Cobb Salad

I usually am not one to "do" lunch. I have never been part of the "ladies who lunch" club. However, today I celebrated my skinny sister's monumental birthday. (A year and a few days late.) We went to the Tavern in Brentwood and fell in love with the ambiance of the restaurant. Since my sister makes a habit of eating healthy, these days I just follow her lead. We started with a small white bean purée, and then we both had the Cobb salad. It was aesthetically beautiful, as well as nutritious and delicious.  And believe it or not, unlike my sister,  I didn't even finish everything on my plate.

Wine Tasting

I'm hoping that all of the walking I am doing today will counteract the amount of food and drink that I am consuming. Anne and I spent time walking through the quaint decorated streets of Solvang and San Ynez. Since she is used to living in an area that is inundated with wineries, she was able to navigate our walk and introduce me to the intricacies of wine tasting. We tasted great wine and met some really nice people. But of all of the wine we had, it's hard to beat our own Greek favorite, Retsina. We stopped for a glass   and a salad at Petros Restaurant.

Thanks, Anne. I had the BEST time!

Solvang

I have the best daughter in the world! Anne has the day off tomorrow, so she took me to Solvang for an overnight getaway. We used to go here during Christmas time when the kids were small. The little Danish village is decorated for Christmas and it looks like a little winter wonderland. We went to a restaurant owned by the boutique hotel where we are staying.We split little small plates, so although it wasn't exactly dietetic, I didn't feel stuffed at the end of the meal. It was fun and delicious and worth the extra calories.  Anne convinced me that I was doing fine since everything was so small. She also told me that I am not supposed to diet while on vacation. I guess she is definitely out of the running as my weight coach.

Musso Franks

This was probably not my best choice, but it was Saturday night and we were at Musso Franks! How could I not eat steak? The good news is that I only ate half so we definitely have enough left over to make into tacos for Tony tomorrow. On another note, Day 6 of the Beck Solution requires me to find a diet coach. It needs to be someone who I will be accountable to and who will give me encouragement when I am faltering. I've thought about who this person can be for awhile now. Most of my friends are too kind and let me off the hook too easily. I need someone who understands the "dieter" mentality but who also will have the strength to tell me when I am being too lenient with myself. I haven't decided yet.

Lamb Chop and Endives

I'm not sure, but I think boiled endives are my absolute favorite vegetable! (Um....I take that back if avocados are considered a vegetable.) Tonight I am having a perfect meal. I have made salad, lamb chops and endives.
The meal is so good, I can't really describe it. Does it compete with Barone's pizza? Actually it does. (on some strange level) My husband doesn't eat lamb, but LOVES pasta. I used to succumb to his wishes and make spaghetti pretty often. Tonight, he made himself a delicious smelling pasta, and I made myself two small lamb chops. We shared the endives and salad. We were both happy, but I'm telling you, my dinner was spectacular. Eating healthy has never tasted this good. (I know, I think I've heard that before.) My only regret is that I didn't put it on a prettier plate.

Day 5 of Beck Diet Solution

Here I go again. My salads may be boring, but I am losing weight. Tonight I ate another salad. Day 5 of the Beck diet suggests eating slowly and mindfully. I already do. It's funny. I am a super slow eater, and my skinny sister is a super fast eater. Something there doesn't make sense. I savor every bite of my food. The thought of eating fast just doesn't enter into my head. Tonight I ate a small salad in the same amount of time that it took Tony to eat a salad, Sand Dabs,  potatoes, vegetables and bread.  Eating slowly may be good advice, but it is not earth shattering news to me.

I just finished another good "diet day".

Shrimp and Grits???

I am one of the luckiest people on the planet. I can say this for a million reasons but today I will just pick one. Today I was able to visit with my son, Ted. I went to see him in Carlsbad, CA where he lives.  It was great to see him and visit. We went to lunch, and I definitely got caught up in the moment since I seldom see him. We were looking over the menu, and there was a part of me that said, "celebrate, eat anything you want, you are with Ted, and you rarely see him." The other part said, "eat healthy, and remember you need to be accountable to your blog." I looked at the menu, and noticed that all of the salads were pretty highly caloric. I knew I could have asked to have the blue cheese or candied walnuts left off, but then I  would have been stuck with the same boring salad I make for myself almost daily. The waitress came to the table and recommended the shrimp special. She said that most people who come to the restaurant come for that dish. She strongly suggested it.
Two thoughts went through my head:
1) Shrimp is very low calorie.
2) I hate to hurt her feelings.
I ordered the special. Honestly, less than two seconds later I had buyer's remorse. I knew I had made a bad choice.  The shrimp special came with grits and a special sauce. I don't even like grits!Ted even felt bad for me because he didn't want to hurt her feelings either.  He offered to share his food. The good news is that I only ate a couple of shrimp. We took the rest of the food with us and hopefully his roommate likes shrimp. Learning lesson from this experience? The waiter or waitress only want you to be happy. Order the food that will make you happy in the morning.