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I scrub my cast iron with coarse salt and hot water. Never use soap. Before each use, I rub a little oil over it with a paper towel. That's all there is to it! The more you use it, the better seasoned it will become.

Durango, Colorado. It's a pretty well known tourist town. Lots of outdoor activities, a famous steam train, and plenty of Native American culture. Celebrities love it. Which is all great for the restaurant industry. There are a ton of restaurants, and a lot of good restaurants. My favorites are Cypress Cafe (organic Mediterranean) , East by Southwest (sushi with a southwest flair), Seasons (until they burned down, but they'll be back), Raider Ridge Cafe (breakfast burritos and smoothies). There's a newish Mexican restaurant there that's pretty good--No Way Jose's. Really, just way too many to list!

Kelly
Flavor a Deux

Huh. I tried that before and it just gave me the picture again. But it works now! Love your blog. I'll bookmark it.

Hey, thanks, Brownie and suthungirl!

Yes, Heidi Swanson's 101 Cookbooks is very good. Healthy food, too!

I didn't know Michael Chiarello had a blog. Woohoo!

Kelly
Flavor a Deux

Food blogs! There are hundreds out there, many of which are fantastic. Some of my favorites are Simply Recipes, Bitchin Camero, Coconut and Lime, and Smitten Kitchen. And that's just to name a few. I have a lot of links on my site that you can check out. My site is Flavor a Deux.

You can buy bran in nearly every supermarket. I don't do this personally, but I know people who add bran or wheat germ to their every day cereal. Or just eat oatmeal for breakfast! :) Also, adding beans to meals is an excellent way to get fiber. Add them to salads, or make them for a side dish. They have tons of fiber!!! The most of anything I can think of... Eating fruits and veggies for a snack will help, too.

Kelly
flavor a deux

I'll check your blogs out. Thanks! Redhead--I've already chosen the recipes for April, but I'd like to continue the cook-off in forthcoming months.

This is random, but chocolate chip cookies.

Hmmm. I've made my share of lousy meals, I'm sure. I can't think of any off the top of my head, but my husband once fixed me a spaghetti dinner. He was so proud of his homemade tomato sauce. It contained every type of sweetner in the house--white sugar, brown sugar, honey... It was, um, awful. But he was so proud and so excited that he cooked ME dinner. I ate it. He hasn't been allowed to touch tomato sauce since...

Kelly

I did this again just last night-- instead of defrosting my chicken breasts, I microwaved them. I should have learned the first time what that Chicken/Fish button does on my new microwave, but I just cannot fathom that anyone would actully cook chicken or fish in the microwave, so I assumed (again) that it was defrost. Sigh.

Kelly

Oh, you want beverages, too! Let me go on a rant here. Maybe I am a coffee snob, but I truly loathe Starbucks. Their coffee is not coffee. For one thing, they rarely serve it hot. Even if you ask for it extra hot, it is never hot. When I say hot, I mean: it-should-be illegal-to drink-for-twelve-minutes-hot. Not: take-it-home-and-nuke-it-if-you-want-it-hot. Aarrrrggh. Also, the ratio of actual coffee to milk is atrocious. What is it, three quarters milk to one quarter espresso? G-R-O-S-S.

Almonds. Trader Joes has a great variety. My favorite is the (unsalted) Dry Roasted Almonds. They don't come in individual servings, but a handful works for me.

apples (if I'm extra hungry, I'll add a few slices of cheese)

Trail Mix. Trader Joes actually does have a bag that is portioned into individual servings.

Yogurt is great. I like fat free, and I try to buy the brand with less sugar.

Buy a large container of salad greens and pre-portion them into individual serving containers. I do this, along with small containers of dressing, for my husband's lunch. I also cut up a variety of veggies and put them in a big bowl. Radiches, carrots, broccoli, red and green peppers. He takes a baggie full with him everyday.

a slice (or two) of whole grain toast with apple butter

Hmmm. These are mostly snack ideas... For full meals, a lean protein such as chicken or fish, steamed veggies, and brown rice. You can cook the brown rice with flavorings, such as ginger and garlic, maybe a splash of soy sauce.

Oh, and stay off soda pop. I know many people who lost ten pounds but cutting it out of their diet. They did nothing else, and lost ten pounds. Diet is worse than regular. There are studies about this.

Good luck!

Any Moosewood, but especially, as Erika points out, Moosewood Lo-Fat.