Angel Food (lowfat)

Oops. I let a few days go by without blogging on 3fc. So, here’s my update…

My “weight watching” didn’t go so well last week. Let’s just say that I watched my weight go up a couple pounds, and I watched my weekly points count go off the charts. I succumbed to a lot of boredom eating. I didn’t cook as much as I usually do and wound up trying to rely on salads and baked potatoes to fill the hollow spot in my tummy. As usual, when I eat smallish meals (and especially when I combine smallish meals with boredom), my snacking gets out of control. Lots of small meals do it for some folks, but they’re not for me at all. I need to feel satisfied by the food I eat.

So, this week I’m trying to think carefully before I eat, asking myself, “How hungry am I really? Can I wait until the next meal?” and “What can I cook for dinner?” I’m a foodie at heart, so when I go days eating nothing but Lean Cuisines and bagged salad I almost feel like I’m letting myself down. I’d rather save my points (er, calories for you non Weight Watchers folks) for really tasty, satisying dishes. This week, I made a simple fruit salad of diced mango, shallots, cilantro, salt, and lime juice that has kept my mouth very entertained at dinner. Seriously, this salad kicks the pants off of any fruit salad you can buy pre-made at the grocery store. I’ve been eating it almost as a chutney or salsa accompaniment to an eggplant curry from a recent issue of Cooking Light. The curry itself needs something (ginger, maybe); I love eggplant and I love curry, though, so I hope to tweak the recipe until it really zings.

Can you tell I’m dreaming of cooking when I really should be working on a grant proposal (my real job)? This is my Thursday post-Top Chef hangover, as it were, when I dream of perfectly braised meats, silky pastry cream, and making Tom Colicchio’s eyes crinkle in delight over a perfect meal. Sigh. Back to work. Hope everyone’s having a terrific week!