Evil in the Next Room

Okay. I can do this. As I sit here typing, pure evil lurks in the next room. Waiting. Whispering to me. Telling me to come take one bite. Playing with all my emotions at once. Talking, then yelling for me to come. NO!

Today in the office, we're celebrating the last day at work of a ready-to-go missionary that leaves next week. He decided to bring doughnuts--sweet, sugary doughnuts--for everyone to share in this special day. Normally, I'd be psyched to dig in to a bavarian creme stuffed, chocolate-topped piece of deliciousness. However, I got back on the bandwagon this week. I'm determined to be healthy; to eat less junk; to lose weight that seems to come on with more fight every time. But the doughnuts are beckoning. Of course the only two left would be bavarian creme-filled and cake with sugar sprinkled on the outside...my two favorites. I did get past the craving for Pizza that came when Fran bought pie and breadsticks for the office. Now I just have to get past these evil doughnuts lurking in the next room. I can do it. I must do it. I WILL DO IT!

I'm leaving; going home to a bowl of sugar-free, fat-free chocolate pudding. Pudding loves me. Pudding wouldn't deceive me like those hideous doughnuts that add pounds faster than you can chew. Pudding and then dinner. Done and done.

Okay...I'm going to use the D-word...DIET!!!

That's right. I said it. I'm starting a DIET!!! And best of all, I'm owning up to it. None of this "It's not a diet, it's a way of life" crap. Sure I'm going for a lifestyle change, here, but I'm not denying that I'm on the D-word. I was inspired by Papa Bear Steve who's lost over 25 pounds in the last couple of months! So, I decided to do what he's doing.

Here are the basics:

• No Sugar
• No White Flour
• No Pop
• No Fast Food
• No Junk Food
• YES Vegetables
• YES Fruit
• YES Whole Grains
• YES Lean Meats
• YES Low-fat milk products

I think you get the point. So this is basically what I'm doing, and I've been doing it since Monday. Want to know the best part? It WORKS! As of yesterday morning (two days of dieting) I'd already lost 5 pounds! I'm guessing that's from giving up the pop, but who knows? Best of all, I feel a TON better already! No more being tired all the time. No more being sick. Just being healthy. The best part is, I've kinda got my family doing it, too. I told my parents what I'm doing and they agreed to buy the food if I cook (which I love to do anyway). I think that's going to help a ton!

Oh, and tomorrow night we're having some friends over for a pizza night. Guess what I'm having...whole wheat veggie delight pizza from Papa Murphy's. Perfect, eh? Anywho...tonight I made something quite yummy (thanks to Jessica who inspired the recipe). We had Spinach-stuffed Chicken Breasts with Garlic Roasted Asparagus and Baked Potatoes with low-fat sour cream and chives. Here's my recipe for the chicken. Try it! It's SO good! (by the way, the picture is just a generic photo of stuffed chicken...I didn't take a picture of my food...)

4 Chicken Breasts
3 Cups Fresh Spinach
3-4 Basil Leaves
2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, pulse the spinach and basil a few times until finely minced. Set aside. Pound the chicken breasts to about 1/4" thick. Top chicken with spinach mixture and cheese. Roll up tightly (you'll get a spiral of chicken and spinach). Rub the outside with olive oil and italian seasoning. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until juices run clear.

Try it out and let me know what you think! It is YUMMY! :-D

I'm a little sick...

Okay, I think I'm a little sick in the head. We had a Par-Tay for Alysa's birthday on Friday, and since autumn is one of my favorite seasons, I kinda went all out on preparing some treats & such...I racked my brain trying to think of some good things for some fall-themed treats, and eventually I came across a couple of fun ideas. SO, I hollowed out some pumpkins for Queso and Salsa with some chips, I shaped an orange cheese ball like a pumpkin with a little broccoli stalk for a stem, and I found a great recipe for pumpkin pie dip that I served with apple slices and some graham cracker thingys (quite the technical term, I know). I also know that this sounds like something a woman would do, but I am very secure in my masculinity...I just like to go all-out for stuff like this. In fact, I'm contemplating starting a catering business some time in the future. What do you all say? I know it could be difficult...starting up a business that has so much to do with personal tastes, but it would be SO fun! Think about it for a second...almost all of the best chefs and caterers out there are men, so I already have a competitive advantage! Now, don't go off calling me sexist...I just think that I would have that killer instinct. Here are some of the recipes I used:

Pumpkin Pie Dip

1 (16 oz) block Cream Cheese

2 cups Powdered Sugar

1 can (15 oz) Pumpkin Pie Filling (not just canned pumpkin)

Cinnamon Sticks

Powdered Saigon Cinnamon

Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar with a mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the

 pumpkin and beat until fully mixed and lighter in color. Be sure to scrape the bottom, because if you don't, you probably won't get all of the cream cheese mixed in. Chill for 4 hours in the refrigerator. Garnish with Saigon Cinnamon and Cinnamon Sticks and serve with apple slices and/or graham crackers.

Yields: About 3 cups

"Pumpkin Cheese Ball"

2 (8-ounce) blocks extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 (8-ounce) container chive-and-onion cream cheese

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon Bon Apetit Seasoning

1 broccoli stalk

In a mixing bowl, combine cheese, and both cream cheeses. Mix until combined. Add Seasoning and mix well. Cover. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Just before serving, shape cheese ball into a pumpkin. You can use your fingers to make the vertical lines or even a jack-o-lantern face. Cut the stalk off of the broccoli and put it on the top, upside-down. HINT: Before shaping the ball, coat your hands with nonstick cooking spray so the cheese won't stick to your fingers!

Anywho, I hope you don't think I'm too weird for doing something like this...remember...I'm not weird. I'm just quirky ;-)

Satisfying an Urge

SO....today I satisfied an urge that I have had for quite some time. In fact, I've had this particular urge for about a year: since last October! Now, don't get your panties in a bind; before you get all discombobulated, let me tell you that this urge had nothing to do with immorality or anything like that. Where is your mind? Get it out of the gutter...

The urge that I satisfied was the desire I've had for steaming hot, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth Pumpkin Pancakes from IHOP. No, I'm not trying to advertise them to you. But seriously, go try them. Now. No, wait...finish reading this article first, because what I have to say is extremely important. Are you ready? I hope so, because here it goes.

I decided that one of the most important things in life is food. Shocker, eh? Yes, I know that it is important to live and all that, but food is truly important to emotions. Each bite of these wonderfully fluffy pancakes gave me a little bit of happiness. It was like a piece of pure bliss in my mouth for a couple minutes. The best part about food is that it can never let you down. Even if you have a bad taste in your mouth, you have the next meal to look forward to.

Also, look back in your life. When are the happiest times? Family get-togethers? Christmas? Birthdays? Easter? What do they all have in common? That's right! It's food. People don't necessarily like spending time with their families on Thanksgiving; they truly enjoy eating turkey, stuffing, potatoes, yams, and rolls until you either burst or have to use a rubber band to secure the button area on your pants (unless you're one of the smart people that wear stretchy 90s pants on Thanksgiving). Food is wonderful. It is not only vital to our health, but needed for our emotional well-being. So, eat up!

Now you can go get those Pumpkin Pancakes from iHop. Try it!