Monday, January 17, 2011

Phase 1 Out

Its official... I've successfully completed phase 1! That means I've gone two weeks with no simple carbs or sugar, including fruit sugar. Ok, so I might have had a tiny peice of Dr. Pepper cake last weekend and a double helping of biscuits and gravy this weekend. You know, if it wasn't for my wonderful boyfriend and his family I wouldn't be tempted to cheat near as much.
I realize food is AT every event and part of our life but food BINDS me with most of my favorite relationships. I love cooking and have learned that I love cooking for Kiley. Its been even more fun since I've realized how picky he is. When he says, "wow, babe this is really good" I barely contain myself from jumping up on the couch and dancing. One day maybe he'll get a dining room table until then our meals are shared twenty-first century style- facing the tv.

As promised some tips, tricks and recipies:

Cauliflower-likely the most boring and bland food substance ever, but then again someone probably said that about the coveted potatoes, once upon a time. In the South Beach Diet book they suggest treating cauliflower much like potatoes and make faux-mashed potatoes. I still havn't found my steamer since the move, pathetic I know, so I boiled the whole frozen bag in water then mashed with a little milk, I Can't Beleive It's Not Butter, Salt and Pepper. It was good but I wished I'd boiled a little longer. The next day I microwaved left overs and they were AHH-mazing! I guess a night in the fridge and a few minuets in the micro made it just the perfect texture. SOoooo, I got to wondering if this boring bland little white tree could be manipulated to mimic my oh-so-missed Malt'O Meal. The verdict: it was close, but not that close even after a night in the fridge. I'm going to try it again and really boil them and maybe even stick them in the Magic Bullet. Though, I will try it at my house this time because Mr. Picky thinks the boring bland nuetral veggie smells bad when cooked.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Corn Fed Girls

Like everyone else this week and for about... ohh another week or so... I am dieting because its the first few weeks of January and that's just what we do. This time I really needed to for my health and the three closets of clothes I can't fit in. Yes, I said three... I am single besides what else was I gonna do with all that space. As I've chatted with my fellow struggling dieters and tried recipes and tricks I thought to myself I wish there was a Paula Deen for South Beach. There are a thousand websites and even blogs that cater to the city slicker vegetarian types but what about us southern corn fed girls missing the foods that not only have packed on the pounds but have also shaped our memories, friendships, childhoods and relationships.

So, here we go I am going to attempt.... Paula Deen's yummyness, Rachel Ray's quickness, the health and great weight loss of South Beach and all the greatness of last month's church potluck. Might even toss in some Dr. Phil encouragement.