Day 5- Did you say I can eat chips?

Today was another challenge day for me. I had to face the church potluck... you know the one where every member of the church makes a varied type of casserole or fatty dessert. Nothing- and I mean nothing is healthy about those lunches.

Breakfast:
hard boiled egg
1/2 grapefruit

So for lunch I figured they might have some salad and fruit at the church, but to play it safe I decided to bring the fixings for my own salad including my own fat free dressing. Thank goodness I brought food- the only "healthy" thing they had was pineapple- which was very sweet, and may have had sugar on it. I avoided all the food and ate my own lunch. I was faced with explaining my diet to the table of people I sat with- but most of them were supportive or told me about their own current diets. I even offered my extra salad to the other ladies dieting- however no one took it- they stuck with tiny portions of casseroles and pasta salads.

Lunch:
Salad- many types of chopped up veggies
Italian (Fat free) dressing
hard boiled egg chopped into salad
sprinkle of fat free cheddar cheese

The next part of my day was spent with my friend Danielle. We actually talked a lot about healthy eating and exchanged some recipes. She gave me a brilliant idea for a snack i tried later that evening.

Afternoon Snacks:
Green Tea
Yogurt
Apple

I drove back to Mansfield feeling amazed I had made it through the weekend at home without cheating at all!
When I got home my friend Josh wanted to meet up for some dinner. I was trying to figure out what I could make that someone not dieting might enjoy. I ended up doing some sauteed veggies and chicken with a little FF cheese sprinkled on. He wasn't a huge veggie fan so I put them all on my plate and he picked out some of what he wanted. Also he made some pasta to bolster up his meal- best part was we both thought our meals were delicious and we were able to eat together!

Dinner:
Chicken (seasoned)
FF cheddar cheese
Veggies- mushroom, onion, tomato, peppers, broccoli, carrots, (and maybe one or two more)

 Snack:
Kale Chips (one stalk)

Later that night I was getting the munchies again and decided to try out my friend Danielle's recommendation. Using Kale to make chips- Kale is this very green leafy veggie- that is full of fiber- but pretty 'serious' tasting.

 You take the green leafy part of the kale and cut it off the stalk. Then cut or rip it into chip sized pieces.
Spray a cookie sheet with veg. spray, and spread out the kale. Spray another layer of veg oil over top and salt or season as you please.

Cook at 350 degrees until they are crispy. I checked the crispy-ness by poking a fork at them. Took a little over 5 minutes or so. Remove from tray and eat!

They really are surprisingly good- it reminded me of a cross between a chip and popcorn- but either way it was salty and delicious. (I have not researched how cooking kale changes it's nutritional value).

A good recipe I found online uses olive oil instead. But it seems fairly flexible. Also A huge bunch of Kale at Walmart cost me 98 cents. So if you are dieting and craving a salty snack- try this. It is pretty tasty and won't make your waistline mad.

Tomorrow will be back to normal in Mansfield- but I am sure everyday will hold it's challenges!