Tempting, but I’ll pass.

Written by on in Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, Snacks

A new article discusses why keeping sweet treats around my actually help people avoid temptation. Researchers found that people (specifically college girls) who challenged themselves to resist the tempting food by keeping it around may have more success than those who completely ban the food from their pantry altogether. I know that personally, I enjoy buying treats and having them around because I want to be able to eat the foods I like. I can imagine that if I did ban them from my house, I would probably develop a massive craving and eventually give in and buy the treat anyway. So why play mind games?

How about you? Do you think there is some truth to this study?

Also, very interesting comments regarding media bias. I would agree with what many of you said – it’s very, very difficult for journalists not to be biased when it’s the “human” thing to do, particularly when it comes to politics and stories that naturally stir up a lot of emotion with people. And so long as the viewer or reader knows that before they turn on the television or open a newspaper, that’s all we can ask for.

~*~

Bad news bears: I could not sleep AT ALL last night! I think it was because the air conditioning wasn’t on – I woke up several times feeling like I’d just done 30 minutes of cardio. Blech. Needless to say, the morning yoga class didn’t happen 😳 But there will be plenty more opportunities, so I’m not too worried!

I slept in until 9:30 but still felt plenty groggy. I knew I was meeting my friend for brunch at 11:00, so I made myself a mug of Coffee Cocoa to hold me over.

“Life is short. Stay awake for it.”

BRUNCH

So I met my friend for breakfast this morning at LePeep. It was even better because I had a coupon 🙂 I really do like the restaurant though – they have so many options, and a lot of them are healthy spins on popular breakfast items. This morning, I got a veggie egg white omelette, which came with tomatoes, green peppers, onions, broccoli and cheese. I asked for fresh fruit on the side, as well as a whole grain English muffin.

I have to confess, I didn’t take a picture because I was with my friend 😳 I know, I know – I should be more of a shameless food blogger. Maybe next time. But I realized that I’ve had a very similar meal in the past, so I found that picture for your viewing pleasure. It looked pretty much the same, I swear!!

So since I ate this closer to noon, I really wasn’t hungry for much of a lunch. That meant the rest of the day was a lot of random, small meals at various times. I’m much more of a fan of the three square meals plus two snacks kind of day, but it was worth it to spend time with a friend!

MINI-MEAL #1

After brunch I went to the gym and did some damage on the Stairmaster and treadmill. Not quite yoga, but it worked for the time being. Tomorrow I think I’ll go to a Step Plus Abs class as long as I’m able to sleep better. I will be sure to let you know because I am certain you are waiting on the edge of your chair 😉 This is an example of me rambling.

When I got back from the gym, I made myself a bowl of yummy, YUMMY tomato soup!

I used a cup of Imagine Bistro Fire Roasted Tomato Bisque – that’s a mouthful, but it was really good! I also dipped four Whole Foods mini pitas into the soup. If you can find these, they are perfect for soup because you can take a bite when they’re all softened up and then scoop a bunch of soup into the pita pocket and gobble down the rest of it. I’ve never found a better way to eat soup, although Kashi crackers come in a close second place.

Oh! But there was also one more added ingredient in this delicious soup – lots and lots of sun dried tomatoes! Enough to get a little taste in almost every spoonful!

MINI-MEAL #2

The soup held me over a surprisingly long time. I got a bit more organizing done and started to do some reading – actual homework again! Don’t worry, that exclamation point is total sarcasm.

I had a meeting to go to in the early evening, so I snacked on 1/2 cup whipped cottage cheese before I left. I’m telling you, the texture is so much better – no liquid!!

I also had the first of many frozen mango bowls.

MINI-MEAL #3

After my meeting, I came back and was sort of ready for the day to be over 🙁 I don’t mean that to sound too negative BUT I am feeling pretty exhausted as I type this and am pretty sure I will crash as soon as I hit publish. I was, of course, still hungry for something more to eat, so I had my last mini-meal.

It all started with a container of Fage and roughly 1/4 cup TJ’s High Fiber worms.

I love those highlighters with the Post-It notes attached!

