Reinventing the old

Obviously this journey is not about giving up the things that I love or the things my family loves...but about finding better alternatives to those items.  I have two boys who would have an awfully tough time without cheese balls...so I searched and found a better alternative for them.  I also have two little boys who love a good cookie every now and then...again, I couldn't imagine them going through their lives without ever eating a cookie, so I've looked around and found a better alternative for them.  I don't think any of us can look at our lives and think we will never eat out at a restaurant, or ever eat food prepared by another person...perhaps someone who isn't following the same lifestyle plan as we are...but all things in moderation, right???  I think we could all find several items on almost every menu that would be considered "whole food"...I'm pretty happy eating a steak, baked potato and steamed veggies!!!

While doing research early on in my journey, I read an article about American's attitudes towards foods.  It talked about how we refer to certain foods as being "bad"...how many times have we heard someone say (or said ourselves) "Well, I'm going to be really bad tonight and have the _______" You fill in the blank, dessert, pasta, steak, bread...whatever it may be.  We have associated a lot of negative thoughts and feelings around what we eat.  We've limited ourselves so much in our day to day life, that when we are in a social situation where eating is accepted, you can often find people (or yourself) scarfing down foods like they've been stuck on a deserted island somewhere.  Most likely they've left that party feeling guilty, with thoughts of doing an extra fifteen minutes on the treadmill, or taking the stairs the next day.  It's amazing how we've programmed ourselves to have such a bad relationship with food.  I'm sure we all have some sort of crazy adrenaline dump when we are being "bad" and eating that huge piece of chocolate cake...after all, it sometimes feels so good to be "bad"...right???  How often do you find yourself eating because the clock says so??  Or finishing your entire plate, even though you aren't hungry, because it's there???  These habits have been deeply ingrained in our minds...along with our negative association with "bad foods"...so ingrained, most of us don't even think about it. 

The moral of the story...eat dessert!!  Maybe not the whole pie, but if you want a piece of pie after dinner (and you aren't full) eat it!!  Eat food when you are hungry, stop when you aren't.  And make sure the foods you are eating are foods you love and enjoy...you'll find your relationship with your food will change.  The article also talked about making your meals an event, have a beginning, a middle and an end.  Start to have your own routine for you meals, whether you start every supper with a prayer or a salad (or both),  make sure that you are dedicating some amount of time to just eating.  Try not to eat in front of the television or at your computer at work...there have been several studies that show we consume many more calories when we are blindly eating in front of the television or computer.  It's also important to have a conclusion to your meals, maybe a cup of tea or coffee, some quiet time to sit and talk with your spouse or children...making your meals an event helps to keep you more aware of what you are eating. 

So, today's recipe is my version of a favorite pasta dish I used to order from a local Italian restaurant.  I've added some leeks and tomatoes because the dish I ordered had no veggies!! 

Chicken Asiago Pasta with Leeks and Tomatoes

2 large chicken breasts, cooked, diced
1 lrg bag pasta (cooked to package directions)
1/2 c olive oil
2 T butter
1/4 t red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
juice of 1 lemon
5 cloves garlic, diced
3 leeks, chopped
1/4 c parsley, chopped
1 large tomato, seeded and diced
1 c asiago cheese, grated
1/2 c Parmesan cheese, grated
salt to taste

Cook pasta of choice according to package directions.  In a medium sauce pain, combine olive oil, butter, pepper flakes, garlic, lemon and salt.  Cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes, allowing garlic to cook (watch carefully so garlic does not burn).  In the last 3 minutes of cooking time, add chopped leeks to pasta.  Drain and return to pot.  Add chicken, olive oil mixture, parsley and cheese to pasta, stir.  Add diced tomatoes, stir.  Salt to taste.  Grate fresh cheese over top of pasta before serving. 

You can use any type of pasta you prefer, I used a wider, fettucini style pasta because that's what the original recipe used.  You can also use whatever type of cheese you like.  The original recipe only used asiago, but I had Parmesan here to use, so I did.  You can also add whatever veggies you want...I kept this one simple because I hadn't made it before, but you could easily add spinach and broccoli.

So, enjoy your food...make sure if you are consuming it, it's because you are hungry and it's something you truly like...something you look forward to eating.  If you aren't looking forward to what you are eating...time to make a couple of changes...add something new to an old recipe, or work on creating one of your favorite dishes from a restaurant or maybe something your grandma used to make.  Whatever it is, make sure that you make your meals an event...not one you dread every day...but one you look forward to and sit down to enjoy!   Hope you like the recipe!!