From too thick to toothpick.

I hate to admit it, but I love celebrity magazines. The fashion, the scandal – the pictures! As these people don’t affect my life one iota, I only let myself buy them in airports. That way, I’m entertained on the flight, but the crazy “celeb-reality” doesn’t creep into my real life.

“Scary Skinny!” The headline screamed at me from the news stand as I headed to my gate. Just days after my doctor told me I could expect to lose only 1 pound a week on my new exercise and eating program, I admittedly had to see what the fuss was all about. These celebs truly are scary skinny. If the camera really does add 10 pounds, that means they're even more skeletal in real life (I’ve often looked at pictures of myself and wondered exactly how many cameras were on me….yikes!).

From eating only baby food to virtually no food at all, these lovely ladies are doing serious damage to themselves in the name of fame. The old yo-yo dieter in me might have been tempted by the quick fixes, but the older (ugh), wiser (matter of opinion) Svelte Gourmet isn’t fooled. No sir.

Lest you think that “only losing water weight” is the biggest risk of a crash diet, cleanse or fast, read on.

As crash diets usually consist of severely restricted caloric intake or elimination of entire food groups, nutrient deprivation is, in my opinion, the most threatening health risk. Not only do these diets weaken your immune system (increasing your risk of illness), they also deprive you of vital nutrients and can lead to bone loss (from a lack of calcium in your diet), organ damage, and even cardiac stress. Add exercise to the mix and you’re putting some serious strain on your body!

This alone should be enough to deter you from taking the crash diet plunge. But try this on for size – starving now to fit in that high school reunion dress can have serious implications for your ability to lose weight and keep it off later. You may lose 10 pounds now, but you’ll gain it back quickly….and probably put on more than you lost. I’m sure you’ve heard this a thousand times. But why does this happen?

Crash dieting (restricting calories or entire food groups) sends your body into starvation mode. It’s a vicious cycle. On crash diets, you appear to lose weight because your body in starvation mode is shedding water and muscle mass – NOT burning fat. Muscle burns calories faster than fat, so losing this precious muscle will slow down your metabolism (how quickly your body burns calories) and make it even more difficult to lose weight later. Then, since your body thinks it’s starving, it automatically stores new calories as fat – so when you start to eat again, you’ll pack those pounds back on faster than you lost them!

There’s a lot more to this and I’m not a doctor, so take this for what it’s worth – my very basic understanding of a growing problem (no pun intended!). My two rounds with the lemonade diet several years ago have made it noticeably harder for me to lose weight. My metabolism just isn’t what it used to be. When my doctor and I discussed my new plan (which, really, just ensures that I actually practice what I already preach), I was tempted to “jump start” my weight loss with a weekend liquid diet. But armed with this explanation and my own crash diet experiences, I know that would do more harm than good.

So what is the right way to lose weight and keep it off? It’s easier said than done – take it from me! But the best and only way is proper nutrition, enough calories and a lot of exercise. I know this now, and I do this now – it’s how the Svelte Gourmet came to be. But recently I’ve stepped it up in order to size it down. A lot more exercise (I’m up to running 5 miles! Yay!); sticking with lean proteins, whole grains, fruits and veggies; and especially watching my portion sizes has me back on track….to the tune of one healthy pound a week. This lifestyle is a marathon, not a sprint – it's tough if you're impatient like me, but slow and steady wins the race.

And ladies of Hollywood, please eat something. Maybe a burger or five. Just go for the whole grain bun and you’ll be fine. Or better yet, choose any meal from my cookbook – all are delicious, full of nutrient-rich foods, and light enough for any diet. Oh, and feel free to carry the book around in front of the paparazzi -- let's get The Svelte Gourmet on the map!

The Svelte Gourmet: A Month of Main Courses cookbook is available at www.thesveltegourmet.com/products.html. Enjoy!

Operation Grocery Store: Securing the Perimeter

The Svelte Gourmet was invited to guest blog about shopping for healthy items to cook. Check out my post and other great eco-friendly items at EcoBold.com!

Internal monologue: “I just need milk and salad veggies. This shouldn’t take long….Oh, but look at that beautiful wheel of Brie! And I didn’t know they made those crackers with whole grains now. Wow, this discovery could change my life forever!”

Grocery stores are dangerous for me. The barrage of beautiful food and interesting or unknown ingredients sends me into an uncontrollable frenzy. It’s like shoe shopping. You go for a basic pair of black flats. But really, you can’t pass up those red polka-dotted peep toe pumps. Who could blame you? (Guys, if you’re like my husband, your equivalent to this is going in for a new hammer and coming out with a double-bevel sliding compound miter saw. True story.)

It used to get me every time. I would pick up the “peep toe pump” equivalent of an exciting culinary find – a new brand of goat cheese, lamb chops on sale, or the new super-food that’s going to cure life’s every ailment. But I only went for salad veggies, and now I needed all the accoutrements to go with the special item. I mean, after all, you simply must have the perfect little black dress to make those peep-toes pop.

By the time I get through the checkout, I’m both exasperated and exhilarated. And spent – literally (can you believe the price of groceries today?!). If only I inherited my mom’s couponing gene.

But besides buying more than I came in for, I end up with a cart full of diet saboteurs. With the cleverly worded nutrition stats and in-your-face marketing – gorgeous photography right there at eye-level – it’s easy to forget that the ingredient list is full of things we can’t even pronounce.
I have a strategy for Operation Grocery Store. You have to secure the perimeter.

I’m guessing many of you have never given much thought to the layout of a grocery store. But think about it now. You enter the store, and walking counter-clockwise, you go through the fresh produce section, the deli, the meat and seafood department, the dairy case, frozen foods, and health and beauty (no need for our hygiene to suffer!). Each of these sections contains the ingredients for wholesome, tasty meals. Focusing on fresh, whole ingredients versus processed meals and “convenience foods” is crucial to a successful mission. With few exceptions (we’ll get to those in a moment), everything you need to cook delicious, healthful meals is around the perimeter.

So what about the rest of the store? Let’s go through it. But be warned! To venture into this enemy territory, you need two things: strong resolve and a shopping list.

To get to the olives and vinegars, you must walk past the prepared salad dressings. Be strong! You can do this! Enter the cereal aisle for steel-cut oats, but avoid the cocoa loops. They may tempt you with their “made with whole grains” claim, but it’s not the same as 100% whole grain! Canned tomatoes may in fact be better for you than raw – the cooking process breaks down the cell walls, releasing the lycopene. However, don’t touch the other sodium-laden canned veggies or soups right next to those tomatoes!

The brown rice and basmati is right there next to the white rice. Same with the whole wheat flour (and did you know that “white whole wheat” flour is made from albino wheat? It really is whole grain! Rejoice!). The occasional pasta meal is nice, especially with the addition of whole wheat varieties. But I’ve discovered something else – spaghetti squash. Have you had it? You simply bake or microwave the squash, then scrape the inside with a fork and it comes out in strands like angel hair pasta. Just like that, straight from the produce section! It’s delicious, low in carbs and calories, and perfect with any sauce you would have with pasta – without a doubt, the single best discovery I’ve made this year.

