What a concept, eh? Keep yourself encouraged if you’re looking to reduce your waistline by making one menu for each day of the week. Reaching a goal for yourself, as most of us realize today involves compromise. It requires discipline, change in habits, better use of time and a number of other topics we could list but then would realize; WOW, that’s a lot of work ahead of me! Review this strategy and check out some options to assist you.

1. Planning: Establish a goal and get the facts on how to reach that goal? Read, consult a professional and ask advice from others you have noticed a physical change in.
2. Action: Take some recipes you really like and try to build off them. Make adjustments to ingredients or portion size to reduce calorie consumption and create additional recipes with ingredients you have on hand.” Prep time” is the biggest challenge I hear when conducting sessions. So when you’re chopping away think about tomorrow’s delight!
3. Get Cooking: Taking the idea”this is the menu for tonight” makes it easier to reach your goal. I found if you create too many choices you fill up your refrigerator with unnecessary ingredients and potential waste.
4. Savor Every Bite: Ask yourself?  How does it taste, what would I do different next time, consider adding to making it more appealing or taking out of the recipe, did I make too much or was it just enough, no leftovers is a bonus I found helps out.

Simple steps to making you feel better and look better…just with one meal. So if you’re cooking for yourself this can become a good habit to follow, if you have other people who depend on your culinary talents, share the love and cook together, so they have no excuses later on!

Thanks + ciao

Chef Bernard

As I put together a list of what I needed from the store recently, I realized there were ingredients on hand that I could use and my thoughts changed! I was pulling out dry herbs, spices, grains, beans and item’s I had not considered cooking with. So as always I looked back at what was on sale and adjusted my list to just a few simple ingredients. (Saved money for my next 3 meals as well!) So take some time and look at what you have on hand then do your shopping…here is one recipe I created….

Turkey Chili                                                                                 8 Servings

          Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/2 cup each diced small: onion, celery and carrot

1 lb. ground lean Turkey

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chili or cayenne pepper, or to taste

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

3 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 (15 ounce) can dark/light red kidney beans, rinsed

1 (15 ounce) can small white beans, such as cannellini, rinsed

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed

3 cups vegetable stock

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

 Procedure   

1. Heat oil in a large 2 gallon pot over medium heat.
2. Add onion, celery, & carrot and cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until very soft and just beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Add the ground turkey and cook for 4 mins, breaking up any chunks into small pieces
4. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin and chipotle (or cayenne) to taste and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
5. Stir in canned and fresh tomatoes, kidney, white and black beans, vegetable stock and pepper.
6. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chili has reduced slightly, 10 to 15 minutes.

Served with chopped fresh cilantro, 2 tsp of jalapeño pepper and ½ cup diced soft tofu as a garnish