Day 24

One of the most difficult things about eating healthy is..........being Southern.  As a Southerner, drinking sweet tea and eating fried food is part of who we are.  I guess you could say I'm kind of famous for my sweet tea.  Growing up, all of my friends LOVED my mom's sweet tea and she passed along her "secrets" to me.  I must admit it is REAL good, but it has so much sugar I'm almost embarrassed when I tell people how much to use.  I "tried" making a sugar to Stevia swap on my sweet tea a few weeks ago, but it didn't work.  I didn't mind it, but the rest of my family just said.........Blech!  So, although I've given up my sweet tea habit (for the most part)......the rest of my family still adores it and they freak out a little bit if there isn't any in the fridge.    Another thing my family loves is FRIED okra.  I have always said, I'll eat my veggies IF they're either fried or covered in cheese.  Well, unfortunately eating a lot of fried food just doesn't fit into my new lifestyle right now. I decided to sneak some "Oven Fried Okra" onto our dinner plate tonight and see if the family would enjoy it.  They LOVED it!  1 serving is 1 WW point.  Click here for the recipe.

 Although I'm going to have to start limiting my sweet tea and fried food, I'm still "Southern" in my heart and soul.  With or without my fried food and sweet tea, I'll still have my Southern twang, make sure my kids say yes ma'am and yes sir, and most importantly the Southern hospitality and state of mind instilled in me by my family that helps me remember........Everything 4:13!