Diete & Diaeta

Frustration is.... having a memory card full of blogging pictures and not being able to find a way to get them off. However, after a whole weekend of whining to Evan about my camera and the fate of my blog, I've come to realize it's time to move on (for now).

Payday is next friday... so I'll just have to wait to get a new point and shoot camera then, and solve the case of the wrong-or-missing-cable-to-the-other-camera later.

As many of you know, or may not know, I really have one obsession in this world (other than my cat) and am happily a member of the "First Order of Brown". That is, I'm another minion of the deeply loyal and insanely informed Alton Brown empire. Basically... he is my God, and in Alton I trust.

Now, I could write about a dozen blog entries as to why I want to move to Georgia and camp out in front of his house with a wok, a 1/2 sheet baking pan (purchased from a restaurant supply store of course!), while munching on fresh homemade biscuits as a bottle of modena vinegar dangles from the handcuff on my wrist, but this isn't on of those posts. Although, I did find out the deal sealer: he has two corgies. Good man, good man.

Nope, instead, this will be a post about a great episode of Good Eats I watched last night entitiled "Live and Let Diet". I had noticed that he was starting to get a little chubby lubby around the middle but figured "eh, he's a professional chef and he's getting older", and who am I to question the Great Leader? Well, after checking him out in his snazzy tux on Iron Chef the White House Battle, I said "Hey now, he looks damn good!". My Google searches for the eating plan he outlined in the show lead me to Dear Alton Brown: The Internet Is Worried About You which confirms that viewers noticed his amazing weight loss, but thought he was sick. Best part of the article:

Bottom line: you guys can go back to googling “Giada’s Boobs” and “Bobby Flay is a Douche” again. Alton’s fine.

Since I and Alton are big fans of lists, I love that he outlined his diet into 4 easy to read and follow lists thusly:

Eat Everyday
- Fruits, Whole Grains , Leafy Greens, Nuts, Carrots, Green Tea

3 times a week
- Oily Fish, Yogurt, Broccoli, Sweet Potato, Avocado

Once a week
- Red meat, Pasta, Dessert, Alcohol

NEVER!
- Fast Food, Soda, Processed meals/frozen dinners, Canned soup, “Diet” anything

Now this plan works for him, but not neccessarily for everyone. For me the Never list should be easy to knock out without a ton of effort. And since I don't drink or eat red meat, that's easier. The hardest part, following THE GOLDEN RULE: Eat. Breakfast. Every. Day. No. Exceptions.

Now I'm sure there are things he didn't mention in the episode like exercise, vitamins, stress, and sleep which greatly affect healthy living, weight loss/gain, and nutrition. He did make a mention of quantity, noting that his amazaing almond recipe he limits to a few 1oz portions a day.

If you don't have the Food Network and are patient, you can wait for the Good Eats Fan Page to update with their YouTube clips and a transcript soon. If you're not patient, there's always internet-related ways to solve that. :)

Read more...

Recovery

What a weekend. That's all i gotta say.

You know, i've been having the strangest dreams... if they're not about zombies (typical Mahea nightmare) then they're about Alton Brown. Yes, don't laugh, it's not funny, it's serious business.

That man is truly a gem, and totally my type (aside from the "married with kid" part of the equation). I've also made his southern biscuits recipe about ONE THOUSAND times this weekend in an effort to channel him into existence in my (Nico's) kitchen. I can't get them to rise quite enough, maybe my baking soda has gone flat, or too much dough handling???

Sometimes, when i hear the clang of my brand new stainless steel measuring cups and the light hits the glass jar of (vegan) buttermilk, i can almost hear the famous 10-note Good Eats theme and hear Alton's sweet siren song asking me to pass him the french whisk (for the saucier of course!).

Next i'm going to try to make his loverly squash and potato dumplings. That is... when i finish cleaning the kitchen, have the time, etc etc. (They look sooooooooo gooooooood!!!)

Evan's parents get to meet him. The jealousy, it overcomes me. One day it'll boil over into a huge pile of gumbo, perfectly seasoned, and definitely (dare i say it?) Good Eats.

Read more...