motd Sat May 8, 2010

[Guest guest]

DINNER

Saturday, 08 May 2010

Well, gee...that word really got your attention now, didn't it? LOL. Oh, dinner...it was always one of my favorite meals! I loved helping to set the table at our house when I was a kid. I put out the plates, napkins, silverware and then I'd put out the glasses for our iced tea. (Yes, we Southerners loved our iced tea at dinner time.)

I used to like sneaking into the kitchen to watch as my parents prepared supper. They really liked to be in the kitchen alone. See, they had their own special way of preparing their meals and they really didn't like to be disturbed. But hey, was that going to stop me?If my father spotted me, he'd shout "Dicky! Go sit at the dining room table until we're done!" And away I'd go, sitting as I smelled all of those wonderful aromas of garlic and onion drifting from the kitchen! (Oh, it was just about painful having to wait.) But when the moment finally arrived for dinner to be served, my parents would march into the kitchen with those big platters of food. Oh, it was the thrill of my day!There was always warm French bread cut into slices ready to be buttered or use for sopping up some of that homemade gravy. My mother would serve the food onto our plates and I'd always look at her, with those twinkly brown eyes of mine and ask, "Mom, can I have just a little bit more?"

On the days my parents didn't feel like cooking, we'd go out for dinner at one of their favorite restaurants in the French Quarter. I'm telling you, dinner was always like a celebratory event in our house. And even in those years after I left home, dinner remained a really big deal in my life. (Goodness knows how many restaurants I've dined in over the years.) But all that has changed for me. I no longer place dinner "on a pedestal." I've pretty much stopped eating out. See, I'd much rather stay home and make my own dinner. And yes, dinner used to be the biggest meal of the day for me. But I've changed that habit, too. Hey, you don't need to be eating all of that food so late in the day.

So here's what I've been doing. I've been making brown rice a lot. It's so versatile and easy to make. I don't cook my rice in water, I use chicken broth. In a large pot, I pour six cups of chicken broth and three cups of brown rice and bring it to a boil. I stir and once they've begun to boil, turn the fire way down letting the rice and chicken broth simmer for about 50 minutes. Then I turn the fire off completely and let the rice sit for about ten more minutes.The chicken broth makes the rice so fluffy, you won't believe it. By the way, you can also use vegetable broth instead of chicken to cook your rice. After it's done, I store my rice in the refrigerator to use it all week. For a scrumptious dinner, I use my wok. I pour in a little oil and heat it to start the dish I'm about to make. If I want an Asian flavored meal, I'll use sesame oil. Other times, depending on what I'm in the mood for, I'll use olive or canola oil. Once I get my oil to the desired temperature, I add some chopped vegetables like yellow squash, zucchini, chopped onions and shredded cabbage. (Feel free to use your own favorite veggies when you make this dish.) I turn the heat up a little as I let them all cook together. Next I add 1/3 cup of my brown rice from the fridge along with four ounces of chopped, steamed chicken. I continue stirring everything together and in a few minutes...it's done!

On my FoodMover, I close one starch window for the rice, three protein windows for the chicken and two vegetable windows for my vegetables. I also close two fat windows for the oil I used. I put my dinner in a big bowl and enjoy every mouthful. I like to keep my dinners simple. See, if you keep them simple and healthy, you're gonna see that thing you really want most...a weight-loss!Love,