Chubby Wubby

I'm a wee bit concerned. My 5 year old is running around calling her sister chubby wubby. In a very cute and nice way of course. But still, I worry. Where is this coming from? TV? Or worse, my own preoccupation with fat?

I'm hoping it's not the latter. I have tried hard not to bemoan my own "chubby wubby" rolls in the company of small kids. But this plays to my bigger fear, of having weight obsessed kids. It made my life miserable from about 12 yr old on. I don't want that for my children. I want fit, healthy, happy kidlets- no matter the size or shape

I was about to sit down and have the chat about fat with the 5 yr old when I heard it. The gummy bear song on her iPod. The lyrics of which are "chubby wubby funny looking gummy bear". Aha! The culprit was found

In an effort to avoid giving the kids my issues, I very nearly introduced it to her unnecessarily. Apparently one can be a bit too over vigilant. In the future I will just try to be easy breezy about it as I can.

Portion Control Made Easy

Once again, it is time for me to stand up and own my problems.  I have an issue with portion control. A portion to me is whatever the heck is on my plate. I still have it drilled into me from when I was a kid and my mom would say, "Eat it all, there are starving kids in China." Even if I'm not really hungry, I will keep picking at what's left on the plate.

My solution? Only put on the plate what I can eat. At home, I'll premake meals in individual portion sizes in disposable tupperwares. That way I can just grab one, reheat it, then eat the whole thing. And then I know I didn't eat too much.  If I'm eating out, I'll get a to go box at the same time my food comes. Then I look at the plate and figure out what my portion should truly be. Then dump the rest in the doggy bag. Voila, I can now eat everything on my plate.

What about treats? Because no matter what diet you are on, everyone needs treats. Whenever I open a box or bag of cookies, I will go through and separate them into individual ziploc baggies with two cookies each. That usually equals 150 calories. Perfect for what I have allocated in my budget for treats that day. So now when I want something, I just grab a baggie and I don't have to worry about my will power and looking down and finding half the box of vanilla wafers gone.

Give premeasuring a try. It's alittle time consuming and OCD but well worth the effort.

Fitness Tip: Go outside

Hopefully it's starting to get warm wherever you are. Unless you're my friend Bindi from Australia. In which case you should pull out the ski poles.

For everybody else, it's time to start skipping the gym and start skipping outside. Switch up your normal workouts with frisbee and touch football

Once you remember to put on the sunscreen, the sun can be beneficial Not only does tan fat look better than white fish skin, but people have been using light therapy to treat mood disorders for years.

So shake off the last bits of the summer blues. Be like Sheryl Crow. Go soak up the sun.

Long Run: Blessed taper

Right now is my favorite part of marathon training, the taper. About three weeks before the marathon, you do your longest run of the training. Then for the next three weeks, you taper down the miles until the week of the marathon, you are only running 2 miles at a time. After last Sunday's 20 miler, I was thrilled that today was only 12. I know only 12 sounds a little nutty, but after you've already hit the much higher and harder numbers, 12 is a godsend.

The idea behind taper is that high intensity long lasting cardio is hell on you muscles and bones. Duh. So after you peak, you need those three weeks to repair the damage you've done by working it so hard. Makes me wonder, if this is built in, how crazy are all of us to do this knowing we are causing damage in the first place. Just a thought.

But that's why I like the taper. It's a rest, but it's also actively recovering, healing, licking my wounds.I think I need to introduce the taper in the rest of my life. I think I've mentioned that I'm going back to college to finish up my degree in English. I wonder how they would feel about a taper. Amp up in homework until about three weeks before the final, then give little or no homework, allowing your brain to stop frying from all the cramming. I think it's brilliant.

I need to figure out how to work this in with my family.  "I'm sorry, I can't take anymore together time. I'm maxed out and I need to taper."

There is a sad part to the taper though. The less calories I burn, the less calories I can consume. I can't get away with that extra brownie anymore.

Oh well, can't have it all.

Yoga Pose: Chaturanga

It's a fun word to say, but a pain in the butt to do. Part of the sun salutation, in power yoga, between nearly every pose you go through a vinyasa and do plank/chaturanga/updog/downdog.  Great core and arm workout, but your arms will be shaking by the end.

Here is what chaturanga looks like.

Start at plank, otherwise known as push-up position. With the hands directly below the shoulders, inhale then exhale- lowering yourself slowly while keeping the belly tight and the back and bum in line. Stop and hover just a few inches above the ground. This is chaturanga.

