On dieting - Try this, It's good for you!

I know I should take better care of myself. My mother suffered from adult onset diabetes and it was that awful disease that took her. Of course, it is my right as a father to liberate certain pieces of candy from my son's Halloween stash, right? I've never truly tried dieting, I do try and cook meals that are better for all of the Brave Astronaut clan, and I read ingredient labels more than I used to. There's always that nagging idea in the back of my head that I should make use of the fitness center in my building (but it's so far from my office).

Perhaps there's hope. There's a new diet out there. I spotted a while back (on kottke) an article describing the Steve Ward diet, also called the Line Diet:

"All that you need for my diet is graph paper, a ruler, and a pencil," Steve would explain. "The horizontal axis is time, one line per day. The vertical axis is weight in lbs. You plot your current weight on the left side of the paper. You plot your desired weight on a desired date towards the right side, making sure that you've left the correct number of lines in between (one per day). You draw a line from the current weight/date to the desired weight/date. Every morning you weigh yourself and plot the result. If the point is below the line, you eat whatever you want all day. If the point is above the line, you eat nothing but broccoli or some other low-calorie food."

As a data geek and lover of spreadsheets, I could get behind this. Except perhaps for the low-calorie thing. I have started wearing a pedometer and it boggles my mind when I look down at it at the end of each day and see that I've walked nearly 5000 steps (or about 2 miles and only150 calories). Well, it's something.

Here's a recipe (from Eating Well) to help you get that waistline looking like you want it to. If you think you need to. I mean, not that you need - never mind, I'm shutting up now.

Grilled Salmon & Zucchini with Red Pepper Sauce
Jazz up simply grilled salmon and summer vegetables with a zesty sauce based on the classic Spanish romesco. Made with roasted red peppers, tomatoes and almonds, this sauce is a great match for any seafood, poultry or vegetables. Using smoked paprika brings out the flavors from the grill. Serve with: Grilled baguette.

4 servings
Active Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
  
• 1/4 cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers
• 1/4 cup halved grape tomatoes , or cherry tomatoes
• 1 small clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar , or red-wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon paprika, preferably smoked
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
• 1 1/4 pounds wild-caught salmon fillet, skinned and cut crosswise into 4 portions
• 2 medium zucchini , or summer squash (or 1 of each), halved lengthwise
• Canola or olive oil cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley , for garnish
  

Preparation

1. Preheat grill to medium.
2. Process almonds, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, oil, vinegar, paprika, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a food processor or blender until smooth; set aside.
3. Coat salmon and zucchini (and/or summer squash) on both sides with cooking spray, then sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Grill, turning once, until the salmon is just cooked through and the squash is soft and browned, about 3 minutes per side.
4. Transfer the squash to a clean cutting board. When cool enough to handle, slice into 1/2-inch pieces. Toss in a bowl with half of the reserved sauce. Divide the squash among 4 plates along with a piece of salmon topped with some of the remaining sauce. Garnish with parsley, if desired.