My Dear Wife and I just finished six weeks on the Eat to Live diet on the first day of our trip to Philadelphia, PA. The main reason for the trip was business with the EPA and the Office of Environmental Information Symposium, a five-day event, which I attended as part of the Conference Organizing Team. The day job as a web developer for the EPA at the National Computer Center comes to a halt one week a year to help organize the conference, past years conferences have been held in Cincinnati, Denver, San Antonio, Las Vegas, and Atlanta.  While most of the time was spent working the event, My Dear Wife got some much needed rest and relaxation, but we both did get in some sight seeing a day and a half before the conference, and one afternoon between sessions.

We had the fortune of staying at the Downtown Marriott Hotel on Market Street, just a stones throw from the Reading Terminal Market, and only about 6 blocks from the historical district. In addition, we had no trouble finding some great places to dine, especially in the market. Our exercise during the trip included walking for about 5 hours through the historical district, and every day we ventured to the market for lunch.

The Reading Terminal Market is a renovated railroad passenger terminal from the heyday of the Reading Railroad, which was converted into a covered market place for various and sundry delis, produce stands, restaurants, diners, meat and seafood markets, dessert and candy shops, steak sandwich shops, cheese shops, and Amish specialties, you get the idea. A treasure trove of variety, flavor, tastes, textures, shapes, and styles.

We arrived at the hotel Saturday morning, May 8th around 10:15 am and lucked into an early check-in, about 11:30 or so we ventured to the market and walked around for several minutes and in awe of all the sights, sounds, but most importantly the smells. Then we stumbled upon a Cajun café, yes folks, Cajun Chef Ryan found himself a Cajun Café in Philly, Beck’s Cajun Café that is!  Moreover, this little place has some of the best Cajun food outside of Louisiana. On our first of four visits to the café, we split a Train Wreck Po-Boy. You might ask, as we did “What the heck is a Train Wreck Po-Boy?” Well, it is one of their house specialties and it consists of andouille sausage, steak, salami, cheese, grilled caramelized onions, and Creole mustard, all grilled and melted together into a six-inch French bread loaf and is Beck’s answer to the Philly Cheese Steak sandwich. My Dear Wife and I split this one, and is the first time we ate any meat since the beginning of Lent and since our six weeks on the ETL diet.
The Train Wreck is a must try sandwich for anyone who happens to make it to Philly, this one is worth the trip to Beck’s at the Reading Terminal Market. We finished our first lunch in Philly with an order of Bread Pudding with Whisky Sauce; it was the best bread pudding outside of New Orleans and my kitchen too.

The happy counter crew at Beck’s Cajun Cafe

Beck’s Cajun Café
Reading Terminal Market
12th & Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215.592.0505
www.beckscajuncafe.com

We proceeded on our walk about town and headed East on Market Street until we reached the Independence Hall Museum, picked up our tickets for the free tour of Independence Hall. Then we walked to visit the Liberty Bell, and found that quite fascinating, never knew so much about the significance of the bell, especially the importance it placed in the early 1900’s with winning over the public trust during the war time efforts. Interesting too, that the bell traveled to New Orleans during the World Industrial and Cotton Exposition in 1894, at what is now known as Audubon Park.

The Liberty Bell

Then on to our visit of the first City Hall of Philadelphia, Independence Hall, and the original Congress and House of Representatives. Fascinating history indeed, Philadelphia is chock full of the birthplace of our nation, and a must see for everyone.

Independence Hall

Then we headed to Benjamin Franklin’s House, but we first got miss-directed to The Benjamin Franklin House, which turned out to be this lavish apartment building. So four or five blocks back east and we finally found the right “house”. Another interesting historical point of interest turns out Franklin’s grandchildren decided to tear down the original house and put in a street and then build some apartment complexes, years later and after several diggings, the house foundation has been preserved for underground viewing. The basement floor seems to rest about ten feet below the current street level. The museum is interesting too, showing many of the inventions that Franklin created over the years. Franklin was an extraordinary fellow!

After we walked back to the hotel, and about five hours later, we rested in the room a bit and decided to try out the hotel’s only restaurant, Thirteen. The restaurant aptly named since Philly was the geographical center of the thirteen original colonies, and being a lucky number in that respect, but I did notice there was no 13th floor in this hotel either.

