So when I went to the grocery store to pick up (on decent sale) a week's worth of soda refill, I was bad and grabbed a bag of chips too. I admit that part of that was because I hadn't eaten yet. But I was thinking about chips in the car on the way there. And I was thinking about them while grabbing soda. Heck, I was thinking about them before I even left the house.
I admit that more cheating happens then would happen if I didn't have a "cheating is going to happen" rule. Most of my calories each week shouldn't be coming from chips, though. Just not cool.
So I've re-dedicated to the on-budget thing. And once the bag of chips is gone, they are gone. If I want more I have to make them.
I did a pretty good job, too. I went to my usual sunday night social activity (squalling cats and fun drunks). The place i go is between a pizza place (garlic knots for $4) and a kebab shop ($5.50 for falafel pita). I wanted the falafel. I really wanted the garlic knots. I didn't even get a beer!
Got home, hungry, and made seriously cheater twists of my own. No fresh crushed garlic- too lazy- but pizza dough, salt, garlic, italian seasoning. And I know everything that's in it.
Now if only I could do the same for ramen.
I can't seem to convince anyone that potato chips are not one of the major required food groups.
ReplyDeleteGood luck making the chips. I bought one of those microwave things. Chips without oil suck. Chips with oil melt the plastic thing that holds the chips. Either bake them in a regular oven with a little oil, or buy a lot of oil and make regular fried chips. If you don't have something like a Fry Daddy, there's usually one at Goodwill for not too much. Save the oil and keep it in the frig for next time. But it has been too long since I've done that for me to say how long the oil would last.
Maybe corn chips or sweet potato chips in the microwave (without oil) wouldn't be as bad as the regular potatoes. I haven't tried that yet. I was just too disappointed in the regular chips to find out.
wait... are you saying they're *not* a food group? What about the chocolate group and the stuffed pastry group?
ReplyDeleteFries are much easier, I admit. I know a way to slice the potatoes into chips (veggie peeler pulls off perfect flakes) but I really don't want to blow that kind of oil on them... Will have to think on this...
Spray oil and crinkled foil are the secrets to great chips. Crinkle, then uncrinkle your foil, put on a cookie sheet and place slices on top, bake, flip, bake some more. They never stick and are very good. I have done the microwave thing on reg. potatoes too, and they aren't too bad if you do them in a pie plate and eat as soon as they cool, but you can do so many more in a reg. oven and if they go soggy, just put them back in later to crisp up again (but they don't last that long here!) I would stay away from the Fry Daddy--those things are creepy.
ReplyDeleteyou know when I think about cheating on some of my food "rules" I try really hard to remind myself that anything that CAN be bought out of a vending machine - whether that's where I'm getting it or not - is NOT FOOD. It can't possibly be food with that kind of life span.
ReplyDeletesomehow it makes it WAY less appetizing, and makes me less likely to continue wanting it.
This includes all kinds of chips and chocolate (unfortunately) and (fortunately) the weird fried pork rinds that the vending machine local to me has a "healthy heart" sticker next to. (can anyone explain THAT to me?)
@Maureen
ReplyDeleteI am not sure that pork rinds are "healthy" for you but they are better than "normal junk food"
http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/healthy_snacks/Pork_Rinds.php
@Cyndee- Do you spray the oil on the chip/ crisp piece, or on the foil? crinkling is an interesting idea- I usually try to keep the foil as smooth as possible, but it makes sense that ridges and dips would mean less sticking with something like chips. Maybe I should have paid more attention in physics...
ReplyDelete@Maureen- That's a great idea, but those are all the foods I love! Chocolate bars, chips, soda... Om nom nom.
@Ruby- that's disturbing. Really. If pork rinds are better for you than chips, I might just have to swap my "cheating" over to high cocoa content dark chocolate. Lasts longer, anyway.
@ Ruby Leigh
ReplyDeleteon the one hand i'm thinking - wow, who knew!
on the other hand i'm thinking - that's absolutely absurd....
thanks for solving the mystery though. if pork rinds are better for you than potato chips - then i don't think i'm ever having a potato chip again.
I love your blog, being in a place where I have to cut back on my food spending and trying to eat better at the same time, its good to know it can be done. I have a suggestion for a fix up on your chip cravings...popcorn! I make mine at home right on the stove top, super easy and no special equipment needed and very fast <5 min. When the pan is cold use oil (olive and peanut work well) to make a thin coat on the bottom of the pan, add the kernels in a single layer if they stack your at a burning risk, I add the salt here too so that it disperses evenly. With a snug fitting lid put the pan on the stove on high, once the first few kernels pop lift the pan slightly to regulate the temp and to prevent burning. Warning: at no point in the process remove the lid, consider popping kernels little flame throwers to the eye ball. The topping options are limitless at this point.. chili with lime zest, curry powder, good old fashioned salt and oil.... Helps me get over chips!
ReplyDelete