I rarely eat out....meals....but we all have to snack, don't we? Well with my current schedule of always being on the road, starting at around 5:30am on most weekdays to get to a 6:00am class of some sorts, I'm on the go and rarely make it home before 12noon. I don't eat breakfast, unless you count coffee with cream, but if you consider the fat calories add up to, oh, I don't know, about 100-150 then it is (technically) breakfast and I should count that as that! Also, I've, kinda, gotten in the habit of eating a bit of sugar before my mid-morning workout (usually yoga) to give me a little something extra until I can get to a "real" meal, and I either "eat" my sugar, in the form of a small piece of chocolate, or dried fruit, or I "drink" it with a super charged, flavored, coffee drink!I'm always bragging about the fact that I don't eat out, especially fast foods, but what are fast foods....really? Fast foods, to me, are foods you don't prepare, or cook yourself. Well, if that's how I define fast food, then what is a "coffee drink"? What is a piece of chocolate, or dried fruit?
I refuse to eat "energy" bars, protein bars, meal replacement bars, in other words, fake candy bars. If I'm going eat candy, then I'm going to eat candy, and not pretend it's anything other than what it is. In fact a few months ago when I confessed how I was addicted to the "bulk" section at Molly Stones Grocery, and specifically the "energy nuggets", I realized, as I was writing about it, that there was no difference betwwen those energy nuggets and, what I totally despise, "power bars" (etc.), I vowed at that time to never again buy them or eat them....and I haven't.
If I look at the types of snacks I used to have a couple of years ago, then it was common to have an apple, my favorite, or celery/carrot sticks w/PNB and raisins, yogurt, pretty much that would be my ususal snacks, but I can't eat veggies before a workout, that would start a "digestion process", and I train until, sometime 2:00pm....what can I eat? Well, if I know I have a 12noon yoga class, I can pretty much eat any kind of small meal around 9:30-10:00am....protein, oatmeal, small salad with grains as the main ingredient, etc., but these days I try to plan all of my workouts, back to back. Most days if I just take my mind off of food, then it doesn't really make a difference if I eat anything at all....I just go, one right after the other....I always survive, lol! (Not without coffee though...I have to have my coffee).
OK, so I don't eat Mc Donalds, but what are my favorite fast foods? (currently)
Dried persimmons I buy at the Vietnemese Market. Good God, I love these moist, chewy 
disks of dried persimmon! Dried fruit of any kind needs to be eaten with caution as it is calorie dense, but I'm pretty good about limiting my portions these days. I love any kind of dried fruit, raisins, prunes, cranberries, etc., but dried persimmons are only available this time of the year, so I have to take advantage! I wrote about how I love "crystilized ginger" a few weeks ago.....but guess what? If I don't buy it, then I don't eat it! LOL! (It's killing me that my new favorite Korean Market sells it for a fraction of what a market like Whole Foods sells it for...and it's better!)Sushi. I don't really like sushi! I know that the fact that I buy "ready made" sushi at the Korean Market near my yoga studio, may be confusing, but although I wouldn't choose to go out and eat sushi, I happen to like the way they make it and I don't mind picking some up while I'm also buying "Jap Chae" Korean salad....which I plan on making myself. (Blogpost and video to come soon!) PS I happen to know how to make sushi.....I took a few classes and have the kitchen tools to make it at home, but I don't like it enough to make it often, and for it to become part of my "repetoire")
Candy! Candy is fast food! This catagory includes cookies, cakes and any other sweet baked stuff that only requires me to open a package, or pick it out of the the bakery case! My current favorite candy is Gingerbread Caramels made by Jo"s Chocolate Company, (pictured above), that I was able to clean up on at 1/2 price after the Holiday season (blogpost to come, lol). These are the caramel candies I diced up and added to my Drunk, Blind, Candy Pizza a few weeks ago! I rarely by any other sweets "ready made" these days as I have a ton of caramels yet to eat! I'm pretty good at limiting my quantites and may only treat myself to one caramel a day. (with my mid morning, pre yoga coffee!) I do tend to torture myself with trying to buy only the highest of quality of readymade candies, cookies and cakes! In other words I rarely but Oreos....not that there's anything wrong with Oreos (etc.)....I can respect the "Oreo binge", lol!
Crackers, and corn chips.......(thanks Fawn!) I'm so over this "no carb shit"...seriously. A little salt, a little crunch....again, I'm good about limiting the quantity. My favorite crackers are from Trader Joes, their "Multi Grain" crackers are about 130 claories for 15-17 crackers, and Whole Foods (and BevMo, lol! more to come about BevMo!) carry these multi grain corn chips that are pretty darn tasty too!
Cheese......ofany kind! You have to eat a few small slices of cheese with your first glass of wine for the night....don't you? I love buying many kinds of cheeses and trying all of them! Again....in moderation.
And speaking of wine.....red wine. Uncork a bottle.....does it get faster than that? I consider wine, food. Period.
So as it may sound, I treat myself to tons of "fast foods", but I do need to say one more thing....until I have time to write a longer blogpost about it.....I have felt some recent motivation to drop some of this extra weight before the Feb. RKC that I will be participating in, and I haven't given up any of my favorite "fast foods", but I have managed to drop a few pounds regardless.....it's not what you eat, but how much you eat.....
You can run, but you can't hide.
PS Ethnic Markets have, not only unique seasonal products, but most time, amazing prices! The photo above of a package of dried persimmons was only $2.49....for 12 ounces! That's about $4.00 per pound. I'll be writing a blogpost about shopping at Ethnic Markets soon...in the mean time, if you live near any and haven't been inside, then get over it! Go inside and see what they have to offer!
