The Dude Diet

If you are a long time reader of this blog, you may remember the infamous post in which I detailed a lot of the foods I won't eat. I really struggle with meal planning and most of the time I end up cooking for my family and then I forage like a squirrel because I am fully aware that I have the diet of a toddler. It's not often that a cookbook comes across my email for review so when I saw this one I immediately jumped on it because it sounded like it would up my alley. And it was.

The Dude Diet - Serena Wolf

From chef and creator of the popular food blog Domesticate-Me.com, 125 outrageously delicious yet deceptively healthy recipes for dudes (and the people who love them), accompanied by beautiful full-color photography.

Dudes. So well intentioned when it comes to healthy eating, even as they fail epically in execution—inhaling a "salad" topped with fried chicken fingers or ordering their Italian hero on a whole wheat wrap (that makes it healthy, right?).

There are several issues with men going on diets. First, they seem to be misinformed about basic nutrition. They are also, generally, not excited about eating "health food." You can lead a dude to the salad bar, but you can’t make him choose lettuce.

Enter Serena Wolf—chef, food blogger, and caretaker of a dude with some less than ideal eating habits. As a labor of love, Serena began creating healthier versions of her boyfriend’s favorite foods and posting them on her blog, where she received an overwhelming response from men and women alike. Now, in The Dude Diet, Serena shares more than 125 droolworthy recipes that prove that meals made with nutrient-dense whole foods can elicit the same excitement and satisfaction associated with pizza or Chinese take-out.

The Dude Diet also demystifies the basics of nutrition, empowering men to make better decisions whether they’re eating out or cooking at home. Better still, each recipe is 100% idiot-proof and requires only easily accessible ingredients and tools. With categories like Game Day Eats, On the Grill, Serious Salads, and Take Out Favorites, The Dude Diet will arm dudes and those who love them with the knowledge they need to lead healthier, happier lives—with flattened beer bellies and fewer meat sweats.

I should be up front with you that I signed up for this book review based on the cover because you know I am a total cover judger. I should also tell you that Penelope grew in-utero solely on my stead diet of nachos and chocolate ice cream with fudge brownies in it. Sure, she was a nine pound monster baby, but she was healthy!

I spent a solid day going through each recipe, diligently tabbing off the ones I knew my family would be willing to try, made myself a grocery list full of things I'm not sure how to pronounce (quinoa?!) or where to even find it in the store, and I started my journey to healthier eating.

We've made about six of the recipes but I have to tell you about two of the favorites that I have made several times- "Taco Bell" Beef Tacos (page 214). Now, I can't remember what a Taco Bell taco tastes like because it's not local to me but we love tacos. Every time I make tacos it's a sick competition between my husband and my oldest daughter who can eat the most (dad lets her win). So if there is anyone qualified to judge these, it would be them. Olivia absolutely loved them and Matt said it tastes exactly like the taco seasoning I normally use. They were really good and we've made them so many times. It's basically going to be my go to taco recipe from here on out.

The other recipe that has been made countless times is the Chipotle Chicken Taquitos. I was a taquito virgin but I had a lot of the ingredients already on hand so it was one of the first ones I tried. We had it as a supper (it's mentioned as an appetizer) so I had to literally triple the recipe and thank goodness because we ate them all. They also re-heat amazingly well for a lunch the next day too, if you happen to have leftovers. I was surprised my son liked these so much since he's not one for spicy foods but he ate them happily. (We may or may not have dipped them in cheese as well because CHEESE IS AMAZING.)

As far as cookbooks go, this is pretty fool proof. In the back there are basic directions on how to cook chicken, so if you're a person who has little to no cooking experience, this is a great cookbook to start with. And it's full of healthy food that doesn't feel healthy. Except the quinoa. I don't like quinoa. It's such a weird thing in my mouth and I stay clear of weird things in my mouth as a life rule. This is going to make a great holiday gift for the foodies in your life this year!

You'll be able to find this book on the HarperCollins website as well as Amazon.

Try It Sunday: Pizza Pasta Bake

If you are like me, you have a couple of picky eaters (myself included) and dinner time can be... a struggle. I'm also on a budget and don't like to make things that require a lot of ingredients or time so that narrows down my cookbook, for sure. This week I'll share one of our favorites, and a favorites of the kids I've watched this summer, pizza pasta bake!

