Sassy Sexy Shapely

As you know, I’ve been cooking up a storm lately, a slightly weird but welcome occurence.  Having never been a big fan of the kitchen, I’m surprised how much I’m enjoying my evolution into the Sassy Chef.  As great as it is, though, all this cooking has a potentially powerful pitfall.

Some amount of nibbling is required when cooking, just because the chef needs to make sure things taste good.  Those quick tastes are generally pretty negligible and won’t have a significant impact on your daily calorie count.  But it’s too easy for it to get out of hand, especially for me when I’m dealing with ingredients that are “triggers”… food that it’s hard for me to control myself around such as peanut butter and marshmallow creme.  When I munch while cooking, I always generously estimate the calories involved and include them in my daily food journal.  It seems to be working because my weight is on target (with the usual slight day-to-day fluctuations).

I’ve also come up with a couple of easy techniques to nix unnecessary noshing.

• Have a diet soda on hand while you’re prepping the food.  When I start cooking, I pop open a can of my favorite diet soda and sip it when I get the urge to sample the wares.
• Wash or wipe off your hands frequently.  It’s natural to want to lick your fingers.  Not only is this not the most sanitary way to cook, but it can also lead to extra consumption.  Washing and/or wiping immediately stops this problem before it starts.
• Put dishes into the dishwasher immediately.  As soon as I’m done with a measuring cup or bowl, I rinse it right away and load it into the dishwasher.  That way, I’m not tempted to eat up those last little bits.

It amazing how little changes can make a big difference.  If you’re going to diet and cook, there’s more to it than just creating healthy, low-cal recipes.  You’ve got to watch your consumption all through the process.  These techniques have helped me a lot, and I hope they help you, too!