Your weight-loss success depends in large part on your readiness to take on the challenge. If you jump in before youre ready, your weight-loss plan may buckle under the first challenge. Use these questions to assess your weight-loss readiness.

1. Are you motivated to make long-term lifestyle changes?

Successful weight loss depends on permanent lifestyle changes, such as eating healthy foods and exercising more. That could represent a significant departure from your current lifestyle. Be honest. Knowing that you need to make changes in your life and actually doing it are two different things. You may have to overhaul your diet so that youre eating more whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products, for example. Youll also need to find time to exercise for at least 30 minutes nearly every day of the week. Exercise is especially important to prevent regaining your lost weight.

Your motivation for undertaking these changes may be better health, improved appearance or just feeling better about yourself in general. As long as your motivation is a healthy one, it doesnt really matter what it is. Find your motivation and focus on it.

2. Have you addressed the big distractions in your life?

If youre dealing with major life events, such as marital problems, job stress, illness or financial worries, you may not want to add the challenge of overhauling your eating and exercise habits. Instead, consider giving your life a chance to calm down before you launch your weight-loss program.

3. Do you have a realistic picture of how much weight youll lose and how quickly?

Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is a lifelong process. Over the long term, its best to aim for losing 1 to 2 pounds (0.5 to 1 kilogram) a week. To lose 1 to 2 pounds a week, you need to burn 500 to 1,000 calories more than you consume each day. You can do that through a low-calorie diet and regular physical activity or exercise.

Initially you might lose weight more quickly than that if you make significant changes — just be sure the changes are health supporting. Dont get discouraged if your rate of weight loss slows a bit after bigger initial losses.

4. Have you resolved any emotional issues connected to your weight?

Emotions and food are often intertwined. Anger, stress, grief and boredom can trigger emotional eating. And if you have a history of an eating disorder, weight loss can be even trickier. Start by identifying your emotional issues related to food so that youre prepared for the challenges. Talk to your doctor about what weight-loss options are best for you.

5. Do you have support and accountability?

Any weight-loss program can be difficult. You may face moments of temptation or become disheartened. Having someone in your corner to offer encouragement can help. If you dont have friends or family you can rely on for positive help, consider joining a weight-loss support group.

If you want to keep your weight-loss efforts private, be prepared to be accountable to yourself with regular weigh-ins and a log of your diet and activity. You might also want to consider joining an online program or using a certified health coach.

6. Have you embraced the weight-loss challenge?

If you dont have a positive attitude about losing weight, you may not be ready. If you dread what lies ahead, you may be more likely to find excuses to veer off course. Try to embrace the vision of your new lifestyle and remain positive. Focus on how good youll feel when youre more active or when you weigh less. Picture yourself celebrating every little success along the way, whether its opting for a low-fat cottage cheese snack instead of chips or going for a walk.

Youre ready for weight loss: Now what?

If you answered yes to all or most of these questions, youre probably ready to make the lifestyle changes necessary to work toward permanent weight loss. You may be able to forge ahead on your own, creating your own lifestyle program for healthy eating and exercising. Or you may feel you need help.

Educating yourself about the process of successful weight loss and maintenance is a start. For example, learn more about the dietary changes necessary for losing weight. See a dietitian or enroll in a behavior-based weight program that can help you change the habits that can interfere with weight loss, such as eating when youre stressed or bored. If you have a significant amount of weight to lose, you may benefit from medically supervised weight loss with a team of health professionals that may include a dietitian, a therapist or an obesity specialist.

What if youre not ready?

If you answered no to more than one of these questions, you may not be ready to embark on a weight-loss program right now. And thats OK. Explore whats holding you back and face those obstacles. In some cases it may simply be a matter of timing. For instance, you may need to resolve other stressors in your life first. In other cases, you may need to work on related issues, such as your feelings toward weight loss or your willingness to commit to permanent lifestyle changes.

By Mayo Clinic staff

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Today was eventful with a lot of changes to my planned meals for the day.  I made up chicken sausage fuisili for our lunches and dinners for today, however I forgot I had a new hire lunch today!  So I hurried online to look at the restaurants menu to see what my options were.  The choices were very limited, so I ended up having grilled chicken with roasted red peppers, onions and spinach.  It was originally served on a bun and smothered with cheese, but I made modifications and I think I did a pretty good job.  We then got tickets to the unveiling of the new MN Vikings stadium which meant we werent making it home to have dinner.  We opted for Chipotle which is always good, especially since we could have brown rice on it, instead of just a salad. 

Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 153.2 lbs
Anthony: 245.2 lbs

Menu:
Breakfast @ 7am:
Steel cut oats with blueberries

Snack @ 9:45am:
Orange

Lunch @ 12:30pm:
Grilled chicken with roasted red peppers, onions and spinach; pineapple and strawberries

Snack @ 3pm:
Apple

Dinner @ 6pm:
Chipotle bowl with brown rice, lettuce, chicken, tomatoes and salsa

Workout:
None - I was supposed to do cardio but ended up with a huge headache after the unveiling and went straight to bed when I got home. Super bummed!

Notes on Food:
I made steel cut oats this morning - it took longer than I expected but I liked it - more texture than normal oats, but not a big change in taste in my opinion.  My husband thought they were ok - he didnt mind the texture but thought they had a blander taste. 