And in case you're wondering, yes, that's me. If I can do it, so can you.

Potpourri: Muscle loss

Here's my current lament. Intense cardio for long periods of time,- ie marathon training- eats muscle. Your heart rate surpasses that fat burning zone and starts eating the carbs and protein, not the fat. So whenever I hit this stage in training, all the hard work I put into my triceps and thighs - totally gone.

So as soon as my training is over (two and a half weeks!) it's back to the weight room to tone up. Just declaring my intention so you can hold me accountable.

But glean the bit of information from the top, it's hard to tone up and build muscle if you do regular high intensity (2 hours) cardio a few times a week. By high intensity, I mean your heart rate stays at darn near max the whole time.

Dress for Success: Swimsuit hell

Having lost all this weight, I thought, hey, it's swimsuit season. I need a cute bathing suit. And I got all excited. For once, I wouldn't have to order out of the big girl's catalog. I could actually find something in the store!! I was really excited to find a suit that would show off my new littler body. Silly me.

I have now determined, that swimsuit shopping is hell, no matter what your size. At the store, I immediately dismissed two categories of swimwear. The muumuu swimdress, masquerading as a bathing suit. And the bikini, because I may be smaller, but I'm still not delusional. That left me with one pieces and the tankini.

I tried the one piece first. Thought I could look all svelte and catwoman like. Not so much. I have a very long torso, so they all either crawled up the butt or the bust hit about the ribcage. I'll even own up, that just for kicks, I tried on the one piece with the sides cut out. Even supermodels don't look good in those bondage bandaid swimsuit wannabes.

So I tried the tankini. The first store I went to, sold them in sets. Unfortunately my top half is a size larger than my bottom half. So either my bottoms fell off or gave me plumbers butt. Or my top was squeezing all the left over fat up and out. Then I discovered the separates. Praise be to whoever thought that one up. So I finally found a cute little boy short for the bottom. But what to do for the top? Halter. Racerback. Midriff baring (uh no), Deep V, (again, no) padding (yes please. Because the first place I lost my weight was off the rack). Too many combinations and none of them looked right. None of them made me look like the girl on Maxim magazine.

She didn't have a droopy butt, or an extra flap skin under the arms. I decided, Screw this, I should wear a wetsuit. Then all my little extra bits would be tucked in.

Cue the super skinny girl in the dressing room next to me. Size 0, and moaning about all the exact same things. Her thighs looked flabby. The suit cut across her butt in the wrong place. She had a little bit of a belly. (not that I saw)

Point is, unless you have makeup artists and somebody that can airbrush your photos later, swimsuit shopping is hell. For everyone.

Snack Smart: Fattening vegetables

I have a friend, who will remain nameless, that loves to snack on baby carrots. I swear, her skin could turn orange. And not just from fake bake tanning. Anyway, she is not losing any weight and couldn't figure out why. After spending one weekend over at her place, I knew why.

She's attempting to have about 50% of her daily food as vegetables. A great goal. One problem, she soaks them in butter, cheese, and ranch dressing. Sadly, you do have to keep track of the crap you put on veggies to make them taste good. You think Oh, it's just a little bit of dipping sauce, it can't be too bad. I measured out her ranch dressing she used on those baby carrots. She added 250 calories to her low cal snack. No wonder she wasn't losing.

If you gotta have that dipping sauce, make sure you go low fat and use sparingly.

And for the record, apples are a great healthy snack. Apples with a tub of caramel dip... not so much.

Long Run and Fitness Tip: Cheerleaders

This weekend I did my longest run before the marathon in 3 weeks. 20 freaking miles.  I ran around my neighborhood, but I'm pretty sure if I'd been smart I could have run to the ice cream shop and back. Anyway, afterwards I had the energy of a slug so the weekend post never happened. So here's the weekend post with the fitness tip folded in. Like a candy with a gooey center.

I've decided that the biggest run before a marathon is just bad juju. Last year it was just after my longest run that I injured my hamstring, making my first marathon a speed walkathon. Two weeks ago I had a great 19 mile run. I wasn't tired or sore or anything. I could've run the marathon that day for sure. This 20 miles kicked my butt. It wasn't the extra mile that pushed me over, I hit the wall all the way back at mile 5.

