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How to Keep Your Kitchen Cool During the Summer

July 26, 2020

It gets hot in the summer here in Tennessee, and electricity can be pricey. Here’s how to keep your kitchen cool during the summer!

a text graphic that says 9 tools to keep your kitchen cool this summer

Keeping the Kitchen Cool!

Okay, so you can only eat so many salads and sandwiches in the summertime, and (as I mention in #2), I can’t run my ceiling fan while simultaneously cooking on my gas range. Over the years I’ve discovered a lot of tricks to keep the heat factor down, and these are my 9 suggestions for how to keep your kitchen cool during the summer!

By the way, all of these links and photos are Amazon affiliate links. This means that if you click the link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. This does not affect the cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosures. Thank you for supporting my blog!

Keeping the Kitchen Cool!

Okay, so you can only eat so many salads and sandwiches in the summertime, and (as I mention in #2), I can’t run my ceiling fan while simultaneously cooking on my gas range. Over the years I’ve discovered a lot of tricks to keep the heat factor down, and these are my 9 suggestions for how to keep your kitchen cool during the summer!

By the way, most of the links below are Amazon affiliate links. This means that if you click the link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. This does not affect the cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosures. Thank you for supporting my blog!

  1. Air Fryer

a photograph of an air fryer

This one honestly surprised me! Several people asked me in classes that I have done for The Chattery if I had ever considered doing an air fryer class. Well, honestly – I had never even considered getting an air fryer! After so many people asked, I asked my Facebook followers about it and a ton of people told me that they were completely in love with their air fryer. I decided to take the plunge. Some of the things that I make in mine include: homemade fries, baked potatoes, fried squash, chicken tenders, frozen spring rolls, and reheated pizza. It’s basically a mini convection oven, and it is so convenient to have around! Since I originally wrote this post a few years back, I have switched from a traditional air fryer to a pressure cooker/air fryer combo, but love both kinds. The one pictured is a Cook’s Essentials 5.3 quart air fryer from QVC.

2. Instant Pot

a photograph of an Instant Pot

Did anyone question whether I was going to put this on the list? Doubtful. It’s no secret that I’m pretty much obsessed with this appliance. I use it weekly, year-round. If the Smart Oven was the best birthday gift I’ve ever gotten, the Instant Pot was the best Christmas gift (thanks, Mom!). It’s great for roasts, soups, stews, and even one-pot pasta dishes. Really! And yes, I know you can pressure cook on the stovetop, but I use my Instant Pot for a lot of things that I would do on the stovetop because it allows me to keep the ceiling fan in my kitchen running. Ceiling fans are essential in a Tennessee summer, but when you have a gas range, you have to turn them off while you’re cooking on the stovetop. No need with the Instant Pot!

3. Convection Microwave or Toaster Oven

a photograph of a Breville Smart Oven

This is probably my number one “keep the kitchen cool” tool. I started with a cheapie toaster oven from Walmart, and it did a pretty good job but my in-laws bought me a Breville Smart Oven (linked above) and it was amazing. When I replaced my microwave a couple of years ago I upgraded to a microwave/convection oven. The Breville Smart Oven and my convection microwave are both large enough to fit my 9×11 USA Pan cake pan, a 12-cup muffin tin, and my 10-inch cast iron skillet. There is virtually no reason for me to turn my oven on from the time the temps outside get into the 80s (which happened in April here) until cooler weather hits in the fall.

4. Grill

a photograph of a Weber gas grill

Maybe this is the most obvious one on the list? I mean, who doesn’t love grilling in the summer? There is just something about that slightly charred taste of a freshly grilled chicken leg or burger that you can’t get from even the best pan-fried burger (and pan-fried burgers are my favorite, but when you want a grilled burger, you need a grilled burger). Plus, you get to cook outside. All you need is a beer and maybe a picnic table? We use propane, but my dad swears by his Weber charcoal grill (there have been many iterations of this exact grill at my parents’ house since my childhood).

5. Slow Cooker

a photograph of a Crock-Pot slow cooker

The next best thing to an Instant Pot! Honestly, I don’t own a slow cooker anymore…I gave mine away when I realized that I had only used it once after a year of having the Instant Pot! But…the Instant Pot has a slow cooker function and I do use that, so it counts. I probably don’t have to try to sell you on the usefulness of an appliance that (a) doesn’t heat up the kitchen; (b) does the work of cooking for you while you’re out for the day; and (c) is super-affordable.

