Healthiest Boredom Foods

Are you a boredom eater?

No? Really?

Are you unable to watch TV without munching on something? Is the excitement of a road trip partially due to potential gas station snacks? Do you use food to pass the time at an especially boring job? How about when you can't sleep at night, do you find yourself perusing the refrigerator?

Be honest now...

That's what I thought.

I'll admit, boredom eating is a tough habit to break, or as I explained in this post, Psychological Aspects of Weight Loss, a tough habit to cover up. But while you're trying to break it no sense it completely blowing it any healthy progress you've already made.

First of all, we all know it's never a good idea to eat any time other than when you're hungry, but c'mon, let's be realistic here. Sometimes you're going to be in positions where the option of taking a break to get something to eat is basically non-existent. I understand what you're going through; I drive around in a little truck for 10 hours a day, remember?

So what exactly makes a good boredom food? Basically, something that takes up a lot of time while also adding up to a fairly low calorie count, and a really good boredom food combines the physical activity of destroying something with comfort of getting a treat for your troubles. Something small, where either your mouth or hands are busy the entire time, taking care of the fidgety part of the brain that so desperately needs to be satisfied. In general, you want something that is the opposite of potato chips. Think about it, you can scarf them by the handful and they are essentially a collection of everything that's bad for you; calories, fat, oil, sodium, preservatives...(No, I'm not going to allow you some leeway here by saying 'Hey, at least the potato part is good for you'. There's no leeway. They're horrible for you, accept it and move on.).

That may have hurt a little bit, but I promise, it's going to get better. So here's a list of foods much more appropriate for some mindless boredom snacking. I'm not condoning it, but it's better than the alternatives.

1.) Low Sodium Sunflower Seeds in the Shell

Sunflower seeds are a fantastic boredom food. Besides the fact they're loaded with Vitamin E (which in short means they protect against free radicals, among other things), they are rich with specific anti-oxidants in charge of lowering blood sugar levels, as well as protein to satisfy that little bit of hunger you may or may not be experiencing.

Plus a rather large back usually has roughly 2.5 servings, at 190 calories per serving. So even if you down the whole package (which you will probably only make it through half) you won't be seriously destroying your day's healthy eating habits. Not too bad if I say so myself.  Oh and get the low sodium kind. Trust me, you won't miss the extra salt.

2.) Cherries

Cherries are packed with Vitamin C and fiber, but they're especially useful as a night-time snack since they've been rumored to help regulate your sleep cycle. They're sweet, tart, firm and juicy, and 3 cups (let's be honest, boredom snacking never really gives way to portion control) contain only about 230 calories. Win-win, if you ask me.

3.) Steamed Edamame Beans

You may have never had this one, and I wish I could describe to you what edamame (pronounced eh-dah-MAH-may) tastes like, but it's a pretty specific thing. The way I'd have a hard time explaining the way coffee tastes, or licorice. Personally, I absolutely love eating them as a snack, but when put into stir fry? Eh, I prefer them to be left out. Everyone's different though, so I'd say give them a shot.Who knows, you may find yourself completely addicted.

You want to buy them in the pod (as soybeans), then steam them with a little salt and pepper and let them cool. Then if you need to snack on something while watching television, simply focus on getting the beans out of the pod. I'm not even going to go into the nutritional value (it's ridiculously high, google it) and 1.5 cups of shelled edamame beans come to about 330 calories.

4.) String Cheese

This one isn't so much trickery as it is just plain ol' fun to take your time. I know very few people who scarf string cheese in a few bites; most play with it like they did in their elementary school cafeteria, making it last as long as possible. So bring out your inner child and appreciate string cheese for the prize it is: roughly 150 calcium filled calories of glorious time-consuming wonderment.

5.) Pomegranate Seeds

A perfect example of time-consuming and low-calorie, pomegranate seeds are perfect for Sunday movie night. They're just sweet and tart enough to keep you coming back for more, but considering the work you have to do to get to each individual seed, even a whole pomegranate (a "whopping" 105 calories) will probably last you through an entire two hour movie. Plus they're a great source of potassium and vitamin C, meaning they're perfect for a day relaxing sore muscles.

