Secretary of the Interior

It’s that time of year. My family has made it through the final few cookies, polished off the last of the cake, and is ready for a hiatus from sweets for a while.  It’s time to get healthy again and start cooking like real people, not the vacationing, indulgent, chocoholics we’ve been the past few weeks.

Usually when we get to this stage, I start compiling a list from my family members to remember our favorite healthy-ish meal and start incorporating them back into our routine. My kids offered up fajitas as a suggestion.  I make mine with chicken or lean meat, onions, and peppers, marinated in combination of soy/teriyaki and lime juice.  They are put on an indoor grill pan and when finished, topped with salsa and light sour cream.  It can be served as a lettuce wrap for a lighter variation or with a traditional tortilla.  

One of my favorite healthy recipes comes from Todd English, owner of Olives in Boston (along with many other restaurants throughout the country,) and is found in The Olives Table cookbook.  This recipe combines the flavors of dijon mustard, fresh herbs, ginger and garlic to create a healthy chicken dish meant for everyday dinners.  Keep in mind that unless the chicken is pounded thin, you will need extra cooking time from what the recipe indicates.

The dish is best served in the summer when beefsteak tomatoes are a their peak, but I find that Roma or Campari tomatoes work just fine this time of year.  The recipe also calls for fresh bread crumbs.  As a tip, I save the end pieces from bread loaves and store them in my freezer.  Whenever a recipe calls for fresh bread crumbs, I unfreeze them, allow them to come to room temperature and pulverize them.  This way, in my house, no one ever gets stuck with the heel of the bread on a sandwich.  It also helps me achieve my New Year’s resolution not to waste food.

Perhaps I’d be better off breaking that one when it comes to sweets.