Can you survive on 500 calories a day?

Yesterday, a friend asked if I could create a 500-calorie diet for her. She said that for health reasons she had to take off 30 pounds very quickly. I said no because that is not what I do. I proceeded to tell her that she would not have success on a 500-calorie diet because she would be too hungry. Your body needs food every day to survive. The bigger you are the more food you need because you have more cells asking for nourishment. Even a saint would be hungry, tired and irritable on a 500-calorie diet.

She might be able to torture herself long enough to lose the 30 pounds, but she would not have learned how to eat differently. Her eating habits made her gain the 30 pounds to begin with. If she races to get those 30 pounds off as quickly as possible, she will not have discovered what eating habit she has that she needs to change in order to keep those 30 pounds from coming back. She will not be able to continue the deprivation to maintain her weight loss.

She wants a quick fix and she wants it today. It took her years to gain the 30 pounds, yet she wants them gone overnight. If she can lose them overnight, they will come back overnight. If you want to stay thin, you must relearn how to eat. You have to teach yourself how to deal with food everyday, under all emotional, social and physical conditions. You have to lose weight eating real food because you cannot afford to buy diet food the rest of your life. The decisive test of a diet, that can last a lifetime, is to ask yourself if I lose the weight I want, will I love eating this way for the rest of my life? Do not ask yourself if you are willing to eat that way for the rest of your life because after you have lost weight you believe you are willing and able to do anything. Instead, be certain to ask yourself if you will love to eat this way for the rest of your life. If the answer is no, then you will go back to eating the way you love and you will gain your weight back.

You can eat real food with real flavor the rest of your life. You need to eat and enjoy moderate amounts of the “bad” foods so you will not feel deprived. If you are over weight, chances are you do not know how to buy and cook real foods and you probably do not know what a moderate amount is. You have to learn that first. Once you learn, it will become second nature, you will lose weight and it will never find its way home again.

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: A sharpening steel does not actually sharpen a knife, instead it realigns the edge of the blade. As you cut, the tiny teeth on the edge of the knife bend over; a steel puts the teeth back into a row again.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

If you do not take care of yourself, no one else will.

I am always concerned when a single person tells me she hates to cook for herself. It does not matter if she loved to cook at one time, the single person does not believe cooking for one is worth the time and effort. Admittedly, it is a lot more fun and gratifying to cook when someone else can enjoy the food with you, but just because you are alone does not mean you should not take good care of yourself. You are worth as much time and effort as your family is worth.

Since what you eat determines your energy level, stamina, and your short and long-term health, you need to be certain you are getting the most nutrition and the best quality foods you can. If you do not take care of yourself, no one else will. If you eat only junk food, fast food, takeout, frozen foods and manufactured foods the nutrition you will be getting is scanty at best. If you think cooking for yourself is bad, imagine how being sick all by yourself will feel. Having no one to comfort you and care for you when you are sick is not pleasant. If you live alone, you still need to take the time to cook for yourself so you will eat well and at least put the odds of good health on your side.

Many times recipes yield too much food for one person and the leftovers get boring quickly. The high yield is a bonus, however, because you will get many portions to put in your freezer. You do not have to eat the same meal five nights in a row, instead freeze the remaining food in single portion sizes. That way you can have a freezer full of your own takeout ready to pop in the microwave when you get home to tired to cook. You probably will only have to cook four or five times to fill your freezer; the time you spend cooking will pay off in many delicious meals. Cooking is easier than you think and even a single person is worth the time and effort it takes.

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: The best place to store your knives is in a storage block on the counter. They will be within easy reach and will not bang against anything.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you know you can buy that from a box?

In doing the research for my cookbook, many times I heard the comment, “Don’t you know that you can buy that from a box?” In other words, “Why should I bother cooking this from scratch, waste my time, and get my kitchen dirty, if a convenience form already exists?” My answer is you and your family are worth the time, effort and trouble.

