I confess, I have Sinned.....

"Forgive me Father, for I have sinned.  It has been  (insert amount of time) since my last confession. ....."  I have not confessed my sins to a priest since the 8th grade.  I know this because St. Mary's only went through the 8th grade.  However, if the concept of getting into heaven were based on food confessions - I would be at the right hand of the Lord for sure.  

Today, I ate a fish fry with french fries and two rolls for lunch.  I am also going out to dinner wherein I will order fresh spring rolls and a Vietnamese Vermicelli Salad with extra dressing.  These two "sins" cannot be erased with three Our Fathers and a Hail Mary - no, they will require a much stronger penance. 
How many times do you confess to yourself, a parent, a spouse, or a girlfriend whatever it is you have eaten in a day because it has evoaked some kind of negative feeling in you that you feel you must seek penance?  Take a notebook and a pen and over the course of a week record how many times you confess to yourself or aloud to someone else.  Warning!  This could be an exhausting exercise. 

It is one thing to be mindful of the food choices that we make.  It is another to consistently feel bad about the choices that are made.  Choosing the "bad" food does not mean we are "bad" people.  This sense of needing to confess what we eat adds a negative emotional dimension about food that can be unhealthy for our minds, our emotions, and our bodies.  Living a healthy life is not living a life of perfection, but instead living a life with mindful awareness. 

"Forgive me Father, for I have sinned.  It has been  five minutes since my last confession, but don't expect another one today!"     

A Twist on Comfort Food - A Recipe

YES!  That would be the Pillsbury Doughboy you see.  What place does the Pillsbury Doughboy serve in a blog about healthy living and eating?  Well, he is the key to this next recipe! 

Let's get real here, we all have our comfort foods.  Whether we are 600 lbs or 106 lbs - we ALL have them.  We turn to them when we are overtired, sad, angry, or need a little extra squeeze of love.  Some people turn to chocolate and others to a slice of hot and gooey pepperoni pizza - I tend to turn to entire entrees...... Just another one of the habits I have had to kick to the curb over the last few years.  So, the question becomes - how do I get my comfort?

Food "make-overs" have become one of my favorite challenges to tackle.  First, I find a comfort food (...or entree) that I want and then I challenge myself to make it healthier AND to taste better than the original.  I find cutting out all of the crap and sticking to whole foods generally makes for lighter and more flavorful creations.  A recent study  concludes that the body is better able to use the calories from whole foods versus processed foods.... SORRY Twinky Diet - but you have been rebuked!

So - I encourage everyone to use whole foods as much as possible, but know that this is sometimes impossible - I do cook for six every night so I get it!  This recipe uses both whole and processed foods (thank you Pillsbury) and the filling can be prepared in advance!

Sausage and Veggie Turnovers

Spinach - fresh or canned

Onions - chopped

Portabella Mushrooms - discard stem, clean, and chop

2 pieces Alfresco Chicken Sausage (I can't get enough of it!) - diced

*****(optional) Feta or asiago or other desired cheese

Pillsbury Pie Crust

Spray Butter

Cooking Spray

In a skillet - combine the spinach,onion, portabella, & sausage - saute in the spray butter. Remove from heat and let cool.  I place it in the freezer if I don't cook it early.  Not letting it cool will melt your crust and you will have a giant mess on your hands.....TRUST ME.....!!!!! 

Roll out your dough on a cookie tray that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Place half of your saute mix in the middle of the dough and top with some feta or other desired cheese (optional).  Fold over the crust & pinch together.  I then fold the extra pinched dough up and pinch again. Spray the top with spray butter and cook at 400 for 23 minutes. Do the same thing with the other dough - fill, pinch, and cook.


You can take beaten egg whites and brush on the top of the dough as well.  This will give it a nice shiny look. 

Have fun and enjoy!!!!!