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Well today was the big dance competition day.  We were away from home for over 15 hours, we relied on the foods I brought from home and maintained extra willpower to stay away from those giant cookies and maui wowi smoothies they were selling at the concession stand!  There were a couple of changes in the lunch and dinner plans today, but we made it work and stuck as close as we could to the plan.  Although it was a crazy busy day, we got through it and Im proud of me and my husband.  Its been a long time since we havent binged on a Saturday evening.

Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 156.0 lbs
Anthony: 252.2 lbs

Menu:
Breakfast @ 6am:
Oatmeal with blueberries, scrambled egg with red, green and yellow peppers

Snack @ 9:15am:
Cauliflower with hummus

Lunch @ 12:00pm:
Chipotle Chicken Salad (romaine lettuce, chicken, tomatoes and medium salsa)

Snack @ 3:30pm:
Cauliflower with hummus

Dinner @ 7:15pm:
Sirloin steak, 3 broiled shrimp, garden salad with Italian vinaigrette and vegetable medley

Workout:
Several walks and up/down stairs throughout the day

Notes on Food:
Eggs and peppers = yum!  I used the Target Archer Farms brand frozen red, green and yellow peppers, sauteed them in olive oil for a few minutes then added in the scrambled egg and sprinkled with sea salt - delicious!  Im not looking forward to going back to only egg whites on Wednesday - loving the whole egg right now!

Yes, we went to Chipotle!  I had a salad with no cheese - it was flavorful, because its Chipotle, but I did miss the cheese a little bit.  We can have healthy fats today, so I debated on getting guac, but figured the chicken was probably prepared with some sort of fat, so I was getting enough of it in the chicken and opted for just that instead.

Dinner - we went to Jensens Cafe (near the event center) to eat and kill time before awards.  They had a an egg white omelet that sounded good, but I went for the steak and shrimp (my husband ate part of my steak).  I had salad with Italian vinaigrette, however it seemed like it was cream-based, instead of oil based, so I only ate a tad - maybe just a teaspoon.  The meal also came with a veggie medley and a dinner roll - the roll went to my carb loving daughter!  I will say, that I need to do a better job of asking the waitress questions about the food and how they prepare it - I should have asked about the dressing prior to selecting it, instead of assuming.

Also, I should have ate a snack since I was up until 11, but did not - oops!

Preparation:
I prepped the veggies and nuts a couple of days ago, so those were easy to grab and through into the cooler.  I put together some containers of hummus and blueberries in the morning along with several bottles and a pitcher full of water.  Between my husband and I, we need to drink at least 200 oz of water and figured why have to go up to the concession stand to buy water?  Avoid temptation and bring as much as I could with.

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So this week has been extremely slow (or non-existent) for weight loss, which could be expected being the amount I lost last week.  But, its very frustrating knowing that Im eating well and working out and not seeing the scale budge.  I went out to Haylies blog (author of the book) and read about what to do if you get stuck or plateau (link below).  It looks like Ill try to mix up the foods Im eating a little more and perhaps try something new in the coming days.  Im following the plan to a T, I just have to stick to it and finish it out.  I still have a goal to make it into the mid-140s by the end of the month.  Heres the link to Haylies blog post about stuck metabolism:

http://www.fastmetabolismdiet.com/slowwww-metabolism-stuck-mix-it-up/

I guess both my husband and I had some cravings yesterday - and maybe it wasnt so much as a craving but more as thoughts of what I plan to eat on cheat day - Day 29!  Yes, I do plan to have a cheat day when we are done, but then the plan is to have home cooked meals as much as possible and have those cheat meals only every once in a while.

Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 154.8 lbs
Anthony: 248.4 lbs

Menu:
Breakfast @ 6:45 am:
Turkey bacon and celery

Snack @ 9:15am:
Beef jerky and cucumber

Lunch @ 1:30pm:
Filet mignon and cucumber

Snack @ 3:45pm:
Beef jerky and cucumber

Dinner @ 7:15pm:
Grilled Chicken and broccoli

Workout:
P90X Legs and Back

Notes on Food:
We put the brocolli in a grill pan and grilled it along with the chicken for dinner.  I bought a salt-free seasoning called Smoke at Trader Joes. Its pretty tasty, though the husband thinks its a bit bland.  I put some sea salt on as well, which makes everything better!

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To celebrate getting back into the habit of blogging after a whirlwind month that included moving, I am giving you a salad that is both super simple and very delicious. I dare you to not love this salad. Its a healthful easy to make salad for the lettuce phobic or just someone tired of the same old romaine routine. Technically it doesnt even need a recipe just a combination of six ingredients you probably have in your kitchen on a regular basis.

Aside from the amazing minimalism of it this is a beautiful salad. The contrast between the blueberries and carrot in color is reveled only by the juxtaposition of the crunchy and then sweet soft berries. It was outstanding with a lean steak and a microbrewed local beer. This was the perfect meal to christen my kitchen with and I fully plan on preparing many more of the salads from this article in the New York Times. My life needs more simple, light, no fuss dishes and the dwindling days of summer seems like the right time to work my way through 101 salads.

Blueberry and Carrot Salad

2 carrots, ribboned or grated
1 handful fresh blue berries
1/2 handful sunflower seeds
equal parts olive oil and lemon juice
lots of black pepper

Grate or ribbon carrots into a bowl. Toss on blueberries and sunflower seeds.

