Stroganoff

So Cook This, Not That! has a recipe in it for beef stroganoff that is only 280 calories per serving.  I am a stroganoff fanatic but I'm also pretty picky when it comes to stroganoff because my mom makes, literally, the best stroganoff I've ever had, anywhere; hands down.  I don't really know how she does it but she puts this tang of flavor in hers that I haven't really found anywhere else and I've noticed that most restaurants use too much sour cream which kind of dilutes the flavor a little.  But I had to try this recipe anyway just to see what I thought of it.  I'm tempted to call it "not my mom's stroganoff" because it doesn't have that tang that hers does but I have it on fairly good authority that her recipe is a lot more than 280 calories per serving.

Now the book doesn't include the noodles on the ingredients list but does say to serve the sauce over buttered noodles or rice so that made me wonder if the caloric count was for the sauce alone or if it accounted for the calories in the noodles/rice.  I decided to err on the side of caution and just counted the sauce at 280 and added an extra 100 calories to my count for the noodles bringing the total dish to 380.  It doesn't really taste like stroganoff to be honest, at least I didn't think so, but it's still extremely tasty.  The pink color comes mostly from a tablespoon of tomato paste in the sauce and then, of course, some red wine.  It's a very easy dish to make, I think, and it's kind of fun as you put stuff in the pan to cook, then take it out and set it aside to add something else to the pan.  It's like you can really watch the flavor layers build inside the pan as you cook the various ingredients and then bring them all back together again.  I liked it.

The book called for 2% greek yogurt and, without even realizing it, I bought skim so I was a little bit worried that it might mess up the texture but I thought it was great so if you want to improve the health quality of the recipe even more than it already is using skim greek yogurt is just fine.  Just be sure to let the sauce cool a little before adding the yogurt like it says in the book or the yogurt will separate.

"I DID IT!  I did it.  I really, really did it.  I said that I would do it and indeed I did!"  (Name that tune, I dare ya.)  It took a whole lot of work but I had a math test due tomorrow that didn't have a time limit on it so I started on it immediately after work tonight because I wanted to give myself lots of time to go slow, be careful, take my time, and make sure I did the very best job that I could.  IT PAID OFF BECAUSE I GOT 100%!!!  That feels so good too because math has been really scaring the hell out of me.  "I could have danced all night!" (that was a hint, different tune from the same movie).




Food:
7 glasses of water
1 cup of coffee w/creamer
1 Fiber One bar
1 serving leftover stroganoff
8 oz Prime Rib
1/2 cup potato soup
8 oz mixed veg salad
>>kidney beans
>>black olives
>>red onions
>>raw mushrooms
>>sliced beets
>>red wine vinegar
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Daily Caloric Intake: 1,251



Activity:
Walking: 1 miles (2,108).
Well CRAP!  I was planning on doing 5 miles a night for the rest of the week but that math test took up most of my night and then, after supper, I had to write a paper on bilingualism in American politics and education for my other class.  By the time I was finished it was 9:30 and I just wanted to chill and unwind.