I come from a big southern family that loves to cook & eat so it's quite a challenge to balance all the delicious eating with a healthy lifestyle. I basically try to eat fruit and a good green salad during the first half of the day so I can enjoy a more indulgent meal for supper. I also make it a habit to replace white flour & white sugar with whole wheat flour & unrefined sugar when cooking & baking. I know it can sometimes affect the taste & texture a bit but to me the trade-off is well worth it with the extra fiber, vitamins & minerals. Even when making desserts, I try to stay with whole, real foods as much as possible. I use Billington's sugar and here is the url: http://www.wholesomesweeteners.com/company.html Collard Greens, Green Beans, Cheeseburgers, Home Fries, Biscuits & Gravy, Scrambled Eggs, Macaroni & Cheese, Salmon Patties, Coleslaw, Homemade Ice Cream, Cornbread, Refried Beans, Mexican Rice, Meatloaf, Swiss Steak, Fried Okra, Mashed Potatoes, Goulash, Brussels Sprouts, Chicken Fried Steak, Pumpkin Pie, Cherry Pie, Coconut Cream Pie, Pecan Pie, Cookies, Cakes Even though late October signals the coming of winter, our family makes the most of it by having a special dinner every Halloween followed by a delicious pumpkin pie. From that day until right after Christmas, desserts & special meals are more frequent. We always have a big Thanksgiving & Christmas dinner, followed by pecan pie. Then, just after January 1, we begin the transition from couch potatoes to ardent exercisers for the next 10 months. I baked a New England Pot Roast with gravy for a small family gathering including my parents & grandparents & was so glad it turned out well. Once as a teenager I prepared a simple but filling dinner of lima beans & cornbread for my boyfriend & 2 other couples. Kind of nervous & in a hurry, I made the mistake of salting the beans before they were done & when I served them, they were literally hard as rocks. I will never forget one of the guys cried out: "Boy!! What's wrong with these beans??!" It's hilarious now, but at the time I wanted to just run out & hide. LOL