Life Cycle of a Diet....and other things

For me, dieting begins with some type of motivation. Usually it's bathing suit season, a New Year's resolution, a class reunion, or a lack of loose waistbands in your closet. Whatever the motivation, I'm just glad to have some!

When I started my diet, those first 4 days were torture! I was weaning myself away from sugar and carbs...2 things I thought I couldn't live without.

After about a week, I was doing well. I hadn't run out of food ideas, and because I was super hungry, everything healthy was a welcome meal.

After a month, still hanging in there, having formed a good set of habits, I was starting to feel a bit of fear that at any moment, I might binge like a maniac.

Here I am almost 3 months in, and surprisingly, I haven't run out of meal ideas yet. I have been able to change up my usual green salad enough to make it interesting, and I don't mind drinking lots of water, but I must have lemons or limes to make it palatable for me. And lots of ice. Using pretty stemware makes me want to drink it more. Whatever works, right?

In the back of my mind, I still wonder if I can keep this up. While I'm not white-knuckling it as I have in the past, I don't think I trust myself enough yet. If a diet has a life cycle, I hope it's like that of a butterfly; reinventing itself into something better each time.

And now on to "other things". I want to share a recipe for one of my favorite rubs. I like it on chicken breast best, but you can put it on pork, shrimp, white-fleshed fish, scallops, and salmon.

Provencal Herb Rub:

1 Tablespoon fennel seed, crushed
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. ground dried orange peel (use a planer and do your own for best result)
2 T. dried basil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Mix it up and use as needed. I like to pan-sear the chicken in a bit of olive oil, then finish in a 350 oven, covered. You can pound the meat first, but it's not necessary. The combination of orange and fennel is amazing and so different from your usual boring seasoned salts!

Another favorite I forgot to mention is grilled polenta. You can make your own corn meal "mush" by following directions on the corn meal package, or you can purchase ready made polenta in a tube in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. Slice it up about 1/2" thick and grill a few minutes on each side until it has nice grill lines. I was blown away by the deliciousness of it, really! You can top it with salsa or black beans to make a meal out of it, but I like it plain with a little crushed salt on top.

Tonight I made jalapeno chicken with onions, garlic, and zucchini. It was quick and easy. I served it up over steamed cauliflower, and yes, it was yummy and carb-free!

The first three letters of die t can be daunting, but when you look at it as a life-giving cycle, it makes it that much more attainable. I'm losing my body, but gaining years, I hope! Who knew brownies were so lethal...geez! :)