Day after LA Marathon Dinner for Mister AC at Chez Calasanz

Mister AC ran the LA Marathon
on Sunday for his 40th Birthday

We followed up his run with wonderful friends
and his favorite treats of pizza and chips and other goodies.
So on Monday, I decided to cook him up something healthy, and nutritious.
This meal is packed with protein, fiber, and nutrient rich goodies.

Sauteed Super-Garlicky Shrimp and Shallots

Mister AC loves pasta
All kinds of pasta.
Any shape, size, hot, cold, with sauce, without sauce...he loves pasta!
He also likes spinach (lightly steamed and chopped), and cheese (little mozzarella balls), so I decided to toss them all together with roasted baby tomatoes (in the oven at 350 with just salt and pepper till they looked good to me), shallots (raw and diced), white kidney beans (canned, thoroughly rinsed), sage (fresh coarse shopped), a hint of olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper.
The combo made an excellent pasta salad that was both nutritious and delicious.
Had to throw in a side o Green Beans for color and texture.

Served with love
and a bottle of Prosecco from our dear friend Jessica S
(Thanks Jessica S for the Bubbly!)
A wonderful home cooked meal for my wonderful man.
Cheers!
: )
3.21.11

Pre Marathon Carb Loading Meals

Andrew will be running the Malibu Marathon

on Sunday 11/14/2010

I'm only doing the 1/2

so I'm not too concerned with the Carb-Loading

I'm just gonna keep eating good, clean meals,

keeping tabs on my hydration, and making sure I get a bit more rest

so I don't feel as wrecked as I did 2 weeks ago when I did

The Los Angeles Rock n Roll 1/2 Marathon

Andrew loves pasta

in any shape, form, and preparation

 

So I decided to make him one of the dishes that my Grandma would make

for my brother when he was in junior high/high school

and participating in every sport that fit into his schedule

Marathon Men and teenage boys have 2 things in common

A never ending appetite

and a never ending pile of sweaty clothes and socks

Luckily

I only have the never ending pile of sweaty clothes and socks

in common with them.

The greatest thing about this dish

is that it's inexpensive

and can be made with wonderful ingredients

to ensure the best of both worlds

Nutritional Value and Flavor

As always

start with fresh, high quality ingredients

In the cast iron skillet

fresh red and green bell peppers; fresh yellow onions; fresh green onions, fresh garlic, fresh shallots, fresh sage, fresh, oregano, some cumin, salt, and pepper.

Add

The House Burger Blend from McCall's

to the veggies once they are almost beyond al dente

Add

2 cans of tomato paste, and some more herbs and seasoning to taste

Mix

with some enriched elbow macaroni

and you've got yourself a whole heck of a lot of

delicious carb-loading goodness

that tastes even better the next day

*******

Here's another Excellent way to carb load

while still incorporating fresh ingredients

that also ensures some nutritional value and comfort-factor flavor

Tuna Casserole

White Trash Done Right

Along with the usual suspects (white trash ingredients),

I use fresh, chopped spinach, fresh mushrooms, peas

and freshly grated Parmesan

I'm sure you know the drill

Mix ingredients, stick in Pyrex Dish, Bake,

Serve

Eat

Not exactly photogenic

but it sure does taste good

and it's pretty inexpensive

and, a little goes a long way.

I would love to hear about your favorite

Carb-Loading Meals.

Wishing You a Happy and Healthy Day!

Melissa Adylia Gutierrez

Owner/Personal Trainer

Controlled Burn Fitness

How to Make Chicken Soup Even Better...

Poach an egg in it and serve it over crisped toast

Dont forget to rub the bread with a little bit of butter and garlic
and make it extra crispy

Makes the perfect "Breakfast of Champions", mid day snack, lunch, or if you're like me, dinner!

I love eggs for dinner!

What are your favorite random snacks that you think work great no matter what time of day or night?

Chicken Soup

What to do with the bones after baking

Chicken with tons of garlic and onions?

