Unintended Consequences

I love romance. When I meet someone who is single my natural inclination is to butt in and introduce them to another single person. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't. There are more couples together than apart among my victims over the years. So what does this have to do with why I haven't blogged lately?

Well, two of my friends are one month away from becoming husband and wife. I introduced them to each other and got teary happy when they asked me to make the toast at the wedding. Like I said, I love romance. But I don't love the size of my behind and being the center of attention for even a few minutes gives me agita. Someone is going to take my picture when I raise that glass and I'll be damned if I don't manage to lose a few pounds before the blessed event.

Lamenting my situation to another friend (and a fellow guest at said wedding) caused her to say she'd bought Flat Belly Diet! and would give it to me to read. Instead, she bought me my own copy and now we are both Flat Belly devotees and smoothie lovers. There are lots of strategies and recipes in this plan. Some are pretty interesting ... like Dijon Pork Chops and Mexican Chicken Soup. Now that I have made it through the starvation jump start and am starting the act of changing my eating habits, I'm ready to share my success or failures when it comes to cooking a new way. At least until the wedding.

FROZEN FRUIT SMOOTHIE
1 cup skim milk
1 cup frozen fruit, unsweetened

Place the ingredients in a blender and pulse until well mixed and slushy. Resembles soft serve ice cream or a thick milkshake -- not quite as sweet but really good. The pineapple is my favorite. Oh wait, blueberry is amazing. Ya gotta try the peach. About 170 calories of yummy.

Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 26, 2010 at 8:31 PM

    Keep up the good work!

    ReplyDelete
  2. TinkyMarch 26, 2010 at 8:41 PM

    Good for you! Maybe you'll inspire me...........

    ReplyDelete
  3. RayMarch 26, 2010 at 10:27 PM

    You are an inspiration to many, Deb! Including me! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Best Wishes, MarieMarch 26, 2010 at 11:33 PM

    marie has been spinning. several of my friends hated it when we tried it. i love it.

    good for you.

    i saw the author of the fat belly diet book on the today show. seems very interesting.

    there are million different angles to come at the fitness issues.

    bottom line. moderate calories, activity, lots of veggies, and some fruit.... and most of all stick with it. and planning is very important. not to get stuck out somewhere hungry.

    i also plan to cheat. i love potatoe chips. every once in a while, i stop at 7-11 and buy a small bag of kettle chips. they are the only ones that i know that have the single serving size. and at night when i am watching a movie, i eat every single chip. i do not buy a big bag or ......

    i had to get over wanting to get "my money's worth." i know i can pay $1 more and have 10 times as much, but .....

    again, good for you !!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grape Infused Vodka Update

Image
It took an overnight frost for our homegrown grapes to sweeten up but the wait was worth it. A big sloppy thank you smooch goes out to Mayor Mike Tautznik of Easthampton, MA for sharing his home infusion method for fruit flavored vodka. Fiddling around with Mayor Mike's sure-fire recipe helped me come up with the perfect formula for home infusing store-bought vodka with the Concord grapes from our backyard garden. And the abundance of those grapes carefully cultivated by the Man of the House deserves another big sloppy thank you smooch, this time for Farmer Paul. Start by boiling a big pot of water to sterilize pint-sized canning jars and their covers. Once they are cool, fill each about 3/4 full with thoroughly washed Concord grapes plucked from the ripest of bunches. Add one teaspoon of super fine sugar. Pour your choice of plain vodka over the grapes, leaving about 1/2 inch headroom before closing the jars. Shake gently to dissolve sugar before storing in a cool dark spot. Two w...
Read more

A Perfect Sunday Supper

Image
Nearly everyone has a favorite pot roast recipe. Pot roast begs for inspiration from the cook, roasted red peppers can be a delightful addition. Try mushrooms or whole green beans for a different twist. Choosing the spices can be daunting, bay leaf or thyme, coriander or clove? Some recipes call for tomatoes, others for a brown gravy base. I even saw a barbecue style pot roast recipe recently; not to mention the cut of beef. There’s brisket, chuck, rump roast, to name a few. Over thirty plus years of home cooking successes and disasters, I’ve tried many different pot roast recipes but always go back to page 127 of the Silver Palate Cookbook for the best and simplest example of “A perfect Sunday supper.” I follow the recipe closely though not exactly -- you might like my slightly fiddled with version. Starting with the basics is a good start but no excuse for boring – add your own special flair! PEPPERCORN POT ROAST 3 pound boneless chuck roast 1 teaspoon fresh coarsely ground black pe...
Read more

The Joy of Holiday Cookies

Image
Nothing sweetens the season like holiday cookies! The name comes from the Dutch koejke which translates to "little cake" -- the perfect single serving treat. Cookies have been part of cooking history for more than a thousand years and nearly every culture has a bite sized sweet that qualifies as a cookie. Every year I try to come up with a new twist on an old favorite to celebrate the season for my annual cookie swap. These tasty morsels are my version of rugelach , a traditional Jewish pastry filled with nuts, raisins or apricots, cinnamon and sugar wrapped in a flaky crust. A few good friends sharing a bottle of bubbly then going home with the bounty of a platter full of homemade cookies and the recipes. Lots of fun and yumminess, too! RUGELACH Dough 2 cups all-purpose flour Dash of salt 1 tablespoon white sugar 1 cup unsalted butter 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese 1/3 cup plain or lemon flavored yogurt Filling 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1 cup finely...
Read more