 So my ingredients vary depending on what I actually have. But ideally, this is what I use:

1 package of sliced pepperoni
1 1/2 pound of italian sausage  (or ground beef, but Matt prefers sausage)
1 diced green pepper
1 large diced onion
1 bag of mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 package of pasta (any kind you like, I prefer a short cut, but I'm using a long cut today)
1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce
1 jar of tomato sauce (kind of optional, I use that to stretch the sauce out a bit)
favorite pizza/pasta seasonings

*basically whatever you like on your pizza, throw it in. I've done different peppers, olives, mushrooms, etc- it's a great "dump" recipe with no real measurements, just whatever you want to add.

I cook my sausage and pepperoni together. You don't have to cook the pepperoni, but I kind of like mine cooked up a bit. 

Drain that out, return to your skillet. 

Start adding your veggies to soften them up a bit. Add some salt and pepper, and I sometimes throw in a little of this Italian seasoning blend I got at a kitchen store. 

Add your sauce. This is where I add more veggies if I feel like it isn't chunky enough. 

Let that simmer and get warm. Meanwhile, cook your pasta HALF WAY through. Don't cook it fully because we are baking this and you don't want your pasta to get mushy. 

Once your pasta is done and you've drained it, mix your meat and veggie sauce with the noodles. Give it a good toss. 

Spread it into a 9x13 pan. 

Layer with mozzarella cheese. You can pretty much use any kind of cheese. I've been known to use up anything I've got, mixing cheeses as I go. I don't feel like you can ever have too much cheese. 

Bake at 350 until it's bubbly. Remember, everything is basically already cooked, you're just warming it up and letting cheese melt. So maybe 20 minutes tops. 

And devour! 

This is so good as a leftover dish, and I'm not even a fan of leftovers! 

If you loved this, share it! Also follow me on Bloglovin' so you don't miss anything. Next week I'll share a new favorite, cheesy chicken and rice. MMM. 

 

Try It Sunday: Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Tomorrow is Matt's 35th birthday and because we are low on funds, I've opted to make him a birthday cake. Now admittedly, I am not the best baker and cakes are very much not my specialty. I almost don't want to admit I've gone through two sessions of a cake decorating class because truly, you'd expect more of me and I have learned this is not where my talents are. It is always a success if I can get the cake out of the damn pan, if it's edible it's just a bonus. But what I am good at is making frosting. I make a damn good frosting, folks.

Now before I go on, I will admit to you that I have done this recipe so many times I just eyeball and taste my ingredients as I go. BUT, if you are a person who needs measurements, all of my absolute favorite baking recipes come from the Glorious Treats blog. Not one of my sugar cookies has ever come out like hers but dammit if I don't try every Christmas. But if you are looking for a really easy, very versatile frosting recipe, she makes a great American Buttercream Frosting and has a whole bunch of variations listed. I am making that, but made my chocolate. My favorite is the cream cheese buttercream but would you believe me I had no cream cheese? It feels wrong and I am ashamed. 

So you need two sticks of soft butter. It's buttercream, obviously it's not healthy. Beat that until it's smooth. 

I add a pinch of salt and about... 2 cups of powdered sugar. 

It should be nice and creamy. 

Add about another 2-3 cups of powdered sugar, and a dash of vanilla extract. 

It does get pretty thick, so feel free to add a splash of milk if your mixer smells like it's going to start on fire. (True story, my cheap little mixer was always on the verge of fire with this. But my friend Amy got me a GREAT Kitchen Aid hand mixer and I am in love with it.)

Now I think the measurement is a 1/2 cup of cocoa, but I used a couple of spoons. It ended up being a little more than I should have. 

So I added some more powdered sugar. The great thing about this recipe is you can make as much or as little as you want just by adding butter and sugar as needed. 

Trust me, it took everything in me to not eat this by the spoonful. I mean, I did have a cake to frost after all. 

This is maybe the best thing I learned from cake class. That and that box mixes are your friend, just add an extra egg. But this spatula is my best friend. I love you, spatula. 

Do I have a a cake picture for you? No, I don't. We ate it. 

Burp. 

Next week? 

Pizza Pasta Bake, folks! GET READY TO GET FAT. 

Try It Sunday: The saddest little summer salad you ever did see.

I feel like I have to start this off by telling you I'm not actually a bad cook and I'm usually far more prepared than I was when I set out to make this salad for Matt.

