Elevate the taste

Happy Monday!

Making your favorite foods really healthy is no more difficult that just simply subbing out some of the fat ingredients for healthier ones. This works great because choosing healthy but flavorful substitutes will give you all of the flavor you crave, without the waistline busting calories and fat. Infusing flavor into foods to is another way to elevate a bland dish.

Here are a few of my favorite substitutes and flavor enhancers:

1. Fat free yogurt is an excellent substitute for heavy cream or milk in mashed potatoes
2. Use low-sodium chicken broth to replace water when making rice
3. When making quiche, use half whole eggs and half egg whites 
4. When making Iced tea, sweeten it with 100% fruit juice instead of sugar
5. Use olive in place of butter for sauteing
6. Enhance oatmeal or hot wheat cereals by adding brown sugar and a touch of vanilla extract
7. Use crisp, fresh veggies instead of chips for snacking on dips and spreads
8. Buy low-fat plain or vanilla yogurt and stir in fresh berries and fruits to add freshness and natural sweetness
9. Rub garlic infused oil over your chicken instead of butter before roasting and stuff the cavity with onions, garlic and lemon wedges
10. Roast your veggies instead of steaming to get the most flavor out of them

  A few simple changes can make all the difference between a good dish and a fabulous dish! Try these food remixes in your kitchen :) Bon Appetit!

A delicious start

Here are a few of the recipes I have been working on for the breakfast section of my book: Quiche lorraine, Spinach, goat cheese and potato quiche and lightly sweetened granola.

I will keep the pictures coming! Stay in this weekend. Brew a pot of coffee or steep a pot of tea and create your own restaurant quality breakfast/brunch right in your own kitchen :)

Ditch the lettuce

There is more to a salad my friends than simply throwing lettuce and tomatoes in a bowl with dressing. I make a point of eating a good amount of veggies each day. That usually translates as a salad. Now, while I can certainly appreciate a great garden salad with colorful, vitamin rich fixings, sometimes, I just want to kick the lettuce out of the bowl!

When that happens, I rely on crisp raw or quickly steamed or even roasted vegetables. Try roasting broccoli and combining it with caramelized onions, goat cheese and a lemon vinaigrette. Or perhaps a pear, walnut and bleu cheese salad with an apple cider vinaigrette. Experiment with your vegetables. Salads don't have to be all about the lettuce. Visit the farmer's market and pick up a few things. Get your oils and vinegars assembled and go wild with your own dressing creations!

Home cooking is not only so good for you, it is also so much fun! You know what you like, now get in there and make some magic!

Real food bliss

There is always so much talk about diets, low-fat, low-carb, sugar-free, gluten-free, that sometimes, I just want to take a knapsack full of food and escape to the nearest cave!

There is so much pressure to decide how to lose weight and when, that for those of us fighting the battle of the bulge, it can be a bit depressing. But alas, after clearing my mind over a cup of tea and oatmeal, I surmised that no matter how many preservative laden prepackaged foods are out there, it is my choice.

I choose to eat fresh, homemade food whenever possible. I choose to prepare and shop for raw ingredients. I choose to create delicious, whole foods from home.

Don't let the the pressure get to you. Wake up in the morning and make a pot of oatmeal or feast on a fresh fruit parfait with homemade granola. For a snack, sit down to an ounce of cheese with fresh fruit or a handful of carrot sticks and some hummus. Then, lunch on a fresh salad with lots of colorful veggies and a lemon herb grilled chicken breast or salmon. Finally, prepare a delightful meal of garlic and herb crusted lamb chops with wild rice pilaf and sauteed green beans. Sound tasty? I hope so. You don't need packaged foods, you need real food. Preservative free, minimally processed, chemical free, worry free.

Weight loss happens when we give our bodies balance and freshness, 30 minutes of exercise and a positive attitude. I am experiencing that bliss. Let's fight against the surgeries, the diet pills and the precooked foods and create harmony. Body, mind and soul is depending on you.

What real foods will you be munching on today???

Lazy Tuesday

Just finished mixing up a yummy broccoli, turkey sausage, goat cheese and potato casserole. I am baking it as we speak. I will post pics when it's finished!

I am feeling creative today. I will be working on breakfast recipes for the new book. The section I am compiling currently is breakfast/brunch. I also made a delicious pot of oatmeal with dried cranberries! Stay tuned for pictures of all of today's tasty dishes :)

What are some of your brunch or breakfast favorites?

The burger challenge is upon me!

