Drumroll Please . . .

20 LBS !!! I Did it! I seriously can't believe it - but when I stepped on the scale today I am 20lbs lighter than I was on January 1st. Two months of almost daily exercise , portion control, calorie counting and a fair amount of bitching and whining later and here we are, my initial goal met.

I am SO happy to be at my pre-pregnancy weight. But now I'm setting my sights on another 15 lbs - and this go around isn't going to be easy, I know. The good news is, I'm so encouraged by my progress that I'm willing to do whatever it takes.

Thanks to everyone who has been so incredibly encouraging during this journey so far - you know who you are. Although I'm doing this for me, I owe you a debt of gratitude for all of your help!

February's Slenderized Recipe

Andie's Aloha Sliders

Makes 12 Sliders

12 Kings Hawaiian dinner rolls, cut in half

1.5 pounds ground beef, such as sirloin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon Worcestershire
2 tablespoon ketchup
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 eggs
½ cup panko bread crumbs
salt & pepper to taste

8-10 ounces blue cheese crumbles
1 bag baby arugula
2 cups Trader Joes Fresh Papaya Salsa


1. ( If desired ) Arrange the rolls on a sheet pan and broil on high until the rolls are lightly toasted and golden. Or you may skip this step. Either way, you will need to pre-heat the broiler for a later step.

2. In a bowl, combine the ground beef with the garlic powder, Worcestershire, ketchup, mustard, egg, bread crumbs and seasonings. Mix well and then divide into 4 equal portions, then again into three small portions from each quarter. Mound into balls and then lightly flatten.

3. Heat a large heavy skillet to medium high and add a small amount of oil. Cook the patties, 6 at a time, for 3-5 minutes on each side depending on desired doneness. Remove and place all patties on a sheet pan.

4. Place a small amount of blue cheese crumbles on each and broil just until the cheese begins to melt, less than one minute.

5. On each bottom bun place a small amount of the salsa, followed by a slider patty and top with the arugula followed by the top bun. Enjoy!

Per Slider ~ 360 Cal, 30g Carbs, 16g fat, 809mg sodium

Libby's Slenderized Aloha Sliders

Makes 12 Sliders

12 slices of a whole grain baguette toasted

1.5 pounds of Mahi Mahi cut into 12 equal pieces

2 eggs
½ cup panko bread crumbs
½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut

10 ounces plain goat cheese
1 bag arugula
2 cups Trader Joes Fresh Papaya Salsa

In a shallow bowl slightly beat eggs
In another shallow bowel mix bread crumbs and coconut together
Dip Mahi Mahi in egg, then roll in bread crumb/coconut mixture
Place on a cook sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray
Bake Mahi Mahi @ 350 for 12 to 15 minutes or until fish turn white in the center
While fish is cooking, spread toasted whole wheat baguette pieces with goat cheese, add arugula
Place cooked Mahi Mahi on toasted baguette slices and top with Papaya Salsa.

Per Slider ~ 270 cal, 21g carbs, 12g fat, 280mg sodium

Reduction of 25% calories & fat, 30% carbs and 0ver 60% of the sodium

Weight Loss Update - 45 days In

Drumroll please . . . . I am down 15lbs as of today - and 45 days into my lifestyle change!! The diet got derailed a bit last week when I was sick and couldn't work out, but this week I came back with swift ferociousness and got back to business.

Last night's Valentines Dinner was really awesome, but I am totally wiped out. Time for a nap!

Weight Loss Update - Month 1

Today is February 3rd and I'm officially 1 month into my healthy routine. Everything is going swimmingly with the exception of a few speedbumps that I have ignored altogether.

Today I am 12 lbs lighter than I was 1 month ago - woooo hoo! I was hoping for 15, but if you've been keeping up with the blog lately you'll understand why I have had to take a few days off from counting calories every now and then.

The exercising has become a veritable religion for me and I look forward to my 500 calorie workouts 5 days a week, without fail. Today was one of my days off and I feel like a slug, but I don't want to over-do it either. I still try to be active even on my days off, and I don't get to have a glass of wine on these days so it's kind of a tough day all around, geez. Maybe I need to rethink that one.

The funniest thing of all is that I didn't realize that as you loose LBs, you have to continue to reduce your caloric intake to maintain your weight loss. Nobody told me that! One day I logged into my calorie tracker and it was just lower all of a sudden. What a gyp. Anyhow, I figure I'm averaging about a pound every three days, which is healthy. I may kick it into overdrive once I get halfway towards my goal, which is right around the corner.