Make chicken stock for the most wonderfully rich Chicken Soup

Just put the bones in a pot with a bunch of onions, celery, garlic, salt and pepper.

Let simmer till the water is barely covering the goodies.

Strain

Discard the limp veggies

Add fresh chopped yellow onions, whole cloves of garlic, celery, carrots, and chicken breasts

Add more water to cover all the goodies

 Simmer till you're happy with it

Add a bottle of wine from Anne's Boutique Wines

and you've got a perfect meal for a rainy evening

Nothing more to say except that it tasted even better today!

Stay tuned to see what we did with it tonight!

Please share what you think makes an amazing chicken soup.

: )

Garlic Chicken, Carmelized Onions, Fresh Vegetable Pasta, and Ghetto Garlic Bread

Amazingly Easy Sunday Dinner
with lots of garlic and onions

5 Bulbs of Garlic, 5 Yellow Onions, 3 Carrots, 4 Stalks of Celery,

and some Rosemary from the Garden
That's pretty much all I had in my vegetable drawers and bowls so I decided to put them to work

Had a 1/2 of stick of butter so why not chop up 3 cloves of garlic,
mix it with the butter, then spread it on the chicken
Got the chicken at 99Ranch for $0.69 a pound for their
Anaheim Location Anniversary Celebration

I'm a little frightened to think of where it came from and how it was raised

but wow was it fresh and delicious

Couldn't figure which was a better view

Mmm, baking at 350 degrees and getting crispy

Done
and ready for eating

Gotta have the freshly grated Parmesan for the pasta
there is no better tool than the Microplane-Everyone should have one!

Plating it Up!

Hey, Chicken, the caramelized onions are waiting to meet you at the table

along with the "Ghetto Gourmet" garlic bread

Dinner is Served
How many bottles do two people need for one simple dinner

As you can see, there is work looming in the background
Mondays usually begin at the studio at 6am, that means I have to get on the road by 4:30am to drive from Anaheim to Glendale-had to get their programs finished and printed for the early morning

But work would not keep me from enjoying a wonderful meal
Fuel the Body. Fuel the Mind

Notice the addition of the caramelized onions?
They were amazing! 

Looks like Mister Andrew C enjoyed the meal too
What better way to finish off a great meal
than with some Nutella and Pan DeLeche!

I chose to skip dessert...I prefer savory snacks for dessert and sweets at breakfast time

Here's lunch for tomorrow!

I'll post the pasta dish at a later time.

It's filled with tons of fresh mushrooms, carrots, spinach, roasted tomatoes, onions, and garlic!

Mmmmm,
this dinner made it possible to make 3 completely different meals.
Stay tuned
: )

You Get What You Give

New Post on the

Controlled Burn Fitness Blog

"Give your body tragic looking crap your body will deliver the same..."

Warning, this is more of a rant/scolding than an article, but I am certain many of you can relate
Read More

Your comments are encouraged

Thanks for Reading

-Melissa Adylia Gutierrez

Owner/Personal Trainer

Controlled Burn Fitness

The typing behind Disciplined Indulgence

Kelly, Thanks for the Champagne! : )

There is something about Champagne and something spicy

that makes an ordinary evening something special.

Andrew and I received a beautiful bottle Champagne

from my dear friend and client Kelly

(owner of The Pilates Body)

in honor of our recent engagement.

I'm a sucker for Champagne

and I cannot resist making some of Andrew's Favorites for dinner.

On this evening I asked if he wanted spicy shrimp with noodles or rice, his answer:

Yes

Instead of making him choose

I made both

with lots of crunchy fresh cabbage, onions, and carrots, along with some steamed peas.

Topped with Spicy shrimp

with red chili flakes, onions, garlic, and shallots

Don't forget, the blog does say:

"Taking Terrible Pictures of Beautiful Food While Living a Happy, Healthy, and Balanced Life."

Bring on the Bubbly!

The Table is set

(and 19 pomegranates mock me)

: /

Please excuse the mess

It was a week night  and I still had several programs to type up for clients

Mmmm, the hot noodles topped with fresh goodies

The noodles next to the rice topped with the shrimp

Thanks Kelly!

