Here’s the scene. We either eat alone most of the time or the hubby (or roommate, kids, etc.) are gone for the evening and we’re now dining solo. It’s not those dinners in the nice restaurant that get us lost in a sea of unhealthy; it’s those times when I fix a meal for “just me” and no one is watching that I fall into the great abyss of bad food.

Here was a recent evening…My loving husband was out of town. The weather was a typical Midwestern spring evening (39 degrees, gray, raining, icky). At least my favorite design show was on that channel that makes us all want to throw out our furniture and remodel our homes. What to eat? My first instinct was to pop a bag of microwave popcorn. Of course, that would probably lead to chocolate, and then perhaps more popcorn with chocolate on top. There goes the healthy eating plan for today.

But wait! I’m worth more than that. I deserve something better; I DESERVE something fantastic. But…not too complicated. In the refrigerator was a large package of chicken thighs, some kale and a small bag of baby bok choy that I had been meaning to try. Admittedly, my kitchen cupboards have some rather interesting items that get picked up by traveling or from gifting.

The chicken thighs got a brush of Blood Orange olive oil from the Olive Mill in Queen Creek, AZ., and a sprinkling of Ginger Citrus spice blend from Victoria Gourmet. Onto a baking sheet and into the oven for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. There were lots of pieces. Good! Chicken for another day. No fancy oil or seasonings at your house? Just use a good olive oil and some kosher salt, pepper, maybe a little garlic powder, lemon pepper; be creative. Do not start the rest of the meal until the chicken is done. It’s good to let roasted meats rest for 10 or 15 minutes after cooking. Remove the skin before eating.

Chop that kale into little pieces and put it in a small mixing bowl. Get out one of those little custard cups and that wire whisk Santa put in your stocking one year. Put one teaspoon of olive oil and one teaspoon of balsamic vinegar in the cup, add a sprinkling of kosher salt, a grind of fresh pepper and a teaspoon of honey. Whisk it up and pour it over the kale. Use a skinny spatula to get all the dressing. Mix up the salad and put it in a nice salad bowl. Add some almond slivers and some fresh blueberries or sliced strawberries.

Ahh! Baby Bok Choy! It’s my new veggie love. Rinse those babies in cold water, towel dry and cut in half down the middle. I had 6 of them. 4 would have been plenty, but hey, it’s a vegetable! In a non-stick sauté pan, heat one teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat. Mince up some fresh garlic (and a shallot if you have one). When oil is hot, add garlic and shallot. Toss bok choy in pan to coat. Add some kosher salt and pepper. Cook about three minutes, until bok choy gets slightly browned. Cover the pan with a lid and cook about two more minutes, until bok choy starts to get tender. Done!

Get out a pretty dinner plate. Use nice silverware. Find a napkin. Turn on the fireplace, set the channel to your favorite show or movie. Plate one piece of chicken and the bok choy. Pour a glass of wine. Have a lovely evening. You deserve it!

Ah, Julia! Julia Child once said the first meal she had in France was fish, eaten at a simple little cafe, and that it was simply the best fish she had ever eaten. Today, so much of the fish we eat is either fried or falls out of a
box from the freezer section of the grocery. If fish is supposed to be healthy, just what constitutes a healthy fish? OK, Julia, lead me to the good stuff!

Years ago, I was told that to eat healthy fish, it should be baked, so I baked it. Perfectly good pieces of fish went into the oven, and out came dried out, tasteless stuff. The only way to get good fish, it seemed, was to go out to eat in a fancy restaurant that offered walnut encrusted red snapper. The price tag was healthy, too. Aaargh!!!

Remember the movie (and book) “Julie and Julia?” The movie was actually a combination of that book plus the book “My Life In France” by Julia Child. Ms. Child had written “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” to help get American women away from the prepared glop offered in grocery stores and back into the kitchen to cook real food. I bought the book. It’s not really technical, more instructional, and I LEARNED TO COOK FISH!!!

