70 Calorie Omelet, Recipe Binder, and sifting through 4 years of food magazines.

I have been trying to eat more healthfully lately. High fiber, high protein, low fat, and low cholesterol. The low sodium thing will come in time. So, my grocery list has been complex in the past few weeks.

I have always been a big believer in coupons, sales, and other ways to save money. I am a cheapskate--it's just who I am. So I am cooking a bit differently for my husband and myself.

For example, the grocery list for me last week looked like this:

Fresh fruit (apples, pears, and oranges)
Kashi 7-grain puffed cereal
Almond milk (unsweetened)
Egg beaters
Low-fat cheese
turkey bacon
deli ham
high-fiber cottage cheese
veggie burgers

Yes, my diet (not ON a diet, just my overall diet seems boring, I know) But it is actually very good. Take a look at this baby:

You know how I was talking about "pretty food" yesterday? This actually turned out to be very pretty. And guess what? It has 70 calories and 3 grams of fat. Here's the scoop:

Lite and Satisfying Omelet:

Non-stick cooking spray
1/4 c. eggbeaters (or similar egg substitute)
1/4 slice of reduced fat cheese, torn into small pieces
1 slice turkey bacon, crisped in microwave
dash each, herbs Provence, parsley, salt, pepper
hot sauce (optional)

and you cook it just like a regular omelet. Egg substitute does not taste much different than "real eggs". Because it's made with egg whites and beta-carotene. This is a very easy recipe and it is filled with protein, without the fat and cholesterol in shell eggs. I really like this stuff. I feel full but not weighed down like I do when I eat shell eggs.

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Even though I am still sticking to this meal plan, for the most part, I don't want my husband to have to eat this stuff all of the time. And I love to cook. So this week is going to consist of several crock pot meals (chicken enchiladas, spaghetti sauce with "drunken" chicken and Twisted Cheese Sticks and chicken and dumplings) and a stuffed pizza with pepperoni and Italian cheeses. I hope that they will be good. I will provide pictures and full recipes once they are cooked and approved :)

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In addition to dietary changes, I have also been making other changes. I bought a 2-inch 3-ring binder, dividers and clear sleeves for recipes. This was necessary, as I cut out recipes from some 40 food magazines (some of which I have had for nearly 4 years) and am now going to organize them into categories. I will also have parts of each section dedicated to written recipes; something that I think is a dying art form that I intend to preserve (at least in my home).

So far, it is going well. It's is also giving me an opportunity to take a short break from the last part of my thesis. Two more deadlines down, two more to go. But I find this organization relaxing. It's my own type-A zen-space.

This is something that I hope to one day pass down to my children--an amalgam of pop culture finds, family recipes, and maybe even some of my very own.

As my project progresses, I will be posing pictures.

Hope that everyone is having a wonderful day.