Okay, so I managed to gain 5 — FIVE — pounds during the holidays, and I am NOT happy. So I have tossed out the buckeyes (peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate, yum!), poured the eggnog down the drain, and eaten the last of the fudge (a girl has to have her standards).

Now, I’m turning an eye to more healthy eating, and one of my favorite snacks is hummus on pita bread. It’s not the most low cal snack in the world, but, hey, it’s healthy.

You, too, can join me in the hummus-eat-a-thon. It’s soooo easy to make.

1) Buy a can of Garbonzo beans. You can get a can of chick peas from the Asian section of the market, but they’re the same thing. At my HEB, the “chick peas” shelved in the Asian section cost $2.19/can. The Garbonzo beans in the canned food section cost $0.89. Guess which one I buy?

2) Buy a jar of Tahini. It’s a bit pricey, but lasts a long time.

3) Buy some lemons.

4) Buy some olive oil

5) Buy some minced garlic in a jar. It lasts for freaking ever, and we eat lots of garlic!

Open the can of beans and drain. Save the juice!

Dump beans in a food processor (I got mine from Goodwill for $9). Add the juice of 1 lemon, about 2-4 table spoons of olive oil, one spoonful of garlic (I use an iced tea spoon), and about 1/3 cup Tahini.

Blend, blend, blend. It’ll probably be a little too dry. You can add more oil, but that ups the calories. So I use the juice I saved from the Garbonzo beans until it’s the right consistency.

Put on warm pita bread (no recipe, but you can buy it at pretty much any grocery store).

Yum.

Enjoy!!!!!

I have discovered the downside of life as a writer … more particularly, life with deadlines: the mantra Butt In Chair also means Butt Spreads Out. And because my jeans are no longer fitting the way I want them to (and because I have conferences coming up where I will have to wear more than pj bottoms and tank tops) I’m determined to lose at least 5 pounds (10 would be nice — I’d be back to pre-baby weight!), and tighten up some flab.

I found www.livestrong.com recently, and am using their Daily Plate for calorie counting. It’s pretty cool!

And I just found this blog, which will go nicely with the exercise ball I bought recently.

So I’ll be posting my progress here periodically. I figure shouting out to the cyberworld will keep me honest. And if anyone else is in the same boat, check out these great exercises I found which should help remedy the aforementioned butt spread …

10 minute Tush Toners!

GraceLazenby’s Blog | LIVESTRONG.COM.