Then there was a little cookie action. I tried one of the Kashi Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Flax cookies that I bought (2 boxes for $5!) at the store over the weekend.

Honestly, this tasted like it just came out of the oven! Next time I will heat it up in the microwave to get the full effect, but seriously, dear readers – these are chewy goodness!! They sort of remind me of a much “healthier” version of the Chewy Chips Ahoy cookies that I used to eat by the sleeve when I got home from elementary school. That is not an exaggeration. Ah, youth.

And to wrap the evening up right, I finished that darn bag of frozen mangoes. Hey, to my credit, there are only supposed to be three servings per bag. So what if I’ve only had the bag for two days? 🙂 But I do wish I hadn’t gone through it that fast, since that bag was not cheap. Next time, I’ll try to take my time. Psh, who am I kidding?! I guess I’ll just have to buy it less often to save $$$$$.

So, I’ve got a big bag of apples and I know that I want to use some of them for the Blogger Secret Ingredient, since I’ve been dying to participate ever since it started but haven’t had the chance yet! I don’t want to steal anybody’s recipes, but if there is anyone out there who isn’t going to make anything with the secret ingredient this week and would like to help me out…

What is your favorite recipe that has apples as an ingredient?

Does asking that question make me a cheater? We better call BSI: Blogger Secret Investigators and put them on the case!

I don’t know where that joke came from, but please, forgive me.

Seriously though, am I still playing by the rules?

Ok – my typing fingers have done enough damage for one day! Toodles!

35 Comments

  1. ohhh!!! i have those cookies; and now i REALLY need to try them!!!! i’m super excited for those!! I bet they would taste great mixed in yogurt too…like the zbar….ahhhhhhhhhh….[[drool]]

    hope you feel better tomorrow and get a better nights sleep!

  2. I haven’t tried those Kashi cookies yet, but I suppose I should find out what all the hoopla is about! To tie into your question, I’ve been avoiding buying them because my food philosophy is out of sight, out of mind.
    Trader Joe’s has mango chunks that I’m sure are cheaper than WF. I hope you have TJ near you!

  4. Love the coffee mug!

    The sundried tomatoes in your soup was such a good idea. YUM!

    Can’t wait to see what you come up with using the secret ingredient!

  6. I agree with you 100%, about that study/article. I purchase the foods that I enjoy eating, and that’s that.

    Oh no!!! Hope you get a better/proper night’s sleep tonight, my friend!!

    Love the “life is short. stay awake for it” quote in your mug 🙂

    Good luck with the Step Plus Abs class today!! Sounds fun!!

    TOMATO SOUP!!! Comfort food, for sure. Looooove the addition of sundried tomatoes (holy yum).

    Frozen mango = divine!

    They make highlighters with post-it notes attached?!?!?!??! Um, I need to find those, right now.

    You should made caramel apples!! 😀

    HAPPY THURSDAY, MISS!!

  7. I didn’t even realize that LePeep was still around! Ours in town went out, but I’m happy to know they’re out there offering healthy breakfasts. 🙂

    I’m a huge fan of baked apples or apple crisp. Or just apples!

  8. ONLY IF YOU HAVE A MOMENT—-Id love your .02 on my post today (actually NOT mine. a dietitians guest post.)

    is this your food journal type thing.

    thanks!

  9. haha yes. sometimes I miss the days I could just pour Chips Ahoy in my mouth. though I probably wouldn’t feel nearly as good now if I tried to do that…my body just can’t handle all that sugar!! Good to know the Kashi ones are a hit.

    I’m definitely getting 365 mango chunks next time I’m over there. You are making them loook toooo tasty!!

    BSI. you are a hoot Jenn.

    HAPPY THURSDAY MAMA CITA!

  10. Both Heather from Hangrypants and I thought that apples and BBQ make a good combo, which surprisingly – they do. Good luck in your recipe quest!

    I love mangoes. You just helped me realize that I’ve been spelling mangoes incorrectly for quite some time now. Oh my.

    I know what you mean about not taking pics in front of friends – at least you had one to compensate!