It started in the ball of my foot then shot up the shin, through the knee and then up the hamstring finally zapping my lower back. My right leg was stiff and tight and begging to be amputated. So choices. Run through it or go home. I'm too darn stubborn to go home, so I ran through it. Then next 10 miles sucked. Really bad. I wasn't in extreme pain, maybe a 5 on the pain scale. I had to pull through all my bags of tricks to get through it. Music, singing, visualizing the finish line, self talk... everything. I finally went with "This sucks" over and over to the beat of my feet. Then changed it to "Just one more lap until Chrisy comes". Yep, I had reinforcements coming.

The last five miles of my long runs, my friend Chrisy Ross joins me. If I could just make it long enough for her to come, then I knew she'd drag my butt those last five miles. Sure enough, rounding the park I saw my salvation. I nearly started crying. My knee by this point felt completely rusted over. She started running in step with me encouraging me, "You're running strong. Good girl." I stood a little taller, my stride a little more confident.

For the next fifty minutes or so we kept the pace and she kept my mind off how much I wanted to be home, in bed, with the biggest bag of ice I could find. The last five miles ended up just as easy as the first five. My knee still killed me by the end, but I had made it. And I'm not sure I would have without my friend being my cheerleader.

Everybody needs a cheerleader in life. They don't need to have pom poms or wear a short skirt, but they do need to push you back onto the field even when your down by five goals. When you have a workout buddy, you seem to stand a little taller, push a little harder, and stay a little longer.  I'm not sure if it's the mechanics of healthy competition, or pride, or the warm fuzzy feeling of encouragement- but I always do better with a friend at my side.

So that's the fitness tip, get a cheerleader. Somebody that holds you accountable for your progress and pushes you to go even though you feel like giving up.

Exercise for the Soul: Strong like a mountain

The picture above is me in "Mountain" pose for my yoga certification. The purpose of this pose is to stabilize and have a strong base for your practice. That got me thinking. How often are we off kilter in our lives because we don't have a strong base to come back to? It's hard to find balance without roots. My life has been crazy lately, and I need to identify my place of strength. Someplace safe where I can go back to and recover. Become strong. Then go out and take on the world again. That is what mountain pose is for in yoga. Either the one pictured or with hands in prayer. In between sun salutations or poses, you can return and center yourself before taking on the next pose.

Today I am going to practice Mountain both in yoga, and finding in finding my emotional base.

Potpourri: Muffin FAIL

I was running out the door one morning and starving. I didn't have time for my cottage cheese, and I was out of yogurt. So I thought I would just grab one of my husbands muffins from Costco. Couldn't be too bad right? I mean it's a muffin for heaven's sake. I figured 400 calories tops.  When I checked later that day to add to my calorie total I was floored. 695!!!!

So not fair that it take 5 minutes to consume and 70 minutes to run off.

Dress for Success: Hand me down fat clothes

During my weight loss journey, I've tried not to be offended when my skinny friends offered the use of their pregnancy clothes as my waist shrunk.  I know they meant well, but still. Here I'm losing weight and need smaller pants, and the ones that are going to fit are the ones you wore when you claimed to be the size of a whale. So when I wore their pants, I too felt like a whale too.

Recently, I had a different experience with it. One of my best friends and fitness mentor got married. The stress of the event caused her to shrink to practically nothing. When I was losing weight and taking her class, I always thought she was the tiniest and cutest thing I had ever seen. In my head I would say, If only I could get that skinny. 

Flash forward to last weekend. She gave me a sackful of pants that no longer fit her. She's like a size 0 now. (I try not to hate her on principle) When other friends had handed me their "big" clothes, I had mixed feelings about it. One hand smaller, yay! Other hand, you're still wearing someone else's hand me down fat clothes.

This time I was thinking my friend was on crack. She's never been fat. Ever. These are not her fat pants, these are her not "stick thin" pants. These were the pants that my skinny little friend wore all while teaching my body blast classes. And I was sure that there was no way in hell that I was going to fit into them.

You might remember last Wednesday a little post called Mirror Image. If not, look it up. Anyway, I talked about having trouble seeing a difference in the mirror. Trying on her pants was a wake up call. I had admired my friend less than a year ago in these brown cords. The same ones that I had wrapped around my butt right now. That's right, they actually fit.

The whole sackful of pants did, except the size 2, and those might fit on one leg.

I had been so sure that they couldn't fit. Because that would mean I was roughly the same size as someone I thought looked hot, and I couldn't see myself that way. But the proof is the sugar free pudding.

