Unleashing The Optifast Gourmet

Well, here we are, the day before New Years Eve. And oh, what a year it has been. My husband and I have no real plans to do anything special tomorrow. We will be happily seated side by side, perhaps watching on television the famous ball in New York City drop for the final countdown to 2013. Or maybe I will be in bed and miss the whole thing -- that has happened in the past! I will not be having any "bubbly" because the Optifast products make your liver work harder and subsequently drinking alcohol is strongly discouraged. Over do it, and you could end up in the hospital. (Another side effect of the products I forgot to mention previously. Keep this firmly in mind.)

I plan on having four Optifast products tomorrow then my weekly "special meal." (As allowed by the clinic.) I'm going to broil a 4 oz. piece of salmon and serve it on a spinach salad with cucumber, red onion, and a small amount of sun-dried tomato strips. Pretty simple. I made a lemon citrus vinaigrette a few days ago, and I'll put a splash of that on there. Should be quite tasty.

Yesterday, I received my copy of a magazine/cookbook with fantastic light recipes that are restaurant-quality. It is published by Cuisine At Home (www.cuisineathome.com) and is called Cuisine Lite, Volume 1. (Not to be confused with Cooking Light magazine.) There are a total of three light-recipe magazine/cookbooks in the series, and from the looks of the first volume, I will be ordering the other two. I came across this publisher when I was in Fresh Market a few years ago. They were selling their crockpot recipe collection, which I use over and over again. The dishes are excellent.

I purchased the Cuisine Lite cook book in anticipation of my maintenance phase, which will begin, I'm predicting, in late February. I'm starting my homework now, so I've got some recipes in my arsenal when it comes time to eat "real" food regularly. Although I'm not going to shred all of my current recipes (my husband is not on a diet, after all), I have to build up a completely new collection of low-calorie things to cook. I purchased a special binder to keep them organized. So it feels like an interesting, new "project." Which I like.

I think individuals who are comfortable cooking their own meals have a very good shot at maintaining a healthy diet when the full fast is over. And fortunately, it is never too late to learn about cooking healthy dishes. I think one of the biggest reasons people don't cook more is they think it will take too long. Most of us have very busy schedules, and with an onslaught of fast food places and processed junk ready to be fired up in the microwave, people take short cuts to eat. This is thinking and eating that must be dismantled. If not, it's a ticket right back to obesity, in my humble opinion.

Now, I'm at the point where I've been cooking gourmet long enough that I am comfortable creating things on my own. But I still rely heavily on magazines, cook books, and on-line recipe finders because the emphasis is clearly shifting to preparing meals in 30 minutes or less. Publishers know what readers want. Something tasty that can be quickly whipped up. Sure, we always have the option of sticking with the chicken breast cooked in a pan lined with cooking spray; steaming Birdseye vegetables with no sauce in the microwave; and having a small serving of Uncle Ben's boil-in-the-bag brown rice. But folks, that just gets boring. And soon it tastes like cardboard. Where's the Big Mac?

What I like about Cusine Lite is they show you how to take that simple chicken breast and prepare a special enhancement, like avocado and grapefruit, apples and a few walnuts, or a few olives and raisins, to create something special. For your starch, you would enhance that brown rice with a few, simple, low-cal things -- and have some leftovers for lunch the next day. Tips like mashing a small cooked potato and cooked cauliflower together are very helpful. Just little quick, easy "touches" that make the dish more flavorful. And I tell you, it is fun creating these dishes. I enjoy it, and so will you.

Personally, I do not plan on cooking all of my daily meals. I have a part-time job and there is just not time for that. Yogurt or high-fiber cereal for breakfast, a hard boiled egg and 1/2 tuna sandwich (or things like that) for lunch, and an apple or 100-calorie pack almonds or string cheese and a few Wheat thins for a snack. But dinner I want to cook myself. I need to know what I am eating -- and I do when I prepare it. In addition to Cuisine Lite, my Optifast clinic has given us handouts of meal possibilities in maintenance, and I plan on using those suggestions -- however I will be doing a little "doctoring" and I will be sure to pass along any appealing creations I might conjure up.

Just going up a notch or two in food preparation can make a big difference. You actually want to eat the things you prepare! Yes, this all can be enjoyable. I'm looking forward to it. So even if you just started the program, I encourage you to start exploring some low-calorie cooking publications now. It doesn't hurt to get your own recipe binder started. That way when you transition, you'll have some recipes to try right off the bat. We'll get our chefs' hats on and have some fun!