I recently pinned a recipe for Pommes Anna to my Yummy – Paleo Pinterest board and couldn't wait to try them, especially since I had quite a few sweet potatoes on-hand.

I have probably thought more often, with fondness and longing, of regular old potatoes — good old Russets, Idahos, and Reds — than I have of bread or pasta since embarking on this journey, and I would definitely miss them more if it wasn't for sweet potatoes, parsnips, and riced or mashed cauliflower. Potatoes — mashed, smashed, roasted, baked, boiled, sliced, scalloped, diced, fried — oh, my, is there any way that they aren't just plain old delicious? — have long been a favorite of mine.

Pommes Anna can be made with any type of potato, so I made it with sweet. Oh, and hello, I have a new favorite! Terrible photographs do no justice at all, but are nonetheless shared herewith.

Into the oven they go. I used 3 medium-ish sweet potatoes and probably should have used 5.

Just out of the oven, the potatoes are somewhat compressed, but a few more layers would have been better. I'll know better next time.

Turned out on the cutting board, I'm pretty sure I squealed with delight. One of my favorite things is the crispy, charred, almost burned-y bits — on just about anything that's baked, toasted, or grilled — and this is perfect to my eye.

My taste buds agreed!

It couldn't be more simple: Potatoes, Butter, Salt, Pepper. It needs attention in the oven, but not much and the reward is worth it!

I'm thankful to Jan @ Jan's Sushi Bar and her tips about this dish. I have only just discovered her blog, but it looks to be a great resource and inspiration for Whole30, Paleo, low-carb recipes.

It'll be a low-key ringing in of the new year in these parts. My sisters and brother will all be stopping by for a while, as will my mom and her husband (I think), and my kids and nephews. It'll be raucous for a while, no doubt, but I know more than a few of my guests wouldn't mind being tucked in and snoring by 10:00.

Happy New Year!

But first… Joy To The World! This is my first instagram photo!

I wasn't able to use the app on my outdated phone, which, thanks to a little Christmas bonus at work, is now my OLD phone! I didn't even upgrade to the brand newest shiny model, but it's enough. And, YAY, new pone!

So, my social calendar is never what you'd call overbooked, but there are a few invitations and parties on the horizon — the first being tonight! The other day, Ann left a comment asking: Can you give up another post on the Whole30? Wondering if you added any foods back? I thought this would be a good time to talk about that.

In a nutshell, No. I haven't added any foods back. I have *had* some of those foods on rare and choice occasion, but I haven't yet regularly added anything back into my diet.

When asked, I always think that I've probably been more successful in avoiding grains… but then I weigh/measure/compare, and I've actually been equally successful across the board in avoiding grains, sugar, and dairy.

Now that Rusty's home, there's milk in the 'fridge again, but it's by the quart instead of the gallon, and I haven't had a drop. I had a little bit of ice cream or fresh whipped cream with pie around Thanksgiving — and most of the pies were "paleo" -friendly; the pieces were neither large nor small but they were satisfying to me. I continue to dribble a bit of half & half in my coffee every morning. Surprisingly, there's been NO cheese! And no craving for cheese, either. (Some cheesehead, huh?)

I've sampled a few cookies — fewer than a half-dozen, I'd say. And I nibbled a bit of chocolate the other day… it wasn't the very best chocolate, though, so meh. I've become very particular! I think that's how we all should be. I'm just not willing to consume sub-par food on a regular basis; it's not satisfying, leaves me wanting more, and that's a recipe for massive overeating.

I did have a share of Twizzlers and Junior Mints at the movies; the thing is, I don't go to the movies very often! It's a treat.

I haven't had bread, cereal or chips, no potatoes, no pasta, very little rice… and I can honestly say that I'm just not missing it.

I'm just not missing any of it! I don't think about it much… I may have successfully reprogrammed myself! Part of it is that I continue to think of all of these things as choices that I have made and continue to make; none of these things is forbidden, I am accountable to no one but myself, and I'm not a failure if/when I do decide to partake. It's a choice.

Quite simply, these choices are working for me right now! I feel great, I eat great, I continue to lose weight, and my clothes fit wonderfully — until they're too big and then I hunt around in my closet for more. My unofficial goal is to lose another 10-15 — I'd be at my "comfortable" pre-quit smoking weight. I was at that weight for a lot of years and, at this point, I'd be thrilled to hang there again; I really didn't think I'd ever see even those numbers again.

I am perfectly satisfied with — and by – the way I've been eating. The cooking can sometimes be a drag but, for the most part, the foods I've been preparing are SO EASY! Good food doesn't have to be complicated. It's chopping, seasoning, baking, sauteeing, maybe first wrapping some chicken in bacon… I've made very few complicated sauces or assemblages. I'm not finished yet! Between the books, cookbooks, websites, Facebook pages and Pinterest boards, I haven't even come close to trying all the recipes that I want to try – it's some of those chapters on mayos & sauces that I'm wanting to explore.

So, tonight's party is in a bar. I am looking forward to one or two pieces of pizza. There's going to be a lot of deep-fried stuff that I'll mostly avoid… I will indulge if any of it looks good/appetizing. That's a crap shoot… and by indulge, I don't mean gorge. If I'm lucky, there'll be some fresh veggies on the Happy Hour appetizer table. I'll maybe have a beer, but more likely a cocktail. And LOTS of ice-cold water.

I appreciate your coming along on this ride with me, offering your support and encouragement, and asking questions! Keep it all coming. Thank you!!

I had a lunch-time date with some of the fam yesterday!

I didn't even realize, until someone else pointed it out, that it was with all the redheads! Rusty joined us for a while, too! He's never really been what you'd call a redhead, but his mother saw something to give him a nickname like that — and one that's stuck hard for 60+ years!

I wore my boots, which meant that I wore leggings/tights, which means that I wore a dress — one that I wore a few times to the farmers' market last summer and usually with a tie or belt. Just for grins, I thought I'd try the belt yesterday and it was about 3"-4" too big! I think I could have it made smaller — the design is such that I can't do it myself — but it might cost more to fix than I even paid. We'll see. Anyway, YAY!

It seemed like a good time to order a new swimming suit. It's one from Tommy Bahama's that I tried on in Chicago a few weeks ago and loved. I ordered the smaller of the two sizes I tried on that day. And then I spent a very enjoyable :20 or so last night trying on some of the other clothes in my closet — an activity that doesn't usually have anything to do with "joy." I'm thinking I should be able to find a pair or two of shorts that fit, and then I'll be set for my tropical vacation.

I'm pondering a few sessions in a tanning bed. I don't know… I haven't done that in about a million years and my experience wasn't that great. I'm sure technology has changed since then. Is it safe? Other than that super-tan whack job that was in the news last year, I've been out of the loop. Maybe I can just be careful? Diligent with the sunscreen? I do live near The Frozen Tundra, but it hasn't been that long since I've seen the sun. I do burn sometimes, but not like the redheads. What would you do?