Weighty concerns

Never trust a skinny chef, goes the adage.

That may be true. But it’s a problem, I tell you, when that wanna-be chef also aspires to be at least a decent runner.

I’ve been cooking up a storm lately and my eating habits have become a disaster area. I am carrying the extra pounds to prove it.

This weekend, for example, I had a craving for New England clam chowder. I didn’t add all of the half and half called for in the recipe, but I am sure it was enough. Plus I didn’t skimp on the bacon. But my was it tasty.

The littlest Ozling has become quite intrigued by football, particularly the Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning. The game was on TV so I thought it would be fun to grab some grub and watch the game. I cooked a pizza and made some queso dip for a little pig-out session while watching the Colts beat the Titans. Not exactly gourmet fare, but it too was tasty.

Then that night I made some Chicken Parmigiana. This was not nearly as bad nutritionally as some recipes for this dish. Instead of breading and frying the chicken, I dabbed the chicken cutlets in some olive oil and herbs. Then I sautéed them for a few minutes, placed them in a baking dish, dribbled some marinara sauce over them and sprinkled some mozzarella and parmesan. Placed them in a hot oven to get the cheese bubbling, serve with some rigatoni and broccoli. Again, tasty. Notice a theme developing here?

Oh, and a chocolate chip pound cake also caught my eye in a food magazine so I helped one of the Ozlings bake one of our own. Mmmm….

I am a big fan of microbreweries and Kansas City has a great one, Boulevard Brewing. They have a delicious Lunar Ale that has been advertised all over town. I decided to give it a try. Yumm. After nearly eschewing the brew for much of the summer, a frosty glass filled with Lunar Ale was quite a treat. I still have half the six pack left, but I couldn’t resist pouring one when I made my version of Philly Steak sandwiches last week.

This seems to be my MO. Deny myself treats or special meals for long stretches. Then as I ramp up the exercise I go around starving all the time. Eventually, I give in and satisfy a craving. The problem is I keep going. It was so fun to satisfy one craving, why not another? And another?

I have rallied at least a little this week. Cooking decent family dinners is a big deal to me. No. 1, we need to gather at the end of the day as a family if at all possible. No. 2, the food should be good for us and (remember the theme?) tasty.

I prepared a dish of sautéed shrimp with cannellini the other night and last night whipped up some chicken quesadillas with black beans. Not too bad, I guess. But I did finish the evening last night with a slice of chocolate chip pound cake. Mmmmmm.

As far as the running goes, this has been a cutback week. 3 on Monday, 6 on Tuesday and a relatively easy 4 this morning. The schedule calls for 10 on Saturday. I am getting excited about the Half Marathon. One month to go!