kiss the cook

I know I said earlier that I was going to post about this dude next...but I'm not quite done with it yet.
It's kind of hard to sum up 13 years of fun in one post.

On to one of my newest loves though - healthy cooking. I never thought we would go together, but we kinda do & I like it. In college, every Sunday was Big Mac Sunday. My friends & I would wake up early, and head to the golden arches for Big Macs, fries, and cokes. EVERY Sunday. Then, we would be complete slugs all day long. I wonder why. So, sorry McDonald's...I've moved on. I won't come visit for Big Macs anymore. Well, maybe once a year. Your special sauce is so good. But, I will still visit you every week for a diet coke, in a foam cup, with extra ice.
Thanks, McDonald's.

I've always considered myself a leader (see previous post), but I'm a follower too. The latest shoe fashion...I have to have a pair. A popular reality tv show...it's on my DVR. And lately, it seems like the newest rage is healthy eating: gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, vegan cooking, etc.
I'm embracing it all.

This summer I read The Skinny Rules, written by Bob Harper (Biggest Loser Bob). I love me some Bob.
He lays out 20 rules that promise to make you skinny, feel great, & look good.

A few of his rules: no carbs after lunch, get rid of ALL fast food & fried foods, go to bed hungry, no more white potatoes, don't drink your calories, eat a real breakfast, etc. He goes through each rule explaining why he follows it.
And, let's face it - the man looks amazing so I believe him.
Next up, three of my favorite healthy eating websites. These ladies are incredible & I stalk them everyday. I think I made something new this summer 3-4 times a WEEK! I love recipes that are easy, inexpensive, and now...healthy. All of these websites meet the criteria.

Skinnytaste.com: A friend from school introduced me to Gina. She's a gem. And, wow. Here are a few of my faves from Gina: Philly cheesesteak sandwiches (she has a great tip on what to do with the bread to make it "skinny", yogurt cheesecake cups, overnight oats in a jar). My other ST faves: mini-meatloaves, bison burgers, zucchini tots & chicken divan (I don't have pictures because all of these dinners were gobbled up before I could pop off the lens cap.)

Eat Yourself Skinny.com: Another adorable healthy-cook-person...Kelly. She introduced me to kale chips. If you haven't tried these bad boys, then ya better recognize...ya heard?

Hungrygirl.com: Lisa is great & her recipes have fun names. I am a huge oatmeal person & eat it almost every morning. Her growing oatmeal bowl is the best. Nothing fancy, but she invented a way to take a regular serving & magically make it grow...just by doubling the water/milk & doubling the time you boil it. Pure genius. Other HG faves: eggs in mugs, mexican pizza, italian frittata & whole wheat cheesecake pancakes. Word.

Dashingdish.com: my newest stalking victim. And yet again, an absolute doll. What is WITH these cute healthy cooks?! However, she was in charge of causing my internal organs to fail from an overload of pure bliss.
Meet her pumpkin pie protein "milkshake."

When I hear the word pumpkin, a trigger goes off in my brain that causes automatic happiness. Pumpkin & Abigail go together like pb&j, coffee & cream, and steak & ketchup. Ok, those only go together in my world. And, my dad's. I got it from him. Back to the pumpkin. Katie's "milkshakes" are made with cottage cheese, not ice cream. Sounds gross, but I like everything so I thought I would give it a try. They are all low-fat, low-calorie & low-carb. Triple threat. And absolutely.the.best.things.ever. I have tried them all now. I love a good milkshake. Like Chick-Fil-A's cookies & cream one. It's amazingly good, and amazingly awful for you. But, don't worry Chick-Fil-A, we aren't broken up yet. I will still come visit you for your diet lemonade, just not your milkshakes anymore.
I might come back every once in a while for your chicken mini's too, Chick-Fil-A. We'll see.

I have to say, I like this healthy-eating thing so far. At least until the next big thing comes around (maybe cupcakes as a staple for breakfast?). Devin's hot bod agrees. He recently declared he is at his lowest weight since high school. Yeah, boy. I'm not saying that it's all because of eating better...but he hasn't had fast food or real dr. pepper in awhile (see Bob's rules above!).

If you have any great healthy recipes or websites that you use, please share! Now I'm off to clean my blender & stock up on cottage cheese.

happy weekend eating to you.
~ abs