The good news is I'm also making progress on the BMI chart as well, as the ratio of muscle I'm building starts to replace fat. I would like to be under 20% - but I have a long way to go. Luckily I'm very, very motivated by the D.I.E.T program and our coaches Libby & Joy. We even got treated to a beautiful, healthy lunch by Chef Dave today. With all of that going for me I can't lose! Wait, sounds like an oxy-moron. Oh, you know what I mean!

Houston - We Have a Plateau

This weekend I reached my first plateau in the whole diet & excercise shebang.

I am 8lbs down and in a holding pattern. Clothes are fitting better though - bonus! I am thinking that it's definitely because I ate out a lot this weekend - and even though I was super careful and diligent about eating well and excercising - there is just so much hidden sodium and calories in restaurant food that probably stymied my progress. Fiddlesticks.

It probably doesn't help that I'm going here and HERE this week! Hello, 90/10 rule ( if you have to ask you are either really bad or really good all of the time ).

I am trying not to let myself get discouraged , as that seems to be the catalyst for epic failure when it comes to matters of the waistline. I got back on the horse today and Hip-Hop-Ab'd my way to a great burn this morning before work, and I'm tracking calories today, and have decided to try 1500 total calories rather than 1700. Will it make a difference?? That remains to be seen. I do know that I'm excited to learn about how out of whack my sense of serving sizes are when we discuss "portion disstortion" in D.I.E.T class this week.

I wonder if Pizzeria Mozza has a "light eaters" menu?

First Day of D.I.E.Ting

Today was our first meeting of the D.I.E.T program, and it was fantastic. We learned about how fats, proteins and carbs affect your body and specifically your blood glucose level. It has been over 10 years since I was certified in Nutrition and I am so thrilled to be revisiting all of this invaluable information. Besides, I think a lot of it went right in one ear and out the other when I was 20 years old and could eat whatever I wanted without consequences - does that sound familiar??

There was a terrific article in today's Desert Sun about the program, and the phones have been ringing off the hook all day - so we are adding a second session of the program on Saturday mornings beginning in February for those who missed out this time around. I can't recommend it highly enough. Anyhow, I'll be updating the blog with snippets of what we are learning as we go along. Meanwhile I'm down another .5lbs today - and at my prepregnancy weight. I'm not going to set a long term goal, but I have informed my husband that I want an Ipad so I'm thinking when I get to 20lbs I'm going to reward myself, and 30lbs might mean a new wardrobe . . . but we'll see how that conversation goes.

January's "Slenderized" Recipe

It's time to kick off this year of blogging with a new, monthly feature I'm totally jazzed about. My friend & nutritionist Libby Quigley and I thought it would be fun to take some of my favorite naughty recipes and "slenderize" them by removing unnecessary fat, calories and sodium. Well, Libby thinks they are unnecessary anyhow! So each month I will challenge Libby with re-mixing a staple recipe that I love to make it more health conscious but still delicious and satisfying.

This month's recipe is a Cooking with Class favorite that has made appearances in many of our classes and dinners to the delight of everyone's taste buds, especially my mom ( who says this is her very favorite dish ). I also traditionally prepare this for thanksgiving every year. Pre-cut butternut squash is plentiful this time of year ( hallelujah ) so I thought it would be apropos. I'd be interested to see what those of you who've had the full fat version think of the slenderized version - email me if you have any feedback at andiecooks@gmail.com . While both recipes are excellent sources of beta-carotene, fiber and potassion - the skinny version dramatically recuse calories, fat and sodium.

P.S. I'm one week into my diet and 7lbs down - woot!

Butternut Squash & Goat Cheese Gratin
Serves 8

3.5 lbs prepared butternut squash cubes ( about 8 cups )
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Course kosher salt ( Go Light on the salt )
4 tablespoon (1/2 stick ) unsalted butter ( Reduce to 2 tbsp)
3 cups sliced leeks ( bottom half only )
1.5 teaspoons chopped fresh sage ( Increase to 3 tsp )
12 oz soft fresh goat cheese ( Reduce to 6 oz )
4 tablespoons heavy cream ( Substitute 2% milk )
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

Preheat oven to 400F.

Toss squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste. Spread cubes onto a parchment lined baking dish and roast until just tender, about 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and sage, sprinkle with salt and pepper and saute until tender but now brown, about 12 minutes.