6. Vitamix or Another High Quality Blender

a photograph of a Vitamin blender

Another great gift, this time from my husband. The Vitamix is a thing of beauty. Not only can you mix up the obvious cooling summer treats (smoothies, milkshakes, etc.), it’s also powerful enough to whip up creamy hummus, smooth as silk salad dressings, and perfect salsa that just requires dumping in all of your ingredients (I never chop anything beforehand). And – get this – you can even make soup in it. I don’t mean that you can puree soup in it. I mean the motor is so powerful that if you let it run long enough it will heat your soup. That’s for real, people.

7. Food Processor

a photograph of a Cuisinart food processor

Obviously, this is along the same lines as the Vitamix. I usually use my food processor instead of the blender to make hummus, pesto, etc., just because it’s easier to scrape stuff out of the blades (since they’re removable and all). I love cold dips for lunch and snacks, and the food processor is my go-to for making them. This particular model is the one recommended by America’s Test Kitchen.

8. Smoker

a photograph of a Masterbuilt electric smoker

So…this is hotly contested – should smokers be powered by gas or charcoal? How about electricity??? That’s totally my cop-out. We like smoked meat but we do not want to babysit our smoker. I mean, we’re stuck at home (which is great for an introvert like me) but I don’t want to have to watch my smoker to make sure it doesn’t catch anything on fire. With my electric smoker, I load it up with chips and let it go, just watching to see if smoke stops pouring out of it, then I add more chips. Smoked meat = happy Mary. I mean, even just the smell of the smoker makes me happy. And, like the grill, you can totally hang out outside if you’re watching it.

9. Waffle Iron

a photograph of a Cuisinart waffle iron

I recently got a new waffle iron, and I’ve so far only used it for waffles. But if you are a watcher of food videos, you know that you can make cinnamon rolls, grilled cheese sandwiches, paninis, hash browns, and all kinds of other things on a waffle iron. I wouldn’t say it’s essential, but it’s certainly fun and useful!

What are your favorite tools for keeping the kitchen cool?

Filed Under: Chattavore Chats, How to Get Organized, How-To Tagged With: Kitchen Tools By Mary // Chattavore 4 Comments

2017 March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction

October 25, 2017

The March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction will be held in Chattanooga on 10/27/17.

I did not receive any financial compensation for writing this post. As a sponsor of this event, my logo was featured on the Signature Chefs Auction website and brochure. I am sponsoring this event because I believe in the work that the March of Dimes does for babies.
The March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction will be held in Chattanooga on 10/27/17.
Friday night, October 27, 2017, The March of Dimes will host the 2017 Signature Chefs Auction to raise money to help the March of Dimes “fund research, education, advocacy and programs that help more moms have full-term pregnancies and healthy babies”.

The Signature Chefs Auction will be held at Stratton Hall, located at 3146 Broad Street, Chattanooga, Tennessee, 37408. The event begins at 6:00 p.m. and tickets can be purchased at this link. If you are unable to attend or  purchase a ticket, there is an option at the link I just mentioned to make a donation of any size to the March of Dimes.

The Signature Chefs Auction will begin with a 90-minutes tasting of foods from various local chefs, then the auction will begin. Guests will be able to bid on available items while sampling delicious desserts.

The chefs and restaurants participating in the Signature Chefs Auction include:

1885 Grill – Chef Chase Cope
Embargo 62/Ceniza/Red Sauce – Chef Andrew Platt
Feed Company Table and Tavern – Chef Charlie Loomis/Cliff Phillips
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse – Chef Roger Burrows
Culindard/Virgina College – Chef Nick Theirs
Terra Mae – Chef Wade Cowan, Jr.
Cafe on the Corner – Chef J. R. Crutcher
Mean Mug – Chef Monica Smith
Daily Ration – Chef Jeff Schwenke
Artisanal Chefs
Milk & Honey
Stir – Signature Cocktail
Late Night Artisan – Mojo Burrito

For more information about the Signature Chefs Auction, you can contact check out their website, signaturechefs.marchofdimes.org/chattanooga, or contact Jennifer McAfee at JMcAfee@marchofdimes.org or 423-637-7829.

Filed Under: Chattavore Chats By Mary // Chattavore Leave a Comment

Station Street Sip & Savor 2017

July 26, 2017

Benefitting Kids on the Block, Station Street Sip & Savor was a fun event with lots of great food and drinks. We can't wait until next year! | Chattavore.com

Benefitting Kids on the Block, Station Street Sip & Savor was a fun event with lots of great food and drinks. We can’t wait until next year!

