Lately, I’ve been trying to avoid the 5 C’s: chips, cookies, candy, cake, and cola. I pledged to cut down on overly processed food. My Fitbit was very proud of me for two whole days. Then I backslid. It all started with chili. The saltines that I had were stale so I thought Bugles might be a good topping substitute.
I sprinkled a few in my bowl and it was awesome! That one little taste got me off track. The next day I had a few graham crackers for a snack. The next a pack of Austin cheese crackers. Suddenly, I found myself looking up cookie recipes to match ingredients I currently had in my pantry. I’m a junk food junkie and this is my story.
I’m also addicted to the show Breaking Bad. Perhaps the term binge watching was coined in it’s honor? I’ve watched the series quite a few times over the years in intermittent spells on both cable and Netflix. I’ve seen the movie twice since it came out. After that, I thought that I would be satisfied for a while. I thought I had seen enough of the show and learned all that there was to know.
Then AMC started airing reruns to advertise the cable premier of El Camino this month. I got hooked again. I began watching Breaking Bad character studies at night on YouTube in search of fresh material. I subsequently restarted the series on Netflix and have watched most of it straight through. As of this writing, I only have a few episodes of season 5 remaining. When it’s over, I will be sad and depressed again. I will have to go through another withdrawal period….again.
Why do I keep doing this to myself? I’ve had good results with the cold turkey method in the past. For example, if I don’t eat sweets for two weeks I’m pretty much good and the cravings cease. But if I partake again, even just a little, I want more and more. Sweets make me happy. So does a well written drama. Breaking Bad still surprises me. It’s still interesting. The show is raw and touches on all human emotions. All of the characters seem so real. Like you might know them or bump into them in everyday life. Well, if you lived in the ABQ anyway. Suffice it to say, I just can’t get enough.
It’s the same with processed food. I’ve gained a few pounds since moving back from Argentina. The supply chain of junk food was simply not available there. Not to say they didn’t have their own fair share of sinful treats but not near the abundance of the great US of A. Thus, I could more readily abstain given less access to my favorites. I vowed to carry the life lessons across the ocean with me upon returning home. My thinking was that I would indulge a little at first to celebrate our homecoming and then go back to cleaner eating. Alas, it just didn’t work out that way. This was like my test out of rehab. I failed.
I will just never crave celery and hummus quite like salty chips and cheesy dip. I know this about myself. No matter how well I dress it up, celery is just celery. Same with cauliflower. I tried the faux “Mac n cheese” but no matter how gooey you make it, it is not macaroni. I even invested in the veggie spiralizer and made “zucchini spaghetti.” Again, loads of marinara, spices and Parmesan cannot trick my palette into believing I’m eating carbs. Yes, being carboholic is a thing.
So shall I give in to my ID instincts? Should I acquiesce to that devil on my shoulder, keep Breaking Bad on a perpetual loop, and eat nothing but the 5 C’s all weekend long? Nah. Nothing that dramatic. The latest season of Better Call Saul premieres soon anyway. I will also pursue other viewing interests. For instance, I like to watch some of the Oscar nominated movies this time of year to see if they were worth all of the hype. I’m also a Bravoholic and have a few shows that I look forward to on a weekly basis.
After I finish off this batch of cookies, I will take a break from sweets. I may buy a little chocolate for Valentine’s Day but otherwise want to get my numbers back down on the Fitbit. So no tray of Ghiradelli brownies that I tell myself are “good” because they’re made with dark chocolate. I will continue to explore healthyish ways to satisfy my sweet tooth like strawberries and a little whipped cream or chocolate drizzle. Maybe I’ll find some Froyo or something.
I’ll invest in some chili lime chickpeas and trail mix to help curb my Pringle dependency. I can admit I have addictive tendencies towards food and TV. I’m also aware when things start to get out of hand and know when to cut back. I need to monitor and work at it every day. That’s just me.✌️💜🍴
I got the following recipe (technically called Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies) on Pinterest from myrecipes.com. The only change I made was using white chocolate chips because I didn’t have any milk chocolate. These are gluten free and like little peanut butter pillows. Bet you can’t eat just three!😉
You will need: 1 large egg, 1 cup of peanut butter, 3/4 cup of sugar, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 cup chocolate chips
To prepare: Preheat oven to 350. Cream together first 5 ingredients, then fold in chocolate chips. Scoop spoonfuls onto baking sheets a couple of inches apart. Bake 12–14 minutes until cookies are puffy and light brown. Remove from oven and cool in pan on wire racks for a few minutes. Then transfer cookies from pans to racks to complete the cooling process. Enjoy!
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Mood Ring Kitchen
I’m a self teaching home cook and aspiring foodie entrepreneur. I enjoy coming up with creative ways to prepare flavorful food such as snacks, desserts and everything in between. Cooking is a way for me to challenge myself and satisfy curiosities about different ingredients.
The hope is to produce something thoughtful, memorable or every once in a while maybe even wonderful. I enjoy following my “gut” and exploring new recipes that can be comforting, exciting and nourishing. Above all else, I enjoy exploring the emotions surrounding food and writing about those experiences. 😝👩🍳👩💻
Stirring With Emotion 
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