You have been buying the easy, pre-prepared stuff for so long that you have forgotten how simple food is to make and how few ingredients it can require. You have forgotten how a meal can bring a family together, how much better home cooked food tastes and that food made at home has more nutrition. Today, it is very easy to eat without cooking and you truly never have to dirty your beautiful kitchen, but there is a price to pay for not cooking in terms of nutrition lost, additives and artificial ingredients ingested, and a more expensive grocery bill.

What you eat directly affects your energy level, stamina, short and long-term health. Food does too much for you to let a stranger decide what is in your food. As America’s Cooking Cheerleader™, I want you to start cooking again so you can take back control over what you eat. Only you will be sure the food you feed your family is fresh and the best quality. Only you care how much fat and what type of fat your spouse eats. Only you care if your kids are eating too much salt and sugar. The food manufacturers make foods to fit their budgets and criteria, you make food to ensure your family will stay healthy for as long as possible.

As America’s Cooking Cheerleader, I encourage you and cheer you on to cook in order to save money, to eat healthier, and to create family time. You can do it. You can cook for your family. You and your family are worth it.

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: Never put your knives in a dishwasher, always hand wash them.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

Your best friend in the kitchen.

A friend asked if I thought she needed a food processor in order to cook. I said no immediately. Expensive equipment and fancy utensils are fine, but are not necessary and they create more work than they are worth. First, you must find a place to store it, and then when you do want to use it, you have to remember where you put it and you have to go and get it. Often the equipment has many different parts that must be found if you did not store them all together, and then you have to assemble it before you can use it. Once done, you have to take it apart, wash all of the parts, and then put everything away again. That is just a lot of hassle for not a lot of timesavings.

The only piece of equipment you need is an exceptional knife. Buy the highest quality, most expensive, high carbon stainless steel chef’s knife you can afford. Do not go for a cheap or inexpensive knife because you will always regret it. A great knife makes cooking a pleasure because cutting will be a lot less effort.

Also, be sure to buy a diamond sharpening steel to realign the blade before you use it. Before each use, hold the knife at a 45-degree angle to the steel and slowly slide the knife the entire length of the steel. This puts the edge back on the knife. Once or twice a year, depending on how much you cook, get it professionally sharpened. Do not trust your knives to just anyone; someone that does not know what he is doing can ruin a perfectly good knife and your knife was too expensive to lose it because someone sharpened it incorrectly. I only use www.mrleonardknifesharpener.com/. His service and turn around time is excellent.

Cooking is easier than you think and if you are armed with a great knife, cooking can become a pleasure.

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: Do not let your knives bang against other items during cleaning and storage. The banging will dull your knives and might even nick the blade.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

Would you pay $6.22 per pound for chicken?

I was talking to a friend who told me she had a recipe that called for canned chicken. I must live in a cave because I had no idea chicken came in cans; I thought only tuna and spam did. I was even more amazed when my friend told me canned chicken sold for $3.89 for a 10-ounce can. That means the chicken is $6.22 a pound.

When you reach for a convenience product or an “instant” form of food, you forget it comes with a hefty price tag. With canned chicken, you are paying for someone else to cook it and package it and you are paying for the can, label and shipping. Admittedly, the canned chicken is easy and fast, but is it acceptable? If you knew it cost $6.22 per pound, would you still buy it? In addition, it contains additives to increase its shelf life.

At its most expensive, chicken breast is about $3.99 per pound and you can often find it on sale. If all you did was simmer the chicken breast in water, you would have a better tasting and textured product than the canned variety. If you went the extra mile and simmered the breast in chicken broth, the taste would be much better, you would not be ingesting any food additives, and you would save money.

Cooking is easier than you think and as America’s Cooking Cheerleader™, I will constantly remind you of that fact.

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: Only cut on wooden or plastic cutting boards. Any other surface such as a countertop, dinner plate, or pots and pans will quickly dull your knife.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

Are you a wandering generality in the grocery store?

Have you ever wandered around the store wondering what you need at home? You get to the sugar and flour aisle and cannot remember which one you need. You could buy both, but why have an extra five pounds of flour taking up space in your cupboard if you do not need it; those few dollars could be better spent on something you really do need. Standing there trying to remember if you need flour is a waste of time and buying it before you need it is a waste of money.

