Monday Meal Planning

Happy Monday, friends! I hope you're all well-recovered from your weekends and resting comfortably in your office chairs. Hey, we can all dream. Realistically, I just hope you haven't fallen asleep or bashed the coffee pot over your co-worker's head yet. Oh, Monday.

I am recovering from a weekend of bachelorette fun with my family and girlfriends - it's safe to say that we celebrated in style, but I'll save you the details. The short story is that we started a conga line around a tiki bar and made out-of-this-world blueberry pomegranate margaritas. That's all you really need to know.

But since it's Monday and weekends away can't last forever, I figured what better way to get myself back on track than to give you my weekly rundown? I had to make this week's grocery list after I got home yesterday afternoon, and after a weekend of carb-indulgence, I wasn't ready to go back to my low-carb reality. Some of you found last week's post on meal planning helpful, and since I managed to sneak out of the grocery store again having only spent $62, I figured I'd share this week's menu. I will admit, this week is a little light since Rob won't be around next weekend, but we still bought enough for five meals at home. In addition, one of this week's meals is a semi-leftover from last week. We ended up not eating our spicy sausage pasta and Rob used half the ingredients for other things (I call this "man cooking," when he "creates" new things while I'm away). Instead, we went out to dinner with friends (see, this is why meal planning every night of the week is always a huge fail). Even though I had to pick up more of those ingredients he ate, it did help to have some of the stuff at home already.

Sunday

Dinner: Chili cheese dogs with macaroni and cheese (I told you I wasn't ready to go back to healthy yet)

Monday

Lunch: leftover hot dog, small salad from grocery store salad bar

Dinner: Garlic & herb chicken, corn on the cob, roasted asparagus

Tuesday

Lunch: leftover chicken and corn/asparagus

Dinner: BLT wraps with avocado, roasted zucchini and yellow squash

Wednesday

Lunch: leftover BLT's - I usually make it a BLT "salad"

Dinner: Breakfast for dinner (eggs, hash browns, rest of bacon from BLT night)

Thursday

Lunch: TBD (if I'm bacon'd out, which is almost impossible, I'll grab a salad from the salad bar)

Dinner: Emily Bites spicy sausage pasta (re-do from last week)

Friday

Lunch: TBD

Dinner: leftover spicy sausage pasta

This week's breakfasts: Southwestern scramble in a mug, oatmeal

This means that this week's grocery list looks as follows:

Produce:

1 package sweet corn

1 bundle asparagus

1 melon (fruit for the week)

1 avocado

1 tomato

1 iceberg lettuce head

2 zucchini

1 yellow squash

Dairy:

1 small block pepperjack cheese

1 1/2 dozen package eggs

1 small block sharp cheddar (for chili cheese dogs, duh)

2 containers Southwestern Egg Beaters

1 package Laughing Cow Queso Cheese

1 package fresh shredded hashbrowns

Meat:

1 package chicken tenders

1 package hot dogs

1 package chipotle chicken sausage

1 pound bacon

Aisles:

1 can Rotel

1 package Applegate chicken sausages

1 box macaroni and cheese (don't judge me)

hot dog buns

Misc:

1 bowl of chili for chili dog night from the hot bar

Things I already had at home: Land O'Lakes Saute Express cubes, low sodium chicken broth, 1 box high fiber pasta, green onions, and high fiber wraps for BLT's. 

Since I wrote about my meal planning last week, I found myself paying more attention when I do my lists. Here are some things I'm noticing that I LOVE, and a few that I wish I did better. 

- Using one meat more than once during the week helps tremendously with my grocery bill. The one pound of bacon I bought this week will be used for at least two dinners, if not more during lunch. 

- I highly recommend going meatless one night to help save money. Rob refuses, but if I were on my own, I'd take advantage of at least one meatless opportunity to save some cash.