Moving on. I still wonder why the dried herbs and spices are always in the baking aisle. It’s the ultimate torture! Grab the spices, then quickly fall back! Head for the snack aisle for the unsalted nuts and popcorn to air-pop, but avoid anything that’s day-glow orange. “Cheeze” and “cheese” are not the same thing! Then, as you venture through the aisle of plastic wrap and dog food, take a minute to catch your breath. The worst of the battle is yet to come! For while frozen veggies are often more healthful than fresh (they’re frozen the day of picking, versus trucked to your stores if not local), the freezer section is also loaded with traps ready to derail your mission -- TV dinners, frozen pies, and virtually every kind of prepared meal just waiting for you to “thaw, heat and serve.” If you can get through this, you can get through anything!

Give “perimeter” shopping a try. You’ll realize that buying wholesome ingredients will make for better meals than the processed foods. Once you have a decent stock of pantry staples, you can avoid those center aisles, making the temptations even less. Give Operation Grocery Store a try and reap the benefits of healthful eating from the perimeter. And by the way, I really do think spaghetti squash has changed my life forever. That, and the red polka-dotted peep toe pumps.

A month’s-worth of tasty dinners made from the perimeter are available in The Svelte Gourmet: A Month of Main Courses cookbook (www.thesveltegourmet.com/products). Enjoy!

Goat cheese on my salad makes me happy!

This title only works if you sing it to the tune of the John Denver song. If you don't know which song I mean, here's a link.

Now everyone!

Goat cheese....on my salad....makes me happy!

I've been singing this for about a week now. Out loud. I can't get it out of my head. Keith just stares at me. Maybe it's because he doesn't care for goat cheese. Or maybe it's because he thinks I'm nuts.

Lest you also think I'm losing it (lost it), let me explain. For me, a little sprinkling of crumbled goat cheese (chèvre) can take an ordinary dish (salad, chicken, veggies) to the level of close-my-eyes-on-first-bite delicious. I love it that much. If I see it in a dish at a restaurant, I order it...often without even caring what the goat cheese is on top of.

Here's what I love about it (besides the yumminess, of course). Goat cheese is strong-flavored, so a little goes a long way. Don't get me wrong, cheese is by no means a low-calorie diet food. However, it follows the theory in my "umami" post about how strong flavors in small amounts can transform food with little caloric impact -- you can take a bland chicken breast, for instance, add a tablespoon or two of chopped umami-rich calamata olives, and you'll have a flavor explosion. Don't even get me started on calamata olives coupled with goat cheese. Bliss. Anyway, my point is that 1/2 an ounce of goat cheese (about 2 tablespoons, if you're using crumbles) only has 38 calories. This is all you need to sprinkle a single portion of salad, chicken, whatever. If you're like Keith and goat cheese isn't your thing, you can choose 1/2 ounce of any strong-flavored cheese for the same calorie range (1/2 oz of blue cheese crumbles clocks in at 50 calories, feta at 38, and Parmigiano Reggiano at about 40).

By the way, I highly recommend you pick up an inexpensive food scale (mine is plastic and was $5 at the grocery store), as many nutrition labels list portion size in ounces. Then you never have to guess! Once you get a food scale, you'll see what an actual portion should look like. You'll be shocked at first, but you'll get used to it and you'll still have plenty to eat. I promise. But that's a post for another day.

Goat cheese...on my salad...makes me happy!
Goat cheese...in my eyes...can make me cry!

...wait...that doesn't make sense. Catchy, though, isn't it?

So buy some goat cheese crumbles. Or blue cheese. Or feta. Or whatever strong-flavored crumbled or shredded cheese you like. Try it on your chicken, in your salads, in an egg white omelet, or over grilled sirloin -- just watch the amount you're using (like I said, a little goes a long way). You'll turn boring same-old entrees into fancy, flavorful fare. Let me know what you think and what flavor combination you come up with! And I apologize in advance if this goat cheese song is stuck in your head all week.

The Svelte Gourmet: A Month of Main Courses cookbook is available at www.thesveltegourmet.com/products.html. Enjoy!

Ready, Set, Blog! (Why The Svelte Gourmet is The Next Food Blog Star!)

The freedom to choose is a wonderful thing. For all intents and purposes, the world is my oyster (literally, as I live in Charleston, South Carolina where oysters abound!). I am fortunate to be in a time and place where I can choose who I want to be, where I want to go, and what I want to eat.

Choosing what I want to eat is the tough one. I like to try everything, and I like everything I try. I suppose being a picky eater would be worse, but my situation is not without issues. Let's put it this way -- no one has ever accused me of eating "like a bird." I'm not proud of this, but I'm over it. It is what it is. I love to eat.

Food is trendy. It's a good time for us! Eaters rejoice! Then repent. Because it seems to me that in our world of choices, the hardest decision we have to make is between eating "healthy" and eating "tasty." My life used to be in a perpetual state of turmoil. I was eating out, enjoying my social life and on a culinary adventure. Or I was on a diet, bored and deprived -- but thrilled with the results! I would work really hard to look fabulous in that dress so I could go out and....eat. Vicious cycle.

But we're not really eating that badly, are we? We grab lunch at the deli or eat out on weekends. We have a milkshake, but we'll skip lunch to make up for it. Not too bad, right? That's what I used to think, but now I know better. There's an obesity epidemic in this country, and it's no wonder. And we're drawn to a good deal, but guess what? We don't need to eat all we can eat! A little digging elucidated that the milkshake with all fresh ingredients I was having "as lunch" had 2,000 calories -- more than I should be eating in an entire day! During my diet phases, I'd stick with a salad that I later learned had 1,200 calories in the lunch portion. Wow. Who knew? More digging proved it -- eating out was a losing battle in my battle to lose.

I'm tired of choosing. I want both. Healthy and delicious. The Svelte Gourmet was an experiment -- a challenge. Could I create food that was both figure friendly and foodie-approved? Could I come up with recipes that were special enough for a dinner party but simple enough for a Wednesday? Could I publish a cookbook that would give us a month of variety without cheating on our diets? I don't want to choose anymore -- and I'm sharing my successes, failures and follies with you so you don't have to either.

So why should I be The Next Food Blog Star? Because I'm having a blast. And I've learned that I'm not alone in this. Many of us struggle with this every day. You've told me your stories, you've inspired me to keep writing and you've challenged me to recreate your favorites so you can eat them more often. I'm happy because I'm making you happy. I've loved every minute of it, good and bad. I'm putting myself out there and I've had my share of ridicule. Maybe I'm not "authentic" in my cuisine or educated on the "proper" ways to prepare dishes, but that's ok. Thai Tuesdays at the Foxes satisfy our cravings despite the substitution of whole grain pasta and bean sprouts for rice noodles in my Pad Thai (and if you're like me, you'll understand why finally finding seedless tamarind paste in Charleston raised my heart rate more than any sweat session at the gym!). "Unfried" Fridays rival our old nights out on the town (and the "Faux"jitos don't hurt, either). Make-your-own-pizza night is a family favorite, and the fact that it's healthy gets lost in the fun.

I write for the "every day cook." Those of us who love to (have to) put meals on the table every night -- after we get home from work. Those of us who want great food without having to spend hours in the kitchen followed by hours at the gym. Those of us who don't want to choose between healthy and tasty.

I'll keep writing whether I win Project Food Blog or not. I've tried to make changes so my life didn't revolve around food, but it didn't work. This blog is my outlet and you're my muse. If you enjoy what I write and love what I cook, please vote for The Svelte Gourmet. Thank you for reading!

To vote for The Svelte Gourmet, please click the Project Food Blog Official Contestant box to the top left of this post. Voting on this first challenge is open September 20-23. Thank you!

"Mary, Mary, quite contrary..."

"Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?" A lot better than mine! (Mary being my mother...)

What's the opposite of green? Because that's what color my thumb is. You'd think gardening would go hand-in-hand with cooking, but unfortunately, my mom didn't pass her green thumb onto me. My parents have a beautiful yard with gorgeous blooms virtually every month of the year, but the summer vegetable garden is my favorite. I don't think there is anything else in the world like that first bite of summer tomato from my parents' garden. I don't even waste time with a fork, I just bite right in. YUM. I eat so many that my stomach hurts and I break out into a rash, but I don't care. They always were, and still are, my favorite food. No cooking required!

Unfortunately, my tomato-growing experience has been less than fruitful (pun intended!). I was relegated to container gardens for most of my adulthood (apartments in Washington, DC don't usually come with a garden plot!). My container plants always yielded a few red beauties, but I would eat them right there on the porch as they ripened. So really not much use in the kitchen -- or for anyone else! Then there was the year I tried those tomato planters that hang upside-down. I planted Better Boys and Early Girls...and I got beautiful, red, juicy tomatoes that were the size of large peas. Arg!

My mom claims it took her years to get it right, but I'm sort of (really) impatient. Last summer, we were just finishing the new house, and Keith built me a garden for my herbs. This year, though, is the year for veggies! And it couldn't come at a better time, when I get to chronicle my experiences for you -- if nothing else, it will keep me diligent about the weeding and feeding. I hope.

This weekend I planted. The weather was gorgeous and the sun was shining. My garden still has some stoic survivors from last year -- fragrant rosemary, which was fantastic with pork last night, and enough mint for me to open a mojito bar. That stuff is coming up everywhere, and it smells really good. Especially since Keith weed-whacked a bunch of it and there's now chopped mint all over the place. No worries, though, it's really resilient!

This year, I added basil and oregano on the herb side and peas and Roma green beans on the veggie side (and of course I saved room for some tomato plants!). Cooking with bright, bold fresh herbs are a great way to keep your meals full of flavor, without adding fat. Yum! I'm also looking forward to the peas (I love eating them right out of the pods), and steamed beans with a drizzle of olive oil and some garlic, salt and pepper are amazing. I can't wait! Fresh veggies are one of the best ways to stay svelte -- arm yourself with a bag of fresh peas in the pods to snack on, and you're good to go! And my favorite way to eat green beans is raw. Try it, I promise I'm not crazy. They are SO good.

So here's the current picture of my garden. You can see the rosemary, and that giant bundle of sticks is last year's basil bush. I think I'll trim it down to the base, and maybe it will grow back...thoughts? Anyway, I hope to have beautiful "during" and "after" pictures to show you -- along with recipes! What are you planting this year? Anything you love to grow, but need a great recipe for? Most importantly, any tips for those of us without green thumbs?!

Maybe someday I'll have a giant garden with a lot of variety, but for now, I thought I'd start small and see what happens...farmers' markets, stand by!

Thanks for reading!

The Svelte Gourmet: A Month of Main Courses cookbook is available at www.thesveltegourmet.com/products.html. Enjoy!

Whole Grains: Mystery Solved!

So it seems that I've created some label-reading monsters out there! Which is great, I'm not complaining. By reading food labels, you're hopefully starting to understand calorie counts, portion sizes and all the nutrition (or lack thereof!) that's in the food you're eating. I read the labels for everything -- if I read something bad, I still may eat it. I just like to know what I'm putting in!

Anyway, you're starting to ask some questions, too, which is also great! One I've gotten a lot recently has to do with whole grain, whole wheat and the whole food theory in general. More specifically, I've been asked, "if whole grain flour/bread has the same calories as white flour/bread, then why can't we just eat the white one? Isn't it just calories in, calories out?"

Here's the short answer:
1. Whole grains help stabilize blood sugar
2. Whole grains keep you feeling fuller, longer

How? Well, there are very long, very boring explanations for all this, but I'm going to put it into my own words. Basically, as your body digests carbohydrates (beginning with chewing!), it converts it into sugars (energy) that are absorbed into your bloodstream. If this conversion and absorption happens very quickly, your blood sugar spikes....then crashes. If this absorption happens slowly, your blood sugar remains stable.

A grain is made up of bran (or fiber), germ and endosperm. The bran is on the outside, the germ contains the nutrients, and the endosperm is the starchy part. Your body really has to work hard to digest the fiber and the germ to get to the endosperm. But processed foods (like white flour) are basically the starchy endosperm that's been stripped of the bran and germ. Therefore, they are converted to sugar and absorbed into the blood stream quite quickly. In fact, your body processes the sugars in a piece of white bread much like a piece of cake! Ever wonder why you're always hungry? You eat white bread or other junk food, then an hour later (or less), you want to eat again. That's because your body has very quickly processed and used up what you put into it. However, the whole grain slows things down considerably....

The whole grain has all three parts, so it takes your body longer to digest, convert the sugar and carry it to your blood stream. You feel fuller longer and you don't have the negative effects of your blood sugar rapidly rising and falling! Staying fuller longer ultimately means you'll eat less, which is why whole grains are recommended for weight loss.

Plus, you're getting all that great fiber! Fiber (the bran layer) of food comes in two forms -- soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber (found in fruits, veggies, beans and whole grains) dissolves in water, and is what weighs down your stomach and makes you feel full. Insoluble fiber (often found in the peels of foods and whole grains) is bulky and helps food pass through your intestines. Some experts believe it also helps block some of the fat that your body takes from food -- I like that theory! Yay fiber! You also get a lot of fiber from fruits and vegetables. I like to aim for at least 30 grams of fiber a day.

So to make a long story short (too late!), whole grains are better for your body -- both inside and out! Not only do they help your dieting efforts by making you feel full, but they help keep your blood sugar stable and your digestive tract running smoothly.

Now that you're ready to switch from white bread to whole wheat, here are some things to remember. Back to the label reading! Wheat and whole wheat are not always the same. In order to be considered a whole grain, it must have the three parts (bran, germ and endosperm). So make sure you see the word "whole" or look for this seal. Also, foods high in fiber (like bran cereals), may not contain the other parts of the grain -- so while you're getting the good fiber, you're missing some of the value of the whole grain.

If you have anything to add, either from your own experience or a medical background, please feel free to leave a comment! The more knowledge we have, the more successful we'll be. In the meantime, I'm going to go make some popcorn -- it is a whole grain, after all!

The Svelte Gourmet: A Month of Main Courses cookbook is available at www.thesveltegourmet.com/products.html. A portion of book sales through the end of February will be donated to the relief efforts in Haiti.

Wok this way!

Let me just cut to the chase -- no matter how good it tastes and no matter how we try to justify it, most take-out is just horrible for us. It's fried, greasy, and loaded with sugar, salt and often MSG. These will sabotage your diet in a heartbeat -- and may actually sabotage your heartbeat if you eat too much!

One of my goals is to de-grease some of our favorites so they fit into our svelte lifestyles. You may have already tried the homemade pizza (several of you have commented that it's better than delivery!) and the Asian-inspired fare from A Month of Main Courses. This is a major step in the right direction, and though it takes a bit more time than the drive-through, your body will thank you! And never fear, I'm working on more! Shrimp Pad Thai, General Tso's Chicken, Filipino Chicken Adobo, Mongolian Beef and many others are coming your way. I'm going for authenticity, and that takes a bit of time -- especially when it means cutting the fat and sugar! So for now, let's talk about one of my favorite cooking methods -- stir-frying in a wok.

