Hoodwinked by Pinterest

Pinterest is typically a place where I love to hang out, a place where I find good ideas. Whether I’m browsing slowly through a boatload of pins on a weekend day, or I’m taking a quick peek during a slow period at work, it’s always entertaining and educational.

So you can imagine my surprise when I came across two recipes in one week that totally bombed for me. I’m used to recipe links leading to dead ends, but getting a recipe, trying it out, and being underwhelmed? That was new…and disappointing.

Which recipes were the ones that failed me?

Whipped cream icing. The promise with this one, which consists of a box of vanilla pudding, a cup of milk, and a container of whipped topping, is that you can have a light icing in minutes. What I got was a delicious vanilla soup instead, or a sauce or dip for fruit, not something that will adhere to cake or cupcakes as I imagined. (To be fair, maybe it would have worked better if I hadn’t used the fat-free whipped topping.)

Popcorn in Pyrex. The claim: place 1/4 c of popcorn kernels in a Pyrex bowl, top with a ceramic plate, zap for nearly 3 minutes, and voila! The reality for me? Nothing but hot kernels, hot Pyrex, and an extremely hot plate. Not one kernel popped. The recipe said you could zap the popcorn again if any wasn’t popped, but I decided not to try again. The recipe didn’t specify a microwave temperature, however; be my guest if you want to experiment.

Those recipes definitely disappointed me, but I’ll be back on Pinterest in no time. Here’s hoping for no more letdowns anytime soon!

Question of the day: Have you ever had a Pinterest fail? What did you make? What happened?

My Friend the Wawa Store

During this period of crazy, crazy work for me, I haven’t been cooking as much as I normally do, and that has been hard for me, in not having the same delicious options, and also in losing a creative outlet. But I had to be realistic and come to terms with the fact that I really can’t do it all. So how have I been eating for the last 3 or 4 weeks? Quite often, it was thanks to the good people at Wawa.

Wawa is a convenience store in the Midlantic region (that also has decent gas prices, if you’re ever in my neck of the woods). As far as convenience stores go (ahem, 7-11), they do have a fair amount of healthy options for breakfast and lunch. I got to know many of them very well lately.

On my way to work in the morning, there were days when I was stopping at Wawa for breakfast, lunch, and a 16-oz. jolt from kona and fat-free vanilla creamer (newly introduced there). And getting familiar with the cashiers.

What was I picking up to buy from there?

Fruit. There were some days when I was able to scrape together a reduced fat peanut butter sandwich at home, and on those days, I rounded out my breakfast at Wawa with a cup of coffee and a banana or an apple. Or, I picked up a cup of pineapple or grapes, or a fruit salad as a snack or lunch dessert.

Salad. Wawa offers a variety of salads that are packaged in bowls, with meats and cheeses separated from the lettuce until you’re ready to eat. I passed on the salad dressing and enjoyed the turkey club salad, the chef salad (sometimes ditching the egg)  and the Caesar salad (minus the croutons). I typically ate my salad with a bag of baked chips. On days when I had leftovers to zap in the microwave at work, I opted for the garden salad, tossing the chickpeas and egg.

Sandwiches. If you have time, you can build your own sandwich at Wawa and go light on (or without) the cheese and mayo, opt for whole wheat bread, or select a small roll rather than a 10-incher. If you’re short on time, their prepackaged sandwiches are decent. I typically ate the tuna sandwich or the peppered turkey and bacon sandwich, with fruit or baked chips.

Nutritionally sound carbs. There is a big selection of granola bars and meal replacement bars at Wawa. I didn’t get to really investigate the nutritional value of all of them (and I suspect some of them wouldn’t pass my protein/fiber test), but one that worked for breakfast one morning was the BelVita biscuits.

I saw them promoted in magazines and in my supermarket a couple months back, and they sounded interesting, but I paid them no further mind. But I liked what I saw for the fiber/protein content when I was looking for something different to eat at Wawa one day, and tried the Golden Oat flavor. You get four biscuits (like overgrown cookies, really) per serving, and no high-fructose corn syrup, trans fats, or artificial flavors, according to their Web site. I ate them with a light yogurt (also from Wawa)  and a piece of fruit.

