Filming Done! Edits? Not so much...

So we finished taping the intro and closing for my audition tape Wednesday. It went really well and felt good to include some more movement, scenery and creative aspects. Last night I spent time trying to cut out unnecessary details and get it down to 3 minutes...as of 1130pm last night, I was down to 3 minutes 49 seconds but have a few additional ideas on how to narrow it further. I'm hoping to figure out how to insert a title slide and some pictures of the recipe while I'm talking about it so that it will look as good as it can without professional help. Wish me luck! I'm so excited I can hardly sit still:) Aubry.

1st Practice taping tonight!

Well, tonight Drew and I are going to tape a practice "segment" for my hopeful food network audition tape due by october 1st. On the menu? Baked lamb samosas with indian roasted cauliflower and fresh pineapple:) Recipe to follow...details on our efforts taping as well:)

Exciting Decision:)

I have officially decided to take my passion for healthy cooking that tastes great all the way to Food Network by auditioning for Season 8 of "The Next Food Network Star". I have watched every season so far and believe that I would be an excellent competitor in the wonderfully creative challenges contestants face. I am confident that this is an opportunity I should not pass up and look forward to the possibilities that exist by my taking a step of faith and sending in my audition packet. I already have an assortment of head shots to choose from (thanks to my friend Lisa and her talent for photography) and am working on my "script" for the 3 minute video clip I send in with my audition form. My dad will help me by directing, my husband will be the camera man and my God given talent will be the focus. Looking forward to seeing what He can do through this amazing opportunity. Aubry:)

Eating Healthy is so NOT a bummer!

As I have been working my way through our Women's Summer Bible Study at church called "Made to Crave", I've been thinking about what has motivated my "want to" over the past 14 months on weight watchers. The big thing is my desire to be healthy, to have awesome pregnancies and habits that welcome our babies into this world with a better outlook than if their parents were overweight and unmotivated to be around for them. My want to has been encouraged by my husband who is walking this journey with me one day, one awesome meal at a time. Eating healthfully has become our new normal and the above recipe is just a glimpse of how well we eat all the time! I'm grateful for the bounty we have to create with and for the tastebuds God gifted us with to enjoy it. Food is fuel, but it doesn't have to taste bad and can absolutely bring glory to the only One who deserves our praise!

Heirloom Caprese Salad

Serves: 1, 5 points plus per serving

Ingredients:

2 cups Fresh Spinach or Field Greens per person
Fresh basil leaves, torn.
1 small heirloom tomato per person, sliced
1/2 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced
1 TBSP crispy proscuitto bits
1/2 oz. toasted walnut pieces
Pomegranate balsamic dressing

Instructions:

Layer ingredients in salad bowl, top with dressing. Enjoy!

Herb Inspired Dinner Tonight:)

Drew and I were inspired by our thriving herb garden and homegrown heirloom tomatoes from our friends The Dollingers:) We savored a meal complete with the heirloom tomato salad pictured above; in addition to cheesy herbed popovers and herb crusted boneless porkchops. Healthy, satisfying and ooooh so good! Pictures and recipes for the others to come. Celebrating a 2 pound loss this week with an incredible start to our Made To Crave study at church last week. Encouraged and Excited to get into the actual study piece tomorrow night:)

Chicken Caprese Pizza

Serves 4, 7 points plus per serving)

Ingredients: 6 oz. ball of whole grain pizza dough 6 oz. chicken or turkey sausage, browned and crumbled 1 head of garlic, roasted 1/2 cup bruschetta, my recipe 1 cup reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese 2 TBSP Parmesan Cheese Fresh Basil Leaves Balsamic Glaze

Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut head of garlic in half horizontally, spray non-stick cooking spray and season with salt and pepper - roast at 350 for 45 minutes. Let dough rise briefly in covered bowl on top of oven, roll out to 1/2 inch thick on large pizza stone. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Poke with fork and par-bake for 10-12 minutes. Mash roasted garlic with fork and spread over crust. Add a layer of bruschetta, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Top with crumbled chicken sausage and bake for another 15 minutes or until bubbly and brown. Right before serving, top with fresh basil and drizzle of balsamic glaze. Enjoy!

Dinner Tonight:)

The recipe above resulted from an assortment of wonderful ingredients we had in our fridge, freezer and pantry:) One of my favorite combinations as we approach Summertime is a caprese salad with fresh, ripe tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese. This take on it is great for a weeknight meal when paired with a fresh spinach salad - you'll be all set! Enjoy.

Roasted Provencal Tomato and Goat Cheese Bruschetta

1 point plus per serving, serves 8.

Ingredients:
2 pounds campari tomatoes(small on the vine/cherry tomatoes work best.
4 TBSP herbs de provence (divided)
1 tsp coarse sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 oz soft goat cheese crackers or toasted baguette/focaccia slices for dipping.
Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees convection (375 degrees for non-convection ovens). On a foil lined baking sheet, spray with non-stick cooking spray. Slice tomatoes in halves or thirds, lying cut-side up on baking sheet. Sprinkle evenly with 3 TBSP herbs de provence, salt and pepper. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until tomatoes have wilted and darkened in color. Let cool, can be served warm or cold. For goat cheese, slice 4 oz. log in four pieces, roll in remaining 1 TBSP herbs de provence and serve alongside the roasted tomatoes. Awesome as an appetizer...great on homemade pizza crusts, too! Enjoy:)

Seasonal Produce Is Amazing!!

