I‘m not really sure when the day actually happens . I know that I started eating healthier when I was college right when working out became a part of my weekly routine. Protein, carbs and good fats became a regular staple of my vocabulary. One day though, I got a little bit obsessed. And that obsession became fiber. So much of a obsession that I started to count how many grams of fiber I took in a day.  Yes, I may need help.

You see, my father had two heart attacks and the second one took his life at the age of 67. From that point on, I’ve watched my diet a lot more than I did in the past (Although, I did hit a bit of a funk and motivated myself to lose 20 pounds).  Knowing that heart disease runs in my family, I needed to conscience of what I ate. According to the Cheerios box, fiber helps reduce cholesterol or heart disease. How can you argue with Cheerios?

So I started watching and counting my fiber intake to make sure I was getting a healthy dose. But what exactly is a healthy dose?  According to Harvard School of Health, men should shoot for 30 grams of fiber a day in their diet.

I promise you it’s not easy without some effort.  The American Dietetic Association confirms this saying that

“Americans don’t even come close to getting the necessary fiber in their diet”.

Nonetheless, I knew that with heart disease in my family I didn’t have a choice.

While 30 grams of daily fiber is a tall order, I’ve been able to get to do it.  In fact, over the years I’ve pretty well perfected to where now I can get 40 grams of fiber in one day with ease (sometimes 50 grams  if I’m on a super fiber kick).   So if you are interested in increasing your fiber in-take or if you need to perform Rotor Rooters on your large intestine, follow these tips one easy ways to get fiber in your diet.

Warning: if you don’t usually eat a lot of fiber, and you start to increase immediately, I would strongly suggest keeping a bathroom close.  You have been warned.

1. Berry, Berry Mo’ Merry

High on Fiber and High on Taste!

Fruit, fruit, and more fruit. In case you missed my previous post, part of my daily routine is drinking my nutritious health shake. In that health shake, one of the main ingredients is frozen fruit. But not just any frozen fruit.  My main fruity ingredient are frozen berries. The frozen berries that I blend in my shake are  blue berries, black berries and raspberries (I always add extra raspberries for the sweet taste and they have the most grams of fiber).

Tons of Fiber and Sweet Tasting

To give you an idea of how much fiber is in berries, one cup which will equate 21 grams of carbohydrates, will also get you 9 grams of fiber. How amazing is that? I figured that between the berry mix included in my shake  that I net somewhere in that 12 to 15 range of grams of fiber.  Even better is that they taste good!

2 & 3. Flaxseed and Wheat Germ- The Batman and Robin of Fiber

Killer Fiber Combo

Also included in my health shake is flaxseed and, at times, wheat germ. I know what you’re thinking: Flax seed? Wheat germ? That’s got to be disgusting! I have to admit, if you ate it by itself, it tastes a lot like cardboard with a dose of chopped up shoestrings. But it’s amazing, when you mix it in the shake and the frozen fruit, you can barely even taste it.  It reminds me of orange juice with pulp; just a little heavier on the pulp.

Two amazing sources of fiber

Adding a tablespoon of flaxseed and a few shakes of wheat germ usually gets me another 5 to 6 grams of fiber. As you can see, my health shake alone contributes to a large chunk of that 40 grams of fiber.

4. I’m on a Fiber Mission

Who needs hamburger buns when you got these?

The next really easy way to get fiber is a little discovery I came across a couple years ago. Mission, which is well-known for their tortilla chips and salsa, came out with one of the best products for fiber lovers. They released the Mission Carb Balance Fiber Wraps, which I can put almost anything on and enjoy it.  One of the most common ways that I’ll eat these wraps is by making an egg burrito or egg white burrito, and having one or possibly two wraps during the day, or sometimes I’ll go through a drive-through like Arby’s and get a roast beef sandwich, and then when I get back to the office, I’ll throw away the bun and then put the meat on the wrap.

11 grams in one tasty wrap.