- This may be bad, but I visit the salad bar at the grocery store sometimes instead of buying salad stuff in bulk. I get salad'd out SUPER easily, and can't really predict when I'll want one and when I'll be totally over them. Sometimes, I buy bags of lettuce or fresh heads of romaine, only to have it go bad - and same with several of the goodies I like in my salad. Instead, I'll pass on all the stuff up front, but swing by Kroger when I want a salad at lunch. Mine have never cost me more than $3 (I get the small size), and honestly, the price works out about the same as if you were to buy all those salad goodies every week. 

- This week's purchase of hot dogs, buns and boxed macaroni and cheese made me harshly aware of how much cheaper it can be to eat processed foods sometimes. I'm a big believer that healthy eating can be inexpensive, but knowing that one package of hot dogs and one package of buns could theoretically give us dinners for an entire week makes it easy to understand how people can be swayed to make unhealthy choices more frequently. 

- Boxed macaroni and cheese, regardless of who makes it, is delicious. And disgusting. All at the same time.

- Take inventory of what you've got before you go shopping. Go through your fridge and your pantry before heading out - or, if you're me, make your fiance do it while you sit on the couch and "menu plan." Don't buy doubles, and if you've got some produce leftover from last week that you know won't last another full week, plan a recipe within the next couple of days to utilize it instead of throwing it out. 

I think I'll post weekly menus for you guys on Mondays. It helps hold me accountable for what I'm eating, and it forces me to plan well so I can share with you my plans without snipping a single coupon. 

Happy Monday, and happy eating, friends!

battling the grocery store - tips and hints to surviving shopping day.

There are really only two ways to approach grocery shopping - you either enjoy it, or you hate it. Most people I know loathe making their weekly shopping trips. From friends to family members, most of us say the same thing - we always end up spending a fortune. With rising food costs and the ever-increasing need to shop natural and organic foods, we often push our cart begrudgingly to the car, feeling like that God forsaken supermarket just sucked out our souls - and our savings accounts.

But it doesn't have to be that way. I'm no grocery shopping professional, and on weeks when Rob and I need shampoo, dog food or randoms like toothpaste and makeup remover, I walk out spending way more than usual. That being said, I've gotten much better. I live so dangerously close to a grocery store, I have to make an effort to plan ahead so I don't make daily trips - and sometimes I still find myself there 4 times a week. But I've had several people ask me how I grocery shop, meal plan and budget without clipping a single coupon, so I thought I'd share what I know about that habitual hour of shopping I do every weekend. Some of you may laugh, knowing you shop for well under what I spend a week - and if that's the case, I encourage you to share because I love saving money just as much as the next girl. Keep in mind that if you're already busting your butt to save at the grocery store, all of this will probably sound mundane and obvious to you. But if you're showing up at your local supermarket once a week with nothing but a shopping cart and a handful of ideas and wondering how you spent $125 when all is said and done, you may find this helpful. 

Here are the basics: I shop for two people, once a week. I budget between $75 - $100 per week for groceries. This includes breakfasts, lunches and dinners at home. If I spend less than $100, I usually take the rest out in cash and keep it aside for extras I forgot about and need to pick up through the week - and let's face it, you always forget something. 

Plan, plan, plan. I know meal planning sounds overrated and time consuming, but it is vital to saving money at the grocery store. I don't plan every single meal out, but I do plan dinners - not only does this keep me from veering off track with my eating and weight loss goals, it keeps me from buying random ingredients at the store and then never using them at home. 

All the cool kids make shopping lists. Once you have a plan for meals for the week, make a list. I break mine into four categories - produce, dairy, meat, aisles. Break down each meal by ingredient and list it where it belongs. Mine is broken out based on where things are in the store - I do a perimeter round first (as you should, because that's where all the fresh foods are), then hit up the aisles. Having everything broken down by area leaves no questions for me - and no thinking. And no thinking means fewer opportunities to look at those ice cream bars or something with brand spankin' new packaging and think ooooh, shiny - I could make something with that this week, right? Wrong. Stick to your list. Do not make eye contact with other things. 