The stories behind the clothes we wear color our own perspective. If you're wearing your once a month pants with the drawstring, chances are you feel like you look bloated, even if you're don't. Like most things in life, I think "sexy" starts somewhere inside. Looking back, I wish I had felt every bit as proud in my friend's hand me down pregnant fat clothes. I was still getting smaller, still looking great. But the label I thought I was wearing prevented me from seeing it.

Snack Smart: Late night snacking

Late night snacking has recently become the bane of my existence. After the kiddos go to bed, I'll usually catch an 8 oclock zumba or yoga class. Then I'll come home and lock myself away in my writer's cave with a few cans of Diet Coke and a bowl full of cereal.

I know, not the smartest behavior on the planet. And I totally know better. Right now I can get away with it because I am running 40 + miles a week. But in less than a month, my training will be over, and I will need to batten down the hatches.

Why am I eating? Because I've gone and revved my metabolism by taking a late class. True, but also just because I like to have something to pop in my mouth while I'm writing.  A very bad habit I need to break. Or at least substitute for grapes or berries.

Food is fuel. Do I need fuel right before I go to bed? No, probably not. So why am I filling up my tummy, go so it can sit and turn to fat while I attempt to sleep. Or have weird food dreams. (Who here hasn't had the late night cold pizza dream)

So my new goal is to stop. If I workout late, I will have a glass of chocolate milk or protein shake when I get home, then nothing. After 7, no solid food shall pass these lips.

I'll post an update next week and let you know how my resolve is going. Let the fridge raids cease!

Fitness Tip: Workout Tunes

Some people like to workout without music. They like to focus on their breath and how each muscle feels. If I did that my muscles would tell me its time to go home.

I tried reading a book on the elliptical. The up and down made me sea sick. I tried listening to audiobooks, but my panting was louder than the narrator.

So I ended up making a playlist. And because I am a brat, some of the songs are somewhat sarcastic digs at myself. But it makes me laugh and motivates me.

 An example: Dixie Chicks- Ready to run, Beck- Loser, Ting Tings- That's not my name

I'm kind of weird, in that, I have had the same playlist for a year and a half. It's my running playlist. I have found that I can kind of zone out and chill my brain out if I know the songs that are coming. It's a little OCD, but it works for me.

Find what works for you. What keeps you in the gym. What helps you get through that last mile. Find what makes it fun :)

The Long Run: Emotional hoarding

Something I've noticed recently is that I hold on to stuff way past their expiration date. And I'm not just talking about the milk from the freezer. I hang on to emotions and feelings way past when I should let them go.

I mean should I still be pissed at those kids from high school that moo'ed at me in the hallway?

I have to learn to let it go because it's taking up valuable space in my life. Do I really need to keep an emotional tally of all the times my family has supported me, and more importantly, the times they have not.

Why am I still hanging onto feelings that don't matter? Am I using it as fuel to propel me forward? No. It's just dragging me down into old patterns of feeling inadequate.

So yesterday my post was all about cleaning my room, well today I need to clean out my feelings drawer. I might try the whole get it out into a letter and burn it idea. But I have to get all the negative hurts out before they poison me and halt my success and happiness.

Do you have problems letting it go? Better yet, do you have good tips on how to let it go? Are you an emotional hoarder too?

Exercise for the Soul: Clean your room

I don't know about you, but my family can usually tell how stressed I am by the condition of my room.  That's right, the cleanliness of my room is in direct proportion to the clutteredness of my mind. So today's exercise is to clean it out.
Having a clean space to go home to and lay my head down is something I find helps me relax. If I'm anxious, being in a dirty and messy room just makes me feel that much more upset. So my whole rest of the house may be a disaster, but my little corner of the world will reflect the calm I want to feel.

Potpourri: Ouch

Polls show that women are hitting the gym in record numbers. So can you guess what else has gone up in record numbers? The number of women seeking treatment for sports injuries.

Sometimes its hard to know just how much is enough. Doing too much before your body is ready can lead to overuse injuries. Another key factor in this comes from working out too hard and not giving your body enough fuel to repair itself.

Listen to your body. Being sore is one thing. It's even good. But agonizing pain when you walk or raise your arm, not so good.

Mirror Image

I decided to hijack my own blog. I'm taking over Dress for Success. Why? Because it's my blog and I can do what I want.

