4 Weeks- A Mollydooker

We’ve made it 4 weeks on the SD!  We’ve made it through the SD book, and we are about to start making some recipes from the SD Cookbook!  And I think I am going to try making up some of my own recipes to add into it.  We’ve got the basic rules & principles down, and if I follow them, there can be any number of meals I can make!  I am going to try to make “improved, SD-friendly” versions of our old favorites.  We’ll see how it goes…I have 11 months to perfect them 🙂  Although, at dinner, the hubby & I talked about how this isn’t really a diet for us anymore, it’s second nature.  Funny how after 28 days, we have new habits!  Also, I have officially lost 10 pounds.  My jeans fit better, and I am back to my pre-wedding weight (amazing how much I packed on in 3 tiny months!!!)!  10 more pounds, and I’ll be back to my college weight, although I’d be satisfied with only 5 more pounds!  Actually, I’m already completely satisfied with my progress!  Even if I don’t lose another pound, I am really happy about having better nutrition, more energy, and better fitting clothes!  (I hope I do lose a few more, though).

We had some fabulous food & wine today- I’ll just briefly mention it here.  For lunch I made a salad with sliced apples, grilled chicken, gorgonzola, and pecans.  Absolutely incredible!  The dressing is the clencher, though- a honey balsamic vinaigrette!  It’s a recipe from on of my favorite restaurants in Erie!

Honey-Balsamic Vinaigrette
1 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 Tbsp. Honey
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/2 tsp. each of garlic powder, oregano, red pepper flakes, and basil
salt & pepper

Mix all of the above ingredients & whisk.  This recipe gets better after it sits an hour or so, to let the flavors marry.  It stays good for a while, although we’ve never had it last more than a few days!

We had Tandoori Chicken for dinner, which was delish, with  Red Jasmine Rice and asparagus.  Delicious!  The Tandoori Chicken is really easy and tastes absolutely authentic.  It was supposed to be grilled, but our grill is under 3 feet of snow, so we opted to cook it this way!  The red jasmine rice is our favorite whole grain rice yet- it’s really delicious!  Eventually, we may mix red & white jasmine rices.

Tandoori Chicken
1/4 c. greek yogurt
1 tsp. Paprika
1/2 tsp. caynenne pepper
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
salt & pepper
1 pound chicken breast

Combine the yogurt, paprika, cayenne, cumin, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.  Cut the chicken into 1″ cubes; season with salt & pepper.  Slide the chicken cubes into the bowl with the yogurt mixture & marinate about an hour to overnight.  When ready to cook, take a medium saute pan & cover the bottom with 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil; heat pan to medium heat.  Add the chicken; saute until thoroughly cooked (will only take 5 minutes or so).  There should be lots of sauce left over; pour it over your chicken & rice!  Yum!

The wine we drank was Mollydooker’s “The Scooter.”  It’s from Australia, and we plan on eventually getting to Australia for the wine & outback & kangaroos!  This wine is really special- let me explain.  “Mollydooker” means “left-handed” in Australia, because one of the vintners is left handed.  They have a special way to drink their wines- “The Mollydooker Shake.”  First, you pour out the neck of the bottle into a wine glass.  Taste the wine in the glass.  Recap the wine (yes, it’s got a cap instead of a cork.  Trust.).  Turn the whole bottle upside down & shake, shake, shake.  Uncap.  Pour into a new glass (or the previous glass as long as it’s empty), and taste it.  It tastes different!!!  According to Sparky, the Mollydooker Shake gives it an aerated taste!  Last Fall, we attended a Mollydooker Dinner, which was incredible.  Sparky himself was there and taught us how to taste his wines personally!  It was such a cool experience.  Some of our favorite wines come from this winery: The Velvet Glove, Carnival of Love, Enchanted Path, and Gigglepot are our top faves, with Carnival of Love being our very fave!  Here’s their website:  Mollydooker .  We love Mollydooker!

6 thoughts on “4 Weeks- A Mollydooker”

  1. Hi Lauren,
    So good to hear from you again! It seems like just yesterday, we were partying with you in PA. Congratulations on the weight loss- What a great accomplishment! Your blog is fantastic, and I love reading about all your recipes and food ideas. We just wanted drop you a line to say thank you for your support and for spreading the word about the Mollydooker Shake! If you ever need anything here in the US or have any questions, please feel free to contact me: krissy@mollydookerwines.com.
    Cheers,
    Krissy Miller (Marketing Coordinator for Mollydooker Wines)

  2. Hi Lauren,
    Janet here, Sparky’s Mom. I’ve got to find out more about that eating plan from you. Those meals sound so delicious, I can’t believe that you are losing weight as well. Despite my best intentions, I didn’t lose any weight over January. Definitely need some help.
    Thanks so much for writing about our wines. Wish you could be here. My favorite is usually the Blue Eyed Boy, but this year the Carnival of Love is absolutely stunning. It’s got all of its usual style, complexity, richness and elegance, but this year I reckon it’s got some of the joy of the BEB as well. This is my favorite time of year – I get to go round the winery with guests, tasting the wines as we go. Sarah and Sparky are blending the 2010 wines at the moment, and they are all looking really special.
    If ever you or your friends and readers are over here, we’d love to have you visit. And of course we’d love to catch up with everyone at the Mollydooker dinners we’ll be doing in the US later this year.
    And if anyone would like to know more about the Mollydooker Shake, Sarah and Sparky have done a short video http://www.mollydookerwines.com/web/mollydooker_shake.cfm, which is fun to watch.
    Cheers,
    Janet

  3. Janet & Krissy- it's been my pleasure to both drink & write about Mollydooker Wines! I am so excited to have heard from you both! Eventually, we want to definitely come visit the winery, but it will be a little while. Until then, here's to the dinners! Cheers!

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