Whisk oil, lemon juice and pepper together. Pour over carrot mixture. Toss to coat.

From a recipe suggestion by Mark Bittman in the New York Times The Minimalist column.

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Snack time: 12:30pm (consumed)
Phase 1: Precut Watermelons from Whole Foods (1 cup)
Cost: $4.79 + tax

It was sweet and tasty =) By this point my tummy was already grumbling a bit.

Water intake thus far:
8oz of 70oz

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Yesterday was our first day on The Fast Metabolism Diet.  Although I wasnt feeling the best all day (my stomach hurt from the moment I woke up and I got a headache around 4pm), I still ate all of the food on the meal plan and did my cardio for the day. 

Menu:
Breakfast @ 6:30am:
Strawberry French Toast

Snack @ 9:30am:
Pineapples and Strawberries

Lunch @ 12:45pm:
Open-faced Turkey Sandwich
Strawberries

Snack @ 3:45pm:
Apple

Dinner @ 7:15pm:
Chicken and Broccoli Rice Bowl

Workout:
Insanity Max Cardio Conditioning DVD

Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 163.2 lbs
Tone: 261 lbs

Overall, I felt like I ate a LOT on Monday.  Eating every 3-4 hours is an adjustment for me - Im used to eating 2-3 times a day and I definitely do not eat this much fruit in a day.  So far, yesterday was a good start to the diet.  I cant wait to see how the rest of the week turns out.

Quick note on the foods:
Strawberry French Toast was made with Sprouted Grain bread - a very nutty/wholesome taste.  It was different and not my favorite dish, but I ate it!
Open-faced Turkey Sandwich - again, sprouted grain bread, so not my favorite and I was glad there was only one slice of the bread!
Chicken and Broccoli Rice Bowl - this turned out pretty good and the kids had some too.  They kept asking "what smells so good?!" while it was cooking.  I made a double batch for lunch leftovers and since Tuesday night is dance night and Im busy with running my daughter back and forth from the studio, we decided well have it for dinner Tuesday night as well.

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Today feels surreal - I cant believe we made it a week!  I feel more prepared for the upcoming week, or I guess, I feel like I know what to expect.  Today was a prep day.  I went shopping for the things weve come to like and hopefully did a better job at getting enough veggies - although I did stock up on lots of frozen veggies to make it easier.

Weigh in today was great and surprising for me, considering we ate out twice yesterday.  My husband was not too thrilled, he only lost 0.2 lbs.  We plan to assess his portions a little better this week to ensure hes having the right amount.  He was extremely hungry in the first few days last week, so we upped the protein, but I think he needs to increase the veggies instead. 

Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 155.2 lbs
Anthony: 252.0 lbs

Menu:
Breakfast @ 8am:
Scrambled egg and peppers, Oatmeal with blueberries

Snack @ 11:30am:
Scrambled egg and peppers

Lunch @ 3:00pm:
Subway salad with chicken breast

Dinner @ 7:15pm:
Grilled chicken, frozen veggie mix and quinoa

Workout:
P90X Yoga DVD (just 30 mins)

Notes on Food:
We woke up later than normal (8am), so our day was a little off with timing of food. We opted to take out the second snack and only ate 4 meals. We tried out subways salad for lunch. It was pretty good and the Italian dressing was oil based!

Preparation:
I didnt really plan out this day too well, we pretty much winged it, but it turned out pretty well. I made sure that I prepared lunch for Monday and Tuesday. Back to complex carbs and fruit!

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EEK!  Both the hubby and I went UP on the scale - UGH!  I went up 0.4 and he went up 0.2 - so not by much but ever so irritating.  Part of me wishes I didnt look at the scale daily but part of me loves it.  On the FMD community board, there are others who have the same experiences - slow weight loss after the first week, up and downs on a daily basis, and some who have stopped looking at the scale daily and opted for once a week weigh-ins instead.  I may have to go for the later as well!

I felt hungry all morning - not sure why.  I probably should have brought some veggies with since those are unlimited - oh well.  But by the afternoon, I felt fine and actually didnt really feel that hungry for dinner.  Weird.

Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 153.6 lbs
Anthony: 245.4 lbs

Menu:
Breakfast @ 6:45am:
Steel cut oats with blueberries

Snack @ 9:30am:
Strawberries

Lunch @ 12:45pm:
Chicken sausage fuisili and an orange

Snack @ 4:30pm:
Apple

Dinner @ 7:15pm:
Chicken sausage fuisili - brown rice fuisili pasta, chicken sausage, baby zucchini, onion and broccoli

Workout:
Insanity Max Cardio Circuit

Notes on Food:
I "made" the kids try the chicken sausage fuisili tonight and they liked it.  Everyone is coming around to this new way of eating - love it!

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I was very interested in seeing the number on the scale this morning - I know, I know, its only been 1 day!  But, with all the food I ate yesterday and how full I felt, I thought FOR SURE I would be at the same weight or have gained a pound.  But magically, Im down 2 lbs and my husband is down 4 lbs!  Again, I know its just been a day, but checking the scale every morning is helping to motivate me to keep going and a daily reminder that I can do this!