Be realistic. When I first started meal planning, I'd plan for every night of the week. It sounded super ambitious - 7 days of home cooked meals? I must be the most disciplined 20-something on the planet! But realistically, I would always have food that went bad or didn't get used. Rob and I eat out, on average, about twice a week - and usually on weekends. Planning meals full of fresh ingredients that could go bad is a great goal, but not realistic for us. Once I gave up trying to be perfect and settled at planning a solid 4 meals a week, with at least one leftovers potential, I stopped throwing as much spoiled food out at the end of the week. 

Less is...well, less. I learned this the hard way, and still find myself learning. I buy lots of produce - we eat tons of fresh fruit and vegetables, but I often over estimate our needs. I'll buy three zucchinis, knowing I'm using them as a side one night, but we only ever end up using two - which means one always goes to waste. The same usually goes with tomatoes, avocados, and bags of fresh lettuce. It takes you some time to figure out what you typically use, but start paying attention. This also goes hand in hand with basing your weekly needs off your meal planning list. Also - I buy one or two fruits per week. If I buy grapes, strawberries, watermelon and bananas, half of it gets thrown out. I'll switch it up every week, but I buy 1-2 good fruits and we mix those up through the week. 

Reuse ingredients. Try to plan only 1, maybe 2, ingredient-heavy meals per week. Buying 5-6 ingredients for multiple  recipes gets pricey, and often times you don't need those ingredients afterwards, making it a total waste of money. Also - if you make any kind of meat in bulk, reuse the leftovers in different ways. I did this with buffalo chicken this week - do not even get me started on the hundreds of ways you can reuse shredded buffalo chicken. Tonight we made buffalo chicken rolls, and tomorrow the leftover chicken will go on top of a baked potato. 

Cut a side dish. The notion that we need to eat a meat, a starch and a vegetable is total horseshit, in my obviously unprofessional opinion. I eat pretty low carb, or at least focus my meals on whole, natural foods. We will make a good meat on the grill and a heaping pile of roasted vegetables or corn on the cob and be full. The starchy sides like rice, potatoes and pastas, albeit delicious, are often unnecessary. I'm all about fueling your body and I encourage you to do so in the best way possible, but not every single dinner needs to be a three course meal. 

Don't buy lunch food. This is really a personal preference. Since I only have to cook for two, we often have lots of leftovers, which makes for perfect lunches the next day. I stopped buying deli meats, sandwich stuff, soups and most snacks, and we typically eat last night's leftovers for lunch instead. Yeah, sometimes it gets repetitive and boring. But if we don't, we end up a) spending money on lunch food and b) throwing out our leftovers.

To put this into practice, here's what my grocery list looked like this week. Keep in mind that I'm going to be out of town this weekend, leaving Rob alone. I had to plan for meals that made leftovers for the weekend since, let's face it, he's probably not going to cook. I planned dinners out for the week, leaving enough for leftovers and purchasing the bare minimum for lunches, knowing in advance that Rob would have to eat out a few times this week due to his work schedule.

Sunday: (returned home from out of town) Garlic & herb chicken with corn on the cob
Monday: spaghetti squash with turkey meatballs and marinara
Tuesday: Crockpot buffalo chicken, made into buffalo chicken rolls, roasted zucchini/yellow squash
Wednesday: leftover buffalo chicken on baked potatoes, corn on the cob
Thursday: spicy sausage pasta from Emily Bites
Friday: leftover pasta from Thursday's dinner
Saturday: Rob on his own, Emily Bites pizza "logs" for lunch
Sunday: TBD - I have to send Rob to shop on his own this weekend. Lord help us all. 
Breakfasts: Southwestern scramble in a mug (Southwest Egg Beaters, Laughing Cow Queso cheese and Applegate chicken and maple sausage links)

Produce:

1 spaghetti squash

corn on the cob (pack of 5)

1 package broccoli slaw

2 baked potatoes

2 zucchini

1 yellow squash

1 bundle green onions

1 bag romaine lettuce, for lunch salads

Grapes

Bananas

Dairy

Land O'Lakes Saute Express - Garlic & Herb (this is the easiest "on hand" ingredient for last minute chicken recipes!)