Cheers!

: )

Happy Wine for a Happy Dinner

Friday, September 30th

Happy Wine from a Happy Friend to Celebrate a Happy Engagement Enjoyed with a Happy "Dinner and A Movie Night at Chez Calasanz"

On Thursday, September 30th, 2010, the wonderful gang from

A Runners Circle

threw a little party after the Thursday night Fun Run for the two of us in celebration of our recent Engagement.

Notice the devilish gal in the background?

That's Tricia. 

She's a hoot! The Hostess with the most-est! And she is the one who inspired our Friday dinner by sending us home with two bottles of wine that evening.

Feel free to check out more pics from the night at A Runners Circle.

Started making dressing for the salads.

I use avocados as the base for my dressing.

They are an excellent way to get your good fats, fiber,

and delicious flavor to stick to your lettuces.

And yes, I freshly grind my pepper for all of our meals.

Chopping some radicchio, purple cabbage, and radishes. 

 Add as much natural color to a salad (or any meal for that matter) to ensure that you are getting a variety of flavors, textures, and nutrients.

Plus, all those colors make any meal look pretty snazzy.

: )

See

Notice the 5 Favorite Ingredients in the background?

: )

I could look at this colorful salad all day.

What do you love to put in your salads?

 I wasn't joking about the "Happy Wine"

How can you not smile with a bottle smiling back at you

and a table full of colorful goodness

 

: )

The Menu

Spicy Garlic/Ginger Shrimp over Jade Pearl Rice and Steamed Spinach

Served with Baby Romain lettuce salad with fresh carrots, cabbage, radish, tomatoes, radicchio, and avocado dressing

Andrew is in charge of all the heavy lifting in our house

The glass on the left is filled with Barley Tea

The one on the right is the Happy Wine

: )

 Thanks Andrew, for filling my glass...

 ...and for the nice view across the table

: )

Such class

We took the wine to watch the movie along with some pop corn.

The wine worked well to cut the heat of the spicy shrimp and did a fine job with the saltiness of the pop corn

Thanks Tricia!

: )

Ghetto Gourmet Ramen Night

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010

 Rockin' the Ramen in a Healthy Way!

As I've stated before,

We are on a budget. A tight budget!

When I hear people say

"it's too expensive to eat healthy"

I want to smack them with their 5cent package of ramen!

This meal is absolute proof that cheap doesn't have to be tacky,

unappetizing or unhealthy.

Check the pics from this evening in my Facebook album

for tags of all the ingredients.

Setting the table with all the goodies that will be dressing up the

"ghetto gourmet" meal that is "6 packs for a dollar-everybody holla"

Ramen

 Mmmm, Shrimp...I love shrimp in my ramen.

 Shrimp, meet all the other goodies that you'll be swimming with in my ramen.

Oooh, y'all look good together...but I think we'll need a little something more to dress things up.

 Ahhh, Bubbly...waiting in the wings.

You sure know how to dress up and evening.

 You have to admit, that even blurry, it still looks pretty darned good.

But it's still missing something.

SHRIMP!

 : )

Such a great meal with a splurge of $17

for the Tasmanzian Bubbly from Anne's Boutique Wines in Costa Mesa.

It was an excellent and refreshing bubbly that had just the perfect amount of crisp and hint of sweet to off set the super hot heat of the random red pepper from our garden that pretty much blistered my lips

and left me drooling for about a half an hour.

So, whatya think?

Super pretty, pretty healthy, absolutely delicious and super cheap!

And plenty of room for dessert.

SUGAR BOMBS! 

 These little critters

were the very first thing we ever made in my 7th grade Home-Ec class.

Hadn't thought of them in ages and decided to make the when Mister AC and I first began dating.

Well, the dessert isn't exactly healthy, but Mister AC loves them.

Now, go dress up some ramen, and leave room for dessert!

: )



Budget's Tight but the Meal's Alright! Dinner and a Movie at "Chez Calasanz" September 11th, 2010

We have plans. Lots of plans.

