Spicing it up- Slimming it Down

As I mentioned awhile ago, our family has been more conscious of the way we eat. Not that we were terrible eaters before, mind you. We both love to cook and try new recipes, adding our own twists to them. Sometimes that means the dish turns out a little more fattening/flavorful! Dieting often suppresses a good cook, I think. You get used to using fat for flavor, I guess. We've always used many different spices and ingredients, so now we just use them in a more healthy way. It still tastes good too!

Some of the things we're doing with food lately:

*Grilling every vegetable under the sun! Some of our faves: butternut squash, asparagus, onions, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers of all kinds, and the rare potato. Just rub on a little olive oil, some sea salt and a little pepper. Good to go! If you can't grill, use your oven and roast those babies. It's the only way to eat fresh beets at our house! Also try brussels sprouts in the oven. You may decide to like them!

*Marinades, rubs, and brines: we use a lot of fresh lime juice, balsamic vinegar, garlic, baby! fennel, fresh herbs from the garden, including basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, dill, cilantro, parsley, sage...yum. We experiment with different combinations, slap it on the grill, and it never disappoints! We are also fans of red pepper flakes and all things spicy. This helps add flavor. Food should never bore you!

*Eliminating red meats and adding in chicken breast, fish, especially salmon, shrimp, and ground turkey. I have made turkey into chili, turkey "steaks", which taste like Thanksgiving thanks to sage, mexican turkey burgers, all without buns! We love to marinate and skewer chicken strips, flavor them asian style, BBQ style, or whatever mood we're in.

*Vegetables make up about half of our plate at meal time, and this includes lunch too. We flavor veggies with a olive oil, butter flavored spray, lemon juice, or just spices. Chili powder on broccoli is pretty good! Sometimes a meal is a salad with a simple dressing with a little protein added, such as tuna, chicken or boiled egg. Having our garden has helped us to enjoy veggies even more. We also visit the Farmer's Market once a week to replenish our supply!

*Breakfast consists of yogurt and fresh fruit, such as blueberries, peaches, strawberries, raspberries, or apples. I still love my doctored up oatmeal, but I now eat only a half cup of it without my precious brown sugar! I have green tea with every meal and dark chocolate as a treat. Egg white omelets are good when you add red peppers, onions, and just a smidge of cheese. Use cooking spray or a little olive oil in the pan.

*Breads, pastas,rice, and potatoes are a rare visitor, though we do eat whole wheat pastas once in awhile, sweet potatoes, and thinly sliced bread. It's considered a treat. With diabetes, you watch carbs, so we keep this in mind when meal planning.

You may be wondering, where is dessert in all of this? Truthfully, when you're eating a balanced meal with lots to digest, you don't crave that sugar high as much! I know. I'm a self-professed brownie hog, and I'm doing fine without it. If we want something sweet, we'll have fruit, frozen yogurt, or a half cup of ice cream. I also have a caramel truffle flavored tea...haven't tried that just yet. Dessert can also be a half cup or so of dry cereal, such as multi grain cheerios or cinnamon chex, 2 of my favorites. It gives the feeling of snacking, but not all the calories.

Another question we get is, "What about the kids?" Well, we've always believed that taking junk food away from your kids is not depriving them! They still get some snacks and ice cream, normal things kids like, but not in excess, which is the way it should be whether you diet or not. Our kids eat the way we do, only adding in the necessary carbs to help them grow up healthy. They are great eaters, and for that, I am so thankful!

Exercise has also been a big addition, and we've found it more fun when it's not "exercise". We walk around our "block", bike the rail trail, or swim in the pool. I have started doing water aerobics in the pool while Steve swims. It helps with my chronic back pain, and helps Steve to decompress after a stressful day! Thank God for that pool! I say it every day.

All of these changes have resulted in a good amount of weight loss, it's true, but more importantly, we feel better about our health in general and the habits we are instilling in our girls.

So how do we stick with it from here? Good question. Now that Steve is a diabetic, one thing I've started saying to people is this, "We're co-diabetics". Kind of like when we were done having children, I used to say, "We're both unable to have kids" instead of revealing which one "can't". Sharing the burden or responsibility for me gives me a great sense of teamwork, and the inspiration to keep going. Steve has no choice but to stay on the right track. So, neither do I! In marriage, you go through things AS ONE. It's our theory, and it works.

So, while I didn't share recipes here as intended (Sorry "A"), I guess I felt more compelled to share our "tricks". You don't have a monthly fee, and you don't have to weigh in!!