1 block pepperjack cheese

Southwest Egg Beaters (usually 2/$5 at Kroger - I leave one at home for Rob, take one to work for me)

1 wheel Laughing Cow Queso cheese

Meat

Turkey meatballs

1 package chicken tenders

1 package chicken breasts

Johnsonville chipotle chicken sausages

Aisles

Marinara sauce

1 large bottle Frank's buffalo sauce

1 packet Hidden Valley ranch mix

Egg roll wrappers (to be used for buffalo chicken rolls, and EB pizza "logs")

1 box high fiber pasta

Applegate chicken & maple sausages

dish soap

Things we had at home that we needed for recipes this week: Rotel, blue cheese, pepperoni and reduced fat mozzarella string cheese for pizza logs, and low sodium chicken broth.

It's really not a perfect science - and sometimes I walk out of there spending a fortune after I feel like I've put adequate efforts into planning. Other times, I feel like I wing it and get away with only spending $50. I am a huge advocate for meal planning - both for health and weight loss reasons, and for budgetary purposes. You're less inclined to eat out when you know you've got chicken set out for that evening's recipe, and much less likely to eat out for lunch when you get to take yummy leftovers for lunch instead of a plain turkey sandwich.

Whatever you do, make a list. And if you're into couponing, I'd highly recommend it. I just have zero patience for hunting down coupons, printing them out or cutting them out of the papers.

And my number one tip for surviving the grocery store? Don't bring your husband. And make a Starbucks run beforehand - since drinking wine while grocery shopping is most likely frowned upon, nursing a giant iced coffee every time you're overwhelmed by soccer moms who let their kids run wild in the aisles will help push you through the hour.

Happy shopping, and happy Hump Day!

Cheesy Turkey and Zucchini Lasagna

Adapted from: Skinnytaste's Zucchini Lasagna
Servings: 9 (you'll get more depending on the pan size you use)

One of the hardest parts about going low carb for me has always been giving up pasta. Things like macaroni and cheese, a giant bowl of spaghetti and my absolute favorite - lasagna - were staples in my home growing up, and the idea of living without them hurts my hungry little heart. I've also been making a valid attempt at limiting my red meat consumption. Since I don't like fish, sometimes I feel like all I cook are chicken and beef. I decided to switch it up and try my hand at zucchini lasagna with ground turkey and oh-so-much cheese. If you love lots of cheese and are willing to give zucchini a shot in place of traditional lasagna noodles, you will most likely fall in love with this. Even my "meat and potatoes" fiancé ate two big servings of it.

I will tell you up front that I ignored the original recipe's advice of grilling the zucchini for a few minutes before assembling the lasagna to help soak up some excess moisture. I did my best to soak it up with a paper towel, but both Rob and I agreed we'll grill the zucchini next time.

1 pound lean ground turkey

1 Tbsp olive oil

Sausage seasoning

1 monster sized zucchini (or 4-5 smaller ones), sliced thin

*if you use smaller ones, I suggest slicing them lengthwise - I got big guys, so I cut them into rounds*

2 cloves garlic, crushed

22 ounces low fat ricotta

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 egg

1 tsp italian seasoning

116 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 cup marinara sauce (I used Ragu, because I am cheap)

1 1/2 cups part skin shredded mozzarella

I told you this guy was going to be cheesy.

Preheat oven to 350.

Drizzle 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a pan, and mix together your ground turkey and sausage seasoning. I buy the 99% fat free turkey and it tends to stick to the pan without some oil. Cook turkey until brown. If you love ground turkey on its own, you don't have to add the sausage seasoning, but I have a man in the house who could detect my "healthy" attempts from a mile away, and the seasoning was delicious.