Some key items that I also want to mention are the water intake and energy levels.  I am particularly interested in having increased energy on this diet plan.  I feel that for many years, I am always tired and often take naps on the weekend or in the evening.  Im hoping that with the clean eating, I will see some improvements.

Water: You must drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces. Not as big of a deal for me since its only 80 oz, but the hubby is adjusting to drinking 130 oz of water a day.

Energy: Im not seeing a drastic improvement in my energy yet.  I can say that I didnt yawn a million times on the way into work today but I dont feel like I can jump up and go run a 1/2 marathon.  I plan to monitor this throughout the 28 days and will keep you posted.

Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 161.0 lbs
Tone: 257.0 lbs

Menu:
Breakfast @ 7am:
Oatmeal with blueberries

Snack @ 10:30am:
Apple

Lunch @ 1:30pm:
Chicken and Broccoli Rice Bowl - leftovers
Pineapple

Snack @ 3:45pm:
Apple

Dinner @ 7:15pm:
Chicken and Broccoli Rice Bowl - leftovers

Notes on Food:
Oatmeal with blueberries - It was actually pretty good and I sprinkled some Stevia on it as well. I normally eat oatmeal with a TON of brown sugar and raisins, so this is a big change, but one that I can easily adapt to.
All other foods were either leftovers or fruit, so nothing else to add. I still felt full throughout the day, which makes it difficult to eat the snacks.

Preparation:
Im definitely a newbie on buying vegetables and planning accordingly for the menu items.  I realized at 7:30pm that I needed to make soup for tomorrows lunch and that I didnt have enough veggies for it.  So, I ran to the store and started the soup around 9:30pm (after dance).  Not the best planning in the world since the soup needed to simmer for an hour than cool down to de-bone the chicken.  After I turned off the stove, I went to bed and woke up a couple of hours later (1:30am) to de-bone the chicken and got everything ready for lunches.  If this soup is any good, Ill be sure to plan my Tuesday nights a little better! 

Workout:
None (only because of the crazy Tuesday dance schedule)

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Today I woke up 20 min before the alarm, which is annoying to say the least.  Im not sure if its this "increased energy" I should be seeing soon or what, but I like to SLEEP! 

Another bummer for the morning was the scale - no change from yesterday! I obviously start thinking of the whys and what did I do wrong? But I then go back to the chapter in the book about week 2 - my body is a different body going into this week than last and its going to react differently. And, I cant stress about it because that will trigger negative reaction with the hormones in my body which causes more harm. So, Im going to relax and let it be what it is!  Plus, I know that I wont lose another 8 lbs this week - but I am hoping for at least 3, maybe 4.  Well see how the week plays out. 

I feel good today, I got to work earlier since I got up early, its beautiful out and Im nourished with healthy, clean foods that I prepared. Which reminds me, our dishwasher runs DAILY now! Its kind of insane how many dishes are used to make homemade meals, but well worth it. 

Tonight was busy with dance and t-ball but once we got home, I started the pot for soup and went to work out while it simmered.  Since it had been a few  hours since I last ate, I had some pineapple right before exercising - "Dont fast before going fast!" (Haylie quote from the book)  I kind of felt like Super Mom with all the things I accomplished this evening!

Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 154.8 lbs
Anthony: 149.6 lbs

Menu:
Breakfast @ 6:15am:
Oatmeal with blueberries

Snack @ 9:15am:
Pineapple

Lunch @ 12:15pm:
Chicken Sausage Fusilli and strawberries

Snack @ 3:15pm:
Apple

Dinner @ 6:00pm:
Broccoli and Chicken Rice bowl

Snack @ 9:00pm:Pineapple

Workout:
45 minute jog on the treadmill

Notes on Food:
I could of had that Chicken Sausage Fusilli for every meal today - it is so good!  Sorry, no pic - I ate it too fast!  LOL - next week.

Heres a pic of the Broccoli and Chicken rice bowl - still a favorite and the kids like it too!

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Im really blessed to know a lot of great people who love wine almost as much as I do. I few of them even love wine more than I could ever hope to and put me to shame with their knowledge. Once a month for a little over a year now weve been getting together to taste wine and get Wasted. Well we do tend to get tipsy but thats also the name of the group. Its all Lindsays fault she started it.

This month the fella and I hosted a Sauvignon Blanc tasting, the perfect wine to ring in summer in our backyard. Unfortunately the weather didnt cooperate and we ended up packed into our tiny living room enjoying ourselves immensely until the rain ended. We tried some good and no so good stuff. Ill leave it up to Lindsay to do the hard core reviewing and Ill stick to taking ridiculous pictures of the wine and posting a recipe for the lentil salad that had everyone making yummy noises.

The 2008 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand was the winner of the tasting as far as I was concerned. It was light with just the right amount of citrus and sweetness. At about $22 it is well worth investing in especially if you dont think you like Sauv Blancs this one will prove the varietal has redeeming qualities.

There is this weird thing with Sauv Blancs where in the $15 or under range buying them is a bit of a crap shoot. There are a few good ones like the Riesling-esque $9 a bottle Quarry Hills Sauv Blanc that just came in to the wine store and we cant keep on the shelves for all the people buying it by the case. Aside from getting lucky and finding the rare keeper a lot of them make you wonder if youve accidentally poured yourself a glass of lawn clippings or cat urine (sorry for that image.) And four of our wines that day definitely fit in the overly green and grassy category.

