Lettuce Wraps

This was probably the most rewarding "4 Hour Body" recipes we've made EVER. A lot of times things can get repetitive when you've got such a small window of items to work with (chicken and veggies are oftentimes our go-to meal with the "I'm hungry but not yet grumpy" window being so slim).  Lettuce wraps have always been a favorite appetizer of mine when we stop at PF Chang's (which these days is even fewer and farther between than before), so when we saw seasonings at Henry's, we picked it up. Adding a packet of veggies to the simmering meat - really, whatever we had - I heated up some edamame for an appetizer making this a simple, and proper boyfriend diet, meal.

Black Bean Stuffed Peppers

Last night we tried a little crock pot action, or rather, my boyfriend tried it. I enjoyed. The recipe, another 4 Hour Diet pick from my boyfriend's online search, revealed some spectacular flavors. After browning the meat with onions and some basic spices, he threw the peppers into the crock pot while we were at work to unleash some strong smells once I stepped in the door. It was a flavorful surprise, though I must admit that after one soggy bell pepper, I had to add a few stale tortilla chips in there just to get a bit of a crunch.

the books

This is our bookshelf. Well, it's his bookshelf...although it sits in the middle of our living room. It's sparse shelves are filled with page after page of various nonsense that he continues to buy into. Honestly, I don't get it. And I've tried, believe me. But there aren't any stories in these books - there are only little sayings, or bits of theories that I can hardly understand and most of the time just put me to sleep. But he loves them, and that's exactly where he got his idea to evolve from just simply the Four Hour Body to the Paleo. At least, he tells me, there's fruit involved. What there isn't, is a cheat day.

Mac & Cheese

A few weeks back, it was my birthday. As I typically like to celebrate for a week, one of my final celebrations was at a cute French bistro in East Village. This meant that we were eating out on a Tuesday, not a Saturday. Saturday's have become our night to splurge as "The 4 Hour Body" calls for just one cheat day a week - where every rule is thrown out the window and dieters are allowed - and encouraged - to consume as many calories as humanely possible. Though I don't follow the diet throughout the week, I typically enjoy splurging with my boyfriend on those "cheat days."

This Tuesday already followed a Saturday cheat day. But could I really help myself? I knew I wanted the macaroni and cheese with pork appetizer, and I wasn't going to comprise. It was totally worth it.

Middle Eastern Trip

In his research, my boyfriend discovered The Slow Carb cookbook. While not officially affiliated with Tim Ferris' "The 4 Hour Body," it is comprised of 4HB approved recipes for everyone to enjoy. This recipe was probably the saddest things I've ever tried. It was called "middle eastern zucchini boats" and boy did we sink. I might not be the kind of girl that can really take a great deal of cinnamon on my ground meat, but to call this an entree was seriously stretching it. I want some rice.

Paleo + 4 Hour Body = HELL

So it all started with this one book. My boyfriend, he loves to buy books. Especially self-help books, but that's a whole other story. After handing me Tim Ferris' "Four Hour Work Week" a few months back, in comes an entirely new creature - a 500 page plus specimen that is pretty much the size of our coffee table entitled "The Four Hour Body." Inside, it not only claims to help individuals loose weight, but also adds in some sex tricks and workout techniques...because, really, all those seem to go hand-in-hand. If you haven't been living under a rock recently, you'll know what I'm talking about.

At first, I decided to try it out with him. We decided to devour every suggestion Ferris had about our diet - no carbs, lots of veggies and absolutely no dessert. The only problem with my current diet was that, while it didn't totally rely on carbs to survive, it did rely on chocolate. I'm a self-admitted choco-holic, so when I initially gave myself in to his diet regime, I was only scared about one thing - giving up my sweets.

Turns out, it wasn't only the chocolate I missed. Two days in and my workweek was looking a lot longer than normal after oatmeal had to be substituted with two hard boiled eggs, sandwiches with salads and tuna, and dinners of rice and chicken into veggies, beans and meat. At first, it wasn't too bad hanging out with him as he enjoyed his fourth salad of the day or snacked on three peanuts. As soon as we moved in together, that all changed. Because now, we were actually sharing most meals together - and we shared a fridge.

This blog is about the adventure that ensues, between my cooking, addictions and his latest phase.

My Boyfriend is on a Diet

This is my boyfriend. And that's me in the hat. We're typically a pretty happy couple, but since moving in together I've noticed one thing about our lives - they totally revolve around his diet. Dinner time has no longer become a simple meal between two people - it's warfare. Who is going to the grocery store tonight? And how else can we really prepare those veggies differently than we did yesterday?

So I decided to start a blog, because I like doing that sort of thing, and weep about it to the blogosphere rather than just him. This is our adventure into the world that is his diet, and my attempt to live through it.