This isn't actually a "recipe" per say, it's more of a "dump what I have and call it good" salad because that's essentially what I do. 

Ingredients:

- a meat (I'm using diced ham here, but I usually use tuna because that's what Matt prefers)

- a pasta of your choice (I usually use rings or elbow macaroni, but this week I had bow ties)

- mayo

- mustard

- onion 

- carrots (I didn't have any. Whoops!)

- peas

- Ranch dressing

- some kind of shredded cheese (totally optional, and I'm only using it because I used ham)

Now, I consulted Edward before I decided to cook and he assured me that I did indeed have peas. 

It turns out Edward was wrong. But I found these and I thought maybe I could make these work. Except then I realized, I had no recollection of buying these. Where did these come from? Oh yes, they were from my brother's freezer from when he moved. Over a year ago. 

Turns out, things can go bad in a freezer so these weren't smelling great as I cooked them and they looked vaguely like spinach. So I threw them out and went with plan B. Just wait till you see what that was. 

Anyways.  

So while I was chastising Edward over his absolute screw up, I got everything else ready. My pasta was cooked, I chopped my onion, I got everything all ready while my veggies cooked and then cooled.

Yeah that's right, I went with mixed vegetables. Don't judge, people, don't judge. It's what I had and I wasn't trying to run to the store for peas only. But it also solved my carrot problem so really, this was a win.

Dump everything into your bowl and mix. There aren't any measurements on the mayo, mustard, or dressing because it's kind of to your taste.

Matt likes it so it isn't goopy, but you can still taste all of the different things in it. I don't eat any of this because I hate basically everything in this aside from the noodles and cheese.

Edward was feeling pleased because somehow, I was able to not make this ridiculously ghetto. Matt ate the entire huge container for breakfast at work because he is gross and weird.

Try It Sunday: Lemon Bars

I'm the first one to tell you I love to bake, but I kind of suck at it. I shouldn't say that. There are some things I can make and make well. Other things... not so much. Don't ever ask me to make a bundt cake because it'll come to you still in the pan. It's just the truth.

That means I basically stick to super easy baking recipes you cannot screw up. Once upon a time I was in Barnes & Noble looking through the bargain and clearance books and I found this cookbook.

It's not very big, but it's amazing. It's seriously the most used and best cookbook I own. If you can't bake without starting a fire, you need this book in your life.

Also, we'll be cooking with Edward today.

So one of my favorite things ever are lemon bars. Unfortunately, lemon bars from scratch are a pain in the ass and I don't think they ever really taste lemon enough. But these bars? DELISH. And lemony.

You need: one box of lemon cake mix, 2 eggs, and a 1/3 cup of oil. That's it. 

Go preheat your oven to 350 while you mix. 

Dump it all into a bowl and mix. It's super thick, so just make sure you mix it well. 

It is super thick. 

Now, it says this will fit a 9x13 pan that you've greased. It does not. Well, I've never gotten it to spread into a 9x13, so go for an 8x8 pan. Unless you really like lemon bars, then you'll do a double batch of this and get it into a 9x13. 

Like me. 

Bake this baby for about 20 minutes if you do a double batch. Otherwise it's 13-15 minutes. Basically you want it to be golden brown on the top. 

Like this. 

It does rise (it IS a cake mix, after all), so mine basically looks like a weird sheet cake. But who cares because it's delicious. 

I cannot emphasize this enough! 

Now, if you aren't a total loser and actually have powder sugar, sprinkle that on top. If you are like me, you ran out and assumed you had some because you usually do but it turns out you don't, so you don't get powder sugar on your yummy bars. 

But this is a GREAT recipe to bring if you are going to a potluck. I'll bring this with a little container of raspberries and blueberries to have on the side. Yummy. 

Try it Sunday: Pot Roast you can't screw up

Each Sunday I'm linking up with Stacey for her recipe linkup. 

Hello, lambs! Welcome to another edition of Try it Sunday!

This week we are making Pot Roast. I'll confess to you I have absolutely never, ever made a pot roast in an oven. I have always done it in a slow cooker and it works so well I'll never change my ways. Normally I make this a lot in the winter but Matt requested it and truly, it's not that expensive to make and it's EASY.

Admission: this is a recipe I found off of Pinterest a few years ago and it's kind of been my go to. Traditionally, I use an onion soup mix but this tastes so much better.