In order to achieve authenticity (because I haven't been to many of these countries!), I spend a lot of time researching ingredients, recipes and cooking methods. One thing I've noticed across the board is the unabashed use of oil and sugar. Sure, the "authentic" way would be to deep fry, but I'm talking about authentic flavors, not necessarily authentic artery clogging. Each type of cuisine has unique spices and flavor profiles from its country of origin. Mix and match according to your tastes and you'll have a unique and exciting meal that tantalizes your taste buds -- without all the fat!

When I'm pressed for time, I simply take whatever lean protein and veggie I have on hand and choose from my vast selection of spices and flavors to use in the wok. This photo shows a few of my favorites. Clockwise from bottom left, we have crushed red pepper, five spice powder, sesame oil (a couple drops go a LONG way!), rice vinegar, low sodium soy sauce, Sriracha hot chili sauce, chili garlic sauce, wasabi powder and black sesame seeds. There's a reason most of these bottles are half empty -- I use them a lot! I also use a lot of grated fresh ginger, minced garlic and light coconut milk, but they didn't show up for their photo opp.

In order to keep things svelte, I use just a tablespoon of oil in the bottom of the wok, and only at the beginning of cooking. If you don't have a wok, a skillet with high sides will do just fine! If the wok gets dry or ingredients start to stick as you add them, simply hit it with your oil mister!

Sometimes I make a marinade or sauce with these ingredients and sometimes I add them as I go. Whatever you choose, simply add ingredients to the wok once the oil starts to smoke and in the order of cooking time (longest first -- chicken, for example). Stir like crazy until the protein is cooked through and veggies are crisp-tender. If you're using a whole grain, like rice or the noodles shown in this Shrimp Pad Thai, pre-boil them until they're al dente and drain them before stir-frying. Since stir-frying must be done very quickly to avoid burning, very small pieces that can handle short cooking time are best. You wouldn't be able to effectively stir-fry a whole chicken breast, but cut into small pieces, it will cook rather quickly! My favorite protein to stir-fry is shrimp, because it cooks in 3 minutes. Also, it is imperative that you have everything pre-cut, pre-mixed and ready to go beside your wok. Chefs call this preparation "mise en place," and I do it before I cook anything. But in this instance, because you're working so quickly, you won't have time to do anything but "wok" once your first item goes in!

Here's an example of how I do it. Heat oil on high until it just starts to pop. I add the noodles or rice (if using) with a couple tablespoons of sauce first. Stir quickly until sauce is incorporated. Push it to the side of the wok. Add shrimp. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until it's just about done. Add veggies, herbs and a bit more sauce, mixing everything together and stirring like crazy for about a minute. Plate and garnish with sesame seeds or chopped herbs. Voila, you have dinner!

I encourage you to use your imagination with your flavors -- anything goes! Just watch the oil and avoid the sugar (instead, try fruit like oranges and pineapple. They work beautifully in the wok and give your food that amazing sweet flavor!). Or simply try my recipes and have dinner on the table in minutes! Enjoy!

The Svelte Gourmet: A Month of Main Courses is available at www.thesveltegourmet.com/products.html. A portion of cookbook sales through the end of February will be donated to the relief efforts in Haiti.

Island Grilled Chicken with Pineapple Salsa (New Recipe!)

It's been cloudy, rainy, windy and cold for far too long now, and even though I know Charleston spring is right around the corner, I'm getting a little impatient. I needed a taste of summer tonight, and it didn't hurt that I got to use up some things in the fridge. I know I've created a recipe worth sharing when everyone at the table -- including Courtney! -- cleans their plates. She skipped the salsa, but she ate her broccoli, so I'm happy! This time, when she asked for a Star Crunch, the answer was yes! Hooray for Island Grilled Chicken with Pineapple Salsa!

This was another one of those recipes devised to use up ingredients in the fridge. I had some leftover pineapple and onion from pizza night and a jalapeno from my "almost there" svelte rendition of General Tso's Chicken (I love the challenge of lightening up something so horrendous for you, but so irresistibly delicious!). The jalapeno was not the answer, but it's getting there! Anyway...

I'm convinced there's a gene that makes you like or dislike cilantro. Given my passion for cooking (and eating!), I'm disappointed that I despise fresh cilantro. It is the only food/ingredient that I cannot stand. Anyway, if you are a cilantro person, I have a feeling that it may be a perfect extra ingredient in this dish, either mixed into the salsa or sprinkled on top. However, you won't see it in my recipe or photo -- no cilantro in this house! I know this recipe uses ground coriander, which is the seed of the same plant (cilantro is the leaf), but they taste entirely different! Anyway, cilantro or not, here's the recipe!

Island Grilled Chicken with Pineapple Salsa
Serves 4

For chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup rice vinegar

For salsa:
1 cup crushed pineapple
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 cup tequila
2 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 small or Roma tomato, finely diced
Pinch of salt

For grilling:
1 tsp butter, melted

Mix coriander, red pepper flakes and salt with rice vinegar. Place chicken in a resealable plastic bag, add marinade and shake, ensuring all chicken is coated. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

In the meantime, heat pineapple, onion, jalapeno, tequila, honey, garlic powder and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan. Simmer, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Place a strainer onto a bowl and pour pineapple mixture into strainer, pressing lightly to drain the juice into the bowl. Add the juice to the melted butter and reserve for basting the chicken. Allow the mixture to cool, then mix the chopped tomato into the pineapple mixture and sprinkle with salt.

Grill the chicken on medium-high, basting with the juice/butter, until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the largest breast registers 165 degrees. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes. Top with pineapple salsa. Yum!

Enjoy! For more great recipes, check out The Svelte Gourmet: A Month of Main Courses at www.thesveltegourmet.com/products.html. A portion of all cookbook sales through February will be donated to the relief efforts in Haiti.

I like to keep green soup around the house to mess with the kids. (New recipe!)

Brrrr...even by northern standards, Charleston is cold. There was ice on my front stairs this morning! The pond even has a layer of ice on it! Since moving down here, my skin has gotten thinner...or something. I feel like a popsicle!

Nothing says cozy like a homemade pot of soup. Vegetable, chicken noodle, tomato (the Far East Tomato Soup in my cookbook is to die for!). I also love making soup because it's easy to freeze and pull out on those nights when I don't want to cook.

One of my all-time favorites is split pea soup. Though I leave the potatoes out to keep it svelte, it is still really good. It has nice chunks of ham and the onion, celery and bay leaves give the split peas an amazing flavor. YUM. At least I think so. Judging by Keith and Taylor downing a bowl or two each, I think they agree. Courtney, on the other hand, was not amused. I decided to stay out of it this time...

Her: "Daddy, it's green."
Him: "Then close your eyes."
Her: "Can't I have something else?"
Him: "You've already had half a loaf of bread. Two teaspoons is all I ask. It's good!"
Her: "Nope."
Him: "Then no more snacks or bread. Two teaspoons."
Her: "Not gonna happen. I don't care, I don't need snacks. I'm not hungry."

Little Courtney ended up eating her two teaspoons of soup for breakfast before Keith made her pancakes. And she admitted it wasn't too bad. Just not something she would want to eat again. What a hoot! I'm sure I said the same thing when I was 10, but now I love this soup. Thanks Mom!