Have you ever bought whatever got your attention just because it looked good and later regretted eating the empty calories? Manufacturers create their packaging in order to get your attention and as you can see, it works. Without a list, you are at the mercy of advertising and you completely forget your budget and nutrition. Without a list your normal logical reasons for selecting groceries is put aside and all types of interesting things end up in your cart. Those items may be tasty and convenient, but if eating them gives you too many calories, not much nutrition, and had you spend more than you wanted to, you are the one who has lost.

Take the time to look in your pantry and refrigerator and make a list, make it a rule to never enter the grocery store without a list, and be certain to buy only the items that are on your list. A list will save you time, money, calories and nutrition.

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: Do not measure herbs, spices and salt over the pot. If too much accidentally falls in you cannot always remove it.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

In the kitchen, whose team are you on?

I have a friend who hates to cook and she avoids it at all cost. Her vet told her that she has to start cooking for her dog because her pet has allergies and needs a diet of fresh meat and vegetables. So now, she cooks for her dog, but she still does not cook for her husband.

When I asked her why, she said her dog does not care if the vegetables are overcooked or there is no taste, he eats it anyway. I found that comment very informative. Perhaps some people hate to cook because they do not want to be criticized. I cannot blame them because a lot of effort and thought goes into making a meal. You have to decide what to make, write the grocery list, then shop, prep, cook, and serve; there are many places something can go wrong and if the result does not taste good then it seems as if all of that effort and time was wasted.

I have written repeatedly that you need to have high standards in the quality and taste of the food you eat and you should never settle for just anything that does not taste magnificent to you just to fill your belly. That is still true, but when someone is making an honest heartfelt attempt to cook, she needs to be encouraged and supported in her efforts. I do not think you should lie and tell her that her spaghetti sauce is the best you have ever eaten, everyone can see through false flattery, but you do need to thank her for her efforts and find something that you can praise. Humans thrive on appreciation and if you acknowledge beginning attempts, the cook is more likely to try again. Eventually she will find her way in the kitchen.

As America’s Cooking Cheerleader™, I will cheer you on to success. I know all the effort and time that is required to create a tasty and nutritious meal and I believe every bit of that effort is worth it to keep you healthy, save you money and to create family time. Get on the same team as the cook in your family and cheer her on to success. In the end, your family will be the one that will win the game.

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: Once cut, green cabbage blackens quickly; only cut the core out of the part you will be using.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

How sticky are your buns?

I enjoy sweets and dessert in reasonable amounts because when I deprive myself I eventually make up for it in a binge down the road. Since I do not eat sweets all of the time, when I do eat them they must be extraordinary. If I am going to bake the sweet, it must have the best ingredients and outstanding flavor otherwise it is just not worth my time or the calories.

I found a recipe for sticky buns that are quick to make, but the ingredients will not deliver exceptional flavor and taste satisfaction. The recipe calls for prepackaged rolls, packaged vanilla pudding, margarine and brown sugar. The only real ingredient is the brown sugar; the other three are manufactured food products. Manufactured food products have artificial preservatives, colorings and flavorings and those additives give an artificial taste to the product and diminish any real flavor. If I am going to eat a sticky bun, it had better taste like a fresh yeast roll with real vanilla and buttery richness. Made with those ingredients the bun would have incredible flavor and would be worth every calorie.

Keep your standards for all the foods you eat very high. Do not settle for something that is quick and convenient. You are worth more than that. If you treat yourself to the very best in treats, you will eat less because the extraordinary taste will satisfy you quicker. You also will not have to devour the entire treat because you know you are going to give it to yourself again in the future.

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking substitution: 1 cup brown sugar = 1 cup white sugar + 1 tablespoon molasses

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

Stop making losing weight so hard.

Humans never lack for good ideas or creative ways to help others lose weight. What is amazing is that you quickly buy all of the latest ideas and approaches and you consistently refuse to buy the only thing that works and that your can live with the rest of your life. I do understand where you are coming from. You want to look and feel better now not a year from now, but in the course of trying the newest quick fix you lose more time in reaching your goal and you make your year a lot longer than twelve months.