 My basic ingredients is a boneless roast, a packet of brown gravy, a packet of ranch dressing, and a packet of italian dressing. I also include an onion, and sometimes I'll throw in some carrots if I have some left over from a salad or just for snacking, and sometimes I throw in potatoes.

I put my roast into the slow cooker and toss in my onions (and carrots and potatoes if  you have them), and I sprinkle a bunch of cracked black pepper over it. I have a steak seasoning blend I bought on a whim and I used that this time and it was great. 

Next I put about a cup of water in a measuring cup and add all three packets. I mix as well as I can, but it looks kind of disgusting and questionable.

Just pour that over your roast. I started mine around 9 am and it was maybe only half thawed out (I had my roast in the fridge over night) and cooked it on low until about 5:30. Once it hits 8 hours in my slow cooker, it automatically goes to a "warm" setting and that's just fine. 

This is what it'll look like at the end. Normally if I'm making mashed potatoes for Matt, I'll take some of this liquid and mix with some flour on the stove to make a gravy. I didn't this time because we weren't having mashed potatoes, but it does make a good gravy. 

Instead we had green beans from my in-law's garden and some pasta side dish that was on sale for $.55 at the grocery store. The best thing is that this pot roast makes an excellent sandwich the next day as leftovers!

Try It Sunday: Macaroni & Cheese

When it comes to food, I am literally the pickiest eater. People cook to accommodate children, but I cook to accommodate myself. Often times I'll cook something which everyone else eats and I'm sitting there with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich because I may be 33 but I am a child.

But one thing I absolutely love is macaroni & cheese. I have tried lots of different versions, but this is one of my favorites. It's absolutely creamy and you can literally feel your thighs get larger but who cares. This recipe is originally from this blog if you want to see nicer pictures than mine.

Macaroni & Cheese
3 cups of elbow mac
6 tbsp flour
6 tbsp butter
3 cups of milk
pinch of salt
pinch of sugar
1 pound of Velveeta, cubed
2/3 cup of sour cream (I used a 1/3 cup because Matt ate the rest. Jerk.)
1 1/3 cup of small curd cottage cheese
3 cups of cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups of mozzarella cheese, shredded

It's an easy recipe that just requires a LOT of stirring. First, you make a roux with your butter and flour. Just be careful you don't burn your flour because I've done that before and it's gross. After that's done, add your milk. You HAVE to stir it until it's like a thick gravy. Mine didn't get as thick as I thought it was going to, and it turned out fine. Then add your salt, sugar, and Velveeta.

*pro tip: cube your Velveeta small, otherwise that crap takes forever to melt.

After that's melted, put the cottage cheese and sour cream in, and stir until melted.

 It looks like this and your elbow will hurt.

Then you have to get the largest bowl you own. Put your cooked macaroni in the bowl, pour the cheese mixture in, and then put your shredded cheese in. Stir like crazy.

*pro tip: only cook your noodles until they are half done, otherwise they get mushy in the oven. Blech.

You now have to pour it into a 9x13 pan you've greased. I will say that it came to the VERY TIPPY TOP of my pan, so I had to put that onto a cookie sheet to bake. It also still bubbled over so thank goodness I did that.

If you want to put a crunchy top, you can smash up some crackers and mix with melted butter and sprinkle on. I actually forgot to do that and it was fine. Bake at 350 for about an hour.

Oh, you wanted a finished picture of the dish? Well, next time I'll totally do that. We literally ate this entire pan in one dinner. Except for Olivia because she is weird and refuses to eat anything with melted cheese. Cripes, even I eat melted cheese.

This comes out incredibly creamy. I think it tastes like a better version of those little frozen macaroni & cheese pot pies you get for cheap at the grocery store. Matt says that's dumb, but whatever. I lived off those in college so that basically makes me an expert.

If YOU have a favorite recipe, join us at the link party! I'll be playing along each Sunday. Stay tuned for a really great post on Tuesday, July 21 about how to save big on your grocery bill!

Keebler screwed me over.

So this weekend I had to go grocery shopping. I'm going to admit fully that being at home all day with Penelope means I do a LOT of snacking throughout the day. It's not even healthy stuff, it's crackers, cookies, and ice cream. Sometimes I forget to eat a meal because it means I will be too full to have cookies and ice cream and that's not a world I want to live in.