    I really do hope you participate in the Foodie Anthology on my blog – As one of my favorite bloggers, I know you’ll come up with something wonderful!!

  11. I find that keeping my favorite treats around helps me avoid them. I feel I can have them whenever I want so I don’t feel that I have to have them all the time. I am now actually able to keep ice cream in my house on a regular basis without eating a pint everyday.

  12. when i first got a trainer a few years ago, he asked what my food weakness was and i said cake. my mom always has a cake in her fridge and i’ve been known to pick at it with a fork (horrible!). so he had me bake a cake and put it in my fridge. i didn’t touch it!! i hate wasting food though, so why keep it around if i’m not going to eat it?? (unless the hubby is here, he’ll eat anything). so if i want a treat, usually i’ll go out and buy it, which gives me time to decide if i really want it.
    that soup looks incredible! i love the chunks of sundried tomatoes and the fact that you added baby pitas. YUM!!!
    BSI. you crack me up 😀
    have a wonderful thursday!

  13. How $$$ are your WF Mango Chunks? Ours are only $1.99. Bargain!
    _______________

    Quinn ~ Mine are an extra buck, which I guess isn’t terrible…but at the rate I eat them it will add up 🙂

  15. yeah that’s an interesting idea, I read a similar idea over at MizFit maybe last week? I could see some sense in this, but whether or not it would work from me, yeah i don’t think i want to try to find out…

  17. i have that soup waiting for me in my pantry! i’m going to have to buy some sundried tomatoes to add though, what a great idea!! the mini pitas are so cute too!

    i partially agree with the idea of keeping sweets in the house. i think it’s important not to restrict yourself too much because it does lead to cravings, but i don’t think it’s necessary to have really unhealthy things there just in case. I know for me, if I have ice cream in the freezer I’m guaranteed to grab little spoonfuls throughout the day whether I’m craving it or not, just because it’s there. Instead it works a lot better for me to go out and get a scoop of ice cream (or DQ blizzard…) when a real craving hits. Of course I do keep some things in the house–like dark chocolate in case of emergencies ; ) but I usually tend to stick to somewhat healthier treats like frozen fruit and chocolate rice cakes to still give in to my sweet cravings without doing too much damage.

    Also, to answer your yoga question (so you can go soon!) I did go to a 4 session beginner class when I first started but I don’t know if it was necessary. I think if you just talk to the instructor before class you should be fine. It’s ok if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing all the time–just go at your own pace, don’t be afraid of not being able to do/hold a posture, and just listen to your body. If you’re really struggling there is NOTHING wrong with spending a few breaths in childs pose!

    Have a great day!

  18. I love the Kashi cookies! So yummy! Next time I’ll have to try your trick of heating them up first.

    Never had whipped cottage cheese. Hrm. I don’t care for cottage cheese much, but I’ll have to see if I can find the whipped version as it might be better tasting to me.

  19. BSI! You are so cute Jenn.
    I wanted to say that I think it’s okay to NOT take pictures in public. You don’t have to worry about that. I can think of plenty of times where I’d rather not, several of which are coming up. There are times when it’s just weird!
    I can’t wait to see what you do with apples! 🙂

  20. Oh my gosh- Le Peep! We used to go there all the time, but then they closed all of their Dallas locations. Sad.

    For apple recipes… I really like Baked Apple Oatmeal. If you want the recipe, just go to my blog and search “Baked Oatmeal”. Then just sub 2 chopped apples for the blueberries (you can either omit the bananas, or leave them in).

  21. Hi, I haven’t posted on here before, but I do the Blogger Secret Ingredient and posted my recipe yesterday.

    Also, I wanted to comment on your first paragraph: I always have sweets around, but usually just allow myself to have a small amount at the end of the day. This little rule helps me look forward to them and keeps me from eating them all day long. Also, I like to bake cookies and freeze most of the dough in little balls. Then I just bake up a few when I want them instead of having a whole batch at hand.

