Powdering (or dicing or chopping) mushrooms...

A Moment of A-ha! Not the band...the mushroom!

As we've discussed, I'm adding the Cabbage Soup Diet into my low-carb eating plan for the next week. It's all in an attempt to help a cocktail dress fit a little better. That and it's kind of fun to embrace a fad diet for a few days. 

While I was making my soup/stew I had the most amazing kitchen epiphany. Why wait until the dehydrated mushrooms have re-hydrated in hot water before dicing them?

Let's back up...

I decided to add some mushrooms to the soup and opted to use the dehydrated mushrooms from my pantry.

I had two kinds. The trumpets are kind of big.

I tossed those in a bowl so I could add boiling water to re-hydrate them.

I reached in and started breaking them up with my fingers since I knew I'd be dicing them later. It was something to do until the kettle heated. 

And then I giggled...it was maniacal laugh. If I had a mustache I would have twirled it. 

I took my bowl of dehydrated mushrooms and dumped them in my mini chopper and pulsed them until they looked like this...

The ones on the bottom (it's hard to see in this picture) are super tiny.

You can pulse them as finely as you want. 

Heck, you can completely powder them and add it by the tablespoon into just about anything. 

I still wanted mushrooms that were chopped looking. You can also go for a dice or a mince depending on how much you process it.

I am never dicing mushrooms again for soup.

I'm guessing this will finally be the way I can sneak mushrooms into sauces without my husband looking for fungi invaders before he takes the first bite. I'm going to keep an eye out for other dehydrated foods that I use often and especially those that get a good dice before going into soups or casseroles. I'm also going to suggest this to my brother-in-law as he's always working to have his girls eat healthier foods. This is a great way to incorporate (ok, sneak or hide) vegetables. The smaller you make it the harder it will be for picky eaters to identify in a dish.

Fad Diets...Yes, Please.

There are a gazillion fad diets out there and another gazillion people telling you to make a lifestyle change instead.

Poppycock, I say! (And I say it often because it makes me laugh.)

I also say:

Serendipitous

Bajiggity

Snicklefritz

Tell me Snicklefritz isn't fun to say! And it's her fault I say it now.

I'm a huge fan of the fad diet. I'm a huge fan of anything that will make my ass look less huge in the next 7 days. I have an event next week that will require a cocktail dress. Shoot me now. I'm wearing a dress purchased before the Hub's last year of law school...when I gained 15 lbs. The fit is bajiggity and it's making me a snicklefritz.

So for the next 7 days, I'm going on not one fad diet, but two at the same time.

I'm already a vegetarian and I don't consider that a weight loss diet. It's too often confused with the pasta and chocolate diet and probably why my dress doesn't fit.

I am going on a vegetarian low-carb diet and part of that plan will integrate the cabbage soup diet. I haven't tried the recipe for the cabbage soup diet. I'm really just going to slightly tweek my stewed cabbage recipe and include it as meals within my low-carb diet.

I'm also staying below 1200 calories every day.

Perhaps we should call it what it is. "The Egg White, Spinach, Tuna and Cabbage Diet".

Oh, and I'm also doing the Whole Foods Complete Body Cleanse. It's good stuff and doesn't make my stomach get that flibbertigibbet feeling.

I'm not an idiot and I know I can't maintain this eating plan for long if I wanted to, which I don't. I also know that it will be all water weight and it will come back as soon as I'm finished.

However, seeing the number go down on the scale is good for morale. Seeing that number go back up ticks me off and keeps me motivated.

I'm not trying to drop 15lbs this week. I'd be happy if I could loose 5lbs and the dress fit a little better for this shin dig.

Update: I weighed on Wednesday evening after dinner and since then I've lost 10.1 lbs. It's Saturday. Granted I weighted after meals and stuff and I was clothed. Today I weighed before breakfast and was still in light sleepwear. But dude, it's so nice to see that number move. 

Jalapeno Tuna Pasta Salad with Corn

Oh Happy Day!

I found some jalapeno tuna in the grocery store and couldn't resist buying it. Tuna...with flavor...
Sign.
Me.
Up.

I took a taste right out of the can and WOW! Talk about a kick!

So I added a can of Mexicorn. Who doesn't have a can of Mexicorn for that recipe you can never remember?

And then I cooked up a little farfalle pasta (that's bow tie) ...

and combined it with a little mayo. 

I ended up with a great little pasta salad that only took 15 minutes to throw together with stuff I had in the pantry. 

(Yeah...I'm out of everything but I'm not going to the grocery store until this weekend when I have my muscle around to carry everything.)

I was just tossing things together and never bothered to take a picture. Sorry. Here's the recipe. Don't be scared if you think it's too hot. Just put your pasta salad and chill overnight and the flavors really mellow to become mild. I had some for lunch the next day and the flavors were very mellow and not as hot. If you like it with a kick, serve it straight up or just chill for a 20 minutes to let everything combine.

Jalapeno Tuna and Pasta Salad with Corn

1 Can on Jalapeno Tuna, drained
1 Can of Mexicorn, drained
1- 1 1/2 cup of bow tie or other small pasta
2 tbsp of Mayonnaise

Cook the pasta as directed in salted water, drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking. While it's boiling... Pour tuna into a medium bowl and use a fork to break up large pieces. Add Mexicorn and mayonnaise and stir to combine. Add cooked pasta and stir to combine. Refrigerate.