But this weekend there were some sales on cookies and other snack things, which is clearly the universe telling me to continue this trend. One item on sale was Keebler cookies, 2 for $5. BUT! I had coupons, so I would end up getting 2 for $3.75. Deal.

I opt for the ol' standby, those shortbread cookies with the chocolate drizzle on them. Who doesn't love those things? (I do. I love them a lot and my family didn't even know we had them because they are now gone.) I also buy these, because the package feels like I'm getting a bunch and they look good. But when I got home and opened them?

My level of pissed off cannot be measured. You see, it's not a real package of cookies. No. It's only EIGHT. Eight lame ass cookies. EIGHT. Who buys a package with only EIGHT cookies? Normally my argument for buying pre-packaged cookies is that it would cost me more to make the damn things and who has that kind of time? But had these not been on sale, I think they are retailing for $3.99 or so. WHAT A FLIPPING RIP OFF, Keebler. They aren't even big cookies.

I of course ate a cookie out of anger at this point. And then discovered that it's not even real marshmallow in the middle! It's like a weird marshmallow flavored paste. It's absolutely foul. I then make both kids and Matt eat these because I have to know if my tastes post-third-baby have gone astray, but no- they also confirm how incredibly disgusting these are. Not only are you trying to process marshmallow paste, but the graham cracker is so dry and crumbly it has the consistency of cardboard that was once wet but now dry and brittle.

And then I just got angry all over again that I spent any money on these damn things.

I obviously then went and had some ice cream because Edy's Double Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream NEVER lets me down.

Crafty while eating macaroni.

Oh lambs, what a weekend. It's been kind of bananas and I still have more to go, but overall it wasn't totally shitastic. Mostly because I did get a lot done despite being exhausted.

I know you don't want to think about it, but it is November and you don't want to wait until the last minute to get your holiday cards! And yes, I'm telling you to not go the route of photo cards because everybody does it. I am telling you to go the route of handmade cards and put a picture in them. Write a hand written note to your friends & family wishing them a Merry Christmas- people really do appreciate that added effort. And lucky for you- I've been a crafty bee this weekend!

 Snowflake Dozen

 Reindeer Dozen

 Ornament Dozen

Snowflake Dozen 2

Not to mention? I have a bunch of other cards that could be put into stockings, used as teacher/neighbor/friend/coworker gifts, a few finished frames, and one set of ornaments. I am going to make some more ornaments if I have time- so if you are wanting a set of glitter ornaments, send me an email (sarastrand9438 (at) hotmail (dot) com) with how many you'd like and what color you'd like. I can do pretty much any color. Message me soon so I can make sure to get what I need quickly! 

But today wasn't just crafting. Matt started putting up our Christmas house lights because it's easier to do that when it's A) not freezing and B) there is no snow on the ground.

 I did get the stink eye from one neighbor when he saw our icicle lights so I said "ho, ho, ho" to him and he looked horrified. Little does he know how much fucking cheer is going up in my yard this year. Because OH YES, I found the two four foot Santa and Penguin guys I forgot I bought last year. 

WIN. 

Also today I made macaroni & cheese in the crockpot. Which was freaking delicious. I've been making it for awhile but some weekends all you want is something probably terrible for you that tastes super good. Luckily I wasn't a complete pig and I have some to bring to work tomorrow for my lunch. So without further ado, here is the recipe I've tweaked to perfection:

Crock pot Macaroni Deliciousness

1 box (16 oz) of pasta- I use elbow macaroni

1 package (16 oz) of Velveeta 

1 package (16 oz) of Colby Jack chunk cheese (you can use a whole bunch of whatever cheese you want)

1/2 stick of butter

about 1/2 cup of milk

salt/pepper to taste

1. Cook your noodles HALF WAY on the stove. 

2. Spray the hell out of your crock pot. I mean it, get crazy with your spray. 

3. Once your noodles are done, dump those into your crock pot. 

4. Make sure all of your cheese and butter are cubed- dump those into crock pot. 

5. Dump in your milk. 

6. Add your salt/pepper. Or don't. It doesn't matter. 

7. Stir it all up. Get excited. 

8. Cook on LOW for 4 hours. You can stir it half way through if you like. 

9. Try not to eat it all in one sitting. 

10. Or do and just don't tell anyone.