As the seasons change, so does the bounty of God's fresh, edible creation:)  This week's recipe is one of my favorites and so easy its almost unreal. Using tomatoes which are really starting to hit the markets with better color, flavor (and price:) than their wintertime cousins - go buy some!  While eating this dish, I remember the Mediterranean Cruise Drew and I had the privilege of taking with my sister Shauna and her awesome husband - Shan. The flavors of Provence, a region in France, can be tasted throughout this delightful appetizer that is very figure friendly. Give it a try for your next get together with family and friends. They'll be impressed and only you and I will know just how easy it was to do:)

Chicken Tikki Masala Recipe

• 7 points plus per serving - Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 ½ pounds boneless chicken thighs or breasts
½ cup plain Greek yogurt
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
2 cups chicken stock
¼ cup tomato paste
2 TBSP olive or grape seed oil
1½ tsp salt ½ tsp pepper
 2 TBSP garam masala powder
1 TBSP madras curry powder
Instructions: Mix Greek yogurt with 1 TBSP garam masala, ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper in Large Ziploc bag or bowl. Cut chicken into chunks and toss in yogurt mixture. Let marinate for 3 hours to overnight. Grill chicken inside or outside until cooked through. In a cast-iron pan or stockpot, heat oil on medium high heat. When it ripples, add 1 TBSP curry and 1TBSP garam masala powder, stirring gently to let it toast. Add tomato paste and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium and add coconut milk. Let cook for a few minutes to thicken slightly. Add chicken stock and stir thoroughly, reduce to low and let simmer uncovered until reduced slightly…cover and add chicken back – keeping warm until ready to serve. Garnish with Cilantro and warm naan/flatbread.

It's April and we're on an Indian kick!

Greetings from the deep south by way of the far east!  Drew and I have been having a great time creating some of our favorite Indian flavors at home! From the creamy coconut flavors to slight smokiness of curry and garam masala (an Indian spice blend)...the above recipe is almost as good as the real thing at our favorite Indian restaurant. The only thing we lack is a tandoori oven, which will make us return there from time to time for our date nights:) If you think you don't like Indian food or are afraid to try, please consider branching out and trying this recipe. It's flavorful, not too spicy and very very good. Please feel free to share your thoughts with me...this is a work in progress. Until next time, Aubry:)

Recipe from last week:

Aubry's Turkey Burgers with Caramelized Bacon and Zucchini Fries - 9 points plus

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground turkey

1 1/2 TBSP grill seasoning

Low fat Provolone or Swiss cheese, sliced thinly

Favorite BBQ sauce

whole grain hamburger buns

8 slices turkey bacon

2 TBSP brown sugar

2 TBSP balsamic vinegar

2-3 medium zucchini

3/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt

1/2 TBSP emeril's essence

pinch of salt

whole wheat panko breadcrumbs

For burgers: In large food storage bag, combine turkey meat with grill seasoning. Let flavors combine for 2 hours - overnight in refrigerator. Using your hand, score the meat into "fourths" or use a kitchen scale to weigh out 4, 4oz patties. Round with fingers, leaving a well in bottom of patty so that it won't get to thick as it cooks. Before you start the burgers, lay bacon out in single layer on foil lined baking sheet. Crumble brown sugar over the top, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes or until brown - set aside. Get the zucchini in the oven next. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix the Greek yogurt with 1/2 tbsp emeril's essence and a pinch of salt. Cut ends off of zucchini, leaving peel on - cut into thick sticks, about 3 inches long, 1/2 inch wide. Set aside 1/4 cup yogurt sauce for dipping later, roll the zucchini in yogurt first, then in the panko and place on a "faux fry" baking sheet setup. To do this, take a metal cookie sheet, place a metal cooling rack on top of it and "VOILA" - you have a faux fry pan that will make your baked food so crispy, you'll think its fried! Bake zucchini for 10-15 minutes or until browned. Grill burgers inside or out for 5-7 minutes per side or until brown and cooked through. During last 2 minutes of cooking, top with favorite cheese and let melt. Toast buns if you like, top with barbecue sauce, 2 slices of bacon & veggies if you want them and dinner is served:)

Are you ready to grill?

It is officially Spring in Houston (though it feels more like summer already!) We have planted our herb garden and are ready to begin grilling again...everything from my favorite burgers (this week's top recipe) to yogurt marinated chicken for my latest Indian creation: Tikki Masala. Another awesome recipe for Asian Marinated Skirt steak has been inspiring frequent journeys to the orient; all from our very own Texas kitchen. I'm learning that the balance I need in life does not have to be stagnant or boring - God's imagination in the bounty of ever season's harvest inspires me to use food well to not only feed my husband and I - but to explore relationships with the amazing people He is giving us time with in this season. For those of you beef lovers, give these turkey burgers a shot. They are quite delicious and healthy too:) Get grilling and I'll see y'all again soon:) Aubry.

Welcome to My Kitchen:)

From the eager suggestions of many fabulous facebook friends (and maybe a few skeptics - regarding the possibility to have healthful food that is fun and tasteful:) - I have decided to launch my very own healthy cooking, foodie blog in hopes of encouraging others to enjoy food the way God intended us to: by savoring flavors, using creativity and choosing not to overeat all the while. This has been a process for me, as someone who has been overweight for all of her adult life and committed to starting this journey for the last time on April 13th of 2010.  Life is way too short to eat boring diet foods.  Ingredients are too fabulous and plentiful not to be used well - so here I sit; excited to share my pictures, recipes, adventures with those open to learning along with me (and my fabulous husband who will be contributing to this every step of the way!) Walk with us as we journey together in The Weigh Too Delicious Kitchen. It's going to be so tasty!! Lets get this started:) Aubry.