All Or Nothing

I got my hair colored yesterday and my dear stylist asked how I had lost so much weight. When I told her she wrinkled her nose and said, "That's not right. You can't really eat like that!" 

Sigh. Yes you can. In fact, once you start you will WANT to eat like this. Junk food, sugar, fat, and cheese burgers lose their power over you. Pretty soon you are salivating over a salad (I never ever thought that would happen).

"But to never have cake again!? What about fudge? I could never live a life where I can't have junk food! I could never do that!" I hear this a lot. What do these people think? That I got fat on veggies and suddenly I started eating fewer veggies and lost weight? Honey, I got fat on junk food and gave it up for a healthier body and it has been an excellent trade.

Let's talk for a moment about the "all or nothing". I'm kinda an "all or nothing" girl, with exceptions. If I have the opportunity to each chocolate cake I am probably going to pass, but if it is delectable-gourmet-top notch-hard to come by-chocolate cake, I'm in for at least one bite. One of Roland's clients sent a package of Omaha steaks as a thank you for a job well done. On his birthday we grilled them up and I had a bite - just one bite did it for me - I preferred the grilled eggplant. For the record, Roland didn't even taste the steak. But eating unnutritious food is a rare thing - not even once a week - because really, we aren't often exposed to food of that gourmet quality. And, honestly, it doesn't taste that fabulous to me.

If you are considering eating this way here is my advice: tell yourself that you can eat whatever you want. For heaven's sake we are talking about loving life here! If you need that caramel, have it! But wait until you have been religiously on the diet for 6 weeks. You will find, as I have, that one bite - one taste - does the job and you won't need more.

At times I get tempted. We had a piano recital at our house last week and there was left over cake. That cake was calling my name. Loud. I could hear it from my bedroom. So I told my boys to eat as much as they wanted (they didn't want any) and then tossed the rest into the dirty garbage can in the garage. But mostly I can walk away from junk.

This recipe is a little junky because it has veganaise - fake mayo. But oh, what a wonderful way to eat broccoli!

Robin's Red Broccoli Salad 
(I made this up myself!)

Dressing:
1 T agave (could use honey instead)
2 T red wine vinegar
1/3 c. veganaise (has the same amount of fat as mayo - so if you aren't doing vegan just use mayo)
Mix together in small bowl.

1 head broccoli - chopped (chop stem into small pieces)
1/3 cup green onion
3/4 cup small chop celery
1/3 cup diced red onion
1 1/2 cup grapes sliced in half (I use red grapes)
3/4 cup walnuts - toasted

Mix salad fixin's together and pour dressing over the top. Mix dressing in thoroughly so all the salad has a touch of it. This salad tastes better if you wait a few hours to eat it (or on the 2nd day) if you do that add walnuts right before serving. Double the batch so you can snack on it for a day or so. Yummy!

Hint : I soak my broccoli in the hottest tap water for about 10 minutes in my salad spinner and then spin it out, make the salad and put in fridge to cool. Broccoli that is soaked this way has a better taste and prettier color.