Benefitting Kids on the Block, Station Street Sip & Savor was a fun event with lots of great food and drinks. We can't wait until next year! | Chattavore.com
This week’s “restaurant” post is a little bit different. Instead of visiting one restaurant last week, we spent a couple of hours checking out food, wine, and beer at the Station Street Sip and Savor 2017 event.
Benefitting Kids on the Block, Station Street Sip & Savor was a fun event with lots of great food and drinks. We can't wait until next year! | Chattavore.com
Benefitting Kids on the Block, Station Street Sip & Savor was held in the formal gardens at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo. Philip and I went along with a good friend of ours (the same friend who got us backstage to see New Kids on the Block on our 16th anniversary, so he’ll be my favorite for a while) and we had a great time melting in the July Tennessee heat.
Benefitting Kids on the Block, Station Street Sip & Savor was a fun event with lots of great food and drinks. We can't wait until next year! | Chattavore.com
Benefitting Kids on the Block, Station Street Sip & Savor was a fun event with lots of great food and drinks. We can't wait until next year! | Chattavore.com
When you enter the Station Street Sip and Savor event, you are given a complimentary tasting glass that you can get filled with lots of different libations as you walk the perimeter. There was lots of wine, beer, and even liquor to sample. Of course, you guys know I kept it pretty simple…a little bit of moscato and some lemon radler (non-beer lovers out there have to try radler…the one we’ve found most commonly around here is Steigl’s grapefruit radler. If you’re in Chattanooga you can go buy some from Philip at Sigler’s!).
Benefitting Kids on the Block, Station Street Sip & Savor was a fun event with lots of great food and drinks. We can't wait until next year! | Chattavore.com
Benefitting Kids on the Block, Station Street Sip & Savor was a fun event with lots of great food and drinks. We can't wait until next year! | Chattavore.com
And, of course, there was more food than I knew what to do with. Some of my favorite restaurants were there, including Feed Co. and The Bitter Alibi. Then, of course, there were some that I haven’t tried but after tasting their samples at Sip & Savor, well, I’ll be checking them out (looking squarely at Chatter Box…that was some fabulous BBQ!). And an old favorite, Famous Nater’s, was back under a new name – 2 Sons Kitchen. I’ll get there soon.
Benefitting Kids on the Block, Station Street Sip & Savor was a fun event with lots of great food and drinks. We can't wait until next year! | Chattavore.com
Benefitting Kids on the Block, Station Street Sip & Savor was a fun event with lots of great food and drinks. We can't wait until next year! | Chattavore.com
Benefitting Kids on the Block, Station Street Sip & Savor was a fun event with lots of great food and drinks. We can't wait until next year! | Chattavore.com
We had an awesome time trying great food and drinks, hanging out with our friend, stalking local news personalities (okay, not stalking really), and schmoozing craft breweries (guess which one of us did that?).

Benefitting Kids on the Block, Station Street Sip & Savor was a fun event with lots of great food and drinks. We can't wait until next year! | Chattavore.com
By the way, if you’re in town, come see me at the Chattanooga Market Sunday. I’ll be judging the Five-Star Food Fight that concludes Chattanooga Magazine’s Restaurant Week. And stay tuned for a fun announcement coming up soon!
Benefitting Kids on the Block, Station Street Sip & Savor was a fun event with lots of great food and drinks. We can't wait until next year! | Chattavore.com

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Remembering Chattanooga Restaurants From Days Gone By

April 5, 2017

Thanks to a suggestion from a reader, I'm remembering Chattanooga restaurants from days gone by today. They're gone, but not forgotten! | nostalgia post from Chattavore.com

Thanks to a suggestion from a reader, I’m remembering Chattanooga restaurants from days gone by today. They’re gone, but not forgotten!

Thanks to a suggestion from a reader, I'm remembering Chattanooga restaurants from days gone by today. They're gone, but not forgotten! | nostalgia post from Chattavore.com
Over the last several months, I’ve been thinking about my “why”. This stemmed from a conversation that Philip and I had back in October with the owner of Bob’s Brick Oven (whose name, not surprisingly, is Bob). Bob told us about a book, Start With Why. We ordered the book shortly thereafter. I haven’t read it yet (my stack of books to read is large) but the bottom line is: when you know why you’re in business, you’ll be able to build your business.

