Day 51, Together: Indulgence!

So, I (Nathaly) had a little hiccup of frustration planning out her indulgence, but the final product came out just fine and was VERY enjoyable!  As you can see in Day 49's post, I had definitely been craving deep-fried cheesy goodness.  I got most of what i was looking for in the following:

Bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers! (50 cal each). 

• Cut jalapeño pepper in half, scoop out veins & seeds.  
• Fill with 1 tbsp of fat free cream cheese
• Wrap with 1/2 a strip of uncooked bacon.  
• Seal shut with a toothpick (I was out, so I ended up having poppers that popped open during cooking) 
• Broil on high for 10 minutes (turn once, halfway if your oven is like mine and likes to cook the back half of the tray more than the front). 
• Oh!  And be sure to lay the little suckers down on a small rack on TOP of the baking tray so the bacon drippings don't get all over the poppers -- that can be a little nasty! 
• I made 24 (to finish off the 12-pc package of bacon and not be tempted with it in my freezer) and invited some friends over. :)

I was VERY surprised they could be made for 50 cals each (45 actually), and chowed down on 5 which only added up to 250 calories -- UNDER HALF of my allotted indulgence!! :-D (talk about good times!). So I walked my butt over to the corner store and was gearing up to buy a bottle of Long Trail Blackberry Wheat (135 cals), when I realized the store was closed for the night!  UGH.  Saddened, but really not all that upset, I decided to pop another popper (at 300 cals now) and then sat at the couch wondering what more I could eat with minimal effort (I was feeling too lazy to walk to the market at 9pm on a Sunday).

I decided I'd be OK with enjoying a serving of Ramiro's indulgence treat (only after MUCH cajoling -- he didn't wanna share even though he knew he wasn't allowed to down it all, lol):

sickly deliciousness (300 cal per 1/2 cup).

Surprisingly, this STILL left me under the 700 cal maximum, so I think all in all it was a pretty good day!!  I was planning on meeting a friend at a bar yesterday so there was a small chance I would've ordered a Blackberry Wheat just cuz, but he rescheduled and anyways, that would've felt a little too far on the cheating side of the spectrum (to split up my indulgence over two days). YAY for keeping indulgences positive! :)

Lesson learned:  I need a full day to think through my "need" to eat cheese fries covered in bacon bits and slathered with ranch dressing.  In the end, I usually make the right choice, but since I like to be in control, the thought of those amazingly delicious (but honestly pretty horrible dishes) being "forbidden" can get the best of me.  A simple alternative to cut back calories is to make it yourself!! Yay for home cooking!
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I (Ramiro), decided to further experiment with my ice cream addiction.  For my first indulgence, I had 400 cals of my favorite Ben & Jerry's ice cream, Chocolate Fudge Brownie. I was surprised to find it bitter-tasting and overly chocolate-y.  For this indulgence, I tried my absolute top favorite, Vanilla Swiss Almond from Häagen-Dazs -- all 700 calories. It was much creamier than I remembered and almost too sugary. It wasn't bad at all, just incredibly intense, but I could've easily made do with half the portion I served myself (2.5 servings, according to the nutritional information). The result: a bad stomach ache and a slight headache.

Lesson learned: My ice cream addiction is subsiding.