A lighter breakfast sandwich. There was a day or two when I felt like having a breakfast sandwich. The winner was the turkey sausage and egg white bagel sandwich. On the Weight Watchers points scale, it’s a bit more than I typically prefer to eat for breakfast, but it sure tasted good!

Despite not cooking much, and despite stressing and stretching myself thin mentally, I have maintained my 40 lbs. lost during this time. I guess I owe Wawa a big thank-you for that.

What are your favorite healthy convenience store meals/snacks?

Kick Up the Flavor to Eat Less?

I read an interesting New York Times article a few weeks back, which said that people may be less likely to overeat if they are eating foods with strong flavors. The theory, posed by food author Peter Kamitmsky, is explored in his new book, Culinary Intelligence: The Art of Eating Healthy (and Really Well). He shares the idea of FPC, or flavor per calorie, encouraging people to eat more foods that have bold flavors in fewer calories (and to avoid high-calorie foods that are more bland).

Foods he likes: anchovies, chickpeas, capers, plain yogurt, olive oil, roasted almonds, bacon, butter, Italian sausage and dark chocolate. The New York Times author points out that Kaminsky is promoting small quantities of some of these foods, like a few crumbles of sausage or bacon in a lentil stew.

I don’t think this concept is suggesting something totally off the wall. I agree that it’s more satisfying to eat foods that richly satisfy the taste buds, and it’s definitely important to find the intersection of flavor and modest nutritional profile to avoid weight gain. Here are a couple of ideas I’ve tried out recently to do just that:

Jalapeno mustard: I found this in the market, and as a lover of spicy foods, I had to give it a whirl. It tastes like regular yellow mustard, but with a lot more attitude. One teaspoon is 0 calories.

Salad rocking the jalapeno mustard vinaigrette, with a lunch of black-eyed peas and ham with rice.

What I’ve done with the mustard so far is to use it in a relatively light vinaigrette: 2T of the mustard, mixed with 1/2 T agave nectar and 1 T apple cider vinegar. It made a slightly sweet, all-bold presence in a salad made of spring greens, grape tomatoes and vidalia onion. I think it would also be good on a turkey hot dog, served on a light hamburger bun. Add pickled jalapenos to give it even more punch. I’d also like to try making a potato salad, with the jalapeno mustard in place of good old yellow, and some southwest spices, to take this picnic classic into a new direction.

Balsamic vinegar: I have had balsamic vinegar in my house for a long time, occasionally using it in sauces for chicken dishes, and making a pretty standard salad vinaigrette out of it. I love the rich, subtly tangy taste of it, but I didn’t know what else to do with it. Then I got a mint plant, and I my brain pulled into focus on a simple dessert idea that many people enjoy: strawberries and balsamic vinegar.

A handful of sliced ripe strawberries; a few leaves of mint, shredded; a packet of Splenda, and a teaspoon of the balsamic vinegar is all you need. Mix the ingredients together, and enjoy the complex richness of this simple meal-ender.

I second Kaminsky’s suggestions for bacon and dark chocolate. I’d also add cheese to that list. A tablespoon of real bacon bits on a salad can be yours for 30 calories. A small piece of dark chocolate, alone or with fruit, is a good dessert or pick-me-up snack. The same goes for an ounce of a flavorful cheese, like a smoked gouda, chipotle cheddar, or havarti with dill. You could eat the cheese with an apple to make this snack a little more substantial.

Papaya and Lime: Perfect Together

When I go to Whole Foods, I always buy the container of cut-up papaya and lime wedges. I don’t know who decided to pair papaya and lime together, but I thank that person from the bottom of my heart. I like the delicious tang that a spritz of lime juice adds to the buttery, sweet chunks of papaya. The combination makes a good snack, dessert, or side to a breakfast or brunch.

Not only do papaya chunks taste good, though; they have a good set of nutrients–vitamins C, E, A, folate and potassium, as well as fiber and papain, an enzyme that aids in digestion.

As much as I enjoy my special treat at Whole Foods, I figured I could find a cheaper way to make it myself. And I did.

Here are instructions on how to cut a papaya. I found the instructions after the fact, though; this is what I did instead:

1. I cut off the ends,
2. cut it in half width-wise,
3. peeled the halves by standing them up and running a knife down the sides,
4. cut them in half,
5. scooped out the seeds, and
6. cut it into chunks.

