My Favorite HEALTHY Things

GREEK YOGURT.  Have you tried this stuff yet?  Well, if you haven't, brace yourself.  It's not like any other yogurt, most especially the fruit-on-the-bottom and the chocolate-cheesecake-parfait varieties.  (Can you say pudding?)  Plain Greek yogurt is thick, rich, has only 100 calories in the fat-free version, and provides a whopping 14 or 15 grams of protein, depending on the brand.  That's HUGE.

For breakfast or a sweet treat, stir in a handful of blueberries, nuts, high-fiber cereal, or a drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Add it to your favorite smoothie for more richness and a protein boost.

Combine it with herbs, spices, lemon juice, soy sauce, or hot sauce to make a tangy dip for vegetables or crackers.

Use it instead of mayonnaise in tuna salad, chicken salad, egg salad, potato salad, guacamole, or deviled eggs.

Use it to replace sour cream in recipes or on top of a baked potato, along with salt, pepper, and chives.

Add a little to hot, cooked pasta to make a creamy sauce, then top with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and fresh basil (or your favorite herb).

Flavored Greek yogurt is also available, with just a slightly higher calorie count.  The only downside is that Greek yogurt is more expensive than the 10/$5 brands, but do give it a try.  It's available at all major grocery stores these days.

Other suggestions?  Don't forget to leave a comment!  (Look for the instructions in red after all the articles.)

My Favorite NAUGHTY Things

"The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook."  -- Julie Child

Here goes: fettuccine Alfredo, nachos, jalapeno poppers, pizza, artichoke dip, French fries, Cheetos, Fritos, Hormel chili from the can, fake "krab" salad (I kid you not), and anything that even remotely involves bacon or the history of cheese.  Probably not what you were expecting, right?  Then rest assured that in the future, I'll also be sharing a list of healthy products that I consume regularly so I don't feel guilty about indulging in items from this list occasionally, because let's be honest, life without macaroni and cheese is only barely worth living.  Barely.  So keep your eyeballs open for some of my favorite (oh, if we must), HEALTHY things.

Okay, I 'fessed up, now it's your turn.  What's your favorite indulgence, and where do you go to get it?  Or if you make it at home, be prepared to share the recipe!

(Don't forget to leave a comment.  Look for the instructions in red after all the articles.)

Girls Just Wanna Have Food

     And fun, of course (thanks for the memories, Cyndi Lauper), but what girls really want is food. And for decades, I thought I was the only one. Then I discovered an entire sisterhood of food junkies who are all thinking the same thing all the time: "When is my next meal and what's it going to be?"

   My family doctor pronounced me "four pounds overweight" when I was 10 years old, and I never recovered. At 14, I embarked on my first diet -- the Grapefruit Diet. Remember that travesty? You simply eat half a grapefruit before every meal and on the seventh day, you will have magically -- MAGICALLY! -- lost five pounds. I MAGICALLY gained a pound and lost all interest in citrus fruit. Sadly, the diet had failed to provide any guidelines regarding the meal that followed the magical grapefruit half. Trouble ensued.
    
     Since then, eating has been a source of constant cogitation and frequent frustration for me, but it wasn't until I started working in the fitness industry that I discovered I was not alone. I've now been a personal trainer for 16 years, and I know this for sure: If there is more than one woman in a room, they will eventually talk about food. If you assemble a group, chances are they will talk of nothing else. But I promise you that when men gather to watch a game, compare SUVs, or discuss the stock market, at no time in this dimension or the next will one of them turn to another and say, "Hey, buddy, got any new recipes for chicken?" Nope. Men just do not think about food the way women do.    

    
     So come on in! Let's talk about food and cooking and recipes and dieting and exercising and breakfast and lunch and dinner and snacks and wine (whoopsie! wait a minute . . . that may be a whole 'nother topic for a whole 'nother day) and FOOD. Girls, you know what I mean. Guys, this is an equal opportunity forum, so speak up. Heck, we ladies might even learn something about you. (Right. As if . . .) Let the games begin!

(Don't forget to leave a comment.  Look for the instructions in red after all the articles.)