One wrap will get you 18 grams of carbohydrates for 11 grams of fiber. 11 grams! It’s pretty easy to eat two of these wraps, so that will net you 22 grams of fiber. If your bowels aren’t moving yet, don’t worry, we’re not done.

5. Fiber + Chocolate Chips  = Heaven

Chocolate Chips and Fiber, Are you Kidding me?

Another awesome discovery that was turned on to me by a good friend of mine are Fiber One bars. I like chocolate, and it’s amazing how great one of the oats and chocolate Fiber One bars tastes. If you have a sweet tooth, I strongly recommend this.

9 grams of fiber! Amazing.

One Fiber One bar will get you 29 grams of carbs, but also 9 grams of fiber. I eat one of these at least 5 to 6 days per week.  If chocolate is not your thing, they also have a berry flavor which is also very tasty.

6. Go, Go Kashi Fiber Bars!

Go Kashi to Go Fiber

Another tasty snack when you’re on the go are Kashi Go Lean  Bars. They’re a little bit more chewier than the Fiber One Bars but they do have about the same amount of carbohydrates. I don’t eat these every day.  I’ll just snack on one of these when I’m on the go and need a quick snack.

It's Crunchy Too!

One Kashi Bar will get you about 29 grams of carbs with 6 grams of fiber. Why I also like these bars as an alternative to the Fiber One Bars is that they net you about seven grams more of protein, and we all know how much I like protein.

7. Sara Lee Soft and Smooth Like Butter

Sarah Lee is Smooth on Fiber

If you’re all wrapped out, and you actually need some bread, I encourage you to take a look at the Sarah Lee Plus 100% Whole Wheat Bread.  I have tried a few other wheat breads that have a little bit higher dose of fiber, but the Sarah Lee far excels their taste. One of my favorite snacks is peanut butter and toast and Sarah Lee definitely fits in with that craving.

Sarah Lee Knows Fiber

Two slices of wheat bread will get you 26 grams of fiber and 12 grams of fiber.

8. Update: New Double Fiber Wheat Bread Discovery

Just the other day I was in the grocery store picking up some of my usual high fiber items when low and behold I discovered this:

Nature’s Own Double Fiber Wheat Bread! Double Fiber?!  Is someone just teasing this fiber lover?

Double Your Fun, Double Your Fiber

Not at all.  Look at the label.  For one slice of bread you get 5 grams of fiber, more than double than the Sara Lee that I used to get.   How freaking awesome!  But how does it taste?  Double the fiber usually means, a double inverse on taste.

Crazy Fiber in This Bread!

I’m excited to share that the bread is actually pretty good.  Maybe not as good as the Sara Lee, but who cares!  It’s the double the fiber, remember?

9, 10, 11, & 12. The Rest of the Fruit of The Loom

Fruit of the Loom Has Fiber

Lastly, in case you need some other options to get you 40 grams of fiber, you can also try to incorporate other fruits in your diet. For example, apples, bananas, oranges, and grapes are a good source of fiber.  One large apple will get you around 4 grams, a banana will get you around 3 grams, and 1 cup of grapes have just over 1 gram.

13+. Other Notables

These are just a few of the many ways that you can get fiber in your diet.  Some other notable mentions are salads (not iceburg lettuce), nuts, green vegetables (broccoli, asparagus, spinach), and legumes (beans).  In fact, I’ve started to incorporate more black beans in my diet to replace the amount of white rice I was eating.  In one 1/2 cup serving of black beans, you’ll get around 6 grams of fiber. On a good day, I’m sure I can crack 50 grams of fiber!

Sources:

• http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fiber/
• http://www.insidershealth.com/article/most_americans_don_t_get_enough_fiber_according_to_research_do_you/4064

This is a guest post by Raza Imam of The Coffee Maker Store… on a mission to be the coolest coffee maker site on the planet. Visit his site for the best coffee makers and a growing selection of coffee maker accessories.  This is a little different than my usual style of guest post, but I couldn’t resist.   First of all, most everyone I know drinks coffee – me included.   I knew there had to be some good information to share on how to save money on coffee.   So for all my coffee people, this one’s for you.  Grab a nice hot Cup of Joe and have a read.