Continuing to attempt emulating the ETL diet, My Dear Wife ordered the Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes, billed as 6 ounces crab cakes with heirloom tomato, avocado salad with homemade horseradish, and I ordered the Stuffed Sweet Peppers, billed as garbanzo beans, spinach, mushrooms, rice, tomatoes, Vermont cheddar, and a chunky tomato sauce for $16.00. Both dishes were wonderfully prepared and we both being delighted and surprised at the culinary skill exhibited from the hotel restaurant, it made for capping off a great first day in Philly.

Stuffed Sweet Peppers

During the night there was a lot of noise and commotion in the hallway, there was a statewide high school mock trail being held in the hotel and the place was crawling with teenagers, we were up most of the night, until I entered the hallway and yelled, “People are trying to sleep over here!” and it was back to sleep after that interruption.

Here are a few more images from our time at the Reading Terminal Market

Amish Breakfast at the Dutch Eating Place Amish Apple Dumplings at the Dutch Eating Place Deli Sandwiches Cheese Shop Counter Selections Seafood Market Counter

Check back later for more brotherly love!

Regional and Mediterranean inspirations fuel the ingredients in this recipe, as polenta preparations can be found in various forms, including corners of the world ranging from Albania, Austria, Italy, and Turkey for European influences to Brazil and the Southwest from the America’s.

Polenta is made from white or yellow cornmeal, either coarsely or finely ground depending on the region and desired texture. While there are many variations and preparations for homemade polenta ranging from a quick 12-minute microwave version, to three hours made on the stovetop as told by Bill Buford in his book Heat.

This recipe is meant to be a quick weeknight favorite that can be prepared in less than thirty minutes from prep to table, and ready-made polenta can be found in the produce section of most grocery stores. Typically, prepared polenta is sold in one-pound tubes, which can be easily cut into desired portions.

If, however, you wish to make your own polenta, here is a recipe that is quite good and makes a batch of polenta in just under an hour; it is a recipe presented by Alton Brown on Good Eats on an episode entitled True Grits, Savory Polenta.

Eat To Live Week 6 Recap (May 2 – May 8, 2010)

Ryan: Lost 2.5 pounds in week six, and at 215. Total weight loss after six weeks: – 16.5 pounds, 23 pounds lost overall.

My Dear Wife: Lost 1 pound in week five. Total weight loss after six weeks: – 9 pounds, lost 13 pounds overall.

Note: Click on the links to view the individual recipe pages.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Breakfast

Granola cereal with blue berries, skim milk, tea with honey and a splash of skim milk and a small glass of orange juice.

Lunch

ETL Salad and an immunity drink

Dinner

Pinto Bean Chili

Activity

Gardening and yard – 4.5 hours

Monday, May 3, 2010

Breakfast

Granola cereal with blue berries, skim milk, tea with honey and a splash of skim milk and a small glass of orange juice.

Lunch

Pinto Bean Chili, Banana, immunity drink, dates, and nuts.

Dinner

ETL Salad with marinated beets and guacamole.

Activity

Baseball – 3 hours.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Breakfast

GoLean Crisp cereal with blue berries, skim milk, tea with honey and a splash of skim milk and a small glass of orange juice.

Lunch

Salad with marinated beets, garbanzo beans, tomato, romaine, spinach, arugula, beet greens, banana, nuts, and an immunity drink.

Dinner

Red beans and rice and pineapple chunks for dessert.

Activity

My dear wife at Curves 30 minutes, Ryan gardening for 1 hour and baseball for 3 hours.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Breakfast

Granola cereal with blue berries, skim milk, tea with honey and a splash of skim milk and a small glass of orange juice.

Lunch

Pinto Bean Chili, dates, nuts, apple, and an immunity drink.

Dinner

ETL Salad and dates and nuts.

Activity

My dear wife at Curves for 30 minutes and Ryan at baseball practice for 2 hours.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Breakfast

Pineapple chunks, tea with honey and a splash of skim milk and a small glass of orange juice.

Lunch

Pinto Bean Chili wi ht brown rice, dates, nuts, and an immunity drink.

Dinner

Subway Veggie patty with whole wheat loaf.

Activity

Baseball – 3 hours.

Preparations

ETL Crock Pot Red Beans

Friday, May 7, 2010

Breakfast

Wheaties cereal with blue berries, skim milk, tea with honey and a splash of skim milk and a small glass of orange juice.