6.) Melon - Not Already Cut Up

This is my personal favorite. When I've had a bad day, I cut a watermelon (or cantaloupe, honeydew, etc) in half and sit on the couch with a spoon and go to town. It takes a lot of work to dig out your own portioned bites, and when you're done you can pick at the rind and graze what you can that's left. As an added bonus, melons are mostly water, so in turn you're going to end up flushing out a lot of unhealthy crap in your system, like preservatives or salt. And being generous, 4 cups of watermelon has roughly 200 calories.

So feel free to go to town with any of these options, sans the guilt and negative side effects. What healthy time-consuming foods do you eat?

           

Five Words You Don't Hear Enough

"It's only a 4 page paper, I just don't understand how to do the calculations is all. Can you help me out?"

"Email me what you have," I texted back. "I'll run through and make sure you're using the right formulas."

Fact of life: I have a hard time saying "No." It's just a few formulas, I'll look it over. This was after I had already gone to the gym, done the dishes and prepped some food for dinner later tonight. I finished my own 8 page paper on cognitive dissonance/situated cognition and turned it in before 10:00, took a shower and gathered my things for a day running the ice-cream truck.

11:20 - My first customers. Three teenage girls driving a 2008 Ford Focus. "Do you have anything that's strawberry?" asked Girl #1 without even looking up from her phone. "Sorry," I said. "I have huckleberry? Would that be okay?"

Girl #2 rolled her eyes. "Eww," she said. "That sounds disgusting." Girl #3 clearly agreed. "Let's just go to Dairy Queen," she whined. "This sucks."

Great start.

1:26 - It hits 100 degrees.

3:30 - I ran by my friend's house to check on her cat (being she was out of town for a few days). After seeing she was out of food, I went home, put some of my cat's food in a little baggie and brought it back. That should last her through the next few days.

4:30 - Made a routine stop at a house with 5 kids with Cruella DeVille for a mom. She only lets them have anything if I give it to them for free (yet she clearly has enough money for her cigarettes), so I usually give them a few popsicles and tell them not to tell their mom, hoping one day she might cough up some change to cover the weekly dent she makes in my donation jar. Wishful thinking, I know.

4:42 - It hits 102 degrees.

5:35 - a man stops me in traffic to say his dog is missing, and if I see it on my route to give him a call. He gives me a phone number, address, and description of his dog. I tell him I'll keep a lookout.

6:45 - I head home to grab a bite to eat. Checked my grades. 87% for my paper? I'll take it. Also the air conditioner has leaked all over the carpet, so I put a bowl underneath is and clean up what I could. I'll get the rest later.

7:30 - I find the missing dog. I call the number but no answer, so I take it to the address. She's a hyper Border Collie named Bella, and secretly I want to keep her. He's not home, but his neighbor, an elderly woman, screams at me and accuses me of trying to steal this man's dog. I explain I'm actually bringing the dog back, but she just shakes her fist at me and walks into her house. I wait another 10 minutes when he pulls up. Crisis averted.

8:20 - I realize I forgot to refill my water bottle when I stopped by my house. I'm out of water and I've got an hour left. Oh well.

9:30 - I make my last round through a familiar neighborhood and am waved over by a little boy and his dad. After pondering the choices he chooses a chocolate ice cream sandwich. Good choice. He gives me the money and takes his frozen treat.

"What do we say?" asked his father.
"Thank you," replied the little boy.
"Aww, you're welcome bud!" I said back.
"And what else do we say?" asked the father once more.

The little boy looked up at me with big, brown eyes bordered by long lashes and said with compete sincerity five words I haven't heard in years:

"You're doing a good job."

Thank god I was wearing sunglasses. "Oh, wow." I stuttered, trying not to cry, "Thank you. Thank you so much."

They smiled, his dad dropped $0.50 in the donation jar, and they went back into the house. There I sat, completely dumbfounded and on the verge of tears.

You're doing a good job.

Honestly, when's the last time someone has told you you're doing a good job? Not insinuated it, or hinted at it, but actually told you you're doing a good job? Personally I can't remember the last time, but I know for a fact there are people out there who don't hear it enough, and I'm sure you're one of them.