So what is my why? Chattanooga. That’s why I started this blog. I didn’t start it as a recipe sharing site, I started it to share about Chattanooga restaurants. I’m definitely not going to stop sharing recipes, but I’ve definitely drifted away from my why a little bit. So…I’m working on focusing a little more on Chattanooga…not just Chattanooga restaurant reviews but Chattanooga tourism and nostalgia.

For starters, let’s talk about Chattanooga restaurants that have closed. Boy, there are a lot of places that we miss. For the sake of knowing what I’m talking about, I am going to focus on restaurants that have existed in my lifetime (1978 to present?). However, if you remember restaurants that existed before then, please comment below and keep the discussion going!

Roy Pepper’s Porch
Thanks to a suggestion from a reader, I'm remembering Chattanooga restaurants from days gone by today. They're gone, but not forgotten! | nostalgia post from Chattavore.com
This is one of the first places that I remember going on a regular basis with my friends. I don’t remember anything about what I ordered…all I remember is flowerpot bread. Ask anyone who used to eat there and they’ll mention flowerpot bread. Yeast bread served in a flowerpot…so delicious. If I had better memories of it, I’d replicate it, but that’s been 20 years or so ago. Before it was in its last location next to Walmart (now Hobby Lobby) on 153, it was located near Northgate in the Greenleaf building. I remember my parents going there and not taking me; my mom said they didn’t serve food I’d like. I wasn’t a picky kid, so I am pretty sure my parents just wanted a date night.

Town & Country Restaurant (photo from Chattanooga Times Free Press)
Thanks to a suggestion from a reader, I'm remembering Chattanooga restaurants from days gone by today. They're gone, but not forgotten! | nostalgia post from Chattavore.com
Confession: I never ate here. Seriously. Town & Country was around forever…in fact, the little plaza where Taco Mamacita is located is called Town & Country Square. Located where Walgreen’s is now on the corner of Frazier and North Market, Town & Country opened in 1947 and closed in 2005. We tried to go there once, but it was a Sunday and they were closed. They briefly reopened in a hotel on 23rd Street, but I think that was short-lived. Since I never ate there, I don’t even know what they served (comment below if you remember!), but I did find a copycat recipe for their blue cheese dressing on Epicurious.

Durty Nelly’s

This was the first place I ever had fried pickles, and if you are a regular Chattavore reader, you know that fried pickles are my obsession. Some Chi Omega sisters took me to this Irish style pub, located where Taco Mamacita is now, when I was a pledge, and I was hooked. Not only did I love their food, which included plenty of standard bar fare as well as some Irish favorites like boxty, I loved the dark wood decor that made it seem calming and intimate even though it was a bar. Maybe this is why I love the Honest Pint so much? I was very sad when Durty Nelly’s closed, though I can’t remember exactly when that was. Based on my internet searches, I’m thinking it was somewhere between 2008 and 2010.

J.J.’s

This little hamburger stand that was located next to Soddy Lake (now Shuford’s BBQ) was definitely the spot on this list that was most significant in my life. Again, I don’t remember when it closed, but it’s been in the last decade. From as early as I can remember, JJ’s was a regular staple for my family…we’d get burgers, crinkle cut fries, chicken sandwiches, onion rings, BBQ, and baked potatoes from there on a pretty regular basis. They also had great soft serve and milkshakes. Shuford’s is great, but it’s not JJ’s, because nothing can ever replace your childhood nostalgia.

Hungry Fisherman
Thanks to a suggestion from a reader, I'm remembering Chattanooga restaurants from days gone by today. They're gone, but not forgotten! | nostalgia post from Chattavore.com
My family’s favorite spots to eat when I was a kid: Red Lobster and Hungry Fisherman. Do you see a trend here? My dad loved going to the Hungry Fisherman because he could get raw oysters there (?). I was happy as long as I could get popcorn shrimp and a baked potato, and I remember their hush puppies being quite good too. I loved sitting on the wooden bench seating and just thought that the restaurant was the coolest place, especially since there was a pond around it and you could feed the ducks. I never knew it, but apparently Hungry Fisherman was a chain associated with Shoney’s. The restaurant was sold in the 90s and later became Trip’s Seafood, which closed long before the building, located off the I-75 Ringgold Road exit, burned in 2013.

Waycrazy’s

This BBQ restaurant was, in my opinion, pretty much the best around. There were two locations – one big restaurant located on Signal Mountain (where Double Barrel BBQ is now) and one in Soddy-Daisy, where Burger King is located now. This was another place that my family frequented, and one of my best friends worked there in high school. I don’t remember exactly when it closed but I think it was early in my college years. There was briefly another location on Bonny Oaks. The Signal Mountain Road location closed in the mid-2000s. By the way, when I was a youngster, there was another restaurant, named Ellen’s, here. We loved that place. They had great tacos!

