“I was told to never trust a skinny (Italian) Chef!” You have NO idea how many times I have been told that! Or, I get “how can you be skinny AND be a good cook? Should we trust you?” When I first started hearing comments like those from potential clients, I did not know how to handle them, so I would smirk and say “oh well, I guess I just have a fast metabolism.”
I hated hearing those comments. They made me feel so awkward and I did not know how I should take them. “Of course I am a darn good cook!!” is what I felt like sniping back with! Fortunately I have learned to hold my tongue and I know everyone just meant the remarks as a joke. But after a few years of this, I have finally decided I need to come up with a good response, a truthful response…which is NO! I do not eat whatever I want all day long and not gain a pound! Because if that were the case I would eat the icing off of all the tops of my cupcakes, smother mozzarella cheese on everything, eat candy pumpkins until my teeth rot, and ignore the term “oven-baked” haha. Honestly, I try very hard, actually extra hard, after becoming a Personal Chef (and cooking/being around food all day, every day of the week!) to not eat whatever I want….because truth be told: I want to fit into my skinny jeans on the weekends and eat peanut butter by the spoonful! So today I am dedicating this blog to my lifestyle and how I stay healthy while being surrounded by yumminess all day, every day (tough job, i know lol).
When I first started as a personal chef, I thought I could taste this, and take a bite (or two, or three…) of that, no big deal, right? WRONG. My jeans got tight quickly, and I didn’t enjoy food as much since I was constantly eating it. I know that may not make sense, but when you just “pick” all day you never really have an appetite for a meal, and when you look back at what you ate in your day, you really can’t recall…does not make for good eating habits or proper nutrition.
Another misconception I get is that I can eat any of the food I cook for my clients whenever I want throughout the day. Well besides what I just described about “picking”, I most certainly can’t, the groceries I use to prepare are paid for by my clients, they are not paying to beef-up Chef Annie in the process! So with all that being said, of course I do have to taste sauces, etc.,to make sure they are seasoned properly, or test a bite of a potato or piece of meat to make sure it is tender; part of my job IS tasting and adjusting spices and cooking techniques!
So what DO I do? Well, for starters, no matter how many hours I have put in, or how sleep-deprived I am, I ALWAYS work out in the morning before work. If I am not working out Monday to Friday, then you KNOW something is seriously wrong with me lol. It would be safe to say I am addicted to my morning exercise routine. Now do I want to get my workout in every mor
ning, come rain or shine? NO WAYYY!
Actually what I want to do most of the time is hit the snooze button, pull my sheets over my head, and go back to dreamland where Bradley Cooper is cooking me dinner and telling me I can eat whatever I want and not get fat.
BUT I kn
ow that I will regret not working out, and I KNOW how awesome I will feel after I get through the first 15 minutes, let alone w
hen the entire workout is done – I feel like I can conquer the world (or at least my client’s cooking for the day….close enough, right?). I typically stick to high intensity 30-40 minute workouts that kick my bootay and get the job done. I am obsessed with all of Shaun T’s workouts….T25, Insanity, InsanityMax30….
AS far as my eating habits go, this is where good old fashioned will power comes into play. In general, after my workout is complete I start my day with a good ole cup (or two) of Joe with sugar-free French Vanilla creamer. I typically skip breakfast, my appetite normally does not kick in until noonish; if I am hungry, though, I will grab a piece of fruit, but this is rare. I always pack a protein bar or powder to have, and I like to munch on fresh veggies throughout the day, to keep my mouth busy, tummy full, and to keep me from “over-doing my job” (tasting!). When I get home from my day, I am hungry and ready to sit down to my dinner.
As far as dinner goes – it’s everything but the kitchen sink in one big bowl!! I LOVE salads, so I normally make a green salad and add protein, fruit, avocado, maybe a grain or beans if I have any leftover, and then I top it all off with a light drizzle of my homemade, maple/Dijon dressing. I also really enjoy salmon, so when I look ahead at what I will be preparing my clients for the week, and if any of them are having a salmon dish that I really enjoy too, I will pick up an extra filet of salmon and make myself a portion to take home as dinner.
So I know what you are all thinking: that I am a goody two-shoes with a healthy life-style that never fails….SO.NOT.TRUE. It is between the hours of 8 pm to 1 am hour, while I am menu planning for all you lovies, that my REAL will power kicks in…or at least tries to. You see, I actually enjoy eating healthy, I crave a salad for lunch over pizza, I love my work-outs BUT I ADORE my sweets! I have a HUGE sweet tooth that, if I let it take over, would cancel out all my good eating habits for the day. My three greatest weakness are icing (I love to lick the topping off of cupcakes….like a child!), ICE CREAM, and, especially around this time of year, candy pumpkins! I mean, it is not even like I crave good stuff, like my homemade desserts, I want sheer junk, candy corn and store bought icing out-of-a-jar kind of junk!
Sometimes I totally give in, but I have come up with a decoy! When my sweet tooth kicks in late at night (and it will, no matter what!) I eat my low calorie, totally fat-free, high protein/fiber ice cream (Artic Zero – I should work for this company, I keep them in business,
a WHOLE pint is only 135 calories!!!) OR I make myself a big bowl of homemade “ice cream” (made from a simple blend of almond milk, Stevia, and vanilla extract all blended together in the food processor until it takes on the consistency of water-ice/gelato).
Click here for the recipe…enjoy!
After my treat, and all my “office” work is done, it’s back to dreamland and Bradley before starting over again in a few hours in the morning. Well, I hope you enjoyed my blog post, thanks for stopping by and please leave a comment or ask a questions, I would LOVE to hear from you!!!!!
Good points, I do work in the service industry and found that my metabolism cannot handle what it once would when I was walking literally a 1/5 mile from the kitchen to my suites in a ballpark stadium prepping/serving food (no lie, we measured it, 1/5 of a mile each way to/from the suites to the kitchen)! Who designed this ballpark anyway? A guy?! Anyway, nursing school kept me on my feet, but my appetite had not subsided for my post-work, post-school, post-studying, post-anything, post-excuses for a nightly, dreamy, creamy treat. I took to eating Steak n\’ Shakes shakes in college, which, while I knew were unhealthy, especially after interning on the cardiac care unit – clotted cream artery anyone? – were oh-so-good! (We need to reward ourselves right?) Well now I know better, and with your blog, I see that low-calorie frozen treats exist! I juggle food service and nursing now, and while my workouts are every other day (your blog is motivating to fit more in though), I am excited I can treat myself at night. I just worked for a client last night who used a \”Yonanas\” machine, and since cleaning that was an extremely frustrating, futile, and sharp effort, especially since I am not a bananas fan or a fan of making chump-change to clean it, I think I will buy the \’A-Z\’ 135 calorie frozen treat brand you mentioned, and when I can stand again (last night was another late night working for that client, I am still not sure they have any idea what private food professional does, especially when they ask, \”did you have fun?\” Yes, burning both mi manos using a towel to remove the turkey from the oven was fun as your were yelling at me, I will now dull the physical and emotional pain with your yonanas since the aloe plant was put away hours ago.) Back to the point, I will try your recipe Chef!! (Oh, could you do a blog sometime that addresses people who think that working for 9 hours on your feet on their hard kitchen floor is fun, like somehow you are a part of the party? Some individuals don\’t understand what we doing for a living! It may count as exercise, but unless I am sitting back sipping a margarita in your leather la-z-boy it wasn\’t my idea of going to a party!) Anyway, on to the freezer!
Keep up the good work, Laura! Hope you enjoy the recipe…thanks for commenting! 🙂