Breakfast: When cherries were super cheap last month I bought a ton, spent a few hours pitting them and had cherry-red stained fingers for a day but sitting on the patio as the sun rose drinking this cherry yumminess was worth it.
Shelly's Cherry Vanilla Protein Shake
1 cup Milk
1 scoop of Vanilla Protein
1/4 cup Frozen Cherries
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Vanilla Torani Syrup
You can use any milk. I'm a soy girl post weight loss surgery. I used Big Train Fit Frappe Vanilla in this but any vanilla protein will work. Whiz in blender.
Tip: Frozen fruit instead of ice in your protein shake gives you a frosty shake without watering it down and the bonus of some added nutrients. Buy fruit at the peak of season, cheap. Prepare and freeze. Pitting cherries is a great task for a whippersnapper that "doesn't have anything to do."
Lunch: The last of last week's Farmer's Market avocados were ripe so I made my deconstructed California Roll Salad. You guys know I don't do rice (by choice) post weight loss surgery so this is my sushi fix. At Japanese restaurants, I just order sashimi or ask at your restaurant for a cucumber roll those are great.
Shelly's California Roll Salad
8 oz. Crab Meat (Imitation Flake or Real)
1 Cucumber, diced
1 Avocado, diced
1 Green Onion, sliced on the bias
Shelly's Wasabi Yogurt Dressing
2 oz. Greek Yogurt (plain, 2%)
1 Tablespoon Mayonnaise (you can omit)
3/4 teaspoon Wasabi Powder or paste (found near soy sauce)
squeeze of Lime Juice
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
Mix crab, cucumber and avocado together. Mix dressing ingredients together till well combined. Spoon over salad. Sprinkle with green onions and a dash of Bagel Spice (or sesame seeds if you don't have) for some crunch. I used flake imitation crab aka surimi (it's a bit higher in carbs but cheaper on the pocketbook) than the real deal. Surimi is usually made from Alaskan Pollock and typically what they use in California Rolls. This is also great over a bed of baby spinach leaves and makes it go further if you have a few guests. This serves about 4.
Dinner: I made Cauliflower Pie. So good and gives me my Italian food fix without those useless pasta carbs. I topped my pie with jarred Marinara sauce and a little fresh mozzarella and broiled it till bubbly.
Shelly's Cauliflower Pie
1 head of Cauliflower, cooked and mashed
1 Yellow Onion, chopped
3 Eggs, beaten
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated (divided use)
1 Tablespoon Oregano
1 Tablespoon Fresh Basil, chopped
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
a few twists of Black Pepper
Topping
Marinara Sauce (I love Rao's jarred - worth every penny)
Sliced Cheese (Mozzarella, Provolone, a good melter)
Break up cauliflower florets (my cauliflower was medium to large but the recipe is forgiving and slight size variations won't matter) and cook in salted water till fork tender. Drain. Mash. Saute onion till golden. Mix remaining ingredients together (hold back 1 Tablespoon of the Parmesan.)
Pour into a 8 x 11.5 x 2 (2 qt) Pyrex casserole dish that has been sprayed with Pam non-stick cooking spray. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes and place under the broiler for 5 more minutes to brown.
When done I cut the pie into squares (I get 8-10 squares from the pie.) You can eat it as is but I top each square with a Tablespoon of Marinara Sauce and a slice of cheese and it goes back under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbly. Mmmm. We ate it on it's own with a little sprinkle of Parmesan but it would be great with a green salad. Perfect for Meatless Monday or if you have vegetarian pals over for dinner.
Ohhh that yellow Pyrex bowl pictured above is my latest vintage Pyrex find for my ever growing collection. I lucked out the other day. I had a load of stuff to drop off at the thrift store and I thought let me look around and see if they have any books for my Mum. I scored that awesome bowl, a pair of super cute (brand new with the tag) size small (this will never compute from size 28) Calvin Klein denim overalls, and 2 books for my Mum all for $15. I guess the bowl is a pretty uncommon pattern. I had never seen it before.
Snacks: Too much coffee and some veggies and yogurt dip. Greek yogurt, a dash of Greek Seasoning (spice aisle) and sprinkle of salt.
More day in my pouch entries.
