Day 348: Healthy Detox

I'm not sure what it is about having houseguests, but it invites terrible food behavior from me!  Last night we said goodbye to our last guest after a week-long full house during which time I consumed a crazy amount of ice cream, burgers, and of course, booze.  Now it's time to detox.

For dinner tonight, I purchased some quinoa salad from our local store, sauteed fresh asparagus with spring onions, and grilled a swordfish steak.

The fish was prepared simply - I seasoned it with S&P, drizzled it with olive oil, and squeezed the juice of half a lemon over the top.  Then hubby grilled it.

The asparagus was easy too.  I sliced up 2 spring onion and sauteed them in warm olive oil until they were golden.  I cut the asparagus in half and through it in the pan with S&P and a few splashes of white wine.  After 5 minutes on medium-high heat, it was ready to serve.

I feel lucky to actually enjoy healthy foods - especially fresh veggies and fish.  Here's to getting back to my normal regime!

Day 337: Three for Three!

I'm a carnivore.  I swear I am.  But you sure wouldn't know it by looking at my last three entries from Izzy's Steaks & Chops.  I had swordfish every time.  What's up with that???

My excuse this time is that I'm still recuperating from a wisdom tooth extraction gone bad.  I can only manage to eat food that require little chewing and fish really seems to fit the bill.  As much as I would love to tie into a prime rib right now, it just isn't in the cards.  So, I went with good old swordfish with a side of creamed spinach and steamed broccoli, which I cut into tiny pieces.

The one thing that very rarely changes about my Izzy's visits is my appetizer order.  The prawn cocktail comes with 5 enormous prawns and Izzy's own cocktail sauce and is completely irresistible.  It's one of those dishes I dream about.

Next time I'm craving red meat, I'll have to find my way to Izzy's for my beloved prime rib.  It'll probably taste better than ever.  Absence makes the heart grow fonder!

Day 309: Habit Forming

Don't get me wrong.  I am a meat eater.  I love a steak as much as the next person.  But lately, I've been trading in my beloved prime rib for swordfish when I go to Izzy's Steaks & Chops.  It's becoming a habit!

Unfortunately, I forgot to request that they hold the sauce last night, so I tried my best to brush it off.  Other than that, the fish was tender, juicy, and very tasty.  And since I went with the healthier, lower fat, lower calorie fish option, I decided that instead of a double order of steamed broccoli, I would treat myself to some of Izzy's to die for creamed spinach.

I'm sure that eventually, I'll return to the succulent and amazing prime rib.  But meanwhile, I'm grateful that Izzy's isn't a one trick pony.  Their fish rocks as much as their beef!

Day 279: TGIT!

It's been a long and arduous week at the office.  No time for shopping or cooking so the fridge is empty and the cabinets are bare.  Plus, I'm trying to keep Passover which means I cannot have grains, pasta, corn, beans...  Makes eating (and cooking) though.

We decided to head to Izzy's but once there, I realized I wasn't really in the mood for my usual giant prime rib.  I had ordered swordfish at Izzy's before and really enjoyed it, so I went with that.  In fact, tonight's photo is actually from January - tonight I had steamed broccoli and creamed spinach as my sides.

Tomorrow is Good Friday and my office is closed.  This meal was a great way to kick off a long weekend.

Day 266: Mark Rocks. And So Does Cafe Maritime!

After last night's dinner of chips and pizza (oy vey!), I knew tonight's meal needed to be a little bit lighter and a hell of a lot healthier.  So, off we went to Cafe Maritime.

We've had many amazing meals at CM.  They introduced me to Lobster Thermador which is SO  delish.  I've also had salmon, swordfish, and tuna there and all have been delightful.

Tonight I started with a vodka oyster shooter.  As I mentioned in a previous post (entry #226 "Slimy and Snotlike"), I really want to like oysters and I'm looking for non-intimidating ways to try them.  What's more welcoming than vodka?

Next, I had swordfish with ancho chile sauce and green beans & broccoli.  Cafe Maritime is always really nice about letting me swap out the carby side (potatoes or rice) with a green veggie.

Finally, my husband and I shared an order of Mark's Mom's Coconut Cream Pie.  Mark is CM's owner and his mom is apparently kept in the basement and forced to crank out amazingly light and perfectly sweet pies all day long.  I say, keep her down there and keep those pies coming!  They are perfect!

Everything was delicious tonight but the best part was that Mark, the owner, recognized me from this blog and comped our meal!  That was the most pleasant surprise I've had in ages!  Thanks for another great meal, Mark.  We will definitely be back!

Day 196: I Did What???

Tonight I did something crazy.  I went to Izzy's Steaks & Chops and ordered...swordfish??

I haven't been feeling all that slim lately and so I felt that I needed to avoid my beloved prime rib tonight and go for a healthier option.

I started with the yummy warm goat cheese salad.  A disc of gooey cheese is served on a bed of lettuce with sliced apples and chopped walnuts.  I don't care for walnuts, so I always pick those out and my husband enjoys them.

At Izzy's you get to choose two sides with your entree.  Normally I go with a double order of steamed broccoli but tonight a baked potato sounded good.  When it showed up, it was the size of my head!  I was a little intimidated by it and so concentrated on the fish (delicious!) and the broccoli and once I got through that I was super stuffed and so never touched that dinosaur egg of a potato.

This was the first time that I ever went to a steakhouse and ordered fish.  While I was very  pleasantly surprised, I wonder...will I ever do this again?  Stay tuned!

Day 154: This is Dieting?

Well into the disaster that is the Halloween-Thanksgiving-Christmas season, I've decided that a return to South Beach is necessary.  Not South Beach, the trendy Florida destination -  South Beach the diet.  The tenets of the SB Diet are:  lean protein (fish, chicken, lean beef) , whole carbs (brown rice, wheat pasta), and good fats (olive oil, fish).

During the first two weeks of the diet (Phase 1), you are actually supposed to lay off of all carbs and alcohol.  I'm am actually jumping straight to Phase 2, where good carbs can be re-integrated and wine is acceptable.

With a menu full of different fish and healthy sides, Cafe Maritime is an ideal dinner venue.  Tonight I started with shrimp cocktail and then had spicy blackened swordfish with steamed broccoli and string beans.  To reward myself for such a healthy and low-fat dinner choice, I paired this meal with some lovely Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc.  This is dieting??