Artichokes are everywhere and cheap right now! My local Trader Joe’s has so many it feels like Castroville, where, I’m told, there are so many artichokes they grow off of fence posts. Artichokes taste great, and help slow you down to appreciate what you’re eating. Picking off each leaf and scraping with your teeth is very satisfying, and at the end you get the wonderful heart and stem. Best of all, if you’re on Weight Watchers they are 0 points for one.
If you have only tried eating artichokes dipping the leaves into something fatty, try them all on their own; I don’t think they need anything to make them taste fantastic. All I do is put a little lemon juice on them before cooking so they don’t get too discolored. I make a few at a time, so they’re ready whenever I am.
If you’ve never prepared an artichoke, they can be a little intimidating–when was the last time you ate a thistle? But they aren’t hard; I found this video that shows how to trim them and get out the fuzzy choke. How do you like your artichokes?
babs
May 9, 2010 at 11:51 am
A general non-artichoke comment: I’ve been reading through your archives, and I’m really connecting to what you’re saying. I love that you come out of the FA movement. I’ve had a hard time reading diet blogs where the writer talks about her former fat self with such loathing. It seems disrespectful to her former self, and to where I’m at now. Am I, too, loathesome til I lose weight. Anyhoo, I loved this bit from an earlier post:
“Ultimately, if there is any meaning for others in my story, it’s this: you can overcome inertia. You can make major changes to do things differently, to be different. You can effect positive changes not only for yourself, but for your family.”
And not only for the proper use of “effect”! ; ) (Another English major here.) I think weight loss goes hand in hand with how we’re doing in our lives overall. I’m doing OK in my weight loss efforts now, and it’s partly b/c I’m taking steps to address inertia in other areas of my life.
Thanks for sharing your story!
Wendy
May 9, 2010 at 3:25 pm
Thanks for reading! We are all worthwhile people, worthy of love and caring–and respect. What I really like in the FA movement is that self acceptance, and that refusal to live half a life because people will see me fat. I wish I believed in the weight loss transformation, in which you are a poor wretched fat person, find the light and lose weight, and are forever happy. A wonderful fantasy, told and sold by people who are making a lot of money off of us. That said, although I wasn’t ashamed of myself for being fat I wasn’t supporting myself the best way I could; I was using food to numb, not to nourish. The way I eat now is in better accord with my values and with my true needs. I wish you much luck as you find your own way!