28th Jul 2008
Truer words were never spoken by the legendary Mick Jagger..
The economy is in such a state that I have started shopping sales more than I ever have. So I saw where my local grocery was having a sale on canned veggies. Now, canned isn’t always the best choice but when they’re .69 a can it’s too tempting not to check out. I figured I’d get some string beans or tomatoes or something.
Well, I got to the store and the sale items were all canned potatoes or corn - starchy vegetables I just don’t hardly ever eat. The string beans were twice as much. (It’s no wonder the country is overweight, the cheaper the food the more fattening it seems to be.)
I scanned the shelves trying to think what I could make with what they offered on sale and then it happened - I saw the sliced carrots. I don’t ever buy canned sliced carrots - I don’t like to eat them, but a bolt of lightening hit me and I thought “I’ll make soup!” If you’ve ever made my Asparagus Super Soup (see Recipes section) you’ll already know the concept. Canned veggies that I cream in my blender and make soup with sauteed onion and garlic.
I have already sent Jim, my webmaster, the recipe which I call “Teriyaki Carrot Soup” and hopefully in a day or so you can download and make it. YUM - It was out of this world!!!! And 8 ounces of piping hot yummy salty sweet soup was only 55 calories!! YEY!!!
So Mick Jagger is pretty darn smart. Because even though you can’t always get what you want - if you try sometimes you just might find - you get what you need. Nuf said.
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24th Jul 2008
Our FedEx gal just stopped by to pick up a package and she had been on the web site. She told me how good that Tomato, Cucumber and Red Onion salad looks and I told her that I liked salad but I didn’t get fat hanging out at the salad bar. I’m junk food junky! I told her she should try the no-bake cheesecake and some of the dips. She looked at me puzzled. “There’s a cheesecake recipe on your site?” she asked.
She had not looked for anything like that because she was looking for diet food - like a salad. The thing is - all of my food is diet food! Even the cheesecake!
So if you haven’t really looked at the recipes take a good look again. I add things all the time and you might find something new that you never thought you could have if you’re trying to lose weight.
She was going to try the Country Caviar (my black eyed pea dip) and I told her it’s full of really healthy stuff; bell peppers, black eyed peas, onion and if you eat it with my whole wheat chips (see recipe) or low fat tostitos you really have the makings of a meal.
And for those of you who think “That’s not a well balanced meal” well to someone like me who used to eat two orders of french fries and call that lunch, this is WAY better.
Just ’cause it’s called dip doesn’t mean it can’t be lunch.
And I didn’t get to make Carol T’s Gumbo this past weekend. 
and believe me I’m sadder about that than you’ll ever know. Gotta do that ASAP!
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18th Jul 2008
It’s true. Today especially I believe that. I got one of those emails full of inspiration and wow, it really made me feel good. It told me that if I sent it to a bunch of other people great things would happen to me in just a few days. I didn’t do that, so I may have messed up but what the hey! You only live once right! YIKES! (and we all know that we make our own good luck. I do live a blessed life)
My friend in Mississippi, Carol T. sent me a gumbo recipe I think I’m gonna try this weekend. I’ll let you know if I make it and how it is. She’s a terrific cook so should be great. Actually just thinking about gumbo has my mouth watering. I ate my lunch today at 10:00. That should tell you that I’m having a hungry day!
I hope you have a great one too! And a great weekend! And if you get an inspirational email sent to you - it didn’t come from me. (I’m sending you good thoughts telepathically. HA!)
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16th Jul 2008
That’s what just appeared on my AOL main page…
So, before I even clicked on this link to see what their advice was I thought what my advice would be if someone asked me that question. Of course I was wrong - or am I?
AOL said to look in the mirror and tell yourself that you’re 20% prettier and you will instantly believe it. 20%? Why stop there? Why not 50% or 100%! This 20% thing puzzles me a bit and also makes me wonder why this is important. Why place this question on something as huge as AOL’s main page?
Neil and I had a conversation last night about this very thing. Dove soap is sponsoring a fund to help girls conquer low self esteem and we saw their commercial for it on television. It’s pretty powerful to see skinny models flash across the TV screen and this young girl watching this on her TV curled up on the couch like a scared rabbit. Youcan see the wheels turning in her head, “Am I supposed to look like that?” This AOL “How to be prettier in 10 seconds” question feeds that very low self esteem monster. It makes you think “Gosh I need to be prettier - I’ll go check this out NOW!” I told Neil that I came from a generation that placed value on how a woman looked more so than what she thought. I guess I keep hoping that will change but women seem thinner now and more obsessed with beauty than ever so probably not.
Just know you’re beautiful 100%. The hell with 20%. Maybe someday we’ll live in a world where we won’t think we have to be beautiful except on the inside.