I put the chunks in a Ziploc bag, then followed with two limes cut into eight wedges each.

If you’ve never had this tropical treat, I encourage you to give it a try!

Five Foods I’m Taking out of Retirement

Every now and then, I like to shake things up with my eating to keep myself interested and in check. One thing I realized is that there are some foods I used to lean on heavily during the early stages of my weight loss journey that I haven’t touched in quite some time. I think I’ll add them back into rotation for variety’s sake.

Five of the foods I have in mind are:

1. Light English muffins. I used to make breakfast sandwiches with light multigrain English muffins, or eat them with soup or a salad, drizzled with olive oil and spices. But they’ve gone out of favor in my house for fat-free tortillas, whole wheat bread, and light hamburger buns. I think it’s time to re-introduce this hearty carb.
2. Spinach. I used to tuck spinach in everywhere I could–sandwiches, soups, even burritos, or sauteed with olive oil and garlic. But before my salad experiment this year, I hadn’t touched spinach in a while (unless you count the frozen stuff that looks like it came from inside a lawn mower). Adding fresh baby spinach is quick, easy, low-calorie way to get in a lot of important nutrients. It’s high time I stop giving spinach the cold shoulder.
3. Turkey pepperoni. Turkey pepperoni was a go-to protein snack for me at one time. I also used it on pita pizzas and in lasagna. I have a some sitting in my fridge now, and will be bagging it up for my pre-dinner snack, with fruit or veggies.
4. Soup. In the past, I’d take light vegetable soup and add a protein (usually chicken, turkey pepperoni, turkey ham or turkey sausage), and maybe some spinach. A soup that’s made hearty on your own terms can be filling, healthy and tasty. It would make sense for me to ramp up my soup consumption again, especially now during the winter.
5. Unsweetened applesauce. The little 1/2-cup plastic containers of no-sugar-added applesauce made a convenient snack or breakfast component. I later moved on to eating more actual fruit, but I’ve recently used unsweetened applesauce mixed in with yogurt for breakfast. I also have a jar that I’ll dole out in cup or 1/2-cup servings (dusted with cinnamon) as dessert or a snack when paired with a protein.

It can be tempting to get into a zone with foods that seem to click with your body, but it’s possible you’ll get tired of those foods after a while. I believe that no foods should be off-limits, and that certainly goes double for putting old, healthy favorites back into rotation.

Are there any foods you’re realizing that have worked for you but haven’t passed through your lips in a good while? Which ones would you bring back in a hearbeat?

Six-Word Weight Loss Stories

As an avid user of Twitter, I’ve come across six-word stories before. The grandchildren of an Ernest Hemingway urban legend that has eluded verification, six-word stories and the clear meaning packed into the meager word count are perfect for the Twitterverse.

I decided to try my hand at six-word stories related to weight loss, as an elevator pitch of inspiration and encouragement for my fellow “losers.”

Here’s an anthology of these stories for you. I think I will add to this list from time to time. Please check back, and feel free to share yours, too!

For undercover nutrition, just add spinach.

Always plan to have a snack.

No-fat yogurt; low-fat cheese.

Omelets for a quick, easy breakfast.

Depriving yourself is a dangerous thing.

Want French fries? Bake them. Seriously.

An indoor grill: a valuable investment.

Always avoid in-a-rut eating.

Don’t forget to drink your water.

If you like it, eat more seafood.

You control your eating, not others.

Reward weight loss occasionally, but meaningfully.

Food is not a good reward.

Filling snacks have protein and fiber.

Use measuring tools for honest eating.

When you want chocolate, eat chocolate.

Portion control and moderation are key.

Salad dressing is not a necessity.

Have a dining out game plan.

Slow and steady loses the weight.

How I Fight Hunger Every Day

Congratulations to you if you are starting a weight loss program for the new year, resuming one from last year, or continuing to soldier on with an ongoing program! Losing weight is challenging, but planning ahead makes it much smoother going.

