The Death of Diets

My name is Kelly and I live in New York City. I was born and raised in the south where you grow up eating greasy, deep-fried, salty, buttery, delicious food. But now, I live in the city of skinny. I’m surrounded by vegans, carb counting, 7 mile jogging, robots. Now, don’t get me wrong they are dedicated, but what kind of life is that?

I’m not fat. I’m not obese. In fact most people would call me skinny. Is my stomach flat? Hell no.

Wanna know my stats? I’m 5’5″ and 135 pounds (on a good day). I’ve got meat on my bones.

I currently work at a local hotel, and they have me working 7 days a week, until midnight. I’ve been watching my health, my sleep, the way I eat, my energy, and my spirits completely deteriorate. I’m finding myself stressed out, hungry for real food (that isn’t a bag of Doritos I grab at work just to make it through the day), and completely exhausted. So, I decided to change that…TODAY.

Today: July 3rd, 2012

I have started this blog where I will be documenting how I put my life back on track. There will be scheduling (as the late/long hours I work require it), minimal exercise, recipes, healthy food, sleep, and pure bliss.

I will also be posting others thing I am beginning to do to put my life financially, mentally, and emotionally back on track.

I’m hoping to shed a few extra pounds, get healthy, and relax.

I would love it if some of you joined me on the journey and shared any ideas, recipes, or results you have!

Thanks for reading! Let’s get healthy, not freakishly thin.

**As a side note I am a bit OCD. I enjoy organization and planning. I’m also a serial ‘list-er’. You don’t have to be as detailed as me but I find a well-organized life is a happier one!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound pork tenderloin
• 1 12 oz. jar of salsa
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon jalepeno peppers
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:

1. Place pork tenderloin in a crock pot.
2. Mix together all other ingredients in a bowl and pour over pork tenderloin.
3. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 5 hours.
4. Remove pork tenderloin from crock pot and shred using a fork, pull against the grain of the meat.  Return shredded pork tenderloin to crock pot and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
5. Serve with whole wheat tortillas, reduced fat cheese, reduced fat sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, and guacamole.

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

8 small square wonton wrappers (usually stocked with the 

tofu in the refrigerated section of the market)

1 cup dry coleslaw mix

2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

2 tbsp. Newman’s Own Lighten Up! Low Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing (or another low-fat sesame ginger 

dressing)

4 oz. cooked and shredded (or finely chopped) skinless lean chicken breast

2 tbsp. BBQ sauce with about 45 calories per 2-tbsp. serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Spray the inside and outside walls of a deep square or rectangular baking pan with nonstick spray. 

Evenly drape the wonton wrappers over the pan’s walls on a diagonal, making triangle-shaped “shells.” 

(Use two pans, if needed, to keep wontons from overlapping.) Bake until just crispy enough to hold their 

shape, about 3 minutes. 

Remove pan from the oven, but leave oven on. Carefully remove wontons and gently open to form “taco 

shells.” Set aside. 

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine coleslaw mix, cilantro, and dressing. Mix well. Cover and microwave 

for about 1 minute, until slightly softened. Set aside. 

In another bowl, combine chicken with BBQ sauce; mix well and set aside. 

Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Evenly distribute the BBQ chicken among the shells, followed 

by the slaw, about 1 tbsp. of each per shell. Lay the filled shells gently on their sides on the baking sheet. 

Spray the shells lightly with nonstick spray. Bake until warm and crunchy, about 5 minutes. Let cool 

slightly and then serve!

Ingredients:

• 2 medium potatoes (2/3 lb total), yukon gold or russet, washed and dried (skin on)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp cumin
• coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper
• 1 slice center cut bacon, cooked & finely chopped
• 1/3 cup sharp shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 tbsp diced scallions
• 1 tbsp sliced pickled Jalapeno (jarred on canned)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°. Line baking sheet with foil for easy clean-up. Lightly coatwith cooking spray.

Cut each potato lengthwise into 1/4 inch thin slices; then cut each slice into 1/4 inch fries.
In a large bowl, combine cut potatoes and oil; toss well. Add seasoning (paprika to salt and pepper). Toss to coat.

Place potatoes in a single layer on a lightly greased large baking sheet. Bakeuncovered for about 25 minutes or until tender crisp, turning once half way through (depending on thickness this may require more or less time). 

Remove from oven, place fries into two small oven safe dishes (or one large dish for sharing), top with cheddar cheese, sliced jalapenos, scallions and bacon bits and return to oven for  about 2 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Serve with low fat buttermilk ranch dressing and serve.

INGREDIENTS

for the soup:

2 tsp. olive oil

1-1/2 lbs. Italian sausage

3 c. chopped onions

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

2 T. tomato paste

1 28-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes

2 bay leaves

6 c. chicken stock

8 oz. mafalda or fusilli pasta

1/2 c. finely chopped fresh basil leaves

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

for the cheesy yum:

8 oz. ricotta

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp. salt

pinch of freshly ground pepper

2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

PREPARATION

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces, and brown for about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown color.

Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente. Do not over cook or let soup simmer for a long period of time at this point, as the pasta will get mushy and absorb all the soup broth. You may even want to consider cooking the noodles separately, and then adding some to individual bowls before ladling the soup over them. This would be an especially smart move if you are anticipating any leftovers. Right before serving, stir in the basil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheesy yum. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.

To serve, place a dollop of the cheesy yum in each soup bowl, sprinkle some of the mozzarella on top and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.

Servings:  8