Strategies

Something about abstinence unleashes a storm of creativity in me.  Every time.  John Piper explores this in his excellent book on fasting A Hunger for God..   So, 17 days into this voluntary fast from all things sugar, flour, and high calorie, I am bursting with new ideas.  Strategies I hadn't considered before.  Yesterday is a great example, and for all you singles out there, this might be helpful.

Knowing that I have a busy week of baking in front of me, and how tempting some of my own goodies are (!)  I knew I needed a plan.  I want to make it through this week standing strong!  So I started by putting  my oven to work:
I roasted a whole chicken.  I roasted a head of cauliflower.  I roasted an eggplant, an onion, and a whole head of garlic cloves.  (I'll do a post on roasting veggies soon-----no need for olive oil, just a spritz of cooking spray, and maybe some salt to taste.  Roasting brings out all the flavor and sweetness in your veggies, and they are a great base for all kinds of dishes.  Stick with me and I'll share more how-tos soon.  But this post is on STRATEGIES)

Meanwhile, on top of the stove, I cooked a small pot of brown rice, and on another burner, hardboiled some eggs.  My strategy is to spend an hour or so of focused time cooking elements that will get mixed and matched for some fun, nutritious menus.  

Once the chicken had cooled, I removed the skin and bones and put the shredded meat in a container to be kept in the fridge for quick chicken salad, stir fry, whatever I dream up.  It will last me for three or four days.
I already know that chicken is about 215 calories for 4 0z.

I peeled the eggs and stashed them in a container too----these were small, so they're 50 calories each.

I rescued a bundle of wilting cilantro from the fridge and trimmed the stems a bit, then popped them in a mason jar with some water, and put them on a windowsill to get a new lease on life.  Thinking I'll be making some cilantro rice one of these meals--------it really dresses up a salad or entree.

I also put the cauliflower in a container, ready to be made into a quick soup, delicious dip, or a quick reheating.  Guess I'll have to do a cauliflower post------such a great resource.  But, I digress.......

Then I decided to have some fun with the eggplant.  I made Eggplant Romano,  and it came in at only 300 calories!  I used the roasted eggplant, onions, and garlic for this.  I measured 2 c. lowfat cottage cheese into my cuisinart, added the onions and garlic, and processed until smooth.  Then I layered the roasted eggplant slices in the bottom of a small casserole, topped it with the cottage cheese mixture, topped that with 1/2 c. of spaghetti sauce, and sprinkled 4 tbsp. of romano cheese over all.  I baked it at 400 for about 30 minutes, uncovered, until all was bubbly and browned.  It was enough for two entrees, so I enjoyed it last night at dinner, and am looking forward to a great lunch or dinner today.  Woohoo!

I'll do a more formal post with the calories and all, but for today I wanted to share how I strategized for the week. 

Next time I'll share my dynamite dessert, too, using dark cherries, cocoa and sour cream for a luscious end of the day treat that's under 200 calories.