The Daily Gourmet - a step more

You give your guests a feast in your house, and you serve a tasty drink that flows like a river. Psalm 36:8

It appears I have managed to generate some interest - in my vast network of readers (tongue firmly planted in cheek) - regarding the details of this new approach to cooking here in the state-of-the-art kitchens at Maul Hall. So I'll indulge you today and offer some highlights.

1. The food is awesome
2. As of this morning, my beginning of the day weight has dropped from 180.5 (last Thursday) to 176.5
3. This is not so much about losing weight as continuing my ongoing "Gourmet Initiative", but with more careful attention to balance than Epicureanism. A return to my ideal weight of 170--172 will possibly be a side benefit
4. The plan is to follow the daily regimen for five days each week, understanding the impracticality of expecting a 100% performance
5. The book we're using (and I only purchased it because I liked the look of some of the individual recipes) is called "The 3-Hour Diet" by Jorge Cruise. The endorsement from Emeril Lagasse - "Where great food meets great flavor" - is right on
6. The idea of "3-Hour" means that we're supposed to eat something every three hours. The meals are pretty-much 400 calories, and the snacks are around 100 calories. That means somewhere around 1500 calories a day. I'm probably eating more like 1800, but that's still (best guess) only 60-75% of my normal intake
7. I'm improving the book (and probably increasing some of the calories) by cooking from scratch where possible. For example, instead of frozen pancakes for the ricotta cheese/cottage cheese/peach pancakes, I use my Joy of Cooking pancake recipe. Instead of frozen spinach, I prepare fresh. Instead of canned marinara sauce, there's a great recipe from another cookbook to prepare my own.

The bottom line, especially in terms of this ongoing "A Life Examined" - "Live as if we mean it" - commitment I have going on, there's absolutely no reason not to enjoy a healthy diet that is at the same time bursting with flavor and bordering on "The Daily Gourmet".

Stay with me on this. I'll be reporting back - maybe even bragging a little as I hone in on 170 pounds. Peace, always - DEREK