If you read the fine print for the diet aid, the article or ad always states that you need to combine the diet product with a reduced calorie and exercise plan. Anything will work if you eat less and exercise more while you are taking it. Save yourself some money, and false hope, and just follow the suggestion in the fine print.

Use your common sense and stop making eating so hard. Choose real foods that have real flavor and all of the nutrition they were born with. Cook them yourself to ensure they taste good and that they keep their nutritional value. You will know a real food when you see it because it does not come with a label. You can eat real foods for the rest of your life and never become bored or feel deprived. Keep sweet and salty foods in your diet so you do not set yourself up for a binge; just eat them in reasonable amounts. It is much better to eat less of them than to eliminate them. If you stop trying to lose weight quickly, so you can get into a particular dress for your daughter’s wedding, you will lose it forever. You might not fit into that dress for the wedding, but if you choose real foods consistently and cook them yourself, you will be a knock out at the baby shower.

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.



Simple cooking idea: Drain the cooked potatoes, and then put them back in the hot pot to mash them. You will have one less pot to wash.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

Any measuring cup will do.

Many cookbooks will tell you that measuring cups are not interchangeable and not all ingredients are measured in the same manner. I agree with this when you are baking, but not when you are cooking. Baking is an exact science. You cannot arbitrarily leave out ingredients or measure them inaccurately and expect your cake to rise.

If you put too much flour in your batter, or do not incorporate enough air as you are creaming the butter and sugar, your cake will turn out heavy and dense. The science behind baking must be respected and followed otherwise disaster will result. The ingredients used for baking are more delicate and you can taste a mistake immediately. If you put extra vanilla or nutmeg in your batter, you will taste it in the finished dish and it could be unpalatable.

Cooking, on the other hand, is a lot more forgiving. If you put too much flour into the pot and your sauce gets too thick all you need to do is add a bit more broth to thin it. Cooking allows a lot more room for the cook to make corrections. Adding extra rosemary to your stew or extra basil to your tomato sauce will be fine.

Give up the idea of perfection when you are cooking and go for end taste. You do not have to be exact when you cook and you certainly can put your spin on a recipe. The test is in the finished taste; if the finished dish tastes good then your efforts were a success. When you start to cook dinner, do not concern yourself with what measuring cup to use just reach for a cup and go for it. As America’s Cooking Cheerleader™, I am thrilled you are reaching for a measuring cup and not reaching for your car keys to take you to the drive-thru.

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.


Simple cooking idea: To save nutrients, cut the vegetable, add one tablespoon of water, cover, and microwave on high until it is soft.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

Do you choose foods as well as someone who has dementia?

My mother reached a point where she could no longer be cared for at home. She received good care at a skilled nursing facility, but out of necessity, they were very cautious of any potential dangers to their patients. When my mother choked on a piece of hard cantaloupe, they immediately changed her diet and from that point on, they only gave her pureed foods.

Even though my mother was senile, she was not stupid. She new this new food looked and tasted awful and to her credit, she refused to eat it. I understand the facility’s concerns and they were not wrong to try the pureed food, but what made me smile was my mother refusing to lower her standards in the taste and texture of her food.

Are your standards in food choices as high? I am sure you do not eat all of your food pureed, but do you demand great taste and the highest amount of nutrition from the food you eat? If you do, then you must eat real food and cook it yourself. Real foods, the ones that do not come with a label, have great taste, texture, aroma and visual appeal. Real food has all of the nutrition and fiber Mother Nature gave it.

If your diet is primarily fast food, takeout, pre-packaged, processed and manufactured foods then your standards are very low. Convenient and instant foods have their place, but it is not a good idea to make them the mainstay of your diet. Choosing delicious nutritious food is not difficult. If a senile person can do it, you can too.

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: Do not peel garlic. Bang the clove with the flat side of your knife. The peel will then come off easily.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

Did you know some CNAs can cook?

