Dinner.....again

Sometimes I'm not very imaginative. I hate trying to think of different meals to make for dinner. It is especially hard when the fridge is still empty. I did go to the grocery on Monday, but only to pick up a few essentials for Thanksgiving. (i.e., the turkey for brining; more on that later) When I came home tonight, I was still in a quandary as to what to cook. Since I enjoyed my arugula salad so much the other night, I just copied it more or less. - a lot less. When Thanksgiving is over, I will try to get more creative in my cooking.

Kate Mantellini

For the record, I want to let it be known that I actually exaggerated a little bit last night. It felt like I was totally out of control and eating everything in sight. This morning I was able to rethink everything that I ate yesterday, and came to the conclusion that I was actually pretty good. First of all, let me just put this out there. I went to dinner with Mom again. My mother has always been the type of person who is a lot of fun, but who really takes her food and dining seriously. I obviously do too, but unlike me, my mother has always found fault in her restaurant experiences. Some of her favorite sayings are "I like my hot things hot!" "I work like a man, I should eat like a man." "Your serving is a) bigger, b) rarer, c) juicier, d) hotter, etc. etc. than mine." You get the picture? For starters, she was convinced that her Chivas Regal that we ordered her last night was definitely NOT Chivas. Also, as luck would have it, her glass was dirty. Once, we exchanged the drink that the waiter witnessed being poured out of the Chivas bottle, she was left with a glass with "mainly ice" and two small pieces of a lemon twist. She was quite surprised that they would be so "economical" with their lemons. My husband offered to get her a lemon wedge, but by the time the waiter came to the table, the drink was gone "it was all ice" and she decided to have a glass of Chardonnay. She went with the recommendation of the waiter, even though she had "never heard of that wine before."
So, now that the mood of the table has been presented, let's get to Patti's Plate. I actually refused the delicious hot bread that they normally serve, and ordered a steak and arugula salad with a reduced vinaigrette sauce. It was actually so good that I felt like I was overindulging, but in retrospect I was not. We also had an order of sweet potato fries that I should have passed on but I didn't. Another indulgence was my Beefeater gin martini. But, heck. I've always worked like a man. Why shouldn't I drink like one?

The Holidays

I need to learn to control my emotional eating in time for the holiday season. The index card didn't work tonight. I almost ate it too.

The King's Head

Tonight I had the pleasure of taking my Mother out for dinner. We went first to an art show and then tried to figure out what restaurant to go to for dinner. I did not want to spend another Saturday night eating Mexican food. We tried to find something different. We searched from downtown Los Angeles to the San Fernando valley. There were four people in the car, each with their own suggestions. Driving in rainy traffic discussing our options, the ride seemed to take much longer than it should have. We finally settled upon the old Pinot Bistro restaurant which is now an English Pub called the Kings Head. None of us had been there before so we gave it a try. It was warm and relaxing, quiet with white tablecloths. It was a very nice atmosphere even though Mom pointed out that the English are not really "known" for their food. The menu was quite extensive with items like fish and chips, steaks, burgers, salads, and curries. Thank goodness the restaurant was kind enough to substitute the peas that they normally serve with the pepper steak with onion rings for my mother. I gazed at the long menu, and fought the temptation to ease my nerves by ordering something warm and comforting. I took out my index card and read my reasons for wanting to be thin. I then ordered a green salad with strips of chicken. Mom's probably right. The English don't cook that well.

Advantage Response Card

Day 1 requires recognizing and writing down the reasons that I want to lose weight. I am supposed to keep an index card with those reasons with me at all times. I am to read it often enough so that I eventually learn to conquer any sabotaging thoughts that I may encounter. OK. I can do that. Tonight I really had to fight my demons.
1) But it's Friday....
2) Both Tony and I worked today.
3) The refrigerator is relatively bare.
4) Tony does not need to diet and he is perfectly happy being married to an overweight woman.
I quickly retrieve my Advantage Response Card. I read it. I read it again. I go to the freezer and I find one lonely package of frozen raviolis. Hmmmm. This may work. I show Tony and he actually gets excited. I will eat my chicken breast leftovers again. (No one else really liked them anyway, that's why there is still some left.) We will stay home this Friday night and make the best of it. The good news is that I have made it through my first day of the Beck diet. And, we were able to find an adequate dinner to stay home and enjoy a Friday night. And....Tony was even able to share "The Merry Widow" opera with me in his music room. And....I actually enjoyed it.

 























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The Beck Diet Solution

I definitely need help in dealing with temptations like I experienced last night. I have been skimming through a diet book recently , and I think it is time for me to take the book and it's advice a bit more seriously. It is a cognitive therapy approach to weight loss. It is a "how to" guide to stay on a diet; it is not the diet itself. The name of the book is " The Diet Solution", by Judith S. Beck, Ph.D.  There are some things that she requires of the reader, that I'm uncomfortable doing. However, she is the expert, and I'm still the fat person. So I guess it's time to defer to her expertise. It is a 6 week plan again and there are daily assignments. Here I go again. By the way, I ate the chicken dinner last night and it was quite good.

Stuffed Chicken

Today is my creative cooking day. I have a package of boneless, skinless, chicken breasts in the refrigerator awaiting a new identity. I've been reading online, perusing my cookbooks, and hoping for inspiration. Wouldn't you know it, when I was just about to lose hope, cousin Costa called from Charleston. When he is not lecturing me on my politics, he is telling me about the delicious food he has just made. I knew he would be the perfect person to ask for help. Although maybe his recipes are not always low calorie, he does normally cook with whole fresh foods and everything he has ever made us has been delicious. He gave me the idea to stuff chicken breasts with bacon and cheese and fry them in butter until they are golden brown. Well, I obviously had to tweak the recipe a bit to remove a few calories. I improvised on his recipe, left out the cheese and added dates and capers. Then, I did a light egg wash and rolled them in walnuts. I will be baking them, not frying. Time will tell how they turn out. I'm going to add a salad, spinach and sweet potato. Finally, something different on Patti's plate. 
NOT!!!

Update: Ernie called and said he was picking up Barone's pizza. Tony suggested we eat the chicken roll tomorrow. The temptation was too great. I caved.

I am bad.

I am fat.
I hate myself.