Day Four at Fat Camp, Can I Come Home?

     So this is the 4th day of having no carbohydrates. But, I did cheat last night, and ate two Oreo cookies. The worst part about that whole scenario, was that I don't think, I even savored them, and it was over before it started. I awoke in the morning, and knew I had to write it in my food journal. I tried to write really small and a little illegibly. My employees are intrigued by my food journal, so they read it. Who am I fooling?, just myself.

     Eating vegetables everyday, plus copious amounts of protein, has not been so bad. However, my constitution has changed a bit. A small setback that I was not ready for. It hit me today around 11am, and where is the air freshener when you need it? Isn't it great being human, and on a diet too. My co-worker, Jasmine (love you to pieces) can eat solid lard slathered on fatback, and never gain an ounce. Me, I walk by a cake that she is frosting and the pounds jump from the cake to my bottom.

     When you hit the magical number 40, suddenly you are playing with a entirely different deck of cards, and if you do not treat your body right, It catches up, much quicker. I quit smoking when I turned 40, plus had major plastic surgery due to my own stupidity. If there was one thing, I could say to the young girls that I know. Please, don't tan in tanning beds. I am proof that you can get skin cancer. Not to mention wrinkles, leather skin and looking older than you really are.

     So on my quest for a healthier person. Cooking has become creative, to say the least. You can't have full leaded cream cheese, so I choose the half cafe. Shredded cheese same thing. I can have all the vegetables that can choke me in a single day.  Protein it is a freebie, and I must admit that eating protein can tame the "McDonald's" beast in me. Personally, I think those fast food joints pump their good smelling virus out into traffic, so if you are stuck at light, you then are romancing a cheeseburger, whether it comes from Wendy's, Burger King or McDonald's.

     So tonight I made stuffed peppers, only daycare speed. I wanted to do stuffed poblanos. But my husband read medium to hot pepper on the little info thingy at Hannaford's . So that ended my island excursion. Green peppers it is. But either way it really tasted great. Join me on my descent into gastronomic hell.

Stuffed Green Peppers, Low Carbohydrate Style

4 really nice looking green peppers, and if you are feeling frisky choose other colors.
1 1/2 pounds ground beef, 90% a good choice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 vidalia onion, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 fresh zucchini, diced
1 can chili beans
1 10 oz can Rotel tomatoes
1 8oz pkg 1/3 less fat Neufchatel
2 cups of Monterrey Jack Cheese
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp black pepper
kosher salt to taste
1 avocado diced to top

Prepare the peppers, by stabilizing them, and seasoning them with olive oil, salt and pepper. In a 350 degree cook the green peppers for about 10 to 15 minutes, just until you start to smell them. Pull out of the oven and set aside.   In a saute pan heat the olive oil and add the onion and garlic, saute until soft. Add the ground beef, and diced zucchini, when beef is done drain. Return the mixture to the pan and add the Ro-tel, beans,cream cheese and spices.  When well incorporated, take off the of the heat and allow to cool. Add the Jack cheese and mix well. Top the pre-cooked peppers and cook in a 350 degree oven until the peppers are soft. Enjoy.

When we lose twenty pounds... we may be losing the twenty best pounds we have!  We may be losing the pounds that contain our genius, our humanity, our love and honesty.  ~Woody Allen