A note to Fish readers: On Jan. 2, I began a nutrition plan complete with a certified nutritionist coach. After learning that I’m a journalist and blogger, she invited me to blog about my experiences. The following is the sixth of two month’s of weekly blogs that first appeared on the international Metabolic Balance® website on March 1.  Unheralded.fish will run the first eight blogs in the next two weeks to “catch up.”

Full Disclosure: I’m visual. Very visual. Being a photojournalist, I can’t help myself. Things like skewed photos on the wall or, worse yet, light switches that are installed just a little bit “off” drive me bonkers.

So, it’s not surprising that I am particular about how my food looks as well. My husband has been known to fix a meal with cod and then proceeds to have cauliflower and potatoes as veggies. I have a hard time with that. I’ll add some cherry tomatoes or spinach or just about anything with a splash of color on my plate.

I know, I “should” be grateful he’s cooking the meal, right?

At a recent trip to my local co-op, I came across a recipe that was conveniently posted by the goat cheese. As one of my approved Metabolic Balance® cheeses, it caught my eye.

Ingredients: goat cheese, frozen spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, dry basil, garlic powder and baby portobello mushrooms. Sounded delicious. I put the goat cheese into my shopping basket, stopped by the fresh veggie aisle and picked up two package of portobello mushrooms ― one of the small variety and one with two large mushrooms. I also picked up some fresh spinach, which I prefer over frozen.

Fast forward to meal making time a day later. I placed all the ingredients on the kitchen counter and got out my new ― never before used ― Breville Control Grip Immersion Blender and proceeded to mix the ingredients. I choose the two large mushrooms for some reason that escapes me now.

I turned on the oven to preheat. The recipe was easy-peasy. In no time, I was putting my stuffed mushrooms into the oven. Then it dawned on me: Dang, I’m not supposed to mix my proteins in the same meal, only one protein per meal!

That was the first time I’d made that mistake in the two months since starting the plan. Learning the plan is a learning curve, isn’t it?! Oh, dear. Well, I was determined to eat what I’d prepared anyway and “confess” to my coach afterward.

When I took the stuffed mushrooms out of the oven, I couldn’t help myself. I burst out laughing. Me, the super visual, food-must-look-great-on-the-plate person. The piping hot stuffed very-brown-looking mushrooms looked very similar to cow pies. If you didn’t grow up on a farm like I did, let me explain. On the other hand, use your imagination. Please.

Suffice it to say that if I ever do make this recipe again ― now knowing that I mixed two proteins, I probably won’t ― I would use the smaller mushrooms. It DID taste great.

Of course, I added three cherry tomatoes and a leaf of fresh spinach for color.

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Results: In the two months on the MB® plan, I have not once had a bite of anything between meals. I’m down 24 pounds today.

Tip: Write down one positive thing that happened each day. Place the note in a jar and at the end of the year, you’ll have the evidence and be grateful for your wonderful life. 

My Valentine’s lunch: Mixed green salad with the yummy Fromager d’Affinois Florette goat brie (room temperature!), cherry tomatoes, oil and vinegar, two Ryvita and water.

A dinner of shrimp on a bed of baby spinach and arugula with celery, flaxseed oil and balsamic vinegar and two Ryvita Crunch Dark Wholegrain Rye Crispbread and water. There is no fruit with dinner.

Baked chicken breast in organic camelina oil with omega-3’s and antioxidants with fresh green beens, two Ryvita and water.

Brekkies: Two pieces of homemade sourdough rye bread cut in tiny pieces and topped with mozzarella cheese and cherry tomatoes cut in half, Honeycrisp apple, coffee, water and morning pills.

Dinner: Two hard-boiled eggs on a bed of mixed green salad with cherry tomatoes, carrots, red onions, green peppers, two Rycrisp flax oil and vinegar and water.

Grilled salmon drizzled with olive oil and topped with a sprig of fresh grilled oregeno, steamed broccoli, two cherry tomatoes for color and water.