Everyday treats.

I know I’m meant to be doing this sequentially. And that we have lots of things to look at before we technically get to treats! But, guess what? I’ll tell you what…

I’m sitting here, curled up on my couch and indulging myself in one of my guilty pleasures. And yes, it is food related. Cookbooks! I love them, although I’ve never followed a recipe in its entirely in my life :). Yesterday I bought myself ‘Nigellisima’. Predictably, Nigella Lawson’s Italian inspired cookbook. Oh. My. God! I love Nigella and I love Italian so this is just my idea of perfection. I’m sure she had me in mind when she wrote it! Yup, certain ;).

So that got me thinking… She is of course the goddess of indulgence for those that are not familiar. But a distinction must be made between indulgence and everyday food. Right? Yes, for the most part. But I’m starting to discover that it doesn’t have to be all or nothing, the more I stick to this (coming up on 2 months and 15 pounds BTW – 14.9 and we’ve been sitting there!). So I’m saying there is such a thing as ‘virtuous indulgence’. Food related no less. And I don’t mean your cheat meals you’re still allowed every so often.

Today I had me 3 little cocktail size bocconcini mozzarella balls and a third of a cup of juicy pineapple. ‘Marinated’ in 1 teaspoon of gourmet balsamic vinegar (fig and chili – oh yeah) and sprinkled with some sea salt. D-I-V-I-N-E! Divine! That was my desert. Felt very indulgent. Creamy, fatty, sweet, salty and a hint of spice! And it set me back 112 calories and 7 carb grams. While giving me 6 grams of protein. That’s definitely going to feature more often on my meal plans.

Another yumalicious option is a half-cup of strawberries ‘marinated’ in a teaspoon each of honey and balsamic. If you’re feeling extra virtuous eat that over pureed cottage cheese or yogurt like a pudding.

Here are more options.

• Watermelon and feta (I’ve heard, and plan to try)
• Yogurt or cottage cheese and grated dark chocolate with berries (you’ll find cottage cheese features a lot on my menus because I’m allergic to yogurt).
• Gourmet yogurt that you make yourself (strain a cup of yogurt over a bowl, leave for a few hours, replace the removed water with chopped fruit and a little juice and voila. Add a teaspoon of maple if you’ve been extra good that day)
• The protein powder and cottage cheese with cocoa or berries I told you about earlier
• Hot chocolate made with real dark chocolate, no sugar.

Really any fruit and any cheese mixed with hints of guilt free gourmet ingredients are carte blanche.

Or if you’re more a savory sins type person:

• Gourmet up your edamame, shelled or unshelled (make a little dressing with wasabi, soy and ginger and a splash of sesame oil. Thin with water. Oh what the heck sprinkle some sesame seeds on there too.)
• A handful of peanuts or any other nut warmed up and sprinkled with Parmesan and chopped herbs. Or make an Indian ‘chaat’ out of it with some chopped crunchy veg and mint/tamarind chutney
• Seasoned beans – this is a beach snack in the south of India. Chickpeas mixed with chopped mango and tiny shards of coconut (I stick some peanuts in there too to bump up protein). Look up the recipe for ‘Sundal’ and modify as you like.
• Fat free cream cheese with herbs and spices, thinned out with a little milk, piped onto cucumber or radish slices like hors d’oeuvres.

For my fellow alcoholics, a sangria type spritzer with a handful of fruit thrown in and a little chunk of cheese would round out nicely!

A little creativity and a few trips to farmers markets and specialty food stores are all you need. And really, think of all the hard work you’re doing, you deserve to splash out on fun ingredients. It can be you ‘gourmet steak’ dinner if anyone asks.

As always my lovelies… think happy, thin thoughts. Kiss kiss.