Fehn’s

This is another restaurant that I never tried, but it was around for years! Fehn’s first opened on the Tennessee River in 1930 (!) and later moved to a location on Highway 153, where Rib & Loin is located today. They were famous for their chicken and fish dishes, homemade salad dressings, and desserts. Fehn’s  opened in Dayton as Fehn’s 1891 House in 2004 and closed 10 years later. By the way, the former Fehn’s 1891 House is now the location of Screen Door Café.

Fifth Quarter

Another place that I never tried (sorry, many of these places closed before I was old enough to seek them out on my own!), Fifth Quarter was another chain associated with Shoney’s restaurants (who knew that they had so many offshoots? There was also a Shoney’s Inn located on Brainerd Road). Fifth Quarter was a steakhouse, located on Brainerd Road near Spring Creek Road. They boasted a gigantic salad bar. The restaurant closed sometime when I was still in school, but I couldn’t find the exact date. Also, I never knew this, but before Fifth Quarter, that location was a restaurant called The Sailmaker that featured wait staff dressed as characters from pop culture. The Sailmaker became Fifth Quarter in 1982.

The Loft

This was definitely a Chattanooga institution, and I remember how shocked I was when The Loft, located on Cherokee Boulevard, closed in 2003. It had long been “the place” to go for fine dining in Chattanooga, before Chattanooga really had much in the way of fine dining. Philip worked there for a very brief stint as a busser in the mid-nineties, then the owner yelled at him and he was out. We ate there once, using gift cards given to us by the realtor who assisted us with the purchase of our house. I remember that the chairs were cushy and high-backed, and the menu was steak-heavy. The building housed a gift card business for several years and plans were announced last year to demolish the building to build apartments.

Po’ Folks
Thanks to a suggestion from a reader, I'm remembering Chattanooga restaurants from days gone by today. They're gone, but not forgotten! | nostalgia post from Chattavore.com
This is a blast from the past, amiright? Po’ Folks was located on 153 near Northgate Mall (around where Pep Boys is currently located) and served up exactly the type of country vittles (just call me Ellie Mae) that you’d expect from a place called Po’ Folks. Fried chicken, chicken & dumplings, biscuits, cornbread…it was kind of like Cracker Barrel, except, well, not. At the time that it existed in Chattanooga, Po’ Folks was owned by Krystal, which at the time was a Chattanooga-based company. I remember going here with my family and eating fried chicken drumsticks, and I also remember attempting to pull coins out of a stump in the waiting area. I’m pretty sure they were glued in, and I don’t even remember what the prize was if you managed to pull it off. What I do remember is that I loved that place. Po’ Folks closed in Hixson sometime in the eighties or very early nineties, but there are still eight locations in Florida and Alabama.

Brick Oven Grill

This was my first real foray into non-chain Italian food and man, I loved this place. Philip and I used to eat at Brick Oven Grill, located where Fuji is now located on Highway 153 in Hixson, on a fairly regular basis. I loved their pasta, salads, and bread – so much that this is where my family went for lunch after I graduated from UTC with my master’s degree in 2005. They closed not too long after, making me very sad. There was a second location in Cleveland, and when I started working on this post I held my breath in hopes that it still existed. Sadly, it does not.

Lamar’s (photo from the now defunct Lamar’s website)
Thanks to a suggestion from a reader, I'm remembering Chattanooga restaurants from days gone by today. They're gone, but not forgotten! | nostalgia post from Chattavore.com
Ah, Lamar’s. This is actually the restaurant that inspired this post, thanks to reader John who suggested a post about Chattanooga restaurants that have closed. He specifically mentioned Lamar’s, which closed rather abruptly in early January of this year. Lamar’s was an iconic presence on MLK Boulevard, known for their supposedly out-of-this-world fried chicken, generous alcohol pours, and velvet walls. I never made it there, even though I had good intentions of going. Now, it looks like I’ll never get to go, unless some miracle occurs (I’ve heard they’ve “taken breaks” before…not sure how much truth there is to that rumor).

Keep the conversation going! I know there are lots of places that I missed and lots of places I didn’t even know about. Please comment below and tell me your stories and memories remembering Chattanooga restaurants. If you have photos, please email them to me at mary@chattavore.com!

