things that make this easier for me

when i started cooking in this new healthier way i had to reevaluate the way i was producing the flavors that i wanted.  how do i make things creamy without using cream?  how do i make things taste rich and meaty when bacon isn't an option?  how do i make this sweet without overloading on sugar?

well you might have noticed that certain ingredients keep popping up in my recipes and that's because they help me achieve these culinary goals without sacrificing my health.  i wish i could say that these were all whole-foods and preservative free and what have you but... come on!  cut me some slack, if i can't have fat i have to have something...

Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss Cheese
1 wedge = 1 point

these are great for spreading on a sandwich or melting into a sauce if you want a creamy texture.  they can also substitute for an egg if you're making a stuffing or a cake (the protein variety not the dessert kind) and need a binder.

Kitchen Basics No Salt Added Chicken Stock
1 cup = 0 points

whenever you are making a sauce or a stir fry or a roast or a soup or broth or beans or WHATEVER!  if you want it to taste like it's been cooking for a long time, or just generally deepen the flavor of it, add in some chicken stock and there you have it!  i like the unsalted variety because then i'm in complete control of the salt level of my food.

Mudhava Agave Nectar

1 tablespoon = 1 point

i happen to be a big fan of the salty / sweet / spicy flavor combination but sugar can get expensive (points wise) real quick so i use agave nectar in place of sugar almost exclusively these days.  it doesn't have a weird aspertame flavor like some non-sugar sweeteners and it's actually made of things that i can understand on an intellectual level.

so those are my secret weapons.  there are a lot more that i use but i think these three show up the most.  i believe i used them all in the pumpkin curry i made the other day, which i will be posting shortly.

happy cooking!

-V

being good at doing good

this past weekend i walked in the Susan G Komen 3-Day for the Cure in Dallas, TX.  in case you don't know what that is or don't care to click that link to find out (which you should because it's important), it's a 60 mile, 3 day walk which raises money for breast cancer research and community programs.

i'm not here to wax poetic about the philanthropic aspects of the walk, i'm here to talk about the fact that i walked 60 FUCKING MILES IN 3 DAYS.  sorry for cursing but for once, i think it was warranted.

it wasn't easy, at all.  i cried, a lot, i whined, a lot and i thought about quitting, constantly.  but i didn't.  and to me, that's kind of amazing.

i've never been a particularly confident person but since completing the walk i sort of feel like i can do anything i set my mind to.  i used to almost believe this but once i started working towards a goal, i would often give up when i realized how hard it was going to be.  but i think i've experienced some kind of breakthrough.

during the walk there would be times when i would almost lose touch with reality (who me? never!) and start to believe that i would never finish walking.  literally, i had myself convinced that i would spend the rest of my life walking the streets of Dallas.  this has happened to me before at the gym but all i have to do is look at the clock on the treadmill and i can say "no, you're not gonna be on this machine for the rest of your life, you're gonna be on this machine for 17 more minutes."  you can't really do that when the awful thing you're doing last 3 days so, hence my break with reality.

obviously, it did end, and here i am, back on my couch in Brooklyn with a major accomplishment under my belt.

the point i am (somewhat loquaciously) getting at is that no matter how miserable something makes me, or how crazy i become whilst doing it, i can in fact accomplish my goals.

if i can walk 60 miles i can certainly lose weight, and maybe even check a few other things off the list along the way.

so basically, whatever it is you think you can't do?  bullshit i say!  i know you can.

-V

p.s. yes i have underwear on outside of my leggings in that picture, don't ask.