Susan’s Hungry Day “Go To” Foods

Oct 27, 2009

Ever just have “that kind of day“?  The kind of day when you just feel like endlessly munching?  Well, I sure have, and after I have exhausted all my other non-food options to just get past it, here are some of the foods I call my “go to” foods – foods that never set me off, that have very little caloric investment, that never make me feel like I blew it when I eat them, that have little to no nutrition guilt attached, that always leave caloric room for my real meals.

Many of these things I keep on hand for just such occasions, because there is one thing I know for sure, and that is that in that frame of mind, these can’t take lots of effort, or I am not going to bother.  I usually pre-prepare at least one “go to” food per week all the time, and usually they are to be found in my refrigerator or freezer, rather than one of the cabinets.  That in and of itself speaks volumes about the content.

I know that some of you will look at this list and say, “Are you kidding me?”  But I’ve also figured out (the hard way like everything else) that for me, when I just need to stuff my face, it really makes very little difference after the fact what it was as long as I can get filled.  I used to feel like it had to be something fabulous, and don’t get me wrong, that would be infinitely more enjoyable.  But for me it seems to be more about being stuffed and “done” than the actual food, really.  And even these are not all the healthiest things in the world, but they are better than a whole jar of peanut butter or bag of pretzels (and those would be the “good choices”, right?).  Try any and see if they help you too.  It can only help to create a bigger repertoire of safe choices.

Here are some examples (bizarre though some of them may seem):

Carrot Soup (made with chicken broth, carrots, ginger and cinnamon – freezes well)

Cauliflower Soup (made with cauliflower, chicken broth and thyme – freezes well)

A 20 oz. bag of cooked String Beans with 1-2 T whipped butter, salt and pepper (just a vehicle for the butter!)

Sealeg Salad (see recipe in my last Newsletter – Healthful Hints Archives) rolled in lettuce leaves, or stuffed in a tomato

Roasted Red Pepper Soup (Pacific from Trader Joe’s) with a jar of Newman’s Black Bean Salsa mixed in (high salt, but really intense and satisfying)

Yam and Apple Casserole (see recipe in Honey We’re Saving Our Kids recipe section under So, What Should I Eat? menu tab)

Giant Globe Artichokes (with dip of low fat sour cream or greek yogurt with tarragon,dill, garlic, mustard and lemon – same dip as the sealeg salad)

Asian Broccoli Slaw (see recipe in the Honey We’re Saving Our Kids section under So, What Should I eat menu tab)

Gertie’s Artichoke Salsa as a food group (used to get it at Costco, but haven’t seen it there lately)

A jar of Pinjur (eggplant pepper spread from Trader Joe’s – supposed to be on something, but I just eat the jar)

Popcorn (I pop my own – it’s safer that way, and spray with olive oil spray)

Cinnamon Popcorn (just spray with oil spray, lightly salt, and sprinkle with cinnamon and something to slightly sweeten – tastes like french toast)

Parmesan Popcorn (lightly spray with oil and sprinkle with parmesan cheese)

Teryaki Popcorn (lightly spray with Teryaki Sauce – put in a spritz bottle)

A large Honey Crisp Apple, cut into thin slices and dusted with cinnamon

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds in the shells (I eat it shells and all – try to find lightly salted)

No Sugar-Added Hot Chocolate (has the added benefit of not starting chewing anything)

Hummus and Carrots (best choice, probably last resort)

Notice, that short of the popcorn that I pop myself at the time, I try to stay away from dry crunchy things.  Personally, they set me off and are usually just vehicles for high fat or high sugar condiments.  I try to use the veggie things first if I can deal with it, because they are absolutely safe, and work, if I will just mindlessly do them immediately and not give myself time to reconsider.  These are the things that I always have ready to go.