Atkins and the Battle of the Bulge

June 16th 

I have been doing the Atkins plan for about 8 weeks now.  I have lost 17 lbs and it is actually working for me.  Weight has been a battle for the last 20 years and it is a battle I plan on conquering this year.  It was troubling to give up pasta but as they say “nothing tastes as good as thin feels” so I have found other things to substitute.  And I can have green olives with no guilt!  Olives!  They are just so brilliant.  I love shopping on Saturdays when they have all of the samples and the veggies look so fresh and inviting.  I really enjoy shopping where they have a good olive bar.  

So yeah, dieting.  I hate dieting, probably because I am so very bad at it and every time that I make small progress I always like to reward with food - vicious vicious circle!  I have done weight watchers, richard simmons deal a meal, hcg diet (that was how I destroyed my thyroid), the zone, the cabbage diet, cooked with Suzanne Somers and almost every diet that Womans World has published.  But this is really it.  I think there is something to the low carb lifestyle and I am determined that this the the path I am staying on from here on out.  And like I said - 17 lbs in 8 weeks.  Slow loss but it has not been terribly difficult and it is consistent.  

So today I hav  e been gathering squash from the garden and plan on making a squash casserole later.  I went ahead and scooped up some cucumbers and a bell pepper too.  Squash is technically to be limited to a cup a day on the Atkins diet but I take some license with anything from my garden.  The casserole I make is pretty easy and would be a nice side although I treat a serving with a side salad as a meal.  

There are so many lovely recipes for squash.  I have tried several.  This is my current favorite (Atkins friendly).

Dice your squash (I use zuchini and crookneck) into bite sized pieces - you will need about 6 cups
Cook 3 slices of bacon (I do that in the microwave) 

Take about half a stick of butter and saute the squash along with about half a cup of celery and 1/4 cup of onion.  Just saute for a couple of minutes.  In a casserole dish add the squash mixture along with 1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese (this is getting better all the time isn't it) and half a cup of sour cream and the crumbled bacon.  Cover with about a half cup of parmesan then bake at 350 for about half an hour.

Here is the list of ingredients:

3 thin slices bacon
1/2 cup parmesan
1/2 cup sour cream
6 cups sliced squash
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese grated
4 tbsps butter
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped onion