072 - Mmmm-Mmmm Good

Nothing much to blog about today, you may go if you wish.

A few months ago I bought a cookbook that took regular recipes and substituted healthier options to create a dish that would hopefully satisfy your cravings and help you lose weight without feeling like you were missing out on your favorites. I thought it would be filled with yummy recipes and I would love it so much that I would cook, cook, cook... and lose, lose, lose... I found one recipe that I liked. I made about five all told, and four of them sucked. One of them actually turned my stomach. If you would like to buy my cookbook from me, drop me a line.

One recipe, in particular, intrigued me and I really wanted to like it, but I knew that the combination of spinach and sweet potato just wasn't going to be a palate pleaser. I took some of their ideas though, and turned them into something that works for me:

1 russett potato, baked
1 slice of turkey bacon, fried and crumbled
1" slice of a reduced fat cream cheese bar
1" slice of sharp cheddar, grated
1/4 red onion, sliced thin and caramelized

I use real butter when I caramelize the onion. I figure I'm saving calories with the turkey bacon, and the cream cheese (which replaces sour cream and butter), and I like using real butter because it tastes better. The onion gives the potato a really nice flavor and it's very, very tasty (and kind of pretty, too).

I bought one of those big bags of potatoes, so I've been eating them a couple of times a week. The rest of the week I eat a Greek salad for dinner. It's partly for weight loss, partly because it just tastes really good and it's easy to make. My overall weight loss is about 13 lbs, but I really want to push it for the next few weeks. I'm facing a camera deadline with the trip... I want to look good in the damn pictures. And I want to be healthy. I've realized that I'm at an age where it's becoming more difficult to lose weight, so if I don't do it now, it's only going to get harder.

I can't believe the trip is only 30+ days away now. I started planning over a year ago and it seemed like it would never get here. I can't wait to get back. I'm sure people get tired of hearing me talk about it, but people who have been there understand... I'm smiling just thinking about it. =)