Really though, its because sometimes I want to share more of me and less of the how to. Sometimes I just want to have an honest discussion about something. And today's discussion would be what I see when I stand in front of the mirror.

I see lumps and bumps and flaps of skin. Sags here, old stretch marks there. I see flaws that can be tucked, squished, or camouflaged by a well made pair of jeans. I'm absolutely positive that if anyone saw me in the buff, they would run screaming.

Mirror Mirror on the Wall, who's the fairest of them all? I can say unequivocally that I have never once thought it was me. Not when I was fat, not now that I'm un-fat.

In the rational part of my head I know that I'm ok being exactly who I am. But the emotional part of my head feels differently. I've lost 75 pounds. My pant size has shrunk from 16/18 to 4/6. The evidence all points to the fact that I should be happy and ecstatic with how I look. And maybe half the time I am. But the other half, including in front of the mirror, I still wish I was different. There will always be something that can be smaller, tighter, and um... higher.

The problem is absolutely not with my body, it's in my brain. And even though I have made great strides in my life, it takes a long time to overcome 30 years of bad self-imagery.  I always had a number in my head. And if only I could reach that number on the scale, then I would be happy. Pretty.

In case you haven't guessed, there is no magic number. How often have we heard celebrity stories of plastic surgery gone awry? They had something nipped or sculpted, hoping to feel better, but they are still the same person underneath. If we feel unworthy, it has a lot less to do with the outside, than what we are feeling on the inside. Even supermodels look in the mirror and cringe.

I don't have the answer. I just wanted to share, because this is something that I still struggle with. And you know what, it's ok to struggle. The word indicates a fight. I'm fighting to feel better about my body and myself as a person. It's not a fight I'm going to win in the gym by toning up to 2% body fat. It will be a battle of wills to retrain the way I think about beauty and worth.

Today it starts with looking in the mirror and finding one thing I absolutely love. It's my collarbone. I'm not going to let my eyes or thoughts wander any further down.

Baby steps. It's a process.

Snack Smart: Breakfast

I am not a morning person. Truth be told, I rarely have enough time to do more than run a comb through my hair and brush my teeth.

In the old days I would grab a bite to eat on the way to wherever I was headed. As you might expect, this included donuts, cinnamon rolls, and whatever came in the bag from the drive thru.

Now, even in a hurry I have time for a quick, much healthier bite. My favorites to rotate are greek yogurt with a drizzle of honey. Or a cup of cottage cheese with berries on top.  Either one is packed with protein, so I am left feeling full all morning.

If you are not a dairy person, still try to find something with protein. Kashi Go Lean is good. Or an egg.

Fitness Tip: Which exercise burns the most calories?

The title of this post asks a question: Which exercise burns the most calories?

The answer is simple. And it's the same no matter what new fangled gadgets come out or what experts say.

The exercise that burns the most calories is the one you actually do.

If you feel cheated, I apologize, but its true. Running burns more calories than riding the cycle. But if you hate to run, then what are the odds you'll keep doing it?

The only way to lead an active life is to enjoy it. Back in the old days, I would go the gym  for an hour and kill myself trying to burn as many calories as humanly possible.  Of course I was so sore for the rest of the week that I couldn't make myself get back there. So guess how long that lasted. Not long. Then it was back to riding the couch.

Generally, it's pretty hard to do something for the rest of your life that makes you miserable. Find something you enjoy. Something you'll look forward to. A walk, a hike, a bike ride. Maybe a zumba class or yoga.

Doesn't matter what it is, as long as you keep doing it. And that's how you'll burn the most calories.

The Long Run: Pace yourself

Ok, I know. I'm late. I meant to post yesterday, but life got away from me. Which kind of inspired this post anyway. So serendipitous.

This morning I had a great run with Chrisy Ross, an author and running bud of mine. It was 19 miles. Unlike the last race, I did take it nice and slow. Averaging about 11:00 minute mile. By the end I wasn't all that tired. My leg kids hurt, but not too bad.

I learned with my running what I'm having trouble doing in my life. Pace myself.
If only life came with one of those spiffy Garmin watches that I use in running. Then just like I can tell when I am going too fast, I could see when I am doing too much.

I have a lot on my plate right now. And sadly it doesn't contain enough dessert in my opinion.
I'm training for the Utah Valley marathon. I'm working on becoming a Certified Yoga instructor. I go back to University this semester. I am trying to finish a new book. I am doing editorial revisions for the two books I've already sold to the publisher. And those are the big things. There's also two little kids that like to be fed from time to time and a house that might get buried under laundry if I don't act fast.