Add 2 cloves of crushed garlic and your can of crushed tomatoes to your browned turkey, and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.

Slice your zucchini thin (about 1/8 inch thick) and throw those babies on the grill on low for about a minute on each side. This is the step I totally bypassed, but won't make that mistake again. Listen to Gina at Skinnytaste - girl knows what she's talking about. When they're done, soak up any excess moisture with a paper towel.

In a bowl, mix together the ricotta, 1 egg, parmesan cheese and italian seasoning.

As you prepare to assemble, divide your mixtures up based on the number of layers you want to do. I got 3 layers out of my ingredients, with the final layer being zucchini, marinara and a topping of mozzarella. In a casserole dish, layer marinara sauce, zucchini, turkey mixture, ricotta mixture and mozzarella cheese. Top your final layer with remaining mozzarella cheese, and bake for 30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and starting to brown. If you like your top layer nice and browned, turn the broiler on for a minute or so at the very end.

Let it cool a few minutes before serving - I used a 9x9 pan and got 9 servings out of it, but definitely stacked it so high that it started overflowing so I'd recommend a 9x13.

Enjoy!

cookouts, bridal showers and keeping the momentum.

Happy Sunday, friends! This post comes to you mainly because I'm avoiding cleaning out some of my old kitchen gadgets and dishes to make room for the brand spankin' new goodies we received at my bridal shower this weekend. Blessed does not even begin to cover it.

But since we haven't chatted since my birthday, I guess I've got some ground to cover. Let's talk about the fact that I gained 3 pounds this week at my weigh-in, despite tackling several workouts this past week in a desperate attempt to make up for birthday weight gained over the weekend. Frustrated does not even begin to cover it, and after an hour circuit class last Tuesday in a room covered by mirrors, it's safe to say that I haven't felt this bad about myself since I was at my highest weight.

I could write a series of posts on body image and how important it is to come to terms with who you are aside from your physical appearance, but my recent hiatus from strength training to more actively pursue my running has reminded me that strong is better than skinny any day of the week. It's something that, deep down, I think I always knew, but let's face it - sometimes we're more excited by a loss on the scale than we are by arm muscles. But truth be told, I didn't realize how much I missed being strong until I stopped doing bootcamp a few months ago and lost virtually all the muscle I'd gained during that process. The constant soreness I experience from strength training is fantastic, but detrimental to my running (this is my personal opinion - more power to you if you can bust out 9 miles after leg day at the gym). But I miss strength training dearly, and vow to pursue it more habitually once I get these pesky 13.1 miles out of my system.

The highlight of the work week was a 3.1 mile hike in 90 degree weather with the fabulous Healthy Habits ladies, followed by a cookout with all our favorite recipes from Skinnytaste. Here are some samplings from our fantastic cookout. Don't worry, we didn't have leftovers.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you southwestern black bean salad and chicken pesto kabobs. The black bean salad is a fantastic cold salad on its own, but we devoured the entire bowl before dinner with a bag of tortilla chips from Trader Joe's - I would highly recommend it for any and all summer cookouts and even as a healthy football party dish this fall. I used frozen corn, because I am inherently lazy. And not even sorry about it. The pesto kabobs are a perfect appetizer or main course - we used them as our main course, and someone brought a delicious tomato, basil and mozzarella salad that paired perfectly with these guys. Gina at Skinnytaste makes her own pesto and after I made hers for the first time, I've never bought prepackaged pesto again. It's fabulous. Understatement of the year. 

On the breakfast front, my wonderful friend over at Fabulous Fit Foodie sent a recipe my way for a southwestern scramble in a mug. I'm not a big breakfast person, and struggle to find things that are low in points but fill me until my next feeding (seriously, I eat every two hours like some sort of sick animal). I heat one link of chicken sausage separately, cut it up and add it along with the Laughing Cow wedge once the egg is cooked. Breakfast. In. A. Coffee. Mug. I'm in love. 