Coat a large baking dish with remaining olive oil. Alternate adding half of each -the leeks, squash & cheese in layers , then repeat with second half.

Drizzle cream evenly over gratin and sprinkle with pine nuts. Bake uncovered until it is heated through and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

The above BOLDED changes :
- decrease calories by about 1/3 from 324/serving to 223/serving.
- decrease saturated fat by 50% and total fat by 35%.
- can decrease sodium by up to 50%.

Happy New Year!

I can't believe it's 2011 already! I truly believe that 2011 is going to be an amazing year - it's already off to a rollicking start! As I reflect on the past year I can't believe there were enough hours in the day to do all of the things I did - and there is even more on my plate going forward. But as they say, it's all good!
I hope everyone out there had a happy and healthy 2010 and can say with certainty that this year has great promise within.

I'm inspired to write this morning about my new years resolution this year - getting healthy once and for all. I've been dancing around this goal for the past few years and I have fianlly resolved to put my money where my mouth is, so to speak. Last year I began incorporating excercise into my daily routine for the first time in many years - and while I felt great in response - the scale refused to budge no matter how much I exerted myself.

This didn't come as too much of a suprise to me, since it's been my experience that weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise ( at least in my case).

Enter my new daily regime as of Jan 3rd:

1700 calories a day or less
Little to no wine ( boooooooooooooooooo)
Small, frequent meals
Being conscious of EVERYTHING that goes in my mouth
No refined sugar
Lean Protiens, Fresh Fruits and Veg, Whole Grains
Whenever possible, food is organic or sustainable
60 oz of water, green tea or sparkling water

I have already lost over 5lbs in the first week , so I must be on the right track. I'm using this fabulous , free website to help me, plus the companion phone app ($2.99 well spent ) and it is actually super fun to track my meals, excercise etc. Being accountable for every morsel of food that you eat is the secret to maintianing your diet. You can imagine how hard this is for a chef who has to taste all day long. I have become acutely aware of how often I was putting things into my mouth mindlessly - which adds up to a ton of uneccesary calories.

I'm also very excited to begin taking part in the new D.I.E.T prgram that launches at the school next week. I can't wait to learn about this holistic, nutritional approach to weight loss and clean eating. Also I love Libby & Joy because the are realistic about things like wine and chocolate!!!

Anyhow, I hope you are all enjoying 2011 thus far and look forward to seeing everyone soon, and updating you on my rapid shrink.

Cheers~ AH

Organically Speaking

Up until last year, "organic" to me was just a buzz word. Of course, I understood the principles of organic farming, and completely got the idea behind using products free of harmful pesticides, etc. But I still associated eating "organically" with vegans, hippies and wealthy eccentrics.

Then I had a baby, and everything changed. Early on I made a commitment to only give my daughter homemade, 100% organic baby food. Other mommies in my mommy group were doing it, so I figured it couldn't be that hard , albeit time consuming. Thus began my education into the world of organics. As it turns out, there's a whole world of organic products available to the average consumer - but more about that later.

I started out buying organic fruit and veg from both the local farmers market, as well as Trader Joe's and Henry's. The first thing I noticed was the significant price increase. Since I shop for a living, I have a pretty good handle on grocery item pricing, and I endured a bit of sticker shock when I began shopping organically. Upon researching this I discovered that the added costs are due largely to a bunch of bureaucratic red tape. It turns out that getting "USDA certified" as an organic producer is very expensive and time consuming. Farmers also require a lot more labor to farm organically since they're not just dumping a bunch of chemicals and fertilizer on their crops to do the work for them. Many farms who don't have the funds to go through the certification process but who still utilize organic farming practices label their produce "non-certified organic", or "naturally farmed". Often times these products are less expensive and every bit as wholesome, so I began looking for these bargains when possible. And don't get me wrong - the price increase on the whole was not so significant as to deter me from my course of action. For example, at Trader Joe's I can purchase a bag of Organic Bartlett Pears for 3.19, and they hang out right next to their friends the non-organic Bartlett Pears for 2.99. In this situation you ask yourself - is it worth it to spend .20 extra cents for a heaping helping of peace of mind.