Point is, I am trying to go faster than my feet can carry me- to use a running metaphor. So what to do? RUN SLOWER!

Did every mile still get run today? Yup. Was it a little slower than normal? Yup. Do I feel a lot better than if I'd run it top speed? Big Yup.

So can I get everything on my to-do list done? Yup. Will it take a little longer than I want? Yup. Will I feel better if I'm not running (sorry for the pun) myself ragged everyday with no break? Big Yup.

Now I just need to reread this post everyday as a reminder :)

Exercise for the Soul: Yoga

So one of the things currently topping my To Finish list is getting certified to be an instructor in Yoga.
                                                   

Yoga is something I discovered on my path to fitness and I fell in love. Yes that's right, I tolerate running, but for me, yoga is an exercise I actually look forward to doing. And it is exercise. I can get more sore doing some practices of yoga than running 5 miles.

The word yoga is the Sanskrit to English translation, meaning yoke. To unite or join. That's the purpose of yoga, to bind your mind and body together- working together in harmony. 

I enjoy the idea of an endless path. There is no true mastery of yoga, no ideal end result. Just the journey and enjoying wherever you happen to be on it. If you can't touch your toes, its ok. Just grab onto whatever you have. Try to inch a little farther each week.

What a great metaphor for life. There is no ideal end result that says, Yes this was the perfect example of a life well lived. All we can ask for in life is to do our best, and hope that gets a little better each day.

In the coming weeks, I want to share the poses I am learning. I would invite you to try them and find a community yoga class near you. You won't regret it.

Potpourri: Breath through your nose

I always hated it when teachers would tell me to breath through my nose. My sinuses suck, and its just hard. Why should I. Is mouth breathing so faux-pas? Do I have bad breath?
                                                         

Turns out, the fitness teachers weren't just being obnoxious, just obtuse. Maybe they had no idea either.

Breathing through your nose makes the oxygen reach your blood stream faster. Thereby oxygenating your muscles you are trying to work and stretch. Making the workout easier and less likely to get injured. Breathing out through the nose also rids the bad air faster.

Huh.. who knew?

Dress for Success: Running Shoes

Did you know that running shoes have an expiration date? Now before you go checking the label, I don't mean literally.  Every shoe has a limited number of miles in them before they become a liability. As you've porbably guessed, higher quality shoes tend to get more miles, around 450 miles total. Cheap bargain shoes rarely make it to 300. But there are exceptions. Just because its spendy, doesn't mean its made well.

When your shoes have given up the ghost so to speak, you are more prone to get injured. Knee problems, ankle problems. etc. This stems from the wear patterns and decreased shock absorption.

So how do you know when your shoes should be laid to rest? Do you wait until the rubber is falling off? Here's the easiest ways to tell:

Do your legs feel a little more beat up then normal?

If you grab the top and bootom of your shoe, does it twist easily? (meaning the center of the sole has broken down. )

Is the tread really worn on one side, making the shoe tilt?

Is it just not comfy anymore?


Yep, you are the best barometer. If it doesn't feel good, get a new shoe. Otherwise, you might be at risk for overuse injuries. A heavier person will need to replace their shoes more often. I know, its not fair. Tell me about it. Light little waifs can get away with every 450 miles or so.

Keep track of your miles, and really start to pay attention around mile 300.

Another good tip is to find a shoe you like, then buy a spare set. Rotate. Makes them last longer.

And never wear new shoes to a race. Just saying.

Snack Smart: Kale Chips

Ok, so I am attempting to live a greener life. Aside from a salad, I had no clue how to do this.

My friend, Tres Hatch helped me discover Kale chips.  Hers were much better than mine, but I'm working on it.

First, buy a bunch of kale at the grocery store. They are the leafy things hotels stick on everything to make it look pretty. And yes it's edible. Tip* shake out the water before you buy it. Weighs less, costs less.

Next go home and preheat the over to 350.

Now wash, and strip all the leaves off the stem. The stem is bitter and nasty.

Throw in a bowl with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) and kosher salt. I way over salted mine. More than a pinch,. less than a handful.

Toss and then lay out on a cookie sheet.


Throw them in the the preheated oven for around 30 minutes.



Voila. Tasty Potato chip substitute.