He's one Fungi

So, I have this crazy love affair that's been going on since I was a teenager.

Anytime I go out, I try to get him to join me.

I daydream about him while at work.

I think about the next time I can get him close to my mouth.

Sometimes, I have to hide my deep love from my husband so he doesn't get jealous.

Thankfully, my husband doesn't have the same affair with him as I do--in fact, Jake thinks he stinks.

Who's this guy that has captured my heart??

Anyone who's ever ordered a pizza with me, know's it's fungi aka mushrooms.

I LOOOOVE MUSHROOMS!  I love them fried (who doesn't love fried!!), I love them sauteed, I love them on burgers, I love them on top of chicken,  I love them smothered with cheese, and I love that they are on my meal plan.

This is what I've been eating pretty regularly at night:

They are so good!  I swear I could become a vegetarian and substitute Mushrooms for Meat.  SOO GOOD!!  I will say, I don't like them raw--texture is off and they just don't taste the same.

I am hoping to take advice from a co-worker and grill some big, fat Portobello's and stuff them with cheese.  Cheese + Mushrooms = One Happy Lady!  :o)

Something fishy is going on here...

FINALLY!  I'm not sick any more!! I feel like I have been sick for a month--oh that's right--I have been!!

I'm finally feeling almost like my rock-star self, so I figured I better get back on my journey and try something new.  As a reminder, a few weeks ago you, the readers, voted for me to try Brussels Sprouts and Tilapia.  So Brussels Sprouts was a big, fat failure, so I finally got around to eating some Tilapia.

First of all, anyone that says that Tilapia isn't fishy is a little looney.  Fish is a fish and it's fishy.  The end.

But wait!  It's not necessarily a bad thing.

So here's how it went...

Two weeks ago, I actually bought fresh Tilapia at the fish counter.  My friends said just put it in the oven or saute pan and cook with lemon, butter, salt, and pepper.  However, I didn't eat the fish right away and one morning I woke to a smell that wasn't too pleasant (okay, so my house smelled like a bad vagina).  The smell kind of made me not want to try Tilapia and just pretend like I never was going to try it, but....I'm an honest gal and pretty determined to discover new foods that I like.

Last weekend when I was grocery shopping I passed by the fresh fish counter and went to the frozen food section and chose what I was hoping would be a tasty, frozen alternative to fresh fish.  It had spices and the dude on the box seemed friendly--like "Hey, I caught you a nice little fishy just for you!"  So, I figured, what the heck, let's go for it.  The box went in my cart, I checked out, went home and kind of forgot about it.  Then, Wednesday night came and my husband asked me the dreaded question, "What are we having for dinner tomorrow?"  My stomach did a little flip, but I pressed on and answered, "Tilapia" in my most pathetic voice.

Thursday night came and my husband kept me on plan by making the Tilapia.

But right away I knew something was wrong...

The fish was.....

Well--it was square.  Not like kinda square, but like bonafide square.  Hmmm....

Yeah, the box is deceiving!  It looks like a quasi-real fish fillet!  ARGH!  

But we still cooked it and ate it.

What were the results?

Not bad!  Was it the most delicious thing ever?  Not really, but it was decent.  The texture was actually very good--light, tender and moist.  My first bite was surprisingly pleasant--but the after-taste was somewhat off putting.  I ate the whole fillet and I am thoroughly convinced that I liked the fish, but not the coating of spices.  The spice wasn't fresh--that's about the best way to describe it.  Fresh herbs would have probably been a huge improvement.  

I will eat Tilapia again that's for sure--and in all honesty, it made fish seem not so scary.  I will happily try another fish in the future.  However, next time I think I'll pass up the square fish in the rectangular box.  

This and That

It's been a while since I've posted, so I wanted to share a few things about my food journey thus far.

I still need my old standbys.  One of the most important things for me is to keep foods near me that I really like and enjoy while I try to add new foods that may not be as tasty as say Chocolate Cake or Fried Chicken.  Every day at lunch I try to bring a comfort food that I really enjoy.  Lately it's been chili--there's something about the starchy beans that I put in it, with the heat and the crunchy oyster crackers.  It's like a treat, but at the same time it's like Fiber-Dome 2000!!!!  Waiting to try new fruits and veggies at home let's me be myself while I pick at things and debate whether or not I actually want to fork it into my mouth.

Another thing I have learned is that foods that don't smell that appealing can really grow on you.  If I would have told my family members that I would request salad before or after a meal as a "treat" Well......let's just say they would have laughed at my face and probably bet against me.  Even my husband told me today that he was so proud I am eating a full bowl of salad!  Woot!  Granted I haven't ventured very far into Salad-ville, but I am at least on my way.  Not too long ago I was convinced that iceberg lettuce was pretty up there on the nasty scale--probably nearing oatmeal.  But now I enjoy the crunchiness and have really found a great dressing that wakes up my taste buds.

Oh!  And I totally forgot to mention that I tried a teeny, tiny bit of Guacamole at a Mexican restaurant this weekend.  It had red onions mixed in with it (they might actually surpass oatmeal in my list of "omg get that out of my mouth before I scream! foods) so I didn't like it.  It was smooth and creamy and other than the punch of red onion, I didn't get much out of it.  Do you like Guacamole?  Jake said it had to grow on him--do you think he's right?

Here's to Thursday--Tilapia night!  Everyone says that I will like this fish since it's not hard to screw up cooking and it's got a light taste.  I'm looking forward to it, but Jake has problems with the textures of fish.  We'll see how it goes!

Sprouting Up!

Well, tonight was THE night I planned to try the dreaded brussels sprouts.  Actually, I wasn't really dreading them, but as the week went a long, it seemed they were every where I went!!  I couldn't get away from them!

AH!  Invading my plate!

I kept thinking of all the Thanksgiving cooking shows I watched this past year and nearly every single one of them made some delicious version of the sprouts.  I was getting kind of excited that this cabbage cousin might be my new best friend.  So, here's how tonight went...

I chopped up my sprouts into quarters and coated lightly in some olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper.

I cooked some broccoli and cauliflower as Plan B.

I stuck them in the oven for roughly 15 minutes, stirring every so often.  The smell wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either.  They look pretty appetizing!

Oooh, golden goodness.....hopefully!

After all the pieces looked well roasted and had some color on them, I decided it was time for the big bite!  My husband, Jake, actually went first.  I told him to not give me a "Yea" or "Nay" because I wanted to develop my own opinion, but he did tell me it was texturally different than other vegetables he was used to eating.  I was a little leery, but I knew from my experience with cauliflower that a mushy, roasted vegetable didn't bother me so I was hoping it would be similar.

Well, here goes!!

My first bite of Brussels Sprouts

Yeah, so I didn't like them.  And believe it or not, I continued to eat them because I thought for sure my opinion would change.  But....a definitely NO to Brussels Sprouts!  ICK!  It wasn't really the texture that bothered me, although it was different than what I expected, it was the taste.  At first it seemed bland, but as I chewed it became bitter and had an odd after taste.  The layers between the leaves (I guess that is what you would call them) was a little off-putting texturally, but it wasn't the worst thing I've ever had---that's right Oatmeal, you are still the worst texture ever!!!  It just was not delicious whatsoever.  I just so thought they would taste buttery or like a golden nugget in my mouth, but it was more like sticking some bad, limp lettuce in my mouth.  Not something I want to really eat again, but hey--at least I tried!

Next week---Tilapia!!!  I am like 99% sure I will like it because everyone tells me it's a very mild, not-so-fishy fish.  But then again, I convinced myself I would like the sprouts and that didn't go very well at all.   :o(