CONTROLLING CRAVINGS

Hi Everyone,

It starts off as a random thought running through your head. "Boy, wouldn't chocolate ice cream taste good right now? You try to ignore it, but the thought won't go away. Before you know it, you can't stop thinking about ice cream.

Have you every felt like this? Cravings happen to all of us. What we do about them can be the key to our success.

Step one is to think about the reason for the craving. Is this a food I haven't eaten in a long time. Have I been overly restrictive in my program? Could this be an emotional craving? How can I learn to fit my favorite foods into my program so I don't have so many cravings.

Here are a couple of things to try when the craving persists. Distract it - turn the stove timer on for twenty minutes and go on to something else. In twenty minutes you might not even remember what it was that you wanted. Fake it - find a lower point food that will give you the same result (lower point ice cream, or cold chocolate pudding).

Come to the meeting for more tips and ideas. See you there.

Lorraine

BBQ CHICKEN AND GRILLED SWEET POTATOES
Makes 4 servings
Points Value per serving 5

2 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp dry mustard
1 tbsp sugar
1 pound uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast, four 4-oz pieces
2 large sweet potatoes
1 spray cooking spray
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste

1. Mix paprika through to sugar. A few hours before you plan to grill, rub chicken breasts with seasoning mixture. Cover and refrigerate until 15 minutes before you grill.
2. Peel sweet potatoes and slice into 1/3 inch discs. Place in a pot with enough cold, salted water to cover, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil 3 to 4 minutes, than drain and cool.
3. When it's time to grill, preheat grill, then spray potatoes with cooking spray or olive oil spray and salt them. Salt chicken breasts. Place potatoes and chicken on grill and cook until done. The seasoning mixture makes the chicken very reddish in color, so be careful not to cook the chicken too long.