Today, we can go onto the Internet to find Julia Child’s old cooking shows. Take some time to watch how she puts together wonderfully tasty meals with simple, real ingredients in a way we can all understand. If cooking intimidates you or if you feel that good food is complicated, take a look at Julia, relax and get cooking!

If you’d like to learn “hands on” how to cook great, simple fish, join our Finleys’ Kitchen Cooking School on Friday, March 20, 2015 for a couples’ night out. Check out the Cooking School Schedule to register for the class. Hope to see you there!

Let’s get started on this “I can cook great food” journey with a little bit of kitchen instruction. In case you have always wondered, that room that houses those curious items that are cold or hot on the inside, and has lots of storage cabinets is called your kitchen. Wonderful, magical things can happen in that place. It can be a place of joy and relaxation. For every recipe you find at Finleys’ Kitchen, you will see a list of the equipment you will need. Most of the items you may already have, but you may have to invest in a few items to have the right tools to make simple, healthy feasts.

Breakfast IS the most important meal of the day. Start your day off with a cup of coffee and a piece of toast and you are doomed for a 10:30 a.m. disaster. That long, food-less slumber leaves the body hungry for good, nutritious fuel, so why not make it GREAT?

The waffles in your culinary repertoire, to date, may have been one of two choices…frozen “healthy” choices, or a trip to that pancake house that sends you into fat and sugar overload. Well, take a look at the selection below.

This gorgeous waffle will keep you stuffed until lunch! After using several boxed and prepared mixes that had some unpronounceable ingredients, I developed a waffle and pancake mix that is high in fiber and protein, low in fat. Here’s your pantry and shopping list for the ingredients:

whole wheat flour (not white), baking powder, salt, oat bran, low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese, liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters), extra virgin olive oil, no-stick spray, fresh or unsweetened frozen fruit (if using frozen fruit, you will need some cornstarch), fat-free spray whipped topping (like Reddi-Wip Fat Free Dairy Topping)

Here’s your equipment list:

a 7″ round waffle maker (not a Belgian Waffler), measuring cups, measuring spoons, a rubber spatula

Waffle Mix (Make the waffle mix ahead of time and store in a canister with a tight sealing lid.)

3 3/4 cups whole wheat flour

3 Tablespoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup oat bran

Measure all ingredients carefully, leveling measuring cups and spoons. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Transfer to an airtight container for storage.Will make about ten servings.

To make the waffle: Preheat the waffle iron before mixing up the batter recipe below. Read your waffler instructions. Most have a light that goes out when it is hot.

Mix together in a small bowl:

1/2 cup minus 1 Tablespoon waffle mix

1/4 cup liquid egg substitute

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/4 cup water (if the batter is very thick and not very pourable, add a little bit more water, like a teaspoon.

Spray the preheated waffle iron with no-stick spray. Pour the entire waffle batter onto the waffle iron, using a rubber spatula to get all the mix. Close waffler lid. Cook waffle about 3 minutes, or until steam stops escaping from edges of waffle iron and waffle feels “crispy” when you lift the lid and tap it with a fork. Every waffle iron works differently. You will get used to your own iron.

Remove cooked waffle from iron and place it on a dinner plate. Top waffle with 1/2 cup low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese. Top with your favorite fruit or fruit combination. Squirt some fat-free whipped topping on the top, grab a fork and dig in!

Ideas: If using frozen fruit, like blueberries, thaw a serving of berries (about a cup) in the microwave in a microwaveable container or in a pan on the stove over medium heat. When thawed, stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch. Return to microwave or continue heating on the stove, until thick. In the microwave, this could take another 1 to 2 minutes. One the stove, stir constantly over medium heat until thickened.

Don’t like cottage cheese? Try a 6 ounce serving of fat-free flavored yogurt (the 80 calorie per serving kind) or a single-serving container of refrigerated fat-free pudding (like Jell-O)