I just found out that the Sutter homes Build a better burger challenge will open in April! My heart is pumping! I am excited and ready to to get to work! This burger challenge is so very important to me. As a chef, I love to create and transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.

This will be a challenge indeed. Do I go for classic but elevated? Or do I go completely off course and reinvent the wheel? I don't know, but I am going to put some serious thought into it. A $100,000 burger will take every thing I've got. The journey officially begins!!! I am excited and stressed! I do so love my career! I am going to need to summon my grandmother Mariah for this one :)

....To be continued

Triple B Friday!

Happy Friday!

This afternoon, a few friends will be coming over to enjoy the very first Triple B Friday: Burgers, Beer & Brownies! I will be serving up homemade hamburgers, cold beer and devilishly chocolaty brownies. I don't eat these foods often. Remember, this about moderation. Life is moderation. So this Friday, treat yourself to a food favorite. Make sure it is of superior quality. Close your eyes when you take the first bite. Savor that moment and enjoy:)

What will you be eating this weekend???

With love from the Kitchen

I have begun the process of working on my second cookbook. This will be my alter ego debut. See, I am the mom who is committed to the health and well being of children all over the world. When they go to bed, I am a chef who also enjoys the complete indulgence of fabulous food and adore cooking and creating recipes for those with a penchant for taste and adventure.

I am writing this book for the food lover in all of us. There are two things that make all the difference in the world when you are cooking. The first thing is your mood. If you do not enter the kitchen with love and positive feelings and confidence in what you're cooking, then stay away until you work it out. It isn't just about technique. It is your emotional connection to what you are doing. The second is the quality of your ingredients. Wilted herbs or vegetables or cheap imitation ingredients will not ensure a beautiful product. You are cheating your mind, body and soul.

Food can be romantic. It is an expression of love. It is food for not only the body and soul, but also for your taste buds. It should be gesture of love and should be approached that way. For your children, it will make them feel loved and cared for. Tell them it has been made with love for them. For your lover, let them know that the love you feel for them has inspired you to create. Please join me on my journey to create the ultimate cookbook that will help excite and delight all of those who will savor the delicious recipes I create for this book.

Cookbook and tips for home cooks

In addition to just loving food, I am also a cookbook author. I have recently penned my first cookbook written to encourage parents and children to cook together. It's called The Lunchbox Chefs cooking 101. This book is very near and dear to me as I want to contribute to the the fight against childhood obesity. Children don't need to be on diets! They need high quality, delicious and creative meals and snacks that make eating from home just as exciting, but more healthy than fast food.

I do understand that sometimes you want to treat them to a fast food meal every blue moon, but 90% of what they eat should come from their home kitchen. I know as parents, we are busy (I have a 16-year-old sweetheart who prefers my food to junk hands down). However, they deserve our commitment to their short and long term health.

Here are a few tips to help make cooking fun:

Create a theme night once a week:

Pick a day and decide on a fun food theme. Require that your child(ren) help shop for and participate in the meal preparation. For example: Diner Fridays - I cook 2 diner favorites with fresh ingredients and always include a fresh fruit side or vegetables.

Take them to the farmer's market:

This is a great outdoor activity in which you can bond with your child(ren) and explain the benefits and flavors of new and familiar fruits and vegetables. It is also an opportunity for parents to ask questions. Take home something new and try it out!

Be honest with your child(ren):

Let them know that they will live long healthy lives when they eat healthier foods. Let them know that dining out and fast food are treats and not foods they can eat every week. Tell them they will always be strong, healthy and fit if they eat well and play actively (something physical, not dolls and cars!) for an hour a day (they should love that). Join them when you can :)

In closing:

Make sure what is coming out of your kitchen tastes great! Children will eat more than burgers and hot dogs believe it or not. They are just like adults, they want something that tastes good! If you can't cook, no problem get a copy of my cookbook http://lunchboxchefs.com/merchandise/merchandise.html

It isn't hard to transform your child from junk food junkie. It just takes creativity, love and a good cookbook :). Bon Appetit!

Hazardous dining

May I begin saying, I hope all of you experienced love and kindness on valentine's day yesterday. OK, here was my day.

I awakened to the sounds of birds, a feeling of happiness and love and an excitement for what the day would hold. A few good friends and I decided perhaps we'd celebrate the day with a Valentines day lunch. We narrowed it down to two restaurants: El Torito and Olive Garden. Not optimal choices, but I was trying to roll with the punches since they were seeking a budget friendly meal ( first mistake there. Budget friendly unfortunately usually equals heavily processed).

