The Doctor has been promising to post a few recipes on this site.  The work is almost done, then I will start linking to that content.  Until then I will describe it! 

My dinner tonight was cooked on a gas grill.  The tenderloins were pounded flat and lightly rubbed with brown sugar, salt, pepper, and brushed with olive oil.  The sugar makes the meat brown quickly, and the molasses content is great for flavoring the meat.  Cooking is only 2 minutes per side on a hot, preheated grill (turned down to medium just when the meat is put on the grates).  After cooking, the meat is well seasoned and is still moist, since the grill is so quick.  The Chimichurri sauce is a olive oil and red wine vinaigrette (4 and 3 tablespoons, respectively), with 4 tablespoons each of minced parsley and cilantro, with a half teaspoon of dried oregano and 1/4 tsp salt.  It’s the green sauce in the picture above.  Spooned on top of the hot, flavorful meat, it is totally worth getting hungry for.

The eggplant slices were brushed with oil, salted and peppered, then cooked on the same grill for 4 minutes per side.  The heat was a bit aggressive, I think next time I will turn the grill down to low.  The yogurt sauce had mint, lemon juice, zest, garlic, cumin, and salt.  That was a really strong flavoring, I think it overpowered the eggplant!  I may cut the spices in half next time. 

I was talking to an acquaintance this weekend, a fellow of about 75 I will call Bob.  Bob has stayed thin in his old age, and trim and muscular too.  I see him at the pool often.  How does he do that?  Is he the mythical person who eats what he likes and doesn’t gain weight?  

Ha, no.  Bob told me that he cooks once per week.  He makes three pounds of meat and an enormous salad, and then eats all that during the week.  His wife doesn’t cook for him, he found he had better control if he does that himself.  He said he only gains weight during travel, like on holidays, when he can’t easily regulate how much he is eating.  That is a really interesting system.  Bob has figured out how much he can eat in a week to maintain his weight.  Instead of paying attention every day to how many calories he can eat, he really only has to pay attention once per week, when he portions and cooks the food.  

Is that a bit dull and monotonous, to eat leftovers 6 days out of 7?  Maybe, we didn’t go into specifics.  But boy, is he fit and thin.  Would that system work for me?  Maybe, once I am 75.  Right now, I am enjoying bribing myself with delicious food that changes every day.  One thing is clear: I am putting a lot more work into my daily food choices, cooking, and calorie counting than Bob is.  

I have made sure that I have a lot of my favorite foods ready to go this week.  I have hamburgers grilled, and sausages, carnitas, and chimichurri grilled pork tenderloin leftovers all ready.  And coleslaw.  No grazing on snacks and chips this week!  The food is so filling and satisfying that I am sure to have a great week.  I am really working hard to keep myself happy.  And it is paying off.  It could work for you, too.

-The Doctor