Being a near-Vegetarian is making me FAT.

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I am (mostly) not joking. Previous to my "new diet", I was basically feeding my kids and eating cereal with skim milk for as many meals as I could tolerate, trying to lose baby fat that way.

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But ever since this new wave has crashed on my shores, I am actually cooking yummilicious food that I am EATING LOTS OF.(hence the getting fat part) I know no one really wants a play by play on my dietary consumption of the past week- but seriously- I have to brag about all the REAL food I have been making and eating from

scratch-o-la

lately!!!

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Lets see...we (strike that- my son had 1, my DH had 2, and I think I ate the last 9) had

Pumpkin spice muffins with whipped honey (local honey from the Farmers market-and REAL butter)butter... and I swear I could eat ANYTHING with honey butter. Shoelaces...rubber stamps...tin foil. OH Yeah.

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We had all fruit smoothies twice this week..these are not new to us but I LOVE them.

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Then, I made eggplant Parmesan. It turned out really yummy.

THEN,

I made
Black bean and Sweet potato chili with fresh cilantro cream on top.

I have had 3 bowls today. Oh goodness. (That almost was ruined! We accidentally added WAYYY too much RED pepper to this- but my hubby-chef fixed it- amazingly.)

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I am making Sesame noodles tomorrow with this awesome sounding Asian-peanut sauce.

I have been eating pasta with fresh tomatoes,basil, green olives(my fave) and olive oil like a ton, and tons of other tasties that I am can't even remember right now.

Oh yeah- I am going to make an asparagus Pizza that has all these different kinds of mushrooms on it, and cheeses... Y-U-M!

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I am kinda falling in love with cooking thanks to this whole veggie-tarian thing I've got goin'. I have a fabulous Vegetarian cookbook my mother had given me for my birthday last summer, so I have loads to try! (Unless, of course, I really DO get fat...which wouldn't be too hard- I'm kinda almost there already...eek.)

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Oh, and on the other side of the coin of chowing-downage, quick story- Friday was our ward Halloween party- and I had been a crazy girl at the last minute making Elsie this adorable tulle tu-tu for her to wear that night. It was black and light pink. Mark had to work a 12 hour that day- so I was on my own with the 3 amigos ALL- DAY -LONG and was kinda at that mad insane breaking point by the time I actually got them all "Costumed" and myself put together, and out the door (the REQUISITE 1/2 hour LATE, as always- wouldn't want to tarnish that fantastic image we've got going!)

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Anyway.. we get there and its a chili dinner and desserts, with trick or treat afterward. We stumble over to the only open seats we can find, and my kids of course will only TRY the cornbread that accompanied the chili- and immediately declare it inedible.

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I bend down to get Elsie out and no sooner do I start to get her little cutie-patootie tu tu arranged, I realize that she's had a UBER- BLOWOUT (which she almost NEVER has!)and EVERYTHING (including the $22 Maryjane tights) is laden with florescent YELLOW poopies. Before anyone even got to SEEE her! I seriously almost burst into a fit of tears right then and there.

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When I got back, my kids had plates filled to the brim with desserts. Cupcakes, cookies, popcorn balls, GOODIES. Desserts for Dinner, and trick or treat candy for Dessert. I was so at my wits end, I couldn't fight it.

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Isn't it the Cobblers kids that go without shoes? I think that applies in our case, all too well....