Our Lady of Weight Loss

Resist Temptation! Forego the burgers and fries …
Memorial Day Weekend is right around the corner. Here are some guilt-free Righteous Recipes that will most definitely get you through this grillin’ holiday minus the guilt and gluttony.
Set your intention now to eat healthfully, take a walk, celebrate in style, not gluttony – one of the seven deadly sins! (more on gluttony coming tomorrow!)
Our Lady of Weight Loss Approved Guilt-Free Recipes for the Grill that Will Give You a Thrill!
GRILLED PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM BURGERS

Ingredients:
4 Large Portobello Mushrooms
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Rock or Kosher salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces low-fat mozzarella
4 large pieces roasted red pepper (You can roast yourself or if you go with the ready made stuff, pat it down with a paper towel.)
4 Whole wheat pitas or 8 slices of light bread
Greens (arugula, iceberg, whatever you like!)
Instructions:
One mushroom cap per sandwich.
Remove and discard mushroom stems.
Brush top of mushroom cap with a bit of extra-virgin olive oil.
(You really do not need to slather it on.)
Season with salt and pepper.
Lightly coat your grill with cooking spray.
Grill mushrooms, covered, for approximately 4 minutes; turn and grill another 3. Until tender.
Place flat side of mushroom up on the grill, top with a thin slice of low-fat mozzarella and a nice juicy piece of red pepper.
Cover and cook one minute more, until cheese is melted.
At same time, toss your roll, pita or light bread onto the grill until lightly toasted.
Now … put a layer of greens on the bread (or in the pita) top with a mushroom cap w. melted cheese and add a bit of low-fat mayo or pesto sauce.
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I do believe that a great many of us have a deep-seated belief that in order to permanently remove excess weight we need to suffer. I am here to assure you that Permanent Fat Removal does not equal suffering!
How did I come to this conclusion that y’all think you need to suffer?
Because you write me (thank you – keep them cards and notes a comin’), and you make ‘declarations of suffering’.
“I am suffering.” “I suffer.” “It is soooo difficult to lose weight (more suffering).” “I suffer with my . . . “ “I have suffered with weight loss my entire life.” “It is impossible …” “I never …” “I can’t …” Platterfuls of suffering!
Now listen up girls and boys. I’m not going to tell you that permanent fat removal is easy – primarily because you’ll be plenty peeved at me – but I am going to tell you that it is as difficult as you make it.
So … returning to the original premise that you have a deep seated belief in your tush that needs kickin that you must suffer, I am here to tell you that the ‘no pain, no gain’ aspect of permanent fat removal is not only an inaccurate belief, it is also counter- productive.
OPTIONAL SUFFERING
Whatever your suffering beliefs, they are optional. Your choice. Not necessary. Give it up!
Get the ‘mind-clearing eraser’ out and wipe the ‘suffering slate’ clean! Suffering has a less-than-desirable effect on our minds, hearts, reality and WEIGHT!
Leave the suffering at the door (or in the comment box below). No point in dragging it with you throughout the day. It will surely weigh you down.
Join the Kick in the Tush Club community and discuss!
Spread the word (NOT the icing!),
Janice

Have you ever wondered when people started to obsess about food and weight? There was a time when no one ‘dieted’ and nasty fat words didn’t exist. Oh yeah – cave men didn’t call each other fat slobs. Those types of words weren’t created until the late 1800’s! In fact, the first corpulent words were “porky” in the 1860’s; “jumbo” in the 1880’s; and “butterball” in the 1890s.
There are some documented cases of dieting that go back more than 1,000 years, but in the United States, our obsession with dieting took root at the end of the 19th century.
By the time World War I rolled around, being fat was seen as unpatriotic!

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Yes, today is my birthday! I’m such a baby. When I was a kid, I did a 100 day countdown. I announced it at breakfast each and every morning for 100 days. My brothers nearly killed me. You can imagine. 100, 99, 98, 97 … But once an adult, they actually called me 100 days before and on my birthday and we had a good laugh.
As for the origins of the birthday cake, I hadn’t thought about the tradition until we were out celebrating my mother-in-law’s 88th birthday, and the waitress started to tell us (whether we wanted to hear it or not – she may as well have pulled up a seat and joined us!). Her story was a little fuzzy around the icing (I think she had partaken in a mighty slice of rum cake). Nevertheless, I was left craving not just a slice (well, sliver) of the cake, but the birthday cake story, as well.
Here follows my very scientific findings from my detailed research!

A number of historians believe that the birthday cake was first cooked-up in ancient Greece. The Greeks formed round or moon shaped honey cakes or bread and took them to the Temple of Artemis to honor the Goddess of the Moon. They placed candles on the cake so that it would glow like the moon, and the smoke of the lit candles carried their wishes and prayers to the Gods who lived up above, in the sky.
Others think that the ritual originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. Reportedly, a sweetened dough was made in the shape of the baby Jesus and was used to commemorate his birthday. Later on – the Kinderfest – birthday celebrations re-emerged in celebration of young children. The Germans placed a large candle in the center of the cake to symbolize ‘the light of life.’
In medieval times, the English placed symbolic objects inside their cakes. Sometimes coins or thimbles were mixed into the batter. The person who bit into the coin was sure to be wealthy, while the poor person who found the thimble would never marry. (Oh my! Imagine that.) Needless to say, if the cake fell while baking it was believed an ominous sign and the poor birthday girl or boy was guaranteed an entire year of bad luck.
Today, we believe, that if we blow out all our candles in one breath, our wish will come true. (By the way, if there are 88 candles on your cake, it’s okay to ask others to blow with you.)
Here’s to luscious birthday cakes, sweet dreams and delicious wishes.