Avocado Chicken Salad

I hate mayonnaise.

Just so we're clear.

Before my decision to eat clean, I would use it to make Ranch dressing.  I'd eat it in potato salad, coleslaw and occasionally...hidden in a chocolate cake.

It was several years before I'd touch anything with mayonnaise in it...except Ranch dressing.  Ranch dressing will forever be the exception.

A few years ago, because of Cheree's recommendation, I bravely ordered a Napa Almond Chicken Salad Sandwich from Panera.  And fell in love.  Creamy, sweet, delicious chicken, dressing, grapes, almonds...celery?  Is there celery in that?

Regardless, I was smitten by a sandwich.

The other night, while surfing Pinterest, I came across this recipe.  Of course, mine didn't turn out like the original...for a few different reasons.  But I still love it, so here ya go.

What I used:

• 1 extremely large boneless, skinless chicken breast (recipe recommends 2-3, these were monsters so 1 was enough)
• 1 avocado
• 1/2 of a medium-sized onion (recipe states 1/4 onion)
• Cilantro
• 4 tbsp lime juice (recipe says the juice from 1/2 lime)
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• Garlic Salt
• Salt & Pepper

So here's how this all went down...

Last night I baked my chicken.  I took a Pyrex square brownie pan, lined it with aluminum foil, and sprayed it with non-stick cooking spray.  I washed the chicken and placed it in the pan.  Sprinkled it with garlic salt, pepper and drizzled it with olive oil.  Then...I folded the foil around the chicken to make a little pouch and popped it into my 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.

I let it cool in the pan, transferred it to a bowl, covered it, and put it in the fridge overnight.

Before I had my breakfast this morning, I put the salad together.  It should go pretty quick...so long as your avocado is ripe.

Mine was not.

Not sure why this happens to me, the avocado felt fine and the stem area was the right color, but this thing was hard as a rock.  But I pressed on and peeled it the best I could.  One band-aid later...

I was back to it.  The recipe says to shred the chicken.  I diced mine and put it in a bowl.  I also diced my rock hard avocado and added it to the chicken.  Onion?  Same thing.  Diced and added to the bowl.  I chopped about 1/4 cup of cilantro and added that too.  Threw in the lime juice and swirled it with some olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, and tossed to make this beautiful dish.


And it's so delicious already.  It's currently "marrying" in the fridge for my lunch.  Of course...had the avocado been more ripe, it would have acted as a more delicious mayonnaise.  Instead...it's a stand-alone flavor and texture in my bowl.  And I'm not picky.

Unless it's mayonnaise.  Keep that goo away from me!

A Southern Girl...Can?...Survive?

Oh goodness, where to begin?

I come from a place where Sweet Tea is a staple.  It's the water of the south.

I live in a place where a half gallon of store brand (or Farmers!) Sweet Tea is a necessary accessory.  Just don't forget to write your name on the bottle in permanent marker!

So since my decision to start eating clean, I have glanced over several articles from various trustworthy names in healthcare.  I am proud to say that today, I have finally decided on the sweetener that is right for me.  This is my end all be all, bang the gavel, this is it!


Nothing.

No sweeteners if I can help it.

Every single type of sweetener has its own benefits and risks.  Risks.  The one thing that drove me to this decision.

This quest for the healthiest way to consume several glasses of tea a day has led me to the conclusion that I can't have my cake and eat it too.  If I'm going to do this, I need to do it right.  (I realize that I posted a recipe for sweet tea earlier, and by all means, use it if you want it!)

The recipe I posted a while ago is a great explanation of my previous tea consumption.  Black & orange pekoe tea bags, boiling water and processed sugar.  I make 2-quarts at a time and can easily finish off a whole pitcher in 2 days or less.

So I decided to switch to a healthier green tea.  I sweetened my first pitcher with honey, my second pitcher with agave nectar...and neither has really given me what I got with a full cup of processed sugar in 2 quarts of black tea.

And here comes my Aha! Moment:  I can't drink that much tea!  I shouldn't drink that much tea!

Ideally...I should be substituting most of my beverages with water.  (yes, yes, Roxanne, you told me so!)

This isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle change.  And I needed to see that my tea consumption was out of control.

My new rule is:  100% fruit juice for breakfast, unsweetened green tea for lunch and dinner, all other times water, water, water!

