Is it only me?

[boy in a kilt]

Whatever part of my brain that controls (or doesn't as the case may be) what I eat seems to shut off about this time of year.

During the spring and summer, I'm one of those people who can eat a single cookie and be ok with it. But then I seem to switch modes once the rains start in winter and I can happily eat a pound of oreos. Anytime I eat a little bit of something sweet, it seems to set me off.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Nature had it all planned out....We are like bears gorging on fatty salmon to get enough fat on us to make it through the hungry cold winter. Nature didn't count on us having access to unlimited fatty food all through winter whenever we want.

[KnottedYet]

Yup, me too. Must be gettting ready for winter. In my case I crave fats. Butter. Olive oil. Nuts. Meat. Cheese. Salmon.

Mmmm, buttered cheese dipped in olive oil....

[boy in a kilt]

Me too.

Normally, my diet is about 20-25% fat. Except for this time of year.

I munch on sunflower seeds a lot. Oral fixation as much as anything. When I'm working in the field or I'm really keyed up at work, I can go through a quarter pound in a day.

SGTiger brought home some white chocolate covered almonds and I can't stay out of them. I don't even like white chocolate (the word abomination comes to mind).

And cheese. I was down at QFC today buying lunch (sushi and a look bar) and found myself in the cheese section seriously contemplating a pound of gouda.

My meat cravings never get really bad. Once in a while I want a steak but that's about it. Mostly I'm ok with a small serving a day.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Yup, me too. Must be gettting ready for winter. In my case I crave fats. Butter. Olive oil. Nuts. Meat. Cheese. Salmon.

Mmmm, buttered cheese dipped in olive oil....

MMMmmmmmm......greased salmon stuffed with lard and swimming in olive oil....

I waded my way through a giant chunk of blue cheese in front of the computer yesterday.....mmmmmm......

[Zen]

Mmmm, buttered cheese dipped in olive oil....

I can't even say what I want to say about that. Use your imagination.

[kelownagirl]

I'm afraid I'm like that year-round. I honestly think I have no satiation point for sweets (chocolate especially), white bread and butter. I'm sure I could easily eat an entire loaf of fresh bread. Yum.

(PS Has anyone ever tried Bernard Callebaut's Chocolate Bread? O.M.G. )

[Running Mommy]

Nope.. I do it too! Seems to me the time to make pumpkin ANYTHING! Bread, scones, cookies... PIE!

Over the weekend I made the most EVIL Cookies. They are my standard- which really isnt your standard recipe- chocolate chip cookies (3 kinds of choc chips mind you). But instead of the half butter/half maragarine the recipe calls for, I used half butter/ half peanut butter! OMG are they GOOD! They also have oatmeal in them, so they have a good texture to them. I think they are called rocky mtn chocolate chippers or something. All I know is I have to get them out of my house! They are calling my name- BIG TIME!!
ugh!!

[Zen]

How did I miss THESE?!

We got lots of feedback about the yummy cookies at the rest stops. We are very fortunate that one of the She Got Bike! organizers, Margaret Hartka, loves baking almost as much as she loves riding her bike. Margaret supplied all the sweets for the rest stops and offered to share the recipe for the s'mores bars.

Enjoy! And remember the more your ride the more cookies you get to eat!



Margaret's Totally Awesome She Got Bike! S’mores Bars
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
6 tablespoons golden syrup, maple syrup or dark corn syrup
2 ¼ cups rolled oats
½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1 1/3 cups mini marshmallows
In a medium-sized saucepan set over medium heat, melt and stir together the butter, sugar and syrup, cooking until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the oats, flour, salt, and graham cracker crumbs.
Press slightly more than half of the mixture into a lightly greased 9x9-inch pan. Let cool completely. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the top, then the marshmallows. Top with remaining crust mixture. Bake the bars for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 20 minutes, then cut into squares while still slightly warm.

[Kitsune06]

Hallelujah! Amen to that. We greatly enjoyed reindeer/venison sausage, then took it home and kept enjoying leftovers. mmmmmmmmmm.....

Winter's just that time. I know there was a study done at one point in time studying how much temperature influenced the appetite of athletes, with warm and cold water swims. Same caloric expenditure, but much more appetite for those in cold water. I wonder if sunlight influences this as well?

Mmmmm, double-buttered, crisped on both sides with huge amts of gooey colby cheese grilled cheese sandwiches ... and tomato soup.

[Torrilin]

(PS Has anyone ever tried Bernard Callebaut's Chocolate Bread? O.M.G. )

Nope. That's because until I moved out of my parents' house, there was a patisserie about 2 miles away, with the most incredible pain au chocolat. And if we were being "good" there was always make a batch of olive oil bread and then melt chocolate on the warm bread. I'm a major sucker for Callebaut chocolate, but it's not as easy to find as my sweet tooth might like. Probably a good thing... It's much easier for me to eat a sensible amount of an intense dark chocolate than a well balanced milk chocolate.

Most of my cravings right now are fatty and salty snacks tho. Cheetos (I can usually derail this one with corn chips and salsa, which is a bit better), and french fries (sub sandwich and tiny bag of chips usually derails this one). Real cheese I'm ok with, since I'm still not hitting my doctor's calcium consumption target every day.

I'm also rather craving a batch of chicken soup with dumplings. Need to get the veggie ingredients today so that the stick of butter for the dumplings and my nice pristine chicken stock don't go to waste.

[indysteel]

I just polished off a bag of Oreos in about three days so I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that my sweet tooth goes a bit nuts this time of year.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Mmmmm, double-buttered, crisped on both sides with huge amts of gooey colby cheese grilled cheese sandwiches ... and tomato soup.

YEAH BABY- On sour dough bread...with mozzarella, basil,....and tomato... and bacon.... (droooooooollllll)

[roadie gal]

I definitely want heavier foods this time of year. But for me, the worst thing is that I drink more coffee. My coffee intake is already measured in pots, not cups, so more is going to be measurable in bathtubs!

[sundial]

I just opened a can of macadamia nuts and I'm perking a fresh pod of coffee to go with it. As long as it's sunny, I'm not craving goodies but when it's rainy, overcast and cold, I am reaching for the cookies. Ack!

That bar cookie recipe sounds DIVINE! Now I have an excuse to go out and buy chocolate chips.

Here's a recipe I picked up at the Clucking Hen in Cape Breton, NS. It's a great pre- and post-workout goodie.

Oat Cakes

3 cups flour
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup cold water

Mix ingredients together. Roll out onto floured board and cut into desired shapes. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Enjoy with a good hot cup of Cape Breton tea.

Editor's note: I halved the recipe and pressed it in the cookie sheet lined with quick release foil rather than rolling it out onto a floured board. After it cooled, I cut it into squares.