French Country Meal - Salubrious Sunday #1

Well, I did it. I made a very healthy meal on Sunday and it was really good! (who would've thought? LOL). I got these recipes from a cookbook called The Good Life by Pamela Smith. She titled the meal French Country Meal and the menu included:

Cornish Game Hens (those little suckers are a bit expensive so I won't be doing them very often. I'll have to substitute regular ole chicken)

Marinated Tomatoes

Sauteed Carrots and New Potatoes (new potatoes? why not just call them baby potatoes? every other veggie does!)

I didn't do any step-by-step pictures because there really weren't that many steps. I mean, you chop, combine, marinate and saute. Not much to it. The results are all that matter really. And these results were great! (being simple, didn't hurt either)

Lets deal with the Cornish Hens first. This recipe called for:

2 Cornish hens, halved lengthwise (get out your cooking shears!)

2/3 cup white wine Worcestershire Sauce (its the Worcestershire Sauce for chicken)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary

1 tsp. Mrs. Dash seasoning

1/2 tsp. creole seasoning

Preheat oven to 375'

Remove the skin from the Cornish Hens where possible. Really, its not has hard as it sounds. But, I didn't even attempt to remove the skin from the wings...I mean...really! So not worth it. Place in a small roasting pan and top with remaining ingredients. Let marinade for at least 1 hour.

My Notes: First of all, Worcestershire Sauce has anchovies in it. I'm allergic to fish, therefore I had to use something else. Hmmm...I had JUST made that Balsamic Marinade...No Brainer! The only Mrs. Dash seasoning that I had was lemon pepper. And...I put those little hen halves in a gallon zip lock baggy and poured the remaining ingredients in there. Works way better for marinating.

Place hens in the oven for 45 minutes or until juices run clear. Brush occasionally with marinade in pan.

Serves 4

Per Serving:

Calories 150

Protein 25 gr

Carb. 0 gr

Fat 4 gr.

Cal. from fat 28%

Chol. 74 mg.

Sodium 202 mg.

So far so good. Simple too :)

Now for the Marinated Tomatoes:

4 tomatoes

1/2 cup Balsamic Marinade

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

1 tsp. back pepper

1/2 tsp. creole seasoning

Slice each tomato into 5 - 7 slices and marinate in Balsamic Marinade for up to 1 hour. Sprinkle with basil, pepper and creole seasoning.

Serves 4

Per Serving:

Calories 34

Protein 1 gr.

Carb. 5 gr.

Fat 1 gr.

Cal. from fat 26%

Chol. 0 mg.

Sodium 168 mg.

So simple and bursting with flavor!!!

Last but not least the Sauteed Carrots and "New" Potatoes

1 lb. small red potatoes, quartered

1 tsp. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup baby carrots

1/2 tsp. Mrs. Dash seasoning

1/2 tsp. creole seasoning

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh herbs (cilantro, basil, rosemary, thyme)

1/4 cup chicken stock (fat free / low salt)

1/2 lb. sugar snap peas

Place the potatoes in a microwavable dish with 1/4 cup water. Microwave on high for 4 minutes; drain.

Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray, then add olive oil. (two things that bug me about that; 1. I don't own a nonstick skillet. It really bugs me when thats part of the directions. I have cast iron and stainless steel. whateeeeeeverrrrrr and whats the purpose of the spray AND olive oil? strange). Heat. Add garlic to pan; saute for just a few seconds. Add potatoes, carrots, sugar snap peas, herbs and seasoning. Saute for 5 minutes, adding chicken stock as needed. (now here the directions say to add the sugar snap peas if using defrosted frozen ones). Saute until crisp tender.

Serves 4

Per Serving:

Calories 117

Protein 4 gr.

Carb. 23 gr.

Fat 1.5 gr.

Cal. from fat 11%

Chol. 0 mg.

Sodium 167 mg.

Thats it! All done! Great color, great flavor! Now I don't completely know what level of sodium and carbs everything should be in order to be considered healthy. I'll learn as I go and pick up on stuff along the way I'm sure.

Oh ya...one more thing (sorry, couldn't resist!). But I had some Pomegranate / Cranberry frozen juice in the fridge and I made myself a nice little cocktail with it. Ya ya, I totally blew the whole healthy thing but look at it this way....at least something was healthy. It could've been worse. I could've made some really fattening dinner loaded with butter and cheese and still had the cocktail.

What did I make? Well...let me tell you!! Its a new version of my Gringo Margarita and to be honest with you, I like it better with the Pom/Cran juice instead of the limeade!

12 oz can of Pom / Cran frozen juice

12 oz can of Coors Light (see? at least the beer was light!! LOL)

12 oz tequila (clear)

12 oz ginger ale

CHEERS!