To make this new rule more palatable...I'm going to try making Fairy Water.  This is basically water flavored naturally with fresh fruits, veggies and edible flowers.  Will report back on how that goes.

And for the record...for the rare occasion that I must sweeten something...I choose honey.


*Of course none of this is an "all the time" scenario, splurge days happen, everything in moderation blah blah blah, this is just a generalized "rule of thumb" type post

The Pico

Pico de Gallo!

A bowl of gold!  Not the exact translation...but it should be.  The literal translation is a little off-putting.

This is one of my favorite recipes!  I got the general idea of the dish from one of Emeril's recipes back in 2008.

Pico de Gallo is a hand-chopped, chunky salsa-type mixture that is good in salads, omelets...you name it.  I have no shame, I'll eat it right from the bowl.

Since making the switch to clean foods, this dish has been a life-saver.  Every morning I make an egg white omelet with pico and mozzarella.  I wasn't a fan of tomatoes for most of my life.  This is a great way to actually get the tomatoes into my body with zero gagging.

What you'll need:

• 1 medium to large tomato (or the equivalent with smaller varieties)
• 1 medium to large sweet onion (or more if you're an onion lover like me)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 Jalapeño (not pictured, I ran out for this batch)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Salt and pepper
• Juice from 1 lime (about 2 tbsp from the bottle)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Pretty simple from here.  I'm horrible with knife cuts, so I'm proof that it doesn't have to be perfect!
Everything goes in the same bowl:

Roughly dice your tomato and onion.  I leave the seeds in the tomato, it's just easier. 

Smash, peel and mince the garlic.  A garlic press will work as well.

Pick any large stems out of the cilantro and chop as fine as you'd like it.  I usually keep the leaves pretty big because I love cilantro.  It's somewhat spicy, so you may want to substitute fresh parsley.

Very carefully remove and discard the seeds from the Jalapeño, then dice the pepper.  Chefs will recommend that you use gloves...I never do (use them, not recommend).  Just wash your hands after making this and don't put your fingers in your eyes, up your nose...etc.

Add the lime juice, salt and pepper to taste and drizzle with the olive oil.  Toss the mixture with a spoon.

Cover with plastic wrap and stick it in the refrigerator to let the flavors "marry."



Keep in mind, this picture is the Jalapeño-less, Onion-overload version and it hadn't been placed in the fridge yet.  I honestly don't know if this bowl really made it to the fridge.

One thing that I can definitely advise against with this recipe...is don't throw it all in the blender/food processor and expect the same result.  I like to cut corners, but hand-chopping the ingredients for this dish will preserve the natural colors (and flavors!).  Throw it all in the blender, and you'll have a brown, gloopy, liquid version.  No bueno.

Immediately following this post:  my opinion on sweeteners.

Want a clean, easy version of a recipe?  Comment below, I'll run some experiments and post the results!

The End of Dieting

Hi, my name is Alicia, and I'm a big nerd.

This past week, I decided to get my documentary fix on Netflix.  Nothing makes me more giddy than watching documentaries.  Except maybe watching reruns of The Office.

I finally got the chance to watch Bully.  Then I decided to watch Hungry for Change.
You can watch the first 20 minutes online for free on their website:
http://www.hungryforchange.tv/

I've always been big, at least for as long as I can remember.  When we got home from our Florida vacation, I weighed in at my heaviest yet, 252 pounds.  (I am 5' 10 1/2" for those who don't know me personally)  Why hide it?  Am I ashamed of it?  Yes.  But lying about it to, and hiding it from, myself and others is not going to do me a bit of good.  I came home 15 pounds heavier than when we left.

How could that have possibly happened?  It's not like I sat in the passenger's seat of the truck with a bag of Funyuns and a bottle of Coke in my hands at all times.  I ate 3 meals a day.  I didn't have digestive issues, as I suspected I would.  And we stayed somewhat active when we were home, thanks to my niece.  So then...what the heck?!

I came home and went right back on my diet:  1500 calories and no more than 40 grams of fat per day.  One prenatal vitamin per day, one flaxseed oil supplement at every meal, water water water!

I started exercising, not taking into account that I hadn't exercised seriously since before winter and inevitably injuring my knees (which are back to creaking and popping again).

Following this regimen, I dropped 8 pounds in 2 weeks.  Not too shabby!