I usually eat my breakfast at work, so these are perfect things to store in the office fridge and use when you get hungry mid-morning.

All food and running aside though. This past weekend was my bridal shower, thrown by the best cousin/maid of honor, best friend and family I could ever ask for. The attention to detail, thought and extra mile taken turned out to be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I cannot begin to tell you how blessed I feel. As I sit here staring at all our new goodies, every one of them reminds me of the person who gave them to us, and it's actually kind of a humbling experience to know that every time I use our new crockpot, Ninja blender or snuggly green throw, I'll be thinking of the people who love and support us. It's an added bonus to the gift-receiving process that I hadn't considered until it happened.

The shower was also my first "wedding festivity," making the entire experience way more real than it's felt so far. We have 70 days (yes, 70) until the big day and all the planning, weight loss, exercise and logistics have taken priority thus far - but this past weekend allowed me to stop and breathe in the moment, and realize how lucky Rob and I are to have everyone here to celebrate with us. So, in closing, I'll leave you with a few detail shots from the shower - you can thank my amazing cousin over at Shannon Barth Photography for the amazing shots of the smallest, most intricate and beautiful details from Saturday's festivities.

Happy Sunday, friends - may you not kill anyone at your offices this week!

colds and food.

Once again, it's Sunday evening and I am left wondering where the weekend went. I've spent most of this weekend in a sinus-induced haze, leaving food tasteless, workouts difficult and even simple tasks like brushing my hair seem like monumental events. People who live with constant sinus problems or allergies never quite know if they're getting sick, or if it's just going to be one of those days that no amount of behind-the-counter Sudafed can fix. It's not quite enough to merit taking a sick day, but just enough to make every single moment of your day completely miserable as you try to trudge through. I wish companies had "sinus days" that I could take without feeling the inevitable guilt I feel when I stay home from work due to serious sinus issues. Sigh. I digress.

Enough about that. The highlight of my weekend involved trying two new recipes. Cooking at home on the weekend is the most difficult part of trying to stay healthy for me - Rob and I visited a breakfast joint down the street for the first time this weekend and my healthy "power wrap" with egg whites, turkey and spinach was the one "eat out" healthy choice I carried through the weekend (I lost whatever pride that choice gave me over a BW3's coma I faced later that day). But I find that when I actually plan recipes I'll enjoy, I'm much more apt to eat at home. I tend not to blog about the food I eat, mainly because the recipes are things I get from other websites or adapt to fit my tastes, so I feel like I'm stealing. And stealing isn't cool. But I need to share this weekend's eats.

Friday night, I tried a new recipe from Skinnytaste, my favorite go-to blogger for healthy, Weight Watchers-friendly eats. I realized that 90% of the time, all I ever eat is chicken. Not that it's a horrible thing, but I rarely branch out to red meats other than the occasional hamburger or taco night, and figured an inexpensive cut of steak was a good start since we're on a budget (I'd spend our life savings at the grocery store trying new things if I could). We made grilled flank steak with tomatoes, black beans and corn.  I rarely cook with avocados, and Rob was aching for me to include them in a recipe so I threw those into the mix as well. Honestly, this is awesome. The steak cooks in no time, and after you're done chopping all the goodies for your "salad," the whole thing comes together nicely and is a simple, different meal if you're the go-to chicken person like I am. Here's a pic of my finished product (perfect grilling courtesy of my fantastic fiance)! 

The leftovers held up great, and I actually bought flank steak again today, because Rob is desperate to make our own version of Chipotle. The plan is to stick with the original recipe, but also marinade the steak in a cilantro lime marinade ahead of time, and I'm going to throw it all on top of the best cilantro lime rice ever.  Yes, I like lime and cilantro, a lot. They add awesome flavor without adding calories, so it's clear that these ingredients become my closest friends. We'll see how this goes - I will keep you all posted, because I know you're hanging on my every word.