I was talking to someone who works for a company that trains certified nursing assistants (CNA). Basic cooking and nutrition classes are part of the curriculum and the staff person told me that his CNAs are hired because they have that extra training. I was delighted because the companies, organizations and people that need CNAs understand the importance of cooking for their clients and feeding them well.

What you eat determines your energy level, stamina, and your short and long-term health. It does not matter what your age is or if you are dealing with an existing illness, the food you eat has an impact on your health, recovery, energy level and mood. Eating real foods that have all of their nutrition still intact and cooking them yourself just makes sense. You should not wait to be at the point where you need a CNA to decide you need to eat well, and if the time comes that you do need the care of a certified nursing assistant be certain she knows how to cook real food for you.

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking substitution: 1 cup buttermilk = 1 cup whole milk + 1 tbsp. lemon juice.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

Eat well and save the planet at the same time.

I have a friend who works part time at a major bookstore. She told me that college age women come in all the time and ask for a cookbook on basic cooking; they do not know how to cook and want to learn. I am delighted that this generation has an interest in wanting to learn how to cook, but I am amazed that we have raised a generation that does not know how to do something that is necessary to life.

I realize that it is entirely possible to eat without ever turning on your stove or oven, but eating all of your food without cooking it for yourself is a scary thought. It is common knowledge that fast food, takeout foods, manufactured foods and processed foods have more fat, sugar and salt than home cooked foods. They also have artificial colors, flavorings and preservatives, they are more expensive and they are more damaging to the planet.

The younger generation is more aware of the impact they are leaving on the environment than any previous generation. They can see that the packaging and Styrofoam from manufactured and takeout foods add to the landfills. They realize that fossil fuels are consumed in great quantity in order to create convenience foods. They understand that fast foods and instant foods are not as healthy as real foods and that eating them has taken a toll on our health.

Let’s Cook Tonight® and America’s Cooking Cheerleader™ is delighted that this generation is asking for someone to teach them how to cook so they can be healthier, save money, and help the environment. They get it and my cookbook Let’s Cook Tonight: Real Food, Real Flavor, Real Easy will teach them how.

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: Scrape fresh ginger root with a spoon. The peel will come of easily.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

Is your grocery bill as low as your car insurance?

I saw a television commercial for car insurance and the message was clear; when you need to make cuts in your spending change companies to get cheaper car insurance. The convincing argument was car insurance is a required expense, but you can go with the one that will save you the most money. My message is the same; eating is a required expense, but you can eat the foods that are the least expensive. However, unlike car insurance, not all foods are equal and as it turns out the least expensive foods are the most nutritious.

Real foods, those that do not come with a label, are less expensive than pre-packaged, convenience, and manufactured foods. I did an experiment and compared the cost of a box of scalloped potatoes to my scalloped potato recipe. The cost to buy and make the box scalloped potatoes was $2.58 and it yielded five-½ cup servings; each ½ cup serving cost 51 cents. The cost to make my scalloped potato recipe was $3.95 and it yielded 10-½ cup servings; each ½-cup serving cost 39 cents. When you make scalloped potatoes from scratch, you will save 12 cents per ½ cup serving. If you are feeding a family of four, and each person eats one cup of potatoes, your total savings would be 96 cents. That is the savings at only one meal and for only the starch portion of the meal. You can imagine if you had purchased fresh broccoli and chicken on sale the entire meal would have been significantly less expensive than anything you make from a box.

Let’s Cook Tonight® and America’s Cooking Cheerleader™ want you to start cooking again so you can take back control over what you eat. You will be feeding your family more nutritious foods and you will be saving money. Healthier bodies and more money to spend just make sense.

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: You will get more juice out of a lemon if you warm it in the microwave for 20 seconds and then roll it on the counter before you squeeze it.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

What color is your ice cream?

Have you read all of the press on green tea recently? Green tea is purported to do everything from boosting your immune system, to strengthening your teeth, to raising your metabolism. I am not here to discuss the fact or fiction to these claims I just want you to use your common sense before you leap into the next cure-all.

