Blog entry 10.15

Today I spent reading some of my past blogs. I wanted to make one very large disclaimer moving forward- I am no expert. I don’t have any formal cooking training. I am a personal trainer and I am guy who struggles with his weight on a daily basis. You see I love food. I find a ton of solace in what food. Not only does it provide my comfort, but food to me is my social outlet. It is also a place where, when I am preparing food, I feel a sense of control when I so often don’t. And yes, I love to eat and overeat. I could eat most of you under the table (although that’s unsanitary) any day. When a group of friends and I dine, I am that guy that stares at your plate wondering if you will be done with that soon so I can eat it before you box it up.
So I write this blog, not as a guy who has all the answers. I am writing this blog to share solutions to problems I have encountered and what has worked for me. As much as I like to write this blog and play expert, I am not. But I do know what has gotten me thru those times that I considered diving into a pool of pork fat and cheese dip.
Case in point, yesterday’s meal was a flop. Well, it was not when I served it, but it was an hour before hand. Here is how it went down. I was going to show my reader’s how to make pot roast. Sounds simple? Well after cooking the meat, it had the consistency of somewhere between shoe leather and bicycle tire. I had to salvage dinner because it became a challenge that I had to win. I drained the dripping s of the meat, saved it to the side, while I created a rue of flour and butter in a small pot. I added the dripping and made gravy. Yes, Mr. Health made gravy. So I poured it on top of the pot roast, cut into chunks and made make shift stroganoff. It worked. I mean it was hearty as hell and it was just gravy and root veggies. And my people were not grossed out, and in fact, told me they liked it.
Here is the point. Don’t be afraid to cook. Yes you can boil water, monkeys can boil water. Don’t be afraid to take risks. What happens when we stay in our comfort zone is that we get complacent. It is only when we take the plunge into unknown water is when we truly make progress. I would be no where if I still ate out three times a day like I used to. So I say this not as an expert, but as a guy who knows what is like to fear the unknown, just do it.