being subjected to so much cheese-y:

... and chocolate-y.

Yesterday, I helped out with the filming of a new Sweet Connection promo, and the studio we used was chock-full of chocolate candy. Then lunch came from Postino — so much delicious brie and prosciutto to be had.

Hoo boy. I think I un-did a lot of work. But that's OK. We all stumble. We all fall.

It's the getting up again that's important.

Posted by Korina at 1:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Alright, enough of the salty / spicy snacks. Let's make some sweets!

As you may remember, I love frozen treats. The easiest to make, and the most versatile, are popsicles. You can check out my fruit and yogurt popsicle recipe and instructions over in the recipes section.

Even though the weather has gotten cooler, I still like frozen snacks — just richer ones. I usually reach for a Skinny Cow fudge pop or ice cream sandwich, since they run 1 or 2 points. But again, I'm trying to save some money and eat "real" food at the same time. I decided to give making my own ice cream sandwiches a try.

First off, I have these Italian super-thin hazelnut cookies that were included in the humungo box of delicious high-fat gourmet cheeses that my mom sent me for Christmas (thaaaaaaannnnks, Mom). One thing I've learned is, with yummy stuff, if you can get a thin version (like pizza crust for example), you're usually saving a few calories. These would be perfect for my sandwiches! But I bet you could use vanilla wafers, or those really thin little chocolate wafers. I also picked up a pint of coffee frozen yogurt, and some sugar free chocolate syrup.

Anyway, first I put a cookie on the wrap, and added about a nickel-sized blop of chocolate syrup, and topped that with about an inch of fro-yo. Since the cookies were so delicate, I ended up ditching the ice cream scoop, and used a butter knife to slice out little slabs that I pieced together on the cookie. I topped that with another little blop of syrup and another cookie, wrapped it all up, and stuck it in the freezer. Repeat 9 more times.

The result was yum-MY — kind of like a frozen hazelnut mocha! The moisture softened up the cookies just enough, so that they weren't mushy or crispy. They had just the right about of structure.

They are certainly smaller than a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich, and have approximately the same amount of Points. But for some reason, they seem just as satisfying; maybe because they don't have all that air whipped in. I don't know the why, I just know what tastes good.

Posted by Korina at 9:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Popcorn is a wonderful thing — natural, filling, non-fat (unless you use oil to make it), full of fiber — and super cheap. However, if you buy microwave popcorn, the price pound-for-pound goes way up!

Most of the time, I just use my air-popper to churn out a gallon bag full of snacking fodder. I can season it with nacho seasoning powder, or butter flavor, or whatever. But, because of the lack of oil, it doesn't really stick. Spraying it with some oil-spray before seasoning helps somewhat, but most of the time, all the seasoning ends up at the bottom of the bag. Plus, sometimes, you just want HOT popcorn.

Alton Brown to the rescue! He came up with DIY microwave popcorn, that he calls the plain brown popper. I decided to give it a whirl, with a few modifications.

Despite my high hopes, I found that a lot of the seasoning was glued to the inside of the bag by the oil. So I had to re-season. I don't know if putting Tabasco in the oil had any effect whatsoever, but the popcorn was pretty spicy.

In fact, if you ever use that hot & spicy salt, do NOT inhale while you are eating your popcorn. You will spend the next hour coughing and sneezing!

Posted by Korina at 2:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yesterday, as I was munching on my barbeque-flavored potato-based snack discs, it occurred to me that I could probably make much tastier and more satisfying snacks, using real food -- rather than air, potato starch, and who knows what else!

Last time I was at the store, I snagged a little jicama ... root? bulb? Well, you know -- that round thing that, underneath its tough skin, has the texture of an unripe pear, and is a little starchy and sweet at the same time.

You see, I was waxing nostalgic about this fantastic taqueria I used to frequent back in Northern Virginia. In addition to delicious greasy, yet light tortilla chips, their baskets also contained sticks of jicama, sprinkled with cayenne.

I thought this would be a perfect high fiber, high water content, low calorie snack! But why stop with just cayenne pepper? I raided my spice cabinet and dug out a few contenders:

Penzey's cajun spice (in the recycled lemon pepper container), Morton Hot Salt, wasabi furikake, and Cholula chile-lime seasoning.

The result: I wasn't crazy about the Hot Salt -- too smoky. The chile-lime was pretty tasty. The cajun spice was my favorite by far, and I was totally surprised at how well the furikake fared. If you aren't familiar with it, it is a Japanese rice seasoning, that typically contains dried and shredded nori seaweed, sesame seeds, and other flavoring agents. If you like sushi, you'll probably like it!