But this week was a struggle!  My energy levels were almost non-existent.  It felt like I was fighting depression.  The weight stopped dropping off as dramatically as it had been.  I began watching Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz daily, and finally sat down to watch Hungry for Change while clipping coupons.  That's when the light bulb appeared over my head.

Instead of targeting calories, fat grams, the dreaded carbs...maybe I should be cutting out preservatives.  It's not really how much I'm eating, it's what I'm eating.  So I began doing research.

Without getting into the major specifics in this wide-spectrum blog post, I've decided to make the following changes:

1. Processed sugars and their substitutes will be replaced with all-natural honey.
2. Meals will focus on fresh fruits and vegetables above any other category.
3. Margarine and spreads are being replaced with *gasp* butter.  Real butter.
4. If I can make it myself (from scratch), I will.
5. Bread must be whole grain.  No more white bread, butter bread, Italian bread, etc...  If the label says "enriched flour" I'm not buying it.  It's a fancy word for "processed."

This is really just the tip of the iceberg.  Every single item of food that I will consume will be scrutinized.

Now to up the stakes a little bit...I will do this on a budget.  For years, my chief complaint and excuse has been, "It's too expensive to eat healthy and take care of yourself."

I debunked that theory this morning.  I made a menu plan, a grocery list and sorted all of my coupons before the last episode of Golden Girls was over.  Despite having a list in hand, I spent a good deal of time reading over the ingredients on each package before it was placed into my cart.

My new rule is:  if there are more than 2 ingredients in anything, put it back.  (with very few exceptions, bread being one of them)

$85 later (only $10 over budget!), I had a week's worth of clean food ready to be organized in the refrigerator.  I'm still in disbelief.  I was able to get Extra Virgin Olive Oil, honey, a good selection of produce, fish, steak, lean pork chops, green tea bags, a carton of egg whites, and so much more!  Enough to keep our bellies full until next Friday!

So now, only time will tell whether or not these changes will really make a difference.  If they'll really be worth it.  Common sense tells us that they will be.  But!  I've pretty much given this blog a little jump start.  Get ready for healthy recipes!  Clean recipes!  More exclamation points!

For now, I'm going to sit back, relax and enjoy a glass of freshly brewed green tea.

Monday, I will share my pico de gallo recipe with you all (because I was too excited to take pictures and I'm pretty sure I'll need a new batch by then).

***As a side note, I realize that I still have a long way to go.  Not everything I'm doing may be perfect, but I believe it's a very good start for my lifestyle.

La Tolteca--Wilkes-Barre, PA

Originally posted on October 15, 2011

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Last night, Tom and I decided to spend a little of our Ren-Faire money stash on a decent dinner that had nothing to do with Truck Stops or had "All You Can Eat" in the title. We drove down the mountain into the Wyoming Valley area for some delicious Mexican food.

Mexican is my favorite genre of food. A decent salsa makes me giddy. Sadly, most chain restaurants can't produce a decent handmade salsa. You can usually tell that the product was canned or frozen. La Tolteca very obviously makes ALL of their food from scratch, or closer to scratch than say...Chili's. Not picking on anyone in particular, although every time I've tried to use Chili's as a Tex-Mex substitute, the fajitas have been dry and the guacamole substandard. But then again, you don't walk into an Applebee's and expect top notch Italian food. So whattaya gonna do?

Every customer is greeted with the standard chips and salsa while the wait staff gets the drink order. However, La Tolteca adds a personal spin to this grazing staple with what I can only describe as Mexican Mayonnaise. At first I thought it was seasoned sour cream. I just looked at the menu and don't even see a listing for it. It's sorta tangy and spicy and smooth all at the same time. I steer clear, just based on the fact that the thought of mayo altogether makes me want to hurl. I always order guacamole as an extra dipping selection. This guacamole rocked my world. I could clearly taste that the avocados were ripe, the lime juice was fresh and the cilantro was plentiful. Three quality ingredients that will make me order a larger portion next time (so I'm not desperately scraping the dish, hoping for one last taste).



Halfway through our bowl of chips, the dinners arrived. Tom ordered the carnitas, slow roasted pork and all the fixins to make said meat into delicious burritos.



I ordered my usual Steak Fajitas, which I am currently finishing off, cold out of a take-out box (don't judge me!). I can't help it that the portions are GINORMOUS.



THAT is a regular-sized order. It comes with 3 warm flour tortillas. I overstuffed all three and continued picking at the fillings until I could barely move. (Shameless plug for my Florida folks: Los Mariachis on Ulmerton is the Pinellas county equivalent, in my opinion!)

