Healthy Obsessions

Trader Joe's Lite Kettle Corn!

Okay, so this obsession isn't quite as healthy as it ought to be, but lately I've been obsessed with trying to eat more whole grains. A whole grain is a grain, duh, but a food where the grains remain intact -- seed, germ, endosperm --- and popcorn is a whole grain! WIN!

I like the Trader Joe's kettle corn because, they've lightened up their own brand, and Trader Joe's generally makes things preservative free. The price is nice; I get the portioned controlled, 6-pack for 2.99, roughly 50 cents a bag. I can eat two of these things and not feel so bad. They also manage to fit in some of my purses, and it's actually a nice, filling snack.

It's not that I want to eat popcorn as a main dish, or a side dish. But, it is pleasant to know that healthy food can also be snack food, and even if you sauce or sweeten it up a tad bit, it can still fit reasonably into your daily diet. Besides, if eating kettle corn is wrong, I don't want to be right. But, I'm right...so it's not wrong at all.

Foodprint - Quickies

Eating well on the go is an art form. It's a shame that there aren't any medals or awards I could earn for it. I suppose health is the reward. Sigh.

Since obesity is common, healthful options are becoming common. There was a time when I'd asked for a dish steamed, and would get a look for the server that would lead you to believe that I asked for the heart of their firstborn. In Russian.

I don't get that look quite as often. I've also stop asking for people's firstborn, coincidentally.

• Fruit stands. These are the best option for healthful snacks, especially semi-portable ones like apples & bananas. For the less portable, toss a small Tupperware-like container in your purse to make the unportable portable. You could also invest in a fruit guard.

The banana one is very, interesting looking.

• Coffee & Tea. Basically, drinking this unsweetened, and piping hot can sometimes stave off hunger without adding calories to your day.

When it's hot out, I ditch the coffee or tea, sometimes the iced varieties have sugar blended in, and I get a low-cal Slurpee, Italian ice, or diet green tea Snapple. Things with citrus and ice refresh & cool you off. The feeling of "refreshment", that tart puckering citrus kind, can potentially keep you from gobbling excess calories.

• Steamed vegetables or vegetables with minimal prep. Chinese fast food places have steamers, that's often how they prepare your broccoli & brown sauce item, y'know, before they entrench it in the sauce. You can still have the sauce, just have it on the side. Other good items, broth based soup, plain baked potato, crudites & salad w/ dressing on side.

• Usually healthy food is considered to be boring or bland, but really good food is often made from the simplest, freshest ingredients. Sometimes, that's the healthier option for you. I went to a good-bye dinner where the menu was "french" inspired. I got a Cobb salad with side dressing, thinking it would be drab. It was actually one of the more delicious items I've had in a while because the egg was fresh -- the lettuce, tomato & ham -- all fresh and chopped & lined up soooo cute. It definitely had the "eat with your eyes" factor going for it.

• Lastly, Duane Reade. If you have to have something "junky" this is a good place to hit. Why? They sell a lot of single served items, spec K snack bars, baked lays, and my favorite Popchips. Some of the items, like big cookies, are not so great, but I find that Duane Reade also has a lot of gimmicky health foods, soy chips, 100-cal packs, that you could randomly sample for on the go snacking and could fit into a very well-balanced diet, when consumed in moderation.

I love Popchips. <3

Well, waiting are you waiting for? Go and go eat!