Great Finds and some Dessert Hummus!

Today was a delicious day, even if it included some Nabisco goodies (Halloween Chips Ahoy? YUM!) though I really try to avoid these things at our lengthy work meetings.

I had a nice 40 minute cardio workout to counteract the effects of all those yummy little treats and then scavenged the fridge for some healthy dinner... which was a big ol' sweet potato, God's greatest vegetable invention. They're like candy!

New finds that I loooooove....

Ok, so I might be a bit biased because I work for Kraft, but I normally don't "endorse" our products...specifically the Oscar Meyer stuff. Too processed. However, they just came out with a line of awesome deli meat that is right off the chopping block. Look at the thickness of this meat!



This was my first time trying it... and wow. It's a bit pricey (About $4 here in Ohio), but luckily the boss man gave me a freebie coupon to try this stuff out. Of course, I asked him for ALL the coupons he might have on hand... I would make sandwiches with this stuff every day if I could. Or just eat it out of the container!

Also on the menu for today was dessert hummus, from Food Makes Fun Fuel. Thanks for the recipe, Ian! This was delicious (once my blender stopped crying from the thickness...eek!)!!



His looks a little smoother and creamier than mine, but it was still tasty on a graham cracker! Inside the mix is natural peanut butter, chickpeas, vanilla, and maple syrup (I used sugar free), plus chocolate chips.

Which brings me to my next "new find I love".... Sugar Free Chocolate Chips. These taste exactly like regular chocolate chips, but without sugar or aspartame. Definitely a fan.


Mmmm... Hershey's knows how to treat a girl right.


Well, just a short post for tonight. I'm having drinks on my porch in this lovely weather with my best friend, who conveniently lives across the street!

What is a recent favorite find of yours?

A Ravaging Tuesday

I woke up this morning to find myself feeling a little strange... Do you ever feel very full but hungry at the same time? I can't explain it! It makes me confused about what to eat for the day.

The 2 little wheat and sugar-free-syrup pancakes that were my breakfast choice didn't hold me over very long this morning... so I picked up a Larabar on sale at Kroger's during one of my stops today. I usually opt for the chocolate or peanut butter flavors of these sorts of things, but today I swapped that out with a lemon bar... AMAZING.




I love the short ingredient list! Somehow there were 22 grams of sugar packed into this baby, but I'm sure it's all natural. We'll let that slide.

Speaking of ingredient lists... Have you ever looked at some of the ingredient labels on products you thought were harmless in your cabinet?

For example, the syrup I ate for breakfast today:

So...water is just about the only natural thing in this crap. Sodium hexametaphosphate? Hmmm... Maybe eating regular syrup or just honey might be better. But it's sooo yummy.

Check out this label... this one is surprising. Bread crumbs?!


Yikes. Lengthy. And why must there be high fructose corn syrup in such things? Might as well just make my own bread crumbs!

I've very excited about my plans to make this tomorrow, thanks to Evan at Food Makes Fun Fuel! DESSERT HUMMUS! It's like a dream come true...

Here's a picture from his blog, and hoping mine is just as beautiful and cookie-dough-looking...

Question of the Day: Do you think it's better to go for sugar-free options (ones that don't have more fat, anyway) or do Splenda/other artificial sweeteners, or just go with a little bit of sugar and avoid all the fake stuff?

Day 7... FAIL

SO I wote in my post this morning that the ultimate test would be today... a cookout with my family.

I told myself I could have a dessert or two, as long as I controlled myself. Well... I had a little bit of the baked apple crumble that was served with our meal, and I was going to only eat 1 piece of chocolate cake (it was a birthday, after all. My Grandma said there was a new law that we have to eat birthday cake on someone's birthday!) if everyone else ate one. Well, at the last second I caved and had that second piece with a small glass of milk...It was just too delicious with its sprinkled nuts and caramel drizzle! I couldn't resist! I was going to have complete control until my one aunt said "Ok, I'm caving! I'm taking a second piece if someone else does!" and, naturally, I was all over that one.

Fail.