To gain all the benefits from green tea you would have to drink it as Mother Nature created it and as close to its natural state as possible. Matcha tea is pure green tea leaves ground to a very fine powder; nothing has been added or taken out. In fact, it is ground very slowly to prevent the leaves from getting too warm and denaturing the tea. The best way to absorb and assimilate the benefits of green tea would be to drink matcha tea because that is the purest from of green tea available. In an effort to benefit from the green tea craze, matcha tea has been added to sweetened soft drinks, hard candies, ice cream and cookies. The problem occurs because now your body is getting added fats and sugars with the tea. Mother Nature did not put fat and sugar in tealeaves. The likelihood of getting the real value from the green tea has been drastically diminished if your body has to digest and process the fat and sugar first.

Let’s Cook Tonight® wants you to use your common sense when you choose what to eat. It makes sense to eat a food that has been found to give you many health benefits, but before you buy green tea ice cream ask yourself if you want ice cream or green tea. Do not fool yourself into thinking that the ice cream is now healthy because a bit of green tea has been added and do not think that because you have eaten a half a teaspoon of green tea along with a lot of fat and sugar that your body received the value of the tea. If you want green tea, drink green tea. If you want something sweet and delicious, choose vanilla or rocky road.

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: Cut apples and bell peppers in half first, then turn the cut side up and cut them on the inside. The knife will not slip.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

Are your Sloppy Joes Sloppy?

To make Sloppy Joes you can go to the grocery store and buy either a dry mix or a sauce in a can. You brown ground beef and add the mix or sauce. To make Sloppy Joes from scratch you brown ground beef and add ketchup and mustard. Whether you use the mix or make them from scratch, you still have to brown the meat so the time, work and clean up is identical. It is amazing how many people do not know, or do not remember, that what is now in a box, bag or can was at one time only made from scratch. You have been purchasing ready-made mixes for so long you have forgotten how simple it is too cook.

When was the last time you read the ingredients’ label of ready-made mixes? In order to keep the contents safe to eat the food manufacturers add preservatives and chemicals. In order to make the mix palatable they add artificial colors, flavors, sugars and salt. All of those chemicals may have been tested to be safe, but why must you ingest them? When you make your own, you have complete control over what you are eating. You determine how much sugar and salt is added, what kind of fat is used and how it tastes; you will add herbs and spices not artificial flavors and colors.

Start paying attention to what you buy and instead of reaching for things automatically take a moment to read the label. It is not necessary to buy everything out of a mix, box or can and once you start cooking more foods from scratch you will be amazed how much better everything tastes, how much money you will save and how much better you will feel just knowing you did not eat anything artificial

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: When using a box grater, grate on top of wax paper. The grated food will be easier to pick up and you will have one less dish to wash.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

To Drain or not to Drain

You have been taught about the evils of fat in food. It does not matter if it is lard, butter, chicken skin, the marbleized fat in beef, the fat in whole milk, or fat in cheese, fat in your food has been accused of everything from making you gain weight to causing your heart attack. Fat is a necessary part of your daily diet. You need fat for your cells to function, to waterproof your skin, absorb fat-soluble vitamins, to have long-term energy, and to provide flavor and satiety to your dinner.

If your doctor tells you to eliminate fat from your diet then follow his advice. If you try to eliminate fat from your diet because it is the thing to do right now, or because you believe you will lose weight, then I need to ask you a question. Is it working? Many people do what everyone else does because they believe that if it is right for most people it must be right for them. A commonly accepted belief does not automatically make that belief right for you.

Do you drain your ground beef after you brown it in order to discard every bit of fat? If you drain it because you honestly do not like the taste of the fat then continue to do so, but if you enjoy the flavor and you only drain it because someone told you to then you are wasting your time and just creating another utensil to wash. The fat adds flavor, nutrition and satiety. In other words, fat gives you the satisfaction that tells you that you have eaten. Have you ever tried baked potato chips? They just do not please and satisfy like the fried ones.

Too much of anything is bad. If you eat too many carrots, you will turn yellow. Likewise, if you eat too much fat you will gain weight. Enjoy all fats in reasonable amounts and save the colander for the job it does best, draining pasta.

