Since I was a cute little thang in pigtails (ooh was I cute!), up until I turned 30 and left my home state of Arizona, along with my not-so-cute past, I was a "good" girl. Suffice it to say nearly 13 years after abandoning the attempt to be good - whew - I'm sure glad that's over with!
But now, this awful word has come back to haunt me, although this time it's in reference to the food I'm eating, and then the following comparison of me to the food I'm eating: Good Girl = Good Food (meaning healthy), Bad Girl = Bad Food (meaning unhealthy but so friggin' tasty).
I can barely escape it, especially when I'm in a group setting such as a meeting/lunch buffet sort of thing. "You're so good!" the overweight lady sitting next to me exclaims when I happen to skip the cheesecake (I'm not fond of cheesecake). "Look at me, I'm so baaaad!" and she hangs her head in shame while finishing off her last bite.
What happened to simple adjectives for food such as: delicious, tasty, scrumptious, fabulous, mmmmgood? How did food suddenly acquire the supernatural power of character prediction? And could this be the reason why Americans in general are so screwed up with their food choices? As if food actually was talking before we ate it? (visualize a mouthwatering slice of rich chocolate cake...is it whispering to you? "Eat me because you know I'm so delicious and I'm going to put 2 more pounds into your thighs and taunt you in your dreams of how weak you are for giving in.")
I'll tell you one thing, my food sure as hell doesn't talk to me, and it has no say over whether I'm a good or bad person for indulging in it once in a while (key word: once in a while). It's food for chrissake! And if I'm not going to let other people judge me for being "good" or "bad", I certainly am not handing that power over to a dessert.
Anyway, I can tell you firsthand that attempting to be "good", whether it's for your (ex) spouse, your dad, or a piece of food leads to nothing but extra heartache and extra pounds. So now I'm going to offer a piece of revolutionary advice that no one else is telling you: if you need to lose weight, eat whatever the hell you want and enjoy it like it was your last day on the planet!
Eating healthy, being healthy, living healthy cannot be accomplished without a significant amount of happiness, and who can be happy if you're denying yourself the right to enjoy your favorite foods? That's my secret: I enjoy it all, a little bit at a time, in moderation, not every day, on a special occasion.
And it has nothing to do with whether I'm a good girl or not (all you who knew me in high school can go on keeping that secret for me).
So the next time you're wondering if you should have that slice of cheesecake, nix the "good" "bad" girl and remind yourself how freakin' fabulous you are and that that cheesecake is one lucky dessert to be enjoyed by someone like you.
The world is your platter, eat it up!
Suzanna Quintana, Holistic Health Coach & Certified Foodie
Want more tips on how to enjoy all your favorite foods and live a healthy lifestyle? Become a fan of "The Health Chick" at http://www.facebook.com/thehealthchick today!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Can Chowder Jam? If so, this one does.
Typically I wouldn't consider myself a Chowder Chick, but the other night after staring into the pot of veggies I was sauteing, I wondered what would happen if I poured the carton of half-and-half into it.
I was going for it! I'd never made a chowder before so I was a little apprehensive at first (would the milk curdle? would the veggies shrivel? would the kids run away?). But then a word popped into mind that I thought might smooth the transition of soup to chowder: BACON!
This story ends well, so here are the cooking details from start to finish so you can recreate my masterpiece in your own home (and it was, by all means, a masterpiece).
Saute a garden of veggies in a little olive oil (my favorites: carrots, leek, cabbage, celery, squash) and add bacon (chopped up) if you have it. After a few minutes add a little, or a lot, of white wine (I use so much white wine in my cooking, that I wonder if that is what contributes to my kids' excellent sleeping habits).
Add a carton (2 to 3 cups) of vegetable broth or chicken broth, and a pint of half-and-half (go for the organic and stay away from those hormones). In another pot, start some noodles to boil (I prefer egg noodles for this dish, but elbows work as well).
Then get out your can opener and add 2 cans of white (cannelinni or northern) beans, and 1 can of soy beans (can you say "healthy" baby?). And if you want another health bonus, add some chopped frozen spinach. Salt and pepper to taste (don't you just hate that when people eat your food and salt it before tasting it?...or is that just me?).
Once the noodles are done pour them into the chowder as well and there you go! Okay, so this kind of chowder deserves some super tasty bread. My choice would be an excellent loaf of sourdough, or homemade corn muffins (and if you have any leftovers, please send them my way).
God that was good! And then we had leftovers so my husband enjoyed hot chowder the next day at work (it is cold here, and he works outside, and - as he keeps reminding me - he's Latin!). Hey, this white girl does her part and tries to keep her man warm at work by filling up his belly...isn't that the way to his heart anyway? Although I might beg to differ:)
So now I'm a Chowder Chick, or Chica, whatever. The point is my chowder was jammin', and I'm happy to share it with you.
Change the life of your next soup and become a Chowder Champ. If you have kids, they'll love you for it (at least for a couple of hours, anyway).
Eat & Be Happy,
Suzanna Quintana, Holistic Health Coach & Certified Foodie
And become a fan of my new page "The Health Chick" -- I do all the boring research and you get daily tips on how to improve your health and life for the better!
I was going for it! I'd never made a chowder before so I was a little apprehensive at first (would the milk curdle? would the veggies shrivel? would the kids run away?). But then a word popped into mind that I thought might smooth the transition of soup to chowder: BACON!
This story ends well, so here are the cooking details from start to finish so you can recreate my masterpiece in your own home (and it was, by all means, a masterpiece).
Saute a garden of veggies in a little olive oil (my favorites: carrots, leek, cabbage, celery, squash) and add bacon (chopped up) if you have it. After a few minutes add a little, or a lot, of white wine (I use so much white wine in my cooking, that I wonder if that is what contributes to my kids' excellent sleeping habits).
Add a carton (2 to 3 cups) of vegetable broth or chicken broth, and a pint of half-and-half (go for the organic and stay away from those hormones). In another pot, start some noodles to boil (I prefer egg noodles for this dish, but elbows work as well).
Then get out your can opener and add 2 cans of white (cannelinni or northern) beans, and 1 can of soy beans (can you say "healthy" baby?). And if you want another health bonus, add some chopped frozen spinach. Salt and pepper to taste (don't you just hate that when people eat your food and salt it before tasting it?...or is that just me?).
Once the noodles are done pour them into the chowder as well and there you go! Okay, so this kind of chowder deserves some super tasty bread. My choice would be an excellent loaf of sourdough, or homemade corn muffins (and if you have any leftovers, please send them my way).
God that was good! And then we had leftovers so my husband enjoyed hot chowder the next day at work (it is cold here, and he works outside, and - as he keeps reminding me - he's Latin!). Hey, this white girl does her part and tries to keep her man warm at work by filling up his belly...isn't that the way to his heart anyway? Although I might beg to differ:)
So now I'm a Chowder Chick, or Chica, whatever. The point is my chowder was jammin', and I'm happy to share it with you.
Change the life of your next soup and become a Chowder Champ. If you have kids, they'll love you for it (at least for a couple of hours, anyway).
Eat & Be Happy,
Suzanna Quintana, Holistic Health Coach & Certified Foodie
And become a fan of my new page "The Health Chick" -- I do all the boring research and you get daily tips on how to improve your health and life for the better!
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