What’s For Dinner?

by

I can’t believe I’m writing a post for MizFit.com… I’m seriously in awe here.

Oh, by the way, I’m Mara, the owner of the blog “What’s For Dinner?”

I started the blog in October after a few friends suggested I should start writing about what I’m cooking, and it’s just taken off from there!

So a little rewind: I was brought up in a household where cooking and food was very important. Not just “eating”, but learning to appreciate one’s food, how it was made, where it came from. Some of my earliest memories are in our kitchen, helping my mom cook (usually peeling onions), and waiting for the house to start smelling good. Things like chicken soup and roasted chicken are still immediate nostalgia for me…

When I got to college and I couldn’t cook for myself in my 1-quart hot-pot beyond ramen and macaroni and cheese, I discovered the wonder that was PIZZA DELIVERY and fast food. I’d never eaten mass quantities of junk before, just the occasional treat, and they were 90% homemade when I did indulge. College though? Fried things, actually, baskets of fried things with creamy sauces, pizza, pasta, did I mention fried things? Next thing I knew, I was entering my senior year almost 60 pounds heavier than 4 years before. I went to the doctor, got some pills, got a quick fix… then stopped taking the pills and gained all the weight back.

Fast forward to 2006: I’d met and fallen head-over-heels in love with Adam (my now fiancé), discovered the wide world of Chicago delivery, and had ballooned up to 265 lbs, which was HUGE on my 5’4″ frame. Even my feet were fat. I wore a size 10W shoe! I was stopping at McDonalds for a super value meal after work almost every day, then ordering a stuffed pizza or Italian Beef for dinner. I cut out some junk, and lost about 15 lbs on my own, then I made the decision to join Weight Watchers after a 3x shirt from Old Navy didn’t fit over my shoulders. Just cutting the crap out of my diet allowed me to quickly drop 20 lbs. The weight slowly kept coming off, and as of now, I’ve lost almost 50 lbs. Now, I just need to find that magic exercise that I don’t loathe doing so I can get the OTHER 50 lbs. off!

The cooking was spawned by necessity. I couldn’t get healthy enough options out, so I had to make them myself. Since I have a cooking blog, I thought I should share a recipe with you all, one of my favorites, and a total “nostalgic mom recipe”:
CLASSIC ROAST CHICKEN WITH GARLIC POTATOES!

ROAST CHICKEN
1, 3-4 lb. roasting chicken
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 lemon, halved
1 onion, quartered
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
pinch of thyme (dried)
2 Tbsp. Kitchen Bouquet

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 400*F. Wash the chicken inside and out. Place onion and lemon inside the cavity, and loosely tie the legs of the chicken together with cotton string. Drizzle the olive oil, garlic powder, seasoned salt, and thyme on the outside of the chicken. Place the chicken in a roasting pan (on a rack if you want) and cook on 400* for about 20 minutes. Lower the temp to 350* and cook until done, about 40 minutes. Allow to sit at least 10 minutes before carving

GARLIC POTATOES

4-5 red potatoes, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces
Olive oil to coat all potato pieces
2 Tbsp. (more or less) garlic powder
2 Tbsp. (more or less) dried oregano

Put the potatoes into a large baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil to lightly coat the potatoes, then sprinkle on the spices. Toss to coat. Put in the oven at 350* (conveniently the same temp as the chicken!!!) and stir every 15 minutes until well-browned and done, about an hour.

Thanks for reading my ramblings, Bumbling Band, and thanks MizFit for being so fabulous and letting me write a post for you!

(Back ‘atcha Mara. I know I say it all the time, People, but I love her blog. To visit Mara is to love Mara and I *so* love me some Mara.)

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Comments

  2. OMG, how have I not seen your blog before? This is totally my cuppa tea (er, my sizzling hot Pyrex dish of yummy roast potatoes). Huge congrats on shedding the 50. Your post reminds me of my college days with Easy Mac and Jimmy John’s right next door. It is far too easy to eat crap food (i.e. takeout… mm, but that Chicago pizza is oh so tempting!). But you remind us that the solution is as simple as the problem: “cut the crap” as you say. Now if only the execution was so easy! Ah but what’s life without a good challenge?

    I don’t eat chicken, but I looove potatoes and have started using them regularly as a compliment to my scrambled tofu. This recipe looks great … ooh, I want to invite all my friends over for a veggie roast now.

  4. Hiya

    Good for you!
    I’ve found changing my diet from fast foods (and too many chocolates and cookies) to eating so-called healthier food to be just, well I have to say healthier and tastier.
    I’ve more energy, better sleep, feel generally better.

    I eat more fruit, muesli, whole grains, nuts and seeds even vegetables. Eating steamed food is a joy!

    Thanks
    Jens

  5. Great recipes – thanks for sharing!

    To lighten things up a wee bit more, there’s no need to drizzle olive oil on the chicken – it doesn’t need it. And for a variation? Try spreading it with a tiny amount of prepared mustard! It’s amazing how it enhances the flavour of poultry without adding calories.
    I do that to my roasted turkeys all the time.

  6. How funny – I was just thinking last night that I really need to try roasting chicken myself instead of buying it pre-roasted. And voila! Here we go!

    I think I know what I’m eating one night next week!

  7. There really is something special about sharing a roast with my family. My Mum LOVES it, especially when we insist on her famous gravy.

    Wooo Hoooo Mara on your weight loss success, what an inspiration!

  8. and most amazing to me is how Mara pulls out really really good posts DAY IN AND DAY OUT.