This weekend, I set out to create more soup -- for us to freeze and to use up some of the ingredients in the fridge. I'm also working on the next cookbook, which will feature soups, salads, sides, etc., so I'm always experimenting. Well wouldn't you know it, green soup once again made an appearance. I wonder how Miss Courtney is going to like this one? Maybe I should spare her, but it's REALLY good, and she likes broccoli. If she can just get past the color, I'm sure she would like it!

This Creamy Broccoli Soup is a recreation of two old favorites -- cream of broccoli and broccoli cheese soups. However, this one focuses more on the broccoli and less on the fat. It's different and interesting, with delicate flavors that mellow the broccoli's bite. And unlike the old favorites, it is VERY light. With the ingredients I used, I calculated mine to have 75 calories per serving, with 8 servings in the pot. Of course Keith and I each ate more than a serving at a time, but with it being so low in calories, who cares?! It was a cozy, comforting meal for us during this unusual cold spell in Charleston, and he loved it. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Creamy Broccoli Soup
2 lbs (10 cups) broccoli, frozen or fresh
1 quart chicken broth (preferably low fat and low salt).
2 oz light cream cheese (regular or reduced fat)
1/2 cup plain yogurt (fat free or full fat)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
Salt to taste (amount needed will depend on your broth)
Extra broth or water to thin, if necessary

Boil broccoli in broth for 10 minutes, or until it's soft enough to mash with a fork (don't drain it). Mash roughly and add the rest of the ingredients, stirring until the cream cheese melts. Blend with an immersion blender or transfer to a regular blender, blending until smooth and adding extra broth to achieve your desired consistency. Top with a dollop of yogurt and some freshly ground black pepper if desired.

Enjoy!

The Svelte Gourmet Cookbook: A Month of Main Courses is available at www.thesveltegourmet.com/products.html.

'Twas the Night Before New Year's

'Twas the night before New Year's and all through the fridge,

nothing in there was healthy, not even a smidge.

The holidays are over, the gorging's all done.
It's time for my New Year's resolution!

The pantry gets emptied, the cupboards cleaned out,
No more junk food for us! Keith is starting to pout.

I in my "onion goggles" -- no more tears, no more sorrow!
We're starting "A Month of Main Courses" tomorrow!

Skinny Lasagna, Prosciutto Pork, Fancy Breakfast for Dinner,
And what? It's all healthy? This book must be a winner!

A whole month of main courses that are tasty and good,
No more boredom, fad diets or food that's like wood.

My mission, you see, is to help you get svelte!
Healthy food can taste great, and the pounds will just melt!

Off love handles, off double chin, off growing derriere!
Off laziness, off lethargy, just GET OFF THE CHAIR!

These recipes are ready to answer the call,
Sweets away, fat away, bad carbs away ALL!

It's "A Month of Main Courses," healthy cooking done right,
It's available now at The Svelte Gourmet website!

http://www.thesveltegourmet.com/products.html

Enjoy and Happy New Year!

I'm not Superwoman! (and other shocking discoveries)

Boy, am I tired! No one warned me that running a household was so stressful! A lot has changed for me in the past few months -- I got married, built a house, inherited two beautiful children, got a dog, got a cat, started a new business and published a cookbook. Whew! Just typing that makes me tired.

I've figured out this month that I'm not Superwoman (I've suspected this for quite some time, but now I know for sure). I take on too much, like I'm sure most of you do. The extra stress and running around does burn off some calories, but that's all counteracted by the "grab-and-go" mentality when it comes to eating.

I know when I grab a handful of junk food on my way out the door that I'm doing myself an injustice. So I'm careful later. What sneaks up on me, though, is the junk food that's disguised as health food. I've seen this happen so often that I have to mention it -- just because it says "lowfat" or "light" doesn't mean it won't contribute to weight gain.

Case in point: In college, fat free frozen yogurt was a staple of my diet. I have a big appetite, so my portions were a little off -- but since it was fat free, I wasn't doing any harm, right? WRONG. I've since figured out that the yogurt I was eating still had 600 calories. OUCH! A serving size is 1/2 cup, but I was eating 4 times that, probably more, several times a week. No wonder!

Now that I'm cooking healthy food and sharing it with others through this blog and my business, I've seen this type of self-sabotage happening more and more. "This is healthy!" followed by overeating. When we see something that's obviously fattening, we know to watch our portion sizes (or at least be more careful later). But when we're faced with healthy choices, all bets are off. Sure there's more breathing room with the healthy food, but if you are trying to lose weight, portion size still matters. After all, it's a numbers game -- calories in, calories out.

For me, it's not the endless holiday party buffets that get me. I know what to do with those (the veggie tray is my best friend, but watch the dressing!). The problem is eating on the run, being too tired to cook dinner and snacking during all the great holiday movies! So here are a couple tips. If you have more, please share them!

Read labels. In my opinion, the most important information on a nutrition label isn't the calories or fat, it's the serving size. Read the label and measure a serving size -- even if you eat more, you'll be conscious of what a serving size should be and you'll learn to cut back on other things to balance it out. This will be discouraging at first -- you'll be shocked at how little a serving size actually is for most things. But the lesson is worth it!

When it seems too good to be true, investigate! Spray butter that tastes really good and has 0 calories? Yahoo! I was so ecstatic, I used it on everything. But then I dug a little deeper and learned that the nutrition label can say 0 calories if one serving has less than 5 calories and 0 fat if one serving has less than 1/2 a gram. So guess what? That bottle has over 900 calories. OUCH! I've heard similar reports about diet soda (which has no nutritional value, anyway), so stick to water!

Don't snack with an open bag. When you want a snack, measure out how much you should be eating, put it in a bowl and put the bag away. Trust me, you'll think twice about going back for more. But if you sit in front of the television with an open bag of anything, you'll eat WAY more than you intended. Even a bag of rice cakes (ew!) has a ton of calories if you eat the whole thing! I'm speaking from experience. This is also why I love fruit -- it's perfectly portioned!

Chew gum. Want to fend off cravings or between-meal snacking? Chew a piece of gum. My friend shared this tip with me, and it's worked for her. She's lost 9 pounds so far! Awesome! And during the holidays, too. While gum keeps your mouth busy longer, I also find that popping a mint or brushing your teeth works, too. That minty flavor makes just about anything that follows taste bland or bitter. Perfect!

Take time to eat regular meals. When I don't eat regularly, my hands shake, I get irritable and I can't function. Thus, I get desperate and grab whatever is closest. Bad idea! The best lesson I learned when I wrote my cookbook is that cooking dinner doesn't take that long. I cooked 30 dinners in 4 days and I can tell you for a fact that this is true. A chicken breast will cook in 15 minutes. Lean steak is even less! That is faster than the drive-thru! But if you're out and you need to grab something on the go, opt for Subway over virtually any burger joint. Skip the cheese, the mayo and the oil on your 6-inch sub (load up on veggies, mustard and vinegar!) and you'll come in around 300 calories. Can't beat that!

I know we can make it through this season without weight gain. I have faith! Please feel free to share the tips that work for you. Here's to a healthy, happy, and fit holiday season!

My Favorite Svelte Kitchen Gadgets: Vol. II

It's my experience that no matter how big I make my space, I'll fill it up. In this case, I'm talking about the kitchen. "What in the world am I going to put in all these cabinets?" has very quickly become "Keith, I don't know where to put this. We need a bigger kitchen." I think I may need therapy.

Not everyone enjoys spending all of their time in the kitchen -- not even me! As I worked to complete my cookbook, however, I ended up cooking 12 hours a day for 4 days straight. I'm REALLY tired. During this time, however, I discovered even more kitchen tools that I find invaluable for a convenient, svelte lifestyle and I wanted to share them with you.