Beside death and taxes, there are two other things I know to be true 1) people love coffee and 2) people love money (sometimes in that exact order). So if the first thing you look for in the morning is your beloved coffee, then listen up, because the following tidbits could save you hundreds, even thousands, of dollars per year. Sound far-fetched? Consider this; coffee is the second most highly traded commodity in the world, after oil. Some studies say that Americans consume about 10 pounds of coffee beans per year. To put it simply, as $10 billion per year industry, coffee is big business.

Let’s assume you buy one large mocha per day on your way to work or school. Assuming it’s $4 per cup, you’re spending over $80 per week on coffee. Not to mention lunch, or the afternoon cup of coffee. So how can you get some of that money back in your pocket? The tips below will show you how to save money on coffee:

1). Expensive Doesn’t Mean Good: In a blind taste test by NYMag food critic Adam PLatt, he ranked 7 cups of coffee, of which Starbucks ranked last! Their coffee is $2.11 vs. $1.79 for Dunkin Donuts. Choosing DD could save you almost $230 per year, that’s if you just have to have coffee when you’re out. The savings are even more dramatic if you’re willing to brew at home. Buying Starbucks beans and brewing them at home can save you upwards of $1200 per year, and over $1000 if you buy beans from Dunkin Donuts. That’s enough for a family vacation to Disney World! Think about that for a minute…

2). Be Creative: If you love Starbucks Frappucino’s for example, opt for an iced latte instead, it’s pretty much the same thing. The trick is to ask for extra syrup. If you’re still feeling creative, buy black coffee and add your own combination of milk, cream, sugar, etc. Or you could ask for a double shot of espresso in a large cup, and then create your own latte by adding your own milk. You may not get the taste right the first time, but it will help you save some money in the long run. Plus, it could be fun to make your own creative combinations at the condiment station.

3). Gift Cards: Gift cards won’t necessarily save you money, but here’s a creative twist. Look for gift cards on Craigslist and Ebay. If you work for a big company, see if they sell discounted gift cards. In most cases, you can probably find unwanted gift cards and discounts. This probably isn’t worth your time if you’re an occasional coffee drinker. But if your coffee habit is burning a hole in your pocket, this tip could save you quite a bit.

4). Re-Use Your Grounds 4 Ways: Used coffee grounds can save you a lot of money around the house. You can use coffee grounds as a natural deodorizer in your fridge or freezer. You can use coffee grounds as a natural fertilizer in your garden or compost heap. The high nitrogen content is very good for the soil. Coffee grounds are also great for keeping neighborhood cats and ants out of your garden. Cats just don’t like the smell, and chemicals in coffee burn ants’ legs. As if that weren’t enough, you can stretch the coffee you drink by simply adding 50% new coffee grinds to your already used coffee grounds. It’s just enough to make it taste fresh, and also stretch the beans. You may want to do this especially if you’re buying expensive coffee. Just try it out and see if you can taste a real difference. You can always tweak the ratio to match your tastes.

photo credit: RyAwesome

6). Spice It Up: Do you like flavored coffee? Why not make your own? Here are some cool things you can add to your coffee grounds: whole cloves, dried blueberries, grated orange peels, lemon peels, cinnamon sticks, toasted walnuts, toasted almonds, cocoa, nutmeg, etc. You can even add the liquid extracts to ground coffee like vanilla.

7). Members Only: If you buy your own coffee beans, consider membership to a coffee club. There are plenty of coffee clubs online. Typically you’ll save money by buying from them rather than buying beans here and there. Just Google “coffee club” and you’ll find tons of coffee-of-the-month clubs to cater to your taste and budget.