Today was chili day. I should probably note that Rob and I heavily disagree on how chili should taste. I grew up on chili that used ketchup as its tomato base, which may sound weird but it's become so normal to me that I prefer it over anything else. Rob thinks this is blasphemy, and wishes I would take a more "chili" approach. Today, our recipe went as follows:

1.25 lbs ground beef, cooked

2 cans Brooks mild chili beans

1 14.5 oz can garlic fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1 8 oz can tomato paste

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 cup ketchup

1 T. brown sugar

Chili pepper and cumin to taste 

("to taste:" my fancy food blogger term for "I have no idea how much I used")

I should probably note that the ketchup is also an estimate, as I left Rob directions and came home to a crockpot of mystery chili that ended up tasting kind of awesome. Brown the beef in a pan ahead of time, then throw all the ingredients in the crockpot and let it sit for a good 4-5 hours. 

This chili needs something still. It needs a packet of chili mix, or something to pump up the flavor (honestly, my sinuses could have also rendered my taste buds numb), but it's on its way to becoming a version of chili Rob and I can agree upon. Now, here comes the fun part.

I often make spaghetti with chili and Rob insists on setting the store-bought Skyline cheese out so it's room temperature when we have "Skyline nights." But tonight, I was aching for french fries and thought chili cheese fries would be a great fix. I honestly forget where I got the recipe for oven baked fries that don't completely suck, so forgive me if you've all seen this and I'm an idiot for just now getting the memo.

2 russet potatoes, cut however thin/thick you like your fries. I leave the skin on.

fresh cracked pepper and salt

olive oil

1 very large bowl of ice cold water

*serves me, and one hungry man

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Cut the potatoes however you like (I like mine pretty standard - think Wendy's cut), and then let them sit in a bowl of ice cold water (yep, even put ice cubes in the bowl) for about 15-20 minutes. Drain and dry the potatoes and put them back in the bowl. Toss in olive oil (sorry, can't tell you how much on this one either, just don't soak them or they'll end up super greasy. A little goes a long way). Spread on a Pam-sprayed cookie sheet and season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, flip fries and bake 20 more minutes. Pardon my less-than-stellar photography skills, as this was taken halfway into my meal when I realized I should probably tell you how awesome these are.

I know. This is so simple, and you're all thinking "okay seriously, we're not idiots, we can make french fries." But the ticket to these is really soaking them in ice cold water. It makes them crispy and not like the soggy oven-baked-fry-fails you've had before. Wherever I saw this, it was Gwyneth Paltrow's recipe, because clearly she is the only person in the history of cooking to have ever put potatoes in ice cold water and should be given all the credit in the world. She's lucky I like her. 

Ohio University kids - take your finished fries, top them with that chili and smother in room temperature Skyline cheese, and you will be taken back to O'Betty's heaven. I don't know, maybe I'm totally insane and I just miss OU from the bottom of my heart, but this unintentionally brought me back to sitting on the curb consuming a giant tray of these guys after last call mega mugs at Red Brick. And the best part about the whole thing is that really, it's not that awful for you. While I'm a big advocate for low carb, I will allow myself the occasional potato because really, it's a natural food anyway. These fries, chili-smothered or not, are a great alternative when you're really craving something totally sinful. Rob thinks they'd be awesome with different seasonings, so we'll see how that turns out in the future.

This is my first real shot at chatting about recipes, because I don't think it's worth it to re-tell you all about my favorite Skinnytaste, Pioneer Woman and Emily Bites recipes. I will, however, continue to tell you when things are awesome, if you're interested in reading about it. 

As this week begins, I am facing a crappy cold and an upcoming weekend of zero working out. Here's to hoping that my self-control can win this week and make the right eating choices that result in a loss at my weigh in. Hope everyone has a great week! :)