Healthy & Tasty...Does it Really Exist?

"I come from a family where gravy is considered a beverage"

- Erma Bombeck    

So I've (Renae) began a new "healthy" eating regime.  It sucks!  Ok, not all the time, but geeze, ugh!  Why does most of the stuff that is considered healthy, like eating dirt.  It's put me on a new endeavor.  I am going to start looking for recipes that taste delicious, not just ok, but really good tasting healthy food.  The truth is if I have to keep eating like this, I'm going to stay fat!  It's like they (the health nuts of the world) have decided that if it's healthy it has to taste like cardboard.  If you are a health food nut, you will not convince me that you actually think the food tastes good.

The Chinese & Japanese believe that food is like a medicine.  When the people in these cultures get sick they don't seek out the doctors first, they first seek out a nutritionist.  They believe in balance in every area of your life.  Now I know eating right can make a huge difference in how you feel.  But come one, at least the Chinese & Japanese have good tasting food.  They also believe that hot foods & beverages help with digestion.  This is one reason they drink hot tea at the end of their meals.

What spurred this endeavor, on this day?  Oatmeal!  Yep, I had oatmeal this morning.  I realize a lot of people actually like oatmeal.  I don't, I try and I just don't like the texture (mushy) or the flavor.  I even tried the "flavored" oatmeal. 

...So begins my new endeavor...

GREAT tasting food that is lower in calories but also healthy.  

My first goal is to look for breakfast foods that don't make me want to gag.  These seem to be the most difficult, at least for me.  I do LOVE smoothies, but sometimes you want something to eat, not drink.  I mean, I'm a chef, I like food.   I don't want to drink all of my calories. 

As I find or create new recipes I will share with everyone.  I am hoping that some of you will also try them and tell me what you think.  I do want honest opinions.  Because I would also like to create a cookbook with all of this information in it.  I am looking to create recipes that don't call for the highly expensive "health foods" that you often find.  I want to be able to create delicious, savory meals with regular items, not a bunch of specialty items.  I want to loose weight, but I don't want to have to sell my arm to do it.  This may require some serious creativity...we will see how I do.

So check back, you never know when the first recipe may appear.

"You better cut the pizza in four pieces because 

I'm not hungry enough to eat six"

- Yogi Berra