Category Archives: Hot Tip Tuesday

Hot Tip Tuesday: Grill for It!

Hey y’all!

Starting a new feature here on the blog:  Hot Tip Tuesday!

I get a lot of emails and direct messages on Facebook & Twitter asking me all kinds of things…so what better place to share those questions and answers than here on the blog?

The first question I’m sharing is one that has a lot of answers, but I’m going to choose one of my favorite answers to share here.  The question?

How do you find the time to eat healthy?

Going from Twinkie-bingeing couch potato to healthy eating Hot Mess Hottie is very hard, I’m not gonna lie or try to sugar coat it.  But here’s the most important takeaway from today’s post:  everything is do-able…even sometimes easy…if you put your brain to the problem and find what works for you.  If I could share only one lesson with my blog it would be just that.

You have to find a path that works for you.  That’s why I’m not following a cookie cutter diet and fitness plan.  I’m choosing what works for me – and having great tools along the way is extremely important.  How do I find the time to eat healthy?  I’m going to share a big time saving tool with you today.

For me, one part of living a healthy lifestyle that always seemed like such a pain in the ass was cooking for myself.  Standing in front of a stove, stirring and waiting for my dinner to hurry up and cook, was not appealing in the slightest. It seemed so much easier to just drive thru somewhere or order pizza.  BOOM!  Dinner is done.

Well, I know I’m preaching to the choir when I point out that it’s not so convenient when that fast food and pizza ends up on your ass…right?  It’s a lot less fun to work it off than it is to eat it in the first place…but that’s the way it works.  Life is so eff’in unfair!

One of my biggest issues is that when I get home I’m usually pretty hungry.  If I wait too long to cook, I don’t just get hungry…I get HANGRY.  This is a problem for me.

To prevent getting hangry, I love tools that help me cook a healthy meal quickly.  I especially believe that preventing hangry rage is essential in the first month or two of healthy changes – especially if you intend to stick with it.  Make things as easy as possible and you take away all the excuses that so easily pop into your head as you’re pulling into the drive thru.  It is possible to take care of yourself and not spend all night cooking and cleaning complicated meals.

When I first started eating healthy, I used my George Foreman grill so much that I actually scrubbed off part of the non-stick coating.  So I bought another one.  Same story.  After that, I decided to do a little homework.  After reading a lot of customer reviews, I settled on Cuisinart’s Griddler.

(By the way, Cuisinart has not compensated me for this blog post.  They have no idea who the hell I am…so please don’t take this as a sales pitch…I’m just sharing what works for me.)

The thing I liked most about a George Foreman-like grill was the fact that I could throw a chicken breast in it and grill it from the top AND the bottom.  Although some of the George Foremans have detachable plates that can go in the dishwasher, the non-stick coating still didn’t hold up to my use…and I couldn’t buy replacement grill plates for the ones I had.  The Cuisinart Griddler runs about the same price as the grill I was using – but it also comes with temperature controls, reversible grill plates, a hinge release that lets both sides lay flat so I can use it as a griddle…AND I can buy replacement plates for $40.  Sold!

(I’ve since learned that Cuisinart also sells waffle iron plates for the Griddler…but I have a waffle iron that makes Texas shaped waffles and I would feel traitorous if I ever made a square waffle again.)

If you’re lucky enough to live near a Bed Bath & Beyond, grab one of those wonderful 20% off coupons they send out and get a Griddler.  If not, Amazon has the best price I’ve found…especially if you’re an Amazon Prime member and you get free 2 day shipping.  My Griddler has withstood a huge amount of use and it’s still going strong.  It’s one of my favorite tools in my fat fighting arsenal.

Now when I get home, I throw a chicken breast or a turkey burger in the Griddler and then I go about making my side dish…hassle free.  I don’t have to juggle multiple burners or worry about what’s in the oven – or heat the house up in the middle of the Texas summer.  Griddler wins, hands down.

I work full time, so saving time & hassle is a big goal for me when I get home.  The Griddler was the most economical and versatile solution to my problem.  I can’t recommend it enough.

I hope you enjoyed the first edition of Hot Tip Tuesday.  If you have a tip to share or you’d like me to talk about a certain subject, please contact me either here on the blog…or on Facebook or Twitter.

Happy Tuesday!

Cuisinart Griddler