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: Before you sit down to eat, be sure to put water in all of the empty pots. Moist food is much easier to take off than dry food.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

Do you love what you eat?

I have a friend who lost over 150 pounds. She had lost her weight by following a high protein extremely low carbohydrate diet. I ran into her yesterday and saw that she had gained a significant amount of her weight back. I intimately know the pain and frustration of weight loss and weight gain. The mental pain and torture is bad enough, but the body takes a beating as well. The skin is only so resilient, the heart can handle only so much stress, and the joints are only so forgiving.

Why do you repeatedly set yourself up for deprivation, disappointment, and despair by going on a diet? Diets give you an initial weight loss, then you hit a plateau and you get discouraged and bored. You force yourself to continue the deprivation and negative self-judgment, and then you weaken and your old habits return. Why do you put yourself through that torture repeatedly? You are thinking that this time will be different; you will be better, stronger, and more determined to stay the course until you get to where you want to be. Perhaps, but are you willing to continue the deprivation to maintain your weight loss?

The decisive test of a diet that can last a lifetime is to ask---if I lose the weight I want, will I love eating this way for the rest of my life? Do not ask yourself if you are willing to eat that way for the rest of your life because after you have lost weight you believe you are willing and able to do anything. Instead, be certain to ask yourself if you will love to eat this way for the rest of your life. If the answer is no, then rest assured you will eventually gain your weight back.

Eating is a pleasure and it should not be a source of worry and concern about getting it all right. Eat a wide variety of fresh, colorful foods in reasonable amounts every day. Eat real foods. They are the ones that do not come with a label; keep foods with labels to a bare minimum. Keep fats and salt in your diet to enhance flavor and satisfaction. Do not deny yourself any foods that give you pleasure. All foods including desserts, candy, salty snacks and the ones commonly referred to as “junk foods” are meant to be eaten and enjoyed in reasonable amounts. Denying yourself the pleasure of these foods only leads to craving and binging. You can eat real food with real flavor the rest of your life.

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: Your family will help with clean up if you included them in the fun part of creating the meal first. No one likes to do only the dirty work.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

When was the last time you used that kitchen gadget?

Have you ever purchased the latest kitchen gadget thinking that you had finally found the answer to cooking ease? More than likely, you only used it once, found it a year later in a drawer, and wondered what it was and why you purchased it. It is not necessary to go out and invest in a lot of equipment, utensils and gadgets you will only use once. All you need to create a home cooked dinner is a wooden cutting board and a top of the line professional chef’s knife.

Gadgets, utensils and equipment make your clean up time longer because they are typically harder to clean. Admittedly, many can go into the dishwasher, but it still takes time to find the gadget. Once you use it you have to take it apart, put it into the dishwasher, unload it, reassemble it, and then put it away. All of those little steps add time to cooking dinner and that gives you another reason not to cook.

For example, many utensils exist to squeeze lemons. You can find a single wooden tool called a reamer, but it only serves one purpose and that is squeezing the lemon. There also is a much fancier piece of equipment called a juicer. This one has a plastic top to squeeze the lemon and a cup to catch the juice, but that means there are two parts to put together and wash. Avoid both of these tools and reach for a fork. A fork is easy to find, no assembly is required, and you can get every bit of juice from the lemon by using a fork. You can use the same fork to mix the ingredients, taste the food, and to determine when the dish is done. A fork is easy to clean by hand or to put in the dishwasher, and you know exactly where it belongs when you are done with it. Unlike the reamer, or juicer, the fork has multiple uses. Why search for a gadget that only does one thing when you can use another utensil that has many uses?

Let’s Cook Tonight® and America’s Cooking Cheerleader™ want you to start cooking again and we will teach you anything we know to make your life easier in the kitchen. The bottom line is if a new gadget will get you to cook for your family more, shorten your cooking time, or make you more efficient, then buy it. If you have to ask if you need a new gadget, then you probably do not.

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: To squeeze a lemon, cut it in half, insert a fork into the cut end, and squeeze and twist the lemon half around the fork.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.