Super Bowl

I've mentioned before that the Super Bowl is a big deal to me - it always has been.  Growing up, that was one of the special days in our family.  We would set up the card table in the tv room and be able to eat in there instead of the dining room.  For a long time, we would get pizzas.  But we also some years would be able to pick a frozen dinner - another thing that we were never able to get.  My dad would put together snack trays.  It was tons o' fun.

After I went away to school, the party continued.  I remember that they had a Super Bowl party at UCF in the Wild Pizza one year.  We watched the Cowboys whip up on the Buffalo Bills.  Instead of an intimate family gathering, now I moved into more of a party mode.  We would have Super Bowl parties at church or at the Baptist Campus Ministries - one year I had to shuttle between a party at each one!  There were chili cookoffs, pizza pigouts, burgers and dogs.  One year our church rented out the UCF Arena and showed the game.  Several years we had a big church gathering at someone's house - usually a "bring your own dish to share" deal.

As far as food goes, the Super Bowl is a time to eat non stop.  You start eating as you are waiting for the game to start - during the endless hours of hype.  Then the main course is presented near the front end of the game.  And then the snacking continues throughout the whole game.  Chips, crackers, dips, pizza, wings, cheese, burgers, dogs, cookies, brownies.  I love parties like that.  You just kind of graze.  But you don't really feel bad about it because literally everyone is doing it.  Completely acceptable.  And the food is usually all pretty bad for you - but, again, no one cares.  It is like during Christmas when everyone snarfs cookies like crazy.  No biggie.  Just part of the holidays.

Well, this was one of the biggest obstacles for me as I began my addiction attack.  I knew the Super Bowl was looming.  I even considered waiting until after the Big Game to start changing things.  And, naturally, there was a lot of temptation to "take the day off."  But I knew that I couldn't do that.  I needed to actually fight in a different way.  Instead of thinking about all the stuff I was missing, I needed to make my Super Bowl party so awesome that I didn't care.  I began planning last week and came up with several ideas.  My buddy Greg invited us over to his house for the festivities - which also meant we had access to a grill.  My plan was ready to set into motion.

Pretty rough spread, huh?  Yeah, it was tough going, but we survived.  Let me break it down for you piece by piece.

VEGGIE TRAY:  My kids love veggies.  This was actually Natalie's most anticipated element.  I have been trying to eat more vegetables.  And I prefer veggies cold.  But there is that nasty little catch of the dip.  Everyone knows that veggies need dip, otherwise you are just eating foliage.  But dip is so horrible for you.  Well, I went to my Greek yogurt well one more time.  I got a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dip spices mix.  And then, instead of the suggested 16 ounce container of sour cream, I got the Oikos Greek yogurt.  Mix and viola.  Tasted exactly the same.  Maybe even a little better - the tangy yogurt brought a new dimension.  The kids loved it.  And I thought it was great.  The change in calories, fat, sodium, carbs, and increase in protein was stunning.  Absolutely unbelievable.  (I'm telling you - Greek yogurt.  I replaced mayo in tuna salad with it the other day too.)

FRUIT TRAY:  Again, we all love fruit.  Thanks to Sam's, we got a precut fruit tray for $10.  (They also were the source of the veggie tray for $10.)  Then I added some strawberries, bananas, and apples.  And to top it all off (literally), I got a container of lowfat vanilla yogurt.  Very good stuff.  I ended up not cutting the apple because the rest of the fruit was so good, that we didn't need it.  Vanilla yogurt is just so good that it really brings ou the fruit.

CHICKEN BREAST TENDERLOINS:  So, this is the big challenge.  How do you overcome the lure of pizza, hamburgers, wings, and other stuff like that.  I decided to come up with a tasty chicken option.  I bought a bottle of mojo marinade and a bottle of balsamic roasted onion marinade.  I put a pound of chicken in one bag and a pound in the other last night.  Then we grilled them at Greg's.  It was almost like having wings there - small and easy to handle.  They were amazing in flavor.  Very juicy and tasty.  And when you dipped them in the veggie dip, even better.

OTHER STUFF:  We also made hot dogs - especially for the kids.  And Greg got chips also.  I didn't touch any of that stuff.  I was tempted to snarf a few chips.  There was a new flavor Greg had found.  But I just had to tell myself not to do it.

I was perfectly satisfied to eat the chicken, fruit, veggies, and assorted dips.  I grazed from before the game until halftime.  And I didn't feel bad about it at all.  There was nothing wrong with what I ate.  It was good for me.  And it tasted awesome.  I am so excited about the discoveries I'm making in helping me fight this fight.  The Greek yogurt has been huge.  I have used it to make a creamy tomato sauce.  I used it to make tuna salad.  I used it to make several sauces and dips.  It is so versatile - and just a great option.  Finding marinades helps to add flavor without adding tons of calories - especially when they have a vinegar base.  Each time I beat back a tough situation, that victory invigorates me for days.  Last night, when I figured out the tuna option, I did a little dance.  When I tasted the food tonight, I was so happy.  It wasn't the same kind of happiness that came from food before.  This happiness was from feeling a new chain break.  A little bit of freedom had appeared.  And that is actually joy.  Do I enjoy what I'm eating?  Sure, most of the time.  I don't think that is bad because God made food for us to enjoy.  But the enjoyment is not the same thing that I used to experience.  That was a false happiness.  This is real joy.

And it certainly didn't hurt that the Saints won.