I chose the 2008 Vicars Choice Sauvignon Blanc once again from the Marlborough region of New Zealand and the 2008 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc from the same region. Both grass monsters. The Vicars Choice Reserve Sauv Blanc is actually complex and has a slightly sweet grapefruit kick, I should have spent the extra couple of bucks and got that. The Kim Crawford was just disappointing, its been so good in past years and tasted like the lawn this time around.

The 2008 Starborough Sauv Blanc from the Marlborough region was the best of the grassy wines since it wasnt over poweringly green but still not something I would buy. The 2008 Beau Joubert Oak Lake Chenin Blanc/Sauvignon Blanc blend from Stellenbosch South Africa was interesting but also packed too much green-ness to really fall in love with. I was just glad to have a South African wine that had none of the artificial banana flavor that so many of the whites in that area seem to be ruined by.

In the midst of the young Sauv Blancs that were making us all feel like we were chewing on field of clovers there were a couple really nice bottles that shook things up and surprised us all. The 2008 Boogle Vineyards Sauv Blanc from Clarksburg California was a delight. It was a bit sweet and light, something I would find and buy. The 2007 Luna Vineyards Freakout White Blend from Napa Valley was just a good departure from all the New Zealand wines and gave us a chance to rest our palates on something super easy to drink.

And then sadly there were the two wines that just didnt quite work out in the scheme of things. Im almost positive the bottle of 2006 Ceago Sauv Blanc from Clear Lake California was a bad bottle. Supposedly it doesnt happen much in screw tops but Ive heard really good things from customers and my wine genius boss about this wine. I refuse to believe all these people are drinking vinegar and enjoying it so I will give this one another try and get back to you.

The 2007 Domaine Sauvete Sauvignon de Touraine Oneiros from the Loire Valley might just have been too different from everything else to be enjoyable. We probably should have drank it first with clear palates because it was very French and very typical of the traditional Sauv Blanc with a heavy cat pee nose. It wasnt my favorite but I can see someone who enjoys French whites really getting into it.

Blah, blah, blah. Wine, wine, wine. I know you all just came for the lentil salad so here it goes.

Nigella is amazing and I want to cook everything from her book Forever Summer and am very happy I started out with this lentil and goat cheese divinity. Its simple and oh so delicious. Just make sure to use the Puy lentils as they have the structure to hold up to this salad. My other advise is to use the oil from sun dried tomatoes for the olive oil in the recipe, it added an extra layer of yummy go the recipe and it made sure that oil didnt go to waste which I always feel guilty about. Now I will always know what to do with it.

The hard part is resisting the urge to eat all the marinated goat cheese before you serve this. Not that it would be too much of an issue considering this recipe makes enough to serve a hungry houseful of winos and have enough left over for three people to eat for lunch. It is the gift that keeps giving.

As you can see the fella was a big fan. Or maybe it was just the wine. Who knows.

Puy Lentil and Goat Cheese Salad

1 10-ounce log goats cheese
1 lemon, zested and juiced
4 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon dried mint (I omitted this)

3 cups Puy lentils
1 onion, quartered
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon chili oil

4 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces jarred sweet peppers in oil
bunch fresh mint, chopped (also omitted this)

Crumble the goats cheese and marinate in half the juice and zest of the lemon, 4 tablespoons olive oil (I used excess oil from a jar of sun dried tomato) and dried mint. Seal in a container and reserve until just before serving.

Put lentils in a large saucepan of water and add onion, garlic cloves and chili oil. Cook for about 25 minutes or until tender then drain. Keep an eye on the lentils so they dont get too soft and dont think of substituting the Puys for another lentil with less character and structural integrity.

Pour 4 tablespoons of olive oil over the warm lentils in a large serving bowl. Season with salt and pepper, then add the remaining half of the lemon juice and zest. Drain the sweet peppers, chop them coarsely and mix them into the lentils. Mix with your hands or very carefully with a wooden spoon making sure not the crush and mangle the lentils.

When the lentils have reached room temperature add the marinated goats cheese and sprinkle over them with the fresh chopped mint and serve immediately.

Original recipe from Nigella Lawsons Forever Summer cookbook.

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One of the hazards of living under the same roof with me is you never know just what youre going to come home to. 

There is a good chance of coming home to me napping on the dog and just as fair a chance I will come running at the fella to insist he taste whatever thing it is that Im cooking.  But every once in a while just to remind him that he lives with a crazy person he will come home to me doing something absolutely nutty with food. 

On this particular evening he came home to me yelling from the kitchen “Hey honey come in here and take a picture of this, its awesome.”  He knows enough to enter rooms with a certain amount of trepidation when Im talking to the food so who knows what he thought he was getting into.  Its been a while since I shaved celery so he probably thought he was safe.

“Doesnt this look like a bowl of guts?  And its purple!”  I said with glee in my voice while thrusting at him  this giant bowl of shredded beets that did indeed look rather grotesque and bloody.  The fella took some pictures while keeping a safe distance from my mess, all the while giving me the face reserved for moments when you wonder what youve gotten yourself into and how soon you get get out of them.