You'll also begin to notice that organic produce just doesn't look like regular produce. There are a few reasons for that. BigAg farms use a lot of smoke and mirrors to make their produce look shiny and happy. They start of by genetically engineering fruits and vegetables that are made to withstand weather and long truck hauls in refrigerated cabins. Have you tasted a grocery store tomato lately? It may look pretty, but it tastes like a tennis ball. Next, they pump fertilizer and pesticides into the soil so the crops grow super fast without pesky interruption. By the time produce reaches the grocery store, studies have shown there may be up to 30 different chemicals that have come in contact with their root system - that get sucked up into the produce and coat the surfaces. Yummy. And finally, a lovely coating of wax helps non-organic produce look so darn shiny and beautiful. Meanwhile, next door in the organic section you see fruit and veg with natural blemishes, authentic shapes and coloring, smaller quantities, and often smaller sizes. Beets , for example are an interesting side by side comparison. Organic beets are the size of golf balls, while non-organic beets look like grapefruits - thanks to laboratory engineering and chemical fertilizers.

The differences really stack up when you begin to actually eat these items. Nutritionally, there's just no arguing that organic produce is on top. It's believed that organic food contains 50% more nutrients than non-organic food. Genetically modified food is bred for speed and durability, and not nutritive content. SO do the math - you actually have to eat more non-organic fruits and vegetables to get the daily required nutrition. That starts to bring the price difference into perspective. Then you have the pesticide issue, which is and should be the most alarming aspect of big agriculture. Since the US began farming with pesticides around the time of World War II, Americans have consumed an atrocious amount of chemicals in their fruits and veggies. Even if you scour and scrub them on the outside, these harmful chemicals have leached into the produce themselves, and become part of their DNA. There is ABSOLUTELY NO COINCIDENCE that since the introduction of these pesticides into our diets - our society is riddled with cancer, diabetes, autism and other developmental disorders. Before World War II we were not a diseased nation. Now we are the sickest group of people on the planet. It's pretty frightening. And it's simple to understand - what we put into our bodies is what we get out of them. So fill your body with unnatural chemicals and you get a sick, diseased body. Fill your body with wholesome, unadulterated nutrients and you get a healthy body.

Then there's the taste factor - a nice little benefit to eating organically is the incredible TASTE. As a chef, I'm obviously obsessed with flavor, and let me tell you how AMAZED I was at the superior taste, texture and mouth feel of organic food. It was kind of like a re-awakening of my palate, especially the fruit items. Holy cow.

And so began my love affair with organics. It started with fruit and vegetables, but soon spilled over into the arena of grains, dairy products, and meat. I found myself buying these items for myself and our customers whenever possible - after all, if I was committed to feeding my daughter a hormone and pesticide free diet, why wouldn't I extend myself the same courtesy? And here is the truly amazing by-product : I feel better. Seriously, I've noticed a difference. I just hope I didn't do too much damage eating all of that junk all those years.

I do want to mention that I am a realist by nature, and so I had to take baby steps to get to this point. I would say in all honestly that my diet is only still 40-50% organic. It's nearly impossible to be 100%, and I'm just not that "Granola", as they say. But making small changes in my diet has lead to other changes, and I feel good about that. I'm opting for natural cleaning products, for one. They work just as well and they aren't going to make me or my family sick. Plus I'm attempting to switch to beauty and baby products that are made with natural ingredients. It's a slow burn, and don't worry - I'm not going to be living in a tree anytime soon.

Anyway, I hope you will consider the benefits of incorporating organic products into your life even in small amounts. It's never too late to start. As we , the consumers, demand more and more organics in the market - the price will come down and the other farmers will be forced to re-asses their growing practices. Sounds like a win win to me.

For more information about Organics, visit these links:
http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Dirty-Dozen-Foods
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/organic-food/NU00255
http://www.mofga.org/tabid/166/Default.aspx
http://www.organicconsumers.org/organic/organic_health_062903.cfm
http://naturalbias.com/7-major-reasons-to-go-organic/

Feelin the Burn Part Deux

Well it's been three weeks and I'm happy to say that I'm up to 25 minutes 3 days a week on the elliptical!! I have stuck with it primarily because it stares me in the face every morning when I wake up, but I am also really enjoying it and I have noticed some definition in my arms and , um , derriere. I am also doing water aerobics twice a week - which is SUPER easy and fun - and have realized that the reason I didn't stick with things in the past was because I didn't enjoy them at all. On my way to a whole new me=)

Feeling the Burn

This morning was my first workout on the new eliptical trainer. It was amazing! I am starting at 20 minutes a day at the first resistance level, which seems easy but my heart rate went right up into the target zone and I burned 270 calories. The funny side effect of the eliptical movement is that when you get off of the machine you still feel like you are in perpetual motion for a while. I'm excited to start this new regimen and I hope I can keep up with it=)