P52: Macro

Well, kind of. Sort of. Not really, actually. I don't have a true macro lens (yet . . .), so I just use the long end of my Tamron. I had hoped to catch some of the blooms popping up on the Mall (Silly flowers! It's February!), but ran out of time and daylight, so I scrounged around my backyard for something, anything.



Meh. This was actually my favorite shot from outside, not macro by any means, but much cuter.

White Bean and Artichoke Dip

Yeah, so joining Weight Watchers right before the Super Bowl is a bad, bad idea. Not that I actually enjoy football, by any means, but I do enjoy wings. And pizza. And beer. Anyway, I did manage to whip this up as a relatively healthy option. It would have been great with the addition of fresh basil or sun-dried tomatoes for some extra flavor and color. White beans are really just blank canvas for a super simple and light dip.





White Bean and Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 can white beans, like canelini
• 1 cup marinated (not frozen) artichoke hearts, drained but reserving 1 tbs of liquid
• salt and pepper to tast

Directions:

1. Whip it all up in a food processor. Presto, you're done.

Friday bliss: perfect grilled pizza

And the 50 degree February day that made it possible.

P52: Lust

At least, the type of thing that I will be lusting after for awhile, unless I want to ask "How many points is that?". I just joined the big WW. I don't really want to talk about it because reading about other people's weight and diets is so intensely boring (and even less interesting when they quickly fall off the wagon, which I am apt to do) but I feel like I would be hiding something if I didn't at least mention it.

I hate depriving myself. I hate counting what I eat and measuring it and writing it down. However, I also hate that may pants don't fit. I want my cake and I want to eat it too. And not some crappy fake cake made with Cool Whip and Diet Coke. Or angel food cake because that tastes like styrofoam and don't try to tell me that fresh fruit is just as good as chocolate. I want real cake, three layers, with frosting DAMMIT. And ice cream on the side, while I'm at it. But I spent the last year not worrying about what I ate and it gained me 20 damn pounds. So here we go. There is a good chance that this is as short-lived as last year's 30 Day Shred episode. We'll see. Feel free to post WW sucess stories or tell me I'm not a foodie sell-out.