Veggie Steamer
Every night, I serve dinner with The Svelte Gourmet Signature Salad and a steamed vegetable of some sort. Sure, I have recipes and variations to keep my side dishes interesting, but one thing is constant -- the vegetable steamer. These come in many varieties from fancy to simple, but my go-to is the inexpensive, collapsible steamer (the one on the right). It fits in almost any pot and can accommodate A LOT of veggies. Just put an inch or so of water in the bottom of the pan, place this on top (it has little legs that allow it to stand up off the bottom) and add the veggies. Put the lid on the pan and steam away. Crisp tender or cooked to death, veggies have never been so easy! Here in the Low Country, I'm hard-pressed to find vegetables on a menu that don't have some sort of pork product added to them to give them "flavor." Trust me, though, that isn't necessary. A light misting of olive oil, some garlic, a squirt of lemon -- fantastic and light!

Food Thermometer
I rely on my food thermometer so often that I bought an oven with a built in food probe. I know I'll get a lot of arguments about poking holes in my food ("It lets out all the juice!"), but I've found that none of that goodness escapes if you put the thermometer in raw or browned meat and leave it alone for the duration of the cooking process (including resting time). For this reason, I do not recommend the "fork" varieties that come with some grilling kits. These three, though, are great. On the right is the remote, talking variety -- perfect for my techie husband! But I'm just as happy with the $5 one on the left. Now don't tell him I said that or he'll question why I "needed" to have the fancy oven with the probe! That's the one in front. Anyway, a chicken breast cooked to 165 degrees (USDA's minimum safe cooking temp for poultry) is REALLY juicy. My father-in-law will still miss the dark meat, but you won't!

Roomba
To say I love my Roomba is an understatement. This thing has saved my sanity more often than I can count. Hardwood floors that show everything plus a messy cook could equal nervous breakdown. Am I embarrassed because I rely on a robotic vacuum cleaner? Nope. It cleans up crumbs the minute they fall and keeps my kitchen floor manageable (looking good and not at all crunchy!). Before Roomba came into my life, I kept a Dustbuster in the pantry. This works just fine in a pinch, too! A quick run-around after cooking and you're good to go.

Chef's Hat
OK, maybe this is a bit of a stretch as a "kitchen gadget." However, if you want your kids to help cook, eat their dinner and learn some healthy habits, dress them up! We had the pleasure of hosting Courtney's 10th birthday party (a sleep-over!) this past weekend, and she whipped out the hat and showed her friends how to make pizza sauce right from my cookbook proof. They even ate the whole wheat crust without one complaint. Success!

The Svelte Gourmet Cookbook:
A Month of Main Courses
Perhaps my favorite kitchen gadget of all! An entire month of healthy, tasty main courses. The book will officially launch in early January, but a limited first run will be available December 21. Pre-order now at www.thesveltegourmet.com/products.html!

Stay tuned for more of my favorite gadgets in some upcoming posts. Trust me, I'm only getting started. If you have any you'd like to share, feel free to comment -- even though my cabinets are about to explode, I'm always looking for handy new toys! Happy cooking!

New Recipe! "You won't be puffin' when you eat this muffin."

Act One, Scene One -- Saturday morning breakfast showdown:

Courtney (9): "What's for breakfast?"
Me (29ish): "I don't know, what do you want?"
Courtney: "Coffee."
Me: "Ha! OK, and with your coffee? How about something good for you?"
Courtney: (sigh, followed by eye roll) "Can I have a ham sandwich?"
Me: "For breakfast? OK, I guess, but only if you eat it on whole-grain bread."
Courtney: "Ew, Jenny, please no." (another eye roll)
Keith: "You know, Court, the sugars in white bread are just like eating a piece of cake. Your body can't tell the difference." (I LOVE it when he quotes me...hee hee...this is starting to catch on!)
Courtney: "Ahhh, Daddy! OK, fine."

OK, here we go. It's make it or break it time. I mean, I know this bread tastes good. But it has actual, visible "thingies" (a.k.a. grains) in it. Even Keith is tough when it comes to the whole grain bread. She is looking very skeptical now.

Act One, Scene Two -- After a couple very timid bites...

Me: "See, it's sweet, right?"
Courtney: "It sort of tastes like honey...but I still don't like it."
Me: "Why? You like honey!"
Courtney: "Um...well...Jenny, I'm only eating it because I'm really hungry."
Me: "Yeah right! You MUST like it. You've eaten the whole sandwich without an argument."
Courtney: "Well I admit it tasted good. Just not VERY good."

I don't care what anybody says, I'm considering this a Svelte Gourmet victory. Especially since she asked for the same sandwich again for lunch on Sunday! Yippee! But if you can believe it, Saturday got even better.

Taylor (15): "Jenny, is there a way to make muffins healthy? Can we bake some?"

Um....are you kidding?! Is the Pope Catholic? Of course we can bake healthy muffins! OK, not only is Courtney eating whole grain bread without a fight, but Taylor is asking to make healthy muffins. Could life get any better? Not for me. But again, it's go time. Act fast, before she loses interest!

Me: (on the phone) "Mom, quick! I need the recipe for Grandma's bran muffins. The yummy ones she used to make all the time. Can you email it to me? ....yes, Taylor....I KNOW....yes, Court ate whole grain bread.....I KNOW!" (Yes, my mother gets just as excited as I do over this stuff -- she's my inspiration! Keith and my dad just roll their eyes. There seems to be a lot of eye rolling going on around here lately...)

So as you can probably tell, Keith and the kids helped me out with the title of today's blog post -- they're really embracing the Svelte Gourmet philosophy! Taylor and I had a great time baking these muffins, and as usual, I had a great time playing around with the ingredients to make them even healthier.

These muffins are mostly my grandmother, partly my mother, partly me, and partly Taylor. The combined result is a rich, subtly sweet, tasty and nutritious muffin that can be breakfast, a snack, or dessert. We ate these all weekend and I don't feel the least bit guilty. This recipe replaces white flour with whole wheat flour, oil with applesauce, and white sugar with honey, which is sweeter, more nutritious and lower on the glycemic index! I plugged the entire recipe into my Calorie Counter and divided by the servings (it makes approximately 32 muffins!) and even I was astounded. Virtually no fat (just whatever is in the milk and eggs you use), about 100 calories each, and around 3.5 grams of fiber in each one! Yay fiber! These muffins are NOT your average "cupcake" disguised as breakfast. These are actually good for you -- and they really do taste great!

Raisin Honey Bran Muffins

3 cups bran cereal (such as All Bran Original), divided
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt

3 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup honey
2 cups buttermilk (or 2 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice mixed with milk to equal 2 cups -- I use 2%)
2 eggs
1 cup seedless raisins

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine 1 cup of the cereal with boiling water and applesauce. Mix well and set aside.
Combine flour, salt, baking soda and remaining 2 cups of cereal. Add honey, milk and eggs. Mix well. Stir in cereal/water/applesauce mixture and raisins.
Spoon batter into greased muffin tins, filling each cup 2/3 full (3/4 for larger muffins).
Bake for 15 minutes (17 minutes for larger muffins), one pan at a time. Cool in pan 10 minutes before placing muffins on cooling racks.

Smaller muffins (32 per recipe) have about 100 calories and 3.5 grams of fiber in each. Larger muffins (20 per recipe) have about 160 calories and 5 1/2 grams of fiber in each!

