The Other Woman Cooks

It's been a bad week for my healthy eating resolve anyway. The Wedding of the Year was yesterday -- the bride and groom glowed. As for that toast -- I remembered my lines and didn't knock over any furniture. The mic was a little faulty and I think some of what I said was lost. Still, I got my point across-- this was a joyous occasion. If good wishes carry with them fate, the new Mr. & Mrs. Vito are destined for a lifetime of happiness. The caterer delivered a superb dinner with three stations ... French, Mediterranean and New England cuisine. All yummy. And we danced and sang and danced some more. It was a big friend week around here. For another of our favorite people, the surgery was reportedly a success and there's nothing like a homemade sugary treat to sweeten recovery time. Capping off all the candy and toast making, I'm back on the Flat Belly Diet! I've lost just nine pounds not the fifteen I was hoping for but I'm so far down this road there's ...

Part of the encouragement boost in following Flat Belly Diet! are the success stories scattered throughout the book. On page 312 you'll meet Evelyn Gomer who, by her own admission, loves all kinds of nuts. Me, too. But I suspect she was referring only to the food kind. Peanuts, almonds, cashews, etc... all great MUFAs. Evelyn and I have other things in common. Neither of us had a clue what a MUFA was until we started reading the book. On page 30 there is a section titled Good Fats versus Bad Fats. Pretty similar to the good (HDL) versus bad (LDL) cholesterol. Bottom line is that healthy fats remain liquid at room temperature while the bad ones are solid or semi-solid at room temperature. There are three kinds of good fats: Monosaturated Fat (MUFA), Polyunsaturated Fat and Omega-3 Fatty Acids. And two kinds of bad fats: Saturated Fats and Trans Fats. It's important to note that dietary fat is actually an important energy source for our bodies. But eating the bad kind is prett...

Oh yeah -- sweet treats from Flat Belly Diet! I played with the recipe just a tad to lower the calorie count so I could have more of them! Page 232 says to make it a meal with 1 cup of nonfat cottage cheese and 1/2 cup of pineapple tidbits or mandarin oranges for an under 400 calorie meal, great for breakfast. Try a snack pack with 2 cookies and 1 cup of cold skim milk poured into an ice cold frosted glass ... super yummy! Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies 2 cups quick oats 1/2 cup oat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour) 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon dash of salt 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup olive or canola oil 3 large egg whites 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/2 cup cranberries, coarsely chopped 1 cup walnuts, chopped 1/2 cup roasted unsalted sunflower seeds 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk brown sugar, oil, vanilla and egg whites unt...

How could a day that began with 1 scrambled egg and 1 slice of whole grain toast go so terribly wrong? Lunch was a delicious 420 calorie platter of roasted turkey slices, baby greens, walnut meats and fresh chopped tomatoes. So far so good for a day of meetings in New York City while my friend and travel companion, author Sherri Erwin (April 13 release date of Jane Slayre coming up fast) was off with agent, editor and publicist. Then it happened. I offered to take my son and his lovely girlfriend to his favorite restaurant. One trip to Gramercy Tavern and it all fell apart. See the two guys sitting at the table in the center of the restaurant's interior shot? That was exactly our table. If you saw what we ate and drank you'd understand. Meg and I shared a Merguez sausage and chick pea appetizer washed down with an Orange Blossom (sparkling wine with Elderflower liqueur and orange bitters -- yummy). And yes, I took one little taste of Sherri's sweetbread. How about main cou...

What were my slightly snug at the waist jeans fit right out of the dryer. In the beginning, small victories help foster success. It also helps that the first four days of the Flat Belly Diet! are very structured. The book supplies a grocery list and there’s no need to count calories. You simply eat what you read -- an instant weight loss program. Just add Sassy water (pages 6 and 80) and you’re good to shrink. Just when I wondered if it was possible to stick to a low-cal diet without losing my mind along with the extra pounds, it was Day 5. Relief came in the form of “extra” calories. Three squares and one Snack Pack at 400 calories each, 1,600 calories -- up from the 1,200 calorie Jumpstart . There are lots of great recipes in the book, but well, you know me … I like to fiddle. With the help of some great calorie counter websites, it wasn’t too hard to come up with a tasty main dish. 2/3 cup of steamed sugar snap peas (40 calories) and two tablespoons of jellied cranberry sauce (50 ...

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 cop...

Recovering from the worst cold ever, the tide had turned and the former Family Sick became the Family Famished. Our throats are still a little sore and we're not 100% yet. But after a week of chicken soup and dry toast something more substantial, yet creamy and comforting seemed like a good idea. Three people ate four servings ... I guess they agreed! LOBSTER MAC & CHEESE 3 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons flour Dash salt 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper Pinch cayenne pepper 1 1/2 cups milk 2 tablespoons brandy or dry sherry 1/2 cup grated sharp Cheddar 1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese 1 pound cooked lobster, shelled and cut into chunks 2 cups cooked corkscrew macaroni ½ cup cracker crumbs 1 tablespoon melted butter Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. On top of the stove melt butter in a medium pot; remove from heat. Stir in flour and add salt and peppers. Gradually whisk in the milk, stirring until well mixed. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth. Add tw...