 

 

Filed Under: Chattavore Chats By Mary // Chattavore 121 Comments

Eating Mindfully: A Learning Process

May 25, 2016

Eating mindfully is not something that comes naturally to me, but it's a process that I'm slowly working through to help me lead a healthier lifestyle. | chattavore.com

Eating mindfully is not something that comes naturally to me, but it’s a process that I’m slowly working through to help me lead a healthier lifestyle.
Eating mindfully is not something that comes naturally to me, but it's a process that I'm slowly working through to help me lead a healthier lifestyle. | chattavore.com
One of the best things about being a food blogger is that it gives me a reason to constantly try new restaurants and new recipes. Conversely, this is one of the downsides of being a food blogger too. My life revolves around cooking, baking, and looking for new restaurants to try.

Until 2014, this wasn’t really a problem. As a teacher, I was in constant motion, moving around my classroom and leading groups of children up and down the long hallways of the school. I was also a runner (though I hated it) so that helped too. Then I got a different job, as a behavior analyst. These days, I spend my days either sitting in meetings, sitting in classrooms talking to teachers, or sitting in my car, shuttling myself from one place to another (I drive hundreds of miles a month for my job).

It didn’t take long for my weight to creep up once my habits changed, and it didn’t take much for me to figure out what happened. I changed my activity levels but I didn’t change my eating habits. It’s problematic. I thought about going Paleo, but ultimately I decided that it wouldn’t work for me because (a) my blog readers don’t come here for Paleo recipes; and (b) I just don’t think I could do it. Then I realized something: I’m a member of the clean plate club. I can match my husband, who is 8 inches taller than me, bite for bite. Ummmm, this might explain a lot.

I am not overweight, and I don’t have a problem with the way I look. That’s not what this is about. What it’s about, though, is realizing that such a rapid weight gain is not healthy and that if I continue at this rate I will be overweight and will be setting myself up for health problems. Something had to change.

A couple of months ago I ran across a book called How to Have Your Cake and Your Skinny Jeans Too by Josie Spinardi. In the book, Spinardi talks about the deprivation mentality; that is, when you spend your life dieting, when you stop dieting (or if you accidentally “slip up” and eat something that you’ve been avoiding on your diet) then you are very likely to binge on those forbidden foods. Now, this didn’t apply to me…I’ve never believed in deprivation and have always allowed myself to eat the things that I wanted to eat in moderation. (Sorry for the dark photo…it’s a screen shot from my Kindle)
img_0014
No, my problem is that I’ve kind of slipped out of the “moderation” mindset and just started eating as much of whatever as I wanted, whenever I wanted. The book talks about eating mindfully…stopping to think about what you are eating, taste what you are eating, and take note of how it makes you feel. When you are no longer hungry, you stop eating. What? That’s awfully simple. You eat whatever you want, till you aren’t hungry, and if you aren’t depriving yourself then you probably aren’t going to feel the need to binge on typically “forbidden” foods.

After 3 weeks of eating this way, I’ve lost 5 pounds. Eating mindfully is still a process. Sometimes food just tastes so good that I don’t want to stop eating it. Sometimes I know that this is going to happen, so I decide ahead of time how much I’m going to eat (half of a sandwich, for example). After I’ve eaten that much, I really think about whether I want to eat more because I’m still hungry or because I just want to keep eating. If it’s just because I want to keep eating, the other half of the sandwich becomes the next day’s lunch. No need to pack another lunch. Eating mindfully is a lunch-packing WIN!

I love fruits and vegetables, so eating “healthy foods” is not the problem for me. Eating junk food is also not the problem, per se. It’s eating too much of the junk food – even the homemade junk food, which most of mine is, that’s the problem. With this method, I still get to eat whatever I want…just less of it. It’s a win-win. I highly recommend Spinardi’s book (which I purchased for myself and did not receive any compensation to endorse)! (This post does, however, contain an affiliate link for her book. This means that if you click that link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. The cost to you will not be affected. For more information, please see my disclosures. Thank you for supporting my blog!)

Have you tried eating mindfully? What’s your strategy for maintaining a healthy weight and diet?

Filed Under: Chattavore Chats Tagged With: writing By Mary // Chattavore Leave a Comment

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About Chattavore

Hi, I'm Mary! Welcome to Chattavore, a destination for people who want to feed themselves and their families well every day! Life can be crazy, which means that getting dinner on the table can be a challenge (more often than not!) and my mission is to take all your favorite recipes and figure out how to serve them on a Tuesday.

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