Overall, I think I've had another successfully svelte weekend. Courtney's eating whole grains, albeit hesitantly, and Taylor wants to learn to cook and eat healthier. I now have a batch of muffins that, with every bite, reminds me of my childhood -- my wonderful grandparents baking together in the kitchen, my beautiful mother teaching me to cook and planting the seed for a healthy lifestyle. Taylor suggested we add chopped pecans next time, and I love that she's interested in experimenting. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do! And remember, "you won't be puffin' when you eat this muffin!"

My Favorite Svelte Kitchen Gadgets: Vol. I

Eating healthfully isn't easy. It takes the right lean, green or whole grain ingredients, creativity and lots of flavorful spices to make healthy food that tastes good. Sure, you can buy frozen, microwavable "lean" dinners, but they're loaded with salt and preservatives -- and really don't taste that good either. And they're so tiny! I can eat three of them, but that sort of defeats the purpose. But I'll save my rant on the evils of miniature food for another post and get back to the point at hand. Eating healthfully with a little help from my friends...

I'm doing this in volumes because I have SO MANY kitchen gadgets and I couldn't decide on just a few. I'll feature more in future posts, but for now, here are my first four:

The Misto: I use my Misto every single day and I absolutely love it! Basically, it takes a liquid or oil and allows you to atomize it by pumping the cap to add air pressure. Your olive oil is now in aerosol form! Not only is it a cool gadget that causes dinner party guests to say "hey, what's that thing?!," it also allows you to dramatically cut calories and fat and still get the great flavors of your favorite oils. Mine stays filled with extra virgin olive oil and basically takes the place of regular cooking spray in my skillets, etc. It's great sprayed on the grill rack to help keep food from sticking! I even spray it on vegetables, salads and meat to add that great olive oil flavor and shine without the calories. Imagine the rich flavors you could healthfully impart by filling this with sesame oil or truffle oil. YUM! Any recipe that says "brush" or "coat" with oil gets a blast from The Misto, saving us hundreds of calories.


Makin' Bacon: OK, first of all, I'm not making the claim that bacon is good for you or has any health benefits besides a bit of protein. But it tastes SO good! I'm a big fan of adding flavor instead of fat, but if you can get a lot of the fat out of bacon, then one slice at about 45 calories added to a whole recipe isn't going to kill you. And apparently, there's a nine-year-old girl who knows this -- the inventor of Makin' Bacon. I was skeptical at first, but the concept makes sense -- hang your bacon on the Makin' Bacon racks, microwave it for a minute or two, and the bacon cooks to your desired crispness while the fat drips in to the tray on the bottom! We don't eat a lot of bacon here at the Svelte Gourmet, but one slice of crispy lean-cut bacon, crumbled and sprinkled over a few baked chicken breasts (I have a lot of chicken recipes) makes it extra tasty and doesn't add a lot of fat and calories! Everything in moderation, right? If you're going to make a lifestyle change to healthy eating, you can't deprive yourself of flavor. There are ways to do it right!

KitchenAide Food Chopper: A lot of companies make a product like this, but the concept is the same -- a zig-zagged metal blade plunges and retracts, making a quarter turn each time. You operate it by putting your food in the chamber, placing it on a solid surface and pounding the top plunger several times until you reach the desired size of dice. Then, the entire thing comes apart and goes right into the dishwasher. I love this thing. I use it for onions, garlic, nuts, peppers, apples -- anything crispy works. Not only does this device allow you to release any residual anger from your day (is your spouse aggravating you?!), but it is also completely self-contained and kid-friendly. Our girls use this to help me cook. Not only is it fun to use, but I feel better knowing that they're not going to slice off a finger or accidentally spin around and stab one of us. It's great!

Crème Brûlée Torch: OK, again, I know that this dessert isn't "healthy." However, I make it

at home using small ramekins. My second favorite thing to do besides blog about healthy food is to calculate the calories in all my recipes -- I even have a spreadsheet for it. Doesn't that sound like fun?! Anyway, I calculated my crème brûlée recipe (which still uses heavy cream, eggs and sugar -- though a lot less than you would think), divided by eight servings served into 4 ounce ramekins, and the calorie count?! 130 per serving!!! Are you shocked? Quite a bit better than that 500 calorie (at least!) piece of cheesecake, huh? Toss a few blueberries on there and you have a very impressive dinner party dessert. But I transgress. Back to the gadget. Not only does it allow me to make this impressive dessert and torch it in front of my guests ("ooh, ahhh!"), even the kids will eat food they get to torch. Now please, stand VERY close to them and don't look away. But with the right supervision and a pledge to teach your kids kitchen safety, this is as harmless as the stove or chef's knife. It also has other uses as well. I have a svelte French onion soup recipe that I love, and I wanted to serve it in bowls that went with my "tablescape," but they weren't oven-safe. So I torched the very thin slice of cheese with the torch and it came out beautifully! I love my torch.

I could go on and on and on, but I'll save some gadgets for future volumes. Enjoy and feel free to share some of your favorites!

Prime time for eating locally!

I grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and loved going to the local farmers markets. I even worked at one for four years, selling chips, pretzels and hot roasted peanuts! Not very svelte, huh?! Now I live in Charleston, South Carolina, and I am again surrounded by people living and eating locally. And let me tell you, I am in my glory. I have tried so many new things and I wish I could make a career out of living off the land (and blogging about it?...)

I love adventures. I spent 11 years in Washington, DC, but I was always trying to get out to the country. It was there that I met my husband, who brought me to this glorious place. He's shown me some amazing adventures. And it's true, "if you teach a man to fish..." and all that. Keith says if the economy gets any worse, we can just live off the land and the water. And he's right! Though I might have to start weeding my herb garden, because it's out of control.

Right now in Charleston, it's prime time for eating locally. Shrimping season is in full force, and it's so much fun to catch them yourself! If we're lucky, we'll fill our freezer this year. And let me tell you, there is NOTHING like wild, local shrimp. The taste is so unlike those farmed shrimp you can get at the grocery store. If you have the opportunity to try them, don't let it pass you by!

It's also oyster season -- here, you can harvest and eat them in any month that has an "R" -- in other words, when the water is cold enough! Before moving here, I'd only had oysters once, in California. I hated them. I don't know why, and maybe I didn't give them a chance, but the oysters here are just different. Singles or clusters, it doesn't matter. They are amazing. In Charleston, oyster roasts are the social event of the winter. Weekend parties where people gather, have a few beers, and plow through bushels and bushels of freshly steamed oysters. There's usually a bonfire, even though it's 50 degrees at night in December. It's funny, though, how even though I'm from the north, I'm always cold. Maybe that's because I'm still wearing flip-flops in November... But anyway, I feel lucky to live in a place where I can walk down to the creek and break loose a few clusters of oysters with a brick. What?!

The pecans are also dropping. My in-laws' yard will shortly become a blanket of nuts, ready to be picked up and stored for winter! They even make special tools for picking them up and cracking them. My in-laws just bought some lawn mower-like contraption that picks them up, and I can't wait to try it. It's called Bag-O-Nut and now I can't stop giggling. Anyway, they'll last for years in their shell, or shelled in the freezer. If you buy and eat nuts, you know how expensive they are. So it's like gold dropping from the trees! Just be sure to pronounce them "PEE-cans." Otherwise, these Southerners will make fun of you. Trust me. I'm a Damn Yankee (the term for a Yankee that moves here and stays...)