8). Natural Energy Fix: Many people just drink coffee for the caffeine boost. If you just drink coffee for the caffeine induced energy fix, consider this; exercising or eating fresh fruit may give you more energy than a cup of coffee. Some studies say that eating an apple produces much more energy than a cup of coffee. Most people don’t eat enough fresh fruits and vegetables anyway, so you can’t go wrong with this. Exercise has many known health benefits, including adding more pep in your step.

photo credit: sally_monster

9).Buy a Coffee Maker: Now this one is near and dear to my heart. Buy a good coffee maker! Buying a high quality coffee maker and consistently using it is the best way to save money on coffee. You’re buying the beans and grinding them at home anyways (you are, aren’t you?) Pod coffee makers are getting really popular, and while they’re great because you don’t have to make an entire pot of coffee (especially if you live alone), the price of constantly buying new coffee pods might start to get a little out of control. Still, they’re a lot cheaper than going to your favorite mega coffee chain.

10). Buy From Big Retailers?: Some large retailers (even ones known for not treating their employees very well) are starting to offer Fair Trade coffee. This is good for coffee farmers because it helps them earn a more decent living wage for their work. But it also helps consumers because this coffee, which is typically more expensive, is more affordable now that it’s on the shelves of major retailers. It’s too early to tell if this will have a lasting and meaningful impact on coffee famers, but it’s a good start. If you can buy fair trade coffee at a slightly cheaper price, why not?

11). Buy a Mug: Using a mug will reduce the urge to buy coffee at overpriced cafes. Having other tools of the trade like a coffee maker and thermos will help you avoid the temptation to go out.

photo credit: JustinLowery.com

12). Froth Your Own Milk: Get a milk frother for $2.00 from Ikea

13). Look for Free Coffee Deals Online: Remember “free coffee Mondays” at McDonald’s? There are tons of free deals like this online. CoffeeNate.com has lots of giveaways too.

14). Wait for a Mistake: This is a goldmine (if you have the patience) … WAIT FOR A MISTAKE… If you hang around long enough, chances are somebody is going to make the wrong drink. When that happens, the drink is made over, and the original drink is usually thrown out… or given away free. All you have to do is keep your eyes and ears open and ask for the “mistake.”

15). Grind your Coffee Fast: Don’t waste your money on coffee that will go stale and lose it’s flavor. Coffee loses lots of its flavor within 20 minutes of being ground.

16). Coffee Ice Cubes: Create coffee ice cubes to throw in your iced latte. That way your drink won’t be watered down.

17). Make Your Own Creamer: Flavored coffee creamers can be expensive. You can make your own at home for a fraction of the cost. You can Google tons of different recipes

Raza Imam of the Coffee Maker store is not affillated with or endorsed by LPL Financial.

photo credit: johanilsemari

Denial.  If you look it up in the dictionary, it means disbelief in the existence or reality of a thing.  When it comes to what my weight had grown to, I was in the strongest case of denial ever.

All through college, it was always my goal to weigh at least 200 pounds (I weighed a whopping 140lbs when I was 16 and didn’t gain that much more going into my senior year). I worked out five days a week and did the protein/creatine thing. I was in great shape.  After I graduated and started my career, the  time I had to work out lessened and I saw myself gaining a little bit of flubber in areas I wasn’t used to.  When I was deployed in 2005, it gave me the chance to resume my college workout schedule, where I was working out twice a day when I could.  I did a combination of free weights and a workout program called CrossFit, which is the staple of my workout program today.  Being a little older, I had gained muscle and weighed 205, which was the most I had weighed, but I was very lean and very content with my body weight and physique.  Returning home, I continued to work out on a pretty frequent basis, but I had justified that as long as I was working out I was entitled to eat what I wanted.