    *bows in kitchenfoodieawe*

  10. How many does it serve?

    Would turkey be the same cooking time?

    What other veggies would complement the food?

    This is the first recipe I’ve seen where I’ve thought “I can make that”, but I don’t want to invite people over if it only server 1-2ish, and don’t want to cook it for just BK and I if it serves 3-4+, unless someone wants to tell me how to make chicken soup from the leftovers. (Total beginner here).

  11. Great guest post, and what a classic recipe!

    I’ve been getting lazy and buying rotisserie chickens at the store, which they pump full of all kinds of stuff now (sodium, sugar, and who knows what else). Time to go back to roasting my own, and I’d kinda forgotten how!

  13. Yeah, Chicago did a number on me with their pizza and hot dog lifestyle, but moving south and paying attention solved it. Good for you, Mara!

  15. Thanks for all your comments!!!
    Bag Lady: part of the reason I put the olive oil on the skin is because its the way my mom did it. I don’t always! I make a “mustard chicken” thats similar to your idea!
    Tricia2: It all depends on the size of the chicken. A larger one would obviously serve more people! I tend to get 3-4 lb. chickens and its a hefty 3 servings.

  16. What an inspiring story! Thanks for sharing it with us Mara (and for the recipes!). I can’t wait to see what you do next because with an attitude as good as yours, I see only succeses:)

  17. Wow, just the kind of recipe I need! I think I could actually make this without my fiance calling the fire department 🙂

    Congrats on the weight loss so far and keep on searching for that workout that will keep you moving down the scale. I just checked out your blog and I love it. I’ll be visiting it again soon!

  18. What a great story. Inspiring! Yay you!

    Man, last time I roasted a whole chicken it came out bland. My friend told me to drench it in herbs and just when I think I’m done, add some more. I put a whole cut lemon inside. Celery. It was blah. Maybe I didn’t put enough! Guess it is time to try it again!

  19. I am loving the sound of this reciepe. I will try the chicken out next week. But I am so taking the potatoes as side dish to the family’s Easter dinner.

  20. What a great guest post. And I was planning roast chicken this weekend. So this recipe came just in time.

  21. Oh I must have those garlic spuds. Now. I use olive oil on chicken and quite like it. Thanks for this recipe. I must add your blog to my daily reading.

  23. Oh my god, that sounds FANTASTIC! YAY! Thanks, Mara! I’ll definitely head over and take a peek at your blog! Hee!

  24. Great basic roasted chicken recipe.

    Bag Lady, you often need the drizzle of oil to make the spices stick and the flavors melt into the meat. If you don’t eat the skin, it’s all good.

    tricia2, You cook poultry for 20/# so a turkey would take a lot longer -but serve 10-12 people.

    A 4# roasting chicken will serve 4-6 people. Four for me: 2 breast servings and 2 leg servings. (get your hand off my chicken leg!)

    Mara, I add paprika to my spices because it just makes the skin look so damn pretty!

  26. That is how I usually bake my chicken. But the potatoes sound fantastic, and definitely worthy! Can you say Easter dinner?!

  27. Mara, I so enjoyed your post and checked out your great blog! I’ll be visiting often…

    Good, healthy food is so important to our overall well being. I just love all the memories certain foods bring back… I haven’t made a whole chicken and potatoes in a LONG time; just thinking of it brings back so many happy memories!

  29. Mara, thank you for your story (very inspiring) and the recipe. I love roasted chicken. And I’m also looking for a new way to make it. Thank you!!!

    Thank you, Carla, too, for featuring Mara. 🙂

  31. Thank you for sharing your story and your recipe!!

    Roasted Chicken is one of my favorite smells as well!!

    Find something you love to do! Try tennis or rollerblading or basketball!! Get moving and you will totally drop the last 50 pounds!! I have found that I really enjoy Leslie Sansone’s Walk Away the Pounds!!

    Mara, you can totally do it!! I will be following you blog as well … I love cooking and recipes and I am totally looking forward to finding some new recipes to share with my family!!

    Good Luck and Thank you!!!

  32. I almost forgot to comment because I linked over to Mara’s blog and then just sort of kept reading…and reading…and reading… 🙂

    I make potatoes kinda like that– but have never added the oregano. Mmmm…looking forward to that extra flavor.

  33. That’s a great recipe and I can’t wait to try it!!

    So wonderful that you’ve started to take control and get your life back. Isn’t it a great feeling? And it’s wonderful you like to cook. Nothing better than a home made meal!

    So nice to see you posting here! Thanks to you & MizFit!!

  34. Knowing how to cook makes healthy eating so much easier. Because seriously, why have a nasty Big Mac when you can have garlic potatoes and roasted chicken?

  35. Jen: I did find something I love!! Since I sent this post to Miz, I’ve discovered Jazzercise and I LOVE it! It’s so much fun! The weight hasn’t really started coming off again, but at least I’m working out!

  36. and when you and I meet in person, Mara, you shall become utterly SMITTEN with the iron.

    Miz.

  38. Love this blog! I am always looking for new recipes that are not too complicated, healthy, and yum-tastic. Congrats on being added to my bookmarks. 🙂

  42. Yum! The chicken and potato recipes sound fantasic. Thanks for sharing your recipes and your inspiring story, Mara! p.s. – If you like jazzercise, you might like classes that incorporate strength training to music, too. I love BodyPump class; I’m sure there are probably other classes with a similar format.

  47. Mmmm. Garlic potatos. Sounded good to me but I had already promised the kids roasted garlic smashed potatos and they didn’t want me to switch it up. Another night…

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