I love pizza; it might be my favorite food in the world. It's got everything you'd want in a meal, including stomach-filling bread and gooey delicious cheese; both things that I sorely miss in my diet. This week I developed an intense longing for pizza, and if there is one thing I learned about being a successful dieter, it's to not ignore those pesky cravings. The trick is to satisfy those cravings either by moderation or by modification. Since I knew that I wouldn't be able to restrain myself to just one teeny slice of carb-loaded pizza, I decided to figure out a way to make a healthier pizza. I looked into the Cauliflower Crust craze (you make a pizza crust using cauliflower instead of flour), but I saw that the recipe called for copious amounts of cheese. So while it may be a healthier choice than a traditional crust, it wasn't at all diet-friendly. Then it hit me: I could use delicious, meaty giant portobellos for the crust! After all, it's already in a tiny pizza shape! The result was heavenly, and it satisfied my pizza craving to the fullest. I had two huge and gooey Stuffed Portobello Pizzas, and it clocked in at only (approximately) 300 calories; and it is filling. For those that have a smaller stomach than me (or want to make it for lunch), one "pizza" would probably be enough at only about 150 calories. And of course you could alter the toppings and/or cheese to either reduce (or increase) the calories and fat.
Gosh, I love sweets. It's one of life's greatest pleasures. So diet or no diet, I'm going to need a dessert once in a while. The problem is, it's hard to find low calorie treats that aren't made with artificial sugar. For example, you can mix a box of cake mix with a diet coke (or diet sprite) and omit the oil and egg, to make low calorie cake (or cupcakes). It works great, but diet soda isn't very healthy. So I did some research and learned that you can mix pumpkin puree with the box of cake mix instead, and get a healthy sweet result. I read that it makes a very moist cake, so I decided to try it with Devil's Food Cake so that it would be fudgey. It turned out perfect: incredibly moist and decadent, at only 86 calories! I plopped a tablespoon of light Cool Whip on top (10 more calories), and I was in dessert heaven for under 100 calories.
When looking for healthy and flavorful recipes, I stumbled upon a recipe on Pinterest called Skinny Giada's Turkey/Chicken Goat Cheese Meatloaf . I clicked on the pin, and was taken to a wonderful blog called What Runs Lori. I loved the way the author wrote, and I loved even more the way she altered the original recipe (by Giada from the Food Network), and making it even healthier and tastier. It turned out fabulous. It was actually this exact recipe that convinced me that I could diet and still eat well. I've changed a few small things about the recipe, but nothing major.
It's time. Time to focus on losing the extra 15 pounds I've been carrying around. 15 pounds that used to be just baby and placenta, but now has been replaced by a gut and a double chin. I was lucky enough where I didn't gain very much weight while pregnant; in fact I only gained 25 pounds total, which is the minimum amount most doctor say that you should gain while pregnant. Unfortunately, my luck ran out there, because although it wasn't that much gained, it apparently was too much to easily lose.
I have loved coffee since I was an angsty teenager, hanging out for hours on end at the local Huddle House. However, when I was pregnant, even though I limited myself to a cup a day, that cup irritated my sensitive stomach. I tried to go without my daily dose of caffeine, but not only did I miss the routine of my morning cup o' joe, I also suffered horrible caffeine withdrawal headaches.
My husband is what I call a "Coffee Expert"; partly because he was a barrista at Jittery Joes when he was in college, but mainly because he is a coffee addict. You will rarely see him without a cup of coffee in his hand if it's before 2pm. He is kind of like the boss in the movie Office Space. Anyways, he recommended we try making cold brewed coffee, as opposed to hot brewed coffee.
This past weekend, my baby girl had too much dairy, which is problematic because apparently she is still has cow milk sensitivity. Lesson learned (and hello, Goat's Milk!). She had diarrhea for several days, and I was worried about dehydration. She didn't seem too keen on drinking plain water, so I considered going out and buying some Pedialyte for her. However, after some research, I learned that I could make my own Pedialyte with ingredients that I always have on hand. Not only was it super easy to make, it was extremely cost effective!
During my pregnancy, I had gestational diabetes, which meant I had to follow a strict low-carb diet. I really wish Pinterest had been around back then, so that I would have seen a delicious low carb recipe for Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers from a blog called Peace, Love, and Low Carb. Even though I'm not longer afflicted with diabetes, I still try to watch my carb intake. This is especially difficult for me, because sandwiches are my favorite type of food. However, this recipe is honestly even better than the sandwich to me; which is nothing short of a miracle.