Last August 2009, I had ballooned to 216 pounds and had lost the “leanness” that I had attained while overseas.   I’m not sure exactly what it was, but I finally realized that I needed to change.   Having a family history of heart disease and high blood pressure, it was time to do something.  I made a choice that I was going to lose weight.  It’s funny when you make the choice and commitment to do something and how quickly you can see results. It only took me two months to lose 12 pounds.  As I’ve been committed through the New Year, I’ve been able to not only keep it off, but I lost an additional eight more pounds. I am holding steady at a total net loss of 20 pounds while weighing around 196.  For those of you that are juggling a full-time job and raising a family, here are the tips that helped me.

1. The health shake.

My Health Shake

In a previous post, I had shared with you the health shake that I drink religiously Monday through Friday.  It is my belief that this is the shake that has helped sustain my weight, and although I had ballooned to 216 pounds, I’m confident in had I not had this shake as a stable part of my diet, that 216 would be a compliment compared to what I think I would have grown to.  The shake allows me to get a good a healthy dose of nutrition while on the go, and by drinking half of my shake in the morning and half in the afternoon (just like good old Slimfast), it has helped me to curb my appetite and keep my diet in check.

2. The salad.

I’m one of the rare men of this world that actually enjoys eating salad, but the problem was I didn’t eat enough of it.  I’ve made a conscientious effort to buy salad for home so that I can eat a bowl before dinner to help suppress my appetite.  When I go out for lunch during the week, instead of ordering the reuben or the heavy pasta dish that I found myself leaning towards, I now make it a priority to order some sort of chicken or grilled steak salad.  Am I still hungry later?  Sometimes.   But I can just hold out and drink the second half of my shake to bridge me to my afternoon workout.

3. Portion control.

This is the huge one.  I love white rice! There is no getting around it.  I’ve tried brown rice in the past, and while it is okay, it would never take away my love for white rice.  It is something that I refuse to give up, so to make up for it, I had to keep my portions in check.  It was pretty common of me to fix two uncooked cups of white rice and consume it all for dinner. Talk about a overdose of carbs.  It wasn’t always like that.   Along the way I had allowed my portions get larger and larger.  By limiting the portion of the amount of rice I ate to the fist-sized portion that is usually recommended, it has directly helped me to lose the pounds.

4. Super size me not.

photo credit: iccsports

While I had convinced myself that I was eating halfway decent during the week, I had allowed the weekends to get completely out of control. They say that you should allow yourself a cheat meal a week,  but I had turned my weekend into a completely “cheat weekend”.  And that was a reoccurring event. There were many weekends where I would eat McDonald’s at least once.  But not just #1 with a Diet Coke.  Oh no. I would usually get the Big Mac Value Meal and a 6 piece chicken nugget.  On top of that, I would head to Don Taco, my favorite Mexican joint, and get steak nachos, loaded up will all that cheese, throw on a quesadilla and taco, and call it a day. Not to mention that we usually eat out at least one night, either Friday or Saturday.   As you can tell, I’m not shy about what I can eat.

When I made the choice to not eat McDonald’s or the Don Taco over the weekend, I didn’t eat McDonald’s for over three months.  Other than when I was in Iraq, that was a personal best for me.  When I have ate it since, I”m amazed at how salty it tastes.  By reducing the amount of fast food in my diet, I’m certain this has had a reducing effect to my weight. Since last August, I’ve probably had a “cheat meal” at  McDonald’s a total of seven or eight times (not counting the grilled chicken salads for lunch); which, had it not been for us moving to a new house, would have been a lot less. Nonetheless, that has been the driving force to helping me lose the weight.

5. Working it out.

I consider myself to be an  avid Crossfitter, which is one of the most intense workout programs I’ve ever followed. I started in Iraq  in ’05, and have kept it up ever since.  I  kept up the workouts during the week, usually getting at least three, if not four days in.  I’ve also invested into the P90x workout program, and I make it a tremendous effort to at least get one day on the weekend. All in all, I’m trying to average at least four, if not five days a week. I figure having that extra day, is once again, burning off some extra calories, and helping me keep my belt loop in check.

