I’m working on the whole vegan thing. But, I’m SICK as a dog right now, and, OF COURSE, my mom’s attributing my mysterious (NO ONE is sick right now) sickness to my veganism…. But, I PERSEVERE.

In the meantime, a you know, I cook ORGANIC poultry dishes for my monkeys — one of whom is a VERY. PICKY. EATER. So, the fact that she ate THIS dish I made the other night speaks volumes. AND, by the way, the hubs LOVED it….

Check it!

MOROCCAN CHICKEN COUSCOUS

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4):

1/2 cup couscous
1 tbs unsalted butter (optional)
1 tbs olive oil
1 small onion (finely chopped)
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (cut into bite-sized pieces)
2 peaches/nectarines (diced, peeled)
1 garlic clove (minced)
1 tsp cumin
1 pinch of ground coriander
1 handful of sliced almonds (toasted, for added umph)
1 small handful raisins (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place couscous in a heat-safe bowl and pour boiling water over it until it’s just covered.
2. Cover couscous and let stand for 8-10 minutes, or until all the water’s absorbed.
3. Mix in the butter (if using), and fluff up the couscous with a fork.
4. MEANWHILE, heat half the oil in a large skillet and sauté the onion, stirring occasionally until softened.
5. Add the remaining oil, the chicken and the garlic and cook the chicken completely — until it’s cooked through and tender.
6. Add spices and cook for another minute or so.
7. Gently mix in the couscous, peach, almonds and raisins (if using), and heat through — stirring occasionally.

Serve with a gorj green salad, and you’re good to go!

Don’t forget to give thanks for the meal, to the chicken…. And, ENJOY!

Recipe adapted from Wholesome Meals for Babies and Toddlers: Healthy Food Your Kids Will Love to Eat, p. 102.

When my friend Lolo and I lived next door to each other in university, we used to cook this dish all the time. It was called (something like) Ayoscomporo — I have no idea how it’s spelled, but that’s how it sounds. Anyway, we used to pretend we were on a cooking show when we made it. One of us would hold the fake video camera and the other would narrate. You had to be there, but we had the BEST time doing this (maybe it was the extra, umm, herbs we’d sample beforehand…?).

Anyway, I made this dish the other day, and it was a hit with the chicken-hating monkey. So, there you go. Check it!!!

INGREDIENTS

(Serves 2)

1/2 cup brown rice
2 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
veggies
spices, etc.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Take out casserole dish big enough for 2 chicken breasts, etc.

3. Pour rice into the dish.

4. Pour 1 cup water over the rice.

5. Lay chicken breasts on top of the rice.

6. Pile on the veggies. I use frozen veggies because they’re pre-chopped and -washed. THUPER convenient and FAST.

7. Sprinkle with spices and/or breadcrumbs and/or parmesan cheese and/or tomato sauce — the world is your oyster here! Anything goes! The dark stuff in the picture above was a spinach/sun-dried-tomato puree I’d made the day before….

8. Cook covered for 1 hour. (If you want to use bone-in chicken breasts, add 30 mins to cooking time, and take the cover off for the final 15 mins or so.)

Bon Appetit!

As I talked at length about at Cheaty Monkey, I’ve finally realized that, after two pregnancies, I’ve let myself go. AND, I’m making the commitment NOW to put myself back together again — kind of like “Humpty Dumpty,” but the soldiers are hott and Humpty’s 1000x skinnier in the end.

Anyway, I’m using this space, at least today, to figure out what I need to do tomorrow, when I start my new diet FOR REALS.

So, NEW binder is open.

Let’s figure this out together….

Breakfast: LORI’S SHAKE TO GO (totally yum….)

Lunch: Ezekiel bread, Wild salmon (canned), Mayo, veggies.

Snack: STARBUCKS CHAI TEA LATTE Raspberries, Cottage Cheese, Walnuts.

Dinner: 1/2 cup quinoa, 2 eggs, veggies….

Snack: Rye crackers, almond butter, lowfat cheese.

Exercise: Yoga, Dusk Walk.

Ugh, ugh, UGH…. NOT FUN. But, I’ll get used to it…. I’m motivated now. Time to get GORJ!

And, yeah, it’s hard, and PLAIN, and rigorous. But, I have 35 pounds to lose. When those pounds are GONZO, I’ll slowly incorporate more of everything into the diet.

Still thinking about poultry…. I think I need it in my diet — if not because the vegetarian version of this diet is RUTHLESS and because vegetarianism takes mayjah planning to do right. Sigh, will go to ORGANIC butcher for free-range poultry….