Lunch

ETL Salad with beets, garbanzo beans, black olives, and an immunity drink.

Dinner

Braised spinach and lettuce leaves.

Activity

Garden and yard – 2 hours.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Breakfast
Airport: Fruit cup with coffee.

Lunch
Train Wreck Po-Boy at Beck’s Cajun Cafe located in the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, PA. (NOTE: More on our Philadaelphia, PA foodie exploits in another post.)

Dinner
Ryan: Stuffed Sweet Peppers with brown rice, garbanzo beans, mushrooms, and Vermont cheddar with a light tomato sauce at Thirteen Restaurant at the Marriott Downtown, Philadelphia, PA.

Monique: Crab cakes with an avocado salad.

Activity
Walk for 5 hours around downtown and the historic areas.

Eat To Live Week 5 Recap (April 25 – May 1, 2010)

Ryan: Lost 1 pound in week five, and at 217.5. Total weight loss after four weeks: – 14 pounds, 20.5 pounds overall.

My Dear Wife: Lost 1 pound in week five. Total weight loss after four weeks: – 8 pounds.

Note: Click on the links to view the individual recipe pages.

There are ten posts now back logged in my notes as I now play catch up for several reasons, including being very busy at my day job lately, having gone out of town to Philadelphia, PA for seven days on mostly business, but a little pleasure, and finally starting to catch my breath!

Sunday, April 25, 2010 Breakfast GoLean Crisp cereal with blue berries and banana, skim milk, tea with honey and a splash of skim milk and a small glass of orange juice. Lunch Curried couscous with hummus and roasted garbanzo beans, and a bowl of Eat To Live Cream of Broccoli Soup

Dinner Steam sauteed spring rolls

Dessert

Pineapple, Strawberry, Banana Smoothie

Activity

Mow the lawn, yard, and gardening work, 3 hours

Walk and talk, 1 hour 40 minutes

Monday, April 26, 2010

Breakfast

GoLean Crisp cereal with blue berries, skim milk, tea with honey and a splash of skim milk and a small glass of orange juice.

Lunch

Broccoli soup, nuts, dates, Immunity drink, and clementine.

Dinner

SPring rolls, dates, nuts.

Activity

My Dear Wife worked out at Curves, and Ryan on Wii Sports and Wii Fit for 40 minutes, and our walk and talk for 45 minutes.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Breakfast

GoLean Crisp cereal with blue berries, skim milk, tea with honey and a splash of skim milk and a small glass of orange juice.

Lunch

Cream of Broccoli Soup, Banana, Clementine, Immunity drink, roasted garbanzo beans, nuts and fresh pineapple chunks.

Dinner

Spring Lettuce Wraps

Activity

My dear wife at Curves 30 minutes, and both of us on a walk and talk for 30 minutes.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Breakfast

GoLean Crisp cereal with blue berries, skim milk, tea with honey and a splash of skim milk and a small glass of orange juice.

Lunch

Lettuce wraps, nuts, Immunity drink

Dinner

Broccoli soup

Activity

My dear wife at Curves for 30 minutes and Ryan at baseball practice for 2 hours.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Breakfast

GoLean Crisp cereal with blue berries, skim milk, tea with honey and a splash of skim milk and a small glass of orange juice.

Lunch

ETL Crock Pot Red Beans

Dinner

More red beans

Fruit salad bowl for dessert

Activity

My dear wife walked at work and workout at Curves for 30 minutes, and Ryan 1 hour on Wii Fit then both of us for 2 hours in the garden.

Preparations

ETL Crock Pot Red Beans

Friday, April 30, 2010

Breakfast

GoLean Crisp cereal with blue berries, skim milk, tea with honey and a splash of skim milk and a small glass of orange juice.

Lunch

ETL crock pot red beans and brown rice, and pineapple for dessert.

Dinner

Back Fins Restaurant in Wake Forest, we both split a ½ pound of boiled shrimp and a dozen medium steamed blue crabs.

Activity

We both walked and talked for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Breakfast

Pineapple, kiwi, grapes, cantaloupe, strawberries, banana breakfast salad bowl, tea with honey and a splash of skim milk and a small glass of orange juice.

Lunch

Salad of romaine, arugula, spinach, garbanzo beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, black beans and salsa.

Dinner

Red beans and brown rice

Activity

Walk for 1 hour, and baseball practice for 2 hours.