SO - what did I think the answer was to the 10 second pretty makeover. Well my answer was very simple - just smile…works every time.
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15th Jul 2008
What do you do when friends, family or co-workers bring you food and expect you to eat it?
Before I was an RFP - I just ate it. Now I think about what I’m doing. My family is so thrilled with my weight loss I think they would NEVER bring me extra food. I do not come from an overweight family. My Momma never weighed above 110 and my Daddy only weighs 150 right now.
I have a wonderful co-worker, Ron, who is constantly bringing me Chinese cookies and crackers and what not from China Town here in L.A. And they’re all wonderful! So different from anything I’ve had before. Moving out here from the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, my eyes have been opened to all kinds of unique cuisine. And if you think you’ve had Chinese food; if you haven’t been to China or China Town and if you’re not married to someone who is Chinese and can prepare it for you, then you’ve not had real Chinese food.
And he’s so sweet I would never hurt his feelings. So, I’ve started telling him that I’m going to tell my boss (his boss too), who is producing my future diet cooking show, that Ron’s bringing me food and I could gain weight. Okay this is not the most mature way to handle this, but Ron simply doesn’t understand that I can only eat so many cookies or crackers or anything. He’s so slim and his wife is beautiful and amazing looking. The reason I created all of my recipes was so I could eat in volume. And I know everyone thinks Chinese food has no calories, but a cookie is a cookie, Chinese or otherwise.
So I guess my advice is - do what you have to do. Your family needs to know how important this is to you and so do your friends. Ron laughs when I threaten to tell Dave (my boss) about him bringing me cookies. And I don’t really mean it and Dave would just laugh too, but this tactic does at least make Ron give me two cookies instead of six. HA! (Whatever he gives me I will eat. I know that)
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11th Jul 2008
If you wonder where I’ve been - well have you ever bought a house? YIKES this is work!@*%#
We’re listing our townhouse and so we get up every morning and make sure it is spic and span in case anyone comes to look. Now I like this but it’s probably getting on Neil’s last nerve. How wonderful to come home to a clean house very day!
But then there’s the looking for a house. I must confess that sometimes I take shortcuts in my diet because I’m just in a hurry and I need to stop that. I’ll eat a handful or two of peanuts just so I don’t go hungry.
I know, this web site is supposed to be about eating great! Well, life happens sometimes and so you do the best you can. I used to feel guilty when I ate wrong. But that may have been becauseI ate wrong ALL OF THE TIME! And I’d laugh at that but it’s true. Now I just do it on occasion - but being honest I admit that I do. And remember those 64 calorie Miller beers I talk about a week or so ago…well, I have one in my fridge with my name all over it.
That is unless the real estate agents calls and I need to go look at a house. YIKES!
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3rd Jul 2008
Do you put those two together? What part does stress play in your eating habits?
If I’m answering, I have to say A LOT!
I thought about this as I drove to work this morning. It’s the day before the Fourth of July, which is a big eating day full of barbecue and dip and chips, and even though I had breakfast (2 pieces of 45 calorie whole wheat toast with sugar free strawberry jam and coffee) I was suddenly hungry. I tried to think about why?
My sweet hubby (Neil) and I are in the process of selling our townhouse and buying a house. MAN what a process! I’ve cleaned up closets and thrown out stuff that should have been gone long ago. (A lot of clothes that are way too big, but I kept them thinking I might need them someday. Weird huh?) Our place looks so nice I can’t help but think “Why didn’t we do this for US? Why wait and clean and fix up for someone else?” And then there’s the decision of what to buy. Will it have problems that we can’t see now but the day after we sign the papers we discover that all the wiring has to be replaced? Decisions, decisions.. and all of them big.
SO this is when I usually eat. When a stressful situation is on me. It feels so good to sit down with a carton (and yes that’s how I used to eat ice cream) and a big spoon and shovel in the comfort. The creamy, dreamy comfort that takes all my cares away for a whopping ten to fifteen minutes.
And I guess that last part is what’s stopping me this time. For such a short return on investment (10-15 minutes of bliss) I get to be fat again. Wow - that’s a revelation for me. I “GET” to be fat again. All those years of being overweight - and it was mostly because I allowed things to get to me.
Well NO MORE! I am in charge of ME! YOU are in charge of YOU! Remember that, and I’m saying this to me as much as to you!
Tomorrow is Independence Day. Today is Independence Day, too, if you choose it. I choose to be free of the chains of fat that have weighed me down all my life. The burden of what that did to me is OVER! The fact is I did that to myself and now I choose a different path.
Happy Independence Day - to everyone! (and to me.)
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