Are You Like Me?

Are you too suffering from the Big “D” regarding your weight?  If so, what are you waiting for?  It’s time to get off your butt and do something about it.

Tasty Protein Health Shake

Anybody interested in losing weight, feeling better, improving your health and doing so in less than 7 minutes? If so, you may want to read this article. You are probably asking yourself if this is an infomercial and I assure you it is not. This is a self discovery that I made several years ago that I attribute to my exceptional health and well being. First, a little background…..

I became a workout buff right about the age of 19. During college, it was typical for me to frequent the gym 4-5 days per week. I did the protein powders, creatine, vitamins and everything else an obsessive fit person would do. I even ate canned tuna fish mixed with cottage cheese during a low carb phase I was doing. (Ewww. Would never do that again!). But then a little thing happened after college…..LIFE. I became career focused and the gym and “eating right” took a backseat.

I slowly saw my weight start to creep up. I’m not sure what the defining moment was, but I knew I needed to do something. I also knew that it all starts with the diet. But being extremely busy I had to figure out something that I could prepare the night before and would be easy to fit in my unpredictable work day.  Introducing: The Busy Man’s Health Shake.

If you like this post, you may also like: The Cheapest and Simplest Chicken Pasta Recipe You’ve Ever Seen,  The Easiest and Cheapest Shrimp Pasta Recipe You’ll Ever Make.

Ingredients For Health Shake

Partly inspired by the Mean’s Health Power Foods, I wanted to create a shake that would get me plenty of protein, good complex carbs, the “good” fats, and plenty of fiber.  I’m kind of a fiber fanatic because heart problems run in my family.  Here’s a look at the ingredients with a rough calculation of their nutritional value (calories, protein, carbs, fiber) based on the serving portion I use for the shake.

The Magical Ingredients

All in all, we have tasty protein and fiber packed shake that yields the following nutritional value: 780 Calories, 65 grams of protein, 77 grams of carbs, and 18 grams of fiber.  Did I mention that it’s delicious?  As you’ll see below, this will actually make you almost 3 16 oz shakes that you can drink throughout the day.  A quick nutritious fix at work that will prevent you from visiting the nearest vending machine.

Adding The Ingredients

Putting the shake together is rather simple.  Here’s quick rundown on how I add everything to the blender:

You may notice that I add a little more raspberries than the other two.  I primarily do this for two reasons: 1. Raspberries tend to have more of a sweeter taste. 2. They offer a higher fiber content to their berry counterparts.  It’s all about the fiber!

Adding The Ingredients

Time To Blend

Blending it up

Considering you have a lot of frozen fruit in here, you’ll need a good blender with  some horsepower.  I actually went through 3 blenders before finding my old faithful.  I always start on the “Crush Ice” setting to break it down a bit, before I start on the speed cycle.

After The Blend

If you have the proper amount of raspberry, it will have more of a purplish color as seen here.

Ready To Pour

All said and done, you should have two full 16 0z shakes with one about 14 0z or so.  It will vary depending on the amount of milk and berries you add. Typically, I’ll have one shake for breakfast and another around 3 pm or so.  In between, I’ll usually eat a light lunch, a Fiber One bar (yes, more fiber), and an apple.  That will usually get me through the day with plenty of energy and  not let hunger pains interfere.  The third shake varies on when I drink it.  When I workout after work, I’ll usually drink it when I get home.  If not, I’ll drink it as a late night sack. (Just got done drinking it as I finish this post).

Time To Drink and Enjoy!

Okay, I can here the skepticism now.   But Jeff, that takes too long to make and I just don’t have the time.  The most common excuse everybody has, right?  Just for fun, I timed myself making the shake.  I wasn’t trying to break any world records here.  I went at the same leisurely pace I do every time I make it.  As you can you can see, didn’t take long at all.   In the 6 minutes and 21 seconds, I made almost three healthy and delicious quick meals.

