My name is Sara Morris, and I have a problem…with portion control. And with excessive love of popcorn. Yes, popcorn is a whole grain, so it can be part of a healthy diet and enjoyed in moderation. Oh those two little words get me every time!
Here is the issue: popcorn is SO delicious. Just kidding; my real issue is that I prefer the popcorn that comes already popped to the microwavable versions. The microwavable versions contain a color additive and preservative – I like to avoid these things when I can help it. The pre-popped versions that I like just contain popcorn, sunflower oil, and sea salt. Unfortunately, it is a lot harder to find the pre-popped versions in individual serving sizes. So I’ve been buying the big bags that contain 5+ servings of popcorn. It makes a great snack; it’s crunchy, naturally low in calories, a whole grain…but if I start nibbling, I can end up “palming” half of a big bag (think: hand, face, hand, face) in the 18 minutes it takes Ted Mosby to give his kids the next link in the story of how he met their mother. I’ve tried pouring a serving size from the bag into a bowl. The problem is that the bag is still there in my pantry, which inevitably precipitates the day that I come home and say “Oh I’ll just have a bite of popcorn before dinner,” open the bag and…cut to the part where I enter my personal confession room (also known as myfitnesspal) to admit that I just consumed 600 calories worth of Boomchickapop™.
Solution: yesterday I spent 5 minutes dividing my giant bag of popcorn into individual servings, portioning 4 cups at a time into several quart-sized freezer bags. Now it is impossible for me to eat more than one serving without consciously deciding to do so. What’s more, I ate one of my hand-made individual servings last night and actually found it quite satisfying. I ate it slower – because I did not want to open a second serving- and it turns out one serving is actually enough! Ever since then, I’ve been serenading the popcorn with Barry White’s Never Gonna Give You Up (“Never gonna give you up, Never gonna let you down, Never gonna run around and desert you!”) That is a problem for a different blog post. Until then, popcorn portion control is under (zip)loc!