Sigh... so close.... but the point is, I did demonstrate self-control the rest of the week. I'm not going to make excuses for today, but I will certainly be good this week! I have actually enjoyed the healthy foods I have eaten. Greg and I will be celebrating our 2 year anniversary next weekend, so I will let myself indulge a little... however, he has lost a good amount of weight and is not going to try to get junk by any means nor will we order a dessert if we go out to eat. At least, that's not the plan.

Damn chocolate cake...

Days 5, 6, and 7!

Well whaddya know!! I did it!

I can't believe how well I controlled myself for 7 days straight. I had those giant, glorious cookies sitting right in front of my very eyes for 2 days in a row and I didn't even drool a little. (ok, a little...) I have an open bag of Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookie mix open in my cabinet that I didn't even glance at twice during the week.

So that means, aside from the very obscure amount of sugar that I had this week, I have met my goal. Again, I did have a tiny amount in certain things such as my Tic-Tacs, Cheerios (they have less than a gram!), and I had a pinch in my coffee this morning while experimenting with making milk froth for coffee. Yeah, that was a fail anyway.

Noon will mark the grand finale... a cookout at my Aunt and Uncle's house for my Uncle's birthday. My Aunt is quite the cook and is always whipping up something new and yummy. I think I should allow myself one or two sweets, because the test will be seeing if I can control myself from that downward spiral that is normally inevitable. If I exemplify that self-control that I have had all week, then I will know that there is hope for me!

For the most part, I felt like refusing sugar allowed me to figure out when I was truly hungry this week without many cravings. I did seem to turn a bit towards salty foods, but luckly it's easier to eat healthful meals that are salty rather than sugar-laden. For example, Tostitos and hummus, homemade vegetable soup (wow...yum!), and my end-of-the-week indulgence: a Hot Head Burrito Bowl with guac (think Chipotle, but locally-owned).

I feel bloated today, but that's probably because those burrito things have like a bajillion milligrams of sodium. That's besides the point right now. Let's hope that it's the key to keeping me from stuffing my face at the cookout today!

Days 3 and 4

I'm doing it I'm doing it!!

Like I said, the true test would be getting through these 7-hour meetings without gorging on the junk food provided. I am AWFUL when it comes to free food, especially when combined with the boredom of paying attention that entire time.

I cannot express how proud of myself I am for getting through both days without touching one of the giant Panera cookies that were catered in or the fudge-topped brownies. Hershey's chocolates were passed around constantly for anyone who answered questions or won a game, and there were bowls of Swedish Fish and Sour Patch Kids all around the room to munch on during the presentations. I am in absolute disbelief that I was able to contain myself for the first time in months and I think that the happiness that arises from that self-control and rejection tastes sweeter than sweets!

I feel like I have been far less interested in food after eliminating sugar (mostly.... I haven't counted tiny things like Tic-Tacs, miniscule amounts of sugar in Cheerios, etc.) this week. Normally by week end I'm psychotic and gorge myself, but we'll see. Tomorrow is my Friday for work, and I've already got some healthy stuff packed.

I'm going to my Aunt and Uncle's this weekend, who always have mass amounts of food for the very small amount of family. Most are junk and sweets. Yikes. We'll see where this goes... I feel like it's the ultimate of tests, minus Christmas or Thanksgiving!

Day 2... success-ish!

Day 2 went well also. Only a couple of flaws with my plan.... EVERYTHING HAS SUGAR! I realized that even my dad, who is the MODEL diabetic, still has a little bit of sugar in his diet. I had Crystal Light and whole wheat pancakes, both of which had some sugar. My peanut butter had a little also, but since these things aren't "sweets" I let that slide. My normal peanut butter is just plain peanuts, so I know that's not a habit I need to kick.

I had 2 days in a row of great eating and great workouts, so let's hope tomorrow doesn't break me... I'll be at a 7-hour workshop for work where food is provided. If you know anything about my company, you know that nothing at all that we make is remotely good for you. Hmm...

I still feel great! I'm not ravaging yet and actually got some pleasure out of eating peppers and hummus. Yes, vegetables!