Today I did something I've been scared to do

I started a diet. Get this: I've been paying for a Weight Watcher's monthly membership since May and haven't gone to one meeting or one weigh-in all summer long. I've been scared. Not unknowing, just scared. Scared to see the my actual weight, THE number. I know my clothes are tight; hell I wear a dress nearly everyday because most of my pants don't fit. And let me tell you, the number was bad.....REAL BAD. The number was so bad it has scared me into not eating. Maybe that's what I've needed. Clothes didn't fit, eh. Yoga class was more difficult with the extra weight, eh. But to SEE the number was just what I needed. So, I'm back on the wagon after a week's free-for-all at the beach. I will eat, don't worry, I will just eat less. And no more of this, I suppose:

It's chicken Parmesan, by the way. Here's the recipe if you aren't on a diet or just have a really high metabolism and/or good "food genes," like my husband (bahhhhhhhhhh). It's a great recipe.

Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless thin chicken breasts (1/2 inch thick)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 eggs

2 cups panko bread crumbs

½ C grated Parmesan cheese + ¼ C Parmesan cheese (for sprinkling)

¼ C all-purpose flour

3-4 Tbsp olive oil for frying

1 C tomato sauce

¼ C fresh mozzarella, cut into small cubes

¼ C chopped fresh basil

½ C grated provolone cheese

Instructions:

-Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
-Season chicken thoroughly with salt and pepper.
-Beat eggs in a shallow bowl and set aside
-Mix bread crumbs and ½ C Parmesan in a separate bowl, set aside.
-Place flour on a plate, and lightly coat chicken on both sides.
-Dip flour coated chicken breast in the beaten eggs. Transfer breast to breadcrumb mixture, pressing the crumbs into both sides. Repeat for each breast. Set aside breaded chicken breasts for about 15 minutes.
-Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer. Cook chicken until golden, about 2 minutes on each side. The chicken will finish cooking in the oven.
-Place chicken in a baking dish coated with a little bit of tomato sauce. Top each breast with more tomato sauce. Layer each chicken breast with equal amounts of mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, and provolone cheese. Sprinkle 1-2 Tbsp of Parmesan cheese on top and drizzle with 1 Tbsp olive oil.
-Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is browned and bubbly, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Today's lesson: doing something scary is sometimes worth it. Well, I guess we'll test that theory at next week's weigh-in!