Sarmada Soup

Anything is good with a martini! So Tonight for dinner, I made a variation of Tony's mother's Christmas dinner recipe. I do not know too many Greeks that make this dish. However, Tony grew up eating it and it is one of his favorites. Her recipe is tedious work because you have to roll ground pork into cabbage leaves and it takes a long time. Well, I somehow sidestepped that phase and came up with a delicious, easy, low cal dinner. It may not be for everyone. I think it may be an acquired taste. (My next door neighbor knocked on the door because he smelled it and thought we had a gas leak. - true story!)   Sorry, no pictures because we ate it so fast I forgot to take any. Plus, it is really not very pretty. Here is the recipe: Boil 1 head of cabbage in about 14 cups of water. Simmer for about an hour until the leaves are tender. Let the cabbage cool. Then, chop a large onion really fine and mix it with one pound of ground pork. Add kosher salt and pepper.  Make them into large meatballs and drop in the boiling water. Chop the cabbage, add a jar of drained sauerkraut (from refrigerated section) and top with paprika. Then, add the juice of two lemons and simmer for about two hours. I realize that it sounds terrible, but not only do we like it, it is almost calorie free. The only fattening part is the pork, and you really only eat about two meatballs. The rest is so filling.

I'm Back!!!!!

Let's see. My last post was in August of 2009. It has been over an entire year since I promised to take this seriously and really start posting. What is wrong with me? I never follow through on things. Well.......never say never. I am going to attempt to blog again. I have a new computer, I'm not working and I am still overweight. (Note original profile. This blog is a weight loss tool) Today is going to be the first day of the rest of my life. I've read many books and magazine articles on weight loss. Most first hand accounts are written by people who have already lost their weight. They always include exactly how much they weighed when they started and continue writing and mentioning each pound that they drop. Well, guess what? I am not going to do that. There is no way that I am going to post my real weight for all of you to read. Let's just say that it is a figure that I am not proud of. Maybe after I lose about ten or fifteen pounds I will divulge the amount that the scale says. Until then, I will again start photo journaling my food.
Wish me luck. Again.

March 5, 2008

Happy 50th birthday, Joanna! Today I lunched in Beverly Hills! We had a birthday celebration at the Ivy Restaurant. Mom, Vicky, Vannie, Patti, Joanna and Nia were all there. I had the chopped salad with turkey and without the egg. It was delicious and quite filling. I also had a delicious glass of Sauvignon Blanc. One forkful of the chocolate cake for luck and I was full.
I wish I had a picture of the salad, but I don't. For dinner I was still full. I skipped dinner all together.

March 4, 2008

Tonight I really didn't plan dinner. Tony was very tired when he came home from work and just wanted to eat a sandwich. I cut up zuchini and mushrooms and baked them with a skinless chicken breast. I put a little non calorie seasoning on top and it came out okay. Tonight I definitely ate to live not lived to eat. At least I had a glass of wine. By the way the election results are in the background on TV.

March 3, 2008

Yesterday was such a huge eating day, I am ready to go back to counting my points. After work, I went to Gelson's and bought plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit to keep myself on track. I also made myself a salad from the salad bar and added 4 marinated shrimp from the deli to round out my dinner. I rushed home to attend my online book club with Oprah when the phone rang. Michele Hovey called and was in need of a friend. I took the opportunity to ditch my first book club meeting and invited her over. We had a really nice evening and I shared my shrimp and salad with her. The way I figure, I ended up eating only 1/2 the points I probably would have and enjoyed myself also.

February 29, 2008

Tonight Jackie came over and we shared some salad and a couple of lamb chops.

March 2, 2008

Breakfast this morning was quite good. Tony, Ted and I went to the coffee shop at Balboa golf course. (Tony's favorite breakfast spot) I had 6 points of food and it was quite good. I ate two poached eggs, 1 slice of wheat toast , and a beautiful cup of fresh fruit. Later today we are going to my cousin John's house for appetizers and then off to a restaurant for dinner. I will try to post pictures and a description later.
Tonight we went to John and Pam Peterson's in Newport Beach. We had drinks and cheese and crackers at their house first, then we went to Mastro's Ocean Club for dinner. Needless to say, it was an eating extravaganza and I failed to count points today. Tomorrow is a new day.