Super Fast!

Don’t like the ingredients I use?  No worries.  Experiment.  My wife sometimes likes it when I use pineapple juice and frozen peaches.  You can use orange juice as a filler as well.  The point is to be creative and make a healthy alternative to get you through the day.

Easy Chicken Pasta Recipe

This recent Valentine’s Day I wanted to surprise my wife by cooking a romantic dinner at home.   The last several years we’ve gone out to eat at various restaurants have been disappointed with the quality of the food and the price we had to pay for it.   Seeking ideas I hit the web and found a neat recipe for Chicken Piccata at my buddy JD’s blog Get Rich Slowly.   He had an article entitled Recession Romance and shared some other neat ideas to celebrate V Day without breaking the bank.

When it comes to new recipes, I’m a sucker for any Italian dish, so this recipe was right up my alley.   The one slight change that I implemented was I wanted to make it a pasta dish so I added some thin spaghetti to the mix.   If you’re looking for a new tasty recipe, I encourage you to give it a try. If you’re looking for a tasty shrimp pasta recipe, head over to Gen X Finance for a recipe I shared earlier.  Without further ado, here’s the the step by step instructions as well as an idea on how much it is going to cost.  Time to hit the kitchen to try out this chicken pasta recipe!

Ingredients for Chicken Pasta Recipe

List of Ingredients and Cost of Chicken Pasta

• 4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, halved crosswise to make 8 small block-shaped pieces ($6.57)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• flour, for dredging
• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup chicken stock ($.89) (Preferably homemade chicken stock if you know how to make it)
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2-3 lemons)  ($1.50)
• 1/4 cup jarred capers, drained & rinsed to remove some of the salt
• 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• Thin Spaghetti ($1.39)

Most of the ingredients are already found in our cupboards, hence why I didn’t include those prices.   The only additional purchase was a bagged Caesar Salad that cost $4.49.    With the salad included, the entire dinner cost me $14.84. That’s it!    It’s the cheapest and probably the best V Day meal I’ve ever had.

Chicken Piccata Pasta Directions

Squeezing the lemons

If you’re not a professional lemon squeezer (as I’m not), I suggest you buy a few extra lemons.   Plus, if you’re using my pasta idea, you’ll need some more lemon juice for the sauce.

Preparing The Chicken

Preparing the Chicken

Seasoning the Chicken

Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.   Dip the chicken into the flour to get a decent layer around it.

In large sauté pan, melt 2 Tablespoons of the butter with the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook just until browned, 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate.  At this point in time, you can also start boiling the pasta.   I chose thin spaghetti, but any pasta will do.

Cooking The Chicken

Cooking the Chicken

Add broth, lemon juice and capers to the same pan. Here’s where you could add a bit more lemon juice and broth to make sure you have enough for the sauce for the pasta.  Bring broth to a boil over medium high heat, scraping pan to get all the good crusty bits.  Return chicken to the pan and simmer 5 minutes.

Adding the Juice

Transfer chicken to plates or platter.  Remove pan from heat.   Add remaining 2-4 Tablespoons butter to sauce, whisking to melt.  This is where you want to make sure you have plenty of liquid for the sauce.   Since the original recipe that I got didn’t account for the pasta, I literally used every drop of the sauce from the pan.   Next time I’ll be sure to add the extra butter, oil, stock and lemon juice to make sure I have enough.

Serving The Chicken Piccata Pasta

Serving the Pasta

Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.  That’s it!   It really is as simple as it looks.   It has to be rather simple, because even I pulled it.   Doesn’t it look yummilicious?

Spouse Approval of The Chicken Pasta

Wife's Approval

The other true test was impressing the wife.  Trying new recipes has the same level of excitement as apprehension, especially on Valentine’s Day.   What was the final verdict?   Take a look at the beautiful smile below.   She loved it! Matter of fact, so did I.   I wasn’t sure about the lemon flavor since it’s not in my usual cooking arsenal, but the overall taste was fantastic.  Just doing this post, makes me crave it all over again.

