Pan Seared Anything

My favorite thing to make lately is pan seared anything. Mostly because it is super easy, but another reason is I love the flavor! First, I preheat my oven to 450 degrees. I take the meat and lubricate it in Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Then I sprinkle on some salt and pepper. The next part varies depending on the type of meat I am making, but it is completely up to your own personal tastes. There are so many different combinations you could use and lots of other spices as well! Have fun with it!

 

Anyway, the last spice I sprinkle on is always one of McCormick’s Grill Mates Seasonings. I LOVE their spice combinations!! They taste great and they flavor things really well. The Garlic and Onion seasoning is my go to spice for chicken. This is also great to add to the water you cook your potatoes in for mashed potatoes. The potatoes absorb the flavor and you get these really great, subtle garlic-and-onion-flavored mashed potatoes. I love it because then I don’t feel the need to add tons of butter or gravy to my mashed potatoes, so I can keep them as healthy as possible. For steak, I use the Montreal Steak seasoning and for pork I always grab the Barbeque seasoning. I am not usually a big fan of barbeque because it is messy and the flavor is a little overwhelming and detracts from the taste of the meat. However, with this seasoning, I don’t have either one of those problems. If you have used these spices you should definitely check them out, as well as some of the other combinations made by McCormick’s.

 

Anyway, after you season the meat on both sides, you cook it in a preheated skillet on medium high heat. You will have to transfer this skillet to the oven in a minute, so make sure it is an oven compatible. I use a cast iron skillet. Cook the meat for about 2-3 minutes on each side until it is browned and then put the skillet into the preheated oven. I usually cook it for about 10- 15 minutes, turning it over every 5 minutes until the meat is fully cooked.

 

The best part about this is the calories. The only calories added to that of the meat are the 120 from the EVOO and 16 from the pepper. Although, if you use the Montreal Steak Seasoning, add 5 calories as well.

 

Great flavor, easy and low calories. Can’t be any better than that!

 

Gardening, The Healthy Alternative

In an attempt to be healthier, we have planted our very own garden in the backyard. Our garden is cholk-full of fresh vegetables and fruit like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, peas, red potatoes, white potatoes, onions, lettuce, spinach, carrots, tomatoes, corn, green beans, cucumbers, watermelon, and cantaloupe. Our summers are always full of delicious, preservative and chemical free vegetables and fruits. Once you taste them, it is hard to switch back.

We grow a lot more than we can eat in one summer, so a lot of our vegetables get frozen, canned, stored or given away to neighbors and co-workers. We make homemade spaghetti sauces, pickles, canned peaches (which we get from Porters. We aren’t ambitious enough to grow those ourselves) and frozen corn, green beans and peas. Everything else, we eat faster than we can grow it! It has become quite the family project from planting to picking. We grow a lot of our stuff from seed. It is started inside in our grow room/laundry room and then transplanted outside.

When they are done growing, we can pick some lettuce, carrots, tomatoes and spinach, clean it and make a salad for lunch or pick some corn, peas or green beans for dinner.

Not only is it healthier, it is also cheaper. We buy packages of seeds for about $0.99 each and those typically last for about 3 years. We make our own fertilizer and soon we will have a rain bin so we can reuse rainwater instead of having to use it out of the tap. So far this year, we have spent $8, minus the cost of water, and it will feed us for about three months.

I will warn you, in the beginning it is a lot more expensive because you have to build the garden, get gardening tools and, in our case, buy lots and lots of dirt because our yard was full of clay. There are also materials for fertilizers, etc. However, after a couple of years, it is so worth it! Moreover, if you have kids, it is a perfect activity to do as a family that gets everyone up and outside.

If you ever have the chance or the desire to plant your own garden, I suggest you do it. Nothing tastes better than fresh fruits and vegetables!