Wednesday, November 2, 2016

The Food Fight

As most of you know, I'm a definite foodie. 

I wake up in the wee hours planning what I'm cooking the next day. 

My family is never allowed to take a bite of dinner until I take a photo of it. 


My sweetie is constantly acting as guinea pig for my many kitchen experiments. 

I don't think he minds. 

My camera is my constant companion in the kitchen as I'm whipping up a meal, to photograph the steps involved, so that I may share the recipes with  my wonderful readers. 

Our getaways revolve around our favorite restaurants, and reservations are secured before we ever hit the road. 

We went to Saratoga Springs this past weekend, one of my favorite towns to visit. 

My sweetie booked us a table at one of the most fabulous restaurants in the state of NY - Prime at Saratoga National Golf Course

What an amazing treat - we shared the Porterhouse for Two and oh my gosh was it delectable!

We basically planned our whole getaway around food. We really wanted to eat at Prime again, so we booked an overnight stay just so we could relax and enjoy the evening. 

No, we're not crazy. We just really love good great food. 


In the town of Saratoga Springs, one of my other favorite destinations is a gourmet food market called The Putnam Market

They have an entire refrigerated room full of cheese, where an attendant will slice off chunks of cheese so you  may sample before buying. 

We always visit the Putnam Market right before we head home....and Sweetie always brings a cooler to bring home all the cheese!


I could happily spend all day in the cheese room. Seriously. And every cent I have. 

The problem is, I struggle with the challenge of being a serious foodie....yet wanting to drop a few pounds. 

Thus the mix of both healthy foods and a giant pile of cheese that came home with me from Saratoga Springs. 


My sweetie shows remarkable patience when we visit these food stores, sitting quietly while I spend ages looking at every little thing. 

I guess he knows it will be worth it when he enjoys yet another home cooked meal. 

The only thing that I have found through the years that works for me to lose weight is Weight Watchers. 

I am still allowed to eat my cheese....but the fact that I have to track every bite that goes into my mouth helps hold me accountable. 

It keeps the cheese monster at bay. 

I've been doing well, focusing on lots of fruits and veggies with only a smidgen of cheese here and there to keep me sane. 

But then yesterday Sweetie showed up with this. 


The biggest box of chocolates I've ever seen. From my favorite chocolatier, Christopher Elbow

You can't even imagine how delectable these chocolates are, if you haven't sampled them. 

Mind blowing. 

My sweetie knows how much I love them, so this was his anniversary gift to me. Well, really for both of us....because I'll share with him, of course!


This gift box even contained some drinking chocolate. Naturally, my mind immediately started thinking of what cocktails I could create with this!

Last night before bed I had a little of the Pecan Toffee. 


I ate one piece and it was so incredibly amazing I went back for a second piece. 

And I tracked it. Yes, really. 

This morning I hid the box, so it would stop calling my name. 

I will enjoy these amazing decadent treats a little at a time, over the next couple of months. 

Because life is for living. 

And I will continue to fight the battle of the bulge, one pound at a time. 

The food fight continues. 

39 comments:

  1. When I wake up in the wee hours, my mind is decorating. Unfortunately, food for me is mere sustenance. I wish I loved to cook like you do.
    Brenda

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    1. And I wish I had your decorating skills, Brenda! I guess we all have our talents!

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  2. Oh wow, everything sounds so good and I am trying to lose a little weight also, so this is not good. haha. Sounds like a great get-away.

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  3. A whole refrigerated room dedicated to cheese!!!! Oh my...I would go absolutely nuts! Even as a child I loved good cheese and that would be the first place I would go to on the lunch buffet line at the resort my father managed. One year my parents made me incredibly happy by filling my Christmas stocking with a round of Gouda cheese. I have no memory of what else I got for Christmas that year, but that cheese stands out in my mind. :)

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    1. Oh how funny, Debbie - a round of Gouda in your stocking, what a lucky kid!! Sounds like we have more than just our name in common - :)

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  4. I share your love of food and love it when you post recipes. Your sweetie is a keeper. All that chocolate....yum!

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    1. Thanks, Laurie - I try not to go overboard with the recipes but sometimes things are just so tasty I can't help myself!

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  5. Glad your trip away let you and your sweetheart enjoy fabulous food. Wow, I do love chocolate too. My Teddy Bear will eat any old food..I have become more picky the older I get. I love baked, broiled, grilled and roasted foods...not a big fan of fried things. I love seeing your pictures of what you are making in the kitchen. Blessings, xoxo, Susie

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    1. We try to stay away from fried things also, Susie, although sometimes we will give in to a few fries on the side of a burger!

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  6. I should know better than to read your posts at dinnertime...especially when I know that nothing I make is going to be as satisfying as what you have pictured! : )

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    1. Definitely not as awesome as that huge box of incredible chocolates, Kim!