  22. I totally agree, I like to keep the type of treats that I enjoy and that are healthy, so that when it is snack/mealtime, I don’t have to worry about making so-so choices.

    sorry to hear about your bad night, but i always use the phrase “bad news bears!” 🙂

    I too wish I could be more of “shameless” blogger, but the truth is, very few people know about my participation in the blogging community. It’s just a difficult subject to bring up, and I guess I’m not quite sure how to tell people about it. One of these days….

    I love all of your mini-meals!!

    Have a great Thursday Jenn! 🙂

  23. I dont doubt the study, but i know for me personally, if its around, im going to eat it. If i buy ice cream, i will eat ice cream every day until its gone. ill eat it in normal amounts, but ill have it everyday.

    i dont really ban foods, so im not too worried about it. its not like im trying to resist it, but if i like it, i eat it.

    Kelly Turner
    http://www.groundedfitness.com

  24. Hey, I’ve finally arrived in Chicago 🙂

    very interesting article! I’m gonna have to say that if it’s around, I’ll be tempted to eat it even though I don’t need it. i guess I’m kinda lucky, but if chocolate cookies or super fudge ice cream isnt around I’ll usually just forget about it!

    ohhhhhmigosh I heart sundried tomatoes so much. and tomato soup with crackers. yum, I’m gonna have to try that!

    aw, sorry your night was restless! I cant stand those! but I *love* that quote in your mug. so true, hehe!

    my favorite apple thing = CARAMEL apples. I love when they are really huge and covered with not just caramel but every other type of stick candy, sugar-y thing imaginable. but apples are great by themselves too – i eat at least 2 day!!

    Have a restful night 🙂

  25. Hey, it’s Sarah again. Did you ever make the banana blender cereal I wrote you about? No worries if you didn’t. I was just curious what you thought of it if you had!

  27. Cheater! Total disqualification. I am trying to get rid of the competition, can ya tell?

    Anyway, re: sweets. For me it’s better to have something around ALL the time or NEVER. What I mean is this: If I have a bowl of m&ms always around, I am probably not going to eat that many. Maybe a couple a day. A handful here or there. If I never have m&ms, then I obviously eat none. But, if it’s a special sweet thing I have around, I probably will eat more. Does that make sense?

  28. I definitely agree with the article. I’m the type of person who HAS to indulge. Sometimes multiple times on a daily basis. 😆 (Check out “My Diet” on my blog. Having the “problem” food around and learning how to control yourself with it in reach is really important. Eventually we learn that the “problem” food will always be around, so it doesn’t need to be eaten right now at this instant. Yeah definitely agree with it, but of course it doesn’t work for everyone.

    Your coffee looks so yummy with the whipped topping. 🙂

  29. hi! new reader here! i absolutely love the blog 🙂
    it’s so funny that you wrote about the frozen mango- i picked up a bag at whole foods on tuesday and by wednesday night, they were gone. oops…i mean, at least they’re only $2, right?? i’m glad someone else shares my mango obsession!

  30. HAHA, it’s SO funny that you say that about the Twilight series….I was going to post about it but haven’t had the time, and was really curious to see if anyone would see that in the background 🙂

    OMG – it is SO good! My sister-in-law got me hooked (she read all 4 books in a week and has read them again as well) so I started reading the 1st one and ever since then I’ve heard about SOOO many people being hooked! I just finished #1 last night and am starting the second one tomorrow 🙂 How far are you in the series????
    _______________

    Melissa ~ They are so amazing! I read all 4 books in about 2 weeks, but probably could have gone even faster 🙂 I can’t wait to see the movie!

  31. Ah! Lost is sooo addicting! We watched the first 2 seasons on DVD! There were nights where we would stay up until like 2 am (when I had work the next day) because we just could not stop watching! Like I said, can’t wait for the new season!! Have you ever listened to any of the lost podcasts (i know, I know- a little nerdy). Jay and Jack’s lost podcast is awesome. I listen to it the day after lost is on!
    _______________

    Erica ~ Haha, I’ve stayed up waaaay to late watching TV shows!! I’ve not checked out those podcasts – but now I plan on it :o)

Comments are closed.