One thing that I hear people complain about (and a thing that was hard for me when I started on Weight Watchers more than three years ago) was dealing with hunger. When you start to lose weight, you’ll be eating less than you’ve been used to. But there are different things you can do to successfully fight hunger. Here are things that I do every day:

Don’t skip breakfast. Medical professionals tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, because it helps to spread your calories out in a more balanced manner throughout the day, it is kinder to your body after having not eaten overnight, and because it can help to boost your metabolism. I eat breakfast, and I make sure that it’s well balanced. (Examples: 2 eggs “fried” in cooking spray on a light hamburger bun, turkey deli meat on a toasted slice of whole wheat bread spread with reduced fat cream cheese, a fat-free tortilla spread with 1/2 cup of fat-free refried beans and 1 oz. of reduced-fat cheddar cheese. I typically eat these things with a piece of fruit and coffee.)

Eat a snack or two (with protein). I know some people swear by eating five or six small meals during the day, but I typically eat three meals and a snack or two, depending on how hungry I am (or how light my meals are). I’d eat one snack before lunch, and another before dinner. I generally eat a protein with a fruit or serving of vegetables. (For example, a piece of reduced-fat string cheese with an apple, a serving of turkey pepperoni with carrots, a half cup of fat-free plain Greek yogurt with fruit, or a Kashi granola bar, with or without a piece of fruit.)

Eat a small dessert. Not only does eating something extra contribute to fullness, but it helps me to not feel deprived during the day and week. I typically eat something sweet after lunch and maybe after dinner, too. I’ve gone into more detail and given light dessert recommendations here.

Choose carbs wisely. Rather than white potatoes, rice and pasta being a staple in my diet, I eat starch vegetables most days to keep myself full and maximize nutrients. Here is a list of different options. If I eat a salad, however, I might be more likely to eat a refined carb (like a serving of mini pretzels or baked chips or tortillas), because I can load up on vegetables instead to add the filling component to the meal.

Eat something when you’re hungry. This sounds obvious, but how many times have you tried to ignore the rumbling in your stomach when it came an hour or so before mealtime? As you’re getting a routine down, it’s better to eat something when you’re hungry (really physically hungry, as opposed to wanting to eat for emotional reasons) than to let your stomach suffer in silence. Have a snack with protein if you haven’t already, or a handful of raw veggies (or a piece of fruit) with some tea if you have. You can always refine your eating patterns later, but don’t leave your body in the lurch in the now.

These strategies have served me well over the past several years, and I know I’ll be leaning on them heavily as I incorporate more salads into my meal plans this month. I also hope to start exercising regularly, and that also will require that I use strategies to keep hunger at bay to their fullest. These are my suggestions, but definitely experiment to see what works for you! And please let me know if you have other ideas that have served you well.

Dessert Isn’t a Privilege, It’s a Strategy

Dessert is one of those areas of a person’s eating habits that’s a breeding ground for anxiety. If your memories of childhood include threats of no dessert until you’ve slogged through eating something you loathed, you’ve probably been set up to feel like dessert is a privilege: A sundae with a cherry on top is the cherry on top of your otherwise lackluster meal.

Dessert may then take on an air of indulgence for you when you are trying to eat more healthy–something to be enjoyed with regrets as a rebellion, or as a special treat when you’ve met certain conditions. Let me encourage you to think of dessert in another light.

I eat a dessert every day. I often eat two desserts a day. I especially hold my dessert after lunch in high regard and, after having initiated this midday treat this summer, I wonder how I got along without it.

Weird Snack Food Choices

Snacks are the workhorses of a person’s eating repertoire, because they’re required to provide flavor and nourishment, giving one enough satiety and energy to keep going until the next meal. Everyone has go-to snacks for this purpose.

Before Weight Watchers, my snacks would be of the carbs variety–either chocolate candy or chips from a vending machine. Convenient, yes, but satisfying for the long haul? Not on your life.

These days, I go for

Product Review: Kashi Chocolate Snacks

I have found or created good alternatives to many of the things I used to eat, but I haven’t found a good alternative for chocolate. So when a chocolate urge hits, I often eat a small quantity of real chocolate. Lindt truffles, Ghirardelli squares, a portion of one of those random-sized chunks of dark chocolate that they sell at Whole Foods–any good chocolate that’s going to be rich and satisfying.

But there are other times when I want to taste chocolate but would rather not expend the POINTs for the real deal, or I realize I need something a little more filling to nosh on. To that end, I’ve been fortunate to have found some chocolatey yet filling offerings from Kashi.