What's for dinner?

I cooked dinner for just myself tonight. I have been dieting and trying to eat healthier and cleaner for the past 1.5 years and have lost 60 pounds (and counting) and have drastically improved my bloodwork numbers, avoiding a diabetes diagnosis. Yay!

So earlier tonight I cooked a quick vegetable stir fry (shredded carrots, sliced mushrooms, ribbons of zucchini and squash, thinly sliced red onion, skinny asparagus cut into 2-inch-long pieces, and thin slices of sweet red bell pepper) with already cooked (peeled, deveined, tails off) pre-seasoned shrimp from Kroger in some This Little Goat Went to Tokyo Sweet & Salty Everything Sauce all served over some Uncle Ben’s Ready Jasmine Rice…plus a mid-sized salad of tossed lettuce and baby spinach, chopped campari tomatoes, shredded carrots, a sliced and halved mini cucumber, a tiny bit of freshly shredded cheese, and a low-calorie Stonewall Kitchen sesame ginger dressing that I absolutely love. It was all so good and healthy, and I enjoyed it very much!

This, after living with and taking care of my 81-year-old mother and her every need, desire, and whim for the past 7 years (and counting) ever since my dad passed away and after she so ungratefully called me a horrendous, extremely insulting, completely baseless name just to lash out and hurt me nearly a week ago over something extraordinarily petty and insignificant while I was taking her to a doctor appointment. Her sanctimonious self-righteousness is overwhelming and emotionally exhausting for me, especially as her only child and remaining immediate family member. So I have removed myself from her by staying and sleeping in a different part of the house, especially since she refuses to apologize sincerely to me without caveats or a litany of further accusations tacked on. “I’m sorry, BUT…” is *not* a sincere apology! And is an apology actually a real apology when you have to ask, beg, and demand for one? I don’t think so.

So I exercised some much needed self-care by cooking a healthy, fulfilling meal for just myself instead of going through the daily, 2-3-hour-long “What do you want for dinner, Mom?” argument and cooking according to her preferences. And, as terrible and selfish as it all sounds, I enjoyed every bit of cooking for just myself and savoring every bite of *my* dinner. I am completely burned out (and deeply hurt) by my mother. So she’s on her own in terms of feeding herself…for now.

Seriously, y’all, that This Little Goat Went to Tokyo Everything Sauce is EVERYTHING! So, so yummy and so easy to use in a stir fry! I encourage you to try it. And, if you can’t find it in a store near you, it is available on Amazon as well as directly from thislittlegoat.com website. Plus, they have other flavors that I have yet to try but are definitely on my wish list.

Another cooking gem I recently discovered and used is Campbell’s FlavorUp! cooking concentrates, which come in 3 different flavors—Caramelized Onion and Burgandy Wine, Rich Garlic and Herb, and Savory Mushroom and Herb, A little goes a very long way and can be used on just about anything! Last week I sautéed a carton of sliced mushrooms in the Savory Mushroom and Herb flavor and, OMGoodness, those mushrooms were better than any I have ever had from a restaurant, even the fancy steakhouses! And, because these are all so low-cal, they work beautifully in my diet. I highly recommend these, and they can be found at Kroger, Walmart, Amazon, and other stores and websites.

Our church fish fries for Lent are terrific! They have broadened their menu to include shrimp as well. Plus you can ask for grilled instead of fried. Wonderful sides with a dessert and a drink!

Oh, and several churches even have drive through service!

Pam: A gal from my work use to run church suppers with chicken or fish. Always delicious and very reasonable.

Today was better on the food front! A local church fundraiser was a chicken fry , and we got 12 pieces, delicious!! Then grabbed some sides from the local mom and pop grocery, dropped 1/2 of everything off at DDs, meal for 4 and we all will have leftovers, for about 25$. Also gave them a loaf of chocolate banana bread and some home made jerky.. she was so happy to come home to a meal they didn't have to cook. And we helped a local church! The cats did enjoy the nasty fish, part 2 tonight so its all gone!

Spinach lasagna. 😋 Yum!

We have chain Mexican resturants here. I love the bright fun decor & a Margarita, sure, but I'd rather try more authentic Mexican & South American food.

I used to love Indian food in London. There were so many family run restaurants & many included their regional dishes & flavours.

I did try English cuisine too.. cottage pie, shepard's pie, cornish pastie (now a traditional pastie is a good meal) & clotted cream on scones. Simple fish (fresh) & chips in Cornwall was excellent! But smoked cod for breakfast was not really my thing.

Wish me luck. DH is making something new for dinner.. I see chilli & mushroooms.

Pam: I hear you on the chain restaurants. One time we got a Panera pizza, which we ended up throwing in the trash.

Pam,

Yeah, your area has fantastic crab cakes! I love fresh seafood! We have great seafood too. Coastal areas are the best!

My daughter missed our seafood when she was living in Denver. She is eventually going to move back to Denver though because she loves it there.

Yes we have good Amish food at the nearby market, but here in Maryland we are used to really good fresh seafood. And local style "home cooking" for alot less than we paid today! At our age we normally can't finish our lunches anyway so we get 2 meals each from a lunch in most cases. we tend to go out for lunch instead of dinner, so it comes out very affordable. The small town near us has about 20 different places to eat from Fast food to mexican/asian/ you name it. Except for the FF they are almost all owned and locally opperated. We are right off a main highway, so that is why so many! The town is near Camp David and a state park. We live in the country, but its only a 15 minute drive to town, And we are near Gettysburg,, some wonderful places there also

Actually, there are great neighborhood restaurants in my city that serve excellent food. Mom and pop restaurants that serve wonderful food!

