Hit and Miss Restaurants Part II

Below is my Hit and Miss opinions on restaurants or hotels I have been too in the last four months. These are opinions of Chef Christine and not statements.

Hit- Great Burgers at the Charlie Horse in West Bridgewater, MA. The Champion Burger was the best burger I have ever had. It was cooked they way I wanted it, Medium Rare and boy was it juicy. The fries were excellent too. I could tell that the fryer oil is cleaned daily.

Miss- Super Mondo Platter at Cantina #1 in the Mall of America; Bloomington,MN. It was the worst Mexican food I ever had. No flavor at all. The spinach dip was terrible until I added some salt and pepper with Tabasco sauce. My husband and I agreed that it might be a place to just drink and eat the chips and salsa. Also, you could tell from the Chips that the fryer oil was burnt. I did like the ambiance of the restaurant. The chairs will comfy.

Major Hit and a must eat at Place!
Olivadi- Central Street in Norwood
This restaurant has to have the best Italian food I have ever tasted. I had the Chicken Parmigiano. I was very surprised to find out it didn't come out of a box and then fried. My taste buds were truly tantalized by just the right amount of sauce and the crispy baked crust. Its a definite must place to eat.

Hit- Bon Fire in Savage, MN
Over the Holiday break, I spent it in cold Minnesota. My brother Nathan recommended Bon Fire to us as a great place to eat and he was right. Bon Fire is know for their Brick oven and rotisserie. Since it was lunch my husband and I order both the tomato- basil soup and White Bean Chili. I could tell the soups were made in house. On a side note, I don't understand why restuarants buy their soups, its easy to make your own and less expensive, plus customers can tell the difference. Anyway, we then ordered the Hictory Burger, which had BBQ sauce on it with a side of fries. The burger was tantalizing and the fries were crispy. My brother yelled at us because I guess you don't go there for a Burger, the Steaks are the top prize and so is the Beer Can chicken which we saw being cooked on the open flame.

Another Hit place to go is your Mom's house. Food is alway's delicious and always free. What a bargin place to eat on a tight budget? Also, she loves the company.

Thats all for Hit and Miss Restaurants Part II. Come back and see what Part III has to offer.

Losing and Maintaining Weight is a Second Job Part II

Well its over, the family did excellent. We ended up losing a total of 104 lbs. My sister Jennifer lost over 30 lbs. But then again we say that we are not finished. See my brother Nathan and his finance are getting married in June, I know I could lose some more weight before that happens. Here's a little hint on losing weight without sacrificing your mainstay foods, just cut the portion sizes in half and try to cut the butter.
Restaurant portions are way too big in the US. My really good friend and his wife every time I go out to eat with them, share their meals at restaurants. I can see why they have maintained a healthy life style. Also, if your low on cash its a great way to eat out without spending a lot of money.
If making Chocolate Chip Cookies, change the all purpose flour for whole wheat. Join in on the fun, make losing weight a game, but still hold yourself accountable for losing the jelly belly.
If you are like me, you probably like to socially drink beer, well on a weight loss run, switch to light beer, less calories and carbs.
Ok, there is a miss conception on carbs out there. People you need carbs in your diet, they will get you through the day. Eat your carbs for Breakfast and try to stay away from them at night. The reason is that carbs contain sugar that your blood needs to get you through the day. Carbs are not needed at night because your body is in shut down mood getting ready to sleep. In the morning you can have a delicious whole wheat, multi grain or bran anything in the morning. Coffee is ok too, but leave out the added stuff like cream or sugar. In fact switch to herbal teas. I am a chef and I don't drink coffee, so if I can get through my day without it, so can you.
Don't forget to snack during the day!!! An apple or piece of fruit three hours after you eat is volatile in helping the body burn more calories. I am no expert at this but, I have heard that when the body is digesting good foods, it burns calories while processing it down.

Don't forget to drink water!!! Eight glasses a day really helps. Well everyone, I will be updating you on the Kaderlik Biggest Loser II. There is only three players but we still have another 100 lbs to lose.

Since the New Year is around the corner, I will pledge only 1 hour of my life to exercise everyday. What is your goal?