So for today, Monday, the start of the week, I'm asking you to take a second in the mirror and tell yourself you're doing a good job. It's true, and you don't hear it enough. Hell maybe even let that waitress working the 4 a.m. shift know too, I'm sure she hasn't heard it in years either.

    

Stupid And Crazy: And The Winner Is...?

Italy.

It looks like you all have spoken, and have chosen Italy as the random country I will be taking a trip to. I'll pretend I'm not ridiculously excited that Italy was the winner, but between you and me? Fantastic choice.

I'll admit my mind is running away with me just a little bit. I can envision myself now; sipping red wine with a plateful of spaghetti while rendering an exquisite freehand sketch of the Colosseum, saying something brilliant to passerbys like, "Ringrazio la mela dopo la mezzanotte".

In reality I'm pretty sure the phrase above translates roughly into "Thank the apple after midnight", and I'll probably be so hungry, tired and lost that I wouldn't recognize the Colosseum even if I ended up sleeping next to it. Eh, all minor details.

But before I get to ahead of myself I'm afraid I have some news for those of you hoping you to get a blog from me in a week or so from my return trip: it looks like I will be postponing my trip until the spring.

Complete bummer, right?

Not exactly. Life happened and I had to account for it. Here are the main reasons the trip is being delayed:

1.) Our roommate is moving out. In two weeks. To move in with his ex-fiance, from 4 years ago, that he just got back together with 3 weeks ago. It all happened pretty suddenly, and my boyfriend and I can't afford the rent on our own. We might have a more affordable a place opening up by October, but it's all still up in the air. I simply can't justify spending $1060 on a plane ticket to Italy when that money might be all that's standing between us and being evicted.

2.) Then after school starts (September 7), there's no vacation options of any kind until December, due to my full-time internship. I've been approved to take 23 credits this fall so I can graduate as soon as possible, and when you're taking that kind of course load, a day off is a luxury you can't afford. Plus, it would be a pretty lousy trip if I was stressed over school the entire time.

So when is the best time to take a trip to Italy? According to one family member who has traveled there numerous times (and the Internet): Spring. March-Aprilish. Apparently it's gorgeous, the weather is in the high 60's-low 70's (Fahrenheit), and there are no tourist crowds to compete with. August-Septemberish? Excruciatingly hot (90-100 F), fanny-pack photogs everywhere, and not to mention a little bitty holiday known as Ferragosto where everyone heads to the beaches and central Italy basically shuts down.

I think I may have actually dodged a bullet.

So what have I learned from all of this? My first rule of planning a trip: calm down. I was so excited to go I probably would've gone at the worst time of year. By worst I mean hottest. I can handle cold, I'm a Montana girl, but too much heat and I start melting like the Wicked Witch of the West. Plus, this way I may even save some money instead of spending and then scrounging to make up for it.

The point is, it's an expensive ticket. Why not get the most out of it? My trip is set for the Spring, thanks for voting!

But in the meantime, please vote in the poll on the right as to which activity you are most interested in learning about. (See this post for explanation). You choose, I do!

     

Dress Code

You've all heard the saying...

"Dress for the job you want, not the job you have."

Or in my case, "Dress well enough to avoid being sent home to change."

I try, but lets make a quick run-through the list of my previous jobs during college and the attire required for them:

1.) Landscaping/Plant Nursery: Any clothing that is already destroyed, or is on the verge of being destroyed.

2.) Bartender: Anything that shows off my...um...anything that is sure to help bring in the tips.

3.) Cherry Cannery Factory Worker: See description #1.

4.) Housekeeper: See description #1.

5.) Night Shift Hotel Clerk: Anything as long as it doesn't fit description #1 or #2.

6.) Night Shift at the Psychiatric Hospital: Scrubs.

7.) Ice Cream Truck: Whatever I want. It's my freakin' truck.

As you can see, I've never had a job that warrants me owning anything that can be considered "professional work attire". I have one pair of gray pants, one, and even those are three sizes too big. As my boyfriend recently put it, "Babe, unless you're planning on being a 'gansta counselor', we need to find you some pants that don't look like you just escaped from some sort of juvenile detentional facility."

Point taken.

