Getting started is the hardest part.

Normally, I jumped in all at once. Hardcore, then feeling deprived. I didn’t want that. I didn’t want to not eat the things I loved! I am such a foodie. I love breakfast, lunch, and dinner! I mean, who wants to skip a meal anyway? I knew I had to start slowly, with small changes. So, before that Monday, I sat down and figured out where I could start making changes. I had to change my bad habits. My eating was disgusting.

First and foremost, I didn’t eat breakfast. One was because I never woke up hungry. By the time I was hungry, it was like 10:30 a.m., and at that point, I figured I should just wait for lunch. Plus, I used to babysit, and some days had six kids in the mornings, so I just never took the time because I was too busy. That rolled over into lunchtime, where I actually had the time to eat because most of my kids napped.

Naptime was my lunchtime, and I was always ready — ready to eat the whole darn kitchen! I let my body get so hungry that I would overeat. A typical lunch was usually a turkey and cheese sandwich on white bread — lots of mayo. Lord, I loved mayo! Then brought the whole bag of chips with me, a tasty cake, and I always made sure I had some kind of fruit. I guess I felt like the fruit would help even out the half a bag of chips I would sit and eat for lunch. Usually, once a week, I would get Mcdonald’s too. I used the excuse after picking my son up from preschool that it was his weekly treat.

Which it was! But it was my treat too. Four-piece chicken nugget, double quarter pounder, and a chocolate shake would do. (Yuck! Thinking about that makes me sick now!) How did I eat all that!? Like I said, I stuffed myself so much that when dinner rolled around that I wasn’t starving. I still cooked, of course, but just didn’t eat an overabundance. Which meant that at about 9:30 p.m., I was getting hungry again. I was into a very bad night routine. A big bowl of ice cream and chips were my go too. My husband actually got into the habit with me, but of course, he still stayed skinny as ever. Still getting more fine as the years went on with all those bowls of ice cream. NO FAIR! OK, I am getting off-topic. Once I get on my husband’s good looks, I lose all train of thought! Is it getting hot in here?? *Grabs a fan*

OK, where was I? Nighttime eating! That’s right. So, yeah, nothing like ingesting 1,000 calories right before bedtime. But I loved my ice cream right before bed! Especially on Sunday nights. Family night! The night where we would make nachos with Cabot sharp cheese piled on top and had a nice bowl of ice cream with it. Sit down in front of the tv and watch AFV like my parents did with us! Guys, when I hear the theme songs on AFV, I instantly get the hankering for some nachos and cheese. It’s what I grew up on! Except my mom didn’t make me double-deckers. What’s a double-decker? A double-decker is nachos with a crap ton of Cabot cheese on top. Then more chips on top of that, and more cheese. Guys, I am even embarrassed even to tell you this, but we seriously went through a 2 lb. block of Cabot cheese a week. It was insane and also expensive!! At $8 a block, we were spending $32 just on sharp cheese a month! Now, I would make mac n cheese for dinner that week or something with cheese in it for dinner, but typically most of it was used on Sunday nights. On those “Double Deckers.”

Now that I shared my “BAD HABITS,” and was open and 100% honest, you can see just how many bad habits I actually had. They had to change, and I was scared. It was my comfort. My happy place. I was happy when I ate crap. Crap that could have changed my life if I continued to eat this way. I loved my lunches and my nighttime ice cream. But something had to give.

“Skinnier” Baked General Tso’s

Ingredients:

• Nonstick cooking spray, for the rack and chicken
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1- to 2-inch cubes
• 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• Cooked white or brown rice, for serving
• Sliced scallion greens, for serving

Directions:

For the crispy chicken: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Set a rack on a sheet tray and spray with cooking spray.
Place the flour in a wide shallow dish. Whisk together the soy sauce and eggs in another wide, shallow dish. Place the panko breadcrumbs in a third wide, shallow dish.

Working in batches, dip the chicken pieces first in the flour, then in the egg mixture and then in the breadcrumbs. Place the chicken pieces on the rack, leaving space between each piece. Spray with cooking spray. Bake until crispy and golden brown, about 15 minutes.

For the sauce: Meanwhile, whisk together the chicken broth, hoisin, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, hot sauce and cornstarch; set aside.

Place a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the pepper flakes and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the rice wine mixture, bring to a simmer and allow to thicken. Add the crispy chicken and toss to coat. Serve immediately with rice and garnish with sliced scallions.