Again Time to Monitor What I Eat?

     As many of you know, I struggle with my weight. Wow, that is unusual and your are a Chef? Chefs and weight are like peas and carrots, let's just say we get along. The whole reason, I became a chef was because, I was in love with Hollandaise and all his lovely cousins. What is better than a perfectly poached egg, slathered in a butter sauce? To tell you the truth, that is how I tell if a restaurant is worthy, if the menu has Eggs Benedict, it is either a death sentence or a blessing. If you can't do Eggs Benedict right, then most likely the rest won't be too appetizing either.

     Creative healthy cooking starts out like gangbusters for me, then I lose interest and the pasta starts calling my name again. You would think that I would be the foremost authority on diet food. Yep, I am good at regurgitating useful recipes and hints, but when applying it to my own life, I get bored.

     My husband and I could stand to lose a lot of pounds. He is similar to me in that, we both feed each others ability to say "Tomorrow, we will start the diet", and "Today, let's have Alfredo sauce". Yep that is us, in a nutshell. Guess that is why they call it marriage, or rather "Partners in crime". He just stopped by the office, so I had the opportunity to inform him that  "We" are on a diet again. He is such a good sport. Let's see how long this will last.

     I think when we were young, we never knew, how or what was going to propel us in the direction we were meant to go. Some of us got there sooner, because they possessed discipline, while others, took the long way around (me). The solution has been whacking me on the back of the head for years. Hey, I learn at a slower pace!

     What if I combine my knowledge of food, with my desire to lose weight, that would equal Voila: a journey into making food more naughty but in a nice way. So that is the mission naughty but nice....oh Boy!!! I would like to introduce you to Joy Bauer, she is the Today Show's nutrition expert and has written books like "Your Inner Skinny"(I would LOVE that one), "Joy Bauer's Food Cures" and her newest "Slim and Scrumptious". This winter, I plan on going through her last book, recipe by recipe and trying all the creations. Hey, Joy, let's find a cookbook that cuts the carbohydrates? I am the chef, you are the nutritionist, we could rock the diet world.

     Tonight we are riding on the "we gotta lose weight wave", I made Basil grilled Pork chops. Yum.  With a really complex foo foo salad, we have a winner.

Basil Grilled Pork Chops

4 pork chops....just pick what you think is best
1/2 cup of fresh chiffonade basil
2 tablespoons fresh chopped garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lemon cut in half and squeezed
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

Chiffonade the basil, and chop the garlic add to a gallon size plastic bag. Add olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice.  Add the pork and let marinate for at least 30 minutes. Remove and grill or broil accordingly.