Conquering your biggest enemy...THE TOMATO...

See the picture below?

In my 31 years of eating food, the TOMATO has been the one food that I have had the toughest time stomaching. I know...to some of you, you are reading this blog and screaming...WEIRDO!!!!

My thoughts on tomatoes have always been the same...

MUSHY...

GUSHY...

ALL AROUND...BLAH...

When I used to eat a tomato, I looked like Macaulay Culkin from "Home Alone".

Yup...that would be the face I make. Wow, actually when I was a kid I looked like Macaulay Culkin. Him and I were alike. Well...minus the money...the Hollywood career...the box office killing movies...the...anyways, I get sidetracked.

However, I have come to appreciate the taste of a tomato. As long as you buy it fresh...and buy the right tomatoes...they taste AWESOME. And I'm actually eating them with...get this...SALAD. That's right...ME. I am eating salad almost on a regular basis.

So today, I found a recipe that is good for me...and utilizes tomatoes as the main ingredient. I'll be making this recipe this weekend. How about you join me in this venture and try it as well and share your thoughts. Here it is...

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"Grilled Tomatoes Recipe" (VERY creative name...this person must be a marketer)

Ingredients

• 2 firm, ripe tomatoes (not overly ripe or they will fall apart when you grill them), cut in half around the middle
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt (or fleur de sel if you can get it)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 basil leaves, thinly sliced (roll them up like a cigar and then slice them to make nice thin slices)

1. Standing over a sink, use your fingers to gently dislodge and remove the watery pulp and seeds. (Although the seeds and pulp contain a lot of flavor, when you grill the tomatoes they are going to be lost anyway.)

2. Preheat your grill on high heat for direct grilling. Use a grill basket or fine grill grate if you can, it will make it much easier to work with the tomatoes (or any other vegetables you grill). Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper. Brush the cut side of the tomatoes with olive oil. Brush the grill grate or grill pan with olive oil. Place the tomatoes, cut side down on the grill surface. Cover the grill and let cook for about 4 minutes. (Check after 2 minutes.) Use a metal spatula to lift tomatoes off of the grill for serving.

3. Place on a serving dish, cut side up. Drizzle a little more olive oil on the tomatoes. Sprinkle with just a little more salt and pepper. Sprinkle with thinly sliced basil.
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Sounds easy right? I KNOW. Even I could do it.

Even this lady could do it...

The moral of the "TOMATO" story? You don't need Batman...Superman...or even Wonderdog to conquer your enemies. All you need is the drive and the determination to get it done, and you can conquer your BIGGEST enemy in the world.

Now, if I could only use that determination to conquer the bills I get in the mail each month.

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Lastly in today's blog, I want to send a HUGE GOOD JOB to my son Austin who conquered his "own enemy" last night at his minor league baseball game.

As adults, we watch our kids play baseball and wonder why they could be scared of a ball hurtling toward them at 50-60 MPH. Heck, I have even wondered that myself watching him this season as he would jump out of the batters box with every pitch thrown to him. After talking with him in the dugout last night, something hit me as his parent. Of course I won't be nervous about a 50 MPH fastball hurtling toward me. I am 5'8"...over 200 lbs...and have had my share of bruises. He's 7 years old...4 feet tall...and 50 MPH to him is FAST. Last night however, he conquered his enemy in baseball.

Five straight pitches...

All hurtling toward him at a great speed...

And he never moved an inch...

As I said in my first blog, I'm not only losing weight and becoming healthy for myself...but also for my wife and kids. I want to be able to keep up with my kids whether I am 35...40...45 years old. I want to be able to be able to take a bike ride with my kids without being out of breath.

And the smile Austin made last night at that baseball game...and it was PRICELESS...I want to be able to see that smile for years to come from all of my kids, and my grandkids down the line.

(I warned you in the first blog there could be a tear shed at some points in this blog. Don't say I didn't warn you!! By the way...your fly is down.)

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Lastly...call my friends Dr. Cort and Dr. Carrie at the Vreeland Clinic today to join in the program that I am on! It's simple, and they make you very comfortable in reaching your goals. They have a three month special going on right now...so don't miss out on this chance. I promise you...it's worth it.

That's it for today! We'll chat again tomorrow.

Hasta De La Manana!