Although I must say I think I've done a fairly decent job of stretching my wardrobe. At the start of my internship, I resorted to wearing my coat (a respectable looking plaid trenchcoat) the majority of the day because it meant I could wear the same outfit two or three times in a week without anyone noticing. People judge you for wearing the same outfit everyday, but not the same coat. Sneaky, right?

But as the summer heat rolled in, my trusty wardrobe savior became irrelevant, and I was forced to bow in defeat to the 90 degree weather and leave my coat at home. Finally, it was clear to all that I would be rotating through the same clothes all week, which the staff jokingly referred to as my "uniform". Might as well grab my Ninja Turtle lunch box while I'm at it. Oh the joy of being instantly recognized as the intern...

Through all of this though, I have found myself undergoing a kind of fashion transformation. In general, I can't say I've ever found myself attracted to "work" clothes. They seemed boring and constricting, stuffy and unoriginal. But the closer I get to getting an actual job that reflects the level of education I've completed the more I find myself drooling over blazers, pencil skirts and structured vests. In short, I now see them as a badge of honor: I am no longer the lowly intern, but someone who deserves to be there, knows what the hell I'm doing, and damnit I want to look like it.

Being a 1940's and 1950's fashion admirer (and a rather, ahem, 'busty' girl myself), I notice I'm gravitating to shows like Mad Men mainly for the fashion inspiration. When my most recent issue of Cosmo had Christina Hendricks on the cover, I took it as a sign from the fashion gods.  

I must go shopping.

However, today was the last day of my summer internship (30 hrs/wk, unpaid) which means the need for professional work attire is no longer urgent until I start my final internship this fall (46 hrs/wk, unpaid). I've begun applying for jobs in the hopes that one of them will count as an internship where I may actually be paid for my time (please please please pleeeeeease hire me...), but I know it's a long shot.

Regardless though, I know it's just one step closer to having a job I've spent forever earning, and therefore one step closer to being able to afford the clothes that display it. Heck, maybe in another semester I might actually look like a responsible adult with a real grown up job and everything!

Oh c'mon, I can dream can't I?

       

Love and Baseball

As I have mentioned in previous posts and comments, my boyfriend, the love of my life, is a baseball coach; which means that I, by default, am a baseball fan. Accepting his sport of choice was not difficult for me, being as I can enjoy pretty much any activity grounded in competition and I myself was on the university softball team.

But I never expected I would enjoy it as much as I have. Frankly, I never expected to fall in love with the game of baseball, but I've found there's something incredibly beautiful about a summer game under the lights. The way the bugs swarm around the giant lamps, how each hit echoes throughout the park, and how it never really seems to cool down. A personal favorite of mine is the way the music comes on when a coach walks onto the field to argue a call. It's slightly comical to watch two grown men intensely squabble while the song "Mustang Sally" fills the air.

I guess I'm drawn to the atmosphere of it all; like a huge family bbq where anyone is welcome. The 15 and 16 year olds on the field are like gods to the 8 year olds who line the fence and call out a hitter's name, just hoping they'll turn around and make eye contact. There's a gaggle of 4-7 year olds racing around the park everytime a foul ball is hit, and there's always an 80 year old man somewhere in the crowd, telling stories of the game back when he was playing.

Usually, I park my ice cream truck outside the gate and sit on the roof, cheering with the grounds crew (baseball dads), eating sunflower seeds and passing out frozen treats to kids that know to look for me. After the game (win or lose) I usually sit with my boyfriend as he, the other coaches, and the umpires have a couple beers, relive the game, and watch Rover, the head coach's 12 year old black lab, run through the field chasing rabbits and large moths. He always looks so proud if he ever actually comes close to catching anything.

Sometimes, like last night, the dad's, coaches and umpires will all stay long enough for a sloppy game of "drunken baseball", and I get to watch grown men relive their glory days. Since my boyfriend was a pitcher for the university team, they often line up to take BP off him. Seeing dads swing and fall while umpires hoot and holler is always worth the 2 a.m. hour it usually lasts to.

Sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky, to spend my lazy summer nights atop an old ice cream truck, watching the man I love do what he does best. I may be broke, weary and behind on one to-do list or another, but as far as I'm concerned I just don't see how it can get much better.