I got an e-mail from one of my friends the other day. She told me that she and her husband were on “The Dave Ramsey Plan”. Now what this means is that they are getting out of debt. Living on less than they make and moving toward a place of “financial peace”.

My wife and I went through the Dave Ramsey Plan several years ago. As a matter of fact, I believe in the plan so much that I became a Financial Peace University facilitator at my church. I can’t say that we are completely debt free, but it is close. We don’t have any credit cards. I wish I could say that we live on less than we make, but hey… I have two kids in private school. It’s more like we live on exactly what we make.

So anyway, back to my story. So she says that they are going to be getting out of  debt and she wanted to know how to eat “rice and beans, beans and rice”, and still stay on the healthy side of things. Many times when I was in the People Magazine Weight Loss Challenge, I wondered the same thing. If I am trying to save money and eat this…. how does that work. Well, the good news is (and I thought this to myself many times) is that my wife is from New Orleans—- and what is one of the staples of the N.O. diet??? Red Beans and Rice.

Go to any restaurant in New Orleans and it is on the menu. The origins of the dish are up for debate, but the version that I buy into involves a vague reference to taking all of the stuff that was left over in the kitchen from the weekend and putting it all together for Monday’s lunch.

So, here is the recipe that my wife uses— in it’s most healthy version: (actually, it is attributed to my Brother-in-Law as he is the real cook in the family):

Robert McDonald’s Red Beans and Rice:

- One pound of light red kidney beans

- 2 medium onions chopped

- 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce

- Hot sauce to taste (Tabasco)

- 1 tablespoon black pepper

- 2 tablespoons Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning (or Zatarain’s)

- 2 tablespoons minced garlic

- 4 or 5 bay leaves

- 1 bell pepper seeded and chopped

- 2 stalks of celery (chopped well)

- One pound of TURKEY link sausage in 1/4 in slices

- one 12 oz. can fat-free re-fried beans

Rinse your beans well.  Take all of these ingredients except the sausage and soak them over-night in a big pot with water. Put water about 2 inches above the beans. Just cover it and leave it on the stove overnight. When you are ready to cook- add more water (once again till it is about 2 inches above the beans)  then turn the heat on high and bring to a boil uncovered. Turn down the heat so that it will simmer- cover. Cook for about an hour and a half or until beans are tender. Stir while cooking and you may have to add a little water as needed. Add the can of fat-free re-fried beans and stir until mixed well to thicken the dish.

Serve over cooked rice.

When I asked my wife how many people this will serve… she said “a bunch”- so count on at least 6 servings out of this.

This recipe is the best way that I know to eat “beans and rice, rice and beans”, stay on your budget and watch your calories. Of course watch your portion size (particularly the rice)…. but the beans are FULL of fiber and will fill you up in a flash!

Remember— Get up!!! Get moving!! Have a better life!!!!

The really alarming part is the the high-chairs on the right!!

I have told you before—- well, at least I have said before, that I have this reoccurring nightmare about wings.

The way it works is—– I am caught!!!! Red handed with a pile of wings and a pitcher of  Bud Heavy by an ex-girlfriend. She says, “What happened to you?? I thought you lost all that weight in the People Magazine Weight Loss Challenge.” Then she completes the thought with “Jeez…. for a while there I was sorry I dumped you”.

The point here is that now I have to eat my wings in PRIVATE… you know… like the true food addict that I am —– I hold up in my house and eat wings….. alone!!

All kidding aside- I don’t really like Hooters that much, but they do make a nice wing. This recipe is for the REGULAR WINGS—- you can also order the NAKED WINGS that I BELIEVE are baked and I know that they don’t have the breading.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup Louisiana hot sauce
1 dash pepper, Ground
1 dash garlic powder
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 chicken wings

Directions
1 Combine the flour, paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt in a small bowl.
2 If the wings are frozen, be sure to defrost and dry them.
3 Put the wings into a large bowl and sprinkle the flour mixture over them, coating each wing evenly.
4 Put the wings in the refrigerator for 60 to 90 minutes. (This will help the breading to stick to the wings when fried.)
5 Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees.
6 You want just enough oil to cover the wings entirely — an inch or so deep at least. Combine the butter, hot sauce, ground pepper, and garlic powder in a small saucepan over low heat. Heat until the  butter is melted and the ingredients are well blended.
7 Put all the wings into the hot oil and fry them for 10 to 15 minutes or until some parts of the wings begin to turn dark brown.
8 Remove the wings from the oil to a paper towel to drain.
9 But don’t let them sit too long, because you want to serve the wings hot. Quickly put the wings into a large bowl.
10 Add the hot sauce and stir, coating all the wings evenly.
11 You could also use a large plastic container with a lid for this.
12 Put all the wings inside the container, add the sauce, put on the lid, then shake. Serve with Bleu cheese dressing and celery sticks on the side.

Now- this is the actual recipe—— if you want to do it the WeighDownSouth way…. cut down on the butter and DON’T fry them…. stick them in a Pyrex dish and BAKE them in the oven. I just kinda watch them and when they are brown—– then I enjoy!

The whole point is that I have absolutely NO INTENTION of never eating wings again. I might change the recipe a little—- and eat just a few—– but I won’t be happy without them. I mean, if somebody told you that you can’t have your favorite thing again….. ever…. that sux doesn’t it? It would be enough to make me depressed.

Can’t do it!

Ingredients

1 sm whole wheat pita

2 tbsp Newman’s Own Sockarooni spaghetti sauce

1 tbsp part skim shredded parmesan cheese

¼ cup low fat or part skim shredded mozzarella cheese

¼ cup mixed veggies

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place pita on pizza pan with concave up. Smear sauce right to the edges of pita. Top with Parmesan, mozzarella, and your favorite veggies. Bake in oven for 15 min. or until middle bubbles.

This is the perfect size for an individual and is very tasty. Even my 3yr old son likes to have his own pizza, but only with the cheese. Hope you like it, let me know!

Note: for added flavor you can brush pita with a dressing made of olive oil, minced garlic, and salt.