Will wonders never cease

So after my last entry, I got quite a few comments and suggestions regarding vegetables. How to cook them, what flavors go best with them, etc. Well, I went online to Foodnetwork.com and found a few recipes to try and last night, I decided to make a few of them. I made Dijon-tarragon chicken breast, broccoli and cheese mashed potatoes, and garlic roasted green beans with shallot and hazelnuts.

First, let me just say that cooking more than one dish at a time was not a smart idea. I have yet to master timing everything so that it all finishes together and yesterday was no exception. I started with the mashed potatoes because I thought that they would take the longest, then started the chicken while the potatoes cooked, and prepped the green beans while everything else was cooking since they were really easy to make. But in terms of my previous attempts at multitasking, it was not too bad. The chicken and green beans were done within a few minutes of each other. It was only the potatoes that had to be reheated a bit.

So I'm sure that those of you who have read my blog until now know how I hate vegetables and how apprehensive I was about trying them again, but I have good news. I liked both of the vegetable dishes that I made last night! It was shocking to me too! I had a feeling that I wouldn't mind the broccoli because it is mixed with potatoes and cheese, so the flavor is at least muddled, but I was not expecting to like the green beans. Despite some flavoring, they were completely alone on the plate with nothing to hide the taste. Plus, I have had a taste aversion to them every since I was a young teenager and threw up after eating green beans. The only difference between those green beans and the ones from last night was that the old ones were canned and last night's were fresh and roasted. Big plus! Not to mention that I roasted them with shallots, garlic, and olive oil and then added lemon zest and hazelnuts after they cooked. Not to sound like a food critic, but the lemon really brightened up the flavor.

I have to say that it was weird for me to take that first bite of green bean and say, "Wow, that's good!" I had to take a step back and ask if I really just said that. I never thought in a million years that you could not only get me to eat green beans, but actually like them! I know Dad must have been shocked. He was probably just staring down at me, jaw dropped in amazement. Especially since he and I always butted heads when it came to eating vegetables. Mom said that he probably would have loved them too, just like she did. She actually did her happy dance when she tasted them. Always a good sign.

So I have decided to definitely keep those recipes and try some more out in the next few weeks. Who would have thought that a girl who hates change as much as I do would be willing to experiment with foods she previously hated? It must be a sign of growth. (Lord knows I've done a heck of a lot of it over the last two years!)

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I am also happy to report that I am down to 245.5lbs after four weeks (aka 4.5 lbs), so I am right on schedule with the weight loss.


Here are the recipes I made last night if you guys want to try them for yourselves.
     *Note, I added extra lemon zest to the green beans than what it calls for. I just did one zest line all the way around the lemon.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/dijon-tarragon-chicken-breasts-recipe/index.html
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/garlic-roasted-green-beans-with-shallots-and-hazelnuts-recipe/index.html
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/broccoli-and-cheese-smashed-potatoes-recipe/index.html