Late-Night Cravings

At some point, this became a weight-loss blog. I'm not sure how that happened. I promise I will post updates that involve cute things and home improvements. Very soon. Soon as I come up with those posts.

The fact is, it's easier to write about dieting and exercise because that's what I do every single day. Home improvement projects are a weekend thing and they're becoming rare as our weekends get filled. Summers get crazy and we're already ramping up. And Cosmo's in a weird, patchy place. We're trying to stick to a routine with him, so anything I could write about puppy ownership would be a little boring. And, well, I pretty much stick to a routine mahself, so I'm pretty boring.

So indulge me as I write about food yet again...

Yesterday afternoon, I was full of vigor and enthusiasm for reigning in my points and really buckling down. I started by having a cookie when I got home from work. Gosh darn it all! Dinner was a bowl of soup, salad, and piece of delicious bakery bread, all hastily eaten before I headed to my Wednesday night class. When I got home, I was ready to sit down and relax with Pete. But I could not stop thinking about those cookies and how good they would taste and how nice they would feel in my tummy. "Pete," I pleaded, "how can I not eat those cookies?"

The answer was obvious to him: "Find something else to eat. Or just have a few cookies. Whatever." OK, but nothing sounded nearly as delectable as the cookies. Then I remembered the kale in my refrigerator, and I got sidetracked.

Now, I'm not nutty enough to find leafy greens more appealing than cookies--believe me, I have a firm understanding of where each of those lies on the "tasty" spectrum. However, I got excited at the idea of trying out a new recipe. And I decided that I'd much rather make a healthy, new snack and feel awesome about that choice than eat the cookies and spend the rest of the night lamenting my lack of self-control. I also had a few other snack ideas that I wanted to try out, so I decided that while I made the kale chips, I'd distract myself with preparing them.

I'm not going to lie, I had a cookie when I went down to the kitchen to make the chips. But that was it: two cookies yesterday, totaling 5 points. I think a two-cookie limit is good enough.

So here's what I did. I made kale chips: Wash and dry the leaves (I didn't have a salad spinner, so I took the Mr. Bean route and swung them around in a towel), separate the leaves from the stems, lay them on a baking sheet and drizzle with two tsp olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

While they were baking, I hard-boiled some eggs and made my own ranch spice mix. The eggs I made because they're an awesome source of protein and they fill you up for just two points. The ranch spice mix I put in with some cucumbers that I cut up. Now it's like I'm dipping my cucumbers in ranch dressing without the calories!

When the kale chips were done, I was shocked. They were so much better than I had anticipated! They tasted like chips. Really! I mean, you got the leafy taste still, but it was pretty subdued. Those puppies were crisp and crunchy and salty. And they totally worked like a charm. The minute the first chip hit my tongue, I stopped glancing at the cookie plate. I couldn't even imagine mixing those two tastes together--yuck! Craving gone!

And because I chose to putter around in the kitchen for a bit, I set myself up for today. After work, I have to dash to practice with a softball team I just joined, so I won't be able to eat dinner until late. I have cucumbers, a hard-boiled egg, string cheese, a granola bar, and a banana to tide me over. That seems like a lot of food, but I plan to have one or two of those things for a snack (probably the cucumbers and the string cheese), and then have the rest for a "mini-dinner" right before leaving.

Now, if only I felt as prepared in my game...


UPDATE: Nope, no. I wouldn't recommend the cucumbers and ranch mix. Just so you know.

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