We will both be running the Napa Marathon in March 2011. Andrew will be doing the Boston Marathon in 2011 and he wants to take me with him.  We want to do the Tokyo Marathon. AND the Paris Marathon. We will do the Montana De Oro Ultra in February 2011, and who knows how many other adventures.

These plans cost money!

Here's Our 401K plan

We've each got one our nightstands

I know how to live on a tight budget without having to sacrifice a good meal.

Mister Andrew Calasanz is getting to reap the benefits of my frugality and my love for cooking healthy, inexpensive, beautiful meals.

I had to learn to make and save money between gigs during my years as a professional dancer. 

I held many jobs.

Some of my favorite jobs revolved around the food and wine industry.

I've worked as a caterer; a catering assistant; food stylist with some of the most amazing LA Chefs who were having their food photographed for events and reviews; a bartender; personal chef; and I was also a Salaried Kayak Instructor/Guide in charge of the Food and Wine Pairings for our Sunset Paddles.

These jobs helped me learn how to prepare healthy, beautiful food on a tight budget, in some of the most random conditions.

Have you ever tried to prepare a meal for 12 guests while in a kayak in the middle of a turbulent lake?

Well, I have.

Since we want to save money,  really enjoy great food and wine, and I love to cook, I've promised to keep our daily food budget to $40 per week.

The $40 includes food for the two of us for our breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and dinners.

Yes, it can be done, and it's even cheaper when you eat the way we do...healthy.

Our dinner and movie nights are our little splurge since popped corn and bubbly is not covered in the budget nor is the movie rental.

Thank goodness for Redbox!

Here's our 1st  of many "Dinner and a Movie Night at Chez Calasanz"

Fixing the "Fixings" for Dinner & Movie Night at Chez Clasanz

: )

Prepping the Salad

Heirloom tomatoes, basil, buffalo mozzarella bocconcini on butter lettuces and raddicio

So simple, so pretty, so tasty.

Slicing cucumbers for the meal and sliced plouts for dessert

Fresh fruit not only looks good and tastes good, it's good for you and inexpensive

The Complete Meal

Baked Halibut with spinach, garlic, ginger, green onions, shallots, and citrus.

Served over Jade Pearled Rice.
Served with Heirloom tomatoes, basil, and buffalo mozzarella bocanccini on butter lettuces and raddicio, and Chopped Cucumbers

Every table needs fresh fruit

Every meal becomes a celebration with bubbly!

One of my favorite views in life is looking across our dining table to see Mister Andrew Calasanz enjoying a meal that I prepared for us in our kitchen.

A colorful salad with fresh ingredients can stand alone, looks impressive, but wont break the bank..

Uh, I guess I ate it all...

That smile is why I love to cook

Andrew getting set to attack his 2nd plate.

Plates prepped for our dinners the next day, along with lunches packed in containers

What's in your fridge?

Movie Time!

Nothing's better than watching a movie in your PJs, except doing it with bubbly, popcorn, and a fine date!

Bubbly is even more enjoyable when you know you don't have to drive home.

 Bubbly with a Calvados Night Cap

Menu Price Breakdown

Fish: $12

This got us enough fish for our meal on that night (including Andrews 2nds) and 3 extra meals. 

(if you choose to go to 99 Ranch Market, you can get the same amount for about $7)

Veggies & Fruit $14

from Growers Direct, including Heirloom Tomatos and Pluots that lasts us 4 days for all meals.

Rice: $1.50

I buy my Jade Pearled Rice in Bulk from Whole Foods. This happens to be a pretty pricy rice, but way worth it. This batch was on sale and I bought a ton. It came down to about $1.50 for this meal with leftovers for 2 meals the next day.

SPLURGES

Popped Corn: $2.99

Pack of 8 at Target

Bottle of Bubbly

$42

TOTAL:

$72.42 which includes our date night treats and food for the week for 2 people!

 We saved a lot of money staying in for our dinner and a movie.

Eat healthy! Save Money!