TIP: Don't pre-season, like I did! I thought I was being so cleaver by dividing them into four bunches, seasoning them, and storing them in sandwiches bags -- ready to throw in my lunchbox. Bad idea. The result is less crisp jicama, and a pool of flavored water in the bottom of the bag. In retrospect, this makes total sense, since the salt in many of these seasonings will draw out the water from the jicama. So season on an as-needed basis.

Happy snacking!

Posted by Korina at 3:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lucky for me, RMOMROX reminded me of an issue that often comes up when you're trying to eat healthier -- how do you deal with those foods that you just CANNOT resist?

For instance, I can go a good, long time without eating sweets. But put some tater tots in my face, and it's gorge-city!

Everyone has one of those treats that they just can't say no to, or just can't say "that's enough." The pull is just too strong. Luckily, there are strategies to help cope with those temptations.

Let's talk about those fluffy, crispy, delicious tots. Used to be, I would pre-heat the oven, and dump the contents of the bag onto the cookie sheet. When they were done, I'd shovel pile onto each family members plate. Always, a handful or two remained. When clean up time came, I disposed of them - right into my belly. Can't let them go to waste, right?

Now, before I bake them, I check the serving size, and dole out just the right amount for each of us. No leftovers!

That's one technique - don't have any more on hand than necessary. Another is to make those temptations inaccessible, or even just more difficult to get to.

I have a friend who loves chocolate. This temptation makes Halloween a very trying time. She locks the candy in the trunk of her car until it's trick-or-treat night! That doesn't seem like a big deterrent. But the fact that she would have to put on her shoes, and a coat, get her keys, and walk out there in the cold, is just enough to do the trick.

For other people, it might mean keeping the ice cream in standalone freezer out in the garage, or stashing cookies behind the soup. One could even freeze individually-portioned cookies or pieces of cake, and then take one out in the morning, to defrost for after dinner. Sometimes removing the immediacy is all it takes.

Some folks just don't have any of it in their house in the first place. I have another friend who loves salty snacks. Her husband does too. But he isn't ready to give them up. Just having them in the house is too much temptation for my friend. She told her hubs, that if he wants his chips, he can buy them, and keep them at work.

Many parents will say that they MUST have sweets, junk food, and other "kid food" in the house, because they have kids. But if you think about it, if you don't want to eat junk, do you want your kids to eat it too? On the other hand, we want to make them happy. We get tired of begging them to eat that broccoli. It's a tough row to hoe.

But that, my friends, is a topic for another day.

In other news, 3.8 lbs of the 5 pounds I gained over the holidays are already gone! In fact, when I logged my weight this morning, I got a little slap on the wrist from Weight Watchers, saying I was losing too fast.

I'm not too worried about it. I played two hard games of soccer yesterday.That earned me 25 Points -- Yikes! It also left me a bit dehydrated. I wouldn't be surprised to see a pound or so come back in the next day or two.

Posted by Korina at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Not that I've actually started a diet, but let the record state that bringing cake to co-workers on the first work day of the new year is just plain evil.

Thanks Korina. *grumble*

Posted by Brian at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I was this close -- really -- a half pound from goal. That's the danger zone. That's when I start to get comfortable, and start freeing myself up. Then the holidays came. It was all downhill from there.

Honestly, I didn't even try to exercise restraint. I ignored all the "make compromises" and "choose wisely" advice, and went willy-nilly along the buffets, grazed on the cookies and cheeses, sipped some fancy beverages. I skipped the gym, and made no effort to go for a walk. I slept late, stayed out late, and didn't drink near enough water.

Yes, it was a good time. But now, almost 5 pounds heavier, it's back to work.

I logged my weight *shudder* on the Weight Watchers site. The elliptical has been ordered. The fridge has been cleaned out. All the sweet and rich treats are in the trash, or have been given away. The pantry is stocked with whole grains, high fiber, low calorie, all natural goodness. I have a stack of recipes on my desk to try.

Let's do this thing!

In that spirit, I am posting the dinner menu for the rest of the week:

Wednesday: Mini-pizzas with chicken and asparagus, salad
Thursday: Cube steak, whole grain rice blend, cabbage
Friday: Chicken, potato, and swiss quiche, balsamic green beans

Of course, I am sure there will be changes. But it's a start.

Posted by Korina at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)