Turkey Sausage Ragu

Tonight marks the second time I've made this recipe from the Nov/Dec 2009 issue of Clean Eating Magazine, and when I looked back at the page for the recipe, I noticed that I first made it exactly one month ago, on 10-30-09. Tasty tradition! My substitutions are in parentheses.

Turkey Sausage Ragu

Serves 4 (generously!)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme (1 tsp dried)

8oz spicy Italian turkey sausage, casings discarded (I used 3 links, Jennie-O brand)

1/4 tsp chile flakes (I omitted this)

3 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1/2 cup red wine (Pinot Noir leftover from the weekend)

1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, torn (1 tsp dried)

1 large bunch kale, cleaned and trimmed, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

8oz whole wheat pappardelle, fettucine, or tagliatelle pasta (9oz Trader Joe's brown rice fusilli)

1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, for garnish (omitted)

Parmigiano Reggiano, for garnish (Parmesan)

Instructions:

1. (Set a pot of salted water over medium heat to begin boiling for the pasta while you prep the rest) Add 1Tbsp oil, onion, and thyme to a separate large pot over medium heat. Stir well, cover, and cook until onion is softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent scorching. Uncover pot, add sausage, chile flakes, and garlic. Continue cooking 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Off the heat, deglaze the pan by adding the wine. Return to heat and allow to reduce for 1 minute. Add diced tomatoes, oregano, and kale. Stir well (this was difficult for me at this point, so I didn't really bother), cover, and cook 5 minutes. Remove cover and continue cooking 10 minutes, or until sauce is slightly reduced and thickened. Stir in additional 2Tbsp oil and the balsamic vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. When the sauce is almost finished (when 10min remain), add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions. Drain well and toss with sausage mixture. Serve topped with a drizzle of olive oil (I omitted), a sprinkling of parslely, and freshly grated cheese.

I love this meal. It's very hearty and has an awesome, well-rounded flavor, even without adding salt, pepper, parsley, or the additional oil at the end. Using kale gives it a nice crunch, though you could substitute spinach if kale is not your thing. When I made this last month, my son couldn't get enough--he actually licked the plate--but tonight he didn't want anything to do with it. I think he liked the sauce better last time; I added 1/2 cup leftover tomato puree so it coated the pasta with more of a thick sauce than the recipe made tonight. Either way, The H and I were very happy with how it turned out.

Meal Plan Sunday

Sunday (lunch): Chicken apple sausage salad with goat cheese and toasted walnuts

Sunday (dinner): Shepherd's pie made with ground turkey and topped with tri-colored potatoes

Monday: Turkey sausage ragu with kale from Clean Eating Magazine

Tuesday: Running group's Christmas party; I'm making some gluten-free appetizers and the pumpkin chocolate chip cookies I make every year

Wednesday: Black bean chicken inspired by Branny's Creamchiladas over brown rice or quinoa

Thursday: Leftovers after running (chicken barley stew, lentil soup, pumpkin black bean soup, turkey sausage pasta from Monday... lots of options!)

Friday: Marinated chicken with roasted potatoes and vanilla bean buttercup squash

And that's all I have so far. I'm having fun working this month's co-op goodies (kale, sweet potatoes, apples, squash) into our meals!

Yummy breakfast shake

Today I felt like shaking it up a little and having a protein shake for breakfast. Haven't done that in a while. Rather than just protein powder + milk, I wanted a little more substance. I ended up blending 1/2 frozen banana, 1 tablespoon ground flax seed, 1 cup low-fat milk, and a scoop of chocolate protein powder with 2 ice cubes. It turned out perfectly! Sweet, but not overpowering, cold and creamy with a little bit of oomph from the flax.

Veggielicious

Here's a confession: some days I crave vegetables. The really hearty, filling, warm and steamy, make-your-house-smell-divine roasted kind. Today was one of those days, so that's what I made for dinner tonight to go along with our leftover CrockPot lentil soup. Since co-op pickup was earlier in the week, I had plenty of fresh, local root veggies at my disposal. There was no recipe to follow (by now, you should be used to that from me) but here's the gist of it:

1 large red potato

1 Yukon Gold potato

1 large carrot

1 sweet potato

1/2 red onion

1 small yellow onion

4 cloves garlic (yes, the kitchen was rather pungent...)

Olive oil

White balsamic vinegar

Sea salt, black pepper, dried rosemary, dried thyme

Preheat oven to 450* and spray a roasting pan/jelly-roll pan with olive oil cooking spray. Wash all the veggies and peel the onions. Slice potatoes and onions in half lengthwise, then in fairly even slices so they cook evenly. Cut the carrot on an angle without cutting it in half first. Mince the garlic. Toss all veggies and garlic in a large bowl with a few swirls of olive oil, some salt and pepper, and small amounts of the herbs, to taste. Pour out onto pan. Roast for 20 minutes, stir, and roast another 20 minutes. Add a sprinkling of cheddar (or other cheese) during the last 5-10 minutes if you feel like it. Serve hot.

This was a colorful, tasty addition to our leftover soup (see here for the original recipe; I made it as stated, including adding potatoes and tomatoes).

Will I *ever* learn?

I think I'm in the midst of another carb hangover. Ugh.