Give it a try and tell me your thoughts.   Nothing like getting some feedback from the readers.

Time to eat chili!

Inviting people over for dinner can be a daunting task. I’ve never been much of a chef, but wanted to impress some of my close friends with something good and fresh. Luckily, while doing my usual stumbles, I came across the award winning stock chili recipe to feed a crowd under $25 on Gen X Finances blog.  Perfect!

Jeremy’s recipe was exactly what the doctor ordered. First, it’s a recipe that has steak in it, so I knew I couldn’t go wrong. Secondly, he had step by step instructions, and in case that wasn’t enough, he had pictorial instructions to boot. The recipe was idiot proof -so that means I had a fighting chance. The first thing I wanted to see if it was really under $25. In the article, Jeremy listed the price of each ingredient and cost. Here’s what my cost came to be.  (My cost is in parentheses)

Cost of Steak Chili Recipe Ingredients

All the chili ingredients

• 2 x 28 oz. Cans of Crushed Tomatoes – 2 x $1.59 = $3.18   (2 x $1.50)
• 28 oz. Can of Brooks Chili Beans – $1.89                            (2 15 oz can @ 1.09)
• Green Bell Pepper – $0.69                                                                 ($0.66)
• Poblano Pepper – 0.26 lb @ $2.49/lb = $0.65          (.19lb @ 3.49 = 0.66)
• Garlic – 0.10 lb @ $2.99/lb = $0.30                                    (.15 @ 2.69 = .40)
• Sweet Onion – 1.21 lb @ $0.88/lb = $1.06                 (1.39 lb @ 1.99 = 2.77)
• 1 lb Roll of Bob Evans Zesty Hot Sausage = $2.50                   ($3.19)
• Round Steak – 2.96 lb @ $3.48/lb = $10.30                             ($10.52)
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Tabasco Sauce
• Liquid Smoke                                                                                              ($1.49)
• Chili Powder
• Ground Cayenne Pepper
• Ground Coriander
• Salt and Pepper
• Cumin

Like Jeremy, I already had all the spices so that was not part of the cost.  If you don’t, that will add on a bit to the total.  Also, I didn’t have the Liquid Smoke, so that added a bit.  Overall, my cost was $25.24; just a hair over the $25 bench mark.  Still not a bad sum to feed a small crowd.  I was attempting to feed 7 people.  Even after a round of seconds, we had plenty of leftovers for the days to come. Trust me, that is a good thing!

Preparation

Cooking the Chili

All in all, the recipe was easy to follow, and it came out great. As stated earlier, I’m not much of a chef, but this was relatively easy for me.  Look above: I’m cooking while I’m on my Blackberry.  Now that takes skill.

One piece of advice: When your mixing the ingredients the night before, consider wearing gloves.  The Liquid Smoke leaves a lasting impression on your hands.  After countless washes with my wife’s fruitful hand soap, the smell still lingered.  Just a little FYI.

For more step by step directions, be sure to visit Gen X Finance’s site.  In addition to great steak chili recipe’s, he has tons of good personal finance and investing information.

Update

I enjoyed the chili so much that I made it again for Christmas Eve dinner so that the in-laws could give it a try.  I tweaked the ingredients a bit and only used 1lb of round steak and 3lbs of hamburger.   I also added a small can of tomato sauce to make it a bit more soupy.  Outcome:  Fabulous! Even better than my first attempt.  The beauty of the recipe is that you can tweak it to your standards.  Go out and by the ingredients today!  The cold weather is coming. Doesn’t chili sound good?

Want some more frugal cooking ideas?  Check out:

• Bible Money Matters: Frugal Cooking
• Million Dollar Journey: Frugal Protein Packed Chili Recipe

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