Growing lethargic, we asked for a box and the next logical thing. Dessert. Now I was ALL FOR ordering one dessert and splitting it. But I don't earn the living, and when Tom says, "Bring us a Xanga and a Choco-Taco," how can I refuse?

The Choco-Taco is exactly as you'd expect (this was HIS dessert of choice, by the way):


But you may be wondering what a Xanga is...

It's almost pornographic, I can't even believe I'm typing this.

Imagine a Mexican pastry, like a very thin fried dough crepe covered in cinnamon and sugar, wrapped burrito-style around, what can only be described as, very fluffy cheesecake filling. Cut it in half, put a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream in the middle, cover the plate in whipped cream (not Cool Whip) and drizzle it with chocolate and caramel syrups (don't forget the cherry!). And what the heck...some rainbow sprinkles. It's a diabetic nightmare, I know. But...Oh. My. God.



If you happen to be in the area, check it out. And for anyone wishing to drool over the menu, here you go:

http://latoltecawb.com/wilkes-barre-pa-mexican-restaurant-menu.htm

I'm really enjoying writing the food blogs, so be ready for quite a few more of these, hopefully on a weekly basis!

Grotto Pizza--Wilkes-Barre, PA

I'm in the process of cleaning out my travel blog.  I don't do much traveling these days and the blog has sat stagnant for quite a while.  This review was posted on December 10, 2012.

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It's the most...wonderful?...time of the year!

This weekend, Tom and I decided to foolishly step foot into the mall.  We were hoping to pick up a Back to the Future themed Christmas ornament from Hallmark, and possibly a "we're married" ornament for our tree.  What would normally be a simple in-and-out job ended in frustration and disappointment.

Time for some therapy thru comfort food!


(Picture borrowed from Google Images)

We drove a short distance to Grotto Pizza, a decent-sized Pizzaria and Italian Eatery in the Wyoming-Valley Mall parking lot.  I had mixed feelings about going here because:  #1, we didn't discuss where we were going; #2, I've never been here before; and #3, I wasn't really in the mood for pizza.

I quickly pushed my inner-Grinch aside as we passed the gelato display!


(Picture borrowed from Google Images)

I immediately started memorizing the menu, trying to figure out what I'd be ordering today, and then what I'd plan to try in the future.  There are few things better than Mom & Pop restaurants!

Tom mentioned that the Grottoboli was excellent, but decided on getting the Chicken Parmesan sub instead.  I pretended to be undecided at that point, secretly deciding to order the Grottoboli.  We also decided to split an order of calamari as an appetizer.

Grotto's calamari puts Olive Garden's to shame!


Sure, it's only served with marinara for dipping (I LOVE Olive Garden's creamy peppercorn dipping sauce), but the actual calamari makes up for it.  Each piece was cooked to perfection.  So many times I've gone to Olive Garden and had the batter gooey and falling off of the calamari because it's undercooked.  And to make this appetizer even more delicious, the marinara seemed to be fresh.  Or at least not canned!

The definition of self-control is being able to take a picture of the food before starting to eat it :)

About 5 minutes after the basket was empty, our entrees arrived:

Tom's "usual" Chicken Parmesan sub:

This is only half because there was no self-control once the food arrived...

And my Grotto-boli:

Again, this is only half because I needed to make room on the plate.  It's a stromboli made of hame, pepperoni and capicola with sweet peppers and onions, smothered in mozzarella cheese.  And of course, that yummy marinara dipping sauce again!  I could only eat half, then took the other half home to have the next day.

As stuffed as we were, we decided to split a cup of the gelato.  Since Tom had never had Pistachio ice cream before, that's the flavor I chose.  I detected a hint of cocoa powder in with the pistachio, which is never a bad thing.


It really was a tiny scoop, served with a tiny spoon, but the flavor and consistency of the gelato made up for the small portion. It was the perfect end to this meal!

We paid around $30 total.
As always, I'm including the link to the restaurant.  It seems that their full menu isn't included, but the address, phone number and take-out menu are available.

http://www.grottopizzapa.com/index.html

For all of my "faithful followers" who have been waiting a year for another blog post...I've decided to start updating once a week.  I deleted my Bucket List blogs and will be including the pictures and stories of those experiences over the next year!