Fast Food, Revisited

Dear Readers,

This last week I was in Nebraska for Thanksgiving.  My husband's family lives in a small town there and every year we make the trek and every year I'm on a diet.  It doesn't occur to me that I'm a perpetual dieter until things like an annual trip come up and then I think "oh yeah this time last year I wasn't eating anything yellow."

Anyhow, the challenge is this: these trips really make it hard to stay on track because 1) it's very busy; 2) lots of time on the road and staying with others; 3) I don't want to be rude; and 4) the traditional Midwestern diet isn't Richard Simmons approved.  Add to that I now have Muffin, and this trip had "comfort food weight gain" written all over it.  Not so I vowed!  Not this year!

With my recent "makeover" momentum behind me, I was compelled to come up with a solution other than to just give in and give up in a pile of casseroles, cookies and veggies covered in marshmallow.  What I came up with is "The Catherine Travel Diet."  May it help you as it helped me!

Breakfast:

2 poached eggs and some fresh fruit or an egg white omelette with veggies.

Lunch:

A no sugar Think Thin bar and an apple or an orange (highly recommend the clementines this time of year!)

Dinner:

Chicken breast or fish baked or grilled, no oil, and veggies.

Snacks: Fresh fruit, veggies or wine (come on - you're on vacation!  But skip the beer or mixed drinks).

In a pinch - any meal, any time:

Catherine Tuna Salad: One can of water packed solid albacore tuna drained and mixed with a squeeze of lemon, a dash or two of hot sauce, some garlic salt and fresh pepper, a stalk or two of chopped celery and a quarter of an avocado.

I picked up the Think Thin bars, a bag of apples and a box of Clemintines, some avocados and some tuna at Whole Foods in Denver on our way to Nebraska.  I really did enjoy myself more knowing I had 10 Think Thin bars in my purse so I was ready no matter what the day brought our way.  In fact, I felt super smug about the whole thing until I got home and plowed headlong into some spicy Indian food out of sheer delight (rural NE isn't known for spicy, ethnic foods).  At least I'd been good up until then, right?

To your health!