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  7. Perfect timing on reading your post...guess what I just pulled from the oven?! A big, heavy delectable lasagna! lol And, I swear, your thoughts in this post are exactly mine. I am a serious foodie too, and found myself internally saying "yep!" to everything you wrote. When Brian and I went to Shipshewana, IN in September for our anniversary, what did we come home with? Not household decor...just plenty of food! We brought a cooler and ice packs and loaded up on organic meats and lots of - surprise - cheese! We love cheese here too, though I take it easy on the stuff (not only for my weight, but just because I feel too much dairy isn't good for you). Brian eats a lot more cheese than I do. Good luck on WW - it's a great eating plan. I've lost a lot of weight twice on that diet. What I really liked about it was that they teach you how to eat "normal" food via portion control. There's really nothing off-limits, nor are they relying on any of their pre-packaged food, like some other diet plans. Anyway, now that I've been eating "clean" for the past couple of years and have given up sugar, I've lost weight and have kept it off. I'm actually at my lowest weight in over 25 years! I do allow myself some good dark chocolate when I'm having a craving. Your huge basket of sweets would be way too tempting to me - I'd be into it all the time!

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    1. The only reason I didn't come home with MORE food was because my freezers are absolutely stuffed! No room!! Yes, I love WW's and it worked for me in the past, so I trust it. I try to stay away from processed foods, so the fact that they really try to push members towards fresh fruits and vegetables is fantastic! Now, if only they would make CHEESE zero points I'd be in heaven! :)

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  8. Another serious foodie here, that also is struggling to lose weight. Low Carb works for me most of the time, but sometimes the pasta is calling loudly, LOL!! I'd love to have all that cheese too! But the chocolate is new to me, will have to look in our artisanal stores for that brand.

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    1. I love pasta way too much to ever go low carb, Carole! As for the chocolates, you should click through to the website - I don't think it's sold in stores, we always order it online.

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  9. Cheese and chocolate, what would life be without them?? I think you've hit on a smart plan for eating and living wisely.

    Is Saratoga Springs the same place as Saratoga Trunk took place at, the old Gary Cooper/Ingrid Bergman movie? It must be lovely there.

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    1. Wow, Dewena, I had to look that up but yes, it appears that the movie did feature Saratoga Springs!

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  10. Whenever you write a food post...my mouth waters. But this one? I'm drooling!! Oh that chocolate! Try a chocolate martini! But consider yourself warned...it's difficult to have just one! ;)

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    1. The thought of a chocolate martini did cross my mind, Donnamae - or perhaps a chocolate rim on some other kind of martini....maybe with vanilla vodka? Hmmmmm, see what happens when my mind starts whirling? Now I need to buy vanilla vodka!!

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  11. Oh good grief, I'm thinking of losing some weight also. :-)

    The chocolate goodies and the cheeses look oh so delicious!

    Happy Cooking ~ FlowerLady

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    1. Those chocolates are pure heaven, Lorraine - like nothing I have ever tried!

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  12. I am going to have to go get a piece of the kids' Halloween candy after reading this lol

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    1. Isn't that why you left it down the road at your son's house? :)

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  13. LOL- It never ends, does it? I always thought that once I hit 60 I wouldn't care if I had a few extra pounds on the bod. Wrong-o!!! lol Candy/sweets are my biggest downfall...and I don't know where you HIDE your candy to keep it from calling your name but mine can find me where I am! lol xo Diana

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    1. Mine can find me, too, believe me.....but out of sight does help me, most of the time!

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  14. Mmmmmmmmm... cheese and chocolate! Not together, of course. Right now I am trying to limit my cheese as much as possible. Nothing can be done, however, about my obsession with chocolate, so I just carry on with dark chocolate and tell myself that it's healthy!

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    1. It's funny that I have a harder time staying away from cheese than chocolate! However, in a perfect world I would be able to eat as much of either without gaining an ounce - sigh!

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  15. It's so difficult to have wonderful food in the house - it calls to me late at night. If I had that wonderful chocolate in my house it would be gone in one sitting. LOL

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    1. I have that problem when I'm watching TV - I always want a snack. Why is that?

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  16. So much good food...so little time...lol. The chocolates look wonderful!

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  17. I love your "in the kitchen" posts, with the directions and pictures--love to see how good things are made. I LOVE CHEESE too. I love goat cheese and muenster cheese and any cheese really. The chocolates look amazing too, are y'all enjoying those?

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    1. That's me, too - pretty much ANY cheese makes me smile!!

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  18. I'm always slowing down to look at every kind of cheese in the deli of the grocery store. I love cheese, any kind of cheese. I make a killer cheese ball for the holidays.
    Lisa

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    1. Yeah, I can spend an awful lot of time at a good cheese counter quite happily!! And there's always a good selection at my house...calling my name!

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  19. I'm sitting in bed still trying to recover from chemical pneumonia and I'm so jealous. This looks so good. I want it all.

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  20. You had a wonderful getaway and love the anniversary gift...nom, nom...

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