In our usual fashion, my best friend and I took to the internet to review the menu selections and the nutrition content and OMG! Not one of the entree's we would have ordered was healthy. The sodium topped more than 2600 mg for some dishes and even the ones with much less sodium were very small portions which was worse because I am thinking "Where are they putting all of the salt?"

We were disgusted. I got angry! How can you possibly have such an astronomical amount of fat and sodium in such simple dishes. Why you ask? Here's my theory. This is typical of chain restaurants, which is why I prefer fine dining. Chain restaurants partner with suppliers that provide their sauces, meats and other items that help speed up food production. To maintain freshness with minimal to no spoilage, preservatives must be added to these food items.

See, I like food that is uncomplicated. Food that will spoil quickly if it isn't consumed in a few days. That is natural! Food that comes from the store, to my kitchen to my table. Pure Goodness. Food that I can explain. Ingredients that are common and the comfort of knowing everything that is in the food I prepared. So, on valentines I spread the love to my friends by preparing a meal for them.

I fixed herb paprika roasted chicken, spiced black beans, Spanish rice and a green salad with homemade cilantro Caesar dressing. It was flavorful, healthy and the perfect expression of love to my body and my loved ones.

Please dine responsibly. Check the facts before you dine. Be aware of the nutrition facts on your food choices. Let's stop the robotic eating!

I'm in love...

I have a love affair with food. Not just any food, extraordinary food. High quality food. Let me describe the ultimate food feeling for you:

I sit down to a plate of pure culinary deliciousness
I examine it
Touch it
Smell it
My mouth waters

I raise my fork (hand to mouth) and close my eyes in anticipation of an amazing palate pleasing experience. I take the first bite. I can taste the perfect seasoning, the love that went into the preparation. As I savor the exquisite taste I am transported into a euphoric place of pure pleasure. Just me and my food. I stay in this place until I am satisfied. I am content. I am grateful to have indulged in such a tasty journey. I am lethargic and gleeful. I am in love :)Remember, healthy foods love you back.

Yea, I know ;)

The taming of the yeast

So I have decided to work on the bun for my "Build a better Burger" contest first. I am creating a hybrid of sorts. This kind of slightly sour, yet buttery with a hint of sweetness that will toast well and elevate that burger!

So, I am being a mad scientists and creating a lovely jar of fermented flour and water. Affectionately known as my "yeast baby." In short, a yeast starter. A natural yeast starter is basically the process of naturally capturing the yeast present in the air and produced by the fermenting of flour and water. You nurture it. Feed it and watch it grow. It's your yeast baby and it needs all of your love and attention. Once it's done (about two weeks or less), you can then use some of the starter in a recipe that requires it.

I am confident that this starter will help me create a good foundation in which to structure the next, best burger. I will report on my yeast baby as it flourishes. Until then, I will dream only of burgers and buns, buns and burgers and $100,000 :)

By the way, I had a hamburger for lunch today. The taste was....well....sort of....kind of like....Yeah, no comment.

Weekend Follies

Okay, so I attempted to start my weekend off with a solid plan. Work, plan and execute my personal food menu and exercise. Well, I worked and I ate, but it wasn't food on my original menu. Working out? Big negative! However, in my defense, I did walk around Target a really long time and even parked further away than usual. There. I am not that much of a slacker.

Here's the deal with changing your eating. It isn't a diet. It isn't rocket science. It is merely making conscience choices. Choosing salad over fries as a side dish. Wheat bread over white. Turkey over beef. You get it?

Weight management is simply saying yes more often to foods that are naturally lower in fat and also high quality. I only restrict myself from sugary beverages and fast food. I also avoid processed and artificial foods. Natural food is food that feeds your body and soul. Fake and processed foods confuse the body. It doesn't know how to metabolize them, so, they get stored as fat. Understand?

Okay back to the follies. I went out without breakfast. That is a no-no! In 30 minutes, I was starving and at the mercy of convenience food. Sometimes, it happens kids. You get caught in the street hungry and with no plan and you succumb. Today my friends, I broke my rule. Hey, I had to eat something, but I did make the best choice possible. I ate a burger from a mom and pop restaurant near my home. I had only mustard and pickles on it. I ordered water in lieu of soda and I had no fries. Just the burger. Not too bad, huh? For dinner I ate Swedish meatballs (no gravy), mashed potatoes and broccoli. Balanced and delicious. Later, I was hungry again. See, this is why you should eat within the first hour of being awake. This is why healthy snacks and a timely eating schedule are essential. Now, it is 12 am and I am hungry as a bear!