Candy??? "Food of the Gods" that's all there is to it! Next to bacon that is! My biggest "at this moment" downfall in this category: Heath bar and M&M's. Next week? who knows!
ReplyDeleteCheese??? HELLO, born and raised in Wisconsin-again, food of the Gods and NOT to be eatin' in moderation! At least in this state!
Wine??? Sorry, I'm boring and don't drink, but put a case of Dt. Dew in front of me and it's all over! I am pleased to say I have this addiction down from 6 to 1-2 a day.
Breakfast?? I eat it everyday. I eat steak and eggs even at 3:30AM before a 12hour shift at work-all washed down with a, yup you got it, dt dew!
I've learned over the last two years to just STOP trying to give up all that is bad. I now just give up all the fake shit. If I want sugar, I eat the real crap. No fat-free, low calorie shit.
It just never ends, but I figure I'm 47 frickin' years old-I can learn to live with my judgements! I won't ever be fat again, I will be happy!
Diana,
ReplyDeleteIsn't Dt Dew fake? I mean, I don't care, but it isn't exactly natural, not to mention the high fructose corn syrup in most candy bars....again, not that I care, I'm "over" most of it!
I do the best I can at the moment I ask myself to....what else can a person do?
I, personally don't believe "fats" are the enemy, so I never buy or go for "fat free". And I always opt for real sugars, but I'd eat HFCS before the super fake shit like "Equal", "Splenda", "Nutrasweet", I don't even like some of the "natural" stuff like "Stevia", or "Agave", cut the crap and give me old fashioned sugar.
PS I'd be scared if you did drink wine, lol!
Tracy, I was thinking as I was reading this that I'll have to wonder into an Ethinic Grocery Store. I'm not even sure if we have one in my small town. I've seen some in the larger cities that I frequent so I'll have to make it a point to go in there.
ReplyDeletePS. Sunday I made Stew Beef in my pressure cooker. My family loved it. My husband came home the next night wanting some more of that STEW. I browned the stew beef in the PC threw in some carrots, mushrooms and turnips (new veggie). Added some red wine, diced tomatoes and a little chicken broth (cause I wasn't sure that the liquid was sufficient). A little thyme and rosemary and it came out thick and delicious. My sister has bought a PC and a another friend of ours as well. We're thinking about getting together one weekend and just cook!
ajam00,
ReplyDeleteThe biggest thing you'll notice in the Ethnic Groceries is how inexpensive the produce is....and the spices (have you priced spices lately?) I'm getting over my "organic" snobbery and I've been known to even buy meats at the Mexican market (shhh, don't tell anyone, lol), which are also a fraction of the price....especially if you pressure cook.
It's fun for me to simply take mental inventory of the kinds of things they stock.
I'm thrilled to hear your stew came out so yummy....it's interesting how our families really do prefer homemade meals. The nice thing about stew is it tastes better the next day, so make extra next time!
Also, remember, a stew, is a stew, is a stew! So use any kind of meat, chicken takes less time, pork shoulder is yummy, and lamb may be my favorite. Use most any kind of veggies, and since you are pressure cooking grains, like barley are a great addition.
If you don't have wine, then wine vinegar is really good without adding that "wine" taste many kids don't like. Just remember to add the vinegar to "de-glaze" the bottom of the pot (as you would wine also), after browning the veggies (or meat). and before adding your stock (broth).
One more thing....you can add pasta noodles into the stew after it's done, to cook in the residual heat, I wrote a blogpost about adding noodles to my lamb stew last year. Quick release the pressure, add noodles, cover but don't turn the heat back on, just leave it for a few minutes. You have to make sure you have enough liquid and add a little more salt because the pasta will absorb it.
I went 2 weeks with out corn chips whist cutting weight for RUM. The first 3 days were the most difficult. I can't eat candy, it makes me crazy. Food addiction is interesting...
ReplyDeleteFood addiction.....hmmnn...
ReplyDeleteInteresting that you should use that word "addiction"
I mean...really....are you "addicted" to corn chips?
I'm not trying to be hard or weird or anything, but why is doing something like making weight for a competetion easy sometimes and so freakin' hard at other times. If you're addicted to corn chips or anything then it should always be torture to exclude, or resist them.
Motivation.
When we want something more than we want something else then it's easy. When it's "exciting" to challenge ourselves, it's easy.
When we focus on what we want instead of what we can't have, or what's not fair, then we will always see it as "lack" or unfairness. Then we become a victim...victims don't win.
PS I sent you a "care package" make sure and try everything on, even though it may look as if you don't like it! There's some killer True Religion jeans as well as Lululemon, Lucky Brand and some other stuff too small for me!
PPS Corn chips are tasty!
I can't believe we haven't talked about my ideas about food addiction. It's a real thing for me and it's very powerful. Candy is a food addiction, so is corn chips, which really are almost the same thing, the sugar insulin response. It's an irrational craving for a certain food.
ReplyDeleteYou are right on about focusing on what we can't have or being a victim. When I crave sugar while cutting weight, I imagine how disappointed I would feel if I missed my weight class by a half of a pound, lol.
We need to talk again soon. The baby pictures are really sweet. I miss you.
I can't believe we haven't talked about my ideas about food addiction. It's a real thing for me and it's very powerful. Candy is a food addiction, so is corn chips, which really are almost the same thing, the sugar insulin response. It's an irrational craving for a certain food.
ReplyDeleteYou are right on about focusing on what we can't have or being a victim. When I crave sugar while cutting weight, I imagine how disappointed I would feel if I missed my weight class by a half of a pound, lol.
We need to talk again soon. The baby pictures are really sweet. I miss you.