Killin' the Grillin' with Bryce

I live in an awesome neighborhood. Last summer, those of us who stuck around started to get to know one another. Over the past year, we have all become friends. Lately, Vanessa and I have been teaming up with two guys that live caddy-corner to us in our cul de sac, Bryce and Jeff. One of our favorite past times is family style dinners. Tonight, Bryce stepped up to the plate and grilled some awesome cajun style and lemon pepper Sawai fish. I have never heard of this fish, but it was incredible! 

A few years ago, you would never have caught me eating fish. Every since I went to Ecuador, I've accepted its unique texture and flavor, and have learned to really enjoy it. Now that I have, I understand the wonderful diversity that fish has to offer. 

I am a complete dummy when it comes to grilling. I hope to do some observing and learning over this summer. I love grilled food! Tonight, our fish was complimented by a heaping pile of grilled potatoes, bell peppers, onions and spices. For dessert, we indulged ourselves in grilled mango and bananas. Oh my goodness....

I am going to let the pictures do the talking from here. Bon Apetit!!

Bryce: the grill-master

The key element to accent flavor: SPICES!

The most divine concoction of veggies

Cajun is closest, lemon pepper is the lighter fish.

A close up

Flaky, moist, delicious fish. Who knew?

With just enough spice to make your tongue tickle. 

Grilled fruit is my new favorite dessert. I can't wait until I can have ice cream to go with it!

A  very happy plate with a very full photographer taking the photo. :)

Are you jealous?

Much love,

DJP

Food for Life

Thursdays are usually a busy day for me. I volunteer at Everyday Joe's Coffee Shop downtown from 7AM-11AM every Thursday.  I love it, but the early mornings loaded with caffeine usually leave me exhausted by the afternoon. I came home, grabbed my workout gear and hit the gym. I have no time to waste now that I am officially registered for the Tough Mudder in June. 

Needless to say, by the time I came home and regained my composure, I was starving. I needed food and fast. Vanessa and I decided to make turkey sandwiches, and it wasn't until mid-process that we realized we still had turkey bacon and could make BLT's! So off we went. The following are todays delectable meal choice. Only four more days of this cleanse!!

I used dijon mustard instead of mayo and lightly salt and peppered the tomatoes.

Turkey bacon is so delicious when you are deprived of the real thing. Especially on a sandwich!

A close up look.

And another close up.

All this healthy eating has been a lot of fun for me. It's forced us to cook the meals that I've been posting about. Thus, I've had the opportunity to photograph, and then write about, each of our meals. Food is becoming an entirely new entity to me. It is so much more than just a compilation of flavors and meeting nutritional needs. Food, in its abundant variety, has become an art project for me. It's not only something to be tasted, but looked at, felt, and savored. Ah, food, thou art becoming my life. 

Creating Culinary Classics the Healthy Way--But Still Bomb Diggity.

Tonight it was my turn to bust out my culinary skills. In our house, we seem to do a pretty good job at helping out and/or taking turns cooking meals. Vanessa and I are still on our cleanse, so I had to be creative and resourceful in order to create a savory meal within our restrictions while also fulfilling the needs of three of our neighbors and friends, Jeff, Bryce and Anthony. 

Here is the diced up veggies as they are being sauteed. I'm a huge fan of chopping everything into square cubes that are relatively small so that there is more of a compilation of flavor in each bite. 

I used carrots, yellow squash, a yellow onion, yellow and red bell peppers, three garlic cloves, and an assortment of herbs. 

In the mean time, Vanessa ran to Whole Foods and picked up a rotisserie chicken for $6.99. It's Rotisserie Wednesday, so they are on sale... and they are moist and delicious!

I added the sauce to the sauteed vegetables.

Boiling the angel-hair pasta.

Using whole grain pasta is a healthy alternative to regular pasta. There is a significant amount of nutrients in the whole grain pasta in comparison to the plain.

This is my favorite brand of spaghetti sauce. However, I am always open to new suggestions. When my garden is fruitful, I will be making my own. 

For those who know me, I am very funny about chicken. Specifically, chicken on the bone. The reason why is exemplified in the above photograph. It's just gross: bones, gristle, fat, skin, and the like. It's a dead bird. But tonight, I sucked it up and went to town... Vanessa and Jeff pitched in too. 

Deliciousness. 

Mix it all up = yumminess. 

Organic, free-range, rotisserie chicken

An up-close view of the pasta

And then it was devoured by two ladies and three gentlemen. :)

Bona Note. 

DJP

The Breakfast of True Champions

Guten Morgen! (That's German for "good morning," for those of you who don't know)

This morning I diced up five large strawberries into small cubes. 

Sean's pork bacon

The ingredients used for the pancakes: Almond milk, multi-grain pancake mix, and sugar free syrup.

Diced strawberries

About to get mixed in.

I added a banana, and then began to cook them.

Deliciousness in the making. 

Turkey bacon for me and Vanessa

These were quite possibly the best pancakes I have ever had. I can't believe they're good for you!

The difference between regular bacon (left) and turkey bacon (right)

Incredible way to start my day!

Aerial view of the breakfast for true champions!

Remember, breakfast is important. Something I am really learning by doing this two-week cleanse is that there are a lot of empty calories. Sugar free syrup has 80% fewer calories than regular syrup. Whole grain pancakes have fiber, protein, potassium and other vitamins and nutrients that you would never find in a plain ol' buttermilk pancake. The banana and strawberries added sweetness to the moist batter. Seriously, this breakfast was healthy and delicious. YUM! :)

Tuna: It's What's For Dinner

Tonight's menu: Tuna Burgers.
The Chef: Vanessa

Vanessa makes the most incredible Tuna ever. She mixes yellow mustard, sliced dill pickles, onions and then fries them in a skillet. When served with fresh tomato slices and spinach these burgers are beyond satisfactory.

Here's the images:

Tomatoes sprinkled with salt

Getting the bread ready

So yummy!

And now I feel like a glutton.... a dieting and cleansing glutton. 

What a glorious life!

Yours truly,

DJP