Alas, I will have a hot cup of lemon herbal tea sweetened with agave. I repeat, I don't do diets. I make choices. As many good choices as I can. One day at a time. One meal at a time. It's how you win at losing. It's how you learn to live in beautiful harmony with food :)

The Monster in Your Kitchen

Holidays are wondrous opportunities for everyone to come together, share love, laughter and as always, over indulge in everything edible! You start to feel lethargic and your memory fades as you start to see double before ultimately falling asleep, slumped over the arm of a comfy couch. OK, so maybe that's a bit dramatic, but this is how many of us spend our holidays. Eating and drinking ourselves into a sugar and fat induced high.

There's a monster inside of us, waiting to indulge. It awakens for every holiday, every party and sometimes in the middle of the night. He dwells in our minds and possesses our palette. He is The MONSTER IN YOUR KITCHEN! I am ashamed to say, I have been intimate friends with this monster for a number of years and I am finally breaking free from this wicked beast.

As we gear into a new year, I encourage all of you living with that monster to finally kick him out! A new day is dawning and in order to survive, we must love our bodies inside and out. Love it enough to care about what goes in. I have had the pleasure of reacquainting myself with healthy foods that are slowly starving that monster from my body. I am a monster buster. I am here to help you free yourself. With advice, daily progress on my journey to release the beast and with tantalizing recipes that will love and he will hate, we will push that overindulgent pest out of our lives for good!

Now, let's exhale and get to work. One of the problems I face in my day to day struggle happens in the morning. I wake up feeling refreshed and encouraged, only to realize that I have failed to plan for a healthy breakfast. Nothing does it better than hot cereal. I am a big fan of a hot, stick to your ribs start. Prepare your hot cereal with vanilla soy milk for added flavor and less fat. If you don't have any hang ups about artificial sugar, then sweeten your cereal as it cooks. If you prefer to not do the artificial route, then brown sugar works beautifully with any hot cereal. Here are some essentials to get you started:

1.Plan your menu ahead of time
2.Meditate before beginning your day
3.Keep a journal of your day. Write about what you ate, how you felt, etc
4.Don't skip meals this will prevent late day starvation and possible binging
5.Pick a non-food related reward to celebrate with at the end of your week
6.Avoid social settings when you're staving, eat first
7.Check in the recipe section of this website my recipes each day for low-fat ways to make eating healthy sinfully good
8.Finally, love yourself and watch that love shrink you into a healthier, sexier you

This isn't rocket science, I know. I haven't really said anything you haven't heard before, but I am actively taking this journey with you, so I hope that it will provide support and a guide for living better. My recipes will be called Recipes for Emancipation. Also, check for subsequent articles detailing how I'm doing and all the chaos that happens on this journey. So, until our words meet again, live well, eat smart and dream of a monster free kitchen.

Love that Burger :)

I am currently fixated on the Sutter Homes "Build a Better Burger" contest! While the details of the contest for 2011 have yet to be disclosed, I am already clicking my heels in my kitchen trying to create a sinfully, magical hamburger.

My grandmother owned a small cafe for well over 50 years in East Texas. It was in that cafe that I experinced my first and still to date, best burger I have ever had! It was a surreal moment really. A tender toasted bun with fresh, seasoned ground beef with fresh lettuce, tomato and homemade pickles. Not pretentious, just simply delicious.

I am a burger fiend. I have decided to make her proud (rest her sweet soul) and take on this montrous yet highly profitable contest.

Ladies and gents, I have burgers on my mind...to be continued :)

Welcome to my food oasis!

Come in and stay a while. Share, ask questions, vent or simply spectate as expose I myself for the food obsessed chef that I am :)

Here are my passions:

Real food, whole foods, cooking, exploring and creating deliciousness
Chemical free and minimal to no processing
Creating a beautiful harmony between fresh foods and extraordinary tastes
Children and their tummies and the parents/caregivers who love and feed them :)
Sharing my passion with you!

Things that make me cringe:

Fake cheese
Frankenfoods - Foods that look and somewhat taste like a food they are not
Powdered eggs! What the heck??????
Margarine

These are just a few of thousands of things I love and hate. Get the picture? I am on a journey to improve my health and show the world that what comes out of your kitchen can be healthful as well as deliciously decadent.

Hopefully, I gave you a rather vivid window into who am I. What's my name? I am Chef C.J.....Now, let's start blogging :)