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It has been a journey with unexpected twists and turns, as promised by the philosophy of Harrison's Can't Lose Diet. I remember owner Pat Hall saying that my body would reset and stop craving the foods that make me gain weight. “Yeah right” was what I was thinking in the back of my mind. I’ll believe that when I see it.
One of the danger foods that always tripped up my past efforts is pasta. I’ve never been able to resist it so I’ve been fearful of adding it back into my menu, even in the smallest quantities. And with summer comes all kinds of pasta salads that I just can’t say no to. But to my surprise, this year I learned new tricks that will definitely keep starchy carbs off my plate for the long haul!
We went to my sister-in-law's new lake house in July and they pulled out their latest kitchen contraption called a Vegetti. It looks like a pasta maker but instead, it turns healthy veggies, like zucchini, into long pasta like noodles. I eyed it suspiciously as Patty assured me how easy it would be to spin the green and yellow squash through the machine. It looked difficult to operate and even harder to clean, but to my surprise I whipped through 8 zucchinis in about 5 minutes, easily filling a bowl with perfect looking noodles—nicknamed zoodles— which we boiled in water for about 2 minutes.
Once drained, we topped our overflowing plates of zoodles with a homemade marinara sauce and parmesan cheese, tricking our eyes and stomachs into believing we were stuffing ourselves with fattening pasta. I vowed to order a Vegetti online the next day.
As soon as the new machine arrived, I proceeded to concoct recipes to satisfy my addiction for noodles —Spa-Zoodle and Meatballs, Sesame Chicken Zoodle, Chicken Zoodle Soup, Zoodle Au Gratin, Beef Zoodle-Noff, Zoodle Ramen -- and they are just the beginning. The list is endless and I’ve been easily satisfied with no desire to cook up a pot of pasta.
A few weeks later, I drove up to see my childhood friend in Peterborough, Ontario. Sharon lives on a farm, is a long-distance runner, and vegetarian. She grows and eats her own organic vegetables whenever possible. When I arrived, she had two huge spaghetti squash already roasted with a fresh marinara sauce bubbling on the stove. She sliced the squash in half, flaking the pasta-like interior from the walls, piling up a bowl of what looked like spaghetti. Duh—that’s where it gets its name from, I thought as I smacked my forehead. As I sat around the dinner table with Sharon’s husband, three strapping sons, and their girlfriends, not one person asked for pasta. Plates were wiped clean.
Typically ,I would head into fall heavier from barbecue feasts, picnics, and celebrations of the summer. Not this year. And because of the new tricks I learned I’m not worried about the upcoming holiday season one single bit!
Sherry Bruck lives in Westchester County and is a Can't Lose Diet client.
