It's time for our annual strawberry gorging!

It's hard to believe that it's already the middle of strawberry season! My favorite seasonal food, strawberries mark the true beginning of Summer in the Conway household.

If I could only say one thing about strawberries, I'd spread the word about the inherent and complete superiority of picking your own berries. You will never look at the chewy, tasteless offerings available at your local supermarket the same way after collecting a few gallons of your own sweet and juicy fruit. Supermarkets don't seem so super after you do...

This year we added to our fun by hosting my sister and her family. Unfortunately, there were no livestock at the farm, so I think the kids were a little disappointed. It's hard for 8" tall plants to compare with 600 lb. animals. Still, they occasionally got into it and helped out.

In the end, we all had a blast, or at least until the rain started. No bother, we managed to collect our booty and get back home before any serious downpour action. As an added bonus I used the car-ride home to fulfill my obligation as an Uncle to teach Josiah the proper way to eat a pretzel.

Now we're faced with the daunting task of consuming 3 gallons of strawberries, which actually isn't so daunting considering that as of this writing Jenny's out-eating me 6 quarts to one. Stupid me, I actually take time to try and make something with them, while she just eats them whole. I'll never learn.

P.S. - I can't believe that it took me over 100 whole posts to finally be able to work the word "booty" into this blog. Now I can die a happy man...

P.P.S. - I'll be working quite a bit over the next few weeks, so please forgive me if my posts are a little sporadic!

Goal! Goal! Goal!

A little over three years ago, I was in my girlfriend's apartment carefully listening to her lament her runaway weight and her burning desire to make a change in her life.

Maybe it was because of my success, or a simple desire to try something new, but she decided to join Weight Watchers with me and follow the program. Many moons have passed, and that girlfriend eventually became my fiancee and then my wife.

We've been through lots of ups and downs together - a wedding, multiple vacations and the simple challenges of married life - but throughout our relationship, my girlfriend, fiancee and wife have each gotten a little smaller as the months and years ticked by. And now, after many years and lots of hard work, Jenny has reached her goal weight.

There aren't words to describe the incredible transformation that's taken place over the last three years and 55+ pounds. And I don't just mean physical. She has so much more confidence and self-esteem than she did when we first met. She's living proof that weight loss is about more than just appearance; it's also about health, longevity and self-respect. She's a different and better person now than when she started, and along the way she's helped me to become a better person too.

I fell in love with the woman she was back then, and now I love her even more (as if that was possible). She's been my rock and inspiration through many bad weight loss cycles and low emotional points, and now I'm glad to see that she's reached a goal that she's wanted for so long.

Congratulations, Sweetie, I'm so very very proud of you...

Mahi Mahi with Avocado and Brown Rice

As my wife will be happy to tell you, my cooking is usually filled with bold flavors. We routinely plow through garlic, onions, and a variety of seasonings with aplomb. Occasionally, though, the mood hits me for something a little lighter and more delicate. Heck, I'm sure even Bobby Flay makes a salad from time to time.

Such is the mood that drove me to prepare this dish, a lightly sauteed fillet of mahi-mahi with vegetables, avocado and my new favorite brown rice.

This pile of grub was perfect for a summer(ish) night after work. Let's start at the bottom with the brown rice, which as I've just mentioned, comes courtesy of Good Eats. The next layer is the vegetables, which consists of a sauteed julianned onion mixed with a few handfuls of bagged cole slaw mix (thrown in at the last minute so the sauteeing process doesn't render it to mush). Next comes a bed of sliced ripe avocados seasoned with a pinch of kosher salt. Top with a mahi-mahi fillet sauteed in a little oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. Finally, squeeze a little fresh lime juice over the top and serve steaming hot.

You don't need to add the lime twirl on top unless you're entertaining for guests or taking a picture for a food blog.

Voila, a light and flavorful meal on the table in a little over an hour.

I normally don't like to use bagged salad mix, but with cabbage I make an exception. It's clean, convenient and the cabbage is durable enough to stay fresh despite the processing. Besides, a whole head of cabbage yields about 6 gallons of shredded produce. I'll take the added processing and cost over wasting 98% of a head.

The mahi-mahi comes courtesy of the freezer section of my local Costco. I'm still amazed at the incredible variety of frozen fish available there. For a landlocked foodie like myself, it's the closest thing I'll get to living at the beach. I know, pretty pathetic.

The whole meal is 11 points (5 for 1 cup of rice, 1 for 1 teaspoon of oil in vegetables, 2 for 1/4 avocado and 3 for the fish and oil).

Update 6/16/06 - This photo was entered in this month's Does My Blog Look Good in This photography contest!

Your Moment of Weight Watchers Zen

2 Hawaiian Host chocolate covered macadamia nuts are 3 crunchy, creamy, succulent points.

All things in moderation...

It's Never Too Late for Brown Rice

I read almost every weight-loss and nutrition headline that pops across the news. It's sort of a hobby for me. As a result, some good advice has been absorbed into our routine, like eating more fresh fruits and vegetables and not to eating the entire pint of Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey ice cream (29 pts. per pint).

One hot health habit that has never settled well with me is the push from pristine white rice to it's dirtier, rougher cousin brown rice. During the course of my childhood and adolescence I've consumed, by my estimation, 6 billion cups of cooked white rice. Some kids came home to beef and potatoes; in my household it was chicken and white rice. Old habits die hard.

You can't resist the brown rice cult forever, so we've made several attempts to revisit this puzzling whole grain alternative. I'll be the first to admit I suck at cooking brown rice, and I was one crunchy bite away from giving up on the whole business altogether.

In desperation, I turned to Alton. Yes I know, this is only the thousandth time I've turned to a recipe from Good Eats. Sue me. If a blogger can get a book deal by cooking a ton of Julia Child recipes, then I can indulge in a little GE mojo from time to time.

I should have started there at the beginning, because the Good Eats baked brown rice recipe is the last I'll ever need. Soft, fluffy and full of flavor - it's everything I've wanted brown rice to be. Best of all, it's only 5 points per cup.

Served up with a bit of marinated/braised/broiled chicken and veggies (patience grasshopper, I"m still working on the recipe), and it completes one heck of a dinner.