Our fine dining restaurants are top notch!

My favorite burger is in a dive bar that is crowded with people waiting to eat there no matter what time we go. It doesn’t matter if you get there before they open because there is already a line to get in!

cw,

Cheaper and definitely better than eating out and getting nasty food!

I don’t mind paying for quality food because the ingredients cost more. Plus, nice restaurants have a nice menu of certain dishes that I may not cook at home.

Once in a while, I enjoy the change of pace and enjoy the ambiance and being served a meal that I didn’t have to cook!

Pam,

I am with you on choosing local restaurants over large chains.

I am truly fortunate to live in a city that has phenomenal food! We never eat in chain restaurants with mediocre food!

New Orleans is a melting pot of cultures, so we have a wide variety of cuisines to choose from.

I love visiting New York because they also have incredible restaurants to dine in.

San Francisco is another great city for food!

Sorry that you and DH weren’t able to enjoy your meal. Hopefully, your cats won’t get sick! 😝

What are the specialties in your area that you enjoy? I know that you have spoken about the Amish food. Aren’t they good bakers, good pies and baked goods?

I read fried fish and though "yum" until I read the rest of your post. That's why I stick to eating at home, at least my meals are cheap.

Hubs and I had to go into "town" today to meet the FA to hopefully get all our accounts transferred at last ( boy can other banks make it hard ) and we decided to eat at a local chain restaurant. The special was fried fish.. and we both agreed it was the WORST we ever ate, for about $40 counting tip. It was so dry, and I thought salty. We brought it home and gave it to the cats. At least they liked it, and at least the cole slaw was yummy. Now I remember why we normally eat at small non chain places. Except Olive garden,, we love that soup and salad!

Chicken soup, chicken soup and more of it, and filled with just everything from noodles to chicken to carrots and peas. And then MORE noodles.

I zapped frozen leftovers tonight .
Pot roast and veggies. It was pretty good !

So, it’s that time of day where I am going to open my fridge and wonder what in the world am I going to fix. I haven’t even thought about dinner tonight!

LOL 😆, maybe I should just make breakfast for dinner. That’s quick and easy. Plus, I am running low on groceries.

Anxietynacy,

My youngest daughter just completed two diamond art projects. She enjoyed doing them.

Anxietynacy: A friend has done the diamond art. Think he did his fav singer, Celine Dion.

Pam,

Yay! Glad hubby liked the shrimp.

You had me wondering if that was a new food service like Hello Fresh for a minute there Anxietynacy 🤔🤣

Just wondering if anyone has tried Diamond art. For me it's been very relaxing and supper addicting.

Woke up today to a heavy snow at 5 am, (mostly gone now) but days like this I like to cook. So I made mini Danish with crescent rolls, and they were easy and yummy! And yes I made a drizzle glaze this time, for the first time, and it was easy and yummy too! I'll add that to the scones next time. And Need, hubs tried the shrimp and he liked it! Taking DD to lunch for Valentines day tomorrow, so no cooking for me!

Pam,

I would eat hubby’s share. I love spicy! My husband is a wuss when it comes to spicy so I eat it alone or with others. My daughter with Crohn’s disease has to be careful with her diet. My other daughter is like me. She enjoys spicy food.

One time I was at a craft fair. The woman next to me asked if a dip was hot. I had just sampled it and didn’t think it was overly spicy, so I told her that it wasn’t too hot.

Oh my gosh! She started coughing, sweating and her eyes were tearing up. The vendor who sold the dip said that it was called, ‘blazing’ and it was the hottest one they make. Obviously, the woman wasn’t used to heat.

I buy the spicy pickles and pepper jelly from the vendors. So good!

Sounds good, Pam and easy. I looked up a couple of recipes. May try it sometime.😋

I got a recipe a few weeks ago for Bang Bang shrimp pasta. Had some leftover shrimp I defrosted and I made it today. It is delish! I am sure hubs wont try it because it is spicy, but boy am I enjoying it! Had it with a salad

Beatty,

Fashion is fun too!

I watched The Devil Wears Prada awhile back on MAX. Fashion is a fascinating industry!

Cooking is an art form too!

My mom and grandmother were excellent cooks. I live in a city that has incredible food. I enjoy cooking. My oldest daughter enjoys baking more than cooking. The younger one enjoys cooking and baking.

I could never be a pastry chef! I admire them tremendously for the works of art that they create.

Geaton,

I bet your uncles are fabulous cooks!

New Orleans is known for it’s French and Spanish history but we have a large number of Italian immigrants here.

I have never been to a home with Italian cooks and had a bad meal. It’s always delicious!

I have no doubt that you cook better than your husband. You’re Italian!

Need, all my Italian-American uncles did the cooking in their families. So did my Sicilian Grandfather. Many of my male cousins like to cook. I married a Scandinavian, so... I do ALL the cooking.

My DH WISHES he was Italian! He learn to speak the language at school & loves to cook but his genes are all British Isles. I, however have some Euopean but my taste went all into fashion, not cooking!