My New Cookbook!

I love cookbooks. I love looking at different recipes and if the book has pictures it's even better. I have many cookbooks...with many recipes I haven't tried. My husband makes fun of me, and rolls his eyes every time I bring home a new book.

This book is different.

This is a Taste of Home cookbook...they are the best. I think I have three and a magazine subscription that my mother-in-law gets me each year for my birthday. This Taste of Home is the Comfort Foods Diet book.

What makes this "diet" book different from all the others? First of all it uses real, everyday foods. I don't have to make everything with ground turkey rather than beef, and I don't have to use reduced fat cheese...two things that frankly I'm not willing to use in my cooking. Second it lists the calories/serving of each meal. So if I want to make Mexican Chicken and Rice I know that one serving of it is 300 calories...great tool! Third, it has all kinds of tools and helpful hints about losing weight. For someone like me, this book is ideal because it allows me to eat what I want and still have some basic tools to cut down on the intake of too much food.

I will be sharing some of the tools and recipes from time to time from my new cook book. To start off, I'll post the tip on portion size references...very useful!

3 oz. of beef, chicken of pork = deck of cards

1 serving of cold cereal = baseball

1 medium potato = tennis ball

3 oz. deli meet = 3 CDs

1 serving of cheese = Domino

1/4 cup grated cheese = golf ball

1 teaspoon butter or jam = finger tip

1 tablespoon peanut butter = your thumb

1 average bagel = hockey puck

1 serving of rice or pasta = cupcake wrapper

Enjoy!

Mission Slim-Possible!

At the start of every year there are thousands of people across the country who pledge to lose weight and be healthier. Gyms are over crowded, workout clothes are bought up like candy, and grocery stores push their diet/low fat and healthier items. People jump on weight-loss teams with the hope that they will find support in numbers.

This year, that person is me.

I already feel that I have a pretty well-balanced diet and I'm generally happy with my weight. I am classified as "mildly overweight" by the BMI calculators and fat charts, and for the most part I'm ok with that. I fit in my clothes fine, and I enjoy a bowl of ice cream for dessert at night.

But being a girl, the desire to lose another 10 lbs. will always be there. 10 lbs. seems to be that magic number. I would be back down to what I weighed in high school, and give me just a little more cushion when we decide we're ready to start a family. (The thought of pregnancy weight scares me...) So I joined a weight-loss team that began on January 17.

I'm hoping that my team "Mission Slim-possible" will be able to help me get off that plateau I've been on for the last year and a half. However, I am NOT willing to be miserable starving myself of my favorite foods and desserts. Everyone has their own way to diet. I don't like the word diet. That sounds restrictive, tiring, and just plan sucky! I know the minute I tell myself I shouldn't eat carbs...I'll want nothing other than a hot basket of bread sticks from Olive Garden.

So, here's how I plan to do it. Portion control and calories. I truly believe that a person can eat normal, everyday foods (including a scoop of ice cream) and still lose weight. I want something that I'm going to be able to maintain. I don't want a fast drop in weight because I stop eating carbs, and then the minute I go back to enjoying my rolls and noodles blow I up and gain more than I did to begin with.

I have started this first week by dropping my calorie intake to 1800 a day and exercising at least 30 minutes a day. Once I get used to that, I'll drop my calories to 1600. Again eating what I want as long as I stay in the calorie range. And if I start to struggle, I know my teammates will be there to help me.

So for all of you trying to lose a few this year good luck and God Speed!