Perhaps you know your clothes have been fitting a bit tight lately, and maybe you’re slowly facing the sad truth that it’s probably not the fault of the washing machine, the dryer or the dry cleaner like you’ve been hoping.

Truth be known, you may have also secretly been saying to yourself (and not listening) that your face looked a little fuller, the shadow might indeed have been getting a smidge wider (it’s the light this time of year you say to yourself), and, well, that it’s probably time to finally admit you’ve occasionally been using a new hole in the belt.

…one a little closer to the end.

The day of reckoning may, no doubt, be near.

You’ve struggled not to think about it, but there’s one way you “think” you can find out.

You’re going to have to “step on it.”

A scale that is…

Stepping on that scale for the first time in a LONG time can be an eye-opening moment.

As that dial sweeps across the numbers or you wait for a digital readout, thoughts of a not-so-good outcome are almost palpable. All those holiday meals were palatable.

You want to know, but, well…You really DON’T want to know.

“Weight, Weight…Don’t tell me!”

They say numbers don’t lie, but numbers on a scale don’t often tell the whole story and can, in fact, be a poor barometer as to your physical “shape” or your “relative” health.

One reason is because volume to volume, lean muscle weighs more than fat. A simple example would be two different people with the same height and waist size, one a well-conditioned athlete, the other…well…less so.

The more muscular of the two would likely weigh more.

A scale, however, can be a useful tool as part of your fitness management as long as, in my opinion, you keep in mind that weight is only part of a healthy lifestyle.

Having said that, if the numbers didn’t come up so “lucky” this year, AND you’re willing to accept that outcome as an opportunity, it may, in fact, turn out to be the opportunity of a lifetime.

A new beginning.

And beginnings, as the name suggests, have to begin somewhere.

A sort of launch date (not a lunch date; there IS a difference).

And as luck would have it, January 1st of every year is a launch date and a bookmark in time for many who are turning the page on a previous year or even a lifetime of weight or health neglect.

So in keeping with this month of new beginnings, I’m going to offer you some tools to help you accomplish some of the weight and health goals you may have made.

I’m even going to join in with you! (Yes, even chefs can let their diets slip once in a while!)

During these first two weeks of January, I’ll be giving you tips on how you can slim down those fatty recipes of yours. I’ll also be giving you a review of a few of my favorite diet cookbooks.

Until then, to get you started on your path to a “new you,” here is one of my favorite “healthy” recipes, which I hope you will enjoy, and that will help you get started.

Healthy Chicken Flautas

Serves 4

1 tsp Chili Powder
½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Ground Cumin
½ tsp Ground Black Pepper
1 Lb Pulled Nino’s Rotisserie Chicken Meat
12 – 6 inch Flour Tortillas
As Needed Vegetable Cooking Spray
1 Cup Green Cabbage, Shredded
¼ Cup Green Onion
½ Cup Red Bell Pepper, Finely Julienned
¼ Cup Cilantro, Fresh, Chopped
¼ Cup Black Beans, Cooked
½ Cup Reduced Fat Monterey Jack Cheese

Method:

1. In a medium-sized sauté pan, over medium-high heat, spray the pan with vegetable spray and sauté the green onion, cabbage and bell pepper until softened. Reserve in a small bowl.
2. Again, spray the sauté pan with vegetable spray, toss together the first 5 ingredients and sauté in the pan 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through.
3. Warm the flour tortillas in a microwave oven for a few seconds or toast them (lightly) on both sides over an electric or gas range burner.
4. Place one flour tortilla on a flat working surface, and on the bottom edge of each place approximately ¼ cup of the seasoned chicken and 1 tablespoon each of the vegetable mixture, the shredded cheese and the black beans. Sprinkle with a good teaspoon of the chopped cilantro on top of the above ingredients, and roll up into a flute (flauta). Repeat for the remaining.
5. Optional ingredients you can also add to your flauta include low-fat sour cream, low-sodium teriyaki sauce or a small slice of avocado.

Enjoy! It’s promising to be a GREAT 2018!