The Brownie Blog

I was just reaching a point where I was prepared to make a major life change.  I decided to look for a new job, organize my environment, and get serious about a diet.  It had been years since I really worked hard on eating well and exercising regularly.  I started planning my meals, joined a gym, bought a scale, and began working out at least five days a week.  I refused to look at a scale for YEARS!  This was major progress.

I was just getting into a groove when my old college buddy, Brian, dropped me a line, all excited about his new venture...Bite Me Brownies.  His wife had turned a kitchen hobby into a small business.  She began bringing her treats to local shops, where they caught on and bigger orders started coming in.  One night, she spent hours baking hundreds of brownies on her regular old stove in the kitchen.  My friends found a way to package their product, label, and ship it.

Brian was eager to send me a shipment, smack in the middle of my diet.  In fact, since I live so far away from him, my friend wants to use me as a kind of taste-tester as his wife studies shipping companies.  Now this is a dilemma.  How could I get a shipment of brownies that my friend was proud to share....but NOT  eat them??  We're talking about flavors like "Get in my Belly:  Cherry Almond Vanilla".

I decided that my duty as a friend was to try each one of the six flavors.  My initial plan was to take those six brownies to work, cut them into pieces, take my one bite, and give away the rest.  That didn't happen.  I ate each brownie whole over the course of a week.

Since I know my creative friends love brownies AND inspirational stories...I'll share the journey of the Bite Me Brownies baker right here tomorrow.

Come back to find out how my friend turned a passion into a small business and I'll tell you how to order and sabotage your diet for a week too!  Trust me...you can't eat just one bite.

It's a Wrap

Since we are all about food today...I'm making a bizarre confession.  Until this week, I had never made a wrap in my life.  I, like every woman in the world, love hot and saucy foods.  I'd pass right by the cold wrap menu in a restaurant.  Puh-lease....give me the hot roast beef sandwich with fries, smothered in gravy.  That gravy settled right in my butt.  When that area ran out of room...it dripped to the thighs...hips...stomach.  You get the point.  Anyway, the idea of actually making a wrap myself never entered my mind.  Too plain tasting...blah.  Then, I made a decision to boost the exercise in my life and eat more salads for lunch and dinner.  I pushed back with a fury, insisting I hated every step.  But, somewhere along the way, I started to like and look forward to those salads.  I entered a workout class at the gym.  The nutritionist took us on a grocery store tour, pointing out these great low-cal wraps.  I bit the bullet and bought them, along with meat, cheese, fresh spinach, onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes.  As soon as I got home...I made that wrap...and I liked it!!!  It may seem odd to all of you out there in blog land that this is my first wrap encounter.  But, in the past I've always indulged in whatever I wanted to eat.  Now, I'm trying to make healthier choices.  I did it.  It's a wrap.
P.S.  If you want that hot and saucy treat....scroll down for Chef Donavan's Tasty Tuesday selection.