Dinner last night, while simply delicious (at a local place that uses local food and turns out heavenly local dishes), I shared a plate of "raw fries" with The H and baby--white potatoes, fried until *just* shy of crispy, then doused with white balsamic vinegar and salt. Lick-the-plate yummy. Then I ordered a grilled cheese sandwich, something I haven't had in ages, because my sister who hates grilled cheese couldn't stop raving about it. Bread + cheese + caramelized onions + other goodies I can't remember. It was good. And THEN (cover your eyes if you know where this is headed, or send me a virtual head-smack) I ORDERED DESSERT. And not fruit-with-granola kind of dessert. The thickest, densest, ooey-gooiest chocolate Mississippi Mud Pie kind of dessert. No, I did not finish it. I hardly at three bites before I gave up and waddled back to the car.

Breakfast today was quick; I didn't feel like making toast or reheating oats (can we say lazy?), so I had some of The H's Trader Joe's Honey Nut Os with half a sliced banana, and coffee with half and half. Morning snack was nonexistent, since we were at church, and then lunch was pumpkin black bean soup. Yummy, and my one saving grace for the day... because my afternoon snack was a piece of sprouted grain toast with more coffee, and my sis (the grilled cheese recommender) had me and baby over for dinner, where we ate pizza (Jiffy crust; she's not gluten-free) and buttery parmesan breadsticks... WITH COFFEE CAKE FOR DESSERT.

Seriously. I need to print this out and tape it over the refrigerator. I feel foggy, tired, droopy, and semi-sick. I just keep drinking water hoping to flush some of this through before I crash into bed. My son is down for the night, and I'm about to follow--yes, at 9:15. Thus ends my weekend carb-loaded eat-a-palooza.

One year ago...

I started taking measurements and doing weekly weigh-ins on November 25, 2008. My son was 5 months old and I was "fluffy" to say the least. My weight was up due to bad eating habits, steroid medication for Crohn's disease, and lackluster running routine. My sister's wedding nearly one month prior left me struggling to fit into a Size L (roughly equivalent to a 12) bridesmaids' dress. But things can change. And I'm so grateful for that!

Thanksgiving 2008

My latest weigh-in showed me at my all-time lowest healthy adult weight: 28 pounds lighter than I was one year ago (thanks to Sparkpeople for keeping track). From November 2008 to June 2009 I lost 6 pounds, and I attribute that to getting off the steroids. Know what helped make up the remaining 22 pound deficit? CLEAN EATING! My eating habits changed for the better this past summer.

My best-fitting pants now are Size 4, and I recently had to buy new underwear (the things you don't think about...) because mine would literally fall off when I'd run. Underneath my Size S pants, no less. Hilarious! I've lost 6 inches off my hips, an inch-and-a-half off my neck, and 6 inches from around my waist. My core has gotten stronger, which helps my running, thanks to some core moves I found online and in Runner's World magazine.

November 2009

My running speed has increased... my 5K time dropped from 40:09 to 27:25 and my energy level is greater than ever. At my last gastroenterologist appointment, my doctor couldn't believe how healthy I was; at that time, all of his Crohn's patients in the past month had been in various states of disease flare-up. I've was able to stop taking one of the medications that I'd been on since elementary school, when I was first diagnosed. What a welcome change!

I'm so thankful that I have been given this body that can do (and overcome) so many things, and I intend to keep it as healthy as I can for as long as possible. Happy Thanksgiving!

Creamy Pumpkin Pasta

Tonight's dinner was inspired by posts like this from Cara's Cravings and this from Proceed With Caution. I made a few substitutions based on what I had in the fridge; my version follows below. While it could have been lower in fat (check the links for how!), I doubt it could have been tastier. The H said it smelled like pumpkin pie, which you may know by now I don't care for. This dish was well-received by nearly* the entire household, however. It was creamy, warm, and very filling, not to mention festively colored. The kale lends a good bite to an otherwise-soft meal. Adding a good dose of fresh ground black pepper at the end helped keep it from being too pie-like.

Creamy Pumpkin Pasta

Makes 4 servings

8 oz short pasta shape (Trader Joe's brown rice fusilli)

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 small onions, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp dried rubbed sage

3 links chicken sausage (Trader Joe's sweet apple chicken sausage)

1/2 cup plain yogurt (Stoneyfield Farm organic whole-milk)

1 cup pumpkin puree (Trader Joe's organic)

1 cup milk

2 Tbsp low-fat Neufchatel cheese (like I said--what I had in the fridge!)

Sea salt

Black pepper

Dash of nutmeg

1 medium bunch kale, tough stalks removed

1. Salt a large pot of water for the pasta and turn it on med-high heat.

2. Lightly steam the kale (I did this in a covered skillet) for several minutes until wilted but not discolored. Meanwhile...

3. Heat olive oil in large skillet over med-low heat. Add the sliced onions and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until softened and lightly browned. Stir in the minced garlic, rubbed sage, and sliced chicken sausage.

4. Cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions (be careful not to overcook or the whole thing will turn out too mushy).

5. In a blender, combine pumpkin, yogurt, cream cheese, and milk. Blend until smooth. Pour into pan with sausage-onion mixture and continue cooking over low heat. Season to taste with sea salt, pepper, and ground nutmeg.

6. Drain the pasta and return it to the cooking pot. Gently stir in the sausage-onion-sauce mixture and the steamed kale; mix well.

We paired this with a semi-dry local(ish) white wine. A drier choice would have been better. As always, I do not claim to be a food photographer. Consider yourself lucky that I chose to post this picture rather than the ones that showed up Crayola-orange.

* My son actually refused to swallow a bite until we let him dip each piece of pasta into his blueberry applesauce first. After dinner he looked like this (and then promptly got a bath):