Review: Skinny Suppers

After the holidays, my husband and I (which really means me) decided it was time to get our health under control. We've been married a few years and our love handles grow proportionately to our fondness for each other every year. Maybe we should like each other a little less going forward...that was a married joke for you non-married folks.

I am a Northern Kentucky girl by way of Atlanta. Growing up in the deep south, I learned how to COOK! (did you say that with some "umpf"?)

A recipe has, traditionally, not been welcome in my kitchen if it lacked butter, chocolate, or it wasn't soothing for your soul. Food equates tradition in the south. EV.ER.Y.THINGGGG is centered around meals: births, deaths, family, football, Jesus, America. Children learn at an early age that you show up to parties with an appetite and a covered dish. And thus, food issues are born.

Some people are blessed with high metabolisms and naturally slender frames. We are not a part of that club. Reluctantly, we (I) realized it was time. Time to take back our life and stop being a slave to my kitchen, my stomach, and my appetite.

I read Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst. Y'all! A BOOK truly revolutionized my outlook on food. I'll post a review of it in the next few days, hopefully. But seriously, it helped me tremendously. I loved it so much, in fact, that I am going to start it over again. I'm going to re-read it over and over until I feel settled in my new lifestyle.

Hubby bought me a cookbook I put on my Christmas list called Skinny Suppers: 125 Lightened-Up, Healthier Meals for Your Family. The author is also from Northern Kentucky! She shares a wonderful testimony on her blog, The Skinny Mom (now listed as Womanista Wellness) about her past and struggles with weight gain after a child. She is so real and you feel like you could be total besties with her!

The book consists of 125 entrees and side dishes. Recipes consist of pork, beef, chicken, seafood, vegetarian, and pasta. We've test tasted seven of the recipes since the beginning of the month and they've ALL been FANTASTIC! You forget what you're eating is healthy because it's so tasty!

Spoiler alert: you hardly use butter. *gasp*

The first week going through "the change", I cooked strictly out of this cookbook. I used a total of TWO tablespoons of butter the entire week. Read that again. My southern mind just couldn't wrap itself around this idea. Shoot, I still pinch myself sometimes because I never thought this was possible. I buy butter in bulk at Costco y'all. I had to freeze 4 packages of butter so it wouldn't go bad. (a trick I learned from my lovely Gran) That's progress if I ever saw any.

Back to the book...we've had Sour Cream Enchiladas (hubby's favorite), Mexi-Lime Quinoa Salad (the baby's favorite- he's a foodie), Creamy Mac and Cheese (my daughter's favorite), Buttermilk Chicken Fingers, Parmesan Chicken Nuggets, Bang Bang Shrimp Pasta (my favorite)...just to name a few.

If you're trying to eat healthy without eating boring, bland, ugly food, order this book! Keep your belly happy while you learn to change your eating habits! You will feel satisfied, encouraged, excited, and full!

I wish you luck on your weight loss journey! I'd love to hear about your success, failures, frustrations, praises, and everything in between! Send me an email, subscribe to the blog, or leave me a comment!

Blessings and brownies (er, black beans?),

Anna

**this was not a paid advertisement**

#healthyeating #weightloss #food