And that's not all...we can pull crab traps from the dock and have crab feasts whenever we want. All-you-can-eat blue crabs and stone crabs -- I'm so spoiled now. We also fish a lot and catch dolphin fish (mahi mahi) and many other varieties. Keith has the most AMAZING recipes. We gig flounder. YUM. We have wild turkeys running around in our backyard, but I'm not a hunter, so they're still safe. We now have a freezer full of venison, thanks to my father-in-law. PLEASE share your recipes for venison if you have some, because I've only cooked it a couple times -- tenderloin and chili, so far. But it is quite lean (1/3 the fat of beef!) and I look forward to experimenting. I'll keep you posted...

I feel like I might have the advantage this time, with easy access to all of Charleston's bounty. But I know I'm wrong -- places like this exist all over the world. Please post comments and let us know where you live and what you eat. It may inspire us all to steer clear of Costco and stock our freezers for winter locally!

Don't throw away those pumpkin seeds!

Here's a quick and seasonal tip that will help you make the most of those Halloween jack-o-lanterns! My mom taught me how to roast pumpkin seeds when I was little, and I looked forward to it every year. They are SO yummy. Of course I thought everyone roasted their pumpkin seeds, but I've recently come to realize that's not the case. So here you go! Try it!

As you're preparing your pumpkin for carving, scoop the pulp and seeds into a colander instead of the garbage. Under running water, you can separate the seeds from the pulp rather easily. Discard the pulp and rinse the seeds thoroughly. Shake out the excess water or run a kitchen towel around the colander to dry them off a bit. If you have a salad spinner, that would work beautifully! Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray, spread the seeds in a single layer, sprinkle with salt and bake at 400 degrees until the seeds turn a golden brown. Length of time will depend on the size of the seeds and how wet they are, but it'll probably take 5-10 minutes. Keep an eye on them!

Once they're done, just store them in an airtight container and they'll last for weeks. You can shell them if you have patience, but I prefer them with the shell on! They are so good. This is a healthy and delicious snack, but treat them like any nut or seed -- they are a great source of protein and will fill you up, but 1/4 cup has approximately 180 calories. So don't go "nuts!" (I know, that was bad...)

Enjoy! If you have other recipes for pumpkin seeds or the pumpkin itself, I encourage you to share by posting a comment!

New Recipe! Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Green & Black Olive Tapenade

Ah, chicken breast. How many ways can we cook it before we're utterly sick of it?! Well, I was trying to use some leftovers in the fridge tonight (specifically, the black olives and Parmesan cheese from pizza night!) and I made up this recipe. My husband can tell you that when I "go rogue" like this, it can often be disastrous -- but this one was so good that I had to post it. Enjoy and feel free to improvise with what you have on hand!

Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Green & Black Olive Tapenade

(Note: If you don't like -- or have -- olives, a great substitution would be chopped sun dried tomatoes. However, this chicken is so flavorful and juicy that it doesn't really need a topping! Also, resist the urge to add salt while cooking, as both the olives and Parmesan cheese are very salty. Salt to taste later if you need it!)

Serves 4

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Whites of 2 eggs

1 cup of Parmesan cheese (shredded or grated)

1 tsp minced garlic

Couple shakes each of dried oregano, basil and black pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put egg whites in one shallow dish and combine cheese, garlic and spices in another shallow dish. Heat olive oil on medium/high in a large, oven-safe skillet. Reduce heat to medium. Dip each chicken breast in the egg whites, then dip in cheese mixture to coat. Brown in skillet, 2 minutes per side. Insert meat thermometer probe into thickest part of one breast, cover skillet with lid or foil, and bake in oven until thermometer reads 170 degrees.

To make the olive tapenade, roughly chop green olives (with or without pimentos) and black olives. Toss with 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic and some freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Top each chicken breast with a spoonful or two of the tapenade. Serve with a vegetable -- sorry, but taters don't count as veggies in Svelte Gourmet land! -- and the Svelte Gourmet Signature Salad. You'll have a meal so full of rich flavors, you won't miss the fat. I promise!

Please let me know how you've improvised or share your favorite chicken breast recipes -- I could use some inspiration!

To order The Svelte Gourmet: A Month of Main Courses cookbook, please visit www.thesveltegourmet.com/products.html.

Enjoy!

She ate whole grain spaghetti three days in a row!

Last month, I not only married my wonderful husband, I also inherited two beautiful stepdaughters. Over the past couple of years getting to know each other, we've only encountered one real issue -- overcoming our nine-year-old's favorite diet of Gatorade, Cheetos, mozzarella sticks and various Little Debbie creations.

Me: "No, you can't have another Star Crunch."
Her: "Why not?"
Me: "Because you've had five."
Her: "Oh. Daddy! Can I have a Star Crunch?"

Grrr...it's not that I don't want this beautiful child to have everything her little heart desires. It's just that I don't want her little heart to shut down. I mean really, I was struggling. And let me tell you, a nine-year-old gives it to you straight.

Me: "Why aren't you eating?"
Her: "Because I don't like it. No offense."
Me: "Oh." (Ouch!)
Her: "Can I have a Star Crunch?"

I understand that sometimes svelte cooking isn't all that kid friendly. Not much grease, little butter. But it's not THAT bad. Or maybe it was, to her. Couple that with the gourmet and/or unfamiliar ingredients I like to use and we have a bigger problem.

Her: "What is that?!"
Me: "Goat cheese."
Her: "Ew. Can I have a Star Crunch?"

I didn't know what to do. I am not a chef, I have no actual training, and my recipes can be hit or miss. But I LOVE this. It is my passion. I have a hundred cookbooks and subscriptions to three cooking magazines. So what do I do? I tried cutting out all unfamiliar flavors and spices. The food got worse and worse and the reactions were still the same.

Then one day I passed a restaurant supply store and my heart skipped a beat. FUN! I went in, and I went a little crazy. I was going to conquer this problem if it killed me! I was no longer going to cook for the family -- we were going to start a restaurant right there in the kitchen. "Chez Fox!" Or whatever. Everyone was going to cook.

The first night, we made spaghetti. Now what kid doesn't like spaghetti? Well, svelte spaghetti is made with lots of onions and mushrooms, ground chicken instead of beef and sausage, and whole grain pasta. The old me would have tried to hide those facts and pass it off as normal spaghetti. But no more! Luckily, I have some kid-friendly, safe kitchen gadgets. So she chopped onions, added the mushrooms, and picked fresh basil and oregano from the garden. She HATES those things. She simmered and stirred and beamed with pride as her daddy had a taste of her spaghetti sauce. She ate her dinner that night, as I sat there with tears in my eyes. I don't know if it was having her as my special guest chef or the funky chef's hats and aprons I got for all of us, but whatever it was, it worked. And she ate that spaghetti for three days.

Since then, we've done make-your-own pizza night (watching the dough rise is part of the fun!), recreated the Japanese hibachi menu (complete with homemade white sauce for the shrimp and chopsticks!) and had a fondue feast (our 15-year-old and I made five different dipping sauces!) I am in my glory. The kids are getting nutritious meals. We're having a blast and bonding at the same time. And the hats are really cute. I wear mine even when they're not here...shhhh.

I realized, throughout this process, that I needed to make some compromises, too. I still maintain that Cheeze Whiz with a little bit of broccoli is NOT a vegetable, but as long as it's coupled with something healthful, that's what counts. And yes, you can have a Star Crunch now.