The fun of making this meal however doesnt end there, the best thing about these shredded beets is they were about to get even more interesting.  Did you know that when you add tahini, yogurt and lemon juice to beets not only do you get an amazing salad but the beets turn the most unbelievable shade of magenta?  And there are few things I love more than eating purple things so you can only imagine how many times Ive submitting the men in my life to this beet creation since I discovered it.  I mean what is not to love?  It is easy, very tasty and almost painfully good for you.  Thank you once Mark Bittman, master of the exciting salad!

If you dont enjoy being purple as much as I do borrow a child or a food processor attachment that will do the dirty work of beet shredding for you.  But believe me when I say this salad is worth the mess.  And it goes particularly well with some chicken thighs or bone in chicken pieces dredged in zatar seasoning and put in the oven until cooked through.  A dash of salt and pepper on the chicken and you have a richly flavored bit of chicken that took no effort.  This is my new favorite meal, I never imagined falling in love with beets like this.

What kind of wine possibly pairs with this crazy meal?  Um, who cares I was in the mood for Torrontes the Norto being a delicious but subtle tangy tropical fruit bomb with just enough bit to make it interesting but such well balanced fruit its a little to easy to drink.  And at about $10 it is a great value.  Ill save the pricey but amazing Michel Torinos Don David also known as the best Torrontes for a special occasion and gladly stick to the Norto for a weekday dinner.

These three things came together better than I could have hoped and made for a small Middle Eastern tinged food vacation.  Just what I could use in the middle of a winter that seems like it will never end. 

So dont give up on beets until you give a try to this salad or Lindsays orzo dish up over on Forkful of News.  They are both so tasty you will forget you are eating vegetables.  And while youre over there check out my article about Argan oil, a crazy little known oil that just might change the way you cook.  Its worth clicking on especially if youre having a bad day, if only to look at the pictures of tree climbing goats.

Best Ever Beet Salad

3 large beets, peeled

1/2 cup yogurt

1/2 cup tahini

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon zatar seasoning

Grate the beets by hand or with a food processor and then place in a large mixing bowl.

Whisk together the yogurt and tahini in a separate small bowl.  When well combined add lemon juice and zatar seasoning and stir well.  Toss the yogurt mixture into the grated beets.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper is desired.

From Mark Bittmans 101 Salads article in the New York Times.

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If you have got ever watched any of these health connected TV shows like ‘Dr. Oz’ or ‘The Doctors’, youd get the impression that it’s very troublesome to reduce quick. They’ll tell you that it will take month once month to shed the pounds, and typically even years. however I’m here these days to inform you that thats easy not true.

My name is Brian and that i am the creator of the three Week Diet. I even have spent years researching and dealing with nutritionists and dieticians to develop a diet system thats therefore advanced and effective that its able to assist you lose one avoirdupois unit of pure body fat each single day. Over the course of three weeks on the diet, youll lose over twenty pounds of fat off your belly, butt, hips, and thighs and accomplish the body of your dreams with very little to no exercise concerned. however however is that this possible?

As youd apprehend, the anatomy is extremely variable. If you chop your finger, the body would heal itself in a very matter of days – create new cells as presently because the amendment is detected. Well, if you create a giant enough amendment to your diet, the body will adapt quickly too by burning fat in your body at a speedy speed. however what you would like to try and do to kick starter this change? Is it exercise? Cutting bound foods out of your diet? Drinking a special tea? consumption bound berries? No, its none of these things. In fact, its far more easy than you’d assume.

You see, the human metabolism is sort of a chamber for your body. It burns up each supply of fuel within your body – from food you have got eaten up, to fat that has been keep. But, one issue you have got to understand regarding the metabolism is that itll burn what was last eaten up initial, before it starts burning the fat on your body. As a result, by the top of the day, regardless of what you have got eaten up, your body won’t have had time to start out burning the fat from around your body. however what if youll amendment this? What if youll create it therefore your metabolism truly prefers to burn the fat in your body initial, then burns the food you have got eaten?

Think about a fire. What would happen if you poured a gallon of fuel onto the fire? it might go up in flames and burn k times more! Well, fat could be a fuel supply similar to fuel. If your metabolism gets that fat from your body and starts burning it, it makes the metabolism even stronger and a lot of powerful, therefore it continues to burn even a lot of fat within the method. You see, its sort of a cyclic result. The a lot of fat your metabolism burns, the a lot of fuel itll have to be compelled to burn, and successively itll burn even a lot of fat! therefore what does one do to urge this started?

To make the switch so your metabolism starts burning body fat initial, you would like to incorporate some terribly specific foods into your diet. This doesn’t mean you have got to limit yourself to consumption bound kinds of foods like ‘low carb’ or ‘high protein’, however it simply suggests that you would like to feature some secret foods to your current diet. These foods ar quite unknown, however they contain metabolism-shifting properties that initiate the fat burning method. youll get of these foods at your native market and that they won’t price you from now on than a candy. Plus, they don’t style dangerous either!

I have created a listing and arrange of of these foods on my web site at the three Week Diet. I justify however every of them works, and the way a lot of fat theyre able to soften. confine mind, this is often all based mostly off years of research project and theres medical knowledge to back this up. So, if youre trying to reduce quick, the three Week Diet is that the best thanks to do therefore. No alternative diet permits you to lose this a lot of fat as quickly, and allows you to keep it off permanently.

