Overwhelmed, travel plans, moving and a donut free lifestyle.

Whew!

This week’s blog is going to be short and much more “Stream of Consciousness” than usual. Believe it or not, I actually spend a lot of time polishing these things up!

I’m in the middle of moving from Mexico up to Seattle. I’ve been shutting my life down around these parts … packing, storing, selling, donating, etc. I’ve been without internet for the past 2 days. I’m also probably landing in Mexico City, right as this blog is landing in your inbox. It’s been a heavy week and will continue to be for about 2 more weeks! Brace yourself for “shaky foodie blog 2012”!

No More Donuts

Last week I told a donut story and talked about how I might eat “whatever … whenever” while on Vacation in Mexico City. That seemed to stir some emotions within people. It was near unanimous that I need to behave myself. Darn! I had to go and open my big mouth … so … now I can’t go to Mexico City and open my big mouth!

There was one email that stood out, from a woman with a psychology background. She felt that baking in some cheats every once in a while is the way to go. The most successful weight loss stories she knew of all involved occasional cheats, provided they always got back on plan. It’s ok … just go back.

Again, there was no clear conclusion for me. LOTS of people saying to eat clean, but a trained professional supported my own opinions.

In my mind, even after reading the emails (some were fairly insistent) I was still resisting, knowing that I can do it and that it works for me, but … then … I started to reflect back to why I started this in the first place.

What do I do?

At my very core, I want to help people. I want to inspire people and let them know that they can do it. YOU can do it! So many people that know me suggested that I write about this blog, tell my story, etc. Ultimately … if “I” can do it … “anyone” can do it. The other primary reason was to serve as a somewhat “self policing” mechanism. I can’t very well write about the best possible way to eat, and not live that lifestyle, myself. Ultimately, I need to be an example. In the past, I’ve been a great example! In the future … I’ll be a great example! I think my last blog indicated that … I’m quite capable of being a bad example, too. This worried me a bit, in that I realized that … just because I can eat a donut (ok … a baker’s dozen), and go back to being good for a year … it doesn’t mean everyone can. A slipup from me, even a planned one, might shake someone else’s upward swing! Someone might use me as their rationale for eating their own planned donut. Whereas I’ve always found my way back to this way of eating … others may not be so lucky.

In order to have the greatest impact on the greatest number of people, I need to be a great example … all the time.

Talk about pressure! OH MAN was this blog a mistake!!!

In the end, I decided to eat well. I’ll be with a friend’s family and will need to maintain common courtesy and respect for their wishes, but I will also be as good as I possibly can be.

Next week … I’ll write about it!

Ok … Picture time! (cooked this week … recipes still in development … stay tuned!)

How’s this for “diet food”? Meat Lover’s Pizza Stuffed … Bacon Wrapped … Chicken Breast Roulade! (horns blart somewhere in the distance)

Broccoli, Ham and Dijon Au Gratin

Blackened Chicken Tenders with Cool Creamy Ranch!

I’ve eaten this way for 2 1/2 years. It STILL boggles my mind to see these delicious “fattening” foods and KNOW that I’ve lost 142 lbs. eating this kind of stuff. I’m not sure I’ll EVER full wrap my mind around the idea that this is … healthy!

* clears throat *

Back to my rambling …

When I first started to take this blog seriously, I sat and wrote a list of 52 topics I’d like to cover over the next year. The original concept was VERY food-centric. One week would be a blog on tomatoes. Another week would be a post based on “blanching and shocking” (boiling stuff, then plunging it in ice water to stop the cooking process. It’s a good trick to know!). Every once in a blue moon, I had a topic based on something like “having fun” or “surfing”. I DID want to embed some sense of life and personality, but the core focus was food, ingredients and cooking techniques. This blog is still VERY young. As of this post, it’s 8 weeks old. It’s still finding its legs. In the long run, I’m looking for more researched information, cooking techniques and the occasional riff on my life.

When I land in Seattle and get my new groove going, I will DEFINITLY be including more of this type of content. I think there will come a point where my babble will cease to entertain. I want to inspire, but … I also want to inform!

I want information to take center stage, while I drift further into the background. Don’t worry, though … it’s always going to be “my” blog!

Stay tuned! I’ve got a lot planned for this blog of mine. I’m just getting started!

In the meantime … in the very short term … I’m about the only topic I really have time to do the research for!

Wish me well in Mexico City! I’ll write my next post from there. After that … I’ll be in Seattle!

Hanging with the troll under the bridge …

DJ

P.S. This week’s recipes are pretty great! The sausage is homemade and totally delicious. I use it in A LOT of dishes. It’s tasty in pretty much anything you toss it in! I’ve stuffed a pork tenderloin, in this case. I served it with a Romesco and an earth shaking cauliflower side dish. I’ve also got a fantastic lunch pair. Try a bowl of Cream of Tomato, paired with a half a Grilled Cheese and Ham Sandwish. Yum! Wash it all down with a cool mug of Eggnog and smile all day!

ALL NEW Weekly Recipes!

	Loose and Spicy Hot Chicken Italian Sausage Sausages are basically an emulsified blend of fat and meat, then cooked. Huh? Sausages are meat, which has been blended with fat, in a cold environment (so the fat doesn’t melt). This is done in a way …
	Sausage Stuffed Pork Tenderloin I love pork. I love bacon. I love sausage. I love anything related to the other white meat (except the oink). This simple recipe just adds some fantastic basic fat and flavor to the already stellar pork tenderloin. You can purchase any loose …
	Roasted Cauliflower w/ Pancetta, Lemon and Parmesan If you’ve read this website for more than 5 minutes, it should be abundantly clear that I love bacon. I probably type the word 20 times a day. I LOVE the stuff, but … sometimes … it becomes all too much. What can a person do when they’re burned out on bacon? Pancetta! Pancetta is ITALIAN BACON! YUM! …
	Romesco Romesco is a thick nut and pepper sauce, coming from Northern Spain. In my mind, it belongs in the pesto family, but … it really doesn’t. There’s no cheese, it’s not Italian and … it’s just not pesto. Those little factoids don’t seem to stop me from holding it in my mind with other pesto’s and even the occasional tapenade!
	Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwich This thing is buttery, crispity, salty, cheesy and mustardy. Served straight out of the pan, there are very few things that make me happier (actually, there are a lot of things that make me happier, but … that somewhat minimizes the emphasis I’m trying to display, here). …
	Cream of Tomato Soup I love a cream based soup. Just about anything heated, pureed with cream and a little salt is fantastic! A good tomato, with a little salt … FANTASTIC! Tomatoes, with cream, pureed with a little salt! AMAZING! It’s such a simple thing. Tomatoes, cream, heat, puree and eat. …
	Luxurious Eggnog Eggnog is one word. Did you know that? I didn’t! I’ve always spelled it as two words! Wacky stuff! When eating a low carb and sugar free way of life, sometimes it becomes reasonable to adopt meals, snacks, beverages or desserts that are outside the norm. Eggnog is something that I view as being …

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