredients
CHEESECAKE
16 ounces cream cheese (at room temp)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon flour
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
CARROT CAKE
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 dash salt
1 (8 1/2 ounce) can crushed pineapple, well drained with juice reserved
1 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
PINEAPPLE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon reserved pineapple juice
Directions
1To make cheesecake,
2In large bowl of electric mixer, beat together 2 pkgs cream cheese and 3/4 cup sugar until smooth.
3Beat in 1 tablespoon flour, 3 eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla until smooth. Set aside.
4Meanwhile prepare Carrot Cake: In large bowl, combine oil, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla, blending thoroughly.
5Stir in 1 cup flour, baking soda, cinnamon and dash salt, mixing well.
6Stir in drained pineapple, carrots, coconut and walnuts.
7Spread 1 1/2 cups carrot cake batter over bottom of greased 9-or 9 1/2-inch springform pan.
8Drop large spoonfuls of cream cheese batter over carrot cake batter; top with large spoonfuls of remaining carrot cake batter.
9Repeat with remaining cream cheese batter, spreading evenly with a knife.
10Do not marble with a knife.
11Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 50 to 65 minutes or until cake is set and cooked through.
12Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.
13When cake is cold, prepare Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting.
14In a bowl of electric mixer, combine 2 oz cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1 tablespoon reserved pineapple juice and dash of salt.
15Beat until smooth and of spreading consistency.
16Frost top of cheesecake.
17Refrigerate 3 to 4 hours before serving.