Check out the three Week Diet these days and begin losing weight!

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Day 12 - L is for... Leaves

Day 13 - M is for... Praying "Mantis"

Day 14 - N is for... Nap

Day 15 - O is for... Orange Juice

Day 16 - P is for... Pizza

Day 17 - Q is for... Quilt

Day 18 - R is for... Regal Remington

I am extremely far behind on my photo a day posts. YIKES! I keep thinking I will get caught up, but Im still struggling. These pictures should have been posted the week before... sorry for my tardiness :)

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Well, we do it to ourselves - we went the movies AGAIN!  This time, however, I didnt have as big of an urge as the last 2 times to have popcorn.  Im more concerned about next weekend - there are 2 or 3 movies we want to see over memorial weekend.  Im hoping we can just go watch them all on Monday! 

Its getting hard with the weather getting nicer and the kids wanting to go out for ice cream or fro-yo.  Im excited to bring them there, but while we cant have dairy right now, its tough. My daughter (who is a very picky eater) is asking more questions about the diet, which has opened up a nice opportunity to educate her on healthy foods and what it means to make our bodies healthy - not just skinny.  I explained how we all need to eat fruits and veggies and to eat grass-fed organic meats and dairy.  Shes starting to understand and I believe as we continue to bring more diverse foods into the house, she will learn to love eating healthy as well.

Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 152.4 lbs
Anthony: 244.6 lbs

Menu:
Breakfast @ 6am:
Oatmeal with blueberries, egg with peppers

Snack @ 9:30am:
Cauliflower and raw sunflower seeds

Lunch @ 1:30pm:
Filet mignon and vegetable medley

Snack @ 4:30pm:
Nitrate free chicken deli meat and carrots

Dinner @ 7:30pm:
Avocado quesadilla

Workout:
None

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Diet, after exercise, is the next major trick to lose belly fat. It is important to review what you eat, how much you eat and how you eat it. The reason is because the right nutrition fulfills the bodys energy requirements without adding any new fatty deposits. Here are 6 major tips to lose belly fat by cleaning out your diet and reforming your diet patterns.

 1. Maintain a Food Journal:
A food journal helps you adopt a disciplined approach to eating. It gives you what you eat and drink at a glance thereby allowing you to review it periodically. This food journal need not be very detailed. It should however list everything you eat and drink during the course of the day. It will also help you count calories effectively.

2. Read Ingredient Labels:
I always recommend eating fresh and home-cooked meals. However, there are a few food items that you might need to purchase readymade. In such cases, it is best to read the nutrient and ingredient labels printed on the packet or container. It will give you the exact amount of protein, fiber, carbohydrates, fats, sugar and sodium included in the food items and thus helps you make healthy food choices. When trying to lose belly fat, you should aim for the highest amount of proteins.

3. Opt for home-cooked meals:
Majority of the food on your platter should consist of fresh fruits and vegetables. Instead of visiting the section with the frozen and packaged foods, make a trip to the section that has the fresh produce on exhibit. Fresh fruits and vegetables contain nutrients and vitamins in their unprocessed forms.
Try to rearrange your schedule so that you get time to prepare your meals. This way you know what goes into your foods and you have a better control on your calorie intake. If you must buy canned foods, opt for the frozen foods.

4. Measure your food portions:
Eating the right portion sizes help trim belly fat by making sure you do not overeat. The first way to do so is by using a smaller plate for your meal. Besides this, you can use measuring cups, spoons and countertop food scales to measure solid and fluid food items.

5. Oils, condiments and seasoning:
Often people eat salads to trim their waistline. However, it doesnt help much. The reason is because even though the fruits and vegetables tossed into the salad are nutritious and low-calorie, the condiments, seasonings and dressings are what add additional calories. For your sandwiches and burgers, you can mustard or low-fat mayonnaise. Try to reduce the amount of sauce you eat as the sauce varieties available in the market and high in sodium and sugar. Olive oil, canola oil and sunflower oil are healthy varieties as far as their fat content is concerned.

6. Drink plenty of water:
Dehydration is a major cause of belly fat. This is because lack of water decelerates the metabolic rate. It also causes unnecessary bloating creating a bulgy appearance. You should always carry a bottle of water with you. It might be hard to down 8-10 glasses of water in a day if you are not particularly fond of it. You can start with less and add an additional glass every day.

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Day 5 means a new phase for the next 3 days!  We get to introduce healthy fats and bring back in some grains and fruit - yeah oatmeal and blueberries!  And carrots that I can dip into hummus.  I truly cant believe Im actually excited to eat oatmeal!

Big challenge for the day was going to the movie theater!  Ugh the popcorn smell was amazing!  But I had my water and veggies, I stayed focused and made it through successfully! 

My husband is having a harder time with cravings than me, especially as the weekend approaches. We are used to going out, eating popcorn, chips, cookies, ice cream and cheeseburgers all weekend. But at this point, I think weve done so well this week that Im not interested in cheating - nor do I feel its an option. I want to get my metabolism up so I dont have to continue to struggle with my weight. We are 5 days down - only 23 more to go! Its really not that long, so MIND OVER MATTER!

Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 157.6 lbs
Anthony: 253.6 lbs

Menu:
Breakfast @ 7am:
Scrambled egg, oatmeal with blueberries, celery

Snack @ 10:00am:
Carrots and hummus

Lunch @ 1:00pm:
Leftover steak, cauliflower and a pear

Snack @ 3:45pm:
Celery and almond butter

Dinner @ 7:00pm:
Steak, zucchini and quinoa


Workout:
None

Notes on Food:
Quinoa - this was new for the hubby and something Ive had before but had never made it myself. I used chicken broth instead of water and I think it turned out really good. Next time, I think Ill add some veggies into it instead of on the side.

Preparation:
Again, Im still getting the hang of this diet as it switches gears a little bit. Although fruit and grains are added back in, there are some limitations - no apples in phase 3 :-(! Im making minor adjustments and had a pear for lunch instead.  Tomorrow is the big dance day, so Ill be spending some time packing and prepping tonight or in the morning to ensure we have all the snacks we need to make it through the day successfully.

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Oh, Phase 3 - YES!  I bought an avocado hummus from Trader Joes to dip the veggies in - yum!  Ive never really been into avocados but this was good, and far better than plain veggies. 
Its still really tough getting used to staying in on a Friday night or over the weekend. Weve not ever been to a "healthy" sit down restaurant and feel too tempted if we try to go to one of our favs and just get a salad - nor do we feel its worth it. We can make the food at home for cheaper and know whats going into it. But its still hard to get used to!
Its been a very frustrating week for me with the lack of weight loss. Im trying to keep my "head in the game" and remember the overall goal of repairing my metabolism.  It has just been very tough when Im eating and exercising per the plan but the scale is not moving. The cravings have increased today big time! But Im staying committed and seeing it to the end of the 28 days. 

Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 154.8 lbs
Anthony: 247.4 lbs

Menu:
Breakfast @ 6:45am:
Oatmeal and blueberries, scrambled egg with peppers

Snack @ 9:45am:
Carrots and avocado hummus

Lunch @ 12:45pm:
Subway salad with spinach, tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers and italian dressing; grapefruit.

Snack @ 3:45pm:
Carrots and Cucumber with avocado hummus

Dinner @ 7:00pm:
Avocado quesadilla - YUM!

Workout:
None

Notes on Food:
Tonight we made a new recipe from the book - avocado quesadilla - we added in chicken just because it sounded better and it turned out great. My friend Tana has posted about the Mississippi Market (co-op) in St Paul on FB, so I decided to check it out and was able to get the tortillas and mayo I was looking for earlier this week - thanks Tana for indirectly introducing me to a great store! 
We used a sprouted grain tortilla that was baked with grapeseed oil and several herbs. Then made a mixture of avocado, lime and safflower mayo. We topped it off with some grilled chicken slices, tomatoes and onions. It was so good! I would definitely make this again, and when the 28 days are over Ill try it with a brown rice tortilla - sprouted grain is ok but the texture is pretty tough. 

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Today is the beginning of week 2 - OMG we made it a week!  In my last post about the Week 1 recap - I lost 8.4 lbs and the hubby lost 10.8 lbs in one week!  AMAZING RESULTS!  Im so proud of us!  We stuck together and didnt let the temptations get to us.  We had our moments but we leaned on each other to get us through and now we feel good.  I feel great - Im back into my size 8 pants, my ring is starting to fall off again and overall I feel a sense of achievement.  My energy is about the same, perhaps a little better but its Monday and Im probably still recovering from an exhausting weekend. 

Im looking forward to trying a couple of new recipes this week, of which one of them I did tonight and it was delicious!  I feel more relaxed going into this week since I know what to do from a planning perspective.  Im also interested in what the scale will bring but I know that I cant possibly lose another 8 lbs in a week, so Im hoping for at least 3 to 4lbs.  We shall see! 

Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 154.8 lbs
Anthony: 250.2 lbs

Menu:
Breakfast @ 6:45am:
Oatmeal with blueberries

Snack @ 9:45am:
Apple

Lunch @ 12:45pm:
Broccoli and Chicken Rice bowl

Snack @ 3:45pm:
Apple

Dinner @ 6:30pm:
Chicken Sausage Fusilli

Workout:
Insanity Max Interval Circuit

Notes on Food:
Broccoli and Chicken rice bowl is a favorite of ours from last week.  Its actually pretty simple, it just takes about 30 min to cook - just enough time to do some dishes and laundry!  There is some prep work in chopping veggies but its worth it.
Chicken Sausage Fusilli - this was awesome!  Ive never had chicken sausage and was skeptical of the recipe when I first read it, but we tried it and it turned out great.  Im so glad we have enough for leftovers for tomorrow.  Big plus - we got to have PASTA (we were both very surprised).  It was a brown rice pasta that I found at Kowalskis (No Wheat on this diet!).  The pasta was actually pretty light in texture and taste really good.  YUMMM!  This is definitely a recipe I will make forever!  It can easily be doubled to make for a gathering or to have more leftovers.  New favorite recipe!

Preparation:
I made lunch ahead for today and tomorrow - which is new for me.  Ive never made a meal for future days, that I hadnt ate for dinner that night.  So cooking at 9pm last night for todays lunch was so different, yet felt good to get it done on a Sunday night.  I may think about prepping more meals for the week on Sundays, but I get nervous that it wont taste right or that itll dry out from the fridge.  Anyway, something to consider for next week. 

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