‘Skinny Taste’ Articles at Sweetnicks

This should make Joanne very happy. Eat. Live. Be. I’m here.

As a multitude of 5ks and Zumba classes permeate my calendar and Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred dvd gets plenty of play time. I’m here. I’ve been here.

Clean eating? Yep, I’m there too. Oh how I’ve missed it. There’s just something so very satisfying about it that is sometimes hard to articulate. Unless you’re there too. But the rub? Eat good food and you feel good. I’ve noticed the shift again, as I’ve purposefully made my way back to where I’m supposed to be.

The familiar feelings of euphoria when an early weekend morning is punctuated by sweat stinging my eyeballs. Which is, I swear, the sign of an awesome work-out.

The words “No, I can’t, we’re doing a 5k that day” coming out of my mouth.

The friends that get it. To the point that we just scheduled another 5k. In September. Out of state. After we get through the three we already have on the calendar.

When I’m in the zone, I have blinders on. And I instantly remember why I’m doing what I’m doing.

For me.

For them.

Always and forever.

Amen.

Mary Fischer’s quote rings in my ears. “Tell me, what are you going to do with this wild and precious life?”

“You have exactly one life in which to do everything you’ll ever do. Act accordingly.” Colin Wright

“…to know there is a better story for your life and to choose something other is like choosing to die.” Donald Miller

A co-worker and I were talking about that last week. Tomorrow being guaranteed to no one. I worry that I won’t have time enough to do everything I want to do. For me. Or with my kids. And I’ll be darned if we’re just going to laze our days away turning into zombies in front of the tv.

Sure there is tv time.

Down time.

Chill time.

But it’s dotted by play time. Spring Bucket Lists. Playgrounds. Activities. Adventures. Memory making. In our backyard. And in the great outdoors.

…

“What are you doing?” I asked Mystic after watching him for a few minutes.

Taking the onions out of Nick’s sandwich.

“Why?”

Your son doesn’t like onions.

This was totally news to me, and I’ve known the kid for 9 years. I know he doesn’t like the smell of onions, and usually vacates the premises as quickly as possible when they’re cooking, but he’s never said he didn’t like the taste, and I’ve never noticed him pick them out of a meal.

But darn it if Mystic wasn’t right. Confirmed by the fact that I watched Nick carefully remove the little onion pieces from tonight’s dinner. Mystic is crazy observant. I thought I was, but he has me beat.

The first time Mystic cooked for me at his house, I was keeping him company in the kitchen while he finished plating the food. He stopped for a minute to rummage around in a drawer and handed me a little light bulb.

“What’s this for?”

Your ice maker light is out.

“I have a light for my ice maker?”

Um, yeah, observant like no other.

So tonight’s dinner had onions. And broccoli. In a healthified version of macaroni and cheese, courtesy of Skinny Taste. The broccoli cooks in the pasta pot, making it very soft when it’s done and super tiny. While I’m not hiding vegetables in this dish (I personally abhor that concept), they’re still visible. The kids did notice the broccoli, and I explained that if they took a bite of the broccoli with the pasta, they wouldn’t even be able to tell they were eating it. Most of the broccoli cooks down to smithereens, so they’re really getting plenty of broccoli in every bite. Two heads of broccoli went into this dish. Nick said it was good, and Madeline tried to pick out the broccoli, then we negotiated a bit, then I fed her, and she ended up cleaning her whole plate.

While this is not the end-all-and-be-all, stop the presses recipe for mac and cheese, it’s a creamy casserole type version that you can serve your family and skip the guilt. Because the cheese is low-fat, it’s not going to have the sharp punch of a traditional Cheddar, but it’s easy to make, tasty, and if it gets some extra broccoli in their little bellies, I’m there.

For those following Weight Watchers, this one clocks in at 8 points per one cup serving….

Recipe: Asian Turkey Meatballs and {Eat. Live. Be.}

Recipe: Healthy Baked Broccoli Macaroni and Cheese